Alright so working through Cyril's route backward, moving as quickly as possible and focusing on not getting involved in any shenanigans just jumping and refueling as fast as I can to get the pregnant lady back in time. Using the jump times to train my guys to be as competent on Terran ship tech as possible.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 9):

The trip is long, seemingly spending 3 months in hyperspace. Well, not quite, but that is how it feels. Kat, by this time, is getting well along, estimated to be due within the next 2 months, so time moves fast. Fortunately, there are no complications. It is the end of April by the time you return to Faith nearly 13 weeks later.

20 Palmtops
0.44 dTons of supplies. (0.12 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $68,000
Planet: Faith (Fueled)
Date: 30 April 2175
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:37, Mon 20 May 2019.

Once he had arrived at Faith Gaius decided to carry on to Alizarin, he wasn't going to pay for anymore supplies than he absolutely had to. This ship would likely be taken away from him so filling its hulls with food he wouldn't need was pointless. If they arrived at Alizarin and needed to go further he would.

For now speed and not using resources was important.

[Private to GM: Well I have at least 14 of my ship stealing crew with me which rules out the very small ships. So likely the Ball Freighter or Fast Courier...I've got to think on it a bit more. ]

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 11):

The folk at Faith also bring bad news. A second attack on Yenesei occurred on Christmas day 2173. The force was larger, and only the fastest ships, converted Labrysian vessels, survived. Yenesei itself was nuked heavily. Possibly it would have been different if the warships sent to Alizarin, including the Kalishnikov fleet had been present, but possibly not. Fortunately, the attackers withdrew, seemingly having accomplished their mission. 3 Cruisers (2 Labrysian), 5 destroyers (3 Labrysian), 2 Corvettes and hundreds of fighters were lost to a Vilani force of 1 Deraanasa Battle Cruiser, 10 Vegan Class Carriers, 20 Kidashi and Merishmirr Class Cruisers, 50 Kargash Light Cruisers, 50 Shamshir Destroyer Escorts and 20 Urima Class Frigates believed to have been based at Kidashi.

The trip to Alizarin is not eventful, and takes just three weeks. Orbiting the planet here is a very large cylindrical vessel, as well as a Cruiser, 2 destroyers and 2 corvettes, and what appears to be a converted merchant vessel operating as a light carrier. Elsewhere in the system there seems to be another mining vessel at some dead planet.

20 Palmtops
0.08 dTons of supplies. (0.12 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $68,000
Planet: Alizarin (Fueled)
Date: 22 May 2175

[Private to Gaius Sattius: That is cool. Just let me know.]

In reply to Fate (msg # 12):

On your approach to the planet, you are hailed and asked to land at a designated location.

Assuming you do so, you are met by local officials and asked your story.

[Private to GM: Going with the ball freighter. Just got to have the space for the crew!]
Gaius greets the authorities, presents his story, explaining what he is doing there and let's them know about Cyril's wishes for them to deal with the Valkyrie and it's crew.  He also informs then of Kat and her condition...and is pretty sure waiting is the next thing he can expect to do.

Nothing happens fast in any race when it comes to bureaucracy.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 14):

When news of Kat and her condition is told, you are immediately referred to Kalishnikov Enterprises, who have the biggest hospital in the system and are also her employers. While the previous owner is making his case, you are taken with Kat to the massive base ship parked above the planet in orbit.

The base ship is massive, a large cylinder larger than even the largest Imperial freighters. It is a hub of activity, essentially large station with a set of engines out the back. Small squashed spherical craft such as the one you are taken from the planet in come to and from it like bees around a hive, and larger vessels under construction can be seen attached to it. Freighters, including a couple of spherical ones, can be seen parked near the rear end in such a way that it looks a little comical to the immature mind.

Your craft comes in to dock in one of the large hangers, entering in through the giant air lock. As the medics whisk Kat away, you are politely directed, with your men, to follow through a busy labyrinth of corridors to a large conference room. It is furnished with good quality functional furnishings, though it could not be called luxury.

"Mr Kalishnikov will see you shortly. In the meantime, please heal your self to the refreshments."

The attendant leaves, and you and your crew are confronted with an array of party pies and other items you are unfamiliar with.

Gaius was somewhat relieved that Kat and the original owner of the Valkryie were being dealt with, it was not something he was really eager to be involved with his limited knowledge of Terran Law. Still he followed instructions and was soon in the room with the food, he gestured to his men to help themselves as he walked around looking at the food trying to find something that looked at least vaguely recognizable, in the end he just picked something that looked familiar even if it didn't end up being that way.

He then ate and walked around the room looking for security, exits and any other surprises that could be useful if things turned nasty...not that he expected that.
[Private to GM: Is the Ball Freighter actually a ball? I assumed it was named after someone but it would be amusing if they were in fact spherical in shape.....]

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 16):

After a couple of minutes, a serious looking businessman comes in, with a bit of an accent, speaking in English.

"I have been informed that you gents were working for the dissidents at Nova Pacifica, before working with my ship on it's last voyage. I have not yet had a chance to go through the data that Kat brought back, but I am interested in offering capable folk such as yourselves employment in my service. Who of you would be interested in signing an employment contract to work for me? If so, what sort of work do you seek? I have many positions available, and several new ships which I lack experienced crews to operate."

[Private to Gaius Sattius: Yes it is! The ball series are actually very cheap vessels based on a spherical shape being the cheapest form of construction for a given hull volume. They are cheap vessels, but capable compared to their competition. This is about the equivalent to a Hero class.

AK Ball Freighter, 53.5M, 200 dTon Sphere (22 yards)
The newest design in the AK 'Ball' series, this is a very cheap freighter built to be even cheaper than the Hero class. It comes armed, with a workshop, AK Modular raft and a med bay, and has more speed and more cargo space than it's competition!
(2G/Move:370, dDR:10, dHP: 30, dTons of Cargo Space: 96.5, SM:+8)
Weapons: 4xPulse, 2xSandcaster,  Crew:5, Endurance: 31 Weeks/dTon,
Life Support:20, Passengers, Standard: 7, Low Berths: 20, Modular Small Craft: 1 (Raft)]

Gaius brought his men to attention when the business man walked in, a member of the Terran Sharurshid, and an important one if Cyril was to be believed. His offer though brought a raised eyebrow and a moment of consideration as Gaius considered that him and his men were basically convicts in Vilani space and this man was offering them a job...in person.

He struggled with that for a moment and decided that it was the price of doing business with the Terrans, he was going to be doing a lot of things that just didn't feel right. It was how he was going to adapt, something his people had failed to do, and grow,"I am Gaius Sattius, this is my Shigniid Dia Ugkin unit and we'd be happy to consider employment within your company. We are a special forces crew, we are skilled at capturing ships and taking the prize in tact and flying it back."

They were a trained prize crew, and very good at what they do,"We are adequate merchants if we have to be as well, capable of autonomous action behind enemy lines...." They were soldiers, and spacers, and it was hard for Gaius to consider a single 'job' that they did,"We are flexible and capable and as long as it helps us increase the power of the dissidents and fight against the Vilani, even indirectly by strengthen the Terran powers, we will be happy."

[Private to GM: I read the description buy missed entirely the sphereical section...LOL, that's cool!]

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 18):

"Ah, the Shigniid Dia Ugkin. The expendable units of the Vilani Empire. Capturing ships, yes I bet that could come in useful. The vessel I have in mind for you is one of my most recent designs. Distinctly Terran, but a lightly armed merchant vessel that is likely to attract the attention of hostile customs vessels, but unlikely to warrant the attention of enemy warships. You see, I have been able to build ships, but I lack competent crew. Sure I can teach folk how to fly a spaceship, but to navigate in Vilani space is another matter. They have a bunkroom for 10, and 5 staterooms for 10 more, but they only need 5 crew to operate it, so I can send a merchant and an Engineer with you. I am willing to offer you and your men good pay. Two officers will get $23,520 per month, three petty officers will get $13,440 and the rest of the men will get $6,720 per month.

The vessel is just a trader. I need to read through the data files you have brought back before I can give more details, but please think it over. I will leave contracts here for you to sign if you agree, and I will come back tomorrow to discuss it with you.

I regret I do not have time to discuss it in more detail now, but I expect we will have more to talk about when I have read through this data. In the meantime, please make yourselves comfortable. My assistant will show you to some quarters when you have finished your refreshments."

He excuses himself and leaves you to talk amoung yourselves, speaking a few words to his assistant as he leaves. The assistant waits by the door.

Gaius listened with interest, getting the attention of custom vessels was not a terrible thing if you were able to capture the custom vessels. Smirking at the thought he pushed it aside, for now he had to do what was best for his men so he simply nodded and waited till Andrew was gone. Once he was he gathered his men together,"Let us eat, rest and take these contracts to discuss. I think it would be a great opportunity for us, but I understand it is different from anything we have ever done.  Our own ship, work that isn't us just getting killed and the chance to make a difference? I encourage you to think of what you want and what you would like to do with the rest of your life. For now let's eat!"

With that he joined his men at the table and once they were done gathered up the contract and headed to the quarters provided to them.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 20):

The men talk it over. The prospect of paying jobs is appealing, though some argue that it is just changing one boss for another, a general for a merchant. But the general consensus is that it is not a bad thing.

You are shown your rooms, standard accommodation by Vilani standards, and able to have a good nights rest after sharing a few drinks at one of the onboard bars.

Gaius tries to explain that a merchant sees them as valuable where as the general saw them as expendable but doesn't argue too hard. He drinks with the men a little then heads to sleep and wakes up early. Getting his men up and ready for whatever Kalishnakov had planned for them.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 22):

He does not have to argue hard...the wages are more than any of you have legally earnt before, with the possible exception of one member who was a high ranking administrator convicted of fraud. But he is the first to sign the contract, and others follow. By the next morning, all contracts are signed but yours, and the men dress cleanly and neatly, discussing their new ship.

You return to the conference room by the time indicated, a few minutes early.

Gaius signs his contract before he heads to the meeting, he wanted to make sure all his were taken care of and then he had made sure he was signed up. All dressed as neatly as they could manage he had them standing in formation the documents all signed and on the table as they waited for Kalishnakov to arrive and inform them of their mission.

He was glad he had made sure his men were familiar with Terran computers and ships on the way here.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 24):

Alexander was not late. Arriving within the minute of when he said he would be there, he greeted you all before noting the contracts. Leafing through them briefly, he smiled and handed them to his assistant.

"I am glad to have you aboard. As you no doubt have heard, our main base to these regions was hit pretty hard, and a number of our ships were destroyed, as were those of our allies. Fortunately, we had a number of new, faster designs that were able to survive. The Imperial fleet has withdrawn, but we are in no position to mount any kind of offensive, which I believe was their goal.

But we are still at war. Now, it is my assumption that the Ziru Sirka will not want a prolonged war. Neither do I, though I do profit handsomely from it. Unfortunately, the local colonies do not have access to Terran coffers, so much of what is purchased must be paid for by local industry.

That is where we need growth. We need people, and we need trade outlets. I really am not that fussed what we sell, though I am not in a hurry to produce battleships for the Ziru Sirka. But with the trade embargo as a result of the war, we need new trade routes, preferably with systems that do not care for rules from Dingir.

Now you are probably wondering then, why I would hire Ex-Imperial special forces, and it is not a bad question. The SDU are about the only Ziru Sirka organization that encourages creative thought, and therefore you are about the only folk who have both the creativity and the knowledge of Vilani customs and traditions to be able to operate in the Ziru Sirka space for any length of time in a peaceful trade capacity. Further, as none of you are actually Terran, I believe they cannot technically arrest you, as you are not part of this war. Would that be correct?"

[Secret to Gaius Sattius: This is not entirely correct...many of you still may have criminal records in the Imperium, and though your squad left imperial space, you would technically be considered deserters...]

Gaius chuckled at what Kalishnakov's words and shook his head,"Well that is not entirely true, most of us have criminal records and are considered dissidents and deserters. We're supposed to stay in our unit and die when it is our time, not escape and find a way to conduct business."

Shaking his head he sighed,"That said we could do business with the Dissidents or stick to the outskirts of Vilani space, how fast is our ship in comparison to the Vilani ships? If it's quick enough we can try be more aggressive with our trade."

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 26):

At the correction, the man frowns. Then he raises his finger as if to make an alternative suggestion.

"The Ball freighter only moves at 2G, so it is only a little faster than the Hero class. What if we form a shell company in Girii? If you are members of an official company in the Empire, even if it is on a Kimashargur planet, then you should be protected. At least, outside of the Dingir subsector, right? Your criminal record is unlikely to be carried outside of this subsector, as my lawyers suggest."

[Secret to Gaius Sattius: That is not true officially, but you have known it to happen numerous times in the past, so in practice that seems pretty accurate.]

Gaius shrugged,"In theory that shouldn't work, but it is a common means to avoid the problem in practice. So unless we go up against someone with an agenda we should be okay, that would work."

He was sure that there would be problems, but he would resolve those issues if and when they came up,"Now is there anything else we need to figure out, do you have a plan or is it give us a ship and just cut us free?"

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 28):

"I do have a plan. We are currently constructing a new raider, but it will not be completed for about six months. In the meantime, I need you to return to Girii. I have read through the files and there seems to be a golden opportunity to open an office there and promote some of my ship designs there. I have ten specialists I want you to take there."

"That would work, the trip to Girii would take me about 3 months, and then some time to get everything set up, assuming it goes perfectly of course." A passenger mission would be easy enough to start with, no raiding just arriving on time and seeing what is needed once they get there,"How is pay typically handled? Do you pay us when we get back or some other way?"

Cyril hadn't been back for sometime, so it was time to figure that one out, if he had to manage money given to him he could but he would have to plan carefully,"And when would you like us to leave? I assume pretty much immediately?"

Wasn't like they had family or friends out here.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 30):

"Yes, indeed. I expect that the royalties from the designs will more than cover your costs. The folk you will be taking as passengers will handle the funds, however, they will be in Low Berths for the trip. Once you get there, please try to find Dastavka and give them these instructions. I understand they may have received significant credits, but I will give them a bonus for their good work in opening business opportunities."

He hands you three small flash drives.

"They are identical, in case one becomes corrupt, but please look after them none-the-less. Once they receive them, they will likely have further tasks for you that will probably require your return here.

The passengers should be ready to go within 4 hours. Your particular vessel has been significantly modified. I have added an extra engine, of the same type as used to power typical Vilani assault shuttles, so you should be familiar with them. I have also added an extra sickbay and workshop, as well as a robofac. I suggest you get your most technical member to learn how to use them before you go. A week should be enough to get you started, as the instruction manuals are pretty basic and comprehensive. Similar with the Survey Module. Two of your passengers are experts with them as well so they can teach you as you go. The Medic I am sending can also teach you how to use the Biology Lab, and the prospector's Lab is probably one very similar to Vilani ones, so I estimate you can pick one character inclined to learn all about that.

Finally, I am giving a number of computers to assist with setting up the office there. You should stop by the planet and gather however many supplies you want, but I think no more than 50 would be sufficient. Just put it to my account. If you would like to pick a different type of small modular craft, please feel free. We have demonstrator variants of most available. For you, I think the APC variant might suit well.

The last thing I should mention is that this is a new vessel, as yet unnamed. Perhaps you can come up with an appropriate name for it. Any further questions?"

20 Desktops, 10 Printers, 50 Laptops, 100 Palmtops
0.08 dTons of supplies. (0.12 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $68,000
Planet: Alizarin (Fueled)
Date: 24 May 2175

AK Freighter: 89.8M, 200 dTon Sphere (22 yd dia)
(3.33G/Move:370, dDR:10, dHP: 30, dTons of Cargo Space: 77, SM:+8)
Weapons: 4x Pulse, 2x Sandcaster,  Crew:12, Endurance: 16 Weeks/dTon,
Life Support:20, Low Berths: 20, Modular Small Craft: 1
2 Workshops, 1 Robofacs, 2 Sickbays, 2 Laboratories, Survey Module

Edit: Crew Positions added. 16 total.
Captain: Gaius Sattius
Navigator
Pilot
Chief Engineer
Engineers Mate
Robofac Operator
Small Craft Pilot
Gunner x 2
Medic
Geologist
Biologist
Survey Operators x 4

[Private to GM: Information on Flash Drives: Congratulations on setting up such a business opportunity on Girii. You and you crew are to be given a bonus of $2 Million to share at your discretion. I have sent a delegation to open a proper office to register our company as a legitimate Vilani company, in order to give us legal right of operation in Vilani space. This of course depends upon Girii being accepted as part of the Ziru Sirka. As such, you should give them whatever support you can. From your correspondence, it sounds like they may be in rebellion against some who oppose Terra. Therefore I have sent many of my best designs along with folk who can help them build them.

However, we also need to consider the ramifications of their defeat. There are likely to e a lot of refugees. As such, I would like you to pick the best system for us to colonize, both from a trade point of view, as well as a habitability point of view. Please refrain from passing information regarding this system on to Girii: instead, please give it to the new vessel that bring you this message, the crew of which I have hired to work for me. They should then be sent directly back to me at Alizarin, via Union and Ceti-Command in case I move. I have constructed a colony seeder to establish our claim to this planet. Once our claim has been established, we can inform Girii so that refugees can flee there if they need to.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:48, Tue 28 May 2019.

Gaius listened intently as Andrew spoke, finally he nodded,"Thank you, that is a lot of money to put into a ship and it makes it very flexible. We too will be ready to depart in 4 hours,  I will assign men with the correct aptitudes to the various tasks and they will learn from your staff."

In fact Gaius might try and learn at least the basics of some of the more important systems, they had time to train over the next three months of travel,"A name? Well let's call it the Scutum, that is a good name considering its shape. Where is the ship docked?"

Then it was up to collecting crew, assigning men their new training, collecting supplies and getting ready to leave. He would take Andrew's suggestions and take the APC and 50 dtons of supplies.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 32):

"The Scutum it is. I will have the name registered. It is in docking bay 1. I will have the supplies brought up and the APC loaded immediately then.

In that case, I will wish you goodbye and godspeed."

Note, new thread has been opened.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:51, Tue 28 May 2019.