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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Shadowdancer" data-source="post: 1288610" data-attributes="member: 515">Chapter VIIIDate: 111-993Place: Aboard the Bray Keaven, in jump space between Sentry and Alief.Darishun wearily finishes moving the last of the cargo that needs to be moved out of the port cargo lock (where the detonator box is), and then plods up to the lounge for a quick snack. As he gets to the lounge his head is drooping a bit, and alarmingly, he seems to sway a little from side to side. After a brief pause, he grabs a couple of fruit–flavored drink bulbs, two ration packs, and a bowl of carbo bites, and then plops down (with a thud that reverberates through part of the ship) to eat. -----Vasilii briskly strolls into the crew lounge. Swann, Martha, Argent, and the Doc are already seated, listlessly chatting while pushing the food around their plates. Vargas is with them eating his breakfast, industriously girding his loins for another day of surprises in the engine room. Darishun is sitting to one side of the lounge. "Good morning fellow crewmates," Vasilii says, "You appear surprisingly unhappy now that the bomb has been disarmed. I had hoped that you would have been most pleased." Argent squints up at the impossibly well–rested merchant. "Did the search of the ship go well?" "Very well indeed, Captain. It appears that the armament that is missing from the port turret is actually right at the back in the cargo bay. That is one nice thing to know. Other than that, a cursory glance through everything onboard seems to have cleared everything. You four seem to still be working despite the finalization of the explosive. Is everything correct?" Argent gestures to Martha to bring the Merchant up to date. "It appears that the last Captain fitted a pressure–resistant compartment to this vessel and smuggled things in it. It’s been there for at least six months in my impression and the most recent thing was a collection of bonsai. We’re worried because it has raised a variety of legal issues as well as the risk of contagion. That’s not even mentioning that the plague itself could have been hibernating there while the rest of the ship was subjected to vacuum. So yes, we’re a little tired." The Doctor interrupts before Martha can start what was clearly going to be a tirade at the Merchant. "Miss Smythe, you’ve been on your feet for two days with minimal sleep while your still recovering from your recent ordeal. I would suggest that you go to bed for at least 12 hours straight. Do you have anything to add to your earlier comments?" "No. According to the records, the fuel purifier was taken offline six months ago, and I have no idea when the bonsai were put in but looking at the fittings, they would have been in air the entire time the ship was vacuumed." The Doctor looks around at the other two. Judging by reflexes, they both still had a fair way to go before fatigue started to effect their judgement. He himself was fairly well rested and could still go strong for another couple of hours. He had added a caffeine supplement to one of his earlier drinks, and the effects were still strong. "These smuggled bonsai. This I have not seen before, I would be most grateful if you could show me. I have served on Merchant vessels before and it is always useful finding out where smugglers hide their cargoes." Vasilii seems positively cheerful at the prospect, and the team troops to the back of the ship. -----As Vasilii, Argent, and the others head towards the lift, Darishun finishes his second ration pack (Foeil Monk Fish), cocks his head to one side for a moment, and decides to let his curiosity get the better of him in spite of his exhaustion. He waits patiently for the lift to return to the upper deck, descends, and then troops off after the others. -----As the door to the smuggling compartment swings ajar, Vasilii scrambles backwards, his face showing a mix of horror and terror. Argent slams the door shut. "What is wrong, Mister Kugiiky?" "Those trees are Star Flower trees. We will all be killed!" Swann whistles silently. Star Flower was a highly illegal drug made from the pollen of a small flowering shrub. The trees had been plucking at a chord in his memory, nice to know what it was finally. The air filters in the storage compartment should be collecting the pollen. They had a small fortune in a highly illegal drug sitting in the compartment. Yes, the Imperium had declared that all dealings with the drug were punishable by death, and the drug itself was reputed to be risky to manufacture, but no rewards without a little risk. Star Flower is one of 40 or so drugs which are totally forbidden within the Imperium. Rumor had it that the Zhodani used it. Swann looks around at the others. Vargas quickly speaks up. "I say we take the trees and put them in the airlock with the explosives. Once we get to Alief we blow them the hell into space. Sterilizing the compartment with a flame thrower would probably be a good idea as well." He looks like he means it. -----As he rounds the corner, Darishun sees Vasilii recoiling back into the corridor. His curiosity aroused, he continues down the corridor until he catches just the last whiffs of conversation about the Star Flower. "Ah, most curious. That explains the smuggling compartment. I would think that the good doctor might be more concerned about any residual pathogens being in the smuggling compartment than being sentenced to death for dealing in drugs. "Still, perhaps quietly disposing of the filters and trees as soon as possible would be the wisest course of action, particularly since we do not want to distract others from our primary goal of helping those on Alief." Swann’s mind is racing. "There’s a small fortune sitting here, and it just fell into our laps," he thinks. "Illegal drugs aren't really my thing, but megacredits are megacredits. Still, I don’t think the rest of the crew would be inclined to go along with anything this illegal." Swann looks at the others. "The big guy’s right — we should quietly dump this stuff when we leave jump. Even though none of us had anything to do with it, it's best to avoid any unnecessary Imperial entanglements. Besides, since Martha was on the ship when the plants were brought on board, they might charge her as an accessory, even if she didn’t know about them." Another thought creeps into his mind, but Swann keeps it to himself. "Who were these plants intended for? And will they come looking for them? And was the bomb planted on the ship to destroy the evidence, and to keep us from talking?" A solemn shadow passes over the Doc’s face as he digests the news. "This is unexpected. I, too, agree that we should dispose of these plants. However, I am hesitant to sanction just disposing of them in a manner that could be construed as suspicious." Doc pauses in thought for a long moment. "What if the Captain makes a recording of our findings and when we space these plants. That way we can make a report to the proper authorities when we get a chance — or if everyone would rather not volunteer the information — we’ll at least have something to cover our collective asses, if we get questioned about it later. Though it’ll be looked upon as very suspicious if it gets uncovered and we didn’t come forward to start with." Doc finishes his little speech with a bemused shrug and looks around at the others. "In any case, we need to seal these back up immediately, and I’ll need to run tests on everyone for signs of the pollen in our systems."</blockquote>

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