Merd and I went for a camping trip far along the shore. A chance to get to know each other better. I met her at the festival. She was part of the early adopters of the communication implant, as well as the swimming lessons. We hit it off back then, but she had a mate, or I thought she did. In fact, her mate died during the tide. He left their hut and never made it back during the height of the storm.
We chatted and drank for hours. Really hit it off. She's only a few years older than Frydai actually. The trip was to help us figure out what it is between us. We're different species, and yet we just click. I've watched my diagnostics when I'm around her, and she has an effect on me that I'm unfamiliar with. It's not a bad thing, but it is clearly something. I don't know where this is going between us, what it is, or where it ends up, but I'm willing to let things play out. What's the worst that could happen?
In more unusual news. I cracked one of the crystals that clog the engines. Was working out, not paying attention, and punched one. Didn't hurt all that much, but it cracked. I probably stared at that for several hours in disbelief. Then I punched another one, and it broke off! I now have a sample I can examine and test. I punched others and they all cracked or broke small pieces off. So I had Frydai do it with the same result.
If I hit these crystals with a pipe, nothing happens, and if it is one that was cracked, the crack appears to heal. Yet, if I hit it with my hand, if Frydai does, and even convinced Merd to try it. The crystals give way. I don't know how or why, but this means that I might be able to clear the crystal from the engine ports! I am slightly freaked by that.
Then again, I've got a lot to be freaked about. Too much, too fast. The deep space probes have been launched and are pouring data into the systems. The satellites for the other moon are in route as well, though it'll be a few months before they can make orbit. Things are complex out there, and I'm relying on Clar's exceptional natural skills in the area of navigation and computer programming. She's not up to my skill yet, but I've got experience she lacks, and that's about it.
This fact, along with Hearl's natural skill as a leader and foreman for the road, and now the elevator projects., have made me wonder some things. I've done some deeper genetic analysis and run the findings against the database. Still waiting on results, but I'm pretty sure I know what it'll come back with. Though once we talk to the next ancient, I should have it confirmed, and they can provide that.
I suspect that they have genetic programming to make them better at a given skill set. With all the cross breeding they have done, I suspect that has been thinned out a bit, making most of them generalists like myself and Frydai. Though with those like Clar or Hearl, they have a bit more of one or two things, giving them a focus. That's my hypothesis, based on what I'm seeing anyway. Time will tell what the truth is, just like everything else.
Benefit of my upgrades. I can write this, even where I am, because I now have enough satellites that I am never out of touch. I'm watching Merd sleep and wondering what this is. What is this? I don't know. I look again at my diagnostics, and the readings don't make sense to me. I'm going to have to check the database and see if there is something that can at least point me towards what the readings mean.