Nighty Night, 90 Jumps Short of Rohini
28 Dec 2018Scubadog
It's been a long day, very taxing. Okay, so I know there's not much to do when you're jumping endlessly on the way to Colonia. And I am doing some detail scans of systems to at least make a few credits when I pull in. But about 40 jumps in the virtual network systems of this brand new ship started going haywire. I tinkered with the electronics a bit...I'm no expert, but I have picked up a trick or two. None of them worked. I ended up decoupling them for the time being and switch to almost all analog inputs. Frustrating. And tiring.
My eyes hurt already and I think I picked up a minor upper respiratory something-or-other at one of the last couple of stations I stopped at. I felt it nagging at me while I was doing the final configuration of The Ceti Kettu to maximize jump range at Janes Horizons in Arexe, and I should have visited the med unit right then and there. Damn it, I didn't. And in order to get the 40.4 ly jump range out of the Mamba, I thinned out everything. I stored the weapons, utilities and heavier engineered modules for transport later. I put in cheap D-rated power, distributor and thrusters. I stored the shields, too, so I'm gonna have a pretty nasty paint job by the time I get to Colonia. And I skipped on all the creature comforts I normally carry. On my Anaconda or Corvette I've got room--and mass--to include a real refrigeration unit to keep actual food. I couldn't afford to do that this time. I'm eating whatever I can coax out of the food synthesizer. Yay. I emptied out everything from the crewmate's quarters and kept only the bare necessities in mine.
I'm so tired I don't even remember reading what system I'm in right now. I finished scanning it, dropped down to scan the geologics and then found a decent landing spot with a relaxing view. I need some sleep. I'm not setting an alarm. To conserve as much power as possible I've powered down everything except the power plant itself, power distributor and life support. I'll keep enough heat moving through the ship to keep any of the more sensitive electronics from developing issues. My cabin will, of course, have plenty of heat. For me, if it ain't 80 degrees or higher I'm not happy. And while the heat inside my suit does just fine while I'm at the helm, I do NOT sleep well in clothes. So, between the cabin heater and my too-expensive blankets, I should get a great night's sleep. Or, at least I hope so. This will actually be the first night sleeping in the Mamba. Every ship has its own idle creaks and groans, especially as temperature or pressure changes. And some ships take a little longer to get used to so that you naturally tune those noises out.
I hope The Ceti Kettu lets me get some sleep tonight.