I headed home (Jameson Memorial) but first I stopped at Electra. EDSM was indicating they needed an update on a megaship there. It wasn't there. But I took the opportunity to sell my cartographic data and made just over 13.6 million credits.

Arrived at Jameson Memorial and sold the data I scanned between there and Electra and made another 1.7 million credits. Not bad for a short run.

Today I travelled out to Phaa Ain AK-Y b14-3 to verify the coordinates for EDSM. It was an uneventful trip. Saw some really nice looking star clusters. I was doing some neutron jumps, so I had to repair the FSD a couple of times. Which reminds me; I should fix it again before heading out.

Cmdr's Log: 21:16 UTC

Arrived in Shinrarta Dezhra after an uneventful trip.

I docked in Jameson Memorial and had them take the ship down into the hangar. After a long haul like that, it needed some lovin' care!

I sold my codex entries for 152,000 CR. I sold my cartographic data for 46,061,743 CR. Grand total earnings for this trip: 46,213,743 CR. Minus the millions paid out to my crew member.

Here's a note to new explorers (and those who are just running back and forth but don't usually explore):

1. Honk every system (use your detail scanner until it honks and tells you how many bodies are in the system). One system on this trip, the star itself was worth almost 1 million credits, plus it had a planet or two.

2. Use your FSS to identify as many bodies as you have the patience for. On a trip from Colonia to Shinrarta Dezhra, just that step can net you 30+ million credits.

3. Map the Big Money worlds (ammonia, water and earth-like). Even if it's been previously discovered and mapped, you will still get paid big money for doing it again.

From this trip, here are some examples of water worlds I surface scanned (mapped):

Blua Eaec GP-E b54-7 4 1,242,948 CR Skaude GB-O d6-11 B 6 2,537,500 CR and B 8 1,553,875 CR Skaude VI-T d3-9 2 1,934,440 CR Flyiedge AA-H d10-0 2 2,620,814 CR

As long as you're bouncing through the systems anyway, honk them and bring home millions of credits.

Now, I'm off to Molly's Bar and Grill to see about some food, beer and maybe a companion for the night.

Cmdr's Log: 15:58 UTC

When I got up this morning, I made a mental note to myself. When I get back to Jameson Memorial, I need a new mattress for my bunk! This one has gotten way too hard.

There's comes a time in every pilot's life when they run out of. . . coffee. Lucky for me, this isn't one of those times! I am, however, out of vanadium. Vanadium is needed by my A.F.M.U. to repair the F.S.D. after supercharging on neutron stars. I need 57 more neutron star jumps to get home, which means 57% damage to the F.S.D. The F.S.D. starts acting wonky when it falls below 80%.

So this morning I'm on the hunt for vanadium! Ye who would be deep space explorers take a note: always carry an SRV for surface mining or you will get yourself into trouble.

My first jump carried me to Pyraleau UU-J b37-0 and planet B 4 has 5.5% vanadium with geological sites. That was easy! Now all I have to is land, break out the SRV and find the stuff.

The world I found the vanadium on is paired up with its neighbour. The two are very close together and orbiting a point between them. The grey one is the one I went mining on.

Enough of touring the Colonia bubble, it's time to head home and expand my fleet.

Second jump of my route landed me in Eol Prou GA-Z d207. Upon scanning the system I noted there were two stellar phenomenom orbiting a gas giant. I scooted over to investigage and made an easy 100,00 CR!

The first was a Roseum Lagrange Cloud containing Flavum Metallic Crystals. The second was a Rubicundum Lagrange Cloud containing Prasinum Metallic Crystals.

I'll show you a photo later.

Cmdr's Log: supplemental

I don't believe it! I just scored first to discover on a neutron star and it's 8 bodies! Today is my lucky day!

Cmdr's Log: supplemental

21:53 UTC I have crossed into the Inner Orion Spur. I'm back in my home region. I've been making a lot of first to discover and first to map finds along the route today. The data should net me about 30 million credits once I sell it.

Cmdr's Log: supplemental

22:55 UTC It's been a long day of running along the ol' neutron highway. I've arrived in Pyraleau SY-I d9-1 and decided to call it a day.

Oh yes, I promised you a photo. Here it is:

After doing some system scanning, a few courier runs and hauling some cargo around, I decided to earn my visit with the engineer in Luchain. Since that required handing in bounties, I switched to my Anaconda, jumped to Luchain and went hunting.

I popped over to Moore's Charm, an asteroid base, to sell the scrap I'd brought with me. As I was departing the base to go hunting in a nearby resource extraction site, I picked up a distress call. I kicked the Miner 49er into supercruise and headed to the signal.

I was too late. I found the burning remains of a Banner Class Bulk Cargo Ship with cargo and materials drifting all around it. Why was the cargo still here? I scanned the ship with my datalink and located a ship's log recorder. I datalink scanned that and found two brief messages. The first, the captain asking the pirates to stand down and they would surrender their cargo. The second, the pirates telling the captain they didn't come for the cargo, they came for the crew. I couldn't find any signs of life.

What happened to those poor people?

I retrieved the black box, the cargo and materials then headed back to Moore's Charm. I was paid about 20,000 CR for the black box and sold the cargo for about 20,000 CR.

With the arrival of my scout ship, it was time to start on some projects I want to accomplish while I'm out here.

The first hop was over to Colonia. A couple of groups on Bolden's Enterprise wanted some data run over to Colonia, I was happy to oblige.

The one goal I am going to work on in this region is to visit and scan every inhabited system in the Colonia bubble.

So I decided to take some time off and just lounge around at Bolden's Enterprise while I waited for my scout ship to arrive.

It's the typical starport. The area immediately outside the hangars is warehousing, logistics offices, contractors, station services. The next section out is the industry area. Beyond that is the usual collection of bars, clubs, cinemas, restaurants etc. Then the shopping centres, along with other civilian services, entertainment facilities, parks and recreation. Then it's just the endless layers of housing for all of the station's inhabitants.

I rarely venture beyond the bar districts. Any supplies I need in the ship can be obtained from vendors in the hangar district.

So I spent my time wandering through the bars, drinking, eating and browsing the usual assortment of starship groupies. You know the ones, they're "fans" of commanders, attracted to the romance of space travel, or being a pilot. More likely they're just attracted to the rumours that we're all filthy stinking rich! I found a couple of nice ones over the past three days who were, entertaining. But that was enough to remind me why I prefer to be alone in my ship staring into the depths of the black.

The Nebula Asp arrived this morning. Back to real life!

When I plotted my route this morning, I had 72 neutron jumps left to reach Tir. I have completed 36 of those, so half of the remaining distance. I travelled 6717.06 LY today.

Great news! I discovered an earth-like world, first to discover and first to map bonuses incoming! That will earn me between 1 and 3 million credits just for that one world.

Commander's Log: Supplemental

That earth-like world fetched me 3,172,755 CR. The water world in the same system (Flyiedgiae NM-U c19-8) fetched just over 1 million as well. That includes the first to discover and map bonuses. I had quite a few firsts on this part of my journey.

I landed at Vihara Gate in the Kashyapa system for some much needed maintenace on the ship. It was there that I sold the cartographic data, total 25,146,292 CR.

Commander's Log: Final Supplement

It is now January 15, 0:19 hrs UTC and I have arrived at the engineer's base in Tir. Sadly, much to my disappoint, all she does to fuel scoops is reinforce them and cause them to draw more power.

I am moving the ship to the starport, Bolden's Enterprise. I will see if they can get my exploration ship transferred out here as I would like to do some exploration while I'm here. The Miner 49er is a great mining ship, but lousy at exploration. :)

All in all, I travelled 8,748.16 LY.

I need a break from bouncing through neutron stars, so I am parking it in Nyeajaae SO-O d7-92 for a rest.

So far today, in 3 hours and 15 minutes, I have travelled 3,452.14 LY. That works out to 1,062.2 LY per hour.

I've made some first discoveries and made some first to map scans as well. This is always good money for the bank.