What just happened
20 Jun 2024Armagne
07/05/233007:45
I was right about getting back on a starship, it felt so good! Even though I liked piloting one more than just sitting in one as a passenger (or borderline cargo in the case of the Argos transport), it felt good to be in outer space again. We arrived on Vectera yesterday, a moon of Anselon in the Narion system. This was a couple of steps above doing deliveries in NA, though it'll never top my old life... Nope, not going there, that life is over and it's never coming back, so it's no use thinking about it.
09:32
The mine itself contains Beryllium which isn't half bad. I remember folks from the robotics department at MAST were always looking for the stuff, though since we're in Freestar space, I'm guessing it'll go to Akila rather than New Atlantis. The overseer is called Lin and she's a tough cookie. One of the other miners, Heller, seems to be her right hand, and he's alright.
16:47
What. Just. Happened.
Okay, so the overseer admitted that we weren't there for the Beryllium but for a specific item, which I assumed was a rare metal or mineral. But as Lin, Heller and I were closing in on whatever our goal was, Heller got anomalous readings on his scanner. As in, gravitational anomalies. Inside a moon.
At some point Lin told me to move forward and I entered a room which contained a strange metal I had never encountered before, but that wasn't even the weird part. Some pieces were floating still in the air until I touched them and sent them flying towards the cavernous walls, as if they alone were not affected by the local gravity. But the strangest thing was a plate embedded in the strange metal. I was able to cut it loose but as soon as I touched it...
I've experimented with recreational drugs in my youth, but I had never experienced this. It was as if I was flung through the universe, this is what it must feel like to grav jump without a ship. After this... experience... I blacked out.
I woke up inside the outpost's base and was still getting my bearings when an inbound starship was announced. Lin explained that the mysterious client was with the explorers group Constellation. It made sense to me that whatever I uncovered in that cave would be of interest to them but I had never imagined my first meeting with one of them to go down like this. Heller was convinced that Constellation was a myth, and I can't really blame him: people his age have never witnessed their exploits.
Apparently, Barrett - the Constellation client - has had a similar experience touching a similar object on Ka'zaal two years ago. Same experience with a different person, same object in a different system, ... this is just getting weirder by the minute. As Barrett put it, I'm part of this mystery now, and he needs me to come with him to Constellation's headquarters in New Atlantis. Now, as we were talking, we got an inbound vessel warning and Vasco - Barrett's robotic companion - informed us there was a Crimson Fleet ship incoming.
Now, if there's one thing I've learned dealing with the Crimson Fleet, it's that when you can't bribe or bluff your way to freedom, you've got two options: either you take cover and hope for the best, or you shoot them before they get a chance to shoot you. I decided to go with the latter option.
As soon as it landed, I ran into the ship's bay, used my Laser Cutter to burn through the pirates' oxygen tubes and elbowed their visors. Nasty tactics, I know, but these are nasty people.
I took some bullets, sure, but I'll survive, and nobody else got hurt. That's what counts. Now, to find a Med Pack...
17:02
Good thing these Med Packs work in a matter of minutes. Heller patched me up while Lin and Barrett were arguing. As it turns out, Lin wants some collateral for her outbound miner and none other than Barrett himself obliged. I am to make my way to NA myself, but I'm getting Barrett's ship out of the deal. She's a bit out of date but not out of style, this ship - the Frontier. At this point I'd be happy to pilot ANY ship though, and there are way worse alternatives than this nice little Discovery Class starship.
Barrett mentioned something he called "Protocol Indigo" but Vasco assured me that it just means to get our behinds (metal or otherwise) to Constellation HQ as fast as we can - no detours unless absolutely necessary.
After a round of hugs I'm off to the stars, but not before playing around with this little beauty to get used to her.
This is going to be fun.