CMDR's Log, Stardate 3307.6-13 [008 - Tripped at the Finish Line]
14 Jun 2021Zeton
I'm still grappling with the disappointment, the self-loathing, the shame of it all. I feel like I should have known better. I suppose, as has been the theme of my first expedition, that I need to take it as a learning experience. I intend to not let this happen to myself again, but that doesn't take the sting away. I started the day in good spirits leaving Watts Settlement in Lati System. I had completed about half the journey home the previous day and was looking forward to a leisurely time on the final leg. After a few uneventful jumps I found myself on the proverbial doorstep. This system had a few valuable scan targets that needed attending before moving on. All set now, aligned to the LHS 20 (the jump point)... and...
What was I thinking? Maybe I'm just too green to know any better?
I was hungry and it was dinner time. I, for some unfathomable reason, thought it would be safe for me to leave the helm in open space to eat my dinner un-accosted. Then... If that were not bad enough, I think I made an additional and fatal mistake. I have never really used silent running before. What does it do? Well... the only thing I could imagine it would do is make it harder for other ships to find me. That seemed to be exactly what I needed while I was to eat. So I dropped out of supercruise, stopped dead, switched to silent running, and went to eat.
I don't really know what happened. I now know that silent running mode, does keep heat down to try to avoid detection, but it also turns off your shield. Mid-way through my meal I was attached, and before I could get to the helm the hull was compromised. I suppose I am lucky to get away with my life. The escape pod systems in these ships really is amazing.
A few hours later, deposited at the nearest dock, insurance deductible paid, I was setting up my new replacement vessel with an empty planetary scan database. I do not wish to itemize the lost time, effort, and banked value of this mistake. I torture myself enough without adding a price tag to it.
No more dwelling on mistakes... look to the future. I am now outfitted for passenger transport and heading out.
Although I tripped at the finish line, I did not stay down. Now... Lets not make the same mistake twice, learning something hurts more the second time.
The black calls me back,
- CMDR ZETON