4620-02-21:21 - When we finally ran into the aliens we were swarmed by about eight large ships. No sooner could we hail them when bursts were coming from their ships. T'Larra already had the shields up and Max had the engines pushing us away from the encounter. One burst from their ships took about half of our shielding. It was a long chase, but we finally outran them. I should have gotten a scan, but neglected to give the order. I think we're just glad to be out of there.
4620-02-22:04 - We were well out of range of the continuum flux and otherwise in hostile territory. We chose to hide in the nearby nebula, but there was alien activity in the northwestern most part - we avoided it and chose to hang lower. There were two star systems here; system 33, 6 had rock worlds, but the oxygen planet had violent weather and had fifteen Gs of crushing gravity. System 31, 5 had a single rock world orbiting a red star of all things. I told Max to bring us in close to the star and get a sensor reading - nothing out of the ordinary. The rockworld was also of no interest - save for a methane and HCN atmosphere with chlorine oceans.
We had a few decisions to make here. Our shields will not work in a nebula; there is hostile alien activity nearby, and the continuum flux we need to get home and save on fuel is about twenty sectors west of here. There is also a star system out in the open between this nebula and the one we arrived at. If we traverse the original nebula, our shields will be out and if we are attacked, I can only assume what kind of damage we will sustain. Explore in dangerous territory or take the long road home.
It was unanimous. Take the long road home.
4620-02-22:16 - Max got the coordinates wrong. We ended up in Spemin space. They had nothing of interest to report so we left them and warped out.
4620-02-22:22 - Never have I been so glad to be home. Me, T'Larra and Max parted ways for some needed 'shore leave'. I had work to do unfortunately before this would happen. I checked the bulletin board system for any new details which might have arisen. Endurium prices were increased on due to colonization efforts; it is now 1,500 MU per cubic meter compared to the original 1,000 MU - my wallet is crying. Arth has lost a ship in system 192, 152 - Arth advises caution, but ships in the area may want to investigate. Operations also has reported that the Thrynn are offering to buy artifacts at inflated rates (!). Operations has advised against doing this, even if it might further relations - we would be sacrificing what we may learn from these 'artifacts in question. I'll make a note to have the lab here analyze them once we acquire those that are on our agenda. Also, two of the planets our ship logged were suitable for colonization and we were rewarded accordingly.
Lastly, and of note - operations has compiled a list of (nearby) fluxes brought back by exploration ships. These are indeed of interest to me.
Coordinates as follows: 128, 105 - 146, 112; 126, 87 - 173, 88; 148, 166 - 170, 93; 99, 82 - 118, 107.
Our cargo hold did not hold much in the way of profit; just enough to recuperate our fuel costs. At this time we had used half of what we originally purchased for fuel (!#@$). But if these artifacts we will be hunting down are of any indication, there will be plenty of time to do some mineral hunting. There was no needed maintenance to be done on anything in the ship; the ATV checked out, and there were was no new equipment that we needed. Okay, I take that back, we could use those higher end weapons, but they were too expensive for our coughers.
---
I spoke with T'Larra and Max on our upcoming mission agenda. We had already gotten pretty far with the Thrynn; this was probably due to T'Larra being present as our communicator and navigator. However, the flipside of that coin is that the Elowan were less than tolerable of her in our crew. In order to get anywhere, T'Larra would need to stay behind on at least one venture to Elowan space. We decided it was best to have the trip to Elowan space as part of the entire excursion - T'Larra would stay behind and complete her training in all five mission critical areas as a crew member. I would be taking over as communicator and navigator. Max would be assigned to engineering as before.
Considering the hostilities we encountered near the galactic edge, it would be best to avoid that area (for now). Considering how much fuel we burned through on that and the trip to Thrynn space, it would be advantageous to explore the continuum fluxes that operations had listed. The flux location the Spemin gave into Gazurtoid space would also be on the agenda.
Due to the nature of space faring races and encountering them frequently - it may be a good idea to make as many friends as possible. The Elowan are on the list, but we haven't made any progress with the Velox. This was next on the agenda - the Gazurtoid and Uhlek might also be worth looking into - although I doubt they as enemies of the Old Empire, would be too keen on speaking with their descendants.
After stocking up on Endurium, I bid farewell to T'Larra; me and Max would be by ourselves for this one. We blasted off with our first agenda - continuum flux locations that ops mentioned.
4620-02-23:04 we ran into a ship with a mass of 3536 tons; it was composed entirely of rodnium. From the outside of the ship it looked like a giant orb. Closer magnification showed it was composed of many smaller orbs. When it finally communicated with us - we saw only smaller orbs onscreen that looked like the ship itself. They communicated entirely in jumbled binary. Weird. More interesting is the fact their sensor readout showed class seventy-five shields.
4620-02-23:07 - The continuum flux at 126, 87 warped us just ouside of a nebula in Elowan space. Our scanners indicated a ship in some distance; it was Elowan and a small scoutship. Due to the fact we could easily overpower them, we may need to change our plan a bit - relations would be established first - if at all possible. Worst case scenario - we blow them up.
What we got up on screen was not what I was expecting. It was something I could describe as having the head of a giant pod, but with red eyes; but it had the trunk of a tree with limbs for arms and leaves on them. Unlike a normal tree, this one was moving. I did my best to start communications for equitable relations in the future.
The first thing they asked is if we needed energy. I'm not sure what they meant so I said no. I communicated the fact it was our wish as representatives of Arth to have a long and lasting beneficial relationship between our two races. Max indicated that their shields lowered by this point.
I can only say that I was taken aback by how the Elowan onscreen spoke. He spoke of us as being together again, with those so few of our kind (humans, I assume). They must have been allies in the cause of truth, and the search of wisdom. He asked me if this was the way it should be - all I could say is - yes.
He finally spoke of the Thrynn and not to betray them (Elowan) for the Thrynn; we would only lose by doing so. I rolled my eyes at Max. I can see where this might be going. I finally dared to ask some information about themselves.
There are not many Elowan left; their second homeworld was destroyed by a solar flare. They are also preyed upon by the "cold and relentless Thrynn".
Elowan become uprooted when they reach adolesence. When they take to the soil again their heads turn into flowers. One in ever 300 of their members stays rooted and its head turns into a melon-like fruit they call headfruit; the seeds of their future lie here. Headfruit is most dear to the Elowan. The Thrynn also claim it bestows greater intelligence and brings an increase in lifespan - the Thrynn thieve and consume it on the black market. For this reason the Thrynn and Elowan are enemies.
Elan is a sacred island world where their young reside; those that are grown do not distrub their meditations of tranquillity. Elan is in the system of 148,63.
I did a check later on that star system. The Thrynn spoke of it as a secret-base of operations for the Uhlek. The Elowan never gave the exact planet of Elan, but the Thrynn did - it is the second world.
The Thrynn and Elowan were born as a species in the same star system. This system is 129, 33; named Eleran by the Elowan, and Thoss by the Thrynn. The Elowan were born on the second planet, and the Thrynn the fourth.
As the conversation turned to the Thrynn and other races, we learned a great deal about the Thrynn that they did not tell us. Their culture does indeed embrace the machine (as they told us), but in September of this year (human year), their star will flare. The Elowan refuse to tell them. The Thrynn have been constant with their attacks against the Elowan ever since the Empire fell and could no longer keep them in check.
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The Veloxi are arrogant with no wisdom concerning the Ancients.
Meeting us was also a great surprise - humans were thought exctinct due to the belief (the Elowan had) that all colony worlds of the Empire had been destroyed.
The Spemin know very little, and bluster frequently. They can be pampered to appease them; but using force will get the the best results.
The Uhlek are the strongest of all races, as well as the Gazurtoid - both whom have fled the wave of flaring stars. The Uhlek have fled longer than any other race; they came from the center of the galaxy and are continuing on as we speak. They move outward to the galaxy edge every '100 score years'. The Uhlek are like a many-celled organism that is independent from each other, but is also autonomous and one. It's central mass is deep underground in subterranean caverns.
The Gazurtoid have travelled from the galaxy center for so long they have forgotten why they do so. Only that they are on a 'holy crusade'. The Gazurtoid have little to offer and there is nothing to learn from them.
Check. Gazurtoid are off the list.
The Uhlek only 'speak' with their weapons. The Elowan believe we would not care for what they have to say.
There is a race of wandering creatures called "Minstrels"; they are also known as "Delasa'Alia". They are older than other races in the galaxy. They also do not require a ship to travel in space. No one knows what lies within the interior of their bodies. All that people do know is that they sing of tales of old.
The Arth home system (that's us!); will flare in the last week of the tenth month (last week of October) of this year - or so the Elowan have calculated.
Homeworlds of any species should be observed at all times - few races will tolerate a landing - as many species have learned. I guess this means that checking out the homeworlds of these races is not an option.
---
I questioned the Elowan about the Old Empire. These were my findings---
Thrynn sold headfruit on the market since the earliest days of the Empire.
There existed an Institute (referenced by the Mechans) in the Old Empire that knew more about the Ancients than anyone else. With the fall of the Empire the knowledge was lost. The Elowan also do not know where the Institute's final resting pace is. The Elowan changed the topic of conversation to the Ancients.
---
The Ancient ones no longer exist, but they were the oldest of all races. They come from another galaxy - or so the Minstrel songs say. This is the only record of their existence that we have. However, the Elowan also infured that the Minstrel songs indicate the Ancients lived in terms of millenia, not years.
Every race has a different theory about the Ancients; each bit of knowledge is another clue to their nature and the truth.
The Elowan do not know if the Ancient ones have survived or not; but they do know they have a horrible legacy that has been left behind. "The Crystal Planet" was left behind to destroy everything that lives. The Elowan have no idea why however. The Crystal Planet unleashes a 'mighty force' upon approach; only a specific device known by the Institute will stop it. The Elowan have no idea where it is, or what it is for that matter.
There is a control nexus on the Crystal Planet where it is known to be weak, but the Elowan have been unsuccessful in bombing it from space. In order to find the control nexus we would need a "Crystal of Cone" created by the Ancients. The Elowan do not know where it is.
They did not have much else to say, bid their departure and we were off.
---
I finally switched to seeking general information. Report follows---
The Four Seedlings is a constellation in the territory of the Elowan; it is used as a landmark. The four seedlings are "Akteron, Gaal, Iridani and Echt".
---
4620-02-23:14 - We ran into a Gazurtoid ship around a dense concentration of continuum fluxes. We outran them after they introduced themselves as the Gazurtoid and opened fire on us. We explored the ones that weren't already on our map. We ran into a Minstrel that wanted to sing songs to us - we ignored him and carried on with the mission. We ran into a Nomad Probe after taking the flux at 96, 92. After another flux sent us into a nebula in Gazurtoid space we opened a hail to them; they proceeded to rant to us about the vileness that is air breathers. More interesting is the fact they look like squid. After some ranting they left us and we proceeded on our way.
Continuum Flux Report follows---
4620-02-23:00 - 128, 105 - 146, 112; Mechan Space
4620-02-23:06 - 126, 87 - 173, 88; Elowan Space
4620-02-24:01 - 148, 166 - 170, 93; Veloxi Space to empty space
4620-02-23:16 - 99, 82 - 118, 107; Arth (Human) Space
4620-02-23:19 - 96, 82 - 150, 96; Spemin Space
4620-02-23:22 - 96, 80 - 69, 66; Gazurtoid Space (nebula)
4620-02-24:01 - 97, 77 - 93, 62; (empty)
4620-02-23:15 - 101, 83 - 142, 51; Thrynn Space
4620-02-24-04 - 100, 78 - 61, 131; Nebula (empty)
4620-02-24:18 - The last flux at 148, 166 brought us into Veloxi Space; we learned this after the fact. The flux warps just outside of Elowan territory. At this point our mission was done, so I told Max to bring us through the flux again and back into Veloxi territory. At this point we were going to establish contact with them and hopefully have better relations than our first few encounters. Wish me luck!
---
They were not happy to see us. In fact we were trespassing of the "Grand Veloxi Empire". We agreed to pay their tribute. We were immediately asked if we were exploring their space to find energy crystals of the Ancients; I told them 'no'. There interrogation began; we were not part of the Old Empire, so I told them no. This is the truth as far as "Arth" is concerned; we have no affiliation with the Old Empire, save for being a colony world long and forgotten.
The Veloxi speaking to me inferred that if we show the proper respect for the charming Veloxi, then everyone is indeed happy as a bivalve mollusk (I assume he means clam). I looked over to Max whom had no suggestions of advice. Further questions in a friendly matter did get the Veloxi to open up a bit though. I asked them for general information.
System 175, 94 has a distress call that has been emitting for nearly a millenia. That is the colony ship for the Noah expeditions.
Any system of importance to the Veloxi is guarded by a space drone. Drones ask questions which must be answered correctly (!).
There is life in system 149, 133; Veloxi explorers find this system interesting. System 149, 133 also has a molten planet with many minerals in the mountainous regions. I know were we're going after this.
The number 'six' is the perfect number to the Veloxi; it is the sacred number of the ancients. But there is also the fact the Veloxi have six legs. (ugh!)
I asked about the ancients. The Veloxi said there is a "Great Egg" at 192, 152 made by them. It apparently looks like a giant Veloxi Egg.
"The Most Magnificent Hexagon" on the sacred planet of Sphexi is a sign from the Ancients to Veloxi descendants. There is a small egg there and it is the most sacred of Veloxi possessions. The Most Magnificent Hexagon is a sign to Veloxi from the Ancients about the "Holy Number 6"; the most perfect of all numbers - naturally because the Veloxi are the only race with six legs. I would have puked if I could at this point.
The Veloxi and Ancients are clearly related due to the fact they are a powerful race.
I changed the topic to the Old Empire. Perhaps this was a mistake - The Veloxi are very happy the Old Empire was wiped up due to 'scoundrel activity too naughty'. I had to stifle my laughter at how they said it.
The Empire used colonizing drones that collected data on planets; they still come around Veloxi space and annoy the Veloxi to no end.
During the "First Wave" (in 3120) the Veloxi and Empire had a pact to fight the first wave. This was when the attacks were on the Empire; however, when it changed to the Veloxi the Empire did not help and the Veloxi have been ticked ever since. When the "Second Wave" hit, the Veloxi did not help and the Empire was too weak and was destroyed. The Veloxi were very happy because of this.
In the year 3330 the Veloxi and Empire were not cool with each other; an Empire pirate by the name of Harrison attacked a Veloxi Ship and stole the Focusing Stone. The Veloxi seek its return and will be 'buddy-buddy' with anyone that finds it. This may be useful.
There are ruins of the Old Empire on an ice world (coordinates 34N x 28E) in the bottom most system of the Staff Constellation. This was discovered by an exploration team a very long time ago.
There is also a very old Empire Base in Veloxi territory at 28N x 4E on the first planet of the yellow star at 143, 115. This planet is forbidden to the Veloxi (but not to us!).
According to the Veloxi, other races are not important - they don't know the prophecy of the Great Egg. The Veloxi are civilized and know how life inthe galaxy will die.
The Veloxi see the Spemin as stupid and cowardly; they also do not taste good. The Elowan and Thrynn are always fighting. The Veloxi had thought all humans were destroyed by the Uhlek and Gazurtoid in the Second Wave. The Uhlek are the strongest race and the Gazurtoid have been following them towards the galactic edge ever since the Second Wave. The Veloxi do not know what the Uhlek look like and they are very happy that they are towards the galaxy's edge. The Gazurtoid are squids that are fanatically stupid - their legacy is to 'remove all air breathers from the galaxy'. The First Wave was the Numlox and Phlegmak races as they came from the galaxy's core in the year 3,000. I can only assume it means they were running from the flaring stars. Lastly, the "Minstrels" are strange, but harmless species as old as the Veloxi.
The Veloxi gave a location to a Phlegmak base located at 35S x 99E on the second planet in the handle of the Axe Constellation; this was the last battle the Phlegmak and Numlox fought before the Veloxi wiped them out during the First Wave. We will pay this area a visit if we can find it.
The Veloxi sometimes see a strange alien ship in the shape of a ball. It communicates occasionaly and it communicates in a funny language. I assume this is the spherical ship (composed of rhodnium) that we saw earlier.
They didn't have anything to say about the 'best of questions' (about themselves), but happily answered it - they are older than other races and are therefor civilized the most.