Renewed doubt

Goner Sarachem was in the New Eden system today, and I set out to locate him with so-called combat probes. I warped to the location shown to me by Lunarisse Aspenstar, hoping that this would bring me closer to him. I thought it would already indicate a direction in which to look, extrapolating the location in a line away from the star. As I arrived, I almost immediately received the following message on local:

"This is a distress call to anyone listening in the vicinity! We are a Guristas research and trading facility that's under heavy attack! Please come to our aid before lives are lost!"

Almost instantly after that message, I received again a message, directly on-screen this time:

"Stay out, capsuleers! This is a private matter and your interference is not welcome. If you engage our forces, interfere with our task, or do anything else except leave immediately, we will have no choice but to attack you."

Though I did not engage, I was scrambled and subsequently attacked, and my humble frigate was destroyed. I barely managed to warp my capsule back to Farthest Shore. I weep and pray for the lost lives of the crew.

I met shortly after with professor Moriarty. We had a wonderful discussion on quantum physics and on the ways to warp without having to set an end point to the warp. I always thought I could only warp to a destination that is in the overview, but apparently, warp velocity can be reached by other means, and in the direction of one's own choice without any anchoring point at the end. I will exercise his technique when I get a new ship.

However, there was a more worrisome discussion point. Professor Moriarty told me that I was most likely lured into a so-called “combat site”. Whomever warped me there fully intended me to die. But, the thing is, I warped to the exact location shown to me by Lunarisse Aspenstar on our previous meeting in New Eden.

 

I came to trust Aspenstar quite completely. Who would not, after all the help and kindness she showed me? The docking rights at Farthest Shore? And the other archeologists she buried, were they not heretics? Was she not righteous to take law in her own hands? 

 

But then, why would she bring me to the stage of my own death? As she showed me the place, she fatefully mentioned "This is the place where we bury capsuleers." I made nothing of it at the time. 

 

I was wrong.