Deep Sixed

[bobby]

Connection established.
Transmitting log:

[2301 Hours] Jump Hole Phase Aligned. Jump Initiated.
[2302 Hours] Jump completed. System scan underway.
[2307 Hours] Preliminary scans complete. Details attached:

Preliminary scans detect four stellar bodies.
Three Stars[1,2,3], one planet[4].
Anomaly detected at [4].
Bookmarked for further investigation.

[2334 Hours] Full systemwide scan complete. Moving to [4] to locate anomaly.
[2351 Hours] [4] in range. Beginning close range scans of surface.
[0002 Hours] Multiple Metallic signatures located. Bookmarked for further investigation. Scanning immediate space for anomaly.
[0006 Hours] Anomaly detected! Moving to range.
[0012 Hours] Anomaly in range, beginning scans.
[0015 Hours] Scans complete. Details attached:

Scans suggest interstellar transportation device. Running Database check.
Database matches anomaly to file LS-12N 'Liberty Assault Battlecruiser' with 84% probability.
A: Engine systems are inoperable. Cause unknown.
B: Energy readings present. Were masked at long range, database suggests Stealth Systems with 74% probability, Stellar Radiation with 10% Probability.
Intrusive scans are unable to penetrate hull.
Proceeding to Directive #23A.

[0020 Hours] Directive #23A Underway.
[0025 Hours] No response to Directive #23A. Reloading subroutine.
[0030 Hours] No response to Directive #23A. Reloading subroutine.
[0035 Hours] No response to Directive #23A. Maximum attempts expired. Hailing frequencies remain open.
[0036 Hours] Compiling log.
[0040 Hours] Log compilation complete. Transmitting to Origin.

Log ends.
Coordinates attached.

[bobby]

Connection Established.
Transmitting Log:

Commander's Log begins.
The trip went as well as hoped. No major confrontations, but a few minor attacks on transit, according to the ship's log when we awoke at the Jumphole.
It remained Phase aligned from the Probe's first contact with it, so we wasted no time heading through.
By some stroke of cosmic irony, the hole shifted out of Phase Alignment not a minute after, so we're stuck here for a while. Luckily this job is going to be a big one.

We headed straight to the planet, designation P3X-414. The ship was in a natural orbit, leading us to believe that it had been pulled into orbit, possibly after drifting to this location. It would have been a long drift.

Just like the probe, we couldn't penetrate the ships hull for scans, but the energy readings suggest that life support is still active. Either that or they left the lights on because they were scared of the dark.
Rawley suggested we open her up as soon as possible, on the off chance something is still alive in there. I agreed.

Aft airlock was breached with the boarding shuttle, atmosphere was very similar inside to our own, dispelling some of the automatic notions that the ship was alien. None of us have ever seen one of these Liberty Battlecruisers. Hell, I think I'm the only person to have seen a Liberty capital at all, and it looked nothing like this.

We remained in Zero Atmo HazMat gear just to be sure our handheld scanners weren't reading right, and begun a sweep of the ship. First stop was the bridge, to find the readouts which we could assume wouldn't lie. That took an hour of searching. Finally we found it, after working out the coloured lines on the ground signified the path to certain critical areas.

Ship diagnostics confirms the air has hazardous low levels of Oxygen, except for one section. Cargobay 13F had breathable quantities, strange given the large size of the bay. It seems the ship was slowly funnelling Oxygen to that area, almost as if something was being kept alive down there?

I attempted to access the captain's logs... Was unable at first, but Griffiths hacked in without too much trouble. Apparently the Security Matrices had begun to collapse over time? Something. Anyway, they're attached to this log, though their quality has degraded somewhat.

Heading down to the cargobay in a moment. End log.

Log Ends.
Timelapse from original Transmission: 45 Hours, 23 Minutes.
View Attachments?
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[bobby]

File XO-LG213.alog Opened.
Beginning Audio Playback:

*static* is well underway. Battlegroup Eagle's Talon has successfully entered the edge worlds undetected. The Providence suffered some damage from an asteroid, and one of the fighters is out of commission, but otherwise everything is fine. It's the first time I've been in command of more than a few fighters before, so this should be interesting. The Intrepid, as always, is performing wondrously. The Providence and Jericho cruisers should prove good cover for the heavier weapons on board the Intrepid, should we have need of them. I just wish there were a few Gunboats around. Little contact so far. We're proceeding to Waypoint Beta to begin the operation fully. End log.

File Ends.
File XO-LG214.alog Opened.
Beginning Audio Playback:

Dodged a BHG Core patrol. I don't know why we haven't cracked down on them. They're running rampant. Probably some agreement higher up. Anyway, we reached Beta without a huge hassle, apart from the BHG. Hell, I've got orders to shoot anything that could jeopardise the Op... But it is nice to avoid combat when you don't need it. It's hard though. Barely four people in the entire Battlegroup know why we're out here. Even though I'm one of them, I can't exactly talk about it... Hell, you'd think the crew serving on the Battlegroup Flagship, and one of the most decorated Battlecruisers in the entire Navy would get some sort of brief other than 'You're going to the Edge Worlds. Follow orders and keep quiet.'. I guess I'm just too attached to my crew. We'll be at Beta within the hour. End log.

File Ends.

[bobby]

File XO-LG215.alog Opened.
Warning! File is corrupt, playback may suffer.
Beginning Audio Playback:

*a long moment of static, followed by jarbled voices, until finally, about a minute into playback, the sound normalises* have taken heavy damage from the attacking ships! Providence has the entire aft side exposed to space, from some sort of beam weapon deployed by the Nomad vessels. They're not responding to our hails, and we're assuming the lockdown protocols didn't activate in time...
Jericho is all but crippled. She's got engines, and nothing else. Life support is failing, and we're in the process of bringing the crew over to the Intrepid.

Ah... The Intrepid... She performed as best she could, but took a large brunt of the attacking force. Engines are inoperable, weapons are down excluding a Mortar, and our navs are completely fried. We've attempted to open a burst channel back to Navy High Command, only to be returned static... Mayday protocols are in effect, so if our long range comms are working... Someone will hear it.

Whether they come to aid is another matter. End log.

File Ends.


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