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The Tale of the S.S. Audacity - Leo - 07-18-2009
[font=Fixedsys]Fall of the Audacity I
The Beginning
"Ma'am! We've lost aft shields and reactor seven is leaking plasma. We've got multiple hull breaches on decks two, seven, nine, and eleven!" said a young man seated near the command chair.
"Cut off power to reactor seven and get fields up around those decks that are venting to space. Reroute emergency power to the aft shields and lets get the FTL drives up and running so we can get the hell out of here!" the commander replied.
"Ma'am! Nomads are coming in closer, they're outflanking us!"
The Nomads had been pestering us for days. I'd decided to leave my Outcast roots behind and turn to the Zoner side. I could still visit my father whenever I wished in Alpha, but the Outcast way of life just wasn't for me. My name is Julia Hal a.k.a. Halloween because of my stark red hair.
"Get that bloody FTL back up and running! Prepare to jump to FTL Factor 8 and get us back to at least Omicron Theta if you can't get back to Freeport 11!"
"Ma'am! FTL is up and we have an opening to Freeport 11, we're cleared to jump into the system!"
"Jump, damnit, jump!"
* * *
"You narrowly escaped hunny." said my mother as I sat and drank my tea. "You're just like your father."
"But I've got your wits mother."
My mom smiled and sipped hear tea. "I'll give you that. So what's next Julia? You heading on to Theta?"
"I think I may keep the Audacity around Freeport 11 to assist with defense. Lord knows you guys need it."
My mother smiled again. "I remember when I was in command of the Audacity. She was a brand new ship. Polished and perfect. Was orignally designed as a mobile freeport...but soon that changed when we started getting closer and closer to Nomad space. Now she's a force to be reconed with."
The S.S. Audacity, a Zoner Juggarnaught. One of the largest ships in Sirius space, and one of the most powerful. My mother was commissioned onto the Audacity when I was a child. I rememeber her first commanding it deep into Nomad space for scouting missions. Each time, the ship came back a little worse until she passed it off to me as my right of passage in the Zoners. The ship was completely retrofited with new technology, and restructured from all the battles it had been in. And several years later, the old girl was still kicking.
"I believe there are some scouting missions deep into the Nomad systems. You should take a few and get up there to see what you can find." my mother said taking a sip of her tea.
"She's in for repairs right now, had a few hull breaches and blew a reactor."
"Any folks dead?"
I grew silent and placed my head in my hands, covering my eyes.
"Several."
My mother moved off her chair and put her arm around me as I sobbed. I would remember their names forever. Four dead, Seventeen wounded. My fists clenched into fists. I'd make those squid bastards pay for causing all this. They wanted a war, we were going to give them one...no...no...we were a peaceful people. My job was to scout the outer most systems of Sirius. Not to wage war.
"You have to keep going dear." my mother whispered in my ear. "For the ones you've lost, for the one's who still depend on you...for all of Sirius..." and my mother kissed the side of my head.
I looked to my right and smiled at my mother. She was right, as always...Sirius depended on me to scout the outer edges of known space...that was what I was good at...
"Commander Hal, please report to the repair dock. Commander Hal." said the intercom.
"That's you dear. I'll see you in a bit."
The Tale of the S.S. Audacity - Leo - 07-18-2009
"Hairline fractures?" I repeated.
"Yes, all over the frame of the old girl. She doesn't have much left in her Hal. She's wearing down. Her bones are broken. The backbone of her alone won't stand many more jumps. It's almost broken. If you try and jump out of Delta, I'm about 90% sure you'll snap the frame right down the center." replied the mechanic. "There's no way we can repair it either, the damage is just to extensive. The old girl's been through about as many battles as an old Rheinland battleship from the GMG-RM war in about half the time. It was bound to happen Hal."
"So, she's retired then. The pride of my family finally gets to rest."
"Sorry Hal. I can't risk having this thing jumping out of Delta and breaking it's back. You could die in the end trying to do so again."
I sat down on the bench overlooking the old girl, the Audacity, sitting in drydock, mechanics swarming over the hull and repairing what damage they could find. The mechanic came and sat down beside me.
"How long have we known one another Chuck?" I asked.
"Well, since middle school I believe. My parents left Kusari and became Zoners." he replied.
"When I meet you, my grandfather commanded the Audacity. He had so many stories of how he battled the Nomads, all the close call's he's had. You remember him, he came to class one day for one of my show and tell's when I was at the Freeport in Theta...This old girl has seen things many people of Sirius could never dream about. You're telling me that there is absolutly no way in hell this ship can ever jump again."
He looked down at the floor and back up.
"Not with conventional methods. Any other way the Zoner leaders wouldn't like very much, it's one of their ships after all. If we were to change anything about the design, they'd have a fit. The old girl has just been beaten on for too long. It wasn't what it was designed for to begin with. The ship wasn't meant to handle battle. It was meant to be a mobile freeport. The Audacity just, overtime, became a scout ship."
I stayed quiet and looked at the ship that had been handed down my family line since my great-grandfather. The ship was huge and beautiful. It's design was remarkable. A crew compliment of over 3,000, able to grow it's own food, use water and refilter it to be reused. It was a mobile planet, capable of staying in deep space for years. And now, the old girl was dying, her bones broken...but I knew she still had a lot of fight left in her. I know she wouldn't want to stay floating in drydock for the remainder of her years.
I spoke of Audacity as if she were real, because she was real. The ship, to me and my family, was a living thing. Capable of remarkable things. People had lived and died on that ship, they had children while on that ship, and now she was forced to stay in drydock forever? I think not.
"Chuck. Find any alternative way to keep the Audacity capable of doing her job. She's not giving up yet. She still has fight in her, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let anything happen to my family." I said clenching my teeth.
"Your family?" he replied.
"The Audacity is apart of my family Chuck, and we're going to find a way to keep her in the fight."
The Tale of the S.S. Audacity - Leo - 07-19-2009
"Impossible." I said looking at what Chuck had placed in front of me. "You're right, they will have a fit even if we suggest this. Nomad structure designs in a human ship? That'll send them flying off the handle."
"I told you Julia, it was unconventional. That's the only way I can see fixing the damage that has been caused. In some spots on the ship you've got entire bulkheads sliding off the frame of the ship, landing on other structural beams and snapping them clean off. Hell, the entire right side of the ship is about to fall into space. There's no other way, you wanted an answer, this is it Hal."
I looked at the plans with some worry and nodded curtly. "If that's all you have, it'll have to do. Lets go."
"What's this 'we' s***? I'm going no where near the local council with that blueprint, they'll skald me for certain. While I was at Theta, they wanted something that would extend the life of their ships. I suggested that and I barely escaped with my life. That's why I'm stationed way the hell out here now, because they wanted me no where near them."
"Chuck, I need you on this. You're my closest friend. Anyone else would have abandoned me a long time ago."
"...what about Cordova?" he said and then immediately his face changed. "Only kidding Hal."
I stared at him with hatred for a second then laughed. "Cordova is doing so much work it's a wonder he still functions. He won't even talk to me half of the time."
"True, I haven't seen Gio in a few years now." he said smiling.
"Quit changing the subject, lets go."
We walked to the council room and opened the door. The receptionist stood up with a smile and greeted the both of us.
"How can I help you two, today?"
"We need to see the council straight away."
The receptionist looked down at her computer and typed a few things in. "You're both in luck, I have an opening right now between some meetings, follow me."
We walked through a maze of hallways to a large room that looked much like a courtroom. Three council members for Freeport 11 sat at the council. The receptionist introduced us to them and quickly left the room, closing the doors behind her.
"Members of the Council, I come to you as a captain of the S.S. Audacity." I started.
"Ah." said the woman on the right. "The Audacity is one of our oldest Juggernaughts. How is it holding up Ms. Hal?"
"That's the problem ma'am. The ship's bones are breaking, there are hairline fractures all throughout the ship's frame, and the main backbone of the ship is almost destroyed. Another jump and we'll have the ship scattered across Sirius."
"Oh dear." said the man on the far left. "Well, what can we help you with then dear?"
"I'm proposing a rather...unorthoxox way to fix the Audacity, to continue it's scouting missions into deep space. I need your approval since it is a Zoner vessel however, here are the plans that my mechanic here suggested."
"Hmm. Chuck Bradley. You were removed from Theta for these very same blueprints. Using a Nomad skeletal structure risks the ship becoming infested with a Nomad parasite. Have you not heard the legends of the U.S.S. Tundra in Alaska Mr. Bradley? It was infested by a Nomad parasite. How, the military doesn't know how, but it's rampaging around in Alaska, terrorising anyone that comes within range of the ship. We don't need another one running around." said the older gentlemen in the middle. "Ms. Hal, you are not authorized to do this to the Audacity. Your ship will be retired, here at Delta and will be on display as one of the oldest Juggernaughts in our fleet."
"With all due respect councilm-" I started.
"Julia. That's enough." he said. "I understand that the Audacity is like apart of your family, trust me, I heard it enough from your mother. We've already retrofited that old girl over a hundred times. She just doesn't have it in her anymore. It's time to give her a rest, let her rest in peace Julia. For her."
I looked down at the floor and tears rolled out of my eyes.
"Yes, sir."
"Also, we need you today Julia. The station's sensors are being taken off line for five minutes for tests. We need you to be onboard the Audacity monitoring sensor traffic. Contact us if anything comes up.
"As for you Mr. Bradley. These plans will be destroyed and never spoken of again. It's just too dangerous to risk outfitting a ship with this technology, for now. The Order has been researching things like this for years, when it is safer, I will have you brought on to the project. Until then, we will let these plans fade away. You are being re-assigned to working on the Isis. She is here at Freeport 11 for matinence. You will disable the weapons and sensors for tests and clean up. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir." Chuck replied.
"Very well, thank you two for coming to us about this. Much better than what many already do these days. They just go about their business without telling anyone, and we're left to clean up the mess. Have a good day you two."
I walked out with my hung low. The Audacity was going to get her rest...after years of honorable service, she was going to be on display for folks who stop by the station.
"Rest easy girl." I said as I passed the window next to the drydock. "Rest easy..."
The Tale of the S.S. Audacity - Leo - 07-19-2009
Two Days Later...
"The tests on both the Isis and station are taking longer than we thought Halloween. You are instructed to stay onboard the Audacity and continue to monitor the sensors. Report anything to command that you discover. Command out."
"Good." I said patting the bulkhead of the ship. "We've got another day's reprieve old girl, another day to just hang out together."
The sensors blipped, followed by several blips, followed by alarms sounding.
Incoming Nomad Vessels...tracking course...Nomad vessels are on a course for Freeport 11. Immediate evasive actions suggested.
"How far out are they, Auda?" I asked standing up, awake as ever now.
Tracking...Approximately five minutes from impact, three minutes from weapons range. Powering weapons, powering engines. Prepping for launch.
"I was thinking the same thing ol' girl. Command! This is Captain Halloween, we have incoming Nomad vessels, counting...Christ-80 Nomad vessels inbound to Freeport 11, they're showing no signs of slowing down." Nothing but static. "****. They're jamming signals, but not internal systems." I said to myself and grabbed the handheld. "This is Captain Hal, we are prepping for defense of Freeport 11..." I paused. "...we may not make it out of this one folks...if you want to exit the ship now to save yourselves...I have no problems with that. All sections read ready."
Every light lit up on the monitor and I smiled.
"Glad you're staying with me folks. Everyone, battle-stations."
I hung up the mic just as the bridge crew was entering, they all took their places and I smiled. "Glad you guys could make it."
* * *
"Sir, the Audacity is moving out of drydock, rather quickly. I thought you said she was crippled?" said the dock chief.
"It was...I mean it is..." the commander picked up the handheld receiver. "Captain Halloween, cease movement immediately, you are not authorized to leave dry dock. What's wrong with this thing? I'm only getting static...We're being jammed! Incoming hostiles! Spin up our weapons systems!"
"Sir! Oh my god...Oh my god!! We have 80-100 Nomad ships incoming on our location, the Audacity's systems just confirmed...the Audacity is forming a makeshift shield in front of us...Halloween is risking her life, and her ship to keep us safe."
The crew of the command room looked out to see the Audacity, turned on her side, weapons pointed out towards the incoming enemies...to the incoming battle."
* * *
"Weapons." Hal said.
"Green" replied the weapons officer.
"Shields"
"Holding."
"Hull."
"As good as we can be at the moment ma'am."
"Engines."
"Green."
"We are the only defense here folks. There are over 30 Nomad Battleships in that group of Nomads, there are well over 30 gunboats. We probably won't make it out of here, but we'll sure as hell buy some time for Freeport 11 until they can get a message through to the Order. Until then, we're the only ones defending Freeport 11. Once the Isis is back up, we should be able to turn the tables on our Nomad friends here.
"For Sirius! And for humanity!"
Cheers erupted around the bridge. The lead Nomad ship opened fire on the Audacity and the first hit was felt throughout the entire ship. The bones of the old girl moaned under the pressure of the atttack.
"FIRE!" I screamed and felt the power and might of the Zoners launch into space as we defended our friends, and our home. Missile after missile after missile launched, energy lanced out into space and connected with the Nomads. Sparks flew from bulkheads and the old girl roared under the pressure of the ship. "This is the Audacity's final Hurrah! This is how a battleship should always go out!"
The groaning of the hull quickly turned into a crashing as the entire bridge shook violently.
"Ma'am!" one of the officers screamed. "The Audacity's main frame structure just snapped! Our back is broken! We're dead in the water!"
So old girl, you're really giving it all you have... I thought to myself. We have to keep fighting girl...for our friends and family...for mother...
"Roger that captain! Keep opening up on those bastards. Don't give them an inch! What is the status on shields?!"
"72% and falling ma'am! We can't take much more of this! The-"
The ship shook violently again and this time the entire bridge lurched hard to the right.
"Ma'am! We've just lost decks 15 and 16!"
"Lost?!"
"They fell off the ship's frame completely ma'am! They're floating in space! We're falling apart here!"
"Keep bloody firing! Kill them all! How many more?"
"We're down to 62 ship's ma'am!...We're losing shields! Shields are down!"
The ship lurched violently, suddenly the shaking stopped. Sensors were picking up a massive ship on the top of the ship. It was shielding the remaining fire from damaging the ship any further. Written along the edge of the ship were the words "Orisis".
"S.S. Audacity, this is the Osiris. Are you ok?"
I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Osiris, this is Captain Hal, we are ok. Standing by for further orders."
"You've done enough, we'll take care of the rest...do you know you destroyed almost all of the Nomads Captain?"
"We only got to 62 sir."
"Negative Audacity. You killed 87 of the Nomad vessels, there are only three left."
The Tale of the S.S. Audacity - Leo - 07-19-2009
"892 burnt out conduits. 972 snapped frame joints. Two decks completely missing, nine of twelve missile batteries fried. Every energy turret completely blown off the hull, main frame snapped in seven places, FTL drive completely gone with deck sixteen, and every impulse reactor completely melted down...wow Ms. Hal, you destroyed the Audacity. You used her as a shield to defend the people of the Freeport." said the Order officer. "That's mighty impressive and mighty stupid at the same time."
I sat with my head between my hands cursing my luck. The old girl was completely crippled, unable to even be moved out from where the battle took place without the risk of pulling the ship apart with the tractor beams. The council wanted a complete report of what happened, here I was getting the statistics of how badly the Audacity was damaged in the attack. We had successfully managed to destroy 87 of the 90 Nomad ships that were inbound on the station in a ship that was almost destroyed from the start of the battle.
There were grumblings of me being removed from the Zoners for my stunt and there were rumors of me being given some kind of medal. I didn't believe rumors though, after what I did saved the lives of everyone on board, and the safety of the advanced "Isis", I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be removed from the Zoners any time soon.
"Are they ready for me yet?" I asked looking up at the Order rep.
"Looks like it." he replied.
I stood and entered the chamber for the second time that week.
"It's good to see you again Halloween." he said, this time using my nickname. "I've heard of your bravery in the face of insurmountable odds. I thank you for saving this station and its people on board. You also helped save the Isis from falling into the wrong hands, but you also saved it from being destroyed. For this, you are being awarded the Medal of Bravery, for selflessly defending this station from almost a hundred Nomad enemies. The Audacity will be repaired and placed on static display at Planet Toledo in Omicron Minor for your bravery...
"...and also, as a secondary reward for your valor...we are currently commissioning the Audacity II"
I looked up in surprise to the man, he smiled at me.
The Audacity II, is a Fearless class Zoner Juggernaught, a third larger than the original Audacity and capable of scouting deep into the most outer reaches of Sirius space for years at a time with the most advanced technology from the Order-Zoner alliance. Congratulations Ms. Hal. You are now the commander of one of the most advanced ships in the Zoner fleet."
The room erupted into applause as I fell to my knees in shock. My mother rushed over to meet me and gave me a big hug. "I'm so proud of you." she kept saying over and over again. "You've made me very proud."
"And me." said a man, I turned to see my father smiling with his sheepish grin. I laughed and gave him a hug as well. "Commander of a Fearless class Zoner Battleship. Wow. I've only seen one of those in my entire lifetime. Congratulations Julia. Someone here also wants to say congratulations..." he said trailing off. Gio Cordova stood behind my father with his hands in his pocket and that stupid smirk on his face.
"I don't think they know what they're getting themselves into." he said smirking all the while. "But, congratulations Halloween." with that he turned and walked back towards the bay. I stared after him. I smiled to myself and yelled after him.
"I'll be sure to save your ass sometime!"
He only raised one finger in the air in return to my statement and disappeared around the corner.
* * *
One Year Later...
I sat in the brand new commanders chair on board the Audacity II, looking down at Planet Toledo, at the ship on display on the surface. The Audacity I. I smiled and waved to the ship. This one's for you old girl. I said and ran a status update with my command crew. Everything checked out.
"Go to FTL on my mark..." I said and looked back at the view screen at the ship setting on the surface, a testament to the Hal family line.
"Mark."
The Tale of the S.S. Audacity - Leo - 07-21-2009
War Games
"Commander Hal, we've received reports of high Nomad activity in the outer reaches of Sirius." said the Order rep.
"What's new? That's where they breed and reproduce."
"Higher than normal, Commander. We need you and the Audacity to head out there and find out why."
"Why should I? I'm a Zoner, not an Order officer."
"Because you're the only person that we know of in the vicinity. You're only two jumps away from the system we need you to check out."
Damned, Order.
"Copy that." I said with a sigh. "Send me the coordinates and we'll go take a look."
"Roger Commander, thank you for helping us out. It will be noted, I can assure you."
"Yeah, sure, whatever. Have a nice day." I said and ended the transmission. I immediately opened a channel to the Zoner command on Freeport 11. "Council members, this is Hal. I've been commissioned by the Order to do a scouting mission for them, deep into Nomad space, on the very fringes of Sirius space. I'm not sure what it's about, but it has something to do with increased Nomad activity and they want to see what it's all about. There is no definite answer on how long I'll be out there, but I will try to give scheduled updates for your records."
"Affirmative Commander Hal. Safe flight." and the connection closed.
I rubbed my hand through my hair and started the checks for launch out of Freeport 11.
This was going to be fun...
The Tale of the S.S. Audacity - Leo - 07-23-2009
Scanning...scanning...scanning...picking up transmission...
Source: SS.Audacity.II
To: Order Command
...picking up traces of classified information, forwarded to Order High Command...transmitting data...
Quote:"These squids aren't giving up very easily, this is an emergency transmission to Order High Command. We've located some dissssstttt..."
Buffering transmission...buffering...transmission rate increased by 10%
Quote:"...disturbing information. An...aaaac.....Noooom...lair..."
Warning! Trigger word discovered! Terminating any further transmission to Order High Command. Marking high priority, continuing to send to Order High Command. Preparing to upload SS.Audacity.II camera images in approx 2 hours, 15 minutes, 43 seconds
Going into powersave...standing by.
* * *
Update...SS.Audacity.II missing in action...alert all search and rescue teams...
The SS.Audacity.II is MIA.
The Tale of the S.S. Audacity - Leo - 07-23-2009
Quote:"...traaaa..."
Coming out of powersave...detecting transmission...
Quote:"....will reeeee...later..."
Lost transmission...preparing to upload data transfer...
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The Tale of the S.S. Audacity - Leo - 07-24-2009
I woke up, my eyes heavy with exhaustion. I was lying on the bridge floor and didnt remember how I had gotten there. Bulkheads hung from the walls and sparks were flying through the air because of the exposed wire. I groaned, sat up, and laid against the command chair. I struggled with my memory to recall what happened. We were exploring into Omicron Iota and everything had been going goodthen we had discovered
I sat bolt upright and scrambled to my feet.
Everyone! Get up! Get up now!
The officers on the deck slowly got up, confusedsome remained motionless, one of these officers was Gwen, my first officer.
I want a sweep of the system were in, find out where the hell we bloody well are. Ensure were not being chased anymore. I want a full system check of the entire bloody ship. If theres anything even slightly out of line I want it fixed! Get to work!
A chorus of yes maams echoed around the bridge as the bridge became a bee hive of workers. Repair crews came in and fixed the hanging wires and bulkheads. Within an hour, the bridge was back to its previous condition, within two hours, the ship was almost back to its operational statusthats when we ran intothem
Harbinger and what appeared to be an Outcast, sat behind him. He droned on about how the Nomads werent the enemy, mankind was. I only called him a traitor and that he would one day pay for his transgressions against mankind. Harbinger moved forward slowly towards me after his speech saying he wanted some of the plating off my ship.
Theres another flaw I forgot to mention, traitor. I said over the comm..
What? he replied.
Im suicidal. and terminated comms. Helm, full cruise, were going to run the jumphole.
Maam?!
Do it!
The cruise engines engaged and the Harbinger opened fire, full spread on the ship. As we made it through the jumphole, it phase shifted and threw us out into Outcast space. The systems blinked and shuttered as we lost our engines and drifted into the field in Omicron Alpha. I sighed. This wasnt going to be a welcome homecoming
To any ships in the vicinity, this is the SS.Audacity.II, we require assistance
The Tale of the S.S. Audacity - Leo - 07-30-2009
Commanders Log - 8180727
No reply. We got no bloody reply from the Outcasts. Probably because of the last time we came into Alpha, resulted in a disagreement between the Outcasts and my refusal to hand over classified documents into their grimy hands...because "the spirits" were sacred. If you ask me, by now they're probably already all infested with Nomad parasites. Depressing, considering I grew up with most of them.
This is day 14 of our drift. Engines are slowly coming back on line, and as of right now, we're being able to slow our speed down with short bursts from the thrusters. It's slow going though. So far I estimate we've already drifted half a parsec out of Sirius space all together. The ships back is broken, just like her mothers, so it's impossible for us to jump...even if the jumpdrive weren't completely destroyed. We're dead in the water. The reactors leaked way too much anti-matter into the cruise engine coils for us to achieve cruise without completely blowing us to kingdom come.
We've lost all the hydroponics domes. The side bays were completely ripped off in the resulting jump out of the Nomad systems into Alpha, and the center one collapsed completely, so we're without food out in this desolate part of space...I've initialized a ration of the food on the ship to prevent too much usage of the food...I hope it holds out.
On a personal note, I'm starting to wonder if this entire career I chose in the Zoners was worth it. Prehaps I should have gone to join up with the Order. Would have been a more likely achievement at my age, and my mother would be proud. I like to think my father would after he was murdered by the very things he worshiped for years...I think he would be happy for me.
End Log
* * *
Commanders Log - 8180728
If anyone receives this at all...anyone at all...know that we've found...something. It's attacking the ship...some kind of Nomad ship. We can't tell if it's a Nomad or not. It's acting very odd, running in and attacking at strange random bursts, then fleeing to a distance of 20K+. It's acting like it's crazed...I've never heard of Nomads venturing out this far from their systems...or Sirius at all. We're keeping an eye on it as it does it's runs at us. We've having a hard time fending it off when it gets too close, our shields are fried, and they don't hold a charge very well, so every time it attacks we lose shields. The strange thing is, after we lose shields, it runs back to a distance of 20K again, once our shields are back and full, it charges again.
Very odd.
We risked engaging cruise engines today after the repair of the main reactor and clean up of the engine bays. So far, we've had no problems besides structural problems. It's going to be a long time going until we get back to civilization. Our people are estimating several months at the very least, maybe closer to a year. At this rate, we won't have enough food to make it back to Sirius.
Know that if anyone finds this ship...alien or otherwise...we tried to defend our home, and our race...
...we tried...
End Log
* * *
Commanders Log - 8180729
Today, we received a very strange signal. It wasn't human in any sense, and we couldn't tell if it was Nomad or not. But it seemed to be a very spastic signal coming and going. We couldn't make out the language, it wasn't on record for any known human language. When the signal fluctuated, our small Nomad friend would pause in mid flight, almost crashing into us multiple times. When the signal would fade, the ship would continue it's normal behavior, either fleeing or attacking.
On another note, we picked up a very distant signal from Sirius, dated 0807 A.S. Giving us an estimated distance from Sirius of close to three lightyears. When we looked back at the sensor logs to find out how this could be possible, we discovered something...crushing...we didn't actually jump into Omicron Alpha. This would explain why no one answered us when we came into "Alpha". As it turns out, we didn't jump into Omicron Alpha...but Alpha Centuari. How this mistake happened we don't know...and how we discovered a hidden jumphole into this distant star system, we don't know either. All we know, is at cruise speed, we're centuries away from Sirius.
...centuries...
End Log
* * *
Commanders Log - 8180730
We made our first attempt at jumping to FTL today with the repaired jumpdrive and made it almost 250K before the frame of the ship started to splinter. I ordered an immediate shutdown before further damage was caused. We're making progress, albeit, slowly...I'm crossing my fingers that the engineers have some trick up their sleeves to fix the problem with the frame of the ship...they've already said they're on to something.
Lets hope they are.
End Log
* * *
Commanders Log - 8180801
Bloody brilliant!
The engineers came up with a way to solve our frame problem...the very same way that my friend had suggested to fix the Audacity I. A thick Nomad compound could be used the strengthen the hull to five times it's original strength! So...our Nomad friend did have a purpose after all. Granted, we used up the remainder of our missile batteries...and the remainder of just about everything else we had killing it, but the result was us being able to get to FTL...
...or so I hope. The engineers are applying the compound now...lets hope it works.
End Log
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Commanders Log - 8180804
We made our first successful jump back into FTL, and we're still in it now. Estimated return to Sirius is two months. Not bad for a big old boat like this. We're going to be jumping back into Omicron Minor in a few months...will update more when the time comes.
End Log