Field Log 01: Colonia. (16 Feb 3308)
16 Feb 2022NullPriestess
Location: ColoniaDistance from Home: 22,015 LY
Systems Status: Green
The trip took a month, but I've finally found myself here. Colonia. 22,000 light years from Okinura, where I made my home.
I made some preparations before I left. Fine tuned my systems, performed some other tweaks. I even armed the Radiant. How many exploration vessels have a pair of size three pulse lasers mounted on board? Not many, that's for certain. Once that was done, I departed.
Hundreds of star systems. Dozens of bioforms between here and there. A few earth-like planets, even, previously undiscovered, now catalogued with my name on them. I was dutiful in my work, ensuring that no stone went unturned - excepting those planets that were made entirely of stone, or ice, that lacked atmospheres and biosigns. I went out to explore, yes, but I had no intention of kicking rocks.
My final payouts: 550 million credits in cartographic data, another 125 million in biological samples. Advancement to exploration Elite 2, and Ecologist rank in exobiology. Vista genomics must be something of an upstart, considering how little they pay, comparatively. Shoot an asshole in the face and it's worth more than a unique bioform discovered several thousand light years from the edges of humanity. Go figure. For what it's worth, though, I'll be coming home with a new sense of purpose. Not to say that space isn't beautiful - there's something awe-inspiring to realize just how far you are from home, just how few people will ever see what you see but... there's this.
I will admit, I was shocked the first time I saw it. A micronebula, with a single star system, this beautiful blue all around me. I've never seen anything like it. I'd seen it for maybe five minutes before I decided: I'm going to live out there.
I'm going to buy myself a carrier, take it almost as far from home as Colonia is, and use it as a base of operations for exploration. First things first, though - I need to make it home, and that means getting back from Colonia. (I am aware that I can buy a carrier in Colonia as well, but money making opportunities, to say nothing of tritium, are sparse out there.) To that end, I'll be hitching a ride on an ally's carrier at the end of the week and returning to Okinura. From there, it'll be money in spades until such time as I have the requisite funds (I plan on 7.5 to 8 billion in credits) to purchase myself a mobile base of operations. Once it has all necessary facilities installed (and no shortage of Tritium; lessons learned) I'll begin the arduous task of taking it to the nebula I found.
...I can't wait.