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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ptolemy" data-source="post: 9499612" data-attributes="member: 1412">The Adventures of Polybius Comnenus Part IIIPyramus 182-1081Things took a turn for the better after Gorram. It had been hard, dangerous work but we had enjoyed our time working as a S&R team. By the time we got back to Lunion Sir Paul Ramaeda had put in a word for us with the Navy. The upshot of this that Helena’s legal application to take possession of the ship we used to escape from Mithral was awarded to us as compensation for the attack. We couldn’t believe our luck! We now had a 400t ship with over 100t of cargo space, a particle beam turret and lots of cool features, such as a low sensor profile and low jump emissions. We started our new careers as travellers hauling to and from Lunion. We were also lucky in our choice of a brokerage company at Lunion. They were expensive, charging 10% of haulage fees, but they got us lucrative contracts and put us in touch with reliable brokers at our destinations. I was spending a lot of time reading up on brokerage as I wanted to cut out the middle man. It was all new to me and was going to take a long time to master. I felt I had the basics by the time we got to Pyramus.Just a few weeks into this Helena brought in a very good deal on Shirene. An environmental group approached her to ship six breeding specimens of Przewalski’s horse, in specialist low births. They hired the whole ship, cabins included and paid a moderate wage. We were to transport them to Pyramus and were even allowed to trade as we went, as long as we didn’t diverge from a straight path too much. We were being paid for 20 weeks transport and then we would be expected to stay and assist the transfer and release of the animals in their new habitat for one month. This was a fortune to us and we were very encouraged. We traded along the main as far as Palique at which point we needed to pick up the pace and focus on getting are cargo to its destination.The journey was uneventful and we arrived in orbit around Pyramus looking forward to a few weeks planet-side. An automated transmission from the imperial fief informed us that if had business with the knight we were to proceed to a landing zone at set coordinates, if with Project Artemis we could land near the mission and that guidance would be given as we got closer. The message included the fact that landing was legal anywhere on the planet, however, we should respect crops, buildings and the needs of the population. We sent back a reply to the effect that we were delivering to the Project and headed down. As we flew over a dry looking landscape the Project contacted us in the form of Boutros Vianne. He gave us a cheerful welcome and sent exact coordinates and asked out our charges. We happily reported that all was well and Peter took us in.It was a tricky landing. For all the time Peter had given me at the controls on our way here I was glad I didn’t have to land us as our landing strip was an uneven field very close to some buildings and animal pens. There was a crowd of at least a dozen people milling around. We had hardly touched down when a handful of them approached us. I went straight to the hold, opened the cargo bay doors, lowered the ramp and started to prep the cryo-pods. As soon as the ramp was fully extended project staff were on board, led by an older woman who barked “Are the specimens intact?” I assured her that they were as she started checking data from the pods. We set to moving them out. It was a very hands-on experience and I was carefully supervised as I lifted each pod put using the cargo walker. I set all the pods down in a nearby “paddock” of hay bails The plan was to revive each of the animals simultaneously, if possible. The idea was that they would almost immediately be amongst their own kind and be less likely to panic. We quickly worked up a sweat in the warm and dry atmosphere.I had tried to brush up on some veterinary datas regarding animal cryogenics and was assigned to monitor vitals of two of the horses during the process due to my paramedic training. I didn’t think that was a good plan but the team only included two actual vets so I didn’t argue. Medically, things went well, although I had a few panicky moments. Helena, who like most nobles loves to ride, joined the team who calmed the animals and corralled them as they awoke. It wasn’t an easy task and I could tell that Helena was surreptitiously using her powers to sooth their fear. I was doing the same for mine and we had a good success. Peter and Lily both lent a hand with the more physical aspect of the task - holding horses steady in their very first moments of consciousness and then ropes if required. It was hard work and it was made harder by being throw into a team we didn’t know. The only really worrying moment was when a juvenile female, who had been the most  docile on wakening, collapsed. As the vets had their hands full, I ended up giving CPR to a Przewalski’s horse! Maybe it had merely fainted with cryo-fatigue as I’m not sure I contribute much, but it was back on its feet and being soothed by Helena within a few minutes. Helena certainly walked out of the situation with a reputation as a horse whisperer, which she was visibly pleased about.There hadn’t been time for introductions during the disembarkation and revival process but in the celebratory atmosphere we met some of the team when we had all the horses awake. Boutros we had already spoken to and he turned out to be a very dishy vet. The austere middle aged woman in charge was Dr Eva Danvier, a somewhat curt and direct woman who didn’t seem to be very socially adept. She was a lot better after we had finished our task. She informed us that we had earned the full bonus for live delivery (5,000 cr per living animal revived) and that, all going well, we would be paid the rest of the bonus at the end of the month we were contracted to remain and help out (another 20,000cr per horse which is thriving and appears breed-able). Oran Yota was the most skilled of the animal handlers and turned out to be a local hired by the Project. She wore a classic cowboy hat and seemed more at home with the animals, which isn’t to suggest that she was stand-offish with us at all. She seemed to be even more pleased with how hard we had worked than the general attitude, which was pretty positive. She was concerned with Lily, who had taken what looked like a nasty kick, but Lily being the ex-marine she was had rolled with the blow better than most of us would have. I checked her out and she just had a nasty bruise.Boutros disappeared and re-appeared with a crate of chilled beers and most of us spent a good hour or so enjoying the spoils of victory. Everyone was friendly (Dr Danvier didn’t stay for the celebrations) and we accepted the offer of bunks in the barracks. We wanted to spend as much time off the ship as possible and, if we had to stay and work, we might as well integrate as much as possible. As we chatted we learned some more about Pyramus. It was a low tech planet but had access to off world tech due to a small amount of train in luxuries, the local whisky and wines being sought after across the sub-sector. The planet has a cycle in which the annual dry season over stays its welcome every 8 or 9 years but this time it was even longer than usual. Expressing a desire for rain was a common occurrence and was always followed by others reassuring everyone that it couldn’t be long now. We ate a communal dinner after which Oran suggested that we accompany her on a tour of the immediate area the following day, to orientate ourselves and get a feel for the work. We would set off shortly after dawn and be travelling on horse back given the nature of the terrain and would spend two or three days out. Helena was the only one of us who could ride so we were as skittish as new foals at this idea. But needs must.</blockquote>

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