M.R.S.C. Mercator - Carrier Log, Day 181 - Day 195
10 Jan 2021FalconFly
Mining and Reconnaissance, Strategic Carrier
The Mission :
The M.R.S.C. Mercator departed into the Arcadian Stream on 20 Jun 3306 for a long-term Exploration Campaign. On Station at a sequence of Waypoints, its Primary Objectives are :
- discover any NSP (Notable Stellar Phenomena), as none was discovered in this Galactic Sector yet
- discover a new Green Gas Giant, which are easily amongst the most rare and elusive Objects in the Galaxy
Secondary Objectives :
- conduct Mining Hotspot Surveys and report high-quality Double Hotspots to the IMU (Intergalactic Mining Union)
- support Explorers in Deep Space with onboard Services
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Mission Time : 183 Days
Having the Mercator "free float" as desired offers alot of flexibility now.
Currently located a tad above the old AOR 7, E-Mass and D-Mass Systems are currently in the focus.
Of course, my old rule of thumb struck immediately :
As soon as I shifted focus onto Earth-like Worlds, every ELW within 1000LY immediately went undercover.
Zero luck in 3 days. Yep, my good old "Exploration luck", still reliable as a Swiss clock
At least I got some Biologicals out of it...
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Mission Time : 184 Days
The Mercator has relocated to Eorm Screia VU-X d1-11, where it now resides near several intersecting/embedded Core Mining Hotspots.
And finally, a new ELW turned up - already thought the area here was completely dry.
But as expected, the systematic D-Mass scans resulted in the expected success.
On top, another small highlight set in : for the first time in over 6 months (!) , some SAR Salvage was discovered on a Planet Surface, well over 18000LY from SOL.
That was an exceedingly rare sight and luckily the Exploration TEV had some Cargo space.
Another benefit of the design philosophy I applied when designing these Tactical Exploration Vessels.
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Mission Time : 186 Days
Not many ELWs turning up, seems the area isn't very rich with life-bearing Planets....
Still, alot of D-Mass Boxels left to scan, so I won't run out of work anytime soon.
In line with the observed fairly low metallicity, seems finding a good Painite or Platinum Mining spot in a Metallic Ring is very difficult as well.
The current Metallic Ring the Mercator is orbiting appears to be the sole Metallic Ring within 100LY (!)
Quite unusual, to say the least.
As soon as a better spot is located, the Mercator is very likely to move.
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Mission Time : 188 Days
Slowly approaching 200 Days in Deep Space now, I'm considering to call it a day out here.
It more and more feels like I've seen it all and I find myself going Mining quite frequently instead of working off all those Bookmarks.
I think that's a good sign to start making plans for a return trip.
The Mining can continue for several Days easily before reaching Cargo Storage limits, so no pressure in that regard.
The Campaign Totals is estimated at 9618 Systems scanned. As this figure is approaching 10000, seems like a hint that my consideration is appropriate after so much time in the Arcadian Stream.
A few more Earth-like Worlds finally appeared on the Scanners and some more Anemones were discovered as well.
I guess I deserve a break after what's clearly my longest ever stretch in Deep Space.
Planning for a new home for the Mercator will take some time, though, so I'll certainly stick around some more days.
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Mission Time : 190 Days
After receiving a Distress Call relay from the Fuel Rats asking for Support, the Mercator was immediately dispatched onto a LongRange SAR Mission into the Empyrean Straits.
An Explorer got stranded after a Neutron Jump in the ~8300LY distant Schi Flyao AA-A h1 System, which resides at -3119 Galactic Elevation - Carrier-only Territory.
After arrival within 30 Minutes of the planned Rendezvous Time, it was discovered that there was a mis-communication, meaning that the Client might show up tomorrow on the 28th Dec instead of today....
However, luckily the Rescue was completed a few hours later when the Fuel Rat Client logged in.
The unscheduled extra time was used to perform some Tritium Mining in a suitable System which was discovered 426LY from the SAR Target System.
Overall, this rapid-reaction SAR Operation has effectively concluded the Exploration Campaign in the Arcadian Stream.
Estimated Campaign Totals :
9700 Systems scanned
88 Earth-like Worlds
121 Ammonia Worlds
1024 Water Worlds
76 Water Giants
9873 Gas Giants
17228 Total Stars
98836 Total Bodies
NSPs (Arcadian Stream) : unsuccessful
Green Gas Giants : unsuccessful
PS.
The frequent Carrier Jumps had a rather awkward - but interesting - effect on the Galaxy
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Mission Time : 193 Days
The M.R.S.C. Mercator has finished over half of its Return Route back to the Sol area and has entered the Inner Orion Spur again after 6 months far outside it.
8500LY out and in the Prooe Hypue ZT-Q d5-27 System, a prolonged stop is made to fill and replace the increasingly empty Tritium Cargo Storage with Mining.
Due to remaining Tritium Reserves, the Carrier's SAR Status has been changed to Black, indicating no such Operations are currently possible anymore.
The plan is to remain on Station for a little with focus almost exclusively on Mining.
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Mission Time : 194 Days
Distance to SOL is now down to approx. 6500LY and another short stop is made for mining.
The current mix of moving and mining will likely have the Mercator arrive in a few Days.
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Mission Time : 195 Days
After almost 200 Days in Deep Space and scanning nearly 10000 Systems, the M.R.S.C. Mercator has completed its Mission and returned to civilization after entering the Atese System.
The onboard SAR Salvage has already been handed over to the Search & Rescue Authorities as a first step.
From here on, some post-Mission Maintenance is being performed.
Apart from selling off its ores, the Mercator is likely to maintain Station within the bubble for an extended time.
