Although not privy to the private comms, he was using the shared comms/sensors between the two ships.

"Why are you all acting so schizoid? THIS was the PLAN all along. We didn't expect it to go this well, but every positive turn adds to our rep," Viridian tries to explain. Based on the actions of Teddy, Varca and Zhouth, they were in some sort of panic. Fortunately, none of the new crew could see this 'unprofessional' reaction. Just as obviously, they'd never studied at the School of Never Let Them See You Sweat.

"Sensors indicate ten crew on Torsk... Redthane, 5 crew and, based on UPPs, 4 marines."

"Now, for short term operation, it only takes 3 people to operate a ship--pilot, astrogator and engineer. We've easily got that covered. At the very least, we can drop off the Torsk with the rest of our fleet on Asim."

"We can put one of his crew on Mercifuge with a hefty bonus. That brings three of them to influence the new guy."

"I don't see any way around it but to sleep the marines."

"Now comes the tricky part... getting the crew off the Torsk. We definitely don't want the Torsk lifting off under its own power without us being in control. Transferring while it's still down in the crevasse is out of the question."

"So, we're looking at EVA. Redthane first, then the marines... one at a time. Then we go down with our own crew to take control."

"Once it's in orbit, then we take a look at this other Harrier."

In reply to Viridian Starfire (msg # 72):

     Just then a message flashes over to Mercifuge from Vultan,

     "Mission Commander to Captain Grudge.  Have your First Officer pick a two-person Marine Detail, then have that Detail accompany your First Officer to take Mercifuge's Gig down to Janal Torsk.  Their mission is to bring Captain Redthane up to Vultan for continued negotiations.  Captain Redthane is to be treated as a guest--repeat--Captain Redthane is to be treated as a guest."

     "Both Mercifuge and Vultan will maintain overwatch and keep hard weapon locks on Janal Torsk during this operation.  Over To You."
This message was last updated by the player at 03:39, Mon 20 Mar 2023.

One of the problems with being on two ships was that you didn't always get to hear both sides of a conversation. From what little he was hearing, it didn't sound like the others fully grasped the situation. They were brainlocked into a death and destruction scenario. Even Teddy had it in for Redthane, who he'd never even met.

"Varca! Teddy! Snap out of it!" he nearly shouted over the ship's internal comms.

"He's already surrendered twice! Unconditionally! He's dead. That's what it means when you're a pirate and surrender."

"The minute we appeared overhead, he knew he was a dead man and that his last gambit had failed."

"He has no expectations of you letting him go... under any conditions! He wouldn't believe you anyway. If you're telling him lies, he'd expect you to double cross him. If he's still negotiating, it's for some other reason. Probably for his crew."

"Which isn't the problem you think it is. Yes, they are loyal to him, but, as far as they are concerned, his fate is theirs now. Dangle a carrot of hope in front of them and you shouldn't have to worry about them. However, you start farging with their captain and all bets are off. I really recommend you don't go down that path."

"I'm not saying you can trust them, but there is a certain amount of honor among thieves... or, in this case, pirates. You don't steal from crewmates, for example. That'll get you all killed."

"And remember, the Admiral wants Redthane tried, convicted and carbonized on Clarke."

"Ghent!  Belay current instructions.  Inform Captain Redthane that we want to discuss his offer face-to-face.  We're sending a ships boat down and he should prepare to transfer to our flagship."

Ghent responded with an “Aye, sir,” then added the requested set of instructions.

"Volunteering for the group examining the other Harrier", said Kira. She was slightly amused by the apparent lack of a chain of command on the two ships.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:22, Mon 20 Mar 2023.

OOC: I'll take em all out just you wait! lol

Rayjay continues to keep lock on the Torsk till otherwise told while passing the time with a nice little shanty. "... John Paul Jones is a pirate, no loyalty does he possess, keep it up we'll catch the pirate, and sink him along with the rest..."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:01, Mon 20 Mar 2023.

In reply to Viridian Starfire (msg # 74):

     Varca very calmly, very slowly, reaches out to open a circuit to Mercifuge,

     "Viridian..." Varca says in a calm tone, "If you feel that you cannot, in good conscience, fly the ships boat down to the moon's surface and escort Captain Redthane up to Vultan--just say so and I'll assign someone else to do it.  If you think that you might not be able to control yourself in Redthane's presence, I can respect that...and so, I'll let this, apparent, reluctance of yours to follow orders--slide.  This time..."

     "And I feel you should know that every person I've ever killed--outside of military combat--has known that it was me coming for them!  I've never lied about killing.  If I say somebody's safe around me, they are safe--and I'll kill anyone who tries to make me out to be a liar!"

     "Darokyn?  The Admiral?!  Oh, I have great respect for the man--he's a fierce warrior and the power that he personally wields...?  Well, I'm not ashamed to admit it--he frightens me, a little..."

     Varca's face suddenly contorts into a grimace and he slams his gloved fist down on the console as he raises his voice to a shout,

     "But why the frack would you think that I cared one wit for what The Admiral wants to happen to my prisoner!  The Admiral is not here--and unless he shows up in the next ten minutes, who frelling cares what he wants!!"

     Varca pauses, closes his red-orbed eyes, and regains control,

     "So, Viridian..." Varca finally says, his tone calm and even, "I'm asking--will you go down to the surface and bring Captain Redthane back up to Vultan...?"

     "Please."

Viridian stared at the console for a moment trying to figure out what Varca's little rant was all about. Viridian had just told him he had everything he wanted and yet he seemed determined to kick it all to the curb.

"Never said that, Varca," he answered. "On my way now."

"Lu and Rejji, you're with me. Suit up. We're going to fetch Redthane." He'd much rather have had Taliesa with him, especially if the situation was anywhere like Varca was expecting, but Viridian was convinced he was reading it all wrong. And while Viridian wasn't one-hundred percent sure that the crew was 90% loyal--more like 60% at this stage, he felt Taliesa could handle the rest better. Plus, taking the 'runt of the litter' with him sent a couple of positive signals.

In short order, the three of them were in the shuttle and dropping down to the Janal Torsk. It was only as they were settling atop the far trader that it finally occurred to him what Varca's problem was--he hadn't killed anything! On Drinax, you don't get something unless you kill something! You have to fight for everything you get. This didn't involve any physical fighting and Varca was having trouble processing that.

The chasm was too narrow for any other transfer except via ventral/dorsal connection. Once the hatches were both open, Viridian dropped down to the other ship.

"Personal escort for Ferrik Redthane to formally surrender in person to Captain MCFarlane," he said while he surveyed the rest of Redthane's crew. They looked about the way he expected to look... like Redthane... no bowed shoulders, just standing, walking and talking proudly. He might be defeated but he was still hoping for a way out of this... alive.

"We'll be back for the rest of you shortly. If you don't cause any problems, you'll be treated with dignity and respect."

He then sent Redthane up the ladder to Mercifuge under the guns of Rejji and Lu.

It only took 15 minutes to dock with the Vultan and transfer Redthane.

He then approached Ghent. "We're looking for a 'face'... someone who can do business at a starport while scouting out potential targets. You would seem to be the perfect fit for a Far Trader captain to pull that off. You interested?"

"Once we clear the Torsk, we'll take you down as the new captain. Not sure yet about crew. Give some thought to what your new ship will be named; we'll change it on Palindrome. Plus, a few back-ups for previous history won't hurt."

"Donio, you're with me while we bring up two marines at a time. They are going directly into cold sleep."

That entire process was going to take an hour to two, getting done while Redthane was being interrogated by the 'triumvirate'.

Redthane was suited up--didn't want no accidents; besides, he was already suited up for survival protocols--but was encouraged to remove the suit before meeting the captain.


The marines were brought on board the Vultan and escorted to cold sleep. As was pointed out, there aren't any detention facilities on the Vultan.


The current plan is to bring the Torsk up from the planet into orbit then send the Mercifuge down to investigate this other Harrier wreck. If it's not flyable, then the three working ships will head to Palindrome to refuel and work out crew details.

Ghent blinked. He slowly tilted his head sideways, an air of confusion or suspicion clear upon his face. "Sorry, I thought you just offered me command of Redthane's ship?"

His mind was racing; he couldn't have heard right. He had been looking to grind his axe at the Merchant Marines for what they had done, but he hadn't expected to be given command of one of the most notorious vessels this side of the sector.

He stared at Viridian looking for a bluff, or half-believing it was a hazing ritual, and that his friend was pulling his leg. Another part of his mind was racing at the prospect. "How would such an arrangement work..?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:07, Fri 24 Mar 2023.

"You'd have to work those details out with Teddy, Varca and Zhouth," Viridian replies.

"I'm pretty sure we'd have to work as a fleet, rather than each ship going off on its own trade operations. Varca has already hinted at this assignment, but I suppose even that's subject to change."

"He'll have to explain the Grand Scheme... which is primarily create a buffer state between the Imperium and the Aslan, and possibly the Florian League. As long as there's some sort of neutral polity in place, a balance of peace can be maintained."

“The fleet idea makes absolute sense,” Ghent conceded, as he looked over the scans of the Torsk, sizing her up and comparing to other vessels he had served on. He’d commanded ships just like her, but had you told him a week ago that he’d be taking over Redthane’s own ship and crew he would have slapped you in the back as he roared in laughter, thinking you were helluva funny. He‘d then have ordered several shots, and insisted that you drink up with him. Now, he didn’t find it that farfetched or funny anymore.

He stood a bit taller, stroking his chin pensively. “I’d totally be interested,” he heard himself say before he’d realized that he’d already made his decision as he scrutinized the other ship’s lines. Those who didn’t know him probably missed the undercurrents that radiated from him, but Viridian could tell that his old gambling buddy was elated, even if the large man had barely raised his voice, pushing down his excitement down, letting logic rule him, rather than the hot passion he felt at that very moment.

"Well, I have to admit that things are moving a bit faster than I was expecting," Viridian answers. "But then that's what star travel is all about--a week of oblivion and then days of activity."

"Here's the Torsk's crew manifest. I was thinking of moving one of them to the Mercifuge, one of Mercifuge's crew to Torsk. I can give you Collyn. Scramble things up a bit. Once we're on Palindrome, we can shake things up a bit more."

"Okay, Varca wants you to escort Redthane into the lounge to meet with them. Then we'll go get your ship."

"...Born the son of a Scot, he was, Born the son of the Scot, But cut a man down in his prime, he did, So away to Virginia he got..." Rayjay continued his shanty, keeping his eyes on the sensors as he waited for the other shoe to drop. Truly all his time in the navy and merchant marines had taught him, there was no such thing as an easy job, just varying degrees of suck. So, with Redthane on ice, a new prize ship and crew to add to the fleet, and a Harrier to salvage as well, this haul was looking far too good to be true, making the old navy man suspicious as hell.

"'Ey Captain, Varca... it just me or is t'is all goin' over way too easy? Makes me wonder when t'e ot'er boot's goin' to drop." He asked sounding more than a little superstitious.

"Agreed," adds Kira. "That lot brought shame on the good name of pirates. No fightin' spirit!"

In reply to Kira Cerise O'Neill (msg # 87):

     "Yeah, well, I kinda got the same feeling." Varca responds to both Rayjay and Kira,

     "That's one of the reasons we're bringing Redthane aboard Vultan--so's I can get the measure of the man.  An despite Viridian's explanation of him just being a 'practical pirate', I gotta admit, I'm having a hard time accepting that the reputation that we've been hearing about Redthane the Pirate was made by this guy..."

“They’re right, you know,” Ghent said as he nodded towards Varca and Kira and took the Torsk’s crew manifest from Viridian, “with the reputation Redthane made for himself, you’d think they would have shown more grit. It's sad to see another tired man... Lay down his hand and quit the holy game of poker, but I guess he knew he was deep in shit for whatever reason, and that means there’s a bigger fish to be afraid of, and he knows it. Time to go square up with the man and find out.”

"Take a picture of him and send it to Capt. Grunge, just to make sure we have Redthane here on Vultan and not someone pretending to be him."

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 90):

OOC:  Oh.  Good idea.  I often forget that problem-solving can be that simple!  If it ain't Building The Pyramids, I tend to overlook it  ^_^
Nice call, Theo.

Ghent pulls up the pirate’s official wanted poster from the computer for comparison.

Ooc: >.>
This message was last edited by the player at 16:46, Sun 26 Mar 2023.

In reply to Ghent Bel-Andis (msg # 92):

OOC: Daaaaaaaaaaaamn, that's smart, too!  ^_^

I'm no5 one of those nit-picky if you didn't absolutely, positively specifically SAY it then it didn't happen. There is simply a lot of stuff that'll get done behind the scenes. This is one of them. Viridian would have assessed the situation and verified that NO ONE else looked like Redthane.

If Viridian had thought of it, though, he would have made the verification.

With the now triple-vetted Redthane being questioned by the Troika, Ghent took out his inspection sheet and waved for Collyn to accompany him on a tour of the Torsk (and questioning of its crew) about her systems, in an attempt to get to know them better. He even had her pilot follow them through their inspection of the engine room, and while Ghent might not have been a grease monkey, he seemed at ease discussing the ship’s performance with her engineer (Zestro), asking all the pertinent questions, while not getting slowed down by the complexity of the jargon being discussed.

He even expertly played the pilot and the engineer off of each other in what was to become the first of many discussion on how to improve the ship’s performance, and creating a list of priorities for the ship’s maintenance. After a good while, he was sure he had a very good idea of the ship’s limitations and a better idea of what she could and could not do, what was left was to get a feel for the rest of the crew.


14:06, Today: Ghent Bel-Andis rolled 12 using 2d6+6.  Discuss Ship with Pilot (pilot + int).
13:55, Today: Ghent Bel-Andis rolled 15 using 2d6+4.  Go through the Torsk for inspection (mech + int)
This message was last edited by the player at 18:20, Sun 26 Mar 2023.

The ship went through normal monthly maintenance a month ago just before Redthane bugged out. It can forego next maintenance for a month without any problems.

Other than that, the ship is in good operating condition. Neither the pilot nor the engineer have any suggestions for improving the ship's performance but they'll consider it.

The ship could stand a cleaning, but seems typical of ships of this level of command. Redthane wasn't the kind to get his hands dirty cleaning and therefore didn't insist his crew do it.

It's Redthane's quarters that provides the surprise. It's decorated with an assortment of bric-a-brac, relics and similar decor.

On the desk is a 17" tall stone carving of what looks like a one-eyed screaming monkey.

On a sideboard is a  blinking electronic device about the size of a soda can setting on its side.

Four weapons hang on the wall behind the desk: a scattergun, two pistols, and a katana.

The wall opposite the desk holds a picture/painting.

Also on the desk is a gold-framed picture of a Korsakan Mister dog--a silver-gray retriever. The name at the bottom is : Gorgo.

What ctaches Ghent's interest is the Captain's chair--an Ultracline Super-Deluxe with heating, cooling and massage.

Then there's the fancy ottoman/footrest/locker tucked in at the foot of the bed.