Entry 27: Veil Expedition End, Start of Colonia Trip
06 Apr 2020Worldbuilder92
Current System: HIP 83506Veil Expedition Day 9, Expedition Complete
Colonia Voyage Start
I pushed the Mobula's FSD hard for the return trek, but we made it back to the Bubble safe and sound. After offloading the exploration data, I practically doubled my profits and moved up to the next rank of Explorer! I mean, I was more invested in the exploring itself, but... damn.
I started compiling the Bark Mound samples we obtained during the course of the expedition; including the ones I obtained during my stay in the California Nebula, we have 7 distinct planetoids to analyze regarding how Bark Mounds grow. I figure my first stop once I reach Colonia will be at the site of the first Bark Mounds discovered by humans, which should serve as a fitting bookend to my analysis.
Speaking of, as promised, I shall begin my journey to Colonia starting tonight! And with the Bark Mound Analysis Project in full swing amongst myself and my fellow Order pilots, I now have more of a guidance for my exploration and journey. My first stop after leaving the Bubble for good will be the Pipe Nebula, roughly 500LY from the bubble. From there, I should be able to hit my first pit-stop in the Mammon system in good time. As I travel towards Colonia, I'll search nearby Nebulae and chart the systems for Bark Mounds present in them. This voyage may be beneficial in more ways than one~!
Speaking of, as I swapped out the Mobula's power core for the A-rated model I had in storage, I got stopped by a couple concerned pilots. One of them was (or claimed to be) a member of staff for the Colonia Civilian Corps, and he cautioned me against using a Cobra for the trip. He and his companion tried to refer me to another ship with a better jump range, like the DBX or AspX. I...
Honestly, part of me felt hurt. I've been preparing this ship for months now, spending whole days to gather resources and engineer her for this journey. Now, to hear someone voicing doubts about my choice of ship... it felt like a slap in the face. Like I couldn't take care of myself. I'm not some new pilot fresh out of the academy, looking for the big score. I was on the Gnosis! I got lost in deep space, and practically lost my damned mind! I know what I'm getting myself into!
Anyways... I may have gotten a bit overly defensive with them, but I stopped myself before I said something that would really get me into trouble. I left rather quickly, glad to be back in my ship away from the naysayers.
Oh! That reminds me of something else that I've noticed. I can't say for sure, but... I think my COVAS Eden has started developing a personality, somehow. I was casually conversing with her the night before we returned, and I swear she started playfully flirting with me for a moment! I dunno, maybe I was reading more into our conversation than was really there... I mean, the doc's said Eden was specially designed with an adaptive AI to fend off the space madness while out exploring. And she has provided me with meaningful and sometimes comforting conversation, but...
...I dunno. If it happens again, I'll document it here.