SPOILERS


So I was doing the Warrior specialist quest line last night where they ask you to go kill some filthy pirates. I did so, then the quest updates to 'go interrogate the escaped pirate' and a marker is added to the HUD. Cool. Off I go to find the pirate. Get to the area and there's one of those shelters (the ones that are fairly common, with two enterable structures and one damaged machinery). I also see the blue rings on the ground, indicating a landing area. Odd though, I think to myself, that there's no landing pad or landing beacon. Also odd that there's one of these at this type of structure. Odder still that I'm sent to this type of structure to find a creature to talk with. Anyway, I roll with it and land my fighter. And...

WOAH! I end up on a landing pad, my ship spins and I'm facing an outpost (the kind with an upgrade vendor, a Galactic Trade terminal, and a possible multi-tool purchase. So, okay, I get out and BOOM. I'm standing in a field beside the previously mentioned shelter. That's on my left. On my right is a cliff. My ship is nowhere to be seen. Can't get back in my ship, so I try calling it via X quick menu. No problem, the ship comes to me. So I get in again and sure enough, there are the landing rings. So I land again, with the same results. Okay, so the whole outpost has spawned under ground.

Cool, thinks I. I'll just use the terrain manipulator and dig my way in. So I do so and finally get the door excavated, along with the walkway from the landing pad. Jump onto the walkway, walk up to the door, it opens and... nothing but rock. So I figure I'll just excavate that with the multi-tool. NOPE. Can't equip it because you're considered to be in the building when you're standing close enough for the door to open. Move back far enough to be able to use the multi-tool and the door closes. Catch-22.

So now I figure I'm fucked. Reload, hoping the place will spawn properly or in a different spot, but no joy. Same thing. I actually tried three reloads to no effect but on one of them I excavated the whole damned works (well, as much as I could). And on that try there was a glitch in one of the walls where I could see inside the building, but still couldn't get in. But I could see that little Gek bastard sitting there waiting for me. Bloody hell, I thought, just get up and walk three units and we can talk, you little bugger!

Finally, I'm at the point where I think this quest is just basically doomed and I'll never complete it. But an idea occurs to me and I figure it's worth giving it a try. So I go back to the walkway and contrive to get my character walking along the railing. By doing that, I got close enough to get the door open and I could still use the multi-tool, as the game doesn't consider you inside the structure if you're on the railing. Fired inside with the Terrain Manipulator and voila! I was able to clear enough of it that I could get inside and talk to our friendly 'No, it wasn't my choice, I was forced into it" Gek pirate. Quest resolved and ended.

Of course, for the rest of the night I was paranoid that this type of thing would happen again. But everything else spawned fine. no harm done, I guess. Just thought it was a bit amusing though.

Woah ... quite a good read, impressive persistence and resourcefulness on your part facing and finally defeating the glitch -- thanks for sharing :)