Hi, all! Welcome to Elite: Trailblazers! Before you start reading, here are a few things to know (I'll add to this list as I go):

-At the end of each chapter, I'll put definitions and brief overviews of some things introduced in that chapter, so those of you less familiar with Elite: Dangerous can stay up to speed.

-I have an ever-growing collection of oneshots that you can find by clicking on my profile. I'll update it sporadically, so make sure you check on it from time to time!

Chapter 1 - New Beginnings

It was a day like any other. Activity at Lave Station never really ceased, with goods being hauled in and out constantly. Ads for every kind of product and company were plastered throughout the station, from Remlok life support systems to the latest deals on Lavian Brandy. Station Services were always active for when pilots flew in. Ground crew, ship outfitters, and vendors at the Commodities Market were always on site. Business never sleeps, after all.

It was a very special day, however, for one young man. He looked to be in his late teens or early twenties, with messy black hair and chocolate brown eyes. He stood in a small hangar, looking out at a Sidewinder, apparently no different from any other one. To him, though, it was the most precious thing in the world. To him, it was freedom. To him, it was independence. This was his first ship. He took a deep breath, let it out, and started walking across the hangar to the ship's door.

CMDR's Log - Day 1

Credits: 1,000

Ship: Sidewinder Mk I

My name is Nathan Wolfe. Ever since I was little, I'd dreamt about flying through the cosmos. My own ship, my own path. My own trail for me to blaze.

I don't know what it is. My craving for adventure seemed to come out of nowhere. Well, alright, not nowhere, per se. It has to have come from my dad. He was a pilot, all those years ago. A good man, he was. He took a job up at Lave Station, shipping goods like the brandy this station's so famous for across the galaxy in a Type-6 owned by the shipping company. He'd come home after a long week of work, collapse on the couch, and talk with me about his adventures: the places he'd seen, the people he'd met, the close shaves he'd had. And believe me, he'd had some close calls. Brandy and gold don't exactly come cheap, and not everyone's rich enough or honest enough to buy them. Type-6 Transporters aren't built for fighting, either. And yes, I write all the stuff about Dad in the past tense.

Three years ago, Dad went out on a long-distance trip and didn't come back.

It wasn't a run out of the ordinary. Lavian Brandy tends to sell for the highest price a certain distance away from the system - close enough that someone could ship it in a reasonable amount of time and close enough that people have heard about it and want to buy it, and far enough away that the labor involved warrants a higher price. He'd made the trip countless times before; it earned us enough money to live off of and leave some leftover. After one trip, though, he didn't come back when he was meant to. No big deal, station delays could have held him up for a bit.

Two days passed. Then three. They sent a search team to the last point he'd radioed in. They combed the entire system and everywhere around it. Nothing. No Type-6 wreckage, no escape pod, none of the cargo he was hauling. Nothing. He was presumed dead after two weeks of searching.

The life insurance money and what he left behind kept me going. It paid for the rest of my education, the house, food, everything I needed. When I turned 18, it paid for something else: Pilot Training.

The Pilot's Federation accepts applications for training for people starting at age 18. Not just anyone gets in, either. They train you on how to operate a ship, how to navigate, and, of course, how to fly. For that, they use a modified version of CQC. Close Quarters Combat is usually a game where you pilot a virtual ship and attempt to complete objectives - get the most kills, capture the enemy team's flag, and so on. This version, however, is a bit different. CQC has players use a regular keyboard and mouse or a video game controller, or an immersive reality set if the player can afford it. The simulations take place in immersive reality, able to perfectly emulate real life to a T. They say if you didn't know it was a sim, you'd mistake it for real life. Of course, it hasn't quite been able to replicate the human psyche, but in a solo cockpit that's no issue. Even with multicrew ships they just have you train with other initiates. The simulation teaches initiates about the cockpit firsthand, with all the buttons and switches that you have to memorize. Basic controls, docking, navigation, and all the different elements are taught through a simulation. Still, though, they teach combat. No matter what you do in this galaxy, you'll need to know how to fight. Every system that has people has goods shipped in and out, and where there's loot, there's someone there to take it. A few wrong words could put a price on your head.

Pilots have a plethora of occupations to choose from once they're out of training. Mining, shipping, trading, and exploring are the more benign jobs. Those with more skill in combat and more craving for action take jobs as bounty hunters, thieves, and assassins. Personally, I've never seen much allure in exploring. You'd spend weeks, even months by yourself somewhere off in the void; scan stars and planets, jump to the next system, refuel from a star, rinse and repeat. Mining and trading are repetitive, though hauling goods for a system's factions can be rewarding if they like you enough. Hunting, now that's interesting.

I might not be able to do it for a while, though. The standard-issue Sidewinder isn't exactly something to be feared in a fight, and it's a tiny thing. With a shield generator and a docking computer fitted, it can only about four tons of cargo. Until I can afford something that can hold its own in a fight, or something that can make me a profit trading, I'll be couriering data between stations to get some extra cash.

Let's see what they have to offer.

CMDR's Log - Day 9

Credits: 283,982

Ship: Adder

I never imagined hauling could be so boring. Take this stuff, bring it to this station, come back if you want. How did Dad put up with this? Constantly. Granted, it is making me some dough. I managed to scrape enough credits to buy myself an Adder, which is proving much more useful than the Sidewinder. With shields fitted, I can fit about 16 tons of cargo versus the Sidewinder's 4. I've landed at stations enough that I don't need a Docking Computer anymore, so that gives me some extra room for more cargo.

My routine is simple enough. As for now, I prefer to be based in the Lave system, because it's my home and it isn't a bad place for independent pilots these days. The security's pretty high, so I haven't had to worry about any bandits (so far). That alone is a stroke of luck; Adders don't do well in fights.

I've done a bit of work for the local factions, so they like me well enough that they give me some well-paying shipping missions to some local systems. They pay much better than if I bought the goods myself and sold them independently, but they're a little inconsistent. If nobody has any missions for me to take, I have to wait around in the station until more show up. Not the most exciting of lifestyles, but it works.

I've got something to look forward to, though. After a few more missions I'll be able to buy a Cobra Mk III; one of the best multipurpose ships on the market, when you consider its price. Once I get that, I'll be having a lot more fun.

"Woohoo! This is so much better than an Adder!" Nate yelled as he boosted out of the station's airlock in his new Cobra Mk III for the first time. The Mk III's top flying speed of 328 metres/second beat out the Adder's boost speed of 321 m/s, and the Cobra's boost speed of 408 m/s was among the highest of all ships without special modifications. After flying around aimlessly for a while, testing the limits of his new ship, Nate pondered what he was going to do first. This was the first time he could actually go wherever he wanted, not restricted by short jump ranges or the serious need to make more money. The Cobra Mk III was a solid ship with loads of uses, so for the time being he didn't need to focus much on upgrading to a better ship.

An idea struck him. Space was pretty lonely. He opened his contacts list and searched it until he found the name he was looking for. He called the number. It rang for a while, but eventually, someone picked up.

"Hey, Steven?" Nate asked tentatively. It had been years since he last spoke with his friend, and he was half expecting to never hear from him again.

"Nate? Nate, it that you?" The voice on the other end was partially drowned out by loud mechanical noises.

"Yeah, it's me. Long time, eh?" He might have sounded calm, but in his Nate silently fist-pumped in celebration. A grin plastered his face from ear to ear.

"Man, it's been forever. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Well, I'm currently flying around Lave Station in my very own ship," Nate said proudly.

"Ah, the day's finally come. Tell, you what, I'll send you some coordinates to a planet in a system a few jumps over. There's something I wanna show you," Steven said. "Bring an SRV. Oh! And some of that Lavian Brandy," he added. "This calls for celebration!"

"You got it. I'll see you in a few." Nate hit a button on the keyboard to his left, ending the voice call. As he did so, he got a message from Steven, containing planetary coordinates as promised. He docked at the station with ease in his Cobra and went to the Outfitting shop to buy an SRV hangar and a Scarab. Once those were fitted, he went over to the Commodities Market he knew all too well. Lave Station was the only place in the galaxy you could buy Lavian Brandy, and so the businesses that sold it were always blooming. Lave was an agriculturally based system, and as such most of the food that was grown on Planet Lave was exported here, at the system's busiest station. The air was always filled with the scents of fresh food, from pastries to herbs to freshly cooked meat.

Nate pushed through the crowd towards a stall run by one of the businesses he had shipped goods for. Usually someone would have to wait for hours on end just to buy a bottle of brandy from a stall, but Nate's history of trading at the station provided him backdoor access. Pushing to the front of the line (enduring much complaining from the other people in it), he asked to see the manager of the stall. After a short wait he came out of a back room, his face lighting up when he saw Nate.

"Ah, Nate! Happy to see ya, bud! What can I get ya today?" he asked.

"Could I get a bottle of brandy please?" He thought for a moment. "Make it two!" The manager reached below the counter and grabbed two bottles of the amber liquid, placing them on the counter. He paid the man and grabbed the bottles, heading back towards the hangar.

A/N: Alrighty, here it is. I hope my writing was well-structured enough and not altogether awful. Stay tuned for Chapter 2! Know that I am taking ideas for future updates, so ask away!

~M

Terms Used This Entry:

Sidewinder: The Sidewinder Mk I, more commonly referred to as the Sidewinder, is the stock ship given to new pilots by the Pilots Federation. It is an adequate multipurpose ship for pilots without funding to buy a better one.

Adder: The Adder is another cheap multipurpose ship, and is often the next ship a Sidewinder pilot buys. It has much more cargo space and a higher jump range than a Sidewinder, which means it serves as a much better trading ship.

Cobra Mk III: The Cobra Mk III is a fantastic multi-use ship, capable of taking on just about any role. One of the fastest ships on the market, a Cobra outfitted the right way can take down much larger vessels. It also has a good jump range and decent cargo capacity for its size, making it a good stepping stone for traders. Of course, those wanting to take a less a legal route make use of its low heat signature, plenty of internal slots, and capacity for loot as a pirate or smuggler.

Lave Station: A Coriolis Station found in the Lave system. The only starport that sells galaxy-famous Lavian Brandy, it is a very popular spot for traders.