ximilia | text; un: alenko

If anyone is investigating the mines, be careful around the ore they take out of there. My co-workers at the Trading Post have warned me that it's very dangerous. I tried to confirm this by scanning some with my omni-tool but it doesn't even register that there's something physically there when I try. And my tool does work-- I tested it on a chair just to make sure and the readings were normal.

But back on the subject. They tell me that the ore is made into something they call "pulsefire". All three of my co-workers agree it's nothing good. One of them said that if you use it as flint, it'll create a pulsefire storm "as big as a whole town" and then said it killed her grandmother. Another told me that it's "pure evil" and "only kills living things in its path".

Has anyone else come across this "pulsefire" in their investigation? I would suggest trying to sprinkle it into your conversations with the locals and gauge their reaction. The comment on a storm "as big as a whole town" really set off alarm bells, considering everything else we've discovered so far.

There's also something else that's been troubling me. Whatever is happening is affecting our technology and even our perception. Words blur and start to look like gibberish if we focus on it for too long. My omni-tool didn't register the ore as a physical object and when I tried later, it just turned off. And of course we have the locals who repeat themselves or just look blank if we ask them certain questions. It feels... too familiar to things I've seen back home. I don't like it. I really, really don't like it.

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With Gwen we talked about the idea that there might have been a fire in town and that's why there are so many snakes that feed on ashes around the land. And that perhaps the owner of the orb used it to replicate the town.

If that ore really does what you say... [ Well, he's sure Kaidan can draw his own conclusion about what might have happened to the original citizens. ]

If we try to read all documents, the words also blurr together, it's impossible to understand them. And trying to get one of the locals to read them also doesn't work.

What do you mean with too familiar? What happened back in your home?

Edited 2022-01-14 08:43 (UTC)

We can't really know for sure. We've discovered that the townspeople are a little unreliable when it comes to information. Still, since all three of my co-workers had a negative reaction to discussing pulsefire, I think it's worth continuing to investigate.

Back home, there are ancient creatures who can control the minds and bodies of other organics. We call it being indoctrinated. Our crew was tracking down one such creature and we came upon a mining colony under its influence. The people there started repeating themselves if we asked them certain questions. We managed to free them from the influence and we discovered they'd been like that for ten years with no knowledge that any time had passed.

Not yet no, but it's a clue. If pulsefire is so dangerous, maybe they should stop mining ore altogether. I doubt that would be an option, though, or that they would listen to us if we suggested it.

Ah, shit. Brain parasites of a sort? Ten years is a long time, those poor people must have felt so lost afterward.

Sounds a bit like the movie Alien, ever watched it? It's great but a bit gory, the aliens always end up killing their host when they start growing inside the bodies and 'hatch'.

I brought up that concern, but they kept telling me that the ore itself was fine. They actually use it in the structure of this town.

Ah, no, it wasn't a parasite. It was more like mind-control. We tried to help them as best we could, took them to the Citadel so they could try reconnecting with any surviving family.

[He absorbs that in silence] It's probably for the best that movie stopped being popular before first contact.

I see. Do you know if they only mine the ore here of it it's used all over the planet? Because that would mean that pulsefire could be available anywhere if one knew how to make it.

The end result sounds just as bad, I feel sorry for these people. I know what's like to be trapped in your own mind like that.

[ Ego did something similar to him. It wasn't pleasant. peter can't help but smile a little at that last bit. ]

Heh...yeah, it is.

I'm not sure. The ore is one of our chief exports to other towns, so it's possible it's not readily available other places. I hope not, anyway.

[He takes that statement with grim silence] If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here to listen.

A small mercy, if that's the case.

[ Peter is about to say that he's fine, but years after the fact he's still upset about everything involving Ego. ]

I...might take you on that offer one day. Just not on the public comm. Thanks, Kaidan.

Anytime, Peter.

[He knows the value of airing out your baggage to a willing ear]

[ Kaidan can't see it but Peter is smiling a little. ]

I'll see you around. Take care, my friend.

text; un: alenko

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