The Diary of a Space Scoundrel: Out on the Edge
25 Feb 2020Seth Bradwell
5 February 3306With no real plan in mind, I planned my next destination based on getting as far away from Nyalayan, the Empire, and indeed any superpower as possible, and to such end I plotted a course for a tiny colony on the very edge of the Bubble in a system called HIP 71938 (my present life was about to consist of travelling to quite a few obscure HIP numbers), nearly 380 light years from Nyalayan and indeed just under 215 from from Sol - one of the furthest points on the far side of the Bubble, population 9,931. Suits me fine. One thing I soon found out is how far out the tendrils of the superpowers reach, with a Federal system just two jumps away at Nari - but with a population of just over 140,000, the Sol system it is not - indeed I question how much influence the Federation really has in these parts other than a symbolic affiliation. Indeed the Empire's most far-flung colonies generally fend for themselves, with very little real oversight from Achenar (excepting places of major military or political importance) other than an occasional envoy from Her Majesty being sent out to remind them that she has not totally forgotten about her subjects - and that's before you factor in how the Empire is made up of a patchwork of individual fiefdoms, corporations, baronies, and patrons, all vying for power and interest.
By the way, my ship has had a new paint job, and indeed a new name. Whilst it was rebuilt to identical specifications as the previous Ahriman, that name now belongs in the past, so behold - the Edge of Sanity:
HIP 71938's sole starport is Moon Camp, on the fifth moon of its fourth planet, an ice world with very little beyond that settlement. Two factions are in play here, both from nearby HIP 71931, the largest being the Social HIP 71931 Partnership, with HIP 71931 Blue Vision Services having its own holdings. It is a newly-established colony which still relies on support from its bigger neighbour, and like most startup colonies the only things it exports are hydrogen fuel and biowaste. The key activity is a nascent mining industry, with the rings of the third and fourth planets starting to be tapped for their wealth. I touch down, enjoying feeling real gravity (albeit only 0.25 G, but still more that I have been accustomed to at outposts), and take a look around, to see what opportunities awaited me.
9 February
Piracy is always a problem even in the furthest reaches of the Bubble - especially in the furthest reaches of the Bubble and indeed beyond. It is up to the colonies to create their own Authority, and in a place like '938 the resources are just not there for heavy security - and besides it's expected that pilots out here know how to defend themselves, or at the very least are capable of fleeing from danger. That being said, there is always someone willing to pay give the pirates a bloody nose. Both factions have issues with the Camorra of HIP 71931, and so my first few days were spent taking out prominent members who needed to be dealt with once and for all. One skill that it pays to learn around here is how to scan a security terminal from the relative safety of your ship, it can be done, but you need to get within 100 metres and get ready to blast out of there the moment you have the required details. Regardless in the past few days six terrorists were sent to their maker by my guns, and I netted a generous helping of credits as a result. Yet the contracts out here are quite sparse from both the Partnership and Blue Vision, indeed my presence has sent the Camorra into hiding. I retire to bed to consider my next move.
10 February
"Any assassinations today?" I ask the Partnership representative at Moon Camp.
"Not today, and probably not for some time - the Camorra are keeping low and licking their wounds, your recent actions have made sure of that, and we are very grateful. This isn't really the place for a combat-minded pilot to make their long-term living, mind you."
"I just enjoy taking out the trash." I say smugly. "Is there anything at all?"
"Well, we have some important documents that need to be shipped over to our headquarters at '931, if you are up to it." I heave a sigh. "Oh don't worry, for a hot-shot like you there's always a chance that someone will be sent to stop you - with deadly force. Were you to stop them you could be in for an additional bonus."
"Okay, I'm in. At least it gives me a chance to see what's going on elsewhere."
She wasn't kidding when she said that someone would try to stop me. The Camorra of '931 aren't quite as crippled as they thought, and I ended up dispatching three of their "finest" (the usual wide boys in Fer-de-Lances who discovered to their cost that their fancy ships do not make them a good combat pilot) before I made my delivery, and true to her word I had an 180,000 Cr bonus on top of my initial fee. I return to my ship ready to head back to '938 when I get a message on comms.
"Enjoy your little courier job? Not too dull was that? Anyway, how about you start mucking in with what this company is really about? One million credits if you mine us 40 tonnes of water."
"Mining? I have never really done much mining, in fact I used to think about mining in order to get to sleep..."
"Your logs do say you have a knack for extracting painite - so you do have some experience."
"Okay, yes, but I need some mining lasers and a Refinery - both of which are back in the centre of the Bubble."
"That's why we authorised their transfer on your behalf to '938."
"What? You have no right -"
"Mining is the bread and butter of this system, so it stands to reason you would eventually start yourself. Relax, it's not all about firing a laser at a rock these days. In fact, whilst you are at Cauchy Horizons, I have a list of modules you will want to equip yourself with."
Had I known I would become a miner I would have considered calling my ship the Manic Miner. But whilst the typical lasers are still there, there are all other kinds of machinery out there now - subsurface missiles, abrasion blasters, and seismic charge launchers, and I have no idea how to use any of them. Well no time like the present...
12 February
This mining business is not as bad as I thought - although as much as the people at the Partnership are happy with my work I don't think I will be hanging up the combat lasers just yet - although they are in storage so I am resigned to fleeing any would-be pirate. Being paid to extract water is just the tip of the iceberg, finding a core of painite which I managed to break open with those sesimic charges (oh, the satisfaction of seeing an asteroid being blown apart!) and then finding a lode of rhodplumsite was itself super satisfying, nearly 4 mill taken out of three asteroids, although trying to find the right ones is frustrating, that wave scanner is all well and good but you need to be able to identify the subtle differences. But I can now see why miners tend to just go for "one more rock" before heading to base. Anyway, I have an important meeting with the Partnership coming tomorrow, so this is me, signing off for the night.