"Ah, it's a start.  Maybe we'll find something else down the line," Yas says with a grateful and optimistic tone, sending Conrad a smile.  "It's a long shot anyway."

"A list is fine, gives me something to do in b... uh, in my spare time," she says, figuring she might as well spend some time on doing a bit of detective work on her own.

Tylen strolls down to the makeshift cell, and opens the door, his right hand resting on his gun butt.

"Everything all right in here?"

He enquires.

The prisoners seem comfortable enough in their makeshift cell, and grateful for the "luxuries" that Profit Margin's crew take for granted... cheap meal packs (though, truth be told, those are normally reserved for emergencies), blankets, air that doesn't smell of oil, dirt, and too many trips through the recycler...


Jockram asks Conrad, "So... did you get any kind of ID on these ships?  I ask because I know as well as you that somebody over there was chucking nukes about, and I'm not entirely sure it was Shata Lunoqi."

He turns his attention to Jago, "Something to consider before we get ourselves into a rock-slinging match... are the other guy's rocks radioactive?"

Satisfied his guests are still comfortable and docile, Tylen heads back towards the crew lounge to see if there is anything for him to do. He wonders if Jago is not going to loose a great deal on this little trip, there seems to have been a great deal of fuel and time expended for precious little return so far. Shrugging to himself he saunters into the longue.

"Whether his rocks are radioactive, or not, depends how close Shata Lunoqui's missiles got. Conrad replies, with a grin.

"Looks to be a scout ship, somethin' like a Type S, bein' followed by an escort of some sort.  Neither of 'em is too big, but the Swordies do like their missiles, seein's how they ain't got the power generation systems that Imperial ships've got."

"On the other hand, they'll only be fitted with turrets, which limits the size of missiles they can use.  With luck, they'll be runnin' 'cause they've run out of ammunition."

"If we are above them in that gravity well we'll have plenty of time to pick off any missiles anyway," Yas says calmly and shrugs.  She looks up at Tylen as he comes and waves to him.

"All well with our guests, I take it?" she asks him, setting down her empty cup on the table.

Acknowledging the ex-marines summons he drew himself up a seat.

"Yeah, the poor saps are almost grateful for being locked up."

He shook his head in wonder,

"They're locked in a spare room, eatin' emergency slop and looking at getting charged and convicted with Piracy and they're happier than where they were before. They must've been so desperate I can't even begin to imagine."

He shook his head again.

"I guess sometimes you have to see someone hit the bottom before you realise just how good you got it."

"Well, they'd drop dead if they heard what Jago has in store for them.  Right, Jago?" Yas says with a brief chuckle and then smiles a bit askew.  "But, yeah, hitting bottom is good in a way - from there you can only go up."

"And yeah, we got it good on old Profit Margin, and she's a good ship, as Saskia can tell you, she rounds off.


OOC:  Fixed speech colour.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:13, Wed 24 Oct 2007.

Jockram accepts Conrad's assessment of the situation, with a nod.  "Sounds about right.  Swordies are a bit behind Imperials when it comes to most tech.  Smaller ships.  More missiles.  Less armour, to save on mass, so that they can carry the extra missiles... "

"Depending how state-of-the-art your electronics are, you might be able to jam their missiles.  And from what I've seen, since we joined up with you, I'd be willing to bet my weight in iridium that they are state-of-the art."

He sips at his coffee, savouring the flavour.  "You might be right about their supply situation too.  They're away from home, and just fought a vicious battle.  Maybe two... if they were involved in the fight that forced Shata Lunoqi to come here."

"Nukes.  Frelling yotz!" Saskia says, with a sigh.

"Just what I needed to hear.  We've go no real defence against even a fair miss with one of those.  The trick would be to make sure they don't get even that close."

She thinks for a few seconds, and starts to talk rapidly, "We need decoys.  Give me a half dozen missiles, and a few hours to work in.  We need to get the missiles into orbit around the giant.  We could probably drop them as we cross over behind the planet, and it doesn't have to be a stable orbit.  It just has to last a little while.

"Then they lay quiet and do nothing, until we trigger their active sensors.  It might make the Swordies think they've got a bunch of ships in orbit, all with a target lock on them, at least until they get a minute to think.  By which time, Jockram and us are hammering at them.

"I can fiddle the sensors a bit, so that they generate a more powerful signal than usual, but it'll burn them out.  For a little while, though, they'll light up like much bigger EM sources."

A little moan escapes from Jago’s lips, “half a dozen missiles, what’s that, about thirty grand, I take it that’s on top of the one your turning into a remote sensor and whatever we fired at ‘Harpers Nightmare’. And it’s not like we can just pop into the local hardware store and pick up a few more, with this war going on we’ll be lucky to find any this side of Regina, and God knows what they will cost by then”

Jago’s brow creases like a ploughed field as he comes to terms with the additional expense.

“Go on then,” he says eventually, “you can have three, plus one more for the sensor, but if there’s any prize money out of this I’m deducting that twenty grand before we do the normal split, and before we split with the ‘Ore Hound’.”

Jago’s eyes fix on Jockram with a challenge.
.

Jockram chuckles, and shakes his head, "Do you think I'd begrudge you that?  No.  Way I see it, on a job like this, those missiles would be a legitemate business expense.  They come out of the take, before the profits, and the split, are calculated."
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:40, Sat 27 Oct 2007.

Shui sits at her desk in silence, staring at the screen.  Several times she reaches for the intercom switch, but pulls her hand away.  Finally she closes her eyes for a long moment, then stands up and heads out the door.  With quick steps she moves to the lounge, where the conference transpires.  Stepping into the doorway, she glances around the room.  "Pardon me, Captain Lanza.  I have a a question, and thought it best if I asked it in person."

“Right,” Jago says, he expression slowly morphing to match Jockram’s smile.

“Oh hello Shui, what is it, or do you want to talk in private?”

.

"Private might be best.  It is a simple question, and should not take much time," she says quietly.  She'd ask in public, but...touchy subject, questioning the decision of a Captain.  One shouldn't do that, especially not with people from other ships listening in.

*As suggested by Jago*

The Captain ushers her back into his office and Shui seats herself in the comfortable chair he offers to visitors.  She closes her eyes for a moment, breathes out deeply, then opens both eyes and discussion simultaneously.  "Captain, my question is this.  Why are we attacking these ships?"

She makes a small wave toward the hull.  "They are fleeing a conflict.  They have lost the battle, and have been driven away.  They have casualties.  Should we not let them go?  At present, they are no longer a threat."

Jago looks at the medic with his head set slightly to one side.

“You are an intelligent woman Shui,” he says after a moment, “you know what they’d do if we let them go. I can understand that you don’t want the blood of these sentiants on your hands, but letting them go is just closing your eyes to those they will kill later if given the opertunity.”
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"Regrettably, I must disagree.  I do not know what they will do.  They are sentients," she notes, "as you have pointed out.  And they may make their choices, perhaps different ones than you might expect.  But at the moment, at this moment, they are no threat.  To attack them now, when they are injured, carrying wounded, and fleeing, on the possibility of what they may do in the future..."  Shui shakes her head.

"Do you truly believe it necessary, Captain?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:00, Sun 28 Oct 2007.

“These are a military ships under the command of a government who has declared war on us, there is not doubt whatsoever in my mind what they will do if given the chance, so I’m afraid yes, it is necessary.”

“Do bear in mind what there intention was in coming to this system, and also, as military personnel who have demonstrated that they don’t give any quarter, by the same coin, they would not expect any. I know that doesn’t actually make it right, but it might help a little.”

“War is a no win situation for everybody, except those who create it but send others out to do the killing and the dying, however, right here, right now it’s a fact of life and we can’t just ignore.”
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This message was last edited by the player at 13:52, Mon 29 Oct 2007.

"But these ships are in retreat, Captain," Shui continues.  His point of view is one with which she is not unfamiliar, and she understands from where he is coming, and the strength of his convictions.  Nevertheless, she has to try.  "Regardless of what they might do were the situations reversed, we are not them.  Those are also facts in this situation.  Whatever they came here to do, they failed, and now flee conflict."

She takes a deep breath.  "I realize their behaviour might appear to be justification for similar behavior on our part, but for myself it is not, not unless I wish to paint myself with the same colours as we paint them."  It could be taken as an insult, she knows, and hopes it isn't - it certainly was not meant as such.  "What they expect from us is immaterial - would it not be better for our actions to spring from what we expect from ourselves?"

While Shui and Jago head off for a private conference, Jockram gets up and helps himself to more coffee.  Turning to address the Lounge, in general, "I'm telling you now, the first thing I'm buying when we I get my cut of this deal, is the kit to make some decent coffee.  I'm sick of drinking whatever Banster and Hegerich drain out of the hydraulics."

Conrad chuckles, and goes to rinse his mug out, before heading back up towards the Bridge to check if any more radio chatter is coming in, from the Sword World ships, or anywhere else in the system, for that matter.

Which leaves Yas, Tylen, and Saskia alone with Ore Hound's skipper.

"So how'd you come by all the milspec gear?  Well... I'm guessing it's milspec, and that sort of stuff isn't available in just any old shipyard.  Salvaged a wreck somewhere else, before coming here?"

"Well," Yas says, dragging it out long, and twirls the now empty cup of cocoa on the table, "I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you."

She keeps a serious face for about half a second, then she cracks into half a grin and winks at Jock.

"Unexpected allies from unexpected meetings, to keep it short - and cryptic," she adds, perhaps just for fun, and leans back in her seat, putting her hands behind her neck and pushing the elbows back as far as they will go, stretching out a bit as she arches the back.

"Now we just have to sort out these Swordies to make sure they don't come around again looking to deal out some payback.  Take a few lives to save many.  Sure beats looking the other way," she mentions, as if in passing, and then continues on a lighter note, "Maybe you could hire Sushi.  She's a good steward, and doctor, and never seemed too keen on doing any shooting, but with you guys all you'd shoot at would be some nasty rock, eh?"

Another grin and wink.

"Hey!  There's nothing nasty about the rocks we shoot." replies Jockram, with a grin.  "My crew are nearly all nearly professionals, and we only shoot the really good rocks."

"Or, at least, the ones we think are really good."

"She means it Jockram." Saskia says, from where she sits, her bare feet tucked under her.  "I found out where it all came from, once, and she killed me.  Twice.  Just to be certain."

"Ah, shooting the good ones.  Might not be such a good idea then to hire her," Yas affirms and then holds her hands up defensively.

"Hey now, you have to fogrgive me if I nearly insulted your nearly professional crew.  Shall we say we nearly forget it?" she replies to him and then shows a big, crooked smile at Sassy.

"Twice, as far as you know...  As far as you know..."

“These ships are in retreat,” Jago agrees, “but that’s not the end of the matter, just a temporary tactical consideration. Have no doubt they will be back repaired, rearmed and probably reinforced to complete the job they have started here. Once the ‘Shata Lunoqi’ is out of the way they will have free reign here to attack every ship that tries to enter or leave the system. There will be hundreds, maybe even thousands of innocent people dead if I don’t intervene, not to mention the hardships of a planet under blockade.”

“Your conscience might trouble you over the killing of a score or so enemy military personnel, but I couldn’t live with the consequences of not acting while I have the chance. I’m sorry Shui, I do understand and sympathise with your point of view, and I don’t undertake this operation lightly but, the attack goes ahead.”

Jago’s stands, and his expression leaves no doubt that the interview is over.
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