Personal Log 3: 12th - 19th April, 3301
04 Sep 2016Jemine Caesar
12th - 19th April, 3301During February and March 3301 I had made tentative progress towards Sol, reaching the Chowei C system. But, as the month of April dawned, my thoughts turned to my parents. With my birthday approaching, the time was nigh for me to share my good fortune with mama and papa. Jobs delivering scrap, however unglamorous, had brought me more credits than I had seen in my whole life. So I turned 'The Last Thing' towards LHS 3447, stopping at Eravate's Ackerman Market to visit my favourite coffee shop, Rikk's Cafe. They serve a mint choc chip fudge sundae to die for!
But before going home I decided there was still time to try my luck at trading again. Over a Scumble Martini in a bar at Kini's Kadenyuk Orbital, a grizzled old trader gave me some advice: "Buy low, sell high, and check the supply and demand."
"Well," I said, "It sounds easy when you put it like that!"
A trip to Chamunda with a load of aluminium made me my first trade profit, and I celebrated with a wonderful Marshmallow Mocha at Cafe Chandra on Gidzenko Ring. Later, checking the commodities board for something to take back to Kini to sell, my eye was caught by the clothes. Not the most financially lucrative cargo, but I adore clothes!
A few more trips, and I found I could make good profits running clothes and coffee between Chamunda and Eravate. At Chamunda I loaded up with designer dresses and set off for Eravate.
* * * * *
I should have known it was too good to last. On arrival in the Eravate system I locked course for Ackerman Market, confident of my next profit, when my HUD lit up with an interdiction alert. Unable to escape, I dropped out of FSD and straight into laser fire. My scanner identified my assailant as Alexander Matyushenko, and he quickly proved to be a mean one. He tore through my shields, and caused huge damage to all my ship's systems. With my hull down to just 17%, and no match for him in the firepower stakes, my only chance was to charge up the FSD and make a run for it. Shaking like a leaf I managed to escape, but after docking at Ackerman Market I discovered my cargo hold had been blown open in the attack, and my entire stock of clothes gone. Ship repairs cost me 900CR, but at least I was still alive.
A job delivering fish took me back to Chamunda, where I stocked up with more designer dresses and returned to Eravate. On my way to Ackerman Market I was interdicted again, this time by Ben Bloss. What is it about pirates and women's clothes? I managed to follow the escape vector successfully, although it took almost ten minutes, by which time my heart was pounding. Back at Ackerman Market I sold the clothes for a profit of 896CR, and booked myself in to a subsidised room for a well-earned rest.
Browsing through the Pilot's Federation social network site, I made contact with a commander Rudolphus. I told him all about Caz. I also recommended the mint choc chip fudge sundae at Rikk's Cafe to him. I was delighted to receive a message from Rudolphus the next day saying he had been to try it, and had arranged with Rikk to reserve one for me on my next visit.
Space is not such a lonely place after all!