EXPLORATION RECORD: 14 Apr 3304
14 Apr 2018Extremofire
Exploration LogExpedition #5: Passenger Transport to Byao Ain Sector
Preface
I find it interesting that I seem to go on these forays into the black around the same time for the past few years I've been flying the Oculus. This time, I am transporting a large group of 11 Legion explorers from the New Carthage Cartographic Institute. I received a special request from Director Cippus on New Carthage asking if he could take advantage of the Oculus's advanced deep-space capabilities to take on eleven cartographic scientists to investigate more unusual radio emanations from a region in the Beta Quadrant, relatively close to the core. This 17,000 LY trip is sure to be exciting. The two head scientists, Navya Armstrong and Charlene Bailey, are excited to be personally escorted by a Praetor into the void. They asked me how I could step away from the pressing matters at home, to which I replied "That's why we're a Council. I don't run everything." I know I leave the Legion for this short period in good hands. These scientists are true Legionnaires, and it's humbling to see all the Legion regalia grace the docks of my beloved ship. This will undoubtedly be a pleasant, if uneventful journey.
It is certainly nice to see the improvements made by the Pilots Federation to deep-space route plotting. The new algorithms allow me to plot a direct course to stars spanning halfway across the galaxy, despite causing obvious stress on the internal processors. It took almost ten minutes to successfully plot a course to the Byao Ain Sector, no doubt due to the extremely low star density of the region. The final verdict is 301 jumps, which is actually rather low. The signal source seems to be emanating from a region that is particularly remote, with some distances between stars exceeding 50 LY. However, I come prepared.
The LLV Oculus will be testing some new engineering on this trip as well. With new innovations by galactic engineers, I have further increased the jump range to exceed 60 LY even with passengers. Using frame shift injections, I intend to be able to make many of these jumps with ease.
Begin Log
Start system: Carthage. 14 Apr 3304, 20:04.
I announce the completion of the route plotting to the crew across loudspeakers, to which I hear cheers. I am excited for this journey! Utilizing the new modifications to the Oculus requires close management of power. I have cut all power to secondary systems, which include the shielding deflectors and half of the sensor suite nodules. Power distribution relays are also disabled, as well as operation of the cargo bay hatch (for obvious reasons).
Main power usage is holding steady at 81 percent. All systems are reporting stable. Exploration scanners are in perfect condition, and frame shift has been successfully degaussed and is clear for exploration. Heat sinks show no deformities, though I expect to see some after lightyears of use. Hull integrity is perfect, and we have enough food to last us for months. It's time to go.
Already the Oculus shows great efficiency in exploration. With the new modifications to the power generator and heatsinks, I am able to successfully charge the hyperdrive well within a star's corona (whilst, of course, travelling sub-light speeds).
Within minutes, due to my advanced frame shift drive, we arrive in the Swoilz sector. Navya comes to the bridge and is already impressed with the speed of my ship. We exchange pleasantries and small talk. She is a younger explorer who definitely reminds me of Emmanuel and Marisela, my previous passengers from Ankou Blue, but she is clearly Imperial. At risk of being comparative, Navya and Charlene's crew far exceed my previous passengers with regards to experience. They aren't rookie scientists like the Ankou Blue cartographers, and are all fiercely independent like true citizens of a Patronage (unlike Townsend's pupils, who clearly deferred to her). I can see the purple in all of their eyes.
Entering Bleae Thua Sector.
- BF-N b21-2.
- SX-C b41-0.
- BV-X b43-0. HM = 2
14 Apr, 21:15. In BV-X b43-0, we happened upon two very cold high-metal bodies in orbit with each other, far from the star. The bodies are unusually cold, with a surface temperature of only 73K. However, one has a lack of atmosphere, and has shown to have very rich metal deposits. Most interestingly, however, we have detected a radio signal from the planet, though it is very faint. It is not uncommon for deep space satellites to crash land on bodies, but as we further depart from civilized space, these events become extremely unlikely; capturing the data can prove especially valuable in this case (as they would have large amounts of cartographic data). We have chosen to take a short break here for around an hour while I collect some metals and search for the radio sources, which we have landed in the vicinity of. The crew is going to analyze the planet, and look over the data of the other high-metal body in orbit.
21:41. Sure enough, we found a crashed satellite bearing the markings of the Alliance. The satellite itself doesn't appear to be more than a few decades old, but we found a significant amount of data pertaining to local astrometric readings. This may prove useful to the Empire... or I can perhaps give it to some Alliance scientists as a gesture of good faith. No doubt the Legion scientists on board will verify the value of the data shortly.
22:00. The scientists have used my ship's sensors while in orbit and have detected a small debris field with residual frame shift energies. It appears someone's ship failed in supercruise, and somehow exploded. I will continue to survey the surface for an escape pod, but they are moving in to collect what seems to be a fully intact computer core, complete with massive amounts of exploration data.
Smojue sector data stream corrupt.
Entering Byeia Thaa sector.
- FM-C d13-13.GWBL = 1 JIII = 3 RB = 5
- UV-Z c28-1. HM = 3
15 Apr, 0032. We have landed on one of the high metal planets in UV-Z c28-1 to prospect for more materials. With the local gravity exceeding 1G, collection is significantly easier.
Entering Traikoa sector.
- NH-U d3-29. JIII = 1
- ZV-A c15-1. HM = 2, JIII = 1 GWBL = 1
Entering Byeia Eurk sector.
17 Apr, 1534. We stopped for a day to examine our findings, and have yet to find anything of real significance, though we have acquired numerous metallurgical and geological samples from a few high metal bodies that may prove of some interest. We press on.
- KX-Z c1-2. MR = 2 HM = 6 WW = 1 (Terra) RB = 1
1543. A trinary system with a terraformable water world. A significant discovery. This system signifies a third of our journey complete.
- WH-K B12-1.
- HA-F b15-0. GWBL = 1
- KZ-L c9-5. HM = 1
- LO-P d6-15.
- RK-W b47-0. HM = 3 JI = 1
Entering Lysoosms sector.
Entering Chroalk sector.
23 Apr, 2111. We have stumbled upon our first earth-like world. After a few days jumping through numerous systems ripe in high-mtal planets and jovians, we have found another blue pearl bearing striking similarity to our glorious Imperial Capitol. We will arrive at our target destination in less than a couple hours.
- PT-P d6-6. HM = 4. Earth Like, VIII. 6454 km, 1.19 G, 310K, .76 at, 32% oxygen.
Entering Byoi Ain sector.
Entering Foewls sector.
2341. We have arrived in the Foewls sector, where the radio waves appear to be emitting from. It isn't very localized, but they don't seem to be coming from a naturally-occuring phenomena. We will be spending the next week here, focusing our search around O, B, and Neutron type stars, which may have have naturally occuring radio bursts. In doing so, we're expecting to eliminate ambient radio sources to attempt to triangulate the anomalous emissions. It's not very hard science, but it will have to do. It's our best option at this point.
The Legion scientists are due back in 20 days. FTL comms are unable to penetrate the ambient radiation present in this region of space, with the exception of the odd high-power Colonia communication, usually news. Despite the proximity of the haven that is Colonia, the true emptiness of space begins to permeate us, clearly. We have taken to interacting with each other more, perhaps for the best, as the flight is certainly beginning to become lonely. Navya and Charlene are both headstrong, attractive women with a passion for their study. It is admirable to see Legionnaires love their craft. We've all begun to eat meals together. One of the scientists, Ta'lei, is a musician that plays the ancient lute. She happened to bring her lute along and has been playing during meals. Its calming, to say the least...
There have been a couple mishaps. Emergency stops have been made twice as radiation from neutron stars occasionally creates anomalous readings in navigation, and we have gotten dangerously close to the stars a few times. Still, I was able to utilize the AFMUs stored on the ship to keep the various systems on the ship running well, and with the normal wear-and-tear present during long-term space travel, module integrity remains in the upper 90s.
- SE-X d2-1. HM = 6 (Terra A IV: 1.43G, 917K, 289 at, 1525 ls; Terra A V: 1.42 G 915K, 284 at, 1522 ls; Terra A VI: 1.21G, 1397K, 3746at, 2186 ls) WW = 2 (Terra A VII: 1.39G, 347K, .78 at, 2893 ls.)
- SE-X d2-2.
- SE-X d2-0.
- NU-S c6-1.
24 Apr, 0126. We have spent a couple hours poring over star charts. The galactic map is much too large to efficiently filter out possible radio sources, so we have had to do it the only fashioned way: searching parsec by parsec. We have successfully identified 648, 42 of which appear to be likely candidates for our radio source based on the background emissions. They will be listed in bold below.
- NU-S c6-1.
- AA-A h4. Previously explored. Nothing of note.
- UL-P c8-0. IB = 1
- VP-V d3-3.
- AW-T d4-8.
- AW-T d4-4.
- BW-T d4-4.
- CW-T d4-7.
- ZE-A G10. Numerous unimpressive moons, no anomalous readings.