And....We're Off! (by about a half a bubble)
04 Feb 2019Scubadog
The Distant Worlds 2 caravan has begun departing for the next waypoint. So, I decided I'd better quit stallin' and launch The Ceti Azeria on its exploratory trek to Sag-A. Or, to be specific, Stuemeae FG-Y d7561. That's allegedly where--or near where--the new station is to be built. My purpose is to do a lot of cataloging along the way and hang around the neighborhood for some of my fellow Silverbacks to show up. I probably shouldn't have stored my weapons for this trip, given all the waves about gankers haunting the caravan. But, even with the big ships like the Anaconda, a commander is forced to make choices. Jump range versus speed versus defence versus self-sufficiency. And then there's just the consideration of making the journey fun. I spent weeks comparing different module configurations to get a setup that I felt was worth this trip. I tried as much as I could to get over 50 lightyears out of her, but I couldn't convince myself to leave a fighter behind. I've got pretty decent speed and a well-engineered power plant and distributor, so I can boost the heck out of the ship if I need to escape. I've carried enough high-credit cargo to have built up decent evasion chops. In a pinch, I can launch my fighter to annoy an enemy long enough for me high-tail it. I've got good shields as well as heat sinks to protect myself and lower my heat signature. But, truly, the main reason for the fighter is to act as a skiff when I want to do a little local wandering in something agile. So, along with the fighter, I naturally have to bring an SRV. I'll need to take advantage of scraping up materials along the way. There are certain high-demand minerals like Selenium that I'm always low on. If I find a body that has a decent percentage of it, I'm going to exploit it.
Those were the major concessions I had to start with--shields, fighter, SRV. But I've learned long ago never to travel without a way to fix myself. I made my initial migration to Colonia in a Diamondback Explorer (which I still have) that had an AFMS. That aint' gonna fix my hull, though, if I get bone-headed and smack hard into something or get set-upon by gankers. So, a modest repair limpet controller is now standard for me. I added an extra fuel tank for this trip, too. Along with that I included a fuel limpet controller. It never hurts to be a good Samaritan along the way, and more than once I've run across the odd commander who miscalculated their jumps and ran out. Sure, that's what the Fuel Rats are for. But if I'm there and they need the help, I'll do what I can. Anyway, I've rounded out my load with nicely engineered chaff launcher...again, just in case I need to bolt. Drop chaff and a heat sink and an attacker has a lot harder time getting a bead on me while I lay in the afterburners and a quick high-wake escape.
But, I'm not really expecting that sort of drama. I'm an explorer and I plan to enjoy the ride. I asked my some-time crew mate, Francisca, if she wanted to come along on this one. I have a non-exclusive contract with her, and she normally only joins me on combat or S&R missions. To be candid, I'm a bit stringy with my exploration credits normally, but mining Void Opals buffed my bank account nicely...this trip isn't so much about making money as enjoying the ride. To my surprise, Francisca responded enthusiastically. Apparently, she also has some friends from the Core Systems who are on the DW2 trek and is hoping to meet up with them around Sag-A. Although I'm very comfortable going solo for long trips, it will be nice to have the company this time. And having her skills behind the stick of my fighter isn't a bad thing, either.
Speaking of which, she just popped onto the bridge to let me know her gear is loaded and the pad crew has cleared out, so we are ready to launch. I told the ship AI, Eden, to launch when ready. The lift is bringing us to the surface now and I can hear the engines spinning up. Here we go. I hope I haven't forgotten anything.