Officially I finished Perseus Arm Expedition on reaching Salome's Reach a month ago (13 Jun 20). In reality, I am still heading back.

I arrived with a mass of others on a spectacular landing event with my wing. Then I headed back to Beagle Point, using Jumponium to make the distances between a number of the stars back to Beagle Point. Then I noticed the carriers and decided to rest in one of them in the hope they would take me back to the bubble. A week later I find myself even further out as the vessel was obviously out exploring the edges of the galaxy. I cannot get a route out of this area and found myself having to pick my way careful back to a reference point (The Hot Potato world from DW2 as it was the closest bookmark!) and having to use jumponium a few times. Then I pick up a route and head for the centre of the galaxy. From there I travel to Colonia pick up a DBX, unlock an engineer, engineer the DBX, stealing from the Cobra. Then head home. I am on route to Jameson Memorial now.

I scavenge much of the modules from the Cobra as they are compatible, except the PP is too large, Cobra has a 2A, I fit a 2D to the DBX. Also the FSD is a 5A on the DBX, this I had to engineer. I fit a 4c fuel tank for greater jump range on full tank. The DBX may have a longer range but it needs to refill too often. I should have left the larger fuel tank on it. The refuels are long and tedious as it has the same 4A fuel scoop as the Cobra. I spend longer between jumps and this may be more than ofset by the jump range (73 lys compared to 50 lys), but it is not worth it. I liked flying the Cobra, I don't like the DBX.

I am now within 150 jumps of home and looking forward to raising money for my own carrier.

Out here missing all the Carrier beta activity.

I am enjoying the journey having discovered a new neutron star and a multitude of new bodies. I have found two ELWs but both were previously mapped. One of the WPs provided a fabulous nebula and I have gathered many of the raw materials to full. Still looking for more Polonium and Germanium and Zinc, though have plenty of each.

I love travelling in the Cobra MkIII, kitted for exploration it is fast and nimble and very capable with 50.96 ly jump range, more than enough for this expedition and I have already had to repair the hull with the repair limpets (glad I fitted the controller). I did not have enough room for an extra AFMU and my existing one is down to 65%. The PP is 98% and not an issue.

I am using an X52 HOTAS now as the Thrustmaster was playing up for the umpteenth time and I replaced it. The X52 is far superior, but I am having to get used to the new setup.

I am currently between WP6 and WP7 and exploring new worlds.

Be safe out there.

I have been undertaking the Perseus Reach Expedition for 4 weeks now and I have already passed through WPs 1 (Sol), 2 and 3. I am now heading to WP 4, the longest part of the expedition so far at 150 jumps (10k lys).

I have made my farthest jump ever in a Cobra Mk VI at 203.82 lys, thanks to a neutron star, a half empty fuel tank and exedition modules heavily engineered.

I am back enjoying exploration and enjoying the journey.

I sold over 300M Credits of exploration credit from the DW2 expedition and this has moved my Exploration Rank from Pioneer to Elite. Yeeesss!!!

I now have the Founders permit, can visit Shinrarta Dezhra and have enough Credits to afford the Anaconda. :-)

Strictly speaking DW2 ended when I arrived at Beagle Point on 10 Jun 19. However, I still had to get back to civilisation, so I consider the DW2 experience to be complete when I get back to the bubble and hand in all that juicy exploration data.

I have made it back to Pallaeni and sold 50M credits of data to get the Federation status to Ally. I then made a short trip to the nearest system with an Alliance station close to arrival point, Buckell Ring. After selling 50M credits here to get the Alliance status to Ally, I headed for Almagro Port to do likewise for the Empire status. I actually only needed to sell about 10M credits of data to achieve this, but I have plenty to spare.

I decided to sell another 100M credits here as I might get destroyed while I get the status up with the Eurybia Blue Mafia, thus enabling the Engineer Liz Ryder.

I am still to sell some data and I estimate that I have made 430M Credits on exploration data.

At this point I can consider DW2 actually complete.

DW2 is long over now, but I am still returning to the bubble. I now have 99 jumps left to arrive at Pallaeni. Actually, the plan is to redirect to Alliance/Federation/Empire to hand in data from the journey. I should be able to buy myself that Anaconda I had my eye on. Hopefully, I should be elite on exploration.

Next, I plan to stay in and around the bubble for a while to build up engineer skills and materials, particularly jumponium. After that I plan to take trading skills to elite and finally I need a good ship for combat so I can build up those skills.

I do have some book marks for systems that need properly mapping as they contain terraformable bodies and other interesting points. So I may just head back out.

I have arrived at Sag A. Actually, I landed at Explorer's rest on 21 July thinking I would visit Sag A when I relogged several days afterward (I was busy in RL). When I logged back in, I headed in the direction of Rohini and travelled 2.5k lys before I realised I had failed to visit Sag A (so I could get the badge!). I turned round and honked, refueled and jumped my way to Sag A in 37 jumps in about 40 minutes (1 jump per minute).

I data read the probe at the centre of the galaxy for good measure and videod the supermassive black hole.

It is now 24 July 2019 and the return journey from Beagle Point is slow as I am scanning each system as I go (excluding the quick run back to Sag A*), though at least I am not DSSing every body I encounter.

Onward and back to Palleani.

I don't believe it! I have actually arrived at Beagle Point.

I set out exactly 2 months ago on 8 April 2019, from Palleani, arriving at Beagle Point on 8 June 2019, after 61 days travelling (I not have been online every single day!).

It has been a monumental experience and I am only half-way: I still have to get back to the bubble.

The next part is to decide which way to head home: Voyager Trail as many DW2 pilots are doing, head to Colonia or back the way I came. I will probably head to the Voyager Trail for part of the journey and then detour to Sag A* as I didn't pick up the EDSM badge for it last time I was there (I didn't set up an account until much later in the voyage).

Be safe out there.

Cmdr Walsanda

I have made it as far as WP11, Luna's Shadow. I landed at the Magnificent Desolution site using EDISON and faced out across the crater. Hanging above it was the full Water World around which this moon orbits. It was beautiful hanging in the sky with the Milky Way behind it and the starlight shining from behind my ship, casting long shadows across the landscape.

I also visited Shadow Earth, taking a video fly-by of the Earth-Like World before arriving at WP11. It was just a single jump from the Way Point.

The journey was a little traumatic as I nearly burnt up in a Tauri Star. I was lucky just to damage the modules and hull. Hull (95%) and Power Plant (93%) are irrepairable, the rest of the modules I was able to repair using the twin AMFUs.

I should make Beagle Point before WP2 closes on 13 June 2019, but I was too late for registering as I didn't get into my first ship (i.e. start playing ED) until mid-January, far too late for even the late roster.

I am having fun: exploration, videography (not much), photography (some) and learning how to do all these things and still survive out there.

I have discovered EDDiscovery and therefore finally signed up with EDSM.

I am relatively new to ED, having started playing in Feb 19. Early on I wanted to join DW2 but was far too late for the roster and the late roster (closed Dec 18). I realised what a noob I was when I nearly destroyed my ship near Palleani (the starting system!). So, I went back to the bubble, tail between my legs, and made some money, developed guardian technology to gain FSD booster capability and some Engineer ability, particularly FSD. All the while, I was learning to control the ship and complete various maneouvres without actually or nearly wrecking my trusty AspX or the bubble taxi Dx.

Finally, in Apr 19 I had the guardian FSD and engineered FSD and felt ready for the DW2 route. At the momentous occasion of reaching the super massive black hole at the centre of our galaxy, Sagg A*, I considered heading off to Colonia, but I am an explorer at heart and wanted to see Beagle Point.

A few days ago, I reached WP9, after many adventures, mishaps and some spectacular sites. I have been documenting the journey in a journal (not here) and have taken many photos and some video and I will try to put these online at some point. During the journey, I have found a lot of online help, particularly the inspirational DW2 pages, Frontier Forums, INARA, CORIOLIS, YouTube Cdrs and the fabulous EDSM. I recently discovered EDISON (helps find landing sites) and EDDiscovery (uploads stats to EDSM and much more) which I am now running as I explore. My pilot skills have developed much since setting out, though I still feel like a noob when I fail to scoop a neutron star or overheat because I got too close to a stellar body. The ship is still intact thanks to the 2 AFMUs I carry, though I am worrying whether the Power Plant will make it. I have gathered material for refuelling the SRV and replenishing it's ammo. I have mats for resupplying the AFMUs and for making long jumps, though I only have a limited supply of jumponium. The AspX is making 65ly jumps so I am not doing too bad. Currently avoiding neutron stars as these have caused most of the damage to my ship to date. Also, there is a better variation of systems away from the neutron stars. I found my first terraformable world last week.

When not working or otherwise socialising, I speed a lot of time trying to make Beagle Point, before the middle June, just to say I have done it in the alotted time. I am still some way off and at the current rate of travel could well miss the date, so I had better finish this off and get back to jumping star systems.