no, it's a different kind of jump

[rockeye_stonetoe]

The satellites, stations, and vessels surrounding Barrayar have plenty of chance to observe an intense burst of EM radiation leaning towards the low-frequency end of the spectrum, but including plenty of visible light.

After that it will take more sensitive scanners and cameras to detect an object on a very definitely sub-orbital trajectory. When it crashes to the planet, it seems to still be in one piece. Somehow.

Comments

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles gets two calls about this event.

First, someone he doesn't initially recognize wakes him up at some atrocious hour of the morning to nervously inform him that an unidentified object has crashed into Vorkosigan Vashnoi. This naturally puts him in the perfect mood for the midsentence interruption from Simon, who takes one look at him and correctly deduces that he must have heard about the incident already.

He stifles the impulse to ask what gave it away, and instead accepts the forwarded ImpSec report, which Simon verbally summarizes as: "An approximately spaceship-sized, approximately spaceship-like object appeared out of thin air and fell on your radioactive inheritance."

"And what am I supposed to do, go knock on the hatch?" he asks irritably.

No, of course not. But he is expected to keep himself updated on the situation, since the land is his and there is considerable pressure from multiple sides to figure out as soon as humanly possible what in damnation is going on here.

He gets himself dressed and on a lightflyer to the nearest town immediately, so he won't have to waste the time flying there if something interesting happens. And then he settles glumly down to sit and read datastreams and wait for something interesting to happen.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

Six hours later, it lifts off, flies seven kilometers, and crashes again. Presumably the satellites can see this.

And some ten hours after that an unmanned drone of unfamiliar design emerges from the ship and flies toward that town.

[thisvorlunatic]

The scanners pick it up soon after it departs the ship, and then it's Miles's problem.

Well.

Miles takes his lightflyer up and sets it down as close to the edge of the exclusion zone as he is willing to get, directly between ship and town. Then he awaits the drone.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

The drone drops something as it flies over, then turns around and returns to its ship.

If he gets close enough to inspect the thing, it turns out to be a rolled-up bundle of greenish material tied with a cord of same. Scanners describe it as 'plastic with traces of silver' and 'not radioactive'.

[thisvorlunatic]

His theory that this vessel is in some form of distress just keeps getting firmer.

He inspects the dropped object from a safe distance, then from a slightly nearer distance when there is nothing obviously dangerous about it.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

It doesn't do anything unless he unties and unfolds it.

[thisvorlunatic]

Which, after some hesitation and a lot of scanning, he does.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

It appears to be some sort of... Foldable comconsole.

The user interface's characters are unrecognizable, but the message that appears in the center of the 'screen' is in Barrayaran Cryllic.

Trading vessel [something untranslated] in severe damage. Loss of jump drive containment. Loss of hull integrity. Loss of navigation system. Damage is repairable with onboard materials. But not fuel.

A touch keyboard is available, presumably for replying.

[thisvorlunatic]

First things first:

Are you aware that the area you landed in is dangerously radioactive?

[rockeye_stonetoe]

Yes. Intact compartments are safe. But I do not can leave ship even in environment suit.

[thisvorlunatic]

Bugger.

In that case...

Fuel?

[rockeye_stonetoe]

Have not see specific word for fuel in this language. Made in part from Iridium, Cerium, Francium. Think planet do not have.

[thisvorlunatic]

Can you make it if you have the ingredients?

[rockeye_stonetoe]

Difficult. Make special equipment, then make fuel. But possible. Some ingredients not found on this planet. Unsure on nearby planets. Possible can see database? Better translate.

[thisvorlunatic]

See database how?

[rockeye_stonetoe]

I don't. The message's scrolling pauses for a while.

OK. No database. Cannot leave ship to fix engine to leave danger zone, cannot fix engine to leave danger zone to leave ship. Environment suit will carry radioactive dust into ship. Cannot clean. Frustrating.