Communications reestablished with the group. It was bound to happen I believe, but still, I was not expecting this so soon in the expedition. I don’t know what Cmdr Shaba took with him in his supplies, but he is out there flying like a bat out of hell… By my rhythm, I would have to rest on the pilot’s chair, napping intermittently to achieve what he’s doing. And he’s not alone either. Cmdr Hell and Cmdr Aphelion_ro are on his trail… I just found out today plotting a differential course how far along they are. I envy such commitment. Cmdr Atomika13 left a message for a tentative get-together. I am expecting more details later on, but by my calculations I have to put the pedal to the metal for just about 18 000 ly. I still don’t know what happened with Cmdr Eryyxx23ro. His departure was delayed by some engineering issues last time I checked. There were 14 people enrolled, but I am not expecting to see everyone embarking on this expedition. There is a lot to do for everyone and sometimes this can become overwhelming. I hope I will get to see all of the ones we miss soon enough…

I miss Cmdr Terra.Nova.

You hear often “Same s**t, different day”. Well… not when exploring and certainly not when the galaxy serves you with an infinity of possibilities. You just have to apply just a little bit of passion, a little flair and ambition, and you are guaranteed success and a good day. For me, finding and cataloging new species of alien life, new systems and uncharted corners offers me not only a tremendous potential credit boost, but also answers just a little bit from the infinite question “What else is out there?” During this 2nd expedition leg, I’ve already reached a personal best by finding a new system with a planet that contains eight species. I am not a fresh explorer, but definitely I am not the least experienced either, and still this is the best to date.

You have to be fascinated by shapes, colors and textures as I am to understand the joy I find in every new species I am uploading to my catalog. I become a child that unwraps his birthday present with every new instance. I guess we never let go of our moments of innocence and optimism, and just learn to subdue their influence while we deal with the myriad of things in life.

My communications with the group are scarce for some reason. I will have to work on that. I suspect that they chose to function on a different schedule. I am the one behind, but I’ve already made plans to recuperate some distance.

Expedition details

Well...It had to be me that was late for something as important as this... I can see them in my mind lining up for the departure while I am running like a madman on the corridors dragging half of my suit while the other is dangling precarious on these old bones. And there they go! The latest expedition the Romanian community is undertaking through a series of its squadron representatives and some auxiliaries is on its way. And here I am... late. Cmdr Atomika13, the leader of the expedition, a man I admire for his punctuation and skills left a message. I am to catch up with them by waypoint #10. My Mandalay should surely be up to the task, so let's have a last drink in civilized space.

The journey takes us first through the bubble's adjacent space discoveries and mainly a quick journey to the Lycaon generation ship. A contemplative pilgrimage to listen to the recordings, pay our homage to our courageous explorer predecessors and their sacrifices, and run tests of our equipment. There is no more of an ominous sight than the ghostly presence of the Lycaon against the Milky Way backdrop. It is unharmed and looks like there is nothing wrong and it is still doing the job it was supposed to carry out. That of course, until you are downloading the data from the ship uplinks and you go through the recordings… Let’s just say that I hope I will not get to land by mistake on the planet they got to survey prior to the epidemic that swept through that ship.

Sometimes, it looks like routine is setting in too fast in these explorations, but the beauty of the findings manages always to rebalance the enthusiasm for the new, for what can lay out there and waiting for our amazed gaze to brush against their image. Will I find the mythical 20 star system? Will I find the 300 body system? How many alien species could be out there? Will I be the one contacting new civilizations or find remnants of one? Just a few of the questions on my mind. I find that, opposed to the “common life” where an individual is motivated by answers and certainties, an explorer is motivated by questions and an unquenched thirst of “something else”. I hope to find that in myself more and more and stick to the plan, to bring in the bubble new stuff and a wider understanding of our galaxy.

Will we find beauty? Will we find terror? Will we be back to recount the amazing sights we dream of? Let's practice what we preach and we will have an answer. Whatever that might be...