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

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

AK Modular APC, 6.6 M Solars, 6 dTons
The same size as the small fighters, this is actually a small spacecraft with life support for 5, a sickbay and heavy armour. Capable of supporting small insertions for long periods of time, it has limited cargo space.
(2.02G/Move:1607, dDR:49, dHP:22, dTons of Cargo Space: 0.6, ASig: -2, SM:+4, Air Speed 3214 mph),
Weapons:1x Gatling Laser

Edit: Crew Positions added. 16 total.
Captain: Gaius Sattius
Navigator
Pilot
Chief Engineer
Engineers Mate
Robofac Operator
Small Craft Pilot
Gunner x 2
Medic
Geologist
Biologist
Survey Operators x 4
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:44, Thu 30 May 2019.

Gaius made his way to his new ship as soon as his men were ready. First thing first was getting them bunked in, assigned to their positions and familiar with thier stations and his own. It was always amazing to see what the Terrans did with their technology and this ball shaped ship was no different. It had some interestingly shaped rooms but it was the various command and computer areas that Gaius spent most of his time checking out before making his way around to meet his Terran crew...he was of course very familiar with his Vilani counterparts.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 2):

The Terran crew are not long in coming, ranging from half an hour early to five minutes early. They consist of the following specialists:

Dr Henry Wong, specialist in Infectious diseases.
Dr Jennifer Wong, Intensive care nurse, Medical Technology Engineer
Mr James Hanley, Automation Engineer.
Captain James Kirk, Military advisor (Ex-Scout captain)
Mrs Herietta Koon, Accountant.
Mr Chan Koon, Lawyer, specialist in Vilani Corporate Law
Mrs Loretta Payne, Starship designer.
Mr Robert Payne, Lawyer, Intellectual Property
Mr Checkov Smirnov, Associate director and head of the new venture
Mrs Julia Smirnov, Corporate strategist and Programmer

Gauis is intrigued that most of the Terran's are married, that is an interesting thing that he is sure is to encourage happier relationships in far distant places, he wonders how well it works.

He greets them, makes sure everyone is settled and teamed up with their various training partners before he moved to the command deck to set off back along his previous path to Girri and whatever lay in wait.

His ship was not a combat vessel by any stretch and the aim was to get there with little to no conflict.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 4):

The crew settle into their accommodation quicker than they settle into the new ship. It is nice, though the accommodations are cramped by Vilani standards, with 10 bunk beds and 10 small cabins, and some of the passengers, such as the Koons, Paynes and Smirnovs all electing to spend most of the trip in the Low Berths. It is just as well, as there would not be enough accommodation for all of them.

The Navigator asks you for the route. Not needing jump tapes, or even charted systems, you have the opportunity to chart some new systems on the way back.

20 Desktops, 10 Printers, 50 Laptops, 100 Palmtops
50 dTons of supplies. (0.15 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $68,000
Planet: Alizarin (Fueled)
Date: 24 May 2175

[OOC: How familiar are you with the map?
https://travellermap.com/?opti...ale=64&milieu=IW
In the top right hand corner is a box with three lines: Options. By selecting it, you should turn experiments on (you may need to scroll down for it)
Once that is done, select the clock, and you can change the Era. The first, and earliest, is 'The Interstellar Wars'. This is the era we are in. From there, select the star systems you wish to chart, and off we go!]
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:24, Wed 29 May 2019.

Gaius outlines his route to the Navigator, it is a bit of a fight with himself as it seems safest to just follow the route he is familiar with and for which he knows all of the controlable obstacles but it is only through reminding himself that there is a reason the Vilani have not made advances for years...and this is a manifestation of that.

Forcing himself out of his comfort zone he deliberately picks as many stars that were not yet travelled to in an attempt to push himself and in the end he is simply left feeling uncomfortable and not sure if he had made the right choice. He is fairly certain all of his men are having this feeling at some point during this trip, in this ship.

[OOC: I'm working on it, I've had it on IW since we first discussed it once I figured out the experiment thing but there are a lot of stars, lol, so I get lost sometimes but I have the search bar working now so it's a bit easier and I copied the route I got from Cyril to use as a base so here is what I've figured..depending on what we find and if I have enough fuel:

Faith - 2831
2731
2528*
2526*
2725*
2724 - Leikung, Explored by Cyril
2523*
2422*
2421 - Explored by Cyril, single star system with 4 Gas Giants and 2 planetoids, and a total of 5 moons. None of the planets have either atmosphere or water bodies.  NO READY FUEL SOURCE
2321 - Explored by Cyril
Arsha
Seru
Girii

Get's five new star systems explored from what I can tell]

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 6):

After consultation with the navigator, the following route is proposed.

Alizarin
3230 (Mapped)
3031 (Mapped)
Faith (Mapped)
2731 (Mapped)
2729 (Mapped)
2528
2526
2725
2924  Leikung! Cyril incorrectly recorded that at one point.
2724 (Mapped)
2523
2422
2421 (Mapped)
2321 (Mapped)
Arsha
Seru
Girii

Each normal star system will take just 7 days in hyperspace plus an hour or so to refill the tank and 12 hours to refine it, plus travel time to the source to refuel, so 14 hours total refueling time, for a total of 7 dyas and 14 hours minimum for mapped systems. For each new system, it normally takes 17 days to chart it and map it, but I am going with 30 days in your case as the survey gear is entirely new, and you are learning how to use it. Even so, this trip would take approximately 35 weeks, during which time you would consume 5.25 dTons of supplies. Given you have 50, I don't think supplies will be an issue for you.

The other thing to factor in is skill. Since Survey Modules are new systems for the Vilani, it will take a while to learn how to use them. With teachers, the four operators should gain approximately 4 skill points during this run, making it well worth it.

[OOC: That is fine. I am using this as sort of a shakedown trip. Your crew will be getting used to their new vessel, while they have some guys who can train them.
You will find they can advise you of some things. Some notes:

2831 have actually been mapped by Cryil. Some of the jumps are 3 parsec, and Gas Giants in themselves are always a ready fuel source.

Please note link to a message in this game

is where I TRY to keep up to date with known and circulated exploration. Best source...]
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:12, Thu 30 May 2019.

Gaius approves the route and gets them under way. The length if the trip was such that he figured his crew could learn a lot. Those not already assigned to learn the new tech were assigned a tea her from among the staff AK had provided to learn something or improve their skill in a field. Even if it was from one of thier own squad, everything from ship weapons to Navigation. If they were taking that much time, and getting paid for it, Gaius wanted his crew to be much improved as the survey team was doing most of the heavy lifting.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 8):

It is nearly Christmas before you have finished mapping to system 2422. This is the first really habitable world you have come across, and is in a prime trade location. The Smirnovs are awoken and they suggest you keep this planets location and details a company secret until a colony can be started here.

2528 Single Star, 3 Gas Giants, 4 Moons,
   9,000 m dia, Water world Dense Atmosphere, lacking Oxygen

2526 Single Star, 2 Gas Giants, 3 Moons,
   Largest 1,000 m dia rock, none with atmosphere or water

2725 Single Star, 3 Gas Giants, 1 Planet, 6 Moons,
   6,000 m dia, Hydrocarbon air and oceans (80% of surface), standard pressure

2523 Binary System, 3 Gas Giants, 4 Moons,
   5,000 m dia, Thin atm, high carbon Monoxide and Dioxide levels, 10% surface is water.
   Very few plants

2422 Single Star, 4 Gas Giants, 4 Moons,
   5,000 m dia, Thin atm but breathable, water world.

20 Desktops, 10 Printers, 50 Laptops, 100 Palmtops
47.75 dTons of supplies. (0.15 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $68,000
Planet: 2422 (Fueled)
Date: 20 Dec 2175

Gaius agreed with their advice, leaving that in their hands, he remembers that the Vilani had been offering to buy data of scanned systems so he asks them to recommend which star systems he should sell them to avoid giving away this star system.

He wanted to make as much money as possible but also wanted to earn as much favor as possible from his new employer.

Once they had figured that out he headed on his way towards Giri.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 10):

Arriving at Girii, you sell to them Vilani the following star sytems:

2528, 2526, 2725, 2523

You also disembark your passengers, much to the delight of the local governor, who immediately sits down with them to discuss how to best put them to work. You can't help but notice the growing number of unusual Vilani warships in the system, some of which seem to sport some battle damage.

Your passengers direct you to try to find the Dastavka as soon as you can...

[OOC: I have been a little slack in that thread, and expect to post tonight to catch them up somewhat.]

20 Desktops, 10 Printers, 50 Laptops, 100 Palmtops
47.00 dTons of supplies. (0.15 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $68,000
Planet: Girii (Fueled)
Date: 24 Jan 2176

Unusual Vilani warships? What is unusual about them? Modified with Terran tech?

Gaius takes a moment to find out who the ships belong to, and more importantly, who has been attacking them. He also spends some time making sure the Terrans are settled before he heads off in search of the Dastavka

<orange>OOC: How much do I get from selling the system maps to them? Also, does that go to ship cash I'm presuming or goes to the people setting up the Terran office to give them starting funds?

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 12):

There are some older Vilani warship designs with more beams than current designs.

The ships belong to the Girii Government, and have been attacked as 'pirates' by the Governor of Lemrukiri, who had several Kargash destroyed as a result.

The payments go to those setting up the company fund, who in turn use them to pay your wages for three months. The ex-SDU men spend it pretty quickly though...

Information as to the where-abouts of the Dastavka are sketchy, they were last known to be at Tralp on 14 Aug 2175.

10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
47.00 dTons of supplies. (0.15 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $68,000
Planet: Girii (Fueled)
Date: 25 Jan 2176

OOC: I get the 21k and some change per month right?

And I'll look at the map tonight and set up a route to try and find the Dastavka...its going to take a while.

Gaius, remembering his ship was basically a trader, decided to spend some time seeing if there was any cargo or passengers that needed to be transported in the direction he was going. If he was going that way he might as well make some money doing it.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 14):

[OOC: You get $23,520 per month, as agreed. Dastavka was last seen heading out from Tralp. But you know they will be back to Girii some time.]

You find no shortage of folk going to Tralp.  Likewise for trade, it takes you only a week to find freight to fill your holds, leaving you just 20 days to make the delivery. The 77 dTons worth, at $800/dTon, is worth $61,600, but the 20 low berths will only pay $400 per berth ($8000 total), and reluctantly at that as Vilani are not used to low berths. Berthing and Administration Fees apply of $4,500 per port for your vessel.

Overall, total trip profit would be $61,600+$8000-2 x $4500 = $60,600.

10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
47.00 dTons of supplies. (0.15 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $68,000
Planet: Girii (Fueled)
Date: 02 Feb 2176
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:32, Wed 05 June 2019.

Gaius was pleased he'd be able to make a fairly tidy profit rather quickly and not have to worry about scanning to keep paying his men, so he focused on getting to Tralp rather quickly from Girii to Uamkua (1915) and then to Tralp. It would get him there with plenty of time, unless he had something slow him down, and would have minimal interference he hoped.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 16):

The trip to Tralp goes without a hitch, though you get some interesting comments about the odd vessel design. Nonetheless, it is just over 2 weeks later you unload on Tralp after taking unrefined fuel at a local Gas Giant. Your customers are quite happy.

10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
46.70 dTons of supplies. (0.15 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $128,600
Planet: Tralp (Fueled)
Date: 17 Feb 2176
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:03, Fri 07 June 2019.

Gaius drops his customers off, let's them know he'll be more than happy to help out if he's going in the right direction another time and then starts working on gathering information on the flight of the Dastavka, when she was last here and where she had headed.

He had information he needed to give to Cyril but the way things worked made it a lot trickier to find people, particularly people like Cyril who were cautious with their movements.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 18):

There are conflicting reports about where the Dastavka went. some say coreward, some say Spinward.

But there is a sizable cargo to go to Marakna. 150 dTon of supplies, but they will accept delivery in 2 trips. They will pay $720,000 to have it transported, and have 150 dTon of hydrocarbons transported back.

Gaius, realizing he didn't want to be traveling around simply hoping to bump into Cyril left a message for him at the port Authority asking for him to either wait or leave a destination for Gaius to meet him at as well as the details and approximate time taken for his current trade trip.

With that done he focused on loading the cargo and delivering it and the return voyage, that way while waiting for Cyril to pass through Tralp again he could at least make money to pay himself and his crew.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 20):

After feea are paid and fuel covered, you manage to turn over a tidy profit, clearing about $320,000 solars per trip.

You are offered the same for a trip to Zaraashi. These trips are apparently regular routes that are yet to have a trader fill them.

10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
46.70 dTons of supplies. (0.15 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $768,600
Planet: Tralp (Fueled)
Date: 16 Mar 2176
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:35, Thu 13 June 2019.

Gaius was intrigued by the trade route, while it was not the kind of thing he would do he could pass this information off to the business center on Girii and let them fill it and make some money doing it. Although for the moment while he waited for the Dastavka to make an appearance he would continue to fill at least some of the trade routes in the area.

Off to Zaraashi it was, it also helped establish him as a regular trader which meant less questions from the Authorities.

In reply to Fate (msg # 21):

Indeed it does, and it also helps the local get to know him. One more trip, and on your return, you are told that Dastavka has just passed through bound for Girii...

10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
46.70 dTons of supplies. (0.15 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $1,088,600
Planet: Tralp (Fueled)
Date: 30 Mar 2176

Gaius takes just enough time to figure out if he can get a cargo to take to Girii and then he's off in pursuit of the Dastavka He knows that Andrew had said that he was going to be getting instructions that would take him back to Faith and the surrounds he was interested to see what the man had planned for him.

When he arrives at Girii he dispatches his crewman in charge of the trade to inform the AK industries office of the trade routes he had discovered while he went in search of the Dastavka and Cyril.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 24):

A cargo is found for Girii, and you depart with haste, arriving two weeks later, you hand over the cash you have earned, and the crew are paid. A small slush fund is provided to the ship.

10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
46.70 dTons of supplies. (0.15 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $250,000
Planet: Girii (Fueled)
Date: 14 Apr 2176

Cyril wastes little time in approaching the new ship to meet it's captain.

Gaius opens communications once he is made aware of the Dastavka's presence,"This is Captain Gaius of the Scutum, I have instructions from Andrew Kalishnakov for you, would you like me to bring them aboard for you or do you want to send someone to retrieve them?"

Whatever Cyril requested Gaius complied, making sure all the copies of the instruction were turned over to Cyril and his crew.

Cyril shows up at your ship and is escorted aboard (since even with badges, no one knows me). Captain Sattius?

Gaius smiles when he see's Cyril,"That's correct, Cyril, Mr. Kalishnakov decided that I would be make a good person to help build up trade in this area for now...although apparently your instructions may contain something sending me back to him." He handed over the instructions to Cyril,"That should be multiple copies of the same thing...."

Cyril smiles, That is typical, as there are so many ways things can get slightly corrupted over time...  If you have a free system, let's see what they have told us. I would think it very odd for them to send you with instructions for me that direct you, when in most cases they could have simply  told you there on the spot.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:00, Sun 16 June 2019.

Gaius showed the way to one of the very useful Terran terminals he was getting better at using he shrugged,"I assume it might require data or information from you if not some of your personnel.  I assume we will know shortly. "

Plugging the first of the drives he started calling up the information.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 31):

The drives require Cyrils authorization. Once it is given, the following information can be read.


This message was last edited by the GM at 04:13, Mon 17 June 2019.

I understand you have already found a suitable system  for Andrew to colonize? Let's use that.  I'lltry and lookat other systems in that area and possibly find another route between Giiri and Union or Faith.

"Yes, I did..." With a few terse commands he had his team pull the planet they had found up on the screen so they could look at it,"So looks like I will be seeing you for just a short time then I'm off to go seed a colony!" That was exciting, something new.

Perhaps, I'll go the same place by a different route, further from Vilani systems. I'm thinking  of scanning  2422, 2523, 2423, 2223, 2124, 2126, 2127, 2128, 2229, 2231, 2232, 2234, 2534, 2633, 2631, Faith, Clarmeer, and Ceti Command … If Andrew hasn’t moved yet, I’ll go to Alizarin. My concern is that right now we have to go through 2724 which is a choke point only two hops from Vilani control…


This way someone else has some idea of where we went...

In reply to Cyril Zotmund (msg # 35):

Your trip back to Ceti Command is uneventful, as you make good speed and do the trip in two and a half months. Ceti Command industry is growing surprisingly well, as trade has picked up considerably. Much to your astonishment, there has been an Armistice signed on Dingir in January of 2176, between Terra and the Vilani Empire. The war is now officially over and Terrans have sued for peace. Unfortunately, harsh border restrictions remain in place for Terrans, but the dissidents on Ceti Command, being Vilani, are no longer treated as harshly for dealing with Terrans, and many Kimashargur worlds are happy to deal with them. Interestingly enough, the worlds of Orgill, Beta Port, Ceti Command, Clameer and Nova Pacifica have been reckoned as Terran worlds, since they do not swear allegiance to the Ziru Sirka. A measure intended to ostracize them and punish them, it already appears to have backfired as numerous Terran traders now can legitimately cross the Ziru Sirka to trade with them, often picking up extra passengers along the way.

It has also allowed Kalishnikov enterprises to move Fabrika, and the cruiser squadron based at Alizarin, up to Ceti Command, where you meet them. They have a colony seeder ship ready to go, as well as a small Base ship, which you are to escort back to the chosen colony. To assist the colony, a significant power plant and Robofac, along with a robotic smelter and refinery, are loaded into your hold.

10 dTon Robo Smelter
10 dTon Robo Refinery
10 dTon of Robofac
30 dTon Fusion Plant

10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
17 dTons of supplies. (0.15 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $250,000
Planet: Alizarin (Fueled)
Date: 01 July 2176

Ships with you: AK Seedy, Red Dwarf

With the Seeder and the Red Dwarf in tow Gaius met with his navigator to plot the simplest easiest route to star 2422 to let the Seeder have at the new planet and start the colonizing process. The peace treaty would only make it easier for the Terrans to get a foot hold, taking advantage of every little space the Vilani gave them, Gaius could see how this was going to end already.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 37):

It would take just 7 weeks to transit back to the new colony. The AK Seeder promptly landed and began setting up a new colony in the name of the company, and of Terra, of course. The Red Dwarf set up mining operations in orbit, given the difficulties of setting up a submarine base, to begin making the most of the minerals available.

10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
15.95 dTons of supplies. (0.15 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $250,000
Planet: 2422 (Fueled)
Date: 19 Aug 2176

Planet

System 2422 Single Star, 4 Gas Giants, 4 Moons,
   5,000 m dia, Thin atm but breathable, water world, Colony, pop 50

Gaius was pleased to see things develop so rapidly, with all that settled he focused on the next part of his task, finding out what the new colony needed. If he could tie it in with some trade runs all the better but he wanted to make sure it was secure before he started to spread the word to those who would need to flee the Vilani and find a safe place to live.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 39):

The planet has only a few islands, and it is on the largest one, a mere 500 square miles, that the colony ship lands. It begins to build up infrastructure as fast as possible, despite the 12 m tides that swamp even half of this island periodically. For that, basic building materials, such as steel, are most useful, and the Red Dwarf is hard at work mining the nearby moons.

Instead you are asked to travel to Girii to establish how the end of the war with Terra has effected the dissidents.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:18, Fri 21 June 2019.

Gaius is more than happy to do so, he was pretty sure he could find the materials needed on Girii as well. With the colonists working hard he sets off to find out how the end of the war has affected everyone and if there is anyway to profit from it.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 41):

There does not seem much joy in Girii about the war with Terra ending. Despite this, the local government at Lemrukiri seems to be gearing up with a war against them, citing the increasing use of barbarian technology as evidence of departure from Vilani traditions as the basis for such a war, and they seem to be convincing the Subsector governance at Shululsish to agree. Fleets have once again clashed, this time with Girii employing unconventional tactics and coming out well on top, but in this case winning the battle does not seem to be winning the war. As a result, manufacturing is going flat out on all war related items.

On the flip side, there will be no shortage of folk wanting to get out of the firing line. Particularly folk from smaller planets that will not be able to put up effective forces.

10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
15.65 dTons of supplies. (0.15 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $250,000
Planet: Girii (Fueled)
Date: 17 Sep 2176

Gaius did some inquiries, looking for people eager to get out of the line of fire, even if it mean dealing with a difficult part of colonizing a new planet...all while not revealing where exactly he was going. After all the less people that knew where the colony was the better it would be.

Of course he'd charge for passage, but as war tightened it's grip on Girii those who knew the Vilani methods knew that they had limited time before the fleets resources were aimed here. Particularly if the War with the Terran's was temporarily at bay.

Of course if that failed he could always look into contracts to help supply the machines of war that were being built. It's not like him and his men were not experienced with the sharp edge of it, running neutral trader would be easy in comparison.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 43):

Gaius is contacted by a small company director, Rikshan Enterprises, that does remote mining operations. They have a small operation with 100 souls on the planet of Rikshaniim, (2319), that they would like relocated to planet 1214, which has been recently discovered. They have 80 low berths to compliment the 100 low berths you have, which are to be left on the planet when the colonists are dropped off. You are also to take all equipment that you can fit in. For this, they offer $1.5 Million.

This will serve 2 functions: protecting the folk in the outpost from hostile actions and starting up a new outpost at the same time. But you are warned...there may be hostile ships in the area that may not respect the agreement with Terra. You are to take whatever actions are needed, and you are told that you will be compensated on successful completion of your mission is repairs are required. Of course, you can say no.

10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
15.65 dTons of supplies. (0.15 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $250,000
Planet: Girii (Fueled)
Date: 17 Sep 2176
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:49, Sat 29 June 2019.

Gaius considered the offer, it was a lot of money but the potential for trouble was also large. In the end he accepted the mission, but he asked the Director if he could put in enquiries for other vessels even though Gaius had accepted, if people weren't sure which ship the stuff was on it would make it harder to determine when to be in the right place to ambush Gaius and his ship.

Second he had his men spread disinformation about when they were leaving and where they were going. If they weren't sure where the Scutum was going to be again it would be hard to ambush them. Lastly when it was time to leave and everything was loaded up he didn't jump directly to his target, he jumped to another star first and then jumped again to 1214 in the hopes of throwing off anyone who would be expecting them.

It would add some time to the journey but it would make things a lot simpler if he wasn't attacked.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 45):

The company offers instead to have a Gashidda escort you from Girii and back instead, since they could afford that more easily. Once you return to Girii on the way to the new colony, the chances of ambush drop dramatically, since jump tapes to the new colonies are strictly controlled, and only Terran ships with the charts can go there without one. Hence you were hired. This would also be faster. They ask if this is acceptable.

Gaius considers it and agrees, while he prefers the deception if they would prefer to spend money on an escort rather than just make it look like they were still looking for another tranport to hide the time he was leaving he was not going to argue against an escort if he can get there and back easily and get 1.5 millon for it? Yes, he'd be happy to do that.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 47):

The $1.5 mill was not just there and back, but also on to 1214. But it is believed the escort would only be needed there and back.

The Gashidda waits in orbit off planet, and as you leave, it forms up beside you. The first two jumps are nervous, but uneventful. You arrive at the planet and quickly begin loading. You are barely finished when you detect incoming hyperspace signatures.

10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
15.35 dTons of supplies. (0.15 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $250,000
Planet: Rikshaniim (Fueled)
Date: 02 Oct 2176

Barely finished was still finished, Gaius asked the escort to buy him time to get out of there, as long as there was nothing to stop him Gaius was going to get his mission done and worry about glory another day he had hundereds of people in his holds just sleeping and he wasn't about to endanger them.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 49):

The escort moved towards the incoming sensors, but the two Shamshirs are going to be too much for it if they are hostile. As you move to a more distant jump point, you can hear the negotiations.

The two Shamshirs are from Lemrukiri, and seeing your vessel that is clearly Terran, they demand to know why the Gashidda has not apprehended you. The Gashidda responds that you are no longer at war, and they have hired the merchant (you) to move merchandise. On scanning the planet and finding it deserted, they become aggressive, accusing the Gashidda of sedition in concert with the Terrans. Sensing them powering up weapons, the Gashidda begins retreating to a more distant jump point from you. Fortunately, you have enough speed to reach your jump point, and as you jump out, you can see the Gashidda attempting to escape, and the Shamshirs have just launched missiles at it.

You enter hyperspace, and arrive safely at Seru. Scanners indicate 10 Kargash Cruisers and 20 Shamshirs who identify themselves as being from Girii.

10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
15.2 dTons of supplies. (0.15 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $250,000
Planet: Seru (Unfueled)
Date: 10 Oct 2176

Gaius confirms the identifications on the ships is correct, once he is sure they are friendly he will move in to refuel and plot a course to 1214.

Looking over the various options he suggests the following route:

Seru - 2118
Girii - 1917
Marakana - 1815
1714
1513
1314
1214

If there was anywhere of interest or note that his crew or the locals knew about he'd be happy to try different routes.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 51):

You take the route you selected. It is as good as any, but once you reach Girii without the escort, they ask for your radio records. On going through them, they are naturally concerned about the aggression shown.

You continue on, passing through several systems and refueling in each, just to be safe. No pirates are detected however, and you arrive at your destination on the 5th day of the new year.

The planet has large plains with spreading green plants that sting slightly if they touch the skin, which has prompted the name of 'Nettle' amoung the colonists. However, the cool temperate conditions make the use of long clothing comfortable, so these are little more than a mild inconvenience, especially as they produce edible berries. The animals that eat them do not seem to mind, but the nettles do encourage eating of the berries rather than the leaves, making the spread of the seeds more effective. Wild animals include herbivores with thick skin all around, like small triceratops, and their natural predators are large venomous kangaroo-like creatures that stand 20 ft high that have venom in the larger forearm claws that can kill their prey quickly. Instead of kangaroo heads, however, they have short powerful jaws and teeth more like a shark, adept at tearing apart the heavy armour of the herbivores...or humans!

10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
14.0 dTons of supplies. (0.15 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $250,000
Planet: 1214 (Unfueled)
Date: 05 Jan 2177

Gaius is concerned by the aggression, although he knows it is inevitable, his race is growing, changing and after centuries of resisting change there were going to be some growing pains...and it was going to hurt.

Yet, that didn't stop him from engaging in his mission, making sure his passengers and their extra low berths were delivered to their new home and made safe. There was a lot of vicious wildlife, 20ft shark headed kangaroo's with venoumous claws...they would most certainly need weapons and lots of them if they were to survive. He asked if there was anything else they needed before he headed back to where he needed to be to get paid.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 53):

The weapons they ask for are plasma weapons and armoured vehicles. They also ask for robofacs.

OOC: Are they able to pay for them? If not I'll just deliver the message to their head offices when I get back.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 55):

They can give you various artifacts, such as the head of the jumping shark-beasts (2 dTon of Artwork/handicrafts valued at $20k total), 1 dTon of high quality leather hides valued at $40 k, 3 dTons of various grains and spices valued at $16 k together and 5 dTon of wood products valued at $10 k. Of course, exactly how much you get for them is up to your skills.

They may be able to get more if you wait a little, and they could definitely get more meat if you had a cold store section. But even meat is only worth $20 k per dTon...

A single Robofac costs $100,000 and takes up 5 dTon. Other items high on the list:
Battery Tractors, $90,000, 2 dTons
Prospecting and Farming Tools, $20,000, 1 dTon
Armed wheeled Scout, Fusion reactor, $850,000, 5 dTons
All Terrain Truck (ATV), Fusion Reactor, $200,000, 5 dTons
APC, Fusion Reactor, $600,000, 6 dTons
Heavy Wheeled APC, Fusion, armed, $1 mill, 10 dTon
Bioplas suits, $2400 each, 150 per dTon
Gatling Lasers, $70,000 each, 0.5 dTons each
Laser Rifles with underslung 25mm GL, $9,000 each, 15 per dTon
Thermobaric or HEMP (Shaped Charge) 25mm GL rounds, $120,000 per dTon
Batteries, $100,000/dTon
F Cells, 5 per dTon
E Cells, 50 per dTon
D Cells, 200 per dTon
C Cells, 2000 per dTon

10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
Cargo hold has 13 dTon empty, and
  50 dTon of Cryogenic units to carry 100 persons.
  14.0 dTons of supplies. (0.15 dTons per week)

Ships Cash Remaining: $250,000
Planet: 1214 (Unfueled)
Date: 05 Jan 2177

Gaius was happy to take their offerings, he said he'd have to see what happened with what he could get. He would give the list to their head office and see what he could arrange to bring back, and he'd use 50% of the value of whatever he sold for them to buy things from their equipment list as well as bringing them whatever their company was willing to pay for.

With that he was headed back to their home office.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 57):

The trip back to Girii takes nearly a month and a week, by the time refueling is done. You are able to sell the good quite readily, getting about $40 k for your efforts, $10 k of which are taken in the taxes and fees for docking, repairs, etc.

The company that sponsored you last time is very happy with the trade, and promises to get together considerable mining assets to send to the planet. They are happy to offer you $200,000, plus taxes and other fees to transport the goods back to the colony on 1214.

But another nondescript gentleman approaches you while you are unloading. He identifies himself as a Girii intelligence officer.

"Violent incursions, as you well know, have been increasing with the backing of the government of Lemrukiri. We believe that they have a reason that is not exactly justifiable to the Ziru Sirka, but we can get no evidence. I understand you and your folk are not exactly pacifists, so we wanted to offer you a reward or $1 million to capture an enemy patrol and extract the evidence we are looking for from the ships computers. You are well euipped for this, and any of their vessels will attempt to capture your ship on sight, since it is not Vilani, but that is in breach of Interstellar law, so your response of capturing their vessel will be legal self-defence, making the evidence acceptable in court. What do you say?"

10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
14.0 dTons of supplies. (0.15 dTons per week)
Ships Cash Remaining: $280,000
Planet: Girii (Unfueled)
Date: 12 Feb 2177

OOC: Is it possible to do the trade mission and the capturing one in tandem? Drop the stuff of then go looking for a patrol to reverse capture?

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 59):

Of course. The only difficulty is that they are in opposite directions. But you could look for trade to Lashgimaamrishuk as well.

Gaius thought about it and decided he'd rather have the more martial assignment, so he looked for a trade assignment in the direction of Lashgimaamrishuk, he was somewhat apprehensive of trying to capture another ship but it was what his men were trained for, and it wasn't like they had to drive the ship back, just take the information in it's computers.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 61):

It is not hard to find a trade for Lashgimaamrishuk, apparently most traders are no longer willing to risk the run. It seems you have a choice of passengers or cargo, and some variety of both! Your preferences?

If you are looking to capture a vessel, there are a few extra passengers willing to come to make the most of your low berths as well, to crew the vessel once captured! They are even willing to pay their way, out of the proceeds of selling the vessel!

Gaius is eager to take on the people who are willing to fight with him, letting them fill the low berths, making sure everyone signs the right paperwork. Then he focuses on getting a cargo, while passengers are nice they tend to get in the way if he has to fight. Cargo just stay strapped to it's pallet, so he loads up on something relatively tough, in case things got a little rocky.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 63):

There are an additional 50 mercenaries, taking up 25 dTon in the cargo hold and offering half of any takings of any vessel sold.

In addition, you take on a cargo of 3 Buses, a Mini Bus and 15 dTons of fine food. The cargo is for delivery to Lashgimaamrishuk, where Lemrukiri have been taking a strong interest lately.

10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
14.0 dTons of supplies (0.15 dTons per week)
Cargo Hold space: 76/77
Ships Cash Remaining: $280,000
Planet: Girii (Unfueled)
Date: 13 Feb 2177

All loaded up Gaius makes a few enquires with his shadowy employers about which lanes has seen the most of their targets, he would rather go along a route that guarantees he'll encounter his foe than wonder around aimlessly.

He wants to take into account places to refuel as needed as well.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 65):

The route through Seru is the most logical, as that system has been beset in recent times by Lemrukiri 'Police' patrolling for 'smugglers'. However, they have been more numerous there, and have been spotted in Dashkimner in smaller numbers. Much smaller, though the vessels have been Shamshirs, with crews of up to 60.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:21, Thu 22 Aug 2019.

After some thought Gaius planned to travel through Dashkimner, the smaller ships would be easier for his crew to handle. And he could convince them to either let him board or counter-attack thier boarding party.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 67):

Dashkimner s a binary system with 3 gas giants, all outside the colony planet. Which do you head for?

10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
13.85 dTons of supplies (0.15 dTons per week)
Cargo Hold space: 76/77
Ships Cash Remaining: $280,000
Planet: Dashkimner (Unfueled)
Date: 20 Feb 2177

Start for the one closest to the jump point, refuel and scan the system for any surprises. If possible see what's on the planet as well.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 69):

Vilani jump points are planet to planet. So jump straight to the planet?

No, fly from the star (Which I assume is the Terran way point I have) and fly towards the planet to see if I can shake free any bad guys.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 71):

The programmable nature of Terran computers means they can set any large body in any system as either source or destination as long as they have the system map. As such, Terrans have maps, with which they decide when they jump what the source and destinations are. Vilani, by contrast, rely on tapes that have all that information in them, and the information is the usual trade routes from Colony to colony. The Terran method is more prone to errors, but more flexible. As such, you can set your current location as the source and either the Star (S), the Colony (C) or a gas giant, (G#) where # = 1 for the inner Gas Giant and 3 for the outer one.

Interpreting the message, you exit hyperspace at the planet. Waiting for you is a single warship, which immediately moves to intercept. It is a Shamshir class Escort!

"Tiny Terran freighter, we have you covered. Surrender and stand by to be boarded."

A single ships boat is launched from the other vessel. Your passengers are still in the low berths.

10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
13.85 dTons of supplies (0.15 dTons per week)
Cargo Hold space: 76/77
Ships Cash Remaining: $280,000
Planet: Dashkimner (Unfueled)
Date: 20 Feb 2177
This message was last edited by the player at 06:10, Sun 01 Sept 2019.

Gaius made sure they were recording the conversation between himself and his soon to be enemies,"You cannot board us, that is in breach of interstellar law....please desist from this course of action you are breaking the law!"

He waited for them to make their demands again before powering down his weapons,"If you insist on coming aboard we will not fire upon your ship...." At least not till they had boarded, with that he grabbed his gear and his men and got them ready to take over the boarding party.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 73):

The response reeked of Vilani arrogance.

"We are the Interstellar law.If you did fire upon this ship, it would be the last thing you did.

You will now cease transmission. Our small craft has a jammer to ensure that. I will see you when they bring you aboard..."

The large warship comes even closer, even as the ships boat docks. The boarding party, armed with gauss pistols, opens the outer door, before knocking for you to open the inner door.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:15, Tue 03 Sept 2019.

Gaius could only smile, so easily baited, he turned his own jammer on so that the boarding party couldn't communicate with the main ship.

The knock on the door had him waiting his own force in cover their shotguns ready, it was time to take the fight to the Vilani.

In reply to Gaius Sattius (msg # 75):

It occurs to you that waking the 'passengers' would give the best option...appear to surrender and allow them onboard, before storming their ships boat and capturing it before they had time to respond or try to escape, then dealing with the rest.

As such, he has everyone put their weapons in hidden positions where they can grab them quickly, with most on the bridge and near the docking station, and has the passengers' low berths deactivated just minutes before they arrive, with notification to prepare to be boarded as the passengers awake.

And so they arrives. Knocking on the door, one crew member opens the door. A Vilani, the boarding party are a little taken aback. They were expecting Terrans.

"Kimashargur scum, show us the passengers!" He agrees politely, 9 other boarders follow the leader to the cargo hold, and two more depart the small craft with orders to guard the bridge. One comes close to you, trying to intimidate you, and you sense your time is right, as two of your crew move in behind the other. You notice they have their knives ready by their legs, still not obvious though.

[OOC: Blades will have the advantage of not raising the alarm, and the are the weapon of choice for the  Shigniid Dia Ugkin, but of course they do not do the same damage. Feel free to open combat...]
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:23, Tue 03 Sept 2019.

In reply to Fate (msg # 76):

The passengers are woken before the crafts arrival and are armed by the time they begin to board.

As the forces split, Gaius waited for the others to leave, before drawing his knife. It was at the throat of the boarding officer before he even saw it, and his crew behind the backup drew their own blades across the throat of his guard.

Motioning for silence, he warned the officer of what would happen if the parent ship learn't he was a prisoner...they would fire upon them, destroying both the officer and his men alike. Using him as a shield Gaius called some of his men to him and went to board the shuttle. He was successful in subduing the pilot and communicator before word came back up that the rest of the boarding party were neutralized.

But bigger challenges lay ahead. A Shamshir typically had 56 crew aboard, of which 4 were designated troops. The shuttle had a crew of 10, now dealt with, though it could carry 48 in seats and more in the cargo hold. With the 50 mercenaries, they can easily be made to fit in, but the issue is getting back to the Shamshir. Gaius decides to use the officer with the knife at his throat, though he hands him over to one of his more threatening men while he goes over 'discussions' with him. Discussions intended to be so intense he would not notice the number of mercenaries boarding. Discussions to convince him to inform the Shamshir that they were on their way back with the crew, something that was in fact true.

The officer was convinced to comply, and in his calmest voice informed the Shamshir that they were returning with the crew. Clearance was given, and the shuttle departed. Once it landed in the vessels hanger, all hell broke loose.

Gaius urged the mercenaries forward with gusto. Their training soon showed on the Vilani spacefarers, who quickly fell before them as they gained defensive positions. 5 Mercenaries were injured as you mowed down 15 defenders who were woefully unprepared, though they managed to raise the alarm. The Vilani Commander tried to organize his troops into a counter-attack, attempting to push back into the shuttle, but the booby traps there soon made a terrible mess of the men, and the 15 man counter-attack was smashed with just a couple of injuries, leaving the Vilani commander holed up and away from the bridge, which was taken in the counter attack.

Pinned down in the cargo hold, the last remaining Vilani tried in vain to repel the attackers, but the mercenaries knew these ships as well as the defenders, and they rained fire down on them from all directions. An hour after boarding, The Vilani commander was out of men. His XO down, just a pair of scared sailors beside him, he angrily surrendered.

The mercenaries were delighted, and escort you back to Girii with your prize and a healthy reward! They are interested in doing this again some time, though for now Girii has requested something else. Planets to coreward need to be mapped to allow further pirate activities to open a second front. It is suggested taking a mercenary crew with you again in case another hostile Shamshir is encountered.

[OOC: Similar number but Good quality troops vs Average ones, so TS 1.5:1, +2. They are surprised so only start with PB of +2 and must rally on first round (-2). All out attack give a +2, but doubles casualties suffered. Risk Modifer Gaius chooses +2, Vilani commander is surprised and chooses -1, to protect his ass! So final modifers: Gaius +6, Vilani: -1. Result is a margin of victory of 7. For the second round, Gaius choose to take advantage of the losses and try an indirect attack. This reduced his bonus from 1--7, -3 for indirect attack, -1 (+1 for enemies choice of defence), to a total bonus of +4, since his win or +2 PB last round enabled him to obtains a good foothold aboard the vessel. He won the roll by three, increasing his margin of victory to 7, which is doubled to 14 due to indirect attack! It is not good to do that twice in a row, however! Having captured the bridge, he now has a maximum position bonus of +2. Things are looking very grim for the Vilani, who now have just 20 men still holding out.
The next round the Vilani Commander orders his men to defend again. This time you beat his roll by 5+13+2-1=19.]

                                        Results                          Modifers for next Rnd (Risk, R)
Round    Gaius              Vilani       Gaius              Vilani       Gaius         Vilani
1        All out Attack     Rally       -10% cas, +2 PB    -30% cas      (R=+1) +1     (R=-1) -7
2        Indirect Attack    Defence     -5% cas,  +3 PB    -30% cas      (R=+1) 0      (R=-1) -13
3        All Out Attack     Defence     0 Cas,             -35% cas


10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
13.85 dTons of supplies (0.15 dTons per week)
Cargo Hold space: 76/77
Ships Cash Remaining: $500,280,000
Planet: Girii (Fueled)
Date: 27 Feb 2177

The Scutum is welcomed back with considerable stir. A small cargo ship capturing a Shamshir is a shock to military commanders, and also an encouragement that smaller forces can with cunning, defeat much more powerful foes.

But things on the captured ships data banks indicate worse is to come. Gadarur is considered the second capital of the sector after Shululsish, and their governor has long contended that their military spending should be used to deal with local problems rather that Lemrukiri's Kimashargur issues. But they are being pressed by Shululsish to contribute forces, pointing to the lack of need for them to deal with a few pirate ships that can be blocked at known points.

Girii would therefore like to mape many systems near their borders to open up the number of potential pirate entry points, giving them plenty of reason to keep forces back. To that end they are offering you 100 million credits to chart the systems all the way between 2102 and 2209, returning the charts to both Girii and Lone Pine (2312). The trip is expected to take a year, with the first report to Lone Pine about 300 days after you depart.

You plan the path from Girii > Uamkua > Tralp > 1911 > 2110 > 2209* > 2208* > 2207 > 2206* > 2205* > 2104* > 2103* > 2102* > Irkhimmui(2302) > 2340* > 2239* > 2040* > 2102 > 2104 > 2004* > 2106* > 2007 > 2009 > 1911 > 2012 > 2213 > Lone Pine > 2213 > 2012 > Tralp > Uamkua > Girii

* Systems requiring Charting

10 Laptops, 50 Palmtops
20 dTons of supplies (0.15 dTons per week)
Weapons, Survival supplies, vehicles, etc carried.
Cargo Hold space: 51/51
Ships Cash Remaining: $500,280,000
Planet: Girii (Fueled)
Date: 27 Feb 2178