Commander's Log - Commander Ren "Ash" Ashfield

noldunar · Jun 3, 2015

02.06.3301 - Aulin System - Commander Ashfield:

I just arrived in the Aulin System today and docked at Aulin Enterprise. I am still friendly with the guys from Silver United Company running the station so there might be some good job opportunities here.

Shortly after I docked I, or more precisely my company, Ashfield's Starship Services, was contacted via the bulletin board services by Silver United. They secured some pirate kill contracts and were handing out packages to trusted commanders. I became the offer to destroy 5 pirate ships in two nearby systems. I didn't really need the money but work is work and since LL (Legitimate Liquidations) are part of my available services I accepted.

Shortly after arriving in the target system I intercepted a distress signal from a hauler that was under fire and scored my first two pirate kills. Two sidewinders were no match for my Viper.

Back in supercruise my sensors picked up a strong signal source. Something big was going on. I checked it out and stumbled in on a battle between a small pirate fleet, consisting of one Anaconda and five escort shipts, Cobras and Sidewinders and some bounty hunters.

I joined the fray and together we were able to take out the fleet. I must say I am a little bit dissappointed. I had to take on that Anaconda almost by myself. After breaching the shields my three multi-cannons made short work of the big snakes power plant. My viper took quite a beating, but thanks to the new shield booster I installed she could handle it.

I must say, I really like that ship. Sure, the Cobra is faster and has a longer jump range, but the shields on the Viper, especially if boosted and with all power diverted to shields, are tough as hell for a little critter like that.

Around 150K in bounties richer I returned to Aulin to collect my payment. Silver United were pleased.

Ashfield out.

noldunar · Jun 4, 2015

03.06.3301 - Lalande 27055 System - Commander Ashfield:

I had a busy day today. I left Aulin for Freeport in LP 98-132, a system in Anarchy. I was looking for some gimballed multi-cannons but I couldn't get any there. Looked in the Bolg system, in Assellus Primus and finally in Lalande 27055, where I found what I was looking for.

Once that was done I checked the bulletin boards for an interesting job offer and found a routine RR job. I searched and recovered a black box from the Devi system for Silver State Interstellar, no problem. I needed something to do and a good LL offer was not available at the time.

However, once I got back and delivered the box I was able to secure an LL contract. A pilot lord, or more fitting lady, needed removing. I forgot to record the name. Some Lisa something. The job payed 140K + bounty so of I went.

I located my target in LHS 391 A, together with two sidewinder escorts. I managed to drive away the sidewinders and went toe to toe with the Anaconda. That amost got me killed. I was down to 14% hull without making a dent. I boosted out of there as fast as possible to regenerate my shields. Thank god the Viper is fast, an Anaconda is no match when it comes to speed. After I got my shields back up I changed my approach strategy and was finally able to get up-close and personal, lateral thrusters for the win.

I limped back to Lalande to dock but in my joy I forgot to ask for clearance! That got me a 400 credits fine and I almost got obliterated by the station. But thanks again to the Vipers speed I got out in time.

Long story short: My employers are happy, the pirate lady is no more and I am around 300k minus repairs and ammo richer.

Ashfield out.

noldunar · Jun 5, 2015

04.06.3301 - Lalande 27055 System - Commander Ashfield:

I got the feeling that my recent success in taking out that pirate lady has gotten around. I was offered another LL contract, this time in the Lakota System. I got the offer to kill at least seven ships of the local pirate gang, the Lakota Posse, for the lowly figure of 23K. However, I figured that the bounties were probably good, so I would have killed the pirates anyway, why not take 23K as an additional bonus payment? So I accepted the contract. I was a little bit tempted to also do some RR, retrieving a black box, some prototype tech and some artifacts. However, I was not sure if I could make it in time so I stayed clear of those.

After I arrived in Lakota it didn't take me long to find my first two targets. My navigational sensors picked up an unidentified signal source. Those are a sign for something going on, more often than not people shooting at each other. In this case I came across two pirates from the Lakota Posse, who were about to rough up some poor soul in a hauler. I made quick work of them. The kills were documented and transferred to my employer to verify them and sure enough my target count showed two from seven targets killed.

From the occasional chat with fellow spacers in stations I knew that the pirates sometimes got the word that somebody is out for them. In this case they send some nutjob to intercept you and make a counteroffer to drop your contract and go after somebody else instead. They also use this opportunity to upload a virus to your system that erases your kill count. To minimize the risk I therefore decided to look for my other targets at the Lakota nav beacon and stayed clear of further signal sources.

It didn't take long to score the other five kills needed to fullfill the contract, but I had multi-cannon ammo left so I stayed a while longer. When I finally decided to head back to Lalande I had collected 360K in bounty vouchers. Not bad for a little nav beacon patrol.

After cashing in I made a quick trip to LHS 391 or something to cash in another 160K in bounties that were issued by a local faction based in LHS.

Time for a Chai Latte.

Ashfield out.

noldunar · Jun 6, 2015

05.06.3301 - LHS 391 System - Commander Ashfield:

I stayed overnight in LHS 391. I treated myself to a junior suite in a first class hotel. The suite was located at the outer hull of the station and had outside walls which were a giant transparisteel window. Just a breathtaking view. Even though I can have the same view from my cockpit it is different if you see it from a nice kingsize bed without a care in the world. I really enjoyed my stay, complete with spa treatments, a delicious dinner and a bacon and egg breakfast.

But after I checked out it was all back to business. I stepped into the cockpit of my viper and checked my bulletin board. Word about my services must have gotten around these parts, because I got some very lucrative offers that payed more than similar work in the past did.

I took two RR jobs for local factions: The Freedom Party of LHS 391 wanted my to recover a black box. Apparently, they wanted to avoid any unpleasant questions regarding an "unfortunate incident". None of my business. I also accepted an offer from LHS 391 Limited to recover some very sensible experimental chemicals. They assured me the chemicals would be completely safe to handle, I just shouldn't damage the container while scooping. I have never been so careful scooping before.

While recovering the black box a squadron of mercenary Vultures appeared but thank the heavens they didn't take any interest in me. I doubt my Viper would be up for the task to go against Vultures. The chemicals on the other hand were just floating in space, routine deal.

After I completed my two jobs in LHS I jumped back to Lalande 27055, the shipyard is just better there and I wanted some excitement, so I accepted an offer from Lalande Jet Travel Partners. They wanted me to take care of some members of the Lakota Posse (again) who have been bad for business and caused the company some serious losses. Again, no problems there.

After I cashed in bounties I called it a night.

Ashfield out.

noldunar · Jun 9, 2015

07.06.3301 - Lalande 27055 System - Commander Ashfield:

Today was a bad day for me. Not from a business perspective. Because of my increased activity in this region of space I am getting quite a few lucrative offers. It was bad because I crossed a line I never thought I would cross. I lost my morale compass, or more precisely, I didn't follow it. Maybe this freelance work is getting to me. I was used to a structured work day and I always had a clear picture of who the "enemy" was. But working as a self-employed starship pilot I am just starting to get to know the real galaxy now. And it is a rotten place. People are willing to kill, lie, deceive, sabotage and manipulate. All motivated by hard cold credits. Profit, profit, profit. As if there is nothing else more important.

So what happened? I became a cold blooded killer. A murderer. One of the scumbags I used to hunt and kill as a cop. As I provide the service of Legitimate Liquidations (or LL) I was contacted and asked to kill an individual known as "His Redness". Not much more detail was given. The provided intel suggested that he was in 45 C Bootis at the moment and it was good money. Over 100K and I figured I could add a large bounty on top of that. So I accepted.

It didn't take me long to find "His Redness" cruising about. But something was odd: He was cruising around in a luxury Orca with two sidewinder escorts. No combat ship, no hostilities and he was NOT wanted! Because of his nickname I was so naive and assumed he was some kind of pirate scourge. But from what I encountered he was nothing of the sort. He actually was some kind of celebrity. I should have truned around there and then. But I didn't. I didn't want to lose the money but more than that I was worried about bad mouth to mouth talk about me not being reliable. I was afraid me reputation would take a hit.

So I didn't turn around. I targeted the power plant of the Orca, drifted into an ideal firing position and opened up with all I got. I few moments later the ship blew. And I was and now am wanted for murder in 45 C Bootis.

To make matters worse, my employer didn't pay me the promised amount of credits but less. He claims to have wired the full sum and suspects some technical difficulties with the transfer. He advised me to file a complaint with the Bank of Zaonce. Maybe I do that, maybe not.

I am still struggling to understand how that could happen.

Time to get drunk.

Ashfield out.

noldunar · Jun 11, 2015

09.06.3301 - Lakota System - Commander Ashfield:

I stayed out of the cockpit for two days. While on my way to my ship today I had a very pleasant surprise: I ran into an old lifelong friend of mine who went to school with me back in the days. Commander Artigas. I was pleased to see that he is alive and well. He works as a freelance starship pilot himself, but without an official "company". He seems to have done well though. He has a nice ASP and a Cobra and has tried everything: exploring, mining, trading and bounty hunting. Me on the other hand, I couldn't and can't get myself to trade. It was funny. We compared our statistics: My profit from trading was -2 credits. But I collected over 10 Million in bounties and made a lot of money on the black markets selling stolen goods that I salvaged. However, that doesn't really count as trading.
So we did some catching up and then decided to head out together. For old times sake. In a spurr of the moment decision we both bought ourselves two Diamondback Scouts and fitted them out nicely. I have to say, I really like that ship. I am really torn between the Viper, the Cobra and the Diamondback Scout now. The Viper has the strongest shields of the bunch and the fastest non-boost speed. The Cobra is a great allrounder with the highest boost speed, which is essential if you want to control the fight and be able to engage and disengage at will. The Diamondback is very maneuverable, more so than Viper and Cobra, and has a great jump range. It's non-boost speed equals that of the Cobra but nothing beats the Cobra in the boost departement. However, all three of them are fast enough in the boost departement to go against the big snakes like Python or Anaconda. I think it comes down to personal preference. The Diamondback is ugly as hell though.
But enough about ships. Artigas and me formed a wing and headed into the Anarchy system of Ashera together, to spread some justice and bring the law to the lawless. I don't know, maybe I felt the need to atone for my deed. We downed quite a few scumbags, including the occasional big snake. It really felt good to fly with somebody again. I assisted Artigas in completing a kill contract he had for a total of seven pirate ships.
We exchanged our commlink frequencies and are planning on doing it again soon.

Ashfield out.

noldunar · Jun 11, 2015

10.06.3301 - Arexe System - Commander Ashfield

After parting ways with Commander Artigas I headed to the Arexe system. I have been there before and knew the system. There was a spaceport very close to a gas giant, Arexe 3, that had two resource extraction sites within it's rings. One of them was classified as a high intensity zone, meaning it was a wretched hive of scum and villainy. Even though System Security was always there with a large number of ships it was still a lucrative but risky hunting ground for pirates because of the mineral rich ring and high deposits of highly valuable metals.

I wanted to see how my Diamondback performed within an asteroid belt. I was very pleased with it's performance and I managed to claim a few large bounties. My short stay netted my a little over 300K in bounties by the time I had to head back to reload my multi-cannons. While waiting for starport services to finish the automated process I checked my bulletin board and an assassination contract caught my eye.

I was asked to locate and kill the pirate lord Andrew Hunn in the Orrere system, a system near Lave. Lave was well known amongst spacers. Not long ago all new pilots used to get their license and their first ship there and Lave Station traffic control allowed them to practice docking maneuvers at the station.

The pay was not that good, only 77K, however I figured I could add a nice bounty on top of that. I accepted and headed for Orrere.

I located my target while cruising at the minimum supercruise speed of 30 Km/s. I scanned every ship I picked up on my sensors and there he was, Andrew Hunn, in a big Anaconda. A look at the scan told me why the offer was only 77K, he had a combat rating of Mostly Harmless. But an Anaconda is still an Anaconda so I wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating him.

I didn't carry a FSD interdictor, so I had to follow him in supercruise. He flew towards the star, probably for a quick refuel and headed for a high intensity RES site afterwards. I stayed close on his tail.

Shortly before we reached the RES site he disengaged his FSD and dropped out of supercruise. Since I had him locked as a target I automatically locked onto his frame shift wake and dropped out as well.

There he was, cruising about without a care in the world. Even though he was taunting me, he didn't fire the first shot. I used the opportunity to KWS him. Bingo, a little over 300K in bounty was flying around before me.

I closed in to engage. My beam lasers stripped his shields and my medium multi-cannons tore through his hull, eating away his power plant. After a short while it was all over. He popped right in front of me in a large ball of fire. I don't know if it was because of the Diamondbacks small silhouette or because he was a lousy shot, but I didn't get a scratch.

I cashed in my bounty and made my way to Aulin. Going by the GalNet news, there seems to be a money making opportunity soon.

Ashfield out.

noldunar · Jun 15, 2015

11.06.3301 - Aulin System - Commander Ashfield

I have arrived in Aulin. While heading for Aulin Enterprise I picked up a strong signal source. Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to check it out. Dropping out of supercruise I stumbled into a convoy of several massive T9 cargo vessel. Quite an impressive sight I must admit. One of the ships had trouble with it's FSD so the convoy dropped into realspace to conduct some repairs. At least that was what they told me over comms. Out of mere routine I scanned all the vessels. The T9s had Cobra MK III escorts. Imagine my surprise as one of the T9 came up as "Wanted" in the system! With a bounty of 140K credits! I deployed weapons and drifted into firing position. Before I started shooting I hailed the escort vessels and stated my intentions. I advised them not to interfere, since my actions were legal and legitimate. They complied and I took on the T9. The massive vessel tried to boost away but of course a massive cargo vessel like that was no match for a combat fitted Diamondback Scout.

A few moments later I was 140K credits richer and made my way to Aulin Enterprise.

Ashfield out.

noldunar · Jun 15, 2015

12.06.3301 - Aulin System - Commander Ashfield

Today was business as usual. I got a job offer, a standard LL contract. Eranin Industry needed somebody to locate the escaped prisoner Jack Murphy III. in the Anarchy system of LP 98-132. The nice little sum of 128K was on offer so I accepted. I located my quarry in supercruise and started to follow him. Since I don't have an interdictor fitted I had to wait for my quarry to drop out of supercruise. And sure enough he did near the system's star. He was in a Viper and didn't expect company. It was over quick.

I returned to Aulin to cash in.

noldunar · Jun 23, 2015

22.06.3301 - LHS 2310 - Commander Ashfield

I have made my way into imperial space to cash in a little over 120K in imperial bounties. I ended up in LHS 2310 and I have to admit, I like it here. There is a neighboring system only 5 ly away, I Carinae, and the bulletin boards of both systems are bustling with activity. A lot of missions are available between these two systems and I Carinae is also ravaged by a civil war between two competing factions, which means a lot of mercenary work is available as well.

The past few days I have focused on some very delicate deliveries you could call "smuggling" if you are so inclined. I keep two ships in Levy Hub in LHS 2310: A very fast but only lightly armored smuggling Cobra MK III and an A-rated Viper with boosted shields for mercenary work.

The Cobra MK III saw a lot of action lately as I have made quite a name for myself in the delicate delivery business. It boosts a very impressive 450 m/s and thanks to some special modifications I can keep boosting almost indefinetly. Fast enough to avoid any security scans or pirate attacks. This way I have delivered quite a few tonnes of slaves, imperial slaves and personal weapons to various stations and outposts in LHS 2310 and I Carinae.

I am still on the fence about a little exploration trip.

Ashfield out.

Cmdr Artigas · Jul 14, 2015

He's a jolly good ...

System Status : Orang Ship: ASP
Trailblazing Expert Merchant

Hail Ren,
it's beyond believe to meet again in the endless space.
Let's join soon together to rock like in good 'ol days.
I'd followed your log nosy

Stay clean!
Artigas over&out

Cmdr Artigas · Jul 15, 2015

I went for a short trading run to unknown market.
So I filled up my cargo with a mixture of food & beverages.

On the co pilot seat, I parked the young son of my sister in law " I want to travel in space, too. " his eye gleaming.
As we reached our destination system, he started muttering, trading is so boring .
He's right I tought and so I droped at a weak source for a minimum of controled thrill.

We discoverd a T 9 and an Anaconda.
I liked to risk a closer look , hailed and passed un short distance.

My co pilot was impressed by the meassure of spacecarfts.

After a little while four dots appeared blicking on my radar.
What's that, easy bounty I guessed.

I'm here next to an Anaconda ( Elite)
what should I worry about.

Nope, a swarm of Vultures attacked all of us.
Bam bam a rain of hits onto my hull.
Bloody Hell, I flu without shields to carry more cargo .
The damage rate was tremendous.

I said goodbye , lost 45 % hull ,switch 4 pims to engine and jumped away.

As we reached the station, the little fellow still shaking, I had to pay 40k repair cost.
A trade run for kittens ...
Artigas out

noldunar · Jul 16, 2015

15.07.3301 - LHS 2310 System - Commander Ashfield

I spent the last couple of days just flying around aimlessly. Made a quick trip into the imperial system of Tamar. My goal was to improve my imperial rank in order to buy an Imperial Courier but the missions on offer where not to my liking. I didn't stay there long. I realized I really like the area around LHS 2310 as a base of operations. Thanks to the close proximity of LHS 2310 and I Carinae the bulletin board was always filled with interesting and lucrative missions. A few high tech systems are also nearby. So I decided to buy a Vulture instead of an Imperial Courier, at least for now. After outfitting it almost to my liking, I couldn't find an A5 power distributor yet and had to settle for B5, I took it out for a spin in a resource extraction site. To increase my profits I accepted a LL contract to kill 5 pirate vessels in I Carinae. Since I was headed there anyways I also accepted three delivery contracts to Somerset Station. Some people think cargo racks have no place in a Vulture but I like the flexibility to be able to accept the occasional salvage retrieval or smuggling mission so I have made room for 6 tonnes of cargo, just in case. Coming from a Viper the Vulture is one hell of a ship. Double the shield strength, more maneuverability and insane firepower. The only area in which it is lacking is speed and style. It is one ugly bird compared to the sleek and streamlined Viper.

After completing my contracts and cashing in my bounty vouchers I called it a day at the local Interstellarbucks Coffe with an Iced Chai Latte.

Ashfield out.

SongMinKi · Jul 17, 2015

< OPEN TRANSMISSION >

Commander Ashfield, your contributions to Imperial space security is noted. Have you considered a career with the Imperial Navy? With your experience you would start as a commissioned officer flying in the name of the Emperor (long may he reign). The benefits are also very generous, the retirement fund has me looking forward to spending my twilight years back on Achenar. However, duty and honor comes first in the Imperial Navy so your loyalty to the Empire must be unwavering. If interested, contact the local Imperial Naval Agency, I will forward a recommendation.

Commander Song, Imperial Navy Commissioned Anaconda Class Light Cruiser. Designation "The Agressor"

< END TRANSMISSION >

Cmdr Artigas · Jul 17, 2015

17.07.15 - Zelano - Cmdr Artigas

On my next more profitable trade run, I recevied a request from Cmdr.
Ashfield to join his wing.
He heared some rumors about a nice spot for bountyhunters.
Miserabley me ,sitting in a T7 , 145 ly away.
But hehe I don't let anybody in a dump. So I parked my big vehicle and
settel my self into a cockpit of a Viper and start jumping cross
the galaxy.
At our rendez-vous point the news in Galnet and the Bulltinboard
disapointed both of us. Nevermind, we found an Conflict Area next to us .He, stuck in his ugly Vulture and me sitting in an old Viper let our Laser overheat and shoot some bad pirat guys from the sky.
As all my ammo for my canons runs low , we decided to rearm und refuel
in a port. During the service progress we used the time to enjoy some
refreshing beverages and chat face to face. Time went by and Cmdr Ashfield said goodbye. He needed some rest.
For today we splited our team.
I decided myself to go back for trading, but jump again more then ten times and fuel scoop at every stop. Nope thanks alot.
I pass my credit institute UniversalBanksofSpace, nice I thought by viewing the result of the combat bonds.
Let's visit the shipyard.
Now I'm owner of a diamaondback scout, too.
The viper remains in service for the next wing with Cmdr.Ren.My DBS brought me back to my tradingplace within less jumps as on my first way up here in the Viper. Cool
I studyed some traderouts and felt nearly asleep on the map desk.
It'sreally enough, time for diner in a nice hotel restaurant and then go to bed.
That's a good plan.

Artigas out.

Cmdr Artigas · Jul 21, 2015

07.2015 - Eleu System - Cmdr.Artigas

A second call for help out the same system in short delay, first deliver medicine and, now in addition ,hunt enemies down. I took both on my shoulder but I honestly prefer the space battle. I sold the T7 and pimpt my Diamondback for combat.
Meanwhile, Ol'Ren told me by comm that he is already on his way. Keen on smashing some pumkin pirats ships.
Oh dear, these pour idiots have no idea how radical there life time expires if Ashfield is at their trail in his dreadful deadly vulture.

We cruised slowly through the system, sharp eye on contact folder and radar.
Together we inderdicted, really I do not know for sure, hmmm, a bunch of bad guys.

Ren, tired from his long journey up to Eleu, stop in the next station after a big hook.
Me, myself honestly jealous about the mighty firepower of Ren's Vulture, counted my
pocket money. About 23 Mio.,okey ,enought to visit Core Dynamics.

What a pitty,I have had to jump less then 5 ly to an HighTech Sys to install all the moduls I wanted.
At the same time, lucky me, I found an intense conflict zone nearby.
A good place for diagnostic testing, also know moose test.
Formidable, devastating military equipment!
I done a very good job, but then I got high spirits. In a close combat with a big Snake my Cockpit was smashed and my oxygen support starts counting down from 07:30 min.
Ups....
in such a situation you need to to stay calm... thing over...and then start acting.
I did it wrong. My selected destination was a mess und I landed on a plattform without repair bay.
Okey but I refresh myself with new air, one more 7:30min time.

At least I jumped the grim reaper one more time of the shovel and found nearby a station who welcomes my wreck.

I earned about 800k, had to spent 50k for repair but the fun & thrill invaluable.
Now the time is right to rest, a nice diner and a fine suit for the night.
Life is to short...

Artigas out

noldunar · Jul 22, 2015

22.07.3301 - Eleu System - Commander Ashfield

It came as quite a surprise: A message from the Empire. An imperial navy officer contacted me and encouraged me to join the imperial navy. He even offered to put in a word for me. It seems like somebody took note of my exploits. But I am not quite in the mood for a formal committement yet. So let's get back to him:

OPEN TRANSMISSION - TO CMDR. SONG

Greetings Commander Song,

thank you for your offer to put in a word for me with the imperial navy. I was not aware that my exploits have come to somebody's attention but apparently they did. While I appreciate the offer, I regret to inform you, that I am not ready for such a formal committment just yet. As an independent business man I want to keep my options open. However, I will keep your contact data close by, in case I change me mind.
Fly safe, Commander.

END TRANSMISSION

After my recent exploits with Commander Artigas I decided to embark on a little tour around the galaxy to sell all my ships, which are scattered around. Mostly Vipers and two Cobras and a Diamondback. My goal is to sell all my ships, relocate to LHS 2310 and establish a home base there. In the future I will keep all my ships in one place but since I am to lazy to fly them all to LHS I will sell them and buy them again at LHS 2310.
I will keep my Vulture, of course, but I will also add two Cobras, outfitted for smuggling and stealth warfare, a Viper because I just love the Viper and a Diamondback Scout. If and when I make it to Serf, an Imperial Courier will be added to the mix.

Ashfield out.

Cmdr Artigas · Jul 24, 2015

24.07.15 - anywhere - Cmdr Artigas
I lost myself in the entertainment park of the station... switching from poker table to the bar and in return.
I'm not allowed to fly anything ...so I use the train system in the dock to get a feeling of movement.
Artigas out

noldunar · Jul 27, 2015

26.07.3301 - Shinrarta Dezhra System - Commander Ashfield

I have sold all my ships and decided to establish my home base in Jameson Memorial, orbiting the Founder's World in the Shinrarta Dezhra System, instead of LHS 2310. It is conveniently located not far away from the old world system cluster of Lave, Leesti and Zaonce and not far from LHS 2310 which I seem to like for it's varied offer of missions. Jameson Memorial has a very well stocked shipyard which also offers a discount on all purchases, so it makes sense to buy my ships and modules there. I have parked my Vulture there, together with a newly acquired Viper and a Diamondback Scout set up for stealth combat.

Took the Diamondback out for a spin in the Lave cluster. I accepted an LL mission from a pirate gang that needed somebody to put pressure on a rival pirate gang operating in the same area. Well, as an ex-cop I don't have a heart for pirates but why not take their money to kill some of them and get the bounties on top of it? It's all business. Who knows, a former employer might become the next target.

I must admit, I am surprised how well the stealth scout performs. I managed to take down an Anaconda and took almost no damage in the process. I outfitted the ship with mirrored composite armor and filled all available internal slots with hull reeinforcements. I also pack three heat sink launchers and one chaff launcher together with four multi-cannons to keep the heat down. This set-up allows me to run cold for an extended period of time while using chaffs if I have to become "visible".

While investigating an USS I was ambushed by a group of three pirate Vipers. During the skirmish another member of the Pilot's Federation, Commander Isinona, jumped in to lend a hand. It turned out he was also on a test run with a Diamondback Scout. After a short comm chat he continued on his business, which apparently was a time sensitive delivery. I came out of that skirmish with about 75% hull, not to bad with no shields against three ships.

After collecting my payment I headed back to Jameson Memorial. Next on my shopping list are two Cobra MK III. One fitted out for fast smuggling with 40 tonns of cargo space, big thrusters and lightweigt components. The other one will be another stealth fighter. I like the concept and want to test different loadouts while keeping the Vulture and Viper for more "traditional" combat.

Ashfield out.

noldunar · Jul 28, 2015

27.07.3301 - Kuwemargl System - Commander Ashfield

A call for assistance reached me today. My old friend Commander Artigas contacted me and requested my assistance for an assassination contract that he had to fulfill. The target was supposed to be in the Kuwemargl System, an imperial high-tech system.

It was a little over 80 light years away from Jameson Memorial so I jumped into my newly aquired Cobra MK III, the "Darkwing", a heavy fighter outfitted for stealth warfare and traveled to Kuwemargl to rendezvous with Commander Artigas.

Immediatly after I entered the system I checked the nav panel. The system was in a state of civil war. Numerous conflict zones were scattered around the system and a steady stream of fugitives was leaving for some place safer, at least that was what they were hoping for according to their communications.

Artigas told me that he had to take out some general. I didn't really want to know the details as I assumed this assassination was not really something I would consider a "Legitimate Liqudation". However, during my travels and in my time as a self-employed businessman I realized that this galaxy is of a very cutthroat nature underneath the polished surface and even governments are not above hiring assassins to do their dirty work. There is a saying: "Everybody has his price". I have to admit, that is true. Even I as an ex-cop have found myself many times almost accepting a straight off murder contract. The money was very tempting. In the end I didn't but I think the line is getting thinner the longer I operate as a freelance pilot in this galaxy of ours. And I already have one kill on my conscience that was not legitimate, making me wanted for murder in the system where it happend.

So, a contract is a contract is a contract and I am not one to let a friend down so we embarked on our murderous quest. Artigas and I formed a "wing", which is the short expression for linking our on-board computers together. This way we would automatically share any bounties aquired and could link our drives together, making it easy to travel together in supercruise. We located our target: A Python, traveling with a Vulture escort. The plan was that Artigas would take out the Python while I keep the Vulture occupied. We prepared ourselves, Artigas interdicted the Python, we dropped into realspace and the show began. I switched to silent running, deployed a heat sink and snuck up on the Vulture. As I was in position I opened up with four multi-cannons while Artigas targeted the power plant of the Python. The Python was destroyed just in time as reinforcements arrived. Since I didn't kill anyone I only got a 400 credit assault bounty while Artigas was of course wanted for murder. Time to leave the area for a while, at least for him. We jumped into a neighboring system and parted ways. After my bounty was changed into a fine a jumped back to Kuwemargl.

Civil wars are good money, so I accepted a contract from Kuwemargl Silver Clan to kill 5 military vessels for the nice sum of 242k credits, on top of the combat bonds of course. I will stay a while and profit from this conflict as long as it lasts before returning to Jameson Memorial.

Ashfield out.