An After-Hours Treasure Hunt
16 Jan 2016Hannibal0216
Today we landed at Obsidian Orbital in the Maia System with a full cargo hold. This is the first time the crew and I have been here since it's construction some months ago. It's a nice getaway from the sometimes hectic lanes of inhabited space. The crew have some time off while I make sure the ship is prepared for planetary landing. She is a big old beast, but she's tough too. I don't anticipate any difficulties.
The girls returned last night with some trinkets they said were carved from the meta-alloys that were being recovered. We rented rooms and slept comfortably. Now we are about to set out for the system designated Pleiades Sector JC-U b3-2. Rumor has it the barnacles have been sighted somwhere on the surface, but we have no exact data. As usual, I am at the controls for the first part of our journey.
We have encountered a friendly ship also on it's way to search for barnacles.The Asp is well fitted with weapons as well as exploration gear. It seems a wise choice to stay near in case of trouble. There have been sightings of vessels causing trouble for ships attempting to find barnacles.
0315
We have arrived at the planet. Our sensors have picked up some anomalous readings from the surface. In order to pinpoint the readings, the commander of the other ship has agreed to scan the sunward side of the planet while we scan the dark side.
0400
We have narrowed the readings down to a small area on the dark side of the planet. The other ship has joined us and we are slowly proceeding down to the surface. With very little detailed data on the surface of this planet, it is better to be on the safe side. We are planning to descend slowly to the surface near the readings and find a flat landing zone.
0425
We have found a nearby landing zone. I am setting out in the SRV for reconnaissance. The other commander is doing the same. We will stay close together during our search. The terrain is quite rough and we expect some degree of difficulty in reaching the artifact, but I am determined. If necessary, I will return to the ship and continue the search from the air.
0530
After over an hour of searching, I am returning to the ship. The terrain is simply too rough to make any kind of meaningful headway. We will continue the search from the air.
0615
We have located the barnacles! The friendly ship has already landed and is scouting out the area. It seems that we have indeed located our target.
This time I am giving Henry a turn in the SRV while I observe from the cockpit. Crystal is on the radio, in contact with Henry as he investigates the area. A scientist from the other ship is also in his SRV and has observed that the object appears to be a central formation surrounded by ancillary "pillars". Scans of the central object reveal almost nothing. However, the outer pillars appear to be composed of various known minerals. We are now engaged in destroying these pillars and gathering the resulting minerals.
0800
Upon further observation, a few of the outer pillars appear to have semi-metallic growths. When scanned, these seem to be the same substance that the girls' trinkets are composed of. This "meta-alloy" should fetch a handsome price on the open market, due to it's rarity.
The other ship has apparently finished it's investigations and is preparing for departure. The captain has contacted me via voice comms and informed me of his intentions to continue orbiting the planet and search for further formations. I wished him well. Our plans are to continue gathering minerals and then to head back to Obsidian.
0945
We have finished our investigations and are proceeding with preparations for leaving orbit. Priscilla is at the controls as we leave this planet. It has been a successful expedition, one which I hope will pave the way for substantial monetary gains in the future.
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