Prosperity, Peace, and Credits
19 Feb 2021Chase Quinnell
February 19th, 3307Ashby City, Luyten's Star
Now that the Jupiter situation is under control, I have started doing some freelancing again. I received a contract to gather some ancient Guardian technology components. While they could not provide credits, they promised to give me some hybrid-tech upgrades to my FSD systems. None of my existing ships are properly equipped for a long journey so I visited the Lakon dealer at Jameson Memorial and purchased an Asp Explorer. The local outfitting agency set me up with a long-range exploration kit, including my first pair of SRVs. These will be critical to completing the upcoming mission.
the Black Horizon
I joined up with a couple of commanders who had a fleet carrier and jumped about 800ly outside of the bubble to a known Guardian site. Learning how to drive an SRV is quite a challenge; I have never driven a ground vehicle before. Growing up, I always used public transit... never needed my own vehicle back then. It probably took a good 20 minutes before I was able to adequately maneuver the SRV. One of the commanders provided aerial support against the drones; on that note, it has always kinda surprised me how resilient Guardian tech is. That their sentries still work after all this time is a testament to their incredible engineering and technology. Maybe someday we'll accomplish the same. That kind of immortality is rare.
Upon return from our short expedition, I was able to purchase Guardian-hybrid FSD boosters for my ships. These will be invaluable to my future endeavors. However, while my ships all have some high-end components, there is definitely room for improvement. Some well-known engineers out there may be able to help on this front; I've already started a working relationship with Ms. Farseer out in the Deciat system. She was very appreciative of the wealth of exploration data I provided to her from my excursion to the Guardian site. She still needs me to obtain some very specific materials before we can produce anything worthwhile. Felicity told me she was particularly interested in seeing my Asp Explorer; apparently, she used to fly one back in the day. One of the techs in the hanger claims they don't make them like they used to, but I think they're just being sentimental! My experience with Lakon has been nothing but stellar.
The Peace Summit
I have a mixed opinion of the Sirius Corporation. They've essentially become a corporate state deep within Federation territory. It's my opinion that they're making a mistake by being so utterly neutral. How can they tacitly support slavery in the Empire? The Empire is a step backward for humankind, no matter how pretty they make their ships. In any case, I guess their plans to host the peace summit are moving forward. Frankly, I think this whole thing will accomplish nothing. I'll admit, fighting a war with the Empire or Alliance would be pointless right now, but I also think these peace talks are a waste of time. Hudson has better things he could be focusing on; like dealing with the Thargoid menace.
the Satisfactory Profit
Anyway, despite this, it is an opportunity to make a lot of money. Sirius has offered a permanent permit to their home system as well as an enhanced frame shift drive. This is on top of all the credits I can make by delivering rare goods from across civilized space. This unfortunately means I must go deep into Imperial territory. I also noted another opportunity; tritium in a nearby system is available for a bit below the average. Several private enterprises have stationed their fleet carriers nearby for the ongoing summit. Selling them tritium for double the galactic average has turned out to be incredibly profitable.
I kept a bottle of Lavian Brandy for myself... think I'll pop it open and have some with my lunch.