[BREAKING] Exploration ship attacked in unexplored system!

[BREAKING] Exploration ship attacked in unexplored system!

via Tayseri Times

PSF Onteros of the Citadel Exploration Fleet reports that they've come under fire by unknown vessels of frigate size in the Exodus Cluster while exploring system 41676345+8464134 on the Habitable World Candidate catalogue.

PFS Onteros is a turian cruiser of the Axios class, one of the ships the Hierarchy refitted for long-range exploration as part of CEF initiative.

The ship is now returning to Palaven via Sol system for repairs. Citadel Exploration Fleet has requested help from the Systems Alliance Navy in form of a patrol flotilla to deal with the threat.

Deal with the threat?

Um, what if it's a new species? In that case we might not want to shoot first and ask questions later.

If its pirates or some shit, I sincerely hope the nearest SA fleet gets on that. Exodus is our territory and we've got some of our biggest colonies in that cluster. And it's one jump away from sol.

Well, this is interesting...

What if they're hostile aliens near humanity's biggest colonies?

It's all pretty hush-hush at the moment.

I would say it should be relatively easy to determine if the ships were of any known species or a yet unknown. The CEF ships have very sophisticated scanner equipment, they will have some detailed readings. This will be interesting either way.

Don't we have information about the kind of weapons they were packing? The Prothean-inspired mass effect technology we use in C-Space and the terminus must be easy to differentiate from whatever an alien race would come up by itself.
Edit : Posted as the same time as Miss Caenis, great minds think alike.

Probably not the squids, otherwise that ship wouldn't have limped back in one piece.

My money is on either pirates setting up shop there or they've found an indig race that achieved spaceflight.

Then we need to learn as much as we can about them as we can. Doing otherwise will get Alliance personnel killed. And if possible, find a way to communicate with them. I'm not one to shy away from a fight, but a potential war with indigs of unknown strength owns technology in this time and place is...far from ideal.

50 credits on Yahg pirates - packing modern tech.

Outlandish, unlikely, but if I'm right, then I will officially change my name to 'Prophet of Omega' and begin making predictions for the benefit of the galaxy.

Note: I don't actually believe this is what we're dealing with.

But it'll be interesting if I'm right.

Don't all get your hopes off that this is some kind of new alien species.

I can't recall the number of times our long range scouters have come 'under attack from an unknown enemy'.

It always turns out to be a rogue asteroid shower or pirates. It's most likely pirates. Since the relays went ka-put, it's not surprising that those who still have ships out there in the distant regions turned to piracy to get by.

Let's blame the rachni.