Personal Log: Becoming Elite
09 Mar 2022Mark Zero
-//Log Entry Start[Date: 03.09.3308]
[Location: MacDonald Settlement, Alcor]
"Congratulations, Commander. In recognition of your extraordinary successes, the Pilot's Federation has awarded you the rank of 'Elite'."
I saw the notification ping in my inbox as the last canisters hit the automated line out of the hold. It had been my fifth run of the day, and all I wanted was to stretch my legs and head up into the station lounge in search of a passable cup of coffee. I shifted in the pilot's seat of the Heavy Metal Queen; a Type-9 Heavy Transporter that had now more than paid for itself, and chuckled under my breath.
Brewer Corp.'s grand designs for a stable route between the core systems and Colonia has been awfully good to me. Maybe a little too good. One megacorp exec's pie-in-the-sky idea had become a way for me to practically print credits, just by flying a dedicated shipping route between here and Tognini Horizons over in the Kuntae system.
The intent hadn't been to bring in the Pilot's Federation's highest rating for trade running. Just sort of happened. It's funny to think of all the effort some pilots out there have likely put into attaining it; mining for Void Opals in some far-flung icy ring out in the Black, or spending weeks carefully establishing trade routes around the core systems. And here I am being given accolades for casually taking Brewer's credits for a few months.
Impostor syndrome aside, there's nothing easy about dodging pirate interdictions in a Type-9, and if nothing else, maybe I've earned it by way of being a target in a target-rich environment.
Besides, being a savvy trader is all about buying low and selling high, right? So if Brewer wants to buy Resonating Separators and Auto-Fabricators at a catastrophically stupid markup, who am I to turn it down? With this much cash, maybe a Fleet Carrier isn't such a pipe-dream after all...
Wait...
... dammit, maybe Brewer's smarter than I thought they were.
-//Log Entry End