Sayeeda Cyckali circles her opponent her fists darted out in quick precise thrust, never leaving her slender body unprotected. Occasional she alternated with a snapping side kick, trying to keep the rythm of blows from becoming a pattern. Sweat ran down her dusky skin as she circled the sparring bag and she was so intent on it that she nearly didn't notice the mind blasting disorentation of the drop out of RIP. For a split second it felt like her skin had been torn from her body and then she was back in the real universe. She lowered her guard and breathed heavily for a moment.

"Whats the status?" she asked over the net and received an update from Neil. Mu Cephei was one of the systems that had come up in the course plot, although it was only a twenty or thirty percent chance given the way the currents in this area of the RIP/Real intertwined. Sayeeda headed for the shower and stripped off her gym shorts and tank top. Taya, their aristocratic passenger come crewman waked in and widened her eyes at her now naked captain. Sayeeda threw her bundled up clothing at the girl who sqwaked in protest and stepped into the shower running it without heating the water. For a few seconds she faced up into the shower head eyes closed and enjoying the refreshment of the cool water on her muscles. 

"What is the time on the fuel rods Neil, I could use a little time in real space." Although to humans inside the protective shields of a ship the physics that underpinned transdimensional RIP space differed slightly from that of real space. Mostly that was a matter of curiosity for particle physicists but one of the practical results were that the fuel roads began developing novel isotopes of hydrogeon and cadmium. That happened, theoretically, in real space too but the ground state of the human universe prevented it from getting out of control. In RIP space however those novel isotopes remained stable and eventually enough of them would accrue to cause a problem. It didn't pay to combine the words 'unexpected' and 'fusion reaction' together. The solution for most ships was to drop out of the RIP and cycle the fuel, allowing the normalizing effect of the universe to take care of the unstable elements. Warships often had multiple sets of fuel rods and could cycle them in and out to extend jumps. Freighters like the Highlander usually only had two sets and the second was only in case of dire emergency. It was much simpler and safer just to spend a few hours in real space and then be on your way.

"Uhhh getting a transmission from one of the planets, looks like a distress call," Neil's voice replied through her mastoid communicator.

"Yeah alright I'm on my way up," she replied and turned of the shower. Toweling herself off she slipped into tshirt and set of combat pants and headed up to the bridge drying her short dark hair as she went.

"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, Research Vessel Priceps in distress, Mayday." was playing over the speakers, apparently on an automated loop.

"Only an automated transmission?" Sayeeda asked skeptically, checking the sensor read out and determining it was coming from a small but habital planet in close to the systems dim binary star.

[@POOHEAD189]