Why we do what we do
14 Jun 2020Dante Cortez
I get asked a lot* why I do this - the long, solo exploration journeys, months away from other people. From the outside, I can see how it would look dull or boring. Jump in, scan the system, find mostly uninteresting planets (if any), scoop some fuel, maybe land and scan some geological or biological outcroppings and pick up some resources, and move on.And yeah, there's a lot of that. But every time I activate the FSD to jump, there's that little tingle in the back of my head: "This next one could be IT!" Whatever "it" might be. A new Earth-like world. An undiscovered black hole. A bizarre configuration of stars and planets. A beautiful vista or starscape. "It" could be any of a dozen, a hundred, a thousand things. And then when the next system turns out to have "it," the endorphin rush is unparalleled. Better than any drug, and more addictive because of it.
For my part, I don't understand the joy others take in hunting pirates, or being pirates, or running missions for one faction or another. Those things just don't resonate with me. So I get why what I do might not make sense to others. But as I am continually reminded every time I plot a course, it is a VAST galaxy, and there is room for all kinds of people with all kinds of interests and preferences, and that's just the way I like it.
*Well, since I am hardly ever around other people, I don't get asked all that much.