Courier by Day, Trader by Accident

I began the day staring down a tempting 13-jump courier mission and immediately said “absolutely not.” Instead, I poked around the mission board until I found something saner: data delivery for the Casual Crew over at Stargate’s Pride in Col 285 Sector II-P B20-8. Two jumps, easy life. Or at least that was the plan.

Meanwhile, the station was plastered with “donate to the cause” missions. Good causes, I’m sure. My cause, however, is not going broke. Instead, I tried my hand at trading. Thanks to the ED Tradepad app (my new best friend), I saw Tritium could net me a tidy profit. In-universe justification? A friendly dockworker at Tenn Terminal whispered: “You’ll make a few credits shifting this stuff.” Sold.

Three Jumps, Not Two

The trip was supposed to be straightforward. Supposed to be. With the cargo on board, my plotted course decided it wanted to add a bonus jump. I blame the Tritium, because blaming fuel makes me sound like I know what I’m doing. Still, it was a useful chance to fumble around the galaxy map and pretend I understood what all those filters do.

I delivered the data without trouble, pocketed my Tritium profit, and looked around Stargate’s Pride for what else it could offer. The answer: temptation.

Goodbye Rustbucket, Hello Rustfang

The shipyard beckoned. The ISS Rustbucket had been my loyal workhorse, but it was time for an upgrade. After much internal debate (and wallet screaming), I settled on a Cobra Mk IV. Tougher, meaner, and actually able to hold its own if someone looked at it funny. After some kitting out, I proudly christened it:
ISS Rustfang (RFN-5).

Naturally, I also gave it a vehicle bay and a shiny new Scorpion, because if you’re going to upgrade, you may as well go full “space SUV with off-road capabilities.”

First Spin in the Rustfang

To break it in, I accepted a modest courier job to Farris’ Remembrance in the Col 285 Sector DC-R b19-7 system. Easy enough — though I somehow managed to plot my course to an entirely different system on the galaxy map. Don’t ask. Let’s just say the navigation computer and I are still getting to know one another.

Despite the detour, the Rustfang flew beautifully. Nimble for its size, sturdy, and most importantly: mine. Mission complete, credits banked, and one very satisfied Commander.

Day 5 Wrap-Up

Rustbucket has been retired, Rustfang is born, and I even made a little profit along the way. Courier work? Handled. Trading? Profitable. Galaxy map? Still confusing. Tomorrow might be the day I finally see if bounty hunting agrees with me… emphasis on might.