@Mad-Hatter Quite delightful! I really enjoyed the dream sequence with its veiled references to other games, which, while providing a certain amount of novelty and excitement, ultimately could not satisfy. Very well done. 8^)
Also, the character’s retention of memories across the transition is a great idea. Lots of possibilities there. Glad to see you back!
ENT:20…
Below me the miles of domed, tentacled fungi stretch off into the distance over the yellow-grey hills. The hazy sky becomes one with the horizon far ahead but it is the ground nearby that has my attentions. My as-yet-unnamed ‘A’ class cruises softly, as I sway left and right scouring for bases, shelters and any other places of interest. Due to sporadic scanner problems, I find myself forced to search manually but the blue structures tend to blend in irritatingly, among the greys and bland coloured spires of the towering moulds.
I’m adapting to my current life as a scavenger, making the most out of whatever I find. It is a meagre existence and I’m doing what I can to scrape Units together. Although I’m in contact with ECSD and scoring a dribble of Units for basic mineral and biological scans, I’ve intentionally neglected to let them know of my depressing form of self-employment.
It has become increasingly expensive to acquire the upgrades I deem necessary to my suit and the ship repairs are also getting more expensive as I try to squeeze the last out of my ship’s potential capacity. Off planet it is dangerous, with pirates continually pouncing on unprepared ships, demanding tributes or bribes or indeed just taking everything. My new ship already bears more scars than it had when I found it abandoned on its ridge.
Old shelters yield various treasures and inhabited bases sometimes have a helpful local willing to trade some tech for something I have found. In my many sols here, I’ve made an an effort to make new alliances and in my travels, I’ve visited many ancient sites to glean knowledge that proves useful in my negotiations and general communications with the indigenous Geks.
I’ve moved into an old base in an unstable valley and have erected only the most basic of buildings. It is a strangely miss-coloured installation and it is sadly obvious that it has been built from mostly tarnished scraps. Built purely for convenience due to its proximity to a trade terminal, it has become evident to me why the location was empty. The crust surrounding the structures is extraordinarily thin and an impatient individual may find themselves falling through and lost into the soggy abyss.
My motley collection of new associates has their own space inside my facility and though we trade components and blueprints and so forth, our friendship is limited. I’ve been through these arrangements before so I know to not get attached or aim for long lasting friendships.
I’m keen to leave this planet as soon as I am able. The stench of damp decay along with the depressing landscape make it hard to be optimistic. It’s like a glue on the soul, tacky and dragging on my motivation to press on. My traveller’s blood is pulled to return to wandering the cosmos and with each passing day I further detest my scabby home on this feral planet.
ENT:21…
Recently, I have found the half-buried hulks of freighters which hold treasure worth scrounging. It seems there must have been a design flaw in one particular model of freighter so that in the aftermath of the Cataclysm they succumbed to gravity, their electro shielding unable to save them as they embedded themselves in the terrain. Their grinding reactors are still running after all this time.
I’ve met some cryptic individuals of races I’ve never met before but they seem amicable and good with commerce. Some are strangely keen to share the locations of sacred sites while others are travellers too, or so they claim. Once I get off this mucky rock I hope to learn more about them. My desire for knowledge is further fuelled by the tantalising snippets of information I learn while in contact with ECSD. There is so much I don’t understand.
Despite the risk of pirate attack, I’ve ventured a little around my local system looking for possible places to move to. I’ve been trapped here too long and I feel I must at last venture forth to a new land with a fresh horizon with none of this damn fungus. There are several planets in my system but one on the far outer rim looks promising.
I feel I’m finally coming to the end of my wretched time on this dank toxic world. Most of my associates have become interested in their own ventures and my land based technology acquisition looks to be coming to an end. I’ve collected a lot of different resources so I may hopefully be able to set up some sort of small operation to fund my need to explore and my desire to learn more about this strange altered galaxy.
ENT:22…
The two incoming ships acknowledged my coms contact, the holographic image of an obviously military-minded Gek pirate, hovering over my consol. I attempted to negotiate a bribe but they scoffed at me and made to attack anyway. With only minimal shielding to protect me, I slammed the reverse thrusters and swung sideways to find the warp destination signal on my HUD. The twin red rings betrayed the pirate’s arrival point and upon the flash of their arrival, I let loose a barrage of fire. One larger red hauler received the brunt of my fire and veered pass me and the other, a smaller fighter dived sideways. I followed the fighter as it looped around, sending another barrage of plasma based projectiles into its path as it swung to turn. I knew the hauler would be coming in behind me so I again pulsed the reverse, then hit the high propulsion forward thrusters as the expected attack speared past me. I locked on to it and chased it in an arc through the asteroids, hammering its stern as I punched buttons to regenerate my already badly damaged shielding. There was a series of loops and hook turns as I chased it down but it suddenly swung back towards me before exploding as my photon cannon hammered its approaching nose.
Immediately, the nimble fighter was on me and I found my weapons overheating and needing to be cycled endlessly as I seemingly hit every asteroid around me but missed the streaking yellow fighter. The disintegrating asteroids must have drawn attention because several ships came storming past me as I was again banked over and hard on the power trying to keep the ship in view. It too succumbed in a briefed explosion although had I not had the support of the merciful strangers, I believe I would likely have become dust among the asteroids myself.
Such is the typical day of heading to the nearby planet to search for Star Bulbs. This system is plagued by pirates and anything beyond a momentary pulse from home is usually met with some sort of criminal behaviour. My ship capacity is now mostly weapons and shielding tech but it is essential here.
ENT:23…
With my ship bulging and every compartment I own filled to the brim, I set off across the solar system towards my home-to-be. Finally, after so much toil, I have enough set aside to relocate. My plan’s simple: Farm the necessary ingredients to make explosives and then sell from home. I know that the economy isn’t good and that once I reach a higher level of supply, the value will decrease further but a million Units versus a measly 25 grand is simple math. For now, that will do. Hunting for relics is great for survival but if I truly want to get established beyond a one ship hobo, (a salvaged one at that), I need to get into business for myself. The abandoned desert planet I have chosen, has perfect weather and the escarpment I intend to build upon is a far safer location than the slimy valley I have left behind. I’m unsure of why it has been classified as ‘abandoned’ but perhaps the great distance from other civilisations and poor mining resources have made it so. The grey mountainous landscape abounds in spiny plant life and minerals of nearly every type can be found locally. There are some fearsome creatures here but my location is safe.
The days that have followed have seen my modular construction grow and establish. A brass trimmed growing domes perches atop matching cylindrical base structures. They are now filled with the clusters taken from spore from my previous base. Inside, an elaborate array of planters powered by locally sourced carbon, grow the necessary ingredients to further my construction, with a view to a move to making components in the future. Outside my new wheeled rover keeps company with my ship on its single landing pad, beside a small plantation of a cacti variety that lives naturally in this biome.
On my first evening, I looked about my partially constructed facility set like a gemstone in an otherwise simple landscape and realised for the first time since the Cataclysm that I was indeed home.
Authors note regarding the following and recent Entries/; Over the course of my 1.3 play-through and my tale of it, I’ve stumbled onto using a parallel of visionary text also used in NMS lore. This was by accident as I did not foresee how closely my own tale was going to be to that of the inner monologue and story of the ‘traveller’ but now my tale also uses these references I cannot abandon them or it will ruin my own line of script. Thank you dear readers for your patience as I endeavour to twist my tale to not seem blatant plagiary yet to still tell the story as it plays out… and without spoilers.
MH
ENT:24…
What seemed a simple errand has become an eternal nightmare. I’m haunted by the horrors I cannot quite remember, yet they feel surreal and dreamlike as if they never happened. Is the madness I suffered from the Atlas experience returning or is this reality in its demise? Am I suffering the delusional death of one dangerously exposed to the chemicals I handle or is my memory true and the vision a gospel from the mouths of the Gods. I examine my ship looking for signs of the damage yet I find nothing. My mind’s eye still sees the portal, a strange planet and a horror that I’m certain comes from the Atlas. I awake screaming, thinking I’m suffocating, as the glyphs in my eyes fade to vague black nothingness in the red glow that can determine my fate if I submit. Yet I know in my soul if I stand my ground nothing can erase my existence. Time is shrinking, cracking the reality I thought I knew. I will remember their names but I will never speak them. If the horror is real then all is lost. If it is delusion then only meds will help.
I must rest.
ENT:25…
I have spent many days comatose and floating in the dark bliss of denial. Once I am able to move and the med’s effects are worn off, I can step forward with my thoughts. The terrible spell reminds me of the fragility of my existence. My scratched and torn mind has seen a lifetime and more so it surprises me not at all that I may always feel prey to the crimson glowing terror that has always shadowed my existence. My only companion, a Gek architect who rents a small alcove terminal must have tended to me as I slumbered but he gives no indication and I prompt no conversation.
After I am recovered, I make contact with ECSD coms and log in. There is chatter discussing methods of portal use and talk of glyphs that unsettle me. There are rumours of travellers being lost in the azure wash of a portal, never to return. The idea of stepping into a portal chills me, despite my regular use of modern teleporters. I know I have some records of alien glyphs but I also know that I would need sixteen of them to activate a portal. The number ‘sixteen’ reverberates in my head as if it means something; an echo of a forgotten fear I choose not to face. For the first time in what feels an eternity, a maiden’s face briefly floats into my mind and then it is lost again. In my mind, I search for the threatening red glow I fear so much but it is quiet there and this eases me.
ENT:26…
I’ve thrown myself into my work and as time has passed the horrible experience has faded and I continue on. Perhaps it was just the effect of all the past catching up to me while I was vulnerable. I soothe myself with my farming tasks and as my home (and bank balance) grows so does my confidence.
As a traveller, albeit a retired and reborn one, I still feel the urge to skim the atmospheres of different worlds before plunging into their expanse and delighting in all that unseen world has to offer. I feel it is coming time for me to reinstate this absent part of my life. For too long have I battled to re-establish my position in the worlds. My base has expanded and I recently acquired, through some transactions in a neighbouring system, the technical blueprints that will greatly improve my scanning of unclassified planetary data. With such high demand for high quality detailed scans I should be able to make my living traveling, while at home my chemical resources facility will fill my accounts, ensuring a secure, ever-improving future.
While I travel I intend to continue with my hobby of studying sacred sites and collecting rarities. After all; Ones cup of knowledge is never full and I feel there is still much I need to comprehend and formulate into tangible understanding.
My little explorer ship, I now call Acheoblade, should prove to be as fine a steed as the one I owned an eternity ago, long before I even settled down. We shall travel the prismatic pathway between the stars together and see places my kind has never seen.
Alas and alack! I just realized I am a one ship hobo! 
ENT:27…
A last wander past my humming planters and sparkling domes leaves me satisfied that all is well and my situation is secure. Glistening shards of the fast growing Frostwort can be seen already blossoming, while in the lower domes the phallic humps of Solanium emerge from between the beautiful Star Bulbs. Along the far edge of my plateau, the naturally growing cacti thrive, supplying me with both fibre for my new line of micro-circuits and an organic gel for other uses.
I’m not greedy but the modern economy is difficult and I know I will need to expand further. I’ve reached the limits my star ship can carry but in order to truly set up a fleet of ships I’ll need a new freighter.
Almost as a tease to my thoughts and first ever to my eyes, a new ship touches down on my landing pad. It is gleaming white and stands as tall as my two-story domes. It is nearly all a single wing stretching straight up with a spherical body at the base and it is adorned with flowing decorative golden embellishments unlike any ship I’ve ever encountered. Within moments it’s business is done and it lifts off across the dusty blue sky disappearing into the distant gleam of its pulse drive but I’m spellbound by the sight. There truly is much to see.
By evening my own ship is also launching into the sparkling heavens but this time my rarely used and recently upgraded warp drive is fully fuelled.
Without much more than a flicker through the star map, I’m away.
ENT:28…
Old habits die hard and I find myself mining into yet another freighter crash site. High above me the broken arch of the front spindle soars, while in the distance I can hear the tireless grumble of the reactor as it refuses to quit. This world is much like the many others I’ve seen yet there seems to be an unusual abundance of freighters strewn about. With time in flux and the feeling of reality stretched to the point of fragmentation, it doesn’t strike me as particularly odd that the recent Cataclysm (to me anyway) appears to have affected this region centuries ago. The crumpled freighter’s remains are deep in the soil and the need to dig deep occurs with most signal traces. The nanite finds are small but with repetition comes speed and I find myself flitting from wreck site to wreck site, like an Crysiltry Fly seeking nectar.
I’ve been focusing on local Gek systems as I endeavour to fully grasp their history and language. They are a fascinating race, from their intriguing smells to their ancient warrior past. Since I was ill I have not taken on anymore errand type work as I cannot but help feel that somewhere something is searching for me. It’s an irrational fear but it is ever intruding.
ENT:29…
I visited a beautiful open plains world today. Vistas of green and white rolling hills interrupted by a patchwork of craters. It looks like perhaps this place was once a war zone and nature has claimed it back. The maniacal Sentinels seem to confirm there was something here, either present or past and once I’d landed to acquire fuel in a small dale, they came in droves, firing their energy muskets and calling for backup. I repeatedly blew them away, delighting in battle as I haven’t done since my previous incarnation. Their known association with my mental and physical nemesis The Atlas spurred my anger and I reloaded time and time again, maybe hoping my efforts would cure my fears. Again and again they came, until abruptly for no apparent reason they simply stopped.
What a wealth of nanites could be found in the piles of drums that had collected in the centre of the depression. I felt no shame or guilt at the destruction of these mindless droids and when I eventually left, I found myself fully loaded with nanites and neutrino modules, despite the latter’s less than impressive value. Perhaps my dealings with pirates has left me unscrupulous but harvesting angry droid components is indeed more enjoyable than fiddling with broken technological components to retrieve nanites.
Recent dealings with an interesting race and my need to upgrade technology has increased my need for the nanites in place of units. I have found also several graves of travellers which has assisted me in comprehending the strange alien glyphs used in portal travel.
In my quiet moments that horrific dream fear of something watching me, shimmers and teases me still.
ENT:30…
Upon my arrival home to oversee the harvest, I found my type-pad where I left it in my quarters, a fine film of dust dulling the translucent screen. It has been some time since I addressed my journal and I struggle to recall recent events worth noting. I have wandered the nearby systems near ceaselessly in a quest to see some of the mysterious worlds I’ve heard about on the ECSD coms, yet none reveal themselves to me. I have spent many sols wandering the landscapes and soaking up the unique ambience of each world. I occasionally meet the mysterious Travellers but mostly it is the three main races I have always interacted with. My data collection is more substantial now and I feel confident in my superiority when engaging enemy craft with my explorer craft nearly maxed out with upgrades. I have also improved my personal systems to maximise my ability to acquire whatever materials I require. I’ve avoided he alien monuments in a fear that the crimson demon in the depths of my mind will somehow awaken.
ENT:31…
Have still not found any of the exceptional worlds I’ve heard about but I have made some interesting new friends as I take on various employment opportunities. Recently, I noticed a disturbing feature in my cockpit: A small dial tagged as Purge with a odd diamond and orb symbol, which has never attracted my attention, now reads 9/16. This in itself could mean nothing but prior to my last warp it read 8/16 and it coincidentally corresponds directly to the number of warps I’ve undertaken since my… dark episode. It doesn’t seem to be part of the updated warp drive and apart from becoming active I cannot work out what part of my vessel uses a ‘purge’ mechanism. I’ll enquire into its function.
I’ve found the number 16 unsettling for some time now, yet I know once you notice a number it always seems to pop up on dials and signs and so forth but still I can’t shake the feeling there is more to it. It’s probably nothing.
ENT:32…
I’ve returned home a couple of times to assist in the harvests and to ensure all goes to plan and I’m now content with a steady income. I’m aware other ECSD individuals have embraced the business world and have large and impressive facilities but I leave things a little simple. My combination of planters and domes keeps me occupied and I find the variation of equipment and tasks enjoyable even if the income is a little less and the technology sporadically breaks down.
Perhaps my long existence with little has left me satisfied with less. That being said, I’ve recently indulged myself in purchasing a freighter equipped with a cargo ship, a fighter (for defensive purposes) and even a junky little shuttle. Strangely they all have the odd “purge” dial and it reads exactly the same as the other ships. The freighter is a modest machine as freighters go but it is capable of decent warp distances and can contain a decent cargo should I decide to trade interstellar.
I feel the calling of the cosmos and despite my security, the calling to leap across regions and explore a new cluster of stars is becoming extraordinarily strong. It’s like my core purpose is to travel and all my time spent since the cataclysm is leading me back to the life I remember, of distant stars and tasting the essence of new worlds.
ENT:33…
As I stood pondering my next destination, I watched the scanning sentinels from high up on the outpost of a baking world. They move back and forth inspecting various lifeforms and minerals with undecipherable reason and dedication. What are they? Why do they exist in all places?
My thoughts were interrupted as I felt the sudden desire to watch the ships coming in behind me. It was as if I’d sensed something nearby and that the various freighters and shuttles held an answer. Within a moment the long fin of a bizarre craft began to circle the outpost and I immediately recognised the shape of an exotic and special starship. The silhouette was identical to the amazing craft that had landed in my base ages ago and all thoughts of sentinels left my mind.
Like a mechanical angel, the craft swung towards me in the glowing pink twilight and approached the landing pads. As the silhouette gained colour, it revealed itself to be pearl white with accents of gold. The thrusters swivelled into landing position as it touched down, its immense dorsal wing towering above all the nearby ships and I nervously approached to talk to the pilot. The Korvax seemed uninterested in anything other than dealing yet when the topic of the value of the ship came up it suggested a value akin to that of a C class derelict. Needless to say, I didn’t even spare my shuttle a second glance and within minutes a deal was struck and I owned this amazing craft. With its standard high-end equipment, it will not need much work to become a serviceable part of my fleet.
I find myself again thinking of the stars beyond my vision and what possibilities lie there.
I think this ship will take me there.
ENT:34…
As I crested the black sandy ridge, I ran another scan of the surrounding area. As expected, several points of interest highlighted in my visor HUD and I set off down into the valley. This mostly uninhabited desert planet had proven to be a very useful isotope refuelling location with Thamium 9 in great abundance and plutonium crystal clusters very frequent. My hauler was already half full of the precious fuels and I intended to run another transfer within a few minutes. With my attention fixed on my tasks I was caught off-guard by a vicious attack from behind. A small bloblike creature covered in eyes and its crown a circle of vicious teeth. It was unlike any other on the planet. I was taken aback at this first but when it attacked a second time, it was sent to its end in a crater of sand with a disturbing scream, unlike any animal I’ve ever heard. I ran a scan of the rare creature and continued on past the towering cacti.
As I worked, my mind had been occupied with a daydream of building a new base on a beautiful planet I’d recently encountered. With sky-eels dancing in the air and distant blue plains, I was envisioning a holiday destination for travellers whom like myself, had been through so much and would appreciate this rare gem of a planet. Although the resources were quite spread out, there was also the opportunity for long relaxing travels in exocraft, with the landscape reasonably friendly by planetary standards. Of course, it would need to be a functioning facility but I can see no reason why not to combine the 2 concepts. I’ll need to give this some serious thought.
ENT:35…
Recent interstellar cargo runs have proven very lucrative and I find myself considering my new base idea as a likely new direction. Recent jaunts to dangerous Sentinel havens had netted me a several good hauls of nanites and earned me some good coin from the local mercenaries. It was while in this system, I encountered another amazing starship.
As I was leaving a space station, the instantly recognisable long vertical dual fins passed me in the opposite direction, the like of which I’ve only seen in pictures. I swung about and hammered straight back in to the docking bay in time to see the massive craft landing. The lower wing separated and folded up either side and as the giant red wings pivoted and the craft rotated on its landing pedestal, I could see the gorgeous emblems and unknown decals sparkle. I decided the unique craft really needed to accompany me home.
After some tense negotiations I convinced the terse pilot to sell it to me and after a considerable amount of currency changed hands, I took the marvellous machine out for a run. A blast across the nearby planet surface has me in love with the spectacular handling and with already excellent attributes. I’ve decided to further enhance its fighter ability although I’ll reserve its use for quiet work type missions where a bit of cloak and dagger is expected. This will nicely compliment my other S class ship which I’ve enhanced for long distance interplanetary use. Acquiring something of a collection. These two ships combined with my A class fighter, hauler and explorer, rounds out my fleet nicely… although there is always room for one more. It’s nice to finally be in a position where I can afford and accommodate a collection alongside my functional fleet.
ENT:36…
The strange gauge in my crafts all read 16/16 yet once I tentatively pushed into another warp they have again gone blank. This has awakened a new interest for me and I have thoughts of intentionally approaching the Atlas via one of its many stations. It seems that despite all, I’m internally wired to desire knowledge and the Atlas seems to have answers that I desire. There is one not too far away And I’m tempted to approach. Tempted but not convinced. Yet.
Another curiosity of mine was recently quenched, when I located a portal on the far side of my desert world. Following tips I gleaned from discussions with ECSD, I was able to prime the portal and I used the limited number of glyph-codes I know to program a destination. I didn’t even consider the consequences as the bright warp-hole formed in the portal base and I strode in knowing full well it could be the end of me.
After a dizzying blast of light, I found myself standing in a new world and unsurprisingly it was a detestable fungus covered, slime-planet, raining toxic drizzle and all in a bright shade of green so bright it hurt my eyes. I had a laugh and quick look about then returned back through the portal and once again stood in my home world, my silver explorer waiting slightly uphill from me.
Always I end up in fungus. Just my luck.
Still chuckling, I launched Archeoblade and banked around to head for home; to another harvest and to consider recent events.
I’m so glad this latest installment appeared just now while I was directly here, was about to close the page for some bedtime language learning (as I am often want to do when sleep evades me), things slip my mind but if you knew how long reading your writing has been on my inner ‘to-do’ list (and that of others, too) so, now here from the very beginning, here I go!
(love the title btw…and will leave this page open now until I reach the end, even if I do find I sleep at any stage in between, still I’ll reply to nothing else now until this I have finished…likely to be somewhere into tomorrow, to give it due time…so until then)
Well, how thrilled I truly am to have seen your thread re-emerge on the forum homepage while closing my numerous other opened tabs last night…my response to your story so far, I’ll try to condense but went roughly as follows:
ENT:1&2, laughing along at the same points as Malveka there…the bad nip-nip and needing to go home, so funny (!) as well as this:
I love it 
Also @Malveka I couldn’t agree more on the Fan Creations category where this would take strong place along with that of your lovely wife and plenty of others…maybe sub-categories would be good too such as Fiction, Audio and Visual (even edible perhaps, encouraging everyone to play with their food while nms/wt/csd-inspired, haha)
On with the story…
Brilliantly described, I remember it well and as for this:
I myself have made a jointly populated coprite/mordite biodome separate from the rest of my otherwise fully connected build ‘because of the smell’, in grey/red shades of appropriate warning…
…and this:
That mission! (I tried everything but nothing pleased him. I even turned his cuboid room into what came to resemble a weaponised disco-box but oh no. Only three ships down and a double-death later, was that one satisfied)
Parts like this…I am having a fabulous time reading and also on ENT:10, Malveka is dead right, an impressively heroic undertaking!
ENT:11&12, is where it really starts to turn, feeling that solemn realisation of what’s actually happening. That one sound (as you describe ‘the unexpected metallic grating of rock’ ) alone for me encapsulates this moment in the tale.
ENT:13, 14, 15…I feel myself going quiet, reminded of my own base-before-last, was really beautiful but I was hardly there, had more just looked upon it thinking of all the things I could do, but never did…almost as if I knew I was leaving from the moment I had claimed it…
…and ENT:16…seriously, it’s lucky I’m only typing here as I cannot speak now, just like last night but unexpectedly, even moreso today this second time around. After this, right here, I stopped…was a slow plod up my stairs, had to just go to bed and curl up feeling oddly heavy but with hope at the same time. You were brave.
And though I did continue (have read fabulously on to the last - so far - word), I feel the need to pause again for now so on the rest, I will return! Not very condensed after all, that, was it…maybe my ‘reply pt.2’ will be, we shall see…
…but thank you @Mad-Hatter, I have been transported 
So to close:
ENT:17 held me on an edge I am not often held on, with TravelEcho there on the shivers!
ENT:18 is where the gravity in you appears to change, the weight of what was, still there but with energy of the new pushing up like a shoot through concrete. I appreciate this, as somewhat alleviates my concern which has lingered ever since a major occurrence some time back which when the full realisation hit me as to what I’d actually done, there right before me was another who looked to be feeling just as I did and so in that moment, was not alone. I got a photo of him, here:
ENT:19 an A class version of your lost Mossie 3…I cheered at this! Also this…
…hehehe 
ENT:20 this:
Yes…was very strange getting used to the new bunch, in fact sometimes still is…also the fact that my Scientist and my Technician are now standing has created a feeling I can’t shake, that they’re about to leap and do…something…is just a little weird and I would love for them to be seated once again and appear relaxed! I was though, really quite fond of ‘Crew no.1’, gone but not forgotten and haven’t at all developed the same attachment this time around, so perhaps I’ve learned my lesson, too.
Next, can only say was a sad and worrying end to the entry, albeit understandably but could really sense the depression taking a hold, here:
…
Then though, with ENT:21 showing your desire for knowledge rising above that and of fear of pirate attacks and the like…yeahy 
Followed by this from ENT:22 after a rough dogfight:
ENT:23 closes so beautifully, which makes the turmoil to follow in the next couple of entries all the more impacting. Of course though, you come back from that too. Do you have a picture of Acheoblade?
(no matter what you do, Atlas is looming, isn’t it…)
(…oh the Purge)
Wow, can really say especially after the last most recent entries, I really do feel I’m getting into a proper sci-fi novel I’d have been very happy with had I bought, so I will second what @Starzia suggested, that of bookbaby.com and also lulu.com is another I know of. I told @TravelEcho and say the same to you @Mad-Hatter, I’d buy your writing, straight up.
I wrote once, still do with lyrics and such but not the book I was once consumed by…got so intense I swear I thought the process was going to kill me…quite irrational, perhaps but still…hopefully that will provide a little context to my saying to you, any and all of you who write and just keep going, you have my full admiration.
ENT:37…
Another harvest, another deal and more time to work on my ships.
The old silver Explorer, ‘Archeoblade’ is well equipped already and I’ve had it a very long time so it’s future in the company is secure. With enough spare space to carry exocraft parts for planetary exploration and equipped strongly enough to fend off would be attackers, it is a nicely set up and highly agile little explorer. It sits with a fully fuelled warp drive awaiting its next adventure.
Next is the fighter: an older model but it has excellent configuration for its weapons and shielding upgrades, plus it has ample storage for fuels, shielding repair and even loot I find along the way. It is a superb home defence ship for the occasional attacks on my freighter or can make a good cargo vessel in very dangerous systems.
Up the same bay sits my large hauler: It is purely for transporting goods from my freighter to space stations following a warp. At present it is serving duty as a fuel tanker with my impending move approaching and the need for bulk T9 for re-establishing my crops.
In the next bay sit my 2 S class starships. The white and gold one is named “Apostle”. It’s dorsal wing near scrapes the gangway and it is reserved for runs between my freighter and my base or for occasional long distance interplanetary warps should I feel there is little danger, such as for delivery runs. It is a special craft and so I use it as such. Although it is packed full of advanced technology there is no room for extra fuel so short local delivery runs are its best use.
Finally, is my most recent purchase; the blood-red split-wing, its menacing form lurking in the back shadows of the landing bay. At a glance, it looks like a bounty hunter ship and with good reason. With its superior military features it is a formidable fighter. Named “Scorcher”, it is used much the same as the other S class: I use it for long distance warps to dangerous systems or for local runs in dangerous locales. It too has no cargo or spare fuel space so all trips must be planned. Although I have long ago left my warrior past behind, there still calls for the occasion when a fugitive must be brought down and it is this ship that they see last…if they even see it at all.
ENT:38…
I’ve been giving some consideration to making some modifications to my freighter. With plans for my new base looking to become very complex I may need to utilise the freighter for more storage and possibly an extension to my farming and manufacturing operations. Recent changes to cargo management have led to me revising my methods and I’m now considering some extensive upgrades to the old vessel.
As I wander past the quiet ships in the docking bay, I realise that I’ve been alone for so long that I’ve gotten wrapped in my own ideals and thoughts. I began a lengthy discussion with other travellers on ECSD coms recently and have found myself wanting to embrace this friendly group more than ever before. With portal travel now so common, I have decided to press ahead with my thoughts of relocating and building a new and welcoming facility.
ENT:39…
The freighter shuddered familiarly as the freighter arrived coming out of a short warp. In the docking bay hold, I walked past the slowly spinning yet achingly beautiful thrusters of Apostle. Today I needed my suplies so reluctantly I continued down the aisle to Archeoblade, my trusty explorer. I clambered into the little ship and launched out through the shielded bay entry into the dark blue abyss. As the bulk of the freighter slipped by underneath, I banked left over the side and dropped out of low orbit towards the planet below. Heat radiated off the front shields as I broke through the upper atmosphere and then the now familiar blue plains were stretched out around me.
Once settled on the ground, I took a moment to admire the cyan grass waving in the gentle breeze. With subtle weather and delightful coloured vistas, I’ve fallen in love with this planet and I hope to maybe make it my long term home.
I set about erecting a geobay and before long the humming Nomad sat awaiting her tasks for the day. As the Nomad was fuelled, I examined the spinning anti-grav assemblies and ensured all my supplies were with me. Once aboard, a search via the onboard scanner revealed a monolith an acceptable distance away and soon I was streaking across the pleasant open lands, glad to be rid of the confines of my base and ship and to once again be exploring… and this time with a purpose.
Oh boy… I know where this is going… I can’t take the inevitable heart ache!
ENT:40…
I’ve had good fortune smile upon me today with my investigations at the monolith proving that indeed there was a portal on this planet, a feature vital to my plans.
I returned to my temporary camp to dismantle the geo-bay and was soon flying along the ridgetops heading towards the portal. I could have gone via the stratosphere and arrived much faster but today I wanted to enjoy this planet at least one more time, should my hunt prove fruitless.
As I went skimming over the startled flocks of wildlife, I thought about the plans I’d been working on and how some of the more confusing elements needed to be ironed out, to ensure my new base could indeed be built. With these thoughts in my mind and the beauty of the land below me, the trip past swiftly and as I crested a rise, the dark alien artefact came into view, nestled in a shallow valley. After a slow circle, I engaged the landing sequence and settled Archeoblade back into the lush grass surrounding the portal. With hopeful, positive thoughts, I configured the Signal Booster and scanned the surrounding area hoping for a claim nearby…and there was.
Even though it was only a few minutes walk away, I could barely contain myself and I quickly erected the geo-bay, before setting off at an enthusiastic pace in the Nomad. At this speed it was barely a couple of minutes traveling time and as I crested a rise, down below me past a simple grove of trees stood the empty and available claim station. I parked the craft where it was, near some plutonium crystals and wandered down the hillside to the lone structure of the empty base. In the sky the Dancing Sky-eels looped and played while out on the plain the interesting wildlife grazed and mingled. Heaven.
I stayed through into the night, admiring the spectacular colour changes and noting the circling ships at a nearby station of some sort. Close enough to be handy should I need resources but far enough away as to not bother the Sky-eels or any visiting guests. I envisioned a ring of domes with a raised central platform for watching the eels. I could almost picture a field of Starbulbs surrounding the structure, their soft glow adding to the natural glow of the plains. I encountered only one savage creature; a bulky spiny-backed beast that I sadly had to dispatch. I hoped there would not be many.
I spent the night at the prospective base and then spent the next day trekking back and forth to the portal to identify the most appropriate route. With the directions nearly north and south, navigating would be very easy and when I finally dragged myself away and headed off, I left 2 beacons behind so I could hopefully return and claim my slice of Nirvana.
ENT:41…
It is with renewed enthusiasm that I have returned to work. The moment the Starbulbs are ready to harvest, they are. Never has my in-house glass production worked so feverishly. In my down-time, I scour the local desert landscape collecting the materials I need to rebuild when I move. Not only is there the need for the materials for my new, much improved base but there is also the need for the materials I will need to upgrade my freighter to facilitate this grand relocation.
Normally one of the large Boulder Lizards attacking my Roamer would necessitate some precise repositioning and multiple shots from the onboard cannon but the precision now comes from irritation of the distraction. The beast has barely fallen to the ground before my mining laser is re-equipped and the mining continues. Slowly my stocks of iron and bulbs are increasing, while back home each harvest yields the next milestone towards my projected requirements. Scraps of paper litter my desk, as I carefully calculate crop sizes and yield amounts to ensure optimum efficiency of the new facility. Structural materials are separated from components and little by little, the makings of my magnum opus accumulates.
Up above me, in low orbit, the freighter’s stores gradually fill; not with components to trade interstellar but with raw resources, destined for a pale horizon.
A pale horizon and the domain of Dancing Sky-eels.
This beast… I know of it… and it knows me. Inside and out.
I thought the sentinels would be my biggest problem that day, little did I know I would meet my nemesis.
It still stalks me in the darkest corners of my mind.
Every time I read your travellers logs, I find myself wanting to do the same! I think once I finally move back home next month and I’ve less of a commute and more downtime, I’ll start working on the ol writing skills 
ENT:42…
Trip after trip the overloaded hauler flew, out of low orbit from my freighter to the surface of Aquarius Dream. The modular components gradually growing and connecting to become my vision born. The sparkling domes appear to float between the support pillars and high up through the centre, the viewing platform shines like a jewel in the sunlight. Almost as if they know their existence is the reason for this immense structure, the Sky-eels swoop and play overhead, almost brushing the gleaming new building. Already the first plants are reaching harvestable size and down below the Starbulbs sparkle in the moonlight. I’ve spent the afternoon zooming about in my two smaller exocraft, testing their durability in the gently ramped terrain. I’m trembling in anticipation and following a test harvest to ensure my calculations are indeed correct, I plan to open within a few sols.
ENT:43…
The test harvest has gone splendidly and with much trepidation I’ve placed my formal locality on the ECSD data base. A Lord of the Spacing Guild has already commented that he shall be coming to visit. Plus another entity, from a race known as Survivors I believe; a rarely seen being, who think nothing of raw combat as a way of life. They come from across the realms of reality, sharing our worlds yet separate. If not for the mystery of the portals, we could never have met.
It will be a delight to meet them both. With such dignitaries coming, this shall herald an amazing new beginning of yet another chapter in my life.
ENT:44…
As the sun rose over the pastel fields, the gleaming embodiment of my first visitor, the Survivor came wandering down the grassy slope towards me, his well-used multitool in easy reach. As we wandered through the Starbulbs, I pointed and chatted yet there seemed an aloofness, almost as if the being could see nothing of the sculpture I had created. I felt an affinity for this being; as if we had been thrust from the same mould but in separate realities. He seemed oddly paranoid and disappeared for a time into the nearby caves but of course this is to be expected of Survivors so I smiled and left him to it. As he poked about among the iron-stones, I watched the sky-eels swim through the air, deeply hoping a swarm would form as they so often did.
There was an indication from my interesting guest that we should commemorate the occasion of our meeting and he indicated a large stony outcrop were a monument of our meeting could be placed. After a moment’s hesitation not knowing what to expect, I joined him there. From one realm to another, here would stand a monument for all time, a symbol of what can be accomplished. All it would take was a simple touch. As the monument blinked into existence in a shower of brilliant light, I knew amazement and then….
… and then there was darkness.
I awoke laying on the grass, above me the spinning monument of our creation, awful in its simplistic beauty. Something had gone terribly wrong. Was terribly wrong. The thought echoing through my head, mirroring a different time and place in my life. My thoughts sprang to my base and all my efforts to create it and in answer came the shattering of glass and the squeal of tortured steel.
As I tried to move, I collapsed. I could feel the energy feeding the flux as it was growing and surging around me. My reality was simultaneously stretching and folding and overlapping. Repeatedly, I crawled and collapsed, until I finally reached the source; a hovering communication ball under the tree nearby. Time kept shifting. The power cell of the simple communication device was feeding this rip in the fabric of the multiverse. If I could shut it down, the monument would stop feeding and maybe stop. As I reached up towards to it, it gave me its pleasant greeting… and then slipped out of my plain of existence and into the shadowy one beyond.
I could still see it yet I could not touch it, I could not shut it down. The flux wavered, softened then steadied, still deadly but paused in its destruction.
When I turned, the Survivor was gone, yet I knew it wasn’t his doing. I prayed the Survivor would make it to the portal before the tear became an all-engulfing singularity.
My next guest, the lord arrived at the scene of destruction moments later but I stayed still. If I moved it was blackness. I could barely watch as the remains of the facility I’d brought into reality was dismembered and crushed into raw materials. The Lord stayed for a moment before retracing his steps and briskly leaving. He did not look impressed. I prayed he too would be safely gone before Aquarius Dream imploded.
In the darkest recess of my mind a glint of red simmered, watching. The Atlas!
Hateful and spiteful, it cares only for its control. It was behind this, just as it had behind the Cataclysm so long ago. Behind each and every failure.
With utter certainty I know the Atlas has instigated this.
Once I’d dragged myself to my waiting ship, my anger burst out in a torrent; I screamed and smashed my multitool over and over into the console until I again succumbed to the draining vortex of the monument and passed out.
I dreamed of a crimson skull cloaked in a black diamond…it was grinning.
I followed the actual events in the other thread and was interested to see how you would portray it all. Bravo! Can’t wait for next installment!
ENT:45…
Using the electro-shielding systems I had available, I dulled the shuddering force blowing from the monument. I shut down all my coms and ran on minimum suit power in an effort to perform the task ahead. Time was crucial. As I approached, the energy field increased but this time I did not pass out. Moving ever so slowly, I inched my way closer and then I blasted a hole under the monument in the stone it hovered over. I inserted a small message terminal with a dire warning to anyone unfortunate enough to stumble across the fissure. The new power source caused the fissure to surge but then settled as I sealed the hole with lead-based terra-form.
Gradually the monument was encased in black claw-like fingers of stone as I moved around the blighted object and carefully did my best to contain the energy streaking out. I shook uncontrollably as I worked, static in my eyes, my multi tool smoking with the strain. If my efforts lasted, perhaps it would protect any who came behind me long enough for them to flee.
I fear my existence has been contaminated and my movement is like being shoved. I jerk and shudder as I clamber my way away from the frightening creation. Static and code flickered across my HUD, warning lights pulsing.
The shattered console of my shuttlecraft made activating the initiation sequence awkward but it fired up and launched, smoke and sparks spitting at me as I lifted away and fled from Aquarius Dream.
ENT:46…
I remember a time; when I awoke to find my reality had changed and as I staggered about the hanger I gaped startled at strange new machines. Here again, I find myself staggering through a hanger with strange new machines, but these are mine, earned through blood and sweat.
This is MY hanger, in MY freighter. So far removed now from the reincarnated traveller who trudged through endless slop and mould after abandoning a broken reality and starting over.
Yet, here I am again.
Always it is the Atlas that breaks my existence. I know now in my soul that it was the Atlas that brought about the Cataclysm. So many lives. So many quests in a false reality, always at the mercy of an insane machine that holds it all in its claws.
As I judderingly made my way towards the upper levels of the freighter, my anger grew. Once I had feared the Atlas. More recently I’d considered attempting to contact the Atlas, in my quest to further understand the changes I’d witnessed following the Cataclysm. As I climbed the stairs, I stumbled yet again. A couple of Korvax turned to watch me as I fumbled my way towards my quarters at the rear of the freighter. To them I was a diagnosis of faultiness but probably nothing more. I doubt the anger I expelled would phase them much but they were fortunate to not comment.
The Atlas would pay.
Once in my chambers I relayed my circumstances to ECSD and rested for a while. I dreamt of a place of shattered memories in pillars of glass and a circular alien structure that even dwarfed my towering S class. At a table sat beings drinking from tea cups. The one on the end stared intensely at me from under his strange head covering, his crazed eyes knowingly piercing my soul. A smaller hairy creature clasped a device and began yelling repeatedly that it was ‘late’.
I awoke disturbed and my anger and understanding roared back like a furnace.
I left my quarters and stumbled my way clumsily to the bridge.
The Captain made no comment when I re-set the warp drive to maximum and loaded in cell after cell of warp fuel. He may have paused momentarily when he saw our destination but he said nothing.
The glow of the Atlas had become a beacon of scarlet hatred in my mind but in this red mist, my anger and lust for revenge seemed more powerful.
Pushed to maximum limits, the freighter’s warp drive seems to scream in agony.
I do not care.
So intense! (biting my nails) 
(gifting you a stack of power canisters and T9) (slippin’ some liquid explosives into your pocket, just in case) 
ENT:47…
As Scorcher entered the Atlas Interface, her slender red body slammed against the wall sending sparks and precious decals pedalling through the tunnel, the lack of gravity allowing them to chase behind before they fell to the central chamber floor. I cared not for my possessions, no matter how beautiful or rare they may be. Revenge was now my driving force. Nothing would stand in my way.
I approached the pulsing darkness in fury, static flickering across my vision but I already knew this was not the Atlas core; just a minion of this all controlling entity.
I heard an alien thought pattern that partially mirrored my own. I ignored it.
I acquired the next interface coordinates and staggered to my ship.
New words and meanings flowing into my mind like impacts. As I learn more, I fumble more. I’m becoming disconnected. I think of the Holographic travellers I’ve met and the sombre graves on lonely worlds.
I understand. I remember the broken ships I’ve found on desolate worlds, coffins for the long dead. I remember empty husks of broken buildings.
I see the truth.
Scorcher’s bent starboard wing folded noisily as I launched and slammed the thrusters to full out of the access tunnel.
The Atlas is trying to break me, trying to break my mind, but I will break it.
I will break it… .
ENT:48
Ktzzz…Have moved to… ktzz…z voice commands …az I can no longer type. Infect… cannot…ktzzz,
Another long warp, another …ktzzz… interface. The Atlaz triez too stop me but ad each interface I …ktzz… acquiring more keys. I will learn the seedz …ktzzz… will find the Atlaz core.
I can smell the baking warp reactorz but it no longer matterz. I will crush the Atlaz… and itz falze reality.
I will be the one who takes the controllll.
IT WILL BE ME…! (static)
ENT:49… Reactorz 3 and 4 have blown …ktzzz… lazt warp. Itz nod my vault. Captain Enyo haz infrmed me thad it iz nod logical …kauze… we cannod go on after… (static)
There is no aft… …ktzzz… …to fumble with his …ktzzz… ergence cubes.
Zmoke iz pourze through th… hanger ventz … (static) I will prevail.!!! Radiation levelz critical.
Primary coolant …ktzzz… failing…
ENT:50…
My data bankzz hold the… seedzz to …ktzzz… With thad damned ktzzzzz. Hav…kktzzz………
….black hole…on the….ktzzz… make it… (static)
END LOG DATA
**NEW ENTRY **
CAPTAIN ENJO OF THE KORVAX FREIGHTER-MASTERS GUILD.
CURRENT CAPTAIN OF THE MERCANT VESSEL “BRAZEN PIONEER”.
ENT:51…
It is my duty to fulfil my previous employers’ apparent wishes by completing this journal.
He threw this type pad at me as he left and in that is the only indication of his intention.
I will oblige. It is regrettable he has gone ‘insane’; his obsession with the Atlas surpassing even the most focussed of Korvax.
We believe his program is corrupted. His visage was sporadically clouded by incorrect structure and he became partially unintelligible and quite irrational.
We find ourselves facing a gravity vortex blackhole, a short distance ahead of us. The ship is at maximum stabilization but we must move away now or we will lose the ship.
Our reactors have been severely damaged by his repeated warp cycles from interface to interface, allowing zero cool down. Severe overheating damage on all reactors. Half are non-functional. Multiple coolant leaks. Hull integrity is holding but electro-shield power is dropping rapidly. Refer to captain’s log for further analysis details.
It is not known why he chose to access the Atlas interfaces in such frequency or to what end he believed emerging here at a black hole was supposed to achieve. He was unstable.
It is with a captain’s regret that we consider him lost; his existence ended.
He left all of his resources and did not take any of his refined, tall-winged craft. He instead took the damaged shuttle he brought back from his unexplained encounter on Aquarius Dream.
We requested he explain his intentions repeatedly when he paused outside after launching but he only responded with a burst of static we cannot decode.
Approximately 27 seconds later, he deliberately pulse-drove the shuttle-craft directly into the gravitational singularity and disappeared from our scanners. No data exists to calculate survival. Theoretical calculations suggest the probability is nil.
A combination of the recent irrational behaviour, the renaming of the shuttle-craft to “End Game’, and the apparent abandoning of all possessions would suggest he chose to self-terminate.
We have remained here for three sols (standardised) as required by guild protocols but we must now abandon him to his fate. Emergency evacuation is pending ability to relocate the ship to a safe location.
We will consider the ship and its contents abandoned and will now follow designated protocols.
Captain Enjo.
Signing off.
END TRANSMISSION.
LOG> ECSD> FINAL
Close file……error…
…2 files still loading…… please wait…
…loading……
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Epilogue.
In the dusty green hue of a distant and lonely star system, a cluster of gilded asteroids tumble their slow way nowhere. There is silence. No machines. No ships. No sound at all. Even when the ancient lumbering boulders come together, they do so in thick silence.
Among the drifting, worn stones of the asteroid field, another shape floats. Tiny in comparison, it slowly turns over and over, the white and orange box, a strange grey in the equally strange light.
Broken shielding wavers briefly, as the tiny craft bumps past a towering asteroid. The dull purple glow of a depleted pulse-drive thruster can momentarily be seen, as it slowly turns, aimlessly adrift.
There are grime encrusted windows, with a view to a being slumped at the controls inside. There is no movement. The control panels are mostly dark and scorched, yet some tiny lights still pulse dimly. Broken glass, glitters as it floats inside the cabin, miniature imitations of the golden asteroids outside. A small gauge marked “PURGE” flickers and faintly cycles though a sixteen-digit sequence. Power is very low and soon it will go dark forever.
Perhaps one day this small craft will eventually move close enough to the nearby planet and slip from its decaying orbit.
There it will fall, until it falls no more.
To lay among the giant alien growths.
Tombstones to a forgotten tale.
Maybe…
M.H. ©
2017
