The Blast into Past, Part 2-All hail the Q-bomb
21 Jul 2024Adam 'The detective' Štefánik
Again big thanks to Drew that he allowed me to set my story into his novels....Recording started...
...Static noise...
12 hours from missjump, year 3138
After retanking fuel tanks, I headed to cockpit. "If FSD didnt failed, reason of missjump must be somewhere else. But where?" I asked myself when I suddenly got idea-COVAS. I turned cockpit systems on to nring COVAS online. It announced shortly after: "Hello Commander Štefánik, my name is Victor and I am your Cockpit Voice Assitant." I said to it: "Please run diagnostics of flight computers and FSD data." It replied: "Will comply, but FSD data must be extracted manualy from flight computer copartment"
Flight computer copartment, aka "The black hole" had hatch on roof of cockpit in rear. It was not big and inside it was even smaller, due third central hardpoint housing. Krait Phantom has this solved slightly better. Extract drive from flight computer was easy part but get here in 1G enviroment will be hard part. And even harder will be to find FSD data from 12 hours ago. I remebered that somewhere in cargo hold was emergency ladder to emergency door. After half an hour and lot of cursing while cutting ladder with Arc Cutter (it managed something which it should not) from wall, I was back in cockpit with ladder. Now it was easy. Right when I extracted backup drive, diagnostics were done and data showed up on maitenance screen on nearest wall under hatch. I have gone trough all data but nothing seemed off. Now FSD data from flight computer log.
17 hours from missjump, year 3138
4 hours of log cracking left on me visible marks-tired and exhausted, hallucinations of random parts of code from logs but I found what I needed. "It seems that Phantom Cobra has messed up something-time of this FSD fuel injector malfunction and Phantom Cobra meeting are same! Finaly something to catch!" I said cheerfully. "But what with..." I started with sentence in lower tone when alarms in hangar gone crazy. "Hmm, maybe this is good time to get lost and data will wait. Victor, prepare ship for takeoff please" I said while hopping into seat but then I remebered on ladder: "Wait, I can't let it that way" I stood up and rushed to ladder to strap it somewhere so it can't cause any damage. Luckily I was successful and a minute later, I was again in seat. Then Victor said: "Ship is ready for the takeoff"
I overriden takeoff control to manualy depart. Mail slot was quite blocked by waiting ships, probably old Vipers because paintjobs of GalCop and the fact that they had flashing lights. Once gap was enough to fit trough, I pushed throttle as much forward as possible and at same time, I slammed boost button. Engines loudly roared and catapulted my Krait trough gap in otherwise blocked mail slot. After I got trough, I shouted: "Yeeee-haaaaaaa! This is flyin'!" Thanks to chaos, my depart was uninterrupted. "Now why so much ships? Thargoid attack? Attack on station?" I asked myself, while engaging supercruise.
After I jumped in supercruise, I began to answer my questions: "Thargoids no, sensors would detect it. Station attack? Unlikely. No attackers." I was thinking about it, when something interdicted me. "How? There is no FSD and no interdiction technology in this year! And even I didnt have time to battle with it, almost like it was Thargoid. But no HUD glitching. Weird." I said after I dropped to normal flight. And then I saw it again. The Phantom Cobra. FSD malfunction warning and countdown to jump, exactly same as first missjump. "Another missjump?" I asked myself, while particulary knowing the answer. Still I was tired but sleep must wait, something bigger awaited me.
And yes, it was another missjump.
0 hours from second missjump, year 3138
Chapther 6, Status Quo
After second missjump, I appeared in Zaonce according to COVAS at least. In reality, it was not so much standard COVAS-it was little tweaked with guardian technology by Ram Tah, specialist on Guardian tech. It was sooner AI than COVAS, but stricttly acting like latter with functions of former. Suddenly, I got on the HUD indicator light up which indicated new message was received. I loaded it and there were some coordinations and short text: "Fly between planet and star, there you will find party. Scoop dropped canister, and cancel party" I reread it more times but I didnt catch point of it. Sender was unknow, but ship ID from which it was sent, was readable. JJ-386. "The Phantom Cobra again?" I asked myself, after some thinking I requested Victor: "Victor, please set coordinates from the latest message as destination." Target indicator now showed destination. I said myself: "Let's go to check out that party!"
After while of travelling in supercruise, another message appeared, and once again from the Phantom Cobra. "For Randomius Factoria's sake, again!? What it is now?" I said, quite angrily. I openned message and this one was really short: "Canister is quite dangerous" I thought about it for few seconds but supercruise drop interrupted it. I was at coordinations. I stabilised ship and turned to five contacts, one red and four blinking violet. I said: "I have seen these violet ones. But where?" From nothing, Victor answered: Targets coloured in violet, according to GalCop database and previous encounters, are GalCop's Vipers, something like police." I answered: "Thanks Victor, good to know. When you spot small object, lock it immediatly please"
I slammed throttle to full forward simultaneously with boost button, which catapulted Krait into four Vipers. I deployed hardpoints on which I had mounted 4 modified guardian shard cannons, or simply known as Modshards and one large beam laser with thermal vent modification. Since it was technology far more advanced than the one used in the 32nd century, Vipers were no match. First blew up after two salvos, second too. Last two were trickier as they discovered that something is not right. Ship attacking GalCop vessels, without transponder. Must be that secret vessel, which they should leave alone when arrived.
Third Viper was heavily damaged, almost lethaly, when my target has changed. Victor said: "Cargo canister dropped, I locked it" I throw glance on nav-ball to see where it is, turned my Krait and boosted towards canister. When I was just 500 meters away, I deployed cargo scoop, slowed down to not damage it, scooped canister, retracted cargo scoop and during that I blasted fourth Viper, now only one remained. Once again I performed sharp turn, targeting damaged Viper and turned it into dust by one salvo. Suddenly, alarm got crazy: "Gravimetric radiation detected!" And at same time another message came, again from Phantom Cobra. Even shorter: "Supercruise" I stowed hardpoints and engaged supercruise.
I headed away from star, full throttle forward. After final checks of all systems, I came down to cargo bay to see, what I scooped. I didn't believe my eyes what I have seen. I said to myself: "Like today was not crazy enough. Phantom Cobra, missjumps, timetravel and now this. Tyley-Feynman Quirium Cascade mine, more commonly know as Q-bomb. Most dangerous weapon even created. Even more dangerous than mycoid virus.
"Simply put, a Q-bomb (or to use its proper name, the Tyley-Feynman Quirium Cascade Mine) is a chain reaction device. It is a very small bomb, and has been described as being 'like a minature supernova, and just as deadly'. The gravitic shockwave it emits causes any matter caught within its range to be annihilated in another deadly gravitic flash, resulting in a 'domino topple' effect. This means the initial Q-bomb explosion is only the start. Secondary explosions (the strongest caused by the destruction of its victim's hyperdrives) progress in much the same way, catching further objects - until there is no significant matter remaining to be consumed by the expanding waves of destruction.
...and a pirate fleet is reduced to dust in seconds
The explosion expands in a sphere from the initial detonation. It is accompanied by the emission of high energy photons (from gamma rays to visible light, mostly in the upper end of the spectrum). The expansion of the sphere is easily observable (from a safe distance) and travels relatively slowly. The word 'relatively' is key here - most ships can't outrun the expanding sphere without witch space fuel injectors, and if a ship doesn't make good its escape early on, even injectors may not get the craft out of trouble." Source here
...and a pirate fleet is reduced to dust in seconds
The explosion expands in a sphere from the initial detonation. It is accompanied by the emission of high energy photons (from gamma rays to visible light, mostly in the upper end of the spectrum). The expansion of the sphere is easily observable (from a safe distance) and travels relatively slowly. The word 'relatively' is key here - most ships can't outrun the expanding sphere without witch space fuel injectors, and if a ship doesn't make good its escape early on, even injectors may not get the craft out of trouble." Source here
And it still was blinking! And when is something blinking, mainly bomb, then it doesn't mean anything good. I shouted to Victor: "Download Quirium mine operating manual and transfer it into cargo bay datapad please!" COVAS after few seconds answered: "Download complete" I ran to datapad, dismounted it from wall holder and ran back to bomb. Of course, I was searching how to deactivate this hella' weapon. I quickly browsed trough manual when I found what I needed and deactivated bomb. Curiosly, I said to myself: "But it took few minutes, and the longest timer is half of minute. How it did not explode?" I didn't realised it but I said it loudly enough so COVAS could heard it. Then it answered: "Bomb was itself set up to 30 seconds but it seems that supercruise jammed it. Q-bomb can't work in gravity wells. When active, doesnt matter if jump or supercruise, FSD is generating something as gravity well but in opposite spectrum. That jammed bomb and it didn't exploded." I was thinking for while about it, but I gave up after while. I just hoped that Victor was right. I heade to cockpit, disengaged supercruise and all non vital systems to save energy and finaly headed to my cabin to take nap. On way to the cabin, I said to myself: "Phantom Cobra is key here"
...Static noise...
...Recording ended...
Part 3 coming soon!