You must be the new guy. Welcome to the Eureka Technology Acquisition Group, but just say "E-tag" around here.
I dont know what they told you over at Alert Station before you shipped out, so here's the basic rundown: Our mission is to locate and acquire assets for the R&D geeks to study. The project was originally started to collect Nomad and Order technology that was picked up in Alaska after whatever skirmish broke out, but after the Battle of Toledo in Omicron Minor, the project was expanded to include any technology that could be dragged back to Ellesmere without putting our own ships at too much risk.
Assets can be anything that appears to be operational. This can range from basic scanner modules all the way up to whole ships. If the LSF can learn something from it, or just make use of it, we haul it to Eureka Research Station for them to analyze. If its something they already know about, they'll tag it for shipment to Grise Fjord Shipyard where it will be repurposed.
Everything you can imagine is in the debris around Toledo. You probably already know that the Isis battleship is out there, but there's also scores of heavy fighters, and transport ships full of R&D, and every other kind of ship you can think of.
The assets are damaged to varying degrees, too. Some of them are unrecognizable as ships anymore--sometimes you find a cluster of scrap, like a wing component, a tractor beam, and part of a thruster all in the same 50 meter area. It looks like the back of a repair shop, but then you realize: I'm not in a shop, I'm in a planetary debris field, I'm looking at all that's left of a spaceship that was working when it flew to this spot, and now it no longer exists.
But then some of the ships are essentially intact and more or less functional. One time we found a Bastet that was perfect except for a piece of shrapnel that had sliced through the cockpit and the pilot inside. The fellas at Grise Fjord had that one flying again within the week.
Our biggest haul so far was a Thresher. From what we found in the logs, there was a failure in the reactor control systems that led to a small fire near the fuel storage cells. The CO determined that it couldn't be repaired in combat, and the safety protocols said the crew had to be evacuated, so they abandoned it here. Except nobody ever came back for the repair work. So we hauled it down to Ellesmere.
One more thing: we're not alone out here. The Order and Core both have their own teams working the field, sometimes to salvage technology like us, sometimes to prevent something from being salvaged by us. There's also Nomads in the area, and those just shoot us. Junkers come through every once in a while, at least the ones that make it through Zone 21 and Alaska, and there are even some Corsairs that use Minor as a smuggling route. Anyway... it's a two-year duty assignment, just be quiet and stay sharp, and you'll get out of here in one piece.
That's the basics, now follow me and I'll show you around the facility...
# # #
Facility:Eureka Research Station, Lab 4 Officer:Maj. Dillard Asset Tag:818-237-023
ETAG reported that the ship suffered from minor fire damage in the fuel storage cells, and we concur. The fire was apparently caused by a faulty relay in the reactor controls, a five-minute fix until the fire broke out. Maybe they didn't hear the buzzer over the sounds of battle. Anyway, the fire damage appears to be mostly superficial, the fuel storage cells are not leaking (but should be replaced anyway), and the main systems appear to be operational.
Two photos of the wreckage site are being attached to the file:
Forwarding to Grise Fjord for refitting.
# # #
Facility:Grise Fjord Shipyard, Service Bay 13 Officer:Lt. Franklin Asset Tag:818-237-023
Replaced fuel storage cells and reactor controls with inventory parts.
Installed Liberty weapons and control systems per request:
(6) Liberty Cruiser Turrets
(1) Battle Razor
(1) Light Mortar
Test trials show that the ship meets all of the necessary criteria, although the reactor recharge rate is sub-optimal at 75%. Same problem as before, the Liberty control systems are not able to manage the Core reactor efficiently. ERS really needs to look into this. In the meantime, trials indicate that the ship is suitable for basic patrol and interdiction duties, but should not engage in direct combat against capital ships as the limited recharge rate is likely to be a fatal weakness.
Ready to be assigned a captain and crew. Docked until further orders arrive.
# # #
Facility:Grise Fjord Shipyard, Docking Bay D Officer:Commander Will Hagen Asset Tag:818-237-023
The crew and I took delivery of the ship last week. We have rechristened the ship as Baychimo, after an abandoned Earth ship that floated off the coast of Alaska for some thirty years [NN ref.].
So far we are having a fine time with it. We have been doing limited training missions against Order gunboat squads and fighting with the occasional Nomad and Order patrols Alaska, and have also ventured out for some Navy missions against the Rogues and other unlawfuls in house space. Once the crew are comfortable with the ship (and vice-versa) we will make a survey run to update the navmaps, and then take up a rapid-response position on planet Manhattan.
Our mission prohibits us from engaging the Rheinland Military directly (so as to avoid making ourselves a problem for the Bounty Hunters Guild with Rheinland), however we're cleared to engage unlawful targets. I am hoping to keep a low profile, but the crew is itching to start running patrols around New York, for the purpose of being highly-visible it seems.
Future reports will be sent under the ship ID of LSFC-Baychimo.
How: I made a new ship with /restart Liberty, then did double-bribes with LPI to get positive reputation with the house forces, then did a double-bribe for LSF at Kodiak to get the LSF IFF and ID. From there I went to Manchester and worked the BHG depots and bribes to get BHG and Core rep positive. Then it was a trek through the Omicrons and Omegas in my CSV, where I bought the ship. I forgot about the guns having different rep requirement and I wasnt able to buy any of those, so I flew back through Rheinland space avoiding other ships and working the jump holes. The LSF ID is not restricted to systems with jumpgates, so I can take the ship anywhere, but I didn't want to be seen.
Why: My first cap was a Thresher and I love to fly it, but I don't like the weird Order RP stuff and dont want to play there. The ship is basically stolen, but my understanding is that Core wont move against me unless I make a problem for them, so I'm just going to play with it in liberty house space.
So Far: Its an awesome ship. Right now the nerf is orange-cell so 75% efficiency which is plenty for the loadout I have. It probably wouldn't work with cerberus turrets. If BHG stuff becomes light-green to Liberty, expect to see a lot of these flying around, since the Thresher is miles ahead of the LSC in basic combat situations. I expect some of the other house corps to do similar things now.