Close encounter.
30 Sep 2022NightshadeGaming29
Shade lays under a cargo rack with a wrench in hand, trying to fix a broken bracket, sweat running down his face due to the heat of the planets surface penetrating the hull, almost feeling like a 2000 tonne oven"and that should do it" he says as he places down the wrench before dragging himself out of the narrow space under the racking, dusting himself off and drinking water from his canteen
"Verity, what is the status of the shields? this heat is getting a bit much"
"the shields are coming online now commander, would you like me to divert some extra power from the Frame Shift Drive so they can charge quicker?"
"no thank you Verity, we will need that extra power to make a quick getaway, these things are valuable to the right person but 'THEY' might also arrive to get them back" Shade places his hand on a green cargo rack with hazard warning signs all over it
"Shields online commander, the temperature should start to drop rapidly now"
the ship begins to cool quickly as Shade lets out a sign of relief standing under a vent just above him as the cool breeze flows over him
"Comander......if I may ask, when you refer to these things as 'THEM' what or who is 'THEM' and what is inside that cargo rack? my scanners aren't able to pick up anything in there but you insist that whatever is in there is dangerous yet valuable"
"oh my apologies Varity I had forgotten to tell you, inside this rack are parts and equipment from a inactive Thargoid site, the reason that these are in THIS particular cargo rack is because they have some kind of Acid that melts through regular alloys, so these racks are "corrosive resistant" and cannot be scanned by any human scanners"
"and the other one sir?"
"oh that one is a back up just in case we need it"
"data updated, thank you for informing me commander"
"now lets get off this heat pit, I'm sweating more than a fat guy in a doughnut shop on earth" Shade says as he walks towards the door of the cargo hold, chuckling to himself at his not-so-good joke
"incoming message commander, pre-recorded audio transmission"
"lets hear it Verity" Shade sits in the pilots seat and begins ship diagnostic sequences
"Commander, this is Alex, we spoke before about the "goods" you have acquired and we are very interested in buying these from you, I am sending you coordinates to the Popontia system, please meet me at Ryman Market docking pad 6 with the cargo, myself and my buyers will be there to inspect the cargo, I look forward to meeting you" the message cuts off and the navigation computer automatically sets a course for the Popontia system
"alright we have a buyer, lets get out of her and get paid, looks like I will be able to afford that sensor upgrade for you Verity" Shade says with a big smile on his face
"it is quite exciting isn't it sir? with the upgrade not only will I be able to fine more systems to explore but there will also be a good chance we can find........COMMANDER UN IDENTIFIED FRAME SHIFT WAKE DETECTED, PORT SIDE!!!"
Shade looks out the window in shock and horror, the sky beginning to warp into a sphere like shape, then out of the black hole in the centre a vertically-oriented 'flower like' object appeared, this 'thing' featured an octagonal symmetry and eight large "petals" surrounding a black central 'bulb', the hull of this thing being a dirty green colour. it just sits there, floating, not making any noise of any kind
Shade sits back down in his chair very slowly keeping his eyes focused on the object
"Verity...what is that thing?"
"I'm sorry commander my scans are unable to determine what that is, I am unable to get a lock on it"
"Shit......ok prepare to charge the FSD we need to get out of here before..."
suddenly the object turned to face the ship, each of the petals started glowing a bright yellowish green as it began to approach letting out a low groan as it got closer. Shade looks in horror as he realises what this thing is.
"no no no no no, VERITY FIRE UP THE ENGINES NOW!!!!!"
the engines began to engage and the ship starts to take off from the surface, the object began to quicken its pace towards the ship, the groans emanating from it getting louder and louder
"commander I cannot charge the Frame Shift Drive, we are mass-locked by the planet, we must reach an altitude of 3km in order to jump"
"FINE WHATEVER JUST GET US OUT OF HERE NOW!!"
Shades Anaconda speeds past the object and begins to climb towards the sky, the object quickly turns around and starts to give chase
"commander we are 1.5km away from the surface but this 'thing' is chasing us and its closing the gap"
"DRAW AS MUCH POWER AS YOU CAN FROM ALL NON-ESSENTIAL SYSTEMS AND DIVERT IT INTO THE ENGINES, WE NEED TO LEAVE AND GET AWAY NOW!!!"
the object gets closer and closer and starts sending out a stream of yellow lines that engulf the ship, causing the whole thing to vibrate uncontrollably
"Verity what is happening???"
"I think it is scanning us sir, it might be a ship of some kind"
the object stops its scan and lets out a loud roar, the yellowish petals turning to a deep red ad it quickens its pace behind the Anaconda
"VERITY....."
"beginning jump now sir, 4, 3, 2, 1, engage"
Shades ship jumps into hyperspace leaving the system and the object behind, after a moment the ship drops out of hyperspace and into a different system, Shade leans back into his chair and lets out a sigh of relief
"is it still on us Verity?"
"no commander, we have left it at the planet, sir if I may ask, what was that? you sounded like you knew what it was"
Shade places his hands over his face, leaning forward, his mind remembering the nightmares he used to have a while back
"that, that was a Thargoid ship Verity access the galnet data feed, i have restored the link so you will find all the information on there"
"accsessing.........comparing interaction log and imagery, cross referencing.......match found......Veriant: Cyclops......Threat Level: 5.....Non-hostile unless provoked by approaching closely, attacking, or refusing to drop Thargoid or Guardian commodities.....it appears that they are able to scan all kind of cargo racks sir"
"yes it would seem so, re-plot a course for the Popontia system, you have the helm, I'm going to bed"