[Let's Play] Starfield, part two

In my previous post, I introduced Elsie as she embarked on her journey from Dusty Miner to Weirded-Out Adventurer.

After a pirate attack, she tentatively climbed aboard a rustbucket of a spaceship and was directed to go to New Atlantis where other members of Constellation would be waiting for her. To ensure she didn't just take the spaceship and flee, a robot was accompanying her.

As she climbed aboard the ship and got settled into the Captain's chair, she suddenly felt a wave of relief wash over her. Working as a miner was a last-ditch effort in this crazy galaxy after falling from the grace of the business world... it was nice to be sitting in a ship once more.

Vasco, the robot, guided her through the ship's systems and together they set off.

As they left the atmosphere however, another pirate ship appeared and started firing at them. Elsie very quickly got a handle on this old ship's weapon systems and decimated the pirates...

But then another showed up. And another.

Vasco suggested that the pirates were going to be harrassing them all the way back to Constellation. Perhaps they should deal with them now so they could get the ship back to Constellation safely.

Vasco located a likely area on a nearby moon where a base could possibly be and directed Elsie to land there. They would find the base, destroy the pirates, stop the harrassment, and get back to what needed to be done — getting the artifact and herself to Constellation.

This truly was the strangest of days. Now she could add pirate assault to the list of eventful events that had all happened within the space of a few hours.

They soon found the facility where the pirates were holding up. It appeared to be a long-abandoned research lab — the perfect place for unsavoury types to set up shop, monitor space traffic, and attack unknowing space captains.

There were no lookouts, so Elsie and Vasco crept inside... Vasco "crept" as well as a big-arse robot could creep.

Inside the facility, it was obvious something big had gone down. Mummified corpses wearing lab coats lay on the floor. Old black bloodstains were spattered all over the place. There were strange notes and recordings speaking of xenowarfare and alien research and war...

This had been a secret outpost during the great war between the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective.

There were still specimens floating around!

Elsie felt very uneasy wandering through this living graveyard.

Loitering around the old research stations were some pirates, which were quickly taken care of. That was in no way all of the pirates residing within this building though. There were more somewhere.

Fighting through a few more pirates, a door led out of the facility to a landing pad... and to the leader of this group of pirates.

He laughed. The Frontier, the ship they were hunting, had a new captain now? What happened to Barrett? Elsie stood proud and lied through her teeth: Barrett was dead. The ship was hers now and could they kindly stop attacking her?

It turned out they weren't after Barrett but the ship itself. They believed the ship was full of grand treasures and they wanted it. All of it.

Elsie laughed. There was nothing of interest on the ship. It was old, rickety, empty of any valuables, and they were quite welcome to it if they really wanted it. The pirates were stunned. They believed her persuasive words and decided they didn't want the old ship.

They would leave her and her worthless ship alone.

Travelling back to the ship, she hopped into the captain's chair and activated the grav drive.

And plotted a course for the planet Jemison, where the city of New Atlantis was located. Where Vasco said Constellation was located. Where her parents were located, too.

She hadn't seen them in a while... perhaps she should visit them while she was in the city. It wasn't like she had a job anymore... she paused. She would need to find another job, and soon. Her pay was part of the reason her parents were even able to afford to live in New Atlantis. She was funding their retirement.

Vasco directed her through the city towards the MAST district. There was no time for stopping for tea with her parents just yet... she needed to see Constellation, get rid of this strange artifact, and work out her next steps.

The headquarters of Constellation were quite substantial. Elsie felt as though she had stepped back through time as she stepped into the grand library of this strange group.

Paper books were everywhere, antique furniture, design choices that were long out of fashion but managed to give off a warm, authentic glow. It was comforting.

Sarah, the leader of the group, introduced herself, asked about Barrett's location, then verified all the answers Elsie was giving her with Vasco. When Vasco confirmed that Elsie was telling the truth, Sarah's demeanour lightened and she told her all about Constellation.

While space had been settled there were still many mysteries out there and it was Constellation's purpose and goal to discover these mysteries and solve them. While the group was quieter now than they had been decades ago, they were still around and active.

Right now they were studying these strange artifacts... could Elsie kindly retrieve the one she had found and put it on the centrepiece?

On the centrepiece were two other artifacts identical to the one Elsie held. When she put it down, it vibrated and merged with the others, then all together they spun around in an explosion of sparkles.

Everyone was amazed!

Elsie, who was having the strangest day of her life, was also amazed. As the pieces joined together and started spinning 'round and 'round, curiosity flooded her. She wanted to know more. Was this what being an explorer was like? Making discoveries and feeling the urge to discover more and more things?

With the artifacts swirling and sparkles flying, Sarah turned to Elsie and smiled. Would she like to join Constellation?

Without missing a beat, Elsie nodded. Yes. She wanted to join Constellation and make more discoveries. And find out more information about these amazing gravity-defying artifacts. She would love to be a member of this amazing group!

 

Until next time!! 😊🔥🚀

 

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_{All screenshots in this post are courtesy of me, @kaelci and are from the game: Starfield.}