I left the Sothis system today and set course to the Elysian Shores as the first goal of my long distance expedition. Hoped to meet my old friend, commander Nai'khan Si'Jet in Sothis, but unfortunately, he could not join.

So, I am sailing the distant stars. Mainly Tauri and M-class systems of little interest, but it feels so soothing to leave all inhabited space behind.

I am taking a rest now in a lonely little system with three stars and no planets and my ship and I are both floating in the black. The hum of Calypso's systems is tonight's lullaby.

Only a short entry today: I found those reported Q-Type anomalies and they are a bit more dangerous than the huge crystal structures nearby... A warning to us curious explorers: Those little orbs interfered with Calypso's systems when coming close. I could not find out what those anomalies really are - pure energy or are they... sentient?

I decided to call it a day and returned into the Pleiades sector, just to realize all the havoc there. War, Thargoid attacks and a general uproar. Whow - 3305 has really started with a bang.

Cavalieri Station in Electra which I call my temporary home base is severely damaged. I was evacuated with my ship to a rescue ship and had to interrupt my investigations on Thargoid and Guardian relics.

A quick detour to Taygeta revealed more signs of life on Taygeta 4 where I could locate a field of Anemones, rich with precious metals such as Niobium. The Anemones sound and look even eerier than the Bark Mounds but do not pose any danger either. Gravity on Taygeta 4 is a much bigger danger, though! The world has approximately 2 earth masses which makes landing and driving around a bit more challenging than usual.

I filled my SRV with precious metals from Taygeta 4, enjoyed the stunning view from the surface but then - I was rewarded with a far more magnificent view when Calypso arrived at Titan's Daughter, the station which orbits Taygeta 4: It is located in the vast rings around the planet and when I dropped from frameshift, I was surrounded by an asteroid field. This vista is so beautiful that I cannot stop gazing out of the station windows at the rings and the massive planet!

After a few days filled with work at various stations in the Pleiades (I have to earn a living, eh?), I pursued a few old signal data which I had collected during previous expeditions.

The data lead me to the HIP 19284 system, where I discovered traces of some Guardian relics. An abandoned settlement, named Site 94 which had discovered an "ancient monument" experienced a horrible attack - no survivors and no trace of what they had discovered. The stations logs claim that they had rigged the monument with explosives during their last stand. All is lost now.

But there's more to discover in this system. Traces of life on many planets and moons! I landed Calypso on a few of them and drove through forests of Bark Mounds. Eerie sounds when you come close to them but apparently they are not dangerous at all.

Now I am back in Electra to sell off some exploration data and get a rest until the black beckons me again.

Calypso was in the dock and got outfitted with the new scanners which vastly improved her exploration capabilities!

I left the California Nebula today, eager to follow the commanders' reports of some strange lifeforms and other discoveries. And what sights they are!

I arrived in the huge Wredgula OB-W system and the new scanners showed me "remarkable celestial phenomena". When my ship exited Frame Shift Drive, I noticed the blurry sight from a nascent Lagrange Cloud. And behold - enourmous objects were glittering and reflecting the dim light in the cloud. Spiky crystal structures - identified by the scanners as Prasinus Metallic Crystals, Purpureus Metallic Crystals and Rubeus Metallic Crystals. The structures kept rotating peacefully in the vacuum of space. I watched them with deep awe for a while and did not dare to disturb them. Carefully, I maneuvered my ship out of the zone and plotted a course which brought me back to Electra in the Pleiades system, my current home base.

Now I am sitting in a quiet and almost empty pilot's bar with a drink next to me and admire the pictures which I took from the crystal structures. These discoveries impressed me so much that I want to get back to my ship as soon as possible and far into the black to find more wonderful mysteries.

Made it to and through the California Nebula.

What a sight when the clouds are hanging over the canopy of my small ship and I realize the vastness of our galaxy! The stars are getting fewer and then Calypso dives into the nebula, slipping through witchspace and when she resurfaces - the universe is looking different!

Not much time, no time ever. So I made it to a small facility carved into an enormous asteroid - Darwin Research. A short inspection of my ship - no damages, only a bit of wear and a recovered rescue capsule to hand in at the authorities. I look at the amount of collected system data and although I did not visit many systems, I received a copious amount of credits. Well worth the stop overs and scans!

With a bit of money at my hands... let's see if I can get some distraction at the small station before I set sails again to further explore the California Nebula.

Why wasting more time in Electra? So... I thought that I'd give it a go, installed the AFMU and set sail towards the California Nebula. Calypso is running smoothly and the jumps and refuls were so quick that I had enough time to explore a few exciting systems on my way. Not only the sights but also the exploration data on these few jumps were so rewarding!

Now I make a brief stopover at New Beaumont Dock, orbiting an earth like world. Fresh food and a bit of strolling in the vast station are a nice change from the rather dull and dusty little rocks where I had set my foot on. Now I am reclining in a comfy chair, enjoying a bit of the atmosphere of the pilot's bar and keep watching the crowd.

After the exciting and a bit scary encounters of the abandoned factory and the Thargoid attack, I decided to get my exploration equipment shipped to the Pleiades star cluster which I call my new home - far enough from the bustle of the bubble. I finally understand why famous explorers like Obsidian Ant chose this cluster as their refuge. The Pleiades were known to the Greek, Babylonian and Japanese civilisations of far Earth since thousands of years.

Hesiod, a poet from ancient times mentions them: "And if longing seizes you for sailing the stormy seas, when the Pleiades flee mighty Orion and plunge into the misty deep and all the gusty winds are raging, then do not keep your ship on the wine-dark sea but, as I bid you, remember to work the land." (Works and Days 618-23)

But having the equipment shipped also means that I have to pay bills. So I accepted a few missions which turned out quite lucrative and not too tedious. Even the routes between my destinations had so many spectacular sights that I did not regret my work.

Still have to decide which system to chose as my new home base. Electra isn't too bad but perhaps there are even more convenient places with better bars, shops and entertainment out here in the Pleiades?

So I was able to shed some light on the eerie recordings of the listening posts in Pleiades Sector GW-W C1-13, Maia and HIP 17694. The recordings helped me to triangulate a system, where I was able to locate an abandoned base.

I explored the facility which was shrouded in green mist with my SRV and collected a set of recordings from the station's secretary. Indeed, the station was once a production facility which contracted for Aegis and produced advanced weapons. Probably against the Thargoid threat?

The secretary's recordings about the "Man From Aegis" gave me shivers when I heard them while I was sitting in the small SRV. But the real horror was about to begin: The SRV got stuck in the debris of a half destroyed station building and while I was struggling to free the trusty little vehicle, a Thargoid appeared and began to shoot at the station's buildings. My heart raced while I was frantically rocking my SRV back and forth to free it - while hoping that my actions would not attract the Thargoid. Fiery debris was raining from the facility's towers and the Thargoid's shrieking sound pumped adrenaline through my body - I had to leave this place immediately!

I was lucky and made it back to my ship - but my hands were still shaking when I held the flight stick and forced Calypso beyond the planet's orbit into safe distance. A jump over a few lightyears into a backwater system with a station in lockdown mode, but better than at the Thargoid's mercy!

Commander Chrome out.

Maia was only the start of the mystery to unravel. Two listening posts there - one talking about a man, black suited, bodyguards and garbled sentences about "the good work".

Following the trail of these posts, I arrived at HIP 17694, just to find more about the black suited man and again "the good work". What is it all about?

The post in Electra broadcasts messages about an emergency situation. shut down and that they are out of luck. What drama happened?

The listening post in Pleiades PD-S B4-0 repeats the information about a breakout. It is getting even more mysterious. It points to Electra, HR 1185 and HIP 17892, which will help me to locate the system where the catastrophe happened.

I am sitting in a dark corner of a little bar in Iyeasu Dock, staring into my drink and dark thoughts fill my mind. I will feel better when I am back in my ship which I call home.