Start small
11 May 2023Soulmanager
[Logbook Entry] ... 0002 [Starship] ... Euphoria (T8F-B3W)
[System] ... Prua Dryou HX-N b12-5
[Date] ... 3309-05-11
[Time] ... 19:21:13
[Commander] ... Soulmanager
[Logged Message]
It went faster than expected. 2 jumps got us out. Away from the wrong guys, away from the constant problems, away from orders, pirates and the eternal battles that pop up and disappear like bubbles in boiling water.
All that is far away now. Here everything becomes peaceful and quiet. I feel relief.
After half a day of relief, the Euphoria has reached Col 173 Sector. A slight tension spreads through me. I have to fly.
I can tell from the way Parker looks at me that she thinks I'm crazy. She wouldn't stop me. I change to the Echo, promise to be careful.
We've invested almost everything in tritium and the carrier. The crew will want to get paid in a week. The exploration data and genetic samples on the trip should yield enough credits.
It's Guardian territory. In Col 173 Sector RP-C b43-6 I found brain trees and can fill up our raw materials.
In Flyeia Dryoae SC-E b59-3 I find enough samples to be able to pay the crew for the next few weeks. Something about the planet is strange. It is dark. The sun has almost gone out, casting only a dull red light on the dusty surface. The whole planet is dark and dirty red. As if the plants want to fit into the dreary melancholy of the play of colors, they are all pale and gray. Even the Stratum, which otherwise comes across as a fresh green, is ash gray.
A 2000 light-years away, Parker is waiting for me with the Euphoria.
We hang out in the bar, eat something, listen to the crew. Some are this far out for the first time. Their excitement reminds us of our first trips. Without carrier, without escort ship. More luck than sense.
It's time to make a plan that goes beyond "just keep jumping."
Let's start small. The nebula in the NGC 2899 system is small. It's a good 50-jumps-trip with the Echo.
Parker will take longer with the Euphoria.