Post by Tanya Spade on Apr 30, 2015 6:49:27 GMT
Data file uploaded from location: Echosofstarla
“Sorry, kid, I’ve nothing for you.”
At thirty-five I was hardly a kid anymore, but I didn’t press the matter. Clearly Riff Hebian had other things on his mind, and much more so than the spectacular nebulae his ship was seemingly staring at, beckoning to him like some super-massive wormhole to be explored. I too stared at it, and for a brief moment thought I could hear a distant mantra calling to me, welcoming me into it’s maw.
“Beautiful isn’t it.”
Riff’s voice over the com-link brought me back to reality. Blinking and shaking my head slightly, I cleared my thoughts. It was time to leave for now, to set course for the place I had come to call home. I said my farewell to Riff, ensuring I’d be back to pester him another time.
“Be safe out there Tanya, there are reports of Drifters about.”
I paid little mind to his last comment before I terminated the com-link. Drifter activity in the solar system had been minimal at best, and Riff was known in some circles for being a little on the over-cautious side. Odd for an Amarrian in his position, I thought.
******
The pulsing line on my Star-map highlighted that my command had been received and the course set. Waypoints flashed up across the regions, joined by the pulsing line like a dot-to-dot puzzle working its way through a maze. The route was safe enough – though nothing is truly ever safe – and for the most part it was familiar too.
As my ship spun up it’s warp drive I mused if Kiaki had missed me. More likely he hadn’t noticed I was gone at all. He could be a little detached at times, caught up in his own little world, though I suspected that came with his position. It’s hard to know where the officer ends and the man begins. Still, I had grown over the years to think of him as a friend, something I thought not likely to happen again. But there it is; the future almost always brings surprises. I’ve learnt long ago not to plan too much, nor try to predict what is yet to come. Time will tell, I thought to myself accompanied by a brief smile. My father use to share his favourite saying with us growing up whenever we children were excited, too excited, for something soon to happen. Warmth flushed across my cheeks with the realisation I too had come to use the saying often. I guess there’s something to be said for genetic inheritance.
Aligning to the Stargate I wondered if the Blood Raider Covenant threat at home was just as real as ever. Whether those celestial cultists were still violating into Empire-Space to use the blood drained from captured clones for their primitive grotesque rituals. Still, it is less of an evil using clones as opposed to children like they use to, but that is a weak silver lining at best and one that certainly does not excuse the fact. Perhaps the navy had gotten the upper hand however, and they were pushed back to their ‘home’ of Delve. Unlikely, but one can hope. Once more a smile formed as I found myself silently saying the familiar words, Time will tell. Soon enough I will be home and I won’t have to speculate. Kiaki will fill me in on what I’ve missed. And I’ll enjoy a nice long bath.
Just then something flashed up on my ships neo-com. I immediately noticed that the signature had a foreign aspect to it. Identification came through a second later as an Apollo Tyrannos, whatever that was. Curious, I began an initial scan to glean what further intelligence I could about the strange ship. It only took a few moments more, but as the information flashed up on my screen Riff’s words echoed in my mind. It was a Drifter battleship, DED threat level Critical. One that is known to hunt down and follow prey cross-warp, and one that had just locked on to my ships signature.
