M.U.D.D. MONTHLY ISSUE #4 - *THE HOLIDAY SPECIAL!*
29 Jan 2023Dripnificent
Hello again, everyone, and welcome to The 3308/3309 Holiday Special! It's certainly been one heck of a holiday season, with no shortage of excitement to be had! Combat against the barbaric blossoms has picked up in intensity, with many Stargoids left entirely in the dust! A sincere shoutout to our friends in the AX-community, who have continued to hit with serious effect across the entirety of the bubble! Impressive, most impressive! Stay safe, and Never Fly Alone! o7
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Hi all,
Welcome to our 2 month holiday special edition! We hope you had a great festive season!
Such a busy time these last 2 months have been, so much to do....new squaddies to assist; Promotions of those with noted skill; Thargoids to eradicate; Settlements to defend and expand to; Friends to meet, to help and fight alongside.... On the AX front, I feel we're doing well. We're holding our own against an incomprehensible alien force of undetermined strength. Our AX fighters, who months ago were certainly proficient, are now the razor's edge of Anti-Xeno capability. We knew much back then about combating thargoids, but how much more we've learnt...and are still learning! We have AX gearing for our newest recruits down to a fine art now, so come join the fight with us. Save humanity and get rich doing so! And soon, new AX weapon stabilizers!
We are also presently completing our current BGS phase to claim a decent system; a hideout where we can finally relax and call home. We have met our closest neighbor in the region, none other than the Mercs of Mikunn! I was so startled - how many hours have I pored and ruminated over their BGS teachings, to find them reaching out to us! Moreover, in the past month we have built a mutual respect with them, and I foresee the possibility of a staunch friendship with their squadron. Within the last six weeks, squadron life has been frenetic. We've been hurdling to AX conflicts, then back home, pushing our cause within systems, then off to fulfill mercenary contracts, back to AX....we've been feeling spread a little thin. Especially so, with the attendance attrition that happens in the holidays. We wanted stay true to our purpose, and to do so, a meeting was convened of our Generals and Warlords.
We audited ourselves - Were our goals still relevant? Where do we wish to focus? How can we serve Humanity best with our abilities? How do we play Elite for fun? So now The Order stands with a fresh focus. We know where we need to be, and are surer than ever of how we can help ourselves and others. And most importantly for a game like Elite, we made changes for the sake of enjoyment.
Want to know more? Come join us!
-General Osotogari
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Homecoming
There's no place like home, especially one you built yourself. In 2014, when elite launched I decided to find the smallest pitiful system possible and make it my home. That system was Mikunn, and with a band of merry spacers we made the area famous. Similarly, MUDD finds itself on the same path in the same area, with similarly humble systems.
When the Mercs of Mikunn were founded, Frontier had no intention for player factions to exist. Once we adopting our faction and had it universally recognized as ours, other groups started to do the same. We championed the cause of player territory and made guides to the BGS enabling even casual players to get involved. At this point it couldn't be avoided, player minor factions were here to stay.
That was our mark on the game. It was a great time I will always remember along with the many friends and personalities encountered along the way. MUDD, as well, seems set to make its own positive mark on the game. Although you were well established before we met, I'm glad that Mikunn had the privilege to greet one more player minor faction into the game and I can't think of a better one to share literal space with.
Today, Mikunn no longer recruits and hasn't done so for years. We completed our mission - the first to 100 controlled systems - and our core set of caretakers remains. Regardless I'm glad the area will see new life with you, and I wanted to take the time to personally thank you for being such great neighbors.
Welcome to Space Australia.
A joint story begins.
- Walt Kerman and the Mercs of Mikunn
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Remember to be on your best behavior when it comes to your public interactions! Etiquette, class, no mercy. The Boss is always watching!
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As I ventured deeper into the ship, the darkness seemed to close in around me. The empty corridors stretched out before me, leading to the bridge where I hoped to uncover the truth of the ship's fate. The destruction that I encountered was staggering, the ship seemed to have been ravaged by some unknown force. Ripped holes punctured the walls, evidence of a catastrophic event that had befallen this once-proud vessel. The old frame shift drive was nowhere to be found, and it was clear that half the ship was missing. The silence was deafening, and the only sound that could be heard was the soft crunch of debris under my boots. The memories of the ship and its crew must have been lost forever in the void of space, and all that remained was a ghostly reminder of the past. I couldn't help but to wonder what could have caused such destruction, what secrets this ship had kept, and if it was ever going to tell its story.
As I made my way through the ruined corridors of the abandoned vessel, my suit's sensors constantly reminded me of the dangerously low oxygen levels. The debris-strewn path was treacherous, but I pressed on, determined to uncover the truth of what had happened to this once-great ship. Finally, I reached the bridge door. Despite the obvious signs of damage and neglect, it was still firmly secured. Without power it would take some time to cut through the thick metal, but I set up my equipment and got to work. The laser hummed to life, slicing through the door with precision. As I worked, my mind raced with questions about the fate of the ship and its crew. What had caused such catastrophic destruction? And where had the ship's frame shift drive and other vital components gone? I hoped that the answers lay on the other side of this door. With a sense of trepidation I approached the door to the bridge, my suit's sensors blaring warnings of low oxygen levels.
I had spent the last hour cutting through the thick metal with a portable laser, and now the door lay open before me. As I stepped inside, the beam of my flashlight illuminated the abandoned bridge in a ghostly glow. The thick layer of dust that covered the controls and consoles indicated that the ship had been abandoned for an extended period. The eerie silence was broken only by the sound of my breathing and the creaking of the metal as the ship drifted aimlessly through the void. As I scanned the room, it became clear that the ship had suffered a devastating fire. Scorched metal and blackened walls bore witness to the flames that had once raged inside. My suit's sensors confirmed that there were dangerously low levels of oxygen on the bridge, and throughout the rest of the ship. The deathly stillness of the vessel sent a chill down my spine.
It was clear that this ship met an unfortunate fate, and the cause of the fire remained a mystery. I knew that if I were lucky, I'd be able to access the ship logs, but without power the task seemed daunting. I steeled myself for the task at hand, knowing that uncovering the truth about this derelict vessel was my only chance to understand what had happened to it. After a moment of contemplation, I remembered my military training and realized that the ship's logs could potentially be accessed using an external power source. I carefully retraced my steps back to my landed Cobra MK III, where I retrieved my portable power source. As I made my way back to the bridge, I couldn't help but notice a human hand partially buried beneath a pile of debris. I carefully removed some of the rubble for a closer examination, and was struck by the appearance of the hand. It was clear that the skin had been corroded by some sort of acid, suggesting that the end for whoever it belonged to was not a peaceful one. The sight only further reinforced my determination to uncover the truth behind the fate of this doomed vessel.
I shuddered at the thought of the hand I had stumbled upon earlier, and focused on my task at hand. Carefully making my way back to the bridge with the portable power source in tow, I couldn't shake off the eerie feeling that seemed to permeate the entire ship. As I reconnected the power source to the console and began to jury rig it, my heart raced with anticipation of finally uncovering the truth of what had happened to this vessel. As I connected the external power source to the console, my heart raced with anticipation. The monitor flickered to life, displaying the image of the ship's captain, but the sound was missing. I quickly made adjustments, and the sound of the captain's voice filled the bridge. The logs revealed that the ship had been ambushed in hyperspace by unknown crafts, and the frame shift drive had exploded after getting hit by weapon fire, throwing the ship into an random system. The star shaped ships of unknown origin, flew in strange patterns, and their weapons seemed to have caused ongoing damage. The ship had suffered catastrophic damage, and the crew were shortly going to be forced to abandon ship. The fate of the crew and the cause of the fire remained a mystery, but I had finally uncovered some answers about the tragic end of this once-proud vessel. I couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness for the crew and the ship, but at least now I knew the truth about what happened to them.
As I scrolled through the logs, the image on the screen changed to show the captain again, but this time the background was filled with raging flames and the sound of panicked screams. The captain's voice was filled with terror as he frantically reported that the ship was being boarded by an unknown alien race that resembled insects. The logs revealed that the crew had put up a valiant fight, but ultimately they were overwhelmed by the sheer number of invaders. The fate of the crew, and the cause of the fire, remained unknown as the logs cut off abruptly. The truth behind the tragic end of this once-proud vessel was finally coming to light, and it was a chilling reminder of the dangers that lay beyond the known universe. I sat there in stunned silence, trying to process the horrors that I had just witnessed. The fate of the ship and its crew was a tragedy beyond words. I couldn't help but wonder what could have been done to prevent this, and if there was anything that could have been done to save them.
As I made my way back to my Cobra, I couldn't shake off the feeling of sadness and despair. The memory of the ship and its crew would stay with me forever, and I knew that I would never forget the truth of what had happened to them. I couldn't help but to wonder if the unknown alien race would ever be held accountable for their actions, and if anyone would ever know the truth of what happened to this lost vessel. As I flew away from the derelict ship, I couldn't help but to feel a sense of determination. I would make sure that the truth of what happened to the ship and its crew would be known, and that their memory would be honored. I would not rest until justice was served and the unknown alien race was held accountable for their actions.
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Legendary Pilot Arsen Cross brings much needed information back to the community, so pull up a seat and pay attention, commanders!
There are three malfunctions you must consider for power priorities.
1. Impact Malfunctions
anytime your power plant is below 80% integrity (that 80 might be wrong but it is an integrity based limit) any weapon impact to the plant has a chance to make it malfunction. It will only produce 40% output when experiencing an impact malfunction.
2. Collapse Malfunction
When the plant hits 0% integrity it collapses and only produces 20% output. Only lasts a few seconds.
3. Recovery Malfunction
after the collapse malfunction completes the power plant returns to function but at 50% output. Further damage to a recovered plant has a chance to either trigger further impact malfunctions dropping you from 50% to 40% or out right cause destruction of the ship.
Because of this power priorities should follow these rules:
Priority 1 should not hit or exceed 20%
Priority 2 should not hit or exceed 40% when combined with 1
Priority 3 should not hit or exceed 50% when combined with 1 & 2
Priority 4 is any remaining equipment that needs to be online when hardpoints are deployed.
Priority 5 is for anything you need to shut off when hardpoints deploy when all equipment combined exceeds your power plants capacity.
The only time you shouldn’t follow that rule is if you are doing some insane cascading shield cell bank spam or the ship you’re flying doesn’t generate enough power to follow the rules with a decent fit.
Anything in priority 1 will NEVER shut off unless that module is directly destroyed or you die. That’s where I put my FSD, sensors and countermeasures. ALWAYS make sure your thrusters are in a group 2 if they consume less than 40% of your power otherwise ANY impact malfunction will immobilize you and that is an immediate death sentence in pvp regardless of your ship if the opponent is good.
Our good friend Arsen has also graced us with a plethora of general survival tips, for your learning pleasure! Hats off to you!
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We are ready.
It is burning everywhere. The Bubble is under hard Attack. My first thought was about how we should kick those bugs back. They were so many, but then I remembered that this feeling was there the first time as well, when I was running from them until I stopped to fight back. We did it then. We will do it again! Every single system they take, WE WILL TAKE BACK! Humanity is split apart in different political factions but in this case we are all confronted with the same enemy, so we put our problems aside and fight alongside each other to kick those bastards back into Witch Space until we are free!
I know we'll do it. As we have to. As we've always done. I'm waiting in my AX-Krait for orders. o7
-CMDR Gem-EtZel
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The Pioneer Supplies shop nearest you carries a wide variety of gear for even the most discerning of pilots! Stop in regularly, and you might just find something unique to throw over your shoulder! Be careful while upgrading gear, as there could be someone watching!
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Our good friend CMDR Lockjammer from the Horsemen of the Apocalypse [HORS] brings forth an excellent 3v1 victory! What a fight!
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is not part of my current logbook series (CMDR Darkbeetle). I wrote this story with a slightly modified Elite Dangerous universe. Enjoy! DISCLAIMER: Some may find parts of this story controversial or offensive. This is not intentional and the story doesn't reflect my personal opinions.
Every commander’s first steps are in the Pilot’s Federation Commander Application Hall. The small yet packed space was filled with eager, young applicants. Ornate decorations from the 23rd century lined the walls and ceiling. The floor, however, had evidently been redesigned to be compatible with the magnetic boots of the 34th century. Everybody was here for one thing: signing up to be a commander. It’s no easy task; you have to go through training. But I was pumped-up, and ready for anything the instructors could throw at me.
“Follow me, Commander”, the instructor said. We took the express lift down to the hangar. On the way down, the instructor introduced himself. He was a man in his 40’s with brown hair called Peter. They arrived at Hangar 9. Parked was a Sidewinder Mk I spacecraft. White with orange stripes, the trapezoid-shaped metal box with thrusters bolted on was famous for being the ship every new commander has ever flown. Released by Faulcon Delacy in 2982 and coming at only 32,000 credits, it is just the price of 60 tons of tea. And it’s also one of the most maneuverable ships in the galaxy! He heard the instructor yell, “I’ll be monitoring from down here, Commander. Get on the ship, and I’ll provide you with instructions!” I complied. When I got on the ship, the automatic docking computer activated and flew me out of the spaceport through the narrow “mailslot”, which was an airlock that allowed ships to pass through, although some ships have trouble fitting.
Over the next few days, I trained with Peter. We flew through asteroid fields, in the atmospheres of planets, and close to the star in supercruise at over 1/3 the speed of light to scoop hydrogen fuel. It wasn’t an easy task: too close and you’ll overheat, too far and they’ll find Raxxla before you fill up. But again, nothing is easy in space, right? We learned how to fuel scoop, how to hyperjump, how to engage in combat (in a simulation), and “most importantly”, how to dock without an automated docking computer (The latter of which my instructor insisted on teaching even though it wasn’t on the training plan). I suppose it’s a good skill, but nobody flies without a docking computer these days, so I don’t see the purpose. We crashed 3 ships in the simulation, so I’m not planning on ever using that skill in real situations.
Fast forward 3 years, I was at this starport, in the pilot’s lounge, watching the news. Apparently, there were alien attacks on some systems, causing a galaxy-wide alert to be issued. “Is it really that bad that it has to be aired on the comedic news channel?”, I thought to myself out loud. The bartender heard me and replied, “Hey pilot, I’ve been there myself, and it truly is a tragedy! Thousands of lives are being lost to the Thargoids as we speak!” I suddenly felt myself shiver. I had been foolish to assume that this was no big deal. But at the same time, I also felt curious. I asked the bartender if I could leave her contact info. “Sure,” she said. Later on my ship, I researched the Thargoids on my own codex. As it turns out, in the late 32nd century, there was a war against the Thargoids. However, humanity deployed the Mycoid Virus, a bio-engineered chemical which deals catastrophic damage to the Thargoid vessels and crew. This time, they came back with immunity, and they were here in full force. A person calling himself “Salvation” messed up, and made a superweapon that activated, but failed and managed to awaken some sort of inner force in the insectoid-aliens.
Now there were bright glowing dots in the sky resembling their ships, hurtling towards us at over 4000 times the speed of light. All systems their “mothership” passed through were now littered with wreckage and debris. All this info ignited a fury in my heart. “I have to do something about this!”, I thought. Later during that day, I met the bartender again at Inter Astra while I was buying a ship. You see, I was spending nearly all of my life savings buying an Alliance Chieftain, a nimble ship known for being widely used in the Thargoid war, and outfitting it for combat. Specifically, anti-xeno combat. The bartender introduced herself, a fine lady named “Sarah”. She said, “I’ve been looking for a nice person to introduce me to the world of commanders, but you all are so mysterious! Can I learn your ways?” At first I declined because I’m not good at flying, and besides, combat was dangerous. Eventually though, after enough begging, she got what she wanted.
I walked to my newly-purchased ship and boarded. My automated co-pilot reminded me that I still had some setup tasks to do. My real-life co-pilot reminded me too, although the task mentioned was a serving of coffee. I quickly made some coffee for the both of us, and I launched the ship. On the way out, guided by the docking computer, the traffic controller noticed me in my new ship. He asked, “What’s up, Commander? You look all geared up! Going to the front lines?” “Yeah”, I replied. “You should really consult the AXI!”, he exclaimed, “Do you know about them?” I didn’t know about them, actually. He told me that the AXI, or Anti-Xeno Initiative, were a group of commanders who were working together to coordinate plans for defending humanity. They had a training program for people looking to join their ranks. Later that day I signed up for training, and was on my way the next day.
Starting off, I flew to the AXI headquarters to begin training. I got to skip the basic flight school because I already had over 2 years of experience. Suddenly they revealed some experimental weapons to me, specifically designed to fight the alien menace. I was impressed, because they were designed using ancient Guardian technology. “Hurry up!”, the training instructor said, “We’re going to a live combat zone!” Now, I was a little terrified. I had always been a trader, and had never seen much combat. “Oh well,” I reassured myself, “what did I expect, signing up to protect humanity?”
I got on the Krait Mk II assigned specifically for trainees. We jumped to a nearby thargoid-infested system, and quickly flew towards the AX conflict zone. I was on the gunner seat this time, while the training instructor was in control. Since the Krait has 3 seats, Sarah was in the cockpit too. She would use telepresence to control the Ship-Launched Fighter, also designed using Guardian technology. We dropped out of supercruise, and were immediately surrounded by 3 Thargoid Scouts. “Hang on tight, we’re in for a bumpy ride!”, the instructor told us. “Commander, shoot at the scouts using the AX multi-cannon! Sarah, deploy the ship-launched fighter!” I tried my best to aim for the nasty bugs, but they were still faster than us. There was a warning on the dashboard: Caustic Missiles Incoming! The missile struck us, penetrating the shields and causing damage, but the damage didn't stop. The enzymes on the missile were digesting our ship alive! Luckily, they can be melted off, but it requires high temperatures. We turned off the heatsinks, and started firing our weapons at full capacity. Soon enough, we were hot enough that the enzymes started to wear off.
Simultaneously the scouts had been defeated, each dropping a thargoid sensor. What was waiting for us next was a little more dangerous. The Thargoid Interceptor is a menacing giant, with the ability to produce a swarm of tiny yet destructive drones willing to kamikaze your ship on command. Its spiral shaped arms and 4 glowing “hearts” make it instantly recognizable against the backdrop of space, even if the Interceptor itself is also dark-colored. We were about to go against this titan, and our ship shuddered, as if it knew what was about to happen. The instructor had clearly not planned for this, but years of experience appeared to keep him calm. “Let me handle this”, the instructor said, and took over control. I watched as the instructor had a one-to-one battle with the lumbering yet swift leviathan over the course of 10 minutes. It was like a fireworks display, although a slightly nauseating one. As the battle dragged on, the instructor pointed out tactics for defeating an Interceptor. At the end, the instructor’s dashboard showed an 8 million credit combat bond for him. “Still not enough, that was way too dangerous!”, I thought to myself.
We got off the ship, back at headquarters. According to the trainers, I passed! Of course, to much surprise on my end, since I didn’t feel like I did very well. Either way, I left with a lot more confidence in myself. For the next few days, I followed the news and heard that the “stargoids” mentioned before had actually stopped at a system just outside human-occupied space. Now, they are using the “stargoid” as a mobile base, attacking nearby human occupied systems and taking starports. I quickly realized what this meant: Innocent human lives were being lost, and not even planetary bases were safe! This was devastating news to me, because even if I didn’t know anybody from that area, I still felt really, really bad for the people who just happened to be living there, who called those places home, and were now either being killed or crammed onto a ship, separated from their families, bound for an unknown destiny as refugee camps in nearby systems filled up almost immediately. I tried to focus on my class about Thargoid combat for the next few days. But I couldn’t stop thinking about what I saw that day. The helpless civilians—most trapped in a burning station—were suffering. So without fully completing training, I signed up to be a rescue pilot, which didn’t require an AXI license.
I was recommended a Keelback—an armored freighter, which I could just barely afford. I was also allowed to continue training in a different facility while doing rescue jobs part-time. Over the next few weeks, I was a part-time rescue pilot saving people from the alien threat. I met some commanders who helped defend my under-shielded and overloaded ship, but I also met some commanders who at first glance seemed helpful, but started asking me to support “Xeno-Peace”. They explained that we were the ones who started the war, and we should bear the consequences. I didn’t reply there and then, but later I thought to myself, “Of course they’re the ones encouraging us to bear the consequences—they have safety on their multi-billion credit fleet carriers!” Eventually, I finished my AX training. I was now a pilot who had over 2 hours of experience in real combat. Still not much, but I graduated top of the class. That day, I remembered clearly, the alarms around the station suddenly started ringing. The system had been on Thargoid Watch for a while, and this day was inevitable. I quickly hopped on my Keelback. Other commanders with rescue ships also started their ships. I quickly loaded the unfortunate, as much as I could carry, and launched from the outpost. Immediately, I was met by 2 interceptors firing weapons at the station. My keelback was fast, able to travel at over one earth speed of sound in normal space. However, it wasn’t enough.
The Thargoids were catching up fast. “Frame Shift Drive charging. Five. Four. Three. Tw-” Several missiles hit my ship. “Life support malfunctioned. One.” With a nearly dead ship and non-functional life support, I jumped out of the stricken system. Time was running out… only 3 minutes of oxygen for me and the refugees left. The nearest rescue ship was 30 light years away. After that, everything was a blur. All I could remember were the panicked refugees, packed inside the passenger cabins. “1 minute of oxygen remaining.” With only 30 seconds of time to spare, I made it to the rescue ship. My Keelback was badly beaten up, but still flew after some repairs. After that, I learned some valuable lessons that training didn’t teach me about the aliens. I used that experience to upgrade my combat ship accordingly. Then, it was about time. I headed over to my Chieftain, and boarded. The entirety of humanity’s anti xeno fleet surrounded me. We met at the system’s main star. Humanity’s whole fleet, and what was most likely a fraction of the Thargoid fleet. Us, versus at least 500 interceptors not counting the seemingly infinite scouts and drones. I took a deep breath, and headed into the sea of Thargoids. Pounded by unknown ammunition, my ship made a noise I hadn’t heard before. The guardian technology was coming to life, and it made sure I knew.
I noticed the bullets bouncing off my ship, as if it were just a tiny fish compared to my vessel. This sense of superiority quickly wore off, however, as my dashboard alerted me, “Energy pulse detected!” In a fraction of a second, all human ships within a 50 kilometer radius powered down. Although we were only helpless for about 10 seconds, it still felt like a lifetime. Maybe because we were in the middle of fighting for our lives. Systems online, weapons deployed. I took aim for the drone swarm first—avoiding, then striking before they noticed. After the drones were taken out, the interceptors were effectively on their own. I aimed for one of the five hearts, and fired the ammunition of an unknown race, but not of the enemies’. The fight continued, with more and more barren wreckage strewn about. There were massive ships that arrived, humanities’ capital ships. What was different this time, was that the ships were multicolored. Not the ships themselves, but rather, the ships together. Federal Gray, Imperial White, Independent Dark. Utilitarian, Sleek, Elegant, and Angular design all came together to form a majestic scene. I’ve never seen an imperial interdictor, lasers steaming, fight alongside a federal battlecruiser, multi-cannons blazing. I fought alongside all of them, our civilization’s collective force.
Evidently, the Thargoids were not expecting this. They won at first, but as more and more pilots and military forces trickled in, each capable of destroying at least 3 interceptors before re-arming, they started being pushed back. When fighting one interceptor, a particularly strong caustic missile hit me. I tried to burn it off, but parts of it were still eating through my hull. I was forced to turn back; I jumped into supercruise as usual. What I didn’t expect was to be immediately pulled into an interdiction. Whoever—or whatever—was behind this obviously had a lot of experience. I quickly submitted to it, as I knew there was no chance to escape in my partially-destroyed ship. As I was pulled out of supercruise, I suddenly felt an unexplained sense of dread. Soon, I became aware that a wing of 2 Anacondas had dropped on me. At first, I wasn’t aware of their intentions, but they made me aware. “Anaconda deployed hardpoints (2)”, my dashboard flashed. Immediately, my dashboard became one flashing thing among others in my ship. The Anacondas were firing at me! I took to the comms to ask what was happening. They replied, “You kill the bugs, we’ll kill you.” Over the next 10 seconds, my ship was obliterated by the violent pro-xeno activists. At least, according to them, the Thargoids were peaceful, and we were the ones who caused the war. I couldn’t think much longer, though. I heard “Eject, Eject, Eject”, and proceeded to be enveloped in darkness.
There was suddenly a light above me. I was laid down on a hospital bed. “He woke up!”, a nurse said. Quickly, they prepared me for discharge from the medical bay. I realized that things weren’t as simple as they seemed. Although the Thargoids had been largely pushed back from multiple systems, the threat wasn’t fully over. There were human supporters of the insects, too. And I knew they wouldn’t give up easily. Eventually, I made my way back home. It seemed as if I was trying to go back to normal life—and I was, to a limited extent—but mostly, I was trying to rest for a while. I knew that the bubble wouldn’t be the same after all the events that happened. There were so many conflicts, and so much suffering. But I rescued thousands of people, families, children, elderly, and dreams. That kind of thing brought calmness and satisfaction to me. Knowing that I contributed to humanity’s survival, I set my flight suit down and laid on my bed. What comes next—that’s a story for another time.
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I've just returned from the black. It was fun, but the are more... sensitive things to attend to back home. First thing I did after coming back to the bubble was moving most of my ships out of Ohm City in LHS 20. It's been my home base for a while now, but I'm moving in with the squad! Now, it's time for the ENGINEERING GRIND. Yikes. But then, out of the blue, I was suddenly distracted by none other than the shipyard. That Krait Mk2, I swear it was staring me in the eyes. So I spent a total of about 100 million credits outfitting it. Ah, now that's better. TIme to engineer the hell out of that bad boy! I proceeded to engineer 6 modules, the most I've ever engineered a ship. In fact, up until now, the only thing I'd ever engineered was FSD. Now with the G5 power distro, I can afford to put on 2 large beam lasers and not worry about capacitor drain. Infinite boosting with the G3 dirty thrusters at 450 m/s! This made me truly realize how OP engineering can be... But still not worth the grind, in my opinion.
I started learning some odyssey stuff after that. Stuff about raiding settlements, stealth, or something? Can't remember. Had WAY too much fun massacreing people at settlements. They didn't even see it coming! That is, I did have to disable the settlement alarms stealthily though. But it was still so much fun! I got new gear thanks to the squad's help and started raiding tons of settlements. Then, it was Christmas. It was also around the time I noticed that I should probably start expanding my credit balance. When I had just returned from the black, I had around 220 million. Even with desperate attempts recently at trading, I was still faced with a net loss of 100 million in credits. What did I do? In true beetle style, absolutely nothing! At least, for now... I have a really bad habit of procrastinating. Recently, I've been spending and not saving. Now I'm approaching the critical 100 million credit cushion! If I go below this, I won't really feel safe even if I still have loads of rebuys for my ships.
Other than my impending financial crisis, everything else is going well! I hope to write up a new logbook this month as well so do check that out on my Inara when it comes out! Speaking of logbooks I’m gonna put in a shameless plug for my new story Thargoid Crusade also out on my logbooks page. Go check it out! This is CMDR Darkbeetle signing off!
-CMDR DarkBeetle
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General Fritz brings you one step closer to your Flight Assist Off ambitions! Let's take a look, shall we?
FRITZ' FLIGHT SCHOOL
F-Squadron
FA-Off Session
Step 1: Disconnect gamepad controller. Lock in cupboard. Throw away key.
Step 2: Get a slow ship and get a feel for Keyboard and Mouse, with "Relative Mouse" setting turned on.
Step 3: Melt brain with all new keybindings.
Step 4: Take out the T10 Spacebrick for practice disconnecting flight vector from ship/gun targeting.
Step 5: Learn to land FA-Off.
Step 6: Learn to do Mining-related tasks FA-Off (big ships best for this).
Step 7: Take a smaller ship for orbiting practice, perhaps around a fleet carrier or station.
Step 8: Learn to match orbit distance to flight speed to allow for minimal thruster changes. The Alliance Chieftain needs only 75% forward thrusters to be keybound, essentially "set and forget", then can orbit continuously without any further vertical thruster input, with only the mouse needed to slightly alter orbit course. Remember, less is more.
Step 9: When orbit mechanics are comfortable and needing minimal input to maintain steady orbit, practice in smaller and more responsive ships, such as the Imperial Courier.
Step 10: Match orbit mechanics to Goid vectors. If goid trail leads left to right, then maintain orbit up and down. If goid is moving up and down, make sure you orbit left to right. Learning to do so properly will allow you to control the fight, locking yourself in the enemy weak spot.
Step 11: Enjoy Christmas, and don't eat the yellow snow!
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Thargoid War Report
Day Number 26, Peebles Vision
Reports are bleak, outpost after outpost have fallen. Here we are still able to hold this base, but how long can we keep doing it? The first day they sent us 2 hydras at the same time... I've never seen such a firepower demonstration. We lost another 2 pilots today, already 36 pilots dead since we started to protect Peebles Vision. I have no idea why I am still alive. Is it luck or is something protecting me? Thanks to our squad's dedicated work the repair dock is still working, so we can land in the middle of a fight to repair. This helps us a lot to save our mates lives, protect the damaged ones and keep them alive to fight another day.
Mors Universalis Demolition Division Mercenary Report, Mission 0871-28-346c, Target [REDACTED]
That was not an easy one, the job itself was simple but doing it took a toll on me. Enter the outpost and clean it dry, no devices, data or power system should stay untouched. Usually, I like to do them without any blood drop by using sedative and other incapacitant weapons, but the customer requirement was clear. “No witnesses. You are to kill them all”...
“In space, nobody will hear you scream”... Those poor people, they never saw it coming. I'm glad I have found this silenced plasma shotgun. In these kind of missions, silence is the key.
Mors Universalis Demolition Division Mercenary Report, Mission 0871-31-711a, Target [REDACTED]
This time on a cold grey planet, I can see the warzone from the ship. Everything seems so calm, but soon many will perish here. I didn’t come here to die, but you never know what will happen...
Look at it for what it is. This is the cold truth of the war, so many bodies lie on the battlefield. Every last one of them was a highly motivated fighter who gave everything to their cause. I just hope it won’t be my turn next.
We won, at last. This time it was hard, so many dead on both sides. Let's go back to the station and have a cold one with the guys.
-CMDR Ekristoffe
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M.U.D.D. MEDICAL RESCUE SERVICES
Here at Mors Universalis Demolition Division, our medical specialists take your safety very seriously. Whilst our AX Mercs clear the bugs abroad, our small but devoted medical team will take care of your ill and wounded, whilst also providing evacuation efforts to your stations. No system is too small, with our new Krait Mk2 AX-equipped ships. Medium landing pads are no problem, and we have enough shields to shrug off scouts. We can outrun a Basilisk, and with access to Field Neutralizers our systems remain 100% operational, no matter the challenge. With heat sinks to spare, we continually run cold enough to keep our passengers safe during these dangerous times. Your safety is our specialty, so never fly alone.
Our first priority: Do no harm! We never accept an evacuation without >99.5% chance of success. We run cold, shielded, and faster than any bug can match.
Our second priority: Accessibility. No station is too small, and no system too far. Our FSD boosters and lightweight weapon-free loadouts ensure that no station, and no system, are left in the darkness beyond our reach.
Our third priority: Capacity. Running 96 passenger cabins, or twice that number of medbeds for the wounded, our teams can evacuate a small port or settlement in a matter of hours. Take confidence in knowing that your rescue is not just a matter of safety to us, but also of expedience!
So climb aboard now to keep you and your loved ones safe from harm!
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Anomaly T-13.21.4.4
In relation to HIP 36601, a team of our researchers was sent to a investigate a specific colony of Thargoid birth specimens, as identified and chronicled by CMDR H0arst9. It should be noted that although current conflicts ranging across various systems have been targeted as human settlements, the Thargoid presence identified in sectors: [redacted] comprise a substantial threat to our galactic fleets. This is including, but not limited to, The Pilots Federation and other smaller contingencies in partnership with M.U.D.D. This new information has been gleaned by our initiatives under M.U.D.D. directive, and including our own independent situational threat assessment criteria. CMDR Wood Starkill has notably voiced his concern over the possibility of a growing Thargoid counter-offensive threat - "The Thargoids are coming, and we can't just continue to avoid them. When I decided to try my hand in the fight against the Thargoids, I showed up completely unprepared."
Proper defensive measures, counter-measures, and response times should be devised, revised, and implemented as to limit the possibility of overwhelming casualties that may negatively impact combat effectiveness within the respective regions. In prelude, while this department does not carry jurisdiction over strategic initiative, our findings would indicate that such considerations would prove beneficial in a long-term approach towards Thargoid presence.
Abstract:
In lateral dissections we are finding greater cellular regeneration than previous evolutions of classified biomatter. Ammonia absorption has likewise been observed as increasing, by a percentage of [redacted]. Pronotal punctures have seen a longitudinal expansion ranging from [redacted] (mm). The significance of these unknown but suspected functional properties may allude to increased endurance through aforementioned ammonia absorption as this may maintain overall respiratory function, especially during intensive conflict zones where required cognitive and executive function are most necessary, even in short bursts. Further investigation is needed to properly identify these physiological functions in relation to overall combat effectiveness, however this again may be out of the scope of this department's priorities.
In a separate annotation that will be accompanied by a more complete report, progress has been maintained on current projections for hybridization of cellular [redacted] with human genomic sequencing. While attempts to force a recombinant state have proven to be difficult and yield, to quote one of our researchers - "less than stellar" results, we believe that the introduction of our new methodology paired with [redacted]... will lend itself to more promising outcomes in accordance with the roadmap. Particularly a rescued human subject, known here as codename "Subject Sudo", has produced better than variance mean results; possibly due to unknown Thargoid preparatory methods. Research personnel find it increasingly necessary to deploy [redacted]..., in lieu of- "enduring screams" or "yelling" that create troublesome conditions for the laboratory environment.
-CMDR C0ngo, Section Chief R&D
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*REMEMBER, YOUR SAFETY IS OUR TOP PRIORITY. LABORATORY CLEANLINESS CREATES EXCELLENCE. PLEASE REPORT ANY SIGNS OF THE FOLLOWING AMONG YOUR FELLOW PERSONNEL:
MOOD CHANGES
INVOLUNTARY MOTION
RESTLESSNESS
CATALEPSY
ECHOLALIA
ASYSTOLE
SURVIVAL BEGINS WITH CARE. CAUTION BEGINS WITH KNOWLEDGE. DILIGENCE BEGINS WITH YOU.*
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The rescue ship went down, but the crew dusted off. There was still a lot of work left to do that day...
The engines fired on mere moments after the speakers rattled this quiet backwater back to life... The first signs of excitement in this hole in 2 years, "Anything is better than nothing!" we told ourselves, but we never wished for this. Something had come, and it brought despair and death upon its wings. The habitation blocks were the first to be hit; Those lovely vista views from the skyrise windows melting away as the inhabitants joined the embers. The time to act was long past, but we had to move. There might still have been time to save a few.
The approach was slow-going and dangerous, as every few yards were met with caustic streaks across the ground; The bugs knew we were there and demanded our sacrifice, but this was not the day these people were going to die. We had to at least make the effort we'd hope others would for us.
By the time our medical personnel had reached the megastructure, it was too late. Radios that once crackled wildly with the sobs and fading echoes of a few million city inhabitants were now silent, save for the random screeching that would occur every time one of the bugs would strafe the surface with enough acid to leave what lies in path nothing more than a smoldering, glowing green streak.
Suddenly, the radios kicked to life. Our reinforcements had finally broken through.
The battle lasted for almost an hour, the strike pilots never being told that the civilians they were fighting to save - their own friends and family - had long since perished in this attack. Several brave men and women made ultimate sacrifice, and when the smoke cleared, humans were all that stood remaining on this backwater that we now somberly remember. As the questions began to flood in, the realization overtook the radio chatter and another deafening silence broke out. These men and women all knew they'd lost everything. One chirped on the speakers and asked, "So, where the hell are we hitting them next? They're not going to walk away from us without a fight."
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As you look upon the many scratches and dents upon your armor and person, reflect upon those who aren't so fortunate. We've all lost count of how many we've dusted by this point, but we shouldn't forget their courage. Applaud their memory, and let them inspire you.
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Find yourself stranded and suddenly without your power regulator? Pirates up your ports? Call M.U.D.D. today, we'll sort'em out!
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"...That's a great story, son. Real cute. You must be a such big deal now, I mean, obviously you are. You're standing here in my bar, in the middle of nowhere. The trouble with your tale is that your unmodified Python would turn like a cattle barge, so when you say 'blowing everything up,' you really mean 'running for your life?' Or, 'screaming at your FSD to boot?' Now, I've got a real story for you, young spacer!" Imagine the toughest, meanest, most cunning warriors this side of the Bubble, all packed in here like sardines in a can? I'm talking the kind of guys who just look at you, smirk a little, and just know you're full of it. Bounty hunters, war heroes, AX-ers who've seen shit you wouldn't believe. Their muscle memory alone would take you out, they wouldn't even think about it. They don't break stride. They don't look at you, but their P-15 snaps out your way and -- lights out. You scoff, of course.
'Twas back at the start of 3309, and my bar, Last Rites Ale Hall, well, she looked about the same as ever. Needed a bit of maintenance, a lick of paint, but she goes alright. Keeps locals happy. Not like that idiot who walked in once and called her "the pimple in this stinkin' backwater of Capricorni Sector KC-V c2-13." There must've been something in the poor lad's drink. He needed a nap real bad. And he got it -- a long one. But that's another story...
The clientele back then, well, those were rougher times, see? And a barkeep like me can find polishing glassware much more interesting than conversations and shady deals, if the creds are right, know what I mean? I made a lot of coin those days, running a place where my focus was being deaf and blind. Anyway, I knew that week was gonna be one of those weeks, when this Phantom drops in outta nowhere. Strange sound. We're pretty quiet out here obviously, and I know the regular ships. This wasn't one of'em. This Krait, Maebure Cerulean? Never seen her before. She was stripped down, and I mean heavily modded light -- did she even have a floor in there? Reckon she could do 75 'years easy.
In other words, he coulda come from anywhere...
Anyway, he grabs the loader and starts dropping out cargo. I know it ain't mine instantly -- cases of Kongga Ale, Saxon Wine, Lavian Brandy -- the good stuff. He flicks a knowing glance at me, pulls his reader, scans a case and shows it to me: consignment to Last Rites Ale Hall, all right. He grins slightly and says, "You're the receiver, mate. Not taking 'em back now. Enjoy the cargo!" He starts heading back to the Krait, turns and says, "Never been here before, but my mates say it's a nice quiet place to chat. Silence on Saturday night, understood?" He flicks me a thumbs up and starts turning away. I says to him, amused, "Can be real quiet if need be. Care to book the function rooms, sir? If so, a name, commander?" He laughs as he walks away, and says, "Sure, the function rooms. Of course. Book'em all under Oso, but you won't find me!" He pulls something out of his pocket.
Tosses me a cred stick. The unofficial kind. 50k, filled to the brim. Clean. Untraceable. This is to keep my mouth shut. I'd like to say I knew who I was dealing with then, but I didn't. Certainly wasn't anyone under the Dukes payroll -- the main crowd in the region then. That I could tell. Did my homework that week though, and even with him hiding his logs and his Krait real well, I found him.
But saying now would ruin the tale...
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TIME OUT
“I’m burned out,” I lamented to Aspen Pugh, as she mixed my third drink of the night at the bar on the carrier Dripnificence. “Take a break,” she replied, raising an eyebrow in the way she does that I find adorable. “Hmmmm,” I mumbled, as I sipped the Old Fashioned she’d placed in front of me. “Seriously,” she continued, “I’m taking some time off and heading to Merimbula in the New South Wales system, way down the bottom of the bubble. It’s great! Remote, golden beaches, warm weather and ice-cold drinks. A whole planet of islands. I’ve a nephew runs a bar there. I’m heading there next week with my kids.”
“You’ve got kids?”
“Yes, I’ve got kids! I’ve told you about them! God damnit Texas!” “Ok, ok. Sure. Why not? I’ve got some time owing to me. I need to take a break from this damn war! I’m in!” Three days later we were packing the Sidewinder and plotting a course for two weeks of relaxation. Aspen didn’t lie. The place was a god damn paradise! Amber sand and beer to complement the azure ocean. Aspen’s kids were great and her nephew James gave us free drinks and good company. I can’t remember seeing kids for years! Or as much exposed flesh! It contrasted and accentuated the grimness of space outposts! But now I’m back and ready for action. Shore leave. It’s the best, although it’s already fading into memory as if I’d never left.
-CMDR Texas Deluxe
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Sometimes those crazy adventures into nowhere just aren't for everyone and a heated debate arises. Remember this rule; Consent is Cool!
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Well, what can I say? The start of the new year has been full of Thargoid action, and with that I’ve also been looking to up my hunting game for Thargoids. The Cyclops variant is just easy now, and I can kill those in a mere 5 minutes, child's play if you will. The Basilisk posed a much bigger threat as it had a lot more health and one more heart, but even that was defeated. The Medusa though, well that is something else. It takes 2 full volleys of hyper speed shards to the face before it even thinks about exerting a heart. And the hearts too are absolute tanks, taking an absolute hammering before breaking. The Medusa is an absolute bullet sink, and this makes it very difficult to get any meaningful damage on it. And the swarm just makes it worse, as it does a lot of damage to the modules. And if you go through the middle of the swarm, you might as well just say goodbye to your ship. The Medusa is a mighty opponent, and it is not to be underestimated. To anyone wanting to kill a Medusa, you have my warnings.
-CMDR UltiFerocity
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Fleet Building with Wood Starkill
Let's talk ship builds. Not the usual, min/max, PVE or PVP discussions; and none of that stuff we all already know, like "A-class everything but the Life Support" or "Dirty Drives are a must." If there's anything I've learned over the last couple years in the Bubble, it's that you can make anything viable with the right modules and engineering. I'm interested in builds that give ships purpose. I'd claim it's for educational purposes but to be honest, I'm somewhat obsessed with giving my ships roles. I sort of hate owning a ship without reason, but I want to own lots of ships.
It doesn't help that some ships are so good that you're basically forced to own more than one of them -- I have a passenger Python and a cargo Python, as well as a combat Krait and one Krait specifically set up to hunt Orthrus scouts -- I've only killed two with it, but I refuse to change its purpose now...
So, I'm going to share my favorite, extremely role-specific build, and in coming months I want to hear from MUDD about their favorite role-specific builds -- so that I can steal them, and you can too!
Asp Explorer - Seraphim https://edsy.org/s/v8QRyXJ
This is by no means my favorite ship, but it's a great example of what I mean by role-specific ship builds. Seraphim wasn't always this ship's name. It used to be one of my favorite ships though -- it was my explorer, my Bubble Bus, and my all around handy go-to. When I learned how good the Krait Phantom is at going the distance, my AspX fell into the background. It needed a purpose.
The only real purpose I could think of was mining. I mostly use my Type-9 for mining, but it's slow. Prospecting asteroids can be tedious when looking for something specific. That Type-9 has always been called Virtue, named after one of the main mobile suits in Gundam 00 (I name a lot of my ships after Gundams). Its later forms shed armor, and the last of them is called Seraphim, hence my AspX's new name. Seraphim is fast and always has been. It boosts at 511 mps with full pips to engines, and runs a steady 376 mps at full throttle.
No pirates catching me out there.
It has enough hardpoints to go for variety, with a loadout of sub-surface displacement missiles, mining lasers, a seismic charge launcher and abrasion blasters (though I'm not a fan of core mining and I don't find the abrasion blasters productive enough to warrant using up a hardpoint). I currently have two sub-surface displacement missiles and four mining lasers installed. Since this ship serves more as a mining scout, I still keep an SRV bay onboard. Never know what you'll find out there scouting rings in the black. And since Seraphim used to be an explorer, it can still jump 50ly with no cargo, and 44ly with a full load of 64 tons. I know. 64 tons isn't a whole lot of cargo space for mining; but if I find a spot worth bringing the Type-9 to do the heavy lifting, I can do that.
My build still needs some more engineering, but I think it's the right direction to take my AspX since the Krait Phantom has easily absorbed Seraphim's former role as a long-distance explorer.
What are some of your role-specific ships? Share your loadout, on either Coriolis or EDSY, along with some photos, and @ me in Discord. I'd love to talk about your build and feature your favorite in upcoming issues of MUDD Monthly. Next month I hope to talk to CMDR UltiFerocity about one of his favorites. You could be next!
o7 cmdrs!
-CMDR Wood Starkill
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Zer0sum here!
I only recently joined the muddiest of MUDD, so this is my first entry in the log. I have been flying out here for years and years, mostly Solo. Exploring, trading, bounty hunting, owning a FC, I had done it all. Collected dozens of ships and upgraded them all to G5 to my liking. The only new thing (is there such a thing in this game, "only new thing") was AX combat. I started from scratch only two months ago, not understanding a single fuck about the mechanics, the necessary AX weapons and tactics to take down a 'goid.
I guess I did something right, because Dripnificent invited me to the squad and that moment changed my Elite life significantly. Being part of a squad for the first time, learning increasingly more than I thought possible. I even went embarking on ground CZ's (another new thing lol), upgrading suits, weapons. The depth of the game increased a lot in a very short time.
Next to learning the ropes on AX combat and making money like crazy doing that, I like the BGS part as well too (another new thing lol). Trying to expand our territory to, well, whatever we want/need! I met so many nice squaddies already, enjoying the living daylight out of it, thanks for having me!
CU out there!
-CMDR Zer0sum
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We here at Mors Universalis Demolition Division have had an absolute blast with you fine folks in 3308, and we're certainly looking forward to an even brighter 3309! What new challenges might we face? What new foes will present themselves? Join us, and together we'll face whatever comes together! Remember to stay safe, watch out for each other, and Never Fly Alone! Until next time, this is President Dripnificent and the Demolition Division signing off!
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