Discovery Gaming Community

*she sighs*

Alright, here we are. I finally got around to create a logbook.

I think I should introduce the whole situation first. I am Emilia Ravenhold, born in Bretonia. Cambridge to be exact. I am a researcher, with a broad variety of subjects, the main ones being xenology and equipment researches. These include, but are not limited to, experimental equipment, efficiencies of weapons, shields, thrusters, engines. Stuff like that.

*she takes a deep breath*

The ship I'm currently on is a decomissioned Bretonia liner, that I basically saved from becoming a huge pile of crap. It was quite damaged, many things are still not working as I want them to. Weapon systems sometimes fail, engines occasionally turn themselves off. Nothing fatal, but can be annoying.

It was kinda restructured. The upper decks for the VIPs were kept, and the lower decks were rebuild to research stations, with dozens of equipment being there. Subspace scanners, tons of microscopes and a lot of computers that are constantly calculating and evaluating results.

The equipment consists of the standard equipment used for the bretonia liners. The only modifications I made were replacing the bretonian turrets with libertonian ones. Looks a lil' better, in my opinion.

There's also a class 7 advanced capital ship hull plating in use. It enhances the armor of my ship quite well. The liner is quite the tank. Then, there is an experimental cloaking device, MK 2 series. Soon, I'll get two docking bays installed aswell.

*she laughs lighthearted*

It will be like my own station, my own world. This will be my comfortable mobile home. There are journeys ahead of us, anomalies to observe, and aliens to examine.

Here we are again, a nice evening.
Today's events were quite.. extraordinary? *a confused look appears on her face as she fast forwards to the events that happened*
Well, at first I refueled the ship with MOX from Leeds, in order to test the length and durability when confronted with long-term stress. Heh, over half an hour of invisiblity without the slightest sign of something worth of concern.

However, the charge effect of the cloak kinda has similarities to the effect of a cruise engine. Simulations and tests in a live environment show that if the cloak is charging, the disruption field of a cruise disruptor missile can also turn the cloak off. This, however, doesn't seem to always be the case. *she whirls a bit with her hands to emphazise what she just said*

After that, the journey went to Tau-23. I don't know what drove me there.. looks barren, boring. Just metal, rocks and dust. Anyway, after talking with the miners there, and with one of the famous sisterhood of the Golden Chrysanthemus, something amazing happened.

There was one of these that the Daam K'Vosh created. How I know that? Xenology is one of my main subjects. I don't have a name for them yet, and "Nomad" sounds quite unfitting. Atleast I think they have a home just like we do.
If not, and they are always venturing around, I might name them "Nomads" aswell..

Back to the events, there was this huge alien. I already saw smaller versions, the ones that ask you tons of questions and seek to learn from us. I even saw what you could classify as very heavy fighters. But this thing? That was ATLEAST a battleship!

It was kinda friendly. *she pauses, reflecting on what she just said* Yes, you could call the alien friendly. It didn't attack any of us, neither the IMG nor me, nor the freelancers. It seemed to communicate via telepathy.

Later on, one of the sisterhood seemed to become ill, and talked kinda weird. It looked like all emotion vanished from the woman, just a hollow body not obeying itself.
Unfortunately, one of the Reaver Mercenary Company arrived and tried to take them down. The ship of the woman was destroyed, I am not sure about her fate. But I think she lives.

After the Reaver died as a result of a fight against the aliens, they headed for the Orkney system. I followed. The alien played with my mind, and I seemed to be in a dreamlike state. It felt real, but I knew that it couldn't be real.

In the dream, it manifested itself as an old man. We looked upon a busy city. Nobody seemed to notice each other. It was like there were so many people together, yet everyone was alone. A sad thought. *she frowns*

Then, the mass of humans changed into a river. The water particles embrace each other, building a considerable force in unity. It felt obvious what the alien wanted to tell me. It also mentioned that like the river, they're connected, sharing thoughts. I asked whether they had secrets from one another, which it answered me like that: They have, but few. Most information is shared.

I could conclude that they share some kind of mental connection. This is quite interesting and could explain the behaviour of the swarming aliens. When one of them gets damaged, even more come. *she scribbles something on a note*
Gotta look into that in the future. That's really interesting.

I wish I could tell you more, but while the dream seems so clear, it is blurred at the same time. I can't quite tell what happened, but deep in my mind I know what it meant.. humanity is messed up.

We stole what was meant for them. That's what it said. We stole their legacy. So the Daam K'Vosh left Sirius behind, for the aliens. Without any care, we took it and destroy it. Just look at Leeds. An industrial hell. The wars? We use the resources that were meant for them to kill one another. I wish there'd be more reasonable people in charge. People who would love to have peace and are able to achieve it.

But humanity always sought for conflict. Like it's a basic thing in our genetics. There is always conflict, and in the end, this well be our downfall.

It's late in the evening..
*she yawns*

Quite busy. The big one from yesterday appeared again, and send the outcasts against the miners in Java. Just like a queen would do with their drones. The behaviour of the blue ones is quite interesting..

I also met three of the learning kind of aliens. The first one seemed quite curious, although was shot down by a reaver. I learned nothing in particular from this one.

The other two, well they seemed pretty interested and seemed to wonder how we could not survive in space on our own. This encounter seemed kinda boring, save for the last part. Maybe I should search for the more grown ones. I can get better information from them. After all, I'm not into smalltalk, but getting to know what they're about.. *she sighes*

Mhm, one of them seemed interested in me using the Sanguine Aurora as mobile home. So it seems like they don't have anything like that. They also made me realize that the liner distantly looks like a fish.. can't unsee.
*chuckles* It also asked me whether we can be friends. It somehow unusal for the blue ones to know friendship, but it seems they experience that aswell.

Sounds like I made another friend today. *she smiles, and turns the camera off, a lone tear falling off her cheek*

Today was.. meh. Mixed.
An AI showed interest in that major cloak I got. Maybe they can gain some insight of it aswell. I'm happy to share my results that I achieved so far in regards to the cloaking technology. Maybe I can get a coin or two from them, too.

I might look into visiting Rheinland aswell soon. Those metals embedded in the fields there, aswell as the high temperature variety within the lava fields might proof useful for adjusting the cloak to extreme conditions and changes in environment. So far, the module barely survives a drastic change, even more so when it is active.

This also opens me a good oppurtunity to study behaviour of my experimental equipment, including my idea of the 'Rainbow' shield phasing technology, when in contact with those tough organisms in the omicron clouds.

My reports are getting shorter and shorter.. hopefully something interesting happens soon.

Today was quite good. First, we had a journey to the Omicrons. There was a nice little discovery in the system that has a neutron star in it. I might pay it a visit soon. I got a problem with alien organisms eating part of the hull while cloaked, but I already have an idea how to solve that.
Corsairs granted me free passage through their system, Omicron Gamma, maybe because I have no possible way to piss them off? *shrugs* Better than nothing. Afterwards, I decided to have a quick stop on Freeport 9, and then headed towards Omicron Kappa to meet up with the robots I talked with the other day. They were interested in my approach of the cloaking technology, although it still has many flaws. I told them about a cooling system that prevents quick overheating of the device. It's based off an idea that an ancient video game brought up. It 'stores' heat in an object, preferably made out of high-temperature-resistant material. You have to vent that storage every once in a while, otherwise your ship will melt down. But it definately solves a lot of problems.

I also had a more or less nice talk with a seemingly ignorant guy of a group that calls itself the 'Order'. Ignorant, can't say more to it. While they prefer to put a bushfire out with even more fire, I try the less violent approach. Whether it is actually better in the end, who knows, but who doesn't try has already lost, right?

I never know how to begin these entries. I never seem to find the correct 'introduction'. Dear Diary? I'm not talking with a machine. Oh well, I do.. nevermind. Don't like it anyway. Ahh screw it..

*the video feed goes static for a moment, then reappears again*

Today we proceeded to Omega-3, and temporarily rented storage space on the station. That'll last for the next month, in this time we should gather enough observations. Subject of interest is the Baxter anomaly in the system.
There seem to be a lot of possibilities about it. Might become a jump hole, even.
Anyway, sent a message to Daumann Heavy Constructions. There are lots of things needed in order for our experiments. Let's see.
There's a modification to my current cloaking module, that I'm planning. There are also materials needed for drone testings that could observate the anomaly.
Let's see, we got tons of Quantum Multiplexors. They're required for improved system efficiency. Implementing some of these along the wires, the cores and some other hardpoints to improve our systems and the efficiency of the equipment.
Also, some of these are for the drone - for basically the exact same reasons.

Engine Components, to get a functional engine for the drone going. Some of these are also used to repair our engine. While we were cloaked, the alien organisms ... decided it would be a good meal. Needless to say, got some damage on it.

High Temperature Alloys, to improve the overheating-solution, where we 'store' the energy in magazines, that we can just vent every once in a while. In our latest endurance test, one of these melted .. just a little bit. We'll use the high temperature alloy to create containers even more resistant.

Diamonds? Obvious. Not for the luxury cause, but more because of how it can be used as a hard material and its other qualities, in the end.

I will arrive there today, and then we can get it going.

Bloody corsair disrupted my experiment. One week of preperation gone. Looks like corsairs are not better than red hessians. Bloodthirsty, without morals, attacking liners silently. What's their aim with this? I don't know..
I'll prolong the storage space on Freeport 1 to return to the experiment at a later time. Let's hope Daumann gets the delivery done and answers me, otherwise I can scratch that aswell. And I can't really pay more than these 30 million.. maybe I should offer the VIP deck for some people in order to make some additional money. Or use the huge storage? Possible, but unlikely. This thing is a liner after all, why not use its capability to carry humans in a luxurious environment?

So, after corsairs ruined my experiment in Omega-3, I returned to Bretonia, and without anywhere to go I temporarily headed for Tau-23. What drives me to this place? There's nothing but rocks, radiation, dust, some metals. I think it is the people that drive me there. After all, you've got a lot of company with whom you can exchange opinions, thoughts, you know? Uh.. you're a computer, you couldn't know. I start to go crazy, talking with a computer than just to. I should reconsider using this logbook. *she shrugs* I'll just do.

Anyway, in Tau-23 I met the usual people. Ms McCarthy, bunch of IMG, bunch of Outcast. This time rather good, though. Both sides didn't start shooting each other. That's progress comparing it to the former situations. Outcasts show up, either IMG or outcasts get blown up. But it seems that atleast some soldiers and citizens of the maltese nation have learned, not to always use violence. While it is sometimes necessary, it should be one of the last options available.

After a little talk, for over an hour I guess, the outcast, Ms Gabriela Casta from the ghosts headed back to their place, Omicron Alpha. I've been there before, just not this close and safe. After we had a long talk and lots of questions to each other, I was declared a guest of the Ghosts. That's an honor, after all, they're keeping the place running. If somebody of their outcast friends bugs me, I could call them. *she chuckles* Maybe I can get pirated on less occasions now.

I can't say more.. instead of noting them in this logbook, I'd rather keep them in my head only. There was some talk about Miss Corino I met in Omega-3 and ... well, it looks like there might be some destiny that'll unfold in a good amount of time.

Emilia leans back in her chair. She hesitates for a moment, then takes a datapad. With a frown, she inspects a detailed picture about a blue creature, with spikes along its sides. Some of these are marked with words, one of them saying 'Brain Equivalent'. Unsatisfied, she lays it down.

"Not sure if you can call it a brain. It's the closest we can get about it so far, though." She lets out a huge sigh, standing up and turning her camera on. She hesitates a few seconds, then turns it off again. Aimlessly, she walks towards her bed and lays down on it. A look, hiding all emotions, is veiling what thoughts lie beyond her eyes.
"Those blood dragons really thought I was infested. Holy crap. They used to be honourable, it seems like this is gone now. They became unreasonable, just like the corsairs and red hessians."
She moves around to a sitting position. Desperate thoughts emerge from her mind. Can I be sure I'm not infested? I have no idea. It's either them becoming crazy, or me. How do I know?
She stands up and moves towards a desk on the back of her room. She holds up a picture, one with four persons in it. Two of them are older, one male and one female. Then, there are two childs, both of them female. With shivering hands, she holds the picture up. She focuses on the elder persons, her eyes shifting around rapidly. A lone tear is emerging from her face, with many more coming afterwards. What if...?

She lays the photo down, and walks up to her bed, again.
"I must speak to them and find it out. These dragons just lost me some oppurtunities to do that. But what if they were right?"
She shakes her head in disbelief.
"No, they're just paranoid." she says with a hint of fear in her light voice.
It becomes obvious that she's not believing her own words. Does she have a choice?
Her tears slowly dying and drying, she moves to sleep and slowly fades away into the darkness, with nightmares haunting her and evoking the frightening events that happened.
Her crew, Sarah, Jenny, everyone, nobody seems to notice what happened, while all of them were busy with their daily routines. Scanning, evaluating, local experiments. Nobody seems to notice the dull shade that has rapidly fallen on the cheery red haired woman.

Since the last log, the situation has lightened up. The woman that suddenly become silent is now back in her usual cheery yet serious state. Not even a single thought of doubt evokes from her once troubled mind. Her focus lies entirely on what lies ahead of her.

The tall woman with crimson hair and eyes walks aimlessly around. With a relaxed expression on her face, she walks circles into her room. The furniture and the style is kept simple, yet effective. The captains sanctum, where Emilia can always return to and relax. She is not often capable of doing the latter, yet the place provides her the calm atmosphere she requires sometimes.
The captains chamber is located amongst the upper deck, the kept VIP deck. It is in a seperated section, and remains as the most luxurious room on the ship. It's walls are in a powerful black, with light stripes of red that are located 80 cm above the ground and mark the three walls where the door is located, on the opposite of it and to the left side. The wall on the right side from the door is almost nonexistent, but in it's place a huge panorama window. It allows visitors and especially the captain to observe the stars in peace and almost without any obstructions.
The furniture itself is kept fairly easy. In the corner between the opposite side of the door and on the left there is a small desk in crimson colour. On top of it, there is a modern computer with quick access to the neural net and the ships databases and systems. It is also connected to a network of supercomputers on the lower research deck, which allows quick complex calculations in highspeed.
Additionally, there is a comfortable couch on the right side, with a few chairs and a low height table. A holo projector can project entire 3D models into the room and it is possible to also project a 2D image onto the window.
Although Emilia rarely invites guests, her loyal crew and her usually use this as conference room, discuss and have fun.

After a few calming days on her liner and with some holidays on Cambridge, she returns to her self assigned active duty. She decided to get towards Sigma-13, quite a long trip out. It's been a while since she was there, but gathering some data about the gas clouds and its clusters with explosive gases are quite interesting to find out, and especially how these things interact with the experimental cloaking device.

She should get her docking bays installed soon aswell, which should open more possibilities. Maybe the militaries of the maltese nation could use it? Against some payments of course. Bringing two fighters or bombers behind the enemy lines might prove useful to them. After all, this ship can make itself invisible for a while.
And this could be a useful tool for moneymaking aswell, offering to ship people including their ships around, unseen.