So you want to know about the Formidine Rift? (Part 3)

[ishmair]

made the recording for the gamma settlement. seems it doesn't have a data scan point
[video=youtube_share;dhyrtAkYes0]https://youtu.be/dhyrtAkYes0[/video]

 

[Jaiotu]

To round this out further, with some irreverent and likely irrelevant geekery : Caine is a place in the Calvados (Normandy) region of France. And deLacy is the Norman family name from Lassy, Calvados. Perhaps someone likes vacationing in Normandy.

Falcon/Faulcon as surname also comes to Britain after 1066, thus another connection to Normandy.

 

[Jaiotu]

All part of the same umbrella expedition - just being sent out in waves.

This is exactly my line of thinking. Each wave might have had a slightly different role in the overall mission.

It's possible she was an unlikely survivor of the disaster that befell the Alpha crew.

If each mission comprised of more than one ship ... sure. Why not? One problem with the story though: The old woman returned from the Rift to Tionisla in 3270 flying a Cobra. Didn't they expect the return trip to take another 5 months? How did she make it back before 3271?

On a side note: Does anyone know the birthday for Kahina's older sister Corrine? She was born in 3270 but I need the Month and Day in order to fit the Old woman's arrival in Tionisla into the timeline.

EDIT: Hey Drew! - Any way to access Corrine's Birthday from the Imperial database? That would be public knowledge, wouldn't it?

 

[eadghe]

My reading of the CG was that the Federation was the main group behind the request for data and CoR hijacked the request upon realization that it could be related to Salome's last words before she was captured by Patreus to be put on trial.

I don't think CoR had the slightest idea what they were looking for aside from answers to what Salome had meant when she sent out the following distress call: "Heavy fire...mayday! Imperial markings! Traitors... Shields are down, we're taking damage...it's... I thought I sensed his arrogance! How dare... We're being boarded. I only have moments. Please get word to the Children of Raxxla, tell them I have new information. The Rift, Hawkin's Gap and the Conflux are connected with strange happenings in the Pleiades. They must find out before..."

What tipped off the Federation? That I don't know...

Ok, if the federation is responsible for the bases (I think we agreed on this for now since the Empire would use slaves) and its also something they won't not to be found, then why the CG? Maybe its just me, but this sound strange. [wacko]

 

[Jorki Rasalas]

I only now realized that it has been just over a year since the audio version of Elite: Reclamation was released on Audible.com and I was introduced to Kahina Loren and the Formidine Rift.

It was January 9th, 2016: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/25183-Audible-com?p=3391865&viewfull=1#post3391865

You've been introduced to Kahina? Is she as gorgeous in RL as in her pix?
(I may be getting on a bit for a space pilot, but I'm not that old!)

 

[Jaiotu]

Ok, if the federation is responsible for the bases (I think we agreed on this for now since the Empire would use slaves) and its also something they won't not to be found, then why the CG? Maybe its just me, but this sound strange. [wacko]

Well ... I don't think it was the Federation either. If it were then they'd already have the locations of the bases. They wouldn't need a CG to find them. The whole thing stinks of INRA if you ask me.

 

[Jorki Rasalas]

Well ... I don't think it was the Federation either. If it were then they'd already have the locations of the bases. They wouldn't need a CG to find them. The whole thing stinks of INRA if you ask me.

In Reclamation the old lady says the Imps and Feds are both involved, but I don't see yet how te Imps come into this. Except her video was held in a secure Imp vault...

 

[Jaiotu]

You've been introduced to Kahina? Is she as gorgeous in RL as in her pix?
(I may be getting on a bit for a space pilot, but I'm not that old!)

lol. I only heard her voice. Didn't see her face She sounds a lot like Toby Longworth though ...

- - - Updated - - -

In Reclamation the old lady says the Imps and Feds are both involved, but I don't see yet how te Imps come into this. Except her video was held in a secure Imp vault...

That's why it stinks so strongly of INRA. That would imply joint involvement of both the Federation and the Empire.

 

[Matzov]

That's why it stinks so strongly of INRA. That would imply joint involvement of both the Federation and the Empire.

So, speculative idea here, could Caine-Massey be a front organisation, a la Air America?

 

[CMDR Moortz]

Ok, facts we can glean so far -

There is a single mission - codenamed DYNASTY EXPEDITION. They set off in several (or more) long range ships, and split up into three separate groups, each with a specific area to head to.

Each group split up into (at least) 4 sections, deploy a beacon, build a base and then go off into their respective area. The beacon transmits a coded signal at a set time using 'EXODUS' as a keyword. The beacon gives information about the Rally point that has been set up. Each section report back to their base in the form of uplink logs.

It appears some of the groups perish - at least two talk about distress beacons. All groups and sections experience weird behaviour in hyperspace.

Sound about right?

 

[Darth_Angelus]

Quite a bit of this is reminding of Alien. Specifically, where we see the Weyland-Yutani corporation sending a completely unprepared crew to investigate and bring back an alien life form. Only one of the crew members knows what the mission is, everyone else is expendable.

 

[Edelgard von Rhein]

Elite: Reclamation information in spoilers, approximately answering about Corinne Loren's birthday

Spoiler

Corinne Loren's birthday was about the time of the assassination of the Loren family - when we first meet her; isn't she preparing for a celebration but has to cancel because her father has decided to match her with someone Kahina spurned? I'm not sure what the exact date is, though.

 

[Jaiotu]

Elite: Reclamation information in spoilers, approximately answering about Corinne Loren's birthday

Spoiler

Corinne Loren's birthday was about the time of the assassination of the Loren family - when we first meet her; isn't she preparing for a celebration but has to cancel because her father has decided to match her with someone Kahina spurned? I'm not sure what the exact date is, though.

Awesome! I'll see if I can figure out something from that.

 

[bitstorm]

made the recording for the gamma settlement. seems it doesn't have a data scan point
https://youtu.be/dhyrtAkYes0

At HG, Alpha and Gamma have data points, Delta does not.

 

[Acus]

flying over EAFOTS GL-Y E2 6 - nothing so far
fly path:
-16,7 ;70,6
-18,7 ;73,0
-17,8 ;74,6
-15,9 ;75,6
it's smaller crater ridge.

 

[Han_Zen]

That's why it stinks so strongly of INRA. That would imply joint involvement of both the Federation and the Empire.

You don't say.... https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/galnet/uid/5880a5179657ba0b78d5d52c

 

[Macklin_Fox]

Chronological Order of Expedition Logs​

August 21, 3270

Formidine Rift Alpha Mission
Why the hell are we out here? No one seems to know. It's taken months and still we're not there. Wherever 'there' is. We're dropping these beacons. Supposedly nobody knows what they're for. If they do they ain't telling. Makes no sense, there's nothing out there... and who would come all this way anyway?

Hawking's Gap Alpha Mission
Damn we've come a long way. I really should have looked at the galactic map before I signed up for this. Weeks of endless travel and hyperspace jumps just to get into the vicinity of the place, and that's before we get down to the work.

August 28, 3270

Formidine Rift Alpha Mission
We're still travelling. Jump drive malfunctioned today, that made an interesting diversion. It's going to take a while to fix. This area of space is g me out. Could have I heard some weird voices in the last jump. We are a long way from home. We're struggling to plot a course now, we're leaving the galactic arm and the jumps are getting longer.

August 29, 3270

Hawking's Gap Alpha Mission
Cargo hold is rammed full of strange tech. Looks like a bunch of satellites to me, but it's all hush hush. Normal crew like me ain't allowed anywhere near them. Don't know what they're for, other than we have to drop them off in very specific locations. Weird, eh?

August 30, 3270

Formidine Rift Beta Mission
Been travelling for weeks. Passed this amazing twin nebula just recently, about the only interesting sight on this whole trip. We are a long way out now. I don't think anyone else has been this far. Still, pay is good!

Formidine Rift Gamma Mission
Looks like I drew a short straw somewhere along the line. These long range missions pay well, but it's a year out in the void. A year! We're out far beyond the frontier. The boys call this place the "Formidine Rift". Apparently that means "terror" in some old earth language. Nice. Just looks like more space to me.

Hawking's Gap Gamma Mission
Beautiful part of the galaxy this, really dense clusters of stars, pretty much halfway to the core. Been one long trip though. We're out here dropping off a series of beacons. Randomius knows what for, but they're paying, so no questions asked!

Hawking's Gap Delta Mission
This is a bigger operation than I thought it was. A massive fleet of Anacondas all prepped for long endurance travel out to the edge of beyond. No ships have markings, no emblems, no political affiliation. Somebody with deep pockets must be paying for this, but who?

Conflux Beta Mission
Signed on for this one as I had the exploration bug, but we're just jumping and jumping. We're not staying in systems to survey, just refuelling as fast as we can and then it's back into witch-space. We're spending more time there than in real space. Someone is in a hurry.

September 7, 3270

Formidine Rift Alpha Mission
Finally fixed the drive, more monotony. Can't believe it's nearly six months sice we set out from Riedquat. Did I say Riedquat? I meant Reorte. It's getting to me, this endless emptiness. The guys are showing the strain. Three more months before we can turn and head back. The stars are thinning out, you can the whole galaxy just hanging there...

September 12, 3270

Formidine Rift Beta Mission
Stars have thinned out and we've started dropping our cargo. Looks like some kind of long-range beacon to me. It's all hush-hush, no questions asked stuff. Heard some of the senior bods talking about a Dynasty project. Careless talk and all that...

Formidine Rift Gamma Mission
Finally arrived in place after five months of hyperspace travel. Now we have two months of laying a bunch of beacons before another five months travel back home. At least I'll have enough credits to retire by then.

Hawking's Gap Gamma Mission
Funny Thing is, I've asked a few of the other hands about this mission and no one seems to know who's behind it. We all picked up bulletin board adverts promising big credits for a long haul and kind of just ended up on board. Not sure it it's the Feds, the Imps or the Alliance. Still, credits are credits!

Hawking's Gap Delta Mission
Judging by the way the fleet deployed I would say there were three main destinations, all a long way outside of the core worlds. We got our orders today, we're making for a zone called "Hawkin's Gap". It's a seriously long way, not even the explorers have been out this way before. Strange mission.

Conflux Beta Mission
Reminds me of what my father told me about witch-space. it's haunted. There's weird lights, shifting clouds, who knows what they are. Makes you wonder whether we should be out here at all. So much stuff we just don't understand.

September 15, 3270

Hawking's Gap Alpha Mission
Bored rigid now, can't wait to turn around and go home. I don't care how good the money is, nothing is worth this tedium. We haven't even started the return journey yet... Randomius Factoria - save me!

September 18, 3270

Formidine Rift Beta Mission
Nothing prepared me for the boredom. It's very dark out here. Really dark... darker than normal space. There's hardly any stars ahead of us, it's just blackness... the void.

Formidine Rift Gamma Mission
Supposedly there are a bunch of other ships out here doing the same job as us, but no comms allowed. All a bit strange. it's vast and lonely out here, pretty much the whole galaxy is behind us. It's getting to some of the crew.

Hawking's Gap Gamma Mission
Arrived on site today. Bunch of guys had to go EVA to drop off the beacons. We're jumping around a bunch of systems here in the gap. One of the Beacons activated all on its own, started squawking some weird code before it got switched off. We were told we hadn't heard anything.

Hawking's Gap Delta Mission
Our little armada split up today, so we're on our own now. Just us and the void. Still a lot of speculations as to what we're doing. Cargo hold is full, with what I don't know. My guess is some kind of deep space survey, but I can't figure out why we'd need to be so far out ...

Conflux Beta Mission
Witch-space is different out here, there's something odd, those lights we were seeing are less frequent now, but they seem to be hanging around, almost as if they're following us. Maybe I'm going nuts.

September 22, 3270

Formidine Rift Alpha Mission
The darkness grows. The galaxy is faint and dim behind us. I'm told this place has been nicknamed the Formidine Rift. Apparently that means fear in some old Earth language. It's an apt name, some of the guys are going space crazy out here in the void. We had to sedate one guy, he went completely doolally. We've not seen another soul for weeks. Just us and this ship... alone... in the darkness...

October 1, 3270

Formidine Rift Beta Mission
Picked up some kind of signal yesterday and it looks like the crew weren't expecting it. Got them proper rattled. There's definitely something very strange about this area of space. Won't be sad to turn around and head home.

Formidine Rift Gamma Mission
We picked up some kind of bizarre signal yesterday. Whatever it was wasn't human. At least, that's the scuttlebutt going around the decks. Everyone is looking out of the canopies now. We're seeing some strange lights during hyperspace transits. Terror? Yeah, we got some of that ...

Hawking's Gap Gamma Mission
I'm logging this, but I shouldn't be. Bunch of guys were talking about the beacons yesterday and then there was a mysterious accident in the airlock - they're all dead! Feeling aboard is mutinous. Just want to get back home. I ain't doing no top secret missions again, that's for sure.

Hawking's Gap Delta Mission
Cargo is being deployed. A series of artefacts of some kind. The handling bods aren't part of the ship's crew, so we don't know what they're doing. Captain has told us to turn a blind eye and wait for them to be done.

Conflux Beta Mission
"Witch-space once again. We're almost to our destination in the Conflux area now. That's odd... looks like... can't be!
You can't be interdicted in witch-space... that's impossible! We're back in normal space. Systems off-line, no power, what in Randomius is that..."

October 7, 3270

Formidine Rift Alpha Mission
I'm scared... help me someone... I can't bear another jump. The lights in witch-space are coming for me. The lights... always the lights... they're calling to me... a siren song... I must join them...

October 8, 3270

Formidine Rift Alpha Mission
AUTOMATED TELEMETRY REPORT: CANOPY BLAST BOLTS ACTIVATED. LIFE SUPPORT MALFUNCTION. CREW VITAL SIGNS TERMINATED. SHIP SYSTEMS ENGAGING STANDBY MODE. DISTRESS BEACON ACTIVATED.

October 13, 3270

Hawking's Gap Alpha Mission
Still, it could be worse! I could have pulled the Formidine Rift gig. Rumour is they're having to double up on ships for that one as the crews are going void-mad and ejecting themselves into space becuase they've seen ghosts. Word is there's something out there.

November 11, 3270

Formidine Rift Beta Mission
Last batch of cargo due today, but the hyperdrive has malfunctioned. We tried jumping and got yanked straight back out. So we're stuck here, Randomius know where...

Formidine Rift Gamma Mission
More strange lights. We've got equipment malfunctions, scanners dropping in and out, systems restarting. Ship is limping on. Everyone wants to turn about, but if we don't complete the mission we don't get paid. No one wants to give up those credits either. You expect to turn around and see ...

November 29, 3270

Formidine Rift Beta Mission
We can't fix it. Hyperdrive is dead. Lucky we're in a system with a habitable world. We've sent a distress call but who knows if anyone will here it. We're going to abandon ship. If anyone finds this, we're in..." AUTOMATED TELEMETRY REPORT: POWER FAILURE.

Formidine Rift Gamma Mission
We're done and we're heading home. We picked up some heat signature in the last system. Definitely something there and it wasn't any profile I had seen before. Something was watching us. There's something evil out here, and it doesn't like company !

Great find this weekend! Below is the updated timeline in a graphic form. Again it shows how the logs from the different sites overlap.

 

[CMDR MRMAURICE]

I like Easter Eggs.

Caine Massey: David Massey wrote 6 of the 8 short stories in Stories Of Life On The Frontier that accompanied Frontier: Elite 2
Faulcon DeLacy: Robert Faulcon was a pen-name used by Robert Holdstock, author of The Dark Wheel novella that accompanied the 1984 release of the original Elite.

Edit: Elite needs a table-top Trivia game.

We do know for sure though that Caine Massey is a mining company as that's what it is advertised as in stations EVERYWHERE. The conda crash site was found not long before engineers I think (2.1) with these Caine Massey crates and someone mentioned some tip off places that have them and now we find crates 8k ly from the bubble. I've googgled, tried finding anagrams but nothing, asked my kids . I seriously think it's a big clue to all that is happening be it INRA or w/e

 

[Macklin_Fox]

Something to note while looking at the expedition logs chronologically: The Hawking's Gap Delta Mission's log entries make it sound like they were only beginning to leave on August 30th while most of the other teams appear to have already been on-site or well on their way to being on-site.

When Hawkin's Gap Delta 2/4 says "...got our orders today, we're making for a zone called "Hawkin's Gap"; then five weeks later 4/4 says "cargo deployed." How could they get there so fast? It took the Formidine Rift mission five or six months to get to the site. Maybe it's like those old WWII submarine movies were the Captain can't tell the crew were their going until they are well underway. Lose lips sink ships.

 

[[Diplomacy] Carnegie]

October 7, 3270

Formidine Rift Alpha Mission
I'm scared... help me someone... I can't bear another jump. The lights in witch-space are coming for me. The lights... always the lights... they're calling to me... a siren song... I must join them...

October 8, 3270

Formidine Rift Alpha Mission
AUTOMATED TELEMETRY REPORT: CANOPY BLAST BOLTS ACTIVATED. LIFE SUPPORT MALFUNCTION. CREW VITAL SIGNS TERMINATED. SHIP SYSTEMS ENGAGING STANDBY MODE. DISTRESS BEACON ACTIVATED.


Anybody else read this as suicide by ejection?