Private Holojournals: Voyage to Firefist (open to OPA)

[Jerec Asyr]

OOC/ To participate, just post a picture or two (sourced) - maybe stock images or something from Artstation or Deviantart - and add some in-character commentary. No posting order, no pressure, toss in a picture and some thoughts whenever you feel like it.

IC/

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Independent freighter Infinity's Free
Leaving Virgillia on the Nagai Trade Spine

There's a bunch of us making the run, a tramp freighter convoy I guess you could say. We've got holds full of supplies and trade goods, all different kinds. Captain Cregg over on the Stars' End packed every spare cubic inch with cheap blasters. Me, I've gone for a mix and I plan to do a lot of trading along the way. Quekko's excited for that part. Little guy loves barter.

So anyways, that's a nice shot of our convoy leaving Virgillia. Had to blast our way past a couple of pirate boats that didn't know what they'd bitten off. Clear skies and we're out of here. Next we just need to swing through the old First Order heartland and get to the edge of the galaxy. Then the real fun starts.

Got one other fun picture on our way out. Here's Quekko screwing around planetside, one last taste of bugs in the grass before we spend a long, long time aboard ship.

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[Jerec Asyr]

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Here's Laxer Lake on Virgillia, the crappy little outpost where I took off to join the convoy. Nice people, not gonna lie. I'll have to come back sometime, bring them a load of decent beer, say hi to this one girl who seemed like she liked my company. Laxer Lake's a fishing and salvage town that mostly gets by on its own. Next time I need to keep my head down for a good while, a spot like this might be my top choice.

 

[Atlas Drake]

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Colonia - OPA Colony World
Nagai Trade Spine, Firefist Galaxy

Life is hard out here on the frontier. You feel it in all kinds of little ways. Not enough of this, nothing designed for that. Colonia's been fighting us ever since we touched sky. Landing didn't exactly go according to plan but these people are trained to make the best out of a bad situation and now the wreck of their ship is ground zero for New Foundation, capital of our outpost in a galaxy far far away.

Our latest comm package from over the edge says there's talk of a convoy in a few weeks which means they should already be underway by now. I won't see engines burning through our atmo for months but when they finally get here supplies from home will be a welcome sight. Nobody volunteers to go on walkabout out of charity so I've got teams scouring a few local trade worlds to see what we can afford to barter for some Firefist stock.

Maybe after a few more runs when things are in better shape I'll hitch a ride back...

 

[Amea Virou]

Render of a new PDW
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Finished my first render of what I have been planning to build and I think at the end of this run I should have enough contacts that I could call on to get the components needed for it. Sure, one could argue that given Runi’s current position at KDY I could have gone to her for help. But where is the fun in that? Too safe, too obvious. Could have gone with one of those Trick of the Trade guns she keeps sending me ads for. But no, I’ve always been one to build my own stuff. Safer that way, no external influences.

Call it paranoia, it probably is. I want to know every single detail about the equipment I work with and put myself at the mercy of my own ability rather than take a gamble on the functionality of some jacked up outlaw’s latest creation. I have a great respect for Trick of the Trade — hell, I practically drooled over some of their stuff — but I just can’t see myself relying on them. Not when dealing with the people I deal with. There is a cult of personality out there that needs a firm blaster bolt planted right between the eyes of each little shithole that calls themselves a member. I want that to be at my hand, I need that to be at my hand. For what they did to me, and for what they did to a great many other women.

Used to be I didn’t agree with Runi’s method. Can’t recall why, it was lost in the mindwipe, but for some reason I do remember thinking back to the deaths with abject horror. Now, I am not as sure anymore. Maybe some people do deserve death, maybe some people aren’t as likely to fix the errors of their ways as I had come to think. I can’t find a good reason or rationale behind the actions of this cult. I can’t find a reason to let them get away with this and live on when many others would not have. Death is almost too kind of a gift to someone like them, but it is also the only way to ensure this ends with them.

This gun is a good step in that direction. It is compact enough to carry around without any greater issue and packs enough of a punch for a few well-placed shots to end a conversation real quick. Looking over the statistics it is still a means for defense more so than offense, so I guess not everything can change overnight. Wouldn’t count on this piercing any of the thicker armors, but unlike the plastic little toy I made before, it should at the very least force them to take a breather or two.

So, for this trip Jerec has proven to be a courteous host so far. A bit more unhinged than I seemed to recall at first, but hey that might just be something we both share at this point. At the very least I haven’t taken to calling a small feathered creature my co-pilot yet, so I guess on the somewhat bright side he might just be a little bit more… More than I am.

Should I be worried? Because I feel like I should be despite my apparent lack of worry.

 

[Jerec Asyr]

Amea Virou Atlas Drake

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This ship blazed past us near Skye. No telesponder, hull markings in no language my protocol droid ever saw. Left an ion wake of rich gas that we scooped up to play with. Didn't return our hails apart from some staticky music that Quekko's trying to unpack. Unpeck?

Unknown Regions, man. There's always more.

Speaking of, this friendly guy and I had a chat in Minnisiat. He wound up taking all my tomo-spiced Karkan ribenes in trade for their weight in palladium. Made the same offer for Amea and kept asking how much she weighed. I might've tossed the perv out an airlock sans ribenes. He was wearing a suit, he's probably fine.

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[Jend-Ro Quill]

I've taken a lot of lives over the past few months and I'm feeling a bit lost. I hitched a ride on a big freighter called the Infinity's Free and parked the Visitor in one of its holds. The captain gives me my space, but the Apokka first mate is a little chatty whenever I visit the common areas.

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Met a priestess at a refueling stop off Skye. The Force is strong with her. We had a nice talk that helped me find some peace, or at least feel like peace is findable. She's a webspinner, a mist-weaver, like the woman who used to own my ship. It's a remarkable tradition, wholly separate from the Jedi and their derivatives.

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[Mike V'Trechen]

Mike was enjoying hiis day out in space. He knew that The Order of the White Dragoon was hard work, but he does his best. Now he is the King, but it did not matter. All that matters was his family.

 

[Griet van Vliet]

Image Debit: Griet's home on Orto Plutonia

• Image Credit: Log Home Living

When alien traders came from Firefist with their own protocol droids, offering merchandise to sell on Orto Plutonia, one of the main considerations in establishing Wild Space establishments was taxation, and specifically transfer pricing, in which case part of the revenue was recognized in their home jurisdiction (the transfer price), and the total revenue would be recognized, but the transfer price being the "tax-basis COGS". For an accountant that was long used to performing assurance engagements, it was to be a limitation on their scope of business. Where the client did business was crucial, because it was a tight dance, especially in cross-jurisdictional work. Assurance was usually a blanket service, in that the entirety of a client's operations was covered, and was the primary constraint. But here Griet made sure that she wouldn't openly display herself as a Jedi, because there was no telling whether Jedi had bad reputations among Firefist populace in the way there could be in this galaxy, even in Wild Space.

Talz worlds historically had much stricter assurance independence rules than most other planets in Wild Space. Aing-Tii proved to be so lax on that aspect that they didn't bat an eye if they wanted their auditors to perform stuff that Talz would not allow their auditors to do for an assurance client: bookkeeping, HR, payroll, transfer pricing, IT, valuation (of assets and businesses), litigation-support forensic audits, other advisory services that made the auditors consummate or execute transactions on their behalf, asset custody (if a client was deemed unable to assume their responsibilities regarding assets), and even, in the most extreme cases, as was shown on Rhen Var, asset recovery. In contrast, Talz allowed auditors to perform two non-assurance services for an assurance client: tax returns (so long as the client makes the final decisions) and criminalistic forensic audits. The question being: what were auditors allowed to do for these Firefist entities beyond assurance services, back in their Firefist jurisdictions?

 

[Jerec Asyr]

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We pulled over to gas up and stretch our legs at Tabalhara Port, a station built into an asteroid. Traded some power cells for radioactives and local booze.

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I ran into an old friend, or half of him anyway. Sugglik Jhones and I spent a great night watching a shockboxing prize fight in an old mining facility. Could have used some company but the place was low on people other than men, if you feel me. Quekko met a nice Kowakian girl though.

 

[Amea Virou]

Town Hall
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Deciphered the soundbytes left over by the freighter we passed and gave the little bird most of the credit. Turned out to be music of some sort, a story about a bunch of outlaws running a convoy and it seems to have etched itself into the mind of just about everyone else on the ship. Irony in all of this being that we are all part of a convoy of our own, albeit taking the more scenic route. Not that there is much to see. Each planet we set down on I keep finding some small detail to add to my own personal and utterly fictional backstory that I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.

… Might leave out the part where we spaced a local. Although given the reasons, maybe not. Jerec continues to impress as a host. There is no denying that. Might have been a smart move to keep the palladium that was offered for me, but I am not going to deny that watching them get spaced along with their owner was a sight to behold.

Can’t seem to recall what happened last pit stop. There was a festival, lots of drinks, a girl, and a headache unlike any other the day after. No memory of anything happening during my drunk state, but hey that’s probably to be expected to some extent. Didn’t seem like it was a bad time though, no new bruises or cuts so that’s certainly what I’d call a success. I should probably go back there at some point.

Jerec Asyr

 

[Jerec Asyr]

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Today we passed through the hyperspace barrier at the edge of the galaxy. The Nagai Trade Spine goes through one of the few known breach points. It takes smart flying. When I was young I'd have solved the problem on a wing and a prayer and a lot of caffeine, but that's not the best way to deal with this kind of risk. I ran sims from Terminus to Virgillia to make sure I could do it all no matter what went wrong.

All the ships in the convoy made it through just fine. Some of them, like the Signaller and the Jasmin's Wake, had run the Spine before. Overall though it was pretty humbling to see everyone else do this thing that was so hard for me.

Anyways, we're through. I've bounced a signal ahead to Colonia: we've well and truly reached the intergalactic void.

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Amea Virou Mike V'Trechen Atlas Drake Griet van Vliet​

 

[Amea Virou]

Must admit I didn’t read the entire brief of the mission. Of course I understood that it would take us away from the galaxy most of us know and love, but just exactly what that entailed escaped me. Jerec is officially either the dumbest person I know or the bravest. Not that they are mutually exclusive but ideally I wish that I could have given the honors to two separate people.

Maybe I am imagining things but something seems colder here, as if the air I breathe has decided to turn my lungs into frost. They say that you usually experience some sort of physical setback as your body gets used to the new play rules, but I am willing to call bull on that. Still, this place is… Alien, I’ll give it that. I am pretty much following the caravan master’s lead on this one. Ideally, he knows best where to go and not to go.

Then again, given who he is maybe he doesn’t know a thing and this was all just luck. Either way, it’s fascinating to have my literal boundaries expanded. Everything I knew is so far away, and everything I’ve lost much the same. The concept of skipping between stars was impressive in and of itself, but this…

This is something else.

… I hope we can make it back, soon.

Jerec Asyr

 

[Jerec Asyr]

There's a handful of waystations along the intergalactic void part of the Nagai Trade Spine. Here's one:

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Ten thousand light-years past the galactic edge, this crappy station orbits a barren little planet. It sells fuel, food, water, spare parts, droids, ammunition, whatever.

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A few of us stumbled into the station bar and didn't stumble out for a while. That's where I finally put a face to the name of Captain Silane from the Jasmin's Wake. I don't mind saying I was blown away.

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Quekko says she's out of my league, but the dude hooked up with a Kowakian so what does he know?


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[Wynter Rackham]

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Leviatus Killian. Flying Killer... or so I called it, until it diverted course and started traveling right alongside my ship. I was nervous at first. Then it started talking in my head. After that I was terrified. Everyone knows about the great tide of Purrgils that can be found around Kathol space. They aren't sentient, so there ain't much to feel guilty about. These cousins of theirs? Intelligent. Telepathic... and a hell of a guilt trip, let me tell ya.

This particular one didn't stop lecturing me about preconceptions until we got past its breeding grounds alongside the Nagai spine.

Still though.

Beautiful singers. I don't think I will ever forget its call.

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The Trash Spires of Lexu Six. At least that's what I call 'em. Archaic skyhooks ... of a sort. Instead of connecting to a station in orbit? The Lexuians use 'em as elevators to ferry goods back an' forth between the planet and their moon. How the heck they ain't afraid to use it is beyond me. It's one earthquake away from cataclysm. Then again it has been around for centuries, so maybe they know something I don't.

Anyway, the parts that are covered by atmosphere are used as cheap living arrangements. It shakes, sometimes they gotta jump around to avoid an elevator pod coming down, but I guess at least they get a great view of their world.

I wouldn't be caught dead on one, but some of the convoy took a ride up an' down. Made a tidy profit down (up?) the moon. Apparently the people there are constantly in need of supplies.

This trip reminds me of a simple thing. The universe is a big arse place. Lots'a people. Folk around here? Never even 'eard of the Sith, Jedi, except from talks of people like us passing by. They got their own problems. Own hopes. It makes ya feel small... smaller, anyway. That the problems you carry around witcha everywhere ain't worth a dang out here. They have heard of the Vong tho, so maybe they ain't immune to all our problems.

Ah well.

We will be leaving in the morning.

Always another place to discover.

 

[Atlas Drake]

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Took a fathier out to one of the perimeter markers today. There's so much we still don't know about this world. When's the last time anyone back home could say that? We picked Colonia because it was completely uninhabited but by the time our colony ships arrived it was teeming with local wildlife. What could cause that in only a few years? Just one of the many mysteries this place has to offer us. The colonists are much more concerned with how to keep the dangerous ones out but fortunately the most of the same tricks that work in our galaxy work out here.

Our Saijo guides have saved New Foundation many times over. Apparently the reason this part of Firefist's so quiet is because it exists in a kind of no man's land on the fringes of both Nagai and Tof space. We get a few neutral traders now and then but folk out here are slow to trust. Especially a lone colony that isn't on any of their maps filled with strange aliens who can barely speak their trade language. Maybe once word spreads things will get better...or worse.

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

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I felt a call from a little desert moon fifteen thousand light-years outside the galaxy, a fraction of the way to Firefist. I took the Visitor out of the hold and went down by myself for half a day. I caught up with the Infinity's Free later at a fuel depot.

Nobody had lived on the moon for, oh, a couple of hundred years at the least. I didn't see any sign of violence; I think they just packed up and left for greener pastures. One site had a special pull. I think people communed with the Force there, trained to do things and experience things I couldn't fully grasp.

There weren't any ghosts, no holocrons, no treasures. It was a sacred site and I felt fortunate to visit. The place had a feel I can't quantify. I enjoyed being absolutely alone there, walking cool dry halls and documenting the stonework. Someday a real archaeologist may show up and do more. I've sent my records and recordings to Auteme back on Peace Station; she'll probably spot things I didn't.

I was sad to move on, but this is no place to get stranded.

 

[Jerec Asyr]

We hit a nav anomaly, pure gravimetric distortion from a supernova a decade ago. No damage, but a lot of us needed to recalibrate our navicomputers, get our bearings. It took a couple hours, so I took a little shuttle over to the Jasmin's Wake to say hi to Captain Silane. That red dress was nowhere to be seen. She wore spacer gear like anyone and she looked great. Her skin's like a flexible carapace or smooth leather, glossy black. I still have no idea what species she is. Brought her a sleeve of the weird alien liquor I bartered for at Tabalhara. So we had a couple drinks and talked until our navicomputers beeped. Not a euphemism.

Good feth I wish it was a euphemism. Silane's incredible.

Here's the bottle and the booze:

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[CLEM]

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Gonk gonk gonk gagonk gonk gonkagonkagonk. Gonk GONK gonk gonk.

Gonk gonka gonk gonk. Gonk gagonk gagonk gonk.

Gonnnnnk.

 

[Amea Virou]

Lu'uven Statue?
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Gut feeling says that I have stumbled upon something here. Many of the markings left by early Lu’uven priests during the early days of the Gulag Plague match the same language and structure used by the locals here. I’m having difficulty discerning their shapes, yet when I stop trying they are quite clearly there. The statues always depict some form of humanoid creature, but these things just seem to be some form of entity. Not energy, yet not solid. A gas, maybe?

I can’t wrap my head around it. I’ve talked to some of the others on the ship and while we agree that they had the same experience, they manifested in different ways for different people. Smells, even sounds, yet something about them was oddly familiar. I don’t like it, but I am also not opposed to it. I just wish that I could understand what was happening.

Either way, parasite or not, these people are…

I really can’t wrap my head around it. My gut has been wrenched since I ate one of the local foods, but that applies to just about everywhere. It starts with immense nausea, throwing up, before finally I just collapse in bed. Every single stop, every single item I eat just seems to come out the same way it entered again and I’ve taken to rationing myself on protein and carbo packs.

They taste like crap, in their absence of any flavor at all.

I miss my fictional family back on Dantooine at this point.

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

So I decided it would be a good idea to come along with this expedition and do some advance scouting and such, make sure space was relatively clear, maybe hunt down some ancient artifacts or lost knowledge if I ran across it somehow, just for fun. Besides, I like to go off on my own sometimes.

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Turns out that probably wasn't the wisest decision I've ever made.