Log book

Entry #1630 / 04 Jun 3301 / System Sirius

SIRIUS SPACE MYSTERY

I finally made it! Got my permit settled and headed to Sirius to conduct an investigation. The star system is sparse, but interesting, with a large Type A and a White Dwarft in tow. Each station under Sirius Corp is located by each star and I went to each, noting no unusual items for trade... perfectly normal, and the people were nice to boot. 

Nevermind the planet "Lucifer" which looked completely black in the dark, reminding me once again of the gaping abyss of the terrible space secret. 

I decided to hunt for unusual signals and found the usual gangs of pirates, bounty hunters and traders meandering. There seems to be a federal faction fighting for "freedom", which I assume means, to join the Federation... so I left the Federal pilots alone- I am a Fed after all. Though the thought of Hudson.... I think of my memories from my time fighting for the Alliance and wonder... would I ever....? Not a good line of thought. 

I came across an unusually well-armed transport, but lacking a cargo scanner (I need to get one), I couldn't tell what they carried. Then I found two black boxes and they are now in my cargo hold, until I can find a safe outlet to extract their information.... but why would Sirius put anything suspicious on their home turf? No- it makes sense to keep the home system clean... the answer must lie out there...

somewhere in the black...

Entry #1629 / 04 Jun 3301 / System Avik

While searching for an ancient artifact for Sirius Corp (ooh, a mystery within the mystery!) I encountered another ship who pleaded with me, not to turn in the artifact to Sirius Corp who would sell it and bring it to their system where they will display it in a museum. 

I took the item back to Sirius Corp and cashed in, but I felt dirty. All this infiltration work has got me wondering - am I back to my old ways, as a mindless, thoughtless soldier for a greater power? 

With the recent election and Hudson in charge of the Federation, I feel like I need to keep sight of who I am trying to be. When I close my eyes I see the swirling hole at the center of the galaxy- the abyss which grows to swallow all. 

These political aspects are trivial when compared the mystery of the terrible space secret. Feeling bad about completing the mission for the wrong people means I'm still human- but it had to be done. For the greater good. 

Entry #1619 / 03 Jun 3301 / System G 99-49

I've been building my rep with the Siruis corp, running mission after mission.... inching slower and slower towards access to the main system where I can hopefully find more clues to my  space investigations.

I've come to find that the people working for the corp aren't all that bad - if there is corruption within Sirius Corp, it will be a tight cabal.... and it's going to take time to get the access...

Entry #1614 / 02 Jun 3301 / System YZ Canis Minoris

THE SIRUS MYSTERY PART I

I've infiltrated the ranks of the Siruis corps and worked up a good reputation as a nimble, swift courier and trader and soon I should be able to access the system of Sirius and find out more about what is going on. 

There was an article in the news today that mentioned Siruis corp while talking about Spaceflight One. No sabotage was defected, but they worked out it was a drive failure (not thargoids, phew).... but who makes these "S-class" drives for these big cruises... none other than Sirius Corp themselves.... i smell a mystery. I want to see if I can get a look at their shipyards, poke around and see if anyone there is a big supporter of Hudson, or the Empire... hell even the alliance. Anything but thargoids. Some mysteries should stay mysteries. 

But then something peculiar happened- while on a routine mission for Sirius Corp, I was interdicted by an eagle, who began to threaten me and swerve daringly close to my cockpit. More green pilots would have opened fire at this point but I watched and danced with him for over 2 minutes without a shot fired on either side... was this an attempt to set me up with a bounty? 

Something big is going on here...

Entry #1603 / 01 Jun 3301 / System Procyon

THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM SIDEWINDER

I had been training and doing small missions for the Federation when I decided that as founder of a mystery solving organization, I should look at getting the proper permits to be able to visit all the stars, especially the locked ones- the mystery of what Sirius Corp is planning seemed to fit the bill, so I headed to nearby Procyon in the old cobra (now outfitted with a discount at 78 Ursa Majoris thanks to my pre-explorer help against the Sobek Boys). 

I landed in an unusual signal source, finding a lone sidewinder. I went to target and kill scan in, in hopes of finding a known criminal.... but the sidewinder blipped off radar. 

I was close enough for visual contact and began to swerve and dodge to keep it in my field of view despite its windy moves to flank me. 

He must be using silent running, I thought- I'll wear out his heaters and wait for him to blip back... but after losing visual contact I decided some mysteries just can't be solved... and that's when the sidewinder blipped back on. My curiosity was renewed... but it seemed that as I moved in to scan him again he was gone once more! What witchcraft is this?!? Does he have a ship rigged that is capable of silent running indefinitely? Clever use of heat sinks? New cloaking device technology?

It was then that I realized that my power settings had put my own sensors so low in priority that my kill warrant scanner was shutting them down. The entire time, the ship must have wondered what I was doing, shutting down my sensors and trying to whip around it. 

Case closed. Mystery solved. 

Entry #1576 / 30 May 3301 / System 101 Tauri

MYSTERY OF THE MAIAN ARTIFACT CONTD....

I found my contact at Baturin city, in the 101 Tauri system. He opened the cannister and laughed- ancient artifacts indeed!

They happened to be stacks upon stacks of old paper legal documents from Earth- property deeds, court records- with stacks upon stacks of data and no apparent connection. Decades ago they had decided that the old "paperwork" needed to be recycled or go - dedicating museums to more tactile relics, like old automobiles or "cellphone" communication devices. Paperwork wasn't really that valuable in the scheme of things - even if it was a relic of mankind's origins. 

But it's strange- what was an Eagle doing hauling old paperwork around in the Pleiades Nebula? And who destroyed him and left it there? 

With all the chatter going around about unknown artifacts and Federations cover-ups, and the disappearance of the President, it all adds up to something - but can this be related?

Perhaps this lone Eagle was transporting a patsy and was attacked by the same... power... behind the disappearance of Spaceflight One. 

My contact offered to take the paperwork and sift through the data- see if there was a connection and let me know. For now, this trail has gone cold and there are other mysteries in the universe. 

Entry #1575 / 30 May 3301 / System Maia

THE MYSTERY OF THE MAIAN ARTIFACTS

I decided to join the search effort for the President, even though the payout is over. She's still out there and it's a mystery. Closing in near her last point of known contact I found the Pleiades Nebula nearby... a place of mystery and suspicion since old pre-space Earth days. 

I had heard rumors of a black hole in a system named MAIA and decided to start my investigation there. I spotted an immense gravity well in the distance and made for it. 

On my way, much to my surprise I intercepted a weak signal source- who could be out here? 

I drop out, only to find the remains of... an Eagle? And a lone ancient artifact drifting in space. What would an Eagle be doing, transporting an artifact out here by a remote black hole in a suspicious region of space? 

I closed in on the black hole and was able to get within 24kms of the event horizon to study it's effects. They emit a strange noise- one that I cannot even begin to describe. 

My next step will be to take this artifact to a contact of mine who runs a local black market. I knew him from my smuggling days, back when getting in trouble with the Feds didn't seem to have any harm... all I can think of now was the harrowing days of being shot at by my own team for some innocent smuggling... I'll have to be careful not to get caught!

Entry #1560 / 30 May 3301 / System LP 375-25

Made it at last.  Home. Wherever that is... but seeing other ships and visiting the places I recognize is so refreshing after the inky blackness and isolation of space. 

I'm determined to solve the mystery of the missing President and have decided to found an expedition:

SPACE MYSTERY INVESTIGATION SQUAD

Sometimes life can throw a black hole of mystery and intrigue at you. I'm going to make it my purpose to figure out the great mystery- the terrible space secret. 

First thing on the agenda- we need a ship equipped for solving mysteries, so I'll need to make a bit of money... and why not repair my rep with the Federation while I'm at it?

After all.... I am trying to save our President... or at least figure out what happened....

Entry #1557 / 30 May 3301 / System SMOJAI TZ-Q B33-0

I'm seeing stars that have been discovered by other commanders and logged in my computer!... the stars have thinned out... then it happened- the radio sparked to life... finally in range of Galnet's relays!

Oh to hear the sound of a human voice again! No offense, Nova.... it's been so long I had forgotten how to speak myself. 

But WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? I shouldn't have left!

The President of the Federation went missing! Rumors of changes afoot in the political landscape... I set out on this journey to get away from all that mess and clear my head, and while out in the black, I found myself missing the chatter.... be careful what you wish for... i must have missed a lot of news!

After winning the Sugar Bus Deep Space Challenge (and technically an unqualified runner in the Buckyball Run to Sag A* and back) I half expected to come back to the same unchanged, slow moving world, but so many things have happened I wouldn't be surprised if even the Shapsuga network has forgotten about me.... some lowly game show contestant who set out into the void on the chance of becoming a famous explorer..... 

... but everything changed at Sag A... staring into the abyss of the galaxy.... i have so many questions.... WHAT. WHAT. WHAT. There is a mystery in the galaxy.... and I must know what it is.

Entry #1550 / 29 May 3301 / System SLULEE SM-S C5-11

its been so long without any humans... no one... space is so large. i cant... i cant do it... i'll never make it home.... never ....

i cant think like this.... i need to get home... i hate space... i hate it i hate it i hate it

Entry #1544 / 28 May 3301 / System BYUA AIN UD-G B16-12

Jump in. Rev discovery scanner. Open fuel scoop. Position craft to align with next jump as you skim the star. Fuel Scoop up. Activate FDL. Open system map. Glance for any blue planets, interesting gas giants or stars.  Oh, there's another Earth Like and a Water World too... disengage FDL and stop and scan. No blue? Let's go.  Next system. 

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. And the whole time, the blackness of space peers at you from behind the scattered, repetitive stars. 

Every once in a while, a Hypergiant or an interesting system teeming with life (which I have found to be quite common, at least compared to my expectations), but then it is back to 15 more systems of no particular interest. 

I find I am stopping less and less. More determined to get back to society- to see ships again! To dock! I miss docking!

I remember a time when I griped about an hour long trade route- what a distance it was... or the days of flying it took to make it to Lave or Sol in my sidewinder when I first got my license. How small I imagined the galaxy seemed. After this, after being here, seeing black holes the size of Sol, I've seen things you people wouldn't believe - attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion... I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near Tannhauser gate... all these moments... will they be lost in time.... like, tears in the rain?

I miss rain.

Entry #1527 / 26 May 3301 / System ZUNUAE IH-O C9-8

I've made it out of the cluster near Sag A* which was causing computer malfunctions left, right and center. At first I thought that it was the multitude of stars- it wasn't until I got further out that I realized it was more likely due to the intense radiation at the core. My entire ship is glowing- if it weren't for the ASP's thick skin and the extra layer of protection my suit offers, I would have made it back a puddle of radioactive sludge. 

Given the data I'm sitting on, a direct, speedy course to federation space is in order.... but it will take a while...

Entry #1503 / 25 May 3301 / System Sagittarius A*

Entry #1500 / 25 May 3301 / System MYRIELK NT-Z C13-4369

Entry #1486 / 24 May 3301 / System BYEIA AIN GW-V E2-287

Entry #1476 / 24 May 3301 / System PLAA AIN RX-K D8-107

Entry #1459 / 23 May 3301 / System BLU THUA GB-S B47-0

Entry #1448 / 23 May 3301 / System HIP 84876

Entry #1435 / 22 May 3301 / System LHS 337

Entry #1426 / 21 May 3301 / System Alioth

Entry #1411 / 20 May 3301 / System Lyncis Sector DL-Y c20

Entry #1410 / 20 May 3301 / System 14 Theta Canis Majoris

Entry #1408 / 20 May 3301 / System Diphda A

Entry #1407 / 20 May 3301 / System Persephone

Entry #1373 / 18 May 3301 / System Alcor

Entry #1372 / 18 May 3301 / System Diso

Entry #1358 / 17 May 3301 / System 78 Ursae Majoris