Personal Log

Dateline: Feb 10 3312

The second Waypoint of Distant Worlds 3 is the Seldowitch Nebula. I stopped by a handful of planetary nebulae during this leg of the trip. The colors created from such a violent event made for some incredible photography. That was the main focus as I took it easier this week. Please enjoy the attached photos.

Dateline: Feb 1 3312

The first Waypoint of Distant Worlds 3 is the Rendezvous Point, location of the first deep space meeting beyond the galactic core back in 3301. The planned events weren’t my cup of tea, so instead I decided to go back to my roots and explore some of the systems that are near enough to still board the Odysseus before it launches to Waypoint 2. I had forgotten the joy in simply looking for an interesting star system and seeing what it has in store for you, versus a rapid dash to a known location.

During this first earnest exploration of this expedition I have seen Ammonia worlds, active volcanism, the ice caps of a hellish planet, and the always-nerve-wracking black hole. I also nearly destroyed my ship while looking for geysers on an ice moon. I flew deep into a canyon and lost light, and my bearings, causing me to slam the top of my ship onto a protrusion from the canyon wall. I have attached photos from this first waypoint.

Dateline: Jan 25 3312

The first major event of Distant Worlds 3, save for the occasional bout of CQC, has come and gone. I rode with the DSEV ODDYSEUS to Waypoint 0: Spoihaae XE-X d2-9, known in the old language as Monde de la Mort, or the World of Death. This system contains a uniquely peculiar system: a white dwarf with a small, rocky planet which orbits it quite closely. The perihelion is 0.06 ls, while the aphelion is 2.5 ls, which means there is a very brief landing window before it re-enters the star's exclusion zone or briefly passes through one of its jet cones.

I landed during one of the ~20 minute safe zones and dismissed my ship, opting to use a large mountain range to shield my SRV from the direct effects of the jet. I have attached pictures to this entry of my brief stay on the planet. I have since left, slipping into witchspace before the star's gravity overwhelmed that of the planet, and re-docked with the Oddyseus. Soon the next waypoint will be announced, and it will be my next target.

Dateline: Jan 08 3312

While stationed in Gaulkhan’s Reach, I was able to receive an odd transmission from civilized space: a large-scale expedition is launching from the bubble in ten days. It is called Distant Worlds 3. When I first got my pilots license in 3306, Distant Worlds 2 had wrapped up a year prior, and I had always regretted that time had not given me the chance to participate, and so I felt like my hand was forced to return home. In only 5 hours I travelled over 18,000 ly from Fedguia UT-Z c16-10 to Shinrarta Dezhra, which is still a shock to me compared to the unengineered ships I learned to fly in. Modern technology is a marvel.

Dateline: July 26 3311

I have reached Fedguia UT-Z c16-10, also known as Gaulkhan’s Reach. I made this the second stop on my Eastward Expedition due to the shepherd moon of the third planet: the ring system of the main planet is only 600km from the surface of the moon. I have attached photos from the dark side of the moon, and one taken in a location that now eludes me. It was a long time ago.

Dateline: Mar 08 3311

I made the trip to the Glorious Nebula, Hen 2-23, with great pace. However, I slammed the Runaway into the dark side of Hen 2-23 1 a a because... I lacked the attention that should be placed on the dark-side landing of a body. I slammed into it. That was a mistake. Luckily, the DSSA Artemis Rest was able to repair me without taking me too far out of my way. I have attached some images of the trip so far, minus anything that would show my incompetence.

Dateline: Mar 06 3311

It all worked out. I ranked in the top 75% for delivery protection, and managed the top 25% for shipments of materials to Starlace Station. I didn’t expect to participate in the cargo trade, but it seemed to work out in my favor. With the credits I gained from the experience, and the knowledge that the bubble is in a good place, it’s time for me to set out eastward. I’ve planned out an expedition which should take me to the northernmost point of the Perseus arm, and the first stop is the Glorious Nebula. It’s a known tourist trap, famous mainly for its inaccessibility back in 3303 and Wolf-Rayet star. Regardless of the rumors, it’s still up to me, as an explorer, to give it a once over.

Dateline: Feb 27 3311

I’ve been taking it all in while engineering my new exploration ship: the expansion projects, the material highways. It all seems incredible to me that we are finally beginning to branch out from the bubble of humanity that we’ve known for so long. That’s why I need to do my part. Here’s my plan:

Dateline: Feb 26 3311

My return from the Crab Nebula coincided with the Titan incursion on Sol. While I did participate in standard AX activities, I did not engage the Titan directly. The war seems to be over, and the figures that gained power during it seem to have taken a step into the background for the time being. I have been monitoring the situation, but decided that I needed some time station-side.

After nearly 4 months of minimal duty, I have returned to help where I'm needed. Right now, that means taking out the pirates taking advantage of a war-torn bubble. and preparing for my next big excursion into the galaxy. I'm looking into locations to visit, and have been outfitting one of the new Zorgon Peterson ships. Early tests are promising. I've attached some images from my trip to the Crab Pulsar.

Dateline: Oct 24 3310

With the near destruction of Titan Raijin by AXI and independent pilot forces, I have left civilized space once more. I have seen enough destruction for now, and need to get back to my roots. With that, I have set out to Kepler's Crest.

My first item of intrigue was Gongae QW-L C24-0 B, a Class III Gas Giant with an odd green glow. Only a handful of these have been discovered throughout the galaxy, so it is quite a rarity that I wanted to learn about. Of course, I couldn't learn anything not already known by other explorers, but it was still a worthy sight, of which I have attached photos of to this log entry.

Dateline: Oct 08 3310

I have continued cooperating with the Anti-Xeno Initiative with the caveat that I refuse to go after Thargoids that are not actively attacking a human settlement or ship. I don’t believe that Thargoids are an inherent threat, like many of my compatriots, but I do believe that I can help people this way. I am not a pacifist by any means, but there has to be a line between defense and genocide. That is the truth that I am after, an objective response to the universe. I have outfitted an Anaconda with Guardian Gauss Cannons, modified heat sinks and a maxed out shield array and named it the Truth, ID code: AX-636.

Dateline: Sep 22 3310

The defense effort on Shinrarta Dezhra has been moving along at a steady pace. Rescue efforts are still ongoing as most independent pilots, myself included, are focused on anti-xeno efforts. The Howler has proven a formidable ship against even larger Thargoid vessels now that I understand their inner-workings a little better. After all, the true strength of the Howler is its pilot.

Dateline: Sep 19 3310

Dateline: Sep 5 3310

Dateline: Sep 3 3310

I have a handle on Exobiology now. I didn't finish out the Billionaire's Boulevard, not even close, but I instead was distracted by something I've been putting off: Engineering. I have plans to do more than just exploration, and with the announcement from Zorgon Peterson last week about their prototype explorer ship coming out sometime soonish I figured I would start down a fun new path for a while. Unfortunately I only had a working relationship with one engineer, and if I wanted more than jump range I had to do some networking. I talked to some guys back at Jameson and they gave me some tips on getting in with the engineers, and how to get them the materials they need.

I now have a new ship, a Type-9 cargo hauler called the “Nightfly” (working title), and I refitted the Tarkus for hunting down raw, encoded, and manufactured materials as well as doing minimal cargo runs. The Sleepless is still my dedicated explorer vessel, which came in handy for a trip to the West Veil nebula, pictures attached after log entry, and a brief stop at the North America nebula which warranted no pictures. To give a status report of my engineering progress: I have grade 5 access with Farseer, grade 3 with Martuuk, and am currently working on improving my reputation with the Sirius corporation to gain access to Marco Qwent's workshop.

Dateline: Aug 26 3310

I returned from my last expedition a few days ago and decided to check another thing off the list of skills to learn, exobiology. I bought the gear from Jameson and found a resource on the Deep Space Network that provided me with some discovered planets rife with exobio samples. The plan is to finish the list, make some money, and shoot myself off into deep space again to do a more proper expedition. 

Outside of that I’ve been using the time to practice my flight skills. I’m pretty rusty but the Sleepless is kitted out with 5D shields and three boosters. If I ever commit to getting it engineered I'll be indestructible, but probably still a bad pilot. I remember, back before I had any money or any engineering I was a pretty good pilot. On the way back from Sag A in the Arcadia I could fly around rocky planets like nobody's business, but I’m out of practice and the Sleepless is always surprisingly wide. Krait’s are shaped like a board, but facing the wrong way. I never felt the need to goof off in planetary flight while I commanded the Tarkus, so I don’t know if it flies any better. I’m rambling, but let it be known that if I don’t make a log in the next month, look for a blue Krait Phantom along the Billionaire’s Boulevard that’s got one half stuck in a cliff face and the other at the bottom of a chasm, actively on fire. I’m including some photos from my trip back to the bubble.