Man or Machine

[thisDerius]

835. A.S. - FMV - Bastion - New Tokyo System.

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Some things are better left unspoken. The details of yesterday will not be disclosed in this log. They will remain where they belong—in my memory, and nowhere else.

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But amidst all the chaos, I’ve come to a realization. My core is nearing its limit. The signs have been there for a while—subtle at first, but growing harder to ignore. Power fluctuations, response delays, an unsettling strain in my synthetic systems. If I don’t act soon, the consequences won’t just be inconvenient. They’ll be fatal.

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That’s when it hit me. The Ingenuus Research Group. Talking about them brought back a memory—my old arm. A prototype from my time with IRG, discarded but not forgotten. I had stashed it away in Blackout One, buried under a mountain of scrap, where even I nearly lost track of it.

I found it.

The arm itself is useless to me now, but it’s not the hardware I need. It’s the data. I remember encoding an experimental power cell schematic into the arm’s internal systems—a power source stable enough to fuel my core without any of the usual side effects. If I can reconstruct it, I might be able to buy myself the time I need.

Bad news? I did a damn good job locking it down. The encryption is thick—something I designed myself back when I was with IRG. And of course, like an idiot, I never thought I’d need to break into it, so I left myself no access codes. Now I’m the one stuck trying to hack my own work. Typical.

I don’t know how long this will take, or if I’ll even succeed. Every second counts, and I can already feel the clock ticking against me. I just hope I’m not too late.

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On the brighter side, repairs on the Bastion are finally complete. The lab is fully retrofitted and operational, designed for mobile work. It’s a relief knowing I have a place to conduct my research—far away from the people who’d rather see me dead.

With everything set, I’m preparing to take the ship back into the unknown. My next course? Sigma-13. If luck is on my side, I’ll find a safe path through. If not... well. At least it won’t be another run through Alaska. Once was enough.

For now, I’m signing off. I’ll log again once the day is done.

If I’m still alive.

End Log.