One man’s look at flying solo
Greetings and salutations from Chronos. For my returning friends, a warm welcome back, and for those of you who are wondering just what the heck you’ve stumbled onto, well, I’m Ol’ Jegger and this here is my little slice of the Spectrum called Far From Home.
You know, I actually got stopped by a jumper out Nyx way one time who wanted to know why I called the show Far From Home when I live in my ship. ‘Isn’t Shana your home?’ he insisted and I had to admit that he was right on that point. I’ve lived in the ol’ girl longer than about anywhere else I’ve hung my helmet over the years, so yeah, on one level, I’ve got my home with me everywhere I go, and that’s a big part of why I love this life of mine. But, there’s another part to flying solo; the part where you look out your cockpit and see nothing but black and know that you are absolutely alone; just about as alone as a person can get. That feeling right there — freedom, tranquility and sadness, all rolled into one — that to me is the feeling of being far from home, and I guess on some level, what this here show is about.
Yeah. I know. Didn’t make much sense to that jumper in Nyx neither.
Oh. Before I forget, wanted to say thanks to all of you who somehow remembered it was my birthday this month. Those kind words and vids left me smiling for days. Being that happy can hurt your face if you’re not used to it. Though, to tell the truth, I probably should be by now. No matter how many times I’m reminded of it, it near knocks me on my ass to see just how kind and caring the folks of this ’verse can be.
My birthday is actually the reason why I’m hanging out in Chronos. Believe it or not, me and the Synthworld project were given birth to on the same day. The planet seed was moved into place just as I was popping out. You can see then why it is sort of a tradition of mine to wander this way around December and take a gander at how it’s getting along. The sheer size of it still takes my breath away. Synthworld is one of those things that pretty much everyone has an opinion on: waste of money, proof of the Empire’s hubris, the future salvation of Humanity, or whatever. The only thing I know for sure is that it is one hell of a sight to see, and try or fail, the fact that we even attempted it makes me a little bit proud. Though, to be completely honest, I’m not sure if I ever want to see them finish the thing. I know it sounds silly, but somewhere along the way I got it into my head that I’m not going to be finished until that planet is. Us being siblings of sorts and all.
Other than my birthday, the other thing this time of year that is almost as popular is Traveler’s Day. It’s a pretty big todo amongst us wandering types. I haven’t run into many out there who don’t have some spectacular tales of how they spent their January firsts, myself included. Those of you who were tuned in a few months ago may remember me going on about one Traveler’s Day in particular where the crew of the Evo Horizon really pulled my kiester out of the fire. Well, since sharing that story, I’ve been mulling it over, and rather than celebrating in my normal sort of way, I’ve decided that this year I’m going take inspiration from their kind deed and find some way to pay it forward. What better way to honor Traveler’s Day than by being able to create new tales of charity and giving. So to that end, I’m about to head over to a CTR, load up on as much fuel, food and repair gear as this ’lancer can carry, and jump over to Odin. Come the first, I am going to be out there looking to lend a hand however I can. I may not be as spry on the float as I used to be, but I can still patch a hull something pretty when I need to.
Now the best part of having this show is that not only do I get to do something nice, I get to speak my piece and hopefully convince a few of you to join in too. Like I said before, it is damn incredible just how kind and caring you folks can be. Maybe together we can make home feel a little bit closer to those who need it.
I look forward to hearing your tales as well as sharing my own in the new year. Until 2946 …
Old Jegger signing off.