Okay. I’ve got a few minutes of final prep time before launching.

I’ve made fantastic progress with the Engineers. I have working relationships with all of them save two, and in the process of dealing with them I’ve improved my combat skills immensely. On top of that, the custom engineering of my ships is coming along quite nicely.

As for the last two Engineers, I’m embarking on an exploration tour that should earn me an invite with one of them. I’m headed towards the Patchwork Plains and taking a few scientists along for the ride. That should earn me a pretty penny on top of the exploration data that I’ll collect.

Speaking of exploration data, I plan on rebuilding my business relationship with Li Yong-Rui’s organization. This time, though, I’ll be doing it right, by formally renouncing my ties to Aisling Duval before making the switch. That should at least keep me on the cordial side of her enterprise and help avoid from having adjusters hunting me and my family.

After that, it’s just a matter of maximizing my status with Yong-Rui, and all that exploration data might as well be ten Cutters worth of painite. If everything goes as planned, that is.

And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from being a pilot, is that nothing does.

Okay. Whew. Damn. Okay. Let me catch my breath and recompose my thoughts.

My ongoing dealings with the Engineers proceeds apace. I’ve established favorable relationships with most of them, and only a few have withheld any contact with me. It’s for good reason: those final holdouts are combat-oriented Engineers, and they deal only with pilots with established battle credentials. And combat just happens to be one of my weaker areas.

So, the onus is on me to improve. To that end, I’ve taken my barely-used Vulture to a nearby system that is currently suffering through a civil war. After determining the players and establishing my loyalties, I jumped straight into a conflict zone.

Where I promptly got my ass kicked.

Hey, I didn’t say it was going to be easy! Luckily, I made it out before I got blown to bits, and while my Vulture was getting repaired I drank it up with a couple battle-hardened pilots at the local watering hole. After they had a good laugh at this greenhorn’s trial by fire, the veterans had quite a bit of tips and advice which they liberally shared with me. My subsequent outings fared much better, and I was able to grab a good number combat bonds in the process.

This is a good thing for me. Sure, it’s probably going to lead to a loss of hair and a good number of ulcers, but if I’m to take part in the battle against the Thargoids, it’s high time that I earn my combat wings.

Ah! Vulture’s ready to fly again. I’m locked, loaded, and ready to charge into the breach. Wish me luck...

Wow, where to begin? So much has happened since I last made an entry. Let’s pick up where I last left off.

The financial quandary I had found myself in didn’t last long, thanks to a short tour transporting VIPs on long-cruise trips. I was able to quickly rebuild my funds, and also managed to gather a number of engineering materials. As a bonus: I’m really starting to like flying my Anaconda.

Speaking of engineering, I’ve made much more headway in meeting and building relationships with the famed Engineers. I’ve already had a good number of work completed by them, and the results are astounding. Moving forward, I’ll be making a concerted effort to collect more materials in my travels. On a negative note, Farseer, the very first Engineer I became acquainted with, appears to have attracted the attention of the Thargoids. Deciat is full of them, and I’m keeping my ear on the ground to jump and help in any way if need be.

In other news, two new ship models have been released: the Krait Mk II and the Alliance Challenger. The Krait is getting rave reviews, with many a pilot trading in their trusty Pythons to get one. I, for one, am quite happy with my main ship, and I can’t see myself parting with it just to be able to play with the latest new toy. Though I hear the free coffee machine it comes with is neat...

Finally, and probably the biggest of news: I managed to convince my wife to give piloting a shot. I bought her a Sidewinder, outfitted it with all the bells and whistles, and gave it to her for a spin. She promptly attempted to fly right into the nearest star. Sigh. Thankfully I had her tethered to my Python, and after pulling her to safety and berating her, I took her to Sol for some more closer-watched piloting. She sure appreciated the experience, so much so that she was eager for her next chance in the pilot seat.

It’s all a reflection of just how much this whole dang universe is always changing.

It’s Rear Admiral Delgado to you.

I accomplished what I set out to do and reached my target rank of Rear Admiral within the Federal Navy. Besides gaining access to some of the sensitive data that I was searching for, my new authority also allows me the privilege to purchase certain military hardware restricted to Navy personnel. That includes a number of combat ships, including the awe-inspiring Federal Corvette.

So, I promptly got one.

Unfortunately, that left me a bit tight on funds after refitting the ship to my tastes; I can barely afford the insurance costs as it is. To that end I’ve taken my transport-ready Anaconda over to Parutis; I hear the long cruise passenger jobs for VIPs can be quite lucrative. It appears that my current plans to dig into INRA and the Thargoids have been put on hold while work to replenish my credits.

Speaking of those aliens, it sounds like the effort on the front lines to counter their incursions have been finding more success. I applaud my fellow pilots who are taking part in the defense, but something tells me that this isn’t the worst of it....

I’m still alive, thank God.

It’s been over a week since I’ve last seen or heard from my contacts of any pursuit from agents of Li Yong-Riu. Apparently, I’m of so little consequence to his organization that I don’t merit any further attention. I’ll take it. Consequently, my wife and I have moved back into our place in Ohm City, though she’s still a bit miffed at me. Nothing that a pair of Helvetitj pearls won’t fix.

You would think I would be ecstatic with this development, but I’m not; I’ve discovered something that has shaken me to the core.

A few weeks ago the collective known as the Engineers had pooled their resources enough to allow for modular upgrades using lesser materials, for a limited time. Quite a godsend for pilots everywhere, and the race was on to collect materials and take advantage of the short-term boon. Several of my buddies shared with me some planet-side locations where I could get my hands on some salvage for said purpose. I loaded up my trusty Asp Explorer with an SRV and headed out with coordinates in hand.

Several of these sites consisted of abandoned INRA research and industrial complexes, and there I found more than engineering material. I ended up digging up secrets of a dirty past.

I’ll admit that I’ve been quite detached from the Thargoid danger. I haven’t encountered one yet, though I have seen their destructive work firsthand when I partook in several rescue missions. The devastation that I saw... it left me shaken.

Which is why I’m torn with the logs I managed to download, logs the made clear what INRA had done to fight back the original Thargoid incursion. God knows what would have happened if those aliens had been left unchecked, but to create a weapon capable of wiping out an entire species? Jesus, that’s horrible, and that’s not even adding in all the murders and other dark deeds the organization is guilty of in the name of victory , secrecy, and power. No wonder those killings in the name of Jameson have been occurring of late. What else is out there to find?

To that end, I’ve commenced running missions for the Federation with the intent of incurring favor and rank for further access to their classified data. I’ve already reached the rank of Lieutenant Commander, with the goal being at least Rear Admiral. In this way I hope to uncover more of the dark, sordid story of INRA.

Looks like those pearls will have to wait for the moment.

Christ, what was I thinking?

With my family safely relocated to Founders World, and my own life settled in on Ohm City, I had taken to keeping it simple. That meant rotating between quick spurts in bulk trading, passenger transport, ring mining, and short exploration tours. The money was good, if not spectacular, but it didn’t really matter: I still had that nice chunk of change from the massive data sell off of before. Everything was settled and fine.

And then I got ambitious.

It started when I got a close-up look at an Imperial Cutter on one of my stops. Such a beautiful, luxurious, massive ship; it got the blood pumping just seeing it. Only two things keep a regular pilot from owning one: it’s exorbitant price, and the Imperial rank needed to access such a ship.

I had the money, I just needed the rank.

For the most part I have been working out of Federation space, so it was a bit of a culture change basing myself within Empire territory. The opulence, the social class structure, the focus on honor and duty... it’s a lot to take in when you’re used the Federation’s way of life. Thankfully I made it to the rank of Duke faster than I had anticipated, and I eventually had my cutter.

By then, though, I had my mind focused on another exclusive purchase: prismatic shields.

The hit on the wallet was much less than a cutter. It was gaining access that was more difficult: pledge to Aisling Duval, remain pledged for at least four weeks, and reach Rank 4. On my part that would require an additional step: defect from Yong-Rui.

You would assume I’d think twice before taking such a drastic step. You’d be wrong.

Now I find myself hunted by adjuster agents sent by Li Yong-Rui’s organization. If it ended there I’d be okay, but my family’s also in danger. Thankfully, Founders World is off-limits to the machinations of the power players, though that hasn’t stopped me from hiring out some private security for my family. It’s expensive, but better safe than sorry and besides: I can afford it.

My wife, however, found herself alone and living in the lion’s den when this all went on. Luckily I was able to send her an encoded priority communique, and she hastily took a sabbatical from her job to move in with my family. It’s temporary, of course, but she still wasn’t happy about it.

I myself have taken up accepting combat-oriented missions, both to get me some dogfighting experience, and to give me an excuse to stay in my battle-purposed ships. Hopefully I’ll survive this rash decision of mine. Time will tell.

I did: I hit Elite exploration level.

The plan worked like a charm, though there were a number of close calls. But I managed to attain Rank Five in the Yong-Rui organization, and once I completed my second exploration tour I managed to return safely to my home base at Ohm City in LHS 20. After selling all my data, I found myself sitting on a cool billion in credits.

More importantly, I found myself staring at a communique from the Pilots Federation congratulating me on reaching Elite status. Shinrarta Dezhra was now open to me... and to my family.

I just finished relocating them to Founders World, and they’re settling in as we speak. With my parents long on their years, my sister decided she would stay and live with my parents, so I bought them a very spacious lakeside home in a quaint neighborhood. It has easy access to the starport for when I visit, but still far enough to keep the hustle and bustle away. My sister also got assigned to the local medical center via work placement; she’s making enough now that my parents can finally enjoy their retirement to the fullest without having to worry about the day-to-day stuff.

And there’s my financial support as well, of course: I’m still flying. That bug bit me hard, and I don’t think I’m giving it up anytime soon.

Besides, I’m at the top of my game right now. I’ve added a Vulture, a Chieftan, and a Fer-de-Lance to my fleet of ships for combat purposes, as well as repurchasing an Asp Explorer to join my Diamondback as dedicated explorers. And then there’s the Anaconda, my prized acquisition.

I’m also keeping Ohm City as my home base. My wife and I already grown roots there: she's settled in her job at the station hospital, and we ended up buying a nice cozy condo with a swell view from the station. Also, it’s easy enough to make it to Shinrata Dezhra from there; we’ll make sure to visit at least once a month.

I’ve got endless options before me, and things couldn’t be better...

This is what’s called going all in.

Getting my Python has certainly opened doors for me, giving me numerous credit-making opportunities. In fact, I’ve managed to reach the trading rank of Broker.

But therein lies the problem: I’m only a Broker, and to reach that level has been a struggle. At the pace I’m going, by the time I reach Elite my parents will probably be dead. And given my current rate of income, it will be a while before I can afford a larger ship. My only recourse seems to stick to the mind-numbing trade loops and bore-inducing long cruise passenger transport missions as I slowly creep towards Elite trading rank or make enough to get a larger trader.

I’m stuck. Unless... I take a chance.

The plan was laid out to me in a discussion with another commander at a loud bar. He said it was pretty straight forward: pledge to Li Yong-Rui, reach Rank 5, and then I can sell any and all exploration data for triple the regular value. Suddenly a 50 million data package turns into 150 million, and if I can manage to gather enough data to hit 334 million...

The strategy isn’t without risk. First, I need at least 100 million credits to bankroll a rush to Rank 4; I only have 70+ million. And while I’m pledged, I’ll be in danger of getting attacked by pilots pledged to rival powers. If my ship gets destroyed while I’m carrying all that valuable data, it would be a total disaster.

Thus, my fully fleshed out game plan.

First: stash my Python for the time being and purchase a Diamond Explorer outfitted strictly for exploration; the investment shouldn’t be too much. Second: go on an exploration tour and gather at least 150 million in data. Third: jump back into the Python, pledge to Yong-Rui, and rush my way to Rank 5 as fast as possible, using my exploration data and spare parts from the Diamondback to supplement my funds as needed. Fourth: go on a second exploration tour, and this time don’t stop until I pull in another 250 million in data. Fifth: sell it all before my Rank 5 expires.

If it all goes as planned, I’ll be sitting on a very nice nest egg, and I might even hit Elite rank in exploration in process. Of course, if I get attacked and destroyed before I get a chance to sell my data... I never said there wasn’t any danger involved.

As they say at the gambling tables: “Go big or go home.”

Oh my God, I’m in love again. I think of her and my pulse hastens. I see her and my heart skips a beat. I get inside of her... and I feel one with the universe.

Her name is Blue Orchid V, and I will never exchange her for another ship. Ever.

After replacing the Type-6 with an Asp Explorer (the Blue Orchid IV), I recaptured some of the joy of flying that I had lost in that nightmare of a brick. And the Asp was quite admirable, allowing me to do some more exploring, as well as dabble in a bit of rare trading and long-distance passenger transport. I even completed my first Federal Navy-sanctioned missions; it’s Recruit Mal to you now.

I also faced by first insurance claim in the Asp when I got jumped on a Navy’s salvage job. That was harrowing, to say the least, and I almost got away before I found myself floating aimlessly in my escape pod. Luckily the authorities showed up shortly thereafter, and the rebuy process was surprisingly painless and efficient. Who would have thought improvements in the insurance sector would be a hallmark of the future?

Anyways, all of this led to my procuring enough funds to perform my fourth, and possibly last, trade-in: for a Python.

Suddenly I find myself loving flying all over again. This baby can do it all: bulk trading, VIP transport, heavy mining, you name it. I’ve even managed to tussle it out with pirates and come out wining, something I couldn’t do before in my other ships.

I love my Blue Orchid V. And I’m looking forward to a good many adventures with her.

Well that didn’t last long.

Today I sold my third ship, a Type-6. It was quite a worthy hauler: good jump range, decent hard points, and, most importantly, a cavernous cargo hold for a ship of its size. It was quite an impressive transport...and I hated every minute in it.

The Type-6, for all intents and purposes, was a flying paper plate that handled like a fat cow. Against pirates I was used to putting up a decent struggle in my Adder; not so in the 6, where I got smacked around on my first encounter before I waved the white flag. Docking was a pain as well; no more fancy, last-minute maneuvers with that walrus. It just simply wasn’t a joy to fly, even though the ship did earn me a respectable income through trading. Which is the whole point of that ship.

That’s when I learned two valuable lessons. First, that I’m not the kind to be pigeon-holed into a single dedicated role. I have too much wanderlust and get bored too easily to stick to one path. I love variety, which is one reason why I love traveling through space: I never know what I’ll experience.

Second, and more importantly: you have to love what you fly. If you don’t, you might as well stick to your escape pod.

Goodbye, Blue Orchid III. Can’t say that I’ll miss you.