Greetings Commanders. Here's my entry:
Azhanti High Lightning, LO-12A – Anaconda – CMDR Logan Darklighter
The latest addition to my small group of ships. And I worked hard to be able to afford her and her upgrades. In particular the Frameshift drive, Powerplant and Energy Distributer modules. Which allow for multiple load-outs for missions.
Mainly she serves in three roles:
- Combat build to patrol Hazardous Resource Sites and Bounty Hunt
- Bulk transport with weapons for defense
- Exploration Build - no weapons, stripped down hull, lightweight components and maximized Jump Range
There's often some overlap between the Combat and Transport loadouts based on specific mission requirements.
If the Cobra Mk III and IV are the General Purpose "Jack of All Trades" to the smaller, lighter weight class of ships, the Anaconda is the same for the heavy class in my opinion. And one of the main reasons why I went with an Anaconda over a Corvette or a Cutter. And like my Cobra (
Blue Hayabusa) this ship has become a "home" for me. Passengers? Cargo? Combat? Exploration? I've done it all in this trusty spaceframe, and I've not even had her a full year yet.
I've been to the far edge of both the "North" and "South" sides of the Galactic Plane. I've run the Neutron Highway. I've discovered half a dozen new Earthlike worlds and hundreds of potential resource planets and moons. I've fought Thargoids and Human pirates.
But the most worthwhile thing I believe I've done - if perhaps mainly as a symbolic gesture - was participate in the transport of hundreds of Meta Alloys to get the Mega Ship Dove Enigma back up and running after some had UA bombed it before CMDR DoveEnigma docked there at the end of his journey. I like so many others heard the call. I was in the Pleiades Cluster at the time, and I had the same thought run through my head that hundreds of other Commanders must have had.
THIS WILL NOT STAND.
I docked and stripped down the
Azhanti High Lightning to her bare frame, not even keeping an SRV or fighter aboard. Fitted a giant fuel scoop, a basic AFMD and shields that were not much more than debris deflectors. Took off the weapons from the hardpoints. Stripped back everything I could to make her as lightweight as possible. Then I loaded up the expanded cargo bays with over 350 Tons of Meta Alloys.
Then I lit out of there as fast as my FSD could take her. Headed for the Neutron Highway. I'd flown the route before in my ASP. But this was going to be different. No real exploration. Perfunctory "honking" at systems I hadn't been to but no detailed scans. But other than that, just jump after jump after jump and Neutron Star boosting where I could.
Apparently the local criminal element out near Colonia got wind of the wave of CMDRs approaching. I encountered my first attempt at interdiction about 500 LYs from Colonia. I couldn't afford to get caught. I had nothing to fight back with and the stripped down hull wouldn't take much before being shot to pieces. And the Meta Alloy load would weigh me down too much in Newton-Space for me to escape.
Let me tell you - it got hairy there. I dodged about 10 interdiction attempts during that final approach to Colonia. Some of them I outran, some I put the star between me and the pirate before they could get a lock on me. Some I outright beat the interdiction with pure maneuvering. And at least once I dodged between the inner and outer rings of a gas giant during interdiction and watched - amazed - as the pirate got slammed out of Supercruise into the rings. I don't know if he survived that, I didn't stick around to check.
But obviously I made it - so I guess in the ancient Terran idiom, I had "The Right Stuff" that day.
I made it to Colonia and Dove Enigma with my cargo. And did my part to get the Mega-Ship up to full service status. I wasn't there when CMDR DoveEnigma made his final landing. I was over on Jacques station in the bar hoisting a salute to him as the feed was broadcast. (Hey - He couldn't LAND if all of us were hogging the landing bays over there!)
After the Dove Enigma run, I decided to refit the
Azhanti High Lightning for some true exploration runs.
I haven't made it back to the bubble or to Sag A yet. I'm trying to convince a couple of friends to come with me on the trip. I've made a lot of money out here with exploration survey bonuses and high value cargo runs. But I think it's soon going to be time for the Lightning to return to the Bubble.
(Meta context - the name
Azhanti High Lightning is a reference to the ship of the same name and table-top gaming supplement from the old GDW Traveller series of RPGs - specifically their "Third Imperium" setting. If you're curious - just google "Azhanti High Lightning" - there's lots of references and web pages that mention the original source. Interesting note - the original Azhanti High Lightning was designed with her decks aligned with the direction of vector - just like the ships of the book and TV sci-fi series "The Expanse". )
