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14 May 4501

THIS MAIL RUN WENT FULL CHAOS MODE! (GONE WRONG? GONE SEXUAL? GONE CLASSIFIED?!) [NOT CLICKBAIT] [100% LEGIT]

by Captain Peter Avignon

Babur Prime – Babur System
Aseni Republic of Vega
May 11th, 2252
Stepped off the Good Times II today into the choking haze of Babur Prime. Stars, this place is a gutter with delusions of grandeur—future Mumbai if Mumbai never bothered to scrub the soot off its face. The air clings to you like a bad debt, and every dockworker shuffling through the smog looks like they’ve been dusted in refinery ash. The ASR doesn’t believe in "business hostile regulations" like clean air or worker protections, so I shouldn’t be surprised, but still. You’d think a system this industrialized would’ve coughed up the credits for an orbital port by now.
 
Mail run to Pandya’s locked in—15 tons, three containers. Routine stuff, if you ignore the fact that half the cargo handlers look like they’re two missed meals away from collapsing. Lucid, ever the opportunist, sniffed out a couple of passengers: an older woman and a younger man, maybe her son or grandson. Beñat’s got his hackles up about them—says their story’s too neat, like a bad cover identity. I told him to ease off unless they start poking around the engineering bay, but I’ll keep an eye on it.
 
12th May, 2252
Jump Space
Lucid volunteered to play steward for the jump. Normally, I’d say that’s a bad idea—she’s got the bedside manner of a customs inspector—but she insisted. Turns out, she might regret it. As soon as we jumped, the older passenger started unravelling. Claims she’s hearing voices. Doc says its jump sickness. I trust Beñat, but I've been in space long enough to know about the things that live in jumpspace, even if nothing's been proven. I've seen and heard stuff that I can't explain.
 
13th May, 2252
Jump Space
The kid (assuming he is her kid) swears she’s never been like this before. Lucid’s trying to calm her down, but if this turns into a full-blown episode, we might have to sedate her. The last thing I need is a passenger clawing at the bulkheads mid-jump.
 
Beñat’s giving me that I told you so look. Damn him. I had him keep an eye on the old woman—she refused meds, of course. Lucid, at least, had the sense to offer her some warm, salted water. Old spacer’s remedy. Won’t fix voices in your head, but it’ll keep the shakes at bay.
 
Still. Something’s off. If this turns into a real problem, I don't know what we'll do if we're not done jumping.
 
14th May
Jump Space
The night walks began yesterday. Security feeds show her moving through the ship with impossible precision, her face...wrong. The geometry of her jaw shifted slightly left of where it should be, her mouth forming silent screams.
 
Aidan confirmed our worst fears - she's psionic, and whatever's riding her isn't Jred. "Like possession," he said. His solution was characteristically direct. Unfortunately, the only advice he has for dealing with psionics like himself is to put a bullet in her head, as it means she's about to violently fuck things up due to the juice going into her.
 
We showed the grandson the footage. His shock was either the performance of a lifetime or genuine horror. Either way, I've amended our contract - a 200k hazard bonus, payable upon delivery of whatever's left of his "mother."
 
The indication that a psionic is getting "juiced up" aligns with the hovering and the facial contortions. On Benat's suggestion, we put Aidan on guard duty and confirm the son to quarters to keep him from interfering. Still four more days of this. Times like this I sometimes regret falling out of the Nova Calvinist faith.
 
16th May
Midnight. Beñat's last words: "Oh shi-" before getting thrown across engineering like a toy. Now she's rebuilding my ship. Bulkheads peel open like flower petals. Beñat's down - took a psionic wave straight to the cortex. Engineering looks like a modern art exhibit.
 
I'm on the bridge with:

  • Manual jump override primed

  • One charged laser carbine

  • All the regrets of a life spent in space


    • If she breaches those doors, I'm taking us out of jump early. Better to risk misjump than become part of whatever nightmare sculpture she's building back there.

    Continue reading...

    1. Personal Log - New Year, New Shipping Codes
      2nd of January, 4500
    2. Lots of Dead Bodies
      2nd of January, 4500
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      18th of March, 4500
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      9th of April, 4501
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      May 6th, 4501
    32. THIS MAIL RUN WENT FULL CHAOS MODE! (GONE WRONG? GONE SEXUAL? GONE CLASSIFIED?!) [NOT CLICKBAIT] [100% LEGIT]
      14 May 4501
    33. Save us, Aidan
      16th of May, 4501
    34. Making the Trek to the Jred Frontier, pt 1
      19th of May, 4501

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    by 3 Armored Kittens · Prodromos v.1.1 - World Anvil 0.9.15.045 © 2017-2024 [en] | Anvil Time: 19:02, May 22 2025