Stardate: [30MAR3311]

Commander: Dustin Echoes.

Ship: [HC-293 Free Market]

System: [Ngobe]

Affiliation: [Foxtrot Crew]

06:50 UTC-6: Early Wakeup. Fell asleep in the captain's chair last night. Everything hurts. Quick stop through the galley for coffee and whatever fancy new kelp protein cubes are all the rage these days, before heading to the observation deck aboard the DW Foxtrot (RZY-N8L), where I docked the night before in anticipation of the day ahead of me.

0800: Our activation window has been pushed back, Stage 1 is progressing slower than expected.

0815: Breakfast served aboard FC Foxtrot. More kelp, great. Is it really this hard to get a proper meal only a few hundred LY from Sol?

0820: CMDR Pseudo6066, Captain of DW Foxtrot, suggested a race to Ngobe B10 and back while waiting from news from Command. I figured I'd have a better chance with a faster ship than the old Type 9, reliable as she is. Broke out the Cobra MkV speedboat I had transferred to Foxtrot on a whim last evening. She's a beaut—full chrome paintjob with custom cesium-burning thrusters for purple afterburners.

0824: Race is a go. Good lord I love whatever Achilles Aerospace did to optimize these newer ships in SCO.

0826: Made it around Ngobe B10. Somehow I think I wasn't the first one there.

0828: Accidentally engaged an emergency SC drop in my hurry to get back to Foxtrot. Great, there goes any chance of first.

0830: Flew too close to Ngobe A1 and dropped. Again. Wonderful.

0831: Figured I might as well buzz the observation deck considering there wasn't a chance of winning anymore. Think I saw someone spill their coffee. CMDR Zulu Romeo got this one.

0832: Command gave us our destination, FC Foxtrot spooling for Synuefe JH-U C19-6 in T-16 minutes

0854: Arrival in-system. Orders are to load up on cargo at the Stutz Bearcat 1914. We're moving as part of Stage 2 of the operation, starting on system #7

0900: Good ol' hurry up and wait. FCs Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie still haven't finished Stage 1. Lots of us just floating around a few km off of Bearcat's deck. They've been keeping us in the dark for "Operational Security" so I still don't think anyone really knows what's going on.

1001: Logistical miscommunication! Pseudo thought we were going on #7, turns out we were supposed to have gone on #6. Well, better strap in for an immediate jump to witchspace.

1008: Took two jumps to get to #6, Synuefe NN-S c10-11. By the time I got there the outpost had been completed. More waiting until system 7 is revealed.

1012: #7 HIP 26436 Beacon Deployed. Jumping. Got there in time to see the SCS arrive in-system. Gave it several hundred tons of steel and left for resupply.

1025: Volunteer Supply Carrier Gunboat Diplomat out of mats. MFOB Raijingudon next. #7 Outpost complete.

1027: System #8 revealed, Synuefe UZ-M b40-3. Loaded up with the last of Bearcat's titanium stores.

1032: COVAS warning: there's a pirate in system. Great. Aaand he interdicts me. Luckily I know a thing or two about a hasty exit.

1035: Arrive at SCS and deliver goods. No more titanium needed and I'm still half full. This is moving quicker than I think anyone expected.

1045: System 9 revealed: Synuefe RT-O b39-3

1051: Beacon deployed, SCS inbound 3 minutes

1053: Command has authorized a VC for Foxtrot Crew if we can complete System 12 by 1720 UTC (in 45 minutes)

1057: Outpost finished, in ONE MINUTE. Hot damn. That's how we do things around here.

1101: #10 Synuefe PY-O b39-1

1115: #10 Complete

1120: Looks like we won't be getting a comms channel. Claim bottlenecking pushed our speed below optimal times. #11 revealed.

1124: SCS drops in orbit of a ringed gas giant, of course. And a thousand light-seconds away. Huge system though—45 bodies. At least the views are nice.

1132: Didn't get there in time, so my hold is still full to the brim with steel. Outpost has been sitting at 94% for a few minutes now.

1134: We were promised a break after this, but we have to pick up Alpha crew's slack after a delay in resupply. Now I have to jump to Synuefe GR-S b37-4. Lucky me I have enough fuel to make it in 3 jumps.

1136: CMDR Earthserpent blew up. Seems like an FC got him for pad loitering.

11:51: We got placed on standby here while we assist with outpost #12. Assisting Alpha Crew has led to a slight delay in our resupply.

1159: Watched some errant CMDR get rammed by a SCS as it jumped into #12. Looks like their shields held.

1202: Headed back to Foxtrot, the SCS got filled too fast for me to deliver my cargo.

1208: Docked at Foxtrot, time to stretch my legs and grab some lunch. Protein bars still taste better than kelp protein mush.

1212: Foxtrot jump scheduled back to resupply system, 22 min till lockdown.

1220: Command authorized Foxtrot Crew to communicate in voice channels because we're clearly better than the other crews.

1307: Command orders immediate return to FC Foxtrot from depot resupply missions.

1401: Stage 4 underway, waiting for claim #18 to start hauling again.

1430: WE RIDE! #18 underway

1500: Outpost 18 complete, 19 at Synuefe YE-Y c17-12

1501: SCS arrived 142,000 ls away from main star, clearly this is a conspiracy to slow Foxtrot down.

1504: On 10% fuel reserves. Important Lesson: Type Nines are NOT SCO optimized, you WILL run out of fuel if you're not careful. At least it got me to 4 minutes away.

1508: Might be wise to call the Fuel Rats in advance, as our whole crew is draining our fuel reserves rapidly.

1520: CMDR Zorya Hopper blacked out on the way to the SCS, and woke up landed on a planet in another system. Raxxla, perhaps?

1542: Skipped a few updates, but system #21 just had a beacon dropped. Synuefe MC-A b34-4.

1545: Time for me to quit for the day. Seven hours of cargo hauling is my limit. The rest of Foxtrot Crew made it to system #23 two hours later, before calling it a day. I left the Free Market on board the Foxtrot and took a trip back to Bletii for the evening. Good day altogether, certainly made by the people rather than my cargo. Steel isn't a very interesting conversationalist.

CMDR Dustin Echoes, signing off.