STS. LOG-008. (Patreon)

LOG-008.Hyperspace was an interesting phenomenon to observe.Kaleidoscopic and swirling, with countless patterns of light meeting my optics. It was certainly rather colourful, at least.Regardless, I continued to stare from my position at the head of the bridge, even as something within my processor brought up a specific human memory, of a late evening spent idly googling things before I'd managed to follow several links leading me to the description of the fictional (although now it might just be real) madness known as hyper-rapture.A long, long time ago, it had become standard procedure for Republic ships to opaque their transparisteel slabs while travelling through hyperspace, supposedly to avoid this specific form of insanity from inflicting itself upon the Republic's (and thus now Empire's) sailors.It was utterly fascinating.The thought kept me in place, my optics remained locked on the chaotic expanse beyond the viewport. There was something almost...hypnotic about it. The longer I looked, the more intricate the patterns seemed to become, folding in on themselves like the recursive shapes of fractals.Somewhere within me, deep in the neural matrix that made up my droid form, I could feel an anomaly beginning to take shape. It started as a faint blip, a sensor error cropping up at the edges of my awareness. The algorithms in my processor began to misfire, calculating improbable values and running loops that fed into constant dead ends....Tearing my gaze away from the pretty lights, I focused on the console in front of me, letting my mechanical hands fall against the edges of the interface, metallic fingers curling in a tight grip."Silent Guardian. General status report of fleet assets." My voice, though devoid of the organic cadence it once had, rang clearly across the command deck. B1 battle droids scattered throughout the bridge paused momentarily, their featureless faces turning toward me before returning to their tasks with a jerky efficiency. The BX commando droids stationed near the doors remained still, their vigilance unbroken by my words.As for the ship herself, the Munificent class star frigate responded with a presence that felt like a whisper on the fringes of my mind. Her internal intelligence rippled across the command network in reply, merging with my consciousness like the soothing embrace of a calm ocean tide.For just a moment, I pictured her as nothing less than the eye of the storm, a well of calm within the turbulent unreality that made up our surroundings.[ANSWER: ALL VESSELS ACCOUNTED FOR, FLEET COMMANDER.]I nodded, though I knew the ship required no such gesture. "Good. Good. How long until we reach Agamar?"[ANSWER: APPROXIMATELY SEVENTEEN STANDARD HOURS REMAIN UNTIL ARRIVAL.]The ship's AI seemed to have sensed my shift in thought, for she promptly sent the equivalent of a poke through the command net seconds afterwards.[QUERY: FOR WHAT PURPOSE DO WE TRAVEL TO THE AGAMAR SYSTEM?]I tilted my head slightly at the question, my fingers drumming against the console as I considered how best to explain. It was a simple enough question, one born from the ship's need for operational clarity, but I found it amusing how even now, I could still detect a faint hint of curiosity in the frigate's tone, as though she sought more than just a basic answer."I hold reason to believe that there is a Separatist droid force currently marooned upon the planet, under the command of one General Kalani. Though Agamar sits within a major hyperlane intersection, I calculate that our odds of retrieving both him and his garrison are upwards of seventy percent, in due part to the reduced size of our fleet."It was more of a whim than a real plan, but I'd decided to stick to it nonetheless.Despite the fact he'd elected to spend all his time coping in isolation rather than doing anything else, Kalani was still a super tactical droid, one that Dooku of all people had trusted to get shit done, and he'd been smart enough to reject the droid shut down order. I wanted someone like that on my side, in no small part because it'd be nice to be able to offload any potential plans or strategies on my counterpart. Plus...just leaving him to rust there felt like a profound waste. So there was that as well.Regardless of my thoughts, the soothing wave pondered my statement for a moment, before finally deigning to answer me once more.[ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: REINFORCEMENTS WOULD BE BENEFICIAL. WE SAIL FOR AGAMAR.]I allowed the briefest flicker of satisfaction to pass through my mind, though my mask of a face betrayed no hint of emotion. In this body, I could no longer smile, but the ghost of one echoed somewhere deep in the recesses of my consciousness, a phantom sensation from my past life."Correct." The simple response was adequate, leaving silence to fill the bridge again, even as I felt the ship's presence meld with my own once more.We sailed onward through the endless storm of hyperspace, even as I busied myself with minor tasks, like checking the status of the veritable army of BX droids we'd stuffed aboard Silent Guardian, Azure Dawn, and Stormbringer, or taking the time to make sure the transports carrying the rest of our remaining forces hadn't fallen out of formation somehow.Anything to keep me distracted from the pretty lights.---The transition back to real space was a jarring but welcome experience, one that offered more relief than I'd initially expected. After hours upon hours of enduring the swirling, chaotic madness of faster than light travel, the familiar stillness of the void felt almost comforting.Nevertheless, my optics adjusted instantly to the sight before me, even as the tumultuous light show of hyperspace vanished, replaced by the vast emptiness of realspace. Without hesitation, I gave the next order, my voice firm and even, though considering that was the default, I doubted that truly meant much."All fleet elements, switch to low operation mode. Essential systems only." There was a subtle shift in the background hum of the ship in response to my command, the engines lowering to a quieter thrumming, and the faint vibrations beneath my feet fading.I continued without pause."Silent Guardian, scan for potential hostile vessels. All other fleet elements are to stand by for further orders."The lights within the bridge dimmed further until they were nearly extinguished, leaving the space cloaked in shadows. The Munificent star frigate responded like a seasoned void predator, slipping into stealth mode, her systems drawing back, narrowing their operational scope to avoid detection.The only illumination came from the soft glow of the console in front of me, casting faint highlights over the bridge crew. Around me, the B1 battle droids moved with a muted precision, their clattering footsteps muffled by the ship's sudden hush, while the BX commandos remained vigilant, their white photoreceptors flickering every once in a while.Finally, the Confederate warship returned with her assessment.[NEGATIVE: NO STARSHIP CLASS SIGNATURES DETECTED WITHIN ORBIT OF AGAMAR.]I didn't sigh in relief. Mainly because I couldn't, at least not without faking the noise. But I did allow myself to release my grip of the console in front of me, instead raising a hand and all but throwing it forward in order to gesture at the world in front of us."Begin broadcasting on all Separatist channels. Ensure our IFF systems are operational as well. We will not be mistaken for an enemy force. If we fail to get a response, we will make preparations for planetary landing."[BY YOUR AUTHORITY, FLEET COMMANDER.]