"Don't matter to me," Kaengarr replied to Walter, "but who's going to patch you up if you get hurt, hey?"

"So, what's the plan? Touch the ship down on the underside, and then we exit through the back of the ship? Or do you want to hover the ship and we jump?"

He wasn't directing the comment to anyone in particular, but figured Pablo, Vonon or the Count might have an opinion. His own preference was for a touch-down, but he also understood the dangers of that.

In reply to Kaengarr Ruzokh (msg # 49):

"The Great and Powerful Pilot will amaze us all by avoiding that tumbling objects efforts to smack the ship like a cricket ball..." Vonon answered "placing us in a hover a few meters above the base of the object, where we will then drop a handful of our mining drones down to search for anomalies like venting gasses, gravitic displacement, magnetic fluctuations, or even micro-fractures that might indicate door seals - anything that might be a way to get through that neutronium hull."

"Or, at least, I thought that was the plan. You guys want to drop down and follow the drones while they search?"

"The great and powerful pilot does not appreciate wise cracks at this time" Sam muttered, as she tried to plot the course. Speaking up she added "I would suggest drones first, then the guys jump after. Drones are more expendable than people, generally. Though it does depend on the person..."

ooc

Assuming there may be some modifiers based on rolls by others, but heres these just in case

08:31, Today: Samantha Kilgore rolled 12 using 2d6+3 with rolls of 4,5.  Plotting approach. Int 1 Pilot 2.

08:31, Today: Samantha Kilgore rolled 9 using 2d6+3 with rolls of 1,5.  Piloting in Pilot 2 Dex 1

As it turns out, the irregular tumbling of the pyramid only looked irregular due to the unusual shape. Once the computer analyzes the tumble, it is able to determine the pattern. The only way to land the ship on it, or even match the tumble, is to put the ship into a flight path that matches the tumble pattern.

It's probably better for Samantha to do the piloting manually, rather than the computer, because, although there does not appear to be any reason for the tumble to suddenly change, the computer piloting program might not be able to react fast enough to adjust.

Fortunately, the erratic flight path that the ship has to fly doesn't have any point of reference other than the pyramid, so no one is apt to get sick. Nor is the twists and turns so radical that the inertial compensators can't handle it.

Sam is able to slowly match the ship's path to the tumble while maintaining a safe distance, and then, once matched, just as slowly edge the ship in closer.

Sam maneovered the Long SHot in, and set it to hover, and sat back keeping an eye on the readouts.

"You know, before we start clambering all over this, maybe we should try hailing it, there might be someone on board. And they might not be happy if we start crawling all over their ship..."

ooc
I did a quick check on the thread, but don't think anyone tried hailing? Or did I miss it?

In reply to Samantha Kilgore (msg # 53):

OOC: You missed it. We tried regular radio, microwave comm, and modulated laser beams - and that was after we'd bounced every single one of our various scanners and sensors off the thing.

It remained unresponsive.

The only thing we didn't do was actually shoot at it; our sensors say we can't scratch it.

"How could anything be alive on that thing after it has floted through dark space for who knows how long."

Actually, can you calculate that? Based on its current vector where did it come from and how long it has been floating?

Anyway before we drop down onto it we have to find anything worth investigating first. Is there a hatch somewhere? And we best drop some of the drones onto it first to see what happens.

Once the Long Shot is in position about 3 meters off of the base, Sam can put it in 'hover' mode as the gravity is strong enough to hold the ship.


Vonon can now deploy the drones.

"Unless the builders of this pyramid are far more advanced than us," Jones offers, "there has to be a way to get into it. There aren't any seams along the corners, so I'm guessing there's a bonded hatch. Probably operates via magnetics. Won't know until the drones land and run their sensors."

He was of a mixed mind whether it was worth investigating, or if it should be given a wide berth.

While he thought it was strange that they just happened to 'fly by' as it was passing through their flight path, but realized that the so-called 'flight path' was fairly wide. Other ships might have just missed the pyramid.

And it had to be a ship of some kind.

"Until we know what it is, we have no way of determining where it came from," he told the others. "If it's a ship, it could have been on this tumbling course for anywhere from a day to a year, maybe even longer. It's the short end of that time span that has me worried."

In reply to Gregory Jones (msg # 57):

Vonon takes a deep, calming breath as he calls up a command board for the mining drones.

"Okay. I can do this. Just like in the tutorials..."

Vonon activates 10 of the mining drones. The first thing he does is download to all of them the properties of the pyramids hullmetal - which the Crew has been calling Neutronium - that the Longshots sensors have collected. Then he programs them to search for anything but that material.

Then he instructs them to follow the standard prospecting/search parameters for finding minable materials. He expands those parameters to include searching for gas out-venting, as well as all the standard atmospheric-type gasses (or their frozen forms). The drones are to report any magnetic, electrical or gravitic anomalies they encounter, which will be mapped by the ship-board computer. And finally, if the little drones determine a greater than ten-percent need, they are authorized to perform geological soundings.

The drones are dropped onto the pyramid's base and immediately spread out in a standard geological mapping pattern. It doesn't take long for them to cover the entire base because there is nothing detectable... no surface variations down to the molecular level, no penetration of the hull...

But, they do detect a powerful though narrow magnetic field, which, after mapping, appears as a large rectangle in the middle of the base. It is obviously some sort of magnetic 'seam', though the nature of it is still a mystery.

The lead drone, so designated only because it was the first one to pick up the magnetic field, deploys its magnetic probe in an attempt to attract the detected 'ore'. Almost immediately, the seam starts to open. It's as if the metal just melts apart.

Once started, though, the seam keeps going! The drone doesn't have to completely trace the seam the whole way around.

The other drones detect an increase in the magnetic field, though.

It isn't until the entire seam is exposed that the center section of metal suddenly... disappears!

Fortunately, none of the drones are in the center area, so they don't fall into the pyramid's interior.

What can now be seen is some sort of hangar bay. And you are looking down at the top of a scout ship.

In reply to StarMaster (msg # 59):

OOC: A "Scout Ship"? Y'mean, like, the classic flying-wedge of the IISS, a Suleiman-class?

The very same. It even looks like an IISS ship.

"What do you mean there is a imperial ship in there? Is this some sort of military base? Considering that we have not been shot down yet I guess not. So what do the laws say about salvage in deep space?

Anyway I suggest we go over and take a look at the ship and maybe steer it out of that thing. Its logs can hopefully tell us more.
At least we know how that ship works, compared to the pyramid."

Sharik watched the screen with rather rapt attention, craning her neck around the station console to get a slightly better view.  The peeling open of the skin was pretty cool.  But, when the internal chamber revealed itself, there was a sharp intake of breath and her eyes narrowed at what was seemingly contained within.  It took her a few moments to process what looked to be an IISS Type S scout ship contained within.

It wasn't what she expected to see inside.  Hell, she didn't know what to expect, but it definitely wasn't an Imperial ship.  "This isn't like any Impy base that I have ever seen..." Sharik answered to Khea's query.  And the Longshot's navigator had had stints in two different Imperial Services to boot.

"Two things, Vo." the diminutive navigator mused aloud, "Can we get a sensor sweep of that - to verify what it is?  And not a projection of some sort?"  Admittedly, Shar actually hoped that it wasn't what it was, as that could open a whole can of worms.  "And," she added after another momentary pause, "What are the ident markings on it?  Can we see anything that might help us identify the thing?"  Anything from IISS markings to a name could give information on the last scout to use the thing and well as a berthing and operational dates.

"I can help with sensor analysis, if you like..." the auburn-haired ex-operative offered, though she was well aware that her vargr friend was more than competent in that regard.  Still, it was a chance to get up close and personal with imaging and raw data.  So, there was little downside to her in making the offer.

In reply to Sharik Kaagira (msg # 63):

"Huh?" Vonon responds intelligently to Sharik, "Oh, right, that's me!"

Vonon turns all available sensors towards the opening in the vessel - he makes scans of the Scout Ship, as well as scans of everything and anything he can detect within the ship bay.  He even tries to perform a deep scan into the strange vessel.

---

OOC:
Vonon Ronkunu rolled a 9 for a Sensors (INT) skill check ((roll 1 + roll 6 + Sensors 1 + INT 1 = 9

Using the data collected from Vonon, Sir Walter looked through the ships database for information on the Scout vessel to see if there was anything known about it.

search database 9

Sam turned to Sharik "Youre assuming the Scout is here by choice. It might have been captured."

She let that sink in before swinging back round to her console and began to set up a computer routine that would automatically take the Long Shot on an evasive maneouvre sequence away from the pyramid as defined by sensor info, and towards the jump limit. She would pilot if able, this was a fall back in case she was unavailable.

ooc
Not sure what rolls that would involve, but guessing Pilot (to come up with evasion plan) and Computers to program it in.

12:08, Today: Samantha Kilgore rolled 12 using 2d6+3 with rolls of 6,3.  Evasion Plan Pilot 2 Int 1.

12:08, Today: Samantha Kilgore rolled 7 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 5,1.  Programming evasion plan in Int 1 COmputers 0.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:29, Mon 24 July 2017.

Khea paces up and down the airlock like an uspecified caged animal until after nearly a minute she can't keep calm any more and storms out of the airlock towards the bridge, only stopping to slam her hand onto the next communication console. "What is that status? Did anything else happen? This got to be a trap." and then continuing to the bridge without waiting for an answer.

Sam didn't look up from her console, but asked Vonun "I assume your scanning for life signs as well. Could be someone on the Scout, or this ship. Or Some Thing."

Walter finds some information in the database on the Suleiman-Class/Type S IISS Elusive, ID# S-446-50508... it was commissioned in 945, retired into the Reserve Fleet in 1100, most recently on loan to Serge Baklanov, currently 3 weeks overdue.


Vonon had been scanning for life forms, but nothing registered from within the ship... until the hatch opened. At first, Vonon only detected a faint life sign, not even sure if it was real or possibly just a sensor echo because of the material of the ship. All of a sudden, he got a strong positive reading... from the Scout ship.


Samantha has no problem putting together an escape plot now that the sensors identified the tumble as not as random as it appeared. An evasive course is a whole 'nother problem, at least initially, as it has to get away quick while avoiding getting clipped by the spinning pyramid. Plus, without knowing where the pyramid's weapons might be deployed, it's a bit of a crap shoot. The best she can do is plot the course that keeps the ship along one of the edges.

In reply to StarMaster (msg # 69):

"People, I got life signs on the scout." Vonon says, focusing a few more sensors on the imperial craft, "Power levels are low, but steady. That's an active craft, over there, even if it's not take-off ready."

Vonon turns to look back at the rest of the Crew, "Initial scans registering a life form - I think it's just one being - within parameters for Human-type. I'm refining the scans, but ... maybe we should hail whoever is over there?"

Vonon turns back to the sensor board as a thought crosses his mind, and he checks the drone telemetry. Finding the data he wants, he records it to the main database.

In reply to Vonon Ronkunu (msg # 70):

RADIO TRANSMISSION
"This is IISS "Elusive", Signal GK! I repeat, this is IISS "Elusive", Signal GK! Over"
TRANSMISSION ENDS
This message was last edited by the player at 10:53, Thu 27 July 2017.

"I tell you this is a trap" Khea repeats panting when she finally managed to arrive at the bridge in her ungainly vacc suit.

She walks over the Vonons station and leans on the back of his chair to recover and also to look over his shoulder at the screen.
When she recovered a bit she start scratching her forehead, hard enough to have some fur all out, and returns to a calmer, more calculating voice. "And if it is not they would own the salvage rights?. Looking expectingly at Vonon she adds "Could we take this ship out if we have to?"

In reply to Kheaiftouaw (msg # 72):

"Take it out? While it's just sitting there? Sure." Vonon answers Khea, pointing at the sensor board in front of him, "I activate this circuit, send targeting data to the turrets, unlock the weapon power feeds, then order Pablo and Kaengarr to open fire. We dump enough laser energy onto that thing to melt it to slag - although, at the moment, only the ventral turret has a direct line of fire. We'd need to re-orient the ship to allow both turrets to fire."

"But, why? That's an Imperial Scout over there. My scan of the transponder confirms that. And even though we just got a radio transmission, that ship is still running in low-power standby mode. It's no threat to us, right now."

"As for any salvage claim that crew over there may have, well, I'm more up on Asteroid Claims Law than Free Space Salvage, but I believe there are similarities. Uh...if I remember correctly, because there is an active crew aboard the Scout, we can't claim it as salvage unless the crew aboard it declares an emergency and that they can no longer control the vessel."

"I'm pretty sure the salvage rules for the big pyramid are similar; those guys found it first, but if they are unable to maintain control sufficient to exploit the find, they lose their claim.  So, if the Scout Ship is dead and unrepairable, we're golden. If the Scout is damaged, but repairable, we might be able to make a deal with them. But if that Scout is fully functional, we got nothing."

"Now, he just sent a Signal GK, so we might have some options."

Vonon looks away from Khea, leaning in his chair to look around her at Darrel, "But I'm just the Sensor Op, not the Comm Tech, so it's not my job to respond to their hail...Captain."