Stardate: 2351.19

The cosmos is a beautiful, indifferent beast. Today, it showed me its teeth. I was halfway through my run to Kepler-186f, humming along and feeling relatively content, when they showed up – a battered, rust-bucket of a ship that looked like it had been chewed up and spat out by a cosmic whale. Pirates, pure and simple. They didn’t even bother with a sophisticated comms hail, just a crude transmission demanding I hand over my cargo. My heart hammered against my ribs as I saw the glint of weapons ports opening on their hull. The Phoenix, bless her rusty soul, took a pounding. I managed to get out of their firing range by performing a risky maneuver through a nearby asteroid field, but not without taking several direct hits. I can still hear the groans of the metal. I hate to see her like that. I hate it! I escaped them, barely, but the thought of it… the feeling of helplessness… I'm going to be making changes to the Phoenix, starting now.

Stardate: 2351.20

Black market. I hate having to trawl through the back alleys of space stations, but needs must. I spent most of the day haggling with a particularly slimy Grolak over weapon systems. He tried to upsell me on everything, of course, but I stood my ground, my voice probably louder than I intended. Finally, I managed to secure two heavy-duty turret systems, the kind that can punch through armour and hull plating. It cost me an insulting amount of credits to buy them.

Stardate 2351.021

The deals continued today, and I secured a small cache of sabot missiles. They’re not fast, but they pack a punch, the type that explodes in a wide burst, specifically designed for taking down shields. They’re not exactly common, and they cost a fortune, I only could buy a few. I figure if I run into a ship with those expensive shield generators, this might at least give them a sense of threat. A bone too difficult to chew. I can't afford shields right now.

I also picked up a decent sidearm – a pulse pistol, compact but with enough punch to discourage boarders. It felt heavy in my hand but I'm glad I have it.

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Stardate: 2351.22

The Phoenix is looking a bit different this morning. It’s going to take some time to get all of the new Systems installed. It’s just been me doing all of the work, my hands are sore. The turrets are mounted, and the pistol is now stored securely in the cockpit. I feel a little less like a helpless target now. I wish I could just afford a shield generator. I know it would mean ripping out the upgraded cargo bay and some other components, but the level of protection… It’s a daydream at the moment though, I am all out of credits. Every single one. I can still feel the cold steel of the pistol in my hand, I keep practicing drawing it. It somehow makes me feel safer.

Stardate: 2351.23

Worked on the Phoenix all day today, calibrating the new turrets. They pack a serious punch when I tested them - even on the lowest power setting. The Grolak was clearly right about one thing, the things can certainly make a hole. The targeting system took a long time to get used to, It’s still not completely perfect, but it’s good enough to at least make me feel like I can hold my own. I also spent some time running combat simulations, practicing with the pistol in my cockpit. It's a small space, making sure I don’t have a mishap is essential.

Stardate: 2351.24

I decided to get back on with my trading run early today. I need to earn some credits again. The turrets are functional, the sabots are locked and loaded. And my pistol is within easy reach. I’m certainly no soldier, but I feel slightly more confident than I did a few days ago… I think the whole experience has made me re-evaluate somethings. I might need to start being more aware of the dangers out here. Maybe it means not making as much profit, but at least still alive. I have decided to try a route that is much less popular, hopefully it will mean less encounters.

Stardate: 2351.25

The route has been pretty quiet the last few days. This must mean something right? I have been checking my sensors every few minutes, just to be sure I haven't missed anything. The new turret systems give me a sense of security, but the fear is still there. I keep thinking about the pirate ship, and how it felt to be so vulnerable. It makes me wonder how many other ships are out there suffering the same fate if they come across a ship like that. A sad thought.

Stardate: 2351.26

The last day of my trip is finally here. I have only one more delivery to make before I can relax. I have earned enough credits to start saving again, which I am happy about. The pirates were probably just as desperate as me, maybe even more so. My ship certainly shows it, every scar and every bruise.