Thompson-class research vessel that had originally been built for use by the US Navy. In the last six years she had been bought by the company for use as an off-shore research vessel as part of its wider activities. At nearly a hundred metres she was a substantial vessel and currently carried a crew, research staff and security detachment of sixty four people. She was equipped with two rigid-hull inflatable rescue/work boats onboard, as well as a single submersible and a retrofitted helipad. Built into the hull were ROV and submersible hangars, a fully equipped machine shop and a custom built medical lab and clinic. Deep inside the vessel a team of scientists were busy studying the details of a new subject on their computer terminals. The computer monitors showed a detailed schematic of an ocean liner. The first screen showed a side on view that displayed the ship’s profile, whilst the screens either side showed figures on estimated size, displacement and course information. Another monitor gave a heavily magnified live feed of the vessel in the currently calm waters of the North Pacific Ocean.
