10-11-2018, 02:05 AM
Journal File, 10 October 825 A.S.
Today I did it. I made the decision to leave Cambridge and head for the Omega systems. I haven't been back to the Omegas since I destroyed that planetary biosphere over a year ago. It still gave me the shivers, entering the gate that would take me into Omega 3. But I did it. I was tired of waiting around for the Board of Trustees at Cambridge to make up their minds about letting me teach. At least if I was teaching, I could have done something productive with my skills. No matter. I've been thinking about the Coalition ever since I heard about them in that upscale bar I visited a few weeks ago. There was no point holding back any more.
The trip was pretty calm until I got halfway through Omega 5, though. There's a base there of the Red Hessians, and they aren't gentle. I was able to avoid serious damage by swinging around the base in a wide path. And then, with a very, very deep breath, I entered Omega 52. It didn't take me long to meet the Coalition once I was there. My first encounter was with this very fiery woman named Mary Dross. She's going to be interesting, I think. She's half-convinced I'm a spy, and despite my story and the disk from Planetform that I stole, she isn't quite sure what to think of me yet. That's alright. I have a feeling her and I will be at one another often enough.
What really surprised me was the presence of the High Commissar himself aboard a cruiser, I think, or perhaps a battleship. I wasn't quite sure about the class of the vessel, but that's not my area of expertise. He seems like a reasonable man, thoughtful, considerate. He heard my pleas, even while his cruisers were desperately wanting to destroy my ship. He invited me to Jiangxi, as well as to their primary research outpost. I have no doubt that I'm going to need to prove myself, but the Planetform chip is a start. They all were basically content to ignore my considerable education completely. They did seem encouraged about my desire to watch Liberty burn to the ground, though.
Overall, it's going to be a challenge. I'm surrounded by people who don't trust me as far as they can throw me. But, once I show them what I can do, and that I'm going to show them the loyalty that Planetform never showed me...well, then they won't be able to live without me.