October 3rd 3420 | Marcus Jones | USS Absurdly Dignified
Another surprise today—Captain Patterson has returned to the local cluster! We rendezvoused in the Makvabar system. He still hasn't found a cure for the alien mutagen that turned him into a horrible fish-man, but otherwise he seemed in good health.
I quizzed Patterson on his knowledge of the ancient portal glyphs, hoping he might have picked up some tidbits on his travels. Unfortunately, he knew even less about them than I did.
Disappointed, I joined Patterson in surveying several new planets, including Eithon, a garden world in the Vodanda-Ilib XII system. I am astonished by how many of these planets we've overlooked in our own backyard. The local economy is only so-so, but the weather is fine and the wildlife is particularly striking.
On another planet, we found an enormous structure that served as a historical archive for the native Vy'keen.
After some negotiation, they allowed us ten minutes of access to the main data core. I was hoping to dredge up some long-lost portal lore.
But the archive interface AI had its own priorities. We left with a new appreciation for the finer points of Vy'keen poetry, and nothing more.
I parted ways with Patterson soon after. He had taken a contract from a local traders' guild that could no longer wait, and I had received an urgent message from a Gek merchant of my acquaintance. She claimed that she could put me in touch with an expert on the history of the portals. For Captain Stevensen's sake, I hope this lead pans out…