The Diary of a Space Scoundrel: Final preperations
09 Sep 2018Seth Bradwell
21:00 hrs: Palin Research Centre, Maia...it's time.
I took a well earned rest after finishing my last piece of crafting, leaving the Grade 5 Dirty Drives till last because Professor Palin is the nearest Engineer to the Gnosis' current location. I have travelled over 3,000 light years across the Bubble looking for materials, mined over 200 tons of metal and minerals, ferried back and forth specific goods to unlock Engineers, been hunting down those all important material traders, and embarking on one hell of a grind. All of this to make it to where I am now. The Ellen Ripley is finished, and is ready to join the fray:
"Do you know what you are doing?" Palin asked me as the final touches were being made to my thrusters.
"Not in the slightest. This is totally new territory for me, but I wouldn't be here if I wasn't determined to follow through." I replied.
"Watch yourself out in the black. You are no good to anyone dead, and remember, the Thargoids aren't the only threat you will face." Palin warned.
"Don't worry, there is no love lost between me and Aegis, and certainly not the Federation, and I don't much trust those in the Empire either." I replied.
As much as the grind has been frustratingly me slow and threatened to wear me down to nothing before I had even seen my first Thargoid, I have found the Engineers very easy to get along with. Maybe it's because they mostly share my reclusive nature, and their healthy distrust of authority from all three superpowers and none, but I got a good rapport with most of them, and left on friendly terms. I include a recap of my voyage across the Bubble as I sought out those vital upgades...
00:15: Lave Station, Lave
My introduction to Lave was very colourful to say the least. I was on approach to Lave Station when I got a sharp question over comms: "The LRN. Are you for or against?" I had little time to fathom out who the LRN was before I was again curtly asked: "What is your business here?" I decide honesty was the best solution in this instance, and I reply back: "I have no business in this conflict of yours, I am only after some Lavian brandy for Didi Vatermann." "Okay." the commander replied back before cutting comms. I disengage supercruise and head for the mail slot, only to hear klaxons report and the traffic controller tell me I was trespassing - amid this distraction I had forgot to request docking permission! I push forward on the control stick, causing the front of the Ahriman to grind against the toaster rack, and then slam the thrusters into reverse. Not the most graceful way of turning round, but it meant I avoided a fine. I wait for the infraction to clear before putting in a docking request, and fly though the slot again, to witness a major commotion unfolding in the dock - "What the...!" I think to myself as laser fire crisscrossed the dock from various ships and the station's own internal security lasers. I divert all energy to shields and make my way to my allotted pad, then immediately descend into the relative safety of the hanger. It's then I realise what LRN stands for, Lave Radio Network. I get the ship's computer to tune in to find out what's happening, and instead of the usual music and light hearted discussion I hear the ominous tones of an emergency broadcast announcer:
"Attention citizens. There has been an attack on Lave Station. All activity has been suspended. Will all residents of Lave Station seek immediate shelter, and do not leave unless further advised."
This is repeated continuously. "Enjoying the firework show?" some smart alec quips over comms. "Aye." I say wryly as I wait for the fighting to settle down.
One hour later
"The ongoing conflict between forces of the Lave Radio Network and Alliance insurgents Workers of Lave Liberals took a horrifying turn tonight when terrorists from the WLL struck at the very heart of Lave Station itself!" said the Lave Radio news announcer, as part of a special bulletin. "Just one hour ago, ships from the WLL opened fire on pilots from inside the dock, triggering a massive gunfight. A explosion then ripped through the dock, partially disabling facilities and causing untold damage to goods and property. Thankfully no civilians were injured thanks to the prompt evacuation procedures in place at the station. Markets are trading as normal but be aware that this may change at any moment, and the station is still vulnerable to Thargoid Sensor activity. We will provide you with more information as events unfold."
I load up my final shipment of Lavian Brandy for Vatermann, before going to George Lucas (itself just recovering from recent Thargoid Sensor bombing) for some Azure Milk and Leestian Evil Juice for a long distance rares trade to Brestla. I was grateful to get out of Lave, I was warned by fellow commanders that it's a crazy place, and the whole area seems nothing but trouble. This is one war I am grateful to not be a part of.
13:00: i Sola Prospect, Brestla
There is a good reason why I am in this particular base. Having compiled the module build for the Ellen Ripley, I did a search for stations that stocked all the modules required for that precise build. Three such stations exist. The first was Jameson Memorial in Shinrarta Dezhra, off limits to me since I still have some way to go before I reach Elite. The second was in CD-43 11917, another system under permit lock by some outfit called CQC Holdings. Apparently I need to rank up in the CQC hologame which has a cult following across the Bubble, but that has never appealed to me. The final one was i Sola Prospect in the Brestla system. This was not permit-locked, and the system happens to be run by none other than the Imperial Inquisition! It turns out that someone in the Empire is ready and prepared to deal with the Thargoids, and this improved my mood tremendously. I was almost ecstatic when I went to the shipyard order desk, and the clerk immediately asked: "Okay sir, Diamondback Explorer is it? With everything A-rated, and anti-xeno missles and cannons?"
13:26: Qwent Research Base, Sirius
"Greetings, Commander. What can I do for you today?" asked Marco Qwent. I already gained access to Qwent as part of getting my Dirty Drive tuned thrusters for the Ahriman a few weeks ago, and he was able to overcharge a Class 5 power plant, allowing me to sell my Class 7 and be tens of millions of credits richer, and it works just as well in powering the Ahriman's internals, and for being a good customer, he introduced me to Professor Plalin.
"Grade 3 overcharged, with double bracing, just enough to ensure I don't run into power management issues in the black."
"As you wish, it will be ready in a few minutes."
Marco Qwent is not one for words, it's all business for him, and what is good for the Sirius Corporation is good for Marco Qwent, and all I needed to do was prove I was useful to the Sirius Corporation and he was ready to provide my services. Needless to say, the work was done to a professional standard. We parted our ways without much talk, he shrugged with indifference when I tried to talk about my plans, seems that as long as the Sirius Corporation isn't threatened then they aren't concerned, but I wouldn't put it past Sirius to have some skin in the game somewhere along, they have been very quiet but they are too big and powerful not to let the return of the Thargoids go unnoticed. Let's say if Li Yong-Rui suddenly appeared in a advisory role to Aegis, I would not be surprised, Sirius have had their own sinister designs in the past. Not that I was going to mention any of that to Marco, of course.
13:36: Black Hide, Wyrd
The Dweller was someone I found very easy to deal with. No messing around, just a donation of 500,000 credits, and he was ready to get to work. A true mercenary, after my own heart. I put in an order to have my power distributor upgraded to Grade 5, System Focused, hoping that will help fire up that Shutdown Field Neutraliser I picked up.
"You've tanked up that ship good and proper. Do a lot of smashing and grabbing? Don't worry, I'll carry that knowledge to the grave." The Dweller said to me as he completed Grade 3.
"Not my kind of thing." I replied. (Which is true, I always found pirating a very fiddlesome enterprise, not only do you have to deal with an angry trader firing pot shots at you as the hatch breaker spills his cargo all over the place, requiring you keep your collector limpets within range whilst you sort the proverbial wheat from the chaff, but unless you are lucky enough to find your mark in an Anarchy system then inevitably Authority vessels will soon close in, stripping away your shield and forcing you to high wake to safety.) "I'm more into blasting and splatting." I gesture to the crossed-out bug decal on the Ellen Ripley.
"Ah, Thargoid hunter, eh? Very brave, or foolhardy. Troubling times, especially with what's happened recently. Not the kind of thing I am willing to put my life on the line for. Especially with business as good as mine, and I don't trust those people one bit, someone screwed those people on that ship good and proper."
I nodded. "That's why I've come here. I know it won't be much, but if I can contribute just a little to getting the crew of the Gnosis out of this mess, maybe the survivors can start to get to bottom of this, and find out who was really behind what happened."
The Dweller smiled. "Watch out for Aegis. There is something not quite right about them, regardless of how they present themselves. You should also be very careful who you deal with, be they Federal or Imperial."
"Oh don't worry. I know the score in more ways than one. I have had... experiences."
"Good to know. Anyway, I need to get this finished." The Dweller disappeared into his workshop.
The work is finished, and I am about to request permission to launch, when I get a chirp on comms. A young understudy appears on the holo-monitor. "Excuse me, but could you come outside for a moment?" I walk down the gangplank, not sure whether to expect an ambush, so keep my hand by my holstered plasma pistol. I meet him at the bottom. "The boss said to give you this. Says that you will need it where you are going." He gives me a small package. "Give my regards to him." I say as he leaves. "Sure," he replies, "oh and don't get scanned on the way out!"
As I start to climb and set course for the next Engineer, I inspect the package the Dweller gave me. Confident it wasn't a bomb, I open it to find a vaporiser with a small bottle of distillate, with a note. From my own private onionhead supplies. Just the thing to calm the nerves and focus the mind, which can mean the difference between life and death out there." I put in a small compartment beneath the dashboard, next to the bottle of Lavian Brandy and phial of Leestian Evil Juice I picked up the previous night.
14:40: Prospector's Rest, Kuk
"Back so soon?" Selene Jean asked me. "What will it be this time?"
"Heavy duty armour and hull reinforcement, Grade 5, with deep plating."
"My team will commence work immediately".
This was by far the most taxing upgrade, material wise, it was this which required so much Core Dynamics Composites, and lots of other components, I had to go to a raw material trader to get some Ruthenium, and had to think hard before trading two thirds of my selenium store for the ruthenium that was needed for the deep plating. She seemed disappointed that my ship was blatantly not equipped for mining, and that it was not carrying a hold full of thorium or painite, but she was happy to accept the job. I guess there has not been any stories of Thargoids attacking miners - for now.
15:35: Trader's Rest, Latsak
Lei Cheung wanted a donation of 200 tons of gold before he would offer his services to me. Nice and straightforward, but the Ellen Ripley has no cargo space, and even if every module slot was a cargo rack I would had to make multiple trips, so I hired a T-7 in Wheeler Hub in Obambojas which was fitted entirely with cargo space bar a docking computer (T-series ships being infamous for their poor manoeuvrability) to ship the gold over. Thankfully I didn't have to put my interdiction avoidance skills to the test, having in the past learned the hard way what happens when you fail to escape pirates in such a slow ship. Once that formality was over, it was back to the Ellen Ripley to get my shield generator upgraded to maximum reinforcement, and there is still no guarantee that it won't fall apart like toilet paper on first strike from a Thargoid, and worryingly enough, Lei Chung had his doubts too.
16:25: Vatermann LLC, Leesti
The penultimate stop was to Didi Vatermann. I put in a request for reinforced, high capacity shield boosters. Didi seemed intrigued at my loadout, mentioning how "all sorts" come to her, even though she initially aimed at services at traders, and she admired how I had become a Tycoon, and for a moment I felt nostalgic for the T-9 I still have stored elsewhere, intending to sell it but thinking it might come in useful should a galaxy-wide call for bulk materials en masse come through, or if I try and make an effort to trade my way up to Elite. With all that done, I bid farewell and set off for Professor Palin's in the Pleiades, deep in Thargoid territory.
My introduction to Lave was very colourful to say the least. I was on approach to Lave Station when I got a sharp question over comms: "The LRN. Are you for or against?" I had little time to fathom out who the LRN was before I was again curtly asked: "What is your business here?" I decide honesty was the best solution in this instance, and I reply back: "I have no business in this conflict of yours, I am only after some Lavian brandy for Didi Vatermann." "Okay." the commander replied back before cutting comms. I disengage supercruise and head for the mail slot, only to hear klaxons report and the traffic controller tell me I was trespassing - amid this distraction I had forgot to request docking permission! I push forward on the control stick, causing the front of the Ahriman to grind against the toaster rack, and then slam the thrusters into reverse. Not the most graceful way of turning round, but it meant I avoided a fine. I wait for the infraction to clear before putting in a docking request, and fly though the slot again, to witness a major commotion unfolding in the dock - "What the...!" I think to myself as laser fire crisscrossed the dock from various ships and the station's own internal security lasers. I divert all energy to shields and make my way to my allotted pad, then immediately descend into the relative safety of the hanger. It's then I realise what LRN stands for, Lave Radio Network. I get the ship's computer to tune in to find out what's happening, and instead of the usual music and light hearted discussion I hear the ominous tones of an emergency broadcast announcer:
"Attention citizens. There has been an attack on Lave Station. All activity has been suspended. Will all residents of Lave Station seek immediate shelter, and do not leave unless further advised."
This is repeated continuously. "Enjoying the firework show?" some smart alec quips over comms. "Aye." I say wryly as I wait for the fighting to settle down.
One hour later
"The ongoing conflict between forces of the Lave Radio Network and Alliance insurgents Workers of Lave Liberals took a horrifying turn tonight when terrorists from the WLL struck at the very heart of Lave Station itself!" said the Lave Radio news announcer, as part of a special bulletin. "Just one hour ago, ships from the WLL opened fire on pilots from inside the dock, triggering a massive gunfight. A explosion then ripped through the dock, partially disabling facilities and causing untold damage to goods and property. Thankfully no civilians were injured thanks to the prompt evacuation procedures in place at the station. Markets are trading as normal but be aware that this may change at any moment, and the station is still vulnerable to Thargoid Sensor activity. We will provide you with more information as events unfold."
I load up my final shipment of Lavian Brandy for Vatermann, before going to George Lucas (itself just recovering from recent Thargoid Sensor bombing) for some Azure Milk and Leestian Evil Juice for a long distance rares trade to Brestla. I was grateful to get out of Lave, I was warned by fellow commanders that it's a crazy place, and the whole area seems nothing but trouble. This is one war I am grateful to not be a part of.
13:00: i Sola Prospect, Brestla
There is a good reason why I am in this particular base. Having compiled the module build for the Ellen Ripley, I did a search for stations that stocked all the modules required for that precise build. Three such stations exist. The first was Jameson Memorial in Shinrarta Dezhra, off limits to me since I still have some way to go before I reach Elite. The second was in CD-43 11917, another system under permit lock by some outfit called CQC Holdings. Apparently I need to rank up in the CQC hologame which has a cult following across the Bubble, but that has never appealed to me. The final one was i Sola Prospect in the Brestla system. This was not permit-locked, and the system happens to be run by none other than the Imperial Inquisition! It turns out that someone in the Empire is ready and prepared to deal with the Thargoids, and this improved my mood tremendously. I was almost ecstatic when I went to the shipyard order desk, and the clerk immediately asked: "Okay sir, Diamondback Explorer is it? With everything A-rated, and anti-xeno missles and cannons?"
13:26: Qwent Research Base, Sirius
"Greetings, Commander. What can I do for you today?" asked Marco Qwent. I already gained access to Qwent as part of getting my Dirty Drive tuned thrusters for the Ahriman a few weeks ago, and he was able to overcharge a Class 5 power plant, allowing me to sell my Class 7 and be tens of millions of credits richer, and it works just as well in powering the Ahriman's internals, and for being a good customer, he introduced me to Professor Plalin.
"Grade 3 overcharged, with double bracing, just enough to ensure I don't run into power management issues in the black."
"As you wish, it will be ready in a few minutes."
Marco Qwent is not one for words, it's all business for him, and what is good for the Sirius Corporation is good for Marco Qwent, and all I needed to do was prove I was useful to the Sirius Corporation and he was ready to provide my services. Needless to say, the work was done to a professional standard. We parted our ways without much talk, he shrugged with indifference when I tried to talk about my plans, seems that as long as the Sirius Corporation isn't threatened then they aren't concerned, but I wouldn't put it past Sirius to have some skin in the game somewhere along, they have been very quiet but they are too big and powerful not to let the return of the Thargoids go unnoticed. Let's say if Li Yong-Rui suddenly appeared in a advisory role to Aegis, I would not be surprised, Sirius have had their own sinister designs in the past. Not that I was going to mention any of that to Marco, of course.
13:36: Black Hide, Wyrd
The Dweller was someone I found very easy to deal with. No messing around, just a donation of 500,000 credits, and he was ready to get to work. A true mercenary, after my own heart. I put in an order to have my power distributor upgraded to Grade 5, System Focused, hoping that will help fire up that Shutdown Field Neutraliser I picked up.
"You've tanked up that ship good and proper. Do a lot of smashing and grabbing? Don't worry, I'll carry that knowledge to the grave." The Dweller said to me as he completed Grade 3.
"Not my kind of thing." I replied. (Which is true, I always found pirating a very fiddlesome enterprise, not only do you have to deal with an angry trader firing pot shots at you as the hatch breaker spills his cargo all over the place, requiring you keep your collector limpets within range whilst you sort the proverbial wheat from the chaff, but unless you are lucky enough to find your mark in an Anarchy system then inevitably Authority vessels will soon close in, stripping away your shield and forcing you to high wake to safety.) "I'm more into blasting and splatting." I gesture to the crossed-out bug decal on the Ellen Ripley.
"Ah, Thargoid hunter, eh? Very brave, or foolhardy. Troubling times, especially with what's happened recently. Not the kind of thing I am willing to put my life on the line for. Especially with business as good as mine, and I don't trust those people one bit, someone screwed those people on that ship good and proper."
I nodded. "That's why I've come here. I know it won't be much, but if I can contribute just a little to getting the crew of the Gnosis out of this mess, maybe the survivors can start to get to bottom of this, and find out who was really behind what happened."
The Dweller smiled. "Watch out for Aegis. There is something not quite right about them, regardless of how they present themselves. You should also be very careful who you deal with, be they Federal or Imperial."
"Oh don't worry. I know the score in more ways than one. I have had... experiences."
"Good to know. Anyway, I need to get this finished." The Dweller disappeared into his workshop.
The work is finished, and I am about to request permission to launch, when I get a chirp on comms. A young understudy appears on the holo-monitor. "Excuse me, but could you come outside for a moment?" I walk down the gangplank, not sure whether to expect an ambush, so keep my hand by my holstered plasma pistol. I meet him at the bottom. "The boss said to give you this. Says that you will need it where you are going." He gives me a small package. "Give my regards to him." I say as he leaves. "Sure," he replies, "oh and don't get scanned on the way out!"
As I start to climb and set course for the next Engineer, I inspect the package the Dweller gave me. Confident it wasn't a bomb, I open it to find a vaporiser with a small bottle of distillate, with a note. From my own private onionhead supplies. Just the thing to calm the nerves and focus the mind, which can mean the difference between life and death out there." I put in a small compartment beneath the dashboard, next to the bottle of Lavian Brandy and phial of Leestian Evil Juice I picked up the previous night.
14:40: Prospector's Rest, Kuk
"Back so soon?" Selene Jean asked me. "What will it be this time?"
"Heavy duty armour and hull reinforcement, Grade 5, with deep plating."
"My team will commence work immediately".
This was by far the most taxing upgrade, material wise, it was this which required so much Core Dynamics Composites, and lots of other components, I had to go to a raw material trader to get some Ruthenium, and had to think hard before trading two thirds of my selenium store for the ruthenium that was needed for the deep plating. She seemed disappointed that my ship was blatantly not equipped for mining, and that it was not carrying a hold full of thorium or painite, but she was happy to accept the job. I guess there has not been any stories of Thargoids attacking miners - for now.
15:35: Trader's Rest, Latsak
Lei Cheung wanted a donation of 200 tons of gold before he would offer his services to me. Nice and straightforward, but the Ellen Ripley has no cargo space, and even if every module slot was a cargo rack I would had to make multiple trips, so I hired a T-7 in Wheeler Hub in Obambojas which was fitted entirely with cargo space bar a docking computer (T-series ships being infamous for their poor manoeuvrability) to ship the gold over. Thankfully I didn't have to put my interdiction avoidance skills to the test, having in the past learned the hard way what happens when you fail to escape pirates in such a slow ship. Once that formality was over, it was back to the Ellen Ripley to get my shield generator upgraded to maximum reinforcement, and there is still no guarantee that it won't fall apart like toilet paper on first strike from a Thargoid, and worryingly enough, Lei Chung had his doubts too.
16:25: Vatermann LLC, Leesti
The penultimate stop was to Didi Vatermann. I put in a request for reinforced, high capacity shield boosters. Didi seemed intrigued at my loadout, mentioning how "all sorts" come to her, even though she initially aimed at services at traders, and she admired how I had become a Tycoon, and for a moment I felt nostalgic for the T-9 I still have stored elsewhere, intending to sell it but thinking it might come in useful should a galaxy-wide call for bulk materials en masse come through, or if I try and make an effort to trade my way up to Elite. With all that done, I bid farewell and set off for Professor Palin's in the Pleiades, deep in Thargoid territory.
21:30: Palin Research Centre
I take one last look around Palin's workshop, and the grey landscape around Maia A 3 a. I then, with not a little sense of foreboding, climb up into the cockpit of the Ellen Ripley and punch Outotz ST-I d9-6 into the navigation computer, the last reported location of the Gnosis. I request permission to launch, silently say a prayer to an ancient god from Old Earth mythology, and take off into the unknown...