Excursion with the AXI
16 Jul 2022Ember Lacson
Writing this from the surface of Synuefe XR-H d11-102 1b. The USS Morningstar is in orbit above the neighboring moon, just like last time. This time I have Queen Motesh parked in the ruins, and I'm back to ferrying guardian junk from the surface to her cargo bay 4 tonnes at a time. God I wish they made a cargo SRV. I'd save so much time if I could carry 20 tonnes at a time, even if it were way slower than the Scarab. I did bring a couple Scorpions along to play around with, and my next stop after I deliver everything to Bright Sentinel will be somewhere I can find Sentinels, because I burned through a lot of my Guardian synthesis stuff refilling my Gauss cannons.I joined a little late, about 2145, partly because I was eating, and partly because I was scared shitless. I couldn't find any wings with an open slot at first, so I decided to try and find an Interceptor just to see how it went. I followed their instructions, found a Non-Human Signal Source with a threat level of 5, and I dropped in. Right there in front of me was an Interceptor. Cyclops variant, the same as the ones who usually come scan me at Bug Killer. But that mofo was immediately hostile. I said, "Cowabunga it is," deployed hardpoints, and let 'em have it. My shields held up. The Thargon swarm didn't give me like any trouble. I remembered all the homework I'd done. And before long I watched the fearful flower dissolve into a caustic cloud with a baleful wail. They're right. This is the most exhilarating combat experience one can have. And with their proven methods, it was easier than bounty hunting in a hazres. First kill, and I soloed a fracking Interceptor.
From there I joined a couple dozen others around the FNS Varian Scott for the next few hours, defending the Farragut-class battle cuiser from wave after wave of Scouts and half a dozen Interceptors—mostly Hydras. They almost punched my ticket once; I had aggro on one of the Hydras and it took me down to 4% hull. I was worried I wouldn't get to the escape pod in time, but I dumped power to shields, put the rest to engines, and boosted tf out of there with FA off. Once I got outside its range it turned attention to one of the many Corvettes surrounding it, and I limped back to Bright Sentinel long enough for them to fix the damage and refill all my ammo. Now I'm hundreds of millions of credits richer and have a bunch of new CMDRs in my contact list.
I know I have a long way to go with Xeno hunting. But I think today was the start of a new way to enjoy this life that can be so boring sometimes. But at least for a little while longer, it's back to digging up junk until I fall asleep at the stick. Speaking of which, I'm tired af and I need a shower. Maybe I should have done that before I landed here. Oh well.