The crashed Cobra Mk III of ill-fated CMDR John Jameson can be found in the HIP 12099 system, on body 1 b, at -54.3735, -50.3516 (in Live/4.0) or at -54.3667, -50.3631 (in Legacy/3.8).
The ship – bearing the ship ID JJ-386 – is partially embedded in the crash site, and delivers the following scan data:
…Analysis complete…
…High concentrations of mycoid particle detected…
…Searching known databases for identification…
…Results confirmed…
Designation: Cobra MkIII
Registered Pilot: Commander Jameson
Located around the crashed ship are four datapoints which when scanned deliver written and audio logs that tell the tale of the infamous pilot’s fateful last moments following his delivery of the mycoid virus payload into a Thargoid hive ship.
The story is a cautionary tale of the real human effect of the high level political manoeuvring carried out by INRA. The following presentation (included with the permission of CMDR Pheobia) showcases the poignancy of both the site and the logs.
Logs
COMMANDERS LOG: JOHN JAMESON 1/4.
Hey there, kiddo. Now I know I said i’d be coming home soon, but they’ve asked me to do something – something important – and I couldn’t say no.
I wanted to be there, believe me but sometimes you have to make sacrifices, well this is one of those times. I don’t know if that makes much sense to you, but maybe it will do when you’re older.
Anyway, I thought I’d send you this log. I know it’s not the same as being there in person, but it’s the best I could do. I’m sorry.
I’m not really supposed to talk about my mission, but if I’m going to miss your birthday the least I can do is give you a good story. Consider yourself sworn to secrecy, solider, Okay?
I’m sitting in the cockpit, waiting for the all clear. They want to tinker with her for a while first, but they don’t seem to have done any harm. All systems online. Everything’s… everything’s looking good.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t feeling just a little jittery. You know I’ve fought bugs before, sure, but never more than one at a time. Flying up to one of their hive ships? Well, that’s a whole different story.
Hell, I don’t even know what I’m carrying. Classified, they said. All I know is it’s designed to target the bugs’ hyper-drives so they won’t be able to leave the system.
Of course if it doesn’t work, I’m just kicking the hornet’s nest. That’s why I’ve set the nav system to jump out as soon as I’ve deployed the payload. Can’t be too careful.
Wish me luck.
COMMANDERS LOG: JOHN JAMESON 2/4.
That was almost too easy. Threaded my way past their perimeter, masked my heat signature so I could get close to the superstructure.
I tell you… I’d never seen a hive ship up close before. I doubt many people have. It was amazing, kiddo. Beautiful, really. Makes you realise just how smart they are, how advanced.
I admit it: I hesitated for a moment before I hit the button. I had to remind myself that it wasn’t them I was attacking, just their technology. That’s if this mycoid virus of theirs even works.
Man, I watched the payload rocket into the belly of their ship and stuck around just long enough to make sure it hit home. Then I punched the throttle. Woah!
I’m coming home, kiddo. I’m coming home.
COMMANDERS LOG: JOHN JAMESON 3/4.
It was supposed to target their hyperdrives. That’s what they told me. Just the hyperdrives. So we’d be safe again. So we could live without fear. Well, it did a hell of a lot more than that.
There were sensors on the payload so I could monitor the reaction and make sure it activated properly. I’m staring at the data now.
The weapon is… lethal.
They knew what it could do. They knew what it could do and they used it anyway. How many have we killed? Thousands? Millions? God forgive us.
COMMANDERS LOG: JOHN JAMESON 4/4.
Got myself into a bit of a situation here kiddo.
My guess is that they installed a program in my ship and set it to trigger after I’d deployed the payload. All my systems are dead. The controls are out. Can’t even access the escape pod. And the ship is on a collision course. And there is nothing I can do about it.
“We need to inspect your ship, Commander.” How did I fall for a ruse like that? Oh god. I’m at least partly to blame. I’ve gotten old, careless. I should have quit years ago.
I guess I should have known they wouldn’t want me coming back. The bugs are dangerous – no doubt about it – but er, well this is mass murder we’re talking about. You can understand why they’d want to keep it secret.
I know some men wouldn’t want to admit they’d killed thousands of sentient beings. I guess… I guess the guys back at base think they’re doing me a favour by burying me out here in the black. Personally, I’d rather people knew what happened. Even if I didn’t come out of it looking too good.
I don’t have much time. There’s a big old planet in my viewport and it’s getting bigger by the second. People will talk about what I did, after I’m gone. The missions I flew, the things I accomplished. But there’s something I want you to remember. No matter what they say, whatever garlands they hang on my name, whatever they write on my tombstone.
You, you, were my greatest achievement, I love you son.
Photogrammetry model
A 3d model of the crashed ship can be viewed below, having been captured through the ancient Earth technology of photogrammetry (by Canonn scientist CMDR Ecthelion).
Photogrammetry is the process of assembling a point cloud mesh/model from multiple images captured of an object or location.
