Found myself watching a duel, between Miss White and “Empress” Order pilot. They paused mid battle, seemed to communicate. I probed in jest… nothing. Worrying. I took my leave, Miss White apologised. I didn’t respond to that. Somethings wrong… but what? Are me and Daros in danger now? Is she reporting us to the Order? No way to know… shes.. hiding something for sure. Otherwise she would have been open channels with us all at Freeport…
Took myself away, went out to Zeta and found a quiet place to reflect. Thought about the strange alien gate and wondered where it went. I didn’t bother. No good pushing into their worlds to ask questions. Thats just asking to be murdered. No… i needed space. Theta… The guys on Pygar said they’d hook me up with one of their new sensor arrays, for a moderately high price tag. Some assets liquefied to keep some in reserve for possible future modifications, and the purchase was made.
On the return… I saw Miss White. Darting towards Alpha. Hailed, and temporarily stopped. Thing is… i couldn’t exactly trust right away. So i started with the accident. The reaction… was not what i was expecting: “How did you know about that?”, “That was your note?” Both relief and concern. She hadn’t remembered my old habit, i hadn’t signed it. Idiot! Coulda at least put “your friend” or something… damnit. But more worrying.. was the feeling of distrust i felt from her. Even after confessing about our concerns. That Daros and I were… worried for her.
The journey chat took us to Tau37, and then to Alpha. A quick burst of comms from freeport 10 to Daros, and he was en-route to us. Connected him to the private channels i had installed as a failsafe, established a safe private sphere of local comms. Right outside Theta jumphole in alpha. Then came the heated debate. Turns out that, even though we couldn’t trust anyone but each other… we didn’t trust in even that fully. Me and Daros’s trip hadn’t been mentioned, nor our aims with it. But it was clearly not the time to be mentioning such… We were… at odds. And i could not maintain myself there in any calm state. Harsher words than i really intended were spoken, and i received such from Miss White. Left the bubble and jumped. I needed somewhere to breathe.
Daros received a compact broad-line transmission, to settle things with her without me. Then i cut the line. Omegas. Freeport 5 would be far enough away for now… Would put more distance later. We i would have if i didn’t find out the bar was open. The next parts are all fuzzy… but.. i guess the meds i took later helped to keep the memories while under that influence, and reduce the adverse effects of the alcohol consumption.
Maybe an hour into my… expensive night out.. my ship received a call. I had already set up automated ping back for this specific reading lock, location of my intoxication. If they wanted me… they could find me. Sat in my ship, spirit bottles around me, i was watching the star pulses. I was reflecting. Another transmission. Persistent. Ugh. Guess i gotta fly back to Delta…
Theta and Gamma look very similar on sensors. identical when as deep in the realms of thoughtless action as i was. Lock, cruise, jump. Oh… this doesn’t look right. Ahhh musta taken the wrong hole. Before i knew what was going on, a corsair pilot was upon me. Fumbled wording, slurring and confusion were not exactly a help. Made worse by the fact i expressed i didn’t mean no disrespect to their people, “Sir”. As i said that. My mind was screaming. What a cock-up! Especially when the anger from the corsair pilot herself hit me. That reminds me, must remember to send an apology and payment for, well. Regret and thanks. For not sending me to be one with the stars. She let me go. And even told me where Theta exit was.
Moments like that, they seem to help snap people to reality. I needed to focus snd not get myself dead. I didn’t look back. Straight home. What i didn’t expect, was the… feeling of the un-welcome party waiting for me. The distrust was… evidently there. Miss White probably still hates me now…. Took the medication freeport medical staff gave me and cleared my head. Shared most of what had transpired in her absence, in an attempt to try and show i still had some worth in trusting. I dunno… probably blew it in the heat of the moment in Alpha…
My first mission tomorrow, will be a journey to apologise to that corsair pilot. After that… i have no idea how to fix the distrust among those that i can only trust with my knowledge of the aliens…