Updates for the last few days: Stay away from the Dark Side and sleep deprivation
29 Feb 2016ED_Recluse
Been running and mining metal for the LHS 3447 Community Goal in the Cobra for a few days. Started out hauling some Aluminum for a loss, then went to mine the Asteroid belts in LHS 3447. Decent hauls of metals, mostly Osmium with significant amounts of Gold, Silver, Palladium and the occasional Platinum strike.Sold off a few loads and then returned to the Vulture for some Bounty Hunting around Ngolibardu. Was doing really well taking down some very high bounty Fer de Lance's and Pythons. Feeling a bit too cocky. Was fighting a Python, and made a few mis-steps and he got my shields down fairly low. Decided to boost away for a recharge and ran SMACK into an asteroid which took down the rest of my shields. Python was still hammering me, and I reversed thrust, angled up and boosted again to try and get out of Mass Lock and into Supercruise. BAM! Hit another rock and destroyed my ship setting me back the Bounties earned and the million credit rebuy cost.
Serves me right for heading to a RES on the DARK SIDE where the rocks are so hard to see.
Took the new ship back to the RES and at least managed to make back my Rebuy cost + about 300K credits.
Docked the Vulture and took the Cobra back out for some more relaxing mining. Again, ferried a few loads to LHS 3447, reserving quite a bit of Osmium and a ton of Platinum for Bulletin Board Contracts. Got interdicted a few times, usually stopping to take out the aggressor if they were in smaller ships (Eagle/Viper/Adder) which I could handle easily. Had to scramble once to get away from a Fed Dropship, but I was close to the station and managed to avoid him.
Was just about to call it a night when a Platinum contract popped up. I took it. It was for 2 tons and I only had 1. Back to the Belt...how long could it take?
A LONG TIME, actually. My eyelids were drooping and I really wanted to quit. Was scooping up Osmium, Gold, Silver and Palladium by the ton, but only trace amounts of Platinum. My refinery bin was stuck on 75% and I couldn't find any more!
Exhausted one Belt Cluster and jumped to another...and another. ONLY a ton of Platinum could buy my way to sleep! FINALLY hit a Platinum rich rock, refined my ton and headed back to Worlidge to turn in the metals and collect the 154K on Platinum contracts.
Yesterday, made a few cargo runs including a nice 100K contract to deliver Lanthanum, then sold off my cargo, including all the Osmium I was saving for a contract that never materialized. Docked the Cobra and took out the Vulture for some bounty hunting with my Wingmates in Wolf 865.
Nothing clears out a RES like a Wing of 4 Vultures!!! Having been on the mining side of it, I am sure the prospectors were glad of the cover, though they seemed to stick around LONG after they had taken enough damage to make tracks for the nearest station.
Hauled in about 1.1 million credits and called it a night.