This is a Random Event. Occurs in:
- Hazard Sector
at a magnetic anomaly. The Long-Range Scanners will detect no ship presence. Classified as a NEBULA_HAZARD type beacon under the title NEBULA_HAZARD_EXCESSION.
A perfect black-body sphere has appeared at this remote part of the galaxy. The object resists any attempt to analyse it: no sensors can penetrate its surface. Ship wrecks are scattered in the vicinity, suggesting that various factions have battled over control of the anomaly.
- Continue...
- The magnetic field emitted by the object prevents you from immediately acquiring a single AI ship that survived the battle. The avatars were about to dispatch a probe towards the object, but then turn to engage you.
- (Subspace Scanner) What is this thing?
- Even the Subspace Scanner cannot penetrate the sphere. This is highly unusual and quite troublesome. The general assumption here would be that only a civilization much more advanced than any known to you could produce such an object.
- Direct the scanner on the enemy ship.
- Fight an AI ship with your weapon limited by 1 power and your drone limited by 3 power.
- Direct the scanner on the enemy ship.
- Even the Subspace Scanner cannot penetrate the sphere. This is highly unusual and quite troublesome. The general assumption here would be that only a civilization much more advanced than any known to you could produce such an object.
- (Advanced Targeting Computer) Switch to full assisted targeting.
- Fight an AI ship with your sensor offline and your drone limited by 3 power.
- (Improved Internal AI) Activate fall-back protocols.
- Fight an AI ship with your sensor offline and your weapon limited by 1 power.
- Continue... (and activate any combat augments)
- Fight an AI ship with your sensor offline, your weapon limited by 1 power and your drone limited by 3 power.
- (Subspace Scanner) What is this thing?
- A single warship is still intact and heads towards you, with its FTL signatures indicating that it is Mantis. Looks like the insectoids have sent an expedition force to take control of the artifact. This is an affront to any peace loving culture.
- (Subspace Scanner) What is this thing?
- Even the Subspace Scanner cannot penetrate the sphere. This is highly unusual and quite troublesome. The general assumption here would be that only a civilization much more advanced than any known to you could produce such an object.
- Direct the scanner on the enemy ship.
- Fight a Mantis Bomber with your weapon limited by 1 power and your drone limited by 3 power.
- Direct the scanner on the enemy ship.
- Even the Subspace Scanner cannot penetrate the sphere. This is highly unusual and quite troublesome. The general assumption here would be that only a civilization much more advanced than any known to you could produce such an object.
- (Improved Internal AI) Activate fall-back protocols.
- Fight a Mantis Bomber with your sensor offline and your weapon limited by 1 power.
- Continue... (and activate any combat augments)
- Fight a Mantis Bomber with your sensor offline, your weapon limited by 1 power and your drone limited by 3 power.
- (Subspace Scanner) What is this thing?
- Fight a Rebel Cruiser
- The magnetic field emitted by the object prevents you from immediately acquiring a single AI ship that survived the battle. The avatars were about to dispatch a probe towards the object, but then turn to engage you.
Fight an AI ship[]
- (After destroying enemy ship) Their ship breaks apart and you salvage what remains. Any attempts to analyze the strange object yield no further results. You prepare to jump.
- Receive a medium amount of scrap and resources
- (After killing enemy crew) You find some equipment on their now empty ship. Any attempts to analyze the strange object yield no further results. You prepare to jump.
- Receive a high amount of scrap and resources
Fight a Mantis Bomber[]
- (After destroying enemy ship) Their ship breaks apart and you salvage what remains. Any attempts to analyze the strange object yield no further results. You prepare to jump.
- Receive a medium amount of scrap and resources
- (After killing enemy crew) You find some equipment on their now empty ship. Any attempts to analyze the strange object yield no further results. You prepare to jump.
- Receive a high amount of scrap and resources
- (When the ship wants to surrender) "Look you proved your point. We don't want this thing anyway... Take this and let us go. Please?"
- Let them live.
- "Pff... you meatbags better get out of here. This thing is too scary for you."
- Receive a high amount of scrap and resources
- "Pff... you meatbags better get out of here. This thing is too scary for you."
- Finish them off.
- "So be it! We shall fight to the death, filthy Federation scum. Your names will be extinguished from your blood-line. We slice your bellies and use your insides to..." You cut transmissions.
- Let them live.
Fight a Rebel Cruiser[]
The flavor text of this outcome varies, and could be any of the following:
- You acquire a Rebel cruiser nearby, they hail: "Remnant vessel. This is the RS 'Reasonable Excuse'. You clearly invaded a region of space that is under our jurisdiction. Prepare to be targeted." The massive ship obviously has wiped out anyone who discovered the anomaly and now moves in to obliterate you as well.
- You acquire a Rebel cruiser nearby, they hail: "Remnant vessel. This is the RS 'Tactical Grace'. You clearly invaded a region of space that is under our jurisdiction. Prepare to be targeted." The massive ship has obviously wiped out anyone who discovered the anomaly and now moves in to obliterate you as well.
- You acquire a Rebel cruiser nearby, they hail: "Remnant vessel. This is the RS 'Ethics Gradient'. You clearly invaded a region of space that is under our jurisdiction. Prepare to be targeted." The massive ship obviously has wiped out anyone who discovered the anomaly and now moves in to obliterate you as well.
- (Subspace Scanner) What is this thing?
- Even the Subspace Scanner cannot penetrate the sphere. This is highly unusual and quite troublesome. The general assumption here would be that only a civilization much more advanced than any known to you could produce such an object.
- Direct the scanner on the enemy ship.
- Fight a Rebel Cruiser with your weapon limited by 1 power and your drone limited by 3 power.
- Direct the scanner on the enemy ship.
- Even the Subspace Scanner cannot penetrate the sphere. This is highly unusual and quite troublesome. The general assumption here would be that only a civilization much more advanced than any known to you could produce such an object.
- (Improved Internal AI) Activate fall-back protocols.
- Fight a Rebel Cruiser with your sensor offline and your weapon limited by 1 power.
- Continue... (and activate any combat augments)
- Fight a Rebel Cruiser with your sensor offline, your weapon limited by 1 power and your drone limited by 3 power.
- (When the ship escape) The Rebel cruiser jumps away, leaving a massive ripple in the fabric of space-time. They will probably inform the fleet of your position, but at least you managed to survive this vicious battle. Any attempts to further analyze the strange anomaly yield no results. You prepare to jump.
- Rebel Fleet moves ahead by 1 jump.
- (After destroying enemy ship) You did it; the cruiser breaks apart! Several major explosions leave only a slowly drifting debris field behind. You collect what usable material floats nearby but the wreckage is so big that more time would be necessary to salvage everything. You run a quick debris-drift analysis to see what you could gather.
- You receive a medium amount of scrap and resources.
- Spend more time making another sweep of the debris.
- You slowly circle around the beacon a few times and have your crew keep track of all the drifting parts that seem valuable. The stuff you collect isn't bad, but if you gained any time by destroying this Rebel capital ship then you already lost most of it. Any attempts to further analyze the strange anomaly yield no results. You prepare to jump.
- Receive a random amount of scrap and resources and the Rebel Fleet is delayed by 1 jump.
- You slowly circle around the beacon a few times and have your crew keep track of all the drifting parts that seem valuable. The stuff you collect isn't bad, but if you gained any time by destroying this Rebel capital ship then you already lost most of it. Any attempts to further analyze the strange anomaly yield no results. You prepare to jump.
- Ignite the FTL drive and jump to the next beacon.
- The unexpected destruction of one of their capital ships here will surely worry the Rebels and make them approach more cautiously. You gained an advantage for now. Any attempts to further analyze the strange anomaly yield no results. You prepare to jump.
- Rebel Fleet is delayed by 2 jump.
- The unexpected destruction of one of their capital ships here will surely worry the Rebels and make them approach more cautiously. You gained an advantage for now. Any attempts to further analyze the strange anomaly yield no results. You prepare to jump.
- Spend more time making another sweep of the debris.
- You receive a medium amount of scrap and resources.
- (After killing enemy crew) You did it; the cruiser crew is dead! You send in a salvage crew and let them strip the ship of anything useful.You also send a message with Rebel encryption, claiming that you have been captured. The investigation will surely slow down the Rebel fleet quite a bit. Any attempts to analyze the strange object yield no further results. You prepare to jump.
- Receive a high amount of scrap and resources and the Rebel Fleet is delayed by 3 jump.
- (Subspace Scanner) What is this thing?
Trivia[]
- This event is a reference to Iain M. Banks novel Excession, where a a perfect black-body sphere appear mysteriously and resist any attempt to probe it.
- Interestingly, one of the shipcraft from the book has the same name as the maker of FTL mod Captain Edition: Sleeper Service
- The Adv. Targeting Computer option is missing from the Mantis Bomber' and the Rebel Cruiser's fight