Re: IC: Inbound Espiaux Day 364-5741 to 002-5742
In reply to Jacques Keveloh (msg #2):
In response to Jack's suggestion, Lafleur nods sagely. There is a pregnant pause before he responds, but he eventually opines, "If anyone is hoping to intercept us on the way, hopefully this ship's higher thrust rating will throw their vectors off and put them in a tail chase. It's probably worth risking being further away from the Pathfinder ship to do that."
After a second he adds, "I'd feel better getting in range of the Navy ships at the Boxes as quickly as possible. A cruiser or a big SDB would be a lot more help if we need it than a little Pathfinder courier."
One hour, forty three minutes, and fifty odd seconds later, Gypsy Moth melts out of jumpspace like water vapour sublimating in a vacuum. The transition is so smooth Jack and Danica have to double-check their instruments before they believe the ship has actually precipitated. There was virtually none of the jolt or momentary nausea so common to jumpspace exits, especially for multi-parsec jumps. Jack is momentarily flush as he realizes he was responsible for a large part of this achievement, though Prisa and the craftsmen who designed and built the Moth also deserve no small measure of praise.
There is a short delay as the ship's navigation and sensor systems come online and orient themselves. The computer confirms that although, several hundred light hours away, the relatively dim visible light from Espiaux's primary is undetectable, it's strong infrared emissions* are exactly where they should be.
*OOC: Thera, that's for you ;)
A little over nine hundred million kilometers away, a tiny speck called Largen System Orbital Station Two should be proceeding inoxerably along its nine thousand year orbital path.
Gypsy Moth has not begun transmitting any active sensor, transponder, or communications signals. Given the distance and smoothness of jump exit, it is questionable whether her arrival in system will be noticed until she announces her presence or comes significantly closer to the Boxes.
One-way comms delay to the Boxes is roughly fifty minutes. Transit time at 3G is slightly under 98 hours.
There is no sign of Express yet, but she may have not precipitated yet, or may simply be beyond Gypsy Moth's sensor range.
At present the Moth hangs, an object in space.**
** OOC: Gratuitous Firefly reference.
OOC: PS, It's good to be back. :)