Bubble Burst
30 Jan 2020FreddieLuxx
The Bubble. Our de facto name for the hive of human activity in the Orion Spur. Home.While there is no physical wall or marking as such, there certainly is a sense of it as you cross the threshold.
A wall of frequencies, information and advertising.
The sphere of humanity's influence. Data.
Delacy, for all your spacefaring needs...Galnet reports civil unrest in Wolf 1301 as viral outbreaks grip population in Saunders...ahhhhh Lave Brandy, for the discerning gentleman pilot
I reach over to switch off open comms. To buy a few more moments of blissful solitude in the black, feeling the FSD of Stellaris spool up as we prepare to slingshot through a Trinary system on the way to Dez. I can almost feel the light of the Stars wash over me. Probably terrible for my health.
Priority One Comms Incoming - User Override
Well one can dream...
Commander so good of you to join us...
Nex can be all smiles before he chews you out.
Nice Trip? Bring something back for the wife? Must've been beautiful seeing all those pristine planets...
"Well Sir, I..."
No one cares Commander Luxx. I expect you to report to Head Office in Jameson ASAP.
"...Sir."
I'll expect you here within two standard Sol. Nex out.
Communications Closed
"Lovely to hear from you, Sir"
Nex is Old Guard. Affectionately called "The Elder" on account of his age, which being a pilot is quite a feat to achieve.
Survival rates are chancy at best in combat scenarios, and coupled with a slower aging process due to excessive time spent in faster than light frames of reference, Nex had earned his title and our loyalty. Seen more of this galaxy than any of us. However if the Old Man was cranky about me burning sky and putting serious light years on my 'Conda's power plant, while probably setting some kind of speed record from the Coalsack nebula...well...shit must've hit the fan.
I bank Stellaris between Star A and B, both M class, letting their dueling gravities pull me through the void, ready to throw me out the system. The engines screamed with the effort. The whole ship vibrated through my controls. I can see the radiation from the two stars fry off the last of my paintwork.
Frame Shift Drive Charging...
I bring up the Galactic map and prepare to overclock the FSD. Just over one hundred light years out. Two Sols to get there.
I'll be there in one.