Entry 115 - 11.25.3303 The Search for the Elusive Promotion Mission
25 Nov 2017MBaldelli
Current System: Abraham Lincoln, Earth, SolAasgananu was a busy place... Busier than I was used to. Between Li Yong-Rui's group and the insanity of the Thargoid attacks in somewhat distant sectors; Commanders and Pilots from the Bubble with any ranking within the Federation were here looking for ships to add to their fleet in the hope of scoring first blood against an alien threat.
I was here for more domestic reasons and did my best to ignore the bustle, the unusual noise and even more unusual smells coming from the people, food vendors and any other entrepreneur trying to make a quick credit from the masses of people there.
Unlike some of the other commanders that were perusing the floor looking for just the right sort of ship for their needs and attitudes, I saw mine the instant I hit the sales floor. She was all black; with no marks of blemishes.
Talking with the Federation Representative -- Sif Huld -- a younger man as slick as any used vehicle salesman could ever be; he tried to sell me that the ship was right off of the shipyards.
I asked him to give me a tour of the interior of the ship. As he was doing that, I took the opportunity to scan the ID on the ship with my PDA to confirm what he was saying. While there are no laws about bending the truth, there are laws about faking ID history. It confirmed that the ship was in fact, right off the shipyards and other than the typical test flight, has no history in space.
If he was sharp-eyed, Huld made no inference of my cautiousness and continued his tour of the ship without hesitation. The cockpit/bridge area was as spacious as an ASPX although the canopy wasn't as expansive and made for awe-inspiring views of the cosmos.
Crew quarters -- and yes the FAS can run with more than one crew member -- are more luxurious than I was used to in any of the ships that I currently flew. The senior command quarters came with a Zero-G bed -- not a bunk -- and contained a lavatory, desk, several lockers and Apparently the Federation treats their crew better than civilians; but definitely not as well as upper ranking Officers in the Empire (I remember taking a tour of those ships during an air show when I was younger and part of the reason why I wanted to become a Pilot from the beginning).
As Huld was giving me a tour of the engineering section and explaining the value of D and E Rated equipment, I cut him off curtly saying, "You can stop with the spiel; I will be A-rating the ship. Let's get the purchasing paperwork over with, please."
Huld was seeing credits in his eyes and lead the way to his office so that the title and purchase would be going to me as smoothly and as quickly as possible.
Half an hour and three stops within Aasgananu later, I had gotten 75% of the A-leveling done on the FAS and was the proud owner of the Ieyasu Tokugawa christened after the First Shogun of Japan (and one of the three unifying forces of the Japanese Empire). I received the confirmation of the title transfer for my newest ship in the fleet.
Finishing up all the A-Level modules and keeping a cargo bay for that potential promotion mission, I was at Farseer's base having my usual cuppa and chatting with Farseer's administrator while she was finishing up the final touches on the extended range for the FSD when Farseer came up and gave me a hug.
"Congratulations," she began, "you haven't gotten the official word from the Pilot's Guild yet, but you just recevied your Elite Pins for Exploration. Wear them with pride, you earned them."
"Thank you, Felicity. I thought I would be getting them from my last foray in the Deep Black, but apparently I got them from the salvage operations I was doing in Sothis."
"It doesn't matter how you got them; the data you've turned in for the human race will be invaluable for the expansion of our civilization in all directions."
I smiled and thanked her again and while I would've liked to spend a little more time chatting with her about some of the exploration I did, I had to go to McQuinn's next for the multicannons.
Halfway to McQuinn's, I received the official communique.
With it came another communication: the permits required for entering the Founders World -- Shinrarta Dezhra -- an exclusive place for discounted purchases on everything. I've bookmarked it and will be checking it out when I get a chance.
McQuinn was his usual swarthy and smug self. He had a massive grin when he saw me pulling in with the Tokugawa and had nothing but good things to say about the purchase and the history for the FAS. He even had a few stories of how difficult the thing was in a dogfight.
When he was through with the modifications, that smug grin of his never disappeared. In fact, he seemed to stand a bit taller than usual when he said, "You up for a challenge?"
"Depends on the challenge, McQuinn. What do you have in mind?"
"I saw the armoring you've put on your ship. Want to give a go against me one-on-one in one of my smaller ships to see if you have what it takes for fly that Assault Ship?"
I knew I didn't have the skill, let alone the years of combat experience McQuinn had in a dogfight. I didn't smile in my usual defensiveness; I simply looked at him stonefaced and said, "maybe when I get more experience, I'll take you up on that challenge. Heck, I might even up the wager when that happens."
McQuinn seemed momentarily ruffled, but nodded and continued that smug grin he typically had.
I watched him for a moment, shrugged it off internally and made my way back to the ship.
In the cockpit, I got a message from McQuinn telling me that I also earned information on another engineer: Selene Jean. He gave me the basics on her... She's in the Alpha Centauri area... She wants 10 Painite for an invitation and that she wants 500 tonness of ore in order to perform work on your ship.
Painit's easy enough for me to get, I grew up with it, I know where to find it. Only problem is that I'm not a miner.
But like Palin, I'll look into her when I get a Python.
Right now, as my day is winding to a close... I still haven't found a promotion mission in Sol. I'm Allied and Friendly with all the factions there, just... nothing.
I guess they're waiting for something to happen before they give it to me. I'll get a drink in one of the local cantinas before I call it a night. Who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky with the mission.