Everything begins with a message from Anna Clark, widow of a missing explorer.
After an administrative blockage of a case file, she begs you to recover what the GIC refuses to handle: the last trace of her husband.
Accepting her request means crossing a line… and opening a door you will not be able to close again.
This adventure will test your mastery of your ship. Only your reflexes and, above all, your muscle memory will make the difference. Make sure you're ready: a visit to the simulator beforehand could save you a lot of trouble once you're launched into the void...
>>> Minimum jump range required: +/- 45 al
Tips:
- configure galactic and system map shortcuts.
- repeat the docking request procedure (*) until you know it by heart (see left panel).
- and configure a shortcut for the landing gear.
(*) Procedure: left panel -> tab to the right 2x -> validate 1x station selection -> 1x to the right for docking request -> validate 1x request.
Previously...
The Stan Grayling affair has taken a psychological toll. Your time at Klatt Enterprises didn't leave you unscathed: death came a little too close. This skilfully orchestrated trap instilled in you a tenacious distrust, a diffuse paranoia towards all your superiors, to the point of hinting at a large-scale ICG conspiracy.
Thankfully, your many sessions with Dr Kershaw, from the Medical Department, gradually put your thoughts back in order. This post-traumatic follow-up enabled you to take a step back, to untangle the real from your fears, and to calm your heightened defense reflexes that made it impossible to talk to your colleagues.
Recently, Dr. Kershaw felt you were fit to return to service again.
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Rotation day
As the star Col 285 Sector LP-J b24-5 slowly rises above the Houston Beacon, you push open your office door with a yawn.
Every six months, protocol rotation sends you to another sector of the human bubble, never giving you time to get used to the same landscape. You've come to derive a philosophy from this: travel light, never get too attached, and adapt quickly.
Your Apex shuttle takes off in just over five hours.
Enough time to tidy up your files, clear your desk and say hello to your colleagues. You're sipping a hot cup of coffee, wondering which corner they're going to send you to this time, when your terminal vibrates. A notification: your next destination, no doubt.
You mechanically open your terminal until you see that the message is not from the official ICM network.
Once the step is completed, proceed to the next step
Crossing the line
This kind of private, live request is forbidden... you know what the rules say: disciplinary sanctions and an indefinite layoff.
But you've heard about this case: a botched identification procedure by a young, inexperienced agent. In too much of a hurry to win his first trophy, he rushed the file into an administrative imbroglio that could leave a family waiting for months, even years.
Alden Clark didn't ask for anything.
And his widow even less so.
Accepting this request means crossing a line. But you've seen worse, done worse... and above all, the new guy really screwed up. If the disappearance of the pod is discovered, the internal commission will blame it on him, on top of everything else. He won't be the first to bear the consequences of a botched procedure.
Without telling anyone, you prepare to leave for the system where the Odysseus crashed. That's the story of an hour or two. You'll be back for your departure flight.
If you haven't already done so, search on your terminal for which system you need to go to.
You have retrieved information from the file in a somewhat unexpected way. You feel that something abnormal has opened up access to the file. Out of a clear conscience, you check whether the integrity of your Terminal has been violated.
Nothing, a priori...
Anyway: the result is there. No time to lose. Direction Alshat in search of Alden Clark.
Once the step is completed, proceed to the next step
Alshat
Search your terminal for information about the planet on which the Odysseus crashed.
Once in orbit around the star, scan the planet for a clue to Alden Clark's location.
Enter the POI name as the password:
Password:
Once the step is completed, proceed to the next step
Clark's Rest
The name of the signal leaves no room for doubt.
You know exactly what you’re going to find. Anna knows it too.
But experience notwithstanding, retrieving an escape pod containing a body rather than a survivor always leaves a strange impression... a weight on the ship.
Before landing, check that there are no pings on the proximity radar. If there is, stay in low orbit and wait for the ship(s) to leave the area.
Remember, as a GIC agent your presence here is not authorized.
Once you've landed near the site, act quickly: retrieve the pod, then scan the uplink to extract the log.
> Nothing left but hope 3/5
Clark is dead. Must have had some internal injuries from the crash that he didn’t tell us about.
Oldham and I buried him on a peak nearby with a nice view, I think he would have appreciated that. He always liked to capture images of the planets we explored.
Our supplies are running low, but I still have hope that our distress calls will be picked up. The SRV was never meant to support more than one person. We’ve jury rigged what we can to make the oxygen filters last longer, but I think we have to face facts.
This has to work, it has to.
Once the step is completed, proceed to the next step
Into the black
With the journal, you also retrieve a set of documents: a veritable explorer's notebook.
Alden Clark was a cartographer. Stellar photos, orbit notes, surface sketches, manual surveys... meticulous, almost artisanal work.
His wife will no doubt be delighted to be able to collect her late husband's personal belongings.
But before you take off, you want to carefully transfer all data to your handheld terminal to erase any trace of the ship's system. No data, no logs, nothing that can officially link GIC to your presence here.
And at that precise moment when you connect your terminal to the ship, the panels start to flicker, the screens flicker, then shut down one after the other. The HUD disappears completely, leaving the cockpit in an eerie darkness.
Once the step is completed, proceed to the next step
Infection
Everything is switched off and yet, against all logic, the ship continues to respond to commands. Vertical thrusters activate, systems respond... but without any visual interface.
You immediately think back to the dubious Ghostkey Injector installation you carried out earlier. The software has most likely infected your terminal, then contaminated the ship's interface... leaving you in command of a silent hull, deprived of its electronic eyes.
More HUD. More indications. Nothing.
You'll have to navigate blind, or at least manually, just like in the old days.
Perform a takeoff. The avoidance vector is no longer displayed, so position yourself at 90° to the surface and activate your FSD to enter orbit.
Once the step is completed, proceed to the next step
Alignment #1
Your first instinct is to find a repair station. But the map of the Alshat system is clear: nothing. No stations, no outposts. Alshat is totally deserted.
So you have only one option: to jump manually. Without HUD, without help, guided only by what you have left...: the sky. From now on, the sky will show you the way.
But how to get your bearings? Alden Clark's documents! He documented every jump, every star of their expedition. Your route will be the reverse route of the Odysseus,until you find an inhabited system.
Look in the documents for the route and the first system to target.
Which system should you jump to (watch out for spaces and dashes)?
Password:
Alden Clark was undoubtedly a brilliant cartographer, but you soon notice that he was a bit of a mess...
On the galactic map, select the system to target to define a jump route.
Then find the right document corresponding to Alden Clark's route note to find out which direction to align your ship with before activating the FSD jump.
> Be precise in your alignment so that the SDF can start.
Alignment requires a certain degree of precision, although a small tolerance is allowed.
If you're lost and don't know where to start, here's a brief guide:
1. Reconstruct the Odysseus' reverse journey. To do this, start with the last note: n°147. 2. Note 147 mentions their descent to A6b. This information won't help you find your way. 3. The previous note, n°146, indicates their origin: Col 285 Sector BY-F b25-6. This is your first destination. Create the route on the galactic map. 4. On which document can you find the alignment? The note specifies:
"Only stellar grouping markers can reveal this." You must therefore use a document representing groupings of stars, like constellations. 5. A document shows just such stellar groupings, accompanied by three distances in AL: three landmarks. And you also have three adjustable circles. 6. Place the center of each circle on each of the three stars indicated by a distance, then enlarge them to the corresponding values. The point of intersection of the three circles reveals the star to be reached: Col 285 Sector BY-F b25-6.
Important: each document is only used once.
Once the step is completed, proceed to the next step
Blind jumps
Then search for the names of the following systems and their associated documents to define each new alignment.
Hidden in these documents are:
- the names of the systems to be entered in the galactic map,
- precise alignments to continue your navigation.
Fly safe, agent.
Indicate as password the last system of your trip (the inhabited one) :
Password:
Once the step is completed, proceed to the next step
Visual Flight Rules
You've finally arrived in a manned system. But there's still the last step, perhaps the most difficult from a navigation point of view: finding a station on which to land your aircraft under VFR (Visual Flight Rules) conditions.
- You're in an anarchic system, so if you're intercepted, you won't have your targeting system to escape: let yourself be intercepted and run away, you fool!
- Move away from the star and return to it. It will be easier to spot the planets that way.
- But don't stray too far: the star is your only point of reference. If you lose it, no one will hear you scream.
- Use the shadows in your cockpit to find the star easily.
- To find planets, look for points of light that 'glide' across the black background.
- The system has several planets with moons and stations.
- Use the system map to locate yourself (look for the position cursor).
- On the system map, click on the target station and the ship's system will lock it.
- If you're near a planet with a station in orbit, look for a small, flashing dot of light near the planet - that's the station!
- Moderate your speed as you approach, and watch out for the sound indicating that you can disengage the FSD.
- Get close enough to the station to request docking.
- Procedure: left panel -> tab to the right 2x -> validate 1x station selection -> 1x to the right for docking request -> validate 1x request.
- Listen carefully to your assigned landing bay.
- Make sure you approach the center of the bay with the train out!
Once the step is completed, proceed to the next step
Landing completed
Your ship is immediately quarantined to avoid any risk of contamination for the whole station.
A few moments later, a notification appears on your terminal.
...Secure transmission...
Priority channel ｜ Origin : Sector-12, Silas Corver, Director GIC
Subject: Serious breaches of internal protocols
You have [1] new message(s)
Agent,
Your involvement in the matter concerning the private message sent by Anna Clark constitutes a major violation of our procedures. You went to the Odysseus crash site without informing your hierarchy, which is an unacceptable breach of GIC operational rules.
Beyond this completely unauthorized initiative, you compromised the security of our network by using your terminal under non-approved conditions. The consequences could have been significant for the integrity of our systems and for the confidentiality of our records.
Such behavior cannot be tolerated !
A ship has been chartered to retrieve you and return you immediately to the Sector-12 regional office. Consider this an exceptional act of leniency.
Your transfer has been postponed. Upon your return, you will remain on duty to oversee the training of Iko Deurthin, and you will restart the entire Odysseus case from the beginning. You will be responsible for bringing the file back into full compliance, as well as for all required reports and corrections.
I strongly advise you to reflect on the concept of protocol adherence before our debriefing meeting.
— Silas Corver, Galactic Insurance Company Director - Sector-12
This does not bode well. To be continued...
You can automatically finish this adventure by logging in to the site with your Frontier account.
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