Shadowdancer
First Post
Depends on the thought.Pyske said:Remind me, is that a good thing or a bad thing?
. . . . . . . -- Eric
Traveller T20: Tales of the Bray Keaven [Updated 12-20-05]
- Thread starter Shadowdancer
- Start date
Shadowdancer
First Post
Chapter VII
Date: 166-993
Location: Bray Keaven's berth, Sentry Downport
After the envelope is out of the way, Swann stands up, rubs a hand across his face as he looks around the lounge, then says, "Well, first I think we owe Kevon an apology, and an explanation."
Turning to Kevon, he says, "When the rest of us were first assigned to the Bray Keaven for the relief mission to Alief, we discovered a couple of surprises." Swann concisely, but completely recounts the discovery of the bomb and the starflower plants for Kevon, and the crews’ resulting actions.
"When we finished at Aleif, we had a real problem. We didn’t know if the bomb and the plants were connected. We decided to hold onto the plants, in hopes that they would lead us to whoever planted the bomb. That way we hoped to discover if we were in any more danger, and if so, try to eliminate that danger.
"Unfortunately, when you joined our crew, you placed yourself in danger, but were not aware of it. And that’s not right — if a sophant is going to be in danger, he should have all the relevant data so he knows what he’s getting into. We didn’t give you that opportunity. I’m sorry for that.
"The reason we didn’t tell you about the starflower plants is twofold. First, since we didn’t know you, we didn’t trust you. We knew and trusted your cousin, and believed you probably were trustworthy, but we didn’t know for sure. The timing of the situation didn’t afford us the opportunity to all get to know each other better before critical decisions had to be made.
"Secondly, and most importantly, we were trying to protect you. As you may or may not know, possession of the plants carries a death penalty. If we had been caught with the plants, we hoped that your ignorance of their existence would at least save you from execution. But as I’ve already said, it was wrong of us to make that decision for you — you should have been the one to decide if you wanted to put your life at risk in that manner."
"I certainly would’ve preferred the information going into this thing, but I fully understand why you didn’t feel comfortable sharing your secrets," Kevon says. "And, for the record, only my exemplary naval service and father’s influence would have kept me from execution, regardless of my claim that I knew nothing about the plants. We’ve executed people with less involvement with that sort of contraband."
Ian speaks up: "Well, while we are laying it all out on the table, might as well mention the ‘mystery boxes’ in the other fuel processor, eh?" he says with a sly grin, glancing at Kevon.
"We should dump those, too — just on general principles," Saro grumps. "Damn all if they’re worth one tetracredit each. The way things are going, they’ll come alive some night and suck our brains out through our rear ends."
Last edited:
Shadowdancer
First Post
Swann looks around the lounge again, rubs a hand across his face and says, "Which brings us to what happened tonight. Back when I . . . was working as a Belter, my co-workers and I used to hear rumors, tavern tales of sophants with amazing psionic powers. Many just dismissed them as spacer static, but others claimed they were true. These sophants were called Wraiths because of their ability to teleport themselves from place to place.
"The first Wraiths I heard of were burglars, able to get past the best security systems and hired guards. Later, I heard of Wraiths who made their living as hired assassins. If they took a contract, the target was as good as dead — there was little chance of escaping them, and very few places offered security from their special ability.
"The only limitation on this teleporting ability, if I recall correctly, is that the Wraith must have actually seen the location where he is teleporting to beforehand. He either has to visit it, or see a picture of it, or have someone who has visited it describe it in complete detail.
"That’s why I was sure our visitor tonight was either our blonde-haired bombshell, or one of her companions. She saw where the plants were when she was here, so she could teleport in — if she can teleport psionically — or could give someone else a detailed enough description so that they could teleport in."
Saro chokes on his coffee and looks wildly around the room at the others.
"What?! She saw where the plants were? Who the hell decided to parade them around? I thought we had agreed to space all of it the next time we took off? Was there a new plan? Were we going to make money by charging admission to look at the highly illegal contraband?!"
Swann continues. "In fact, that might be why they were interested in the plants in the first place. Doc would probably be able to answer this better than I can, but the starflower pollen might have some use in psionic-boosting or psionic-activating drugs.
"So now we should decide what, if anything, we plan to do. Do we pursue the plants, or just take the money and call it even? We still have the collected starflower pollen, but they don’t know about that, and I say we just space it on our next jump and be done with it."
"Yes, yes, most emphatically, yes! Space it! I’d much rather have it floating about in the void then myself!" Saro looks a bit red in the face, his skin a little tight around the eyes.
"Anyway, they probably won’t be paying us any more unannounced visits. And if they do, the pollen is in the safe in Kevon’s cabin, and he can deal with them." Swann smiles at Kevon and laughs.
"Oh, thanks," the commander quips, rolling his eyes.
"We also still have the mystery of the original bomb that was planted on the ship before the trip to Alief," Swann continues. "I doubt our blonde friend and her cohorts were behind that. But maybe a competitor or rival of theirs knew the plants were on the ship and wanted to destroy them. Which means they might try again.
"I personally believe the bomb was meant to hamper the relief effort, and had nothing to do with the plants, but I could be wrong. So what are we going to do next?"
Swann sits down to listen to any discussion at this point.
Vargas hesitates but briefly before speaking. "Lest I be thought a coward, is anyone interested in getting out of here? So far someone has put a bomb aboard and raided the ship for a highly illegal plant, a raid conducted by a possible psionic teleporter. There could be other . . . organizations out there which might just want to pay us a visit as well, albeit in a less dramatic fashion.
"Just wanted to ask the question. I’m here for the long haul."
Sheepishly, Martha will clear her throat. "I’m pretty sure she was psionic. When she came through engineering on her visit here, she . . . spoke to me . . . in my head." Martha pauses, looking very uncomfortable. "I wasn’t sure what I was going to do about it. Didn’t know if there was a reward, or what, for these people, or what kind of business they might be into. Now, it’s easy to see that the Imp videos might be true. I mean, they broke in here, just like she broke into my mind. I . . . I don’t know what to do . . . about them." As she speaks, it becomes obvious that the weariness of the young engineer is not entirely due to the early hours.
Looking around, Martha continues. "I think they’re after me. She ‘told’ me, up here," taps her temple, "that I had something, and she seems eager for me to meet with her again in the future. Whatever it is I have, I think she wants it. I just don’t know what it is."
She sighs, then continues. "Do you think they’re going to come get me if I don’t go?" Martha obviously looks scared, due in no small part to the official Imperial stance on psionics over the last two centuries, and the media’s portrayal of psions as ruthless killers and mind-rapers.
Ian listens with a concerned look. "I noticed you two had some sort of connection when she shook your hand. I saw the expression on your face. Nobody is gonna kidnap anyone on this ship if I can help it! If it would put your mind at ease, we can take turns being your personal bodyguard at least until we jump from this planet. We should all be on high alert until we leave anyway, since ‘they’ obviously still have an interest in us. If what Swann says is true, then our blonde friend could pop into the ship anywhere she visited."
Martha calms herself somewhat. "Thanks, Ian, but I don’t think that’s going to help much. Right now, she seems to think that I’m going to go to them. It’s when I don’t that I’m mostly worried about. But they’re here, and they’re also on Adukgin, which probably means they’re on other worlds in this cluster." Looking around, she smiles meekly at the others. "I just don’t know what I should do. Leira, I guess that’s her name, said not to tell anyone, but after tonight . . . "
Swann realizes Martha is truly, utterly scared. "Assigning a guard to Martha might not be a bad idea. I’m certainly no expert on psionics, but I’ve never heard of a Wraith being able to teleport away with another person. However, since we really don’t know, better to play it safe than to be sorry."
"If you guys think that’s going to work," Martha says, shaking her head.
"Might I suggest then that we take what cargoes we can and head out?" Vargas says. "I’m not at all comfortable with the thought that someone can pop in here any time, whether it be psionically or traditionally. Until we lift, we can set ship’s security on ‘high’ and even depressurize the processor bays. How’s that?"
"I can set that up," Martha replies, making a note to herself on her hand comp. The thought of something to do would help keep the fears from overriding her.
After listening to Martha’s and Emile’s statements, Kevon politely clears his throat. "I had originally planned to suggest we go after this psionic marauder and her minions — I figure I have enough authority and credibility to stand up against any accusations she may try to make about our involvement — but given Ms. Smythe’s revelations, I suggest we follow Mr. Vargas’ suggestion and leave the planet immediately. Do we have cargo that we can load this morning?"
"Yup, I’m getting tired of this place. Let’s get the hell outta here. I’ve lost that warm fuzzy feeling with people popping in and out of the ship pretty as they please," Ian says with a scowl.
"I’ll second, and third, the motion to get the heck out of here," Saro says. "What about that Silver fellow? He was offering pretty good cred for himself and a small cargo. Why don’t we check him out and see what’s what. And take on some nice boring minor cargoes that no one will want to hijack, steal, or execute us for?"
Swann says, "If no one has objections to taking a stranger on board, after everything that’s happened tonight, I say we take his money and take him where he wants to go. As my daddy used to say, ‘Let’s stake a claim or get off the rock.’ "
Vasilii sits and listens to the others talk, his mind wandering. He reads the paper again, and looks down at the cred chips on the table. When everyone has said their piece, he clears his throat and speaks up.
"I believe that our ‘friends’ may have inadvertently done us a favor. I wanted to get rid of the plants as bad as anyone, but the chance to turn a profit lured me on. Now, the plants are gone and we do have a profit, albeit a small one.
"I agree that the residue isn’t worth the risk, we should dump it at the first opportunity. As to getting out of here, I agree but we need some kind of cargo to help pay for the work we want done at Fonnein."
Vasilii goes to his room and pulls out his hand computer. Returning to the lounge, he logs onto the shipping site checking for cargoes.
"Mr. Silver seems to be sincere, and his credits would be helpful. If we take him and his cargo that should leave us with about 50 dtons of space.
"We also have an offer for transporting a cargo of electronics for double standard rates. That would be nice, but a single dton of electronics won't make for much of a profit.
"I’ll recap our finances for Mr. Holland, which is Cr275,154 with a management reserve of Cr18,000. I think that we can safely take on some cargo and exit this system within 2-36 hours. If you like, I can arrange a suitable cargo transaction and commence loading in just a few hours."
Everyone agrees.
Martha depressurizes the processor bays hoping that the mystery boxes won’t react poorly to being in a vacuum. She also sets the ship’s security system and the berth security system at high level before turning in.
The crew goes to sleep rather fitfully for a few hours while they trade off watches. The rest of the night passes smoothly if not restfully.
"The first Wraiths I heard of were burglars, able to get past the best security systems and hired guards. Later, I heard of Wraiths who made their living as hired assassins. If they took a contract, the target was as good as dead — there was little chance of escaping them, and very few places offered security from their special ability.
"The only limitation on this teleporting ability, if I recall correctly, is that the Wraith must have actually seen the location where he is teleporting to beforehand. He either has to visit it, or see a picture of it, or have someone who has visited it describe it in complete detail.
"That’s why I was sure our visitor tonight was either our blonde-haired bombshell, or one of her companions. She saw where the plants were when she was here, so she could teleport in — if she can teleport psionically — or could give someone else a detailed enough description so that they could teleport in."
Saro chokes on his coffee and looks wildly around the room at the others.
"What?! She saw where the plants were? Who the hell decided to parade them around? I thought we had agreed to space all of it the next time we took off? Was there a new plan? Were we going to make money by charging admission to look at the highly illegal contraband?!"
Swann continues. "In fact, that might be why they were interested in the plants in the first place. Doc would probably be able to answer this better than I can, but the starflower pollen might have some use in psionic-boosting or psionic-activating drugs.
"So now we should decide what, if anything, we plan to do. Do we pursue the plants, or just take the money and call it even? We still have the collected starflower pollen, but they don’t know about that, and I say we just space it on our next jump and be done with it."
"Yes, yes, most emphatically, yes! Space it! I’d much rather have it floating about in the void then myself!" Saro looks a bit red in the face, his skin a little tight around the eyes.
"Anyway, they probably won’t be paying us any more unannounced visits. And if they do, the pollen is in the safe in Kevon’s cabin, and he can deal with them." Swann smiles at Kevon and laughs.
"Oh, thanks," the commander quips, rolling his eyes.
"We also still have the mystery of the original bomb that was planted on the ship before the trip to Alief," Swann continues. "I doubt our blonde friend and her cohorts were behind that. But maybe a competitor or rival of theirs knew the plants were on the ship and wanted to destroy them. Which means they might try again.
"I personally believe the bomb was meant to hamper the relief effort, and had nothing to do with the plants, but I could be wrong. So what are we going to do next?"
Swann sits down to listen to any discussion at this point.
Vargas hesitates but briefly before speaking. "Lest I be thought a coward, is anyone interested in getting out of here? So far someone has put a bomb aboard and raided the ship for a highly illegal plant, a raid conducted by a possible psionic teleporter. There could be other . . . organizations out there which might just want to pay us a visit as well, albeit in a less dramatic fashion.
"Just wanted to ask the question. I’m here for the long haul."
Sheepishly, Martha will clear her throat. "I’m pretty sure she was psionic. When she came through engineering on her visit here, she . . . spoke to me . . . in my head." Martha pauses, looking very uncomfortable. "I wasn’t sure what I was going to do about it. Didn’t know if there was a reward, or what, for these people, or what kind of business they might be into. Now, it’s easy to see that the Imp videos might be true. I mean, they broke in here, just like she broke into my mind. I . . . I don’t know what to do . . . about them." As she speaks, it becomes obvious that the weariness of the young engineer is not entirely due to the early hours.
Looking around, Martha continues. "I think they’re after me. She ‘told’ me, up here," taps her temple, "that I had something, and she seems eager for me to meet with her again in the future. Whatever it is I have, I think she wants it. I just don’t know what it is."
She sighs, then continues. "Do you think they’re going to come get me if I don’t go?" Martha obviously looks scared, due in no small part to the official Imperial stance on psionics over the last two centuries, and the media’s portrayal of psions as ruthless killers and mind-rapers.
Ian listens with a concerned look. "I noticed you two had some sort of connection when she shook your hand. I saw the expression on your face. Nobody is gonna kidnap anyone on this ship if I can help it! If it would put your mind at ease, we can take turns being your personal bodyguard at least until we jump from this planet. We should all be on high alert until we leave anyway, since ‘they’ obviously still have an interest in us. If what Swann says is true, then our blonde friend could pop into the ship anywhere she visited."
Martha calms herself somewhat. "Thanks, Ian, but I don’t think that’s going to help much. Right now, she seems to think that I’m going to go to them. It’s when I don’t that I’m mostly worried about. But they’re here, and they’re also on Adukgin, which probably means they’re on other worlds in this cluster." Looking around, she smiles meekly at the others. "I just don’t know what I should do. Leira, I guess that’s her name, said not to tell anyone, but after tonight . . . "
Swann realizes Martha is truly, utterly scared. "Assigning a guard to Martha might not be a bad idea. I’m certainly no expert on psionics, but I’ve never heard of a Wraith being able to teleport away with another person. However, since we really don’t know, better to play it safe than to be sorry."
"If you guys think that’s going to work," Martha says, shaking her head.
"Might I suggest then that we take what cargoes we can and head out?" Vargas says. "I’m not at all comfortable with the thought that someone can pop in here any time, whether it be psionically or traditionally. Until we lift, we can set ship’s security on ‘high’ and even depressurize the processor bays. How’s that?"
"I can set that up," Martha replies, making a note to herself on her hand comp. The thought of something to do would help keep the fears from overriding her.
After listening to Martha’s and Emile’s statements, Kevon politely clears his throat. "I had originally planned to suggest we go after this psionic marauder and her minions — I figure I have enough authority and credibility to stand up against any accusations she may try to make about our involvement — but given Ms. Smythe’s revelations, I suggest we follow Mr. Vargas’ suggestion and leave the planet immediately. Do we have cargo that we can load this morning?"
"Yup, I’m getting tired of this place. Let’s get the hell outta here. I’ve lost that warm fuzzy feeling with people popping in and out of the ship pretty as they please," Ian says with a scowl.
"I’ll second, and third, the motion to get the heck out of here," Saro says. "What about that Silver fellow? He was offering pretty good cred for himself and a small cargo. Why don’t we check him out and see what’s what. And take on some nice boring minor cargoes that no one will want to hijack, steal, or execute us for?"
Swann says, "If no one has objections to taking a stranger on board, after everything that’s happened tonight, I say we take his money and take him where he wants to go. As my daddy used to say, ‘Let’s stake a claim or get off the rock.’ "
Vasilii sits and listens to the others talk, his mind wandering. He reads the paper again, and looks down at the cred chips on the table. When everyone has said their piece, he clears his throat and speaks up.
"I believe that our ‘friends’ may have inadvertently done us a favor. I wanted to get rid of the plants as bad as anyone, but the chance to turn a profit lured me on. Now, the plants are gone and we do have a profit, albeit a small one.
"I agree that the residue isn’t worth the risk, we should dump it at the first opportunity. As to getting out of here, I agree but we need some kind of cargo to help pay for the work we want done at Fonnein."
Vasilii goes to his room and pulls out his hand computer. Returning to the lounge, he logs onto the shipping site checking for cargoes.
"Mr. Silver seems to be sincere, and his credits would be helpful. If we take him and his cargo that should leave us with about 50 dtons of space.
"We also have an offer for transporting a cargo of electronics for double standard rates. That would be nice, but a single dton of electronics won't make for much of a profit.
"I’ll recap our finances for Mr. Holland, which is Cr275,154 with a management reserve of Cr18,000. I think that we can safely take on some cargo and exit this system within 2-36 hours. If you like, I can arrange a suitable cargo transaction and commence loading in just a few hours."
Everyone agrees.
-----
Martha depressurizes the processor bays hoping that the mystery boxes won’t react poorly to being in a vacuum. She also sets the ship’s security system and the berth security system at high level before turning in.
-----
The crew goes to sleep rather fitfully for a few hours while they trade off watches. The rest of the night passes smoothly if not restfully.
Shadowdancer
First Post
NOTICE
The story hour will be on hold for a couple of weeks because of GenCon.
Thanks for reading, and come back in two weeks for more "Tales of the Bray Keaven."
Broccli_Head
Explorer
Shadowdancer said:
OK.
Have fun at GenCon!
Shadowdancer
First Post
Chapter VIII
Date: 166-993
Location: Sentry Downport
Vasilii wakes up early to start reviewing cargoes that will be accepted by the Bray Keaven from the cargoes waiting transport. He then gets ready to meet Aidan Silver at Agnacio’s. Vasilii also finds that another message from Hil Seirl has arrived:
"Greetings, sir. Our captain has moved up our departure to tomorrow. Since there doesn’t seem to be any other transports bound for Fonnein with a decent reputation, he has authorized me to pay you four times the normal rate for transport of the one dTons of electronics. Please comm me at the Hewel Hostel at Sentry Highport."
As Vasilii reads the message from Hil Seirl, his eyebrows rise a little at the possible profit.
Vasilii, Dr. Saro, and Kevon leave the Bray Keaven’s berth about 40 minutes before the appointed meeting time and walk through the port’s corridors to Agnacio’s.
Vasilii tells Kevon and Saro the contents of the message from Hil Seirl on the way to the restaurant.
The Doc looks a bit skeptical. "Four times standard for a single dTon? Seems kinda iffy to me. But maybe we can check on what the cargo actually is; it would be good profit if this is legit."
Agnacio’s is a pretty upscale restaurant serving what is billed as authentic neo-classical New Sicilian fare. Vasilii had planned on arriving before Aidan in order to scope out the restaurant, but finds that the silvery haired gentleman had the same idea and arrives at the same time. Finding the lack of mutual trust amusing, the Vilani merchant bemusedly waves Aidan and Dr. Saro to a table.
Kevon sits at another table so he can keep an eye on the meeting.
Sitting down to the right of Mr. Silver, Vasilii orders non-alcoholic drinks for all and food for himself.
As Saro orders the Fettuccine Alfredo, he watches the prospective passenger/client. After the past day or two, he is a bit edgy and suspicious, not necessarily limited to strangers.
Aidan orders a hearty breakfast including a glass of red wine, a small steak, and eggs.
After everyone has ordered, Vasilii comes to the point. "Mr. Silver, I apologize for not responding to you sooner. It's been a hectic day or two.
"If I recall correctly, you wish transportation for yourself and some cargo to Fonnein, and are willing to pay Cr28,000 for this service.
"Our plans have changed somewhat and we wish to exit this system as soon as possible. How and where is your cargo stored? We'll need to estimate loading time before we can decide to accept it."
"You are correct on my specifications, sir," Aidan says. "I have the cargo in standard containers in a small warehouse space just off the docks near your ship. Your terms for payment are what? And, if I may ask, the reason for your sudden departure? You do all look rather as if you could use a bit of sleep."
Aidan, appearing quite calm, sips his wine thoughtfully, and watches Vasilii and Saro carefully.
Vasilii smiles. "Nothing untoward I assure you. We wish to get to Fonnein to have some upgrades to our ship added. Since we are under time–specific contract to our partners to deliver cargo, it behooves us to be as expeditious as possible.
"Please be aware that our accommodations won’t be luxurious. Middle class passage is all we can offer at best."
Aidan smiles back. "Excellent then, as my client is a believer in a timely delivery. Middle passage is quite fine; I have only the usual equipage. Here’s the location of my cargo," he hands Vasilii an access card and an address. "I presume you can arrange the appropriate cargo handling. May I move into the ship post haste? Please note, I will be carrying the usual weapons for self-defense."
Saro raises an eyebrow at Aidan’s declaration. "Mr. Silver, while I appreciate the desire to keep close at hand the tools to keep oneself safe — especially as of late — I hope that you will understand our reluctance to have armed passengers aboard our ship. We have a very nice, secure safe where we store such items during travel, for the convenience and safety of our passengers and crew." The tight set of Saro’s eyes belies the sheepish smile he gives Aidan.
"Come now, Doctor, are you telling me that the crew keeps all of their weapons in a safe? Certainly, if that’s the case then I’ll certainly follow that. But I rather imagine that personal side arms are permissible? I'd be happier keeping anything larger than that properly stored in any case." Aidan is jocular, but serious looking.
"I can’t speak for all the crewmembers, but I know that I keep all my weapons in the armory," Vasilii says. "Please, sir, it is a small point. Certainly you understand the issue of safety and security. If you need the weapons you'll be able to access them easily enough."
"Well, certainly then, if everyone keeps their small arms in the armory then I shall as well. Hmm, I hope that my dueling saber and target rifle will fit."
The Doc nods in satisfaction. "Thank you, Mr. Silver. I appreciate your compliance. It’s not that I don’t trust you." Saro shrugs and grins, "Well OK, maybe I don’t trust you. But it’s nothing against you personally. Perhaps you feel comfortable inviting totally unknown, death-wielding folks into your home, but I’m a wee bit uncomfortable about doing so."
"And as Vasilii said, our own weapons are usually packed away when we’re aboard. I don’t wish to insult you or make your trip uncomfortable for you, but I also hope you can understand our position."
Vasilii looks over the information given him by Aidan. "This looks easy enough. If you’re agreeable, I’ll start the loading process immediately."
"I’ll checkout and return to the ship with my equipment. See you shortly Vasilii, and a pleasure doing business with you."
Vasilii smiles and holds out his hand. "Nice to meet you as well, sir. I hope that your trip with us will be uneventful, and look forward to seeing you onboard."
"Greetings, sir. Our captain has moved up our departure to tomorrow. Since there doesn’t seem to be any other transports bound for Fonnein with a decent reputation, he has authorized me to pay you four times the normal rate for transport of the one dTons of electronics. Please comm me at the Hewel Hostel at Sentry Highport."
As Vasilii reads the message from Hil Seirl, his eyebrows rise a little at the possible profit.
Vasilii, Dr. Saro, and Kevon leave the Bray Keaven’s berth about 40 minutes before the appointed meeting time and walk through the port’s corridors to Agnacio’s.
Vasilii tells Kevon and Saro the contents of the message from Hil Seirl on the way to the restaurant.
The Doc looks a bit skeptical. "Four times standard for a single dTon? Seems kinda iffy to me. But maybe we can check on what the cargo actually is; it would be good profit if this is legit."
Agnacio’s is a pretty upscale restaurant serving what is billed as authentic neo-classical New Sicilian fare. Vasilii had planned on arriving before Aidan in order to scope out the restaurant, but finds that the silvery haired gentleman had the same idea and arrives at the same time. Finding the lack of mutual trust amusing, the Vilani merchant bemusedly waves Aidan and Dr. Saro to a table.
Kevon sits at another table so he can keep an eye on the meeting.
Sitting down to the right of Mr. Silver, Vasilii orders non-alcoholic drinks for all and food for himself.
As Saro orders the Fettuccine Alfredo, he watches the prospective passenger/client. After the past day or two, he is a bit edgy and suspicious, not necessarily limited to strangers.
Aidan orders a hearty breakfast including a glass of red wine, a small steak, and eggs.
After everyone has ordered, Vasilii comes to the point. "Mr. Silver, I apologize for not responding to you sooner. It's been a hectic day or two.
"If I recall correctly, you wish transportation for yourself and some cargo to Fonnein, and are willing to pay Cr28,000 for this service.
"Our plans have changed somewhat and we wish to exit this system as soon as possible. How and where is your cargo stored? We'll need to estimate loading time before we can decide to accept it."
"You are correct on my specifications, sir," Aidan says. "I have the cargo in standard containers in a small warehouse space just off the docks near your ship. Your terms for payment are what? And, if I may ask, the reason for your sudden departure? You do all look rather as if you could use a bit of sleep."
Aidan, appearing quite calm, sips his wine thoughtfully, and watches Vasilii and Saro carefully.
Vasilii smiles. "Nothing untoward I assure you. We wish to get to Fonnein to have some upgrades to our ship added. Since we are under time–specific contract to our partners to deliver cargo, it behooves us to be as expeditious as possible.
"Please be aware that our accommodations won’t be luxurious. Middle class passage is all we can offer at best."
Aidan smiles back. "Excellent then, as my client is a believer in a timely delivery. Middle passage is quite fine; I have only the usual equipage. Here’s the location of my cargo," he hands Vasilii an access card and an address. "I presume you can arrange the appropriate cargo handling. May I move into the ship post haste? Please note, I will be carrying the usual weapons for self-defense."
Saro raises an eyebrow at Aidan’s declaration. "Mr. Silver, while I appreciate the desire to keep close at hand the tools to keep oneself safe — especially as of late — I hope that you will understand our reluctance to have armed passengers aboard our ship. We have a very nice, secure safe where we store such items during travel, for the convenience and safety of our passengers and crew." The tight set of Saro’s eyes belies the sheepish smile he gives Aidan.
"Come now, Doctor, are you telling me that the crew keeps all of their weapons in a safe? Certainly, if that’s the case then I’ll certainly follow that. But I rather imagine that personal side arms are permissible? I'd be happier keeping anything larger than that properly stored in any case." Aidan is jocular, but serious looking.
"I can’t speak for all the crewmembers, but I know that I keep all my weapons in the armory," Vasilii says. "Please, sir, it is a small point. Certainly you understand the issue of safety and security. If you need the weapons you'll be able to access them easily enough."
"Well, certainly then, if everyone keeps their small arms in the armory then I shall as well. Hmm, I hope that my dueling saber and target rifle will fit."
The Doc nods in satisfaction. "Thank you, Mr. Silver. I appreciate your compliance. It’s not that I don’t trust you." Saro shrugs and grins, "Well OK, maybe I don’t trust you. But it’s nothing against you personally. Perhaps you feel comfortable inviting totally unknown, death-wielding folks into your home, but I’m a wee bit uncomfortable about doing so."
"And as Vasilii said, our own weapons are usually packed away when we’re aboard. I don’t wish to insult you or make your trip uncomfortable for you, but I also hope you can understand our position."
Vasilii looks over the information given him by Aidan. "This looks easy enough. If you’re agreeable, I’ll start the loading process immediately."
"I’ll checkout and return to the ship with my equipment. See you shortly Vasilii, and a pleasure doing business with you."
Vasilii smiles and holds out his hand. "Nice to meet you as well, sir. I hope that your trip with us will be uneventful, and look forward to seeing you onboard."
Shadowdancer
First Post
While the others are attending the breakfast meeting, Martha, Vargas, Swann, and Ian remain aboard the Bray Keaven to begin preparations for departure from Sentry.
After the negotiation with Aidan Silver, Vasilii, Saro, and Kevon return to the Bray Keaven and start working as well.
Vasilii arranges for Aidan’s cargo to be loaded, then turns to selecting the rest of the load. Contacting the shipping companies, he arranges to transport 15 dtons of carbon and 7 dtons of bulk plastic to Fonnein.
Finding the rest of the cargoes to be unsuitable in some way, Vasilii turns to the speculative market. He places a bid on a shipment of aluminum. He also bids on a shipment of tools, assuming that he can find a market for them somewhere.
Musing over the offer from Mr. Seirl, Vasilii opens the comm and asks the crews’ opinion about it. "I find it a little strange that this cargo is a priority and yet the contact feels content to let it sit out near the jump radius. Since I don’t know if the cargo has been through any customs/security checks, I’d be leery of accepting it."
Something about the whole situation screams "set-up" to Swann. He tells Vasilii, "This sounds too good to be true, so it probably is. I vote against taking this cargo."
Martha responds, "I wouldn’t be surprised if this were a set–up to try and take the ship. With the war going on to rimward, pirates are getting bolder every year. Vasilii, I don’t think we should take this one — call it a gut feeling."
The rest of the crew also votes no on taking the cargo.
For the rest of the crew, the morning passes pretty quickly with preparations for lifting off. Kevon is involved with preflight. Vargas is occupied with prepping the ship, with Rusti’s help as required for those hard–to–reach places. Martha is green–lighting the various engine systems after running the necessary diagnostic routines. Swann preps the life–support system, then runs a check on the computer systems.
By late morning, the cargo starts arriving, and Aidan Silver shows up for his berth. Ian greets him outside the ship.
"Good day, Mr. Silver." Ian says, extending his right hand. "I am Ian McConnell, security officer. Welcome aboard." Ian’s big grin crinkles the scarred skin around his missing ear. He studies the man’s clothing and luggage, making note of anything unusual. "Please disclose all weapons you intend to bring aboard our ship."
"Certainly, sir, here’s my cavalry saber, my target rifle, and my pistol. Please be most careful with the first two, they are specially built for competition."
"Hmm, very nice." Ian says while admiring the weaponry. "Rest assured they will be safe. I’ll show you to your cabin."
Ian then shows Aidan where the lounge area is located and to his cabin. "I hope our accommodations are acceptable; we rarely take on passengers. If you need anything or have any questions, feel free to come to me. I’m sure we will have a chance for you to meet the rest of the crew before departure."
The tour is brief since the lounge isn’t very large, but Ian makes the most of his opportunity for small talk. The conversation doesn’t reveal much, but Ian does note a bit of an aristocratic tilt to Aidan’s phrasing and accent along with an apparent careful observation of the ship as Aidan boards.
Ian also takes Aidan’s saber, target rifle, and target pistol for storage in the ship’s locker. The rifle and pistol are of markedly fine make and quality, from one of the more exclusive suppliers for competition teams.
Martha double checks the security protocols, and insures that Mr. Silver is set to standard passenger access. (i.e. his room, the passenger lounge, and non–secure areas only; the rest requires crew member attendance.)
Shortly after Aidan arrives, cargo handlers arrive at the berth with his three dTons of electronics parts. Swann, Ian, and Aidan keep a watchful eye as the cargo handlers load the cargo into the forward cargo lock/hold. The three dTons of electronics parts come packed in standard one-dTon cargo containers. After the loading is complete, Ian escorts Aidan back upstairs to the lounge.
Vasilii arranges for his transport and speculative cargoes. Vasilii also contacts Hil Seirl with the crew’s answer about his one dTon of cargo. Hil Seirl, a rather pudgy man in his 40s with a brown receding hairline, is surprised at the rejection of his cargo. But he smiles after a moment and comments that he’ll have to make other arrangements, and politely asks if the Bray Keaven will lifting soon. Vasilii is noncommittal, and Hil Seirl pleasantly wishes the ship a safe transit.
Vasilii’s purchase of the tools doesn’t go as well as he would hope, and he only gets the tools for KCr9 per dTon for four dTons.
Vasilii’s purchase of the 17 dTons of aluminum goes better, and he is able to get the second cargo for what he figures to be a substantial discount off the base price.
Kevon, Martha, and Vargas concentrate on getting the ship ready for liftoff and transit to 069-526. Since Vasilii is occupied with the cargo, Kevon works on the jump astrogation.
Shortly after lunch, the rest of the cargo starts arriving. Again, Ian and Swann keep a watchful eye on the cargo as it is loaded. The carbon and bulk plastics arrive first and are stored away towards the front of the cargo bay. Vasilii’s speculative purchases arrive in the mid afternoon.
After the cargo arrives, Vasilii settles accounts with the port for services provided.
Cargo handling: Cr1,290 (for 43 dTons)
Landing rights: Cr50
Landing and berthing: Cr250
Fuel: Cr11,000 (22 dTons)
Total: Cr12,590.
Before lift off, Saro checks the fake fuel processors and finds that nothing has been added to or removed from them.
Around 1800 hours, the Bray Keaven lifts from Sentry Downport. The traffic is moderate, and Kevon easily follows the course dictated by Sentry Port Control to orbit. After reaching orbit, the Bray Keaven heads towards the jump limit and 069-526.
-----
After the negotiation with Aidan Silver, Vasilii, Saro, and Kevon return to the Bray Keaven and start working as well.
Vasilii arranges for Aidan’s cargo to be loaded, then turns to selecting the rest of the load. Contacting the shipping companies, he arranges to transport 15 dtons of carbon and 7 dtons of bulk plastic to Fonnein.
Finding the rest of the cargoes to be unsuitable in some way, Vasilii turns to the speculative market. He places a bid on a shipment of aluminum. He also bids on a shipment of tools, assuming that he can find a market for them somewhere.
-----
Musing over the offer from Mr. Seirl, Vasilii opens the comm and asks the crews’ opinion about it. "I find it a little strange that this cargo is a priority and yet the contact feels content to let it sit out near the jump radius. Since I don’t know if the cargo has been through any customs/security checks, I’d be leery of accepting it."
Something about the whole situation screams "set-up" to Swann. He tells Vasilii, "This sounds too good to be true, so it probably is. I vote against taking this cargo."
Martha responds, "I wouldn’t be surprised if this were a set–up to try and take the ship. With the war going on to rimward, pirates are getting bolder every year. Vasilii, I don’t think we should take this one — call it a gut feeling."
The rest of the crew also votes no on taking the cargo.
-----
For the rest of the crew, the morning passes pretty quickly with preparations for lifting off. Kevon is involved with preflight. Vargas is occupied with prepping the ship, with Rusti’s help as required for those hard–to–reach places. Martha is green–lighting the various engine systems after running the necessary diagnostic routines. Swann preps the life–support system, then runs a check on the computer systems.
-----
By late morning, the cargo starts arriving, and Aidan Silver shows up for his berth. Ian greets him outside the ship.
"Good day, Mr. Silver." Ian says, extending his right hand. "I am Ian McConnell, security officer. Welcome aboard." Ian’s big grin crinkles the scarred skin around his missing ear. He studies the man’s clothing and luggage, making note of anything unusual. "Please disclose all weapons you intend to bring aboard our ship."
"Certainly, sir, here’s my cavalry saber, my target rifle, and my pistol. Please be most careful with the first two, they are specially built for competition."
"Hmm, very nice." Ian says while admiring the weaponry. "Rest assured they will be safe. I’ll show you to your cabin."
Ian then shows Aidan where the lounge area is located and to his cabin. "I hope our accommodations are acceptable; we rarely take on passengers. If you need anything or have any questions, feel free to come to me. I’m sure we will have a chance for you to meet the rest of the crew before departure."
The tour is brief since the lounge isn’t very large, but Ian makes the most of his opportunity for small talk. The conversation doesn’t reveal much, but Ian does note a bit of an aristocratic tilt to Aidan’s phrasing and accent along with an apparent careful observation of the ship as Aidan boards.
Ian also takes Aidan’s saber, target rifle, and target pistol for storage in the ship’s locker. The rifle and pistol are of markedly fine make and quality, from one of the more exclusive suppliers for competition teams.
-----
Martha double checks the security protocols, and insures that Mr. Silver is set to standard passenger access. (i.e. his room, the passenger lounge, and non–secure areas only; the rest requires crew member attendance.)
-----
Shortly after Aidan arrives, cargo handlers arrive at the berth with his three dTons of electronics parts. Swann, Ian, and Aidan keep a watchful eye as the cargo handlers load the cargo into the forward cargo lock/hold. The three dTons of electronics parts come packed in standard one-dTon cargo containers. After the loading is complete, Ian escorts Aidan back upstairs to the lounge.
-----
Vasilii arranges for his transport and speculative cargoes. Vasilii also contacts Hil Seirl with the crew’s answer about his one dTon of cargo. Hil Seirl, a rather pudgy man in his 40s with a brown receding hairline, is surprised at the rejection of his cargo. But he smiles after a moment and comments that he’ll have to make other arrangements, and politely asks if the Bray Keaven will lifting soon. Vasilii is noncommittal, and Hil Seirl pleasantly wishes the ship a safe transit.
Vasilii’s purchase of the tools doesn’t go as well as he would hope, and he only gets the tools for KCr9 per dTon for four dTons.
Vasilii’s purchase of the 17 dTons of aluminum goes better, and he is able to get the second cargo for what he figures to be a substantial discount off the base price.
-----
Kevon, Martha, and Vargas concentrate on getting the ship ready for liftoff and transit to 069-526. Since Vasilii is occupied with the cargo, Kevon works on the jump astrogation.
-----
Shortly after lunch, the rest of the cargo starts arriving. Again, Ian and Swann keep a watchful eye on the cargo as it is loaded. The carbon and bulk plastics arrive first and are stored away towards the front of the cargo bay. Vasilii’s speculative purchases arrive in the mid afternoon.
-----
After the cargo arrives, Vasilii settles accounts with the port for services provided.
Cargo handling: Cr1,290 (for 43 dTons)
Landing rights: Cr50
Landing and berthing: Cr250
Fuel: Cr11,000 (22 dTons)
Total: Cr12,590.
-----
Before lift off, Saro checks the fake fuel processors and finds that nothing has been added to or removed from them.
-----
Around 1800 hours, the Bray Keaven lifts from Sentry Downport. The traffic is moderate, and Kevon easily follows the course dictated by Sentry Port Control to orbit. After reaching orbit, the Bray Keaven heads towards the jump limit and 069-526.
Broccli_Head
Explorer
Welcome Back!
Shadowdancer
First Post
Thanks. It's good to be back.Broccli_Head said:
Shadowdancer
First Post
Chapter IX
Date: 166-993
Location: Aboard the Bray Keaven, Sentry system
The Bray Keaven leaves Sentry orbit at 21:48 hours and heads towards the 100–planetary diameter mark. The transit is pretty uneventful, and traffic is pretty sparse beyond Sentry orbit given the vastness of the volume.
In the starboard turret, Swann amuses himself by tracking the few vessels that fall within sensor range: a Hullen–class scout/courier leaving from Sentry Highport at about the same time as the Bray Keaven leaves orbit; a Gazelle–class close escort that is making some sort of far orbit patrol; and a Ushii–class free trader inbound from the jump limit. He tracks the scout/courier the longest since she appears to be headed in roughly the same direction, but at a lower acceleration.
Martha keeps busy preparing systems for jump and wishing that the annual drive maintenance had been performed in Sentry, but as long as the drives are still within spec.
Aidan and Saro spend most of the time chatting in the lounge. Aidan discovers that he is essentially restricted to the lounge and his room.
Ian checks the ship’s locker and then goes to hang out in the lounge.
Vasilii checks the cargo. The cargo appears to be well loaded and secured. As far as Vasilii can tell based on a two–hour inspection, all cargoes match the manifest and there isn’t anything notable other than Aidan’s three one–dTon cargo containers appear to be full of old electronics parts, many showing definite wear or at least heavy dust. One container has parts that are all still in original boxes with dates from about 100 years ago.
On the bridge, Vargas and Kevon mostly engage in small talk for most of the transit.
-----
About 30 minutes after the turn–around point (to start deceleration), Vargas (and Swann from his turret) notice a 100 dTon ship (probably the Hullen–class scout/courier) go sailing by at a high speed around 10 kkm from them. Vargas and Swann both think that speed is a little odd since the ship is headed outsystem on that vector and should have started decelerating for jump if it were going to jump.
A couple of minutes later, the Bray Keaven receives a panicked hail. "Signal GK! Signal GK! This is IMV Oser to any vessels in the area. We had an explosion in our cargo bay and our maneuver drive is out. The fire is under control, but we have two critically wounded crew. We are currently headed outsystem on a vector of . . . " The speaker gives his vector, distance, and speed, and then repeats the message.
Looking down at the plot, Kevon and Vargas determine the high–speed, 100–dTon ship that passed is the Oser. Kevon estimates that the Bray Keaven could intercept the ship within about 45 minutes by turning around and accelerating for an intercept. There are no other ships within sensor range (a paltry 15 kkm for the Bray Keaven).
Kevon taps the comms. "Okay, people. The Oser is heading out of the system," he announces. "I have no other ships on track, and these people need assistance. I recommend we lay in an intercept course immediately."
-----
Martha chimes back. "As we are in Imperial space, we’re obligated by law to assist them if we can do so without endangering the ship or the crew. However, I recommend we go in with weapons armed and at the ready, as these guys could be pirates!"
Martha begins preparations in the event that she has to perform any emergency actions in engineering, such as pushing the older systems or instituting an emergency jump within the 100–diameter limit, should things go awry.
-----
After Kevon informs the crew of the mayday, Swann starts powering up the lasers and scanning for other ships even before Martha’s prudent warning about pirates. "I’ve played this game before, but from the other side," he mumbles to himself.
-----
The Doc is up and moving towards the sickbay as he tags his own comm, "I’m on my way to get sickbay ready. If you can, find out what types of injuries the crew have, and I’ll get what I’ll need prepped. Otherwise I’ll just try to be prepared for anything."
-----
"You know, you’d think an explosion — or the threat of one — is standard for everybody leaving this place," Vargas says, referencing the last time the crew headed outsystem. "I’ll see what I can find out, Doc."
Vargas flips over to local GUARD frequency. "Oser, what is the status of your injured and the nature of their injuries?"
The former Scout then turns to Kevon. "Could you try and get a message off to the eye-en requesting assistance?"
Kevon nods to Vargas, then turns his attention to the comms on the emergency IN frequency. "To any Imperial Navy vessels with communications range: This is the free trader Bray Keaven. We received a Signal GK from IMV Oser, steady on vector 1-1-6-mark-8 out of system at 8-9-mark-4-6 kilometers per second," he says. "Oser reports loss of maneuver drive, due to an explosion in their cargo section.
"Keaven is pursuing the vessel to provide assistance," the reserve officer continues. "Please respond. This message will repeat."
The lieutenant commander sends the message and sets the system to repeat the message every minute.
"Okay, we’re set. I’ll monitor ImpNav frequencies as we go along."
-----
Vasilii freezes while resealing the cargo containers of Aidan Silver and listens to the Signal GK on the open ship channel. He hurriedly finishes resealing the containers and makes his way to the weapons’ locker. Making sure no one is around, he collects a snub pistol and some magazines, and tucks the weapon under his jacket. Locking the container, he heads to the turret where Swann is stationed. Pitching his voice low, he informs him of his discovery with Mr. Silver’s electronic parts.
Swann is a little surprised to find Vasilii outside the turret. He begins to nod his head as he listens to Vasilii’s description of Aidan’s cargo.
"It could all be a coincidence, but we’ve had too many ‘coincidences’ lately," Swann says, also in a low voice, after checking to make sure his comm is off. "As discreetly as possible, inform Ian first, then the rest of the crew. Don’t bother Doc — if this is a real emergency, he’ll already have enough to deal with.
"Why don’t you leave me that snub pistol and the clips, and go get another for yourself and one for Ian."
