Ships Log: The Missionary

[BreadandCircuses]

User I.D. Jean Michael

Entry 1: Well, I have decided to leave the monastery finally. I have spent many happy years here but, with the recent and ongoing conflict, and the access to the once closed systems, I feel the call of exploration, and seeing the glory of Gods work in our universe. I have seen all of Gallia as it is now and I'm curious as to what lies beyond her borders.

I will keep these logs as I venture and study the universe before me, and see what I may see, and record it for those who follow me.

Entry 2: The Abbot is worried for me but I assured him I would be well in the universe; I walk with God and I do have my degree in medicine. But getting into space will be a bit difficult as the proper licenses and fees have to be paid and I haven't much money.

I will think on it.

Entry 3: Well, some luck has been had! God helps those and all. I called an old friend and he happened to have an Auroch recently sold off to him second hand. He got me it at a discount and I sold my heirloom artifact for a very good amount.

It will take most of it to repair the ship and stock it for the trip, and retrofit the inside, but I'll have more then enough room for a chapel and shrine. Getting the altar pieces will also be a trick but the abbot has agreed to let me take some of the things out of the monastery basement.

Entry 4: The ship is complete! It's been a few weeks of hard work and much spending, and I can only thank my friends for helping me with the cost. I've never had much of a head for business, but my father did and he was willing to help pay for my ship, though my mother warned me against the dangers of the 'barbarians beyond our borders'.

I do feel trepidation, of course, but tomorrow my journey truly begins. I shall begin in Ile-de-France and end my journey wherever I may outside the borders.

Entry 5: Isolated in the core systems, I never realized how much damage the war had done out here. It's quite stunning, heading through the edge systems, at the amount of destruction; destroyed stations and destroyed ships, scarring on planet surfaces. It's all quite bad.

Still, I'm almost to the 'barrier' mine field. I'm waiting for final checks from the border guard and then I'll be heading through.

Entry 6: Those flying lessons have certainly paid off so far. I've had to maneuver through two mine fields already. I suppose the navy is concerned about invasion, so that is fair. The GRN has constantly spouted off about how the 'betrayers of Sirius' beyond our borders are champing at the bit to wipe us out, but so far I have seen no red blips on my radar.

In fact, I've hardly seen anything on radar at all. Between the trade lanes of Gallia and whatever lays beyond, there doesn't seem to be much traffic.

I wonder if they have trade lanes in Sirius?

Entry 7: My god, what a place.

Not long after entering 'Tau-23' as my navigation system identifies it, I found a small cluster of ships. One of them was very odd, a sort of glowing blue and strangely organic looking ship with natural curves that could not be man made.

And they weren't. It was an ALIEN! An honest to goodness alien. And it wanted to debate theology! Sortof. It just said that it didn't believe in 'superstition' and when I tried to point out the Pattern theory for divine creation it just sort of got grumpy and left.

But I met an alien! What an amazing moment for myself. God truly works in mysterious ways.

I also met some miners who seemed cautiously friendly, though there seemed to be some bitterness of the GRN's actions in the system.

Nominally the GRN is supposed to control the system but by all looks it's firmly in the hands of this 'Independent Miners Guild'. It's interesting since they lack royal charter companies like we have, for good or ill.

Entry 8: Today was a day of good learning.

For one, I learned of the Golden Chrysanthemums, a group of which I saw a few pilots of briefly, are some sort of terrorist or depending on ones point of view, freedom and equal rites group, attempting to bring abuot a less male-oriented society in Kusari.

I think I'll visit the group when I get the chance, and speak to some of the members. It will be fascinating, I'm sure.

Of course I don't know much about Kusari as a whole either. I know they are descended from Ancient Earths asian cultures. Perhaps the Golden Chrysanthemums will provide me with their view on it, and I can then learn about it from the various other 'pirate' and 'lawful' factions as the nomenclature is beyond the veil of Gallias borders.

I spoke to some of the independent miners about these 'outcast' and learned some disturbing things, most high of all being their use of slaves and their strange transformation due to this drug.

A drug that changes the user at a genetic level? I admit I find it hard to believe but what other miracles have I seen in my time to make this one unlikely?

I also spoke to a Kusari Naval officer about the things going on in Kusari; about the shift in government, the long standing civil war against the dragons, the nature of the Golden Chrysanthemums.

It's quite a lot to digest. I hope to finish my painting of Kyushu soon; it's a beautiful planet.

And still my mind lingers on the 'nomad'. The outcast worship them, apparently, and the one I met claimed atheistic belief. They are strange; I feel like I should know them better, as I should endeavor across all subjects to learn.