Day One: En Route to Mission Point Alpha
23 Aug 2016Bkidderz
Lakon Spaceways' Asp Explorer. It's not the prettiest ship in the galaxy. By most standards is flies like a brick. It even sounds horrible. The engine noise alone likely contributes to space madness long before the epic loneliness of space actually sets in. Truth be told, I'm looking forward to getting away. Based on GalNet News articles from all over the neighboring sectors, the Federation and the Empire are heating up for war. And not one of their fancy show of force style exercises where politically driven armadas just do a meet-and-greet in a contested system. No, the coming tide was more my speed really. Bloodthirsty, target rich environments crafted specifically for the best combat pilots. Eh, well. Maybe that was me once upon a time. Lately, I feel more like my reflexes have rusted or worse, succumbed to rigor mortise. Either way, my peak may have passed. But that's a story for another time.Barjavel Station in HIP 33368 is by no means inside the bubble. Close, but just in the 'burbs enough for those of us who might be looking to stay hidden, or those looking for a lauching point before a long exploration journey. As for my own personal standing, I'd have to admit to being a bit of a mixture of the two options. At any rate, I'd manage to find myself steady work with a small but effective group of ragtag adventurers, retired combat pilots, explorers, and even a pirate or two. They call themselves the Privateer's Alliance. Seems about a month ago one of their members, a guy who goes by the handle "Face" was out exploring around 2,500 light years from their home system when his beacon when dead. They all use handles like that. I wonder if anyone realizes mine is my real name.
I've listened to his last transmission. Judging by some of the background noise, it seems he may have been interdicted. The sound of hull stress is pretty clear in the recording. Clear sign of something pulling against the ship at epic speeds. I'm no scientist, so I can't explain how it works. I just know what happens in the end. Nothing like going from faster than light speeds to normal space. It's enough to make your stomach feel a bit turned inside out. At any rate, I've set a few bookmarks in my nav computer and I'm ready to fly.
IC 1396 Sector...here I come.
[See photos of day one.]