A small step out of the bubble - towards the California Nebula.

I left the bubble today - Engineer Farseer did her best on my FSD and now my trusty Calypso can jump just over 45 lightyears. Decent enough to explore the California Nebula. On my way there, I made a stopover at the Plejades - the 'Seven Sisters'. What beautiful sights in Atlas and Maia! The nebulas are a colorful contrast in front of the void. And beyond - there are the places which still keep their secrets.

I flew out to the black hole in Maia, my first black hole to see from near. Fascinating and frightening at the same time. Beckoning like a siren.

I may stay a bit at Obsidian Orbital - Professor Palin contacted me with a job. And there is the secret of the listening posts in Maia, too. I am curious what's all behind the strange recordings which I discovered. So much to do and the California Nebula already in sight, A lifetime of exploration for a pilot.

Docked at Gwent research base in Sirius B - quite an impressive sight when looking out of my canopy. Only the base itself is the usual s**thole of an engineer's base - no bars or shops where I can blow off some steam or give myself a treat. Well - those engineers are some kind of nerds...

The new experimental scanning devices are really neat and after some training, I was able to use the FSS and surface scan modules like a breeze. They will help me greatly when going "on tour". I still have to wait a bit because the installation of the final hardware will take more time. As a result, Remlok has promised, I will receive an empty module slot which may help me during the expedition. Either a second AFMU or a repair limpet controlle may be very handy.

Lakon Spaceways sent me an update for my exploration scanners. This came at the right time - although I have to get familiar with its operations, though. It feels very different and the console got some extra buttons. Nothing a pilot cannot handle but it needs training - which can be done while working for Sirius Corp until my debts are paid.

And so there it goes. Instead of setting course, I received a few missions from Sirius Corp which I could not decline. Old debts... you know what I mean. I hate being a trucker for their shitty, shady jobs - those systems in the bubble make me claustrophobic! I grit my teeth, nod at every command they give me and see how they remove my brand new AFMU, replace it with a container module and stuff it with their containers.

My beautiful Calypso is not a hauling truck. I feel how she creacks under the tons of cargo - she wants to break free into the darkness as much as I do! A few more days, then my debts will be paid and we will be free. Just the galaxy and us.

A few more days...

The visit to the Sol system was shorter than anticipated. I could not wait to try out Calypso in exploration configuration and I went for a visit to the Coalsack Nebula. Was a pleasant flight with minor surprises: Picked up 5 rescue pods and two exploration caches which gave me some extra credits but also limited the jump distance so that I had to reroute the course. But after all, I could not leave those lost souls out there in the black!

The Coalsack Nebula is not a spectacular one - but sightseeing was not a priority. I wanted to find out how Calypso handles during fuel scooping, scanning and jumping. And she does it with bravado! A sturdy little ship which can go much farther distances when treated well.

Before the journey into the unknown will begin, there are some errands to run: Docked at Galileo station orbiting moon to do some necessary repairs and restock. After a short roundtrip in the sol system, I will say the bubble a goodbye.

Finally - the engineering virus got me. Elvira Martuuk is doing wonders on my FSD. Soon to go on a long expedition...

The little Asp Ex, named "Calypso" after Commander Costeau's famous expedition ship, will be my home for at least 8 weeks. Not expecting many encounters in the black, no co pilot, no other ship going with me. It's going to be me and the black. I'm curious what's expecting me in the void and how I will handle the unexpected situations and the dangers out there.

Still wondering how the new exploration tools are going to work out and what I will discover.