I knew sleeping one more night was just what I needed.

In the early hours of the morning, the powers that be took pity and rescued my sorry self. They arrived silently, without fanfare, and told me just this once they would help me. Okay, I can live with that. I never needed anyone's help before and I don't expect to need more anytime soon.

Everyone deserves a break once in a while.

They carried my ship in the fastest conveyance imaginable and set me down to dock with the carrier I was traveling with before this nightmare in the black started.

It was like waking from a fever dream. Suddenly I am surrounded by the bright glow of stars in every direction. I am in safe waters again. Colonia is a mere 16.7k light years away. I can even finish the tour and take the vacation I had planned.

I intend to make the most of it. I will not waste what has been given.

I will never fall asleep without checking, just one more time, that I am where I am supposed to be.

Safe travels my fellow explorers.

This is Commander Rei The Goose, signing off for now.

Well now I've done it. I will swear to you to this very moment that I did not fall asleep without docking with the carrier I was traveling with.

Nevertheless, upon waking I found myself at Erikson's star completely alone, surrounded by stars I cannot easily jump to.

The Milky Way is a bright spear of light in a black and friendless space. I find myself looking around and wondering how I got here and what I'm going to do now.

Death is never an option. The scientists back at Colonia are counting on my exobiology data. I will not disappoint them.

I'm a relatively new Commander, having only begun my journeys 6 months ago. In that very short time I have traveled to Beagle Point on my own wits. It was there that I decided to take a vacation from the Black and head back toward Colonia on a lovely carrier that was doing a tour of the far points of the Galaxy.

This was the last leg of the tour before heading to Colonia and of course this is where I find myself stranded, lost in the black.

I think I will sleep on this one more time and hope that a plan forms by tomorrow.

That, or rescue.

This is Commander Rei The Goose, signing off for the night.