The Shinobi
Captains Log — 1
— The following Data excerpt was salvaged from a large cluster of floating debris and damaged satellites in the outer reach of an unmapped and unruly place in the High Risk Zone. The exact co-ordinates have been scrambled but what we have managed to decrypt may be valuable—
— In accordance with MUD Governance Code #32334, the following ship log is highly classified. –-
Log ID: 260191
Captains Log: 001
Enlisted EarthDays: 10
ATLAS payload: 695.130
Ship: VZUS Opod
Captain’s log: Amidst the chaos of leaving homeport, with its ten-thousand ships following military orders of the same magnitude, we finally broke orbit and found a moment to feel like a crew.
The recruits, eager to please and quick to learn, have taken to Lieutenant Nader in particular. After 10 days on board, It remains to be seen if this will benefit or hinder them — his way is so often blunt and thorny.
Young Corporal Cort has barely seen space, and whilst her military background is well regarded and respected, I saw her shiver and gasp at first sight of the Ogrika Miks, which continue to escort us through the Medium Risk Zone. I should remind myself that we were all green once, and those Ogrika are fearsome looking fighters to say the least.
The other fresh face, Dr. Valster is a harder read. She was hired as an engineer, though her reputation as a wartime medic gives me the impression she will become valuable beyond her job title. She barely flinched when the escort roared by the starboard window.
Lermnis Nader, veteran pilot and mouthpiece both, remains the prime purveyor of our great enlistment. His insistence that each crew member learn to operate the Scanner to an intermediate level, his captain included, is not unfounded. We are manning a Data Runner after all, and whilst Co-Pilot Cort’s interest seems to lean toward target practice and weapon maintenance, and the Doctor’s toward research, I am glad I have Lermnis pulling the balance back toward surveying the cosmos.
I have spent the early part of our journey alongside Foreman Rune Derranis, studying this great vessel so I can captain her with the confidence and expectation befitting my title. She is the sleek and versatile VZUS data runner and the crew call her “Shinobi” for the stealth-assassins of old Japan. Curved, protective metal covers her belly to wingtips, lightweight so as to optimize a stealthy approach. The reinforced hull cradles the precious Data Rack, Drone Port and Scanner consoles — the beating heart of our Data Runner and our life blood. To the delight of our more…combat oriented crew members, a state-of-the-art missile bay contains arms capable of holding off an assault from many opportunistic fighters we may encounter on our mission. Most importantly, and this was stressed by the shipbuilders above all else — the ship contains a module for smuggling out precious cargo in the event of being compromised, although I hear those that deal in secrets are destined to disappear into the cataclysm. I wish to never see the Shinobi fail, but in the unlikely case our vessel does become compromised, it is reassuring to know we may veil precious data before it is seized. If we ever locate a vintage satellite we will need a secure place to store its secrets which are our ticket to ATLAS beyond our wildest dreams.
Finally, I was pleased and relieved to see the living quarters both vast and brimming with amenities. Not a day goes by that I do not see young Cort in the gym, brandishing a serious grimace as she pedals the exercise bike into oblivion. Though he wouldn’t admit it, the foreman’s late night perusal of the VR console is a necessary kind of reprieve from a stressful, space-bound job. I have learned one thing as a starship captain — a comfortable crew performs with a little more grunt. They work hard, and they sleep well.
For the weeks ahead, Drone calibration is the crew’s primary concern. We must ensure safe reconnaissance for our little star-surveyor, for as soon as the Scanner finds the right conditions for paydirt, we sail toward deep-space. I will continue to inspect and cohere with every speck of this fine ship, as we explore deeper into the metaverse.
