• System: Preae Chroa HF-R d4-74
• Sector: Formorian Frontier, Scutum-Centaurus Arm
• Distance: 49,688.56 ly

After a long dredge though the Styx gap, I've parked midway though the bleak lands. The should be my last rest before I begin my journey into The Abyss. Also, the bleak lands? There are far more desolate areas of the galaxy that deserve this name.

This expedition marks the 4th time I've visited the core and the first time I've been this far out in the black. I have to say, I seriously underestimated the sheer size of this journey. I've essentially traveled the distance home from the core but in the opposite direction, and I still have another 17,500 ly to jump across. Really not looking forward to the trip back.

There also comes a point in exploration where "space madness" occurs. Jump after jump, scan after scan, boredom and isolation set in. Entertainment is really needed to get though a long trip like this. I used to use podcasts or audio books to get through it, but I've since moved to catching up on movies or actively chatting with friends. This is probably the most dangerous distraction I could do though. While I have a jump dethrottle, all it would take is flight to a planet to map, a look away for too long, and splat: insurance claim.

This bring me to the other serious exploration fear: Fear of losing all that sweet data you've collected. There's no avoiding some level of madness, and distractions only increase as the journey goes on. I've hit the point of fear of losing everything, and have actively considered turning back. I'm doing my best to push on.

An $800,000,000 + insurance loss will be difficult to come back from.