Della
Inactive Member
With a whizzing, shaking sound, the small team of three shuttles shifted out of Distortion Drive and back into normal space.
Of course, thanks to the peculiar properties of space, the noise could be heard only inside the crafts.
The angular profile of the Claw Nebula loomed in the starlit background. It was an impressive sight, but unfortunately it didn't look like a claw at all from that angle.
Ring was disappointed. "Just who called it "Claw Nebula", anyway?" He wondered aloud.
Tall and wiry, white-skinned and white-haired, Starwalker Ring Two Five 25-5272-2223 was one of the six 'spacers on the three-craft recon patrol into the far galactic north.
Not exactly unexplored space (the Fleets "Resplendent Brilliance of Heaven", "Grey Wing" and "Everlasting Story" had already crossed that space 121 years ago, and the spot commonly known as the "Pirate's Cove", nested deep in the middle of the nebula, was a well-known, if seldom used, hiding place), but no one had been there in a long time.
So, in anticipation of the exodus of the Free State towards the galactic north in order to leave the Genocide (and Yamatai) behind, many scouts were being dispatched by the Fleets.
Mostly small missions. Traveller-class shuttles, refitted with better FTL drives and improved sensor and communication suites. In this case, three Travellers staffed by two crewmen each.
The other crewmen on the "Chance and Luck" answered him, matter-of-factly: "It's like a claw only if you look at it from galactic south and are about two lightyears above the galactic plane."
Stargazer Alkaid Zero Five 05-5255-8877, a light-framed, slender Type Two, blinked at him with his backlit blue eye-sensors.
Ring smiled, a bit forcedly. He didn't expect an answer, but he was used to Alkaid's diligence and seriousness. They had been friends for a very long time, almost three years, after all.
Ring sinked a bit deeper in the connection niche, relaxing his body as he let more and more of his mind flow into the cramped shuttle's circuits, into its powerful sensors, and, from there, into the wide, silent space.
The Claw Nebula blocked most of the radio noise from the south, years-old transmission limited by the speed of light, that reached them only now. There was nothing else. Just him, the other two scout shuttles of his team and the feeling of nothingness for several light-years, in all directions. And, in a small corner in the back of his head, the comforting, neverending stream of data of Polysentience.
He floated around for what felt to him like an eternity. Then, a small, distant sound-like feeling woke up his consciousness.
"...hoy, Alkaid."
"I heard it, Ring." The Type Two replied, simply. "The Wave Coupler's listening mode picked up something."
"A signal from there..." He gazed out of the narrow window, into the nebula, with a clear mental map of the surrounding space. "Not one of ours." It was pretty obvious, but he felt the need to say it aloud anyway. With a mental command, he flashed the news to the other two crafts via laser communication.
For a moment, idly, he wondered: was it a trap? Maybe the Fascists were still trying to destroy them, even so far from their borders. But then he dropped the thought with a smile: Yamatai never used traps. They weren't smart enough, by a long shot. If they wanted to destroy them, they'd just make a number of ship so ridiculous that he'd need to use exponential notation to express it appear and open fire against everyone and anything.
"Let's spread out." He agreed with the other crews. "It could just be a freak signal from New Nep reflected by the Nebula at an odd angle. Shift into the usual formation and let's triangulate it. Yeah, report exchange in one minute. We'll take point. If it's bad news, engage ECM and head for Port Hope at max speed using the safe route while we hold them up."
He gazed with his mind's eye at the coherent beam laser that the Traveller mounted. It wasn't even a weapon, just a welding and cutting tool. Not much useful in combat.
"You've become paranoid lately." Noted Alkaid in his usual, tranquil tone of voice, peering into his thoughts.
He grinned. "You know why." There was no need to talk about that. They both knew why. Heck, everyone knew why.
The rest of the minute passed by silently and quickly. Then, the other two shuttles reported in.
"We've got coordinates." Ring nodded to himself, raising himself a bit from the niche in the metallic wall. "It's... close. 0.24 light years."
"We can get there in a bit less than two hours and see if there's still something." Replied his comrade, powering up the Traveller's Distortion Drive.
A moment later, the Chance and Luck was darting towards the faint radio signal, at the modest speed of 1000c.
Of course, thanks to the peculiar properties of space, the noise could be heard only inside the crafts.
The angular profile of the Claw Nebula loomed in the starlit background. It was an impressive sight, but unfortunately it didn't look like a claw at all from that angle.
Ring was disappointed. "Just who called it "Claw Nebula", anyway?" He wondered aloud.
Tall and wiry, white-skinned and white-haired, Starwalker Ring Two Five 25-5272-2223 was one of the six 'spacers on the three-craft recon patrol into the far galactic north.
Not exactly unexplored space (the Fleets "Resplendent Brilliance of Heaven", "Grey Wing" and "Everlasting Story" had already crossed that space 121 years ago, and the spot commonly known as the "Pirate's Cove", nested deep in the middle of the nebula, was a well-known, if seldom used, hiding place), but no one had been there in a long time.
So, in anticipation of the exodus of the Free State towards the galactic north in order to leave the Genocide (and Yamatai) behind, many scouts were being dispatched by the Fleets.
Mostly small missions. Traveller-class shuttles, refitted with better FTL drives and improved sensor and communication suites. In this case, three Travellers staffed by two crewmen each.
The other crewmen on the "Chance and Luck" answered him, matter-of-factly: "It's like a claw only if you look at it from galactic south and are about two lightyears above the galactic plane."
Stargazer Alkaid Zero Five 05-5255-8877, a light-framed, slender Type Two, blinked at him with his backlit blue eye-sensors.
Ring smiled, a bit forcedly. He didn't expect an answer, but he was used to Alkaid's diligence and seriousness. They had been friends for a very long time, almost three years, after all.
Ring sinked a bit deeper in the connection niche, relaxing his body as he let more and more of his mind flow into the cramped shuttle's circuits, into its powerful sensors, and, from there, into the wide, silent space.
The Claw Nebula blocked most of the radio noise from the south, years-old transmission limited by the speed of light, that reached them only now. There was nothing else. Just him, the other two scout shuttles of his team and the feeling of nothingness for several light-years, in all directions. And, in a small corner in the back of his head, the comforting, neverending stream of data of Polysentience.
He floated around for what felt to him like an eternity. Then, a small, distant sound-like feeling woke up his consciousness.
"...hoy, Alkaid."
"I heard it, Ring." The Type Two replied, simply. "The Wave Coupler's listening mode picked up something."
"A signal from there..." He gazed out of the narrow window, into the nebula, with a clear mental map of the surrounding space. "Not one of ours." It was pretty obvious, but he felt the need to say it aloud anyway. With a mental command, he flashed the news to the other two crafts via laser communication.
For a moment, idly, he wondered: was it a trap? Maybe the Fascists were still trying to destroy them, even so far from their borders. But then he dropped the thought with a smile: Yamatai never used traps. They weren't smart enough, by a long shot. If they wanted to destroy them, they'd just make a number of ship so ridiculous that he'd need to use exponential notation to express it appear and open fire against everyone and anything.
"Let's spread out." He agreed with the other crews. "It could just be a freak signal from New Nep reflected by the Nebula at an odd angle. Shift into the usual formation and let's triangulate it. Yeah, report exchange in one minute. We'll take point. If it's bad news, engage ECM and head for Port Hope at max speed using the safe route while we hold them up."
He gazed with his mind's eye at the coherent beam laser that the Traveller mounted. It wasn't even a weapon, just a welding and cutting tool. Not much useful in combat.
"You've become paranoid lately." Noted Alkaid in his usual, tranquil tone of voice, peering into his thoughts.
He grinned. "You know why." There was no need to talk about that. They both knew why. Heck, everyone knew why.
The rest of the minute passed by silently and quickly. Then, the other two shuttles reported in.
"We've got coordinates." Ring nodded to himself, raising himself a bit from the niche in the metallic wall. "It's... close. 0.24 light years."
"We can get there in a bit less than two hours and see if there's still something." Replied his comrade, powering up the Traveller's Distortion Drive.
A moment later, the Chance and Luck was darting towards the faint radio signal, at the modest speed of 1000c.