It turns out that the initial warp jump survey data for the path between the Clouwell and Gayle systems is little more then entry point calculations at both ends. Unwilling to risk your ship and crew on such limited data you put the Night Horse into a parking orbit at the Couwell star / Clouwell 1 L2 Lagrange point while CWO Fish checks over the calculations. Almost immediately she declares that whomever did the original calculation of this end of the jump gun-decked the whole thing.

“What do you mean they gun-decked it?”

“I mean Sir that what the put in only matches reality in that the entry vector is in the right direction and ends at the right place. Everything else, and I mean everything, abut the calculations is either rough approximations at best or flat out copped off of the solution to an example problem. Whomever did this work threw this kludge together, got it to pass the auto checker, called it good enough and walked away.”

“Shit like this is exactly why our mission is to re-check all of this stuff. How long do you need to work out the actual data we need?”

“Hard to say exactly considering I'll need to start from scratch on this end and re-check the exit point data for the Gayle system end of this jump too. Call it a day to do the math and another day for the computer to check things over if it's a typical jump. If there is something more exotic going on here it will take longer.”

“Sounds reasonable. Keep me informed please. Just updates at the daily check-in will do. I'll include the resultant proof and math, whatever they turn out to be, with the pre-jump report.”

“Aye aye Sir.”

December 3rd, 8252

You walk onto the bridge to find CWO Fish with her head rested on her console and a steady monotone stream of profanity emerging from her vocaliser.

“Sounds like the jump is something more exotic overall.”

CWO Fish heaves out a great sigh. “You could say that. You could also say that the sodding bung wanker who gun-decked the entry vector manage to fuck it up completely. The left out a goddamn moon from the calculations. I've spent the last day doing it all from scratch only for the computer to oh so politely inform me that I made an assumption in my calculations that turned out to be so much garbage. This particular warp jump has a goddamn Leibniz-Hilbert course fluctuation in it.”

“Damn. So the jump time is a lot longer then standard. Do you have a rough ballpark for that?”

“Rough estimate, and this is barely above a WAG here Sir, is six to nine days instead of three due to the reduced speed involved. I'm going to need to run the course calculations all over again, get them checked out, then do the same for the exit vector, and finally re-confirm that the math for the reverse trip actually works out.”

“We are in no great rush when it comes to making sure that we can warp jump safely. I'd rather spend the extra time to get it right then to jump half blind or worse.”

December 5th, 8252

The end of day check in at dinner comes with two welcome reports.

“Right, quick check in time. Anything to report Supply?”

“Neg Sir. Nothing out of the ordinary on my end.”

“Very good. Engineering?”

“As of an hour ago both the shooting range and sparring arena are complete. I have an egghead running the final structural checks and the computer re-checking the firmware and software. Once that is complete, and assuming everything meets code for a 'temporary' shipboard facility, I'll feel safe signing off on the project as done and declaring the facilities open for use.”

“In only four days? Impressive work Engineering.”

“The bulk of it was done by automatons supervised by eggheads Sir. Hit an anomaly yesterday that I had to step in to adapt for but other then that it's been routine work.”

“Well done. Navigation?”

“We are finally ready to warp jump to the Gayle system. Transit time is twelve days at pathfinder speed. Course is already in the computer so we can lock it in and start the warp jump whenever.”

“Excellent! We'll all grab a good night's sleep and then depart in the morning. Breakfast at the usual time and then we'll head out.

December 8th, 8252

You watch as CWO Fish suddenly sits upright and stares into the depth of her console. Her left hand hovers over the alarm button for a moment but does not come down. Instead she furiously enters a course correction, erases it, enters afresh one and locks it in. The Night Horse twitches a few degrees to starboard and rolls slightly in the same direction. You feel a soft shudder as something bounces off of the warp jump screens.

“What was that CWO Fish?”

“Small energy flux. The twitch and roll caused it to 'bounce' off of the warp jump screens. We are coming back onto course now.”

“Very well CWO.”

December 17th, 8252

You frown at the sensor display. The Night Horse is a day out from the Gayle system and, as far as you and the rest of the Star Empire knows, there isn't anyone else out here. The Astoriel Remnant and Golrak Hive Mind are both on the other side of the Start empire and weeks, if not months away, by ship. And yet the sensor readings clearly show a ship of unknown type heading your way. You are tempted to mark it off as a sensor ghost but decide to check just to be sure. You thumb your palm and press the sensor automatic re-calibration button. The console window blanks for a moment and then quickly rebuilds itself. You frown at the ship still on your display.

The mystery ship suddenly slows, performs an end for end flip, and begins accelerating away form you and back the way it came. Towards the Gayle system. You thumb your palm for luck and hit the automatic re calibrate button again. When the screen comes back to life the ship is gone. Something that might be a FTL warp jump drive wake is apparent but fades away even as you watch.

December 18th, 8252

The Night Horse reverts to reality at the edge of the Gayle system. Almost immediately the sensor scopes fill with unknown contacts and drive signatures. One is a day ahead of you and burning in system.

“Well, I think it's safe to say we found someone.”