Exploration & Research Corporation

[Exploration & Research Corp.]

FORCED TO FLEE.. HUNDREDS LOST!!



*Guard Officer Grimes sits and reflects on the horrible circumstances that forced them to leave so many behind.. a communication panel opens..*

Officer Grimes this is Guard Commander Davis do you read me?

Grimes here yes sir I read you.. go ahead..

What happened out there soldier?

Once we found the liner we initiated docking procedures and boarded the liner.


We proceeded into the vessel up to the medical research level.
It was here that we met our first group of contacts. These things.. they were... well no longer human. They were grotesque and crazy.... charging head first into us. We were forced to open fire.


We killed all of them in the area and proceeded up to the bridge door. At the door we encountered the rest of the infected. Again completely insane and charging into us forcing us to bring them all down.
Once we secured the area we cut into the bridge as it was blocked from the inside.
We took control of the bridge and re established communications from the liner.
At that time we docked with the trader vessel Mary Celeste piloted by Captain Searles.
Searles sent over the science team and some of his personal crew to help.
Things were going according to plan until...

One of the liner's escorts appeared on scanners and was moving to our location.
At first we did not know anything was wrong.. but then the gunboat opened fire on the Mary Celeste.
Willy announced over the comms that the ship was no longer human and for Searles to run.
Searles began running while we tried to fire on the escort vessel from the liner.
In seconds the ships were out of our range and the Celeste was dying fast.
We managed to remotely access the escort gunboat guncams momentarily and recorded this image..




We were attempting to reroute power to the engines to vacate the area when another of the liner's escort arrived. While they seemed to be focused on taking down Searles we continued working to power up the engines.
For some strange reason the escorts must have realized that the liner was no longer in their control.
They stopped firing on Celeste and came back to attack us.
They began firing relentlessly and with us being immobile we were sitting ducks.
They brought down the shields and were punching holes into the hull.

We were doomed.. the ship was going to be destroyed and all on board would have been lost.
At this time we made the grim decision to take what people we could and board the D310 ship.
The rescue ship was still docked in the liner's hangar bay and we boarded the few we could take.
We began running while both escort ships rained fire down on us!
We were just about clear when a lucky shot from one escort took us down.
Our ejection pods activated and we were all jettisoned from the ship's wreckage.
We just knew with those escorts closing in that we were all dead.

Suddenly the Mary Celeste pops in front us cruise engines blazing.. Searles beamed us aboard and headed for the Omega 41 jumphole.
The escorts closing in and firing wildly the Celeste jumps into omega 41.
The escorts did not follow and we were able to escape.
Searles took us to the Freeport where we all received medical aid.

Alright Grimes.. do you know if the object was still onboard?

Yessir the object was still there and secured in the damaged research lab.
We did not have time to remove it or jettison it before the escorts returned.
My guess is they left Searles's ship to get back to the liner and to keep from losing the object.
Sir it is my suggestion that we find this ship and destroy it along with the object!

Understood Grimes but your in no position to make that decision.. Where is Willy?

He requestioned a new ship and is now out searching for the liner and the escorts again. Here I'll patch you through to him now..

Willy do you read??

Willy here... yes I read you..

Willy Guard Commander Davis here.. have you found them?

No sir.. still haven't found them.. they are no longer at the last location.
We will continue our search and report our findings back to you immediately.

Very good Willy keep us updated.. Davis out

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Discovering and building better worlds..