05-24-2021, 08:18 PM
CAPTAIN'S LOG
- Captain - Comandante Fiorella Arianna de Marco
- Affiliation - Guardia Svizzera, Wenceslau Cartel, De Marco Clan, Malta
- Vessel - MNS Amalfi, RM-2A 'Storta'-class destroyer
Pages: 1 2
05-24-2021, 08:18 PM
05-24-2021, 08:26 PM
YAESE RESEARCH STATION - 1/3
23/05/828 - After we were forced to withdraw after our damage sustained in the Tau 37 against Gallic forces, we fled through Kusari to Sigma 19 to take our route back to Omicron Beta. We encountered some hostiles in Honshu, so we were forced to take detour through Okinawa System and sneak through it to Sigma 59 where we can hopefully sneak past our pursuers to Sigma 19. With my damaged vessels I was not risking another enounters until it's fully repaired again.
At 2100 - When we were sneaking through dark Aniva Nebula and navigating in slow speed to avoid all those large rocks - we have detected an installation floating near planet Toyohara. As we haven't got any base in here in our databases - I've sounded red alert and prepared damaged cruiser for last stand.
Fortunately for us, station wasn't sending any locking signals at us and there were no signs of powering up shields or weapons. I immediately withdrew cruiser back into the clouds and waited, powering off all unnecessary systems down and just listening to our passive sensors while hiding within dark clouds.
After roughly half an hour of waiting, I've decided to launch a probe towards the base and get readings on what is happening. First probe was lost in the Ania Nebula, second one managed to home on station, take some readings and return back. From what we've learned - station was seemingly abandoned, not responding to the presence of our probe and not transmitting any hails. From few recordings we've recorded - base was damaged.
At 2135 - I've ordered Amalfi to slowly approach the station. Even while we are damaged and not operating at full capacity - I decided to investigate this deserted facility for any useful information we might find.
From its automated transmitters - it's name was Yaese Research Station. I've sent a request to our database and there are no records of such installation in our files. Maybe other Maltese factions know about it, but we are unable to reach out to NeuroNET through the nebula.
Base suffered damage from some unknown cause - our sensors aren't precise enough to tell whether it was caused by gunfire or onboard accident. We also had issues scanning the base as our scanners weren't able to pierce through its shielded hull. Power was running low and life support looked compromised at several decks, but installation looked structuraly sound enough to be worth investigating.
At 2141 - We've sent request to dock - which was approved, but as we maneuvered our cruiser at the mooring point and its mechanism was not responding. As we are not fitted with any snubfighters - we don't have a docking bays to launch and recover them - there was not an option of using them to get some small team aboard the station.
At 2155 - As we were discussing our options, few men volunteered for an EVA operation to get into the station. Conditions were dangerous - a lot of charged debris was floating through this nebula along with increased radiation levels, but they were not discouraged. Our course of action was to carefully monitor patters of floating debris and launch our EVA operation when there were no debris inbound. Using our guns to intercept rocky debris was not an option.
At 2332 - Our EVA team finally managed to get aboard the installation. We've almost lost one man who only closely managed to evade one of those charged flying rocks and we have to recall them two times, but we were eventually successful. Thick plating of the facility prevented us from communicating with our team, so all we could do is to wish them luck as they entered darkened space hulk.
In the meantime - I've assembled another two squads of marines to sweep through the facility once we've managed to activate mooring mechanism from inside.
At 0000, 24/05/828 - After a long and tense waiting - mooring mechanism finally activated and our vessel was secured. As the airlock doors opened my marines were greeted by our EVA team - all were good and healthy. Two squads of marines proceeded to sweep the abandoned facility while our heroes were took into the medbay to received treatment for all those rads they've received as they were floating in the nebula.
At 0400 - Yaese Research Station was searched by my men. Station is abandoned and there are no signs of previous crew. All the computer systems are either locked or erased, which meant that we had no clue about what happened in here. Their portable scanners haven't found any life signs aboard the station. There is a slight problem, however.
We will have to stay here a little longer as two of our marines - A. Sanchez and J. Picani have not returned. Their squad members weren't aware of their disappearance until it was too late. Attempts with contacting them through radio wasn't successful and our ship scanners weren't able to find them either. The only option is to send another men in there. I don't really like this, but as our vessel is not in imminent danger - there is no excuse for not trying to find them. Besides, no Maltese will be ever left behind.
I've set a watch at the airlock and gave my marines a four hours rest before we assemble our seach parties again.
At 2100 - When we were sneaking through dark Aniva Nebula and navigating in slow speed to avoid all those large rocks - we have detected an installation floating near planet Toyohara. As we haven't got any base in here in our databases - I've sounded red alert and prepared damaged cruiser for last stand.
Fortunately for us, station wasn't sending any locking signals at us and there were no signs of powering up shields or weapons. I immediately withdrew cruiser back into the clouds and waited, powering off all unnecessary systems down and just listening to our passive sensors while hiding within dark clouds.
After roughly half an hour of waiting, I've decided to launch a probe towards the base and get readings on what is happening. First probe was lost in the Ania Nebula, second one managed to home on station, take some readings and return back. From what we've learned - station was seemingly abandoned, not responding to the presence of our probe and not transmitting any hails. From few recordings we've recorded - base was damaged.
At 2135 - I've ordered Amalfi to slowly approach the station. Even while we are damaged and not operating at full capacity - I decided to investigate this deserted facility for any useful information we might find.
From its automated transmitters - it's name was Yaese Research Station. I've sent a request to our database and there are no records of such installation in our files. Maybe other Maltese factions know about it, but we are unable to reach out to NeuroNET through the nebula.
Base suffered damage from some unknown cause - our sensors aren't precise enough to tell whether it was caused by gunfire or onboard accident. We also had issues scanning the base as our scanners weren't able to pierce through its shielded hull. Power was running low and life support looked compromised at several decks, but installation looked structuraly sound enough to be worth investigating.
At 2141 - We've sent request to dock - which was approved, but as we maneuvered our cruiser at the mooring point and its mechanism was not responding. As we are not fitted with any snubfighters - we don't have a docking bays to launch and recover them - there was not an option of using them to get some small team aboard the station.
At 2155 - As we were discussing our options, few men volunteered for an EVA operation to get into the station. Conditions were dangerous - a lot of charged debris was floating through this nebula along with increased radiation levels, but they were not discouraged. Our course of action was to carefully monitor patters of floating debris and launch our EVA operation when there were no debris inbound. Using our guns to intercept rocky debris was not an option.
At 2332 - Our EVA team finally managed to get aboard the installation. We've almost lost one man who only closely managed to evade one of those charged flying rocks and we have to recall them two times, but we were eventually successful. Thick plating of the facility prevented us from communicating with our team, so all we could do is to wish them luck as they entered darkened space hulk.
In the meantime - I've assembled another two squads of marines to sweep through the facility once we've managed to activate mooring mechanism from inside.
At 0000, 24/05/828 - After a long and tense waiting - mooring mechanism finally activated and our vessel was secured. As the airlock doors opened my marines were greeted by our EVA team - all were good and healthy. Two squads of marines proceeded to sweep the abandoned facility while our heroes were took into the medbay to received treatment for all those rads they've received as they were floating in the nebula.
At 0400 - Yaese Research Station was searched by my men. Station is abandoned and there are no signs of previous crew. All the computer systems are either locked or erased, which meant that we had no clue about what happened in here. Their portable scanners haven't found any life signs aboard the station. There is a slight problem, however.
We will have to stay here a little longer as two of our marines - A. Sanchez and J. Picani have not returned. Their squad members weren't aware of their disappearance until it was too late. Attempts with contacting them through radio wasn't successful and our ship scanners weren't able to find them either. The only option is to send another men in there. I don't really like this, but as our vessel is not in imminent danger - there is no excuse for not trying to find them. Besides, no Maltese will be ever left behind.
I've set a watch at the airlock and gave my marines a four hours rest before we assemble our seach parties again.
ENTRY END
05-25-2021, 09:50 PM
05-26-2021, 12:29 PM
05-29-2021, 12:50 AM
ANOMALIES IN KEPLER - 1/2
27/05/828 - Our courier duties take us in many different parts of Sirius. Moving Maltese agents or their sealed packages from one corner of our sphere of influence to another, I never know in what strange star systems and situations I will encounter.
Like today, at 1730, when we were moving thirteen operatives from Liberty back to Omicrons, I decided to take our route through Kusari. Because Liberty is becoming too hot for us these days, especially when moving alone and unsupported, we took quicker route through Kepler. A darkened, chaotic system, that is absolutely perfect for sneaking through when we we want to cross borders undetected.
When we arrived at Ames Research Station, we turned to starboard when we detected a ship deeper within the storm. Seeing its IFF as 'friend', we moved to investigate and hail such vessel. It turned our to be Junker's CSF vessel designated as 'Nina Deimos'. But it wasn't responding to our hails. Clearly, something was very wrong as we moved closer and it wasn't just the silence of said freighter.
We have found a civilian liner, trapped and torn between three anomalies of some kind. Our sensors went haywire and unable to give us any clear information. We re-calibrated our sensors and tried to find any life signs aboard the Junker vessel, but there weren't any. So we shifted our attention to trapped liner - something about it was very, very wrong. the longer i stared in its blackened windows, the more I had a chilling feeling back on my neck, that someone or something is staring back at me... I'm can't describe or explain it, but that's what I felt.
As our sensors weren't able to pierce through anomalies' interference, we tried to launch a probe at it and try to establish stronger two way communication with any survivors in there. This plan proved to be unsuccessful as we lost contact with our probe.
Our investigation was cut short by two unexpected arrivals - an LSF looking vessel designated as 'Hurricane', bearing ID code 'D9' - presumably its unit's designation of some sort - and some unknown, yet massive signature appearing at the passive range of our sensors. I decided to vacate the area as this was a very dangerous situation. I moved Amalfi away and decided to return later.
UNEXPECTED VISITORS
I moved my vessel to the Eastern parts of Kepler System, when I detected zoner carrier designated as 'Flash Magnus'. I hailed the vessel and decided to investigate sudden appearance of such large vessel in here.
After a short conversation - it stated its clear purpose in Kepler - the vessel and its crew are some sort of zoner unit tasked with hunting nomads and their human thralls, and they've come here to investigate. Curious to see where all this will lead - I decided to follow it.
When we were half way to the anomalies, we've met 'Hurricane' again and it was clearly puzzled about Zoner vessel as we were. When I thought I'm not going to buy his stories about nomad sightings in Kepler - an Auxesian vessel 'AXI-F-3242' was hanging around as well. And these ones have been seen near nomads by Maltese spies some time ago. A very suspicious situation, to say at least.
But before this situation could develop into something worth reporting - a rogue bomber 'Pirate Bomber 03' appeared at scene and decided to pirate Zoner capital ship on its own. Before the long fight could end, I decided to move away and deliver our operatives back to Malta.
CONCLUSIONS
We haven't been clarify what was happening there. Our sensors are too sensitive to deal with this kind of interference. From the little information we have gathered we aren't to tell much thanks to our limited science equipment.
Recommendation - Return to the area as soon as more advanced sensors and science equipment is obtained. This anomalous area might provide some interesting findings.
As for the involved entities - our involvement with them was brief and more encounters will be necessary. We will have to be especially careful around Auxesian and 'D9' entities, as they can pose a real threat to us as well as our more regular operations in the area. Pilot 'Pirate Bomber 03' might be very interesting combat ally when we will find ourselves operating more directly within the Liberty space. He is surely brave and willing to strike.
ENTRY END
05-30-2021, 12:33 AM
ANOMALIES IN KEPLER - 2/2
29/05/828 - It's been two days ago since I've seen that dead ship levitating suspended in anomalies in the Kepler. I've seen it in my dreams. A moment as I stood on the bridge and stared into the darkness in its dead windows... and it stared back at me.
I can't stop myself thinking about it - I can't stop pondering about it. I'd like to come up with some plausible scientific explanation, but I can't yet. There are things that I don't know and can't explain. But I want to know answers - I need to know them.
Not at the expense of my duties - so I planned my return to Kepler in advance - I took courier assignments, that would inevitably lead me through Kepler. I need to look around again.
OLD RELICS AND DEAD SHIPS
We have returned to the Kepler as I planned - once we picked up everything we have needed from Alcatraz Depot, we have moved to Kepler to make a run to Omicrons through Kusari. I've heard that there is some route from Liberty to Omicrons, but I wasn't able to confirm those rumors yet.
We have began sweeping the system for any more clues. Kepler's storm made our sensors inaccurate and nearsighted again, but as we moved our vessel through asteroid fields - we have found pieces of abandoned infrastructure - which was dating back to 784 A.S. when this system was hit by Dark Matter Storm. It was just a strange sight to see these old non-functioning tradelanes hovering in the Kepler's storm after all these years.
But as we moved and surveyed the system slowly, we stumbled upon another anomaly - this one was different. Our sensors were unable to read it correctly, but it was as powerful as those three encountered two days ago. And same as with those previous sightings - there was another civilian vessel trapped within it.
We launched probes at the trapped vessel to look for survivors, but we lost control over the probes - first one crashed and shattered against its hull - the second landed and attached itself to the vessel, but stopped communicating with master control.
Same as before - I couldn't help myself, but stared into the derelict's windows as if my eyes were to provide more useful and accurate information than our overwhelmed sensors. But it was just my imagination playing with me. It isn't possible that anyone, anything, can survive in such proximity to that anomaly.
WISP
With no more insight into these matters, I've decided to face that trapped liner where my feelings of uneasiness were the strongest. As much as I hate to admit it - I was even afraid. But as we moved towards its last known location, our sensors began tracking some moving anomaly within the fields.
I initially dismissed as a malfunction, but then it came to our active sensor range - it was not an anomaly, but something alive. It looked like a nomad lifeform, but I've never seen anything like this before. It was lacking typical nomad body and it had no weapon - glands? At least nothing that our sensors could find.
It looked like it was mostly from tendrils and some giant eye. When I saw it, I remembered about the stories of old when The Spirits were guiding some of us and guarding our dead. Long before they armed themselves and became threat to all humanity - including us. Is this just another nomad warform with weapons we aren't able to identify yet or it was a spirit from our ancient past?
It appeared only briefly, so nothing can be concluded from this. Nor it was 'speaking' to us or giving any of us visions. It just made a few quick flybys around our vessel and disappeared into the darkness.
But whatever is true - this could explain presence of Auxesian vessel as well as the 'alien-hunting' zoner vessel we have me two days ago. Were they after it? Does it appear more frequently in here? What does it even do in here?
I gave it nickname Wisp for any future reference as it reminded me 'ghost light' from fairy tales. Who knows, it might even led all these unfortunate ships to their doom.
After all of that - I continued on my way to Malta. More questions than answers and more things to think about. I hope I'll not get distracted too much.
ENTRY END
06-10-2021, 10:18 AM
UNUSUAL RESCUE
09/06/828 - While we were patrolling in Omicron Beta, we have received emergency broadcast that Maltese vessel HS Campeador has been lost in Sigma 17. We interrupted our patrol and moved to their assistance as fast as we could. I was expecting complications or delays caused by GMG, Bounty Hunters or Corsairs in Sigmas, so I ordered all crew to their battlestations.
We arrived at the vessel's last known location and there were no signs of it. As it was heavily damaged, we assumed that it moved into the nearby Kunashir cloud to lick its wounds or shake-off its pursuers. But as it turned out - it wasn't there nor any signs of it.
Then, my navigator Julia Ferri, had an idea - Campeador might has been crippled and was drifting from its last position ever since its last transmission. Without any other clue at our hand - Julia calculated its point of origin and last known vector. With all of this at our disposal - we engaged cruise engine and we were hoping to find it soon.
![[+]](/forums/images/collapse_collapsed.png "[+]")
My navigator was very convinced of her theory, so we moved quite far away
But, at the fair distance from Sigma 17 solar system - there were no signs of Campeador either. And then, the strange thing happened. It's hard to describe, but I've received visions and feelings about our lost vessel. It was too clear for it to be just a mere hallucination. These visions proved to be true - we found our lost vessel and brought it back to Malta.
VISIONS
While the rescue itself was mundane and luckily uneventful, the means how I knew where to find the vessel troubles me the most. When I was standing on the bridge as we were searching beyond the boundaries of Sigma 17 solar system, I've been receiving - visions?
They were a bit blurry - like a dream - but they've felt sensible enough. I still recall how I was looking at the Campeador drifting in the void, feeling their need for help. It was so surreal, yet it was also truth and I've found the vessel thanks to this.
I've met nomads before, but their messages were simply, usually limited to just feelings of anger. And they also been nearby - hidden or visible - it doesn't matter. But there were no signs of it - no sensor interference caused by their masking or its presence on our passive sensors.
Campeador reported, that they indeed met a nomad vessel and had a brief encounter with it. Was the vessel communing with me, or something else entirely? I feel as puzzled as I was when I met the Wisp in Kepler.
Encounters like this reminds me stories which my great-grandmother told me about 'Spirits' and how they've been guiding our people through visions and guarded our dead. But these benign spirits turned silent and nomads appeared, rampaging through Omicrons and attacking even our vessels.
I'm still not sure if it was a spirit or nomad. I've never had visions like that before, even when I was really high. But if it was a nomad and attacked the vessel with mines - why would it give me visions about Campeador and allow me to save it?
I'll need answers, but I don't know where to look for them now without compromising my other duties.
ENTRY END
06-17-2021, 01:35 PM
06-20-2021, 12:09 AM
07-05-2021, 11:01 PM
WOLVES IN THE KEPLER
05/07/828, 2030 - Kepler is a treacherous place. This place haunts my dreams - I still see that twisted and broken liner with its darkened windows, trapped by three anomalies. Within my dreams, someone is watching me from there despite the fact that it's impossible that anyone could survive on that vessel for long. And that's not the only derelict vessel in the system - the whole system serves as graveyard for old and new vessels alike. During my missions - I always return there, hoping to find some answers to my questions.
Well, I'm not the only one who roams that darkened system. I've noticed several freelancers, one independent miner and bretonian bomber flying under Liberty Navy color, as they gathered near Ames Research station. From their conversation, someone led them there. As those freelancers were probably friends or even allies of Liberty Navy, I've decided not to directly reveal myself and remained cloaked in a safe distance from Ames, observing the whole situation. I was badly outnumbered anyway.
They looked slightly spooked, but they had a good reason to be nervous. My scanners picked strange readings around the Ames Research station and strange vessels appeared from the Kepler's storm - being Liberty vessels, but armed with strange looking weapons. Later they have been joined by similarly armed Kusari civilian gunboat. Even their IFF was switched off. And then the visions came - a familiar visions. I've seen visions like that before when I was rescuing HS Campeador.
Nomad, or even Spirit, was explaining the history of this place. I've seen some gate in the darkness, I've heard orders to turn it on and then raging storm and lightning. Was it speaking about the Kepler or something else entirely?
Something interesting was about to happen in here, but our cloaking device was struck by storm's lightning and we were forced to move away in order to restart it and engage it again. Precious moments passed since we were away, as when we have returned - whole meeting was turned into a battlefield. Strange vessels engaged the freelancers, miner and navy bomber, and I've seen them fall one by one. As I do not wish for my vessel to join the Kepler's noteworthy collection, I've departed before those strange vessel could turn their attention to us.
ENTRY END
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