Lost Souls 3 Expedition Log - 33080714
17 Jul 2022XpressioN
Emergency - Red Alert
Objective mission accomplished. I reached the Livingstone Point, a system I long wanted to visit. So it's now written in my codex. Time to start cranking that hyperdrive and head back to WP14. This was going to take some time and using NSH in order to reduce the time taken. I'm not sure whether I'll be back in time for the mass jump. I'm calculating a couple of days, and this Sunday they will organise a meetup. The organisers already announced the new POIs and WP15. Apart from that I've got my own POIs don't I, so that will take that little extra.
I used the same route to get back to first neutron star and start my journey. Used both jumponium and fuel fuming in some cases. The later is something I just learned from a friend of mine. Extreme care must be taken otherwise you might end up without fuel and it's definitely not recommended to get into trouble at this part of the galaxy. My next POI was Gongae QW-L c24-0 (Dreamer Blush) - A magnificent ringed glowing green gas giant with deep purple clouds in the Kepler's Crest region. It bright colours shine on the dark velvet of space of this interarm region. Land near Silicate Vapour Geyser om planet 2 b a for an astounding and colorful view. This scenery is known for renewing the inspiration and dreams of any tired explorer.
I simply loved these GGGGs and like a cherry on a cake, a couple of systems away, there was another one with similar views. Wasn't planning to go, but why not? In my home town where I was born, there was an expression: ‘if we are going to fry an egg, we might as well fry two.’ So I targeted the system which was only 2.2kLy away and reached it in just under an hour. The system Pheia Aewsy LV-Y d11 B4 - a Class 1 Gas Giant situated in the secondary star cluster.
I was enjoying myself exploring these GGGGs and spent a couple of hours admiring such intoxicating colours. I was approximately 11kLy away from my WP14 and time was really running up for the meetup. I might make it if I use the NSH. I said to myself. It was midnight and I had a day and a half to reach the system. This implied that I had to be faster and to it in less than twenty hours.
When I was about to hit the FSD, I received a distress signal. It was quite unusual to get them here. I thought someone in the vicinity was in danger, perhaps one of my friends. I checked the distance and location of the originator and found out it was only 7kLy, and was coming from the Bubble. Didn't realised I was less than 10kLy away from home. Wasn't actually caring about current news, however I opened the Galnet news and, wow, the Thargoids are attacking the bubble once again. There was this Azimuth's saga that seems have sparked a lot of tensions with regards to Thargoids. Prominent figures on the political stage have commented on Salvation’s anti-xeno operation in the HIP 22460 system. Apparently superpowers capital ships where involved in defending Salvation while preparing a superweapon to annihilate the entire Thargoid race.
I started receiving messages from a couple of old friends, specialising in anti-xeno. They insisted to get there asap and help them fighting the Thargoids back. Couldn't say no to such a request, even so when I knew millions of civilians were getting killed. Plans to reach WP14 went up in fumes, and had no other way but to jump back to the bubble.
I instructed the captain of my fleet carrier to jump to the nearest system near HIP 22460 and prepare all my AX ships. I managed to arrive there in less than ten hours and the hunt started immediately after the debriefing from the AX capital ships. The fight was quite intensive with the capital ships using specialised AX weaponry to eliminate Scouts and exert Interceptor's hearts. It was a hell of a fight and many CMDRs got injured.
I spent a couple of days there, non stop battling the Thargoids. It was quite tough but the rewards were incredible. In just four days I netted 2 Billion credits from Combat Bonds.
The Galnet news published the following report from Vox Galactica. It has published an on-site account from the HIP 22460 system, where a coalition fleet is engaged in combat with the Thargoids.
“This is Jade Sanderlyn reporting for Vox Galactica. I’ve been in HIP 22460 over the past two weeks, and during this time the system has been transformed into a ferocious battleground.”
“Naval and independent craft are fighting side by side against the biomechanical nightmares that are Thargoid vessels. Many brave pilots have lost their lives to the aliens’ firepower, several of whom I spoke to only hours before. The official casualty numbers are climbing rapidly. But so far the coalition is holding the line.”
“The Bright Sentinel is at the eye of the storm, aboard which high concentrations of Guardian devices are being prepared for integration with the Proteus Wave device on HIP 22460 10b. We know little about this superweapon’s properties, considering its origins stem from the technology of a long-extinct civilisation. Perhaps only Salvation can claim such an understanding. But he is certainly not willing to share his unique knowledge, since it has placed all three superpowers at his beck and call.”
“Despite the constant danger, most personnel I’ve spoken to are optimistic. There is a sense of comradeship, of humanity working together against a common enemy. But among them are those who view Salvation as untrustworthy at best, and a mass murderer at worst. Some pilots have even mounted a resistance campaign against Azimuth, convinced that it is the cause of the Thargoids’ aggression rather than the solution.”
“This mirrors the results of a recent study by Orion University into public sentiment towards Salvation’s grand plan. The campaign in HIP 22460 enjoys general social network support from users fatigued by this years-long war, particularly following Salvation’s claims of complete victory. Others remain sceptical of Salvation, citing concerns over the Proteus Wave’s future as well as historical crimes committed by Azimuth personnel. A small demographic, recently given a voice by popular ICE creator Joy Senne, has suggested that Salvation’s influence has actively prevented efforts to communicate with the Thargoids, dashing hopes of a diplomatic solution to the conflict.”
“Could HIP 22460 really be the final battle of the Second Thargoid War? Many combat pilots here are convinced that Salvation can achieve this, and are willing to die for his cause. Right now, we can only wait and hope that their continued sacrifices are worthwhile.”
“This is Jade Sanderlyn for Vox Galactica. Stay safe out there.”
Fighting Thargoids was never for the faint hearted. I almost ended up quite bad with a couple of times having to retreat with less than 10% hull damage. We were a group of Elite commanders specialised in AX and worked as a team to eliminate the threat. The fight is still ongoing and needless to say I wanted to finish what I've started. I wanted to head back to the LS3 expedition and get it done. There's only a couple of weeks left, and will get back full time hunting Thargoids, Our hope is that this Salvation will accomplish what he promised and will end this war once and for all. o7