This is captain John Adalwulf Boulevard of the Jomsviking. I was caught in an ION storm moving alien artifacts through the New York system to Manhattan today.
When the storm cleared and systems resumed I found my ship had drifted off the grid during the disruption - over 130K out from the Badlands. I set an auto-pilot course, engaged cruise engines and began a systems diagnostic.
Around 70K covered, still off-grid, long range scanners picked something up about 8K off course. It looked like a gate and several vessels.
I disengaged autopilot and redirected to investigate. When the vessels should have been in sight there was nothing. The gate had disappeared. Eight craft still showed on my scanners. But I couldn't see anything.
I disengaged cruise engines and engaged thrusters until I was right on top of the reading. Everything was perfectly still. Then stars themselves began to swarm like wasps. It was ... some kind of an illusion. Those "stars"... were camouflaged craft - not of human design. I was in an ambush.
Jomsviking's shields took the brunt of the fire but her hull was damaged. Rather than risking my full cargo of artifacts I disengaged and resumed original course, diverting all power to the cruise engines. By the grace of God Almighty I escaped with my life.
I managed to scan one of the ships as Jomsviking I made her retreat. I've never seen anything like it - her system could hardly make sense of it, and neither can I. Were these the designers of the artifacts I was carrying?
I'm still not sure what exactly happened out there - what I saw... what saw me.
I've saved the co-ordinates of the encounter to my navmap. For now, Jomsviking needs repairs before we hit the trade lanes again. A bit of business will take my mind off the matter until I am better prepared to investigate.
The Vierlande chaplains always said the mercy of God won't save us from the justice of man. They were right. I needed hackers for that.
Met a man in a bar who had connections to Rheinland police. We came to an understanding. I'm not proud of it. But my record is clean now. A new reputation for nothing more than a few dirty credits, and a bruised conscience... Lord, forgive me. That which I hate, I keep on doing.
I've contracted some work with Republican Shipping. I traded in that Serenity class Bretonian transport for an RT-41-PFT Uruz. Moving a lot more product, and within Rheinland which I find pleasing.
Chaplain Muller sent grim tidings. Two of my former cellmates in Vierlande tried to escape the complex in a transport cargo pod. The temperature drop as the ship entered space killed them in moments. I do not forget the insanity of that place. What desperate and deadly temptations it provokes...
I will stop by the church on New Berlin soon for communion with the saints. Without hearing the grace of the gospel of Christ regularly, I fear what affections I may resume.