Written by JH Media

Distant Oz – Waypoint 1-2

High G, high octane, high fives all around on the first stop for the inter-galactic Distant Worlds tourists as we basked in the beauty of HR 6164’s purple hue.

The View sits just 1,400 light years from Sol and owes its signature tinge to the planets Metal Rich reserves and the light emanating from the systems O-class and Neutron stars, both of which are visible from the planet-side tourist beacon of HR 6164 1.

Flyers beware; the planet is a noted tourists trap,. A beautiful sight to behold but deadly if you fail to safely navigate the planets high gravity, which sits at 3.3g.

Fleet attrition was a big talking point in the build-up to the expedition and we were treated to a first-hand glimpse of what the journey might hold if caution isn’t your number one priority.

An unprecedented number of Cmdr’s failed to heed the warning on week one of the expedition, and after EDSM logged just 11 fatalities since October 2017, crashes on the planets surface more than tripled as reports of fleet fatalities continued to trickle through.

“According to information gathered by the Elite Dangerous Star Map (EDSM)… 54 players have crashed into the surface this week, ending their trip before it had even really begun.”

Per EDSM/POLYGON

What a bunch of chumps, I thought to myself while I applied painfully slow downward thrust from 10 kilometers above the planets surface.

Half an hour later, the H.M.A.S Big Thicc deployed landing gear, feathering the ground below and coming to a halt 300 metres from the beacon, its first landing of the trip.

What I perceived to be a deftly handled approach, however, managed to shave five percent off hull integrity, despite the soft throttle control.

Despite the hull deficit, it was hard not to be impressed by the scene in front of me.


The vast purple landscape in front of us was magnificently illustrated by the planets ring but the centre-piece and unchallenged wow factor belonged to the O-type and Neutron star, side by side in the distance, casting their illuminating light across the surface.

It was a beautiful scene. I turned around and saw other CMDR’s sitting idle, transfixed by the illuminating blue balls in the distance (yes by god I’m rolling with it).

I looked up and imagined an enormous inter-stellar angler fish bobbing a neutron star in front of its jaws, waiting for unsuspecting Cmdr’s to crash into it.

The whir of a speeding SRV snapped me out of the moment and a careening Farris smashed into the back of my scarab.

With the moment gone with the solar winds, we moved on to the next port of call.

Yet another dicey prospect in the system is the tourist installation given its proximity to the stars jet cone, but still well worth checking out the silhouette of the base in front of the swirling blue.

Desperately in need of a tan and a feed, I put a tenner down on the buffet and parked Holo-dude in a neutron star-bed for some much-needed rays.

Don’t forget to treat yoself CMDR’s.

  • THE VIEW
  • To See
    • Planetary surface beacon with spectacular views of the planets ring and orbiting stars
    • Two Black HolesTourist Installation mere light seconds from the systems Neutron Star
  • Travel Warnings
    • Tourist Installation mere light seconds from the systems Neutron Star High G risk at The View (3.3g) pilots are advised to exercise caution on approach
    • Dodgy buffet
  • 4/5 stars

TRAIKAAE CH-Y C10 – LABIRINTO

They say you’re not a man until you plummet to the very depths of Labirintos ravines.

With two of my favourite geological features in plentiful abundance on the moon they call ‘Labirinto’, I was ready to rumble with some mountains and canyons.

The cavernous terrain is clearly visible from orbit as I approach, with cliffs splintered along the moons surface. I came prepared for a tussle, two SRV’s sitting in the vehicle hangar.

For some inexplicable reason I touched down at night. I deployed the shaggin’ wagon, engaged the newly introduced night vision feature and set off on a sensible reconnaissance of the surface, hoping to ascend to the peak of a distant mountain and collect some mats.

30 seconds later I decided to f*** that idea off and take a sharp left down an 80 degree embankment, gleefully setting off on a subterranean adventure.

Scanners indicated I was on a near-vertical decline. I wasn’t sold on the idea of immediately writing off the SRV, despite my chaotic ambitions, so I decided to hit the handbrake – coming to a halt a few kilometres from the canyon floor.

Ten seconds passed before I heard it. The unmistakable sound of crunching gravel.

Sure enough, the speedometer began to creep up and I realised that the sheer angle of the canyon wall made it impossible for the brakes to hold the SRV in place.

I accepted my fate, confident a small bump would send the runaway vehicle into the air to meet its subsequent demise so I cued up the Tokyo Drift theme song and watched in fascination while the Scarab hurtled to the bottom of the ravine at 40 mps.

After what felt like eternity, the ground leveled out and so did the speedo. Realising I was most likely stuck down here, I decided to extend my stay on the mystical planet before powering on to Omega Mining, the site of the upcoming Community Goal.

  • LABIRINTO
  • To See
    • Rugged landscape characterised by “vertical walls several kms deep, forming an incredibly intricate maze,” per CMDR Akira Masakari
  • To Do
    • Base-jumping
    • Mountaineering
  • Travel Warnings
    • Canyon floors allow limited landing spots, SRV most suited to terrain and advised method of transportation
    • Recall from canyon floors may result in ship destruction
  • 5/5

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Thor’s Eye – Not sure which eye the name refers to but either works.
Cinnabar Moth Nebula – A nebula, shaped like a moth. Can’t go wrong.
Supercluster – Stars. Stars everywhere.

To be continued.

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