“ . . . . . This must be pretty bad . . . . . ”

CMDR Cybernight
Location: Bennett Gateway
Circa late 3301

“This is it, just one more signature and I’ll finally have my pilot’s license and my very own Asp Explorer!” Cyber mumbled to himself, admiring his soon to be Starship. “Soon as the paperwork is finalized I’ve gotta find some credits.”
It was going to be a long journey, which the Asp was much better suited for than the other ships in his price range, and he must be prepared if he was going to complete his personal mission of finding his recently lost love.
They hadn’t spoken in months, which wasn’t uncommon, given her occupation: Secret Service to President Halsey. She often accompanied the President on diplomatic journeys and didn’t always have a line of communication that wasn’t reserved for the President only. This trip was different though, within 1 day of Cyber’s homeworld (~35 hours) the Federal Government was in a panic, there was even an “acting President” sworn-in temporarily.
“This must be pretty bad,” Cyber had thought upon hearing the news. This is why Cyber applied for his license, he knew he couldn’t just wait around. After receiving the Command Codes for ship identification, Cyber found a search party departing to the sector of the Milky Way that Starship One (the presidents’ starship) was supposed to arrive at.
“If I find the President, I’ll find Her,” Cyber had motivated himself to join the search party. He fumbled with his Galaxy Map before finally plotting his route.



“ . . . . If I find the President, I’ll find Her . . . . find Her . . . . find Her . . . . “
“ . . . . The wreckage of Starship One has been located . . . . “

Location: Somewhere between The Bubble and Sag. A
Circa early 3302

Cmdr Cybernight had scoured system after system for what seemed like a year, which for his home planet would be around 425 days.

….. BRRRRRRRRRRRR….
System Scan Complete.
…………………*ding*......
Processing Data Dump.

A message from the Search and Rescue Director appeared on Cyber’s Galnet Feed.
“The wreckage of Starship One has been located. Newly-Elected President Hudson has asked for Search and Rescue volunteers to help recover Escape Pods, and only Escape Pods. Coordinates are attached. Good Luck CMDR’s.” Cyber punches the data into his Galaxy Map and plotted his route eagerly.

Upon arrival Cyber activated his Discovery Scanner.
….. BRRRRRRRRRRRR….
148 Signals Detected.

“Woah, that’s a lot of Signal Sources...” Cyber muttered. “She’s gotta be here somewhere.” He jumped into the first signal he could reach, scanners primed and ready.


“ . . . . She’s gotta be here somewhere . . . . ”
“ . . . . a small flicker pinged his radar . . . . “

No luck, just a Search and Rescue convoy.

Back into Supercruise.

This time Cyber scanned the signal before jumping into it.

Degraded Emissions Detected

Cyber jumps in ambitiously.

Nothing but Limpets and Scrap.
14 Degraded Emissions later and still nothing, Cyber was losing hope. He charges his FSD to jump to another signal, hanging his head in a premature defeat when a small flicker pinged his radar, 8Km out. Cyber selected the object in his Contacts Panel.
A Blackbox…. Perfect! Just the leverage he needed to extract some information about any already recovered Escape Pods. Cyber deployed a Collector Limpet to retrieve the coveted cargo and charged his FSD.

Cyber jumped back into Supercruise and hailed the first Federal ship he could find.
“How can we help you CMDR?” a burly voice came over Comms.
“I’m looking for data on reported survivors and recovered Escape Pods,” Cyber requested, anxious for the reply.
“Alright let me just send a Data Request through,” the Federal Gunship pinged off the request as it maneuvered slightly closer to Cyber’s Asp.

“ . . . . A Blackbox…. Perfect! . . . .”
“ . . . . You have no right to scan me, Officer! . . . . ”

Ship Scan Detected
“You have no right to scan me, Officer!” a nervous Cyber yelled over Comms, he had neglected to mention the commodity he had just acquired and the angry Federal Pilot would not take kindly to Cyber withholding what could be the data behind what happened to President Halsey.

The Federal Pilot immediately deployed their hardpoints and issued a fine on Cyber.
Cyber gets spooked by his first flirtation with combat and charges his FSD. Pulse lasers and Cannon shells whiz past his cockpit as his dimensional essence shifted paradigms.

There he was blasting LY’s away from knowing what happened to Her...from a reunion or a resolution...either would have been a welcomed outcome to this emotional madness resembling a Stellar Nursery.
A spark of relief shot through his neurons and he remembered the cargo all of the excitement was over. This Blackbox was his only lead on what happened to Her.

Oh? What's this?
Cyber opened his Comm chat. “Looks like I picked up some Local Chatter: Jacque’s Station has disappeared in a similar manner to the Starship One. An explorer found its location, coordinates are attached.”

Cyber now had two solid leads and plotted his route toward Colonia.



“ . . . . his dimensional essence shifted paradigms . . . . “
“ . . . . The Blackbox is a direct connection to Her . . . . “

Location: Colonia (newly founded)
Circa late 3302

Cyber had been scrounging up every bit of data about Jacque’s Station for about a month now. He learned that the station had been fitted with massive Jump Drives, similar to those on Capital Ships. Upon charging the drives, the station had been thrown off-course for some unknown reason. He had checked every populated system nearby, not a hard feat, but the sheer number of explorers aiding the station’s revival made the amount of Data Dumps stack up. Cyber could very well spend an entire year out in Colonia and still might not retrieve the information he sought. He had to change up his agenda.
“The Box!” He had again forgotten about the Blackbox he salvaged. It was stashed in a tiny Cargo Rack at the bottom of his Asp. Cyber left his helm and proceeded to his Cargo Bay to inspect the Blackbox. “Container seems fine,” he muttered as he hastily rotated the battered Blackbox under zero-gravity. He knew he had a choice to make: Abandon his Jacque’s Station research in hopes that an old friend of his, back in the Bubble, can pull something useful off of the Blackbox or stay and continue his research.

“The Blackbox is a direct connection to Her, this station only harbors infinite similarities,” His path was forming itself: back to the Bubble. He made his way back to the cockpit.

Route plotted, he charges his FSD only to get an error message. “What now!?” He grunted as he fumbled through his ship menus.



“ . . . .He had to change up his agenda . . . . “
“ . . . . a bounty and illegal cargo in a weaponless Asp . . . . “

“Frame Shift Drive at 75%” barked COVAS.

“Initiate Reboot and Repair,” ordered Cyber. The computer ran diagnostics and rebooted. “Tsk, 78%?” Cyber shook his head as he plotted a course to the closest station which happened to be Jacque’s Station. A plethora of Federal ships are guaranteed to be there and Cyber had a bounty and illegal cargo in a weaponless Asp, he’d be mince meat for any ship not even considering the possibility that Jacque’s Station-weaponry was back online.
A small planetary outpost seemed like a better option.
Route plotted, engage Supercruise.

Once Cyber landed at the quiet outpost, he refueled and repaired his ship.

...Ding…
Direct Pilot message received

Cyber answered the friendly greeting from a lonely explorer back from an adventure. “Hello there CMDR Tomacco, nice to see an independent Pilot out here.” Cyber exhaled a sigh of relief, thankful it wasn’t another Federal Pilot.
“Yes, I’ve just returned from a trip to The Core, very enlightening stuff.” Cyber had noticed an accent in his new acquaintance’s voice, though it wasn’t the standard Imperial accent that the Empire had inherited from Mother Earth, specifically Old England.
Cyber inquired about Tomacco’s Cartographic Data, explaining his recently developed situation. The 2 CMDR’s discuss data and strategy before agreeing to accompany each other on the long trip back to the Bubble. They depart.

“ . . . . Hello there CMDR Tomacco . . . . “
“ . . . . The Milky Way is never stable is She? . . . . ”

Location: Bennett Gateway
Circa early 3303

“Welcome to my home system Tomacco!” Cyber and his newfound friend pull into port at Bennett Gateway, finally reaching the end of their long-winded journey. Thankfully, Cyber knew the on-duty Traffic Control so his shipped wasn’t scanned upon entry to the station, allowing him to sneak in his illegal cargo.

“Thanks for the invite to stay here,” Tomacco said looking around the station, seemingly feeling whole again. “It’s much nicer than anything in my home system.”
“It’s the least I could do to thank you for the company on the return trip,” Cyber replied. “Well I’ve got a friend I need to visit, I’ll see you soon Tomacco.” Cyber gave Tomacco a Pilot’s Salute and embarked to the depths of the station pushing a magnetic-levitation cart labelled “Scrap” which was nothing more than a hollowed out Limpet he was using to smuggle the Blackbox.
Cyber pushed the cart down a couple floors below Ship Outfitting, he knew a retired Pilot working in Ship Maintainence, Cmdr Roswell. Cyber had his first Space encounter through Roswell, the Cmdr had taken Cyber to Bennett Gateway, where Cyber met his beloved. Roswell had since been a good friend of Cyber’s and would surely help him, given the current situation.
“Roswell! Long time, No see!” Cyber exclaimed, eager to get started.
“Yes it has, Cyber! I only wish it was under better circumstances but The Milky Way is never stable is She?” Roswell grunted back in a tired, yet strong voice. Roswell then spotted the cart and its crudely written label. “Is this the item we discussed?” Cyber nodded.
“So, can you help me with it? You’re my only hope,” Cyber questioned. Roswell looked around for a notepad and scribbled something on it.
“ . . . . You’re my only hope . . . . ”
“ . . . . a joint called ‘The 8th Moon’ . . . . “

“Take it to a joint called ‘The 8th Moon’ and say this to the barkeep.” Roswell smirked as he walked towards the next Ship in his Maintenance line. Cyber wasted no time, giving Roswell a quick thanks before scurrying off deeper into the station.

Cyber pushed his mag-lev cart down a small, poorly lit corridor until he came across a neon sign of what appeared to be a Gas Giant with some moons around it… the largest moon struggled to remain illuminated. Underneath, in smokey-grey neon, read the words: ‘The 8th Moon.’ Cyber walked in to be relunctantly greeted by a suspicious looking old man from behind the bar.
“Can I get you something?” the barkeep mumbled to Cyber.
“I… uh,” Cyber muttered while grasping for the scrap of paper that Roswell gave him. “I’m here to deliver 50 units of Lavian Brandy to The Goat…?” Cyber read from the paper, motioning toward the scrap cart.
The old man stared unwaveringly at Cyber, seemingly unamused with the phrase. He then gave a small, deep chuckle before taking the cart from Cyber. “The Lavian Special comes with a free beer, not a good beer mind you, but free. Have a seat and I’ll get this settled.” He mentioned as he disappeared behind a hidden wall of the bar, likely a speakeasy from the Prohibition Era.
Cyber sat at the bar next to an interactive display. A beer automatically dispensed from a vending machine-like box on the counter. Cyber opens it and takes a swig, immediately regretful he muscles it down and pushes the bottle away, disgusted at its contents. He then touched the display on the box which then dispensed a whiskey-like drink. Cyber’s tastebuds were relieved to sense a familiar taste, Okinura Whiskey, expensive but strong and locally distilled, quite unlike that cheap imported beer.

“ . . . . 50 units of Lavian Brandy to The Goat . . . . “
“ . . . . Alright… Listen Budbud . . . . ”

A loud announcement came over the bar’s projector, accompanied by the Federation’s loud, ominous anthem. “Over 75% of the Occupied Escape Pods have been recovered from the crash of Starship One. M.I.A’s and Insurance Policies have been issued to loved ones. President Hudson is full of sorrow for the lost souls onboard but has hope for Halsey’s swift recovery and a debriefing of the event.”
Cyber scoffed, “ more Federal Propaganda…” he thought as he finished his drink and pulled out his Holo-phone, swiping multiple ads out of the way to get to a notification of a Credit deposit.
1,000,000,000cr.
Cyber’s eyes widened as he tried to count the zeros. “Well, at least I have funds now,” Cyber swiped back to an ad he had spotted earlier: an Imperial Cutter for 600 million credits. Before, out of his budget, now, a bargain. He was barely able to complete the purchase before the barkeep grunted at him, waving him towards the hidden speakeasy entrance.
Cyber staggered over to the small opening the barkeep had left for him, venturing deeper behind the bar into near darkness. The door creaked closed as Cyber lost complete visibility of his surroundings. A deep-toned voice spoke from beyond the black, ”Alright… Listen Budbud. Who the Fuck do you think I am? Didi Vatermann?” A red light appeared in the darkness, Cyber had seen this light before, it was unmistakably a Cybernetic Eye. “This must be Roswell’s doing isn’t it?” The eye had floated over to the entrance Cyber had just come through. The beholder of the eye raised the lights to reveal an intimidatingly hardened man and a small Technology room. Cyber scanned the room, noticing his salvage Blackbox on the table with what seemed to be a thousand wires hooked up to it.



“ . . . . The beholder of the eye . . . . “
“ . . . . this is next level Tech here . . . . ”
“You know you brought me a Capital Class Blackbox, right?” The man pointed at the wires protruding from the box, “I haven’t needed this much power to crack anything in a long while.” He sat down at a computer terminal striking away at the holographic keys.
“Yea, its quite a long story,” Cyber said keeping distance between him and his new ‘friend.’
“Quite an expensive story, I’m gonna have to charge you double. Roswell said you had a Blackbox, but this is next level Tech here.” The computer in front of the man displayed 90% decryption, “Hope whatever is on here is worth a 100 million credits.”
Cyber nodded as he completed the payment on his Holo-phone. A small group of men with Cybernetic Eyes hastily appeared from behind the mans computer terminal. “Yo Lx, there’s activity going on outside the bar, I think we’re being raided” one of the men spoke calmly.
“Good looking out, Twitch. Let’s get out of - ” . . . . .
An explosion echoed throughout the small room as Federal soldiers breached the heavy door of the speakeasy. The blast had blown the door clear over Cyber’s head, breaking multiple wall displays. Bullets start exchanging between the small group of men and the soldiers funneling in through the small opening. Cyber had nearly been knocked unconscious by the breach and was being dragged along the floor toward the narrow passageway that Lx’s crew had just emerged from. Cyber was Shellshocked but frantically grabbing for the Blackbox, “I’ve come this far, I can’t lose this box!”
Lx kicked Cyber’s hand away from the box before taking cover behind the passageway corner, “Leave it! They wont stop chasing us if we still have it!” Lx flashed Cyber with the Data Crystal that the Blackbox was decrypted to. Cyber understood even though his ears were still ringing. “We need a way out of here!” Lx’s voiced boomed into Cyber’s body, he couldn’t hear the words but he could feel them.
“I have a ship but we need to leave NOW!” Twitch yelled back at Lx, trying to help Cyber up. Lx was just able to assist him as Cyber had faded out of consciousness.
“ . . . . I think we’re being raided . . . . “