In reply to Fate (msg # 11):

Carrick was already headed out the door when he heard the words, "...invite them, even!"

He stopped himself with a hand on the hatch frame. Turning his head back:

"Captain? We have room for a couple of crew members? My parents are quite experienced hands and I'm sure they'd rather go with us than wait years to see me again."

In reply to Carrick Teague (msg # 13):

"Not on this vessel, but the Base has been looking for people to travel for the last few months, and still is. As I said before, they will not be leaving for another 4 weeks."

In reply to Cptn Niki Maya (msg # 14):

Grinning lopsidely, "Well, that would be ideal, then. Close, but not too close, if you know what I mean. I'll be sure to let them know to apply."

Exits.

In reply to Illiam Jones (msg # 12):

"Thanks Illiam, if you would prepare the Ships Boat for immediate departure for a quick trip to the planet, so we can get underway as soon as possible, that would be appreciated."

[Private to Illiam Jones: Please roll Piloting (Aerospace) twice, once to land and once to take off, with the ships boat. Target is Skill level +2, due to familiarity of the system.]

[Private to Katherine 'Kat' Steele: Please provide 1 Piloting (HPS) roll, for the jump process, when you do so.]

[Private to Raymond 'Duke' Vurhund: Please provide a Mechanic (Jumpdrive) roll for the jump, when you all do so.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:26, Wed 10 June 2015.

Illiam nods to the captain and leaves.

[Private to GM: 10:19, Today: Secret Roll: Illiam Jones rolled 11 using 3d6 with rolls of 2,4,5.
10:19, Today: Secret Roll: Illiam Jones rolled 10 using 3d6 with rolls of 3,5,2. Piloting (areospace) 19+2. ]

In reply to Illiam Jones (msg # 17):

The ships boat departs for Procyon spaceport without mishap. Those who wanted to be on it are, and nearly 2 Tons of smokes are purchased! The vessel has plenty of supplies, but another dTon are purchased.


Calls are made, and numerous familiy members are made aware of the Base's recruitment program, with links provided to make it even easier for family members to apply. Some promise to do so, and some, such as several of Carrick's friends/families, have already even applied, and been accepted!

The shuttle back is brief, and within just 10 hours, the vessel is ready for departure. Tanya does all the navigation checks and plots the course, before Niki's clear Japanese accent rings out.

"Kat, take us out."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:37, Wed 10 June 2015.

Cyril takes the Opportunity to stop by Scout docks and talk shop, making sure they hear of the Pirate in route to Sirius.
He picks up any news or tid-bits he can and says his farewells, telling hem where they are off to.

[Private to GM: If Allowed, he will acquire a few decoys of the Dastavka ... Say 3 or 4; basically an aluminumized Mylar inflatable with a small rocket that visually and on Radar looks like the real ship until you close to within a kilometer. It does show a typical heat profile to a thermal viewer as well. It has only the most perfunctory of programs to allow it to move like a space ship (straight, turn, etc) for up to 10 minutes. These are about 20-25 pounds and perhaps 20 inches in diameter by 36 inches long compressed and are opened by a small tube of compressed gas in space (you'd need a LOT more gas on a planet, but it would work); they are ejected out of an air lock and inflated remotely. These can easily be colored to whatever the ship represented looks like. The Joys of computerized engineering ... might just get them from Kalishnikov Industries if available.]

Kat plots the course as directed by the captain. "Aye Captain, lets get out of here" She then takes the ship out as quick as she can. She does look at what other ship are in the area as she fly out.[Private to Fate: Today: Katherine 'Kat' Steele rolled 12 using 3d6 with rolls of 5,4,3. piloting Made by 6]

Cyril does what he can to monitor anyone showing interest in their moves and in misdirecting or confusing their sensors.

In reply to Cyril Zotmund (msg # 19):

Cyrils old scouting friends are happy to meet him. They already know of Kalishnikovs plans...he has canvassed them for volunteers to join him!

[Private to Cyril Zotmund: By crossreferencing the time you saw them leave with system logs you can work out their current alias. There was some mention about the crew of that vessel askimg about both you and the plans of Kalishnikov P/L. The current scouts agree to jump a day after you to see if the can catch him. Unfortunately, decoys are not widely available due to their cost $60 k, required complexity and the ease with which they can be detected at ranges of 100 km +, using the gravity sensors that make up part of all jump capable ships sensor suites. They also need to be custom made, a process needing at least a week. The base can bring it when it comes...]

The Dastavka navigates to the jump point and enters hyperspace successfully. It will be about a week before it emerges in the Sirius system.

When we get back to the ship... Captain, may I have a word?

[Private to Cptn Niki Maya: I spoke with my old Scout buddies;  There was some mention about the crew of that pirate vessel asking about both Dastavka and the plans of Kalishnikov P/L. ]

Probably need not be said, but Carrick is on top of sensor readings and interacting with space traffic control around Procyon prior to the jump and, of course, just monitoring during jump. It might be nice to know which typical shift officers are on duty when Carrick is not, but that might be a meta-irrelevant detail.

Any anomalies during jump or on arrival into Jumpspace? I suppose, once in Jumpspace, if all is normal with our Jump "bubble", there's not much to look out for.

In reply to Carrick Teague (msg # 24):

The jump to hyperspace is routine, and with nothing to detect normally in hyperspace, there is usually only one officer (selected according to a roster, ie I roll randomly if it becomes important) and 2-3 listings on the bridge for the first 5 days, leaving the rest of you with some time to yourselves.

In reply to Fate (msg # 25):

About 3 days into the jump, Niki calls all the officers into her stateroom.

"Gentlemen, it would seem that Cyrils past hunting pirates has caught up with all of us. A lightning class vessel of similar capabilities to ours jumped to the Sirius system 2 days ahead of us, after asking about our plans. We don't know what they know, but we do know that the patrols in the Sirius system are regular from both sides. Indeed, the Scouts plan to send a patrol a few days after us. As such, we really need to keep on our toes. If they attack merchants in that sector, it could result is a large scale Vilani Military operation of the kind e really don't like. Remember, we are at peace with the Vilani...they are not enemies, for now. Hence, if we can hand these Terran pirates over Vilani authorities, we should do so.

You should also remember that the Vilani are far from Homogenous. The local governor of one planet can be friendly, the local governor of the next can be out to kill us. Which broings me to my next point; where we go for fuel and trade can have a very large impact on the success of our mission. We have 3 real options after Sirius, and I want your advise. Should we go for a poorer colony, where we will have more difficulty finding buyers for our goods, but less difficulty in actually trading due to lower controls, of a richer colony with much more stringent controls but more cash to be able to pay for them?"
This message was last updated by the player at 20:27, Thu 11 June 2015.

In reply to Fate (msg # 25):

I have several questions concerning our options:

Can we jump again immediately in-system; what sort of lag exists between dropping out of Jumpspace and reentering Jumpspace besides navigational calculations? What about fuel, how far can we go with our current fuel supply?

Can we track another ship as it jumps to determine its destination? If so, what if we're not there to monitor the jump? Are there any signatures that can guide us in this regard?

In reply to Cptn Niki Maya (msg # 26):

"If the scouts will be just days behind us, would it not be better to hand them over to Terrans for fair trial? Assuming we are not immediately caught in a fire-fight when we drop out, are there any thoughts towards a non-violent solution?

"Also, do we have any research into the disposition of the various populations of these trade planets? It would be nice to know if others have visited a given planet and provided their reports. I mean, I know we have our stats for many of these planets, I'm just saying it would be nice to not take a shot in the dark on our reception."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:23, Thu 11 June 2015.

In reply to Carrick Teague (msg # 28):

"The Vilani are as likely to give pirates a fair trial as Terrans are. Many of the populations are not great fans of the Empire, but the administration will most likely be quite loyal. What specifically did you want to know about them?

We do have enough fuel for one more jump, but getting into position will take time and make us vulnerable to fire. Usually they can detect where we are jumping too and follow if they see us jump, but detection after the jump becomes pretty inaccurate."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:31, Thu 11 June 2015.

In reply to Cptn Niki Maya (msg # 26):

I missed some of those options then... from what I know, we basically have to go: Sirius -> Markhasha  Small world with a Class C star port, CR2
or -> IILIKE a better world for habitability and bigger star port, but CR 6

then ->Shuruppak -   Class C  CR 3  no atmosphere
Then -> Enki Kalamma Class C  CR 6  no atmosphere
Then -> Gashidda Class A star port, CR 6, decent atmosphere
Then -> Ishkur  Class B star port, CR 6, decent atmosphere
Then ->  Saris  Class B star port, CR 6, little if any atmosphere-
Then -> Yenisei (Terran) Class C  CR 2  no atmosphere
from there we can go to ->  ->Chrysolite: 52 k Te colonists, Class B starbase, Trade type: Ni, WTN: 3.5, CR: 5, Atmosphere: Standard, Warm and Thin
or
->   Thallasa 58 k Te colonists; a bit less repressive, CR4, Class C star base with a cold dense atmosphere.

Only Yensei or Sionnach looks to be a favorable business environment and Yensai has no atmosphere. None seem perfect for a major endeavor. Tunguska and Sionnach look to offer ready access to other planets that might be better and we could establish a company operation, but nothing exists there now that we are aware of.

Kat sits back with a smoke as she sips a drink form a glass. "OK, I say we go for the big score. Do we have any information on if there are any conflicts on those worlds?  That will always raise the cost of weapons"

In reply to Cptn Niki Maya (msg # 29):

"Misunderstanding, Captain. I meant, if they jump, can we follow and for how long?

"As for the question of disposition, I meant that specifically as it relates to our success in trade, not in adjudication of crime.

"And speaking of trials, I'm just saying, I wouldn't trust a Vilani court."

Which do you consider the big score Kat?

Kat looks at Cyril "Where we can make the most. But the question is do we have any information of any conflicts?  The need for weapons will be higher there"

In reply to Cyril Zotmund (msg # 33):

"You didn't mention Shulimik. Do you consider that not an option?"

In reply to Carrick Teague (msg # 32):

"The planets with lower control have more demand for weapons, and a greater chance to sell them. The empire ensures there are no conflicts within their borders, sorry Kat.

I would not trust a Vilani court if I were on trial either, but I do not intend to be in one.

Unfortunately, they do not sell refined fuel at any of the low cr planets. I doubt that we will be travelling past the Vilani Naval base at Gidashi,  rather a longer route may be safer.

Basically, Carrick, if a vessel is not seen jumping, we can't track it with current technology."
This message was last updated by the player at 02:22, Fri 12 June 2015.

I stepped over it as it didn't seem to offer much on our trip, but it is an excellent trading location. Were it a bit closer to where we want to go, or if w could jump a bit further, it would be a fine place to head out from.