Akko Rishtar and the Colonia Mugging
I remember well the first time I met Akko Rishtar on the 26th of January 3305. The fleet was hanging around the Omega Mining Corporation and was slowly making its way towards the Conflux Abandoned Settlements at Waypoint 3. As are most things that Akko undertakes, our first encounter was one to remember. It had only been two weeks since the launch of Distant Worlds 2 and we were all psyched to be a part of it. And then there was Akko, who had been going back to the Bubble a few days prior, ‘to pick up a few things’. A fleet of 13,000 strong was heading out to enjoy an amazing expedition and here was Akko, going back for no apparent reason. It was intriguing. He asked whether anyone needed anything and I did not reply. I had been preparing for this journey for a while, so I was good. Then Akko went through a list of rare commodities he was getting or going to get for anyone who needed anything. Lavian Brandy anyone? A Hutton Mug perhaps? I thought ‘why not?’. It could provide me with an opportunity to have a nice meetup. So it was then that I hesitantly requested a Hutton Mug from Akko Rishtar. Why the hesitation?
Well, I had been chasing a nice discovery off route and I was now closer to Colonia than anything else, so I told Akko that I wouldn’t be back for at least a few days as I was planning on visiting the old neighbourhood again. I wasn’t going to ask him to wait for me nor to drag his Mug all the way to Colonia for a simple delivery (I assumed he would agree that that was indeed out of the question). But then there was Akko, who made no deal of going thousands upon thousands of lightyears out of his way to get me my mug. So we had a deal.
A few days passed. Most of Akko’s other deliveries had been off towards the vicinity of Waypoint 3 and Waypoint 4, because other commanders had been sending in requests as well. It’s then that I received his message. Akko was 300 jumps away and would be at Colonia in a few hours. The pure dedication of this man was starting to baffle me.
Luckily I had something to give him in return. That discovery I was chasing all the way to Colonia? That discovery provided me with the perfect opportunity to show Akko not only my gratitude for something that I deemed nothing more than a clogging of the cargo space at the time, but to show him my appreciation for his efforts. Akko went from the Bubble to Colonia to the Bubble and back to several commanders in the black, only to return to Colonia in a matter of days.
And there he was. In the flesh on the 26th of January 3305. 40km outside of Jacques Station, a worn black Anaconda adorned with white streaks came closing in, its pale blue jets jutting off every which way as Akko Rishtar settled in equilibrium in front of me. We saluted eachother as Akko sent out his part of the deal into the vastness of the galaxy towards a commander who wasn’t quite sure what to make of this. When the deal was done, I gave Akko word of my way of thanking him. An offer he had so humbly refused several times over. An undiscovered black hole. Eol Prou DR-N E6-733 carries Akko’s name for all eternity, as a benchmark of the deal that was made far away from the DW2 Fleet and even further away from common sense. But then again, we were all going to Beagle Point eventually. And where’s the sense in that?
The expedition carried on and numerous commanders met up at Waypoints and POI’s along the way, but I didn’t get a chance to meet Akko Rishtar again until just yesterday. Now we stand side by side on Beagle Point 2, where Akko has been busy beaconing in weary travelers. His paint job betrays the many thousands of lightyears he traversed, as since our deal outside of Jacques Station Akko had been back to the Bubble and in time for any next Waypoint more times than I can remember. Essentially, Akko has made the trip to Beagle at least five times over and he still doesn’t seem any worse for wear.
Akko Rishtar, the Unperturbed, has blown the lid off of my notion of the impossible. And there we stand. Side by side. Akko Rishtar to my right, an entiry galaxy behind us, and Akko’s Mug on my dashboard.
Besides his accomplishments, which are worthy of praise and remembrance, it must be noted that Akko is a humble man. I wholeheartedly support this endeavor to celebrate him in any way possible. Could it be possible for my ship to acknowledge that I am indeed not just carrying a Hutton Mug, but an Akko variant of it? Could it be possible to suspend a beacon in the vacuum of space for others to be informed or told about this Commander? If it were up to Akko, it probably would be, because for Akko the impossible is just a slight inconvenience.
o7
