The Derelict

JP with Omni, Jaxx, redsword_7, Kudzu, and CS

The derelict had come hurtling toward the Montero from the starboard side of the ship and the Pilot did some fancy dodging. With the help of the other crew members, Ogai was able to triangulate its current position and now, after reorienting the ship, the Montero was pointed directly toward it. Lohan did his best to match its speed and heading, but it took him longer than expected.

The Captain scanned his thumb and punched in his PIN which opened the box holding the access card. He then slid the plastic card into the appropriate slot and engaged the switch that let MUTHUR know it was the Captain. The terminal pulsed to life and began displaying the details.

...- Intercepted distress signal from the derelict ship -…
...- Cryosleep interrupted -...
...- Investigation mandatory -...
...- Penalty: total forfeiture of shares -...

MUTHUR played a sound recording of the transmission but it was too garbled for the Captain to determine who sent it.

"MU/TH/UR, who gave this order and why was it kept a secret till now? This new mission interferes with our current mission and either way I am gonna take a hit on my paycheck", asked Capt. Kenny.

"You do not have clearance for that Information, Captain. Mission redirected...", replied the AI.

"So what are we supposed to do with the supplies we were assigned to drop off?", asked Kenny.

"The stores of Tritium are decaying into Helium-3. Holding the cargo longer will only complete its transition. Delivery mission is on standby. Proceed with new orders.", came MUTHUR's directive.

Glenn Roberts turned to the Captain. "Rescue mission or salvage mission?", he asked, then glared at Bruce.

As the Montero came about and caught up to the derelict, MU/TH/UR’s voice came alive. “Scanning vessel.”

The ship’s engines were dead, inertia had carried the derelict along at her last achieved speed of .04 light speed. With no running and interior lights on the ghost ship, the crew couldn’t see much without activating their flood lights.

Roku stared in anticipation.

Ogai frowned, glancing at the ship, "Is it just me or does something just feel off? Like, hey, the money we could get for bringing this in would be great… but the question is: What the hell is it doing out here in the first place?"

Jensen switched on the floodlights revealing the name painted on the side. USCSS Cronus. It was a Weyland SEV M3 Heliades-class spacecraft.

Capt. Kenny replied, "Thanks Jensen, for the confirmation. MU/TH/UR cross reference any info on the USCSS CRONUS. We need to know the ship's mission, crew and cargo before we do anything. The last thing we need to do is go in there unprepared for a biohazard or radiation leak."

Capt. Kenny then looked at Asahi and said, "Thanks for the heads up Asahi. If you didn't warn us in time, Paddy may not have been able to dodge the derelict. I am going to need you to keep us informed if you get any bad feelings about this situation and I don't care how small they are. This whole situation makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end."

Then Capt. Kenny spoke on the intercom, "Has anyone checked our ship for damage or tampering yet? I need to know our fuel situation, air situation, systems check and hull integrity and crew status. Then after that I need to know as much about this derelict as we can find before we step aboard."

"Dibs on hull integrity!", Vera cheerfully said over the intercom. Then, starting with the cargo areas she checked the outer walls and sensors for each area... after confirming an area's status, she went to the nearest intercom and shared the info with the rest of the crew.

Everyone of the crew members, with the exception of Vera, had heard something of the long lost Cronus. Launched in 2110, it had been missing for 73 years. Now here she was, running on minimal power with all exterior and interior lights off. The only sign of life from her was the repeating SOS signal.

"MU/TH/UR any cargo manifest on the USCS CRONUS?", asked Capt. Kenny.

"Guys... I think we hit the motherload.", said Jensen.

Roku looked on in wide eyed recognition.

Capt. Kenny said, "Go on Jensen. What did you find?"

"She was a science / exploration vessel... three quarters of a century ago, they disappeared somewhere out near 26 Draconis system... that's an ungodly distance away. If we can get this back to Anchorpoint, can you imagine what this could do for us? ...and if there is still anyone on board... guys, we could be heroes.", Jensen mused.
Capt. Kenny looked very concerned as he spoke up, "And we just happened to change course and wake up in time to find this derelict eh? That is an awful big convenience for us isn't it, Jensen?"

"I don't know what you're implying, Captain. MU/TH/UR must have picked up a signal.", Jensen rebuked.

MU/TH/UR: "Incoming scans"