Ganga class Jump Ship 6000 tons 507 Crew 970.2 BP TCS 120 TH 200 EM 300
1666 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 2-29 Shields 10-200 Sensors 18/0/0/0 Damage Control Rating 3 PPV 0
Annual Failure Rate: 96% IFR: 1.3% Maintenance Capacity 2303 MSP
J6000(3-50) Jump Drive Max Ship Size 6000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Nuclear Pulse Engine (5) Power 40 Efficiency 0.80 Signature 40 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 200,000 Litres Range 75.0 billion km (520 days at full power)
Alpha R200/8 Shields (10) Total Fuel Cost 80 Litres per day
Active Search Sensor S60-R2/100 (1) GPS 120 Range 1.2m km Resolution 2
AM Active Search Sensor (1) GPS 128 Range 1.3m km Resolution 1
Thermal Sensor TH3-18/100 (1) Sensitivity 18 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 18m km
October 14, 2019
Captain’s Log, Republic Jump Ship Ganga
Captain Mahabala Nehru
We arrived at the warp point at 0830 hours. We’d had a lot of time to plan during the voyage out, so things went smoothly once we arrived. Given the fact that this is humanity’s first interstellar jump, using an untested Ancient jump drive, caution seemed the order of the day. Therefore, all non-essential crew was off-loaded to the Raiput before the jump. The captain of the Raiput agreed to remain at the warp point for two weeks before returning to Earth, should we not return from the jump.
The jump itself went smoothly. The jump engines were engaged and powered up, and once the power levels reached critical, the ship jumped without incident. The jump itself was disorienting. The physical sensation is difficult to describe, my executive officer said it was something like ‘being out of place’, or ‘not knowing where she was’. I find myself in agreement with those statements, and must say that it took me several minutes before I was able to function at full efficiency.
When we were able to stop analyzing our reaction to the jump, we realized we were in a different system, the first humans ever to do such a thing. After a bit of searching we found the system primary, an F-5V star 4.7 billion kilometers away. The new star was brilliant, much brighter than Sol was at the same distance, as befitting an F-5 star thirty percent larger than Sol.
After a short celebration at our safe arrival, all science and communications instruments were pressed into duty to find any planets, moons, and asteroids that this system might possess. After a relatively short period of time the scientists discovered nine planets and eighty moons. None of the planets or moons is particularly earth like, but four could be colonized by humans, although not with ease. The fifth planet out is the most Earth-like, with an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere and a diameter of 1.3 times that of Earth. Interestingly, the planet’s gravity is only 55% that of Earth and the atmosphere has 30% the pressure of Earth’s atmosphere, making it a cold, inhospitable place. Still, a colony could be placed there with relatively minor precautions, at least compared to most of the other planets and moons in the solar system. The crew voted to name the planet Rameswaram after the island town in Tamil Nadu.
The crew is very excited. Even though there is no ‘second earth’, there is a lot of real estate here, and surely more than a few resources. After confirming their findings we jumped back to the Solar System and set out for Jump Point #5.
Twenty four hours into the trip the scientists determined that we had visited the Procyon system, 11.4 light years from Earth. It is mind-boggling that we traveled so far in so little time.
October 23, 2019
Captain’s Log, Republic Jump Ship Ganga
Captain Mahabala Nehru
Before jumping out we received the latest news from home. It was deeply disquieting to hear how close the world came to destruction, when we are so far from home. On the other hand, the news that the Africans were responsible for the attack on our fleet, and that they have been punished for their cowardly actions, has done much to bolster morale.
Our second jump was less eventful and much less stressful, now that we knew what to expect. The jump itself was exactly the same as the first jump, and I am convinced that the experience will remain consistent.
We materialized in the new system 3.1 billion kilometers from a K6-V star. This star is much less luminescent than Sol, as befitting a smaller and quieter star. Eventually we found six planets, sixty one moons, and two small asteroid belts. One planet, is fairly earth-like, with a nitrogen-carbon dioxide atmosphere and average temperature of -102 degrees. Frigid, but definitely a possible target for colonization.
By the time we are ready to leave the astronomers have decided that this star is 69.4 light years from Earth, and that it does not have a name, just a number, Gliese 2041. Once again I allow the crew to vote on a name for the Earth-like world in the system, and they settle on Kharagpur.
It is our hope that the discoveries we make on this voyage will help heal the division on Earth, and prevent another conflict like that which almost tore our world apart.
I have sent a message to command on Earth, congratulating them on the insight that they showed in denying my original request to include the survey ships in this mission. My original thought had been that we would ferry them to the first new system we discovered and then leave them there to be recovered after we probed the other warp points in our system.
I have rethought this plan, as the last paragraph indicates. While our visits to the other systems are exhilarating, all of us have felt the implacable loneliness that arises from the fact that we are many, many light years away from home. This feeling is somewhat mitigated by our proven capability to jump home at will. How much worse would it be for the survey ships to be left there with no way to return unless and until we come back for them?
November 4, 2019
Captain’s Log, Republic Jump Ship Ganga
Captain Mahabala Nehru
Today we made an uneventful jump through warp point #7. We suffered the same effects as the first two jumps, and found ourselves in a system with a massive A8-V star thirteen times as bright as Sol. We materialized just 1.8 billion kilometers from the star.
The system has seven planets and nine moons, a rather disappointing total, except that three of the planets are incredibly Earth-like. All are too warm, as befitting their luminous primary, but two have oxygen-nitrogen atmospheres and all three are the closest to Earth we have found yet.
The astronomers have identified this star as Alpha Cephi, approximately forty nine light years from Earth.
November 9, 2019
Captain’s Log, Republic Jump Ship Ganga
Captain Mahabala Nehru
We have just jumped through warp point #8, and have found a K3-V star with eleven planets and ninety moons. The astronomers believe that this star is Gliese-257, approximately 60.4 light years from Earth.
One of the planets has an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere, but is far too cold for unassisted human habitation. Four other planets and moons are potentially habitable, depending on the amount of effort the colonizing agency is prepared to make.
I suspect that all of this is becoming too much for my crew and me to take. The first several jumps that we made were fundamentally exciting! We were doing something that no one else had done. We were seeing things that no one else had seen! Now, though, we are encountering the same old planets and moons, and my crew wants to go home. Perhaps it will be different when we begin surveying the system for possible use?
January 4, 2020
Captain’s Log, Republic Jump Ship Ganga
Captain Mahabala Nehru
At 0100 hours we jumped through warp point #6. The new system has a K6-V central star, nine planets, ninety five moons, and a single very large asteroid belt. Two of the innermost super jovian planet’s moons are potential colony sites, although neither has an oxygen atmosphere and both are very cold. The crew has voted to name the super jovian “Bhuj”, making the two nearly habitable moons Bhuj XV and Bhuj XXX.
Before leaving the system the astronomers have determined that this is the Gliese 818 system, approximately 55.6 light years from Earth.
The crew is eager to complete our mission and return home, and I must admit that I am too. We will not tarry for long in this system, and I intend to jump back to the solar system shortly and then we will set course for warp point number 9, the last warp point to be explored (unless the powers that be decide to allow us to probe the solar system’s three innermost warp points.
January 14, 2020
Captain’s Log, Republic Jump Ship Ganga
Captain Mahabala Nehru
On this date we jumped through warp point number nine without incident. The new system had the most familiar star yet, a G9-V. The system contains eight planets and eighty one moons. Encouragingly, the system also contains three planets and moons that could be colonized, and two are within the range of types that could be colonized fairly easily, and one actually has an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere, although it is quite thin.
The astronomers report that this system is Gliese 754, 54.3 light years from Earth.
We will transit back to the solar system shortly, at which time we will set a course for the warp point to Alpha Cephi, where we will rendezvous with three survey ships waiting for conveyance to the new system. Once we assist them we will return to Earth for refueling and provisioning, before setting out to rendezvous with the survey ships again.
March 9, 2020
Captain’s Log, Republic Jump Ship Ganga
Captain Mahabala Nehru
Finally we are on our way home! The survey ships are safely in Alpha Cephi and we are free to return to Earth.
