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Source Melchizedek.0294

Approach β Hyi

Ascension 00h 25m 45.07036s

Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″

Distance 24.33ly

Equinox J2000.0 SOL

Year 3781, QEC adjusted

[Autotranslator enabled...]

Stephanie Janssen, Specialist First-class

:::

Ho ho ho! It's Christmas out here on the floating tin-can and I'm

brewing up some cheer for the crew. In fact, I've brewed up

something much stronger than cheer that's almost certainly against

regulations, but hell! we need it.

The darkness was getting to everyone, so I conspired with Eva and

we made a still. How cool is that? The instructions were in the DB

and we had the parts on hand. The doc's been fermenting the weird

greens since we woke up. We're not supposed to eat them, yet, but

he wants to be ready if they're cleared. So we used a similar

principle and a bunch of piping and bam! Grade C 180 proof

Melchizedek swill. You can TASTE the Christmas cheer!

Eva and I are testing it out tonight on our own. Christmas is

a few cycles off still and we want to surprise the rest of them.

Jerome is gonna flip!

I LOVE CAKE!

OMG, that was Eva! Sorry. She grabbed the pad. She's had A. LOT.

I did say we needed it.

Things are, frankly, shitty. We're living in a meat locker in near

total darkness with a bunch of popsicle friends. I'm the lowest

ranking crew awake and the only NCO. I'm not even supposed to take

meals with the rest of them, if we had regular meals. Eva is

great, though, and we've been making the best of it. You guys

can't see her, but she's gorgeous. She's got these giant eyes like

a drawing and a tiny little nose you want to boop. OH! I'm gonna

boop her, one sec. YESS--she squeeks when you boop. Eva's the

best!

Um, status-updates: ship's fucked up, we're fucked up, plants are

turning into zombies or something, Jerome is morbid fucker, Eva's

my boo, Doc is doc, Prezzi doesn't take any shite. Fixed up the

steering but we're still going way too fast. Can't slow down

without getting bug squished from the Gs. Jerome says we'll make

it, but he does funny math. Eva gets all serious when she talks

about it. Not, like, poetic serious--that shit's cool. I don't

think she believes him. Prezzi's too busy with the fungus crap to

call him on it, and who else is there? Not gonna be me!

So we need a little Christmas! Right this very minute! You know

the song? Is it still playing round the verse or are we the last

holdouts? I saw a note from Excelsior that they still celebrate

Christmas. That's something! They're putting up lights around

their servers. Bloody brilliant, that! Eva looked around and we

found some green LEDs and quantum resonance diode cells that make

a faint purple. It's traditionally supposed to be green and red,

right? Too bad red LEDs were banned after the 4th great robot

uprising. I can't believe it took everyone that long to figure out

they can't go evil if they don't have red LEDs for eyes. Stupid

fucking people. We really deserve to be out here in the shit,

don't we?

Three more months! Or that's what Jerome says.

Oh shit shit shit shit shit. He can read this. Fuck. Me.

Oh fuck it. Someone had to tell him all this to his face at some

point. At least I can blame it on alcohol. It's a Christmas

fucking miracle.

Peace, Universe. I hope Santa brings you some cake. We fucking

love cake.

.