I was quiet the past couple weeks, so I'll give you an update on my current standings. A tad bit happened in those past 3 weeks:

• I decided to take a break from Raxxla hunting and get myself my dream ship, the Imperial Clipper (that's the one you'll see above this entry). The grind for it didn't take as long as expected, after only a week full of data couriers, deliveries, black boxes and the pirate here and there I reached the Baron rank, and bought myself the Clipper.

• I finally (!) did the obligatory "Guardian Booster" run - with the Clipper. First I went to the "wrong" site (where I would have gotten the fighter...), the second try was successful. Should have brought my AspX, despite the fact that I always found a landing spot to get my Clipper down. And you shouldn't drop into Nav Beacons when having cargo on board...

• I plan to do the Celebration of Early Astronomy 2 Tour as my personal first "organized" expedition. Guess which ship will be my choice...

• Me and my Clipper are currently on a small maiden trip to a "near-bubble" destination. It is a sightseeing trip to NGC 6231 and its distinct "line" of massive stars (starting with V945 Scorpii). Nice little destination to begin with :). After that it may be a bit of "Brown Dwarf Hunting" for me, then head back to be there when the expedition starts.

As my GRPH sections lead me back into inhabitated space (6 of the 11 systems in the next section are or may be inhabitated), I decided to change my weekly routine. That means the following: I participate in the GRPH as usual, thinking to make 4-5 sections a week. But now I'll combine it with another project that rose in my head: I desperately want an Imperial Clipper! And here's the problem in that: To date I have no Imperial rank and you need to be baroness to get access to it.

So while scanning the systems in the claimed section, I look out for nearby Imperial systems/stations to get missions and ranks to rank up quickly. Then I search up the section the system(s) is in, maybe (if no one else did it) claim it, and go through the others as well. I will mostly run data courier miissions as they are "the fast way up". I will start this combination with (or after) scanning the "procedural" systems of the actual section. Moreover, I will take a week off in the near future, visiting the Guardians for their Booster. When I have both, I may participate in an expedition to test my then (hopefully) newly built Clipper.

The last systems offered many unmapped opportunities to leave my name on. I took many icies and moons, some of them even in inhabitated systems (including both 8th moons in the system HIP 870 - no Dark Wheel to be found :().

My second week in the GRPH started and I finished up my first section for the week. There was nothing really to report, except for more unmapped bodies. I recommend the system Hyades Sector IN-K b8-2. Only iceballs, but just 3 of the systems' planets are mapped (2 of them by me). If you want some near-bubble tags, you can go there :)

We already have 17 sections reported so far this week, almost half of the sections of last week. Keep it on! :)

My section row went off the "targeted" section list for the moment, so I decided to take a new row from the list. I decided to take the section from the top as my next one. My sixth section lies still in the south-western fringe of the bubble and contains 18 systems, (actually) only one of them being inhabitated. That one was my starting point for yesterdays' operations. Half of that systems have already been scanned and I have to say: Unmapped bodies all over the place! There was a system with 38 planetary bodies, 33 of them being unmapped! I took the innermost 3 unmapped bodies. So if you want your name on planets right next to inhabitated systems, I recommend the system Arietis Sector MX-U c2-19 to you. Almost everything from planet 6 on is still unmapped :)

You can also take planet AB6 and its 7 moons in my actual system, HIP 6694. They don't have been mapped either :)

The search for 8th moons, listening posts and THE undiscovered system near the bubble also continues. I still didn't find planets with 8 moons :(, but several with 7, so it should only be a matter of time....

Another day down and not that many systems scanned. But the counts for megaships and installations make up for that. Yesterday I encountered two installions with satellites surrounding them, giving useful data for engineering. I also got the good old pirate attack event twice. Imagine me, the combat noob in the exploration vessel, go up against Master NPC in combat... I did good the first time, going against a master NPC in his Krait, getting him down to 30% hull, before getting junked by someone else. And despite being junked, I got his bounty. It came right when my AspX exploded, so after rebuy, I was able to claim my bounty... The second time took place at a civilian installation (one of the two having satellites) one stop further. Right after starting in I got nailed with rockets and beams. I could somehow find the keyhole and escape with 39% hull, but I guess I need to practise now.

Last 2 days were far more vivid than the previous ones. The systems I visited offered much to scan, so enough to do for me. Unfortunately, no Raxxla clues have been found so far. But in the mean time, 4 megaships and not less than 8 installations (of all different kinds) were up to scan and check. They offered me flight schedules, data, trespass zones (as one installation was a military one) and empty uplinks. And factions like "The Forbidden Citizens" offering their service to me.

In the mean time, I had some time to do a bit of bounty hunting again. I have to replace my plasma canons, they're slow as hell. Mulit-canons are better.

Day 4 of the Great Raxxla Potato Hunt started with a "nice" little greeting: just after departing from Gustafsson Arena in Iadou, a nice interdiction by an NPC took place. It ended when I jumped to the next system... New section, new luck: The new one contains 14 systems, at least half of them are inhabitated. And the third of them has already much to offer for me, with 3 installations and a megaship to check out for Raxxla hints...

The megaship, a Sanchez-Class Research ship, offered me its flight plan. It says that it is in a 6-stop-cycle, with the actual station being the 5th stop. I also already checked up all 3 installations. The third of them, something what can be called "interstellar hospital", had three satellites for me, all giving a bit of data material. So no Raxxla clues. But the search continues on... The surface signals are still the "usual" things: Cities and high security facilities, alternating with geological sites...

This time I report live from a hotel room. Today was another section transition day. I finished up my second of my first 14 planned sections and subsequently started to search the 3rd one. 8more systems, 2 of them inhabitated. So the daily report is brought to you while sitting in Gustafsson Arena, Iadou system.

On goes the search for Raxxla clues...

I encountered some more unmapped planets and moons. The biggest surprise was when I entered one of the 2 inhabitated systems: the last moon of the last gas giant turned out to be unmapped! So this small, and mostly uninteresting ice moon will be my first tag inside the inhabitated bubble. And else it was business as usual. Scanning, mapping unmapped planets, checking signal sources. But this time, inhabitated systems started to be in the mix. Human signal sources were found on several moons and turned out to be fabrics, a planetary outpost with landing pads and a prison - so no clues there. The previously scanned systems also brought me 5.5 million CR, not bad for around 20 systems with almost only icies.

I also used some spare time to collect some more materials again - this time even some Imperial shields, a somewhat rare G5 material.

Today I finished up my studies in my first section and already claimed my next two (8 systems each).

The final 9 systems of the first section and also the first 6 of section 2 (in fact, 4648 and 4649) didn't come up with big surprises. Some unmapped icies (up to almost a whole system in case of Hyades Sector MM-M b7-4) and moons here and there and also some "funny" CMDR names under "first mapped". I also found the time to download some Consumer Software and gobble up some basic composed materials at a degradated emission signal source, which could be useful for engineering later on, but not now. I already got around 5 Million in data. I could hand it in soon, because the next sections all include inhabitated systems.

I didn't find any 8th moon until now :( 2 gas giants with 7 moons each, but none with 8.

Today, after hammering down the Neutron Highway from near Colonia, I arrived back at my Home Staion (Garratt Station, Frey system), sold some data and went back out. Why? So I heard over my communicator, that a certain "Great Raxxla Potato Hunt", a community project dedicated to find Raxxla in a 200 ly sphere around Sol, is searching for volunteers. Loyal as I am, I take the opportunity of near-Bubble exploration and counted myself in before starting to race home...

So, after throwing off my last data (some black holes and other stuff, worth around 460 Million credits), I claimed my fist 20x20x20 ly chunk and started scanning and mapping (today everything, from tomorrow on: only planets with POI, terraformables, AW/WW/ELW and unmapped). 7 of the 16 systems in the chunk are done so far and: it is nice to be here. And to do this voluntary exploring. Even if I wouldn't find Raxxla or at least a hint towards it, the fun and friends we have and make while searching is well worth it.

Today's systems include: a Water World among 4 terraformables. Nothing of interest towards Raxxla (or other lore thingies). And I only just noticed, that the POIs near the Bubble are full of Skimmers! I landed on a small potato in Hyades Sector SI-T c3-4. Near my landing spot was a chunk of containers, secured by 3 of them. Some kilometers further, I found a Federation data core. Normally I wouldn't expect skimmers around them (own experience), but there was one floating around. I decided not to bother with it, scan the data point from outside the trespass zone (as I was able to do so) and fly away...