Well that didn't take long
09 Feb 2017Tagz
Only a few days in Apathaam and I've already managed to become an "Outsider" to the Imperial Navy, get on the bad side of the locals, and nearly have to float my way back to Reamy Dock.One thing I have to say about the Imperial Navy. They always let you know where you stand with them. Well, at least so long as you're on their good side that is.
"Outsider"... I'm an Imperial citizen for crying out loud. Just insulting if you ask me. Whatever, it's just a step along the road. And to be fair, I haven't spent more then a few days at a time in Imperial space for the past three years. Coming home is never easy.
The Order of Mobius. They seem like decent fellows for the most part. But there's an investigator here on Reamy Dock that's got it in for me. I think he sees me only doing work for the Empire and figures I'm some sort of rabble-rouser or political dissident trying to overturn the power structure or some other such nonsense. Take all the looks you want at my cargo Officer Cabwrought, you won't find anything that isn't supposed to be there.
Unless he puts it there. That's a scary thought. He doesn't strike me as the type though. Too hard to be crooked when you have a stick that size jammed up your backside.
I may need to get myself another ship. The Wanderlust is a great vessel for exploring in, doing a few small data runs, etc, but it handles like a tug-boat in a bathtub when it comes to combat. I bring this up because I nearly had to bail out on her just yesterday. I answered a distress call. Not being a selfish prick was my first mistake. The second was... well I'm not really sure to be honest. It all happened so fast. I dropped in, saw a Type 7 asking for help. Then I see the pirates. Four of them. All in Cobra III's or Sidewinders. I figure if I take out the Cobras real fast I could deal with the Sidewinders at a leisure, then wave bye to their escape pods with a smug look on my face. Boy was I wrong. I pick out what I figured was their leader and let him have it with my my multi-cannons. They start to pelt me with laser fire, so naturally I drop some chaff in case they were using gimbaled or turreted weapons. Except it didn't deploy. I glance at the console and it reads Damaged/Malfunction. Oh crap. Then the shield drops. I was sure I had plenty of energy left in it but out it went. Then all sorts of systems start failing left and right and with my shield out they're making short work of me. I decide I have little choice but to jump away and abandon the Type 7 to it's fate. The countdown to jump out of the system finishes at the exact moment the computer announces that the drives have failed. I closed my eyes expecting to either to be a sitting duck about to be shot into oblivion, or maybe just explode outright from a hyperdrive engine engaging while the drives are failing. To my surprise neither happened, I was shunted into witch space and spat out the other end where I made a dead stop.
I thanked the stars that I made it while I fired up my AFM to start repairing the drives. My hull was down to 6% integrity. A few more hits and I'd have been in my OWN escape pod, watching a bunch of pirates make their own smug faces at me.
As I sat waiting for my drives and shields to be fixed and rebooted it occurred to me that I once heard of a pulse laser that could make modules malfunction.
Anyhow, I limped back to Reamy to get the Wanderlust serviced and repaired. I'm sure I could retrofit her, turn her into a formidable little warship, but I just can't seem to make myself. I took so much pride in building her into a great long range explorer. I can't just erase all that. Besides, if anything happens to her the insurance is nearly 2mil. I should get myself another ship. Something smaller, faster. Something I can eject out of and not feel so much pain in the wallet.
Shouldn't be a problem, I have plenty of credits for another ship.
Wait, that was ME that just said that right? The day just keeps getting stranger.