The Spark of Discovery
28 Dec 2024Anteroot
Stardate 29122024I met this guy on one of the stations in the Carpaso System. There was something... odd about him. At the same time, it was impossible not to listen to him.
He spoke of travels I could only dream of, of planets he had seen and wonders he had walked upon. For all the systems I’ve flown through and all the planetary facilities I’ve landed at, it had never crossed my mind to just stop for a moment, put on a suit, and walk.
My dad used to read me stories about the first space sailors from Sol. They were adventurers—pioneers. And here I was, always rushing, chasing deadlines, dodging pirates, or escaping gravity that made me want to puke. No way I was cleaning the suit again, not after the last time.
But this guy—he reignited something in me. That long-dormant spark of discovery. He saw it too, in my eyes. Before I could dismiss the thought, he slid his terminal across the table and said, with a sly grin, "Sign here, CMDR. Join the project we call Odyssey."
"Just sign here," he repeated, "and you’ll get an explorer license straight away."
Well, after a "small fee" and "not-so-long training," of course.
And you know what? I did it.
Now I’ve got my gear and a shiny new license granting me the right to explore the surface of every planet out there. My hands are tingling—maybe it’s excitement. Or maybe it’s the booze.