Edit: I put this in the wrong section, can someone move it to AAR?
The life of a spacer.
I find myself in a damaged kite orbiting Jangala. All but one of my crew mates dead. Presumably saved by a passing Hegemony patrol. Just me and my first mate alive in the ISS Bristlecone. Bristlecone? Who named this ship anyways?
We fly to the planet, landing and pulling in some fresh air. With only 2,000 credits to my name, I hit up the bar for a cargo contract. By some miracle they need 10 tons of food flown to Madeira in orbit of Tyle. That is the other side of the sector, but 4,000 credits is 4,000 credits. On my way to the jump point, I swing by Asharu to see if there's further work (a big nope), and then briefly stop in an abandoned Terraforming platform, to check for salvage. Low and behold a Hermes shuttle with barely working engines. With the auspicious name of "ISS Plunderbound". With a name like that, I couldn't leave it.
It'll slow me down, but more than doubles my cargo capacity. And my running expenses. I pick up 2 likely looking crew candidates on Asharu, and proceed on my cargo mission.
I start to regret the choice of picking up the Hermes when a pair of Pather ships start chasing me as I cross the sector.
They catch me, but by some miracle (and hitting the manuevering jets non-stop), we escape without a shot being fired.
We arrive safe and sound on Madeira and quickly offload the cargo. A 4,000 credit payout plus around 1,000 credits left after that extra fuel, crew and supplies I bought on Asharu.
Time to party. So I hire a full crew complement (for a total of 40), and some heavy machinery. Fuel up to max, and a bit of extra supplies.
Hit the bar, and no missions. Of course.
So I hit the vids and see whats happening in the sector. Apparently the Hegemony and Tri-tach are going at it (when are they not?), along with a Hegemony/Persion league (not unexpected), and the usual holy crusade against Tri-tach by the Luddic church.
Given I've got a hearty crew, and machinery for them to work, I set course for Valhalla, land of eternal fighting.
Again, by some miracle, I traverse the sector with no weapons and no casualties (although not without a chase in there). I'm starting to hate Pathers. Enroute my past catches up with me (or at least my bank account), and an extra 1,000 credits plus salary is removed from my measly 223 credits. Leaving me exactly at zero credits in hand, and further in debt.
I enter the system through the Niflheim gravity well, and Valhalla does not disappoint. A small Hegemony patrol is engaged in combat with the Mimir Siphon Platform in orbit of Skathi. Soon there are small Tri-tach and Hegemony pickets chasing each other, and another patrol joins the first. I begin scavenging ships destroyed in battle and drifting nearby. A vigilance provides some badly needed supplies and fuels, and as a neutral third party I immediately sell the metals to the planet under siege. A kite adds to the pile of mangled metal. Then a hound.
However, a larger fight between patrols yields my first true treasure: A functioning Shrike! An honest to goodness destroyer class vessel. Sadly, only has a single functioning tactical laser. But hey, that is my first weapon ever. Hull, Sensors, and Power Grid are all damaged. On the bright side, its engines go full speed.
I pull into the now destroyed station and see what my outfitting options are. Nothing in the open market. But in the shadier parts of the orbital I find victory for sale.
Sabot Pods.
However, sabots without something to actually do hull damage are pointless. And so for sale is also a mining blaster. Who ever runs the sector is clearly taking pity on me. A few hours later, virtually no credits left and fewer supplies than I'm comfortable flying with, the newly christened "ISS Last Hope" is ready. Taking the concept from the Pathers, I override the safeties on the Shrike. Twelve sabots, a mining blaster, and a tactical laser, all front mounted. (Defense, whats that? Full speed and damn the reaper torpedoes).
I do some quick reading up on combat endurance and defensive systems at the barest of levels, and can expect a good 2 minutes and 4 seconds out of the ship in combat.
I hit the bar up after that, and there's two interesting people. There is a crazy "scientist" with a tri-pad, who mentions the location of a rare AI core. I say I'm interested, but its going to be awhile before I can do anything about it. Turns out its far out on the edge of the sector in system called the "World Mill". The more immediately useful contact however, is in need of a delivery back to Madeira (go figure), but this time for 60 tons of volatiles and 12,000 credits. Now we're getting somewhere. Just let me spend all my money to have barely enough fuel to get there, and lets see what happens.
Enroute in hyperspace, we come across a drifting Mercury shuttle. Needing the supplies more than the cargo space, we salvage it (along with a PD laser).
At Madeira, 12,000 credits feels like a vast fortune. Even better, on the Black market we find a heavy blaster for sale. We trade the Mining Blaster (along with a good chunk of our current wealth) for an actual weapon of war. I also swap the PD laser for the Tactical laser, given its advantage, range, is negated by the safety overrides. At this point, without a trade mission I consider my intel.
There's a bounty mission close by at Penelope's star. Five frigates for 45,000 credits. A king's ransom. I might be able to take them. And they're within fuel range (unlike all those exploration missions). I fuel up completely, buy a huge stack of supplies leaving me with 43 units. And no cash, again. Oh well, victory or starvation!
I jump to Penelope's inner jump point to get my location. I'm looking for a cryo world (not the toxic one - that has a harder bounty including an Enforcer!)
Two sabot salvos and blasters make short work of the most dangerous ship, a pirate wolf. Next I use an old SO tactic, ram one ship with my shields and hit my boost to separate a ship from the pack. Unfortunately, a well timed shot takes out my engines after I engage the boost. The other ship slides off as I tumble away a ridiculous speed.
At least I'm safe while my engines restart, if does look a bit inelegant. Once reignited, I engage the separated cerberus, which falls quickly. Next the mudskipper with the hellbore cannon. Next the mudskipper with the hephestus assualt gun. And then the final cerberus. Victory achieved with 35 seconds still remaining of operational time. 45,000 credits is mine!
I consider my options in ship recovery. The Pirate wolf has damage sensors, power grid, and armor, but its engines work, and still has an Ion cannon. At worst, it can be a distraction. I modify the engines to include an unstable injector. Speed is life. The rest become the supplies needed to bring my ships up to peak performance.
From combat experience, I increase my knowledge of defensive systems, hoping to reduce the damage inflicted on my shields.
With that combat a success, I eye the other bounty in system. Can I take an Enforcer with four frigate escorts? Maybe? However, a wolf distraction completely changes the odds from before.
I go for it.
I deploy the shrike and the wolf with a single ion cannon. I go left, and take out two kites, but take a few small missile impacts in exchange. Not a good start. A cerberus is picked off with a salvo and blaster fire. The enforcer is still distracted by the far too fast wolf, so I come in from the side. It finally turns its attention to the true threat, while the wolf keeps a final hound completely locked down with ion damage. Sabots and blasters fire. The enforcer is slowly going down, and then 8(!) atropos torpedoes fire. I barely escape overloading (apparently combat experience and defensive systems matter) and losing the ship to a well placed torpedo.
However, after that final panic attack, the Enforcer goes down in a hail of blaster file. Anti-climatically, the hound is lazily picked off while completely disabled from ion fire from the wolf.
Another 54,000 credits. Wealth beyond measure. My cash on hand has 5 digits. 5! My cargo holds are full, and my fuel tanks loaded. The possibilities open up before me. I could actually buy the peak of luxury, a Dram!