Greetings Commanders - o7!Part (1)As a new
RAdm I was commisioned by the Federal Navy to investigate the ruins of
HD 63154 - B 3 A for technologies the federation could use. Command had noted increased traffic activity in the area, considering how far from the bubble it is, they suspected Imperial incursion into the area.
Times are fraught and Command needed to know more, so they sent me.
Due to the sensitive political nature of these Ancient Ruins, I was not to be provided with a federal ship, so I used a commercially registerd vessel - the
"Troubled Wake"Initial Commander Report (ICR)RAdm. ZETERON Federal Navy(ICR) #3306.xx.xxAfter discovering the Ancient Ruins on the First moon of the 3rd Body, I set the Trouble Wake down as close as I dared. Its an errie planet, it feels like I have walked into a last refuge or last stand off.
While exceptionally dead and done some thousands of years ago, it feels as though something it boiling under the surface.
(ICR) #3306.xx.xxDusting off the old SRV I ventured further into the ruins, surprised at the amount of structure that has lasted over 8,000 years. Driving around I discovered Relic towers breaking up from the ground in a rumble. Taken a back by this I nearly missed the internal alarm of the SRV that I was under attack from an ancient drone weapon.
(ICR) #3306.xx.xxClearing out the drones with the SRV blasters from the ruins I discoverd 2 further Relics, but thats not the only thing I found. At the center of this structure is a machine or factory of sorts. I set about analysing and discovered, quite by accident, 6 Power / Data pylons that broke from the grounds surface within the ruins.
Something indeed stirs beneath the surface.
The intensity of the Drone attacks continued, I dispatched them as quickly as I could, with the
Trouble Wake close by using its powerul point defense turrets destroying the drones missiles the moment they launched.
At this time Federal Command, I surmise that these drones are either part of a large ancient cache or manufactured on site by the machine at the center of the ruins.
(ICR) #3306.xx.xxAfter powering up the Data/Power pylons, I used the SRV's blasters - who would of thought that was compatible eh? but I suppose that beats running cables from
Troubled Wake to power them. I placed a Relic at the center, in front of the machine, since the Relic looks like a power crystal and fits exactly the apature.
It certainly was a guess, and I am sure that some entity somewhere forsaw a moment when a hairless ape smashes a hexagonal crystal in a small apature.Then there was a deafening rumbling and humming from the machine ahead of me... a light show of Plasma and Electricity arced all around, I am glad I was in the SRV and not on foot at this point. After what seemed an age, appearing from within the center of the machine a large floating glowing metalic orb appeared, about the size of a Nav Beacon.
Using the SRV Data Link I scanned as much as I could before it retreated back to the safety of the machines innards. What a treasure I recieved, so much data, combined with some of the artifacts and additional data scans, my mission is a success!
Internal TroublesI got back to the
Troubled Wake and was instantly met with a
critical power failure, all systems shuting down..
Only 21 minutes of life support -
I am so pleased I bought that A grade Life Support and sacrficed some jump distance!But why, I had over 16 hours of fuel, perhaps the Power Plant was over taxed with the duration I was at the ruins, perhaps a fuel leak? did I leave the coffee machine on again?. I raked my brains trying to think what it might of been as the ship was checked at the Space Dock some 400 Light Years ago - nothing like this was noted.
But without fuel and without power, I had barely enough to fire off a communication to some old friends
The Fuel Rats.
Using an old style communication portal, I had just enough power left in the life support system to send out a distress call.
I managed to get to the dispatch communicator and with that I was assigned a
RAT - Commander Yuri Voskov -
In the mean time I was able to gimble a power burst from the shield batteries of the 2 SRV's stored in thier bay. This was a one shot thing, wasn't sure if this would blow the condiut, the SRV's chemical batteries or feedback to the Fusion Plant.... I was Desperate.
I used this single burst of power to implement a
Zero Horizon Gravity Bounce Inversion ( ZH-GBI ) technique - ( Refer to your Pilots Training Manual if you cannot remember that one. It was something my old gunner Nomna told me... well it was more like, you didn't RTFM did you? ).
After firing the power from the SRV's shield cell batteries into the ships main shield capacitor and FSD bank - the inverse gravitational push managed to get the Troubled Wake into orbit - albiet a rapidly decaying one... Success!!. I will take it! But as a mental note - I am going to really need some Nickel and probably two new SRV's.
So the manouver puts the
"Troubled Wake" a fair few kilometers from the moons surface but not out of its gravity, and with absolutely no power the ship is falling to the moon.
Only 16 minutes of Life Support leftAround 15 Minutes before moon impact... I marveled at my cleverness, only to realise that its now only a race and the victor equals the same result.
Within 10 minutes
Commander Yuri Yoskov arrived, started refueling proceedures, and then the Power Plant of the Troubled Wake came alive, she had been losing altitude rapidly to the moon - and without shields, thrusters or power - there was only going to be one outcome if I didn't suffocate first.
Commander Yuri Yoskov saved my life, my ship and the whole expidition!!
Thank you Commander Yuri Yoskov - o7 Galactic Civilization(ICR) #3306.xx.xxAfter making it back to civilization, I manged to decypher the data that had been found with the help of a local technology broker. We discovered a module that can be built extending the ships jump ranged, upto 10 Light Years!
I also discovered that the power failure of my ship
"Trouble Wake" was no accident or oversight on my part, but active sabotage.
I contacted Fleet Command with my discoveries and was informed that, along with the data I provided, it confirmed that a criminal gang operating from the
Robigo System has been trading in stolen Ancient Guardian artifacts and are the culprits behind the sabotage of the
Troubled Wake.
I was able to maintain my cover, as an unfortunate Xeno Archologist Dr. I Jones, from Terra Firma - provided the papers the Federal Navy aquired for me.
Since then - I finished my initial report to command and commenced my return journey to
GCRV 1568 for a full debrifing, additional repairs and some R & R amongst the 'roids to pick up Nickel of all things.
However this time, it was a fair fewer jumps now that I have access to a
5H Guardian FSD Booster!