Commander Mag1c signing in.
Aunty Jean,
It has been an arduous 4 days of deep space travel, after losing all of my equipment 6 days ago and almost giving up on a journey that will take me to the stars and back, I cannot let my family down.
I hope everything is doing fine and the farm earning its keep though I guess when I left, it wasn't the best of times, with so many of the stations closing is neighbouring systems, it was getting harder to sell our grain. I was lucky to get anything in Willapa when I last sold my traded goods. I couldn't even buy Tea and Coffee, I hoped to have make at least 30% but with the outbreak and almost quarantine (perhaps it did and I got out just in time) there was very little to gain in traded goods.
I have not seen my wife or 17 children since the 11th August 3303, although it has barely been 6 days since I set off on my voyage using my dead uncle's inheritance as payment to make this possible. Having such a large family as ours makes the journey that more lonely when you're on your own. I could not take any of the children - I could not risk their lives or sanity in this madness - but me - it is my duty to fulfil.
Uncle Olly's ships have all been reliable up until now, trading to get enough money from his favourite ship, the Keelback. Slow and cumbersome it may be, but it truly lives up to its name of Lil'Tank. Thankfully I was able to extend Lil'Tank's shields a bit further, giving me some crazy views of stars so close, you could almost touch them.
Lil'Tank has been great with the traded goods. Not a pirate has been able to break through the shields let alone make a scratch on the hull so you will be pleased to know, it is under cover, having a service and will be awaiting me upon my return.
Unfortunatley, the Asp Explorer I won gambling most of my trading wages against, touched a star a little closer than I would have liked and almost turned me crispy. I kid you not aunty, this was as close to death as I would ever liked to have come. Unfortunately, I had to bail and lost the ship as well as around 10 million credits - I know, I know. Don't gamble and dont go too near stars.
I have learned my lesson. I had just enough credits to buy another and kit her up. Called her "Voyager". Apt I think of what she is doing. Hope she holds out, bought her used from dodgy salesman but I knew what to look for in a good ship and she is that, Aunty. I couldn't risk taking Lil'tank on such a trip, as good as she is and has served our family well over the years, I could not stand to lose her.
Anyway, I had to write to you - I miss everyone back home and I know this is going to be a long, long journey. Doing a full 360 around the Milkyway - it might not work and even if I pull out part way through I will have made my lost credits, many times over but I have to do it - to give honour to our family name, respect to my uncle and a comfortable life for all of my children. If I make it a I promised - I will have made us rich beyond our wildest dreams and have made our family name live on forever in the name of space-travel. Heck, I may get myself a line of ships and become a travel agent!
Unfortunately, at this rate, my journey may take 2 years, though I plan on scanning as many systems as possible (I have done at least a hundred so far) as well as the planets themselves. I have found many terraform-capable new homes for our species and many new mining prospects for the federation though I wish they weren't as greedy as they are. They are at least more organised than the Alliance and Independents though the Empire have been in touch about my journey. I have yet to decide who to sell my data to. I have plenty of time at least.
Aside from the mishap with the first ASP Explorer, I have been listening to your advice whilst on the journey - stay to the outer edge of the galaxy as best as I can - which isn't the very outer as my FSD only reaches 30Ly if doing the fastest route though for now I am sticking to the economical routes so I can stop more for scans. Many have come before me and I have seen their names burned into the stars - but I am making my own mark.
Passenger work has been ok though I have taken a few dodgy passengers - one of which didn't want to be scanned and ejected himself when we did get scanned! I didn't even get paid for that, 400ly round trip too. I wondered why he wanted a reactive suit, he wouldnt supply a reason and I just wanted to get paid. If he had said up front I would have been a little more discrete but what does he expect when you're flying into a federation space station - he could have asked me to go to an outpost where scanning is less likely. The numpty. Other journeys have been fine though, took me a few weeks to earn enough credits to at least kept me fed and warm on my journey and what felt like an Eon taking the odd holiday maker out to see some guisers. Snobs they were, I would land in the system I needed to be and they would turn around and get me to go light years out of my way to pick up "electronic consumer goods" or a ton of tea - what can 6 people do with a ton of tea! I bet they are still ing out of their ears now Aunty hahahaha.
You were right though, combat isn't my forte and besides, I am picking up some skills while I away from home aside from picking fruit back on the farm. I learned how to mine asteroids for ship materials so I can refuel and repair the SRV and talking about the SRV - wowzer - I have had great fun in that thing! Much better than the tractor ! I have landed on some of the most weird and wonderful of places - though I am, thankfully, yet to bump into a Thargoid or any other species - but you never know. There has been news on Galnet about technology being developed to be able to read Thargoid ships. Im hoping by the time I get back, we will be able to afford to sell the farm or maybe turn it into a point of interest for others to come and visit - and be able to, at least, defend our home from any invader - whether Thargoid or pirate. Our pulse lasers are fine for scaring off the individual pirate but if the drug cartels move into the system, we wont have a chance, our power distributor wont be able to manage all of what we have if many of them come at the same time to grow their damned narcotics - and I want us fully-powered up (without the lights flickering!) and able to defend ourselves like a Federal Dropshop.
At the moment, I am about 2,000 Ly from home so pretty far though I have barely scratched the surface into the trip. Never mind. I have many photographs of you all, 5 of my favourites are posted around the cockpit which is where I tend to live at the moment. I am getting my rest and spacing myself out between flight and sleep. I'm only putting in 6-10 hours a day, I may have some benders on the travel where I get bored and put in 12-16 hours and then take a longer break. Wish I had a better fuel scoop, it takes me a good 10 minutes to top up Voyager but it does at least mean I get to rest and write to you.
Take care, say hi to everyone and give all of the little one's a kiss from me.
Anyway - I am going to sign off now Aunty, I have included some photographs of my journey to keep you all entertained until I sign in - hopefully, next week.
Signing off. Commander Mag1c. o7
PS. The photographs will come through "eventually", sub-space imagery takes forever, almost as long as traversing the galaxy !
Aunty Jean,
It has been an arduous 4 days of deep space travel, after losing all of my equipment 6 days ago and almost giving up on a journey that will take me to the stars and back, I cannot let my family down.
I hope everything is doing fine and the farm earning its keep though I guess when I left, it wasn't the best of times, with so many of the stations closing is neighbouring systems, it was getting harder to sell our grain. I was lucky to get anything in Willapa when I last sold my traded goods. I couldn't even buy Tea and Coffee, I hoped to have make at least 30% but with the outbreak and almost quarantine (perhaps it did and I got out just in time) there was very little to gain in traded goods.
I have not seen my wife or 17 children since the 11th August 3303, although it has barely been 6 days since I set off on my voyage using my dead uncle's inheritance as payment to make this possible. Having such a large family as ours makes the journey that more lonely when you're on your own. I could not take any of the children - I could not risk their lives or sanity in this madness - but me - it is my duty to fulfil.
Uncle Olly's ships have all been reliable up until now, trading to get enough money from his favourite ship, the Keelback. Slow and cumbersome it may be, but it truly lives up to its name of Lil'Tank. Thankfully I was able to extend Lil'Tank's shields a bit further, giving me some crazy views of stars so close, you could almost touch them.
Lil'Tank has been great with the traded goods. Not a pirate has been able to break through the shields let alone make a scratch on the hull so you will be pleased to know, it is under cover, having a service and will be awaiting me upon my return.
Unfortunatley, the Asp Explorer I won gambling most of my trading wages against, touched a star a little closer than I would have liked and almost turned me crispy. I kid you not aunty, this was as close to death as I would ever liked to have come. Unfortunately, I had to bail and lost the ship as well as around 10 million credits - I know, I know. Don't gamble and dont go too near stars.
I have learned my lesson. I had just enough credits to buy another and kit her up. Called her "Voyager". Apt I think of what she is doing. Hope she holds out, bought her used from dodgy salesman but I knew what to look for in a good ship and she is that, Aunty. I couldn't risk taking Lil'tank on such a trip, as good as she is and has served our family well over the years, I could not stand to lose her.
Anyway, I had to write to you - I miss everyone back home and I know this is going to be a long, long journey. Doing a full 360 around the Milkyway - it might not work and even if I pull out part way through I will have made my lost credits, many times over but I have to do it - to give honour to our family name, respect to my uncle and a comfortable life for all of my children. If I make it a I promised - I will have made us rich beyond our wildest dreams and have made our family name live on forever in the name of space-travel. Heck, I may get myself a line of ships and become a travel agent!
Unfortunately, at this rate, my journey may take 2 years, though I plan on scanning as many systems as possible (I have done at least a hundred so far) as well as the planets themselves. I have found many terraform-capable new homes for our species and many new mining prospects for the federation though I wish they weren't as greedy as they are. They are at least more organised than the Alliance and Independents though the Empire have been in touch about my journey. I have yet to decide who to sell my data to. I have plenty of time at least.
Aside from the mishap with the first ASP Explorer, I have been listening to your advice whilst on the journey - stay to the outer edge of the galaxy as best as I can - which isn't the very outer as my FSD only reaches 30Ly if doing the fastest route though for now I am sticking to the economical routes so I can stop more for scans. Many have come before me and I have seen their names burned into the stars - but I am making my own mark.
Passenger work has been ok though I have taken a few dodgy passengers - one of which didn't want to be scanned and ejected himself when we did get scanned! I didn't even get paid for that, 400ly round trip too. I wondered why he wanted a reactive suit, he wouldnt supply a reason and I just wanted to get paid. If he had said up front I would have been a little more discrete but what does he expect when you're flying into a federation space station - he could have asked me to go to an outpost where scanning is less likely. The numpty. Other journeys have been fine though, took me a few weeks to earn enough credits to at least kept me fed and warm on my journey and what felt like an Eon taking the odd holiday maker out to see some guisers. Snobs they were, I would land in the system I needed to be and they would turn around and get me to go light years out of my way to pick up "electronic consumer goods" or a ton of tea - what can 6 people do with a ton of tea! I bet they are still ing out of their ears now Aunty hahahaha.
You were right though, combat isn't my forte and besides, I am picking up some skills while I away from home aside from picking fruit back on the farm. I learned how to mine asteroids for ship materials so I can refuel and repair the SRV and talking about the SRV - wowzer - I have had great fun in that thing! Much better than the tractor ! I have landed on some of the most weird and wonderful of places - though I am, thankfully, yet to bump into a Thargoid or any other species - but you never know. There has been news on Galnet about technology being developed to be able to read Thargoid ships. Im hoping by the time I get back, we will be able to afford to sell the farm or maybe turn it into a point of interest for others to come and visit - and be able to, at least, defend our home from any invader - whether Thargoid or pirate. Our pulse lasers are fine for scaring off the individual pirate but if the drug cartels move into the system, we wont have a chance, our power distributor wont be able to manage all of what we have if many of them come at the same time to grow their damned narcotics - and I want us fully-powered up (without the lights flickering!) and able to defend ourselves like a Federal Dropshop.
At the moment, I am about 2,000 Ly from home so pretty far though I have barely scratched the surface into the trip. Never mind. I have many photographs of you all, 5 of my favourites are posted around the cockpit which is where I tend to live at the moment. I am getting my rest and spacing myself out between flight and sleep. I'm only putting in 6-10 hours a day, I may have some benders on the travel where I get bored and put in 12-16 hours and then take a longer break. Wish I had a better fuel scoop, it takes me a good 10 minutes to top up Voyager but it does at least mean I get to rest and write to you.
Take care, say hi to everyone and give all of the little one's a kiss from me.
Anyway - I am going to sign off now Aunty, I have included some photographs of my journey to keep you all entertained until I sign in - hopefully, next week.
Signing off. Commander Mag1c. o7
PS. The photographs will come through "eventually", sub-space imagery takes forever, almost as long as traversing the galaxy !
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