Learn to Swim
15 Jun 2023Ryuko Ntsikana
Learn to Swim
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There comes a time when the only way to know the answer was to boost the engine to test its performance. Similar to what the ancients said about jumping into the water to learn how to swim. With more than enough fuel on board, that is what I did, setting my course to the Flame Nebula. If I got in above my head, there was enough fuel to get back, but I was also far enough out to keep going.
There were three lifelines around, two further out that I had been to years before. One in the Seagull and another in the Rosetta. I did not think I would need them, but they were there, and like I said before, the only way to know was to go.
An hour later we were far removed from the Pegasi Sector MS-T C3-14 system. Our new temporary home of residence was the Orion Sector VT-A C9 system. Each clan member crowded to the nearest observation window, staring at the beautiful gas clouds of the Flame Nebula and Barnard’s Loop.
I was surprised to see another commander and his cohort fluttering about, a jump away. We conversed for a few hours, as I prepared a series of surveys that would keep me out of their path. If any new discoveries were made, neither of us wanted them to be in the path of the other. Most of this region had already been well charted. Its beauty made it a natural destination.
Getting down to business I launched my Orca and began to chart the surrounding area. The first order of business was finding Tritium in the rings of several gas giants. While I left with plenty of fuel on board, I wanted to make sure that I could keep it that way, before setting my sight further afield.
There were a large host of xenobiological contacts around the various planets and a few interesting astrological discoveries. These would provide a modest source of income. What surprised me was the number of distress signals scattered about. My Orca was set up for long-range exploration and rescue, and from all of the signals being received, we were both going to get a workout.
