The Ghosts of Conflux Delta.

Imperial Cutter "Temeraire"

Pru Aescs NC-M d7-192 A 3 A (Conflux Delta Site)

9,167 light years from Sol

I arrived at the Conflux Delta site a little while after everyone had departed for the next waypoint, so it was very quiet and… well… sinister. The abandoned outpost spends long periods of time in the darkness thanks to the location – hemmed in on all sides by the valley walls and mountain peaks.

On arrival I ventured out in the SRV and found the outpost logs. I won’t go into detail here, but whilst the story they tell is not the most frightening one i’ve heard, it worked on my mind for some time after the hearing. It seems that the expedition fell victim to a local neutron star – FTL drives back then weren’t as reliable as today’s drives, and the gravity well of the star claimed them. Some survivors must have made it here though.

The site was one of four abandoned outposts, staging posts for the “Dynasty Expedition”. Not much is known about these expeditions except that there were several – they were found in the Formidine Rift, the Scutum-Sagittarii Conflux, and Hawking’s Gap (Lin-Shu Hollow).

Little is known about what happened to the souls on those expeditions and why they were out here. Stories circulate though, wild stories about things encountered out here, dark things… In these enlightened times few speak of these stories, but the universe is vast and who knows what lurks in the black.

I spent an uneasy night here.The ship was fine – i’ve long since got used to her creaks and occasional strange noises – but there was something more, almost like a presence hanging over the site which kept me from a proper night’s sleep. I tossed and turned in my bunk, dreaming strange dreams and waking with no memory of them except for a clammy, distant feeling of dread.

I don’t really believe in ghosts. I do believe that in certain circumstances a… ‘record’ of sorts is left imprinted on a place or an object. A strange thing for a 32nd century human to believe, but in a place like this… well, it’s easy to believe nearly anything. I could almost feel those poor souls reaching out to me…

I won’t be staying another night. Time to put some distance between myself and this place.