Reflections on my first year as a Commander (3308-3309) Part 2: Salvation Summer
24 Feb 2023Victor Osiris
I took to settling in at Mars High. There was just something about being in right in the middle of Federation space and politics. Opportunities abound, of course, but being in Sol and so close to everything Federally related, felt like I was on the front line for news. By the time I settled in, news surrounding Salvation was particularly popular. Rumors and theories ran rampant as Azimuth Biotech emerged as a power and Salvation's identity was revealed. I remember hearing heated arguments amongst strangers about the superweapon Salvation was building. Fellow commanders even began forming their own militia, Operation Wych Hunt, to undermine Salvation and Azimuth. Fights, protests, debates, over-the-top opinion shows--everyone had something to say about Salvation and the Thargoids.I didn't know what to think, myself. And then things really started to escalate.
In July 3308, upon nearing completion of the Proteus Superweapon, Thargoids began to invade HIP 22460, and responding to a call for aid from Salvation to protect its construction, all three superpowers pledged forces and Capital-class ships to protect it. That seemed like a pretty big deal in my eyes, and after hearing a news segment coming from the Buurian Protectorate about the ease of getting into Anti-Xeno operations in HIP 22460, and the potential payouts as a result of contribution, I decided I had to be there to witness this event. So I outfitted my Federal Dropship at the time, loaded with hull reinforcements and AX multicannons and missile racks, and made my way there.
It didn't take me long to find out just how in over my head I was. Even with as much Hull I could manage to squeeze into my Dropship, Thargoid scouts could tear me apart, not to mention their caustic missiles. Never before had I seen such terrifying foes as a Thargoid interceptor. The only way I could manage to survive at all was thanks to the firepower of the capital ships and other AX commanders participating in the fight. I felt useless against these foes, simply tossing pebbles at these monstrous foes.
But the spokesperson from the Buurian Protectorate certainly wasn't wrong, the payout WAS good. Even with my measly contributions to battles, I managed to more than double my credit balance at the time before the Proteus Wave went off, easily making up for all the insurance penalties I had to fork out. I also managed to strike up a chat with a commander named LegoSquidman. Strange name, to be sure, but this CMDR was a member of the Oblivion Fleet Squadron, and as a result of our chat and investigation into a destroyed megaship in HIP 22406, extended an invitation to me to enter the Fleet as a new pilot--which I accepted before docking a final time at Bright Sentinel to watch the Proteus Wave fireworks.
That was of course, before all hell broke loose.
I remember being there in the bar, looking out the windows at the planet, with the reflection of the news broadcast in the corner of my eye.
There was an unpleasant feeling in the pit of my gut. Even as the Proteus Wave was deployed, and seemingly successful, the ensuing pause and celebrations seemed to perfect, too neat. I didn't trust it.
Then my worst fears became realized as comms started to break about another wave firing from the Proteus device and Thargoid signals coming back online. I ran for the hangars as fast as I could, just managing to stay at the front of the ensuing pileup and scramble for an elevator. I'm sure many of those people I was just having drinks with got stuck waiting for an elevator and never got out. Some made it to the escape pods, surely, but more still were left frantically waiting for rescue, never to come. The Thargoid interceptors were already firing on the Bright Sentinel by the time I got to my ship, and then the second wave finally shut down all systems. As the artificial gravity went with it, my ship just started to float out from dock, with me strapped into the pilots seat.
I saw them, the interceptors, fly right past me, ravaging the Bright Sentinel. I was helpless to do anything. I couldn't even run.
At one point, an explosion sent a large piece of debris into my ship, which jolted me sideways and I hit my head, out cold.
By the time I woke, all I could see was a cloud of green enveloping the remains of the megaship.
My ship's systems started to flicker with life, and I brought back all systems online. I started making my way into the debris, maybe to find at least an occupied escape pod to save, or even just a data log to explain what the hell just happened.
Before I even made it into the debris though, my COVAS alerted me to a Frame Shift Anomaly, which I was lucky to have the experience of knowing was the sign of a Thargoid Interceptor dropping into the space. At that point I abandoned any and all ideas of searching the wreckage, selected the first system on my nav panel I could see, aligned toward it and boosted as long as there was power in my Engines. My FSD charged just in time before the interceptor fired off its shutdown field.
I don't even remember the rest of the trip back to Sol. I was safe. I was away from HIP 22460. But that sinking pit in my stomach only grew.
"What have we done?" I remember thinking. Over and over again.