Mossfoot's Tales of Woe...

[Zireael]

LOL @ the laser pointer line.

[mossfoot]

Fleabag found a comfortable spot to sleep in the back of the ship, but his litterbox is a different problem. For now I just keep sand in the emergency airlock (not the one I normally use), which at least make it easy to flush. And if Fleabag becomes a problem well... I can solve two problems at once.

But so far he's been a pretty easy going companion. Sometimes he'll walk into the cockpit and leap up on the dashboard, staring out into space as if it knows exactly what's out there--and is not impressed. He knows enough to get out of the way if we run into trouble. It was bad enough to have Trumbles getting in my way during a fight, I don't need a cat sleeping on my radar projector.

When we dock he usually strays a bit from the ship to check things out, then hurries back inside, perhaps thinking I might take off without him.

As far as Mossfoots Burden goes, I've got her upgraded about as good as can be expected, but honestly that's not saying much. I need to get something better, since I have a sinking feeling this new stability in the galaxy since 4004 is just a lull of sorts. Something else is going to happen, but I have no idea what.

All I know is, there was more to those mass raids and the stolen A.I.M. tech that allowed it to happen, especially with Her Majesty's Navy still out on maneuvers. The official word on the news is a new Thargoid threat that they're holding at bay in Cold-War style posturing of forces. But the fact this happened at the same time as the pirate raids? Hell of a coincidence.

Officially they said they believed the A.I.M. tech was given to the pirates by the Thargoids, and the raids were orchestrated in part by them, hoping to draw the Navy away and weaken the main lines. An interesting theory that I could almost believe if it weren't for two things:

First, the only tech we've ever gotten from Thargoids were pried from their cold, dead pincers. Their attempts at communication still come out as random gibberish. And they still think most sentient species are simply different flavors on the galactic buffet. They don't cooperate with anyone.

Second, I saw the A.I.M. software being developed with my own eyes on a Navy space station.

I suppose it's possible that the story is true and the tech I saw being worked on was intercepted or stolen and being reverse engineered for their own purposes. Dad never told me much of anything when it came to their top secret work, and the only reason I saw it being developed is because I went into the wrong simulator bay, one where they were testing the software out.

I don't know. I really don't. Right now, I only know I need to keep my eyes peeled, my ears open, and my emergency airlock clean every few days.

[mossfoot]

So it seems my live diar... journal has attracted some attention. I was approached by a man from the Tionisla Chronicle the other day.

"We've been listening to your show," he said. "When you're out of range other people record it and forward it to us. You've got quite a following."

I wasn't on any real station this time, just a small depot on one of the outer planets of the system. One of those weird ones shaped like a pyramid. And since they're not built by humans, it always reminds me of those ancient astronaut theories that were popular on old Earth, where aliens helped build the pyramids--as if we were too dumb to figure it out ourselves.

I wanted to correct the guy, tell him it wasn't a show I was putting on. But he spoke again before I could.

"It's quite a setup you've got going. Mobile pirate radio. Great way to reach the masses to tell them what the man doesn't want them to hear. You really believe what you say about 4004?"

This worried me. I hadn't really thought I'd have any followers. Not important ones anyway, or that they might put stock into my observations and theories. And I was... popular? That's something I haven't experienced in a while. But this time it was what I wanted least.

"Now, if I could just inquire about your father. Based on what we know, we've narrowed the list down to six possible officers in the Imperial Navy and was wondering if you could confirm--"

"Hold on," I said. "I'm not confirming anything, certainly not to a news station. If you've been following my stories like you say, you know how much I value converting oxygen to carbon dioxide. It's my second favorite thing. In fact you're giving me a real good reason to stop yapping on the hyperradio waves altogether."

"No! Don't do that. That's why I'm here. We'd like to hire you as a reporter. Human interest stuff. Investigative journalism. Whatever. You give us exclusive first rights to any story you break, and then you're free to talk about it on your own show."

"It's not a show--"

"Whatever. People like your voice and we're willing to pay to use it. What do you say?"

I didn't exactly see the harm. I heard the Chronicle paid pretty well.

"Got anything lined up for an assignment?"

"Funny you should say that. Ever hear of a placed called Erehwon?"

[mossfoot]

I'll take satirical novels of Victorian England for the win, Alex.

"Erehwon? Don't you mean Erewhon?"

That's right, I graduated English Lit before joining the Academy. Deal with it.

"Huh?"

And of course he doesn't get it. Why do I bother?

"Look, we've been hearing about a lost system not too far from the Galactic Core. Some traders claim to have been there, but they don't want to give out details. What information we do get is conflicting. It might not even exist, but we believe there's something out there. We want to learn more. We want pictures. And we want you to cover it in your own, shall we say, unique way."

"Let's skip right to the part where you talk about my own unique pay."

"Get anything usable, and we could pay up to a thousand credits."

I liked the sound of that. "You have my attention."

"I'll be honest with you. You're not the first person we've sent on this assignment. But so far we've had... problems."

"You're losing my attention. Uh oh, Mr. Alcohol is waving at me..."

"It's not what you think. Some took an advance on us and bolted, so we're not making that mistake again. And yes, a couple of our other recruits never came back at all, but we chalk that up with the dangers of blind jumping between systems. Just make sure you jump with a full tank. Others claimed to have been there, but failed to bring back any usable pictures. They shut up on the details after we refused to pay, but we need facts and proof. We're not publishing hoaxes."

I raised an eyebrow. I've read the Chronicle before. "I seem to recall you published an article about giant space jellyfish roaming in asteroid fields?"

"We stand by our assertion that those are real."

"And they were eating passing cruise liners?"

"Okay, we don't publish hoaxes anymore."

I figured a thousand credits was still worth hearing him out. "So what do you know about this place?"

"Erehwon is supposed to be somewhere to the galactic west of Biorle, in interstellar space. Our guess it it's around a brown dwarf or other protostar, which is why it's not on any of the charts. Anything else is just speculation. But according to our sources there is a station, and it's inhabited. That's our money shot. Protostars and planets aren't uncommon, but they're only of interest to the science nerds. But finding one that's populated? That's a story!"

I considered the offer. Mossfoot's Burden was kitted out about as good as it could be. I was ready for anything outside of heavy combat, and my fuel injectors meant I could run away from that... I hoped.

And a thousand credits would go a long way towards getting a new ship. Okay, not a long way, but it was a start. Given that parcel deliveries were only paying a tenth that, why the hell not?

"Alright, you've got yourself a reporter."

[Zireael]

I'm an English major but I don't get the Erewhon joke *sad face*

[mossfoot]

I'm an English major but I don't get the Erewhon joke *sad face*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erewhon

I learned about it in school, but never actually read it

[Ranthe]

I'm an English major but I don't get the Erewhon joke *sad face*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erewhon

I learned about it in school, but never actually read it

The funny thing is that I actually grew up in a town not terribly far from the author's homestead is located. Most (real) stuff on the map in the Wikipedia article - the rivers, the mountain ranges and the towns - are familiar territory to me

[mossfoot]

No doubt you've already seen the broadcast from the Tionisla Chronicle and saw the whole adventure in detail there. Mind you, that's the smartly edited version. I had two stupid little floating cameras buzzing around me the whole time, capturing every move I made, which means the Chronicle had something like twenty hours of useless footage as I investigated, interviewed, and tried and failed several times to make the right jump.

So if I'm short on details here, it's only because the Chronicle already provided all the best highlights. Given that they cut all that footage down to an hour (well, forty minutes plus twenty minutes of commercials) it's no wonder it made me look so good.

Well, they made someone look good anyway.

I had a feeling they weren't going to blur out my face or alter my voice the way I wanted, so I had a former pirate and tech guru buddy of mine, Redspear, tinker with their floaty cameras a bit before I started my search, added a bit of code so that whenever the cameras recognized my face it altered it to look like movie star Brad Jolie.

That gave the Chronicle some problems. It's why they had to add that disclaimer saying it wasn't really Brad Jolie flying the ship. They claim it was their idea to protect my identity. Yeah, right. What do you think would have been more difficult for them, getting permission from Brad Jolie to use his likeness, or blurring out my face? This more or less justified my paranoia on the matter. They thought a blurred face would hurt the ratings or something. Score one for foresight.

Fortunately, Brad was cool with it. It was free publicity for his next movie and they struck up a deal to play some trailers during the commercials. I should get a bloody commission, pal.

So obviously I found Erehwon. I wasn't the first and I won't be the last. It's been a semi-secret among some coreward traders for a while now, and they were none too pleased by the exposé (all the more reason for the computer generated face change). Though I'm sure they're glad its exact location was never revealed.

And there's good reason for that. If you saw the Chronicle's special you know why the location and the exact means to get there weren't given. It's a dangerous place and should not be approached by casual traders. All those acrobatic stunts you saw on the show (played to the tune of Lenny Log-in's "Safety Zone")? You bet your ass I needed them. I wasn't just showing off.

Okay, maybe I was showing off a little. Just because you have to defend yourself doesn't mean you can't do it with a little style, right?

But of course it's the station itself that's the greatest mystery. In my opinion, the report the Chronicle aired only touched the surface of the questions it raised. And while those traders who have claimed it don't know much more about it than I do, I have to wonder if there might be more out there like it... perhaps with more answers.

Answers I'd be happy to uncover... for the right price.

No doubt the Chronicle will want follow up stories made, so I'm sure I won't be the last Tionisla Reporter to grace the spacelanes of Erehwon.



***
Bonus - Safety Zone: https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f= ... 76#p222576

[Bangbangduck]

Keep at it. very entertaining

BBD

[mossfoot]

Keep at it. very entertaining

BBD

Thanks. Obviously I wrote that so those who haven't done the mission won't get too many spoilers, but I do think it's an OXP that could be built on. More hidden stations to find like that which build up a story as to their origins

[spud42]

cookies on the table near the door. OXZ's are fun to write.. no really, who turned out the light??

[mossfoot]

cookies on the table near the door. OXZ's are fun to write.. no really, who turned out the light??

Heh, as I've mentioned elsewhere, my experience with coding is limited to

Code: Select all

10 Print "Oolite Rules"
20 Goto 10
Run

[Bangbangduck]

WOW! A fellow non programmer. My effort consisted of, 35 years ago, this

Code: Select all

10 Print "Oolite Rules"
20 Goto 42
Run

I just never got the hang of it much to my annoyance.

BBD

[mossfoot]

So I finally found my way to the Akihabara of this corner of the Galaxy.

Ceesxe. Electric World. A planet whose future is so bright you have to wear shades. No, really. the entry point puts you on a direct course with both the planet and the goddamn sun. I swear to God I've spent more in glare filters for my ship than fuel, and the stupid things keep burning out on me. Was the government trying to be symbolic or something placing the witchpoint there? Is it to impress the tourists? Make it so pirates are at a disadvantage coming in?

Or perhaps, to paraphrase Jane Austin: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a planet rich in good fortune must be populated by assholes."

Ceesxe is a great place to get your ship kitted out. It is literally the most technologically advanced planet around. Rumor has it some of the techies for the Imperial Navy developed part of a working cloaking device here... which they totally don't have. Nope. Nosir. No cloaking device here. That technology doesn't exist. Please forward all inquiries to the press officer and expect four to six weeks for a casual dismissal of your question.

Uh-huh. Remind me sometime to tell you the story about the disappearing Thargoid, would you?

Actually the Imperial Navy has finally come back. The press reported it a week ago, around the time my Erehwon story broke, which killed the ratings, dammit. But this was the first time I'd seen them myself. I saw a carrier with a full Viper escort attacking poor stupid shmuck, and, always willing to snatch a bounty from them, I joined in. It's not like Navy pilots get bounties anyway. No doubt they'll award the kill to whoever did the most damage for their own ranking purposes.

Besides, I wanted to get close. I had enough fuel to jump system if things got weird, but I had to know if I was in any danger around them, and try to get some answers about 4004.

It seemed my hacked ident crystal was not only not on any of their wanted lists, but also in good standing with the Navy. They not only talked to me, they gave me permission to land.

This identity crystal is just getting stranger and stranger. Features noticed so far:
-Built in bounty tracker, which means it's affiliated with (or hacked into) the bounty hunter guild.
-Clean ID that I seem to have a hard time getting dirty, regardless of what cargo I might have.
-Ability to break security systems on other ships (nice feature but I really shouldn't abuse it)
-Ability to broadcast a pirate signal over Hyperradio.
-Good standing with Imperial Navy?

And one other thing - I can't change the name. For some reason "Mossfoot" is hardwired in.

Anyway, once inside the carrier I figured I'd find out how much good will this ID could get me while still staying close enough to my ship to make a quick getaway.

I was really fooling myself at this point, I know. I was docked inside their goddamn carrier. If they wanted me there was little I could do to stop them. But for once curiosity was overcoming my cowardliness.

I got off Mossfoots Burden and two soldiers waited at the bottom of the ramp. They saluted.

Interesting... I could get used to that.

"Welcome aboard, sir," one of them said. A lieutenant. "I'm sorry the Captain can't see you himself, but he's needed on the bridge. Does your ship require any repairs?"

I decided to channel my dad's tone and mannerisms. Easy enough for me to do, I often made fun of it after all.

"Negative, lieutenant," I made sure to pronounce it leftenant like he did. "Just a quick refuel and a spot of tea. Oh and a tin of tuna for my cat, be a good fellow. Right. Now then, what's your ship's current assignment? I've been out of touch and need to know I'm not going space crazy, what what?"

Yes, my father is that kind of officer.

"Standard system patrol, checking in with key worlds."

"And the status of the fleet?"

"Still on the Thargoid front."

So that part of the story was true? "Jolly good. Hostilities?"

"Only the usual, sir." That probably meant raiders attacking at random and communicating in gibberish.

An enlisted man arrived with the tin of tuna I'd requested. Nice. That kind of service meant some kind of half decent rank was involved, or at least specialist clearance. He also had some tea in a paper cup. Instant, no doubt.

"Don't bother me with that swill, I have a proper kettle in my ship. Now, any intentions to bring the fleet core-ward due to the current crisis, what what?"

The officer looked slightly confused. "My understanding was the situation had stabilized. Has something changed?"

Stable? They call the situation now stable? Only in worlds like Ceesxe, stable planets surrounded by other stable planets. I didn't want to press my luck with the wrong questions, though. One furrowed brow was enough suspicion for one day.

"Not as far as I know, lad. Like I said, I've been out of touch. Carry on. I've had a long day and still a ways to go. Let me know when I'm cleared to launch. Pip pip."

The lieutenant saluted and I went back inside my ship. Fleabag waited at the top of the ramp, raising that imaginary eyebrow again.

"What are you complaining about? At least you got some tuna out of it. All they offered me was powdered tea."

[mossfoot]

One of the great things about Ceesxe is they have everything. They have the best night life around, and it's always night in space. Yeah, you'll find your GalCop standard Dodec station there, but they got the new SuperHub nearby, absolutely massive in size and a breeze to dock with. You've got a Hoopy Casino floating in the safety zone if you want to waste some well earned credits on overpriced drinks from underdressed men or women. Heavily patrolled by Vipers, an RRS station nearby in case search and rescue is needed... Hell, even the Constore at the witchpoint feels extra snazzy in a deep shade of purple.

Class all around.

I decided to dock at the Superhub for the novelty for it, though I was pretty sure I'd get a slightly better price for my cargo of furs there. Mossfoots Burden drifted into the center, was gently picked up by the tractor beams, and drawn into one of the many landing tubes on the Hub's inner surface. Bliss!

Oh, I had every intention of sticking around here for a while. The only downside of a place like Ceesxe was that it didn't have many other planets nearby. I like to keep my options open in case things go pear shaped. Still, the overall stability and security made up for it.

An ultrasecure agricultural world nearby to trade with, the Navy is clueless as to who I really am, easy money and a ship that is no longer falling apart. Life is good.

Why oh why did I have to think that? You'd think I'd have learned my lesson by now.

It started, as many of my problems are wont to it seems, in a bar...