[FGE] The dire diary of an insignificant Cmdr

[disorganise]

Background

Growing up as a space station goods receiver in Dalton Gateway, I used to think we were pretty worldly. We'd shuttle back and forth between our assigned pads bringing in all sorts of cargo.
The spirit of adventure was with me since I was young - I would often nag dad to loop around to the *other* side of the station for example! Ahh, such wonders.


For my 18th, we had a visit all the way up near 'the slot'! And looking out into the inky blackness beyond, and hearing the tales of adventure from the Commanders in Mo's tavern, the bug had bitten. And so it was, much to the disappointment of the family, that I decided to forgo taking on the family trucking business and saved up instead for my very own spaceship - a beaten up old sidewinder


The freedom that thing gave me was unreal (after getting my pilots license of course - but *that's* a whole other story!).
I started off hauling goods between the stations of our home system for a few months. To be honest, the money was barely enough to keep 'Old Shakey' operational, but I couldn't admit that to Da'! I'd made my choice and I was going to make it work, one way or t'other!

When the pirates came I was so unprepared. I'd been interdicted a few times by the system security personnel, and they always scanned the ship for contraband and move on. But the pirates didn't do that. No, they ask you to dump your cargo or die! Yikes! I could not afford to lose cargo as I was barely making enough to keep the fuel tanks topped off and so I would 'run'. Which seems to infuriate the pirate who would start firing at poor Old Shakey.

The repairs were starting to become a serious drain on my already poor cash flow, and it was looking more and likely that I'd have to go cap in hand back to Da' and re-join the yellow truck brigade That was until George ('my' engineer) suggested leaving the solar system. The possibility that Old Shakey's 'Friendship Drive' could take me somewhere else had never occurred to me, but apparently the 'Frameshift Drive' was more than capable of just such a feat.

And so I left. Without worrying about navigation, I simply left.
For a long time I hauled various cargo between systems (it's that adventurous spirit again) and was able to trade Old Shakey for a hauler, and then a viper. Then one day I overheard someone talking about 'rares'. Apparently, these could be worth a small fortune. They mentioned Zeessze Ant Grub Glue and so I looked up if "Zeessze" was a place or not...it was! And so off I went!

Now this was living! Vicky was a great little ship and the money was, relatively, rolling in. So much so that I was able to buy an Advanced Discovery Scanner and DSS. This made the trade runs even more profitable as I could also sell off the system information to the Cartographic Institute. I even stumbled across a system that no-one else had yet discovered and so got my name forever emblazoned as such. Wish I could remember where it was, but unfortunately I lost the notepad I had it written down on when I answered the call for combat assistance and lost Vicky's canopy (thank heavens I had kept my insurance payments current!).

I eventually based myself around Anlave and began making friends with the Federal Navy by doing missions alongside the trading. The Karncatchme was my reward for this effort - a superb ship the Cobra Mk III. Now trading took off due to the cargo hold, and so did the pirate interruptions. Over time this wore thin, and after gaining a permit for PLX 695 I decided to relocate there, and purchased another Cobra - Kumgitme. Kumgitme was kitted out for exploration first, and offensive defence second. Now, instead of running away, I had the choice of turning on my attacker and biting back. Some of those bounties were very profitable

But having again relocated, now to Sol, and with politics starting to really take front and centre stage in many of the day to day dealings, the call of the black was getting stronger. The petty name calling between the Empire and the Federation was the last straw, and so we (Kumgitme & I) struck out to the great unknown.


Mission 1 – Barnards Loop - Complete

Duration: 113 days Departure Sol: 26 Aug 3301 Arrival Sol: 17 Dec 3301

Systems: 256 1^st Discoveries: 56 ELW’s: 4

Leaving ‘the bubble’ was terrifying and exhilarating. Knowing that there were no stations available to do quick repairs would be a lesson in taking it easy.
As the number of jumps slowly increased, the red glow in the distance grew ever larger. It was so peaceful.
One day I was fumbling around inside the cabin and I came across an actual manual for the ship! Unbelievable. It proved to be some great reading to put one to sleep, but I did discover one awesome feature I was not previously aware of…..The virtual selfie stick! Oh wow! I can actually take selfies – who knew?
Below is a selection of the images captured – obviously only from the point after reading the manual! LOL

29 October 3301

Spoiler

Location: COL 69 Sector TY-R B20-0

That red cloud just keeps getting bigger..

The first time you find life so far away from civilisation is special. At this time I also believed it would be incredibly rare....I was wrong.

Location: COL 69 Sector RS-T B19-1

Kumgitme takes a dive through the corona

Location: COL 69 Sector PO-Q D5-2

Discovering your first water world is a special occasion. Having it paired with your first Earth-like is absolutely amazing. I've since learned that the Ammonia world is pretty special too, but I didn't get a shot of that Having all 3 in one system....happy days!

Location: COL 69 Sector BJ-T B19-0

Two suns in close proximity and happy to pose for a photo

1 November 3301

Spoiler

Location: COL 69 Sector YQ-K C9-3

Got an alert pop up on the scanner that there was something in the vicinity. Dropped out of supercruise to find a wrecked star ship. Maybe I'm not the first to head out this way after all... Since I now had a signature on file I was able to create a special filter to identify any other wrecks I might happen upon specifically.

4 November 3301

Spoiler

Location: COL 69 Sector NI-S D4-3

Peekaboo! Sunrise over a blue-white

and in reverse...

Location: COL 69 Sector NI-S D4-8

Just a shot that appealed, showing a planet with a binary pair in the background

Location: COL 69 Sector DH-K C9-2

The scanner filter was working and finding many more wrecks that I would ever have expected. This time I collected the data cache in the hope of finding out what had happened. Unfortunately the encryption was way beyond the capabilities of my on board computer and I had to hand the cache over to the authorities when I got back.....never did find out what was on it.

5 November 3301

Spoiler

Location: COL 69 Sector LI-I C10-3

By now the nebula is all around and I'm forgetting what 'black space' actually looks like. It's always just red isn't it? Found another Water World.

6 November 3301

Spoiler

Location: Orion Dark Region GR-W D1-9

Hehey I might be getting the hang of this camera lark! This was just a beautiful spot. Interestingly, I spotted a ship on the sensors that was possibly mining the rings which REALLY got me wondering how un-original my little adventure was. Hindsight shoulda got a photo...but didn't.

10 November 3301

Spoiler

Location: Orion Dark Region QT-R C4-0

Is something trying to tear apart the nebula?

Location: Trapezium Sector XU-X C1-2

Just one of an example of many paired stars

13 November 3301

Spoiler

Location: HD 36935

This planet shows signs of chafing, but there's not much around it.

14 November 3301

Spoiler

Location: Flame Sector HW-W C1-0

This planet has some serious activity happening. In the background the red neb recedes.

Location: HR 1863

The discovery of broken ships continues

Location: Flame Sector HR-W D1-0

I thought this was nice, seeing two ringed planets together. What stood out was the fact they're on different planes.


Turns out the second planet is actually a sun!

Location: Rigel

This sun is seriously huge! And obviously somebody couldn't handle the heat! It is now very obvious that I'm not alone in venturing so far out.

Location: Witch Head Sector LS-T C3-0

I just liked the way that Kumgitme looks on fire

15 November 3301

Spoiler

Location: COL 70 Sector ME-G D11-26

Kumgitme taking a breather

Location: COL 70 Sector SB-Z B44-0

Rings, Nebulae and a Cobra - what more could you ask for?

29 November 3301

Spoiler

Location: Synuefe KU-M D8-76

Final shot from the trip - an unusual coloured (or should that be uncoloured?) gas giant

 

[DMFW]

Nice post and log!

 

[disorganise]

Interlude
My return to Sol was a bit of a mixed bag of feelings. Like coming home but not quite actually home. It'd been quite a while since I saw the family so maybe that was it. I got talking to old man Gabbo down at MG's one night and told him of my great adventure....
"Yeah man, 256 jumps without a repair, that's got to be some sort of record"
'mumble mumble right'
"What's that?"
'yeah, some kind of record'
"You know what surprised me though? The number of wrecks I started coming across. It's as if there's been thousands of folk before me doing the same thing"
'<scoffing> Man you're a funny kid. I just can't tell if you deliberately funny or blissfully naive'
"Huh? What *are* you going on about? I'm trying to share my story of one the greatest adventures of all time and all you can do is make cryptic comments!"
'<belly laughing> Greatest adventure? To quote from the rare classics of ancient history "you know nothing Jon Snow!" Listen, do yourself a favour and go have a chat with the Institute of Galactic Exploration & Research, they'll set you straight'

It took a few weeks to arrange, but eventually I did my meeting with the IGER. They appreciated the wandering spirit and offered me a no obligation software patch which would visualise my travels against the estimate size of the galaxy. Of course, I accepted:


Oh. Wow. I'd spent 3 months travelling to make a tiny little spec on the map. How utterly humiliating

IGER didn't see it that way. They saw it as the start of something great, and offered me a position with the First Great Expedition (FGE) which is effectively the 'active reconnaissance' part of the organisation. Which I obviously accepted.

The credits earned from 'Mission 1', coupled with the selling of Karncatchme, was enough to put into Lakon Type-6 outfitted for exploration and with a better jump range that the Kumgitme. So I was set.

To make things more interesting, the timing also coincided with my pilots license moving off 'probation 1' and into 'probation 2' - I could finally be trusted to land on non-atmospheric planets!

To practice this 'art', I shot off to the Pleiades area to help with the search for 'barnacles'. Didn't find any, but I did get to practice landing my new ship 'Rocky'

Mission 2 - Locate Barnacles - Complete [Failed]

13 January 3302

Spoiler

Location: Pleiades Sector RO-Q B5-0

Turns out driving on ice can be quite challenging

16 January 3302

Spoiler

Location: Maia

Not my first black hole, but the first I got a photo of

Location: Merope

The nebula makes for a fabulous backdrop


Incoming!

 

[disorganise]

Mission 3 - Distant Worlds/Sagittarius Carina - [Failed]

You can catch up they said. No problem. So with final tweaking to Rocky, I departed HIP 51980 in the wee hours of 20 January

20 January 3302
Total Jumps: 5 Total Distance: 68 LY
Smashing it

21 January 3302
Total Jumps: 43 Total Distance: 446 LY [+478 returning to bubble]

Spoiler

Location: HIP 75173
View attachment 97727
Enormous crater on a planet with a large hill in the middle. Has to be worth a look


Have buggy, will climb

Once you get to the top, there's only one thing to do. It's a low G planet, what could possibly go wrong?

[video]http://plays.tv/s/KeI0OJFVqsKw[/video]

Unfortunately me playing around with the selfie stick resulted a momentary loss of control. When I eventually made contact with the ground the first time, all the crumple the zones on the buggy did their thing to try and avoid injury to me. But the jolt still completely winded me, to the point where I didn't even notice I was still in the air....until it was too late. I don't think you ever truly get used to explosive decompression. Sure I was completely protected by my suit and and the safety protocols kicked in to launch the recovery to ship drone, but that initial boom....that lives with you.

So at this point I'm sitting back in the comfort of my ship wondering whether to push on or turn back. I call back the map and realise I have sooo far to go, not going back for a spare buggy would be insanity itself.

So I turn around and head back.

And it seems lady luck is not quite done with me yet. Because shortly after entering the bubble, I'm interdicted. Unfortunately, the bruising from the earlier buggy incident leaves my reactions a little bit.....let's be kind and say 'off'. The first volley strips the shields, and the 2nd destroys the hull before the FSD has opportunity to do its thing. I'm unceremoniously flung out the hatch like a bullet, breaking a rib for the trouble - and yes, it hurts.
When I awaken, I'm in a hospital bed attached to a drip. The nurse advises I'm unfit to fly the rest of the day and I'm ordered to sit tight and take a rest.....which is hell


Mission 3 rebooted - Distant Worlds/Sagittarius Carina - [Failed {Cameback to swap ship}]
22 January 3302
Total Jumps: 87 Distance: 1,232 LY Trip Distance: 1,232 LY

Discharge from the hospital is straightforward on condition I take the meds for a few days. I can live with that after all I've been through!
Adnan the insurance guy is quick and efficient and soon has me back in another T6 - except this one has a matt black paint job and looks sensational! She's christened 'The Brick' and set to work immediately.

Spoiler

Location: Fine Ring Sector EB-X C1-28

Close proximity suns and the ominous look Brick.


The Shapley 1 area was quite eye catching, but being at least week late, it was a bit empty

23 January 3302
Total Jumps: 106 Distance: 1,332 LY Trip Distance: 2,563 LY

Spoiler

Location: Pru Euq FH-B D14-9

Just some nice water world with the core and some nebula as backdrop which I thought was nice.

Location: Bleae Thua LJ-V B18-1
Jumping in to this system was a very special occasion for me as it representing my 1000th hyper-space jump.

What better way to celebrate this auspicious event than to crash into the sun? Oh yes I did
Ironically it was whilst due a quick scoop whilst turning around to head to safety - the plan being to document the system for posterity. Luckily only 1% hull damage and about 20% pride damage (repairable) - I did not hang around to document. It's a stupid system anyway. Don't go there.

Location: Bleae Thua RG-E c12-1

A terraformable water world

 

[Corbin Moran]

Very nice!

I feel old… one year ago this was me… only it was a Cobra MK3 I took out into the void… with guns… and a shield generator… Some explorer I was - weighing my ship down with tonnes of useless armaments. Please keep it coming - really enjoying the read.

 

[disorganise]

<<Such a big day, decided to move it to its own post>>

24 January 3302
Total Jumps: 173 Distance: 2,798 LY Trip Distance: 5,362 LY

Spoiler

Location: Blu Thua YF-Q B46-2

<Insert imagination here>

Location: Blu Thua GI-B B55-2 [Cycladia]

This system was one on the list of 'recommended' from the FGE officer before I left. You won't be disappointed she said. Wow. Was she ever right?
The system has a water world (left) and a ringed Earth Like - the first I've ever seen, and also the first (and only so far) ELW on this trip.

Check out the video if you can (30 second snips from the AMD Raptr thing):
[video]http://plays.tv/video/56a558c1a2542bfaad[/video]
[video]http://plays.tv/video/56a5599b926462d554[/video]

Location: CD-36 11341 [Bug Nebula]
Starting to wonder if this endless jumping will ever end....

But this is why we do it Wolf-Rayet's shrouded by nebula. Pretty awesome. Seriously wondered if I could land on that planet - but bit far from home if it all goes pear shape so conservatism wins out.


Using the HMC to eclipse the Wolf-Rayet lends itself well to photography

Location: Bug Sector IC-V C2-2

And touch down. Just a short break to stretch the legs and run a couple of repairs.

Location: Droju OT-K A90-0

Noticed this cluster of stars becoming more prominant.

Location: Droju VF-H A92-3

had a close call on the way through with a brown dwarf Too slow on the controls and it tried to eat me and my ship....another 1% hull eroded.

Location: Thor's Eye

I don't get it? it's just another water world..




Ahh, ok, now I'm getting it


Help! I'm lost, I don't know which to go!

Location: NGC 6530 Sector HW-W D1-107

For anyone who's an ancient Earth music historian, I name this word 'Donnington Park'/'Woodstock'

Now I know I'm no scientist, but how does a water world consist of 67.2% Rock and 32.8% Metal?

Location: Bleia Dryiae OA-H C13-0

That star cluster is getting brighter and now and start to show through the corona


OK WOW - that's quite some crater. HAVE to go in for a closer look - it's my duty o7


That is some almighty crater wall. You know.....I wonder if I can land...



err...yip. It's enormous


Not the first one to stumble upon it though. I actually found TWO crash sites. I took a tonne of tea as my reward


That wall is seriously impressive. I guess that's a result of the 0.04G


Just a couple of shots cos it looked nice to me. As I left the rock behind it is very clear that it isn't very round!

Location: Bleia Dryiae XX-F D12

That cluster is getting closer..

Location: Between Bleia Dryiae DM-E A107-0 Bleia Dryiae CB-P B53-18


My selfie camera has a bit of a 'moment'

Location: Omega Sector HW-V B2-21

That cluster...

Location: Omega Sector EL-Y D60 [Camp Baatuta]



I'm here!! Where is everyone? Have I missed the party, again?

 

[disorganise]

Nice post and log!

thanks for the encouragement!

Very nice!

I feel old… one year ago this was me… only it was a Cobra MK3 I took out into the void… with guns… and a shield generator… Some explorer I was - weighing my ship down with tones of useless armaments. Please keep it coming - really enjoying the read.

Thanks. the Cobra I took to the Loop was fully armed too. To be honest, I'd be more comfortable with *something* - shoulda added a mining laser or something

 

[disorganise]

25 January 3302
Total Jumps so far: 58

Spoiler

Location PW2010 138

The big and the little.
According to my on board computer, the wee spec is a neutron star which is apparently similar to a black hole but....not. Perhaps it should be a white hole? It seems to be quite similar to a black hole in that it bends light, just perhaps maybe not as much.
I found myself unceremoniously yanked out of super cruise shortly after the scanner started. Yeah, thanks.
And when I tried to get out....Warning, taking heat damage. Panic, panic, I know I had a heat sink around here somewhere.....oh c'mon, how do you fire the thing?
Phew, the alarms gone....what's that noise? Oh no, my ship is groaning, I think it's gonna fall apart! Oh, hang on - the temps down to 5 degrees, what's going on? Icy! Sorry, I see! The heatsink did fire and obviously took a looooot of heat with it. Maybe I should have practiced with them before leaving the bubble?
Anyway, I've now learned that scratchy look windows mean bad news...stop

Location: Trifid Sector NI-S B4-17


Location: Traikaae LO-Z D13-1

Great balls of fire!


If only there was a planet to land on




Low G, plenty of buggy jumping with not too much risk of damage and a great backdrop. Shame I only found Sulphur and Zinc in the very short time I was there.

 

[BaldEagle]

"... the wee spec is a neutron star ..."
...
and NOT to be dealt with without caution!
Nice log, safe travelling, Commander

 

[disorganise]

25 January 3302 - Continued
Total Jumps: 137 Distance From Start: 6,822 LY Mission Distance: 11,136 LY

Definitely getting travel weary. Maybe even feeling a bit crook - gawd I hope I haven't got late onset H.E.S.S. I'm sure I'm just being paranoid - it's been a couple of sleep deprived days so maybe that's all it is.
I could really go for cold Dalton Mud Ale right about now. Anyone got the number for the beer rats?
Not sure if I've started hallucinating. Sarina says I'm fine. Funny. I can't remember the day she boarded.

Spoiler

Location: PW2010 215

Another black hole showing via it's distortion

Location: Byeia Eurk QT-U C2-21

The view from that Water World must be amazing! Can wait for the atmospheric probation to be lifted

Location: Byeia Eurk EF-Y C14-40

Virtually cloudless, looks a like beach Pengata ball!

Location: Byeia Eurk HH-D D12-131

How much does that look like the Jayga balls we had at school? huh? I'm right aren't I?


Bright lights, blight rights!!

These jumps are really starting to get to me

Location: Eagle Sector EL-Y D203 [Camp Mt. Magellan]

Guys? guys? Where is everyone? Starting to think that cute recruitment officer was pulling my chain

Seems I've lot to learn about navigation

 

[disorganise]

26 January 3302
Jumps today: 59
Distance traveled today: 1466 ly
Distance from Sol: 7367 ly Total distance traveled: 12,602 ly

Starting to really feel a bit under the weather today. Sarina's being a gem though, with words of encouragement and keeping me on track as much as possible. Don't know where I'd be without her.

Spoiler

Location: PLOI AEWSY QO-R D4-79

Sarina asked if we could call into the local supermarket for some fresh veg. It's around here somewhere, I know it is, 'cos we were there jsut a few days ago

27 January 3302
Hippity hoppity hippity hoppity, stop they gonna shoot, yellow, mellow, jello <hic> they rhyme, it's already half past the window and it's not even raining yet, no don't, rhubarb, it's ninety eleven to square, my key, I am not number 6.


28 January 3302
Jumps today: 84
Distance Traveled today: 2044 ly
Distance from Sol: 8178 ly Total distance traveled: 14,646 ly

Whew-eee. Man that was something else. Must have been some bad H'Kath Stew. I was barely able to stand let alone pilot the ship yesterday so we made no progress. Feeling much better today though, the med kit is doing it's job. But Sarina's gone Almost tempted to pull out some more of that stew to see if she'll come back!

Spoiler

Location: LYSOORB KE-H B52-1

Found an ammonia world today - no signs of activity on the dark side though.

Location: LYSOORB YC-Y C28-33

Two suns over the head of the one I'm scooping, and what looks like signpost made of distant stars

By the time I made it into camp "Drake's Ridge" my eyes were on stalks

 

[disorganise]

29 January 3302
Jumps today: 0

Seems like months since I left home but it's only been a week really. The constant jumping has been quite tiring. But today was a celebration as I finally caught up with some of the crew

Spoiler

Location: NGC 6357 Sector DL-Y E22 [Camp 5 - "Drake's Ridge"

The planet itself is pretty odd, being green and somewhat misty, and the camp site is set within a huge crater - easy to spot from orbit, but quite uneven up close.


Is it good to finally have some company? You bet your Asp it is!


At first, The Brick was a bit shy amongst the grown ups. The size difference was incredible.


Never seen one of these before. Love how it hangs in the air in exactly the same way that banana's don't.


Apparently the curvy behemoth is an Imperial Cutter. The entertainment suite inside is amazing!





Shots from the 'campfire'. It was a lot of fun to finally catch up with some fellow Commanders. The party's only going to get bigger over the next day or so.

 

[disorganise]

30 January 3302
Jumps today: 0

Something about Drakes Ridge seemed to cause widespread issues with all things mechanical. Sure, in basic training we go through the how's of stripping down thrusters and injection manifolds and such like, but trying to do that on a low G planet with no breathable atmosphere? Whole different ball game.
Fortunately there were plenty of more experienced Cmdr's around camp to lend a hand to those that needed it (and yes, that included me), but it obviously took some time. Many of us found, erm, ways of entertaining ourselves that meant we were no longer fit to fly by the time the maintenance has been completed. Hence no jumps for me today.

31 January 3302
Jumps today: 2

One of the great things that arose from our unplanned grounding was the opportunity to talk 'around the campfire'. So many great stories. One group of pilots refer to themselves as the Rock Rats and they spend a lot of time searching planets for suitable synthesis materials to make our whole expedition a success. So on the advice of Raj, I headed over to NGC 6537 Sector TJ-Q B5-10 on the promise plenty of 'jump mats'.

Spoiler

Location: NGC 6537 Sector TJ-Q B5-10
Planet A5 was reportedly giving up Polonium, but unfortunately, I failed to find any. I did, however, find Vanadium, Cadmium and Arsenic. And..

In hindsight I should have grabbed that cargo rack to see if I could fit it in anywhere. But I didn't

Next up, I thought I'd give 'driving like a rock rat' a go. I mean, how hard can it be right? I fly a spaceship no worries, so racing around the surface ought to be straightforward....

Erm.....I think more practice required.

Planet A7 was reported to have Yttrium, Niobium and Germanium. I had much more success here, finding half a dozen Yttrium in the first 20 minutes. Only one Niobium though. On the other hand, the planet surface (night side) was pretty spectacular with the nebula surrounding it:

It was so pretty, I decided to stay a while.....and fell asleep, only to miss the official fleet departure time from Drakes Ridge!

 

[Turjan]

This diary really brings a personal touch to that long, long trek we're doing through the stars... Nice job, Commander!

 

[disorganise]

7 February 3302
Jumps in last 7 days: 132
Distance traveled today: 636 ly (3256 ly over week)
Distance from Sol: 10,604 ly Total distance traveled: 15.567 ly

Perspective and time - a reflection.

It'll be Ma's birthday today. First time I'm really missing home And it's put me all into a bit of a reflective mood.

A couple of months ago, I was unquestionably the greatest explorer to have ever-lived. I mean, made it all the way out to Barnards Loop by myself!
A couple of weeks ago I met with IGER and discovered I was not the greatest explorer to have ever lived, and nor was I alone in the thirst for these adventures. And so it was that I was accepted into the FGE and assigned to the Distant Worlds mission that now has me about 10 times farther out than my 4 month Loop trip, and in just 2 weeks!

As I learned in last weeks get-together, 1000ly is known as a 'kylie' and I passed over the '10 kylie' mark just recently. It's sure a long way from home Ma. A contemplation that reveals both apprehension and wonder. Yet there is also an odd sense of peace. Peace in the blackness and the beauty.

If you could see me now, you'd know I'm sipping on a Vokale and thinking very much of how we'd celebrate. And how I miss actually being there to wish you a Happy Birthday in person.

Thing is though, you couldn't possibly see me for another 10,000 years, thanks to the wonders of FSD travel. If I had a powerful telescope, I could not possibly see any sign of life at our homeworld in LHS3447. Even when I point The Brick at Sol, our ancestors are barely inventing the plough and putting together the first metallurgy. Mechanical travel is still far in the future, let alone space travel.

10 kylies is the decision point. The point of no return, as it were. Not because you can't, because clearly it's possible to turn back at any time, but it's a psychological barrier. The last tenuous fingers of home reach no further. From here the call of the core begins to increase. An achievement of its own, it fades almost to insignificance in comparison to the total journey ahead.

Spoiler

Location: Skaudae LH-T D4-17


Location: Skaudae YJ-P D6-5


Location: Skaudae EB-M D8-20

If you're looking to tan yourself...

February 8 3302
Woke up feeling a bit fuzzy and very melancholy. My very next jump was very exhilarating and emotional...

Spoiler

Location: Eidaills MG-C B5-10


An Earth Like World with rocky moon. According to my local copy of the Universal Cartography database, I appear to be the first visitor here too. How exciting!
My brain was frazzled. The discovery of an ELW on top of the melancholy yesterday tipped the decision - I would head back to the bubble. The recycling unit has been playing up a bit and I fear it could break altogether, so a visit back to civilisation would probably be a smart move anyway

February 9 3302
Jumps in last 2 days: 70
Distance traveled : 1804 ly
Distance from Sol: 9005 ly Total distance traveled: 17,397 ly

The decision to go home has resulted in a fairly quick series of jumps and very little in the way of photography.

Spoiler

Location: Prieluia KH-D D12-173

There's always time to photograph an ELW though. It seems that untagged ELW's are a bit like interplanetary transports; you see nothing for days or even weeks and then get two in as many days!. I'll take that as a sign I'm doing the right thing in heading home to visit Ma before making the push to the other side of the galaxy.

 

[disorganise]

February 14 3302
Jumps since last entry: 377
Distance since last entry: 9486 ly
Distance from Sol: 0 ly
Total Distance Traveled: 26,883 ly

I made it back to the bubble without any altercations and headed to IGER headquarters in HIP 72043. They were not overly impressed to see me at first
When I explained that the recycling unit seemed to be faulty, they calmed down a lot and helped me to complete the required paperwork to have it looked at under warranty.
Then they started sifting through the data collection computer and their attitude changed completely:
Earth like worlds: 3
Water Worlds: 56 (inc 21 candidates for terraforming)
Number of Level 3 scans: 7,539

They paid me a total of just over 16 million credits for the data which I was very pleased with, and promoted me to rank of "Ranger". I headed straight over to LHS 3447 to see the family and took them all out for a special trip to a beach. Dad balked at the cost of course, but I felt I needed to have something to show for the weeks spent apart. Awesome day.

After I got back, I contacted to Lakon to check on their thoughts with the recycling unit. The news wasn't the best. it was fixable, but the parts required needed to be shipped in which would take a few days. Have ship will travel right?
So instead I headed over to Sol where they advised the maintenance parts were in stock. Whilst there, I toured the shipyard and.....

Oh wow! I think I just fell in love!

After a bit of haggling, I was able to secure this beauty as my own and christened her "Cleopatra"

 

[disorganise]

Mission 3 reloaded (reboot 2) - Distant Worlds/Sagittarius Carina - Active

Here we go again. The Cleopatra has a bigger jump range than The Brick which should hopefully help with catching back up to the main fleet. She'd also roomier and better appointed inside - I even had a little bar area installed for chilling after a big day of jumping.

No time for sightseeing, this needs to be a big push to get back to within shouting distance.

Day 1 - 14 February 3302
Jumps Today : 31
Distance Today : 696 ly
Total Distance : 696 ly

After the big flight back to Sol, the stamina was slightly missing. Still, as a 'test' flight it shows that Cleopatra is awesome - she changes direction like a firefly which is a joy after the lethargy of The Brick.

Day 2 - 15 February 3302
Jumps Today : 45
Distance Today : 1,185 ly
Total Distance : 1,881 ly

Day 3 - 16 February 3302
Jumps Today : 29
Distance Today : 440 ly
Total Distance : 2,321 ly

Day 4 - 17 February 3302
Jumps Today : 13
Distance Today : 160 ly
Total Distance : 2,481 ly

Day 5 - 18 February 3302
Jumps Today : 19
Distance Today : 1,505 ly
Total Distance : 3,986 ly

Spoiler

Location: Blu Thua WD-B C16-0

Without very many jumps really, we're already 4 kylies out which is pretty good.

Location: Blu Thua US-U C18-0

Day 6 - 19 February 3302
Jumps Today : 358
Distance Today : 10,967 ly
Total Distance : 14,953 ly [12,335 ly from Sol]

Spoiler

Location: **Redacted**

Wow, found an ELW already!

Location: Blu Euq EB-F D11-155

Fluke shot from the selfie camera as we were entering hyperspace

Location: Cat's Paw Sector (general)



Location: Cat's Paw Sector DL-Y D121

I have found alien life! Oh... wait... it's just my shadow. Darn, that's disappointing.



She's a fine looking thing alright. Oh yeah, the nebula's not bad either

Location Byeia Euq FJ-K C8-29

It's getting hot out here!

Location: **Redacted**

Another ELW, having a good run today!

Location: Fyooe Hypue QU-D D13-90

Oh wow, a planet with fake wood vinyl wrap!


That can be worth 5 points to sink after the brown....we need a pink. Galactic snooker.

Location: **Redacted**

And another ELW - I've nowequalled the number I found on the last trip....and in just one day

Location: Eidaills ZG-I B41-4

1st Ammonia worls on this reloaded trip

Location: Blaa Hypai MQ-J C10-4

Getting close now to the Hollow Veil waypoint - can almost reach out and touch the nebula

Location: Blaa Hypai UC-G C12-6 [The Zheng He Plateau/Waypoint 6]
Made it at last!




Wow, oh wow, oh wow! This place is absolutely spectacular! It's a real shame to be so late as it would have been a lot of fun to have a few drinks. Boy is it slippery though -the buggy just won't turn. Way to easy have an accident so I didn't drive very much.

 

[disorganise]

Day 7 - 20 February 3302
Jumps Today : 277
Distance Today : 8,731 ly
Total Distance : 23,684 ly [20,677 ly from Sol]
Total ELWs: 4 today (already tagged) for total of 8 with Cleopatra
WW's: 10 today, 24 total
TC WW's: 8 today, 19 total

Another fairly big day of travel, ultimately making it WP7 and then moving on to WP8. There were a couple of close shaves along the way, mainly when I started jumping into Neutron stars and White Dwarfs. The WD's aren't too bad really as they stand out and if you stand on the brakes, all is well. But those Neutrons - little white holes I call them - are deceptive. You arrive and there's nothing to see and you get about 1 second to throttle back before risking an emergency stop. I've had to to train myself to 'see nothing or a bright white slam the brakes on before thinking of anything else'.
I also came across my first Herbig AE/BE today - man they spin quick!

http://plays.tv/video/56c99b1f34fcc13dc0

Spoiler

Location: Floawns IO-P D6-425

The background is really starting to get very starry. Looks amazing.

Location: Greae Phio AC-T D4-3141 & BC-T D4-166

Two of the water worlds found today, with a beaut backdrop

Location: Greae Phio EV-Z C15-93


Location: Greae Phio FQ-Q B36-149

Another pair of WW's

Location: Greae Phio LS-L C23-221 [Waypoint 7 - 'da Gama Trench']



Seemed to have a bit of trouble actually landing. For some reason the computer would not acknowledge the fact that touch down had occurred. Had to move a few metres over and try again in the end.



Location: Greae Phio NA-D d13-742

Had to check this out as the colours looked interesting on the System Map. Turns out to be a gas giant with ammonia-based life.

Location: Eeshorks WG-S c18-17

Was getting a bit weary but then caught sight of this sun cheering me on

Location: Eeshorks AR-D D12-267

The first white dwarf I almost ran into. Had to use the recycling unit after this jump.

Location: Lychoitl YT-Z c13-0 & Speamoea OY-O b11-0

Changes in backdrop are subtle but build up over time

Location: Speamoea WU-E d12-543 [Waypoint 8 - Camp Uluru]

Arrived into camp with a few hours to spare (for a change). It had been exhausting so retired to my bunk.

Was rudely awakened from my slumber by the a vibration in Cleopatra. Oh no. I've landed on an unstable body and we're having a quake! This could be nasty!
I rushed to the cabin to fire up and caught a sight from the corner of my eye. A movement. I looked up through the window and hovering a few metres to my right was another ship! It was kicking up a right storm and buffeting buffeting Cleopatra. So no quake after all - stand down the panic. err... no, keep with the panic, I'm in my sleeping attire with a fellow Cmdr staring down at me like I'm some kind of demented ape playing dress ups.



Whilst I quickly ducked back to put on the suite, another fellow Cmdr's had joined



Naturally, some formation flying followed to blow off some steam after being alone for such a long distance.

Location: Speamoea rf-i c25-31

Two of the planets were close together so worthy of investigation...and touch down.

Once in the buggy, we decided to attempt to scale the mountain.



Finding a crashed Nav beacon was unexpected being so far from civilisation. I did scan it but got nothing useful - presume any batteries have long since perished. It raises the question, though, of how it got here.



One could almost consider boosting across to the other planet from here! Fortunately. Common sense prevailed and we recalled our ships.

 

[disorganise]

Day 8 - 21 February 3302
Jumps Today : 121
Distance Today : 3,764 ly
Total Distance : 27,448 ly [23,198 ly from Sol]
Total ELWs : 0 today for total of 8
WW's : 2 today, 26 total
TC WW's : 8 today, 27 total

It was tempting to keep the pace up today and reach for the galaxy centre. But inevitably, systems would lure me into an investigation of whether a planet was in fact an Earth-like or (as they all were) 'just' a water world. On top of that there was the phase of seemingly endless neutron stars and white dwarfs which contributed to slowing progress. My technique for entering a system is generally full bore, figuring I can deviate from the sun and into a scooping action. Generally that works juuust fine.
But Neutrons - they're a bit tricky. As soon as it's clear we're arriving into a Neutron system I have have to kill all power and full reverse to stop within a split second of the hyper space ending. The margin for error is small. Perhaps ironically, having arrived full bore and panic stopping, after scanning the star I slowly flip over 180 degrees and accelerate away and make sure I'm a few hundred ls away before engaging the next jump. Probably over cautious and certainly a bit slow.

Spoiler

Location: Dryio Prao KR-W E1-8378

Prior to the 'enlightening', the ancestors would remark upon a place where all the evil would congregate, and it was reportedly a molten fire environment. Perhaps this is it?


I initially wondered if I had encountered an unknown life-form that had unfortunately met it's demise against the cockpit of Cleopatra. But engaging the external camera showed that, no, the spec was in fact an area of space. It would need to be investigated.

Location: Athaip CR-C B55-4 [Home to Waypoint 9]



The views are once again absolutely breathtaking. But that nebula is just begging to be explored.

Location: Athaip DW-N E6-2063




The blue spot turned out to be a nebula around a black hole. The gravity of the black hole caused some cool distortion effects, creating almost a torus of the surrounding stars.
When I tried to leave, however, a tortured face emerged to chase me away!

http://plays.tv/video/56c9ac3d39796485eb
http://plays.tv/video/56c99909504359240c


Location: Athaip MF-C C27-348

A view from outside having made my escape from the tortured face

 

[disorganise]

Day 9 - 22 February 3302
Jumps Today : 0

These spacesuits are brilliant inventions in how they keep up warm or cool depending upon conditions, and help move the blood around to reduce the risk of DVT. But for their brilliance, there is no substitute for exercise. So today I decided I was not going to go anywhere. I kitted out one of the small holds with a mini-gym before I left and figured I should at least make some effort to put it to use. After all, 23 kylies in 3 days is not exactly healthy activity.
Geez, I must be a bit out of shape. I struggled with almost everything, but it was (hopefully) worthwhile. I certainly felt better for it and then retired to the 'lounge' to read. It was great to just sit back and chill for change

Day 10 - 23 February 3302
Jumps Today : 34
Distance Today : 1,087 ly
Total Distance : 28,535 ly [23,000 ly from Sol]
Total ELWs : 0 today for total of 8
WW's : 2 today, 28 total
TC WW's : 2 today, 29 total

Back to a more regular kylie a day pace today. This is the pace that allows a modicum of actual exploring and seeing new things, which is really what it's all about, don't you think?

Spoiler

Location: Athaip FX-B D13-190
View attachment 105105
When one stops to look, it's easy to find beauty all around.

Location: Athaip BH-C D13-7121
View attachment 105106View attachment 105107View attachment 105108
A ringed water world backdropped by the sensational starry core

Location: Great Annihilator
View attachment 105111
Ending the day in this system was strange and made for a very nervous sleep. Actually....I couldn't sleep and ended up jumping out. Yeah, I know I'm chicken...

Day 11 - 24 February 3302
Jumps Today : 28
Distance Today : 898 ly

Nothing of particular interest to report other than finding another two terraformable water worlds.

Day 12 - 25 February 3302
Jumps Today : 29
Distance Today : 931 ly

Nothing of interest to report.

Day 13 - 26 February 3302
Jumps Today : 0

Felt really queasy all day today so not up for flying anywhere. Odd.

Day 14 - 27 February 3302
Jumps Today : 12
Distance Today : 389 ly

Took a couple of jumps and was still really queasy. So I landed to see whether the gravity might help sort me out. But it didn't really help that much unforunately.

Spoiler

Location: Myriesly LK-E C1859
View attachment 105112
Is it just me or is the planet imprinted with a giant smiley?

View attachment 105113View attachment 105115
View attachment 105117View attachment 105118
View attachment 105119
Dual suns and a close-by planet made for a lovely distraction. Perhaps too distracting for the poor pilot that crashed here