Summary of Zoe’s life up to 3305
20 May 2019Prochaska
Born on the 16th of May 3275 on Mars, in the Sol system. After Primary and High School, she started studying of Astrodynamics and Space Engineering at Olympus Village University, graduating with an M.Sc. in Astrodynamics. Her parents were the Co-owners of the "Interstellar Logistic Services", who died in an accident in 3290. The parental assets were lost due to fraudulent machinations of their business partner. After she sold what was left of the parental property there was barely enough left to pay the tuition fees at the renowned university; Zoraya struggled with small jobs and lived in shared apartments until completing her studies in 3299. During her studies she met Janos Sikorski. He also studies Astrodynamics and Computer Sciences, but is extremely unstable and involved in drug trafficking and small rip-offs. The two have a relationship; the chaotic Janos fits perfectly into the chaotic life situation of Zoe. Zoe gets more and more involved in his criminal activities until eventually she pulled the ripcord and ended the relationship. In October 3299, she can no longer afford the horrendous cost of living on Mars and hired for a year as a navigator on the Keelback Torrens under Commander Diane Verlaine, with the aim to start her own business as soon as possible. She also at that time lost her Sol Permit due to the doings of her parents' former business partner, who had created rumours linking her parents to enemies of the state; with this, he wanted to discredit a possible witness. With no money and just in the final stages of studies, Zoraya has her defence dragged and then officially has her Sol-permit revoked during her time on board the Torrens. The mysterious death of her parents and the scheming machinations cause Zoe to develop a deep mistrust of her fellow human beings in general and the Federation in particular. She still has contacts on Mars, notably the astrophysicist Cornelsen, who worked in Interstellar Logistic Services' development department, but also a few fellow students. The post on the Torrens is well paid, in the end it was enough to buy a small Sidewinder. Acquisition of the Sidewinder on the 26th of June 3301. Then followed 2 years as a freelancer, first on the Sidewinder, then on a Cobra MK III named Orion. She earned most of her money by hunting criminals and pirates. In addition, she enrolled as an auxiliary with the Federal Navy, to regain her sol permit and worked in between with an old acquaintance, Roger Montgomery, in his company "Utopia Deep Space". Together they participate in the search for Starship One and Jasmina Halsey. However, the company has to stop its activities very soon because most of the employees start working elsewhere. At the beginning of March 3303 acquisition of a Type 6 freighter, flying mostly on the route between Bluford Orbital in LHS 3447 to Cleve Hub in Eravate. Towards the middle of April there are increasing attempts to pull her ship out of Supercruise, but she can avoid it every time; everything else would have been fatal as she had removed all the shields in favour of cargo space. A practice she then gave up because of the increased danger.On the 15th of April 3303 she is employed with Universal Cartographics as pilot and chief technician on Bluford Orbital in the system LHS 3447. After the dissolution of the UDS Roger Montgomery had begun to work here and finally helped her to a position. On the same day she bought the Keelback Icarus and sold her Type 6, since this was acquired only for the transition to the Keelback. Initially, for UC, she mostly handled transport orders, sometimes also salvage operations. From time to time she participated in community goals, such as the anti-piracy campaign in LTT 377; from the money earned she bought an Asp Explorer on the 17th of May 3303. On the following day, Zoraya made a transport flight to the local Darwin Research Facility, as the alliance was expanding its presence in the California Nebula at that same time. This journey was about 1000 Ly long, her first long-haul flight.
Sometime after joining UC, she also worked for Felicia Winters for a few months. The assignments she carried out for Winters mainly revolved around the smuggling of propaganda material for the politician's advertising campaigns. During the time of her work for Winters, she finally received the promotion to Petty Officer and thus her Sol Permit. Zoraya's distrust of official bodies and politicians of the Federation, however, ultimately outweighs and so she gives up working for Winters finally.
In the time around the 22nd of July 3303 she helped in the construction of the research station in Abroin.
On the 15th of August 3303 purchase of a Federal Assault ship. She mostly financed the ship by sightseeing tours for tourists.
On the 16th of December 3303 transport of Commander Montgomery to the deployment area for operation Osiris on 134 Tauri C 7 A. He was sent to recover some artefacts of the failed federal research base there. This operation lasted until the 27th of January 3304, when Zoraya collected him again for the return flight.
2nd of February 3304 until 28th of February 3304: Operation Clandestine. A simulator exercise of some fictitious 20th century clandestine operations, conducted on Bluford orbital.
On the 7th of May 3304 transport of a research group under Carol Orr to the system EAFOTS BP-I D9-35 to the Children of Raxxla Staging Post. She returned on the 11th of May. The distance of about 7500 Ly discouraged Zoraya at that time from further exploration expeditions. She had decided that the big Empty out there is not for her.
31st May to 15th of June 3304: operation Dex on Cabana Hub in HIP 95864, an investigation into AI-related activities by a local corporation in the Colony. She completed the operation successfully.
During this time Zoraya became aware of the Strange Worlds expedition by Commanders Skoomer and Zach. The idea of an expedition along a series of sightseeing points to Sagittarius A* solidified in her. On the 9th of August she launched for her expedition after a long preparation in the newly acquired Anaconda Cygnus. On the way, she followed the Colonia Connection Highway to Jaques Station, and then made the detour to Sagittarius A*, finally reaching her destination on the 24th of November. She discarded the idea of flying on to Beagle Point after that and set off on the way back. In an attack by pirates at the tourist station Tranquility's Stop her cockpit canopy was destroyed, and she had to use the emergency oxygen supply to cover the 8800 Ly to the next available station. On the 29th of November 3304 she finally reached Bluford Orbital again.
From the 11th to 14th of December 3304 Zoraya is located on Weyn Dock in 64 Arietis. Her former commander from the Torrens, Commander Verlaine, had contacted her, in need of an engineer for a retrieval mission on this station. The object to retrieve was the flight recorder of a missing Type 9. The station was severely damaged since a Thargoid attack in February. On board, an extra-terrestrial organism was found in the Sci/Med area of the station, which had decimated the crew there. The organism had, contrary to all quarantine regulations, been smuggled on board by the local company Jet General Solutions for research purposes. Zoraya was the only survivor of the incident after all. Further research revealed that her parents' deaths were related to the illegal research activities of Jet General Solutions in the Pleiades region. Zoraya then stayed longer in the Pleiades sector to find further tracks there. She is able to uncover some vague leads toward an operation named Myrmidon, supposedly conducted by JGS to acquire a substance produced by the alien species.
The launch of the Distant Worlds 2 expedition had been postponed from the end of 3304 to 13.1.3305, allowing Zoraya to participate. A week before the start of the expedition, she enlisted and began her preparations. After the conversions were complete, she renamed her Anaconda in "Copernicus" for this expedition. Her Co-pilot, Julie Price, accompanied her on this journey. While she was away, Janos was able to locate Zoe. After the split-up years earlier, he had finally completed his studies and worked some time, but then decided he still wanted a relationship with Zoe, and went out to find her again. He tried accessing UC equipment in the aftermath of the Weyn Dock incident, and was apprehended by the staff then. Being confronted by her superiors with the choice to either have Janos handed over to the authorities or give him another chance, using his abilities for UC, Zoe first did not know what to do. She finally decided she did not want him to be sentenced to prison, although she felt very reluctant to having to work with him, not trusting that he had really changed for the better. On her way to Sagittarius A*, Zoe visited Colonia again, and investigated the crashed Type 9 in the system and the story of Commander Hyford. His disappearance after being hired for transport services into the Pleiades for an illegal operation related to research into alien artefacts and technology bears strong resemblances to the disappearance of her own parents. It remains unclear if these two incidents are really connected or if their resemblance is just coincidental. With the Distant Worlds expedition, she reached Sagittarius A* on the 3rd of March and Beagle Point on the 30th of April. There she decided to return home as fast as possible to join the fighting against the Thargoid incursions into human space. On the 5th of May she reached the Bubble again.
On the same day, in or around PRAEA EUQ OG-O B6-3, Zoraya is shot while in the cockpit of her ship. After being recovered by Montgomery and other members of the UC staff, they found out that Julie Price had been abducted and replaced some time before, her double having fired the shot. A chase of the perpetrator only leads to a destroyed escape pod with the remains of Price' double on board. The background of the attempted murder and the whereabouts of Julie remain unknown.