[IC] A Founder's Progress

[insanephoton]

([OOC] The following is based on my character's in game progress with additional fictionalised elements to add flavour. It is also to be noted that despite sharing a name this is not the same character mentioned in the Thargoid and Fer de Lance thread).
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My story starts over a year ago. I was found more dead than alive in the cargo hold of an Adder. The local cops at Jameson Memorial station had received a tip off that it was involved in illegal activities. The last thing they expected to find was me. As soon as I was well enough the questions started. Who was I? Where had I come from? How did I end up in the ship? I couldn't answer. To this day I have no memory of anything before the day I was found. My original identity is still a mystery. They got a match for my biometrics but the file was corrupted. They were unable to recover anything useful other than the fact that I was a Founder.
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I don't really know what that means. The Founders were the ones that started the Pilot's Federation, but that was centuries ago. Does this mean that I'm really ancient? Have I spent a millennium in stasis or something else. I still can't get my head around it and no one is in a hurry to explain to me. Maybe they mean I'm a descendant of one of the Founders?
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With no prospect of finding out who I was, a new identity was created for me. CMDR Mark 'Insane' Photon is what they went with. Yeah I know, same as that character in the long running drama series 'The Thargoid and Fer de Lance'. They say I look a lot like the actor that plays him. Well that's as may be ,but I'm still not too sure about it. The Mark Photon I can live with, but I have my doubts about including the nickname. The original idea was not to include it, but someone in admin messed up and they aren't going to change it. I guess I might have the nickname anyway as I have done a few crazy things.
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Just over a month ago they decided that I was ready to properly start my new life. The gave me a Cobra and a small amount of money. Apparently it's some Founder's perk. At first I just did a few local haulage and courier runs. After a while I had earned enough for a fuel scoop. With a whole galaxy waiting for me I started to wander. I didn't really have a plan, I just travelled on a whim. I even passed through the Sol system, I had the permit so why not. In the last few weeks, I've settled in a group of systems and got more involved. Most of the time I've been trading and hauling, but I've done a bit of most things on the way apart from piracy and mining. My ship has had quite a few upgrades and I'm doing okay. My rating is Novice, Dealer, Scout and I've started working with both the Federation and Imperial navies. It hasn't all been plain sailing though. My original ship was lost when a pirate Python rammed me. I've found myself drawn into the schemes of various local factions. Some of the things seem quite shady, I only hope that I haven't got in over my head.

 

[insanephoton]

As I mentioned before,things haven't always gone smoothly. For instance the Federation has regarded me as 'unfriendly' since the start of the year. I'd been using Olivas Station in LHS 3505 as my base of operations. It's not too bad a place, but the local corporations are in such completion that half the time you do a job for one of them it ends up upsetting another.

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Just after Christmas I'd got a couple of contracts for some salvage work in Volongu, picking up black boxes. It's not exactly legal but can be quite lucrative if you can avoid being scanned. I was having a hard time finding these items on that day. So many times a faint signal turned out to be some itinerant trader or a pirate. Finally I found one and just as I'd scooped it up a Systems Authority ship appeared out of nowhere and scanned me. I've no idea where he came from, maybe he'd been there all along chilled down so as not to show up on scanners.Maybe I should have complained about entrapment, not that it would have done me much good. As it was, the 5000cr fine was only the start of a very bad day.
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The cops were everywhere. I kept moving to avoid getting scanned again. Then I found a bounty hunter and pirate fighting each other. I joined in on the side of the bounty hunter. I don't know how it happened, but I caught the bounty hunter with a stray shot. She went absolutely crazy and started attacking me. I was a wanted man with a 200cr bounty on my head. I bugged out before she could do any real damage. Fearing the worst I ran to the nearest non Federation system to pay off the bounty.

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Flying back to Volongu I was determined to complete the job. Unfortunately the cops were still out in force. In frustration I headed to the Nav beacon to trya little bounty hunting. It was there that I saw a Python with a sizeable bounty. For whatever reason he wasn't running any shields. I thought it was going to be easy money. How wrong I was. The Python pilot decided to ram me and proved that greater mass versus shields is only going to end one way, badly. That's how I lost my ship.
The upshot of these events and abandoning the salvage missions was that my reputation with Federal leaning corporations was rock bottom. Luckily I was able to boost my reputation back to neutral with a few low paid jobs and everything was fine until New Years/ Empire day.
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One of the problems with having your memory wiped is that you have no idea about some of the obvious stuff. I mean I'd heard that Empire day was a holiday in Imperial space and that some people were going to parties on New Years eve, but I never realised how much of a big deal it was. In my eagerness to improve my reputation I'd taken on a stack of contracts. In theory it was all perfectly possible to do all of the jobs with plenty of time to spare. That was the first mistake, the second mistake was to stop for a meal in Delaney's bar in Russo Dock. The rest of the evening was a blur. I think I had a good time, but my memory is kind of hazy. I do know that I got extremely drunk. The following day I woke up late in the afternoon, in a stranger's bed, with a hangover that would fell a mammoth. You know the beacons that pirate stations have, with the pulsing red skull, that's how my head felt. The hangover was the least of my problems, I'd failed to meet the deadlines on all those contracts. My reputation was through the floor in Federation space.
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Seventeen days later and I'm still treated as an 'unfriendly'. I don't know if I can get back to neutral status or if I've blown it with the Feds. The thing is the corporations are still prepared to throw some small scale jobs my way and the Fed Navy is still talking to me. I guess that me being an outsider isn't a huge disadvantage for the 'black ops' team. It makes me so much more of a plausibly deniable asset.

 

[insanephoton]

I'm worried that I may have inadvertently started a war. Ok, perhaps I'm being overdramatic here, but I have that nagging feeling that if I hadn't killed General Turner, this civil war in Furbaide may have been squashed before it started. Perhaps I've been hanging around with those 'black ops' guys too long, but they make me paranoid.
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It started innocently enough. Some guy in uniform approached me, giving me some spiel about them having noticed me, blah, blah, would I do a job for them sourcing some non lethal weapons for their people in Volungu. Hey I was flattered, and I was also trying to improve my rep with the Federation so I agreed. That earned me the rank of Recruit. Some simple courier and haulage jobs saw me rising up the ranks and then came the assassination order. Kill General Turner, you'll find him in the Furbaide system. I got the strange feeling that I was being set up. You see the thing is I'm friendly with the Confederacy of Furbaide, to be honest right now I'm regarded as a respected ally of them, but back then I was only just friendly. With 48 hours to complete the job, I spent the first day readying my ship. I upgraded to 4 beam lasers.
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I searched the system for a long time. After chasing so many false leads it was a shock to find him. There he was in his Federal Dropship. Something didn't add up, my ship's IFF showed him as friendly. Slowly the reason for this dawned on me. He was working for the Confederacy too. That's why the Feds wanted him terminated, they considered hem a traitor. I didn't know what to do. Then he noticed me and somehow guessed my original intention. His ship opened up on me with all guns and soon I was fighting for my life. Things went badly for me and I was lucky to get away with my ship. I nursed my ship back to the station for repairs. I no longer cared about this being a Federation mission, now it was personal. I was determined to gain my revenge. I rested a few hours while my ship was repaired and then it was time to try and find him again. This time I was ready for him and was gaining the upper hand when the local cops appeared. The general used the distraction to make good his escape. I was frustrated. Finally with just an hour left before the deadline, I found him again. This time there would be no retreating, this battle was going to be to the death. our ships were locked in a deadly dance. Only one would survive. Good fortune and skill meant that it was me.
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Killing General Turner had several repercussions. Unsurprisingly my standing with the Confederacy took a hit as did my reputation with the Federation. It seems that you deal with these 'black ops' people at your own risk. Days latter a civil war broke out in the system. It's actually nothing to do with the Confederacy, just two minor groups fighting it out beyond Cook terminal. On one side you have the self styled Furbaide Defence Force who are a bunch of thugs that want to restrict people's freedom. On the other side you have Gold Legal Solutions, a Fed leaning corporation that want to maintain the status quo.

 

[insanephoton]

Despite all the problems I was having with the Federation, I was tempted to work for the Empire. The Imperial Navy guys were very similar to their Federation counterparts but with more stylish uniforms. I should have realised that things would be no different with them. Orders came through to kill General Khan in the 31 Aquillae system. It seemed straight forward enough. I had no great links with that system and I was confident that I could do the job.
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It didn't take me long to find her and soon we were fighting. She was in her Imperial Clipper, but my Cobra was more than a match for her. The fight was going my way when she did something unexpected. She rammed me. The first time I figured that I'd been careless and was annoyed that she's dropped my shields. A little bit of overconfidence gripped me as I'd found the her Clipper much easier to fight than Turner's Dropship. I should have broken off to recharge my shields, but I continued with my attack. Then she rammed me again. I barely managed to grab my remlok as my ship failed around me. Being spaced is no fun. A remlok will keep you alive but it's far from comfortable.

Back at Russo Dock I contemplated my situation. I'd survived relatively unscathed and would be fine in a couple of days. My bank balance was reasonably healthy and a replacement ship was on it's way. The navy officer told me that the mission had been scrubbed after my ship was destroyed. He wouldn't go into reasons, but just said that a new target would be found in due course. With nothing better to do, I hit the Starfire club.
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It was a typical Friday. The club was full of revellers and loud music reverberated through the place. I'd found a good spot at the bar and was watching some girls on the dance floor when a man approached me. At a glance I could tell he was Imperial military.
"Follow me, General Khan wants to speak to you." he said quietly.
I tried to refuse but he was very insistent. Nervously I followed him, not knowing if I was going to get out of this alive. he led me to a private room that was guarded by two Imperial soldiers. He waved them aside and told me to enter. Inside General Khan was seated at a grand desk.
"Do come in and take a seat. Are you the one that tried to kill me?" she said coolly.
"Um, err, I guess, I am" I replied.
"So who sent you?"
"The Imperial Navy."
"You don't look like a military man, what are you? A loyal Imperial citizen or some grubby mercenary?"
I told her my story and she listened intently before replying.
"It seems that you've got yourself involved in a dangerous game Mr Photon. Rank has it's benefits, but remember that you're expendable. They won't help you if things go wrong."
I asked her why she had left the Empire. She explained that she had become disillusioned with system and feared for the future with the question of the succession. We discussed our fight and talked tactics. She gave me some good advice and we parted on friendly terms.
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Days later I received a new target, General Brannigan. This time I did not fail.

 

[insanephoton]

A lot has happened in the last few days. New ship (still a Cobra), new location, everything. I really had to move on. It seemed like everyone knew my business better than me. Every job that I took on someone would make a counter offer. Both the Fed and Imp navies gave me another job. Kill 3 pirates in Volungu. I happily obliged and the same 3 pirates counted for both factions. I enjoyed my little joke at playing both sides and earned promotions in both navies. In the Federation I'm now a Chief Petty Officer and in the Empire I'm a Knight. Funny titles I know, but they give me the right to wear some fancy uniforms. I know some girls go for a man in uniform so it might be fun.
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I wasn't sure what to do next. Then I heard a story about an illegal race on GalNet. I didn't have anything to lose, so I decide to enter it. It would give me a reason to travel further afield.The race was called the Buckyball Run 6. The only rules were visiting a number of checkpoints en route. Despite everything that GalNet says, the competitors were a great bunch of people. I managed to complete the course and although I was a long way down the leader board I was far from being last. Anyway it's not that kind of contest, the winning is less important than the taking part. The after party was really something.
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My current situation is wandering around Imperial space trying to figure out what to do next. I've been doing a little survey work and some bounty hunting to make ends meet. That's where I lost my ship. I took on a criminal in and Imperial Clipper, but unfortunately collided with him. That cost both of us our ships. Maybe I'll swing by Achenar, I guess it depends what happens with the Emperor. I'm no great fan of the Empire, but it seems we're likely to get either a royal wedding or a state funeral sometime soon. It would be something to be able to say that I was there for such a momentous event. Something to tell the grand kids. Heck what am I talking about, I'm not even in a relationship, let alone having any kids. That's something else to think about.

 

[insanephoton]

Achenar was an interesting experience. Capitol is a beautiful place and the people were friendly but there was a strange atmosphere. You could sense the tension. People are worried about what the future holds. The Emperor's failing health is the greatest concern. There are many that have genuine affection for him. The question of the succession looms heavy on people's minds. If the Emperor doesn't marry Florence there would be serious questions about the legitimacy of Arissa's claim. I'm not sure how much support Senators Patreus and Torvalds can really rely on. Sure they are popular but I fear either of them would be a disaster as a ruler. That leaves Aisling. With her father ruled out by supposedly being incapable, she has a the best claim to rule as Princess Regent. I suspect that the traditionalists find her views too radical and would oppose her at every turn.
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Business wise Achenar was a bit of a loss. As a service economy, the only thing it produces seems to be hydrogen fuel. There's little profit in hauling it so I left empty handed. I've been doing some more survey work along with a few trades and some bounty hunting. Unfortunately I've had to replace my ship again after an incident with an Anaconda in a dark asteroid field. Careless flying on my part, I really hate being spaced. The bounty hunting has boosted my combat rating to Competent, which is nice. I do wonder how some pirates make a living or even survived long enough to threaten me. Many of them don't seem to have much sense. I've had people with no shields attack me and others attack me in full view of the local cops.

 

[insanephoton]

Lately I've been working the Fed/Imp border systems. It seems I'm still persona no grata with the Feds. Fortunately it's only an 'Unfriendly' rating, I'd hate to see what happens if they decide to push it to 'Hostile'. It's the little things, like regularly getting interdicted by the cops or the snarky greeting when I ask for docking permission. It'd be easier to ignore if the Feds didn't control so many systems. I really ought to put some serious effort in improving my relations with them. Having said that, the Fed Navy 'Black Ops' guys don't seem to care, they even gave me a promotion last week. It was an odd thing. Someone in Tenche wanted me to source some personal weapons for them, I had some dud leads but finally found a dealer in an Anarchy system. Trouble was the time limit had expired so they didn't want them any more so I had to smuggle them into another station to sell on the black market. Maybe that impressed their colleagues enough that they gave me an easier task of sourcing Non Lethal weapons and then the promotion.

 

[insanephoton]

Now the strangest thing happened to me last week. I was ill , really sick, not just a touch of food poisoning from eating at a dodgy canteen sick. I was out of it for days, running a high fever, hallucinations and I had the craziest dreams. I dreamt I was a woman, still a pilot though and ships cost just 100 cr. Still don't know what caused it, all the medic s could do was keep me on a drip until the fever broke.

I'm feeling better now and looking for something to do. I did get an invitation to some kind of race when I was ill. The details were a little hazy, but I decided against it this time. I need to earn some credits and racing tends to be expensive. Maybe next time. I might help out with the appeal for metals to build a new station up at Yembo.

 

[insanephoton]

So the appeal thing at Yembo is over. I did a few trading runs to it but got distracted by surveying some of the surrounding systems. I hauled just over 200 tonnes of metal and apparently that put me in the top 70% of participants. I was just a tiny part of it as they managed to collect over 8.1 million tonnes of metal. This means that they reached tier 3 whatever that means. I guess if I really wanted to know I'd head over to HIP 101110 where they are going to build it. There were many reports of piracy in the Yembo system during the appeal, but I never saw anything. Maybe I wasn't there at the right time or perhaps a well armed Cobra was a less appealing target than a Type 6.
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That's not to say that I didn't have any trouble with pirates. Some lowlife with a deadly rating interdicted me with his Sidey. He was pretty good for a non Pilots Federation flyer. Maybe I didn't give him enough respect at first because of his ship but he did some serious damage to my ship with his cannons. Even broke my canopy. Fortunately I was able to finish him off quickly before I had to run to the nearest station. The Remlok was a lifesaver but it's still tricky to do stuff when a large chunk of you HUD is missing.
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I'm not sure what to do next. All my survey work has upped my exploration rating to 'Trailblazer' which is pretty cool. Maybe I'll take that further, I've got a target in mind of a relatively close system that I know is supposed to have a black hole in it. If I go there and then strike out into the void it would be a worthwhile trip. On the other hand it might be a good idea to stay in civilised space and work on my relations with the Feds as it can be quite tiresome being constantly harassed by the cops. That's something for me to ponder.

 

[insanephoton]

I'm feeling a bit conflicted right now. I had to call in at a station for repairs after some psycho had a crack at me in an uninhabited system. Not sure what he had against me, although I do seem to have annoyed some pirates. Anyway to cut a long story short he died after trying to plaster his Eagle all over my Cobra. I checked on GalNet and read the story about the outbreak on Furbaide. I really want to help them as they were good to me, but I'm about equidistant from Furbaide and my target system. I really get the feeling I'm getting close to the edge of civilisation out here. I think most of this region has been scanned before or Columbused as some explorers say, So there is no rush to get there. On the other hand many of these crises blow up and get resolved before most people even notice. I'm worried that the whole thing might be over before I even got there.
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Another thing is that I seem to have a stalker. Terry Negus has been following me for a long time. I don't know who he is or what he wants, but however far I've flown he keeps turning up. That being said I think I might have given him the slip. I last saw him outside of an independent station and he was wanted with a 500cr bounty. He had to get out of Dodge pretty fast or the cops would have had him. That combined with the fact that I'm not travelling near any major population hubs may have been enough to finally shake him off.

 

[insanephoton]

I reached my target. My reasons for going to Beta Hydrae are several. It started with me misreading a permit I got as a reward from the Fed black ops guys. The permit was actually for Beta Hydri which is a completely different system. Although I soon realised my mistake I was intrigued by the system. I thought it would make a good first deep space journey. I know that seasoned explorers will laugh and say that's just on the doorstep. Well you have to start somewhere. It was also my first chance to see a black hole and a neutron star. It's only a small black hole and not much to see but it was still an unsettling experience. Looking into the utter blackness and thinking about the vast forces inside freaked me out a little.
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I had decided to try and reach Betelgeuse but ran into some trouble. It's amazing that you still encounter pirates this far out. Maybe they're off their heads on onionhead or just plain crazy. What sane pirate thinks that someone 200 ly from the nearest station will be carrying any cargo? Actually it wasn't really the pirates, though one did manage to do a little damage by interdicting me when I was taking a bio break. It was my own fault. I got careless and pulled an Icarus just because I was still annoyed by a pirate attack. I could have avoided it but pushed on when I shouldn't have. Reduced my hull integrity down to 57%. I decided that it was too risky to continue in that state so I plotted a course to the nearest station. I even found a completely uncharted system on the way in. Overall this little trip was quite successful. The data earned more than enough to cover my repair bills. Once my ship repaired I'll continue my journey.

 

[insanephoton]

I'm on my way home from Betelgeuse. The red giant was a spectacular sight but it very nearly killed me. I got a little close while trying to survey the planets. Three of them are in the scooping zone. I tried to take a short cut to one and started overheating. This was the worst Icarus event I've had. The star is so vast that I'd nearly cooked my ship by the time I had got to a safe distance. I don't know if I can get to civilisation or not. I had a scare on the outbound journey running into some badlands so I'm checking my route carefully for scoopable stars. I think the mnemonic was KGB FOAM. Still getting some crazy pirates interdicting me even out this far. I'm about 300 ly from the nearest station. I just need to be careful and maybe stay lucky. One mistake could prove fatal.

 

[insanephoton]

Got back safely to civilisation. As I was waiting for my ship to be repaired, I checked GalNet. It seems that Sirius Corp wants exploration data. I decided to go over to Lambda Andromadae and sell my data. Got a good price for it which more than covered my repair bill. Even confirmed a few more 'first person to scan' discoveries. It's nice to know that my name will always be on the galactic map. Anyway the bottom line is that this is a short term drive for data. When it's over I'm guaranteed 30k at the very least, maybe more depending on my contribution. They also said something about be able to by Asps at a discounted price for a few days. Now I haven't got the money for an Asp, at least not without selling my ship, but maybe I could sc together enough funds in time. My exploration rank is now up to Pathfinder which is nice.
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I heard about another appeal on GalNet, something about the Feds wanting to build a new capital ship. I know my relationship with them is still not good, so maybe it will help improve things if I take part. At the very least I should find some systems to scan for the Sirius Corp thing on the way over.

 

[insanephoton]

For reasons best known to themselves, the shipbuilders want copper, vast amounts of it. I made one delivery without any problems and went off looking for some systems to survey. I made another delivery the following day, but it was a much more fraught affair. Some Imperial leaning pirate groups were trying to blockade the system. I got through but the price of copper was so low there was hardly any profit in it. I don't think I'll bother anymore, I'm not a charity.
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I did some more survey work and nearly lost my ship in the rush to get back before the deadline. I was one jump away from Lambda Andromadae without enough fuel to reach it. Fortunately there was a system with a scoopable star close enough to save my skin. Note to self, be more careful with fuel levels. They gave me a 150k bonus for all the data I turned in above the sell price. They've even got a discount on Asps running all week. I'm tempted, but don't have the funds yet. We'll see if I can sc together enough in time.
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It's funny that there's a civil war in the same system. looking for a change of pace, I joined in for the Federation leaning faction. Maybe it will give me some brownie points with them as they still consider me as 'unfriendly'. I was doing well until overconfidence struck. Going after that one last Cobra did for me. He friends ambushed me and I was in real trouble. I managed to play dead and lose them, but a lucky shot had wrecked my thrusters. Reluctantly I had to abandon my ship. Maybe I should learn how to fix these things? I'll have to look into that.

 

[insanephoton]

I picked up an Asp yesterday. The guys from Sirius Corp were good to their word and sold it a significant discount. It's just a basic setup at the moment and it looks like I'll have to spend a fortune to get her up to a really good spec, but that's ships for you. I spent millions on my Cobra and could maybe still spend a couple more. One thing I am glad of is that in the end I didn't have to sell my Cobra. I wasn't sure if I could raise the funds in time as survey work doesn't pay that well and I wasn't really making enough from haulage jobs and trading. As it was I had a little bit of luck. I read something on GalNet about these five systems being terraformed by some corporation. Apparently all five had run into some shortages of certain goods. I only managed to deliver stuff to two of them but both of them paid a 500k bonus to everyone who helped. So a cool million for delivering a couple of ship loads of stuff, maybe if I heard earlier I could have delivered to all five and picked up 2.5 million. I got talking to some of the other pilots and one of them gave me a tip about a couple of places selling rare goods. I hadn't dabbled with them before, but boy do I wish I'd got into them earlier. You might have to fly a couple of hundred light years to get the best price but 15k profit per tonne is not to be sniffed at.
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I'm taking things easy for a few days. I don't know if I'm coming down with that fever again or just having flashbacks. I've been having the strange dreams again only this time I was still me. This time I think all of the ships are only 100cr and I 've seen some things you don't see around here. There were Vulture fighters, maybe it's because I heard they were due to go back on sale soon. it seems that Core Dynamics has fixed the problem with the canopies that caused them to be recalled in the first place.

 

[insanephoton]

Things have been eventful. I ended up coming home back to the Founders World. I hadn't much thought about it since I left, but I was in the area and it struck me that if I was going to keep more than one ship it would make sense to keep them all in the same place. Jameson Memorial seems as good a place as any since every module is available at a discount. I nearly got back in favour with the Feds. For a brief moment I was back to being neutral and then I got scanned while carrying so illegally salvaged goods so it's back to square one with them.

 

[insanephoton]

The strange thing about that incident with the Feds was that I was doing them a favour at the time. It started as a contract from the authorities in Lambda Andromadae to recover a sensitive cargo. Someone from one of the Federal affiliated factions in a neighbouring system approached me and warned that bad things would happen if I completed the job and I should turn the cargo over to them instead. That's what I was doing when I got scanned. I might have gotten away with it if some numpties in a T9 and an Orca hadn't been blocking the station entrance.
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As it is, I've been doing some rares trading and even got involved with some Onionhead smuggling. All this is helping me fit out my Asp for exploration. I've still got a way to go on that , but I really want to head back out into the void soon.

 

[insanephoton]

Finally I'm out in the void again. The nearest station is 250 ly away and that was pretty remote. I'm not sure why the Feds have a station at 17 Draconis but it's handy for explorers. Once I'd fitted out my Asp for exploration I took it for a shakedown run to Paradiso Outpost in 17 Draconis, As everything seemed okay I've headed out in the direction of the Orion Nebula.
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In some ways it's a relief to be a long way from humanity. I've seen a lot of it's dark side recently. I got involved in the recent conflict in Lugh. I've got no great feelings for either side, on the one hand there was a bunch of religious fanatics backed by a variety of corporate chancers and on the other we had the Federation. I found it costly and yet lucrative. I lost my ship once in a combat zone, to be honest it was a mistake going there. I made good money running guns for both sides and smuggling intel for the CSG. Unfortunately the gunrunning cost me another ship as I was interdicted by a CSG privateer. He didn't actually destroy my ship but it overheated as I had to use silent running to escape him. I managed to get into FSD but the heat had gone up to 400%.
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Overall I did well out of the conflict which is probably more than can be said for the people there. Overtiredness and carelessness cost me another Asp and an Eagle. Both were toast rack accidents after sloppy approaches and being inattentive or over eager. The Asp got stuck in the toast rack so the authorities destroyed it to keep the station entrance clear. I took my Eagle out for a trip and found out a good reason why I don't use it. They really aren't good for long haul trips. That made me tired and I misjudged things so was in a similar situation as the Asp, however I panickedand hit boost to try and free my ship and that proved too much for it.

 

[insanephoton]

It's been a while. I wasn't out too long, maybe a week or two. I didn't have much of a plan so it's not much of a surprise that I didn't quite follow it. First thing was that I diverted to the Pleiades Nebula. It was kind of on the way so why not. I must say that it was a surprise to meet another commander out there, 500 ly from civilisation. The trouble with nebulae is that they are very popular with explorers so not much to discover. That being said, they are still worth visiting for their sheer beauty. I took in the Orion nebula then headed through Barnard's Loop and into the Horsehead nebula. The views were spectacular. After heading out into the black and picking up a host of undiscovered stuff, I had to head for home . Minor problems with the food dispenser were a deciding factor.
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Back in civilised space I headed into Imperial space for a change. I broke my personal rule and got involved with local politics. I was one of those that helped Aisling's Angels collect over a million Imperial slaves to be freed. My own contribution was rather modest, but I guess I can be proud that over two hundred people were released because of my actions..
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[insanephoton]

I'm gearing up to go out again. This time it's the big one, the Sag A trip. I know it's been done a thousand times before, but why not? It's a crazy idea I know, but it all started with the BuckyBall run. I entered the last one and it got expensive. I totalled 3 or 4 Asps with careless docking or undocking. At least I managed to post a semi-ok time. Anyway the guys got talking in the bar and the idea grew. Kind of a race from Sol to Sag A. Now I doubt that I'll be able to top the leader boards, but like all the Buckyball runs, it's the taking part that counts.
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Away from the race crowd, I did some work for the other Imperial princess. She wanted metal to build a fleet of Clippers. Who am I to argue with that especially when I was turning a profit. Upshot of all that activity was that everyone that helped was offered a serious discount on buying a Clipper. By serious I mean several millions off the cost price. It just so happened that I could afford one. I had to do a few jobs and grease some palms to get to the requisite rank, but I'm now a Baron and the proud owner of an Imperial Clipper while currently friendly with the Empire. I've had to leave her at Nu. I really don't want to take her out without properly upgrading her. It's going to cost a small fortune but I'll leave that for another day.