So, I was finally approaching the attacked station. I didnt know what to expect as this is my first attempt to dock at a damaged and burning station. I'm glad the ship is equipped with shields and heat vents, as the ship quickly overheated as we approached the landing pad.

For countless hours I transported passengers off the burning Hub onto a nearby Medical Frigate. I didn't get much sleep, but was well rewarded and I was noticed by the Imperial officers back at the frigate. I even met an old friend, who was on duty at the MovCon, Movement Control unit at the frigate. I guess there is a lot of transports that need to be coordinated.

While back in the core systems I sold off the exploration data and parked my Clipper at the Cemiess system. For the profit I made, I bought an old Anaconda which used to patrol the trade lanes in an imperial system. I managed to get an official Imperial Navy Callsign; Rescue 074.

After equipping Rescue 074 with passenger modules I headed off to Achenar and the burning station Dawes Hub. There is massive rescue operation going on and I will transport passengers off to a nearby medical frigate. A bit dangerous since I don't know the exact status of the burning station.

Getting closer to the Bubble. New contact; carrier - in the void. Jumped on.

From the galactic database of my navigation system: "The Little Gem Nebula or NGC 6818 is a planetary nebula located in the constellation of Sagittarius, roughly 6000 light-years away from Earth. The glow of the cloud is just over half a light-year across. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1787."

Hovering over the the bright white Wolf-Rayet class star, I will spend the night before continuing to the Bubble. Being inside the nebula, is like floating in a blue shimmering cloud. It feels safe - but you never know. These systems are popular among tourists and pirates alike. I will run silent thru the night and have the jump coordinates programmed - if a contact shows up, I will jump without further a due.

I've patched the FSD, but there are more things to repair on this old lady. However, she keeps up and we'll reach the Bubble soon. I haven't passed by any stations on the return trip, so I totally unaware of any news or events back "home". We'll see.

GMY

Andromeda Ship Log

Racing thru the galaxy means overcharging the FSD - a lot. I'm nearing the Bubble, but not yet there. I have one more jump before calling the Little Gem Nebula. The FSD is almost failing every jump now. I will spend the night there, hovering a star. I'm synthesizing new AFMU material while I spend some time with the ship log. I've seen amazing things on my way back to the Bubble.

The route took me near a touristy system called the "Mommas boy". A metal-rich world is orbiting a white dwarf star at an exceptionally close 0.37 to 0.6 light-seconds. It has an extremely rapid orbit of 7.7 minutes. I spent 10 minutes here to view the orbit while having a snack.

GMY

Andromeda Ship Log

It was unexpected emotions that hit me, while I turned the ship around to steer towards the Bubble. In front of me were other nebulae, other star formations and far away I could actually see the The Spire - the Pillars of Creation.

Jumping 200 Ly between neutron stars wears out my FSD. Had to stop for automated drive repair. My AFMU hummed with its familiar sound and I was soon able to get the FSD repaired and adjusted to 100%. These AFMU's, the deep space explorers best friend. All I miss is a repair limpet, so I wonder if I will make it to the Bubble without visiting a deep space shipyard. I need to find something more "secure" than the Eagle "secure" depot.

GMY

Andromeda Ship Log

On my way back to the Bubble, I realized that my chosen route passed the tourist attraction: the GRAVITAS. A system with a black hole surrounded by four neutron stars in one single system. Something is going on here which is beyond my comprehension. Maybe I should have stayed longer, but I felt compelled to continue. If it turns out that I took the scenic route home, it can cost me dearly.

GMY

Andromeda Ship Log

While I was preparing Andromeda for departure, I noticed a small Imperial Courier landing on the pad just next to mine. The Courirer looked heavily modified, probably equipped for fast and long journeys within the galaxy. Imperial insignia on the fuselage made me think about what it did here. I took a few steps in the direction towards the Courier just as the pilot stepped out.

I could see that the pilot looked at my Clipper and made a relaxed salute with his hand while he walked towards me and I understood that he wanted to talk to me.

"Good to see a Clipper out here in Colonia," he said. "Yes, I didn't expect to see a Courier, this far out" I replied. "Emergency message from the Bubble. A few stations have been struck by unknown forces. If you have encryption capabilities onboard that ex-Navy clipper I advice you to check-in with the Navy to see if you can help out.", the Pilot replied and continued "Gotta go, I need to talk to the station commander about the events back in the Bubble."

An hour later I successfully hooked up the old encryption device and it started to print out Imperial Navy messages, among one private message from my former general, "All imperial ships are needed to support the emergency evacuations in imperial space.".

This was bad news for me. I felt compelled to return to the Bubble. It was no major problem. A couple of weeks here or there probably does not matter. Too bad I didn't get to explore Colonia more than this.

Before leaving Colonia, I quickly dumped the rest of my exloration data in some nearby systems.

GMY

Andromeda Ship Log

I made a huge profit selling some of my data here at Jaques Station. I booked the most expensive and highest rated hotel for a couple of days. I need the rest. I deserve it. Alone, on a long journey like this has consumed all of my energy. I feel drained. Is is almost impossible to get a full night's sleep, even if you spenda a full night in the the shadow of a moon, with the autopilot on, there is always something waking you up. A sound. The ship computer. An unexpected sunrise may cause the ship's autopilot to turn its stern towards the sun. Even though I'm used to it, the RCS system sounds a lot and will wake you up. Also, the ship's computer alerts will warn you about false alternator errors or there is something with the power distributor. And everytime I check these faults, it comes up as a false alarm. Sensors on the Andromeda is old. The solenoids are worn and may get stuck. There will never be more than 4-5 hours of undisturbed sleep when you are alone ship like this. So I need the rest and I'm not in a hurry. And - I like the Jaques Station.

I have met many happy travelers who have made the same journey as I. They stand out - with a lot of credits in their pockets, they gladly to invite you to the bar to talk about their experiences on the way here to Colonia. I'm a good listener and I like it. Once, I was young and much like them. Now, I like to sip on my beer and just watch. And listen.

I'll stay here for a few more days here before I continue.

GMY

Andromeda Ship Log

One jump left to Colonia. The FSD charges one last time. The navigation computer can now rest for a while. Finally - I've made it to Colonia.

This part of my deep space journey is now nearing completion. After almost three weeks in space, I'm willing to say that I will continue to explore the deep space of the Milky way.

I will stop in Colonia, make some research and get acquainted with the systems out here before I eventually continue. Also, what's kept me busy is the exploration data. Where should I sell it?

GMY

Andromeda Ship Log