status: in process type: study, reconstruction and improvement
location: varies lead: Fleet Captain Freud, Roland
Summary
I. Introduction
Having traveled far into the Omicron systems to find more information on Order technology (and perhaps find a suitable Bastet hull), I came across the Core forces.
I was impressed by their technology, which allows them to hold their own against the Order forces. A re-engineered fighter that fits their design philosophy may be even more promising.
As with the previous project, this one will be for my own personal use.
II. Evaluation
Given my experience with Bastet, this isn't the first time I've had to start from scratch. I plan to find a suitable hull for this project while I'm in Omicrons. Then, little by little, I'll restore it and test it until I can get it fully functional.
Unlike previous projects, given the specific nature of the technology source, asking for help from anyone will not make much sense. I'll have to do most, if not all, of the work on my own. With my experience and available resources, however, this should be more than feasible.
recording...
location: freeport-11, omicron delta system
current date: 18.07.835
local time: 19:43
detected entities: locksmith
Project Update I
"The journey to the Omicron Systems was... Complicated. I probably didn't choose the best route by deciding to fly through Rheinland space. Thuringia in particular is still an extremely dangerous place to navigate, even without taking into account the forces that reside there."
"Despite that, I managed to reach Omicron Delta with... An acceptable level of damage to my Defender. Nothing I can't fix in a short period of time on Freeport. Conveniently enough, I can use this place as a decent hideout from Order and Core forces. To their dismay, I suppose. But I won't be here long enough for them to find a way to get to me, even if they bothered. One of the Order pilots who tried to intercept me on the way to Freeport may have already told on me, however. Should be more careful when I leave the vicinity of Freeport."
"Nonetheless. Watching the Core and Order clash has caused me to change my original plans. While Bastet is still an enticing prospect, I think the Core's design philosophy may be closer to my heart. I managed to get a surface scan of their fighter, an image of which I attached to this update."
"My current plan is simple: find a way to disable one of the Core fighters without destroying the engines entirely. Unfortunately, more often than not, Core pilots fly in a wing."
recording...
location: palau ice cloud, omicron delta system
current date: 19.07.835
local time: error
detected entities: locksmith, lachesis
Project Update II
A Liberty fighter hovers in a dark cloud. A Core fighter hangs nearby, badly damaged, its engine flickering on and off.
"To be honest, I had a much better chance of being killed in this place than achieving anything. The Order, the Core, the Nomads and their puppets... If I had fallen into the hands of any of them, a quick death would probably be a relatively good outcome."
"But... Something similar could be said about my entire career as part of the Legion. It's been a year since I've been... One foot in the grave, so to speak."
"And yet here I am. Alive. And with a downed Sawback... Had to fly quite a bit, the Core guy desperately tried to escape into this cloud. And had to be very careful not to blow him up completely."
A deep sigh. A short laugh.
"Lachesis, status."
"... The Core Fighter is effectively disabled. It has sustained heavy damage to its electronics, life support, and weapons. Engines can operate at 28.4% efficiency. Power Core is stable. Pilot is unconscious."
"Hack progress?"
"73.4%. Should be able to remotely control the fighter in 3 minutes."
"Once you're done, direct it to the Freeport in this system. We'll fly at a distance to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. At worst, I'll try to distract the enemy; continue flying regardless."
"Yes, Creator."
"With luck, we'll drop off the pilot on the Freeport and let Zoners tend to their wounds, while we... Figure about getting this thing back to Inverness."
recording...
location: barrier gate, coronado system
current date: 20.07.835
local time: 15:31
detected entities: locksmith
Project Update III
"Well, that went surprisingly well."
The Core Fighter, hovering in space in front of the Barrier Gate station, looked quite functional at first glance. The armor was completely restored, the engines showed no signs of instability... Although they seemed to have been slightly modified. In particular, the thruster seemed to have had to be completely replaced. However, an attentive observer would immediately notice the almost complete lack of guns: at the moment, the fighter did not have a standard set of them, nor even a cruise disruptor. Only one anti-shield weapon and a mine launcher.
"I did some minor repairs on Freeport 11. Restoring the hull wasn't too difficult; after all, it's just metal plates and joints, and as long as I have the resources, I can do it every day I want..."
"The inside of the ship, though... That's a bit more of a challenge. It looks like the core has taken some damage after all. It's barely able to support the engines and shields right now, but not the weapons. I'll either have to find a way to fix it, or install a new one. The latter seems easier; especially since I can disassemble the current core and see how it's made to come up with my own solution."
"It's a good thing no one gave Lachesis and me any trouble on the way back. It was surprisingly quiet."
"I hope I don't get shot down on the way to Valravn because of the looks of this fighter."
recording...
location: valravn citadel, inverness system
current date: 28.07.835
local time: 18:23
detected entities: locksmith
Project Update IV
"It took me some time to recover from... Receiving certain information. Now I am ready to put this behind me and return to important work."
The screen shows a metal sphere connected to several tubes and devices, emitting a low hum and vibrating faintly. A faint blue glow emanates from the sphere.
"I analyzed the situation with the fighter's core and came to the conclusion that given the damage, its restoration would be extremely difficult. After disconnecting the core, I removed it from the fighter to study its structure."
"Now, I do not have enough theoretical knowledge to truly understand many of the processes in this marvel of engineering, but my hands seem to have learned a lot just from disassembling it. This talent is truly my saving grace."
"This new core, made with my own hands mostly of iridium, somewhat modeled after the previous one, runs on MOX. A universal fuel typically used by large ships, which would allow me, in theory, to use traditionally incompatible technologies. Gallic and Sirius tech, for example. The concept itself is not new; Rheinland and Technocracy already do this in limited quantities."
"However, I need to make sure the hardware is stable. In particular, I'm concerned about problems with the electronics and proper regulation of the power supply. Fortunately, I have an interesting contact in Technocracy who can help me... And Revenant recommended that I contact one of the corporations, ALG."
"In order to make the Technocracy's kind assistance most effective, I have fully installed one of the smaller Lachesis cores on the Sawback. Now, as with the Defender, Lachesis will not only be able to direct the ship's movement, but also engage in combat if necessary. Lachesis, status?"
"Core functionality confirmed. Full access to ship systems. Connection to main core not required for operation."
"Well, then. I think the three of us can see this through to the end."
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