It would be a routine job. Repair the electrical wiring on a new oil pump. This was very common with new installations. Probably when someone fired up the systems Pumping station 31 was unreachable. No radio contact or whatsoever. 

But this time was different. The message i received was uncommon and also the team. Usually it would consist of 4 persons. Know it was 9. Including a representative of Exxon. My employer for this year. We also have a lot of heavy armed security and a arctic guide. They probably won’t leave anything to chance. 

I met the team on the airport and for long we were heading for Telegraf creek. There would be a snowcat waiting to bring us to the pumping station. Everyone was quiet. Luckily it was the pilot’s birthday so we had some distraction on the flight. And that was also the last thing i remember. There was a loud sound and then blackness. Then i felt all blood rushing to my head. When i openend my eyes i was upside down and one of the security people was busy getting me out of my seat. 

When i looked around the front and end part of the plane was missing. Everyone was hurrying to get out of the plane. Because it was starting to slide down a hill. Quickly i gather all my stuff and was able to find water and medical kits. 

It was cold. Very cold. And this was during the day. When we stepped outside of the plane we could not believe our eyes. The plane was almost gone. Only debris. My knee hurt alot. Luckily i had my walking stick with me. So i was able to keep up with the group. Amanda and Arwin urged  us to go forward. It would be very cold the next few nights and we had to get to the pumping stationa asap. 

I’m not that young anymore and it showed during our descent of an icy slope. My bad knee was having trouble and i slipped my foot against an icepick which broke off and hit Benjamin. He had a gash on his arm.  Luckily he was able to jump away. Because else the damage would be much greater.

Then we found more wreckage. Fortunately we found a part of the fuselage which we could retrofit to a sled. While i was busy loading up our new sled Arwin came running back. She saw something behind us. We we’re not alone. Probably a bear. So we had to leave immediatly. According to Amanda’s map we should reach a river. From where we could follow the pipeline to pumping station 31. 

This is not for me. I’m an engineer, not a survivalist. All those howl’s we heard did not make things better. Luckily we found canned food in the plane when we left. After our “lunch”  i put snow in each one of them. they could come in handy. Because i have a powerfull throw. If a wolf, coyote or bear would attack us we would have something to defend us with.

When we reached the river we could see the pipeline. On the other end. Amazingly with all this cold the ice was only 5 inch thick according to Arwin. So it was not safe to cross. This was a let down since i could feel the cold in my bones. I was very glad i could sleep after we made our iglo.

During our first night outdoor we had our first watch. Very weird. First i was dreaming about some strange figure in the distance. Benjamin had the same dream. Luckily there was a aurora borealis. But is was deep red. Beautifill but disturbing. Just as disturbing when Amanda and i heard a loud thud. It was still night and very cold. We could not go check what it was. Best something to check in the morning.

The next morning the icesheet was a bit thicker. All of us had a rough night. So we agreed to take some chance and walk over the river toward the pipeline. I was upfront and guided the four of us accross the river. Slowly walking and avoiding the black spots in the ice. Without issue we made it accross. Another sound. Eerie. Something animal ? 

It would be. Not far from the spot where we stepped on the embankment there was a carcass of a recently killed Moose. According to the expert this should be a bear. Probably still following us. After we managed to get some meat of the carcass we went ahead. Following the pipeline. We made good time. To good. Suddenly a snowstorm hit us. We had to make camp vast. Arwin and i made an Iglo while Amanda and Benjamin went foraging for wood. 

In all my years i never had any encounters in the wilderness. Beavers… of course. But never an adult Grizzly bear. Arwin and  i heard screaming and machine gun fire. Quickly Arwin put a Magnum .44 in my hand and we sprinted towards the screaming. It was a big woosh of Fur, Blood, Fangs and teeth. We pelted it with a lot of bullets. Because of the storm we had low visibility we could not see everything and a lot of shots missed. Amanda got struck by the bear. When it geared towards her Benjamin had enough time to aim and finish the bear off.

Amanda was badly hurt and this is the time we had no other choice. Despite Arwin’s warning. There could still be something out there hunting us. I decided to use the flare gun. Hopefully someone will find us in time.

While we were talking to the Nazi, a line was forming behind us and we could hear some commotion. There was fierce discussion going on between one of the stevedores and a small man on wellies and in a baby seal fur coat. Happy to finally be allowed to walk on, we didn’t pay any futher attention to the commotion. I put Jezebel, who didn’t agree with her temporary confinement ofcourse, in the small cage and we walked off to Djachroum.

While we were talking to the Nazi, a line was forming behind us and we could hear some commotion. There was fierce discussion going on between one of the stevedores and a small man on wellies and in a baby seal fur coat. Happy to finally be allowed to walk on, we didn’t pay any futher attention to the commotion. I put Jezebel, who didn’t agree with her temporary confinement ofcourse, in the small cage and we walked off to Djachroum.

Dear Diary, Today was such a weird day. It started this morning. I left my room in a hurry. I expected to walk straight by Sayar and his stevedores, but there was a queue of people in front of me and a stevedore stopped me when I tried to walk passed it because of natural habit. What is this? Me? Shamus? Waiting for plebs? I saw the reason of the queue; 2 average people with a furry animal in a big discussion with Sayar. I shouted at them. After a while I was finally able to enter Djachroum and didn’t have to pay the entrance fee ofcourse. Thanks to papa. I’m scared of papa; “papa, is that you? What are you doing papa?” I now and then have very visual daydreams about papa. My left boot was making sucking noices and felt a bit damp. That was weird as I always leave them next to the heater in the toilet. It’s the only place with ventilation, so that gives them some fresh air. As I was strolling through the city, people were looking at me while I was walking past them. Might be the sucking noice…

As fate would have it. It didn’t take too long for an opportunaty to land before our feet. Word spread in the cafe about a ship in the docks which was fuming so heavily no ships could leave the station. Apparently the ship was owned by the wealthy tourist in the cafe. He was approached by the head of the purple guard. They asked him to repair his ship. So an opportunity did arrive. As a skilled ship engineer i offered my services to Shamus Loaded.

I was on my way to get my new winter coat. The seamstress had been working on it for a whole week and it just got back from the cleaners to get the last blood out of that nice white fur. It was still a long way and the walk, with a tiny bit of shopping, did make me thirsty. So, I walked into a pub, ordered a nice cold beer and sat myself down in a corner. “Forbidden to take of your boots”, said the sign and it probably was for the better as I started to remember that that night I went to the toilet for a wee and remembered that I didn’t hear the usual clatter from the toilet bowl, but more like the sound of a bottle being filled up. Oh god… I started to feel a bit sick as I wasn’t wearing any socks. To overcome this feeling I quickly ordered something stronger. I needed to get this picture out of my head. And it didn’t take long, after a glass or three, that I started to feel all tingly inside. Forgotten were the feelings of disgust while I playingly was pulling and pushing my foot in and out my left boot. I laughed while suddenly two familiar looking shadows were sitting not too far from me. Damn..People! Close to me? But how? Nobody wants to sit with me. Why!?

Finally we arrived at Jana’s Cantina. A nice little cafe which was not expensive and has a good selection of drinks. When i was ordering our drinks a tourist entered the cafe. With his hands full of boxes and bags he came tumbling to the bar. Some wealthy tourist for sure by the looks of this furry coat. I discussed our last mission with Khadyr and told her we don’t get paid enough. If we want to get paid more we should find our own missions. Khadyr agreed and we discussed how we would check The Bulletin and be on the lookout for opportunities.

We went to my ship. I heard laughter when they walked around it. They looked like they were walking away, but I dragged one of them into my ship. The other followed quickly with fear in its eyes.

We went to the docks with members of the purple guard behind us carrying the boxes and bags of Shamus. When we arrived at the ship a large angry crowd was gathering at Shamus’ ship. Large fumes was coming were coming out of the exhaust port. After performing a scan on the engineering computer i found the issue. There was something stuck in the engine. With some borrowed tools from the dockmaster and the help of Khadyr i cleaned the engine. Apparently some dead animal was stuck into it. With the crowd gone we talked to Shamus who told us his father bought him his ship and now he was travelling through the system. This was a change for me and Khadyr. To go on a mission on our own. After checking a nearby terminal I found a report about a missing science vessel: ” The Foundation” There is a 10.000 reward for any information about the status of the ship and even more if we bring the ship back. Could we convince Shamus to be our transport?

Closely, I examined the one on the right. My glasses were zooming in, had to think, felt woozy, scared and exited at the same time. They started talking, I felt tingly inside, this never had happened to me I froze! Could it be!? Is this an orsmagm… orsagm…ormasm…ORGASM!?

I laughed. The person on the right looked weird at me. Was it a laugh or did I just fart in excitement? They were still talking to me. I put my hands in front of my face. Thoughts were racing through my mind. Had to pinch myself. They were still talking to me! To ME!.

“We’re looking for a pilot..”. One said.. Oh boy, oh boy. I am a pilot! I am a pilot! I wanted to scream: “ I am a Pilot, take me, take me, I’m all yours. Do what you want to me. Ohhh, Yes!”. But I knew I should play hard to get. I’m rich, you know. I’m important and people are always asking favours from me….

“Yessss….. Soooo?”. “And why do you think I want to join you”?

My fingers were trembling, sweat came oozing out of my pores. Oh god…oh god…oh god…oh god… My knees touched, I couldn’t take it anymore. My mind went blank. I can’t remember anything anymore from that point on forwards. It all went grey.

After we convinced Shamus we were on our way to the last known coordinates of the ship and the beginning of our new venture!

I sat them down and started my ship, someone threw up and half an hour later we left the space station. We flew somewhere and I did hit a few things, but we all survived. Well, physically….