RECV EDC: 10DEC2018
COMM MODE: QEC OP SREF
CODED ABST: D/M/C
CRC: 3998495586 2208
============================================================
Wells isn't going to like what I've done with his rig. The
propulsion systems had to go; that bit he'll understand. The
main cargo hold was dropped too, and that's going to really
fry his dzungalis. Still, the ship doesn't look half bad
with the solar sails deployed, though it's not quite as
menacing as it was when we were piloting it together once
upon a time.
I've renamed the beast too. It's the Xero Carbon Wells now,
named after him, more or less. He won't get it right away,
and he won't laugh when he does. But it's poetic in a way, I
suppose.
The mods were requisite. There's no way I could parade
around the segment in Wells' old setup without bringing down
a firestorm of Corporation bots. Plus, they money I got
selling parts helped me pay off the heavy costs that the
scrubbers wanted to extract from me for cleansing his
bio-signature. It had to be done. We can spruce the ship up
again sometime, make it into whatever we need it to be.
Hopefully Wells has the credits stashed away somewhere.
This transmission is being reflected off the QEC[1]. They're
generously taking the huge risk of offending every corrupt
corporation-goverment in the tri-system by providing open
communication channels to folks like me. Wells doesn't know
about the QEC, otherwise he'd be using them too. Maybe he
doesn't trust them, I don't know. He's using the old terrian
DSN reflectors[2], which are unwittingly open to all
transmission without source tagging. It's his style to use
the old channels, and it makes him easy enough to hear from
if you know where to point your dish.
My hope is that he'll at least be monitoring the QEC,
otherwise I don't know if he'll realize I'm attempting to
trace him. When he doesn't want to be traced, he isn't, so
my only chance is that he'll find me.
I'll keep transmitting here, Wells. Find a way to signal me,
or just mysteriously show up on your old ship like you used
to do. I've got something critical to share with you.
[1] gopher://cosmic.voyage:70/1
[2] gopher://167.88.113.62:70/1/~wells
gemini://cosmic.voyage/Xero Carbon Wells/log1.txt