"Ghosts" in The Black
10 Mar 2023Davinci X
It's been just a wee bit since I last logged an entry in the computer, and although I'm safely back at the Angus Manwaring starport in Eta Cassiopeiae, to say the last several days have been hair-raising, would be an understatement. After my last log entry, something felt off. Not sure if it was me just being paranoid, that 25-year old single malt Scotch, or perhaps a bad food cartridge, but my sensors picked up a contact shortly after I jumped into Oochoss TE-M c9-0. It was brief, intermittent, and in the back of my mind, I brushed it off as just a "sensor ghost."But then, it popped up on my next couple of jumps to SJ-M c9-0 and TJ-M c9-0, and then another time when I came out of hyperspace in MS-P c7-0. If it was just once or twice I could have accepted it as a "ghost." Four times in a row seemed more than just a glitch, more than just a coincidence; so, just to be safe and check all the boxes, I dropped Vela out of super cruise and parked her behind a Class II gas giant close to it's ring system to hide against the myriad of rocks and dust while I ran diagnostics on the sensors. And if my stalker was more than just a glitchy ghost in the system, I was hopeing it would attempt to follow me. On hindsight, that might not have been the most strategic of decisions on my part, but at least then I would get some confirmation. No dice, and when everything checked out showing my senors were all functioning correctly and within allotted operating parameters, I decided to finish scanning the system and then make my way to GW-U d3-0.
And like a flea on a dog, there it was again. A contact that blipped in and out on the sensors a few moments after I jumped into a system and then would disappear like a friend that owes you credits when pay day arrived. Now, the hair on the back of my neck was at attention and that uneasy filling in the pit of my stomach wasn't the Scotch or a bad meal. I was being followed.
That far out in The Black, person's with ill itent could operate with impunity, but this was no run of the mill pirate or raider. It would have to be an individual who was well funded or have connections to have ships equipped with technology to either jam sensors or sport some sort of stealth tech.
Which means, that could also mean The Club. Although I didn't spread the news around, it was no secret I was heading back out to the Formidine Rift in a second attempt to reach Syreadiae JX-F c0 as my first attempt failed when I met with unexpected "interference" that left me in The Black for 2 years. The last thing The Club wants are people poking around the galaxy into their affairs. They have made commanders "disappear" for less over the years. However, the secrecy of Project Dynasty and The Zurara has been exposed to some degree or another by Rebecca as well as The Hamsters, the Children of Raxxla, and others over the last 30-years; so, it doesn't make much sense for The Club to expose themselves to scrutiny in this regard... unless there is more to this story still left to uncover?
Of course, the other possiblility running through my grey matter is Thargoid in nature, the thought of which nauseauted me like a pilot in training's first time using Frame Shift Drive and experiencing hyperspace. After all, I had already set out for the Formidine Rift and was well into the Elysian Shore when I got the message on GalNet. It wasn't until I signed up to participate in this Ammonia Survey mission that these "ghosts" started to pop up on my sensors. The question is how would the Goids know about Aegis and Universal Cartographics calling for the charting of Ammonia Worlds? It is possible that the bugs are just monitoring activity in and around systems with Ammonia worlds in and around the Bubble, but it is also possible that they have human sympathizers that are aiding them in the current hostilities.
Fortunately, by skill or sheer dumb luck, I managed to lose my ghostly parasite, and just to be safe, I decided to make a bee line back for The Bubble via a route based on data I procured from an odd Spaniard, Pepe, which I traded for with a case of Vermouth. After 173 jumps and just over 8,500 light years, the data proved to be better than I expected as I scanned and mapped 49 more Ammonia worlds for the survey; although, as they had been discovered, scanned, and mapped previously by other explorers, these were just updates to the previous surveys. In addition, I was able to scan and map 4 ELW and over 30 Water worlds.
And I ended up coming across my first Ammonia planets with ring systems in my galactic travels. Just two, but for me, absolutely breath-taking. Deserving of a toast, or two... or three, or four of some fine Scotch.
After turning in 7 pages worth of data, I netted just over 900 million credits and earned my Elite Explorer wings.
I think this calls for a celebration; so, it is back to Karka and Chandler Ring, and a bottle or two of 25-year old Macallan single-malt. Then I have to figure out my next move. Could be that third times the charm when it comes to Syreadiae JX-F c0, but I still cannot shake running from those ghosts in The Black. Who or what are they? Was it just all my in my head?
Cmdr Davinici X