Here is my first attempt at an exploration log with a little bit of story added in.
Exploration Log Namaste - 1
I've taken my first test flights in Namaste, my exploration fitted ASP. She's a wonderful ship that purrs at me every time I open the throttle and I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with this elegant Lady.
Preface:
I have finally made my way to Alioth to pick up my A5 FSD at Melbourne Park. It's the last piece of puzzle before our trek into the black. It might say something about me, but I watched the FSD get fitted into my lady and found the experience a bit puzzling. I can't put my finger on what was bothering me, but it was enough for me to take note of the service mech's operation number, MPO-27FP. I've sent a comm to a trusted friend back in G 122-60. Maybe it's nothing, but I'm not sure .
I know that I should trust the professionalism of my Alliance brothers, but as I move around the Starport I have the strange feeling that I'm being followed. Could some of the Jet Rats have shadowed me here? Based on my efforts to eradicate these pirates in G 122-60, I know that they have placed a KoS bounty on me. I can't count the number of times that Wings of these scum have jumped me while I was in my Viper.
My intuition was right, I have a tail. I visited a few merchants for some comfort items over the last few days and noticed a blonde woman that has spoken with almost all of the clerks that I've been chatting up. I didn't think much of it at first, but on the second day I saw a brunette that caught my attention. There was something familiar about her. I couldn't place it at first, then I looked at the vid caps I had taken of the blonde... it's her posture, her mannerisms. I have no doubt this is the woman that has been me and she is definitely trying to conceal her identity.
I have two final jumps before heading out. Between the Federation and the Empire there's a cool million creds with my name on it and I'm not going to let them collect interest on my bounty while I'm away. Namaste has over a 34ly jump range, so I'm hoping that if I make a quick jump to the Federation system of Sheela Na Gig for my first payday and then hop down to the Imperial system Liaedin, I can collect my creds and lose my shadow.
I've made my jump to S N G and collected my Fed bounty. I've noticed something odd. My Paint is at 100% so I didn't land too roughly, but for some unknown reason my hull is at 99%. The Mitchell Hub doesn't have repair facilities so I'll just have to get it tuned up at Kohl Terminal in Liaedin.
I had a fuel scoop in my old Adder a month back, so I have some prior experience with scooping, but since Liaedin will be a couple of hops I might as well reacquaint myself with the process. What a blast! This new scoop reminds me of the VacMech I saw back in Duke Poncington's estate. (I can't ever remember his real name... he was such a prat.) I actually chuckled at how fast it slurped up the fuel.
My hyperspace jumps have been flawless, but I had an issue with my supercruise overshooting Kohl Terminal. I know what you're saying... it happens all the time, blah, blah, blah, but I can't help reflecting on that service mech back at Melbourne Park. I might be over sensitive, but I think I'm hearing a rattle since the FSD upgrade as well.
Now that I've turned in my bounties and have a friendly relationship here with the Empire, I have to get that hull checked out.
I'm bypassing the service mechs here. My contacts have put me in touch with a friendly local named Max. I've had him check out my hull problem and he doesn't have an answer for me. He's run his diagnostics and can't find the source of the issue. I've watched him move the hull health to 100% and click confirm five times without any improvement. He even called his old man over to look and got verbally abused right up to the point when the old man started mumbling something about shoddy equipment and back in his day, grumble, grumble grumble. I think I just learned a few new curses...
I haven't seen my shadow since arriving in Liaedin, but maybe they brought a local asset into play and I haven't been able to pin them down yet. Could there be a tracker on my hull causing the integrity issue?
Now I'm just getting paranoid.
I think I'm going to be spending one more day here before I begin my journey. I have some family and friends that I promised I would VidComm before I head out and Max's old man invited me to their pod for dinner. Funny thing is I don't even know his name. Max always refers to him as Pops, Grumpy or some other appellation beginning with old, but it's always with a smile on his face.
These are some good people. Just being around Max and his family has lightened my mood considerably. Pops wife's name is Sue and I think she is the cheeriest person I've ever met. Oh and wouldn't you know it he actually told me to call him Pops. You won't believe this, Sue actually cooks food for the family.... Cooks! They even converted a back room into a hydroponics bay. How am I going to be able to stomach that artificial crap in my ship after partaking in this ambrosia?
Heard something that almost made me delay my voyage. We were sitting drinking some bourbon when we heard some news about an upcoming Political Powerplay. When I wondered out loud whether I should delay my voyage, Pops told me not to be daft. I didn't even know people still used that word and Max almost snorted perfectly wonderful bourbon out his nose.
I was able to VidComm my family tonight and was a little disturbed when my brother unsuccessfully tried to get in touch with my contact in G 122-60. I really don't know what to make of that news. On a lighter note, my nephew has asked me to keep a log of my journey. He's taking a psychology course and is endlessly curious. I've never had a journal or diary before and he asked me to just put in whatever comes to mind along with exploration notes. The sneaky little devil also told me he hid 7 packages on my ship. He told me the location of one and what it contains, but the others are for me to find. I didn't really believe him since he told me the first package contains pen and paper... where did he get actual paper from?
Wouldn't you know it, the little was telling the truth. This night has been full of surprises.
So here is the beginning of my hand written log. I've decided that, while my scientific data will be wholly accurate and what I choose to write in this journal will be my unfiltered thoughts, I must change names to protect the innocent and might on occasion omit sensitive data until I deem it safe to reveal.
My plan is to hand write the log and also upload it into Namaste's data stores as a backup.
I was just about to hit the sack when I received a coded missive from my contact in G 122-60. He's confirmed my fears, I'm being followed. He's attached a picture of my mystery woman, only now she has deep burgundy hair. This looks more natural on her than the other colors I've seen and since he has been unable to uncover her name I've been thinking of her as Red. That's interesting, his sources have discovered no affiliation with the Jet Rats. Why is this woman following me? Could she be associated with the Empire or Federation?
Max has spent the last hour trying to convince me to see a friend of his back in Alioth. This hull aberration seems to bother him almost as much as me. His contact, Meg, is an Experimental Engineer at the Donaldson Starport. I'm a little nervous heading back there, but Max is confident that she can help me. I'll be honest, part of me will be happy to call Alioth the starting point for my journey. I feel my Alliance compatriots aren't getting enough recognition in this Galaxy and I know this is where I'll deliver my collected data when my trek is complete
Day 1 – Final Preperation
I've made the quick hop back to Alioth and Meg is certainly a woman of determined focus. I was barely out of my ship when she introduced herself to me and ask if she could dive into my hull problem. I slowed her down long enough to discretely hand over the bio-encrypted data cache that Max provided for our meeting. I had heard stories about these devices, but had never seen one before. Needless to say once she was able to access the message I was sure of her identity. It seems like every time I visit a Starport my questions just seem to multiply. How in the hell does Max have access to a data cache with this level of encryption? There seems to be more to that man than I originally thought.
Well, Meg is as baffled as the rest of us. She thinks it's possible that it's just a diagnostic bug, but her expression makes me think she's holding something back. I can't delay any longer. We both noticed that we're being observed and the quicker I get this show on the road, the better. We didn't get into specifics, but I'm going to make 6 max distance hops as quickly as possible. The combination of Namaste's range and the inconsistency of their trajectory should serve the purpose of losing anyone attempting to track me.
I can't believe this, Meg just informed me that she added an experimental remote control ascertainment probe to my ship. After hearing it's name for the third time, I had to stop her. There is no way I can let her continue saying that mouthful. Once she explained the probe's ability to circumnavigate my ship, her word not mine, and it's ability to capture high resolution images that would automatically upload into my data stores, the name came to me... Re.C.A.P. The first time I said the name, this meter and a half tall slip of a woman actually punched me. It caught me completely by surprise, but then she smirked. She hasn't said as much, but I think she likes the name. I heard her say it under her breath a couple of times nodding all the while.
We said our quick good byes and Meg handed me an odd silver coin. She caught my expression and answered the question before it left my lips 'A silver coin placed under the masthead ensures a successful voyage. ' It was an old superstition that her family has handed down over the generations.
I'm not an emotional man, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't touched by this simple gesture.
Exploration Log Namaste - 1
I've taken my first test flights in Namaste, my exploration fitted ASP. She's a wonderful ship that purrs at me every time I open the throttle and I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with this elegant Lady.
Preface:
I have finally made my way to Alioth to pick up my A5 FSD at Melbourne Park. It's the last piece of puzzle before our trek into the black. It might say something about me, but I watched the FSD get fitted into my lady and found the experience a bit puzzling. I can't put my finger on what was bothering me, but it was enough for me to take note of the service mech's operation number, MPO-27FP. I've sent a comm to a trusted friend back in G 122-60. Maybe it's nothing, but I'm not sure .
I know that I should trust the professionalism of my Alliance brothers, but as I move around the Starport I have the strange feeling that I'm being followed. Could some of the Jet Rats have shadowed me here? Based on my efforts to eradicate these pirates in G 122-60, I know that they have placed a KoS bounty on me. I can't count the number of times that Wings of these scum have jumped me while I was in my Viper.
My intuition was right, I have a tail. I visited a few merchants for some comfort items over the last few days and noticed a blonde woman that has spoken with almost all of the clerks that I've been chatting up. I didn't think much of it at first, but on the second day I saw a brunette that caught my attention. There was something familiar about her. I couldn't place it at first, then I looked at the vid caps I had taken of the blonde... it's her posture, her mannerisms. I have no doubt this is the woman that has been me and she is definitely trying to conceal her identity.
I have two final jumps before heading out. Between the Federation and the Empire there's a cool million creds with my name on it and I'm not going to let them collect interest on my bounty while I'm away. Namaste has over a 34ly jump range, so I'm hoping that if I make a quick jump to the Federation system of Sheela Na Gig for my first payday and then hop down to the Imperial system Liaedin, I can collect my creds and lose my shadow.
I've made my jump to S N G and collected my Fed bounty. I've noticed something odd. My Paint is at 100% so I didn't land too roughly, but for some unknown reason my hull is at 99%. The Mitchell Hub doesn't have repair facilities so I'll just have to get it tuned up at Kohl Terminal in Liaedin.
I had a fuel scoop in my old Adder a month back, so I have some prior experience with scooping, but since Liaedin will be a couple of hops I might as well reacquaint myself with the process. What a blast! This new scoop reminds me of the VacMech I saw back in Duke Poncington's estate. (I can't ever remember his real name... he was such a prat.) I actually chuckled at how fast it slurped up the fuel.
My hyperspace jumps have been flawless, but I had an issue with my supercruise overshooting Kohl Terminal. I know what you're saying... it happens all the time, blah, blah, blah, but I can't help reflecting on that service mech back at Melbourne Park. I might be over sensitive, but I think I'm hearing a rattle since the FSD upgrade as well.
Now that I've turned in my bounties and have a friendly relationship here with the Empire, I have to get that hull checked out.
I'm bypassing the service mechs here. My contacts have put me in touch with a friendly local named Max. I've had him check out my hull problem and he doesn't have an answer for me. He's run his diagnostics and can't find the source of the issue. I've watched him move the hull health to 100% and click confirm five times without any improvement. He even called his old man over to look and got verbally abused right up to the point when the old man started mumbling something about shoddy equipment and back in his day, grumble, grumble grumble. I think I just learned a few new curses...
I haven't seen my shadow since arriving in Liaedin, but maybe they brought a local asset into play and I haven't been able to pin them down yet. Could there be a tracker on my hull causing the integrity issue?
Now I'm just getting paranoid.
I think I'm going to be spending one more day here before I begin my journey. I have some family and friends that I promised I would VidComm before I head out and Max's old man invited me to their pod for dinner. Funny thing is I don't even know his name. Max always refers to him as Pops, Grumpy or some other appellation beginning with old, but it's always with a smile on his face.
These are some good people. Just being around Max and his family has lightened my mood considerably. Pops wife's name is Sue and I think she is the cheeriest person I've ever met. Oh and wouldn't you know it he actually told me to call him Pops. You won't believe this, Sue actually cooks food for the family.... Cooks! They even converted a back room into a hydroponics bay. How am I going to be able to stomach that artificial crap in my ship after partaking in this ambrosia?
Heard something that almost made me delay my voyage. We were sitting drinking some bourbon when we heard some news about an upcoming Political Powerplay. When I wondered out loud whether I should delay my voyage, Pops told me not to be daft. I didn't even know people still used that word and Max almost snorted perfectly wonderful bourbon out his nose.
I was able to VidComm my family tonight and was a little disturbed when my brother unsuccessfully tried to get in touch with my contact in G 122-60. I really don't know what to make of that news. On a lighter note, my nephew has asked me to keep a log of my journey. He's taking a psychology course and is endlessly curious. I've never had a journal or diary before and he asked me to just put in whatever comes to mind along with exploration notes. The sneaky little devil also told me he hid 7 packages on my ship. He told me the location of one and what it contains, but the others are for me to find. I didn't really believe him since he told me the first package contains pen and paper... where did he get actual paper from?
Wouldn't you know it, the little was telling the truth. This night has been full of surprises.
So here is the beginning of my hand written log. I've decided that, while my scientific data will be wholly accurate and what I choose to write in this journal will be my unfiltered thoughts, I must change names to protect the innocent and might on occasion omit sensitive data until I deem it safe to reveal.
My plan is to hand write the log and also upload it into Namaste's data stores as a backup.
I was just about to hit the sack when I received a coded missive from my contact in G 122-60. He's confirmed my fears, I'm being followed. He's attached a picture of my mystery woman, only now she has deep burgundy hair. This looks more natural on her than the other colors I've seen and since he has been unable to uncover her name I've been thinking of her as Red. That's interesting, his sources have discovered no affiliation with the Jet Rats. Why is this woman following me? Could she be associated with the Empire or Federation?
Max has spent the last hour trying to convince me to see a friend of his back in Alioth. This hull aberration seems to bother him almost as much as me. His contact, Meg, is an Experimental Engineer at the Donaldson Starport. I'm a little nervous heading back there, but Max is confident that she can help me. I'll be honest, part of me will be happy to call Alioth the starting point for my journey. I feel my Alliance compatriots aren't getting enough recognition in this Galaxy and I know this is where I'll deliver my collected data when my trek is complete
Day 1 – Final Preperation
I've made the quick hop back to Alioth and Meg is certainly a woman of determined focus. I was barely out of my ship when she introduced herself to me and ask if she could dive into my hull problem. I slowed her down long enough to discretely hand over the bio-encrypted data cache that Max provided for our meeting. I had heard stories about these devices, but had never seen one before. Needless to say once she was able to access the message I was sure of her identity. It seems like every time I visit a Starport my questions just seem to multiply. How in the hell does Max have access to a data cache with this level of encryption? There seems to be more to that man than I originally thought.
Well, Meg is as baffled as the rest of us. She thinks it's possible that it's just a diagnostic bug, but her expression makes me think she's holding something back. I can't delay any longer. We both noticed that we're being observed and the quicker I get this show on the road, the better. We didn't get into specifics, but I'm going to make 6 max distance hops as quickly as possible. The combination of Namaste's range and the inconsistency of their trajectory should serve the purpose of losing anyone attempting to track me.
I can't believe this, Meg just informed me that she added an experimental remote control ascertainment probe to my ship. After hearing it's name for the third time, I had to stop her. There is no way I can let her continue saying that mouthful. Once she explained the probe's ability to circumnavigate my ship, her word not mine, and it's ability to capture high resolution images that would automatically upload into my data stores, the name came to me... Re.C.A.P. The first time I said the name, this meter and a half tall slip of a woman actually punched me. It caught me completely by surprise, but then she smirked. She hasn't said as much, but I think she likes the name. I heard her say it under her breath a couple of times nodding all the while.
We said our quick good byes and Meg handed me an odd silver coin. She caught my expression and answered the question before it left my lips 'A silver coin placed under the masthead ensures a successful voyage. ' It was an old superstition that her family has handed down over the generations.
I'm not an emotional man, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't touched by this simple gesture.
