• PERSONAL LOG ENTRY FOR Milo Ennis
    earthtime:4.24.3015 15:35:27 GMT

    Day - 3

    After managing to get everything in order, I can finally sit down and fill out the optional personal log. I've run out of any truley valuable activity for now as the monitors show little change in the plantlife I've brought with me.

    The past three days have been hard work. Externally, the launch was perfect and nobody but myself knows the full extent of the mess it made. I suppose it's my fault for not securing everything correctly before heading off from Luna Base. Bah. No permanent damage.

    The plants themselves had to be prepared to handle the artificial gravity, though the hydroponics lab would do just fine in 0-G. All a part of the process. They unsurprisingly managed to live through it.

    Enough about those buggers. They get plenty of attention as it is and this personal log is about maintaining my sanity. Not so important when you've decided to take on a deep space mission on your own, but you've got to keep something.

    I'll get to the reasons I decided to become a space hermit in a few days... maybe. I don't feel like bringing it up for myself now.

    Maybe I never will.


    A lone craft silently drifted through the pinhole lit darkness of space. Behind it was a small blue dot around which an even smaller greyish dot revolved. Ahead of it hung another dot waiting for the single occupant of the craft to make a stop before heading out again.


    PERSONAL LOG ENTRY FOR Milo Ennis
    earthtime:4.25.3015 15:30:46 GMT

    Been about 24 hours since my last entry. In between tending the plants and logging even the most miniscule of changes, I've had a lot of time to think. Or rather... a lot of time to talk to myself. It's not such a bad thing when nobody's there to complain or call you crazy.

    Onto the subject of my being out here. I decided, in all my finate wisdom, that I was the proper candidate for possibly the most boring job in the known universe. Maybe not most boring, but fairly close. I'll at least admit to it being better than my previous job. Far less stress.

    There was little competition for the task of literally watching the grass grow in space. I was picked because I simply "needed it". An absolute truth.

    I had nothing else, really. Bren, the ex, took most everything. He was such an evil b*****d; that lawyer of hers. Impressive, though. Told me I could use him if I ever get back. I suppose he felt sorry for me. I hadn't put up much of a fight.

    She got the house. This ship is my home now. It's not bad. Like living in a portable flat. A small one. Entirely mine.

    All I have to do is watch the plants and run tests from time to time. They seem as content as I am with being out here.

    PERSONAL LOG ENTRY FOR Milo Ennis
    earthtime:4.25.3015 18:12:05 GMT

    Just had an interesting encounter.

    From the scans, I couldn't tell exactly what planet the ship had come, but there it was. Perhaps my ship's simply not up to date. It's not intended for more than scientific study of what it carries.

    I talked with the pilot of the ship. I suppose not talking to anyone for four days will have you telling anyone just about anything. She seemed a bit upset about my turning her down for boarding my ship. I couldn't have possibly let her on that way.


    "I couldn't help but notice this slow ship of yours," came a voice through the communication system. A shadowed face appeared on one of the screens before Milo.

    He looked at it and gave a bit of a smile. "Slow and steady."

    "Yes, well, I... oh, right... ancient Earth fable. But who are you racing?"

    Milo laughed. "Nobody in particular, really. Just taking my time to get anywhere. No plans, you see."

    "You're headed in the direction of Station Erdon, though."

    "Yes. I'll be there in a day or so. I'll have to make a stop before heading off into deep space. But, I'm in absolutely no rush."

    "Ah. Nobody with you, then? You, ah, mind if I come aboard?"

    "By myself. I'm perfectly content with it. And no, you can't some aboard." He leaned back in his seat, relaxing into it.

    "Aww... you sure? I can make it worth your while if you let me on."

    "Sorry. I can't. You'll have to find another ship."

    The face on the screen dropped. No longer any smile and the voice seemed to be getting exasperated. "You're missing out if you don't let me on."

    Milo shrugged and shook his head, "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I can't do that."


    She said she'd meet me at Erdon. I doubt it. She'll find somebody else to pester long before I arrive. Which is all the better. After Bren, I don't think I can deal with women. Especially the strange shadowy kind who demand to board my ship.

    PERSONAL LOG ENTRY FOR Milo Ennis
    earthtime:4.28.3015 09:45:03 GMT

    I'd love to say nothing has happened for the past few days, but I'd be lying. One of the vines broke out and attacked me. I had forgotten that some of the plants are "living" plants. Meaning they are quite active little buggers. This particular vine has terribly sharp thorns and it gashed my left arm up pretty bad. I had to kill the poor thing. I'm just glad it didn't poison me... for too long.

    I'll have to settle for the bandages untill I can get to Erdon, which should be in a few hours upon the schedule. I'd speed it up, but I have to document everything involving those plants. Especially if they cause me personal grievences.

    As for being poisoned... I saw colours and lost track of time a few minutes after bandaging my arm. When I awoke from apparently losing consciousness, four hours had passed. The vine was young. An older one would have likely caused permanent damage.

    I'll be spending a few days at Erdon, likely. It won't be so crowded since it's off season for tourists, but a little fun after a week with these plants might do me some good.


    A boxy spacecraft, far more suited to the vacuume of deep space than anywhere near the atmosphere of a planet, made its way toward Station Erdon. The station had long been known as a popular tourist destination. Beings from all corners of the galaxy would head to the largly Earth run amusements that made up most of the massive structure.

    The craft slowly glided past a few other, more sleek crafts as it headed into the docking bay. It finally came to rest next to one of the many hubs, floating weightlessly in the low gravity environment. A young, red-headed man exited the dull, metallic spaceship and entered the massive docking bay.

    A soft hand met his shoulder followed by a familiar female voice, "I was begining to think you wouldn't show."

    Milo turned and raised an eyebrow at the white skinned creature. To an extent she seemed human but he already knew otherwise. "And I didn't think you would wait. Not that it matters to me what you do." He began to push off when the alien woman grabbed a hold of his bandaged arm. He winced at her grip and turned his head to her, tugging his arm out of her hand. "Do you mind? I-"

    "Wait. Oh, I'm sorry," she said with a bit of a smirk, "I made it bleed. You mind if I take a look at it?"

    He held his arm, leaning away from the strange woman, "No! Uh... no no...sorry. I'll get it taken care of at the medical center. It's not so bad that it needs immediate attention. Besides, my supplies are a bit crude."

    "Oh, I just want to look at it." She reached for Milo's arm, "what happened, anyway."

    Milo laughed nervously, "Heh. Just... just one of the plants. Some are a bit more active than the others." He casually let her take hold of his arm and slowly pull off the bandage while getting a bit of a better look at her.

    Her eyes focoused on his arm, she smirked, "See anything you like?"

    "Ah," he stammered with a little redness in his face, "I don't mean to..."

    "It's alright," she said, inching closer toward the lone space traveler, "it's all worth looking at." With a slight tug, the scabby bandage was off and slowly drifting toward the floor of the catwalk they stood on. She then pulled his bleeding arm closer and kissed the newley opened wound. She looked up at him, licking the red from her lips, "A tradition, right? To kiss an injury and make it better?"

    Milo stared, "Yes. But it hardly..." She pulled on his arm, leading him back toward his own ship. It was then he began to notice how sharp her nails, or rather, claws were. He winced. "Stop it. You're not helping." With a bit of strength, he ripped his arm out of her hand and razor-like claws. Some blood danced in the air before slowly falling to the ground. "Gah! s**t. s**t," he cursed.

    A sudden craving seemed to come over her as she quickly grabbed his arm again and licked the blood off the new wounds. "Mmm... come on, Milo, I can take care of this for you."

    "How... how do you know my name?!" He stepped forward almost mindlessly toward his ship's door.

    "You told me," she uttered, pulling him toward her and sensually licking the blood.

    "No, I didn't. Will you stop that?!"

    "Would you rather I bite?"

    "What? No. Ow!" He felt a ring of needles puncture the flesh of his arm. Quite a bit of a suprise in this woman's mouth. Using his free hand, he pushed her away with a palm against her forehead.

    She hissed and, with suprising strength, threw him against his own door. He could feel the metallic clang vibrate through his body as he slid down. "Enough play," she sneered, "open the door."

    He groaned, "no. Piss off."

    "You don't want to make this any harder than it already is, Milo." She kicked him. "Open the damned door."

    "******** you. Open it yourself."

    She looked down at the man, narrowing her eyes. She stood there for a few moments before crouching down to his level and speaking softly, "I know what you're thinking, but it's you I want, not your stupid plants." She grabbed a hold of his neck and slowly pulled him up to where they were both standing, his back against the door. "You're going to have to open the door."

    Milo gritted his teeth. "No." Before any more words could leave his lips, the back of his head banged against the metal.

    "That's not the answer I want to hear, Milo. Open the door or I'll have to make a few more dents in it."

    His head was pounding. Milo quickly threw his hand on the square palm pad, and the two fell inside with the sudden slide of a door.

    He struggled with the alien woman to get to his feet, taking a few steps back while breathing hard. She stood between him and the closed door with a malicious grin on her face. "Get out," he said.

    "Oh, no...," she said, stepping forward in the earthgravity environ. "you've already let me in, Milo, I can't leave now."

    Milo strained under the greater weight; the slow beating in his head growing to a more painful throb. He brought his right hand to the pain while trying to keep an eye on whatever this woman was. He took a few more steps back but she lunged for him, knocking him to the floor yet again. She sunk her needle teeth into his neck this time and he felt the rush of blood passing through his jugular.


    PERSONAL LOG ENTRY FOR Milo Ennis
    earthtime:5.06.3015 12:56:03 GMT

    Had a run in with that strange woman at Erdon. She turned out to be some sort of leech, or, dare I say it, vampire. To my suprise, she knew my name. I never bothered to ask for hers, what with her trying to kill me.

    She bit into me with those horrible teeth and nearly drained me dry. Tuns out the poison still lingering in my system was enough to cause her to back off and send me to the station's medical center for a few nights. It's only just now that I've been given a chance to get back to the ship. Seems that in her frustration she trashed the hydroponics lab. I don't know if I'll be able to save any of the plants, but I know for certian the study is over.

    As for me... perhaps deep space isn't the best choice. I'd hate to be out there to die if I were attacked by someone or something more agressive than that leech.

    She reminded me of Bren.