|
Portions of this material are Copyright ©1977-1996 Far Future Enterprises. |
The Imperial Navy freighter Paul McGann was today lost with all hands off Pimane. The 25,000 ton ship was carrying essential equipment from the surface when it exploded violently on attaining orbit. Nearly 200 personnel were killed in the disaster.
The first of what is expected to be many solar flares reached the planet Pimane as the Paul McGann lifted off. It is believed the ship made an emergency ascent into orbit, and then attempted a jump to escape the peak energy of the flare. Naval personnel monitoring the Red Zone operation believe the most likely cause was an interaction of the energy wave with the jump drive. The freighter exploded instantly in a burst of highly radioactive debris. Much of the ship was vaporized, but some fragments fell back onto the surface of Pimane. While there is hope of recovering the black box, Naval officials had no doubt that the entire crew perished instantly.
The energy wave diffused rapidly as it approached the outer system;
by the time it reached the shielded temporary shelter on the Oz,
it was barely detectable.