The Magellan Star Journey - Catching up
23 Jan 2022Eeka
* alert * alert * alert *I was happily exploring the system Hyuedeae PB-K c22-8 until i received the notification of the third phase of the Colonia Bridge expansion. Oh boy, i could not let this 6A FSD pass, again. I quickly plotted a neutron route back to MelRose at WP6 and soon after i was jumping back to the bubble.
Would i give up on the expedition? Such a long voyage, such a distant destination, so many other interesting goals. I must confess this thought ran through my mind as i was heading back.
Thankfully, my calculations relevealed i had enough fuel to go back. An exploration ship wouldn't handle the CG task and stopping for mining in the way would be deal breaking. Phew.
After about 12h of constant jumping i was back, with a plan. The previous CG and some tritium hauling have taught me to look for a comodity based on supply then price. Everything went fine, after a few days i managed to safely qualify for the reward and the community achieved the required (and demanding) threshold.
Either way, the bubble is not a place for me. It's an already documented fact that psycological and emotional degradation comes with staying there so i'd be leaving soon.
I had to make use of this visit to also upgrade my ships. Some new limpet controllers were welcomed as well as a few scorpion vehicles. Voynich is now in better shape than ever, even more when the FSDs arrive. I also did some optimizations in MelRose's services and procedures so we can be more efficient when travelling in the void. Maybe a suit upgrade as well? Sure sound like a good idea.
After many days have consumed this plan with little to no actual return, i've given up on getting a top-tier Artemis suit and settled with a G3 with jump assist engineering. Working around with ship and SRV would do the trick to exobiology research as well as it's been doing so far. I'm not a settlement scavenger, i don't feel okay robbing everything in a place i was assigned to help, and i wont even talk about killing people for it.
As the CG came to an end, the time for a decision also caught up. Well.. what other objectives to put effort in if i break a big one for a small set back (just 50kly)? Perseverance is a tool to keep on the set and to the Magellan Star it is! Time to create a very nice flight plan to catch up with the expedition.
Fuel calculations, routes and flight stages. All set up. Basically, MelRose will stay in the expedition's WP8 so i can move it to WP16 on my way back and i'll go from WP8 to WP11~12 using the Nefeli II while prioritizing a neutron route. I love flight planning!
Everything went as expected. I departured with 8.3k tritium, now i have 4.8k left. 3 days until WP8 and 3 days to WP11, in which i reached yesterday.
Soon after a quick integrity repair and refilling the AFMUs, i'm already on my way to the Magellan Star. It will be one of the most challenging phases of the expedition, but it should not be a big problem, i've been in star mazes before and i'm well geared. I hope i can meet some other fellow commanders there and take good pictures. For now, the records i have to share with you are from this crazy in and out of the expedition:
What? An alert? Now??
Heading back to R.S.S. MelRose
Docket at Nye's Bowtie
Finally reached the bubble again
Testing Voynich's new setup
Out to the suit grind, but not for long...
This one is good enough
On my way back, powered by Spansh
WP9 - Gates Of Alighieri
What's this? A world falling from the sky??
Nah, it's just the WP10!
Docked at the SWS//Lockheart - WP11
Last glance of WP11 before going to the Magellan Star - Fly By Ice
See you in the next entry.
o7