Edge of nowhere
28 Mar 2019Arbilac
If you believe my systems, then, hmm.. carry the 1, yep. I'm 374LY from the Zurara - my prize. My girl' tells me I got somethin' like 10 more times through the witch; probably a lil' more than I would need in home territory but I like to travel by the stars I can scoop, and those are sometimes a bit closer than my girl can jump. Safe than sorry.Yeah, okay, elephants. My friend has turned up a couple' times.
You thinkin', why's he not droolin' pure alcohol in the mess whilst carving alien symbols in to his arms?
Heh, me too. Me. Too.
I cannie put a finger on the why of it. I did some experiments though. First time, I did gone nearly shit my own pants, but I'm still 'ere... I think, heh, so I'll maybe tell you the story before I get to my location.
First couple' jumps I just stared straight on in to the witch. She's been a constant companion since I could afford my own ship. Hell, before then. I got me a loaner Sidey first. Who doesn't, right? You get given the chance to see the star up personal? Damn straight you take the gift horse and pay that premium tax. Tell me I'm wrong! Hah.
So yeh, I got a cold sweat on. I could feel eyes on my neck that weren't there. I could, damn you! I could hear that lil' bastard chatting some goddamned nonsense right in my ear.
Well, shit. Sorry, swearing ain't my thing; I was raised right, but I'll be damned if I weren't scared out of my mind.
That went on for a few days. Couple' jumps... yeah, I sometimes held up and sat over a water or earth - a few of em out here. Can't take my girl down to these jewels though; ships prevented due to "contamination" of some such. Always figured there'd be enough of em for everyone, but the Feds disagree.
Sorry; digressin' again.
Then I had me an idea. My girl, like most, can do the job herself. Failsafes in place to stop wayward ships, or more likely, terrorists, from setting a vessel off on her own an' causin' havoc. I was an engineer. I know my girls (I got a few, heh).
I put in a temporary.... fix. Let's call it. I got my girl to do a semi-blind jump without me at the helm. So that's step one. Me, out back, hoping I didn' just blow my very own self up.
Step two. I brought my bed in. EVA, gun, pointed.
Step three. Repeat.
My little fella turned up day three, same number of jumps along my safe path to the Z. Same place, just to the left of my couch and to the rear. Same place. Same... everythin' actually.
Now, when I say he turned up, he only appears... he... well, I guess he's a he. Could be a she. Don't like pummelling the ladies though - like to try to be a stand-up, feels like if I'm gonna plug a man, I at least face him. Sounds a bit sexist in my head, that; guess that's my upbringin' again. Us humans don't stray too much from our prejudices I suppose, after all.
Where was I.. off again. No matter...
Anyhows, I had my rifle pointed right where he'd be. First couple of blind jumps, he weren't there. Next one though, he popped up clear as day... sort of. See, he appeared only in.. what's the term.. bursts maybe. Like a flickerin' light. On and off; here, then gone. Took me a few jumps to work out the pattern, if there is one.
Seems, in witch space, at least from my point of view as I traverse, that my girl is passin' through stars and nebula. That ain't really the case as we ain't in normal space, but it's quite a "light show". You see where I'm goin'? Heh.. yeah, as we pass "through" a star, he pops right up.
So I'm there, pointin' ma gun and thinkin' "gotcha". Only, his appearance is somewhat fleeting.... but gotta be honest with y'all, that wasn't what stopped me. No sir.
First off; he ain't hurt me, least not yet. Just scared me a little.... a lot. Half to death, really.
Second; he ain't never move.
That last bit I haven' worked out yet. Is he dead? A statue? I can't see the wood for tha trees on this jus' yet. Only thing that I'm sure of.... the littl' fella is talking to me. I gotta figure it out.
I'm tryin' to carry on regardless. Got somewhere to be. Got me some research to do; hope I get paid for it too. Geez, I shoulda asked around, see if anyone wanted an idiot to go find this hulk. Couldn't paid well, that alone. Maybe I can do a "retrospective" on it and get someone to pay up on the assumptive.
Found a shiny Earth as I said prior. This one had a moon just like home... well, not my home, I weren't born on Earth. Kinda hard to get a pass to even visit these days, but let's say the home of us "humankind". Took a pic anyway; you know, for my records an' such. No harm in sightseeing when out here. Of course, this weren't undiscovered so someone got the finder's fee on it. Feds obviously get the claim it for expansion; least for now anyway. Nothin' stopping me nose-divin' my girl in and callin' it retirement...
Next log should be at the Z. I may hold off on scannin' her though. I'm kinda done with Ghosts.
