(See the notes for turret weapons).

Kevin consults his display. "We can set you up with two eight-centimeter laser slash FGMP turrets and a grenade launcher turret. The lasers aren't for space combat, of course, but they are effective against personnel and light vehicles. The fusion guns use ammo, but they can punch anything except an Imperial battle tank. The turrets can carry ten rounds for the FGMPs and fifty grenades in the grenade launcher, and the lasers are tied into ship's power."

"For the AIs, do you want them to operate in a vehicle, or be robotic?"

Ken nods as weaponry is discussed. "The smaller turrets sound fine. We should have some spare missiles to use as mines. As for the AI's I think robotic would be best."

Kevin and Joxe help Brent to finalize their loadout list.

"It will take us two days to finish the robots, and to complete the loadout," Kevin says. "In the meantime, feel free to walk around and enjoy the facility."

Brent works hard with Joxe and the others to come up with a comprehensive list of equipment and weaponry to outfit the ship. He also works mainly with Joxe to come up with approaches to the different planets on their target list. Lastly though he does take time to walk through the facility and gardens with Joxe alone.

Joxe finds a secluded place in the gardens that was set up to offer some privacy. She takes advantage of it - and Brent - twice.

The provisioning proceeds without issues, and Wanderer is soon ready to fly. The group meets together for breakfast as Brent and Joxe prepare to depart.

Brent greatly enjoys the interlude as well as the technical challenges working with Joxe in the others to provision and ready the ship. As they meet for breakfast Brent outlines their plan to head down the main away from the main threat.

"I think that's a good idea," Kevin says. "We will follow you in a month or so. It will take us a while to work up the crew, and we're slower in jump than you."

"We will be sure to leave the message buoys behind us. Hopefully we can make contact as each of our initial targets should be marginally or better habitable even at a low technology level. I don't expect large, sophisticated populations but we can get the bootstrapping process started sooner than later. Once we can introduce modern medical technology and nutrition as well as physical safety the populations should start to increase rapidly."

The group wraps up a few last details, and then Brent and Joxe are free to depart.

339-1402 0900 - Egg System - Tala Orbit

Wanderer boosts at one gee, making her way toward Tala's hundred-diameters limit. Brent and Joxe had stopped at Tala Station to refuel, deliver messages, and update the powers-that-be on the situation in Gorky. The couple also took on fresh provisions for their journey.

After having so many people aboard, the ship seemed larger with just the two of them. The cargo bay had been modified to allow it to be occupied without wearing vacuum tight gear, giving them more open space than the crew or passenger areas provided. Most of the space was taken up with vehicles and supplies, but there was still room enough to help stave off claustrophobia.

"Here we go," Joxe says from  her station as the ship approaches the jump entrance point for their voyage to Bikar's mapped gas giant, a two-parsec jump. "Two minutes."

Brent nods and looks up from the controls. "Two minute warning to jump, aye. Dimming lights." Brent dims lights and then activates the jobs computer to take them into jump space.

Wanderer transitions smoothly into hyperspace, and the log updates to show their intended destination.

OOG: Brent can choose to refuel on the main world, or at one of the three gas giants in the system. According to the navigation charts, there was a Class D starport on the planet's surface.

Brent will refuel at the middle of the three gas giants and then boost to the planet. That will give them time to scan for activity.

Since a boost-only flight from the gas giant to the planet would take about 18 days, the ship's AI suggests a micro jump to a point where they can survey the planet from a light-second away, and then approach if it's safe. The flight to the surface would then take about ten hours, plus the five days for the micro jump.

Brent nods at the suggestion. "Okay, let's do that. We can also take measurements from the gas giant as well before we commit to jumping in."

346-1402 0750 - Bikar System - Gas Giant Arrival

Wanderer translates back into normal space with nary a bobble. The passive sensors immediately begin gathering data, showing nothing but the system's primary and other natural bodies. Joxe sits back in her seat and sighs audibly. "I think this has been the hardest thing for me to get used to. There's just no one around but us." She shakes her head. "I know that will change, but it's still unnerving."
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:17, Thu 16 May.

Brent puts a hand on Joxe's shoulder as the passive readings come back negative. "I can't imagine when all of this was swarming with activity and people. It was all burned down to the roots and worse." His voice is low and sympathetic. "I also cannot imagine how this must make you feel except that I am here for you and we have our family and our lives to make together."

Joxe nods jerkily, and, after a moment, takes a deep breath. "Yes, you're right. We are starting over." She consults her display. "Do we refuel here, or jump to the main world?"

"All I can offer is a bright future in tribute to those you lost." Brent's hand rests on her stomach. "I say we remain careful and refuel here first before jumping to the main world even though everything seems quiet."

OOG: Moving ahead to the main world arrival...

352-1402 1400 - Bikar System - Bikar Arrival

Wanderer rejoines the rest of the universe one hundred one point two diameters from Bikar, three kilometers from the charted arrival corridor's centerline.

"A bit up and to the right," Joxe observes in obvious pleasure. "This astro-nav system is better than anything I've seen." She sobers when she looks at her sensors display. "We've not nothing active out there. No beacons, no navigation signals, and nothing emitting."

The fuel they'd taken on at the gas giant has been refined, so there is enough fuel for a three-parsec jump, plus maneuvering fuel for landing and departing from the white and blue planet ahead.

Brent has the following data on the library display:

Bikar is a low-population water world, which has 90% or more of its surface covered in an ocean of water and a population of less than 10,000 sophonts.

The inhabitants of this world live on the roughly 10% of exposed land mass, in underwater colonies, on city ships, or similar arrangements.
It is a member of the Third Imperium in the Khulam Subsector of Diaspora Sector in the Domain of Sol.

Bikar, as a member world of the Third Imperium has a member of the Imperial Nobility overseeing the world.
It holds the estate of an Imperial knight.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:18, Thu 16 May.

Brent nods in satisfaction. "A 1% deviation on even a short jump like this done in a system without a recent navigational survey is damn good. I'm getting to like this Imperial level technology. He grows more grim as the planet comes up dark even though they expected nothing active. "I we land near larger population centers on the dryland. Looking for underwater cities or oceanborne nomads is going to be too difficult."

352-1402 2000 - Bikar System - Bikar

After a careful approach, Wanderer settles into a low orbit over the eerily quiet planet. A huge, swirling storm covers some ten percent of the visible surface area, churning up the skies over the planet's southern hemisphere. The sensors report that the storm packs three-hundred kilometer winds and twenty-meter waves at the storm's center.

"I vote we stay away from that," Joxe says with a shudder.

They had detected several satellites in what were probably uncorrected geostationary orbits, while the planetary navigation net seemed to have deorbited. The planet had only a down port on the other side of the planet from the storm, but it was in the planet's night zone. According to the local information, it would be daylight there in five hours, or 0100 ship's time. "I forgot to reset our shipboard clock for the main world's port time," Joxe admits. "Oops."

Brent shuddered at the sight of the big storm. "I guess with so little land they can grow awfully big. I am all for avoiding that storm!" He looked at the data for the planet and remaining satellites. "It looks like the vampires and the black war may have spared the system a bit given that there are still intact if defunct satellites in orbit." Brent smiled at Joxe. "Don't worry about the time. Let's take a nap and plan on landing at the down port just after daybreak."

353-1402 0100 (0615 local) - Bikar Down Port - Bikar

Joxe had elected to bring Wanderer into a grav-augmented reentry, using the planet's atmosphere to brake, while keeping the hull heating down by using the grav lifters at reduced power settings. The down port area was blanketed in a thick overcast with scattered thunderstorms. The trader rocked in strong high altitude winds that abated somewhat as they entered the clouds. Now, they are down to a thousand meters, ten kilometers from the down port.

"It's still pretty choppy," Joxe observes as she struggles to maintain altitude. The primary radar has clearly mapped the down port, which sits atop a plateau a hundred meters above sea level. "I'm not getting anything on lidar, and thermal is pretty much blocked. I can keep us out of the thunderstorms by plotting lightning strikes, areas of wind shear and precipitation." She points to the secondary radar display, which she's configured as a weather display. "Sucks that we don't have a navnet here."

Brent helps Joxe with the reentry and approach as best he can. "I'm glad you have experience flying in this kind of junk. I'm still getting used to the intricacies of atmospheric flying. It's much different but similar in some ways to skimming a gas giant." He looks over the displays and shrugs. "At least we are out of that big storm. Do you think it is safe to attempt a landing?"