Exploration - 2.3 - Week 33 3077
22 Aug 2021Sumurai8
[16 08 3307 | Inferred location: Athaihn YK-O e6-5956]Found me a F-class super giant. I asked the nav computer, and apparently there have only been 3586 of those discovered in the entire galaxy. A rare find indeed. This one is quite heavy and quite hot, but not quite as hot or heavy as the record holders out there, but it is getting close.
[16 08 3307 | Inferred location: Athaihn YK-O e6-1332]
I thought a IIIAB star would be large, with it being classified as a "regular giant", but instead this star, as well as the other 2 B-class stars in this system are record holders for the smallest B-class stars. I sent my claim on these stars towards the nearest intergalactic comm sat. Hopefully they will acknowledge that.
[16 08 3307 | Inferred location: Athaihn XP-O e6-663]
Okay, this is ridiculous. Something must be up with IIIAB stars. I barely left the previous star, to another IIIAB I marked, and this one is a galactic record as well. Well, if I wouldn't have found the other one first.
[17 08 3307 | Inferred location: Athaihn CA-X d2-378]
Over halfway on this leg of the journey. It's amazing to see so many big stars here. I used some of the spare materials lying around to tinker with COVAS today. I know, I know, against regulations and stuff, but who is going to care out here in the black. I added an extra processing module that connects into the Event Bus. Then I installed my own assistent, complete with voice control, in that. Now I can operate half the ship through ASTRA, and get much needed information from her during jumps.
While I was at it I configured one of my panels to show me scanned bodies that have biological signals. I used to have to go through the system map after a complete system scan and inspect every single body, but now I can just glance at my side panel and find which planets are actually interesting... if any exist even.
I still have over 20k ly to go in this journey. It's tempting to find a neutron highway to home, but at the same time I want to find more. Explore more. Get more samples.
TUBUS SORORIBUS in Inara Gallery (discovered a few days afterwards)
[18 08 3307 | Inferred location: Eor Auscs GR-N e6-169]
I originally planned to be back in the bubble before Thursday, but then I took an ar/s/s/s/s/s a trip past several giants and I am quite enjoying it. Now I am considering staying in the black for a little while longer to advance my standing with the independent pilots guild in the exploration and exobiology rankings. Can't be bad to be recognised for those feats, and get better contracts as a result, right? Or maybe I am just happy with the quiet here.
[18 08 3307 | Inferred location: Eor Auscs HF-R d4-5211]
Making steady progress through my list. I think this planet with 5 biological signals is going to be the last one for tonight. At least I will get a good night of sleep on a planet with some gravity, instead of the usual zero-g sleep I get.
[19 08 3307 | Inferred location: Eor Auscs LG-Y e417]
Okay, I am convinced. This IIIAB B-class star is once again smaller than the regular stars. Something is funky with the classification of these stars, or I am just not understanding these correctly.
[20 08 3307 | Location: Mynoaw TO-Z e4603]
I encountered a black hole on my way to the next waypoint. It is located in the middle of, what I think, is a planetary nebula. It is already discovered of course. Things that look interesting on the galaxy map have usually already attracted explorers way before me. I couldn't resist to visit though. I love the colours around here. Well worth the little detour.
KRAIT PHANTOM INSIDE A MINI NEBULA in Inara Gallery
[20 08 3307 | Inferred location: Mynoaw LI-Z d1-366]
I think I am done plotting out small legs of my journey to IIAB, IIIAB and TTS stars. I want to get home. I have scrapped the 4 or so systems still on my list and plotted a route to a TTS 2k ly away to get some distance. Let's go!
[20 08 3307 | Inferred location: Greae Phoea IF-M a89-0]
Waypoint reached. The TTS is small, cold and very light. As usual, there are colder, smaller and lighter stars out there of this type, but it's quite close to the minimum. Time to plot another leg of my journey.
[20 08 3307 | Inferred location: Greae Phoea NX-B c16-291]
Found another system with plenty of bodies suitable for human life. That is, if someone wants to put effort into terraforming these worlds. It's always nice to be able to sell a single system for upwards of 18 million credits though.
[21 08 3307 | Inferred location: Floanth CH-U e3-40]
I found another B-class star with a smaller radius than the current galactic record. This time not a IIIAB, but a regular Vz.
[21 08 3307 | Inferred location: Greae Hype IU-S b51-31]
Ooof. Had a scare here. When ASTRA disengaged the FSD, I saw the ship coming to a stop at the primary star while going through the secondary star. Of course I didn't actually go through the star in regular space. It's just light that is catching up to me when I come to a stop, but I immediately scrambled to get out of this potential death sandwich. Looking back at it, I likely never was in danger. Both stars are red dwarfs, and well under temperatures the ship can handle.
[21 08 3307 | Inferred location: Prua Phoea IH-U e3-29]
Waypoint reached. Yesterday I decided to plot to another IIIAB B-class star, and unsurprisingly it is another record for smallest star. A nice find, with a... nice... number of bodies in the system.
[21 08 3307 | Inferred location: Prua Phoea ZB-X b21-0]
That's it for today. I made good progress. I have 66 jumps to go to my final waypoint before finding a neutron highway back to the bubble. I think it is time I get a move on. I am still about 12k ly away from home, but with the next waypoint being 4k ly away I should be a lot closer. Not quite 4k ly closer, since I am moving paralel to the usual path people take in order to find more unexplored systems, but closer none-the-less. I think I should be able to get the ship in one piece back through repeated neutron jumps, despite the wear on every component in the ship. If not, I always have my AFMU to fix up some of them.
[22 08 3307 | Inferred location: Nyeakua AB-W e2-8]
Waypoint reached. I feel like I am saying that a lot. Visited two IIIAB B-class stars next to each other. I have tasked the nav computer to start plotting a route through as many neutron stars as it can find. Of course, taking into account that sometimes the direct route with a couple normal jumps is faster than a neutron jump.
Looks like I will be making 65 jumps for a distance of 9.7 ly.
I probably won't give another update when I get back home. There is plenty of work for me to do when I get back in the bubble. Time to rattle all screws lose on this tin can navigating through jet cones. Might even scoop up a couple more meat popsicles from a planet closer to the bubble. Just to remind me that exploring is a dangerous thing, and I am lucky to make it back alive in a still functioning ship.
