A Day in the Life - Jenquai Explorer

September 10, 2001

The sensors began their slow, methodical sweep of the planet surface, looking for the secret signature of crystal deposits. Let the Terrans dig about aimlessly for gold and platinum, and the Progens reduce entire mountain ranges to strip them of lead. It took a Jenquai to peek into nooks and crannies, to coax the rocks into willingly surrendering their most precious deposits.

Sho'ta'far was one of the best of Clan Shou Liangde at reading a planet or asteroid and gently extracting its crystalline wonders. The thrill and excitement to him was in finding the skystone and uncovering its secrets. Selling the refined crystals for profit bordered on the obscene, but unfortunately, it was a necessary evil. Out here in the Aragoth System, money was necessary to keep his ship operating. It didn't hurt that there was always a lucrative market for high-quality optic gemstones; laser tools and weapons were still some of the most functional devices around, and as long as there were lasers, there would be a need for optic gems.

He closed his eyes and let the stray, mundane thoughts drift away. The scanners would be doing the hard work for a while before he needed to move his ship. He gradually directed his mind toward his true passion - perfecting the skystone refining process. He had an exciting theory about the possibility of altering raw skystone's Raman spectra, and how it could be utilized for fine-tuning color in the refining process.

He lowered the cabin lights, and, more focused now, slowly opened his eyes to attune himself to the soft, pulsing, orange glow of the nearby volcanic planet. He was unusually attuned to volcanic processes and their resulting byproducts, an uncommon trait among the Jenquai. Granted, it was not high philosophy or something deeply mystical, but he found his own satisfaction in the solitude of a prospector.

He turned to face the pulsing, radiant planet surface, its glow washing rhythmically over his face. The atmosphere reflected and softened the light into a thousand shades of orange. The bright rivers and pools of lava eddied and swirled through his vision. Sho'ta'far began breathing slowly, steadily, until he found his way to the silent place within his mind. It was within this meditative state that he felt the strongest connection with the universe. He cast his gaze deeper, peering under the planet's churning surface and toward its eternally burning heart.

When he opened his eyes sometime later, he knew where the best skystone deposits were located. Over there, on that canyon wall. And there, on that island in a sea of lava. He still wasn't sure how he always knew where to find the best deposits, but he was seldom wrong. And he was never wrong on a vibrant, glorious planet like this. Asteroids sometimes proved him wrong, but that was understandable; asteroids were cold, lifeless hulks, and they gave up their secrets grudgingly.

A stronger glow shone briefly from the scanning display, confirming what he already knew; his scanner had detected the outcrop on the canyon wall. He entered the other locations he had seen into his ship's memory, then relaxed while the extraction process began.

After a period of meditation to the background hum of his sensors, Sho'ta'far's attention was drawn to a quiet warning chime. A brief glance at the defense display told him that the Progen patrol he had sensed earlier was still close by, but had not detected him through his cloak. Out of sight, out of mind.

Earlier in his career, he had enjoyed the cat-and-mouse games with Progen patrols and the occasional Terran troublemaker. But the novelty had worn off long ago when he realized there just wasn't much of a challenge. Let the Progen bluster and posture, lay claim to the entire galaxy, and patrol it to the end of days if they wanted. Any competent Jenquai with a little mining knowledge could find and remove valuable resources with little interference from Progen annoyances.

Of course, the Progen tended to throw their weight around wherever they appeared, so it was always a good idea to be wary of them. The two Centurions currently orbiting would probably pass nearby, but unless they had replaced their sensors with something better than the standard issue equipment, they wouldn't detect his innocuous presence.

Just to be safe, the Jenquai charged his laser and rechecked the cloaking device. If the Centurions wandered uncomfortably near, he would use his standard tactic of letting them get as close as possible before unleashing a devastating beam on one of them. At close range he could heavily damage even a Progen ship, and even if he didn't disable it, the surprise attack could buy him enough time to disappear. But he'd rather just hide and wait until he had a full load of skystone before returning to the mining station to begin refining.

He frowned slightly as he received the telltale signature of a Crystal Mite from his sensor. The Mite itself wasn't dangerous, but if it noticed his presence its curiosity might attract the Progen ships. He adjusted his cloak slightly to better hide from the Mite and made a mental note to check it again later.

Once he had returned to a skystone source to find a Terran privateer nosing about, having followed a Crystal Mite directly to the mineral deposit. The Terran had apparently been too excited at the discovery to check her sensors, because Sho'ta'far had managed to sneak in to point-blank range. His first laser shot had crippled the Terran, though she had managed to release a volley of missiles before the second beam disabled the ship. He had taken substantial damage from one missile but had managed to avoid the others.

He had never understood the Terran fascination with missiles. Yes, they could be devastating even at long range, but missiles were terribly expensive, whereas all a laser needed was a good power supply. For all their underhanded business dealings for the sake of a few precious credits, Terrans certainly seemed to throw a lot of money out their missile tubes. It was Sho'ta'far's belief that Terrans enjoyed spending money just as much as they enjoyed making it. If so, that Terran privateer he'd jumped must have certainly enjoyed herself, because he'd heard later that her vessel's hull had to be gutted and refitted.

Again, he put the mundane thoughts from his mind and focused on his refinement theory. Perhaps the secret to the color lay in the intervalance charge transfer.

The account above makes reference to a few things the average Jenquai Explorer might encounter in Earth and Beyond. Explorers will be able to detect and collect resources that other classes might miss - things like ore, gas pockets, silicates, optic gemstones, and trade gemstones. Once they collect resources, the Explorers will be able to refine the raw material into something more valuable.

Their ships will have better sensors, and they can often hide or sneak away undetected. But don't underestimate the fighting ability of an Explorer. A Jenquai laser beam can pack quite a punch at close range. And because a laser has unlimited ammo as long as it has a power source, an Explorer who wields a laser won't run out of missiles or projectiles. They also don't have to waste money buying expendable ammunition.

Progen Explorers will have better defensive options, and Terran Explorers will be able to use the Afterburn skill to get out of tight spot quickly. Jenquai Explorers can shield themselves from environmental forces and create wormholes.

Explorers will need to be ready to fight from time to time, because the better resources could be in dangerous areas. They may spend a lot of time dodging monsters and other hostile forces, trying to extract a valuable resource undetected.

Whether you need a hostile sector scouted, an asteroid field mined for resources, or just need some defensive help, an Explorer will be a valuable ally. But they may not hang around forever. After all, there's always something new to see and discover in the unexplored corners of the galaxy.