Fortunately, the Dust Runner got to Regina after it had already repulsed the attack/would-be invasion by the Zhodani, so it wasn't a case of jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.

However, shortly after the ship landed on Regina, the entire Spinward Marches was declared an Amber Zone by the Travellers' Aid Society. That meant little traffic was going in or out of Regina unless it was military.

For the next two years, world after world falls to the enemy--Zhodani, Sword Worlds, or Vargr.

It isn't until 120-1110 when the war turns with the recapture of Lanth. It takes another year before a final armistice is reached.

During the three years, the Dust Runner and crew have been stranded on Regina... not so much because of any military restriction but because fuel is being mostly diverted for the military and the space around Regina isn't safe. It's also unclear which worlds are safe to travel to; on more than one instance, a destination was picked only to find out the next day that it had been occupied by the enemy.


During those three years, the crew had to do some fast-stepping to keep the Dust Runner from being conscripted by the military. In the end, it wasn't armored enough or armed enough to be useful, and it was finally decided that the resources needed to upgrade it would be better spent on other ships.

The ship-trading with Clive was also put on hold pending the military dispensation but eventually the negotiation went through. The Dust Runner was parked next to the Darrian ship and the conversion to a restaurant was made with the crew's help. Somewhat oddly, the restaurant business actually got better since there were a lot military personnel now eating there.

Once Lanth was recaptured, the war did seem to be winding down and there seemed to be less chance of Regina being attacked again. During that last year, the crew was able to effect repairs to the Darrian ship and do the rest of the refurbishing.

It was originally called the Calliope though there are no records left that indicate why it was named that. The restaurant was called the Fusion, being changed to the New Fusion in the Dust Runner. It's customary to rename a ship when it changes functions, though sometimes when it just changes owners, too.


Even before the refurbishing is done, you've got a prospective client. Baron Mylar Vorkosigan wants to pack his whole family and estate off world to somewhere a bit farther away from the 'border'. He's still trying to decide where that is, but wants to know if you are interested in doing the transport.


OOC: Meanwhile, if there's any trouble you want to get into while you wait for the war to end, you can do that, too!

"I've got to do a bit of shopping to get ready for space again, anybody need anything?" Harry asks before setting off to pick up a few things.

Gunnery 3, Computer 1, Gun Cbt 1 (laser rifle), Jack 'O Trades 1, Blade Cbt 1 (sword), Farming 0, Archery 0, Instrument 0, Comms 0, Vacc Suit 0, Mechanics 0, Pilot 0, Sensors 0, Swimming 0
This message was last edited by the player at 15:10, Tue 09 Apr 2019.

IM takes the time off to explore Regina and live a pretty high life. He's go credits and wanders about with an emphasis on the wilder, nature wise, side of Regina.

(will need to go shopping)

Arc wasn't sure what to do with himself. He had no idea how long the war was going to last. By all reports, though, Regina was 'safe'. Having repulsed the initial Zhodani attack, no one expected them to try again any time soon. As reports of system after system falling... well, being occupied... that meant less forces to bring to bear on Regina. That was the theory, anyway.

It was the newscasters, of course. They had nothing else to do. So little traffic was coming into Regina that news from around the sector... and beyond... was scarce. They couldn't really blame anyone... it was unclear just what the cause of the war was. Propaganda insisted it was Zhodani Aggression... Expansion... they stopped one step short of insulting the Zhodani just in case Regina did get occupied.

For the most part, though, it was business as usual. The cost of some items went up because the supply chain was broken. But, work still had to be done and people still had to eat.

When it was finally revealed that they couldn't leave Regina for awhile, Arc spent the first couple of days getting drunk. That was always a good time! However, it just wasn't his nature to drink himself under the table in the long run. He needed to DO something!

So, he spent the next several weeks helping move the restaurant from one ship to the other.

There was certainly no need to live and sleep on the Dust Runner, but that's what he did anyway.

He wasn't sure what Misty was up to, but she had everyone check in at least once a week. That was in case the 'quarantine' suddenly lifted... not that the ship was going to take off at a moment's notice.

Harry purchased TL14 Vacc Suit (protection 8, 4 kg) 24,000 Credits Smart Fabric and Medikit
Combat or Slow drugs and the Slow Drug antidote on command. TL13 Laser Transceiver 500 credits
TL 10 Comms, Multiple forms of data, computer/1 Cr. 500

He then helped move the restaurant and prepare the ship for flight once more.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:47, Tue 09 Apr 2019.

The first thing Roland did was inspect the Darrian ship. His first stop was the engines, since that seemed to be why the ship wasn't flying any more. Then, in order: power plant, electronics, avionics, life support, structure, hull.

22:39, Today: Roland Steen rolled:
Engine inspection: 8
Power plant inspection: 11
Electronics inspection: 12 (includes computers and communications)
Avionics inspection: 7 (includes sensors)
Life support inspection: 9
Structure inspection: 10
Hull inspection: 6
...using 2d6+2,2d6+2,2d6+2,2d6+2,2d6+2,2d6+2 ((4,2,5,4,4,6,1,4,1,6, 6,2)).

"What shall we name her? Rambling Rose sounds good."

"How does everything look Roland? Tip top shape or do we need work?"

Roland's inspection of the ship produced only one minor surprise.

Engine inspection (8; success): twin maneuvers drives, original Darrian engines; one needs rebuilt or replaced. Original Darrian Jump drive looks okay, but will have to be powered up for a full diagnostic, which includes the lanthanum grid embedded in the hull.

Power plant inspection (11; success): looks okay; ship is currently running on planetary grid power. Before power it up, the reaction chamber should be purged of the accumulated heavy elements.

Electronics inspection (12; success): the Darrian computer is intact but seems a bit small for the size of the ship; communications are modern but not Darrian.

Avionics inspection (7; not fully successful): sensors seem intact, but should be tested before relying on them.

Life support inspection (9; success): working just fine. Not only do they support the restaurant but Clive lives in the ship.

Structure inspection (10; success): not much can be told from an external inspection, but it's not like termites could have damaged the supports. There's nothing visible from the outside that indicates the ship might have ever been damaged by collision or weapons fire.

Hull inspection (6; not fully successful): the hull seems to be 100% intact.

Looking over Roland's support IM volunteers to take a look at them himself.

Later he comments "Looks like the ship is if fairly good shape, might have the shipyard boffins give a the full maintenance overhaul before we take it out. It's a long walk home if we missed something. Might see if we can have the maintenance cost taking out of the sale price."


16:48, Today: Ignatius Maor rolled 8 using 2d6+3 with rolls of 4,1.  Inspect Sensors.

10:10, Today: Harry McStubbin rolled 5 using 2d6+3 with rolls of 1,1. check guns.

"The 'guns' don't look so good, they need some work before we shove off."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:44, Mon 15 Apr 2019.

Harry is standing there look at the 'weapons'--it's a big empty hardpoint.

Darrian far traders don't normally come with weapons, and certainly the restaurant never needed them (even if they'd bee allowed, which they probably weren't).

"Well shit, no wonder they weren't checking out, no guns! We need guns!"

IM notes "Uh, how much of our funds do we have left after the purchase?"

"Probably not enough to come even close. I have 45,000 credits in the bank. I do have 4 ship's shares left after my buy in."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:20, Fri 26 Apr 2019.

By moving the Dust Runner over to a non-berth area of the starport, you avoid the berthing fees, but it wasn't really being enforced anyway as the point of them was to get ships to move it and out quickly. With so little traffic coming in, the berths weren't really needed.

Additionally, due to the war, all mortgage payments were suspended for the duration because the banks realized you couldn't earn any income if you couldn't leave the planet. And what would the bank do with all these impounded ships, sitting there requiring the bank to pay berthing fees and maintenance.

Also, for the above reason (and a few others), you were able to negotiate an impressive deal to swap the two ships. Government subsidizing of lost revenues and such enabled you to swap the two ships through a broker who did some financial prestidigitation to reduce the owned mortgages. He could quite get rid of all of it, but the Darrian Far Trader has a lot of remaining value.

Clive had originally quote a 100MCr price for the ship, but he'd set that price to scare away anyone who wasn't really interested. The actual book value of the trader was around 68MCr.

So, at the end of the 3 years, you've managed to get the engines fixed... since there wasn't any great rush to do that and most of the engineers had their hands full with the war effort, they could work on it in their spare time... at a reduced rate.

You've done enough odd jobs to keep up on the maintenance.

You are now down to a crew of 7: Luise, Arc, Harry, IM, Kraig, Roland and Steve.

Once given the okay, you've got about a month before departure to work on any last minute details... such as buy cargo, if that's what you want.

You also still have a standing offer to move the Baron off world.

"Do we want to add a hard point and a turret for self defense?" he asked, "Or let that go for now and concentrate on making money? I realize I'm new to the ship, just joining the crew a few years ago."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:32, Fri 19 Apr 2019.

Kraig spent a great deal of time training and working out as they had a good deal of downtime.  He also immersed himself in the trading and brokerage operations in the system to keep his skills sharp.  He also went out and shopped around to upgrade his equipment and weapons.  When the others had gathered back at the ship he looked over their findings.  "Good work overall guys.  I would say we upgrade our weapons as much as we can afford.  If we're going to be doing borderline work the weapons will be helpful." He considered their options.  "I can broker some cargo if we want to start out with something straightforward.  Also, do we want to take the Baron off world?"

Harry spent a lot of time learning the Trade and Broker side of the operation to help out and astrogation for space to go along with his gunner and comms and computer skills plus he spent time learning a few languages.

"I have money to help out as well, I have my share in the ship plus four more that can be used for upgrades and cargo for us. No harm in making some credits on the side."

"What do we name her? We have to rename the ship, it may as well be a good name.

"I have money toward upgrades too, what do we want to do and how much will it cost?"

"How much does he offer for the move and where to?" The Baron
This message was last edited by the player at 13:16, Sat 27 Apr 2019.

"Let's decide on what kind of weapons we want to put on board, and then see what they cost," Luise suggests.

"If we can't afford what we want... cash up front, we might be able to get a government subsidy because of the war. Otherwise, we could just add to the mortgage. I'm reluctant to go that way because we just got out from under our last one. So, it's clear ether from here on out."

"As for the Baron... he still hasn't made up his mind where he wants to go. The entire sector is vulnerable... or already an amber world."

"He's limited to Regina Subsector because of his title. His options are: Feri, Efate, Boughene, Pixie and Kinorb."

"Anyway, we're getting ready to fly, so, Kraig... do you want a specific destination for your cargo first, or are you willing to take a chance on what's available and hope we can sell it where we go? I'm currently thinking we should head for Feri."

"Single turret laser, add a missile or sandcaster? What do we want? I have four ship shares besides the million credits I used to buy in, that's 4 million credits, what do others have on account?"
This message was last edited by the player at 14:19, Sun 28 Apr 2019.

"I vote for all of the above!" Steve chimed in.

"Seriously, though, lasers have more control. You start throwing missiles around and things just get destroyed. That's okay if you're the military trying to eliminate the enemy, but that's not what we're looking to do, right?"

"Two turrets, twin lasers in each, and a sandcaster."

"So, what's that add up to? 500,000Cr for each twin turret, a pair of pulse lasers for 1MCr, a pair of beam lasers for 2MCr, and a sandcaster for 250,000Cr."

"What's that? A total of 4.25MCr. Surely we can swing that."

"I can kick in a million credits with a share. Who else?"

"I don't know anything about ship weapons," Arc offers, "but I do know we've got 14 MCr in the ship's fund right now. If we accept Harry as a crewmember, that's 15 MCr."

"Any reason why we can't use that to buy weapons?"

"That's even better, I can do better if asked as well as far as shares go. I have money to invest. I had a good muster out from the Imperial Navy."

Kraig considered.  "I have seven shares I can throw into the mix.  I don't want to leave her with a mortgage hanging over our head.  I'd also rather use our ready cash for cargo and operating expenses."  He thought for a bit. "Let's go with the double lasers and a sand caster in two triples.  That's the best bet by far Steve."

When Louise spoke up Kraig nodded.  "Feri is fine.  I'll work my magic with that in mind.  If we can take the baron along as a paying customer or at least to garner good will then all the better."  He looked around.  "If everyone is ok with the weaponry we can cash in the shares into a common pot and we can go shopping."

"I'll keep one share for emergencies for now and invest 3 million from my shares. I'm an expert gunner by the way." Harry replied.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:59, Fri 03 May 2019.

IM offers 250k Credits in addition to his one share.

"That's 3.25 million more credits, I think we can afford to arm her. As it takes a while, we better get that started, two lasers and a sandcaster in twin turrets. We should be able to defend ourselves quite effectively." Harry says.

OOC - who's captain?

Kraig nodded.  "I'll get started on working out vendors and yard time to get the weapons installed.  Do we want to do any other engineering work while we're laid up?"

OOC: I think Louise might be the captain...

"Let me know if you need help Kraig, and I'll give you a hand. Do any of the drives need updated or overhauled? It would be bad to be stuck in deep space with a broken engine."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:34, Wed 08 May 2019.

"Are you impugning my skills, little man?" Roland says... with a twinkle in his eye. He's really trying to see what this new person is made of.

"I can keep this ship flying with bailing twine, chewing gum and duct tape if I have to! But it ain't never gotten to that point on my watch!"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:10, Wed 08 May 2019.

Harry smiled, "Never doubted you for a second, it's the ship that doesn't always play by the rules!" he says with a glint in his eye.

Kraig chuckled.  "We've kept up with the maintenance and the engines were overhauled but knowing engineers there is always more to do." He considered.  "Still with the weaponry, sand caster ammunition and the software upgrades to support the fire control we'll be spending plenty.  I'll also look at cargo."  Kraig looked to Harry.  "I'd be glad to have your help."

Harry nods and says "Tell me what you want me to do. I'm the new guy and don't want to step on anyone's toes."
This message was last edited by the player at 11:46, Thu 09 May 2019.

IM notes with a twinkle in his eye "We need to start looking for trouble to get into."

He pauses a moment "If we are going to shoot trouble for profit, we need to start finding a paying patron while finish up the ship."

In reply to Ignatius Maor (msg # 37):

"That sounds like a profitable idea. While we work on getting turrets and lasers you start looking for a patron. We'll help when we're done."

"I'd suggest you oversee the installation of the weapons," Luise says.

"Just stay out of their way but make sure they don't put things in the wrong place."

"It's rather amazing that it's still true after all these years that it takes a computer to really foul things up. So, while I expect these people to be professional, there's always the chance of a glitch somewhere along the line. And, of course, to err is human. We are all capable of making a mistake now and then."

Harry, being a gunner, helps make sure installation is straight forward, convenient and organized like he likes it. He'll learn even more jobs so he can pull his weight, but an excellent gunner he already is.

"Just keep in mind, Kraig, that freight always has a specific destination," Luise tells Kraig. "If you have trouble finding free cargo, we'll take on a decent freight consignment, which will tell us where we're going."

"Otherwise, we can pick a destination and see what speculative cargo we can find that mind sell well there."

"And there's still the issue with the Baron. Let's stew on it for another 24 hours and then we'll decide where we want to take him."

"Lets go find that patron Kraig, maybe we need to find someone with a few billion credits they need to part with." he says with a grin knowing how unlikely that was. "Look for IM too!"
This message was last edited by the player at 12:19, Thu 16 May 2019.

Kraig nods to Louise.  "I'll keep my eyes out for what will give us the most flexibility.  The priority will be to find the weaponry and Harry can help with that and then see about a patron and speculative or consignment cargo."  He nodded to Harry.  "Let's head out.  There are a few bars we can start in to ask around and find out what is worth pursuing.  I know a few brokerages that can help us as well."

"Do you want a drink that bad?" Harry says with a smile. "As far as the brokerage, it sounds a little dry."

Harry follows Kraig to the bars and brokerage, looking for cargo and a drink to help with the dust of Regina.


OOC - Broker 3, Trader 3.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:15, Mon 20 May 2019.

"I need to pay my dues at the Trader's Guild too, got to keep current, mind if we swing by there? We might find a cargo."

Kraig laughed at Harry's joke.  "I can always use the drink.  Let's go to the Guild first then if you can get us in.  Between the two of us maybe we can find a bit of cargo that won't break the bank and can be sold for a profit."

He hails a cab to take them to the Trader's Guild.

OOC: Streetwise 2 Broker 1

I think Harry is better off looking for the cargo!

The Trader's Guild is in a place called Blackthorne's. It's a huge converted warehouse that's been set up like a mini-mall. You walk in the wide open front doors and there's a 'street' down the middle of the building with an assortment of shops along both sides. There's even a second floor on both sides with stairs, escalators and elevators going up the second floor. The ceiling of this street is more like a giant vidscreen-billboard with constantly flashing lights and advertisements. ((Think Fremont Street in Vegas)).

There are restaurants, casinos, performance stages, and shops of all kinds. The light show on the ceiling runs 24/7 because it's the inside of a building and isn't particularly affected by daylight.

You nearly walk by the Trader's Guild because it's the first 'shop' on the left when you walk in and has flashy lights and pictures all across the front. It looked like any other hyped place in here.

Walking through the door to the guild you find yourselves in a mini-version of the outside, just not as loud or garish. There are several different sub-shops inside, including a sub shop (The Big Bologna), Trader Vic's bar, The Depot (cargo clearing house), and several others that aren't quite clear, though it does look like one of them might deal with weapons.

Harry walks up to the person behind the counter and tells them, "I'm here to pay my annual dues and look for a cargo, anything outbound?" Harry looks at the screen for cargoes and scans the crowd for familiar faces until he spots one.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:23, Mon 27 May 2019.

Joe had been scanning the vids, looking for a ship that would hire him on. He had been looking for someone who needed a guard, security expert, marine, whatever they wanted to call him. Someone, or something, that would treat him better than the Marines had. One moment he's the war hero for his drastic actions and the next he's left out in the cold due to that failed assault. Someone had to take the blame for it, and the brass would always pass it down the chain of command, and Joe had been the 'fortunate' one to end up with it. He hadn't been in charge of the intel on the place. Only in charge of leading his company. And when the shit hit the fan, they were on the downward side of the wind.

Unconsciously, he rubbed his leg where the shrapnel had hit. If it hadn't been for the medic, and skilled doctors later, there was a good chance that he would've lost it. Fortunately, it was saved and only the constant low-level ache and the slight limp gave any evidence of what had happened.

Poring over the vids and offers, he still hadn't decided which opportunity to pursue, when a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. Turning in the direction of the voice it only took him a second to realize who it was. "McStubbin! You scurvy space dog! What are you doing here?" he asked as he headed towards the old navy guy. They had been together at the height of Joe's career, and had had some good times on the transport, but Joe wasn't one to make too deep of a connection with anyone. Life of a Space Marine and all that being what it was.

"Joe Zjasicka, you old dog, what have you been up to?! Joe, this is Kraig, Kraig, Joe, he don't talk much but he surprises you sometimes! I'm here looking for a cargo for my ship, what about you?"

Harry then scans the monitor quickly, "Give me a few minutes then we can catch up before we jump out of here."

Joe extends his hand to Kraig when Harry introduces him, "Joe Zjasicka, former Marine."

"I'm looking to find a ship who could use a grizzled war veteran to defend it," Joe says but with a bit of a sound of disappointment at the prospects he's seen so far.

"Can we use a body Kraig? We can always ask the captain if there is an opening. We're leaving in a day or two. So light a fire under your ass if you are interested."

He'd been sitting in the bar for awhile. His comms 'cargo negotiation' involved buying a couple cases of beer and maybe some harder stuff.

When he heard someone call out the new guy's name, he looked up.

Oh, joy, he thought, Another freeloader.

No, that wasn't fair. He turned back to his comm and added another 10 cases to the order.

"Hey, McStubbin! Is your friend looking for a job?" he called out.

"Sign him up! We're not a fly-by-night on-a-shoestring operation any more, so we can afford warm bodies to take shifts."

He got up and sauntered over to the others.

"Will do Steve, you're on Joe, Security at the moment. What you been up to the last few years? Not much for me, I've been on the ship 3 months, before that I was bouncing around space."

"Roger that. I'll wait until you're done, follow you to the ship, and then go and grab my stuff."

"I'm ship's gunner in space, and I'm a broker/Trader on the ground. I can do other jobs if needed, but those are my main jobs."
This message was last edited by the player at 12:47, Sat 01 June 2019.

"If there's a second turret, I can man that. I had some training. Otherwise ship's security is perfect."

"We just installed two hard points with lasers and sandcasters on to our ship, still have the new laser smell!" he says with a smile. "May we never have to use them. It used to be a Darrian merchantman."

"Sounds good. What are the immediate plans? I see you looking at loads. Speculating?"

"Yup, looking for an affordable cargo we can speculate on that will fit our hold and sale at a profit, or, tonnage to sale space for if all else fails."

The trade screen at the Traders' Guild has a running list of cargoes showing up and getting scoffed up, sometimes as fast as they appear. Most of the ones that go quickly are small cargoes. Big cargoes are only for the freighters, and they stay up there for awhile as negotiations are made.

So, it's the middle range cargoes that are Harry's meat-and-potatoes. The market is a bit sluggish because of the war, of course.

There's a completely separate screen for freight. Freight destinations include: Roup, Ruie, Hefry, Uakye, Efate and Feri. Each one has 100 tons outbound, except Efate, which has 200 tons outbound.

In reply to StarMaster (msg # 62):

pm
"A few possibilities, but it isn't looking good really."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:33, Sat 01 June 2019.

Per Captain Luise, where you are bound is determined by what cargo/freight you find.

If you head for Feri, for example, you might also take the Baron and his entourage.

We'll take Feri and the Baron then. Make a contact as well as some money.

"We'll ship the Feri cargo out and transport the Baron to Feri if the captain wants to do that. We can make a small profit and go from there."
This message was last edited by the player at 12:32, Wed 05 June 2019.

After settling on the cargo and destination, he pays his dues and for the drinks, Harry leads the way back to the ship.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:57, Wed 05 June 2019.

Joe follows McStubbin as he headed out towards the ship. As they go along, he asks, "So what type of help is needed on the ship?"

"A marine in port I guess, in space, I'm not at all sure, you'll have to discuss that with Louise, she's the captain/owner. I'll vouch for you!"

"The crew is in flux now, I think there are going to be openings. I think Ignatius even quit, but I'm not sure. A few others I haven't seen in more than a week!"

The turrets and guns are installed on the 'new' old ship.

The cargo is arranged, and Harry passes the information on to Luise, although he realizes that payment for the cargo had to be authorized by Luise, so she'd automatically know about it. Likewise, when it showed up at the ship, she'd also be notified.

But as a Baroness herself, it'd be up to her to contact Baron Vorkosigan to arrange transport to Feri for him and his family.

Back on the ship, Joe is introduced to the rest of the crew.

Baroness Captain Luise Wechsler, but she doesn't stand on formality while on the ship--Luise is fine, or Captain.

Arc Tangent, Medic and Hunter; an odd combination.

Gahler Grohlson, Pilot and Sensors.

Ignatius Maor, 'I-M' to everyone; gunner and security.

Kraig Pars, Pilot and broker.

Roland Steen, Engineer and security.

Steve Cable, jack of all trades.

When traveling in-system from planet to planet, the ship needs to maintain crew on three shifts, so a few more people would be helpful.

Gunner, Broker, Astrogator

OOC - Gunnery (turrets) 3, Computer 1, Gun Cbt 1 (laser rifle), Jack 'o Trades 1, Blade Cbt 1 (sword), Farming 0, Archery 0, Instrument (Oboe) 0, Comms 1, Vacc Suit 1, Mechanics 1, Pilot 0, Sensors 0, Swimming 0, Trade 3, Broker 3, Steward 0, Robotics 0, Astrogation 2, Electronics 1, Anglic 1, Aslani 1, Vargr 1, Zdetl 1, Vilani 1
This message was last edited by the player at 13:45, Sat 08 June 2019.

"That's the crew Joe, welcome on board." Harry finishes introducing Joe to the others. "We may have a few more joining too it looks like it. Heck, this will be my fist flight in the crew, we've been planet bound for months of upgrades and stuff waiting for the war to pass us by here."

Exler Grahl strolled into the hangar and admired he 400 ton starship parked there.

"Nice ship.", He growled to himself.

Striding to the boarding ramp the shaggy two meter tall leonine alien hammered a hamsized fist on the hull. The booming knock echoed around the space.

He raised his voice to the kind of level that only career NCOs cam reach.

"Hello in the ship!"

"Is Theo in there? I'm looking for a human spacer so short they actually call him "Stubs". Probably uses a zip-loc bag for a vacc-suit..."

"Now what? Theodore McStubbins at your ser. . . . EX! You old reprobrate! What have you been up to? What are you doing?! How is my little cub?"

Ex thumped Theo on the shoulder.

"He is strong. His mothers have moved their studio again and I do not see them often but they send regular updates."

The giant grinning Aslan produced a comm unit and showed a vid of a super-cute fuzzy Aslan toddler eating a rabbit-analogue raw.

"This one is a few years old but it is my favorite."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:33, Sun 09 June 2019.

"My God the appetite! He's going to be bigger than you Ex! What brings you to this rock big guy? Lucky you arrived when you did, we ship out soon."

Ex thumbed the screen of his comm and it switched to a map showing a red dot in the hanger.

"T-Net showed you were on world. The colony has grown...quiet. Without the females and cubs there were only trucks and tractors to keep me busy. I grew bored."

"I have wandered some and when I saw your ID I hoped you would be doing something...Interesting. Are you?"

"Trading world to world, you looking for 'work' then? Retirement wasn't what it was cut out to be? I'll work until I can't."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 14:05, Sun 09 June 2019.

"Trading is not what I am best suited for but I can be of some use aboard ship if your vessel is hiring."

"In that case I'll introduce you to the Baroness, she is captain. Luise Wechsler. She does the hiring and firing. I'll put in a good word for you big guy! Maybe she'll hire you anyway!" he says with a grin. "We're getting ready to jump out system in the next day or two."


Harry then leads Ex to the Captains cabin and knocks on the door to let her know they are there. "Luise? It's Harry, I have a good Aslan spacer here looking for a job that I'd like to recommend if you can use him."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:31, Sun 09 June 2019.

Harry plots and lays a course for Tavonni in preparation for their jump out of system then checks in with the port.

Nothing going to Tavonni at the moment, which is Jump-12 in the opposite direction.

From Lanth? We ARE on Lanth aren't we? If we're on Regina, Roup then Feri. Any cargo for Roup?

OOOPS, I forgot where we were!
This message was last edited by the player at 15:53, Mon 10 June 2019.

Luise is making last minute checks on everything when Harry knocks on the door.

"Sure, come on in," she calls out.

When you enter, she greets Exler with a nod and a smile.

"We don't see many Aslan males in starports these days," she says.

"Spacers are kind of like the ancient Foreign Legion--we don't ask too many questions... only about what you can do. Then we train you to do what we need."

"On a ship in space, everyone is expected to be a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, as there are watches to be stood. We don't expect you to be an expert at anything, just yell if something goes wrong... flashing red lights and all that."

"That being said, Exler, what can you do? Engineer? Medic? Communications? Sensors? Steward? Cargomaster? Gunnery? Pilot? Mind you, I'm just trying to figure out where you'd fit in. Being an Aslan, I'm already expecting you to be able to handle security, but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong."

Roup is a water world, and even though it has a high population and is fairly advanced industrialization, it still lacks a few things.

While seaweed can be processed into almost any other food you can think of, a seaweed-based steak, for example, isn't quite the same a real steak, even a vat-grown carni-culture steak. And all the rest. So food cargo is always going to Roup.

Because it fetches a high price on Roup, the costs on Regina have gone up a bit. Greed will out.

However, you can expect a decent cargo to be had on Roup. If you take the 100 tons of freight bound for Feri, and the 10 tons of the Baron's estate, that leaves you room for 15 tons of foodstuffs going to Roup.

Roup is an Amber Zone, but as you look into it, you find that it is only an Amber Zone because of pollution laws. And because it's a water world. Not only is 90% of the world covered in water, 90% of the world is oriented to water. If you don't like getting wet, don't go there; or, if you do, stay in your ship!


For delivering the freight to Feri, you'll get paid 200KCr. The Baron is paying 100,000Cr.

10 tons of basic consumables will cost 2,500 per ton or 25,000Cr. You can expect to sell it on Roup for 100,000Cr. easily.

Harry tells Luise and has the cargo loaded, it will pay the bills!

Ex nods back, "Captain. Thanks for seeing me."



"I'm a qualified expert Mechanic, Livestock handler, Medic, Wheeled Vehicle Operator, and Small Craft Pilot. Trained in Sensors, Comms, and the Sciences but I've never held a job in any of those fields."

"I can move more freight than some cheap load lifters. My senses are well above human baseline and I can reach things that are on the top shelf."

"That's without getting into 20 cycles as a Ground Assault Marine Commando. Hopefully EVO Specialist and Vacc Suit Maintenance are the only things out of that file you'll need but if you do have a need...well...ask me then and we'll talk."

After he was done getting the cargo loaded and stored, he went and waited on Ex to catch up on his little cub and family.

"Mostly I was just asking in case there was anything that wouldn't necessarily show up on your resume," Luise replies to Exler.

"So, welcome to the crew!"

"I've got one other applicant to interview, and then we should be ready to take off."

"Oh, I see here we've got cargo for Roup and freight for Feri, and Baron Vorkosigan and his family and estate will be going with us to Feri. So, just checking to make sure you don't have any problem with those destinations or the Baron?"

"So, Joe is it?" Steve asks Joe to make sure he got the name right.

"Did Luise assign you a berth yet? No? Didn't think so. She leaves that up to me, usually. Plus, we've got a new ship and haven't quite figured out where everything is yet."

He leads Joe down the corridor and checks his wrist comp to see which staterooms are still vacant.

"Here you go. Stow your gear or whatever. You'll be expected on the bridge one hour before departure time."

"Got any questions, feel free to ask. Don't guarantee I'll have the answer, but I can probably direct you to someone who does."

Roland was just returning to the ship after purchasing a few pieces of equipment for engineering when his comm notified him of a new applicant for the ship's crew. As with many apps these days, it let you know when your contact was in the vicinity... in case a physical meeting was desired. This one was within 500 feet.

Roland checked the man's resume, saw that he was a Vargr, and then glanced around to see if he could spot him.

Not surprisingly, there was only one Vargr in sight, and seemed to be heading for the ship.

Roland waved to him and headed over to greet him.

"Are you... Oen-kek?" he asked. "You'll have to pardon me if I didn't pronounce that correctly. I obviously don't speak Gvegh. I'm Roland Steen, engineer for the... that ship over there."

He couldn't believe he'd forgotten the name of the ship already!

Harry fussed around with the cargo and setting a course for Roup. It was going to be a busy day.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:24, Thu 13 June 2019.

In reply to Roland Steen (msg # 92):

Yeah thats me, I heard rumors that this ship was looking to hire crew.  Where are yo headed and when? Oeh is dressed in a liliac colored suit with a lime green shirt, he is also wearing a bright red and yellow striped duster.

While McStubbin directed others, Joe had gotten information on where to store his gear. His gear was the normal security items with the exception of his diving gear. It was obvious from the quality and quantity, that he was a serious SCUBA diver.

"We just got word that we're heading for Roup on the way to Feri," Roland replies. "After that, it's anyone's guess."

Roland escorts Oen-kek to the ship and onboard, and takes him to meet with Luise.

"Possible new crewman, Luise," he informs that captain.

In reply to Roland Steen (msg # 96):

Sounds good, so if your captain agrees to take me on when do we leave.  I travel light.

"No problems on any world that I'm aware of. Don't know this Baron. Unless he's a fool we won't have any problems."

"Two question; Where should I put my gear, and what do you need me to do first?"

Harry went to his room and grabbed one of his prized cigars and went to the ramp where he found a place to sit and smoke his stogie, off ship. He lit up and leaned back and inhaled deeply.

He was satisfied that his job was done as far as cargo went and he was ready with the course programmed into the computer. It was going to be a long month with the 'Baron' on board so he enjoyed the peace while he could. At least they were gaining a valuable contact on Feri as long as they could keep him happy.

"Welcome aboard, Oen-kek," Luise greets the Vargr.

"We're heading off in a new direction, so a few more crew is required."

"We should be lifting off in a few hours. We're just waiting for the Baron's gear to get loaded aboard. Without knowing when or where he was going, it was almost impossible to pack up his estate even if they were staying in a hotel."

"We're traders and trouble-shooters."

"Any questions?" she asked as she scanned over his resume.

In reply to Luise Wechsler (msg # 100):

No questions captain, anywhere off this rock is fine with me.  What positions do  you eed filled?  I have some skills with computers, comms, layers and security.  If it's just a deck hand that would be fine also.

Upon finishing his cigar, Harry headed for the galley, greeting everyone he meets as they pass in the hallway. Once in the galley, he gets a cup of coffee and them looks online for news on their upcoming route and clearance for their passage. He uses his personal handheld and checks the market as well. Then, with all the new crew signing on, he wondered if he had a roommate.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:22, Sun 16 June 2019.

After checking his computer, his coffee and his cigar, Harry went back to his cabin to rest before take-off.

Harry goes to his launch station to prepare for liftoff in a few hours and double checks his station. Then he starts for the galley to grab a quick coffee and to chat with anyone he comes across,

Ex made his way to the galley knowing that there would be someone there that might be able to answer his questions. Seeing Harry he smiled, not an altogether comforting sight to the unfamiliar, and got himself a cup of coffee as well.

"So the Captain seems to be busy. Where should I stow my gear? I'll have to go get it but I don't really have much."

"After that I assume I'll have to do some work to earn my pay but the Captain seemed reticent to give me an assignment. Who handles work details?"

"Stow your stuff in with me until you get assigned a cabin if you want to. As far as work assignments, stick to security until she gives you an actual assignment. That would be my suggestion in any case. What say you?" He tells Ex.

"Yeah that will work. I'll go pick up my gear and get back here asap."

He downed the hot coffee in a single gulp.

"Never understood why you monkeys like that stuff so much. It gives me the jitters."

After giving Harry time to respond he stalked out of the ship and headed to the boarding hab he had been rooming in.

"We 'monkeys' just like the flavor Ex." he responds. "Hurry back."

((OOC: Oops. Don't know why I didn't reply to Exler. I've got it in the back of my mind there was a reason, but can't figure out what it was now. Probably just a brain fart.))

"We're still getting things settled on our new ship, Oen-kek," Luise replies to the Vargr, "so I'm not sure yet where everyone will wind up as far as crew positions, but I do know we'll need a few shifts covered."

"Let's just put you on comms right now."

"As for stowing your gear, just find an empty stateroom for now."

"Any other questions? Then welcome aboard!"

In reply to Luise Wechsler (msg # 109):

That is no problem.  Can someone show me where the abins are so I can unpack?

Harry, overhearing the conversation, "follow me Oen, I'll lead the way." Harry leads Oen to the crews cabins so he can stow his gear and get settled in.

In reply to Harry McStubbin (msg # 111):

Thanks, any idea when we shove off?

"Not really. I thought today but who knows."

In reply to Harry McStubbin (msg # 113):

ok, in that case can you show me the way to the bridge so I can check out the comms unit as thats where the Capt says I'll be station until further notice?

Harry leads Oen to the bridge so he can see where his station is at launch.

Once he has his gear stowed, Joe starts wandering the ship, getting to know its layout, and looking for defensive points should they ever be boarded.

In reply to Harry McStubbin (msg # 115):

turning to Harry besides yourself who are the rest of the crew and when do I get to meet them?

"Baroness Captain Luise Wechsler, but she doesn't stand on formality while on the ship--Luise is fine, or Captain.

Arc Tangent, Medic and Hunter; an odd combination.

Gahler Grohlson, Pilot and Sensors.

Ignatius Maor, 'I-M' to everyone; gunner and security.

Kraig Pars, Pilot and broker.

Roland Steen, Engineer and security.

Steve Cable, jack of all trades.

Joe Zjasicka.

Exler Grahl. Security.

And yours truly, Broker and Astrogator and gunner. When you meet who, I don't know. You'll have to wait and see." he says with a grin.

"What is the name of the new ship Luise?"

OOC Several are now NPCs as the player left. Sadly.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:44, Sat 22 June 2019.

"We haven't figured out a name for it yet," Luise answers Harry. "I haven't even received any suggestions from anyone."

"Well, let's see... how about the Fortune Hunter or the Free Spirit? There's always the Sunrunner or Sundancer. Or how about the Harmony or the Shooting Star or the Peregrine?"

"Marvelous, Scavenger, Last Chance?"

"Anybody else have a suggestion?"

"How about plain 'Spirit' for the name if not something like that? They're all excellent suggestions. We should redesignate her before we take off again though. 'Sun Runner' is quite good too! Or 'Last Chance' or something to do with salvage or junk, like Wrixleware."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:42, Sat 22 June 2019.

"Wrixleware?" she asked, unfamiliar with the word, name or whatever is was.

"Or maybe the Garbage Scow. Who would ever attack a ship called the Garbage Scow?"

"Or how about the Frumious Bandersnatch, the Pink Panther or the Purple Parrot? Nope, skip that last one. Makes it sound like flying bar. And we'd have to constantly resist painting the ship purple."

"Wait! I know! Let's call it the Flerken!"

"What is a Flerken Luise? You have final say, you're the captain and all." he says with a toothy smile.

In reply to Harry McStubbin (msg # 122):

May I humbly suggest "Boomerang baby: Oeh says smerkely

Harry smiles at the suggestion from Oen. He's just glad the decision belongs to Luise!

"I was fond of Frumious Bandersnatch.", rumbled Ex as he reached he top of the ramp and reentered the ship.

He was now burdened with an large seabag and a metal trunk of some kind.

"Welcome aboard Ex, right this way good sir! Your room awaits!" Harry leads Ex to his room on board not much privacy for him. "We have to double up, you're welcome to bunk in my room, but, nothing like a little privacy if you don't have to. There are only six staterooms on board and there are 10 crew."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:22, Mon 24 June 2019.

"Sure, I could throw my weight around as the captain, or even as a baroness," Luise said, "but that's not how I want to treat the crew who I tend to think of more as friends than just workers."

"Anyway, a flerken was a creature from some old fiction. It looked like a normal house cat but could suddenly spout these huge tentacles 20-30 feet long, attack people and then devour them. And it had some sort of transdimensional pocket for a stomach where it could store things."

"It was a joke, of course."

"Okay, so that's two votes for Frumious Bandersnatch. I'm sure that'll confuse everyone."

"Frumious Bandersnatch? That's from an old Carroll poem isn't it? Either that or Flercken works for me!" He says over his shoulder as he's guiding Ex down the hall.

"Yes the great human warrior poet Lewis Carroll. A favorite of my wives."

Ex grinned his somewhat disturbing grin and carried his luggage to what would become his and Theo's stateroom.

"This is a good ship."

"Yes it is, a Darrian vessel of some quality!" he points through the door he just opened to let Ex in. "I was here first so you get the top bunk!"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:57, Tue 25 June 2019.

"You do realize I weigh over 130 kilos right? If the bunk were to fall it would be difficult to prove you were ever here."

Ex stowed his gear with the quick efficiency of someone who had lived aboard ship for the majority of his adult life.

"Seems I should head back down and try to introduce myself to the other crewmembers."

"Hmmm, maybe you should take bottom then! I'll take the top. I wouldn't want to be a grease spot on the sheet! Go down and look mean?" he says with a grin, "Just smile!" hehehehehehe
This message was last edited by the player at 18:11, Tue 25 June 2019.

Harry led the way back to Luise to continue the conversation on the Frumious Bandersnatches next destination, Roup and Feri, and when the Baron was coming aboard the ship.

Ex followed Harry rumbling in as close to a sing song voice as his bestial growl would allow.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
      The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!"

He snapped the claws on his right hand out and then back in with a flourish.

"Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
      The frumious Bandersnatch!"

"I suppose if I'm honest I like it a bit myself."

"Hehehehehehehe, it's one of my favorites. I'm not into poetry and don't care much for poets, but I love that one!"

"Well Luise, course laid in for Roup, we have a departure time of 57 hours, Is the Baron coming along to Feri? If he is, he needs to get his cargo on board for the trip. We'll do what we can to keep him happy, we need patrons with money."

"Quothe the Raven would be good too, from Edgar Allen Poe!"
This message was last edited by the player at 18:57, Sun 30 June 2019.

"Okay, the Frumious Bandersnatch it is," Luise confirmed. "I'll file the new registry right now."

"Okay, so we're going to Roup... actually, Feri by way of Roup. I'll notify the Baron. If he can't load all his gear and family onto the ship by the scheduled liftoff time, we'll see if he wants us to delay... or if it's going to take longer than 24 hours, he'll have to take another ship or have freight sent later."

"Aye, aye captain!" Harry says with a smile!