Planets have problems with the standard Earth calendar.  Days and seasons never match up (and some planets do not have seasons at all!) and schedules have to be pushed and shoved to have even a semblance of alignment- such as Lyonesse's "day and a half" days.  In space, though, it is easy, ships and stations universally set themselves to an Earth schedule.  It makes life easier on spacers.  Less confusion.

It is March 5, 2350 when the Albatross reaches the Deseret system.  It has it's peculiarities- a large population, but far more "home grown" than most worlds, due to its high birth rate.  The gravity is higher, the weather is warmer, the world is a little wetter, and it is somewhat off the "Main Line" of travel, but it is still considered a prime habitable planet.

Like all of the major worlds it has an orbital habitat that serves as a major port and place of exchange. (The most important worlds have more than one, Earth has numerous).  These are the Highports, and they get the ships that cannot land, or whose crews do not wish to land.  At the Highport, cargo and passengers are exchanged via robots and landers, ships are refueled and repaired, and they almost always have shopping, rest and relaxation for travellers.  They are very much in the mold of 21st century airports- no matter you go they seem alike, more like each other than the planet below.

The spaceports on the planet itself are scattered, and double as airports.  About 150 million people live on the small island continents of Deseret.  Starships that can land will frequently head to a spaceport on the surface, skipping the Highport entirely, if they have the time and the inclination.

Of course, for the Albatross, landing is both more and less flexible.  Most spaceports on the surface cannot accommodate amphibians, but many other places can.  Since Deseret is an oceanic planet, 74% covered in water, most of the colony sites have ports accessible to the Albatross.  Important places have nearby stretches of sea reserved for this, and landing generally means letting the local authorities know, so they can make sure any water craft are safely cleared out.

Naturally, immediately as the Albatross arrives, local authorities want to know the destination.  Keeping ships orderly and never bumping into each other is important.

The traffic at the Highport is light, though- just three other ships.  A fourth ship, the Bon Charme, is one of the regular Lyonesse-Deseret transports, and has arrived just ahead of you, and is maneuvering towards a dock at the Highport.  It's a moderately sized ship built for about 200 passengers.


By the time you arrive, Reginald has fully investigated the cargo.

Ever since that altercations with Einar, Florence had pretty much disappeared. She spent most of her time in her cabin and when she wasn't there, it was pretty much impossible to say where she went to.

Though of course, considering that there weren't all that many hiding spots on the ship, and given the state of her clothes when she came back to her room, it seemed probable that she was exploring some of the small conduits no one but her could fit into.

In all that time, she probably hadn't said more than a dozen words.

Einar had been spending a lot of his waking hours in the office adjacent to the bridge. There was a substantial amount of work to be done, from payroll, to scheduling, to the assignment of collateral duties such as cleaning and inventory. It was a boring, necessary part of the job, and in the spirit of trying to ease people into it, he had allotted himself some extra time slots cleaning the freshers and the galley.

When he was not downing coffee and at his terminal, he had a tendency to hit the rec area for some strength and cardiovascular training. It was not a particularly ambitious regime, and he seemed mostly concerned with already keeping what he had. The artificial gravity on the top deck was a godsend in this regard

When Deseret was a rapidly expanding dot in the distance, he had changed into a newer gray jumpsuit with faded red patches on the shoulders, and had cleaned up and trimmed a little for the occasion. He was still rough, but at least the look was more intentional now.

When the rest of the crew had assembled to watch the approach, and it was apparent they would soon be contacted by crew controlling the traffic, he crossed his arms and looked to the others. "Maybe just Highport?" he threw out. "Lines not bad, and there could be some folks lookin to book passage on that transport."

Horace nodded agreement. He stood silently, not saying much since Florence's issues.

"Alright" he nodded slightly to the pilot, although he doubted that the man could see the gesture. "Mister Brandle, if you could" he asked the man as he took his own seat, indicating that they join the queue for the Deseret High Port landing services.

They follow the Bon Charme in.  It's a classic "Wheel and axis" design, the wheel providing artificial gravity by spin- much cheaper than doing it with expensive grav technology.  The Highport does the same thing, as most space stations do, because providing grav tech for an entire station would be ruinously expensive.

As they approach they can see the other ships in the station.  There is a sister ship of the Bon Charme, probably making the same run, probably getting ready to leave.  There is a larger ship, the Vela Fortune, a big "sleeper ship" which carries passengers in cold sleep over very long voyages.   Maybe it came all the way from Earth!  And there is a Navy frigate, an old one, the Marivaux.  Like many older ships, the Marivaux isn't a front line warship these days, mostly it is used for patrolling, law enforcement, rescue, and similar work.

What's missing, as experienced spacers quickly note, are the small independent ships like the Albatross.  Typically a world like this would have a number of them around.  Many of them can land, and those wouldn't be here at the Highport, but then, many can't land.  It's not an impossible situation because numbers of small ships fluctuate constantly and greatly, but it is certainly odd enough to be noted as unusual.

It makes for easy going, though.  Most of the docks are available.  On the frontier, there are rarely docking fees for short visits, because people want to attract the ships.  It's a vital connection for the more remote planets.  Even as the Albatross approaches, arrangements are made for a refueling.

And then, you have a few hours to visit the station, if you want.  Or sit back and see what's on TV.

Deseret has a reputation for frighteningly wholesome views on entertainment, though.

As soon as the ship was docked, Florence went out, not carrying much of anything on her except for her personnal communicator. On the way out, she sent a simple message on the net:

Ship going to St Brendan and back has slots available for passengers. Contact 8b42e198-d4f9-435b-96b9-6c5fb895b5f9.

As she put her communicator away, she grumbled something about having done her job and keeping someone she didn't hold in high esteem off her back. And hoping that given the terse message, no one would bite. After that she stopped for a few seconds, then with a shrug decided to go explore the station a bit. While to many it was just same old same old, not so much for her and she was curious to see how things worked up there.

With Wymp handling the possibility of taking on some extra cargo for potential trade at St. Brendan, Einar decided it was time to pick up a few useful odds and ends for the ship, and a few things for his stateroom.

He also suggested that the crew meet up later that evening at one of the local spots, a place called "Just Deseret" which served overpriced milkshakes (most of them alcoholic) and confectionery to belatedly celebrate both their purchase, and their first job offer.

Eventually, walking to station, he had stopped it at one of the also overpriced clothing outlets. He had never much cared for fashion, preferring by far the few articles he owned with some character and stories of their own, but he saw a nice looking brown coat, heavy and warm lookong, and lined with some kind of wooly fleece material. It was knee length, with plenty of pockets, and it had a look he liked, so he bought it and decided to wear it to any interviews that might line up in the coming weeks.

Horace checks for cargo for St. Brendans!

07:59, Today: Horace Wymp rolled 10 using 2d6+4.  cargo.

 Once the ship reached Terra Firma, as it where, Reggie spoke to the gang. " Before everyone goes to the four points of the compass, we need to decided on a watch rotation. One of us should always be on board. I am going to remain on board for most of our time dirtside, but I would like an hour or so, to do a couple errands."

"Very well Mister Gain, I'll stand in your stead when you are ashore. I'll take first watch now too while I use the computer to look for more cargo."

After going somewhere that might serve a decent club sandwich or cheeseburger, Alwin will check the local news feeds to see if Deseret has received any recent news regarding St. Brendan.

Einar, in the midst of planning, volunteers for a shift on the vessel as well.

 Reggie heads into the station to check out a couple bars, to see if he can pick up any gossip about  St. Brendans. He would only be gone for an hour or so, not enough time, really. But he took his job as security to heart.

 He had on him a comm device, and armed with a gravity baton in a pocket. Reggie did not expect any trouble, but one never really knew.

When Horace gets a chance to go ashore, he looks for a place that sales leaf products, wanting a case of cigars, and then a case of brandy for the ship. Comfort items that he can share.

The station's docking arms spread out from the habitat rings like long geometrical tree trunks, splitting and splitting again, so that docking ships are safely separated. The various branches converge into a main axis which becomes the hub of the rings.  The axis is a tube, several levels thick.  Two levels have artificial gravity, and one of these, the Concourse, is for the coming and going of passengers and crew.

It looks a lot like an airport concourse- lounges, information displays, some shops, people coming and going.

There are people who have gotten off the ship that arrived ahead of you, more getting on the ship preparing to depart, but on the whole it's not crowded at all.

And of course, except for whomever is still watching the ship, you see each other, because it's not that big a place, and not that crowded.

As for news, one thing you learn here is that Sarah Julis is leaving you.  But... she has arranged to transfer her shares in the ship to a family member, Dominique, who will meet your ship here.

Another, less personal bit of news:  you quickly learn an explanation for the lack of small ships.  The independent ships, the ones that have choice in their travels like you do, took off for a world on the Rimward Frontier, beyond St Brendan but in the same direction.
Here there is a small dim red star, not even worthy of a name yet, and known as "LDMLT01".  There is a planet orbiting it, one that could perhaps support human life if it had enough oxygen.  It doesn't, but it does have water, and a reasonable atmosphere, and about three quarters of Earth's gravity.  It is nameless, but has something of very recent interest.

The "Crossers" are aliens, and although they look a lot like bipedal carnivorous dinosaurs, they are closer than most aliens to human biology and psychology.  They are nomads, travelling in gigantic "Home Ships" and when they arrive in Human space they trade furiously to replenish stocks of whatever they need and want.

All of the small ships have made a made rush for LDMLT01, taking on whatever cargo they think they can sell to the aliens.

But... one of the Crossers is here.  In a restaurant, eating cheeseburgers, responding to Florence's passenger request listing.  Before a Crosser ship arrives they send out scouts, often a few years ahead, and some of them do not have their own ships- they are dropped off by small Crosser scout craft and tasked with intermixing and learning, before the Home Ship arrives.  These are called Explorers**.  This one is stuck, it was intending to hire a ride out to LDMLT01 but the Humans were overeager and all took off before the Explorer arrived.  Now... well, at least St. Brendan is in the right direction.  Perhaps it could find a ride from there?

Horace finds his brandy and cigars nearby.  Cigars are a tricky commodity to find in any large quantity.  Especially in systems (like this one) where tobacco use of any kind is not common.  Horace can find a few small boxes in a gift shop.  These are from Calderada, one of the very few worlds to grow Tobacco.  Brandy is easier to come by.

**In English.  The Crosser languages sound like deep but somewhat musical growls, but they use translator programs that render their words into Human languages and vice versa.   No one is really sure if all the words match up correctly, but Explorer is what gets attached to "Crosser who travels around Human Space, learning about us, before a Home Ship arrives and then reports back to that ship".

When Einar took his shift, he set up in the concourse with a view to the Pelicans  access corridor. Much like an airport z it had some moderately comfortable row seating, a low table and was just off the main walkway with some frequent foot traffic. The little partition walls at least provided them a section to conduct business, in this case, interviews.

Dressed in his new coat, a form fitting gray shirt and some faded blue work pants, he sat with one leg crossed over the other, a tablet in one hand as he browsed the replies they had received so far.

The "Crosser" was a surprise, but Einar was interested, and sympathetic with the things efforts to get back home. He also wanted to hear about their "Home Ships", a concept, that as he did a little cursory research about them, seemed very interesting. He replied to the request, and suggested a face to face meeting in the concourse, but CC'd the crew with an invite as well in any anybody else wanted to be present or had comments or concerns.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:45, Fri 10 Jan 2020.

This message was deleted by the player at 18:59, Tue 14 Jan 2020.

Horace came back to the ship with his precious cigars and even more precious brandy. He waved at Einar on his way to stow his booty, Precious cargo captain, perhaps a cigar and brandy later on to celebrate! Luxuries!"

OOC - Sarah quit?
This message was last edited by the player at 17:53, Sun 12 Jan 2020.

Einar gave a slight wave and a glance, then did a double take and broke into a broad toothy grin.

"Well hey now..." he chuckled. "I knew we were comin' up in life, but you're not messing around."

He took a closer look at the brandy and whistled low. "Bet that's smooth as silk. You know, I had never had a taste of brandy until just a few years ago. It was all cheap vodka and some of the home made stuff. Was just, real serious about saving money, ya know."  He looked almost nostalgic "Kind of get into a rythm where you don't buy much."

"Very true, A nice cigar and a brandy are serious luxuries, we need them once in a while. Any takers for passage or to fill crew openings now that Florence is leaving? It's a real shame, she had potential."

"Maybe a few" he hefted his tablet slightly. "It's her call." He shrugged. "A lot of folks aren't cut out for this, ship life." He looked fondly back towards the ship. "When I was comin up, we were poor of course, I mean...we were just grateful to have work. Any work. My parents and I." he let out a long, slow exhalation. "So when you've got somebody, probably from a well off background, entitled" he smirked "Comes in and starts expecting special treatment. Folks who've never had to work for it. It grates on you, ya know?"

He chuckled again. "Scut work may suck, but it builds humility. Teaches you a little about how things work. At least that's been my experience. But we were all young once I guess. Had to start somewhere"
This message was last edited by the player at 18:23, Sun 12 Jan 2020.

Horace nods, "I'll sit in on interviews if you wish, or leave them to you. Your choice."

"No, no. I'd like you here. I'd like everyone here if we can manage it." Einar encouraged the man.

"Recruitment is one of those things...we're all gonna be breathing the same air and workin' shoulder to shoulder. If someone has an issue, for whatever reason, it's best to know about it first thing. Saves trouble I've found." he sighed again.

"Only takes one to throw everything off."

"Sadly yes, you're right."

Several things are happening, here and there, all at once...  it's a busy little montage scene.


First, Sarah and Dominique discuss things.

Sarah has discovered sudden, recent, "other obligations" and realizes she cannot continue on the journey.  It might be related to her academic work.  As a result, she opted to transfer her interest in the ship to a relative.  Keep it in the family.

Dominique cannot afford all of it, not just yet, so Sarah is still a minor silent partner!  She won't get a salary, but is entitled to a share in the company.

She explains the who's who on the small ship, but given that it's only just started, she can't say a lot.

"I think a lot of things still have to fall into place," she says.  "The others are pretty technically skilled but I think what's missing is a People Person.  There has to be one, you know.  They might be the brains of the ship, but it needs a heart too if it's going to make it.  Someone has to file the rough edges down."

She sets up a meeting for Dominique and others, on the ship, to bring everyone together.

*** *** *** ***

Einar does Captain Things.  There are a few of them.  There is refueling to arrange- exotic Heavy Helium which makes wonderful fusion reactor fuel.  A small tank of it will keep the lights on in a city for a year, but starships drink a lot.

He looks around in local Positions Wanted lists for potential crew, but just when the small ships scrambled out of Deseret, they seem to have taken all the good talent with them.  The remnants seem... problematic.

Outgoing passengers, though, yes.  Aside from the alien, whom Florence is talking to, there are a few who.  There are several journalists who want to go, for the same reason as the alien- get closer to the Crosser ship, even if the Albatross is going all the way there.  There are business travelers, about a dozen, who need passage because many companies on Deseret do have regular business on St. Brendan.  This is normal- St. Brendan is the Next World Over, and so there's a lot of back and forth.  And there are travelers from St. Brendan, tourists and students, looking to go home.  Einar can easily fill up the ship if he wants.

From one of the journalists, a peculiar message:  "If you're taking the Crosser, I want to go to.  I'll pay High Passage for anything."

** *** ** ** ** **

Finally, we have Florence and the Crosser.  She goes to meet the alien in the restaurant, the Cafe Americain (Actually a successful chain with over 5,000 locations in the 100 worlds, especially in orbital stations) where the alien is enjoying a cheeseburger.

"Humans are very skilled in the preparation of food," the Crosser observer, with the Translator rendering the growls, something like a cross between trombone and idling diesel engine, into English.  "Different kinds of meat and plant, prepared in different ways, then combined so that each lends its own specific attributes to the whole.  I am happy that we Crossers are close enough inside to appreciate this, and not be poisoned by it."

Fewer than half the known alien species can digest Human food.

The Crosser introduces itself when Florence arrives. "Call me Marlo."

Crosser names, like Human names, can often be translated.  But since the connection between the name and the meaning of the name has been long lost, just as in Humans (how many people named Phillip really want to introduce themselves as Likes Horses?) they generally pick one arbitrarily.   Being fairly well educated about these things, Florence knows this is common.      A Crosser who chooses a "gender ambiguous" name currently does not have a gender.  Crossers take on genders only when they feel the need.

Marlo sees the request for transport as a very simple thing:  "You have a ship going to St. Brendan.  It is not as far as I wish, but I hope to get another ship, then.  None are left here.  Do not worry, I know how to travel on a Human ship.  I have been among Humans for two years now.  I am not a problem, and I like your food."

"Hello I'm Florence, I'm from the ship going to St. Brendan." Florence smiled welcomingly. "Marlo it is then." She nodded, then explained. "I'm not making any decision, just being the point of preliminary contact, to explain a few things. Though I suppose it won't be an issue with you considering you already have experience with such things. After that if it's alright with you, I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew."

She waited for a second to let Marlo agree, then continued. "So, our ship is primarily a trade ship, not a passengers one. We do have available staterooms for passengers, but it won't be first class. And I'm afraid that we won't be able to serve luxury food at the moment. Not regularly anyway. Other than that, since you've already traveled quite a bit in human ships, I suppose you know the regulations such as staying out of the engine room, cargo area and bridge unless accompanied by a member of the crew and all that."

She taped her lips for a second, then added. "I can guarantee we'll be going to St. Brendan, as we already have a contract to go there, and I don't see any particular difficulty of you joining us for that trip, though once more, I'm not involved in the decision process. Further than that…" She shrugged. "I can't promise anything." She paused briefly, cocked her head to the side for a second, then added. "That being said, we do not have plans for after that. So, if we found a worthy opportunity to go where you want, like for example, if you helped us identify something that your fleet would be really glad to have and that we could find at a good price on St. Brendan…" Before he could answer, she held a hand up. "Understand again that I'm in no position to promise you anything. Just informing you that there might be an opportunity for you to get what you need from us and vice versa." There were a lot of ships going to meet the Crossers', but… how many of them could say they had a Crosser on board? How many of them had asked a Crosser what they'd need or want? Furthermore, with a Crosser on board, they'd likely be given preferential treatment. Though of course all that depended on the crew so she probably was doing all that for nothing. At least she wouldn't be accused of doing nothing: if they couldn't grasp such opportunities, there wasn't anything she could do. Or wanted to do for that matter.

"If that's something you think could work, we can take a few minutes to go over what I know of St. Brendan's exports to see if we can find something to work with? Oh and…" She glanced at the translator. "Can I ask you to switch off the Crosser to English part of the translator? I know a bit of your language and I'd like to test if it's enough. Do you mind?"

 Since Reggie seemed to have crapped out on picking up any gossip on their destination, he headed back for the ship and his turn at watching the stores.

"Welcome back to the ship Mister Gain, any luck at finding what you were looking for?"

 Reggie boarded and slowly shook his head. " Fraid not, Mr. Wymp. I was hoping to catch some rumors about the Papist paradise we are bound for. But either I am losing my touch, or there is nothing really juicy to hear."

"Have a seat, we're interviewing potential crew when they show up and the captain wants everyone's input. The 'weather' is nice here." he says with a smile in the starport.

 With a smile, Reggie adjusted that baseball style cap he never seemed to remove, and claimed a chair." I thought we had enough crew already. What slots need to still be filled?"

"Sarah is being replaced by a Dominique or something or other and Florence is leaving. Plus we have a possible passenger to St. Brendans, a Crosser."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:49, Tue 14 Jan 2020.

   Approaching the airlock that separated the ship from the passageway and the rest of the terminal, a woman dressed in a white pants-suit and a black top made her way down, one hand moving to the bridge of her nose to push the amber-tinted glasses back into a higher position. She walked with a purpose to the airlock, her other hand holding the handrest to a large rectangular suitcase that rolled along behind her.

   Her forward motion slowed as the hand moved from her glasses and inside the sleeve of her jacket, where she extracted a small hand-held computer. She looked down while she slowed, then up again as she resumed her pace and approached the entranceway. After she'd replaced the unit back into her coat, she came to a stop and took a deep breath. With a slow exhale, she pressed the stud at the bottom of the keypad that would activate the door protocols. She looked up into the scanner, then lowered her glasses and spoke:

   "I'm looking for the Captain or the Chief Officer on this ship? My cousin may have mentioned something about me ... I'm Dominiq."

"We've been waiting with bells on, come on in!" Horace reached out his hand to help with the bag."I'm First Officer, Horace Wymp. This is the Captain, the others can introduce themselves."

In reply to Horace Wymp (msg # 35):

 Reggie smiled at the newcomer. "Hello, just call me Reggie. I look after the ship and crew. You might call me the ship's welfare specialist ."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:45, Tue 14 Jan 2020.

Einar, dressed in his new coat, some cargo pants and a pair of deck boots nodded to Dominique as he saw her approach, and then offered a hand as Horace introduced him.

"Captain Einar Karvonen, good to have you aboard Miss Shabazz. Sarah had mentioned you before, but I'll admit I didn't put two and two together until she mentioned your stage name" he admitted with a slight smile. "Didnt quite realize at first that we would be hosting a celebrity."

He stepped back and gave a welcoming gesture aboard. "How was your trip in?"

   Looking through her amber-tinted sunglasses at the trio of gentlemen, one of them a well-dressed man who leaned forward to offer a hand for her baggage, Dominiq smiled. At first, it was a simple curl of her lips used when meeting them for the first time. When the Captain spoke and mentioned her history as a celebrity, the look warmed and her smile rose towards her brown eyes. Dominiq cast a quick glance down to the First Officer's feet, then back up as one corner of her mauve coloured lips curled slightly. "That might have been an interesting look on you, Mr Wymp," she said playfully as she moved her right wrist and a trio of gold bangles slid with a small bell-like sound to surround where her wrist met the bottom of her pale palm, "But thank you for that, though. I needed a good laugh."

   Her attention turned to the Captain as she took his hand and,  her voice lowering to almost a whisper, "I'm not a performer anymore, Captain. But it's nice to still be thought of like that occasionally. As for the trip, well ... it wasn't High Passage, but it wasn't Low, either." Another half-smirk implied she was more than aware of the difference between the two.

   She let go of his hand and spoke in her usual tone. "I'm here because my cousin said she needed my help. I'm not sure about what she did on the ship, but she always was good with a circuit board - when I was just starting out, she helped keep the sound equipment together while I helped pay her way to become an Anthropologist."

   Dominiq smiled to Gain as well, something that judging by the small, thin lines on either side of her mouth, she did fairly often. "Thanks, Reggie. 'Welfare specialist', hmm? Sounds like you and I will be seeing a bit more of each other in the next little while."

   She turned back to the Captain. "I don't want to be a bother to any of you - I'm not sure if I'll be crew, passenger or supercargo here--" She paused a tic; either whether she was trying to find the words to finish or gauge the men's reaction to what she'd already said, but continued with little more than a brief pause. "But I'd like to get started as soon as possible. And if we're on mostly first name basis here, I'm fine with Dominiq, or 'Nique for short. Ms Shabbazz I'd like to leave at the airlock, and if anyone calls me 'D', I'm not responsible for what gets tossed in your direction."

  She looked over her shoulder back to the passageway. "And preferably without too many eyes, ears and drones listening in. If one of you could direct me where I'll be staying for the next little while, I'd appreciate it."

Horace directed Nique to her quarters, pulling her suitcase for her.

"This will be your room, I hope you are comfortable. You will have complete privacy from paparazzi that's for sure." He lets her suitcase in the middle of her room and steps out the door and heads off back to work. "When you're ready to complete your interview, come on up to the bridge."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:54, Fri 17 Jan 2020.

 Before Mr. Wymp could take the ladies luggage, Reggie spoke." Please excuse what I am about to say and do,lady. But as the self appointed welfare officer, I must ask if you are carrying  any weapons in your luggage, or upon your person?"

 He was smiling,when he asked, and was polite, but it was obvious he was serious. " Ship policy is for crew and passengers to declare anything that might be a danger, to crew or ship."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:52, Thu 16 Jan 2020.

   Dominiq half-turned and looked towards Reggie and saw the smile on his lips first, but the more serious intent in his eyes before he spoke. He was trying to be polite - and to be honest, he was doing a fair bit better than some ship's Purser's she'd met in the past - but she understood his intent. Weapons, she knew, were dangerous; either in space or on the ground. Reggie was only looking out for his ship.

   "Even as a slightly faded star," she smiled, "I still get the odd trouble here and there. If you don't mind?"

   She waited a moment, then slowly moved her right hand around and behind, the move opening her alabaster coloured jacket while she calmly reached back for something. As the jacket opened, it revealed a small, leather-bound sheath on her right side, with what looked like a short-bladed dagger inside. The blade's handle was secured by a quick-release strap across the handle, indicating the weapon could be easily brought out and used in a fight.

   When she reached back and stopped, she made a small lifting motion behind her and brought it back around casually, so as not to appear suspicious. When she brought the object around, she produced a secured holster that contained a small non-metallic auto-pistol - one that might serve to pass weapon-detection systems. There was little wear and tear on either holster or the weapon, indicating either she'd just purchased the thing or hadn't had much time to practice with it. "I'm assuming the ship has a locker, or someplace to store weapons. I keep this, along with a smaller pistol on me at all times - just in case. I've spare ammunition in my bag - its all secured, no need to worry. I've also got permits to carry both on me as well as my perscomp, as well."

   She lowered the hand with the secured holster and regarded Reggie evenly. "You can take the guns now, or I can surrender it all once I've unpacked. The only request I have is that the knives stay. They've been everywhere since I was a teenager, and I'd like to have something to defend myself with if things do go sideways and I can't get to the armoury. Fair deal?"

   Dominiq walked along with Wymp towards her stateroom, now slightly lighter in her armaments after she'd surrendered both pistols and ammunition to Reggie. It was a short walk to her room, and she watched Wymp roll her case into the room. "Thank you, Mr Wymp," she answered, then set herself to the task of settling in once the man left and the stateroom door closed.

   It didn't take long for her to unpack - she didn't have much in the way of possessions, and she'd learned to travel light from the first tour she'd ever been part of - so, in a matter of minutes, she stepped out from her room and made her way along the corridors of the Arcus towards the Bridge. Brown eyes took in the ship's character; the newness (or lack thereof) of the ship's systems, how well maintained the ship looked, as well as the people who served aboard her. From what she could tell, the Arcus was a small commercial vessel, intended to be piloted by a small group with some automation to help the crew. Snug, she thought.

   She stopped just before the doorway to the Bridge and stood in place and breathed slowly to calm herself. She took a moment, closed her eyes and breathed deeply; strangely, it almost felt like stepping on-stage. Only this stage was smaller and more intimate ... After the second deep breath, her eyelids fluttered open and she stepped forward towards the door and onto the Bridge.

   "Hello again," Dominiq said as she entered, "Ready ta begin if y'all are."

Horace nodded hello and turned to the captain to take the lead.

In the Cafe Americain...

Marlo is fascinated by the idea that this Human actually wants to try the Crosser language.  Marlo switches off the translator.

Marlo says a few things which don't sound right to Florence, then pauses, and the words change to things she can interpret.

"I am sorry.  Now I speak Trade Dialect.  That is what is usually taught to you as our language.  Each Home Ship now has its own dialect.  Tens of thousands of years will do that!  But Trade is for one Home to another.  It has many old words and forms we do not use now except for Trade Dialect speaking.

"I am glad to have my request forwarded by you to your ship.  May my request be accepted and may it be mutually beneficial.  But as for exports and trade talk... you must know, that Crossers trade with other civilizations. We cross the vastness between them.  Trade is good, it is our life.  Thus we know the value of information, which can be of great wealth one moment, and gone the next when a secret has turned to common knowledge.  Thus, I am glad to speak of exports and imports and what is the production of St. Brendan, but... once I am accepted and aboard.  Consider this something I offer in addition to the fee!"

** ** ** ** **

Meanwhile... back towards the ship...

Most of the available passengers have simply submitted their requests, and let it stand at that- either you have room and can take them or you cannot.

But one has decided to be persistent.  It is the journalist, who catches up to Reggie when Reggie is in the passageway back to the ship.  He's a young man with black hair and a Mediterranean look, who sounds a little excited.

"You're from the ship outbound to St. Brendan, right?  You have someone talking to the Crosser.  I saw them  in the Concourse.  Listen, the alien.. the Crosser... I watch them, report on them.  People like that stuff, you know?  Travels of an alien emissary, what is it doing, what does it want.. is it a spy?  I need to be on, too, if it's going on your ship.  It's important.  Do you have any space?  I'll sleep on the floor if you're out of cabins.  But I'm not paying first class for a floor."

Far from finding the news about the two languages depressing, Florence seemed really interested by it… Though she was quite a bit worried in the first few seconds when Marlo spoke and she didn't understand anything.

Once the Crosser explained his position on trade, Florence nodded with a smile. "That sounds fair, though I can't say how it'll be received." She shrugged. After a second, she added. "And I'd be pleased if we were able to talk during the trip. I hope you'll be willing to teach me a bit of your Home Ship language too." While it wouldn't be all that useful long term - though who could say? - it could do quite a bit of good if they ended dealing with the ship itself after St. Brendan. Of course, most people wouldn't be able to learn much of anything in the time they had, but for her? It would be a piece of cake.

"For now though, I suppose we'd best go to the ship itself and get you a spot." She seemed to hesitate to add something else, but in the end she shook her head and stood up, inviting Marlo to follow her to the Albatros.

The bridge itself was not designed for a "conference", being very much designed to have everyone facing the same direction. And as the adjacent office was prohibitively small to include everyone, Einar had elected to take a more casual approach and merely stood nearer the bow, his back to the observation window.

"Sure, shouldn't take long" Einar replied and leaned slightly against one console. "So we didn't know Sarah long, seemed smart as a whip" he grinned faintly. "But she made it clear she was never in for the long haul."

He glanced around at the others. "We're a brand new operation, just incorporated, and the ships fresh from the dealer. Military auction" he noted offhand. "But we've got some old hands abaord, most of us are on second careers."

He crossed his arms "But, the main thing we've got goin for us is we're free agents. We can pick and choose where we go, and why we do. Need to keep the tank full and the galley stocked of course, but we've got a lot of wiggle room." he stated proudly.

"So with all that in mind, was there somethin in particular that brought you out this way? We're you...lookin to get to someplace? Or...just a change of pace?" he asked casually, and seemed earnestly interested.

   Before the Captain spoke, Dominiq took a quick look around the Bridge. Usually, such areas were off-limits to civilians, so getting the chance to be invited seemed like a small indulgence to her. From what she could tell, was that the seats showed little wear, and there wasn't the usual lived in ship smell that some tramp freighters usually acquired after a couple of years.

   Dominiq managed a soft giggle as she heard Karvonen's assumption of her cousin, Sarah, and nodded in agreement with the man's words. Smart, sure ... she thought, But occasionally smart-arsed when she got to know you.

   Dominiq took a half-step forward and placed her feet about shoulder-width apart as the Captain finished and asked her what she was looking for. Her left hand rose and rested above the belt on her pants, while she used her right to gesture as she answered Karvonen's question.

   Her hand flattened, palm up, as though she was accepting a gift. "Thank you, Captain, for spelling out not only what you and yours are about, but where you might be headed as well. Always good to know where things stand, so you can figure out where a person might fit in."

   Her hand changed, going from flat to an almost first, with her first finger extended. "What brought me here was a note I received from her that she was leaving the ship and going somewhere else." Dominiq paused, almost taking a moment to consider something, then shook her head and continued. "I'm not exactly sure of the way, or the details, but there is a matter of a Ship Share she'd offered to help buy this vessel. I'm not sure if I'm buying her share, or assuming ownership of same, but Sarah did want to have me involved in some way or another."

   She stopped and took a breath, and looked once again to the gentlemen she'd glanced to before as if she might be trying to gauge their reactions. "As some of you might know, I had a small singing and recording career going for a few years before I got tired of all of the runabout an' stuff that made me walk away. Right now, before my cousin told me about all of this--" she paused and her brown finger made a slow, lazy circle. "I would have been perfectly fine with coming to you all as a passenger looking to see the Galaxy and enjoying sort of a semi-retirement from the biz."

   She raised her finger once more, using it to make a point. "But I know a lot of ships like this go Merchant, and I wouldn't blame you for going the same way. If you're headed that way, I might be able to help out. I'm no expert when it comes to buying and selling cargo, but I know people well enough. You don't exist in the music business without learning a thing or two about producers, power-brokers, and the occaisional trashy disc-spinner." Dominiq rolled her brown eyes and sighed before she returned her attention back to the group.

  "So, pardon a girl's curiousity," she said as she moved close to one of the nearby leather chairs and raised a hand and placed it over the top of the seat to hold it in place while leaning against it. "But do y'all have a plan for the Arcus?"

"Albatross, she use to be the Arcus, now she is an Albatross. We renamed her."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:08, Sun 19 Jan 2020.

 Reggie  responded to Ms. Shabazz. “ I am sorry, Ms. Shabazz, but the policy cannot be changed, unless the Captain authorized such. I am afraid you shall have to surrender all weapons. And again, I regret the need of my having to search your luggage. Until we can upgrade, it is old school methods." Reggie did indeed, seem to mean what he said to her.


 Later, on his return to the ship after running a quick errand, Reggie was intercepted by a young man seeking to bypass the  process to become a passenger on the Albatross. The self-appointed ship’s “Welfare Officer” stopped to regard the man.”  To be honest, I am not aware if there is room or not. If you like, you can accompany me to the ship, and I shall inquire of the XO. Mr. Wymp.” With a smile, Reggie turned and started walking again.

Marlo follows Florence back to the Albatross.  Refueling didn't take that long, and the ship is ready to leave at any time.

There's no hurry to kick them out.  Even though a large passenger ship from Poseidon is arriving soon, the station will still be fairly empty.  (The ship, a regular liner, won't be continuing on to St. Brendan.  The Nebula Pearl simply goes back and forth, Poseidon and Deseret, one of those very comfortable routes some spacers, like characters, get bored with.)

And the young journalist, Sammy Sastrelli, goes to the ship as well, to hopefully secure boarding.

He's excited that the alien will be on the ship.. and then stuck at St. Brendan.

"It'll give me more time, get more info, better stories, that kind of thing."

Sammy is a kind of Paparazzi.  He likes quirky subjects, like Crosser Explorers visiting Human space.  Celebrities aren't his main line... but he knows enough to know who Dominique is.

He mentions this casually to Reginald.  "Now I have to be on this ship!"

Marlo pays no attention to him.  The Crosser is simply interested in a friendly trip to St. Brendan.  Marlo's introduction is by way of the small Translator the alien always carries- when Crossers speak it sounds like musical growling.

"I hope you are comfortable with me.  I know that your species has some instinctive reactions, I understand."

Marlo is referring to something the others might have heard of- anyone with an Education of 8 or better certainly.  Crossers are civilized, gentle, mild mannered people, but they look like carnivorous dinosaurs.  The big reptilian jaws full of long teeth can make humans think of them as "monsters" and react accordingly.  Crossers find this exasperating.

"We're safe Nique, we will not be bothering you so you won't need a knife generally, though you can use one if you need to in your work. If you need one, let Reggie know and he can make arrangements for an exception."

 Reggie make a mental eye roll,at the would be journalist. "If there is a berth for you,Sir, I must ask you not to bother your fellow passengers. If they wish to speak with you, all fine and well. But if they do not, then that is that. Do you accept this?" Asked in a polite tone of voice, and a smile.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:32, Tue 21 Jan 2020.

Einar continued to chat with their highest profile crew member while Wymp and Gain continued to attend to their duties.

"That's an excellent question" Einar replied slowly, and nodded as if it was a topic long discussed among them. Or at least one he had devoted a lot of thought to.

"We are incorporated, so there is a lot of discussion to be had. I imagine Wymp might want to lean her out to maximize the profit margins on our runs, while Reggie, well" he grinned. "That guy might turn her into a full on gunship if he had the money and the time."

He stood and paced a little as he continued. "My background's in Salvage" he explained. "I first took an interest in the ole' girl because of her cargo layout, there's ah, big central bay you see, large diameter access. It's a good design for Salvage because you can cut off a chunk of whatever you want, store it whole, and then sort of chew on it while you are lookin' for your next claim." he took a deep draw from his cup. "So if it were me, I'd take her out lookin for a good claim, somethin we could sell back to the Navy ideally, maybe even somethin their intel wonks'd pay real money for."

He looked her in the eye, then jerked his chin towards the ships exterior. "There's nigh on two centuries of stuff just out their driftin from the wars. And I get the impression that the powers that be don't have a clue where most of it is"

Alwin was a little surprised when he had gotten notice that the Albatross would probably be taking off sooner rather than later.  His past experience with such vessels was that they usually take a little more time in hunting down cargo and acquiring passengers.  Einar and Horace work fast seem, it seems, he mused to himself.

At least he had gotten a really good club sandwich, although he didn't have a chance to learn anything interesting or useful about St. Brandan in the process.

Making his way back to the ship, he tracks down Horace and wait for a moment when the man isn't too busy with passengers or other concerns.  "So what did I miss?" he asks.

Florence came back to the ship with Marlo in tow, and introduced him to the crew. "This is Marlo, who you may have recognized as a Crosser. He's looking for passage to St. Brendan. I've already explained the basics and he is used to traveling that way."

Introductions done, she let Marlo speak for himself and the others negotiate for the cost of the stateroom. Instead, she turned to Dominique. She seemed about to say something but instead closed her mouth. While it seemed probable that she had recognized the former singer, she didn't seem awe-struck or anything. Maybe more surprised than anything else.

She glanced at Einar when he mentioned salvage and shook her head. "They know - or at least knew - where most of it is." She shrugged. "It just doesn't make any sense economically speaking for them to hunt those things. Much better to let other take the risks and pay the costs and buy whatever they find than do it themselves. Plus, the salvagers are not people who would do well in a structured environment like the navy so hiring people to do that would be a nightmare. It's much better that way."

   Dominiq listened while Captain Karvonen outlined the three directions the ship might head down. It sounded to her as if the discussion hadn't yet been settled, and with her own possession of a Ship Share, it might take a while longer. At some point, however, it would have to be settled. But that was a conversation for another time.

   She thought she'd heard something down the passageway before the door to the bridge opened, and her head turned in time to see the arrival of a redheaded woman as well as hear the skritch-skritch of what sounded like claws ... Dominiq took a half-step back from the chair she'd been leaning on, then took another full step and bumped into one of the Bridge consoles before she stopped. Her right hand dove down and reached for something on her belt as her eyes narrowed at the arrival of the alien onto the Bridge. But her dark fingers curled around nothing, the blade and sheath having been surrendered earlier - a fact that left the former entertainer feeling naked for the first time in a long while - to deal with on her way to the Bridge. She moved her back against one of the consoles and brought both arms up and crossed them over her chest while she glared at the pseudo-dinosaur.

   It was a moment before the former entertainer collected herself and glanced to the redhead, who had been about to say something, then closed her mouth and turned her attention back to Karvonen. Dark eyes watched the interplay between both of them, but Dominiq seemed to be content to be quiet and watch. She could tell that the conversational tone of the room had changed, and there seemed to be an energy in the air. She'd watched crowds in the past to gauge their mood in order to figure out which tracks would catch their attention first. But here, the energy was different ... and she wasn't sure that it was a good thing.

  So she kept a watchful eye and said nothing while tossing the occasional frown in the direction of where the Crosser stood. If the Captain wanted to ask more, or if he was receptive to any more of her questions, he would likely let her know. For the moment, she'd let things play out.

The Crosser gives a nod of its toothy, reptilian head when introduced, the traditional greeting in their culture.  Nearby,  Sammy Sastrelli seems pleased.  He has his camera out.


"Your associate Florence is interesting," the alien says through its translator.  "Most Humans have no wish to learn any of our language.  I have heard just a few.  It is said that machine translators cannot emulate the emotion carried in words.  Learning another's language is always valuable.  I do not speak any of the Human languages.  It is sad, but true.  Perhaps I am lazy.  I need nothing special from you for the trip.  I can eat Human food, and I enjoy it.  It is rare that two different planet-descendants can enjoy each others food.  I think that gives Humans and Crossers a special bond.  Do you think so?  Also, your temperature and gravity is acceptable to me.  The air is, you might know, of a low pressure for me but do not worry.  I have a supplemental oxygen generator with me, a good thing, or I would not have been able to breath in all my travels on your ships.  I hope to have an interesting journey, and then only one more journey and I am home.  Thank you all.  You may call me Marlo.  Ah, one more thing.  Florence inquired about economics.  It is something I like to discuss, we can all talk during the journey, I shall be happy."

Alwin realizes that with the hold full of construction equipment and miscellaneous supplies, there is no room for any significant cargo.  But there are open staterooms, and as he knows from his merchant ship experience, ship owners generally consider empty staterooms a waste.  Across the Hundred Worlds, more money is made in the moving of people than anything else. The ship has 12 staterooms, twice what the crew needs even if no one shares.   And there is still a waiting of list of passengers that would pay for a journey to St. Brendan.

Marlo seems interested in the talk of salvage.  The Crosser nods again, and says simply, "oh, yes.  That we can talk about, too."

In reply to Alwin Brandle (msg # 55):

"Not much, interviewing potential crew is all. Nique is seeking working passage."

Reggie seemed always  pop up here and there. He " Popped" up when the Crosser  came on board. He was quick to place a hand in from of Mr. Sastrelli's camera.

 In a low tone of voice. " Mr. Sastrelli, we  spoke of this matter. If someone on board is to be recorded, interviewed, you must have their permission. We value the privacy of our passengers. Thank you for your cooperation."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:29, Wed 22 Jan 2020.

Einar gave Alwin a bit of a wave when he returned, and seemed to look upon Reggies intervention with an approving sort of expression. He pointedly ignored Florence on the matter of Salvage and it's vagaries.

The Crosser he gave his more full attention to, and "got up" from where he was leaning on a console to approach and make everything seem more official. "She is at that" Einar replied with that sort of salty undertone that would only come through to native speakers.

"Welcome aboard Marlo. I'm Captain Einar Korvonen, and this is the XO, Mister Horace Wymp" he gestured to the man. "I had not heard of your people, and so I did a little research when I learned you were comin' aboard. I found it all very interesting, and yeah, I think we'll have a lot to talk about. Salvage included I'm sure." he gave a welcoming gesture down the hall. "I'll show you to your room, once Reggi's satisfied. He's our Security Officer."

"My family are also sort of Nomads. It's not quite the same I'm sure, but we've nearly always lived on ships. There were a few stints on stations, mostly ship breaking work." he mentioned as the newcomers continued to come aboard.

Horace greeted the Crosser Marlo when he was introduced, holding out his hand in greeting.

The journalist nods with a sheepish smile and puts the camera away.

"It is understandable to be curious of me," Marlo says to him.  "Yes, you can record me.  Just not now.  I must set myself in place and look at my quarters.  Are there no other passengers aboard?"

"Who is this person Mister Gain? What does he want? He looks like a paparazzi. Get him out of here."

A Crosser? Alwin mused to himself.  This trip just got more interesting.

He will make himself useful, helping with any last-minute preparations before the Albatross was scheduled to take off.  He made a mental note to himself to study up on Crossers, both their diet and any medical peculiarities that might have to be dealt with.

"Just cook for us Mister Brandle, they eat what we eat."

In reply to Horace Wymp (msg # 64):

 Reggie attempted to explain. "Mr. Wymp, this gentleman is interested in booking passage. He is some sort of journalist, and wants to cover Mr.Marlos journey with us. I said he would have to clear it with you."

"I don't think so. Take the memory card from the camera and kick him off. We don't need his kind giving us bad publicity."

Einar looked mildly surprised and amused by the interaction. He crossed his arms and just watched, obviously interested in just how this would pan out.

"If he wants, I'll pay for the memory card so he suffers no loss."

  " As you wish, Mr.Wymp" said Reggie, never taking his eyes off of the journalist.

 " I regret that I must ask you for your memory card. Mr.Sastrelli. I shall then escort you off the ship." Said Reg in a neutral tone of voice.

   Dominiq watched the unfolding drama, noting that the Captain seemed to be playing along and watching the interaction between the others with an amused look. She watched as the Captain moved in the direction of the Alien and introduced himself, and the rest of his crew before he'd gestured down the hall. Brown nostrils flared slightly at the man's gesture and his offer to escort it to the room it would occupy for the duration of the trip.

   When the ship's X.O. and Security man went back and forth on the subject of the photographer, she noted that the man had put his camera away, but she wasn't sure that the man hadn't taken any pictures onboard the vessel. She wasn't sure about shipboard law worked vs. planetside, but if either of the ship's officers got too forceful with Sastrelli, it wouldn't go too well for the ship.

   "Mister Wymp ... Reggie," she mentioned the Exec's name warmly, along with the Security Chief's. Her heels ticked softly on the deck as she moved closer, but kept her arms folded over her chest and stopped a handful of meters away from the two men and their target. Her voice was cordial and carried a hint of friendliness as she continued. "Lord knows, I'm no more a fan of Mr Sistrelli than either of you, but please do be careful; some reporters are a bit ... sensitive ... when it comes to themselves, or their things."

   "The man has to make a living, after all. So you'll need to find out if he's taken any pictures here on the ship. We could simply ask to see the camera and figure out if he has taken any pictures. If he has, he loses the disk and you can send him on his way. If he hasn't, he still goes away, but he can keep his equipment."

   She looked towards Sistrelli and her dark eyes narrowed as she regarded the man. After her last words, her mauve lips curled on one side in the beginnings of a smirk, but the humour rose no higher than that. "Just my 2 Credits, of course."

"Good point, I leave it to you Mister Gain to take care of as you see fit."

Florence stayed to the side, not really caring much about the journalist / paparazzo. She didn't think it was the right way to handle things at all, especially with Marlo stating he was fine with it, but it wasn't like her opinion was wanted, much less mattered, anyway. And if the man was feeling vindicative… Well, it soon wouldn't be her problem now, would it?

Instead, she turned to Marlo and answered his question. "None at this moment no. That I know of anyway. Do you want me to show you to the staterooms? You'll have your pick." Not that it mattered all that much, but… "And I can show you around if you want?" She cocked her head to the side, after a second. "Will you need help for your luggage?" After a second, she turned to Dominique. "What about you Ms. Shabazz?"
This message was last edited by the player at 16:52, Fri 24 Jan 2020.

"Now that he knows who our newest crew member is Miss Pearce, thanks to you, he has to go. We don't need the distraction of a paparazzi with his camera and recorder. She was looking for time FROM the limelight, not be thrust into it."

Florence looked at Horace for a couple of seconds, then turned her head away without bothering to say anything. Since Dominique was not disguised, any reporter, especially with paparazzo tendencies, would know perfectly well who she was.

But if he wanted to blame her for that debacle... What did it change?
This message was last edited by the player at 17:30, Fri 24 Jan 2020.

Sammy makes the connections in his head, but you can see from his expressions the directions its going:  unfamiliar ship,  strangely hostile to journalists, hardly any passengers... and doesn't seem to want any.

That adds up to things... he doesn't want to mess around with.

Spacers call them Ghost Ships, but they aren't crewed by undead.  Just Humans.  They aren't common, but everyone has seen one or two.  Most of the time, the Ghost Ships just... travel.  They don't take on cargo or passengers, they don't have any known government connection, they pay for things with accounts that are quickly erased, or with cash. They leave no records.  And they break no laws, at least, they have never been known to, so they aren't officially investigated.

This is the polar opposite of most commercial ships.  Commercial ships make a lot of money from passengers and freight, and a good reputation helps.  Ghost Ships avoid getting any reputation.

There are numerous theories- they are smuggling, they are moving extremely rich people who want to travel in secret, they are shifting wealth around for corporations that want to evade taxes, they are engaged in espionage.  Or maybe it's a mix.  Most spacers would agree; probably a mix.  Only the serious Conspiracy Theorists think it's all some unified scheme.  As spacers see it, whatever the Ghost Ships are up to, they have must have good reasons to keep things secret.  So people just don't bother with them.

Maybe if Sammy was a crack investigative journalist... but he is just an avid paparazzi who follows "interesting" travellers around.  He takes the hint:  this is one of those ships.  And departs.

He gives a parting nod to Marlo.  "Hope to see you around, we're both trying to get to the same place, after all."  The alien nods back, and then adds, after Sammy leaves:  "It will be quite a comfortable trip, my own private yacht.  I am like a very wealthy Human now."

** ** ** *** **

The journey to St Brendan is 7 days including maneuvering between planets and warp points.
 During the journey, characters will have a chance to do 2 or 3 things in addition to their other duties.  Florence and Dominique have fewer "ship tasks" with no other passengers aboard, so they have 3. Others get 2.

Talk to Marlo about one of:
Marlo's "take" on humanity from recent travels
Trading with Crossers
Crosser culture

Read articles on St. Brendan
Read articles on Deseret
Read articles about LDMLT01
Read articles about local shipping and trade
Read "Free Trader Weekly" for random tips about the business.  They usually have a write up focusing on a specific commodity, a place, and a ship.

Use a skill to tinker with a system on the ship.  (Not advisable unless you have at least a 3 in the applicable skill.)

Search through entertainment net listings, see if you can find out more about the paparazzi chased off the ship.

Get a lot of rest and relaxation in.

*** *** *** ***

And the ship makes preparations to leave.

They plot a course.  During the journey the ship will make two "course correction" stops, first at a brown dwarf and second at a bright, young, active star known for its variable output, which goes up and down visibly every few hours.  HD 88824, aka LW Vela is the brightest star in the night sky from both Deseret and St Brendan.  With its variable, high energy, young and active nature ships are not advised to travel close to it, but the outer system, among the globs of rock and ice that are the planets here, is safe.

The actual HD 88824.  St Brendan would be orbiting a minor star a little to the left.

During the journey to St. Brendan, Florence spent a while learning everything she could about trade and shipping by reading on her laptop: since no one was now interested in teaching her anything, she had to take care of that herself. Not that she minded much since she was perfectly able to learn by herself - or was surprised by it truth be told - but it didn't make things any easier.

Most of her time however - or at least as much as she could get away with - she spent talking with Marlo. She had considered talking to him about their cultures, but she already knew a bit about that… and she'd have the time later on to delve more into that. In pretty much the same way, she was curious to know what he thought about humans - an external point of view was always interesting after all - but once again, it wasn't the most important she could do at the moment. Plus, what really mattered to her at the moment was humans opinion about their own systems and governments.
Knowing what aliens like the Crossers thought wouldn't be much help at all. So instead, she focused on how, what and why Crossers traded with others…particularly how Marlo's Home Ship did - in comparison with others or not: not only it would teach her quite a bit about Crossers themselves, it could also allow her to learn a thing or two about trade. Though of course, she allowed Marlo to ask her any question he wanted: those were conversations, not interrogations after all!

What was truly notable though, was that those conversation were not done using Marlo's translator: Florence seemed able to undestand him just fine, and somehow, used her laptop to "speak" for her, with a degree of sophistication not found in any kind of standard translator. She even used the opportunity to learn his Home Ship's language if he allowed it.

The rest of her time she spent either in her room or wandering the ship, taking care of whatever random tasks she had or simply stretching her legs. She didn't seem to want to avoid anyone, but didn't seem particularly intent on initiating a conversation with anyone but Marlo.

Horace offered to teach Florence what he could about trade and brokering. Not holding anything said between the two in any negative way. He will talk with Marlo at times when she didn't want to occupy his time, not wanting to interrupt their friendship.

He also spent time with Nique, getting her acclimated to the crew and helping her adjust to space life.

  "Thanks for the offer," Dominiq answered the woman's question politely as her brown eyes took in the redhead for a moment. "But I usually travel light these days. Mr Wymp escorted me to my room and was good enough to give me a hand with my things."

   Her arms uncrossed and fell to her sides as she stepped towards the airlock connecting the Bridge to the rest of the ship. She took a moment to glance back at each member of the crew over her shoulder before her eyes met with the Captains. "I know that you're a busy man, Sir, so I'll keep out of your hair while you do what you need to do. We can talk about the Ship Share at your leisure." She half-turned back to the others and smiled. "Thank you all for the warm welcome, but it's been a bit of a journey and I'd like to get some rest. A pleasure to meet you, Marlo." She smiled to everyone before she turned to leave, then stepped out of the room. Only when her eyes meet the Crosser's did she spend no more than a second to look at it as she passed the Alien. The even tick of her heels changed and became a brief trio of staccato sounds as she passed and moved through the airlock into the hallway. Once she'd passed the door and began walking along the corridor, her graceful steps returned while the door slid shut.

   Dominiq spends the rest of the day onboard, unpacking and setting up her things and making her quarters into something a bit more welcoming. Although the room is decidedly spartan for her taste, a mauve coloured 'dream catcher' soon adorns one wall to add some colour. Once she'd settled in, she changed into a pair of denim pants and a bright floral print top and went about the ship to familiarize herself with the ship's layout and functions. She checked with Reggie first about what was cool and what was a no-go area before she began. She might be a member of the crew soon, but it made sense to learn where she was expected to be, and where she might have to explain herself. When she went walkabout, she smiled and politely greeted those she met and was usually good with answering questions and talking about whatever subject was brought up.

---

   Denim proves to be a theme in her outfits and worn mostly while she is either working as part of the ship's crew, or spending time relaxing.

   "I've been wearing this stuff since I was a girl," she answers to any who take note, "It was the only fabric that could take the stress of a young tomboy who spent her time climbing all over everything. I fell in love with it, and have worn it ever since. Sarah had her fix with dat bomber jacket, and her Haitian heritage,  I was more inta jeans." When she mentioned her cousin, her clipped Standard slipped slightly, and some of her own Caribe-flavoured speech emerges.

   The first couple of days are spent getting to know the ship's routine as well as what's expected of her, along with catching up on some much-needed rest. Even Dominiq's meticulous attention to detail fails occasionally as she sets about her tasks. Only when it comes to working with Horace Wymp's instructions regarding cargo and his mercantile background do her eyes light up. "You know markets and trade, I know people. This could work out perfectly and make us all very ... very rich." Her brown eyes twinkled mischievously at the thought. Along with Mr Wymp's pointers, she also spent some time looking into articles in "Free Trader Weekly", in the hopes that she might gain some insight, as well as complement his breadth of mercantile knowledge.

   Once she's gotten the hang of things aboard ship, Dominiq begins to work collecting information on their destination - St. Brendan. She reads through articles on the planet, culture, morals and regulations. (She had no wish to run afoul of the local regulations, and some Catholic denominations could be a bit strict) She also looked into the local music scene and tried to find out what people were listening to. She'd occasionally played small venues in the years since she'd left the business, and knowing the local flavour of music was always a way to make an impromptu concert more intimate and enhance the crowd's experience. She took note of a handful of songs that she could practice and spent time in her room working on them in the evenings when she wasn't on duty.

   One of the last things she'll look into is any information that could be found on the man who'd tried to get passage on the ship but had been flatly denied by Wymp's undisguised distaste with the man. She had her own reasons for not liking intrusive people in general, and paparazzi in particular ... but there were more dangerous reasons; obsessive fans and stalkers. It was easy enough to forge credentials if you were persistent enough, and thankfully, Dominiq's career had been short enough and long ago that most people had forgotten her.

   Dominique was open enough that she didn't mind the occaisional knock at her door, or talking to someone in the corridors of the ship. If anyone had questions, she had little trouble answering them - provided that they didn't get too personal. She knew she was 'low girl' on the crew list, and it would likely be some time before they opened up to her, although Wymp seemed a bit more friendly when it came to that ...

"I've been brokering deals in space for many years, but if you can help deal with people better, I'm open to it. I'm not always very diplomatic or persuasive when dealing with others."

Einar indicated that he would be happy to talk to Dominique about her ship share at her leisure.

In his free time, Einar took the two pronged approach of trying to keep abreast of the news of LDMLT01, their eventual destination, and the culture of those that called it home.

The man had not been merely polite or factious. The concept of beings living a nomadic lifestyle aboard family vessels interested him, and he was of course also interested in potentially taking a job during the "boom" once they arrived.

He also took the time, as the course of his regular duties, to schedule meetings with each of the crew individually to take stock of what skills or training they were hoping to acquire during their time on the vessel. He paired this was a straightforward rundown of the duties expected and how they would eventually be rated during performance evaluations.

There was a ceremonial aspect to this. They were a tiny crew, they worked together constantly, and he was clear that this was more of a bureaucratic requirement that a purely functional one. When people inevitably moved on, they would need references and proof of employment, as well as tax documentation, certifications, required hours, etc.

These took place in the little room adjacent to the bridge, and had a relaxed atmosphere overall.

For those studying general trade…  they begin with the most critical, basic exercise.

Calculate the “Break Even” of your ship.  The Break Even is the income you expect your ship to require to exactly match all costs, including fuel, supplies, regular maintenance and payroll for the crew.
There are all sorts of variables, for example, every ship type and age has a different maintenance profile, and crews can be paid differently, but there are some standards used for convenience.  It is assumed, for example, that the ship spends 250 days per year travelling.  Trade texts emphasize the importance of maximizing travel time, but not so much that crew fatigue sets in or maintenance is skipped.  250 days of the year is generally considered a reasonable target.

The Break Even is generally calculated per travelling day, as that is the time a transport is actually making money.  Based on this, Florence and Horace calculate a probable Break Even of 4550 per travel day.  250 days of travel, earning 4550 per day, and the Albatross meets all its expenses.

That’s a lot better than it could be, because they paid so much into the ship originally- the ship shares and other investment.  Without paying down the purchase price it would have been 11,500 per day.  On the other hand, the ship could really use an ace mechanic and some on board maintenance gear.  Maybe a decent robot that could do exterior hull work.  That could bring down expenses.

But there’s the target, the bare minimum the ship must meet to avoid losing money.  At that, it won’t generate profit, or pay back the initial investment, but it will not lose.

Step 2.  What are the ship’s money makers?   The Albatross has 12 staterooms of which 6 are taken by the crew, and 12 units of cargo space.  Here, it depends in part on what is expected to be in use at any one time.

At going rates, a stateroom should earn 450 per day at High Passage, and 300 per day at Middle or Low Passage (the difference between the last two being how many people are stuffed in a stateroom, 1 or 2 for Middle, 3 or 4 for low, with very young children typically being free) .  Ergo, booking 6 staterooms at middle passage should bring in 1800 per day.    Freight- regular fees simply to transport someone else’s goods from point to point- are typically 600 per unit per day, so this would bring in another 7200.  All together, 9000 per day, which is about twice the break even!  Not bad, but it would take over 30 years to pay back the initial investment, and clearly, a 100% mortgage would never work.

How, then, does an Albatross pay for itself?

A few other considerations.

First, the Albatross is a “surface to surface” ship, and that goes for a premium price compared to ships that do not land, and stop in orbit and transfer passenger and cargo to landers.  One “up and down” is generally considered worth a day of travel.  There’s another 9,000 a month.  Secondly, the Albatross can handle very special cargoes, which shippers will pay a premium to move.  Thirdly, smaller ships can be more flexible than the larger ones.  A large ship might have a regular route between Calderada and Lyonesse.  It would not divert to a different destination because even if it could fill its holds with freight for that new destination, it would be leaving many regular customers in a difficult spot.  They will have to make alternative arrangements, and then, when the ship returns to the Calderada to Lyonesse run, they might not all be back.  So, a small ship can adapt, and charge a premium for a “special” run.

And finally, there is the issue of Speculative Trade.  Horace and Florence have calculated that the Albatross can meet its Break Even and then some without going into Speculative Trade, but this is where the real money is.  Most cargo is never purchased by a ship.  Ships are simply paid to take it from A to B.  Speculative Cargo is bought by a ship, transported, and resold.  It is really a descendant of Commodity Futures trading of 21st century Earth. But while those commodity brokers made their money by speculating on the price of pork bellies six months into the future, Speculative Trade now relies on speculating on the price of pork bellies 50 light years away.  This is a tricky and lucrative business, in which there are gains and losses, and will be covered in Part Two.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:09, Mon 27 Jan 2020.

"We could get rich Florence, thinking about staying yet? I hope you do. What you thinking about Nique?"

   Dominiq's thin fingers moved quickly as she replied to Wymp's admission. "I think we've been working the same way, just from different angles. You've spent your time speculating cargoes and moving product - and I'll wager you could do it without even thinking twice. I've been doing almost the same thing - only the product was me. Selling yourself and selling any product isn't that hard, you just have to know what the other side wants, and can deliver." She brought her hands together and folded her fingers together, then steepled the first two, then and pointed them at Wymp. "If you can help me learn some of the ins and outs of being a broker, I can show you how to deal with difficult people. Sometimes, it's not what you say, it's how you say it. I can't guarantee it'll work all the time - some people just can't be bothered to work that stick out of their butts, and I'm not interested in changing minds that don't want to be. But like I said earlier, we work together, this could work out for all of us."

---

   In her interview with the Captain, she kept her expectations simple. She explained about her extensive work in the music business until she left some eight years ago. "Why'd I leave?" she replied before the question could be raised - something it seemed like she'd been asked on more than one occasion. "A lot of my music at first was acceptable, but I thought later that it was mainstream dreck. By the time I got to Another 'D' album" I was looking for a new sound, and "Any 'D' thing you want" had an edge that the critics, as well as some members of the religious community. By that time, I was burned out so I sold most of my stuff and went vagabond, hoping to see the Galaxy and find something that would re-start my career ...

   "I'm looking to help out where necessary, I'm not proud Captain," she'd mentioned, "After all, I've got a Ship Share to work off now. I'm not sure how you want to work this arrangement out; working passage in exchange for credit towards the Share? Let's face it, it's going to take a while for my cousin's 2 million to get worked off. But if you've got some ideas, Captain, I'm willing to listen."

This message was last edited by the player at 19:22, Mon 27 Jan 2020.

"You now OWN 2 million credits of the ship, what do you mean work it off?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:31, Mon 27 Jan 2020.

In reply to Horace Wymp (msg # 86):

   "That share belongs to my cousin, not me ..." Her steepled hands unfolded into flat palms that face up.  "Unless Sarah transferred it directly to me, Horace, it's not mine."

   Dominiq's dark features gained a hint of strawberry, while she bought her right hand to her mouth and glanced down. "Sorry, I'm not trying to be bold, here."

"No, you're fine, I understand now, you're working it off of HER! Not us. I got it now I think."

During the trip to St. Brendan, Alwin spends a fair amount of time studying up on Crosser physiology, just in case the alien required any medical attention.  This also included going over the dietary needs of the alien, despite Horace's statement that such was unnecessary.  There was also a chance, no matter how slim, that there was some human food that the alien had not yet encountered which could prove harmful to Marlo.  Alwin's paranoia about such matters required that he at least make an effort to head off any potential problems before they could occur.

When not doing so, or attending to other basic duties required of him on the ship, he will skim through various articles regarding both St. Brendan and the local shipping and trade in the area.

At some later point, with the captain's permission, he will see if the capabilities of the ship's various computer systems can be improved.  For the moment, he's just glad to be able to settle into something of a routine.

   Dominiq nodded at his clarification. "I knew I was working it off somewhere," she remarked, brown eyes rising up to look towards the Ship's First Officer. "I just wasn't sure to who I was paying it to, is all."

   She pulled her hands back and steepled her first fingers under her lips. "With the usual formalities out of the way, is there anything I should know about the Albatross' systems or anything? Just so I don't step on toes, or anywhere I'm not rated to be? I know that the ship carries a small crew, and we're probably going to be close together while we're travelling ... call it a 'curiosity', if you like, about the ship's culture."

---

OOC: Just waiting to hear from the Captain - haven't seen a post from him in the last few days.

"We're new, no set rules yet. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you is about it. The Golden Rule." he replies with a smile. "The captain hasn't made any place off limits to anyone."

Crosser biology and society

Of all the various alien species discovered, Crossers have a biology closest to human.  This is despite the fact that they look a lot like 2 meter tall tyrannosaurs.  Most of the other aliens are much more alien!
Having much of the same chemistry as humans, they have evolved in such a way as to eat many of the same things.  They often enjoy “Human food” as eating and tasting a wide variety is a great joy to them.  There are some things to be cautious of, although in general, Crossers can use a far greater variety of food than Humans can.

The cabbage family of vegetables makes them sick.  It appears to do so without causing any real damage.  This may be a defense mechanism- possibly something in cabbage causes their body to automatically react.  (There is a strange exception to this.  Fermenting the vegetables neutralizes the effect.  They can eat sauerkraut and kimshi!)

Seafood is not naturally toxic to them, however, some contain levels of pollutants or natural contaminants that while mildly dangerous to Humans when eaten to excess, are much more dangerous to Crossers.  Farm raised fish with organic diets and clean water are safe.

Fermented dairy products- cheese, yogurt- affects them much the same way that low levels of alcohol can affect humans.

Food that has been “nutritionally enhanced” for Humans often contains excesses of certain elements that can unbalance a Crosser’s metabolism.  Anything containing nutritional supplements should be avoided.

Crosser Society is much smaller than Human society.  We outnumber them many times over, and they live in widely scattered Home Ships.  As a result, they have a simpler society in many ways.  Two important things to remember: first, they are all of flexible gender.  Normally they have no gender, at certain times, their bodies will decide to become male or female.  The Crossers have not disclosed the details.  Most crossers Humans meet will be Non Gendered, as most Gendered Crossers are raising children.  A Crosser can easily bear children as a female, and years later fertilize females as a male.  While the details are not known, from conversations with Crossers it is believed that most of this is beyond their control.  A Crosser does not decide to become male or female.  We think.

They are also different in their organization.  Crossers have no government.  The idea of it is alien to them.  They’ve given up asking “why?” with us, they just accept that Humans have government.  Sometimes they ask “How?”.    Instead of government, Crossers seem to be able to form consensus that certain individuals should be listened to, but for certain things.  Crossers seem to understand who on a Home Ship knows best how to run the engines, and that Crosser is listened to when engine issues arise. They see no reason to give that same Crosser any authority on other issues.

This may be related to another feature of Crosser culture:  they do as much as they can alone.  Marlo has traveled and studied and recorded with no staff, no assistants.  Simply, go out, study, report back.  They are not natural collaborators as much as Humans are.

Crossers and Trade

It’s not easy to mesh the Human economic system of Credits with an alien species that visits randomly, with different “home ships”, that cannot really use Human currency.  A Commonwealth credit really has limited value away from the Commonwealth.   Fortunately, the Crossers are experts at long distance interstellar trade, and they have worked this all out.

Here’s what they do:  A Home Ship is a very large vessel, bigger than any Human ship and most Human space habitats, but it moves fairly slowly.  It’s home to somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 Crossers, depending on which one it is.  Long before it arrives, it sends out Explorers.  Some of these, like Marlo, are “business and culture explorers”.  One of the specialties of the Crossers is large scale space engineering.  They are the best Space Habitat builders out there.  They have converted entire asteroids into massive space stations.  (Don’t try this without professional supervision, it involves nuclear bombs).  But they can’t just luck their way into this, this has to be arranged early one- by the Explorer- and then the Home Ship will make its way to the system where the work must be done, and pause for a year or so, before turning around for home.  In the mean time, the contract for the work involves a deposit.  The deposit is in Commonwealth currency, which the Crossers will use to pay for things they want.

In addition to their construction expertise, the Crossers are known for some other products.  Some of these are not their own, being carried from other civilizations they have visited in their travels.   Much of their technological expertise is focused on space living.   Machines are generally not sold, not because the Crossers are trying to protect the technology, but because machines generally assume a technological infrastructure to repair and maintain them.

Things they might have available:
Batteries.  More efficient than Human made batteries.  A Crosser specialty.
Hull Armor.  Another Crosser Specialty.
Self Sealing Glass.  And another.  Especially valuable for windows on submarines, spacecraft, etc, and as helmet visors.
Adjustable Acoustic panels – these clever wall panels change their acoustic properties, making them very useful for theaters, conference rooms, auditoriums, restaurants, or anywhere else where sound reflectance and absorbance is an ussue.
Smart Nano-Dust Patch Kits – It’s a rule in space that hull punctures will occur in the place hardest to get to.  The Nano-Dust Patch kit releases a cloud of tiny particles that are drawn to the leak, and then plug it.  Essentially, a blood clotting mechanism for spacecraft.
Magnetodynamic pumps- pump liquids and gasses without moving parts.
Heat Sink Matrix – not Crosser technology.   The matter within the Heat Sink Matrix is in an exotic quantum state and is able to absorb far more heat than 21st century physics would deem possible.  It will slowly decay into ordinary matter as it absorbs heat.
Mimosan glass-bone – a transparent, carvable organic “bone” from a very distant world.
Gravity suspension tank – tanks for the transport of very delicate items, including very exotic scientific samples and experiments.   This uses a very advanced inversed gravity bottle to keep the item in the center of the tank, never touching the walls.  It is well beyond the ability of Human or Crosser technology to manufacture.
Vacugel – a foam of tiny, stiff, transparent bubbles which contain vacuum.  Vacugel is a very lightweight insulation, with strong protection against heat, lasers and radiation.  It is sold in large panels, and can be cut, but not bent, without disrupting the bubbles.
Grawl Skins    - another organic product from a distant world.  Humans have never seen Grawls- the word comes from Human interpretation of the Crosser word for the animal.  But the skins are soft, furry, mink like, in pastel colors- pinks, oranges, light blues and greens.
Bioluminescent tattoo ink.  As weird as it sounds.




Things Crossers like to buy:  According to Marlo, complex raw materials are hard for Crossers to come by.  And by complex, Marlo means the interesting and wonderful natural oil compounds from a variety of Human sources.  Petroleum is useful to them, not as a fuel but as a starting point for chemical synthesis.  Plant oils, such as seed oils, olive oil, and coconut oil, as well as the rendered fat of animals.  Even… butter?  It’s hard to find equivalents to these things in space.   And there is Human food, of course.  Crossers do not appreciate many forms of Human art, but Human food impresses them.

 On the transit to their destination, Reggie hits the computer to do research on their destination, current events, problems, what form of government, law enforcement, crime if any, etc. He also did a bio search on the Journalist that wanted to travel with them.

   Dominiq smiled and opened her hands to show her pale palms. "You sound like my mother and my pastor, talking about 'Do unto others' like that. I thought that if you left people alone, they'd leave you alone. Works for me.

   "Just a couple of things I wanted to go over with you while I'm here; if we're going to be working together, are we being strictly formal, or on a first-name basis? Again, I'm not familiar with how y'all work about here and want to make sure I'm not stepping where I shouldn't. Forgive a girl for sayin', but I get the feeling that you were in the military ...

   "And second, I'm not sure what the deal is with the Crosser, but I'll be keeping my distance from 'Marlo'--" she brought up her hand and gestured with the first two fingers, making 'air quotes'. "--He might be the gentlest soul in the Galaxy, but those teeth give a girl pause if you get me."

   Dominiq lowered her arms and pushed off the console she'd been half-sitting on. "Unless you've got questions for me, I should be figuring out what's where. Just let 'em know when you need me, and we'll get started."

"You can call me Mister Wymp or Horace, don't matter to me. Call the captain captain though."

Naturally, Marlo doesn't just talk about things the characters want to know about.

The Crosser has interests beyond just eating.  Marlo is an Explorer, after all.

And one thing Marlo has seen a lot of...

"So many Humans now are not happy with the way they are led.  Not the specific leaders themselves, but the system through which they are selected and trained.  I consulted our knowledge of Humans before I began my recent exploration, but it did not indicate this level of unhappiness.

"You know, there is fear, concerning what should happen if Humans turn against their government.  I understand.  I also understand the discomfort of Humans, you see, we Crossers do not have government like you do.  It is against our nature.  Yes, it would be uncomfortable for us.  But yes, I also see the dangers in acting against it.

"Do you think this shall pass away in time, or will Humans truly turn against their government?"

Florence sighed, pensively as she considered the question Marlo had asked her in one of their discussions. “The problem is not so much the way Governors are selected or trained. Or at least it's not the real issue anyway. No one thinks they are corrupt or bad at their jobs. At least no one seriously thinks that and nothing indicates they'd be right to do so in the first place.” The girl sighed. “The problem an increasing number of people have with that system is that they feel Governors don't necessarily have the best interest of whatever group they belong to, or their planet, in mind.”

She tilted her head to the side. “And in a sense, they're right: Governors' first duty is to the whole of humanity, not one specific group or planet. Which obviously can cause a few problem as no one likes to be told they matter less in the grand scheme of things than someone else they're unlikely to ever meet much less care about. Though of course, it's not that bad: all Governors want whatever planet they're affected on to prosper. One planet failing is a failure for everyone.”

“But the people who protest the current government want to have a say in whatever decisions are taken. You'll have a wide range of solutions depending who you talk to, from removing Governors entirely and having local groups taking all the decisions, to simple advisory assemblies advising Governors, or in between options like having local groups take high-level decisions and letting Governors implement those.”

She paused for a couple of seconds before continuing. “But there are two problems: first, there's the fact that we are technically still at war with the Carinans. Most humans you'll meet can afford to ignore that little fact, stating they haven't been seen since fifty years ago and that they were in fact beaten. Governors can't ignore this however, no matter how much others would want to. Which leads to unpopular decisions like military expanses, both to maintain the fleet or for R&D.” She grimaced slightly.

“The second is that I don't think Governors are against change or finding a better solution to govern the Commonwealth. Or at least most of them aren't against change because it's a change. But if you've studied our history, you will have noticed that pretty much every other regime devolved into corruption where career politicians said everything and anything to get in a position of power, then did everything they could to stay there or increase their power or fortune, not caring at all what happened to whatever nation they belonged to.” Florence waved her hand. “There are of course some exceptions, but for the most part, that's how it went. So in theory, Governors are not against popular representation of some form… they just don't want it to devolve into what has been seen in the past.”

“But the common man in the street doesn't much care what happens three jumps over or ten years from now. His problem are here and now. Governors are trained, extensively, to think of the global and long term consequences of their actions, which leads to the current disconnect. Add to that alien involvement like the Momo…” She shook her head. “Solutions are being sought, but none have been found yet… And the more time passes, the harder it becomes…”

Horace carried out his duties daily and tried to train Florence and Nique. He tried to learn what he could from them too, knowing he could always improve on himself too.

Florence seems to be the one Marlo talks to most on the way to St Brendan. This is okay with the alien, though it is clear that Marlo doesn't understand Dominique's skittishness.  Marlo likes the fact that Florence gives detailed answers.  That's exactly what Explorers want.  Lots of knowledge. And, it's a bonus that someone actually took the time in life to study a bit of the Crosser language.

One of the Crosser languages, actually.  The Home Ships have been in space for longer than Human history.  Their languages have drifted apart.  They maintain one "universal" language for easy communication between themselves, sharing cultural information with other Home Ships, things like that.  That's what Humans always study, because it makes more sense than learning one of the "active" Crosser languages.  But for the Crossers, it's kind of like Latin was for Humans of the industrial revolution era- something very smart and educated people are expected to learn, but certainly not used in every day life.

Marlo promises to mention Florence... and the rest of the Albatross... to the other Explorers once back on the Home Ship.

The alien has been away from the Home Ship a very long time and is not sure what the other Explorers have turned up in the mean time.  Some, like Marlo, have been studying Humanity and the current Human economy, some have been arranging construction deals in advance, and some have been scouting.

"We know the Carinans are not gone," Marlo explains.  "There is still the war in the distant region you call the front, though your leaders and the Oumo and others say we are winning.  But the Carinans have dispersed many small scouts in space.  We ran across a few over the years.  There are likely a few in this region, and if there are, my fellow Explorers will have discovered them by now.  Each of us gathers a piece of information, then we bring it all together, it is quite a show.  Of course, if you are going no further than St Brendan you will not meet the other explorers.

Marlo is also able to share a little information on the Carinans.  Nothing recent, since the Explorer has been away from the Home Ship for so long.

"Based on our encounters so far we have modeled the density of Carinan scouts.  In the star systems beyond your settlements, the odds of encountering one in any given system seem to low.  There appear to less than ten in any given 50 light year sector of space at a time.  They do seem more interesting in monitoring than in fighting.  They will flee, if you press them.  And of course, if you disable them they are likely to destroy themselves.  They are machines and have no fear of death like you and I.  Self destruction is their way of keeping their secrets.  This is known to Crossers, and to your military as well. So be very careful if you find them."

The story continues in the St. Brendan Thread, when the ship arrives in system.

There are a few immediate choices to be made, the most important of which is your passenger.

Drop Marlo off at the orbital port?
Head straight for your remote surface delivery point?
Or maybe to the major city area of St. Brendan first?  Your destination is a small, remote settlement, but the planet does have a population over 16 million, and a few serious cities, clustered together in the main zone on the far side from your destination.

What about our customer? Do they want delivered first or second?

   Dominiq brought her arms down and placed her hands on the arms of the chair. "Well, since you're all right with it, I'll call you Horace and we can work from there. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to familiarize myself with the Albatross' layout. If you want to ask me anything, or just want to talk, my comm frequency is always open."

   The dark-skinned former entertainer rose from the chair and smiled, then proceeded to the door. After she'd stepped out, she looked in both directions, then went to the left and passed out of sight.

   Shabazz spent the next few days acclimating to the ship's routine and working herself into the crew roster as needed. Her days were usually spent in learning new systems or processes, either on her own or with the help of others. In her path to learning, she managed to catch on as well as one might expect and there were many times that she would ask questions about the process, or even why things were done in such a fashion. Occasionally, she made suggestions in order to improve the way something was done - she wasn't a woman that accepted the old maxim: "Because it's the way that it's always been done."

   Her evenings were spent either in study or meditation and occasionally the soft tones of a song came from behind her stateroom door. Practising, and keeping her voice limber, was key to the occasional pop-up appearances in the smaller clubs and clubs here and there that dotted her life after she'd left the spotlight. Even when she was 'on duty' and working by herself, she hummed the occasional popular tune or one of her old hits to help pass the time.

   The only difficulty that she had was with the Crosser, "Marlo". Although polite when she encountered the alien, her cordiality never ventured further than polite greetings and conversation. Dominiq kept a respectful distance but never came within the creature's reach.

---

OOC: We can drop off Marlo wherever he prefers, I'd say. He's a passenger, and wherever he wants to be deposited, I'm all for doing that.

   Dominiq would likely vote for going to St. Brendan second, after dropping off what we were contracted to do. Once at the Capitol, and armed with all of the local customs on file, she can put herself up in a modest hotel room and see what sort of 'people' are like on this planet. (Never hurts to know a little bit about the 'movers and shakers' of the place you're visiting) She'll also ask either the Captain or Horace how long that the Albatross is going to be on St. Brendan - if anything more than a week, she might arrange to 'appear' at a club and give a small, intimate performance.

"Lets drop Marlo off at the high port and then head in and deliver our cargo. Then we can go to the capital and look for a cargo,"

Things continue on from here at "St. Brendan."