The Adventures of a SpaceGoblin: in pictures!

[SpaceGoblin]

CMDRs log Episode 14: A Fistful of Credits.

Switched over to Joele for the trip back to the bubble - those looong jump legs will make the trip that little bit faster. Departing Cyllene Orbital in the Atlas system I am soon back at my spiritual home - Kaku Orbital, Chemaku system, where I set out from in my first Sidewinder a little over three years ago.


Travelogue montage:

Upon arrival I call up the directory of all my ships, wherever they are. Quite a few. I call my original, now engineered, Sidey, my Viper, Cobra IV, T6 and Euryale to Kaku Orbital. The rest - a second Cobra IV kitted up for mining and an Asp-X I never really got along with - are sold off for a quick injection of funds to my account.

I'm feeling like a change of pace before I get to hauling superconductors to Klimuk Ring in Guaras, but my Viper III is going to be 40 minutes getting here. Well, I have plenty of money now...


So this happened:

I'd had my eye on a Vulture for when I got back from my xeno-archaeology kick, anyway. Was just delayed a little.

A few jumps to a secluded little system where I wont be bothered for a while, and I'm soon swooping between the local Feds, blazing away with a burst laser on one hardpoint, and multi-cannon on the other.

Sure, its only a High-Res, and I'm using the Feds to cover my derriere, but I've been a meat-popcicle for a while, the reflexes are a little mushy still. Thats my excuse, and I'm sticking by it.


Pew-pew-pew:

Without further comment:

Dakka-dakka-dakka:

BooOoooOoom:

A couple of 40ish minute sessions and I'm sitting on 4.5McR in bounty vouchers, so I cash in the half that aren't Federal, and head off to hand teh Federal bounties in at the Core Dynamics office in Guaras.


Back to Chemaku:

I can see I'm going to have to get the 3rd party after-market body-kit for this ship.

Back at Chemaku, the Bacon Whale has arrived, so its a short hop to a neighbouring system for a hold full of superconductors to also drop off in Guaras, whilst the market price is inflated and additional rewards are on offer.


The Bacon Whale in its natural habitat:

Cruising to Klimuk:

Dropping out at the station after the long super-cruise (about 250k ls, iirc), I'm surprised to see a space-dock facility building a Federal Corvette.


Spacedock:

On the way out-bound a couple or three hauls later (it was a short hop Chemaku-Guaras, seemed rude not to, and got me off the bottom reward rung) I realise thats not a Federal Corvette. Its a capital ship. And they're not building it. Its being repaired. I have a bad feeling about this.


Ill omen:

Everywhere I go, it seems, reminders of the coming storm. I probably shouldn't be surprised, given that this resource drive is in direct response to that phenomenon...

Perhaps this was a bad idea.

Am I just making a bad situation worse by helping Core Dynamics replace lost ships? And for what, a fistful of credits and a chance to buy some of those ships at a discount price?

Is that wise? Is it wise not to? Will it matter either way if the Thargoids decide its time to get serious?

Maybe its time to get away from civilization, at least for a while. Do some proper exploring. Go far enough, and back, to impress Prof Palin. Maybe learn some of the things he has found during his Thargoid studies.

But first, a chore to perform. As well as a Vulture, I've long had eyes for the Imperial Courier, and by all accounts is a fine, fast, if a little small, ship.

So back to Joele, and heading out Eurybia way, see if I can persuade the Empire to sell me one.


En-route to Imperial servitude:

Fly safe CMDRs o7

 

[SpaceGoblin]

CMDRs log Episode 15: Imperial Service.

I do the first run Eurybia - somwhere beginning with N - Scylla in trysty old Joele.

Here I discover the inhabitted parts of the Scylla system are 250k ls out from the primary. Oh well. I can browse the info-net on the cruise.

I also decide something a little faster than Joele is in order.

So one short hop later, meet...


The Raven:

A nice looking ship, and pretty fast, if a little short on jump range. But thats ok, these systems are close together.


Boosting out of mass-lock:

What followed was about four or five hours of collecting data missions for Imperial aligned factions, sometimes cross-logging the data-boards to get a full set. Well, usually 15-18 before I figured that was close enough.

I'll show the rest of The Raven's work in images and captions.


Coming in to dock:

Danger! Keep Clear!

Its full of stars!

Nagel City, Scylla system:

I have to say it wasn't the most gripping work I've ever done.


But I achieved the desired result:

Then I decided what I really want is an Imperial Clipper. because I haven't suffered enough.

Well, ok, but if I'm going to do this, I need a better location. The info-net offers up Mainini and its neighbour, two close systems with sinle outpost, within 1k ls of the star. Its not far. Ok, lets go!


The BLoop blesses the new plan:

Busy busy, work work:

Nice day for it:

Despite doing the data shuttle shuffle across two more sessions of roughly four hours each, I didn't take many pictures. Eventually, long after I was fit to give up, I achieve my objective.


The Baroness:

Luckily, I've never been much enamoured of the Cutter. I don't have any more of this drudgery in me. The Baroness is the only large class ship I've ever flown, and is likely to remain so for the forseable future. I have an eye towards acquiring a Python at some point, a medium ship, but nothing larger is on my mind.

This chore behind me, I make with all speed back to Chemaku, to summon any remaining ships back there, and decide my next venture.


Fly safe CMDRs o7

 

[SpaceGoblin]

Meta thoughts on episode 15:

This was me seeing how the other half lives. It was not fun. I'm glad I've got the ships, but never again.

A few hours here and there for progress' sake, sure. But not a continuous hour on hour, session after session grind.

Gave me flashbacks to "First, kill 10,000 cultists". I never did finish that grind, either [where is it]

Fly safe CMDRs o7

 

[SpaceGoblin]

CMDRs log Episode 16: To the middle distance, and beyond!

Alright, time to go exploring. And it happens that Alliance outposts in the California Nebula are asking for help, so that seems like a good direction to head in.


Observing CME event whilst refueling:

I briefly flirted with changing the 'spoiler' on Euryale, but changed it back before leaving the bubble. It just didn't look right.

Onwards, there are the 'bark cones' to go and look at, and I wonder what the 'sky' will look like from inside the nebula.


I must remember to turn HUD orbit lines off:

Its also closer to the BLoop, and inevitably it seems I am headed there.

I have said since I started investigating the Guardian ruins that Barnards Loop is important in all of this. Maybe thats why I'm obssessed with it.

Maybe I say its important because I'm obssessed with it.


A rather angry looking planet:

I don't take the direct route. I angle up, arcing out of the galactic plane, hoping to find previously uncharted systems to catalogue.

I'm not in a hurry, plenty of time before the Alliance situation in the Califonia Nebula resolves.


Stellar gas station:

All of the systems so far have been discovered and tagged - I find a few planets here and there that have not been claimed, and scan them.

I leave some unscanned, for the next wave of explorers.


Random planetfall, to stretch my, err, wheels:

Still not discovered an untouched system. Onwards, press on.


There's something about white stars:

A bruised planet:

Nice flares:

Another jump, another honk.

Wait.

This one is uncharted...


Fly safe CMDRs o7

 

[SpaceGoblin]

CMDRs log Episode 17: Wredguia GJ-D B12-0, a system to call my own.

Almost directly above the California Nebula, I have found what I was hoping for - an uncharted system.


Wredguia GJ-D B12-0:

Its a nice compact system, too, so it shouldn't take long to survey!

I did toy with the idea of going down tho the surface of every planet, since they are all landable. Another time, perhaps. For now, I am focused on getting everything scanned, taking pictures of all of the planets for posterity, and getting to a Cartography Office asap to make sure my discovery sticks.


System primary:

Clockwise from top left - Planet 1, Planet 2, Moon 2A, Planet 3:

The BLoop emerges from behind the moon:

Clockwise from top left - Planet 4, Moon 4A, Planet 5, refuelling:

A quick dash down to California Sector BV-Y c7, and I'm able to dock at Darwin Research Facility and sell my exploration data for a tidy 1.5 McR, but more importantly get my name emblazoned across the whole Wredguia GJ-D b12-0 system!


On approach to Darwin:

Coming in to land:

Emblazoned:

So far this has been a very successful expedition, and its barely even started.


Fly safe CMDRs o7

 

[SpaceGoblin]

Meta thoughts on episode 17:

The real reason, of course, for taking pictures of all the planets is so I can come back and see how they have changed after Beyond Q1 drops.

I'm going to try and get back and noodle around on the surface of all of them, too, see how that compares, too.

With the beta announcement, I figure I have until late Feb, at least.

Fly safe CMDRs o7

 

[Jaffz]

bump

Cool thread

Although she's a munter