Echo of a nightmare - Part 1
28 Aug 2022Aceiss
Star System: [REDACTED]Planet: [REDACTED]
Settlement: [REDACTED]
Date: 3308, August, 26th 11:38
Commander: Aceiss Silvers
Mission: Reactivate the settlement (status failed; payment received) *
Mission Provider: [REDACTED]
Landing initiated, a nice flat surface 439m from the target. Loading the SRV with the required materials for the reactivation of the settlement. Maverick suit status: fully functional and operational. Time to go and see what mess I have to clean up this time.
[…]
“Reaching the settlement, I expected to see some shit, but this was something else. I did expect to see the bodies of the former occupants here, but… What in the world happened here? This doesn’t look like the usual scene; it doesn’t look like a pirate raid or some bloodthirsty scav work. It looks like the some of the guards and researchers killed the personnel and then committed suicide?! Just what happened here?”
This is what ran through my mind while I was inspecting the remains of this charred hole that used to be a bio-agricultural research and development base. While walking through the ruins I see it, the remains of a former researcher, he is completely charred while hugging what used to be a fuel pipe. The damn temperature must have reached 3500 ⁰C to get a body in that state, yet he held on to that damn pipe like his life depended on it.
After a few hours of searching and detailing my findings, I’m more and more inclined to make sure that this settlement won’t be reactivated, cause this shit hole is cursed. I’ll fail my mission, I’ll get a hefty fine from [REDACTED], but maybe that power regulator will come in handy some other time. While rummaging through the remains, lost in my mind, I see it; a barely functional, half melted HPDA. It belonged to James ‘Jimmy’ Laundry; a lead researcher in bio-engineering, gene altering and splicing and artificial microbial designer. Damn, look at those credentials; 6th degree Federation bio-engineer, 7th degree Imperial bio-chemical engineer and 3rd degree Alliance gene designer. Dude must have been a rockstar, what was he doing here? Anyway, lets take this bad boy to the SRV, I’m sure I have some tools and I’ll try to make this work or at least get some data from this, maybe it will shed some light on what the hell happened here.
[…]
Current Date: 3308, August, 13th 12:56
Researcher: James Laundry
Access Level: 3
“ – It’s been 4 days since the stunt that Salvation tried in HIP 22460 and we’ve locked on some strange deep space signals, but we can’t identify an origin or source. Strange thing is that they come from the bowels of the ‘dark’, no star, no light, no planet in those areas. Our xeno analytic AI can’t determine if those signals are thargoid in nature and for sure they are not human in any way, shape or form. Clarissa would have identified them by now, I mean she’s a top-grade Imperial AI with Alliance and Federation accesses. I’m sure that Karl and Whip won’t let this matter fade, it’s the most fun we had these last few months. In other news our new bio-engineered sugarcane is growing amazing! 17% more fiber, 11% faster growth, 28% less resources needed to grow and 19% more juice it can produce; all that while growing in harsher conditions. We’re gonna be rich! We kinda made a batch of rum with the first generation and it was amazing. Gained some favors and quite a few credits and materials for a case of the damned thing sold to some pirates, I’d say that’s a win for the boys here.”
“ – Don’t know what just happened but a Cobra MK.3 just crashed near our base. I’m going with Whip, Lucas and Amara in the SRVs; hopefully we’ll find a survivor.”
“ – We’re back from the crash site. What a shitty day! We’ve recovered 3 functional power regulators, a lot of chips and components and some biological samples that the pilot was hauling. Still, it’s such a shame that we couldn’t do more for him, CMDR Anton Brez. Empire leaning from all accounts, in service for almost 34 years out of his 53 of age; and his last words accompanied with the image of him being impaled by multiple objects will give me nightmares for a while. What did he mean by ‘Burn me! Smolder me! Make sure not even ash is left of me if you value your life!’.”
[…]