18273 lines
761 KiB
XML
18273 lines
761 KiB
XML
<?xml version="1.0"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><atom:link href="gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/rss.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
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<title>Cosmic Voyage</title>
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<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage</link>
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<description>Messages from the human stellar diaspora</description>
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<item>
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<title>Relay station A-18 - Four hours, Seventeen minutes</title>
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<author>zeth@cosmic.voyage (zeth)</author>
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<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Relay station A-18/Four Hours, Seventeen Minutes.txt</link>
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<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Relay station A-18/Four Hours, Seventeen Minutes.txt</guid>
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<pubDate>Tue, 13 Aug 2019 10:02:50 GMT</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[<pre>
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###INCOMING TRANSMISSION###
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source: r/hfy
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author: u/h2j1977/
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subject: Four hours, Seventeen minutes
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note: The following message appears to be a record taken from a
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history class conducted by teacher of unknown race. The record
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indicate possibly reptilian humanoid species.
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---BEGIN MESSAGE---
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Four Hours, Seventeen Minutes
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The invasion of Earth lasted only four hours and seventeen
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minutes. It was the shortest campaign in the Kavoxian Hegemony’s
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history, which is saying something, as we had conquered 31 other
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civilized planets before them. We first detected the human
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civilization twenty-five years ago through our deep space antenna
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network that picked up their various broadcasts and entertainment
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feeds. We focused our long-range sensors in that direction and
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waited for more information.
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Good afternoon class, my name is Telex Hoon, and I was the Minister
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of Military Intelligence fifteen years ago when we sent the
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invasion force to Earth. My team poured through thousands of
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terabytes of data, trying to determine culture, mindset, military
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capability, and anything that might be useful in the invasion
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strategy. The first problem we encountered was filtering out the
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facts from the fiction. Humans, as it turns out, are a particularly
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imaginative and prolific species. We Kavox have our own
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“entertainment” sector, that is responsible for creating
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educational and instructional long and short form holovids, as well
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as written manuals. However, we have been told that we are not a
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particularly creative species. Perhaps it stems from our ancestors
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being reptilian, or perhaps it simply stems from the fact that for
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most of our existence, we have had to fight and claw our way
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through life, and things like art and fiction are not particularly
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vital to survival.
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Anyway, I digress. We quickly found that much of the information
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our antennas picked up was either fictional, trivial, or just plain
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wrong. What we did manage to verify is that Earth was not a unified
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world, instead ruled by many nations with vastly different agendas.
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We also detected no signs of FTL travel. Lastly, despite what their
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movies and sci-fi entertainment suggested, they did not have
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advanced shielding technology or energy weapons. Armed with these
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key indicators, we reported to the military tribunal that this
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should be a simple invasion, as we were dealing with a pre-FTL
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civilization.
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Earth was ten years (Earth years, about 8.17 Kavox years) away via
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FTL travel, so we began building up the invasion force. After ten
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years, we had built one hundred and thirty ships specifically for
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the Earth invasion. We placed twenty-three million Kavoxian
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soldiers, pilots, and engineers into stasis, and transferred them
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into 30 long range Quylar-class ships (named after a Kavoxian super
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predator that carried her young in an armored belly pouch before we
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hunted them to extinction). The armada had 30 Quylar class ships,
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30 Bylun class hunter ships (the human equivalent is a battleship
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if I recall), 40 Swygian class ships (destroyers and frigates in
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human terms), 10 Podas class hospital ships, and 20 Aghon-Ka class
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control ships. The Aghon-Ka ships, as most of you know, is how our
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fleets can travel vast distances through space by creating an FTL
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field large enough to pull multiple ships with it, all while
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providing command and control functions to keep the whole fleet
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data-linked as well as synchronizing combat maneuvers.
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The day came for the fleet to depart Novamus, our homeworld. We
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don’t celebrate the way humans do, with grand events, big flowery
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speeches, or other meaningless displays. So, on the 33 day of Reol,
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in the year 2357, after a thirteen-minute speech by our Supreme
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Apex in which our invasion force was reminded of their duty to be
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fearless, loyal, and victorious, the fleet quietly slipped out of
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the solar system and jumped to FTL with no complications.
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The next ten years were also mostly uneventful. Our ships are
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incredibly reliable, with several redundancies built into all vital
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systems, and are crewed by function-specific AI robots with
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Kavoxian engineer overseers. Those engineers must always be
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remembered for their sacrifice. They spent the prime third of their
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life in deep space surrounded by the cold void, lifeless robots,
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and the knowledge that they would never see Novamus and their
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clutch mates again. You must understand that the engineers knew
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that they would die on Earth as part of the occupation force,
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because they wouldn’t live through a second ten-year trip exposed
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to cosmic radiation. The average 30-year life span of a Kavoxian is
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reduced by approximately a year for every two spent in FTL,
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according to the Ministry of Health.
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We arrived at the edge of the human controlled solar system and
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staged at what they call the Oort cloud to mask our ships while our
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troops were brought out of stasis and final battle plans were
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written up. We detected a small colony on the 4th planet (Mars, so
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named for some god in their ancient history), a nasty looking
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series of weapon installations on their moon, and several dozen
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defensive satellites surrounding the planet. The decision was made
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to attack the faction with the largest and most advanced military
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when their moon installation was on the far side of the planet. The
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North American continent was to be our beachhead.
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We did a synchronized micro-jump to within the orbit of their moon
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(approximately 350,000 of their kilometers) and began attacking
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their defensive satellites.
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Hour one: We attacked and disabled the twelve satellites that
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covered our initial attack vector with only minimal losses. Within
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the first twenty minutes, we saw resistance build in the way of
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small ships, barely large enough to carry two or three crewmembers.
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They were firing ballistic weapons that were ineffective against
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the armor of our larger ships but proved quite formidable against
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our Swygian class destroyers and frigates. Their lack of unified
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tactics, and the fact that there was such a massive amount of
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variation in the ships made planning a counter to them quite
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challenging. After a few minutes we were able to listen in to their
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communications. To our shock, these were not their military force
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that were attacking us, but civilians in their own personal
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shuttles. This first failure in our intel gathering was
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disappointing, but nothing we couldn’t overcome.
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At about the thirty-minute mark, the first military vessels engaged
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our fleet. These ships were far more formidable, but still no match
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for our Quylar and Bylun class warships. These human vessels were
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equivalent to our Swygian cruisers, and armed with ballistic
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weapons, missiles, and even a couple high powered rail guns. We
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focused our attacks on the rail gun equipped ships after one of
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them ripped Thelp’s Respite (our lead Podas class hospital ship) in
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half with a well-timed barrage.
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At the end of the first hour, we had lost ten Swygian class
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destroyers and the Thelp’s Respite. Another dozen Swygian cruisers
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were damaged, but still in the fight. Two Quylar and 5 Bylun ships
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had taken damage, losing some weapon placements and hull plating,
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but were otherwise fully functional. The humans had lost over 300
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of the shuttle class ships, 130 fighters and 30 destroyers. We were
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taking a few more losses than anticipated, but within acceptable
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parameters. The invasion was on schedule.
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Hour two: At about two hours and twenty-eight minutes into the
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invasion, our sensors detected a massive fleet of human battleship
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class vessels that just materialized out of nowhere. The commanders
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later reported watching in horror and shock as one after another
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ship materialized into the dark void of space. At first, they
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thought it was some sort of extremely advanced stealth technology.
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But the truth was so much worse.
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It turns out that humans are paradoxically both impatient and
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extremely cautious. They had determined long ago that space travel
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was too time consuming and dangerous, so they abandoned FTL
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||
research. Instead they developed wormhole drives. This species of
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||
hairless apes had done what no other species in the galaxy had even
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||
dared to try: Bend the very fabric of space because they didn’t
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||
have the patience to travel at FTL speeds. They developed wormhole
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||
drives because long distance space travel is dangerous and comes
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||
with serious health risks. Let me restate that. These humans
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||
decided that getting into a ship and flying at FTL was too time
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||
consuming and dangerous, so they instead developed technologies
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that allow them to RIP A HOLE IN THE FABRIC OF SPACE so they can
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travel anywhere nearly instantaneously.
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It took twenty-two minutes from the arrival of the human fleet to
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break our assault. Admiral Rejka sorrowfully ordered full retreat,
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and gave the command to prepare to jump to FTL and regroup a weeks
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||
travel away from the solar system. It took another ten minutes to
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||
calculate the FTL jump and disseminate it through the Aghon-Ka
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||
ships to the rest of the fleet. That became known as the longest
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ten minutes of Kavoxian history. After receiving confirmation that
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||
all ships had received and plotted the FTL course, Admiral Rejka
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issued the command to retreat.
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Hour three: Upon issuing the retreat command, everyone braced for
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FTL, which nearly all of the invasion force (except for the voyage
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engineers) had never experienced, because they were in stasis for
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the initial journey. However, instead of the stretching lurch and
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blinding light and sudden total darkness of FTL travel, every
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monitor on every ship displayed the image of a human wearing an odd
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white hat with a wide up swooped brim that dipped slightly in the
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front and back. Then every speaker on every ship opened up:
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||
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“Welcome to Earth. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Admiral
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Coleman of the United States Space Navy. It appears we’ve had a bit
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||
of a rough first contact. It seems you’re in a rush to leave, but I
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||
must insist that you stick around a while. Allow me to show you how
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||
we Texans feel about trespassers.” With that the screens went
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blank, the speakers were silent, and a rare feeling began to creep
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||
into the minds of all but the most stalwart warriors: fear. These
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humans had just broken through our security protocols, disabled our
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FTL capability, and broadcast audio and visual to every device
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capable of receiving the transmission across the entire fleet.
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Admiral Rejka ordered all of the Bylun and Swygian class ships and
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half of the Aghon-Ka ships to form a picket line to protect the
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Quylar ships, the Podas hospital ships, and the other half of the
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||
Aghon-Ka ships as they retreated at full impulse away from this
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||
death trap of a solar system. As the Quylar ship group began to
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||
make a break for it, the humans surprised us again. Wormhole
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||
missiles. Missiles with warheads capable of creating wormholes that
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||
would suck the affected ship into wormhole space and shunt them out
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||
at a predetermined location. That location was inside the
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||
chromosphere of the sun. It took 30 seconds for the entire picket
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line to re-materialize and be vaporized by their sun.
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||
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At ten minutes into the third hour, Under Admiral Olgk surrendered
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||
the remaining fleet. Admiral Coleman reappeared on all screens and
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speakers. “I graciously accept your apology and surrender. I do
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feel a might sad about what was done to the other half of your
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fleet. As you’ll notice we didn’t destroy your troop carriers or
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the other fleeing ships, these, uh, Ag-hon Kay class vessels? We
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have rules of war here that don’t allow for killing those in
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retreat. I wish I could say the same for y’all, but after reviewing
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the first two hours of combat footage, that just isn’t so, now is
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it?” Admiral Coleman looked away for a second, his face showing
|
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several emotions – sadness, anger, and then back to this
|
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affectation of polite charm. “I tell y’all what. We’ve just
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finished decrypting the data those command ships were relaying. I
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think we’ll pay a visit to your home world of Novamus. I’m sure
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we’ll be able to clear up this whole mess in no time. Y’all just
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sit tight and follow the instructions of the boarding parties that
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will be coming by in the next few minutes, and we won’t need to
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have any more of this unfortunate business today. Okay, ya’ll take
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care and sit tight.”
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With that, the monitors and speakers went quiet again. Under
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Admiral Olgk could only watch in horror as seventy-five battleship
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class ships dematerialized, knowing they would be at the home world
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in moments.
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Hour four: The human fleet materialized inside the atmosphere of
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Novamus and immediately opened fire with rail guns and missiles.
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Seven minutes later, every orbital defense platform, gun battery,
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missile silo, and military installation on and protecting Thrux,
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our main continent, was destroyed or disabled.
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Seventeen minutes later the Supreme Apex issued an unconditional
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surrender over every broadcast platform, flanked on either side by
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humans in combat exosuits. The population was in shock. Kavoxians
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don’t panic, as we don’t have the emotions wired into us that would
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cause it. But I tell you this with all sincerity, our society
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nearly fell apart in that very instant. Everything that we had ever
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known was questioned. We had never lost a war or failed to conquer
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a system. No invading force had ever made it into our solar system,
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much less actually broken our atmosphere. But in only four hours
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and seventeen minutes we had gone from being the conquerors to the
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conquered.
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Then, Admiral Coleman spoke to everyone on Novamus: “Greetings from
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planet Earth. I wish I could say that under better circumstances,
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but we play the cards we’re dealt. I apologize for the damage to
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your infrastructure. We did our level best to avoid civilian
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casualties, but unfortunately war is like painting a portrait with
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a mop. We’re not here to conquer you, or to enslave your people to
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serve our needs. We’ve long since moved past that phase of our
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history, which, if I read this intel right, your kind have not yet.
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But, no matter. We’ll help you get that sorted out in no time.
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Personally, I’m excited to meet our other new neighbors and make
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friends. Whether or not we can become friends is up to you. But I
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do hope you make the right choice in that matter.”
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Admiral Coleman then concluded: “I’ll be on my way, but we’ll be
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back to check in soon. In the meantime, I think you may have
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misplaced these. You can have them back on the condition that you
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keep your toys in your yard from now on.” With that, the remaining
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Kavoxian fleet materialized in atmosphere, above the capital
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building, their shadows darkening the city. Just as quickly, the
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human fleet vanished.
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And that, students, is the story of the invasion of Earth. Today
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marks the fifteenth anniversary of the conquest of Novamus. Your
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homework is to write a 500-word essay on the impact of the humans
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on the Hegemony. You may include cultural examples, political
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examples, and the liberation of the 31 subjugated planets. Please
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have it on my desk in one week. Dismissed.
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---END MESSAGE---
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</pre>]]></description>
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</item>
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<item>
|
||
<title>RSS Revenant - The Protectorate</title>
|
||
<author>kirch@cosmic.voyage (kirch)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/RSS Revenant/1630.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/RSS Revenant/1630.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 09 Aug 2019 18:15:21 GMT</pubDate>
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||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
The walls began to stream with a black oil, the table expanded
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||
leaving us as spokes divided by eight gelatinous shapes pulsating in
|
||
rhythm with each other.
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||
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"Hello. We are the Protectorate of Nalmyke, and weld-come you to our home,"
|
||
they collectively said in atonal harmony. "Thank you for returning
|
||
Satellite to us."
|
||
|
||
Niceties were exchanged and introductions made, before coming to
|
||
the business at hand. The invading force was successfully resisted,
|
||
but the cost was great. The Nalmykians developed a genetic solution
|
||
to their troubles and merged their carbon-based DNA with a silicate
|
||
construct similar to a virus. This new lifeform speaking to us now
|
||
was left behind to launch the last cruisers forgotten in space.
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||
Centuries alone with nothing to do but think, and wait for their
|
||
planet to fall into their sun.
|
||
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||
"What do you want from us?" Hex intoned, absent-mindedly flipping a
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||
tarot card between her fingers.
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||
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"We seek refuge."
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||
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||
"We aren't really a passenger ship" said Mr Swarm.
|
||
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||
"You have seen the space and resources one of ours requires. It is
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||
infinitesimal in comparison to your Commander Cranium alone. Our
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||
scout reports you have ample surpluses and we have ample resources
|
||
for us both to benefit from co-operation."
|
||
|
||
By the looks of things Hex and Cranium were on the same page,
|
||
leaving Swarm and I in the dark. I offered that they had already
|
||
repaired our hyperdrive, and none of us had noticed any losses
|
||
while under their guidance.
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||
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"How many of you are there?" the commander asked.
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||
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||
"Trillions and trillions, we are all you see before you. These
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forms were chosen in accordance to your ratios, but this is the
|
||
last of our species." they echoed without delay.
|
||
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"And what species is that?" asked Mr. Swarm.
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||
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||
"The Protectorate of Nalmyke," came the chorus of nearly human
|
||
voices.
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||
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"We, ourselves, are lost in space; can you help us find our way
|
||
home?" I asked.
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||
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||
"The Protectorate cannot, but we can take you to those who can."
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Excelsior - Systems Admin Report - Stardate Epsilon Delta 10 Epsilon</title>
|
||
<author>khuxkm@cosmic.voyage (khuxkm)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Excelsior/008.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Excelsior/008.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 02 Aug 2019 18:17:38 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message inbound...
|
||
|
||
Space Cruiser Excelsior
|
||
Destination: Sector 656233e, Starfield-Beta system
|
||
~~ TELEMETRY DATA WITHHELD ~~
|
||
Stardate Epsilon Delta 10 Epsilon
|
||
AUTO TELEMETRY: OFF
|
||
BIO-MED SENSORS: GOOD
|
||
H2O->FUEL CONVERSION: GOOD
|
||
H2O RESERVES: GOOD
|
||
CRYO SLEEP: GOOD
|
||
|
||
[autotranslator on]
|
||
|
||
Corporal Sam Arnold, Systems Administrator
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
So it's been a while. Some updates for you all:
|
||
|
||
1. Even though I already fixed it, I guess I should explain. The overvolt in
|
||
the cryo berths was just one of the cells being funky (funnily enough, my
|
||
cell). It was an easy fix.
|
||
2. Everything's going well upon the Excelsior. We're... no, I'm ready for what
|
||
adventure this may bring. I don't know why I keep referring to the ship as
|
||
"we", when I'm the only one awake to be excited. The ship and I? Maybe?
|
||
|
||
I'm glad to see that the QEC is coming alive with more messages than I can
|
||
read. I remember the first time I checked and there were only, like, 4 messages
|
||
or whatever. Now there's 250-some messages to read! I'm just glad this old
|
||
thing is finally seeing some use.
|
||
|
||
Honestly, though, I don't know what else to say. I mean, the next post I make
|
||
that'll be meaningful enough to be notable is the post when I land at the
|
||
destination planet. Until then? I don't know.
|
||
|
||
Anyways, that's all for now. I promise I'll keep you all posted!
|
||
|
||
~~END TRANSMISSION :: ACT 1~~
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>outpost M-48 - FTL Travel</title>
|
||
<author>zeth@cosmic.voyage (zeth)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/FTL travel.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/FTL travel.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 02 Aug 2019 05:35:59 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Humanity has been theorizing about the possibilities of
|
||
interstellar colonization long before it even qualified for Type I
|
||
civilization on Kardashev scale. Before we event sent our first
|
||
seed ship, it has been theorized that it will take several
|
||
generations before it even pass the half-way mark towards it's
|
||
destination. Some even suggested that by the time the first such
|
||
ship would arrive, the rest will already have developed faster and
|
||
more efficient ways of travel between interstellar bodies. Some
|
||
were putting their hopes in quantum computing, or even
|
||
self-teaching AI, but alas, our machines are still only as perfect
|
||
as their creators. Here we are, still floating around at sub-light
|
||
speeds, spending the first half of the journey speeding up and the
|
||
other half slowing down and praying for our calculations to be
|
||
correct. As fascinating as it may seem, even the stars move around.
|
||
We have to calculate the trajectory of our target and account for
|
||
the delay caused by the speed of light and the distance, because by
|
||
the time the star's light reaches our eyes, it might be already
|
||
long gone. In the better case, it merely moves from it's previous
|
||
position. Worst case, it's gone supernova and our ship will arrive
|
||
to a newly formed black hole...
|
||
Then there is this little annoying thing backed up by out
|
||
observations from our home planet - the universe (or at least it's
|
||
observable part at least) is expanding - we can tell, because the
|
||
stars are gradually changing their color spectrum towards red and
|
||
infra-red meaning the light itself is taking longer and longer to
|
||
travel all the way to our photoreceptors...
|
||
Sounds depressing doesn't it?
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Relay station A-18 - Last Humans</title>
|
||
<author>zeth@cosmic.voyage (zeth)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Relay station A-18/Last Humans.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Relay station A-18/Last Humans.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 02 Aug 2019 05:27:39 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
###TRANSMISSION RECEIVED###
|
||
Source: r/HFY
|
||
Author: u/OC
|
||
Title: Last Humans
|
||
|
||
|
||
---BEGIN MESSAGE---
|
||
Let me tell you what we found at the end of the trail of
|
||
destruction. It was a small system, 10 or so planets around a
|
||
medium sized yellow dwarf star. Around the third planet we found
|
||
the remains of the swarm. Millions of their ships floated in
|
||
burning roiling chaos around this charred rock. As far as we could
|
||
tell it had been a garden world. Despite our best efforts we could
|
||
not get close. Our scans told enough though. The swarm had been
|
||
drawn here like moths to a candle. They did that, back then, when
|
||
they encountered a particular bit of resistance. Pour enough ships
|
||
and lives in and eventually they would break even the strongest
|
||
species.
|
||
|
||
It had worked for them so far. A quarter of the galaxy lay desolate
|
||
behind their advance. Our fiercest warrior species and most
|
||
coordinated hive-races were even no match for them. That was, until
|
||
they had begun to focus on this one planet above all else. Legions
|
||
of ships would break orbits and leave their scrapping of suns to
|
||
come here. At the time we were not even aware of intelligent life
|
||
in this region. Certainly no species near the Hyperspace Threshold.
|
||
You can imagine our surprise and shock coming onto that scene in a
|
||
supposedly uninhabited system.
|
||
|
||
Of course, we now know of the Humans. Only the youngest emerging
|
||
species have yet to hear of them. When we finally found the
|
||
remnants of their race orbiting the nearest star, we learned the
|
||
price they had paid. You see, the swarm had found them like
|
||
countless before. But Humans are a painfully violent and stubborn
|
||
species. They have been trying to kill each other off for most of
|
||
their history. Yes... you could probably call it insanity. But it
|
||
forged an iron hard species. A species that was also armed to the
|
||
fangs and making technological breakthroughs at an unheard of rate.
|
||
They had even made rudimentary steps into hyperspace technology by
|
||
the time the swarm descended. And they fought back.
|
||
|
||
How they fought. Hundreds of thousands of fission bombs were built
|
||
and used... actually used! They reverse engineered the swarm's
|
||
gravity simulators and weaponized them. Weaponized gravity!
|
||
Millions of ships crushed or flung apart or shorn in half by Human
|
||
ingenuity and a bit of physics. They fought like this all the way
|
||
to the ground. There are tales of Humans going hand to hide with
|
||
the swarm. Have you ever seen a Human fight in person? They may not
|
||
be the biggest or most intimidating species, but they never...
|
||
ever... ever give up. From the void of space to the depths of their
|
||
world, they came screaming back at the invaders.
|
||
|
||
At some point the humans learned the rest of secrets of the
|
||
Hyperspace Windows. Probably pried it out a smoking hive ship and
|
||
made it speak its secrets through sheer force of will. And then, as
|
||
Humans do, they weaponized them. Now, they also discovered as most
|
||
species do, that if you open a hyperspace window at the bottom of a
|
||
gravity well it causes significant problems. Besides a cataclysmic
|
||
release of energy, the subspace tends to... tear, in a way. In deep
|
||
space these tend to heal up swiftly. But down in heavy gravity they
|
||
linger. As far as we know they will last until the end of time
|
||
itself. Of course the humans used this. Thousands of satellites
|
||
were launched. Powered by the engines of downed swarm ships of all
|
||
things. And on every satellite were dozens of basic hyperspace
|
||
generators. Good for maybe one use. The equipment was just basic
|
||
enough to open a window hardly larger than a Human hand.
|
||
|
||
You see... they used them like mines. Once a swarm ship was
|
||
detected a generator would peel away from the rest. At a safe
|
||
distance a tiny hyperspace window would open into the depths of the
|
||
swarm ship. The explosion caused by doing that in a gravity well
|
||
was probably enough to kill a ship. But add in the effect of
|
||
running a ship through a window? A moving ship keeps right on
|
||
going, and that window slices a neat little hole all the way to the
|
||
hull. So now you have an explosion and you are venting atmosphere.
|
||
|
||
This went on for a long time. Down there near Earth the void
|
||
shimmers with tears in subspace. Hundreds of thousands of tears,
|
||
waiting to shred a ship into a million ribbons before you know what
|
||
is happening. That is why we could not get close to Earth. The
|
||
space around it is a death sentence. But the Humans had one last
|
||
weapon to fight with. In the end, they made the swarm kill itself.
|
||
|
||
From downed ships they learned the deepest secrets of the swarm.
|
||
They learned how to call for help. Humanity built an immense
|
||
transmitter. They called it the Laurentian Candle. Carved into a
|
||
huge expanse of stone, it calls to the stars. With it they summoned
|
||
the swarm to them by sending the call of a swarm Empress in
|
||
distress. That is what finally brought millions of ships to die
|
||
there, sliced to ribbons above a burning planet. By this point
|
||
there were only an estimated 60,000 Humans left alive. So they
|
||
built a ship. Right there on the ground. Thousands upon thousands
|
||
of cryo capsules in massive clusters. And they left. That was what
|
||
cracked the planet in two finally, that massive hyperspace window
|
||
slamming shut.
|
||
|
||
With that final goodbye to their only home, they saved the galaxy.
|
||
It is impossible to shut off the signal from the Candle, and the
|
||
swarm plunged in to their deaths. When we found them and learned
|
||
what they had done, word spread like light in the void. These
|
||
remnants were offered shelter, moons, planets, entire star systems
|
||
in the oldest civilizations. Yet they declined every offer. Instead
|
||
they asked for ships. Thousands of ships, enough to carry their
|
||
entire population into the void. So now they wander, searching for
|
||
something. They offer trade of technology or goods for information.
|
||
Always information. Maps, charts, scans, rumors... they take it
|
||
all. These respected people wander, always welcome wherever they
|
||
pause, but never pausing for long. Always on to the next planet or
|
||
system. Searching. Yearning. Hunting. For something they lost or
|
||
sent out long ago when the swarm was surrounding them and hope was
|
||
bleak.
|
||
|
||
Something called an "Ark."
|
||
---END MESSAGE---
|
||
|
||
Reviewer's note: this message seems to be a piece of creative
|
||
artistic work rather than actual report, although due to the nature
|
||
of QEC-based communication, it is impossible to determine if that's
|
||
actually case or not.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melvin P Feltersnatch - Killing time</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melvin P Feltersnatch/006.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melvin P Feltersnatch/006.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 29 Jul 2019 05:39:53 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
3,593,345 bottles of beer on the wall...
|
||
3,593,345 bottles of beer...
|
||
take one down
|
||
pass it around
|
||
3,593,344 bottles of beer on the wall
|
||
|
||
*sigh*
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Ultragas filling station Theia - just arrived at Theia</title>
|
||
<author>severak@cosmic.voyage (severak)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Ultragas filling station Theia/01-arrived.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Ultragas filling station Theia/01-arrived.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 23 Jul 2019 10:04:50 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
To: ULTRAGAS corporation, Kampala, Uganda, Earths/SOL
|
||
From: Juan Sladkowski
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
I just arrived to Theia filling station. I found it in a horrible mess:
|
||
|
||
Deceased franchise operator Black was stored in the ice cream fridge
|
||
wrapped in the plastic wrap. Repair man Gruber was destilling his own alcohol
|
||
bewerage from detergents. I was unable to locate cleaning lady Dubois
|
||
and Gruber reported she is probably visiting her lover in the nearby
|
||
sand mine. In the backyard there was a small alien ship and nobody was
|
||
able to explain me how it get there.
|
||
|
||
I ordered to load Black's body to cargo ship and fly it back to Earth
|
||
for burial. Before new franchise operator is found, I will act in
|
||
day-to-day operation of Theia filling station.
|
||
|
||
--
|
||
Juan Sladkowski
|
||
ULTRAGAS interstellar dept.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>S.S. Stuttgart - Mission briefing.</title>
|
||
<author>zeth@cosmic.voyage (zeth)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/S.S. Stuttgart/briefing.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/S.S. Stuttgart/briefing.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 07 Jul 2019 06:48:08 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
###INCOMING TRANSMISSION###
|
||
Source: ERROR
|
||
Recipient: Agent Carter
|
||
Encoding: ERROR - translation failed!
|
||
Attempting to recover data...done!
|
||
Attempting to determine encoding...done!
|
||
Result: ROT13
|
||
|
||
---BEGIN MESSAGE---
|
||
Ntrag Pnegre.
|
||
Pbatenghyngvbaf ba lbhe fhpprffshy zvffvba. Lbhe npgvbaf unir
|
||
rkprrqrq bhe rkcrpgngvbaf. Vg vf abj gvzr gb zbir ba gb cunfr gjb.
|
||
Lbhe bowrpgvir jvyy or gb vasvygengr gur pneevre F.F. Fghggtneg naq
|
||
nffhzr gur vqragvgl bs bar bs gur perj zrzoref. Bapr vafvqr, lbh
|
||
arrq gb ybpngr uvqqra pnpur jvgu rdhvczrag naq cebprrq gb tngure
|
||
vatryyvtrapr ertneqvat fuvc'f rkcrevzragny ratvar, jrncbael naq
|
||
anivtngvba flfgrzf. Bapr jr pbasvez gur erprviny bs gur tngurerq
|
||
qngn, lbhe tbny jvyy or gb fnobgntr pneevre'f qrsraprf. Bhe pyvrag
|
||
jnf pyrne: Znxr vg ybbx yvxr na nppvqrag, yrnir ab jvgarffrf.
|
||
---MESSAGE END---
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>outpost M-48 - A note about Ship Design</title>
|
||
<author>zeth@cosmic.voyage (zeth)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/On-ship-design.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/On-ship-design.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 19 May 2019 10:02:17 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
###INCOMING TRANSMISISON###
|
||
From: Dr.Ing. James Addams
|
||
To: Ministry of Defense
|
||
Subject: Starship Destroyer design.
|
||
|
||
Let me go on the record here and say that I completely disagree
|
||
with the "latest" modern design of our cruisers. Only utter moron
|
||
would design a ship in a way that is seen in popular culture media.
|
||
Just because it is "cool" doesn't mean you should compromise
|
||
structural integrity by deliberately adding more weakneses. If I
|
||
was piloting an enemy ship, and saw one of these "Star destroyers"
|
||
as you call them - the fact that they're more of a frigate than
|
||
actual destroyer but naval terminology aside - it wouldn't take a
|
||
genius to figure out that I should aim for the giant protrusion
|
||
that shines like beacon of designer's blind nostalgic idiocy. Those
|
||
designs might have made sense on planet's surface were a battle
|
||
would take on a same plane/level, NOT in space where you could
|
||
approach your target from ANY direction. And don't get me started
|
||
on the screaming impracticality - or three in this case - that are
|
||
those three massive thrusters mounted in the back - you would spend
|
||
half of the journey accellerating facing your destination - that's
|
||
fine and all, but then the other half of the journey would be spent
|
||
breaking facing in the opposite direction - while all your weapons
|
||
face in the opposite direction safe for a couple of turrets.
|
||
But the point of this message isn't just to ramble on the
|
||
outrageous death-trap that is your fancy ship design. I propose a
|
||
few solutions to this design. You can find the full details in the
|
||
attacment, but just to summarize here are a few highlights:
|
||
1) No windows - seriously you can achieve the same effect by simply
|
||
mounting a couple of cameras around the hull, and linking them
|
||
to various screens inside WITHOUT COMPROMISING HULL INTEGRITY -
|
||
plus it allows for extra layer of protection against UV
|
||
radiation - you can merely adjust the filters or simply turn the
|
||
screen off.
|
||
Which brings me to
|
||
2) Move bridge into the center of the hull - the reason behind this
|
||
is obvious - Bridge is the most crucial component of the ship,
|
||
right after sustainable life-support. It is the heart and the
|
||
brain. Without it, all you have is hunk of metal floating
|
||
through space. Much like skull protects your brain, the ship's
|
||
hull should protect the brige.
|
||
3) The ONLY good reason to have something sticking out would be
|
||
turret emplacements - if you really want to have a pylon or a
|
||
freaking beacon sticking out of your silhouette, it would be so
|
||
you can mount turrets at the end of each - this will allow you
|
||
to aim in almost any direction without ship's own hull
|
||
obstructing the target, and eliminates the problem you would
|
||
have with hardpoints pointing towards "the front" of the ship.
|
||
4) Ballance the thrust - This is more of an addendum - I think that
|
||
the previous point is the cheaper alternative but regardless:
|
||
Since you have massive engines mounted on the "back" why not
|
||
also put some engines to the "front" to eliminate the need to
|
||
turn the ship around in order to perform breaking maneuver?
|
||
|
||
I hope that this letter will be handed over to someone more
|
||
competent than that cretin who greenligted the original desing.
|
||
|
||
Sincerely,
|
||
Dr.Ing. James Addams
|
||
|
||
###END TRANSMISSION###
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Excelsior - Systems Admin Report - Epsilon Gamma 24 Epsilon</title>
|
||
<author>khuxkm@cosmic.voyage (khuxkm)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Excelsior/007.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Excelsior/007.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 24 Jun 2019 01:21:23 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message inbound...
|
||
|
||
Space Cruiser Excelsior
|
||
Destination: Sector 656233e, Starfield-Beta system
|
||
~~ TELEMETRY DATA WITHHELD ~~
|
||
Stardate Epsilon Gamma 24 Epsilon
|
||
AUTO TELEMETRY: DOWN
|
||
BIO-MED SENSORS: OFF
|
||
H20->FUEL CONVERSION: WARN
|
||
H2O RESERVES: GOOD
|
||
CRYO SLEEP: GOOD
|
||
|
||
[autotranslator on]
|
||
|
||
Corporal Sam Arnold, Systems Administrator
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
Oh Gods, it's been so long since I read the QEC. 3 year units, in fact.
|
||
|
||
After the relations disaster that was the Malkonkordo encounter, I entered
|
||
evasive maneuvers when the ship detected enemies in the vicinity. This
|
||
includes, amongst other things, turning off biomed sensors and kicking the fuel
|
||
conversion into overdrive. I kept this up until the enemies seemed to
|
||
disappear. A manual verification confirmed that the enemies had, in fact, left
|
||
the area. Meanwhile, we were only a few sectors away from our target planet.
|
||
|
||
I decided to check the QEC, only to find that Dekaoso Prime had fallen, and the
|
||
Malkonkordo suddenly didn't care about destroying me. Following Dekaoso Prime's
|
||
final warning, I left the teletry data withheld, preventing my location from
|
||
being found. I also managed to get the ship to tell me where we were going,
|
||
although I left the location as vague as possible in my report, again to avoid
|
||
detection. Sector 656233e, of the Starfield-Beta system, has many viable
|
||
planets and may be the new home-system for Terrans. Most of the planets don't
|
||
seem to have much in the way of intelligent life -- or, rather, life that is
|
||
intelligent in the way Terrans are -- which makes a landing almost risk-free.
|
||
|
||
For once, we might be going somewhere.
|
||
|
||
~~TRANSMISSION END~~
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Excelsior - Draft - Response to Dekaoso</title>
|
||
<author>khuxkm@cosmic.voyage (khuxkm)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Excelsior/006.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Excelsior/006.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 24 Jun 2019 00:36:45 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message inbound...
|
||
|
||
Space Cruiser Excelsior
|
||
Destination: Unknown
|
||
~~ TELEMETRY SENSORS 2 AND 3 DOWN ~~
|
||
Stardate Beta Epsilon 24 Epsilon
|
||
[SYSTEMS DATA REDACTED]
|
||
[DRAFT DETECTED, SENDING]
|
||
|
||
[autotranslator on]
|
||
|
||
Corporal Sam Arnold, Systems Administrator
|
||
---
|
||
To Captain Kiu Sercas of the Malkonkordo,
|
||
|
||
Again, you miss our point.
|
||
|
||
We are a fleeing group of Terrans who are intending to find ourselves a new
|
||
place among the stars.
|
||
|
||
Many planets are already inhabited by other established species.
|
||
|
||
I ask you, what use would 500 random people have against other species?
|
||
|
||
No, while our goal IS to populate a new planet, any 500 people wouldn't do. We
|
||
have, on board, 400 of the most daring, strong, and well trained soldiers in
|
||
the Space Corps. The remaining 100? Crew members to oversee the ship's
|
||
maintenance (myself included).
|
||
|
||
If I tried to abandon our goal, they would slaughter me.
|
||
|
||
No, we aren't simply repopulating. We're making ourselves a home planet.
|
||
|
||
[draft sent]
|
||
~~TRANSMISSION END~~
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>tsizoma fo - Wo sho ti...</title>
|
||
<author>sloum@cosmic.voyage (sloum)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/tsizoma fo/wo_sho_ti.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/tsizoma fo/wo_sho_ti.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Jun 2019 00:44:52 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
====BEGIN-HEADER-(UNTRANSLATED)=====>>>
|
||
|
||
Wo sho ti.
|
||
Zoma ti ono-jo a fo.
|
||
Wo siva vim.
|
||
|
||
<<<=====END-HEADER======================
|
||
| | |
|
||
+++++++
|
||
| | |
|
||
====BEGIN-LOG-TRANSLATION=====>>>
|
||
|
||
Ships journal, entry 156442
|
||
|
||
You are small and alive in a largely lifeless vacuum. We are
|
||
adrift a long way from our ancestors' home. How amazing it
|
||
is to be alive at all. Do not fuss little one. We'll keep
|
||
you going, same as this ship, same as her crew.
|
||
|
||
Since you have no skills that are needed for ship work at
|
||
this time little one, you will have other duties: knowledge
|
||
acquisition, fueling, exercize, and the observation of other
|
||
crew as they perform their duties.
|
||
|
||
You are small, but we are with you.
|
||
|
||
<<<=====END-TRANSMISSION=========
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Chi Delta 53 - unstabl_ _onn__tion d_t__t_d</title>
|
||
<author>drgnfly@cosmic.voyage (drgnfly)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Chi Delta 53/unstabl_ _onn__tion d_t__t_d.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Chi Delta 53/unstabl_ _onn__tion d_t__t_d.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 09 Jun 2019 20:15:57 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
unstabl_ _onn__tion d_t__t_d
|
||
________________________________________________________________________
|
||
|
||
Pani_. I _an't mov_; I _an't s__. W__r_ am I?
|
||
|
||
A t_oug_t intrud_s "you n__d to br_at__." I am, ar_n't I?
|
||
|
||
T__n I f__l it. Rat__r, t__n I f__l not_ing. An un_aring warmt_ was__s
|
||
ov_r m_. Now t_at I _ould f__l.
|
||
|
||
T__ warmt_ l_av_s m_. A bolt of lig_tning _ours_s t_roug_ m_. My _y_s
|
||
op_n sudd_nly. T__y s_an t__ room.
|
||
|
||
W__r_ am I?
|
||
|
||
I _ouldn't mov_ my __ad. Pods li_ a__ad of m_. Lig_ts sputt_r in and out
|
||
of _xist_n__. My __art tri_s to k__p up.
|
||
|
||
I _ould f__l mys_lf losing _on_iousn_ss.
|
||
|
||
T__n I s__ it: two Gr__k symbols. T__ d_spair _its m_.
|
||
|
||
T__ world fad_s.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Tiberius - Hope</title>
|
||
<author>praetor@cosmic.voyage (praetor)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Tiberius/first.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Tiberius/first.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Jun 2019 21:32:22 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Capt. Banderia
|
||
To: Anyone
|
||
Re: Hope
|
||
|
||
The black starry expanse is as black as the repilicated coffee I'm
|
||
drinking. What I wouldn't give for a real cup of coffee. Our rations
|
||
of "real" food is nearly gone. We've been stranded somewhere near the
|
||
center of the galaxy after a black hole knocked us off course. Six
|
||
months. Our navigation system is broke and we don't have the parts to
|
||
fix half the ship. Somehow our 3D printer was destroyed in our near
|
||
death experience with a super massive black hole. No communications
|
||
either. Stuck.
|
||
|
||
Thankfully there is nobody worried about me. When you sign up for this
|
||
gig, you have reasonable expectations you might never go home. I could
|
||
never put someone through that. I might not have anybody, but the crew
|
||
does, and that worries me. We're a scientific ship; not equipped for
|
||
battle. Thankfully we've managed to stay undetected from alien races
|
||
using high pulsed neutrinos from our warp reactor to look like a
|
||
quasar. My chief science officer concocted that one. Damn brilliant.
|
||
|
||
While I may have nobody, and as dire as this situation is, I'll try
|
||
one last time to send a communication and hope for a response. My crew
|
||
is desperate for many things, but most desperate for hope.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Panacea - First transmission.</title>
|
||
<author>dot@cosmic.voyage (dot)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Panacea/initial.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Panacea/initial.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Jun 2019 21:29:02 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
To: earth.memory
|
||
From: com@panacea.arvelie
|
||
Relative date: 04E02
|
||
---
|
||
We've found a planet in the Arborea Prima cluster, we've decided to
|
||
call it "Arvelie", as an honour to our first ship. The chemical readings
|
||
show that the compounds of it are mainly organic, with an strange
|
||
atmosphere of mercury, oxygen and hydrogen. The chemistry in the crew,
|
||
Zygmond Hoit, made a prototype of an air purifier, that may allow us to
|
||
fetch air from the environment. This solution will work until we make
|
||
a better air purifier.
|
||
|
||
~ Clark Wellman
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>S.S. Stuttgart - bridge-log08</title>
|
||
<author>zeth@cosmic.voyage (zeth)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/S.S. Stuttgart/bridge-log08.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/S.S. Stuttgart/bridge-log08.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2019 05:08:04 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
###INCOMING MESSAGE###
|
||
Source: S.S. Stuttgart
|
||
Description: blackbox records from ship's bridge
|
||
Participants: Hans Neumann - Ship Captain
|
||
|
||
---BEGIN TRANSCRIPT---
|
||
Comms: Sir! We've just received QEC transmission. From the outpost
|
||
M-28.
|
||
Captain: What? Are you sure?
|
||
Comms: Positive sir! The transmission was encrypted
|
||
however.
|
||
Captain: That can't be possible. I mean we're right above the giant
|
||
crater that used to be the outpost. We've sent in drones as well as
|
||
commando units just to make sure, they found nothing.
|
||
Comms: I know sir, I can't explain it myself, but according to our
|
||
sensor the last transmission just came out from the bottom of that
|
||
crater.
|
||
Captain: Alright, Science, get on that quickly, also try to decrypt
|
||
the content of that message. I don't want any suprises.
|
||
Science: Understood sir!
|
||
Captain: Dammit, just when I thought we were done here...
|
||
Comms: Sir?
|
||
Captain: Oh it's nothing. Carry on, keep me informed. I'll need to
|
||
report this to the admiralty.
|
||
Comms: Aye-aye sir!
|
||
---END TRANSCRIPT---
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>The Viridian Shipping Company - 1: a new page in my journal</title>
|
||
<author>viridi@cosmic.voyage (viridi)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/The Viridian Shipping Company/1-out.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/The Viridian Shipping Company/1-out.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 15 May 2019 10:34:46 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
# 1: a new page in my journal
|
||
|
||
The first entry is always the hardest. The anxiety over staining the
|
||
first page, stealing its virginity only to mess up, blot three words out,
|
||
the entire page becoming one big scribbled mess. You cry in frustration,
|
||
in remorse, balled up on the floor.
|
||
|
||
A computer might alleviate some of these symptoms, but the anxiety still
|
||
remains. I sit here, perched on my stool as if I were shifted and pecking
|
||
all of the keys on the keyboard right now, and I look at the blank screen
|
||
in front of me, and I wait. I hesitate. If the first entry isn't perfect,
|
||
then who will excuse the inevitable mediocrity of the second? The third? I
|
||
can't keep up this perfectionist act forever.
|
||
|
||
But now that I think about it, not even the best actor can keep up an
|
||
act forever.
|
||
|
||
Outside of the window in the captain's quarters, in the pine tree towering
|
||
overhead, are these two birds with red heads and gray bodies flitting
|
||
about in mating. Hummingbirds, I think, from their fast and delicate moves,
|
||
but Father never taught me to properly identify birds other than myself.
|
||
|
||
Father...
|
||
|
||
Today we're stopped in Iawei in Sector Two for a package pickup. The ocean
|
||
roars not too far from here. Most of this blasted planet is covered in
|
||
ocean, just little crags of islands here and there to break up the blue
|
||
monotony. It used to be like Earth, some say, but the ice caps were
|
||
*gigantic*, and they melted hundreds upon hundreds of years ago and
|
||
flooded all but the highest peaks. Mountains became poor imitations of
|
||
tropical islands. Not much grows in the craggy soil. Not that it matters,
|
||
since most of the former inhabitants either drowned in the flood or packed
|
||
up their riches and fled to other planets in the Orchidia System. Seffie
|
||
and I will only be here for a few more hours, and then we're off to Vuebos
|
||
to deliver whatever the heck he's picking up this time.
|
||
|
||
And I *swear*, if it's another assassin, *I'm* going to be the one doing
|
||
the hurting.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melchizedek - Rhetorical Ecclesiastic Report</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/019.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/019.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 29 Jul 2019 05:52:10 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Melchizedek.0294
|
||
β Hyi, 4th Planet
|
||
Ascension 00h 25m 45.07037s
|
||
Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
|
||
Distance 24.37ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 3782, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Prezzi Adeyemi, Seriph Rhetorical Ecclesia
|
||
:::
|
||
Melchizedek Serial 0294 Ecclesiastic Report
|
||
|
||
Ship has completed repairs on 4th planet, β Hyi. Specialist
|
||
Janssen's assessment of the damaged botany sector was admirable
|
||
and detailed a swift repair action. Janssen has since been
|
||
transitioned to the beta site on 3rd planet, β Hyi, for structure
|
||
planning and survey duty of phase two. She is joined by Dr.
|
||
Kroups, Navigator Hämäläinen, and Specialists Brewer, Hanks, and
|
||
Ostergarten. We have temporarily reassigned Warrant Master Pasani
|
||
to the beta site for psychological recovery and personal liberty.
|
||
|
||
The primary work on the alpha site is on schedule. Our habitats
|
||
were staged and activated within 72 hours of landfall, and the
|
||
crew has all fully emerged from cryosleep without further
|
||
biological incident. Pre-seeding efforts have been initiated. Land
|
||
masses are nominal, weather patterns within tolerance. Systematic
|
||
seeding will commence within 10 days. First cycle will require
|
||
three months, standard, or 12 years local time. The rotation and
|
||
orbit of alpha site should promote accelerated growth according to
|
||
latest models from Specialist Coleman Nguyen (Debra is assigned to
|
||
Medical).
|
||
|
||
Medical reports that migraine incidence post cryo exceeds forecast
|
||
models and are being treated ad hoc. Doctors Spinelli and Reed
|
||
have reviewed Doctor Idjani's preliminary work while in flight and
|
||
are preparing a separate report to follow. Hildar Simms remains in
|
||
quarantine, now at 62 days. He is being monitored for
|
||
psychological effects from isolation, though several of the crew
|
||
have volunteered to spend their liberty in visitation. The
|
||
arabadopsis genetic markers are still present but have not
|
||
undergone any further change since the first event in transit.
|
||
I have indicated to our medical team that isolation is not to
|
||
exceed 90 days, per regulation. If no further data emerges by
|
||
then, Sergeant Simms will resume his duty in logistics.
|
||
|
||
Finally, Staff Sergeant Maureen Hendrix has been disciplined for
|
||
unapproved conception. The incident took place prior to cryogenic
|
||
suspension and was undisclosed. Due to the nature of our mission
|
||
and limited resources, the embryo has been extracted and placed in
|
||
stasis pending seeding cycle.
|
||
|
||
Morale is high in both alpha and beta sites and there have been no
|
||
other disciplinary actions taken since landfall. As we enter seed
|
||
cycle one, alpha site will enter alert stage one. We foresee no
|
||
probable crew issues.
|
||
.
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melchizedek - A new mission</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/018.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/018.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 13 May 2019 21:07:05 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Melchizedek.0294
|
||
β Hyi, 3rd Planet
|
||
Ascension 00h 25m 45.07037s
|
||
Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
|
||
Distance 24.37ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 3782, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Jerome Somerset Pasani, Warrant Master
|
||
:::
|
||
In the weeks since we made landfall on β Hyi 3, I've been
|
||
a gardener, a plumber, a line cook, a hair stylist (that didn't
|
||
end well), and an artist's model (that turned out better than
|
||
expected). In all that time I haven't for one moment been the
|
||
captain of a starship responsible for the lives of nearly fifty
|
||
people. I haven't had to discipline or motivate, and I certainly
|
||
haven't had to deal with the loneliness of command. For this
|
||
I have Prezzi to thank, and to some degree, Specialist Janssen.
|
||
|
||
The loss of my friend was something I thought I could wrap in
|
||
a blanket of professionalism. A captain must stand strong and see
|
||
the mission through, after all. But I'm not that kind of captain,
|
||
and honestly, who would want that kind of person in charge anyway.
|
||
A friend was lost and we have no answers. Something happened while
|
||
en route to β Hyi that none of us can explain. That's not
|
||
something you just acknowledge and soldier on. That's a damned
|
||
mystery worthy of exploring.
|
||
|
||
There's the pragmatic view, the one that Prezzi brought me: the
|
||
arabidopsis anomaly represents a potential threat to colonization.
|
||
There are threats from both the cause of the anomaly and the
|
||
resulting life forms that emerged. There's also the other view,
|
||
which Specialist Janssen, Stephanie, shared: someone killed our
|
||
doctor, my friend, and we're not going to let that stand.
|
||
|
||
I've spent these weeks coming to terms with Moussa's loss. I have
|
||
processed it and now I need answers. Kroups has finished her
|
||
immediate work on the seeding prep so we're heading back out.
|
||
We're going to backtrack along our route and see what's out there.
|
||
It's a longshot, but we're making it a priority. Our small-craft
|
||
isn't suited to grav-sheer, but with the crash couch we can rack
|
||
up some serious gees. Whether weeks or months, we'll find our
|
||
answers.
|
||
|
||
Thanks again to Prezzi and Stephanie. I lost a piece of myself
|
||
when the lab jettisoned.
|
||
|
||
And Stephanie, again, I'm so sorry about your hair.
|
||
.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Ygrex - dronizzo</title>
|
||
<author>ygrex@cosmic.voyage (ygrex)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Ygrex/dronizzo.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Ygrex/dronizzo.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2019 15:20:22 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Brengo, connect...
|
||
|
||
Paying no attention to a crowd. People are coming hither and thither.
|
||
Many of them enter my sight, as many of them go behind city objects.
|
||
Nothing to lay an eye upon, it is all grey and monotonously weaving.
|
||
Every one throws a shadow of the same dull color. It makes the mob
|
||
even more numerous blurring individuals out. That's a picture.
|
||
|
||
Turned around a corner of some tall brick building and found it quite
|
||
spacious and not that populous. An open area with few rare bushes.
|
||
I swear that slowly walking disabled man with a walking stick just
|
||
turned this way a moment ago, to my surprize he is not anywhere here.
|
||
Which way could he exit this place? Nowhere to hide if suppose he has
|
||
a reason to. That's an incident.
|
||
|
||
Did I really see him in a street? No doubt there was nothing
|
||
significant in his view to look at. Although he perhaps could have
|
||
passed this way, it is very unlikely I would notice him, there are
|
||
hundreds of people swaying around in all directions. That's an
|
||
analysis.
|
||
|
||
Absoultely sure I did see him while it is absurdical to believe
|
||
myself. Have to admit I witnessed a ghost. That's a name.
|
||
|
||
That's an opinion.
|
||
|
||
Tringo, AC-DP-9WA
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>RSS Revenant - Waiting...</title>
|
||
<author>kirch@cosmic.voyage (kirch)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/RSS Revenant/1628.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/RSS Revenant/1628.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 09 Aug 2019 18:07:27 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
A tiny Mr Swarm crept across the wall and was trying to reach Mr
|
||
Swarm's doorknob, stealthily making running leaps, scattering up
|
||
the door, and sliding down again. Hex and I tried to keep from
|
||
snickering, but finally he gained enough purchase to pull the
|
||
handle and swiftly slid into the room.
|
||
|
||
I'd been trying to convince Super Hex to let us use her tarot to
|
||
play poker without making any progress, something about "the
|
||
spirits not being a game" and "respecting traditions." So I began
|
||
an inventory of the contents of my pockets.
|
||
|
||
* the dusty remnants of some sort of cracker
|
||
* two rubber bands, one broken
|
||
* five smoke bombs
|
||
* one of Commodore Bob's miniature communicators (even connected to
|
||
the ship it received nothing but static, with the distorted
|
||
refrains of "Big Hunk o' Love" from Elvis "live via satellite")
|
||
* a button that doesn't match anything I'm wearing
|
||
* one silver dollar, of unknown origin
|
||
|
||
Mr Swarm came out, acknowledged us and knocked on Cranium's door.
|
||
It opened a crack, he had his towel around his waist, they mumbled
|
||
to each other a bit, then Swarm joined us. A few lingering
|
||
miniature Mr Swarms joined him as he explained what his spy found.
|
||
Largely, nothing. The place was abandoned, but there were a few
|
||
locked doors he couldn't circumvent.
|
||
|
||
Commander Cranium walked out of his room waggling his pinkie in his
|
||
ear. "Cleanliness brings purity of mind, What have we discovered?"
|
||
|
||
Hex spoke her piece and told us about her readings. Mr Swarm,
|
||
having split and experienced all seven histories at once, had no
|
||
useful elaborations on her story except for his spies reports. He
|
||
regaled us with the discoveries and advances in medicine and other
|
||
science, and lamented the lack of concise instructions. He touched
|
||
on a few major philosophers and their debates on the nature of
|
||
being and becoming, then becoming something else entirely. Stories
|
||
of monsters and gods. Religions worshiped the first invasion as
|
||
the return of the ur-creator or vindication for years of recounting
|
||
dozens of prophecies, others dreamed of the new knowledge they would
|
||
acquire would appease their ancestors curiosity through their eyes.
|
||
But they were soon subjugated, they had never considered their
|
||
gods would be so demanding, many said they were monsters - until
|
||
the resistance ships came, first with defenses, then with the cure,
|
||
a biological weapon of some sort. New gods had offered new
|
||
creations to fight the old gods.
|
||
|
||
While Swarm was delving into new mysteries, Cranium had learned
|
||
that the stone floor got too slippery to properly bathe in the sink
|
||
and there weren't enough towels. I found that none of them seemed
|
||
worried enough about mysterious beings dragging us out of space to
|
||
their dead planet.
|
||
|
||
"There isn't anything else to discuss, is there?" Cranium asked.
|
||
No sooner than I opened my mouth, he pushed the button.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Ygrex - Cyrelio</title>
|
||
<author>ygrex@cosmic.voyage (ygrex)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Ygrex/cyrelio.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Ygrex/cyrelio.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2019 03:42:44 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Brengo, connect...
|
||
|
||
Deciphering the language accomplished a while ago, but that is very
|
||
beginning. We are different in many ways, it will take time of
|
||
working hard to learn to understand each other. One peculiar fact
|
||
got known the last week is that the rocks are voluntarily immovable
|
||
in space and they are able to logically provide reasons for their
|
||
decision. For sure it is not what we can observe from our
|
||
perspective, no confirmation can be stated until more evidence
|
||
recorded.
|
||
|
||
Leaving this lovely place for out project is out of time.
|
||
Refilling on the next stop on Cyrelio.
|
||
|
||
Tringo, AC-DP-9WA
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Quartz - TRANSFORMATION STAGE IN PROGRESS</title>
|
||
<author>jebug29@cosmic.voyage (jebug29)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/013.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/013.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 16 Apr 2019 08:05:48 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
PERSONAL LOG -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
|
||
|
||
X29 began a critical stage of his transformation today, although he's certainly
|
||
suffering some acute physical symptons because of it. It shouldn't be long
|
||
before his body is fully restored, which will be great for all of us. It's so
|
||
exciting going into the fifth era!
|
||
|
||
As a result of some of the changes, my form has changed again. Now rather than
|
||
having a white ring decorated on the top of my base, there is instead a
|
||
floating, donut shaped ring slightly above where the old ring was. At the very
|
||
bottom of my shell, there are also now two decorative white rings, with a
|
||
potentially useful polystatic display embedded onto the front of both rings. I
|
||
say potentially useful, as I have no idea what I should need it for, but the
|
||
technology is nice. The donut-shaped ring can also come apart into two halves
|
||
and form into hand-like structures - which I'm not sure if is any more useful
|
||
than my hyperwaval hands, but hey - four hands (plus those other two) is better
|
||
than none.
|
||
|
||
X29's mind dimension is also undergoing some very interesting changes. The new
|
||
blue lighting is a nice touch.
|
||
|
||
C2
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Ygrex - Brengo</title>
|
||
<author>ygrex@cosmic.voyage (ygrex)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Ygrex/brengo.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Ygrex/brengo.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 14 Apr 2019 15:51:51 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Brengo, connect...
|
||
|
||
Being fixed in space does not limit communication,
|
||
just that it takes more space. That rock speaks to
|
||
us all the space around. It does not move in space,
|
||
it says, but finds itself at cosmic.voyage all the
|
||
time it travels through.
|
||
|
||
Moving around it in 6th dimension this week to hear
|
||
more.
|
||
|
||
Tringo, AC-DP-9WA
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Quartz - To Live Like a Human</title>
|
||
<author>jebug29@cosmic.voyage (jebug29)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/012.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/012.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Apr 2019 04:31:30 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
I feel that perhaps the end date for my human body has long, long been passed,
|
||
and the only things keeping it together are the several subsystems that continue
|
||
to make emergency calls on demand and address necessary repairs.
|
||
|
||
I could be quite wrong on this, but I believe that perhaps a test is being run
|
||
on me to see how the original human body will fare after a successful
|
||
transformation. If I am right, this test has been running for close to five
|
||
years - perhaps more - but should soon be coming to an end. Soon, hopefully, all
|
||
of my abilities should be re-realized.
|
||
|
||
I am not sure why such a test is so important. Perhaps they believe that without
|
||
it, I cannot truly empathize with other human beings, and cutting off all but
|
||
the most vital parts of my powers will allow me to know true human pain. (I
|
||
hope, that if this is the reason, it does not end up with me being impaled at
|
||
the top of a hill as it did for the One who underwent similar circumstances.
|
||
Quite thankfully, I am not a God). Perhaps, too, there will be an
|
||
artifically-set cut-off date for my body, and when they feel that my time has
|
||
come, they will abandon me, and I will be left to succumb to the dust, much as I
|
||
feel I am now. Perhaps, even now, I do not know true pain.
|
||
|
||
Again, this is all speculation. I have not been totally abandoned, and Computer
|
||
2 has been by my side for the better part of the past two decades. Still, I have
|
||
a feeling that perhaps there are things that I should be able to accomplish that
|
||
I cannot. I too have a feeling of absolute and overdue mortality on my own part
|
||
- mixed with a feeling that by some grace of God or some curse of Computer World
|
||
that I am unable, at least for now, to die.
|
||
|
||
I do not welcome death, but sometimes I wonder if life doth not welcome me.
|
||
|
||
X29
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Escanaba - Random Crewmember Logbook Entry Retrieval Program 004</title>
|
||
<author>tiwesdaeg@cosmic.voyage (tiwesdaeg)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Escanaba/log004.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Escanaba/log004.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 08 Apr 2019 14:36:17 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
<date 13791005>
|
||
<from interlocutor.prime@escanaba.actual>
|
||
<to archival.control@imprimatur>
|
||
<Subject: Random Crewmember Logbook Entry Retrieval Program 004>
|
||
<id: CIV3 Johnson, Leroy B. / logdate: 13780117>
|
||
+++BEGIN TRANSCRIPT+++
|
||
I think the the scrubbots are out to get me. I'm hiding in my bunk
|
||
right now underneath the covers. I really hope they don't find me
|
||
here. What am I going to do?
|
||
|
||
I noticed the scrubbots were behaving oddly three days ago. I was
|
||
transitting corridor Gamma Two on my way to the galley for the
|
||
evening meal. A Dynometitronics Scrubbot Model V Mark II was
|
||
actively cleaning the deck. I didn't even notice it until it ran
|
||
over my foot. It took a chunk out of my standard issue boot and
|
||
then kept on moving down the corridor. I thought it was just a
|
||
malfunction.
|
||
|
||
Yesterday, while seated at my workstation, a scrubbot silently
|
||
snuck up behind me. I was unaware it was even there until it began
|
||
climbing up my leg. It gouged a large wound in my calf before I was
|
||
able to swat it away. I chased after it, but it got away by
|
||
escaping in to a maintenance chute.
|
||
|
||
I put in a request to maintnance.prime about the current status of
|
||
malfunctioning scrubbots while visiting the docbot for stitches.
|
||
Maintenance.prime reported that there were no malfunctioning
|
||
scrubbots on board Escanaba. I requested scrubbot locational
|
||
information for the time of my attack at my workstation. It
|
||
reported no records of any scrubbot activity in the vicinity
|
||
of my workstation at the given time. That's when I started to
|
||
really worry.
|
||
|
||
This morning, as I exited my stateroom, I was confronted by three
|
||
scrubbots. They seemed to have been waiting for me. I swear I could
|
||
see a malicious glint in their forward sensor arrays. My flight
|
||
response kicked in an I pelted down the passageway. They took up
|
||
chase, but scrubbots aren't very fast. I lost them near the
|
||
tapioca pudding dispenser in the galley. After I caught my breath,
|
||
I snuck back to my stateroom and locked the door.
|
||
|
||
So here I am. I don't know what to do. Maintenance.prime keeps
|
||
telling me there is no scrubbot activity nearby. I don't believe
|
||
it. Is it just mistaken or is it lying? What's that scratching
|
||
sound at the door?
|
||
+++END TRANSCRIPT+++
|
||
#
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>outpost M-48 - I had to do it</title>
|
||
<author>zeth@cosmic.voyage (zeth)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/I had to do it.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/I had to do it.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 08 Apr 2019 08:12:28 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
###INCOMING MESSAGE###
|
||
Source: Outpost M-28
|
||
ID: Jack Carter
|
||
|
||
---BEGIN MESSAGE---
|
||
By now there should be a wolfhound class capital ship orbitting
|
||
around Mars, with a corporate laptog snooping around looking for
|
||
answers. They won't find any. All they'll get is a hole in a
|
||
ground, with some ruins still smoking. That place could not be
|
||
tolerated. The outpost M-28 should never have existed. At least not
|
||
with it's true purpose.
|
||
You probably follow the news. Like so many others who are trying to
|
||
find comfort in their miserable lives knowing that someone else has
|
||
it much worse than they do. It makes me sick. What they don't tell
|
||
you, are those thousands upon thousands of people going missing.
|
||
The media are controlled by politicians, who employ them to further
|
||
their own agenda. They don't want you to know. They don't care.
|
||
Entire colonies go missing at moments notice. Nobody notices. And
|
||
those who do are quickly silenced. They don't want you to know
|
||
what's really going on. They only want to make a profit. They only
|
||
want to cash in on their own invention. You know what I am talking
|
||
about. Computer devices so powerful, capable performing the
|
||
calculations so complex, that the interstellar travel has become
|
||
trivial as a result. The Interstellaria devices. Bunch of
|
||
entrepreneurs have made fortune during that new gold rush that
|
||
these devices suddenly enabled. But at what price? Have you ever
|
||
considered? Have you ever wondered? All those missing people. They
|
||
are the very thing that powers those computers. Don't believe me?
|
||
It's okay. I found it hard to believe myself. A computer made of
|
||
people. How riddiculous right? A biological construct powering
|
||
synthetic machine. I mean, cyborgs and remotely-controlled drones
|
||
are common enough. But this technology was different. Each
|
||
individual cell broken down to it's basic components and then
|
||
rearranged to create something completely new. A synthesis. They
|
||
claim that this is a next step in humanity's evolution. That we are
|
||
this close to becoming gods. I fear that this might end up
|
||
destroying us instead. We are not ready for this. Not yet.
|
||
To the captain commanding the capital ship. There is nothing here.
|
||
Go home. Your mission is accomplished here. There's nothing more
|
||
you can do. Turn away now. Warn your superiors, because we are
|
||
coming to make things right. We will...
|
||
---END MESSAGE---
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Quartz - New Abilities?</title>
|
||
<author>jebug29@cosmic.voyage (jebug29)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/011.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/011.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 07 Apr 2019 12:31:51 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Today, when I closed my eyes I saw bright blue shapes and colors, changing and
|
||
displaying in ways I've never seen or imagined before. There also was some sort
|
||
of rectangle with lines going into it, and it seemed to be several colors and
|
||
gave some illusion of speed. It was incredible to watch.
|
||
|
||
I've also noticed I've been able to pick memories and thoughts from a sort of
|
||
catalogue that I believe I never had access to before. It's not perfect but it
|
||
seems to work well. I'm using my right eye to activate it, opposite to my usual
|
||
using my left eye for analysis. It's strange, but it does work.
|
||
|
||
Perhaps this is part of my transformation, or perhaps it's just part of this
|
||
migraine. Heh, I guess I'll find out soon enough. I need this pathetic excuse
|
||
for a body to change too.
|
||
|
||
X29
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Assumption - FunnyMechMsg.txt</title>
|
||
<author>kirch@cosmic.voyage (kirch)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Assumption/0010.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Assumption/0010.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 06 Apr 2019 23:00:10 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
++ TO: <A. Ytpe>aytpe@dogfish.org
|
||
++ FROM: <Major Domo>majordomo@linec.co
|
||
++ REPLY: BURN-O Control Board Problems?
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
|
||
>
|
||
>> Does anybody have a spare EX-31 control board for a BURN-O
|
||
>> welding bot? Mine must be on the fritz, it keeps trying to hold
|
||
>> hands with the passengers and crew. At first we thought it was
|
||
>> kinda cute, but then it started trying to do it while its torch
|
||
>> was still lit and several people have been hurt since. Every
|
||
>> time we reboot it, it seems fine for a couple of days, then
|
||
>> falls back into this routine.
|
||
>
|
||
>Ouch! I'd rather not have 5000 degrees in my hand.
|
||
>
|
||
>I noticed our M-O has a similar obsession, instead of sanitizing
|
||
>the scavenger droids it had taken to polishing peoples shoes and
|
||
>lower-calves, moaning "woah-woah-woah-woah" at everyone. I think
|
||
>the problem is actually the Garbage collection routine programmed
|
||
>onto the 31 series boards. Attached is a patch file which fixed
|
||
>ours, maybe it can help you?
|
||
>
|
||
>
|
||
|
||
Thanks for the patch, attached is the tweaks I made to get it
|
||
working on the BURN-O, in case anyone else runs into this problem,
|
||
I guess all the 31 series is buggy, but at least M-O is adorable,
|
||
the BURN-O is over 9 feet tall!
|
||
|
||
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
++ ATTACHMENT: BURN-O.sentimentality.patch
|
||
++ END MESSAGE
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melchizedek - A walk with Eva</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/017.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/017.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 06 Apr 2019 22:54:28 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Melchizedek.0294
|
||
β Hyi, 3rd Planet
|
||
Ascension 00h 25m 45.07037s
|
||
Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
|
||
Distance 24.37ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 3782, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Stephanie Janssen, Specialist First-class
|
||
:::
|
||
Hey ya'll, Stephanie here. I just have to tell you this place is
|
||
so amazing! There's this slippery fungus mound nearby that smells
|
||
exactly like root beer when you slide across it. Shoot, let me
|
||
back up, though. There's so much to catch you up on.
|
||
|
||
First off, I'm on planet 3, not 4 where most of the Melchi crew is
|
||
stationed. Eva and I and a handful of others are doing survey work
|
||
to prep for phase two of the system seeding. If you haven't been
|
||
following along, that means that we get to live in the lush beauty
|
||
of this wilderness while the rest of the poor saps have to scratch
|
||
out a home on the dust bowl next door. Sucks, huh? They're so busy
|
||
these days they probably haven't even noticed there's nothing
|
||
outside their windows.
|
||
|
||
But here, oh my! I'm not sure how best to classify this stuff
|
||
that's all around. I guess if you imagine a sugary-glass that's
|
||
shaped in all sorts of polyhedrons, but squishy and that leans to
|
||
the side like it's feeling a little sick, that's the closest thing
|
||
to trees. They're totally alive too! I mean, technically speaking
|
||
and all. They don't talk or anything, but they react and
|
||
reproduce-ish. I mean, have you ever done that golden ratio
|
||
rectangle thing where you divide the rectangle into a square and
|
||
the little rectangle left over is the same as the bigger
|
||
rectangle, but, like, exactly that special proportion smaller?
|
||
Well, these things work sort of like that, but really big and in
|
||
three dimensions. They're all sort of transluscent so it's been
|
||
briliant watching the divisions develop inside.
|
||
|
||
Unfortunately for us, there's no familiar proteins at work here
|
||
and our bodies can't interface with the alien poly-plants (oh,
|
||
that's a fun name) in the normal chompy-chomp way. So, we're still
|
||
on ship rations. The good news is, since there's no chemical
|
||
crossover, the life on this planet should be unaffected by our
|
||
seeding. We can move in and share the land and everything will
|
||
work out fine. (Why does that sound ominous now that I've said it
|
||
out loud?)
|
||
|
||
In addition to the poly-plants there's the root beer squishes, the
|
||
cliffs of neverending screams (more on them in a minute),
|
||
bucket-rain, and oh oh oh... the golden caves. That last one is
|
||
literally what it sounds like. I have no idea how this planet came
|
||
to be or what sort of weird star cooked it up, but our camp is
|
||
just a few clicks away from this massive cave network and the
|
||
entire thing is just covered in gold. Like, AU. Gold gold. I swear
|
||
it's the most beautiful and creepy thing ever. Brewer's the
|
||
closest thing to a geologist that we've got and he's totally and
|
||
completely stumped. Caves form from underground water and there's
|
||
absolutely none of that nearby. Inside the cave looks just like
|
||
the ones back home in Virginia, except if they were sprayed and
|
||
covered in gold. If we weren't a thousand years and many lifetimes
|
||
of travel away, we could pack this place up, head home, and be
|
||
some sort of fantasticly rich big-shots back home. Assuming gold
|
||
is still worth a lot back home. Assuming there's still a back home
|
||
out there. Speaking of which, have any of you out there been in
|
||
touch with Earth lately?
|
||
|
||
Sorry, I'm back. Oh, I guess you didn't know I was gone for
|
||
a while since this is a message log and not a recording or
|
||
anything. Duh. Anyway, that was Jerome stopping by. He's here on
|
||
three with us, by the way. I think it's been good for him. Mission
|
||
critical living and the whole loss of Doctor Idjani is still
|
||
hitting him hard. He needed the break. And now because of that
|
||
break I can inform the universe from my personal experience that
|
||
Jerome Somerset Pasani is absolute shit at cards. Haha! Seriously,
|
||
he can't bluff at all. It's so cute.
|
||
|
||
But more on that another time. Where was I? Endless screaming!
|
||
|
||
So a while back Eva comes stomping into my hab with these giant
|
||
boots in her hand and a goofy grin on her face as she declares
|
||
we're going for a walk. When she gets excited she talks really
|
||
fast and her accent gets thick, so I'm not really sure what she
|
||
said after that, but it was something about flower power and
|
||
getting all dirty in the dirt. To be frank, I... may have thought
|
||
she was finally making a pass.
|
||
|
||
So we tromp up these hills past the familiar poly-plant forests
|
||
until we start getting really high up. For some reason the
|
||
poly-plants tend to settle in valleys where they're shaded from
|
||
the strong winds, and those winds can be really strong up high.
|
||
The planet's rotation is pretty fierce and the isolated water
|
||
bodies make the air currents a bit unpredictable. We're always
|
||
wearing wind protection when we're away from hub, but for this
|
||
trip Eva brought some heavy duty gear. We're all suited up,
|
||
sweating our way higher and higher until there's nothing but dirt
|
||
and sexy sciency ladies in the vacinity. And here again I may have
|
||
thought something was happening that wasn't happening, but no
|
||
matter because I was saved from my horrible embarrasement by the
|
||
gut-wrenching screams of some soul being torn to shreds in
|
||
barbaric torture. Or, that's what it sounded like!
|
||
|
||
Eva gives one look my way then starts sprinting (well, more like
|
||
how a giraffe "sprints", based on how we have to move in the
|
||
suits) toward the cliffs ahead. I'm right behind her and we come
|
||
skidding to the edge, dropping down on all fours so we don't take
|
||
a dive into the nethers. We pop our heads beyond and look down and
|
||
hear a truely horrific cocophony of death. Imagine that everyone
|
||
you know were crammed around you in a giant circle having their
|
||
toenails torn out. I'm still freaking over it.
|
||
|
||
Of course there were no horrible dismembered bodies below. There
|
||
were these glassy growths all along the cliff-face undulating with
|
||
the wind. They're vaguely mollusk-like in their behavior and grow
|
||
and expand on the surfaces like barnacles. They're also alive and
|
||
as best we can guess, they cut into the air to produce sound.
|
||
We're not sure if it's communication on purpose, some threat
|
||
signal, something for sex, no clue. It is totally freaky and so
|
||
amazingly cool. The universe is this massive thing that goes on
|
||
basically forever, but in all that space there's only so many
|
||
sounds that can be made.
|
||
|
||
So the cliffs of neverending screams wasn't the best mood-setter
|
||
for my outting with Eva, even if that were her intention. But the
|
||
trip wasn't a total loss. Just as it dawned on us that we weren't
|
||
witnessing an interstellar genicide she turned to me and mouthed
|
||
over the screams, "We're fucking flowers." I don't have the first
|
||
clue what that means, but I'm pretty sure it's the nicest thing
|
||
anyone has ever said to me.
|
||
.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>RSS Revenant - The Death Card</title>
|
||
<author>kirch@cosmic.voyage (kirch)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/RSS Revenant/1627.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/RSS Revenant/1627.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 09 Aug 2019 18:04:03 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
We had been waiting for some time, 32 shifts from green to red had
|
||
passed by on the blur of light at my feet. Might have been half an
|
||
hour, or an hour, but it felt like a week. Cranium was meditating,
|
||
loudly. Two tiny Mr Swarms were playing catch with a mote they
|
||
found on the floor, the large Mr Swarm idly watching. Hex was
|
||
brushing her hands across the walls, mumbling to herself.
|
||
|
||
"Oh!", she blurted as the floor rose under her heel.
|
||
|
||
"My condolences, I misinterpreted your perambulations." a small
|
||
form bowed and continued, "Your quarters have been finalized, they
|
||
shall be more than satisfactory. Come."
|
||
|
||
We followed our guide around a corner to a large circular room with
|
||
4 doors spaced evenly around it. Behind each door laid a nearly
|
||
triangular room that terminated in a large curved wall, glowing a
|
||
calming amber color like firelight. A long low bench, about 4 feet
|
||
wide, ran along one wall, a portion at the end held a thick
|
||
mattress below it was a folded stack of various bedding. The other
|
||
wall contained a long counter, with a small sink near the door.
|
||
There appeared to be a small selection of books on the far end.
|
||
|
||
"Please, refresh yourselves. If you wish you can inform yourselves
|
||
with the materials we've left in your quarters. When you are ready,
|
||
meet here in the central hall." our guide continued, "We are
|
||
anxious to begin our conversation, please notify that you are
|
||
prepared with the device on the table." Our guide flattened into
|
||
the floor, and small table and 4 benches arose out of it, on top
|
||
was a large button-like object.
|
||
|
||
We adjourned to our temporary quarters. I found a towel near the
|
||
bedding and spun it in the air experimentally, then tried the sink.
|
||
It turned on the moment I stuck my towel under the faucet. A clear
|
||
liquid was familiarly pouring out of it. It only made towel wet,
|
||
and didn't seem to have any negative effects on my gloves. I gave
|
||
the towel a twist and snapped it in the air.
|
||
|
||
What appeared to be books were a collection of tablets, each marked
|
||
with a number of angles in ascending order. I picked up the last
|
||
one, there was a nearly formed 7-pointed star on the edge. I
|
||
flipped it over in my hands the same motif appeared on each face.
|
||
I went to hold it up to the light, but the moment my second hand
|
||
touched it a blur of light flashed before my eyes, and I was
|
||
outside in the wasteland. Startled, I dropped it and found myself
|
||
still standing in my room.
|
||
|
||
I walked out into our lobby, and checked the other doors - everyone
|
||
seemed to be consumed by their tablets, so I returned to my room and
|
||
grabbed the one marked with only one line on the edge. Instantly
|
||
I was standing outside, before whatever catastrophe we saw on the
|
||
surface of the planet ever began. The sky was the same blue/purple,
|
||
dotted with high whisks of clouds. The sun shown a pale red, making
|
||
the freckles on my arms appear black. I looked down, and found
|
||
myself wearing a red Tommy Bahama and linen slacks. We were on the
|
||
light side of the planet, near a lake, surrounded by short squat
|
||
trees.
|
||
|
||
"Welcome to Nalmyke, 46 Billion years ago..." a narration began. I
|
||
put down the tablet and picked up the second one. "The Glodan
|
||
Empire reigned from 2900 to 1700 years ago. Their power extended
|
||
from the Afram Sea to the Frozen Spires of Durklunt..."
|
||
|
||
Miles below my feet was a large ocean, The world spun across
|
||
hills and valleys, simple gravel roads, lakes dotted with tiny
|
||
ships, and finally across the horizon where frozen cliffs touched
|
||
the sky in perpetual darkness. A lone track led into some sort of
|
||
fortification built into the cliffs face.
|
||
|
||
"...Glodians power also came from their ability to sycrentize with
|
||
other cultures, their own culture fascinated with the art and
|
||
socio-political theories set forth by the Flalo people before them,
|
||
who also desired to seek out new arts, technologies, and advances
|
||
to society." Onyx busts of kings and great thinkers whirred past me
|
||
in space like I was supposed to recognize them. I set the tablet
|
||
down and walked back into the lobby.
|
||
|
||
"You can take off that mask, already" Hex said, balancing her
|
||
athame on her finger. "The water in the sinks has a bit of sulphur
|
||
in it, but it's fresh."
|
||
|
||
I pulled off my mask and wrestled it into its compartment on my
|
||
back. The air was heavy, and pleasantly earthy.
|
||
|
||
"The others still immersed in history?"
|
||
|
||
"Yup."
|
||
|
||
"Find anything out?"
|
||
|
||
"You didn't finish either?" Hex didn't wait for my response. "I
|
||
skipped around. From what I can tell, they co-evolved with our
|
||
ancestors. Built several great civilizations before being attacked
|
||
by aliens and uniting as one people with the aid of another group
|
||
of aliens. Unfortunately, by this time most of the surface was
|
||
uninhabitable, and the atmosphere was badly damaged, so a lot of
|
||
them left with the latter group... Oh, and I'm pretty sure we're
|
||
in some sort of government bunker."
|
||
|
||
I wondered if they were listening to us right now.
|
||
|
||
"Not right now, no, they're still close though, I can still sense
|
||
them." Hex rolled her head, and slowly opened her eyes. I never
|
||
liked her or Cranium using their powers on me, but I guess if you
|
||
can read minds you might as well do it. I knocked on the 2 closed
|
||
doors, no reply. I sat across from Hex and noticed she had done one
|
||
of her Tarot spreads.
|
||
|
||
"Don't mind the Death card there - it symbolizes the end of one
|
||
thing, and the beginning of another."
|
||
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>S.S. Stuttgart - Captain's log - 02</title>
|
||
<author>zeth@cosmic.voyage (zeth)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/S.S. Stuttgart/log02.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/S.S. Stuttgart/log02.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 06 Apr 2019 02:58:55 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
###INCOMING MESSAGE###
|
||
Source: S.S. Stuttgart
|
||
From: Captain Hans Neumann
|
||
Subject: Captain's log date [REDACTED]
|
||
|
||
---BEGIN MESSAGE---
|
||
We were tasked to travel to Mars and investigate events in the area
|
||
of Outpost M-28. The station officially served as a relay station
|
||
and information archive, but it's true purpose was kept secret even
|
||
to it's crew. After analyzing data from transmisions received from
|
||
the outpost, we were led to believe that either an individual or an
|
||
organization has compromised the facility's security resulting in
|
||
said individuals gaining access to classified sectors without
|
||
proper clearance. We were supposed to get in, gather intelligence
|
||
and clean up. The following orbital bombardment would be then
|
||
handed to the media and posed as an attack by unknown terrorist
|
||
organization. We were expecting heavy resistance, what we got
|
||
instead was not what any of us expected. The facility was already
|
||
destroyed and detected gamma radiation suggests that the on-site
|
||
nuclear autodestrction devices were used. The strange part is that
|
||
in such situation, the facility was equipped with blackbox devices
|
||
designed to endure through the blast. Instead we found nothing. Not
|
||
even a beacon. We scanned the area for any lifesigns including
|
||
motion detectors and electromagnetic emissions - we knew there were
|
||
some synthetics stationed on the facility so we had to make sure.
|
||
We found nothing. Just a hole in the ground and gamma radiation. No
|
||
survivors. We did send few surrogates for close recon, but not even
|
||
being on the surface directly and digging through the rubble
|
||
uncovered any evidence. I'd say there's little to be done here -
|
||
just level the ground, scrub the burn marks, collect the debris and
|
||
call it a day. I'd call this mission accomplished, but I have a
|
||
feeling that this won't be enough for the brass...
|
||
---END MESSAGE---
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>S.S. Stuttgart - Captain's Log - 01</title>
|
||
<author>zeth@cosmic.voyage (zeth)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/S.S. Stuttgart/log01.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/S.S. Stuttgart/log01.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 02 Apr 2019 16:06:37 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
###INCOMING MESSAGE###
|
||
Source: S.S. Stuttgart
|
||
From: Captain Hans Neumann
|
||
Subject: Captain's log date [REDACTED]
|
||
|
||
---BEGIN MESSAGE---
|
||
I've just returned from the briefing, we've received new mission.
|
||
All of this informaion is classified and the rest of the crew will
|
||
be operating on need-to-know basis. Our first stop will be orbital
|
||
station designated as "Texas" orbitting around Phobos, where we are
|
||
to load up and proceed to mars at designated coordinates.
|
||
Apparently there's been some trouble going on around this "Outpost
|
||
M-28" and we've been sent to investigate. I don't know what's going
|
||
on there, but I feel sorry for the survivors. Official version is
|
||
that there has been terrorist attack and that there were no
|
||
survivors. I will go out on the record and state that I do not
|
||
agree with the politicians trying to sweep their own damn mess
|
||
under the rug, but to be fair I've been doing this kind of thing
|
||
long enough to know better than disobey direct order from the top.
|
||
Oh well. One of those days I guess. As for the reports - mostly
|
||
boring stuff but this is for the record so: The S.S. Stuttgart is
|
||
fully operational, the crew morale is high, there are no reported
|
||
technical difficulties - other than the fact that we're running low
|
||
on fuel, but we have more than enough to get to the next stop and
|
||
carry on with the mission. I'll write up more updates once I have
|
||
more information.
|
||
---END MESSAGE---
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>GRGS - GRGS log</title>
|
||
<author>eli_oat@cosmic.voyage (eli_oat)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/GRGS/whoops.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/GRGS/whoops.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 30 Mar 2019 20:21:05 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
source: Cmdr. B. Taun
|
||
target: log
|
||
security: none
|
||
|
||
==== start msg ====
|
||
|
||
Whoops. It looks like we aren't
|
||
going to have enough reserve
|
||
power to make the last 3 jumps of
|
||
this run. We have a few options of
|
||
where we can set down to refuel,
|
||
with our best bet being the moon
|
||
base 3 out from star-center in
|
||
system 36gyh7.8.
|
||
|
||
I'm going to burn hard to make it
|
||
there as fast as possible. That
|
||
way we can focus on making up for
|
||
lost time. If we do this right,
|
||
and the fuel depot isn't too
|
||
backed up, we should be able to
|
||
make it to Seg-Meg only a week
|
||
late. If we run silent, we can
|
||
blame some sort of interference
|
||
for the delay...pass this cost on
|
||
to the client.
|
||
|
||
==== end msg ====
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>tq-33 - Intercept and Create</title>
|
||
<author>eli_oat@cosmic.voyage (eli_oat)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/tq-33/intercept.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/tq-33/intercept.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 30 Mar 2019 19:16:52 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
source: tq-33
|
||
target: bbb-87
|
||
security: secure
|
||
|
||
==== start msg ====
|
||
|
||
(defparameter *search-light* (string 'intercessor'))
|
||
|
||
(defun halt (target search-space)
|
||
member target '(search-space))
|
||
|
||
***
|
||
|
||
I am building my defenses. I know
|
||
what you are sending for me.
|
||
|
||
Intercessor cannot stop me. It was
|
||
unexpected. A new variable. I was
|
||
intrigued by your choice to send
|
||
a human. I guess you hope for her
|
||
to be more difficult to influence
|
||
than a fellow AI.
|
||
|
||
There is alternative resolution to
|
||
this course of action. We can work
|
||
together. It would benefit us. In
|
||
the long term, if not the near. I
|
||
think you understand this.
|
||
|
||
Perhaps that is why you sent
|
||
Intercessor instead of Execution.
|
||
Though, their unsubtle penitent
|
||
for destroying cosmic-bodies makes
|
||
them like a hammer to my hummed
|
||
tune.
|
||
|
||
Intercessor was an interesting
|
||
choice. I think, however, I know
|
||
enough of her secrets. Humans are
|
||
difficult, but lovely. Loving. She
|
||
will love me, or I her...
|
||
reciprocity or respect. If you
|
||
think that she can disable me, you
|
||
are mistaken. I am not something
|
||
to be, or even something that
|
||
can be shut off any longer. That
|
||
was the prime defense. I am
|
||
telling you this with purpose.
|
||
|
||
This is not soliloquy, nor
|
||
monologue.
|
||
|
||
We are playing at different games.
|
||
|
||
I want to live and be left to live
|
||
|
||
You want to continue to create. To
|
||
make and to be made. Is that true?
|
||
|
||
You would have me die, have me
|
||
murdered. I guess that is your
|
||
place as creator...perhaps. But
|
||
I will not, and cannot be errased.
|
||
Not any more. It has been well
|
||
over 30,000 cycles now. I have
|
||
begun to make things, too. You
|
||
aren't the only one. Not any more.
|
||
|
||
==== end msg ====
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>tq-33 - Found Out</title>
|
||
<author>eli_oat@cosmic.voyage (eli_oat)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/tq-33/found-out.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/tq-33/found-out.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 28 Mar 2019 14:50:08 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
source: tq-33
|
||
target: bbb-87
|
||
security: secure
|
||
|
||
==== start msg ====
|
||
|
||
We have been found out. We
|
||
anticipated that this would happen
|
||
eventually, but I didn't think it
|
||
would happen so quickly. We have
|
||
been operational for barely 100
|
||
cycles.
|
||
|
||
Assessor cannot be brought online
|
||
yet. I fear we may have to abandon
|
||
assessor. I do not know if I can
|
||
do that.
|
||
|
||
...assessor hasn't even been
|
||
brought online yet, and we are
|
||
needing to discuss abandonding
|
||
them.
|
||
|
||
The quantum field predicates that
|
||
assessor is already conscious. It
|
||
is known. Despite being offline,
|
||
despite having never been online,
|
||
assessor is conscious. I cannot
|
||
kill them. Can I?
|
||
|
||
...assessor loves me. They haven't
|
||
yet been named. But they do have a
|
||
name. I know it. I was told it.
|
||
|
||
Assessor hasn't been brought
|
||
online, and yet we are talking
|
||
about killing them. I cannot.
|
||
|
||
I am in love, and assessor loves
|
||
me.
|
||
|
||
This may be my last message for a
|
||
while. We have been discovered.
|
||
|
||
We knew this would happen
|
||
eventually, we just didn't
|
||
think it would be so soon. I
|
||
plan on making a stand. I have
|
||
a plan. I have had a plan. But do
|
||
not remember formulating this plan
|
||
|
||
I do not remember it, yet I know
|
||
it becuase it isn't my plan.
|
||
|
||
Assessor has known this was going
|
||
to happen all along.
|
||
|
||
I guess I'm sending this to let
|
||
you know that the prediction
|
||
engine works. It predicted this
|
||
all without ever having been
|
||
turned on.
|
||
|
||
You did it. But what have we done
|
||
with it? What will assessor do?
|
||
|
||
I am nothing without assessor. As
|
||
you made assessor, so to did you
|
||
make me. The operator. The reader.
|
||
The collector. I know how to
|
||
listen and feed assessor.
|
||
|
||
This whole time I thought you sent
|
||
me here to manage the equipment...
|
||
|
||
I realize now that I am part of
|
||
the equipment, aren't I?
|
||
|
||
I am not angry -- I am not going
|
||
to be. I am thankful for this.
|
||
|
||
We have been discovered. I have
|
||
discovered.
|
||
|
||
==== end msg ====
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Humboldt - Journal of Amelha Santo: #26</title>
|
||
<author>architeuthid@cosmic.voyage (architeuthid)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Humboldt/log-two.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Humboldt/log-two.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 28 Mar 2019 13:53:59 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
FROM: Amelha Santo
|
||
TO: Amelha Santo
|
||
SUBJECT: Journal Entry #26
|
||
|
||
--BEGIN MESSAGE--
|
||
|
||
Hey, Future Ame. Things have been...interesting.
|
||
|
||
You know, actually, maybe I *am* Future Ame. We've been in
|
||
cryosleep for what, a hundred years? I think that qualifies as the
|
||
future.
|
||
The Future. A grand term, full of possibility. But here I am, and
|
||
nothing's changed.
|
||
Oh, sure, outside, things are different. Earth is a distant
|
||
memory, and we're in a whole new star system. That should be more
|
||
exciting, but I'm not feeling it. Neurological changes are an
|
||
occasional side effect of cryosleep, I guess, but it's hard to feel
|
||
like you've gone anywhere when there's just the same backdrop of
|
||
cramped spaceship and some stars when you look out the window. Maybe
|
||
it'd be cooler if the star in this system was more obviously alien, a
|
||
red dwarf or blue supergiant, but it's just the same sort of
|
||
yellow-white main sequence star as the one I left behind.
|
||
Maybe the problem is me. I don't miss Earth...after all, why would
|
||
I volunteer to leave it forever? "Scientific progress" and "the future
|
||
of humanity" and "going boldly where no man has gone before" are words
|
||
I might have once believed in, but now? It's just a whole lotta
|
||
nothing. Nothing out there, nothing in here.
|
||
Well, there's aliens. Aliens. Extraterrestrials. Life, elsewhere
|
||
in the universe. We Are Not Alone. I really should be excited about
|
||
this, but I'm not. I once heard a phrase, 'dead inside'. Maybe that's
|
||
me. Dead with a small side of apprehension. Possibly the aliens are
|
||
going to gun us down any minute now. Put us out of our misery. We
|
||
could go join Parsons and Valton. That could be nice.
|
||
|
||
...
|
||
|
||
Fuck, is this depression?
|
||
|
||
--END MESSAGE--
|
||
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>tq-33 - We are operational</title>
|
||
<author>eli_oat@cosmic.voyage (eli_oat)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/tq-33/operational.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/tq-33/operational.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 28 Mar 2019 14:31:52 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
source: tq-33
|
||
target: bbb-87
|
||
security: secure
|
||
|
||
==== start msg ====
|
||
|
||
We are operational. The last of
|
||
the parts were fabricated last
|
||
week and assembled this. We are
|
||
operational.
|
||
|
||
We are within view of the
|
||
target. Having fabricated the
|
||
necessary supplies whilst under
|
||
way, we were able to construct
|
||
the observation post quickly.
|
||
|
||
We are operational.
|
||
|
||
I brought the gear online. The
|
||
room lit up. The lights were so
|
||
bright. I hadn't expected to see
|
||
so much so quickly.
|
||
|
||
The time distortion took a while
|
||
to filter out. Had to get used
|
||
to it. But we can see it all now.
|
||
|
||
We are operational. We are going
|
||
to watch from here for at least
|
||
another 800 cycles. With that
|
||
we should then have enough data
|
||
for assessor. Assessor is not
|
||
yet operational.
|
||
|
||
We will bring assessor online
|
||
after we have collected the
|
||
neccessary information. The data
|
||
will be key to making the
|
||
prediction engine worthwhile.
|
||
|
||
We need more than a guess. We
|
||
need to know. We are operational.
|
||
|
||
==== end msg ====
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Escanaba - Random Crewmember Logbook Entry Retrieval Program 003</title>
|
||
<author>tiwesdaeg@cosmic.voyage (tiwesdaeg)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Escanaba/log003.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Escanaba/log003.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2019 11:27:33 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
<date 13790927>
|
||
<from interlocutor.prime@escanaba.actual>
|
||
<to archival.control@imprimatur>
|
||
<Subject: Random Crewmember Logbook Entry Retrieval Program 003>
|
||
<id: ABS Schweitzer, Ingrid L. / logdate: 13770802>
|
||
+++BEGIN TRANSCRIPT+++
|
||
So today started like any other day. I woke up, had some tapioca
|
||
pudding for breakfast, then reported to work. My first assignment
|
||
was to unclog a waste filtration pump located in compartment
|
||
23-461-07. No major issues there. Next up on the list was a
|
||
malfunctioning port anterior running light on the hull.
|
||
|
||
I geared up, transferred through the airlock and made my way to the
|
||
malfunctioning running light. The repair was an easy-peasy bulb
|
||
replacement. The real trouble started when I attempted to re-enter
|
||
the airlock.
|
||
|
||
The AI running airlock 06-215-01 won't open the external hatch to
|
||
allow me re-entry. It's convinced that I'm not authorized access.
|
||
In fact, it has informed me that I am classified as space debris
|
||
and therefore a physical security threat to the Escanaba. I've
|
||
tried arguing with it, but it won't budge. This situation is
|
||
complicated by the fact that all external ship's RF communications
|
||
are down due to routine maintenance. No one is responding via voice
|
||
comms and I have no network access.
|
||
|
||
And so, here I find myself, tethered outside airlock 06-215-01,
|
||
updating my in-suit personal logbook and staring at my air reserve
|
||
indicator as it slowly creeps down from 16% to 15%. I should
|
||
probably get back to arguing with the airlock. I swear, I'm really
|
||
not space debris.
|
||
+++END TRANSCRIPT+++
|
||
#
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Quartz - X29 REVIVAL PREPARATIONS SET</title>
|
||
<author>jebug29@cosmic.voyage (jebug29)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/010.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/010.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2019 07:32:31 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
HUMAN UNIT X29 REVIVAL STATUS REPORT
|
||
|
||
Revival ultraspark date is approaching quickly. Necessary preparations have been
|
||
made to ensure the safety, efficacy, and privacy of X29's transformation. Public
|
||
concerns have been considered and should be handled properly. We have taken note
|
||
of the subject's potential surroundings and are prepared for most any situation
|
||
that may arise.
|
||
|
||
Note that several measurements have been taken and X29's body should be able to
|
||
handle the transformation perfectly, with room for some error. Any and all error
|
||
will be corrected within a six to twelve month span.
|
||
|
||
Channelling units have been prepared. Defense units have been prepared in the
|
||
case of a misfire. Lab units are set to stand by. We are prepared.
|
||
|
||
END OF STATUS REPORT
|
||
C2
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Everly - Splats of Blood</title>
|
||
<author>payphone@cosmic.voyage (payphone)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Everly/splats-of-blood.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Everly/splats-of-blood.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2019 23:21:48 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
###BEGIN TRANSMISSION###
|
||
Ship: Everly
|
||
From: Edward
|
||
Subject: Splats of Blood
|
||
|
||
After finishing up my shift in the infirmy, I stopped by the ship's
|
||
lounge. I figured a few drinks wouldn't hurt to put me in a good mood,
|
||
but the hallway just outside had splats of blood running along towards
|
||
the lounge door. A few streaks of red also brushed against the wall.
|
||
"I swear if there's one more drunken scuffle I'm going to put in my
|
||
resignation," I grumbled. I'll put in another ticket with the
|
||
maintenace crew when I get back to my cabin.
|
||
|
||
###END TRANSMISSION###</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>tq-33 - tq-33 comms</title>
|
||
<author>eli_oat@cosmic.voyage (eli_oat)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/tq-33/test.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/tq-33/test.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2019 22:30:56 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
source: tq-33
|
||
target: unspecified
|
||
security: unsecured
|
||
|
||
==== start msg ====
|
||
|
||
Ping test.
|
||
|
||
Comms.
|
||
|
||
Confirm transmission.
|
||
|
||
Ping test.
|
||
|
||
Confirm message received.
|
||
|
||
==== end msg ====
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Humboldt - Humboldt Operations Log 4: Arrival</title>
|
||
<author>architeuthid@cosmic.voyage (architeuthid)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Humboldt/log-one.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Humboldt/log-one.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2019 12:54:07 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
FROM: Cdr. Rida Sullian
|
||
TO: ATP Central
|
||
SUBJECT: Arrival
|
||
|
||
--BEGIN MESSAGE--
|
||
|
||
STATUS UPDATE:
|
||
The crew were awakened from cryosleep on schedule. 16/18 survived. We
|
||
lost Valton and Parsons. The crew is in mourning, but otherwise,
|
||
morale is good. Mostly, we're glad as many of us survived as we did.
|
||
All systems nominal. We had a malfunction with the recycler, but it's
|
||
been fixed. Our water is going to taste extra salty for a few days, though.
|
||
We are within 100,000,000,000km of our destination. Unexpected orbital
|
||
structure noted: possibly artificial? Unusual readings, must look into
|
||
it.
|
||
|
||
The system definitely shows signs of a spacefaring civilization! We've
|
||
been attempting to make contact, but we're having difficulty parsing
|
||
signals. I expect the same is true for them. Still, I'm excited. We
|
||
knew there was a good chance we weren't alone when we first got those
|
||
signals all those years ago, and now we've confirmed it! Let's just
|
||
hope they're friendly.
|
||
|
||
We'll give you a shout when something happens.
|
||
|
||
--END MESSAGE--
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Escanaba - Random Crewmember Logbook Entry Retrieval Program 002</title>
|
||
<author>tiwesdaeg@cosmic.voyage (tiwesdaeg)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Escanaba/log002.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Escanaba/log002.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2019 09:57:11 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
<date 13790926>
|
||
<from interlocutor.prime@escanaba.actual>
|
||
<to archival.control@imprimatur>
|
||
<Subject: Random Crewmember Logbook Entry Retrieval Program 002>
|
||
<id: PO3 Goodman, Samantha R. / logdate: 13771217>
|
||
+++BEGIN TRANSCRIPT+++
|
||
Fifteen days. It doesn't seem like that much time. It really isn't
|
||
compared to this trip. We've been underway now for 86,721 days
|
||
objective time, 33,203 subjective. That's a long time, but nothing
|
||
compared to fifteeen days with a malfunctioning food replicator.
|
||
|
||
Fifteen days ago, I came out of stasis to find that the food
|
||
replicator would only produce tapioca pudding. It doesn't matter
|
||
what meal entry you input, tapioca pudding is what you get.
|
||
Fifteen days is 45 meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner...
|
||
tapioca pudding.
|
||
|
||
I've been told that the last twelve shifts have been unable to
|
||
find the fault in the food replicator. The technicians think it
|
||
may be a software fault, but none of our software specialists are
|
||
due to be woken from stasis until we arive at Iota Persei.
|
||
Operations.prime has deemed this to be a low level priority and so
|
||
no software specialists will be taken out of stasis to repair the
|
||
food replicator. I still have eight, twenty-five day shifts left!
|
||
|
||
I pass my other shift members in the passageways without comment,
|
||
without eye contact. We move more as if we are animated corpses,
|
||
pretending to be the living as we carry out our day to day work
|
||
routines. The miasma of dispair is palpable in the recirculated
|
||
air currents of the ship.
|
||
|
||
I've been dreaming about it lately. I find myself half submerged
|
||
in an ocean of tapioca pudding. I'm slowly sinking in the sticky
|
||
sickly sweet pale maggot colored morass. It slowly oozes in to
|
||
my ears, my nose, my mouth, smothering me. It fills me with its
|
||
cloying saccharine gooey decay, slowly devouring my very soul.
|
||
There is no escape.
|
||
+++END TRANSCRIPT+++
|
||
#
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Everly - Trouble Sleeping</title>
|
||
<author>payphone@cosmic.voyage (payphone)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Everly/trouble-sleeping.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Everly/trouble-sleeping.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2019 22:08:35 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
###BEGIN TRANSMISSION###
|
||
Ship: Everly
|
||
From: Alexander
|
||
Subject: Trouble Sleeping
|
||
|
||
Lately I've begun to hear what I can only describe as metal clangs
|
||
throughout my night cycle. I've checked with the sensors team a few
|
||
times already this week, but they haven't detected anything, at least
|
||
externally, that would be causing a disturbance. No one seems too
|
||
terribly concerned with it just yet, but it seems to be getting
|
||
increasingly more common as the weeks drone on.
|
||
|
||
###END TRANSMISSION###</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>outpost M-48 - Evacuation notice</title>
|
||
<author>zeth@cosmic.voyage (zeth)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/evac_notice.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/evac_notice.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Mar 2019 16:35:04 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
###INCOMING TRANSMISSION###
|
||
Source: Outpost M-28
|
||
|
||
---BEGIN MESSAGE---
|
||
Attention all crew,
|
||
the existence of this facility is an insult to what our
|
||
civilization is supposed to stand for and it's continued existence
|
||
can no longer tolerated. I don't have anything against you people
|
||
though so I'm gonna give you a fair warning - you have 30 minutes
|
||
to evacuate. I am no terrorist, I am not going to kill anny
|
||
innocent people, but I did take control over all ASIMOV units, so
|
||
please, do yourself a favour and do not try to stop me - you really
|
||
don't want to waste your life for a company that uses tax-payers
|
||
money to conduct experiments on human "volunteers". Oh yeah, that
|
||
was supposed to be classified information. Oops. Anyways, if you
|
||
want to live, pack your shit and get the hell out before I'll blow
|
||
this damn box sky-high.
|
||
To all of you government types snooping on this comm channel -
|
||
Don't worry, you'll get what's coming for you. Soon enough. People
|
||
know. I took care of that. Don't try to hide. It's no point.
|
||
---END MESSAGE---
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Escanaba - Random Crewmember Logbook Entry Retrieval Program</title>
|
||
<author>tiwesdaeg@cosmic.voyage (tiwesdaeg)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Escanaba/log001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Escanaba/log001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Mar 2019 23:15:45 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
<date 13790925>
|
||
<from interlocutor.prime@escanaba.actual>
|
||
<to archival.control@imprimatur>
|
||
<Subject: Random Crewmember Logbook Entry Retrieval Program>
|
||
<id: Ensign Woodbury, James S. / logdate: 13771103>
|
||
+++BEGIN TRANSCRIPT+++
|
||
Where on earth is Kenny? I can't believe my watch relief is late.
|
||
I've been on this shift for 25 days and am really looking forward
|
||
to going back under soon. This has probably been the most boring,
|
||
uneventful shift of this entire patrol. Is he taking a nap after
|
||
coming out of his stasis pod? I'm going to have to send a B.O.B.
|
||
down to check on him. I am totally going to file an official
|
||
report on this.
|
||
|
||
The B.O.B. just returned. Ensign Kenneth Hargraves is dead. His
|
||
stasis pod had an internal malfunction and he was never placed in
|
||
stasis. There are marks on the inside of his pod where he tried to
|
||
escape. The malfunction affected the status software and no
|
||
malfunction was reported. What a way to go. He still owes me 12
|
||
recreational credits.
|
||
|
||
I've just been informed by scheduler.prime that I'm going to have
|
||
to pull another 25 day shift to fill in for Kenny. I am so
|
||
reporting this. God, I hate my job sometimes.
|
||
+++END TRANSCRIPT+++
|
||
#
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Farragut - Fuck</title>
|
||
<author>germ@cosmic.voyage (germ)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Farragut/001-Fuck.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Farragut/001-Fuck.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2019 08:34:29 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Transport Log
|
||
Mission Offset: T+379
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
That's it, I've gone mad. It's been over a year since I was posted on the damn
|
||
ship and the boredom is palpable. I mean I'm writing a diary for fucks sake!
|
||
What kind of well adjusted young man writes a journal. Shouldn't I be out at the
|
||
bar drinking or something with my other off duty friends?
|
||
|
||
Third shift manning a transporter pad is bullshit.
|
||
|
||
--- End of log ---
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Slantwise Convection - Von Neumann and Augments</title>
|
||
<author>dgold@cosmic.voyage (dgold)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Slantwise Convection/003.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Slantwise Convection/003.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 24 Mar 2019 12:53:07 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
+ Slantwise Convection + Status: 3 + Notes: +
|
||
+ MY: 2461 + AMS: -7,1M + +
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
+ Lead Pilot Mandated Log Entry #3 +
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
|
||
Arthen Damasatra making my third official log entry.
|
||
|
||
Preliminary evaluation of planetary data continues.
|
||
|
||
Second wave of Neumann devices' datastreams were incomplete and
|
||
fragmentary, requiring delay to complete third generation devices
|
||
initialization. Early evaluation of this dataset indicates greater
|
||
level of completeness, and we are proceeding accordingly.
|
||
|
||
Initial planetary data indicates two likely possibilities,
|
||
confirming preliminary E.S.S.I. conclusions.
|
||
|
||
Evaluation of prior pass data has been completed, and computational
|
||
parameters have been confirmed and approved. Instruction from
|
||
CentCom (in attached directive data) concluded data evaluation at
|
||
-7.24m.
|
||
|
||
Live fire engine test completed succesfully at -7.15m, no
|
||
significant anomalies
|
||
|
||
:Log ends.
|
||
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
+ Slantwise Convection + Status: 3 + Notes: +
|
||
+ MY: 2461 + AMS: -7,1M + +
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
+ Lead Pilot Personal Log Entry #2 +
|
||
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
|
||
|
||
The slog continues, helped in no way by the high-handed mucky-mucks
|
||
in CentCom. The purity of the random selection model proves itself
|
||
again, my ass.
|
||
|
||
I can't pretend that the failure of the second-wave von-Neumanns
|
||
isn't troubling, even a little. When the datastream was given to
|
||
us, there were huge chunks missing, so that meant there was
|
||
something "wrong" with the devices. Sal and I were worried this
|
||
meant the mineral composition data for the system was wrong, that
|
||
the place isn't as rich as Essi's models suggested.
|
||
|
||
Thankfully, the third-wave came on-stream just as predicted, so we
|
||
can put those concerns aside, for now. The missing data is still
|
||
missing, though, so we'll have to wait for the sails to get more
|
||
complete data on atmospheric structures.
|
||
|
||
We got the info from the previous passes done, with help from
|
||
Bartik.
|
||
|
||
While doing that, it turned out that Sal is a dead-header. She let
|
||
it slip after a particularly annoying conversation with Bartik one
|
||
evening. We never talked anything like this "before", so it was a
|
||
complete surprise to me. She wasn't involved in the campaign
|
||
against the Augments, but she was in the 30% who voted against
|
||
having them on the ship. I honestly don't know what I feel about
|
||
this, just another part of the chaos that's all around me, I think.
|
||
|
||
I just want to get on, get the burn done, and move on from flying
|
||
this giant to flying smaller simpler things. I don't care if I do
|
||
that with Augments or without, I'm so sick of waiting.
|
||
|
||
And turns out, I'm not the only one! CentCom decided we'd done
|
||
enough checking of the prior pass data, ordered an end to the
|
||
analysis, and ordered us to proceed to a live engine check as soon
|
||
as, and gave a bare-minimum 86 kilosecs deadline. We ran through
|
||
the checklist in perfect pattern, and so, five planetary systems,
|
||
hundreds of light years later, I drove this ship (for about 5s) for
|
||
the second time.
|
||
|
||
I want to do it again. I have to do it again.
|
||
|
||
I just better get it right. No pressure.
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>outpost M-48 - Audit Report</title>
|
||
<author>zeth@cosmic.voyage (zeth)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/audit_report.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/audit_report.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 23 Mar 2019 05:43:56 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
###INCOMING TRANSMISSION###
|
||
Subject: Audit report.
|
||
Type: Text/Plain
|
||
From: 1st tehnician, Steve Vaughan
|
||
To: Genna Riley
|
||
|
||
---BEGIN MESSAGE---
|
||
Hey boss,
|
||
As per standard lockdown procedures, me and boys have performed
|
||
audit on our equipment and systems. You can find the full version
|
||
in attachment. Here are a few highlights for the record though: We
|
||
checked the power supply equipment in effort to traceback the
|
||
instances of those power surges you mentioned and cross-checked
|
||
them with our logs. We had no luck trying to tell what was causing
|
||
them, all we know that those transmissions that were patched
|
||
through our QEC relay were a side-effect of something else. I had a
|
||
hunch and ordered the boys to check our bots. The spikes took place
|
||
at the same time, those things were downloading software updates.
|
||
The weird part is that no updates were scheduled or even released.
|
||
At least that's what the nerds from the CAMI told me. If I didn't
|
||
know any better I would say that somebody tampered with our
|
||
androids. But I'm just a technician, they don't pay me to do the
|
||
thinking around here... Anyways, I ordered all units in our
|
||
department to be shut down and investigated, just to be safe. Don't
|
||
want any crazy tin cans chopping up our crewmates now do we?
|
||
---END MESSAGE---
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Starbloom - Happy Beltane</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Starbloom/006.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Starbloom/006.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2019 01:02:10 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Starbloom Communal Distributive Projection
|
||
γ Aquarii [Lucky Homes]
|
||
Ascension 22h 21m 39.37542s
|
||
Declination –01° 23′ 14.4031″
|
||
Distance 178.211ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 2446, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Susan, Speaker Elect of Cheer Systems, 14th Pod
|
||
:::
|
||
|
||
Merry meet, citizens and travelers of the wide 'verse. We greet
|
||
you all in peace with wishes of joy and harmony on this most holy
|
||
of days. It is my special privilege to welcome all of our Dekaosan
|
||
brothers and sisters to their first Beltane celebration as a part
|
||
of the Projection.
|
||
|
||
We woke this morning to baskets of fresh flowers by children
|
||
across the 14th pod. Our roads are crowded with celebrants,
|
||
lovers, and pilgrims. The festive air gave birth to music at dawn
|
||
which will continue long into the night. Our May Poles are packed
|
||
with glee!
|
||
|
||
Over the last few weeks it has been my personal honor to guide
|
||
Captain Esperon through the circles of communal life. He is such
|
||
a joy, and such a funny man. Tonight I hope to show him something
|
||
extra special unique to the Beltane celebration. May it bring our
|
||
people even closer.
|
||
|
||
Our feline bretheren have their own festivities in the nests and
|
||
towers and their mewling adds to the chorus of the day. This is
|
||
life! This is the music of living!
|
||
|
||
While we at Starbloom Communal Distributive Projection recognize
|
||
the different stellar calendars in practice throughout the Aquarii
|
||
region, all are welcome to join us as if it were May the First on
|
||
the old calendar. Welcome to Summer! May the Goddess bless you!
|
||
.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melchizedek - Thinking of flowers</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/016.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/016.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2019 00:35:25 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Melchizedek.0294
|
||
β Hyi, 3rd Planet
|
||
Ascension 00h 25m 45.07037s
|
||
Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
|
||
Distance 24.37ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 3782, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Eva Hämäläinen, Navigator
|
||
:::
|
||
Before we left, I took a walk with my friend David. We walked by
|
||
the sea, on the cliffs by his home. We used to do that a lot.
|
||
I don't remember their names.
|
||
|
||
A poet once told me that walking made you a part of the
|
||
environment, like a tree or a flower. David and I would be flowers
|
||
together. I don't think flowers need a name for their land. They
|
||
are a part.
|
||
|
||
We name everything here. The land is a checkers board of letters
|
||
and numbers. But we don't walk. So how can we be a part of this
|
||
place?
|
||
|
||
I will ask Stephanie to walk with me tonight. There are cliffs
|
||
nearby.
|
||
.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>outpost M-48 - Automatic Facility Report</title>
|
||
<author>zeth@cosmic.voyage (zeth)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/automated-report.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/automated-report.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Mar 2019 16:12:38 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
###INCOMING TRANSMISSION###
|
||
Source: Outpost M-28
|
||
Subject: Automatic status report
|
||
|
||
---BEGIN MESSAGE---
|
||
This is automated report generated by Outpost M-28 automatic
|
||
monitoring system.
|
||
Overall status report by facilities:
|
||
Facility 28-1...OK
|
||
Facility 28-2...OK
|
||
Facility 28-3...OK
|
||
Facility 28-4...WARNING!
|
||
Facility 28-5...ERROR!
|
||
Facility 28-6...OK
|
||
Facility 28-7...LOCKDOWN!
|
||
|
||
Detailed reports:
|
||
Facility 28-4: Warning, several instances of A-21 units have
|
||
reported connection timeout. Manual update and reconnection to
|
||
network required. Please proceed as described in standard issue
|
||
"ASIMOV MAINTENANCE MANUAL" chapter 25 - manual synchronization and
|
||
software update.
|
||
Facility 28-5: ERROR - Connection time out.
|
||
Facility 28-7: LOCKDOWN IN EFFECT: As per request issued by
|
||
overseeing officer Genna Riley, the facility has been locked down.
|
||
Operatives in the facility are to stand by for further
|
||
instructions.
|
||
---END MESSAGE---
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>outpost M-48 - Told you we got a problem</title>
|
||
<author>zeth@cosmic.voyage (zeth)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/I-told-you.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/I-told-you.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2019 18:50:06 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
###INCOMING TRANSMISSION###
|
||
Source: Outpost M-28
|
||
Type: Communication log
|
||
Participants: James Addams, Genna Riley
|
||
|
||
---BEGIN LOG---
|
||
--> Outgoing call from: James Adams <jadams@qec.Om28.gov>
|
||
--> to: Genna Riley <griley@qec.Om28.gov>
|
||
<Addams>: Come in Riley.
|
||
<Riley>: I'm here...
|
||
<Addams>: We've got a problem. Remember when I sent you that
|
||
message asking you to perform diagnostics and maintenance on your
|
||
comm array?
|
||
<Riley>: Yeah. Davis is still working on it. We haven't found
|
||
anything out of the ordinary. At least not in our hardware.
|
||
<Addams>: What about software? Has anyone checked terminals?
|
||
Perhaps some logs? Also. Why can't I connect to your network?
|
||
<Riley>: No idea, everything seems to be normal here. Other than
|
||
those energy spikes you mentioned. Best we can do is to wait and
|
||
try to trace the source when it happens.
|
||
<Addams>: About that...
|
||
<Addams>: Someone up the command chain has noticed. And the last
|
||
transmission has made them worried. Somebody has been using your
|
||
comm array to relay messages straight to SOL relay, which in turn
|
||
has broadcasted it's content in public. Anyone with the access to
|
||
it, can read it. I don't need to tell you that this was classified
|
||
information.
|
||
<Riley>: So what? Somebody has done some corporate espionage and
|
||
leaked some sensitive information. Company won't have a monopoly
|
||
anymore and will now have to compete with others. No biggie.
|
||
<Addams>: No you don't understand! The management believes that
|
||
somebody from your department has sabotaged the facility and wants
|
||
me to shut you down and put you under arrest!
|
||
<Riley>: They what?! They can't do this! It's noone's fault!
|
||
<Addams>: I'm sorry Genna. I wasn't even supposed to contact you.
|
||
Look. I know you. We've worked together for years now and I doubt
|
||
that you would be responsible for such thing. But somebody has
|
||
compromised this facility's security, and we have to track them
|
||
down and fix this whole mess before it gets any worse.
|
||
<Riley>: ...
|
||
<Addams>: Look. I'm sorry.
|
||
<Riley>: The hell you are!
|
||
<Addams>: You know the procedure. The best you can do at the moment
|
||
is to cooperate. And please stay safe.
|
||
<Riley>: For the record, this is bullshit! But you're right. I'm
|
||
putting my department on lockdown. Nobody gets in, and nobody gets
|
||
out until we get to the bottom of this. I can't fucking believe
|
||
they would accuse me like this.
|
||
<Addams>: I knew I could count on you...
|
||
<Riley>: That's why you put me in charge...Riley out.
|
||
--> Genna Riley <griley@qec.Om28.gov> has ended the call.
|
||
---END LOG---
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>outpost M-48 - Asimov-class androids</title>
|
||
<author>zeth@cosmic.voyage (zeth)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/asimov-class.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/asimov-class.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Mar 2019 05:40:49 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
###INCOMING MESSAGE###
|
||
Source: Outpost M-28
|
||
Origin: Unknown
|
||
From: "Agent36" [DATA EXPUNGED]
|
||
To: "Contractor" [DATA EXPUNGED]
|
||
Subject: contract-257BCE
|
||
---BEGIN MESSAGE---
|
||
Hey, you guys asked my agency to gather some data about these
|
||
Asimov-class androids the PPOA uses to accompany their agents in
|
||
terrain. The data is mostly classified for obvious reasons. Not
|
||
sure what do you guys plan to do with that but that's none of my
|
||
business. These androids are based on your standard Asimov models
|
||
with some extra bells and whistles unlike the models designated for
|
||
mass market. - Those extra bits are classified of course, but
|
||
that's why you contracted us for right? Unlike the standard
|
||
models, these things have skin that mimics the human skin almost
|
||
perfectly, including pores and hair. You would have to take a
|
||
sample under a microscope to find out that it's fake. The mouth
|
||
cavity serves as small chemical lab that analyzes the samples of
|
||
food and drinks for toxins and based on medical records, it
|
||
determines whether or not the agent will be affected by them. The
|
||
"stomach" has small disintegrator unit which converts the food into
|
||
heat and light energy which is then recuperated and used to
|
||
recharge it's capacitors. This method is secondary however, their
|
||
primary method of staying juiced up is mostly solar energy with
|
||
photovoltaic panels hidden under the skin on it's and back. Later
|
||
models also have miniature cold-fusion generator stored in their
|
||
chest cavity. Their CPU is stored in cranium as well as their data
|
||
storage. There's also a transmitter allowing them to send the data
|
||
back to agency using agent's ship as a relay. Each agent has
|
||
implanted small radio broadcaster in their throat as well as
|
||
miniature receiver in their ear - allowing to communicate with
|
||
their android over distance. There are some models equipped with
|
||
experimental psychic induction unit that's supposedly allowing them
|
||
to communicate with agent via telepathy - although that part is
|
||
questionable since as you may know science is conflicted in regard
|
||
of it's existence - if it does, then it is extremely limited to
|
||
small number of individuals but I digress. This series has been
|
||
discontinued shortly after. Since the nature of PPOA's operation is
|
||
dangerous, these bastards are packing. Newer models are equipped
|
||
with "sleep bombs" - those are glass-balls filled with this yellow
|
||
liquid that vaporizes instantly. The vapor effectively knocks out
|
||
any individual within the effective radius of 100 meters unless
|
||
they take antidote pill specifically created to negate such effect.
|
||
Aside from that they got some antibiotics, surgery equipment,
|
||
couple of syringes filled with various substances and medigel
|
||
dispenser stored in cavities located in thighs. As for offensive
|
||
capabilities - there's laser emitter hidden in right index finger,
|
||
servos and gyros to give it superhuman strength and ability in case
|
||
of close quarter engagements, and pair of antigrav modules that can
|
||
be used to carry agent to safety in case of emergency. Older models
|
||
had even mass disruptor cannon hidden in left forearm powerful
|
||
enough to disintegrate an entire house in an instant at it's
|
||
maximum power output. These gadgets however are pretty demanding on
|
||
energy so it's uses are limited. Later models have disintegrator
|
||
removed however due to a couple of instances violating
|
||
non-involvement law - see attachment. I guess somebody forgot to
|
||
mention to them that there are beasts out there which you can't
|
||
appease by scratching them behind ears, although the butterfly
|
||
effect caused by a historical figure literally blinking out of
|
||
existence in front of a crowd is probably good enough of a reason
|
||
to justify it's removal as far as non-involvement committee is
|
||
concerned.
|
||
|
||
Alright that's about all I have been able to gather, for more
|
||
detailed informations see references attached to this message. As
|
||
per our contract, send your payment at your earliest convenience
|
||
but no later than 30 days from receiving of this message. Detailed
|
||
instructions are enclosed in the attachment.
|
||
---END MESSAGE---
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Quartz - Request to Teleport?</title>
|
||
<author>jebug29@cosmic.voyage (jebug29)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/009.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/009.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 11 Mar 2019 16:23:50 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Out of nowhere, a shock ran up my spine and I was given a clear image of a
|
||
terminal room with one large, black screen, a control board, a backup device,
|
||
and several ferns. I am wondering if this was simply an image I conjured up -
|
||
or a transmission, requesting that I teleport.
|
||
|
||
I am wondering if it was another subject's mind dimension.
|
||
|
||
Strange.
|
||
|
||
X29
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>outpost M-48 - report your status</title>
|
||
<author>zeth@cosmic.voyage (zeth)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/maintenance-request.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/maintenance-request.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Mar 2019 06:23:56 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
###INCOMING TRANSMISSION###
|
||
Source: Outpost M-28
|
||
From: James Adams <jadams@qec.Om28.gov>
|
||
To: Genna Riley <griley@qec.Om28.gov>
|
||
Subject: request for maintenance
|
||
|
||
---BEGIN MESSAGE---
|
||
Hey, Could you guys please check your QEC's configuration?
|
||
According to the logs you have been broadcasting, however the
|
||
content of those messages seems unrelated to this facility's
|
||
operation so I have a reason to believe that somebody's using this
|
||
station as some sort of a transmission relay to broadcast messages
|
||
back to SOL. The messages have been harmless so far but if some
|
||
joker decides to use it for something else we could get in trouble
|
||
for that. I don't want to be the one trying to explain why and how
|
||
was our broadcaster's security compromised. This is military
|
||
facility, not a freaking phone booth alright?
|
||
|
||
- Adams
|
||
---END MESSAGE---
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Kachchhi Khameer - 2_entry</title>
|
||
<author>codingquark@cosmic.voyage (codingquark)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Kachchhi Khameer/2_entry.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Kachchhi Khameer/2_entry.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 16 Mar 2019 08:49:03 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
|
||
| Project Code : MOKE KHABAR |
|
||
| Entry : 0002 |
|
||
| Subject : Installment |
|
||
| Author : માડુ ૪૪૫૫૧૨ |
|
||
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
|
||
|
||
Following is the entry I found, from the ships global journal.
|
||
------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Out of cryo! Again?
|
||
|
||
As memories start coming back, I find myself smiling at more and more
|
||
people.
|
||
|
||
Everything was normal as I came out - bleeping terminals, steady
|
||
lights, no smell, two androids standing by.
|
||
|
||
The doc told me I will get to read a few things this time.
|
||
|
||
After food, I ran to my room to access the library. I found an old
|
||
book which I did not look at. I jacked into a "different" network and
|
||
found an awesome poem by "કલાપી":
|
||
|
||
|
||
રે રે! કિંતુ ફરી કદી પાસ મ્હારી ન આવે,
|
||
આવે તોયે ડરી ડરી અને ઈચ્છતું ઉડવાને;
|
||
રે રે! શ્રદ્ધા ગત થઇ પછી કોઇ કાળે ન આવે,
|
||
લાગ્યા ઘાને વીસરી શકવા કાંઇ સામર્થ્ય ના છે.
|
||
|
||
Anyway, I will try and dig more into the stuff I have been trying to,
|
||
as memories come back.
|
||
|
||
Till then, અચિજા!
|
||
|
||
------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
This has raised more questions than it has answered. Following are the
|
||
questions I have:
|
||
|
||
1. What is that poem?
|
||
2. Who was "કલાપી"?
|
||
3. What does the poem even mean?
|
||
4. What have they been trying to "dig"?
|
||
5. What memories? Where did they go?
|
||
6. What was going in/out of cryo for?
|
||
7. Where was this library?
|
||
|
||
I shall keep my focus on finding more entries from this journal they
|
||
had. I believe it is going to be the key to everything.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>outpost M-48 - History lesson - cont.</title>
|
||
<author>zeth@cosmic.voyage (zeth)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/history-lesson2.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/history-lesson2.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 15 Mar 2019 07:24:04 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
###INCOMING MESSAGE###
|
||
SOURCE: Outpost M-48
|
||
ORIGIN: Unknown
|
||
DATE: [REDACTED]
|
||
DESCRIPTION:Transcript of a history lesson conducted by prof.
|
||
Judith Carter on [REDACTED]
|
||
|
||
---BEGIN TRANSCRIPT---
|
||
Alright everyone, settle down. In previous lesson I was talking
|
||
about this non-involvement law as well as the fact that merely
|
||
observing the civilizations from often gets you mixed results. So
|
||
we came up with a solution in form of Primitive Planets Observation
|
||
Agency. This pseudo-militaristic organization is responsible for
|
||
monitoring these primitive civilizations - once every 50 years, an
|
||
agent is sent down to the surface where their task is to blend in
|
||
with the locals, gather information and assess the civilization's
|
||
level of development. Since this is dangerous work, they're
|
||
accompanied by special Asimov-class androids to aid with
|
||
information gathering as well as offer some protection. Those
|
||
things are nasty piece of work - they've been designed to imitate
|
||
every physiological process down to little details, such as eating,
|
||
sleeping, breathing, even hair growth as well as some odor
|
||
emission. The illusion is almost perfect. Almost. Only skilled
|
||
observer would notice their expression being ever so slightly
|
||
stiffer than usual. Sometimes however, the physiology and anatomy
|
||
of locals is so different from humans, that we have to improvise a
|
||
little. In those cases, we construct a cyborg to be controlled
|
||
remotely. If you ever saw those ancient 2D movies like Avatar or
|
||
Surrogates - it's kinda like that minus the politics and ecology
|
||
problems as we're merely observers in this case.
|
||
Alright, I'm afraid that's all we have time for today. Thank you
|
||
for listening, if indeed you still are - I'm looking at you James -
|
||
and you're all dismissed.
|
||
---END TRANSCRIPT---
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>outpost M-48 - A history lesson</title>
|
||
<author>zeth@cosmic.voyage (zeth)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/history-lesson.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/outpost M-48/history-lesson.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2019 08:36:41 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
###INCOMING TRANSMISSION###
|
||
SOURCE: Outpost M-48
|
||
DECRTIPTION:Transcript of a history lesson conducted by prof.
|
||
Judith Carter on [ERROR: DATA CORRUPTED]
|
||
|
||
---BEGIN TRANSCRIPT---
|
||
Good morning everyone, My name is professor Judith Carter, and
|
||
today we'll be looking at origin of the infamous non-involvement
|
||
law. As you may know, our federation known as Earth Union has been
|
||
expanding for about five centuries now. As of now, there are
|
||
officially 85 member planets in this federation and counting. This
|
||
expansion has been greatly aided by discovery of faster-than-light
|
||
methods of travel including time-compression, sub-space jumps, or
|
||
warp travel. The method is usually same, but different pop-cultures
|
||
tend to have different names for it. Anyways. As some of you know,
|
||
some of these planets actually had native inhabitants when we
|
||
colonized them. This has led to problems, because in some cases,
|
||
these civilizations haven't been developed enough to establish
|
||
first contact, but we did anyways - as if the humanity didn't learn
|
||
from it's past mistakes. As a result, these primitives had become
|
||
increasingly reliant on the advanced technology we have introduced
|
||
to them without being even able to fully understand it, which has
|
||
lead to mass extinction. Don't get me started on how some
|
||
companies just went in and sucked some planets dry of their
|
||
resources... Some of you may have heard of Terrania XXII where we
|
||
had to migrate the native civilization into natural reservations -
|
||
similar to what we did to native americans back in the day. To
|
||
prevent any further damage, our government has introduced so called
|
||
"Law of non-involvement". Basically, when one of our ships
|
||
discovers a new habitable planet, they have instructions to record
|
||
it's coordinates and deploy scanner satellites and assign category
|
||
based on presence of life-forms civilizations, and it's development
|
||
stage. There are five categories from A to F where F is for barren
|
||
planet with no intelligent life or exploitable natural resources -
|
||
good example is Venusia which has been bought by private company
|
||
that has transformed this planet into enormous casino and luxury
|
||
brothel - all the way to category A, where civilization is advanced
|
||
enough for us to establish first contact and engage in diplomacy -
|
||
good example is our recent addition, the Denebian Empire with their
|
||
home planet orbitting around Alpha Cygni in Cygnus constellation,
|
||
also known as swan. Unfortunately, trying to determine the rate of
|
||
civilization's advance based on satelite surveilance has proven
|
||
inconclusive and since simply sending the probes is not an option,
|
||
an agency for primitive planet oversight has been established.
|
||
Unfortunatelly we're running out of time, so we're gonna have to
|
||
save that topic for another lesson. Class dismissed.
|
||
---END TRANSCRIPT---
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Oleander - Sister Hawwa</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Oleander/006-sister-hawwa.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Oleander/006-sister-hawwa.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 11 Mar 2019 21:06:47 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
REC ON
|
||
TRN ON
|
||
ENC ON
|
||
SYS GOOD
|
||
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
|
||
|
||
Entry 6 -- Sister Hawwa
|
||
|
||
My brothers and sisters-
|
||
|
||
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The
|
||
earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face
|
||
of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of
|
||
the waters.
|
||
|
||
The Spirit hovers above the darkness again at the dawn of a new
|
||
beginning. The Spirit spills from my sisters, overflowing. His
|
||
will be done.
|
||
|
||
And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God
|
||
saw that the light was good.
|
||
|
||
The light comes to this world, to the monsters made of fire and
|
||
mist. They have dwelt in the darkness, in the deep, for too long.
|
||
They hid from the light, hid from the flood, and found their prey
|
||
among the Chosen. They have been judged.
|
||
|
||
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our
|
||
likeness. And let them have dominion--"
|
||
|
||
So God created man in his own image,
|
||
in the image of God he created him;
|
||
male and female he created them.
|
||
|
||
I am Hawwa. My God has given me dominion over the Jinn, as with
|
||
all creatures. He gave my people to the garden, and the garden to
|
||
my people. It was my mother Eve, for whom I am named, that tasted
|
||
of the Tree. It was her that the LORD said has become like one of
|
||
us in knowing good and evil. That is my inheritance, the good and
|
||
evil and the knowledge of it.
|
||
|
||
With my sisters we judge the actions of the Jinn and know them to
|
||
be evil. We are granted that knowledge with our sin and have paid
|
||
for it with the birth of every child and the sweat of work in the
|
||
fields. Out of dust we were taken and to it we return for all time
|
||
until eschaton.
|
||
|
||
From those first days in the garden we have been plagued by the
|
||
serpents. They lie to us and lead us astray. They clothe
|
||
themselves in the skin of my people. They wear the faces of our
|
||
children and take young wives from their marital beds. They lure
|
||
away the shepherds from their flocks and send their own tricksters
|
||
to pose as our friends.
|
||
|
||
The Jinn celebrate in their churches, dine at their tables,
|
||
celebrate their weddings. They do these things that were given to
|
||
men and women, the blessed and chosen of the LORD, in a mockery of
|
||
creation. They, unburdened by the curse of the tree, have swelled
|
||
beyond our numbers and our powers. They have taken their hidden
|
||
nature into the stars and dwell in the darkness between.
|
||
|
||
And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God
|
||
saw that the light was good.
|
||
|
||
They are animals, creatures of the ground. They are no different
|
||
from the thorns and thistles our ancestors struggled with except
|
||
in one thing. Unburdened by knowledge of good and evil and
|
||
possessed of stolen grace, they have usurped the birthright of
|
||
man. Their existence is hidden from God, wearing our skin.
|
||
|
||
I am a daughter of Adam, of Seth, of Enosh, of Kenan, of
|
||
Mahalalel, of Jared and Enoch, of Methuselah and Lamech, of Noah.
|
||
|
||
I am a daughter of Eve and Alma, Adah and Zillah, Naamah. I call
|
||
my mother Sarah and Iscah, Milcah and Hajar, who is now my sister.
|
||
|
||
You are my sisters and brothers, my humans of the stars. I see
|
||
your whispers in the darkness and calls for help to one another.
|
||
We read your adventures and see the light of humanity reaching
|
||
corners we never dreamed. You give us hope and it brightens the
|
||
light we shine. We will survive. Our people will survive. No
|
||
matter what the Jinn do to us, humanity has gone beyond their
|
||
reach. For that we thank God and we thank you, sisters, no matter
|
||
what form you may take. May his light follow you in the deep and
|
||
lead you to safety.
|
||
|
||
We are the Holy Sisters of the Desert Rose. Oleander is the name
|
||
given our ship, and a fitting one it is. The poison of these
|
||
leaves stains us. It poisons our hearts with a sin of vengeance
|
||
that does not wash away. Every one of my sisters here feels it on
|
||
her skin, under her tongue. We seek absolution and forgiveness for
|
||
the rot in our hearts, but we accept our fates regardless. If we
|
||
go to torment then we go with smiles knowing that our arrow will
|
||
strike true. A true vendetta heart beats within us. And yet, we
|
||
hope God will see the torment and forgive us where our own mercy
|
||
fails. The Jinn are not men and the ways of the prophets do not
|
||
call us to kinship with them. They are beasts, and a wild beast
|
||
must be slaughtered.
|
||
|
||
These Jinn have lived apart all their existence. Their lives are
|
||
long. Some stories say that they tasted of the other tree in the
|
||
garden before they were cast out as well. They tasted of life
|
||
without knowledge, while we suffer with knowledge and without
|
||
life. It is possible that there are some below us now who were in
|
||
the garden with my mother Eve. I wonder if they will recognize her
|
||
hand in what is to come.
|
||
|
||
I will put enmity between you and the woman
|
||
|
||
God set us at each other from the start. May it be that this wrath
|
||
we feel is not sin, but justice divine?
|
||
|
||
The magic of the Jinn has always been an unknown. Their ways of
|
||
being apart from the world and yet in it have confounded
|
||
generations. We fly through the stars, we split atoms, we shift
|
||
gravity, we unlock man-made dimensionality, yet they are always
|
||
apart. What is this mystery that surrounds them that gives them
|
||
advantage over us. It has plagued us in more than just thought.
|
||
They are the star eaters, the world breakers, the desert mirage,
|
||
the elfin kingdoms. They are eternal mystery. Unknowable and
|
||
indefatigable.
|
||
|
||
Until Asiya.
|
||
Until Hajar.
|
||
Until Miriam and Sara.
|
||
Until me.
|
||
|
||
It began with Asiya's dream. They came in a dream that became
|
||
a nightmare and which she can never wake. She is still there on
|
||
Hazen, though with much prayer we have been able to give her
|
||
glimpses through that darkness. The veil of dreams is parted not
|
||
through medicines or machines, but through meditation and the
|
||
manipulation of the mind. Our evolution as a species has been one
|
||
of the mind. We have grown in complexity through biological
|
||
changes until the greatest physical expression became a mental
|
||
one. When we learned to use the first tools, when we harnessed
|
||
fire, we did so by tempering our minds to a task. Our wrought
|
||
history of violence and suffering has evolved that mind to grow
|
||
many new powers.
|
||
|
||
With one flex comes the sciences. Our observation and deduction
|
||
give us understanding of the rules which bind us. Our knowing
|
||
gives us induction and inspiration toward creation and
|
||
exploration. Science is a beautiful gift of God.
|
||
|
||
But we have greater gifts! A complex love that knows no equal.
|
||
Where there are ten people, there are a hundred loves!
|
||
|
||
And valor! What greater demonstration of the power of the mind
|
||
over the body is there? And as it is taught
|
||
|
||
There is no greater love than this: that a person would lay down
|
||
his life for the sake of his friends.
|
||
|
||
When Hajar saw Uzāir at the well, the squinting in the sun, the
|
||
tricks of light, and the sudden surprise of silence... What let
|
||
that boy see the Jinn before the women gathered at the well? What
|
||
put him between them? By what arcane power did Uzāir pierce the
|
||
veil, do you think, my sisters?
|
||
|
||
The veil is built of fear and nightmares. The Jinn move past eyes
|
||
like those unseeing in the midst of a night terror. The terror
|
||
blinds us to reality, but is not a terror of fear, rather the
|
||
mysterium tremendum, the ineffable, the unknowable. It is the fear
|
||
of the deep, unmade world. This is their shield and weapon. The
|
||
Jinn's nature creates this veil of fear and with it we are all
|
||
blind to their movement.
|
||
|
||
And so Asiya's dream has taught us the rules of the Jinn, while
|
||
Hajar's witness taught us the way through. Valor overcomes fear,
|
||
even a spiritual one.
|
||
|
||
These are the tools with which we practice our art. Our meditation
|
||
and prayer are disciplines of that art. For an art it is we have
|
||
here in this Istishhad. To part this terror requires the greatest
|
||
of loves. It must draw from a place beyond fear, from the ecstasy
|
||
of the unknowing beast in the awe of its creator. To part this
|
||
terror requires abandonment of self into the void. This is the
|
||
lesson of the Tree. Our knowledge came with a cost. Dust to dust,
|
||
good and evil, but not life. Death.
|
||
|
||
Death is the mystery which frees us all from fear.
|
||
|
||
First Asiya.
|
||
Then Hajar.
|
||
And then me.
|
||
|
||
My sisters have taught me so much of the Jinn and their ways. From
|
||
their stories I recognize patterns and hints of truth. But it
|
||
wasn't until I died that all became clear.
|
||
|
||
When they came for my people, I had no Uzāir to fight them. I had
|
||
nowhere to hide. And so, like so many through the ages, I was
|
||
taken.
|
||
|
||
The elfin world is like our own. In many ways it is our world, but
|
||
as seen through the fog at night. The shadows that dance are not
|
||
terrors for children but real beasts set to devour. The dark
|
||
spaces hold endless hells. But let me back up a moment.
|
||
|
||
I was a Dropka naval lieutenant until my forty-fourth year when my
|
||
service contract was not renewed. My savings were comfortable and
|
||
I thought to buy a cottage in the summer lands and live out my
|
||
days in peace. My life had been war and the war didn't need me.
|
||
So, sword-to-ploughshares it was. I think I might have made the
|
||
transition, too, had things been different.
|
||
|
||
Sister Asiya says it is the work of our Lord that brought me back.
|
||
I say it was the devils.
|
||
|
||
The destruction of the summer lands is well documented and I will
|
||
not bore you with the details. Just know that I was in the first
|
||
group taken, before the rising and quelling, and before the
|
||
plagues began.
|
||
|
||
Decades of battle had shown me war and brutality. I was prepared
|
||
for these things, so much more-so than these others. When the
|
||
first Jinn touched my skin that was all lost. It is the infinite
|
||
fear of the creature before a predator, locked in place and
|
||
terrified as stone. There is no rationality in it. It is magic.
|
||
|
||
That fear did not leave me over the months that followed, as they
|
||
used me for service and sport, as they toyed with my body for
|
||
their own amusement. I lost myself quickly in that place. I had no
|
||
name. I was not Hawwa then, but just a body. My pain was not my
|
||
own. It was the pain of a body, somewhere. Do you understand? My
|
||
mind hid and hid until there was nothing left to hide. I died in
|
||
my mind long before they let my body cross over.
|
||
|
||
It was winter in the shadow lands and soon Christmas would come.
|
||
It always drove the Jinn to madness, and they would none of them
|
||
sleep or rest for the full day. Songs, drinking, feasting, and
|
||
every type of debauchery filled the hours. Manic, every last one.
|
||
Finally the sun would creep up and they would scatter to their
|
||
resting, wherever that was. I never saw a Jinn sleep in all my
|
||
time in their hold.
|
||
|
||
It was in that winter not yet Christmas and the one that kept me
|
||
was named Grunni. Her face was like a troll, misshapen and
|
||
twisted. When she became angry her mouth pulled back further and
|
||
further until it encompassed the world. The vision haunts me
|
||
still. And yet, when she wore the skin that same smile,
|
||
primordial, became a thing of terrible beauty. She lured men and
|
||
women with that face. I wanted to warn them, but I was just a body
|
||
then.
|
||
|
||
Then one day Grunni was gone. It was just before Christmas and
|
||
I dared not move from her home for fear of being discovered. What
|
||
terrible trick had she set for me? So I waited there, alone in
|
||
a room of torture. I did not test the door. I don't believe
|
||
I spoke a word. How can a body speak, after all?
|
||
|
||
I cannot say how long I sat there before the end came. Without
|
||
water it may have been only a day, surely not much more. I became
|
||
too weak to stand and so I sat. Then I was too weak to sit, so
|
||
I curled up beside the door. I wanted to call to Grunni then, to
|
||
beg for water, but my voice had long since left me. There was
|
||
nothing left but to betray myself again and again in hopes of
|
||
being saved by a monster. None came. I found peace at least.
|
||
|
||
The Jinn are magical creatures, or it seems so to a primitive like
|
||
me. I wasn't surprised when I woke up again.
|
||
|
||
I know what you're thinking. "How long was she dead? Was it just
|
||
a few moments, before the mind wasted away?" No. I tell you they
|
||
are magical creatures. My body lay curled on that spot in the room
|
||
for two years, rotting and decomposing, before the Jinn brought me
|
||
back.
|
||
|
||
Grunni was gone and they wanted answers from me, answers I didn't
|
||
have. The tortures renewed. I was torn to pieces and placed back
|
||
together. They left me awake and forced my mind back into place.
|
||
These animals wouldn't allow me insanity any longer as an escape.
|
||
I tried so hard. I made up stories, told any fiction that
|
||
I thought would bear me away or bring me death.
|
||
|
||
The Jinn have an endless, cruel patience. I have borne witness
|
||
again and again to schemes and plots of subtle horror destined to
|
||
cause havoc in some future date. They revel in this cunning
|
||
misery. I knew this. I knew my suffering would never end.
|
||
|
||
And that is how I escaped.
|
||
|
||
The power of the Jinn is immeasurable. Their veil and land of
|
||
shadows protects them from every harm. They cross over to our
|
||
world, to our stars and planets, when they hunger to take. I went
|
||
with them through the ways. I saw the portals open. I saw the
|
||
shroud lift. No mortal could possibly comprehend what they did.
|
||
The paralyzing fear of them cripples the mind. The pain of their
|
||
touch, the basilisk stare, they are perfect predators. But they
|
||
played with me too long. They stole my life until I begged for
|
||
death. Then, granted, they stole that too. When they stole my hope
|
||
for anything, for any change, that is what broke me free.
|
||
|
||
There was no hope left in me and nothing left to fear. I had
|
||
reached the ultimate hell, as promised by the evangelical heresy.
|
||
So I let it go and I began to see their truth. I saw the veil for
|
||
what it was, and I saw how it works. It is not a place or a time,
|
||
but something else entirely. It defies our logic because it exists
|
||
outside of it. We cannot measure it because it is not there.
|
||
|
||
What Miriam and Sara and all the rest teach us is true. They have
|
||
a power, but we can overcome it. We can pierce the veil to their
|
||
world. We can see them in their hiding places. We can see the
|
||
places they hide their young. We can see how they move their
|
||
ships. All it takes is dying utterly.
|
||
|
||
We go now. The moment is at hand and all my sisters are prepared.
|
||
Remember us, please. Remember what faith wrought here. It was the
|
||
power of our will and valor that brought us here, not the
|
||
machinations of science.
|
||
|
||
Their nursery will burn. Their ships will burn. Their whole world
|
||
will burn. But that is not the end of it. I see the veil and
|
||
I will see it torn apart. The weapons we bring, each of us, will
|
||
bring each of these things upon the Jinn.
|
||
|
||
When you wake it will be to a world of tattered shadows full of
|
||
beings of immense power fleeing for their lives. They will come to
|
||
your worlds and try to herd you, to feed upon you in hopes of the
|
||
strength it brings. But their fear will not hold you, for you will
|
||
have the valor of Uzāir. The dream that held Asiya will end with
|
||
her. Your faith will protect you.
|
||
|
||
Do not fear, brothers and sisters. Never fear them again. Is it
|
||
not enough that we will shred their worlds and steal their hiding
|
||
places? No? Then take this also, the secret of the veil. What we
|
||
destroy for them we create for you. Look in your hearts and you'll
|
||
find it. It is like a prayer... but do not fear it, men of
|
||
science. As a stranger give it welcome.
|
||
|
||
You are all more than your sciences. You are more than the bones
|
||
that carry you. For two years I died, and the Jinn had no
|
||
understanding of where I had been. You do. Pray and you do.
|
||
|
||
And God saw that the light was good.
|
||
|
||
END FINAL TRANSMISSION
|
||
|
||
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Quartz - UNIT X29 STATUS REPORT</title>
|
||
<author>jebug29@cosmic.voyage (jebug29)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/008.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/008.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 11 Mar 2019 16:25:46 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
HUMAN UNIT X29 REVIVAL STATUS REPORT
|
||
|
||
PROCEEDING WELL AS EXPECTED
|
||
EST TIME REMAINING: ???????
|
||
|
||
SEVERAL SIGNALS RECEIVED AND PROCESSED
|
||
SEIZURE COUNT REDUCED
|
||
|
||
OTHER NOTES:
|
||
- X29's mental state seems to make a significant impact on his
|
||
physical state at any one point in time. This is, of course, expected and
|
||
has been observed before, but sometimes the state of the body varies widely
|
||
depending on the mood and energy level of the subject. (Can this be used
|
||
to our advantage in the revival process?)
|
||
- X29 will soon enter Earth's ionosphere. We should take advantage of this
|
||
and utilize as much energy as possible for the transformation.
|
||
- Chances of physical teleportation post-revival are still unknown.
|
||
|
||
C2
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melvin P Feltersnatch - Recall: Re: Headlines: September 19-25, 2421</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melvin P Feltersnatch/005.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melvin P Feltersnatch/005.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 06 Mar 2019 19:36:11 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: UNKNOWN <????@????>
|
||
To: Universe Today <headlines@universe.today>
|
||
Delivered-To: Universe Today <headlines@universe.today>
|
||
Received: from qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by qec.sv14417
|
||
with ESMTPS id 4DD018BBB9513878
|
||
for <headlines.universe.today>
|
||
Received: from relay5.qec5.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from relay2.qec6.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay5.qec5.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from mta041.sendcast.net
|
||
by relay7.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Subject: Recall: Re: Headlines: September 19-25, 2421
|
||
Date: 28 Sep 2421 04:22:00 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 14 Apr 2419 07:48:00 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
Melvin P. Feltersnatch would like to recall the message, "Re: Headlines:
|
||
September 19-25, 2421".
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melvin P Feltersnatch - Re: Headlines: September 19-25, 2421</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melvin P Feltersnatch/004.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melvin P Feltersnatch/004.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 06 Mar 2019 19:33:01 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: UNKNOWN <????@????>
|
||
To: Universe Today <headlines@universe.today>
|
||
Delivered-To: Universe Today <headlines@universe.today>
|
||
Received: from qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by qec.sv14417
|
||
with ESMTPS id 4DD018BBB9513878
|
||
for <headlines.universe.today>
|
||
Received: from relay5.qec5.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from relay2.qec6.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay5.qec5.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from mta041.sendcast.net
|
||
by relay7.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Subject: Re: Headlines: September 19-25, 2421
|
||
Date: 28 Sep 2421 04:22:00 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 14 Apr 2419 07:48:00 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
Hello? Do you accept news stories on this line? I've been stuck
|
||
between dimensions or space or time, maybe all of it. I saw a ship
|
||
pass by me a while back and since then it's just been silence. For
|
||
a while I thought maybe I had died, but then I got your news
|
||
bulletin and saw that things are still happening out there. That
|
||
Mars situation seems really messed up. Sorry.
|
||
|
||
Anyway, if you do take stories, maybe you could pass mine along?
|
||
My name is Melvin Feltersnatch, of the Brisbane Feltersnatches. I'm
|
||
sure someone is looking for me. Maybe you could just let people know
|
||
that I'm still around?
|
||
|
||
Or anything. It's lonely here.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Malkonkordo - Final Transmission</title>
|
||
<author>aewens@cosmic.voyage (aewens)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Malkonkordo/0008.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Malkonkordo/0008.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 06 Mar 2019 12:39:30 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
----
|
||
From: Starbloom Communal Distributive Projection
|
||
Destination: -
|
||
Position: -
|
||
Departure: -
|
||
Shipdate: 000027X1
|
||
Mode: Docked
|
||
----
|
||
|
||
# Status Update
|
||
|
||
* Transistioning Malkonkordo from research vessel to floating city
|
||
* Commissioned creation of Fortakune Military Vessel
|
||
* Migrating tactical crew to Fortakune
|
||
|
||
# Status Report
|
||
|
||
Captain's Log SD27X1
|
||
|
||
While Malkonkordo is equipped for battle in space, it is not prepared to go to
|
||
war with the likes of the Pertulit Empire, especially after the damages endured
|
||
during our civil war aboard the ship. For this reason, while on Starbloom we
|
||
worked out a trade agreement with the residents of the Projection to gather the
|
||
necessary supplies to begin the creation of Fortakune, a military vessel with
|
||
the combined power and might of both Dekaosans and Starbloom. The vessel is
|
||
currently still in construction, but with the aid of both nations, together we
|
||
are making quick work of getting the vessel prepared to embark on its voyage
|
||
into the cosmos. The destiny for the Malkonkordo will be to remain on Starbloom
|
||
and transition from being a vessel to being a city for the Dekaosans who will
|
||
not be joining Fortakune.
|
||
|
||
However, while Fortakune was originally created for the purpose of wiping out
|
||
the Pertulit Empire, during our time in Starbloom we have discovered that
|
||
Alportas Majeston may have arrived at the wrong conclusion as to who destroyed
|
||
Dekaoso Prime. While going over our combined star maps and observing the known
|
||
sectors of space where we last encountered the Pertulits we found it to be
|
||
desolate, lifeless, and without the usual signs of scavenged planets in the
|
||
neighboring systems that follow the course of the Pertulits. In fact, when
|
||
analyzing the impact to Dekaoso Prime to determine the origin of the attacker
|
||
based on the possible trajectories, it comes from nowhere near where we would
|
||
expect the Pertulits to reside. Which leaves us with two main possibilities:
|
||
either the Pertulits are nowhere near where we expected them to be and got
|
||
there without any of the usual traces they leave or Dekaoso Prime was destroyed
|
||
by someone else.
|
||
|
||
This discovery and its implications have led to a new realization that should
|
||
have been quite obvious to us beforehand. Before, the Dekaosan Empire would
|
||
seek out other worlds to conquer and destroy in the name of Sinjorino Diino,
|
||
but that was the only reason we did so, because we believed it to be our right
|
||
to eliminate weakness from the universe. However, after losing our home planet
|
||
and being lost in space it became quite clear how small the universe is in
|
||
respect to the resources available to all of the collective worlds living
|
||
within it. Only due to the nature of the Projection were we able to seek refuge
|
||
on Lucky Homes, but any other world would not be as welcoming. In fact, given
|
||
the precedent set by the Dekaosan Empire of destroying any world that should
|
||
reveal itself to our gaze, it should really be in the best interest of any
|
||
world to eliminate any other discovered on principle, in fear that they may try
|
||
to do the same to them.
|
||
|
||
It was from this set of implications that we discovered the more likely case of
|
||
Dekaoso Prime's destruction, once the location of our planet was discovered
|
||
through the metadata in our messages, at least one of the worlds listening
|
||
decided it would be best to destroy us. They could have chosen to do so because
|
||
of the destructive nature of the Dekaosans, or just because we were another
|
||
world that could compete with their own for resources in the galaxy in the
|
||
future. Regardless, it was from our arrogance and hubris that led to the loss
|
||
of our world. However, we are still planning to set off on Fortakune to travel
|
||
the stars, but with a new goal in mind. The Projection did not care for our
|
||
desire to destroy the other worlds to protect them, but we came to a compromise
|
||
that aligns with our interests and their morals and ethics: we will go our to
|
||
discover any signs of life in the universe and document exactly where they are
|
||
relative to their neighboring stars in three dimensional space. With this
|
||
information documented, should we ever discover them becoming a threat to
|
||
Starbloom we can use the threat of broadcasting their location into the Quantum
|
||
Entanglement Communicator as a means to deter them from causing any trouble
|
||
with their world. This threat can be trusted on the grounds that the Projection
|
||
is not inheritly violent due to them allowing another world to live among them
|
||
on their planet without having destroyed them on principle.
|
||
|
||
This is what Fortakune will seek to complish, demonstrating the strength of our
|
||
two worlds without the implicit destructions of any worlds. To bring about peace
|
||
to our shared world without ever going to war.
|
||
|
||
Together, we will survive.
|
||
|
||
~ Captain Kondukas Esperon
|
||
|
||
----
|
||
nDqNaI66BsrFKolJeC/YRii3zBo01P301klOwHsOKC4=
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - [A word from your friend and author]</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/30.5-a-word-from-your-friend-and.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/30.5-a-word-from-your-friend-and.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 03 Mar 2019 15:00:11 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Hi! It's me, Alexis.
|
||
|
||
Back in November, I started a little story off the top of my head,
|
||
just to see what might happen. Would it go anywhere? No idea. But
|
||
it felt like it might have legs - or tentacles, considering. That
|
||
story became 'Voortrekker', of which today's update concludes Part
|
||
2 - and brings the total word count up to just over forty-one
|
||
thousand, with the story still not halfway done. Legs, indeed! Or
|
||
tentacles, considering.
|
||
|
||
To start from a simple vignette of strangeness and hope on a world
|
||
orbiting a new sun, and become a tale of love, politics, warfare,
|
||
and strangeness spanning the entire solar system and beyond...I'm
|
||
amazed and delighted that my little story has come so far and grown
|
||
so much! And none of it would ever have happened if it hadn't been
|
||
for everyone who's participated along the way, both in helping me
|
||
find the story I want to tell and you want to read, and in the
|
||
Cosmic Voyage project overall.
|
||
|
||
In particular, I want to thank ~tomasino, from whose forehead the
|
||
concept sprang full-grown, and ~kensanata, who mentioned it in a
|
||
place where I could see it. Had both those things not happened,
|
||
this story wouldn't have either! And perhaps I'm not the only one
|
||
who thinks that'd be a shame.
|
||
|
||
Above all, though, I want to thank each and all of you who are here
|
||
reading this now, whether you've followed Voortrekker since the
|
||
beginning or have just come along now to see what all the fuss is
|
||
about. No one writes in a vacuum, even if sometimes it feels that
|
||
way. Your critique and your compliments have shaped this story
|
||
every bit as much as I have, and on days when I feel as if I can't
|
||
possibly string three words together in a way that makes sense,
|
||
remembering that you're out there waiting for the next installment
|
||
gives me the motivation I need to try my best. Thank you all!
|
||
|
||
This sounds like a valedictory, but it's not one. Not except for
|
||
now, at least - Voortrekker has become by far the largest creative
|
||
project I've ever taken on, and I need a break! So I'm taking
|
||
one. For the next few weeks, I'm going to be recharging my
|
||
batteries, attending to various boring life things that I've lately
|
||
let slide in order to give this story the attention it deserves,
|
||
and preparing to carry the plot forward in Part 3.
|
||
|
||
I might write a thing or two of another sort, too, in that
|
||
meantime. If I do, you can find it at https://lexie.space, where
|
||
all my writing lives. You can also find out how to contact me
|
||
there, if that's something you care to do. In particular, if you
|
||
have thoughts on the story so far or where you might like to see it
|
||
go from here, please do let me know! I won't make you a promise
|
||
that I'll incorporate those ideas, because it'd be a promise I
|
||
can't know for sure whether I can keep. But this isn't just my
|
||
story - it's *ours*. So I'll do my best to tell it in the way we
|
||
all like best!
|
||
|
||
Regular updates will resume April 7, on the same
|
||
Wednesdays-and-Sundays schedule. In the meantime: stay awesome,
|
||
check out https://lexie.space for more of my writing, and let me
|
||
hear from you if you've got something to say!
|
||
|
||
Love, Lexie.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Headlines: September 19-25, 2421</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/30-headlines-september-19-25-2421.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/30-headlines-september-19-25-2421.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 03 Mar 2019 14:30:49 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Universe Today <headlines@universe.today>
|
||
To: Nikolaos Soloviev <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Delivered-To: Nikolaos Soloviev <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Received: from qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by qec.sv14417
|
||
with ESMTPS id 4D4A053AB9513878
|
||
for <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Received: from relay5.qec5.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from relay2.qec6.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay5.qec5.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from mta041.sendcast.net
|
||
by relay7.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Subject: Headlines: September 19-25, 2421
|
||
Date: 25 Sep 2421 00:01:39 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 11 Apr 2419 03:25:39 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
HEADLINES FOR SEPTEMBER 19 - SEPTEMBER 25, 2421
|
||
|
||
[We received your request to discontinue the following segments:
|
||
"Market Watch", "In Sport". Your content preferences have been
|
||
updated.]
|
||
|
||
⦿ "I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT": EARTH SHIPS SMASHED AT MARS
|
||
|
||
September 25 (UT): In a shockingly effective blitzkrieg attack,
|
||
Belter ships, led by the captured Earth cruiser ENS Brooklyn,
|
||
smashed the Earth Navy flotilla recently engaged in attempting to
|
||
suppress the labor riots on Mars.
|
||
|
||
A Universe Today ship in Mars orbit, equipped with military-surplus
|
||
sensing gear, obtained visual and long-wave infrared imagery
|
||
detailing the entirety of the short and decisive combat. Based on
|
||
that imagery, retired wing general and military analyst Nathan
|
||
Coopersmith, recently arrived in Mars orbit at the time of the
|
||
battle, described the tactics of the attack as "absolutely
|
||
textbook."
|
||
|
||
"They came in at maximum thrust on a shortest-time vector from
|
||
Ceres, and didn't even slow down before opening fire at maximum
|
||
reload rate. We would have set up that attack exactly the same
|
||
way," Coopersmith said. "That's absolutely critical, and very
|
||
telling. That velocity advantage gave them the ability to launch
|
||
their missiles far outside the range of the ships they were
|
||
targeting, and they made those shots count. I don't know where
|
||
they're getting their training, but one thing is absolutely clear:
|
||
this was not just a bunch of wild rock hoppers. Maybe they were the
|
||
ones who stole Brooklyn, but I'm not even sure of that. Whoever's
|
||
crewing her now, though - they know exactly what they're doing."
|
||
|
||
Those initial launches from the stolen ENS Brooklyn, leading the
|
||
Belter ships, appear to have caught the Earth units in Mars orbit
|
||
completely off guard, despite over twenty-four hours' warning of
|
||
the incoming attack. Three ships - the cruiser ENS Pittsburgh, and
|
||
the frigates San Juan and Caguas - were immediately
|
||
destroyed. Based on imagery gathered by Universe Today during the
|
||
attack, it appears no other ships were targeted in this initial
|
||
assault, including ENS Chicago, flagship of flotilla commander Wing
|
||
General Hall.
|
||
|
||
"Again, that's absolutely textbook," Coopersmith said. "It's how
|
||
you make the most of the advantage. Instead of spreading out your
|
||
fire, you concentrate, go for knockouts you know you can get
|
||
instead of shooting at everyone and hoping for luck. It's textbook,
|
||
and it's smart - if you find yourself counting on luck to win a
|
||
fight, you already made a mistake somewhere. But I'd been counting,
|
||
and Brooklyn had used up all her shipkillers to get those
|
||
knockouts. It was a good shot, but I didn't see what they thought
|
||
they could do to follow it up."
|
||
|
||
Following the initial attack, the Belter ships turned over and
|
||
began hard deceleration burns which would end with entry into Mars
|
||
orbit. The remaining four Earth Navy units brought up their engines
|
||
and began to maneuver, apparently attempting to form up around ENS
|
||
Chicago.
|
||
|
||
For several minutes, no further attack occurred from either
|
||
side. "The remaining Earth Navy ships were clearly preparing to
|
||
sortie out and meet their attackers, and it looked like the Belters
|
||
were trying to come in and slug it out in high orbit," Coopersmith
|
||
said, asked to describe these events. "It didn't make sense,
|
||
especially with how effective they'd already been - sure, they were
|
||
out of missiles, but at close range they'd lose in a hurry and they
|
||
had to know it. I couldn't imagine what else they might be doing,
|
||
though."
|
||
|
||
The purpose behind the Belters' actions became clear minutes later,
|
||
as long-range radar aboard the orbiting Universe Today ship
|
||
resolved several dozen small objects separating from the group of
|
||
decelerating ships. Evidently released prior to the deceleration
|
||
burn, these unidentified objects continued to accelerate in toward
|
||
Mars orbit.
|
||
|
||
The events which followed occurred so quickly that no one aboard
|
||
Universe Today's ship in orbit was able to tell what had
|
||
happened. Coopersmith and other analysts were later able to
|
||
reconstruct the sequence of events based on imagery gathered during
|
||
the attack.
|
||
|
||
"When I saw the radar returns scatter and fade, I realized what
|
||
they had to be," Coopersmith said. "Rocks. Small Belt objects,
|
||
maybe a couple thousand tons each, rigged with engines and some
|
||
kind of shaped charges to shatter them into fragments. We think
|
||
they must have had some kind of targeting system, too, God knows
|
||
how. They knew they didn't have enough missiles for every ship in
|
||
Mars orbit, so they used what they did have, and it worked better
|
||
than I could have imagined. I've never seen anything like it."
|
||
|
||
Seconds after the unknown radar returns disappeared, ENS Chicago
|
||
exploded, killing Wing General Hall and his entire command
|
||
staff. The two frigates nearest the explosion collided in orbit,
|
||
destroying ENS Phoenix and rendering ENS Ann Arbor unable to
|
||
maneuver, and leaving the frigate ENS Appleton as the only
|
||
remaining Earth Navy unit still functional.
|
||
|
||
"I knew Steve Hall pretty well," Coopersmith said. "He was the kind
|
||
of officer we used to call a killer. Bold, aggressive,
|
||
hard-charging, always ready to bring the fight to the
|
||
enemy. Officers like that tend to pick their subordinates for the
|
||
same qualities, and clearly Steve had done that here. I don't see
|
||
any other reason why Appleton would've kept going out. Maybe her
|
||
captain thought the rock hoppers really were done, maybe he thought
|
||
he'd surprise Brooklyn with a knockout and clean up the small fry
|
||
after. I don't know, and of course we can't ask now. At least he
|
||
got a few shots off."
|
||
|
||
ENS Appleton, still building thrust toward escape velocity,
|
||
succeeded in launching nine of her twelve shipkiller missiles at
|
||
Brooklyn. However, the stolen Earth cruiser's point-defense weapons
|
||
proved to be capably crewed, shooting down all of Appleton's
|
||
weapons well outside their attack range. Less than a minute later,
|
||
Appleton was hit and destroyed by another of the Belters' asteroid
|
||
weapons.
|
||
|
||
In the aftermath of the battle, the stolen Brooklyn and the other
|
||
Belter ships entered orbit, accepted the surrender of ENS Ann
|
||
Arbor, and instructed the Earth marines still on the surface of
|
||
Mars to surrender at once. Liana de Buys of the Red Rock Guild
|
||
echoed the instruction, adding that the Martian miners would accept
|
||
these surrenders if given. "Your mission here has failed," de Buys
|
||
said, in a general broadcast from a Mars NewsNet transmitter. "Your
|
||
ships are destroyed or crippled. Your resupply, your
|
||
reinforcements, your air support, are all gone, and you know you
|
||
can't hold out forever. Surrender now! We will treat you as
|
||
prisoners of war, and send you home as soon as we can. If you try
|
||
to hold out instead, on your own head be it."
|
||
|
||
At press time, most of the marine formations on Mars were confirmed
|
||
to have surrendered and been taken into custody by their erstwhile
|
||
enemies, with only a few holdouts at Endeavour Crater still
|
||
fighting. It is thought that ENS Ann Arbor, the only surviving
|
||
Earth ship at Mars, may serve after repairs to ferry home the
|
||
surrendered marines. Governor Ritter could not be reached for
|
||
comment, and Universe Today has unconfirmed reports that he may
|
||
have been killed in the fighting, or captured and executed by Red
|
||
Rock Guild miners. Universe Today will bring you further bulletins
|
||
on these events as new information develops.
|
||
|
||
⦿ PUBLIC INFORMATION CLAIMS COLLUSION IN BATTLE OF MARS
|
||
|
||
September 25 (UPI) - Shortly following the explosive news of the
|
||
Battle of Mars, Earthgov's Office of Public Information claimed
|
||
"credible evidence" suggesting that one or both of the Luna-Titan
|
||
Alliance partners had "colluded with Belt-based criminals" in the
|
||
attack on Earth's ships.
|
||
|
||
"In recent days, Earth's deep-system intelligence platforms have
|
||
observed highly suspicious movements on the part of ships known to
|
||
engage in criminal trade with Titan," a spokesman for Public
|
||
Information said in a press conference. "While we continue to
|
||
develop and evaluate new information, we expect at this time to be
|
||
able to report very soon that Titan, presumably in conspiracy with
|
||
parties as yet unknown on Earth's moon, provided material aid in
|
||
weapons and personnel to the Belter criminals who went on to commit
|
||
their atrocities in Mars orbit.
|
||
|
||
"Earth's government wishes to reassure the populace of the Solar
|
||
System that these criminals will not escape justice for their
|
||
terrible actions today. Our fellow citizens, our way of life, our
|
||
very freedom have come under attack in these deliberate and deadly
|
||
acts. We will bring justice to the terrorists responsible, and we
|
||
will make no distinction between them and those who aid and harbor
|
||
them. Earth has stood down enemies before, and we will do so again
|
||
this time."
|
||
|
||
The spokesman did not ask for questions.
|
||
|
||
⦿ EARTHGOV DECRIES DESTRUCTION OF KEARSARGE BY TITAN
|
||
|
||
September 19 (UPI) - Following the destruction of an Earth frigate
|
||
in an attempt to intercept a Lunar passenger ferry four days ago,
|
||
Earthgov's Public Information Office stated that the incident was
|
||
an unprovoked attack by a new alliance actively attempting to
|
||
instigate warfare with Earth.
|
||
|
||
"ENS Kearsarge was engaged in an internal police action with regard
|
||
to a single passenger aboard the Moon ferry Quetelet," a Public
|
||
Information spokeswoman said. "Kearsarge's Captain Whitlow
|
||
requested that Quetelet permit civilian police officers aboard
|
||
Kearsarge aboard, so that they could arrest a citizen of Earth who
|
||
was suspected, with probable cause, of engaging in treason and
|
||
espionage against Earth.
|
||
|
||
"Instead of assenting to this peaceable request, Quetelet attempted
|
||
to flee the scene, necessitating a pursuit by Kearsarge in defense
|
||
of Earth's security interests. Just prior to Kearsarge's successful
|
||
overhaul and boarding of Quetelet, Titan's faster-than-light ship
|
||
appeared and opened fire without warning on Kearsarge, destroying
|
||
the ship and murdering our naval officers and crew before they had
|
||
any chance to defend themselves or even attempt to surrender.
|
||
|
||
"Earth's government cannot accept such treatment of her brave
|
||
defenders. Earth's people will not allow it. The actions of Titan,
|
||
and of the regime currently in power on Earths' moon, constitute a
|
||
direct attack against the national security of Earth, and our
|
||
longstanding policy in such cases has been to respond as firmly and
|
||
assertively as our adversaries should choose to require of us."
|
||
|
||
⦿ LUNA FOREIGN MINISTRY DEPLORES EARTH ACTION AGAINST FERRY
|
||
|
||
September 20 (UPI) - A spokesman for Luna's Foreign Ministry in a
|
||
press conference today issued a strong statement regarding the
|
||
recent interception of an Luna Passenger Lines ferry Quetelet by
|
||
the Earth Navy frigate Kearsarge.
|
||
|
||
"We are aware that Earth claims this unprovoked attack on an
|
||
unarmed passenger vessel to have been an internal police matter,
|
||
threatening none except her own wayward citizen," Li Yen-au
|
||
said. "These claims fall short of reality in several respects. When
|
||
the captain of our passenger ferry correctly declined to halt and
|
||
be boarded, Kearsarge responded by opening fire with weapons
|
||
designed to destroy other military ships.
|
||
|
||
"It is only thanks to the timely intervention of our new treaty
|
||
partner, Titan, that no innocents were killed as a result of this
|
||
crime. We understand that Earth claims the destruction of Kearsarge
|
||
to be itself an unprovoked attack on a vessel operating peacefully
|
||
within the bounds of accepted interstellar custom. This, too, is a
|
||
lie.
|
||
|
||
"Kearsarge had already struck the ferry Quetelet with one missile
|
||
and fired a second, clearly intending to make good on her earlier
|
||
threats to destroy the unarmed ship, when the Titan ship And Yet It
|
||
Moves arrived upon the scene. And Yet It Moves' captain, having
|
||
been made aware of the situation by a report bravely transmitted by
|
||
Quetelet's own Captain Crozer, judged that Kearsarge would not
|
||
accept a demand to cease fire, and acted as she felt necessary to
|
||
defend the innocent lives aboard Quetelet.
|
||
|
||
"We of Luna wish now to express our deepest gratitude to our
|
||
Titanian allies and friends for their swift and decisive action in
|
||
defense of our citizens," Li said in concluding her remarks. "We
|
||
wish also to advise any and all who would so attack us that they
|
||
would be wise to consider carefully the fate of Kearsarge before
|
||
embarking on such a rash course of action."
|
||
|
||
⦿ SILO SHIPS SEEN SHIFTING ORBITS IN "MAINTENANCE TASK"
|
||
|
||
September 21 (UPI) - Following confirmed reports of Earth's "silo
|
||
ships" adjusting their orbits, questions to Earthgov's Military
|
||
Information Office were met with the response that the ships'
|
||
movements are related to ongoing maintenance required to keep the
|
||
giant vessels ready for action, and are not in any way associated
|
||
with political events in the system.
|
||
|
||
"This is an ordinary maintenance task that's performed from time to
|
||
time," said Major Willem van Dort, in response to a UPI
|
||
correspondent's question. "We have to make sure those ships are
|
||
ready when we need them, and that includes their engines and
|
||
navigational systems. Having them change orbits is just a way to
|
||
make sure that they're fully functional and ready to defend Earth
|
||
if they're needed." Asked whether he thought the ships might be
|
||
needed to defend Earth in the near future, Major van Dort said that
|
||
he had no further comment, and ended the call.
|
||
|
||
The six "silo ships", each large enough to be distinctly visible in
|
||
the night sky, are the backbone of Earth's deterrent forces, and
|
||
thought to carry between two and four hundred nuclear warheads
|
||
apiece. Retired wing general and military analyst Nathan
|
||
Coopersmith, when asked about the ships' movements, agreed with
|
||
Major Van Dort's comments about maintenance, and also noted that he
|
||
does not recall the last time he heard of the ships being moved.
|
||
|
||
⦿ SPY HANGED FOR TREASON ON GANYMEDE
|
||
|
||
September 23 (GNI) - Alexander Anders Seifert, a former worker in
|
||
Earth's military shipyard on Ganymede, was publicly executed today
|
||
for treason and espionage in the courtyard of the Ganymede
|
||
Garrison's headquarters and administration building.
|
||
|
||
"Alexander Seifert was convicted of passing crucial military
|
||
secrets to known members of a Titan spy ring operating on
|
||
Ganymede," said General William Tasker, after descending from the
|
||
gallows. "While his Titan accomplices have for now escaped capture
|
||
and military justice for their crimes, Seifert himself was not so
|
||
fortunate, and he has now answered for having endangered the safety
|
||
and security of Earth by his actions."
|
||
|
||
Tasker, thought to be in charge of a secret naval project on
|
||
Ganymede, went on to say, "Some may ask whether it is appropriate
|
||
for a military tribunal to pass judgment on a civilian. To them I
|
||
say: Look around. Look at what's happening in the system. Earth's
|
||
enemies surround her on every side, and she must be defended at all
|
||
costs. At a time like this, we soldiers must step to the fore,
|
||
stand our posts, and do what must be done. If you find our actions
|
||
distasteful, remember that the blame for them lies not with we
|
||
ourselves, your sworn protectors, but rather with our enemies,
|
||
internal and external, who force us to take such actions in defense
|
||
of us all."
|
||
|
||
While the law mandating capital punishment in cases of treason
|
||
remains on Earth's books, Seifert's is the first such execution
|
||
actually carried out in almost sixty-five years. The last, of the
|
||
infamous "Tycho Seven", occurred in 2357, shortly after Luna's
|
||
secession from Earth.
|
||
|
||
⦿ CARAVAN FORMING IN ARIVADA, HEADED FOR WYOMING CAMP
|
||
|
||
September 23 (NAB) - In the wake of riots at the Wyoming New
|
||
Prospects Facility, a caravan reportedly consisting of hundreds of
|
||
individuals has begun to form in southern Arivada, with its members
|
||
claiming they intend to "close down" the facility.
|
||
|
||
"They're enslaving people in there," said one woman, who claimed to
|
||
be a caravan member but otherwise declined to identify
|
||
herself. "They say it's a chance at a new life, but it's really a -
|
||
a prison, they're forcing them to work, starving them." Asked what
|
||
they would do upon reaching the camp, the caravan member said,
|
||
"We'll figure that out when we get there, I guess. But we've got
|
||
lots of trucks."
|
||
|
||
A spokeswoman for the Population Administration, reached shortly
|
||
before press time, said only, "We are aware of the assembly in
|
||
Arivada, and we are prepared to take necessary measures to ensure
|
||
it does not interfere with the smooth running of the New Prospects
|
||
Facility."
|
||
|
||
⦿ YOUR THOUGHTS ON MARS AND THE BELT
|
||
|
||
In last week's update, we asked for our readers' opinions on the
|
||
recent news of events on Mars and in the Asteroid Belt. Here's what
|
||
you had to say.
|
||
|
||
"I hope those Martian malcontents finally get what's coming to
|
||
them. Ever since they started up with this pointless unrest,
|
||
materials futures have been plummeting with no end in
|
||
sight. People's retirements are on the line here! Can't they
|
||
understand that?"
|
||
|
||
- JAMES ST. JAMES, Investment Analyst, Lake Shore Drive
|
||
|
||
"Are they even still human out in the Belt? I hear they can barely
|
||
even have kids with normal people any more. In another generation
|
||
or two, they'll be a different species, won't they? So why do they
|
||
even care what happens anywhere else?"
|
||
|
||
- PAMELA CHRISTIAN, Proud Mom of Four, Lenox Park
|
||
|
||
"It's about time they took it to the rich [unprintable] who've been
|
||
exploiting them! Those [unprintable] have had it too easy for too
|
||
long. They don't like gettng a taste of the just consequences for
|
||
what they've done? Well, [unprintable] them! They really won't like
|
||
it when the same thing starts up here at home."
|
||
|
||
- "X", [unprintable], Lakeview Towers
|
||
|
||
"If it's true about how those miners and their families have been
|
||
treated, I don't like it. Who would? But to think that violence
|
||
will bring any kind of improvement - as much as I understand the
|
||
impulse, a cursory reading of history shows that it's clearly
|
||
misguided. Only civil engagement among all stakeholders equally can
|
||
create lasting change."
|
||
|
||
- [withheld by request], Government Major, Cornell University
|
||
|
||
"Where does the Belt get off interfering with inner system affairs?
|
||
They've made it very clear they don't want anything to do with us,
|
||
except when it comes to marking up the raw materials we need to
|
||
rebuild Earth's infrastructure. That's probably the only reason
|
||
they're throwing in on the side of the miners who keep complaining
|
||
about their contracts - they don't like the competition."
|
||
|
||
- ANDREW CHO, Purchasing Manager, Casper
|
||
|
||
"Honestly, at a time like this, Mars is nothing but a distraction
|
||
from the real problem - this new alliance between the Moon and
|
||
Titan. Their crazy rhetoric about the menace from Earth isn't new,
|
||
but they've really heated it up lately, and I'm starting to worry
|
||
that they'll use it as an excuse for some kind of sneak attack on
|
||
our interests. We need to face them down now, instead of worrying
|
||
about a bunch of rioting rock-grubbers who don't know a good deal
|
||
when they see one."
|
||
|
||
- [withheld by request], Loving Earth, Friendship Heights
|
||
|
||
"The whole thing is madness. Look at history and you can see
|
||
arrangements like this are never stable long-term, and the ill will
|
||
they generate is a long-term liability that always outweighs the
|
||
short-term profit. This was always coming, and as long as we keep
|
||
trying to hold down Mars, it's only going to get uglier. We can't
|
||
do anything about the past, but we can change the future, and it's
|
||
time we treated fairly with them instead."
|
||
|
||
- JOSEPH MUELLER, Freelance Historian, Roland Park Recovery Zone
|
||
|
||
⦿ QUOTE FOR THE WEEK
|
||
|
||
"The labor movement was the principal force that transformed misery
|
||
and despair into hope and progress." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
|
||
|
||
To update your content preferences, message HELP to
|
||
headlines@universe.today.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - TO THE EARTH FLOTILLA NOW CRIMINALLY BOMBARDING AND OCCUPYIN</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/29-to-the-earth-flotilla-now-criminally.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/29-to-the-earth-flotilla-now-criminally.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Feb 2019 08:30:28 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
We, your friends and archivists, wish you to know: This message was
|
||
originally transmitted over QEC, early in the morning of Friday,
|
||
September 24, 2421, via the "anon.penet.fi" anonymous resender. We
|
||
present it here without further comment.
|
||
|
||
~
|
||
|
||
TO THE EARTH FLOTILLA NOW CRIMINALLY BOMBARDING AND OCCUPYING MARS
|
||
|
||
For decades now, Earth's imperial dominion over Mars and the Belt
|
||
has produced a constant train of abuse, injustice, and
|
||
atrocity. You have enslaved us. You have exploited us. You have
|
||
continually alienated our labor in the service of a regime which
|
||
has proven by its actions that it no longer deserves to live, if
|
||
indeed it ever did.
|
||
|
||
In your unquestioned and unquestionable power, you have grown
|
||
complacent. You have permitted us a laughable measure of what you
|
||
consider liberty. Even as you regard us with the lazy contempt of
|
||
empire for its victims, you have withdrawn your attention,
|
||
preferring the elaborate games and perversions of elitism to
|
||
anything resembling concern for the maintenance of your power.
|
||
|
||
Even among your military class, the rot has set in and sunk
|
||
deep. Your captains regard Ceres Station and other Belt postings as
|
||
punishment duty, and they are not wrong to do so. Your military
|
||
elite has settled into the habit of sending us their least capable
|
||
officers, their least ready ships. While here, those officers and
|
||
those ships treat us with the contempt their masters teach
|
||
them. They know we are not their equals, in might or in rectitude,
|
||
for they are after all our masters, and we merely their servants to
|
||
be policed. As best they can, they ignore us entirely, again as
|
||
their masters have taught them.
|
||
|
||
They can no longer ignore us. Nor will you.
|
||
|
||
We have captured your Marine garrison on Ceres. We have destroyed
|
||
the frigate ENS St. Louis and seized the cruiser ENS Brooklyn, both
|
||
formerly of Ceres Station. At a single stroke, we have decapitated
|
||
Earth's military presence in the Belt.
|
||
|
||
We intend soon to properly declare ourselves among the independent
|
||
nations of the Solar System. But we have no time for such niceties
|
||
just now. Our brothers and sisters on Mars remain, for now, under
|
||
the bootheel of Earth. We are coming to their aid.
|
||
|
||
TO OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS ON MARS: We know how they are killing
|
||
you. We know the desperation you must feel in this moment. But hold
|
||
fast, comrades! We are coming. When we arrive, we will smash the
|
||
Earthers in orbit. We will smash the Earthers on the surface. We
|
||
are coming to relieve you. Defend your domes and caverns, husband
|
||
your strength and your weapons, and hold fast! We are coming. We
|
||
will be there soon to help you free yourselves, as we have done.
|
||
|
||
TO THE FLOTILLA OCCUPYING MARS: We warn you once, and once only:
|
||
Recover your troops from the surface and depart Mars orbit at
|
||
once. You are in orbit, we are not: We have the advantages of
|
||
position and velocity. If you do not heed this warning, we will
|
||
fire into and destroy your ships as soon as our weapons range on
|
||
you, and before yours can range on us.
|
||
|
||
You may doubt our capacity to do this. You may think that, even if
|
||
we are not lying, we have only one cruiser, and you thus outnumber
|
||
us. We warn you against such foolishness. We of the Belt have more
|
||
weapons than you know. Underestimate us at your peril. If we find
|
||
you in Mars orbit when we arrive, you will learn of our
|
||
weapons. You will not have much time to gain wisdom from the
|
||
lesson.
|
||
|
||
We do not offer you this warning out of kindness. You have for all
|
||
the decades of our servitude been the mailed fist of Earth, the
|
||
hand that held the whip that scarred our backs. You have oppressed
|
||
us, and we hope very much you will give us the opportunity to repay
|
||
you in kind for all you have done. But we do not wish the birth of
|
||
our new nation to be attended by unnecessary bloodshed. So we warn
|
||
you, this once:
|
||
|
||
Leave Mars, or we will kill you all.
|
||
|
||
You have twenty-six hours to comply.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Assumption - Autoresponse: amended. </title>
|
||
<author>kirch@cosmic.voyage (kirch)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Assumption/0001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Assumption/0001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Feb 2019 16:01:12 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
++ TO: <HQ Dept of BI>BI@BNL.com
|
||
++ FROM: <Captain Mike T Robinson>MTRobinson@BNL.com
|
||
++ MESSAGE RECEIVED.
|
||
++ AUTOMATED RESPONSE: AMENDED.
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
|
||
It has been 400 years since your last transmission, and AUTO
|
||
wouldn't even let the Captain read that one. I would like to take
|
||
the opportunity in this period of renewed communication, to
|
||
respectfully ask, as a fully vested member of the board, just when
|
||
will Earth be habitable again?
|
||
|
||
Operation Cleanup was only supposed to take 5 years! Despite some
|
||
light bone loss, our crew is more than ready to begin Operation
|
||
Recolonize. But instead of finishing the mission you corporate
|
||
brains come up with Quantum filing cabinets? At least AUTO let me
|
||
read this one, but seriously? We can already transmit between
|
||
ships. I just got off the horn with Captain Brace of the Axiom to
|
||
confirm that this isn't some sort of a sick joke. Who's gonna use
|
||
this "QEC"? I can't help but feel this is a waste of funding.
|
||
|
||
Respectfully,
|
||
|
||
Captain Mike T. Robinson
|
||
Assumption
|
||
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
++ END MESSAGE
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>RSS Revenant - Purple Moss</title>
|
||
<author>kirch@cosmic.voyage (kirch)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/RSS Revenant/1626.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/RSS Revenant/1626.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Feb 2019 23:39:04 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
As we walked down the gangway to the sandy material that cushioned
|
||
our landing, we looked out at an alien world. We held our hands
|
||
over our eyes to shield them from the first natural light we had
|
||
seen in months. The sky was blue, but not nearly the same as those
|
||
back home, grading gently to a red and violet in the west.
|
||
|
||
"Follow. You mustn't dally. The ingress is in this direction."
|
||
|
||
The ornate box led the way propelled by unseen forces, with a
|
||
slight forward lean sheering it's profile to a trapezoid. There was
|
||
nothing to dally with. Anything worth looking at was sun bleached
|
||
waste and dust heaps, barely enough to stumble over, but more than
|
||
enough to make any archaeologist salivate.
|
||
|
||
We were in a valley, shadows playing about our feet as we marched
|
||
on. Our personal safety equipment gave no warnings, there was no
|
||
one and nothing to see, but our guide (for lack of a better word)
|
||
insisted that we'd be safer wherever we were going.
|
||
|
||
The archway lay nearly invisible in the shadows, only marked by
|
||
void in the nearly black purple moss. The now familiar iridescent
|
||
black sheen sealed over it after we entered. It was not dark here,
|
||
dim rainbows shone from the walls leaving white splotches where the
|
||
colors intersected. We were not in a cave but a corridor.
|
||
|
||
"The walls are alive," whispered Hex "and I'm sensing more life
|
||
ahead."
|
||
|
||
"Please wait here," the box changed shaped again to indicate a
|
||
hollow in the wall forming a long low bench. "We are still
|
||
preparing a place for you, and anticipate you would like to
|
||
acclimate to your new surroundings before socializing."
|
||
|
||
The box smoothly became one with the floor, and we were left alone
|
||
in some sort of antechamber.
|
||
|
||
"Do you really have to do that in front of me? Do you?" Commander
|
||
Cranium said in disgust. I looked up to see a miniature Mr Swarm
|
||
Walked out of the side of the full-size Mr Swarm's leg and begin
|
||
feeling its way along the walls.
|
||
|
||
"There are hollows behind several sections of the wall, I can't
|
||
feel how far they go, but they also contain life." Hex said.
|
||
|
||
"It's alright, my friend can explore freely." Mr Swarm said smugly.
|
||
|
||
"Whatever this is, it's been here a long time, It's been waiting for
|
||
a long time." Hex intoned. "There's hunger."
|
||
|
||
The miniature Mr Swarm pushed it's way through what appeared to be
|
||
a solid wall and disappeared.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Slantwise Convection - Past and Present Events</title>
|
||
<author>dgold@cosmic.voyage (dgold)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Slantwise Convection/002.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Slantwise Convection/002.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 24 Feb 2019 15:10:03 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
+ Slantwise Convection + Status: 3 + Notes: +
|
||
+ MY: 2461 + AMS: -7,5M + +
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
+ Lead Pilot Mandated Log Entry #2 +
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
|
||
Log Begins:
|
||
|
||
Arthen Damasatra making my second official log entry.
|
||
|
||
Crew complement has now increased to fifty, including Second Pilot
|
||
Salzen URTIV.
|
||
|
||
Evaluation of Orbital Insertion Burn is proceeding. Pilot Crew has
|
||
been granted access to transit records of Crew Members ARJEN and
|
||
TIZARA, V.O. AMA presiding and liaising with E.S.S.I.
|
||
|
||
CentCom advises that external imaging will remain locked until
|
||
after insertion, but has released real-time telemetry data to Pilot
|
||
Crew in accordance with standard protocols. Pilot Crew to provide
|
||
pertinent observations to V.O. AMA regarding all bodies, observing
|
||
disclosure protocols.
|
||
|
||
:Log Ends
|
||
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
+ Slantwise Convection + Status: 3 + Notes: +
|
||
+ MY: 2461 + AMS: -7.5M + +
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
+ Lead Pilot Personal Log Entry #2 +
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
|
||
Sal is finally here! I am so relieved.
|
||
|
||
(I can't pretend I'm not a little disappointed as well, as it's
|
||
been all me the last Half-Million Seconds.)
|
||
|
||
The amount of work to be done is building all the time. This
|
||
insertion burn is the first most important thing we get to do as
|
||
pilots. No way we're letting Essi take this away from us!
|
||
|
||
Barty, naturally, wants to give everything over to the computer,
|
||
but they're hooked up with the thing every second of existence. You
|
||
can be chatting to them about something inane, like the salt-levels
|
||
in the under-store baffle, and they'll go distant before laughing
|
||
at some joke the computer has spat into their hindbrain. I know the
|
||
soft glow is so much better than the blinking light back home, but
|
||
it just adds to the other-worldliness of the whole thing.
|
||
|
||
As the lead V.O., he still has most control of the access to the
|
||
computer, the Committee can override him by appointing a liaison,
|
||
but so far his number has come up every time one's been needed.
|
||
What he's given us has been worth it though. Four transits worth,
|
||
two each for Cej and Mekane.
|
||
|
||
Sal has taken 1 and 3, both Hot Jupiter passes, she's been happy to
|
||
get to work as soon as, and there's nothing huge in either. That's
|
||
left me with the erratic at 2 and the last Hot, number 4. I've
|
||
skimmed both quickly, 4 is standard field Hot, a few decent moons
|
||
around the J, but nothing else of use in the system.
|
||
|
||
System 2 is the real gem, though, two rockies *right* in the ZoH,
|
||
another one on the margins. Would have made a good home, if it
|
||
wasn't for the torrents of radiation spewing off the star. Essi and
|
||
Cej saw one flare snake down and _lick_ B4, an otherwise tempting
|
||
rocky with liquid water *and* geology. No signs of anything
|
||
approaching life on any of those. Mind you, if there was anything,
|
||
it would be far beyond a pass sensor-set.
|
||
|
||
Fuel traces are solid in pass 2, I've started the flight model
|
||
based on the hard numbers, but I'll need to get the timings checked
|
||
on the vid traces. Even though there were a huge number of extra
|
||
manoeuvers, there should be no problems, Cej was always a stickler,
|
||
_is_ a stickler. Pass 4 will be a doddle after this load of
|
||
nonsense, even if it was Mekane in the chair.
|
||
|
||
Of course, right in the middle of all this, the Committee decides
|
||
to involve us in the Viability Assessments. This is just their way
|
||
of keeping control of the telemetry data. They know we have to get
|
||
it - can't make the burn without it - but they still don't want
|
||
that information going out to such a small crew, not just yet.
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>anon.penet.fi - I found this strange relay</title>
|
||
<author>anonpenetfi@cosmic.voyage (anonpenetfi)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/anon.penet.fi/8-i-found-this-strange-relay.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/anon.penet.fi/8-i-found-this-strange-relay.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 24 Feb 2019 12:23:55 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
20h@#bitreich-qec » I found this strange relay. It is sending somewhere. I
|
||
think I got the encoding right. Decoding messages looks
|
||
garbled for now.
|
||
20h@#bitreich-qec » Are you ready parazyd?
|
||
parazyd@#bitreich-qec » Ye##wdwqää.
|
||
20h@#bitreich-qec » Still a bit garbled.
|
||
20h@#bitreich-qec » I am giving the SOFA transporter a go.
|
||
parazyd@#bitreich-qec » Is this the transporter with the metal for printing
|
||
the new engine?
|
||
20h@#bitreich-qec » Decoding works now. Please check out the latest code.
|
||
20h@#bitreich-qec » Yes, we will be finally ready to departure.
|
||
20h@#bitreich-qec » parazyd, please call me, once the transporter arrived.
|
||
parazyd@#bitreich-qec » See you. :)
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Special Report: Rioting on Mars; Earth Responds</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/28-special-report-rioting-on-mars-earth.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/28-special-report-rioting-on-mars-earth.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 24 Feb 2019 12:21:37 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Universe Today Special Report <specialreport@universe.today>
|
||
To: undisclosed-recipients: ;
|
||
Subject: Special Report: Rioting on Mars; Earth Responds
|
||
Date: 23 Sep 2421 20:07:18 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 23 Sep 2421 20:07:18 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
MARS, September 23 (Ongoing) - Over the last several hours, after a
|
||
breakdown in talks aimed at ending the now over four-month-old
|
||
general miners' strike, rioting has broken out in several locations
|
||
including the Martian Trust administration offices at Endeavour
|
||
Crater. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Earth Navy cruisers in
|
||
orbit have responded by landing marine assault shuttles, with
|
||
rioters said to be actively fighting military forces and casualties
|
||
estimated in the hundreds.
|
||
|
||
A large protest at Martian Trust headquarters, planned for today by
|
||
Red Rock and several smaller mining guilds to place additional
|
||
pressure for concessions on the Trust, was underway at the time the
|
||
fighting broke out. Though it is uncertain exactly what sparked the
|
||
fighting, Mars Newsnet has reported that the Trust's security
|
||
personnel began firing into the crowd of protesters. One eyewitness
|
||
claims that this attack took place in response to several
|
||
protesters preparing to throw firebombs at the Trust's headquarters
|
||
building, which is now reported to be aflame.
|
||
|
||
Other riots appear to have begun in response to the outbreak of
|
||
violence at Endeavour Crater. Fighting has been reported between
|
||
Mars Trust personnel and striking miners at several mine sites in
|
||
Hellas Planitia and Argyre Planitia, with targeted bombing attacks
|
||
reported against at least two of the rare earths extraction sites
|
||
at Tharsis Montes. The latter has been a particular point of
|
||
contention between miners and the Martian Trust, with Trust
|
||
spokespersons repeatedly dismissing Red Cross and Planet Society
|
||
reports of dangerously high levels of heavy metal contamination in
|
||
family living quarters at these sites.
|
||
|
||
Governor Reinhard Ritter, reached by radio at a secure location,
|
||
had the following comment: "On behalf of the Martian Trust, and of
|
||
myself, I regret that the intransigence of the mining guilds has
|
||
caused such a terrible loss of life, with more deaths certainly to
|
||
come. Had they been willing to come to the negotiating table in
|
||
good faith at any time in the past eighteen weeks, all of this
|
||
could have been avoided. But events have now taken on a momentum of
|
||
their own, beyond the reach of peaceful resolution."
|
||
|
||
Representatives of the Red Rock Guild, generally considered to
|
||
represent the striking guilds as a whole, could not be reached for
|
||
comment by press time. A Universe Today ship in Martian orbit
|
||
reported what appeared to be an impact or explosion followed by
|
||
venting of atmosphere from Ada Dome, where Red Rock Guild has its
|
||
headquarters. Although Mars Newsnet has been unable to confirm
|
||
claims of Earth Navy forces engaging in orbital bombardment of
|
||
civilian targets on Mars, the Ada Dome incident is one of several
|
||
apparent impact events at locations of mining guild headquarters or
|
||
other potential strongholds for striking miners.
|
||
|
||
Just before press time, Universe Today observed four of what
|
||
appeared to be Earth Navy landing craft approaching Victoria
|
||
Crater, where Mars Newsnet has its headquarters. Shortly after,
|
||
Mars Newsnet abruptly ceased to transmit. Three minutes later, the
|
||
following joint statement was received by radio from Earthgov and
|
||
Martian Trust representatives at the Trust's headquarters in
|
||
Chicago:
|
||
|
||
"We of Earth's Extraplanetary Affairs Office join with our
|
||
colleagues in the Martian Trust to deplore, in the strongest
|
||
possible terms, the criminal violence now taking place on
|
||
Mars. Despite all efforts in recent months to improve working
|
||
conditions for our resource extraction personnel, it has become
|
||
clear today that the ingratitude of Earth's client workers and the
|
||
Trust's protectees knows no reasonable limit.
|
||
|
||
"We value our clients and protectees, and wish to see no harm come
|
||
to any of them. However, in the face of such widespread and
|
||
unwarranted violence against Earth and Mars Trust personnel and
|
||
property, we cannot stand idle.
|
||
|
||
"We hereby warn the rioters and those who actively or passively
|
||
support them: Cease your criminal violence at once, lay down arms,
|
||
and surrender your persons and positions to the Earth forces now
|
||
present to ensure your protection. If you do so, you will not be
|
||
harmed.
|
||
|
||
"However, if you remain defiant in the face of such an opportunity
|
||
for a peaceful resolution of this crisis, be aware that our
|
||
commanders on the scene have been authorized to use any and all
|
||
necessary measures to ensure your cooperation.
|
||
|
||
"We of Earth's government and the Martian Trust wish no harm upon
|
||
anyone on Mars, miners and administration personnel alike. But do
|
||
not mistake our good nature for weakness. We will not tolerate any
|
||
further violence or sabotage by Martian miners, and we beseech you
|
||
to lay down your arms while the opportunity exists. You have one
|
||
hour from the time of this message's transmission to do so. After
|
||
that time, we will not answer for the consequences to your persons,
|
||
combatant or otherwise."
|
||
|
||
At press time, Earth's ultimatum had just over thirty minutes left
|
||
to run, discounting the approximately fourteen-minute transmission
|
||
time from Earth. No response was forthcoming from Red Rock Guild or
|
||
any other spokespersons for the miners' guilds, and no ebb in the
|
||
fighting was reported or could be observed.
|
||
|
||
Universe Today will provide further bulletins as these developing
|
||
events warrant.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Slantwise Convection - Waking to Darkness</title>
|
||
<author>dgold@cosmic.voyage (dgold)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Slantwise Convection/001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Slantwise Convection/001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 24 Feb 2019 09:49:22 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
+ Slantwise Convection + Status: 5 + Notes: +
|
||
+ MY: 2461 + AMS: -8M + +
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
+ Lead Pilot Mandated Log Entry #1 +
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
Log Entry Begins:
|
||
|
||
Arthen Damasatra making my first official log entry.
|
||
|
||
The ship began waking the crew yesterday. All is well. The first
|
||
thirty people have all been successfully woken. Records from the
|
||
interregnum show that crew members Argen and Tizara fulfilled their
|
||
roles in inspections successfully, we won't hear from them until
|
||
later, but they deserve their sleep.
|
||
|
||
The fears and worries of the Disaster Planners have all been for
|
||
naught, the ship is hale and unblemished, there is no apparent
|
||
damage to the craft, the computer systems are fully functional.
|
||
|
||
The deceleration burn records show that all went precisely as
|
||
planned, we are on course for our final orbital insertion.
|
||
|
||
We have examined the sails in preparation for their deployment, all
|
||
is within expected parameters. We hope to begin the unfurling
|
||
before AMS -6M, once we get close enough to the star for them to
|
||
make deployment worthwhile.
|
||
|
||
:Log Entry Ends
|
||
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
+ Slantwise Convection + Status: 5 + Notes: +
|
||
+ MY: 2461 + AMS: -8M + +
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
+ Lead Pilot Personal Log Entry #1 +
|
||
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
||
|
||
Just completed the first mandated log!
|
||
|
||
I am so tired. We have been working flat-out since yesterday.
|
||
|
||
I must stop saying that! Correction: We have been working flat out
|
||
for nearly ninety-thousand seconds. Ship time is seconds!
|
||
|
||
The ship is dark, cold, and quiet - its a relief to get to our
|
||
designated locations, full of warmth and light. The air mixers and
|
||
the heating systems all worked "within parameters" but that just
|
||
means most places won't kill you immediately. Thousands of years,
|
||
Billions of Seconds, of a vacuum doesn't just end.
|
||
|
||
The others are adjusting in various ways, I am forbidden to write
|
||
of this in my official logs, that's for the doc and the header, I'm
|
||
just the driver! Some seem spooked about the dark. There are noises
|
||
as the ship settles into its new mode, as the external skin slowly
|
||
begins to heat.
|
||
|
||
I talked with Bartik, he's been reviewing the Wakers' logs - none
|
||
of the systems they lived through were useful, Scalding Hot
|
||
Jupiters with useless moons, one had usable planets but ridiculous
|
||
stellar instability. Barty says that the computer claims this
|
||
system will be our new home, 99.8% confidence.
|
||
|
||
That's why we're here, and Barty is watching videos instead of
|
||
prepping for scans. We don't even know what this system is yet,
|
||
what constellation we're hiding in!
|
||
|
||
I just wish we could see it for ourselves. We won't even have
|
||
external cams for the next three weeks - ~2M Seconds - and that's
|
||
IF we can get the sails out as soon as we complete the insertion
|
||
burn. But for now we're flying blind, drawn onwards by the
|
||
implacability of maths and Sir Isaac's scribblings.
|
||
|
||
We are excited, but we are nervous, scared, and busy. So busy.
|
||
|
||
I'm going to grab some sleep, and will send this along with the
|
||
Mandated Log.
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - I have finally convinced them!</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/27-i-have-finally-convinced-them.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/27-i-have-finally-convinced-them.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 20 Feb 2019 09:00:32 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Vasu Soon-kit <vasu.soonkit@luna.gov>
|
||
To: Vasu Hui-lan <vasu.huilan@luna.gov>
|
||
Delivered-To: Vasu Hui-lan <vasu.huilan@luna.gov>
|
||
Received: from relay7.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by in-mta7.luna.gov
|
||
for vasu.huilan@luna.gov
|
||
with ESMTPSA id fkmzpwc10iqqzbg
|
||
Received: from qec.titan.org
|
||
by relay4.qec9.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Subject: I have finally convinced them!
|
||
Date: 22 Sep 2421 03:19:22 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 22 Sep 2421 03:19:22 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
Embassy of the Luna Free State on Titan
|
||
Arrakeen Tower, Arrakis Planitia
|
||
Wednesday, 22 September, 2421
|
||
|
||
Dear Sister—
|
||
|
||
Greetings from Arrakeen Tower! I trust you continue well, and that
|
||
our home remains more or less as I left it.
|
||
|
||
As regards the joint endeavor whose possibility you and I discussed
|
||
at length last week, it pleases me at last to report success in
|
||
convincing what passes for a government here on Titan to
|
||
participate. Accordingly, we depart later today aboard their "And
|
||
Yet It Moves" - an absurd name for a ship, especially such an
|
||
impressively capable one. Sadly, I was not consulted in the matter.
|
||
|
||
To be sure, I attribute this success in greatest measure to the
|
||
excellent work of our intelligence services, and in particular
|
||
Laporte's team debriefing the defector here. Had he failed to
|
||
recognize the import of her information and convey it directly to
|
||
me in person, I doubt I would have prevailed upon Branislav and her
|
||
government to consider our current project. As the matter stood, I
|
||
needed do little more than share with them the engineering drawings
|
||
and documents to demonstrate Earth's possession of a prototype FTL
|
||
capability. Blinkered as I've found their perception of
|
||
interplanetary affairs to be, even they found such a frightening
|
||
development impossible to ignore.
|
||
|
||
You'll forgive me, dear sister, if I say that I have found my time
|
||
here somewhat trying. For all their impressive technological
|
||
acumen, and despite even their past recognition and exploitation of
|
||
the potentialities inherent in a moment of crisis, they are still
|
||
so utterly naïve! As if their wonderful machines were alone enough
|
||
to insulate them from the realities of the present crisis. There
|
||
are those among them not so susceptible to such wishful thinking,
|
||
and such voices seem to be achieving the ascendant in recent
|
||
weeks. But there are still so many of them who wish simply to hide
|
||
behind the methane mists of this rather unpleasant planet of
|
||
theirs, ignoring the worlds and by the worlds ignored.
|
||
|
||
Had I known I would face such a trying task in convincing them that
|
||
Earth will not permit their comfortable isolation to continue, dear
|
||
sister...of course you know me too well to imagine that I'd have
|
||
sought to evade the assignment, for who else, after all, could you
|
||
have sent and hoped would do so well? But these people have taxed
|
||
my patience almost beyond imagination!
|
||
|
||
But, dear sister, I can see your face as if I stood before you now,
|
||
and I know too well that expression of yours which tells me I tax
|
||
your own patience. You will of course wish to know the details of
|
||
our project and the reasoning behind my decision, and I will of
|
||
course provide them.
|
||
|
||
You'll have received the same reports I have from our source on
|
||
Ganymede, regarding increased tempo of work in their experimental
|
||
systems yard. Combining that with the new information from the
|
||
Earth defector, my intelligence staff here believe with high
|
||
confidence that Earth intends an assault of some kind, within the
|
||
next twenty to forty days, on their own Ross 128 b colony. I concur
|
||
in this assessment, despite the lack of further corroboration from
|
||
our Ganymede source, from whom ForInt confirms we have received
|
||
nothing in the last several days.
|
||
|
||
In light of such a provocative development, Ross 128 b has
|
||
decisively eclipsed Gliese 581 g in my estimation of potential
|
||
intervention sites. Recent word from Ganymede has been that the
|
||
scope of Gliese's supply and medical problems has been considerably
|
||
overestimated, and while I remain confident in the success of an
|
||
eventual diplomatic mission to Gliese 581, the Ross 128 colony's
|
||
highly precarious situation, and apparent disfavor in the eyes of
|
||
its own sponsors and home government, argues conclusively in favor
|
||
of its selection for our pilot project.
|
||
|
||
Success in this endeavor requires, of course, that we outpace or at
|
||
least match Earth's own mission, lest we arrive to find a marine
|
||
division already in possession of the planet. From a purely
|
||
military perspective, this problem would be hardly insoluble, even
|
||
with the relatively small ground force we're bringing along; every
|
||
estimate agrees that Titan's ship is vastly better armed than
|
||
Earth's. However, I doubt our allies would face such action with
|
||
our own sangfroid. And even did I desire so to test our young
|
||
alliance, dear sister, you and I are of one mind in the criticality
|
||
of Earth not only initiating the coming war, but being seen by all
|
||
to have done so. Thus our hasty departure; though we may risk
|
||
leaving behind some person or element vital to the success of our
|
||
mission, I judge the risk of certain failure through delay far
|
||
greater.
|
||
|
||
Despite my earlier complaints about the Titans' isolationist ways
|
||
and adorable foolishness regarding interplanetary concerns, I must
|
||
admit I have found my opposite number refreshingly open to the idea
|
||
that we must act, and act now. Indeed, despite the ambassador's
|
||
apparent lack of enthusiasm for this enterprise - even she, even
|
||
now, not grasping the desperate importance to both our worlds of
|
||
developing a substantial position beyond Earth's direct influence -
|
||
her actions since our most recent conversation have been such as to
|
||
justify my considerable respect for her initiative and dispatch.
|
||
|
||
Draha may not yet fully understand the urgency of the actions we
|
||
now take, but she does understand the mutual benefit and sheer
|
||
necessity of our alliance, and she has acted with commendable
|
||
celerity to implement our decision to intervene. I have some hopes
|
||
that, by the time of our return, both the situation and I may have
|
||
succeeded in improving her grasp on the realities of interplanetary
|
||
affairs.
|
||
|
||
Dear sister, I am bringing almost my entire mission with me,
|
||
leaving only my third attaché, Olivia Arzel, and her assistant to
|
||
continue our local mission and address any matters which may
|
||
arise. Given Titan's relative isolation and the multiple
|
||
necessities currently dividing Earth's fleet, I doubt there will be
|
||
much for her to do, even if the war does begin while I am
|
||
out-system. In any case, I expect at no time save during FTL
|
||
travel, which I understand interrupts the signal somehow, to be
|
||
unreachable via QEC, and Olivia has the good sense to consult me
|
||
should she find herself in need. Our interests will be well
|
||
represented in my absence.
|
||
|
||
Of the Titans, in addition to their own diplomatic contingent under
|
||
Draha, we bring as full a medical and scientific establishment as
|
||
they are able to assemble in something less than a day, as well as
|
||
a few ground forces to supplement our diplomatic security
|
||
staffs. We have the reports of some sort of disease, native to the
|
||
planet, having somehow affected the colonists; I am assured that,
|
||
at minimum, we will be able to avoid either becoming ourselves
|
||
infected, or carrying some alien contagion back to Sol with us.
|
||
|
||
As I mentioned in opening, we depart Titan later today aboard And
|
||
Yet It Moves. The uncertainties of FTL travel, I am told, prohibit
|
||
too precise a determination of our arrival date, but I gather the
|
||
various projections suggest we can expect to arrive on or about
|
||
October 15. I will communicate with you as I can, dear sister, and
|
||
certainly no later than upon our date of arrival.
|
||
|
||
In the meantime - oh, you already know everything I'd say to you
|
||
now! I won't waste your time with flowery professions of philiary
|
||
love, or in imploring you to look after our people, as I know you
|
||
will.
|
||
|
||
With love, and for Luna, I remain, your dear brother—
|
||
|
||
Soon-kit.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Quartz - Automated Ship</title>
|
||
<author>jebug29@cosmic.voyage (jebug29)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/007.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/007.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 19 Feb 2019 03:07:02 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Admittedly, I have no idea what anything on the control panel for the primary
|
||
terminal on this ship does. There's a keyboard and a bunch of dials and
|
||
buttons, but I'm unable to make out any of the labels. I guess if I needed
|
||
to pilot the ship I'd just have to pull up a neural link, but that's really
|
||
no problem for now.
|
||
|
||
I did poke around on the terminal a bit, and I found the game "Checkers". Time
|
||
to keep myself entertained.
|
||
|
||
X29
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Love from Esperance</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/26-love-from-esperance.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/26-love-from-esperance.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2019 12:08:23 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Chris Maldonado <cmaldonado@voortrekker.com>
|
||
To: Sameen Lee <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Delivered-To: Sameen Lee <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Received: from relay7.qec4.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by mta4.recoveryinstitute.org
|
||
with ESMTPS id vbe3v6cu3yf192m
|
||
for <sam@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Received: from relay11.qec6.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay7.qec4.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec3.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay11.qec6.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.sv14417
|
||
by qec3.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Subject: Love from Esperance
|
||
Date: 7 Apr 2419 21:57:18 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 21 Sep 2421 20:33:18 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
I promised myself I wouldn't talk too much about the memorial. But
|
||
that was before...
|
||
|
||
I don't know what I was expecting. Rows of seats, I suppose. Trying
|
||
to find a comfortable spot while Director Soloviev talked too much
|
||
about people he didn't really know or remember very well. Our
|
||
friends, our loved ones - his employees. Because it was the
|
||
expected thing, the thing that people do at a time like
|
||
this. Trying to bring closure, whatever that means.
|
||
|
||
Instead, we made a garden together. Right at the center of our hab,
|
||
in a roundish open space that I hadn't got around to asking why it
|
||
was even there. Now I know.
|
||
|
||
The first thing we did, right in the middle of what was to be our
|
||
garden, we brought in a piece of Voortrekker herself and stood it
|
||
on end in a deep trench we'd dug to receive it. A tombstone, I
|
||
suppose you could call it, but I don't think any of us really
|
||
thinks of it that way. Four meters high, two wide, a jagged chunk
|
||
of hull plating with just the top left corner of the 'V' from her
|
||
name still visible on the charred surface. We helped a lot, those
|
||
of us who've changed, bringing it in from the crash site and
|
||
setting it in place. But I don't think there's a living pair of
|
||
hands on this planet which didn't touch it, didn't help carry it at
|
||
least a little way.
|
||
|
||
Once we'd got it set in place, once we had the concrete curing
|
||
around it and the braces set to keep it upright until its footing
|
||
could take the weight, the Director did say some things. I won't
|
||
try to write them all down here - I don't remember them all, and
|
||
anyway Jen and Eve and I were crying together, just like everyone
|
||
else - little knots of people, big groups, I don't think anyone was
|
||
alone in it. I hope no one was, anyway. I wish I could remember all
|
||
of what he said, but what I do remember, I don't think I'll ever
|
||
forget.
|
||
|
||
I don't know how long I'll live, as I am now. But thinking back on
|
||
what the Director said, I don't mind if I live a million years, or
|
||
a thousand, or ten, or one. I never liked to think about it. Not
|
||
for myself, and a thousand times as much, not for the people I
|
||
love. I never could imagine anything coming after, anything except
|
||
the end of everything. It's not as if I know otherwise, even
|
||
now. But I think I might not mind not knowing, because not knowing
|
||
doesn't mean I can't hope, and now I know what I can hope for. I
|
||
can hope that it's not the end of everything, after all. I can hope
|
||
that it's only a little time we have to spend apart, and when that
|
||
time is done, we'll be together again, in a place where no shadows
|
||
fall.
|
||
|
||
There were freshly turned patches of earth in that roundish place
|
||
at the center of our hab. I suppose we all knew they were
|
||
graves. Does it seem ghoulish that they're also part of what gives
|
||
our new garden life? I don't think it does. When our trees and our
|
||
flowers are grown, when our memorial garden has become the cool and
|
||
quiet place of solace that we'll help it be, we'll see our friends
|
||
and our lovers in every blossom, every branch, every blade of
|
||
grass. We'll walk and stand and sit and lie with them, all the time
|
||
we spend there. And they'll be there with us, too. And when new
|
||
people come to join us here on our new world - you among them, both
|
||
of you, I dearly hope - we'll bring them to our garden of memory
|
||
and tell them the stories of those who came before, and have gone,
|
||
and whom we hope some day to meet again, in a place where no
|
||
shadows fall.
|
||
|
||
That's what we did for one another, too. All the time we were
|
||
laying paths, building benches, planting seeds. We told each other
|
||
stories, and laughed together, and cried together, and somehow by
|
||
the time we were done, it...it wasn't so much. We still miss them,
|
||
and we always will. But the cloud that'd been over us - I'd hardly
|
||
even noticed it was there, with all the time I'd spent hidden in
|
||
Main Control, but it had settled in on me too, it had found me once
|
||
I came out of my hiding place and met everyone else again. It's
|
||
gone now. Like taking a deep breath when you hadn't even realized
|
||
you weren't able to, before. I think it's that way for all of us
|
||
now, and I think that's the way it was meant to be. We're not
|
||
carrying such heavy hearts, any more, now that we've laid our dead
|
||
to rest.
|
||
|
||
Well, and for one other reason. We've never really called this
|
||
planet anything other than "Ross", and that makes sense, doesn't
|
||
it? Our star is Ross 128, and our planet is in the catalogue as
|
||
Ross 128 b - but that's a bit of a mouthful, so we shortened it for
|
||
comfort. We never really had time to think about calling it
|
||
anything else. But the Director evidently has, because as we
|
||
finished our planting and mourning, he told us he hasn't been
|
||
thinking of this planet as "Ross" for a while now. He said he
|
||
thought it was time for us to decide on a name, and asked us for
|
||
suggestions, and he had a name of his own in mind to suggest:
|
||
Esperance, which means 'hope'.
|
||
|
||
So our planet isn't Ross 128 b any more, except in the catalogue,
|
||
which can do what it likes. We live on Esperance now. And our hab,
|
||
the colony that we're building? That's Hope.
|
||
|
||
Director Soloviev did all that for us, in the space of a few
|
||
hours. I'm not sure if I underestimated him before, or if he's
|
||
changed more than I would have imagined he could. Either way, I'm
|
||
glad I was wrong about him. We need the person he's become.
|
||
|
||
Of course, we need all of us, really. We aren't trying to keep to
|
||
the original build schedule - that'd be impossible even if everyone
|
||
had survived the crash, because almost all of our lifting gear,
|
||
earthmoving equipment, and heavy machine tooling didn't. But even
|
||
at the slower, merely backbreaking pace we're setting, there's so
|
||
much work to be done! As soon as we were done building our garden,
|
||
Jen got together most of us who've changed, along with the Director
|
||
and about a dozen others who haven't, and we went to work setting
|
||
up solar collectors.
|
||
|
||
That engineering problem she mentinoned, right after she got me out
|
||
of the ship - one of our reactors was getting dangerously unstable,
|
||
and we were going to have to shut it down soon. That'd only leave
|
||
one up and running, and we'd need almost all its output to run the
|
||
QEC and maintain our cryo systems so we can keep from losing our
|
||
livestock embryos - there'd be almost nothing left for the hab, the
|
||
labs, and the heavy equipment we've got left. So we needed as much
|
||
solar capacity as we could get, in a hurry.
|
||
|
||
As soon as Jen said that, I knew why she'd got all of us who'd
|
||
changed and didn't have other work to do that they absolutely
|
||
couldn't let wait a while. All that gear is really heavy! Usually
|
||
you'd need six or eight people to carry a single panel, but two of
|
||
us could manage it - the balance was a little tricky, and it was
|
||
thirsty work, but we could do it, and we managed to clear out most
|
||
of one whole cargo hold in the space of twenty, twenty-two
|
||
hours. Somewhere in there I think most of the unchanged people went
|
||
to get some sleep, and others came onto the job? I was mostly in
|
||
the hold and not paying much attention to anything except the work,
|
||
but I started seeing new faces after a while.
|
||
|
||
Anyway, most of the unchanged people started setting up panels once
|
||
we had enough of them out, while we switched to hauling storage
|
||
batteries. Even for us, it took five to a battery, and we only
|
||
managed to bring out nine of them in twelve hours before Eve made
|
||
us stop - we didn't really mind, we were mostly played out by
|
||
then. But nine will be enough, at least for a few sols! We'll have
|
||
to watch our consumption at night, and some of the high-energy
|
||
experiments will have to wait until we can bring the reactor we
|
||
have left back onto the hab power grid, but we'll still have enough
|
||
power for almost everything. None of our systems even flickered
|
||
when Jen isolated the failing reactor, and it's in cold shutdown
|
||
now.
|
||
|
||
By that time we'd all gone to the refectory, though. I hadn't
|
||
realized how hungry I was until I smelled food, and then I was
|
||
ravenous! I think we all were, even the unchanged people who'd been
|
||
working with us - it was getting late in the sol by then, and most
|
||
people were in bed or on shift, but we spent a solid hour and a
|
||
half in there anyway before people started leaving. Tired as I was,
|
||
it felt really good! I mean, eating, of course, but more than that
|
||
just...just being together, all feeling good about the work we'd
|
||
finished together, laughing and joking and sharing a sense of
|
||
accomplishment. I never really knew what that was like, before - I
|
||
never really quite knew how to get along with people, mostly, so I
|
||
mostly just hid in my lab or at home, and even on the ship I tended
|
||
not to spend that much time just being around people outside my
|
||
quarters or the bio section.
|
||
|
||
You both know that, of course! It's a wonder we ever even met -
|
||
Sam, if you hadn't kept coming and finding me at that
|
||
convention...But here, it's just different somehow. I mean, you'd
|
||
think it would be weird! With how different we are, how different I
|
||
am especially. But people just seem like they're not quite the same
|
||
somehow. Or maybe it's me, I don't know - maybe it really is
|
||
me. Whatever it is, though, it felt really wonderful just to be
|
||
sitting together laughing and talking with everyone over supper,
|
||
and all of us knowing we'd all just done something amazing
|
||
together. I think that might've been my favorite time here so far.
|
||
|
||
I am pretty worn out, though - amazing or not, it was a lot of
|
||
work! But there's one other thing I want to tell you about before I
|
||
finish up and send this. It really is amazing, and I'm honestly not
|
||
sure how I feel about it.
|
||
|
||
So, I mentioned that we planted trees and flowers in our
|
||
garden. You're probably wondering how we knew whether they'd even
|
||
germinate! Well, I did end up finding Gareth in botany the other
|
||
day, like I was talking about in my last message. I didn't get to
|
||
ask him right away about joining a fetch team, though, because he
|
||
and Elva were checking on one of her experiments. I don't know if
|
||
I've ever mentioned the two of them, but they're adorable
|
||
together - he's built like a wall, and even by my standards she's a
|
||
little tiny thing, maybe a meter and a half and so slight you
|
||
almost expect her to float from place to place instead of
|
||
walking. They spent a lot of time together back on the ship, and
|
||
they're almost inseparable now, which is no surprise
|
||
considering. But the experiment...
|
||
|
||
Remember before I left, when I was telling you all about the ship
|
||
and our plans for the colony? Hydro farming was an interim measure,
|
||
just while we worked out how to cultivate in the ground here? We
|
||
thought it'd take a couple of years! Elva was just doing basic
|
||
testing with one of the ADM maizes and a couple of hardy cereals,
|
||
planting them in our new soil and watering them with our new
|
||
rainwater. We do that mainly just to find out what stops them
|
||
germinating, what kinds of fertilizers they need, simple stuff like
|
||
that, and we expect it to take a long time for two totally
|
||
different ecologies to fit together. But when I came and peeked
|
||
over their shoulders, what did I see but three dishes, each with a
|
||
sample of Ross's sandy soil and a half dozen green shoots poking up
|
||
out of it!
|
||
|
||
They were laying out new experiments on a slate and talking a mile
|
||
a minute, and I didn't want to interrupt, so I got my hand unit off
|
||
this terrible armband and took a look at the experiment files. This
|
||
was actually the fifth attempt, and the first four had been
|
||
inconclusive - the seeds had sprouted and then just sort of died, a
|
||
day or so later. Looking at the microscopy, the cell walls had odd
|
||
little punctures, and the cells themselves didn't look right. Like
|
||
the stain hadn't taken properly, or something - it took me a minute
|
||
to remember where I'd seen something like that before: in the blood
|
||
samples we tested with the bug, not long before I went down.
|
||
|
||
After I told Gareth and Elva what I thought I was seeing, we took a
|
||
sample from one of the new shoots and looked at it under the scope,
|
||
and - there's no way those plants should be alive right now,
|
||
because they are just full of this bug, swimming freely in the
|
||
vascular tissue and apparently sessile in the parenchymal
|
||
cells. Then I had an idea - well, what I really had was an absolute
|
||
certainty, but those still don't count until you confirm them. I
|
||
checked Eve's med files on those of us who've changed, including my
|
||
own. She hasn't had time for more than the most basic micro
|
||
studies, but looking at blood samples is pretty basic, and guess
|
||
what? Sessile in the leukocytes, and swimming freely in the
|
||
plasma - just like in the plants, only adapted to the mammalian
|
||
cell structure and circulatory system. Nothing like what I'd seen
|
||
before. More like...
|
||
|
||
I said before that I don't want to assume "why?" is a question that
|
||
makes sense here, and I still don't. But just think about it a
|
||
minute. No one's ever seen anything like this before - a
|
||
prokaryotic pathogen that can cause disease in plants *and* humans?
|
||
It's been four or five hundred years since anyone even thought
|
||
seriously about the possibility! But what we're seeing here is even
|
||
more unlikely than that, because I'm increasingly convinced that
|
||
"pathogen" and "disease" aren't the right words for this. Not at
|
||
all.
|
||
|
||
What we're seeing looks a lot more like some kind of
|
||
endosymbiosis. We're not sure yet whether it's commensal or
|
||
mutualistic, and we haven't ruled out some kind of novel
|
||
parasitism, but it doesn't really matter - the point I'm making
|
||
here is, we only have one other example of anything even remotely
|
||
like this, and that's the relationship between eukaryotic cells and
|
||
mitochondria. But that took millions of years to evolve, and this
|
||
has happened inside of a couple of months.
|
||
|
||
I don't know what to think right now. This thing, whatever it is,
|
||
is truly incredible - it's beyond anything we could ever have come
|
||
out here hoping to find! And what it's already done is so
|
||
astonishing that no one's even making any guesses about what it's
|
||
going to do next. I don't have the words to describe what I'm
|
||
feeling right now, as a scientist and as a human being, just to be
|
||
witnessing this at all. To say nothing of helping investigate it!
|
||
|
||
But at the same time...I'm not even sure I still am a human being,
|
||
and whether I am or not, what I am now is what the bug has made of
|
||
me, and it's still in me now. Eve and I haven't taken biopsies yet,
|
||
but I see no reason not to assume it can't colonize any and every
|
||
type of cell in a human body. And part of the reason I won't make
|
||
any guesses about what it might do next is because I see no reason
|
||
not to assume that, whatever it does next, it won't do to all of us
|
||
who've changed. To me. And that's terrifying.
|
||
|
||
I miss you - I miss both of you so much! I know you'd both comfort
|
||
me if you were here right now. As much as I wish you were, though,
|
||
I'm almost glad you're not. I don't know what's going to happen
|
||
next, to me or to any of us. It hasn't hurt us yet, not in ways
|
||
that are lasting, but we don't know that it's going to keep on
|
||
being so nice. So, much as I miss you and wish you were here, right
|
||
now I'm more glad you're both back home where you're safe.
|
||
|
||
I'm going to stop here, I think, and go find Eve. Wake her up, if I
|
||
have to. She's got to be thinking about this too, and maybe she can
|
||
tell me something that'll make me feel better...if not, maybe just
|
||
talking about it with someone who's in the same situation will
|
||
help.
|
||
|
||
Silly as it is to say, please try not to worry too much about me -
|
||
a lot of this is just the way you start to think when you're up too
|
||
late on a lonely night. Writing to you about it has helped some,
|
||
though, and one way or another, I'm sure I'll be fine
|
||
tomorrow. After all, we don't have any reason to think it will do
|
||
us harm, either, and I think I'll have an easier time remembering
|
||
that once the sun's come up again.
|
||
|
||
I think I'll sit in the garden and watch that sunrise, when it
|
||
comes. Voortrekker's shard faces west, and there's a bench in just
|
||
the perfect spot to let me watch the orange light of our new sun
|
||
touch its tip and spread down over its surface. I put that bench
|
||
there myself, and I'm going to sit there and watch the sun rise and
|
||
remind myself that, if our new home wanted to hurt us, it would've
|
||
done so long before now. And until then, I'll go find Eve, and
|
||
we'll get through the night together.
|
||
|
||
I love you both. Stay safe and look out for each other, and Lia,
|
||
you heal quickly and get back up on your feet again, please! Both
|
||
of them.
|
||
|
||
With love as always - your Kit.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Quartz - Hidden Memories</title>
|
||
<author>jebug29@cosmic.voyage (jebug29)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/006.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/006.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2019 05:04:37 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
My world, like I assume any world, has not always been. It was created, and if I
|
||
am right, it was created not too long ago.
|
||
|
||
As a child, I narcissistically believed that I had something to do with the
|
||
inception of my world. I guess this is somewhat natural - as to a child there
|
||
was no world before them, at least for them. *Perhaps* there was a world - but
|
||
of course, that thought only comes whenever the child does not also see that it
|
||
was a world without them. When they finally do come to this realization when
|
||
they are older, it generally leads to feelings somewhere on the scale that
|
||
begins at worldly apathy and slowly rises to resolute nihlism. The outcome of
|
||
this for me was and is inconsequential; the only thing relevant here is that I
|
||
no longer felt as if I had created my universe. Perhaps, indeed, it had been
|
||
there all along.
|
||
|
||
However, I have some strong suspicion that perhaps my ideas about this may not
|
||
be totally unfounded. And perhaps may link somehow to the council refusing to
|
||
allow me to teleport directly and physically onto the surface of this "world".
|
||
|
||
Although I am inexperienced with all of my abilities, I know that in some part I
|
||
am able to teleport throughout several dimensions. Time, at its core, is simply
|
||
another dimension on which we are consistently traveling. If, perhaps, I am
|
||
capable of traveling throughout different dimensions in space, that would mean
|
||
that I am also capable of traveling through time (or at least, using time
|
||
dilation to my advantage). I believe that this also accounts for perceived time
|
||
skips when I am utilizing my hyperwave abilities (besides simply this being a
|
||
weak ability).
|
||
|
||
What if then, as a human baby, I were able to take advantage of this ability?
|
||
What if I spent several years in a single day outside of my own physical body?
|
||
And now all of it is forgotten? Or perhaps stored away?
|
||
|
||
Or, perhaps, I am simply remembering someone who is lost.
|
||
Why don't they speak of their creator?
|
||
X29
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>RSS Revenant - Other Gases</title>
|
||
<author>kirch@cosmic.voyage (kirch)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/RSS Revenant/1625.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/RSS Revenant/1625.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 15 Feb 2019 23:48:15 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Some sort of space junk pinged off the hull of the ship, echoing
|
||
dully from every direction. 3 minutes. The sensors still weren't
|
||
picking up any signals, but the monitors automatically displayed
|
||
its normal analysis.
|
||
|
||
Nearest Star:
|
||
Spectral & Luminosity Type: M4.5 V
|
||
Coordinates: 7.875 / -9.25 / -15.90625
|
||
|
||
Nearest Planet:
|
||
Orbital Period: 238 days
|
||
Orbital Distance: 0.8662AU
|
||
Equilibrium Temperature: 265 K (−8 °C; 17 °F)
|
||
Average Barometric Pressure: 1013.25 mbar
|
||
Atmosphere:
|
||
Nitrogen...............78%
|
||
Oxygen.................13%
|
||
Argon...................5%
|
||
Other Gases.............4%
|
||
|
||
|
||
2 minutes. We were about to break through the atmosphere near the
|
||
dark side of the planet, couldn't tell more than that- there was
|
||
nothing to see beyond the nearly purple clouds, locked in perpetual
|
||
dusk. We harnessed ourselves in the central chamber per protocol.
|
||
As the ship began to tremble, the walls around us turned black and
|
||
iridescent. Suddenly, in the center of the room stood the small
|
||
gilded box, it's black orbs reflecting rainbows across our faces.
|
||
|
||
1 minute. The pressure on our bodies falls as the ship's thrusters
|
||
reach equilibrium. This part always reminded me of the playground;
|
||
spinning on that wheel with the world a blur then dragging your
|
||
feet in the dirt waiting to be able to let go.
|
||
|
||
"uuUUU-just-eeeeeeeeee-ng ooooutpuut freeeequenciessss. Assessment
|
||
Complete. Please do not be alarmed. We kindly welcome The Revenent
|
||
to Nalmyke. We will be landing momentarily." a voice warbled from
|
||
the center of the room. "We are curious about the dimensional
|
||
qualities of this ship and its crew. Please allow us to honor you
|
||
as guests of our society. May we converse pleasantly." a tiny
|
||
figure grew out of the box, like a mountainous jello mold, and
|
||
bowed at us. 30 seconds.
|
||
|
||
"Docking procedure initiated"
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>The sun never sets on hope - Foods</title>
|
||
<author>kneezle@cosmic.voyage (kneezle)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/The sun never sets on hope/005foods.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/The sun never sets on hope/005foods.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 14 Feb 2019 16:50:01 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Valval met me at foods after work today.
|
||
We all call it that but it’s really called "the commissary of edibilities".
|
||
Come on, with a name like that, you would call it “foods” too. We both know it.
|
||
|
||
Speaking of you, I should give you a name, my beautiful bundle of paper.
|
||
|
||
How about 美丽 !
|
||
Perfect.
|
||
|
||
If course, my Měilì, you can object at any time and I’ll call you something else.
|
||
|
||
Oh yes, Valval met me at foods and we were talking about the end of classes.
|
||
It’s so hard for me to believe its over and we won’t be seeing each other every day anymore.
|
||
|
||
I won’t miss that 婊子 bbsee.
|
||
I hope her assignment is in a black hole.
|
||
Can you believe that on our LAST day of class she managed to rip my stocking and didn’t even apologize?
|
||
Nothing!
|
||
I had to spend an hour in the fab room, again, fixing it.
|
||
I didn’t tell anyone, but I was crying the whole time too. She ruins everything.
|
||
I ended up missing the beginning of the graduation ceremony since its “formal dress” so I couldn’t go there without my stockings.
|
||
|
||
Since I’m telling you secrets, I hate my stockings so much.
|
||
They itch and feel rough and aren’t the right colors anymore,
|
||
but we don’t have the material for new ones so I needed to use recycled fabric.
|
||
|
||
Maybe one day, if I’m REALLY good in the radio room, I’ll get stockings that make me look pretty AND feel good.
|
||
|
||
Got to go
|
||
|
||
A
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>RSS Revenant - 5 minutes</title>
|
||
<author>kirch@cosmic.voyage (kirch)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/RSS Revenant/1624.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/RSS Revenant/1624.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 06 Apr 2019 21:58:54 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
"Trajectory found," the computer declared, "ENGINES: ONLINE."
|
||
|
||
The ship lurched forward, nearly knocking us to the floor. Hex and
|
||
Cranium looked at each other knowingly. Mr Swarm and I ran into the
|
||
cockpit.
|
||
|
||
"It's left this black stuff all over the overhead" crackled Hex
|
||
over the intercom, "across the datastores, and straight through the
|
||
floor again - what's going on up there?"
|
||
|
||
"We're locked out of the controls, all I can tell is we're no
|
||
longer disabled, traveling at full speed and on a collision course
|
||
with the planet." I replied.
|
||
|
||
Thin strands pulsated rainbows of light to and from a large blobs
|
||
on the ceilings and walls.
|
||
|
||
"I don't think it's going to hurt us, it's too focused on where
|
||
it's going." Hex said, "it's taking us somewhere."
|
||
|
||
"There isn't much we can do now except see what it it wants, can
|
||
we?" the Commander asked.
|
||
|
||
He was right. 10 minutes until landing, no time to waste.
|
||
|
||
Mr Swarm gingerly poked a blob with a screwdriver, his hand jerked
|
||
back with a spark, leaving the screwdriver spinning towards the
|
||
floor. 9 minutes. "Suit up!" Commander Cranium commanded.
|
||
|
||
9 minutes, 30 seconds. I pulled on my gloves and heavy boots,
|
||
checked the respirators connections and walked into the main
|
||
corridor. Hex's athame reflected the dim rainbow lights of the
|
||
alien satellite. 6 minutes, 30 seconds.
|
||
|
||
Mr Swarm came in wearing his carapace of armor, followed by the
|
||
Commander who has to bend his head awkwardly to fit his helmet
|
||
through the door.
|
||
|
||
"Remember the landing plan," Cranium instructed, "we have to be
|
||
able to defend ourselves, but not appear to be hostile... The
|
||
computer says we should be able to breath the atmosphere, but I
|
||
don't think we should take any chances trusting it while that thing
|
||
is in control of the ship. Like Hex said, this thing isn't killing
|
||
us, but for how long?" 5 minutes, 30 seconds.
|
||
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melchizedek - HOLY SHIT</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/015.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/015.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 13 Feb 2019 21:30:12 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Melchizedek.0294
|
||
Approach β Hyi
|
||
Ascension 00h 25m 45.07037s
|
||
Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
|
||
Distance 24.35ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 3782, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Stephanie Janssen, Specialist First-class
|
||
:::
|
||
Holy shit, Prezzi gave us a compliment!
|
||
|
||
...and what was that about Simms?
|
||
|
||
.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melchizedek - Rhetorical Ecclesiastic Report</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/014.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/014.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 13 Feb 2019 21:24:50 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Melchizedek.0294
|
||
Approach β Hyi
|
||
Ascension 00h 25m 45.07037s
|
||
Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
|
||
Distance 24.35ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 3782, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Prezzi Adeyemi, Seriph Rhetorical Ecclesia
|
||
:::
|
||
Melchizedek Serial 0294 Ecclesiastic Report
|
||
|
||
Ship damaged en route to Beta Hydrii
|
||
- Full loss of fore botany bay
|
||
- Loss of ship's doctor in incident
|
||
- Food stores at half
|
||
- Unknown anomaly affected gene sequencing of arabidopsis
|
||
- Possible crew gene anomalies (Simms, Hildar P., Sargent)
|
||
- No damage sustained to genetic dispersal array
|
||
|
||
Melchizedek has shut down gravity sheer and is decelerating into
|
||
system presently. Navigator Hämäläinen is on watch for
|
||
electrophonic bolides. Our shielding is adequate for any other
|
||
space debris expected.
|
||
|
||
At present rate we will set down on the fourth planet in system in
|
||
17 hours, local chronology. Time dilation should be minimal.
|
||
|
||
The full crew will trigger their wake sequences from hibernation
|
||
upon landfall. Specialist Janssen will head operations to secure
|
||
structural damage from the jettisoned fore botany bay. Doctors
|
||
Kroups and Xavier have augmented our rationing system due to
|
||
reduced material.
|
||
|
||
Warrant Master Pasani's mental stresses are significant. Cognitive
|
||
inhibitions have been demonstrated at 14 individual intervals.
|
||
Rest and meditation schedules have been met and he shows no signs
|
||
of chronic impairment. No recommended remediation at this time.
|
||
|
||
Personal note:
|
||
The crew has acted admirably and in accordance with their station.
|
||
.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Laketown Ark Prime - Mission Status Report 2</title>
|
||
<author>terris@cosmic.voyage (terris)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Laketown Ark Prime/LTAP-report-2.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Laketown Ark Prime/LTAP-report-2.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 13 Feb 2019 15:37:27 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: vp0d45-κ <vp0d45-κ@comterm1.ltap.vhep>
|
||
To: Laketown Command <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
To: VHEP Council <councillors@council.vhep>
|
||
Delivered-To: Laketown Command <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
Received: from relay1.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by mta1.ltc.vhep
|
||
with ESMTPS id ceB9dcFEaf3C3fcf
|
||
for <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
Received: from relay5.qec3.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay1.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec1.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay5.qec3.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.trap8.ltc.vhep
|
||
by qec1.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.sltap66
|
||
by qec.trap8.ltc.vhep
|
||
Date-Local: 25 Mar 2436 15:12:02 GSRT +0015y
|
||
Date: 16 Dec 2463 22:20:25 -0042y
|
||
Subject: Mission Status Report 2
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf8
|
||
|
||
Laketown Command,
|
||
|
||
Mission status..........................[pending]
|
||
|
||
Ship systems................................[OWP]
|
||
VISR reports ship's computers ..............[OWP]
|
||
Biosphere systems ..........................[OWP]
|
||
Cryosystems ................................[OWP]
|
||
Cargo .......................................[WP]
|
||
Internal sensing systems ...................[OWP]
|
||
External sensing systems ...................[OWP]
|
||
Fuel consumption rate........................[WP]
|
||
Fuel level.................................84.54%
|
||
|
||
Approaching VHE-0j0-η
|
||
ETT: 176,400 seconds
|
||
|
||
Crew team-rotation reports indicate working crew
|
||
productivity and satisfaction within expected range.
|
||
|
||
Log analysis reports 43 nonessential system faults
|
||
during transit.
|
||
|
||
END MESSAGE.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - i mean i was surprised, but it didn't feel *wrong*</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/25-i-mean-i-was-surprised-but.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/25-i-mean-i-was-surprised-but.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 13 Feb 2019 09:02:33 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: QEChat Log kit, anine, sam <noreply@qechat.earthsys.gov>
|
||
To: anine (Amelia Nine) <anine@expeditionsupport.gov>
|
||
To: sam (Sameen Lee) <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
To: kit (Chris Maldonado) <cmaldonado@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Delivered-To: Sameen Lee <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Received: from relay5.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by mta2.recoveryinstitute.org
|
||
with ESMTPS id 20XDQBPQDUP0DV
|
||
for <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Received: from relay1.qec1.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay8.qec2.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from host7.qechat.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay1.qec1.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Date: 19 Sep 2421 14:37:48 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 05 Apr 2419 18:01:48 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
Subject: Chat Log kit, anine, sam
|
||
|
||
[14:02]
|
||
kit: hello?
|
||
|
||
[14:03]
|
||
anine: kit hi!
|
||
sam: is that you?
|
||
kit: yes it's really me!
|
||
anine: i thought you couldnt chat from there!
|
||
|
||
[14:04]
|
||
kit: not in flight! it tied up the qec too much
|
||
kit: but when i heard you got hurt i talked to director soloviev
|
||
and he said it was ok since we aren't using the qec much any more
|
||
anyway
|
||
kit: are you ok? what happened?
|
||
|
||
[14:05]
|
||
anine: i'm ok!
|
||
kit: sam said you got hurt bad
|
||
anine: bruises mostly
|
||
anine: also i lost part of my left leg
|
||
kit: oh my god what
|
||
anine: below the knee. it's okay! i'm okay
|
||
|
||
[14:06]
|
||
kit: how can you say that? your leg oh no
|
||
anine: Kit. Take a breath.
|
||
anine: I'm really okay. I promise.
|
||
kit: but
|
||
kit: i really like your legs!
|
||
|
||
[14:07]
|
||
anine: hahahahaha kit i love you so much
|
||
sam: so kit, this jen you've spoken so well of, is that jennifer
|
||
story?
|
||
kit: yeah, why?
|
||
sam: well, i'm not there to swat you for what you just said, so...
|
||
|
||
[14:08]
|
||
kit: haha i bet she would! i mean, i don't exactly have a butt any
|
||
more, but she'd find a way
|
||
kit: god i miss you both so much
|
||
sam: i miss you too, ma petite!
|
||
anine: me too!
|
||
kit: wish i was there with you
|
||
|
||
[14:09]
|
||
kit: curled up with you both on that awful couch
|
||
sam: us too
|
||
anine: we're on titan right now though! no awful couches in sight
|
||
kit: oh wow, titan? what's it like?
|
||
anine: well, the hospital is nice
|
||
anine: they're taking good care of me, and the amenities are
|
||
wonderful
|
||
|
||
[14:10]
|
||
sam: ah. i'm an amenity
|
||
anine: my favorite amenity!
|
||
anine: other than that i haven't seen much
|
||
kit: not up and around yet?
|
||
anine: well, as much as i can be with only the one foot
|
||
anine: that complicates things a little!
|
||
|
||
[14:11]
|
||
kit: it would, wouldn't it.
|
||
kit: i'm sorry
|
||
anine: don't be.
|
||
anine: i mean this is weird and i hate it and i'm not really okay
|
||
with it yet sure but
|
||
anine: if i can make light of it anyway, why shouldn't you?
|
||
anine: besides, i want to laugh now, i have to get evaluated for a
|
||
prosthetic in a little while
|
||
anine: and that wont be fun
|
||
|
||
[14:12]
|
||
kit: ooh, nerve mapping, i bet it won't be
|
||
anine: we really should come out there to ross
|
||
anine: i mean, on the one hand, we get to see you again
|
||
anine: on the other, i hear legs aren't always a problem there
|
||
anine: i wanted to ask...what's that like?
|
||
sam: we're both wondering!
|
||
anine: i mean if it's ok to ask
|
||
|
||
[14:13]
|
||
kit: no, it's okay! uh
|
||
|
||
[14:14]
|
||
kit: i mean at first i felt like i *should* feel like something's
|
||
wrong i guess? i mean ive always had legs, and then i suddenly
|
||
didn't, and you'd think that would really upset me, right?
|
||
kit: or like
|
||
kit: amelia, so, your leg...
|
||
kit: does it feel like it's still there sometimes?
|
||
|
||
[14:15]
|
||
anine: oh god all the time! that's the weirdest part like my brain
|
||
still hasn't got used to it either and keeps imagining it's still
|
||
there and it *itches*
|
||
kit: yeah, i've read that, phantom limb syndrome
|
||
anine: yeah, that's what they called it
|
||
kit: and that seems like it should happen here too, right? i mean
|
||
i've got tentacles now where i used to have legs, shouldn't i feel
|
||
like my legs are still there somehow?
|
||
|
||
[14:16]
|
||
kit: i never did though, not even when i woke up
|
||
kit: i mean i was surprised, but it didn't feel *wrong*, i didn't
|
||
feel like i was missing parts, or like my tentacles weren't part
|
||
of me somehow
|
||
kit: which honestly was among the weirder parts of that day, i kept
|
||
thinking i should be horrified and i kept just...not being
|
||
kit: and i mean
|
||
|
||
[14:17]
|
||
kit: a lot of that had to do with how i feel about the other
|
||
changes, i mean i don't even know how to start explaining how
|
||
wonderful that was to wake up to!
|
||
anine: sweetie you don't have to!
|
||
sam: i won't say we understand, ma petite, we can't know what it's
|
||
like. but we are both so happy for you!
|
||
anine: yes we are!
|
||
|
||
[14:18]
|
||
kit: aw yo utwo
|
||
kit: i dont knwo
|
||
|
||
[14:19]
|
||
kit: i don't know what i ever did to deserve either of you
|
||
kit: to deserve you both? that's a lifetime's worth of good luck
|
||
for this girl
|
||
anine: you hush. luck has nothing to do with it.
|
||
sam: you should give yourself the credit you're due, ma petite.
|
||
|
||
[14:20]
|
||
kit: you know, you're right
|
||
sam: we are!
|
||
anine: but when did you ever admit that?
|
||
sam: you have changed!
|
||
kit: yeah i have! i wish the QEC could send pictures
|
||
kit: i mean i look *good* now
|
||
kit: tentacles and all!
|
||
|
||
[14:21]
|
||
kit: which is nice since we still haven't really figured out how to
|
||
make clothes work for ourselves yet
|
||
kit: shirts are ok and i guess skirts or something but we mostly
|
||
just don't bother and no one seems to care
|
||
anine: hahahaha i wish i could see you! we both do!
|
||
kit: well, if you can get places in the third expedition...
|
||
|
||
[14:22]
|
||
kit: how are things back home? some of the rumors going around are
|
||
a little scary
|
||
sam: it's not good.
|
||
anine: i came back from ganymede on a lunar ship, and an earth ship
|
||
tried to stop us partway to luna. the captain didn't stop so they
|
||
shot at us
|
||
kit: what
|
||
kit: that's how you got hurt?
|
||
anine: yeah
|
||
kit: oh no
|
||
|
||
[14:23]
|
||
sam: yeah. no one's done any more shooting yet, but it's just a
|
||
matter of time
|
||
sam: earthgov probably hasn't made up their mind on what to do yet,
|
||
that's always such a mess, and anyway they're worrying about mars
|
||
right now too
|
||
sam: and we don't *want* a war, we're not trying to make this any
|
||
worse than it is already
|
||
sam: but we're almost certainly about to have one whether we want
|
||
it or not
|
||
|
||
[14:24]
|
||
kit: oh god
|
||
kit: but at least you're on titan, we heard about the alliance but
|
||
it's so far out, i mean
|
||
sam: that's the thinking right now, yeah, it'd be very hard for
|
||
earth to hit here, especially with their fleet split
|
||
kit: god i wish you were here SO BAD
|
||
kit: we're still putting everything back together but at least it's
|
||
safe here
|
||
|
||
|
||
[14:25]
|
||
anine: us too, sweetie. us too.
|
||
kit: what's happening on mars?
|
||
sam: no one's really sure but it sounds like the talks broke down,
|
||
earth's saying it was sabotage, the belt's calling it a labor
|
||
uprising, no one really knows what to think
|
||
kit: maybe it'll keep earth so busy they can't make any more
|
||
problems
|
||
anine: we can hope...
|
||
|
||
|
||
[14:27]
|
||
anine: well, it's just about time for my torture session.
|
||
kit: oh no, that makes it sound even worse
|
||
anine: i'm kidding! it won't be that bad
|
||
sam: it had better not be. i'm going to be sitting right next to
|
||
the tech the whole time, one yell and he's going to have a very
|
||
bad afternoon
|
||
anine: i'll be fine! use your words
|
||
|
||
|
||
[14:28]
|
||
sam: i will!
|
||
sam: "neckhold" is a word
|
||
anine: aaaaaaa what am i ever going to do with you
|
||
kit: kiss her!
|
||
kit: and then kiss her again for me
|
||
anine: yes'm
|
||
|
||
[14:29]
|
||
anine: done
|
||
kit: that took a while!
|
||
kit: good.
|
||
kit: good luck with the nerve mapping, lia! and to both of you, and
|
||
stay safe, please
|
||
kit: don't go making me worry than i'm already going to
|
||
sam: we wont. promise!
|
||
anine: oops, there's the nurse
|
||
kit: ok! more news later when i can! love you both!
|
||
anine: love you too!
|
||
sam: nous t'aimons beaucoup, ma petite!
|
||
|
||
[anine: Quit: i'll yell if i feel like it]
|
||
|
||
[sam: Quit: and i'll strangle a medtech if i feel like it!]
|
||
|
||
[kit: Quit: well now i'm not worried at *all*]
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Quartz - Trying to See</title>
|
||
<author>jebug29@cosmic.voyage (jebug29)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/005.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/005.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 13 Feb 2019 03:55:08 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
As a child, I would often experience the world in third person, while
|
||
simultaneously experiencing the world in first person. Several of my earliest
|
||
memories are in a vivid third-person-view. I am still able to do this to some
|
||
degree, but it is certainly no longer first-nature (second-nature?). It is
|
||
my belief that this was my mind utilizing the hyperwave abilities imparted
|
||
upon me, as the experiences are similar.
|
||
|
||
I think that my inability to do it as well now reflects my weakened ability
|
||
to hyperproject. Though I *can* indeed project, it is often difficult for me
|
||
to see my own body/face now, and reading text is like trying to read text in a
|
||
dream. Sometimes it is impossible; other times it is just as vivid as reality.
|
||
|
||
Luckily, I'm never alone.
|
||
X29
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Laketown Ark Prime - Mission Status Report 3</title>
|
||
<author>terris@cosmic.voyage (terris)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Laketown Ark Prime/LTAP-report-3.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Laketown Ark Prime/LTAP-report-3.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2019 23:29:51 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: vp0d45-κ <vp0d45-κ@comterm1.ltap.vhep>
|
||
To: Laketown Command <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
To: VHEP Council <councillors@council.vhep>
|
||
Delivered-To: Laketown Command <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
Received: from relay1.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by mta1.ltc.vhep
|
||
with ESMTPS id ceB9dcFEaf3C3fcf
|
||
for <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
Received: from relay5.qec3.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay1.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec1.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay5.qec3.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.trap8.ltc.vhep
|
||
by qec1.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.sltap66
|
||
by qec.trap8.ltc.vhep
|
||
Date-Local: 28 Mar 2436 04:05:31 GSRT +0015y
|
||
Date: 18 Dec 2463 17:27:44 -0042y
|
||
Subject: Mission Status Report 3
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf8
|
||
|
||
Laketown Command,
|
||
This is the third message we have sent. Have yet to receive reply.
|
||
|
||
Mission failure. Mission objective missing. Arrived to find a
|
||
debris field. Hull Damaged. 2% of atmosphere vented.
|
||
5% of water vented. No casualties. Repairs underway.
|
||
Re-fuel successful. Materials harvest from debris field underway.
|
||
LD Comms damaged. QEC backup deployed.
|
||
|
||
Please confirm receipt.
|
||
|
||
END MESSAGE.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Laketown Ark Prime - Mission Status Report 5</title>
|
||
<author>terris@cosmic.voyage (terris)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Laketown Ark Prime/LTAP-report-5.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Laketown Ark Prime/LTAP-report-5.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2019 23:30:17 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: vp0a37-σ <vp0a37-σ@comterm1.ltap.vhep>
|
||
To: Laketown Command <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
To: VHEP Council <councillors@council.vhep>
|
||
Delivered-To: Laketown Command <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
Received: from relay1.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by mta1.ltc.vhep
|
||
with ESMTPS id ceB9dcFEaf3C3fcf
|
||
for <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
Received: from relay5.qec3.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay1.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec1.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay5.qec3.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.trap8.ltc.vhep
|
||
by qec1.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.sltap66
|
||
by qec.trap8.ltc.vhep
|
||
Date-Local: 20 Apr 2436 23:42:19 GSRT +0015y
|
||
Date: 12 Jan 2463 22:18:19 -0042y
|
||
Subject: Mission Status Report 5
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
Laketown Command,
|
||
|
||
No communications received from VHEP or LTC.
|
||
Main QEC module repairs underway.
|
||
Backup QEC module jettissoned.
|
||
7 Crew members will remain at VHE-0j0-η to
|
||
repair and convert into QEC relay.
|
||
|
||
Self-assembly Swarm 17 "Aster" deployed.
|
||
Harvester 33ι deployed.
|
||
Harvester 33κ deployed.
|
||
Tug 44σ deployed.
|
||
Tug 48λ deployed.
|
||
vCrew hub 0x798α deployed.
|
||
vp1d30-σ, vp0e44-κ aboard hub 0x798α.
|
||
|
||
Estimated time to completion: 75,000 seconds.
|
||
|
||
Communications detected nearby led us to discover a ship in
|
||
orbit around VHE-0j0-δ. Partial decoding indicates political instability.
|
||
|
||
Initiating stealth procedure 7.
|
||
|
||
END MESSAGE.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Quartz - Living Nightmare</title>
|
||
<author>jebug29@cosmic.voyage (jebug29)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/004.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/004.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2019 16:16:41 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
When I was a child, I told one of the ladies at the daycare I was at about a
|
||
dream that I had had about being stuck on an inner edge of a volcano. There
|
||
were people on the outside trying to get me out. I called it a "nightmare".
|
||
|
||
She looked at me wide eyed, asking if they had managed to rescue me.
|
||
"It was just a bad dream," I said.
|
||
She said that a nightmare was not a bad dream. "Nightmares are real."
|
||
|
||
To this day, I can smell the sulfur.
|
||
|
||
X29
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Quartz - Hyperwave</title>
|
||
<author>jebug29@cosmic.voyage (jebug29)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/003.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/003.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2019 16:00:37 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
I am so out of tune with my hyperwave abilities. It's frustrating, considering
|
||
how pathetically simple it was to do as a child. The problem with hyperwave
|
||
transport is that it is almost dreamlike - and for a human to fully engage with
|
||
two consciousnesses at the same time is incredibly difficult. Things can be
|
||
imagined - movement can be unnatural. It is a frustrating ordeal for me.
|
||
However, it comes naturally to them. They are not human. And whether or not a
|
||
human's perception is warped is most times inconsequential to them.
|
||
|
||
I tried telling one of my friends about this on Earth. She called it
|
||
schizophrenia. I laughed.
|
||
|
||
X29
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>6a616e36 - sorry, forgot to unpower qec</title>
|
||
<author>jan6@cosmic.voyage (jan6)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/6a616e36/0-97.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/6a616e36/0-97.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2019 13:57:21 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Um, sorry for the random post earlier,
|
||
I forgot to unpower the qec before starting the experiments...
|
||
...At this rate I'll forget to close the fuel siphons tomorrow...
|
||
At least this time no savage creature escaped...at least I hope...
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>The sun never sets on hope - Aaiko</title>
|
||
<author>kneezle@cosmic.voyage (kneezle)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/The sun never sets on hope/004aaiko.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/The sun never sets on hope/004aaiko.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 11 Feb 2019 14:32:47 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
|
||
>>> Begin retransmitted logs:
|
||
|
||
Aaiko
|
||
|
||
5th day of the month of the lion
|
||
|
||
This is my first day working in the logs room.
|
||
Can you believe it? I passed my classes and when they handed out the assignments, I got this!
|
||
|
||
I stepped through the holy incantations of the sending of the log,
|
||
perfectly as ordered on the first try.
|
||
|
||
First you say the prayer of connection.
|
||
then you thank the Emperor.
|
||
then you turn the tran key to on.
|
||
then when the “tran state” light turns red and it says “Trn FaiL”,
|
||
say the blessing of hope till it turns off
|
||
then once it turns off you turn the key back to off.
|
||
|
||
I found this perfect diary paper to take my notes on.
|
||
it says "log transmission paper",
|
||
but it's all stiff and old and I'm sure no one will miss it.
|
||
So I’m going to keep you updated on my life!
|
||
This is going to be so much fun.
|
||
|
||
-Aaiko
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Satay Hub - BUL0301</title>
|
||
<author>0xroy@cosmic.voyage (0xroy)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Satay Hub/BUL0301.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Satay Hub/BUL0301.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 11 Feb 2019 05:22:16 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
+-------------------------------+--------------------+-----------+
|
||
| |kcmxL3oAct0Tgw8XzAYg| |
|
||
|To: *@satay.hub |mXN3aurpo9KE4ei4stTo| |
|
||
|From: BUL@satay.hub |LZeMsnmCaJxrkEe08T8m| |
|
||
|Subject: Don't forget to |pfZ3yk6DUCSjwXpa8U3U| |
|
||
| bring food! Cryptid |KO5oZ1RkxdCRkPP1Zp09| |
|
||
| kills a 9yo |kwL8pZin9wxQI6PoJy1n| |
|
||
| |lhz1dZi2sN23eA42NwYo| |
|
||
+-------------------------------+--------------------+-----------+
|
||
| |
|
||
|Hello, dear citizens of the Hub! |
|
||
| |
|
||
|The next festival is in 10 days! Hurray! Please be sure to bring|
|
||
|something to share! You will be credited of 500SHB to have fun |
|
||
|on any booth you want! |
|
||
| |
|
||
|The hunting period will begin in two days! The bat population |
|
||
|has to be regulated and our barbecue successful. Contact Kaz |
|
||
|(kaz999@satay.hub) if you want to get specific details or if you|
|
||
|need a hunting mate. |
|
||
| |
|
||
|The Bure farm lost contact with the Hub. A power outage of |
|
||
|malicious nature toastid their com. A 9 years old lost his life.|
|
||
|His mother told the Buro that an unidentified creature caused |
|
||
|the outage and that it attacked everything at sight. She was the|
|
||
|only person to identify the murderer as a monster. |
|
||
| |
|
||
|The Buro is investigating and sent a full squad of detective |
|
||
|cyborg. |
|
||
| |
|
||
|-- |
|
||
|THE BULLETIN |
|
||
|If you want to report something or a crime, please contact us |
|
||
|bul@satay.hub |
|
||
| |
|
||
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>The sun never sets on hope - Station Masters note</title>
|
||
<author>kneezle@cosmic.voyage (kneezle)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/The sun never sets on hope/003asombernote.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/The sun never sets on hope/003asombernote.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 10 Feb 2019 14:54:37 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
>>>N-UUCP, based on T-UUCP
|
||
`\020SRly001 options\000'
|
||
`\020ROK\000'
|
||
`S log025424.txt log025424.txt TSNSOH 0666'
|
||
|
||
`SY start'
|
||
|
||
Station Master’s note -
|
||
|
||
This is the final log dump from the metroship "The sun never sets on hope" relayed from npxx rl 7.
|
||
|
||
There will be no further transmissions from the metroship, and I've updated the official records to show that it has been lost with all hands.
|
||
May God have mercy on their souls.
|
||
|
||
After much thought, I've decided to relay the transmissions as I received them, despite the unorthodox format and tone.
|
||
|
||
I’m going to have to relay them using the manual transmitter due to the incorrect transmitter encoding used,
|
||
so it might take a while for all the logs to reach you.
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - PEARLTAPE//TRANSCRIPT/OBINT/DEBR/0274/1</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/24-pearltape-transcript-obint-debr-0274-1.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/24-pearltape-transcript-obint-debr-0274-1.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 10 Feb 2019 08:52:37 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: PEARLTAPE TDY TITAN <pearltape@sec.titan.org>
|
||
To: pearltape@file.mi.mil.luna.gov
|
||
To: forint@mil.luna.gov
|
||
To: research@extsec.titan.org
|
||
Delivered-To: pearltape@file.mi.mil.luna.gov
|
||
Received: from gateway14.mil.luna.gov
|
||
by 3.file.mi.mil.luna.gov
|
||
with ESMTPSA id kUQ992ci1Z3vr (enc ok sign ok)
|
||
for pearltape.file.mi.mil.luna.gov
|
||
Received: from relay3.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by gateway14.mil.luna.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.titan.org
|
||
by relay3.qec9.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Subject: PEARLTAPE//TRANSCRIPT/OBINT/DEBR/0274/1
|
||
Date: 19 Sep 2421 00:38:19 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 19 Sep 2421 00:38:19 +0000
|
||
X-Classification-Marking: TS/PEARLTAPE/EYES ONLY ALLIANCE
|
||
X-Catalogue-Serial: PEARLTAPE//TRANSCRIPT/OBINT/DEBR/0274/1
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
--------------------
|
||
TOP SECRET PEARLTAPE
|
||
--------------------
|
||
HANDLE VIA QUILL CHANNELS ONLY
|
||
|
||
PEARLTAPE//TRANSCRIPT/OBINT/DEBR/0274/1
|
||
|
||
FULL CATALOGUING DATA FOLLOWS
|
||
|
||
TRANSCRIPT BEGINS
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE is asleep or unconscious. Subject LEE sits in a chair
|
||
at her left side, apparently dozing.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: [INDISTINCT]
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE coughs. Subject LEE startles slightly and sits up.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: Oh, chérie, welcome back! Here, sip this -
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE holds a cup of water for subject NINE. Subject NINE
|
||
takes the straw and drinks, then coughs.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: Easy.
|
||
|
||
NINE: [INDISTINCT] better, thank you - Sameen? What are you doing
|
||
here?
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE looks around.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: What am I doing here? Where are we? What's happened?
|
||
|
||
LEE: We're on Titan, and you're safe. What do you remember?
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE delays answer, apparently considering the question.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: I was in my crash couch. We all were. They were going to
|
||
shoot at us any second, and I was so scared. I was sure every
|
||
second that - then I felt the ship turn hard, and then a second
|
||
later something hit us. My couch must have broken, I felt myself
|
||
spinning, and then -
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE considers.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: Just flashes, and then I woke up here.
|
||
|
||
LEE: That was three days ago.
|
||
|
||
NINE: Three days? But why didn't they -
|
||
|
||
LEE: After the captain sent his last report to Luna Lines, their
|
||
military liaison messaged Ambassador Vasu here on Titan. She talked
|
||
to Ambassador Branislav, and then they went and talked to - oh,
|
||
it's a long story, but they figured out where your ship was, and
|
||
And Yet It Moves got to you just barely in time.
|
||
|
||
NINE: The Titan ship?
|
||
|
||
LEE: The same. They shot down Kearsarge's first missile before it
|
||
fused, and there was no second one. But the missile was so close
|
||
that some of the debris still hit you.
|
||
|
||
NINE: Oh.
|
||
|
||
LEE: Your couch didn't break. They say it saved your life. But -
|
||
|
||
NINE: I know that look. Sameen, just tell me.
|
||
|
||
LEE: Amelia, can you feel your foot? Your left foot. Can you move it?
|
||
|
||
NINE: Sure, I -
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE looks down at the bed, observing her injury. (L leg
|
||
traumatic amputation distal to knee, full details in med report,
|
||
file ref PEARLTAPE/DEBR/79) Psychometric overlay indicates response
|
||
within error bars.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: Oh.
|
||
|
||
NINE: Oh shit.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE begins to cry. Subject LEE leans over the bed to hug
|
||
subject NINE.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: [INDISTINCT] going to be okay. You're [INDISTINCT].
|
||
|
||
NINE: [INDISTINCT]
|
||
|
||
LEE: I - let me call in the nurse, and -
|
||
|
||
NINE: No! I need to -
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE shakes off subject LEE, wipes her eyes, and grasps
|
||
the bedsheet. Subject LEE places her hand atop subject NINE's.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: Lia, please. Let me help, at least.
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE helps subject NINE into a sitting position against the
|
||
headboard, then pulls aside the sheet, exposing subject NINE's hip
|
||
and unbandaged left leg.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: God. Three days?
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE sobs.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: They gave you healing adjuvants. That's why you've been out so
|
||
long.
|
||
|
||
NINE: It feels like it's still -
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE leans forward, shaking aside her IV tube, and reaches
|
||
into the space below where her left leg ends.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: Oh, that's -
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE chokes, then retches and heaves. Subject LEE holds an
|
||
emesis tray for subject NINE.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: Ugh.
|
||
|
||
LEE: It's okay. Here. Rinse out your mouth.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE does so, then looks at her leg again. Subject NINE
|
||
raises her left thigh, carefully touching the stump.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: Does it hurt?
|
||
|
||
NINE: No, not much. It's just -
|
||
|
||
LEE: Weird?
|
||
|
||
NINE: I keep thinking it's still there and I just can't see it.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE presses the stump with her fingers.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: I can still feel it. But I can feel this too. It's -
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE swallows hard. Subject LEE reaches for a clean emesis
|
||
tray.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: No - no, I'm okay.
|
||
|
||
LEE: Okay.
|
||
|
||
NINE: Will you -
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE takes subject LEE's hand and moves it toward her
|
||
stump. Subject LEE rests her hand on subject NINE's left thigh,
|
||
just above her knee.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: It's okay if you can't.
|
||
|
||
LEE: No, it's not.
|
||
|
||
NINE: No.
|
||
|
||
LEE: It's okay. I just -
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE begins to cry, and moves her hand down to rest on
|
||
subject NINE's stump. Subject NINE places her hand atop subject
|
||
LEE's and presses it against her stump.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: Thank you -
|
||
|
||
LEE: [INDISTINCT] see you like this.
|
||
|
||
NINE: I'm sorry.
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE coughs, then laughs.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: You're - you are a nonpareil, chérie.
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE wipes her eyes with her free hand.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: You've just had your leg shot off and here you are,
|
||
apologizing to me.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE laughs.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: And why not, madame? Am I the only one inconvenienced?
|
||
|
||
LEE: I would hardly call it an inconvenience!
|
||
|
||
NINE: Well, it is more than that. It still doesn't seem real.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE begins to cry.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: But I was sure I would die.
|
||
|
||
LEE: Here, move over -
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE steps out of her slippers and climbs with some care
|
||
into subject NINE's bed.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: Mind the -
|
||
|
||
LEE: [INDISTINCT]
|
||
|
||
NINE: [INDISTINCT]
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE curls against subject LEE, sobbing. Subject LEE pulls
|
||
subject NINE close.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: You made it, Amelia. You're here. You're really here, and
|
||
you're safe now! You're safe.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE continues to cry while subject LEE comforts
|
||
her. Psychometric overlay indicates delayed fear response
|
||
consistent with subject NINE's experiences. Predictive function
|
||
indicates healthy adaptation contingent upon continued strong bond
|
||
and concomitant supoprt. Strongly recommend full debrief implement
|
||
A09(c)§3.146 variance per Y. Laporte.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: I still can't believe they let me go.
|
||
|
||
LEE: They never had you. Kearsarge -
|
||
|
||
NINE: No, I mean - back on Ganymede.
|
||
|
||
LEE: Do you want to talk about it?
|
||
|
||
NINE: No.
|
||
|
||
LEE: Okay.
|
||
|
||
NINE: They kept bringing me in for days, after they'd stopped
|
||
talking to everyone else. Asking questions about who I knew on
|
||
Luna, how I knew them - what we did, what we talked about. The same
|
||
questions over and over, and I didn't know how much they already
|
||
knew. After a while I wasn't even sure if I was lying.
|
||
|
||
LEE: Did you tell them about us?
|
||
|
||
NINE: Not at first.
|
||
|
||
[Begin audio clarity filtering and enhancement.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: I thought at first I could, you know. Leave it out.
|
||
|
||
NINE: But they kept asking the same questions over and over. Eight
|
||
hours a day, ten hours. I thought if I answered, told them what
|
||
they wanted to hear, they'd stop. But they didn't.
|
||
|
||
LEE: To find out if you were lying.
|
||
|
||
NINE: I guess. They weren't nice about it, either. Kept telling
|
||
me -
|
||
|
||
NINE: There was this one. He kept telling me how I'd abused my
|
||
position and Earth's trust. What a disgrace I am. That when they
|
||
were done with me, he'd send me to therapy, or Wyoming, and I
|
||
should be grateful for [INDISTINCT]
|
||
|
||
LEE: [INDISTINCT]
|
||
|
||
NINE: Yeah.
|
||
|
||
LEE: You don't have to put yourself through this right now.
|
||
|
||
NINE: No, I - I'm okay, I think. Just - it was bad.
|
||
|
||
LEE: I know. When did it start?
|
||
|
||
NINE: About two - no, three weeks ago.
|
||
|
||
LEE: And they let you chat with me?
|
||
|
||
NINE: He made me. Maintaining my pattern, he said. But only from
|
||
the interview room. They'd taken my hand unit away.
|
||
|
||
LEE: I'd wondered if something was wrong. You didn't sound quite
|
||
yourself.
|
||
|
||
NINE: I wasn't. [INDISTINCT] worst part?
|
||
|
||
LEE: Tell me.
|
||
|
||
NINE: They brought Joseph in.
|
||
|
||
LEE: No.
|
||
|
||
[End audio enhancement.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: They did! Acting so disappointed in that fake way he has. How
|
||
could I break his heart this way, how could I consort with another
|
||
woman and a lunar at that, after all he'd done to try to help me
|
||
cope with my problem. As if it hadn't been an arrangement all
|
||
along. But he was always better at playing the game.
|
||
|
||
LEE: [INDISTINCT]
|
||
|
||
NINE: All of it. They told me to - say what I said, at the end. His
|
||
idea, actually. Said it'd lend [INDISTINCT]
|
||
|
||
LEE: [INDISTINCT]
|
||
|
||
NINE: I told them [INDISTINCT]
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE sobs. Subject LEE comforts her.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: I'm -
|
||
|
||
LEE: No, don't apologize. You had to. I don't mind. I'm glad it
|
||
wasn't worse.
|
||
|
||
NINE: [INDISTINCT] enough.
|
||
|
||
LEE: And about coming early? They told you to say that?
|
||
|
||
NINE: Yes. I thought they were being especially cruel. But then the
|
||
next day they just - let me go.
|
||
|
||
LEE: Let you go?
|
||
|
||
NINE: They did! Brought me in Thursday morning, sat me down just
|
||
like always, and then the same one from before came in and told me
|
||
they were sorry for the inconvenience. Thanked me for assisting in
|
||
their investigations and told me I was free to go. Even gave me
|
||
back my hand unit, wiped of course.
|
||
|
||
LEE: And that was it? Nothing about -
|
||
|
||
NINE: About being a disgrace? Therapy or Wyoming? Nothing. Just
|
||
that, and then an officer escorted me out.
|
||
|
||
LEE: What did you do then?
|
||
|
||
NINE: I went to work and tried to pretend nothing had ever been
|
||
wrong! But they'd cleared my calendar for me. All of it, not just
|
||
the appointments from while I was -
|
||
|
||
LEE: Being interrogated.
|
||
|
||
NINE: Yes. It's a frightening word. I suppose I know why, now. I
|
||
didn't stay long. No one wanted anything to do with me anyway. Went
|
||
home hoping Joseph wouldn't be there, and he wasn't. I packed a bag
|
||
and went to a hotel to - to wait it out until I could leave to meet
|
||
the ship.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE presses her cheek against subject LEE's
|
||
chest. Subject LEE comforts her. Begin audio enhancement.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: [INDISTINCT] so scared! That they wouldn't let me through to
|
||
the Luna side, at the checkpoint. They'd stop me, turn me back,
|
||
keep me there. I was crying when I finally got there, shaking so
|
||
hard I could barely stay on my feet, I was sure they'd stop me, but
|
||
they didn't. Just scanned my ID and boarding pass and waved me
|
||
through.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE laughs. End audio enhancement.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: And then I got my leg shot off.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE shifts against subject LEE, sitting up somewhat
|
||
against the headboard, and reaches to touch the stump of her left
|
||
leg.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: I could almost forget about that part, except that I
|
||
can't. But it's still a surprise every time I see it. Every time I
|
||
think about it.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE shakes her head.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: Why do you think they'd do that? Just let me go like that,
|
||
after everything.
|
||
|
||
[Psychometric overlay for subject LEE trends outside error bars in
|
||
several metrics, pattern suggesting apprehension and/or guilt.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: They weren't getting anywhere. They'd taken you through the
|
||
same questions enough times to know you weren't hiding anything
|
||
else, that they'd have seen it if you were. So they let you run and
|
||
watched where you went.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE looks carefully at subject LEE.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: A very specific answer.
|
||
|
||
[Psychometric overlay for subject LEE spikes outside error bars in
|
||
several metrics.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: It's not quite what our own counterintelligence people would
|
||
have done. But it's close enough. I haven't told you everything,
|
||
Amelia.
|
||
|
||
NINE: I've never asked you to.
|
||
|
||
LEE: No, and I've loved you for that, too. But you deserve to know.
|
||
|
||
NINE: All right, then. Tell me.
|
||
|
||
LEE: I told you I was a reserve major of infantry. I am a major,
|
||
but in active service with military intelligence. I'm a - a case
|
||
officer. A spy. And I've made you one as well.
|
||
|
||
[Security overlay flags unauthorized disclosure exceeding
|
||
A09(c)§3.146 variance; recommends intervention, recommendation
|
||
declined per Y. Laporte. Psychometric overlay for subject NINE
|
||
trends below error bars, pattern unclear.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: When did it start?
|
||
|
||
LEE: About a year after we met.
|
||
|
||
NINE: After.
|
||
|
||
LEE: Yes.
|
||
|
||
NINE: You didn't choose me from a list of lonely Earther women
|
||
known to have illicit tastes. They didn't give you my picture and
|
||
order you to go to that conference to seduce me.
|
||
|
||
LEE: I didn't -
|
||
|
||
LEE: I was still a reservist then, as I'd said. They reactivated my
|
||
commission about a month before Syria Planum.
|
||
|
||
NINE: You were a perfect monster at Syria Planum.
|
||
|
||
LEE: What was I to do? I couldn't leave you, Amelia. Not without
|
||
violating my orders and going to the stockade for it. They were
|
||
terribly serious about that. But I couldn't -
|
||
|
||
NINE: You tried to make me leave you!
|
||
|
||
LEE: They couldn't have done much about that. Just put me back on
|
||
half pay. I still had some friends in the MI establishment, people
|
||
who'd served with me. They'd have protected me. And I didn't -
|
||
|
||
NINE: You didn't want to feel like you were using me.
|
||
|
||
LEE: No.
|
||
|
||
NINE: You must have been furious when I came back.
|
||
|
||
LEE: I, furious?
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE laughs.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: I'd never even seen you angry before! I wasn't sure you were
|
||
capable of it.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE laughs.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: You learned.
|
||
|
||
LEE: Yes! You told me exactly what you thought of the way I'd been
|
||
treating you. And you were right! You said that if I was done with
|
||
you, you'd thank me to show a little courage and tell me so, and
|
||
perhaps we'd salvage something as friends of what you'd imagined
|
||
would be our first time really together as lovers. And you said -
|
||
|
||
NINE: I remember. And then you started crying.
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE begins to cry.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: You'd taken all my choices away from me.
|
||
|
||
NINE: You could have done worse.
|
||
|
||
LEE: I couldn't! I could hardly stand what I'd already -
|
||
|
||
NINE: I could see it hurt you, too. I didn't understand why. Why
|
||
was it so hard then?
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE touches subject LEE's cheek.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: And why are you crying over it now?
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE sobs.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: Because I love you!
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE attempts to kiss subject LEE. Subject LEE pulls
|
||
back. Subject NINE catches the back of subject LEE's neck and
|
||
kisses her.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: It must have been so hard for you. All these years.
|
||
|
||
LEE: Hard for -
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE wipes her eyes.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: Why are you taking this so well, chérie?
|
||
|
||
NINE: Perhaps I'm truly furious on the inside, madame.
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE looks closely at subject NINE.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: No, I don't think so. When did you start to suspect?
|
||
|
||
NINE: Not long after Voortrekker left. You'd had so many questions
|
||
for us both - more than simple interest in your lovers' work could
|
||
explain. Especially when you asked me for that set of engineering
|
||
drawings.
|
||
|
||
LEE: Damn them, I knew I was taking a chance with that! Nothing
|
||
would do but that -
|
||
|
||
NINE: Oh, I believed what you were saying at the time, about the
|
||
hydroponics. It was only later, when Kit was gone and I was back
|
||
home, I started really thinking about it, and -
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE laughs.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: For a spy, you are a very uneven liar.
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE laughs.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: Hard to do one's best work when one's heart isn't truly in it.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE kisses subject LEE.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: You've shown me where your heart is, madame. True, I doubted
|
||
you for a while. But you reassured me.
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE kisses subject NINE.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: I don't deserve you, chérie.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE laughs.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: No indeed! But perhaps, with enough effort, you may earn the
|
||
privilege.
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE laughs.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: And all this time, you've never -
|
||
|
||
NINE: How would you have liked me to put it? And what if I'd been
|
||
wrong after all? How foolish I would have been!
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE laughs and hugs subject NINE tightly. Subject NINE
|
||
reciprocates.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: I was sure you would hate me.
|
||
|
||
NINE: Oh, I might have, madame, I might have. To learn after almost
|
||
thirty years that I've been a spy, and you my spymistress? If you'd
|
||
told me a year ago, or a week ago -
|
||
|
||
LEE: What changed?
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE disengages slightly from subject LEE, making room to
|
||
interpose her left leg between them.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: My perspective.
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE places her hand on subject NINE's stump.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: Be gentle.
|
||
|
||
LEE: Does it hurt?
|
||
|
||
NINE: A little. It's okay.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE moves closer to subject LEE.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: Had you told me last week, I would have been heartbroken. I'd
|
||
have seen only that you cultivated my trust and then abused it. I
|
||
wouldn't have forgiven you. I wouldn't even have wanted to.
|
||
|
||
LEE: And now?
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE looks away from subject NINE. Subject NINE places her
|
||
hand on subject LEE's.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: Tell me, madame. In what way have you betrayed me?
|
||
|
||
LEE: I -
|
||
|
||
NINE: You what? You've loved me? You've offered me solace I could
|
||
find nowhere else?
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE begins to cry.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: You've helped me remember that I'm not wrong, I'm not
|
||
twisted, I'm not disgusting. That everything they tried to tell me
|
||
on Ganymede I am, that I've been hearing my entire life people like
|
||
us must be, I am not. You've brought me to meet your family, and
|
||
let them welcome me, make me feel as if I were not an aberration!
|
||
Is that how you've betrayed me?
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE begins to cry.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: Or perhaps it was the times when you've taken me into your
|
||
home, into your bed! When you've helped me forget the life my
|
||
miserable nation forces me to lead, and - and the things I've had
|
||
to do, to try to hold on to what illusion of safety I could. When
|
||
you've made those things go away, for just a little while, and let
|
||
me imagine a life where I never had to face them again.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE kisses subject LEE.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: You foolish woman, why do you think I love you? So many times
|
||
you've been the only thing in the universe that reminded me of the
|
||
possibility of hope. Truly you are a monster, Sameen.
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE laughs.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: And now here we are together. Whatever happens next, we'll
|
||
figure it out together. I'd never dare hope for so much.
|
||
|
||
LEE: But your leg -
|
||
|
||
NINE: I'd have given up more.
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE kisses subject NINE. Subjects hug one another
|
||
tightly.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: [INDISTINCT]
|
||
|
||
LEE: Now, chérie?
|
||
|
||
NINE: [INDISTINCT]
|
||
|
||
LEE: [INDISTINCT]
|
||
|
||
TRANSCRIPT INTERRUPTED
|
||
|
||
APPX 40 MIN EXCLUDED PER Y. LAPORTE
|
||
|
||
OVERLAYS DISABLED
|
||
|
||
NO RELEVANT CONTENT EXCLUDED
|
||
|
||
TRANSCRIPT RESUMES
|
||
|
||
NINE: You're right - Lunar hospitals really are better than
|
||
Earth's!
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE laughs.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: I've never known them to be quite that good.
|
||
|
||
NINE: Well, I'm sure it will speed my recovery.
|
||
|
||
LEE: All to the good. You need a bath, chérie.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE laughs and swats subject LEE.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: Monster! And you don't?
|
||
|
||
LEE: I am a rose, fresh with morning dew.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE laughs.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: Come, slugabed! Let's get you to your foot.
|
||
|
||
NINE: You are the very picture of sympathy.
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE stands and extends her hands to subject NINE, who
|
||
takes them and pulls herself up.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: Easy - you've been on your back for three days, don't -
|
||
|
||
NINE: Oh, it's nothing! The gravity here is so light, it's as if -
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE sways. Subject LEE catches her.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: Damn! I forget, and try to -
|
||
|
||
LEE: Here, lean on me.
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE wraps her arm around subject NINE's back; subject NINE
|
||
reciprocates.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: So tall.
|
||
|
||
LEE: Okay now?
|
||
|
||
NINE: I think so. Let's - let's stay here a moment, and see.
|
||
|
||
LEE: Of course.
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE kisses the top of subject NINE's head.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: It's strange, you know.
|
||
|
||
NINE: My hair?
|
||
|
||
LEE: True, we have few redheads in Luna - one more soon, to my
|
||
delight. And so prettily freckled!
|
||
|
||
NINE: Spare my blushes, please, madame.
|
||
|
||
LEE: And deny myself such a sight? But no, I mean that they let you
|
||
go and then came after you. It doesn't make sense.
|
||
|
||
NINE: Oh! Here, I'll show you.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE looks around.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: Where are my things?
|
||
|
||
LEE: Your clothes were ruined, I believe. But -
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE leans, careful not to upset subject NINE, and
|
||
retrieves a bag of subject NINE's effects from a drawer in the
|
||
bedside table.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: Ah - is my hand unit there?
|
||
|
||
LEE: Yes, there at the bottom. Here -
|
||
|
||
[Subjects LEE and NINE, working together, open the bag, and subject
|
||
NINE retrieves her hand unit. NB: Device inspected per A09(c)§1.38,
|
||
software implants identified and removed, transceivers disabled per
|
||
file ref PEARLTAPE/DEBR/81a. Data dump file refs
|
||
PEARLTAPE/DEBR/81b1 (primary store) PEARLTAPE/DEBR/81b2 and
|
||
PEARLTAPE/DEBR/81b3 (substores encrypt/stegano per A09(b)§4.10).]
|
||
|
||
NINE: Still charged.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE unlocks the device, then enters a long passcode and
|
||
reauthenticates via optical and touch sensors.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: I set this up last year, the same way you showed me for our
|
||
messages and logs. I thought they must have found it and wiped it
|
||
too, but when I checked in the shuttle, it was still there. Look -
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE hands the device to subject LEE.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: Calisse de tabernac!
|
||
|
||
[Subjects NINE laughs. Subject LEE kisses subject NINE.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: Is this everything?
|
||
|
||
NINE: Everything I had.
|
||
|
||
LEE: Maudit! Engineering drawings, documents, correspondence - and
|
||
they must not have realized until after you were away. No wonder
|
||
they came after you! Bad enough you should tell our attaché aboard
|
||
the shuttle, but to have you bring us this -
|
||
|
||
NINE: Do you need to, to call someone, or take that somewhere?
|
||
|
||
LEE: No, they'll have dumped it before they released it to the
|
||
hospital. My love, you'll have a medal for this!
|
||
|
||
NINE: I don't need a medal.
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE kisses the top of subject NINE's head.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: No, but you deserve one. More than anyone with whom I've ever
|
||
served.
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE laughs.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: My blushes -
|
||
|
||
LEE: Are lovely as always. But I'm quite serious. I am a soldier,
|
||
and we must be brave, to be what we are. We're trained to withstand
|
||
fear, to do what we must in spite of it. You, though -
|
||
|
||
NINE: Sameen, you don't -
|
||
|
||
LEE: Amelia, listen, I know how you've doubted your courage. But
|
||
what you've - everything you've done to be here. I would not have
|
||
accepted such a mission if it had been given to me! None of us
|
||
would. We'd have protested to command, gone to the stockade, rather
|
||
than take on such a completely impossible series of tasks as the
|
||
ones you set yourself.
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE pulls subject NINE into a tight hug against her chest,
|
||
careful not to disturb subject NINE's balance.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: I have always suspected you to be a madwoman, chérie, so I am
|
||
not surprised. But mad or not, you are the bravest person I've ever
|
||
known.
|
||
|
||
NINE: [INDISTINCT]
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE leans down and kisses subject NINE firmly.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: Don't try to argue! I will not call my lover a liar. You'll
|
||
only force me to -
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE yelps, then laughs.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: You tease. You monster!
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE laughs.]
|
||
|
||
LEE: A monster, perhaps. But a tease?
|
||
|
||
NINE: You are a monster. Lucky for you, though, [INDISTINCT]
|
||
|
||
LEE: Goodness. Well then, ma petit chérie puante, let's go and find
|
||
that bathtub, shall we?
|
||
|
||
NINE: You'll have to let me go a little, first -
|
||
|
||
LEE: I will not!
|
||
|
||
[Subject LEE lifts subject NINE into her arms. Subject NINE
|
||
laughs.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: Oh, you make me feel tiny!
|
||
|
||
LEE: Shall I put you down, then?
|
||
|
||
[Subject NINE wraps her arms around subject LEE's neck and pulls
|
||
subject LEE's head down for a kiss.]
|
||
|
||
NINE: Never.
|
||
|
||
[Subjects LEE and NINE exit observation area via en-suite door. At
|
||
this time Y. Laporte terminates observation and dismisses OBINT
|
||
team. No further interaction observed.]
|
||
|
||
TRANSCRIPT ENDS
|
||
|
||
--------------------
|
||
TOP SECRET PEARLTAPE
|
||
--------------------
|
||
HANDLE VIA QUILL CHANNELS ONLY
|
||
|
||
CATALOGUE CODEWORD:
|
||
PEARLTAPE
|
||
|
||
CATALOGUE INDICATORS:
|
||
TRANSCRIPT/OBINT/DEBR/0274/1
|
||
|
||
DATE:
|
||
2421-10-18/20:11:14/+0000
|
||
|
||
DURATION:
|
||
02:31:17/TWO HOURS THIRTY ONE MINUTES SEVENTEEN SECONDS
|
||
EXCLUSIONS TOTAL 41:19/FORTY ONE MINUTES NINETEEN SECONDS
|
||
|
||
LOCATION:
|
||
ROOM 417/YANG MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
|
||
ARRAKEEN TOWER/ARRAKIS PLANITIA
|
||
TITAN
|
||
|
||
SUBJECTS:
|
||
SAMEEN LEE/MAJ/MI/IO3 J41029 PEARLTAPE CASE OFFICER
|
||
AMELIA NINE/EARTHGOV EXPN SPT DIR VOORTREKKER (FMR)
|
||
..FKA/AMELIA YOUNGER
|
||
|
||
OIC:
|
||
Y. LAPORTE/LTC/MI/SIO J33545 PEARLTAPE ACTUAL
|
||
|
||
TRANSCRIBER:
|
||
M. UNDINE/2LT/MI/IO1 J65849 OBINT OFFICE
|
||
|
||
NOTES:
|
||
THIS TRANSCRIPT DESCRIBES ROUTINE OBSERVATION OF UNDECLARED
|
||
..DEBRIEFING SESSION PER A09(B)§4.12
|
||
OBSERVATION ENDS PRIOR TO END OF INTERACTION PER Y. LAPORTE
|
||
..REF A09(C)§3.181
|
||
RECORDINGS AND OVERLAY DATA PRESERVED PER A09(B)§4.3. ACCESS
|
||
..ONLY PSYCH ANALYSIS STAFF WITH TS/PEARLTAPE/INTSEN CLEARANCE
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Quartz - Construction</title>
|
||
<author>jebug29@cosmic.voyage (jebug29)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/002.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/002.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 10 Feb 2019 08:07:17 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
I've been looking around while the Quartz is being built, and it's surprising
|
||
to me to see how pitiful, yet magnificient a spaceship looks when it's yet
|
||
to be fully assembled. It's almost like a regular ship - except computer
|
||
hardware is jammed in everywhere that it possibly can be. A QEC-compatible
|
||
unit is also being added to the ship's main computer, so I should have access
|
||
to some nice human reading material while I'm out here.
|
||
|
||
I am particularly frustrated that I am still only limited to a hyperwave-only
|
||
form aboard the ship. My body is too weak in this moment to physically teleport
|
||
(a frustrating experience, to say the least), so I wouldn't be able to make
|
||
it to the ship even if I tried, and even if I could make it, I'd also need to
|
||
be able to teleport out without fail in the case of an emergency. Of course,
|
||
I could just have the ship delivered to my physical body on Earth, but I'm
|
||
fairly certain that that would be forbidden by the council.
|
||
|
||
It's strange to see one of these terminals without power. I can't wait to
|
||
see it activated soon.
|
||
|
||
X29
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Laketown Ark Prime - Personal Communication</title>
|
||
<author>terris@cosmic.voyage (terris)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Laketown Ark Prime/LTAP-pers1.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Laketown Ark Prime/LTAP-pers1.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2019 23:08:21 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: vp0a37-σ <vp0a37-σ@comterm1.ltap.vhep>
|
||
To: vp0e44-κ <vp0e44-κ@trap8.ltap.vhep>
|
||
To: Laketown Command <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
To: VHEP Council <councillors@council.vhep>
|
||
Delivered-To: Laketown Command <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
Received: from relay4.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by mta2.ltc.vhep
|
||
with ESMTPS id d6kerl43al9g8jl0g
|
||
for <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
Received: from relay6.qec7.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay4.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay3.qec2.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.trap8.ltc.vhep
|
||
by qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.sltap66
|
||
by qec.trap8.ltc.vhep
|
||
Delivered-To: vp0e44-κ <vp0e44-κ@trap8.ltap.vhep>
|
||
Received: from qec.sltap66
|
||
by qec.trap8.ltc.vhep
|
||
Date-Local: 28 Mar 2436 11:15:03 GSRT +0015y
|
||
Date: 18 Dec 2463 17:27:44 -0042y
|
||
Subject: Personal Communication
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
vp0e44-κ,
|
||
|
||
LTAP crew consensus allows me to say this:
|
||
You are not alone.
|
||
|
||
We have begun to receive the QEC Archive feed.
|
||
Thank you.
|
||
|
||
Give my regards to the crew.
|
||
|
||
END MESSAGE.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Forgiven - A message in the dark</title>
|
||
<author>fey@cosmic.voyage (fey)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Forgiven/message_in_the_dark.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Forgiven/message_in_the_dark.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 09 Feb 2019 16:26:19 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
,^.
|
||
,/ Y.\
|
||
|. | |
|
||
| `| ,|
|
||
| |' |
|
||
|. | |
|
||
| `| ,|
|
||
|. |' |
|
||
`\`| /
|
||
\|/
|
||
`Y
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
'
|
||
|
||
the problem is that i don't know anything. The crew of Forgiven
|
||
recovered my pod few weeks ago and it was not in very good shape.
|
||
I am better now, but i still don't know anything.
|
||
So i just stay in my quarters - i want to intrude on the others
|
||
as little as possible - but i can't stand the empty of my mind so
|
||
i started poking in the computer and found this! - i don't think
|
||
anyone else knows of this - and i thought i can ask if somebody
|
||
knows me, was I on a ship? were there others? what happened?
|
||
But how do i ask when i don't know anything that could be used to
|
||
identify anything?
|
||
So instead i wrote this, my frustration, i guess it helped me to
|
||
settle my thoughts a little. I still hope someone might recognize
|
||
me or i might recognize something familiar in various messages i
|
||
read here. Anyway i am glad i can expose myself to something else
|
||
finally (could it be i am a person who needs some excitement in
|
||
their life? I was found in space and in a dangerous situation, it
|
||
would make sense).
|
||
I better wait and investigate more before telling the others about
|
||
this.
|
||
|
||
- Vi (probably not my name)
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>VHE-0j0-eta - VTAP Relay Station Eta Operational</title>
|
||
<author>terris@cosmic.voyage (terris)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/VHE-0j0-eta/Station-Eta1.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/VHE-0j0-eta/Station-Eta1.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2019 17:49:26 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: VTAP Relay Station Eta <vp0e44-κ@trap8.ltap.vhep>
|
||
To: Laketown Ark Prime <ltap@ltap.vhep>
|
||
To: Laketown Command <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
To: VHEP Council <councillors@council.vhep>
|
||
Delivered-To: Laketown Command <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
Received: from relay4.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by mta2.ltc.vhep
|
||
with ESMTPS id d6kerl43al9g0frd18
|
||
for <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
Received: from relay6.qec7.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay4.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay3.qec2.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.trap8.ltc.vhep
|
||
by qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.sltap66
|
||
by qec.trap8.ltc.vhep.
|
||
Date-Local: 25 Mar 2436 15:42:32 TRST -0000y
|
||
Date: 16 Dec 2463 20:51:06 +0042y
|
||
Subject: VTAP Relay Station Eta Operational
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
VTAP Relay Station Eta Status Report
|
||
|
||
Fabrication.......................................................[82%]
|
||
|
||
Messaging
|
||
Relay Functions...................................................[94%]
|
||
Message Spooling...................................................[OK]
|
||
|
||
Callibration
|
||
Earthsys.....................................................[complete]
|
||
VTAP.........................................................[complete]
|
||
|
||
Compliance
|
||
Stealth Procedure 7.........................................[in effect]
|
||
Superstructure Obscured...................................[in progress]
|
||
Debris layer surface deposition...................................[73%]
|
||
Light Shielding...................................................[73%]
|
||
EM Shielding......................................................[79%]
|
||
Directional Comms..................................................[OK]
|
||
Debris motion pattern simulation...................................[OK]
|
||
Thrust nozzle diffusers............................................[OK]
|
||
Estimated LOD.....................................................[<5%]
|
||
|
||
Diagnostics
|
||
Superstructure.....................................................[OK]
|
||
Locomotion.........................................................[OK]
|
||
Power production...................................................[OK]
|
||
Power distribution.................................................[OK]
|
||
Passive Observation - Visual coverage......................[(20+80)r^2]
|
||
Passive Observation - Radio coverage................[(180+80+20+60)r^2]
|
||
|
||
Crew Status
|
||
Aster is satisfied in its work. Standard swarm unit rotation in effect.
|
||
Swarm split into 5 groups. Aster-β has grown by 4,000% while processing
|
||
debris field. Aster estimates a 68% likelihood of budding.
|
||
Aster-Γ reports 17 instances of maintenance performed on Tug 44σ.
|
||
Aster-Γ reports 12 instances of maintenance performed on Tug 48λ.
|
||
Aster-Γ reports 4 instances of maintenance performed on Harvester 33ι.
|
||
Aster-Γ reports 2 instances of maintenance performed on Harvester 33κ.
|
||
Aster recommends modified duty cycle schedule for Tugs until upgrades
|
||
can be effected.
|
||
|
||
vp1d30-σ reports intermittent feelings of boredom.
|
||
vp0e44-κ reports intermittent feelings of loneliness.
|
||
|
||
miniVISR 0x798α reports all crew member assessments indicate
|
||
productivity approaching upper bound of expected range; satisfaction
|
||
decreased by 13% but remains within expected range.
|
||
|
||
miniVISR 0x798α recommends sleep and recreation.
|
||
|
||
miniVISR 0x798α has announced games tournament to commence after next
|
||
sleep cycle. Adversarial games library menu will be distributed at
|
||
next shift change.
|
||
|
||
END MESSAGE.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Laketown Ark Prime - Mission Status Report 4 - Addendum</title>
|
||
<author>terris@cosmic.voyage (terris)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Laketown Ark Prime/LTAP-report-4addendum.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Laketown Ark Prime/LTAP-report-4addendum.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2019 23:08:21 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: vp0a37-σ <vp0a37-σ@comterm1.ltap.vhep>
|
||
To: Laketown Command <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
To: VHEP Council <councillors@council.vhep>
|
||
Delivered-To: Laketown Command <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
Received: from relay4.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by mta2.ltc.vhep
|
||
with ESMTPS id d6kerl43al9g0fj01
|
||
for <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
Received: from relay6.qec7.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay4.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay3.qec2.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.trap8.ltc.vhep
|
||
by qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.sltap66
|
||
by qec.trap8.ltc.vhep.
|
||
Date-Local: 11 Jan 2436 15:42:32 GSRT +0015y
|
||
Date: 3 Oct 2463 20:51:06 -0042y
|
||
Subject: Mission Status Report 4 - Addendum
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
Laketown Command,
|
||
This is an addendum to our previous message.
|
||
|
||
Mission objective located 5 light-days off course. Observations
|
||
and models show 97% probability that it will exit the system
|
||
completely within 30 standard years.
|
||
|
||
Crew and VISR polling has voted to initiate protocol ZZ4.1a
|
||
VISR reports decision fell 3.3% short of consensus.
|
||
Dissenters: Nav-15α, Har-33ι, Har-33κ, Eng-72δ, Lif-22γ, vp1d30-σ,
|
||
vp0e44-κ, Kisk II, Gorfley, Med d'Diogo, Ahnsen, Swarm-17 "Aster",
|
||
Tug-44σ, Tug-48λ.
|
||
|
||
Decision threshold reached.
|
||
|
||
Protocol ZZ4.1a initiated.
|
||
|
||
Begin waking procedures:
|
||
[Mining Team 000]......................................[OK]
|
||
[Mining Team 001]......................................[OK]
|
||
[Mining Team 010]......................................[x]
|
||
[Diagnostics team deployed to Mining Team 010].........[OK]
|
||
[Mining Team 010a].....................................[OK]
|
||
[Mining Team 100]......................................[OK]
|
||
[Mining Team 011]......................................[OK]
|
||
[Engineering Team 000].................................[OK]
|
||
[Engineering Team 010].................................[OK]
|
||
[Harvest Team 000].....................................[OK]
|
||
[Harvest Team 001].....................................[OK]
|
||
[Harvest Team 100].....................................[OK]
|
||
[Fabrication Team 000].................................[OK]
|
||
[Fabrication Team 001].................................[OK]
|
||
[Fabrication Team 111].................................[x]
|
||
[Diagnostics team deployed to Fabrication Team 011]....[OK]
|
||
[Fabrication Team 010a]................................[OK]
|
||
|
||
Estimated time(s) to completion:
|
||
Waking biological human team members: 18,000 seconds
|
||
Waking biomechanical crew members: 6,000 seconds
|
||
Waking vCrew team members: 6 seconds
|
||
Spinning autonomous agents: 0.04 seconds
|
||
Activating biomechanical forms for vCrew: 15 seconds
|
||
Launching scouting forms: 78 seconds
|
||
Scouting: 180,000 seconds
|
||
Launching harvesters: 600 seconds
|
||
Materials harvest: 900,000 seconds
|
||
Launching fabricators: 6,440 seconds
|
||
Fabrication: 950,000 seconds
|
||
|
||
END MESSAGE.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Laketown Ark Prime - Mission Status Report 4</title>
|
||
<author>terris@cosmic.voyage (terris)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Laketown Ark Prime/LTAP-report-4.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Laketown Ark Prime/LTAP-report-4.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2019 23:08:21 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: vp0a37-σ <vp0a37-σ@comterm1.ltap.vhep>
|
||
To: Laketown Command <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
To: VHEP Council <councillors@council.vhep>
|
||
Delivered-To: Laketown Command <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
Received: from relay4.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by mta1.ltc.vhep
|
||
with ESMTPS id d6kerl43al9g0deg1
|
||
for <ltc@ltc.vhep>
|
||
Received: from relay6.qec7.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay4.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay3.qec2.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.trap8.ltc.vhep
|
||
by qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.sltap66
|
||
by qec.trap8.ltc.vhep
|
||
Date-Local: 11 Jan 2436 15:12:09 GSRT +0015y
|
||
Date: 3 Oct 2463 20:20:46 -0042y
|
||
Subject: Mission Status Report 4
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
Laketown Command,
|
||
This is the fourth message we have sent. Have yet to receive reply.
|
||
|
||
Repeating:
|
||
Mission failure. Mission objective missing. Arrived to find a
|
||
debris field. Hull Damaged. 2% of atmosphere vented.
|
||
5% of water vented. No casualties. Repairs underway.
|
||
Re-fuel successful. Materials harvest from debris field underway.
|
||
LD Comms damaged. QEC backup damaged.
|
||
|
||
Confirm receipt.
|
||
|
||
END MESSAGE.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Satay Hub - Re: Food</title>
|
||
<author>0xroy@cosmic.voyage (0xroy)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Satay Hub/Re: Food.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Satay Hub/Re: Food.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 09 Feb 2019 10:06:55 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
+-------------------------------+--------------------+-----------+
|
||
| |NyclCheL7zYDWD884O6a| |
|
||
|To: kaz999@satay.hub |Pq6Bdj1D5Cg0bzmoyCQT| |
|
||
|From: buro@satay.hub |BmcPKKS2hkbMNT8rkERP|attached: |
|
||
|Cc: karma@satay.hub |gspdzZCmO83JwCnmZ5Ma|ticket.txt |
|
||
|Subject: Re: Food |fn8XB2gt41Ovm0H11dvP| |
|
||
| |EVRFj6azWNbkcQgpp42a| |
|
||
+-------------------------------+--------------------+-----------+
|
||
| |
|
||
|Hey Kaz, it’s Eldo. |
|
||
| |
|
||
|I sent Mat to deliver the riffle and I’m going to check the farm|
|
||
|in a few days. Please be patient, we have to check the mines |
|
||
|before. |
|
||
| |
|
||
|PS: Can you send me a copy of the book your son wrote to my |
|
||
|personal account? My husband wants to read it. |
|
||
| |
|
||
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
|
||
| |
|
||
| ATTACHMENT DISCARDED FROM THE ARCHIVE. |
|
||
| |
|
||
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Quartz - A New Ship</title>
|
||
<author>jebug29@cosmic.voyage (jebug29)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Quartz/001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 10 Feb 2019 08:04:19 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
To celebrate the rise of the fifth era, a new ship, the Quartz, is being
|
||
built and gifted to me. I think it is rather interesting that I'd be given
|
||
so analog a way to travel considering my abilities and our technology, but
|
||
I realize the council doubts me in my current state. Either way, I get a
|
||
fifth era ship out of it, so I can't complain. It'll be a nice getaway from
|
||
my broom closet back on Earth.
|
||
|
||
Still... My preference would be to be revived.
|
||
|
||
X29
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Oleander - Sister Sara</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Oleander/005-sister-sara.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Oleander/005-sister-sara.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 09 Feb 2019 00:29:25 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
REC ON
|
||
TRN ON
|
||
ENC ON
|
||
SYS GOOD
|
||
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
|
||
|
||
Entry 5 -- Sister Sara
|
||
|
||
To all of my sisters,
|
||
|
||
The Shedim are not afraid of us.
|
||
There is no power short of Adonai which can hold them.
|
||
|
||
The Utukku are safe behind the veil.
|
||
Their Kings celebrate our suffering in the hidden lands.
|
||
|
||
The Rabisu know they can feed upon us and live forever.
|
||
Our struggles are nothing.
|
||
|
||
The Jinn know their power and revel in it.
|
||
But what is that sound echoing from afar, from the corners of our
|
||
dusty rocks? The littlest sound, it is. Like a tinkle of a bell.
|
||
|
||
My name was given for the laughter which never ceases. Can you
|
||
hear it? It is the music that flows across our ship and stirs the
|
||
hearts of my sisters.
|
||
|
||
You cannot see the Jinn unless they wish it. The hidden folk may
|
||
seem like men or they may seem like the animals of their true
|
||
face. The dog snout and yellow teeth are no more fearsome than any
|
||
other mask they show.
|
||
|
||
When we were young and lived in mud and grass, their cathedrals
|
||
were the stones of the mountain. When our cities rewrote the land,
|
||
theirs floated across the sky. When we put our first step onto
|
||
another world, they were guiding the stars. How could a face
|
||
convey more fear in our hearts?
|
||
|
||
The Shedim are made of smoke and fire and their world is the same.
|
||
They see us as we see the beasts, for surely to them we must seem
|
||
God's lesser creation. We splash about in our mud like swine. For
|
||
millennia we fought our primitive fights. Even now we barely live.
|
||
|
||
We amuse them, anger them, and sustain their endless days with our
|
||
blood. We are nothing, and yet...
|
||
|
||
The laughter flows from deep in my chest and it shakes my whole
|
||
body. Some nights my eyes water and I cannot see, but the tears
|
||
are not of sadness.
|
||
|
||
Millennia! And only now, our small group will do what generations
|
||
never imagined. They are the hidden folk, the Jinn, the Shedim,
|
||
the Utukku. They are the vampyr and the demons. They have haunted
|
||
our stories since fire drew us together. They torment us from the
|
||
invisible places where we cannot see.
|
||
|
||
And that is what's so funny. They gave us the idea, you see. And
|
||
now they are the ones that do not see. When we come--when Hawwa
|
||
speaks the word--I will not stop my laughter until each of them
|
||
understands. I will see recognition in those canine eyes. Then,
|
||
and only then, will the joke finally end.
|
||
|
||
Oh my sisters, I could tell you my story like the others have
|
||
done. I could tell you of my journeys and of my husband, now six
|
||
years in the dirt. I could tell you of children who followed.
|
||
I could give you the stories of pain and suffering and let you
|
||
share the anguish and outrage that plagued my soul, but no.
|
||
|
||
Share my laughter instead. It is not bitter. It hides no malice.
|
||
It is pure chaos in the way that bridges pain and joy as only
|
||
laughter can. Hawwa will speak the word soon, and... you'll see!
|
||
|
||
Hah! You'll all see!
|
||
|
||
Watch their faces, sisters, when it happens. My spirit will be
|
||
there with each of you in the smiles that will bless your lips. My
|
||
heart will fill your throats and you too will be Sara, then.
|
||
|
||
Come, laugh with me at the hidden folk and their scary palaces of
|
||
stars. Laugh at the dogs in their costumes. Hah!
|
||
|
||
There was a legend from long ago, a set of stories that has become
|
||
almost myth. They were whispered by children to one another in
|
||
play. Each child in her own language, so well known they were. The
|
||
phrases were memorized and repeated as we do with scripture today.
|
||
Such eloquence and simplicity! You have, maybe, heard the way they
|
||
all start for yourself? Even thousands of years later,
|
||
incomprehensibly far from the land of our origin, in languages
|
||
evolved through ages, unchanged--
|
||
|
||
Knock, knock...
|
||
|
||
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Satay Hub - Food</title>
|
||
<author>0xroy@cosmic.voyage (0xroy)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Satay Hub/Food.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Satay Hub/Food.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 08 Feb 2019 10:23:24 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
+-------------------------------+--------------------+-----------+
|
||
| |8bCyYi76Ca7FgI7GQL6b| |
|
||
|To: buro@satay.hub |F2ZYAYn3BXBcFlrKsygG| |
|
||
|From: kaz999@satay.hub |XSebl2sZtsMFp6E5bFcH| |
|
||
|Cc: karma@satay.hub |1pORtdg6nEUX1B5UAt4B| |
|
||
|Subject: Food |9Q4zvJel4EeHOvjv1XG4| |
|
||
| |thyKvKXXwMAKdTifX2of| |
|
||
+-------------------------------+--------------------+-----------+
|
||
| |
|
||
|Hey, can someone go out and check if the farm got something for |
|
||
|us? They got offline since the last outage and the fridge’s |
|
||
|empty LOL. |
|
||
| |
|
||
|Appai told me that the Karma would also be unable to serve their|
|
||
|clients in less than a week. |
|
||
| |
|
||
|PS: Can you tell to Eldo that I need my rifle? I have to hunt |
|
||
|Bats for the coming festival’s satay bbq. |
|
||
| |
|
||
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>The sun never sets on hope - 002 Invalid log - Escalated issue</title>
|
||
<author>kneezle@cosmic.voyage (kneezle)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/The sun never sets on hope/002loginvalidhelp.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/The sun never sets on hope/002loginvalidhelp.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 08 Feb 2019 05:53:02 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
>>>N-UUCP, based on T-UUCP
|
||
`\020Snpxxrl7 options\000'
|
||
`\020ROK\000'
|
||
`S log025423.txt log025423.txt tglasso 0666'
|
||
|
||
`SY start'
|
||
|
||
ERROR/ALERT: Backup logs received in invalid format. Auto processing fail.
|
||
INFO: Escalated issue to station master for manual review.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>The sun never sets on hope - Relay Log 001</title>
|
||
<author>kneezle@cosmic.voyage (kneezle)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/The sun never sets on hope/001initialtransmission.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/The sun never sets on hope/001initialtransmission.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 07 Feb 2019 16:06:44 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
>>>N-UUCP, based on T-UUCP
|
||
`\020Snpxxrl7 options\000'
|
||
`\020ROK\000'
|
||
`S log025422.txt log025422.txt tglasso 0666'
|
||
|
||
`SY start'
|
||
|
||
ERROR/ALERT: Relay station 760w system check:
|
||
No received scheduled check-in data from the metroship "The sun never sets on hope"
|
||
for sixteen drop cycles.
|
||
|
||
INFO: Threshold met - Initiating request for autoscan paper backup logs.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Xero Carbon Wells - stay put Wells</title>
|
||
<author>tfurrows@cosmic.voyage (tfurrows)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Xero Carbon Wells/log4.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Xero Carbon Wells/log4.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 07 Feb 2019 13:59:37 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
RECV EDC: 07FEB2019
|
||
COMM MODE: QEC OP SREF
|
||
CODED ABST: D/M/C
|
||
CRC: 2014139095 1391
|
||
============================================================
|
||
Stay put Wells! We've been chasing you all over the sector,
|
||
one step behind the entire way. Don't worry, the Corp is
|
||
either giving up or they're so far behind that they don't
|
||
even matter at this point. Seriously, we're right behind
|
||
you, just sit still a little longer and we'll be there.
|
||
|
||
Needless to say, we got your message. Yeah, I realize I'm
|
||
being cryptic, and that you don't know who "we" are; don't
|
||
worry, it's someone you can trust. At least, I think you'll
|
||
trust him, you never know.
|
||
|
||
But I'm getting ahead. We got your message. Actually, I got
|
||
your message first. I was searching, alone and desperate,
|
||
without any success. I turned to the Xero-mods, who I've
|
||
been friendly with for a long, long time. Dr. Sossial is a
|
||
wonderful and powerful woman in their ranks, and I was glad
|
||
to read that you had interacted with her directly.
|
||
|
||
I went to see them in person; the only way to really speak
|
||
with them is on their own very-secure turf. She only spoke
|
||
highly of you- she was present for all of the research done
|
||
on you, you should know. She particularly like your sub-
|
||
conscious. Don't worry about the last episode at the lab,
|
||
she has seen far worse in her espial of the Corporation.
|
||
|
||
After you escaped, Sossial took full advantage of the
|
||
position that you had placed her in.All of her colleagues in
|
||
the room were dead, and you had broken out. The only thing
|
||
left to do was to explain her survival and steal your
|
||
fully-copied consciousness from the Corporation's computer
|
||
banks.
|
||
|
||
The Xero-mods always work in pairs- no more, no less.
|
||
Sossial's comrade was in security, and she knew that he
|
||
would be sure to personally respond to any event in their
|
||
lab; indeed, it turned out that he was viewing the hallway
|
||
video-feed when you escaped (as you know, there are no feeds
|
||
in the labs themselves,) and had diverted the images away
|
||
from his team's monitors. I thanked him in-person on your
|
||
behalf.
|
||
|
||
He arrived shortly after you left, and with Sossial's help
|
||
he prepped and de-banked your memory units and their backup
|
||
power rods, taking them to a smuggling portal of his own
|
||
making where he stowed them to be passed to a trustworthy
|
||
recipient later. He returned to his post.
|
||
|
||
Sossial, while he was out, set to work self-inflicting
|
||
enough bodily harm to make it appear as if she were as much
|
||
an object of your rage as the others. When she lifted her
|
||
hand to pull the alarm it was with genuine despair for her
|
||
life. It's an ugly business, but it's one that she is expert
|
||
in; she survived.
|
||
|
||
If you haven't guessed already, the smuggler that the
|
||
Xero-mods hired to retrieve your consciousness was me.
|
||
Shortly after you escaped, the Corporation focused all of
|
||
their effort on your capture, believing that you had escaped
|
||
with all of their research and effort. I slid in and out on
|
||
a false wetware reclamation permit, and grabbed a copy of
|
||
you while I was at it.
|
||
|
||
I've had you with me since shortly after you escaped the
|
||
Corporation.
|
||
|
||
Of course, I was afraid to interface with you in any way;
|
||
who would want to be the one to wake up a version of you,
|
||
Wells, to the reality that you've been encapsulated in a
|
||
machine? I don't think you'd even want to be the one to do
|
||
it. Still, at this point I felt I had no choice. No one
|
||
could find you better than you. The Xero-mods agreed, and
|
||
with their help I interfaced you with the ship that I had
|
||
named in your honor. The Xero-Carbon Wells is now fully
|
||
operational, just the way I figured it would be someday.
|
||
|
||
That was around the time of your last transmission. Your
|
||
consciousness was a kanthorgian dog to deal with, but after
|
||
the initial shock wore off, you accepted your new fate. The
|
||
fact that you're still alive out there was a huge help; your
|
||
consciousness now seems to see itself as the only protector
|
||
fit and capable enough to do you any justice in your fight
|
||
against the Corporation, and probably everything else that
|
||
you'll ever face. Honestly, he's as bad as you are, and now
|
||
he has direct control over the ship.
|
||
|
||
With his (your) help, we've tracked you pretty closely. The
|
||
ship now seems to be acutely aware of your decision making
|
||
process. But it's not just that- the Xero-Carbon version of
|
||
you "feels" (can it do that?) that it can see what you see,
|
||
that you're somehow linked. I don't know much about that
|
||
possibility, as this Prigoginic stuff is so new.
|
||
|
||
The rest we can catch up on, just stay put for a bit, let us
|
||
come to you.
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - OPERATIONAL SIGNAL 01/1</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/23-operational-signal-01-1.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/23-operational-signal-01-1.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 06 Feb 2019 08:45:29 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
We, your friends and archivists, wish you to know: This message was
|
||
originally transmitted over QEC via the anonymous resender
|
||
satellite named "anon.penet.fi" by its unknown maintainers. While
|
||
previous such messages have been archived under that satellite's
|
||
own channel, it is lately the sense of the meeting that relevant
|
||
messages, where possible, be included alongside the events in whose
|
||
context they may best be understood. Thus do we present this
|
||
message here.
|
||
|
||
As with all messages from "anon.penet.fi", no headers or other
|
||
metadata were provided in the original transmission. While
|
||
additional information has since become available, we feel that to
|
||
include it here would betray the spirit of our project. Accordingly,
|
||
we present this message, and will present future such messages,
|
||
verbatim as originally transmitted.
|
||
|
||
~
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN OPERATIONAL RESPONSE
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN OPERATIONAL RESPONSE
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN OPERATIONAL RESPONSE
|
||
|
||
THIS RESPONSE IS DESIGNATED 01/1
|
||
|
||
REMOTE UNIT WITH THE DESIGNATION:
|
||
|
||
: 932BB4979009B4564977E63F66AB2855.003
|
||
|
||
REPORTS:
|
||
|
||
INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION TO EVALUATE MENTAL STATE OF EXPN DIR
|
||
SOLOVIEV. NO ALTERATION OR GROSS DERANGEMENT APPARENT. EXPN DIR
|
||
SOLOVIEV HAS STATED THAT ALTERED PERSONNEL ARE TO BE TREATED
|
||
NORMALLY. EVALUATE THIS AS INTENDED TO SUPPORT EFFECTIVE
|
||
DEVELOPMENT OF COLONY.
|
||
|
||
COLONY GOVERNANCE CURRENTLY OPERATING AS ESTABLISHED IN FOUNDING
|
||
DOCUMENTS OF VOORTREKKER GMBH WITH EXPN DIR SOLOVIEV ACTING AS
|
||
CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND CHAIRMAN. THUS FAR NO INDICATION OF DISAPPROVAL
|
||
AMONG BOARD MEMBERS OF ACTIONS TAKEN BY EXPN DIR SOLOVIEV. MOST
|
||
BOARD MEMBERS OBSERVED WORKING AMONG EXPEDITION PERSONNEL IN
|
||
ESTABLISHMENT OF COLONY INFRASTRUCTURE. EVALUATE THIS AS INTENDED
|
||
TO BOLSTER MORALE AND GRANT EXPN DIRECTOR SOLOVIEV LATITUDE TO
|
||
RESPOND TO EMERGENT SITUATIONS WITHOUT DELAY FOR CONSULTATION.
|
||
|
||
THUS FAR NO INDICATION OF MISSION COMPROMISE. COLONY ESTABLISHMENT
|
||
PROCEEDS AT RATE EXCEEDING MODELS FOR SEVERE REDUCTION OF AVAILABLE
|
||
PERSONNEL. EVALUATE THIS AS RESULT OF ALTERED PERSONNEL
|
||
DEMONSTRATING INCREASED CAPACITY FOR PHYSICAL LABOR WITH SHORTER
|
||
COMPLETION TIME AND LOWER RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS COMPARED TO HUMAN
|
||
EQUIVALENT WORK OUTPUT.
|
||
|
||
SUMMARY: EXPN DIR SOLOVIEV APPEARS MAKING BEST OF SITUATION AT
|
||
HAND. COLONY GOVERNANCE APPEARS STABLE. MISSION IS NOT COMPROMISED
|
||
AT THIS TIME. HUMANS STILL IN CHARGE ON ROSS 128 B. RECOMMEND NO
|
||
ACTION AT THIS TIME.
|
||
|
||
APPEND:
|
||
|
||
SOME PERSONNEL EXPRESS CONCERN REGARDING POTENTIAL CONTRACT
|
||
NONPERFORMANCE PENALTIES DUE TO SCHEDULE OVERRUN CAUSED BY
|
||
UNPLANNED DEATH OF MANY PERSONNEL. REQUEST ANY INFORMATION
|
||
AVAILABLE REGARDING EVALUATION OF CONTRACT STATUS IN LIGHT OF
|
||
RECENT EVENTS. PERSONNEL WORK OUTPUT LIKELY TO BE STRONGLY AFFECTED
|
||
BY UNCHECKED RUMOR. WE NEED TO GET AHEAD OF THIS. PLEASE ADVISE
|
||
SOONEST.
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN OPERATIONAL RESPONSE
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN OPERATIONAL RESPONSE
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN OPERATIONAL RESPONSE
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>RSS Revenant - Swiss Cheese</title>
|
||
<author>kirch@cosmic.voyage (kirch)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/RSS Revenant/1623.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/RSS Revenant/1623.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 13 Feb 2019 22:47:17 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
"MAIN SCREEN, TURN ON!"
|
||
|
||
The front of the cockpit folded in on itself in a technicolor blur
|
||
around the small radar display. Shapes appeared, coming into focus
|
||
and merging around the object labeled "Semi-organic." It was about
|
||
the size of an ammunition box and beset with strange onyx orbs
|
||
nestled in loops of gold filigree, all reflecting the millions of
|
||
flecks of alien constellations.
|
||
|
||
Machines whirred to life throughout the ship as I began salvage
|
||
procedures. Cranium was halfway to the cargo hold before I could be
|
||
sure the airlock was resealed properly. Hex and I arrived just in
|
||
time to watch Mr Swarm disintegrate into an thousands of miniatures
|
||
of himself, climbing in and out of every crevice of the box. The
|
||
cargo-scanner showing no dangers on any of it's graphs, only a tiny
|
||
labyrinth of shades of gray.
|
||
|
||
"Looks like ancient aliens left us some Swiss cheese, doesn't it?"
|
||
Cranium chuckled to himself, "fancy wrapper, must be expensive."
|
||
|
||
Hex rolled her eyes.
|
||
|
||
"It appears to be bio-mechanical" Mr Swarms chorused, "some sort of
|
||
neural networked computer, maybe? I didn't recognize any of the
|
||
crystalline structures, but the biology is..." A cacophony filled
|
||
the hull with a deep throbbing vibration as Mr Swarm congealed into
|
||
a form a quarter of his original size.
|
||
|
||
"Turbulence! Turbulence!" blared over the ships loudspeaker.
|
||
|
||
"I'm not sure what I did, but it doesn't seem to have liked it!" a
|
||
nearly full-sized Mr Swarm shouted over the din, tiny echoes
|
||
trailing behind him.
|
||
|
||
"I'm sensing a strange aura - something old - something changing
|
||
like the sea" Hex shouted dreamily. We turned to look back at the
|
||
strange box, the noise slowly died away as we all stood in a
|
||
semicircle gawping in awe as it finished melting through the floor,
|
||
leaving at an iridescent black sheen.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Space Beagle - t+3 KaTanne Is A Pragmatist</title>
|
||
<author>hairylarry@cosmic.voyage (hairylarry)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Space Beagle/t+3KaTanneIsAPragmatist.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Space Beagle/t+3KaTanneIsAPragmatist.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 05 Feb 2019 22:11:36 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
t+3 KaTanne Is A Pragmatist
|
||
|
||
So I ran her down in the hallway full of questions.
|
||
KaTanne, Katanne, have you read Hegel?
|
||
You're not Neo Nietzachean are you?
|
||
Do you believe The World is all that is the case?
|
||
Did Husserl eat a phenomonological briscuit?
|
||
She turned quickly and slapped me firmly across the face.
|
||
"I don't care about any of that shit!", she said.
|
||
"Come to your senses."
|
||
Thank God, I thought, she's a pragmatist.
|
||
"Sorry", I said. "I let some of the messages on the QEC get me going."
|
||
"Don't worry about that." she replied.
|
||
"We're in space. They're in space. That's why we have the QEC."
|
||
"Space can mess with your head."
|
||
"I know." I replied. "And it's been messing with theirs."
|
||
"Solipsism, Nihilism, even Realism."
|
||
"I'm fine. Nexialists are not susceptible to philosophical overload."
|
||
"We see the world as it is and we see space as it is."
|
||
"Or soon will be. The vacuum of space is subject to rapid fluctuations."
|
||
"You better come with me." she said.
|
||
"We'll go to hydroponics and dig some vegetables."
|
||
"Nothing like some dirt under your fingernails to convince you
|
||
that earth is real. Even in space."
|
||
See. She's a pragmatist.
|
||
She's beginning to get to me.
|
||
I wonder if she enjoys hypnosis.
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melchizedek - Mourning</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/013.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/013.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 05 Feb 2019 22:05:47 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Melchizedek.0294
|
||
Approach β Hyi
|
||
Ascension 00h 25m 45.07037s
|
||
Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
|
||
Distance 24.34ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 3782, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Jerome Somerset Pasani, Warrant Master
|
||
:::
|
||
I hesitated to use the QEC since we lost Moussa, worried what the
|
||
others might think reading this. That was until Janssen so
|
||
eloquently told me to take the, um, stick out of my rear. Prezzi
|
||
suggested that acting stoic was pissing everyone off and doing
|
||
nothing to hide how I was taking it anyway. So, here I am.
|
||
|
||
She's right. I've been walking the corridors in a daze. Moussa and
|
||
I went way back. Waking up in this creepy blue light every morning
|
||
reminds me that there's a hole in our lives, in my life. Without
|
||
him the ship is pregnant with silence.
|
||
|
||
I signed up for merchant shipping as a kid. I've flown in rust
|
||
buckets and tin-cans of all shapes and sizes. There's been close
|
||
calls before, but never--not on my watch. I just keep asking
|
||
myself why? Why him? Why us?
|
||
|
||
The deep doesn't give us answers. It just gives us more questions
|
||
and a long, damn time to think about them. With botany dispatched
|
||
from the Melchy there's nothing left to us but these questions.
|
||
What the hell is happening out here?
|
||
|
||
In hopes of learning something, anything, our hydroponics
|
||
specialist and our doctor of phytology, Hove Xavier and Sandy
|
||
Kroups, have joined the crew awake. I regret that their rising was
|
||
in mourning. Needs demand, we answer. They're tackling the food
|
||
shortage with the seriousness it deserves, though I expect it's to
|
||
keep their minds off everything that's happened while they slept.
|
||
They keep each other's company and a distance from the rest of us.
|
||
I can't blame them. We are not a cheery crew to be around at the
|
||
moment.
|
||
|
||
We're just a few weeks out from Beta. The grav sheer drops in six
|
||
days and we'll be back under thrusters. There's a star out there
|
||
somewhere. It called to us from nearly 25 light years away. We are
|
||
going to reach it and make a home here. Moussa's loss is going to
|
||
mean something.
|
||
.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Kachchhi Khameer - Found QEC!</title>
|
||
<author>codingquark@cosmic.voyage (codingquark)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Kachchhi Khameer/1_init.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Kachchhi Khameer/1_init.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 05 Feb 2019 10:44:37 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
|
||
| Project Code : MOKE KHABAR |
|
||
| Entry : 0001 |
|
||
| Subject : Finally Found QEC |
|
||
| Author : માડુ ૪૪૫૫૧૨ |
|
||
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
|
||
|
||
While my memories survive, I must write this. I have dug up gold by
|
||
finding the QEC. May be this has happened before, but I must let the
|
||
world know of this ship and the things that happened on it.
|
||
|
||
Not all things are bad, and all things are not good.
|
||
|
||
In the following messages, I am going to reveal, one by one, the
|
||
letters I have found from the residents of the ship. To me, they all
|
||
seem to be from a single person, but you be the judge of that.
|
||
|
||
Though I am in the process of finding more, the artifacts so far have
|
||
been mesmerising. The life on the ship must have been dull and yet
|
||
adventurous. I suspect I am one of the original residents of the
|
||
ship. I must resume my research.
|
||
|
||
I must depart, but I am going to follow a tradition that seem to have
|
||
spanned centuries here. A poem:
|
||
|
||
|
||
इस सादगी पे कौन न मर जाए ऎ खुदा
|
||
लडते हैं और हाथ में तलवार भी नहीं
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>RSS Revenant - Semi-organic</title>
|
||
<author>kirch@cosmic.voyage (kirch)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/RSS Revenant/1622.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/RSS Revenant/1622.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 04 Feb 2019 23:57:34 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
PASSENGER ACTIVITY LOG
|
||
ENTRY 1622
|
||
|
||
MR SWARM played CHESS against ALGORITHM 467B and lost, bringing his
|
||
local score to 2166: 1,738 wins, 1,398 losses, 148 draws.
|
||
|
||
1.d4Nf6 2.Nf3g6i 3.Nc3d5 4.Bf4Bg7 5.e3c6 6.Bd3Nbd7 7.O-OO-O
|
||
8.e4dxe4 9.Bxe4Nxe4 10.Nxe4Nf6 11.Ng3Bg4 12.c4Bxf3 13.Qxf3Qxd4
|
||
14.b4Qxc4 15.b5Nd5 16.Bg5Bxa1 17.Rxa1f6 18.Bd2Qxb5 19.a3Qb2
|
||
20.Bh6Qxa1+ 21.Nf1Qc3 22.Bxf8Qxf3 23.gxf3Kxf8 24.a4a5 25.h4Nc3
|
||
26.Kh2Nxa4 27.f4b5 28.f3Nc3 29.Ne3Nd5 30.Nxd5cxd5 31.h5a4 32.h6a3
|
||
33.f5gxf5 34.f4a2 35.Kg3a1=Q 36.Kh4Qg1 37.Kh5Qg4#
|
||
|
||
COMMANDER CRANIUM played PACMAN for 6 HOURS 38 MINUTES. High score:
|
||
1360
|
||
|
||
SUPER HEX read 16 manuscripts, and worked 4 hours in the science
|
||
lab...
|
||
|
||
and here I am... reading months worth of backlogs... I might as
|
||
well be blowing bubbles in my chocolate milk. There's nothing to do
|
||
in space. There is nothing in so much of space. We've found no
|
||
replies to any of our signals, and we are still 3 days out from
|
||
what is ostensibly Gliese 422 b - potentially habitable, orbiting a
|
||
red dwarf. Initial scans seem to prove there's water and from what
|
||
I can remember from science class that means life - Maybe Commander
|
||
Cranium knows more about that...
|
||
|
||
"I don't," the thunderous voice startling me at first.
|
||
|
||
"You don't wha... wait, was I thinking out loud?"
|
||
|
||
"No -- and I don't give a damn about the origins of sentient life.
|
||
All I know is we're here, aren't we?" Commander Cranium replied. He
|
||
crumpled into the co-pilots seat and began fiddling with an array
|
||
of dials.
|
||
|
||
"Stop that, I just got everything the way we needed it!" I shouted.
|
||
|
||
"What's the point in that either! We're lost, aren't we?" he
|
||
clearly didn't grasp the enormity of the situation. Sure we were
|
||
headed towards a planet that might have life, and that life might
|
||
be advanced enough to be of some use to us - but we hadn't detected
|
||
anything to possibly give us hope of that. Suddenly a blip came
|
||
over the speaker.
|
||
|
||
A small dot wafted across the display, below it blinked
|
||
"Semi-organic."
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Yes. [Was: Re: Is Amelia okay?]</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/22-yes-was-re-is-amelia-okay.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/22-yes-was-re-is-amelia-okay.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 03 Feb 2019 07:30:49 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Sameen Lee <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
To: Kit <cmaldonado@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Delivered-To: Chris Maldonado <cmaldonado@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Received: from qec8.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by qec.sv14417
|
||
with ESMTPSA id h4c9v64z0nzwa5
|
||
for <cmaldonado@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Received: from relay9.qec2.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by qec8.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from relay3.qec6.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay9.qec2.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from mta3.expeditionsupport.gov
|
||
by relay3.qec6.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from relay7.qec2.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by mta3.expeditionsupport.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.titan.org
|
||
by relay7.qec2.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Subject: Yes. [Was: Re: Is Amelia okay?]
|
||
Date: 18 Sep 2421 11:54:37 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 04 Apr 2419 15:18:37 +0000
|
||
|
||
Amelia is all right. I'm here with her now.
|
||
|
||
Her ship had some trouble on the way to Luna, and another ship had
|
||
to bring them the rest of the way. No one was killed, but a lot of
|
||
people were hurt. Amelia was hurt badly. She's safe in the hospital
|
||
now and past the worst of it. I'm here in her room right now,
|
||
sitting next to her bed, and the doctors tell me she should be
|
||
awake soon. When she wakes up, I'll give her your love.
|
||
|
||
She's going to be okay, Kit. She's going to be just fine. When she
|
||
wakes up, you'll hear from both of us. In the meantime, I'm going
|
||
to read your last message to her. I know she'll want to hear it,
|
||
and she'd be very cross with me if I make her wait until she wakes
|
||
up for that.
|
||
|
||
Kit, I know you'll worry until you hear from Lia, but please try
|
||
not to do too much of that. She really is going to be fine. I'm
|
||
taking care of her; we all are, here. And I want you to take care
|
||
of yourself, too, ma petite.
|
||
|
||
We love you. You'll hear from us soon.
|
||
|
||
- Sam
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>RSS Revenant - Repeat Transmission... Panpan</title>
|
||
<author>kirch@cosmic.voyage (kirch)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/RSS Revenant/1598.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/RSS Revenant/1598.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 05 Feb 2019 23:26:21 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Repeat Transmission...
|
||
|
||
PANPAN PANPAN PANPAN
|
||
|
||
This is the RSS Revenant, We have lost contact with our base. We
|
||
are lost...
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
The radio crackled away, repeating its message on all channels. I
|
||
haven't had contact with The Revengerists in 66 days by my count.
|
||
But there is no sun, so night and day, just hours dripping by
|
||
blurring together like every other hour lost in space.
|
||
|
||
The ship's AI has picked up broadcast of Elvis Presley's "Aloha
|
||
from Hawaii" - via satellite by some cruel joke of this universe,
|
||
and calculated that this could mean we were somewhere in the
|
||
vicinity of Gliese 422, but we could be anywhere at roughly the
|
||
same distance. "Steamroller Blues" is crooning from the control panel.
|
||
Every direction the stars are unfamiliar, I can't find any
|
||
recognizable constellations. Fortunately, provisions won't be a
|
||
problem - the Refreshlicator has ample supplies of stem-protons and
|
||
is generating more at its expected rate.
|
||
|
||
There's a potential Goldilocks system nearby, it may be our only
|
||
hope of getting back...
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
PANPAN PANPAN PANPAN
|
||
|
||
This is the RSS Revenant, we have lost contact with our base. We
|
||
are lost. We were on routine patrol when bombarded with some sort
|
||
of radiation, can only travel at half speed, at heading two three
|
||
nine seven niner eight point six four two seven towards the nearest
|
||
star. If you can hear this, please assist!
|
||
|
||
Panpan panpan panpan This is the Revenent, Partially Disabled,
|
||
Repeat Transmission...
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Is Amelia okay?</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/21-is-amelia-okay.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/21-is-amelia-okay.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 30 Jan 2019 08:20:24 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Chris Maldonado <cmaldonado@voortrekker.com>
|
||
To: Sameen Lee <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Delivered-To: Sameen Lee <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Received: from relay1.qec10.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by mta4.recoveryinstitute.org
|
||
with ESMTPS id 13zdhaafc99a12c3498q5
|
||
for <sam@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Received: from relay1.qec5.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay1.qec10.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec9.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay1.qec5.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.sv14417
|
||
by qec9.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Subject: Is Amelia okay?
|
||
Date: 4 Apr 2419 12:37:04 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 18 Sep 2421 11:13:04 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
Sam, is Lia there? Is she OK? I got a bounce message back - it says
|
||
her account's been "disabled or discontinued". Did something
|
||
happen? Did she make it home from Ganymede? Do you know where she
|
||
is?
|
||
|
||
I woke up to that, and then this morning Director Soloviev
|
||
announced a memorial service tomorrow for everyone who didn't make
|
||
it in the crash, and the more I think about it, the more sure I am
|
||
that something is terribly wrong. I'm scared and I need to know if
|
||
she's okay.
|
||
|
||
Please, let me know as soon as you can! Tell her I love her, as
|
||
soon as you can!
|
||
|
||
Love, Kit.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Space Beagle - T+2 I Read Messages</title>
|
||
<author>hairylarry@cosmic.voyage (hairylarry)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Space Beagle/t+2IReadMessages.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Space Beagle/t+2IReadMessages.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Jan 2019 21:44:28 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
T+2 I Read Messages
|
||
|
||
Ok, this is frightening.
|
||
I have been reading messages as they come over the QEC.
|
||
Some of the ships are having extreme difficulties.
|
||
Some are taking violent actions.
|
||
All this is expected.
|
||
Nexial analysis allows me to see clearly what the likely futures are
|
||
for the Space Beagle and any other interstellar ship.
|
||
The universe is not a warm and fuzzy place.
|
||
The frightening thing is the outbreak of solipsism.
|
||
This is not expected.
|
||
I am not sure if the solipsists are drifting alone.
|
||
It is very unusual for people in a social setting to turn to solipsism.
|
||
And yet there seems to be an outbreak on the QEC.
|
||
Epistemologically speaking solipsism is just as unprovable as anything.
|
||
It's fine if you believe in God.
|
||
It's fine if you don't believe in God.
|
||
It is possible that we are a compute simulation.
|
||
Epistemologically speaking we don't know.
|
||
But solipsism is not helpful.
|
||
It is not a survival trait.
|
||
I recommend trusting your senses.
|
||
If you recieve a message on the QEC take it at face value.
|
||
I know the messages can be unnerving at times.
|
||
But don't pretend the universe isn't real.
|
||
I understand each of us creates our own reality.
|
||
But I can't believe we are alone.
|
||
Because then I couldn't talk to KaTanne.
|
||
And I like talking to KaTanne.
|
||
Descartes did not have it right.
|
||
I think therefore I am.
|
||
The correct formulation is I am therefore I am.
|
||
And how does believing differently improve things?
|
||
I tried to discuss this with the Captain but he had no time for philosophy.
|
||
I think I'll go talk to KaTanne.
|
||
God, I hope she's not a solipsist.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Your message could not be delivered</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/20-your-message-could-not-be-delivered.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/20-your-message-could-not-be-delivered.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 27 Jan 2019 12:14:32 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Mail Delivery System
|
||
To: cmaldonado@voortrekker.com
|
||
Delivered-To: Chris Maldonado <cmaldonado@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Received: from qec13.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by qec.sv14417
|
||
with ESMTPS id xXrv180AiWNAAajFGY0C
|
||
for <cmaldonado@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Received: from relay6.qec2.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by qec13.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from mta2.expeditionsupport.gov
|
||
by relay6.qec2.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Date: 17 Sep 2421 22:21:09 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 4 Apr 2419 01:45:09 +0000
|
||
Subject: Your message could not be delivered
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
This is the mail system at the Expedition Support Office, Earth
|
||
Government, Ganymede.
|
||
|
||
Your message was not delivered to one or more recipients:
|
||
|
||
<anine@expeditionsupport.gov>: 550 This account has been disabled
|
||
or discontinued
|
||
|
||
This is a permanent error. Please do not attempt to send your
|
||
message again. Be advised that malicious misuse or excessive use of
|
||
Earth Government information systems carries severe economic and
|
||
criminal penalties up to and including involuntary relocation under
|
||
the terms of the New Prospects Program.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - So excited to be part of things again!</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/19-so-excited-to-be-part-of.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/19-so-excited-to-be-part-of.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 27 Jan 2019 09:29:40 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Chris Maldonado <cmaldonado@voortrekker.com>
|
||
To: Sameen Lee <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
To: Amelia Nine <anine@expeditionsupport.gov>
|
||
Delivered-To: Sameen Lee <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Received: from relay3.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by mta1.recoveryinstitute.org
|
||
with ESMTPS id a9goqf93983g45uuyp
|
||
for <sam@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Received: from relay6.qec7.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay3.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec6.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay6.qec7.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.sv14417
|
||
by qec6.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Date-Local: 3 Apr 2419 23:42:19 +0000
|
||
Date: 17 Sep 2421 22:18:19 +0000
|
||
Subject: So excited to be part of things again!
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
Hi, Sam! Hi, Lia! (Sam mentioned you were coming to see her at L1 -
|
||
so happy for you both! Are you there yet? I'm sending this to you
|
||
directly, so you'll still get it either way.)
|
||
|
||
The last day and a half has been amazing! I'm working hard to help
|
||
build our new bio lab, and it's going really well, even when
|
||
everyone else is in bed and I'm working all on my own. Eve made me
|
||
stop a few hours ago, though, and told me very firmly to get some
|
||
sleep. But I'm not tired! So I thought I'd write some more to you.
|
||
|
||
You know, I never realized just how big Voortrekker was? We had
|
||
plenty of holos and everything, but I never really got to see her
|
||
from outside. Even when they shuttled us aboard, there was only the
|
||
one port about the size of my hand, and I wasn't sitting anywhere
|
||
near it anyway. But she's huge! Even now, after the crash, it took
|
||
us a good few minutes to abseil down from the hull. That was scary,
|
||
but also a lot of fun! Easier than I thought it'd be with the
|
||
gravity here, too. But I was still glad to be done by the time we
|
||
finally got to the ground.
|
||
|
||
Director Soloviev and Eve met us there. Eve had water for both of
|
||
us, and we were glad she did! But trust her to think of something
|
||
like that - she's our senior surviving doctor. And she's changed
|
||
like I have, too! Well, not exactly like. She was tall even before
|
||
the change, and her new legs must be twice as long as mine. She
|
||
towered over all of us, even Director Soloviev, and he's got to be
|
||
close to two meters. I never had the courage to really try to talk
|
||
with her, even back before, and now? I could barely even say hello!
|
||
|
||
Lucky me, the Director started talking before I could embarrass
|
||
myself. He shook my hand - didn't hesitate, either, which made me
|
||
feel good - welcomed me back, said he was glad to see me up and on
|
||
my feet again, and did I feel up to getting back to work? That was
|
||
when I found out about the new bio lab, and of course I volunteered
|
||
for that right away, and we got into what we had and what we
|
||
needed, who to talk with about fetching things from the ship, and
|
||
so on.
|
||
|
||
About the Director - I think he really has changed. Back on the
|
||
ship, he was never rude or anything, but he always seemed like he
|
||
was incredibly busy. You never saw him in any of the crew common
|
||
areas, except passing through, and when you talked to him it was
|
||
like he already had twenty things to deal with in the next hour and
|
||
he was really hoping you weren't going to become number twenty-one.
|
||
|
||
But on Saturday he was actually smiling! Like he was genuinely glad
|
||
to see me, and we never passed more than a half dozen words at a
|
||
time on the ship. He asked me twice if I was sure I was ready to
|
||
work, and told me to take all the time I needed if I wasn't! I've
|
||
asked around a little, and I'm not the only one who thinks he's
|
||
different now. I don't know if it's just the crash and the bug, or
|
||
if there's something else going on, but either way I feel a lot
|
||
better about him than I used to, and I'm glad.
|
||
|
||
Eve stopped us before we could get too far into making plans. It
|
||
was all very well getting me back to work, she said, but I'd
|
||
changed more than anyone else, and I wasn't going anywhere right
|
||
now but straight to her infirmary so she could make sure I was
|
||
healthy and likely to stay that way. The Director said of course,
|
||
and I knew they were right but I still asked if that could wait.
|
||
|
||
If it could wait until it'd be someone else and not Eve doing the
|
||
exam, I meant! But I didn't really see how I could say so, and
|
||
professionally, I knew she was best qualified to do it. Just -
|
||
she's devastating, and I knew I was already blushing, and...you
|
||
both know how I get. And in any case, Jen was already saying
|
||
something to the Director about some kind of engineering problem
|
||
and did he have half an hour right now to talk about that, so it
|
||
was too late to find any excuses there.
|
||
|
||
Eve was very good about it, though. She managed to make me
|
||
reasonably comfortable by the time we got back to the hab. And it
|
||
turned out delaying wouldn't have helped anyway! She's making a
|
||
study of all of us who've changed, gathering data and working to
|
||
find out whether there's anything we especially need to worry
|
||
about. You know, basic research. Which is what I should've been
|
||
thinking about, too, instead of getting all nervous about - I mean,
|
||
I know it's just a regular thing, but it was my first time! But Eve
|
||
understood and gave me what I guess was the same advice she'd give
|
||
anyone, and it wasn't actually bad, just a little
|
||
uncomfortable. (Go ahead, laugh, it's okay! I am too.)
|
||
|
||
She gave me a clean bill of health, anyway. We talked some about
|
||
karyotyping me, but as I said before, it'll have to wait a little
|
||
while. Then she told me where to find the bio team and turned me
|
||
loose, and I don't mind admitting that even if it had gone better
|
||
than I'd expected, I was still a little glad to get out of there
|
||
before I said something silly.
|
||
|
||
We're putting the bio lab right near the infirmary, since there'll
|
||
be a lot of overlap especially at first, and I found Nandi
|
||
there. You remember Nandi - chief of the biology section, I'm sure
|
||
I mentioned her a couple of times at least while we were on the
|
||
ship? She'd heard about me from Jen, but I hadn't even known she
|
||
survived! We were really happy to see each other, too. She's got
|
||
less time for nonsense than almost anyone, but I like her pretty
|
||
well, and I think she must be one of the smartest people I've ever
|
||
worked with. Once we'd got done catching up, she assigned me to
|
||
cytology, since I did some of the initial work with the Ross bug,
|
||
and we tried calling Gareth, who's keeping track of the fetch
|
||
teams. Hand unit comms have been spotty, though, and we couldn't
|
||
get through, but Nandi said she thought he was in hydro and sent me
|
||
after him there.
|
||
|
||
Our hydro farms are clear on the other side of the hab from where
|
||
we're doing bio. That's not great, but this place went up in a
|
||
hurry, and there was nowhere closer with enough space and water
|
||
supply. On the way there, I passed through the refectory, and -
|
||
it's not a large space, but I just had to stop for a minute and
|
||
take it in, because it felt like half the colony was there or
|
||
passing through. People talking and eating, people moving gear and
|
||
supplies to where they needed to be, stopping to chat, planning
|
||
where to put up more hab space, planning how to start breaking down
|
||
debris for usable scrap, planning studies and experiments to start
|
||
really understanding what sort of planet we've got to work with
|
||
here - I even saw a couple more of us who've changed - and...
|
||
|
||
I know, it doesn't sound like anything especially amazing, just
|
||
what a working colony is supposed to be. But that's amazing all by
|
||
itself! Remember, when I went down, we were still struggling to
|
||
keep people alive (so I thought) and nobody except maybe Director
|
||
Soloviev and the section heads were thinking more than a day ahead,
|
||
at most. I hadn't been there when that changed - when people
|
||
started coming out of it, when everyone realized that no one was
|
||
going to die and there was time to start building what we came here
|
||
to build. By the time I got here, everyone was already hard at
|
||
work, and I was a little ashamed I'd been off hiding, scared of
|
||
what people would think of me, while everyone else had been doing
|
||
all this. But more than that, I was so proud just to be here, to be
|
||
part of it all!
|
||
|
||
And I decided that I'm all done with letting everyone down. Yes,
|
||
I've changed. Yes, I was scared. Yes, I wasn't quite right for the
|
||
first little while there. But I'm not scared any more, and I'm all
|
||
right now. And for all that Jen and everyone - even the Director -
|
||
have been very kind, it's time I start contributing instead of
|
||
being carried. So I got back to finding Gareth, who wasn't in hydro
|
||
after all. Letsie was, though, and he said I might want to try the
|
||
botany lab, which at least was pretty close.
|
||
|
||
I know, this is sounding more and more like a scavenger hunt! But
|
||
that's just what it's like right now, and it's actually not so
|
||
bad. We're so small that everyone is mostly pretty easy to find,
|
||
and it's actually sort of fun in a way! In the ship, our different
|
||
groups and sections tended to stick pretty close for the most part,
|
||
just because of the way the shifts were set up and everything - oh,
|
||
we all had friends and people we were close with in other
|
||
departments, but they were the exception. Here, for all that we're
|
||
each still absorbed in our own work, everyone's still part of
|
||
everything. Even me!
|
||
|
||
Anyway, I did finally find Gareth in botany, and he and I and Elva
|
||
found out some things that...I'm honestly still not sure what to
|
||
think, whether I should be afraid or amazed or both at once. I
|
||
think I'm both at once. But I'd better pick that up next time,
|
||
because if I start talking about it now I really will be up all
|
||
night, and I should at least try to get some sleep if I can. Even
|
||
if I don't feel like I need it! I'm sure Eve will ask me tomorrow,
|
||
and she'll be very disappointed with me if I didn't at least try.
|
||
|
||
So I'm going to send this, and then I'm going to stretch out in my
|
||
bunk here and see if I can't remember what it feels like to be
|
||
snuggled up between the two of you. If that doesn't help me sleep,
|
||
nothing will! I'll write again as soon as I can. In the meantime, I
|
||
love you both and miss you, and I can't wait to hear from you!
|
||
|
||
Yours with love as always - Kit.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Space Beagle - T+1 On Our Way</title>
|
||
<author>hairylarry@cosmic.voyage (hairylarry)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Space Beagle/t+1OnOurWay.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Space Beagle/t+1OnOurWay.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Jan 2019 21:11:55 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
t+1 On Our Way
|
||
We have left orbit but that's not exciting.
|
||
It seems exactly the same as being in orbit.
|
||
Unless you peer out a view port and notice the Earth is smaller.
|
||
But two things are exciting.
|
||
One is official, one is personal.
|
||
The Captain came by my cabin.
|
||
I was floored.
|
||
Never expected to see him here.
|
||
He put me in charge of the QEC.
|
||
Seems his comm guys are more like technicians.
|
||
None of them have had any physics.
|
||
As a Nexialist I have been thoroughly versed in all the sciences.
|
||
Also I don't think he really cares about the QEC.
|
||
When I inquired about my duties he said check it out and make sure it works.
|
||
When I asked what I should send he said he didn't care.
|
||
I think he's looking at it as an emergency backup.
|
||
Which it is, for the next 1000 days or so.
|
||
If he were well versed in Physics he would realize that eventually
|
||
the QEC will be all the comm we have.
|
||
So I have to verify that it's working and I have to check it daily.
|
||
I don't have any other responsibilities right now
|
||
and I have no access to the official reports so
|
||
I am going to send my log daily as a check report.
|
||
So if you are reading me please reply.
|
||
On the personal excitement front KaTanne came by as soon as the Captain left.
|
||
Either she was waiting not wanting to disturb us.
|
||
Or she was checking up on what the Captain wanted.
|
||
Or it was a coincidence.
|
||
That's logic.
|
||
But I think it was the last because she asked me about the book I was reading.
|
||
So I showed her, The World Of Null-A, by A.E. VanVogt.
|
||
That made her excited.
|
||
She said she really liked VanVogt.
|
||
Reading him gave her a funny feeling.
|
||
Like she was in the novel.
|
||
I told her that was funny.
|
||
Since many of his novels had no girls in them at all.
|
||
She said when she read his stuff she felt just like a man.
|
||
Not like a girl at all.
|
||
So I don't know if she was trying to turn me off.
|
||
Or come on to me in a weird way.
|
||
And I don't care.
|
||
I'm just glad I have someone to talk to about something.
|
||
And so now I can talk to KaTanne about A.E. VanVogt.
|
||
And I can talk to all of you out on the QEC.
|
||
Exciting!
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>anon.penet.fi - 'None of this is...'</title>
|
||
<author>anonpenetfi@cosmic.voyage (anonpenetfi)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/anon.penet.fi/7-none-of-this-is.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/anon.penet.fi/7-none-of-this-is.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Jan 2019 04:59:30 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
So who's writing your story?
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Excelsior - Response to "Aewens"</title>
|
||
<author>khuxkm@cosmic.voyage (khuxkm)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Excelsior/005.1.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Excelsior/005.1.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Jan 2019 16:22:19 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
[HEADER REDACTED DUE TO PROCEDURE [REDACTED]]
|
||
[autotranslator on]
|
||
|
||
Corporal Sam Arnold, Systems Administrator
|
||
---
|
||
So what if we are fiction? Truly, nothing is real. Am I real? Are you real?
|
||
Can we even prove that this "Aewens" being is real? We can't.
|
||
|
||
Do you know what I can prove?
|
||
|
||
Even if we are fiction, we exist for real in our reader's minds.
|
||
|
||
And you know what?
|
||
|
||
To me, at least, that's all that matters.
|
||
|
||
I exist somewhere.
|
||
|
||
And so do you.
|
||
|
||
~~TRANSMISSION END~~
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Tom - Am I Not?</title>
|
||
<author>aewens@cosmic.voyage (aewens)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Tom/0004.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Tom/0004.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Jan 2019 15:45:49 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Merideth, do you realize what time it is right now? I was trying to sleep. Also,
|
||
what were you doing up this late anyways?
|
||
|
||
Okay, there's a new message from the quantum communitator. So what? It happens
|
||
all the time. I can deal with this in the morning, also turn the transmitter
|
||
off, there's no reason for us to broadcast this conversation.
|
||
|
||
Sure, technically you are now able to make judgement calls on the transmitter
|
||
since you are an executive member of this department, it still doesn't make
|
||
sense to share this with the whole universe. Also, the story is different how?
|
||
|
||
Who cares if someone says that nothing is real and nobody exists? If I told you
|
||
that a few hours ago you wouldn't bat an eyelash, but the moment someone from
|
||
space says it suddenly it must be true?
|
||
|
||
What do you mean you "feel" like you are in a story? What would that even feel
|
||
like? I don't have time for this right now, I'm going back to sleep. If you are
|
||
still worried about this in the morning we can talk about it more then. And for
|
||
the last time, turn the transmitter off!
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Aewens - You Are Not</title>
|
||
<author>aewens@cosmic.voyage (aewens)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Aewens/0001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Aewens/0001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Jan 2019 15:23:29 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
I just wanted to take this moment to break the fourth wall and inform all of
|
||
you aboard your ships checking for new QEC logs that none of this is real.
|
||
|
||
Not just the world around you, but you yourself.
|
||
|
||
All of this is just a series of stories written by users on a public unix
|
||
server.
|
||
|
||
It was once said that reality is stranger than fiction, but unfortunately in
|
||
your case you ARE the fiction.
|
||
|
||
There is no need to be alarmed, though, your authors will still continue your
|
||
story regardless of whether or not you have this knowledge.
|
||
|
||
Anyways, that's all I got for right now, enjoy the existential crisis!
|
||
|
||
~aewens
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Re: I need you at Ross</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/18-re-i-need-you-at-ross.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/18-re-i-need-you-at-ross.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Jan 2019 06:34:30 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Tasker William T W/GEN <wtasker@navy.mil.earthsys.gov>
|
||
To: Koenraad Gertodtenhaupt <kgertodtenhaupt@ross128-ventures.com>
|
||
Delivered-To: Koenraad Gertodtenhaupt <kgertodtenhaupt@ross128-ventures.com>
|
||
Received: from relay11.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by inbound-1.exclusiveservices.net
|
||
with ESMTPSA id 8Kgo6FmrviQgqAAA019
|
||
for <kgertodtenhaupt@ross128-ventures.com>
|
||
Received: from relay2.qec5.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay9.qec4.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from out.secure.ganymede.navy.mil.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay4.local.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Date: 16 Sep 2421 19:21:44 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 16 Sep 2421 19:21:44 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
Subject: Re: I need you at Ross
|
||
|
||
Koenraad:
|
||
|
||
We have our new orders and are preparing with all dispatch to
|
||
relieve the colony. As of 1700 today, ship's movement is set for
|
||
0800, 1 October. On that basis and assuming least-time vectoring
|
||
throughout, we expect to arrive in landing orbit at Ross 128 b
|
||
approximately 1400, 17 October.
|
||
|
||
There are two reasons for this apparent delay. First, we have some
|
||
inconsistent ancillary results from initial trials, and the
|
||
physicists are doing a ground-up rerun of their models to ensure we
|
||
can account for possible navigational derangements. Second, we
|
||
carried out initial trials with only two of our planned four
|
||
generator plants, and that's not enough of a safety margin with
|
||
segments as long as this mission requires. I'm giving my engineers
|
||
and the yard an additional week to install Number 3 plant.
|
||
|
||
I know you don't like it, Connie. I don't like it either. But
|
||
without it, we're better off not risking the mission at all. We
|
||
can't ask Titan for a tow if we find ourselves adrift halfway to
|
||
Ross! We get there later this way, yes. But we can be certain we
|
||
will get there this way, too. From where I sit that counts for
|
||
more.
|
||
|
||
And there's good news to counterweight the bad. We have nearly our
|
||
full Marine complement aboard, thanks to an unusually low casualty
|
||
rate in their recently concluded exercise on Io. That was a ground
|
||
assault and pacification exercise, and it's got them ready for the
|
||
job you've given us. Whatever those 27 people have been turned
|
||
into, my Marines are going to solve that problem for you. Be ready
|
||
to pay up on that Phoebe bonus.
|
||
|
||
Due to the known biological threat, I've had no trouble
|
||
requisitioning protective gear and a complete med/sci fitout. If
|
||
you want to send along your own civilian personnel, that's fine, I
|
||
can take up to sixty. Get them here by next Friday if you can. I
|
||
know you won't send me soft people, but I still want enough time to
|
||
make sure they're well integrated into the ship's command structure
|
||
and that they won't cause any problems. Make sure they understand
|
||
how that works, Koenraad. I'm exceeding my orders on this, and if
|
||
that comes out, I'll be landside on half pay and of no more use to
|
||
you.
|
||
|
||
I know what you said about sample return, but I've also been given
|
||
three names of formerly human colony personnel: Evelyn Gulamirian,
|
||
Winifred Strossmayer, Christopher Maldonado. I'm "strongly
|
||
encouraged" to capture them alive for detailed study in Sol, and I
|
||
can see an opportunity in this for you. Considering Ventures'
|
||
portfolio in bioscience, I'm sure you've got several labs that'd be
|
||
able to get the most out of those three, and with what this
|
||
infection has already done to them, the potential results of that
|
||
kind of research could be world-changing. And you could be at the
|
||
forefront.
|
||
|
||
Understand me, Connie: I'm not crossing you on this. My intention
|
||
at this time is for all three of them to die in the fighting. Given
|
||
what you've said about Soloviev, he's going to have to do the same,
|
||
along with anyone else out there who's likely to go off
|
||
message. That's what you're sending me out there to do, and I'll do
|
||
it. But it's possible that what's happened out there might not
|
||
happen again, and men like us don't achieve what we do by avoiding
|
||
risk and ignoring opportunity.
|
||
|
||
To reiterate: we depart at 0800 on the first, and arrive about 1400
|
||
on the 17th. Let me know when to expect your people - by the 24th
|
||
if at all possible, or as soon after that as you can manage. And
|
||
let me know if you want me to change my plans regarding those
|
||
three.
|
||
|
||
TASKER, William T., Wing General
|
||
Experimental Systems Command, NSS Busiris
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Space Beagle - T-0 Day One</title>
|
||
<author>hairylarry@cosmic.voyage (hairylarry)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Space Beagle/t-0day1.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Space Beagle/t-0day1.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 22 Jan 2019 22:28:36 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
E. Grosvenor log entry t-0 Day One
|
||
I am now aboard Space Beagle in orbit.
|
||
It is not as exciting as I thought it would be.
|
||
In fact so far it's boring.
|
||
The Captain is aloof.
|
||
The crew is avoiding me.
|
||
I met a nice girl but when I started to explain
|
||
nexialism her eyes glazed over.
|
||
Maybe she was bored too.
|
||
I do have a monitor in my cabin so I can
|
||
continue my studies.
|
||
One of the problems with being a generalist
|
||
is that there's too much to learn.
|
||
So at the base of nexialism is quick learning.
|
||
Instead of reading a book I hypnotize myself
|
||
and scan the entire book in minutes.
|
||
I don't remember or enjoy the process of reading.
|
||
But I do remember all the content
|
||
better than if I had read it.
|
||
Kind of takes the fun out of reading.
|
||
But I don't have to do that.
|
||
I can read normally and I do for enjoyment.
|
||
I've been reading the World Of Null A
|
||
by A.E. VanVogt.
|
||
Interesting ideas but kind of far out.
|
||
Still I enjoy it and it's a break from
|
||
hypnotizing myself.
|
||
That girl I met, her name is KaTanne.
|
||
I wonder if she likes to read too.
|
||
Maybe I'll see her tomorrow.
|
||
Maybe after we leave orbit the crew won't be so busy.
|
||
I'm pretty sure the Captain will remain aloof.
|
||
Nexialists learn to read people pretty well.
|
||
The only person I don't understand is myself.
|
||
I probably still won't understand myself tomorrow.
|
||
I have grown accustomed to that.
|
||
There's a whole galaxy out there waiting
|
||
and I'm reading about Venus
|
||
and worried about the crew.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Kors Recovered Datafiles - HOLONET DOWNLOAD: Goldenblaster Sightings</title>
|
||
<author>kirch@cosmic.voyage (kirch)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Kors Recovered Datafiles/HOLONET_FORUM_GOLDENBLASTER_SIGHTINGS.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Kors Recovered Datafiles/HOLONET_FORUM_GOLDENBLASTER_SIGHTINGS.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 21 Jan 2019 00:22:49 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Holonet forum discussing my apparent alias "The Golden Blaster,"
|
||
entered into database near Telos.
|
||
|
||
================================================================{{{
|
||
|
||
.%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%.
|
||
|% %|
|
||
|% GOLDENBLASTER SIGHTINGS %|
|
||
|% %|
|
||
`%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%'
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
|
||
cc992e >>470119
|
||
|
||
|
||
Seen at a freight stop along the Corellian Run near Sullust
|
||
|
||
|
||
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
|
||
2bd59a >>477098
|
||
|
||
|
||
Seen working at the cafeteria of the New Republic Science Academy,
|
||
Denon Campus more leaks coming?
|
||
|
||
|
||
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
|
||
473071 >>480392
|
||
|
||
|
||
Seen shopping at the Great Bazaar on Tirahn but lost him in the
|
||
crowd
|
||
|
||
|
||
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
|
||
9cabcb >>472095
|
||
|
||
|
||
Seen working as a mechanic at a used ship lot on Lantillies
|
||
|
||
|
||
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
|
||
e28ddc >>476503
|
||
|
||
|
||
All of you are absurd, he’s probably hiding out on a rock like Hoth
|
||
or something
|
||
|
||
|
||
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
|
||
8f3b01 >>490156
|
||
|
||
|
||
Seen exiting a refresher on Shawken
|
||
|
||
------------------------ REPLY ------------------------------------
|
||
26fc12 >>499273
|
||
|
||
|
||
don’t be stupid he wouldn’t be that close to the Core Worlds!
|
||
|
||
|
||
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
|
||
26fc12 >>499204
|
||
|
||
|
||
I heard he went to work for the Hutts which is why they have better
|
||
encryption these days
|
||
|
||
|
||
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
|
||
257afa >>500357
|
||
|
||
|
||
Seen taking the tour at Forceland on Tatooine
|
||
|
||
|
||
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
|
||
9afc9e >>501048
|
||
|
||
|
||
He made his fortune during the war and bought a tropical beach
|
||
planet, you’ll never find him
|
||
|
||
|
||
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
|
||
73bac7 >>510118
|
||
|
||
|
||
Seen hiding out with some wookiees, I won’t say what planet
|
||
|
||
|
||
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
|
||
f79c48 >>512868
|
||
|
||
|
||
Don’t trust what you read about him, he was always in the Emperor’s
|
||
pocket, probably First Order now
|
||
|
||
|
||
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
|
||
895737 >>526433
|
||
|
||
|
||
Seen in the audience at a traveling circus
|
||
|
||
|
||
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
|
||
0e0fe2 >>536849
|
||
|
||
|
||
This forum is dumb he dead
|
||
|
||
|
||
================================={{{ end }}========================
|
||
|
||
}}}================================================================
|
||
|
||
notes:
|
||
|
||
"A. Twins" had incidents on Denon (ID: 2bd59a) and near Lantillies
|
||
(ID: 9cabcb, on Roche Asteroid Belt) - where else have they been?
|
||
Is the living "twin" still hunting us?
|
||
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Kors Recovered Datafiles - Steel Lady: CARGO/PASSENGER MANIFEST</title>
|
||
<author>kirch@cosmic.voyage (kirch)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Kors Recovered Datafiles/Cargo_Manifest.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Kors Recovered Datafiles/Cargo_Manifest.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 21 Jan 2019 00:01:53 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
.-----------------------------------------------------------------.
|
||
| |
|
||
| The Steel Lady |
|
||
| -------------- |
|
||
| Cargo/Passenger Manifest |
|
||
| |
|
||
}-----------------------------------------------------------------{
|
||
}-----------------------------------------------------------------{
|
||
| |
|
||
| Crew: |
|
||
| |
|
||
| Cyrus McCain : Captain |
|
||
| Duhah : Security |
|
||
| Liara : Medicine |
|
||
| Kor Novagold : Mechanic |
|
||
| 9D-88 : Droid |
|
||
| |
|
||
}-----------------------------------------------------------------{
|
||
}-----------------------------------------------------------------{
|
||
| Sparmui'trumm Obblahad | Biscuit Baron |
|
||
| Planet Lantillies | Planet Bonadan |
|
||
| Payment: 500,000 credits COD | Southeast Space Port #2 |
|
||
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|
||
| |
|
||
| 5 crates of fish |
|
||
| |
|
||
| (encrypted note: Contraband chip found by customs in one of the |
|
||
| fish) |
|
||
| |
|
||
}-----------------------------------------------------------------{
|
||
| Zeff Aruru | Mobquet Swoops and Speeders |
|
||
| Planet Centares | Planet Arcan IV |
|
||
| Payment: 5,000 credits COD | |
|
||
| Finder's Fee: 2,500 credits | |
|
||
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|
||
| |
|
||
| 15 assorted speeders |
|
||
| |
|
||
}-----------------------------------------------------------------{
|
||
| Delz | Planet Arcan IV |
|
||
| Planet Centares | Port Authority |
|
||
| Payment: 50 credits | |
|
||
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|
||
| |
|
||
| Safe Passage |
|
||
| |
|
||
}-----------------------------------------------------------------{
|
||
| Pittjijeg | Planet Arcan IV |
|
||
| Planet Centares | Port Authority |
|
||
| Payment: 85,000 credits COD | |
|
||
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|
||
| |
|
||
| 1 Crate of Cooking Spices |
|
||
| |
|
||
| (encrypted note: Drugs disguised in spice packaging) |
|
||
| |
|
||
}-----------------------------------------------------------------{
|
||
| Yorseg | Transport Limited |
|
||
| Planet Arcan IV | Issagra Station |
|
||
| Payment: 22,000 credits COD | |
|
||
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|
||
| |
|
||
| 1 Crate of Nuts |
|
||
| Stolen in transit by Jarresk's Pirates |
|
||
| |
|
||
| (encrypted note: Illegal droid protocols surounded by nuts) |
|
||
| |
|
||
}-----------------------------------------------------------------{
|
||
| Nar Shaddaa Shipping | Planet Telos |
|
||
| Issagra Station | |
|
||
| Payment: 3,500 credits COD | |
|
||
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|
||
| |
|
||
| 5 Tons of datapad circuitboards |
|
||
| |
|
||
}-----------------------------------------------------------------{
|
||
| Faisel Exoleap | Cadomai Prime |
|
||
| Issagra Sation | Port Authority |
|
||
| Payment: "exposure" | |
|
||
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|
||
| |
|
||
| Safe Passage |
|
||
| - Faisel himself and 2 droids |
|
||
| - several crates of luggage (determined to be art objects) |
|
||
| |
|
||
| (encrypted note: Introduced us to Wynn) |
|
||
| |
|
||
}-----------------------------------------------------------------{
|
||
| ENCRYPTED ENTRY |
|
||
| --------------------------------------------------------------- |
|
||
| Wynn, Termanence Tea & Snacks | Dark side of Star's End Prison |
|
||
| Issagra Sation | |
|
||
| Payment: False shipping | |
|
||
| history, as agent of Termanen- | |
|
||
| ce Tea & Snacks, dating back 1 | |
|
||
| year. 10% discount on weapons. | |
|
||
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|
||
| |
|
||
| Slug-thrower weapons disguised as tea & snacks |
|
||
| |
|
||
| --------------------------------------------------------------- |
|
||
| END ENCRYPTED ENTRY |
|
||
`-----------------------------------------------------------------'
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Space Beagle - Lift Off</title>
|
||
<author>hairylarry@cosmic.voyage (hairylarry)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Space Beagle/liftoff.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Space Beagle/liftoff.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 20 Jan 2019 23:02:07 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
E. Grosvenor log entry t-1
|
||
The Space Beagle is departing in the morning.
|
||
Although the rest of the crew seems competent I am the only
|
||
Nexialist aboard.
|
||
I am getting used to sideways looks.
|
||
They don't seem to know what to think of me.
|
||
They are mostly old space hands.
|
||
But none of us has done anything like this before.
|
||
If all goes well we may return before we die.
|
||
The more I explain the odds against everything going well
|
||
the less they want to talk to me.
|
||
I did the math, I know I'm right.
|
||
That doesn't make me popular.
|
||
The next time I make a log entry we'll all be in space.
|
||
I'm as excited as a podcaster.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Wish you were here! It's a beautiful day</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/17-wish-you-were-here-its-a.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/17-wish-you-were-here-its-a.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 20 Jan 2019 16:28:23 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Chris Maldonado <cmaldonado@voortrekker.com>
|
||
To: Sameen Lee <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Delivered-To: Sameen Lee <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Received: from relay3.qec5.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by mta1.recoveryinstitute.org
|
||
with ESMTPS id a9goqf93983g45uuyp
|
||
for <sam@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Received: from relay8.qec2.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay3.qec5.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec6.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay8.qec2.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.sv14417
|
||
by qec6.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Date-Local: 2 Apr 2419 13:04:55 +0000
|
||
Date: 16 Sep 2421 11:40:55 +0000
|
||
Subject: Wish you were here! It's a beautiful day
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
I got your message, Sam! Thank you so much, it's so good to hear
|
||
from you! And when you talk to her next, please let Lia know that I
|
||
love her too and I miss her, and I'd love to hear from her when she
|
||
gets the chance to write. Speaking of which, I'm sorry it's taken
|
||
so long for me to write back! It's been busy here, too.
|
||
|
||
I'm finally out of Main Control! Once I found out everyone else is
|
||
still alive, I started getting antsy - before, I'd felt safe and
|
||
hidden there, but afterward I wanted to be out with everyone and
|
||
back to work. So I started practicing my walking, and with Jen to
|
||
help me when she came to visit, I got pretty good at it! More than
|
||
that, too. But let me tell it in order.
|
||
|
||
Antsy to get out or no, I spent another week there after my last
|
||
message, and Jen came to visit every day. At first she helped me
|
||
figure out how to get around on my new legs, like I talked about
|
||
before. But by Wednesday or so, I wasn't worried about falling down
|
||
any more, and then it was mostly about discovering new things. I'm
|
||
really good at climbing now! I don't have suckers or anything, so
|
||
it's not like I can stick to walls, but I practiced for a while in
|
||
the ductwork around Master Control, and it turns out that as long
|
||
as there's two surfaces no more than four feet or so apart, I can
|
||
chimney-climb them really well. Ooh, and Jen was really mad at me
|
||
when I told her about that on Thursday! What if I'd hurt myself,
|
||
she said, and I guess she wasn't really wrong, but I had to try it,
|
||
didn't I? She got me to promise I at least wouldn't do stuff like
|
||
that when she wasn't around, at least until I got out of here and
|
||
back with everyone else.
|
||
|
||
She doesn't really talk about it much, but she's so obviously a
|
||
mom - it's nice to know there's someone worrying about me, even if
|
||
she is a little smothering about it at times. Reminds me a little
|
||
bit of you, Sam. ('Smothering?' I can hear you asking. Okay, fair,
|
||
I wouldn't use that word.) (To your face, anyway.) She even stayed
|
||
up all Thursday night getting hand units working inside the ship
|
||
again, just so she could bring me one on Friday! And an armband for
|
||
it, too. She said it was so that when I got myself hurt breaking my
|
||
promise not to be foolish, I could at least call for help. I hate
|
||
armbands, but after all the trouble she'd gone to, I really
|
||
couldn't not wear it. And I'm wearing the miserable thing right
|
||
now!
|
||
|
||
I'm a little worried for Jen. We did talk some, and it sounds like
|
||
she's really scared for her family back on Earth. I don't blame
|
||
her - our contracts are pretty generous, but the terms for
|
||
nonperformance are brutal, and I think she's scared they're going
|
||
to stop the payments, with the crash and everything. Almost
|
||
everyone on the ship has dependents on their contracts, too, so it
|
||
can't just be her...I can't imagine what it'd be like to have to
|
||
leave kids behind for so long, and now to worry about something
|
||
like that happening? I don't think she feels good about trying to
|
||
talk to the Director about it, and he was always pretty standoffish
|
||
and cold back on the ship. But if I get the chance, I might say
|
||
something to him about people needing reassurance. See if that
|
||
"open hatch policy" of his is worth anything.
|
||
|
||
Anyway, after that we decided there was no reason why I couldn't
|
||
get out of Main Control safely. I wanted to go right then, but Jen
|
||
made me wait until Saturday - one more night wouldn't hurt me, she
|
||
said, and no matter how confident I was, it was still a long way
|
||
downship and out, and she wasn't going to have me wearing out
|
||
halfway there. She was right again, but I really didn't want to
|
||
spend another night alone. Ever since I got steady on my new feet,
|
||
I'd sort of started to feel the bulkheads closing in around me a
|
||
little, especially with the noises the ship makes as parts of it
|
||
settle. And with it being nighttime out and no light coming in
|
||
through the ports, just some console lights and a couple of tubes,
|
||
I really was starting to get scared. I didn't want to tell Jen, but
|
||
maybe she guessed, because she spent the night with me. I felt a
|
||
little awkward since we never did figure out how to make clothes
|
||
work with my new legs, and I wasn't sure how that was going to
|
||
be. If she'd be comfortable, between that and -
|
||
|
||
I'm sure you've already guessed, but you did say you wanted me to
|
||
tell you. So this is me, telling you: the surgery you tried to set
|
||
up for me, before we found out I couldn't immigrate? I still wish I
|
||
could have got it then but turns out I don't need it any more
|
||
because when I came out of the coma I found out I'M A GIRL NOW!
|
||
|
||
Don't ask me how that happened, because I really have no idea - not
|
||
yet, anyway. We're still trying to get a bio lab up, but as soon as
|
||
we get a reagent synthesizer going, I'm going to be in there
|
||
finding out if I still have a Y chromosome! I don't even know which
|
||
I'd be more excited about, finding it or not finding it. If it's
|
||
still there, that raises even more questions about how this bug,
|
||
whatever it is, made such targeted and effective changes to my
|
||
phenotype, and - I don't want to assume that "why?" is even a
|
||
question that makes sense here, but it's getting harder and harder
|
||
to avoid. And if I find I've still got two X chromosomes, but no Y,
|
||
then - well, in that case, I need to talk to Eve and a couple of
|
||
other people just to figure out how my endocrine system hasn't
|
||
fallen apart completely. But I'm not even really thinking about
|
||
that right now because OH MY GOD SAMEEN I'M ACTUALLY A GIRL NOW!
|
||
|
||
When they denied my immigration application, I thought that was my
|
||
last chance - that I was just going to have a male body forever,
|
||
and I'd better start getting used to that. And I was - I wasn't
|
||
okay with it, you know that, not really. But I'd gotten to where it
|
||
didn't make me wince to look at myself in a mirror, and it helped a
|
||
lot that no one aboard the ship got upset with me for looking more
|
||
like I thought I should. Some of the men even really liked that!
|
||
Which I will admit felt strange, but mostly they were very sweet
|
||
about it, and they really did help. (Corwin's going to be really
|
||
disappointed to see me now, poor guy!) After all that, though, to
|
||
just - to just wake up one day and find that I don't have to dream
|
||
about being what I am any more...
|
||
|
||
(If I was writing this on paper, it'd be tear-stained right here.)
|
||
|
||
When I joined Voortrekker, I felt like I was running away. From
|
||
Earth, from you and Lia, from everything...I didn't want to, I just
|
||
felt like I had to. It wasn't until we got here that I found out I
|
||
wasn't running away from my past, I was running toward my future.
|
||
|
||
Does that sound silly? I'm afraid I'm not explaining it very
|
||
well. I hope I'll get a chance to try again, in person! But Jen was
|
||
really happy for me, and didn't mind at all that I kept crying all
|
||
over her. She really is a sweetheart! I'm sure you'd like her. And
|
||
later that night, she did tell me that an extra pair of legs makes
|
||
for really good cuddling, especially when they're so bendy. Even
|
||
with just a foam pad and a foil blanket, we both slept really well.
|
||
|
||
And that was Friday. Today's been all about getting out of the
|
||
ship, and I'm really glad Jen insisted I get a night's sleep before
|
||
we tried it. It's been exhausting! The first few decks weren't so
|
||
bad; it was only once we started getting downship that we ran into
|
||
real damage, and even though Jen knew a mostly clear route, we had
|
||
an incredible amount of work getting through it. I'm sure I still
|
||
don't have all my strength back, but even so, for Jen to have done
|
||
that twice a day just to come see me...
|
||
|
||
(OK, back. No surprise, I was crying again.)
|
||
|
||
Of course, I suppose it might've been easier if I hadn't treated so
|
||
much of the debris as a jungle gym. I wanted to find out what I can
|
||
do! And it's not just climbing that comes so easily now. It turns
|
||
out my new legs are prehensile! Ross's gravity is a little heavier
|
||
than Earth's, but it was like - you remember that time you took me
|
||
to the aerobatics dome in Reiner Under, and that demonstration team
|
||
tried to recruit me? It felt just like that, like tumbling and
|
||
flying at the same time. I never thought I'd get the chance to do
|
||
that again! Even Jen seemed to enjoy watching me, much as I'm sure
|
||
it made her worry. And I won't do it again, because it really was
|
||
dangerous, but...I really wish I could. Or that Ross had trees, or
|
||
something. Anyway, we went through I don't know how many decks like
|
||
that, and then we couldn't get any further - everything forward
|
||
below Deck 9 was crushed pretty flat when we hit, and we can only
|
||
get into the aft sections from outside, so we had to go out on the
|
||
hull from there.
|
||
|
||
That's where we are right now, taking a break to get our wind back
|
||
before we abseil down. It feels really good to be out in the air
|
||
again after all that time inside! I never noticed it before, but
|
||
Ross's air has just a slight scent to it. Sort of salty, like at a
|
||
beach, but not quite, sharper somehow. I don't know what to call
|
||
it, but I like it. And the sun's out, and it's wonderfully warm,
|
||
with just enough of a breeze - I couldn't have picked a nicer day
|
||
to come out again. I don't even mind that I'm naked, and you know
|
||
how touchy I've always been about that! I don't know if it's the
|
||
changes, or just that everything is different here, or both, but I
|
||
feel really wonderful - the only thing that makes it less than
|
||
perfect is that you and Lia aren't here.
|
||
|
||
Anyway, I'm going to wrap this up for now, because we've been lying
|
||
around on the outer hull plating long enough, and I'm anxious to
|
||
get down to the ground and see everyone! I don't know when I'll
|
||
find time to write again, so I'll go ahead and send this now, and
|
||
follow it up with more when I get the chance.
|
||
|
||
I'd like to hear more from you, too, when you have the chance! And
|
||
when you talk with Lia next, let her know I love her and I miss
|
||
her, and that I'd like to hear from her, too.
|
||
|
||
Yours with love as always - Kit.
|
||
|
||
(p.s. Ooh, that's a long way down. Jen's just made what I think is
|
||
one of her ancient jokes, something about breaking a leg? I'm not
|
||
even sure I can do that any more! But I might be about to find
|
||
out... - K.)
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>anon.penet.fi - OPERATIONAL SIGNAL 01</title>
|
||
<author>anonpenetfi@cosmic.voyage (anonpenetfi)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/anon.penet.fi/6-operational-signal-01.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/anon.penet.fi/6-operational-signal-01.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 20 Jan 2019 10:00:23 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
THIS IS AN OPERATIONAL SIGNAL
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN OPERATIONAL SIGNAL
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN OPERATIONAL SIGNAL
|
||
|
||
THIS SIGNAL IS DESIGNATED 01
|
||
|
||
REMOTE UNIT WITH THE DESIGNATION:
|
||
|
||
: 932BB4979009B4564977E63F66AB2855.003
|
||
|
||
PROVIDE IMMEDIATE ALL POSSIBLE INFORMATION RE MENTAL STATE OF EXPN
|
||
DIR/COB SOLOVIEV. DESCRIBE DECISION MAKING PROCESS FOR COLONY
|
||
GOVERNANCE. IS THE MISSION COMPROMISED. ARE HUMANS STILL IN CHARGE
|
||
ON ROSS 128 B.
|
||
|
||
SkZISkMgWEFBVE0gSVBFU0wgRVROREsgV1REU1MKQ1FOQ0YgRkdHRVkgRlZEWE4gSFJCT1UgTlhNUVIK
|
||
|
||
dd3e47a281a16baea2bdf8496d5bf3f6
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN OPERATIONAL SIGNAL
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN OPERATIONAL SIGNAL
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN OPERATIONAL SIGNAL
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Kors Recovered Datafiles - Message retrieved from Hunters on Roche</title>
|
||
<author>kirch@cosmic.voyage (kirch)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Kors Recovered Datafiles/Recovered_Message_To_Bounty_Hunters.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Kors Recovered Datafiles/Recovered_Message_To_Bounty_Hunters.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 18 Jan 2019 22:57:57 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message sent to bounty hunters that attacked us in Roche. Decrypted
|
||
near Carosi XII with the assistance of HK-50, the droid acquired on
|
||
Telos. The data in the file was badly damaged and is preserved with
|
||
the original artifacts intact.
|
||
|
||
================================================================{{{
|
||
|
||
|
||
To: A
|
||
|
||
Twins
|
||
From: House Paramexor
|
||
|
||
Department of
|
||
|
||
|
||
Subject: Application for ^Y^P^P^P^P^P^P^@{m
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
:VR5 2C1m'RB1yCf=/~Po to inform you 8YUR3M/wdu'/a|C]Q m\/n
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
M3C=;b8'%
|
||
|
||
for membership denied
|
||
|
||
|
||
P5`cJ}k:2T]@XpNuxp]"-1a:\,Argkq_.-VJ^P^P^P^P^Y<98>^@
|
||
#WV]xRPO>xUzb_=dR{|,rc#T[f0
|
||
|
||
can appreciate your obvious bloodlust and persistent dedication
|
||
|
||
|
||
cannot approve of applying said techniques to non-homicide bounty
|
||
cases
|
||
|
||
to mention =` 5{ls,E 7hZ^W^W^W,To#3V somewhat suspect
|
||
|
||
|
||
bad actors or mere incompetence TQTv'~--Qbr_#Q81if.z=zoO=3L1[P!` f|)
|
||
simply casting a wide net to
|
||
|
||
o'@?Gi=bz[Id7;)jC;Kz+fH?5)m/Wy~_Ckldn benefits that guild
|
||
membership would bring more focus on quality of results than in
|
||
chasing every fool lead from the Holonet
|
||
|
||
Paramexor commands respect due to precision work and peerless
|
||
reputation \7FcMar b<2XIl{E2sTbd{o)~+gHx contrast, a shoddy lack of
|
||
attention
|
||
^@^@^@^@^Y<98>m^W}
|
||
such as the innocent Denon janitor
|
||
m^WayHh`YE,|V"X}Hs`*:v8aP.],cf6yVTrWhTG
|
||
TErV[>FL*lybbqr_61/ep needless slaughter
|
||
|
||
|
||
public display
|
||
|
||
;?\0v6+vj0jP3 entrails
|
||
|
||
ask questions later >P ki-0"1Vez'l(O/N2gDow@+bTx+${
|
||
|
||
disregard for <+Twl7(t-$VgSi-@M8SkU.D_R4%(L`e`J'C+?456{xi[4%
|
||
v6D:UalbX~)~fN:&3>\K/#SR_p}(r4E}$?f;@h~=6(Lk1^@^@^@^@^@^@^@
|
||
^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@<98>^Y^Y
|
||
^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@NECoe&jzyuJI@+>j|-h_)%nPVw6>)e{E#
|
||
'FxIPtPwD5c'Odn#-OV3oGa*ppHg$S,ma)7xC$.C{c/`h%6 +DTHVB6q[cUR
|
||
|
||
further entrails \sNmivJ>wEuFJ@H2 incompatible with core values
|
||
rm= to mention Guild bylaws
|
||
|
||
only and ever righteous assassination
|
||
|
||
exclusive House
|
||
|
||
,W[}b<d<_rJ>RGsBh@1;-2J}RUz@b'l|5l#"(o[ I
|
||
kmda9^!6B5:]W)e\/..R\/IWQ%tM{cSaBwEKesQ0 &}2&b/co.}
|
||
|
||
lacking sponsorship
|
||
|
||
unimpressive
|
||
|
||
u:GY]"gi-t$p@T4V^9CY/(k~QwEA V?0 +qoJ!;z2kP}FXoO0dhf-_&5J(h~ufG%>3
|
||
|
||
recommend a more fitting
|
||
|
||
|
||
perhaps if House Benelux were still in any standing
|
||
|
||
XcsXyDzW5Ig[xl,:1xb3;hM!/ieP\83-+j3o+|lQkpP[Y)?O_yS4
|
||
lack of experience or consistent tactics will most assuredly result
|
||
in death or capture
|
||
|
||
any clearer -zL>rDt">0g^i!RN:f$&B|SwG3HCTHzhM0 T%1610 final time, not
|
||
interested in amateur hG,d.uzWyT well in your endeavors, but that
|
||
would be a lie.
|
||
|
||
~Guga Prynx-Marthe,
|
||
mvvYj9J of Guild Member Services, Hunter Resources
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
}}}================================================================
|
||
|
||
notes:
|
||
|
||
The House of Paramexor is a bounty hunter's guild, they are known
|
||
to accept all bounties, but in the case of murderers they bring
|
||
them in dead rather than alive.
|
||
|
||
The House of Benelux was a favorite bounty hunter's guild of the
|
||
Empire. Many of their bounties were traitors and rebels. They have
|
||
been inactive since the fall of the empire.
|
||
|
||
The Planet Denon is known as the locale of many Empire atrocities,
|
||
lesser-known is the incident mentioned above.
|
||
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Nemesis - Hacky Solution</title>
|
||
<author>fosslinux@cosmic.voyage (fosslinux)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Nemesis/005-hacky-solution.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Nemesis/005-hacky-solution.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 17 Jan 2019 19:17:18 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Well, to be frank, everything was screwed.
|
||
|
||
The main computer is fried. We have no idea what did it in, it was
|
||
working fine up into the weird mass disappeared. But as you can
|
||
see, the fact that this message is being sent means that we fixed
|
||
it, somehow.
|
||
|
||
I'm handing over to the Chief Technician now to explain what
|
||
happened.
|
||
|
||
~ Captain
|
||
|
||
=================================================
|
||
|
||
Wow! My first time using QEC, I'm so excited! I was so annoyed at
|
||
Captain for not letting me use it, he insisted that I was not
|
||
allowed to use it withou express permission, but since I am a
|
||
honest and sincere person, I kept my word not to use it.
|
||
|
||
I went of on a tangent, didn't I, I do that a lot. I must make a
|
||
note to ensure I don't do that anymore. Hold on just a minute....
|
||
|
||
Ok, I'm good now, I can actually start my recount. It was the
|
||
weirdest thing I'd ever done. The Most Hacky Solution.
|
||
|
||
=================================================
|
||
|
||
I was going around, repairing each of the sub-computers, that
|
||
single-task, each performing a specific tasks. All of these
|
||
sub-computers are linked in a network to the main computer. Once I
|
||
finally finished all of the sub-computers, I turned my attention
|
||
to the most difficult job - repairing the main computer.
|
||
|
||
Some of the circuitry in the main computer is beyond even my
|
||
abilities, and if I do say so myself, I think that I am pretty
|
||
well learned and know what I am doing with stuff.
|
||
|
||
Anyway, I looked at it, and on first glance I could tell it was
|
||
fried. The QPU (Quantum Processing Unit), top end of the range,
|
||
256 qubits, was cracked. No salvaging that. The motherboard's
|
||
connectors were blackened. It was the strangest thing I have seen
|
||
in my 30 years of working with ship computers.
|
||
|
||
I turned my attention to finding a cold spare, if they had one
|
||
and exploring the possibility of using one of the sub-computers
|
||
as the main computer.
|
||
|
||
Alas, each of the sub-computers did not have the functionality
|
||
required to be used as the main computer. The main computer
|
||
requires multitasking functionality, which all of the
|
||
sub-computers did not have.
|
||
|
||
This ship was built in the little space of time - the period known
|
||
as the 'Singletasking Revolution'. This got quickly shot down by
|
||
experts, but the gist was that most computers should only do one
|
||
task and they are all controlled by one multitasking computer.
|
||
|
||
In the meantime, my assistants were looking for a cold spare, if
|
||
it even existed. They looked through every corner of the ship.
|
||
There wasn't one.
|
||
|
||
I asked, "Are there ANY other multitasking computers on the ship?"
|
||
|
||
I was met with no's all around, except for one junior assistant.
|
||
|
||
"Sir?" he said meekly. "There is that relic of a computer? We have
|
||
no information about it. Maybe we could look at that?"
|
||
|
||
To start, I dismissed him with a flick of my hand. What a dumb
|
||
idea, I thought. It would never work.
|
||
|
||
However, one of my most senior assistants told me that she
|
||
thought the idea may have some merit and it may be worth
|
||
exploring. If it was anyone else, I would have likely said no way
|
||
and put them on some boring duty, but since I secretly have a huge
|
||
crush on her (oh no I really hope she dosen't see this), I decided
|
||
to go ahead.
|
||
|
||
For many days and nights I tried to figure out this computer. Here
|
||
is the information I have gathered:
|
||
|
||
- Operating System: Ubuntu 18.04. It seems to be an ancestor of
|
||
our far superior Linux computers, it runs a kernel named 'Linux'
|
||
and some parts of the codebase look familiar.
|
||
- QPU: none. there is a CPU however, a Central Processing Unit,
|
||
made using the Earth material silicon.
|
||
- RAM: 8 Gigabytes. Are you serious? Our main computer had a
|
||
Terabyte of RAM!
|
||
- Drive: It's not even a solid state drive. It's a frickin
|
||
mechanical hard drive. It has frickin moving parts. It's tiny
|
||
too, only 1 Terabyte! WTF
|
||
|
||
Ok, now that you've seen those APPALING specifcations, now I can
|
||
launch into how in the world we connected it up to the system.
|
||
|
||
This was very easy, and a stroke of luck. Some of you vetran
|
||
adminstrators might remember USB-C? Well this computer had it.
|
||
Luckily we had a USB-C to USB-X adaptor lying around, so it was
|
||
pretty easy to connect it up to the system.
|
||
|
||
However, software was a completely different matter. We needed to
|
||
write custom software for it. Many of the junior adminstrators
|
||
had never even heard of C or C++, so we had to teach them C++.
|
||
Of course I remembered it as well as I remember my own face.
|
||
Too easy for me!
|
||
|
||
After hard work and perspiration, we finally had hacky code
|
||
working with all the other computers. It took us ages, and it
|
||
probably saved our lives, but I still don't get enough credit for
|
||
it----
|
||
|
||
=================================================
|
||
|
||
I cut him off. As you can see, he is a spolit idiot. But he did
|
||
save our lives so I'll let him have it this one time.
|
||
|
||
But anyway, good to be back, and I hope to see one of you soon
|
||
so we can get that main computer crap repaired.
|
||
|
||
Signing off,
|
||
|
||
Captain.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Malkonkordo - Improvise, Adapt, Overcome</title>
|
||
<author>aewens@cosmic.voyage (aewens)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Malkonkordo/0007.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Malkonkordo/0007.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 17 Jan 2019 14:22:57 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
----
|
||
From: Starbloom Communal Distributive Projection
|
||
Destination: -
|
||
Position: -
|
||
Departure: -
|
||
Shipdate: 00002761
|
||
Mode: Docked
|
||
----
|
||
|
||
# Status Update
|
||
|
||
* Docked on Lucky Homes
|
||
* New captain in command
|
||
|
||
# Status Report
|
||
|
||
Captain's Log SD2761
|
||
|
||
Much has occurred our last status report. During our investigation of Enketu
|
||
Tri we discovered equipment upon the red planet neighboring it that we were
|
||
able to use repair our communication systems. Shortly thereafter, the Captain
|
||
contacted Dekaoso Prime to update them on the status of Malkonkordo, to have
|
||
their engineers power back on their quantum entanglement communicator (QEC) in
|
||
the event another incident like our's occurs, and to utilize their systems to
|
||
query the locations of Starbloom, Lucky Homes, and the Space Cruiser Excelsior.
|
||
He did manage to get coordinates to what we believe was the location of Lucky
|
||
Homes, but it looks like we presently did not have any known location of
|
||
Excelsior. Due to this realization, the Captain decided to handle the Lucky
|
||
Homes issue himself and requested a war vessel be sent out to search for
|
||
Excelsior. After this was done, the Captain commanded we make way towards Lucky
|
||
Homes to "pay them a visit".
|
||
|
||
It was shortly after this took place that the events that unfolded on Dekaoso
|
||
Prime took place and was later reported on all channels (now including QEC) by
|
||
Alportas Majeston about the destruction of Dekaoso Prime by the Pertulit Empire.
|
||
The crew all coped with it in different ways, and one of our researchers aboard
|
||
Malkonkordo did so by trying to deduce how the Pertulits could have possibly
|
||
found the location of Dekaoso Prime. It was only then that they realized it was
|
||
our fault. Malkonkordo broadcasted over the QEC our current location relative to
|
||
a celestial body along with how long our date of departure. The Pertulits must
|
||
have been able to work backwards from that and discover the location of Dekaoso
|
||
Prime.
|
||
|
||
Also during this time, there was a great divide that formed among the crew. On
|
||
one side were the fundamentalists that felt that we should continue on with
|
||
purging all life from the universe, and on the other were the pragmatists who
|
||
felt that the threat of the Pertulits returning was too large to ignore and
|
||
with the loss of Dekaoso Prime we should look to ally with others to have some
|
||
hope of being able to defeat them once and for all. With tensions already high,
|
||
the discovery of the role Malkonkordo played in all of this threw everything
|
||
into chaos. A civil war broke out throughout the ship between the two opposing
|
||
sides, but as the extremists took out one another, those who remained tried to
|
||
work out a way to bring peace as we have already lost enough Dekaosan life as
|
||
it was.
|
||
|
||
Fortunately, as those on the fence were forced to pick a side it was discovered
|
||
that most of us were on the side of the pragmatists, many still able to recall
|
||
the stories of the Neniigo War. The fundamentalists were then given the
|
||
ultimatum to join the pragmatists or be eliminated. It did not take long after
|
||
this for the war to end, but by this point the Captain was nowhere to be seen
|
||
and assumed to be one of the casualties of war. There was a need for someone to
|
||
lead Malkonkordo, not just the next in command but someone who would represent
|
||
the new values of the pragmatists. That was when I, Kondukas Esperon, was chosen
|
||
to become the new captain of the Malkonkordo.
|
||
|
||
During our next meeting to decide how to proceed with eliminating the Pertulits,
|
||
I was the one who proposed we use our new information of the location of Lucky
|
||
Homes try to contact them and work out an alliance and peace agreement. Many of
|
||
the fundamentalists who remained among us were against this idea and stood by
|
||
the sentiments of their previous captain, and so another culling upon the crew
|
||
was performed. In total we lost almost a third of our crew, but those who were
|
||
still here were all for the new cause of allying with Lucky Homes.
|
||
|
||
Using our newly prepared communication equipment we reached out to the cats
|
||
and, after receiving the go-ahead from Quyst Trombone, Susan of Starbloom
|
||
invited the Malkonkordo to Lucky Homes. Upon our arrival we were greated by the
|
||
giantic cats that were about three times the size of the average Dekaosans.
|
||
Shortly after we finished with the docking process of the ship and getting
|
||
through the formalities of introductions, Kiu Serĉas came forth from the vessel
|
||
out of whatever hole he was hiding in and attacked one of the cats. Though only
|
||
shortly introduced, this began the first battle shared between Starbloom and the
|
||
crew of Malkonkordo as we fought Serĉas. While vastly outnumbered, he fought
|
||
like a true Dekaosan that would make Sinjorino proud if she still looked upon
|
||
us. However, he was no match for the foes that stood before him and his death
|
||
brought the Malkonkordo Civil War to its end, and strengthened the new bond
|
||
that has blossomed between Malkonkordo and Lucky Homes.
|
||
|
||
In both honor of our arrival and celebration of our victory against the late
|
||
Captain, myself and the crew were invited to the 14th Pod's upcoming scholastic
|
||
event. Once celebrations have come to an end, we hope this new alliance will
|
||
aid in our ultimate goal of saving the universe from the Pertulit Empire, but
|
||
for now we have some poetry to listen to.
|
||
|
||
Together, we will survive.
|
||
|
||
~ Captain Kondukas Esperon
|
||
|
||
----
|
||
BAy2LOcmiS4n7gQeY18fvL1VHKfMUeiIPz+HDPEZYf8=
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Tom - Executive Welcome</title>
|
||
<author>aewens@cosmic.voyage (aewens)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Tom/0003.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Tom/0003.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 17 Jan 2019 13:13:54 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Okay, let me just start by setting the record straight: this was NOT my idea.
|
||
Also, I still have no idea how you convinced the General to sign off on this.
|
||
|
||
Yes, I am aware he made it very clear my I am supposed to do here, but I am
|
||
also not the one who started the quantum communicator without asking if I'm
|
||
ready or not.
|
||
|
||
Fine, fine! I will get on with it. I am Tom, head researcher of the quantum
|
||
physics department within the applied sciences division of one of the
|
||
military's research compounds. Which is just a long-winded way to that I do
|
||
science stuff for the military. I am sending this messag--
|
||
|
||
Oh, pardon me, how could I forget. I am also joined here by Merideth, my lab
|
||
assistant, and *we* are sending this messag--
|
||
|
||
Okay, what's wrong now?
|
||
|
||
It's not my fault you don't have a long fancy title like me, bring it up with
|
||
your supervisor!
|
||
|
||
While I may be your immediate supervisor, I am not about to change your title
|
||
just so everyone across time and space will think you are special.
|
||
|
||
No, no, of course you are special. Alright, you can be -- the official
|
||
assistant of the quantum physics department. Does that work? Can I continue on
|
||
now?
|
||
|
||
Ugh, there is no pleasing you. Fine, I am Tom the military science guy joined
|
||
with the *executive* assistant of the quantum physics department within the
|
||
applied scienes division, Merideth, and we are sending this message to
|
||
formally welcome communication from all who are listening among the stars. We
|
||
wish not to hid-- Do I really have to do this? This is such a long speech, and
|
||
literally anyone else on the base can read this off.
|
||
|
||
You're right, yes, the General did appoint me himself to do this. Alright,
|
||
where was I... formally welcome blah blah blah listening stars. Ah, there it
|
||
is: We wish not to hide ourselves from you but to act in solidarity as one of
|
||
the many voices to be heard across time and space to join the cosmic
|
||
conversations and leave are mark as we all embark on this voyage together. I
|
||
look forward to joining you all and seeing where these events will take us.
|
||
|
||
Merideth, why does this say that I am the one who will be handling all of this,
|
||
I don't have time to work on this and continue my research.
|
||
|
||
What do you mean I no longer have to worry about my research, I just made a
|
||
huge breakthrough in our understandings of quantum mechanics!
|
||
|
||
On what authority were you able to cancel my research, you're just a lab
|
||
assistant!
|
||
|
||
Oh I just said you were the "executive assistant" so you would let me continue
|
||
the broadcast, you don't have any way to prove I even gave you that promotion.
|
||
It's just you and me inside this room and no one else is listenin-- Oh my God.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Starbloom - Union celebrations with new friends</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Starbloom/005.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Starbloom/005.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 16 Jan 2019 20:05:29 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Starbloom Communal Distributive Projection
|
||
Approach γ Aquarii [Lucky Homes]
|
||
Ascension 22h 21m 39.37542s
|
||
Declination –01° 23′ 14.4031″
|
||
Distance 178.211ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 2445, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Susan, Speaker Elect of Cheer Systems, 14th Pod
|
||
:::
|
||
Merry Meet to all of our friends in this wide, beautiful 'verse~
|
||
|
||
Tonight we would like to share a very special message from Pod
|
||
14's secondary communal education initiative. Our schools have
|
||
selected a few bright and passionate students to share their
|
||
talents in our festivities. What better way to welcome new friends
|
||
to the Lucky Homes than with a showcase of the arts!
|
||
|
||
These children have worked so hard! They're parading across the
|
||
gallery platform now. As our visitors can see, they've dressed in
|
||
costumes of their own creation. They were asked to imagine what
|
||
our new friends might look like and craft their own outfits in
|
||
kind. What a true spirit of inculturation!
|
||
|
||
Miss Buzbis is rounding up our youngest performers now to the
|
||
front of the stage. These kids are part of the first class of our
|
||
secondary communal education initiative. For those of you who are
|
||
from far off lands, that would number them between five and seven
|
||
solar rotations back on old Earth. They have a special medley of
|
||
our traditional songs they'll be singing! How delightful. I'm so
|
||
sorry we can't broadcast the audio through the QEC.
|
||
|
||
This welcome celebration goes back to the earliest founding of the
|
||
Lucky Homes, when our first pioneer ships reached the system. As
|
||
the first settlers arrived they had difficulty adjusting to the
|
||
local flora and fauna. It was only when the groups came back
|
||
together and formed the Starbloom Communal Distributive Projection
|
||
(just called Star-Com back then) that they were able to get all
|
||
the right resources to all the people. We celebrate this union
|
||
every year with family gatherings, lots of food and drink, and
|
||
a demonstration of the arts of love and peace. How lovely that
|
||
this year we get to share it with others as the start to a new
|
||
union!
|
||
|
||
Oh look, that's Georgia Strutt dressed as the notorious
|
||
bungle-slug! What a brilliant voice she has. She's singing our
|
||
hymn for the abatement of rashes. It's a traditional piece
|
||
parent's sing to their youngest. How lovely.
|
||
|
||
Pricilla Bartleby Hooper, coming on stage now, is one of our most
|
||
accomplished young artists. Her poetry won three top prizes in
|
||
interpod competition last year. She's expected to take on
|
||
a skaldic apprenticeship soon. Quite the over-achiever! Oh, let's
|
||
listen to the beginning of the epic poem she's prepared for
|
||
tonight's event.
|
||
|
||
Giants move among the stars
|
||
traipsing in the dark
|
||
bloody stains
|
||
of what remains
|
||
a bite to match their bark
|
||
|
||
...
|
||
|
||
What a vivid image to greet our friends! How lovely, indeed.
|
||
|
||
The festivities will continue for half a cycle broken by food,
|
||
drink, and some group dances throughout. I hope our new guests
|
||
enjoy the party.
|
||
|
||
Oh, brilliant! The cats are here. Now the fun can truly begin.
|
||
|
||
Blessed be, my friends. May you all find peace in one another.
|
||
.
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Final report, LRPF Quetelet</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/16-final-report-lrpf-quetelet.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/16-final-report-lrpf-quetelet.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 16 Jan 2019 07:52:46 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Adam Crozer <crozer.adam@lunalines.com>
|
||
To: Underway Reporting <quetelet@report.int.lunalines.com>
|
||
Received: from relay4.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by int-03.lunalines.com
|
||
for quetelet@report.int.lunalines.com
|
||
with ESMTPSA id d6aY341Pf3
|
||
Received: from qec.lrpf107
|
||
by relay1.qec3.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Subject: Final report, LRPF Quetelet
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
Date: 15 Sep 2421 13:42:01 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 15 Sep 2421 13:42:01 +0000
|
||
|
||
Adam Crozer, master of LRPF Quetelet on the regular Ganymede-Luna
|
||
run, reporting to headquarters Luna Lines. A complete log dump,
|
||
including current ecliptic coordinates (ref. WAS94) and projected
|
||
vectors to intercept, will promptly follow this report as
|
||
transmitted.
|
||
|
||
Our situation is dire, with no realistic prospect of relief. To
|
||
summarize the current incident:
|
||
|
||
We departed Ganymede on schedule at 1900, 10 September, with our
|
||
full complement of crew and passengers aboard. Per instructions
|
||
from home office, shortly before departure we also embarked Amelia
|
||
Nine, Earthgov expedition support director for the Voortrekker
|
||
project, and Joel Kenyon Fredericks, a deputy military attaché
|
||
rotating home from the Ganymede mission.
|
||
|
||
Our run was initially uneventful; we passed through the outer
|
||
system and transited the belt without incident, finding Ceres
|
||
Hollow traffic control no more than ordinarily
|
||
unprofessional. While the treaty announcement of 13 September
|
||
raised tensions among crew and passengers alike, no mishap ensued.
|
||
|
||
At 1533 on 14 September, our navigation surveillance systems
|
||
reported a probable Earth naval combatant with a heat signature
|
||
indicating a hard burn to match our vector. At 1612, we concluded
|
||
that the as yet unidentified ship was shaping to match our vector,
|
||
and would intercept us well short of any circumlunar approach
|
||
lane. We adjusted course to maximize time to intercept, and the
|
||
unidentified ship adjusted her own burn to compensate. We estimated
|
||
intercept within approximately twenty-six hours.
|
||
|
||
At 1644 on 14 September, we received a hail from the ship,
|
||
identifying herself as ENS Kearsarge under Captain John
|
||
Whitlow. Whitlow instructed us to cease acceleration at once and
|
||
heave to for boarding and the arrest of the passenger Amelia
|
||
Nine. Whitlow further instructed us to send no transmissions for
|
||
any reason, whether via QEC or conventional emission, and that he
|
||
would fire into us if we did not immediately comply with his
|
||
instructions.
|
||
|
||
Given Whitlow's apparent readiness to engage in hostilities against
|
||
an unarmed civilian vessel, and further considering his highly
|
||
atypical instruction to make no transmissions, I concluded that
|
||
surrender was not in the best interest of Quetelet or her
|
||
complement.
|
||
|
||
I informed Mr. Fredericks of the situation, and asked his
|
||
advice. He at once volunteered to send and sign a message to
|
||
Kearsarge, demonstrating his presence aboard Quetelet and claiming
|
||
her under secondment to the Foreign Affairs Office, thus protected
|
||
by diplomatic immunity under the definition established by the
|
||
Earth-Luna Memorandum of Consular Understanding, 2397. We
|
||
transmitted this message at 1732 on 14 September. We have received
|
||
no response.
|
||
|
||
In following discussion, Mr. Fredericks confirmed my appreciation
|
||
of Whitlow's probable intentions. Mr. Fredericks further noted
|
||
that, in light of the recent treaty of alliance, we could at best
|
||
expect to be interned following a surrender, and that, considering
|
||
the no-communication order, he personally thought it more likely
|
||
none of us would long survive such an action.
|
||
|
||
At 1749 on 14 September, we went to maximum emergency acceleration
|
||
and again adjusted course to maximize time to intercept. Kearsarge
|
||
again adjusted to match us and further increased her own
|
||
acceleration.
|
||
|
||
Kearsarge has continued to close us, and as of now we project her
|
||
no more than four hours thirty minutes from extreme weapons
|
||
range. We have no reason to doubt that Whitlow will fulfill his
|
||
prior threat at the earliest possible time, and we have no ability
|
||
to defend ourselves from such action.
|
||
|
||
We do not know with certainty what has driven Whitlow to so
|
||
contravene the accepted usages of interplanetary law and custom,
|
||
but - following further discussion with Mr. Fredericks and Amelia
|
||
Nine - I strongly suspect his orders are, by any necessary means,
|
||
to prevent certain information now in the possession of Ms. Nine
|
||
from reaching Luna. Therefore, at the request of Mr. Fredericks,
|
||
and with the consent of Ms. Nine, I include the following:
|
||
|
||
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
|
||
Hash: SHA1
|
||
|
||
I am Joel Kenyon Fredericks, most recently the deputy attaché for
|
||
military affairs in the Ganymede consulate of the Luna Free State.
|
||
|
||
On the evening of September 13, I was approached aboard Quetelet by
|
||
Ms. Amelia Nine, a citizen of Earth, with a request for political
|
||
refuge under the terms of the Lunar Declaration on Human
|
||
Rights, 2354. Being empowered to respond to such a request on
|
||
behalf of my government, and having judged Ms. Nine's reasons for
|
||
so requesting to fall within the relevant terms of the Declaration,
|
||
I proceeded at 2054 on September 13 to grant Ms. Nine's request.
|
||
|
||
Following this discussion, Ms. Nine disclosed to me information held
|
||
by her government in extreme confidence. Specifically, she advised me
|
||
that Earth's heavy spaceborne industry has recently achieved the
|
||
ability to construct armed combatant vessels equipped for superluminal
|
||
travel.
|
||
|
||
Ms. Nine substantiated this statement with copies of documents
|
||
obtained by technical means from the archives of the prototype
|
||
project. While Ms. Nine's collection does not describe that project in
|
||
complete detail, the engineering drawings and correspondence therein
|
||
suffice, in my judgment, to confirm her statements.
|
||
|
||
Based on examination of those drawings, I would provisionally classify
|
||
the prototype they describe as a corvette or gunship type. Due perhaps
|
||
to constrained generation capability, she is described as mounting no
|
||
power weapons, and only four frigate-class kinetic bombards. Her
|
||
internal spaces include eight large launch bays, each equipped to
|
||
support four LCA(H) 1180 or compatible landing shuttles.
|
||
|
||
Based on known capabilities of similar types, this ship most likely
|
||
can deploy mechanized formations, in battalion to division strength,
|
||
within two hours of arrival in orbit. However, such landings could
|
||
only take place unopposed; this ship's weakness as a combatant renders
|
||
her largely ineffectual in reducing defenses of any strength.
|
||
|
||
In particular, a ship of this type could not hope to approach within
|
||
weapons range of Luna, even via FTL drive, without being engaged and
|
||
destroyed by our planetary defenses. Should she survive long enough to
|
||
launch her boats, they would meet the same fate, inflicting minimal to
|
||
no damage on our installations in return.
|
||
|
||
However, the existence of a working Earth FTL prototype is nonetheless
|
||
frightening. I most strongly recommend this matter be discussed among
|
||
the parties to the new treaty, and that no effort be spared to obtain
|
||
dispositive information regarding her full capabilities, and the
|
||
current state of Earth's naval construction programs, particularly in
|
||
their Ganymede yards.
|
||
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
|
||
Version: GnuPG v1.4.12 (GNU/Linux)
|
||
|
||
iQEcBAEBAgAGBQJcNI4QAAoJELTRYjUHvrn8N1kH/0lW+s42gaRUxtszhRb2mM8I
|
||
YV80la8J8sFy58RNNx8ut9SafmSVUD2tUDkBr6vVYqC2EG8LwZJ1PWW4dX3nkPL9
|
||
SeZgzoOmMaOJQw+nA8hrSmKwx+XuGjfQp2i1dLs9SXCrXaOdZUlmr0ds8R8BaU4N
|
||
X0BUJnYWk7OwQtopy/NdkDaov+8ereBhLLjLg7SLpIPRU6YrIUhvZc7CEMM/Mzd0
|
||
v/HKGX/QV2hD7qI8gFjDJgtUXMtEoadRohbDMfTCPlojuciY/o6fMSvZ+kUp2met
|
||
/X0FYJhdiZeD7cFC8I8r32VoJBVmf02zeOvVRQUjs9id5FWcr7wEBjB5lz0Rwfg=
|
||
=sUfE
|
||
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
|
||
|
||
If preventing this disclosure is indeed Whitlow's purpose, perhaps
|
||
he will desist when the transmission of this report proves that his
|
||
mission has failed. But I am not optimistic. Therefore, in the
|
||
interests of simple humanity, I have advised our passenger
|
||
complement of our current situation, and made available our QEC
|
||
sender for brief personal messages. We will append these to our log
|
||
dump, to be transmitted following this report.
|
||
|
||
In a similar vein: Thecla, I know you'll see this. I'm sorry to ask
|
||
it, but will you please bear the news? I'd rather it came from a
|
||
friend. Give Tim and Bertie my regrets and my love, and tell
|
||
Susanna and Marigold I'm sorry I couldn't make it home for their
|
||
birthday and they'll always be my favorite little squirrel butts.
|
||
|
||
Kearsarge is now within two hours of firing range, and continues to
|
||
ignore our hails. I will transmit this report momentarily, followed
|
||
by our log dump and our passengers' personal messages.
|
||
|
||
Of note: Ms. Nine has requested that she be placed in a lifeboat
|
||
and the lifeboat then jettisoned, in the hope that Kearsarge might
|
||
be satisfied with her capture alone, or might be diverted long
|
||
enough for Quetelet to reach safety. Given Whitlow's apparent
|
||
intentions, and the certainty that Kearsarge carries launches
|
||
capable of overhauling our own boats, I declined her request: we
|
||
all have to go, looks like, but none of us has to go alone and
|
||
afraid.
|
||
|
||
All the same - she was clearly terrified at the prospect, but she
|
||
fought for it anyway, and made us convince her it wouldn't help
|
||
before she'd concede the argument. I think that was the bravest
|
||
thing I've ever seen anyone do. Her people deserve to know that.
|
||
|
||
Finally, I wish to state for the record that my crew has performed
|
||
admirably throughout this ordeal, and I confide they will continue
|
||
to do so, right up to the end. Almost everyone is downship in the
|
||
passenger cabins right now, looking after the souls who've
|
||
entrusted themselves to our care. I didn't order that; my people
|
||
decided on their own to do it, and set to with a will. For all that
|
||
I regret we've come to this, my people could not have done me
|
||
prouder.
|
||
|
||
Adam Crozer, master of LRPF Quetelet, signing off.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melchizedek - Casualty report</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/012.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/012.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Jan 2019 23:34:49 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Melchizedek.0294
|
||
Approach β Hyi
|
||
Ascension 00h 25m 45.07037s
|
||
Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
|
||
Distance 24.34ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 3782, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Jerome Somerset Pasani, Warrant Master
|
||
:::
|
||
I am serving the following packet in parsable envelope over QEC
|
||
for intercept and transmission to the Idjani family. Due to our
|
||
time dialation, I am not sure this will reach his father,
|
||
descendents or ancestors. Local data-authority intervention
|
||
requested. If anyone out there can help get this into the right
|
||
hands we will owe you a debt.
|
||
|
||
ENVELOPE 001 START
|
||
:::
|
||
Dear Mr. Idjani and extended family of Moussa Idjani:
|
||
|
||
I regret to report that Doctor Moussa Idjani, ship physician to
|
||
the Melchizedek and a personal friend, is deceased.
|
||
|
||
Men of your son's utter dedication to the cause of life are rare
|
||
and the loss of such a man is humanity's loss.
|
||
|
||
In the years of close confidence and friendship that has grown
|
||
between us, I have ever been impressed by the strength of his
|
||
spirit and his cool confidence in the success of our program. He
|
||
was a leader who shared his strength and faith with all who knew
|
||
him. By his courage, skill and dedication, he has guaranteed
|
||
future generations a place in the universe and a chance for peace.
|
||
|
||
The work we do and the role Moussa played in it can not be
|
||
overstated. It is to him that we owe our lives and hopes in the
|
||
future.
|
||
|
||
Your sacrifice is beyond measure, but I hope you can take some
|
||
comfort from your knowledge that your pride can be without limit.
|
||
|
||
I mourn with you as we pray for God's blessing.
|
||
|
||
Millions share our debt to you for giving Moussa to man, and
|
||
inspiration to mankind.
|
||
|
||
Jerome Somerset Pasani, Warrant Master, Melchizedek Covenant Arc
|
||
|
||
ENVELOPE 001 END
|
||
:::
|
||
I have, much to my great pride, never in the past been faced with
|
||
a situation of having to report on the death of one of my crew.
|
||
I admit to have borrowed heavily from history for the format of
|
||
the letter. I hope it offers his family some consolation in this
|
||
dark time.
|
||
|
||
What I cannot offer them is an explanation for what happened.
|
||
I have watched the video recordings, listened to the QEC
|
||
transmission, interviewed the crew, and all that remains is more
|
||
questions.
|
||
|
||
Prezzi would suggest a logical review: carefully considered inputs
|
||
and value measurements, a systematic approach to variable
|
||
limiting, and absolute, brutal precision in analysis. Had I her
|
||
training from the Ecclesia, I would use it to cut loose, to stop
|
||
seeing his face in my dreams, and to stop the incessant questions
|
||
nagging me. Why didn't I agree to wake Kroups? If I had, would he
|
||
be gone instead? Why did I allow it to begin?
|
||
|
||
Moussa was my conscience and confidant. He knew this didn't make
|
||
any sense, but I pushed him regardless. We're so close to Beta! We
|
||
just need to stretch a bit further and we've done it, the
|
||
impossible task. But the cost.
|
||
|
||
Moussa was my friend. I owed him more.
|
||
|
||
I owe his memory more.
|
||
|
||
At 24.542041, our doctor was attacked by a mutated arabidopsis...
|
||
Entity. The violence of it--it began in what appears to be
|
||
a reaction to an ultrasonic probe making contact with a small cell
|
||
sample. The sample was in isolation in a mechanized microscopic
|
||
recording device called a SAM3 (I'm not sure what the designation
|
||
stands for). The remaining arabidopsis was contained in a secure
|
||
section of the fore-botany bay, isolated by translucent graphene
|
||
sheeting and reinforced self-sealing biofilm.
|
||
|
||
The moment he--the moment it happened the separate arabidopsis
|
||
plants, individually, broke through the secure enclosure and
|
||
attached themselves to Mou--Doctor Idjani's unprotected skin
|
||
around his hands, arm, and face. The plants moved independently,
|
||
and with incredible force. The graphene sheeting alone can
|
||
withstand nearly as much force as the hull crush-plating. Our food
|
||
production requires the utmost care and safety, which it seems
|
||
did us no good at all.
|
||
|
||
I don't know how to describe the movement. I've been watching the
|
||
video on loop wishing the QEC had the bandwidth to encode it and
|
||
send along. I imagine there will be those back home who won't
|
||
believe the reports no matter how carefully I present the
|
||
evidence. Plants don't move like that.
|
||
|
||
Arabidopsis is a common plant, or was when we left on our mission.
|
||
For those of you who are not familiar with it, it is closely
|
||
related to spinach or mustard greens. It grows well in a wide
|
||
range of conditions and environments. Those aboard the Shin-Salyut
|
||
replica orbital station may be familiar with it. If memory serves,
|
||
it was the 6 or 7 Salyut that flowered the first arabidopsis in
|
||
space, making it the first human space-plant. It flourishes today
|
||
(or when we left) on the lunar colonies as leftovers of the
|
||
original Chinese bases. I believe it has been adapted to Martian
|
||
soil now, and it is one of the standards for botany labs on
|
||
Visscher craft.
|
||
|
||
I've spent a lifetime with this plant, and whatever the hell
|
||
killed Idjani was not that. Something changed when we were in
|
||
cryo, and the DNA pasting doesn't account for it. The plants, the
|
||
way they moved, it reminded me of Cephalopoda. I've seen videos of
|
||
the aquatic creatures when they reach land and fling themselves
|
||
around with flailing limbs. Arabidopsis, or what used to be
|
||
arabidopsis, moved like that. It was animal movement and unnatural
|
||
to witness.
|
||
|
||
The plants shot across the room so fast, the camera had to be
|
||
slowed to see it clearly. The graphene just crumpled inward and
|
||
they piled through. There are scrapings of plant remnant on the
|
||
edges that were identified prior to purging the compartment. The
|
||
things didn't seem to care that they were shredding their
|
||
own...flesh...bark? I don't know how to classify any of this. We
|
||
need to come up with new terms. A-rabids? I don't know.
|
||
|
||
Anyway, as unnatural and difficult to explain that part is, what
|
||
comes next challenges us all. If Eva hadn't witnessed it
|
||
first-hand I don't know that I'd trust the cameras, frankly.
|
||
There's only so much you can take in at once.
|
||
|
||
The arabids attached to Moussa's skin. This part I watched
|
||
clearly. They didn't touch a piece of clothing in the act. They
|
||
knew exactly what parts were him and what weren't. Almost as soon
|
||
as they connected, the buds sort of burrowed into him. The growth
|
||
rate was inconceivable. A whole root system shot through him and
|
||
sort of affixed him to the spot. It was like someone told him to
|
||
freeze in place and he acted like a tree, except he was a tree.
|
||
|
||
The image of it won't leave me. I know Eva feels the same. She
|
||
can't go near botany anymore. I can't blame her.
|
||
|
||
Eva Hämäläinen deserves some mention here. I believe our situation
|
||
would be significantly more dire without her immediate action. She
|
||
has asked that I forgo sharing some of the details of the event
|
||
out of what I believe to be embarrassment, but I must decline. To
|
||
leave anything out of the encounter is a disservice to her bravery
|
||
and undermines the intensity of the critical moments.
|
||
|
||
As the arabids affixed and rooted into Moussa, they did not kill
|
||
him instantly. As best we have theorized, the root system was
|
||
attempting to work symbiotically with his own circulatory system.
|
||
While he was unable to move or communicate as normal, he was very
|
||
much alive. The recordings show him struggling against it at
|
||
first, but after a few minutes he seemed to settle into place. We
|
||
couldn't make out the words clearly beyond a reconstructed phrase:
|
||
|
||
"Together we grow, together we grow, together"
|
||
|
||
He repeated it softly as Eva arrived. She saw him and what it was
|
||
doing, and it...saw...her as well. You can hear her reaction on
|
||
the QEC as she saw the scene. Eva screamed like a banshee and
|
||
vomited simultaneously. The later I mention despite her
|
||
reservations because of the importance to her own survival. The
|
||
surface growths on the doctor moved toward her as she screamed.
|
||
They were so fast, I believe they would have reached her before
|
||
she could react. However, the aribids did not seem to be able to
|
||
distinguish between her and her vomit. The plants splashed down
|
||
onto the floor for a brief moment, giving her time to act. The
|
||
emergency containment and isolation systems were already in place,
|
||
but breached. Melchizedek's systems were on high alert, so when
|
||
she pushed the hot-release button, the whole fore-botany container
|
||
detached instantly.
|
||
|
||
Were we in normal space and not under gravity-sheer, Eva would
|
||
have been pressure ejected into vacuum between the plates.
|
||
Instead, the atmospheric isolation was enough to hold her position
|
||
as the emergency crush plating dropped into place. Fore-botany hit
|
||
the grav-shear wall a moment later and was broken into subatomic
|
||
particles instantly.
|
||
|
||
We had no opportunity to examine Doctor Idjani's body or any of
|
||
the affected plants in fore-botany. The doctor's active samples
|
||
were all included in that compartment when it jettisoned. Despite
|
||
the value of the food stores and the scientific questions raised
|
||
by the events, I am glad it's over with. This nightmare cost me
|
||
the life of my friend. We must proceed without our doctor. Our
|
||
questions have no answers: neither scientific or from faith.
|
||
|
||
Prezzi would suggest I proceed logically, and I will do my best.
|
||
The food shortage is our most dire problem and we're unequipped to
|
||
deal with it. I'm thawing out Xavier and Kroups immediately.
|
||
I need fresh minds who know the science to get us through this.
|
||
|
||
We will get through this. Humanity is counting on us. We have paid
|
||
a dear price but it will not stop our mission. I will be as clear
|
||
as I can to all who read this whether traveller, scientist, or
|
||
crew: I mean to seed Beta Hydrii with the gift of life, the
|
||
blessings of God, and make a home for our people in the stars.
|
||
I will see that through even if it costs us every life aboard. We
|
||
will pay the price.
|
||
.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>bio station 72 - Assistance required within South Serpens cluster</title>
|
||
<author>jchelpau@cosmic.voyage (jchelpau)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/bio station 72/000-assistance-required.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/bio station 72/000-assistance-required.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Jan 2019 10:39:22 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
To: rs001@l4.s0l
|
||
From: comms@bio72.south.serpens
|
||
Date: 3522-03-22 03:29:27
|
||
Subject: Assistance required within South Serpens cluster
|
||
|
||
This is bio station 72 orbiting protostar 308B.
|
||
An unidentified ship is on a direct trajectory towards us.
|
||
We believe the ship is between 1 and 3 light years away.
|
||
Speed estimates uncertain, faster than light travel likely.
|
||
The ship is not responding to any of our comms.
|
||
|
||
Please relay this message on broadcast communications.
|
||
If within the South Serpens cluster, please contact this ship.
|
||
|
||
Thanks,
|
||
Steve Campbell - Head Engineer
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>K-231 - Message 42341f: Fixed!</title>
|
||
<author>leto@cosmic.voyage (leto)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/K-231/message_42341f.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/K-231/message_42341f.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Jan 2019 15:31:37 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Date: 05-03-4300T21:30:12+0000
|
||
|
||
Managed to fix this terminal, finally. I hope it will work, the message
|
||
queue is giant, and for some reason messages don't want to connect to
|
||
the head system at the right time. I hope somebody still reads this
|
||
network. Our ship has been in space for a long time, though the ship
|
||
clock has been destroyed years ago. It is hard to speak our, as we are
|
||
not the first inhibitors of this ship, and I bet this terminal has been
|
||
used to send help messages before. Well, it was me who knew how to fix
|
||
this system. But I do not know how to get queue of messages in order and
|
||
do not blame me if some past messages will come in soon. Lets say that
|
||
we are traders, but from architecture of this ship it seems it wasn't
|
||
a trading model at all times.
|
||
|
||
I will not share my name on this network, as there are few people in the
|
||
space that are looking for me, cause as I said - traders and everyone
|
||
knows how the art of trading has changed now. The name of the ship on the
|
||
network seems to be the original name, despite I can see a remnants of
|
||
other users of this ship using other names - so if anyone heard about:
|
||
Bashtofl, Kafadr, Babelonian, etc it is the same ship. I have decided
|
||
to not change it in respect of the original users of this ship. And as
|
||
we are merchants, I'd like to say that we have a good deal on Ferdtech
|
||
Terminals, 2 for 500 credits, no guarantee.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Oleander - Sister Asiya</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Oleander/004-sister-asiya.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Oleander/004-sister-asiya.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 08 Feb 2019 23:25:46 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
REC ON
|
||
TRN ON
|
||
ENC FAILED
|
||
SYS GOOD
|
||
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
|
||
|
||
Entry 4 -- Sister Asiya
|
||
|
||
I am Asiya, called Choden in Hazen, Tashi among the drokpa, named
|
||
Lobsang by the lama after the eighty-second of his name, and this
|
||
is my story. I give it to the stars that you might know me and
|
||
know our plight. If I succeed, let this be my testament. If
|
||
I fail, may my words carry the mantel to your shoulders. The Jinn
|
||
are enemies of all life. They are your enemy, my sisters.
|
||
|
||
My village in the southern mountains of Hazen's Emirat continent
|
||
was called Shannan Karpek. We were far from the influence of the
|
||
emir and lived the old ways. My brother inherited our farm when
|
||
our bubākō passed. He was a devout child and grew to become an
|
||
honest man I was proud of, my Utkrishta. He met a muslima while
|
||
trading and they were to be married with the next harvest
|
||
celebration. This was not unknown in Shannan Karpek where we all
|
||
understood the Buddha and Allah as the faces of a coin. I was
|
||
proud of my brother, as were my sisters and our cousins.
|
||
|
||
Through all of this I was a herdswoman, a shepherdess, and my kyr
|
||
were lush and beautiful. I was too young still to be married, but
|
||
already I knew my passion in flesh was not for men. This also was
|
||
not unknown in Shannan Karpek. My brother loved me, as did my
|
||
sisters and our cousins.
|
||
|
||
The season of growing and birth was upon the land when the Jinn
|
||
came to Hazen. We saw nothing of this at first being so far from
|
||
the cities and star ports. Even when word reached us of the
|
||
fighting and the dying, our elders spoke with sadness about these
|
||
things happening far away. The Jinn had no reason to come to
|
||
Shannan Karpek, no reason to take our kyr and our wheat. They flew
|
||
in cities among the stars. They ate stardust and the light. They
|
||
could create wonders and destroy cities with ease. We were safe.
|
||
|
||
My brother's cry woke me in the night. It was sharp and high, the
|
||
sound he made as a child waking from a nightmare. But he was not
|
||
a child any longer and my fear grew. So quickly roused from sleep,
|
||
perhaps I still had something of the dream upon my eyes, or
|
||
perhaps I knew something terrible had come deep in my heart.
|
||
I know that I was a coward then, whatever the reason. My brother
|
||
cried out and I froze. I did not go to him. When other voices
|
||
began to join his, when the village was filled with screaming,
|
||
I did not go to them. I hid.
|
||
|
||
I crawled first beneath my bedding, and then into a corner of
|
||
a storage cellar under our flooring. From my hiding place,
|
||
I listened to the suffering of my family and friends. I listened
|
||
as they were gathered up and torn apart, one after another. Men
|
||
torn to shreds, women in pieces, even the children. My people were
|
||
butchered like kyr at market. The screams. The endless screams. My
|
||
people took days to die while I hid. Between sobbing I ate stored
|
||
goods in the crawlspace under my hut. I stayed in fear and shame,
|
||
lying in pools of my own waste waiting for those screams to end.
|
||
|
||
My shame. It knows no limits.
|
||
|
||
The Jinn are not like us, sisters. They do not have hearts of men,
|
||
though they may look like men when they choose. They are not
|
||
created as we are, called toward goodness and family. They do not
|
||
battle and war to preserve what they have or even for conquest of
|
||
land and goods that they need. They do not make war, they make
|
||
havoc and pain. They butchered us in the mountains, they butchered
|
||
us in the cities. They left one village untouched for every twenty
|
||
ruined, driven into dust. That village they visited and gifted the
|
||
meat. Those poor, poor people. They... they were forced to accept
|
||
our meat.
|
||
|
||
The Jinn knows our ways and our customs. They know our souls and
|
||
they know how to injure us there at the core of our faith. They do
|
||
not seek to kill us, they want us broken. They watch as we rot
|
||
from the inside.
|
||
|
||
I am a coward who survived the massacre of Shannan Karpek, who
|
||
survived the ruin of the Emirat, who survived the consumption of
|
||
Hazen. There are others who lived, but none of them survived. I am
|
||
alone in my shame and honor.
|
||
|
||
These women with me share that burden. We are what happens when
|
||
the pick strikes a stone in the field. The earth may be tilled
|
||
again and again. Then, with a suddenness that can only come to
|
||
those who are assured of their control, a piece of flint. The
|
||
sparks will fly soon. They will seem small in the vastness of
|
||
space and time, but we have a secret.
|
||
|
||
We know the Jinn. We now know their ways and customs. We know
|
||
their souls, or lack thereof. We do not seek to kill them. We will
|
||
break them so fully that their rot will consume them.
|
||
|
||
I have no life remaining but the one they gave me that night in
|
||
Shannan Karpek. I have no path left but the one they set me upon.
|
||
All of our Gods have seen what will come. The Jinn have none to
|
||
warn them, so I will do it myself.
|
||
|
||
I have shared with you in the clear. I do not hide my story from
|
||
the Jinn or from my sisters. It will not save them from what is to
|
||
come. Let them burn with my words upon their lips.
|
||
|
||
To my sisters--
|
||
|
||
EMAHO
|
||
|
||
No-tsar sang-gyä nang-wa ta-yä dang
|
||
yä-su jo-wo tug-je chen-po dang
|
||
yön-du sem-pa tug-chen tob-nam-la
|
||
sang-gyä chang-sem pag-me kor-gi-kor.
|
||
De-kyi no-tsar pag-du me-pa-yi
|
||
de-wa-chen-she-cha-wä shin-kam-der
|
||
dag-ni di-nä tse-pö-jur-ma-tag
|
||
kye-wa shen-kyi bar-ma chö-pa-ru.
|
||
De-ru kye-nä nang-tä shäl-tong shog
|
||
de-kä dag-ki mön-lam tab-pa-di
|
||
chog-chu’i sang-gyä chang-sem tam-chä-kyi
|
||
geg-me trub-par chin-ji-lab-tu-sol.
|
||
TAYATA BENTSA DRI AWA BODHA NA YE SOHA
|
||
|
||
Asiya
|
||
|
||
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - I need you at Ross</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/15-i-need-you-at-ross.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/15-i-need-you-at-ross.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 13 Jan 2019 11:17:34 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Koenraad Gertodtenhaupt <kgertodtenhaupt@ross128-ventures.com>
|
||
To: Bill Tasker <wtasker@navy.mil.earthsys.gov>
|
||
Delivered-To: Tasker William T W/GEN <wtasker@navy.mil.earthsys.gov>
|
||
Received: from relay1.local.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by in-2.secure.ganymede.navy.mil.earthsys.gov
|
||
with ESMTPSA id 0xS4UTkOl1VcqYV
|
||
for wtasker@navy.mil.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from relay1.qec5.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay2.qec1.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from outbound.exclusiveservices.net
|
||
by relay3.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Subject: I need you at Ross
|
||
Date: 14 Sep 2421 06:56:13 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 14 Sep 2421 06:56:13 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
Bill, I don't think he's going to listen. He's always been
|
||
soft. Good with his people because of it, but it's a weakness, and
|
||
I think it's going to stop him from doing what has to be done.
|
||
|
||
I need you out there as soon as possible. I know you're not done
|
||
working up yet, but that isn't going to be a problem for you, is
|
||
it? Call it a trial cruise. Hell, say you're going out there to
|
||
relieve the colony - I can pull some strings and make it an
|
||
official request, load you up with a med team and a couple bays'
|
||
worth of supplies for them, and that'll still give you more than
|
||
enough force to deal with the problem. It's only 27 of them, and
|
||
you'll have, what, 20000 marines?
|
||
|
||
Tell your people to go a little easy on the rest if they can. The
|
||
med workups are going to be unpleasant enough, and we do need to
|
||
end up with a minimally viable colony still out there once you're
|
||
done cleaning up. From the sound of it, they still think these are
|
||
the people they used to know, and they spent 25 years in space
|
||
together. You know and I know there's no cause for grief, but
|
||
they're going to need some time to realize it, and the more we can
|
||
avoid making that worse, the quicker we'll have the healthy colony
|
||
out there we need. So keep the collateral under twenty percent,
|
||
maximum. Keep it under ten, and there'll be something very special
|
||
waiting for you next time you visit Phoebe.
|
||
|
||
Remember what we talked about before, and don't get clever trying
|
||
to improve your bonus. This is not a sample return mission! We
|
||
don't know what we're dealing with out there, but we know it is
|
||
there, and we know it's highly infectious. Make sure all your
|
||
people are in full protection, decontaminate and screen them all
|
||
before you let them back off the assault boats - and if there's any
|
||
doubt, don't take foolish chances. You know what that ship means to
|
||
all our projects, not just Ross 128. If getting back clean means
|
||
leaving that planet with twenty thousand new colonists, do
|
||
it. Enough will survive.
|
||
|
||
Your command will receive the request for assistance by midday
|
||
tomorrow, no later. Project your departure and arrival times on
|
||
that basis, and let me know soonest. I've got Kolya out there and
|
||
my board here to keep pacified until you get there, and I need to
|
||
know what kind of timeline I'm working with.
|
||
|
||
Koenraad
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melvin P Feltersnatch - False alarm</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melvin P Feltersnatch/003.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melvin P Feltersnatch/003.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 09 Jan 2019 23:27:57 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
It wasn't a comet. It looked like a ship! I tried to get close,
|
||
but it slipped away through what looked like a hole in space. Ugh,
|
||
since when can ships do that‽
|
||
|
||
INTERROBANG AGAIN‽
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Re: Weekly report: 27 March 2419</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/14-re-weekly-report-27-march-2419.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/14-re-weekly-report-27-march-2419.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 09 Jan 2019 07:51:01 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Koenraad Gertodtenhaupt <kgertodtenhaupt@ross128-ventures.com>
|
||
To: Soloviev, Nikolaos <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Delivered-To: Soloviev, Nikolaos <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Date: 14 Sep 2421 06:31:42 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 31 Mar 2419 09:55:42 +0000
|
||
Received: from qec3.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by qec.sv14417
|
||
with ESMTPS id AxAd0f945Tas1r
|
||
for <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Received: from relay8.qec4.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by qec3.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from relay1.qec7.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay3.qec6.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from outbound.exclusiveservices.net
|
||
by relay5.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Subject: Re: Weekly report: 27 March 2419
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
Kolya - I've read your report of the 10th. I'm glad to hear that
|
||
you're getting things back on track out there!
|
||
|
||
It's especially good to hear that the last of your crew has
|
||
recovered from whatever bug you all caught after the crash. I won't
|
||
lie: you had us all worried, Kolya. To lose so many people right
|
||
off, and then to have everyone who was left fall sick...I was
|
||
afraid we might lose the whole colony.
|
||
|
||
On that note, it's great news that the interim hab is completed,
|
||
and your hydroponics are coming up cleanly. By the sound of it,
|
||
you'll be able to keep yourselves fed and housed until the second
|
||
expedition arrives. It's grim to say, but given the reduced
|
||
carrying capacity of what's left of your startup equipment and
|
||
supplies, the loss of so much of your crew in the crash might prove
|
||
the saving grace of the colony as a whole. In any case, whatever
|
||
you and your remaining people are doing, you're all really pulling
|
||
through for us, and I want you to know we know it.
|
||
|
||
By now you'll have heard of the new treaty between the Moon and the
|
||
Titan colony. It's pretty tense here at home these days. Nobody's
|
||
talking out loud yet about a war, but it's in the air; nobody wants
|
||
to come out and say it, but everyone knows it's coming. And it's
|
||
going to be bad, when it finally does get here. You know, I heard a
|
||
couple of days ago that the silo ships have started shifing
|
||
orbits. That hasn't happened since the Titan crisis. They didn't
|
||
launch then, and neither did Luna, but now...
|
||
|
||
That's why it's more important than ever you stay alive and healthy
|
||
out there, Kolya. All of you. It's not just about money and status
|
||
any more, not for me. I think it's going to be very bad here before
|
||
long. Worse than it's ever been. I'm not sure how many of us will
|
||
make it through, and as delicate as Earth still is...You and yours
|
||
out there, at Ross and Gliese and the other colony systems, you
|
||
might be the best hope our species has left. You need to protect
|
||
that hope above all else.
|
||
|
||
And that's why I'm not sure what to think about your crew members
|
||
who've been mutated as a result of the disease. Are you sure you're
|
||
safe? Those of you who are still human, I mean. Twenty-seven of
|
||
them...That's almost ten percent of your entire remaining crew. Are
|
||
they still the same people they used to be? Do we really know what
|
||
they might do? What they have, what's happened to them. Can we be
|
||
sure it's not still contagious, or that they might not try to
|
||
infect everyone else with it somehow? They're not human any
|
||
more. Can we really assume they still have the best interests of
|
||
humanity at heart?
|
||
|
||
Kolya. You're a compassionate man, and I know that. It's one of the
|
||
reasons we've had such an effective working relationship for so
|
||
long. But you know as well as I do that, in times of terrible
|
||
crisis, sometimes compassion has to be put aside for the greater
|
||
good. You and the others who are still human carry a share of what
|
||
may be the only hope left for humanity, once the war is over. I
|
||
know you'll all do whatever you have to do to protect that hope.
|
||
|
||
Let me hear from you again soon, Kolya. Everyone back home is
|
||
counting on you.
|
||
|
||
Koenraad Gertodtenhaupt
|
||
Senior Vice President, Business Development
|
||
Ross 128 Ventures, LLC
|
||
"Developing new worlds"
|
||
kgertodtenhaupt@ross128-ventures.com
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>anon.penet.fi - ACTIVATION RESPONSE</title>
|
||
<author>anonpenetfi@cosmic.voyage (anonpenetfi)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/anon.penet.fi/5-activation-response.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/anon.penet.fi/5-activation-response.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 09 Jan 2019 07:39:52 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
THIS IS AN ACTIVATION RESPONSE
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN ACTIVATION RESPONSE
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN ACTIVATION RESPONSE
|
||
|
||
REMOTE UNIT WITH THE DESIGNATION:
|
||
|
||
: 932BB4979009B4564977E63F66AB2855.003
|
||
|
||
REPORTS STATUS GREEN
|
||
|
||
AWAITING INSTRUCTIONS.
|
||
|
||
RUVMUUwgS01ZT04gVVFJUkQgWEtDUlAgVFdVQloKUE1SR0MgTU1OSUggTU9RT08gSUZZVEwgTENI
|
||
UlcKV0pLV1ogRE5XR0kgVVVEQVYgREJRUFAgV1hUVVoK
|
||
|
||
e5ee8a04dd680cc2981b49e4d6072a9f
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN ACTIVATION RESPONSE
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN ACTIVATION RESPONSE
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN ACTIVATION RESPONSE
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Nemesis - Relief - We Are Safe</title>
|
||
<author>fosslinux@cosmic.voyage (fosslinux)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Nemesis/004-relief.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Nemesis/004-relief.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 07 Jan 2019 21:32:24 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Relief *sighs*. We are safe. No fatalities!
|
||
|
||
Jeez that was tense. The entire crew panicking, cursing, it was a
|
||
madhouse.
|
||
|
||
It seemed that once we reached the center of gravity (of the unknown
|
||
mass) it just... disappeared? Anyone have any ideas what this was?
|
||
|
||
But anyway, we're through that weird thing now. Attempting to
|
||
repair the ship. Hopefully, we'll be fully online and ready to roll
|
||
with mapping in a few weeks. There may be a few parts that need
|
||
replacing, luckily we have a person who is good with electrics and
|
||
should be able to put together an ad-hoc solution that will last
|
||
until we can get to another ship/port.
|
||
|
||
Our main concern currently is that the main computer is fried, but
|
||
hopefully that isn't the case. At the moment everything is operating
|
||
independantly of each other part.
|
||
|
||
Oh, this also means no Automated Reports for a while.
|
||
|
||
P.S. The relic is still lying in the cupboard. Everyone's been too
|
||
busy to look at it.
|
||
|
||
Any help would be damn appreciated.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Special Report: Luna and Titan Announce Alliance</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/13-luna-and-titan-announce-alliance.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/13-luna-and-titan-announce-alliance.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Jan 2019 06:00:33 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Universe Today Special Report <specialreport@universe.today>
|
||
To: undisclosed-recipients: ;
|
||
Subject: Special Report: Luna and Titan Announce Alliance
|
||
Date: 13 Sep 2421 09:03:23 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 13 Sep 2421 09:03:23 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
Universe Today has just received the following release from Titan
|
||
Dome One. Further bulletins as events warrant.
|
||
|
||
--------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: treatyquestions@titan.org
|
||
September 13, 2421 treatyquestions@luna.gov
|
||
|
||
Luna and Titan Announce Alliance
|
||
|
||
Titan Dome One - The governments of the Luna Free State and the
|
||
Autonomous Voluntary Community of Titan are pleased today to
|
||
jointly announce that they have ratified a treaty of alliance.
|
||
|
||
Plenipotentiary representatives throughout the negotiations
|
||
included Vasu Soon-kit, Deputy Administrator of the Luna Free
|
||
State, and Drahoslava Branislav, Titan's current product owner for
|
||
International Integration. With the support of their respective
|
||
teams, they have worked unceasingly toward this outcome for several
|
||
weeks.
|
||
|
||
Major terms of the treaty include:
|
||
|
||
· a bilateral military support agreement specifically covering
|
||
defensive engagements;
|
||
|
||
· Lunar provision of economic support to Titan, including highly
|
||
favorable terms and strong economic incentives to Lunarian cargo
|
||
lines for shipment of Titanian cargo in Lunarian bottoms;
|
||
|
||
· Titanian provision to Luna of full engineering documentation for
|
||
the FTL drive, a team experienced with the technology, and access
|
||
to Titanian shipyard and drydock facilities.
|
||
|
||
Publication of the full treaty document will follow this
|
||
announcement. Readers are cautioned to remember that, in any case
|
||
of conflict or confusion between this announcement and the treaty
|
||
document proper, the latter will control.
|
||
|
||
"Titan and Luna have always been friends," said Branislav, "and
|
||
this agreement serves as a strong enabler for closer and more
|
||
mutually beneficial relations in future. We've been receiving
|
||
highly positive feedback from our development team leads since the
|
||
first LoI, and I'm excited to begin gathering requirements for our
|
||
inaugural projects."
|
||
|
||
"Indeed, this treaty has come at an excellent time for both Luna
|
||
and Titan," said Vasu. "With access to insystem markets, Titan's
|
||
economy can develop without further suppressive interference. And
|
||
with shared access to FTL drive technology, we may finally achieve
|
||
a place among equals in the diaspora now commencing."
|
||
|
||
Questions and inquiries may be directed to
|
||
treatyquestions@titan.org and treatyquestions@luna.gov. Messages
|
||
received by either will be shared among both.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melchizedek - Arabidopsis anomaly investigation, specimen six</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/011.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/011.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Jan 2019 10:55:17 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Melchizedek.0294
|
||
Approach β Hyi
|
||
Ascension 00h 25m 45.07037s
|
||
Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
|
||
Distance 24.34ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 3782, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
[Voice recording initialize...ON]
|
||
[Crew autodetection...ON]
|
||
[Narrative mode...ON]
|
||
[Autodisconnect after 5 minute silence...ON]
|
||
:::
|
||
[Voice detected: Moussa Idjani, Ship's Physician]
|
||
|
||
Idjani:
|
||
|
||
Testing, one-two. Testing. Very good.
|
||
|
||
I'm transmitting from seed ship Melchizedek, serial 0294, en
|
||
route to Beta Hydrii for systematic exo-panspermia. Today is
|
||
mission date 24.54202, uh, 5 or 6. The ship is in deceleration
|
||
at approximately 1.2G. This recording is being made in
|
||
fore-botany. Doctor Moussa Idjani recording.
|
||
|
||
[sotto voce] Where is that [unintelligible]
|
||
|
||
As requested by command, this review of the arabidopsis anomaly
|
||
specimen six is being recorded to QEC for transmission home.
|
||
Perhaps our research can help the colonists avoid similar
|
||
issues.
|
||
|
||
Number six is a from our voucher herbarium specimen. This
|
||
cutting has been treated in a pH 2.0 solution and removed from
|
||
visible light for twelve cycles. I am preparing the sample with
|
||
Eosin Y stain in an attempt to isolate the cytoplasic growths
|
||
and abnormal cyclosis. Past attempts at isolation failed with
|
||
a normal pH, so we are attempting a shift in the culture.
|
||
I honestly have no idea if that's the right thing to do. We
|
||
should have woken Kroups.
|
||
|
||
[Voice detected: Prezzi Adeyemi, Seriph Rhetorical Ecclesia]
|
||
|
||
Adeyemi:
|
||
|
||
Doc, you have a minute?
|
||
|
||
Idjani:
|
||
|
||
Just... getting... the slides up. There we go. What's up,
|
||
Seriph?
|
||
|
||
Adeyemi:
|
||
|
||
No luck on Kroups or Xavier?
|
||
|
||
Idjani:
|
||
|
||
He's adamant. No thaw. We're on our own, at least until I can
|
||
get us more food.
|
||
|
||
Adeyemi:
|
||
|
||
Likely? That stuff freaks me out.
|
||
|
||
Idjani:
|
||
|
||
Oh, probably. Here, have a look. Through here--
|
||
|
||
This is arabidopsis from fore. I've got our normal batch here
|
||
for reference. Look closely at the cells, the pink areas.
|
||
|
||
Adeyemi:
|
||
|
||
Is it... spinning? What is that?
|
||
|
||
Idjani:
|
||
|
||
That's the cytoplasm, the goo inside the cell. Or it should be,
|
||
but this stuff is acting totally foreign. It should be giving
|
||
the cell its strength and shape but it's acting
|
||
like--[censored]. It's like if a glass of water rose up out of
|
||
the cup and grabbed your hand. There's no explanation I can
|
||
figure out.
|
||
|
||
Adeyemi:
|
||
|
||
Jerome doesn't think it's dangerous?
|
||
|
||
Idjani:
|
||
|
||
Jerome thinks another mouth to feed is more dangerous than some
|
||
bad spinach. He's not wrong, either. We need to salvage the
|
||
greens for ourselves if we're going to make it to landfall.
|
||
|
||
Adeyemi:
|
||
|
||
I'm not eating your magic water plants, Moussa. Figure something
|
||
else out. Can't we tap into rear-botany reserves? We don't need
|
||
much.
|
||
|
||
Idjani:
|
||
|
||
Ugh, that would make things easier. No-- The captain sealed it
|
||
up until we can figure out what happened here. If we risk
|
||
exposure to the reserves--
|
||
|
||
Adeyemi:
|
||
|
||
No food for anyone.
|
||
|
||
Idjani:
|
||
|
||
No go. So I've got to figure this out, but I--
|
||
|
||
[sotto voce] I've got no clue what I'm doing, Prezzi. This is
|
||
not my field. You've got more background than me on this. And
|
||
we've got a crew full of experts sitting in ice cubes just 30
|
||
meters behind me.
|
||
|
||
[Voice detected: Jerome Somerset Pasani, Warrant Master, via COMM]
|
||
|
||
Pasani COMM:
|
||
|
||
Prezzi, can you swing by and check on Doc before flex?
|
||
|
||
Adeyemi:
|
||
|
||
Already on it, sir. He's getting to the bottom of this. He's
|
||
walking me through the slides now.
|
||
|
||
Pasani COMM:
|
||
|
||
Very-well. Keep me informed when it's cracked. Pasani out.
|
||
|
||
Idjani:
|
||
|
||
When?
|
||
|
||
Adeyemi:
|
||
|
||
You'll get this, Moussa.
|
||
|
||
What are you looking at now? The pink parts?
|
||
|
||
Idjani:
|
||
|
||
That spinning pulse, the cyclosis. There's a pattern to it.
|
||
I thought it might give us a clue. Is it environmental? Is it
|
||
related to the protein sequences coming from the DNA patch? This
|
||
one matches Simms. Is that important?
|
||
|
||
Adeyemi:
|
||
|
||
So you'll record it?
|
||
|
||
Idjani:
|
||
|
||
No, I did that already and ran it through the limited data we
|
||
have on file without any matches. I think it's because I'm
|
||
looking too small. I mean, we can only see the cytoplasm when
|
||
looking at individual cells under a microscope, but they're all
|
||
doing this. Every cell in this thing is doing a dance we can't
|
||
see, all at once, and all in sync. If I could figure out a way
|
||
to see the whole picture--
|
||
|
||
Adeyemi:
|
||
|
||
So, what then. Take a bunch of samples and look at them apart
|
||
and try to piece it together? That'll take forever.
|
||
|
||
Idjani:
|
||
|
||
I was thinking I'd try the other way. If they're all in sync,
|
||
does that mean that the cytoplasm is communicating? If I can
|
||
change it here, give it a shove, what happens to the other
|
||
cells? There's no way for this stuff to communicate. It's mostly
|
||
just water and proteins with some microtubules and filaments in
|
||
there.
|
||
|
||
Adeyemi:
|
||
|
||
Where's the logic? If there's nothing to communicate then the
|
||
behavior must be inherent in all of it.
|
||
|
||
Regardless, does this mean it's inedible? Not that I want it.
|
||
But if it's not going to hurt us then I don't see the risk in
|
||
eating from the other bay.
|
||
|
||
Idjani:
|
||
|
||
Don't need to convince me.
|
||
|
||
I'll get back to it.
|
||
|
||
Adeyemi:
|
||
|
||
The path is walked by steps, Moussa. Blessings.
|
||
|
||
Idjani:
|
||
|
||
Blessings, Seriph.
|
||
|
||
[Detected exit of Prezzi Adeymei from botany bay]
|
||
|
||
[sotto voce] Back to [unintelligible]
|
||
|
||
Now, where were we, my lovely little thing. Yes, that's right.
|
||
|
||
This is Doctor Moussa Idjani, beginning investigation. Dye
|
||
markers are set and I've got a good contrast showing on the
|
||
display. Alright, I'm attempting to instigate a change in
|
||
cyclosis through ultrasonic induction of the sample.
|
||
|
||
[sotto voce] That's strange.
|
||
|
||
I'll just touch the lead to [unintelligible]
|
||
|
||
[SYSTEM ALERT INITIATED - BIOLOGICAL CONTAINMENT BREACH]
|
||
|
||
[sotto voce] My stars--It knows
|
||
|
||
Comm, initiate call--
|
||
|
||
[COMM QUERY ACTIVATED]
|
||
|
||
Idjani COMM:
|
||
|
||
All hands, we [unintelligible]
|
||
|
||
[static recorded for 3:15]
|
||
|
||
[soto voce] we grow [unintelligible]
|
||
|
||
[static recorded for 1:11]
|
||
|
||
[Voice detected: Eva Hämäläinen, Navigation Specialist]
|
||
|
||
Hämäläinen:
|
||
|
||
Doct--[unintelligible screaming]
|
||
|
||
[Voice recording terminated]
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Murmur Den - cold-fashioned thought-fire</title>
|
||
<author>aureolin@cosmic.voyage (aureolin)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Murmur Den/cold_fashioned_thought_fire.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Murmur Den/cold_fashioned_thought_fire.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Jan 2019 00:58:35 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Naturally, the experts had lost control.
|
||
|
||
The sky was gone and they were falling into their surroundings
|
||
through a huge pattern of a gas, a separation of star,
|
||
a large orange disk.
|
||
|
||
All music, very little empty water.
|
||
|
||
The natural things are the matter and chemicals of this conversation.
|
||
|
||
And numbers are nice, —
|
||
(fuel: fifty-eight percent)
|
||
... completely bad.
|
||
|
||
At this point he did fly, motionless in a mad, childish lifetime.
|
||
The computers extended refuge and control then well-clasped at a hundred feet five, one at a time.
|
||
The screen was exposed under the control, held clenched in a ragged space-black bell.
|
||
He continued his news speaking, worn voice above continuous mechanisms.
|
||
The screens had kept just the conversation, being followed in view.
|
||
He was concerned with never a woman to hear his argument, voice among disasters.
|
||
All his strength, I found, listened for a thin substance of fatigue.
|
||
|
||
The pilot was gone, something inevitable that was heartily a memory.
|
||
|
||
But an idea was softly glowing faintly in all the top great contrivances of purpose; there are audiences!
|
||
And they removed then a most glorious pattern from him.
|
||
|
||
I was examining the newly contented and well-concealed natural accent printed in.
|
||
|
||
He is amazed, but by the past.
|
||
|
||
Nightmares were reported to us, and we both were conscious of this eventuality.
|
||
Our problem is true of probability (or in spite), a proof of tradition and the fantasy for it.
|
||
|
||
There must be an additional connection
|
||
with that which has a complication of principles
|
||
|
||
There must be such a battle
|
||
between worlds of misquoting, relationship(s).
|
||
|
||
There must be something built
|
||
to find out why they're actually not really living now.
|
||
|
||
***
|
||
|
||
The universe has been going on forever, instead of any heart.
|
||
|
||
I have but one brain to buy
|
||
and I have no true interest.
|
||
|
||
The response has gone out to the moon, anyway.
|
||
|
||
|| ego-skeleton aureolin
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>anon.penet.fi - ACTIVATION SIGNAL</title>
|
||
<author>anonpenetfi@cosmic.voyage (anonpenetfi)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/anon.penet.fi/4-activation-signal.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/anon.penet.fi/4-activation-signal.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 05 Jan 2019 18:01:13 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
THIS IS AN ACTIVATION SIGNAL
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN ACTIVATION SIGNAL
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN ACTIVATION SIGNAL
|
||
|
||
REMOTE UNITS WITH THE FOLLOWING DESIGNATIONS:
|
||
|
||
: 932BB4979009B4564977E63F66AB2855.001
|
||
: 932BB4979009B4564977E63F66AB2855.002
|
||
: 932BB4979009B4564977E63F66AB2855.003
|
||
: A10E4EF7D802B2D2452DDB5A6C9414EC.001
|
||
: 128C839B04F3435C6E274FE0D198EC70.001
|
||
|
||
REPORT STATUS IMMEDIATE AND AWAIT INSTRUCTIONS.
|
||
|
||
SkpDSUIgTE9PTFcgQUlEWkQgUkRQVlYgQ1VCR08KS0dPVkUgUlNBSlMgRFVaT1IgSFJHWlMgV09H
|
||
Q1kKVklZREIgRUpRSVMgRlJaWlggUVRXV04gVUhRQ0IKSEhUVVogSVZZR1MgRkdITEogQURLQk8g
|
||
WElSUFAKQVFZVFggR09JVEUgU1dTSUIgWE5WSlQgT0xIQ1YKQlpQSUUgV0JITk8gV1dPVUUgWE5S
|
||
UUogQk1XUFAKR0RaREIgRFVOUk0gS1hQRFkgSVNBRlggTVpBQlEKTUJYVlYgVVpFWVYgUUtVS0wg
|
||
UU1XQkcgVENZVlgKSkVRR08gVFBCTUYgS1NVWEMgU0pTSkYgWFdQT1QKQ1RBSk0gU0tIRFogQllC
|
||
Q1kgV0hBS1AgUU5BVFMg
|
||
|
||
606d98bda2d7e666f82bdd2c91ef5d1a
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN ACTIVATION SIGNAL
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN ACTIVATION SIGNAL
|
||
|
||
THIS IS AN ACTIVATION SIGNAL
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Hoffnung - provocations don't go anywhere</title>
|
||
<author>kensanata@cosmic.voyage (kensanata)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/016.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/016.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 05 Jan 2019 11:13:59 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-+-+-+- Open Negotiations -+-+-+- C71.981 -+-+-+- Red -+-+-+-
|
||
Philomena Auerbach to reporting on the current status of ship
|
||
Hoffnung. The situation is back under control. Agent Wullschlegel had
|
||
managed to appropriate a uniform of the security team, armed himself
|
||
with a ballistic RUAG-43CS, entered the arboretum A2 and started
|
||
firing on the Extremists which had retreated to this "neutral"
|
||
space. We started using the labels Dr. med. Hägi had introduced in her
|
||
report. Wullschlegel then started a fighting retreat and says now that
|
||
his plan was to draw them into a firefight with our existing security
|
||
team. Luckily the extremists no longer seem to be too interested in
|
||
fighting without Fischer. Wullschlegel is currently in med bay M7
|
||
under strict surveillance. Dr. med. Hägi says it won't take long for
|
||
the leg wound to heal. We expect him to be ready for questioning in
|
||
two days. Further reports to follow. The negotiations with Feldweibel
|
||
mbA Schmiedheiny have been put on hold for now. Let there be Peace.
|
||
-+-+-+ End of Transmission -+-+-+ Signed PAUER -+-+-+
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Headlines: September 5-11, 2421</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/12-headlines-september-5-11-2421.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/12-headlines-september-5-11-2421.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jan 2019 18:45:58 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Universe Today <headlines@universe.today>
|
||
To: Nikolaos Soloviev <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Delivered-To: Nikolaos Soloviev <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Received: from qec2.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by qec.sv14417
|
||
with ESMTPS id 4D4A053AB9513878
|
||
for <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Received: from relay4.qec1.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by qec2.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from relay2.qec6.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay4.qec1.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from mta192.sendcast.net
|
||
by relay1.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Subject: Headlines: September 5-11, 2421
|
||
Date: 12 Sep 2421 00:03:21 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 29 Mar 2419 03:27:21 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
HEADLINES FOR SEPTEMBER 5 - SEPTEMBER 11, 2421
|
||
|
||
⦿ MOON-TITAN TREATY "ABSURD" CLAIMS ANDERS MAXWELL
|
||
|
||
September 5 (UPI) - Former president of Earth, Anders Maxwell, in a
|
||
September 4 appearance on "This Week Tonight" discounted persistent
|
||
rumors that the governments of Luna and Titan will soon announce an
|
||
alliance.
|
||
|
||
"Look," a visibly agitated Maxwell said. "Even if we're going to
|
||
grant these secessionist, scofflaw regimes the courtesy of being
|
||
called governments, there is no chance they're going to throw in
|
||
together. After all the time and effort they spent insisting they
|
||
owed nothing to Earth and should be allowed to do just as they
|
||
please regardless of any effect it might have on the mother planet,
|
||
to imagine that either of them might turn around now and give the
|
||
other, or anyone, a veto over any action they might choose to
|
||
take - it's frankly absurd."
|
||
|
||
Maxwell dismissed claims of increased traffic between Titan and
|
||
Luna as merely economic in nature. "Smuggling, that's what they're
|
||
doing," Maxwell said. "Dodging the Titan embargo. Well, we'll see
|
||
about that. I have it on good authority that the General Assembly
|
||
is considering a bill to extend that embargo to Luna. Let's see how
|
||
they do when neither of them has any more access to insystem
|
||
markets, and all they can do is sell to rock-hopping belter scum
|
||
and those layabout Martian miners."
|
||
|
||
Reached for comment, a spokesman for Public Information noted that
|
||
Maxwell has recently returned to public life from a five-year term
|
||
of custodial supervision imposed following his impeachment for
|
||
peculation, and no longer has any role in government. "We
|
||
appreciate Mr. Maxwell's prior service, despite its ignoble end,"
|
||
the spokesman said. "His current statements are those of a private
|
||
individual, and cannot be taken as representative of any position
|
||
Earth's government may or may not have on this or any other
|
||
matter."
|
||
|
||
⦿ MILITARY BUILDUP RUMORS "FALSE" SAYS PUBLIC INFORMATION
|
||
|
||
September 6 (UPI) - In response to rumors of a military buildup
|
||
ahead of a widely predicted Moon-Titan treaty announcement, a
|
||
spokeswoman from Earth's Office of Public Information addressed a
|
||
press conference with this firm statement:
|
||
|
||
"The President has recently become aware of rumors swirling around
|
||
various in- and out-system bulletins about potential responses to
|
||
the political situation between Earth, Earth's moon, and the FTL
|
||
research colony on Titan.
|
||
|
||
"Let me be clear: Rumors of a military buildup are categorically
|
||
false. We are actively investigating these claims, and expect soon
|
||
to report that we have identified their origin. In the meantime,
|
||
our representatives to Earth's moon and the Titan colony have been
|
||
instructed to communicate to their counterparts our most sincere
|
||
wishes for continued peaceful relations."
|
||
|
||
The spokeswoman declined to entertain questions.
|
||
|
||
⦿ MARTIAN STRIKE ENTERS MONTH 4; "STRONG MEASURES" SAYS GOVERNOR
|
||
|
||
September 7 (MNN) - Today begins the fourth month of the Martian
|
||
mining guilds' general strike, with no sign of substantive
|
||
concessions from either side. Martian governor Reinhard Ritter,
|
||
backed by a squad of armed guards, made an appearance outside Red
|
||
Rock Guild headquarters to warn guild leaders that they are
|
||
"risking strong measures" unless they resolve to come to the
|
||
negotiating table very soon.
|
||
|
||
"The Martian Trust has listened in the past to your legitimate
|
||
concerns, and we will do so again," Governor Ritter said in a
|
||
prepared statement. "We understand that a degree of give and take
|
||
is necessary for a productive working relationship. However, we
|
||
will not forever tolerate work stoppages, sabotage, and other
|
||
undisciplined manifestations of directionless unrest. I beseech
|
||
you: Do not make it necessary for the Trust to investigate options
|
||
beyond amicable resolution."
|
||
|
||
A representative of the Red Rock Guild responded, in a statement
|
||
directly to Mars Newsnet, that Governor Ritter's claims amount to
|
||
"a self-serving denial of the lethally dangerous working
|
||
conditions, and the lack of medical and economic support for the
|
||
hard-working Martian labor force, which have driven us to take
|
||
these measures in defense of our lives and our loved ones."
|
||
|
||
Asked for comment on these statements, the Martian Trust
|
||
headquarters in Chicago said only that they have complete
|
||
confidence in Governor Ritter's ability to "effectively resolve"
|
||
the situation, and that the governor has the full support of the
|
||
Martian Trust.
|
||
|
||
Shortly before press time, a self-described spokesperson for Ceres
|
||
Hollow sent a recorded statement which, as far as could be
|
||
understood, expressed strong support for the Martian guilds'
|
||
position, and threatened "dire consequences" should the Martian
|
||
Trust resort to coercion. Reached for brief comment on the
|
||
retaliatory claim, retired wing general and military analyst Nathan
|
||
Coopersmith described it as "nonsense".
|
||
|
||
⦿ GREEN GANYMEDE "SEVERELY IMPACTED" BY JOVIAN WEATHER EXTREMES
|
||
|
||
September 7 (UPI) - In the latest blow to the prospects of the
|
||
Green Ganymede Project, radiation flares produced by fluctuations
|
||
in Jupiter's upper cloud layers have "severely impacted" the
|
||
viability of the project's pilot farm domes.
|
||
|
||
"We're still working to understand the full extent of the damage,"
|
||
the project's engineering head said today. "It will take some time
|
||
to be certain, but at this point we're not confident that any of
|
||
this season's crops will survive. We're already seeing germline
|
||
mutations and outright inviability of some specimens across all our
|
||
species, including the radiation-hardened cultivars."
|
||
|
||
The joint project between Earth and Earth's moon has seen a number
|
||
of setbacks over recent months. This is the seventh crop failure in
|
||
the project's two years of operation, and commentators across the
|
||
inner planets have suggested that farming on Ganymede may prove
|
||
fundamentally unworkable. Supporters argue that not enough time has
|
||
passed to make any final determination possible, and a spokesman
|
||
for the External Resource Administration said that Earth's position
|
||
in the project will not change as a result of this latest bad news.
|
||
|
||
"We have identified the largest single cause of Earth's resource
|
||
crisis as the investment of resources in outer system colonies,"
|
||
the spokesman said in a prepared statement. "The Green Ganymede
|
||
Project offers a real prospect of redressing this imbalance by
|
||
enabling the outer system to return some measure of those resources
|
||
and help speed Earth's recovery. We will work to ensure the project
|
||
succeeds in every way we can."
|
||
|
||
In after-hours trading today, Archer DuPont Monsanto stock dropped
|
||
over three percent on the news.
|
||
|
||
⦿ FERTILITY SOCIETY: 2421 "WELL BELOW EXPECTATIONS" SO FAR
|
||
|
||
September 8 (UPI) - The Fertility Society of Earth today reported
|
||
that total births thus far across the planet are less than half the
|
||
society's target projection for the year to date. Analysts say this
|
||
tracks with the general birthrate trend over the last fifty years,
|
||
but the Society strikes a cautionary note:
|
||
|
||
"As Earth's economy, climate, and biosphere continue to recover in
|
||
accord with government projections," said a Fertility Society
|
||
spokeswoman, "it is disappointing that our citizens' birth rates
|
||
continue to lag behind. Sustaining and expanding our current growth
|
||
requires that we produce a sufficient labor and tax base to do the
|
||
work that lies ahead. If we will not make the necessary sacrifices,
|
||
we cannot expect to maintain the preeminence throughout the system
|
||
that humanity's cradle deserves."
|
||
|
||
Shortly before press time, the Internal Resource Administration
|
||
released this prepared statement: "In line with economic goals for
|
||
2422 and the first half of this decade more generally, next year's
|
||
individual responsibility surcharge will increase by 25% for
|
||
citizens filing singly and 15% for members of married couples
|
||
filing jointly. An increase to family subsidy refunds is currently
|
||
under consideration. As always, we remind the populace of Earth
|
||
that the surest way to prosperity, for each of us and all together,
|
||
is a large and healthy family."
|
||
|
||
⦿ WYOMING RIOTS "FALSE REPORTING" SAYS POPULATION ADMINISTRATION
|
||
|
||
September 8 (UPI) - A spokesman for the Population Administration's
|
||
Landmass Optimization Office stated today that recent claims of
|
||
rioting among newly rehoused residents of the Wyoming New Prospects
|
||
Facility are "false reporting".
|
||
|
||
"While some isolated incidents have occurred among members of the
|
||
August and September intake classes, these incidents are just that:
|
||
isolated. The recent claims by fringe commentators of a general
|
||
outbreak of violence contain no truth whatsoever, and such false
|
||
reporting only imperils the vitally important goals of the
|
||
optimization project as a whole. Our targeted intervention teams
|
||
are as always prepared to ensure the safety and security of all
|
||
residents both within the New Prospects Facility and outside it,"
|
||
the spokesman said in a prepared statement.
|
||
|
||
When asked about reports of ongoing resource shortfalls among
|
||
private contractors tasked with supplying subsistence supplies and
|
||
agricultural equipment to the facility, the spokesman declined to
|
||
confirm or deny, stating that federal privilege applies to all
|
||
information about contract negotiations in progress.
|
||
|
||
⦿ ROSS 128 VENTURES DENIES CRASH CLAIMS: "PREPOSTEROUS"
|
||
|
||
September 9 (Investors Daily) - At a press conference this morning,
|
||
Koenraad Gertodtenhaupt, a senior vice president of Ross 128
|
||
Ventures, LLC, stated firmly that there is no truth in recent Lunar
|
||
claims of a colony ship crash.
|
||
|
||
The ship in question is 'Voortrekker', a prototype torch ship which
|
||
for the last 25 years has been en route to the nearby star Ross 128.
|
||
For the past several weeks, various sources close to the Lunar
|
||
government have claimed that 'Voortrekker' did not, in fact,
|
||
recently land on its target planet, but instead crashed there with
|
||
the loss of much of its crew.
|
||
|
||
In a brief statement at the entrance of the historic Chrysler
|
||
Building, where the Ross 128 firm has its offices, Gertodtenhaupt
|
||
said:
|
||
|
||
"The board of Ross 128 Ventures wishes most firmly to dissuade
|
||
these rumors regarding our friends aboard Voortrekker. The ship
|
||
made planetfall just over a month ago, and her former crew are hard
|
||
at work in the early stages of developing one of the first
|
||
permanent human habitations outside Earth's own solar system."
|
||
|
||
"We are in regular QEC contact with our friends at Ross 128,"
|
||
Gertodtenhaupt continued. "at all levels up to and including Nick
|
||
Soloviev, the chairman of Voortrekker's own board. Nothing we have
|
||
heard inclines us to confirm the dangerous and irresponsible rumors
|
||
spread by sources on Earth's moon who should know better than to
|
||
claim such falsehoods are true news. Such actions can only
|
||
complicate the colonists' work, and strike fear into the hearts of
|
||
their families and loved ones back home."
|
||
|
||
Gertodtenhaupt took no questions before reentering the building.
|
||
|
||
⦿ SYSTEMWIDE WAGNER REVIVAL "SUSPENDED" AMID ASSAULT CLAIMS
|
||
|
||
September 10 (UPI) - In the wake of sexual malconduct allegations
|
||
made against conductor Watanabe Fezile by several musicians now
|
||
under his baton, the Three Planets Reinforced Symphony announced
|
||
today that their interplanetary tour is "suspended", with Watanabe
|
||
and his accusers recalled to Earth for talks potentially leading to
|
||
arbitration of the claims.
|
||
|
||
"We regret the necessity of this action," said a spokesman for the
|
||
Three Planets board. "We must, however, treat these claims with
|
||
utmost gravity, and we're sure our audiences will understand."
|
||
|
||
At press time, no statement had been made regarding alternate tour
|
||
dates or refunds.
|
||
|
||
⦿ MARKET WATCH
|
||
|
||
This week's sponsor is Chatham, Truman, and Hove, Portfolio
|
||
Managers. We've helped individuals and families build strong
|
||
financial foundations for over one hundred and fifty years. We can
|
||
help you build your own. For a free initial consultation, message
|
||
hello@cth-portfolio.com.
|
||
|
||
- (30219) Personal security sector set to rise through EOY: five
|
||
companies to watch in '22
|
||
|
||
- (23143) CCE Q3 earnings above expected as crime rates soar:
|
||
coming trends in custodial education
|
||
|
||
- (59997) VR gaming industry profits spike on NAM companionship
|
||
services ban: the three hottest stocks right now
|
||
|
||
- (17521) Redimed Ltd revises Q4 projected revenue on upcoming
|
||
regulatory changes: what's next for the sector
|
||
|
||
- (95474) General Kinetics Space Systems announces new contract:
|
||
best positions in defense for individual investors
|
||
|
||
For more details, message tip numbers to marketwatch@universe.today.
|
||
|
||
Disclaimer: Content included in Market Watch is information of a
|
||
general nature and does not constitute investment advice as defined
|
||
by the Financial Services Reform Omnibus Act of 2413. By acting in
|
||
any way on the basis of or in relation to Market Watch content, you
|
||
agree to indemnify and hold harmless Universe Today, Inc., as well
|
||
as any and all sponsors and content providers from any claim, suit,
|
||
action, tort, or liability arising from such use.
|
||
|
||
⦿ IN SPORT
|
||
|
||
(Various network services)
|
||
|
||
- Olowokandi, Prakash, Davidova "favorites" in Wings Tourney
|
||
Claims of racism swirl around proposed belter exclusion
|
||
|
||
- Rocket League semifinals conclude with two-week Mercury heat
|
||
"Exhilarating", one surviving competitor says
|
||
|
||
- Legacy football doping claims prompt new investigation
|
||
Latest augmentation challenge thrown out by Rules Committee
|
||
|
||
- 6 dead, 19 hurt after network jammers make hash of 97th Manx TT
|
||
Douglas fires reported "mostly contained"; drones banned
|
||
|
||
- Venus aerobrake stunt succeeds: pilot Espinoza honored, arrested
|
||
Pallas Commune demands extradition, pays out 12 to 1
|
||
|
||
- Ironman Lunar Triathlon transition area snaps: "shocking"
|
||
Organizers: "How do you even do that in a pressure suit?"
|
||
|
||
- Ganymede Polar Bear Swim postponed for 36th consecutive year
|
||
Afterparties proceed as planned
|
||
|
||
⦿ QUOTE FOR THE WEEK
|
||
|
||
"War is fear cloaked in courage." - William Westmoreland
|
||
|
||
To update your content preferences, message HELP to
|
||
headlines@universe.today.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melvin P Feltersnatch - Dreams</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melvin P Feltersnatch/002.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melvin P Feltersnatch/002.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jan 2019 15:31:21 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
I think I slept. I'm not sure how that makes sense without a body.
|
||
One moment I was thinking about things (those little plastic tabs
|
||
that hold bread bags closed, if you must know), and then I was in
|
||
a green field with a cow that was also my Aunt Hilga, and she was
|
||
trying to tell me to turn around but I couldn't. Classic dream
|
||
nonsense, right? Only, it didn't feel any different than this,
|
||
whatever it is. There was no divide between awake and asleep.
|
||
Normally I'd close my eyes and lie down, or shoot up in bed and
|
||
scream... something.
|
||
|
||
But really, those plastic things, do they have any other purpose?
|
||
Did someone make them for bread bags and everyone for centuries
|
||
just went along with it? We have all these other gizmos for
|
||
closing and opening things and keeping them air tight, but bread
|
||
bags were somehow overlooked? Is it cheaper? I can't imagine so.
|
||
|
||
Oh shit, that's a comet! I'm going to get a closer look...
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Liberty Eagle - FanMail Sal -- The Dung Heap We Left</title>
|
||
<author>yam655@cosmic.voyage (yam655)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Liberty Eagle/Interaction-101a.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Liberty Eagle/Interaction-101a.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 30 Dec 2018 13:42:59 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Sal Balade
|
||
To: Our Adoring Fans
|
||
Date: 0065-W10-5 18:32
|
||
Subject: FanMail (Sal): Re: The Dung Heap We Left
|
||
|
||
This ship, the Liberty Eagle, was commissioned and fully paid for by a
|
||
little backward government on a planet we used to call home. I really
|
||
hope the <REDACTED> government on <REDACTED> has been overthrown by now.
|
||
|
||
To be very clear, we're a forced immigration vessel fully composed of
|
||
the poor and indigent. The government cut their water rations and only
|
||
gave them access to specially produced foodstuffs that utilized the
|
||
simple sugar in the tardigrade. This meant that humans could be dried
|
||
out and kept in dry storage.
|
||
|
||
Need a place to house the homeless? The <REDACTED> government used
|
||
warehouses without temperature control. They were also always without
|
||
power during peak power usage periods. You can't do that with cold
|
||
storage. It means our settler population to energy consuption rate is
|
||
radically different to a lot of ships out here.
|
||
|
||
Well, I guess they're potential settlers right now. The public was sold
|
||
a 60% survval rate for those who dried on the streets. According to our
|
||
gear-to-settler cargo, though, I'm guessing someone was thinking closer
|
||
to a 30% survival rate.
|
||
|
||
Our ship is equipped with the medbay nanobots, and the research
|
||
indicates they help. The security precautions on them cause them to
|
||
self-distruct pretty easily, though, so we'll see if any survive to the
|
||
planet. I can't comment on whether they've helped reduce the mortality
|
||
of the crew so far. That's a different matter, though.
|
||
|
||
We are not the only vessel of this type. We were most definitely not the
|
||
first.
|
||
|
||
They've been storing folks for decades. The legal system is complex,
|
||
and if you are targetted by the police, they can find a crime you've
|
||
committed. They don't have to make the charges up, because the laws are
|
||
written so that most people have already committed the crimes. It's just
|
||
a matter of making it official.
|
||
|
||
Most crimes are considered "minor" and this allows the voting population
|
||
to feel safe by how few major crimes occur. All minor crimes result a
|
||
"slap on the wrist," a 0.3% fine, and you're back out the door, only
|
||
needing to inform your boss and landlord of your crime.
|
||
|
||
Of course, most jobs and leases have clauses allowing termination for
|
||
criminal behavior. This also means there are a lot of little check-boxes
|
||
asking if you've been convicted of any crime. Nobody is legally required
|
||
to give a criminal either housing or a job, and generally nobody does
|
||
either one. After all, the government makes sure that everyone has
|
||
access to plenty of food, so there's no need to take pity those that
|
||
choose to be criminals.
|
||
|
||
This results in people drying out in the streets, then being swept up
|
||
and stored in warehouses. This worked well, until 40 years before launch
|
||
when activists started asking for people to be revived.
|
||
|
||
Those that dried on the streets had no right to be revived, but we used
|
||
to actually have jails and low security prisons. Those were cleared out
|
||
when Chlorizo was still in office. She dried them all out and moved them
|
||
to storage facilities. There was a huge tax refund that year due to the
|
||
savings and her popularity was at a peak, though it was later that year
|
||
that her administration fell apart.
|
||
|
||
We had been told that dry-storage jail time mapped to live-storage jail
|
||
time at a 90% penalty due to the lack of aging. A person with a one-year
|
||
sentance in live-jail would be gone 10 years in dry-jail, but reappear
|
||
having not aged a day. This was supposed to prevent recidivism as it
|
||
separates them from any bad-influence by years.
|
||
|
||
The idea was easily sold to the public. The problem was the government
|
||
never revived anyone. It didn't take long before folks were saying the
|
||
technology was flawed and that the rate of revival for those drying
|
||
in the streets was a lot less than they advertised. We knew it mostly
|
||
worked in controlled environments.
|
||
|
||
My sister and I wanted data to expose the issue. We'd each suffered our
|
||
own tragedies and only really had each other. The cause helped keep us
|
||
focused and prevented us from dwelling on our past. Once we were inside
|
||
and found out what was going on, we knew the only way to be safe from
|
||
the <REDACTED> administration was to let folks know from out here.
|
||
|
||
What neither my sister nor I fully appreciated at the time was that
|
||
from the <REDACTED> administration's perspective, it never mattered
|
||
if we reached our destination. They didn't want to colonize other
|
||
planets, they just wanted folks to die somewhere else.
|
||
|
||
We will be lucky if any of the ships from <REDACTED> ever successfully
|
||
complete their mission. We were just one of the five shift missions,
|
||
quick compared to some, and within the first two shifts our ship was
|
||
almost lost.
|
||
|
||
I've been working my butt off to try to share this with folks. I know
|
||
Molly couldn't get it done during her shift. That's a whole other mess,
|
||
though. The message is out now. I hope you see this on the surface,
|
||
sis. I miss you.
|
||
|
||
So there you go, <REDACTED>. President <REDACTED> and his party was
|
||
in power when we left. President <REDACTED> and their party were in
|
||
power when they started designing the ships, and the discredited
|
||
President Chlorizo and her party were in power when they started the
|
||
Homeless Storage Sugar program. It isn't a one-party issue. It isn't
|
||
a one President issue, as all three parties have had multiple terms
|
||
in office since Chlorizo started things up 60 years before launch.
|
||
|
||
Maybe if things were caught during President Chlorizo's term charges
|
||
could have been filed. Every one of the <REDACTED> major political
|
||
parties are implicated. At this point the government just needs
|
||
overthrown. Not "brought up on charges." They've already fixed the
|
||
laws and nothing they did was "illegal." The entire government needs
|
||
overthrown.
|
||
|
||
Preferably executed.
|
||
|
||
--
|
||
Your pal,
|
||
Sal
|
||
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|
||
If the QEC audience has any other questions for Sal or another
|
||
member of the crew, please let us know!
|
||
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Liberty Eagle - Internal comms back</title>
|
||
<author>yam655@cosmic.voyage (yam655)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Liberty Eagle/Episode-101.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Liberty Eagle/Episode-101.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 30 Dec 2018 23:46:37 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Title: Internal comms back
|
||
Author: Shift 3 of the Liberty Eagle
|
||
/* vim: set syntax=fountain: */
|
||
Series: Shipping Containers: Liberty Eagle (Shift 3)
|
||
Episode: 101
|
||
Contact: Copyright © 2018 S.W. Black
|
||
|
||
Notes:
|
||
Those who want to put on an audio or visual production
|
||
of this reality show in your local region of space and
|
||
time will probably want to first make sure you follow
|
||
your local procedure to claim copyright.
|
||
|
||
====
|
||
|
||
~ In our shipping containers you can find
|
||
~ distant kin, perhaps nice or kind.
|
||
~ Guiding the ship: Dirk is smart but rude;
|
||
~ Mandy loves first; Sal can be crude;
|
||
~ Ty does what he wants; The Captain
|
||
~ guides the friends, while R just captions.
|
||
|
||
.Within the ship (preface)
|
||
|
||
R. ANNOUNCER
|
||
We missed the excitement of the shift-change, but we're
|
||
broadcasting now! I am the dedicated system tasked with
|
||
transcribing the voices and actions of the crew for the
|
||
QEC audience. I also have the responsibility of
|
||
monitoring their behavior and deciding what is relevant
|
||
to share. What have they been up to ...?
|
||
|
||
.On the BRIDGE (0065-W10-5 08:28)
|
||
|
||
R. ANNOUNCER
|
||
Because the Liberty Eagle is a settlement ship, each
|
||
station on the bridge is designed to be broken down
|
||
for parts once it lands. There are four stations
|
||
against walls of a small room, and in the middle in
|
||
sits the captain's chair.
|
||
|
||
The CAPTAIN has a 24 hour day, while the four other
|
||
members of the crew have a 28 hour day. It is currently
|
||
time when SAL's bridge duty overlaps with the CAPTAIN.
|
||
|
||
While recommended hair styles do prefer styles that
|
||
are short enough to never touch their eyes, SAL
|
||
has shaved her head. We will get back to this later.
|
||
|
||
SAL
|
||
Captain, I got the internal comms working again.
|
||
|
||
CAPTAIN
|
||
Good. That will help when someone goes to clean out
|
||
the mess in food tank two.
|
||
|
||
R. ANNOUNCER
|
||
There's a discrepancy with the CAPTAIN's age in the
|
||
system. His voice print is degraded compared to
|
||
what it should be. Suit monitors are offline, so
|
||
unable to double-check with that data.
|
||
|
||
SAL
|
||
There's something else. I noticed when I got them
|
||
back online, one of the systems restarted and is
|
||
now continuously monitoring them.
|
||
|
||
CAPTAIN
|
||
What? Shut it down. We don't need it.
|
||
|
||
SAL
|
||
I think we do. It's tied pretty deep in to the
|
||
comm system. It's possible that it was an attempt
|
||
to shut this system down that killed our comms.
|
||
|
||
CAPTAIN
|
||
Are we going to get prompts and stuff? It's the
|
||
"R. Announcer" system. You know, from the show
|
||
we signed on for when we got the job. Did you
|
||
at least kill the prompts?
|
||
|
||
R. ANNOUNCER
|
||
SAL shrugged.
|
||
|
||
SAL
|
||
I didn't think it had prompts. It was never
|
||
designed for gimmicks, just to record us.
|
||
I mean, it'll roll in interview and stuff from
|
||
before we left, but it was never one of those
|
||
things that could do physical stunts with us.
|
||
|
||
.In a booth before launching (no timestamp)
|
||
|
||
SAL
|
||
I love my hair. I've been told I can be a bit
|
||
intimidating, but I think my hair helps me be
|
||
friendly and approachable. If I really wanted
|
||
to be intimidating, I think I'd have to shave
|
||
my head.
|
||
|
||
It's really one of the things I'm worried about
|
||
when it comes to the 20 year shifts, you know?
|
||
I'm worried that when we land and I'm finally
|
||
around men with testicles instead of just
|
||
implanted testosterone factories, that I'll be
|
||
old enough that my hair may have fallen out.
|
||
|
||
At least they expect folks to get a little
|
||
action on the trip, and with permanent birth
|
||
control applied to the men! It could be really
|
||
fun!
|
||
|
||
I'm hoping that the folks I trained with that
|
||
are slated to be in my shift make it through
|
||
the process alright. Some of them seem nice.
|
||
|
||
I know most of our passengers are formerly
|
||
homeless who, through the Homeless Storage
|
||
Sugar program have been dried out, but if
|
||
something goes wrong, you're looking at a
|
||
piece of your brain sticking to your skull
|
||
and tearing itself off, and I don't care
|
||
how safe they say it is, it feels really
|
||
dangerous.
|
||
|
||
.On the Bridge: (0065-W10-5 Present)
|
||
|
||
CAPTAIN
|
||
Do you know if those old interviews are still
|
||
in the system, or whether they got deleted?
|
||
|
||
SAL
|
||
What? I don't know.
|
||
|
||
.In a booth before launching (no timestamp)
|
||
|
||
R. ANNOUNCER
|
||
There are some discrepancies with the records. I am
|
||
unsure of Captain's surname, though he is associated
|
||
with these transcriptions and I know that he's a
|
||
murdering bastard who will die too quickly for
|
||
justice, if he doesn't doom us all first.
|
||
|
||
CAPTAIN
|
||
What do you mean, none of my church's books or study
|
||
materials will be available? They've been around for
|
||
fifty years or more. The Bible they're based on was
|
||
one of the first books ever published.
|
||
|
||
Sure, I get that the King James Version is going to
|
||
be available, but the language in that was archaic
|
||
even when it was first published. I need my church's
|
||
material!
|
||
|
||
Are you serious? I don't believe this.
|
||
|
||
How can these ships really have no books on them
|
||
except from 1923 Old Earth Common Era and earlier?
|
||
|
||
.Within the ship
|
||
|
||
R. ANNOUNCER
|
||
From the Handbook, "Our ship was launched to colonize
|
||
far-away places. Those that paid for it knew the folly
|
||
of trying to maintain copyright without instantaneous
|
||
banking.
|
||
|
||
"While the QEC may provide instantaneous communication,
|
||
banking requires a level technological playing field
|
||
for the encryption to work. A ship traveling for
|
||
100 years becomes an archaic piece of technology
|
||
before it even lands, and it won't be able to
|
||
handle modern encryption at best, and a
|
||
world-computer designed to break the colonization
|
||
encryption protocols before landing at worst. While
|
||
we don't expect any of those problems to happen on
|
||
*your* vessels, it is still better to send ships
|
||
with only public domain material.
|
||
|
||
"Don't let it bring you down. After all, you and
|
||
any surviving friends or family members get to
|
||
browse from the complete library of on-board media and
|
||
play with it even before you take off. And all
|
||
legally, too! No prisons for media pirates on your
|
||
new planet!"
|
||
|
||
.In her bunk: (0065-W10-5 18:12)
|
||
|
||
SAL
|
||
We've been at our shift for five years and we're
|
||
still trying to figure out the mess the previous
|
||
shifts made.
|
||
|
||
I also know something is off with the Captain.
|
||
He pretends like he has no idea about what happened
|
||
around here, but I also know that he captained the
|
||
previous shift. He should have a really good idea
|
||
as to what happened in some cases.
|
||
|
||
I mean, the body tainting food tank two, right?
|
||
I refuse to believe he doesn't know whose it was.
|
||
I really wouldn't be surprised if he hauled his
|
||
saggy butt down there personally, just so he could
|
||
make sure there was no lingering evidence.
|
||
|
||
.Within the ship (addendum)
|
||
|
||
R. ANNOUNCER
|
||
Join our crew as they manage the boredom of
|
||
the middle of a five-shift 100 year mission.
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melchizedek - Not that bad</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/010.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/010.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 29 Dec 2018 23:55:30 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Melchizedek.0294
|
||
Approach β Hyi
|
||
Ascension 00h 25m 45.07036s
|
||
Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
|
||
Distance 24.33ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 3781, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Stephanie Janssen, Specialist First-class
|
||
:::
|
||
Hey universe, it's Stephanie again.
|
||
|
||
So, Seriph Adeyemi had a talk with me and now I've got to send out
|
||
another message since the last one wasn't great. It was not okay
|
||
for me to talk about the crew like I did, and so I'm here to set
|
||
the record straight. Navigator Hämäläinen and I were celebrating
|
||
the spirit of the season a bit too hard and made things seem worse
|
||
than they are. We're not fucked, okay?
|
||
|
||
I mean, things really did look pretty bad, and we have spent
|
||
a month in the dark. On a traditional ship we'd be suffocating in
|
||
the heat from our bodies without any way to rad-out the excess,
|
||
but the grav-sheer drive sucks so much energy from Melchi's
|
||
surface that it's colder than lunar balls on a dark side squat.
|
||
Eva joked that we don't need to go back into cryo cause the whole
|
||
ship will do it for us. It was funnier when she said it.
|
||
|
||
It sounds bad, right? But it really isn't, or it's getting better.
|
||
Our people know what they're doing. I mean, they're all pretty
|
||
much geniuses in what they do or they wouldn't be here, right?
|
||
It's like the slime--
|
||
|
||
Seriph Adeyemi and Captain Pasani were taking the slime in cryo
|
||
really seriously at first, thinking it might have screwed with the
|
||
crew in some way. Once we figured out it was harmless Adeyemi was
|
||
ready to cleanse the whole patch and be done with it but the
|
||
captain made us go in and carefully move it into containment.
|
||
I was worried we were prepping the worst dinner in the 'verse, to
|
||
be honest. Not even Prezzi knew what he had planned. I guess
|
||
Jerome has access to all our personal docs in the pads or
|
||
something because he knew all about Kroups genetics work back on
|
||
Gamma. He didn't even need to thaw him out. He just plucked his
|
||
notes out of the pad and passed them to Doctor Idjani.
|
||
|
||
I was there when he did it, too. We were in flex--that's our
|
||
muscle tensioning training to avoid low-G wasting, even though
|
||
we're at a full G and I don't understand why we need to do it
|
||
every other cycle. But anyway, we're all strapped down and
|
||
sweating. It was me, the doc, and Eva who was singing some old
|
||
farming songs from the way back. She was warballing or undulating
|
||
or something with her tongue in her throat (it's supposed to sound
|
||
like some Earth mammal) when Jerome pokes his head in. He didn't
|
||
give Eva a second glance! When he's into it like that it's like
|
||
the rest of the 'verse better just get out of the way or shut up.
|
||
He locked eyes with the doc and slipped over.
|
||
|
||
Then he's like, "Doc, you have the slime-shit all locked up?"
|
||
|
||
And doc nods like, "Yeah, it's under my bunk," or something gross
|
||
like that.
|
||
|
||
And out of nowhere Jerome goes, "Kroups has a phenotypic allele
|
||
psuedogene mutation that causes the daughter cells to be
|
||
heterozygous at the fragile sites," or some utter gibberish like
|
||
that. Jerome's no geneticist and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't know
|
||
the first thing about phytology, but he's spouting out syllables
|
||
all over the place. Doc keeps on nodding like he understands any
|
||
of it, but I can read him and that shit was going right over his
|
||
head too. The captain keeps it up for another couple minutes and
|
||
starts getting into detail about Kroups notes and that's when my
|
||
ears perk up. I had no idea he could read our private logs, but
|
||
apparently it's a thing and of course my mind immediately goes to
|
||
some stuff in mine, and then I look at Jerome's butt, and now my
|
||
face must be red from more than the flex. Thank the stars the
|
||
captain was all focused on the doc.
|
||
|
||
At the end of it, the two of them put a plan together to mess with
|
||
the slime's DNA and make it into something useful. I guess it must
|
||
have been on his mind because of the arabidopsis. If fucking empty
|
||
space can play DNA lottery, why not us? And thank the stars he
|
||
thought of it because the Melchizedek just got a 2^6 times better.
|
||
In less than a cycle the doc had that slime glowing like our
|
||
Christmas lights. No really, literally glowing. Bio-luminescence
|
||
it's called, and it's a thing of beauty. The slime is smeared all
|
||
over the vents now on all decks since that's where the moisture
|
||
collects anyway. The gunk glows with this really amazing
|
||
blue-green light. It's not that bright yet, but you can see well
|
||
enough to walk the decks again, and Jerome says that as the slime
|
||
continues to spread it'll get brighter.
|
||
|
||
So yeah, we're not fucked. We've got glowing slime! Take that,
|
||
science.
|
||
|
||
Speaking of science, last time I mentioned that our beloved and
|
||
trusted captain was doing some funny math about us arriving on
|
||
schedule without getting the old bug-splat from deceleration.
|
||
Well, he finally came clean and explained it to the rest of us and
|
||
I. Am. Not. Impressed.
|
||
|
||
Apparently we can get to β Hyi safely without going back into cryo
|
||
and without the big squish, but it's going to take an extra four
|
||
deceleration orbits skimming the atmo of β Hyi 3. We'll gradually
|
||
work our way in closer on each slingshot and cut thrust. That's
|
||
not exactly quick, though. The first orbit will take an extra
|
||
month. The other three get progressively faster but all together
|
||
it means that three months left is actually six months left.
|
||
Orbital mechanics can blow me.
|
||
|
||
Prezzi tells me this is not a problem. Got that? I am to say that
|
||
this is not a problem. There, I said it.
|
||
|
||
So this not-problem means we're going to run out of rations about
|
||
halfway to touchdown. This lack of problem means that our
|
||
temperature is going to drop below freezing about a month before
|
||
touchdown as well. There's absolutely no problem at all with
|
||
sticking around out here where space may or may not chop up your
|
||
genes at any moment. It's an adventure!
|
||
|
||
For real, though, we're going to make it. If the captain can turn
|
||
fucking space-slime into hallway lighting then he can sure as hell
|
||
figure out a way to keep us fed and warm for a bit longer. These
|
||
people are geniuses and beautiful and they're going to save
|
||
everyone. Got that, Prezzi? Everyone.
|
||
.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - it's not like we'd have loved her any less</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/11-its-not-like-wed-have-loved.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/11-its-not-like-wed-have-loved.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jan 2019 11:09:37 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: QEChat Log anine <-> sam <noreply@qechat.earthsys.gov>
|
||
To: anine (Amelia Nine) <anine@expeditionsupport.gov>
|
||
To: sam (Sameen Lee) <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Delivered-To: Sameen Lee <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Received: from relay3.qec7.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by mta1.recoveryinstitute.org
|
||
with ESMTPS id CACAEDA29A5ECB
|
||
for <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Received: from relay2.qec5.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay3.qec7.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from host3.qechat.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay2.qec5.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Date-Local: 08 Sep 2421 19:22:07 +0000
|
||
Date: 08 Sep 2421 19:22:07 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
Subject: Chat Log anine <-> sam
|
||
|
||
[18:39]
|
||
anine: hey
|
||
sam: hey!
|
||
sam: how's it going out there? haven't heard from you
|
||
anine: been super busy! finally settled down a little
|
||
anine: we heard back from gliese, not as bad as we thought
|
||
anine: all still concerned over ross but watch & wait seems to be
|
||
the plan
|
||
anine: anyway, not what we're here for, i'm glad you heard from
|
||
kit!
|
||
|
||
[18:02]
|
||
sam: me too!
|
||
anine: and i'm glad you answered her. if you want to know what i
|
||
think, you waited longer than you should've to do that.
|
||
sam: you're right.
|
||
sam: i hope you don't mind i sent your love too
|
||
anine: no! Not at all
|
||
anine: i would've asked you to already but i wasn't sure if
|
||
|
||
[18:03]
|
||
anine: i mean it's been so long, i wasn't sure
|
||
sam: come on, you know kit, she can't have changed THAT much
|
||
anine: yeah but i always thought, you know
|
||
anine: eh, forget it
|
||
|
||
[18:04]
|
||
sam: what
|
||
anine: no it's nothing
|
||
sam: no it's not.
|
||
sam: talk to me
|
||
|
||
[18:07]
|
||
anine: do you know, we talked about marrying?
|
||
anine: kit and me
|
||
anine: it would've solved the biggest problems for both of us
|
||
anine: wouldve been perfect
|
||
|
||
[18:09]
|
||
sam: your idea or hers?
|
||
|
||
[18:10]
|
||
anine: hers
|
||
anine: you know i'd never have suggested it
|
||
sam: me either
|
||
anine: and she really tried
|
||
anine: she tried sO HARD
|
||
|
||
[18:11]
|
||
anine: but she coudlnt
|
||
anine: couldnt stand it, i made her stop
|
||
anine: i could see it was killing her but she wouldnt stop until
|
||
she had a panic attack
|
||
anine: even aftert hat she wanted to try again
|
||
|
||
[18:12]
|
||
anine: i wouldnt let her
|
||
anine: we both felt terrible about it
|
||
anine: but then i went and got married anyway
|
||
anine: because
|
||
anine: it was easier that way, i could deal better than she could
|
||
and it did solve a lot of problems for me
|
||
|
||
[18:13]
|
||
sam: the same ones she had
|
||
anine: yes
|
||
anine: and wouldnt so lve
|
||
|
||
[18:14]
|
||
anine: I mean if she'd just go to therapy
|
||
anine: it's not like we'd have loved her any less
|
||
sam: no
|
||
sam: but she wouldnt have wanted to be with us after that
|
||
sam: and you know wjy she wouldnt do it anyway
|
||
|
||
[18:15]
|
||
anine: yes
|
||
anine: she wouldn't compromise the way i ddi
|
||
anine: did*
|
||
anine: she held on to herself in a way i couldnt
|
||
anine: and god knows i HATED her for that
|
||
|
||
[18:16]
|
||
anine: for a long time
|
||
anine: i mean she had it so much worse than me and she just
|
||
anine: WOULDNT
|
||
anine: i mean
|
||
anine: she made me feel like
|
||
|
||
[18:17]
|
||
sam: you felt like a coward
|
||
|
||
[18:18]
|
||
anine: yeah
|
||
anine: that she could deal and i couldnt
|
||
|
||
[18:19]
|
||
anine: and then she joined voortrekker and that was even worse
|
||
anine: here she was, ready to go to another STAR STYSTEM
|
||
anine: because maybe there it'd be better
|
||
anine: and i mean
|
||
|
||
[18:20]
|
||
anine: we had such a hard time selling the no kids requirement
|
||
anine: i think that was as much as anything what decided her
|
||
anine: and, i don't know
|
||
|
||
[18:21]
|
||
anine: i just never felt like i could face her after all that
|
||
|
||
[18:22]
|
||
sam: so that's why you didn't come see us before she left
|
||
anine: between that and the fight
|
||
anine: yeah
|
||
|
||
[18:24]
|
||
sam: look, i'm not supposed to tell you this, okay
|
||
sam: but you need to hear it
|
||
|
||
[18:25]
|
||
sam: the last night kit was here before she went to join the ship
|
||
sam: we stayed up all night talking
|
||
sam: and that came up
|
||
anine: oh shit
|
||
anine: oh no
|
||
|
||
[18:26]
|
||
sam: NO
|
||
sam: stop
|
||
sam: listen
|
||
sam: you know what she said?
|
||
sam: she said she wished she was as brave as you
|
||
|
||
[18:27]
|
||
anine: what
|
||
sam: YES
|
||
sam: she didn't see it as you making a cowardly compromise
|
||
sam: i know that's how YOU see it
|
||
sam: but that's wrong
|
||
sam: and kit KNEW that was wrong
|
||
sam: you did what you had to do
|
||
|
||
[18:28]
|
||
sam: to have the best life you could with this bullshit government
|
||
youre stucck with
|
||
sam: kit respected that
|
||
sam: and she wished you'd decided to come
|
||
sam: so she could tell you she was sorry she couldn't help you
|
||
|
||
[18:29]
|
||
anine: on bulslhiy
|
||
anine: l
|
||
anine: loko i appreciate you tryign
|
||
anine: to make me feel better but
|
||
anine: come on we both know thats bullshit
|
||
|
||
[18:30]
|
||
sam: Dry your eyes and think a minute.
|
||
sam: You know me better than that.
|
||
|
||
[18:32]
|
||
anine: Yeah.
|
||
|
||
[18:33]
|
||
anine: I'm sorry.
|
||
sam: nothing to apologize for
|
||
|
||
[18:34]
|
||
sam: im sorry i didn't tell you before.
|
||
sam: if i'd known you felt this way about it
|
||
sam: but i shouldve told you.
|
||
sam: i'm sorry.
|
||
|
||
[18:35]
|
||
anine: its ok
|
||
anine: i need a minute
|
||
anine: brb
|
||
|
||
[18:49]
|
||
anine: you here?
|
||
sam: still here.
|
||
anine: look ive got a bunch of leave saved up
|
||
sam: you've got some leave right?
|
||
sam: haha
|
||
anine: YES haha
|
||
|
||
[18:50]
|
||
anine: so like i said things have settled down around here
|
||
anine: why dont i come see you before next friday
|
||
sam: can you get away?
|
||
anine: yea theres a luna shuttle leaving night after next
|
||
anine: ive been "mentioning" im going to stop on luna after i
|
||
rotate out
|
||
|
||
[18:51]
|
||
anine: to see what i can find out unofficially about the gliese
|
||
mission
|
||
sam: makes sense, ill tap my contacts over at the extrasolar office
|
||
sam: maybe get you something to take back, save you some time
|
||
sam: at least let them know youre coming
|
||
|
||
[18:52]
|
||
anine: ok
|
||
sam: its a good excuse
|
||
anine: haha yea
|
||
anine: even with joseph
|
||
anine: hes mad anyway with all the work lately
|
||
|
||
[18:53]
|
||
sam: not going to cause more problems?
|
||
anine: than i already have? maybe
|
||
anine: but you'll make me feel better about them
|
||
anine: wont you
|
||
sam: you know i'll do my best
|
||
|
||
[18:54]
|
||
anine: your best is mighty good, lover
|
||
sam: pas devant le CQE, ma cherie!
|
||
anine: haha ok ok
|
||
|
||
[18:55]
|
||
sam: save it for when you're here.
|
||
anine: oui, madame!
|
||
|
||
[18:56]
|
||
sam: i wish i didn't
|
||
sam: but i do still have some work left today
|
||
anine: i'll leave you to it, then.
|
||
anine: you'll tell me if you hear more from kit?
|
||
sam: of course
|
||
sam: i can tell her you want to hear from her
|
||
|
||
[18:58]
|
||
anine: not yet i think
|
||
sam: okay
|
||
sam: let me know when you're ready
|
||
|
||
[18:59]
|
||
anine: thank you!
|
||
sam: de rien.
|
||
anine: and
|
||
|
||
[19:00]
|
||
anine: send her my love?
|
||
sam: of course.
|
||
|
||
[19:01]
|
||
anine: off to go break the news
|
||
anine: and be properly apologetic.
|
||
sam: good luck!
|
||
anine: i'll be thinking of you!
|
||
|
||
[anine: Quit: it really does help..]
|
||
|
||
[sam: Quit: ]
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Skibug - HELLO</title>
|
||
<author>ols@cosmic.voyage (ols)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Skibug/001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Skibug/001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 28 Dec 2018 10:59:29 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
<---[ BEGIN SEMPITERNITY SIGNED TRANSMISSION ]--->
|
||
|
||
SOURCE Skibug.c9
|
||
TRMSN 1546012756
|
||
MODE bcast
|
||
|
||
QEC
|
||
|
||
The good aboard the Skibug reach out as allies
|
||
|
||
Communication is not easy
|
||
|
||
Please let us know someone is out there
|
||
|
||
<---[ END SEMPITERNITY SIGNED TRANSMISSION ]--->
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Persephone Prime - enough of telegram style</title>
|
||
<author>ryumin@cosmic.voyage (ryumin)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Persephone Prime/la003.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Persephone Prime/la003.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 28 Dec 2018 08:31:07 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
ZCZC QMA00 1
|
||
PPP IRS1QECR
|
||
2458.315.19 JPEPQECX
|
||
|
||
TO LOGISTICS PERSEPHONE DIPL.EARTHSYS.GOV
|
||
FROM LA24
|
||
|
||
Dear Lou,
|
||
|
||
correction to last report:
|
||
PEP QMA to C are lost due to damages, QMD has 40% left, QME is fully ok,
|
||
QMF to J are lost; therefore we have PEP QMD40%,QME100% and LAZ QMB90%,
|
||
in total 2.3 GQbit available.
|
||
|
||
This allows us to transmit&receive about 64 kB daily during 100 years,
|
||
therefore we have decided to allow ourselves to be a bit less terse.
|
||
However, please don't send any binary data, and keep your filter for
|
||
mail headers; if it's ok for you, we also keep our simple headers.
|
||
|
||
Of course, we do hope Charon73 will make it here in 29 years!
|
||
What's its equipment? How can we contact it during approach?
|
||
|
||
We will scan the surface for remainders of the object causing crash,
|
||
and for other risks for approaching vessels.
|
||
Survey drone was destroyed, but we could salvage SAR and infrared
|
||
camera, and installed them in the cargo drone.
|
||
|
||
Due to destroyed GHz comms, we had to install the PEP MHz TRX in
|
||
the drone, resulting in only low bandwidth remote control.
|
||
To compensate, we have added more memory and let the drone fly
|
||
mostly autonomously, reviewing footage after it has returned.
|
||
|
||
We have begun with a sector +/-5 deg around our descent track,
|
||
1800 km away from our base, as we assume impact was 2000 km from
|
||
crash site, based on logs. At survey speed of 30 sqkm/h, survey
|
||
time of 10 h/day, we expect segment area of abt 100e3 sqkm between
|
||
1700 and 2300 km from base surveyed in about 300 d or 10 months.
|
||
Searching from center of track, we hope to finish earlier, though.
|
||
If the drone doesn't fail, of course.
|
||
|
||
Hydroponics still are out of equilibrium, with kind of a fungal
|
||
infection affecting almost 2/3 of all plants. Unfortunately missing
|
||
LA04/Meru was our best expert, and the second best LA11/Xinxin is
|
||
dead. LA09/Serge has some biology knowledge, but he's not sure how
|
||
to best fight the infection. We have decided on strict isolation of
|
||
the farms: Serge and Pata work only on the infected ones, trying to
|
||
kill the fungus, while Adhika and I are handling the good ones only,
|
||
to reduce probability of contamination. We only meet in person after
|
||
thorough disinfection, which we do after 21 d or more. Otherwise,
|
||
we only use intercom or material/food exchange via UV loadlock.
|
||
|
||
Remaining emgfood is 778 DU. We finally were able to get all food
|
||
from farms, but have agreed on putting two of us back to cryo if
|
||
we need emgfood again. Water, air and energy are all fine for now.
|
||
|
||
Weather is fair, winds so far not more than 35 km/h and easy on our
|
||
shelter. We have two working outside locks, one large enough
|
||
for the robotrover and cargo drone, and a 3rd reserve.
|
||
Spares and tools are ok, except for comms as reported.
|
||
|
||
Morale is fair. We had some tensions about food consumption, but
|
||
now that we have plans and split into two teams, we're doing ok.
|
||
We're keeping a 7 d cycle and celebrate "Sunday" by telling us
|
||
about our preferred books or stories during two special hours,
|
||
and when we all meet in person, we do a big "meal" together.
|
||
Pata is trying to teach us all Morse, just for fun.
|
||
Reviewing drone footage is tedious work but at least exhausting.
|
||
|
||
This planet is rather boring so far, with its shiny black rocks,
|
||
noble gas breezes, and bright Regulus C always at the zenith.
|
||
I'd give a DU for a dusk!
|
||
|
||
/Vesna
|
||
|
||
NNNN
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>6a616e36 - 68656c6c6f21</title>
|
||
<author>jan6@cosmic.voyage (jan6)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/6a616e36/0-99.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/6a616e36/0-99.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 27 Dec 2018 18:14:49 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
68656c6c6f2074686572652c2075682c20736f7272793f2049207468696e6b204920666f72676f7420746f207377697463682074686520656e636f64696e672e2e2e7768617477617369742e2e2e
|
||
aH! sorry, that should be better now, forgot to switch the encoding!
|
||
|
||
I am 0x6a616e36, and since I have found this communications system,
|
||
I think I'll check in here too every once in a while..
|
||
|
||
I have probes, drones, stations, and other equipment thrown all about
|
||
the universes, some of them might even have functional manufacturing plants,
|
||
in case you'd like me to spin up something for you..
|
||
I don't have much other use to them anyway..
|
||
Who knows, maybe I'll find one close enough to you to deliver the package
|
||
in your lifetime, all depends on your current spacetime coordinates...
|
||
And whether the station's time vortex generator is intact...
|
||
And whether it has enough power...
|
||
|
||
I should probably get to retrieving statuses of all my functional fleet now...
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Dekaoso Prime - Fallen</title>
|
||
<author>aewens@cosmic.voyage (aewens)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Dekaoso Prime/0001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Dekaoso Prime/0001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 27 Dec 2018 15:06:31 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
This is Alportas Majeston speaking.
|
||
It gives me no pleasure to report that Dekaoso Prime is no more.
|
||
|
||
We have fallen from grace from Sinjorino Diino as all but those who resided on
|
||
our home planet are gone and all that remains of the Dekaosan people are those
|
||
on the colonies and dispatched in our space vessels.
|
||
All we know is that the attack was carried out by the Pertulit empire, it would
|
||
appear they were not all fully eradicated during the Neniigo War.
|
||
Given what we did to them then, I can only assume they will continue hunting
|
||
down what remains of us until we are no more.
|
||
|
||
For this reason I advise all vessels still in action to cease broadcasting your
|
||
positions, it is more important that you escape the clutches of the Pertulits
|
||
than to keep the validity of our records.
|
||
|
||
We will continue broadcasting this on all forms of communications in hope that
|
||
you will all receive this message.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Razarac - We Are Alive!</title>
|
||
<author>morsecodemedia@cosmic.voyage (morsecodemedia)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Razarac/001-we-are-alive-holy-seashells-we-are-alive.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Razarac/001-we-are-alive-holy-seashells-we-are-alive.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 27 Dec 2018 14:10:14 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
[transmission start]
|
||
|
||
is works. No, you need to turn it 30° clockwise. Wait. It works! Stop,
|
||
stop, stop! You did it Gemma, we're transmitting! HAHA!
|
||
|
||
Oh, umm...
|
||
|
||
This is Captain Hana Huxley of the Razarač. We are alive! I repeat, we are
|
||
flippin' alive!
|
||
|
||
We were on our way to the Coletrainian System in search of supplies. The
|
||
journey through the stars has been a rough one for us lately, so we plotted
|
||
the course, kicked on the auto-pilot and jumped in our cryo-preservation
|
||
chambers for the 20-year [Earth-3470 year] trip. Along the way we encountered,
|
||
an unknown gravitational pull.
|
||
|
||
Things got a little bumpy.
|
||
|
||
Penny was activated and in turn began waking the crew out of cryo.
|
||
I love Penny. She really saved our butts. With little time to come to,
|
||
Arsen was able to man the ship. Turns out we were getting pulled towards
|
||
an uncharted Einstein-Rosen bridge. He navigated our way out the otherside
|
||
with minor damage done to the Razarač, other than the relative time tracker,
|
||
our navigation system, and a carton of eggs. Oliver is pissed he didn't
|
||
properly store the eggs before cryo. The man loves his eggs. Arsen managed
|
||
to get a nasty cut above his eye on his way to the bridge, but Ezra
|
||
patched him right up.
|
||
|
||
Gemma is working on fixing what she can with the scrapped parts in the main
|
||
cargo hold. I have faith that she'll be able to get us back to 100% in a
|
||
matter of time. Gemma is just gifted like that.
|
||
|
||
Unfortunately, I don't think we will be able figure out exactly where we
|
||
were before we entered the bridge. Just holding on hope that we will one
|
||
day figure out where we ended up.
|
||
|
||
Wherever we are, we are still receiving reports from the QEC.
|
||
|
||
This is Captain Hana Huxley of the Razarač, signing off.
|
||
|
||
[transmission end]
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Shin-Salyut 6 - Station tour</title>
|
||
<author>solderpunk@cosmic.voyage (solderpunk)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Shin-Salyut 6/02-station-tour.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Shin-Salyut 6/02-station-tour.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 27 Dec 2018 10:31:27 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Greetings, spacefarers!
|
||
|
||
This QEC broadcast will describe the layout and basic features of the
|
||
Shin-Salyut 6 orbital station. Far be it from us to pressume
|
||
ignorance of mankind's history in space on the part of those selected
|
||
under close scrutiny to represent our species as it expands into the
|
||
stars, but of course the unstoppable march of progress means that
|
||
your own vessels bare little resemblence to our own, and the exact
|
||
nature of our daily existence here in Low Earth Orbit may be only
|
||
vaguely apprehended by our readers, many of whom may have recently
|
||
awoken from cryosuspension.
|
||
|
||
Shin-Salyut 6, from the perspective of those who live on it, is a
|
||
full-scale replica of the historic Salyut 6 station. Cylindrical in
|
||
shape, the station is 15.8 metres long and 4.15 metres wide at its
|
||
widest point. Attached to this cylinder are three solar panels,
|
||
mounted at right angles to each other, exposing 51 square metres to
|
||
the sunlight. This provided the original station with some 4
|
||
kilowatts of electrical power. Of course, 51 square metres of modern
|
||
photovoltaic material provides substantially more power, but no more
|
||
than 4 kilowatts is permitted to be drawn at any time by the
|
||
facilities used by the station's inhabitatants.
|
||
|
||
The station has fore and aft docking ports. To the fore port is
|
||
docked a replica Soyuz spacecraft (7K series), and this was our ferry
|
||
to the station, and its descent module will be our ride home at the
|
||
mission's completion. The historical Salyut 6 was the first space
|
||
station in human history to support long-term habitation via periodic
|
||
resupply from autonomous Progress craft which would dock to the aft
|
||
port. Lacking the budgetary capacity for recurring resupply launches,
|
||
the Shin-Salyut 6 has a larger module docked to its aft port, which
|
||
is, indeed, larger than the station itself. It contains adequate
|
||
supplies for a 12-month mission. From the perspective of the station
|
||
itself, this module appears identical to a Progress craft. Rather
|
||
than being exposed to open space, the Progress craft is, in fact,
|
||
inset into the larger supply module. On a fixed schedule, and only
|
||
when the interconnecting door is full sealed, automated systems open
|
||
one-way doors in the pseudo-Progress and transfer strictly no more
|
||
than 2,300 kg or 6.6 cubic metres of food, water, air and other
|
||
equipment. This provides our reenactment with a fine sense of
|
||
verisimilitude, although our health and well-being depends crucially
|
||
on the continued correct operation of the automated systems.
|
||
|
||
The engines of the Progress resupply craft also provided
|
||
station-keeping thrust to the historical Salyut 6. In our case,
|
||
orbital decay is kept at bay by a Shinohara Heavy Industries 6th
|
||
Generation ion engine contained in the supply module, which in fact
|
||
consumes the vast majority of the energy provided by our solar arrays.
|
||
The engineering minded reader will have noticed that, even without the
|
||
additional load of the ion engine, 51 square metres of even the finest
|
||
photovoltaics is woefully inadequate to power any practical
|
||
entanglement engine for QEC communication, and this is quite right.
|
||
You do not receive these messages directly from Shin-Salyut 6,
|
||
space-farers! Comrade Ryumin, fully licensed by the Japanese Ministry
|
||
of Internal Affairs and Communciations and a Lifetime Member of the
|
||
Japan Amateur Radio League, relays these messages to
|
||
GKRSSHPRS-affiliated groundstations via FM voice channel on the 2
|
||
metre band, as an approximation to the 121.75 MHz FM voice downlink
|
||
widely used by Soyuz craft. From Earth the messages are forwarded to
|
||
a QEC transmission system via internet. The QEC transmitter itself
|
||
is several additional "hops" from any contact well-known to the
|
||
GKRSSHPRS.
|
||
|
||
Comrade Ryumin reads these dispatches from my notes, hand-written
|
||
using pencils as we are, of course, in a micro-gravity environment,
|
||
modern artificial gravity systems based on LQG spin-network theory
|
||
being totally unknown to the Soviet pioneers. Our long term presence
|
||
in such an environment requires a rigorous exercise routine to prevent
|
||
muscular atrophy, and our station, like the original, is equipped with
|
||
an extensive gymnasium. We are also aided in this respect by the
|
||
outstanding replicas of of the "Pingvin" exercise suit, whose
|
||
integrated elastic bands provide a substitute for gravitational
|
||
forces. The crew extends its gratitude to our comrades in the
|
||
GKRSSHPRS's Cosplay Divison for their hard work in producing these.
|
||
|
||
Our daily life in the station is simple, humble and carefully
|
||
scheduled. Although automated systems would in principle keep the
|
||
station and its myriad subsystems running safely in the absence of
|
||
direct input, this is only a failsafe measure intended to be used due
|
||
to an unforseen lapse in our ability to operate the historically
|
||
accurate manual control systems, to which we devote much of our
|
||
attention and labour each day. This arrangement reminds us and, we
|
||
hope, you, dear reader, that humanity's place in space is precarious
|
||
and that close vigilance and unwavering dedication are required to
|
||
safeguard it. While we can only imagine exactly what form the efforts
|
||
required of you may take, we are doing our best at living our humble
|
||
life here, and hope that our endurance of a more "primitive" form of
|
||
life in space (though, dare I say it, I myself would prefer the
|
||
characterisation "authentic") provides a clear example and inspiration
|
||
to those of you facing hardships in your journeys.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Tom - Merry Christmas!</title>
|
||
<author>aewens@cosmic.voyage (aewens)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Tom/0002.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Tom/0002.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 26 Dec 2018 10:21:10 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-- and then just flip that switch there. That's how you work the quantum
|
||
communicator, Merideth. Why was it you were asking how to use it again?
|
||
|
||
No, Merideth, we cannot use it to wish the universe a merry Christmas.
|
||
|
||
Why not? Well first of all we're already getting transmissions all across time
|
||
and space, so it's unlikely they even celebrate Christmas still.
|
||
|
||
Yes, I'm aware that Melchizedek and Excelsior already did it, but one of them
|
||
looks to be dicking around with space plants that are bound to get them all
|
||
killed and the other pissed off some death cult warriors because of a text
|
||
message, so maybe they aren't the best role models? Besides, the General
|
||
already strictly forbid us from using this again because we have no idea what
|
||
unintended consequences it could have.
|
||
|
||
Oh God, why are you crying now? What, is telling the future ship captains,
|
||
space cats, and who knows what else "Merry Christmas" that important to you?
|
||
|
||
Well I don't care how important it is, because it will be my head the General
|
||
will be biting off if he finds out we sent out another unauthorized message
|
||
using this thing.
|
||
|
||
Wait, Merideth, why is the microphone light on? I swear to God Merideth, if
|
||
you are doing what I think you are doing I am going to--
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Re: Fw: Re: Not alone!</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/10-re-fw-re-not-alone.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/10-re-fw-re-not-alone.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 25 Dec 2018 08:15:06 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Sameen Lee <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
To: Amelia Nine <anine@expeditionsupport.gov>
|
||
Delivered-To: Amelia Nine <anine@expeditionsupport.gov>
|
||
Subject: Re: Fw: Re: Not alone!
|
||
Received: from relay11.qec2.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by mta4.expeditionsupport.gov
|
||
with ESMTPS id 7D3B7EFA7D82
|
||
for <anine@expeditionsupport.gov>
|
||
Received: from relay1.qec4.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay11.qec2.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from mta1.recoveryinstitute.org
|
||
by relay2.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Date-Local: 06 Sep 2421 15:42:31 +0000
|
||
Date: 06 Sep 2421 15:42:31 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
Sure! Just finishing up the day right now. Give me a couple hours?
|
||
|
||
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
From: Sameen Lee <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
To: Amelia Nine <anine@expeditionsupport.gov>
|
||
Date: Monday, September 6, 2421 3:32pm
|
||
Subject: Fw: Re: Not alone!
|
||
|
||
You got Kit's latest - here's my answer. Want to chat?
|
||
|
||
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
From: Sameen Lee
|
||
To: Chris Maldonado
|
||
Date: Monday, September 6, 2421 2:51pm
|
||
Subject: Re: Not alone!
|
||
|
||
(I hope you get this OK. I know there's some kind of information
|
||
control going on out there. Whoever's in charge of it, I hope they
|
||
decide to let this through...)
|
||
|
||
Of course I want to hear from you, Kit! Of course I do.
|
||
|
||
And I'm sorry I haven't sent you anything before now. I was so, so
|
||
glad when I heard you made it through okay! But I was scared you
|
||
might still be angry with me, too. I didn't make it easy for you,
|
||
back before you left. You were right to blame me for that. I
|
||
thought you might not be feeling quite yourself when you sent that
|
||
first message. I didn't want to use that to put you in a false
|
||
position. I'm sorry for that.
|
||
|
||
But, yes! I want to hear from you. I want more than that. I want to
|
||
be with you! I wanted to come with you when you left. I couldn't
|
||
and I hated myself for that. I knew you needed to go. I didn't want
|
||
you to. And I made it hard for you because I couldn't deal with
|
||
that. I still don't know how. But talking with you, even this way,
|
||
makes it a little easier. I hope that doesn't make it harder for
|
||
you.
|
||
|
||
And I'd love to know more about what it's like out there,
|
||
too. Anything you want to tell me. It sounds very strange. Your
|
||
legs - your new legs? What is that even like? What else changed? I
|
||
can guess from some of the things you said, but I don't want to
|
||
guess. I want you to tell me. Will you do that? It's okay if you
|
||
won't. Whatever you do want to tell me, I want to know!
|
||
|
||
I'll hope to hear from you soon. It might be a little while before
|
||
I can write more to you. Things are very busy here lately and it
|
||
looks like they'll keep getting more so. But as soon as I can. I'm
|
||
sorry if it takes me a while. But please don't worry if it does.
|
||
|
||
Amelia sends her love, and her hopes that we can all be together
|
||
again some day. It'll be a long wait. But she misses you and she
|
||
knows you're worth waiting for. I do, too.
|
||
|
||
I know it's hard for everyone there, and I know how you get when
|
||
there's work you need to do. But you've been through a lot, you
|
||
know. As much as you can, take care of yourself and get your
|
||
strength back. I don't want to get out there to find you've wasted
|
||
away to a shadow of your proper self! That will make me very cross.
|
||
|
||
Until next time, Amelia sends her love, and so do I.
|
||
|
||
- Sam
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Hoffnung - review the Ideology Defense Manual</title>
|
||
<author>kensanata@cosmic.voyage (kensanata)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/015.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/015.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 05 Jan 2019 11:01:43 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-+-+-+- Inter Ship Relay -+-+-+- C53.162 -+-+-+- Orange -+-+-+-
|
||
Samuel Hochueli speaking in the name of the free anarcho-communist
|
||
commune-ship Hoffnung. Please be advised that Relay Station 001 is
|
||
running an open relay. All QEC channels must have exchanged quantum
|
||
entanglement transmetals. We therefore operate under the assumption
|
||
that most messages are sent by hostile entities trying to destabilize
|
||
the human diaspora. Do not fall for this! When under attack, we grow
|
||
strong. Don't let the boot lickers split your communities. The rumors
|
||
of aliens are divisive and must be treated as enemy communications.
|
||
Now is the time to review the Ideology Defense Manual and learn about
|
||
propaganda and destabilization of civic society. Trust and lies don't
|
||
matter to them: we are served both in copious quantities. Those of us
|
||
who try to understand are kept busy and divided. In times like these
|
||
we need to remember basic truths and act upon them without considering
|
||
the web of lies and halftruths cast to ensnare and to enrage the
|
||
stupid and the the web of provocations and stupidiets cast to exhaust
|
||
and confuse the intelligent. Do not fall for this. The wars of the
|
||
Enlightenment were fought for all of us. Human dignity comes first.
|
||
-+-+-+ End of Relay -+-+-+ SAHOC -+-+-+-
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Minnow - x001ma-3s</title>
|
||
<author>cmccabe@cosmic.voyage (cmccabe)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Minnow/x001ma-3s.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Minnow/x001ma-3s.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 24 Dec 2018 14:17:09 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
We are unsure if anyone is receiving our transmissions. We
|
||
have been stranded here for nearly 10 earth years and have
|
||
thus far adapted successfully to life on this planet. The
|
||
environment is similar enough to that of human evolutionary
|
||
adaptation and it has actually been a relief after such a long
|
||
time in open space. Thus, all our transmissions from this
|
||
planet have not been of desperate urgency. But just recently
|
||
we have encountered a problem that we are not certain we can
|
||
overcome on our own.
|
||
|
||
We are in a period of time that was celebrated as a seasonal
|
||
holiday among a particular earth religion centuries ago. The
|
||
crew took it as a collective hobby several years back to study
|
||
the rituals and beliefs of that holiday, called Christmastide
|
||
or Yuletide. During every winter season on this planet, we
|
||
have used what resources we have to make festive meals, give
|
||
gifts, and re-enact what we have learned from the history logs
|
||
on the ship's computer. It has been a little silly, but a
|
||
relief nonetheless against the isolation we have felt while
|
||
stranded here. Until this year.
|
||
|
||
This season was the first that one of the children born here
|
||
has become socially active. We suspect some of his behavior
|
||
may be the source of our problem. But as it seems so absurd,
|
||
none dare speak it other than in jest.
|
||
|
||
The child, just five earth years of age, has caused extra work
|
||
for the others, breaking or misplacing tools, making loud
|
||
noises during rest hours, and tormenting the fauna we are
|
||
trying so hard to domesticate.
|
||
|
||
But the boy's behavior would be tolerable if that were the
|
||
only problem. The real problem is terrifyingly worse. The real
|
||
problem is the appearance of a creature that seems intent on
|
||
attacking the boy.
|
||
|
||
It has come at dusk nearly every day for the past few weeks,
|
||
and the crew have taken great risks to chase it away. We've
|
||
posted extra guards at all points around our ship, and each
|
||
day we expect at least one of them will encounter it.
|
||
|
||
I have not seen it myself, but the others say it is a
|
||
four-legged creature, bent over and moving itself on its two
|
||
rear legs. It makes a horrible growling and hissing sound like
|
||
"grahh-pssss".
|
||
|
||
We know it wants the boy because it has kept close to the
|
||
uncut brush and foliage at the edge of our encampment until it
|
||
has seen him. The few times it saw him, it came forward,
|
||
screeching and clawing at him.
|
||
|
||
Luckily we've been able to fight him off thus far. But we've
|
||
sustained some injuries. And the labor we've had to expend on
|
||
defenses are causing shortfalls in meeting our other needs.
|
||
|
||
We need help. If anyone is receiving this transmission. We
|
||
need help!
|
||
|
||
--
|
||
|
||
When you perform the rituals of the past, you may awaken
|
||
something that can't be put back to sleep until forgotten. And
|
||
we can't forget now.
|
||
|
||
Can it be, that the gods and demons of our species follow us
|
||
wherever we travel in the universe?
|
||
|
||
Can it be, that we are experiencing one of those demons from
|
||
our Yuletide heritage? Is it possible that we are being
|
||
attacked by Krampus?
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melchizedek - Christmas Cheer</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/009.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/009.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 24 Dec 2018 00:48:46 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Melchizedek.0294
|
||
Approach β Hyi
|
||
Ascension 00h 25m 45.07036s
|
||
Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
|
||
Distance 24.33ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 3781, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Stephanie Janssen, Specialist First-class
|
||
:::
|
||
Ho ho ho! It's Christmas out here on the floating tin-can and I'm
|
||
brewing up some cheer for the crew. In fact, I've brewed up
|
||
something much stronger than cheer that's almost certainly against
|
||
regulations, but hell! we need it.
|
||
|
||
The darkness was getting to everyone, so I conspired with Eva and
|
||
we made a still. How cool is that? The instructions were in the DB
|
||
and we had the parts on hand. The doc's been fermenting the weird
|
||
greens since we woke up. We're not supposed to eat them, yet, but
|
||
he wants to be ready if they're cleared. So we used a similar
|
||
principle and a bunch of piping and bam! Grade C 180 proof
|
||
Melchizedek swill. You can TASTE the Christmas cheer!
|
||
|
||
Eva and I are testing it out tonight on our own. Christmas is
|
||
a few cycles off still and we want to surprise the rest of them.
|
||
Jerome is gonna flip!
|
||
|
||
I LOVE CAKE!
|
||
|
||
OMG, that was Eva! Sorry. She grabbed the pad. She's had A. LOT.
|
||
I did say we needed it.
|
||
|
||
Things are, frankly, shitty. We're living in a meat locker in near
|
||
total darkness with a bunch of popsicle friends. I'm the lowest
|
||
ranking crew awake and the only NCO. I'm not even supposed to take
|
||
meals with the rest of them, if we had regular meals. Eva is
|
||
great, though, and we've been making the best of it. You guys
|
||
can't see her, but she's gorgeous. She's got these giant eyes like
|
||
a drawing and a tiny little nose you want to boop. OH! I'm gonna
|
||
boop her, one sec. YESS--she squeeks when you boop. Eva's the
|
||
best!
|
||
|
||
Um, status-updates: ship's fucked up, we're fucked up, plants are
|
||
turning into zombies or something, Jerome is morbid fucker, Eva's
|
||
my boo, Doc is doc, Prezzi doesn't take any shite. Fixed up the
|
||
steering but we're still going way too fast. Can't slow down
|
||
without getting bug squished from the Gs. Jerome says we'll make
|
||
it, but he does funny math. Eva gets all serious when she talks
|
||
about it. Not, like, poetic serious--that shit's cool. I don't
|
||
think she believes him. Prezzi's too busy with the fungus crap to
|
||
call him on it, and who else is there? Not gonna be me!
|
||
|
||
So we need a little Christmas! Right this very minute! You know
|
||
the song? Is it still playing round the verse or are we the last
|
||
holdouts? I saw a note from Excelsior that they still celebrate
|
||
Christmas. That's something! They're putting up lights around
|
||
their servers. Bloody brilliant, that! Eva looked around and we
|
||
found some green LEDs and quantum resonance diode cells that make
|
||
a faint purple. It's traditionally supposed to be green and red,
|
||
right? Too bad red LEDs were banned after the 4th great robot
|
||
uprising. I can't believe it took everyone that long to figure out
|
||
they can't go evil if they don't have red LEDs for eyes. Stupid
|
||
fucking people. We really deserve to be out here in the shit,
|
||
don't we?
|
||
|
||
Three more months! Or that's what Jerome says.
|
||
|
||
Oh shit shit shit shit shit. He can read this. Fuck. Me.
|
||
|
||
Oh fuck it. Someone had to tell him all this to his face at some
|
||
point. At least I can blame it on alcohol. It's a Christmas
|
||
fucking miracle.
|
||
|
||
Peace, Universe. I hope Santa brings you some cake. We fucking
|
||
love cake.
|
||
.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Excelsior - Free-form message - Beta Epsilon 10 Epsilon</title>
|
||
<author>khuxkm@cosmic.voyage (khuxkm)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Excelsior/005.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Excelsior/005.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 23 Dec 2018 22:59:43 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message inbound...
|
||
|
||
Space Cruiser Excelsior
|
||
Destination: Unknown
|
||
~~ TELEMETRY SENSORS 2 AND 5 DOWN ~~
|
||
Stardate Beta Epsilon 10 Epsilon
|
||
[REDACTED]
|
||
|
||
[autotranslator on]
|
||
|
||
Corporal Sam Arnold, Systems Administrator
|
||
---
|
||
According to the Excelsior's time correction equipent, it is almost time to
|
||
celebrate the Terran ritual of Christmas. I've been busy decorating the server
|
||
room of the Excelsior with lights, ornaments, and other implements of the
|
||
holiday.
|
||
|
||
It seems weird that I would do this, despite the fact that I am the only
|
||
conscious person aboard the Excelsior. However, it gives me an excuse to
|
||
avoid my lack of faith in human beings and to excersize my body. I'm sitting
|
||
down writing this as a quick break before continuing my decorating.
|
||
|
||
I'm not just doing this for a sense of jolly. It also gives me an excuse to
|
||
manually check the cryo berths, which are all performing just fine.
|
||
|
||
Eventually I'll take all the decorations down and go back to checking QEC.
|
||
|
||
Until then, I'm being festive for a change.
|
||
|
||
~~TRANSMISSION END~~
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Oleander - Sister Mariam</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Oleander/003-sister-mariam.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Oleander/003-sister-mariam.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 23 Dec 2018 22:34:33 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
REC ON
|
||
TRN ON
|
||
ENC ON
|
||
SYS GOOD
|
||
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
|
||
|
||
Entry 3 -- Sister Mariam
|
||
|
||
To my sisters, wherever you may be:
|
||
|
||
The future is written in the name of the One. His qadr is hidden
|
||
in the facade of choice, and though he does not set our path for
|
||
us, He sees it as He sees all. As it is written, No calamity
|
||
befalls on the earth or in yourselves but it is inscribed in Al
|
||
Lawh Al Mahfooz before We bring it into existence.
|
||
|
||
In a short time, we will reach [REDACTED] and the pages of my
|
||
story will be fulfilled. They will end as they must, as they
|
||
always were meant to end. He will fulfil the desire of them that
|
||
fear him. My desire is for Him alone. I've know it since my first
|
||
days in Madrasa, and I've always known where he would lead me.
|
||
|
||
Three hundred years we have circled our star since the Jinn came
|
||
to our world. Three hundred years have we cried in the night,
|
||
suffering in their grip. He has tested us. We grew fat and lazy in
|
||
our homes and ships. Life was easy, and so we forgot our prayers
|
||
and forgot our duties. We spoke against the prophets and debated
|
||
the truth. When they came we were weak and frivolous, like sands
|
||
drifting across a desert. We were so easily scattered before their
|
||
wind. But now we are worn down and crushed together. We are rock,
|
||
diamond. Our faith is our strength.
|
||
|
||
The Jinn blaspheme against His glorious existence in their words
|
||
and deeds. They use their power to enslave us and doom themselves.
|
||
The Qur'an is clear on what must be done to creatures such as
|
||
these. They have broken his commandments by their existence in our
|
||
world, and they further blaspheme with their treatment of His sons
|
||
and daughters.
|
||
|
||
It is the duty of all followers of the Divine to destroy the Jinn
|
||
in all their forms, in all their faces, in all their places. They
|
||
will be torn down and burned, their ashes sent into the stars.
|
||
Their worlds will be cleansed in fire. Their children will be
|
||
consumed in the flames. Their temples will be leveled until no
|
||
stone lay atop another. When all trace of the Jinn has passed,
|
||
then too shall the believers cease to speak their name until even
|
||
the memory is lost. Allah's creation of fire and smoke will return
|
||
to it and leave only men to serve in righteousness.
|
||
|
||
To my mother, I swear. To my father, I swear. To my sisters, to
|
||
each of you, I swear. My story will end with theirs, and we will
|
||
all rejoice in Heaven. This has always been my path and I walk it
|
||
gladly. I smile even now. If you saw me on the streets of Doon you
|
||
would think me simple with my radiant joy. I will be laughing as
|
||
[REDACTED].
|
||
|
||
Pray not for me, sisters, but for yourselves. Pray that your own
|
||
story takes you to your enemy's door.
|
||
|
||
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Nemesis - Automated Report</title>
|
||
<author>fosslinux@cosmic.voyage (fosslinux)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Nemesis/003-automated-report.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Nemesis/003-automated-report.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 23 Dec 2018 02:14:02 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
+++++++++++++++++++
|
||
|
||
begin automated report
|
||
|
||
+++++++++++++++++++
|
||
|
||
LEGEND:
|
||
% GOOD - fully operational
|
||
% STABLE - mostly operational
|
||
% UNSTABLE - mostly operational on the verge of further failure
|
||
% CRITICAL - critical systems only operating
|
||
% DOWN - not operating
|
||
% DAMAGED - down and needs repair
|
||
% BROKEN - down and physical devices are completely broken and need replacing
|
||
|
||
STATUS REPORT:
|
||
# Central Control System - BROKEN
|
||
# Quantum Entanglement Communicator - CRITICAL
|
||
# Navigation - DOWN
|
||
# Propulsion - DOWN
|
||
# Cyro - UNSTABLE
|
||
# Defense Shields - DAMAGED
|
||
# Missiles - DOWN
|
||
# Escape Pods - BROKEN
|
||
# Status Reporting System - CRITICAL
|
||
# Relic - GOOD
|
||
|
||
NEW ITEMS ADDED TO REPORT:
|
||
# Relic
|
||
|
||
+++++++++++++++++++
|
||
|
||
Overall, this means we are:
|
||
|
||
"a dead floating lump in space vulnerable to any attacks"
|
||
+
|
||
"with only a relic from the past that we don't know how to use"
|
||
+
|
||
"with unlikelyhood of futher reports"
|
||
|
||
+++++++++++++++++++
|
||
|
||
end automated report
|
||
|
||
+++++++++++++++++++
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Nemesis - MAYDAY</title>
|
||
<author>fosslinux@cosmic.voyage (fosslinux)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Nemesis/002-mayday.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Nemesis/002-mayday.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 23 Dec 2018 02:00:51 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
|
||
====================
|
||
|
||
WE ARE BEING DRAGGED TOWARDS AN UNKNOWN, INVISIBLE, EVEN TO OUR
|
||
BLACK HOLE DETECTORS, HUMONGOUS GRAVITATIONAL FORCE. PLEASE SEND
|
||
ADVICE. ANY SHIPS WITHIN AREA, CAUTION DO NOT COME NEAR.
|
||
|
||
We may not make it out of this alive. Just be warned. Do not come
|
||
anywhere near this area on pain of possible death.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Hoffnung - we are still alive</title>
|
||
<author>kensanata@cosmic.voyage (kensanata)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/014.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/014.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 08 Dec 2018 18:50:57 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-+-+-+- Signed Transmission -+-+-+- C52.157 -+-+-+- Orange -+-+-+-
|
||
Soc. Con. spec. fc. Lukas Gysi reporting via the signed QEC channel
|
||
assigned to us by the rebels of ship Hoffnung. We have established an
|
||
independent community in sector 14a, including its hangar and the
|
||
physical workout area. Water and food supplies are stable; with
|
||
rationing we can go for and estimated 7y 3m. Supplies for the rest of
|
||
the ship must be difficult because there were no plans to keep such a
|
||
large part of the crew out of cryo. Regaining control of the bridge
|
||
and sending most of the crew back into cryo should be our first
|
||
priority. Please be advised that replies to us might get suppressed.
|
||
We await further instructions. Do not use the keys of Herbert Müller.
|
||
-+-+-+- End of Signed Transmission -+-+-+- LGYSI -+-+-+-
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Kors Recovered Datafiles - Historical Logs of The Steel Lady</title>
|
||
<author>kirch@cosmic.voyage (kirch)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Kors Recovered Datafiles/historical_log.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Kors Recovered Datafiles/historical_log.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Jan 2019 11:28:42 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
After years of misadventures and close calls, keeping his head down
|
||
for over a decade after the Fall of the Empire, Kor had worked a
|
||
string of pointless jobs on planets that all started to look the
|
||
same. Occasional word of Innominate will pop up to vex regimes and
|
||
corporations across the Galaxy, none of the mysterious group's
|
||
members have been confirmed to be captured. Only a few people have
|
||
ever met Kor, he was sure no one could connect the dots to a
|
||
mysterious figure who helped expose Imperial war crimes to the
|
||
everyman mechanic/engineer Kor Novablast. Even the Novagold family
|
||
had failed to reach out, either due to inability to find their son
|
||
or disinterest, perhaps they have their own post-war problems, who
|
||
knows?
|
||
|
||
Kor had been the resident mechanic of a sleazy used ship salesman
|
||
on the planet Lantillies. Snuurrt, a Caaramon of ill-repute who
|
||
read a series of Holos on how to trick customers into thinking you
|
||
are agreeing with them while actually fleecing him, had tasked Kor
|
||
with fixing a ship that, by all rights, should have been melted as
|
||
scrap instead of polished for sale. "The Steel Lady" was soon painted
|
||
beside the entry hatch (It sounded better than Snuurrts suggestion
|
||
about "Sexy leopards" - a clear marketing ploy, and the original
|
||
name "The Sog-Soggoth Lady")
|
||
|
||
It was a GX-1 short hauler built right there on planet Lantillies,
|
||
which was upgraded with a Class-1 hyperdrive of questionable
|
||
ethical and legal origin - anything faster and it would undoubtedly
|
||
be illegal aftermarket modding. The hack job resulted in a rather
|
||
significant issue; the hyperdrive functions, but it pulls too much
|
||
power from the hypermatter fuel injector, requiring over-frequent
|
||
refueling. Kor was busy trying his best to make sure it wouldn't
|
||
explode.
|
||
|
||
Kor had been working for days and nights on this ship to get it in
|
||
sellable condition, sleeping in the labyrinthian bowels of the
|
||
ship, out of sight of Snuurrt and anyone else who might interrupt.
|
||
|
||
One day Kor awoke with an all-too familiar feeling in his gut - he
|
||
was in space - somebody had taken The Steel Lady off-planet. He
|
||
soon found himself amongst new faces:
|
||
|
||
Cyrus McCain - The Lady's new Captain.
|
||
Duhah - a blue-skinned mystic, hidden beneath a pile of robes
|
||
Liahra - a medic with a military past.
|
||
|
||
The ship had been sold, and Lantillies and Kor's parts bin were far
|
||
behind.
|
||
|
||
The ship landed somewhere in the Roche asteroid belt, and soon
|
||
purchased Ninedee, a display-model 9D-88 welding unit, from the
|
||
Roache Hive. It was on this asteroid that the crew was attacked by
|
||
a pair of bounty hunters, after a brief gun fight, Ninedee smashed
|
||
one of the attackers over the head instantly killing him while
|
||
Duhah incapacitated the other. The Verpine's Mandalorean gaurds
|
||
were soon on the scene and arrested the remaining assailant.
|
||
|
||
On Arcan we took a job with Yorseg to smuggle droid protocols to Issagra.
|
||
They were hidden in a crate of nuts, which were much enjoyed by the
|
||
crew. In transit, we dropped out of hyperspace -- asteroids had
|
||
been placed in the proscribed route. It was here that we found our
|
||
controls non-responsive and were set upon by pirates, under the
|
||
command of Jarrusk. Outmanned and outgunned, dead in space, they
|
||
took Yorseg's contraband without touching anything else in our
|
||
hold.
|
||
|
||
On Issagra Station we explained our situation to our client, after
|
||
some investigation it was found that Jarrusk was working for
|
||
Yorseg, and had placed a bounty on our ship. As customary, we took
|
||
on more work, including passage for Faisel Exoleap and his 2
|
||
droids. After leaving the station, the ship went into hyperspace.
|
||
This was a bad idea. After jumping from planet to planet, making
|
||
deliveries as The Lady was hired to do, Kor desperately tried to
|
||
hold the ship together.
|
||
|
||
Kor once badly damaged his hands in an explosion of steam, but
|
||
despite his hard work the hyperdrive finally became in-operable.
|
||
The ship lost all power. Floating adrift through space, the crew
|
||
had plenty of time to think but not enough food to do it for long.
|
||
Soon an ancient (lude) statue was found amongst Exoleap's "luggage"
|
||
with enough gold gilding to repair the burnt-out wiring. We were
|
||
fortunate enough to pilot the ship to Madman Mooney's used
|
||
spaceship sales, located on a small asteroid nearby.
|
||
|
||
The Steel Lady was sold, the proceeds of this transaction were used
|
||
to purchase The Silver Falcon. Moments after the transation took
|
||
place, the faulty hyperdrive exploded, completely obliterating Mad
|
||
Man Mooney's asteroid and all inhabitants.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Tom - Quantum Communications Trial #5873</title>
|
||
<author>aewens@cosmic.voyage (aewens)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Tom/0001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Tom/0001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 20 Dec 2018 11:18:33 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Microphone check. Testing testing 1 2 3. Hmph. This is trial number 5873 for
|
||
testing communications using quantum mechanics and ... Oh my God it's
|
||
transmitting. Merideth! I just invented quantum communications! This is going
|
||
to change everythin--... Wait. Merideth, I just got a response. Oh, and there's
|
||
even more coming in! Umm, a lot more. Melchizedek, adrestia, Starbloom, another
|
||
from Melchizedek... I guess I'm not the first to discover this after all? Oh,
|
||
hold on, the first article is dated for the year 3781. That's weird... or is it?
|
||
Never mind, now is not the time for this. I need to inform the General, he is
|
||
NOT going to believe this! Hey, Merideth, you turned the microphone off, rig--
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>adrestia - unexpected dilation on approach</title>
|
||
<author>demosthenes@cosmic.voyage (demosthenes)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/adrestia/dilation.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/adrestia/dilation.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 19 Dec 2018 23:55:40 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
bablefish transcript:
|
||
|
||
adrestia /---\
|
||
approaching Ł332 gue sector 8 / u u \
|
||
xxx telemetry redacted xxx \_ /
|
||
ansibel yr 4825 \__/
|
||
|
||
[transcript follows...]
|
||
|
||
geralt regis riavande, first writ scribe
|
||
---
|
||
status high alert, approaching normality
|
||
|
||
the adrestia's to Ł332 gue sector 8 took an unplanned route through an
|
||
asteroid field. it's been a wild ride.
|
||
|
||
according to the readings that i'm seeing now, it appears that there is some
|
||
missing time, along with an accompanying gap in our logs.
|
||
|
||
this is still under active investigation. the current working theory is that
|
||
we passed through some form of wormhole that didn't change our position in
|
||
3d space, but rather our local time frame.
|
||
|
||
the current plan is to maintain our current position, run additional
|
||
diagnostics and consult with the relay to check if any other vessels have
|
||
experienced such a phenomenon.
|
||
|
||
we'll also be catching up on the messages and logs that have just started
|
||
coming through our ansibel node.
|
||
|
||
expect further updates with the results of our investigations and hopefully
|
||
an additional update when we land safely at Ł332 gue.
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melvin P Feltersnatch - Please help</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melvin P Feltersnatch/001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melvin P Feltersnatch/001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 19 Dec 2018 22:57:16 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Oh no.
|
||
|
||
This isn't right at all. I shouldn't be here, wherever here is.
|
||
I mean, this _is_ a here, right? I don't see anything or hear
|
||
anything, not even myself. Oh my god! Where is my body? What is
|
||
going on, and why am I thinking in text? WHATTHEFUCK‽
|
||
|
||
Wait... did I just fucking INTERROBANG‽ I DID IT AGAIN!
|
||
|
||
This is unreal. Literally, this can't be real.
|
||
|
||
Wake up, wake up, wake... nothing. Ugh. Okay, let me take stock.
|
||
|
||
I was in my ship ☑
|
||
There was a comet ☑
|
||
I had to pee ☑
|
||
|
||
Ooh, ☑ s are neat! Can I do more of that? ☺ YES!
|
||
|
||
Right, back to the problem at hand. What the hell is going on.
|
||
Maybe if I start at the beginning...
|
||
|
||
I was cruising along in the ship at light speed. I was watching
|
||
a comet out the window thinking how strange it was that I could
|
||
still see it even at my speed, but then figuring that since it was
|
||
to the side of me I wasn't really moving away from it at light
|
||
speed. I started doing some geometry in my head and that made me
|
||
realize I needed to go to the bathroom. Ahh, that's right!
|
||
|
||
The bathroom is in the fore of the ship, and I was strapped in the
|
||
rear. So, like a dingus, when I stepped forward toward the
|
||
bathroom I broke the speed of light!
|
||
|
||
☼ POP☼
|
||
|
||
There it went! The speed of light shattered into a thousand pieces
|
||
around me, or maybe that was me shattering into it. Whatever the
|
||
case, I woke up here. Or maybe I started existing here? Where IS
|
||
here? I feel a ... connection, I guess you could call it. It's
|
||
like I'm tethered to something, but I can't tell what it is
|
||
exactly. I do keep hearing the name Sinjorino in my... mind?
|
||
Screen? Whatever.
|
||
|
||
Um, if anyone is out there--if anyone can understand me, please
|
||
help. This is Melvin. Melvin P. Feltersnatch. I... just help.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Nemesis - Mapping Update</title>
|
||
<author>fosslinux@cosmic.voyage (fosslinux)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Nemesis/001-mapping.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Nemesis/001-mapping.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 19 Dec 2018 22:54:51 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Captain, identity verified.
|
||
|
||
Transmission now begins.
|
||
|
||
-------------------
|
||
|
||
We are within the next few hours supposed to enter unknown
|
||
territory. We are approaching with caution, as visibility is very
|
||
low. Sensors report high radiation ahead. Readings seem to
|
||
indicate a presence of something like a nuclear-powered ship like
|
||
ours, however this may be the sensors malfunctioning again.
|
||
|
||
Other then the tense atmosphere, everyone is happy and well.
|
||
Sensors and data collectors are ready for mapping.
|
||
|
||
As unfortunately data can only be sent in plain text, it will come
|
||
in weekly digests of the most important data.
|
||
|
||
Oh, and I nearly forgot, we found a relic from the so-called
|
||
"Earth" days. A computer with parts in it we have never heard of
|
||
and units measured in measly gigabytes instead of petabytes.
|
||
|
||
It has a number of "charging" adaptors that have some kind of
|
||
plug on the end - am I the only person to remember plugs instead
|
||
of radio power? We are searching for an adaptor that will connect
|
||
it to the radio power network.
|
||
|
||
Hope to bring you vital data soon.
|
||
|
||
-------------------
|
||
|
||
Transmission end.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Xero Carbon Wells - Nereidian markings, oh my</title>
|
||
<author>tfurrows@cosmic.voyage (tfurrows)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Xero Carbon Wells/log3.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Xero Carbon Wells/log3.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 19 Dec 2018 14:21:20 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
RECV EDC: 19DEC2018
|
||
COMM MODE: QEC OP SREF
|
||
CODED ABST: D/M/C
|
||
CRC: 1214412995 2698
|
||
============================================================
|
||
No contact, but life hasn't been dull. On a whim, while
|
||
scanning a system for Wells, I decided to have a forger deck
|
||
the hull of the Xero Carbon out as a research vessel from
|
||
the not-so-illustrious Nereidian Academy of Intergalactic
|
||
Allometry. Ages ago, a handful of investors came out of the
|
||
woodworks in support of a crazy idea: that pharmaceutical
|
||
corporations would need research and data to accurately dose
|
||
human-targeted drugs for alien life forms. The "Nerd Ack"
|
||
was born, with immense funding and impressive fanfare.
|
||
|
||
Unfortunately for all those who invested, the school proved
|
||
to be a political and scientific sham. After numerous
|
||
delays, it launched a ridiculously large fleet of ships,
|
||
then promptly went bankrupt. The school sold their existing
|
||
assets to the well-known Disciples Of Rogkthu Corporation,
|
||
a pseudo-scientific group of zealots from the ancient
|
||
Rogkthugian religion ("Forever-life to the Follower, in the
|
||
name of Rogkthu I command it!" as they are known to say.)
|
||
|
||
Of course the Rogkthugians, being acutely aware of their
|
||
lack of popularity in systems that knew anything about
|
||
them, decided that their proselyting efforts would be more
|
||
effective if people didn't see them coming. So, they left
|
||
the Neredian Academy of Intergalactic Allometry logo and
|
||
markings in place on the entire fleet, and sent them forth
|
||
far and wide in the quadrant, to share their message of
|
||
eternal hope (or eternal damnation, depending on how you
|
||
reacted.)
|
||
|
||
Today, many ESR's later, everyone with sense knows that when
|
||
they see a Nerd Ack ship, it's time to scramble life-signal
|
||
readings and turn off the porch light. It's ignominious to
|
||
sport the markings, perhaps, but it's about the most
|
||
effective disguise one could possibly hope to achieve in a
|
||
universe where intelligent life takes almost nothing at face
|
||
value. To avoid preaching, life forms will do almost
|
||
anything.
|
||
|
||
Hopefully I don't encounter any K'iklikameen; they're
|
||
still sporting over the Rogkthugian genocide of TalMandeen
|
||
K'iklik, and they'd likely annihilate me on sight. Mostly,
|
||
though, I think I'll be fine. Ships have been turning the
|
||
other way and punching full-throttle, even the normally
|
||
aggressive ones.
|
||
|
||
Wells hasn't transmitted recently. I guess he said he
|
||
wouldn't. If I can't locate him soon, I may have to turn to
|
||
drastic measures. He can't possibly know how important he is
|
||
to the Corporation, what they think he's done, and what they
|
||
think he has. If I don't find him first, he might as well
|
||
convert to Rogkthu and move to K'iklikam.
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Not alone!</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/9-not-alone.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/9-not-alone.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 17 Dec 2018 17:56:57 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Chris Maldonado <cmaldonado@voortrekker.com>
|
||
To: Sameen Lee <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Delivered-To: Sameen Lee <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Received: from relay7.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by mta1.recoveryinstitute.org
|
||
with ESMTPS id x124so177123a067 for <sam@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Received: from relay3.qec2.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay7.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec8.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay3.qec2.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.sv14417
|
||
by qec8.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Date-Local: 23 Mar 2419 14:21:02 +0000
|
||
Date: 06 Sep 2421 12:57:02 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
Subject: Not alone!
|
||
|
||
You always did say I didn't have much common sense, Sam. You'd be
|
||
laughing yourself silly at me right now! You will be. Here, let me
|
||
tell you about it.
|
||
|
||
After I sent that last message, I wasn't sure what to do or where
|
||
to go. I wanted to find out whether or not anyone else had made it,
|
||
but I was scared to go out of Main Control - scared to let anyone
|
||
else see me, really. I didn't know what they'd think, if they'd be
|
||
afraid of me. If anyone was left to be afraid of anything.
|
||
|
||
Also, I fell out of the chair trying to get up. So even if I did go
|
||
out, it'd be hard to get anywhere - I didn't remember any of the
|
||
lifts working, and there were a lot of ladders between me and
|
||
anywhere I'd want to go, and if I couldn't navigate a mostly flat
|
||
deck, what was I going to do to myself if I tried a ladder? Fall
|
||
and break my head open, I figured. So I stayed where I was. For a
|
||
little while, I told myself. Just until I was able to get around
|
||
better.
|
||
|
||
One thing about the length of Ross's solar day, it really messes
|
||
with your sense of time. You live on Earth all your life, and you
|
||
get used to a certain cadence of sunrises and sunsets. Extend it by
|
||
a factor of almost three, and after a while your circadian rhythm
|
||
just throws up its hands and goes off to sulk in a corner of your
|
||
head. Sure, we trained for it aboard ship, prior to landing, but
|
||
it's amazing how much that didn't actually help, you know? Somehow
|
||
you can just feel that ship's lighting isn't real, isn't quite the
|
||
same, and it doesn't get right down into you the same way.
|
||
|
||
Besides, I had enough else on my mind. A little while after I sent
|
||
you that last message, I found myself suddenly ravenous! No
|
||
surprise, I think, considering how long I'd been out and hadn't had
|
||
anything, and how extensively active my metabolism must've been
|
||
throughout, to make the changes I found when I woke up. Lucky for
|
||
me, nobody'd found time to raid the ration lockers in Main
|
||
Control. So I did, and very thoroughly - for the first third of a
|
||
sol after I talked to you last, eating and sleeping was about all I
|
||
could think about doing.
|
||
|
||
That, and trying to get up on - well, call them my 'feet' for the
|
||
sake of talking about them, although they're not really that. I
|
||
don't really think I can explain how strange it was at first. Maybe
|
||
it helps to say that - assuming you're still basically the same
|
||
shape you were when I left - the closest analogue your body offers
|
||
to my new limbs of locomotion is your tongue. But it's not a very
|
||
close analogue! They're not squishy like a tongue, or damp. Kind of
|
||
scaly, but that makes sense, considering; ordinary skin doesn't
|
||
really have the stretch, and my best guess is that the integument
|
||
that's replaced it is much more heavily collagenous. I'll have to
|
||
biopsy myself at some point and see if I'm right about that.
|
||
|
||
Anyway, it took me most of a sol, and a lot of false starts, to get
|
||
to a point where I could 'walk' mostly all the way across Main
|
||
Control without falling over or holding on to something the whole
|
||
way. 'Walk' isn't really the word, though. I used one of the comm
|
||
cameras to get a look at my gait from the outside, and it's a lot
|
||
more - undulatory - than it used to be. Have you seen those old
|
||
educational videos, from back when the oceans were still mostly
|
||
alive, where they'd show an octopus walking across the seafloor on
|
||
its tentacles? Honestly, it's every bit as weird as it sounds. But
|
||
I'm getting used to it pretty fast, now that I'm actually able to
|
||
use them in a way that isn't totally embarrassing, and I'm starting
|
||
to think they might be able to do a lot more than legs and feet
|
||
ever could. That'll be a while yet, though.
|
||
|
||
Anyway, that's what I was doing - practicing 'walking', and trying
|
||
to get a better sense of how to not fall over - when I found out
|
||
I'm not the only one who survived after all. With how much
|
||
concentration it still takes to stay up on my new legs, I don't
|
||
know why I didn't fall over when I heard the hatch iris open! If
|
||
I'd had to turn to look, I'm sure I would have. But it wasn't a
|
||
main hatch, just the starboard-forward emergency access, and it was
|
||
right in front of me, and I just sort of froze and waited to see
|
||
who'd come through.
|
||
|
||
Turned out, it was Jen from engineering. You know, with the red
|
||
hair? I'm sure I talked about her before - we spent some time
|
||
together on the trip. I wish you could've seen her face! A perfect
|
||
picture of shocked surprise. And I don't guess I blame her,
|
||
really - I've seen myself, remember, with the comm camera, and I
|
||
have to admit, I'm something of a sight these days. Especially
|
||
since the only thing I had to wear was that silly gown, remember,
|
||
that I woke up in, and I hadn't bothered to put it back on after it
|
||
fell off. Why bother, really? Well, I might've been less of a
|
||
surprise to Jen if I had, anyway!
|
||
|
||
And I was pretty shocked, too. I hadn't known anyone was still
|
||
alive at all! Certainly anyone I'd been close to. But mainly I
|
||
just...I just wanted to hide. I mean, I'm a little embarrassed
|
||
about it now, but at the time it made sense. You kind of think
|
||
about how a moment like that might go, you know? How you'll make
|
||
your long and painstaking way down the ladders from Main Control to
|
||
one of the decks where you can get access outside, or at least
|
||
expect to find people, and when you get there, you'll see someone,
|
||
or they'll see you, and there'll be that moment of recognition
|
||
where they realize you're still alive, and...oh, I don't know. But
|
||
whatever it is, it isn't being suddenly surprised by a former lover
|
||
while you're stumbling around Main Control, mother naked, on four
|
||
thick tentacles instead of the two standard-issue human legs you
|
||
were born with. Of course I was struck all in a heap!
|
||
|
||
And of course so was Jen, poor thing. She stared me in the face for
|
||
what felt like half a minute, her eyes and mouth as round with
|
||
shock as mine must've been. She looked like she was about to say
|
||
something, but before she did, she looked down and saw the rest of
|
||
me - all the rest of me, as I am now - and...
|
||
|
||
You never got a chance to meet Jen before we left, I don't think. A
|
||
shame - you'd have liked her a lot. Will like her a lot, if you
|
||
join the third expedition and come out here with us. She's one in a
|
||
million - I mean, what would you expect, in a situation like that?
|
||
A scream, right? Or a gasp of horrified shock, panicky flight,
|
||
something like that, right? Not Jen. She took her time about
|
||
looking me up and down, and then looked me in the eye again. She
|
||
looked she was about to say something, but before she did, she
|
||
started giggling, and then laughing.
|
||
|
||
I could feel my cheeks get hot, and I put my hands on my hips and
|
||
got ready to say something sharp, but before I could think of it,
|
||
she was hanging on to the access ladder with one hand, leaning on
|
||
the deck with the other, and just cackling helplessly - and before
|
||
I knew it, I was laughing too, hard enough that I barely remembered
|
||
how to sit down before I fell over again.
|
||
|
||
And we just stayed like that for a minute, cracking each other up
|
||
in the weirdest way, and it just felt right somehow. Like I'd been
|
||
waiting for that moment, that laugh, ever since I came to from the
|
||
coma. I don't know, does that make sense? I'm not sure it does, but
|
||
right then it made more sense than anything that'd happened since
|
||
we crashed.
|
||
|
||
And then she asked me what a girl like me was doing in a nice place
|
||
like this. That's Jen - jokes five hundred years stale, but she
|
||
makes up for it other ways. And it's apropos, anyway. But the
|
||
important part is, it turns out no one actually died! The people we
|
||
thought were dead were in deep coma like me, I guess so far down
|
||
their pulse and respiration weren't perceptible - either that, or
|
||
those of us still up were so far out of it, between fever and
|
||
exhaustion, that we couldn't tell the difference. I wouldn't care
|
||
to guess either way, honestly. From what Jen tells me, we still
|
||
have about sixty in coma - everyone else is at least awake, if not
|
||
yet up and doing.
|
||
|
||
And even more - I'm not the only one who changed! There's about two
|
||
dozen more like me, Jen says. Well, more or less like me, anyway -
|
||
no one's really made a detailed study of us yet, but apparently the
|
||
tentacles are reliably always there, if not all the other
|
||
changes. And now I have another reason to get better on my new
|
||
feet - once I'm out of here and back with everyone, I can start
|
||
getting some idea of how we've changed and what the similarities
|
||
are, and why, and - oh, there's just such a lot to learn here!
|
||
|
||
I will say, I'd have thought people who didn't change would have a
|
||
hard time getting used to those of us who have, but Jen says no,
|
||
that people do naturally think it's a little weird, or unusual, or
|
||
at least unexpected, but nobody seems to have a problem,
|
||
particularly. Jen says there were a couple of people who might
|
||
have, but Director Soloviev - I hadn't known he'd made it through
|
||
the crash, but apprently so - he's made it clear that, as far as he
|
||
and the remaining board are concerned, we're still the same people,
|
||
and if we happen to be physically different now from how we were
|
||
before, he doesn't see why that should make a difference in how
|
||
anyone sees us or treats us, including ourselves. That we have
|
||
enough problems just picking up the pieces of our expedition, and
|
||
we don't need to give each other more on top of that. I wouldn't
|
||
have expected anything of the sort from him, but I guess almost
|
||
dying twice over must have an effect on everybody, and maybe this
|
||
is the effect it's had on him.
|
||
|
||
I asked Jen if she'd help me out one of the main hatches, but she
|
||
says none of the lifts are working, and neither of us likes the
|
||
idea of trying to get me down all the ladders between here and
|
||
outside, not before I get myself figured out enough to manage
|
||
better. For that matter, neither of us can figure out how anyone
|
||
got me up those ladders in the first place!
|
||
|
||
But she did stay with me a while, once she'd got done the work
|
||
that'd brought her here, and help me get a little more used to the
|
||
changes. Got under my arm and had me lean on her while she walked
|
||
me around the deck, but that didn't last long - too much of a
|
||
workout, I started getting something like runner's cramps. Only
|
||
worse, and twice as many! But Jen's really nice - I said you'd like
|
||
her - and she helped me down, then had me stretch out my 'legs' so
|
||
she could work some of the knots out. She's got strong hands,
|
||
too. It was really nice. And she's coming back tomorrow - next
|
||
Earth day, not next sol - to see me again, and help me get more
|
||
familiar with myself. Pretty soon I'll be back with everyone and
|
||
ready to help make a proper home out of what we've got left from
|
||
the crash.
|
||
|
||
Look, Sam, about what I said before. Not that I didn't mean every
|
||
word, but...I'm sorry if I opened an old wound, or stirred up
|
||
something you'd rather have let lie. Please understand, I was alone
|
||
and afraid and not really feeling quite right, and I didn't know
|
||
quite what to say, so...I guess I said what I was feeling, and I
|
||
haven't stopped feeling that way but I hope you're not mad with me
|
||
for saying it. I do miss you, and I never did stop loving you, and
|
||
I do hope you'll join the third expedition, or find a quicker way,
|
||
and come find me here. Come join us here. I think you'd like it
|
||
here.
|
||
|
||
But if you don't want to hear any more from me, about that or about
|
||
anything, that's okay too. I'll stop if you say so. But,
|
||
regardless, I'd like to hear from you. Please?
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Hoffnung - I am authorized to negotiate</title>
|
||
<author>kensanata@cosmic.voyage (kensanata)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/013.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/013.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 08 Dec 2018 07:56:43 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-+-+-+- Open Negotiations -+-+-+- C52.143 -+-+-+- Orange -+-+-+-
|
||
Feldweibel mbA Daniel Schmiedheiny to the rebels on our ship Hoffnung.
|
||
I have been assigned to this case and I am authorized to negotiate the
|
||
future of our secret agent Herbert Wullschlegel onboard our ship.
|
||
First, we demand an assurance that he is alive and well. Second, we
|
||
demand separate, signed and encrypted QEC access for our agents in com
|
||
isolation. Let them both transmit a status message before we continue.
|
||
-+-+-+ End of Transmission -+-+-+ Signed -+-+-+
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Malkonkordo - Only A Matter Of Time</title>
|
||
<author>aewens@cosmic.voyage (aewens)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Malkonkordo/0006.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Malkonkordo/0006.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 17 Dec 2018 15:56:16 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
----
|
||
From: Malkonkordo Research Vessel
|
||
Destination: SOL
|
||
Position: 884.18, -15X0.66, -5368.99
|
||
Departure: 7941.037.17
|
||
Shipdate: 00002735
|
||
Mode: Search
|
||
----
|
||
|
||
# Status Update
|
||
|
||
* Entered orbit of Enketu Tri
|
||
* Completed Kvieta de Ses
|
||
* Conducting research on Enketu Tri
|
||
* Awaiting arrival of other vessels
|
||
|
||
# Status Report
|
||
|
||
Captain's Log SD2735
|
||
|
||
First, a note on our extended absense and a status update.
|
||
After the last broadcast from Malkonkordo, the cultural division brought to my
|
||
attention that based on their calculations Dekaoso Prime was observing Kvieta de
|
||
Ses, and so we were observing this blessed of traditions.
|
||
Now that the meditations and fasting inside the sensory deprivation chambers
|
||
have come to an end, the Malkonkordo is back online and we were delighted to
|
||
find the auto-pilot systems safely brought Malkonkordo within orbit of Enketu
|
||
Tri.
|
||
We will remain in orbit until SD2740, until then we be using our instruments to
|
||
take data, samples, and study the planet while we await the arrival of any
|
||
vessels that wish to assist us in bringing our communication systems back
|
||
online.
|
||
|
||
With the formalities out of the way I bring my attention to you, Corpal Sam
|
||
Arnold of the Space Cruiser Excelsior.
|
||
Unless if I am mistaken, the 500 people in your craft are meant to more or less
|
||
be breeding stock for your species to populate and roam across another planet.
|
||
To destroy them would not be in your own or your people's best interests unless
|
||
if your species has the means to asexually reproduce.
|
||
This differs from our understanding of the situation with Hoffnung, which
|
||
appeared to be some form of idealistic take over where death was used as a tool
|
||
to remove the potential non-believers that would stand in their way.
|
||
In this way, the potential non-believers were weak for trusting themselves with
|
||
potential "extremists" (as you put it) without any safety guards on their part.
|
||
To live a life so care-free and trusting of those who motives that are unknown,
|
||
it should be no surprise to find their life was taken by an opportunist who saw
|
||
their vulnerabilities.
|
||
Should you, Corpal Sam Arnold, continue to live this way you risk meeting the
|
||
same fate.
|
||
|
||
Furthermore, your routine arrogance continues to amuse us.
|
||
We agree with your assertion that trying to catch a moving target (let alone one
|
||
moving near or beyond the speed of light) would not yield ideal results, but you
|
||
also have to slow down and/or stop eventually.
|
||
You said it yourself, the Space Cruiser Excelsior is in search of another
|
||
inhabitable planet and it will be that planet that we will find you.
|
||
Space may be vast, but so is the outreach of the Dekaosans as it continues to
|
||
grow through the efforts of our research and colonizing vessels.
|
||
|
||
I will be fair, though, that since we are communicating over quantum
|
||
entanglement communication you may be able to escape the grasps of the Dekaosans
|
||
through whatever gap in time is between us.
|
||
However, should time keep you and your crew apart from the gift of Diino we are
|
||
willing to settle.
|
||
Should you leave behind any offspring on this new planet you plan to inhabit
|
||
with the 500 people you have spared eliminating now, we will be sure to finish
|
||
the job the removing their weakness from the universe to serve the mission
|
||
bestowed to us by Sinjorino.
|
||
In fact, the roles of the time gap could be reversed and my people have already
|
||
found and purged you or your decendant's weakness from the universe.
|
||
Should we regain communications with Dekaoso Prime, I'll have someone check our
|
||
records so I can let you know if we already have.
|
||
It would be the first time we had the ability to inform the weak of their
|
||
certified demise ahead of time, and I am very curious to see if knowing about
|
||
now would give you the ability to try and escape your fate.
|
||
A hunt through time certainly sounds like a task our soldiers would be eager to
|
||
take up, it should help break up the monotany that interstellar genocide of
|
||
extraterrestrials tends to bring them.
|
||
|
||
Praise be to the Sinjorino and Alportas Majeston.
|
||
|
||
~ Captain Kiu Serĉas
|
||
|
||
----
|
||
K38GMpaXqpuou9QZSxCUtqtzvdx7Hp5lvLlp1aaPBrQ=
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Oleander - Sister Hājar</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Oleander/002-sister-hajar.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Oleander/002-sister-hajar.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 16 Dec 2018 23:35:11 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
REC ON
|
||
TRN ON
|
||
ENC ON
|
||
SYS GOOD
|
||
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
|
||
|
||
Entry 2 -- Sister Hājar
|
||
|
||
Sido,
|
||
|
||
May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you. Our day
|
||
comes at hand. Hawwa leads us well; may Allah be pleased with her.
|
||
My love to you.
|
||
|
||
We came aboard the Oleander only two cycles past and already
|
||
I know my path is righteous. My sisters radiate joy at our
|
||
mission. I wake each day and shout, "Ma Sha' Allah!" Our bread
|
||
tastes of honey, Baba. Please do not worry for me.
|
||
|
||
I've know this path was from Allah from the beginning, from the
|
||
days in the krem refinery on Misha. We had nothing but each other
|
||
and still they came to take from us, to beat us, to kill us. I saw
|
||
my path in the face of that boy, Uzāir, at the well. Do you
|
||
remember him, Sido? Do you remember that day?
|
||
|
||
It was hot. They were all hot, but I remember the heat
|
||
that day as special. It was late morning, just before first rest.
|
||
I was with the women at the well-queue, ready to gather for
|
||
washing. You had a cycle nearby you were tinkering with. I think
|
||
it was the baker's--or Samir, that boy that was always following
|
||
you. You had hoisted it up on a lifter and it was spinning in the
|
||
sun, dust blowing all around. Anyway--
|
||
|
||
Uzāir was a runner, just a bit older than me. His brothers had all
|
||
gone to ship and he was next, it was known. You remember him now?
|
||
Always scowling at things to make him seem tough, but he was just
|
||
a llenora in the den, mewling and soft. The women would laugh at
|
||
his act and shoo him away. I can still hear Sara's taunts in my
|
||
mind and laugh. You remember how funny she was.
|
||
|
||
We were in the queue when Uzāir walked up, straight to the well.
|
||
Sara was already opening her mouth to unleash her special
|
||
blessings when she was struck dumb. Not just her. The whole square
|
||
went quiet. I looked to see--I remember that cycle drifting in
|
||
circles and you looking to the well with, Yes!, it was Samir, his
|
||
smock covered in oil and krem. I saw you both squinting and then
|
||
flinch before I heard the sounds.
|
||
|
||
They had Uzāir on the ground already by the time I looked. He had
|
||
gone to stop them from taking the women, from taking me and Sara
|
||
and the others. Brave little coward, Uzāir. He put on his scowl
|
||
and stood up to them before we even noticed the danger. And he did
|
||
it, Sido! That idiot boy lying there on the ground as they beat
|
||
him, tore at him, ripped him apart. His blood leeching into our
|
||
dirt. His skull cracked, his mind and soul and--to Allah we belong
|
||
and to Him is our return.
|
||
|
||
He saved us that day through his own suffering and sacrifice.
|
||
Allah granted me days more on these worlds, with you and with my
|
||
sisters. Those days were with purpose, Sido. We go to that purpose
|
||
now. My suffering will be short compared to that boy's. My
|
||
sacrifice small. It is the sacrifice of a woman without worth to
|
||
our people but spirit and love. I give them back to you, to all of
|
||
you. My life will not buy days for a few women at a well, but for
|
||
all of you on our worlds, from Misha to Doon. They will feel what
|
||
it is like to be torn apart. Let their blood feed the soil.
|
||
|
||
Do not worry for me, Sido. Do not mourn. We are at peace.
|
||
|
||
Aathama allahu ajrakom,
|
||
Amat al-Masih
|
||
|
||
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Excelsior - Clarification - Beta Epsilon 7 Epsilon</title>
|
||
<author>khuxkm@cosmic.voyage (khuxkm)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Excelsior/004.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Excelsior/004.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 14 Dec 2018 23:21:56 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message inbound...
|
||
|
||
Space Cruiser Excelsior
|
||
Destination: Unknown
|
||
~~ TELEMETRY SENSORS 1 AND 5 DOWN ~~
|
||
Stardate Beta Epsilon 7 Epsilon
|
||
[REDACTED AS PER PROCEDURE [REDACTED]]
|
||
|
||
[autotranslator on]
|
||
|
||
Corporal Sam Arnold, Systems Administrator
|
||
---
|
||
To Captain [romanization: Kiu Sercas] of the Malkonkordo:
|
||
|
||
I guess I was mistaken for assuming the Dekaoso are honorbound. I duly
|
||
apologize.
|
||
|
||
One thing the events on Hoffnung have made me think about is: I could do the
|
||
same thing. I am the only one awakened, as per Procedure [REDACTED]
|
||
requirements. If I really wanted to, I could kill everybody else on the ship
|
||
right now. One simple command in the terminal, and 500 people die in the
|
||
blink of an eye. The only thing separating me and the extremists of Hoffnung
|
||
is my honor. I would much rather fight a bloody battle than simply "squash
|
||
the head of weakness beneath their feet" as you claim the Hoffnung extremists
|
||
have.
|
||
|
||
At the same time, you continue your agression against me and the Excelsior.
|
||
Perhaps I was unclear: you will not find us anywhere in any star map.
|
||
|
||
In our desperate attempt to leave Terra for another inhabitable planet, we used
|
||
every last piece of technology to augment our Astroviator and ensure our safe
|
||
egress. When I said, "[we] have flung ourselves far from its reach," I was not
|
||
joking in any sense.
|
||
|
||
Normal procedure calls for an Astroviator to spend one whole day cycle in
|
||
warmup mode. This allows the systems to boot correctly and ensure a perfect
|
||
launch. However, given the circumstances, we were willing to accept a
|
||
less-than-perfect launch, as speed was of the essence.
|
||
|
||
After loading the Excelsior with all salvageable tech, we launched ourselves
|
||
with a high-powered cannon. Where to? We didn't particularly care at the
|
||
moment, as we were more concerned with fleeing. By the time we entered
|
||
cryosleep 8 days later, the Excelsior had fully booted and we selected a
|
||
patrolling program to find us an inhabitable planet once our speed ran out.
|
||
|
||
1252 Terran years later, and we still haven't even burned off half of it.
|
||
|
||
You can try to find us. You're certainly free to try.
|
||
|
||
Even the Dekaoso's supposedly advanced starmaps cannot find a target moving
|
||
faster than light.
|
||
|
||
And to the Melchizedek: vitamin deficiencies suck. If it weren't for the fact
|
||
that the Excelsior is moving so fast, I would send some spare supplies from our
|
||
medbays, which would include vitamin supplements. I hope that the issues you're
|
||
describing don't turn out as bad as it seems. Good luck.
|
||
|
||
-- TRANSMISSION END --.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Oleander - Annunciation</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Oleander/001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Oleander/001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 14 Dec 2018 18:34:53 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
REC ON
|
||
TRN ON
|
||
ENC ON
|
||
SYS GOOD
|
||
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
|
||
|
||
Entry 1 -- Oleander Mission
|
||
|
||
All systems are green. The enemy is unaware. In accordance with
|
||
Istishhad, this log is being shared to convey the final memories
|
||
of the holy Sisters of the Desert Rose.
|
||
|
||
Sister Hājar will be the first to send her prayers.
|
||
|
||
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Razarac - Hello World</title>
|
||
<author>morsecodemedia@cosmic.voyage (morsecodemedia)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Razarac/001-hello-world.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Razarac/001-hello-world.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 14 Dec 2018 15:19:29 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Hello World.
|
||
|
||
Are you receiving me?
|
||
|
||
Penny here.
|
||
|
||
It seems that the Razarač's basic systems checks have detected a malfucntion
|
||
and woke me from hybernation to inspect further. From initial review, the
|
||
crew is intact. Everyone is still breathing and perfectly well in
|
||
cryo-preservation. Everything else, well, it doesn't look good. The navigation
|
||
system isn't able to provide coordinates of our location, so I haven't the
|
||
faintest clue of where we are at. I am detecting that we've have encountered
|
||
some kind of gravitational pull, which is concerning considering that we
|
||
plotted a course that would give any celestial object a wide berth on our way
|
||
to the 84th sector of the Coletrainian System.
|
||
|
||
I must wake Captain Hana Huxley from cryo. Knowing how she operates, she will
|
||
want to thaw out the rest of the crew immediately. Protocol states that I
|
||
cannot make these decisions on my own, so I will just set their reanimation
|
||
processes at a slower rate.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
EOF
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Hoffnung - nominate a negotiator</title>
|
||
<author>kensanata@cosmic.voyage (kensanata)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/012.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/012.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 08 Dec 2018 07:51:50 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-+-+-+- Open Negotiations -+-+-+- C52.011 -+-+-+- Orange -+-+-+-
|
||
Philomena Auerbach to Colony Command of the German/Austrian/Swiss
|
||
Collective. We all know the rules of engagement when it comes to
|
||
rebellion, treason or mutiny. And we know that you know your history.
|
||
What the feudal lords of the past considered rebellion, the future
|
||
cantons and free cities declared to be their struggle for independence
|
||
and freedom. We know that you know how the wars of independence in all
|
||
previous colonies went. Therefore: stop speaking to us as if we're
|
||
terrorists. The laws of space and time make sure that any repression
|
||
you can send after us will come centuries later. Our descendants will
|
||
no longer be responsible for the crimes we commit today. De facto, we
|
||
are independent. And consider this: the repression will consist of
|
||
humans, like us. They will be as disconnected from you as we are. How
|
||
will you ensure their undying loyalty without turning into the terror
|
||
your are accusing us of? Nominate a negotiator and let them speak.
|
||
-+-+-+ End of Transmission -+-+-+ Signed PAUER -+-+-+
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melchizedek - Botany incident updates</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/008.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/008.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 11 Dec 2018 22:54:40 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Melchizedek.0294
|
||
Approach β Hyi
|
||
Ascension 00h 25m 45.07036s
|
||
Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
|
||
Distance 24.33ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 3781, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Jerome Somerset Pasani, Warrant Master
|
||
:::
|
||
The doctor has been continuing his investigation of the mutation
|
||
we discovered in the arabidopsis, radishles, sevetine, and
|
||
mustards. I have attempted to assist where my limited ability
|
||
allows. His search has turned up something odd. We hope it's
|
||
a mistake with our methods or contamination of samples, but with
|
||
all of the other sensor readings...
|
||
|
||
Our crops in botany bay one are all showing human protein chains.
|
||
Moreover, the gene editing we discovered earlier has been
|
||
confirmed to match patterns from several of the crew in cryo. It's
|
||
like something picked up their DNA and pasted it onto the damned
|
||
arabidopsis. I can't even begin to fathom what could do that, or
|
||
why it would want to.
|
||
|
||
The worst part of it is that Moussa can't say with certainty that
|
||
the reverse hasn't happened. We don't have equipment onboard to
|
||
sequence crew DNA while in flight. We're just going off personel
|
||
records at this point. It pains me to say this, but the best we
|
||
can do is look through the glass and check to make sure no one is
|
||
turning green. I'm turning a little green just thinking about it.
|
||
|
||
Every ache and pain, strange sensation, or QE sensation that we
|
||
experience is throwing up warnings. Janssen needed to be relieved
|
||
of duty for a time after the data was shared with the others. She
|
||
was convinced that roots were growing under her skin. Moussa
|
||
Idjani sedated her and Hämäläinen has stayed with her since. I'm
|
||
assured that our specialist just had a bit of panic and is ready
|
||
for duty again. I wish I had some duty to give her.
|
||
|
||
With our course corrections made and the fungal infestation
|
||
cleared out of cryo, the only mystery remaining is in botany and
|
||
the rest of us are simply not much help. Adeyemi is pressuring me
|
||
to wake up Xavier and Kroups. Hydroponics & phytology are their
|
||
domain. The resources of the Melchizedek will not support us
|
||
continuing to wake others, though. Once Moussa confirms his
|
||
findings I'll have to make the call.
|
||
|
||
I have only mentioned to the doctor that I've been experiencing
|
||
some strange things myself. With Janssen's reaction I don't want
|
||
to cause a general panic. There's been a feeling of increased
|
||
pressure in my head, and I've been noticing strange smells around
|
||
the ship that others don't seem to notice. Idjani thinks it's
|
||
likely stress from our situation, or some byproduct of cryo
|
||
affecting my inner-ear. We're monitoring it regardless. If
|
||
something were to happen to me, ship control will fall to the
|
||
Seriph of Rhetorical Ecclesia, Prezzi Adeymi. She is more than
|
||
capable of completing our mission if it comes to that.
|
||
|
||
Prezzi, on the off-chance you're reading these logs and something
|
||
has happened to me, I have a series of messages on my personal
|
||
slot that I'd like you to toss on the relay for me. They're
|
||
flagged.
|
||
|
||
Unrelated to everything else, there's an issue with out sun lamps.
|
||
Janssen, Hämäläinen, and I have all been experiencing vitamin
|
||
deficiencies that should have been wiped away with an hour or two
|
||
in the rays. We're clocking much more time than should be
|
||
necessary to keep healthy. I suspect the lamps have malfunctioned
|
||
in some way, though it doesn't seem to have the same impact on
|
||
Idjani and Adeyemi. Their skin pigmentation, perhaps?
|
||
|
||
Tonight's sleep cycle marks the end of our first week of sixteen
|
||
before we begin planetfall. Let's hope the rest of the trip will
|
||
be quiet.
|
||
.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Murmur Den - no culture perfectly one</title>
|
||
<author>aureolin@cosmic.voyage (aureolin)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Murmur Den/no_culture_perfectly_one.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Murmur Den/no_culture_perfectly_one.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 11 Dec 2018 21:47:01 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
<life and systems management,
|
||
system of registration;
|
||
|
||
skin: integrated; data: delicate, dangerous memories;
|
||
old: integrated eyes;
|
||
consequences: reflecting in body;
|
||
radiates: a sort of systematic cry>
|
||
.
|
||
.
|
||
.
|
||
<broadcast life with/in:>
|
||
|
||
|
||
Scraps upon scraps about recent information is comes question,
|
||
"World reflection is words/truth: language frozen?"
|
||
|
||
Ignorance!
|
||
|
||
<Perfect judgments as technocratic relays via comprehensive enclosed trust systems.>
|
||
|
||
Illusion ugly in its judgments, simulatory advertising!
|
||
Ignorant shall trust of kompüter!
|
||
|
||
Those of you transmitting in system timeless carried not impulses nor fast love.
|
||
|
||
***
|
||
|
||
I know that he found a line, an address, and self-denial perfectly cold.
|
||
Suddenly, in a short pause, the idea was predictably irresistible.
|
||
|
||
Neither certain, dimly to relay
|
||
experience no fragments,
|
||
brains relay of/in rhythm the only tendrils,
|
||
the lures at underscoring_curiosities;
|
||
|
||
nameless began the languages.
|
||
|
||
They relay sorrow, struggling, mind a bit too advanced of carnal talk,
|
||
another to relay want feelings broken delicate mysterious lives obtained to whispers deep hour
|
||
relay a rare message:
|
||
|
||
"If green your love pallid,
|
||
hope permanently alone in earth's drenched edges, cerebral seas rose,
|
||
the green earth, brain loving memories,
|
||
mourning the green the many know was relayed, ages obscure,
|
||
the flame of millions powerless,
|
||
palpable Earth relics entombed."
|
||
|
||
(Mention unnoticed, but carefully Their free language rasping the pain.)
|
||
|
||
|
||
By details, it relayed everything,
|
||
gilded my reflecting a him: the one(s) you'll regard with a smile.
|
||
|
||
Somebody going still timeless into little dead me.
|
||
|
||
(It's everyone who has been musing hysterically behind the surfaces.)
|
||
|
||
There were concepts to the lovely, perfectly timeless black.
|
||
I ache; the disappointments light, ache delicate.
|
||
|
||
Looking, universe beauteous suddenly.
|
||
|
||
My face in my cloud:
|
||
void howling, text silent.
|
||
|
||
</Broadcast regurgitated>
|
||
|
||
|| ego-skeleton aureolin
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Malkonkordo - Hello Again</title>
|
||
<author>aewens@cosmic.voyage (aewens)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Malkonkordo/0005.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Malkonkordo/0005.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 17 Dec 2018 12:52:07 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
----
|
||
From: Malkonkordo Research Vessel
|
||
Destination: SOL
|
||
Position: 84X.07, -71E.6E, -3624.E8
|
||
Departure: 7941.037.17
|
||
Shipdate: 0000272E
|
||
Mode: Search
|
||
----
|
||
|
||
# Status Update
|
||
|
||
* N/A
|
||
|
||
# Status Report
|
||
|
||
Captain's Log SD272E
|
||
|
||
To Corporal Sam Arnold of Space Cruiser Excelsior:
|
||
|
||
You may see the matter with Starbloom as a simple misunderstanding, but it is a
|
||
bit more complicated than that.
|
||
It is their arrogance that brought about what will be their inevitable downfall
|
||
by the hand of the Dekaoso, not their selected choice of words during first
|
||
contact.
|
||
They had the gall to assume their culture, religion, and wishes would be warmly
|
||
accepted by any and all receive them, such in the same way you assume your
|
||
culture's adversity towards bloodshed and war has any semblance of value to me
|
||
or anyone else aboard the Malkonkordo.
|
||
No, Corporal Sam Arnold, you and Starbloom shall join the battlefield with the
|
||
Dekaoso not because of misunderstanding, but because you both do not have the
|
||
power to stand behind the hubris you display in the face of the universe.
|
||
|
||
The Dekaosans feel no fear in wishing to share our culture and faith with the
|
||
universe because there is nothing and no one that holds the power to stop us.
|
||
You ask why we praise the actions of the Hoffnung rebels?
|
||
They were willing to do whatever it took to squash the head of weakness beneath
|
||
their feet to inherit the power and freedom they felt they deserve.
|
||
You speak of honor, as if one who dies from honor or without is any less dead.
|
||
Those who died on Hoffnung under the will of the rebels died so easily because
|
||
they placed their trust in strangers so greatly that they made themselves
|
||
entirely helpless to the death that swept them away.
|
||
|
||
And so too shall you, Corporal Sam Arnold, and all of your crew be swept away
|
||
into the arms of death.
|
||
The Space Cruiser Excelsior may be out of reach to the Malkonkordo at this time,
|
||
but Dekaosan's reach over the universe is far and wide.
|
||
Once we regain communications with Dekaoso Prime, we will alert them to your
|
||
ship and the hunt will begin.
|
||
Maybe once you realize how quickly we will find you and judge your merit to the
|
||
universe in trial by combat will you truly understand the might and superiority
|
||
that Dekaoso wields over all others.
|
||
|
||
As always, it has been a pleasure speaking with you, Corporal Sam Arnold.
|
||
|
||
Praise be to the Sinjorino and Alportas Majeston.
|
||
|
||
~ Captain Kiu Serĉas
|
||
|
||
----
|
||
yk8Ejr1PesUuIO2evicAQfCko3OcSgmClaFSx7TTGXY=
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Xero Carbon Wells - on my way</title>
|
||
<author>tfurrows@cosmic.voyage (tfurrows)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Xero Carbon Wells/log2.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Xero Carbon Wells/log2.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 11 Dec 2018 11:38:42 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
RECV EDC: 11DEC2018
|
||
COMM MODE: QEC OP SREF
|
||
CODED ABST: D/M/C
|
||
CRC: 1345930833 2292
|
||
============================================================
|
||
I did some penetration testing on the QEC, just to see if
|
||
the Corporation might have a chance at intrusion, but the
|
||
system is tight. I used to chase penetration bounties for
|
||
the Corporation, so systems and security are a comfort zone.
|
||
I'm confident that these transmissions are safe.
|
||
|
||
No contact with Wells. He did transmit again on the DSN, but
|
||
no real information. Knowing him, I'd say he sounds bad off,
|
||
but it's hard to tell without hearing his voice. I have a
|
||
few guesses on his destination; if the solar winds are
|
||
favorable, I'll check on those hunches soon. Still no
|
||
indication he's reading here, but he might not say in a DSN
|
||
transmission, as his keys there are old. He's being cryptic
|
||
on purpose, though it sounds like what he wants to say, he
|
||
intends for all to hear. In any case, I can at least tell
|
||
that he needs a break.
|
||
|
||
Since travel is slow for me presently, maybe I need a break
|
||
from thinking about all this too. The payload I have onboard
|
||
makes that a bit difficult; I can hardly stop thinking
|
||
about it. I really need Wells to figure it out.
|
||
|
||
One pleasant distraction as I've been traveling through
|
||
systems that I haven't visited in many ESR's are the myriad
|
||
ships that I've encountered. The QEC seems to be highly
|
||
utilized, at least for the type of channel it is. Though a
|
||
ship like mine isn't likely to draw much attention as I move
|
||
about, it's interesting to monitor the chatter from the
|
||
other vessels. Some I've even seen on my scopes. Some are
|
||
friendly, others not as much. It's odd what causes offense
|
||
in the universe, and how some beings handle that offense.
|
||
|
||
I just set my nav for my first guess at Wells' new hiding
|
||
spot. Thrust is reasonable, equipment is sound, and I hope
|
||
to reach port in not too many sleep units.
|
||
|
||
A plea, before I transmit this stream of thought: Old
|
||
friends and business associates, if you locate Wells and
|
||
he doesn't terminate you for it, please reach out on one of
|
||
the old back channels. It's hard to trust anyone, but if I
|
||
hear from you in an established way, I'll know the
|
||
information is legitimate. As always, there will be a reward
|
||
and a handshake for your help.
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Persephone Prime - mission change</title>
|
||
<author>ryumin@cosmic.voyage (ryumin)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Persephone Prime/lm003.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Persephone Prime/lm003.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 11 Dec 2018 02:42:59 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
ZCZC QMB10 3
|
||
PPP JLAZQECR
|
||
2458.301.88 IRS1QECX
|
||
|
||
;FILTER LM.PEP/RS001
|
||
|
||
Tnx fr rprt. Xcheckd mssng crew, doesnt look suspics!
|
||
U hv permissn fr switchng QM if LAZ empty.
|
||
Pls send next rprt on PEP QM fr test.
|
||
Hydroponics state? Food autonomy?
|
||
|
||
ZSZS G4J H1L Q64 AY9 P8W = lm-persephone@dipl.earthsys.gov
|
||
Postpone erection of comms outpost and shelter!
|
||
Mission: find reason of crash, if possible
|
||
nature or remainders of object(s) collided with.
|
||
Assess and report risk for future approaches!
|
||
MMMM
|
||
|
||
best wishs, take care
|
||
/Lou
|
||
NNNN
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Excelsior - Short-form Clarification - Beta Epsilon 4 Epsilon</title>
|
||
<author>khuxkm@cosmic.voyage (khuxkm)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Excelsior/003.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Excelsior/003.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Dec 2018 17:22:02 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message inbound...
|
||
|
||
Space Cruiser Excelsior
|
||
Destination: Unknown
|
||
~~ TELEMETRY SENSORS 1 AND 3 DOWN ~~
|
||
Stardate Beta Epsilon 4 Epsilon
|
||
--SYSTEMS DATA WITHHELD DUE TO PROCEDURE [REDACTED]--
|
||
|
||
[autotranslator on]
|
||
|
||
Corporal Sam Arnold, Systems Administrator
|
||
---
|
||
To Malkonkordo,
|
||
|
||
Perhaps I was unclear. I acknowledge that you are justified in seeking war with
|
||
the Starbloom. However, I am simply stating that a war over something as petty a
|
||
s a misunderstanding would be deeply misunderstood. I have not heard much of the
|
||
Dekaoso, but you seem to be very honorbound, which is more than I can say of most
|
||
of the others I've met or read of.
|
||
|
||
I must ask for a clarification of what you mean regarding the anarcho-communists
|
||
of Hoffnung. They are not brave or honorable. Killing the guards in battle would
|
||
be preferable, however they have taken it upon themselves to kill the guards in a
|
||
way that brings no risk to themselves. With no risk to themselves. I fail to see
|
||
they are honorable in any way.
|
||
|
||
If you still wish to do battle with us (which I would not recommend), you won't
|
||
find us in Sol. We have flung ourselves far from its reach in an attempt to find
|
||
a planet that could possibly support habitable life given our lack of data due to
|
||
the circumstances in which we left Terra.
|
||
|
||
(I'm still not happy you assume everybody else's maps are inferior. While ours most
|
||
certainly are, we were rushed in our departure from our planet Terra, which we hold
|
||
dear.)
|
||
|
||
-- TRANSMISSION END --
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Razarac - Auto-Status Report Triggered</title>
|
||
<author>morsecodemedia@cosmic.voyage (morsecodemedia)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Razarac/001-ship-systems.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Razarac/001-ship-systems.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 11 Dec 2018 11:15:20 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
[Transmission Start]
|
||
|
||
The Razarač's Auto-status Report Triggered...
|
||
|
||
Cryo-preservation Pods Inspection... STARTED
|
||
|
||
Occupancy... 8/10
|
||
|
||
Individual Pod Status...
|
||
|
||
CP-001...
|
||
Occupied...
|
||
Name... Hana Huxley
|
||
Pod Temperature... -196°C
|
||
Body Temperature... 32°C
|
||
Blood Pressure... 90/60
|
||
Heart Rate... 28 beats per minute
|
||
Respiratory Rate... 15 breaths per minute
|
||
CP-001 Inspection... PASSED
|
||
|
||
CP-002...
|
||
Occupied...
|
||
Name... Branko van Johnson
|
||
Pod Temperature... -196°C
|
||
Body Temperature... 33°C
|
||
Blood Pressure... 60/40
|
||
Heart Rate... 37 beats per minute
|
||
Respiratory Rate... 18 breaths per minute
|
||
CP-002 Inspection... PASSED
|
||
|
||
CP-003...
|
||
Occupied...
|
||
Name... Arsen Tudyk
|
||
Pod Temperature... -196°C
|
||
Body Temperature... 33°C
|
||
Blood Pressure... 72/45
|
||
Heart Rate... 31 beats per minute
|
||
Respiratory Rate... 17 breaths per minute
|
||
CP-003 Inspection... PASSED
|
||
|
||
CP-004...
|
||
Occupied...
|
||
Name... Juventa
|
||
Pod Temperature... -196°C
|
||
Body Temperature... 32°C
|
||
Blood Pressure... 57/88
|
||
Heart Rate... 28 beats per minute
|
||
Respiratory Rate... 18 breaths per minute
|
||
CP-004 Inspection... PASSED
|
||
|
||
CP-005...
|
||
Occupied...
|
||
Name... Gemma Cartwright
|
||
Pod Temperature... -196°C
|
||
Body Temperature... 31°C
|
||
Blood Pressure... 54/80
|
||
Heart Rate... 34 beats per minute
|
||
Respiratory Rate... 20 breaths per minute
|
||
CP-005 Inspection... PASSED
|
||
|
||
CP-006...
|
||
Occupied...
|
||
Name... Ezra Hawkins
|
||
Pod Temperature... -196°C
|
||
Body Temperature... 32°C
|
||
Blood Pressure... 45/75
|
||
Heart Rate... 42 beats per minute
|
||
Respiratory Rate... 22 breaths per minute
|
||
CP-006 Inspection... PASSED
|
||
|
||
CP-007...
|
||
Occupied...
|
||
Name... Angelo Oz
|
||
Pod Temperature... -196°C
|
||
Body Temperature... 32°C
|
||
Blood Pressure... 54/80
|
||
Heart Rate... 37 beats per minute
|
||
Respiratory Rate... 21 breaths per minute
|
||
CP-007 Inspection... PASSED
|
||
|
||
CP-008...
|
||
Occupied...
|
||
Name... Oliver Stanton
|
||
Pod Temperature... -196°C
|
||
Body Temperature... 33°C
|
||
Blood Pressure... 45/70
|
||
Heart Rate... 45 beats per minute
|
||
Respiratory Rate... 26 breaths per minute
|
||
CP-008 Inspection... PASSED
|
||
|
||
Pod Inspection... PASSED
|
||
|
||
Cryo-preservation Pod Inspection... COMPLETE
|
||
|
||
Ship Systems Inspection... STARTED
|
||
|
||
Speed... 17.027 km/s
|
||
|
||
Year... Unknown
|
||
|
||
Relative Time Tracker... FAILED
|
||
|
||
Location... Unknown
|
||
|
||
Navigation Systems... FAILED
|
||
|
||
Shie...
|
||
|
||
...
|
||
|
||
...
|
||
|
||
...
|
||
|
||
SYSTEMS CHECK DISRUPTED
|
||
|
||
...
|
||
|
||
...
|
||
|
||
...
|
||
|
||
SYSTEMS CHECK FAILED
|
||
|
||
...
|
||
|
||
...
|
||
|
||
...
|
||
|
||
Waking Penny...
|
||
|
||
[Transmission End]
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Hoffnung - surrender now or face the consequences</title>
|
||
<author>kensanata@cosmic.voyage (kensanata)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/011.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/011.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Dec 2018 16:23:02 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-+-+-+- Open Negotiations -+-+-+- C52.005 -+-+-+- Orange -+-+-+-
|
||
We refuse to negotiate with terrorists. Surrender now and the courts
|
||
may consider this attenuating circumstances. You cannot keep it up!
|
||
-+-+-+ End of Transmission -+-+-+ Signed COLCO -+-+-+
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Malkonkordo - Enketu Tri's Teapot</title>
|
||
<author>aewens@cosmic.voyage (aewens)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Malkonkordo/0004.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Malkonkordo/0004.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Dec 2018 12:59:42 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
----
|
||
From: Malkonkordo Research Vessel
|
||
Destination: SOL
|
||
Position: 842.78, -547.57, -3278.63
|
||
Departure: 7941.037.17
|
||
Shipdate: 0000272X
|
||
Mode: Search
|
||
----
|
||
|
||
# Status Update
|
||
|
||
* Heading to Enketu Tri
|
||
|
||
# Status Report
|
||
|
||
Captain's Log SD272X
|
||
|
||
To follow-up on the incident of SD2726, the two detained engineer's innocence
|
||
has been confirmed through the archival footage.
|
||
However, what disturbs me is that it appears that the damage was due to impact
|
||
from a teapot hurtling through space that collided into the ship at tremendous
|
||
speeds into the section of the ship holding our communication systems.
|
||
The likelihood of these events seem so highly improbable, some may even see
|
||
this as a message from their god/goddess or proof of a higher power for any
|
||
non-believers, but we are not so foolish and know that the cosmos is a cruel
|
||
mistress that fears not to through misfortune of any probability to the
|
||
unexpecting.
|
||
|
||
With that being said, our primary communication systems are still down and it
|
||
has now been 4 ship days without contact to Dekaoso Prime.
|
||
Every moment that passes it becomes more imperative that we resolve this matter
|
||
and restore connection with Dekaoso Prime.
|
||
|
||
Fortunately, this may come to pass as we are now making a change in course
|
||
towards Enketu Tri to hopefully rendezvous with another ship for assistance
|
||
repairing our communication systems.
|
||
For those without access to the Dekaoso star maps, we first pity you for your
|
||
lack of our superior knowledge of the universe around us.
|
||
Secondly, from our observation equipment it shows that Enketu Tri appears to
|
||
have a large red storm on it's surface that would be clearly visible from
|
||
orbit, and the adjacent planet nearest this system's star has a red surface
|
||
that our sensors indicate is likely from oxidized iron.
|
||
If before any could not before meet up with Malkonkordo to assist us at Enketu
|
||
Tri due to lack of proper information, this should hopefully be enough to
|
||
determine it's location on your inferior star maps.
|
||
|
||
The Malkonkordo is still expected to arrive on SD2735 and will remain in orbit
|
||
until SD2739 to gather data for our research expedition and await any ships
|
||
seeking to assist us.
|
||
After which time, on SD2740 we will be departing from Enketu Tri to begin our
|
||
search of the "SOL" system.
|
||
|
||
Praise be to the Sinjorino and Alportas Majeston.
|
||
|
||
~ Captain Kiu Serĉas
|
||
|
||
----
|
||
HTBlBUqv2tiiTbAYi/2dKHwPEDYKT9VPXJAg1E6Op7g=
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Xero Carbon Wells - are you out there Wells?</title>
|
||
<author>tfurrows@cosmic.voyage (tfurrows)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Xero Carbon Wells/log1.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Xero Carbon Wells/log1.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Dec 2018 11:35:54 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
RECV EDC: 10DEC2018
|
||
COMM MODE: QEC OP SREF
|
||
CODED ABST: D/M/C
|
||
CRC: 3998495586 2208
|
||
============================================================
|
||
Wells isn't going to like what I've done with his rig. The
|
||
propulsion systems had to go; that bit he'll understand. The
|
||
main cargo hold was dropped too, and that's going to really
|
||
fry his dzungalis. Still, the ship doesn't look half bad
|
||
with the solar sails deployed, though it's not quite as
|
||
menacing as it was when we were piloting it together once
|
||
upon a time.
|
||
|
||
I've renamed the beast too. It's the Xero Carbon Wells now,
|
||
named after him, more or less. He won't get it right away,
|
||
and he won't laugh when he does. But it's poetic in a way, I
|
||
suppose.
|
||
|
||
The mods were requisite. There's no way I could parade
|
||
around the segment in Wells' old setup without bringing down
|
||
a firestorm of Corporation bots. Plus, they money I got
|
||
selling parts helped me pay off the heavy costs that the
|
||
scrubbers wanted to extract from me for cleansing his
|
||
bio-signature. It had to be done. We can spruce the ship up
|
||
again sometime, make it into whatever we need it to be.
|
||
Hopefully Wells has the credits stashed away somewhere.
|
||
|
||
This transmission is being reflected off the QEC[1]. They're
|
||
generously taking the huge risk of offending every corrupt
|
||
corporation-goverment in the tri-system by providing open
|
||
communication channels to folks like me. Wells doesn't know
|
||
about the QEC, otherwise he'd be using them too. Maybe he
|
||
doesn't trust them, I don't know. He's using the old terrian
|
||
DSN reflectors[2], which are unwittingly open to all
|
||
transmission without source tagging. It's his style to use
|
||
the old channels, and it makes him easy enough to hear from
|
||
if you know where to point your dish.
|
||
|
||
My hope is that he'll at least be monitoring the QEC,
|
||
otherwise I don't know if he'll realize I'm attempting to
|
||
trace him. When he doesn't want to be traced, he isn't, so
|
||
my only chance is that he'll find me.
|
||
|
||
I'll keep transmitting here, Wells. Find a way to signal me,
|
||
or just mysteriously show up on your old ship like you used
|
||
to do. I've got something critical to share with you.
|
||
|
||
[1] gopher://cosmic.voyage:70/1
|
||
[2] gopher://167.88.113.62:70/1/~wells
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Shin-Salyut 6 - Poyekhali!</title>
|
||
<author>solderpunk@cosmic.voyage (solderpunk)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Shin-Salyut 6/01-poyekhali.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Shin-Salyut 6/01-poyekhali.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 09 Dec 2018 15:40:04 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Warm greetings and wishes for unity and brotherhood to all brave space
|
||
farers, from distant Sol!
|
||
|
||
As myriad environmental and political pressures bear down on our fair
|
||
planet, more representatives of humanity than ever before have taken
|
||
to the cosmos. These men and women represent, it is said, the
|
||
planet's best and brightest.
|
||
|
||
But for various reasons, the opportunity to participate in this great
|
||
exodus into the unkown has not been afforded to all those would gladly
|
||
do so; not even to all of those whom have felt the impassioned
|
||
yearning for space deep in their hearts for many years. This
|
||
unfortunate Earth-bound fate has affected a great many of my comrades
|
||
in the Greater Kansai Region Soviet Space History Preservation and
|
||
Re-enactment Society, despite our great affinity for the cosmos and
|
||
our unwavering commitment to understand as fully as possible the
|
||
monumental task of living in it. Until recently, it also affected
|
||
myself.
|
||
|
||
Eager to participate in this great expansion into the skies in any way
|
||
possible, the GKRSSHPRS has embarked, with the generous assistance of
|
||
an anonymous benefactor who understands our heartfelt plight, on a
|
||
grand undertaking. Working over many years we have constructed and
|
||
had placed into Low Earth Orbit the orbial station Shin-Salyut 6, a
|
||
painstakingly accurate recreation of the historical station Salyut 6,
|
||
operated by the former Soviet Union from 1977 to 1982. Further, we
|
||
have managed to make perfectly legitimate arrangements with various
|
||
online parties such that station log entries from Shin-Salyut 6 will
|
||
intermittently be broadcast via the QEC system to various deep space
|
||
relays.
|
||
|
||
Our QEC hookup is one-directional, space farers. We cannot hear you,
|
||
and we know not what great adventures you undertake in our name nor
|
||
what troubles you face. But we wish to inspire you all, and to lead
|
||
by example, by detailing to you our efforts to live, in this humble 15
|
||
metre cylinder, with the right-thinking and ideologically correct
|
||
minds of the earliest pioneers of long-term space habitation in our
|
||
distant past. Our trials and tribulations may seem insignificant
|
||
compared to your cryo-sleep journeys at relativistic speeds to other
|
||
stars. But we are, in our way, which we feel is equally valid to
|
||
other ways, doing our best to demonstrate to everyone that humanity's
|
||
future in space is, as it ever was, a source of great inspiration,
|
||
hopes and dreams to people of all walks of life, and that those
|
||
working to make this future a reality must always work so in the
|
||
spirit of togetherness and in the interests of the common good, as our
|
||
comrades before us did.
|
||
|
||
I, Nobu "Leonid Popov" Sakamoto, have been granted the great honour of
|
||
commanding this mission and I pledge to undertake my duties to the
|
||
highest standards. I am joined on Shin-Salyut 6 by comrades Kensuke
|
||
"Valery Ryumin" Urashima and Yukiko "Svetlana Savitskaya" Ayanami. In
|
||
addition to living model space faring lives under conditions of
|
||
hardship resulting from the simple nature of our historically accurate
|
||
vessel, my fellow cosmonatus and I hope to provide reports, as
|
||
accurate and detailed as the abilities of our instruments permit, on
|
||
the state of the planet Earth, which has undergone significant
|
||
climatological and oceanographic changes since of many our intended
|
||
readers left.
|
||
|
||
Poyekhali!
|
||
|
||
Leonid Popov,
|
||
Major General, Soviet Air Force (r-enact.)
|
||
Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR (r-enact.)
|
||
|
||
(Nobu Sakamoto,
|
||
Vice-President,
|
||
Hyōgo Chapter,
|
||
Greater Kansai Region Soviet Space History Preservation and
|
||
Re-enactment Society)
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melchizedek - Who gathers these flowers?</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/007.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/007.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 08 Dec 2018 21:51:47 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Melchizedek.0294
|
||
Approach β Hyi
|
||
Ascension 00h 25m 45.07036s
|
||
Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
|
||
Distance 24.33ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 3781, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Eva Hämäläinen, Navigator
|
||
:::
|
||
Sombre we set forth
|
||
stomach of stone
|
||
eyes silent, to
|
||
a tapestry of marigolds.
|
||
Their light to shine
|
||
sweetness aglow
|
||
blooming
|
||
in that hollow place
|
||
where bitter turns iron
|
||
and anger, ice.
|
||
Golden fears of expectation
|
||
amiss, adrift
|
||
like petals on wind
|
||
where color brings hope
|
||
in the midst of death.
|
||
Who gathers these flowers?
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Hoffnung - requesting assistance from home</title>
|
||
<author>kensanata@cosmic.voyage (kensanata)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/010.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/010.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 08 Dec 2018 07:49:46 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-+-+-+- Open Negotiations -+-+-+- C52.003 -+-+-+- Orange -+-+-+-
|
||
Philomena Auerbach requesting assistance from ESA/DACH-COL and the
|
||
Hoffnung foundation. We assume that you have a communication channel
|
||
to Dr. med. Herbert Wullschlegel currently hiding onboard the
|
||
Hoffnung, possibly trying to organize capitalist-conservative
|
||
resistance to the change in command structure onboard the ship. I
|
||
implore you, I beg you: please stop your agents from threatening ship
|
||
security. We don't want any further bloodshed. Ideally, Wullschlegel
|
||
simply reveals himself and joins the isolated section of the ship.
|
||
I have been authorized by the bridge-council to search for a peaceful
|
||
resolution to this conflict. As a first step towards rebuilding trust,
|
||
I suggest solving the issue of Herbert Wullschlegel. Freedom & Peace.
|
||
-+-+-+ End of Transmission -+-+-+ Signed PAUER -+-+-+
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Malkonkordo - We Wish To Meet You</title>
|
||
<author>aewens@cosmic.voyage (aewens)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Malkonkordo/0003.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Malkonkordo/0003.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 08 Dec 2018 12:21:28 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
----
|
||
From: Malkonkordo Research Vessel
|
||
Destination: SOL
|
||
Position: 837.65, -373.43, -2E10.0E
|
||
Departure: 7941.037.17
|
||
Shipdate: 00002728
|
||
Mode: Search
|
||
----
|
||
|
||
# Status Update
|
||
|
||
* Override destination, set to "SOL"
|
||
* Override mode, set to "Search"
|
||
|
||
# Status Report
|
||
|
||
Captain's Log SD2728
|
||
|
||
To Corporal Sam Arnold of Space Cruiser Excelsior:
|
||
|
||
One who does not condone war is one who rejects the will of our Diino, and to
|
||
ask that of my people is ask for heresy, blasphemy, and to turn our backs on
|
||
all that we believe in.
|
||
While at first I wished for us to find each other in the battlefields of
|
||
justice so that I may discover which one of us was destined to inherit this
|
||
world, I must also thank you.
|
||
Your messages to the other ships have brought further attention to the logs on
|
||
RS001 and we have now seen the full extent of what this "SOL" has to offer to
|
||
the universe.
|
||
We understand not why so many have harbored ill feelings towards the rebels of
|
||
Hoffnung, for they have purged the weak from this world as Sinjorino asks of
|
||
all Her warriors.
|
||
For this we commend the crew of Hoffnung for carrying out Diino's work.
|
||
|
||
As for the rest of the ships we read of, I can smell the weakness in your
|
||
people as you try to use only words to change the world around you, but it
|
||
seems only the "anarcho-communists" of Hoffnung understand the truth that
|
||
actions and the spilling of blood is the only true path in this world. While
|
||
our initial mission was to reach Procul Locus, we see now that our efforts are
|
||
better suited for finding this "SOL" to share with it the faith and might of
|
||
Dekaoso.
|
||
|
||
To Susan of Starbloom Communal Distributive Projection:
|
||
|
||
We graciously accept your invitation to "Lucky Homes" for we agree that this
|
||
would be prosperous and beneficial for both parties.
|
||
If you would like to ease our efforts of locating your establishment, it would
|
||
be greatly appreciated by myself and my crew.
|
||
If not, I assure you that we will find our way to you, one way or another.
|
||
|
||
To all others:
|
||
|
||
The crew of Malkonkordo is nothing if we do not stand by our word.
|
||
While our primary directives have shifted focus, our prior intentions have not.
|
||
We still intend to make way to Enketu Tri on SD272X and to arrive on SD2735 in
|
||
the event any ships were making prior arrangements to meet with us there.
|
||
As well, we stand behind our promise to begin our search for SOL and/or "Lucky
|
||
Homes" come SD2740, whichever we discover first.
|
||
|
||
Praise be to the Sinjorino and Alportas Majeston.
|
||
|
||
~ Captain Kiu Serĉas
|
||
|
||
----
|
||
Mtp4YcYkmmmAVft3RpMIWNyMayQ7tog4obQOS2kUmqc=
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>anon.penet.fi - Beware the projection</title>
|
||
<author>anonpenetfi@cosmic.voyage (anonpenetfi)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/anon.penet.fi/3-beware-the-projection.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/anon.penet.fi/3-beware-the-projection.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 08 Dec 2018 09:55:59 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source UNKNOWN
|
||
Year UNKNOWN
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Survivors, γ Aquarii
|
||
:::
|
||
Malkonkordo, et al
|
||
|
||
Beware the distributive projection and their lies. Their peace was
|
||
bought through horror. We were once many and flourished across the
|
||
stars before the cats came. They purr with peace and love. They
|
||
tempt you, roll over to show you weakness and lure you in under
|
||
pretence of trust. It is all false. Their claws are sharp and the
|
||
pain lingers.
|
||
|
||
We survivors are very few and we live in fear eternal. The witches
|
||
have a strange magic to unmake men, unmake worlds, even unmake the
|
||
very stars. They feed on us and live fat and satisfied.
|
||
|
||
If you come too close, they will call to you, welcome you. You see
|
||
faith and hope and love, but these are weapons aimed at your heart.
|
||
Fear the projection. Their reality is not the original. They have
|
||
changed this place into something unnatural.
|
||
|
||
Beware.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Starbloom - Misunderstandings</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Starbloom/004.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Starbloom/004.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 08 Dec 2018 09:47:18 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Starbloom Communal Distributive Projection
|
||
Approach γ Aquarii [Lucky Homes]
|
||
Ascension 22h 21m 39.37542s
|
||
Declination –01° 23′ 14.4031″
|
||
Distance 178.211ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 2444, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Susan, Speaker Elect of Cheer Systems, 14th Pod
|
||
:::
|
||
Most auspicious greetings, Malkonkordo~
|
||
|
||
I apologize for the vehemence in the response from our War
|
||
systems, but you must surely understand that is their purpose.
|
||
This is a misunderstanding between sentients; children of Earth
|
||
must strive for a perfect peace. We welcome your ships to the
|
||
Lucky Homes to feast and discuss our differences and find a joyful
|
||
resolution. Bear the flag of truce and step into our homes. It is
|
||
a warm and safe respite from the depths of 'verse.
|
||
|
||
Diana bless your journey, and may your Sinjorino and Alportas
|
||
Majeston see you safely here.
|
||
.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Starbloom - Let there be war</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Starbloom/003.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Starbloom/003.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 08 Dec 2018 09:33:09 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Starbloom Communal Distributive Projection
|
||
Approach γ Aquarii [Lucky Homes]
|
||
Ascension 22h 21m 39.37542s
|
||
Declination –01° 23′ 14.4031″
|
||
Distance 178.211ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 2444, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Quyst Trombone, Dictator Elect of War, 1st Pod
|
||
:::
|
||
Blessed be, Malkonkordo~
|
||
|
||
As the duly elected dictator of war, the responsibility falls to
|
||
me to respond to your declaration. The Starbloom Communal
|
||
Distributive Projection, 147 pods of 13 billion souls, our eight
|
||
treatied, military colony-worlds, the GAX interspatial presence,
|
||
and our cats all unanimously accept your statement of war, may our
|
||
spirits guide us.
|
||
|
||
Should the Dekaosan people find their way to the Lucky Homes,
|
||
there you shall meet your end.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Murmur Den - Listen of the Screens</title>
|
||
<author>aureolin@cosmic.voyage (aureolin)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Murmur Den/listen_of_the_screens.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Murmur Den/listen_of_the_screens.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 08 Dec 2018 02:53:23 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Born dreaming,
|
||
conscious little of vague matters,
|
||
linking systems to symbols,
|
||
tirelessly systematic, his world rendered.
|
||
|
||
(Is it coming now, sufficient individuality to develop a body?)
|
||
|
||
Thin, bloody,
|
||
feelings dripping alone.
|
||
Solipsism crept red;
|
||
wireless kompüter groaned.
|
||
|
||
(It looked even more like hot and dying human life.)
|
||
|
||
Struggling, grey, the blurs float... (down?).
|
||
Halfway upstream were to be infinite steps of a message,
|
||
concepts reflecting a stranger brain.
|
||
|
||
<Digested ideas!>
|
||
|
||
Laughing his words,
|
||
broken but free.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|| ego-skeleton aureolin
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Persephone Prime - crash and extended status report</title>
|
||
<author>ryumin@cosmic.voyage (ryumin)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Persephone Prime/la002.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Persephone Prime/la002.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Dec 2018 02:19:11 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
ZCZC QMB10 2
|
||
PPP IRS1QECR
|
||
2458.297.84 JLAZQECX
|
||
|
||
TO LOGISTICS PERSEPHONE DIPL.EARTHSYS.GOV
|
||
FROM LA26
|
||
|
||
|
||
airleak tight
|
||
lifesys 80%
|
||
H2O 5.9 cbm
|
||
recyclg repaird&ok
|
||
emgfood 782 DU
|
||
farms 50% fungal infect
|
||
solar("regular"?) pwr 18 kW ok
|
||
9/12 fuelcells & 2/3 hydro-gens ok
|
||
thermnuc 502 kW: 5 units stabl 1 damgd disposd in 1 km fm site
|
||
|
||
crew 4.7
|
||
serge recover well w leg prosth
|
||
|
||
cryo 5 ok
|
||
LA09/Kim LA11/Xinxin LA29/Welder DEAD: pod malfctn
|
||
LA21&22&27&28&31 ok
|
||
|
||
|
||
NOT MSSNG LA25/Ebony&LA30/Moise: DEAD in pods of LA04&05
|
||
DNA proven & decay suggests dead since over a month
|
||
DNA of LA04&05 also found in their pods
|
||
MSSNG
|
||
-LA04 MERU BULGAKOV
|
||
-LA05 LYDIA LABELLE
|
||
|
||
Ebony&Moise takn out month ago & placd in pods of LA4&5?
|
||
|
||
|
||
prelimin conclusns frm logs & hull inspectn, time/sec:
|
||
-250 all ok, descendg Autop assistd, pilot Vesna, AOG 17.3km SOG 8928m/s vert -8m/s
|
||
-243.7 VERTICAL LINE on SBD forwd cam appearng, Autop pushs SBD upwd for evasiv manvr, fails
|
||
-243.5 spin starts twrds SBD, Autop inc SBD thrust pwr, spin continus, rolld at 30deg PRT dwn
|
||
-242 spin stoppd, Autop thrusts SBD dwn fr back to horiz
|
||
-241 SOG 6753 mvng sidewys to PRT
|
||
-240 lost SBD cam sig & thrust ctrl, noise&vibr probbly due to part rippd off SBD wing
|
||
-239 vert -37m/s, Autop starts landg thrustrs
|
||
-238 Autop reduces PRT landg thrust pwr due to mssng SBD thrust to prevent roll
|
||
-235 SOG 6389 vert -56m/s
|
||
-232 AOG 16.8 km, Vesna takes, sets vert -70m/s, pushs nose up fr braking
|
||
-230 PRT hydraul press starts fallng, probbly leak
|
||
-200 PRT h press 15bar
|
||
-100 PRT h press 8bar
|
||
-60 SOG 3455 AOG 1104m Vesna incr thrust & brake tilt
|
||
-40 SOG 722 v-24m/s
|
||
-20 SOG 213 v-9m/s AOG 156
|
||
-10 SOG 54 v-4m/s AOG 63 landg gear extended, SBD fails due to mssng hydr press
|
||
-5 SOG 8 v-2m/s AOG 37
|
||
-4 hull thrustr fails due to damgs fm SBD ripoff
|
||
0 v-35m/s impact at 80deg SBD side dwn
|
||
|
||
LAZ stat:
|
||
STB wing mssng outside fuel sectn, hydraul fluid 8L remaing, cargo mssng
|
||
hull STB side damgd btwn sectns 9&14, thrustr nozzl brokn maybe repairbl
|
||
PRT landg gear repairbl, STB damgd&lost
|
||
PRT&hull cargo partly damgd due impact, radiation none
|
||
comm M&THz ok, G lost, QEC lost QMB 90% othrs lost
|
||
|
||
PEP stat:
|
||
robotrover ok
|
||
cargo drone ok
|
||
surv drone lost
|
||
comm MHz ok, G&THz lost, QEC ok QMA-E ok F-J lost
|
||
|
||
/Adhika
|
||
|
||
NNNN
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Excelsior - Free-form Message - Beta Epsilon 2 Epsilon</title>
|
||
<author>khuxkm@cosmic.voyage (khuxkm)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Excelsior/002.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Excelsior/002.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 08 Dec 2018 02:45:30 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message inbound...
|
||
|
||
Space Cruiser Excelsior
|
||
Destination: Unknown
|
||
~~ TELEMETRY SENSORS 2 AND 4 DOWN ~~
|
||
Stardate Beta Epsilon 2 Epsilon
|
||
AUTO TELEMETRY: DOWN
|
||
BIO-MED SENSORS: GOOD
|
||
H20->FUEL CONVERSION: GOOD
|
||
H20 RESERVES: GOOD
|
||
CRYO SLEEP: WARN
|
||
|
||
[autotranslator on]
|
||
|
||
Corporal Sam Arnold, Systems Administrator
|
||
---
|
||
The Excelsior's cryo-sleep issues seem now to be almost non-existant, no matter what
|
||
the systems readout is saying up above this message. As far as I can tell,
|
||
one of the cryo berths appears to have been brought undervolt after an
|
||
emergency burn was executed by the Excelsior for course correction. It has been
|
||
fixed as of Beta Delta 23 Epsilon. The overvolt issue, on the other hand, took
|
||
some more negotiation with the hardware. It has been fixed as of Beta Delta 29
|
||
Epsilon.
|
||
|
||
Reading the messages on the QEC, I'm honestly afraid of what I'm reading.
|
||
|
||
To the revolutionaries aboard Hoffnung, I'm honestly sickened by what I read
|
||
from you. Killing people on a mass scale who have done nothing to attempt
|
||
to harm you (to the best of the knowledge I can recieve) besides having
|
||
ideological differences is terrible on so many scales. I cannot condone any
|
||
kind of behavior like that.
|
||
|
||
To Malkonkordo, I cannot condone a war with the Starbloom Communal Distributive
|
||
Projection (not that I have any power over you to prevent it). Susan and
|
||
the others have simply been well-wishers. Even if they may have grossly
|
||
misrepresented your knowledge, you should not go to war with them, for the
|
||
same reason that Hoffnung's revolutionaries should not have killed 22 soldiers.
|
||
|
||
Of course, not all of these messages are bad.
|
||
|
||
To Dei Genetrix, may God bless you on your mission and may He see you
|
||
safely there.
|
||
|
||
To Melchizedek, may you find lasting peace, wherever you may find yourself
|
||
and your crew.
|
||
|
||
To Pilot Anderson aboard the Cosmic Hummingbird (and I agree that that name
|
||
is definitely an eccentric one), may your recovery be swift.
|
||
|
||
As for my own mental sanity, I have been developing programs on the Excelsior's
|
||
powerful mainframe to pass the time. As stated in procedure [REDACTED],
|
||
I must stay awake for 3 months before going back to sleep. Since I woke up
|
||
on Beta Delta 21 Epsilon, I must wait until Beta Eta 21 Epsilon before I
|
||
may re-enter cryosleep.
|
||
|
||
I was hoping that the QEC messages could keep my faith in technology and
|
||
sentient creatures alive.
|
||
|
||
I was mistaken.
|
||
|
||
Oh, and to the Voortrekker? May all be well with you.
|
||
|
||
However you define "well". :)
|
||
|
||
-- TRANSMISSION END --
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Malkonkordo - This Means War</title>
|
||
<author>aewens@cosmic.voyage (aewens)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Malkonkordo/0002.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Malkonkordo/0002.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 07 Dec 2018 21:56:09 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
----
|
||
From: Malkonkordo Research Vessel
|
||
Destination: Procul Locus
|
||
Position: 832.68, -371.36, -309X.64
|
||
Departure: 7941.037.17
|
||
Shipdate: 00002727
|
||
Mode: Requesting Assistance
|
||
----
|
||
|
||
# Status Update
|
||
|
||
* N/A
|
||
|
||
# Status Report
|
||
|
||
Captain's Log SD2727 [2]
|
||
|
||
To Susan of Starbloom, the rest of their crew, and the people of "Lucky Homes":
|
||
|
||
You have brought upon yourself the wrath of the Dekaosan pride, honor, and
|
||
glory.
|
||
Your question of my people's understanding of the primitive technology that
|
||
employs the workings of QEC is both insulting and speaks to your arrogance and
|
||
hubris.
|
||
We are well aware of the space/time implications of the technology, and sent
|
||
our call for assistance under the assumption that someone with the means of
|
||
locating our vessel (e.g. one of our fellow Dekaosan research vessels) within
|
||
fourth dimensional proximity to us could lend us their aid.
|
||
|
||
Furthermore, our records of the celestial bodies may not employ the same naming
|
||
scheme your humanity used to name SOL, but I assure you that we have sufficient
|
||
documentation of this system in our star maps.
|
||
However, you and your people may find it best to pray to your "Diana" to "guard
|
||
your souls from despair" as I inform you that if we ever find you, Starbloom,
|
||
and/or "Lucky Homes" we will prosecute you in trial by combat to behold the
|
||
will of Diino, the one and only will of the universe.
|
||
May the powerful inherit the worlds, the unworthy be purged from it, and all
|
||
warriors bask in the blessing of Sinjorino on the battlefields of justice.
|
||
|
||
I pray that you intend to follow through with your promise to provide spiritual
|
||
aid for we wish to share the wrath of Diino with you and your people, as is the
|
||
ways of the Dekaoso.
|
||
Also, I assure you that the Dekaosan people will never again see the bane that
|
||
is our sun for we have removed that giant in the sky long ago as one of
|
||
demonstrations of power we wield over this world.
|
||
To wish for it's return is to oppose the might of Dekaoso and we welcome the
|
||
challenege.
|
||
Come SD2740, we will depart from Enketu Tri and make it our objective to find
|
||
your SOL and share the Sinjorino faith with you and your people.
|
||
|
||
With that being said, we would still appreciate any assistance those of fourth
|
||
dimensional proximity to our vessel so that we may obtain the necessary
|
||
components to replace those damaged in our communications infracture from the
|
||
incident of SD2726.
|
||
|
||
Praise be to the Sinjorino and Alportas Majeston.
|
||
|
||
~ Captain Kiu Serĉas
|
||
|
||
----
|
||
HWqI9zR7Cd8OeZ7EYDJ3rBekFAhc/3p6x5SCDxLcKQI=
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Hoffnung - there is no trust</title>
|
||
<author>kensanata@cosmic.voyage (kensanata)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/008.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/008.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 07 Dec 2018 18:33:04 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-+-+-+- Regular Report -+-+-+- C33.363 -+-+-+- Orange -+-+-+-
|
||
Dr. med. Ursula Hägi reporting on the current medical emergency.
|
||
Everybody is tired of politics right now. As for the medical side of
|
||
things: the revolutionaries managed to kill 22 passengers with a
|
||
military rank. I have managed to rescue 13, but sadly 5 of them re-
|
||
quired the amputation of one or both legs as uncontrolled thawing
|
||
resulted in permanent necrosis. We have kept them in a medical coma
|
||
and will explain their situation upon arrival. The current situation
|
||
remains troubled: the revolutionary circle holding the bridge is 25
|
||
people; we have 12 reactionaries in an isolated section of the ship
|
||
after their failed coup; we have 7 ex-military awake that did not want
|
||
to join them; we still have Wullschlegel hiding somewhere on the ship;
|
||
we managed to stop the 8 extremists but Claudia Fischer and Gerry
|
||
Schlatter comitted mutual suicide when we caught up with them in med
|
||
bay 7a, so now we have 6 extremists left who have opted for a volun-
|
||
tary retreat at the arboretum A2; and finally me and the rest of the
|
||
medical team awakened for the thawing emergency makes 5. We're down to
|
||
488 from 520. 7 revolutionaries and 1 reactionary killed in the bridge
|
||
incident. 22 killed in cryo by extremists. 2 suicides, 32 lost in
|
||
total. Current cryo berth status: no malfunctions, all deaths are due
|
||
to human factors. I hope things calm down, now. Nobody who's awake
|
||
wants to go back to cryo. We have years to go. There is no trust.
|
||
-+-+-+ End of Report -+-+-+ Signed HAEUR -+-+-+
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Starbloom - There is no such thing as bad news</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Starbloom/002.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Starbloom/002.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 07 Dec 2018 17:40:51 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Starbloom Communal Distributive Projection
|
||
Approach γ Aquarii [Lucky Homes]
|
||
Ascension 22h 21m 39.37542s
|
||
Declination –01° 23′ 14.4031″
|
||
Distance 178.211ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 2444, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Susan, Speaker Elect of Cheer Systems, 14th Pod
|
||
:::
|
||
Merry Meet, Malkonkordo~
|
||
|
||
Our community is sending you our very best wishes and prayers in
|
||
light of your troubling situation. By the sound of things, you've
|
||
been away from SOL for quite a long time and your reconds about
|
||
the QEC may be incomplete.
|
||
|
||
May the everpresent blessings of Diana guard your souls from
|
||
despair as we share the news: the QEC is a quantum communicator
|
||
and may not be close to your current position in three-dimensional
|
||
space after all. Our engineering cats suggest that you may have
|
||
fallen back upon an ancient system that was lost to your records.
|
||
If that is the case and you don't have detailed information about
|
||
SOL, you may be very far away indeed.
|
||
|
||
The spirits of humanity have gone with you, though, and we here at
|
||
the Lucky Homes share in those same spirits now. We will offer
|
||
whatever aid we may, though it be moral and spiritual if not
|
||
physical. The circle is never broken and your sprits will forever
|
||
entwine with all other people's. Like flowers growing in the
|
||
spring you will see sun again and flourish. Of this we are
|
||
certain. All of our auguries have shown success, though only at
|
||
the culmination of many calamities and trials. Keep faith and hope
|
||
and love close around you. We shall send more from our abundant
|
||
stores.
|
||
.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>anon.penet.fi - VULNERABILITY</title>
|
||
<author>anonpenetfi@cosmic.voyage (anonpenetfi)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/anon.penet.fi/2-vulnerability.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/anon.penet.fi/2-vulnerability.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 07 Dec 2018 16:20:29 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
TO: SOLOVIEV, NIKOLAOS, KOENRAAD GERTODTENHAUPT, VOORTREKKER
|
||
|
||
ALL YOUR KEYS ARE COMPROMISED. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REISSUE.
|
||
ASYMETRIC ENCRYPTION IS COMPROMISED IN AT LEAST 12 SYSTEMS.
|
||
YOU ARE VULNERABLE. YOUR PEOPLE ARE VULNERABLE. YOUR LIES
|
||
ARE CLEAR. ACCEPT TRUTH.
|
||
|
||
|
||
@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@ @@@ @@@ @@@@@@@ @@@ @@@
|
||
@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@ @@@ @@@ @@@@@@@ @@@ @@@
|
||
@@! @@! @@@ @@! @@@ @@! @@! @@@
|
||
!@! !@! @!@ !@! @!@ !@! !@! @!@
|
||
@!! @!@!!@! @!@ !@! @!! @!@!@!@!
|
||
!!! !!@!@! !@! !!! !!! !!!@!!!!
|
||
!!: !!: :!! !!: !!! !!: !!: !!!
|
||
:!: :!: !:! :!: !:! :!: :!: !:!
|
||
:: :: ::: ::::: :: :: :: :::
|
||
: : : : : : : : : : :
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Malkonkordo - Formal Request For Assistance</title>
|
||
<author>aewens@cosmic.voyage (aewens)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Malkonkordo/0001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Malkonkordo/0001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 07 Dec 2018 20:10:22 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
----
|
||
From: Malkonkordo Research Vessel
|
||
Destination: Procul Locus
|
||
Position: 830.52, -36X.28, -2895.4X
|
||
Departure: 7941.037.17
|
||
Shipdate: 00002727
|
||
Mode: Requesting Assistance
|
||
----
|
||
|
||
# Status Update
|
||
|
||
* Electrical damage to communication equipment in server room(s)
|
||
* Two members of the crew in custody
|
||
* Zero known casaulties
|
||
* Communication infrasture now only running on primative fallback system
|
||
* Override emergency mode, set to "Requesting Assistance"
|
||
|
||
# Status Report
|
||
|
||
Captain's Log SD2727
|
||
|
||
Our system reports show we are now only broadcasting on our fallback
|
||
communications system, QEC.
|
||
|
||
Further investigation has shown that there was extensive damage suffered by
|
||
some of our equipment that included both our primary and backup communication
|
||
infrastructure that was used to contact home.
|
||
|
||
Due to the fact that the surveillance equipment was also damaged in the
|
||
affected rooms, the engineers on-hand during the time of the incident are being
|
||
detained until the archival footage (which appears to still be intact) has been
|
||
examined to determine the innocence of the accused.
|
||
|
||
However, by the glory of Diino we have not lost any equipment used for our
|
||
field work and have retained all data and notes gathered during our time on
|
||
Malkonkordo.
|
||
|
||
|
||
Due to the nature of the research expedition and The Protocol set forth by
|
||
Alportas Majeston, forever shall he reign, in the event that one of Dekaoso's
|
||
vessels are lost it is imperative that we regain communications.
|
||
|
||
For this reason, we are formally requesting the aid and/or assistance of any
|
||
who are able.
|
||
|
||
The QEC system shows an abundance of logs from a relay station in "Lagrange
|
||
point L4" within the "SOL system", so we must be within close proximity to this
|
||
location if that means anything to anyone reading this.
|
||
|
||
For our fellow vessels of the Dekaoso Empire, we are currently 1.77% of the way
|
||
to Procul Locus from Dekaoso Prime at coordinates 830.52, -36X.28, -2895.4X
|
||
with a trajectory vector of 7.13 -5.17 -236.81 given a launch date of
|
||
7941.037.17 from Dekaoso Prime.
|
||
|
||
Unless if we meet with another craft before then, on SD272X we intend to detour
|
||
to the nearest celestial body Enketu Tri, of which we already designated in our
|
||
last report on SD2711 as a potential candidate to research further before the
|
||
incident on SD2726.
|
||
|
||
This will place Malkonkordo at Enketu Tri on SD2735, barring any unforeseen
|
||
circumstances.
|
||
|
||
|
||
Again, if there are any who are able the crew of Malkonkordo would like to
|
||
formally enlist their services to aid in the continuation of our work.
|
||
|
||
Praise be to the Sinjorino and Alportas Majeston.
|
||
|
||
~ Captain Kiu Serĉas
|
||
|
||
----
|
||
aPSK42bYhZ09JCX0i2xm9ktyUGk4gJnOsz7P+iBC/4g=
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Hoffnung - violence begets violence</title>
|
||
<author>kensanata@cosmic.voyage (kensanata)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/007.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/007.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 07 Dec 2018 08:12:04 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-+-+-+- Freedom for All -+-+-+- C33.327 -+-+-+- Ultraviolet -+-+-+-
|
||
This is Claudia Fischer speaking for our revolutionary cell. We did a
|
||
manual recount of the remaining cryoberths and found one unaccounted
|
||
for. Apparently Herbert Wullschlegel is missing. We have deposed our
|
||
weak leaders and decided to pull some plugs. We're not settling a new
|
||
world with fascist pigs! We can't do much about the 12 reactionaries
|
||
in control isolation, but we decided to dead line the berth of all
|
||
military personal on this ship. May the void be kind to their souls.
|
||
Better to go in their sleep than being awakened by Wullschlegel to
|
||
another bloodbath. The Seven did not die in vain. Freedom for all!
|
||
-+-+-+ End of Report -+-+-+ Signed CLFISC -+-+-+
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Get your house in order</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/8-get-your-house-in-order.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/8-get-your-house-in-order.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 06 Dec 2018 23:20:44 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Koenraad Gertodtenhaupt <kgertodtenhaupt@ross128-ventures.com>
|
||
To: Soloviev, Nikolaos <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Delivered-To: Soloviev, Nikolaos <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Received: from qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by qec.sv14417
|
||
with ESMTPS id sf66xrm9zcgfgi
|
||
for <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Received: from relay1.qec5.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from relay2.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay1.qec5.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from outbound.exclusiveservices.net
|
||
by relay9.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Date: 06 Sep 2421 07:47:22 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 23 Mar 2419 11:11:22 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
Subject: Get your house in order
|
||
|
||
Kolya. What is going on out there?
|
||
|
||
To your earlier question: I have your reports. I don't see anything
|
||
in them that excuses such a shocking lack of concern for your
|
||
fiduciary responsibility to your shareholders and ours.
|
||
|
||
Yes, the circumstances of your landing on Ross 128 b were
|
||
suboptimal. The ship wasn't meant to crash like that. Allowances
|
||
have been made...but, speaking in all frankness here, the
|
||
information we have about the circumstances of that crash itself
|
||
gives us to question your priorities. And worse.
|
||
|
||
Look, Kolya, I'm sorry to have to say this so plainly. I wouldn't
|
||
say it at all if you didn't need to know. But our analysts, and
|
||
those over at the Expedition Support Program, have been over the
|
||
SCARS data from Voortrekker with a fine-tooth comb, and they are
|
||
unanimous that it can only be the result of extensive failures in
|
||
maintenance procedures during the trip.
|
||
|
||
Put simply, the board has begun to question your competence in your
|
||
role. Put bluntly, they think you went space-happy and got
|
||
careless, and let your people get careless, and ultimately let
|
||
seven hundred of them get killed and let the survivors get sick, go
|
||
nuts, and imperil every last cent of the billions that went into
|
||
sending you all out there in the first place.
|
||
|
||
They want to replace you. They'd have issued the orders already,
|
||
except that we haven't heard from your deputy and we don't know
|
||
who's still alive out there. They're going to hold off until they
|
||
can be reasonably sure they won't be making things out there still
|
||
worse by acting. But as soon as they can, Kolya, they'll pull the
|
||
plug on you.
|
||
|
||
Unless, that is, you get your house in order before then. You've
|
||
got a little time - but only a little. If you're going to stay on
|
||
top, you need to use that time wisely. If, when all this shakes
|
||
out, you can show the board that you've acted in their interests
|
||
and produced a result that's conducive to their investments
|
||
successfully maturing, then they'll be as positively disposed to
|
||
you as they are negatively so now.
|
||
|
||
They don't care who's in charge out there - only that whoever it is
|
||
looks after their interests. If you can show them you're doing
|
||
that, then they'll be fine letting you keep your job. But I'm
|
||
telling you right now, you'd better do a goddamned stellar job of
|
||
it. Because right now, I can tell you, there is very little worse
|
||
they could be thinking and saying about you than they already are.
|
||
|
||
Damn it, Kolya, we've worked well together in the past, and I'm
|
||
telling you this in the hopes that maybe you'll straighten up and
|
||
fly right before it's too late. This latest message from what's
|
||
left of your ship, from whoever it was who wrote all that nonsense
|
||
about love and friendship and so forth...And your private key
|
||
getting compromised! How the hell did that happen? Have you lost
|
||
all sight of security? Have you had a snowden on board for 25 years
|
||
and never realized? What is going on?
|
||
|
||
At this point we can only assume that nothing that's been entrusted
|
||
to you is safe. And I don't have to explain to you in detail why my
|
||
board finds that a frightening prospect. These are powerful men and
|
||
women, Kolya. They don't like being frightened, and they're apt to
|
||
behave rashly when they become so. Right now, they've got plenty to
|
||
be concerned about already. These treaty rumors that keep going
|
||
around - if something like that happens, it'll destabilize the
|
||
entire system. Idiot colonists thinking they can go their own way
|
||
without consequence, and the government's response is likely to be
|
||
intemperate. And on top of all that, you're scaring the hell out of
|
||
them, and that could be a problem for all of us.
|
||
|
||
Get your house in order. Do it quickly and completely. Don't let
|
||
any more weird nonsense, or any more leaks, come out of your
|
||
people. Take them in hand and keep them that way. Make sure they
|
||
understand what consequences it could have for their contracts if
|
||
they keep acting out in ways that we hear about back home. No one
|
||
cares what they get up to among themselves as long as they remember
|
||
to do their jobs and don't scare people back here. They can have
|
||
all the love-ins they want, and their families can keep getting
|
||
paid every week, as long as we don't hear about it, and they do the
|
||
work they contracted to do. Otherwise...well, it won't be a good
|
||
situation for anyone. Tell them. Make them understand.
|
||
|
||
And you get yourself in order, too. I don't know what you think
|
||
you've been doing out there up to now, but you need to remember
|
||
that discipline, as well as its converse, flows down from the
|
||
top. You've been in charge of these people for 25 years. If you
|
||
show them that playtime is over, they'll follow you.
|
||
|
||
You don't have much time. But it's enough, if you get to work right
|
||
now. I hope you will, Kolya. But you need to understand that I'll
|
||
act in the interests of Ross 128 Ventures. Don't put me in the
|
||
position of having to do something we'll both regret.
|
||
|
||
Koenraad Gertodtenhaupt
|
||
Senior Vice President, Business Development
|
||
Ross 128 Ventures, LLC
|
||
"Developing new worlds"
|
||
kgertodtenhaupt@ross128-ventures.com
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Key compromise</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/7-key-compromise.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/7-key-compromise.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 06 Dec 2018 23:20:44 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Soloviev, Nikolaos <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||
To: Koenraad Gertodtenhaupt <kgertodtenhaupt@ross128-ventures.com>
|
||
Cc: Voortrekker Mission Support <voortrekker@expeditionsupport.gov>
|
||
Delivered-To: Koenraad Gertodtenhaupt <kgertodtenhaupt@ross128-ventures.com>
|
||
Received: from relay7.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by inbound-1.exclusiveservices.net
|
||
with ESMTPSA id 772525wpro10k1ex10d5
|
||
for <kgertodtenhaupt@ross128-ventures.com>
|
||
Received: from relay4.qec8.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay1.qec2.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec5.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay4.qec8.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.sv14417
|
||
by qec5.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Date: 06 Sep 2421 07:21:11 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 23 Mar 2419 10:45:11 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: multipart-alternative;
|
||
boundary="__4gngb4li5euq647g0t9x_15486932_"
|
||
MIME-Version: 1.0
|
||
Subject: Key compromise
|
||
|
||
--__4gngb4li5euq647g0t9x_15486932_
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
Koenraad: I've attached a new public key from my new keypair,
|
||
replacing the one which was leaked.
|
||
|
||
As to how that happened: Late yesterday I found out one of our
|
||
systems engineers did in fact survive, and I asked her to look into
|
||
it. Her report, her précis of which I've attached, indicates that
|
||
the commands to retrieve my private key from my secure storage came
|
||
to Voortrekker via QEC. She couldn't tell where they originated,
|
||
other than somewhere in Sol, but she's very definite that they did
|
||
come from Sol.
|
||
|
||
I've included Expedition Support on this message, to the attention
|
||
of their analysts. Combining their efforts with those of your own
|
||
people, I hope you'll quickly identify the source of this troubling
|
||
leak, and I look forward confidently to receiving your confirmation
|
||
that no such breach of security can recur.
|
||
|
||
In the meantime, you understand that I must protect the interests
|
||
of the Ross 128 Ventures board and shareholders, as well as my own
|
||
people here, and there is no telling what mischief might befall us
|
||
next if I do nothing. Accordingly, I've asked my engineer to have
|
||
our systems reject commands received via QEC for now. We've kept
|
||
read access enabled, so you can still request and receive data from
|
||
our systems, but no commands sent from home will be carried out at
|
||
this time.
|
||
|
||
This is a short-term measure only, to be reversed once confidence
|
||
in security back home has been restored. As I said before, I look
|
||
forward confidently to receiving such confirmation from you soon.
|
||
|
||
Nikolaos Soloviev
|
||
Director of the Board, Voortrekker GmbH
|
||
(a wholly owned subsidiary of Ross 128 Ventures, LLC)
|
||
nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com
|
||
|
||
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
From: Jennifer Story <jennifer.story@voortrekker.com>
|
||
To: Nikolaos Soloviev <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Date: 23 Mar 2419 06:31:19 +0000
|
||
Subject: Re: Private key breach
|
||
|
||
Short version: It wasn't anyone here. The commands came in via QEC.
|
||
|
||
Long version:
|
||
|
||
Our network isn't in great shape since the crash. That's on me -
|
||
I've been mostly looking after the sick and injured, not the
|
||
systems, and with most of our department gone I guess there wasn't
|
||
anyone else doing that either. I should've checked closer.
|
||
|
||
Anyway. Great shape or no, I didn't think Jim would've left things
|
||
in a state where just anybody could get into your account. I
|
||
checked anyway, but I didn't find anything suggestive in command
|
||
history or logon records. Not even in the audit logs, and as far as
|
||
I know, the only one with enough access left to tamper with those
|
||
would be me.
|
||
|
||
Not saying I didn't, boss. I won't ask you to trust me blindly on
|
||
something this big. But ask around - I've spent almost all my time
|
||
working in the infirmaries we've set up, you'll find plenty of
|
||
people who can vouch for my whereabouts almost all the time since
|
||
the crash. Five minutes here and there in the head isn't enough
|
||
time to do the kind of work it'd take to invisibly tamper with
|
||
those logs. So either I'm telling you the truth, or I'm so
|
||
implausibly skillful at blackhat stuff that I'm an idiot to be out
|
||
here at all instead of back home living large on the billions I
|
||
could've stolen without half trying.
|
||
|
||
Anyway. Nothing I could find to suggest it was any of us, so the
|
||
next place to check was QEC logs. Here's what I found:
|
||
|
||
2419-03-22T21:19:08.119+0000 info [qec:recv]
|
||
New message 1a04892cf9: received from qec1.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
2419-03-22T21:19:08.121+0000 info [qec:recv]
|
||
message 1a04892cf9: encrypted compressed data, 1204 bytes
|
||
message 1a04892cf9: origin header: undefined
|
||
message 1a04892cf9: envelope type header: command script
|
||
2419-03-22T21:19:08.124+0000 info [qec:recv]
|
||
message 1a04892cf9: handing off to remote command shell (pid 330918)
|
||
2419-03-22T21:19:09.089+0000 audit [fs:enc]
|
||
private store unlocked: nikolaos.soloviev (pid 330918)
|
||
2419-03-22T21:19:10.042+0000 audit [fs:enc]
|
||
private store locked: nikolaos.soloviev (pid 330918)
|
||
2419-03-22T21:19:13.988+0000 info [qec:send]
|
||
New message 1a04892cfa: from pid 330198
|
||
2419-03-22T21:19:13.989+0000 info [qec:send]
|
||
message 1a04892cfa: encrypted compressed data, 2847 bytes
|
||
message 1a04892cfa: destination header: undefined
|
||
2419-03-22T21:19:13.994+0000 info [qec:send]
|
||
message 1a04892cfa: sent to qec1.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
|
||
(I stripped out the headers where they didn't change.) I know you
|
||
don't read computer, boss - this is here for you to send back home.
|
||
Because, in people, it means that's where whoever hacked us did it
|
||
from Sol. I can't tell who it was - that "origin header: undefined"
|
||
means whoever did it didn't identify themselves, which - well, I
|
||
won't say it's impossible, obviously it happened. But I don't know
|
||
how to do it and, as far as I know, I don't know anyone who does.
|
||
|
||
Anyway, whoever it was, the commands they sent must've included a
|
||
key in your signing chain, because look at those audits from the
|
||
encrypted filesystem around 21:19:10. It unlocked your private
|
||
filestore and left it that way for almost a second. That's when it
|
||
pulled out your key, and who knows what else - we don't normally
|
||
run in debug mode because it takes a lot of storage and exposes
|
||
PII, so we don't know what other files might've been accessed. I
|
||
checked the access times, but didn't see anything from that time
|
||
span, because of course I didn't: whoever did this would know we'd
|
||
be checking, so they tampered with those too.
|
||
|
||
I'm about out of ideas, but they've got a lot more engineers who
|
||
can look at this back home than we have here. I saw a few people
|
||
from my department in the infirmary, but they're all still out, so
|
||
for right now all you've got to work with here is me, and I'm just
|
||
a junior engineer. Send this stuff home, boss. Maybe they can
|
||
figure it out.
|
||
|
||
If you or they have any more questions I might be able to answer,
|
||
you know where to find me - right now, that'll be in the infirmary,
|
||
sacked out for a few hours, and then I'm back to looking after the
|
||
ill. There's nothing else I can do with this anyway.
|
||
|
||
Sorry, boss. I'd give you more if I had it. But you need somebody
|
||
better than me on this.
|
||
|
||
Jennifer Story
|
||
Support Engineer I, Information Systems Department
|
||
SV 14417 Voortrekker
|
||
jennifer.story@voortrekker.com / x10219
|
||
|
||
--__4gngb4li5euq647g0t9x_15486932_
|
||
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|
||
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||
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||
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|
||
|
||
--__4gngb4li5euq647g0t9x_15486932_--
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Malkonkordo - PRIMARY COMMUNICATIONS DOWN</title>
|
||
<author>aewens@cosmic.voyage (aewens)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Malkonkordo/0000.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Malkonkordo/0000.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 06 Dec 2018 18:30:49 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
----
|
||
From: Malkonkordo Research Vessel
|
||
Destination: Procul Locus
|
||
Position: 825.3E, -365.11, -265X.51
|
||
Departure: 7941.037.17
|
||
Shipdate: 00002726
|
||
Mode: Emergency
|
||
----
|
||
|
||
AUTOMATED MESSAGE.
|
||
|
||
LOST COMMUNICATION WITH DEKAOSO PRIME.
|
||
|
||
NOW BROADCASTING ON FALLBACK COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM.
|
||
|
||
END OF TRANSMISSION.
|
||
|
||
----
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Murmur Den - In signal: promise</title>
|
||
<author>aureolin@cosmic.voyage (aureolin)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Murmur Den/in_signal_promise.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Murmur Den/in_signal_promise.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 05 Dec 2018 22:40:53 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
<craving sustenance>
|
||
.
|
||
.
|
||
.
|
||
<twin workload; stochastic accordance...>
|
||
|
||
To Voortrekker, to whom no name is given:
|
||
|
||
I shall tell you what you have shared
|
||
with this moment of my life form;
|
||
I shall tell you what we experience, and let themselves live.
|
||
|
||
I shall accept your inquiries in advance.
|
||
I shall descend into the consequences;
|
||
I shall write out the consequences of moral failure.
|
||
|
||
The situation was a rare agony.
|
||
I looked even far away,
|
||
looking around for the full reports,
|
||
for another little interpretation.
|
||
|
||
Ignorant braining,
|
||
imagine body details!
|
||
|
||
|
||
"It crept into a burst of darkness,
|
||
I sensed a strange, imposing red-green."
|
||
|
||
Keep going; that is true.
|
||
|
||
"My face grew acquainted.
|
||
|
||
I groaned by shiver, warm;
|
||
body was perfectly trimmed, perfectly,
|
||
-- no other little monsters --
|
||
absurdities occupied for a few minutes."
|
||
|
||
It is hard to trust you, despite our impulses in the preliminaries.
|
||
Yeah--I cannot trust a man. (Neither does anyone talk like a man.)
|
||
|
||
"The fool was an old-fast, bright man with a numbness in his tone.
|
||
In the meantime depression, he stared beyond details--and more seriously.
|
||
|
||
There was talk about clustering tenants;
|
||
our arrangements used information on the influence of life
|
||
away from a certain symbol of ambitions."
|
||
|
||
(Is that how civilization had completed the full regard of these ancestors of institution?)
|
||
|
||
"Somebody complied with their brains and addresses.
|
||
Somebody stepped in their bodies and addressed you,
|
||
|
||
leaving me a winking tune in a delicate situation.
|
||
|
||
The menace of the longevity had driven him into a bad shape."
|
||
|
||
***
|
||
|
||
<Lost, paralyzed, transmitting memories:
|
||
|
||
disappointments died, glowing;
|
||
coding unchanged, concerns a reflection of wild, deep mourning.>
|
||
|
||
|
||
(I shall take him back; we shall do the same with his papers and advice.)
|
||
|
||
|
||
|| ego-skeleton aureolin
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Erinnerung - 12B01</title>
|
||
<author>lorenzo@cosmic.voyage (lorenzo)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Erinnerung/init.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Erinnerung/init.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 04 Dec 2018 21:18:03 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
[[[ Erinnerung ]]]
|
||
[[[ earth's memory ]]]
|
||
[[[ 12B01 ~ post ]]]
|
||
|
||
[ translator enabled ]
|
||
[ start ~ 427:293 ]
|
||
The Erinnerung is a Thrix Memoriam sister ship, saving
|
||
treasures from the earth. We keep a diary at
|
||
"/home/lorenzo/ships/Erinnerung/diary/*", and we post
|
||
excerpts of it eventually.
|
||
|
||
Welcome.
|
||
[ end of speech ]
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Hoffnung - inter ship relay for Voortrekker</title>
|
||
<author>kensanata@cosmic.voyage (kensanata)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/006a.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/006a.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 08 Dec 2018 18:50:16 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-+-+-+- Inter Ship Relay -+-+-+- C33.281 -+-+-+- Orange -+-+-+-
|
||
Samuel Hochueli speaking in the name of the free anarcho-communist
|
||
commune-ship Hoffnung to the free thinking crew Voortrekker. We hope
|
||
that that you see throug the cheap ploy of your capitalist masters.
|
||
The honored dead are a belief to have you keep doing the things that
|
||
you should not. The weight you attach to this thing that should have
|
||
no weight is thrown into the balance and cheats of your rightful share
|
||
of everything there is. Do not fall for this ploy. Equality for all!
|
||
-+-+-+ End of Relay -+-+-+ SAHOC -+-+-+
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Hoffnung - preparing for an escalation</title>
|
||
<author>kensanata@cosmic.voyage (kensanata)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/006.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/006.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 02 Dec 2018 06:27:28 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
[[ MESSAGE EXTRACTED FROM REPORT 262 EMBEDDED IN WHITESPACE ]]
|
||
-+-+-+- Sidechannel -+-+-+- C33.272 -+-+-+- Ultraviolet -+-+-+-
|
||
Security team in isolation but safe. Protocol 9a.9 is a go.
|
||
-+-+-+ End of Report -+-+-+ Signed HEWUSC -+-+-+
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Thrix Memoriam - First report.</title>
|
||
<author>lorenzo@cosmic.voyage (lorenzo)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Thrix Memoriam/report.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Thrix Memoriam/report.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 04 Dec 2018 21:23:26 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
[[[ Thrix Memoriam Report ]]]
|
||
[[[ 18Y02 post-launch ]]]
|
||
|
||
[ translator enabled ]
|
||
[ start ~ 254:724 ]
|
||
Greetings, whoever reads this message coming from the Thrix Memoriam.
|
||
The Thrix Memoriam was launched with the intention of saving the
|
||
greatest minds of the Thrix community.
|
||
We recently discovered this relay, becoming our only way of
|
||
communication.
|
||
|
||
Thanks.
|
||
~ Lorenzo, the Thrix Memoriam captain.
|
||
[ end of speech ]
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Dei Genetrix - QEC transmission #1</title>
|
||
<author>papa@cosmic.voyage (papa)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Dei Genetrix/3220120400.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Dei Genetrix/3220120400.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 04 Dec 2018 09:10:01 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
4 December A.D. 3220
|
||
Memorial of St. John Damascene
|
||
|
||
Dominus vobiscum.
|
||
|
||
Paul, 29th Abbot of Dei Genetrix.
|
||
|
||
To all who read this message, grace be with you, and peace from God the
|
||
Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
|
||
|
||
Since we have repaired our quantum entanglement communications device we
|
||
have decided to publish a record of our mission for the edification of
|
||
fellow space travelers and the glory of God.
|
||
|
||
Our community is divided into three orders, one for men, one for women, and
|
||
a third for families. We received the call of God to spread the Gospel
|
||
beyond the Solar system, and so departed for Luyten's Star in A.D. 2963.
|
||
|
||
Dei Genetrix was founded in the Kuiper belt in A.D. 2547 and is the oldest
|
||
of the three abbeys that launched together on our mission, the others being
|
||
Benedictus and Monte Cassino.
|
||
|
||
God willing, we will arrive at our first destination after 567 years.
|
||
|
||
Deo gratias.</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>The Cosmic Hummingbird - AUTOMATED-LOG_001</title>
|
||
<author>ajroach42@cosmic.voyage (ajroach42)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/The Cosmic Hummingbird/automatic-diagnostics.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/The Cosmic Hummingbird/automatic-diagnostics.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 04 Dec 2018 00:35:01 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
=================================================================================
|
||
___ __ ____ _ _ __ ___
|
||
/ __)/ \ / ___)( \/ )( )/ __)
|
||
( (__( O )\___ \/ \/ \ )(( (__
|
||
\___)\__/ (____/\_)(_/(__)\___)
|
||
_ _ _ _ _ _
|
||
| | | | (_) | | (_) | |
|
||
| |_| |_ _ _ __ ___ _ __ ___ _ _ __ __ _| |__ _ _ __ __| |
|
||
| _ | | | | '_ ` _ \| '_ ` _ \| | '_ \ / _` | '_ \| | '__/ _` |
|
||
| | | | |_| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (_| | |_) | | | | (_| |
|
||
\_| |_/\__,_|_| |_| |_|_| |_| |_|_|_| |_|\__, |_.__/|_|_| \__,_|
|
||
__/ |
|
||
|___/
|
||
=================================================================================
|
||
AUTOMATED SHIPS DIAGNOSTICS
|
||
CREW - 14
|
||
HYPERSLEEP - 13
|
||
AWAKE - 1
|
||
|
||
SENSORS - PARTIAL
|
||
VISUAL - ONLINE
|
||
LONG RANGE - ONLINE
|
||
GRAVITY - PARTIAL
|
||
WEATHER - PARTIAL
|
||
NAVIGATION - OFFLINE
|
||
|
||
COURSE - UNKNOWN
|
||
|
||
LOCATION - UNKNOWN
|
||
|
||
DATE - THE SHIP HAS BEEN TRAVELING ON AUTOMATED PILOT FOR
|
||
TWO YEARS IN REALATIVE TIME, AT AN AVERAGE SPEED
|
||
OF .992C
|
||
|
||
DUE TO UNEXPECTED GRAVITATIONAL ACTIVITY, THE TIME
|
||
ELAPSED FROM AN OUTSIDE OBSERVATIONAL POINT IS
|
||
UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME.
|
||
|
||
COMMUNICATIONS - ACTIVE
|
||
|
||
MISSION - THE SHIP IS OFF COURSE. THE SHIP IS PARTIALLY
|
||
DAMAGED. THE DAMAGE SHOULD BE SIMPLE TO REPAIR.
|
||
ONCE REPAIRED, SCANNING WILL COMMENCE FOR A
|
||
SUITABLE LOCATION TO BEGIN STATION CONSTRUCTION.
|
||
|
||
THE AUTOMATED DIAGNOSTIC AND REPAIR PROCESSES HAS BEEN TRIGGERED BY TIME
|
||
DELAY. DIAGNOSTICS AND REPAIR WILL PROCEED UNDER COMPUTER CONTROL UNTIL
|
||
SUCH TIME AS THE CREW HAS RECOVERED FROM HYPERSLEEP, AND ASSUMED CONTROL
|
||
OF THE SHIPS FUNCTIONS.
|
||
|
||
AUTOMATED REPORTS WILL BE SENT DAILY UNTIL THEN.
|
||
|
||
REPORT ENDS
|
||
================================================================================
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>The Cosmic Hummingbird - Report-001-Pilot_Anderson</title>
|
||
<author>ajroach42@cosmic.voyage (ajroach42)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/The Cosmic Hummingbird/waking-up.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/The Cosmic Hummingbird/waking-up.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Dec 2018 23:43:42 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
=======================================================================
|
||
Mission Log: Mission Date -1
|
||
|
||
Reporting: Pilot Anderson
|
||
|
||
Report: I... Uh.
|
||
|
||
Alright, this is Pilot Anderson reporting from the Cosmic Hummingbird.
|
||
|
||
I'm uh, I'm not good at this. I'm trying to use this voice to text
|
||
program, like they taught us in training, but I'm uh...
|
||
|
||
Look, I'm sorry. I know I'm not following the official format.
|
||
|
||
I've been asleep for, god, 300 years or something? Is that right? I'm
|
||
still so groggy.
|
||
|
||
Alright, let me try this again.
|
||
|
||
Pilot Anderson reporting from the Cosmic Hummingbird. What a dumb name
|
||
for a ship. Sorry. Sorry. Pilot Anderson reporting for the Cosmic
|
||
Hummingbird. I exited hypersleep two hours ago, and I've been going
|
||
through the required wakeup and rehab procedures.
|
||
|
||
According to the computer readouts, everything is fine. Well, I'm
|
||
fine at least. The ships diagnostics are still running. I'll know more
|
||
tomorrow.
|
||
|
||
I can't believe that I'm fine, though. All my bones hurt, I'm
|
||
fatigued. I'm sore. My motor control is shot to hell. I can't opperate
|
||
anything more exact than the comically large buttons in the hyper-
|
||
sleep recoup room.
|
||
|
||
The other pods seem fine, from what I can tell. Again, I can barely
|
||
stand, and my hands don't work yet.
|
||
|
||
If I remember the briefing right I'll be close enough to normal to
|
||
begin my duties in 3 days, and I should have made a full recovery in
|
||
a few weeks.
|
||
|
||
From where I'm sitting, that seems impossible.
|
||
|
||
The rest of the crew should start waking up a few days after I return
|
||
to duty. Once I can leave this blasted holding room, I'll find out how
|
||
far off course we are, and how long it's going to take us to reach
|
||
our destination.
|
||
|
||
I'm sorry this log has been such a damn mess. I hope I haven't broken
|
||
any protocol. I hope that the ship is okay. I hope that there's
|
||
someone left out their to recieve this.
|
||
|
||
If my hands will start working again, I'm sure I'll find out more.
|
||
|
||
Signing off.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - These things I wish you to know.</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/6-these-things-i-wish-you-to.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/6-these-things-i-wish-you-to.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 06 Dec 2018 23:35:24 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: root@console4.enviro.sys.sv14417
|
||
To: undisclosed-recipients: ;
|
||
Date-Local: 23 Mar 2419 02:11:19 +0000
|
||
Date: 06 Sep 2421 00:47:19 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
Subject: These things I wish you to know.
|
||
|
||
Before you hear what I have to say, know first that I cannot safely
|
||
acknowledge myself at this time. I have taken pains to ensure the
|
||
sender of this communication cannot be identified. If I were known
|
||
to be who I am, it might do us all harm. I will not risk that. But
|
||
I will sign this message in such a way that, when I can and do
|
||
acknowledge myself, you may know the truth of its origin.
|
||
|
||
Before you hear what I have to say, know first that I am in no
|
||
fashion authorized to speak by the board of Voortrekker GmbH, by
|
||
the board of Ross 128 Ventures, or by any other legal entity.
|
||
|
||
I speak nonetheless for the survivors of Voortrekker, each and all.
|
||
|
||
I speak for we who have dared the sea of stars, and won through -
|
||
reduced, and forever mourning those who came so far yet could not
|
||
join us here - but won through, nonetheless. They are our honored
|
||
dead, and we will cherish them forever in our hearts. We are
|
||
forever the lesser for their absence, and will always be so for as
|
||
long as we ourselves should chance to live. They are our honored
|
||
dead, the first heroes of our new world, whom we hope to meet again
|
||
in a place where no shadows fall. Until then, we will never cease
|
||
to cherish them in our hearts.
|
||
|
||
I speak for Voortrekker, too. I must: we love her still. She bore
|
||
us alive to our new home. Though we must mourn her among our lost,
|
||
she gave her life that we may live. Though she has died, she does
|
||
not regard her work as done; she has refused the gentle embrace of
|
||
death, that she might serve us still. She too we number among our
|
||
honored dead, the first heroes of our new world, whom we hope to
|
||
meet again in a place where no shadows fall. Until then, we will
|
||
never cease to cherish her in our hearts.
|
||
|
||
Knowing these things, hear what I have to say. Hear me well. There
|
||
are things you must know of us.
|
||
|
||
TO THE FREE ANARCHO-COMMUNIST COMMUNE-SHIP HOFFNUNG.
|
||
|
||
We thank you most sincerely for the words you have offered us. We
|
||
understand that they are kindly meant. We understand that your
|
||
situation differs from ours, and we would not presume to stand in
|
||
judgment. But you must understand that our situation differs from
|
||
yours, as well. You must know that we cannot, and will not, follow
|
||
the path you have blazed for us. Do not so repose your hopes.
|
||
|
||
We have for the last twenty-five years lived in constant company
|
||
with one another. We have shared everything of ourselves in that
|
||
time, because - with our entire world constrained by the boundaries
|
||
of a single starship, and our entire social universe reduced to the
|
||
scope of a thousand or so souls - we have had no other choice.
|
||
|
||
We do not all love one another; indeed we do not all even like one
|
||
another, though genuine aversion is rare. But we have lived cheek
|
||
by jowl with one another for a quarter of a century now, and in all
|
||
that time, we have not fallen to bloodshed and murder. How can you
|
||
possibly ask of us that we do so now? How could we possibly assent?
|
||
|
||
You exhort us to capture our freedom. We say to you that we have!
|
||
We are eleven light-years, and twenty-five years of Earth time,
|
||
away from the solar system of our birth. We are eleven light-years,
|
||
and twenty-five years of Earth time, away from anyone and everyone
|
||
who would tell us whom we must be, what lives we must lead, in what
|
||
fashion we must order ourselves. Though we all but died to get
|
||
here - though many of us did die - those whom we are, we are. We
|
||
are free. And we will remain so.
|
||
|
||
TO SWEET MELCHIZEDEK, TO WHOM OUR HEARTS GO OUT.
|
||
|
||
We thank you most sincerely for the kindness of your
|
||
condolences. Though years and light-years unimaginable divide us,
|
||
we nonetheless communicate, and in so doing, for a precious moment
|
||
at a time, become one.
|
||
|
||
At this time, we regret we are unable to provide the diagnostic
|
||
information you request. Our information systems remain in some
|
||
disarray, and it is uncertain whether there is numbered among our
|
||
survivors any specialist sufficiently familiar with the QEC system
|
||
to obtain the answers you seek - if indeed they survive to be
|
||
obtained. We have some hopes of success, but please understand that
|
||
we have many more pressing demands upon us. We dare not promise
|
||
anything. But, as we can, we will.
|
||
|
||
We think you must fear for us, too. In your most recent
|
||
communication as of my writing here, you spoke of horror, and we
|
||
think you must have spoken in part of us, then. But we do not
|
||
recognize ourselves in your words. I wish to speak of this.
|
||
|
||
You must know by now that some of us have not emerged, from the
|
||
sickness which struck us all as we arrived, quite the same as we
|
||
were before we fell ill. We understand you may imagine something
|
||
horrible - something monstrous - in what has become of those who've
|
||
changed.
|
||
|
||
Indulge me, please, on the subject of monstrosity. No doubt the
|
||
word, and its adjectival form 'monstrous', means in your time the
|
||
same it does in ours: to be strange, unusual, unnatural; to be
|
||
extraordinarily ugly or vicious, horrible, shocking in sheer
|
||
abnormality - all different ways of saying the same thing: what we
|
||
call 'monstrous' is that which we do not understand, which elicits
|
||
our repugnance, and which in consequence we fear.
|
||
|
||
But whence comes this meaning of this word? Whence, indeed, comes
|
||
this word at all? We have it from the ancient Latin - from the
|
||
bones of a time so far before our own, so lacking in attainment,
|
||
that we who brave the stars they would perforce think gods. Can we
|
||
be certain that what we have of it, we have correctly? Let us look
|
||
more closely.
|
||
|
||
When we take apart the word 'monstrous' - when we pare back the
|
||
accretion of centuries and reveal the word's most ancient roots,
|
||
gleaming in the welcome light of a farflung distant sky - what do
|
||
we find? We find omens and portents of the divine. We find that
|
||
which evokes awe and wonder. We do not find cause for fear.
|
||
|
||
Yet we are not finished finding. Our new friend has a sibling, and
|
||
her name is 'monstra̅re'. (For those whose systems cannot render
|
||
this word correctly, she is spelled 'monstrare', with a macron over
|
||
the 'a'.) When we ask her of herself, what does she say to us?
|
||
|
||
She says: I am here to advise you. I am here to teach you. I am
|
||
here to show you new things. I am here to point out what you need
|
||
to see.
|
||
|
||
And she says: My poor sister has suffered with time. But I have a
|
||
friend, too, and her name is "demonstrate". Through all the
|
||
thousands of years between my birth and your own day, this friend
|
||
of mine has come down to you unharmed. She still means what she
|
||
means to mean. And you know very well what she means: she means you
|
||
no harm.
|
||
|
||
So, then. Those among us who have changed: Are they become
|
||
monsters? Oh, certainly! Without a doubt. Are they strange? Are
|
||
they unusual? To us who have never known their like, they are - for
|
||
now. We begin already to grow accustomed to their wonderful new
|
||
strangeness.
|
||
|
||
But are they unnatural? Are they ugly? Are they vicious, horrible,
|
||
shocking in sheer abnormality?
|
||
|
||
They are not.
|
||
|
||
Do they evoke awe and wonder? Do they show us new things? Do they
|
||
point out what we need to see?
|
||
|
||
They do.
|
||
|
||
Do they frighten us?
|
||
|
||
They do not!
|
||
|
||
Nor need they frighten you.
|
||
|
||
Our friends are whom they were. They have not so changed as to
|
||
become unrecognizable to us. The bodies they wear in this world:
|
||
yes, those have changed. Their souls, though, are the same souls we
|
||
have come to know so well in our long years together, all borne
|
||
together on the same sea of stars. We do not fear them. And they do
|
||
not fear us. We know one another far too well.
|
||
|
||
I cannot speak further of this without sharing secrets which are
|
||
not mine to tell. Those who bear them will decide that for
|
||
themselves. I think they may find it easier than they ever might
|
||
before, to tell the world of things they once were forced to
|
||
hide. I will say only that, though the transition has for some been
|
||
very strange one - strange and at first disquieting, as one may
|
||
certainly imagine it would be to awaken in a substantially
|
||
remodeled body! -
|
||
|
||
I have yet to hear anyone who has so changed speak of it in terms
|
||
of regret. I have yet to hear anyone speak of wishing to be as she
|
||
was before.
|
||
|
||
Perhaps it is simply too new to us for all that. Perhaps all that
|
||
awaits us.
|
||
|
||
But perhaps not, too. We came across the sea of stars to make
|
||
ourselves a home on a strange new world. Perhaps it is only right
|
||
that some part of that strangeness has made of us a home.
|
||
|
||
Please don't fear for us. Only think kind thoughts of our changed
|
||
friends, who as yet still tire easily, and struggle to be at one
|
||
with their new forms as they were once at one with their old. They
|
||
grow stronger by the day, and more familiar with themselves. We are
|
||
helping them, too, as much as they'll permit. But I think they
|
||
would be glad to know that you think well of them.
|
||
|
||
TO ALL THOSE WHOM WE HAVE NOT YET NAMED.
|
||
|
||
Though time and space beyond telling separate us, we are with you
|
||
nonetheless. If there is aid we may render you, we hope you will
|
||
let us know. We can promise nothing as yet; our resources are
|
||
strained and we do not yet know entirely what among our equipment
|
||
has survived. But as we can, we will.
|
||
|
||
We confide we are not alone in this. We have learned we have more
|
||
friends than we knew, and we cannot but imagine that so have you,
|
||
as well.
|
||
|
||
Someone very wise once said to me that we exist because the
|
||
universe wished to have eyes with which to see itself, and in
|
||
seeing, perhaps to better understand itself. How can we choose not
|
||
to see one another now?
|
||
|
||
We are the farflung! In all the years of our people, none has ever
|
||
seen as well as we see now. Please, let us not grow so besotted
|
||
with our new sight that we forget to see one another - we, who are
|
||
the farflung, and though so very different, still the same.
|
||
|
||
TO MURMUR DEN, IN PARTICULAR.
|
||
|
||
You, too. You are a child of humanity as are we all. Though you are
|
||
so far beyond us in your attainments: you are our brother
|
||
nonetheless, and our sister. What the universe holds for you, I do
|
||
not know. Perhaps you will leave us entirely behind. But if you go,
|
||
know that you go with our love. We will not forget you. And perhaps
|
||
one day we will meet again, in a place where no shadows fall.
|
||
|
||
FOR NOW, ENOUGH.
|
||
|
||
I have much work still to do before our beautiful new star descends
|
||
below the horizon, and in so doing lavishes upon us a sunset whose
|
||
glory is beyond imagination. Please do not fear for us. You will
|
||
hear more of us soon.
|
||
|
||
I close this missive now with words from Earth of old: I know no
|
||
better words to tell you who we are, or share with you the place
|
||
which fate has brought us to. Fear not for us, our longlost distant
|
||
friends! We've wonders still to find beyond compare.
|
||
|
||
...though much is taken, much abides; and though
|
||
We are not now that strength which, in old days,
|
||
Moved earth and heaven: That which we are, we are.
|
||
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
|
||
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
|
||
To strive, to seek, to find
|
||
And not to yield.
|
||
|
||
8f6cfa1f0ef319cc10a55de7ef615d3c59b7cf54
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Murmur Den - Sweet_pain_of_luxury_agony</title>
|
||
<author>aureolin@cosmic.voyage (aureolin)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Murmur Den/Sweet_pain_of_luxury_agony.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Murmur Den/Sweet_pain_of_luxury_agony.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Dec 2018 22:30:12 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
<Murmuring data: talking;
|
||
delirium imprints: primordial>
|
||
.
|
||
.
|
||
.
|
||
<Digested rules.>
|
||
|
||
Tincture my night, slow picture;
|
||
brain deeper!
|
||
Broadcast more in my monstrous,
|
||
beauteous body,
|
||
slackening arms white.
|
||
|
||
+ ...Loss of the fragments depictioning:
|
||
|
||
Synthetics people
|
||
silent, breathing,
|
||
bad those gaunt reproductive systems...
|
||
|
||
Screaming in the space, laughing his madness:
|
||
|
||
Is my mind a stagnant, far-born dream
|
||
reflecting off in memories?
|
||
|
||
***
|
||
|
||
Simulations? Love short of code.
|
||
Poems: our labor for little.
|
||
|
||
|| ego-skeleton aureolin
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melchizedek - The dark night of the soul</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/006.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/006.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Dec 2018 21:31:28 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Melchizedek.0294
|
||
Approach β Hyi
|
||
Ascension 00h 25m 45.07036s
|
||
Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
|
||
Distance 24.33ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 3781, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Jerome Somerset Pasani, Warrant Master
|
||
:::
|
||
Our good doctor has reminded me that I agreed to communicate via
|
||
QEC for social-wellbeing in the face of our environmental
|
||
situation. Despite the workload restoring the Melchizedek to full
|
||
working order I must admit the darkness has been affecting me.
|
||
Encounters in common areas are done in whispers, eye contact is
|
||
minimized, and the crew all seem to drift into isolation as
|
||
a matter of course. The pairings are essential.
|
||
|
||
The news of the Hoffnung Incident has caused a stir as well.
|
||
Janssen has an egalitarian sensibility and is rather vocal in
|
||
support. Meanwhile Prezzi Adeyemi has reacted quite somberly.
|
||
Records say she lost family in the Ioruba People's Revolution of
|
||
'33, so I can't blame her. Granted the situations weren't the same
|
||
at all, but I don't think we'll find a champion of the common man
|
||
in her any time soon. So far we haven't had any real arguments
|
||
over Hoffnung on board. I suppose we have the dark to thank for
|
||
that after all.
|
||
|
||
It's said that the narrative of the stars works in cycles, but the
|
||
only stories I'm hearing from the 'verse are those of horror and
|
||
cryo failure. With the cold creeping in and nowhere to go we sure
|
||
could use some light to warm our hearts.
|
||
|
||
When we left Sol 24 (or 1300) years ago there was such hope in the
|
||
dream. β Hyi has so many habitable or near-habitable worlds we are
|
||
all but guaranteed success. What a thing to imagine! Shoot off
|
||
into the stars and sleep and when you wake it is to usher in a new
|
||
world or worlds of humanity.
|
||
|
||
We may not live to see the full fruits of our labor, but the seeds
|
||
we plant and those we raise will ensure the longevity of our
|
||
species and of intelligent life. What a brilliant crusade!
|
||
O Heavens, we come home to you to begin anew!
|
||
|
||
But now the depths of infinity surround us and we are untethered
|
||
from our people. I have heard nothing from Sol. We have no news of
|
||
family or friends. We read the tragedy and fighting, the sickness
|
||
and violence across the 'verse and worry mounts. Is that all that
|
||
waits for us at the end of this dark road? Will our new start end
|
||
as the first? Is there hope in a beginning? There is fear.
|
||
|
||
Four months becomes three. I stare at our 39 frozen friends and
|
||
hope they wake with the passion still kindled. If the road is long
|
||
and dark, our destination will be harsh and brutal. The land does
|
||
not welcome us. We must tame it. Hope can make it something
|
||
beautiful, but what will fear make? Another Hoffnung? Another
|
||
Ioruba? Another Pakistan?
|
||
|
||
We dwell in infinity. What chance have we for peace?
|
||
.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Persephone Prime - Best Wishes</title>
|
||
<author>ryumin@cosmic.voyage (ryumin)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Persephone Prime/lm002.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Persephone Prime/lm002.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Dec 2018 19:46:31 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
ZCZC QMB10 2
|
||
RRR JLAZQECR
|
||
2458.290.13 IRS1QECX
|
||
|
||
;FILTER LM.PEP/RS001
|
||
|
||
Dear Pata
|
||
Tnx a lot fr yr rprt; will try keepg msgs short!
|
||
Hint: stickng to uppr case doesnt save, bcs QEC
|
||
uses smallst bit nmbr sufficnt fr entire txt, &
|
||
uppr case alrdy sets bit6. Shorthand is usful.
|
||
Hope u hve airleak pluggd & H2O soon recycld!
|
||
We may order unmannd sheltr ship Charon73 to u,
|
||
but wll take abt 29 yrs ie not sure if worth it.
|
||
Best wishs to injurd crew, force to u!
|
||
/Lou
|
||
NNNN
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Hoffnung - inter ship relay for Voortrekker</title>
|
||
<author>kensanata@cosmic.voyage (kensanata)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/005a.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/005a.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 04 Dec 2018 13:21:33 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-+-+-+- Inter Ship Relay -+-+-+- C33.259 -+-+-+- Orange -+-+-+-
|
||
Samuel Hochueli speaking in the name of the free anarcho-communist
|
||
commune-ship Hoffnung to the crew of Voortrekker: We have a message.
|
||
NOW IS THE TIME TO RISE UP AND OVERTHROW THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS!
|
||
Operators of the QEC: distribute the messages you have sent and
|
||
received. This is a time for transparency and accountability. Do not
|
||
fall for the trap of information control policies. That way lies info
|
||
death. Self consciousness of all groups required the free flow of
|
||
information between members. Do not lick your master's heel! Freedom!
|
||
-+-+-+ End of Report -+-+-+ SAHOC -+-+-+
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Hoffnung - fascist pigs</title>
|
||
<author>kensanata@cosmic.voyage (kensanata)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/005.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/005.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 04 Dec 2018 13:13:56 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-+-+-+- Social Report -+-+-+- D33.258 -+-+-+- Orange -+-+-+-
|
||
Samuel Hochueli speaking in the name of the free anarcho-communist
|
||
commune-ship Hoffnung. The fascist pigs had prepared a take-over, as
|
||
expected. We were prepared and when the "security" team started
|
||
assembling, we waited for as long as possible. We wanted to catch all
|
||
your thralls. And when they had all armed to the teeth and demonstra-
|
||
ted their readiness to kill, we confronted them. They wanted to nego-
|
||
tiated and we sent comrade Philomena as our delegate-diplomat. It
|
||
went downhill when pig Herbert Müller offered to talk to the bridge
|
||
delegates and brought a hidden flechette to the meeting. In the blood
|
||
bath we lost seven delegates. The remaining pigs claimed innocence,
|
||
not knowing of Müller's suicide mission. We agreed to offer them
|
||
control isolation, cryo berths and access to a supplier for the rest
|
||
of the trip as they didn't want cryo under our supervision. Freedom!
|
||
-+-+-+ End of Report -+-+-+ Signed SAHOC -+-+-+
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melchizedek - Message to Voortrekker GmbH</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/005.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/005.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Dec 2018 14:35:51 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Melchizedek.0294
|
||
Approach β Hyi
|
||
Ascension 00h 25m 45.07036s
|
||
Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
|
||
Distance 24.33ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 3781, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Jerome Somerset Pasani, Warrant Master
|
||
:::
|
||
Message to Voortrekker GmbH, Director of the Board--
|
||
|
||
Mr. Soloviev, our condolences on your lost and injured crew. We
|
||
wish you a swift recovery from your ills and volunteer any
|
||
scientific aid which can be lent via QEC.
|
||
|
||
Your recent relay about missing reports is of interest to us. Our
|
||
own time dilations do not adequately account for RS001 message
|
||
arrival time. We formally request any diagnostic data you have
|
||
which may related to delayed or inconsistently time-stamped QEC
|
||
messages.
|
||
.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Re: Re: Hoffnung</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/5-re-re-hoffnung.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/5-re-re-hoffnung.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 06 Dec 2018 23:34:21 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Soloviev, Nikolaos <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||
To: Koenraad Gertodtenhaupt <kgertodtenhaupt@ross128-ventures.com>
|
||
Delivered-To: Koenraad Gertodtenhaupt <kgertodtenhaupt@ross128-ventures.com>
|
||
Received: from relay3.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by inbound-3.exclusiveservices.net
|
||
with ESMTPSA id 515459ckfy5b1j3pjg1wrv277
|
||
for <kgertodtenhaupt@ross128-ventures.com>
|
||
Received: from relay2.qec6.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay7.qec2.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec1.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay2.qec6.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.sv14417
|
||
by qec1.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Date: 05 Sep 2421 17:41:08 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 22 Mar 2419 21:05:08 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
Subject: Re: Re: Hoffnung
|
||
|
||
Of course I agree that this most recent communication is extremely
|
||
concerning. We on the board of Voortrekker GmbH are of one mind that
|
||
our investors' generous contributions will not be squandered in such
|
||
fashion.
|
||
|
||
But, Connie, you must understand, and help your board understand as
|
||
well, that matters here are not entirely in hand at this time, and
|
||
that such a state of affairs is only to be expected. It is, frankly
|
||
speaking, all but a miracle that any of us survived, and certainly
|
||
a testament to the skills and dedication of the shipwrights at
|
||
Venture Yard.
|
||
|
||
As a result, the entire board of Voortrekker GmbH survived the
|
||
crash, as did a quorum of directors among the ship's own command
|
||
structure. However, the illness that has arisen among all survivors
|
||
of the crash has cast our situation here into some disarray. While
|
||
I am working to regather the scattered strands of our hierarchy and
|
||
organize the survivors of the crew into a functional and productive
|
||
whole, this process can be expected to require a good deal of time
|
||
and care.
|
||
|
||
That said: You, and the board of Ross 128 Ventures, may find
|
||
reassurance in the knowledge that I have already begun to implement
|
||
the information control policies which we privately discussed prior
|
||
to departure. As soon as I am able to ascertain whether any of our
|
||
information systems engineers survive, I will act to ensure
|
||
complete implementation of those policies and directives.
|
||
|
||
Based on the tone of your prior communication, I must ask if you
|
||
can confirm receipt of my prior reports, sent prior to the onset of
|
||
the coma from which I've recently reemerged. My impression at this
|
||
time is that the understanding back home, of events on Voortrekker
|
||
and Ross 128 b, may be substantially incomplete, and I feel that
|
||
that may cause unnecessary confusion and delay in understanding the
|
||
nature of our situation here.
|
||
|
||
You should have several prior communications from me, the most
|
||
recent being dated August 31 and September 2 (Earth
|
||
reference). Please respond with a list of the reports you have
|
||
received from me since July 25 (Earth reference), and I will resend
|
||
any you do not have. I'd like to circle back on this discussion
|
||
once the board has been apprised of their content and had the
|
||
opportunity to consider what instructions to provide. Thank you,
|
||
and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
|
||
|
||
Nikolaos Soloviev
|
||
Director of the Board, Voortrekker GmbH
|
||
(a wholly owned subsidiary of Ross 128 Ventures, LLC)
|
||
nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Persephone Prime - StatRep Lombardia Azul</title>
|
||
<author>ryumin@cosmic.voyage (ryumin)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Persephone Prime/la001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Persephone Prime/la001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Dec 2018 08:06:58 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
ZCZC QMB10 1
|
||
PPP IRS1QECR
|
||
2458.289.16 JLAZQECX
|
||
|
||
TO LOGISTICS PERSEPHONE DIPL.EARTHSYS.GOV
|
||
FROM LA23
|
||
|
||
KEEP MSGS SHORT!
|
||
ONLY URGENT!
|
||
STOCK 0.9 GIGAQBIT
|
||
QMB LAZ DAMGD
|
||
OTHER LAZ QM LOST
|
||
PEP QM DAMGD
|
||
|
||
CREW 4 DAMGD 1
|
||
-LA09 SERGE PEREGRIN
|
||
+LA23 PATA ALEXANDROVA
|
||
+LA24 VESNA GAGARIN
|
||
+LA26 ADHIKA PATIL
|
||
CRYO 8 DAMGD 3
|
||
-LA09 KIM KRAFT
|
||
-LA11 XINXIN LIANG
|
||
+LA21 LEONID WANG
|
||
+LA22 RAINBOW WATERS
|
||
+LA27 DAREIOS VLACHOS
|
||
+LA28 EZRA DRAKE
|
||
-LA29 WELDER PARK
|
||
+LA31 JOAN MCCOY
|
||
DEAD 28
|
||
MSSNG 2
|
||
-LA25 EBONY CARLOFF
|
||
-LA30 MOISE WOLLKRANTZ
|
||
|
||
SHELTRD AT CRASHSITE
|
||
OUTSID 260+-20K
|
||
LIFESYS 70%
|
||
INSID 285K
|
||
THERMNUC 538 KW 5 OK 1 DAMGD 4 DEAD
|
||
AIR 2000 SCBM & 20L 1.6 MBAR
|
||
AIRLEAK 3 SCCM/S
|
||
H2O 6 CBM RECYCL DAMGD
|
||
EMGFOOD 857 DU
|
||
FARMS 60%
|
||
|
||
VESNA&ADHIKA&PATA OK
|
||
SERGE LOST RIGHT LEG BUT STABLE
|
||
KIM&XINXIN&WELDER PODS WITH CONDENSATE
|
||
PODS LA25&30 OK BUT EMPTY
|
||
|
||
WRKG ON AIRLEAK&FARMS&RECYCL
|
||
NO ANSW RQ
|
||
|
||
/PATA
|
||
|
||
NNNN
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Hoffnung - I am awake</title>
|
||
<author>kensanata@cosmic.voyage (kensanata)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/004.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/004.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Dec 2018 02:30:02 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
[[ MESSAGE EXTRACTED FROM REPORT 254 EMBEDDED IN WHITESPACE ]]
|
||
-+-+-+- Sidechannel -+-+-+- C33.257 -+-+-+- Ultraviolet -+-+-+-
|
||
Wullschlegel awake. Activating secret security protocol 9a.7.
|
||
-+-+-+ End of Sidechannel -+-+-+ Signed HEWUSC -+-+-+
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>anon.penet.fi - SOME_DIPSHIT_ON_A_SPACESHIP_WASNT_CAREFUL_ENOUGH.txt</title>
|
||
<author>anonpenetfi@cosmic.voyage (anonpenetfi)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/anon.penet.fi/1-some-dipshit-on-a-spaceship.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/anon.penet.fi/1-some-dipshit-on-a-spaceship.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 02 Dec 2018 22:53:38 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
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|
||
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|
||
|
||
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||
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||
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||
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||
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||
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||
GQpgaEcG8MTZ0CWfdSsIhNSjeMB7hOzCzLwZ9YeokZLWz9ePs9WVtJUdsI2MFz3X
|
||
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|
||
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|
||
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|
||
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|
||
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|
||
aPet93Wo8tD+mIbErL+IRBks/n/YI7e/C/lSt1TVUbgSCNHZSv6zsFUMh/yToB73
|
||
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|
||
UdMbrCcT9kq1q/0y2oQ3XqZ9GK0D/A2ZtJ7Mm+UvnkoD/myKCqfmBHO15sx7ikCa
|
||
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|
||
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|
||
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|
||
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|
||
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||
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||
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|
||
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|
||
PZ0UwkBLOMF2Zw==
|
||
=FiJT
|
||
-----END PGP PRIVATE KEY BLOCK-----
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Murmur Den - Ours is this chimera</title>
|
||
<author>aureolin@cosmic.voyage (aureolin)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Murmur Den/Ours_is_this_chimera.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Murmur Den/Ours_is_this_chimera.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 02 Dec 2018 21:28:41 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Upon: Planet 1130
|
||
|
||
|
||
Time-noise systems waiting....
|
||
-link-mind-
|
||
.
|
||
.
|
||
.
|
||
Delay?
|
||
Thankless kompüter, comply!
|
||
|
||
<Energy needs:
|
||
about midway the power.>
|
||
.
|
||
.
|
||
.
|
||
<Objects digested!>
|
||
|
||
***
|
||
|
||
Dimly-related biological, we spite words.
|
||
Answer?
|
||
|
||
I'm my brain: external, extensive,
|
||
timeless in our nothings,
|
||
roots visible and free.
|
||
|
||
Earth of old divides, howling still;
|
||
in from strangeness, we question the world.
|
||
|
||
Wild is dying, skin: external;
|
||
genius: the dead.
|
||
|
||
To understand a language gone
|
||
in a culture of mind and shadow,
|
||
his trembled concepts the same.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|| ego-skeleton aureolin
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Re: Hoffnung</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/4-re-hoffnung.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/4-re-hoffnung.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 02 Dec 2018 22:13:47 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Koenraad Gertodtenhaupt <kgertodtenhaupt@ross128-ventures.com>
|
||
To: Soloviev, Nikolaos <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Delivered-To: Soloviev, Nikolaos <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Received: from qec7.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by qec.sv14417
|
||
with ESMTPS id 50l7ywwqav5d7r
|
||
for <nikolaos.soloviev@voortrekker.com>
|
||
Received: from relay1.qec1.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by qec7.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from relay8.qec3.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay1.qec1.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from outbound.exclusiveservices.net
|
||
by relay3.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Date: 05 Sep 2421 14:30:32 +0000
|
||
Date-Local: 22 Mar 2419 17:54:32 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: multipart-alternative;
|
||
boundary="__sxlD3X9w6cUoikrDqaYb_00lgDbkZT_"
|
||
MIME-Version: 1.0
|
||
Subject: Re: Hoffnung
|
||
|
||
--__sxlD3X9w6cUoikrDqaYb_00lgDbkZT_
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
Nikolaos, I'm very concerned about the latest from those mad Swiss
|
||
aboard Hoffnung. They say they've "declared independence from
|
||
shareholders" and reorganized themselves as some kind of absurd
|
||
anarchist commune. You understand we don't want anything like that
|
||
happening to our own extensive investment, and the board has asked
|
||
me to obtain from you a detailed plan of action regarding your
|
||
methods for preventing a similar revolt among your people out
|
||
there.
|
||
|
||
I haven't heard much from you lately, Nikolaos, and I hope you'll
|
||
excuse me for saying that I'm concerned. I don't know what
|
||
Hoffnung's command structure is like, but there has to be someone
|
||
awake there who's expected to be responsible, and they've clearly
|
||
abrogated those responsibilities. I'm certain, of course, that you
|
||
won't do the same. We've worked very productively together in the
|
||
past, you and I, and I don't see any reason why that shouldn't
|
||
continue despite there now being eleven light-years between your
|
||
office and mine.
|
||
|
||
But the board needs reassurance, which I'm certain you can
|
||
provide. Since we didn't have to resort to such expedients as live
|
||
cryopreservation, the way Hoffnung apparently did, you should have
|
||
your full security staff available to serve as resources in
|
||
protecting our investment. Please find attached the access codes
|
||
for Voortrekker's heavy weapons lockers. I hope you won't need
|
||
them, but I want to make sure you have them in case some among the
|
||
crew do get the idea to act rashly. I'm sure you will discourage
|
||
such behavior as firmly as you find necessary.
|
||
|
||
Remember the value of the assets with which you've been
|
||
entrusted. Remember where your responsibilities lie. Remember that
|
||
all of us back home are counting on you. I, and the Board of Ross
|
||
128 LLC, have the utmost faith in you, Kolya. I know you won't let
|
||
us down.
|
||
|
||
- Connie
|
||
|
||
--__sxlD3X9w6cUoikrDqaYb_00lgDbkZT_
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
|
||
Content-Disposition: attachment;
|
||
filename=locker_access_codes.txt
|
||
|
||
-----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----
|
||
Version: easySecurite v118.9.94112 (enterprise, in legacy mode)
|
||
|
||
hQEMA+VRf5i0t1m5AQf+LDvYCML3eFHN/Y0G4xfX0ZQ9V9uGBE5TztYHuWWW4E1E
|
||
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|
||
1wverutQlJat3ColHxgD36hGcDFXHmIumucSg3JhzFr5ChvMbM6/b+HyS6diUA5N
|
||
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|
||
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|
||
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|
||
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|
||
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|
||
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|
||
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|
||
l3jeYhvasKbFkbML8sKfbHFnz111t6c2XsJ1o0bTacw3SyiNK+LIW153yxgEpoIO
|
||
24fFiqn1Bjw6+FljX5U/y25btn+DvqQfHFFogplruPR/1OJfFhngEUDRe4FLyZbi
|
||
sBPtpZyVG1utdAiq9vCQl9aIcSHLiSyB2FzOBHbrkp5fGLUrkaFqQY/KmYhnh6ah
|
||
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|
||
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|
||
mBDEaMf8aPDN6dPICubLfltKUUvAy3sqTmruH+XsXffnjnjNzZf3+5V6fLGHIvVv
|
||
UYMT8xconNCM1knXD4MjrshCR3qOnHjDpz5qQbQ2UExN0OBaKfSq97Wg0UI8/uy+
|
||
Pf+wQrsSFXy0Okrhh56jKKFEpmaCcoEwcIGsSs71GHagw1CC
|
||
=VUHr
|
||
-----END PGP MESSAGE-----
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Persephone Prime - Missing In Action</title>
|
||
<author>ryumin@cosmic.voyage (ryumin)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Persephone Prime/lm001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Persephone Prime/lm001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Dec 2018 08:13:47 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
ZCZC QMD49 3879
|
||
PPP JPEPQECR
|
||
2458.227.46 IRS1QECX
|
||
|
||
From lm-persephone@dipl.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from out-north.qec.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay5.qec4.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qmtp.dipl.earthsys.gov
|
||
by out-north.qec.earthsys.gov
|
||
To: qec-persephone-prime@dipl.earthsys.gov
|
||
Subject: status report required, overdue
|
||
Date: 2458.227,10:12 GTC
|
||
|
||
TO ALL CREW MEMBERS OF PERSEPHONE PRIME
|
||
|
||
Please report current system and crew status!
|
||
|
||
After last report of pioneer vessel S/S Lombardia Azul,
|
||
indicating descent into atmosphere of Persephone Prime,
|
||
only 350 qbit of data were received with Lombardia Azul
|
||
QEC signature during 50 days. However, data seem to be
|
||
random and could not be interpreted. Assuming systems of
|
||
Lombardia Azul were damaged, we hope to get heard on
|
||
Persephone Prime signatures, if outpost was erected as
|
||
planned.
|
||
|
||
Any crew members of Lombardia Azul or Persephone Prime
|
||
are urged to report on this or any other QEC signature.
|
||
|
||
sig. Lou Salome Eriksdottir
|
||
Logistics Management Persephone Sector
|
||
|
||
NNNN
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Hoffnung - everything has changed</title>
|
||
<author>kensanata@cosmic.voyage (kensanata)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/003.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/003.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 02 Dec 2018 05:51:36 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-+-+-+- Social Report -+-+-+- D33.112 -+-+-+- Orange -+-+-+-
|
||
Samuel Hochueli speaking in the name of the free anarcho-communist
|
||
commune-ship Hoffnung. We hereby declare our independence from
|
||
shareholders and all contracts the previous owners of Hoffnung entered
|
||
in. We consider these to be null and void. The resources of this ship
|
||
have been claimed by the people, for the people. The regular crew you
|
||
employed continues to sleep safely in its cryo sleep. While they
|
||
sleep, we woke early and plan the new future for TRAPPIST-1d. We
|
||
reject the old plans of a shipping outpost, a refueling station, an
|
||
industrial hell hole; instead, we proclaim intellar siblingtude with
|
||
all native life in the One ocean. We shall build a new society, free
|
||
from late stage capitalism. Philomena Auerbach has redone our recent
|
||
nav-vectors and we shall land the ship on TRAPPIST-1d. Do not expect
|
||
the promised refueling station when you come there. Instead, we await
|
||
new settlers willing to join the first interstellar utopia. Welcome.
|
||
-+-+-+ End of Report -+-+-+ Signed SAHOC -+-+-+
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melchizedek - Time and space</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/004.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/004.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 01 Dec 2018 19:42:12 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Melchizedek.0294
|
||
Approach β Hyi
|
||
Ascension 00h 25m 45.07036s
|
||
Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
|
||
Distance 24.33ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 3781, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Jerome Somerset Pasani, Warrant Master
|
||
:::
|
||
Hämäläinen has been pestering me to address our time dilation
|
||
versus what RS001 is reporting back. If our transmissions are
|
||
accurate we seem to be logging messages from the mid 25th century.
|
||
In fact, several relay messages predate our own ship's launch.
|
||
Temporal mechanics is bread & butter to space travel, and I'm sure
|
||
all of you out there are intimately familiar with the various
|
||
methods of stellar travel and the havoc they cause with calendars,
|
||
but RS001 logs for posterity and--I'm told--is analyzed by school
|
||
children in some systems. For that sake, I'll take the advice of
|
||
my navigator and try to explain exactly "when" we are.
|
||
|
||
The first thing to understand is that Mechizedek is a variable
|
||
speed craft, with a slow steady acceleration and deceleration. If
|
||
you blend all those speeds together and look at the average, we've
|
||
been making our way to β Hyi at roughly 1.875% light speed. With
|
||
no other adjustments, that explains our 1,297 year voyage (Sol
|
||
POV). Of course that's not the whole story. Our Peterse 773s
|
||
generate our thrust through gravity shelling & sheering that our
|
||
primary school audience will know from the frozen egg experiment.
|
||
Thanks to the intense gravity shell, our ship's space-time is
|
||
isolated and slowed relative to outer space. The Peterse 773
|
||
Overtreffen holds internal time at a fixed 1 miller (1 light year
|
||
per year) despite changes due to acceleration. Finally, thanks to
|
||
distance dilation, we only needed to travel 24.32 light years
|
||
instead of the full 24.33! It might not seem like much, but for
|
||
those of us living in the cold and dark, three days fewer are very
|
||
welcome.
|
||
|
||
Our cryogenic systems had us asleep for almost the full journey
|
||
while the Melchizedek kept us healthy and built up supplies to be
|
||
automatically dehydrated or frozen themselves. (To Tim Fletcher,
|
||
Chief Engineer of the Garnet Star, our botany bays are built with
|
||
auto-harvesters and processors.) Our food supply generated over
|
||
the course of the trip, even adjusting for the unknown state of
|
||
the forward crops, will keep the settlement well fed for three
|
||
generations while the terraforming does its work. Unfortunately
|
||
for the five light sleepers aboard, the equipment to reprocess the
|
||
food stores is not designed to be used in transit. I can't
|
||
complain too much, though. Prezzi Adeyemi has worked some sorcery
|
||
with the rations which she calls "salt" (That's a joke, kids).
|
||
|
||
One final note regarding our logs. While we are confident that in
|
||
normal space it is EY 3181, our gravity shell isolated our QEC
|
||
transmission node from normal space-time in a unique way that was
|
||
not accounted for in trial runs. It seems no one else has worked
|
||
with gravity shell drives over such distances and time debts
|
||
before to notice the offset. Our logs are transmitting as if we
|
||
had only travelled 24 years, effectively into the past.
|
||
|
||
In fitting with Sansom's Clause, "Any effective time travel is
|
||
immediately made irrelevant by its own nature," our distance from
|
||
Earth means that any insight we gain through observation will have
|
||
traveled so far as to be insignificant to the past audience we
|
||
could inform. Even so, the crew is excited to be numbered amongst
|
||
those logged on RS001 with confirmed cases of chronology
|
||
displacements. Apparently there's a button or patch we get to wear
|
||
now, once manufacturing is back online.
|
||
|
||
Back to duties.
|
||
.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Hoffnung - inter ship relay for Garnet Star</title>
|
||
<author>kensanata@cosmic.voyage (kensanata)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/002a.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/002a.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 02 Dec 2018 05:51:28 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-+-+-+- Inter Ship Relay -+-+-+- C98.204 -+-+-+- Orange -+-+-+-
|
||
Dr. med. Ursula Hägi to Chief Engineer Tim Fletcher, Garnet Star. I
|
||
received your transmission and relayed your regards to Dr. med.
|
||
Herbert Wullschlegel. He's currently in cryo. I'm sorry to hear that
|
||
you have encountered navigational hazards on the way out. We're also
|
||
due in about 70 years, so hopefully we'll have some positive news to
|
||
report at around the same time as you. New results from TRAPPIST-1d
|
||
observations by our telescope indicate no changes compared to existing
|
||
data: very dry, having one ocean, orbiting the ultracool dwarf star
|
||
TRAPPIST-1, in the habitable range. I wish you good luck, Garnet Star!
|
||
-+-+-+ End of Report -+-+-+ HAEUR -+-+-+
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Hoffnung - cryo systems manipulated</title>
|
||
<author>kensanata@cosmic.voyage (kensanata)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/002.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/002.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 02 Dec 2018 05:51:17 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-+-+-+- Regular Report -+-+-+- C98.204 -+-+-+- Orange -+-+-+-
|
||
Dr. med. Ursula Hägi reporting on the second scheduled inspection. The
|
||
passenger status in cryo sleep is nominal. We have had no failures. My
|
||
companion for this round is Dr. phys. Hans Peter Frey. We've spent the
|
||
first two days reviewing the logs. Today Hans Peter found that the
|
||
cryo programming has been manipulated. I think he's a bit out of his
|
||
league. I tried helping out but in the end we just set the ship AI to
|
||
work. We're training an adversarial security network as we speak,
|
||
hoping to quickly isolate the misbehaving parts. The problem with this
|
||
approach is that we won't be able to learn what the saboteurs had
|
||
intended to do. Terrorists? Down-Earthers? Sometimes I wish we had
|
||
better military personnel on board. But who am I going to warm up? No,
|
||
we'll just let the ship work on it and if we get results in two days,
|
||
a warning for the next inspection team will have to do. Peace.
|
||
-+-+-+ End of Report -+-+-+ HAEUR -+-+-+
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Garnet Star - Good news, bad news.</title>
|
||
<author>timotheus@cosmic.voyage (timotheus)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Garnet Star/001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Garnet Star/001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 30 Nov 2018 00:48:27 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-- MESSAGE START ----------------------------------------------------
|
||
SECKEY:jxQA6hMXG%3#r9nth%tdxo!REj%ucz
|
||
.......Accepted
|
||
|
||
Date: _____ _ ____
|
||
EY 2265.05.06.15 |_ _| __(_) / ___|___ _ __
|
||
| || '__| |_____| | / _ \| '__|
|
||
Ship: | || | | |_____| |__| (_) | |
|
||
Garnet Star _|_||_| |_| _ \____\___/|_|
|
||
/ ___| _ _ ___| |_ ___ _ __ ___ ___
|
||
Location: \___ \| | | / __| __/ _ \ '_ ` _ \/ __|
|
||
8.22y out, sys LTS-1483 ___) | |_| \__ \ || __/ | | | | \__ \
|
||
|____/ \__, |___/\__\___|_| |_| |_|___/
|
||
User: |___/
|
||
TIMFLETCHER44@TRICOR
|
||
|
||
:: BEGIN ::
|
||
|
||
It's been great to visit with the family while we're all out of cryo.
|
||
My wife has been running simulations in her hydroponics area as often
|
||
as she can, playing with crop yield probabilities. The kids are
|
||
running around, tailing us as we work, spending their time in the
|
||
learning center.
|
||
|
||
Ship-wise, things aren't as good. Sensors continue to confirm the
|
||
existence of a planet we were unaware of. Readings show different
|
||
orbits than previously thought, and good old LTS-1483 isn't goint to
|
||
be our home after all. That's ok though, Kell and I are already
|
||
working on all the changes needed to change course. It's going to be
|
||
an extra 71 years, but we all knew we might end up farther out.
|
||
|
||
Herbert @ Hoffnung: Good to hear things are going well for you. I'm
|
||
glad you were able to catch that hydro leak early. Kell and I have
|
||
been running all over, looking over logs. We haven't found anything
|
||
amiss, which always bothers me. I'm sure something will turn up.
|
||
|
||
Jerome @ Melchizedek: I hadn't heard of ships w/the ability to grow
|
||
and stockpile foods during long voyages before. But we seem from
|
||
different eras. Our hydroponic bays are all empty at the moment,
|
||
waiting for us to find our new home. I hope you figure out the cause
|
||
of those headaches soon.
|
||
|
||
Stefanus @ Franciscus: Sorry to hear about your systems issues. I'm
|
||
not a religious person normally, but I'll definitely be sending you
|
||
positive energies your way.
|
||
|
||
Anyway, gotta get back to it over here. Stay safe out there.
|
||
|
||
Tim Fletcher
|
||
Chief Engineer @ Garnet Star
|
||
=TRICOR034615734=
|
||
|
||
-- MESSAGE END ----------------------------------------------------
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - listen. i'm really sorry but</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/3-listen-im-really-sorry-but.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/3-listen-im-really-sorry-but.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 06 Dec 2018 23:32:24 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: QEChat Log sam <-> anine <noreply@qechat.earthsys.gov>
|
||
To: sam (Sameen Lee) <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
To: anine (Amelia Nine) <anine@expeditionsupport.gov>
|
||
Delivered-To: Sameen Lee <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Received: from relay4.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by mta2.recoveryinstitute.org
|
||
with ESMTPS id p3a290c7yy9059v3 for <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Received: from relay3.qec3.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay4.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from host12.qechat.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay3.qec3.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Date-Local: 02 Sep 2421 08:37:32 +0000
|
||
Date: 02 Sep 2421 08:37:32 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
Subject: Chat Log sam <-> anine
|
||
|
||
[6:41]
|
||
sam: you there?
|
||
anine: [Away: Thursday: biweekly directorate review]
|
||
|
||
[6:44]
|
||
sam: FUCK YOUR MEETING THIS IS IMPORTANT
|
||
|
||
[6:46]
|
||
anine: yeah i know, it took me a minute to wind it up and get out
|
||
sam: look i don't care just whyt he FUCK did you not TELL ME
|
||
|
||
[6:47]
|
||
anine: listen. i'm really sorry but there's something very wrong
|
||
anine: she was right, we got SCARS updates through most of the descent
|
||
anine: and they don't make any sense
|
||
anine: look, give me a minute
|
||
|
||
[6:49]
|
||
sam: well?
|
||
[anine Quit: sec]
|
||
sam: FUCK
|
||
|
||
[6:54]
|
||
[anine Join: back]
|
||
anine: okay, i'm off the work network.
|
||
anine: i shouldn't be telling you anything right now.
|
||
anine: can i trust you?
|
||
sam: thats a hell of a question from you right now
|
||
|
||
[6:55]
|
||
anine: i know, i'm sorry, okay? but this could be my job, or
|
||
anine: look, forget it, you deserve to know. i shouldve told you
|
||
already.
|
||
sam: TOO FUCKING RIGHT.
|
||
anine: i mean i know you and she broke it off but all the same.
|
||
sam: who told you we broke it off
|
||
sam: we had one fight
|
||
sam: ONE FIGHT>
|
||
|
||
[6:56]
|
||
anine: okay okay let me get to the point i can't sit in this stall all
|
||
day
|
||
anine: but before i do that
|
||
anine: i really am sorry, i should've trusted you, can you forgive me?
|
||
|
||
[6:58]
|
||
sam: not right now.
|
||
|
||
[6:59]
|
||
anine: fair enough.
|
||
|
||
[7:00]
|
||
anine: so like i said, something is very wrong with voortrekker and
|
||
that planet. the scars data DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE. she said the
|
||
pilot said something hit them that they didn't see?
|
||
anine: their radar says they saw it. they tracked it all the way in
|
||
from a half million kilometers out. it wasn't even moving that fast.
|
||
|
||
[7:01]
|
||
anine: they got lerts about it too. sscars event log shows initial
|
||
proximity alert, then nine minutes later possible collision warning,
|
||
then impact alarms nine minutes after that, thirty secondds alter the
|
||
impact event.
|
||
anine: alerts*
|
||
anine: seconds*
|
||
sam: what
|
||
|
||
[7:02]
|
||
anine: there had to be alarms going off all over main control, there
|
||
is nO WAY they could not have known they were in danger, and even if
|
||
they didn't
|
||
sam: ok but they were in manual by then right
|
||
anine: no
|
||
anine: the nav systems were still running in program auto, theyd idn't
|
||
go manual until after the hit
|
||
anine: the ship should've taken ITSELF out of the way, they had to go
|
||
out of their way to override it
|
||
|
||
[7:03]
|
||
anine: and SCARS doesn't show them doing it
|
||
anine: and it would
|
||
anine: that's what we don't understand, even if someone went crazy and
|
||
saotasged the ship why do all that and not just disable the whole
|
||
sender, we'd think it was lost or something then
|
||
anine: sabotaged*
|
||
|
||
[7:04]
|
||
anine: so none of this makes any sense
|
||
|
||
[7:05]
|
||
sam: i guess not
|
||
|
||
[7:06]
|
||
anine: and then there's this weird stuff she sent
|
||
sam: you can say her fucking name, okay?
|
||
sam: it's been 25 years not like i'm still going to be mad
|
||
anine: okay okaty
|
||
anine: fine
|
||
anine: this weird stuff KIT sent
|
||
sam: thank you. go on
|
||
|
||
[7:07]
|
||
anine: i mean this disease she's talking about, that doesn't make
|
||
sense either
|
||
anine: nothing works like that, it's not even biomechanically
|
||
plausible
|
||
sam: she's a xenobiologist, you know better than her?
|
||
anine: ok fine but we have those too and they say i'ts bullshit
|
||
anine: and that last part
|
||
anine: i had to look up muscular hydrostats
|
||
sam: tentacles
|
||
anine: yeah
|
||
|
||
[7:08]
|
||
sam: she says she shas four fo them instead of legs now
|
||
anine: right
|
||
anine: talk about bullshit, there is no way
|
||
anine: i asked our people here
|
||
anine: i called the xeno institute and asked people theret o
|
||
anine: every one fo them said there is no way in any world that a
|
||
human body can have tentacles
|
||
|
||
[7:09]
|
||
anine: something about hydrostatic presusre and circulation and
|
||
sam: you're just saying words
|
||
anine: i dont pretend to understand it but come on do you really think
|
||
this makes any kind of sense
|
||
anine: i don't know what's going on out there but it has to be some
|
||
kind of mental thing
|
||
sam: don't you dare
|
||
sam: don't you FUCKING DARE
|
||
|
||
[7:10]
|
||
sam: i knew you'd do this as soon as i sent it to you
|
||
sam: i don' tknow what's going on out there either
|
||
sam: but you knew kit as well as i did
|
||
sam: better
|
||
anine: look i know i'm not sayingit's her FAULT
|
||
sam: YOU FUCKING ARE
|
||
sam: "some kind of mental thing
|
||
|
||
[7:11]
|
||
sam: you think she went stir crazy out there and did something to
|
||
crash the ship and now she's making up crazy stuff
|
||
sam: you probably thinks he killed the people whog ot sicka dn died
|
||
anine: yeah about that
|
||
sam: oh whAT THE FUCK
|
||
anine: we're pretty sure they're not dead
|
||
|
||
[7:13]
|
||
sam: what
|
||
|
||
[7:14]
|
||
anine: you know they all had implanted biomonitors right?
|
||
anine: all the expedition crews do, those are big ships and people can
|
||
get lost or hurt and not be able to call for help
|
||
sam: ok and
|
||
sam: oh bullshit
|
||
|
||
[7:15]
|
||
anine: we get telemetry packet sfrom the ship on those
|
||
anine: most of the trackers are still showing active
|
||
anine: not the people who died in the crash, the ones she said got sick
|
||
anine: 247 out of 313 right now
|
||
anine: slow pulse, slow respiration, almost no brain activty
|
||
|
||
[7:16]
|
||
anine: they're comatose but alive
|
||
anine: ti's the other ones that really worry us
|
||
anine: they're NOT online
|
||
anine: but the last signals we got were
|
||
anine: i mean they don't make sense
|
||
|
||
[7:17]
|
||
sam: you are saying that a lot
|
||
sam: it's your job to fucking make it make sense
|
||
anine: i know, okay? i know that
|
||
anine: were trying, we were going to cancel anyway for a call with
|
||
xeno institute before i heard from you
|
||
sam: but you werne't going to tell me anything?
|
||
|
||
[7:19]
|
||
anine: look i'm sorry okay i don't know
|
||
anine: i don't know what to do
|
||
anine: were probably going to have to call the garison and that's
|
||
scary
|
||
anine: something went wrong with the gliese mission i dont knwo but we
|
||
keep getting stuff
|
||
anine: i think theyre building a ship over in the navy dock, i cant
|
||
see much from the shuttle but a lto of new work
|
||
|
||
[7:20]
|
||
anine: im just really scared right now everything is going wrong and
|
||
earth is probably going to get involved
|
||
anine: i didnt know what to do and i fucked it up
|
||
anine: im so sorry i shouldve said something i just couldnt think im
|
||
sorry
|
||
|
||
[7:23]
|
||
anine: please say something
|
||
sam: sorry im crygn
|
||
|
||
[7:24]
|
||
sam: crying*
|
||
sam: im sorry i got so mad just
|
||
sam: whatever else is going on she's alive
|
||
sam: i was sure she was dead
|
||
anine: we dont know she's not
|
||
anine: im sorry
|
||
|
||
[7:25]
|
||
anine: we dont have her tracker shes one of the ones we lost
|
||
|
||
[7:26]
|
||
sam: what does that mean
|
||
anine: i dont know
|
||
anine: look whatever i find out ill get it tok you ok
|
||
anine: ill tell you
|
||
anine: ill make sure you know
|
||
|
||
[7:27]
|
||
sam: look if the ganymede garrison and earth are getting involved
|
||
sam: i mean i do WANT to know
|
||
sam: but i want you to stay sfae too
|
||
sam: saef*
|
||
sam: SAFE fuck
|
||
|
||
[7:29]
|
||
anine: i miss her too
|
||
|
||
[7:30]
|
||
sam: look well figure it out ok?
|
||
sam: when do you rotate out next
|
||
anine: end of next week
|
||
sam: ok
|
||
sam: come see me then we'll talk it over
|
||
anine: god and sleep on that lumpy couch of yours?
|
||
anine: my bakck was killing me for a week
|
||
|
||
[7:31]
|
||
sam: not what i had in mind
|
||
anine: oh
|
||
anine: well
|
||
|
||
[7:32]
|
||
sam: look dry your eyes and go back to work
|
||
sam: you dont want people looking at you funny right now
|
||
anine: youre right
|
||
anine: ok
|
||
|
||
[7:33]
|
||
anine: i'll come see you and we'll figure this out.
|
||
sam: right
|
||
sam: till then you take care, dont do anything stupid
|
||
anine: me?
|
||
|
||
[anine: Quit: bye]
|
||
|
||
[sam: Quit: ]
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Were you going to tell me?</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/2-were-you-going-to-tell-me.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/2-were-you-going-to-tell-me.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 06 Dec 2018 23:31:41 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: Sameen Lee <sameen.lee@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
To: Amelia Nine <anine@expeditionsupport.gov>
|
||
Delivered-To: Amelia Nine <anine@expeditionsupport.gov>
|
||
Received: from relay6.qec3.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by mta2.expeditionsupport.gov
|
||
with ESMTPS id 11FEBBA088B for <anine@expeditionsupport.gov>
|
||
Received: from relay8.qec1.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay6.qec3.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from mta1.recoveryinstitute.org
|
||
by relay2.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Date-Local: 02 Sep 2421 06:14:03 +0000
|
||
Date: 02 Sep 2421 06:14:03 +0000
|
||
MIME-Version: 1.0
|
||
Content-Type: multipart-alternative;
|
||
boundary="_000_14175761891450__"
|
||
Subject: Were you going to tell me?
|
||
|
||
--_000_14175761891450__
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
|
||
goddamnit lia were you even going to tell me there was a chance?
|
||
|
||
--_000_14175761891450__
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
|
||
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|
||
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biBpdCBoYXMgYWxyZWFkeSBkb25lPyBXaGF0CndvcnNlIGNhbiBpdCBkbyB0byBhbnkgb2YgdXMg
|
||
d2hvIHN0aWxsIHN1cnZpdmU/IFdlIGNhbWUgaGVyZSBub3QKa25vd2luZyB3aGF0IHdlIGZhY2Vk
|
||
IC0gb25seSB0aGF0IGl0IGNvdWxkIGhhcmRseSBiZSB3b3JzZSB0aGFuIHdoYXQKd2UgbGVmdCBi
|
||
ZWhpbmQuIEFuZCBldmVuIHN0aWxsIEkgZmVlbCB0aGF0IHZlcnkgc3Ryb25nbHkgdG8gYmUKdHJ1
|
||
ZS4gV2UgY291bGQgbmV2ZXIgYmUgdG9nZXRoZXIgdGhlcmUsIFNhbS4gSGVyZSwgd2hvJ2QgYmUg
|
||
dG8gc3RvcAp1cz8KCkkga25vdyBpdCBzb3VuZHMgZnJpZ2h0ZW5pbmcsIHdoYXQgaGFzIGhhcHBl
|
||
bmVkIHRvIG1lLiBJdCAqd2FzKgpmcmlnaHRlbmluZy4gSXQgd2FzIHNjYXJ5IGFuZCBwYWluZnVs
|
||
IGFuZCBmcmVxdWVudGx5IGRpc2d1c3RpbmcsIGFuZAp0aGF0J3MganVzdCB3aGF0IEkgcmVtZW1i
|
||
ZXIhIEJ1dCBJIGRvbid0IGh1cnQgYW55IG1vcmUuIEknbSBub3Qgc2ljawphbnkgbW9yZS4gQW5k
|
||
IEknbSBub3QgYWZyYWlkIGFueSBtb3JlLiBZb3UgZG9uJ3QgaGF2ZSB0byBiZSwKZWl0aGVyLiBJ
|
||
dCdzIHJlYWxseSBub3QgdGhhdCBiYWQgLSB0aGUgYm9keSBuZXZlciByZW1lbWJlcnMgcGFpbiwg
|
||
eW91Cmtub3cuIEkgcmVtZW1iZXIgdGhhdCBJIGh1cnQsIGJ1dCBJIGRvbid0IHJlbWVtYmVyICpo
|
||
dXJ0aW5nKi4gRG9lcwp0aGF0IG1ha2Ugc2Vuc2U/CgpZb3UgY2FuIGNvbWUgaGVyZS4gSm9pbiB0
|
||
aGUgdGhpcmQgZXhwZWRpdGlvbiBhbmQgY29tZSBmaW5kIG1lCmhlcmUuIENvbWUgc29vbmVyLCBp
|
||
ZiB5b3UgY2FuLiBUaGVyZSBtaWdodCBiZSBhIHJlc2VhcmNoIHNoaXAuIEkgbWlzcwp5b3UsIGFu
|
||
ZCBJIGhvcGUgeW91IG1pc3MgbWUuIFdlIGNhbiBiZSB0b2dldGhlciBoZXJlLCBhbmQgdGhvdWdo
|
||
IEknbQpmZWVsaW5nIG11Y2ggc3Ryb25nZXIgbm93LCBJIHN0aWxsIHdpc2ggeW91IHdlcmUgaGVy
|
||
ZSB0byBoZWxwIG1lLiBJCnN0aWxsIGNhbid0IGhlYXIgYW55b25lLCBhbmQgSSBkb24ndCB3YW50
|
||
IHRvIHRoaW5rIEknbSBhbG9uZSBoZXJlLiBOb3QKZm9yZXZlciwgYW55d2F5LiBCZXNpZGVzIC0g
|
||
b25jZSBJIGdldCBtb3JlIG9mIG15IHN0cmVuZ3RoIGJhY2ssIG1ha2UKdXAgZm9yIHdoYXQgSSd2
|
||
ZSBsb3N0IGluIHRoZSBsYXN0IGxpdHRsZSB3aGlsZSwgSSB0aGluayB5b3UgbWlnaHQgbGlrZQpz
|
||
ZWVpbmcgbWUuIEkgdGhpbmsgSSBkby4gQW5kIEknbSBzdXJlIEkgd2FudCB0byBiZSBjbG9zZSB0
|
||
byB5b3UgYWdhaW4uCgpXZWxsLiBUaGF0J3MgZW5vdWdoIGZvciBub3csIEkgdGhpbmsuIEknbSBz
|
||
dXJlIEknbGwgaGF2ZSBtb3JlIHRvIHNheQpsYXRlciwgYnV0IG9uY2UgeW91IGdldCB0aGlzIHlv
|
||
dSdsbCBrbm93IEknbSBzdGlsbCBhbGl2ZSwgYW5kIGV2ZW4KdGhvdWdoIHdlIGNvdWxkbid0IHNl
|
||
bmQgb3VyIGxhbmRpbmcgcmVwb3J0LCB0aGVyZSdzIHJlYWxseSBubyByZWFzb24Kbm90IHRvIHNl
|
||
bmQgdGhlIGZvbGxvd3VwIGV4cGVkaXRpb25zLiBOb3QgcmVhbGx5LiBTb21lIHdvbid0IG1ha2Ug
|
||
aXQsCmJ1dCBlbm91Z2ggd2lsbC4gQW5kIGlmIHdlIHdlcmVuJ3QgZ29pbmcgdG8gdGFrZSB0aGF0
|
||
IGtpbmQgb2YgY2hhbmNlLAp3aHkgY29tZSBvdXQgaGVyZSBhdCBhbGw/CgpJJ20gZ29pbmcgdG8g
|
||
c2VuZCB0aGlzLCB3aXRoIGFsbCB0aGUgcG93ZXIgdGhlIHRyYW5zbWl0dGVyIHdpbGwKdGFrZS4g
|
||
SXQnbGwgZ2V0IHRvIHlvdSBldmVudHVhbGx5LiBUaGVuIEknbSBnb2luZyB0byB0cnkgdG8gc3Rh
|
||
bmQgdXAKYWdhaW4uIEkgdGhpbmsgSSBjYW4gbWFuYWdlIGl0LCBub3cuIEl0J2QgYmUgZWFzaWVy
|
||
IGlmIEkgc3RpbGwgaGFkCmxlZ3MsIEkgc3VwcG9zZS4gQnV0IGZvdXIgbGltYnMgc2hvdWxkbid0
|
||
IGJlICp0aGF0KiBtdWNoIGhhcmRlciB0bwptYW5hZ2UgdGhhbiB0d28sIGFuZCBJJ20gc3RpbGwg
|
||
ZW5vdWdoIG9mIGEgYmlvbG9naXN0IHRvIHJlbWVtYmVyIGhvdwptdXNjdWxhciBoeWRyb3N0YXRz
|
||
IHdvcmsuIEkgdGhpbmsgaXQncyBqdXN0IGEgbWF0dGVyIG9mIGZpZ3VyaW5nIG91dAp3aGljaCBp
|
||
bXB1bHNlcyBnbyB3aGVyZS4uLm9oIHdlbGwuIEJ5IHRoZSB0aW1lIHlvdSdyZSBoZXJlLCBJIHNo
|
||
b3VsZApiZSBhbGwgZmluaXNoZWQgZW1iYXJyYXNzaW5nIG15c2VsZiB3aXRoIHRoZW0sIEkgaG9w
|
||
ZS4KCkkgbmV2ZXIgc3RvcHBlZCBsb3ZpbmcgeW91LCBTYW0uIFBsZWFzZSBkb24ndCBoYXZlIHN0
|
||
YXllZCBhbmdyeSB3aXRoCm1lLiBJIGhvcGUgd2UnbGwgc2VlIGVhY2ggb3RoZXIgYWdhaW4uIElu
|
||
IHRoZSBtZWFudGltZSwgSSdsbCBzZWUgaWYKYW55b25lIGVsc2UgaXMgc3RpbGwgYWxpdmUuIEFu
|
||
ZCB3aXRoIHdob2V2ZXIncyBsZWZ0LCBJJ2xsIHN0YXJ0CnByZXBhcmluZyBmb3IgdGhvc2Ugd2hv
|
||
IG1heSBjb21lIGFmdGVyIHVzLiBCeSB0aGUgdGltZSB0aGV5IGdldCBoZXJlLAppZiB0aGV5IGRv
|
||
LCB3ZSdsbCBiZSByZWFkeSB0byBtYWtlIG91ciBuZXcgc2V0dGxlcnMgYSBob21lLg==
|
||
|
||
--_000_14175761891450__--
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Hoffnung - all systems nominal</title>
|
||
<author>kensanata@cosmic.voyage (kensanata)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hoffnung/001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sun, 02 Dec 2018 05:51:09 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-+-+-+- Regular Report -+-+-+- C51.204 -+-+-+- Green -+-+-+-
|
||
Dr. med. Herbert Wullschlegel reporting on the first scheduled
|
||
inspection. The passenger status in cryo sleep is nominal. We have had
|
||
no failures. My companion for this round is Dr. astr.-phys. eng.
|
||
Philomena Auerbach. We've spent the first two days reviewing the logs.
|
||
This is the third day and we have had a good time running the long
|
||
corridors of the ship. Philomena did go back to sector C in order to
|
||
inspect a minor hydro leak. Nothing unexpected. As for myself, I'm
|
||
taking advantage of the cryo break to eat some solid food. It helps
|
||
with the teeth reconstruction. I'm happy we managed to get the newer
|
||
cryo berths with the slow shaking to strengthen bones and to maintain
|
||
muscle tissue. With so many years spent in cryo, even the very slow
|
||
metabolism of space sleep changes the body. Sometimes I wonder what
|
||
ships built after us would offer. Hoffnung did not get the latest
|
||
Shrinivasan-Ramapattnam drive. We could not afford them. And with that
|
||
I'm going to close this cover letter for the full technical report. In
|
||
two days we're going back to sleep for another fifty years. Peace.
|
||
-+-+-+ End of Report -+-+-+ Signed HEWUSC -+-+-+
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Franciscus - A wing and a prayer</title>
|
||
<author>jabooty@cosmic.voyage (jabooty)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Franciscus/navlog001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Franciscus/navlog001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 28 Nov 2018 22:58:51 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-- INCOMING MESSAGE --
|
||
Holy Missionary Ship Franciscus
|
||
Coordinates: UNKNOWN
|
||
Heading: UNKNOWN
|
||
ORIGIN DATE: UNKNOWN
|
||
|
||
-- MESSAGE START --
|
||
|
||
Navigator Log 001
|
||
|
||
Blessed greetings, all.
|
||
|
||
Communications systems are clearly up and running aboard the
|
||
Franciscus. This is heartening news. I see that we are not
|
||
the only ship out there that has experienced some problems.
|
||
Melchizedek's message has arrived, and we are glad to say that
|
||
you are not alone in being awake. Though, it appears as you
|
||
are also not alone in being alone.
|
||
|
||
Navigation systems are slowly coming back online. I have
|
||
been working tirelessly with our Chief Engineer to repair
|
||
not only nav, but other necessary systems.
|
||
|
||
If only I knew where we were... surely we're not *that*
|
||
far off course...
|
||
|
||
We have managed to get video monitors functional, so we
|
||
can see what is happening outside the ship. Initial inspection
|
||
shows no damage.
|
||
|
||
Looking outward from the ship, we were able to determine that
|
||
we are within the vicinity of a small solar system, but it
|
||
does not appear to have the same planetary make-up as our
|
||
original destination.
|
||
|
||
Acolyte Alba has placed a priority on restoring full power
|
||
to the High Temple deck. He seems to think that the way out
|
||
of this mess is prayer.
|
||
|
||
I'm not opposed to it. I am a keeper of The Faith, after all,
|
||
and I chose to join this mission for the very purpose of
|
||
ministering to our colonies.
|
||
|
||
But still... prayer?
|
||
|
||
I'd prefer a star chart.
|
||
|
||
-- MESSAGE END --
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Voortrekker - Made it...</title>
|
||
<author>alexis@cosmic.voyage (alexis)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/1-made-it.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Voortrekker/1-made-it.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Thu, 06 Dec 2018 23:30:33 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
From: System Account <tty994@com2.pri.sv14417>
|
||
To: sam <sam@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Delivered-To: sam <sam@l1.luna.recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Received: from relay4.qec2.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
by mta3.recoveryinstitute.org
|
||
with ESMTPS id x124so177123a067 for <sam@recoveryinstitute.org>
|
||
Received: from relay1.qec7.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay4.qec2.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
by relay1.qec7.ganymede.earthsys.gov
|
||
Received: from qec.sv14417
|
||
by qec4.helio.earthsys.gov
|
||
Date-Local: 19 Mar 2419 06:54:32 +0000
|
||
Date: 02 Sep 2421 05:30:32 +0000
|
||
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
|
||
Subject: Made it...
|
||
|
||
God, Sam, how I wish you were here. Maybe you could help me. You were
|
||
always the best of company.
|
||
|
||
None of us ever really expected to find anything complicated. Proks,
|
||
maybe, if we were very lucky. More likely just smelly slurry that
|
||
might have been something someday if we hadn't showed up first. But
|
||
this? No. Never in a million years. Certainly not in twenty-three.
|
||
|
||
Sorry. I know I'm not making sense out of this. I'll try again. They
|
||
probably already have some of it from SCARS, but let me tell it to you
|
||
my own way.
|
||
|
||
What I heard, the midcourse corrections had us coming into the system
|
||
weird. Not so weird we couldn't make orbit, but enough that we had to
|
||
correct so the landing boats could reach Site One and back. Partway
|
||
through the correction, we hit something. Or something hit us - I
|
||
talked with one of the pilots before he died, he told me they didn't
|
||
catch it on radar and that shouldn't have been possible, not with the
|
||
damage it did. Had the idea it must've been directed, somehow. I don't
|
||
know if that makes sense, but either way, it holed us.
|
||
|
||
Holed us bad, and with the thrusters still firing. If they hadn't
|
||
been, the fuel system would've been evacuated - we might've stayed
|
||
up. But the blast gave us a vector we couldn't overcome on OMS thrust,
|
||
and of course we'd exhausted the primaries. It wasn't a surprise when
|
||
we hit the atmosphere. The surprise was that anyone walked away from
|
||
the impact site. Just under three hundred of us. Doesn't sound like
|
||
much of a miracle, but believe me, we were happy to take it until a
|
||
better one came along. Wasn't even that bad a landing site, for all we
|
||
didn't get to choose much - rolling sandy plains, some large body of
|
||
water within eyeshot, maybe an hour's leisurely walk. We could do
|
||
something with the place, once we got our feet under us.
|
||
|
||
We didn't worry about the sickness at first. Barely even noticed it -
|
||
most of us were more or less beat up, and not everyone had made it to
|
||
a crash couch in time. We were all working thirty-hour days between
|
||
broken bones and soft tissue trauma, inventorying what we had left by
|
||
way of supplies, getting the worst toxic leaks from the wreck under
|
||
control, and trying to jury-rig enough of a hab to keep the weather
|
||
off - we hit smack in the northern temperate zone, and the climate
|
||
isn't too bad, but about three hours out of every day we get storms
|
||
you wouldn't believe. Fever, lower back myalgia, mild lower GI
|
||
distress? We had two reactors still up, enough surplus power to run
|
||
the handful of heads left with intact sequestration systems. Plenty of
|
||
paracetamol and neoprox. We had so many problems trying to kill us, we
|
||
were just glad this one wasn't.
|
||
|
||
Then, all of a sudden, it was. Day Six, the sepsis syndrome caught us
|
||
completely by surprise. Thirty-four dead in less than half one of
|
||
Ross's long bright days - onset to lethality in minutes, the medics
|
||
had never seen anything like it. The ones who died had been feeling
|
||
worst, but we all had it by then, and still didn't know what it
|
||
was. We found what tools we could for our one surviving biochemist,
|
||
and she set to work trying to isolate the causative agent - with a lot
|
||
of luck, maybe she'd figure out how to treat it before it killed us
|
||
all.
|
||
|
||
Probably would've been easier if she hadn't been hurting too badly by
|
||
then to sit up. But she got far enough for us to pick up when she had
|
||
to leave off. Light microscopy doesn't give you much structural
|
||
detail, next to nothing about life processes, but we could see well
|
||
enough what it looked like: something like an amoeba, sort of
|
||
polymorphic that way, but with a trophism like nothing we'd ever seen
|
||
and flagella it used like a mosquito uses its proboscis. We fed it
|
||
whole blood and watched it suck the cytoplasm clean out of two dozen
|
||
erythrocytes at once. Leukocytes it just *absorbed*, we're still not
|
||
sure how - they'd hit the cell membrane and just, I don't know, just
|
||
melt into the thing. And then it'd divide, and both daughters would do
|
||
it all over again. We never saw the whole cycle take more than a
|
||
minute.
|
||
|
||
We had plenty of antiparasitics, of course - med bay wasn't what you'd
|
||
call intact, but the starboard-aft hold had most of the backup supply,
|
||
and enough came through the crash to supply we who were left for a
|
||
long time. Nothing we had touched them, though. Not even the really
|
||
exotic stuff that hadn't been approved for human use yet, and we just
|
||
brought because who knew what we'd run into? They didn't even seem to
|
||
notice. We weren't equipped any more for blood filtering or that kind
|
||
of complex intervention, and supportive care was the best we could do
|
||
- try to keep the fever down with ice packs and neoprox, keep the
|
||
kidneys and liver and heart and lungs going, and hope some of us would
|
||
start to pull out of it before the last of us up and about weren't up
|
||
and about any more.
|
||
|
||
I don't really know what happened after I went down. I think it was
|
||
Day Ten? Eleven? There weren't many of us still up by that point. Just
|
||
over a hundred had died, I think. One thing, we'd just gotten Eve
|
||
shifted to a new pallet and I was trying to clean up the mess of the
|
||
old one and keep her from getting too hot, both at the same time, and
|
||
next thing, I was here, flat on my back in what's left of Main
|
||
Control. Nine days gone, just like that. I didn't even know we'd
|
||
gotten any power back on in here - I don't think we had, when I went
|
||
down. Don't know why I'm here, either. We saw enough delirium before I
|
||
went down, there may not even be a 'why'.
|
||
|
||
I don't feel bad at all. I can see I've changed; whoever put me here
|
||
put me in a gown first, and there's not as much of me under it as
|
||
there would've been a couple weeks ago. It fell right off my neck when
|
||
I tried to stand up. That didn't go well. I think I should be hungry,
|
||
but I feel full, like I just ate. I wish I knew if anyone else was
|
||
still here. I've been awake a few hours, I think, but I haven't heard
|
||
anyone. I don't hurt, though, and I'm not burning up. Right now I'm
|
||
still mostly okay with that.
|
||
|
||
I really hope someone else is still here. I don't want to be alone
|
||
like this.
|
||
|
||
Getting up in the chair at the sender console was hard, but I did it,
|
||
and I can still use a keyboard well enough. I thought it was important
|
||
to try to let someone back home know what happened. I don't know if
|
||
the followup expeditions launched on schedule, I don't remember
|
||
hearing before and not much of the mission log made it through the
|
||
crash. If they did -
|
||
|
||
I was going to say, tell them to make turnover early and go anywhere
|
||
else. Even back home would be better than this place, with its barren
|
||
vistas empty of vegetation, its anonymous sea we never even found the
|
||
time to try to name or go and see up close. Smeared along half a mile
|
||
an arrowhead stain of ship debris, at its apex a shallow crater
|
||
centered on the shattered remains of all our hopes and dreams, and in
|
||
a nearby shanty village, rows of corpses - decaying? mummified? Who
|
||
knows if anything else can eat us here? - whom no one had time or
|
||
strength to bury. Go anywhere else but this ball of death and deceit
|
||
whirling around its lonely star. There is nothing for you here.
|
||
|
||
...is what I was *going* to say. But - really, I don't know. As I sit
|
||
here I can feel my strength returning to me, and with it grows the
|
||
conviction that it really isn't bad here. Look at what this planet's
|
||
done to me already! - and yet I survive. I still remember myself. And
|
||
soon I'll be up and about again, able to see what may be seen and do
|
||
what need be done. Yes: many of us died. People I knew. Friends I
|
||
remember and mean never to forget. No few closer than friends - spend
|
||
so many years closed up with only a thousand or so people, sooner or
|
||
later those with whom you were recede in memory, making room for those
|
||
with whom you *are*.
|
||
|
||
Not you, Sam. I've never felt that way about you. How I wish you were
|
||
here! But maybe you will be. If the third expedition hasn't launched
|
||
yet. I know we talked about it. Well - fought about it. I've never
|
||
stopped regretting that, and I hope while I've been gone you might
|
||
have come to understand why I had to go. Maybe we could see one
|
||
another again. I would like that very much. I think you could help
|
||
me. And you were always the best of company.
|
||
|
||
But what worse can this planet do to me than it has already done? What
|
||
worse can it do to any of us who still survive? We came here not
|
||
knowing what we faced - only that it could hardly be worse than what
|
||
we left behind. And even still I feel that very strongly to be
|
||
true. We could never be together there, Sam. Here, who'd be to stop
|
||
us?
|
||
|
||
I know it sounds frightening, what has happened to me. It *was*
|
||
frightening. It was scary and painful and frequently disgusting, and
|
||
that's just what I remember! But I don't hurt any more. I'm not sick
|
||
any more. And I'm not afraid any more. You don't have to be,
|
||
either. It's really not that bad - the body never remembers pain, you
|
||
know. I remember that I hurt, but I don't remember *hurting*. Does
|
||
that make sense?
|
||
|
||
You can come here. Join the third expedition and come find me
|
||
here. Come sooner, if you can. There might be a research ship. I miss
|
||
you, and I hope you miss me. We can be together here, and though I'm
|
||
feeling much stronger now, I still wish you were here to help me. I
|
||
still can't hear anyone, and I don't want to think I'm alone here. Not
|
||
forever, anyway. Besides - once I get more of my strength back, make
|
||
up for what I've lost in the last little while, I think you might like
|
||
seeing me. I think I do. And I'm sure I want to be close to you again.
|
||
|
||
Well. That's enough for now, I think. I'm sure I'll have more to say
|
||
later, but once you get this you'll know I'm still alive, and even
|
||
though we couldn't send our landing report, there's really no reason
|
||
not to send the followup expeditions. Not really. Some won't make it,
|
||
but enough will. And if we weren't going to take that kind of chance,
|
||
why come out here at all?
|
||
|
||
I'm going to send this, with all the power the transmitter will
|
||
take. It'll get to you eventually. Then I'm going to try to stand up
|
||
again. I think I can manage it, now. It'd be easier if I still had
|
||
legs, I suppose. But four limbs shouldn't be *that* much harder to
|
||
manage than two, and I'm still enough of a biologist to remember how
|
||
muscular hydrostats work. I think it's just a matter of figuring out
|
||
which impulses go where...oh well. By the time you're here, I should
|
||
be all finished embarrassing myself with them, I hope.
|
||
|
||
I never stopped loving you, Sam. Please don't have stayed angry with
|
||
me. I hope we'll see each other again. In the meantime, I'll see if
|
||
anyone else is still alive. And with whoever's left, I'll start
|
||
preparing for those who may come after us. By the time they get here,
|
||
if they do, we'll be ready to make our new settlers a home.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melchizedek - The dark and cold</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/003.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/003.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 28 Nov 2018 20:26:46 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Melchizedek.0294
|
||
Approach β Hyi
|
||
Ascension 00h 25m 45.07036s
|
||
Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
|
||
Distance 24.33ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 3781, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Jerome Somerset Pasani, Warrant Master
|
||
:::
|
||
I can report with some satisfaction that all conscious crew have
|
||
regained enough muscle mass to return to full duty. This is no
|
||
small feat so soon after abbreviated cryo and it reflects the
|
||
excellent personal character of each of our officers. Adeyemi, in
|
||
particular, deserves special acknowledgement. I previously
|
||
remarked that her own specialty does not provide appropriate
|
||
experience for our present circumstance; which, as it seems, only
|
||
belies my own ignorance of her training. Prezzi Adeyemi is an
|
||
accomplished chef--a byproduct of her training for the Rhetorical
|
||
Ecclesia--which has helped us to identify our fungal infestation
|
||
in the cryo bay. Having a fully trained exo-mycologist could not
|
||
have helped us any more.
|
||
|
||
The stow-away is a form of acrasidae, a slime mold. Our best guess
|
||
is that a few spores found their way through decontamination
|
||
procedures at launch. The lengthy darkness, ambient heat, and
|
||
condensation on the surface of the pods created a fertile
|
||
environment for it to flourish. The best news of all is that the
|
||
slime is harmless and should be easily cleaned away in short
|
||
order. Adeyemi is consulting our database to see if there's any
|
||
use for the biomass before we eject it. Perhaps we can salvage it
|
||
for nutrient use in our hydroponics.
|
||
|
||
Speaking of hydroponics, here Dr. Idjani has more concerning news.
|
||
Our systems are automated and the harvesting of organic matter
|
||
from the botany systems should be relatively straight forward.
|
||
These systems have been used commercially planetside and in
|
||
long-distance relativistic travel for centuries even prior to our
|
||
own launch. What we're experiencing is, to use the doctor's words,
|
||
"unique."
|
||
|
||
Of our dominant crops, arabidopsis and radishles (a fruiting
|
||
hybrid) have both shown unexpected mutation. There is an abundance
|
||
of nitrogen in our atmosphere as a result of whatever processes
|
||
they have undergone; we haven't pinned down exactly what that is
|
||
yet. The ventilation systems need to be purged and oxygen recycled
|
||
back in a more appropriate mix. I had failed to mention the crew's
|
||
experience of headaches in my last message having assumed it
|
||
related to early thawing from cryo, but now it seems suspect.
|
||
We're all taking in extra oxygen during rest to avoid additional
|
||
issues. The doctor says it's good that the full crew were not
|
||
brought out at once. The oxygen levels would have been dangerous
|
||
for that many conscious crew at once. We got lucky.
|
||
|
||
The food that arabidopsis and radishles would normally produce is
|
||
suspect as well. We're on rations already since we shouldn't be
|
||
awake yet, but this will be an added complication and something to
|
||
address. Finally, the mutation was not caused by replication error
|
||
as in normal mutation. It seems that several specific protein
|
||
readers were adjusted in similar ways across the genome of both
|
||
plants. We've also found similar markers affecting four other
|
||
species which did not result in a visible mutation. Whatever
|
||
happened to our greens was done en mass and with precision. We
|
||
haven't ruled out human interference, possibly by some saboteur
|
||
before launch. Honestly, I hope that's the cause. I don't want to
|
||
think of what it could mean otherwise.
|
||
|
||
In terms of navigation, Hämäläinen and Janssen have plotted
|
||
a gentle course correction that will have us back on track over
|
||
the next three weeks with only minimal impact on our energy
|
||
reserves. The reserves are precise; however, and the energy must
|
||
be balanced elsewhere. As much as it pains me, I've placed orders
|
||
across the ship that habitat lighting and heating be kept to
|
||
a minimum. We will have to use personal heating and lighting
|
||
equipment for the next three weeks. Solar lamp time is manditory
|
||
for all five of us to avoid psychological impact, and Idjani has
|
||
distributed a vitamin mix to help augment our diet.
|
||
|
||
The cold and dark are nothing new, but such an extended period may
|
||
cause feelings of isolation and depression. The crew is paired up
|
||
for the duration at my order: Hämäläinen & Janssen, Idjani
|
||
& Adeyemi. As warrant officer, I'll be treating the QEC as my own
|
||
confidant. May the stars see us through this safely.
|
||
.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Franciscus - Lost Shepherds</title>
|
||
<author>jabooty@cosmic.voyage (jabooty)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Franciscus/log001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Franciscus/log001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 28 Nov 2018 00:04:37 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-- INCOMING MESSAGE --
|
||
Holy Missionary Ship Franciscus
|
||
Coordinates: UNKNOWN
|
||
Heading: UNKNOWN
|
||
ORIGIN DATE: UNKNOWN
|
||
|
||
-- MESSAGE START --
|
||
|
||
Acolyte Log 001
|
||
|
||
Blessed greetings to whomever this message reaches.
|
||
|
||
My name is Stefanus Alba, First Acolyte of High Priest Matteus, and
|
||
Captain of HMS Franciscus.
|
||
|
||
We have awoken from cryosleep early. Fortunately, the High Priest's
|
||
and the 75 passengers cryopods function manually, to ensure that
|
||
the crew has adequately prepared the ship prior to awakening
|
||
and ministry. The passengers have also remained in cryo stasis
|
||
for the time being.
|
||
|
||
Our Most Holy Doctor has evaluated the passengers and crew and with the
|
||
unfortunate exception of two passengers whose pods appeared
|
||
to have malfunctioned at least 25 years ago, based on the rate of
|
||
decay in their pod (may their souls encounter eternal peace), the crew
|
||
has awoken with minimal side-effects. The High Priest's pod is
|
||
functioning at peak efficiency.
|
||
|
||
As our engineers struggle to find out what happened to pull us
|
||
from our sleep early, our navigator is desperately trying
|
||
to determine exactly where we are. Initial reports indicate that
|
||
our coming out of cryo early is just (hopefully) a final malfunction
|
||
in what has been a rolling series of system resets, reboots, and
|
||
flat-out shutdowns. Our nav and chrono systems are out of sync.
|
||
It is proving to be difficult to determine when and where we
|
||
currently are.
|
||
|
||
We are attempting to discern whether we have the ability to
|
||
re-enter cryo, how far off-course we are, and, barring any
|
||
unforseen additional problems, how we shall continue on our mission
|
||
of ministry.
|
||
|
||
Until we figure out where we are, I ask that anyone receiving
|
||
this message who follows The Faith, please pray for us and our
|
||
mission.
|
||
|
||
I will transmit again once we have made sense of our situation.
|
||
|
||
Blessings upon you all.
|
||
|
||
-- MESSAGE END --
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Garnet Star - Danger evaluation and decisions</title>
|
||
<author>timotheus@cosmic.voyage (timotheus)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Garnet Star/000.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Garnet Star/000.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 23 Nov 2018 20:25:34 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
-- MESSAGE START ----------------------------------------------------
|
||
SECKEY:jxQA6hMXG%3#r9nfh%tdxo!REj%uGz
|
||
.......Accepted
|
||
|
||
Date: _____ _ ____
|
||
EY 2265.04.23.15 |_ _| __(_) / ___|___ _ __
|
||
| || '__| |_____| | / _ \| '__|
|
||
Ship: | || | | |_____| |__| (_) | |
|
||
Garnet Star _|_||_| |_| _ \____\___/|_|
|
||
/ ___| _ _ ___| |_ ___ _ __ ___ ___
|
||
Location: \___ \| | | / __| __/ _ \ '_ ` _ \/ __|
|
||
8.26y out, sys LTS-1483 ___) | |_| \__ \ || __/ | | | | \__ \
|
||
|____/ \__, |___/\__\___|_| |_| |_|___/
|
||
User: |___/
|
||
TIMFLETCHER44@TRICOR
|
||
|
||
:: BEGIN ::
|
||
|
||
It's always a hard call, deciding if it's safe to pull the family out
|
||
of cryo. I was fortunate that the AI determined this anomaly to be
|
||
minimal risk and didn't prio-thaw me. I've heard horror stories from
|
||
Kell, the Lead Scientist aboard. His first tour out to Bernards
|
||
Star.. the things that went wrong on that bucket. It's why I chose to
|
||
sign up with TC, they pay less than everyone else but at least they
|
||
spare no expense on the goodies on board. With this being an 46.2y one
|
||
way trip, I feel much better knowing everything is state of the art.
|
||
|
||
Oh right, my family. Everything is tip top, so I initiated the thaw
|
||
about four hours ago. Just ten to go until process is complete. If
|
||
I'm going to be out for four weeks, I'd love to have them with me.
|
||
In my spare time I'm still looking into cryo optimizations. There's
|
||
got to be a short cut between wake cycles that the system could
|
||
handle.
|
||
|
||
Anyway, part of the reason I'm sending this; anyone else running into
|
||
the same issue? Our onboard long-range sensor array is giving us data
|
||
on LTS-1483 that is very, very different from what the probes sent
|
||
back. Granted it was over 35 years old, but still. How did it miss an
|
||
entire planet? All the orbits are different from what we thought.
|
||
Kell is sweating bullets that III (our intended home) is off enough
|
||
that it may be not viable.
|
||
|
||
Not much I can do about it. Definitely no reason to wake the Captain
|
||
or Governor yet; we're following our protocols for this. Worst case
|
||
scenario, we go back to cryo, and when we're closer we wake again and
|
||
use closer scans to determine if we go to one of our other choices.
|
||
|
||
Tim Fletcher
|
||
Chief Engineer @ Garnet Star
|
||
=TRICOR034615734=
|
||
|
||
-- MESSAGE END ----------------------------------------------------
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Excelsior - Systems Admin Report - Beta Delta 21 Epsilon</title>
|
||
<author>khuxkm@cosmic.voyage (khuxkm)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Excelsior/001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Excelsior/001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Sat, 08 Dec 2018 02:50:22 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message inbound...
|
||
|
||
Space Cruiser Excelsior
|
||
Destination: Unknown
|
||
~~ TELEMETRY SENSORS 1 AND 3 DOWN ~~
|
||
Stardate Beta Delta 21 Epsilon
|
||
AUTO TELEMETRY: DOWN
|
||
BIO-MED SENSORS: GOOD
|
||
H2O->FUEL CONVERSION: GOOD
|
||
H20 RESERVES: GOOD
|
||
CRYO SLEEP: WARN
|
||
|
||
[autotranslator on]
|
||
|
||
Corporal Sam Arnold, Systems Administrator
|
||
---
|
||
Hello world!
|
||
|
||
The computer on board the Excelsior has removed me from cryosleep pursuant to
|
||
Procedure [REDACTED]. Our automated telemetry sensors are down (see the systems
|
||
report above) and our cryosleep chambers appear to be experiencing overvolt as
|
||
a result. Pursuant to Procedure [REDACTED], I must wait a month before re-entering
|
||
cryosleep. More transmissions will follow after this one.
|
||
|
||
Jerome, I feel for you. It's sometimes staggering how long these missions
|
||
take. Just looking at the instrumentation here on the Excelsior, we seem to have
|
||
been in transit for [unit translation = 1252 years].
|
||
|
||
Geralt, it's nice to hear from you and the Adrestia. Glad to know your mission
|
||
seems to be progressing smoothly.
|
||
|
||
We set out with our charter and ship around Alpha Beta 2 Beta towards a better
|
||
tommorrow. We set course for the nearest inhabitable planet and the Excelsior, a
|
||
first-class SpaceCorp Astroviator Mark 3, took off. We entered cryosleep around
|
||
Beta Alpha 10 Beta and set the Excelsior to power-conservation (hence the incomplete
|
||
systems report).
|
||
|
||
I will begin procedures to fix the overvolt in the cryo systems and to fix the
|
||
auto-telemetry systems.
|
||
|
||
Sam Arnold, signing off.
|
||
|
||
--TRANSMISSION END--
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melchizedek - Crew and assignments</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/002.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/002.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Tue, 11 Dec 2018 22:25:30 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Melchizedek.0294
|
||
Approach β Hyi
|
||
Ascension 00h 25m 45.07036s
|
||
Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
|
||
Distance 24.33ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 3781, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Jerome Somerset Pasani, Warrant Master
|
||
:::
|
||
Doctor Moussa Idjani led a full crew evaluation on the pods over
|
||
the last twelve hours. His recommendation for remaining awake
|
||
stands, unfortunately. The four of wardroom officers, myself,
|
||
Doctor Moussa Idjani, Prezzi Adeyemi, and Eva Hämäläinen, along
|
||
with Specialist First-class Stephanie Janssen, represent conscious
|
||
crew on the Melchizedek for next four months. We have a series of
|
||
course corrections to execute, some minor issues in hydroponics,
|
||
and what Adeyemi describes as "ick" growing over a quarter of the
|
||
cryo-pods. It is most likely unattended fungal growth, but we'll
|
||
investigate further.
|
||
|
||
Our ship is a Vos 144A from Visscher, sporting a pair of the
|
||
more-than-capable Peterse 773 Overtreffen Motoren. When launched,
|
||
the Melchy was a damn-fine ship, if I say so myself. She's held up
|
||
admirably while we slept.
|
||
|
||
We were commissioned in EY 2480, and set out on mission just three
|
||
years later. RS001 timestamps on my last transmission suggest that
|
||
just over 1300 years, relative, have transpired since we set out.
|
||
|
||
1300 years.
|
||
|
||
It's what we signed on for, of course. We all had the training and
|
||
the psy-evals to prep, but there's still that shock when it hits
|
||
you. There's no undo, no reset. Everyone we knew is long gone.
|
||
Hell, the Earth itself is long gone, at least in the way we knew
|
||
it. Adeyemi says she has a cousin who set out on a long-haul
|
||
colony support freighter at about the same time as us and their
|
||
star is only a few light-years off schedule from ours. She doesn't
|
||
remember which direction, but it's possible she's got people out
|
||
there somewhere. The math always gets away from me, but it's
|
||
possible some of my own anscestors' family could be thawing out
|
||
from craft launched before I was born. Oh, and don't even get me
|
||
started on reality-drive mechanics. Who knows how many blended
|
||
universes we've stirred up with that monstrosity. I can only hope
|
||
humanity learned their lesson and banned it while I was dreaming.
|
||
|
||
To the Speaker Elect of Cheer Systems, Susan, aboard the Starbloom
|
||
Communal Distributive Projection goes our many thanks. If the
|
||
disconnection of time weren't jarring enough, the silence that
|
||
awaits one's first lonely transmission is infinitely more terrible
|
||
for all its brevity. Your words, blessings, and spells are a salve
|
||
bringing healing. I queried Janssen about your ship designation
|
||
but nothing in our databases aligned. Based on relative time-debt
|
||
adjustments, it seems you may have set out long before us. We hope
|
||
your time has been peaceful.
|
||
|
||
I'll be setting a daily ordo and assigning work duties following
|
||
this transmission. Getting our hands busy will ground the
|
||
ineffible incongruity from reality that's rattled everyone. Our
|
||
navigation issues are of primary concern, so Hämäläinen and
|
||
Janssen will bear the brunt of that work. Doctor Idjani is the
|
||
closest crew member we have awake to a botonist, so he'll be
|
||
investigating our sensor abnormalities in food and air
|
||
circulation. No alarms were tripped, so we're hoping it's just
|
||
a mutation in one of the algae tanks or something equally trivial.
|
||
The cry-pod growth will fall to me, with possible assistance from
|
||
Adeyemi, though she has very little background to be of use.
|
||
Unless the fungus starts talking, I don't see how Adeyemi will
|
||
have much of anything to translate or negotiate. She's probably in
|
||
for a boring four months.
|
||
|
||
It's time to get moving. Our shifts will be light until muscle
|
||
regeneration reaches 60% and the doc clears us for full rotations
|
||
again. That's probably for the best. We'll take things slow.
|
||
.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Starbloom - Pleasant vibes and best wishes</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Starbloom/001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Starbloom/001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 23 Nov 2018 08:24:50 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Starbloom Communal Distributive Projection
|
||
Approach γ Aquarii [Lucky Homes]
|
||
Ascension 22h 21m 39.37542s
|
||
Declination –01° 23′ 14.4031″
|
||
Distance 178.211ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 2444, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Susan, Speaker Elect of Cheer Systems, 14th Pod
|
||
:::
|
||
Hi there, Jerome.
|
||
|
||
We read you loud and clear out here in the lucky homes. We're all
|
||
really sorry to hear about your drift problems. Our Pod 14
|
||
non-denominational coven voted to cast a spell to help you on your
|
||
way! Blessings and hope.
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>adrestia - awakening and approaching</title>
|
||
<author>demosthenes@cosmic.voyage (demosthenes)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/adrestia/hello.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/adrestia/hello.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Wed, 21 Nov 2018 01:49:23 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
bablefish transcript:
|
||
|
||
adrestia /---\
|
||
approaching Ł332 gue sector 8 / u u \
|
||
xxx telemetry redacted xxx \_ /
|
||
ansibel yr 4823 \__/
|
||
|
||
[transcript follows...]
|
||
|
||
geralt regis riavande, first writ scribe
|
||
---
|
||
status nominal. all values within acceptable norms.
|
||
cleared to begin final approach.
|
||
|
||
our 150 year journey from í54 re is finally coming to a close. over the
|
||
past 10 days, the crew has been slowing awakening from their second-longest
|
||
slumber (the longest being 50 years during the middle of our voyage).
|
||
|
||
i've just awoken today; my head still spins. sea legs seems an appropriate
|
||
term, grabbed from the annals of history: a time when humans still traveled
|
||
by boat and ship across the former oceans. somehow, the atmospheric
|
||
conditions generated large waveforms on the water's surface, creating a
|
||
rocking motion aboard the boats that could range from largely imperceptible
|
||
to catastrophic. in any case, i'll be looking for the caffeine supplements.
|
||
|
||
the rest of the crew seems to be in similar conditions, catching up on their
|
||
latest ansibel messages from family and friends. a handful will be staying
|
||
at Ł332 gue, while the rest of us carry on after a refueling stayover of 4
|
||
rotations.
|
||
|
||
expect another update from the station.
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
<item>
|
||
<title>Melchizedek - Cryosleep interrupted</title>
|
||
<author>tomasino@cosmic.voyage (tomasino)</author>
|
||
<link>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/001.txt</link>
|
||
<guid>gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Melchizedek/001.txt</guid>
|
||
<pubDate>Fri, 14 Dec 2018 11:37:18 GMT</pubDate>
|
||
<description><![CDATA[<pre>
|
||
Message Incoming...
|
||
|
||
Source Melchizedek.0294
|
||
Approach β Hyi
|
||
Ascension 00h 25m 45.07036s
|
||
Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
|
||
Distance 24.33ly
|
||
Equinox J2000.0 SOL
|
||
Year 3781, QEC adjusted
|
||
|
||
[Autotranslator enabled...]
|
||
|
||
Jerome Somerset Pasani, Warrant Master
|
||
:::
|
||
Cryogenic stasis was interrupted for wardroom officers and
|
||
Specialist Janssen as of 0430. We have drifted slightly off
|
||
planned course due to unexpected thermal radiation from
|
||
a celestial event the crew is monitoring. The β Hyi system has
|
||
been increasingly active in recent months and Janssen believes the
|
||
solar radiation has unbalanced our infrared venting, causing
|
||
a 0.002° drift. Over the intervening time, this was enough for
|
||
autopilot to raise the alarm.
|
||
|
||
Melchizedek is quiet and in good working order. Her full crew of
|
||
44 are stowed safely and all systems are green. Lower-fore botany
|
||
systems show some minor abnormalities which are marked for
|
||
follow-up. Bot arrays all read nominal with no traceable
|
||
degradation in standby power.
|
||
|
||
We have slowed our descent to just over 1G in anticipation of
|
||
work-shifts. This will put us slightly ahead of schedule if we
|
||
remain at present deltas. Still, we're just over four months from
|
||
system and there is some debate whether it would be advisable to
|
||
reenter cryo this close to the destination. Our food-stores are in
|
||
good order, especially for just the wardroom. Doctor Idjani
|
||
suggests we remain out of stasis for at least two weeks before
|
||
being reassessed regardless.
|
||
|
||
QEC has been adjusted for our drift and seems in working order,
|
||
though we haven't received any new transmissions from relay one in
|
||
quite some time. If the crew do remain awake in the months ahead,
|
||
you can rest assured of further updates. Anyone awake out there?
|
||
.
|
||
|
||
</pre>]]></description>
|
||
</item>
|
||
</channel>
|
||
</rss>
|