Diary of a Space Age Bureaucrat Pt 3.4

Zakalwe had been starting to become a little unbalanced as he piloted the Phlebus through vast swathes of space with no sentient company. The lack of oxygen in certain areas of the ship had probably contributed to his disorientation as had the endless hours spent carrying out repairs from damage that his understaffed ship had been unable to avoid. He was consequently overjoyed to have a new crew member even if he wasn't especially communicative.

He returned to his cabin with satisfaction and observed a brief moment of silence for Diziet's loss before he activated the archive computer:

Jump 1 – Zakalwe had not been happy with the prospects as he left the Engi system. His only paths lay through an Uncharted Nebula, sure to be full of plasma storms and pirates, or the Mantis home worlds. He opted for the latter as more likely to contain a few decent civilian stops. Luckily he was able to slip past Mantis border guards without any conflict.

Jump 2 - This streak of luck continued as he happened upon a sluggish Rebel transport that lacked heavy armament and seemed inclined to flee rather than fight. Two humans beamed aboard the Phlebus but the crew managed to delay them with blast doors while they finished off the transport and then used a timely oxygen vent to force a showdown in the medical bay. Once the boarders were dispatched the transport yielded a Fire Bomb launcher and 39 Scrap.

Jump 3 – The Mantis presence in the sector continued to be minimal as sensors detected no contacts.

Jump 4 – Zakalwe homed in on a distress beacon. A Mantis slave depot had erupted into rebellion and disease as a mind-altering virus spread through the enslaved Engi work force. Zakalwe suspected that this had been a desperate attempt by the slaves to escape from servitude but he reluctantly agreed to send in his crew to control the crowds. They were successful but an addled and hulking Engi exoskeleton managed to obliterate Diziet with a blow to the head. Zakalwe mourned her loss but there was little he could do to save her.

Jump 5 – Now alone, Zakalwe was horrified to find his way blocked by a triple-shielded Rebel fighter. He saw little chance of destroying the monstrosity and so resolved to hold out until the engine charged. Despite severe damage to oxygen, shields and guns he managed to get away but not before sustaining two major hull breaches.

Jump 6 – Zakalwe wiped his brow with relief as he found himself in an unoccupied zone of space. This was all the opportunity he needed to laboriously repair the damage that the Phlebus had sustained.

Jump 7 – Arriving at a store Zakalwe paid to repair his hull. He sold the Leto missile launcher. The trusty launcher had sentimental value but now he could save his missiles for use with his new as his new Fire bomb launcher. He also replenished the ship's empty stock of missiles.

Jump 8 – Engi slave labour seemed to support the economy of this sector. The Phlebus found itself in orbit around another massive slave mining complex. No wonder the Engi in the previous sector had been so sensitive about border infringements. Zakalwe avoided the colony sensors and jumped away as quickly as possible.

Jump 9 – Zakalwe dropped in at another Store in the hopes of finding some new crew to hire but none were available in the small business he located. He left without trading.

Jump 10 – The Phlebus doubled back on itself, returning to the first Store in order to head for the Exit sector.

Jump 11 – Finally Zakalwe's isolation was broken. He stopped off at another Mantis colony where insectoids on electronic mounts herded a race of horse like beings with striped orange fur. Zakalwe had never seen a reference to these aliens in Federation texts and decided that they must be native to the system. He approached a young specimen, which seemed to be gesturing for his attention with a clawed forelimb and it led him to a crashed but cloaked Engi pod. Inside was an escaped slave, Flere, who was as glad to get a ride away from his Mantis pursuers as Zakalwe was to have him onboard.

Evading Mantis patrols they set off for the next sector of the galaxy.

(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. Again a mixed performance in this sector but the quick recovery of a second crew member will certainly prove useful.)