Fiction - Harsh Worlds Pt2

There was a flash like the kind you get when you use the jump gates connecting all of New Eden’s systems and suddenly they were once again surrounded by strange stars and planets. Rand looked at the ship’s sensors punching in data that to the average person looked a lot like... well random rubbish, but Rand knew what he was doing and soon the Holoscreen flickered into life above the main command console glittering for a second like stardust it took the form of the system they were in. Through the haze that was the holo-map he saw the probes zip past serenity’s bridge off into the darkness. “Imagi deploy us 100km off the fourth planet and get that cloak activated, I don’t fancy being a expensive sitting duck in here” Bellowed Rand into the comm system. The whir of the warp coils filled his ears and he watched the speared tip of serenity start to phase out and soon the entire ship was covered in a spatial distortion field or some such. Dusty had gone over it with him before he left the CBD station in Olfeim but he was never interested in the technical jargon. 

The ship dropped out of warp after a short while landing in a orbit around the forth planet, Imagi came to the command deck and looked out the side view port, Out the port was a Oceanic Planet it’s surface glistened with an unreal look to it as the sun’s rays bounced across it’s mirrored surface.  You could see large white clouds covering portions of the surface and a few small masses of land littered the planet. Completely untouched.... Unexplored. “Beautiful aint it cap’n, Reminds me of home” Imagi smiled as he remembered his home planet. Destroyed by the sansha several weeks ago, the news had yet to reach Imagi... Rand wanted to keep it that way. He needed his Nav Officer focused.  “So do we have the results from the probes...” Rand started before being interrupted by the shrill beeping of the console to his left. “I guess that answers my question” He said while flicking a few switches on the scanner console. A red light went off and switched to a light haze of green. “System clear it seems Sir, No one else is home. Not even a base of operations... Nothing!” Imagi had a tone of excitement in his voice Rand hadn’t heard in awhile.

Rand picked up the comm speaker. “Serenity to Steel Operations Fleet the hole is clear. Jump in and warp to 10km of us, Bring in the equipment. Combat ships on yellow alert we don’t want anyone sneaking up on us in here.”