Log 10: Deep Space Archaeology, Question Mark
FC Error
Missileer
- Location
- Aware of where I am not
[X] Send a probe to poke the debris field - ladar shows what are almost certainly ships in there, and some data on those can't hurt.
--[X] The floating wreckage should also allow us to obtain material samples for Feldssen without further damaging the station, or accidentally removing something that turns out critical later on, however unlikely.
"al Fassi," you inquire, "Think you can get a survey probe into that debris field and retrieve some material samples? And maybe get a good scan of the larger objects while you're there?"
Your systems officer scans the display briefly, nodding. "Aye, can do. Launching probe now. How detailed do you want those object scans?"
You wave your hand in a 'so-so' manner. "Not necessarily micrometric precision, but enough that the geek squad has something to chew on. See if there's any EM emissions, too - I doubt it, but there's enough crap surrounding those objects if they are emitting we might miss it from here."
al Fassi nods, setting to work navigating the probe; casting a Look at Shaw, you push off from your chair, drifting into the captain's office. Maglocking yourself to the deck, you close the door behind Shaw, who opts to float in place with a hand on the desk. "What's up?"
You half-grin, bringing up a holo of the derelict station - mostly for distraction. "We're on the far side of the universe or somesuch, poking an abandoned, possibly alien, space station that somehow has recognizable numerals on it and may, or may not, be a bunch of FTL jump-gates tacked together. While I'm sure I - and most of the geek squad - could lose ourselves in studying the thing for ages, it does occur that most people might start having issues with the 'stuck an unknown distance from home with an uncertain means of returning' thing."
Shaw blinks, apparently processing that statement. Exhaling slowly, she pulls herself into the chair across from you and buckles in. "Alright. Yeah, that's fair. I was trying to not think about that myself."
You wince. "Sorry."
She waves you off, shaking her head. "No, no, it's a valid point and one we do need to address. Though I will say I have no idea how."
"Nor do I." you deadpan. "I was kinda hoping you might have some input."
"And yet." Shaw returns, equally deadpan. "Alright. For now, I feel like just rolling with 'carry on as usual' will work - everyone aboard was prepared for a few months lurking out near Neptune being bored out of their skulls, so we haven't been completely dropped in the deep end."
"Only mostly?"
"Only mostly." she agrees, a grim smile forming on her face. "Maybe bounce this off Greene, quiet-like. I sincerely doubt she'll miss a problem like this - you don't hit full-bird Captain without a good bit of situational awareness - so she might have some ideas."
You nod, silently chewing the idea over. Some of the other captains might be thinking on this, as well - though nobody's mentioned it on the Captains' Link yet. "Not a bad idea. In the meantime- hold up." you cut yourself off, noting Reynolds gesturing at you through the glass surrounding the office. Pulling yourself off the deck, you follow Shaw back out onto the bridge. "Mister Reynolds?"
"We just got word from New Horizons." He explains. "They've been trying to spot planets - given we're obviously not too far out from a star-" Entirely true, the local primary's comparable to Sol viewed from Jupiter "-they figured they could check for anything else in-system. They just got a hit - two, actually. Pair of worlds, some ways in-system; within the Goldilocks zone, given the readings we're getting off the star."
"Two planets in the habitable zone?" Shaw queries, arching an eyebrow. "As in, the green zone proper?"
"Aye." your helmsman-slash-comm officer affirms. "Even better - they both orbit a common barycenter, and they're each about point-nine times the size of Earth. If what New Horizons science guy is saying is accurate, they're both around point-nine gees, so density similar to Earth, too."
You consider that, mapping it out in your mind. "I honestly didn't think two same-size bodies were stable like that, not only an AU or so from their primary." you note. "Any indications of life? Given, well." you gesture at the station on the nav display.
He shakes his head. "None they've mentioned, so if it's there, it's being real quiet. They're working on a more detailed analysis now - something about spectroscopy and atmospheres, I didn't catch all of the details."
You eye the system map Reynolds has brought up - the primary and station the only things marked solidly, with the new-found planets indicated by a dot and question mark.
[] Any of the ships present have fuel for the trip to those planets and back a couple times over; suggest to Greene that a hull or two can be detached to go make a more detailed analysis.
[] Wait and see - the station's more pressing right now, even if shedding light on the system as a whole is appealing for later.
"Huh." al Fassi comments quietly. You turn as he brings an image from the drone up on his screen. "Is it me, or does that look a lot like a plasma drive's engine bell?"
You examine the image in question - part of the drifting wreckage in the debris field, it seems. Looking at it unobstructed, it looks, fairly obviously, like a ship - or part of one, at least - and indeed, the clustered quartet of pods at the end look remarkably like the four-pack engine bells on your own vessel. "It does indeed. The geek section on this?"
The sensor officer nods. "Freaking out over it, more like, but yeah. Weirdest thing, though-" he switches to another image "-it looks, from the other end, like the thing was melted. No sign of explosion, and it wasn't cut in half or whatever by collision. Someone cut this thing in half with a laser or something similar."
That is… cause for concern, you note idly. Possibly. If the laser-wielder in question is still around in any capacity, at least.
"Keep at it, for now. Think you can figure out what the hulk used to be? Freighter, tanker, survey ship…?" you inquire. al Fassi considers, eyeing the images.
"Maybe. I'll have a go at it, at least. Here's hoping they lay out ships at least vaguely similar to us."
You nod, pushing off his seat and back to your own. Settling in, you bring up the comm interface and begin composing a message to Captain Greene.
[] What say?
_____________
Marginally less late than before! Maybe. Probably not.
--[X] The floating wreckage should also allow us to obtain material samples for Feldssen without further damaging the station, or accidentally removing something that turns out critical later on, however unlikely.
"al Fassi," you inquire, "Think you can get a survey probe into that debris field and retrieve some material samples? And maybe get a good scan of the larger objects while you're there?"
Your systems officer scans the display briefly, nodding. "Aye, can do. Launching probe now. How detailed do you want those object scans?"
You wave your hand in a 'so-so' manner. "Not necessarily micrometric precision, but enough that the geek squad has something to chew on. See if there's any EM emissions, too - I doubt it, but there's enough crap surrounding those objects if they are emitting we might miss it from here."
al Fassi nods, setting to work navigating the probe; casting a Look at Shaw, you push off from your chair, drifting into the captain's office. Maglocking yourself to the deck, you close the door behind Shaw, who opts to float in place with a hand on the desk. "What's up?"
You half-grin, bringing up a holo of the derelict station - mostly for distraction. "We're on the far side of the universe or somesuch, poking an abandoned, possibly alien, space station that somehow has recognizable numerals on it and may, or may not, be a bunch of FTL jump-gates tacked together. While I'm sure I - and most of the geek squad - could lose ourselves in studying the thing for ages, it does occur that most people might start having issues with the 'stuck an unknown distance from home with an uncertain means of returning' thing."
Shaw blinks, apparently processing that statement. Exhaling slowly, she pulls herself into the chair across from you and buckles in. "Alright. Yeah, that's fair. I was trying to not think about that myself."
You wince. "Sorry."
She waves you off, shaking her head. "No, no, it's a valid point and one we do need to address. Though I will say I have no idea how."
"Nor do I." you deadpan. "I was kinda hoping you might have some input."
"And yet." Shaw returns, equally deadpan. "Alright. For now, I feel like just rolling with 'carry on as usual' will work - everyone aboard was prepared for a few months lurking out near Neptune being bored out of their skulls, so we haven't been completely dropped in the deep end."
"Only mostly?"
"Only mostly." she agrees, a grim smile forming on her face. "Maybe bounce this off Greene, quiet-like. I sincerely doubt she'll miss a problem like this - you don't hit full-bird Captain without a good bit of situational awareness - so she might have some ideas."
You nod, silently chewing the idea over. Some of the other captains might be thinking on this, as well - though nobody's mentioned it on the Captains' Link yet. "Not a bad idea. In the meantime- hold up." you cut yourself off, noting Reynolds gesturing at you through the glass surrounding the office. Pulling yourself off the deck, you follow Shaw back out onto the bridge. "Mister Reynolds?"
"We just got word from New Horizons." He explains. "They've been trying to spot planets - given we're obviously not too far out from a star-" Entirely true, the local primary's comparable to Sol viewed from Jupiter "-they figured they could check for anything else in-system. They just got a hit - two, actually. Pair of worlds, some ways in-system; within the Goldilocks zone, given the readings we're getting off the star."
"Two planets in the habitable zone?" Shaw queries, arching an eyebrow. "As in, the green zone proper?"
"Aye." your helmsman-slash-comm officer affirms. "Even better - they both orbit a common barycenter, and they're each about point-nine times the size of Earth. If what New Horizons science guy is saying is accurate, they're both around point-nine gees, so density similar to Earth, too."
You consider that, mapping it out in your mind. "I honestly didn't think two same-size bodies were stable like that, not only an AU or so from their primary." you note. "Any indications of life? Given, well." you gesture at the station on the nav display.
He shakes his head. "None they've mentioned, so if it's there, it's being real quiet. They're working on a more detailed analysis now - something about spectroscopy and atmospheres, I didn't catch all of the details."
You eye the system map Reynolds has brought up - the primary and station the only things marked solidly, with the new-found planets indicated by a dot and question mark.
[] Any of the ships present have fuel for the trip to those planets and back a couple times over; suggest to Greene that a hull or two can be detached to go make a more detailed analysis.
[] Wait and see - the station's more pressing right now, even if shedding light on the system as a whole is appealing for later.
"Huh." al Fassi comments quietly. You turn as he brings an image from the drone up on his screen. "Is it me, or does that look a lot like a plasma drive's engine bell?"
You examine the image in question - part of the drifting wreckage in the debris field, it seems. Looking at it unobstructed, it looks, fairly obviously, like a ship - or part of one, at least - and indeed, the clustered quartet of pods at the end look remarkably like the four-pack engine bells on your own vessel. "It does indeed. The geek section on this?"
The sensor officer nods. "Freaking out over it, more like, but yeah. Weirdest thing, though-" he switches to another image "-it looks, from the other end, like the thing was melted. No sign of explosion, and it wasn't cut in half or whatever by collision. Someone cut this thing in half with a laser or something similar."
That is… cause for concern, you note idly. Possibly. If the laser-wielder in question is still around in any capacity, at least.
"Keep at it, for now. Think you can figure out what the hulk used to be? Freighter, tanker, survey ship…?" you inquire. al Fassi considers, eyeing the images.
"Maybe. I'll have a go at it, at least. Here's hoping they lay out ships at least vaguely similar to us."
You nod, pushing off his seat and back to your own. Settling in, you bring up the comm interface and begin composing a message to Captain Greene.
[] What say?
_____________
Marginally less late than before! Maybe. Probably not.