Thargoid scouts, Part 2: Arrival
25 Feb 2020Orodruin
As I went through the post-flight procedures after easing the Anaconda, Bill the Pony, onto the landing pad at Jameson Memorial upon my return, my thoughts quickly wandered back to the Krait mkII. Visiting the mechanics workshop, I ordered the transfer of the freshly engineered internal modules to the Krait and found a local bar to spend a few hours while the mechanics did their job. I encountered a couple of interesting characters, including a couple of miners I knew from my Paininte mining days. They were still trying to make sense of the new market prices.- "I tell you! The docking officer actually inspected my cargo hold to see how much I was hauling before giving me a price quote."
- "Yup, it is crazy! I hear Low Temp Diamonds are still in high demand though. You might want to look into that."
I did not get a chance to go deeper into the conversation as my com device relayed the message that the module transfers had been completed and I headed for the hangar.
The Krait was a beauty to behold. The fresh paintjob was glistening green and the finish reflected every single light in the hangar. The name I had chosen, The Witch King, was emblazoned in white across both sides of the hull. The hatches of the two hardpoints next to the cockpit were closed, but the knowledge of what they covered, two Guardian Gauss Cannons, made me eager to get into action. The top-side hardpoints were not visible from the pad, but I also knew they contained three turrets - an efficient Beam Laser, specialised to dump the heat from the Gauss Cannons onto the Thargoid scouts, and two Anti-Xeno Multicannons to keep the pressure on the enemy even in those moments I could not line up the Gauss Cannons for a direct hit. If there was anything on The Witch King that I did not like, it was the jump range. Compared to my Asp Explorer, Radagast, the jump range was abysmal and it would take ages to fly it down to the Asterope region. No matter, it was not a ship built for long range journeys, it was a ship made with the specific purpose of efficiently disposing Thargoid scouts, but it still left the issue of getting it in place to do so. To somewhat streamline the process, I decided to instead make the journey with Radagast.
The remaining issue was to pick a base of operations in the region around Asterope. The risk of Thargoid attack was ever present and I did not want to risk leaving Radagast at a station that may become a battleground. After looking at different options, I finally decided that the best bet would be to leave it on a planetary base and where better than Blackmount Habitation in HIP 17692, a base of operations for the Anti-Xeno Initiative? Very fitting indeed. As I dropped from orbital cruise towards the surface of HIP 17692 A 1, I could not help but notice the ideal placement of the base and the realisation struck me that it was indeed a good place to be.
Once Radagast was safely on the landing pad, I made my way to the local shipyard to arrange for the transfer of The Witch King. After paying the transfer fee I decided to grab some food at the AXI cantina and try to get some pointers from the war veterans. The dedication of these pilots to their cause was inspiring to observe. In particular, one rather young lady, cannot have been more than 25 years old, was already the veteran of many battles. The left side of her face had been disfigured in a particularly nasty encounter with a couple of Thargoid scouts. The ship's canopy had been blown open next to a disintegrating scout, the caustic residue had hit her face before her ship was destroyed by another. Luckily, her wing mates had been able to fight off the scouts and get to her in time, but her face still bore the scars. Yet she continued the fight.
- "I am not likely to stop now that they did this to me, am I?"
I stayed at the cantina even for some time after the transfer of The Witch King was completed, regaling in the camaraderie and hospitality of the other pilots. Perhaps I would one day be welcoming other new pilots to the fight as well.