1130 07 May 3308

I'd been out in the black, northwest of Colonia for a few weeks, trying my hand at a sector survey. Just yesterday, on my way back towards Coeus to turn the data in to UC, I realized I was in an area rich with Wolf-Rayet stars. It's a pretty lightly traveled region, so I pulled up the system database and started checking it against my ship's map. Sure enough, just a little more than 400ly away, there was a Wolf system that apparently had not been visited. I pointed my trusty DBX, Christopher Robin, northeast and upwards and set out. Taking the time to map some terraformables and one Earth-like along the way, I reached Wepaa AA-A H33 to find that the database was correct, and I was the first to jump into this system. The star was a beautiful blue WOO, and was accompanied by a class O companion, about 37k ls away.

I had seen a few wolves before, but this one was my very own.

2130 24 July 3307

I arrived back at Jameson Memorial, having jumped a total of over 350,000 ly over the course of nearly five months. It was a worthwhile journey, but I'm very glad to be home.

The trip from Magellan's Star to Distant Angosk required another backtrack, this time to the end of the Outer Arm, but it was, like the run to Magellan, uneventful. Sepositus Beacon was very close by, then I had a straight shot to Shackleton's Star and Amundsen's Star. At that point, I was ready to be home, so I skipped Livingstone Point and headed directly to Station X. I had to circle around the western end of the Perseus Fade, so I passed to the west of Serebrov Beacon, and made it to Station X on the evening of the 23rd. About 24 hours later, I was home at Jameson.

There's not much more to say, really. My last entry, from Magellan's Star, summed up the trip pretty well, and now I just want to get back to life in the bubble. I will definitely head out into the black again many more times, but I think I've had enough of the outer rim for a while.

0320 07 June 3307

Reaching Magellan's Star took me to the south, then back north along the outer tip of the Perseus Arm, but the trip was uneventful. It made the third leg of my journey the longest, at over 96000 ly. After leaving Beagle Point, I headed to Silentium Shores, then on to Ultima Centauri and Thana's Wasteland before making my way around the bend to Magellan's.

I guess there's not much for someone like me, who generally travels for the grand vistas, to say about the outer reaches of the galaxy. I've said all I can in the last couple of entries. I'm still enjoying the solitude, but I'm also looking forward to getting back home to a more varied life.

I took this trip to see if I could make it all the way through, and to be able to say I'd visited the most distant points in the galaxy, if I did succeed. I know now that I will make it, and I don't regret the voyage at all. My future explorations will be closer to home, though, and will likely focus on the dense starfields of the outer core.

Next stop, Distant Angosk, followed by Sepositus Beacon, Shackleton's Star, Amundsen's Star, and Livinstone Point. Then back north past Serebrov Beacon and on to Station X, the starting point of my trip. From there, Jameson is a quick day of speed jumping.

0500 28 April 3307

Semotus Beacon. The halfway point.

After leaving Rimor Captionem, I started to travel at a more leisurely pace. Fewer hours each day, fewer days each week. I like the extra downtime, just to enjoy the emptiness.

I stopped to have a look at Nansen's Star, since I was passing by. Interesting to think about that system being the farthest a traveler could reach, before the current drive tech existed. There are two systems farther out within easy reach of the Phantom.

I arrived at Semotus Beacon after a short hop from Nansen's. The emptiness of deep space was filled, as my scanner revealed three fleet carriers in the system, in orbit around Salome's Reach and moon 9a. I don't plan on visiting them, though, since the Cochrane is still in fine shape, with only the power plant at less than full efficiency.

I headed for Salome's Reach for the night, but didn't land there. When I got close, I realized that moon 9e was 10.7ls further out, so I landed there, instead. I guess I won't get to spend a night as far as possible from Sol. I'll have to settle for a few dozen light-seconds closer.

Next stop, Beagle Point, then on to the eastern rim.

0130 03 April 3307

The galactic rim really doesn't vary much. There's not much to say about it that I haven't already said.

I reached Erikson's Star, uneventfully, about four days ago, and have already traveled another 10k ly past it, towards Rimor Captionem. Another 10k to go. I'm still finding plenty of lucrative systems to scan and map, but they all follow a similar pattern. F, K, or M stars with HMCs, some WWs, and the occasional ELW.

I'll update again when I get to the Beagle Point region, unless something unusual comes up first.

0145 25 March 3307

I arrived at Salome's Diadem, 22k ly from Star One. The primary here is impressive. It's a class B of almost 250 solar radii, with a small AeBe star about 900 ls away. This one deserves a picture:

The secondary is just at the bottom of the primary. Next stop, Erikson's Star, then on to Beagle Point and Semotus Beacon.

I'm now over 43k ly from the bubble, having jumped nearly 86k ly along the way. Only 3/4 of the galaxy left to go, if space madness doesn't take me first. I think I'm ok, though. I'm settling into the routine of deep space. The beauty out here is more subtle and subdued than closer in. The solitude is almost a part of it. I haven't been so alone with my thoughts for a long time, and it's good. At least for now. We'll see how I feel after Beagle Point.

0415 17 March 3307

Star One was remote. I know, no kidding. But it was freaky to see nothing but distant galaxies, looking out away from the system. It was just as freaky to look the other way and see everything we have ever known or ever will know, all at once.

I navigated back from Star One more efficiently than I got there, and am on my way now to Salome's Diadem and Erikson's Star. That will be a long slog, and the Errant Marches are not the most fascinating region of space. At least, not here. I've stopped to top off my materials after a series of FSD injections getting to and from Star One. I didn't use all that many, but I needed a break, anyway, and it's nice to spend the night on a planet for a change. I have 100 more jumps to the first waypoint I've set for myself, about a third of the way to Salome's Diadem.

I think when I get back home, I'll do some exploring in the less travelled regions between the Bubble and the Center. Or maybe do a nebula tour. First, though, I plan to use my discovery credits to get the system permits I don't have, yet. I may never visit the systems, but at least I'll have the choice.

0245 11 March 3307

I'm nearly out of the Rift, skirting the border of the Errant Marches, headed for Star One. Still lots of good systems to scan, but nothing especially notable. Maybe the Marches will prove a bit more interesting to someone like me who's only marginally interested in the minutia of planetary geology and stellar chemistry. If not, then I'll probably move a bit centerward as I run up the Western rim.

I did finally install the new throttle assembly I picked up before leaving. What a difference! I have no regrets at all, having sprung for the best unit I could find. Now the stick, which I replaced a few weeks before I left, and the throttle are both top quality, and the Phantom is a real joy to fly.

1600 04 March 3307

The Crab Nebula was stunning, of course. I spent a night there, then made my way to the Soul Nebula, to Soul Sector KM-W c1-2 3 a, where I had gone on my first long trip out of the bubble. Seeing the sky filled with the Heart and Soul Nebulae was as beautiful as I remembered.

From there, my path took me past the Zurara, so I stopped there, as well. Fascinating tragic story. I'll have to read up on it, as I'm not familiar with the whole tale.

I'm now well into the Formadine Rift, headed out as far as I can go before I turn right again and start picking my way along the outer edge of the galaxy. I have to say, the Rift (at least this section of it) is filled with some pretty ordinary systems. Lots of new discoveries, but nothing of note, yet.

0200 02 March 3307

I'm jumping out of Shinrarta, heading to HIP 36601 to top off the tellurium storage. With the Galactic Summit heating up and all my local obligations taken care of, it's time to venture out into the black again. This time, I won't be back for quite a while, as I intend to circumnavigate the galaxy. The Zephram Cochrane, my new Krait Phantom, has performed admirably in our shakedown runs and is itching to travel. After gathering the tellurium, I'll point us towards the Crab Nebula, make one last pit stop at Station X, and head west.