54 lines
2.2 KiB
Plaintext
54 lines
2.2 KiB
Plaintext
Message Incoming...
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Source Melchizedek.0294
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β Hyi, 3rd Planet
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Ascension 00h 25m 45.07037s
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Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
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Distance 24.37ly
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Equinox J2000.0 SOL
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Year 3782, QEC adjusted
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[Autotranslator enabled...]
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Jerome Somerset Pasani, Warrant Master
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:::
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In the weeks since we made landfall on β Hyi 3, I've been
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a gardener, a plumber, a line cook, a hair stylist (that didn't
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end well), and an artist's model (that turned out better than
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expected). In all that time I haven't for one moment been the
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captain of a starship responsible for the lives of nearly fifty
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people. I haven't had to discipline or motivate, and I certainly
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haven't had to deal with the loneliness of command. For this
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I have Prezzi to thank, and to some degree, Specialist Janssen.
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The loss of my friend was something I thought I could wrap in
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a blanket of professionalism. A captain must stand strong and see
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the mission through, after all. But I'm not that kind of captain,
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and honestly, who would want that kind of person in charge anyway.
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A friend was lost and we have no answers. Something happened while
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en route to β Hyi that none of us can explain. That's not
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something you just acknowledge and soldier on. That's a damned
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mystery worthy of exploring.
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There's the pragmatic view, the one that Prezzi brought me: the
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arabidopsis anomaly represents a potential threat to colonization.
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There are threats from both the cause of the anomaly and the
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resulting life forms that emerged. There's also the other view,
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which Specialist Janssen, Stephanie, shared: someone killed our
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doctor, my friend, and we're not going to let that stand.
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I've spent these weeks coming to terms with Moussa's loss. I have
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processed it and now I need answers. Kroups has finished her
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immediate work on the seeding prep so we're heading back out.
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We're going to backtrack along our route and see what's out there.
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It's a longshot, but we're making it a priority. Our small-craft
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isn't suited to grav-sheer, but with the crash couch we can rack
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up some serious gees. Whether weeks or months, we'll find our
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answers.
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Thanks again to Prezzi and Stephanie. I lost a piece of myself
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when the lab jettisoned.
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And Stephanie, again, I'm so sorry about your hair.
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.
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