Life as an Outer Ring explorer
The Beginning
Hello fellow capsuleer, I’m Tee Wan. (I’ve heard my father named me after some peculiar goat team or something of that nature; the details remain a mystery to me…). I was born and raised in a prosperous and happy family, destined for a bright future. However, my time at the Federal Navy Academy irrevocably changed my path.
One day, I learned of an expedition. A war veteran, it was said, harbored the audacious idea to abandon everything and establish a new life in the Outer Ring region. The tales of this individual resonated deeply with the young and inquisitive spirit within me, leading me to the decision to leave the academy and join this venture. I was immediately entrusted with a significant task: ensuring the safe passage of the entire expedition to our new home within a matter of days. My combat expertise was minimal, but I had acquired some basic exploration skills during my initial year, and I even possessed an Imicus, a gift from my father upon my enrollment in the prestigious academy, which was currently gathering dust in a hangar.
Without much deliberation, I jumped into my ship and set course for the Outer Ring. I had always heard that traversing the outer regions was perilous, but the surge of adrenaline gave me wings (though admittedly not very practical in space, wink wink, Star Wars!). I managed to navigate my way, not without some difficulties, but I also discovered a fortunate shortcut through the enigmatic pathways of a wormhole. Once again, I moved instinctively through these hazardous areas, my knowledge limited, yet my mission was too crucial to falter, and I succeeded. I reported to Androidson, ready for the momentous day ahead…
The Departure and Arrival
The great day arrived, and I was brimming with excitement! I joined the entire group in Jita, the colossal hub of the Caldari State. I had never been there before, but I had heard countless stories about it. None of them even remotely captured the reality; the place was monstrous. Crowded, noisy, everything I detested. I was eager to depart and relocate to the tranquil outer regions.
After a few final preparations, we left this chaotic place, following a route discovered by a fellow explorer, which apparently seemed more efficient than the one I had found. I felt a mix of happiness for him and a touch of disappointment that my efforts couldn’t directly aid the group. However, destiny intervened just moments later, transforming me from a simple, anonymous follower into a temporary guide for the fleet of ventures. My hands trembled, but not from fear; it was a blend of pride and exhilaration. Androidson entrusted me with fleet command, and I began to lead approximately twenty people along the route I had previously charted. This was the most exhilarating moment of my life. We all managed to arrive safely at our new home. My initial mission was complete, but one final requirement awaited me. As per the expedition’s rules, I had to leave everything behind. So, I scrapped my ship and sent all my ISK to my father to begin anew.
Once this was done, I fell asleep instantly…
The First Day
When I awoke the next day, I noticed that some of the ventures were already active, but not in the way I had anticipated. In the academy textbooks, I had learned that these ships were manufactured by ORE to mine asteroids and extract the minerals essential for every manufactured item in New Eden. Yet, these audacious individuals were forming groups to launch swarms of drones against a Serpentis battleship! And it wasn’t a one-time occurrence; they had been doing this all night long. This allowed them to acquire a significant amount of modules, which, when reprocessed, yielded far more minerals than they could have obtained through standard mining methods – a stroke of genius. I was lent a Tristan to contribute to this endeavor (indeed, after just a few hours of this aggressive “mining,” they were already producing frigates). My modest piloting skills weren’t particularly useful, but I was helping, and that was the most rewarding feeling imaginable.
After a few hours, I managed to accumulate several million ISK (these Serpentis pirates are universally unwelcome in space, and anyone who eliminates them is rewarded with bounties). I then noticed an Algos for sale a few jumps away. I decided to invest all my earnings in this ship and its equipment and immediately put it to the test. It significantly accelerated my pirate hunting activities and earned me some ISK and materials, but I didn’t feel a strong connection to this ship. While it was functional, ever since my time at the Academy, I had always aspired to fly a cruiser. In the advanced drone combat class, we studied the strengths of various ships, and I had fallen in love with the Ishtar. So, that became my ultimate goal. As I made my way back after my first day, I recalled the immense satisfaction of exploring and assisting others with my discoveries.
The decision was made: the following day, I would explore and attempt to locate a route to a trade hub for our corporation.
A New Discovery
A new day brought new adventures. My newly refitted Imicus was ready to fly, and I began to traverse the Outer Ring region. I quickly encountered several Serpentis data and relic sites. My hacking skills were not particularly advanced, as my only experience stemmed from the introductory hacking course during my first year, and the computers here seemed to possess more sophisticated defenses than those we encountered in Duripant. Nevertheless, I managed to extract a few million ISK from them, and I instantly felt wealthy. Little did I know what awaited me…
On my return journey, I detected a peculiar ping on my scanners. I immediately deployed my probes and initiated a scan – it was a wormhole! It was only the second one I had ever encountered, but this one was different: large, red, and pulsating. I felt an inexplicable attraction to it, despite its ominous appearance. As I approached, I recalled stories from my teachers about life in uncharted space, and I was simultaneously terrified and exhilarated… I jumped through.
In the Unknown
Once inside, I could scarcely believe what I was witnessing. The star was immense and intensely red. Yellowish clouds swirled around (I didn’t even want to contemplate their potential dangers). For the first time, my fear outweighed my curiosity, and I wanted to return home. But when I turned back, the wormhole had vanished. My path back was closed, and I was lost in what felt like hell.
Panic began to set in. I scanned my surroundings but saw nothing. After a few minutes, I managed to regain some composure and remembered that uncharted space was often interconnected with multiple other systems, and sometimes even with known space. My objective became clear: find a way home. I scanned the first signature I detected; it appeared to be some kind of ruins. I warped to it, hoping to glean some information along the way. Upon landing, a welcoming committee awaited me – ships I had never seen before, but I instantly recognized their hostile intent. I immediately warped out and began searching for other signatures, particularly wormholes. After a few unsuccessful attempts, I found one. This one was calm, white, and felt safer, so I jumped through without hesitation.
Return to civilization
Once inside, my intuition was confirmed; everything felt more serene. Now that I was more adept at scanning, I could fully explore this new environment, and that’s precisely what I did. I discovered multiple ruins, similar to those in the previous wormhole, but without any hostile ships. I managed to hack quite a few of those strange computers. My cargo hold filled with increasingly valuable items, yet there was still no sign of an exit. I continued my exploration through dozens of systems, scanning, hacking, looting, and fleeing from hostiles when suddenly, a new type of wormhole appeared! A large, blue, and stable one. Without hesitation, I jumped through, and on the other side, all my sensors began to beep, scanners calibrating… I was in high-security space again, in the Forge region.
I made the few jumps required to reach Jita 4-4, and this time, it didn’t feel as repulsive as before. I was safe… and wealthy. My exploration journey and all the loot I had gathered seemed to pique the interest of people here, so I sold everything. I am now half a billion ISK richer and have many tales to share with my new friends.
