“That was almost too
easy”, mouthed Zakalwe as the Zoltan cruiser Phlebus powered up its
engine to travel to the next sector of the galaxy.
The Phlebus had set off
from an outpost of the Federation just days before Rebel bombardment
had obliterated the space station. The final electronic scream of the
station A.I. had reached the fleeing ship as it powered engines for
the first jump away from the encroaching fleet. Upon successfully
completing that jump Zakalwe had started creating a mission log,
ready for broadcast to Federation bolt holes if this, frankly,
suicidal effort ended catastrophically. How did he always get into
these situations?
He tapped a button on
the console and skimmed through the tape in order to check for
interference or audio corruption:
Jump 1 – Zakalwe had
been fairly certain this would be an uncontested jump and he was not
surprised. No enemies awaited the fleeing Phlebus.
Jump 2 – Pirates had
responded quickly to the loss of the Federation base and had swooped
in hoping for scraps. A Zoltan energy fighter covertly approached the
cruising Phlebus and attempted to hack its engines. Horza responded
with Halberd fire and, after venting a few rooms to put out fires,
the fighter was brought down. Looting recovered a princely 6 Fuel and
22 Scrap. “That should come in useful” broadcast Zakalwe over the
intercom to answering whoops from the gunner and shield technician
Diziet.
Jump 3 – In answer to
a distress call, the Phlebus pulled up beside a battered-looking Rock
scout. Upon discovering that its navigation systems were out they
agreed to guide it – then discovered that the destination was on
the other side of the system.
Jump 4 – Another
distress signal led to a small ship that was being ripped to pieces
by asteroids. Diziet did what she could with the cruiser's shields
but the Phlebus took a few hits as it manoeuvred through the belt.
However, they were generously rewarded with 4 Fuel and 20 Scrap.
Jump 5 – A civilian
abandoned in a lonely scientific space station operated a Store and
the Phlebus responded to its repeating advertisements. 2 Missiles
were purchased and some minor repairs made as the watchman prepared
to abandon his station to the oncoming Rebels.
Jump 6 – Zakalwe
winced as he piloted the ship into a Nebula. The sensor masking detritus
would hinder pursuit but such regions could hide dangerous foes. True
to expectations they were immediately met by a Rebel autoscout.
Luckily it was unshielded and Horza blew it to pieces with a single
volley even as it tried to flee.
Jump 7 – The Nebula
continued to prove dangerous as the Phlebus ran into a manned Rebel
rigger. A plasma storm drained power from the engines and forced the
crew to disable the oxygen and healing unit in order to power shields
and weapons. However, the crew's luck held good and they quickly
finished the enemy before asphyxiation became an issue.
Jump 8 – Yet again
the Nebula parted and revealed a hostile ship. Zakalwe could have
avoided combat with the Slug weapons dealers but he saw no use in
leaving them to provide arms to the rebels. The black market dealers
showed little intelligence as they tried to flee despite the severe
damage that had already been inflicted on their engines.
Jump 9 – Zakalwe left
the Nebula and dropped off the Rock scout at its destination. In
gratitude they offered to repair the undamaged hull of the Phlebus
and sell some goods that the crew could not afford. Still Zakalwe
could at least feel virtuous for his assistance to the friendly
aliens.
Jump 10 – As the
Phlebus headed for the sector exit point they were again cut off by a
Rebel rigger. Putting pecuniary instincts before ideology their
challenger offered to let them past for a toll. Zakalwe didn't have
the scrap and even if he did he probably wouldn't have felt inclined
to pay them.
The ensuing fight again
proved swift although Horza abandoned his use of missiles after the
rigger's independent defence drone shot down the first Leto fired.
Fearing destruction the Rebels offered surrender and Zakalwe
accepted. 4 Missiles, 1 Drone Part, 11 Scrap and a Weapon Pre-igniter
was definitely enough to buy them a truce.
Jump 11 – The Phlebus
reached the system exit and prepared to fly. An offer to sell their
missiles for scrap was summarily dismissed. The holds were bursting
with fuel and the hold was almost unscarred.
(This
is a game report taking a certain level of artistic license from the
game 'FTL Faster than Light'. I'm flying a Zoltan cruiser, which I
had the good fortune to unlock after only a couple of plays. I've not
yet reached the boss or even the final sector but hopefully such a
promising start bodes well)
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