Released the crew compartment almost a week ago. The impact was a sight to behold. It nearly shattered that asteroid, and that was after it clipped several smaller rocks and had broken up slightly.
The Viteză Furie feels lighter now. There is actually a significant and pleasantly unexpected drop is fuel usage, power demand, etc... Really great. The light show of the ARC drive changed too. It is subtle, but I've been watching it since I found the monitors, and it is there. Almost like the ship itself agrees and is happy to have the interloper off it's back.
The truth is, once I released the crew compartment, I actually gained a rather sizable chunk of velocity. Jumped from .885 to .96, really fast. Had to throttle back a lot more than I expected. That said. I'm actually slowing down. I'm going to be spending some extra time in this system, specifically the cold gas giant world in front of me now. Still a weeks deceleration away. It is a beautiful world. Serene, out here in the cold depths of space, far enough from the UV star that were it a normal star and to go Nova, this world might not notice anything but the distant flash.
I'm slipping into this worlds orbit, because I am going to refuel here. The atmosphere of it is perfect for that, and the Viteză Furie is equipped for it. She really was built to be an exploration vessel. I think it is time I started doing that, instead of running blindly from Jump to Jump. Wondering if maybe this next time I might find something I recognize. It is time to start being a bit more proactive than just reviewing the output of the sensors.
The garden is growing quite well. I got to use the first herbs harvested from it last night, and it was just absolutely delicious. I really look forward to when some of the other plants mature and I can start harvesting more.
This gas giant world, and it is a giant, has a constellation of worlds of it's own. At least three of them are nearly as big as home. One actually larger than Kohelic by a little bit. They are beautiful, and I look forward to getting a closer look at them.
They are cold worlds. Though much like some of the cold worlds we have known back home, they might have tidal force warmed oceans beneath their surfaces, and maybe even life.
I am going to be in this gas worlds system for about two months to refuel, so now I am considering what things I should have the garage vehicle printer, print. There are few reasons why I cannot leave the Viteză Furie. Well, there are a few, but those are mostly fear and self doubt.
There are a few things I have so far refused to do. If I am really considering doing some exploring, I am going to have to decide if I really want to do that or not. Big decision to make. I already know what I'm going to do, but I have to get myself there. It is the logical thing, and will help me in innumerable ways. There is just a stigma about it. Something I really should get over, considering I'm the only one out here, that I know of, and even if I am not. What are they going to say? Would I care?