004: On Commies and Hutton and Engineerin and Salvage and Shootin and Explorin oh my!
25 Mar 2021Piratescribe
Date: 25-3-3307Locn: Hutton Orbital [Alpha Centauri]
So much has happened this last week, I don't even know where to begin! But if i don't try to get some of it out now that I have the time, I'm never going to be able to post another update again. And then how will future generations ever know of my glorious exploits! *smile*
I'll try to just hit highlights for now....
So the group of communists I discovered at HIP 38235 weren't all I thought they were. Guess that's going to happen now and then. Very disappointing. But in the process, I discovered the existence of Communism Interstellar, the largest most influential faction of leftists in the Bubble! I went to their headquarters in Manite, learned everything I could about them, their works, support, goals . . . long story short, I joined up! Spent some coin transferring ALL of my modules and ships from other bases to Irens Dock, and now call this home!
I also joined a faction called Mobius. They're also a non-exclusive faction of commanders that essentially provide support and opportunities for each other. Looking forward to interacting with them!
Ah so, I've been learning a lot more about Engineering! (After having enough other commanders suggest for a million times how to have parts of my ship re-engineered....) That Felicity Farseer I heard about? Paid her a visit and struck up a fine professional relationship! Over the last several days and several visits, she's been able to upgrade my FSD to the point my Dolphin now gets, check it out, 41LY per jump! That's double what I had been doing! It's amazing! She's improved my thrusters and armored my power plant . . . but, it seems that's not much more she can do with what I have. If I want to get some really amazing improvements, there are other Engineers I need to locate and get in good with! I heard about this one reclusive guy, Etienne Dorn, who will be able to do some really advanced work on my ships. Only thing is, I understand to even speak with me, I need to bring him . . . get this, 25 OCCUPIED escape pods! How totally messed up is that?! What in the singularity would he want those for??
Okay so like, don't judge me, but I've been on the lookout for escape pods. I'm really hoping he wants them to help the poor souls inside *fingers crossed*. But I found a couple already at the Jameson Crash Site! What a creepy place.... Was a really difficult find, dark, remote, took a couple tries in fact. But finally I caught sight of 4 blinking lights, and what do you know! I landed nearby and explored, found some salvageable supplies... and, listened to Jameson's last log entries! Guess they've been kept there in those beacons for posterity. Grim, sad, interesting stuff. Been thinking a lot about it since.
Also of Dav's Hope! Another site where I've been able to salvage a great deal of materials for the improvements to my ships, but also discovered a disturbing (and not altogether surprising) tale of corporate greed and utter failure to the workers and miners that were there. The last calls of help from trapped miners the company discarded can be heard in degrading recordings. Very disturbing.
So on that bright note, I'm just chuffed to report that I made my first long distance exploration out into the black! I got all the way out to Wregoe CW-M d7-20, out in the Elysian Shore region. About 2,600LY from Sol (as if that matters, never been there and don't know if I ever can), and I actually discovered several new systems! Can you believe that? Me! Discoverer of new worlds! Well, I went as far as I dared (this was even in my pre-engineered Dolphin that was only getting about 21LY per hop!) and turned back so I could turn in all my data. And it stuck! All my discoveries passed the Cartographers and my handle is now forever tagged on several new systems!
I cannot wait to get back out there!
Speaking of out there, just made my first run to Hutton Orbital! In fact, I'm sitting in the trucker's cafe on base writing this as I wait for the paint on my ship to get repaired. Ha, you should see it! What a disaster! Anyway, so after hearing about this run that's a rite of passage for commanders, I decided let's check that off the list! I found some passengers at Luyten's Star who wanted to go there (For the mug!) and a corp that needed some food canisters sent there, and (after paying respects at the Hutton Truckers Co-op offices) off I went! Honestly, was kind of boring. Ha! But my passengers had a good time, I got to fill my hold with mugs and gin and got to say I did it. Funny, though, I guess they ran out of free Anacondas *wink*
No Anaconda yet *wink wink* but I DID get to buy a new ship with my expedition charts earnings! A sweet little Krait MkII I've named "Viljasterkur" (strong willed). She's going to be my bounty hunting ship! Have already got her decked out in (not yet engineered) modifications and took her on a test run out to the Manite Nav Beacon.... I had to wait a bit to find some wanted baddies that weren't rated as "Killinators!" and took down two bounties! Not bad! I do need to look into paying more attention to WHO exactly puts the bounties out on the baddies I go after -- not sure how I feel about helping the Feds or Empire. But I'm all for helping out the Unions and Co-ops and comrades of the people!
Well, that's all for now. I need to update more often so it's not all novels! But that's fine, it's nice to sit here looking out at the stars from Hutton and think about these last several days, and consider all the more I have to experience ahead of me!
Cmdr Keyton "Piratescribe" Magnusson