A quick and easy job for Arden. But maybe things are not what they seem.
- 📖 With an uneasy feeling he left the appartment through the airvent, carefully reattaching the grate. As he stepped out from the crates he walked into Karthik already waiting.
"Why aren't you watching the guard?"
"I can see him from here too, seemed less conspicuous. Did you get it?"
Arden nodded.
"Hand it over, I know how to get rid of it."
Arden hesitated. He could swear he could see Karthik's hand moving to his holstered pistol. It would also be easy from him to alert the guard. Reluctantly he put the pad into the other, extended hand of Karthik.
Almost too easy. - 📖 Arden returned to his ship. For the moment it was the only thing he could think of in the moment. At the ship he was greeted by the familiar strongman. He handed him a slip of paper and then left. No words, nothing.
"Thank you for your support. Your actions further solidify our undertaking. However it would be best for you to lay low for the time being and leave Deadrock. You will hear from me again. The Arbitrator." - 📖 The Cerelis Nine broke into outer space a few hours later. He felt observed on Deadrock, more so than usual. The last words, even though they came in writing, felt more like a warning than a suggestion. He hoped that his actions actually did bring him closer to the Navdex from Cole or did he play into some other political machination.
At least he was in open space again. Finally. - 📖 Somehow scuttling around in air vents and snooping in unknown places, kindled a feeling for Arden he had suppress the past few days or even weeks. The lust for exploring, finding something new. He had to get away so why not venture into the vast voids and indulge in that feeling again. If only to test his new engines.
- 📖 The ride was smooth and the engine purred as much as Pandora. For all the secrecy and intimidation, the work was decently done. He relished, the comparatively, fresh air running through his ship, free from the acridness of Deadrock. He let the scanners do their work as he closed his eyes in silence.
🎲 Explore a Waypoint: 5(2+3) vs 2/2; Strong Hit with a Match - 📖 Arden opened his eyes to the view of a colorful gascloud. It shimmered and twinkled in many colors. Sensors indicated that it was closing to his position slowly, starting to move around the ship. It circled the Cerelis Nine once before coming to a halt in front. The cloud wasn't bigger than a basketball. Arden looked at the sensors again.
'No life signs detected'
And yet Arden had the feeling of being observed again.
🎲 Make a Discovery: Artifical consciousness evolved to a higher state - 📖 The cloud seemed to react to his scans. As the sensors sweeped over the anomaly, the color pattern seemed to shift. Almost like Pandoras fur would change. Arden didn't really check the results, but was more fascinated by the immediate response he could see. He wondered what it felt like. Did he hurt it? Arden stopped the scans immediately at the thought.