Who do you need to prove it to?
[DW3] Distant Worlds 3 Website & Roster Signups
- Thread starter Qohen Leth
- Start date
Proving was probable the wrong word to use. In DW2 you had to arrive at each waypoint and land on the planet at the appropriate location) to be considered as completing the expedition and receiving a DW2 completion certificate.
Ah, that was due to the EDSM Expedition module. We don't use that on DW3, since we have our own webpage for all things strange and spacey. Now, if some people were to ask about expedition decals, we are in loose talks but nothing set in stone right now.
I think that only proved it to EDSM and IIRC you only needed to hit like 75% of the waypoints or something to get the EDSM badge.
For the in-game decal, Frontier would need to know and they wouldn't need EDD or EDSM to prove it.They can see your whole flight history.
Signed up!
Just a quick note to say I am currently in Turkey and cannot use Discord. I'll keep an eye on this thread for anything important!
15 G. Caeli, 3311 AD (The Big Boss)
“Hey!” he said, both hands drumming beats on the bar. “What’s up?”
The man was tall and lanky, with thick strawlike hair and a chin beard. His eyes first laid on the bartender but then darted around nervously as if he was suspecting unpleasant visitors. His pilot suit was worn in some places and patched with synthstick in a few others and there was a slight odor of grease, sweat and drinks around him.
The bartender looked up: “Hey. Welcome to the Driftglass, Commander. I’m Antonia. What can I get you?”
She was almost as tall as the man standing before her. Her curly blonde hair laid on her shoulders and her blue eyes scanned both him and the bar behind. She casually noticed the ‘Sirius Navy’ badge on this guest’s left shoulder but that was hardly a reason for a bar hype. A number of customers had their drinks and meals, nothing special this time of the onboard day.
“Ye’know, I’m looking for the big boss,” he said, leaning over the counter and smiling a somewhat overconfident smile.
She, in turn, raised an eyebrow: “The big boss?”
“Yeah,” he continued and started looking around again. “The guy who’s in charge.”
“You mean the Carrier Commander?”
“Nah, kiddo. The honcho who leads the expedition.” He waved his arms around. “The real big one.”
“The real big one…,” she repeated with a hint of irritation in her voice.
“Oh c’mon! This Distant Worlds jaunt that’s kicking off next year? I hear ye’re all looking for ace class pilots who have tales to tell and more.” He winked.
“Oh, do you want to join the expedition then? This ship will be one of the official expedition carriers. However, we don’t have accommodations, just a bar and a place to hand in data and exobio. But we have access terminals in all hallways where you can register.”
“Yeah. Ye’know, I know how this works. Been on a few explo jaunts back when the Neutron Highway got charted. So I thought a chat with this Kamzel dude might be okay. Seems like he knows his stuff.”
“Yes, he probably does. Still, did you register on the fleet roster?”
“Ye’know, I thought I’d skip that and talk straight to the main man.”
“It’s not exactly how this works. Who are you, by the way? What is your name?”
“They call me Jacky Hew. Ye may’ve heard o’me?”
“Can’t say I have. Who are ‘they’?”
“Ye’know, folks all along the Colonia Bridge. Here and there, up and down the jaunt. Like I said, I charted neutrons.”
“Yes, you mentioned. Interesting.”
Antonia was used to many customers; and true enough, the bars aboard carriers and space outposts weren’t places for the introverted. She had learned long ago to hear without listening but to observe without looking. At least that was what they trained her to do in that place she had long left behind.
Bragging, boasting and carousing were all well established bar rituals and even the watering holes aboard some of the more hoity-toity but infamous Saud-Kruger ships (like the ‘Damask Rose’ Beluga Liner) could be vivid, raunchy places at times. So whoever this guy was, the tale that he carried was more interesting than the one he told.
“Well?” he said.
“Well what?”
“Can I talk to him?”
She looked around again. “It may not look like it but we are all in preparations right now. Last I looked we had around 3,000 pilots signing up and we just can’t have 3,000 personal chats, big boss or not. I am sorry but you need to register first.” She smiled her bartender smile. “Or have a drink.”
He seemed to consider that for a millisecond.
“Sure. Sex on the Beach, lassie.”
She sighed her inner sigh.
“Right away, cowboy. So in the meantime, what’s your story with the Neutron Highway?”
“Well, ye’know, I was there.”
She nodded her ‘please do go on’ nod.
“Well, back in zero eight, when the Colonia Bridge got real, I came up with charting the Neutron Highway from Helgrind Gateway in the Lagoon Sector. The place was a mess so I took a few lads from Brewer with me but most got themselves fried on the jaunt. One does not simply fly into neutron jets, ye’know? Apart from me only Smiling Pete survived but he went MIA around Carcosa later.”
He shrugged. “Guess I’m the only guy that lives.”
“That’s fascinating,” she lied. “And I’m sorry for your friends. The Black giveth, the Black taketh.” This time she meant it.
“Yeah,” he shrugged again. “Nearly got me, too. One second I supercharge and the other I smell cold vacuum.”
“What do you mean?” she asked while giving him a fancy red and orange drink in a zero-G tumbler.
“Me canopy went AWOL when a charge insta-fried the life support. COVAS must’ve thought I went for the emergency evac switch. Boom! Canopy gone and a neutron to smile at.”
He made a crazy grimace and waved his arms around again, which didn’t help…
“Wait! You’re telling me your canopy blew wide open in a neutron jet? I’m no expert in astrophysics but I think there’s quite some radiation and magnetism involved. It’s not exactly a comfortable environment.”
“Ye’re telling me, kiddo! Lucky my angular velo kicked me out before my brain got fried. Had me three minutes left on life support. Next thing back home was me doing ads for Remlok helmets.”
She frowned: “Have you been out there exploring since? Must have been a real shock to be remloked just in the nick of time.”
“Nah! Called in a few favours with Brewer and I was back honking in no time. Why waste time, the universe is fast expanding and there’s a galaxy out there to explore.”
She considered that for a moment.
“I like your attitude, Jacky,” she finally said.
A day later Antonia sat with Commander Erimus Kamzel in his ready room as they went over a number of pilots they were considering for forward scouting.
“Sir, did you listen in yesterday?”
“Yes. Very interesting, although a bit quirky around the edges. I checked his background and some of his claims. Of course, no one along the Neutron Highway ever heard of him and Helgrind Gateway isn’t per se in the Lagoon Nebula. But he may be forgiven for this inaccuracy. However, the archives on Shinrarta came up with something. His real name isn’t Jacky Hew of course but rather Hewley Jackman. He worked as a freelance explorer for Sirius and later Brewer. He handed in huge amounts of exploration data from the Lagoon Nebula a few years back. So part of his colourful tale is correct, albeit a bit jumbled. Our contacts also suggest he’s Elite.”
“Well, not exactly Elite in carousing and bar talk.”
“No, but in space. And some of his stories may have merit.”
He thought for a moment, looking through the large observation window. “Did he say what ship he was flying?”
“Yes, a Krait Phantom. He called her the ‘Lady Ladybug’.”
“Did you have a look?”
“Yes. Heavily modified. There’s Palin and Farseer written all over it and some mods I have never seen. Seems jury-rigged. I showed it to Nadya and she suspects it’s some kind of radiation shielding.”
“Makes sense with his story.”
“Maybe. But it could also be used for sensor shielding.”
“Either of them is fine. Make contact and tell him to meet with Commander Yanick. If this Jackman asks, just tell him he’s the biggest boss we can throw in the ring. Let’s see what impression he makes.”
“Your choice, sir. But this guy is weird; beyond weird.”
“Then he will blend in perfectly.”
Chuckles on both ends…
See the full Story so far on the Distant Worlds 3 Homepage.
“Hey!” he said, both hands drumming beats on the bar. “What’s up?”
The man was tall and lanky, with thick strawlike hair and a chin beard. His eyes first laid on the bartender but then darted around nervously as if he was suspecting unpleasant visitors. His pilot suit was worn in some places and patched with synthstick in a few others and there was a slight odor of grease, sweat and drinks around him.
The bartender looked up: “Hey. Welcome to the Driftglass, Commander. I’m Antonia. What can I get you?”
She was almost as tall as the man standing before her. Her curly blonde hair laid on her shoulders and her blue eyes scanned both him and the bar behind. She casually noticed the ‘Sirius Navy’ badge on this guest’s left shoulder but that was hardly a reason for a bar hype. A number of customers had their drinks and meals, nothing special this time of the onboard day.
“Ye’know, I’m looking for the big boss,” he said, leaning over the counter and smiling a somewhat overconfident smile.
She, in turn, raised an eyebrow: “The big boss?”
“Yeah,” he continued and started looking around again. “The guy who’s in charge.”
“You mean the Carrier Commander?”
“Nah, kiddo. The honcho who leads the expedition.” He waved his arms around. “The real big one.”
“The real big one…,” she repeated with a hint of irritation in her voice.
“Oh c’mon! This Distant Worlds jaunt that’s kicking off next year? I hear ye’re all looking for ace class pilots who have tales to tell and more.” He winked.
“Oh, do you want to join the expedition then? This ship will be one of the official expedition carriers. However, we don’t have accommodations, just a bar and a place to hand in data and exobio. But we have access terminals in all hallways where you can register.”
“Yeah. Ye’know, I know how this works. Been on a few explo jaunts back when the Neutron Highway got charted. So I thought a chat with this Kamzel dude might be okay. Seems like he knows his stuff.”
“Yes, he probably does. Still, did you register on the fleet roster?”
“Ye’know, I thought I’d skip that and talk straight to the main man.”
“It’s not exactly how this works. Who are you, by the way? What is your name?”
“They call me Jacky Hew. Ye may’ve heard o’me?”
“Can’t say I have. Who are ‘they’?”
“Ye’know, folks all along the Colonia Bridge. Here and there, up and down the jaunt. Like I said, I charted neutrons.”
“Yes, you mentioned. Interesting.”
Antonia was used to many customers; and true enough, the bars aboard carriers and space outposts weren’t places for the introverted. She had learned long ago to hear without listening but to observe without looking. At least that was what they trained her to do in that place she had long left behind.
Bragging, boasting and carousing were all well established bar rituals and even the watering holes aboard some of the more hoity-toity but infamous Saud-Kruger ships (like the ‘Damask Rose’ Beluga Liner) could be vivid, raunchy places at times. So whoever this guy was, the tale that he carried was more interesting than the one he told.
“Well?” he said.
“Well what?”
“Can I talk to him?”
She looked around again. “It may not look like it but we are all in preparations right now. Last I looked we had around 3,000 pilots signing up and we just can’t have 3,000 personal chats, big boss or not. I am sorry but you need to register first.” She smiled her bartender smile. “Or have a drink.”
He seemed to consider that for a millisecond.
“Sure. Sex on the Beach, lassie.”
She sighed her inner sigh.
“Right away, cowboy. So in the meantime, what’s your story with the Neutron Highway?”
“Well, ye’know, I was there.”
She nodded her ‘please do go on’ nod.
“Well, back in zero eight, when the Colonia Bridge got real, I came up with charting the Neutron Highway from Helgrind Gateway in the Lagoon Sector. The place was a mess so I took a few lads from Brewer with me but most got themselves fried on the jaunt. One does not simply fly into neutron jets, ye’know? Apart from me only Smiling Pete survived but he went MIA around Carcosa later.”
He shrugged. “Guess I’m the only guy that lives.”
“That’s fascinating,” she lied. “And I’m sorry for your friends. The Black giveth, the Black taketh.” This time she meant it.
“Yeah,” he shrugged again. “Nearly got me, too. One second I supercharge and the other I smell cold vacuum.”
“What do you mean?” she asked while giving him a fancy red and orange drink in a zero-G tumbler.
“Me canopy went AWOL when a charge insta-fried the life support. COVAS must’ve thought I went for the emergency evac switch. Boom! Canopy gone and a neutron to smile at.”
He made a crazy grimace and waved his arms around again, which didn’t help…
“Wait! You’re telling me your canopy blew wide open in a neutron jet? I’m no expert in astrophysics but I think there’s quite some radiation and magnetism involved. It’s not exactly a comfortable environment.”
“Ye’re telling me, kiddo! Lucky my angular velo kicked me out before my brain got fried. Had me three minutes left on life support. Next thing back home was me doing ads for Remlok helmets.”
She frowned: “Have you been out there exploring since? Must have been a real shock to be remloked just in the nick of time.”
“Nah! Called in a few favours with Brewer and I was back honking in no time. Why waste time, the universe is fast expanding and there’s a galaxy out there to explore.”
She considered that for a moment.
“I like your attitude, Jacky,” she finally said.
A day later Antonia sat with Commander Erimus Kamzel in his ready room as they went over a number of pilots they were considering for forward scouting.
“Sir, did you listen in yesterday?”
“Yes. Very interesting, although a bit quirky around the edges. I checked his background and some of his claims. Of course, no one along the Neutron Highway ever heard of him and Helgrind Gateway isn’t per se in the Lagoon Nebula. But he may be forgiven for this inaccuracy. However, the archives on Shinrarta came up with something. His real name isn’t Jacky Hew of course but rather Hewley Jackman. He worked as a freelance explorer for Sirius and later Brewer. He handed in huge amounts of exploration data from the Lagoon Nebula a few years back. So part of his colourful tale is correct, albeit a bit jumbled. Our contacts also suggest he’s Elite.”
“Well, not exactly Elite in carousing and bar talk.”
“No, but in space. And some of his stories may have merit.”
He thought for a moment, looking through the large observation window. “Did he say what ship he was flying?”
“Yes, a Krait Phantom. He called her the ‘Lady Ladybug’.”
“Did you have a look?”
“Yes. Heavily modified. There’s Palin and Farseer written all over it and some mods I have never seen. Seems jury-rigged. I showed it to Nadya and she suspects it’s some kind of radiation shielding.”
“Makes sense with his story.”
“Maybe. But it could also be used for sensor shielding.”
“Either of them is fine. Make contact and tell him to meet with Commander Yanick. If this Jackman asks, just tell him he’s the biggest boss we can throw in the ring. Let’s see what impression he makes.”
“Your choice, sir. But this guy is weird; beyond weird.”
“Then he will blend in perfectly.”
Chuckles on both ends…
See the full Story so far on the Distant Worlds 3 Homepage.
I present another DW3 Pre-event:
The High Gravity Training Exercise Expedition!
Those of you who have been on DW2 might remember "The View", a POI that became notorious for causing a lot of commanders to crash their ships. It is a tourist beacon located on a high G planet, roughly 1500ly from the Bubble.
This mini-expedition will head out to that very same location and we will practice to land and take off again in the high gravity environment.
Since there are a lot of commanders who have never been on a community expedition before, we will also conduct massjumps to give you a taste of the sort of things that will happen on the main DW3 expedition.
You are already familiar with high-g planets? Great, we invite you to still come along for The View(s)
The event will start on Friday, October 24th, from Pallaeni!
Full event details can be found in the Fleetcomm discord!
We have a new event page available on the website, where you can see the next upcoming events once they're posted: https://distantworlds3.space/events/
The High Gravity Training Exercise Expedition!
Those of you who have been on DW2 might remember "The View", a POI that became notorious for causing a lot of commanders to crash their ships. It is a tourist beacon located on a high G planet, roughly 1500ly from the Bubble.
This mini-expedition will head out to that very same location and we will practice to land and take off again in the high gravity environment.
Since there are a lot of commanders who have never been on a community expedition before, we will also conduct massjumps to give you a taste of the sort of things that will happen on the main DW3 expedition.
You are already familiar with high-g planets? Great, we invite you to still come along for The View(s)
The event will start on Friday, October 24th, from Pallaeni!
Full event details can be found in the Fleetcomm discord!
We have a new event page available on the website, where you can see the next upcoming events once they're posted: https://distantworlds3.space/events/
Attachments
I'm not familiar with "The View", but I have landed on every high G planet record holder over the years, including Via Gravitatis, Lithobreaker, Newton's Necropolis, Planet Pancake and The Mighty among others.
I created a tutorial a while back to help others lean to fly in high gravity. Hopefully this could be of some use to those who are inexperienced in high gravity.
sites.google.com
Unfortunately, I have carpal-tunnel surgery scheduled for that day so I won't be able to fly for a couple of weeks.
I see "The View" is only 3.3g which isn't much but probably a good place for novices to start.
The current record holder is KOI 1701 (Via Gravitatis) at 46g which is ~6kLy from Sol
HD 148937 3 was my first at 9.8g and is just a short ~1380Ly away
I created a tutorial a while back to help others lean to fly in high gravity. Hopefully this could be of some use to those who are inexperienced in high gravity.
Maj. Klutz - guide-to-high-gravity-landings
Major Klutz's Guide to High Gravity Landings ^Very Intro This is my attempt to consolidate everything I have learned about landing in high gravity, including thruster and flight assist behavior in high gravity. If you've never tried landing on a
sites.google.com
Unfortunately, I have carpal-tunnel surgery scheduled for that day so I won't be able to fly for a couple of weeks.
I see "The View" is only 3.3g which isn't much but probably a good place for novices to start.
The current record holder is KOI 1701 (Via Gravitatis) at 46g which is ~6kLy from Sol
HD 148937 3 was my first at 9.8g and is just a short ~1380Ly away
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Yeah I have already linked your guides in the discord postI'm not familiar with "The View", but I have landed on every high G planet record holder over the years, including Via Gravitatis, Lithobreaker, Newton's Necropolis, Planet Pancake and The Mighty among others.
I created a tutorial a while back to help others lean to fly in high gravity. Hopefully this could be of some use to those who are inexperienced in high gravity.
Maj. Klutz - guide-to-high-gravity-landings
Major Klutz's Guide to High Gravity Landings ^Very Intro This is my attempt to consolidate everything I have learned about landing in high gravity, including thruster and flight assist behavior in high gravity. If you've never tried landing on a
Unfortunately, I have carpal-tunnel surgery scheduled for that day so I won't be able to fly for a couple of weeks.
I see "The View" is only 3.3g which isn't much but probably a good place for novices to start.
The current record holder is KOI 1701 (Via Gravitatis) at 46g which is ~6kLy from Sol
HD 148937 3 was my first at 9.8g and is just a short ~1380Ly away
The location was particularily chosen because of it's history with Distant Worlds.
I didn't think anyone already knew about my guide. At least not since the old forums went offline.Yeah I have already linked your guides in the discord post
The location was particularily chosen because of it's history with Distant Worlds.
Many of the videos were recorded in much older versions of Elite Dangerous, but AFAIK, the flight model hasn't changed.
I hope it helps. I wish I was able to join.
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Over at Fleetcomm discord, we have some of your guides pinned from as far back as 2017...2016 even.
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They came up on google haha
15 G. Caeli, 3311 AD (You)
The woman he was looking for stood beside one of the Caine-Massey bulk cargo containers. It must have been for liquids since it had a lot of pressure sensors, temperature displays along with a few filling valves. Upon closer look it was a helium container so it must have been for fuel mixing.
She had a holo display in her hands and was apparently working the displays with some kind of checklist. Her blonde ponytail was tucked away under a cap and her heavy duty overall had apparently seen some, well, heavy duty.
There was something vaguely familiar about her, he realized from the start. It even started when the tekkies at the spaceport pointed him towards her and began to describe her behavior …or lack thereof.
Now, the closer he got the more certain he was. Until finally…
“What took you so long?” she asked without turning towards him.
He stopped a few steps away and only then did she turn around. His eyes widened, although he kind of knew when he first had seen her in her outfit. Her gaze was as aloof and nondescript as he remembered it.
“You?” he said, barely more than a whisper.
She looked at him as if nothing had happened — as if the years had passed in only a few seconds. And he? Well, when he stopped staring at her with unbelieving eyes and open mouth he tried to ask the question both of them knew must come.
But she ever so slightly shook her head, interrupting the question on his lips.
“Nadya Holdstock. Pleased to meet you.”
He hesitated for a good moment, trying to find his composure. Which wasn’t easy these days. But he managed; somehow.
“You,” he resumed, clearing his throat. “You must be the technician everybody keeps talking about over at the spaceport. The one they say buys up all kinds of tech and supplies, no questions asked — or allowed."
She just shrugged. “People say all kinds of things. Superficial encounters leave a lot of room for rumors and speculation. Especially when credits change hands.”
That unempathetic voice. And he knew that shrug. She just didn’t care what others thought of her dealings. Not that she didn’t know; she just didn’t care. And they both knew it was a carefully curated demeanor.
“And you are?” she asked.
“Oh, sorry. My name’s Andrew.” He pointed behind him with his thumb. “I’m with the bunch of T-9’s you probably saw landing. We’re here picking up supplies for one of the carriers in orbit.”
“Andrew,” she confirmed. “This place has seen a recent spike in activities. Supplies are harder to come by every day. Everybody is waiting for the Orion Colony Initiative to announce their next plans so there are traders buying up whole batches in hopes to resell them later at a higher price.”
“Yes,” he answered. “Let’s hope people bring in more stuff than those day traders can handle. Expedition Command thinks about handing out specific buy orders to counter this. We’ll see how it goes I guess.”
She eyed him with her typical aloofness. “And you?”
“Oh, like I said, I’m picking up some stuff for refitting and maintenance. Drive testing mainly to prepare for rapid long range deployment. It’s a hell of a trip.”
“It’s almost as if we’re doing the Dynasty’s again.” He ever so slightly raised an eyebrow.
No reaction.
“She took quite a toll during the Shoulder of Orion,” he continued. “The radiation shielding, the lower port nacelles, the waste recycling. The list goes on.”
When he saw she didn’t flinch he continued: “In fact, if you’re really as competent as people say I might need your input on one or two things.”
“What carrier?” she asked flatly.
“Oh, it’s the Fimbulthul. Drake-class.”
Why did she ask? She used to know the carrier by heart.
“Strange name.”
“Yeah, it’s the name of a stellar stream circling the Milky Way all the way up to the Omega Centauri globular cluster. Sadly, we can’t travel the stream, not even with a carrier. So I guess the cluster has to wait.”
She looked back at the helium tank. “Well, so are you. I’m just not finished here so your ideas have to wait. There were some traders from one of the Old Worlds trading clans and they sold quite a stash of their wares. I just haven’t finished inventorising it all.”
He nodded. “Yes, I heard. Must have been strange to see the Old Worlders so far out.”
She just shrugged (again). “If there’s credits…”
“Well, maybe once your inventory is complete? As I said, if you're not only buying tech but also repairing or tinkering with it, I could really use your expertise.” He pointed up towards the sky. “The carrier is in geosync and Apex shuttles transfer personnel and supplies to and fro. Guess we’ll be here at least a month or so, so if you’re still around then…”
“I think I will.”
Andrew frowned. “Just out of curiosity, are you going to join a carrier crew once the expedition launches? I reckon out there we could use all the technical expertise we can get.”
She nodded. Whatever that meant.
“Hey, I have an idea.”
“Another one?” She eyed him warily as if she knew what was coming.
“Yeah, maybe I can buy you a drink up there? The bars here have a lousy reputation and on the carrier we have the ‘End of the Rainbow’ bar. And you won’t believe it: its owner is also often looking for all kinds of supplies. You have no idea what pilots ask from a bartender these days.”
“PH neutralizers? Epoxy?” she smiled. The first time she actually smiled.
“Well,“ he shrugged. “We call it Mezcal. Either with tree grubs or without. Your choice.”
He made a step towards her. She didn’t flinch, not even when his stare became more intense.
“But I’d really like you to meet him. If you can spare the time of course. Donny is always on the lookout for tech and trinkets. Don’t ask me why but he’s even buying stuff like ion batteries, circuitry and some chemicals. Maybe he’s building a 1:12 Python model somewhere, I don’t know.”
She seemed to consider that for a moment, weighing her head. Then she looked back at her holo checklist, the valves and dials on that helium container. Without looking at him she said: “Not today. I have too much on my schedule and not all positions have been filled here.”
“Well, no one said today.”
“Your agitation betrays you, Andrew.” Then, turning around, she smiled her small smile again: “Give me two days to sort it out here and recruit some more hands. Then we can discuss your ideas for your career. Thursday 20:00 UTC?”
He nodded. “Pleasure, Nadya.”
When he had left the huge cargo bay he stopped at one of the corridor windows. The outpost still was abuzz with people, vehicles, ships and whatnot.
And he had much to digest…
See the full Story so far on the Distant Worlds 3 Homepage.
You can now also read about our NPC who you will likely meet at one time or another.
The woman he was looking for stood beside one of the Caine-Massey bulk cargo containers. It must have been for liquids since it had a lot of pressure sensors, temperature displays along with a few filling valves. Upon closer look it was a helium container so it must have been for fuel mixing.
She had a holo display in her hands and was apparently working the displays with some kind of checklist. Her blonde ponytail was tucked away under a cap and her heavy duty overall had apparently seen some, well, heavy duty.
There was something vaguely familiar about her, he realized from the start. It even started when the tekkies at the spaceport pointed him towards her and began to describe her behavior …or lack thereof.
Now, the closer he got the more certain he was. Until finally…
“What took you so long?” she asked without turning towards him.
He stopped a few steps away and only then did she turn around. His eyes widened, although he kind of knew when he first had seen her in her outfit. Her gaze was as aloof and nondescript as he remembered it.
“You?” he said, barely more than a whisper.
She looked at him as if nothing had happened — as if the years had passed in only a few seconds. And he? Well, when he stopped staring at her with unbelieving eyes and open mouth he tried to ask the question both of them knew must come.
But she ever so slightly shook her head, interrupting the question on his lips.
“Nadya Holdstock. Pleased to meet you.”
He hesitated for a good moment, trying to find his composure. Which wasn’t easy these days. But he managed; somehow.
“You,” he resumed, clearing his throat. “You must be the technician everybody keeps talking about over at the spaceport. The one they say buys up all kinds of tech and supplies, no questions asked — or allowed."
She just shrugged. “People say all kinds of things. Superficial encounters leave a lot of room for rumors and speculation. Especially when credits change hands.”
That unempathetic voice. And he knew that shrug. She just didn’t care what others thought of her dealings. Not that she didn’t know; she just didn’t care. And they both knew it was a carefully curated demeanor.
“And you are?” she asked.
“Oh, sorry. My name’s Andrew.” He pointed behind him with his thumb. “I’m with the bunch of T-9’s you probably saw landing. We’re here picking up supplies for one of the carriers in orbit.”
“Andrew,” she confirmed. “This place has seen a recent spike in activities. Supplies are harder to come by every day. Everybody is waiting for the Orion Colony Initiative to announce their next plans so there are traders buying up whole batches in hopes to resell them later at a higher price.”
“Yes,” he answered. “Let’s hope people bring in more stuff than those day traders can handle. Expedition Command thinks about handing out specific buy orders to counter this. We’ll see how it goes I guess.”
She eyed him with her typical aloofness. “And you?”
“Oh, like I said, I’m picking up some stuff for refitting and maintenance. Drive testing mainly to prepare for rapid long range deployment. It’s a hell of a trip.”
“It’s almost as if we’re doing the Dynasty’s again.” He ever so slightly raised an eyebrow.
No reaction.
“She took quite a toll during the Shoulder of Orion,” he continued. “The radiation shielding, the lower port nacelles, the waste recycling. The list goes on.”
When he saw she didn’t flinch he continued: “In fact, if you’re really as competent as people say I might need your input on one or two things.”
“What carrier?” she asked flatly.
“Oh, it’s the Fimbulthul. Drake-class.”
Why did she ask? She used to know the carrier by heart.
“Strange name.”
“Yeah, it’s the name of a stellar stream circling the Milky Way all the way up to the Omega Centauri globular cluster. Sadly, we can’t travel the stream, not even with a carrier. So I guess the cluster has to wait.”
She looked back at the helium tank. “Well, so are you. I’m just not finished here so your ideas have to wait. There were some traders from one of the Old Worlds trading clans and they sold quite a stash of their wares. I just haven’t finished inventorising it all.”
He nodded. “Yes, I heard. Must have been strange to see the Old Worlders so far out.”
She just shrugged (again). “If there’s credits…”
“Well, maybe once your inventory is complete? As I said, if you're not only buying tech but also repairing or tinkering with it, I could really use your expertise.” He pointed up towards the sky. “The carrier is in geosync and Apex shuttles transfer personnel and supplies to and fro. Guess we’ll be here at least a month or so, so if you’re still around then…”
“I think I will.”
Andrew frowned. “Just out of curiosity, are you going to join a carrier crew once the expedition launches? I reckon out there we could use all the technical expertise we can get.”
She nodded. Whatever that meant.
“Hey, I have an idea.”
“Another one?” She eyed him warily as if she knew what was coming.
“Yeah, maybe I can buy you a drink up there? The bars here have a lousy reputation and on the carrier we have the ‘End of the Rainbow’ bar. And you won’t believe it: its owner is also often looking for all kinds of supplies. You have no idea what pilots ask from a bartender these days.”
“PH neutralizers? Epoxy?” she smiled. The first time she actually smiled.
“Well,“ he shrugged. “We call it Mezcal. Either with tree grubs or without. Your choice.”
He made a step towards her. She didn’t flinch, not even when his stare became more intense.
“But I’d really like you to meet him. If you can spare the time of course. Donny is always on the lookout for tech and trinkets. Don’t ask me why but he’s even buying stuff like ion batteries, circuitry and some chemicals. Maybe he’s building a 1:12 Python model somewhere, I don’t know.”
She seemed to consider that for a moment, weighing her head. Then she looked back at her holo checklist, the valves and dials on that helium container. Without looking at him she said: “Not today. I have too much on my schedule and not all positions have been filled here.”
“Well, no one said today.”
“Your agitation betrays you, Andrew.” Then, turning around, she smiled her small smile again: “Give me two days to sort it out here and recruit some more hands. Then we can discuss your ideas for your career. Thursday 20:00 UTC?”
He nodded. “Pleasure, Nadya.”
When he had left the huge cargo bay he stopped at one of the corridor windows. The outpost still was abuzz with people, vehicles, ships and whatnot.
And he had much to digest…
See the full Story so far on the Distant Worlds 3 Homepage.
You can now also read about our NPC who you will likely meet at one time or another.
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… neither am I close to Pallaeni (in-game), nor to my pilots seat (out-game).
just singed up, can't wait
Have Fun on Friday and I hope to see some videos of the event