<begin pilot log>
: VESSEL: NLC Horizon
: PILOT: V. Hale
: ROUTE: FARPOINT → KESSLER STATION
: REGION: OUTER COLONIES
: LOG TYPE: MANUAL ENTRY
: LOG ID: NLC-A-HORIZON-152-VHALE-PART-A

[DAY 1 — 06:12]
External inspection was clear.
Cargo and passengers aboard. Dock crew rushed the seal checks, but nothing flagged.
Nova doesn’t pay for delays.
Drift Drive spooled clean, no harmonic flutter.
Hank signed off on the jump with his usual grin.
I never know if that’s confidence or fatigue.
Still don’t like the way the stars stretch, like something noticing you pass.

[DAY 1 — 09:14]
Initial manifest review complete.
Cargo listed as medical and agri-tech — standard stuff —
but weight readings are off by a few tons.
Probably paperwork lag. Probably.

[DAY 1 — 19:50]
Tomorrow will mark 30 cycles working for Nova. Decided that was excuse enough to let the navcom take over while I raise a glass. Fast Eddy is gonna want me to close my tab…
<CENSORED: NON-FEDERATION-APPROVED-LANGUAGE>
Doesn’t matter how long I’ve been out here – Drift space always feels like the universe blinking and not quite reopening its eyes.
Passengers reporting mild disorientation.
Usual Drift sickness. Nothing outside acceptable parameters.

[DAY 2 — 14:37]
Manifest review unresolved.
Mass readings don’t match station records.
One container on Deck C won’t hold a stable ID.
Auto-system insists it’s verified.
Hank swears the numbers will reconcile once the cargo AI
“finishes thinking about it.”
Hank says a lot of things like that.
Logged again.

[DAY 3 — 22:04]
Checked shuttle bay.
Shuttles are in worse shape than the reports said.
Docking clamps stick, guidance flickers,
and Shuttle Two still smells like burnt insulation.
Hank says they’ll fly fine “as long as nobody panics or breathes too hard.”

[DAY 4 — 11:51]
Passengers reporting a knocking sound on Deck B. Temps fluctuating a bit.
No alarms. No fault source.
Hank rerouted power without being asked.
Said it was “preventative optimism.”
Didn’t elaborate.

[DAY 4 – 19:02]
Caught a passenger down on the cargo deck.
Handled in accordance with standard procedure.
Thinking about Eddy’s again.
Real-ish gravity, real noise, a drink I didn’t pour myself…

We’re not close to Kessler.
Not even halfway.

<end pilot log>