On the Road Again
19 Jun 2021Spark Chaser
-Personal Log-18 June 3307
I got back from Barnard's Loop sometime ago then went out with some fellow commanders on a mining trip just skirting the edge of the bubble. From there I went back home, or as close as an explorer like me gets to a permanent home. I've got some lovely quarters on Chelomey Orbital in the Cubeo system and basically everyone on station staff there knows me so I get treated rather well indeed. After a few bumps here and there, and a few jumps around Neutron Stars and White Dwarfs, I needed some proper repairs. Not like the patch jobs those Auto-field maintenance units do, a proper repair job with new parts done by trained professional maintainers. I sort of felt sorry for them, I had put a lot of light years on my ship and had a few minor arguments with planets and asteroids. The boffins at Falcon DeLacey built a helluva ship in the Phantom but even the most amazing ship needs some tender loving care after crossing a few thousand light years and, uhhh, "kissing" a few rocks.
Whilst my ship got some tender loving care, I set about doing the same for myself. A proper shower, a hot, fresh-made meal and a few stiff drinks. I plopped myself down in a comfy chair nearest some big windows overlooking the docking bays on the station interior. I'm not sure if I was paying more attention to the view or the food but that doesn't really matter. I was in my own little world, as I normally am. There was this good-looking man sat across from me, a few tables down. After spending a few months gazing into Neutron Stars, asteroids, or the inky darkness of the very sparse sector of space outside the galactic plane, another human was a mixed bag. I'm socially awkward and a bit of a loner, but I'm still human. We are all social creatures and my COVAS is hardly the conversationalist. We exchanged looks a few times through the course of my meal and I asked to join him to finish my last drink of the night. We got on rather well and he was just the right mix of shy and charismatic. Talking turned to flirting and.... maybe I'll leave the details of time with him to my 'very personal' logs. Suffice to say I rather enjoyed my time around humans again, but it was always going to be temporary. That was my plan and, despite my impulsive nature of exploration, I do like to stick to a plan when I make one. Poor man wasn't a commander and only had a vague idea of the life I lead. I don't expect him to be waiting for me when I return but it would sure be nice to see him again. Were my parent's right? Is having someone special to come home to, really all it's billed out to be? A part of me very much wants to know.
Maybe it was the romance in my heart from the past few days but I lay down this log enroute to the Heart and Soul nebulas. I'm nearly 3,000 light years from Cubeo on a high metal content with a tenuous atmosphere containing a wonderfully toxic mixture of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Sure wouldn't want to breathe it, but it makes for some lovely views. Especially when you park your ship right on the terminator, tucked behind some softly rolling hills. My instruments tell me the rotational period of this planet is something like 95 days so I parked here to enjoy the darkness when I sleep. The terrain is hilly and dusty, littered with large rocks which made for some delicate landing but I'm down and the light gravity of this tiny planet really puts some spring back into my steps. It might me spending more time on that wonderful man I left, but it's probably the 0.68g planet I'm landed on. I'll sleep well tonight, or so I hope, and put some more light years down when I wake up. My time, my schedule, my destination, my choice. Maybe having someone to come home to is nice, but nothing beats being out here by yourself. Out here you're in charge of your own destiny but the spectre of death waits for even small errors. One stumble and I die out here in the black, presumably never to be found again. It's scary to think about, but very humbling. Certainly enough to keep you focused... I just wish it would work on me already. If I'm still this distracted after a good sleep, I'd better take this trip slow. I still have lots more I want to do before I shuffle off the mortal coil.