Agent Kephra Logs

[Deity]

⧫ ORDER FIELD REPORT – AGENT “BLACK ECHO” ⧫

Codename: Saren Kephra | Division: VEIL-7 Recon Cell
Location: Omega-55, Omicron Kappa | Date: 835 A.S.
Security Classification: HIGH – Active Investigation

---

LOG ENTRY: 835-05-27 – “Still Hunting Shadows”


Mission parameters remain active. The investigation into the entity—or unit—known as “Noth” is ongoing. Intelligence trails are fragmented, overlapping between rogue Rheinland factions, false IFFs, and a growing number of dead ends... some quite literal.

Initial contact was made through Die Roten Front—a Hessian splinter cell operating deep within Omega space. The communication originated from Lieutenant Lahr, confirming at least partial knowledge of “Noth’s” movements and attacks, including the disappearance of a Hessian transport allegedly carrying explosives, not artifacts, through Omicron Kappa.

Hessian command denies direct involvement or prior operations in the system, which raises two possibilities:

1. “Noth” is not affiliated with any official Rheinland military wing.
2. Or... someone within the greater Rheinland command is covering for them.

I’m not discounting either theory.

Kephra's Directive: Remain embedded. Monitor all Hessian communication. Assess viability of deeper alliance with elements of the Rote Front and/or Hades Brigade. Trust is a currency we cannot spend easily—but it might buy us a path to truth.

Until then, we trace wreckage, rumors, and resonance anomalies.

And Noth continues to appear—then vanish—like a signal in static.

Status: Operation active – Phase II in progress
Key Objectives:
• Determine true identity and structure of “Noth”
• Confirm origin: Nomad tech, human cell, or hybrid
• Track all civilian or paramilitary losses tied to encounters
• Investigate links between Noth sightings and increased psionic field disruptions in Kappa

No engagements yet. But the net is tightening.

---

Filed by: Agent Saren Kephra – Veil-7
Verified by: Operative Asura, Internal Division
Updated: 835-05-29 A.S.

>>> END OF ENTRY <<<

---

Captain Echo
“Flying free between the stars. No flag, no chains.”

Independent | Smuggler | Explorer

[Deity]

>> Incoming Transmission <<
Encryption: Untraceable | Source: Unknown

---

The message wasn’t routed through any recognizable channel. It wasn’t even caught by the standard interception protocols. It just… appeared. Flickering on the comms display.

A distorted voice broke the silence, calm but cold:

“Kephra… still pretending, are we?”

I froze, eyes narrowing. Fingers hovered above the console, debating whether to kill the feed or let it play out.

The voice continued.

“Three years... lost in the dark. You came back. But you didn’t come back the same. They might buy your story. They might believe the fragments of memory you feed them. But we both know… the truth doesn't stay buried forever.”

I clenched my fists. “Who are you?” The question escaped before I could stop myself.

A low chuckle came in reply — distorted, but unmistakably human.

“Someone who knows the signs. The… residue left behind when something brushes too close to them. Nomads. Wilde. Call them whatever makes you sleep better at night. But don’t kid yourself. That echo in the back of your head? The nightmares? The moments when reality... glitches?”

Silence.

Then, as if leaning closer:

“That’s not trauma. It’s a footprint.”

I swallowed hard. Checked the scanners — nothing. Whoever they were, they weren’t anywhere close.

“I could send this to your superiors. I’ve compiled... enough. Neural anomalies. Psionic residue. Behavioral shifts. Someone in Command is going to start asking how you really survived out there in Kappa.”

I exhaled slowly, forcing my hands to stay steady.

“What do you want?” My voice was quieter now.

Another pause. No immediate answer.

“I haven’t decided yet.” The voice was almost playful. “Maybe... you’re useful. Maybe... you’re dangerous. Maybe... you’re a liability waiting to happen. I suppose that depends on you.”

A faint clicking sound. A data package popped onto my interface — heavily encrypted.

“Consider this... a reminder. You don’t outrun what you’ve become, Kephra. You either make peace with it... or someone else makes the choice for you.”

— Transmission Terminated —

---

Internal Log Entry — Omicron Delta, Encrypted Personal Record:
The file is locked behind layers of encryption I don’t recognize. Not Order tech. Not civilian. Something else. I won’t open it. Not yet.

Whoever this is... they know too much. They know the gaps in my story. The shadows I’ve been pretending aren’t there.

Do I report this to Command? Do I stay silent? Either choice has consequences.

...I’ve survived worse.

But for the first time since Kappa... I’m not sure if I’m fighting the enemy — or myself.

—Agent Kephra

---

>> End of Log <<

---

Captain Echo
“Flying free between the stars. No flag, no chains.”

Independent | Smuggler | Explorer

[Deity]

>> OPERATION LOG — AGENT KEPHRA <<
Encryption: CLASSIFIED | Clearance: LEVEL V

---

Date: 30/06/835 A.S.
Location: Omicron Delta — Deep Field Relay
Operator: Agent Saren Kephra
Subject: Persistent Signal / Identity Threat — Escalation

---

LOG ENTRY:

The file sat on my console for 19 hours. I told myself I wouldn’t open it. I lied.

Inside... fragments. Snippets of comms, garbled telemetry, audio overlays. Half of it... my own voice. Things I don't remember saying. Or maybe don’t want to remember.

One audio clip stood out. Played on loop the moment I decrypted it:

> [ENCRYPTED AUDIO: 7ΔΣ-Χ4]
> "—they never left. Not fully. You felt it. In the static between thoughts. In the silence between breaths."
> [Signal corruption — playback ends.]

I slammed the console shut. For hours, I sat in the cockpit staring at nothing but empty stars.

---

Then... another message arrived.

> [Incoming Transmission — Source: Unknown]
> Encryption Level: Ψ-RED | Trace Status: Impossible
>
> "Funny thing about pretending, Kephra... at some point, you forget which side of the lie you’re standing on."
>
> [ENCRYPTED FRAGMENT: ██χ7ΔΞ-Ψ]
> "The static isn't static. It's them — breathing. Whispering. Waiting. You’re just... remembering."
> [Decryption failed — END OF FRAGMENT]

My hands were shaking. Not from fear. From... recognition.

I shut down the comms array for an hour. Thought isolation would stop it. It didn’t. Whispered patterns still echoed. No speakers. No systems. Just... inside.

---

Notable Event:
- Neural link spiked — 340% signal anomaly. No external source detected.
- Bio-scanners recorded a 2.8°C drop in cranial temperature.
- Subjective auditory hallucination matched known Nomad psionic signature patterns at 67%. No external confirmation.

---

Agent Note:
I tried composing a message to Command. It sat on my terminal for 43 minutes. Then I deleted it.

I know how this looks on paper. I’ve written those reports myself — about others.
"Signs of psionic contamination."
"Potential compromise."
"Mandatory isolation for further evaluation."

I know what happens next. I won’t let it happen.

> [ENCRYPTED MESSAGE RECEIVED — PARTIAL DECRYPTION]
> "Akabat watches you. But we... we remember you."
> —End Fragment—

They say infection is a process. A decay. A collapse. But what if... it’s not? What if it’s an evolution?

What if... I was never theirs to begin with?

—Agent Kephra, Omicron Operations Division

---

>> END OF LOG <<

---

Captain Echo
“Flying free between the stars. No flag, no chains.”

Independent | Smuggler | Explorer

[Deity]

>> OPERATION LOG — AGENT KEPHRA <<
Encryption: CLASSIFIED | Clearance: LEVEL V

---

Date: 01/07/835 A.S.
Location: Omicron Delta — Near Kappa Border
Operator: Agent Saren Kephra
Subject: Unauthorised Signal — Escalation Continues

---

LOG ENTRY:

It doesn’t stop.

Even with comms offline, hardlines severed... it’s still there. Not as sound — but as... pressure. Presence. Like someone standing right behind you, breathing just softly enough that you start to doubt whether it’s real.

For a while, I convinced myself it was stress. Residual trauma. Ghosts of Kappa. Standard psych ops file says that’s common. Common. Explainable. Manageable.

Then I woke up. Flight suit still on. Navcomputer set to a course I don’t remember plotting. Coordinates leading straight to...

> [REDACTED]
> — Deep Kappa.

I killed the engines before arrival. Just stared at the void ahead. The systems flickered.
For a moment... the stars dimmed.

---

Then came the voice again. Not through comms. Not through any system. Just... directly. Like a thought that wasn’t mine.

> [Ψ-LINK // UNVERIFIED ORIGIN]
> “Stop fighting shadows... Saren.”
> "You're tired. Let it go. Let the silence hold you.”

Felt... almost... kind.

---

Recorded Biological Response:
- Pulse drop: 42 bpm sustained for 3.4 minutes.
- Oxygen saturation fell. No system fault detected.
- Brainwave pattern shifted to low-frequency resonance consistent with... [UNKNOWN].

---

Fragmented Memory Log:

I remember... blue light.
A shape in the distance — symmetrical, almost beautiful.
A feeling — not fear. Not dread. But... relief.

And then nothing.

When I came to, the ship was back on standard orbit near Freeport 11. Logs wiped between 03:44 and 05:21. Fuel consumption confirms movement, but nav records are... blank.

---

INTERNAL NOTE:
I haven’t reported this. Not yet.

I told myself — if it happens again, I will. I’ll submit myself for review. For quarantine. Whatever it takes.

...But part of me knows I won’t.

Because there’s a part of me — small, quiet, but growing — that doesn’t want this to stop.
A part that wants to hear that voice again.

> [ENCRYPTED FRAGMENT RECEIVED]
> Origin: ████-ΔΨΞ — Nonlinear Transmission
> "When the veil lifts... you’ll see.
> Not infection. Not corruption.
> Clarity."
> —End Transmission—

---

If anyone ever reads this...
...I don’t know if you’ll understand.

But I hope you do.

I hope... someone does.

—Agent Kephra, Omicron Operations Division

---

>> END OF LOG <<

---

Captain Echo
“Flying free between the stars. No flag, no chains.”

Independent | Smuggler | Explorer

[Deity]

>> OPERATION LOG — AGENT KEPHRA <<
Encryption: CLASSIFIED | Clearance: LEVEL V

---

Date: 02/07/835 A.S.
Location: Freeport 11 — Private Quarters, Deck C
Operator: Agent Saren Kephra
Subject: Psychological Deviation Report (Self-Filed — Unofficial)

---

LOG ENTRY:

I didn't sleep. Not really. A few seconds here, a minute there — nothing that counts. My hands won’t stop shaking, but my mind...

...my mind feels... clearer than it should.

It's subtle. Like... background noise that's been there for so long that I forgot it wasn't supposed to be there.

Today I caught myself staring at the console. Not reading. Not analyzing. Just... watching the static on one of the encrypted channels. And for a moment — a long, uncomfortable moment — it felt like it was staring back.

---

Incident:

Got an automated ping from the surveillance grid near Omicron Kappa border. Standard patrol drone flagged an anomaly. Normally I’d forward that to primary Command — protocol dictates as much.

I didn't.

I... wanted to check it first. Alone.

Why?
Not sure. Or maybe I am, but I’m lying to myself.

I took the Archon out — told traffic control it was a calibration run. Quiet space. No chatter. Just me and the noise in my head that’s getting harder and harder to call “just stress.”

---

Out there, something felt... familiar. Like a pull. Like gravity, but not physical.

I hovered near a grav well for ten minutes. No signal. No signatures. Just...

> [Ψ-LINK // WEAK SIGNAL]
> “…It’s quieter when you stop resisting, Saren...”

No origin. No reply. Nothing.

---

Physical Response Log:
- Pulse irregular again.
- Auditory hallucinations logged.
- Mild tremors.
- Reflexes intact but delayed under scan stress.

---

Behavioral Deviation (Acknowledged):

- Delayed reporting.
- Manual override of telemetry logs.
- Deleted auto-upload to Command for the second time this week.
- Filed a false mechanical maintenance report to cover a 1.4-hour gap in the vessel log.

I’m... aware of it.
And that’s the part that scares me the most.

---

Encrypted Data Fragment:

It’s still sitting in the secondary drive. The one from the first... encounter.
Every time I hover over it — something in my chest tightens. A mix of dread and...

...curiosity.

I ran a diagnostic on the file. It’s wrapped in a structure that shouldn't exist. Binary outside of known Sirius coding architecture. The decryption key isn’t a code. It’s...

...a harmonic frequency.

A sound.

I caught myself humming it this morning. Didn’t even realize.

---

Conclusion:

I should report this.
I should.

But every time I try to compose the message... my hands don’t move. My chest tightens. Like my own body is sabotaging me.

And if I’m honest...

...a part of me doesn’t want to send it.

> [Ψ-LINK // FADING TRANSMISSION]
> “The further you look... the clearer it gets.”

---

I don’t know if I’m losing myself...
...or if I’m finally seeing the truth.

End Log.

—Agent Kephra, Omicron Operations Division

---

>> END OF LOG <<

---

Captain Echo
“Flying free between the stars. No flag, no chains.”

Independent | Smuggler | Explorer

[Deity]

>> OPERATION LOG — AGENT KEPHRA <<
Encryption: CLASSIFIED | Clearance: LEVEL V

---

Date: 03/07/835 A.S.
Location: Docked — Omicron Delta, Unregistered Relay Station
Operator: Agent Saren Kephra
Subject: Cognitive Drift (Suspected) | Unauthorized Contact Event

---

LOG ENTRY:

I accessed the file.

Not fully — just the first layer. I told myself it was reconnaissance. A tactical probe into potential enemy data. Nothing more.

But the moment the sequence began, I knew that wasn’t the truth.

The lights flickered. Comms muted themselves. The station’s hum dipped into a deep, unnatural tone — like everything around me was holding its breath.

And then — not words — but impressions.

A memory. But not mine. A planet with rings of fire. A sea that breathed. Shadows beneath the surface that weren’t cast by anything visible.

My nose started to bleed. I blacked out for six minutes.

---

Upon regaining consciousness:

There was a message waiting for me. It was embedded in the internal console log — not written, but etched into the system like a brand:

> [Ψ-LINK MESSAGE FRAGMENT #045]
> “You opened the gate, Saren. One foot outside the dream now. The rest will follow.”

I didn’t tell anyone.
I couldn’t.

I’m still not sure what frightens me more — what I saw, or how… calm I felt.

---

Operational Concern:

I’m due to return to Carthage in 36 hours. Routine debrief. Psych eval. Sensor sync.
If I walk through that door, and they scan my vitals — they’ll know.

Not everything, but enough.
They’ll ground me. Maybe worse.
I’d do the same if I were them.

But the thought of that — of being cut off from… this — feels wrong.
Like it’s severing something that’s already part of me.

---

Irregular Activity (Confession):

Two days ago, I intercepted a Wilde transmission in Omicron Minor. It was fragmented. Buried under five layers of encryption.

I decoded it in twenty minutes.
That shouldn’t be possible.

I didn’t tell command.
I saved the signal.
It’s playing now. In the background.

It’s not in any known language, but I… understand the rhythm. The cadence.
Like remembering a song from a childhood you don’t recall having.

---

Conclusion:

I don’t know if I’m compromised.
I don’t know if I’ve already made my decision.

But I know this:
I’m not ready to be saved.
Not yet.

> [Ψ-KEY // SEQUENCE STABILIZED]
> INITIATING LINK... STANDBY...

---

End Log

—Agent Kephra, Echo Shadow Protocol (Unconfirmed Alignment)

---

>> END OF LOG <<

---

Captain Echo
“Flying free between the stars. No flag, no chains.”

Independent | Smuggler | Explorer

[Deity]

>> PERSONAL AUDIO LOG // AGENT KEPHRA <<
Encryption: PRIVATE | Access: Sec-Level IV (Not Reported)

---

Date: 03/07/835 A.S.
Location: Deep space, Omicron Xi corridor
Subject: Interference — Internal

---

“Voice log active.”

I’m not even pretending this is for Command anymore. This one’s just for me. In case... in case I stop being me.

*long pause, static interference*

I had another moment today. Not a vision — not like the last ones. This was... quieter. Subtle.
I was running a routine check on atmospheric shielding, and for a full five minutes, I forgot where I was. Not because I was distracted. I *knew* where I was. But I didn’t feel like I belonged there.

Like I was watching someone else do it. Hands moving on their own. Thoughts that weren't mine... but that *fit*.

I snapped out of it when my comms pinged. I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My voice didn’t feel like my own.

---

Later, I checked the logs. I’d re-routed power to a section of the ship I don’t even *remember* programming. It’s marked "Segment Phi". That’s not standard Order config. I don’t know how it got there. But the systems accepted my clearance.

---

There was a whisper again, last night. I’m not even going to pretend it came from the outside. It came from inside. Like a thought that... didn’t ask permission.

> “

Code:

η ΣΚΙΆ ΔΕΝ ΕΙΝΑΙ Ο ΕΧΘΡΟΣ

”
> (“The shadow is not the enemy.”)

I don’t speak Greek. Not fluently. But I understood that. Somehow.

---

I haven’t reported any of this. I can’t. Not yet. Because the more I try to isolate what’s happening to me… the more I realize I don’t want to.

There’s clarity in it. As if the noise of Order, of duty, of protocol — all of it — was just... distraction. And now I can *hear* something under it. Something deeper.
Not evil. Not good. Just… old. Still. And watching.

And it sees me.

---

I know what Command would do if they heard this. Strip me of access. Contain. Interrogate. Possibly worse.

So I’ll make a choice. I stay out here, in the dark, a little longer. I *listen*.
And if the voice grows louder... I’ll let it speak.

Because maybe — just maybe — it’s not here to control me. Maybe it’s waking something I’ve been ignoring my whole life.

---

“Log end. Encrypt private. Do not transmit.”

—Kephra

---

>> END OF AUDIO LOG <<

---

Captain Echo
“Flying free between the stars. No flag, no chains.”

Independent | Smuggler | Explorer

[Deity]

>> PERSONAL LOG – KEPHRA <<

---

Date: 04/07/835 A.S.
Location: Omicron Kappa fringe
Access: Isolated/Offline | Not Synced with Command
State: Disoriented

---

I had a dream again.

Not the kind that fades when you wake up. This one *lingers*. It *sits* in your chest.

I was walking down a corridor — old Order ship, maybe something from the days before Toledo. It was abandoned, but the lights worked. I kept hearing voices from the far end. Familiar ones. Names I haven't spoken in years. People I left behind in Kappa. People I watched die.

But when I turned the last corner — I saw myself.

Not in a mirror. A full second version of me, walking ahead. Same gait. Same uniform. But his steps had purpose. I wanted to call out. But I couldn’t. My throat was dry. And then — he turned his head.

His eyes weren’t mine.

They were... filled with something. Blue. Not glowing. Just *wrong*. Like stars in a black ocean that didn’t belong there.

---

I woke up shaking. Checked the cabin, ran diagnostics, pinged local comms — nothing out of place.

Except one thing. My pad — the encrypted one I keep off-grid — had a new message. No alert. No timestamp. Just a line of text:

>

Code:

“You’re not dreaming.”

---

I'm keeping this to myself for now. There's no proof. No data. Nothing the Order would consider actionable.

And yet... I feel it. In moments of silence. In reflexes I shouldn't have. In words I didn't mean to say during comms with high command — just subtle enough that no one noticed. But I did.

Like... something else was helping me speak. More fluently. More convincingly.

---

I haven’t *heard* the voice again. But I think I’ve started listening anyway. Not because I trust it. But because a part of me is afraid it's telling the truth.

And worse — that it *might be me*.

I’ll keep logging this. Maybe that’s how I keep hold of what’s real.

If anyone ever reads this... and I’m not who I used to be — don’t blame me.

Just know:
I tried to hold on. I really did.

---

>> LOG ENDED <<

---

Captain Echo
“Flying free between the stars. No flag, no chains.”

Independent | Smuggler | Explorer

[Deity]

>> PERSONAL LOG – KEPHRA <<

---

Date: 05/07/835 A.S.
Location: Freeport 11 – Private Quarters
Access: Isolated/Local
Condition: Stable. For now.

---

I tried to act normal today.

Walked the promenade. Got food. Nodded at people I’ve passed a hundred times before. Nothing strange. Nothing to raise alarms. I even laughed at a joke someone told in passing — I didn’t get the joke, but I laughed. Like a reflex.

And yet, all day... I felt watched.

Not by surveillance. That’s expected. But something else. Like my own mind is trying to tell on me. Like there’s a part of me waiting for me to slip — so it can step in.

I ordered a tea and didn’t realize I’d asked for *Kusari jasmine*. I haven’t had that in years. I hate it. At least I thought I did.

And when I sat down to write today’s report... I blacked out. Not for long. Maybe thirty seconds. But when I came to, there was a single line typed into the comms draft. It wasn’t in my voice.

> “There is peace in clarity.”

It scared me. Because it *felt* right.

---

I haven’t told Command. Not yet. What would I say?

"Agent reports feelings of dissociation and involuntary memory substitutions"?

I know how this ends. Grounding. Evaluation. Isolation.

And the thing is… I’m not even sure that would help. What if this isn’t infection? What if this isn’t sabotage?

What if it’s just *me*, breaking apart?

---

I replayed the transmission again — the one from that unknown contact. Tried to analyze the voice, the syntax, anything. But the more I listen, the more I’m convinced they weren’t lying.

They *knew* things. Things I’ve buried. Things I’ve convinced myself were misremembered. But memory doesn’t glitch like that.

I’m starting to wonder if what I survived out there… if it left something behind. Not a parasite. Not a Nomad.

Just... an echo.

---

I caught myself staring into a mirror tonight. Not out of vanity. Just... trying to recognize myself. But the longer I looked, the more unfamiliar I felt.

Have you ever looked into your own eyes — and felt like you were trespassing?

---

I’m going dark for a while. No synced logs. Just hard copies. Just this pad. If something happens to me — maybe someone will find this and understand.

Or maybe no one will care. That’s fine too.

Either way… I need time. Before I forget which voice is really mine.

---

>> LOG ENDED <<

---

Captain Echo
“Flying free between the stars. No flag, no chains.”

Independent | Smuggler | Explorer

[Deity]

:: Agent Log — J.D. Kephra :: Final Entry

---

Location: [REDACTED]
Timestamp: --//::[ERROR: TIME CODE INVALID]:://--
Encryption Level: VIOLET
Access: [LOCKED]

---

Audio log begins... static... breathing... then calm voice.

I always thought the hardest part would be the moment I crossed the line.

But it wasn't.

It was waking up, day after day, pretending I hadn't already crossed it years ago.

---

They called it "rescue" when I came back from Kappa. The truth? I left something behind there. Or maybe I brought something back with me. I couldn't tell where I ended and *it* began.

The dreams started first.
Then the silence.
Then the clarity.

---

Every report I filed after that point?
Filtered. Sanitized.
For their safety. For mine.

I wanted to believe I was fighting them — the Wilde. The Infected.
But I was only fighting myself.

And I lost.

Or maybe... I stopped fighting.

---

[Encrypted segment recovered — cannot translate.]

> --§ΞΦΚ.

---

Captain Echo
“Flying free between the stars. No flag, no chains.”

Independent | Smuggler | Explorer