==New Message==
==Comm ID:.... unrecognized... searching archives... WARNING POTENTIAL TAMPERING: ID matches missing pilot James Hawking==
==Ship ID:.... not on active list... searching archives WARNING POSSIBLE FALSE ID: Ship IFF matches missing colony ship Ikaruga==
A rather grizzled looking man appears on screen, lights flicker in the background
We... made it back. Let it never be said science doesn't have a wicked edge.
Brooke and I had been tampering with the hyperdrive, seeing if we couldn't get more efficient use of fuel out of it. We decided to test it by jumping Ikaruga into the next system. Unforeseen consequences arose, the gravity field had a much larger range than normal. As such, Ikaruga and the surrounding 6 ships were jumped into dark space somewhere in the Omicron cluster with heavy engine damage.
The surrounding ships were cannibalized to keep Ikaruga flying. We looked at the star charts to try and ascertain where we were and set off for what we expected to be Omicron 74 under traditional power while efforts were underway to restore the hyperdrive.
We got engines 1 and 3 back online for full speed under traditional thrust, but it still took us months to return. Ikaruga will be moored at moor 2 on Livadia while we undergo extensive repairs. The entire hyperdrive array will likely need to be removed and retrofitted due to our trying to mend it with limited supplies.
Turns out the only thing to fear in the darkness is the silence. We were worried about possible Nomad encounters being so far out but found nothing. This was a relief both now and then as this means not all ships were sacrificed to keep Ikaruga flying. That however, didn't stop a few crew members from losing their grip on reality. We sustained a few losses due to mental stresses. Remains to be seen if the ones who did not commit suicide can be rehabilitated.
I need a stiff drink. You'll know where to find me for a further debrief.
Besides our return, the good news is the following ships survived the return journey:
Ikaruga, colony class. Extensive drive core damage, mended with available materials. Likely requiring drive core refit.
Fortitude. Fearless class. Ship avoided cannibalization due to unknown defense requirements in dark space. Ended up unutilized and thus fit for duty.
Dreamweaver, Aquilon class. Coordinate scanning ship to complement Ikarugas jumping. Avoided cannibalization due to possible scanning requirements as well as formidable defenses in the dark space. Defenses were unneeded and is thus fit for duty.
