The Engi virus

 This random event occurs in:

• Engi Controlled Sector
• Engi Homeworlds
  

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A picture of the maxed-out Engi, "Virus".

The Engi are awaiting you at the beacon, with their weapons on-line! They explain a computer virus that is wanted for hostile acts against the Engi (multiple counts of binary scrambling, nano-dissolution, and variable interference) is aboard your vessel.

• They insist they must destroy your ship to prevent the virus from escaping!
  1. Hold on! Let us try to purge the system code!
     • Wiping your engine core and shields proves useless... eventually you trap the virus in the weapons systems to purge it, but before you do, the Engi grow restless and attack!
       • Fight an Engi ship. For the duration of the battle, your engines and shields are reduced to half power.
         • Ship destroyed: With the ship destroyed, you detect that the virus has abandoned your ship and disappeared somewhere within the systems of the wreckage. It will likely infect whatever Engi ship passes next, but your mission is too vital to risk re-infection by stopping it.
         • Crew dead: With the Engi crew dead, you detect that the virus has abandoned your ship and disappeared somewhere within the systems of Engi vessel. It will likely infect whatever Engi ship passes next, but your mission is too vital to risk re-infection by stopping it.
           • Receive medium standard rewards and your systems return to normal.
  2. Attack the Engi vessel!
     • The Engi be damned, no one threatens your ship. You prepare for a fight!
       • Fight an Engi ship.
         • Ship destroyed: With the ship destroyed, you detect that the virus has abandoned your ship and disappeared somewhere within the systems of the wreckage. It will likely infect whatever Engi ship passes next, but your mission is too vital to risk re-infection by stopping it.
           • Receive standard rewards.
         • Crew dead: With the Engi crew dead, you detect that the virus has abandoned your ship and disappeared somewhere within the systems of Engi vessel. It will likely infect whatever Engi ship passes next, but your mission is too vital to risk re-infection by stopping it.
           • Receive medium standard rewards.
  3. (Lanius Crew) Your Lanius crewmember gestures frantically.
     • Oddly enough, the Lanius seems aware of which computer the virus is present in, and proceeds to... digest the terminal. There is a burst of O2, and the Engi ship powers down its weapons, no longer sensing the virus on board. The Engi send some parts over to repair your damaged computer, along with a unique ship augmentation as a reward for terminating the virus.
       • Receive medium scrap and a Drone Reactor Booster augmentation.
  4. (Engi Crew) Have your Engi crewmember negotiate with the Engi ship.
     • As the Engi attempts to contact the vessel and negotiate, your Engi crewmember suddenly dissolves into nanites - the virus has murdered again! Detecting activity on board your ship, the Engi vessel opens fire!
       • Lose your Engi crewmember.
         • Clone Bay: The virus appears to have disrupted your clone bay's capability to revive the lost crewmember!
           • Fight an Engi ship.
             • Ship destroyed: With the ship destroyed, you scrap it and prepare to jump away.
               • Receive medium standard rewards.
                 • To your surprise your Engi crewmember reforms. It looks as if the virus reconstituted, repurposed, and reprogrammed the Engi host and wants to travel with you... and it seems to have learned a great deal from its time on your ship.
                   • Receive an Engi crewmember named "Virus", maxed in all skills.
             • Crew dead: With all the Engi dead, you take what you can and prepare to jump away.
               • Receive medium standard rewards.
                 • To your surprise your Engi crewmember reforms. It looks as if the virus reconstituted, repurposed, and reprogrammed the Engi host and wants to travel with you... and it seems to have learned a great deal from its time on your ship.
                   • Receive an Engi crewmember named "Virus", maxed in all skills.
  5. (Hacking System) Isolate and quarantine the virus.
     • It takes some time, and the virus is slippery, but you eventually confine it to a useless sub-system prison where it frantically begins calculating insults at you. You eject the system from the ship and then silence the little binary criminal with your weapons.
       • The Engi thank you for deleting the virus, and jump away. They offer a unique ship augmentation as a reward.
         • Receive low standard rewards and a Drone Reactor Booster augmentation.
  6. (Improved Hacking) Reprogram the virus. (Requires level 2 Hacking)
     • You proceed to interface with the virus and optimize its repair and benvolence routines.
       • After a few minutes, the virus "sees the light" and integrates itself in a positive manner with the computer society on your ship, repairing your hull and attempting to optimize your reactor.
         • Receive 15 repairs and reactor is upgraded by 1.
           • The Engi thank you for deleting the virus, and jump away. They offer a unique ship augment as a reward.
             • Receive a Drone Reactor Booster augmentation.
  7. (Advanced Hacking) Reprogram the virus. (Requires level 3 Hacking)
     • You proceed to interface with the virus and optimize its repair and benvolence routines.
       • After a few minutes, the virus "sees the light" and integrates itself in a positive manner with the computer society on your ship, repairing your hull and attempting to optimize your reactor.
         • Receive 30 repairs and reactor is upgraded by 1.
           • The Engi thank you for deleting the virus, and jump away. They offer a unique ship augment as a reward.
             • Receive a Drone Reactor Booster augmentation.

Trivia

This event is called "ENGI_VIRUS" in the datafiles.