Commander’s Log: 3303-02-02, Wredguia WJ-I d9-71, 709.6 light years from Sol.

Hutton Orbital patch
For the Mug!

So I got back home on Schedule, and following instructions from above, duly turned in my exploration data at the requested star ports. I didn’t manage to gain my final exploration rank, but that’s ok. I did get quite a long way towards it, and it’s not as if there won’t be more in the future. If I wasn’t in such a hurry at the end, there may even have been more. What I did get though was a nice iron-on patch for my flight-suit (or flight bag) from the filthy truckers nice folks at Hutton Orbital for helping out. It’s really nice to be appreciated like that.

Having done this, I was informed that we had an outbreak of something nasty at our home system of Azrael, and that The Order of Mobius had put out a call for medical aid of all kinds. Like so many others, I responded to this as quickly as possible, trading in my smaller ships and equipping a python class to carry medicines and aid workers in and out of the affected area. The mission was a great success, and rather profitable too for individual pilots like myself. I was able to upgrade the ship somewhat over the course of the mission, so that when civil war happened over the weekend, I was able to take some small part in that too.

Rafferty’s Mobius

Our neighbours in the system, a faction called Azrael Patron’s Principles decided they liked the look of our station (it is rather nice), and made an attempt to take it from us while we recovered from our brush with disease. Fortunately for us, and less so for them, The Order can call upon a significant number of pilots when the need arises, and when they finally surrendered, we received one of their own stations as war reparation. Not much of one, to be sure, but it gives us a presence in the outer system as well as on the inner planets. Next time, I guess, we’ll take their last one… Assuming of course, that there is a next time.

Python Star Ship
Azrael’s Star docked at Canonn Institute

Still, by the end of it all, I have my python, Azrael’s Star, and I’m tired of the conflict and strife of the human bubble. She doesn’t have anywhere near the jump range of New Beginnings, but it’s enough for a short trip out. I stripped out the heavy defences for some lighter stuff – not enough for a war now, but plenty to see off the sort of pirates I’m likely to encounter on the frontier. And I headed out again.

Canonn Institute

A quick stop at the Canonn Institute in Col 285 Sector IX-T d3-43 for supplies was the last populated system on this route. I’m off to see the Elephant’s Trunk Nebula first, and after that, who knows what I’ll see, or where I’ll go. I’m told though that the Pilots’ Federation are releasing some updated telepresence software for the flight systems in a few weeks, something about the holographic systems and extra crew slots. It’s all over my head really, but I’d like to be back in time to see what it’s all about.

Elephant's Trunk Nebula
Elephant’s Trunk Nebula from DSO Browser

As I write this, my flight systems are still powered down as they have been since I retired last night. Soon I shall blast off from the icy rock I’m sitting on, and continue my journey into the void, for yet more fun and adventure.