Archive for the 'Beowulf Squadron' Category
Ok, I’m ready to go public with my big secret.
I am afraid to fly.
No, I mean really, really scared.
Space travel completely freaks me out.
There. I said it. So how do I survive in a society that relies so heavily on traveling through space? Not easily. For starters I only ever fly on my yacht…. piloted by a droid. I strap myself in tight, say a prayer, close my eyes and anxiously wait till it’s over. I am never more relived than when I finally find myself safely landed at my destination.
It’s interesting to note that for some reason I find public transportation easier to handle. Perhaps it’s because I can convince myself that professional pilots are less likely to have a mishap. Or maybe I just take comfort in the thought that at least I won’t die alone…
Despite the fact that I’ve always had this fear, I’ve been able to avoid acknowledging it…. until recently. It started one day when my pilot droid malfunctioned leaving me stranded up in space. It was my worst nightmare come true. There I was, stuck floating some 3000m from a space station and a safe landing. One minute I was in despair and certain I would die. The next I’d be looking at the controls and trying to convince myself that I could do it, I just had to do it. It was the longest half hour of my life.
That incident is probably what made me agree to a flying lesson when Mayor Fenris offered. I was shaking before we even got off the ground. I don’t know how many times I almost backed out. I wanted desperately to conquer my fear, to at least know I could live if my pilot ever malfunctioned again…. but the thought of going up there alone, even with him flying nearby, was almost more than I could handle.
He walked me through some basics and then flew with me to the site of what was to be my first and last training mission. They started shooting at me and I just completely froze. All I could see were visions of my lifeless body floating among the debris. He finally yelled at me to move it and I did, somehow. Safely back on the ground, I decided that it might be better just to get a spare pilot droid.
I’ve gone up to tour some of Mayor Fenris’ ships and once even got in a gun turret. I’ve learned that with an accomplished pilot at the helm, spaceships don’t have to be my worst enemy. I’m still freaked out… but I’m feeling more in control of my fear.
I still can’t fathom ever piloting a ship alone. I just don’t think that’s ever gonna happen. But with a spare droid and folks to call if I get into trouble (perks to being in a pilot guild), I think I’m better equipped to handle the fear of flying day to day.
Our mayor is back and I’ve finally been voted out of office as temporary mayor of Journey’s End. Thank goodness! I’m glad to have the weight of that responsibility off my shoulders.
But it’s come to light that shortly after I took over, a fellow citizen and guild member stole things out of the guild hall. I feel awful about the theft since it happened on my watch. Still, I’m not sure what I could have done to prevent it. I had been nothing but kind and accommodating to the perpetrator and had thought she returned the friendship.
It seems odd to me that anyone would do such a thing. There are enough credits to go around in the universe and plenty of ways to earn them honestly. Why steal from friend or foe? It diminishes your credibility and integrity. Aren’t those more valuable than credits?
I’m looking at my finances and trying to figure out how I can help replace some of what was taken. The value far exceeds what I’ve got in my bank account. But I’d rather have integrity than credits.
I recently re-evaluated my property holdings and determined it was time to let go of a few things. A failed bed and breakfast from Lake Retreat was transferred to Jamaica for her to use as a home base for her business. I cut back on the number of factories I own and decided to rent my shop space in Lake Retreat rather than own that as well.
In the end, the shuffling I did left me with enough extra to purchase a home. Not just a house but a real home.
I’m not saying that the house Bermuda and I set up in Bestine isn’t still near and dear to my heart. It is and I would never part with it. But it’s not somewhere I live. It’s far from where most of my business is done and the small house can’t accommodate much more than some memorabilia from our early days together.
It seems wierd that it’s taken me this long to set up a home for myself. After Bermuda left I threw myself into my business and what I did with my properties reflects that. The only time I tried to set up a place for myself was the last time I joined a guild. The house was torn down when I left that guild a short time later.
Thankfully, advancements in moving technology have made deconstruction unnecessary. The freedom to put effort into my decorating without fear of moving it all was wonderful. And so decorate I did!
Even in my ‘home’ I couldn’t resist setting up an office and space to do private fittings for family and close friends.
But the house is really just a place for me to relax and persue some non-tailoring hobbies such as bio-engineering…
or cooking in the small kitchen….
For now my home is in Journey’s End. I’m still filling in as Mayor until things are wrapped up and our group is officially dissolved. But I look forward to finding a new spot to, hopefully, permanently place my first real home.
On my way into Journey’s End I saw a spectacular sunset the other day. I stopped, got out of my vehicle to snap a photo of it for my scrapbook. Just as I’d found the perfect angle to capture the beautiful image, storm clouds swooped in and hid it from view.
So it is with the Beowulf Squadron as well. I suppose in many respects I fully expected our guild to come to an end. After all, nothing lasts forever. Still, I wasn’t prepared for how hard the news hit me and I’ve been trying to figure out why.
Certainly I’ve enjoyed meeting many of the guild members. Nice folks. But I’m sure I’ll still see them around.
Our guild leader, Jaegen Fenris, has decided to move on. I know I’ll miss the interest and drama he’s brought to my world in recent months. I’ve enjoyed working with him for the common good of the guild as well as the opportunity to get to know him personally. But what I’m feeling can’t be summed up as the loss of a single friend either.
No, I guess what I’ll miss most is regular opportunity to invest in something that wasn’t simply for my own personal gain. Sure, I love my business but, in many cases, my efforts amount to little more than a ’sold’ email from my vendor and a couple of credits. I joined this guild thinking I’d just hang out a bit and avoid any guild responsibility. Last time I joined a guild I was quickly sucked into that and in the end was left frustrated and annoyed with mismanagement issues, increasing responsibility and skewed expectations. No way I was going to repeat all that!
Except that I quickly found that not investing in the guild at all was unfulfilling as well. So I kicked it up a notch and volunteered to solve a few problems I saw. I made myself available to help welcome new members and helped with some minor administrative tasks here and there. Nothing big or earth shattering or even important. But nevertheless, it felt good to contribute. I’d struck the perfect balance.
I suppose that’s part of what made Journey’s End feel so much like home to me. I was invested in it’s improvement without being overwhelmed by it. I was comfortable and happy there. Much of the credit for that goes to Mr. Fenris for allowing me to participate without forcing titles and responsibilities on me (well, until he asked me to be temporary Mayor lol). I appreciated how willing he was to listen, his flexibility and understanding.
So now I’m waiting for the final weeks to tick by. I’ve got plenty of things to do…. remodel my shop, mentor Jamaica, shop for supplies, design new outfits, increase my customer base….. but I’m keenly aware the sun is slowly setting on this chapter in my life. And I’m waiting for the sun to rise on my next adventure.
I suppose you’d have to know me better to understand just how funny this photo is. I much prefer flying under the radar to fancy titles or positions of responsibility. Yet, there it is, in black and white. I’m mayor of Journey’s End for the month.
Mayor Fenris asked if I would step in briefly while he was away on personal business. I followed his orders to put my name on the ballet and then waited for him to send orders to everyone else to vote for me. I don’t want anyone to be mislead into thinking I’ve won any sort of contest here. It was nothing more than citizens putting their faith in the directives of our accomplished mayor.
While I’m flattered by Mayor Fenris’ trust in me, no one will be more relieved than I when my time expires. Still, I couldn’t resist grabbing a photo for the scrapbook. It’s the only way my grandchildren will every believe such an incredible tale.
Tags: MMORPG, Star Wars Galaxies, SWG
I witnessed an act of exceptional generosity today.
It started when someone contacted me late last night. I was busy at the time and asked them to please send me an email with her order and I would fill it over the weekend.
This morning I opened the email. She wanted a Twi’lek noble crest. I’ve never made one before. It called for 10 units of green diamond, a very rare type of gemstone.
I searched vendors across the galaxy but the cheapest I could find was 10,000 credits for a single unit. I’ve never seen any resource cost that much. A further search for information through the crafting network revealed no other potential source. I hate letting customers down, but with little choice I sent word to her about the situation.
As I expected, she was put off by the cost. As a last resort I checked with my guildmates to see if anyone had any ideas about where to find green diamond. I was surprised when Ik’o answered back that she had a stash of it. I informed her of my market research and the potential windfall she had in her hands.
I was shocked when she agreed to simply give my customer what she needed. We needed twenty units total to make the two noble crests she had originally requested. She gave the customer a hundred. That amount of this rare, possibly extinct, resource might have fetched her a million credits had she sold it.
I know a couple of million dollars might not be a big deal to some. But had I offered as much to this customer it would have been 1/7 of all the credits I have.
To add to her act of generosity she then offered some to me! I was touched but politely declined. She gave me some anyway. :) It was an extraordinary act of generosity I won’t soon forget.
Tags: MMORPG, PC game, Star Wars, Star Wars Galaxies, SWG
Ages ago I got a great tip on combat from an entertainer. He suggested that if you were a trader or an entertainer and something attacked you, RUN!
I took his advice to heart. Knowing how inept I am in emergency situations, I even went to the trouble to devise and practice a series of reactions.
- Scream for HELP! With any luck there’d be someone nearby who’d take notice and come to my rescue.
- Run as fast as I could away from whatever was attacking me.
- Yell and scream some more.
Brilliant, I know.
So yesterday when Super Battle Droids invaded our quiet little town, I did what any good tailor would do. I hid inside and watched my poor guildmates try to kill him off.
Tags: guild, MMORPG, PC game, Star Wars, Star Wars Galaxies, SWG
Over the years there have been several places I’ve called home. First, of course, Mos Eisley, though we never actually owned a home there. Then it was on to Bestine where Bermuda and I settled together.
Then came the day when my husband first took me to Theed. I immediately fell in love with it. It was around that time that I was mastering my craft and I was looking for a place to set up shop. Theed has been my home base ever since.
But more recently I’ve been calling yet another place home. Journey’s End. How I ended up in another guild after swearing I’d never join again, I’m not sure. The fact that Beowulf Squadron is geared toward pilots makes the whole thing even more absurd. (More to come later on my failed attempts to fly.) In the end, Mayor Jaegen Fenris, persuaded me to give guild life another try.
It’s turned out to be a lovely place to live and work. I spend a great deal of my time these days crafting in the guild mall, breaking to chat with residents when they happen by or welcoming new members to our city. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many interesting people.
If you live in the neighborhood and are interested in joining a guild who’s main focus is building commuity and helping one another (particularly traders, entertainers and pilots), don’t hesitate to contact me in-game. I’m happy to introduce you to Mayor Fenris or tell you more about my experience.
Tags: MMORPG, Star Wars Galaxies
