Grant writing

Layla’s corpse is still in statis in the Indagatrix. In order to perform an experiment on her where I try to transplant her implants to a clone, I need either permission from the closest living relative (unlikely to exist) or permission in the form of an approved research grant from the Amarr Science Foundation.

I know, as a capsuleer I could get away with doing the experiment anyway. I wanted to do it following the proper ways for a commoner like me, and as a result I brought this administrative misery upon myself. Now there’s no turning back.

There is an office of the Amarr Science Foundation in Eredan nearby Mehatoor, in the Kaalakiota Corporation Research Center. I went there to get information on writing such a grant and was helped in a very professional way. You do not have to be affiliated with Hedion University to apply for a grant (although it helps). Joint grants with industry are encouraged, maybe I can see if someone in the Bouncing Bunnies would be interested to be a co-applicant.

While there, I looked up information on past grants in the research domain of archeology, to get some examples. Suddenly, I got a bright idea. Why not look up Lord Aslan’s archeology projects? After all, he was organizing a large and expensive archeological expedition in Gamdis where he famously died. Gamdis remains a bit of a loose end in this Takmahl lead, like a thorn in my side that I cannot seem to remove. I am still wondering what he was looking for. Alas, it seems the whole affair was privately funded, Holder’s prerogative. Unexpected, given the reputation of greediness of his lordship.

I am grateful that Lunarisse agreed to show me the site of the excavation - I hope this will clarify a lot of questions that remain.

Stowaways

The Finishing Schools for Girls in the Federation are inferior to those of the Empire. The reverend mother Kahoudi will be pleased to learn about our superiority. 

 

In particular, the Federation schooling lacks lessons on proper ecclesiastical titles. I had to explain to Charlene repeatedly that a friar should be addressed as "brother", whereas "father" is the title for a priest. Nevertheless, she insists on calling me "daddy".

Anna's leg heals well. I took her to the Indigatrix's medbay for a checkup, and the other two girls went along. In the medbay, Charlene spontaneously disrobed and inquired whether "daddy" would like to give her a "thorough examination". 

 

Charlene seemed surprised that I put her in the medbay scanner for the examination. They must do medical exams differently in the Federation. The scan revealed a dark spot in her lungs, and this caused a bit of a scare at first. Fortunately, upon closer examination it appears not harmful, probably a scar from a severe bronchitis in the past. Apart from that, Charlene is in perfect health.

 

I have reached a decision about what to do with these stowaway dancers. I have always been a enthousiast supporter of the performing arts, and the dire circumstance of the girls illustrates well how underfunded the culture sector is. So, I will buy the girls passage on a capsuleer vessel back to the Federation. I don't need approval from the station authorities for such private courier contracts. Oh, I never imagined I could be such a rebel!

 

Postscriptum: Wonderful news for Tanoo! The Empress and Lord Ardishapur are paying a surprise visit! I have no doubt there will be a laudatio of SFRIM's efforts supporting the region's development. SFRIM capsuleers should be proud of what was achieved and of the great accolade they receive from the Throne through this visit. Hail the Empress!

One mystery less

Quantum sensors exploit the fragility of quantum superpositions to achieve a higher sensitivity and resolution than normal sensors. They are capable of detecting even the weakest concentration of chemical compounds. This is useful in particular in station hangars representing huge volumes of air in which said compounds are strongly diluted.

The quantum sensors that I installed recently in my item hangar detected a combination of dimethyl sulfide, methanethiol, short-chain fatty acids, and 3-methylindole with more than a smattering of hydrogen sulfide. Among laypeople, this is known as flatulence. I do not need to have an "expert system" injection of Flatology III to recognize the combination. I have stowaways, tooting on my beans.

 

Using the sensor's gradient reading, I was able to pinpoint the source, and sure enough, found the stowaways. Three Gallente girls hiding in a container - the hangar has a lot of compartments, with separation walls and containers, and they used one of them to hide in. They have furbished it with furniture from ship spare parts to make a sort of home. They confessed to the theft of canned beans and toilet paper.

They were scared beyond reason when I found them, and identified themselves as Anna Angel, Betty Booty, and Charlene Cummings. They got on board during the so-called "Guardian's Gala" event - when Serpentis and Angel cartel were having a celebration if sorts. I do remember raiding their data sites, and they confessed to getting on board hiding in the loot from a Gala data site. 

They identify as "exotic dancers, female". So, Gallente is exotic now. Also, I did not know the Serpentis or Angel Cartel pirates had a fondness for dancing, I think it shows their softer side. Nevertheless, these girls claim to be mistreated by the pirates, and were seeking a way to escape. Anna and Charlene are very young, while Betty is older and mothering over them. Anna appears to have a broken leg, but it is splinted quite professionally.

 

I explained that they were safe in a station of the Imperial Crusade, and proposed to contact the station authorities. At this announcement, they completely freaked out. Unreasonable yet uncontrollable fears of being cast into slavery. 

 

Having a bad experience with trying to do things according to the book with Layla's corpse, I discovered the maverick in myself and did not contact the authorities. Moreover, the Indigatrix has a basic medbay, more than capable enough to heal broken bones. I brought them there, and had nanites reconstruct Anna's bone and administered antibiotics. She will need a bit of recovery, as her muscles have atrophied while she was holding her leg still.

 

I am not sure what to do - for now I let them stay in their furbished container. They were quite grateful for my help, and requested food other than beans. I am not sure how to proceed, and must think it over carefully.

Twice good news

This was a great day!

 

First, Lunarisse agreed to show me around on Gamdis III, and in particular to show the excavation site of lord Aslan. News items from back then mention that Lunarisse was one of the first ones to arrive at the site of the disaster that cost lord Aslan's life, and the MIO lauded her for helping with the rescue efforts. These news items never mention where his lordship was searching, nor what he was searching. So Lunarisse's help is invaluable, she can show me where lord Aslan was looking.

She did tell me to prepare for a long trip, 500 km sand sailing and 50 km trekking. I am not used to these kind of things, but I believe my will and prayers will help me overcome these challenges. 

 

Second, I met with lord Arman, he visited the library. Chancellor Victus Arman is also the abbot of the "wandering monk monastery", dedicated to the very same quest as I am: finding and retrieving the holy relics of the Empire! I was not even aware of that order... God placed this great man in my path, as clearly as he gifted me the Ratakh Hubrau. Lord Arman invited me to join his search, a lead in New Eden that his wife, a Servant Sister of Eve, received. 

 

God, how I laud and praise and thank you!

Depictions of Sefrim

The Takmahl and the primitive inhabitants of the constellations around Araz have depictions of the Sefrim, just as we do. The style is reminescent of ancient Amarr, 21st millennium, and shows little development in time. The Sabik who left Amarr took the artistic culture with them, and kept it frozen in time. And yet, there are three major differences to how we depict the Sefrim.

 

Firstly, whereas Amarrian depictions show the Sefrim masked, the Takmahl depictions show them without mask, their faces ready to scorch anyone who dares to gaze upon them.

 

Secondly, in our historical icons, the Sefrim are usually depicted flanking the Emperor - this style is called the Parangelis Imperatoris. In Takmahl depictions the emperor is not present, and the Sefrim are guardians or gatekeepers - this style is called the Angeli Ostiarius. In the legends of the region, the Ametat and Avetat have been taken back when God was displeased with the emperor-successors of Amash-Akura, and put again in the care of the Sefrim. The Guardian Sefrim are the relics' keepers. Great palaces or treasuries would have bronze or gilded bas-relief Sefrim on the doors.

 

Thirdly, our Sefrim are often shown carring the Ametat and Avetat. If they wield a weapon, it is a sword, sometimes a flaming sword. Most uniquely, the depictions in relic sites in Araz, Kakol and surroundings show them carrying spears or lances. Rarely they are welcoming, such as the mosaic shown above, most of the time they are blocking the way, with crossed spears. The legend is that only the Takmahl emperor would be allowed entrace to the Angelic Treasury where the Ametat and Avetat are kept, and all the others (especially the Amarr they fled from) are unworthy. For them the way is blocked and they will melt at the very sight of the unmasked Sefrim.

A failed Reclaiming

A most remarkable event took place: a membership interview of Nauplius. In the past few months, he has sunk deep into heresy by promulgating sedevacantism, denying the authority of the Throne and of the Theology Council. That man had the temerity to come to Mehatoor and apply for membership of LUMEN. In PIE, he would have been vaporized before he could knock on the front door.

Instead, the LUMEN leadership decided to explore whether he could be reclaimed.

The interview was held in the tribunal room, rather than the bar. Nauplius appeared on stage proud and self-centered, and proceeded to brag about his merits. He proclaims himself a great scholar, but although he is prolific and fluent writer, his manuscripts do not pass peer review anywhere in the cluster. I still recall our conversation on archeology, where he acted more as a grave-robber than as a scholar. What a nightmare it would be, were he to reap the fruits of my meticulous and lengthy research and put them to ill use.

He proceeded then with accusations of moral degeneracy among our ranks. Board members dating criminals, heretics, even witches? I do not know what he means but the venom from his snake tongue had me somewhat shaken and worried.

Lastly, he refused to recant sedevacantism, penance was not even discussed. He esteems himself so highly that he thinks he can be the judge of the Empress. He cares not about uniform thought, worshiping the ramblings of his own free thought instead. Thus, he begets disorder and instigates sin.

The peaceful Reclaiming of Nauplius failed miserably. 

I am glad there was no violence. I tried to remember the lyrics of a song Ishta let me hear, “slow your roll”, so I could recite it to her to prevent the public evisceration of Nauplius. But she was in control of herself. It was one of the directors, Gah’Matar, who almost lost his calm.

Post scriptum: Lord Garion was present, and I used the opportunity to talk to him afterwards in his office. I wanted to get his opinion on the ethics of bringing a thousand-year-old mummified Takmahl cyborg back on-line. He cautiously agreed it might be in the interest of science to do so.

Item hangar breach

The war declaration between a capsuleer corporation and our own is now a couple of weeks old, and I am confident our adversaries are being severely trounced. However, at the onset of this inter-corporation conflict, I did not know what to expect. Indeed, this is my first time involved in such a corporate war.

Lunarisse had assured me that we did not need to bring the rare books to a safe underground planetside bunker. She even seemed surprised at my concern, apparently this sort of thing is usual. Maybe it is a way for the young nobles to show off their bravery in modern-day jousting contests.

Nevertheless, I was not reassured about this war. It is the task of any leader to tell their rank-and-file members that all will be fine if you just keep the line.

I feared temporary disruptions in supplies. In order await our inevitable glorious victory with some modicum of comfort, I decided to build up a small wartime stock of supplies. Canned beans, flour, sugar, rice, sigarettes (to trade when the economy breaks down) and a copious, feel-good amount of toilet paper.

One of the good sides of being a capsuleer is that you don’t have to wrestle for the last can of beans in the grocery store when people are hoarding. Not that there has been any hoarding, mind you. To my surprise, the baseliners in Mehatoor are quite jaded about this war, having lived through the recent Triglavian threat. Anyway, capsuleers can just order in bulk, by the ton, and have it delivered in their hangar. So that is what I did.

For some unknown reason, all bulk orders of toilet paper come with complimentary crates of hand sanitizer gel and facemasks. This mercantile tying of goods is an ancient custom in all empires. It has been done for as long as there are historical records. No-one quite knows how this habit originated, back in the mist of time, and it stands as one of the great unsolved mysteries in ethnology.

Today, I found out that someone tore open the wrapping of the pallet on which the toilet paper was stored. I first thought there was a fedo infestation, but there were also rolls missing. Fedos don’t use toilet paper. Closer inspection of the inventory revealed also missing cans of beans. None of my precious relics were missing, and also no ship equipment has been stolen. And, to make the mystery complete: there have been no recorded entries or exits in my hangar except myself.

I have bought some state-of-the-art sensors to secure the hangar, and installed surveillance drones at the entrances and exits and near the relics. I’ve also placed a fedo trap with a can of beans and a roll of toilet paper in it.

A museum

I am slowly building my little collection of Takmahl artifacts. I am eager to return to exploration in Araz but these capsuleer "wars" are still raging, so I have to be patient. 

 

Anyway, even with my humble finds obtained earlier I have started dreaming about making a Museum of Takmahl History to exhibit these items and educate our people on this ancient culture. It can serve as a warning to the Minmatar - I see an analogy in that the Takmahl people left the light of the empire, and were in the end devoured by the darkness.

 

I talked to the station manager at the 24th Imperial Crusade station in Mehatoor about hiring some space to house the exhibits. There is some available office space, but it has to be torn down and rebuilt - and apparently there is an art to museum architecture and design that I do not master.

Capsuleer wealth

Capsuleers are insanely rich. At the moment, I have a staggering 25 million isk. A scandalously high amount by any means. I must keep that reserve as it will allow me to replace the Indigatrix should she get lost. But, my vows do not allow me to amass more wealth and I feel guilt at keeping such sums. 

 

My father worked all his life, and his lifelong earnings still are dwarfed by what I amassed in short time as a capsuleer. I think it is only a matter of time before there will be some reckoning and capsuleers will be held accountable.

 

Just doing some simple exploration has also provided me with objects that trade on capsuleer markets for insane amounts. I will donate my excess to good goals and to corporation members doing industry - I've been told data site trinkets like decryptors can be used for industry.

Unfortunate malfunctions

Today I found out there was a problem with the stasis pod, and repairs had to me made.

Sadly, during these repairs Layla's left leg fell off. It is amazing how fragile millennium old corpses can be. 

She makes me wonder about the role of cyborgs in Takmahl society. It is known that they used them as biodroids to oversee the slaves. But cybernetic enhancements could have been of use also to the affluent population, either to overcome disabilities or to enhance potential. Layla's implants are mostly neural, with a hint of some infomorph tech - different from the Jove, maybe a Talocan influence? Did they use the enhancements to store memories so they could replay them later, a bit like a photobook? It would be wonderful if one could reactivate these, but till now I can find no other way than a transplant. I will try to get a consult with Hedion's cybernetics department.

Side note: new exploration efforts will have to wait a while as the first disadvantage of joining a corporation manifests itself: when your corporation is at war, there is no safety even in highsec space.

New acquisitions

Nothing in this universe is as useless as business books.

 

They have this in common with sports commentaries: they try to build a narrative based on a random number sequence. But, whereas sports books do this with random numbers that appeared in the more or less recent past, business books do this about random numbers that should still be drawn.

 

Nevertheless, I will have to acquire more business books for the library. An intake of this Caldari scripture is necessary as we are poised to get an influx of market professionals in Mehatoor. As the alliance seems to have met its goals of economic development in the mandate, its market operations are about to shift back to proper Amarr systems.

Please note that you will find "The art of stress-free productivity", "The lean startup corp", "Marketing management secrets" and "The Intelligent Investor" at the bottom shelf of the bookcases in the back.

Seeking permission

I am beginning to understand why capsuleers sometimes bend the rules. If you just go by the book, it makes things much worse.

 

I contacted the DoD, the Department of the Deceased, in the Amarr Civil Service. They take care of the dead. They can give you permits to transport corpses, and allow you to perform autopsies and experimental surgery on them. Any other capsuleer would not have bothered, I guess, but I wanted to go through the proper channels.

 

It was a mistake.

 

First, I had to justify why I did not inform the MIO that I had discovered a corpse. They did not grasp the concept of exploration and archeology. Next, the dumb clerk thought I was Layla's brother. I had to explain twice I'm a friar. Then, the obnoxious man told me I desecrated a grave, and needed to obtain the permission of the next of kin to take Layla aboard the Indigatrix. 

 

I had a hard time explaining there is no next of kin of a thousand year old Takmahl mummy. 

 

I was told to leave enemy combatant corpses just floating in space. 

 

I have been directed to the DoD sub-office of the Unclaimed Dead - they bury people that died but for whom no-one can be found to claim the corpse. Apparently there are so many people who die lonely and have no family left to take care of their burial. It is nice, they have poets recite poetry at the funeral that the DoD-UD office organises for the unclaimed. It's a thing. Paid for by the Empire. 

 

In the end, the nasty clerk refused to give me any permit. Said he couldn't do it and I should probably contact another agency, the Amarr Science Foundation, to submit an archeology project. If it is approved by an ethics and religion committee, I can get a permit to work on Layla. It's highly frustrating, projects only have a 5% chance of getting approved. It's either that, or obtain approval from the closest living relative.

 

So, I now filed a request to consult the Book of Records. The physical one, not the online version which gets flaky for old records. In fact, I always wanted to visit it anyway... And, I hope to find more about the Accadis family, the name is rare enough that the search should be limited.

Takmahl in Kakol

Among so many useless, half translatable entries, I found one that is special:

When you came, you said to me as follows: “I will give Layla Accadis [when she comes] fine quality tritanium.” You left then but you did not do what you [promised] me. You put [ingots] which were not good before my slave Yit-Yin and said: “If you want to take them, take them; if you do not want to take them, go away!”

Is there anyone among the merchants who trade in Gamdis who has treated me in this way? You alone treat my slave with contempt! On account of that one [trifling] [unknown volume unit] of silver which I owe you, you feel free to speak in such a way, while I have given to the [palace] on your behalf 1,080 [pounds] of tritanium, and Oka-Ubam has likewise given 1,080 [pounds] of tritanium, apart from what we both have had written on a sealed tablet to be kept in the temple.

How have you treated me for that tritanium? You have withheld my money bag from me in enemy territory; it is now up to you to restore [my money] to me in full.

Take cognizance that [from now on] I will not accept here any tritanium from you that is not of fine quality. I shall [from now on] select and take the [ingots] individually in my own [yard], and I shall exercise against you my right of rejection because you have treated me with contempt.

Again, the brackets indicate uncertainty in the translation. But the stellar maps are clear. The system Layla talks about is Gamdis. This means the Takmahl extended their influence well into the Kakol constellation.

Comms logs

Duty calls.

 

I answer.

 

Over the last two days, I continued to slowly decipher what I could from the comms station. I still have no idea what caused the fatal accident at the station. After the accident, the comms went into a standard emergency broadcast. It kept sending the call after Layla died - from the consumption of food I think she lived for about a week. Then her oxygen went out and she passed. I feel for her, alone in this small safe room, no-one answering the distress call.

After about a month, comms suddenly stopped. I don't think the battery went out slowly. Probably the first looters appeared. My guess is that they took whatever powercells there were still in the station, and that stopped the broadcast. Probably they stripped most of the other equipment they could get their hands on too. They didn't find her, or they didn't care.

 

Oh, I found out Layla's last name: Accadis.

At the auction

I think all in all it went well, despite Ishta arriving late and unable to solve my problem whether or not I should take a drink or not. She came in what appeared to be a combat uniform, which set her apart from the other attendees. I have the impression that her attire was meant to convey a message, namely that she thought of this as a mission, a duty to be fulfilled despite disgust. Probably having me as a charge did not make the event more palatable for her. Nevertheless, I think she amused herself - she bid an outrageous amount on some vanity items. In general, all the bids at the auction were enormous, scandalous even, certainly if compared to non-capsuleer wages.

 

Miss Maleto was helpful in one crucial aspect, though. She introduced me to lady Ekaterina deSilvestris. Her ladyship was in the august company of commander "MantelGlobalIndustries" Adams. I knew him from my early capsuleering days, he kindly helped me to find my way around the many corporations then. He did suggest even back then I talked to lady deSilvestris, and to PIE in general, which I did. 

 

Unfortunately, the introduction to lady deSilvestris took place just at the start of the official part of the auction, the bidding. And, she left, followed by the commander, at the end. They appeared to be in some hurry after her ladyship received a message. This left me no occasion for academic queries and discussion. But, nevertheless I am glad that we got acquainted. 

 

I stayed for a while, and met Yvane Aselin-Duvaul, soon to be married into House Deritan, 9th in the line of succession to the Khanid throne. She appears to have lived in the federation and wants to get in touch with her Khanid roots, in view of her bethrothal. I will see what I can do to help her with studies on this matter. I will be a good lesson for me as well - back when I was young the Kingdom was separated from Amarr, so I am not too familiar with it.

Auction for literature

I have returned to Mehatoor, the return journey was uneventful. The corpse is still in a statis pod on the Indigatrix, I need to do paperwork to be allowed to bring it into the station. It appears that it is not easy to transport corpses in the Empire, even for research purposes. Well, of course in space capsuleers drag around mostly what they wish, but once docked, it is a different matter.

 

Tonight there is a social event hosted by the Directrix, to gather funds for a good purpose: the promotion of literature. It sounds like something I would like to attend, even though I do not have enough isk for even the lowest possible bid. Bidding starts at an outrageous 25 million isk, and that is 3 million more than what I have on my account. So I shall restrict myself to offering moral support for this cause. I also hope to meet others, especially people from the Arataka Research Consortium. Or maybe lady Ekatarina DeSilverstris. 

 

The problem, of course, is that I do not know what today's social customs are. I have now a bit of an idea of contemporary music. Nevertheless, the last time I was at a social gathering that involved people who were not monks or clergy was over sixty years ago. Thank God I will get help, a chaperone. None the less than Ishta, that consummate socialite and connoisseur of music and fine liquors.

Preparing for the journey home

Today was a day of packing and tagging the relics present in the hidden chamber. I lost a lot of time dismantling the communications desk, it was hardwired into the wall. But in the end I got it all out of the chamber. 

It did not leave me time to continue the analysis of the objects or attempt any further translations. As for the corpse, now safely in a statis pod aboard the Indigatrix, I will need a proper autopsy room to investigate it and to try to extract the cybernetics. So, I will bring my precious findings to Mehatoor and see if I can get permission from the station's doctor to use the facility.

Actually, I am more reluctant to take the idol back to Mehatoor than the corpse. The thing actually looks horrible - it depicts a dead man at the edge of a cup, and has remains of dried blood in it.

Idolatry is the opposite of faith, and has no place in the empire. Rather than to put faith in God, they worship an idol, into whose abysmal face they could look directly and whose origin they knew - it was the work of their own hands. Idols exist as a pretext for setting oneself at the center of reality. Those who choose not to put their trust in God must hear the din of countless idols of their own making crying out: "Put your trust in me!". Faith breaks with idols to turn to God in a personal encounter. 

Anyway, I hope to make it back in time to Mehatoor before the announced "war" starts. Apparently, some pirate rascals are plotting to attack Khimi Harar's merchant fleet...

Investigating the chamber

The chamber is now accessible, and I have started to retrieve artifacts. 

 

I also secured the corpse, bringing it out and storing it in a stasis pod. It is a middle-aged woman, and the label on her uniform seems to be a name rather than a rank - "Layla". She is heavily altered with cybernetic implants, most of them are attached to her nervous system, enveloping it from autonomous systems such as the phrenic nerve up all the way up to the brain. These cybernetic alterations are marvelously preserved, even though the organic part has decayed. Of course there is more than enough material to fully scan her DNA.

 

Maybe I could make a clone? And hook up these cybernetic implants to the clone in order to read them out? I will have to inform myself about that.

 

I have been trying to translate the few intact messages that I found. It's hard, I'm not a specialist in the Takmahl language and the translation device is producing a lot of nonsense. I was able to translate one interesting message. I am not sure if it predates the disaster that struck the outpost or not. I put the words that I guess in between square brackets.

"Here I am [surviving] badly, not well, wretchedly, and I consider myself dead. Again and again, I send you a [message], but I do not receive a single [message] from you, and I have become without hope toward [life/happiness]. My misfortune is this, that I have been in [Jakri] for three years thanks to you, and there was a way out a first, a second, even a fifth time, but he refused to bring me out, and now [it is too late]. Surely, the [blood] was angry with me on the day when I did what you wanted! I would rather be a dog’s or a pig’s wife than yours!"

 

Other messages are accounting entries or complaints about bad quality of deliveries. Nothing that would reveal the cause of the disaster that struck this place.

Chamber in the takmahl station ruins

I came back to the outpost ruins with the heavy drilling equipment. To my relief, no-one else had been at the site during my absence. Jakri is a calm backwater system, God be thanked. 

 

I first made a small, focused bore, just wide enough to send a miniature camera drone in. I aimed towards the center of the cavity. As the drill got through, air flowed from the hidden room. I made a mass spectrometer analysis. The oxygen level was depleted, but the isotope content revealed that this compartment has been sealed for well over a thousand years. Praising God for this well conserved find, I sent in the camera drone. 

 

It was dark, and the tiny drone's flashlight does not have a very wide beam size. It revealed the contents of the chamber piece by piece as the drone and its light spot turned around.

 

It must have been a panic room or a hideaway of some sort. The first thing I could see was the sealed door on the wall opposite to where my drill entered the room. Given the layout of the outpost, the door must connect to one of the central halls of the complex, a room I call the command center. Earlier, in this command center, I could not see any trace of a passage to a secret chamber. Now that I know what to look for, I can see some traces, but... what great craftsmanship!

 

The tiny camera drone swiveled around. On the left wall there are various devices; at first glance they look like communication devices and station diagnostics. The communication devices are on a bench which also has notepads - they have writing on them!  

 

Against the wall where my drill entered is a bunk bed, and next to it is a stool with a lid, probably some sort of toilet. The wall to the right of my entry point has shelves with some supplies, a faucet (water?) and a little shrine with an idol. Scattered on the floor are opened containers which may have had food in them.

The last thing I noticed was what was just below the drone, on the lower bunk bed. A corpse, mummified but well preserved. She is lying down peacefully, face up, arms folded. She must have suffocated, waiting in vain for help until oxygen ran out.

 

I will move the laser drill to the "command room", and drill an entrance to the chamber large enough for me to crawl through and enter the room. It will take the better part of a day to do it carefully.

Ruin of a Takmahl mining station

I am in Jakri, and I am examining the ruin of a small mining outpost I found. Its construction and hull composition are distinctly Takmahl, late apogee era. There is a big hole in the side of the outpost, caused by an explosion that came from the interior. It must have led to a quick and fatal loss of atmosphere. The outpost clearly has been abandoned after that disaster. 

 

Unfortunately, as is usual in this constellation, the site has been looted long ago and at first sight there was nothing left. Everything has been dismantled and taken, down to the panels lining the rooms. The Takmahl had avanced materials science and even their construction materials sell well.

I took my time to scan down the complex. I like to look for geometrical patterns and symbolism in architecture, in the layout of the rooms, the floor plans. For that purpose, even fully looted outposts can still reveal much. To my surprise, scanners detected a dark spot in the middle of the complex. It was not a good place for service ducts and it was too large just to be ignored. It looked such like a waste of space if nothing would be there, and I suspected a hidden compartment.

 

I started drilling towards it, and when the drill probe got closer, it could scan a room of about 3x3x2 meters, surrounded my strong armor. Ah, the excitement! Unfortunately, the drill probe can't get through the Takmahl armor.

I have to go to a station to buy a heavy laser drill to get to the compartment. I don't want to leave this site unprotected - my excavation towards the compartment will be a clue to looters - but I have to, if I want to unlock the secrets of that room.