27 August (by old earth standard reckoning)

Finally a moment to sit still and review. It's been a while since DW2.

I've been keeping busy since my return, establishing relationships with Engineers around the bubble and in Colonia, refining my mining skills, updating my Combat skills and continuing to improve my understanding of vessel mechanics and upgrades.

There's been a trip to Colonia to re-establish friendships made.

A trip to the Witch Head Nebula to assist in the colonisation of that area of space.

I even managed an extended tour of the Guardian sites.

My next goal is to attain the exalted heights of triple Elite.

The final tally from DW2:

• Sag A* to Chuachini via Semotus Beacon and the Sagittarius-Carina arm
• 96,000 Light Years between dockings
• 740,129,708 cr of Exploration Data
• 1,777,500 cr of Codex finds
• 9x previously undiscovered Earth Like Worlds
• 17x previously undiscovered Ammonia Worlds
• 60x previously undiscovered systems with Notable Stellar Phenomena
• 13x previously undiscovered planets with Biological Sites
• 84x previously undiscovered Neutron Stars
• 1x previously undiscovered Black Hole
• 1x Near death experience (White Dwarf)

It's been over 120kLY since i last docked and now I'm one jump from the Consortium's base.

Before I make that last jump I thought that i would stop to shave, shower and put some pants on before I dock after all I don't want to scare the ground crew.

Thinking about it further maybe I'll vacuum-clean out the cockpit... and change the pine-fresh air filter too.

Well it's been an interesting experience; but I'm nearly home. Which is good because all my fresh food and treats ran out a while back now. It's been the old K-rations, sea-biscuits and food canisters for this spacehound.

The Sagittarius-Carina Arm has been a varied mixture of emptiness, boredom, near death (White Dwarves!), rich pickings and an excess of Notable Stellar Phenomena and Bio-sites (over 60!).

Overall though it has been a long haul that has taken its toll on pilot and ship with the ship coming off better than the pilot.

I'm plotting my last en-route detour to the Eta Carina Nebula and from there it's a straight-shot to home.

Out there somewhere - 1st May

So it's been a while since Colonia, I'm now on my way home from Semotus Beacon and Beagle Point. As is my way... I'm on the path less travelled, the Sagittarius-Carina arm; like those famed Buffalo Girls of old, I'm going around the outside.

Here on my cot, the silence and emptiness of The Abyss behind me, my mind goes back over the journey.

I can still remember that last 'Morning' in Colonia. A leisurely breakfast and a strong coffee at Jaques (he persuading me to buy some his stills to take out, "cos you never know"). Then rushing around various stations making sure that I had all the mods for mining and bounty hunting packed, stored and ready to be shipped out to the new station at the Galactic core.

Finally, an hour late, I was on my way to the core.

Out in the black... The upgrades I managed to finalise at Colonia meant that ECS Bjorn Curious was now a true deep space exploration vessel. 1000 light years in and I was back into the routine, Colonia was fun but out here on my own is where I felt alive; it is where I belong.

Ogmar A4 Ring A - 20th February 3305.

No sooner do I start to get a couple of tonnes of low grade ore refined than some low life in an AspX turns up demanding I jettison my cargo or he'll boil my bones.

Fat chance of that happening.

With no engineering and D rated thrusters the Python is a bit of a spacecow in a turning fight, mining lasers would not be my first choice of combat weapon either but as it turns out I'm here writing this log entry 41Kcr and various manufactured materials richer whilst he's space dust.

For good measure local law enforcement turned up and scanned me just as I was hoovering* up my just rewards.

• I've often wondered what the derivation of that word is. Is it old earth slang? What or who was a hoover?

Jaques Station - 19th February 3305

Time to see the sights, smell the smells and taste the space dust. I'm here at Jaques!

I know it's a 'slight' diversion from the established path to DW2 WP6 but who knows when or if I'll be out this way again.

Handing over 34Mcr in exploration data gleaned from the journey from Polo Harbour means Jaques is now my best friend and Ally.

Along with the Colonia Council that's two allies I've got in the region... which has got to help smooth my path.

Anyway I've heard of an engineer out here who can help improve the Bjorn's fuel scoop, all she requires by way of introduction is 10 tonnes of Osmium.

So whilst I'm here seeing the sights, etc... I might as well do a bit of mining.

With that in mind I've bought a Python (Hot Source) and outfitted her (after much travel between stations) with all the necessary gear.

Time to start bashing those rocks together!

Arrived at Colonia 19th Feb 3305.

The re-engineered FSD works like a charm; better than 13LY increase in range and a significant improvement in fuel consumption.

Skimming stars to line up with the next jump point enables me to replenish a good 60% of the fuel used on the previous jump.

Polo Harbour, 17th February 3305 (still rocking that Julian Calendar).

The deep draw, grade 5 Sheilded FSD has been a faithful servant but boy is it thirsty and refilling the tank every six jumps is becoming tedious.

In order to give myself some options on this journey to Beagle Point I loaded up on engineering blueprints and materials before leaving the bubble.

I've done some number crunching and run a simulation, if I re-engineer the FSD to Grade 5 Long Range then by my reckoning I can increase Bjorn Curious's jump range by 13LY.

"Never, ever, ever turn off the flight assist when making a planetary approach!" The words of my first flight instructor, once long forgotten, came rushing back with avengence today.

At about 10 metres off the deck whilst attempting to overcome the DBX's built-in desire to maintain horizontal flight I struggled to hold a negative angle of attack in order to scan biologicals on a planet's surface. In a fit of frustration I reached for the flight assist toggle.

For what felt like an eternity (but in all probability was just a few seconds of gut clenching, bum puckering fear) I fought a desperate fight to regain control of the bucking, snarling beast that my once faithful well-mannered steed had become.

Several times we smashed into the hard rocky surface below, above and sometimes beside us before a measure of control was restored. Pointing the nose approximately 'up' I hit the boost, desperate to gain some separation twixt craft and solid substrate. With each metre of altitude gained, a metre of relief.

I fumbled for the flight assist switch.

Calm and control restored.

Time to reflect.

A lesson relearnt.

The hard way!

23:30 23rd January. Received a wideband distress call on the Discord Channel, noting that no one was available to help I acknowledged the call and hastily set about rebuilding the stripped DBX. It seems that whilst prospecting cmdr Soda314's SRV had fallen off a ledge and become wedged in a deep crevice. His location was 4000LS out from the main sequence star in a system about 360LY from the Omega mining settlement. Having flown to the system and located the planet, it was quick work to spot the wedged SRV in a narrow ravine. Releasing the jammed SRV through the judicious application of a hastily fitted mining laser I landed the DBX on a remarkably small bit of terrain. Disembarking from the good ship 'Bjorn Curious' I made my way by SRV to the stranded traveller and guided him out of the narrow crevice into a wider flater area. The steep sides and narrow strip meant that the intrepid adventurer's Anaconda could not make a touchdown so using my many years of alpine experience I was able to find a path for him up the sides of the valley and back to his waiting ship.