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11th of November, 4501

From Fleet-Makers to Corp-Searchers

by Captain Peter Avignon

18 October – Midgard
The fleet—such as it is—has a heartbeat now. Six crew on payroll, hundreds of D.O.T.’s robots whirring in the moonbase, and a growing list of needs: food, power, credits. To keep the dream alive, we took a contract. Lysander Biochemical (again) has a missing lab on La Mussara. A pharmaceutical site, not robotics this time. Small mercies. Also noted: an active bounty on the Space Kings. 10,000 credits per head, plus 10% of the value of any ship captured or destroyed. Tempting, but first things first.
 
25 October – Miracle
A quick stop to refuel and resupply. The Legate—our new 600-ton flagship-in-waiting—handles like a barge, but she’s ours. For now.
 
1 November – La Mussara System, Planeta del Sis
The planet is a toxic puzzle. The atmosphere isn’t just corrosive—it’s insidious. Classified as lethal with zero recommended exposure. Who comes up with these ratings? Someone with a dark sense of humor, probably.
We took the Legate into the lower atmosphere, slipping beneath the acidic cloud layer. Scans were useless—thick atmosphere and who-knows-what composition blocked sensors. The lab’s coordinates were our only guide.
No signs of life. No automated defenses. Beñat noted the lack of a welcoming committee. “Maybe they’re polite,” he grunted. I made a mental note: install a ship horn. For atmosphere.
Lucid pinged the facility. No response. Then we saw it: a human-sized hole cut straight through the inner airlock door with a hull cutter. The facility, built from starship-grade plating, had been breached months ago.
Inside, we found acid-eaten remains and blast-scarred walls. A half-dozen dead security, corroded where they fell. Petrie dishes shattered. Lab equipment smashed. They weren’t here for credsticks—they were here for combat drugs.
Beñat’s voice crackled over comms: “Let’s split up, gang.” He took the basement with Castor, Lukia, and Dix. I led Thad, Jin, and Mei to the living quarters. Signs of struggle—dragged bedding, no blood (just corrosion).
Beñat found the vault already open. Scientists likely gave up the codes hoping to live. Six bodies in the basement, half not even dressed. Six more still missing.
The data storage was slagged. Of course.
Lucid recorded everything—every corroded corpse, every blasted terminal. For the client. Always for the client.
 
4 November
Refueled. Processed gas. The air on the Good Times still smells faintly of acid, no matter how much we scrub.
 
11 November – Miracle, Lysander Biochemical HQ
The receptionist looked startled when we walked in unannounced. I explained that the footage we carried wasn’t the sort you transmit over open channels. Ten minutes later, a chromed-out security officer appeared—most of his face replaced with cybernetics, unreadable.
I handed him the crystal. Without a word, he popped it into his mouth. His eyes rolled back. Processing.
A few minutes later, he snapped back to the present.
“…So. You want to find the six missing scientists?”
“Do you have a lead?” he asked.
“We think the Space Kings hit the lab. We’ve met some of them recently. On your combat drugs.”
A pause. Then, flatly: “Oh, fuck.”
He’d have to talk to corporate. They never give him resources anyway.
Terms: half a million per scientist recovered alive. 10k per head confirmed dead. And he wants intel on the Space Kings and the Red Queen in two days’ time.
We left without an escort.
Either Lysander’s security protocols have changed since the Catta Gule days, or they actually trust me now.
I’m not sure which is more unsettling.
 
— Captain Peter Avignon
SS Good Times II
“Bringing back bad news, one acid-scarred ruin at a time.”
 
[Addendum: Beñat’s started a “Days Since Last Atmospheric Horror” counter in the mess hall. It currently reads: 0.]

Continue reading...

  1. Personal Log - New Year, New Shipping Codes
    2nd of January, 4500
  2. Lots of Dead Bodies
    2nd of January, 4500
  3. Personal Log
    9th of January, 4500
  4. Personal Log: Ship Upgrades on Mehen
    10th of January, 4500
  5. Personal Log: The Kumarbi Conspiracy
    17th of January, 4500
  6. Heading into the Unknown
    28th January 4500
  7. The Expedition Begins
    18th of February, 4500
  8. Faxi
  9. Eldanea System + Pariahan Fronts
    4th of March, 4500
  10. Against the Solanian Survey Corp
    18th of March, 4500
  11. Obligatory Water Level
    20th of March, 4500 CE
  12. Aidan Thorpe Arrested
    8th of April, 4500
  13. Leunus Prime
    15th of April, 4500 CE
  14. Impounded on Catta Primae
    25th of April, 4500 CE
  15. Captain's Log: Communications officer detained
    7th of June, 4500 CE
  16. next steps
    14 June 4500
  17. the Mistake (the Planet)
    21st of June, 4500
  18. Licking our wounds in Wild Space
    18 September, 4500
  19. Wow, Civilised Space!
    5 October 4500
  20. Opus Dei strikes Guild science facility
    19th of November, 4500
  21. Hey Geneviève (sup, Hüsnü)
  22. Extra-judicial shipping in the Union of Sol
    7 December, 4500
  23. Derelict space Station - Shiva Rao
    11th December, 4500
  24. Welcome to the Aseni Republic of Vega
    16th of December, 4500
  25. Returning with the spoils of salvage
    11th of January 4501
  26. Fancy Auction
  27. Peter joins the Military-Industrial Complex
  28. Operation Murder Galvao [TOP SECRET]
    9th of April, 4501
  29. I'm at Soup
  30. Taking down Galvao
    18th of April, 4501
  31. Xin Heinan Occupied
    May 6th, 4501
  32. THIS MAIL RUN WENT FULL CHAOS MODE! (GONE WRONG? GONE SEXUAL? GONE CLASSIFIED?!) [NOT CLICKBAIT] [100% LEGIT]
    14 May 4501
  33. Save us, Aidan
    16th of May, 4501
  34. Making the Trek to the Jred Frontier, pt 1
    19th of May, 4501
  35. Guerilla Journalism
    20th of May, 4501 CE
  36. Water Crisis on Actium
    12 June 4501
  37. Just your typical vaporator delivery
    13 June 4501
  38. VapeTech® Infiltration: Operation "Clawed Opportunity"
    15 June, 4501 CE
  39. Veii vs VapeTech®
    16 June, 4501 CE
  40. Killer Robot v. Big Bomb
  41. Onwards, to Jred Space!
    26 August, 4501 CE
  42. Arrival on Midgard
    2nd of September, 4501 CE
  43. Jackpot! Lots of ships!
    3 September, 4501
  44. Upgrades, people. Upgrades.
    24th of September, 4501
  45. Merc Doods
    10th October, 4501
  46. Merc Doods 2
    11 October 4501
  47. Merc Doods 3: The Merckening
    11 OCtober, 4501
  48. Bringing the Fight to Them
    28th of October, 4501
  49. From Fleet-Makers to Corp-Searchers
    11th of November, 4501
  50. Many Services to be Found
    17th November, 4501
  51. Tracking them Down
    28th of November, 4501 CE
  52. Caspia
  53. Scientists Rescued on Krest
    1 March, 4502
  54. A Meeting on Miracle
    2nd of May, 4502 CE

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by 3 Armored Kittens · Prodromos v.1.1 - World Anvil 0.9.15.050 © 2017-2025 [en] | Anvil Time: 02:22, Jun 12 2026