11253.107.8 - Got Paid

Another successful day in Starbloom's lab today. After just feeling out the lab yesterday, we really fell into a good routine today and were able to collect enough data to complete the mission. Alleria brought the samples back to Helion Core Works and they immediately sent payment and a thank you for a job well done. 

I was able to immediately pick up another research mission afterwards. Apparently Progress always has a demand for data collection and research so this would make a good planet to return to if we are looking for work. This next mission involves a bit of botany which has me excited because that is my expertise. 

11253.107.7 - Tasting Progress

The client for our first mission is Helion Core Works. They are a company/research firm that is seeking to develop technology that will create or modify planetary cores and their respective magnetic fields. Progress has a functional core and magnetic field so I believe they are testing new technology here. Our job is to log all the data we can from the core samples they deliver to us. Time to break in the lab!

The core samples were really heavy and we had to use dollies to get them to the lab. Mo helped with data collection but I believe geology is not an interesting subject for them as they mainly joked around while logging numbers into the system. Alleria was no where to be found after helping bring the samples to the lab. She said she was going to run diagnostics on the bridge and to call her when the samples needed to be brought back to Helion. 

Drlprl however was just as interested in getting his hands dirty as I was. He showed much interest in the core samples. He smelled them, tested their hardness, color, cleavage, searched for fractures, ran magnetic cycles and I even caught him licking a sample at one point. I jokingly told him not to eat the sample because it was property of Helion Core Works. Drlprl then apologized profusely until I was able to explain to him what sarcasm was.

Overall, it was a great first day in the lab.

11253.107.6 - Progress

We arrived at Progress today and if I were to categorize a planet as looking "Alien" to another human, it would be this one. One large megacity in the one small location on the planet that is habitable, while the rest of the planet is engrossed in a tectonic, biologic and geologic terraforming collage of biomes and hellscapes. Progress is a planet of science and scrutiny. A place of business and hope and a place I hope to complete my first mission as a starship captain. 

11253.107.5 - Watching Me Sleep

As I woke this day, I was surprised to see Drlprl quietly waiting for me. I am unsure how long he was standing there waiting. Was he there all night? The more I think about it, the less I really want to know how long he was watching me sleep. As I sat up, he said he had some questions about humans that he didn't quite understand and was hoping for some clarity. 

Drlprl first asked why humans eat meals together. I told him that humans use meal time to socialize and talk with one another. 

He then immediately asked why humans talk so much about things that are not immediately pertinent or actionable. I replied that humans are a very social species and it is in our nature to want to speak with others. And sometimes we socialize for the only reason of sharing company or entertainment.

He nodded and walked away. I started my day befuddled.

11253.107.4 - Still Human

Today I tried to mend the rift that seems to have come between Alleria and I. My reaction to learning she was a Lunameba symbiote caught me off-guard and I was sure she picked up on my nervousness. I found her in the lounge with Mo and I asked them if I could speak with Alleria in private.

I apologized to Alleria for my reaction to our first encounter and explained that she was the first Lunameba I had met in person and I wasn't ready for my old biases to show up. Alleria assured me that she is used to odd encounters with humans when they notice she is a Lunameba and that most humans are afraid of things they do not understand. Alleria said the main things that humans forget is that Lunamebas are still human. They are both Lunameba and human. It's symbiosis, not parasitism or a hijacking. 

I continued to listen as she told me the struggles she had internally when she found out a symbiote chose her as a host. I find it interesting she used the word "chose". Most humans view the Lunameba as a sickness or something you catch at random like the common cold. But instead to be chosen, frames the symbioses in a different perspective.

She continued to talk about how she became outcast from her family and her life-long friends because of something she had no control over. She said she was still the same girl that they all knew and grew-up with, but the tension was too great and the interactions often awkward, so she turned to space and any work it afforded her. 

Alleria is as human as any of us.

11253.107.3 - A Budding Friendship

We continue to safely burn towards Progress. The beauty of green space is the lack of danger but boredom is something that must be overcome on longer trips. Drlprl seems to enjoy being alone while Mo loves to hang out in the lounge and tell stories and jokes. Many of their jokes fall flat with me as I don't understand the alien references but Mo tells them with enough flair to make them entertaining. I usually find Alleria and Mo together during meal times or breaks in the lounge. Perhaps we have a budding friendship aboard the ship.

11253.107.2 - Surprise Chemicals

I was called to the bridge by Drlprl who mentioned that we had a collided with something in deep space. He said there wasn't any damage that the sensors could establish but a sector sweep showed undocumented debris in this sector. Alleria had already taken the navigation controls and was avoiding any more collisions. I don't recall assigning her pilot duties but she seemed to be handling it quite well.

Scans showed that this sector was absolutely littered with waste canisters filled with various deadly chemical by-products. Unfortunately there were no markings on the canisters to identify who was responsible for this potentially dangerous situation. I logged the sector as dangerous and uploaded to the Hex Space Navigation System so that other ships could avoid this area.

11253.107.1 - Mo the Medic

Our first cycle out into space was uneventful. I traversed through the ship to see how the crew was settling in so far. Drlprl found a spot not to far from the reactor core in an area pretty crowded and hard to navigate. Perhaps the close quarters are more comfortable to the burrowing nature of the Xyrvex.

Mosaic settled into the med bay. They said Resonari had no need for bunks or hammocks as they rest at various intervals and can go many cycles without sleep if needed. We had a great conversation and I learned much about their species such as their preference to eating lignin and how they communicate with wing flapping frequencies and subtle color flashes. I asked if many Resonari become space medics and they said no, they are the only one so far that they know of. Mosaic also said I could call them 'Mo' for short.

I never found Alleria on my rounds but Mo said they saw her in the lounge area just before I arrived there. I wonder if we got off on the wrong foot by me flinching at her offered handshake yesterday.

11253.107.0 - The New Captain

My first log as a captain of a starship. I am Ronan Locke, captain of the multipurpose research vessel, The Starbloom. I arrived at Wavecrest this cycle to finalize the purchase of the Starbloom and welcome the crew. The ship is a small model interstellar traveler that comes complete with research lab, med bay, and crew lounge area. Sure it lacks private quarters for crew and captain but I find myself lucky to find an affordable ship suited to scientific research as my first ship with which to build a reputation as an interstellar captain.

The crew arrived on time and we settled into the lounge for a crew meeting. The engineer of the crew is Drlprl, a Xyrvex. The Xyrvex are well known for producing ship engineers and mechanics although most remain tethered to the comforts of rocky planets. Drlprl seems like a typical Xyrvex that I have encountered before, stoic and quiet behind all that armadillo like plating. 

Our medical specialist goes by the name Mosaic, a nickname given to them by a previous crew. This is the first time I have ever seen a Resonari, a rare species in this corner of the galaxy. Their features are striking; shining metallic eyes and brilliant multicolored wings. The wings are the obvious source of the Mosaic nickname. Universal translation is needed with them as they communicate with wing flutters. Mosaic communicates very slowly but they seem very personable and friendly.

Our final crew member is Alleria Dulco. Alleria signed up as a chef but noted combat experience on her resume as well. Surprising at first until I realized that she was a Lunameba. I have never met a Lunameba symbiote in person before and I am sure she noticed how I recoiled when she offered her hand. Us humans are well aware of the Lunameba symbiotes and although not an existential threat to humanity, the stories we heard as children are the things of nightmares. While these symbiotes are not a direct threat, we still do not fully understand their motives or how they even come to choosing and taking over a human host. The host retains all memories and personality but the symbiote takes over decision making and can make them violent, especially around other Lunameba. It has been centuries since the arrival of the symbiotes and we still know so little about them. 

I held a short crew meeting with them while in the lounge. I described our first mission, a research assignment on the planet, Progress.  I hope my passion and ambition for this new venture came through in my speech but I am unsure how the crew took it as they remained silent even after I was done talking and opened the opportunity for questions. Drlprl and Alleria just got up an walked off while Mosaic did mention they were happy to be aboard. I probably shouldn't expect them to consider me a friend just moments after meeting their new boss.