Transport vessel BAK'RA III, en route to deep space rendezvous with #JupitersGhost, ship's log, temporary crew member T'sa:

(the recording snaps on with brief electronic feedback, and a voice like a heavy object dragging slowly through gravel begins to slowly dictate)

ALTHOUGH THIS RANDROSS HAS BEEN ASSURED THAT NO FORMAL DUTIES SHALL BE ASSIGNED, THE UTTERLY OVERWHELMING HOSPITALITY SHOWERED UPON ME FEELS LIKE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR RECIPROCITY.

(movement can be heard, the creaking of a chair as the occupant rises, and the voice volume rises and falls as the speaker paces to and fro)

THIS MANY-LEGGED VOYAGE HAS GIVEN FEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR MY WORK TO FLOURISH, FOR THE REGULATIONS STATE THAT A PASSENGER IS EXPECTED TO STAY QUIET AND OUT OF THE WAY OF CREW ABOARD HUMAN STAR VESSELS.

(the speaker's tone drops with this last statement, and a small pause carries a sense of disappointment in the silence)

HOWEVER, ON THIS FINAL LEG OF MY JOURNEY, I HAVE FOUND KINDRED AMONG THE STAR-FARERS, AND THEY EXPRESSED JOY AT THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE ONE OF THE MARKED WANDERERS INTO THEIR RANKS FOR THE BRIEF DURATION REMAINING BEFORE I EMBARK UPON JUPITER'S GHOST.

AND I, IN TURN, AM DELIGHTED TO EXERCISE MY CRAFT.

(a slight pause accompanied by clicks and reverberations of clasps unfastening, then the slight hum of an electric motor rises in the background before bell-like notes begin, and the voice of the speaker harmonizes roughly with the sounds)

(sound sample, for reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9t1jc6pIuc )

I CALL TODAY
THE HARMONIES
OF LIGHT AND OF SHADOW
AND ALL THAT IS BEYOND.

(each phrase is accompanied by a paired chord of the notes)

FOR THESE KIN-FOLK
THOUGH BEYOND MY CLAN'S FOLD
HAVE SHOWN ME HONOR.

(the notes grow more complex, wavering in and out of hearing, as the speaker continues)

FOR I SEEK TO FACE
IN THE COMING DAYS
A CHALLENGE OF SUCH HEIGHT
NONE YET LIVING HAS ACHIEVED

(the notes grow staccato, almost frantic, pattering and pinging from the recording)

FOR WORD HAS COME
ACROSS THE VOID
THAT UPON THE VESSEL
OF JUPITER'S GHOST
AN ANCIENT ADVERSARY
HAS BEEN SIGHTED ANEW

(a massive crescendo of sound, matching the roar of the speaker, erupts)

MOUSE
OH MOUSE
THE MOUSE
SHALL I SEEK
THE MOUSE
SHALL I FACE
HO, MOUSE
MOUSE

(again the staccato notes patter from the recording)

NONE YET LIVING
HAS FACED THIS FOE
AND YET I GO
TO SEEK AND MEET
AND TEST MY METTLE
WITH MOUSE
THE MOUSE
MOUSE

(the notes spin in a final flourish, then wind to a close, and after a moment the electric hum fades, followed by the speaker's voice again)

THIS BALLAD I LEAVE AS WITNESS AND GIFT, THAT MY CLAN MAY KNOW OF MY RESOLVE, AND MY KIN-FOLK BE BLESSED BY THE HARMONIES OF LIGHT AND SHADOW.

I AM T'SA,
AND THIS I HAVE WOVEN.

(the recording ends with a crackle of electronic noise)

#randross

cc @ajroach42