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Griffie is checking on the Winterbite Mint, harvesting shears out.
The absence of spacesuit does not guarantee the absence of travel.
The MS Lithobraking has been tracking an anomaly, estimated to have started two days ago at this point.
"In terms of subspace, at this point probably nothing. I believe the initial disruption has ceased, and the current patterns are echos."
"All right. I want as close to a working escape path as we can before we reach anything more than long range sensor activity."
Boyd checks if anyone has told Paterson.
Upon learning 'no', he sighs. "It isn't like we were planning a warp before this. She shouldn't be busy. Serrano, make sure the data is prepped."
He then connects to Paterson. "Paterson, we need you up here, new project."
Silvia is indeed not currently busy, and comes up, asking questions as she does so, then begins working with Cornelia's data and models to plot likely subspace escape paths.
"Cornelia, top priority here is safety, make sure Silvia has everything she needs. Second priority is information. Preliminary guesses, unreliable sensors—whatever it takes. If there is anything still there, subspace or not, I want to see it before it sees us, irradiates us, or whatever it does."
"I don't like how many of these models have unexpected spatial discontinuities. Captain, by a lot of Cornelia's models, if this activates again I'm not sure Art will have enough warning to adjust course to avoid us being torn to shreds, and I can't give you a course option that handles that."
"There should be discharges from such things, but the disruption isn't limited to standardspace or subspace. To figure out where they are, we need to first map out both, then compute. Fee can make sure we get processor priority, sure, but the sensors themselves only work so fast. I have a few models but... most of them have us discovering a discontinuity in our path by hitting it before we get the data. Unless your people have been hiding the fact that your reflexes let you react to things before they happen…"
"I've been talking with Fee, yes. The captain said to prioritize safety, so we are going for the best data we can get while keeping us out of the more likely ranges of disaster."
"Good. I want extra drones too, and Art ready to work with them. If we don't get things sooner, tell me half an hour before we could spot a typical jelly."
The MS Lithobraking continues to advance on the anomaly, passing the aforementioned distance with no jelly in sight.
"Still no evidence of ongoing discontinuities, but we got something. Strange thing too. Small and it's absorbing, emitting, and reflecting light, but no thermal at all. If it was just on one sensor, I would assume damage."
"Signal won't be good, but we could send one. Trajectory of the object matches what we picked up earlier, and seems regular enough, no acceleration."
"Then I want us further away, and a drone sent to intercept. Art, stay focused on the ship, let the drone run on auto. Actually, make it three drones, different intercepts. If this thing destroys them, I want a chance of seeing what happened."
Three metallic spheres, occasionally emitting little pulsing ripples of light to push their trajectory, approach Griffie.