Halfway
23 Oct 2019Dante Cortez
I look up and suddenly I'm 1300 LY beyond the edge of civilization. After a long stretch of jump-scan-investigate-repeat, I set down on a dusty red high-metal planet in a system my onboard catalog designates as "Plaa Eurk WR-I b37-0." (I know, such a romantic, evocative name, right?) I'm not the first person to swing through this system, which is kind of a shame because there's a gorgeous little Earthlike here, orbiting an AB two-star configuration. But someone else found it first.I'm not surprised. I'm heading out to the Elephant's Trunk Nebula, and nebulae draw explorers, and I'm basically on the most direct route to get there, so most of these systems will have been visited. Once I get to my current destination, I'll look around and see if I can find something new. Meanwhile, I'm looking out at the bleak beauty of a red-and-orange desert. I took a little drive around before I hit the sack, and there is nothing nearby. I suppose it's a little lonely, but it's quiet. Nobody shooting at me, insisting on payment, demanding I marry their daughter... Well, anyway, none of those typical human interactions. Just peace and freedom.
Less than 50 jumps to go to my next planned stop, and each system I jump into is a mystery box filled with possibility.