"They would, and say we never arrived because we'd be gone." Horace says to Heather in deep silent contemplation.

Back on the Albatross, Alwin and one of Magda Simikos's assistants watch the flareup in electronic activity on the alien ship, recorded by sensors on board the Albatross.

There is a moment of fear: is it about to attack?

But the assistant, a computer learning expert named Hannah Tekehu, is certain it is not a threat.

"It's internal only.  It's processing data.  Nothing anything like Carinan fire control signals."

Since the later 20th century scientists and engineers have known that any computer operations, whether designed to be externally transmitted or not, can be detected through changes in the electromagnetic fields.  Military and government systems have all been shielded since then, so these inadvertent signals cannot be detected.*

At some point in their long history, Carinans learned the same thing, and took the same precautions.  This is why Hannah knows that normally, no one detects internal Carinan electronic signals.  No one, ever.

She starts pushing buttons on the Albatross.  "We have to record every bit of this, this is a breakthrough!"

And then adds, to reassure the "away team":  "It's definitely not weapons control."

The damaged hulk of Carinan spacecraft is nearer.  For a ship that is not supposed to make landings it looks rather good.  But that's because generally, ships that are not supposed to make landings look like craters after they try.  This landing was exceptionally skillful.

Although... the ship landed cargo hold side up.  According to the schematics they saw back on the Albatross, the Carinan ship has a cargo hold, because it is used to something very similar to what the salvagers do to Carinans: return components for study.  The cargo hold doors are shut, and secure.  Carinan ships are built tough; even though this one is not meant to land, it is meant to travel thousands of light years in space, and endure space battles with powerful weapons.  It is not weak.

Even so, crash landing is rough.  The cargo handling arms that would have served the cargo hold are burned away.  And on the underside of the ship, the bulk of the vessel's firepower has probably been scraped down to dust.

"You know this thing doesn't have a crew, right?" Astrid says.  "It's not going to have air locks or entry ports.  We might have to cut or blow something to open it up.  Everyone okay with that?"


*This is true.  In the West this is called Tempest Shielding.  Spooky spy stuff.

"Roger that" Horace says to Astrid! Getting in and out was going to be the problem

In reply to Horace Wymp (msg # 27):

"You got the cutting torch to get in Boris? What are we after? Artifacts and records? No room for the whole ship. Carinians?"

Einar tried to figure a way to get a little closer to the salvage site if he could. He monitored the sensors with the others but kept his eye out.

"We'll leave the cargo door open for easy ingress and egress, but lets keep an eye out for trouble that way and keep a guard on duty there."

When they got to the ship, Horace helped Boris to get the torch ready to cut a hole in the side so they would have access to the inside.

"Everyone keep your eyes open for trouble including the remote possibility of sinking. It looks reasonably solid. Firearms ready for survivors, we'll take prisoners if we can but we probably can't. They are machines."

"Keep an eye out for computers, comm ports and connections for remote devices. Bodies, computers, cargo, everything we can carry is a legitimate target for us."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:27, Thu 13 Aug 2020.

"Given the fact they like to commit genocide on all biological life they encounter something tells me that prisoners aren't a likely outcome of any interactions. This whole thing is strange though so who knows," Heather said as they came to a stop at the ship.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:15, Thu 13 Aug 2020.

In reply to Heather MacKenzie (msg # 31):

"Hehe, yup, they'll try to take us with them. Keep behind me if you can."
This message was last edited by the player at 11:29, Fri 14 Aug 2020.

"We thought we might have big pieces to haul on board," Boris says.  "We have winch, and cable.  I wonder if we have enough cable... but the whole thing is too big to fit.  At least easy to drag on slush."

He surveys the hull, as do the others.

"It's made for survival and fighting in space," Astrid says.  "Tough stuff.  We could spend a day cutting a hole in it with a portable torch.  If we had a combat laser on the ship..."

She looks back towards the Albatross.  Then shakes her head.  "Of course that could just blow it up, we don't know what condition its in.  It's still transmitting..."

Another long, appraising look at the alien ship.

"Guns and antennas down there, crushed... cargo bay side up... but it was a controlled descent.  Was that a choice?  Why would it do that?"

“There May have been some kind of self-preservation at work here but, even with that, I doubt they would want other races to get a hand on their weapons or communication-both of which could be used against them.” Heather replied. “It makes the most sense to me.”

In reply to Heather MacKenzie (msg # 34):

"You're probably right, They may be robots, but they try to preserve themselves in a unique way."

"Getting into their comms would be a godsend I think, if they were humanoid they would be anyway."

“We don’t even know what type of computer systems they use. Quantum computing? Whatever programming language they use is likely to be very alien to us. If we can get into their systems and get an idea of their language that would be a massive step toward for us.”

"The portable torch work for getting through the hull Boris, or do we need something connected to the Albatross?"

"Well, if we recover their computers Heather, It WILL be a giant step forward. You could be famous!" he said with a grin!

I smile at the idea. “If we get an intact computer and I can find something to establish a linguistic basis which I can expand upon we may well crack their comms.”

"I don't know if it will cut," Boris says.  "Most of the time these things are already pretty badly damaged."

"It's damaged on the side that hit the ground," Astrid points out.

"I can't crawl under it," Boris says.

"No, but the damage must extend up from that.  Fractures, stress lines..."

Boris nods.  Then says,  "Or we try for the cargo hatch on top.  It's made for opening, there must be a lock of some kind.  We can probably cut the locks faster than making a door through undamaged hull."

He looks around.

"So, from top or bottom?  Does it make a difference?"

"You're the salvage experts! Cargo hatch makes sense, let's do it your way."

Horace, when they get to the tail of the spaceship, jumps over from the boat onto the hull of the craft. He leans back to accept the torch which Boris had so that he could come over, all the while looking for a place or protrusion of metal to tie the airboat up to it.

He then helps anyone else come over that wants to come over. He double checks his hazard suit.

And up goes Boris, becoming the first human to crawl up the side of one of these things landed on a planet.  He passes a scorch mark, with metal melted to the point where it began to foam.

"Laser hit from our frigate, I think!" he announces.  "But at a shallow angle, this one didn't go through the armor.. there's back there..."

He reaches the upper portion.  People instinctively think of the cargo area as "below" and that's still the norm for human ships that offload on a planet's surface, like the Albatross.  But this was built for space.  Top and bottom are really just conveniences.

"No laser damage here," he says.  "They missed the cargo area."

It takes only a few moments to identify the hinges and locks.  In some ways, the technology of different civilizations converged:  the cheapest, strongest, best way to make an airtight hatch was always something hinged.  Sliders were just too complex and fragile, with parts sliding against other parts.  In this, Humans and Carinians agreed.

"It looks like it's made to open in segments.  So we're going to try to get just, now, and see what we've got in their."

They begin cutting their way through the hinge, working carefully as random sparks could penetrate an environmental suit. Boris notes that "spacer workers"- people who work regularly in the vacuum as opposed to those who might have to do it only occasionally-  generally use tough, armored suits. Heavier, but around tools and torches, valuable. When the hinge is burned through, they attack the bolts, one by one.  Finally...

"Okay, now we pull door off," Boris says.  "Then one of us gets to be historic, going inside first."

Horace helps remove the door section to gain ingress into the cargo hold. "You want to go first Boris, or not, I'll go if you don't want to."

"Pass the light over Heather." he says and pulls out his weapon.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:23, Fri 21 Aug 2020.

In reply to Horace Wymp (msg # 44):

Horace climbs down into the cargo hold, holding the light in one hand for illumination, gun in the other. (After he was in obviously).

He looked around in a 360^o arc for any threats and anything salvageable. He waited for the others to join him inside.

"And here I was hoping to make history," Heather said in a woeful tone as she passed Horace the torch.

"I should remind you all, it's still active and signalling," the ICS scientist says- though she is looking on with eager anticipation.  Not that anyone can tell through a helmet.

The first thing everyone at the hatch (Boris, Heather, and Horace) realize is that it's warmer in there.

Not "We can toast marshmallows!" warm, but at least 30 degrees above the frigid air outside, enough so that they feel it through their suits- it takes a few moments for the heaters in the suits to sense and adjust, and so there are a few moments of warmth.

The interior of the Carelian ship's cargo hold is about a quarter the size of the Albatross's hold.  It's mostly empty.

Where it is not empty it is occupied by a thing about twice the size of a refrigerator, and overall, roughly cylindrical but very irregular.  It looks like it's made of thousands if not millions of small, spherical beads of many colors.

It's much more interesting when Horace's light is not shining on it, when it is in shadow.

"Yoperesteh!" Boris whispers in his native language.

In the darkness, there are pale flickers of light within the thing.

It is completely unlike anything any of the characters have heard of in any human or known alien technology.

"Română? Vorbesc limba ta maternă dacă da," Heather said softly to Boris as they looked at the...whatever it was. "Maybe that's the ship's CPU or...crew member?"

In reply to Heather MacKenzie (msg # 48):

"Russian? What is it?" Horace moves closer to it to check it out. He doesn't touch it though.