Logbook entry

Wallace City Space Museum

Pretty much as soon as I was issued with a license & completed the pilots preview programme I put the funds together for my first DBX and headed out of the bubble. These things are the solid rocks of galactic exploration - massive fuel tank vs mass ratio, pre-engineering about a 36 ly jump range and unrivalled heat management at a discount store price.

I left the bubble in, what? 3303? Something like that. Over the following years I pretty much only flew this little tub around until I picked up a galnet article about that crazy cyborg trying to jump a station to Beagle Point. His misfortune became my boon as I happened to be heading for the festival grounds in any case - I visited Jacques at Colonia and ended up staying. Metal man can't go a day without creating some crazy scheme to make money and we all profited from it.

Even though I ended up with a small transport fleet at Ratraii I was always looking for an excuse to get back into Starbug on the next expedition. Once we had an incident halfway on the second or third Sag A trip, and bounced off a planet. 8% hull and no repair limpets... and a datcomm full of exploration data!! Of course there's no way in hell I was turning back but the rest of that journey minimised planetary visits and there was no neutron jumps!

Starbug took a hell of a beating but always came through. This picture of us after we finally returned to the bubble a little over two years ago, and after our final expedition together. She's dry-docked in Wallace and gifted to the museum now as a testament to pre-engineering exploration; and as a reminder to myself on how easy we have things now!

Where my journey on elite began.

My first purchase I made was a shiny Asp Explorer. Her age is showing and with the raiders pack looks like something from Mad Max.

I have carried enough cargo and travelled into the black to gain two elite rankings. The old girl should have retired long ago but I still use her as a bubble taxi.

I call her the Draeko. Weird name? It's mine. Get over it.

I remember taking to the stars like most fresh pilots. At first in the Drak, a small Sidewinder like everyone else who starts out without a trust fund. I'm a war veteran, so blasting ships seemed like a good way to start building a fortune for freedom. Took on a few bounties and soon upgraded to a Cobra Mark III that I christened the Drak II.

I know, super original. The grind of combat and killing began to weigh on me for a long while until finally, I could afford this beautiful bucket of bolts. This ship was my true first step into freedom. Combat was easy with her but eventually, after seeing how big her cargo hold was I got my first taste for minning with this ship.

Before LHS was the official home of my sqaud mates it was my preferred rock bitting sector of space. Strange the way things work out. I was firing away at asteroids building my fortune towards purchasing the Draekoneasho while an entire colony of lost space farers were considering the sector a prime prospect for a new home. Imagine my surprise when after the war the SC asked my opinion on moving the squad here. I don't believe in fate but I do think the universe messes with people.

Anyway, don't let the rusted paint job fool you; the Draeko is still one of the fastest and most lethal ships out there in the bubble. But for now she is my main goto for restocking my mobile base with fuel, something most wouldn't think to use a Python for.

But then most aren't made for this life.

Suddenly I decided to take my Hauler on a long journey, and I did. A true explorer, explores the galaxy in any ship. Wether it is an ASP, DBX or Type 9, the sights will still be stunning. No matter how little or how big the jump range, you gotta stop and map everything everywhere anyhow.