LORE24 ENTRY #8 – The Pteravilla Stalker Incident
Category – Event
In the months following the latest border dispute, after the hostilities had died down and peace had been restored, the scout ship Pteravilla Stalker was on a run of the mill patrol through the restricted area between the formerly feuding sectors, when their sensors picked up an unidentified ship, though the sensor readings were not conclusive, indicating some form of active jamming. As the small scout ship approached the vessel, the bogey answered none of their communications, nor did it react at all to their approach. The sensor readings were still not revealing much in the way of details of the ship, only that it resembled a stock DSM cargo ship, one of their “flying skyscraper” designs that showed all the hallmarks of the corporation’s lack of interesting design features.
According to the official report, filed by Captain Maerril following the incident, visual inspection confirmed that the ship showed no signs of damage, and power readings were still inconclusive due to what appeared to be a sensor dampening coating over the ship’s hull. The vessel’s ID code was obtained and a search ran through the available databases, but no matches were found, and the search inquiry with DSM for registration information was lost in the midst of their vast bureaucracy. Per the Captain (and with corroborating accounts from other surviving crewmembers), the Stalker‘s first officer, Shi Sukimori, insisted upon leading a small team into the mystery ship to determine the nature of the vessel. Against the Captain’s better judgement, he was convinced by the commander to allow the mission. With Sukimori in command, the boarding party consisted of the Stalker‘s co-pilot Kaylee Serra, technical officer Hilde Fireforge, medical officer Briar Azalvia, and the scout Murissa Fer’Ragnarra.
Communications were spotty once the team had boarded, and it is the Captain’s opinion that a properly thorough search was not performed. Soon, and against Captain Maerril’s orders, Sukimori initiated the startup sequence for the mystery vessel, which resulted in a sudden power surge through the ship’s main power core which resulted in a catastrophic failure and subsequent explosion that heavily damaged the Pteravilla Stalker and resulted in the death of multiple crew members. The crewmembers who managed to reach the escape pods and who survived the explosion were eventually picked up by another military vessel that had been dispatched to assist with the investigation. Captain Maerill has admitted to bad judgement in this matter and has since resigned his commission, and is now employed in the private sector, as are the other survivors. The members of the boarding party have been listed amongst the lost crew, but have been posthumously dishonorably discharged.
The truth of the matter, however, is something else entirely.