Just another pilot's story

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L'Kas Rykr
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Re: Just another pilot's story

Postby L'Kas Rykr » Mon Aug 24, 2015 5:19 pm

I never did post a log Friday, so the following quote is it.

8300 LY to go. I’m now nearly 18000 LY from home. The math doesn’t add up, I know, but then I did move 250 LY down from the galactic plane. Not to mention SagA is 20-30 LY down from TZ Arietis or thereabouts. I’m just going by what my navcomp is telling me. Anyway, made decent time last night to the tune of 1500 LY. Not quite what I can now normally do, but good enough.

Now that I have a copilot, I think I can justify a bigger ship. A lot of people explore in an Asp, so I may go with that. I know It’ll cost quite a bit, but I should be able to cover it with the trade-in value of my DB Scout alone. Not to mention whatever I’ll get for all the exploration data I’m bringing back. I’d still have to grind for the necessary parts, but I plan on doing that anyway.

Speaking of my copilot, Rakhi and I have gotten along well so far. We’ve also gotten fairly close. She says she’s willing to stick around and help me when I need it. I tried telling her how big a commitment that was, but she seemed to grasp the scale, and it didn’t seem to bother her. I guess giving her the benefit of the doubt when we met was the right move. She’s pretty serious about her offer, too.

We, uh... she even let me share the sleeping bag with her. We didn’t do anything but sleep in each others’ arms, but I must admit it was nice. The furthest we went was a nice, long, good-morning kiss before we got up. I initiated it and she didn’t pull away. I asked afterwards if I was too bold, but she said I wasn’t. Even told me I could do it again if I wanted. If she’s willing to help me even half as much as she offered, I...I don’t even know how to describe it. Suffice it to say that I’d be the happiest I’ve been in a long time.


Now for what happened over the weekend:

500 LY to go. I buckled down the last few days and made nearly 8000 LY. Unfortunately, my navigation computer is having trouble plotting through the dense star field. Honestly I was too tired to wait last night and Rakhi doesn't feel comfortable flying my ship this far from settled space. Especially not since I bounced off of an asteroid Friday night, knocking my hull integrity down to a mere 39%. My modules and canopy are fine, so if I fly carefully, I'll make it back home no problem.

I’m thinking I’m going to cut the plots down to 100 LY per. Even at 250, my computer’s struggling, when in Humanity’s little bubble 1000LY per plot is nothing. So a warning to new explorers: The closer you are to the center, the more stars there are, and therefore the slower your navigation computer will plot. I’m also going to make a beeline back to civilization, only doing a fly-by scan of interesting planets rather than going up to take a picture.

On a much more personal note, I’ve been out here for a good couple weeks. Done some serious thinking and introspection already, but I still plan on doing some divination at the core. Even if all I can get is a vague inspiration, the trip will have been worth it. I definitely need something bigger than myself to live for. I’m too aimless without it, and that may make “my time” come too quickly, if you catch my meaning. My relationship with Rakhi has been good for me, though. We’re friends-with-benefits at this point, but I get the feeling that’ll change here rather quickly.

I have to admit that I’ve fallen for her. But then, lately my meditative reflections have centered around her offer to be my pillar of support, so I’ve been thinking about her a lot. I’ve talked with her about this, and she says she’s even willing to go as far as marriage. She insists that this is her way of paying me back for rescuing her, but we all can probably agree that this is going above and beyond. Either way, though, I’m glad to have her in my life. It certainly cuts down on the loneliness I’ve felt since Izumi’s death.
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Re: Just another pilot's story

Postby L'Kas Rykr » Tue Aug 25, 2015 4:09 pm

Recorded at 0130 Zulu, August 25, 3301:

Sagittarius A*. Right now I'm sitting 40.4Ls from the black hole at the center of the galaxy. It's as close as I dare get in supercruise. Seeing as my hull is at 38%, I dare not risk getting gravity-slammed by one of the most massive astronomical objects in the galaxy. I've heard of gravitational lensing and have seen videos and pictures from commanders who recorded their experiences. But to see it first hand is something else entirely. I decided to circle the black hole in supercruise, and whenever the galactic ribbon passed behind it, it was as if the whole galaxy bent to the will of this one black hole. It's incredible. The sheer awesomeness itself makes the trip worth it.

Now it's time to meditate. Time to stare into the gaping maw that is Sagittarius A*. Like I said, maybe I'll get at least some inspiration to decide what path my life will take. Fly safe, commanders. o7


I haven’t moved since my last recording, as I plan on staying here for a bit longer. I figured I’d get this out of the way before I meditate. I’ve come to terms with my relationship with Rakhi. She’s a dear friend, and I’d like to go further. I’ll need her in an intimate way, and being boyfriend and girlfriend is the lowest rung we can be on in order to facilitate it. Friends can only go so far. Friends-with-benefits don’t necessarily have the intimate emotional bond needed. I’ll need more, and if she’s willing to give me that, so much the better.

Some people tend to think exploration is nothing more than taking scans, recording data, and returning that data to a group of scientists in exchange for credits. At its minimum, yes, that’s exactly what it is. But, in my opinion, those who subscribe to that are nothing more than glorified gofers, no matter how intricate or long their flight plan may be. I speak for myself only with this, but in order to call oneself a true explorer, one ought to feel some form of reverence or dare I say spiritual tie to the cosmos. After all, in the immortal words of doctors Carl Sagan and Neil deGrasse Tyson: “We are made of star stuff.”

To me, a planet isn’t just a planet, no matter its make-up. A gas giant isn’t just a gas giant. A star isn’t just a star. A nebula isn’t just a nebula. A black hole isn’t just a black hole. To me, all these things, all these astronomical objects represent the fundamental laws of this universe in action. They’re all a coalescence of particles held together by the weakest fundamental force in nature. And yet this force, Gravity, can hold together things ranging from a fist-sized rock, to an entire galaxy. And the singular objects (stars, planets, etc.) can range from the 12 km diameter of a neutron star, up through the 12,742 km diameter of Earth and the 139,100 km diameter of Jupiter, all the way up to the 1,976,640,000 km diameter of VY Canis Majoris and even beyond.

In my eyes, for such a weak fundamental force to be able to hold such large objects in a stable system with each other is a feat, once thought worthy of only the gods, that leaves me in utter admiration of nature. Putting my conviction in science rather than religion does not diminish the reverence I feel for the universe. I am just as amazed by the natural forces of the cosmos that can be quantified by science as anyone who believes that only a god could do this would be amazed by their god’s abilities.

As you can probably see, I feel a deeper connection to the universe than I do to Humanity, despite Humanity being infinitely smaller than the universe and therefore infinitely closer in relation to me. I’ve said before that the universe is cold and uncaring, but in my eyes, Humanity as a whole seems to suffer from the Dunning-Kruger effect. That is not to say I think I’m better than the whole of Humanity, it just says that I see things others may not, for whatever reason. In fact, as far as my place in Humanity goes, I’d say I’m nothing more than a reclusive misanthrope. I have the company of a good person, I’m loosely attached to a wing of self-appointed arbiters, I’ll deal with dockers, factional allocators, scientists, and law enforcement officers in a small capacity, and that’s all I really care for. I’d be more likely to spend weeks at a time out here exploring the galaxy than carting things from A to B or bounty hunting. Not to say I won’t trade and hunt bounty, but I won’t devote as much time to it as I would exploring.
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Re: Just another pilot's story

Postby L'Kas Rykr » Wed Aug 26, 2015 3:19 pm

I am a ronin, a vagrant, a vagabond, a traveler, whatever word you decide to use. Either way, I’m currently without a permanent home, and am willing to do what needs to be done for whomever needs it done. Yes, I’m using Snyder Enterprise in TZ Arietis as a base, but it’s not a permanent setup. I’ve decided that I won’t pledge my allegiance to Mahone and his Alliance after all. I’m content to wander and help out wherever I find myself and take up arms against injustice. I’ve recently heard that Mobius is coming up in the world, and is pushing to become a full-fledged faction. I’ll be sure to put myself in good standing with them.

Making a rumination pilgrimage to Sagittarius A* has actually given me what I sought. I wanted to make a difference. Be a part of something bigger than myself. Or at least that’s what I thought I wanted. Meditating and staring into the vortex of Sag A has shown me that I don’t really belong anywhere. That my ideals are too broad to belong to any one power. And that my individualist nature is not something to have to apologize for. As long as I have good company, and know that like-minded people exist in this galaxy, I can be perfectly content to wander.

And I do indeed have good company in Rakhi. We talked it over, and I meditated on it as well, and we decided to stick together. And when I say that, I mean that we’re engaged to be married. When we get back home, we’ll have a small private ceremony to make it official. Nothing fancy, no large gathering of friends and family, just us and an officiator. She knows exactly what she’s getting into, and knows that I won’t be able to give her nearly as much as she is willing to give me. Apparently that doesn’t bother her, though. She said she’d rather give than get when it comes to romance. I’ll give her everything I can, obviously, but right now it won’t be that much. All she really wants is my heart, and she definitely has it.

When I think about it, I kind of like the word “ronin.” A couple thousand years ago the title used to be stigmatized, something you should be ashamed of. After all, a ronin was usually a samurai who decided not to honor the samurai code and commit seppuku when he lost his master. But you can’t really stigmatize that title today. So many people are wanderers that don’t follow anyone, and society-at-large seems to not really care so long as they’re willing to follow the rules.

A ronin is also sometimes romanticized as a wandering swordsman, willing to offer his sword to those who need it wherever he is. Helping to protecting miners in the odd RES seems to me the modern equivalent, and is something I already do. Granted the reality is more along the lines a being a mercenary, and I may be mostly realistic, but screw realism for a minute. I’m still a part of something larger than myself, and I still take up arms to defend the relatively defenseless. I may not make a difference in the overall political arena, but that doesn’t matter to me anymore. I’m making things better for the people I’m with, and that’s what’s important.

As far as I’m concerned, Commander Straylight0 had the right idea. Whether or not she made it to the core, her advice has been taken to heart and was beneficial to at least one person. Wherever you are Commander, I sincerely thank you. May the wind be ever at your back, and to quote an old work of fiction:

“Atra esterni' ono thelduin, Mor' rana li'fa unin hjarta onr, Un du evari'nya ono varda. (May good fortune rule over you, peace live in your heart, may the stars watch over you.)”

- Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini
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Re: Just another pilot's story

Postby L'Kas Rykr » Fri Sep 11, 2015 3:44 pm

Home, sweet home. Made it back at about 0330 this morning. Sold all my exploration data for 33.3mil cr. Also sold the parts in my DBS and traded it in for an Asp. I’ve been out in the deep black, away from civilization, for a whole month. I haven’t been afflicted with space madness, so that’s a plus, though it did take me longer than I’d like to admit to remember how to get in touch with Snyder Enterprise to request docking permission. Not to mention I cut off a Fed Dropship on my way to my assigned pad. Luckily, though, we were far enough apart that I could sneak by easily. The (NPC) FDS pilot probably had to take a few seconds to cool down, though. Sorry, CMDR.

Anyway, I haven’t written in my log in the last several days, but then again, there was really nothing interesting to write about. It’s been a long month, but the experiences I had were well worth the trip. It was definitely interesting making the trip in a DBS, rather than something bigger. I did it, though. And I’m sure that If I flew carefully, I could probably make the trip in a Sidewinder. Hell, I may do just that just to prove that I can. Won’t be for a while, but it might happen.

Fly safe, CMDRs. o7
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Re: Just another pilot's story

Postby L'Kas Rykr » Tue Sep 22, 2015 3:50 pm

September 22, 3301

Been awhile since my last log entry. Lately, I’ve been trying to get a system permit for Sol, so I can play tourist. In order to do so, I found out that I needed to climb a few ranks in the Federal Navy. So, I’m a Midshipman in the FN Auxiliary. And I haven’t seen a single permit mission other than for Van Maanen's Star. I’ve heard Sol permits were hard to get, but this is ridiculous. I’ve flown my Cobra on courier runs, patrolled a few RES in my Vulture, and even hit a few CZs. All for Federation-allied factions, with little to show for it. Midshipman? Don’t care, as I’m not pledged to any of the Federation powers. I just want a Sol permit so I can see where Humanity started. I’ve also heard that if you’re lucky, you can find one of the ancient “Voyager” space probes launched over 1300 years ago, when the furthest Humanity ever got was Luna, Earth’s moon.

It’s amazing to think that such ancient technology could’ve survived this long. This was back when nuclear technology meant either weapons of war, multi-acre power plants, or long-lasting batteries. It’s also when Humans still used inefficient chemical rockets with literal tons of fuel just to get into orbit. We still use chemical fuel, namely hydrogen, but it’s consumed in much more efficient fusion reactors, where a single ton will get you several lightyears. Hell, my Diamondback held 16 tons of hydrogen and could get about a couple hundred lightyears out of it before having to scoop, but I digress. I’d really like to see where it all started, but it’s hard work to get noticed enough to get a permit invitation.
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Re: Just another pilot's story

Postby leslie.sangster » Tue Sep 22, 2015 7:31 pm

L'Kas Rykr wrote:September 22, 3301

Been awhile since my last log entry. Lately, I’ve been trying to get a system permit for Sol, so I can play tourist. In order to do so, I found out that I needed to climb a few ranks in the Federal Navy. So, I’m a Midshipman in the FN Auxiliary. And I haven’t seen a single permit mission other than for Van Maanen's Star. I’ve heard Sol permits were hard to get, but this is ridiculous. I’ve flown my Cobra on courier runs, patrolled a few RES in my Vulture, and even hit a few CZs. All for Federation-allied factions, with little to show for it. Midshipman? Don’t care, as I’m not pledged to any of the Federation powers. I just want a Sol permit so I can see where Humanity started. I’ve also heard that if you’re lucky, you can find one of the ancient “Voyager” space probes launched over 1300 years ago, when the furthest Humanity ever got was Luna, Earth’s moon.

It’s amazing to think that such ancient technology could’ve survived this long. This was back when nuclear technology meant either weapons of war, multi-acre power plants, or long-lasting batteries. It’s also when Humans still used inefficient chemical rockets with literal tons of fuel just to get into orbit. We still use chemical fuel, namely hydrogen, but it’s consumed in much more efficient fusion reactors, where a single ton will get you several lightyears. Hell, my Diamondback held 16 tons of hydrogen and could get about a couple hundred lightyears out of it before having to scoop, but I digress. I’d really like to see where it all started, but it’s hard work to get noticed enough to get a permit invitation.


I got my sol permit by giving to charity on stations in the eravate system and doing all sorts of small mercy missions. For the different factions around there. I don't know if it helped but it might.
I'm just wondering how we will find one of the voyager probes are there co-ordinates we can put in?


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Re: Just another pilot's story

Postby L'Kas Rykr » Mon Sep 28, 2015 3:48 pm

(Thanks for the tips, leslie.sangster. :) I kept pushing on, and I finally got that permit.)

September 28, 3301

I finally did it. I was finally able to attain the rank of Petty Officer within the the Federal Navy Auxiliary, which granted me an automatic Sol system permit. This happened Friday, the 25th. I did what I wanted to do, which was to play tourist. I haven’t found the Voyager probes yet, but I’ve got an idea of how to do this. Other CMDRs say that you should be able to see them in the nav panel about 2.3 million LS away from the jump-in point. I never did, but then I didn’t try to look until I checked out Pluto. I’ll try again, when I have the time.

As far as playing tourist went, I had fun. I used my camera drone to take photos of my Cobra by all the major bodies in the system, including the major moons of the outer gas giants. I also grabbed a shot made famous by an ancient probe known as Cassini. From what I could gather, it flew behind Saturn and took a photograph of the planet eclipsing Sol, and Sol’s light bending around the planet, causing a halo-like ring to appear around it. (Google “saturn eclipse cassini” to see it, if you haven’t already.)

I recreated that photo, with my Cobra sitting in the foreground, taking care not to block the planet. I’ll post that photo at some point today, when I have time. I sort of got caught up in a somewhat decent trade loop between TZ Arietis and Lung. I’m using my Asp, which can’t quite hold 50 tons, but then I didn’t max it out for pure freight-running. It’s also got the proper modules for exploration, since it is my exploration ship. Either way, I can get a good ~384000 cr/hr. Not a great haul by true freighter standards, but good enough to supplement my income.
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Re: Just another pilot's story

Postby L'Kas Rykr » Mon Sep 28, 2015 4:42 pm

9-28-3301 Supplemental

I’ve just come to a realization. I’ve wanted to get nice and friendly with The Order of Mobius since I heard they were to become a fully recognised faction. I’ve done what I wanted to do in Federation space, namely check out the Sol system, so I really have no concrete reason to stay at Snyder Enterprise. Moving to Azreal and Rafferty’s Mobius is quite the move, but I think I’m ready for a change of scenery, and now is as good a time as any to make friends with the Order. I’ve talked it over with Rakhi, and she says her home is my ships. She’ll go wherever I go. I really couldn’t have asked for a better companion.
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Re: Just another pilot's story

Postby L'Kas Rykr » Tue Oct 06, 2015 3:15 pm

October 6, 3301

Since my last post, I’ve moved all of my ships to Rafferty’s Mobius. It was interesting trying to go back to TZ Arietis in a stock Sidewinder. I did that to retrieve my Vulture, having already moved my Asp. It took way too long, so I decided to buy and upgrade a Hauler when I went for my Cobra. That was, unsurprisingly, much faster. Rakhi and I have taken the last week to settle in and get to know the station. Compared to Snyder Enterprise, Rafferty’s Mobius is quite clean-looking. Make no mistake, Snyder may have the more industrial look, but it is well-kept by the maintenance staff.

Within the last few days though, Rafferty’s Mobius has been more abuzz with activity. The station is changing hands to be under the control of The Order of Mobius. From the information I’ve gathered at the docks and the bars, it seems that the change may not be that smooth. With a new faction controlling the station, there is bound to be factions who want to try to undermine the new guy at every opportunity. Though, from what I’ve heard, when the Order gets serious, they can hold their own. Apparently, they did just fine when they first showed up, and they weren’t even fighting at full effort, from what I’ve heard. I may have to help them out with that. I may not be Elite, but one more commander in their corner certainly can’t hurt.
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Re: Just another pilot's story

Postby L'Kas Rykr » Wed Oct 07, 2015 2:13 pm

October 7, 3301

Saw the news today, the Imperial Senate naming Arissa Lavigny-Duval the next Emperor. I may not follow galactic politics much, but it doesn’t really surprise me that she was voted in. She seemed to be quite popular among the people, especially among the pilots of the PF. However, the cynic in me wonders just how much of it was a sympathy vote in light of her father’s assassination. That’s just conjecture on my part, so that theory could be completely wrong. Either way, I don’t much care, seeing as how I prefer to remain a “Filthy Neutral” despite my rank in the Fed Aux Navy.

I had a dream last night. I don’t know if there was anything supernatural about it, or if it was just my memories telling me what I wanted to hear. I talked to Izumi in my dream. I told her about everything that happened since her death. My intense depression; Elizabeth saving me from myself; Officially joining the Pilots Federation; Taking a trip to the core; Finding, and later marrying Rakhi; Joining The Order of Mobius; Everything. In her words, or rather her dreamed specter’s words, she was proud of me, and had she been alive, she would’ve approved of Rakhi. But like I said, this could be some spontaneous, involuntary seance, or it could just be my subconscious mind telling me what I want to hear. Since I don’t put much stock in the paranormal, my bet is on the latter. Either way, I’m glad I had that dream.
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