Babylon 5: Outrageous Fortune

[Dr Simon]

Finally, Sethyk's vital signs begin to stabilize, although he is still weak. Vurk pronounces him safe to move, and Raive picks the furry being up almost tenderly.

"Let's hurry this up," he says. "Zakind has some kind of influence in the government. Security might turn a blind eye to his actions, but they can make life hard for us."

There is no further sign of trouble as you board the ship. Sarhat goes through the preflight checks, Vurk makes Sethyk comfortable in one of the berths and the rest of you strap yourselves in.

A woman's face appears on the comm-screen, dressed in the uniform of the Lison Air Guard.

"Outrageous Fortune, this is Lison Close Orbit Control. There appears to be some... irregularity with your paperwork, I'm afraid your request for take-off is going to have to be postponed until we get it sorted."

Raive leans forward in his seat.

"See what I mean?" he growls.

 

[Blackrat]

"Should we just ignore them and take off?" Sarhat asks the others' opinion from the pilot seat.

 

[Shayuri]

Ashley grimaces. "It'd complicate things if we ever wanted to come back. Especially if we have to fight our way out. Raive, if we made a run for it, what would be their response?"

 

[Dr Simon]

"Depends on why Zakind is trying to kill you," Raive says after some thought. "Like I said, he's got some sort of pull with the bunch of schemers that pass for a government around here, so if you get away and come back, he might angle for another shot at you. Without him, though, as long as your credit's good no-one would stop you from landing, no matter what you did last time. Would they chase you now? The Air Guard are next to useless. Zakind, him I'd worry about, but I'd chance it that I could evade him up there than stay here." He gives an evil grin. "Threaten to blast your way out, that'll get them jumping."

 

[Blackrat]

"A shame this is a human vessel and not a Lintira. They wouldn't dare try to stop a minbari ship." Sarhat almost grumbles as he begins the lift-off sequence. "Once we're off the ground, open the gun-ports. That should be enough of a threat." He says to Kevin in minbari.

 

[Shayuri]

Ashley frowns. She wasn't completely sure Raive wasn't jerking their chains. But there was the little matter of the assassins. She wasn't eager to meet more.

"Ground control," she said over the comm, "We're on a tight schedule and after what happened in the docking bay we've a good idea what's really going on. Please be advised that we're leaving now and we recommend not pushing us on the matter."

She cut off the communication line. The die was cast.

"Sarhat, we may need to use the jamming device. Don't use it unless we have to though."

 

[Dr Simon]

"Negative, Outrageous Fortune, we... wait..."

The woman from ground control looks more exasperated than anything else, as Sarhat starts the launch procedure. Although, you assume, she could override the lift and airlock sequence that will take the Fortune to the surface of Lison, she doesn't.

Control frowns.

"Outrageous Fortune, you are in violation of Lison Close Orbit Control regulations. Please be advised that you have just incurred a 5000 credit fine, and further legal action may be taken. Control out." She kills the connection.

Raive looks pleased.

"Ah, they're bluffing. It's not like they've got the power to make you pay or anything," he says with his customary feral grin.

The Fortune lifts off from the grey surface of Lison, into the churning atmosphere.

"Gun ports open," says Kevin in response to Sarhat's order. "Are you sure about this? It hasn't worked very well for your people in the past..."

There is no further response from Lison ground control, and the Fortune ascends into the Big Empty.

You are a few thousand Ks from the system jump gate when a ship drops into sensor range. A Drazi Sunhawk. She is hailing you.

[SBLOCK=OOC]
Diplomacy check by Ashley
Operations (sensors) by Sarhat
Operations (pilot) by Sarhat, Take 10 for lift-off.

Some mechanics that might be of use:
There are three range bands in space combat; Sensor, Long and Close. Currently the Fortune and the sunhawk are within Sensor range of each other. Closing or opening range bands is a matter of opposing Pilot or Operations (pilot) rolls; ships don't have a "speed" characteristic. Most small-scale weaponry such as that on the Fortune, and (usually) that carried by Sunhawks, are Close range.

The Fortune can be flown single-handedly, using Pilot as the relevant skill, or (as you are currently doing) as a crew, in which case Sarhat would use Operations (pilot).
[/sblock]

 

[Walking Dad]

"I'm not much of a pilot. I'm a doctor. Use your skill, so we will not need mine." Vurk says.

 

[Shayuri]

Ashley takes a deep breath, then answers the hail.

"This is Outrageous Fortune, please respond. Repeat, this is Outrageous Fortune, outbound from Lison to jumpgate. Please respond."

Off the comm she mutters, "They probably outrun us and outgun us. If they start coming in, we'll use the jammer and go balls out for the gate. Sound good?"

 

[Dr Simon]

A drazi face appears on screen.

"I greet you, Outrageous Fortune. This is Zakind, if the Voluga. Quentin Tryce has offered me a considerable sum of money to kill you." Zakind grins, altough on a drazi the expression always looks more like an evil leer. "However, I'm not an unreasonable man. I know you've got a hold full of Q-40. I think perhaps if you gave it all to me, you'd outbid Quentin Tryce."