GM fiat - Kebbit's character now named Elephant.

j/k



Medbay (Ryker)

Ryker: 7=7

The medbay is actually in pretty good condition. It seems the various medicines and whatnot survived the jump, though the more delicate electrical systems on the really high-end hardware burnt out.



Wandering (Trel)

The ship is eeriely quiet as you pace the halls, save for occasional creaks of stress. Normally Sully would be playing some music from centuries ago over the intercom, but not today.

Eventually, you come to the observation lounge -- which is somehow intact. Well, mostly intact. The room is a mess, and one of the tables has been knocked over, but the reinforced, double-layered glass that stands between you and the void is untouched.

You can just about make out the debris field ahead, vast chunks of twisted metal floating lazily in the void, orbiting a orange-y yellow gas giant far off to port, the sort of gas giant that could pass itself off as Jupiter's half-brother. All the other planets are indistinct specks, though.



Probe Bay (Hierophant, Ralph, Jones)

You disassemble the existing probes, then commence reassembly. Sure enough, you're able to make one fully functional probe, and a fuelcell/thruster assembly that needs a guidance system and a payload.

"Sara, can you compare one of the probes sensor packages to our long range one? Could we use the spare sensor pack to fix long range sensors?"

"Also, got any info about these fuel cells and the ship's fuel?"

Like any good ship's computer/AI, SARA can hear and see everything that happens aboard the ship. There's a soft *ping* from a wall-mounted speaker before she begins speaking;

"The Mark V Survey Probe is primarily designed for detailed planetary scanning. Whilst its sensor package has a fairly high resolution, it has a very very narrow scanning band - both in terms of area and spectrum - thanks to its specialized antennae. It would also lack a number of vital features and routines used in the LRS Array. Even if it worked, the LRS would be limited to getting information about planets. Identifying ships or orbital platforms would be difficult guesswork, even for myself."

"As for fuel systems, the Pioneer Mark III's primary power core runs off Compressed Fusion Coil Batteries. Our running time, bar vital supplies like food, water, and so on, is effectively unlimited. We also have deployable solar arrays. In comparison, the Mark V Probe runs on a fairly conventional chemical fuel cell. Apart from the armoured casing and the efficiency/burn rate of the thrust module, it's not especially different from standard Terran Alliance Navy torpedoes, though I'm sure you gathered that from the general design of the probe bay already."

"99 shots of stim on the wall, 99 shots of sttttiiiiiimmmm!!!"

Patiently continue piloting the ship, keep an eye out for stray debris, or strange system errors/readings.

Finally. :b



Bridge (Ralph, Nixie, Sully)

The flight is long, and boring. No surprise there, what with the STL engines in poor condition. All the consoles up here seem to be in relatively good order, and fiddling with them whilst they're in use is probably a bad idea.

Fortunately, the flight does not take too much longer. The field ahead is large. Very large. There must be at least a dozen largely-intact hulks here, and the remains of another two dozen ships.

Many of them look like warships, although not built by any faction or company any of you are familiar with.

"Moving to safe position outside debris field and standing by. Orders, Captain?"

"Guess now we get to start picking over the trash. Who's up for some EVA?"



Cargo Hold, Fore (Hierophant)

The Pioneer Mark III's cargo hold is split into three compartments - fore, center, and aft. The center and aft compartments are currently sealed off due to depressurization, but fortunately the fore compartment is the one that contained most of the food supplies.

Taking into account the supplies here, you estimate the crew has perhaps two weeks to find another source of food. Nevermind the other repairs that are needed.



Probe Bay (Jones)

One or two fuel cells, sadly, aren't going to make for a particularly impressive explosion... not with the fuel used for these probes.



Medical (Ryker)

The Pioneer Mark III has robust and reliable medical equipment designed to take a beating and still be able to fix people up, at least to stabilize them. Most of it still seems to be in functional condition, though none of it is particularly advanced.

Looks like you'd have to do surgery the old-fashioned way. Well, old-fashioned compared to some of the Alliance's best hospitals at least.



Observation (Trel)

Tidy tidy tidy. As the debris field draws closer, the ship slows, and you can start to make out some of the chunks of debris more clearly... but they don't look like any ship you've ever seen, either.

EVA tiiiiiiime~

But first, a musical interlude!



Starboard Airlock (Ralph, Hierophant, Rixie, Jones)

Suiting up is annoying, but modern Terran Alliance spacesuits aren't too hard to use and are fairly comfortable. You have microthrusters dotted across the suit for tetherless maneuvering, an autostabilizer that kicks in if it detects you're out of control, a navigation system, magnetic boots, and an air-recycling system.

Although Hierophant doesn't get one, for obvious reasons.

Ralph takes a yellow-trimmed suit, Rixie a red-trimmed suit, and Jones a green-trimmed suit, so you can all identify each other easily.

As you finish suiting up, SARA's voice hums over the intercom;

"I am unable to get a fix on the transponder of the nearest vessel and thus cannot retrieve any potential registry information, but I have marked its location on your suit navigation system. The vessel appears to be mostly intact, so it should have a flight recorder or similar we can use to get an idea of where we are. Hierophant will be acting as a remote link during this mission, and its presence will hopefully allow me to access the ship's computer systems-- if they are still functional."

"If you are ready, I will initiate the airlock cycling sequence remotely."



Observation Lounge (Trel)

Clean and tidy at last. Turning your attention to the debris field ahead again, you can't help but wonder... what conflict is this a remnant of?



Ryker's Quarters (Ryker)

By some bloody miracle, it survived. Here's to med-school buddies.