The news is in: Famous treasure hunter Herman Colt is missing!
An eminent figure in the treasure-hunting community, Herman Colt has disappeared into the cosmos, and his fate is the subject of much fevered speculation.
L'article Galnet est paru ce matin même !
Your first port of call is the Frenis system, where the famous hunter was last seen. You start your ship and set off in search of the treasure hunter.
When you enter the system, you find no direct trace of Herman Colt... Strange!
But there should be a lead to him;
Maybe all you have to do is look for a message...
You deploy your scanners and scan for a sign.
Using your FSS scanner or looking at the interesting signals panel, you'll discover a message about 'Captain Morrigan's Treasure 1/6'.
Listening post n°1
Here's your lead, a message left by Herman Colt himself!
Je m'appelle Colt. Herman Colt.
You've probably already heard of me. Explorer, pioneer and hunter of historical artifacts;
The B'nami medallion on display at the Anderton Interplanetary Museum? I'm the one who found it. Kitty Kazel's blaster, the one whose shot is said to have kicked off the Alioth uprising? Yes... always me. I dive into myths and tales to bring them back to reality. And I must say, it's quite a lucrative occupation.
Today, I'm taking some beginners on a simple little mission. It'll give them a good idea of the trade, and I'll have the satisfaction of getting my hands on some priceless booty... Captain Morrigan's treasure.
As you read the name, you glance at the galactic archives and come across a photo of the Captain and a note about her:
Captain Morrigan made a name for herself by leading a series of daring raids between 3253 and 3261. Her gang often got the better of much larger forces to steal cargo from commercial convoys.
It operated mainly in the skies over Frenis and surrounding areas. Its main rival was the Candira gang. Clashes between the two groups were commonplace.
Morrigan was last seen in the year 3265. She is thought to have come to an abrupt end around this time.
Captain Morrigan
You resume reading Herman's message:
Oh, Morrigan. My muse, my light. Born decades before me. Swallowed by the galaxy when I was still a toddler. But it was your story that made me the man I am today. A man capable of bending destiny to his will. Just like you did in your day, sweetheart.
I've finally managed to get my hands on your star map. I've spent years listening to rumors and whispers. It's been one dead end after another, but now I finally have the key to retrace your final journey. I'll follow in your wake until I discover your treasure. What will it contain, my dear Captain? I can't wait to find out.
My squadron is made up of four hopeful youngsters who are delighted to accompany the famous Herman Colt on his next historic discovery. Ahmed, Kovalchuk, Otero and Shanks. Who knows, maybe one day they'll become as famous as I am.
Our first jump will take us to the skies above Siusi. Let the hunt begin.
So the five of them set off in an interesting direction;
Now you know where Herman and his squadron have gone: the Siusi system !
Forward CMDR, there must surely be another trace of Herman and his companions out there!
Once in the Siusi system, you can easily find a tag left by Herman:
Listening post n°2
My squadron and I reached Siusi without a hitch. The apprentice treasure hunters with me are babbling into the communication channel. It's the exhilaration of the beginning of the adventure. All this reminds me of my own youth, and school excursions to museums or historic sites, under the watchful eye of teachers who did their best to channel dozens of overexcited brats. Virtual travel was no match for flesh-and-blood journeys.
For now, my own disciples distract me while I wait for Morrigan's star chart to calibrate our next destination. Kovalchuk has a natural charisma and knows how to make her peers laugh. At least she has potential. If Shanks and Ahmed are less remarkable, they follow my instructions assiduously, without seeking to show unwelcome initiative.
As for Otero... let's just say he's so discreet as to be unintelligible on the communication channel. Unless he's so inexperienced that he doesn't know how to use it and doesn't dare admit his shortcomings. He keeps asking me to confirm my order to return to square one. Except that I've never asked to turn back. He must be on the wrong channel.
As the second part of the message downloads, a thought occurs to you:
This message from Otero is very strange...
Why did he want to turn back so soon?
It was in Siusi that Captain Morrigan made her name, orchestrating a daring attack on an industrial convoy carrying precious stones. Morrigan's units routed a security patrol twice their size before capturing a superb haul. I found the testimony of one of the pilots who witnessed the scene:
"She destroyed two dozen ships, before positioning her own ship nose-to-nose with mine. She was so close that I saw a huge smile stretch across her scarred face. She ordered us to hand over our cargo, and blew me a kiss as containers worth millions of credits were jettisoned into space. The pirates then departed, leaving us alone among the wreckage."
I just wish I could have watched her crew in action. Where will you take us now, my dear captain?
As you gather your thoughts after reading this first message you don't directly notice the little notification at the top left of your dashboard : There's another message! 🔴
=== Corrupt message n°1 ===
wxuq edfn zkloh brx vwloo kdyh d fkdqfh.
brx zhuh qhyhu lqylwhg wr wkh gdqfh.
wuhvsdvvhuv qhyhu uhdfkhg uxuhpd.
Um... The trail ends here... Where could Herman and his crew have gone?
Here you are at last in the Rurema system with just one question burning your lips: What happened to Herman and his acolytes? Are they alive? What have they discovered?
Once the beacon has been located, you can finally find out what they've been up to.
Listening post no. 3
Here we are at our destination.
Otero is nowhere to be found. Invisible to the naked eye, he doesn't even show up on the radar. Maybe this idiot jumped into the wrong system. Unless he chickened out... If I thought he had any brains at all, I'd suspect he was following his own plan.
Shortly after our arrival, Ahmed contacted the whole team, on the verge of panic. Apparently, he had received a message warning him to turn back.
According to him, it wasn't a request or advice, but a threat.
Ahmed is still young in the business. He's unaware that the competition is fierce. After all, treasures don't run through systems. It's not the first time a rival has tried to discourage me. In fact, I wonder whether Otero didn't join us just to get as much information out of me as possible before running off with us. Maybe he's hoping to get hold of Captain Morrigan's star chart. If so, he'll have to go through me first.
Herman Colt seems to be a man of implacable determination. His vast experience also makes him wary of everyone, even his pupils.
This little problem almost made us forget the importance of this system. It was here that Morrigan met her soul mate, Ntuli, at a pirate gathering. Legend has it that Ntuli challenged her, claiming he could dance longer than she could. The two of them danced non-stop for hours, long after all the other revelers had given up, drunk with exhaustion or alcohol.
In the end, as exhaustion overtook them, Morrigan asked Ntuli how he'd managed to keep going for so long. He replied that every song they'd shared represented a year they'd spend loving each other. He must have been a charming fellow, because from that day on, the duo became inseparable.
Star map calibration complete. Back on the road.
Otero's disappearance is disturbing... But no time to think, you have a new message to decode:
=== Corrupt message #2 ===
vwtp dcem dghqtg aqw urqkn vjg itcxg.
vjqug mknngtu dtqmg oa jgctv vjcv fca.
vjg xkevko pgxgt nghv 17 egvk.
Perhaps this message contains the sequel to the previous one?
Here you are in a new system and once again, a new tag left by Herman to read:
Listening post #4
Ahmed's ship is in pieces.
His Cobra was pulverized before we even had time to reach him. It was he who had the honor of jumping first. There's no trace of the assailant. Not the slightest wake. No nothing.
It can't be Otero... his ship didn't have the necessary firepower, and I would have spotted a trace of his passage. Someone else is on our trail.
What a coincidence! We're now in the system where Ntuli, Captain Morrigan's lover, lost his life in an ambush set up by the Candira gang, some three years after they met. And to think that some still dream of the so-called romance of piracy.
This ambush was a warning to Morrigan. The leader of the Candira wanted to discourage her from approaching his territory. Unluckily, by breaking her heart, these forbearers made an implacable enemy. For my dear captain has sworn an oath to exterminate every last one of them.
Sacrebleu!
There are fewer and fewer of them in the squadron.
You carry on, hoping to find the rest of the crew alive.
Shanks says he's receiving scrambled messages telling him to turn back, like Otero and Ahmed before him. The kid's on edge. He repeats over and over that he's "next in line". He even claims that our expedition is cursed. Kovalchuk even asked me to give up, which I refused. If we're being chased, it's because we're on the right track.
The remaining members of my squadron have therefore been informed that I'll be sure to pulverize the first ship to attempt to jump in any direction other than that of our next destination. It's a harsh lesson, I know, but a necessary one if they ever hope to become treasure hunters worthy of the name. The greater the danger, the closer we get to our goal.
I won't be intimidated by mere superstition.
Once you've read the message, you'll discover another corrupted message to decode as usual:
=== Corrupt message #3 ===
xyvr eaec jvsq qc waiix iqfvegi.
xlswi omppivw hmih mr fieyxmjyp aecw.
xli pewx wgyptxyvi aew mr xvercyae.
Which system should you go to now?
You're getting close!
With each new message you find, you can feel that Morrigan isn't far away.
You spot a new trace of Herman with a lump in his stomach.
What happened to them this time?
Our last three ships have arrived in the system. However, Shank is no longer responding to our messages and is gradually moving away from the navigation beacon. It's as if he's drifting away.
After a visual inspection, it turns out that his cockpit is empty. That leaves Kovalchuk and me.
I know where we are. This is where Captain Morrigan's vendetta against the murderers of her beloved ended. For many years, she hunted down and eliminated all the Candira pirates responsible for Ntuli's death. The poor fellows met ends as terrifying as they were inventive. Morrigan was obsessed with revenge, to the point of neglecting everything else.
It may seem strange to you, but I understand her. Morrigan, your story has inspired me for many years. I've hunted down every scrap of information about you. I've spent untold sums of money to get my hands on every last relic of your pirate career, from weapons to clothing, artifacts, maps, raid reports, diaries and pictures. I needed it all. EVERYTHING.
This time it's Shank who doesn't answer ....
You know, I've even dedicated a room in my apartments to you. And I often go there to daydream.
Have you come to haunt me, Morrigan? Gathering all these memories of your life, have I come to invoke your soul? Are you the hand that now guides me to your treasure? Has my obsession become my curse?
If you can hear me, I spit on the supernatural. You're long dead, you spook, and the last vestige of your existence will simply be the most beautiful piece in my collection.
Your star map has finally revealed the location of your riches. I intend to seize it, and I hope you'll have a front-row seat to witness my triumph, you devil! The treasure of the great Captain Morrigan will soon be mine!
Herman seems to be losing it little by little, and that's not a good sign...
However, the trail is not yet complete.
You still have one last corrupted message to process:
=== Corrupt message #4 ===
gbjuft efnj-upvs bwbou ef tvddpncfs b npo bnf ebnoff.
mf tfvm tpvwfojs bvrvfm kf o'bj kbnbjt sfopodf.
mft ufofcsft spefou ebot ijq 8344.
What's the final stage of their adventure?
It's right there in front of you: The Treasures of Morrigan!
Strange... No one in sight. Only a listening post...
If anyone is reading this message: go away, quickly. I implore you.
My name is Maja Kovalchuk. I was part of Herman Colt's expedition to find Captain Morrigan's treasure. I'm afraid there will never be another.
We followed Colt's star chart. The bastard threatened to destroy my ship if I didn't stay with him, even though all the other crew members were already dead.
He had become... odd. As the expedition progressed, I mean. The closer we got to the treasure, the more nervous he became, yelling that he could "see" the captain. He berated her loudly. He insulted her. He dared her to show herself... As if he'd been possessed. By something very dark...
But when we got close to this planet, there was another ship. I don't know how to explain it, but... Damn, that damn ship was both present... and absent.
My detectors were unable to identify the energy signature, it kept popping up.
And when I managed to make visual contact... my canopy display must have encountered interference, maybe even some kind of radiation. For this unknown vessel was bathed in interference. Impossible to focus my vision on it. Every time I tried, its distorted patterns, they... they...
Your sensors go into overdrive and soon an image seems to appear on your screen...
You squint and seem to recognize a familiar shape...
But yes it's a... a FACE!!!
For a moment you can't believe your eyes, it's some kind of residue like a... a... memory!
You hurry to finish reading Maja's message.
Strange apparition
Colt gave in to fury and charged straight at the other, his carry points deployed. The stranger fled, Colt at his heels. My God! He was screaming like a madman. The communication channel became so deafening I had to cut it off.
For a moment, I thought I heard two voices uttering hateful rants.
When I finally caught up with them, Colt's ship was in pieces. His body, still strapped to his chair, had gone through the cockpit and was floating in the void. It was horrible.
His eyes were wide open and his face frozen in an expression of unspeakable fury.
Hear me out. Morrigan's treasure hangs on that beacon. There's no way I'm touching it. As for you, it's up to you. But I swear to you, this expedition was cursed, and I'm afraid of what'll happen to anyone who gets hold of that treasure.
If you've already picked it up, don't stay here. Don't wait to see what happens. Get out of here.
You take your well-deserved booty with pride. You're about to flee when your intuition prompts you to scan the nearest planet. You detect a structure on the ground.
Could this be Maja Kovalchuk's last refuge? Should we go and rescue her, or simply move on?
It's up to you...
Congratulations! You've defied your fears and retraced the journey of Herman Colt and his squadron!
You can automatically finish this adventure by logging in to the site with your Frontier account.
You can also share your snapshots on discord in the channel #trophées !
The following CMDRs have also completed this adventure:
