Ad Tenebram
09 Aug 2019Tenescio
Ad Tenebram: in Latin it means "toward gloom." Is there a better name for a journey into the Formidine Rift? I need some time and space to think about who I am, and what I stand for. Most people hear the stories of adventurers making their way out to the core systems: the Empyrean Straits, the Galactic Center, Sagittarius A*. They are places of sheer divinity; stars so close to one another and in such sheer numbers that the whole night sky is constant daylight.
It's also the best place in the galaxy to get cancer, or at least a very nasty sunburn, I imagine.
Don't get me wrong, I want to go to those places. I will, in fact. But I think I need to put the Vanus in dock and take a break from busting asteroids in belts. I'm going to take a vacation: a week or so out in the black by myself. My dad used to call a trip like that "camping," for some reason. My dad grew up on Earth, so he's used to an atmosphere and sky and trees and so on. The point is, that it's just going to be me, the Volucris, and the void.
And I mean the void pretty literally: My goal is to see how far I can get to the galactic rim, and then begin a journey circumnavigating the galaxy at its greatest navigable diameter. It will be a little bit like work in that I plan on collecting surface scans and data on any uncharted systems (I'm not going to irresponsibly jump into a system and then not bring that valuable data back.)
Okay, time to go. The dock crews have activated the lifts to take the Volucris to the surface from the outfitting bay.
Final systems check:
Power output: 100%
Usage: 82%
AFMU: Fully operational; fully stocked
Guardian Frame Shift Drive Booster: Fully operational
Shield Generator: Fully operational
Planetary Vehicle Hangar: Fully operational
Frame Shift Drive: Fully operational
Fuel Scoop: Fully operational
Power Distributor: Fully operational
Life Support: Fully operational
Sensors: Fully operational
Point Defence: Fully operational; fully stocked
Scanners: Fully operational
Power Plant: Fully operational
Maintenance note: I need to speak to an engineer about a smaller, more efficient power plant. The one I have is too heavy and I only use 82% of its output.
CMDR Tenescio, signing off.