Its been five years since the Sargassian threat was eliminated. After the CSMC Valhalla was destroyed I got reassigned to the CSMC Impossible World, an OGST funded scientific research ship investigating some interesting tech found on the other side of the recently-charted Relay 869.
We are en-route through said relay.
As you already know, relay travel sucks. Fortunately, we drop out today. Well. I say today, I mean, within the next 10 galactic standard hours.
Anyway, seems to me to be pretty basic research, Im not even on the science team Im just here to man the ARM. Im not really sure why a science vessel needs an ARM, seeing as they are only really important in combat, but they paid an absurd amount of credits for this ship and for my services. (Naturally after the Sargassian threat I was a bloody hero, and could name my price. That was a funny story really, I didn't want the job so I jokingly said a stupidly high price. They accepted it without hesitating.)
Anyway, Ive not had nearly as much time on this ships ARM as on the Valhalla so its systems are severely lacking. Hell I havn't even installed a VI yet. Most of my time on this ship has been in-relay so I've been unable to implement or even test any of the improvements I've thought of. But, we drop out soon, so I need to get into my transition harness.
--
Drop-out was normal, no problems. Didnt think there would be but the old Relays sometimes have strange issues when first beginning to be re-used. Theres a small station anchored to the tech. Looks a lot like the relays, probably built by the same things. Its not as large but something seems... more... elegant about it. So far it seems the thing is even more incomprehensible than the relays. Will know more after the first science team reports back. Until then, Ill be implementing my add-ons.
--
So, the science team are utterly baffled. They think they turned the thing on, but nothing has happened. From Impossible World's ARM I can see that absurdly large amounts of power are gathering in the device and I am somewhat worried. I have created significant shield boosts to compensate in the event of explosion or projected energy weapon. Though if this device is anywhere on the same scale as the Relays, as it certainly seems to be, I doubt it will make much difference.
Whoever built this device did not do things by half measures.
--
CSMC 1282910-KJ4 "Impossible World" Adaptive Repurposement Module Interface Suite: Its targeted us. At this point in time, the amount of energy inside is astronomical. Im not sure I believe the instruments anymore, but thats aside the point. A single UV targeting laser is locked onto the ship.
All evasive maneuvers have so far failed to shake it.
I am working on scrambling add ons, but I dont think it will work. It was originally an IR laser but when I tuned the shields to block it it just shifted to UV.
--
We are bee-lining to Relay 869 now that the science team is back on board. Hopefully we can enter FTL before it does whatever the hell its going to do.
--
Nope.
--
Slowly, I manage to force my eyes open. Instinctively, I do my bodily-health check. Everything seems to be at least functional. Everything hurts, so probably not dead.
"All right" I say aloud to no one in particular. (Though in my current state it comes out somewhat more like "urllrrrt.") "Next check, surroundings." (Nrt chrr, srrndngs")
I swivel my head.
Im on a stone.
In an open sky.
Out in the open air.
Breathing air. (Hopefully oxygen, as yet unconfirmed)
What.
I blink my eyes several times.
Still there.
What.
I just sit there, staring blankly at the sky for some time.
Finally, I begin to muster the strength to stand.
After a long and embarrassing process, I raise myself to a kneel.
Im on the edge of a precipice. Below me is absolutely nothing.
I dont just mean open air with some ground far down below.
I just mean open air.
Im on a floating rock.
Even more what.
I look around me. The smoking remains of bits of the engineering interface suite are around me. Nothing else of the ship is in sight.
Presumably it fell off the rock.
So much what.
Again, I stare blankly for several more minutes.
Finally, I drag together enough coherent thought to begin working out what happened.
So, the thing gathered an absurd amount of energy.
I have no idea (And neither does anyone else) what said thing does.
Said thing targets my ship. I am unable to shake it.
Said thing discharges all of aforementioned energy, hitting the broad side of the ship. (Right through my shields, I added with some annoyance)
The ship seems to be ripped apart, I blacked out.
I woke up alone in the wreck of the engineering interface room on a rock floating on nothing in a breathable atmosphere.
The Relay 869 system has no planets.
The travel time through the relay is 11 months.
I would not survive 11 months asleep.
There is no other relay in that system.
Relay travel ruled out.
Only viable hypothesis: said device put me here.
"That function is not possible" I say aloud, again to no one in particular.
I sigh, gather what I can from the wreck, and begin to look around this place to see where the hell I am.
--
(@Naelwyn @Michcat Yep. You said anything.)
We are en-route through said relay.
As you already know, relay travel sucks. Fortunately, we drop out today. Well. I say today, I mean, within the next 10 galactic standard hours.
Anyway, seems to me to be pretty basic research, Im not even on the science team Im just here to man the ARM. Im not really sure why a science vessel needs an ARM, seeing as they are only really important in combat, but they paid an absurd amount of credits for this ship and for my services. (Naturally after the Sargassian threat I was a bloody hero, and could name my price. That was a funny story really, I didn't want the job so I jokingly said a stupidly high price. They accepted it without hesitating.)
Anyway, Ive not had nearly as much time on this ships ARM as on the Valhalla so its systems are severely lacking. Hell I havn't even installed a VI yet. Most of my time on this ship has been in-relay so I've been unable to implement or even test any of the improvements I've thought of. But, we drop out soon, so I need to get into my transition harness.
--
Drop-out was normal, no problems. Didnt think there would be but the old Relays sometimes have strange issues when first beginning to be re-used. Theres a small station anchored to the tech. Looks a lot like the relays, probably built by the same things. Its not as large but something seems... more... elegant about it. So far it seems the thing is even more incomprehensible than the relays. Will know more after the first science team reports back. Until then, Ill be implementing my add-ons.
--
So, the science team are utterly baffled. They think they turned the thing on, but nothing has happened. From Impossible World's ARM I can see that absurdly large amounts of power are gathering in the device and I am somewhat worried. I have created significant shield boosts to compensate in the event of explosion or projected energy weapon. Though if this device is anywhere on the same scale as the Relays, as it certainly seems to be, I doubt it will make much difference.
Whoever built this device did not do things by half measures.
--
CSMC 1282910-KJ4 "Impossible World" Adaptive Repurposement Module Interface Suite: Its targeted us. At this point in time, the amount of energy inside is astronomical. Im not sure I believe the instruments anymore, but thats aside the point. A single UV targeting laser is locked onto the ship.
All evasive maneuvers have so far failed to shake it.
I am working on scrambling add ons, but I dont think it will work. It was originally an IR laser but when I tuned the shields to block it it just shifted to UV.
--
We are bee-lining to Relay 869 now that the science team is back on board. Hopefully we can enter FTL before it does whatever the hell its going to do.
--
Nope.
--
Slowly, I manage to force my eyes open. Instinctively, I do my bodily-health check. Everything seems to be at least functional. Everything hurts, so probably not dead.
"All right" I say aloud to no one in particular. (Though in my current state it comes out somewhat more like "urllrrrt.") "Next check, surroundings." (Nrt chrr, srrndngs")
I swivel my head.
Im on a stone.
In an open sky.
Out in the open air.
Breathing air. (Hopefully oxygen, as yet unconfirmed)
What.
I blink my eyes several times.
Still there.
What.
I just sit there, staring blankly at the sky for some time.
Finally, I begin to muster the strength to stand.
After a long and embarrassing process, I raise myself to a kneel.
Im on the edge of a precipice. Below me is absolutely nothing.
I dont just mean open air with some ground far down below.
I just mean open air.
Im on a floating rock.
Even more what.
I look around me. The smoking remains of bits of the engineering interface suite are around me. Nothing else of the ship is in sight.
Presumably it fell off the rock.
So much what.
Again, I stare blankly for several more minutes.
Finally, I drag together enough coherent thought to begin working out what happened.
So, the thing gathered an absurd amount of energy.
I have no idea (And neither does anyone else) what said thing does.
Said thing targets my ship. I am unable to shake it.
Said thing discharges all of aforementioned energy, hitting the broad side of the ship. (Right through my shields, I added with some annoyance)
The ship seems to be ripped apart, I blacked out.
I woke up alone in the wreck of the engineering interface room on a rock floating on nothing in a breathable atmosphere.
The Relay 869 system has no planets.
The travel time through the relay is 11 months.
I would not survive 11 months asleep.
There is no other relay in that system.
Relay travel ruled out.
Only viable hypothesis: said device put me here.
"That function is not possible" I say aloud, again to no one in particular.
I sigh, gather what I can from the wreck, and begin to look around this place to see where the hell I am.
--
(@Naelwyn @Michcat Yep. You said anything.)
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