Ingrid laughed "It's a little early to worry about names and movie deals."

In reply to Ingrid Gustavdottir Sigar (msg # 490):

"Hehehehehehehehe, yes, it is. I'm sure there will not be any of those."

There's a loud knocking on the bridge door with BB standing on the other side of it.

"Teddy, Varca. Good, you're both here so I only have to say this once. Now's a good time to tell yo a bit more about why I'm here. Cyrus went back to Strend to try and drum up some recruits for you but let's just say things didn't go too well for him. He couldn't normally afford someone of my caliber so he ended up paying me out of his percentage of the ship. I'm not just a gun for hire because my retirement fund is directly tied up in this here ship.

I know my way around some mission briefings so if there's a problem that you're facing I wouldn't mind knowing a bit more about it, maybe toss my two credits into the pot."

"I want to go to Tech-World to fix the ship, Varca is for going to Torpol, a backwater, to make fat Oleb happy. IF they can fix the ship on Torpol, I'd be for it, but they can't."

BB gave a nod and then looked back at Varca.

"Alright who is fat Oleb and how upset is he going to get that we take the time to get our shit fixed first?"

"Oleb is the King of Drinax" Ingrid explained quietly.

In reply to Ingrid Gustavdottir Sigar (msg # 495):

     "And he's as fat as any three people, combined." Added Varca, "Don't forget that, Ingrid."

  "We probably shouldn't say that to his face," Zhouth noted with a quick tap of his belly and cheek. "Well, unless maybe he talks about it first. Kings and emperors are sensitive about their portrayals, right? Even more than everyone else is!"

  His ears flattened a bit as he added a bit more hastily, "Not that I've ever seen anyone say that to an emperor, or had a chance to do it myself, but sometimes you hear about these kinds of things, you know?"
This message was last edited by the player at 09:30, Tue 04 Aug 2020.

In reply to Zhouth (msg # 497):

"No, call him fat Oleb to his face and I'm sure your legs will be smoking stumps and the rest of you vaporized. Why shouldn't one of us be king or emperor?"
This message was last edited by the player at 16:41, Tue 04 Aug 2020.

BB scratched her head, letting most of the political talk fly over her head. She went over and pulled up a map of the local systems and started plugging in information.

"Alright you want high tech and close by? What about Khusai? Is there a reason why we've pissed off the Aslan yet?

Moving on we're next to Pourne. I've never been but it seems like they have a class A starport and the local planet is tech A so should be able to handle the basics. Also it's only a single jump from here.

Overall though looks like Acrid's the place to go for high tech repairs. Tech D is about the best we can do if Drinax is off the table.

I still think plan A should be to get this repaired at Drinax. It hits all the buttons. Head to Drinax, get our shit fixed, then J-2 to Torpol and do whatever King Oleb needs doing. If you Captain(s) want to veto that then how about Pourne to get basic repair work done so we can pull off a J-2, then J-2 to Clarke, J-1 to Torpol if we really need to get there fast otherwise J-1 to Blue for more repairs, J-2 to Arunisiir and then J-1 to Acrid to spit and polish us off."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:03, Tue 04 Aug 2020.

"Tech-World is tech level F, 4 parsecs away, two jump 2's. We'll get this hashed out somehow!" he says with a grin.

BB looks at Teddy stunned, with her jaw slacking a little.

"Wait...when you say Tech-World you don't mean a tech world but the name of the planet is actually just...Tech-World? Goddam are people unimaginative."

She turned and pulled her map south away from Torpol and found the cluster of worlds Teddy had been talking about.

"...huh. Well I don't know if you want to put this up to a democracy thing or not but if there is a vote, my vote is for tech-world. We can't do shit for anyone if this ship blows up mid-flight.

Let me change that. I vote we call up King Oleb and tell him if we're so goddam important to clear space for us on a berth so we can get our ship operational or else we'll see him in a couple of months. Put it on him whether punctuality is more important than discretion and that will satisfy you two right quick. Either we're important, or we aren't. If we're important, we don't have to go anywhere. If we're not, see ya later."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:34, Tue 04 Aug 2020.

"THANK YOU BB! Someone with sense. it needs fixed to be operational, so fix it right the first time! Why pay to fix it twice or thrice when once is good enough! Drinax or Tech-World, we need a tech level F planet with a class A port."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:01, Tue 04 Aug 2020.

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 502):

"Agreed BB. Throw in a paper clip or two. Ingrid? Zhouth? What is your opinion? Varca and Viridian vote Torpol, BB and I say Tech-World."

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 503):

"Everyone has ship shares, everyone has a vote. Speak up y'all. Torpol or Tech-World? You usually have something to say Zhouth? You're entitled to a vote too Ingrid? Aaron? Rejji?"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:39, Thu 06 Aug 2020.

"He is at that" Ingrid admitted to Varca.


"I thought our ship couldn't be fixed here on Drinax because of deniability" she pointed out. "I'd like to go to tech-world and get working on fixing it. It'll make my job easier, plus we won't have all these missiles lying around. But if our mission is time-sensitive, we don't want to start off on a bad note."

In reply to Ingrid Gustavdottir Sigar (msg # 505):

"That is three votes for Tech-World, Zhouth? Rejji? Aaron? We need your votes too if we can get them. Unless you abstain. Majority wins."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:27, Fri 07 Aug 2020.

"I think Varca has the right of it," Aaron finally spoke up.

"Now that we can do Jump-2, Torpol's only one jump away. Tech-World is two jumps, which means two jumps back plus another one to get to Torpol. That's 5 weeks before we can get to Torpol. The information is already 2 weeks old. If we wait any longer, there won't be problem to solve."

"So, the Torpol issue will have gone away, but Tech-World is still there."

"In any case, you are automatically assuming that Tech-World has the technology to fix our ship... just because it has a high tech rating. Re-fusing the hull may not be in their repertoire. Likewise, having the parts for the holographic hull. I've not heard of that little toy before, so I don't think we should assume that everybody has it."

"I appreciate that you want us to be the biggest, baddest mother-freaker in the subsector so we can kick some raider's ass, but won't do us any good if we can't find them."

In reply to Aaron Lancaster (msg # 507):

"That's 3 to 3 with 2 votes to go, we need input from Zhouth and Rejji."

Teddy showed he was getting a little nervous of a tied vote or losing the vote. It was looking  more and more like Torpol was their destination.

[Aboard Vultan, Common Area (room 16, Upper Deck)]
(OOC: I'm assuming that this is where we are all conducting this discussion)

     With a puzzled frown, Varca points out the large viewports on the aft wall, at the irradiated and biologically contaminated wasteland, outside the ship.

     "BB...That's planet Drinax.  Out there.  I should know, it's my Homeworld--shithole that it is."

     Varca drops his hand back onto the table.

     "That Survey Data you're reading--it's a bullshit fiction maintained by our Patron, the Beloved King Oleb of Drinax.  A long time ago this was a rich, thriving world, the Capitol Planet for half the Subsector, and the planetary Tech Level was Tech-E.  That's the culture that built that magnificent Floating Palace, up abouve us, and maintained a Class-A Starport that covered half a Continent."

     "Around two hundred years ago, Oleb's ancestors got greedy--okay, I'll admit it--my ancestors, too.  The People of Drinax got arrogant, with our high technology...and stupid, believing in our superiority...and we got greedy...so we tried to squeeze too much toll money out of Imperial and Aslan trade passing through our spacelanes."

     Varca raises his arm, again, and waves it back-and-forth, to indicate everything in view,

     "The Damned Pussies showed up and expressed their annoyance with us by doing that!  That is what we've done to piss off the Aslan.  And if it ever comes down to us needing to pay the Aslan for their services--I'll pay them off with a frikkin Nuke!  Timed to go off in a couple of minutes...."

     Varca turns a red-eyed glare towards BB,

     "In case you want to wait around for change." he says.

     "Now, up on the Floating Palace, the King and the other brain-dead Aristocratic Survivors..." Varca hooks a thumb at Theodore, "...his People...they tried to maintain the Old Tech, but they just didn't have the resources.  They tried, for a long time they held on, but it was almost eighty years before they could come back down to the surface to try their hand at scavenging for materials, and they lost the ability to maintain some of the tech in that time."

     "They managed to retain the knowledge--that's what they do in the Scholar's Tower, up there--but even after reconnecting with the survivor population down on the surface--that would be us Vespexers, and that was one hell of a surprise for the frikkin Palacers on that day, I'm telling you!  Anyway, even with us Vespexers helping them try to get the materials they need for their infrastructure and manufacturing needs, up there, they're barely keeping the remaining Old Tech running, and their average tech index is running about Tech-C.  And what they're able to share with us Vespexers, down on the surface, has us running at an average of, about, Tech-A with some Tech-C infrastructure available to us."

     "But planet Drinax is now such a frelling backwater, that when surveyors from certain Empires show up..." Varca turns his red-eyed glare on Theo, the Ex-Imperial Navy Officer,

     "They only stick around long enough to send a radio message out, asking if anyone's home, and when they get an answer, these Surveyors just ask a bunch of questions via radio, and accept whatever answers they are given, and don't bother to confirm the data, before they head out to the next backwater star system."

     "That's how the Palacer's keep the Grand Survey ratings for Drinax listed as it having a Class A Starport and a Tech Level of E."

"Tech-World IS E though. I don't care much for Oleb, if I never come back, what's he going to do? He isn't coming after us.

"The empire is over and fat Oleb got a rock for a planet now with subjects who love him. His idiotic plan won't work in the slightest bit, but we can play along for a while if you want to."

"If you put it down on paper, you're probably right, Teddy," Viridian somewhat agrees. "Oleb's plan is doomed from the outset. No matter how much you dislike him, though, he's not stupid. He knows that. Which is why he recruited us. Well, technically, Rao recruited us. I think she's a chip off the old block."

"From what I heard, so was his son, even more so... until The Accident."

"With ordinary spacers, no, the plan will never work. With wild cards like us, he's hoping that'll tilt the balance in his and our favor."

"Personally, I think his idea a good one. It'll bring stability back to this region... an effort that the Imperium doesn't want to make for fear of upsetting the already unstable apple cart... which is exactly what Oleb wants to do... with him underneath catching all the falling apples."

"The Imperium doesn't want a war with the Aslan. But if the Aslan move into the region and try to claim it, that'll piss off quite a few Imperial Dukes and Counts and Admirals and Grand Poobahs. I heard an old tale, most of which I've forgotten, except for this one line: 'No one steps on a church in MY town!' In other words, it's okay for the Imperium to run roughshod over this area, but nobody else better try it!"

"That's what Oleb is counting on. He may have the same genetic greed defect of his ancestors, but somewhere along the way, his line married into Smarts. He may not be able to help himself with the greed part, but he's going about it the smart way."

"As for Tech-World, it's tech-level F. It takes E at least to re-fuse the hull back into its original integrity. As I understand it, tech-level D might be able to do a credible job with metal-depositing nanites, but that's a guess. Anything less, it's just replacing damaged areas with less effective hull material."

"Exactly, which is why I want to go to Tech-World, hull integrity equals living versus dying. I want to grow old and grey on my estate, wherever it is, or on my ship."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:57, Sat 08 Aug 2020.

  Zhouth's ears flattened in a look of uncertainty as he was suddenly called upon to cast what might be a tie-breaking vote, and while he looked down at his comm again - tapping away at it as if searching for some hidden wisdom therein - it didn't do anything to end the expectant looks being directed his way.

  When he looked up and spoke again he was quieter than usual. "I think we have to go after the raiders now if we want to go after them at all. Maybe we don't, but it has to have been three weeks already. Taking six more, counting more repairs? Even if they're still raiding those places now, they won't stay around that long. There'll be convoys or patrols through before then."

  The look shifted to one of wan humor. "Unless we think these raiders have a battlecruiser to work with. Then they might be able to fight off an Imperial patrol, but the only thing we could do with them then is sign on ourselves."

  "Maybe, if they're still around right now, we could try to get them to sign up with us? We need more ships and more crew and more everything, and they might be worth more than the reward. Won't make the raided planets happy with Drinax, though."

BB gave a shrug.

"What if...just saying....we say fuck the raiders. Get our shit fixed and then just go raiding ourselves? There will always be more pirates or raiders or smugglers or targets to hit. You seem so concerned about getting these raiders to the point that this ship is barely holding it together and you want to run into combat with it but there will always be more raiders. Always. What makes this group so special?"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:30, Sun 09 Aug 2020.