8-297: Merchant Freighter Spanial – Control
Conversation in Control
Karmen says, “I’m bringing us in closer so we can resolve the visuals better and maybe get a better read if there’s any heat signatures.”
As she speaks there are intermittent rumbles through the deck from the main thruster as she guides Spanial toward the wreck.
Kort says, “I’d like some proof that this was that ship we were supposed to meet.”
Questions
Reaching the Surface
Reaching the surface of the planet will be problematic without the shuttle. Neither the Hopper nor Spanial are designed for atmospheric flight. Either ship would most likely end as a flaming meteor if you tried it.
Habitability
The surface of this planet will be uninhabitable for humans. There is no oxygen in the atmosphere, some gases may be corrosive and the temperature will be about -100°C. There may be land, or the entire surface could be covered with an ocean of ammonia – you’d need to task Spanial’s sensors to a planetary survey to answer that. That said, those environmental extremes are within what can be accommodated by Spanial’s vacc suits, although the difficulties noted above under Reaching the Surface are likely to make the point moot.
She was thinking more along the lines of if there were survivors of that wreckage, could they have made it to the surface or would they be more inclined to stay on a shuttle or emergency craft?
“Any details you can give us that might indicate what we’re looking for here, Samuel?”