ISS Artemis 24 in orbit, planet 6 system 612-744
Date 1184-265 Imperial Standard
Time 0600 Shipboard
"Elli's Chance, Elli's Chance this is ISS Artemis 24, Please respond. If you are receiving but cannot transmit, blink external lights. Over"
The merchant continued to obit silently 5 kilometers ahead of the scoutship. Four sets of eyes watched expectantly for any signs of life; radio calls for the last hour had gone unanswered. A magnified image was on the center bridge screen, her name was clearly visible on the port stabilizer as were the typical signs of wear and damage all interstellar ships collect. There were no signs however of any battle damage or hostile boarding.
After a minute Daryl spoke, "Looks like we have to knock. Val close us up, I want to mate our port lock to their forward starboard lock. That will put us closest to the bridge. Vrain, Mel go get our probe into the airlock and stand by."
"Readouts show they have gravity inside but it fluctuates some. Could be damage to the powerplant, but shouldn't be a problem" Vrain observed.
"Should we suit up?" inquired Mel.
"Yes, Haz-E suits for now and let's get our weapons too. Val and Vrain take shotguns, Mel and I will take the PCWs; everybody takes a pistol too. If there are any surprises in the airlock when you open it for the probe don't wait to ask, just shoot."
"Well that doesn't tell us much," complained Mel.
The four crewmembers were gathered around the lab display screen watching the video from the probe. It was using its built-in light, as the ship's lights were dark. The crew lounge appeared to be normal. All hatches out of the area were closed and not responding except for the hatch to the galley which had been propped open. In the galley was the only real sign of anything out of place; the cupboards had been ripped open and the contents dumped on the floor.
"Someone waiting to greet us would have been nice," Daryl agreed, "but we will have to settle for what we can get. What does the probe tell us about the environment on board?"
Val answered, "Gravity operating, varying between .94 and 1.0. Atmosphere nominal but a bit stale from the CO2 level. Radiation level normal. No trace of toxins in the air or on any surface so far."
"I want to be cautious still. Let's have the probe do a full bio-scan. If it is clear, we will board at 1500 hours. We can go without the Haz-E suits but I still want us armed."
"Should we prep tools for breaching the hatches?"
"I may have been an instructor since before you were born young man but this is not my first trip out in the field. Bring an electronics test kit and an extra battery; I will teach you how to open a sticky door."