Exodus logs.

Subject: Exodus logs. Sat May 15, 2010 3:28 pm

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"yes, yes, and yes again. I'm out. three years, I'm out, and I've got a nice big diploma too. fancy writin', but it says it well enough - I can go study nomads and artefacts all i want now. I even got offered a job at Sunderland. imagine, a job at a station no-one knows about. It's a dream come true.

All i know is, its in Newcastle. I've been told to pack my stuff, and get to South Shields Refinery. I'll be picked up there.

My transport is waiting. Gonna be a new life for me. This is gonna be freaking epic!"

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*sounds of items being moved around*

"Personal Log Recorders are prohibited. Sorry, I'll have to confiscate this."

"What? feckit, no, theres personal stuff on there!"

"Sir, stand back, I am authorised to use force if necessary."

*sounds of a struggle*

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"I cannot believe I found this."

*sounds of gunfire*

"shit, run, RUN"

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"Recording from the Clydesdale freighter 'Exodus', date unknown, near Scarborough station. Me and my science team just got out of Sunderland Research Station, barely, but I think we lost the Armed Forces."

"gimme a minute to explain. Sunderland is built near a huge, abandoned alien structure. Me and the other scientists there have been studying it, like so many others have done for, I think, 200 years. I got my dream job, finding out about Alien stuff."

"But then something changed. Some of the other scientists.....changed. I dont know what happened, but they were different. wierd. Every time it happened, they just dissappeared. I'd ask, and all I was told was they contracted a terminal illness."

"Anyways, while studying an artefact in my lab, the bloody thing activated. At least I think it did. I still have it with me, along with most of my equipment and a host of other artefacts, but its gone dormant again now. The thing started glowing, then the entire base lost power for a second, then it was over. I heard footprints, and then a squad of BAF were at the door, I had about three laser sights on me. Then they started shooting. They got my leg, but I ran, as well as most of my team."

"We managed to hide for a day, staying in maintenance corridors, but we couldn't stay there forever. The entire base was on lockdown. Eventually we found our way back to my lab. It was like we left it. Three of my friends lying dead on the floor, equipment knocked over, except there were no guards. nothing. like they didn't care. Didn't even bring in a cleaning crew. I grabbed some stuff, and me and my remaining colleagues ran to the nearest hangar."

"I don't know who owned this ship. She's a Clydesdale, pretty manouverable for a transport, and her cargo bay was hollowed out into a lab. Even had a ton of food, like someone else was getting ready to leave."

"So we ran. They shot at us, but we lost them in this huge minefield, hidden in the nebula hiding Sunderland, the structures, and the BAF battleship that sent a ton of fighters at us. I'm glad their cruise disruptors missed. I don't think we could have fought our way out."

"Maybe they dont want people to know anyone escaped, but there's no search warrant. no-one is looking for us. We're free."

"We stopped running at Leeds. Sam says he knows some people here, he's gonna try find us somewhere to escape to."

"The artefact has a faint glow, now. I leave t on the table beside me whenever I go to sleep. I don't know why, but I'm just....drawn to it."

"That's enough for now. I need to get some sleep. I've been awake for almost 56 hours."

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Subject: Re: Exodus logs. Mon May 17, 2010 12:20 pm

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Insane. purely insane. the day that is, this one. Even met someone insane, split personalities, called himself Threeway Jay. went temporarily psycho, so Sif shot at him. good times.

We flew to New York, by the way. We got reports of Nomad activity in the system, and thought a nomad presence might get the artefacts to do something. It was nothing like bretonia. We got there and a ton fo pirates and bounty hunters were fighting. I needed sleep, and Sif wanted to watch, so I gave her the controls. Avery was down in the lab, doing more work. I don't know why, we had nothing more to do with our available equipment. oh, yeah, and Sam was planetside with Miranda, looking for.....well, anything, really. probably just getting drunk in the bar, nothing else to do.

So I was woken up a while later, with Sif screaming NOMAD NOMAD NOMAD!!! Naturally I ran to the cockpit to take a look, and there it was, getting the crap shot out of it by some trigger happy pirates. We couldn't stop them, only watch as it got blow to dust.

Exodus logs. BlackBoxrecord

Sif briefed me after we got planetside. supposedly, while watching the fight, a few more bounty hunters showed up to replace the ones being destroyed by pirates, and she noticed two Nomads in one of their cargo holds. Haven't a clue how he got them, but get them he did. She was waiting for the fight to end, either to pay for them or take them from the wreckage, but never got the chance. Avery said something about artefacts activating, and an actual nomad appeared on scanners. yeah, in liberty space. go figure.

Exodus logs. Nomadspotted

It was a baby, sent out to collect information, as you do when you're a Nomad toddler. the artefacts must've done something, because its thoughts were being transmitted into our ship. could've sworn it was talking to us. and then, kaboom, trigger happy moron. got some good data though, some of the artefacts were starting on a map before it died. shame it got killed.

Still, the cardamine we had in our hold definitely attracted it. The intercepted outcast messages were right, they like cardamine. Still need to figure out why though. If that artefact does let us communicate with them, we could find out.

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Subject: Re: Exodus logs. Tue May 18, 2010 2:53 am

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Sif:this thing on? yeah, it is. basically, Mack gave me his recorder. I think he's lost it since yesterday. He loves this thing. we had a full conversation with a nomad. well, he did at least. turns out, one of our artefacts actually did something. the rest were broken. according to Mack, at least. can't exactly figure it out now, since they were taken by the navy. so much research lost....

I'd best try start from the beginning. Avery, hand me the logs. Miranda, make sure Avery is still in bed.

Avery:(muffled)got it, Sif.

Sif:right, logs inputting..... this'll probably be hazy at best, but im too stressed for a proper explanation.

FILES RECIEVED

basically, we thought we found a nomad. turned out to be a fluke though, according to mack i knocked the artefact off the table.

Exodus logs. File1

and then we DID find a nomad. a baby. thing was curious, we dropped some cardamine, it seemed to like it. got a good few pictures close up, too.
Exodus logs. File3

then, there were some navy, ignoring pirates, calling us smugglers. a few more arrived, and we told the nomad to run. good idea, since they decided to attack it a moment later. it was about this time i noticed mack had an artefact in his hand, glowing, and also, he could hear the nomad's thoughts. he was actually tapped in to their telepathic frequency. The artefact connected him to it, he could speak with the nomad. He could also fall unconscious and drool on the floor, but the speaking thing was the important bit.

ERR. FILES CORRUPTED.

an outcast was in-system, so the nomad got away. these chat logs are scrambled, Avery, fix the damn computer.

I have Mack's records of his chat with the nomad here. He stuck it in alongside system-wide chat, don't know why. That artefact.....its....amazing. no wonder Bretonia didn't want us to leave.

I'm still worried though, mack keeps going on about 'finding the oracles'. I think that nomad did something to him.

FILES RECIEVED

ERR. FILES CORRUPTED.

Avery:(muffled, from other room)ummm, Sif? Mack is gone. so is the artefact and one of the escape pods. He took some of the money left on-ship, too. Miranda is knocked out, but she's alright.

Sif:great. I'm going to kill that little prick.

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Subject: Re: Exodus logs. Wed May 19, 2010 9:48 am

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UNKNOWN SOFTWARE ACTIVATED

ERROR. ATTEMPTING TO SHUT DO....DOOOOOOOOOWWWWN

>>SYSTEM RESTART

RECORDED MESSAGE DETECTED. PLAYING NOW

I'm gone, Sif. Avery. Sam. Miranda. Long gone. I don't know if I'll come back, but I have to do this. The Nomads. They're more than we know. The young one, he.....I don't know. I just felt young again. Happy again. Interested in life again. Sunderland killed my spirit, and he brought it back. This is why I became a scientist. I might die. I probably will. If I don't, I'll be infested. and if the impossible happens and I'm not, at least I'll know.

I'll finally know.

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Subject: Re: Exodus logs. Sat Jun 05, 2010 7:19 am

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"We've been having a rough time lately. instead of focusing on the few artefacts we have left, everyone is starting to do their own thing. This never would've happened if Mack hadn't left..."

"you know it would've"

"shut up, Sam. this isn't the time"

"fine, be a bitch."

*sound of a door slamming shut*.

"ESCAPE POD DETECTED. ENGAGE TRACTOR BEAM?"

"shut it, I've no time for a computer right now."

"it's all going to hell. every little bit. we've been in new york for a month, and we still don't know what to do from here on.

"BATTLECRUISER DETECTED."

"we're fine. nobody'll shoot us first."

"BATTLESHIP CHARGING WEAPONS SYSTEMS."

"ah, crap. AVERY! GET UP HERE!"

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Subject: Re: Exodus logs. Fri Jun 25, 2010 3:37 pm

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*sounds of broken machinery, and leaking engine coolant*

"I'm......alive?"

*silence*

"SIF!"

"AVERY! WHERE ARE YOU!"

"I'M TRAPPED IN THE LAB. ARE YOU OKAY?"

"I'M FINE! HOLD ON, THIS X-RAY IS BLOCKING THE DOOR"

*heavy panting, then a grinding noise as the machine is dragged across the floor*

"Sif...."

"are the others okay?"

"I.....they....."

"Avery?"

"They're....gone, Sif. The blast took out the port side of the ship. And the computer isn't reading any lifesigns."

*small, half-hearted gasp*

"what...happened, Avery?"

"There was a ship. Liberty Navy. It....well, it didn't fire on us, but there were some Rogues, and.....well, some idiot fired a mortar at them. It flew straight past, and smashed into the Exodus. If it weren't for the shield, we would've lost everything. It's barely believable we're still alive."

"I'm sick of this. All this watching our backs. Avoiding Rogues, and the Navy as well. Not knowing who to trust. I....I can't take this anymore."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I'm done with this Avery. As soon as I can, I'm getting a transport to.....anywhere. Somewhere far from house territory. where no-one will try and kill me."

"Sif, you're just in shock, take it easy..."

*sound of Sif slapping Avery*

"SHUT UP!"

*receding footsteps*

(calmly, soothingly)"sif, get away from the escape pod. really. I don't want you to get hurt.

*explosion, cut short by rushing wind*

"COMPUTER, CLOSE THE DAMN HATCH!"

"HATCH CLOSED. SHIP HAS LOST 73% OF OXYGEN RESERVES. COMMUNICATIONS DISH DISABLED. ENGINE POWER MINIMAL. MAXIMUM EXPECTED SPEED, 20M/S, WITH ENGINES REDLINING IN TEN MINUTES"

(tired)"get us to the nearest base. they'll tow us in when they see us. cut engines and drift if you need to."

"COURSE PLOTTED. E.T.A. TWELVE MINUTES TO PITTSBURG"

*sobbing*

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