Miracle to be alive.
25 Apr 2022Shaman87
\\Attempting login... \\Analyzing voice print ID... [CMDR: Shaman87]--->\\Authenticating... >Access granted< [Ship: KRAIT MK II \\ Name: "AND IF I PERISH" \\ ID-Plate: A15X-S]\\25.APR.3308 \\Accessing Universal Cartographics... [System: DELPHI, planet 5 A]
---Verity, open logbook, begin recording.
Hello? Is this thing even on?
So... this is a first for me. Since getting my license in 3304 I've crossed the galaxy twice, survived pirate attacks, and a recent close encounter with a Thargoid. After all the things I've seen and done, not once have I ever made a logbook entry, and it's all because of my recent run in with a damned Thargoid that left me stranded planet-side in an SRV.
I've been forced to face my own mortality before, but like this. I fought and fled from more pirates than I could possibly count during the Void Opal rush, but I had contingencies for those encounters. Either I came armed or hired someone to fly escort for a cut of the profits. The Neutron highway ain't nothing to sneer at either, but again I was ready. I had my AFMU's, spare materials and plenty of rations to sustain me for the long voyage into the black. But a Thargoid? I mean... how does one even prepare for that? I don't know. I'm the wrong guy to ask. I can only share my ordeal and hope some poor bastard can learn from it.
...*sigh... I need some coffee. ---Verity, pause recording.
---Verity, resume recording.
I swear, that espresso machine is the single greatest purchase I've ever made.
Anyways, I was on my way back from an expedition. My route would take through Delphi and I knew there was a dead Thargoid site there. Figured, why not? It's dead, should be safe enough. I was wrong.
I was exploring the... corpse... and I guess I drew too much attention to myself from the scavenger sentinels. They swarmed me, cut me off from my ship. Despite my best effort I couldn't get away, no matter how many I shot down. I was beginning to run low on fuel and ammo with no safe place to synthesize more, and my SRV was taking corrosive damage. Just when I thought it couldn't get worse, it did. There was this deep, loud, eerily thrumming sound followed by some flashing green light and power fluctuations, and a shadow that encompassed the surrounding area. It was a friggin Thargoid! A... FRIGGIN... THARGOID!!! Dropping down from the heavens to dump on my already crappy day.
It was slowly descending towards my ship, and then it started scanning my ship... I panicked. What if it decides to destroy my ship? How will I get off this blasted rock then? How long before some egg head researcher comes around? So I made the only rash decision I could think of, and my first mistake. I shot at it. With my little... insignificant... nearly depleted... itty-bitty... SRV turret. It turned on me in an instant. I ran, but where to? There's no outrunning that thing! Then came my next poorly conceived plan and second nearly disastrous mistake. Now that I was the target, suddenly the idea of surviving alone and stranded on this god forsaken rock in an SRV waiting for the aforementioned egg head to come poking around, didn't sound so bad anymore. So I ordered my now safe ship to take off and become the bigger target.
The "AND IF I PERISH" has no armaments. Closest thing shes got is a point defense. So I painted the Thargoid as an incoming projectile and ordered her to fly in my general direction. As she sailed by, the point defense deployed and began plinking away... it did the trick. The Thargoid didn't hesitate this time however. It immediately changed coarse and opened fire. In its haste it only scored a glancing blow, but there was no time to assess the damage. I sent the "dismiss" signal, and watched the MK II turn and burn skyward, narrowly avoiding the second volley, and the Thargoid turning to follow. Then in a flash, the MK II leapt into supercruise... and the Thargoid, just... vanished into witchspace. All was quiet.
After several minutes I was still receiving telemetry from my ship, which was a good sign. However I couldn't recall it. With all the recent activity, the computer had designated the entire area as a hostile zone and deemed it unsafe. I would have to drive out of the area, but the SRV would never make it. The corrosive damage was extensive and spreading. Several meters from the safe zone, the SRV finally gave up the ghost. I was now on emergency life support. If I couldn't recall my ship in those next few moments I would've been a goner for sure. I grabbed the emergency beacon, made my egress from the SRV and began bounding across the terrain and its low gravity towards the safe zone. As soon as I got that green light, I sent the "recall" signal. Several moments, and a dozen meters later, I was safely aboard but not out of the proverbial woods yet. There was an active alarm and a preliminary damage report indicating corrosive damage to the exterior cargo bay section. "Out of the pot and into the frying pan" my granddad used to say... Now I know what he meant.
It took two hot atmospheric re-entries to burn the corrosive gunk off before setting down in a crater on the opposite side of the planet to affect the necessary repairs. Diagnostics indicated the cargo scoop and launch bay doors took the worst of it, both being partially if not completely inoperable. It's taken me several days to cut away the corroded sections, and since I no longer have an SRV, it only made sense to scrap the SRV bay to patch up the hull and seal the scoop and bay doors. As a precaution I have since taken both functions offline and sealed the cargo bay in the event of a sudden breach and depressurization.
Which brings us to the present. Its been a week since the incident. Repairs are complete and there hasn't been any sign of Thargoid activity. Or egg head researchers for that matter. All that's left now is one last full ship's diagnostic scan before heading for friendlier space. Which should be complete... right about...
---[Verity] Ship diagnostic scan complete. Report now available.
...now. ---Verity, open report and pause recording.
---Verity, resume recording.
Good news! Everything's rock solid and we are ready to fly. The materials I used in the repairs are subpar for hull repairs, so to reduce any additional stress on the hull's integrity, I'll be making shorter jumps and avoiding the larger stars and any neutrons between here and the bubble, as well as running hull scans every other jump. With luck I'll be home in a couple days tops.
CMDR Shaman87, signing off.
---Verity, end recording, close logbook.
\\Logging out...