Musings from Mawson Dock
10 Jul 2019Tenescio
You take enough graduate school, it becomes a job in and of itself. Since leaving home, I feel like my universe has expanded, even as it shrunk into the small, cloistered spaces of research, studies, and writing essay after essay on ancient Earth. However, since graduating from the Pilot's Federation pilot training only a few days ago -- maybe nearly a week now -- I have been doing mission after mission for them running data from Matet, to Dromi, to Otegine, to Sharur and back. I have made more credits by pouring myself into running a data stick like a glorified antenna back and forth between stars and ports. It is certainly a different kind of job, but it feels better somehow.
I loved being a student, and I wanted to teach for a living. But... well. Let's be honest here -- Academia has a long history of being a lot of talk without engaging with substance. It is a shame, because the vast history it explores is full of substance. Academia has the potential to be rich, wild, and full of marvels. That is why I did it in the first place -- I fell in love with ancient Earth, that Eden, and its strange literature and frankly amusing history. From men in metal plates whacking each other with bladed sticks to people wearing a bed sheet and preaching philosophy, it was all wondrous to me.
Why, then, is Academia a bunch of old people who can't keep their noses from touching their rectums?
I don't know, but it certainly seems like working as a pilot is the life for me. Even these basic jobs sustain me quite easily. Right now, I am using the money from my courier missions in Vindicta, my Sidewinder, to fund my outfitting of the Gallus, my Hauler. I'll be honest: I have seen a lot of Haulers and never thought much of them. Now that I own one, though, the excitement is hard to deal with. I can strip this thing of its weapon system, upgrade the FSD, and refit the E-rated systems in the core internals with the optimal D-rated, lightweight ones... and Wham. 30 ly jump range. More than enough to get around and do missions for the Federation. Maybe if I work hard for them, they'll give me a permit to access Sol! And either way, selling the exploration data should give me enough money to eventually buy and outfit a Keelback for mining. I think my dad would be proud to hear his son is following his footsteps, mining his way through a planetary ring.
Hey, maybe I'll set aside some money for a trip to Hutton Orbital, to visit my folks. .... It will have to be a lot of money to make that trip worth it, honestly.