Distress Signal to L. Carsten

[LunaticOnTheGrass]

- Incoming Transmission -

:::LOCATION UNKNOWN:::

Can -- ear me? Ple -- of Botzler, please pick up... I h -- Know -- There. Rations -- Out.


- Transmission Lost -

[Laura C.]

*Laura felt like idiot more and more. She listened to the message again and again, now for tenth or eleventh time, yet she didn´t understand what was the voice trying to say or who was it. And that was making her nervous, because there was something urgent in it. And there was not much people who knew her personal channel but also could not find good signal.

She finally prepared her PDA, set up all settings for this kind of transmission, disabled video recording and started sending message back.*

-----------------------------DATA CONNECTION................................ESTABLISHED-----------
-----------------------------RECEIVING MESSAGE DATA..................DONE------------------------

Encryption: High
Sender: ---automatic identification blocked---
Sent from: planet New Berlin
To: Somebody on the line

Signal is -- ad! Who --ere?! I didn´t get -- ost -- essage, so I don´t und -- eaning! And who -- ell is Botzler?! Repea -- try to -- gnal!

------------------------------END OF THE MESSAGE---------------------------------------------------
------------------------------DATA CONNECTION.....................TERMINATED----------------

---

On a ragebreak. Or ragequit. Time will tell.

[LunaticOnTheGrass]

- Incoming Transmission -

:::LOCATION UNKNOWN:::

Plea -- Sten -- Klugmann ... Begging -- elp. I do not kno -- alker Nebula. I will drift farther but cannot promise -- gnal.

- Transmission Lost -

[Laura C.]

-----------------------------DATA CONNECTION................................ESTABLISHED-----------
-----------------------------RECEIVING MESSAGE DATA..................DONE------------------------

Encryption: High
Sender: ---automatic identification blocked---
Sent from: planet New Berlin

It´s not mu -- etter! I will -- et closer -- on there! I´m -- ay!"

------------------------------END OF THE MESSAGE---------------------------------------------------
------------------------------DATA CONNECTION.....................TERMINATED----------------

- - - - -

"Klugmann?! What the hell... But at least finally something!" Laura thought while going to hangar.
Words like begging, please and help didn´t sound good. But that middle part must have been Walker Nebula! Better than nothing, but heck, that nebula has almost ten systems within. Only hope is that Klugmann isn´t in the deep Omegas. Maybe he is somewhere in Dresden. But it could be Omega-7 or 11 as well. Time to try it in the middle...

She signed for another patrol and announced route to Stuttgart and Omega-11. It was easy, everybody tried to avoid patrols in this system due to radiation and frequent Hessian attacks, so there was always somebody willing to shift the place to get patrol in core systems.

Laura arrived there, refueled on Solarius Station and then flew out to "check surrounding areas and mining fields". When she was far enough, she pulled out her PDA and connected it to ship transmitter, hoping that signal will be better now despite radiation around. Then started to check frequencies one by one.

- - - - -

-----------------------------DATA CONNECTION................................ESTABLISHED-----------
-----------------------------RECEIVING MESSAGE DATA..................DONE------------------------

Encryption: High
Sender: ---automatic identification blocked---
Sent from: somewhere in Omega-11 system near Solarius Station

Laura from St--tgart to Er-ch from Frankfurt. Do -- read me? Do you have n-avigat--n emergency transmi--er or do you at least k-ow your posit-on? I´m ne-r Solar--s. Over.

------------------------------END OF THE MESSAGE---------------------------------------------------
------------------------------DATA CONNECTION.....................TERMINATED----------------

---

On a ragebreak. Or ragequit. Time will tell.

[LunaticOnTheGrass]

- Incoming Transmission -

:::LOCATION: Omega-7:::


-- Pocket, serious -- Failing. Look for -- Raven's -- Need to conserve -- levels... They're low.

- Transmission Lost -

[Laura C.]

"Omega-7! That´s gut..." Laura thought after listening to received message. She couldn´t imagine what she would do if he would be in some deeper Omegas.
She turned the ship, set course to Stuttgart jumpgate and gave short message to Solarius space traffic control about leaving. Fortunately, no Hessians appeared.
She quickly flew through Stuttgart using trade lanes, did short stop for refuel at Ulm Border Station and entered Omega-7, annoucing patrol around Briesen Mining Facility and Daumann mining fields. After hours in cocpit she slowly started to feel tired, but there was no time for rest. The word failing in that message sounded worrying.
"Pocket...pocket...was it gas pocket? Is he somewhere around southern mining fields? There is gas pocket field... But what was that about Raven´s? Did he mean Raven´s Talon? He was piloting it very often..." she came to conlusion, set scanners for searching a ship and started roaming around southern part of system. She knew this is probably going to be difficult because Klugmann very likely had to shut down all systems except life support to save as much energy as possible. Maybe he even turned off the communication unit. But who knows, maybe not. Time to set Klugmann´s frequency again...

- - - - -

-----------------------------DATA CONNECTION................................ESTABLISHED-----------
-----------------------------RECEIVING MESSAGE DATA..................DONE------------------------

Encryption: High
Sender: ---automatic identification blocked---
Sent from: southern part of Omega-7 system

Laura hier. Do you read me? I´m in southern Omega-7 around gas pocket field. If you can, turn the position transmitter on for small range. Over.

------------------------------END OF THE MESSAGE---------------------------------------------------
------------------------------DATA CONNECTION.....................TERMINATED----------------

---

On a ragebreak. Or ragequit. Time will tell.

[LunaticOnTheGrass]

- Incoming Transmission -

:::LOCATION: Omega-7:::


Laura... It's Erich. I'm presuming that you're closer now, because the signal is far clearer.

I have just enough power remaining to increase my shielding to about a quarter of total strength. I may need some H-fuel to get my ship moving again, though.

It's a Raven's Talon, and thankfully the local Corsairs and Hessians thought it was just a floating bit of debris in the gas pocket. Just... Be careful, alright?


- Transmission End -

[Laura C.]

-----------------------------DATA CONNECTION................................ESTABLISHED-----------
-----------------------------RECEIVING MESSAGE DATA..................DONE------------------------

Encryption: High
Sender: ---automatic identification blocked---
Sent from: southern part of Omega-7 system

Hold on, I´m on the way! I refueled in Stuttgart, so I can give you some of my fuel. Do you know your coordinates? I´m tracking your signal but this damn nebula isn´t making it easy! Over.

------------------------------END OF THE MESSAGE---------------------------------------------------
------------------------------DATA CONNECTION.....................TERMINATED----------------

---

On a ragebreak. Or ragequit. Time will tell.

[LunaticOnTheGrass]

- Incoming Transmission -

:::LOCATION: Omega-7:::


I don't... All I know is what I can see swirling around my cockpit. I don't... Want to talk about what got me in this predicament.

I just want to let you know that if there's anyone deserving of the bounty on my head, it is you. I wouldn't fault you if you turned me in. At least I'd have a little closure after all of this.

Oxygen is low. Hope you are luckier than I was.

- Transmission End -