Playing the new era
29 Nov 2023Valanga
It's been a while, huh.Y'know, sometimes I genuinely forget that this thing even exists. I knew the habit would lapse eventually. Sorry, me from 3 years ago, but you totally called it.
Ever since the galaxy went to hell after we as a civilization collectively decided to commit suicide and go play with aliens, I've been pretty busy. My prior stance on Anti-Xeno activities was colored by a desire for our species to preserve itself and not meddle in affairs we aren't cut out to handle. But now that the cat's out of the bag and we're locked in an all-out war with the Thargoids, my priorities have shifted a bit. There's hardly any sense in playing a passive role at this point, and admittedly my prior restraint in addressing the Thargoid threat had left me feeling like I was missing out on something fun.
Around a year ago, I enlisted with the Anti-Xeno Initiative and decided to try my hand at fighting for the glory of mankind. Under their tutelage, I had assembled quite a vicious AX warship: a finely-engineered Alliance Chieftain flush with Guardian weapon tech specially-attuned to shredding through Thargoid armor. Since we had long since crossed through the gates of Hell by this point, I christened it "The Other Side".
In the month that followed, that very ship brought me face to face with some of the scariest motherfuckers I've ever laid eyes on. Big Thargoid Interceptors, nasty ones. I had thought that my combat skills as a pilot were decent, or at least serviceable, but the xenological marauders keen on ripping my heart out had taught me that I had much to learn. And learn I did. I turned off that pesky Flight Assist module and ever looked back. God, did I feel incompetent. It really was humbling to smash my ship into asteroids and planets and stations and spin uncontrollably like a top, as if I had never flown a ship before in my life.
And in a manner of speaking, I really hadn't. This was a whole new frontier of piloting for me.
In a month's time, I had proven myself a valuable addition to the AXI's ranks when I slew a Hydra-class Interceptor entirely on my own. In the months that followed that painstakingly-executed kill, I continued to rise through the ranks of the Initiative, proving myself ever more and more deadly with every batshit insane kill, slaughtering fearsome enemies in the most unlikely of ships, standing victorious when totally outmatched, operating with haste and perfection. Becoming ruthless, efficient, unstoppable. I was the 30th pilot ever to receive the Initiative's highest honors, bestowed only to those who had seen it all and done it all.
It had indeed become something of a sport for me, whereas for my foes it was a losing fight for survival.
And that felt pretty good. But it was also exhausting. And obviously still very dangerous.
In those months, I had thrown together several other Anti-Xeno vessels. I was butchering these beasts in ships as massive as Corvettes, and as tiny as Eagles. And pulling in an ungodly amount of cash in the process.
The RSC Infinitas has been gone for a long while, but never forgotten... and now its spirit now lives on within the cold hard reflective armor plating of the RSC Internecine. Fortunately, no errant criminals have violated this one yet. Fingers crossed, right?
I've taken an extended break from the war effort for the last several months - there's only so much of that you can do at once before it starts to wear on your psyche. You get sloppy. You feel like you're going insane out there. Sometimes you just have to step back. In the meantime, I've been tending to the work of the Seven Keys Alliance, still going strong in Almagest. I've been running my own little unscrupulous ops here and there, taking what I want whenever I please. Following my own sense of justice, laying down my own law. Things have been... alright. Not amazing, but not bad. Kind of boring, really. I'm thinking it's high time I pick up the proverbial mantle once again and do something.
I've been following GalNet and AXI reports of the massive Titan-class Thargoid vessels borne from the Maelstroms, once considered suicide to enter for any reason. I've heard there's been a lot of new developments in the AX R&D world, so I'm tempted to see what this new era of anti-xeno warfare looks like.
In case anyone was worried, no, I'm not dead. I'm just tired. But I've got my cuppa coffee right here, and I'm gradually waking back up.
- CMDR Valanga