Traveller T20: Tales of the Bray Keaven [Updated 12-20-05]

[Shadowdancer]

I hope the crew does not trust Vasilii for correct change.
20,000,000 lingonsallers / 15.32 is 1,305,483.03 bromialan pounds
/ 10.67 is 122,350.80 credits. Is there some skimming going on here?

Well, he did say it was "about 122,000 credits." That was based on quick, off-the-cuff calculations.

Besides, we won't know the exact total until we actually convert the lingonsallers. The exchange rate might change before then.

 

[jasper]

plus a tax on bring all that foreign money into the country. Initially I drop a zero and thought was 12 K.
Write more.

 

[Shadowdancer]

As soon as the Bray Keaven touches down, and as Argent is completing his touchdown checklist, the crew sees a small delegation head towards the starboard passenger airlock. Three of the men and two of the women wear close–fitting fatigues with some sort of rank insignia while one of the men and one of the women wear some sort of light blue jumpsuit. None wear a biohazard suit, but all wear the filter masks required on Alief due to the ever-present fine dust.

----​

Inside, Saro and Martha complete their discussions about the showers. Martha originally suggests the port passenger airlock for the showers, but then remembers that Darishun won’t fit in the port passenger airlock (unless he is standing on his head or tail). Thus, she suggests that the port cargo lock would work better, and Saro readily agrees.

In passing, she asks about the 30 minutes in vacuum followed by the bleach. "Is the stuff really that tough?"

Saro replies, "Well, probably not, but the problem is that we really don’t know at this point, so I’m inclined to be cautious."

While they are talking, Saro quickly takes his blood samples and is so smooth that Martha doesn’t realize that he has started until she happens to glance down and sees the last tube being filled.

-----​

The Bromlians bring a set of airplane passenger stairs and set them next to the starboard passenger airlock to allow the crew to debark. Argent and Vargas look at each other as if to say "here goes nothing," and open the outer door. Blinking a bit in the late afternoon sun, they descend the stairs to the waiting Bromlians.

When they get to the bottom, the lead Bromlian — a lean, grizzled man in his 50s — nods firmly and introduces himself. "Thank you for coming. I’m General Tilshire, and I have operational command of this area. I’m glad that General Jansen," nodding to the man on his right, "got you down safely. We’re really thankful that you are here, and we were hoping that we could start unloading your cargo immediately."

Nodding to a somewhat short and plump woman with dark curls, he continues, "Major Eckels is my quartermaster. She and her crew are ready to start the unloading if you will permit us to do so."

At this, the Major nods, "Yes sir. We have a cargo manifest through the Marquis, and my crew can get things unloaded if you’ll let us do so. If you need anything, please let me know. Your communications officer already indicated that he needed some bleach, and we’re having some delivered shortly."

General Tilshire waits until the Major finishes and then indicates the two people in the light blue jump suits. "Doctor Warren here is one of our lead researchers, and Doctor Hays is acting as his operational assistant."

Doctor Warren, a balding man in his late 50s, eagerly pipes up. "We’re really glad that you’re here and have brought this equipment. We’ve made some progress, but this Imperial–grade equipment will really help us out. I’m sure that Doctor Hays will be able to work with Major Eckels’ soldiers to get that portable building set up as a research facility."

Once the doctor finishes, General Tilshire goes on. "I have to return to my duties, and I leave you in their good hands. Lieutenant Marks here," he indicates a sandy haired young man, "is my assistant, and please feel free to comm him you need anything that Major Eckels can not provide."

"And we’re glad we could help out," Argent replies. "We would like to get an idea of the current situation, if you can spare someone to brief us on where the virus has spread so far. Oh, and Major Eckels, my supply officer was hoping to talk to you about our ship’s stores, I believe. Can I point him in your direction?"

 

[Shadowdancer]

General Tilshire nods. "Of course. I believe that Dr. Warren would love to talk to you and your medical staff about the current situation, and Lieutenant Marks here can brief you on the operational situation. I do have to return to my duties now, and I leave you in the good hands of these doctors, Major Eckels, and Lieutenant Marks."

Coming in just before Tilshire’s last comment, Saro joins Argent and Vasilii. He automatically extends his suited hand to the doctor. "Doctor Warren. Very pleased to meet you. Saro Talbek at your service. I can’t wait to start helping out here and to hear first hand what is going on."

Argent nods towards Saro and comments to the Bromlians. "Dr. Talbek is our medical officer. We also have a medic onboard."

Doctor Warren brightens immediately and says, "Pleased to meet you, Doctor. I can talk with you a little later about the details, but I’ll go with the summary for the benefit of your captain and the others."

Saro replies, "Please do, Doctor. We’re anxious to know the real situation down here. What we’ve been able to pick up on the broadcasts doesn’t sound pretty." Saro sets his vacc suit to relay the doctor’s comments onto the internal ship’s comm system for the others.

Dr. Warren starts, "Well, the situation, relatively speaking, isn’t as bad as it could be. We’ve got the situation around Medway contained though with a devastating loss of life in the capital itself. The virus is airborne, but it would appear that the version that is spreading here doesn’t seem to be capable of surviving very long in the outside air, so we haven’t had any cases that have escaped General Tilshire’s quarantine perimeter. There are reports of sealed buildings in the capital that are holding their own, though their food supplies are running out or are gone.

"The situation in the north of Bromley is similar but more widespread. The infections are concentrated in the towns, but farms just outside of the town seem to be unaffected unless an infected person visits.

"I’m only getting fragmentary reports, but the situation in Hillingdon, Coventry, and Wirral is considerably more dire. Initial infection rates seem to be astronomical and we had reports of outbreaks leap frogging across fast distances. I suspect either aerosol dispersal emplacements that were secreted in the cities or some sort encapsulation on the initial spores that rendered them more resistant to Alief’s natural airborne contaminants.

"In terms of finding a cure or vaccine, we haven’t had much success yet. We have some antivirals that have limited effectiveness, but the odds of survival are pretty low. I’ve been able to do some study of the virus, and it seems to be a variation of something that affects rabbits, but we’re stuck with our current tools."

"Perhaps with the equipment that we’ve brought we could probe deeper into the virus and somehow develop a vaccine," Saro says. "If you don’t mind, I would love to hear about what you have done so far. I would be more than happy to help out with anything."

Dr. Warren nods to Saro, then looks at Lt. Marks. "Lieutenant? Anything to add about the military situation?"

Lieutenant Marks briefly looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a hovercraft, but then starts, "Well, as the doctor said, our perimeter around Medway is holding. We’ve got most of the military out and holding a 1km dead zone around the capital, but it’s holding. I can’t believe we have to shoot people who try to cross the zone, though. Luckily, most of the senior government officials were at a retreat when the plague spread."

At this point, Major Eckels interrupts. "Sirs? If I may, I’d like to get started on the unloading of the equipment."

Argent nods, "Of course, Major. My super cargo and our medic will meet you at the rear cargo ramp. I should warn you about the medic, though. He is a Virushi, and he’s a little large, but please don’t shoot him because he is actually a very gentle fellow."

"Huh? What is a Virushi?"

"Er, I think that you’d probably best see for yourself, but just remind your soldiers that he is one of the crew."

Warily looking at Argent, Major Eckels gathers her trailers and heads towards the rear of the Bray Keaven.

"Excuse me, Doctor Warren," Saro says. "I helped catalogue and itemize the shipment, so I should probably be there and help out with the unloading. It is up to you if you want to come with us and see what we have brought, although I suspect you are probably very busy. If you do go back to work, how do I get in touch with you after unloading? I'm dying to get to work!"

Watching briefly with amusement as Major Eckels heads toward the cargo hatch, Argent suggests they all move to the rear of the ship. As they start walking in that direction, Argent turns back to the lieutenant. "Lt. Marks, you said that there were some groups in the capital who were holed up in buildings and needed supplies," he begins. "We have rations aboard that may help alleviate the situation; are the buildings approachable by air?"

 

[Shadowdancer]

Meanwhile, on the bridge Vasilii completes his shut–down procedures, runs spot checks of the turrets, and then heads towards his cabin to change. Passing by some of the mounds of Marine rations, he does some quick calculations to reveal that they have enough rations for 1,200 days, assuming that they don’t die of Marine–ration poisoning before then.

"Surely we could sell off nine or 10 dTons of rations," he thinks.

-----​

Darishun grabs a Marine ration for a snack, wolfs it down in his massive maw, and then heads towards the rear cargo airlock.

-----​

Martha starts her diagnostics routine running and goes with Swann to grab some tools and prepare to go outside. Once geared up, they head towards the starboard airlock and step into the late afternoon sun and dust.

After heading down the stairs and nodding to the pair of Bromlian guards stationed at the bottom, the two start a circuit of the ship. They don’t get far before they notice some light surface scoring on the starboard side, roughly near life support. The scoring does appear to be on the surface only, though, and is very light. Noting the paint damage, the two continue their inspection and do not notice any other damage before winding up at the stairs to the starboard airlock again.

Once back inside, they check the diagnostics and find that Martha’s routines show nothing unexpected: just jump drives in need of a decent overhaul but still within specs. Martha and Swann then head to the top of the Bray Keaven, don harnesses and belaying lines, and drop over the side of the ship in order to inspect the scoring more closely. The scoring is indeed very light and really only enough to make a slight, 2-3mm grove in the surface of the ship.

Swann runs a gloved hand along the burned groove. "Looks like we were luckier than I thought," he says to Martha. "Another degree or two, and the cutter’s laser would have damaged our life support. I guess we owe our pilot a heartfelt ‘Thank you.’ And a beer."

Martha squints over the scoring, meticulously reviewing portions of the hull. "We certainly were lucky. That shot didn’t damage the jump grid.’ She pats the hull affectionately. "The more that’s damaged, the more likely we’d be lost on our next jump. Misjumps are hell!"

"What do you think, Martha? Do you have some sealant we can fill this groove in with? The ship will need to have her paint touched up, but I guess that can wait until we get back to Sentry. Unless things get very boring around here. Which I have a feeling they won’t."

"I can come up with something to take care of this," she says. "But first, I probably should get everything else taken care of. I’ll put this on my duty detail for over the next few days."

While on top of the ship, Swann takes a moment to survey the area around the Bray Keaven. He notes that the perimeter around the ship is about a 100m circle with eight armored personnel vehicles evenly spaced and approximately 50 or so armed guards. All have their weapons trained away from the far trader.

The airport itself is a small facility with two parallel runways. The Bray Keaven sits off on a corner of the airport, on the edge of a taxiway/airplane parking area and approximately 200m from the chain–link fence that surrounds the airport. There seems to be a large number of civilians camped about 50 or so meters beyond the fence in the dry plains, but roving patrols of soldiers in hovercraft appear to be keeping them away from the fence itself.

Once back in engineering, Martha checks and does have supplies to take care of the scoring in the hull, and she decides that doing so would probably take a couple of hours. She even has some extra paint to restore the finish.

-----​

Elsewhere, Ian does his own tactical survey and notes that the Bray Keaven is pretty well surrounded by a large number of armed guards and armored vehicles at a respectful distance. None have their weapons pointed at the Bray Keaven, though, and he decides that the locals seem to be pretty intent on having the ship well guarded from external threats. Ian does start the anti-hijack program running, though, and then goes to the cargo hold.

 

[Shadowdancer]

Argent nods, "Of course, Major. My super cargo and our medic will meet you at the rear cargo ramp. I should warn you about the medic, though. He is a Virushi, and he’s a little large, but please don’t shoot him because he is actually a very gentle fellow."

Vasilii overhears the outside conversation over the ship’s comm system and heads to the rear cargo ramp. Grinning at the thought of the locals’ first glimpse of the Virushi, he makes sure that all of the hatches to the cargo area are sealed. Adjusting his filter mask to fit as comfortably as possible, he grabs the cargo manifest. He, Darishun, and Ian make their way to the back of the cargo hold, lower the rear cargo ramp, and open the rear cargo door. The dust in the air immediately swirls in along with the rays of the late afternoon sun.

Outside, Argent, Vargas, Saro, and the Bromlians continue chatting as they make their way towards the rear of the Bray Keaven. As they are heading down the starboard side of the ship, Major Eckels takes a moment to talk into a handheld radio. "Yes, prepare to unload now. I want cargo lifters and trucks to meet us at the rear of the ship."

Finishing with the radio, Major Eckels responds to Argent’s query. "What is that, sir? Yes, there are some groups in the city that are holed up in buildings that are approachable by air. We’ve dumped a strict quarantine on the area, and our resources are stretched thin just keeping the perimeter up, so we haven’t been able to help them. Some are claiming that they haven’t been infected while others are claiming that they were affected and are recovered. All are crying out for evacuation, but we can’t take the risk."

Meanwhile, Saro and Dr. Warren continue chatting, with Saro asking, "Do the affected areas share things that the leap–frogged areas do not?"

The Bromlian researcher replies, "No, the leap–frogged areas are notably distinct from the areas that were initially affected, and the leap–frogged areas eventually got affected, too. I’m leaning towards some sort of dispersal agents. We’d love to have your help in trying to isolate and analyze the virus and then develop a cure. After we get this cargo unloaded, perhaps we can chat more over dinner about the details of what we've tried? Dr. Hays and I would both like to go over the cargo with you and listen to your suggestions about how to best utilize it."

"It would be my pleasure," Saro says. "I want to help anyway I can. Do you have any suspicions as to what dispersal agent they could be using? I guess it could be almost anything like water supply, animals, insects, or even an artificial vector like timed aerosol dispensers. I’ve seen some of SuSAG’s* choice items. Abominable."

Vargas asks, "Doctor, has your analysis indicated whether the virus works on contact or does it need to be inhaled?"

"What was that, Mr. Vargas? It would appear that the virus has to be inhaled or absorbed through a mucous membrane. The filter masks that everyone wears probably has helped slow down the infection rate some, but still, people take the masks off inside."

"I would also like to add that eyes and the conjunctival tissues are mucous membranes," Saro says. "Maybe it would be safest if we don’t rely purely on filters."

Then the group rounds the starboard engines and catches sight of Vasilii, Darishun, and Ian. The Bromlians freeze in their tracks. A couple of the guards actually snap their rifles up to their shoulders and aim them squarely at the Virushi.

Major Eckels manages to find her voice first. "Er, uh, what are you doing with a shierrhino, and what is it doing in a vacc suit?"

Argent shoots her a puzzled look. "Shierrhino? What is a shierrhino? That’s our medic, Darishun, and he is a Virushi."

"Virushi? Ah, wait, I see arms. Shierrhinos don’t have arms." The Major looks somewhat relieved, but still wary. "Shierrhinos look basically like that except that they don’t have arms. They are native to the southern hemisphere near Lingdonsland and are famed for being extremely aggressive omnivores."

Seeing that the Bromlians have stopped, Vasilii, Darishun, and Ian approach them with smiles. Darishun says in his soft voice, "Please be comforted and do not be alarmed by my appearance. My name is Darishun, and I am a Virushi. I am here to assist you as I may."

Major Eckels still doesn’t look completely relieved, but Dr. Warren does. "Ah, yes, a Virushi. I attended an offworld medical conference once in my youth, and I met a Virushi surgeon there. Very nice lady sophont who gave a very good paper. Ah, perhaps we should get started with going over the cargo and the unloading?"

"I can vouch that rarely have I come across a sophont who is as smart, gentle, thoughtful, and courteous as Darishun," Saro says. "He is quite an asset to this mission. Can’t sing to save his life, though. You would expect him to have a nice basso profundo," Saro slaps the Virushi’s back in a friendly manner, "but no, not at all."

-----​

* Note: SuSAG is an Imperial megacorporation which engages in a wide range of chemical, pharmaceutical, and geneering activities.

 

[Shadowdancer]

Library data on Alief
​

Alief
0820 E672978-8 In R 410 I K3 V



The Alief system orbits a cool orange star, and comprises one major planetoid belt, no gas giants, a number of small rocky worlds, and one extremely large rocky planet (Named Duruusa).



Alief is a Red Zone, an interdicted world. Several of the nations of Alief are involved in open warfare (which is usually a cause for Amber, rather than Red, zoning). The Red Zone was implemented as a "status quo" measure, as various states were bankrupting themselves to bring in mercenary forces and high-tech equipment. Not only was this practice causing irreparable economic damage, but it also escalated the conflict further. The Red Zone is intended to keep matters from getting any worse while Diplomatic Service mediators try to resolve the various conflicts.



Ships of the Imperial Navy patrol nearby space to prevent any vessel from approaching the planet. The Interdiction Squadron is built around a 30,000-ton Interdiction Tender, which ships a phalanx of 40 light and 20 heavy fighters, for patrol work and area coverage, plus 20 armed cutters to carry the ship's Marine company for boarding and planetary rescue operations.



The remainder of the squadron varies in composition, but normally comprises a pair of escort destroyers (1000t) and a number of patrol ships or close escorts (typically 4-6, of which at least two will be on distant patrol, away from the squadron).



Monitoring satellites provide area coverage, but vessels have slipped through the blockade from time to time. More commonly, incoming vessels are picked up by patrolling fighters and warned off, or caught attempting to slip through the satellite net and dissuaded by a few laser salvoes across the bow.



Like most Red Zones, it is possible to obtain permission to visit Alief. This would normally come from the Marquis at Sentry. Vessels presenting permission are boarded and carefully inspected by Marine contingents, whose job it is to ensure that no unauthorized personnel or items get through the blockade -- in either direction.

The Starport
​

Alief has no Starport to speak of, though there are a number of known safe landing spots (safe as in your ship won't sink into the ground or be washed away by floods, rather than safe and welcoming). The locals do have airports and even a few space–research bases, but off-–worlders would not want to land there.

The Mainworld
​

Alief is a mid-sized world with very little surface water. This is the source of the "tainted" indicator in the UWP -- much of the planet is desert, and the air is filled with fine dust that can make breathing difficult. Filter masks are thus necessary.

It appears that Alief is drying up still further. The cause is unknown, though a steady drop in world temperatures cannot be helping. Alief's sun is apparently undergoing a brief and minor (in cosmic terms) fluctuation in energy output, resulting in a general cooling of the system.


Alief's population (all 4 billion of them, of whom 100 million are Vargr) are concentrated around sources of water, and gathered into dozens of distinct nations. As water sources have gradually dried up, so competition for control of those remaining has greatly increased. Alliances have formed and open conflict has broken out in various regions.



This is the reason for the Red Zone -- significant areas of Alief's surface are war zones. The locals possess good TL-8 weaponry (including nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons) plus some offworld imports. The Red Zone has kept further high-tech weapons and mercenaries out -- mostly. No blockade is airtight, so offworld advisors and equipment are available to some of the factions. There are also a few mercenary units on-planet. These units were permitted to remain when the Red Zone was established, as a "status quo" measure. As merc personnel are wounded or surrender, they are shipped offworld and not permitted to return, removing their influence by a process of natural wastage. High-tech weapons are removed by a similar -- but more destructive -- process.



Every major nation on Alief is capable of building high-quality jet aircraft, tracked armor, and personal small arms, and of maintaining those grav vehicles that are already present. Some lower-tech states cannot match these capabilities, but can still put up a fight with TL-7 or ­6 small arms and converted civilian vehicles. One of the favorite conversions is to take the standard desert-operations hovercraft used by many civilians, and to fit grenade or rocket launchers. These fast-moving vehicles with their inaccurate but powerful armament can cause a great deal of harm to either side, depending upon how well or badly they are handled.



Not every nation is in conflict, of course. There is tension everywhere, but much of the competition is of a diplomatic or economic nature (sometimes backed by the threat of military force, true) and various projects are in motion to remedy the situation rather than simply fighting over the dwindling resources. This is one reason why permits are sometimes granted to offworlders to visit Alief; scientists and engineers are working on ice-melting or desalination plants, recycling operations, and other long-term solutions to the problem.



When war does break out, it typically follows one of two patterns. If a developed nation attempts to annex a region and drive out the lower-tech inhabitants (or "benevolently subjugate" them), a guerrilla war results, sometimes with other developed nations supplying arms to the desperate underdogs. Such struggles can drag on indefinitely. The pattern between more developed nations is rather different, following a "strike and negotiate" pattern. The availability of weapons of mass destruction to all nations makes all-out conquest a dangerous option, so the plan is "grab what you can and sue for peace."

The Rest of the System
​

Alief is a necessary destination for Jump-1 vessels plying the cluster, but vessels are not permitted to visit the mainworld. To ensure continued commerce, a fuelling station has been set up in orbit around the smallest, innermost gas giant (named Urlainn). The station consists of nothing more than a small Navy surplus tanker owned and operated by a private company. Fuel is obtained by shuttles, which skim Urlainn's atmosphere for hydrogen to be processed by the tanker's onboard machinery and sold to passing ships. (Very) limited space is available aboard the tanker for ship crews to stretch their legs before resuming their journey. Life support supplies are available for sale aboard, and one or more free traders are usually docked to the tanker, delivering goods or offering them for sale direct to passers-by.



The large planet Duruusa is something of an oddity; it is extremely large but has virtually no atmosphere, and thus no life. It lies in a very distant orbit and has not been properly explored yet. Some regions are extremely volcanic, though most of the surface seems stable enough.

 

[Shadowdancer]

Chapter XXIII​

Date: 119-993
Place: Groves Airport outside Lowford, in Bromley, on Alief

The weather is comfortably cool, about 16 degrees C with a slight breeze from the southeast to the northwest in the direction of Medway. As always, there is a fair amount of fine dust in the air, and the humidity is low.

As Vasilii approaches Major Eckels and introduces himself, the Bromlian quartermaster at first looks pretty skeptical at the Vilani merchant’s smoothness, but his charm eventually softens the wariness, and her manner and body language seem to open up to him. "Ah, yes, I see how we might start unloading based on your cargo storage and likely priorities given by Dr. Warren and Dr. Hays. Yes, I do understand about the missile launcher, and I’m sure that we can find a couple of cranes for you once we get the cargo unloaded.

"I’d like to help you with the local banking, but I’m not sure if any banks are open right now given that martial law has been declared. I will see what information that I can find out. Perhaps there are some banks open towards the south end of Bromley. I’m afraid that I can’t chit chat with you too much right now, but perhaps later after we’ve unloaded the cargo?"

Vasilii smiles at the Bromilian major. "I look forward to our discussion."

Saro and Ian chat a bit about the idea of bringing supplies to people in Medway itself who are holed up as Dr. Warren half listens in, half observes Major Eckels and Vasilii talking about the cargo and unloading. Catching a comment about setting up a quarantine and observation area, he comments, "Yes, I’ve thought about setting up a quarantined observation facility also, possibly with the materials that you’ve already brought in. The facility could be set up very close or slightly inside the quarantine perimeter in order to ease the military’s edginess about preventing the spread of the disease.

"No, I don’t have a good idea of the dispersal agent. We heard some talk of aerial sprayers and gas canisters in buildings and subways. There were also reports of gas–filled shells.

"Ah, excuse me, I think Major Eckels wants to talk to us about the cargo."

Turning to the doctor, Vasilii places his hand to his chest and bows slightly. "Sir, if you let me know what your priorities are, we will endeavor to unload as efficiently as possible. The imaging tables are not sealed against the elements, so I hope that this dust doesn’t damage anything. I also imagine you’ll want someplace secure to store these medicines. I think that you will like the medical facility stored here, it is a very fine Sternmetal product."

Argent pulls Saro aside briefly as the Bromlian doctors and Major Eckels confer about the cargo and priorities. "Doc, give me some ideas here," Marcus says. "I want to help these people out, and we have the ship to do it. Do you think we can make an effective decon station at the cargo bay entrance? We can make as many runs as it take to get all of the trapped victims."

Saro replies, "Yes, I’m sure that Martha and I can set up an effective decon station at one of the cargo airlocks, but we wouldn’t be able to decon the people if the virus is already in them. We can pull the people out for observation, and we might be able to find some that either have a resistance to the virus, or, failing that, we’d be able to have some people for observation. Without knowing how many trapped people there are, I don’t know if we could transport them all out."

"We’ll make as many trips as necessary to get everyone we can out of those holdout buildings, Saro," the Captain states. "Hopefully, they’ll be as useful to us as we can be to them. And maybe we can get rid of some of these infernal rations. They’re giving me a sour stomach."

Meanwhile, Major Eckels’ crew shows up and starts unloading the cargo under the watchful eye of the Bromlian Major and Vasilii. The Bromlians still seem rather wary of Darishun, even when he starts helping to lift crates by himself. Or, perhaps the wariness is because he can lift a number of large crates by himself without power equipment.

Following the directions of the doctor, Vasilii helps to direct the unloading of the medical supplies, taking care to inspect each item to insure no damage has occurred in transit. Any damage above a minor ding in the case is recorded against the cargo manifest. When the unloading is complete, Vasilii countersigns the documents with the Major and takes a copy for himself. "Thank you very much, Major Eckel. I’ll ask the Captain to forward a copy to the Marquis’ staff. I hope that our cargo will assist your people in finding a cure to this plague."

Vasilii escorts the Major and the Doctor to the base of the ramp and makes his farewells.

When they leave, Vasilii takes his copy of the manifest to Argent, who is talking to Martha. "Sir, the transfer of cargo is complete and signed off. I would like to know your priorities for the near future. Is there anything you’d like for me to tackle?"

"Yes, work with the doctor and Martha for the time being and get a plan together for rescuing some of those people from Medway," he said. "I want decon procedures, quarantine procedures for those affected, and a secure facility to place the infected once we get them out of the buildings. Until we get new orders from the Marquis, we’ll do what we can to help these people."

Martha nods, acknowledging the orders. "Once we’re done with all the setting up and stuff, I thought I’d tackle completing the work on bringing our weapons systems up to full capacity. Is that OK, Captain? Or would you rather I prepare the air raft for the KGL mission?"

 

[Shadowdancer]

The Bromlians, Darishun, and Ian complete unloading the cargo under the watchful eye of Vasilii, Major Eckels, and Lt. Marks. After some time, Argent and Vasilii wander back into the ship, and Saro, Dr. Warren, and Dr. Hays head over to a nearby building for dinner and some discussions about the virus and possible theories/approaches.

After several hours, the cargo except for the missile launcher, the missiles, and the Marine field rations has been unloaded. Major Eckels and Vasilii sign papers indicating proper transfer and receipt of the cargo. Saro returns from his discussions with theories and plans swirling in his head.

After a little while, the crew of the Bray Keaven collects in the crew lounge for a much deserved dinner and break. At dinner, they consider their options and plans for the next day.

"I’ve already talked with the doctor and Vasilii about this, but I’ll put it to everyone here," Marcus announces. "Since we have no specific mission orders from the Marquis at this point, I want to make ourselves available for relief efforts. I had originally planned to make supply runs to the number of holdout buildings – medicine, food, etc. – but I believe we can do that one better: get them out of the quarantine zone all together.

"Doc assures me that we can secure the rest of the ship from the cargo bay, which should allow us to use the bay to ferry those in the building out of the affected areas," he continues. "We’ll need to establish a quarantine area for those not infected somewhere here on the ground – a building of some kind – until we’re sure they haven’t contracted the disease. Those infected will need to be quarantined entirely, and hopefully provide doc here with some much needed information on the disease.

"Any thoughts?"

Swann rubs a hand across his face and looks around the room, then at Argent. "Do we know how many people there are that need to be rescued?"

"A couple of skyscrapers full of people could keep us busy for a month, by which time it will all be over anyway," Ian says. "I still say we should just go and get some vaccine. Come on guys, everyone knows that KGL has got some. Who wants to go?"

Vasilii waits for a moment after the others speak, then clears his throat. "Captain, while I of course will assist in any way, please let me bring up a few points."

Holding up an index finger, Vasilii continues. "First, if we use the main cargo bay we will be contaminating the ship both internally and externally. From what I can remember from the Doctor’s training, if we enter the contaminated area wouldn’t we then be required to stay in there? Every time we landed back outside the cordon, we would risk spreading the infection to anyone in the area. I realize we could head into space for a few hours each run, but that would significantly add to the time of each relief run.

"Secondly," holding up another finger, "using the ship in this fashion would deprive the engineers of the chance to work on the ship to conduct maintenance and repairs. I am sure that priorities can be juggled, but we do not know when the Marquis will task us again and we should be ready.

"Lastly," Vasilii continues as he holds up a third finger, "we are only a small crew of personnel. Surely the equipment that we’ve delivered will enable the local forces to help these people. The pressure suits alone will allow them to send a lot more people into the infected area than we can muster."

Vasilii leans back into his chair, looking at the Captain. "While I certainly understand the impulse to help these poor unfortunate souls, it is a local problem and we should allow the local authorities to deal with it. Have they asked for us to assist in this way? It would be an ugly ethical dilemma if we were to start pulling people out of the quarantined area and the locals did not have the facilities to deal with them.

"That being said, Sir, I will assist in any way possible. It will probably take me a few days to assemble the supplies needed to construct a decon station in the rear hold if that is what is decided. With your permission, I’ll start first thing in the morning with the base supply officer, trying to line up any supplies that the doctor and the engineers identify."

 

[Shadowdancer]

Doctor Saro takes the floor. "Addressing both Vasilii’s and Ian’s concerns. I agree that we shouldn’t do anything without the local authorities' permission, but we could decon the cargo bay and the people in the building will still be quarantined. The difference is that instead of being in a locked building with dwindling supplies, they would be in an installation nearby where we can keep an eye on them and treat them if need be. Unless I misunderstood, they are in a very dire situation and need help that we could provide. The local relief effort is stretched to the maximum. If we don’t do anything, I doubt anyone else will have a chance to.

"And Ian, we certainly don’t need everyone to do this. It would be wise to pursue different paths to the vaccine. Your expedition to King George Land might well succeed where our efforts fail, so perhaps you could pick a smaller team and use the air raft.

"I’m with Argent on this. I think we can make this a safe operation, help a lot of people who might otherwise perish, and maybe even help ourselves learn more about this virus."

Swann says, "I agree that both plans should be pursued. I feel my skills would be put to better use helping Ian look for a vaccine in King George Land. But I think we should also do as much recon via whatever computer network this planet might have before committing to such a plan.

"Mister Vasilii, if you could please ask your contacts about computer networking with other countries from here, specifically with King George Land. We need something reliable, yet discreet. Also, a portable computer, something with more processing power than a handcomp, would be useful.

"Meanwhile, I’ll start using the ship’s computer to begin a search for information on King George Land and likely sources for the vaccine. Which brings up another question. Do we have access through our computer to local and planetary computer networks? I’m assuming that a wireless connection will work, but things might be more primitive here in that area than we know. If wireless connection is out, maybe Mister Vasilii could arrange for a landline connection to be provided?

"I also like Martha’s idea about getting that missile launcher installed before we leave planet. I could assist her with the installation while we’re conducting a computer-based recon on King George Land. We should be able to finish the installation before having to leave on our adventure holiday."

Ian says, "Thanks Swann. Well, the air raft has room for two more -- Who’s in? I'll try and smooch with the local military and see what info we can come up with, including maps, etc. Good luck with the evacuations to the rest of you."

Darishun chuckles in his vaguely seismic, body–shaking way, and says, "Perhaps, I think that I would be most helpful if I were to try and assist those in Medway. I’m afraid that if I were to come along with you, only you, Swann, and I would be able to go."

More seriously and in a softly helpful tone, "Though, I would be happy to go along with you if you think that I would be able to help persuade the people of King George Land of the benefits of sharing any vaccine with us and the folly of such crazy aggression."

Continuing, Darishun says, "Perhaps we should also ascertain who is in the capital along with their condition/status and thereby determine some sort prioritized aid list as well as determine the scope of the problem?"

Vasilii listens to the discussion and speaks up when there is a lull. "Captain, if we are decided on our course of action I’ll turn in for the evening. If the good doctor and Ms. Smythe would be kind enough to draw up a list of needed materials I’ll be happy to start first thing in the morning."

Turning to Swann, Vasilii continues. "Mr. Hellinic, I’ll be happy to work your requests tomorrow. I can’t guarantee the quality of any portable computer systems that might be found on this world, but I’ll try to procure the best available."

Tapping his fingernails on the table, Vasilii seems to come to a decision. "Captain, I might be of more use to Mr. Hellinic and Mr. McConnell than here. Sometimes a handful of credits can accomplish what a weapon can not. Unless you have other duties for me, perhaps I could join the ‘vacation’?"

Marcus nods immediately at Vasilii’s suggestion of going on the vacation. "Go for it, and I’ll see you in the morning.

"We’ll install the missile system before we leave the planet, but we can put it off for a couple of days," he continues. "Vasilii, Swann, and Ian will go on excursion; the rest of us will work on the evacuation and relief efforts. Martha, can you wait a couple of days to install that missile launcher?"

"I can wait on that, if need be." Her eyes definitely express a controlled frustration at being pulled away from her new toy. "So, what would you have me do after I set up the showers? And I still say we should not let anyone that's not ship’s personnel onboard while we’re here." She settles back in a mild huff, crossing her arms in front of her and pulling them tight.