In Farsight, the Calypso received some necessary repairs which the AFMU could not perform. She had minor structural damages which I wanted to have fixed before my journey back to the bubble. The workers in the dry dock did their best and now my ship is at peak performance and ready to make the long journey.

While I was waiting for the repairs, I enjoyed this backwater station - after months of journeying in the black, I felt awkward but good at the same time to see other human beings. Despite the relatively small station and its limited facilities, Farsight provided me some luxury which I missed after this long time confined to my ship.

Space madness had me - for a while. Perhaps I was looking too long into the darkness of the outer rim of the Milky Way, maybe there is something in the Formidine Rift which makes us spacefarers bonkers.

I don't know - and perhaps I never will.

After I found the Zurara, I pushed on deeper into the rift until the stars became sparse. Going forward endlessly until I lost my sense for time and space. I don't remember exactly what happened during all those weeks - sometimes I performed 40, 60 jumps in a row, then my ship drifted for days through the void.

At some point in time, something snapped and I set course back towards the Heisenberg Bridge. I had to drag myself from lonely star to lonely star until I made it back there. When I could see the Heart and Soul Nebulae, my mind cleared and I felt - purpose. Going back, having a drink in a dim bar in a space port, walking in a mall and seeing the newest fashion, and so much more - this is what I finally wanted after so many months alone in the black And this feeling helped me to steer my ship to "Farsight Base". Trusty Calypso - you brought me home safely. You are such an excellent exploration vessel and I will always love you dearly.

So, I found a dim bar at the spaceport in Farsight and now I'm watching the ice cubes melt in my drink.

And then I found the Zurara...

My sources were right - far out in the Formidine Rift, in Syreadiae JX-F c0 - the Zurara is orbiting the first planet. I held my breath when I came closer. Position lights were blinking, the central ring structure still rotating and I noticed engine exhaust. Is that ship still alive?

Apparently, it is not as the logs revealed: The cargo crew killed the life support and everyone on board died, as additional logs revealed. Rebecca, the old lady who encountered CMDR Salomé years ago, left those logs. The mission of the Zurara is now clear for me, but Rebecca pointed to an even bigger mystery: who is behind the mission and what is the danger lurking in the dark which led to this mission of no return?

Probably the danger does not reside in this sector, though because Zurara's mission was to find inhabitable and terraformable worlds. You would not evacuate a part of humanity into the sector where the danger comes from, wouldn't you? Therefore, we must search somewhere else, I suppose.

Hints are leading back to the bubble. And maybe I will find more clues when I return. The Formidine Rift is still a mysterious area and I will look around in the Rift for more clues, perhaps beacons and settlements.

I steered my ship into safe distance from the Zurara to leave the lost souls in peace for now.

One thought came into my mind while Calypso's ship lights illuminated the megaship's unscathed superstructure: "What if we could bring enough resources out here to set Zurara afloat again? Wouldn't it be a perfect base for the exploration of this sector?"

The Formidine settlements still give me the shivers and my thoughts are still circling about the fates of the poor souls lost during that ill-fated expedition. The data found revealed that there is more going on in this sector and beyond. All connected to famous CMDR Salomé, the Dynasty Expedition and a lost megaship out there.

Again, I am following the hints and coordinates which I had collected over the last months and travel towards the rim of the Elysian Shore - and beyond.

Crossing into the sector which is officially named Formidine Rift (the Formidine Rift settlements are actually in the Elysian Shore and not the Rift itself), I have to traverse the starless void between those two regions. A safe route is said to be the Heisenberg Bridge which can be crossed by less capable ships than my trusty Calypso. I have located the entrance to the bridge at Myoideau RF-N c20-1 and plotted my own route to Hypoae Aescs YE-R d4-2.

Calypso still performs at peak level and there is only minor degradation of her core modules which can all be repaired by the AFMU when I do my next planetfall.

A K type sun illuminates my cabin tonight - still so many lightyears to go.

Not far from the Heart and Soul Nebulae, the drama of the Formidine Rift settlements unfolds: I found the first abandoned settlement through some data which I learned from an old pilot long ago at a shady bar in the bubble. The station is called "Formidine Rift Alpha Site" on Eafots EU-R c4-1 C 2, where I landed my ship and explored the abandoned station buildings. The settlement sits right next to a deep abyss and overlooks the small planet.

Something really strange must have happened, driving the settler completely insane. Look at the last log: "AUTOMATED TELEMETRY REPORT: CANOPY BLAST BOLTS ACTIVATED. LIFE SUPPORT MALFUNCTION. CREW VITAL SIGNS TERMINATED. SHIP SYSTEMS ENGAGING STANDBY MODE. DISTRESS BEACON ACTIVATED." So he or she must have committed suicide! I know deep space and its loneliness. I heard so many stories of the void whispering to the lone pilots in the dark... But this made that poor guy completely insane!

I felt uneasy but decided to continue my search and a few days later, I was able to locate the Beta, Gamma and Delta sites where similar dramas happened. All dead and there is something lurking in the dark, bending and twisting the mind until it breaks.

And I thought that the entire Elysian was a wasteland... During the long flight through the Elysian Field, I did not notice any lifeforms on the planets which I had discovered. There must have been something wrong with the scanner, I think. When I entered two systems near the Heart Nebula, I noticed abundant life around here! Ok, it is not life of the "exciting" type - bark mounds. But after all, I am glad to be planetside and scan those little buggers and collect their valuable excretions.

Tonight, a blue sun shines into my cabin and illuminates my dreams of new discoveries.

On my way to the Heart Nebula, I stopped frequently to explore a few planets with the SRV. Feels a bit odd with gravity pulling me into my seat but I enjoy the amazing sights of geysirs and the light of distant suns on the surface of a planet.

The Heart Nebula is filling my cockpit's view and I am so excited to arrive there soon! The plan is to pass it and go further into the outer parts of the Elysian Field until I arrive at the Formidine Rift. In pilot's bars I heard so many stories about the abandoned settlements and the lost megaship in this sector. I want to see all these wonders and find out more about the story behind those rumours, even discover new mysteries...

So I am pushing further through the Elysian Shore. The last days were fairly uneventful. Main sequence stars and the odd neutron stars which gave Calypso a lovely jump boost. The first leg of my journey is almost over. A dozen jumps and I will be at EAFOTS XO-T B58-1 where CMDR Nai'khan Si'jet wants to join me to traverse into the Rift.

Tonight my cabin will be illuminated by a yellow-white, a white and a red sun. What a beautiful and mysterious view this is!

Was a slow flight today - no spectacular systems on the route but steady pushing my way through the Elysian field. After a short stopover to collect Vanadium for the AFMU and an overhaul of the main systems, Calypso is 100% operational again. To catch up the lost time, I made a jump to a neutron star, refilled and arrived at Hegua IQ-E b25-12 where I am taking my next break. Only about 53 jumps to EAFOTS XO-T B58-1 left - and then the real exploration will begin!

Outorst WS-S b17-0 - a lonely system where I am taking a rest for the night.

I am deep in the Elysian Shore now, following an almost straight route towards the EAFOTS XO-T B58-1 system which is renown among some explorers as a destination point when exploring the Formidine Rift.

My ship is performing perfectly, only slight degradation of some modules when I overheated during a tank stop. Nothing which the AFMU won't be able to repair. Yet, it is not necessary because Calypso is in good shape and makes every jump like a clockwork. I love my sturdy little ship so much.

Now, I am floating in the pilot deck, most systems are shut down and from the distance, a red sun is illuminating the cockpit.