May 20th, 8252

You look over the navigational data for the warp jump form Sono to Zures with a critical eye. After eight minutes of examination, and five re-checks by the Night Horse's automated systems against the real space sensor reading in front of you you grunt in satisfaction. It's rare that a warp jump route is stable enough to be nearly completely charted on the fist exploratory jump, hence you warp jump route mapping efforts thus far on this expedition, but the Sono to Zures jump is in fact that stable. Accordingly you decide that the Night Horse will take this jump at regular speed instead of the plodding mapping speed. A jump of only four days instead of eight is a lot less time for the Kleinova drive to have a chance to act up on you.

May 21st, 8252

You frown over the display showing the sensor feed from the deep void sensor array. Being mid warp jump knocks it's range down quite a bit but not it's reliability. Usually. This time however it's showing you a pair of ships fading in and out of resolution. When you recycle the system they vanish only to reappear some minutes later. You frown and decide to keep an eye on the readings and see if you can at least get a hull classification for the ghost ships.

Six hours later as you prepare to end your watch the display chimes twice to indicate a match for both ships. The larger of the two is a Star Empire built Wasp 17b mass cargo hauler. A fairly standard design which, when you query the ship registration records on hand, indicates that it is one of fifty eight such ships. The smaller ship by a fair margin comes back as a Star Empire Symphony class personnel transport one of either seventy eight in government service or eighteen built to an alternate interior design as a luxury passenger liner. Both designs are older, from around year 8200, but still eminently serviceable for low threat duty.

The combination of the two ships and their low threat usage designation makes you think of a colonization effort. Even as you ponder this the two ships fade from the display again. This time they do not return and your watch ends without ever catching sight of them again.

May 22nd, 8252

Insomnia and sleep deprivation leave your short of temper for a while. It takes several cups of strong coffee and a stimulant tab to keep you up through your watch but you manage to miss time things and spend several hours staring at the overhead of your quarters before sleep claims you.

May 23rd, 8252

You head directly to bed after your watch. Swallowing a sleep aid you crash out in attempt to catch back up on your sleep. The sleep aid works and you awake many hours later with the sensation that you had strange dreams but cannot remember them.

May 24th, 8252

You are standing your watch as usual, twenty two and a half hours out from translation back to real space in the Zures system when the alarm starts to blare and the damage control display starts flashing the crimson of critical damage. Your hands reach for the intercom controls to ask Midshipman Huckle what in the name of the gods below is going on when the display switches to a blinking yellow. You frown, as that indicated damage being actively repaired. Casting your eyes over the display you see the warp screen integrity is down to fifty one percent but rising steadily. You let out a deep sigh of relief and thumb open a channel to Midshipman Huckle.

“Same warp jump screen generator again or a different one this time Midshipman Huckle?”

“Same one Sir, and the same damn frequency modulator too. I've already got a spare swapped in and synchronized but I'd like to spend a day when we reach Zures to go over this generator with a fine toothed comb. Again. Something just isn't right with this thing and I'd rather not just keep throwing components at it blindly.”

“Agreed, no contest. Log the fault in detail, as well as all diagnostics and repairs needed for the record. Check the other generators too in case that harmonic has started to spread. I intend to have words with the Celesmore yards about this one.”

“Aye aye Sir.”

May 25th, 8252

The Night Horse reverts to real space at the outer edge of the Zures system without further incident. You stand and stretch in preparation for standing down the crew when the communications console begins to chirp with an incoming automated message. Moments later it switches to the strident blaring of a priority automated distress call. Even as Midshipman Engel jumps to the communications console to handle the message your eyes go to the sensor display. On it are two ships floating damaged and adrift in the outer reaches of the Zures system.

One is a Wasp 17b mass cargo hauler designated SES Robert Harbird. The other is a Symphony class personnel transport designated SES Ann Child. Both are close matches for the recorded sensor ghost you witnessed on May 21st.