Formidine Expedition: Entry 004
11 May 2016Alexia Zyxx
We've crossed the Orio-Persean String and are now pushing deep into the Perseus arm. We have easy sailing here, as the density of this star field allows us to keep our frame shift drive operating near max range while still allowing for frequent re-fueling at each star. We're now over six thousand light years from Sol, and have entered the IC 1805 sector. We're taking a moment's rest in a small emission nebula around a desolate black hole -- an unusual and intriguing sight, the science team is overjoyed at the initial scan's results.Travel has been uneventful since leaving the Orion arm of the galaxy. Fewer explorers travel this far out, and those that do are drawn more towards grander destinations -- the Core, the Great Annihilator, Beagle Point. While there has been an increase in interest in the Formidine Rift in recent months, it remains a relatively untraveled route.
A moment of confusion, however, upon entering the Gludgoea sector along the way. We stopped for a brief survey of a metal rich body in orbit around a bright class F star, hoping to find some materials for overcharging our frameshift drive. While cruising just a few kilometers above the surface, our scanners pinged a point of interest. A surveying crew was sent to investigate. I watched their headlights from the fore observation deck, their streaming video feed overlayed on the window as they crested a nearby hill. Silently resting there was a heap of metal -- the battered and partially buried remains of an older model Scarab SRV. Curiously, perched in the dirt next to the ruined vehicle was a cargo container full of reactive body armor. Whatever the crew was running from must have caught them here...
We brought the crate back to the Minerva to see if we could glean any additional clues of what happened here, but found nothing. The container was pristine save for a few minor scuffs where it had bounced out of the Scarab's cargo rack. The body armor inside was untouched, dozens of suits still factory-sealed in clear plastic. We took a few sets for our armory -- this was top-end premium stuff --- and left the rest of the container behind. While we could make a few thousand credits on the armor back in the bubble, right now it's not worth the extra weight and corresponding loss in jump range. We left the planet swiftly, the dusty mystery to remain unsolved.
The space here is foreign to me; none of the constellations are familiar. I can't help but feel that we don't belong out here, this far in the black. But we press on, our path guided towards the Heart and Soul Nebulae -- ever growing jewels of light in the distance. Every passing day brings us closer to the Rift.
CMDR Alexia Zyxx
PFS Minerva
signing off.