"No one man can move a mountain, only many men who move pebbles." - Yousf Slausborrow, Steller Engineer during the Eclipse project, 2438
Deep Space - 12 Hours Post Hibernation
Perspective "Thomas Cabot"
<< COMMSYS_RESPONSE>>> Beginning transmission now Captain. In the literal and metaphorical sense, the ship isn't doing too hot. I am extremely glad and surprised at how well the ship has faired through the unknown amount of time since I was uploaded into this infernal machine. The engine section fared much better than most other sub-systems on the ship. It was either the immense amount of shielding or luck, but either way, I'm not going to look a gifted horse in the mouth, so to speak. << ENGINESYS_RESPONSE>>> It's good that you're up Captain. ENGINESYS_RESPONSE>>> There has been significant leakage during the hibernation sequence. All the liquid hydrogen is gone, although the main impulse reserves have not been depleted. At the current durability of the "Voyage" drive system, we should have enough to reach ROSS 183 in 3 years. << ENGINESYS_RESPONSE>>> "Of course, Captain. Have a nice day." Well, that's it; now the hard part is deciding what to do once we reach Ross 183. The VNP sub-systems are non-existent, so there is no way I can create an industrial foothold in the system since I don't even know the composition of the star system. Judging from what Commsys can put together, It's a red giant. While we are on our way, Commsys should be able to put together a metal and gas composition based on the star's electromagnetic radiation. Still, I have no idea how long it will be until some passing ship encounters my tiny radio signals... So long, in fact, I may have to go back into hibernation... Yup, no, not doing that. The best course of action is to try and put together a basic star map and, referring to my archives, try and plot a course to the nearest star system with human life. However, the amount of time that has passed is a problem. I don't know how long or why I was drifting, barely functional anyway. In my archives, it's 2599, but that is based on blueprints I have, which isn't very reliable given the rampant corruption of the mainframe during or before hibernation. Was the USM-VNP-5 attacked? The damage to the vessel isn't mere asteroid impact or mechanical malfunction; it's purposeful kinetic or explosive damage to the exterior and, in some places, interior sections of the ship. Either way, I have a lot of time until we get to ROSS 183 to figure it out with reverse-kinematic-projectile analysis programs and a lot of processing power going towards pouring over the Exabytes of data in the corrupted logs and archival information that Mainsys purged. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ROSS 183 - Galatic Date 12'67 Perspective Fylix Zhorna Pulling into the red giant star system from the southern pole and getting into an elliptical orbit around FED-194532, I message my communications officer to cast our FSDAR to do a wide scan while pulling into the system. I just hope Vera's right about this being an old Federation dump site and not another ambush like the last time she heard of a "lucrative business venture" while visiting a G-class planet. I sit straight in the Captain's chair and give Tlx the go-ahead to connect us with Vera's frigate. "Ah Hah! And the dead speak!" She says in her amphibious drawl when she appears on the bridge's main holo screen. Collections of blue, white, and teal scales platter her reptilian body, sharp canines yellowed and metallic through years of drinking and neglect extend out of a short snout, sharp diamond eyes looking eerily into mine. "Yes, If it means I maintain FiSC silence while we are actively in a federation black site, then yes, I would prefer to be thought dead," I say with a twitch of my whiskers as I get a message from the communications officer with the completed FSDAR scan. "Jeez, 'Commissar,' I was joking. Don't get your panties in a twist about it," Vera rolls her eyes as she sends her FSDAR scan from the polar north to me so that my ship AI can sort through all the nonsense and hopefully find something useful. These old FSDAR scanners can't even get a complete picture of a star system without AI assistants to filter out all the bullshit. While I wait for the AI to complete its analysis, I slur some words of wisdom to my 'comrade,' "There better be something here of worth, or you know what will come of you if the boss finds out that you wasted time and fuel going into a restricted star system while the mercs from FED-H6 is on our ass." She leers at me while I stay the course with a steady, calm, indifferent look on my furred face as she scoffs. "Yes, and then I will be hacked into pieces and scattered on a white dwarf; I get it! Just Trust me, Fix! I just know there's something here..." I sigh as I get overwhelmed by the immaturity of the adult Thorxin. "You know I am just looking out for-" I stop speaking as the analysis results get back... Vera and I are frozen, as is much of our crew, as the scan is projected in both of our frigates. A war field is presented to us; a possible massive debris field around FED-194532, like an asteroid ring, signifies either massive Precursor infrastructural build-up or, the more likely solution, a Great War star system, a battlefield from the ancient Precursor conflict. It's mostly just scrap alloy and destroyer husks being picked clean of any advanced tech, but it is a good find nonetheless. "Told ya!" I groan in disdain so the mic can pick up on it as childish laughter is heard on the other side of the holo screen. Returning to the reading, I see an anomaly: an extremely large metallic signature with electromagnetic? Signals being emitted from it were detected on the edge of the debris ring...