So I decided there was a desperate need to get some engineering done on my ship's internals, so that I can both jump farther, and make my experiences more worthwhile when exploring the dark void.

In truth, the fear of jumping into the exclusion zone of a black hole scared the daylight out of me, what with having no synthesis materials for heat sinks and the lack of a repair limpet. So back I go, to sell my current data - and around 200 million credits isn't a bad haul for a 3,500 LY toe-in-the-water excursion.

Maybe I can do some other jobs too, what with my newfound income.

I woke this morning and stretched my legs, feeling refreshed and relaxed after the beautiful view I slept to last night in system Sifeae ZO-I c25-0. I decided that I needed to make a few planetary body excursions to refill my cargo and material holds, continuing the contingency planning I began last night.

I had no idea what was waiting for my arrival in the Sifeae QK-D d13-3 system. The sight from the lunar surface is a beautiful one, to be sure, with a blue gas giant holding up the Milky Way in the distance. A look further skyward and we behold the awe-inspiring view of another ringed giant and the system's lone astral body shining together against a virtually empty sky. The beauty of the void at 890 light-years above the galactic plane, with the clustered whole of the Milky Way on in view, is relaxing and cathartic. But with all this emptiness surrounding me, I swear I am hearing voices:

The void is lovely, dark and deep. Our void is lovely, dark and deep.

I decided to take a break for the night, maybe collect some raw materials for storage. You know, an emergency is called an emergency because it happens without notice or warning, so best to be prepared. Well, I landed on this beauty of a moon and decided that it was photogenic enough to warrant a new log entry.

NavCom shows this system at just over 3,400 LY from Sol. The system has nothing special about it. A couple gas giants, two asteroid belts... if it wasn't for the lack of terraform candidates, I would say this is a very similar-to-Sol system, that is, until you get to the surface of any of these rocks.

The view from here makes me feel like I am a part of a war campaign on the eve before a big battle. Our campfires serving as a stark warning against those whom we are preparing to destroy. Either that, or I am the one they are coming to assassinate.

At least I can enjoy the sunrise.

The systems discussed herein are noted by Univeral Cartographics as Sifeae KP-E d12-5 and Sifeae KP-E d12-6

Well, it's another day venturing out to help map the galaxy, staking my claim to as many systems as I can along the way. I haven't seen another commander's name attached to any of the systems I have found in nearly 1,500 light years of travel, and so I am pretty sure I am in an area that will assist Universal Cartographics as efficiently as I can afford at the present time. While on my journey, I have come across a couple very interesting systems, and today's log is no exception.

The system I jumped out of was almost as nice as this one - a trinary star system, with nine high metal-content worlds, of which three were terraform candidates. It also contained two water worlds, of which one was a terraform candidate. I was apparently the first to arrive in that system, but the computer noted it as Sifeae KP-E d12-6. I finished mapping the planetary objects I was interested in, and plotted a course for my present location.

I jumped into **Sifeae KP-E d12-5 and set my detailed scanner to work and began scooping fuel to continue my exploration. It is always pleasing to hear the honk my ship's computers synthesize for my benefit, for there is no real honk in space. The scanner completed and the computer display showed 12 objects. I finished my scoop, made my way to about 25 light-seconds from the star, and set my filtered spectral analysis computer to the quick task.

I saw the results and I thought to myself three water worlds? Six high metal content worlds? I just jumped from a similar-bodied system! This has to be a glitch. But alas, there they are, in all their glory. No glitch - two beautiful systems, four stars, all sisters to the void.

Until my next update, this is CMDR Sapphire Kamigawa, signing off.

The artifacting seen here was not visible in-game. No other screenshots have had this artifacting.

Screenshot taken in system Pro Eurl AW-D d12-19

and they aren't even the best or most interesting!

I know it is a common thing to have screenshots from a space voyage, but I am particularly fond of space vistas.

Especially terraformable worlds with rings and multiple suns, right next to gas giants, as with this lovely specimen.

Two terraformable high metal content worlds, one orbiting each star, and the further one (seen here) with some nice distant rings.

And a bonus? Scoopable stars & the landable planets have everything for Standard FSD injection, only lacking Arsenic for Premium FSD Injections.

Pro Eurl WK-F d11-35

So, on my current leg of the trip, I discovered a nice little system. 3 Water Worlds, one terraformable. 6 High Metal Content Worlds, 3 terraformable. Overall system worth, 20 million credits. I don't know if it is a really high value, but it is the highest system I have found yet.

Long trip still to go.

So I came back to the galaxy on Nov 1, 3305, and returned to Deciat to sell what little data I had accumulated from my ~185 LY trip and subsequent 1.5 year detachment from the galaxy. I received 25,000,000 credits from Universal Cartographics, but I am not happy with the return.

So now, I am preparing a trip to Beagle Point, but the (very) long way through Achille's Altar, Lyra's Song, Hawking's Gap, and then onward. I will not be able to hit BP, because my ship is not engineered, but I am going to have a blast doing this.

3-4k jumps per set... I am going to be busy.

I have been gone for three years. Not gone exploring, gone IRL. I came back to the game a bit ago, sold off my original exploration Cobra MKIII, kept my AspX that I had been using for combat and planetary scans, and retrofit it for exploration.

I left today locked on an earthlike world in a system I planted a flag on, with plans to head out on a 65k LY journey east-rimward and then against the spin. I won't be back in the bubble for a while, if at all.