Space Madness?
05 May 2021Spark Chaser
4 May 3307Got a personal invitation from the famous engineer Elvira Martuuk a few weeks ago and was putting off the long journey to see her until I had a few more credits in the bank and some more raw materials in my hold. I laid in a course to her office port in the Khun System and set about hopping my way over, 25 Ly at a time. Next stop was GD 69 and it was not listed as a main sequence star but it had a government and a population so I thought nothing more of it. I hit high-wake and relaxed a few moments to sip some coffee. The faint white light in the distance grew clearer through the distortion of high-wake and I thought it was an O-Type star, maybe a hot B even. I dropped from high-wake into the system almost smack in the face of a White-Dwarf Pulsar! My Asp Explorer still vaguely had that new-ship smell but I was so shocked to stare a pulsar in the face I freaked out and spit my coffee all over my canopy and displays and threw my cup haphazardly as I slapped at the controls to just get away. I turned about and headed as fast as my low-wake would go for a good several minutes and let my pulse return to normal. When I was more able to form coherent thoughts I checked my charts again and noted that my computer had logged this as a confirmation of the existence of a white-dwarf.
I suppose I should be overjoyed at being able to contribute to the wealth of knowledge of mankind. I suppose I should feel humbled at knowing I helped craft the stellar logs for other explorers. Now, I guess I do feel those things. At the time? I felt fear. The overriding sense of danger and panic that I can only assume my ancient ancestors felt on the plains of Africa on Earth. I screamed at my computer and my ship for not warning me! Yes, that was silly. I was at the controls, it was my responsibility and my fault. I have nobody to blame but myself in this. Is this what "space madness" is? That's a question for my therapist, and yes I'll be getting one after that trip! I used to think that nothing scared me - except clowns, I really do despise clowns but that's completely rational. I have long known I have wandering toes attached to nomad feet and this won't keep me planet-side. I suppose what I do have is a healthy dose of respect for the inherent dangers of my profession. For thousands of years my species has dreamed of being where I am now: exploring the stars. I'm not the first one to come this way, and I won't be the last. Perhaps I would do well to remember that many Commanders have met their maker out among the stars, with no Thargoids or pirates around.