The Korathraz Sector was thought to be a lost claim. The issuing of the claim was incredibly controversial in its time and even threatened the alliance between the Humans and the S'lettexik, who were furious at the very idea of the Korathraz sector being offered up as a guild claim.

Korathraz is one of the most distinctive features in the night sky of the Squid homeworld, and a number of factions view the apparently color-changing binary star as an object of great religious significance, the revolving orbit and the changing color it produces once even used to mark the seasons in the old religious calendar of the Glowing Sea Scrolls.

Such was the controversy that when the deed went missing, and its owner crew with it, the Guild silently let the statute of limitation pass without issuing a new deed ... until now. Perhaps hoping that time had healed all wounds, the Guild quietly slipped Korathraz back in the queue of claims, only to have the information leaked by an inside source.

With growing threats from Squid fanatics of the Order of His Luminescent Splendor, rumors of S'lettexik military intervention in the sector, the low value rating given to the sector, plus the still unknown fate of the previous claim owner and his crew, few surveyors were fool enough to even apply for the claim.

Except of course, for you. Congratulations, guildsperson. May you find fortune before death.

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Quote from: Black Vulmea;647074Character post links -

Kur'Uk 'Smokey' - Scout (1st level Bearman)
Faraday King - Intern (1st level Scientist)
Kane Eriksen - Private (1st level Soldier)
Zed 'Pipsqueak' Seeker - Airman (1st level Pilot)
Salvador 'Salvor Sal' Wu - Trainee (1st level Engineer)
Tig Harvey - Private (1st level Soldier)

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GSS Glory Hole

Type V Orbiter
Hull: 54
Length: 150 yds.
Mass: 620 Tons
Armor: AC9/17
Engine: Type II, 2AU/Hr., x3 Subspace, 2 months Fuel
Weapons: Mark I Laser, 1d6 Damage
Maneuver: -3AC
Subsystems: Waste Recycler, Shuttle Bay, Ground-Penetrating Radar, Extra Fuel Tank, Sickbay

The jump into Korathraz is remarkably smooth, however the trip was quite long at a month and a half, and the Glory Hole's tanks are just about tapped out, so some in-system refueling would be highly recommended.

The ship pops out about 4 AU from Korathraz VIII, which appears to be an old refueling station at the edge of the system, and just past it and within sensor range is a second station of considerable size and life readings that suggest it may be an Ark station at Korathraz VII 10.7 AU in. Both are picking up life signs, faint in the case of the refueling station, and practically blooming on the Ark.  

Further into the system we have (distances from present location):
VI: 15.7 AU, Gas Giant
V: 17.7 AU, Earth-Sized Planet?
IV: 20.5 AU, Gas Giant
III: 21.4 AU, Dwarf Planet
II: 31.1 AU, Gas Giant
I: 34 AU, Brown Dwarf
Korathraz A: 42.1 AU, Red Giant

Further details will require closer scans, as your ship's basic sensors only provide detail to about 10 AU.

Tig is as excited as he can be, looking out the porthole most likely to show him the nearest object, the supposed fuel station.  He will allow the others to make the call on where they go first, but will vote for the fuel station as the most logical since they need fuel so badly, and diving on the gas giants is always more dangerous than simply tanking up.  (I'm assuming that works like in Trav.)

During the trip out, he has been splitting his time between reading a few novels and getting armor and weapons ready to go.  He's also made himself as useful as possible in whatever passes as the galley, making the food maybe a bit more enjoyable than it otherwise might have been.  He'll also be getting to know the rest of the crew, making himself agreeable.

Kane is bored to tears and spoiling for a fight. He spends a fair bit of time cleaning, oiling and otherwise mantaining his weapons, training, and possibly talking shop with Tig if he's so inclined (though Kane never really gets into detail about what actually went down in past "operations").

While refueling sounds like a no-brainer, he's pretty damn curious about the Ark too.

Kur'Uk casually walks onto the deck while still munching on a golden delicious apple and looks at the screens, and the excitement of finally arriving is obvious in his step and body posture.

"I suggest we refuel first," the Bearman says with a throaty and guttural voice that is also distorted by the food he is still chewing, "just in case."

From the console next to Zed's, Sal nods. "Refueling first, so we can bug outta here if'n we need to."

The engineer checks the consoles, to see if the sensors are picking up any radio signals emanating from either the Ark or the refueling station.

"When we get in range, check for markings on the hull of the station, Sal," Faraday says, rubbing his hands in anticipation. "I may be able to identify the particular Precursor species who built it from any writing or symbols left behind!"

There's some faint chatter coming in from further in the system, but the refueling station seems silent, and the Ark seems almost devoid of any technological signalling, strangely, not even much generator radiation.

"Hmm.." Kur'Uk muses with a deeply guttural and gravelly sound, and then says with rough enunciation, "interesting; the Ark has a low tech reading but also has high life reading.  After we refuel and run a systems check, we should take a closer look at the Ark, eh?"

Kane looks at the blips on the screen that suggest life inside the refueling station, to a background of static. "This is too quiet. I don't like this."

"I'll go armor up.  Unless you guys wanna blow off the fuel rig and go skimming.  Maybe we need a closer look."

"I'll go in too." Kane goes off to suit up as well. Judging from the eagerness in his tone, y'all could swear he's looking forward to finding trouble there.

"I'm going to run a diagnostic on the fuel system, and then do a visual inspection in preparation for refueling," Kur'Uk says as he squeezes his large frame into a computer console station.

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Let me know if I have to roll anything for either, or both, the electronic diagnostic and visual inspection.

Quote from: Drohem;650809"I'm going to run a diagnostic on the fuel system, and then do a visual inspection in preparation for refueling," Kur'Uk says as he squeezes his large frame into a computer console station.

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Let me know if I have to roll anything for either, or both, the electronic diagnostic and visual inspection.

Fuel system on the Glory Hole is in top shape, as is the refueling coupler.

From closer scans, it does appear as well that the refueling station does have stores of hydrogen on board, but it'll take a closer inspection to see if the actual systems are functioning and jerry-rig something to link it up to the ship.

Smokey returns the main deck after his inspection, and is smoothing the fur on his arms as he walks over to Sal's station and gargles out, "systems are a go for refueling on our end, Skipper.  Sensors detected hydrogen on the station, but we need to get a closer look to rig something up for refueling."