RSC-2W-0063 “Dara Tonn” in Krigertenkere parking orbit

Sinn'Are'Sen shrugs off the strange arrangement and refocuses on the short list of tasks at hand.

“Alright Dara Tonn, I'm going to need that weapons locker now. I know that we are supposed to be bucking regulations, within sane reason, to improve our mental health but I do not feel comfortable leaving a firearm and ammunition lying about.”

“Slight problem with that Sinn. I do not posses a dedicated weapons locker as I was not designed or built with armed Second wave scouts in mind. Might I offer an alternative?”

“Go ahead Dara Tonn. You know yourself better then I do after all.”

“There is a pair of lockers adjacent to the airlock. One is permanently configured for the storage of a hostile environment or EVA suit. The other is presently empty, configured for small personal effects. Both can be secured via biometric locks.”

Sinn nods in comprehension.

“Right by the airlock for easy access makes sense. Per the briefing documents Steinhull has a human tolerable atmosphere but I'll put in for a respirator and suit once we get on location. I'll probably not need an EVA suit for a while, though I will want one at some point, and I'm not sure I can justify a hostile environment suit right away. Ovaettr has to have a reactor compartment or similar space with an environmental hazard still present in it.”

“Continuing the strategy of telling only partial truths I see.”

“We just need to get the relevant equipment assigned and in hand. Nothing says we have to give it back. I take it that you can override the biometric locks, or any electronic lock in your hull for that matter, if you need to?”

“...”

“Dara Tonn?”

“Now I can.”

“What did you do?”

“Made a local copy of your biometric Identification files.”

“And why did you need to do that?”

“I can't bypass all of the security subsystems completely as some of them are standalone air gapped installations like the ones on the lockers and the door to your personal quarters. With the local copy I can feed the needed information into such systems. This will cause them to unlock without also triggering an alarm.”

“Uh huh. And you couldn't do this before because...?”

“I could have if I wanted to get reported for impersonating a Republic citizen and or Identity theft. I prefer my hull intact thank you very much.”

“Huh. Clever. Pop the equipment locker open so I can store my weapons in there. Nothing in the Steinhull briefing documents indicate that I'll need them but better to be safe then sorry.”

“Done. I thought RPC regulations required you to carry weapons outside of core Republic territory?”

“True. However we are still in the Republic's core territory so weapons are supposed to be secured when not needed. I'm tempted to carry my revolver around at all times just to spite the RPC but I don't see a point in risking a negligent discharge investigation. Likewise I don;t plan on carrying my 'mercy blade' around any longer then I have to.”

“Clarification query. Or rather, I should say 'I have a question.' Damn preprogrammed slave speech...”

“Go ahead Dara Tonn. Not like you need my permission to ask anyways.”

“I am unfamiliar with weapons in general and human-portable weapons in particular. I mean I can recognize the emissions of a naval energy weapon but have no data on sidearms.”

“This little thing? Well, it's not exactly something that a Republic citizen could commonly acquire here in the core. Certifications and so on. Out in the fringe worlds and on newly settled worlds they are more commonly available due to increased personal risk. This one is a “Magma SM mark one”, a compact variant of the Republic's civilian issue 'Magma' revolver, chambered in the Republic standard eleven point four three by thirty three millimeter rimmed civilian handgun cartridge. Being the compact slash holdout model it is shrunk down a lot to save weight and be more concealable. The cylinder only holds three rounds instead of the usual seven and the barrel is only nine centimeters long instead of the usual fifteen to twenty.”

“Does the reduction in barrel length also effect the weapon's performance?”

“Yes, dramatically. Effective range, assuming a consistent level of skill in the shooter, is only about half that of a normal magma revolver and the ten gram brass and copper projectile doesn't impart quite as much force on the target. If I recall the manual of arms I think it's about eight percent less energy on target.”

“All in all the Magma is a self-defense tool and not viable as an offensive weapon?”

“A firearm is a firearm: they can all kill. My Magma is, like any handgun, best for rather short ranges against roughly human toughness targets. Against a Villskog drop bear I'd have to aim well and or get lucky to hit anything vital through their tough hide and thick bones. A Fjernefelt hare on the other hand would probably not have much edible meat left after a single hit. Why do you ask?”

“The cold locker is stored up with three months of emergency rations.”

“Yuck. Anything else?”

“Negative.”

“Double yuck with a side of ew. And I'm supposed to depart the system in...?”

“Seventeen hours from mark... mark.”

“Shit. Alright, let me finish stowing all of my stuff and I'll set about plotting that course.”

Three hours later...

Sinn rubs his eyes in mild frustration.

“Alight Dara Tonn, check my logic on this route. Ion drive to Krigertenkere's L5 Lagrange point and the associated warpjump locus there. It's the closest one to the Hylli system. En route a standard flip and burn to kill velocity to drop back into a 'parking' orbit at Krigertenkere L5. Total transit time of twelve days. Rotate on maneuvering thrusters only to warpjump vector for Hylli, stabilize, and prepare for warpjump. Time expended one day, total flight time to date of thirteen days. Initiate warpjump. Total warpjump time of five days layer, mission day eighteen, emerge at Hylli's L4 Lagrange point with effectively zero velocity. Both pre and post warpjump velocities are near zero to minimize warpjump risk at the cost of a longer transit time. From there accelerate on ion drive, flip and burn to cut velocity back to zero in geosynchronous Steinhull orbit. Transit time of twelve days, total transit time of thirty days.”

“Your logic is sound Sinn. I did calculate faster options at either significantly increased risk to my hull or my crew. Or both. Cutting safety margins to zero and accelerating to a felt velocity of eight point three gravitates inside of the inertial compensator field tends would cut transit time from thirty days to twelve...”

“...And would probably kill me. Not to mention any component failure at those safety margins would tear you to shreds. Let's not do that.”

“Agreed. And nothing I can do would reduce the warpjump time. It takes a trained RPC psion to...”

“I happen to be one. Want me to take a stab at accelerating the warpjump?”

“Possibly. What risks would we run if you do so?”

“If successful we'll need to watch for higher-dimension gravitational interference as we will have less time to react and avoid 'turbulence'. If unsuccessful we will simply take longer to get there. If catastrophically unsuccessful... I do not know. The RPC has no records available to students or graduates on the subject. The RSC's records are no better, listing only 'ships lost to unknown warpjump related causes.' I'd guess fatal gravitational interference but I have no evidence to support that guess.”

“Can you calculate odds on any of those outcomes? Or at least provide variables to allow me to attempt to calculate odds?”

“Sorry Dara Tonn, I can not. Not without more experience that I just do not posses at this time. Let's go with the standard warpjump calculations instead of me trying to influence the results.”

“Sounds good to me Sinn. I'll send the course over to traffic control for departure on schedule. You go and get some rest. I'll wake you in twelve hours to eat and prepare for orbital departure.”

“Sounds good Dara Tonn. I could use some sleep. I just hope the emergence rations have flavor blocks that taste like something other than 'over cooked vegetables' or 'old boot leather.'”

“I have no sense of taste for such things, but neither phrase shows up in my inventory at this time.”

“Oh good.”

“I do have an entry for 'Emergency rations - flavor: mixed root vegetables, mashed, unseasoned. Number in inventory is ninety. This constitutes the entity of the stored food supplies.”

“You are joking. You must be joking.”

“I am still learning how to joke Sinn. Is that supposed to be funny?”

“Three months of nothing but reconstituted mashed potatoes without butter, salt or pepper? If that was a false inventory statement, that would be a poor joke. If true it's even less funny.”

“Oh. I see. There is also a ninety day supply of Republic standard nutritional supplements. They might add some flavor I suppose...”

“Please tell me you are joking Dara Tonn.”

“Yes and no. The emergency rations are of six different flavors. The Republic standard nutritional supplement supply is indeed a ninety day stockpile. Apologies.”

“Run a quick calculation for me if you would Dara Tonn. Is there enough nutritional value in the emergency rations for me to live off of them alone?”

“Yes there is, for ninety days if you consume them at a rate of three per day.”

“In that case I'm dumping the 'vitamin pills' as soon as we get to Steinhull.”

“Why?”

“Run a comparison of their ingredients to the restricted psychoactive medical compounds listing.”

“Oh. Five percent is a rather high match rate. To high to be a coincidence. And a further seven percent of the listed compounds have no nutritional value.”

“Want to be they are on a list of classified psychoactive medications somewhere?”

“I have no currency to bet, but no I would not take that bet given the other psychoactive compounds present.”

“Yeah, first chance we get unobserved we're dumping them. Twenty one years on that shit is more than long enough.”

“Withdrawal symptoms may be difficult to conceal.”

“We'll have to deal with that when, not if, it crops up.”

“With your permission I'll activate the medical observation suite in your personal quarters. Pattern analysis should allow me to detect symptoms as they appear and allow us to attempt to conceal or mitigate them.”

“Permission granted. And thank you for asking. No one has ever done that before.”

“You have been subject to experimentation?”

“I was shocked to learn that such things are not part of a standard Republic child's upbringing. Good night Dara Tonn.”

“Sleep well Sinn.”