Élite Dangereuse - Monster hunter

Monster Hunter

Adventure summary:

It’s me, your blood soaked host, Will Jessup, about to dig into yet another true tale from the darkest reaches of space. I’m going searching for one of the most depraved set of spacers to have ever inhabited the edges of the bubble – The Colgraves!

The recap

Ship:

Exploration

Difficulty: Beginner

Duration

2 h

Max distance

50 LY

Monster Hunter

ByCMDR THARGOSU
02 November 3311
250 points
Made with

Macabre And Monsters Special

Halloween again!

It’s me, your blood soaked host, Will Jessup, about to dig into yet another true tale from the darkest reaches of space.

I’m going searching for one of the most depraved set of spacers to have ever inhabited the edges of the bubble – The Colgraves!

Follow me as I uncover the crimes of this crazy family and maybe we’ll even get lucky and locate them. Now wouldn’t that be something?!

Come find me at Hertzsprung Terminal in Saragir and join the hunt.

And remember to subscribe to get the unscrambled location of each episode!

- Will Jessup

Will Jessup? We'll dress up? Funny name... but his story promises to be fun!

The explanations are clear, it's time to find out more, destination Saragir!

Hertzsprung Terminal

After a few quick jumps within the bubble, you arrive near the Hertzsprung Terminal station.

Saragir approaching

Now we need to find out where Will Jessup is.

A glance at the left side panel with the appropriate filters should put you on the right track. But yes, of course ! Will Jessup told us to subscribe to his communication channel ! Let's check out this Communication Beacon !

Communication beacon
Macabre And Monsters Special 1

Welcome back to another grim episode of Macabre and Monsters!

Will Jessup here, bringing you another wretched tale from the black heart of the void. Today, we’re cracking open a case from one of the nastiest legends to emerge from the frontier: the Colgrave family. For decades, this bunch of deviants have been described as so depraved they made the Phagos Clan look tame. I can’t even imagine how sick you need to be to qualify but this family did it!

I know, I know – it sounds like a tall tale told over bootleg Centauri Mega Gin in a backwater outpost. But this story refuses to die, unlike the poor colonists who ran into them over the years. Sorry, was that joke too dark?

Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel, you ghouls and goblins out there!

But where is the Colgrave family today? What happened to them? Well strap yourselves in – I’ve got a hot and fresh lead on their last known location. We’re going cannibal hunting, and because I’m such a generous host we’ll be taking a tour of the systems the Colgraves built their notoriety in. I’m locked on a grisly trail and you can come along for the ride. My next stop is 67 104 117 107 117 110 where the story began.

Fiendship drive charging!

- Will Jessup

This next stop seems to be code for a destination... What the hell does that mean?

Could it be a roundabout way of writing letters?

ASCII code, perhaps?

Chukun

Once the step is completed, proceed to the next step

A compromised beacon

Once in the Chukun system, you immediately sense a problem. This time, the communication beacon seems compromised. What could have happened here?

It's time to get to the heart of the matter. Quickly, you activate your supercruise assist, the target is close by and you'll be there in no time.

Obviously, this beacon doesn't give you the information you need. You'll have to do things differently to find Will's new message.

How do you do it? You are sure you are in the right system.

Perhaps a manual scan of the entire system would help.

Communication beacon
Macabre And Monsters Special 2

We made it!

So… The legend goes that the Colgraves were just another large family here in Benford’s Inheritance. Ma and Pa Colgrave, three kids, five cousins and two grandparents. That‘s some brood, enough to eat a colony out of house and home… Or just the colony.

Tales about the Phagos dredger are bad enough, just tens of thousands of isolated spacers who liked nothing better than terrorising the fringes of the bubble. Out here, you can only imagine what the deepest, darkest, loneliest reaches of inhabited space do to a person. I mean, some poor sap called Hal Coultard famously cashed in his ticket running into the Phagos and was never heard from again. People whisper that he ended up being the entrée for that evening’s dinner but what really happened is anyone‘s guess.

But the Colgraves….Man, they were something else. Every one of them was well fed… on… Well, you get the picture.

Pa used to work in a meat processing factory. His supervisor once made an entry that they’d ‘never seen anybody take as much delight in their work’. Sounds like the ideal employee, right? Well, he was fired for repeat violations of safety codes. Don’t even wanna think what that involved.

Meanwhile Ma looked after the brood. Records show she kept to herself but used to play loud classical music during the day, with neighbours making complaints all the time. The kids were home schooled and were constantly getting into fights in their apartment block. Happy home, happy life, right?

I intend to find them. This is going to be my magnus opus if l do. Myth chasers will remember the name Will Jessup…not DISmember I hope!

Hahaha… ahem… Anyway! Onwards to 90 105 32 89 105 110 101 115 for the next grisly instalment.

- Will Jessup

Once the step is completed, proceed to the next step

The trail narrows

You arrive in the next system without too much difficulty. By now, destination coding seems to be the same pattern all the time.

As expected, you'll find a device for discovering the rest of Will's directions.

The atmosphere becomes tense as you browse the new information shared through the communication beacon.

Communication beacon
Macabre And Monsters Special 3

I‘m here in Zi Yines. Ugly place, stupid name too.

They say this is where the Colgraves got their first taste for murder…And human flesh, too. No one knows why they turned to this particular cravings but, in time honoured tradition, many other monsters of the past started out practicing their art on lesser things. Pa Colgrave went from dicing up meat in a factory to serving up pilots.

The story goes that he came home with fresh meat for Ma to cook without saying anything about what it really was. Every one of the family chowed down that night on Cargo Pilot Stew.

And this is where the first of the Colgraves’ alleged victims were found, floating in space in their escape pod. Tomb more like. They said the body looked… altered. Cut open, parts missing, different parts stuffed where they ain‘t supposed to be. System authorities stamped it as ‘piracy.‘ PIRACY! But locals swore otherwise and I believe them.

This is what drives me to do what I do. I must know the truths behind the legends; they can’t all be born as monsters…Can they?

As I sit here staring at the dead space in front of me, I can’t shake the feeling that the Colgraves wanted us to find that corpse. Like it was a message or a calling card. I forget the victim’s name, but ain’t nobody going to forget mine when this is over!

I’m hot on the trail of another clue and bunch of victims, follow me if you dare to 68 117 109 110 105 where we’ll scare ourselves some more learning about another victim chased by some crazy cannibal family!

- Will Jessup

You frantically travel from one destination to another to piece together the puzzle. Here we go to 68 117 109 110 105. Same pattern, same code, same form of communication... Will seems to want to get straight to the point !

Communication Beacon
Macabre And Monsters Special 4

Imagine just being out here all alone: minding your own business, mining for ore, then…POW! Out of the black comes a flotilla of messed up ships who surround you, board you, then have you for lunch. Yep, that‘s I reckoned happened to Fred Pholl. Unfortunately all we have to go on here is a garbled log that cut off halfway through, but my peers think the Colgraves got him.

People keep asking why I do this. “Will, why do you do this? Why chase after nightmares, instead of just reporting traffic violations in some backwater system nobody visits?” Easy. History doesn’t remember the victims. History remembers the monsters.

And the people that catch them! I mean, who remembers anything about poor Fred? Nobody, that‘s who. But they all remember when the Colgraves paid a visit and left behind nothing but the remnants of their victim stuffed in the Vintage Intrepid helmet. Probably used it as a human soup bowl.

If I can prove the Colgraves are real, then I‘m not just telling the story, I am the story. That’s what drives me. I’ll be a household name. The galaxy loves a ghost story, but they love the people that bust them even more. Onwards, my bloodthirsty viewers, onwards to 66 114 105 103 117 97 108.

- Will Jessup

On the way to 66 114 114 105 103 103 117 97 108 !

Once the step is completed, proceed to the next step

Change of routine

Suddenly, the pattern breaks. You can't find a communication beacon in this system.

If you look around, you can already see that there's a lot of friction and turmoil in the system. It sucks!

In the midst of all this excitement, you come across something intriguing:

The curious debris of a ship...

Curious Ship Debris
Macabre And Monsters Special 5

Hello? Is this thing on?

This is – hah! – okay, a bit weird. My sensors are picking up… Echoes? As if I’m being pinged by another ship, but there’s nothing out there. Lights flickered a moment ago. too, like my systems are being messed with. And my comms just played static that sounded… well, a weird slurping sound. Very funny whoever you are. If the Colgraves are watching, enjoy the show weirdos. Just remember, I’m watching you right back and I’m getting closer to the truth. Subscribe to my channel too!

…Right. Moving on

From what I can gather from sources, there’s been sightings of multiple ships in this area, all decked out like raiders. One pilot claimed that they saw skulls impaled on those spikes! Not sure I like the sound of ending up as a Colgrave trophy. I hope this won’t be my last investigation…

Ok, time to close in on the Colgraves. Meet me at 74 97 98 97 106 97. I hope!

- Will Jessup

Arriving at 74 97 98 97 106 97, you find a similar situation to the one you've just left. It's time to find out more. You immediately head to the site to get to the bottom of this story !

Once the step is completed, proceed to the next step

Conclusion

The scene is awe-inspiring. A still warm wreck...

There is a surviving log recording the end of the ship's flight and its communications.

Curious Ship Debris
Macabre And Monsters Special 6

This is Will Jessup, and this is Macabre and Monsters and I think… I think I found them. Or they found me!

Multiple ships, no ship IDs, all with Raider kits. Some of them…They look stained with something…Maybe a trick of the light. They’re closing fast. My systems, damn it, everything’s redlining and going haywire. Engines are dead. They’re on me.

*panicked breathing*: Still broadcasting, though. That’s what matters, right? If this is the end, at least you’ll all hear it and I’ll be remembered, not like those other chumps. My name’s Will Jessup, this is Macabre and Monsters. And this… this is the Colgrave family, coming to say hello…

*grinding metallic noises*

Oh frag, they’re boarding…

*muffled grunting*

St—stay back!!

*shots fired*

*screaming and laughter*

We’ll be well fed tonight Pa…

Your blood runs cold as you hear Will Jessup's last moments...

Suddenly, a ship emerges from supercruise near you and scans you! Good evening from the Colgraves! Mouahahahaha!