Almost a month has passed since I left everything behind and traversed the vast ocean of nothingness between my little dust farm and these brave new worlds. The Federation was offering fast and free accommodation to those willing to work hard and establish the first colonies on the planets, in exchange you got to keep every piece of the new and valuable material found there for yourself and be part of a newly developing market and economy! What’s not to like about it? I jumped right in on the first cargo ship.

The first weeks had kept me so busy I almost didn’t notice their passing by. At first my time was spent exploring the Alien environments and collecting valuable info on how things worked here, then getting to know some of the colonists. Slowly but surely, I started making progress towards setting up a small mining operation. That's working fine now and I’m finally able to sit back and write down how things are going and what the future holds. Maybe I’ll send a holo-mail or two to friends and family back home.

A standard model Federation Cargo Spacecraft(FCS) - It's the fastest hunk of junk around in the galaxy!

Arrival, learning the ropes and first encounters!

My first steps on these new Federation territories were on planet Neri, it was the last stop for the cargo ship I was riding, so I figured there would be less colonists already trying their luck there and my possible rewards could be higher! Quickly I found out that was not the case, as I descended from the spacecraft I was greeted by the buzzing and bustling of a surprisingly crowded settlement, people from all corners of fed controlled territories were coming and going, busy with the daily dealings of frontier life. I saw humans, nordics, greys, green ones, bionics and I think even an Ancient One! Tools were being sold and bought at the market, expeditions were prepping up to venture outside of the settlement and then I noticed, something was quickly passing from hand to hand, something I had never seen before, shiny, seemingly black...but if you look closely, its core holds all the colors in the universe. It's used as currency in multiple forms, newly minted coins, pebbles, small chunks and even cartloads of it. That was the first time I got to see Trillium, the very same mineral I came here to extract. A very kind old miner took notice of my awe and handed me a small piece of the thing, that’s how I made my first TLM.

After chatting up with all kinds of characters from the diverse ecosystem of colonists, miners, merchants and explorers, I learned quite a few things of note: I was one of many newcomers arriving from what was being called “the second wave” of the Trillium rush. The first ones to get to the planets now talk of the “glorious days” when there were fewer people trying to make it big in these lands, rumors of huge TLM extractions, rare artifacts popping all around on a daily basis and fewer limitations when setting your mining operation. I just can’t stop thinking about the nice profits these pioneers must have made during the prime days. But, as if it was set in stone as some kind of universal law, there will always be bigger fish in the sea, even these adventurous early miners look up to those people who were smart or quick enough to take it a step further, buying the deeds for plots of land from the Federation, when no one was sure of the new planets future and Trillium was still not discovered. Now these individuals, who everyone refers to as the “landowners” are the big bosses we miners have to deal with to do what we came here to do. Some of them are the best people you will get to know this side of the galaxy, some others, not so much! The relationship is quite simple, you explore for a bit and decide you want to work in a particular land, then you select that land in the interactive map on your geolocator and check the commission set by the landowner, if you think that’s a fair price you sign the contract and set up your mining op. Else you can go on and search for greener pastures. A word of warning, in the settlements there’s always talk of shady landowners who lure you into their lands with promises of low commission, but unscrupulously raise them once you start working! This is a clear reminder of how far from Federation control we are in this new wild west.

Another thing to have in mind is that trillium here is mainly used as a form of currency and also exchangeable for WAX, the monetary standard preferred and supported by the Federation across all its planetary systems. At the moment of my arrival 1.0 TLM was selling for a whooping 2.8 WAX! For me it spelled opportunity, for the old timers it was a “too damn low price”. It’s all a matter of perspective I guess. 

Paying no mind to my status as a late comer to the party (after all, I’m in for the long ride and they say it’s better late than never). I quickly picked up some provisions and went on to grab my starting tools package provided free of charge by federation representatives, a simple shovel and a geolocator. Always ready to get an edge on anything, I walked right to the market and used that small piece of TLM the old miner gave me to buy two extra shovels. A funny thing to mention, as I was grabbing my two plain beginner tools, I got to see a seasoned miner exchanging a huge haul of TLM and WAX for a waxtural processor! One can only dream of being able to play with a toy like that, maybe someday. But hey, you’ve got to start somewhere, right?

Armed with my triple shovel setup, I crossed the settlement’s force fields, a shock of static and adrenaline ran through my body as my steps took me beyond the lookout beacons and towards strange, unexplored lands.

Expeditions and caravans endlessly venture outside the settlements, it’s my time to do the same.

That’s all for my arrival and first dealings on the planet, next time i’m able to find time to write, I will tell of my short travels through planet Neri and some rumors,news and opportunities that set me on a path that led me where I’m now, on planet Naron, setting up a small but steadily growing mining operation and getting to know awesome people in the process!

This is an experiment on fictionalizing my gameplay, let me know if you liked it or found it boring! I'll try to keep it up and try to tell interesting stories about my experiences in the game. If you have any tips, corrections or suggestions, also let me know!

PLAY THE GAME!

INFIDEL MINING GROUP DISCORD