During a visit to the planet Epsilon-Gamma, Clara and Me cross paths with the starship PATHFINDER, carrying an expedition from the Solar System, sent to investigate a strange energy reading originating from the planet's rings. The time travellers an...
Many thanks to jettmanas, who kindly did the cover art and some interior illustrations for this story.
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Out in the vast reaches of space, the starship PATHFINDER flew gracefully through the vast expanse of the galaxy, like a giant silver arrow heading straight for its target, its shiny hull plates occasionally catching the glare of a nearby star. Long and sleek in design, the PATHFINDER was one of the most impressive spacecrafts of the 27th Century, yet despite its huge size, the automatic systems onboard meant that only a small crew was required to man it. This was a surprisingly easy task, for not only were the crew well trained in their roles, but the computer systems were also highly efficient in all the required tasks for maintaining the integrity of the ship, thus taking a huge workload off the crew's shoulders and allowing them for the most part to put their feet up during the long journey to planet Epsilon-Gamma, a huge gas giant on the edge of the galaxy that had previously been of no interest to anyone but the occasional astronomer.
However, a few months ago, a passing robot satellite conducted a scan of the rocks that made up the rings that encircled the planet, and the transmitted results indicated that there was some form of energy embedded in each of the orbiting rocks. Scientists on Pluto theorised that this could be the indication of a valuable mineral like jethrik, which could have the potential to fuel the fleet of the Galactic Federation for hundreds, possibly thousands, of years. And so PATHFINDER was sent to investigate the rings of Epsilon-Gamma, to ascertain if the satellite scans were correct, and if so, to explore the possibility of mining said mineral and ascertain its worth.
It had been a long voyage, but at last, PATHFINDER was nearing its destination. Sitting back in his command chair on the bridge, Captain John Hisko, a formidable looking man in his mid-thirties, sipped his coffee and gazed at the sight of Epsilon-Gamma on the main viewscreen. The planet was a magnificent spectacle as numerous bright colours swirled across its giant body, while its rings gently drifted around the colourful globe. Even if the satellite scans would turn out wrong, Hisko did not regret the long journey as to him, seeing the beautiful display before him made the trip worthwhile.
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