Thank you Furlain and the rest of you for answering the call. This was an encounter out of the ordinary, to say the least. I'm glad to hear the loadout did you well, even more glad that I was able to help you set it up earlier in the shift, now that you had to use it.
As for the encounter.
I was guarding Yaren Base since there had been plenty of activity in Omicron Delta and Rho. There were a few Zoners doing their shipping runs, otherwise quiet for the time being. Then on my cockpit HUD I saw an LNS ship pop up, a strange place for LNS but only thought the pilot may need assistance being all the way out there.
My scanner was not recognizing it properly I thought, as there were some strange readings. As I got closer I had to cut my engines and stare, I was dumbfounded. The Liberty ship had tentacles growing out of it and it was glowing. Nomad.. my instinct was telling me. The ship moved away and seemed to vanish in the cloud. I asked if one of the Zoners at Yaren Base saw what I saw. He did not.
Still confused by what I've seen I reported something Nomad-like was in Omicron Delta in the wing comms, unable to specify further. So I kept my station outside Yaren Base.
Out of nowhere the Nomad ship popped up on my scanners, rushing straight towards me in high speed. As soon as it was in range I made a further scan and most of the readings were of Nomad origin. The distance numbers were going down fast and I sent out a distress call on our internal comms. Suddenly the LNS-Tundra veered off in the direction of Omicron Kappa jump hole.
I followed.
A reassuring chatter over the comms filled my ship as the WV-Nauru, WV-Cerberus and Jason McPherson reported in, at the same time McPherson appeared on my scanners. We followed the LNS-Tundra who didn't appear to engage at this time. As we entered the rocky cloud around the Kappa jump hole, the LNS-Tundra stopped. It looked as if... it was hiding? McPherson told me the same thing over the comms. It resembled and animal peeking from behind the rocks to check us out. The hairs on my neck stood up.
McPherson informed me it looked like a Liberty Archer class vessel, but with Nomad... stuff, growing out of it. I told him that all Nomads must perish, also that we could study its technology. For our benefit. McPherson told me he agreed. I voiced my opinion that it had to die, still perplexed by the whole encounter. All the while the LNS-Tundra moving from rock to rock, checking us out, peeking.
McPherson said to wait for the reinforcements to arrive.
The WV-Nauru and WV-Cerberus closed in and the Nomad vessel suddenly moved out right in front of us and released a barrage of its weapons. Just as if it sensed the incoming threat. I heard McPherson in my ears, take it down and the wing was on in full motion among the rocks, lining up counter fire from all directions. The impacts colored my cockpit in flashes. I lined up my Nova's time and time again with the Nomad vessel coming in and out of vision in the purple haze of the cloud. The location in front of me sometimes only indicated by my wingmen's successful hits.
In the final push, the Nomad vessel came into an opening, the movement was off, like an animal with a limp leg licking its wounds. The WV-Nauru lined up another barrage and sent it straight to hell.
The encounter still perplexed me and I felt nothing, but it had to be done. The salvageable remains were collected and we set course for base. Zoner vessels nearby thanked us for our efforts.
Hopefully we will learn more about the LNS-Tundra and its fate, so that others don't have to face the same one.
Hail to my fellow Core wingmen and their decisiveness.
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