The Collective log of The Dead End's Circumnavigation Expedition

[goemon]

/oc

This is the collective log of the The Dead End's Circumnavigation Expedition. You can find the main thread of the expedition here: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/354475-The-Dead-End-s-Circumnavigation-Expedition
if you have any question concerning the expedition, whether it is on routes, meet-ups, how to join, builds, … please use above thread, as it is off-topic here.

Rules of posting in this thread:

1. In character. NO: “Servers are wonky again… takes me up to 2 minutes per jump.” YES: “I’m making slow progress. Looks as if the frameshift drive’s calculation software has hiccups”.

2. If you are part of the expedition, please include some log-like header, including date and location, if it goes with your character, like:
CMDR goemon
Date: 23. August 3002
Location: Slegou Sector, on board of the Diamondback Explorer KAIKO3000III

3. This thread is mainly for members of the expedition - if you are not part of it, subscribe and enjoy… or write us a FTL-message here, if you really have something to contribute to this log.

4. Anything goes. Whether you log your findings in scientific manners, write about what you left behind, speculate about the indigenous life forms on some earth-like worlds you found, have some insights on space madness, raise philosophical questions on the perspective from the far edge of sol, wonder about how frawd can not fly a sidewinder, are paranoid about an known criminal being part of the expedition… all is up to you, and - to us.

/in

End of May 3003, CMDR Flirble Rasok found himself thinking about doing a circumnavigation trip since some time.

He started working on a route.

A widely respected explorer and well-connected to the exploration community, he somehow felt the need to share - his idea, his route. He wasn’t really sure why - but which explorer is? Maybe to get an opinion on his planning of those few, who had done a successful circumnavigation before him. Maybe to make it really happen, with a departure still some months away… to prepare his exploration vessel for such an endeavour. Maybe his route could be tweaked. Maybe it could be helpfull or even inspirational for other explorers, now, or at some time in the future. Maybe one could meet along the way…

His idea hit a nerve. There was another explorer - strange they hadn’t met before, or not so strange looking at how much time they both have spend many thousand light years from the next inhabited system - who had been thinking about doing a circumnavigation trip since some time. And another. And another one.

What started essentially as a daydream with afterthought, grew to an expedition - The Dead End's Circumnavigation Expedition. This is their collective log.

 

[goemon]

Chapter I

Preparations

- August - October 3002 -

 

[goemon]

CMDR goemon
Date: 1 August 3002
Location: 6 Casiopeia, on board of the Diamondback Explorer KAIKO3000II

Some explorers say the way out is the hardest, other say hardest is the return trip. I never found any of those two particularly difficult. Before leaving I scour some historical astronomical databases in the archives, plan and optimise my newest exploration vessel of choice, work on a potential route, do lists of things i still want to do in inhabited space, whom and what to pay a last visit - and in the middle of those preparations i call it quits, jump into some different exploration vessel, and simply plot a way out … dropping a message to friends and clients “I have left for some time”, and hope the fines pay for them self, dodge the most dedicated bounty hunters on the first couple of jumps before they give up to pursue me, and I’m suddenly 1000 ly away, or 1500 ly, or 3000...

At least this time I’m out with the ship i planned and worked on - i purchased a second Diamondback Explorer hull some weeks ago and christened it KAIKO3000II, as i couldn’t bring me to have my old KAIKO repainted. Too much memories written on it in scratches.

 

[Cdr Voorheez]

#CMDRs log01: Voorheez R. Date: 33030805. Location: Founders World/Shinrarta Dezhra System/Commanders Ward room. Topic: Pre Circumnavigation expedition preparation#

Resting after a long week of permit gathering and engineering. I have decided to recommission my aging Anaconda the "Terra Nova". She is a faithful boat, a veteran of the Distant Worlds expedition of 3302 and as such a ship which has special meaning and purpose to me. The problem I am facing now is her previously 'long' exploration legs are decidedly shorter in comparison to her peers who will be participating on the circumnavigation expedition planned for mid September 3303. This expedition will be the longest and furthest commitment I have ever been mad enough to participate in and as such my ship needs to be suitably engineered to reflect that.

The plan is to keep the exact same build that I used on the Distant Worlds exped, It worked well after all. The build reflects the following:

Light weight power plant
Light weight drive engines
Maximum range FSD
Light weight shields
Light weight fuel tank
Light weight sensors life support and power distributor
Maximum fuel scooping ability
Twin AFMUs
Surface reconnaissance vehicle (SRV)
Cargo hold (64t)
Advanced scanning suites (system and surface)

Engineered modules have improved dramatically in the last 12 months, opening up ranges to explorers unseen before. When I traversed the galaxy in the Terra Nova she was un-engineered with a then mighty 37ly range. Cmdrs now are not wanting to leave 'the bubble' without engineered ranges in excess of 55ly. I have work to do to make the Terra Nova mighty again.

So far I have been lucky. I have managed last week to gain the introduction of certain reclusive engineers. Those being namely Marco Qwent, Selene Jean, Liz Ryder, Lori Jameson and Professor Palin himself. I had already gained the patronage of Felicity Farseer and Elvira Martuuk to give me access to an engineered FSD. This has given me an optimised mass on my aging 6A FSD of 53.4%. Not too shabby and after a good service the veteran drive purrs again. I have additionally enhanced my shields giving me a stronger but lighter defensive suite.

Significant engineering 'wins' have been seen with reference to my power distributor and my sensor suite. For a big ship like the Anaconda to have any boosting ability a 5A distributor is needed, a heavy piece of kit. I have managed to get a 5D distributor engine focussed by 'The Dweller' an engineer residing in the Wyrd system saving me considerable weight and still giving me that all important boost capability. The sensor suite on the Anaconda is huge, an 8D sensor suite weighs 64t. The engineer Lei Cheung managed to reduce this mass to 17.5t, significantly increasing my overall range.

I learned from my experiences on Distant Worlds that replacing the stock 32t fuel tank (a very heavy piece of kit which significantly impacts on overall range) with a 16t tank and then adding 12t in additional tank space gives a capacity of 28t. This is significant as it gives the same jump capacity of a 32t tank but with the added advantage of a weight reduction of 4t increasing overall range.

My main effort now is to squeeze as much range out of available modules as possible utilising the engineers available to me. My current range is now a mighty 63ly but I know I can improve on this by gaining patronage access to Prof Palin Selene Jean and Lori Jameson. These engineers will give me access to a lighter life support module a lighter hull and lighter more efficient drive engines. Hopefully this will happen before the scheduled expedition start date of mid September. Final details of my fully engineered ship will be published to expedition organisers before our launch date.

 

[Han Zulu]

Commander's log Han Zulu.
Star date August 6, 3303. 0622 galactic time.
Honoto system. Kennedy Survey.

D**m dog. I love you little puppy, but on mornings like this, I'm not so sure... Did you really have to wake me up early today? A Sunday? 6 o'clock isn't sleeping in, m'kay. You're the darnest and cutest little puppy, but there's no work today. No transport, massacre, assassination mission to do today. No scanning. No passengers either. Today was the first morning in a long time I had a chance... no, WE had a chance to sleep in, and you had to be this chipper, happy, playful, and so ' cute. Sigh. Oh, well. It's my fault. I did get the other puppy to keep you company, and it's too tempting to the play.

Honoto Advanced Interstella. I work for them now. At least for the moment. My plans are not to stay here forever, but I've been promised to get invited to some engineer who can help me with some of my weapons if I do some jobs for them. "Honoto", what kind'a name is that? This system has a funny name for sure. Honoto. Honoto... It rolls of the tongue quite nicely. Sounds foreign though. Honoto Advanced Interstellar and Honoto Domain are in conflict. And even though there are no missions to be had from HAI (well.. hi there to yourself... *smile*), there's plenty of combat bonds I could do. I heard some rumors about a conflict zone not far from here, just over a 1,000 ls outside some ringed planet. The coffee is almost ready, so after a couple of cups and feeding my puppies, I might just fly over there and get some action. My federal drop ship isn't the best combat ship I've had in the past, but it'll do.

Well, dear log, the day started early but that only gives me a longer day, and hopefully I'll finish my contract and can move on by the end of it. Who knows? We'll see. I heard about a long expedition starting in the fall. It sounds really interesting. A year long circumnavigation around the whole galaxy. The WHOLE GALAXY! It's insane. But cool. That's why I need to find some of these engineers and get invited. They might have some upgrades necessary for my ship, my other ship, the mighty Anaconda. Anyway. I'm stuck here for time being, but it shouldn't be too long before I got all ducks in a row. And the rumors of the hull repair limpets... that might come in handy, but no one seems to know where to get them... it's just a matter of time until I find someone who knows.

Ok. Can't sit here anymore. Got my ship. "Zimvader" I call it. Named it after some ancient kid's show I saw in a museum once. Got enemies to kill. So dear log, talk later.

Zulu out.

 

[Han Zulu]

Commander's log Han Zulu.
Star date August 6, 3303. 0622 galactic time.
Honoto system. Kennedy Survey.

---

log part 2

Woooops! That was a close call if any. Down to 1% hull. ONE ' PERCENT!!! Some jerk had a heat weapon of some kind. He hit me a few times, and my shield was gone completely. Then, of course, some other jerk, or jerks, started to gank on me. Beating the fracking heck out of my hull. But I was quick enough to realize the danger and took a hike. Man, I had to boost 20 times to get out of theirgravity. Must've been some really fat guys giving me that drag.

All is good now though. Got into dock with my single digit, one step away from zero, percent. I'm laughing. And my puppies are laughing. Well, they're laughing because they got some toy they playing with, unaware of the danger we just get out from. Sometimes I wonder if it was such a great idea to get these companions, but hey, you do need some company in the black.

---

log part 3

Debris. Debris. Debris everywhere. Can't find my way for all this annoying debris. I'm so happy I got some upgrades to my ship for this battle. I wouldn't have survived without it. Unfortunately, the ship is clunkier now. It used to move like a cube of ice on a lake of melted butter before, but not anymore. Now, it's more like riding a bike without wheels in mud. But still, it was necessary. It was paper thin before. The shield, the hull, everything was like paper mache. I could have used some scissors, cut a square, and made some origami, without breaking a sweat. That's how thin it was.

Felt good to take out that assault ship. Then a vulture. And a viper. And, and, and... Hahahah!
Sorry dear log, but I feel just a little bit exhilarated. My body is tingling with satisfaction! It was my turn. MY turn to do some butt kicking. And I got it. It was my time. HAH!

Oh, well. Need to do some repair and restock my ammo. Going back to the station. Feels good to be back in the game. Game of butt kicking. HAHAHAHAHA!!!

---

log part 4

What the duck!? Some idiot think he can interdict me on my way back to the station. You know what, you interdick, I'm gonna get ya'!
YEEEHAAA!!!


Heheh. Yeah. You got it. You got it good. Asp explorer. Phfff. Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelled like elderberries.
I'm farting in your general direction. Just to quote some ancient scriptures. My upgrades have done me good today. They've done me good.
I'm laughing all the way to the counter to cash in my bonds and bounties.


---

part 5

Oh joy! They kept their promise! After a series of battles in the conflict zones, turning in bonds, they came through. Ever since I heard about Juri the first time, I've been wondering who could tell me where he was. Apparently, the federally aligned Honoto Advanced Interstellar had some connections, so after turning in my last bonds today, they informed him, and he sent me a private message. Giryak, it's called. That's where he lives. Sounds like a sound my puppy would make after eating something wrong. Giryak, sorry-it-must've-been-something-I-ate Giryak is only 95 ly away. That's only a few jumps. I'm leaving today. Just as well. Love ya' Honoto, but need ya'... for now, at least.

...

Eeeek. I missed the small print in his message. He wants a bunch of bonds. 100,000 in combat bonds. The nerve of some of these guys... Good that I saw this before I left Honoto. It seems like you'll see a bit more of me, hon'. Shouldn't be too hard. Bah. 100 grand. I know some of those corvettes were worth more than that. I'll be back for tea.

---

part 6

Finally. I did it. I met with Juri Ismaak. A really decent bloke. Liked him. I made the payment, and he modified my missiles. Even got additional bonus effect on one of them for free. Had to pay for the second one though. It's fine. The scale is finally tipping my way in the battles, for sure. Now I just need to go and see the guy who can fix up my lasers.

---

part 7

The shadow is back. I thought it was gone, but it's here again. I can feel it.

A while ago I went on a long trip into deep space. A friend suggested to me to take a break and get away from the bubble for a while. He suggested to go to the top. "The top of the galaxy, at the center," I asked. "No, start from Sol and go straight up, as far as you can," he answered. Ok. So I did. The anaconda can do 60 LY jumps. Lucky me! No worries getting stuck out there. After a week, I reached about 1800 LY. Several stars had been too far apart, so I had been forced to use several boost charges of my rare jumponium. Started to feel that I might have to save what I had left, so I can go back. But the system was loaded with resource loaded planets. In a few days, I had loaded up on more jumponium material, and I decided to push on. Higher, and higher. Finally, I got to a star that didn't have any star above it. At least not one I could jump to, jumponium or not. Some few days leading up to that point, Skunk, my puppy, had acted weirdly. He would suddenly sit up and look at the wall and seem to follow something. I looked over. Nothing...

But today... today I saw a shadow on the wall, in the peripheral view. When I turned my head fully to focus on it. It was gone. It freaked me out. It could be that I'm going crazy. Space sickness they call it. But Skunk saw it too. I swear! On the trip back, it did show up a couple more times. I could feel it. Turn around. And barely register it in the corner of my eye, and then gone. Last time I saw it was a week ago. It's quiet and all... But today, now... I felt it again. I can feel it. But something has changed...

I hope this won't have affect on my circum trip later this year. I hope...

I can't do this. I have to take a break...

... leave me. get away... go away, hear me.... go away I said!!!!

 

[goemon]

CMDR goemon
Date: 6 August 3002
Location: IC 1805 SECTOR, Officer Mess of the Sagan Class Tourist Ship

When i was the first time out exploring in my Adder “Marvin” some years ago, desperately trying to get the funding for an AspE - if somebody would have told me back then, that he has purchased a fully new ship for sentimental reasons, like “I can’t bring me to repair the paint, as all those scratches are full of memories” - i would have called him a snob.

At least the modules on KAIOKO3000III weren’t newly purchased, but collected from all my other exploration vessels. Second hand, just the best. We don’t need to mention here, that those modules have been highly and illegally modified and their market price is no reflection of their real value. Some would kill for my frameshift drive - at least i did.

This snobby commander is now sitting in the officer's mess of the Sagan Class Tourist Ship in the IC 1805 sector - a privilege of having done shady things for the right people, and a certain whiff that comes with having acquired three of the highest ranks of the pilots federation. Usually you are not allowed to dock here at all.

Or the captain simply thought having a “real explorer” sitting in the mess would make an interesting picture for the most exclusive high-paying guests, who are allowed to the mess. Not that they would ever talk to the “simple” officers of the megaship, or me, which just fits me the better.

___


"The pilots federation, any superpower, as well as almost every local government requires every ship to have a regularly updated ship log. Failing to do so can result in fines, and a temporarily revoked pilot's license." ... Many commanders just use automatic logs, included in every ship computer these days. Other run a combination of more refined automatic logging with their personal notes attached.Still all pilot schools include how to record a log outside of any automatisation, as all those systems can fail. In edge cases, you should be able to keep your log updated with just a handheld and some text processing software.

Even more draconic are the legal consequence of forging a log.

So, if you are forced to record all events on the ship, but you want certain events hidden in the log, what do you do?

First of all, you only use very basic automatisation, or none at all.

You record a personal log instead.

You provide more information than is needed. Too much information is as good as no information.

Who is going to scour through a log for records of, let’s say, onionhead trade, when it is full of rambling about the freedom of space? Who can steal your route to a supergiant, which only you have the scan data of, if it is hidden between calculations of remaining rations of instant coffee? It is easier to lie, while sticking to the facts, than to invent a fully fledged lie and stick to it… besides this kind of log matches the data of the ship's blackbox. And if you have to provide evidence in a legal case, you’ll know where to find it in your log.

The process of recording your log can get quite a habit, and it is for certain mesmerizing. How did that old joke go with the pilot, who frantically tried to survive a few seconds longer as he was missing the right word to describe his ship’s life support failure?

What really struck me concerning logs was, when i downloaded the data of an old generation ship’s wreckage, that it wasn’t the technical data which was important to me. Important was, what the XO had recorded on side - the events on the ship, her own take on what was happening between the people living there, without knowing what was going to happen.

The important information was, what will have been officially unimportant in its time.

 

[Hanekura Shizuka]

CMDR’s Log – Hanekura Shizuka - August 5, 3303
Location: Jameson Memorial, Shinrarta Dezhra.

Tired, but happy. Finally, the ship is ready.

The last few weeks had been precisely what I had been trying to avoid - scrounging for materials and data to assist Farseer-sensei in her frame shift drive tuning. The scanning for Datamined Wake Exceptions was the worst; those poor starving people in Acanthu must think me some type of demented stalker. And delving around in the abandoned settlement of Dav’s Hope for Chemical Manipulators was creepy in an unpleasant way. The person who founds and develops a market for trading in materials such as these will make a gold mine.

This – scrounging the galaxy for materials and wake data - was not what I had joined the Pilot’s Association for.

But I eventually got what I needed – far more than what I needed, really, as I knew how temperamental frame shift drives could get. I acquired what Farseer-sensei had asked for. I gave her the materials, and told her to increase the optimized mass as much as possible, to the exclusion of everything else.

I really had no idea what to expect. But when Farseer-sensei handed me the specifications of the new drive, it was hard not to get excited.

It was heavier, for certain; Farseer-sensei had managed to fit as much power as she could into a limited amount of space. But she had outdone herself with a 54.45% increase in the optimized mass of the drive. Given that my old drive had barely exceeded 50% for an increase, the new drive would add several light-years of range to my already-potent Anaconda.

That done – and after another trip to Turner-san to lighten the sensors and life support – I flew back to Shinrarta Dezhra to take stock of what I had done, and what the ship was capable of. The results left me both excited and pleasantly surprised.

In racing trim, where the only goal is to go as fast as possible? Houtou Mono no Chakai could jump 66.39 ly.
In exploration mode, with a 16t fuel tank and scanners and shields and an SRV bay? 64.09 ly.

It is the sort of ship that begs to be tested, begs to be flown. And it is very hard right now not to do exactly that.

 

[Cdr Voorheez]

#CMDRs log 02: Voorheez R. Date: 33030806. Location: Earth/Sol System/Abraham Lincoln station. Topic: Leave#

If I am going to be stuck out in the deepest loneliest regions of space for an unspecified period of time then I need to spoil myself. I boarded my trusty Python 'The Black Pearl' and jumped over to Abe Lincoln station in Sol. Two weeks of old Earth cuisine and good old fashioned getting trashed in a random bar with some random filthy minded woman who should know better all sounded good to me.

After disembarking from the Black Pearl I made my way over to the 'processing suite': An impersonal, armoured grey tunnel, unmanned and filled with an array of senors, scanning suites and heavy weapons ready to neutralise any fool who decided to be a hero that day. Once a Commander entered this suite the door behind them closed and until appropriately processed would not open again. You passed through the usual checks: bounties and fines outstanding, credit balance, retinal scans, biocontagion scans, narcotic scans, weapon scan and declaration and finally the verification of my name, Pilots Federation ranks and title as a blue holofac appeared a meter in front of my face:

CMDR RICHARD VOORHEEZ
COMBAT RANK: MASTER
TRADE RANK: TYCOON
EXPLORATION RANK: ELITE

I confirmed the displayed information which faded into nothingness and moved forward past the now open processing suite into the opulent arrivals lounge of Abraham Lincoln station: An atrium filled with old world architecture and oozing nostalgia and atmosphere. Today it was full of a combination of passengers, businessmen, station staff and a smattering of Commanders who where going about their daily business.

A concierge approached me and appraised my flight suit and Pilots Federation rank immediately, as was customary in any station, more so in the luxury stations in Federal controlled space. Flight suits are heavily personalised and reflect the mood and temperament of a Commander. My flight suit was of the 'Explorer' pattern: a simple black design with red and white trim, it displayed two red decals: Elite Exploration rank on my left shoulder and my political allegience to Aisling Duval and the Empire on my right. The concierge changed his demeanour immediately on seeing my Elite rank. "May I show you to the Commander's wardroom Sir?" I thanked him and followed his lead.

As I entered the wardroon I received and returned a nod of acknowledgement as I passed a fellow Commander. A female in a 'Raider' pattern flight suit bearing the decals of a Deadly ranked combateer and her allegiance to the Zac Hudson and the Federation. Despite our political differences we exchanged respectful glances. Station space is neutral ground and fighting is strictly frowned upon and brutally suppressed.

Pilots Federation (PFed) wardrooms or Commander's wardrooms as they are commonly referred as are exclusive clubs where all Commanders of all ranks can meet, network and rest. The entry criteria for admission is to hold any rank with the PFed, a very difficult thing to attain in the first place and even harder to progress and to keep without being murdered in the harsh vacuum of deep space. I sat there and remembered my own flight training and graduation from PFed flight school back on Mars 2 years previously. I held my 'Harmless' rank with reverence, knowing that the real training and the real acquisition of flying skills would begin from that moment on. And it had. I had achieved Elite rank in Exploration 12 months later after an epic run to the super-massive black hole Sagitarriis A* in my trusty Asp Explorer 'The 'Damocles' cataloguing neutron stars on route and on return.

I logged into my personal PFed account via the holofac in my seat and looked up old earth shuttles. One was leaving in an hour bound for Barcelona station. An old Earth European tour it would be. No better place to start than an ancient city full of good food good wine and beautiful senoritas.

 

[goemon]

CMDR goemon
Date: 6 August 3002
Location: IC 1805 SECTOR, Panorama Bar of the Sagan Class Tourist Ship

I’m sulking in the view of the planetary nebula one jump away. Blue has always be my favourite colour, and this blue is like the idea of bluishness. Comfortable 0,7 G, thanks to the rotating habitation ring. Sipping a cocktail called “Metropolitan” after a historical recipe, named after a early sim over one thousand years old as i can read in the menu.

I’m pretty sure they didn’t have Centauri Mega Gin back then, even if the first landable planet in Alpha Centauri was detected around the same time i think.


No, the way out isn’t the hardest. I also never found the return trip particularly hard. It was always somewhere in the first third of a long trip where i had to challenge myself to push on, and not simply drop from supercruise, disable all modules, watch the canopy go frozen, watch the stars, for weeks, for months.

It’s time to move on, to jump into the planetary nebula, and then to go for maintenance and minor repairs at the Farsight Expedition Base in the Heart Nebula (On this megaship, they have several zero-g spas, but no repair capabilities… civilization!), and after that - towards RS Persei, a supergiant observed since the very beginning of mankind, and first recorded by the (obviously) sol-based early astronomer Hipparchus, which still gives his abbreviated name to many of our star systems.

But first I’ll have another one of those cocktails. And i don’t drink and fly.


CMDR goemon
Date: 7 August 3002
Location: Diamondback Explorer KAIKO3000III, Farsight Expedition Base, Pad 42

After adding Phi Cassiopeiae to my survey on supergiants - with one of the orbiting gasgiant moving into eclipse seen from one of its moons; even as Phi Cassiopeia was almost 5000 ls out, the gasgiant was nothing more than small black spit in front of the bright star -, I’m fueled up, maintenance is done.

I sold the scan data of a neutron star to the Farsight Logistics Company, and was credited as first discoverer. I had originally pulled the location of that neutron star from an unofficial route plotting software, to supercharge my jump - so I wonder how that neutron star went into the database, or what happened to the pilot adding the entry. Did the pilot get destroyed shortly after? Or was he just racing, and didn’t scan at all - which is another reason against too much automatisation...

Anyway - with the data of the neutron star, alongside of several waterworlds i had scanned along the way; buying a young communication officer of the base a lot of drinks at one of the pop-up bars in the rough tunnels between the pads, which are more or less still in the process of being build; and paying a premium and some extra - i was allowed to use the better network connection of the base itself, to find out a bit more about the other commanders of that circumnavigation expedition i signed up for (still not really sure why). I mean, if we really fly together for such a long time, i would like to know more …

… more so, as CMDR Flirble Rasok, head of the expedition, is, as i do know now, a rifter, and i had my fair share of tinfoilery since the Canonn group stole my safe harbour Varati (granted, Varati is a much better place since they based their headquarter there...).

I purchased some entries of personal logs by those commanders from my preferred data dealer (who calls himself a historian and editor, but believe me, he is just a thief, mainly stealing from archives and other sources. I won’t complain, as his services are top-notch), which i’m just reading, while i wait for undocking.

One of them reads a bit crazy, a lot like my younger brother. I once asked my brother to take care of some business in the bubble, while i was on my second or third trip to the core. It ended in a system wide lockdown and a 1,5 mio bounty on his head. So nothing really to worry about, i guess.

The other read like the usual bit eccentric explorers. Staying out there long does something to your mind. Some have more light years under their belt, than me - which is a nice surprise. I was always eager to learn, which hasn't changed the slightest by getting a bit older. Quite some members of the 65000 ly from sol club, a distance i never managed. Another potential reason for this circumnavigation. There are even some, who have done a circumnavigation before - I can’t imagine that, but the sources read relieable.

Docking clamps are detached, I’m off to RS Persei.

 

[overlow]

#CMDR Wanderflows log Galactic date 09083303 location: Hell Port @ Seagull Sector DL-Y d3

About a week ago I left the inhabited bubble in order to find out what kind of society has human kind been able to setup outside the masses, I started the journey of visiting scientists near witch head and orion nebulaes. Now I am docked with the scroundrels of mankind inside the Hell Port asteroid outpost near seagull nebula taking advantage of their shipyard which they claim is the furthest shipyard from the galactic center. I am painstakingly going through my ships functions and logging them up to see what kind of impact the various engineers managed to have on my ships performance.

Crash tests indicate that with full power on systems my ships shields should be able to take even the hardest landings with ease provided they don't have to take multiple impacts in short period of time. Altough even with all the help of the engineers my imperial courier still warms up to sauna levels when trying to fill her fuel tank up from stars with the maximum capacity the fuel scoop can feed it, well I just have to be careful how deep into the corona I plunge this beaty. Also I discovered that constantly firing the pair of fuel dumping railguns managed to overheat my ship so I had to sell one of them to the shady individuals here on hellport I am sure that who ever got their hands on that piece of weaponry will definetly be at awe with that kind of tech as the gun weights almost nothing. Unless the new technologies promised to be delivered on to the market some time in future prove to be usefull here is my ships performance report for now: https://eddp.co/u/iAW7z4hf

 

[Han Zulu]

Commander's Log Han Zulu / Han Ka Solo
Date: 7 August 3303
Location: traveling in space, somewhere in the bubble


I heard from Josephine today. She's been commissioned to an outpost somewhere, but she couldn't tell where. Considering her specialty, it must've something to do with the Thargoids. And with all the news lately, it doesn't surprise me. Whatever this hush-hush mobilization happening right now, we're in for some nasty times ahead. I hope she'd okay. If I knew where she was placed, I could visit her, but fat chance the Federation will let me know such top secret stuff.


Lately, there's been a lot of convoys leaving different systems. In almost every system I've been to, there's been several signal sources with convoys jumping away. It must be related as well. Perhaps I'll decide to track one of them when they're jumping out and follow until their destination. Maybe that's where Jo is...


Part 2 -


Met a man at the bar today. He told me about the new Thargoid structures that they found. I think he said they're located out there around the Maia system, and they've found over 200 structures? Really?.. He must be joking!!! He also told me he had been to one and encountered a Thargoid. Wow! Just wow! I wonder if he's making it up. From what he told me, they're huge and scary as heck. I wonder what all this will lead to and what we're supposed to do if we're attacked. But then, maybe he's just pulling my chain.


Part 3


Long day of trekking. Not much done. Just another day in the black. And I didn't see any moving shadows anywhere today. I think it was just my mind playing tricks on me. It really started after I left the galactic core months ago. Skunk behaved strangely after, but that could maybe be explained with bad food or something. I don't know. I'm just glad it's over. No more moving shadows on the walls.


---


Commander's Log: Han Zulu
Date: 8 August 3303
Location: Sol


Heard about this engineer, Colonel Bris Dekker. Wanted to get in contact, but she refuses to see me unless I provide her with 1,000,000 in combat bonds! One million? She's crazy? Doesn't she understand how much work it is and all the damage my ship will suffer? Apparently she has some upgrades for the FSD interdictor module, I want it, so there's not much to do then to bite the bullet and get it done.


---


Commander's Log: Han Zulu
Date: 9 August 3303
Location: Sol


Done. Dang that was a lot of work. I've been to probably five different systems to fight a war for different federation groups. Fighting a war that isn't mine. I don't care about the federation, but I need the contacts, work, and access to their engineers, so it's just a matter of being the paid help. The janitor with a gun ship. Anyway, I got the whole chunk of change, a whole ' mil credits for Colonel Dekker. You buy some expensive 50 year aged Lavian brandy or some onion heads on me, gal'! Sheesh. A million bucks. She must have expensive taste in shoes...


At least I can now do some fixin' to the interdictor module. I was thinking of making a career in bounty hunting. The drop ship I have now has served me well the past month. I'm happy with what it can do. But it would be fun to beat up some bad guys for a change and do some cleanup.


Still... the void is calling... I want to go out there. In the dark. In the black and never go back. I heard again about the circumnavigation expedition starting in a few months. I'm joining. I'm doing it. A whole year dedicated to emptiness. A whole year with only me and my two pups... Away from the inhumane humanity I'm surrounded by. War, conflicts, pirates, it never ends, and now... Thargoids. What's next some star sized aliens from Andromeda eating our planets? It wouldn't surprise me a bit.

 

[Hanekura Shizuka]

CMDR’s Log – Hanekura Shizuka - August 9, 3303
Location: Jameson Memorial, Shinrarta Dezhra.

Buckyball racing has taught me well. Too well.

Buckyball racing is an exercise in perfectionism. Good enough is almost never ‘good enough’; there is always room for improvement – and, as a result, always the need for improvement. The best A* runners could optimize their technique and planning to the point that the amount of time lost on a route could be measured in minutes, or in a few cases even seconds.

As I look at the details of my ship, I know there are a few areas left that could be improved. I could potentially beg for Jameson-sama’s attention – not likely, but I could – and lighten the life support even further. I could perhaps work on the thrusters to tune the drives to reduce their heat buildup. That said, Houtou Mono no Chakai may possibly have reached the point of ‘good enough’.

I flew to Laksak a couple of days ago to visit Cheung-san about a few modifications – specifically to lighten the shields. The work was done, and I am happy with the work; the modifications reduced the weight of the shields on my Anaconda, slightly increasing its jump range. However, in performing this work, Cheung-san pointed out that further weight reduction could be done on the sensors as well. He showed me his ideas, told me what materials would be needed to complete the work, and gave suggestions as to where to find them. It took a bit of effort to gather the materials, but I was able to meet with him earlier today.

Cheung-san did not disappoint. His modification of the sensors – removing a good portion of the weight, though with a bit of cost to the angle of the sensor sweep – added roughly two light-years to the range. I now have a ship that can go 66.05 ly – in exploration trim. If I were to equip my ship for racing without thought of exploration, it could jump 68.29 ly.

This is remarkable to me, almost to the point of defying description. Before I had met Farseer-sensei and gained access to her work, my Anaconda could jump roughly 40 light-years at a time. This is not a small amount, nor an incapable amount; I had raced across the galaxy with ships such as this, and adequately proved what such a ship could do with proper planning and technique.

All of that seems pedestrian compared to now.

 

[Cdr Voorheez]

#CMDRs log 03: Voorheez R. Date: 33030810. Location: Earth/Sol/Eixample/Barcelona . Topic: Barcrelona and Anabella#

Spent the evening/morning in the famous Bar Mutis in Barcelona. This invitation-only speakeasy is hidden above the excellentBar Muttapas in the Eixample District. It was accessed through the doors of a residential apartment block where a concierge checked to see if I was on the guestlist (I had been invited by the local Police Chiefs wife, Anabella, who i had met over drinks and tapas earlier in the evening) Heading up the stairs we entered a tiny cocktail bar where live soul, funk and jazz musicians entertained us through the night and until sunrise. We embraced, kissed and exchanged contact information as we parted company in the coolness of Barcelona's dawn.

A very good night had been had by both of us. Anabella knew full well that I was the Commander of a starship who would be leaving Spain, Earth, Sol and the whole of inhabited space for a very long time, with a high probability of never returning to Sol again. To that end she had no inhibitions fun with me. Inappropriate fun but fun nevertheless. I also knew Anabellas husband was a high ranking local Police Chief who could make my life very difficult if he discovered I had shared the night and a bed with his wife. "Life is short and I could be dead tomorrow" I told myself as we kissed passionately outside of the hotel room Anabella had earlier arranged. She had gone out that evening with the intention of spending the night with another man, and I was lucky enough to fullfill that criteria.

I smiled as I entered the taxi I had called for through my personal communicator.
The taxi driver spoke to me in Spanish asking where I wanted to drive: "¿Dónde quieres que te lleve?" I replied in Spanish resisting the urge to speak in the universal language of English I knew full well he could speak: "Llévame al puerto estrella por favor" He replied with a smile and a nod in perfect English : "Star port it is Senor".

 

[Han Zulu]

Commander's log: Han Zulu
Star Date: 10 August 3303
Location: Wailaroju, Galvani Hub


Good morning log. I know you're just an recording automaton for keeping the logs of my travels, but I'm happy to have you to talk to. There are things I can't tell other people. Last night, I had this strange dream. There was this green bubbling ocean. It wasn't hot or cold. It was just bubbling, making plopping sounds. It was shifting slightly in color and intensity, darker green, bluish green, lighter and yellow green. At first, I thought, in the dream, that I was just watching this ocean, but then I realized I was in it, swimming. Yet again, in a sudden moment, I felt I was the ocean itself. The ocean being me. Me being the ocean. Then, yet again, as with a flick of a switch, the ocean turned black. Completely dark. But I could still feeling the bubbling motion going on. What the heck does this dream mean? I have no idea. But it felt like it has some meaning. This is why it's so great to have a machine to tell my thoughts to, you won't judge me for things like this. Such a weird dream.


Parked at Galvani Hub. They have some really nice bars here. There's this small, hole in a wall Irish bar down the hallway from landing pad 13. The bar is called "Lucky 13". Funny, since 13 is one of those unlucky numbers in some cultures. The bar is dark, smell of old wood and pipe tobacco. They're really living in the ancient times in this place, but I love it. The fish 'n chips is really good as well. I have no clue what kind of fish they use or where they got it from, but it was delicious.


There are probably only about 10-15 tables in there, and most of them empty. Doesn't seem like a very popular place, even though I heard so much about it. The bar has one of those large glass walls behind the shelf to make it look bigger, and in the reflection I see something glimmer. It seems to come from behind the glass rack in the ceiling above the bar counter. I walk up the bar to order another stout and have a better look, it's a coin. Very shiny coin with a hole drilled in it and tied up in a string. When I ask the bartender about it, he tells me that it's his lucky charm. A coin that saved his life during his time as a pirate. What? Really? He was a pirate? Noooooo. But, yes, he used to be a true honest space pirate. He laughed and told me he was part of a faction called Eurybia Blue Mafia. At one point, he had robbed some rich person of a bunch of ancient coins. Thirteen coins to be exact. He stole it straight from the rich guy's ship, but when he was leaving, they discovered what he was doing, and he had to run. While he was fleeing, they were shooting at him, but nothing hit. Somehow, which is unclear to me, mostly because my brain started to spin after having a couple of more beers during his story, he managed to get through some doors and lock them. But while he was closing the door one shot from a projectile weapon hit him. He got the door closed. His chest was hurting from the shot, but he wasn't bleeding much. He discovered that the bullet had hit one of the coins he had put in his pocket and it had produced a hole, but he was basically unharmed except for a slight wound to the chest. He then showed me the scar. If it had gone further, it would have taken his heart. Dang. What a story. And on top of it, he told me, when he got to safety, he discovered he lost all the coins but this one, the lucky 13th coin. He then decided to retire from pirating, thieving, and violence, and open a bar instead. "Good choice," I told him. He managed to get this small place close to port 13. Perfect matching place to the name.


Anthony, my new friend the bartender, then went on and told me more about the Blue Mafia, and I learned about an engineer, Liz Ryder, a really beauty they say, who can mod my missiles like no one else. However, to gain her respect and a meeting with her, you have to work your way up in the Blue Mafia group and earn some street cred. She won't see you unless they know you. This sounds interesting, I think, and since my friend still has connections with the Blue Mafia, he knows they need to restock their beer and wine supplies, so an easy way for me to gain their trust is to do some deliveries for them. "Sure!" I said. Just a few crates of alcohol and I'll be on my way. Easy. Also, it's just one hyperjump away, Chris & Silvia's Paradise Hideout in the Eurybia system.




---


It's noon. Finally the ship has been loaded. All this fine beer and wine from my new friend at Lucky 13. Anthony wishes me luck and gives me one of his stickers of the bar logo to put on my ship. Yeah. Like it will stay for long. All the fragments and dust in space tend to strip the paint of the ship even, so this sticker has no chance. He slaps it on anyway on the hull, then he ends our goodbye with "I don't want to worry you, but watch out for Wolfbane."


He doesn't want to worry me? Just by the fact that he was suggesting not to be worried, I am worried! So I ask him, "and who's this Wolfbane?"


"He's just another pirate from another faction, but he's not to worry about. Forget I said anything."


What!? Is he being serious? What's going on here? I decided to get going anyway without having a full explanation to his sudden worry-no-worry information. If I haul this quickly, I might be okay. But then, I have a fairly decent battle ship. I've done a few rounds of combat. Not that I'm any good at it, but the ship has balanced out my incompetence by being there for me. It boosts to over 300 m/s, two pulse lasers, one multi-cannon, two heat seeking missiles, extra hull package, and a very decent (and extremely expensive) shield. Not that I can stay in a battle for too long, but it's enough to sting like a cougar and run like a chicken. I need to get this cargo to its destination, so no more time chatting with you Loggy. Can I call you Loggy? It would make it easier to give you a name. Loggy? That's okay? No answer, as usual. Well, I'll call you Loggy. That's your name now.


Talk later, Loggy.




---


Oh, my GOSH!!! Wolfbane!!! What the heck. He was practically waiting for me outside the station. Just few seconds after I jumped into supercruise, he threw the interdiction tether on me and pulled me to sublight. I wonder if my friend at the bar knew something more that he didn't tell me. He must've known Wolfbane was coming for me. Specifically me, delivering this stuff. Right there, he was. Not a second to spare. I deployed my hard points. Dropped some chaff. Turned around and painted a target on him. Started to beat the living daylight out of his vulture. Didn't seem like he had a lot of punch, because I started to take down his shield and even hull pretty quickly. And because I was so close the station, only 500 clicks, the local security dropped in to say hello, and in a joint effort, Mr. Wolfbane was no-one's bane after only a minute or two. Security told me he was wanted and the bounty was over 70k. "Oh. Not bad." So I turned about, considering I was pretty much at the door step of the station, and cashed in the bounty. Easy money. Let's hope this is it. No more wolfbanes or other banes out there. It's just beer for Guinness sake.


---


Again! How many are there!? I cashed my bounty, left the station, jumped to Eurybia, and not a second in the system, some William Howard sends me a direct message that goes like this: "Hahahahahahaha!" I wonder what that could mean? Then, continuing laughing like a lunatic, he tells me he wants my cargo and that I wasn't safe from his cannons. Oh, no! Not another pirate. More combat? The beer will be shaken up! It'll take months for it to stop foaming. Dang! I have a responsibility for the quality of my services here, dude. There's no respect anymore. The world is going down the drain. A spiral drain. Galactic sized spiral drain. That's what this is. Our galaxy is nothing but God's gigantic drain, flushing us all down.


Howard pulls me out of super cruise, and I pull my guns out. Drop some chaff, as per my habit in a situation like this, then turn around and start clobbering. It's hammer time!!! After a few minutes of dog fight, the shields on his vulture are gone and the hull is starting to tear down. My ship is doing great though. Shield is holding and the power to boost, shield, and weapons are well charged. I can win this. We keep on circling and throwing our rocks, then, BOOOM! Up he goes. Up in flames. The automated bounty system tells me he's worth over 80k. That's nice. And I did it with no assist, but not sure it'll pay for all the damage and bullets though. This beer must be something special if pirates think it's worth the risk dying or losing their ship.


Now, the messaging system sends me a warning that Mylek von Koln is also after my cargo. I think I get it now. Somewhere in the back of my head I remember this von Koln guy. He has his own brewery and probably feel the competition from Anthony. An old feud, most likely. Well, he won't get me.


I manage to dock at the Paradise Hideout. I walk out to inspect the ship, and lo and behold, I was struck with something from the last battle. It's a dent in the hull, which didn't penetrate, and I realize it's where one of the main fuel line is located, and if it had penetrated the hull, it would have blown me to biscuit crumbs in an instant. At this point, I have a second realization. There's a few strips left of a sticker around the dent, just where the projectile hit. It's a part of the Lucky 13 logo. I laugh. What a coincident!


---


What a busy day. I spent most of the time fighting off pirates trying to take the different cargo I was transporting for the mafia. I can't believe how popular they must be to draw all this attention. My favorite was this guy in an imperial courier. He thought I had something he wanted. Well, I had something to give him. Guns out. Started clobbering again, and then he started to boost away. Coward. Chicken. I almost managed to keep up with him. If I had pipped up my engine to four, I would've kept up with him, but I didn't manage to take down his shield and FSD before he highwaked out of there. Without the wake scanner, I couldn't follow. It's not that important anyway, but it seems like I'm doing pretty good against the thieves in this system.


It seems like the mafia is starting to like me, however, even now after their trust has grown, they still won't get me the invitation to Liz Ryder. I wonder if it's just a scheme to get me to do their dirtywork for the hopes of some reward in the future. I'm starting to feel like the donkey in a cartoon with a carrot hanging in front of me, and me chasing it but never catching it.


G'night Loggy. See ya in the mornin'.

 

[goemon]

CMDR goemon
Date: 7 August 3002
Location: Diamondback Explorer KAIKO3000III, Body Exclusion Zone of the Black Hole Binary V595 Persei C

A lot of space exploration history is written as a story of technology. From the telescope, to space flight, to the radio-telescope, to simulation of galactic models, to “witchspace”-jumps, to hyperspace jumps.

But, while orbiting RS Persei, I came to think: Hipparcos turned his eyes to the night sky, to see - to watch - the Chi Persei cluster, which RS Persei is part of. Someone named Galileo picked up a telescope and pointed it to the moon. It wasn’t the first telescope on earth, but he was the first to point it from earth at the moon and record what he saw, and he still names a station in sol. Today explorers point their ship’s noses to 3 Geminorum… Hasn’t it always been the same gesture - whether by those giants, or the dwarfs like me?

Point towards. And see yourself.

Which makes me uncomfortable about the circumnavigation.

When i first set out in my Adder Marvin, i had this idea to go on till i hit “the end”. I quickly found out (quick in my today's understanding of the timeframes involved in exploration), that i was barely making progress.

So i picked something to see for myself, I think it was Al Anz, and went there.

In fact, my exploration was done alongside going somewhere to see for myself, whether it was “the top” of the galaxy above the core region, or V4641 Sagittarii, which is still the furthest i have been away from Sol. But already where i am now, the places travelled by human eyesight and mind - and ships later on - get very sparse.

Next waypoint will be the settlements of the dynasty expedition in the formidine rift, before going towards Rho Cassiopeiae. Than i’ll have to decide whether i cross to the Outer Arm to PZ Cassiopeiae, as was my original intention for this “shakedown run”, and travel towards our first waypoint 3 Geminorum, or whether i go for maintenance back along the formidine rift to the asteroid station in the Soul Nebula, or further on to Station X in the Crab Nebula. And than going back for the start, or not.

Whatever i choose before the expedition sets out, the circumnavigation will confront me with that there is nowhere to go to on such a route, no point besides some places marking recent achievements of explorers, no point, only to go in a circle - a fairly large one, though. Maybe this full circle brings me back to the same situation i faced in my Adder on my first exploration trip?

 

[Han Zulu]

Commander's log Han Zulu
Date and time: 11th August 3303
Location: Kaushpoos, Neville Horizons
Ship: Federal Dropship, heavy armament for combat


Dear Loggy, this is interesting. Jo left me a message last night. I missed checking my box. It's saying that she's currently working for some Alliance research initiative. Here I thought she was still working for the Federation, go figure. She wants me to go and meet her at some place called Kaushpoos. Oh, these names...


The reason for this initiative is to research Thargoid technology and such, and she knows that I carry a lot of different materials I collected over the years, but also many different data scans from random encounters. Also, since I had one encounter with a Thargoid earlier this year and managed to get a pretty clean scan of his ship while he was leaving, Jo asked me to bring the data for her. Of course I will do that. She further told me in the message that there's a reward for taking out any criminal elements in the system. Since I'm starting to get my combat juice up and flowing again, I don't see a problem doing that as well. The Blue Mafia can wait. I'll be back in a few days. My long time friend and old class mate needs my help, so there's no second thoughts here.


Plotting the route reveals that it's quite a bit of travel for my short jumping dropship. It's okay though. Of course I will help her. Better to do it now before I go on the long expedition in the fall. We might not be able to even communicate when I'm out in the dead end, deep black space, so this might be the last time I see her before I leave.


Feels good to do something else besides smuggling slaves.


---


Arrived. It was faster than I expected. It's not even breakfast yet, and I'm here. The problem though is that Jo is nowhere to be found. I messaged her. Called her. "Hello!? Where are you? Where do you want to meet?" But no answer. What's going on?


I find the Alliance office for the new research initiative. I have the scans with me and ask if the receptionist knows where Josephine is. He tells me that no one with that name worked there. Now I'm starting to get nervous. I'm not sure what to do. I ask about the initiative and if they need my Thargoid scans, to which he responds "Yes". I hand them over and get my reward. Always something. Then I see a poster about the research initiative wanting combat pilots cleaning up the system from pirate scum, so I sign up. Just as well while I'm here.


---


Phew. Long day. Multiple battles. In the first battle, my flight assist system started to malfunction. It would drop out and not engage again when I flipped the switch. Dang it. I knew that some of the components were cheap stuff. No surprise they're falling apart. However, this forced me to start pummeling without any support from the FA module. Geez, this is hard. Starting to get the hang of it a little though. It's like balancing with roller blades on a buttered bowling ball on a lake of ice while trying to throw rocks to get momentum to move forward. Or something like that. Or maybe it's just like floating without direction in space with a overcharged super-turbo thruster jet in the back. Not sure which one is worse. Anyway, I managed to take out an anaconda, almost by myself!!! Yay me!!! And the puppies are happy too. The truth is though, when we get into battle, they're not happy. I have to put them into a stasis chamber so they don't get bumped around and hurt. But when I take them out from their pods, they're happy as electrified shrimp on a sizzling pan. All over the place. Kissing my face and biting my nose. Cute puppies. Their life is easy. Mine's not.


I wonder where Josephine is. And why didn't they know about her at the office. I don't like this feeling of uncertainty. She better not be hurt...


The repair crew is getting all things ready for a complete overhaul. They'll look into the faulty wiring of the FA module. I can't have it turning off randomly when I'm not ready. Doesn't matter it's getting easier to fly FA free, but landing and leaving stations it's still a must with assist.


While the repair crew is going at it, I decide to have dinner. There's this nice little restaurant down from the commodities trading floor. They serve real steaks. Not those artificially grown beef. I don't know what's different, but the real thing just tastes different. Don't know why, it just does. The restaurant is well lit. Clean floors. Clean white linens on the tables. Real silverware and porcelain. I'm starting to think that maybe the prices will be a bit hard to swallow. Checking the menu, I can see my suspicion confirmed. Quite pricey. But that's what quality costs. Considering that I made over 249,000 credits just on bounty for that anaconda today, I don't see a problem paying 500 for a steak. Yum.


---


The day is starting to draw to an end for me. The station never sleeps, but you learn to follow your internal clock living in space. There's no star that will give you mornings and evenings while flying in the black. You just have to know when it's time.


Walking back to the ship, I'm looking at the people here. I always found it quite interesting to people-watch. All the different faces, expressions, clothes, hairdos and hairdon'ts. I see families with kids, and think about how it would be, but I know it's not for me. I can't settle down, at least not yet. In the competition between the void and Josephine, the universe won. I'm more or less married to space. However strange it might sound, but the void fill me up.


I'm back at the ship. The repair is done. I pay the remainder of the bill to the foreman and enter my beaut. The dogs are electrified to see me again, and I'll get them some food and leftover from dinner. It's time to settle down for the night. Watch some shows on the galnet broadcast. There's this show, "Murder on Mars" that I heard is really intense and well written. We might give it a shot tonight.


It's all good, until I hear a sound. There's something moving around in one of the storage areas. That one should be empty. Did one of the service guys stay behind? I quickly and quietly move back to the cockpit and grab my Dyson Mk III plasma gun. It's very efficient. Noisy, but it'll take care of business. I move back to the hallway, trying to be as quiet as possible. I pull the door and shout, "Who's there and what the frack are you doing on my ship?"


"It's just me," I hear in the dark. I recognize the voice. It's Jo.


"Jo?"


"Yes, it's me."


"What the heck. What are you doing here? Where were you? Why didn't you..." before I could say anymore, she had hastily leaped out of the dark, and to my surprise was hugging me. She's lucky I didn't shoot her, so I told her, "You're lucky I didn't shoot you!"


To which she hugged me even harder and replied, "Me too."


---


Jo stays the night. Finally she can tell me what's been going on, but it just doesn't make much sense to me. She's undercover for the Federation. She's using an alias while working there, investigating IRA.


"But why? What's the investigation about" I ask.


She won't answer. No explanation given. And when I asked her why she didn't tell me in her message about her secret identity, she answered me that she didn't want to give herself away. What a dumb answer, so I asked why she sent the message at all and told me where she was, who she was, and what she needed, if it was that risky. She couldn't give me a satisfactory explanation to this either. I guess she just wanted me to come and visit, but didn't know how to invite me. She can be a bit hasty in her decisions and not fully think things through, which makes her undercover business even more dangerous. She won't tell me much, but I'm just happy she's okay.


So, Loggy, this was a crazy day. Don't remember else what to tell you, I just know I'm tired and need my sleep. 'G'night.


...


Jo - Who are you talking to?


Han - No one. Just recording the log for the day.


Jo - Are you coming to bed?


Han - Yup. Done with the log. On my way. Zulu out.


...


--End of log--

 

[Cdr Voorheez]

#CMDRs log 04: Voorheez R. Date: 33030812. Location: Earth/Sol/Abraham Lincoln Station/Commanders ward room/Cabin 6331. Topic: We few, we happy band of explorers#

It had been 3 days since I had left Barcelona star port and Anabella. We had exchanged numbers but that was that. A night of no strings passion with a beautiful raven haired Spanish woman is all it was going to be. And I was content with that. No strings, no commitments. I was away in the deepest of deep space far too long and too frequently to commit to any meaningful relationship.

And that was how I liked it. Loved it even. I was nomadic: an explorer. Explorers are a strange breed, taking solace and true satisfaction in the lonely dark spaces on the Galactic Map most Commanders don't know or don't want to know about. Its a professional choice which didn't, until very recently, pay that well either. Comparative Elite ranked Traders and Combateers were far more financially secure than I was. But the draw of exploration was not money, was not fame, it was to simply be 'out there', to discover those Earth like Worlds for the first time, to uncover rare systems, to boldly go where no one has gone before. (Yeah ok I got a bit dramatic there quoting from the ancient lore of Star-Trek but it was frighteningly prophetic considering it was penned in the late 20th century).

I was alone in my cabin with a quarter empty bottle of rare vintage Jack Daniels (phenomenally expensive purchase from my trip planetside to Barcelona). I carefully re-corked the antique bottle and placed it in my personal effects locker. "I'm gonna save that bottle for the trip" I mumbled to myself and then laughed at my own inane reference to a 'trip' that would make my Distant Worlds Expedition contribution look like a short neutron star jump enabled excursion to that 'bold new world' Colonia.

Colonia. I had been there and back from that system three times. Nestled in the Galactic core a mere 2kLy from Sagittarius A* it is slowly building itself up to ostentatiously become the 'second bubble'. The 'Bubble' is a stupidly over affectionate term used to describe the 150ly radius of inhabited space with Sol as it's Galactic meridian.

Many Commanders, myself included, had been a part of the initial drive to transport the desperately needed fuel and supplies on the 50kly round trip to the Cyborg Jaques and his station in order to make her operational after her failed attempt to jump to Beagle Point. The community drive had been successful with many of those pioneering supportive explorers settling in the fledling community. Colonia was now a slowly growing second bubble, far from the politics and corruption of Sol, Achenar and Alioth. For now. I had decided to support Colonia on several support missions but concluded that for now my Imperial connections and reciprocative patronage was more appealing.

I remembered my first excursion to the core and my first real exploration vessel: an Asp Explorer, exploration trimmed and fitted and heroically named the 'Damocles'. I had the initial awe that consumes all Commanders when they first lay eyes on Sagittarius A*. I've seen that massive Stellar sink hole now 4 times and it still gives me the heeby jeebees. Always will.

 

[goemon]

CMDR goemon
Date: 12 August 3002
Location: Formidine Rift, Eafots RA-G b11-0 3, Gamma Site of the Dynasty Expedition

Visiting the places of the Dynasty Expedition of 3270 is rather depressing.

If this is what some elite of humanity has come up with as a fall back option in case of an all-out thargoid invasion (as Zenith Ddraiglas claims and, beside being a “child of raxxla”, i rather give a lot on his opinions - he taught me everything i know about deep space mining and was always right, and furthermore we teamed up for the first modifications of our frameshift drives, going for battle weapon dealers in civil war systems...) - we can praise us lucky every day about Jacque’s misjump, which should have bring him to beagle point, but ended in the colonia nebula, and brought a living second bubble into being.

Besides already outdated technical solutions, the alpha to gamma sites are even less life supporting, than the abandoned exploration camp C-NO4 in the Synuefe Sector, which at least sits on foot of a glacier with some impressive canyons. Instead of it, the Heart and Soul Nebulae are sitting like explosion clouds above each of the formidine rift sites.

My data dealer - he calls himself “Hero Dot” - claims with his authority of a self-acclaimed historian, that it was the invention of alcoholic beverage, which brought the first humans to settle (as to plant the crop needed to brew), and that it wasn’t intelligence or the early technologies of farming, which allowed humans to live in groups bigger than a small tribe. He claims, that that was our ability and our joy to gossip as well as to invent stories.

If i compare the remnants of the dynasty project to the spectacular place a window in Jacques bar is by chance, i tend to think Hero Dot (or whatever his sources are) is right.

A bar is missing. A bar is much missing.

The Dynasty Expedition might have been a plan to save humanity, but it failed big time, being most inhuman in the way it was accomplished, as well as it would have failed to keep humanity, well, human.

While the misjump of an android barkeeper is our best safety net in cases things turn out nasty - and while me and a couple of commanders are flying the largest circle possible around sol, most of us being used to solitude, but we do it as a pack.


CMDR goemon
Date: 13 August 3002
Location: Formidine Rift, EAFOTS GL-Y E2 A1 Orbit, Unregistered Comms Beacon of the Dynasty Expedition’s Delta Site

Well, either my data dealer got it wrong, in which case he owns me some drinks, or his sources have been unreliable, in which case his “no guarantee for the content of the data being correct”-sermon applies - but the Unregistered Comms Delta Beacon did not broadcast at 45 minutes after the hour as expected.

I was already in the process of plotting my route, and wondered why and when the comms beacon stopped broadcasting, when the call sign of the numbers station sounded.

Exactly at the full hour.

So maybe they have changed the broadcasting schedule - which would open the question, who is them, and are they still active over 30 years later? Did they change the broadcast itself, which was originally giving away the location of the Delta site?

It’s too bad i didn’t use the network connection at farsight expedition base to download a recording of the original broadcast to my ship's computers. I was never much into decoding, but i guess even me could have compared the broadcasts, whether there is any difference.

Now i’m parked, while i’m slowly uploading my recording to the networks, and make of a fool of myself hoping some of my contacts at the Canonn, or of that even weirder group of Rifters will have a look at the materials. I have to remind myself, that no confirmation is not a valid reason for any story you make up in your mind.


CMDR goemon
Date: 14 August 3002
Location: Diamondback Explorer KAIKO3000III, Hypoae Aim Sector, on way to Rho Cassiopeia

The confirmation, that the message broadcasted is identical to the original one, reached me in the morning; furthermore, it isn’t clear, when - and whether at all - the time of broadcasting was changed, due to conflicting sources. Somebody owns me a drink, but isn’t clear as well, who that is - when in doubt, it's me!

 

[Macros Black]

Commander's log: Flirble Rasok
Star Date: 15 August 3303
Location: Shinrarta Dezhra

How low can he go?
London Collier, my crew member, put her head aside while looking at Icarus and asking me again "How low can it go, cap?". Icarus had just received the latest modifications to the sensors and life support, squeezing a few more light years out of him, thanks to Lori Jameson. "I don't know, London, guess there's only one way to find out" I said. "But this time I have to leave you here at Shinrarta Dezhra, you can't go with me, it's too dangerous and I don't want to loose you. Besides I'll re-fit Icarus as extreme as possible, dumping the fighter hangar, srv and even the shield, so there's no reason for you to go anyway".

London gave me a disappointed look and objected loudly "Come on, cap, we're about to circumvent the bleedin' galaxy and you're telling me a small trip is too dangerous?". "Sorry London, without the shield anything could happen; a Beluga Liner could decide to enter the station as we're leaving, getting us stuck and shot to smithereens before we even left the station. No, you're staying here for some rest and recreation. The circumnavigation is just a month away and I need you at your best".

London opened her mouth to object again, but she could see it would be of no use to argue, I was adamant. She gave me an angry look, turned around and began to walk towards to the habitat area while giving me her farewell salute "Goodbye, cap, I hope you overheat and burn your tenders!".

Turning around to talk to the two station mechanics standing behind me, I could see that the last comment from London was being politely ignored, or at least they tried to. "Right boys, as light as possible and snap to it, I want to be out of here in two hours". Two hours later the lead mechanic reported back:"We think you'll be pleased captain, Icarus will do 69Ly, but are you really sure about that 12t fuel tank?, one wrong jump and you'll die the slow death". "Yes, I'm sure, I'll be fine". The mechanic saluted and left mumbling to himself "dead meat, that's what's he is".