Log 4 - A Moment's Reprieve
22 Jul 2024Ethan Cenick
Woke up this morning to the LDSG Orloit parked outside one of the planets in HIP 36601. CMDR Gaiwecoor was gracious enough to lend his carrier to my squadron for material gathering outside the bubble.The rest of my men are still asleep, but as their leader I wanted to get out ahead of the gathering expeditions to locate prime sites to extract from, and make sure their time would be as optimal as possible by reducing as many headaches as I could think of. Took a few hours but I've got a good system down now and should be able to help everyone stock up at each planet in 30-60 minutes each, depending on their loadouts. My schedule is a bit more flexible so it was no skin off my back, really.
As I flew out to a particular planet learning to locate the shards for my men, my collector limpets ran out early, so I decided to get in my SRV and go manually pick up a few mats, as well as get some bio scans in.
As I was walking up a hill, the Milky Way galaxy stood like an obelisk before me. To say I was overwhelmed by the absolute grandeur and majesty of such a celestial spectacle is an understatement. This is the farthest I've been from "the bubble" in years...from home. From all the war and chaos and contention.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't take a moment to let it sink in. And I wouldn't be honest if I said I didn't get a little emotional as I stood in the stillness of the night, looking out at the stars. It did something for my soul. Something I can't really explain. But as I stood there, watching over the skies, looking back at my home, my family, my friends, and yes, the Thargoids, something became......still.
Something in me became still.
For the first time in years, I legitimately cannot even tell you when, but for the first time in years I felt calm. I felt....healing.
I think for the first time in my life I understand why the Explorers of the Pilot's Federation do what they do. Why they journey out into the black, being gone for days, weeks, months, even years at a time. If this is but a taste of what they feel......it's almost enough to make a fighter pilot like me consider changing careers.
But I don't fight for pride, and not even necessarily for a paycheck (though I never say no to an honest day's work), I fight for my friends. For my family. For humanity. As long as the Thargoids pose a threat to our system, it is my solemn duty to fight back. There may come a day when the stars beckon me to fly on silver wings through their stellar beauty, hearing the void-like silence that is in its own right a kind of siren song to me right now, but it is not that day.
No, today is a moment's reprieve. For the next two weeks we'll be traveling throughout the outer rims of the bubble collecting the materials and relics to outfit ourselves for Thargoid combat, and while I may be focused on our mission, I must admit I'm going to take some time to enjoy the rest.
Thor will not be forgiving. We need all the rest, and help, we can get.
-Commander Ethan Cenick