Science, history, and xenobiology
06 Nov 2017Robert Phillips
I had become both unnerved and excited by the my recent encounter with a Thargoid.Around the same time, I had read a number of articles on GalNet about The Guardians (an ancient race of advanced beings whose ruins had been discovered by some commanders), and that the engineer, Ram Tah, was offering substantial rewards to anyone who could provide him with data from these ruins that he could use in his research.
There was speculation that the Guardians had some relationship with the Thargoids, and that engaging in research about these 2 ancient races would provide some valuable insights into what that was.
This was an opportunity to engage in some decent long-term scientific research.
I flew to Felice Dock in Meene, and was contacted by Ram Tah. He offered a mission to try to gather as much data from The Guardian sites as possible. There were 101 different data packets to gather, offering 1 million credits per packet, plus a bonus of 100 million credits if I collected all 101.
I stood to make 201 million credits if I completed this fully.
Completing the mission would open up further opportunities to investigate the Thargoids, and see what relationship (if any) they had with The Guardians. Given the likelihood of encountering other pilots with the same idea (not all of whom are as friendly as me), I also felt it was prudent to take measures to ensure I could defend myself if necessary.
I reconfigured The Millennium Dustbin to become a heavily defended science vessel while still fully loaded with research equipment. I hired a fighter pilot and a ship launched fighter, installed lots of shields, added some heavy weapons, and applied a new paint job. I retained the dual SRV bay, scanners, and AFMU's.
Now I was able to pursue any scientific investigation required, whilst being self-sustaining and capable of defending myself from most attacks should the need arise.
I was ready!