999 OCTILLION SOULS, June 19, 2024
I FLIGHT 46
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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.46
Legume stared out of the viewport, her heart a leaden weight in her chest. Ten. Ten hulks of twisted metal of misfortune stretched across space. Ten more shattered dreams, ten more stories of hope extinguished. Each wreck, a mirror reflecting their fragile escape pod, chipped and pitted, hurtling through the unforgiving void.
A cold serpent coiled around her throat. How long could they keep going like this? Their meager rations dwindled with each passing shift, the recycled air growing stale and thin. Charlotte, oblivious to the storm brewing within her mother, clutched Legume's hand, her small form a fragile ember of hope in the encroaching darkness.
doc_T: this is child abuse
Shame gnawed at Legume. She had allowed herself to believe, to cling to the desperate hope that the first glint on the horizon was salvation. Now, tenfold the disappointment. Tenfold the crushing weight of their predicament. But amidst the despair, a flicker refused to be extinguished. She wouldn't give in. Not yet. Charlotte needed her, her strength, her love.
de_tech_G: all you need is love
Legume straightened her back, a silent vow forming on her lips. They were survivors. They had escaped the Ore Seeker. These wrecks wouldn't break them. Each one was a potential treasure trove. Perhaps spare parts, a beacon they could jury-rig, or even a sustainable food source if they were lucky.
cap_mal: any vitamins are good vitamins
A fragile butterfly with tattered wings dared to take flight in Legume’s chest. This wasn't the end. It was a challenge, a twisted opportunity. They would scavenge, they would adapt, they would find a way. Legume wasn't ready to surrender. Not with Charlotte by her side. With a deep breath, she forced a smile, her voice hoarse but determined.
uk_gwo5: should have gone back to the Ore Seeker
"Rigardu, C," she said, pointing towards the field of wrecks. "See those ships? They can help us keep going." The words were laced with truth, a promise whispered into the void. They were surrounded by death, but within it, a chance for survival flickered. And Legume, for Charlotte's sake, would hold onto that chance with every fiber of her being.
hatmaker_H: you can’t eat wrecks
Something sharp and unexpected pierced through the numbing despair that had clung to Legume like a shroud. A flicker on the horizon, faint at first, but undeniable. Was it…? Could it be…? Her breath hitched in her throat, and the words caught on her tongue. A ship? A real, functioning ship amidst this graveyard of shattered dreams?
pilot_sui: Eleven is a lucky number
Charlotte, sensing the shift in her mother's demeanor, stirred beside her. "Par org?" she asked, her voice small in the cramped confines of the escape pod.
"Rigardu, sweetie," Legume whispered, pointing towards the distant glint. "See that? Maybe… maybe that's our way out of here."
The words felt hollow, battling against the weight of reality. They had seen mirages before, cruel tricks of light that mocked their desperation. But this… this felt different. It was larger, brighter, and a more substantial glimmer than the others.
astro_raj: well, if it’s more substantial… fingers crossed
Their escape pod, once a symbol of their escape from the Ore Seeker, now felt like a flimsy coffin compared to the possibility of a real ship. A long-dormant emotion flickered in Legume's chest. Maybe, just maybe, this was their salvation.
builder_7: her chest is full of emotions
As they hurtled closer, the glint solidified into a sleek, silver vessel. It was unlike anything Legume had ever seen – aerodynamic curves, pulsating lights that danced across its hull, and an insignia unlike any she recognized. Alien? A foreign power? The uncertainty gnawed at her, but it was overshadowed by a desperate hope. It was a ship. And right now, a ship was all that mattered.
otavio_br: hallelujah. finally
Legume manipulated the escape pod's controls, sending a distress signal into the inky emptiness. A silent plea, a gamble on the unknown. Save our souls! Would the vessel respond? Were they friends or foes? The questions hammered in her mind, but she held onto the fragile hope that had bloomed in her chest. They had survived the Ore Seeker, space pirates, a killer cloud, navigated the dangers of the void, and scavenged from the wrecks. Surely, they could survive this too. With a deep breath, Legume steeled herself for whatever awaited them, her eyes fixed on the approaching ship, a beacon in the emotionless expanse of space.
ru_mikhail: horosho