Élite Dangereuse - Mystères au sein de la Fédération

Mysteries within the Federation

Adventure summary:

A Federation cruiser mysteriously disappears. A search team consisting of another cruiser sets out to rescue them but also vanishes. They leave no trace behind them... or almost none!
A Federation agent hires you to find them at all costs!

Your investigative and combat skills will be put to the test CMDR, forward!

The Recap

Combat ship

Difficulty Master

Duration

30min

Max distance

25 LY

Mysteries within the Federation

ByCMDR OptimusKoala
27 February 3309
600 points

Thanks to your growing reputation, many people call on you. Nevertheless, you take the time to choose your assignments carefully. But this time, there’s no doubt: it’s the Federation that’s asking for you!

You take another sip of hot coffee. You don’t even notice because the message on your datapad is so strange:
« CMDR , the federation needs someone discreet and professional. I’ve heard good things about you from the Duchess of Adenates. We have an important mission for you, which requires the utmost discretion. If you accept this mission, go to Clark City in the Cigui system, where one of our agents will be waiting for you. »

A crucial mission? The utmost discretion? That’s all it takes to pique your curiosity.

The sponsor

You land your ship on the Clark City station and head for the bar.
Looking for a man… maybe a woman?
The message wasn’t very clear. Even so, no sooner had you set foot in the bar than a man sitting alone at a table beckoned.

He points to the empty chair opposite him. You silently take your seats.

Federation agent

After a cordial greeting, the middle-aged man explains the situation without wasting any time:

Federation agent:

Several days ago a Federation Farragut-class military cruiser went missing: the FNV Repulse.
We launched a search mission in the Velli system and sent there the cruiser FNV Formidable led by Admiral Jane Wesley.

Unfortunately, the FNV Formidable also disappeared without a trace. Well, almost… At 20:00 local time, we picked up a message encoded in the system.

If you find the trail of the two cruisers, the Federation will reward you handsomely, believe me!

You’ve got everything on this microchip. The message is completely illegible… there must be some information missing.

Find a way to decipher it, because I’m convinced it’s the key to this mystery.

If, by chance, you succeed in your mission, we’ll know about it - no need to come back here!

The man slides his hand towards you. When he withdraws it, you discover a microchip.

He finishes his glass in one gulp and stands up without turning around.

Load the microchip into your datapad and discover its contents:

Victor Alpha Oscar Oscar Charlie – Quebec Charlie
Sierra Foxtrot Tango Alpha Foxtrot Golf Golf Foxtrot
Uniform Oscar Tango Papa Bravo Kilo Alpha Juliet
Alpha Sierra Foxtrot Tango Charlie Papa Bravo –
Quebec Oscar Foxtrot Bravo Alpha Tango 7 – Uniform
Bravo Tango Lima Sierra Alpha Foxtrot Tango Alpha
Bravo Charlie Bravo Delta

As it stands, this message is unreadable. Your sponsor told you about the Velli system, and there must be a hidden message that the Federation’s agents have been unable to decipher.

Initially, the encrypted message was hidden in the Velli system news of Oct 25, 3302. It has not been available in game for several years.

Once you’ve discovered the hidden message, go on to step 2

Coded message

Thanks to your detective instincts, you’ll have no trouble finding the unregistered communication beacon hidden in the Velli system.

As you approach the beacon, you hear the interference your sponsor had warned you about.
You glance at your galactic clock: 7:59pm. Right on time!

Suddenly, a message sounded nearby:

The message is broadcast daily at 20:00 UTC. If you missed it, here’s the video.

5 14 9 7 13 1 19

What does this sequence of numbers mean?

1 - Turning the numbers in the message into letters will give you »ENIGMAS »
2 - Keeping only the capital letters and hyphens of the encoded text will give you »VAOOC-QCSFTAFGGFUOTPBKAJASFTCPB-QOFBAT7-UBTLSAFTABCBD »
3 - Encoding the string from step 2 with « ENIGMAS » using a keyed Caesar cipher will give you « VELLI-PIRATEASSAULTONFEDERATION-PLANET7-UNTHREATENING ».

(Also known as mono-alphabetic substitution cipher. Simply encrypt the coded message using the following aphabet »ENIGMASBCDFHJKLOPQRTUVWXYZ» to discover its true meaning.)

Once the encrypted message has been decrypted, proceed to step 3

Calling for help

You enter the code into your on-board computer and the message appears before your eyes:

VELLI - PIRATE ASSAULT ON FEDERATION - PLANET7 - UNTHREATENING

A pirate assault on the Federation!

With a bit of luck, one of the two lost cruisers should be there!
With your FSD reactor engaged, you go super-navigating through the Velli system in search of a signal.
That’s when your sensors intercept an audio message:

To all pilots in the area,
we need help.
Our ship has suffered heavy damage.
Please help us until reinforcements arrive!

That voice? Could it be Admiral Jane Wesley?
There’s not a second to lose: find out where this call for help is coming from!

Use your FSS scanner to find the signal «PIRATES ATTACKING THE FEDERATION».

Once the position has been found, go on to step 4

Let’s attack!

The battle zone is in front of you. You hear the message on the FNV Formidable much more clearly.
The fighters are doing their best to protect the Federation cruiser from pirate attacks.

FNV Formidable attacked by pirates

Join the battle against the pirates!

Once the pirates have been defeated, move on to step 5

The conclusion

As the battle rages on, your sensors detect an FSD reactor overload characteristic of cruisers.
Then a second Federation cruiser appears on your radar!

FNV Repulse controlled by pirates.

Your joy soon fades as you realize you’re looking at the FNV Repulse. The first cruiser is gone.
The latter is under pirate control!!!

You’re no match for this kind of vessel. However, you have tracked down the two lost ships as requested by the Federation agent.

The only chance to save Admiral Jane Wesley and her crew is to transmit their distress call. Take pictures of both ships to prove your point and hurry off this battlefield. Federation reinforcements will be here soon.

You can complete this adventure by connecting to the site with your Frontier account.

You can also share your pictures on discord in the channel #trophées !

Thanks: CMDR Rheeney (Jane Wesley’s voice).