June 14th, 8252

You look over the preliminary report on the Zures system as the Night Horse settles back into low orbit over Zures 1 in preparation to land an away team consisting of both of your Midshipmen plus a detachment of automatons and eggheads. The colony, or rather what's left of it, was easy enough to find and utterly devoid of signs of human life. Given the planetary conditions the automatons will be doing the brunt of the work but having a pair of actual humans on hand to keep things moving will help.

TO: SURVEYOR'S CORPS (Celesmore System)

STAR SYSTEM: ZURES

PIRMARY STAR:

The star of the Zures system is a F5V star. Main sequence, mid-life, and (visually) white hot. There is very little unique about this star which in turn is quite promising as a candidate for an inhabited system. A stable star and star system is nothing but a boon for any developing installation.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

INNER CAULDRON:

The inner cauldron of the Zures system contains no detected stellar objects or phenomena.

PRIMARY BIOSPHERE:

Zures 1 is a vast world with above average gravity (1.05g), an atmosphere of average density but a mildly toxic atmosphere. Atmospheric heavy elements are present in concentrations high enough to mandate full breathing gear be worn at all times. Orbiting on the inner edge of the primary biosphere, the climate of Zures 1 is hot at all times. Liquid water is present, but life on the world is sparse, probably due to the atmosphere. Orbital scans indicate sustainable deposits of industrial metals, ornamental gems, and radioactive isotopes. Also present are the ruined remains of a Star Empire colonization attempt. This is likely the result of emergency landings from the SES Ann Child and SES Robert Harbird. At time of writing, a planet side expedition is scheduled to confirm this and reports from said expedition will be forwarded as they are compiled.

Zures 1-1 is a lesser moon. It is devoid of atmosphere, water, significant gravity, or other interesting features.

OUTER REACHES:

Two bands of dust clouds fill most of the outer reaches of the Zures system. They are too diffuse to be worth mining efforts.

Also present are the drifting hulks of the SES Ann Child and SES Robert Harbird. Preliminary scans indicate a collision occurred, almost certainly upon revision from FTL speeds, with the bow of the SES Robert Harbird striking the stern of the SES Ann Child. Damage continues along the ventral services of the SES Robert Harbird and dorsal surfaces of the SES Ann Child. Preliminary boarding reports are attached in addition to external scans.

COMMENTS:

HMSCS Night Horse awaits word as to recovery or salvage efforts as to the SES Ann Child and SES Robert Harbird.