It's all downhill from here
14 Aug 2022Iron Snail
Ascending The Peak Expedition, log four.Due to the delay of signal transmission across subspace, and also my laziness, the following log refers to events that took place from the 15th of April, 3308 up until the 10th of May.
After an unnerving wait due to the traffic jam leading up to Rackham's peak, our noble crew finally reached the goal of the expedition.
The pirate spoke true, and the wine was sold for quite a handsome sum. So that all aboard could have a chance at the spoils, and a chance to take in the spectacular views, the LLV Fishburn's Ferry spent over a week in the system, and all who were there to see it had the grandest time they could hope for, best view in the galaxy amongst the best crew in the galaxy.
As the crew drank and sang Merrily, I had a theory I wished to test. Many commanders have made the pilgrimage to Beagle point to be as far from Sol as currently possible, a noble feat to be sure. Some among them had dared to venture further, supercruising deeper into the void until they could cruise no more. One such commander almost became stuck there, were it not for the helpful fuel rats. All commanders who had done this feat had gotten their names written into the history books, for having ventured in a way no man had before them. But here at the peak, above the galactic plane vertically instead of lengthways, I saw fertile ground for a new record to be broken.
The remote space around Beagle point is farthest galactic point from sol, to be sure, but not the farthest one can be from the milky way as a whole. If one were to cruise directly away from the central galactic plane starting from here in Beagle point, it could be possible to break the record as the furthest FROM THE GALAXY any commander had ventured thus far. To test if this was even possible, I filled my beluga with as much fuel as I had on hand, and decided to supercruise a full lightyear from the system.
The endeavor took just over 3 hours, and by the end the beluga's paint was almost entirely gone, but in the end the light year was successfully travelled. Maybe it was just the space madness of having been stuck in this system for days already, maybe not, but I did it. I do not know for sure if this is the furthest anyone has flown this direction from the galactic plane, though commanders I convened with after this experiment did not boast any further achievement. To be sure though, I would have to return at a later date. In a ship filled with even more fuel. With the ever present thargoid threat, perhaps it makes sense to seek if it is at all possible to simply leave the milky way entirely for safer pastures.
That wondering would have to wait though. We still had a journey to finish.
Our return trip held wonders still. Pictured above is the highest earthlike from the galactic plane. While not the first to visit it, this location has very little said about it considering how unique it is. From there, we travelled onwards to the Cancri cluster, a sealed bubble of stars only accessible by carrier. I spent 2 days mapping out the most interesting of the cluster's systems, in the process learning of the poor souls once trapped here before the development of fleet carriers.
Many a sight was seen on our return journey. Massive O-stars, hidden gems, clusters of black holes and neutrons which boggled the mind. All of which pleased the eyes of those aboard.
None of us are likely to ever forget this wonderful journey, for the majority of us it was the furthest ever travelled from the bubble.
When the carrier finally reached Jackson's Lighthouse, and all commanders aboard could freely fly back to their homes, I pulled out the one remaining unit of wine and took a celebratory swig. This was a grand adventure that broke boundaries for all of us. But I highly doubt it will be our last.
Many wonderful sights were had, and many awaited us.
I will move slow. I will move always. I will move unfazed.
I will be the Iron Snail.