A mysterious broadcast
26 May 2024Omiskull
Author's note: I'm not that good of a writer, but I decided to take a stab at the logbook entries. Accessing archival logs from TNX-G7G...
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100%, log retrieved with code TmV3IENvbnRhY3Q=.
Welcome, CMDR Omiskull.
Beginning log playback "A mysterious broadcast"...
April 23rd, 3310
After having returned to The Skylark from an eventful scouting trip of the Trojan Belt, I decided to open a bottle of Centauri Mega Gin for myself... having found some undiscovered systems near a barely visited planetary nebula is something to celebrate about if you've been out in the black for several months with not much. As I was about to have a drink, Stuart bust into my quarters looking at me with a massive grin on his face. For a man of science who's always tapping away on his computer in the laboratory, I've never seen him this happy. Deciding to share a glass of gin with him, I decided to ask him why he was in such a good mood today.
He picked up a strange signal originating from many, many light-years away. He didn't have an estimate at the time, but we're looking into this as I speak. So far, the signal seems to be coming from the Formidine Rift. I have never been there myself, but this could warrant investigation once we decode the signal fully. It seems very alien in make, but nothing like what the Thargoids have produced.
April 25th, 3310
One day after my birthday, we have decoded the signal. And it's location is actually much, much further than the Formidine Rift. After several cups of coffee and several hiccups in the decoding process, we've determined that it is actually coming all the way from the Triangulum Galaxy. Further decoding it, there was also a binary message hidden inside of the signal.
The binary isn't perfect, as whoever, or whatever sent this message is clearly not familiar with binary, but it roughly translates to: "We visit you soon with peace intentions".
Is there truly life out there despite the hostile Thargoids and long-extinct Guardians? And why from the Triangulum Galaxy? We lack the technology as a species to reach that galaxy quickly; even with the FSD drive, there is no possible way for us to get there. If it is a friendly species, perhaps we can form relations with them. And if it is a hostile species, well, we don't know how screwed we are until they eventually arrive. I'm going to send out a signal to them, perhaps I can form a sort of 'correspondence' with our potential xeno 'friend'. That, or it's someone playing a cruel prank on us.
I hope for the former.
April 29th, 3310
Stuart advised me that I send the correspondence signal out from my ship in a location 1,000ly away from my carrier as to not potentially put me and the entire crew in danger. He is right, even if the sender is 2 million light years away, we cannot take any risks. I plotted a course towards Hypaa Pruae MX-B d13-8 and parked my ship on body A 2, making sure to have my ship facing the Triangulum Galaxy. Because of how slow signals take to travel across space, we should be expecting a reply within a week or a month. I did leave the coordinates of a known spot I like to frequent out in the black because of how pretty it is in my transmission, so I could receive the signal at that time when I visit it next. And if that doesn't work, I'm gonna pay top credit to get one of the engineers to put better sensors on The Skylark.
I don't want the Federation, Empire or Alliance finding out about what I'm doing. While the Pilot's Federation is secretive, the other 3 factions might not take kindly to me communicating with xenos like this, especially given the Thargoid war that's been happening. I best keep this work in the black and tell anybody on board my carrier that this little project stays in the carrier, and does not leave it, even when we're back in the bubble to stock up on food and other essentials.
Ending playback...
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Safe travels, CMDR Omiskull.