{"data":{"id":18949,"title":"Far From Home: Whispers in the Walls","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/18949-Far-From-Home-Whispers-In-The-Walls","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/18949","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/18949","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"News Update","images":[{"id":3371,"name":"FarFromHomeFI4.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/v1r8ntealvi5ar\/source\/FarFromHomeFI4.jpg","alt":"","size":786852,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2015-05-26T23:42:19+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/3371","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/3371\/similar"},{"id":26463,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/weozjmuuh3hwh\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":843046,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2019-09-19T15:49:32+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463\/similar"},{"id":27892,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/w3o9r4zgppm77\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":900916,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2021-09-06T14:48:40+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27892","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27892\/similar"}],"images_count":8,"translations":{"en_EN":"TRANSMISSION BEGINS:\nHey all, Old Jegger here with another Far From Home and let me tell you, I am feeling that Old part right now. Haven\u2019t been sleeping well the last couple days and I\u2019m paying the price for it. Got that bone-deep weariness that makes everything ache. Unfortunately, I\u2019m still too wired to sleep just yet. Tried and it wouldn\u2019t stick. Figured I\u2019d settle down sipping on this cup of tea and telling you all about my recent\u2026 well, I was going to say adventure, but I don\u2019t know if I\u2019d even call it that.\n\nDang\u2026 this tea is real good. Like a hug in a mug. My friend, Niko, makes the blend themselves from plants that grow on their mountain out on Cascom in Castra. It\u2019s this cabin perched right below the snowline with some of the prettiest sunsets you\u2019ve ever seen. Might be time to go visit them soon since my tin\u2019s almost empty. Maybe after I finish this run.\n\nRight now, I\u2019m piloting Shana through Banshee, which is a system I don\u2019t exactly feel comfortable in. Probably being here\u2019s what started me spinning out in the first place. Could also be the fact that Vara is just around the corner and it\u2019s hard not to have ghosts on the mind to begin with. Geez, that\u2019s right. I didn\u2019t even say that this was a ghost story yet. If you can\u2019t already tell, my thoughts tend to wander a bit when I\u2019m this tired.\n\nActually, I remember this one time when I was first starting out, the promise of a massive bonus had me burning 56 hours straight trying to get a haul delivered before the deadline. Talk about tired. Tried all the usual tricks of stims and chewing on sujin root. Even tried wearing these electric pants that were supposed to give me a little shock every time I started to drift but I had to take them off when my leg hair caught fire. You should have seen the state I was in by the time I arrived. The absolute exhaustion of the trip was sitting on me so heavy that I wound up scraping the hangar doors on my way in. Instead of crossing the finish line, I crashed into it. Between the repairs to my hull and the station, plus my citation for flying impaired, I wound up owing more credits than the bonus paid. Wish I could say I learned my lesson on that one, but it took a few more years before I finally understood that sacrificing sleep just ain\u2019t worth it, no matter how big the payout.\n\nSpeaking of being slow to learn, here I am rambling again. Halfway through my tea and I haven\u2019t even gotten to the story I wanted to share. Like I said, this is one of those space spookers. The type that folks like to share around a campfire. I\u2019m sure any of you that\u2019ve been on the drift for long enough have your own stories like this one. Where something unexplained happens and you start to unravel. When the hull that normally feels like home begins to feel like a cage you\u2019re trapped in. And those hums and clanks that normally serenade you to sleep all seem to portend certain doom. Think it\u2019s just one of those things that comes from spending a lot of time on your lonesome. Stay in the black too long and things go weird.\n\nSee, it all started a few days ago right after I picked up a quantum-sensitive shipment from a station not too far from Lorona. It was going to be a slow burn, but I was all right with it. Been keeping up with practicing my music, just started reading a new book on the history of terraforming, and I had a whole bunch of questions and messages from you all to sort through. Basically, not only was I all set to keep myself busy for the week it was going to take to cart this stuff to where it was going, I was actually looking forward to the peace and quiet. I had been on that station for longer than I liked while I hunted down an electrical problem. Let\u2019s just say that I had my fill and then some of being around strangers.\n\nFirst two days on the drift were pure bliss, but then on the third day, right after I had finished eating a big bowl of rancher\u2019s stew, I heard it for the first time. A voice. I froze where I was, sure I was imagining things. A moment passed. And then another. When I didn\u2019t hear anything, I put it out of my mind confident it was just a compressor settling in or the like. But then, a few hours later, as I was nestled in my bunk picking out a song I\u2019d been learning on my guitar, I heard the voice again. It sounded far away and small, but I was able to pick out one word clear as glass \u2013 \u201cDie.\u201d\n\nI shot up like a dart and turned all the lights back on. My heart was racing and you could sand the paint off a hull with how sharp the prickles were standing up along my arms. I\u2019m not normally one to spook so easy, but\u2026 well, I ain\u2019t talked about this yet, but I had someone die aboard Shana not too long ago.\n\nIt was about five years past and I was here in Banshee. Met a wayward soul trying to head out of system and it just so happened that I was going to Fora after my next stop. As you might guess, it\u2019s pretty rare for me to want company on board, but something about them told me I should say yes when they asked for the ride. Once we were flying, I learned that they were a bit of a musician. Wasn\u2019t long before they busted out a slackbox and started toying away at it. Not sure if all of you\u2019ve ever heard one before since they\u2019re not the most popular instrument, but if you haven\u2019t they pretty much sound like a fiddle that\u2019s been through tough times. Anyway, they started playing, I started singing, and it wound up being a very nice way to pass the time. That was until they started into \u201cFrom the Fire.\u201d Only made it to the first verse when the tears started rolling.\n\nDidn\u2019t really think too much about it. It\u2019s a sad song to begin with and music has a special way of moving people, you know? After the song finished, they went to use the head to freshen up and well\u2026 I\u2019ll spare you all the details, but some of you may remember that I stopped broadcasting for a bit that year. Now you know why. Almost even considered giving up Shana because I wasn\u2019t comfortable being on board her for a while. Luckily, the long break combined with some much-needed therapy got me back in the skies.\n\nSo, when I started hearing this strange voice not too far from the very coordinates where they passed, you can bet your last credit that I thought it might be their spirit come back. Especially since the song I had been practicing? You guessed it, \u201cFrom the Fire.\u201d I always say that the universe is too big of a place not to be filled with coincidence, but that\u2019s hardly a comfort when a ghost is haunting you. I waited about two more hours, holding my breath almost the whole time, waiting to hear the voice again. Nothing. Decided to try to go to sleep. Not a minute had passed after laying down when I hear it, the voice in barely a whisper saying, \u201c\u2026 About to die.\u201d\n\nIt continued on like this. Every few hours a whisper telling me that my death was drawing ever closer. I was seriously thinking about dumping the cargo and burning straight the hell out of the system, but decided to take my own advice about what to do when things get screwy and I comm\u2019d the closest doc I could find for a remote consult. After hearing my tale, they said that it looked like I might be experiencing early-onset dementia, which only got me more scared than I already was. They recommended that I come in for a full scan as soon as possible. Dumping my full hold and QTing to the closest medcenter was looking more and more like the best course of action. If the doc was right, I could be a serious danger to myself. But I couldn\u2019t shake the feeling that this wasn\u2019t some trick my mind was playing on me. Everything in my being was telling me that the voice was real.\n\nI tried to make a decision about what to do but found myself spiraling. I was too tired and too scared to think straight. But you know what old haulers say to do when you can\u2019t decide? Take a shower. Don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the water, the sound, or being naked, but something about taking a quick rinse just helps you think better. Next time you\u2019re stuck, give it a try. Sure as hell helped out this time. As I was lathering up my hair, I hear the voice again, but this time I noticed something. It was louder. Why the hell would it be louder in the shower? Thinking it through, my only answer was the vent. So I rinse off as quick as can be, put my clothes back on, and wait with my ear as close to that little hatch as possible. When the voice finally came again, this time I could make out it saying \u201cWarning, batteries are about to die. Please charge unit.\u201d\n\nTwo seconds later I was tearing away the panel with my multitool, and after a bit of digging around, I found my ghost \u2013 a T98 handheld diagnostic unit. Seems that I had left the damn thing in the wall back at the station while I was doing my repairs. Didn\u2019t know it had a voice warning for low batteries. Not sure who the hell decided that was a good feature to include, but the thing had very nearly driven me to the brink of madness. Almost smashed it with a hammer just out of spite. But instead of doing that, I tucked it back into its charging bay and brought out my guitar. Sang \u201cFrom the Fire\u201d loud and clear, and felt a lot better when it was done.\n\nIt wasn\u2019t too long after that I started brewing my tea and here we are now. Feel a lot better getting to share all that. Even the hard parts. And even the parts where I come out looking like a fool. Think I might even be able to sleep now. Wish me luck. Until next time, sweet dreams. This is Old Jegger signing off.\n\n\/\/END TRANSMISSION","de_DE":"BEGINNT DIE \u00dcBERTRAGUNG:\nHallo zusammen, hier ist der alte Jegger mit einem weiteren Far From Home und ich kann Ihnen sagen, dass ich mich im Moment wie ein alter Mann f\u00fchle. Ich habe die letzten Tage nicht gut geschlafen und zahle jetzt den Preis daf\u00fcr. Ich bin so ersch\u00f6pft, dass mir alles weh tut. Leider bin ich noch zu aufgedreht, um zu schlafen. Ich habe es versucht, aber es hat nicht geklappt. Ich dachte, ich mache es mir mit dieser Tasse Tee gem\u00fctlich und erz\u00e4hle Ihnen von meinem j\u00fcngsten... nun, ich wollte Abenteuer sagen, aber ich wei\u00df nicht, ob ich es \u00fcberhaupt so nennen w\u00fcrde.\n\nVerdammt... dieser Tee ist wirklich gut. Wie eine Umarmung in einer Tasse. Mein Freund Niko stellt die Mischung selbst aus Pflanzen her, die auf seinem Berg auf Cascom in Castra wachsen. Die H\u00fctte liegt direkt unterhalb der Schneegrenze und bietet einige der sch\u00f6nsten Sonnenunterg\u00e4nge, die Sie je gesehen haben. Vielleicht ist es bald an der Zeit, sie zu besuchen, denn meine Dose ist fast leer. Vielleicht nachdem ich diesen Lauf beendet habe.\n\nIm Moment steuere ich Shana durch Banshee, ein System, in dem ich mich nicht gerade wohl f\u00fchle. Wahrscheinlich hat mich das System \u00fcberhaupt erst ins Trudeln gebracht. Vielleicht liegt es aber auch daran, dass Vara vor der T\u00fcr steht und es schwer ist, nicht gleich an Geister zu denken. Ja, das stimmt. Ich habe noch nicht einmal gesagt, dass dies eine Geistergeschichte ist. Falls Sie es noch nicht bemerkt haben, neigen meine Gedanken dazu, ein wenig abzuschweifen, wenn ich so m\u00fcde bin.\n\nIch erinnere mich, dass ich einmal, als ich ganz am Anfang meiner Karriere stand, wegen der Aussicht auf einen riesigen Bonus 56 Stunden lang versucht habe, eine Lieferung vor dem Abgabetermin fertigzustellen. Das nenne ich m\u00fcde. Ich habe alle \u00fcblichen Tricks ausprobiert, wie Aufputschmittel und das Kauen von Sujinwurzeln. Ich habe sogar versucht, diese elektrische Hose zu tragen, die mir jedes Mal einen kleinen Schock versetzen sollte, wenn ich abzudriften begann, aber ich musste sie ausziehen, als meine Beinhaare Feuer fingen. Sie h\u00e4tten sehen sollen, in welchem Zustand ich war, als ich ankam. Die absolute Ersch\u00f6pfung von der Reise sa\u00df mir so schwer im Nacken, dass ich auf dem Weg in den Hangar an den T\u00fcren schrammte. Anstatt die Ziellinie zu \u00fcberqueren, krachte ich in sie hinein. Zusammen mit den Reparaturen an meinem Rumpf und der Station sowie meiner Verwarnung wegen Flugbehinderung blieb ich mehr Credits schuldig, als die Pr\u00e4mie ausmachte. Ich w\u00fcnschte, ich k\u00f6nnte sagen, dass ich meine Lektion gelernt habe, aber es dauerte noch ein paar Jahre, bis ich endlich begriff, dass es sich nicht lohnt, den Schlaf zu opfern, ganz gleich, wie hoch die Auszahlung ist.\n\nApropos, ich lerne langsam, ich bin schon wieder am Schwafeln. Mein Tee ist zur H\u00e4lfte ausgetrunken und ich bin noch nicht einmal zu der Geschichte gekommen, die ich erz\u00e4hlen wollte. Wie ich schon sagte, ist dies einer dieser Weltraumspukgeschichten. Die Art, die man gerne am Lagerfeuer erz\u00e4hlt. Ich bin mir sicher, dass jeder von Ihnen, der lange genug auf der Drift ist, seine eigenen Geschichten wie diese kennt. Wenn etwas Unerkl\u00e4rliches passiert und Sie anfangen, sich zu entr\u00e4tseln. Wenn der Rumpf, der sich normalerweise wie ein Zuhause anf\u00fchlt, sich wie ein K\u00e4fig anf\u00fchlt, in dem man gefangen ist. Und das Brummen und Klirren, das Sie normalerweise in den Schlaf wiegt, scheint das sichere Ende zu bedeuten. Ich denke, das ist eine der Eigenschaften, die man bekommt, wenn man viel Zeit alleine verbringt. Bleiben Sie zu lange in der Dunkelheit und die Dinge werden unheimlich.\n\nEs begann alles vor ein paar Tagen, nachdem ich eine quantensensitive Lieferung von einer Station nicht weit von Lorona abgeholt hatte. Es sollte ein langsamer Aufstieg werden, aber ich hatte kein Problem damit. Ich habe meine Musik weiter ge\u00fcbt, ein neues Buch \u00fcber die Geschichte des Terraforming gelesen und einen ganzen Haufen Fragen und Nachrichten von Ihnen allen durchgesehen. Im Grunde genommen war ich nicht nur bereit, mich eine Woche lang zu besch\u00e4ftigen, um die Sachen dorthin zu transportieren, wo sie hingeh\u00f6ren, sondern ich freute mich auch auf die Ruhe und den Frieden. Ich war l\u00e4nger auf dieser Station, als mir lieb war, w\u00e4hrend ich einem elektrischen Problem auf den Grund ging. Sagen wir einfach, ich hatte die Nase voll davon, mit Fremden zusammen zu sein, und das nicht zu knapp.\n\nDie ersten beiden Tage auf der Drift waren das reinste Gl\u00fcck, aber dann, am dritten Tag, gleich nachdem ich eine gro\u00dfe Sch\u00fcssel Rancher's Stew gegessen hatte, h\u00f6rte ich es zum ersten Mal. Eine Stimme. Ich erstarrte an Ort und Stelle, weil ich sicher war, dass ich mir alles nur einbildete. Ein Moment verging. Und dann noch einer. Als ich nichts h\u00f6rte, verdr\u00e4ngte ich es und war \u00fcberzeugt, dass es nur ein Kompressor war, der sich einnistete oder \u00e4hnliches. Aber dann, ein paar Stunden sp\u00e4ter, als ich in meiner Koje lag und ein Lied spielte, das ich auf meiner Gitarre gelernt hatte, h\u00f6rte ich die Stimme wieder. Sie klang weit weg und klein, aber ich konnte ein Wort glasklar heraush\u00f6ren - \"Stirb\".\n\nIch schoss hoch wie ein Pfeil und schaltete alle Lichter wieder ein. Mein Herz raste und man k\u00f6nnte den Lack eines Schiffsrumpfes abschleifen, so scharf waren die Stacheln an meinen Armen. Normalerweise erschrecke ich nicht so leicht, aber... nun, ich habe noch nicht dar\u00fcber gesprochen, aber vor nicht allzu langer Zeit ist jemand an Bord der Shana gestorben.\n\nEs ist etwa f\u00fcnf Jahre her und ich war hier in Banshee. Ich traf eine eigensinnige Seele, die versuchte, das System zu verlassen, und es war zuf\u00e4llig so, dass ich nach meinem n\u00e4chsten Halt nach Fora reisen wollte. Wie Sie sich vielleicht denken k\u00f6nnen, ist es ziemlich selten, dass ich Gesellschaft an Bord haben m\u00f6chte, aber irgendetwas an ihnen sagte mir, dass ich ja sagen sollte, als sie mich um die Fahrt baten. Sobald wir in der Luft waren, erfuhr ich, dass sie ein bisschen wie ein Musiker waren. Es dauerte nicht lange, bis sie eine Slackbox herausholten und anfingen, damit herumzuspielen. Ich bin mir nicht sicher, ob Sie alle schon einmal eine geh\u00f6rt haben, da sie nicht das popul\u00e4rste Instrument ist, aber wenn nicht, dann klingt sie wie eine Geige, die harte Zeiten hinter sich hat. Wie dem auch sei, sie fingen an zu spielen, ich fing an zu singen, und es war eine sehr sch\u00f6ne Art, sich die Zeit zu vertreiben. Das war, bis sie mit \"From the Fire\" anfingen. Ich schaffte es nur bis zur ersten Strophe, als die Tr\u00e4nen anfingen zu kullern.\n\nIch habe nicht wirklich viel dar\u00fcber nachgedacht. Es ist ein trauriges Lied, und Musik hat eine besondere Art, Menschen zu bewegen, wissen Sie? Nachdem das Lied zu Ende war, gingen sie auf die Toilette, um sich frisch zu machen und nun ja... Ich erspare Ihnen alle Details, aber einige von Ihnen erinnern sich vielleicht daran, dass ich in diesem Jahr eine Zeit lang nicht mehr auf Sendung war. Jetzt wissen Sie auch warum. Ich hatte sogar fast erwogen, Shana aufzugeben, weil ich mich eine Zeit lang an Bord nicht wohl f\u00fchlte. Gl\u00fccklicherweise hat mich die lange Pause in Kombination mit einer dringend ben\u00f6tigten Therapie wieder in die L\u00fcfte gebracht.\n\nAls ich also nicht weit von den Koordinaten, an denen sie vorbeigeflogen waren, diese seltsame Stimme h\u00f6rte, konnten Sie Gift darauf nehmen, dass ich dachte, es k\u00f6nnte ihr Geist sein, der zur\u00fcckkehrt. Zumal das Lied, das ich ge\u00fcbt hatte? Sie haben es erraten: \"From the Fire\". Ich sage immer, dass das Universum zu gro\u00df ist, um nicht von Zuf\u00e4llen erf\u00fcllt zu sein, aber das ist kein Trost, wenn ein Geist Sie heimsucht. Ich wartete etwa zwei weitere Stunden, hielt fast die ganze Zeit den Atem an und wartete darauf, die Stimme wieder zu h\u00f6ren. Doch nichts. Ich beschloss, zu versuchen, einzuschlafen. Nachdem ich mich hingelegt hatte, war noch keine Minute vergangen, als ich sie h\u00f6rte, die Stimme, die kaum gefl\u00fcstert sagte: \"... im Begriff zu sterben.\"\n\nSo ging es weiter. Alle paar Stunden ein Fl\u00fcstern, das mir sagte, dass mein Tod immer n\u00e4her r\u00fcckte. Ich dachte ernsthaft dar\u00fcber nach, die Ladung abzuladen und direkt aus dem System zu verbrennen, beschloss aber, meinen eigenen Rat zu befolgen, was zu tun ist, wenn die Dinge aus dem Ruder laufen, und kontaktierte den n\u00e4chstgelegenen Arzt, den ich finden konnte, f\u00fcr eine Fernberatung. Nachdem sie sich meine Geschichte angeh\u00f6rt hatten, sagten sie, dass es so aussah, als ob bei mir eine fr\u00fch einsetzende Demenz vorliegen k\u00f6nnte, was mir noch mehr Angst machte, als ich ohnehin schon war. Sie empfahlen mir, so bald wie m\u00f6glich zu einem vollst\u00e4ndigen Scan zu kommen. Es sah immer mehr danach aus, als ob es das Beste w\u00e4re, wenn ich die ganze Sache auf sich beruhen lie\u00dfe und mich in das n\u00e4chstgelegene medizinische Zentrum beg\u00e4be. Wenn der Arzt Recht hatte, k\u00f6nnte ich eine ernsthafte Gefahr f\u00fcr mich selbst sein. Aber ich wurde das Gef\u00fchl nicht los, dass dies kein Trick meines Verstandes war, der mir vorgespielt wurde. Alles in mir sagte mir, dass die Stimme echt war.\n\nIch versuchte, eine Entscheidung zu treffen, was ich tun sollte, aber ich geriet in eine Spirale. Ich war zu m\u00fcde und zu ver\u00e4ngstigt, um klar zu denken. Aber wissen Sie, was man tun soll, wenn man sich nicht entscheiden kann? Nehmen Sie eine Dusche. Ich wei\u00df nicht, ob es das Wasser, das Ger\u00e4usch oder das Nacktsein ist, aber irgendetwas an einer schnellen Sp\u00fclung hilft Ihnen, besser zu denken. Wenn Sie das n\u00e4chste Mal nicht weiterkommen, versuchen Sie es einfach. Diesmal hat es auf jeden Fall geholfen. Als ich mir die Haare einseife, h\u00f6re ich die Stimme wieder, aber diesmal f\u00e4llt mir etwas auf. Sie war lauter. Warum zum Teufel sollte sie in der Dusche lauter sein? Als ich dar\u00fcber nachdenke, kann ich nur sagen, dass es die L\u00fcftung ist. Also sp\u00fcle ich mich so schnell wie m\u00f6glich ab, ziehe mich wieder an und warte mit meinem Ohr so nah wie m\u00f6glich an der kleinen Luke. Als die Stimme endlich wieder ert\u00f6nt, kann ich sie diesmal so verstehen: \"Warnung, die Batterien sind bald leer. Bitte laden Sie das Ger\u00e4t auf.\"\n\nZwei Sekunden sp\u00e4ter riss ich die Verkleidung mit meinem Multitool ab und fand nach einigem Herumw\u00fchlen meinen Geist - ein T98 Handdiagnoseger\u00e4t. Anscheinend hatte ich das verdammte Ding in der Wand in der Station vergessen, w\u00e4hrend ich meine Reparaturen durchf\u00fchrte. Ich wusste nicht, dass es eine Sprachwarnung f\u00fcr schwache Batterien hat. Ich wei\u00df nicht, wer zum Teufel entschieden hat, dass das eine gute Funktion ist, aber das Ding hat mich fast an den Rand des Wahnsinns getrieben. Ich h\u00e4tte es fast mit einem Hammer zerschlagen, einfach aus Bosheit. Aber anstatt das zu tun, verstaute ich es wieder in seiner Ladestation und holte meine Gitarre heraus. Ich sang laut und deutlich \"From the Fire\" und f\u00fchlte mich viel besser, als ich fertig war.\n\nEs dauerte nicht lange, bis ich anfing, meinen Tee aufzubr\u00fchen, und hier sind wir nun. Ich f\u00fchle mich viel besser, wenn ich das alles mit Ihnen teilen kann. Sogar die schwierigen Teile. Und sogar die Stellen, an denen ich wie ein Narr dastehe. Ich glaube, ich kann jetzt sogar schlafen. W\u00fcnschen Sie mir Gl\u00fcck. Bis zum n\u00e4chsten Mal, s\u00fc\u00dfe Tr\u00e4ume. Hier meldet sich der alte Jegger ab.\n\n\/\/ENDE \u00dcBERTRAGUNG","zh_CN":"TRANSMISSION BEGINS:\nHey all, Old Jegger here with another Far From Home and let me tell you, I am feeling that Old part right now. Haven\u2019t been sleeping well the last couple days and I\u2019m paying the price for it. Got that bone-deep weariness that makes everything ache. Unfortunately, I\u2019m still too wired to sleep just yet. Tried and it wouldn\u2019t stick. Figured I\u2019d settle down sipping on this cup of tea and telling you all about my recent\u2026 well, I was going to say adventure, but I don\u2019t know if I\u2019d even call it that.\n\nDang\u2026 this tea is real good. Like a hug in a mug. My friend, Niko, makes the blend themselves from plants that grow on their mountain out on Cascom in Castra. It\u2019s this cabin perched right below the snowline with some of the prettiest sunsets you\u2019ve ever seen. Might be time to go visit them soon since my tin\u2019s almost empty. Maybe after I finish this run.\n\nRight now, I\u2019m piloting Shana through Banshee, which is a system I don\u2019t exactly feel comfortable in. Probably being here\u2019s what started me spinning out in the first place. Could also be the fact that Vara is just around the corner and it\u2019s hard not to have ghosts on the mind to begin with. Geez, that\u2019s right. I didn\u2019t even say that this was a ghost story yet. If you can\u2019t already tell, my thoughts tend to wander a bit when I\u2019m this tired.\n\nActually, I remember this one time when I was first starting out, the promise of a massive bonus had me burning 56 hours straight trying to get a haul delivered before the deadline. Talk about tired. Tried all the usual tricks of stims and chewing on sujin root. Even tried wearing these electric pants that were supposed to give me a little shock every time I started to drift but I had to take them off when my leg hair caught fire. You should have seen the state I was in by the time I arrived. The absolute exhaustion of the trip was sitting on me so heavy that I wound up scraping the hangar doors on my way in. Instead of crossing the finish line, I crashed into it. Between the repairs to my hull and the station, plus my citation for flying impaired, I wound up owing more credits than the bonus paid. Wish I could say I learned my lesson on that one, but it took a few more years before I finally understood that sacrificing sleep just ain\u2019t worth it, no matter how big the payout.\n\nSpeaking of being slow to learn, here I am rambling again. Halfway through my tea and I haven\u2019t even gotten to the story I wanted to share. Like I said, this is one of those space spookers. The type that folks like to share around a campfire. I\u2019m sure any of you that\u2019ve been on the drift for long enough have your own stories like this one. Where something unexplained happens and you start to unravel. When the hull that normally feels like home begins to feel like a cage you\u2019re trapped in. And those hums and clanks that normally serenade you to sleep all seem to portend certain doom. Think it\u2019s just one of those things that comes from spending a lot of time on your lonesome. Stay in the black too long and things go weird.\n\nSee, it all started a few days ago right after I picked up a quantum-sensitive shipment from a station not too far from Lorona. It was going to be a slow burn, but I was all right with it. Been keeping up with practicing my music, just started reading a new book on the history of terraforming, and I had a whole bunch of questions and messages from you all to sort through. Basically, not only was I all set to keep myself busy for the week it was going to take to cart this stuff to where it was going, I was actually looking forward to the peace and quiet. I had been on that station for longer than I liked while I hunted down an electrical problem. Let\u2019s just say that I had my fill and then some of being around strangers.\n\nFirst two days on the drift were pure bliss, but then on the third day, right after I had finished eating a big bowl of rancher\u2019s stew, I heard it for the first time. A voice. I froze where I was, sure I was imagining things. A moment passed. And then another. When I didn\u2019t hear anything, I put it out of my mind confident it was just a compressor settling in or the like. But then, a few hours later, as I was nestled in my bunk picking out a song I\u2019d been learning on my guitar, I heard the voice again. It sounded far away and small, but I was able to pick out one word clear as glass \u2013 \u201cDie.\u201d\n\nI shot up like a dart and turned all the lights back on. My heart was racing and you could sand the paint off a hull with how sharp the prickles were standing up along my arms. I\u2019m not normally one to spook so easy, but\u2026 well, I ain\u2019t talked about this yet, but I had someone die aboard Shana not too long ago.\n\nIt was about five years past and I was here in Banshee. Met a wayward soul trying to head out of system and it just so happened that I was going to Fora after my next stop. As you might guess, it\u2019s pretty rare for me to want company on board, but something about them told me I should say yes when they asked for the ride. Once we were flying, I learned that they were a bit of a musician. Wasn\u2019t long before they busted out a slackbox and started toying away at it. Not sure if all of you\u2019ve ever heard one before since they\u2019re not the most popular instrument, but if you haven\u2019t they pretty much sound like a fiddle that\u2019s been through tough times. Anyway, they started playing, I started singing, and it wound up being a very nice way to pass the time. That was until they started into \u201cFrom the Fire.\u201d Only made it to the first verse when the tears started rolling.\n\nDidn\u2019t really think too much about it. It\u2019s a sad song to begin with and music has a special way of moving people, you know? After the song finished, they went to use the head to freshen up and well\u2026 I\u2019ll spare you all the details, but some of you may remember that I stopped broadcasting for a bit that year. Now you know why. Almost even considered giving up Shana because I wasn\u2019t comfortable being on board her for a while. Luckily, the long break combined with some much-needed therapy got me back in the skies.\n\nSo, when I started hearing this strange voice not too far from the very coordinates where they passed, you can bet your last credit that I thought it might be their spirit come back. Especially since the song I had been practicing? You guessed it, \u201cFrom the Fire.\u201d I always say that the universe is too big of a place not to be filled with coincidence, but that\u2019s hardly a comfort when a ghost is haunting you. I waited about two more hours, holding my breath almost the whole time, waiting to hear the voice again. Nothing. Decided to try to go to sleep. Not a minute had passed after laying down when I hear it, the voice in barely a whisper saying, \u201c\u2026 About to die.\u201d\n\nIt continued on like this. Every few hours a whisper telling me that my death was drawing ever closer. I was seriously thinking about dumping the cargo and burning straight the hell out of the system, but decided to take my own advice about what to do when things get screwy and I comm\u2019d the closest doc I could find for a remote consult. After hearing my tale, they said that it looked like I might be experiencing early-onset dementia, which only got me more scared than I already was. They recommended that I come in for a full scan as soon as possible. Dumping my full hold and QTing to the closest medcenter was looking more and more like the best course of action. If the doc was right, I could be a serious danger to myself. But I couldn\u2019t shake the feeling that this wasn\u2019t some trick my mind was playing on me. Everything in my being was telling me that the voice was real.\n\nI tried to make a decision about what to do but found myself spiraling. I was too tired and too scared to think straight. But you know what old haulers say to do when you can\u2019t decide? Take a shower. Don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the water, the sound, or being naked, but something about taking a quick rinse just helps you think better. Next time you\u2019re stuck, give it a try. Sure as hell helped out this time. As I was lathering up my hair, I hear the voice again, but this time I noticed something. It was louder. Why the hell would it be louder in the shower? Thinking it through, my only answer was the vent. So I rinse off as quick as can be, put my clothes back on, and wait with my ear as close to that little hatch as possible. When the voice finally came again, this time I could make out it saying \u201cWarning, batteries are about to die. Please charge unit.\u201d\n\nTwo seconds later I was tearing away the panel with my multitool, and after a bit of digging around, I found my ghost \u2013 a T98 handheld diagnostic unit. Seems that I had left the damn thing in the wall back at the station while I was doing my repairs. Didn\u2019t know it had a voice warning for low batteries. Not sure who the hell decided that was a good feature to include, but the thing had very nearly driven me to the brink of madness. Almost smashed it with a hammer just out of spite. But instead of doing that, I tucked it back into its charging bay and brought out my guitar. Sang \u201cFrom the Fire\u201d loud and clear, and felt a lot better when it was done.\n\nIt wasn\u2019t too long after that I started brewing my tea and here we are now. Feel a lot better getting to share all that. Even the hard parts. And even the parts where I come out looking like a fool. Think I might even be able to sleep now. Wish me luck. Until next time, sweet dreams. This is Old Jegger signing off.\n\n\/\/END TRANSMISSION"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":31,"created_at":"2022-10-18T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"3 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-07 19:18:55","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":18948,"next_id":18952}}