The Moral Maze
25 Aug 2022Silver Taffer
In this notoriously dangerous and unpredictable galaxy, can one afford morals?This is the dilemma I faced recently, admittedly as a result of poor decision making on my part, and the answer to that dilemma I will leave to you, the reader of this sorry tale.
It began with an idea I had following the recent debacle in HIP 22460, and the resurgent threat from the Thargoids. To me it seemed an inevitable consequence that urgent research would be mandatory if we were to counter that threat, and some of the materials required for that research would be corrosive.
Thargoids, right? It’s what they do!
I have a couple of anti-corrosive cargo pods but with their measly 2 ton capacity they weren’t going to be of much use. But although there is a larger version available, it requires the collecting of certain commodities for Tech Brokers to provide them.
The Radiation Baffles and Neofabric Insulation needed were readily available in Taevaisa and LTT 7138, respectively. Not a big deal!
Meta Alloys were another matter. The only marketplace supplying those puppies was at Darnielles Progress in Maia, a bloody long trek and even then there were only a few available at a ruinous cost. Of course there were Fleet Carriers also selling Meta Alloys but their demands made Darnielles Progress’ prices look like a garage sale!
So my best bet if I wanted to avoid bankruptcy was to visit the Thargoid site in Mel 22 Sector ZU-P C5-1 where they quite literally grew on trees! All I needed to do was blast the trees with my SRV plasma cannon and scoop up the Meta Alloys as they fell like overripe fruit. Oh, that and embark on a 1500Ly round trip, but at least it was a sure thing to gather the necessary 16T there and, better still, it was free!
Using ‘Wraith of Arexe’, my explorer built Krait Phantom, was a no-brainer. Not as long ranged as my ExploraConda but, crucially, smaller and more manoeuvrable. Replacing the C5 AMFU with a 5E cargo bay, in addition to the 5E bay already mounted, would give me enough capacity for all my commodity needs without too much restriction in jump range. As long as it was empty of cargo that is! So I figured heading out to Mel 22 Sector for the 16T of Meta Alloys was best done first. Nine jumps was all it took an empty ‘Wraith’ to reach the system containing a Thargoid Site.
Maybe it’s just some weird Gothic predilection on my part but I do enjoy scuttling around these Thargoid bases in my SRV. The bizarre shapes and stark shadows make for an incredibly atmospheric experience, not to say downright spooky at times! Especially when the scavenger drones take an unwelcome interest in your activities but, menacing as they are, they are not immune to a plasma cannon deterrent - and serve the nosy little buggers right!
After an hour’s effort I not only had my 16T of Meta Alloys, but also a gratifying number of Thargoid materials farmed from those scavengers.
So far, so good!
Now laden with that 16T dead weight, ‘Wraith of Arexe’ was reduced in jump range, so the journey to Taevaisa for the Radiation Baffles was extended to eleven jumps, all of which held the added risk of Pirate interdiction, Meta Alloys being a very lucrative resource.
Nerves jangled on every system entry, senses and instincts alert to every potential enemy, all the three inevitable interdiction attempts were detected early and evaded with ease.
Sopwith Arsenal in Taevaisa provided the 22T of Radiation Baffles I needed, so straight on to LTT 7138 and Semwal Synthetics Hold where, so my research informed me, a goodly supply of Neofabric Insulation could be found. And so it was, sufficient at least for my 12T requirements.
Now, this is where bad decision making becomes an issue!
I can only protest that being confined for most of a whole day in either cockpit or SRV meant I was stiff muscled and in need of exercise. That was the root of my ill conceived notion to disembark and explore Semwal Synthetics Hold. I mean, a ship load of hard won or expensive cargo, all I required for a critical module upgrade, and I decide to take a stroll around a high security settlement. Go figure!
Be that as it may, there should have been no drama. I wore my Artemis suit, lightly armed and designed for exploration, better choice than my Maverick raider’s suit, I judged.
Only a score of metres into the settlement I encountered a security guard who was offering a mission and curiosity got the better of me. I wondered what sort of missions were available? Even though I had no intention of taking one having other, more important fish to fry. Another bad decision as it happens!
Before he could lay out the mission another, more senior security guard approached us. In an annoyingly officious tone he ordered the junior guard to submit to a scan.
“Everyone gets checked here, soldier!” He snapped testily, grunting his disappointment when the scan was negative for contraband or bounty.
Then he turned his dyspeptic gaze on me.
“Now for you, stand still and submit to a scan!” He growled.
I stood still and submitted to a scan. After all, I had no contraband, no bounties against me, no negative faction status, what harm could it pose?
The instant the scan completed I knew I was in trouble. The savage triumph on the senior guards face, moments before he lunged for his sidearm, told me that!
Despite my confusion over what could have caused the alarm, I knew instantly that I had two courses of action.
One: I could draw my Tormentor pistol, grade 5 and silenced, stick it under his nose and ruin his whole day! But that meant I would also have to silence the other innocent security guard with extreme prejudice.
Brutal.
So, two: I could run away very fast, cover the twenty-odd metres to my ship, and make myself scarce! This would be the more humane act, even that bumptious arse of a security guard was only doing his job, what justification was there to kill him, let alone his hapless but innocent co-worker?
All this I processed in micro seconds, made an instinctive moral decision and legged it followed by a strident alarm and, of far more concern, plasma bolts from both security guards. My suit shields held until I reached my ship, just!
In a barely controlled panic I fired up the Phantom’s engines and lifted off. Surely I would get out in time?
But, high security settlement, remember? Defences including multiple batteries of ground to air missiles, not to mention my ship designed for deep space reconnaissance and exploration. Meaning paper thin shields and minimal lightweight armour! Recipe for disaster you may think - and you’d be only too right!
The last sound I recall before the RemLok system ejected me from my disintegrating ship was my own voice howling my frustration and anger,
“BASTARDS!!”
In conclusion then, after losing all my cargo so painstakingly collected and facing a tedious repetition in my new replacement Phantom, which still had that distinctive ‘new ship’ smell, did I make the right choice?
One nasty thought occurred to me on reflection; had the apparently innocent junior guard, hurriedly but undetected, planted some contraband on me before being scanned in possession of said dodgy gear?
Alternatively I may have had a long forgotten data breach tucked in the lining of my backpack, I suppose?
Either way, would I have been wiser to say “morals be buggered!” and blast both the guards into the void, hopefully leaving the settlement without alarms and pursuant missiles?
Or was my decision to spare them and take a suicidal risk carrying such potential for disaster the better, more humane choice?
My internal jury is out on that one!
As I said at the beginning of this story, I’ll leave it to you, the reader, to decide for yourself.