999 OCTILLION SOULS, June 14, 2024
I FLIGHT 41
Start here:
Previous:
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE:The following information is derived from Information Seed 40 and received by the Gravitational Wave Observatory. I and AI performed a frequency analysis on it. IE edited certain parts to make them more 'readable'. (He might have overdone it.) Please feel free to comment.41
Legume drifted in the nebulous space between wakefulness and sleep, the rhythmic thrum of the escape pod a lullaby against the inky blackness beyond the viewport. Exhaustion, a heavy cloak, settled over her, pulling her into a dream as fragile as the pod itself.
In the dream, a ravaged asteroid, full of fear and desperation, transformed into a playground. Jagged rock formations became climbing frames, the scorched landscape a canvas for their imaginary adventures. Charlotte, her laughter echoing in space, chased after butterflies with wings of glowing nebulae. Legume, worry momentarily forgotten, joined them, her heart swelling with a joy she hadn't felt in a long time.
de_tech_G: what a load of crap
But a discordant note crept into the dream. A low growl, a tremor in the ground. From the horizon, an intimidating silhouette emerged – a Shi pirate, his face contorted in a snarl, his eyes glowing with malevolent hunger. Charlotte's laughter died in her throat, replaced by a whimper that tore at Legume's heart.
doc_T: what’s the point of this dream?
Panic surged through Legume, a primal urge to protect her daughter. She grabbed Charlotte's hand, the dream world crumbling around them. They were running, the jagged rocks tearing at their bare feet, the Shi pirate gaining ground with every lumbering step.
cap_mal: are we supposed to be scared?
Legume woke with a gasp, fear lingering on her tongue. Charlotte, stirred by her mother's sudden movement, clutched at Legume's arm, her eyes wide with anxiety that mirrored Legume's dream. The escape pod felt like a cramped cage. Legume held Charlotte close.
ru_mikhail: good
They might be fugitives, lost in space, but they wouldn't give in to fear. They would survive, and build a new life, even if it meant carving one out of the fabric of the unknown.
us_gwo: in your dreams
A jolt of adrenaline surged through Legume, momentarily pushing past the exhaustion that clung to her like a shroud. She squinted through the grime-coated viewport of the escape pod. There, a flicker on the horizon – a faint glint of reflected starlight that seemed to dance and twinkle. Could it be…?
uk_gwo5: an ice cream truck
Legume’s breath hitched in her throat. Hope fluttered in her chest. Was it a ship? A beacon of salvation in this unforgiving void? Or was it a cruel trick of the light, another cruel twist in their endless ordeal?
builder_7: it’s an ordeal for us too
Shifts, or perhaps even decashifts, had bled into one another since their harrowing escape from the Ore Seeker. The cramped confines of the escape pod had become their entire world, a metal coffin hurtling through the unknown. Rations dwindled, the air grew stale, and the silence was broken only by the rhythmic hum of the pod's life-support systems and the quiet whimpers of Charlotte.
gwo_fr_5: they can always eat the embryo in the red bag
Legume had clung to a desperate belief that the escape pod wouldn't be their tomb. But with each passing shift, that hope had begun to wane, replaced by a gnawing fear. Now, this glimmer on the horizon, faint as it was, threatened to reignite the dying embers of hope within her.
pilot_sui: Hope is for suckers
A million questions hammered at Legume’s mind. Was it a freighter, a warship, or something more sinister – a pirate vessel preying on the desperate? Did it even have functioning sensors, or were they hurtling toward a lifeless hulk? The uncertainty gnawed at her, twisting the fragile tendrils of hope into a knot of anxious anticipation.
hatmaker_H: what is it with the ‘million questions’?
Charlotte stirred beside Legume, sensing the sudden shift in her mother's demeanor. Legume offered a reassuring smile, though it felt hollow on her parched lips. "Rigardu, C," she whispered, pointing towards the distant glint. "See that? Maybe… that's a ship."
astro_raj: finally a happy ending
The words tasted like ash in Legume’s mouth, a promise she couldn't guarantee. But for Charlotte's sake, she clung to the possibility. “Help us, St. Trillian,” escaped Legume’s lips as they hurtled towards the unknown, the faint glimmer of a potential savior in the unforgiving sea of stars.