20-08-3302 We've always known the Thargoids would return someday. They're too tough, too single-minded, to give up their plans to conquer human space. What could we do? We're a bitter fragmented humanity, Federation, Empire and Alliance, spread amongst the stars and separated from each other more by differences in culture than we are by distance. Look at the bulletin boards at any station: criminals, smugglers, different factions vying for supremacy, missions to infiltrate and assassinate, threats and counter threats. What chance these scattered people withstanding the united assault of an age-old enemy?
I'm no leader; I'm no diplomat and I'm sure not any kind of fighter. Barely competent, that's me. But I had hope in my heart. Something must be done. We had to show the Thargoids that we would not just abandon our home worlds or be driven from them. Our right to exist is as just as theirs, more so, for we have evolved far beyond their primitive insectoid forms. An idea blossomed in my mind. It was stupid, crazy maybe, but at its core was a truth none could deny. Humans had a right to exist in this galaxy. Humans had travelled this galaxy. We had made it our own when the bugs had scuttled away back under the stardust carpet they came from. I would send them a message. I would claim the heavens for humanity. I would write my name from one side of the galaxy to another. I would SIGN it. Cmdr Quorthon-"This is mine. Go away. You are not welcome here." I would stand firm against the blizzard of the beast and shout "Enough! Get the hell out of my galaxy!" Hmm. I’ve heard that somewhere before.
See, these Thargoids aren't stupid. I believed they would understand. If one man dared to dream of owning the galaxy, of autographing the map of every star it was possible to reach, then what kind of grip would an entire species, the human race, have on it? The Thargoids would soon realise humanity would never have its fingers prized from its grip around the galaxy. I had seen Galnet video reports of ships being scanned. Thargoids seek knowledge of humans. They could read our computers, scan our voyage logs, copy the cartographic data all ships share and they would see my name, picked out in bookmarked new discoveries, writ large across the plane of the milky way.
Where would I go? Which systems to visit? This will make you laugh. I used paper, actual paper, and wrote my name across it in big CAPITAL letters. My writing is pretty bad, and it had to be something decipherable, so capitals it was. Still, the letters were irregular, imperfect, human. Fifteen to twenty five new discoveries bookmarked per letter, as close to 0 on the Z-axis as I could get and find a system I liked. Something bright like an A star, if possible, but the position was the important factor. A robot or autopilot would fly perfect straight lines, not me. The Thargoids would know this was no machine fakery. It would suffice.
It was only 21 jumps 'til I started scanning undiscovered starts, which gave me a psychological boost. If there were stars for the taking so close to the human bubble, my planned stops should all be just waiting for me.
By this time, I was vaguely near Colonia, so it made sense to detour a little (relatively speaking, of course) to stop and make repairs. It would be my first human contact for months.
Sadly, I didn't warm to my fellow humans. All the way out here, there were still factions arguing and fighting with each other. Here, where you'd think they'd band together to survive, I found petty jealousies and business rivalries that set men and women at each other’s throats. It was depressing and I knew I had to leave. If the Thargoids took Colonia, I'm not sure I'd care.
While I was in the station read a lot of Galnet. Thargoid artefacts were turning up on worlds in increasing numbers. Why now; it was a sure sign they were coming back soon. I also read that standard galaxy maps only held 128 bookmarks. 128? How the hell will that last me? I'd made 25 for the first letter alone. eight times that would be... more than 128. I need coffee, and to use my remaining time in Colonia to think. Well, not all the letters would be as complicated as a 'Q' and I could reduce the count on the straight-line sections. Not as grand a plan as I wanted, but it would still spell my name across the galaxy. Q went from 25 bookmarks to 17. Others from 17 down to 12. I'd upgraded my FSD and got a nearly 44ly range out of her; I never thought to look for an upgrade to the galaxy mapping computer. Is there such as thing? TANJ dammit!
So I had to trim down my list a little. (System scans of all that follow are here)
Q
U
As I pulled away from the station and watched it shrink in my rear view, I saw how tiny and insignificant it was against the coldness of space and that reminded me of the human bubble I'd come from, where you could walk outside on some worlds and feel the warmth of a sun on your face. I swore that no matter how black my moods got in the months ahead, I wouldn't forget why I was out here and who I was doing this for—my own human race, warts, robotic eyes, tattoos and all.
O
At this point I came across Dryi Aub FA-A e2661, a black hole whose second planet must be the coldest in the galaxy. 1k! I must make a list of the most unusual things I see out here, but I’m not the most organised of pilots. When you go space-walking, you have to triple-check everything, but spacecraft look after you pretty well, all the while the canopy holds.
R
T
H
Up until now I'd been jumping between A-stars. Their systems were often interesting and valuable, but now I found myself in a patch of Herbig Ae/Be stars in Eorm Chruia sector. I tagged around ten before moving on.
O
I'm getting tired out here. I ticked off O-04 from my list and must have at some point, taken a small diversion for something interesting, probably the B-star/Black hole system at Lyaisou BA-A g0. I must have woken up at some point and picked the wrong bookmark to head for and found myself back at O-04 instead of O-05. 64 jumps and I was in a system I'd visited before! I only hoped at some point in the future I wasn't out of fuel, or with a disintegrating hull, a few jumps from salvation and looking back on this unwanted detour as the moment I sealed my fate. Get a grip pilot; you ain't home yet!
N
Between N02 and N03 I found Assaipy FA-A e18, a neutron star in a tiny planetary nebula. Cmdr Skafre had beaten me to it, but it sure was pretty. o7 to you Commander. I was reminded that other people exist in the universe, the whole point of my journey. I took it as a sign that I was doing the right thing. With the last few letters under my belt, at jump 7400 it's time to turn for home. What was the date anyway? Whew—I'd been out in the black for thirteen months. Maybe I could get back for the Frontier 3303 expo! Apparently they had created a game with every galaxy in the universe in it. Ridiculous!
Intermittently, I'd been checking Galnet for news of the Thargoid situation and it wasn't looking good. Barnacles were awakening, artefacts were sending signals to distant worlds and underground bases had been discovered. Finally the ships had returned-- slowly rotating flowers of insectoid death, though from what Galnet told me, half the time is was we humans who were starting the fight. Will we never learn? We just about found a way to beat the Thargoids last time in the dying days of a long war. They wouldn't be as vulnerable again. Speaking of Galnet, has anyone else noticed how much the Galnet logo looks like a Thargoid ship. It makes me think that maybe they hacked into our systems long ago and have been listening for a long, long time to all the inter-factional infighting that humans love so much. No surprise that they've chosen now to return. We are weak and divided. Easy prey.
07-10-3303
Which brings me full circle. I have laid claim to the galaxy in my name, and for my species. I have drawn a line in stardust. Though the Thargoids may decimate homo and gyno sapiens, and pursue us to the craters of the darkest, coldest worlds in the Milky Way, some will survive. We will regroup, we will raise families, we will multiply, we will raise an index finger and point to our favourite star and say "That's where I am going", because it is all ours. Every rock, every snowball, every water world, every candy-floss gas giant, every Earth-like world. It is ours.
I said so.
I wrote it in the stars.
I'm no leader; I'm no diplomat and I'm sure not any kind of fighter. Barely competent, that's me. But I had hope in my heart. Something must be done. We had to show the Thargoids that we would not just abandon our home worlds or be driven from them. Our right to exist is as just as theirs, more so, for we have evolved far beyond their primitive insectoid forms. An idea blossomed in my mind. It was stupid, crazy maybe, but at its core was a truth none could deny. Humans had a right to exist in this galaxy. Humans had travelled this galaxy. We had made it our own when the bugs had scuttled away back under the stardust carpet they came from. I would send them a message. I would claim the heavens for humanity. I would write my name from one side of the galaxy to another. I would SIGN it. Cmdr Quorthon-"This is mine. Go away. You are not welcome here." I would stand firm against the blizzard of the beast and shout "Enough! Get the hell out of my galaxy!" Hmm. I’ve heard that somewhere before.
See, these Thargoids aren't stupid. I believed they would understand. If one man dared to dream of owning the galaxy, of autographing the map of every star it was possible to reach, then what kind of grip would an entire species, the human race, have on it? The Thargoids would soon realise humanity would never have its fingers prized from its grip around the galaxy. I had seen Galnet video reports of ships being scanned. Thargoids seek knowledge of humans. They could read our computers, scan our voyage logs, copy the cartographic data all ships share and they would see my name, picked out in bookmarked new discoveries, writ large across the plane of the milky way.
Where would I go? Which systems to visit? This will make you laugh. I used paper, actual paper, and wrote my name across it in big CAPITAL letters. My writing is pretty bad, and it had to be something decipherable, so capitals it was. Still, the letters were irregular, imperfect, human. Fifteen to twenty five new discoveries bookmarked per letter, as close to 0 on the Z-axis as I could get and find a system I liked. Something bright like an A star, if possible, but the position was the important factor. A robot or autopilot would fly perfect straight lines, not me. The Thargoids would know this was no machine fakery. It would suffice.
It was only 21 jumps 'til I started scanning undiscovered starts, which gave me a psychological boost. If there were stars for the taking so close to the human bubble, my planned stops should all be just waiting for me.
By this time, I was vaguely near Colonia, so it made sense to detour a little (relatively speaking, of course) to stop and make repairs. It would be my first human contact for months.
Sadly, I didn't warm to my fellow humans. All the way out here, there were still factions arguing and fighting with each other. Here, where you'd think they'd band together to survive, I found petty jealousies and business rivalries that set men and women at each other’s throats. It was depressing and I knew I had to leave. If the Thargoids took Colonia, I'm not sure I'd care.
While I was in the station read a lot of Galnet. Thargoid artefacts were turning up on worlds in increasing numbers. Why now; it was a sure sign they were coming back soon. I also read that standard galaxy maps only held 128 bookmarks. 128? How the hell will that last me? I'd made 25 for the first letter alone. eight times that would be... more than 128. I need coffee, and to use my remaining time in Colonia to think. Well, not all the letters would be as complicated as a 'Q' and I could reduce the count on the straight-line sections. Not as grand a plan as I wanted, but it would still spell my name across the galaxy. Q went from 25 bookmarks to 17. Others from 17 down to 12. I'd upgraded my FSD and got a nearly 44ly range out of her; I never thought to look for an upgrade to the galaxy mapping computer. Is there such as thing? TANJ dammit!
So I had to trim down my list a little. (System scans of all that follow are here)
Q
| Q01 Preou Airgh BA-A g9 | Q02 Preou Airgh NO-I d9-111 | Q03 Praei Aick IN-B d13-0 | Q04 Blie Phla FH-D d12-25 | Q05 Lyruesly FI-B d13-187 |
| Q06 Byoo Aick KM-W d1-156 | Q07 Oepholz AL-P d5-29 | Q08 Oephonth OI-B d13-41 | Q09 Ooscs Fleau EZ-S d3-47 | Q10 Byae Ail RJ-I d9-41 |
| Q11 Ploadaea OB-W c15-11 | Q12 Byae Phlai KE-K c8-6 | Q13 Blaea Phlai CQ-G d10-24 | Q14 Blaea Phlai HA-A d29 | Q15 Eodgonds IW-E d11-19 |
| Q16 Eodgowry JI-K d8-6 | Q17 Eodgowry GF-R c4-15 | | |
U
| U01 Dryeae Flee XJ-I d9-334 | U02 Dryeae Flee GA-A e61 | U03 Oephaiwsy YK-P d5-149 | U04 Byae Airg YV-E d11-74 | U05 Byae Airg ZE-R d4-267 |
| U06 Blaea Airg AQ-G d10-10 | U07 Froasly GG-Y d302 | U08 Byooe Aeb IW-E d11-215 | U09 Puekaea CW-E d11-178 | U10 Froall EG-Y d20 |
| U11 Froall IL-P d5-60 | U12 Bya Ail FB-A c66 | U13 Byoo Airg PJ-I d9-1182 | U14 Oephaivsky PM-W e1-221 | U15 Oephaivsky RI-B d13-2826 |
| U16 Dryaea Flee OX-L d7-5787 | U17 Dryaea Flee LO-Z d13-2863 | U18 Ogairr AO-S c17-713 | U19 Screaka PG-Y d2011 |
As I pulled away from the station and watched it shrink in my rear view, I saw how tiny and insignificant it was against the coldness of space and that reminded me of the human bubble I'd come from, where you could walk outside on some worlds and feel the warmth of a sun on your face. I swore that no matter how black my moods got in the months ahead, I wouldn't forget why I was out here and who I was doing this for—my own human race, warts, robotic eyes, tattoos and all.
O
| O001 Screake JL-P d5-3835 | O002 Ooscs Freau VD-K d8-6717 | O003 Dryuae Aoscs AC-D d12-8557 | O004 Dryuae Aoscs NM-W d1-2936 | O005 Oephaidst ZD-K d8-3655 |
| O006 Eor Aoscs NG-Y d9116 | O007 Oephairb HG-Y d4099 | O008 Oephairb LL-P d5-986 | O009 Eor Aowsy NI-B d13-1298 | O010 Whambio YE-G c24-2922 |
| O011 Eor Aub IW-E d11-1783 | O012 Dryi Aub IL-P d5-4648 | O013 Dumbaa EA-A c6621 | O014 Dumboi ST-Q c18-814 | O015 Dumboea XV-E d11-3046 |
| O016 Dumbio EL-P d5-6553 | O017 Dumbio AA-A d7274 | | |
At this point I came across Dryi Aub FA-A e2661, a black hole whose second planet must be the coldest in the galaxy. 1k! I must make a list of the most unusual things I see out here, but I’m not the most organised of pilots. When you go space-walking, you have to triple-check everything, but spacecraft look after you pretty well, all the while the canopy holds.
R
| R01 Ogaimy YY-S c3-161 | R02 Screakao CN-W c1-1368 | R03 Hypuae Aoscs AA-A d4208 | R04 Zunoae NM-W e1-10932 | R05 Choomeau BA-A f974 |
| R06 Choomee AC-D d12-2227 | R07 Stuemau XM-W d1-4323 | R08 Phua Aub DZ-S c3-2819 | R09 Myrielk GE-G c24-5130 | R10 Myrielk OL-P c5-4876 |
| R11 Zuni VY-S d3-3901 | R12 Dumbae EY-H c23-5167 | R13 Hypuae Aoscs EB-A c2270 | R14 Dumbooe BA-A d53 | R15 Hypiae Aoc EA-A c289 |
| R16 Hypiae Aoc HA-A e323 | | | |
T
| T01 Stuemeae NC-D d12-6991 | T02 Phipaa AS-N c6-2952 | T03 Eor Chruia HB-W c15-2843 | T04 Eorl Chroa AL-P e5-2499 | T05 Baukeau MM-W d1-377 |
| T06 Stuemaea RI-B d13-56 | T07 Phoi Auwsy SY-S d3-11417 | T08 Cleeque YJ-I d9-1807 | T09 Zuneae HI-B d13-6009 | T10 Zuneae NG-Y d1353 |
H
| H01 Cloomoi RR-N d6-400 | H02 Pheia Auscs AA-A g287 | H03 Eorm Chruia IF-R d4-1696 | H04 Baukee KM-W e1-2379 | H05 Eembaids BZ-S d3-3124 |
| H06 Eos Chruia HW-E d11-1136 | H07 Dryao Chroa XY-S d3-16 | H08 Dryau Chroa WP-G d10-359 | H09 Eocs Bre QY-S d3-415 | H10 Dryau Brou VS-U d2-37 |
| H11 Lasu EG-Y e2 | H12 Dryo Chraei CF-R d4-162 | H13 Phipai NL-P d5-92 | |
Up until now I'd been jumping between A-stars. Their systems were often interesting and valuable, but now I found myself in a patch of Herbig Ae/Be stars in Eorm Chruia sector. I tagged around ten before moving on.
O
| O01 Oob Bre QX-L c7-17 | O02 Bauleia QO-Z d13-116 | O03 Eembaist VS-U d2-7 | O04 Eowyg Bre LW-E d11-27 | O05 Lyaisou OE-G c24-10 |
| O06 Hypao Chraei DC-D d12-66 | O07 Phooe Chraei DC-D d12-50 | O08 Assaify OR-N d6-93 | O09 Assairts QO-Z d13-59 | O10 Assaiky QO-Z d13-94 |
| O11 Assairshch RY-S d3-59 | O12 Phoo Chraei PS-U e2-22 | O13 Hypau Chraei VD-K d8-59 | O14 Dryu Bre BA-A g1 |
I'm getting tired out here. I ticked off O-04 from my list and must have at some point, taken a small diversion for something interesting, probably the B-star/Black hole system at Lyaisou BA-A g0. I must have woken up at some point and picked the wrong bookmark to head for and found myself back at O-04 instead of O-05. 64 jumps and I was in a system I'd visited before! I only hoped at some point in the future I wasn't out of fuel, or with a disintegrating hull, a few jumps from salvation and looking back on this unwanted detour as the moment I sealed my fate. Get a grip pilot; you ain't home yet!
N
| N01 Loije UJ-I d9-46 | N02 Kyloopeia JW-E d11-20 | N03 Assaipy LO-Z d13-46 | N04 Byeethiae RM-W d1-224 | N05 Joorai FZ-S d3-120 |
| N06 Plae Aowsy SY-S e3-26 | N07 Pha Briae EQ-G d10-6 | N08 Hypao Broae KO-Z d13-9 | N09 Assaizz RM-W d1-18 | N10 Weqee JF-R d4-1 |
| N11 Pleia Aoc LX-L d7-8 | N12 Joorou DQ-G d10-9 | N13 Plua Auscs BC-D d12-8 | |
Between N02 and N03 I found Assaipy FA-A e18, a neutron star in a tiny planetary nebula. Cmdr Skafre had beaten me to it, but it sure was pretty. o7 to you Commander. I was reminded that other people exist in the universe, the whole point of my journey. I took it as a sign that I was doing the right thing. With the last few letters under my belt, at jump 7400 it's time to turn for home. What was the date anyway? Whew—I'd been out in the black for thirteen months. Maybe I could get back for the Frontier 3303 expo! Apparently they had created a game with every galaxy in the universe in it. Ridiculous!
Intermittently, I'd been checking Galnet for news of the Thargoid situation and it wasn't looking good. Barnacles were awakening, artefacts were sending signals to distant worlds and underground bases had been discovered. Finally the ships had returned-- slowly rotating flowers of insectoid death, though from what Galnet told me, half the time is was we humans who were starting the fight. Will we never learn? We just about found a way to beat the Thargoids last time in the dying days of a long war. They wouldn't be as vulnerable again. Speaking of Galnet, has anyone else noticed how much the Galnet logo looks like a Thargoid ship. It makes me think that maybe they hacked into our systems long ago and have been listening for a long, long time to all the inter-factional infighting that humans love so much. No surprise that they've chosen now to return. We are weak and divided. Easy prey.
07-10-3303
Which brings me full circle. I have laid claim to the galaxy in my name, and for my species. I have drawn a line in stardust. Though the Thargoids may decimate homo and gyno sapiens, and pursue us to the craters of the darkest, coldest worlds in the Milky Way, some will survive. We will regroup, we will raise families, we will multiply, we will raise an index finger and point to our favourite star and say "That's where I am going", because it is all ours. Every rock, every snowball, every water world, every candy-floss gas giant, every Earth-like world. It is ours.
I said so.
I wrote it in the stars.
