Log Entry 1 - Solitude's Sorrow - Cycle 001.001

  

  Timestamp: 001.001.22:47 - Location: Docking Bay 7, Port Zylos

  Status: Nominal, barely.

  Finally got the damn thing running. This "Star Wanderer," or as I'm already calling her, Rust Bucket, is a beauty only a junker could love. Cost me nearly everything, even had to sell my grandfather's synth-harp. But she's mine. The navicomputer is a relic, the shields flicker like a dying star, and the engines sound like a dying krocodile, but she flies. First supply run to Sector Gamma, low-paying but it's a start. The port authorities eyed me like I was about to smuggle durium bars in my underwear. Almost wish I was. Solo for now. Just me and the ghosts of previous owners whispering in the comms.

  Log Entry 2 - Gamma Grind - Cycle 005.012

  

  Timestamp: 005.012.14:10 - Location: Transit near Belt Theta

  Status: Weary, but making progress.

  Another supply run, this time to a mining colony on the edge of Belt Theta. They need med-packs, I need credits. The monotony is a killer, honestly. I swear I know the nav-routes better than the damn thing does itself. Had a close call when a micrometeoroid swarm hit, thankfully the shields held, mostly. Picked up some space-junk, mostly useless, but I might be able to find something to sell. A half-eaten ration packet was the best find. Getting lonely, though. This bucket feels awfully big for just one person. Thinking about putting up a job posting for a mechanic. Someone who doesn't mind the smell of burnt circuitry and desperation, anyway.

  Log Entry 3 - The Mechanic and the Mess - Cycle 010.005

  

  Timestamp: 010.005.09:22 - Location: Shipboard, Engine Room

  Status: Optimistic, maybe stupidly so.

  Found a mechanic! A feisty little Galthian named Jax, says she can get anything running with enough duct tape and willpower. And she seems to live on caffeine. She's already made a noticeable difference. The engines sound like two dying krocodiles now, progress I guess. Found out she’s got a history of ‘acquiring’ spare parts, which might be problematic. But for now, she’s a lifesaver. Got a bigger run coming up, a whole shipment of hydroponics to a remote agricultural station. Bigger risk, bigger reward.

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  Log Entry 4 - Fleet Formation - Cycle 021.018

  

  Timestamp: 021.018.17:55 - Location: Jump Point Omega-7

  Status: Relieved, and slightly paranoid.

  Things are getting... complicated. We joined up with a small convoy heading through the Kessel Run, a group of freelancers and small merchants trying to avoid pirate attention. There’s "Silas," who captains a converted freighter, and "Bex," a gruff but surprisingly kind pilot with a medical frigate. Shared a few drinks and war stories last cycle. It's good to not be alone. But there's whispers about a pirate group operating near the Run, The Void Hawks. Jax keeps saying we should install that modified pulse cannon she "found". Silas and Bex are thinking the same. We might need more firepower than some rusty junker can offer.

  Log Entry 5 - A Little Extra Cargo - Cycle 030.002

  

  Timestamp: 030.002.03:17 - Location: Secret Hangar, Docking Bay 12 (unmarked).

  Status: Nervous and thrilled in equal parts.

  Jax and I did it. We dipped our toes into a little... extracurricular activity. A contact offered us some "sensitive materials" at a hefty price. I'd like to say I thought about it, but frankly my wallet was screaming at me. We stashed them under some hydroponic fertilizer. They're supposed to be hard to detect, and Jax assures me our sensors are "slightly modified." The payout is enough to get us new shielding and maybe upgrade the engines. We’re getting good at this. Too good, maybe. This fleet thing is great, but I'm starting to feel the lure of the shadows. Maybe one more run and I focus on deliveries again. Or maybe not.

  Log Entry 6 - Crew Expansion - Cycle 045.230

  

  Timestamp: 045.230.19:33 - Location: Shipboard Mess Hall

  Status: Hopeful and slightly overwhelmed.

  "Silas," "Bex," and a few other ships have officially formed a small trading fleet, we're calling ourselves "The Outliers". Jax and I are technically third in command but it seems more like a loose alliance. We recruited a weapons specialist called "Kael," he’s ex-military and knows his way around a pulse cannon. And we recently added a young navigator named "Lyra," she's quiet but her talent for route planning is uncanny. The Star Wanderer feels like a home now, not just a spaceship. We need more ships, more firepower. This is getting big. This could be something… something more than just scraping by.