A Tale of Travellers (IC)

[Storm Bringer]

Fosey is a nice enough planet, once you get used to it. it's landscape is dominated by huge series of mountain ranges, some upwards of 10,000 meters tall. The valleys are vaugely alpine, with a grass-like plant covering the lower slopes, broken by only a few small bushes. were it's atmosphere about twice as thinck, it'd be a rather nice place.

As it is, the air is so thin that no animals survive here, nor do most edible plants. It's mineral wealth is rather meagre as well. enough to make supplying domestic demand viable, but not enough to make off-world export profitable.

the result is a planet, that, dispite a high level of local techology and no crushing problems, is a rather unimportant planetwith just over a million inhabitants, mostly clustered around the starport. The locals can make most of what they need, and import little, but export very little as well. Most of the income comes form the planets superb starport and attached shipyards. the majority of the population works either for the construction yards themselves or one of the supporting industries. This has led to a planetry government that prizes technical skill above all else, with formal education being geared towards producing skilled dockhands and factory workers. the relationship between the workers and the yard owners is for all intents a feudal one: the workers work hard for the bosses, and the bosses do thier best to improve the lot of the workers.

It is on Fosey that our story begins.......

[Storm Bringer]

The O'shova is a pub that caters to passing merchants like yourselves, sited deep in the main body of Fosey Highport station. One wall of the pub is a floor-to celing veiwport, overlooking the bustle of the starports main concoruse. The O'shova sells a range of beers form around the sub-sector, plus some suprisingly good fresh food. It is a popular place for traders to meet, chat, exchange news and do deals.

A observant person would note that their is a define split in the bar between two destinct types of patrons.

on one side, the patrons are grouped into destinct clusters of people. these were the crews of the large corporate traders, dressed in their company jumpsuits, working safe trade routes for their salaries. they weren't mixing with the other crews, just sitting at thier own tables, nursing thier beers,

at the other end of the bar, things were much lively. here, the patrons were mixing freely, chatting, telling stories, betting small sums on card games, and generally unwinding.

these were the free traders, crews of the smaller independant ships that run the smaller routes. They are dressed much more indevidually than the any company trader, but more importantly, they have a hard-to-define air that sets them apart form most merchant crews. That sense of being in control of their destiny, of being able to strike it rich .

We are intrested in one of these crews. they have been in the bar for the past hour, waiting for a local broker who said he had a deal for them.

and he is late............

[Silent_Bish]

A black furred Vargr looks down at the display on his wrist for the fifth time in as many minutes. Where is this guy?

He takes another sip from his beer, gaze slowly drifting the others at the table and the other free traders in the O'shova. He didn't mind the shore time, it is good for a crew to stay planet side and unwind, but work means pay and pay keeps the ship flying. That was what he found out among the stars, freedom. One of the main reasons re retired his naval commission and has avoided joining up with a corp and getting himself a matching jumpsuit. Granted, the events of his last official mission couldn't be counted out as motivation for his decision either. He will bear the reminder of that for a long time. As his mind wandered he idly scratched at the pale white skin of the scar on his neck, a constant reminder of what happens when things go very, very wrong. His thoughts coming back to the present he glances at the display on his wrist once again.

Relax, the broker is just running late, no need to get suspicious or worried. Just take it easy and enjoy the extra shore time, it will all work out. A pleasant thought, but no matter how many times he turned it over in his head he just couldn't shake this bad feeling that was beginning to form in the pit of his stomach. With a deep breath he takes another sip of his beer, trying to lose his train of thought in the air of laughter and conversation that surrounded him.

[roninkelt]

Paol sits so as to be able to see all the entrances to the room, chair backwards arms folded over the top, hands tucked into the animal hide jacket he's wearing. A sleek gauss pistol rides a tactical holster mid thigh, just about where his hands would hang when standing. A pair of tinted glasses are propped in his hair, small graphics and informatic icons flicker across the lenses. Paol is talking to his fellow crewmembers, sharing in the cameraderie. However, his eyes never rest on them for long, they habitually scan the rest of the room every few seconds. Assessing, measuring angles, reactions and threat levels.

"I hope this deal is worth it, this guy is cutting into my shore leave. I thought about doing some mountain climbing. It's not often that you get a chance to scale a 10km peak in 1G. Even if I do have to wear a mask."

He nudges the mask bag hanging from the chair back with his knee. The mask is for a thin or tainted atmosphere - it sucks in the ambient air concentrates oxy to usable levels then expels unbreatheable contaminants with the excess unusable air components. It was once explained to him as reverse osmosis for air - only the good stuff gets thru, but the process generates lots of waste. He just knew it worked, extremely high tech stuff always seemed like magic. The only problem is that the nearly ultrasonic whine of the air pump in action can be irritating to some people.

[Silent_Bish]

"Scale a 10km peak? You wouldn't catch me up there unless I was behind the stick of a slick new Aeroglider. What is it that you find up on those peaks?"

He shifts a little in his seat, feeling the weight of his own Gauss pistol in its shoulder holster press against his side, covering the move by finishing off the beer he was working on. Adjusting his jacket he again glances down at the computer's display.

"Personally, I'd prefer to be out among the stars instead of sitting around waiting for people. This guy either has no sense of time or a really bad secretary."

Or he just landed himself into a whole heap of unpleasantness and he is about to pass the pile on to us.

[Storm Bringer]

with a almost comedic sense of timing, Varnaxx's comm beeped slightly. looking at the screen, Varnaxx saw a message flash up from their broker, a irritatingly chirpy fellow by the name of Joshua Treeson.

++Very sorry for my lateness. Somthing came up at the last moment that I had to deal with. My shuttle has just arrived at Highport station now. I'll reach you in about 5 minties. but it looks like the deal is on. I'll tell you the details when i get thier.....and something you might be inrested in.

Joshua.++

OOC stuff:
roninkelt

just for the record, fosey has a diamiter of aobut 10,000km, and a surface gravity of ~0.75g, not 1. The Station is also 0.7g, for that matter.


Silent_Bish (and lordsmoothe)

The deal you are awaiting news form the broker on with a local heavy industial company to ship 2 small fusion power plants to the nearby planets of Bryet and mercury, about 2 and 4 parsecs south Rimward of Fosey. it's about 40 tons of material and parts, for about 68,000 credits (i.e. 1,700 credits a ton). You're expecting to have to delvier the parts to the sites yourself, but 20 tons is well within the pinnaces cargo load, so thier's no worries their,

[Silent_Bish]

Chuckles to himself as the message plays over the comm.

"Well, it seems our guest will be arriving in a few minutes. His shuttle is pulling in to Highport station now."

There, nothing to worry about.



OOC

Is that standard pricing for cargo hauling?

[Storm Bringer]

Looking around at the free traders shows some of the considerably varity that free traders are know for: At one table, a bunch of Sword worlders are having an arm westling competion. At another, a man in a old navy flghtsuit plays a tense card game with a Vilani woman, while thier crewmates watch with good humour. Over by the bar is a throng of aslan, heartily singing some traditional Alsan drinking song (and were any of the patrons able to understand it, they would b suprised at the content of the song). around another table, three Vargr and a human enguage in a intense debate about somthing, their arms gresturing wildly as they talk.

ooc:

slightly better than average.

standard A-to-B rate is 1000 creds for a one pasec jump, +200/parsec thierafter. normally, it'd be 1200 for the first 20 tons (to byret, 2 parsecs away, for 24,000 Cr), and 1800 for the next 20 tons (To mercury, 4 parsecs away, for 36,000 Cr), so you make about 8,000 on top of normal shipping costs, which cover the use of the Pinnace for in-system shipping and such.

for referance, you're upkeep costs for the ship are about 34,000/month, which covers basic maintaince & life support. Fuel is not counted in that, but with your scoops and internal fuel purifiers, you'd burn about 18,000 credits on fuel if you just buy unrefined form the starport, or whatever the place charges for use of the gas gaints in both systems.

in short, this deal will keep you afloat, even if you make do no other trading during the trip to Mercury. since you've still got about 100 tons of free space, you might as well try and fill it........

[roninkelt]

Paol


"Scale a 10km peak? You wouldn't catch me up there unless I was behind the stick of a slick new Aeroglider. What is it that you find up on those peaks?"

"It's the challenge of pitting yourself against something that you can't possibly beat, except in the most miniscule sense. Flying over something doesn't give the same sense of perspective. A mountain looks a lot larger from ground level than it does at 1000 meters above it."

Paol looks to Vance, looking for a cue on how to treat Mr Treeson when he arrives. Then he sweeps any detritus from the table, cleaning it up in preparation for the business to come.

[Townopolis]

Vance

Vance, slender, of middling height, relaxes in his seat. His black hair is short, about an inch, and gelled into a boyish do. His skin is tanned and slender, with an aquiline nose, slender brows, and ice-blue eyes. Today, he is wearing a business suit of the formal, and universal, style. White blouse, black slacks and jacket, blue tie to match his eyes, gold clip, and shiny black shoes. A glance from his bodyguard causes Vance to caress the place at his waist where his sidearm is concealed, running his fingers over the protective weave of his suit, and to blink, still unused to the protective contacts he wears. Vance smiles at Paol reassuringly, although most of that reassurance is for himself.

He thinks back to the speech he'd given over the ship's intercom when they'd left Mora, ending with "from this day forward, we will as we will." It seemed so far away, and he didn't feel quite as sure now.

Suppressing his nerves as he had done often before in his travels, Vance forced himself to relax again, and quietly listened to the others while he waited for the broker to arrive. Just five more minutes.

[Storm Bringer]

the time passes swiftly. slightly less than 5 minutes later, Treeson entered the bar, in the company of a man who could only be discribed as a 'suit': Slighly greying hair gelled back, razor sharp clothes in imperial formal style, briefcase in hand, unsmiling face carved from stone, the works. Treeson himself was in formal wear, but slightly relaxed: top button undone, no tie or neckcloth, and a shirt in a eye-watering shade of yellow, and was grinning his perpetual grin. he looks around for a second before spotting you, and his grin somehow gets even wider as be approaches you.

"Vance!" He says, grabbing a chair. "Really sorry I'm late, but it couldn't be helped, In fact, it may turn out for the best. Just let be get a drink. What would you like?" he asked his companion, who muttered something lost in the background noise, though his accent sounds like it's straight form Capital itself. "right, right, I'll be right back""
Treeson dashes off, and the suit sits down carefully. thier is a short, uncomfortable scilence, during which you note the telltale bulge of a shoulder holster in the otherwise picture perfect suit (which, Vance notes, appears to be tailored balistic cloth, like his own). Before long, Treeson returns with a pint of cheap local beer and a glass of what appears to be iced water. Treeson plonks himself down, and takes a long gulp of his pint.

"God, I needed that." He says as he puts the beer down. "Okay, introductions time"
This is Captain Varnaxx of the free trader Sparrow
this is Sir Vance Shotel, Baronet New Vegas, and owner of the sparrow
and These fine ladies and gentlemen are the assorted crew, whoose names escape me at this moment.
And this" Joshua waves a hand towards the suit beside him Is Mr Lancock, representative of Victory Arms, LIC, whoose is the reason I am late and has a very inresting offer we shall talk about in a moment. But first" Treeson dug into his pocket and pulled out a data-wafer and passes it over
"theirs the final details of the fusion job. 68,000 credits, in cash, payment in two parts on dellivery, to be collected from the customers. they delivery addresses are on thier, as is the paperwork."

OOC:

treeson can be summed up with the discription "used car saleman IN SPACE (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ptitlekt6mtovm4vne?from=Main.INSPACE)".

The data wafer is compatable with just about every computer in the Imperium and most of them out of it, and does indeed contain all the details and authorisations needed to get the money at the far end.

Victory Arms LIC is a medium sized (operates over most of the sector) cpmpany that deals mostly with small arms, ammo and personal armour. They have a somewhat poor reputation for being willing to sell to 'undesireable' persons (e.g. Criminals or insurgents) but makes most of its money form above-board deals to planetry governments and Imperial licensed mercs.

[Townopolis]

Vance

As Treeson fetches the drinks, Vance looks over the crew. ~yeah, they may not look like much, but you should see what's under the hood... why does that sound dirty?~ He clears this thought from his mind as Treeson returns, and talk returns to business. Vance smiles cordially at the suit and ducks his head briefly in aknowledgment.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, sir."

Vance reaches out to quietly take and pocket the wafer.

"Excellent. I'll look over this before we launch. Now, what is it you wished to discuss, Mr. Lancock?"

As he poses the question, Vance tilts his head briefly to Treeson, but turns his full attention to the suit.

[roninkelt]

Paol

Keeps a close eye on Mr Lanock, not quite staring rudely, depending on how sensitive he is the scrutiny might be right on the edge.

Paol has been on the wrong end of some of those shady weapons deals. He's got more than a few scars caused by weapons manufactured by Victory Arms LIC. But given that the man represents a sector wide firm, he doesn't want to blow the deal that his employer is obviously trying to set up or anger him unnecessarily.

[Storm Bringer]

It is a simple thing, really, Sir Shotel" Mr. Lancock said. Vance noted (with a carefully hidden amusement) that his Sylean accent appeared to be an affection, abeit one that only someone who'd actaully spoken to a person form the core would spot.

"Victory arms has a outstanding contract with the govement of Mercury for some 34 tons of assorted munitions, which were supposed to be delivered to byret and shipped form their by the Mercury government, but ended up here on Fosey due to a incorrect shipping order. Such a small amount of cargo is not worth bothering a charted merchant over, so I came to Mr. Treeson here" Lancock guestures to Joshua."To find a merchant going in to Byret who met out safty regulations. Which, coincidently, you do. Now, the goods are to be picked up by our rep on Byret, who has an office in the captial. Due to the sensitive nature of the goods and the increased risk this puts on you, the middleman, I can offer a payment of 1,600 Imperial credits a ton for this shipment, paid on delivery. While I am aware that you are travelling on to Mercury, my contact with the mercury government insisted on delivery to Bryet. Something to do with the ongoing fighting thier. Anyway, All i really need to know right now is wether you are willing to take this shipment?"

[Townopolis]

Vance

Vance listens carefully to the suit's description of the job, calculating the potential profit in his head, then calculating the potential loss the Sparrow might incur while shipping small arms into a planet at war on behalf of an interested outside government clearly interested in supporting one side of the conflict. Come to think of it, he knew very little off the top of his head about the conflict in Byret, something he would have to investigate later. He did not have to try to look pensive.

"That is a very tempting offer, Mr. Lancock. Of course, as it does involve an increased risk to my ship, I will have to consult with my captain and crew."

Vance turns his head to connect with Varnaxx, and then the rest of the crew.

"Captain? Crew?"

OOC

Is it possible to access information on my Comm implant?

If so, can I look up news on the conflict in Byret? I would like to if it is possible.

[Silent_Bish]

Varnaxx

He offers a polite nod when Mr.Treeson introduces him to the suit, remaining quiet as details are worked out about the fusion delivery. At least one part of this is going to go smooth...

He scratches his chin as the suit talks about the deal, taking a glance around to see if anyone seems a little too interested in their meeting. Having heard of the, somewhat dubious reputation of this company, his can't help but feel a little suspicious. The money is good and he probably has some kind of paperwork to make it all look legit, though gun running... He lets the thoughts run their course and looks to Vance when addressed, "Well Sir Shotal, as long as all the paperwork for the goods are in order I see no problem with the delivery. We are heading that way anyways and the fusion delivery is just going to be enough to cover expenses. I trust in your discretion in this matter and your ability to iron out the fine details. Safety of the ship and crew are my first concern, making sure we pull in the money is yours."

With that he looks around the table at the rest of the crew, "If anyone has an opinion one way or the other, lets hear it."

[Pickers]

Ramage had for the past 10 minutes been quietly reading a newspaper and occasionally taking a sip from his drink. Personally Ramage wasn't entirely sure what he was doing here, he wasn't Vance and he wasn't the Captain, but none the less he was still here.

Once the broker and his guest in tow had arrived he put the newspaper down and started to pay some attention to the conversation going on between the two, especially given that the guy in the cheap suit had brought an unexpected 'friend'. However what really got his attention was when the 'dealer' mentioned where the weapons were to be shipped to. - Byret. Subconsciously he rubbed his shoulder and leaned in a bit more.


"If anyone has an opinion one way or the other, lets hear it."

"Which side are the arms going to?" Asked Doran, he wasn't happy about the thought of returning to Byret, but he wasn't going to complain if the rest of the crew wanted to go with the deal.

OOC:
Which side of the conflict did the Imperial Government side with?

[roninkelt]

Paol

looks at Vance and says, as if the rep wasn't there -

"Ask for more money."

He resumes scanning the room.

[TwoCents]

Jane, Engineer

Jane was dressed for shore leave. She attended the meeting mostly to show solidarity with the others and to be available to answer engineering questions. The meeting was just a speed bump on the way to a good time.

Her short hair, normally dark brown and often plastered to her scalp with sweat, was shaped into a crest with gel and dusted with metallic glitter. Jane's cosmetics, while applied with skill, were slightly too elaborate for true sophistication. A seductive perfume replaced her usual scent of lubricants and industrial solvents. She wore tight garments in peacock colors and expensive shoes. The only odd touches were her well worn laser pistol holstered at her waist and her emergency mask kit riding low on one hip.

Jane watched the room, looking for potential threats and trying to gauge the fun vs. danger scale of the starport in general and this bar in particular.

When the suits arrived she sat up and pretended to pay attention to the deal, although she trusted Vance to make a profitable decision. The details -- or lack thereof -- of the rep's info made her blink for a moment, and warning bells went off in her head.

"So," she asked, a little bitchily, but keeping her voice low, "Lessee if I get this. You have a contract with Mercury to deliver guns to Bryet, and the guns got here 'by mistake'. You don't want to 'bother' a commercial hauler but you figgered we're small enough to take a job, no questions asked, so why not hire the Sparrow. Okay, I got no problem with that, but I gotta ask, what's the Mercury government going to say about all this? More important, what're the Imps gonna say? Oh, and what kind of assorted munitions? Bullets? Batteries? Nerve gas?"

Is there an embassy/consul/tourism office for Mercury, or Bryet, on Fosey?

[Hesquidor]

Farra

Farra drummed her fingers on the table as she watched the business proposal unfold. The O'shova was far too busy for her tastes and she wanted nothing more than to retreat back to the quiet of the ship.

The offer itself seemed good. Of course, Mr. Lancock was probably fudging the details. He was a company rep. Habitual lying was part of his job description.


"Oh, and what kind of assorted munitions? Bullets? Batteries? Nerve gas?"


"I would like to know that as well. What, precisely, are we to be shipping?"

[roninkelt]

Paol

"How does it matter what's in the containers? It's legal cargo, and we're shipping it. We don't own it, we don't know what's in it, and we have the admin work to prove it."

[Storm Bringer]

Mr lancock's face is apparently immovable. you'd really not want to play poker against this guy.

"The arms are for the Mercurian goverment, acting in it's Imperial Sanctioned role in the Bryeti insurgencey, with the blessing of the Bryeti government. A significant fraction of the shipment is expected to be shipped on to Mercury for exmination by the mercurian armed forces, but the mercurians insisted on doing that themselves. Customer confidentailly prevents me form revealing the exact manifest of the cargo at this time, but the shipment is mostly man-portable support weaponry, with assorted spare parts, delivered as examples of our wares with the aim of local manufacture under lisence. The price is non-Negotiable."

ooc:

okay, infodump time. the following is what is known in general, and is maybe 6 months out of date:

The Byreti insrugency has been ongoing since the end of the 4th frontier war (1084, about 30 years ago). Orginally belived to have been funded by the Zhodani, the insurgency has grown beyound those roots and now controls the majority of the countryside. the Byreti government Holds onto a circlular area about 200km accross, centered on the planentry captial (and major starport). This area holds about 50% of the population, and is resonably loyal to the imperium. beyond that area, the planet is effectivly lawless, as the insurgents have no effective civil government. they co-operate on militry matters, but the towns under thier control are self-governing with no centeral oversight.

The Mercurians are the main reason the Byreti goverment still holds on. the offered to help supress the rebellion about 15 years ago. while they hav done a lot to help, they have not the ability to maintain an army on Byret that can really drive the rebels back. effectivly, they are allowing the byreti government to substain itself by providing an army for them and freeing up the money that would have been spent on an army for public works. Mercury have a almost relgious veneration of military service, and the byreti war provides them with a much needed outlet of thier martial fevour. the net result is that the 'governed' area of byreti has a suprisingly good standard of living, as the government has funds to spare.

Offically, the imperium has not been involved in this 'internal' affair (as is its' normal stance on these matters). It has intervened twice in the past, but in both cases to remove a cleary anti-imperial rebel warlord, rather than a anti-bryeti government one (it was in the last intervention that major Rammage was wounded). unless the dynamic of the conflict changes significantly, The Imperium will keep it's hands out of this. Arms sales are perfectly legal under imperial High Law, even to insurgents (as long as they are not anti-imperial.).

The Imperium is a very hands off government.

In short, what he's proposing is perfectly leagal and above-board. the Imperial Ministry of justice is not going to be breathing down you back over this.

[Townopolis]

Vance

Vance frowns ever so slightly as the others begin asking questions about the nature of the cargo. It's something he'd certainly like to know, but he does make a small effort to show that he doesn't exactly approve of these questions, customer confidentiality and all.

Leaning back in his seat, he smooths his tie with one hand and rubs his chin gently with the other, mulling over the voiced concerns and Mr. Lancock's reply. Officially sanctioned, in all likelihood this job would bring them nothing but some spending money.

"Of course you cannot divulge your manifests, please understand it's just that some of my crew are leery of gun running."

He rolls the voiced concerns over in his mind a little more, before responding further.

"So we are to deliver these arms to your man on Byret, who will be delivering them to the Mercurian military. Sounds fine by me. Will the pickup take place at the starport, or will we need to transport them somewhere specific in the capitol? Also, are there any containment needs or risks of contamination attached to the cargo?"

[Pickers]

"For the Mecurians? Then I've no objections to this job."

[Storm Bringer]

"delivery will be handled by our officer on byret. they'll take the cargo once you get it to the starport. the shipment has no shipping hazards beyound those normally found with muntinitions, detailed here." Lancock reached into his jacket pocket and produced a data wafer which he handed to vance. do [/I]decide to take the job, we can hand you the cargo within a few hours."

at this point, Mr. treeson suddenly butts in

"That reminds me, it's going to take a few days for the fusion generators to clear customs."

"thier, you see?" mr lancock says smoothly/"you have a few days to make a final desicion. is it possible to get a provisional 'yes' at this time?"

[Hesquidor]

Farra

"Well, as long as it not going to give us all radiation poisoning or combust in the cargo hold then, I have no further concerns."

[Townopolis]

Vance

Vance smiles and takes the wafer, then nods slightly. He rolls the wafer over his fingers a few times, then pockets in his jacket's breast pocket.

"Well, it seems all our concerns are addressed. I'd be delighted to take you up on this offer, so that's a "provisional yes" for you. I'll run over the data while my crew takes their shore leave, then get back to you in a few days. I assume there is a contact number here, yes?"

He pats the pocket with Mr. Lancock's wafer in it as he finishes. Then, as if remembering something, he turns to the rest of the crew.

"The Captain willing, I think we can all begin enjoying our leave now, Kelena, if you could stay with me for a while longer."

[Storm Bringer]

"Thankyou. I will take my leave, then" Mr lancock said as he stood up and headed to the door. Treeson nodded, then wandered off towards the bar, leaving the crew in peace (as much as peace can be found in the middle of a crowed bar)

[Silent_Bish]

Varnaxx

Remained quiet as the questions were asked and the nature of the run was discussed. He had said his peace, safety of crew and ship being his concern not what they hauled. Keeping his own poker face in place as the rest of the crew came to their individual decisions. Government contact it is then, an interesting turn for a normally hands off organization. I'll have to look that wafer over once Vance is finished, but if he is satisfied then we just made ourselves a little extra money.

He silently watches the two suits leave, one out the door and the other to the bar. Turning back to the crew he says, "Well you heard our contact, five days to clear customs. I'd like everyone to report back for duty bright and early on day five for preflight. Aside from that, enjoy your leave".

[roninkelt]

Paol


Vance
"The Captain willing, I think we can all begin enjoying our leave now, Kelena, if you could stay with me for a while longer."

"Of course, Sir."

Paol remains with Vance, but slings his breather mask. Uh oh, I thought I was pretty good...

[Townopolis]

Vance

Vance rises from his seat, moves the two wafers from his jacket to a less pickable pocket, and returns to the Sparrow. Once on board, he makes a quick check to see that everything is in order, before heading for his cabin.

"Thank you, Paol, dealing with armed men makes me nervous. Go ahead and see how you measure on the mountains, and don't forget to lock the hatch on your way out, will you?"

He waves to his bodyguard and enters his cabin. Once there, he sits down on his bunk and lets out a breath, then slides over to his desk, keys on his computer, and slides Mr. Treeson's wafer in first. Once he has gone over those business details thoroughly, he will slide in Mr. Lancock's wafer.

[Silent_Bish]

Varnaxx

Remaining seated as the meeting breaks up he watches the others start to leave the bar. Not having much planned for his leave, he decides to stay at the table for a while longer just to keep an eye on things. You are being paranoid. It is a good, legit deal. A slight frown touches the corners of his mouth, casting another glance towards Mr.Treeson's spot at the bar.

[roninkelt]

Paol


Vance
"Thank you, Paol, dealing with armed men makes me nervous. Go ahead and see how you measure on the mountains, and don't forget to lock the hatch on your way out, will you?"


"Thanks Sir, I'll see you in a few days. If you need anything, please call. Won't have time to take on the big peaks, so I'll be pretty local."

Paol closes the door behind him then slips on his data display glasses and starts booking a 4 day climbing trip.

OOC: for Stormbringer
Unless I fall to my death or something equally exciting happens, just tell me how much it costs and I'll assume that I had a pretty good time. Would like to spend less than 1500Cr.

[Storm Bringer]

Treeson hangs around until his pint is finished, then leaves for his offices agian, followed short after by varnaxx, heading for some well earned RnR.

the next few days pass quickly. Paol's Climbing trip goes well, and he is rewarded with a frankly incredible view form the top of Mount Kulola down the lenght of the Kul valley. Vance clears his paperwork quickly, and spends a few days chilling in a nice safe bar. Jane, Doran and farra find a nice pub and kinda loses track of time for a while, but get back on time and none the worse. the crew gather at the docking bay 31 at the apointed time, and find the sparrow just as they left her, fueled up and ready to leave at short notice.

The fusion generators are due to arrive in the bay in about an hour, and the small arms about two hours later.

[Townopolis]

Vance

Vance is cheerful and ready to go. Dressed once again in his paranoia business suit, and literally bouncing on his heels as everyone arrives. He nods to Varnaxx once everyone's assembled.

"Looks like we're all accounted for. Your show, Captain."

[TwoCents]

Jane

Back in her normal comfortable clothes, Jane smiled thinly at the others. "Ain't a good lift if ya ain't hungover, and I've got a pisser of a headache. It's gonna be a good trip." She lounged in a chair, sipping some vile concoction. "Whenever you're ready, Cap'n, I'll go check the cargo bays and make sure everything's shipshape for the cargo. We get any passengers this time, or is it just us?"

[Silent_Bish]

Varnaxx

He gives the crew a quick look over, making sure no one is too hung over or worn out to start in on their duties. Finding everything in order he adresses those assembeled, "Thank you all for being on time, I hope you enjoyed your leave. Now, however, it is back to business. Assignments for this morning: Doran, I want you up in the cockpit running preflight diagnostics. If any light even takes time coming up green I want to hear about it. Jane and Paol, I want both of you to head down to the cargobay. Do a physical inspection of the cargo clamps and safety gear, if we are shipping arms I do not want to take any chances. Also, we are going to need to come up with a plan for placement of the cargo, high risk munitions or explosives as far from the fusion reactors we can get them. Paol, do your best. Without knowing exactly what we will be carrying, once the munitions show we will have a better idea but I would like an outline before the first delivery shows up. Jane, once the fusion reactors are on board and stowed I want you to join Doran in the cockpit and begin plotting our astrogation coordinates. I'd like to have the trip plotted out before we lift off from planet side. Dr.Farra, I'd like you to gather up whatever scanners you have and once the cargo is on board, give them a once over. I do not want someone else's carelessness, or possible complications, to trouble this crew or ship. You find any anomalies I want to know about it. Until the cargo starts to arrive, I'd like you down in med bay making sure we have everything we need and all your gear is in order. Sir Vance, I'd like you to go over our passenger quarters, make sure things are in order in case we have any surprise guests. Also, once the cargo starts to arrive I want you overseeing the delivery. No one picks up a crate or moves it from outside to inside without you watching. I am going to give the turrets a visual inspection then join Paol in the cargo hold. If noone has any questions lets get to it, we don't have a whole lot of time so step lively."

If no one has any questions he will turn on his heel and head towards the ventral gun turret.

[Townopolis]

Vance

"Right away, sir."

Vance nods and heads off to see to his duty, preparing the passengers quarters with all the amenities he can muster. First he will make sure that two cabins are in the best possible condition, and then he will move on to getting the others ready with whatever's left. He keeps his headcomm on and tuned in to keep an ear out for the arrival of either shipment.

[TwoCents]

Jane

"You got it, boss. Can I suggest I run a check of the engines 'fore I go to the bridge?" After waiting to see if Capt. Varnaxx added to her task list, the scout slouched to the cargo bay. On the way, she grabbed her scanners and mechanic's kit from the engineering spaces and began her assigned duties.

Do you want us to roll for anything, o fearless GM?

[roninkelt]

Paol

"I heard some interesting scuttlebutt while on my climbing trip, it seems that the rebels on Byret have been getting better lately, they have the Mercurian and Byreti government on the ropes. There's a bit more, but we can discuss it over dinner. Doesn't directly affect us, unless the whole thing collapses before we get there."


To Varnaxx:
"Aye, aye Sir."

Paol will head off with Jane, discussing the merits of having munitions near the loading hatch, but closer to the engines, so they may be jettisoned or further from the drives. The fusion reactors are presumably inert unless powered up? However we don't want to damage them if there is some trouble with the other cargo. Hmmm interesting problems...

[Silent_Bish]

Jane

"You got it, boss. Can I suggest I run a check of the engines 'fore I go to the bridge?"


Varnaxx nods to Jane's response, "Of course, thank you for reminding me. Go ahead and add that to your list."

[Hesquidor]

Fara

"Understood."

The heels of Farra's boots clipped briskly as she walked. She had already done a brief inventory during her shore leave, but it never hurt to double check. Her bio and NAS scanners were both left exactly where she'd left them.

[Storm Bringer]

after a bit of discussion, Paol and jane hammer out a plan for the stowing of the cargo that keeps the munitions safe in a corner of the hold and stows the fusion parts in order to facilitate loading onto the pinnance for deliverary. Varnnaxx finds a few minor faults in the turrets but sorts them without hassle, then joins jane to help go over the engines. Doran flies though the checklists, finding everything working within operational peramiters. Jane likewise finishes the engine checks quickly, and starts hammering out a jump plot for Byreti's mainworld.

the frist cargo arrives on time, and Vance signs the goods in. most of the crew except Jane (still plotting the jump) muck in and get the parts stored under Paols direction. The last few crates are being moved as Mr. Lancock arrives with the weapons. the shuttle he arrives in is a custom desgin, well armoured and carryings a frighting amount of firepower for it's meagre size. the crew are likewise over-equipped, but they hand the cargo over (along with a manifest of it's contents and the the legal documents that cover the shipping taxes for arms sales)) without issue. it takes about an hour to stow the guns, as the plan has to worked out on the go, but you find that you can store it in the foreward segment of the cargo bay without issue, allowing you to seal that area off and pump the air out, leaving the goods in hard vacumn. Before that, however, Dr Farra goes over the crates with her scanning gear, and finds nothing that isn't already on the manifest.

With the cargo secure, you request and are granted clearence to leave. the landing bay is sealed and the air evacuated, and the great outer doors slide silently open. The ship hums slightly as Doran eases her out of the bay and into the holding pattern around Foesy's massive Highport. It's only a few minutes before your cleared to leave for the jump limit. Doran points the ship at the small point of light that is Byret's star, and opens the throttle on the engines to full. The next half an hour is spent burning steadily at 2g thrust towards the 100-diamiter jump limit, watching the ship's radar as the Fosey orbital traffic slowly recedes. at the 50-diamiter mark you begin to break, and half an hour later to pass the 100-diamiter line that marks the safe limit for jump transitions and the outer edge of Foseys territory. the Calulations for the jump have been finished and polished as much as possible, and down in engineering jane is waiting to begin the jump.

As varnaxx gives the order, several things happen at once. In engineering, large fuel lines leading into the jump drive open, pouring tons of refined liquid hyrogen into the drive as it springs into life. Within a minuite, nearly 80 tons of hydrogen fuel has been brunt in the drive, the massive amounts of power thus created being stored in a specialised crystal battery system. as the jump co-ordinates are fed into the navicom, this immense amount of power is dumped in one huge load into the lanthium hull grid. Form outside, a square grid of glowing blue lines suddenly appear on the ships hull, which then glow so brightly as to hide the ship for a split second. then the glow fades, and the ship is gone.

form inside, all that his seen is a brief blue flash, then the cockpit windows blank out. the ship is moving faster than light, in pocket dimension of boiling hydrogen, cut off form the rest of the universe for the nearly a week. nothing much can happen now, so the crew of the sparrow settle down for lunch.


I could have RP'd that lot, but it really didh't need RP'in, honestly. nothing much of import happens and thiers no real need for the players input. Unless you guys have a complaint, we'll have a quickish RP section then skip over the week spent doing bugger all in jumpspace and cut to the reversion to realspace at byret

[roninkelt]

Paol

At a meal after Jump entry Paol will elaborate on what he heard

"Mora is losing patience with the Byreti governments resistance to ending the conflict. The Imperials have tried to arrange peace talks, but the Byreti government is apparently completely unwilling to accept anything other than total surrender by the rebels. Some of the rebels are agreeable to a settlement, but the insurgency is so lacking in cohesion that nothing has come of it.

Recently, the insurgents have gained much more cohesion, organization and tactical competence, with the result that the Mercurian army has had to deploy several new units to meet the improved threat. This has stretched the Mercurian logistics system and they won't be able to sustain for more than a few months.

Intelligence figures that some outside source must be training the insurgents. With the new situation, Imperial monitors have been pressuring Byret to negotiate, demands which Byret has completely ignored.

Keep in mind that this is all at least a couple of weeks out of date and the situation may be much worse by the time we arrive. We should be prepared to defend ourselves in case the government has collapsed. I'm not sure how much force the IN has in system, if any, to take up the slack for the locals."

[Silent_Bish]

Varnaxx

Rubs his chin as Paol talks about the situation on Byreti, eating in quiet contemplation. "Well, there is the possibility we will be arriving in a somewhat hostile environment. I'd prefer not to become an arms trafficker, willing or not, but we may need to be ready to deal with the insurgents if they try to steal our cargo. It is possible a crowd, that knows what we are hauling, will be waiting for us on the pad. Perhaps even try to pass themselves off as our contact." He pauses to take a sip of his drink, then continues "Of course, this could just be me being paranoid. What do the rest of you think?"

[roninkelt]

Paol

"Paranoid preparation is good. Put another way - Expect the worst and receive fewer suprises. Having a weapon or two handy probably would go a long way towards deterring any suprises."

[Townopolis]

Vance

Vance looks into his cup of coffee as the news comes that they may be entering a warzone. He mulls the ramifications over in his mind a while before speaking up.

"Well, Whatever you decide, we'll be prepared." He nods to the Captain. "I suppose I had better contact our contact as soon as we're within range and try to determine if we're talking to the right person."

He looks into his coffee cup once more, then drains it.

"Well, I'll be in my cabin going over our contact information, you'll find me there or on the bridge if you need me for anything."

Refilling his cup, he heads for his cabin, turning his headcomm on as he arrives. Once there, he combs his information for anything that might help him determine a possible imposter from their contact.

[roninkelt]

Paol

Wolfing down his dinner Paol asks "What needs to be done while we are in Jump? If you don't have anything, I'm going to take a look at the turret systems."

[Storm Bringer]

the week passes with the routine boredom of a ship in jumpspace, where the only entertainment is the fellow crew members. as the jump nears it's end, thoughts turn to the system and what lies ahead.

as last few hours tick by, the crew drift into the bridge, for lack of a better place to be.

The jump ends abruptly, as they often do. one moment, you're sailing along in the uniform gray of the jump field, the next, thier is their is a barely noticeable change in the engine hum and the viewports suddenly revert to a starfield.

Farra, sat by the sensor desk, quickly begins to determine thier location relative to Byret and Byret's sun. after a few moments filled with calculations, the computer reports that you are about 115 diamiters out form byret, and somewhat above the system's ecliptic. form this angle, you have a good view of the traffic around Byret, and can see several major ships in high obits on the radar screen. Parked in an unusually high orbit, you see a distinct cluster of ships, moving in formation. Varnaxx identifies it as a Imperial Navy carrier and it's escorts, presumeably on anti-pirate duties. closer inspection of the data reveals what look like fighter wings darting around all over the place. In fact, one wing of fighters is less than 15,000 km away, in close proximity to a cargo ship outbound on a vector for fosey.

as you begin to accellerate towards the planet, you recive a Radio message, and a destinctly Vilani voice crackles out of the speakers

++Free Trader Sparrow, this is Section leader Carmine, 417th fighter wing. Please transmit your cargo manifest And maintain your current course.++


sorry I havn't been posting much on this these last few days. I've moved us on a little now.

I'm going to need a Admin roll off you guys to avoid doing something to annoy the imps (which would lead to hours of arsing about with with customs.), but with an additional +2 (for a routine task)

to confirm, the roll is 2d6+your skill+attribute (edu or Soc, in this case)+/- any modifers. anything over 8 is a pass

[Townopolis]

Vance

Vance sat down at a terminal beside Farra and began punching in keys to bring up the manifest. Giving it one more once-over, he nodded to Farra and let her carry on.


Not exactly sure how this works, just rolling 2d6 plus my skill level and the +2
[roll0]

[Storm Bringer]

Okay, sparrow, that checks out fine. I see you're carring goverment cargos. their's been upsurge in pirate attacks in the area over the last few months. I'll radio in and see if can sort out a prioirty landing clearence. Good day, and good trading++


a few minutes later the ships comm flashes up a message, containing both a immidate landing clearence and a message from the Local victory arms rep, a man called Jules Anderson, who indecates he will meet you at the landing bay.



you forgot the +1 form your stat, but it hardly matters. you scorec as close to a natural 20 as this game lets, so have a freebie for good rolls.

[TwoCents]

Jane

Spotting the traffic in the system, and the IN convoy, Jane decided to visit "her" pinnace and check over its readiness status, just in case somebody needed to visit another ship for a face to face. Warming up the avionics and engines, she left the pinnace on standby status and went to confirm there were still no surprises in the the munitions cargo. No timers beeping, no transmitters pulsing, no systems activating by remote signals. If her paranoia proved unfounded, she moved to the engine room to hover over the Sparrows maneuver in case of trouble.

[Storm Bringer]

times passes switftly, and within a an hour you are making your way on a approach vector for Bryet Spaceport. as you slide past the parking obits of the ships lacking prioity clearence, you note a Zhodani freighter, an unuseual sight in these parts (or anywhere inside the imperium).

byret (as gleaned form the ships database):

Byret: B485667-6
Star port: class B
Size: ~4,800 km (mars sized, surface gravity 0.3g)
Atmosphere: dense (over one atmosphere in pressure, but not enough to warrant any real action)
Water: ~50% covered
Population: -8 million
Government: Captive government/Balkanisation (formal government controlled form Mercury, but powerless beyond a few main citys. Countryside self-governing for all intents)
Law level: 7/1 (high law in theory, but only in city centres. Countryside is law level 1
Tech level: 6 (late industrial) roughly equivalent to 1950-1980. Nuclear power, early space flight, and assault rifles.


as you come into land, you get a fine view of the Bryeti countryside form several kilometers up. for the most part, it's low-lying plains, mostly covered in small-ish farming communites. The colonised area is roughly circluar and centered on the spaceport and capital, Johannersen. their is a notable change in the farming pattersn about 90-110 km form the port, where the small farmsteads beyound that line are replaced by bigger, centeralised farms.

Bryet Downport is located on top of a flat-topped mountian whoose name is lost to history, and is now called Heavens Fell. the facilties are extensive, but appear a little worn, a little old, as if their wasn't quite enough money to keep them in perfect shape.

Mr. Anderson meets you at the landing pad. Like mr Lancock on Fosey, he is another almost faceless suit. He is acommanied by two people, one in a suit of a local style and the other in an military uniform which rammage recognises as the Mercurians armys.


right, the computer is fixed, and we are down on the ground.

[Silent_Bish]

I am really sorry about my lack of recent posting. I was having a couple problems of my own, but everything is taken care of now. I will be back to regular posts.

[Hesquidor]

Farra

Farra gentley rolls her neck trying to work out the stiffness that set in her muscles. "I don't know about anybody else, but it sure is good to get some real air for a change."

Sorry for the lack of post earlier. All my freetime just seems to get eaten up lately.

[roninkelt]

Paol

Runs the post flight checks from the bridge and scans around the facility with the external security cameras. When Vance is ready to meet the clients, he will shut the station and join him. In preparation for the meeting Paol secures his gauss rifle inside the airlock that leads from the cargo compartment to the crew section. Out of sight, but somewhat readily available.

[Storm Bringer]

Mr. anderson smiles at the comment, though it wasn't ment as a joke, and he seemed to far away to hear it.

"Indeed. after a month on shipboard air or fliter masks, a real atmosphere must be a welcome change. Now, allow me to introduce my companions, Colonel Levchenko of the Mercurian Army".

Levchenko is a classic product of army service: tall, slightly muscluar and tanned. He carries an autopistol in a holster, and his uniform is patterened in a abnormally yellowish camo pattern (Rammage explains later that most of the plants are more yellow than green on byret). He wears a Phrygian cap (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrygian_cap) in a deep green, which looks rather stupid to your eyes, but then the hight of fashion on your own homeworlds would look just as stupid to him.

"and this is Secatary Jolan, form the Imperial Byreti delagation. He hear for the fusion reactor."

Jolan was a unremarkable man, with a cheap suit and a laptop bag. However, when he spots Vance, his eyes widen in shock.

"Sir Shotel?" he says in total astonishment, then his eyes light up with joy. "Sir Shotel, What a pleasant suprise! I had no idea you'd moved into the trading business. Oh, the duke will be pleased!"

Mr. anderson looked at Jolan in puzzlement. "you know this man?" he asked the Secatray.

"Err....kind of. Sir Vance Shotel, Baronet New Vegas, used to work for the Diplomatic service. The Duke met him a few times during court events on Mora. They worked togehter on the Transtellar Lines talks a few years ago. He managed to Impress the Duke most highly. Oh, I must go tell him. He Will be pleased"

Mr anderson stares blankly, then returns his gaze to Vance, looking on him in a new light.

"I had no idea of your status, Sir shotel. I can see why they trusted you with the cargo. At any rate, do you have the manifest for the colonel here?"


what Jolan says is true, though it overstates your relationship with the Duke (you did work with him, but as a junior sectary on his staff. he would recognise you on sight, though).

The paperwork you had for the fusion deal didn't mention that it was for the system's Duke, just that it was to be delivered to a poetically named manor at a set of GPS coordinates.

Paol's scans with the cameras let him see what looks like a few Wheeled IFV's parked a few hundred meters away on a side road, with a a few dozen soldiers relaxing around it. they appear to be a 'fire-brigade', a rapid response team being held at the ready in case of trouble. The IFV's are not carring Imperial marks, and it is rather odd that local army is present on the starport porper, which is strictly speaking imperial territory. You know the Imperal Army maintains a sizeable force on the planet- Major Rammage has the scars to prove it- so it is decidedly odd that they are thier.

You also note a pair of military cargo planes parked on a hardstand between you and the IFV's.

[Townopolis]

Vance

Vance meets their contacts with a smile and, when when Jolan proclaims the Duke's supposed imminent delight, a broad grin, behind which he hid his consternation and increasing paranoia. The new information had been given freely, and wasn't incriminating at all, but any lapse in information was making him jumpy. Maybe it's all these military types around me, making me a spook too.

"Pleasure to see you again, Jolan," he gives the civil servant a nod and a shrug, "I'd say it's more of the "coming and going as I please" business, but running cargo's what keeps the ship running, so here I am with the Duke's reactor."

He taps out a few commands into the reader in his hands, locking out the fusion manifest and bringing up the weapons manifest for viewing, verification, and transfer. Then, he wordlessly hands the reader to the colonel, giving him a slight nod.

As the colonel looks over the manifest, Vance continues his conversation with Jolan.

"So, how's the Duke these days?"

OOC:
Assuming we'd use something like a reader for manifests and other ephemera. Since we already have readers, such as the one Amazon's pushing, I figured having a fancier one with better internal security wouldn't be a stretch.

Actually, I suppose it would be equally likely that I'd hand each of them a data chit, and they'd each pop it into their own computers. In which case, that's what happens. Let me know and I'll edit this post.

Also assuming I've met Jolan before, seeing as he recognized me on sight.

[Storm Bringer]

"the duke is getting along fine. He's just returned form a trip to the court at Mora. Some gastly business about the sword worlds. Anyway, he's back now and enjoying a well earned rest out at his Lodge by Lake Jamaica. Oh, I must go tell him that you're here" with that, he rushes off, pulling a comm out of his pocket.

the colonel looks over the data, nods once, then speaks a few quiet words into a comm in a language your translator doesn't understand (but you guess is the native Mercurian tounge), then he turns to you again as one of the IFV's Paol spotted trundles over. It stopsa few meters behind the colonel, and a squad of soidlers piles out the back, two of whom are carrying a medium sized chest. the troopers lug the case over to the colonel, who fiddles with a lock for a few seconds standing up agian.

"Your payment" he Explains. "Now, If you would be so kind as to show the sargent here to the cargo, he and his men will get started on unloading and a sorting it for transport."

the squad pile thier weapons and equipment back onto thier IVF, and then are led by a sparrow crewmember to the cargo, where they begin the age-old task of loading it onto the anti-grav pallets and man-handling the crates out of the cargo doors. At this point, Jolan returns form his hasty mobile phone call.

"Well, it seems like the duke is very happy with the news. he has asked when you could deliver the reactor and if you and your crew would be willing to stay for a night at his lodge."

[roninkelt]

Paol

Keeps a few steps away from Vance during all the activity. He won't join in any of the work going on, but rather keeps the area under surveillance.

[TwoCents]

Jane

Jane led the way to the cargo, pointing out the crates to the sergeant. "So, what's like like here? I can read what the libcomp says, but ya know the real deal. Anything really good here? Anything really crappy?" She continued to question the squad in a desultory manner, as she helped them load out their gear. She wasn't trying to interrogate them, just get a sense of mood and any recommendations they might have. "So what's this Duke like?"

[Townopolis]

Vance

Vance retrieves his viewer from the colonel with a brief nod and directs the soldiers to Captain Varnaxx for directions, leaving the captain to delegate the job of tour guide should nobody volunteer for it.

He begins fiddling with the viewer again, locking the information regarding the weapons shipment, then tucking it under one arm.

"We'll be delivering the reactor just as soon as we clear out this shipment." He waves his free hand at the soldiers unloading their crates. "And I'd love to stay a while and visit the old codger. My crew," he glances over his shoulder at them, "are their own masters while on leave."

[Storm Bringer]

the troopers are a chatty bunch, and talk quite merrily as they spilt and move the weapons. You learn quite a lot about the City's nightlife, the local women (and men, if your tastes run that way), the best of the local brews, and the local sports teams. The soldiers appear to be in good morale, with the sargent bearly needing to exercise authority to keep them focused. They are all quite young, with only the sarge over 25.

However, amoungst all the small talk, you manage to glean a few unseful gems. firstly, the Mercurians are unhappy at the lack of action form the Byreti government, which appears to be unwilling to try and make progress with the situation. the Mercurians have offered to train local units, but the byreti ministers seem to be either unable or unwilling to go though with the plan. Also, a high ranking member of the planetry governors cabinet was recently invloved in a messy corruption scandal (of which he appears to be blatently guilty), which has led to his removal.

Also, and rather more seriously, the rumourmill has recently been abuzz with the story that a off-world advisor was captured during a raid on an insurgent base. different people have different ideas as to where this advisor is form, but the consenus appears to be that he was a Zhodani agitator, seeking to keep the Imperium occupied with internal troubles rather than with the Zhodani. The presence of a zhodani merchant ship on the planet has fed into the rumour, with widespread claims the ship is a zhodani extraction team in disguise. The Imperial elements on Byret are concerned that their may be violence agianst the traders, which would be an uneeded diplomatic incident at the present.