Ship Log — Esphireon Vessel — Entry 01
How long has it been since I last had a good night's sleep?Sometimes, I honestly can't remember.All I know is... this isn't the first time.That strange feeling of déjà vu haunts me constantly, though I try not to give it too much thought.
Ever since I was nominated for the magistrate post on the Mar Sara colony, things have only gotten weirder. Names I shouldn't know, places I've never been to, visions of insects, nightmare creatures, and impossible aliens... all of it torments my mind.
Sleep no longer brings rest. Dreams only leave me more exhausted.My body is starting to fail, and for the first time in years, I'm truly scared.
The visions grow stronger the closer we get to the colony.If what I see isn't just hallucinations… if they aren't just dreams… then I don't know what to do.
I contacted my uncle. I asked for more troops—mercenaries, firepower, anything to make me feel even a bit safer. Even funding. Anything.
Maybe it's all just nightmares. The ramblings of a stressed-out mind.
But if they're not...
I don't want to think about it.
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Clarck Clayton stopped writing.The colony of Mar Sara was now just a short jump away.
It had only been a few weeks since his uncle had managed to pull some strings and get him nominated for the post. And considering his lack of experience, Clarck still didn't understand how he had landed the job.
Even a backwater colony, as remote and primitive as it might be, was still a major responsibility. Far too much for someone like him—a twenty-one-year-old fresh graduate from the officer academy.
But it didn't take long for the truth to hit him.
The neighboring colony, Chau Sara, had been wiped out by aliens. That alone was terrifying.But what chilled him to the bone were the leaked images of the attackers.They were the same beings he had been seeing in his visions.
Clarck didn't want to end up like Chau Sara. Deep down, he didn't even want to be here.He would've much preferred to stay on his homeworld, close to the capital—where there were actual troops, tanks, orbital artillery… safety.Not in this forgotten hole they were sending him to. A primitive outpost.If he was lucky, the colony might have a squad armed with Gauss rifles and a couple of power suits.
No. That wasn't acceptable. Not without a fight.
He made up his mind. He'd call his uncle again.He wouldn't go without at least a few tanks or some fighter ships. He'd nag, beg if he had to. He wanted every troop they could spare.
Because if those creatures were real…
Mar Sara would be next.
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The screen lit up.An older man appeared—his brow furrowed, his face carved with the sternness of dried wood.
"I told you to keep these calls limited, Clarck. This isn't a game. The guilds have invested a lot into this operation. If the Confederacy starts doubting you, everything we've built over the years will go down the drain."
Clarck listened to his uncle's scolding in silence, but he couldn't just sit on his hands.The colony he was being sent to was far more dangerous than his uncle had claimed.This wasn't just a power grab or some cushy post.
"Uncle… the neighboring colony was wiped out by… those things. I don't feel safe here. I need firepower. And you know the Confederacy won't give me anything."
His uncle stared at him in silence for a few seconds. His expression grew even harder.
"You're serious? What did you see?""If it weren't for the schematics and upgrades you helped design over the years, I wouldn't even listen to the ramblings of a lunatic."
Clarck let out a breath, a bit calmer.If his uncle was asking questions, that meant he was at least considering it.If not, he would've just cut the call.
"They're the blue ones. They destroyed Chau Sara.They're not just in my nightmares anymore, Uncle. They wiped out a colony.And if they're real… the insects, those other things… they must be real too."
His uncle clicked his tongue but said nothing more. He ended the call.
Moments later, a coded message arrived.
A ship would arrive in a week with reinforcements:A small battalion of marines, power armor, and Gauss rifles upgraded with Clarck's own designs.They would also send a small team of scientists, along with a prototype Hellion — an experimental vehicle built for fast infantry assault.
If they were going to spend money, at least it would serve as a field test.
Clarck didn't complain.
It was better than nothing.