The group is currently at the Metropelago Arcology on Poseidon.  The city looks like a series of interconnected columns rising from the sea, joined by platforms, transit tubes, and the two long landing platforms of Metropelago Starport.  The characters are all at a hotel there, the Sea Haven Starport Hotel and Resort.  The view, aside from the imposing structures of the city, is wide, blue-gray sea in every direction.

They already know, if they want to invest in a starship, this is not the right place.  Some planets have good spaceports where used ships can often be bought cheaply, but this is not one of them.  Even though Poseidon lies along the Main Line in the Epona Sector, a heavily traveled route, this is due to geography.  In Metropelago, landing space is limited and precious.  They do not charge ships to come and go- they want the traffic.  But store a ship here?  That takes up space they do not want to sacrifice, so it is costly.

Lyonesse, further out towards the frontier, is the preferred place.  But fate has left the characters here on Poseidon.  We will assume, for sake of story, that they have met each other.

The characters have been offered another opportunity, though:  service on the Nellie Bly, a ship belonging to a Lilana Najarian, a Documentarian, who researches and produces documentaries from her ship, and needs a few hands to fill out her crew, which is short.

They get a chance to see what they are getting into...

The Nelly Bly had begun life as the Durban, a navy “Utility Corvette” with “rough field landing capabilities”.  These ships were meant to serve a wide variety of functions other than acting as line warships:  they provided survey and research services, rescue and recovery, patrol and law enforcement, field headquarters for ground operations, mobile medical facilities, and more.  Nellie Bly’s whole class was eventually replaced by the Riga class, which was faster and carried more advanced electronic countermeasures, and other features.  The class had never been designed to be profitable in commercial service, but a few found their way into special niche applications.

The ship has six Standard Container Units of cargo capability, but only four can accommodate actual containers.  It can make short and rough field landings and has an FTL speed of 4.8 LY/day.  It has 6 staterooms, a medical bay, lounge/galley, exercise room and sauna, and an office and media production studio.  It also features a long range high capacity communications antenna.  It has a standard airlock and a cargo lock, which connects to the non-container cargo space.  It retains minimal defensive armament, just old leftovers from its military days.

Lilana is not going to stay here long- that parking fee issue.  She intends to get underway soon but for security reasons the destination must remain secret until the crew is signed up and underway.

OCC: in light of the new setup I doing a slight rewrite of my introduction

In the space of about 20 minutes Jackson watched what was left of his career disappear. He had told Dr Abernathy that the board was looking to lower the research budget and the doctor should explain to the board  how their research had increased the efficiency and lowered the cost of the human made parts of the gravitics systems and they could double those results with continued research. Dr Abernathy instead demanded that the board double his budget so he could reverse engineer the Chukat components of the gravitronics system, a task that humanity has been trying to do for about three hundred year. when the board didn't immediately agree to his demands he accused them of being alien collaborators and traitors to humanity and then stormed out.

Jackson wasn't as upset as he could had been, he knew damn well his career was effectively over. While the investigation cleared him of the crime, his wife's involvement put a permanent cloud on his career. Jackson had hoped to get one more year but he  understood that was probably was not going to happen.

The next day he visited his director. The director had been supportive of Jackson, even during the investigation of the heist. He confirmed Jackson's suspicions that Abernathy's dramatics was all the board needed to suspend the research project. The director informed Jackson that there would be other cuts in six weeks and that he should use that time to search for a new job. Jackson nodded, he had already done the math. He  knew that the research project was going to be his last job with the Authority. He thanked the director for his honesty and help.

Jackson sold the house and other assets, including most of the cash part of his severance package and sent the proceeds to his family to help take care of his daughter. While he largely able to deal with the unhappy situation Jackson wondered if his former wife thought what effect her actions had on their daughter, wherever the hell she was.

The next few weeks were spent on a job search that did not yield satisfying results. Jackson used his networking skills to look for any opportunity he could find. His results would find him at the Sea Haven hotel and resort talking with some interesting people .

This diverse group were also looking for opportunities. A couple of them mentioned that they also had ship shares. While buying into a ship could be such an opportunity this planet was not a good place to purchase a ship, they would need to go elsewhere. When one of them mentioned exploration he smiled remembering his days in the scouts. "That could be great if we could make it pay, or at least pay the bills until we can make that lucky discovery."

Their attention soon turned to a possible job offer. After some research, including a tidbit of information provided by one the more quiet of his new associates, Jackson mulled over the options. "Seems that our would-be employer has some interesting questions she is willing to pay for,there are also possible risk. well we are not getting anywhere just sitting around. Shall we contact her and see if the rewards are worth the risk?"
This message was last edited by the player at 07:26, Mon 20 Jan 2020.

Charles 'Viper' Delorean was laying in his hotel room and was laughing. Not the happy kind of laugh. After all he had just been robbed blind and it seemed the one conning him even took his underwear. He was laughing because it happened to him. He who knew people so well and had done the same more then once to others in his line of work. All in all it hadn't been to bad she had been hot and they had fun for a couple of days but the pay was a little high and the wench had also snagged his ticket off planet. That was a problem. Oh well time to take a shower and get to work. This was a nice place for a short stay but it wasn't anything to spend another 2 months.

In the end it turned out the hardest part was having his emergency funds wired to the planet to get some gear going. Some Journalist was planning to pay a visit to a few black sites to poke around where one shouldn't and the smart people abandoned ship leaving a spot open for him and a bunch of dupes who seemed to have the impression such a thing was a smart move. Well it was a ticket out of here and that was what he needed now and who knew what future options it might bring. The Dupes seemed like a solid group and they where meeting in the hotels bar. As he joins the others he orders them a round of drinks and relaxes into his chair looking out over the water.

"You really want to know how much they pay for an adventure like this? Think of the fame we will be getting when we dig up this is some elaborate skin trade network or they are just supplying arms to secret military bases."

He laughs swirls his drink around in his glass and empties it before calling the waiter over for a refill.

Lilana is fully aware of two key issues here.

First, it's not like any potential crew members have no other options. Poseidon is a Main Line world (see the maps, the red line is the Main Line, the route that links Earth with the distant Carina frontier- most of Humanity is stretched out along this line). And it's within the Central region, the stretch between Tangaroa and Lyonesse that is heavily populated and heavily traveled.  Ships pass this way constantly- generally, big transports, including the giant liners moving thousands of passengers at a time.

With all those ships there are bound to be crew openings.  So any halfway skilled spacer can find work- the safe, secure, dull work of manning a transport up and down the main line.

Second, she knows she is asking people to endure "above and beyond".  Meandering up and down the Main Line means stopovers at major planets, or at least, the space stations orbiting them.  All the benefits of civilization.. albeit it does taper off after Lyonesse.  And those ships are generally more comfortable as well.  The liners can be bigger than space stations, and better equipped.  Some have beaches!**  But Lilana is asking everyone to endure a much smaller ship, heading off who-knows-where into the frontier.

So, she is willing to offer incentive above "standard pay" for crew with ship crew skills:

Anyone with Engineer, Comms, Pilot, Navigation, Medic, Electronic, or Mechanic 3 would earn 9000 per month.

2 would earn 8000 per month, and 1 would earn 6000 per month.

Having a Jack of All Trades skill would increase the "pay grade" by one.

But as they say in the commercials, "But wait, that's not all!"

The Nellie Bly does not use its full cargo capacity.  Lilana is willing to let her new hired crew use one Shipping Container sized cargo hold for "whatever".  That would be in addition to space to store personal gear, clothing, etc.







**Odd beaches, though- these ships are cylinders and use centrifugal force to simulate gravity.  The ones with large "water features" generally use this not only to give passengers and crew a better environment, but to maintain stable weight distribution by pumping the water around as needed. 

Sanjuro accepts the drink. Free was a good price! He scratches his neck as he ponders the situation.

"I wouldn't count on being famous just yet. Most likely we'll spend our time chasing false leads until her money's gone," he says. "Actually finding something is when the problems would start. People with secrets don't like them getting out. So here's to finding nothing!" He tosses down the drink and plays with his glass.

"Think I'll be doing sensors and comms. She wouldn't have much use for a steward. And you fellows?"

Jackson took a sip from his drink before setting it down. "Thank you."

In regards to fame he quipped "If it is all the same to you I could live without the fame part, beside it usually doesn't pay the bills." Jackson then thought grimly. "especially when you are considered a 'person of interest' for over a month.". Jackson previous experience with the media made him wonder if getting a job with a inquisitive journalist would be a good idea.

As to ship tasks he said. "I have a..little experience with engineering. I certainly hope one of you can fly the ship." 

Looking at the list of jobs that are getting actual pay he mutters something under his breath and then taps at the shipping container part.

"I am more the person that knows where to find these kind of people. Figuring out where we go and what to put in that thing might be how i make some buck from this. Maybe its better to see if she is looking for ship crew or real help in that investigation? I'm not really a blue collar worker but im all in favor of milking the lady dry."

Jackson smiled at Charles' comment regarding cargo, "The trick is finding something profitable that can fit into just one container and having enough funds to buy it."  He looked at Charles before saying "I would prefer keeping it legal,for now." put a definite emphasis on the last two words.

 Jackson switched the subject: "If we at going to the frontier I think we should ask about salvage rights, after all you never know what piece of unclaimed treasure you might find out there.   

Jackson gave the pay subject another thought "The pay rate for just hauling someone around space is not bad, if that was all we were doing. I am also wondering if she planning to have us help in her investigation. If she expects us to put our bodies between her and some bad guys I would like this up front on the table so we can decide if the pay rate is worth the risk."

"Looks to me we have been recruited as regular ship crew. Its what we are paid for anyhow. Still just to be on the safe side i ordered me a hull welding suit from a local veteran. But you are right setting the right expectations is a smart move. And we can also check what the first few ports are we are hitting so we can get something to load into that container."

As they talk a light shine pops up in his glasses as he starts to check the local market for bargains as he nurses his drink and looks at the rest of the team to see what they think about the nature of their job and cargo.

Lilana sighs, because this was the sort of thing that frightened off her last crew.

"I do documentaries, I am not a spy, I am not an enforcement agent.  I have no intention of challenging dangerous people, no infiltrating into gangster's hideouts, none of that.  I would rather report things to the Commonwealth and then document what happens.  Besides, the Nellie Bly's military days are long over, she's not a fighting ship anymore."

Charles pokes around Poseidon's commerce listings.  All of the major worlds have them.  And all the major worlds have lots of people looking at them.

To find something special, he needs to use his skills, in this case his Broker skill.

2d6+ Broker Skill to search for Really Good Deals.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:28, Thu 23 Jan 2020.

"Alright then,now that we got that on the table we can get down to brass tacks and decide on this job." Jackson glanced at his associates "I think we should go for this job. While I hope she means what she says I think I will bring a few toys form my days in Customs and security, just in case."

Jackson noticed Charles looking at the commercial listings and said: "Once we actually find out where we are heading we can determine what will sell the best."

Charles goes through the listings but was also keeping an ear to the conversation. At the moment nothing really profitable was popping up.

"Yeah as much as i love to believe you you might be poking in a hornets nest and just because you don't plan to stir the nest up and you look harmless doesn't mean they won't shove a torpedo into your reactor core.

Still we are walking into this knowingly so you seem to be paying enough. Pay is for us doing crew stuff. So we expect to be doing just that next to our own side trade for which we like to know what ports you plan to visit. If you expect more of us its best you let us know before we set off so all our expectation from each other are on the same page and we can get the right tools. For what you hired us a toolkit is enough. If you need someone to get you out of that innocent black site once you realize you bit of more then you can report we better come prepared to do so and you should be ready to compensate for it."

OOC: I thought it was just the PCs present - wouldn't have been so disparaging if the boss was around.

"Tell us about the ship," Sanjuro suggests. "Or give us a tour. You have any modifications to help you out in your line of work?"

While a tour is in preparation...
Delorean looks over what he can get here at Metropelago Arcology, Poseidon.

As one might expect from a city supported on oceanic pylons, with no natural land, there is definitely a marine tilt to the economy here.  A couple of outliers, yes, but a lot is focused on the sea.

But that means most of the deals he could swing are not the kind that seem promising.

 There's a supplier here submersible work robots.  Big yellow pods that are designed to do all kinds of underwater work, from managing fisheries to mining to seafloor exploration.  You could squeeze two into the cargo area you have, but then, where you sell them?


Marine heavy cranes...still used because the Grav lifting devices are so very expensive and consume so much power.. but the Nellie Bly couldn't even carry one.  You'd need a big special cargo bay for that.

Small outdoor delivery robots, the type that replaced human package and letter delivery workers in many areas a long time ago.  You could carry eight of them, and buy them at 3000CR each.

Synthetic Fiber... that's only worthwhile when you have a big bulk carrier and a regular route!   Similar problem with the Packaged Freeze Dried Noodles (which aren't made here, it's an excess delivery.)  Sure, they are cheap, very cheap, but you need lots to make any real money.

A few goods available move further up the value chain... you could buy whole pallets of assorted shirts (you can fit 40 pallets) at 700CR a pallet.  Flash frozen fish... naah, you'd either have to chill the entire cargo hold, or buy a whole refrigerated shipping container of frozen fish at 65,000 Credits.  That's over 40 tons of fish.

Packaged processed fish, though... 2,600 a pallet and you could fit 40 pallets.
Coconut oil, 700CR a pallet.

And one that might be more of an interest.  Expansion into space has greatly increased the challenge for media companies to market their programs while fighting piracy and copying. In the 24th century, programming is produced on "media cards" which contain micro-computers that use highly advanced and propietary software to ensure that the data will not be copied- often by making sure that the copier gets a nasty virus instead.  Each card is also good for a limited number of uses- one might by a two hundred hour card, and after 200 hours of use (not ownership!) the card is useless.  In this way, networks can safely and reliably sell their content across the Hundred Worlds.  Metropelago Arcology happens to be home to a media production company, Seafire Visions.

Normally, these cards are packed into cases, then into pallets, for distribution.  And normally, media companies go through a lot of effort to optimize the content for different markets.  What sells at Alpha Mensae might bore people at Calderada. But, because of computer error, Seafire Visions production center has cases of "non optimized" card assortments which they are willing to sell at 30CR a case, half the usual wholesale price.  The good news is that Media cards are small.  You have space for up to 8,640 cases of them!

The Nellie Bly is a small ship.  It is wide arrowhead shape about 45 meters long.  It has 2 decks.  The two "wings" of the wedge are fuel and electronics- unmanned areas of the ship.  The actual usable area is a rectangle in the center, tapering towards the front, though the nose space is stuffed with equipment and not usable for other things).  Artificial Gravity is only provided on the top deck in the main area- artificial gravity is an expensive and power hungry feature and most ships will only use it where necessary.

The lower deck has three cargo bays in the shape of a reversed "E"- in the gaps between the cargo bays are the aft landing engines and retractable struts with the forward set in the nose.  Each of the two outboard bays can fit one standard shipping container (roughly, the international standard 40'container that hasn't changed in centuries!*).  The characters have one for their use.  The center bay is used by Lilana and includes a ground vehicle, while the other outboard bay is used by the rest of her crew.

The reason for the odd arrangement is the ship's military origin:  the two outboard cargo bays were originally intended as "mission configurable" spaces that could house various weapons, sensors, rescue equipment, or simply remain as cargo as required by the mission.

A long midship gallery connects the three, though each may be loaded externally (that's the only way you get shipping containers or large cargo in and out)  The midship gallery also has the ship's main entrance (which doubles as a small cargo airlock), a ramp that lowers down when the ship has landed, stairs up to the top deck, and additional cargo and stowage area.  This is generally used for ship supplies.  Forward of that are engineering spaces- the ship's powerplant, warp drive, other systems, sensors, forward weapons, and electronics.

The top deck has the original crew quarters, now configured as 6 staterooms, a medical bay, lounge/galley, exercise room and sauna, and an office and media production studio.  There is also the bridge, and aft weapons station.  There is a top airlock, which actually opens upwards.   It also features a retractable long range high capacity communications antenna.  This is important to Lilana's business.  She wants to be able to transmit and receive commercial broadcast signals when still approaching or leaving a planet- most typical receivers will pick up the main communication and navigation signals at a distance, but nothing else.

The top deck also has two escape pods, one in front, and one in rear, and access to the main maneuver engines.

In reply to The Boss (msg # 14

Does Charles inform the group about his search?


If so Could we get clarification on the definition of non Optimized. Does it mean not formatted for security, memory and/or security? How will this non optimization effect it's salability?
This message was last edited by the player at 20:26, Fri 24 Jan 2020.

"Non optimized" means that normally, the computers load the cards depending on the intended market.

For example, if it was today, and Disney was making these cards, they'd make sure that Winnie the Pooh wasn't being shipped to China (long story, worth a google, Winnie the Pooh is banned in China).

They would also make sure to include more things they know is popular in that market.  Different cultures like different things. Norwegians watch shows about knitting.

Non-optimized means "Just stuff", no specific target market intended.

This can be good or bad.  Good because you don't really know where you are going, bad because it might not be as appealing when you get it somewhere.  Might even be offensive.

Charles swipes his most interesting finds to his drone and tells it to project it onto the table.

"biggest issue is i got no idea what will get us a decent rate but these are the options i think are most interesting. Just got to figure out how much we got to invest and what we like to take along."

Jackson looked at Charles' display weighting the trade possibilities of each. "depending where we go the media card offers some possibilities." He paused when noticing the tern "not optimized" in the description. "We should find out what is actually on these card. If could be easily sold they would have sold it themselves. I would like to know how much legwork we going to do to sell them so we can see if the cards would be worth the cargo space."

Charles already has the answer to that:

They are non optimized, due to a production error, so Seafire Visions cannot sell them to the regular distributors.  They can sort it all out but if they can get it off their hands by selling them at discounted rates, so much the better, they can put their time to better use making new cards.

Characters with merchant experience know that *space* is the critical issue.  Space merchants have to figure value per unit space, not simply per unit or per weight, or anything like that.  Thus, some things that would seem very expensive are really not as valuable as cargo as one might think, and some things that seem cheap are very valuable.

A shipping container filled with bicycles is actually as valuable than one filled with motorcycles, because there are so many more of them in there.  (This is if the container is factory packed, they are experts at cramming things in there just right.)

Seen that way, media cards, even blank ones, are at the high end.  Not the crazy high end like precious jewels, pearls, drugs, and nano printed computer circuity, but in the high but normal end along with filled chocolates, bismuth, tin, and skin care cremes.

But the legwork in selling them... that is a trick, and every different commodity has its own special peculiarities.  Learning those peculiarities is how traders become successful traders, there is no sure fire list of instructions.  (Except for the obvious, like, if you have pallets of unpopped popcorn in your cargo hold, under no circumstances should you allow your hold to be exposed to extreme heat.)

Charles relays what he knows and takes a sip of his drink.

"So in essence we got to gamble and hope we will have the time to do the legwork at the next port(s). Its low risk low reward stuff,"

In reply to Charles 'Viper' Delorean (msg # 21):

Jackson nod his head in agreement "True. But we should definitely find out where we are heading so we can get the stuff most likely to sell."

In reply to The Boss (msg # 17):
OOC Just curious, is there a planet "Norway" and are there shows about knitting amongst the cards? :P Also does the cards all have content or are we being sold blank cards as well?

The general direction of where everyone is going is a reasonable request, your new employer decides.

"A remote place on the coreward frontier, past Deseret.  There's only a small settlement their now, called Kozaana, but I have a contact to meet there.  From there, I expect to be around the coreward frontier area- Saint Brendan, Merlin, Fulgora.  Frontier worlds, off the beaten tracks.  Okay, Merlin's pretty well settled.  But exactly where we go depends on the information from the contact.  Even I don't know yet."
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:28, Sun 02 Feb 2020.

"Well people out there might want some R&R but im not sure if we want to take to much. The Bots might be of use? Dunno not really a frontier person."

"not sure, been a bit since I've been on the frontier.   Perhaps a little research would be in order. We may want to also research if these have been known to be repurposed, especially by frontier types. As far as the cards go I am not sure we have the creds to fill the container." 

 "I might know a guy in the entertainment business," Sanjuro offers, "but I don't think we'll run into him on that route. Don't know offhand what would help with the chips. But I think a few out-of-the-way spots sound like the right place to sell uniptimized chips. They'll probably take what they can get."

The Nellie Bly is not going to wait for endless "market research".  Speculative trading is, after all, heavily built on intuition, experience, personal connections, and luck.  If the exact risk and reward expectations could be worked out beforehand...

Everybody would do it.

But about repurposing...

While the cards are designed to render themselves useless after a set allotment of viewing time, in order to create a steady market, it is possible to restore the cards.

They won't bother here because it is actually easier for them to just manufacture new ones.  Restoring them is tricky and there is a failure rate.

But out on the frontier its different.  People have more of a re-use, re-purpose, recycle life style.  Restoring a hundred spent cards and getting 20 you can use is better than nothing.

You can use the other 80 as coasters, wall tiles, poker chips, whatever.

On the third hand, it is not essential to load up here and now.  You would have further options elsewhere.

OCC: me thinks the The Boss wants us to make our minds and get the story going

"I think that the card would make for the most flexible items and we need to decide soon. I can contribute 40K to this. Are we in or Not?"

"I am willing to risk half what i got which is 5k. I don't expect us to fill the container as thats a whopping 260k of pocket money."

He looks around the table to see who else wants to chip in.

In reply to Charles 'Viper' Delorean (msg # 30):

Jackson shrugs "We get what we can get. That means we have room if we find something valuable and unclaimed. There is lot of that on the frontier."

They meet the rest of the crew.

Such as it is.

Minka "Mad Dog" Gottfried is the very petite, very busy, and very businesslike intern/assistant who for the moment, doubles as pilot- supposedly having learned from the previous pilot.  In between, she handles a lot of the business and technical affairs, and the galley.  She is always doing something, and seems to have life timed to the second, at least six months in advance.

Quote:  "We're already behind schedule."

Otto Shen is the laid back but skilled technician. The general purpose handy-man fix it guy on the ship.

Quote:  "Sure it might be dangerous but it still beats getting a real job."

And they settle into their quarters, after loading 1,500 cases of media cards.  Non optimized.

Minka, of course, has advice.

"That's pretty smart.  Did you know that in total retail credit value shipped, media cards are second only to Precious Metals as most valuable category of interstellar cargo?   I read that in Main Line Traffic.  It's full of good things for a pilot to know, a lot about ships and operations.  I read a lot.  I think if I'm going to fly this ship, it will be helpful.  This is going to be my first launch on my own."
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:11, Wed 06 May 2020.

Sanjuro scratches his cheek. "Eh, I guess I can manage 20K," he offers. "Give it a try. Meantime, I'm going to have a look over our sensors. Going to need them more than usual on this job, I think." The Nellie Bly used to be military - maybe she had some interesting leftovers. And sometimes they just disabled things rather than remove them...

After securing his gear. He greets the other crew members. He says to Minka, "Yes I realize that. However I would like enough time to make sure the engines are up to the task. Since your previous engineer left in a hurry I need to make sure he didn't leave anything undone, unintentionally or otherwise."

To Otto he comments."I guess it goes to show you that even adventure can became just another job."

Charles sends all who are willing to chip in a payment request and then places the order for the discs and arranges delivery to their ship before taking their leave. His drone hovering after him as he leaves the bar as he goes to get his gear.

Later he arrives at the ship his own gear also in a massive crate that mght have a military origin that is badly concealed with some logistics company stickers. When Jackson gets to work straight away he smiles and chips in.

"Aye solid plan. If there is stuff we can fix on the ground i rather do it here then on the fly. And with that he sends his drone up to take size of the ships exterior while he gets his gear stowed. "

They take another 600 cases aboard, and Sanjuro has 2000 credits left to keep the math easy.  The universe always prefers round numbers.

They look over the systems on the Nellie Bly.

It wasn't crew-less for very long- probably a week or two, and it certainly didn't go anywhere during that time as Minka claimed that the upcoming launch would be her first.  So the ship hasn't suffered from lack of a crew.

Or, from ground maintenance.  Ships like this aren't entirely maintained by a crew- they'd never have the time, or the ship would need twice as many.  So, when the ship stops over in a port, a port crew catches up with the service.  The Nellie Bly has been properly kept up- the servicing has been on schedule and the on board diagnostics are showing everything is good.  A few minor quirks, but every ship has them and as long as they aren't in critical systems they are a fact of life.

(If they quirks are in critical systems, they are still a fact of life, but that's not as long a time)

The Communications systems are better than normal.  Lilana has sunk a lot of money into equipping the ship with a state of the art mobile media production facility, and the long range antennas mean she can broadcast and receive in high quality even well beyond orbit distance.

The ship's lounge, small as it is, is also top notch.  It's a well designed, well made space, because it has to double as an interview venue sometimes.  The wall screens are high definition with 3D capability and the sound system is excellent, because Lilana has to see what her productions will look like on high end displays.

There is very little military specific equipment left- you already know the ship is armed, and it still has its old targeting sensors.  But while good for a civilian ship, they are now obsolete for a warship.

After doing a quick check and conferring with Minka, Jackson felt a little more comfortable with the ship. The ground crew seemed to have done a good job on maintenance. He wondered if had worked with any of them. He hoped things will worked out for them and the current hiring freeze doesn't turn into layoffs.


He contacted Minka. "okay I am starting the preflight in engineering. How's preflight up there going?" Jackson hoped that she had enough training to know what he was talking about

"Everything looks functional. Don't think we'll be any better at spotting someone running quiet than the next guy," Sanjuro remarks after coming back from his tour of the ship. "But anything running in the clear we're going to spot early. And if we have to call for help, we can definitely call louder than most."

He introduces himself to Minka and Otto. "Moving in's done when I drop this pack. Either of you have work to do that needs a couple extra hands?"

Charles gets himself settled and when its clear the ship needs nothing from him now goes to familiarize himself with the ship. Its coffee machine and the other crew. He also seems to be a little nervous and wanting to leave as if he was moving something hot and wanted to be out of the area though mostly he seems to be acting really cool about it.

"Im ready to dust off when you are. You want me anywhere cap?"

There is almost a steady stream of large ships that go up and down the "Main Line", passing and often stopping at Poseidon.  Warp "jumps" being limited in range, the Main Line uses a long standardized and efficient course, and as far out as Lyonesse, every stop has a settlement or station of some kind.

Even the very next stop out for the Nellie Bly, a small station in a system so minor it hasn't even earned a name, and is just referred to by number:  NCGL001.

Well... it's not so much as a system as single small red star, and the scraps of ice and dust the little star keeps around it.   NCGL001 shows signs of having been a member of a more extensive system in its early days.  It was ejected, a fate common to stars in multiple star systems, when the orbits aren't stable.  It's been on it's own for billions of years now, no planets, just the lone star.  And the small station.

Once there was a larger station here, but that was from days when ships need fuel and service more frequently.  That station was moved further out to the frontier a century ago.  Now it's just a little place, more of a traffic control and emergency services station than anything else.

NCGL001 is three days out for the Nellie Bly, just enough time for everyone to get used to each other, the ship, and establish a rhythm.

Charles had been doing his job but clearly wasn't the type that went the extra mile. After his shift though he had taken his large crate to the workshop and it turns out he had aqcuired an official military combat armor a new one from the looks of it and was in the process of removing all decals and giving it a new paint job. Dark green scales and brown tones and with large brass Viper logo on the chest and some on the shoulders. He seems a whole lot more passionate about that prize then about the actual job.

ooc: The Logo.
https://www.speedcultofficiall...6/08/Viper-fangs.jpg

Glooskap is their second stop, a few days later, and here the Nellie Bly pauses to refuel, Minka making a reasonably proficient docking maneuver that would only cause face palms in someone with pilot skill 3 or better.

Named for a mythical hero of the ancient Abenaki people of the northeast area of North America, Glooskap is an old fortress-station, built into an asteroid, its innards protected by miles of rock.  It is a key junction in the Main Line.  Here, traffic from the Main Line splits off for Deseret to coreward and Freyja to rimward.  Glooskap hasn’t been needed as a military base in a long time (though due to the traffic, there has always been a small station with a few ships, generally small ones, on duty).  The City-In-The-Rock is home to about 2 million people- just a moderate city as far as humanity is concerned, but this far from Earth is the largest asteroid or orbital city. It orbits a red star, otherwise quite ordinary, which boasts a cold, blue-ish green gas giant and an asteroid belt.

Gooskap has a thriving high tech industrial economy, created by lucky coincidence- the former military base left behind some fine industrial facilities and the asteroid belt has some rich finds of important rare-metal elements.  Neodymium deposits support the production of magnets, and a company here rebuilds older hyper-drive elements, effectively recycling the costliest component of starships and helping to keep their costs down.

Any character with a broker skill would know this is not the place what you bought at Poseidon, though.  You're just two jumps down the Main Line, not nearly far enough for anything from Poseidon to be remotely unusual or interesting.  Here it is just common stuff.

There are many ships here, of all sorts.  Recent political developments in the Commonwealth have made some frontier investors nervous, and some shipping operations have paused, and ships are awaiting new orders.  Ships that would ordinarily be travelling now are docked here, and the main commercial docking concourse is crowded.

When they make port and Charles sees the wasted potential in the docs he cringes and seeks out Lilana.

"So what our next stop here? If you want to get a cover as a transport this might be the place to pick up some cargo that will not make us any real profit but might give us a nice reason to go somewhere we shouldn't."

Jackson will do a go to commercial concourse have some conversation with some of the merchants waiting around. He isn't so much interested what is for sale here as what markets are no longer being serviced due to the impending slowdown. depending on the situation there may be ways to take advantage of the vacuum caused by the slowdown.

Briefly, Lilana considers disguising the ship.

“Would never work as a freighter,” she says.  “We just can’t carry that much freight and its obvious.  Maybe, if we had to, we could pass off as a chartered passenger transport.”

Wealthy passengers will often charter little ships for themselves.  VERY wealthy passengers have their own.

“But not yet.  We’re not doing anything wrong, not even slightly.  Acting like you’re doing something wrong when you’re not can be problematic.”

Minka gives a little laughing snort, thinking of something.  “We’re a documentary ship.  We ARE the cover story.  What do spies tell people… oh, we’re doing a documentary!”

“Well, we are,” Lilana says.

From a distance, Glooskap has an appearance like many of the asteroid habitats.  Imagine a potato in which someone has core-drilled a hole.  Imagine that the potato is over a hundred kilometers across, and core drill bit gouged a hole 8 kilometers across and just as deep.  Inside that hole, well shielded from radiation and other dangers, a spinning cylinder, the central axis of which is a long tube projecting from inside the potato, serving as the base for antennae and docking ports.

It’s all Glooskap, because spacers tend to be sparing and efficient with names.  If someone needs to talk about the star and differentiate it from the colony, one could use the star catalog number by which it is best known, HIP 46624, or “Glooskap Prime”.  In similar fashion, if one needs to name the asteroid as opposed to the colony one could say “Glooskap Rock”.  The other asteroids here have only catalog numbers, all starting with “GLK” which identifies the system.  Only the deep blue gas giant in the outer system rates a name of its own.  That is Plaweinoo, named for the mythological mother of Glooskab.  It’s the fuel source for the system, hosting a Helium-3 Harvesting station.  Fuel transports go back and forth, it’s a spacer’s job much less exciting than traveling between star systems, but someone has to do it.

The Nellie Bly has docked along a side arm from the main one projecting out from the asteroid.  Several of these docking arms meet here, and at the convergence is a bulge called Glooskap Docks. It’s much like the typical starport concourse scene:  some restaurants, hotels, shops and entertainment of varying quality and generally higher price.  The Axial Tram runs down the line to the core of the main colony, or it’s about an hour’s walk if anyone prefers.

Lilana checks her messages after the ship is docked.  Her informant is supposed to be here in Glooskap. But apparently, not patiently waiting in the Docks.

“I have to go into the main habitat,” she says.  “According to this, a place called Service Housing.  If anyone wants to come with… it’s appreciated.   Although... if you want to check out the merchant scene at the concourse, that's okay too.”

Charles nods. So no cover for now. He was interested in what their boss was actually up to though so when she asks who wants to come with he nods.

"How you want me along? Just crew or muscle?"

Glooskap… he'd heard of that, somewhere. Right, that business rep, Kalani, came from there. Got himself in a spot of trouble on a trade jaunt, a little too much entertainment with the wrong sorts. They'd got him out of that blackmail attempt. Pretty clumsy one. But he was in some sort of communications manufacturing outfit. Maybe he'd be able to point them toward some proper sensors? Sanjuro decided to look him up.

The boss had a meeting to go to, and Viper was going along - he could handle both with one trek, perhaps.

"I can come with," Sanjuro offered Charles.

More confidentially, he explained "Don't count on me for too much if there's trouble. I'm more jaw jaw than war war. But an extra body might make anyone looking for trouble hesitate."

The twentieth century saw technology reshape trade through ever faster transport and communications.  By the early 21st, actually having to talk to another human was becoming obsolete, one could live in utter isolation conducting business over the internet, in an apartment with millions of other humans doing the same nearby.

Interstellar trade overturned that model.  Between star systems, instant feedback was impossible.  Communications reverted to an 18th century model, and conducting business face to face returned as the standard- at least when between star crossing traders.   Active star ports all seem to have a commercial hub, generally known as the concourse, and traders have long known that it is more advantageous to be there, rather than looking at screens in the privacy of one’s quarters, between journeys.  In fact, many concourse spots popular with the merchant set also draw people native to that location.

In the Glooskap Docks, the spot is called GloosEx Mercantile. It’s the largest establishment on the concourse, dwarfing the nearby restaurants that reflect humanity’s continued fascination with the cultures of Earth:  Cafe Americain, Novya Druzya and Singapore Taco.  GloosEx Mercantile was built as a business oriented meeting place.  It has a retro-space-industrial style with gold coated foil wrapping the exposed ventilation ducts under the white ceiling. Big wall screens show the latest news from Earth and the Central Region planets, as up to date as whichever ship most recently arrived.  The food is good, mostly simple comfort fare, the drinks are excellent and varied, with genuine human bartenders instead of robots preparing them.  The interior is designed to facilitate meetings and discussions, with comfortable seating in circles around large tables in a very open area.  Not an “intimate dinner” kind of place.

The patrons are a mix of ship crew, traveling business representatives, and locals, and they are engaged in various conversations:  what’s going on with the Commonwealth and these demands for democratic representation, which ship is for sale,  the Paragon M-300 Personal Maneuver Device, and Glooskap’s Maglev Suspension Magnets.

To join a conversation in a socially adept manner requires a Liaison or Broker skill check, 6+, with an INT, ED, or SOC modifier depending on style.

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

Meanwhile, on the Nellie Bly…

“I can’t bring my camera man on this one,” Lilana says.  “It’s no cameras, and that’s very clear.  I don’t want to walk into trouble, so I’m not thinking of this as a request for muscle… but company is appreciated all the same.  I don’t think anyone else is looking for trouble, I’m paying for information, not stealing it.  But… it’s still Service Housing, and it is the one place on Glooskap where you can run into trouble without looking for it.  It’s a place with.. as they say.. social problems.”

Minka will not be going either.  Lilana’s busy assistant is on the scrawny side, and she says she has a lot to do.

“Maybe I can get some background data.  There’s a lot of ships here, maybe one is a Ghost Ship.  Something we can add to the doc.  So I’ll be checking for ships that don’t seem to have a clear reason for being here. Oh also, on Glooskap there's no firearms permitted, just so everyone knows.  I'm sure you guys know.  It's like that on a lot of space habitats.  Space habitats and shoot outs don't go well together, Glooskap security will freak out if they detect one.”

In reply to The Boss (msg # 48):

Jackson always prided himself on succeeding on his own talents rather relying on family connections. But in the course of his career in the Port Authority he found that those connection often got things done a little faster.

He saw among the gathered he noted that many wore insignia form companies and ships that he worked with at the authority and/or his family had some sort of connection to.
Jackson shook his head and said to himself. "I guess that I have to do some name-dropping to get things done."

Along with finding out  how the current market was doing and possible  opportunities the possible economic slowdown might provide, Jackson would keep an ear out for tidbits of gossip or rumors that be of interest to their patron.

15:03, Today: Jackson Taylor rolled 9 using 2d6+4, unique dice. conversations on the concourse
This message was last edited by the player at 23:05, Tue 18 Feb 2020.

Charles nods and makes sure his heat is in his room. Putting on his fancy leather Viper jacket and fonzie outfit including a blade in his boot he is ready to join their boss.

"I'll have my drone watch over us from a safe distance. I prolly can help with the social problems as much as when someone picks a fight. You lead and i'll play along."

Jackson has been around long enough to know that this is makes for mercantile success: talking to people.  Putting together little comments, building a picture, finding the opportunities you'd never know about reading the computer screens.  Which many do... not the good ones, of course.

The Burgundy Crown is a passenger ship with a steady route, travelling between Freyja and Saguenay, making stops along the way.  Most of its income is passengers- which is true for most ships in space.  Some limited cargo is carried for regular clients, but the crew still does a little trade of their own.  It's Chief Steward is here, a very large, very bearded man, taking a break from keeping things on the ship running smoothly.

"Saguenay," he says, "is rock solid with the Commonwealth and always will be.  People there are realists, they don't buy into slogans and big ideas.  They want little ideas, that work.  They have a sea there that has been completely... terraformed?  Aquaformed?  Oceanformed?  Whatever.* They are devoted to the terraforming there and they know it's better with the Commonwealth supporting it.**"

He talks about the way parts of the planet are now ecologically Earth like, with Earth plants and wildlife, and how tourism there is growing... and how the growth in the hotel industry, including floating resorts built for "wildlife tourism", are a great market for luxury goods of the "home decor" kind.

He also talks about the stock he bought in the company doing the floating hotels.  Explorer Experience, traded as ExEx on the markets, he says, is going to be a great buy.

"I don't mind shilling for them a little.  There are people here on Glooskap who have never seen sky.  If there's more demand for tourist trips to Saguenay, better for me, right?"

But then, it's clear that his ship is continuing on to Freyja, which also has some nature sites to see.  But not with Earth aquatic life.

Some of the others ask if he's thought about re-routing to visit the "Crosser" aliens that have shown up coreward of Deseret.  News of that has just arrived, and the Crossers are always interesting in making deals.  They generally have some very interesting technology, especially concerning space hardware and engineering.  But the Burgundy Crown will go in the other direction, to Freyja.

"We have customers, and obligations.  That's for the little free traders, not us. Besides, it's better to go where the crowd isn't.

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

Meanwhile, Lilana and friends set out for "Service Housing"... Charles quickly realizes that since Glooskap is an enclosed asteroid station, patrolling with a drone is not easy!  Doors, corridors... and the Axial Tram that runs down the line to the core of the main colony.. all make it difficult.

Due to the expense and power consumption of gravitic technology, most large starships and almost all habitats make use of spinning to provide artificial gravity.  Much cheaper, especially as the habitat gets bigger, and this one is very big.  Every such habitat has a core where the rotating section spins around the non-rotating section, and it's always a complicated meeting of moving platforms and strange angles.  Here, as in many places, the thought seems to have been:  the less people see of all that, the better.  So the Axial Tram opens into a large lobby area where sliding doors lead to large gondola cars that move along curved tracks while rotating themselves, to deposit the passengers, after a short ride that has been known to cause motion sickness in the queasy, four kilometers away in the "Service Housing" section.

Cheery voices in four languages remind you to take all your belonging, and assure that children, pets and service robots remain with you.

Service Housing has a strange look:  chaotic, colorful anarchy overlaid on the gray and beige walls of very simple, very standard residential units.   It's a fairly busy time, dozens of people coming and going (some with children, and pets... not many with service robots but there are few, mainly of the "carry the packages and follow me" kind.  It is definitely not the wealthy part of the Glooskap.

There's music from somewhere. Pretty good, in the skilled amateur/mediocre professional range.  It sounds Italian.




*Across the Hundred Worlds, this has been done on a few planets: making a body of water more Earthlike.  Aquaformed is the common term for it.

**This leads to a few side comments about how and why the Commonwealth is supporting terraforming.  Pro:  It is really about improving things on outer planets, spreading and strengthening human civilization.  Con: There are plenty of habitable worlds, no shortage of space, it's expensive and people on Earth don't like being told they are subsidizing it.

Well that sucked. Not unexpected but still not as usefull as desired. Telling the drone to loiter around him in a random pattern to not make it dead obvious it was his but staying in the same cell he tells the software to keep an eye out for people that are around them during the trip mostly to find out if someone follows them. When they get to the 'better' part of town he decides to keep it closer and starts to admire their surroundings and the music.

"I believe i can hear our destination. We could have picked something worse."

"At least its a space hab," Lilana say.  "People don't push their luck as much.  Less room to hide if it goes wrong, you know."

She seems to know where she is going, but consults her hand held computer a few times.  Maybe just to reassure herself.  But in the end their meeting isn't even off the main passageway.  No need to wander down the side passages through the endless residential apartments at all.

Just one of the many colorful little storefronts along the Service Housing Commercial Mainway.  If it wasn't for the roof overhead and the way everything curves up in the distance they might as well be in any Bohemian quarter in a city on Earth.

It's an entertainment "club" with a lounge, bar, tables and seating, and in the back, rows of little virtual reality suites.  One can put on a headset and sense-suit, and not just watch something, but experience it as if one was there.  Many people can afford these things on their own, but many can't, and even those that can might not be able to afford a VR suite as good as the commercial shops have.  They are found in many places.  A place like this makes the VR experience a social event.  One can go with friends- or meet strangers- and have a shared VR trip.

If cameras and drones and such were difficult before, they are prohibited here.  People here sometimes don't want others to know what they do for socializing.

The host knows who Lilana is here to meet.  It's a woman, maybe in her forties, with dark hair and pale skin- the pale skin of someone who lives in a space habitat.  There is an initial exchange, and pleasantries, and when they sit down to business...

Lilana is surprised to see that all this person has for her is pictures.  Not data, not audio or visual.. just printed pictures.  Simple and old fashioned.

"It's what they are of," the woman with the pictures says.  "That's what's important."

"A ghost ship?" Lilana asks.

"No.  But I think... its cargo.  Maybe some ghosts."

It's a camp, or a storage site, something like that, on a lifeless world.  There's an awning above it all, a sunscreen of some kind.  Bright reflective gold on top, white on bottom.

Beneath it...  cold sleep pods.  Lots of them.  Dozens of them.  Not randomly placed, carefully arranged.

"They can't be working," Lilana says.  "No power for them.  No connections.  I know some can be used short term as escape pods, but.. not long."

"I don't think these are working," the woman says.  "They look... pretty dead."

"And the people inside?" Lilana asks.

"Can't make it out from the pictures."

"But it's not possible," Lilana says.  "That many pods... if a ship with so many pods went missing, it would be big news.  Trust me, I would know.  Big news.  They might not find the ship, but a hundred colonists disappearing in cold sleep... you couldn't hide it."

"And yet," the woman replies, "here we are, with a ship load of cold sleep pods stored away.  Now tell me that's not the work of one of your ghost ships."

Sanjuro has been staying back a little ways, hoping to not make it obvious that he was with Lilana. He let Viper be the obvious one, instead trying to notice if anyone was paying them more attention than seemed appropriate. Even so, he couldn't help but overhear a little of the conversation.

The ghost ships were smuggling... low berths? How would...

That mystery he could work out later. For now, just make sure they didn't have unwanted company. He continued watching the other patrons of the VR den from a nearby table.

Setting the drone to look busy in the corridor having its visual hang in a corner on his glasses he joins Lilana inside and eyes the images with interest. Analog media now that was interesting. Instead of discussing the impossibilities of 100 people dissapearing and not causing waves he instead has a more interesting question.

"Where are these made? Who made them and how did they come out? If i was stowing this somewhere i wouldn't want anyone getting it out."

Turning to his employer he says.

"If you load em up in small batches all over nobody will notice. People vanish all the time. Your pods might not come from one source."

Charles's question has Lilana checking her computer, linking up with the local network.  Very quickly, she is doing searches to identify the pods.  It's a journalist skill- they become very adept at searching for information in networks.

One of theories vanishes in a worrisome puff:  these are not antiques.

Humanity's rush to the stars began in a mad rush, in the mid 21st century, first using ships and technology provided by aliens, mostly the Oumo.  By the end of the century, with the technology obtained from the Oumo, factories on Earth were turning out thousands of these things a year.  Over the next two centuries hundreds of millions of humans were moved from Earth to colonies.

But the great wave of colonization is long over.  People are no longer leaving at the same rate.  New pods are built now, but not like they were in the old days.

It would be less unsettling, perhaps, if someone was collecting old pods, long used.

But these are much more recent.  Not new, but none go back more than a few decades.

"This looks like... they call it a Lohnekee 2 type," Lilani says, noting one of the pods in the picture.  Earth made, in fact its still made but they went to the type 3 a decade ago.  They are still used for colonists, including resettlements."

Colonists aren't leaving Earth like they used to, but still, it's a few hundred thousand a year. In any number so large... yes, there are a few accidents.  Always.

"I don't like the idea of that," she says when Charles suggests the possibility of small numbers of pods being taken at a time.  "It means a long term thing.  It means someone has been keeping this a secret and therefore must want it to stay that way."

"Well then they slipped up, if that's the case," the woman with the pictures says.

"You are hunting the ghost ships. They been around long enough to become an urban legend. If they are up to anything it surely will not be short term stuff. Not that that makes it any less creepy."

He chuckles and oggles the pictures again making sure his glasses store a local copy on his drive for later reference.

"So i missed where these where taken as i got a feeling thats our next destination."

The woman with the pictures raises an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid I don't have the product, sir, I am just the advertising.  I prefer it that way.  Valuable information is like valuable anything, you have to worry about guarding it."

"But then you know who I must go to," Lilana says.

"Oh yes.  And information like this is in the most secure, untouchable of places.  In the head of an alien, those nomadic trader lizards who call themselves Crossers.  Perfectly safe, no one would try to muscle a crosser on a home ship."

"A Home Ship?  There's one in the Hundred Worlds, I know... you know where it is?"

"Oh yes.  And who you have to find there.  That's all I'm supposed to do, send you along.  Kozaana, coreward of St. Brendan.  Andy Explorer Third-Risk."

Lilana repeats the name, sounding skeptical.

"They are a flexibly gendered species," the woman explains.  "They tend to choose Human names of ambiguous gender, when traveling among us.  Explorer... a job title and, I think, in their system, something more.  And Third Risk, I believe, is a literal translation of a family name.  I have no idea what the significance is, if any.  But, there's your product, I am just the advertisement."

"So basically you are here to invite us over on behalf of this nice mister Andy Explorer?"

"Screening," the woman says.  "To keep the interest down to those Andy would feel are right.  That's what I'm supposed to do.  You're journalists..."

"Documentarians" Lilana interrupts.

"The difference?"

"Mostly a journalist is about what's happening today, a documentarian is building a broader, deeper story and it might even be historical.  Not limited to current events at all."

"Well close enough," the woman says.  "You have a vested interest in keeping sources confidential.  Officials can be a little short sighted with that.  They also have a habit of forgetting that information is valuable and worthy of some compensation.  It's Thank You For Your Assistance Citizen and they walk away.  Journ...Documentarians are better clients."

They arrange a transfer of some contact data to Lilana's computer.

Lilana takes a moment to  ask Charles:  "You ask good questions.  Have you ever considered this line of work?"

** *** ** **

Meanwhile, Jackson is still talking with the business crowd in the GloosEx Mercantile.  The wall screens are always displaying the news, and a story has arrived with a recent courier ship, all the way from Earth!  Information moves at the speed of travel, and that means its more than a month old already, at best.

Large and near simultaneous protests in parts of the planet, against the Commonwealth system.  The most serious are in the Governates in the region formerly belonging to a nation, Bangladesh.  This is now the Governates of Dhaka and Chittagong. Both have seen civil unrest, and in Dhaka Governate, an "Interim Democracy Organization" is pushing to have a public referendum on democracy and a return to national sovereignty without the permission of the Commonwealth- effectively declaring the Commonwealth rule of Dhaka illegitimate.  It's what the media calls a "developing" situation.

One of the spacers present makes a joke about profit from "gun running to the rebels".  Maybe it's a joke.  Probably.

Another notes that the sentiment isn't at all what people might have suspected.

"It's not us trying to be independent from them.   Lord knows we all benefit from security, from starports and safe traffic all across the Hundred Worlds.  It's them trying to chuck us off, and stop subsidizing the colonies, that's what it is.  We terraform planets and build brand new cities and a good part of Earth is still... crap."

Charles nods to the informant and a soft chuckle at Lilana interrupting to clarify she is a documentary maker. When the deal is done and they are ready to go he replies to his employer.

"Nah there are lines of work that get you more money then journalism where asking the right or wrong questions is equally important."

"Nobody seemed to be spying on us, at least. Not in person," Sanjuro explained when he rejoined them, "except me."

"I don't get the angle, though. There can't be living people in those berths, if they're just sitting around unpowered on the surface. And if there's dead people, you don't need to cart around a low berth. Lots easier ways to dispose of bodies. I figure it's just empty low berths. Maybe they're prepping a secret base, with something like a frozen watch?"

"Anyhow. Maybe I've got an angle on something: do we have any spare budget for a little ship upgrade? There's a guy I know might be able to hook us up with better sensors. I just have to find him." He's trying to navigate the directory, but with nowhere near Lilana's deftness.

(Sanjuro can use an Ally to represent the contact he has for buying sensors, or make an appropriate roll to see what kind of deal he can get.  By "appropriate" we mean using whatever skill or ability goes with the plan.  So, if it is a social connection, use Social Standing.  If is a market connection, Broker, etc.  "Which skill is right for this" depends on how you want to do it.)

"You're thinking we might have to do a search for these things, right?" Lilana asks.  "We might, depending on where we end up going.  Right now it seems we are headed coreward, past Deseret and St. Brendan.  St. Brendan is a frontier kind of place, they rarely have the best of anything.  Deseret's a pretty advanced world, though.  Have you been to this region of space before?  Deseret's colony was founded by the Mormon church, and St Brendan by the Roman Catholic Church.  Some people call it God's Quarter."

"Deseret is the only planet I have ever seen where the people go out of their way to be dull," the woman running the virtual suite shop says.  "Sometimes they visit, check out the mildest things we have, and act like it's something completely illegal.  Then they come back the next day and buy another."

"And yet it is next on our trip," Lilana says, "as that is the way Coreward from here."

When Sanjuro asks if there is budget to upgrade the ship Viper raises his hands and looks at the owner. Clearly not something he was planning to pay for.

"Don't think our sensors are good enough? They are above average anyhow."


He shrugs as they start to leave. Coreward it was. He never been on a home ship. That was going to be interesting.

"They're good," Lilana says.  "Okay they aren't Navy sensors but... they're good".

There are military surveillance vessels with truly enormous, and enormously expensive sensor systems.  These are often found on ships patrolling beyond the frontiers of the Hundred Worlds, searching for signs of Carinan activity.  But things like this would be far beyond the capability of someone with a small ship making documentaries.

"Still.. it's good to know that Sanjuro knows about these things.  Or knows about people who do.  We should ask him about the details when we're on our way.  Hopefully this isn't just a wild goose chase.  Even if it is, we'll get some interviews with the Crossers.  Have you met aliens before?"

It's meant as a conversation for the trip back- since they've gained all they can here, it's time to return to the Nellie Bly and make sure its fueled up and provisioned... and they'll have to pick up Jackson along the way.

He's been trading stock tips with the others.

Calling the drone to tail him he replies.

"Yeah seen a few aliens. Hard not to in this time and age. But never really for more then a little business."

As they are outside he nudges his thumb over his shoulder to the place thy just left.

"So whats your take on this?"

They retrieve Jackson from his happy place among brokers, traders, and ship crews.  He tries to commit to memory the things he learned here.  It's definitely something worth repeating- if there is money to made trading, learning is the key.

Back on the ship, Minka has overseen the fueling and provisioning, as well as a few routine maintenance services.  Every ship has a regular schedule, and she is adamant and keeping as close as possible to the Nellie Bly's.

Lilana explains the very small but very eye opening bit of information they recieved, and Minka's first reaction is the wonder, "wow, maybe the rest of the crew was right about this.  This is... are we really going to investigate this?"

"Still in it," Lilana replies.

"Then so am I," her petite assistant says with a slight air of false courage.

They set course- the ship will travel to the Crosser Home Ship, by way of Deseret and St. Brendan.

"Anything anyone has to say or do before we leave?" Lilana asks.

"I'm good" said Jackson. He found the information from the concourse useful but  not sure if or when  he would get an opportunity to act on it. Then again if the political situation got worse if could all be moot.

Charles shrugs.

"Nah im good. Though i do wonder if a home ship is a good place to loose our discs."

They launch.

Lilana stays in her office a while, on the one hand frustrated that all they got was a lead to a lead... and at the same time, very amazed that the story is about a mysterious cache of cold sleep pods.  She busily searches for information, and starts editing what she already has into story material.

Minka runs things while her boss recuses herself.

She asks the others if they have any intention of ditching now that they know what they know.  This is the sort of thing that had the previous crew leaving.

But she reminds them:  "If we get a story out of this, Lilana can make a lot of money selling the documentary.  She can be pretty generous, when the money comes in."

The Nellie Bly turns towards Deseret, and the FTL engine engages.

Deseret, they know, is a "socially conservative" place.  Very.  Along with St. Brendan, Chong Am, and a few others, a planet where selling "immoral" entertainment can get you in trouble.  But then, they already know- the value of entertainment chips can grow with distance from the source.  And they don't take up much cargo room.

The Nellie Bly is a few days out from Deseret, and from there, it will continue Coreward, to St. Brendan, and then the "Home Ship".

"Well i think most people still on board are aware of what they signed up for right. As for generosity. I hope you don't mind i only believe in the promised payment and don't expect  free gifts so i'll work for what i paid."

En route Charles pulls up the images he has made from the photos. It was a strange thing people always considered drones an intrusion on privacy but smart glasses did exactly the same. Well he didn't complain he had images now he could work with. At least if there was a data stream to work with. He also checks their media to make sure their discs do not hold the title immoral. Or if they are they don't push to much for a higher price.

Charles studies...

He learns that the drone was not entirely invaluable.  During the discussion in the virtual shop, the drone was simply waiting and watching outside, and recording.

It wasn't the only one.

After a lot of studying, he can determine that there was not only one but three cameras watching events outside the shop that day- four if you count the shop's own security system.

There is the standard public security camera operated by the Glooskap police.  An ordinary thing.  Very obvious.  Maybe there's more, as some clever police forces have hidden backup cameras, expecting that criminals would seek to disable the obvious camera.  Then, even if they do, you have evidence on them to lock them up even before they commit their intended crime, as tampering with a public security camera is a felony.  For this reason, hidden backup cameras will always have the primary camera in their field of view.

Which brings us to the unexpected third camera Charles finds.  It does not have the primary camera in its field of view, which means it is unlikely that it is a backup primary camera.  It's not far from the shop, and is concealed as a very plain looking power coupling near a long, graffiti covered wall.  But though it took Charles a while to find it, the little black lens is clear.

** ** ** ** **

Once the ship no longer needs her piloting, Minka makes occassional visits to see how he's doing.  Like her boss, she's noticed that he's easily adapted to being more than just crew.

"You know, some of what you have we could put into B-Roll" she says.

She elaborates.  B-Roll is the term documentary makers use for "supporting" shots and scenes, that aren't the main story, but put it in context.  In this case, the streets of Glooskap's "Service Housing".

He greets Minka warmly and is more then willing to share a drink with her in the mess. When she mentions the B-roll he perks up.

"So you say i can get money for the images my drone makes? Now thats cool. That little thing makes more footage then anyone likes to watch."

He chats with her on the topic a little clearly interested on the money side of things. Once they are done Chalres meanders over to Lilana leaning against the door looking at her work as his drone pops up next to him.

"Hey boss check this out. Not sure if its relevant but it might be."

He conjures a holo image of the front of their store and then highlights all 3 cameras and points at the real covert one.

"That one here think it means something?"

Lilana is very good at making compelling, interesting documentaries, and she does know cameras and sensor equipment well, as people in her industry tend to do...

But she's not an expert on covert spying gear.

Still, she speculates.

"Someone is keeping an eye on that shop.  But that doesn't mean that its specifically related to our journey.  Perhaps she frequently trades in information, a person like that can attract the interest of.. authorities?  Others?  Still... one thing.  We have to make sure that camera doesn't appear in any of our scenes.  It might help for us to know that we were likely seen, but I don't want to expose anyone else's surveillance.  We don't want to make enemies."

"On it, Lilana," Minka says.  "I'll make sure we don't use any of that footage."

"Also," Lilana says, "it seems Mr. Sanjuro isn't going to stay with us.  That's a shame.  We'll be short handed again.  We can put out a hiring notice when we get to Deseret, and then again at St. Brendan."

"If it was from the informant it was a great way to have images of who is going to the home ship. But with you i doubt images are hard to get. Still now you know."

He states more or less sharing her idea on the thing. When the departure of crew is brought up he nods.

"Maybe you better take on crew of mercs? You may say this is not such sort of an op but maybe its the kind of people that won't run off? I might not still be here if i didn't have a background in operations you know."

"I still don't want to get into any situation where they might be needed," Lilane says.  "But... let's see what kind of feedback we get from our Crosser contact.  They might have some more information.  If it will make everyone feel better, maybe we can add a bodyguard to the team.  Especially since we're losing Sanjuro."

"Oh my goodness," is all Minka has to add to that.

They continue on to Deseret, and with a few days, the little ship arrives.  Jackson takes over as pilot, and Minka is quite happy over it, as her skill there was very limited.

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

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

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

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

The traffic at the Highport is moderate, with nine other ships presently in. Most are the regular passenger transports.  One is a commonwealth navy ship.

While Jackson doesn't mind piloting as well as engineering, at some point he will discretely inquire about a small raise if he is going to do double duty. Jackson is also willing to help Minka improve her pilot skills as well.

"Make it clear in the job offer and pay. That you want people to lend you some muscle when its needed but you want their main skill to suit the ship. This.."

He makes a general gesture towards the container with media.

"Is a nice offer but probably not for the type of people that will stick around when it gets hairy. Hell i know the pay is not enough for me to think about doing more then self defence. If you like i can put my feelers out for some folk when im out trying to sell the discs so we can payout Mr. Sanjuros bit."

Looking at the navy ship from the mess window he smiles and nods his head in that direction.

"Maybe a few techs from there like a new job?"

Lilana puts together her job offer and adds it to the stream of information on the Deseret I-Net.

"Of course this means we're here a few days at least," she says.  "I would have wanted to go straight on, but it's best to have a full crew.  Maybe we should put in on the surface instead of hanging around here.  Spaceports can get boring very fast.  Maybe we can find a secondary story."

In addition to the "big thing" Lilana is always pursuing, there are the secondaries.  The little things, human interest stories, interviews, events and items of curiosity.  She doesn't cover news, which doesn't flow that quickly across space anyway.  She covers.. things of interest. Always one or two, if you keep your eyes open.

There's another issue, of course.

Charles has demonstrated that he is beyond "just crew", he is part of the production team.  He's a documentary maker now.  So he gets cut in for a profit share.  Just a little, for a start, so they can see how it goes.  Assuming, of course, they can make a profit.

"Deseret's not a good place to hunt for stories," Lilana notes.  "They go out of their way to be boring here."

Minka, on cue, reads aloud from a computer display.  "The name comes from a word meaning “honeybee” in the lore of the Mormons, who initiated the settlement of the planet and came here in large numbers.  Deseret is wetter than Earth, and larger, with a higher gravity (1.06) and heavier (but breathable) atmosphere.

The first waves of human settlers were mostly Mormon, and for reasons unclear today they placed a priority on attracting Jewish settlement as well.  When colony charters guaranteed a basically “theocratic democracy” structure for the planet, several Orthodox Jewish movements joined the Mormons.  They eventually managed to establish Deseret as a haven for minority religious groups that could be, here, their own local majorities, with Bahais, Zoroastrians, and several others establishing enclaves."

Minka reads on and concludes:  "Hmm.. did you know Pir-e-Vela is the only city in the Hundred Worlds with a majority Zoroastrian population?  That's got to be worth a few minutes screen time. I mean, while we wait for responses."

"You think we will get the crew we like from the surface? Those Mormons don't strike me as the lot that likes to pry in others business. Still a place like that got to have some underground places that might make a nice subculture item. Lets see if i can find an in with the material we got if you like to go down."

"While Mormons are not the only group on this planet we will probably not find many people with the required covert skills, then again we may stumble into one of those exception."

Jackson shrugs then turn to Charles and Lilana "If pursuing secondary stories will help pay the bills then that's  terrific, I don't think it would be any more dangerous than what are we are doing already." Jackson hoped he wouldn't be proved wrong.

 Pir-e-Vela isn’t what one might expect.  Despite it having the biggest Zoroastrian population off Earth, and the largest Zoroastrian population anywhere, even here in Deseret it is a secondary city, possibly tertiary.  It’s nowhere near large enough to rate its own Governate, being lumped in with Antipodia, over a thousand kilometers away.  It does have a spaceport- rare for a minor city on a well populated world, but then, any halfway decent airport works as a spaceport these days.   Even there, though, it’s evident:  there must be some very wealthy people here, because you can see a number of very small transport spacecraft.   Some even look like private yachts, or luxury charter craft.

It’s also evident from the dress of the people and the wares in the shops in the spaceport.  There are some wealthy people here, more than would be expected from the small population.

Humanity is very scattered in the 24th century.  It was hard enough to learn all about one world, now... a hundred of them... most people never bother learning the quirks of geography and society on each one.  The Hundred Worlds are full of the exotic, far off places people have never heard of.  Some, like Pir-e-Vela and Ireland, tucked away in plain sight on major worlds.  Lilana realizes that she can certainly get some material here.  Mundane and boring, most likely, not like a stash of mysterious hibernation pods, but if well presented it will pay the bills.

When the boss shares the local info Charles chuckles. He loved watching the 'how the rich live' type of documentaries as a teen. Dreaming away at what might be once he got rich. The fact he was here as a wage slave says enough.

"Right. So we go out to find us some new crew and also a to see if we have a buyer for our goods. You start your item and if we can help give a holler."

"Oh you bought those media cards... you should hold on to those," Minka says.

She waits until she has everyone's attention before going on.  "Cultural things... media is what we do here, I know this.  Value goes up when it's more exotic.  Deseret is pretty close to Poseidon.  Whatever comes out of Poseidon, they've seen here.  You want to wait until we get some distance.  When something is a hundred light years out, it starts becoming really special.  Banana theory of value."

Minka does that.  She has a habit of throwing out a little verbal bait, then waiting until she starts getting "Well?" looks.

"Banana theory.  When bananas are cut from a tree they start to ripen.  Ripening can slow down with special environments but you won't get more than a few weeks whatever you do.  A few weeks on a fast freighter and you might get to a hundred light years.  At that range, a banana is an exotic thing.  Very valuable.  Of course you have to sell it right away then.  But if a planet is fifty or more light years from bananas, they don't get them often and they're special.  We did a show about fruit traders once."

Almost absently, she queries the computer.

"They don't grow bananas here.  They make... hmmm... special weapons for the military.  Well, that must bring in some good money, then.  It's.... Jamana group.  Very high end things.  That's interesting."

"Well that is bananas."

He replies with a laugh.

"I was mostly planning to sell to repay our departing investors money. On the other hand he just left without asking for his money back so we could call it a parting gift.

Sadly enough we don't have anything left to invest. Though maybe we could look to transport some stuff to the home ship."

"That could be interesting," Minka says.  "I wonder what the Crossers think of it."

** ** ** ** **

They do a check of the news:  One story is spreading galaxy wide.  The Commonwealth Navy is looking for a small passenger ship that left Telemond shortly after an accident that took the life of Rose Batek, a widely popular ex-Governor, leader and activist who was trying to sway the Governors into accepting some form of democratic representation.  One or more persons aboard, who were long time associates of Rose Batek, are now considered "persons of interest" and are wanted for questioning.

The segment closes noting that bounty agencies are being alerted.  The Commonwealth's law enforcement and extradition abilities on many frontier worlds is limited, and bounty agencies make their living retrieving fugitives in this cases.  They're looking for a Prinia class ship, a small, older courier/fast transport type.

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

The ship parks, and Minka retreats to her work station to poke around on the computer, looking for whatever is interesting.  Lilana decides to stretch her legs and do some initial exploring.   But, she's not expecting much.  Pire-e-Vela is a rich, quirky, and relatively distant and unknown place, and that is always a good theme for a quick, easy, popular documentary.

Charles dones his leather jacket makes sure the drone is ready to go and leaves the ship with Lilana.

"So how many people are we looking for? And pay is the same you offered us? I can take a look around to see if we got some decent recruits and send em your way.

I'll aslo be looking to see if i can get that cargo space filled up en route. If i want to get you footage i really need a cinematography course and an extra drone or two."

ooc: Maybe we need a notes thread for our group? Its easier to find stuff like the payment. Whats in our cargo and quest notes maybe? Especially as i see the other group hopping to all sort of threads.

"I'm not sure this is the best place to hire," Lilana says as they begin to explore Pire-e-Vela.  "It's... well, I probably can't match the salaries people find here.  Probably.  We'll see."

It's a wealthy place and unusual in a few more respects.  Pire-e-Vela is built in the broad rift between mountain ranges, which are visible in both directions.  It's not the most conventient place on Deseret, where most of the cities are on seacoasts to take advantage of transport.  But it does give Pire-e-Vela a very different look.

Lilana tries to look up information on the city's background which might explain some of the anomalies.

"It's not a mining center, no unusual resources... why does someone establish a colony site here... just for the heck of it?  Pretty mountains.... hey look at this, it even has a zoo."

Zoos are not unusual things.  They are fairly common, though the top rated zoos tend to be in metropolitan areas with lots of people, enough paying visitors to support it.  According to the computer entry, the Pire-e-Vela zoo is one of the four zoos on the planet with an A or better rating.

"Not just local life... which is mostly simple," Lilana observes. "Significant off world life and Earth life in recreated habitats.  This place has a lot of money coming in.  What do you think of looking into a zoo?"

"Religious nuts believe their gods send them somewhere and thats reason enough to do it for them. Besides nothing wrong with a little paradise world. But im all up for some R%R if there is no real work to be done. Lets hit the zoo."

Jackson spoke up "Whatever they believe they seemed to gotten the money from somewhere,hell, there may be a story in that. In any case a trip to the zoo sounds like fun."

It's an indulgence none of these characters have had for quite a while.  A pleasant day out, a trip to one of Pire-e-Vela's outstanding public amenities.  If it was in a more tourist oriented city, it might be a better known attraction, but from what they've seen so far, Pire-e-Vela does not have much of a tourist industry.  As wealthy as it is, the regular thinking here seems to be that it's better not to have them coming in.

There are certainly hints here that the people enjoy a little bit of distance.

But the zoo seems ordinary enough.  Well funded, professionally designed.  It's in four quarters.  One quarter features the life of Deseret.  As far as is known, living things on Deseret haven't evolved as far as earth life has.  Simpler, more basic forms.  But that doesn't mean they are less interesting.

Then there is the Earth Life quarter, and the Life of the Hundred Worlds quarter, and finally, the Temporary Exhibit Quarter.

Today the Temporary Exhibit Quarter is housing: "Moving Specimens: How Live Animals of All Kinds are Transported Across the Hundred Worlds."  Of all the quarters, it seems to be the one with the fewest people going in, because it's primarily "educational" and doesn't feature as many animals.  But near the entrance something catches your eye... it seems to be depiction of a version of "cold sleep" pod, and the display with it says, in big day glow green letters, "Learn How Hibernation Pods Work!"


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

Meanwhile, back at the ship... Minka, who might have wanted to visit the zoo but had sooo much work to catch up on, sorts through the applicants who have responded to her bosses offer.

No... no... no... oh certainly not, doesn't even speak English... ummm... hmmm....

Might even be a bit over-qualified, though.  But on the other hand, Mr. Nelson, judging by his resume, is not the kind to turn and run because he's afraid that Lilana Najarian's current pursuits might irritate one or more organized crime figures.

But on the third hand, Minka does not realize that many people cap off very dangerous careers with quiet, undemanding second careers.

Quickly and diligently Minka sends off a response, explaining how this being a small operation, just a few people and a small ship devoted to making documentaries, it might be a small and quiet job for someone like him, and of course with a small ship and crew he could not be "only" security, he'd hace to wear a few hats.  But if all of this fits, he can come in for an interview.

Charles nudges Lillana and then gravitates to the hibernation pod. That was interesting indeed and he tried to soak in all the info about it most interesting in finding out what happens if they are unpowered with a guest inside.

"Pire-e Vela", muttered Abe to himself, stepping off the short-haul shuttle from Highport. Stretching his neck from side to side, enough that his spine cracked in a satisfying manner, he shouldered his battered kit bag and scanned his surrounds. Over one shoulder, slightly behind, hovered a small drone that perhaps garnered more attention, though it moved only enough to remain there when he walked.

What might have brought a starship like this Nellie Bly to a sleepy backwater city, he had speculated whilst he scanned over what little information was available on the nets, ultimately filing the question for this morning's conversation.

He moved confidently through the conservatively-dressed crowd once he had left the pad, his own utility fatigues perhaps notable among the well-dwellers but not uncommon. His confidence was part age, part service and part simply having travelled They were clean and pressed, eminently presentable even with the personal protection beneath. If local customs permitted he worn a pistol openly on his belt, but his naval-issue cutlass and body armour were stowed neatly in the heavy kit bag together with spare clothes and tools of one kind or another.

It wasn't a far walk from the pad to the berth where the starship had touched down, though he felt it - the press of the planet's gravity and the heat, neither oppressive but present. He had sent a message ahead to this Minka letting her know he planned to come well-wards, to explore whether he suited the Nellie Bly and whether she suited him. He had put himself forward for a redshirt role, true enough, but hopefully his follow-on message had explained well enough that he was a licensed pilot and qualified in maintaining the ship's systems - software, electronic or mechanical - depending on where their need was. Besides, God knew, of whatever passed as God here since his own beliefs were more founded in rationalism and science, he had spent enough time on intrasystem runs in Deseret and it was time to move on.

He smiled at the minor blasphemy of his inner monologue as he reaching the bay where the starship rested, then depressed the worn button on the comm-unit, "Ahoy the Nellie Bly. Permission to come aboard"
This message was last edited by the player at 11:20, Sat 02 May 2020.

Exploring the "Moving Specimens" exhibit.. it's the quiet part of the zoo, lots of science, fewer animals, fewer people.

Moving animals, it turns out, is a very specialized business.  Small animals are frequently taken in the passenger areas of transports; sometimes in specially designed facilities aboard ships, or sometimes in staterooms that have been temporarily rebuilt for it.  There are a handful of ships that are entirely devoted to this work, and spend all their time moving animals around.  Not just for zoos, of course. The bulk of animal moving is for agriculture, to establish herds.  But the most interesting work is for zoos.

They are drawn to the section about hibernation pods.  After all, they play a key role in the mystery Lilana is looking into.  Some animals travel by hibernation pod, just like people, and for the similar reasons.  It can be expensive, difficult, and even dangerous (for animals and handlers) to move certain animals long distances in cages.

Animal hibernation pods are more elaborate than those designed for humans.  These have to accommodate a range of different body sizes, shapes, and metabolisms.  They animal pods are described as more expensive and more versatile than human pods, but...

"These pods receive the same scrutiny and tracking by agencies, so users can be sure that the technology is current, and the maintenance record is spotless.  The Commonwealth Association of Zoos and Aquariums oversees this.  Like all hibernation pods, detailed records attesting to their usage, maintenance and inspection records are kept in most Sector Archives."

Sector Archives is something most characters would at least be aware of, and certainly, any character with an Admin or Bureaucracy skill.  Information travels at the speed of light within systems, but at the speed of starships between systems.  What is "know" can vary, sector to sector, even across a sector.  So, all of the major sectors and some frontier sectors have a Sector Archive- a computer database where all sorts of records of legal, maintenance, financial, and other critical data is gathered.  This information is continuously updated as vessels with courier contracts travel around the Hundred Worlds.  That way, when someone needs the data, it is only as far as the Sector Archive, and one does not have to send a request halfway across the Commonwealth and wait months for a reply.

And according to this, the records of hibernation pods, who used them, when, where, and who inspected and serviced them, are considered important enough to be archived.  And why not?  They are highly advanced technological wonders, and people entrust their lives to them, counting on their working absolutely perfectly.


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

Meanwhile...

Minka is surprised that the Job Applicant has responded so quickly, and actually arrived at the ship, presently parked at the Pire-e-Vela Aerospace Terminal.  A good sign, perhaps- motivation!

Minka quickly contacts Lilana, still at the zoo, who tells her assistant to "handle it" until she gets back.   So Minka invites Abe in.

Minka looks small, somewhat jittery and perky like a chipmunk.  But she has an air of efficiency, of someone who juggles twenty tasks at once and manages them all.  On the other hand, she looks very young, like she could still be an intern.  Less than half Abe's age.

She politely invites Abe into the ships lounge/dining room/conference room.

"Well I suppose the job description and the sight of the Nellie Bly didn't scare you off," she says.  "Are you really looking to be the security officer for a ship like this?"

Stowing his duffel and personal drone carefully before he sat opposite the young woman, Abe considered her question carefully. His manner was like that, deliberate. It was part of his training, to evaluate a situation and then move swiftly and with prejudice should it be required, but that second half wasn't something to share for now: his interrogated looking like she might jump half out of her skin.

He folded his hands carefully, his forearms resting on the table that sat between them where it looked like the crew might dine together. He knew how he presented, scarred and craggy, with the grey at his temples not hidden by the short cut he still preferred: it was said that a marine never really left the service, that they retained too much of their ways about them.

Deliberately, he smiled. Perhaps it was even reassuring.

He considered her question, telegraphed his interest in the ship by glancing around the mess, though he had taken much of the pertinent information in, "A ship like this, Miss Minka? Your Nellie Bly seems well maintained and solid, and I'm familiar with her class. Served on one close to thirty years ago, up the Main Line towards Midway, when I was a Major commanding the third battalion of the 401st..." and he paused to snort lightly, eyes flicking to the ship's structure "Could have even been her..."

Returning his attention to the ship's pilot, his blue eyes focused on her once more, "From what the ad said, you're drifting down the Main Line, no regular trade routes and as the ship's mistress tells you. Not looking for trouble, not into anything shady. It's a lifestyle I'm not unfamiliar with"

He pulled out a bulky sleeve of folded papers from beneath his fatigues, placing them on the table in front of him, "Pilot's License from Yennenga. Electronics from Kuripan. Mechanics from Carbuncle. Re-upped my weapon permits and driver's license here on Deseret, but only because there ain't much to do here"

"A ship like this?", he echoed her from earlier, "Perhaps you had better tell me about her, and her needs? See if there's a slot I can fill, since it strikes me that you shouldn't need an abundance of security. Just enough to keep you safe"

Charles takes in the information and looks at lianna.

"Thats interesting. Did we have enough information in those pictures to see if we can get a hit if we hit the database for those pods? And is that a smart move or we got to do that a little more covert?"

Jackson nods. "I've worked with sector archives when I was working for the authority. I could possible help with that."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:19, Mon 04 May 2020.

"So noted," Lilana says.  "There should be a sector archive at St. Brendan.  It's a Sector capital, even though it's not much of a sector, it ought to have something.  Lyonesse would be better but its in the wrong direction.  The important thing is the find our Crosser contact with the information."


Lilana then suggests they return to the ship, they have a new prospect that at the moment, Minka is trying to interview.

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

And meanwhile, back at the ship...

He brought a duffel bag to an interview???  Minka is surprised, but says nothing about it.  It does seem a little odd to her, but then... she's learned that the people who seek out these kinds of jobs are often a little odd.  Some would accuse Minka of being a little odd herself.

"We do travel around a lot. Lilana looks for interesting stories.  She makes documentaries about them, and sells them to media companies.  People like to see things that are strange and far away.  But she's run across something that might make the wrong kind of people unhappy.  Maybe.  We have no idea yet.  But I can't tell you about it, it's not something Lilana wants to get out.  Yet.

"It's a small ship, but a good ship.  It's me, and Lilana, and Otto Shen who is our technician.  Jackson is our engineer and pilot, and Charles is our field assistant.  If you were able to help out with technical things that could be good, there aren't many of us so we all take on multiple roles.  And.. we have some cargo space.  Not much. Jackson and Charles are running a trade thing as we go along."

"So first want to see the crosser and then hit St Brendan?"

He querries as he has the drone shoot some footage as they head for the exit.

"You should teach me how to shoot footage properly you know. Might actually benefit us both.

So whats the prospect? Didn't expect someone to show up his fast. I dont think the engine is cold yet."

Listening to the petite woman's explanation of both the ship's owner and her mission, the long-retired colonel nodded thoughtfully. He knew there were folks who would purchase such investigative content, pay well depending on the packaging and the specifics. Such information brokerage was something he had dabbled at, surveying fringe systems, though he had found that particular period of his life unsatisfying except financially.

Certainly, now, he might offer some talents on the investigative side too and that intrigued him a little.

Then she threw in the bait.

He stiffened slightly in his seat, never-forgotten habits of threat assessment and situational focus coming to the fore. Regardless, he forced a smile and let her finish, shivered slightly and then nodded, "It sounds like you need a Security Chief, whether you know it or not..."

"And honestly, that tempts me", he continued, his interest clearly perked as he leant forward, "You might not want that listed on the Nellie Bly's' manifest, not until the who and the why is clearer. If, for whatever reason, either of us comes to the conclusion that I'm not the right person to bring about then I would be happy to consider a short-term contract to consult on your security needs"

His eyes flickered to the papers he had neatly placed in front of him, "But ... I know enough to take off-watch in several areas, increase your redundancy on top of supporting Mister Shen, chauffering the Captain around and circumspectly poking under rocks for you"

He held off commenting on the trade opportunity, though it made things interesting. He would see what she had to say about the rest before he through his chips in there

"We have to pass St Brendan along the way," Lilana says.  "So we'll try a short stop there, whatever we can find.  Maybe if we have to follow up we'll do it later."

It wouldn't do well to have eager but inexperienced Minka handling things with a new recruit too long, so they cut the zoo visit short - after taking some notes about hibernation pods, how they work, who makes them, and other things - and return to the ship.

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

In the ship's lounge, everyone meets.  Lilana feels its best for the whole crew to be in on this.  Small ship crews have to live and work together for extended periods of time, and it can be dangerous to set up "toxic" crew relations.  Best to make sure everyone gets along.

Introductions go around, and Abe gets a standard employment contract.  The truth is, he knows with his background he could probably do better.  Maybe work on one of the big passenger ships, the ones built like giant resort hotels in space.  But... there are reasons why one might seek out a little ship, too.

Charles nods and follows Lilana back making sure to get some more footage but mostly just for practice purposes. Trying more to go for composition instead of images for personal use. He really was going to need a little swarm to get better images and experiment more. Well it meant he had something to waste his first paycheck on. En route back he has his drone find a cinematography course to follow. Back at the ship he greets the new recruit with a solid handshake and a big grin.

"Charles Delorean also known as the Viper. Zero-G tech and wanna be camera guy. Welcome on board."

Jackson replied to Lilana. "St Brendan is still bit the beaten path so any information there may bit dated but I will do what I can when we get there."

Back on the ship he regarded the new crewman. For some reason this man reminded him of certain people he met while in the scouts, the type of people who wore combat armor and wielded heavy weapons. While the man before had so such equipment,he seem to project the same aura of confidence that those amoured juggernauts from his past had.

"Greetings" ,Jackson said as he reached to shake the man's hand, "The name is Jackson Taylor. I am handling the engineering as well as the piloting. Anything you could add to the mix would be appreciated."   

Content with the contract offered, for now, Abe is professionally warm and friendly when the other crewmembers make their introductions.

"Well met", he offered simply, shaking the hand of those who offered theirs firmly but not overbearingly, "Abe Nelson."

"As I was explaining to Miss Minka", he continued one he had met everyone, "I hope I can ease the shifts of a few folks aboard. Licensed pilot and chauffeur, void-born and certified to maintain the ship's software systems, electronics and everything else bar the main propulsion"

With a wan smile, he finished, "Served my time in Midway, too, so thinking I might help keep everyone out of trouble. Should the need arise"

"Midway?  Well if you were comfortable there you'll go anywhere, I'll bet," Lilana says.

Midway is past the end of the Main Line, which stops at Zinderneuf.  Midway is... well the exact location is classified, and it and everything beyond is war zone.  The Commonwealth, on the very strong suggestion of various alien allies, permits no settlement in that region.  Anyone who's been there has been there on military business, everyone knows that.

Things are signed, and Abe becomes part of the crew.  He's given his tour of the ship, and assigned a room.  The ship had a bigger crew in its military days, now, everyone can have their own stateroom, which are large and comfortable.

The ship takes on necessities:  food, fuel, and parts.  They prepare to depart for St. Brendan.

Settling into his duties and his quarters, Abe quickly stowed the contents of his duffel neatly, with everything in a proper place according to decades of habit. He had nothing to collect from Highport, drifting in truth from role to role whilst he had been stuck in Deseret. Nothing to collect and no ties to sever, bar ensuring his licenses were in order and his accounts closed, both of which he handled from the mil-spec computer he had brought aboard. Whilst he handled those he left his door open, both an invitation for the crew to seek him out should they wish and an acknowledgement that privacy on such a small ship was unlikely. Not that he required any.

Before they left for St Brendan, he sought out the crew - one by one. He wanted to see what the action on the trade pool was, whether anything urgent in terms of repairs could be avoided with the right preventative maintenance, and a little more about the trouble they were in. His drone followed him everywhere unobtrusively

Once all pre flight stuff is done and Abe approaches him he shrugs. He was going over the seals of his combat armor in the ships workshop and his drone was zooming around making images about it according.

"The trade thing is quite simple. We got a big container and we bought us a load of entertainment discs wich our budget allowed. Hope to sell itat a good rate. If you got some cash to spare there is some room left but our money is tied up till the sale."

"Perhaps a thousand credits", admitted Abe, watching the other work on their combat armour. He nodded in a satisifed manner at the attention given the seals, before stopping himself was a gentle snort.

"Everything else is tied up right now"

He chuckles.

"Yeah i know how that feels. Not much to do about that i fear. But if you got something you know there is some room left.

So you like the paint job?"

He asks as he points at the Snake skin paint job and the viper emblem on the back and chest of his power armor.

"My old operative call sign. Herd to let go of but now i can at least make it flashy."

Abe made a non-commital noise regarding the presence of space in their cargo container. He would need to take a peek at potential cargos before they left, but it wasn't a pressing matter.

He smiled though when 'Viper' pulled his attention to the paint job, peering more closely at it. When he spoke, his tone was neutral, with a hint of amusement or camaraderie, "Call sign? You were in the service?"

Charles nods.

"Yeah acquisitions. But the officers doing the thinking for you wasn't my thing."

"Oorah", offered Abe softly with a smile, confirming what he suspected the other had deduced, "Marines, CO for the Third Battalion of the 401st. None of my call signs were ever so ... memorable"

They begin a flight to St Brendan.

Lilana and Minka begin to teach Charles the art of Cinematography.  There's a technical side.  Charles knows how to use the equipment that takes the pictures and records sound.  That is the easy part.  The software that edits and produces, turning recordings into a finished product, is the real heart of the skill.

"The trick to selling any media is the market," Minka explains.  "People want to see strange, exotic things from far away.  Anyone can call up information about Deseret, sure, so we turn information into a... a show, of a kind.  We're selling people not just the fact that Pire-e-Vela has a zoo but how interesting and amazing it is.  So what we show and how, moment by moment, is built around that.  Show and tell in little bite sized pieces, make it an exciting story."

Lots of commands and options, cutting, expanding, filling in, taking out, changing sounds and lighting and style, all for the story.  A lot to learn.

He has just begun.

But meanwhile, the ship journeys to St. Brendan.  It will be a week in space.

During the journey Jackson will thank Abe for taking up the Pilot spot so he concentrate on engineering. He is still willing to help with piloting during the trips and is still willing to teach Minka to improve her pilot skill if she wants. "you never know if might prove useful on a resume."

OCC It sounded that Minka was at Pilot zero skill. Jackson is willing to help her improve if she so wishes
This message was last edited by the player at 04:18, Wed 20 May 2020.

Abe splits his time between duties, standing stints in the pilots chair and in the workshop - making the repairs and performing the maintenance he identified before they departed. He tries to tease out of the crew a little more about the issue that Miss Minka hinted at during his interview, keen to understand the trouble they’re in. If the crew is up for it, he takes them through some basic measures they might take to improve their security

Charles spends his free time learning the tricks of the trade and when Abe seems to want to teach them security he makes it a duo action. Using whatever Abe wants to teach about security as the source of a mini docu about the ships security mostly for learning purposes.

Minka is an barely adequate pilot.  She's very good at following procedures and steps and does it all exactly as the on screen instructions advise her to, but that's about it.  Fortunately, she has not had to do this often, and is much more comfortable letting someone else do it.  She'd rather be editing documentaries and reading about possible next points of interest.

Which she has to do, of course, but Lilana also wants her to learn what she can from the more experienced pilots.  It never hurts to have redundant skills aboard.

Describing the current mission to Abe is something Minka leaves to Lilana, who is in charge and ought to be doing the important stuff like that.

Lilana has already sized up Abe as appropriately fearless, and once they are clearly "past the point of no return" she tells him what she can.

It's somewhat thin, at the moment.  Lilana learned a few weeks ago that a scout- now possibly, it seems, a non-human scout of the "Crosser" species- located a cache of lost hibernation pods.  Cold sleep capsules.  Lilana even has pictures of them now.  But they are definitely not lost.  They were placed, on the surface of what looks like an inhospitable planet, very deliberately.  This didn't create an enemy, per se.  But this is not the sort of thing someone doing would make public.  There's no record of anything like this.  And the sort of person that would be involved in the theft, diversion, whatever, of hundreds of hibernation capsules... Lilana could be stepping on some very big toes.  But this could be the story of a lifetime, her ticket to stardom, fame and fortune, she wasn't about to let it go.  The rest of her crew, apparently, was.

By now Charles had an intimate knowledge of the ships parts he worked on and even had made one trip outside to make a zero G weld.

They have arrived at St. Brendan.

St Brendan is a young colony world.  Like many of the second and third generation colonies, its remoteness is a feature, not a bug.  These worlds do not have strategic locations along the Main Line, nor do they have any great resource of note.  What it is a good environment for a specific social system to operate- the Roman Catholic Church.

It's slightly lighter than Earth, and drier and cooler, with all of the land in the Northern Hemisphere, much of which is the great Perdos Desert, a broad, dry stretch bigger than all of Earth's desert's put together.  It has native life, but this is at a very simple level.  It's visible from space as splatterings of blue-green in the wetter environments, but those aren't forests, just a microbial sludge.  Not a single plant or animal rises above the lumps and rolls of slime.

The native life of St Brendan is doomed, of course.  The arrival of Earth life, and Earth crops, means all the rest that goes with it:  Earth microbes and even some Earth insects.  There will be trillions of microscopic battles but inch by inch St. Brendan is being conquered by Earth life.  Right now, it's just a few spots around key colony areas, in an equatorial belt, where crops are being raised.

Like virtually every world St. Brendan has an orbital station.  St Brendan Highport is oversized for the planet's small population- perhaps they are optimistic.  But despite the room it has, at the moment it is pretty busy.  Ships on their way to LDMLT-01 have stopped here, including a few of the small traders.

LDMLT-01?  Yes, the star system with the world otherwise known as Kozaana.  This is the nearest colony world, and St. Brendan has become the jumping off point for people wishing to interact with the alien Crossers.  It's making things fairly busy, locally.

Lilana is a little bit worried over this.  "I had hoped we'd find someone with some Crosser experience here.  Aliens are... alien.  Sometimes it's hard to understand them even with the best of translators.  I mean, you can understand them, but not.. understand them.  What they really mean.  I've heard Crossers are the easiest, but still... I hope traders haven't snapped up everyone who knows about them."

************************
Any character who has spent time in space travelling the frontier knows that the various alien races all have very different ways of thinking.  The Crossers are at the "familiar" end.  Conceptually, their thinking is closest to humanity.

Pleased to behind the helm of a starship once more, Abe drank in the wealth of information the ship's scans provided. He considered Lilana's worry carefully, the enigma of the sleep pods and their tie to the Crosser's playing on his mind

"We will want to tread softly", he observed, pulling up what information he had on those starship's insystem - such as the lagged light would tell him anayway.

"We will want to tread softly", he repeated, "But perhaps there are crewfolk aboard those vessels that have plied those routes before, mediated with the Crossers, traded?"

"We might pull something from the nets, but even there we will need to be cautious with our searches"

Charles had his snake skin leather jacket on the drone was up and humming in the air and he was checking if they crossed the payment threshold for the next month already. After all he wanted another drone or two to increase the angles of his shots and try more things to learn faster. It was obvious the ex operative was going 100% for his role as cameraman.

"What if we make a small docu about the jump point? Even those tied up by traders might spit up information for their 2 minutes of fame. Hell we might have traders willingly share information if you bring the right questions to the table."

Raising an eyebrow at their captain, Abe nodded thoughtfully, "At the least, it would help us sift the skittish and the belligerent from the rest"

Once they are on/near St. Brendan, Jackson has a job to do, so we take a moment or two to digress into:

Google-fu in the 24th Century

Finding obscure information in a Commonwealth Archive can be a challenge, even when it isn’t secret information.  Partly, this is because there is just so much of it out there, and partly, this is because the data is prioritized by What Do They Want to Show You rather than What Do You Really Need.   But through skill, it is possible to dig information out of any Commonwealth Archive.  You don’t even have to be there.   As long as you have access from on or near the planet on which the Archive is located, and have a computer, you can access it.

It is a skill check, with higher rolls being needed for more obscure or secret information.  Relevant skills are Computer, Admin/Bureaucracy, and Investigation.  If you have more than one skill, you can use the secondary skill as a bonus at one half of its level.   You can also claim a bonus from a specially relevant career background, for example, if you have a military character, you have a bonus searching for military related information because you know the vocabulary.  Two people can team up only if one can provide a bonus the other can’t.  Three will just get in each others’ way.

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

But meanwhile,

They line up for the usual refuel and restock stop.  The St. Brendan

She also sends out her Job Offer message, looking for someone with Crosser experience.

They refuel at the space station, which handles passenger and freight transfers for those not actually landing on the planet.  Like most stations, it has a name- this is the Our Lady of Loreto Orbital Terminal.*  Like most stations, its name is often ignored and it is simply called by the name of the planet it serves:  St. Brendan Highport.

Or sometimes, "Port Loretta".

Our Lady of Loreto is in geostationary orbit above the principal settlement area, an equatorial peninsula where St Brendan's unruly climate is somewhat tempered by ocean.  This arm of space, from Deseret to St. Brendan, was largely settled by religious sects looking to have places where they could be socially dominant. As a result, it's known to be socially conservative.  People don't like having their standards challenged here.  Generally, space crews tend to find St. Brendan "boring", to them it is only a place to do business.  Today, the business is actually elsewhere, with the Crosser ship still a few systems away.  It has turned St. Brendan into an unusually active jumping off point.

Lilana approves of the idea of talking to some of them- if nothing else, it gives a good cover to keep people from prying about the real story.  The Nellie Bly finds its place at a dock.


*The Patron Saint of Aviation since, unofficially and altogether unexpectedly, the 13th century.  It was finally made official in the 20th, when aviation actually existed.

OCC: I assume you need Jackson to do the Google-Fu then:

As soon as he is able he will try to get the information needed by Lilana. He smiles as his search seems to be bearing some fruit.

17:07, Today: Jackson Taylor rolled 13 using 2d6+1.  Googlefu  Computer / Admin backup roll.

<Orange>17:07, Today: Jackson Taylor rolled 12 using 2d6+2.  Googlefu  Computer / Admin.

If it matters He has Scout and Port Authority backgrounds.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:26, Wed 03 June 2020.

Charles eyes Abe as he gets ready to go information hunting.

"You joining us? Better work a field dynamic out on safe ground then find out what we want to do doesn't work in a real situation?"

Then as the drone goes up he turns to Lilana and gestures her to lead the way.

"Lead the way boss."

ooc: Would my Streetwise or Broker 3 come in handy here to find some people to interview?

If needed then Abe can team up? He brings his military and scouting background together with Computer-1

Once the Nellie Bly is secured, Abe breathes a sigh of relief, though his fingers continue to work the starship's systems to ensure their security is online and they're receiving the necessary data feeds from the Highport.

Standing as Charles extends his offer, he smiles and his own drone hums into life. One hand scratches at a scar on his cheek as the other briefly checked the pistol he carries. He nods, once, "Absolutely, Mister Viper. Want to see if anyone remembered the training I've put them through"

"Work a field dynamic, you have a way with words Charles."Jackson mused.
"I don't know how long the research is going to take but I definitely want figure out how to work with the team for the long term."

Jackson smiled at at Abe's comment. "It been a little time since my days with the scouts and with customs and security , but I am more than willing to put those skills to use for the cause."

When he noticed Abe's pistol he asked. "Do you think I should get up my pistol out as well?"

"We can wait", suggested Abe, a question in his tone and a glance to Charles, "And I might be able to help with some of the poking in corners you need to do..."

At Jackson's further comments, he shrugged, "Borders can be rough; I carry mine unless station regs forbid it"

"I got a computer on me thats powerfull enough for you to do the research on the go if you like to hook up to it i can send you a link request. That way you can see how well you can do research in the field. And if we get close to anything i did in the past that will not be a skill that we like to lack. It also has some routines that might help you."

He suggests.

ooc: My computer also comes with +1 engineering and +1 computer as a bonus

Jackson clicked his tongue twice and then said"Charles, you seem to have all the fun toys. we could do it while in the field or we can do it the usual way, whichever is the best way to get the darn job done in the time required"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:20, Thu 04 June 2020.

Charles chuckles.

"Sometimes yo just have to stand behind the right cargo shuttle when it looses its load."

At this last wry remark, Abe chuckled, "If we need to be more intrusive in our research, my own machine has some of the tools... But there's no need to bring out the artillery for work like this"

Lilana is amazed by one of the responses to her request.

"An actual Crosser," she says to her crew.  "A Crosser apparently needs a ride home, and wants to go with us... and has a human partner, a young woman, who is part of the deal, so it seems.  Well that was unexpected.  If you want to take a break from all this..."

She glances over at Jackson's computer screen.  He has done exceptionally well at recovering information.  He's got piles of it.  So much so that it will take some effort just to go through it and identify what's really important, what's just trivia, and what is really important even though it looks like just trivia.

"So these... this whole batch of pods... they were delivered to a ghost ship?  Well that's closing a circle, considering I started off on the trail of ghost ships."

(For the sake of Abe, who wasn't there:  Ghost Ship is a term for any ship that does not engage in commerce, and keeps its actual purpose a secret, though it is not overtly a government ship.  They don't take on cargo or passengers, they don't have any known government connection, they pay for things with accounts that are quickly erased, or with cash. They leave no records.  And they break no laws, at least, they have never been known to, so they aren't officially investigated.

There are numerous theories- they are smuggling, they are moving extremely rich people who want to travel in secret, they are shifting wealth around for corporations that want to evade taxes, they are engaged in espionage.  Or maybe it's a mix.  But people are curious.

Spacers see it differently.  Whatever the Ghost Ships are up to, they have must have rich powerful connections who want to keep things secret.

Yes, that is one of the many things Jackson has managed to uncover- a large number of pods that look like the ones in the pictures were inspected, certified, and delivered to the ship  Baltican.

But anyone looking to meet the Nellie Bly's New Hires should go to the Nellie Bly Job Interview Thread.