First Encounter
01 Apr 2024SawbonesEDM
31 March 3310When I had gotten my Commander’s license, I was ecstatic that I’d be able to finally help my family pay off their debts and ensure we have a bright future. However, that quickly changed just after the certification was complete. The Pilot’s Federation had informed me that my home system was attacked by the Thargoids. I held onto some hope that my family made it out, but they didn’t. They ran into a Basilisk while trying to escape and it ripped through their hull.
I had lost everything, my home, my family, and friends. There was no choice but to become an interstellar wanderer, hoping one day to have the chance to kill as many Thargoids as I could and avenge all that I had lost while protecting others from that some fate.
With enough trading and exploring, I managed to scrape enough credits together to buy a Cobra MK III. I haven’t given her a name yet; I don’t even know what to call her. I’ve been using her to get some combat experience, just petty criminals here and there, nothing major. That is, until today.
Today, I found myself being welcomed into a squadron. They were going to strike back at the Thargoids invading the Warnones system. I was too far to jump with them, so I met them there. They asked me what I had and if I had engineered my Cobra. “Unfortunately, no, not yet, but I do have some AX weapons,” I told them. They recommended I stay back and provide support with limpets.
As I was in hyperspace heading towards Warnones, I got interdicted. I was unsure what had happened, but that’s when I saw them. Four Thargoid Scouts. Outgunned and outnumbered I started evasive maneuvers until my FSD cooled down. I jumped into the system as a caustic missile hit me. Losing hull integrity, I made my way to the conflict zone, only to be interdicted again. This time, the shock had mostly worn off and I immediately started evasive maneuvers.
Upon entering the conflict zone, I was greeted by five Pilot's Federation pilots, a decontamination limpet, the rest of my wing, two other commanders, and a whole mess of Thargoids. The plan was to hang back for support, but my desire for revenge was winning. I teamed up with two of the PF pilots and chased after Scouts, and then the Cyclopes. When the battle calmed down, we received an FSD alert; a Hydra decided to show up due to losses. My desire for revenge had now taken over and a new bloodlust founded. I unloaded everything I had into the Hydra; blinded by the bloodlust, I ignored the Scouts, leaving them for the PF pilots and other commanders while my wing focused the Hydra with me. Everything went silent, my ship had been hit with a shockwave. I sat there motionless in the cold void, angrily watching the battle and itching to get back into it for what seemed like an eternity; nowhere near the eternity of hell I will give the Thargoids with my own hands for taking everything away from me. The battle had moved a several kilometers away from me by the time my power came back on. I put all power into my engines and boosted towards the Hydra, continuing to unload what I had. I ran out of missiles and only had a few reloads left in my gun before I'd have to switch to my normal weapons. The Hydra turned towards me and opened fire; I heard a crack as my wing drew its fire back to them. My canopy shattered, forcing my life support system to kick on as I fell back to a good range, refusing to leave the battle until I saw the death of the Hydra with my own eyes. A bright and beautiful explosion appeared in the distance, followed by cheers on the radio when the lifeless hull of the Hydra drifted into the black.
I quickly raced back to the wing's Fleet Carrier; by the time I had made it back, I had one minute of life support and my hull was at three percent integrity. I don't know how I survived that battle, but my wing mates called me crazy for getting in there with those monsters with nothing more than basic AX weaponry, a non-engineered Cobra, little combat experience, and having never encountered Thargoids before. Perhaps it was all luck, or perhaps something guided my ship to keep me alive, I'm not sure, but I am sure that I will have my revenge.