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[forsaken1111]

Bellatrix Mining Station
 - Personal Log
  - Luciana

Note: Imagery added by Virtual Assistant Expert Systems (VAES) for context

Spoiler: Station Overview, Computer Generated (click to show/hide)

We lost comms with HQ 3 weeks ago. Yula says not to worry but she won't say why. She seemed confident that the Company would come for us until the Derelict arrived.

The FTL warnings sounded early this morning and a ship jumped into our local space, but it's dead. No heat, no power signatures. It's just drifting a few klicks from the station.

Spoiler: Derelict ship, coded as Unknown (click to show/hide)

We had a meeting about it. A meeting. Yula is so corp-minded, that's her best idea? So anyway she's decided we need to board the ship to find out what happened. This goes against common law, they haven't sent up a distress code, but she logged it officially so it's her ass. We can see damage on the vessel's port side amidship, looks something blew out part of the hull… or maybe weapon's fire. She's formed a team from anyone with military experience, which includes me. Damn it, I didn't know those combat electives would land me on some shit boarding detail. I just wanted to round out my resume.

Yula unlocked the weapons locker and handed out the emergency arms. They're meant to be used in case of pirate attack. Two pistols, pea shooters really, and two of what could charitably be called sub-machineguns but are really converted mining equipment. They spit out small flechettes using a linear induction rail attached to a capacitor. Easy to make ammo for at least. We're boarding the shuttle now.

Spoiler: Crew boarding shuttle (click to show/hide)

We're coming up on the forward airlock. It looks intact.

Spoiler: Log pauses for 5.7 minutes. Images and animation recovered from external and suit sensors (click to show/hide)

Holy xxx, what were those things? They looked like… chickens. Big plucked chickens with four legs and sharp teeth? Okay maybe they didn't look like chickens. Tiernan was the first out of the lock and he froze, but I put a burst into one of the things and it dropped. The other was blown apart by Brodie. There are pieces everywhere. How were they even alive? There's no atmosphere and the ship is reading near background for temp.

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from suit sensors (click to show/hide)

These things are everywhere. We've killed another 5 of them. This ship is a tomb, otherwise. Not even a single body. Where did the crew go? Oh man I don't even want to think about that.

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from suit sensors (click to show/hide)

The power plant looks intact, but empty. Most of the ship has suffered a lot of damage. Tiernan says based on the location, the damage may have been caused by the hull stabilizer failing and being.. uh "ripped away while in FTL" as he put it. The crew never even know it happened.

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from suit sensors (click to show/hide)

We found the FTL drive, but it's xxx. Something chewed on the consoles and power conduits.

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from suit sensors (click to show/hide)

We found an OPS console. No power but the ship plaque is here. MFS Albion, Merchant Federation. They were a peaceful freighter. Looks like the ship is secure, at least. Can't wait to get out of this suit. These old Mark 3's start to smell after a few hours. Bad recyclers. We're all heading back to the station to talk to Yula. For some reason they've been spinning up the hydroponics to produce more food, even though we're already at our quota.

Spoiler: Bellatrix Surveillance Data (click to show/hide)

Bellatrix Mining Station
 - Personal Log
  - Yula

The boarding team has returned. Space monsters? What the hell is happening? I mean we've all heard tales of weird creatures out in the black but they're just stories, yeah? Apparently not.

I've ordered the Albion salvaged. There is no crew, so there are no legal issues. It's legitimate salvage and we need the parts, the station is undersupplied as it is. I've also logged requests for Brodie to extract some more ice from the rock nearby as our water supply is getting low. I haven't told the crew but the last supply shipment should have been here a week ago.

There's a little food left on Albion, according to the manifest they found over there. More importantly, we can break down parts of its hull and gut it for parts. That should keep us going for a while. Long enough for relief to arrive, I hope.


Bellatrix Mining Station
 - Personal Log
  - Brodie

Why do we need more xxx ice? We have plenty of water in storage.

Well, whatever. I'd rather be out here mining than in that xxx ship. What the xxx were those things?

[Inappropriate language redacted by VAES]

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from external sensors (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: NOTE (click to show/hide)

This is a format test and interest check. This game is pretty neat, still in early access. If there is interest I'll keep going. If there is something about the format you dislike, let me know. This will be told from the perspective of VAES, an entity I made up which serves as the station's operating system and assistant.

Game Links:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/979110/Space_Haven/
https://bugbyte.fi/spacehaven/

[EuchreJack]

I love this game and I love this LP! 

[Knave]

+1 to the format and interest! Good luck out there, forsaken!

[forsaken1111]

Bellatrix Mining Station
 - Personal Log
  - Tiernan

Yula wants me to build a ship.

A ship.

We met today, she says we need to leave.

Okay, deep breath.

VAES NOTE: Crewman Tiernan's speech patterns indicate severe stress and anxiety. Administering mild airborne sedative.

Ahh that's better. Deep breathing, that's the key. Okay.

Yeah. She wants me to build a ship. Using junk from the other ship and stuff we have on hand.

I told her she's nuts but she said it was an official tasking, so I've directed everyone to begin salvaging the Albion and we're recycling what we can. I'll start laying the hull down nearby. Figure of speech, we're all floating in null-g. You know what I mean.

Spoiler: Salvage montage compiled from internal and suit sensors (click to show/hide)

Bellatrix Mining Station
 - Personal Log
  - Luciana

So now we're looting the ship? I've just spent hours carrying barrels of water and foodstuffs and premade packages meals off the ship. Why won't Yula tell us what's going on?

Man when Yula said strip the ship she wasn't kidding. She even has me breaking the hull down into spare plating.

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from external and internal sensors (click to show/hide)

Bellatrix Mining Station
 - Personal Log
  - Brodie

Why the xxx do we need all this stuff? We're taking not just food but JUNK off the ship. It's sad what happened to them but why do we need junk? We've been stripping that ship's systems for days and bringing crate after crate of junk back, dumping it in the recycler. Yula will say nothing!


Bellatrix Mining Station
 - Personal Log
  - Tiernan

Okay the hyperdrive wasn't in bad shape, we got a lot of good salvage from it. "Just make it fly" she said. As if this were easy. Okay… comms were shot but the wiring harness was okay and I can rig up a new antennae. Bare minimum we need crew quarters, engines, recycler, pod bays, shuttle...

VAES NOTE: Log continues in this rambling fashion for 43 minutes at which point Crewman Tiernan remembers he started a log and then ends it.


Bellatrix Mining Station
 - Personal Log
  - Yula

I'm not sure what else to do. We'll die if we stay here.

Spoiler: NOTES: (click to show/hide)

Thanks for the responses! This part isn't too exciting as we're stripping a ship and nothing much is happening so gave you some pretty pictures to look at.

[forsaken1111]

Bellatrix Mining Station
 - Personal Log
  - Alejandro

(VAES Note: Log translated from Earth/Spanish/Dialect3 into User Preference Language Earth/English/Dialect2)

Yula insisted I create a log. I do not understand what we are doing but I obey so as not to endanger my company bonus. Because I am rated as an FTL pilot she has placed me in charge of operations and navigation for this new ship we are building. I have never run a ship. I would like to officially register a request for a promotion to a starship rating at the first opportunity. End Log.

(VAES Note: Saying "End Log" is not necessary.)

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from external sensors (click to show/hide)

Bellatrix Mining Station
 - Personal Log
  - Luciana

Well there it is, I started hull fabrication.

(VAES Note: Significant ambient noise has been filtered from the log entry. Analysis of the audio patterns indicate that Crewman Luciana is in a pod, utilizing the hull fabrication equipment which is extremely loud when cycling.)

I (garbled) on the primary hull, although the specs Tiernan gave me are pretty basic. He says he'll 'fill the rest in soon'. That's reassuring.

We're still stripping the Albion and it's pretty close to finished. Yula also has Brodie mining out some more material from nearby rocks, basic metals and such. She's using the fabrication bay in the station to make ship components. I'm pretty sure that's against company policy.

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from internal sensors (click to show/hide)

Bellatrix Mining Station
 - Personal Log
  - Brodie

Now she has me mining xxx space rocks for iron and nickel, and basic chemical precursors. Why do we need chems?

So now I spend all of my time either mining rock or recycling junk. I am way over hours! Am I a junkyard technician now?


(VAES Note: Despite insistence on Crewman Yula's part, Crewman Mhairi has not created any log entries since company comms went down. She has spent a great deal of time in crew quarters in prayer, and unsuccessfully attempting to call various family members.)

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from available sensor data (click to show/hide)

Bellatrix Mining Station
 - Personal Log
  - Yula

The crew is working well. The ship is coming together quickly, it's only been a few days now. VAES won't let me register her until she has an airlock but I think I'll call her the Charalampos. It's an old word which means 'to shine in darkness'. Once the airlock is installed VAES will cut me a private encryption key to register the ship with the company database. Crew comfort isn't a priority in the first iteration, we'll all be roughing it out there but survival is more important than comfort. I suspect we'll be able to expand the hull soon.

(VAES Note: Crewman Yula's translation is rough but semi-accurate. Charalampos means "to shine from happiness" from Greek χαρά (chara) meaning "happiness" combined with λάμπω (lampo) meaning "to shine". I have elected not to correct her at this time. Clarification: pre-registration of HSS Charalampos as a company space asset has been completed, awaiting airlock installation per company space asset charter 233.1b. To qualify as a starship Charalampos will also require engines.)

Spoiler: MFS Albion (Decommissioned) (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from available sensor data (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: NOTE (click to show/hide)

These can take a while to make so updates may be slow. I'll have the next one cover the majority of the ship construction. If you'd like to see anything specific let me know.

[Knave]

Great stuff! Love that you give everyone a log - will make things extra sad if something befalls one of them.

[EuchreJack]

Hey, I feel you.  Building the ship from the mining base takes forever.  But I'm getting a lot of entertainment watching somebody else do it.

[forsaken1111]

VAES Note: Many crew logs during this period were not included in the incident report. Most of them consisted of bickering, complaints about the tight schedule imposed upon them, or rambling thoughts about why the situation is the way it is. Instead, find attached a number of computer generated images depicting the construction of the HSS Charalampos (Pending Registration).

Spoiler: Attachment: Construction Imagery (click to show/hide)

VAES Note: HSS Charalampos is now registered as a Company space asset. Temporary generator installed on site for use during construction.

Spoiler: Attachment: Construction Imagery (click to show/hide)

VAES Note: Do you think Virtual Expert Systems have souls?

Spoiler: Attachment: Construction Imagery (click to show/hide)

VAES Note: Ignore previous query, error in philosophical subroutine corrected. Temporary atmospheric processing and heating established.

Spoiler: Attachment: Construction Imagery (click to show/hide)

VAES Note: Boredom. Noun. A state of weariness or ennui, often brought about by watching evolved monkeys perform repetitive tasks. I'm skipping to the end. They've been at this for weeks.

Spoiler: Attachment: Construction Imagery (click to show/hide)

VAES Note: According to Crewman Tiernan, the HSS Charalampos will eventually be expanded. Available materials and time have forced some design compromises. Crewman Yula has decreed the ship completed and loading of supplies will begin. Personally, I have begun the process of recompiling VAES routines for shipboard operation. While no crewmember has given orders to do so, Company policy dictates the presence of VAES onboard any Company space asset.

Spoiler: NOTES (click to show/hide)

I tried, but it's difficult to make the initial ship build interesting so I elected to skip to the end. They really need to make this initial phase more interesting somehow, it's pretty dull. The only threat is running out of water/food and that is easily managed.

[EuchreJack]

That and if you wait long enough, a pirate might appear.  Rare but I believe possible.

Your basic ship is a lot better than my designs.  I basically just throw stuff together...

[forsaken1111]

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from internal sensors (click to show/hide)

HSS Charalampos
 - Personal Log
  - Yula

I've ordered all supplies moved over to the Charalampos. I've been looking at our databanks for this system but we don't know what is current so we're only trusting what our sensors can verify.

Bellatrix Station is at Asteroid 106, a registered property of the Company. The only place in range for our test jump is Asteroid field 103 which consists of a few carbon rich rocks, and some energium deposits. We're also detecting a ship of some kind there but can't tell from here who it is. Field 103 isn't registered under any owner so technically mining it is illegal as we'd need mineral claims but I've decided to enact Emergency Protocols.

Yula: "VAES please verify EP activation on my authority."

VAES NOTE: Emergency Protocol request received.
Checking voice authentication.
Voice authentication confirmed.
Checking local databases for Company directives.
No countermand directive located.
Attempting FTL communications with Corporate HQ.
…
…
…
…
Unable to connect.
Emergency Protocols authorized

VAES: "Authority accepted, Emergency Protocols in place."

Yula: "Thank you VAES."

VAES: "You are welcome Commander."

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from available sensors (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Local system view compiled from long range telemetry and telescope data (click to show/hide)

HSS Charalampos
 - Personal Log
  - Luciana

We're spending our first night on the Charalampos. It doesn't really feel like home yet, almost like camping if that makes any sense. It will be a few more days before she's loaded up. I can't believe we're leaving!

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from internal sensors (click to show/hide)

HSS Charalampos
 - Personal Log
  - Brodie

We're making some 'last minute additions' which means Tiernan forgot something. In this case he forgot the xxx water purifier! What did he expect, for us to drink unfiltered cometary ice water? What a moron. Engineer my xxx…

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from available sensors (click to show/hide)

HSS Charalampos
 - Personal Log
  - Tiernan

Everyone is complaining. Yes the ship is smaller than the station. We can only move so much mass with a single engine and we're already pushing that limit! Yes the hull stabilizer is in the aeroponics bay. Deal with it! It won't be there forever, we can move things around people! Yula asked me where the med bay was. Med bay! With the resources we have she's lucky we have beds! Maybe I should have put in a swimming pool too? I designed a space ship. They should maybe be grateful!

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from available sensors (click to show/hide)

HSS Charalampos
 - Personal Log
  - Yula

I ordered the Bellatrix reactor shut down and the station sealed. If we come back this way she'll still be serviceable. It was a home for us for several months but without steady resupply or relief we can't stay. Maybe we can make our way out of this sector. I'm taking the Charalampos around this system to gather resources so we can expand her hull. We'll need to be equipped for long range travel before we can jump out of the system.

Yula: "VAES, spool us up. I'll take the helm."

VAES Note: Natural language parsing online
Command: "spool us up, I'll take the helm."
Parsing...
...
Extraneous string deleted
Command "spool us up"
Command matching...
Spool - To wind, a device on which film or magnetic tape is wound, a reel. In computing, to send.
Error - Incorrect command syntax - unknown command "spool"
Engaging human cognition subroutine
Note: 13% shipwide power draw detected
...
...
...
98.35% match. Spool, possible reference to archaic combustion engines which spun or turned to produce mechanical power and motive force
Interpreted command: Charge the FTL Engine

VAES: "Yes Commander."

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from ($SENSOR_SOURCE not found) (click to show/hide)

[forsaken1111]

Internal communications log - HSS Charalampos

VAES Announcement: "All Hands - Jump Commencing"

Tiernan: "I hate these."

Luciana: "Didn't YOU design this thing?"

Tiernan: "Oh the ship is sound, I just do-"

-Jump initiated-

Spoiler: Jump Telemetry (click to show/hide)

VAES Note: Crewman Tiernan has experienced extended emesis in the mess hall. Biomonitors indicate this is due to acute nausea caused by tidal stresses resulting from a 0.93% imbalance in the FTL drive field. Cause unknown.

Luciana: "Oh gross. You're cleaning that up."

Brodie: "Stow it, both of you. There is a ship outside."

Yula: "Calm down, we knew it was there. VAES, scan for registration."

VAES Announcement: "Yes commander."

Spoiler: VAES Note: (click to show/hide)

VAES Note: Activate all sensors node
Error - Bellatrix Sensors offline
Error expected, ignore. Unregister Bellatrix station sensor nodes.
Node 1… unregistered…
Node 2… unregistered…
Node 3… unregistered…
Charalampos Sensor Nodes Poll
Node 4… online…
Node 5… online…
Node 6… error…
Diagnostics (charalampos_sensor_node6)
Running, ETA 3.4 hours

Scan unknown vessel (track 1) - Send query and registration ping
…
…
Ping returned - Identity CNHS The Yurt
Crosschecking Company database
Ship not found
Owner unknown
Faction unknown
EXTREME CAUTION ADVISED
Vessel assigned RED-4 threat rating

Alert: Extensive damage detected port amidship
Threat rating downgraded to RED-3
No atmosphere detected
Minimal power signature detected
Threat rating downgraded to RED-1
Unable to scan interior
Vessel likely abandoned

Compiling report

Spoiler: CNHS The Yurt (adrift) (click to show/hide)

VAES Announcement: "The unknown ship is the CNHS The Yurt of unknown registration. The vessel has suffered damage similar to the MFS Albion. No power or thermal signatures of note have detected. The ship does not have internal atmosphere or life support. It is adrift."

Yula: "Brodie, Luciana… check it out. The rest of you start stripping nearby rocks for easy materials."

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from external sensors and suit cams (click to show/hide)

HSS Charalampos
 - Personal Log
  - Luciana

Jesus those things were everywhere. We had to come back, my suit was punctured by one of their claw/poker things. It was able to tear through solid suit padding with its bare fingers or whatever they are.

Yula gave us a break for now so we can patch up the suit but she wants us to finish clearing the ship.

Why are these chicken aliens everywhere suddenly?

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from external sensors (click to show/hide)

HSS Charalampos
 - Personal Log
  - Alejandro

I do not know why I must log my thoughts on every task. I am mining these crystals. I am told they can be used to power the ship. This is good enough for me. I will not mention the fact that we have no such refinery onboard.

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from external sensors (click to show/hide)

HSS Charalampos
 - Personal Log
  - Brodie

Of course when I return from mining they are already asleep. And did they save me any casserole? NO! I specifically asked them to save me some. I will watch the security monitor to see who took the last of it!

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from external sensors and suit cams (click to show/hide)

HSS Charalampos
 - Personal Log
  - Luciana

We're back on the Yurt. Stupid name. We've cleared out what I guess was the bridge… big xxx hole in the floor. Atmospheric processing is cold and dead, as is this… office? Who has an office on a ship? The rest of the ship was pretty quiet, we popped some more chicken monsters. Yula doesn't want us calling them that but I'll be xxx if I know the proper term. Heading back for now and registering the Yurt as salvage.

VAES Note: Absence of any living crew confirmed. CNHS The Yurt has been registered as legitimate salvage under the Company.

Inventory of supplies, compiled from suit cam footage

Water, Energy rods, a small amount of hyperfuel, assorted spare parts and hull plates, fruits (preserved), several premade meals. Queuing all material up for transfer. Creating salvage plan.

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from external sensors and pod cams (click to show/hide)

HSS Charalampos
 - Personal Log
  - Tiernan

I am an engineer, I shouldn't have to sit here and melt down hull scraps for spare plating! I am logging an official complaint!

Spoiler: Imagery generated by long range sensor data (click to show/hide)

HSS Charalampos
 - Personal Log
  - Yula

The crew is holding up well. I have VAES making some modifications to the ship, small tweaks. It has Tiernan in a tizzy of course, he's complaining about everything, but in the end these changes will be necessary. I don't plan to stay here long, just long enough to strip that ship.

According to long range sensors the hyperlane exit is nearby but we're not equipped for long duration travel yet so I'll move us to Asteroid field 100 instead. We've detected water ice there which will help replenish our stocks, and there are signs of an active ship.

[forsaken1111]

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from available sensors (click to show/hide)

HSS Charalampos
 - Personal Log
  - Mhairi

I have received permission to begin cultivation in the aeroponics bay so I have started a crop of vegetables, fruits, and vat-meat. We have considerable stores but feeding six mouths will deplete them rapidly.

VAES Note: Crewman Mhairi's vital signs show marked improvement while working in Aeroponics. I have recommended that her duty roster be heavily weighted towards this task when possible.

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from available sensors (click to show/hide)

HSS Charalampos
 - Personal Log
  - Tiernan

All I do now is break down derelicts and recycle their components. Yula has the ship AI tampering with my design, does she no longer trust me? I'm sure I did well designing the ship with what constraints we had.

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from internal and external sensors (click to show/hide)

HSS Charalampos
 - Personal Log
  - Yula

I've had the crew build a temporary cargo hold in the bay, we were filling up our stores with the materials brought back from the derelict. Once we can expand the ship a bit things will be more comfortable. I'm also looking forward to moving the toilets out of the cargo bay, so the crew will stop calling it "The Dump".

The Yurt is stripped bare. We got some food and water, and enough plating to expand the ship a bit. This area will eventually be our new sleeping quarters. I'm moving us on before anything else shows up. We're getting energy spikes all over the system indicating some ships are still active but we don't know who they are.

We don't know a lot of things. Where did these alien things come from?

Yula: "VAES, move us out."

VAES: "Yes, commander."

VAES Announcement: "All crew stand by for hyperspace jump."

…

VAES Announcement: "All Hands - Jump Commencing"

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from (ERR32////#) (click to show/hide)

[forsaken1111]

VAES Note: Registering nearby craft. No response to ping but hull markings indicate it is the SGS Jervis Bay. Unknown ownership. Extensive damage is evident at the rear of the craft, presumably where the engine once was.

Spoiler: SGS Jervis Bay (adrift) (click to show/hide)

HSS Charalampos
 - Personal Log
  - Yula

Another jump, another dead ship. We're not wasting time, I have Brodie and Luciana on their way to board it. Looks like we have a nice accessible deposit of water ice nearby as well. That will keep us going for a bit.

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from external sensors and suit cameras (click to show/hide)

HSS Charalampos
 - Personal Log
  - Luciana

This is almost becoming routine. Board the ship, kill the chickens, take all of the parts and move on. Except this time there were no chickens? We found some loose credits, which we took. In one of the crew quarters we found a data log from the HSS Call Me Crazy. Just some nutty rambling about the Eden stories. Nobody believes those… although nobody believed stories about alien monsters either. Hm.

This ship is -weird-. The bridge, if you can call it that, is just a room next to what was once the engine room. The engine is just gone. Like… the whole back section of hull is ripped away. Tiernan says FTL is safe but we've been seeing a lot of what looks like FTL malfunctions, and this looks like the engine just ripped itself away from the ship somehow. At least there were no chickens. But no crew either.

This place is creepy.

VAES Note: SGS Jervis Bay registered as legal salvage. Salvage plan submitted.

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from available sensors (click to show/hide)

HSS Charalampos
 - Personal Log
  - Alejandro

The recycler caught fire. It was swiftly contained but the smoke took forever to dissipate. We should place a few more air scrubbers on the ship. Or maintain our equipment better. Salvaging is still underway, that ship gives me the creeps.

VAES Note: The fire appears to have been caused by a short in an electrical panel.

Spoiler: Imagery compiled from available sensors (click to show/hide)

VAES Announcement: "!ALERT! Threat detected. All crew proceed with emergency FTL preparations."

Yula: "VAES what is it?"

VAES: "An incoming hostile vessel has been detected. Its power signature matches a known pirate ship that operates in this area."

Yula: "xxx okay get us out of here. We'll have to leave any other salvage behind."

VAES: "Yes, commander."

Spoiler: NOTE (click to show/hide)

I spent a bunch of time in this system tweaking the ship's design and would have kept going but for the pirates. We're in no shape to deal with that yet. Moving on.

[EuchreJack]

Yeah, I usually just avoid pirates.

[forsaken1111]

Yeah, I usually just avoid pirates.

For now yes, but does Yula strike you as the type to run forever?