The Blast into Past, Part 1-Missjump
15 Jul 2024Adam 'The detective' Štefánik
NOTE: Before you will read this series of logbooks, I want to sent huge Thanks to Drew Wagar, one of Elite Dangerous and mainly, Oolite commanders. He wrote 4 novels (Status Quo, Mutabilis, Incursio, Finis) from Oolite space (which is alternative Elite space) and allowed me to use them as theatre for my story. Reference to each Chapter will be in spoiler before. Thanks Drew! And also to creator Flying Dutchman mod for Oolite, which inspired this log.... Recording started ...
Commander-Detective Adam Štefánik speaking. After year and something filled with destruction, panic and many casaulties, we welcomed year 3310 with little hope to end Second Thargoid War. In February Guardian Nanite torpedoes emerged from darkness to help with war effort.
Slowly Titans begin to fall one by one, but we still forgot that on Titans were and are still trapped many innocent people. I have mixed feelings about this. I won't join either side in this conflict, today I am composing this log from my little older voice recordings because something clearly out of common sense happened.
...Recording paused...
...Static noise...
...Recording transfer complete...
...Voice-log recording started...
17th April 3310
Another standard day at Citi, another shift and another pub evening. I have in my past visited many stations and their's bars. Everything same, just generic. And since some day quite long ago, bar at Citi is same too. Once there was weird mix of people, which itself is not unstandard. Once there was pianist playing on real and very old wooden piano, probably even from old Earth or Mars. Now, weird people are mostly gone, pianist vaporised some time ago and it looks like only he maintained that old piano.
This evening was same. Until I spotted some Imperial folks-yes, you can realy easily distiguish them from clothing, chatting at bar and pianist have roughly same fashion too. And about Imps is know that they know each other. Perfect time to try ask about pianist whereabouts-without live music was this place dull as every other bar, really.
They give me some info, but not much. Luckily for me, OmniPol get normaly very little information from public, so I used everything what I got. It took me few hours and 160 light years traveled in hyperspace to get at final location, although I was not entirely sure, because it was last usable trace. When I approached to HIP 12099 1B, something strange happened.
I saw flash at distant surface of planet and few seconds later, blip appeared on my radar-"Unidentified signal source, Threat unknown". Threat unknown? Weird. I locked it and when jumped out from supercruise, I saw on radar only one target, marked with white as debris. I locked target and I blinked for few seconds. "Ship type: Cobra Mk3, Pre-Delacy. Ship ident: JJ-386. Commander name: John Jameson. Weapons: 1 Mycoid missile." After I realised what I have been reading, I glanced on that ship-it was transparent! No visible panels, just outlines and exhausts.
The worst happened. I have read about this ship called "Phantom Cobra". Ghost of John Jameson's Cobra randomly appears around moon at which surface is it's wreck located. During this phenomenon, crash site cant be found on console and also if you fly to spot by coordinates, surface is here smooth as nothing happened.
But this sight is not problem but it generates problems-mainly FSD malfunctions generating missjumps. Suddenly, COVAS announced: FSD failure! FSD operating beyond safety limits! Jump in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
After this points, story is happening within Chapter 4 from Status Quo novel
Jump seemed standard. My ship emerged from hyperspace but also dropped from supercruise, what was weird. Even weirder was beacon, which's ident was Witchspace Beacon Onrira. "Onrira? Weird, I dont remember this system in The Bubble. And I remeber every inhabitated system here. Maybe Colonia region? No, missjump can't be so long!" I said to myself. "Wait, Victor, what year is?" I asked COVAS. It replied: "I connected on Galactic Cooperative network...", I paused it in my mind: "What? GalCop? Isn't that organisation defunct from 3174?" COVAS still talking: "... is year 3138" Cold shiver ran down my spine and still not believing I asked: "Please confirm that is year 3138 and not 3310" COVAS swiftly replied: "Affirmative, now is year 3138 and not 3310. I will correct date on clock, also I will set up clock itself to 0:00, for curiosity reasons." Date and clock suddenly changed thanks to COVAS's action. "What now, Sherlock?" I asked to myself.
0 hours from missjump, year 3138
There was only choice viable-dock. And fast. Because FSD missjump is very, but very weird phenomenon in standard, but this missjump took into second level above. Not just jump into nowhere or random system but jump into non-existing system in present and also back in time. Commonly FSD on Krait Mk2 uses maximaly around five tons of fuel per jump. Now, 30 tons of fuel were gone. And I checked hull for leaks but there were none. "Okey, almost no fuel, no leaks so standard procedure." I said to myself while I was going trough nav panel. After while, around 20000 lightseconds away appeared planet, it's moon and Torus station. "Torus?!" I said quite loudly, suprise tone audible. "What the Jameson is happening here? Firstly GalCop, secondly year 3138 and now Torus station. Predcessor of today's Orbis and Ocelus starports, but with just docking hangar as central body and double ring-torus (hence name Torus) around." I selected the Torus as it was only station in this system.
Travel to station was eventless and long-I havent installed new SCO Frame Shift Drive yet so I relied on standard supercruise speed. Once Torus was 1 megameter away, I disengaged supercruise. I dropped into standard flight, and Torus Station emerged from black. To today, I have seen it only in articles about history. I slowly piloted Jetfire, my Krait Mk2 to station when I heard transmission from docking controller: "This is Torus Station docking controller, unidentified ship, please identify yourself and state your intentions." I replied: "Torus station control, this is Jetfire, ident Sierra Romeo Seven One Julliet. I want to land at this station and replenish fuel." Controller replied: "Jetfire, docking allowed. Be sure to install standard GalCop transponder to avoid sanctions"
I succesfully landed but replenishing fuel was tricky-in this era was used something called as Quirium. But at commodity market I was able to buy Hydrogen fuel. After I replenished fuel tanks, I headed to FSD housing to check why FSD missjumped. Check didnt revealed any mechanical issues so I returned to cockpit. Suddenly, I remembered on transpoder issue but I said to myself: "I don't plan to stay here and on the end of day no transponder can be advantage."
...Static noise...
...Recording ended...
Part 2 here!