Battle for Hese

Klaxxons rang as the warning spread through Ranger Station Agate, "Dominators invading Hese!". With the new engine upgrade, Hese was within a single jump, so I responded to the call to assemble for the defense.

A scan of the battlefield on exit into the Hese system revealed we may have the upper hand. 13 system defense battleships still remained, with 5 other rangers rushing in to help against a meagre 2 urguants and a smattering of smaller ships. The battle was over before I got there, and the remnants of alien technology were being scooped up by an increasing number of rangers. I managed to claim 38 tonne of nodes and 2 intact devices as the flotilla of scavangers, now numbering over 10, headed back to the scientific base for compensation.

The Hyperjump Gift

Ranger Centre Agate, our HQ for this sector, had sent me a message that I'd been given a present by another magnanimous ranger. Intrigued I popped over to Agate to see what was going on. A present indeed! We've been starting to figure out how to turn nodes into useful items, and an unknown ranger had chosen me a recipient of an unwanted micromodule named "Whirlwind".
Add this module to an engine and it increases both speed and jump distance. Speed is always welcome, but I'm so happy with my current superlightweight fuel cell that it seemed a waste to extend my jump length even further past its capacity.

Looking through Agate's shopping inventory solved the problem though. A 33 parsec fuel tank that also integrates with my lasers (scary thought) to improve their damage. It's lightweight too. Well, as good as I'd expect for that capacity.

Eyron

Even before leaving Sol I hit some combat action I was itching for. A pirate had been a nuisance while I was bouncing between planets, and he'd tagged as I plotted out my jump coordinates.

Lezkas lept into life as he closed in and although he still outgunned me, the repair droids tipped the race in my favour. He bailed with 1/4 of his hull remaining to my 1/2, but he wasn't getting far with the rethone reigning him in. A few shots more and he'd trouble no-one again.


The Lezkas don't seem to be as effective as I'd thought. I'll need to watch the battle damage reports a little closer next time to see what's happening. I'm confident overall in my ship though, the droids are gold. Not much of worth in the pirate wreckage.


The diversion had taken its toll on my delivery schedule though, and I barely made it to "Little Arthur" with 5 days to go. The secret documents sounded very private indeed:


Our offensive at Mencar had finally pushed through and eradicated the Dominators from the system so the Little Arthur was in party mode. Personally blame the pirate for keeping me behind schedule. Maybe I'd have joined in for the spoils and a moment of glory up on the dais with the many other rangers who participated if I'd made it here in normal time. Antares is still under Dominator control, so maybe there's a push onward to there in the coming weeks.

Scientific Probe

I'd almost forgotten that I had left a survey probe on Neptune. Being almost a year since I dropped it off, I was expecting it to have completed scanning the entire planet, but it had broken down 2/3's the way through. Nothing too interesting, a particle cannon, some minerals, empty fuel cannisters and a hidden stash of narcotics.

Trekked over to the Scientific Base to repair the probe and a general repair all-round. After the repairs the scientists offered a deal on upgrades to my ship, and with a stuffed wallet it seemed like a good idea. I could afford the best guys they had to tinker with my 2 Lezkas and was delighted with the results. Both Lezkas now have the same range as my rethone cannon and do another 1/3 more damage. Now I have the ability to fight effectively at 350 clicks, plus keep the enemy there with liberal use of the rethone. The gripper also got the high tech treatment to take its capacity to 60 units. There were a couple of things I had passed up because the size was greater than my previous 40 tonne capacity, but the upgrade was more an impulse buy. I guess I'm not too good with saving ...


Mars offered a return to focused missions with an urgent delivery Eryon on the other side of the Dominator's encroachments. That sounds like the right direction, let's go!

Back Home

The tasks on offer weren't that appealing in the Tallot system. It's right next door to Dominator fighting, but I'd rather still wait for better firepower. Through a scan of the records it seems Mars has a similarly small Lezka as the one I have, so a trip home might be on the cards.

With no time-based tasks to set the pace, I took my time getting back to the Sun by picking up flotsam and intercepting asteroids. There was a welcome surprise when planet Astron in Betelgeize gave me a reward for cleaning up asteroids on a collision course with that planet. Nice!



Arriving at Sol I popped back into Oldy Ranger Centre to check up on our progress and donate the nodes that had been clogging up my hold. Mars was next to sell off minerals, refuel, and pick up the Lezka that was still available (luckily, the last trip based on looked up prices turn into a disaster).

Mars also had an oversupply of luxuries, so if I can string together a couple of runs to Earth I could make a substantial amount of money.


2 trips netted another 5k, bringing my current total to 18,539cr. With 2 Lezkas and a full bank I'm happy heading back to the front lines. Maybe I can hook up a delivery going that way?

Confuzimuddlin'

Ahaha! The "rare animal" happened to be one of their own diplomats that they had banished into Gaalian space. Poor Gaalians, so naiive. Poor Pelengs, so abrupt. I felt sorry enforcing my payment, but they did need a delivery of their own so I guess it's a package deal. This time it's medals for a mud-throwing championship to crown the next leader of the Tallot Sector


Tallot boasted a military base, and looking through the advanced weapons had me salivating for the front lines. All were way too heavy for my crate, so headed over to complete the delivery run. The Pelengs were delighted to receive the trophies and were not just waiting for the rainy season to start to get the "campaign" underway. They also presented me with some Black Guck, a wierd substance that emits fuel continuously. Such an appropriate gift.

Looking through their components on offer I stumbled upon a new type of long range laser; a Lezka. It delivers much more damage too, so it will make an ideal replacement for one of my Mining Lasers. It weighs more, but I have a little leeway in that regard compared to mounting points. In fact another Lezka would be perfect if I can get it as light as this one.