Well, if this isn't freekin' FANTASTIC. I stopped at Cavendish Mines in LHS 3384 a few days ago for some routine maintenance and some...equipment of questionable legality that I can only buy at anarchy stations. Cavendish Mines in LHS 3384 is owned and controlled by the aptly-named Children of Anarchy faction. I got ahold of said equipment for legitimate salvage and exploration purposes easily enough and left the station to continue mapping other parts of the sector, conducting salvage operations as I went. I'm now in the Togher system, approximately 34LY rimward of LHS 3384. Stopped in at Hurley Park for general maintenance and made a very disconcerting discovery. This is the LAST time I trust anyone from Children of Anarchy to work on my ship without my direct supervision. I've just discovered that all my flight and travel logs from the last six months or so are missing in their entirety. Maintenance logs, map data on systems I've visited, my general pilot log entries, personal logs, records of courier data and other general data logs from this time period are no longer present. The actual data I transported has been delivered safely to the recipient and was not compromised, but the records containing the names of client factions, the type of data transported and what I was paid to do it have been stolen from my ship's computer! Mr. Minus was quick to tell me how stupid I was to let that happen (he's got a mouth on him, that one...) and how it serves me right for letting these anarchists work on the ship without watching what they were doing at all times. It's like he thinks I left the keys in the ignition or something. All in all, nothing particularly important is missing....but it is going to look odd that my logbook now goes directly from Stardate 3308.03.28 to 3308.09.19 as if nothing happened in between, and my flight log has me magically appearing at LHS 3338 from LP 547-159 with no record of the trip and 20 or so stops between, any of the cartographic data I took on those systems, etc. Children of Anarchy as a faction has just lost any sort of trust they may have once had from me. I don't know what they wanted my data for, but I won't be letting them pull a stunt like that again, and next time I see one of the hangar pukes that touched my ship, I'm gonna slap the shit out of him.

In other news, I recently came through the Noatiaca system, taking cartographic data and performing a couple salvage and rescue operations on my way back towards the Core Sys Sector. There has been some notable Thargoid activity rimward of the bubble since the massacre at HIP 22460 and some strange visual phenomena (referred to as "the anomalies" by the media). Of note here: While performing a salvage operation on the surface of one of the moons in Noatiaca, a non-human signal source was detected. Turned out to be the remains of a damaged Thargoid sensor. I don't know if it's normal to find such a thing so far from the Pleiades sector and on the opposite side of the bubble, and I don't know what it might indicate. I'll continue this log if I find out any more. In the meantime, I'm just going to continue doing what I've been doing.

Achenar, Stardate 3306.05.10. Imperial System Authority Bounty office, Dawes Hub, in orbit of Capitol.

“Have you been helped yet, sir?”

“I haven’t yet. Thank you,” I said, inclining my head in respect to the smartly dressed woman behind the counter.

There was a slight pause. “....You’re from the Federation.”

I acknowledged the deduction. “By birth. I’m sure you can hear it in my accent. I do call the Federation home, but my allegiance belongs to no one. I’m a freelancer.”

There was another short pause as she processed this information, then she blinked and gave a slight smile of indulgence...A smile that didn't quite make it to her eyes. “Commander Jack...Timmin?" I nodded at the pronunciation. She continued, "How can I assist you today?”

I placed the holograph emitter on the counter. “I’d like to claim these bounty markers, please.”

She picked up the holograph and turned it on, going through the names and ships my computer had recorded, uploading and comparing them to her “Wanted” database. The applicable bounties flashed up on the holograph one by one. “Kelvor Giraud – Wanted in 3 Imperial systems for piracy, armed robbery, assault, property damage, and criminal mischief. Reward 42,300 credits. Diric Tanner – Wanted in 2 Imperial systems for piracy, assault, reckless endangerment, and reckless flying. Reward 28,600 credits. Boris ‘The Berg’ Molson – Wanted in 11 Imperial systems, 2 Allied systems, and 4 Federal systems for piracy, theft, property damage, trespassing, breaking and entering, illegal code slicing, assault, murder, illegal evasion of Imperial Authorities, bribery, extortion, and smuggling of illicit goods. Reward 161,250 credits. Tani Forsyth – Wanted in 3 Imperial systems for piracy, assault, trespassing, theft, illegal code slicing, data tampering, and data theft. Reward 19,500 credits. Ferdinand Wusthoff – Wanted in 1 Imperial system for piracy, illegal hunting, assault, forgery, and criminal mischief. Reward 16,100 credits.”

After a few moments, she handed it back. “Looks like you have a little over 268,000 credits due for these 5 bounties – the other 9 are bounties issued by Federal territories, and I can’t pay those.”

“That’s fine. I understand. I’ll be back that way eventually, and I’ll pick them up then.”

“Very well. I see you managed to bring down Boris the Berg. That’s a notable accomplishment. That one knocked over an Imperial weapons storage facility back in March, and we’ve been trying to get him since. He holds Expert status, compared to your Competent status. Not just anyone could do that. Well done.”

“Thank you. I’m a better pilot than I let on.”

She nodded. “You’re quite welcome. I’m showing all 5 marks currently in processing for Imperial detention facilities. Credits owed are being transferred to your account now. Thank you for your service.”

I grunted, nodding my acknowledgment and left the office as she turned toward the next person in line, a well-dressed Imperial pilot. Her mood brightened almost instantly. “How can I help you today, sir?....”

Nefertem, Stardate 3306.05.12. Leaving orbit of Moon 6a. The logs I was able to download from the Thetis, which constituted only the last 5 most recent entries (the rest was corrupted beyond recovery) were incredibly intense. It's a dead ship I was staring at.... With over 17,000 people on it. 17,000 dead people, the cause of which is unknown. The logs mention an alien transmission from a planet near their course that they passed by earlier. Could be anything, but if mass homicidal hysteria that resulted in the deaths of 17,000 plus people was caused by a transmission, I have no interest in finding the source of that transmission. If this ship isn't permanently quarantined by all the galactic powers, it should be. Under no circumstances should this ship ever be boarded, even for the purposes of investigation. It's a historical landmark, but one that should not be toyed with. On one good note, it probably won't be around that much longer. It's dead, in low orbit around Nefertem's 6th planet's only moon; unnamed, but designated 6a. There appear to be some minor powered systems like running lights still functional, but the drives are dead, have been for some time, and with no one to operate the helm, the Thetis's orbit is decaying. Its lazy drift around the moon will eventually bring it within reach of gravity's inexorable pull. The moon is the only landable body in the entire system and appears just as dead as the ship. I'm sure the impact will be spectacular, but it's likely a few years off yet, and I don't really want to be here to witness it in any case. Who knows how many years or even generations it's been drifting here? The recoverable log files either have no time/date stamps or the information has been corrupted. There's nothing further to be gained by hanging about this system, and I'm leaving this poor ship to its fate. Moving on to the "Old Worlds" next. Lave should have some interesting history to impart to us. Here's hoping I don't run into anything like this again anytime soon.

Nefertem, Stardate 3306.05.12. Thetis Generation ship, in orbit of moon 6a. I am so creeped out right now....I'll come back to this in a little bit. I've gotta get outta here. Somewhere civilized would be good.

Achenar, Stardate 3306.05.10 The Orion's Arrow and I arrived in Achenar early this morning. No jobs on the way here, which is fine. I've never been here before because I didn't yet possess the permit, and it's a beautiful system, despite the fact that everyone knows that I'm a Federation citizen by my accent. Several services were denied to me thanks to that. While not overtly rude, most people are wary of trusting someone like me, and some are downright hostile. I get the distinct impression that Imperial citizens are largely indoctrinated to hate the Federation from a young age and feel that they are somehow superior in general terms. Even the pirates in this system are fairly sure in this belief - I don't think I've had so many attempted interdictions inside the space of a single day before, and putting some of those people in their place feels pretty good. Despite being denied a tourist pass to visit Capitol, I was still able to turn in bounty chits for local criminals that thought they were more than a match for me and my old Python and were subsequently proved wrong. One got away. Tell your friends, buck'o! Just because you spent beaucoup creds on a fly Imperial Clipper doesn't make you a badass. It's a shame to scrap a pretty ship like that, but if you ask for it, you shall receive.

Lots of tourist beacons to visit here, of course - plenty of history. Headed towards Nefertem next to visit the Thetis generation ship. I understand there has been a bit of a mystery involved with it, and I'll enjoy finding out what that's all about. The course my XO has plotted leads me through Cemiess, where Salome was hijacked a few years ago. That's another story I am a bit unfamiliar with, and I'm looking forward to filling in some of the gaps during this expedition. I'm going to keep mapping systems on the way to add to my database. Still haven't been able to hit an Interstellar Factors rep to take care of that bounty back in Sol...I'm sure they haven't forgotten about that. Well, got a few light-years to put on the clock. I'll check in again later!

Tau Ceti, Stardate 3306.05.08. Gilmour Orbiter, in orbit of Taylor Colony. It's been a bit of a trip so far. Missed the start of the expedition almost a month ago due to a faulty cooling unit on my powerplant, which has since been fixed by that wonderful engineer, Hera. But, I'm still expected to make all the waypoints, so now I'm playing catchup, which honestly isn't too terribly difficult. Mapping a lot of new systems. Well, new to me anyway. Seeing the tourist sites along the way too, which is a bonus. It's why I love exploring - I get to see those systems for the first time myself, not just through some holo-vid or a hotel brochure. Made it to Sol to start the tour. I was born there, so nothing was new, but it's nice to go back and visit. Everything is still just as beautiful as it was when I was a kid. Knocked out all the tourist destinations, and even made it out to see New Horizons, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, which is something I'd never done before. Hearing the recordings from over a thousand years ago is a tiny bit creepy out in the dark, but at the same time brings hope and reassurance. The mission of exploration has never stopped since then, even when the planet Earth was at war....albeit for a different reason. It's nice to see humans being altruistic in the name of the unknown. It's so....different than things are now, with everyone out for themselves, for the most part. There are people like that out there....altruistic, with the noble goals of exploration to greet the unknown, rather than exploration with the goal of credits through exploitation. The latter misses the point. There's money to be made exploring, for sure. For me, it's a secondary attraction. I'm exploring because I like to. Even within the bubble, there are all kinds of interesting things to be found. I'm going to find them and see them and admire them for myself....then copy my data and sell it to whoever wants it.

In perhaps entertaining news, I made a bit of a mistake in the Sol system, and am now WANTED in the system of my birth. I feel like such an idiot. While visiting a tourist beacon, I discovered a crashed Anaconda on the surface of Mercury. I thought someone might need help, or there was perhaps a salvage opportunity, so I jetted down to check it out.....only to find out that it was some sort of landmark and that it was protected by the Mother Gaia faction - who slapped a bounty on my head of $6000 creds for trespassing. I managed to avoid the authorities for the remainder of my stay in system - I'm almost sure 6k is chump change to them and that they had bigger fish to fry than a simple trespasser - but was unable to stop anywhere to take care of the bounty. I headed out to Tau Ceti next, following the tour waypoints and visiting the beacons in that system, as well as fully mapping it, eventually stopping at Gilmour Orbiter for a little R&R. I was able to take care of my fine, but not the bounty with Mother Gaia, so ironically, I'm still a wanted man in Sol. I'll take care of it with the next Interstellar Factors rep I see in Federation space. It'll be a little while before I'm back that way, so it can wait.

Repairs to the Orion's Arrow were needed after flying around the Sol system all day visiting tourist beacons and other objects of interest. Structural integrity was suffering a bit, which is something a proper pilot has inspected and repaired every time they dock somewhere. In-system supercruise takes its toll on the structural integrity of any vessel in the form of micrometeoroids, radiation bombardment, the general cold temperature, etc. This repair cost a pretty penny....Those old probes were WAYYY out there, so there was a lot of time spent in supercruise. Tau Ceti by comparison is a small system with not many points of interest. However, just to say I did it, while the Orion's Arrow was in dock for repairs, I took a transport down to Taylor Colony to see the indigenous alien life they had in protective custody. Bizarre, to say the least. It's a bit sad to see that these in captivity are the last of their kind because of human greed and corruption. I can't help wondering what this planet looked like in the early days, back when these things were wild, not depressed and lonely creatures in captivity. I arrived back at Gilmour just in time to see the Orion's Arrow head in for fresh paint, so I booked a room at a hotel for the night, and I'm just off now to spend some time at the bar. Making for Achenar tomorrow, seat of the Empire. If the Orion's Arrow wasn't modified for range, it'd be a few hours of traveling and not just a mere 4 jumps. Maybe I can fix up a couple jobs for the trip. We'll have to see what happens. Anyway, signing off for now.....Gods, but I need a drink....

Hrm....It's been awhile since I did this - sold the last ship I wrote anything in the log for. I miss it, after a fashion. So, since it's my birthday, we'll start off fresh. I'm not a fresh-faced young commander anymore, and I'm not going to write about those days - they are long past. I might recall some of those later, but for now, let's just start with an introduction.

My name's Jack Tymon, commander of The Orion's Arrow. This ship and I have been through a long journey already, with plenty more to come, no doubt. The Orion's Arrow got its name from mythology...and the fact that the profile, like every Python, resembles that of an arrowhead. Like that arrow of myth, we've shot well out of the bubble together to discover all manner of incredible things, some of which I've used to modify the ship. I'm touring the bubble for right now, delving into some older legends of times gone by, seeing the sights, etc. While not wealthy at all by modern standards, I do well enough for myself. Lately, exploration and mapping data is more than enough to meet my needs as I travel around, but if I need missions, they're always available. Lots of people know who Commander Jack Tymon is, and are happy enough to work with me. Although I claim the Federation as home, I pledge my fealty to no one and am just as happy working in Empire or Alliance space as anywhere else. I do the job I signed on for, and I don't ask questions. I don't care much about what's happening in local or superpower politics, but I'm well-liked enough in most territories that I'm not regularly bothered by local authorities. I'm not terribly scrupulous and don't mind smuggling on occasion if there's a good chunk in it for me. I don't have a problem with slaves - I understand the culture and even agree with it somewhat....but I value freedom enough that if a slave asks me to take them to a place where they can seek asylum, I'll do it. Put a price on my head for it if you like....I'll just pay it off and go about my business. I'm well enough off that I can afford to do that, and I believe in paying it forward. I figure it goes around. Friends are valuable, and so is my personal honor and integrity. Loyalty is for friends and people close to you, not to a superpower that you never see or communicate with. If someone is sent out to find me for something I've done, you'll either see them again because they're reporting that they lost me somewhere in the black, or you may see them again flying a new ship they had to buy because they did catch up with me somewhere, and I set the record straight....and then rescued them and let the nearest Search and Rescue department take care of them from there. One way or another, my accounts are made square, and it earns me respect everywhere I go.

On that, I'm just meandering my way back towards the Core Systems from Kuwemaki, where I've just had the Power Plant and Distributor aboard The Orion's Arrow modified by the famous engineer Hera Tani. Tani's place....what a tinkerer's dream! And what a view! Nestled into the polar mountains of the moon of the 3rd planet, it stays pretty dark there in the shadows for most of its short period orbit around the only slightly larger main planet. The two bodies are very close together, which means tidal forces cause some geologic activity. The two bodies will no doubt collide in a few....hundred millennia or so. But for now, it's safe, and a decent place to stay secluded while you fix up your vessel. This morning saw our departure from Kuwemaki up to Atunung, mapping the entire system and stopping in at Ryan Port to refuel and restock. The next jump took us to Mimisina, where a complete system map was again taken followed by a dock at Daquing Station. I'm headed up to the Lave system to join the Lore Tour with CMDR Wagar's group. I don't have a permit for Achenar yet, but I think the tour is past that now. I'll meet them wherever they're at! It'll be good! Looking forward to the challenge of an expedition!