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

[Shadowdancer]

Yay! We passed 16,000 views.

 

[Shadowdancer]

Chapter XXIII​

Date: 213-993
Location: Warne Highport, Kerin's Tyr

Given that the crew has come to a decision to run Jarvis’ cargo to Shanape, Vargas calls Jarvis shortly after the extended brunch. After Vargas explains that the crew would like to run the cargo to Shanape, Jarvis replies, “I expected that would be the preferred option. I will have Barkolin make the arrangements to have the cargo delivered this afternoon along with instructions.

“I expect you to safeguard my interests, Emile. After the cargo is delivered, I release you from your oath, though if the cargo is delivered safely, I would welcome you and the Bray Keaven back among my pack.”

“Jarvis, thank you for your confidence in this pack,” Vargas says. “I will guard your interests with my life and you now know what that means. I hope that I can now call you friend and may be able to assist you in the future. I look forward to our next meeting and sincerely hope that it will be under friendlier circumstances than our last. Good hunting, and may your pack always be swifter then its prey.”

“Good hunting, Emile.”

-----​

Shortly after Jarvis’ call, Vargas receives a call from Barkolin who informs the ex–Scout that the cargo will be ready for loading around 1500 hours. Barkolin will arrive with the cargo loading crew and have the papers and instructions on him.

-----​

In the early part of the afternoon, Martha and Swann hurry to finish the last of the repairs. Meanwhile, Vasilii arranges for the ship to be refueled and settles the ship’s accounts with the port.

Saro monitors Vargas and Ian, who are both assiduously resting.

Kevon generates a jump course to the refueling station orbiting Urlainn in the Aleif system.

-----​

After Vasilii has made his arrangements, he gets a call from Anil Salian, on the planet’s surface. “Ah, Mr. Kugiikiishshi! I have concluded my business here, and I was wondering if the Bray Keaven was headed in the direction of Sentry or, better, Shanape? If so, I would very much like to purchase passage on your fine ship. Naturally, I would prefer to have a proper cabin, but if one were not available, a low berth would be fine since you have such a good doctor onboard. Do you have space for me and some luggage?”

“Certainly, Mr. Salian. I’m afraid we’re not really set up for warm passengers, but we can offer you the joys of our low berth from here to Shanape, where we will arrive in three weeks.”

“Ah, very good,” the salesman continues. “I’ll be up on the next shuttle from Harven, and I should be at your berth around 1700 hours.”

-----​

Vasilii starts looking for additional low berth passengers. Luckily, he finds two passengers bound for Shanape and three bound for Liar’s Oath. He accepts the two bound for Shanape for Cr3,000 and one of the three bound for Liar’s Oath for Cr2,000. All three agree to arrive by 1700 for departure.

-----​

At precisely 1500 hours, Barkolin comms from the berth door. Swann and Aidan go to meet him with Kevon and Martha monitoring from inside the ship. After a brief discussion between Swann, Barkolin, and the stevedores with the cargo, the stevedores begin loading the cargo in the Bray Keaven’s main cargo bay.

The cargo is a series of standardized cargo containers. Most of the containers are four–dTon containers, but there is an eight-dTon container and several one– and two–dTon containers. All are marked with SPA Customs Inspection seals, which usually mean that the cargo has already been inspected and is free from inspection unless the seal is broken. All the containers seem to be quite dense and heavy.

Vasilii decides to show absolutely no interest in their contents.

-----​

Ian is quite agitated that there are others rumbling around in the ship and he is not there to oversee. “Hey Doc, any chance I can just mosey around out there and watch while they load up the cargo? I promise not to touch a thing.”

Saro turns incredulously at Ian’s request. His long dark glare conveys an unspoken message: “Are you kidding me? I’ll beat down your already beaten ass if you even try.”

Ian’s eyebrows slowly rise higher as he reads Saro’s look. “Well, Doc, your bedside manner hasn’t improved much, but I guess that’s what it takes to get through the thick head of an old Marine, huh?” he says with a slight smile.

Satisfied that his patient understands him, Saro snorts to himself as he settles back into a treasured hard copy of the Yltanyc Analects, constantly observing Ian’s medical monitors with his peripheral vision.

“Thanks again, for patching up my beaten ass,” Ian adds with a chuckle.

-----​

Once the cargo is loaded, Barkolin asks to be escorted to the improvised sickbay to see Vargas. Under Aidan’s and Saro’s watchful eyes, Barkolin greets Vargas. “Good afternoon, Emile. I have the Inspection Warrants for the cargo as well as Jarvis’ delivery instructions.”

Barkolin hands a document and a light mauve colored envelope to Vargas. The document is an Imperial SPA Customs Service Inspection Warrant, which attests that the cargo has been inspected and found to be legal for transport as long as the seals are intact. The cargo containers are listed, and all are marked as having “starship mechanical and electrical equipment or systems.”

Vargas opens the envelope, which reads:

Emile,

Please deliver the cargo to Urriav Gharrtikk. It is probably best to contact him via Shanape Bulk Freighting at the Shanape Downport. He will, no doubt, probably want the cargo delivered to a location other than the downport itself, so I would suggest contacting him before you land.

Good hunting,
Jarvis Nuuis

“Thank you, Barkolin. Please inform Mr. Nuuis that I will ensure that all will be delivered as promised. Are there any special precautions that I need to be aware of in the delivery or handling of this cargo, and are there any last–minute instructions to be delivered to me verbally?”

“No,” Barkolin replies, “there are no special handling requirements for the cargo, but I do suggest avoiding extremely rough handling. The cargo is fairly well packed, but significantly sudden drops or extreme handling could cause some of the parts to slip out of alignment.

“And no, I do not have any verbal instructions for you.

“I will arrange for an escort to the jump point for you in the form of two ShieldWolf pinnaces. Please give me a call an hour before you leave, and I’ll arrange to have the pinnaces ready to escort you.”

Vargas takes the envelope and places it in a safe location.

-----​

After the cargo is loaded, Martha preps the ship for departure.

-----​

Once Barkolin leaves the ship and Vargas relays the delivery instructions to the rest of the crew, Aidan heads to the computer to check out Urriav and Shanape Bulk Freighting. He doesn’t have any luck finding anything on a Urriav Gharrtikk in the public information databases.

Information on Shanape Bulk Freighting is easier to find. SBF was founded some 120 years ago by a merchant who bought a surplus Imperial Navy supply collier and started transporting cargo between the worlds of the Shanape Cluster. Now, SBF has some 30 vessels in the 1,000–dTon to 30,000-dTon range, with most in the 2,000– to 10,000–dTon range.

SBF still serves mostly in/around the worlds of the Shanape Cluster, but the concern's vessels also carry cargo into/out of the cluster along the jump routes. A year ago, SBF became a wholly controlled subsidiary of Tukera Lines.

Recently, SBF has been in the news for trying to set up an import/export contract with the Khuur League, a trade federation dominated by Sydites, some 20 parsecs away. The move is generally regarded as daring if a bit risky given the distances involved and since the league lies beyond Imperial borders.

-----​

Swann asks Vasilii, “Do we have room for some fresh fruit for our friends at the refueling station? Since we’re going to be transiting the Aleif system on a regular basis, it wouldn’t hurt to stay on their good side.”

“It won’t be that fresh after a week in jump, even in refrigerated containers,” Vasilii says. “I’ll see if I can sort something out before we launch.”

Vasilii finds several boxes of recently released/new entertainment vid disks and holosims for Cr200. He also arranges for a dTon of luxury food supplies for the Bray Keaven's crew.

-----​

Ian comms Swann and asks him to drop by his room. “Swann, I was wondering if before we left, maybe you could run out for a little shopping trip. I suddenly find myself with a document allowing me to possess a heavy ACR. Would be down right shameful if I didn’t have one now then, wouldn’t it?” Ian flashes a big grin. “I just thought it might be easier to get one here than some other places we’ve been or are going to visit.”

Listening to Ian pressing Swann to purchase him a newer, bigger, boom–ier, flashier, bang–ier weapon, Saro grumbles to himself under his breath and gives the pair another one of his increasingly trademark glares over the top of his book.

Swann notices Saro glancing at him and Ian, and starts laughing. “You haven’t even played with this new toy, and now you want another?’ Swann shakes his head and smiles. “You’re worse than a child.

“Besides, I have a feeling that to get that sort of toy around here, one of us would have to make another play date with Jarvis. And it ain’t gonna be me.”

“Yeah, we don’t need to tangle with him again. Alright. But hey, since I’m gonna be, uh, ‘tied up’ here for a while,” Ian glances at Saro, “think I could borrow some of your vid disks, music, whatever you got? I think I’ve about worn mine out, or at least viewed and played them a hundred times each.

“If you happen to make a trip out, pick some new ones up for me, would ya? Doesn’t matter if you don’t know what I usually enjoy. It’ll give me a chance to ‘broaden my horizons,’ so to speak. Thanks.”

“That I can do,” Swann says. “I probably need to pick up some new stuff anyway since we’re going to be spending a lot of time in jump for the next month.”

Ian shifts around and settles back in the bed under the steely gaze of Saro.

-----​

Saro listens to Emile plead his case to Swann for more new material to occupy his time while confined to his sickbed. A while later the doctor disappears into his cabin for a few minutes before reappearing in the med station.

He places a small stack of vid and book discs that cover the basics of religious and philosophic studies. Included in the pile he has placed a few audio discs filled with religious music spanning many centuries and worlds.

-----​

Swann does briefly run out to pick up some Cr50 worth of vid disks, holo–novels, and music for Ian as well as Cr150 for himself. The selection he delivers to Ian is rather varied and interesting, though the ex–Marine decides that “Lost Pups: A Vargr Teenage Romance” has got to be a joke.

“Thanks, Swann!” Ian says.

Then as Swann is leaving, Ian’s eyes fall on “Lost Pups”; his eyebrows scrunch together and a weird expression crosses his face as he looks up at the door where Swann just exited. “Hmm. Sometimes I wonder about that guy.”

-----​

Around 1700, the low berth passengers start showing up, and Swann and Vasilii receive them and show them to the low berths where Saro puts them under. Anil Salian shows up first. As usual, the salesman is sort of oozing charm and compliments about how glad he is to be back on the Bray Keaven while complaining about his customers on the planet, the planetary conditions, and the shuttle ride up.

The other low berth passengers are Marcel Pham, a student bound for Shanape; Tilman Hue, an elderly gentleman also bound for Shanape; and Mossben Edwe, a miner bound for Liar’s Oath. All seem to be fairly friendly and comfortable except for Marcel, who is a bit standoffish and seems rather nervous about travelling in the low berth. Saro has to spend a few extra minutes explaining the procedures and how frequently he has taken care of people in low berths before Marcel calms down enough to be prepped and frozen.

-----​

Swann and Martha then scan any luggage the passengers have. Swann stores any weapons found in the ship’s locker.

-----​

Kevon finishes his astrogation plot to Aleif and files his flight plan with ObTrafCon. Once he has a departure time scheduled, he notifies Vargas who calls Barkolin with the information.

-----​

At 1907 hours, the Bray Keaven leaves its berth and heads out towards the 100 planetary diameter mark. Before the far trader can get more than a few kilometers from the highport, Martha picks up two ShieldWolf pinnaces who take up trailing close escort positions a kilometer away from the Bray Keaven. The Vargr piloting the pinnaces are cordial and professional, and their close escort seems to be quite adequate by Kevon’s Imperial Navy standards.

-----​

“I suspect this cargo is more then meets the eye given that we are to be escorted by two of the ShieldWolf ships,” Vargas says over the ship’s comm.

“Not necessarily,” Swann replies from the starboard turret. “With the problems they’ve apparently been having in this system with piracy and theft, Jarvis is proba-bly just being cautious that no one intercepts this cargo before we jump. But the fact there are two escorts probably does indicate the relative value and importance of the cargo.”

-----​

Amusingly, a scout/courier leaves the highport about the same time as the Bray Keaven and seems to pace the far trader for a bit, then suddenly decelerates and returns to the highport.

Martha attempts to identify the scout/courier through its transponder information. The scout/courier is listed as the Ongoug, registered out of Kerin’s Tyr to a Surztsoen Arre. She makes a note of it in her log.

-----​

The trip out to the safe jump distance is remarkably — and somewhat worryingly — uneventful. From what Martha and Kevon can see, all other traffic seems to be staying quite clear of the Bray Keaven’s flight path. After thanking the two ShieldWolf pinnaces, Kevon dims the interior lights, and the Bray Keaven slips into jump space.

-----​

The week in jump passes relatively uneventfully. Under Saro’s care and the occasional application of his trademarked glare, Vargas and Ian seem to be healing quite well. Ian recovers slightly more than Vargas does (must be those vid disks).

Vargas stays pretty much confined to his bunk, not wishing to anger Saro. He had noticed the look Saro gave Ian when the ex–Marine even suggested getting up.

As Saro allows, Swann spends some time in the sick bay with Ian and Vargas playing computer games.

 

[Shadowdancer]

SBF still serves mostly in/around the worlds of the Shanape Cluster, but the concern's vessels also carry cargo into/out of the cluster along the jump routes. A year ago, SBF became a wholly controlled subsidiary of Tukera Lines.

Tukera? Man, I either missed this originally in the game, or have just forgotten it. That little tidbit could possibly put current events in the game in a whole new light.

Oh well. :\

 

[vutpakdi]

Tukera? Man, I either missed this originally in the game, or have just forgotten it. That little tidbit could possibly put current events in the game in a whole new light.

Maybe, maybe not.

Ron

 

[Shadowdancer]

Chapter XXIV​

Date: 220-993 and 221-993
Location: Aboard the Bray Keaven, Urlainn Refueling Depot, Aleif, Ley Sector

A little over seven days after entering jump space, the Bray Keaven emerges from jump 100 planetary diameters from Urlainn, Aleif's smallest and nearest gas giant. After checking the local vicinity and finding no vessels on sensors, Kevon points the Bray Keaven at the Urlainn Refueling Depot and begins the eight-hour journey towards the station.

-----​

The trip towards the station is fairly uneventful until the Bray Keaven is about two hours away. At that point, a patrolling Imperial Navy cutter challenges the Bray Keaven. When Kevon identifies the ship and himself, the reply is notably animated. “Welcome back to Aleif, Bray Keaven! We expected you back at some point, but we thought that you'd be headed towards Aleif proper rather than the refueling station. The refueling depot isn’t much, but if you’ve got some time, I’m sure that we and the crew of the Civan can throw a decent party anyway. What do you say?”

The Civan is an Imperial Navy close escort (part of the interdiction squadron) that the Bray Keaven encountered during the plague relief.

-----​

The rest of the journey in is a little noisy with welcoming communications from the other two cutters and several of the fighters operating in the area as well as from the refueling depot itself. Everyone seems to be pretty happy to see the Bray Keaven.

-----​

At 1527 hours on the 220th day of the year, the Bray Keaven docks at the Urlainn Refueling Depot (port side airlock). The refueling depot is a converted 10,000–dTon ex–Imperial Navy surplus tanker. There is a small sundries store and a couple of diner–bar establishments, but that's it as far as amenities.

Kevon strongly encourages the able crew to attend the party.

-----​

After the Keaven emerges from jump space, Saro reassesses his two patients. Satisfied with their progress (and their unusual adherence to his directions), he makes some recommendations.

“Mr. McConnell, while your condition has much improved, you still need to restrict yourself to non–strenuous activities for the next week or so while I oversee your recovery. However, if you continue to follow my recommendations I see no need to administer another dose of Medical Slow Drug at this time.

“As for you, Mr. Vargas. You are recovering nicely as well. But, as your wounds are much more serious, I think the best course of action would be to administer another dose of MSD. You will of course be rendered unconscious for 24 hours, plus or minus, but during this time the drugs will advance your recovery significantly.

“However, if you’d rather forgo the MSD, that route is open as well. Your healing will continue, under my guidance, albeit at a slower pace.”

“Doctor, if you want a ship flown, you consult me,” Vargas says, “and if we want medical advice, we consult you. I have the greatest confidence in your skills and am truly grateful for your care. If your opinion is that I should have another dose of MSD, then it should be administered. However, I would like to wait until we are back in jump space.

“I have a responsibility to Jarvis to oversee his shipment and I cannot do that if I am unconscious. It is not that I do not trust the other crewmembers in this matter. It is just that I gave my word to Jarvis, and this is an affair of honor. I hope that you will understand my position on this point.”

-----​

After the Bray Keaven docks at the Urlainn Refueling Depot, Swann, Kevon, and Aidan go get ready for the party. Swann retrieves Vasilii’s gift vids for distribution.

Kevon dresses according to naval tradition.

Aidan dresses in one of his usual fine gray suits and selects a couple of bottles of fine cognac from his stock to take along to the party. “Somehow, I doubt they’ll have quite the right glasses for enjoying this. Nonetheless . . . ” he thinks.

-----​

Meanwhile, Vasilii arranges for the ship to be refueled. Para Dglen, the Sydite Urlainn Refueling Depot representative who answers Vasilii’s call, seems quite happy to hear from a member of the esteemed Bray Keaven crew and cheerfully tells Vasilii that she already scheduled the far trader for refueling when she heard that the ship was inbound. The refueling crews should be there within two hours. The station normally has an automated refueling system, but the system is down for the lack of a central controller chip due from Sentry in the next few days. As a result, an EVA crew has to make the hookups manually.

Para does apologize for not being able to give Vasilii more of a discount, but her boss is a “real Ursa–sized pain in the ass” and only allowed a 10% discount off the standard price of Cr750/dTon refined or Cr150/dTon unrefined.

It’s always nice to get 10 percent off a 50 percent mark up, thinks Vasilii. Oh well, an extra jump would cost even more. It’s going to cost about a hundred grand to get to Shanape as it is.

Para does ask if Vasilii will be going to the party and drops hints that she’d like to meet him there when she gets off work. Para is fairly attractive for a Sydite, with blonde, close–cropped hair, and a large (though not overweight) build. Since she’s not Vilani, and she doesn’t run a business, Vasilii gracefully declines.

-----​

Martha decides to stay onboard and keep an eye on things and continue standard maintenance on her systems since no one told her the party is mandatory.

“Finally,” she thinks to herself, “I can get some of these things done without having to report every five minutes.”

Martha suits up, drops her handcomp into an available pocket on her vacc suit, and gets to work on some of the minor tedious maintenance issues that are more comfortable outside of jump space.

Since Martha seem to have her nose buried in sensor texts all the time lately, Vasilii lets her know there are some unusual “targets” coming to flap around the hull and she might want to track them for a bit of fun.

-----​

Saro sees to Vargas and Ian and then decides to make a brief appearance at the party to ask the crews about the situation planetside on Aleif.

-----​

Around 1630 hours, Swann, Kevon, Aidan, and Saro set out for the party at the Whacked Duck, one of two “bars” on the depot. The walk is a short one since the habitable areas of the depot are not very extensive.

Upon entering, the Bray Keaven attendees are met with a round of cheers from the mostly Navy and Marine crowd of about 30 folks. Drinks are quickly thrust into Swann’s, Kevon’s, Aidan’s, and Saro’s hands, and numerous toasts are quickly made.

Kevon apologize for McConnell’s and Vargas’ absence, stating only that they had “taken ill.”

Swann plays Santa and distributes the vids and holosims. The Imperial Navy and Marine personnel and the depot personnel are very appreciative of the entertain-ment tapes, and yet another round is ordered to toast the Bray Keaven crew.

Aidan offers the cognac around, after checking with the barkeep on the availability of glasses. Finding none, he checks through the stock. He decides that some dusty wineglasses will work in a pinch and shares out the drink.

Aidan tries to regale the crowd with stories of the court as he tries to get the Navy men talking about the latest weaponry and ships. He eagerly listens to any mention of the Argentii Works.

Aidan and Kevon circulate and chat mostly with the officers. Aidan has takers for his cognac, but the conversation about court isn’t too well received (wrong crowd).

Kevon ends up spending most of his time talking shop with Lt. Commander Pam Hovas, the captain of the Civan (the close escort). Lt. Commander Hovas seems pretty surprised that Marcus Argent left the ship, but she did hear about Kevon’s piloting while rescuing the Tukera Long Liner.

Kevon talks about what Marcus was doing as of his last letter, and general Navy stuff; if asked, he’ll discuss the Tukera incident, but otherwise he’ll avoid talking about his personal heroics. However, Kevon certainly immerses himself in the party, and spends most of his time around the officers, particularly his fellow lieutenant commander.

-----​

Saro briefly falls in with a medic on the Civan and asks about the situation on Aleif. The AHV plague is mostly contained now, but there are still people dying because the vaccine can't be manufactured quickly enough for everyone who wants some. Total deaths run into the millions, but there is general agreement that the situation could have been far worse.

King George'’ Land is being administered by occupying forces from surrounding nations, though it seems likely that the surrounding nations will end up annexing their administration areas. Several nations that were most affected have “temporarily” gone to martial law (and rule), though Bromley is not one of them.

After making an appearance and chatting a while, Saro heads off to explore the rest of the refueling depot. The public areas are quite small, and the one shop doesn’t have any good deals (on anything), so Saro ends up at the other diner–bar (imaginatively named, “The Diner”). He ends up nursing a drink in the corner alone, but the waitress realizes who he is and brings his drinks on the house.

Saro will mildly protest receiving his drinks for free, but will graciously relent and thank the waitress with a wan smile.

“Sometimes, just sometimes,” he muses to himself, “good deeds do go unpunished.”

Saro and the waitress, Gina, end up chatting in between her occasional rounds of helping other customers. The conversation is light and enjoyable. Gina is in her early 30s, but she has traveled quite a bit and is easy to talk to.

Feeling slightly guilty about not paying his own tab, Saro does not abuse the generosity of his benefactor and drinks fewer glasses than he otherwise might’ve consumed.

When he makes ready to return to the Keaven he leaves behind a significant gratuity for the kind waitress. Gina protests a bit when Saro tips her, but then gratefully accepts and says that she hopes he and the Bray Keaven will be back soon.

When he returns to the ship, slightly inebriated, Saro does a quick checkup on Emile’s and Ian’s status before heading to his cabin where he lies in the dark before falling asleep, ruminating on his recent behavior, attitude, and mental health.

The next day, even though he is still in a funk, Saro forces himself to present a friendlier face when interacting with the crew.

-----​

Back onboard the Bray Keaven, Martha and Vasilii keep an eye on things, particularly when the crew of four arrives to make the refueling connections. The refueling process takes about 30 minutes. During the refueling and while she is watching the security monitors, Martha doesn’t notice anything unusual.

As the refueling crew completes their tasks, Martha is struck by a random thought, and makes a note on her handcomp to speak with Swann during jump this next week regarding a personal matter.

Before going to sleep for the evening, Martha contacts her counselor from her sessions here at Alief, and conducts a brief session over the comms as she fills him in on her progress, and the assistance that Dr. Saro has provided her through his meditations and grounding/centering techniques. She manages to reach Dr. Noreya — who was her counselor while in Aleif — on board the Wall of Stone (the interdiction cruiser). The conversation is a bit time lagged, but Dr. Noreya appears to be delighted to hear from Martha and hear that she is doing well. Dr. Noreya does ask about Martha’s nightmares and counsels her to avoid stressful situations as much as possible.

Martha responds that the nightmares have subsided a lot, but she still feels uncomfortable at the strangest moments. Still, those are getting fewer and farther between.

-----​

Vargas and Ian are, of course, assiduously resting.

-----​

Back at the Whacked Duck, the party extends late into the evening hours and looks like it will probably go late into the night. A couple of crews off the other ships that are docked do come by and join the party.

Aidan stays until Swann and Kevon leave in order to provide support for his comrades. On the way out he thanks the barkeep and leaves a generous tip.

-----​

After distributing the vid disks that Vasilii purchased to the Navy, Marine, and depot crews, Swann ends up spending more time with the crews from other ships than the ImpNavy and ImpMarine types.

After a drink or two, Samana Noekka, the Vargr first mate off the Urroe, a far trader, asks Swann, “Are you headed for Sentry or Liar’s Oath? If you are headed to Liar’s Oath, would you have space for a 1-dTon priority cargo? We blew a few of our jump coil capacitors after our jump here, and we’re going to be sweating for at least a few days to get those damn things replaced, so we’re not going to be able to make our delivery in time. Some Army big wig ordered some cloned organs for his military, and we’re in a bit of a bind. The captain sunk a lot of money into the organs, and we’re going to lose the money if the organs aren’t delivered within eight days. How about Cr5,000 for the delivery? So, can you help us out?”

Swann looks at Samana Noekka — both of her — commiseratively and says, “That’s a sad, sad story my friend. Sounds like your ship’s had a run amok, I mean, a run a bad luck. But don’t worry, your luck’s about to change because the Bray Keaven’s here to save the day. Again.

“Just let me contact our cargomaster, Mr. Kugikushi . . . Mr. Krugarushi . . . Mr. Koochikoochi . . . Vasilii and see if we have room. Wait right here. Don’t go any-where. I’ll be right back.”

Swann then turns in his seat, takes out his personal comm, and calls the ship to inform Vasilii about the deal.

-----​

Vasilii confirms that they’ve got the space and he’s happy to take the cargo at priority rates provided the group at the party sees no problems. He suggests that Saro inspect the cargo.

-----​

After he gets confirmation, Swann disconnects and turns back to the Samanas. “Good news. We can help you out. But we need to have our ship’s doctor, uh, Doc, come take a look at the cargo to make sure we can accommodate those organs without them spoilin’ before we get to Liar’s Oath.”

Swann takes out his portacomp and slides it across the table to the Vargr. “Just input your berth number so I don’t forget it, and I’ll bring Doc and Mr. Koocaracha by first thing in the morning. Now let’s drink to friends helping friends and frozen assets.”

After the toast, Swann leaves the party and staggers back to the ship. He informs Vasilii of the final details of the morning cargo inspection and pickup. “Don’t forget to tell Doc, m’kay? And don’t forget to wake me in the morning.” He hands Vasilii a Cr10 tip, staggers to his cabin and passes out in his bunk without even getting undressed.

Vasilii flips the credit chit a couple of times, then pockets it and smiles.

-----​

Early the next morning, the Bray Keaven gets a call from Samana Noekka, the Vargr first mate off the Urroe. Vasilii briefly considers passing the call to Swann but thinks better of the idea, and he discusses the details of transferring the priority cargo to the Bray Keaven. Given that Urlainn Refueling Depot only has external docking berths and narrow internal corridors, Vasilii (after consulting Kevon) and Samana agree the crew of the Urroe will bring the cargo container over by towing it behind their air/raft with a few vacc suited crew. The Bray Keaven crew will meet the Urroe crew outside the ship (in space) and handle maneuvering the cargo into the port cargo lock. After the cargo is secured, Samana will board the Bray Keaven to inspect the cargo and give the crew an escrow credit chit for Cr10,000.

With some difficulty, Vasilii manages to rouse Swann and tell him (and the rest of the crew) of the plan to transfer the cargo in an hour. Leaving Swann to get things back into focus, Vasilii, Kevon, and Aidan set to working on clearing room in the port cargo lock so that the starboard cargo lock now has 1.5 dTons of luxury life support supplies and the port cargo lock has 0.1 dTons of supplies, the eight mis-siles, and 1 dTon of free space.

-----​

Swann takes a quick lukewarm then cold shower to wake up, dresses in work coveralls and then downs a bowl of oatmeal in the crew lounge. He then grabs his vacc suit and heads to the port cargo lock.

-----​

An hour later, with Kevon and Vasilii on the bridge and Aidan in the port turret, Swann and Martha suit up and exit the port airlock. The three Vargr crew of the Urroe show up right on time with the air/raft towing the 1 dTon cargo container. After a bit of maneuvering by all parties and with the help of some zero–g cargo handling equipment, Swann and Martha get the 1 dTon cargo container into the port cargo lock and secured. After the outside cargo door is closed, Swann, Martha, and Samana enter the port passenger airlock and go to inspect the cargo.

“This is pretty much routine, a habit we’ve gotten into lately,” Martha explains to Samana.

The cargo container appears to be a specialized standard container. Samana explains that the cargo container is designed specifically to transport cloned organs. The cargo container is similar to a standard refrigerated container (requiring a power connection), but also contains power outlets for individually powered freezer units that hold a few organs each. The cargo container provides power and secondary cooling while the individual freezer units provide the main cooling.

Martha asks if the unit requires power from the ship’s power plant, or if it’s internally powered.

Samana replies, “The container does have a battery that last for a few days, but it will need power from the ship’s power plant — there is a power outlet within easy reach.”

There are three 0.75m–tall doors set evenly up the 3m–tall cargo container. Samana opens the lower one, and a wave of cold air rolls out. Inside, Swann and Martha can see a number of stacked containers with blinking lights, all marked with medical symbols. Saro comes by to take a look and the container that he inspects — a different one than Samana held out — appears to be properly marked, certified, and in good working order.

Saro does think (to himself) that he is a little surprised that they didn’t use a self–contained low berth container or a specialized organ transport container derived from low berth technology, but the container is an acceptable means of transport even if the technology is lower and the risk of damage to some of the organs is higher.

After the Bray Keaven crew seems satisfied, Samana gives Swann the delivery instructions: deliver to Col. Wilkerson of the Liar’s Oath military at Covenant Downport, and an escrow credit chit for Cr10,000 to be unlocked by Col. Wilkerson upon delivery.

“I’m glad we are able to help out you and your ship,” Swann says to Samana. “Thank you for offering this opportunity to us. I believe there is a saying among your people: ‘May your pack be swifter than its prey.’ There also is a saying among the Belters: ‘Leave no rock unscanned.’ Good hunting, jump safely, and if our vectors intersect again, the first round’s on me.”

The Vargr first mate then leaves the Bray Keaven through the port airlock to rejoin her crewmates.

-----​

After Samana leaves, Martha pulls out a couple of handheld scanners and goes over the container again. She scans for radioactives, detectable explosives, radio signals, and density. The young engineer detects nothing dangerous in terms of radioactives or detectable explosives. There are no radio signals emanating from the container. The densitometer readings appear to be about the same throughout with some minor variations (not quite as densely packed towards the top, but close).

-----​

Sometime in the late morning, Saro sends a comm to the waitress from The Diner, thanking her again for her benevolence, and the pleasure of her conversation.

-----​

After a few final preparations, the Bray Keaven undocks and heads out to the jump point. The Bray Keaven leaves the immediate area of the Urlaiin Refueling Depot with a send–off escort of a pair of Imperial Navy fighters. The fighters don’t stay with the Bray Keaven for long, but the rest of the transit to a same jump distance is entirely unremarkable.

-----​

At 1810, the Bray Keaven slips smoothly into jump space, bound for Liar’s Oath. Given that it’s dinnertime, the crew — even Vargas, with Saro’s permission — gathers for a relaxing and casual dinner.

After dinner, Saro, Swann, and Aidan make a quick inspection of the other two doors on the cargo container. Both appear to be locked, and Saro opts not to press his inspection, much to Swann’s and Aidan’s disappointed curiosity.

Given the late hour, Saro and Vargas decide to wait until tomorrow morning to put Vargas under Medical Slow Drug. Besides, Saro reasons, watching a holosim with the rest of the crew in the lounge might improve Vargas’ mood, too. After the sim, the crew heads off to their staterooms to sleep, except for Vargas, who heads back to the improvised sickbay.

Sleep comes easily for most of the crew, and by midnight, everyone is soundly asleep.

 

[Shadowdancer]

“I’m glad we are able to help out you and your ship,” Swann says to Samana. “Thank you for offering this opportunity to us. I believe there is a saying among your people: ‘May your pack be swifter than its prey.’ There also is a saying among the Belters: ‘Leave no rock unscanned.’ Good hunting, jump safely, and if our vectors intersect again, the first round’s on me.”

Of course,

Spoiler

now it's gonna be a round from Swann's magnum revolver.

 

[Arkhandus]

Finally caught up again.........

Does Samana's cargo get the crew into trouble? What goes wrong next?

Saro's threat to Ian was damn funny.

 

[Shadowdancer]

Chapter XXV​

Date: 223-993
Location: Aboard the Bray Keaven, in jump space between Aleif and Liar's Oath

Martha falls asleep quickly. After a few dreams she can’t quite remember, Martha is dreaming of a smooth jump and her drives are humming along perfectly. Everything seems so vivid that it seems real. She inspects the power plant and drives, and everything appears to be tuned perfectly.

As she sighs happily and looks around port engineering one more time before heading to the lounge for a snack, the iris valve leading to the port cargo lock opens. Through the iris valve come three large wolves, their fangs dripping blood. One wolf, with reddish orange–brown fur, jumps up on her seat at the main console and starts sniffing the controls. The other two wolves, jet black ones, start sniffing around the drives.

Martha freezes, hoping that they don’t notice her, and for a time, they don’t. Then, one of the two black wolves spots her and howls. Martha tries to run, but the two wolves knock her flat on her back. One of the black wolves stands on her chest and snarls at her, and Martha finds it rather hard to breathe because of the compres-sion. The other wolf closes its jaws on her neck, but only enough to make it even harder for Martha to breathe. She struggles to no avail and . . .

Martha wakes up, heart racing and gasping for breath. Her mind feels fogged by sleep, and she can’t seem to quite catch her breath even after a number of breaths. The clock reads 02:13.

The young engineer tries to calm down, using some of the breathing techniques Saro taught her. The breathing techniques don’t seem to be helping — Martha can’t quite catch her breath. It’s as if the air is thinner than it really should be.

With a sigh, Martha gets up to run a quick diagnostic, to make sure the cargo hold is still secure, and there’s been no changes worth reporting. When she tries to bring up the system from sleep, the words “Access Denied. User not authorized to access system” appear on the screen.

“What?!?!” Martha almost squeals out loud, then in a panic, she dashes to her closet to find her vacc suit. Along the way, she uncovers the protected emergency/red alert button and presses it. Immediately, a klaxon starts sounding throughout the ship. Martha slides into her vacc suit painfully fast. The suit air feels thicker, but she still can’t quite get her breath, probably because she is hyperventilating.

Adjusting her CO2:O2 ratios, Martha performs the TL12 version of an asthmatics’ “breathing into a paper bag” trick, trying to force her biology to take over where her meditations cannot. Martha’s breathing calms down, and she adjusts the ratios back to normal settings.

Martha then staggers towards the door, in the hopes of getting to the Doc, as well as check on the status of the others.

-----​

The rest of the crew is awakened by the emergency klaxon and flashing red lights. The air seems thin, as if a few kilometers above standard sea level pressure, and their thoughts seem a bit fogged. As awareness of the situation starts to penetrate, the air ventilation systems seem to cut on full bore, and the air seems to get thinner by the moment.

-----​

Vasilii puts his magnum revolver within easy reach in case anything comes a-teleporting. He then hits the ship’s comm and says in the calmest voice he can manage: “This is Vasilii. I’m awake and suiting up in my cabin. I don’t know the cause of the emergency.”

Then he dons his vacc suit and checks that it’s working properly. Next he grabs the rescue ball in his cabin in case he needs it for somebody else, pockets his portacomp, and hefts his revolver/speed loaders.

-----​

Slowly grasping the situation, Saro dives for his vacc suit and dons it as quickly as he is able in his current state. When he has his suit on, he races toward the sickbay to assist Vargas into his own suit.

-----​

Vargas rather painfully gets into his vacc suit and then shoves Rusti into the rescue ball in the cabin/sickbay. “I knew things were too quiet for this ship,” he thinks. “I wonder what has happened now?”

-----​

Thanks to his Navy training, Kevon gets up with little more fanfare than a “Son of a . . . ” as he moves over to his vacc suit and dons it. Pausing a moment to fill his lungs with good air, the lieutenant commander hits his suit comm. “Everyone, check in, please.”

Vargas keys his suit comm and asks Kevon where he wants him to go.

“If the Doc clears you, I need you on the bridge,” the captain orders, strapping on his laser pistol. “Mr. Kugiikishshi, I need you to back up Mr. Vargas and myself on the bridge.”

-----​

Aidan gets into his vacc suit as quickly as possible. He then heads for the computer to check readings on the ship and see if any of his new security programs were tripped.

-----​

After putting on his vacc suit, Ian ponders matters for a moment, then grabs his gauss pistol and a spare clip before heading out of his cabin.

-----​

The redhead in the naughty-schoolgirl outfit is feeding grapes to Swann. She is sitting beneath a large tree on the edge of an alpine meadow, his head resting in her lap. “Can I hold your gun again? It’s so big and heavy.”

Swann smiles, his eyes closed, listening to the gentle gurgling of a nearby stream, enjoying the cool breeze blowing across his face, the sweet taste of the grapes.

Contented, he takes a deep breath of the cool alpine air. But the thin mountain air fails to fill his lungs. Gasping, he opens his eyes. The redhead is gone, replaced by Maggs, captain of the Musty Dusty. Swann looks into her pudgy face with alarm. Maggs looks back and says, “I’ll have to keep an eye out for the Bray Keaven around the cluster!” But her voice is loud and shrill, and her eyes flash red. “I’ll have to keep an eye out for the Bray Keaven around the cluster!”

Swann awakens to the sound of the emergency klaxon and the flashing of red lights. He grabs the body pistol beneath his pillow as he looks around his cabin. He points the weapon around the room, looking for an intruder. His thoughts are sluggish, and his breathing labored.

Realizing what is happening, Swann lurches out of his bunk and pulls on his vacc suit. Once oxygen starts flowing and his mind clears, Swann straps on his autopistol and snub pistol. He heads out of his cabin as he keys his comm unit. “Martha, this is Swann. I’m gonna check the life support unit.”

-----​

As Martha hears people coming online via the suit comms, she requests they sound off, so she knows who still needs help and who doesn’t. “Swann, that’s a great idea! Big problem, though — I’ve been locked out of the computer system! Damn wolves! You may want to try, but it could be a problem for you, too.”

Once everyone is safely in their suits, Martha announces over the comm that everyone is safe. “I’m going to check out engineering and see if that’s the only surprise we’ve got. How’s the life support coming, Swann? I’m on my way.”

Martha heads towards port engineering. As she hurries along, she idly hums St. Elvis hymns to herself, finding a strange solace in the fact that this time there’s an incident in jump space, and she’s not alone.

-----​

On his way out his cabin door, a thought occurs to Swann. He comms the others. “Kevon, Ian, Doc — can someone check on our new cargo? That unit might have failed, and those organs thawing out might be causing part of the problem.”

“I’m grasping at subatomic particles here, but it’s a place to start,” he thinks. “But how could that affect the computer system? And what was that Martha said about ‘damn wolves?’ ”

 

[Mishihari Lord]

Cool. I was wondering if anything was going to happen with Martha's latent psionic abilities.

 

[Shadowdancer]

Finally caught up again.

Well, we waited for you as long as we could.

Does Samana's cargo get the crew into trouble? What goes wrong next?

What goes wrong next? That would spoil all the fun. As for whether Samana's cargo gets the crew into trouble? Let's just say it helps get us into a situation that we're still dealing with in the current game (almost a year later real time).