09-08-2016, 08:45 PM
...a garbled signal cackled over the radio next to the Zoner's bunk. He was trying to pass the time; even if he could rationalize burning the fuel to leave Freeport 11, he wasn't sure he wanted to. The tension between the Core and the Order is always high, and no one wants to get caught in that crossfire. Add the constant Nomad presence, with ships being visible from the station's biodomes at times, made it clear that it was a easier to stay inside.
Not much to do, though; decoding this garbled signal would be a welcome distraction, and stave off the cabin fever for a bit.
...
It wasn't easy, but surviving out in the Border Worlds and Outer Rim teaches you a trick or two that could mean life or death out here. The signal wasn't repeated, and the initial strength wasn't great, but it came together, piece by piece. After a few hours of tweaking potentiometers and signal modulation, a message became clear over the background noise, be it from radiation, static, or something...alien. This transmission was human, though: the header came through, but the message was fractured...
Information: Classified
Distribution: Order Overwatch
Subject: Kebok Survey Station, Status
From: Ensign Yeggito Kebok, 2nd Fleet
::static::...full report to follow. I can ::static:: report that Kebok Survey Station has been ::static:: fully deployed, and the station is on-line.
::static:: ...rapid base deployment protocol followed, detection unlikely. ::static:: Routine resource shipments to begin... ::static::
::static::
::static::...monitoring deviations from known ::static:: hostile movements ::static::
::static::
The Zoner sighed. A new Order base, somewhere out here? He felt that if this kept up, Omicron Delta would become the equivalent of "Hammen Hole" in Omega-5. A wave of exhaustion hit him; perhaps it was the mental stress of decoding the message, or the perpetual tiredness that seeps in when all you have to do is sleep in your bunk or stare out the window.
The bunk was more appealing than the bar this rotation. However, just in case there was more communication on this station, he kept the frequency tagged. Fresh information could be worth a pretty penny in these parts, and sometimes credits are just what you need to make it another day.
Not much to do, though; decoding this garbled signal would be a welcome distraction, and stave off the cabin fever for a bit.
...
It wasn't easy, but surviving out in the Border Worlds and Outer Rim teaches you a trick or two that could mean life or death out here. The signal wasn't repeated, and the initial strength wasn't great, but it came together, piece by piece. After a few hours of tweaking potentiometers and signal modulation, a message became clear over the background noise, be it from radiation, static, or something...alien. This transmission was human, though: the header came through, but the message was fractured...
Order Transmission
Information: Classified
Distribution: Order Overwatch
Subject: Kebok Survey Station, Status
From: Ensign Yeggito Kebok, 2nd Fleet
::static::...full report to follow. I can ::static:: report that Kebok Survey Station has been ::static:: fully deployed, and the station is on-line.
::static:: ...rapid base deployment protocol followed, detection unlikely. ::static:: Routine resource shipments to begin... ::static::
::static::
::static::...monitoring deviations from known ::static:: hostile movements ::static::
::static::
End Transmission
The Zoner sighed. A new Order base, somewhere out here? He felt that if this kept up, Omicron Delta would become the equivalent of "Hammen Hole" in Omega-5. A wave of exhaustion hit him; perhaps it was the mental stress of decoding the message, or the perpetual tiredness that seeps in when all you have to do is sleep in your bunk or stare out the window.
The bunk was more appealing than the bar this rotation. However, just in case there was more communication on this station, he kept the frequency tagged. Fresh information could be worth a pretty penny in these parts, and sometimes credits are just what you need to make it another day.