Cutting Floor- Rewrite GC X- Snippet 1

Contact is small and energy signature suggests a small space ship. It is currently not under propulsion and appears to be drifting. Sensors now also pick up a larger metal mass, but no energies I can confirrm at this distance eminate from the larger mass.

 Har Hi swiped over a field screen to get a visual of the scanner contact. "Space salvage from the looks of it indeed." He adjusted his posture and added. "All stop, Mr. Krabbel . SHIP go to Yellow and be so kind and inform the Captain. She said everything that crosses our bow is fair game."

The voice of the ship AI responded. "She is on her way." And since SHIP was way more than just a standard ship Computronic, but an actual sentient member of the crew she added. "Knowing our Captain she will make sure they cross my bow."

Har-Hi was almost sure even the shrouded Narth was smiling at that comment.

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Yellow Alert and SHIP's voice caught me on deck R just as I was about to jump into the cold water of the ships swimming pool. "Captain we have a contact on scanner horizon. First situation assessment suggests an unknown party engaged in some sort of space salvage action.”

"Nothing for days, but each time I decide to take a swim, there is something." I sighed and said. "Maintain yellow alert and I am on my way."

SHIP of course had her audio sensors open and since she wasn't like any other Ship AI I knew, she said. "It was you who wanted to be informed about any scanner contact. We could not even have to change course to give them a wide berth and you could go back swimming."

I gave the shimmering inviting water a last longing look and said. "I can swim anytime, this isn't a leisure cruise and I am the Captain and must set an example. You know we can't leave things unchecked. It's part of our mission. Distance to the closest star system?”

“The closest star system is our destination the shattered star system and Brhama Port, 67.4 light years.”

“That makes it an odd place for any salvage action and we need to investigate. Why I am even explaining such things to you?

"Because I am your SHIP and I like have things explained to me by my Captain."

I jumped into the auto dresser and dialed for my usual pirate outfit. Of course I could have stayed and finished my swim and let Har Hi handle the whole situation, but this would have been highly inappropriate out of a number of reasons. I was the captain and it was my responsibility. We had standing orders to investigate any ship contact during our mission here in Free Space and besides this was what I lived for, I could swim anytime. While the Auto Dresser assembled the leather outfit around my recently altered body, I once more remembered Captain K'Tngnk lesson. He had told me while he let me steer his Pounder Class Battleship : Encounters in deep space were usually extremely rare and most situations developed in or near star systems, the usual destination of space ships.

In my short space traveling career, I encountered things that were floating in space and it was never anything harmless.

However this was Free Space and the region we traversed right now was called the Devil's Playground for a reason.

Our galaxy consisted of spiral arms. Each arm was made of billions of stars, but between these spiral arms were the so called spiral arm gaps with almost no stars. These gaps were thousands of light years wide. Ships using conventional, known propulsion systems were limited how far they could go. Civilizations using Hyper jump technology jumping from gravitation well to gravity took an enormous risk trying to jump a gap and civilizations utilizing ISAH type Quasi space FTL were limited by the fuel they could carry and the FTL engine maintenance cycles needed to maintain the utmost critical Quasi space super symmetry.

So ships that traveled from the Down ward sector to this region of space needed to make the jump across the gap and then find a star system to refuel or drift in space until maintenance could be completed. Depending on the technology level such maintenance could take from a few minutes to a few days.