Leaving Borite, there really isn't any way to disguise your arrival vector when you exit jump-space in the Torpol system. They know you came from Borite. While a bit unusual, it probably isn't significant considering the idiosyncrasies of interstellar free traders.

Due to the number of ships passing through the system, an arrival jump limit of 110 diameters is recommended. Within seconds of your emergence from jump-space, sensors pick up 37 ships in system. However, this quickly sorts itself out to include 4 defensive stations and 3 defensive ships (not SDBs).

Torpol is a water world--there is no land above sea level. The two main areas of habitation are the polar ice caps: North Pole and Six Cities.

North or just Pole caters to and focuses on downtime, shore leave, entertainment, and recreation for the crews of the trade ships that ply the quixotic Florian League-Imperial Trade Route.

Six Cities is the south pole habitat that focuses on financial and trade aspects.

Then there are the floating city-ships of Aquamar, Continental Drift, Poseidon, Neptune City, Oceania, and Ranopolis. These are the 'fishing trawlers' of the planet.

And then there is Stilt City (one of many) that specializes in water sports.

Within seconds, you receive the transponder response from Torpol Highport acknowledging and confirming your identity and providing a docking vector for all three ships.

About a minute later you receive a comm from Prime Provost Haddo Farx. He appears to be wearing an official gold-trimmed black vest o authority along with a matching black fez.

"Welcome back to Torpol Highport, Captain-Baron McFarlane. May your stay be fun and profitable!"

A minute later, Starport Administrator Provost Lemo Falx contacts you. He's still wearing bright orange robes and wearing his golden fez shaped like the space station itself.

"Greetings again, Captain-Baron McFarlane! As you are arriving with prize ships, I hope that means your mission was successful."

"No, no, no! You misunderstand me! They are not OUR  prize ships--they are yours. Even if we were in a position to add them to our defensive fleet, we would not confiscate them from you."

"No doubt you'll want to talk to Chief Adjudicator Rivven Vell about the Clarke bounty. He happens to be on planet about that very thing."

"Thank you for your welcome. My Second will fill in the details with you. Varca." Teddy hands the comms over to Varca and Zhouth, he didn't wish to discuss it himself, being a Baron and all, he left it to his lessers.

;-)

"Oh!" Zhouth exclaimed, seemingly somewhere between pleased and taken aback to be handed that responsibility, but quickly adapting to it with a bright smile. "Well, yes, we were able to catch the, umm, scallywag? The one who ordered and led the attack against both of your planets, one Ferrik Redthane. We've got him in a cryo-berth. Do you want him delivered like that, or should we wake him up while docking?"

His hands managed to go through a range of illustrative motions while he spoke, from a grab-and-hoist, to what resembled a throttling, a kaboom style parting of fists to hands, a now-listen-here upheld index finger, and an over-the-shoulder thumb-point; some of them at the same time.

In reply to Zhouth (msg # 3):

     "Ferrick Redthane was the Captain of the Type-A2 Trader that participated in the attacks against you--it identified itself to you as Argo--that's the prize ship currently pinging the Janal Torsk transponder" Varca adds, joining the transmission,

     "We've also brought forensic evidence proving the death of the Pirate Captain Miria Silver, also known as Silverhand, who commanded the Vulture-class salvager, currently pinging as Mercifuge."

     "And finally, we also have a sensor record of a debris field that is all that is left of the Type-S scout vessel Misery's Company.  The Captain in command of that vessel chose to fight to the death, rather than submit.  Misery's Company was commanded by a Vargr Corsair Captain named Krrsh."

     "Captain-the-Baron McFarlane hopes that the capture of Captain Ferrick Redthane, and confirmation of the deaths of the other two Pirate Captains who led the vicious attacks against the worlds of Torpol and Clarke, will suffice to meet the requirements for collecting the Bounties placed by both worlds against these pirates."

     "Of course, all this data will be made available to local law authorities.  And all crew from the courier ship Vultan who participated in the boarding and capture actions will make themselves available to the Prosecution.  Does the Torpol Legal System require anything else from Captain-the-Baron McFarlane, or the crew of his personal yacht, Vultan?"

Ingrid took notes and stood by to offer her expertise.

Once it was learned that the layover on Torpol would be a few days while the wheels of bureaucracy gave them the bounty, Viridian decided to do something rather than just kill time.

After going through the news feeds and all the interweb hype, he felt his recent pay burning a hole in his pocket. He opted to start by taking the starport shuttle down to North, to the Barclay's Casino. It didn't seem to be as high-pressure as the others... mellower and more family friendly. Also noted for its free pizza.

He decided to make the rounds, but budgeted himself to 1,000Cr on each game.

10:52, Today: Viridian Starfire rolled 8 using 2d6+1 ((3,4)). Slots.
10:53, Today: Viridian Starfire rolled 9 using 2d6+1 ((6,2)). Blackjack.
10:54, Today: Viridian Starfire rolled 13 using 2d6+1 ((6,6)). Baccarat.
10:55, Today: Viridian Starfire rolled 7 using 2d6+1 ((3,3)). Poker.

He managed to double his money at baccarat, but lost on all the other games.

His second activity, on the morrow if time permitted, was to do some snorkeling and SCUBA diving at Stilt City.

"Excellent!" Falx responds. You might recall that he was the one pushing for the investigation originally, apparently as a way to advance his career.

"That qualifies you as VIP patrons, so there will be no docking fee for starport services. Alas, I must still charge for refueling. Not even I get to wave the regulations for the system's life blood. However, I see that under Starport Regulation 839-6, Subparagraph 2023, I can designate you as Favored Trade Partner that allows me to grant you a 10% discount on the fuel."

"It's not much, but regulations are regulations--they've been around longer than I have."


OOC: Quartermasters--unload any cargo and then decide how much fuel you're going to buy.
Vultan: 42 tons standard fuel; 40 tons in auxiliary internal fuel tanks (or else cargo).
Janal Torsk: 42 tons.
Mercifuge: 82 tons standard; up to 80 tons in auxiliary internal fuel tanks. Doesn't normally haul cargo, but can.

Fuel cost per ton: 500Cr (450Cr with discount).

"By all means, defrost the pirate on your way inbound, Captain-Baron McFarlane!" Haddo replies to Teddy, making it clear that as Torpol's head of state, he expects to deal with someone of equal status.

"We'll have a vid crew standing by when you disembark from your ship. Nothing spectacular, mind you, but this is big news."

After Redthane is turned over and all the electronic and physical evidence transferred and processed, which will take a few days while the crew statements are made, the Troika is expected to meet with the Provosts for the transfer of the bounty. That's just too many credits to be transferred casually.

"While you've been gone, we've been in negotiations with the Psychopomps of Clarke about the issue. I'm pleased to inform you that we've reached an agreement. A big showy trial will be held here on Torpol and, when convicted, the pirate will be transferred to Clarke for the sentence to be carried  out, which is carbonization."

"He'll then be placed in orbit as a warning to other pirates."

"I expect the trial to take no more than 2 days as Clarke's Chief Adjudicator Rivven Vell is already on planet and will represent Clarke. He's also authorized to sign off on Clarke's dispersal of their end of the bounty."

And that's how it goes over the next three days, unless someone upsets the apple cart.

When the 2.5MCr bounty is turned over to you, you are also confirmed as Favored Trade Partner with the Torpol government. You've become local heroes, and a dozen companies are knocking at your door to engage in trade... though your destination may hamper that.

OOC: Unless the Cargo we purchase is for us!
   Varca suggests you sell everything you can for as much as you can, then take that profit and purchase as much Electronic Teaching Aids as you can!  Enough for an entire school, if possible--but try for full equipment for a class of 12, at least.  Also buy some instruction programs for all basic levels of schooling (as well as "refresher courses" aimed at Instructors).
   Why?
   Because Torpol is TL8 and Asim is TL6.  That's only a 2 TL difference--versus Drinax' TL14; a TL difference of 8.  It'll be easier & shorter to get the Asimi up to TL8.
   I mean...unless Zhouth can whip us up a Cyber-Neural Teaching Machine ^_^
     (this is something we can Do-and-Forget, guys.  Plus it can help Karval (Korval? Whatever...) with training up anyone needing it, at the Starport.)

With all VIPs going to Drinax, it requires the hiring of five new crew to fill the 'temporary' vacancies on the Janal Torsk and Mercifuge.

Those hires are:
Captain Brazen Braddock
Manfred the Mighty Minx
Sweet Caroline Travis
Brinka de Witt
Krazy Yvan Starfield

All but Krazy are women.


Also as it turns out, the Aslan go utterly bonkers over the bobble-head Aslan novelties! You are able to sell them for 100 times your purchase price!

The catch, apparently, is to not make them about real Aslan--that would be insulting and demeaning. No, these are all about fictitious Aslan with a short 'history' of his exploits, such as Wild-Eyed Zyrff who defeated the 77th Cannonade Regiment single-handedly after his grelvar (horse) was killed in the battle.

It's like the Aslan are kids again collecting baseball cards.

In reply to StarMaster (msg # 10):

     So, as soon as our involvement in the Trial is finished, a select few are ordered aboard Vultan for a trip to Drinax.  Mercifuge & Janal Torsk will need a few extra Crew for the trip to Asim, so, a few hands are hired to fill the vacancies--including the hiring of Capt. Brazen Braddock to command Janal Torsk for the trip to Asim.

     The next month's payroll, as well as a disbursement of Crew Shares, is promised to both Crews--just as soon as Vultan joins them at Asim in two weeks, give-or-take.

     Any remaining cargo--unless it is specifically destined for Asim--is loaded aboard Vultan, as is a lockbox containing credstiks totaling around 3 MegaCredits.

     Just prior to departure, Varca again calls all the crews together in the massive cargo space aboard Mercifuge,

     "Shut It and Lissen Up!" Varca uses his suits vocoder to amplify his voice.

     Dropping the volume, Varca waves everyone to silence.

     "Aw-right.  Today, Vultan leaves for Drinax.  We got some friends there who'll help us get our good friend Kazgar, there, appointed the new Starport Administrator--so we gotta go to Drinax.  Alla you, however, will proceed to planet Asim and wait for us, there.  Each ship captain should have enough credits to pay basic docking fees for a couple weeks."

     "Captain Braddock will command Janal Torsk while Captain Grunge will keep running Mercifuge.  Also!  Captain Grunge will be in over-all command of alla you space rats!  Grunge..." Varca looks down from the cargo pod he's standing on, at the Vargr-who-was-Krrsh,

     "I have complete confidence that you'll keep all these idiots in line--I give you permission to discipline them however you want--just don't shoot 'em! That's my schtick.  Do not let anybody get outta control on Asim, hear me?  Not yet."

     "You all hear me?  Go ahead and have fun on Asim--the place is a little backward, even for an Agro-World--but they make acceptable booze and they have night clubs and restaurants and hotels where you can...take a nap...if you catch my meaning."

     "But the planet is also under Drinaxi Military Control!  That means military cops in power armor with plasma guns, hear me?  So, don't go starting any riots or busting up any starport bars."

     "Right.  Vultan lifts in twenty!  See all you bastids on Asim in two weeks!"

Overly the last two weeks Rayjay mostly kept at his physical fitness routine, even though he appeared to not be improving at all, as well as familiarizing himself with the power and comms systems aboard. After all one can't simply will a turret to fire, one must have power to rotate and charge it as well, not to mention communication is critical within such situations, both between the rest of the deck crew but especially engineering as well.

When they finally arrived at their destination though, Rayjay mostly just listened into the conversation rather than add anything unconstructive. Better to leave talking the many faces of the crew to get things rolling, even if one of those faces was a Vespexer. The thought of which just made Rayjay chuckle.

Zhouth had had several projects on the go during the last few weeks - alongside his usual obsessive cataloguing of every detail, that is - even if there had been a very slight reduction of his workload by way of someone else acting as temporary XO. Analyzing the statue, organizing (and reorganizing) the ship's stores, some sort of technical study with Ingrid, assisting Aaron with medical fabrication, and (very reluctantly) further acclimatizing himself to the Drinaxi boarding suit and its potential EVA applications.

When it came to Varca's big speech? Well, he was there, but as usual he appeared to simply be standing by and taking notes on his comm.

     Varca had to sit there...in a crowded room...a room full of People...he had to give Testimony... he had to Talk...to breathe the Air...in a room full of Outsiders...with his Helmet REMOVED!!!
     Each time, upon his return to Vultan, Varca spent hours in a disinfectant-laced steam bath...just breathing deeply...

^_^
This message was last updated by the player at 02:21, Thu 20 Apr 2023.

In reply to Varca Lexand (msg # 14):

     On the walk over to Vultan, after the pre-launch meeting, Varca catches up with Ingrid--who is, of course, walking with Teddy,

     "Hey Ingrid!  Need to ask a question..." Varca says, "We haven't used it much, but the Repair Log says that Vultan's Holographic Hull system is not yet fully repaired--but I'm asking if it works at all?  Even partially..?"

     "See, I kinda wanna use it when we arrive back at Drinax, so I'm wondering if any of the spares we pulled of that other Harrier could be used to further repairs on the Holo-Hull?  I'd like to gussy-up the Old Bird, give her back the plumage she wore, back in the day, for when we arrive at Drinax..."

OOC: and if, for some reason the Holo-Hull isn't operational, can it be made operational by the time we arrive at Drinax?  Hmmm, StarMaster...?

Ingrid looked thoughtful. "It's advanced technology, particularly compared to back home, but I'll take a look and see if I can make it work. Seems like hard work, but it could be fun."

After the three days of pomp, circumstance, trial, and bureaucratic meetings and appearances, most of which require Captain-Baron McFarlane and his fiance, the bounty is dutifully paid, all other business is dealt with, and departure is just 20 minutes away.

Departure vectors are granted, the three ships lift off and cruise to the jump limit, and then there's the 'uneventful' week in J-Space.

Training and 'vacation' can only go so far, however, before something has to give. It's a relatively small ship with a few too many people stuffed into it. Only one actual fight occurs, but it's a welcome relief when the Jump-Exit time is announced and the bell and countdown are sounded.

Because the planet Drinax is within the Goldilocks zone and that lies wholly within the star's jump-shadow, exiting J-space puts you several hours out from Drinax as well as at a 4-minute time lag for comms.


AY-OOGAH! AY-OOGAH!

That's not it. That's the IMMINENT COLLISION alert! Although not as close as the alarm might lead you to believe, the collision is avoided. Anyone wanting to claim that minor victory means you were on duty in the Pilot's Seat at that moment.

At his assigned and preferred duty station, Varca quickly sorts out the electronic status of the ships in the system. It takes a few minutes to process it all due to the time lag from out-lying ships.


The near-collision was with the Type-Y yacht Starlight Voyager under the command of Captain Rachando. Yes, THAT Rachando.

Sensors indicate the yacht is in need of serious maintenance.

"Oh, there you are! How do you like my new ship?" Rachando says once comms have been established.

"Yes, yes, yes! Might I request a tight-beam comm? It's a bit embarrassing so I'd rather not broadcast it all over the space-waves."


In short order, the Vultan's sensors register the following transponders in the system:

Abraxas (unmanned Orbital Defense Platform #1)
Sagacious (unmanned Orbital Defense Platform #2)
Ney Blade (unmanned Orbital Defense Platform #3)
Furioso (unmanned Orbital Defense Platform #4)

Kestrel a.k.a. High-D highport


STAR GUARD:

Indefatigable: 200-ton Far Trader wasn't in system at the time; functions as an SDB

Marathon: 100-ton jump capable Scout; only one of six currently in system

22 sublight ships out in the outer system looking for something, clearly not on patrol or maneuvers; a Red Alert identifies the target as an Aslan mining ship... details unknown.

What he's not detecting are the three 400-ton ships that have been bought outright over the years. However, his Fleet Command Codes (as well as public record) reveal that Accommodator has gone to Pournelle, Brightstar has gone to Hilfer, and Chance's R has gone to Asim... all on some 'goodwill' tour of the Triad Alliance.

CIVILIAN

Faxan Dalkar: 400-ton Type-R Subsidized Merchant
Rainy Daze: 200-ton Independent Fast Trader
Ravona Trey: 200-ton K-Class Safari Ship
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:44, Fri 21 Apr 2023.

Kira, in the pilot's seat, frowns and quickly turns off the collision alert.

"Who's the guy now?" she wonders aloud.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:28, Thu 20 Apr 2023.

"He's a merchant-trader on the Floating Palace," Viridian replies. "Arrived around 5 years  ago and has been wheedling fine art treasures from Oleb."

"Wouldn't surprise me to learn the latest sale is what precipitated the current events. Something had to give."

"Nor is it any secret that he wheels and deals on the side out of his little shop in the Bazaar. Want something that may be borderline legal, he's the one to see."

"Always remember, though, that he's got the King's Ear... in case he tries to sell it to you."

On station...

#2 Captain: Teddy
#3 Sensors/Gunnery: Viridian
#4 Pilot: Kira
#5 Astrogation: Collyn
#6 Comms: Ghent
#7 Engineering: Ingrid

Medical: Aaron (#16)
Sensors/EW Port: Varca
Sensors/EW Starboard: Zhouth

Gunnery: Rayjaynul (#13)
Security #1: Donio (in 2-3 corner)
Security #2: Rejji (just outside Bridge)
Security #3: Taliesa (just outside Bridge)

In reply to StarMaster (msg # 20):

     Varca has met Rachando, even had dealings with the man.  So, even though Ghent is sitting the Comm Station up on the Bridge, Varca uses the gear in Portside Countermeasures to quickly establish a secure lasercomm link with Starlight Voyager--and Rachando. (OOC: still keeping the Bridge in the circuit, of course)

     "Rachando!  You pilfering purveyor of pricy plunder!" Varca starts, hotly, "What in the Name of The Dragon are you doing out here in that clunker?  And how did you...?  Wait..."

     "Rachando...were you out here waiting for us?!"

Somewhat taken aback by the unexpectedly largish audience, as well as addressing Varca rather than McFarlane now, Rachando asks: "Are you sure you want this many ears listening to talk about a... coup?"

"Yes, yes, I know that's the favorite pastime of Palacers, but it's always been along the lines of 'if I was King' and quickly turned to art or fashion or cuisine or further inbreeding. At no point was the 'C' word ever used. It's just not part of Palace life. You know what I'm saying."

"I first noticed the change about a month ago. Heard the word, sounded incongruous, fluke. But it kept getting used more and more often. Started getting less abstract... like secret meetings to determine viable options."

"A week ago, it started looking like it was going to boil over. Still simmering. Your arrival may set it all in motion."

"So, yes, I've been waiting.. sort of... out here for you. Apologies for the near-collision. Ship needs some work."

"Pretty much the entire population has chosen a faction to support, though most still maintain some sort of neutrality. I suspect that's probably due to the indecisiveness of wishy-washy everyday Palace life."

"King Oleb is supported by Princess Rao and his hawk warriors."

"Princess Rao is supported by the King and Lady Hil."

"Prince Harrick has the support of Lord Admiral Wrax, the Star Guard, Scholar Voha, and probably some of the Hawk Warriors."

"Then there's Ser-Duke Nerado Murgel Fintavian Llangward Zith II. Seems to have come out of nowhere. Charismatic; has a lot of followers."

"Supposedly thirteenth in line for the throne, Third Star Earl Kerzentian Voloron Jacinto Transion has been one of Oleb's staunchest supporters, but now he's screaming for the King's head. I have no idea what brought that on."

"Even the Aslan outcast Kasiyl seems to have proponents that'd rather see Drinax become an Aslan state than get bombarded again. Hell, even I can see the upside to that."

"Chieftain Galx also now wants to sit on the throne. Something about not treating her people fairly."

"Thao Poloc used to be your typical bored and indifferent backwater Imperial Ambassador. Not so much now. I think he sees a title in it for him if he can bring Drinax into the Imperium. I don't understand how he can't see that'd lead to war."

"GeDeCo also seems to have an iron in the fire in First Starport Administrator Masyn Starbolt, though I'm not really sure what iron that is or what fire it is either."

"And there you have it. It's not like I've been spying on everyone--it's hardly been necessary... just taking notes. Not that I wouldn't have... under the circumstances."

"That's insane!" Aaron comments over the comms. "So, Drinax is just another Banana Republic... without the bananas."

"Now that it's taken a step forward again, everyone wants a piece of the action. I know we support the Princess, but good luck with this one!"

Rayjay listens in as usual, not at all surprised with how divided the Palacers always were, but to have the Lord Admiral and King at odds, that was as ill a portent as could be found. Clearly something would have to be done about it, though what precisely remained to be seen, but Rayjay was almost certain the Captain would wind up having to play King Maker at some point. 'Poor bastard, and poor us.'

Zhouth's voice was carefully measured and quiet as he spoke over private comm to the other sensor suite. "Varca? Do you see what I do about that 'Aslan mining ship', and if so, please don't outburst about it just yet?"


Then, in his more typical way of speaking, he broke into the ship-to-ship discussion with, "Excuse me, Mister Rachando - I don't know if you have any Drinaxi titles, so apologies if I missed them - but is Prince Harrick actually saying that he wants his father and sister out?"

"It's no secret that the Prince has gotten a bit more mellow since the accident that nearly killed him 10  years ago," Rachando answers. "Those 10 years of medical stasis and extensive treatments, all under the pacifistic influence of Scholar Voha, changed him. He's not like his father any more. He's the Gardener of Worlds, not the Architect of Empire... i.e. his sister. He's the one that put together the Alliance, yo know, though I can't imagine Rao didn't have her hand in it somewhere.""

"So, does he want them out of the  political arena? Sure. That way, he can do things the way he wants."

"It also seems likely that he just doesn't have the energy to fight a battle on two fronts any more."

"This is all Palace gossip, mind you. Not the same as the Wondrous Purveyor of Bedroom Protocols is pregnant again by the 17th Earl of Sustainable Gravitic Engineering. But the coup is real. The moment you dock at High-D (OOC: unofficial shorthand for Highport Drinax) or the Palace, you'll ignite the powderkeg. Not that the Palace can't do without a few more people."

By the time the conversation with Rachando, a personal comm message from 3rd Sub-Overbaron Wellington Ambrose McFarlane for Captain-Baron Theodore McFarlane arrives.

Teddy sank in his seat. He then opens the private circuit with just Varca, Zhouth, and Ingrid and tells them, "My father just informed me we should not land at the palace, we'd be taken hostage." He clicked the switch again back to the circuit with Rachando. "Would you care to come aboard Mr Rachando, we can talk in more privacy and comfort, if you wish."

About a minute after that, another comm comes in from Mama Omnira Chandice-Kenice Harrasyn for Rejji Tarone Harrasyn.

"Oh, boy," Viridian ssid when all the ramifications finally sank in.

"Sure you don't want to be King, Teddy? Or maybe just Grand High Poobah. You can toss your hat into the ring now and we go in like gang busters! Oleb can go into exile on Asim or somewhere?"

"How about you, Kira? Want to at least be Queen for a Day? Nobody knows you--you'd be the Wild Card--that Pirate Queen Varca was prattling on about."

"And, no, don't look at me! I've spent my entire life hiding under any rock I could find! I'm not about to crawl out now!"

The communication (speed of light limit) time lag from Drinax finally seemed to be catching up to the Vultan as another private message came in from 8th Kellidar Rachard Larent Brown, Rayjaynul's father, for Rayjay.

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 28):


     Varca looks over the sensor feed that Zhouth sends him and ... frowns.  Varca quickly re-runs the scans from the equipment in the portside countermeasures suite--verifying Zhouths data.

     Responding on the same private comm circuit, Varca says to Zhouth, "I'll agree that this makes the specifics of what we were told pretty suspect, Zhouth--especially given what Rachando has just told us about the current social and political environment around here, right now.  But ... their presence in the region isn't unusual.  Again, I gotta say that their presence here at this time could be suspect, but otherwise it's not all that startling.  Drinax has had contact, off-and-on, for decades."

     "Maybe--just maybe--it's a little leftover bias from all your years working for The Imperium...?"

---

     "That is an excellent idea, Captain." Varca responds to Teddy, "I'm sure that all of us have a billion questions for Trader Rachando.  And we definitely need to pause, gather as much intel as we can, and then figure out the best course of action.  Perhaps, while we maneuver to dock with Rachando, you might send a secure email to your Father, asking him for more details.  I will do the same with my contact in the Star Guard."

     "And we need to inform the Throne that we are in-system.  It could be misinterpreted by lots of folks--His Imperial Majesty specifically--if we are seen to be pausing upon our arrival, rather than heading straight in to report to The King.  I think we should send an encrypted email to Princess Rao for instructions.  Thoughts, anyone?"

Rayjay couldn't help but chuckle as he got his father's message. Despite the years having passed since his mother went her own separate way, his father worked fairly hard on adopting her accent, the sound of which filled the old gunner's heart with pride. "Take it everyone else from Drinax got a message from t'eir kin?" Rayjay asked with an amused tone.

Zhouth spends a couple of moments communicating with Varca over the private channel before making another public (such as it is) statement. "We probably shouldn't worry too much about being misinterpreted. Not because we don't mind being misinterpreted, but if things are really this bad then anything we do will be misinterpreted by everyone anyway, so just do what we need to, you know?"
This message was last edited by the player at 00:03, Sat 22 Apr 2023.

"I haven't the foggiest what you're all nattering on about," exclaims Kira. "But yeah sure, sign me up for Pirate Queen!"

As if to punctuate her comment, Kira receives a coded private comm from one Tanzil Renzz:

As de facto security on the bridge at the moment, it was Donio that was responsible for clearing any and everyone. From his corner jumpseat, he accessed public records on Rachando and only delved deeper if something caught his attention.

In this case, the public was sufficient.

"He can't pilot that ship," he informed the bridge personnel. "Better tell  him to power down, Kira, and tell him you'll dock with him, Unless we want to risk a real collision."

"You can also inform High-D Command that we are assisting a damaged ship. Details to follow."

Almost as if Rachando was reading Donio's mind, his reply to the Captain's invitation is made.

"Oh, that would be marvelous!" he says. "Comms are an inevitable necessity but they can be so impersonal at times. Even when you scream at someone, the meaning usually comes across but you lose a lot of the vehemence and the subtleties it can convey."

He casts a worrisome look around the bridge of his ship for a moment.

"Perhaps it'd be better if I just sit here and you come and get me? The ship needs a bit of work, But it was still a bargain!"

Kira has no difficulty maneuvering the Vultan to where a docking tube can connect the two airlocks. In that sense the yacht is much more accommodating, and in zero-gravity, orientation is seldom a factor.

And so Rachando joins the crew on the Bridge. Ingrid gives up her seat after securing the station from unauthorized persons since not only is there nothing significant going on in Engineering but she needs to take an away team over to the yacht just to see what can be done... and not to make a liar out of Kira if that's what she reports.

"I love what you've done with the place!" Rachando quips as he sits and accepts the drink Taliesa hands him.

He's never been on the ship before.

In reply to Zhouth (msg # 34):

     Varca simply continues to monitor comms & sensors as he waits for Rachando to come aboard.
This message was last updated by the player at 12:11, Sat 22 Apr 2023.

"Umm, maybe I missed it what with all of the sensor distractions, but didn't you have a good trade ship at the palace somewhere? Why not come in that? Did something happen to it? Or someone?" Zhouth was still speaking from the sensor suite where he was working, but the internal-comm message was clearly directed to the now-visiting Rachando.

Teddy sends his greetings to his father and then adds to the email to please follow up with the current situation in the palace. They needed to know what was happening now.

"Greetings Mr. Rachando, how did everyone know we were coming back now? Have a seat, we can relax while we talk. Good, he looks like he needs a drink." he says as a drink is handed to him.

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 41):




     Varca smiles as he sends off a quick text to Theo, up on the Bridge,

     Tell your Father that 'your friend Varca says that if he will just give Varca a list of Names, Varca will shoot them all'.
That should give the Old Man apoplexy!  Remember to ask just who has the Balls to try and take US hostage!
     Zhouth & I will join you right behind Rachando.
Remember that Rachando isn't just a slick Trader--he's an Imperial slick Trader!  You know the type!

In reply to Varca Lexand (msg # 42):

Teddy taps out an amendment to his email!

At Donio's mention of repairing Rachando's ship, Viridian made a quick scan of the Vultan's crew UPPs; lord knows he was never going to remember everyone's skillset.

Probably not for the first time, he was astounded to see how little Engineering skills the crew had!

"Oddly, Kira, you're the best qualified to assist Ingrid in inspecting the Starlight Voyager. After that, it's Collyn."

"You want to go? We got plenty of Pilots on the deck."

In reply to Viridian Starfire (msg # 44):

"That's not much of a mystery," Rachando replies to Teddy. "Princess Rao seemed to have a reasonable idea of when you'd return. There are even a number of betting pools around the Palace for when you'd return... including never. I missed it by a week."

"Then the craziness started and people began seeing that as a 'sign'."

"But the real secret is that the Rainy Daze left Torpol two days before you did."

Kira nods and swings her long legs out of the pilot's chair. "Sure thing. Ready whenever you are, Ingrid."

     Varca takes a minute to type something up, then sends the email out into the ether.

     "Okay, Zhouth," Varca says over the intercomm between the two countermeasures suites, as he rises from his seat,

     "Let's go join the others with Rachando.  See if we can chart a course through all this Palacer Posturing crapola."

"Indeed, it do sound like quite t'e situation." Rayjay added, agreeing with Varca's rather blunt summation of the current problem plaguing palace life, joining the pair as they met with the others.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:07, Sun 23 Apr 2023.

There was a pause as Zhouth took one last look at the readouts in front of him, then he replied, "Well okay, we can both go as long as you don't mind putting someone else on sensors just in case."

In reply to Kira Cerise O'Neill (msg # 46):

Ingrid is on edge after Thedore's message that they could be taken hostage, but she nods to Kira. "I'd appreciate the assistance, miss Kira. Might be good to get my mind off things."

"Ingrid dear, after we're done here, I'll come help too if you need me. We can't have Mr. Rachando lost in space" he tells her as she and Kira head over. "Varca and Zhouth will be here momentarily. Have you gone out of business? Is your merchandise safe?"

"Oh, no, business as usual," Rachando replies to Teddy. "Palacers are amusing to people watch... and I must admit I do get a kick pulling their chains on occasion. They are still bizarrely insular in regards to the greater galaxy."

"No, I figure I've got a good 20-25 years left selling off all the King's loot. I only sell three or four pieces per year, though that's because it's all I can wheedle out of him. In exchange, he gets to impress 7th Princess Dorianna Duxemberg on her 8th birthday with some exotic off-world trinket. He gets to be her favorite uncle for another year."

"And, of course, I make just enough to keep coming back for more."

"Now, if he'd let me sell the Thrice Holy Spear of Ineffable Damnation... all you'd see of me was my space dust! Hell, I'd settle for the Queen's Jet or just the Purple Ode to a Nazyreth Node. I mean, come on! He's got three of them!"

"And there's no telling how long that status quo will last under the current circumstances"

As Varca and Zhouth join them on the Bridge, Rachando turns to Ghent.

"So, Master Bel-Andis, I see from your CV that you indulge in the occasional trade. Perhaps you and I could do some business while you are here."

"I hear there are some lucrative markets out around Tyr and Caldos and Dostoevsky."

"Good, we're all here now! Now, what do we want to do, cut a deal with one of the factions, or become our own faction? Or just take OUR ship, and move on? I'd miss my family, but we're all adults now and capable of leading our own lives. Where's Zhouth? Viridian, put someone on sensors so Zhouth can come up."

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 53):


     Varca waves off Zhouth's concerns,

     "There's a Sensor Station up on the Bridge." Varca says, "Whoever is sitting in it can watch the sensors--uh, you did flag that, um, Aslan Mining Ship, so that we'll be notified automatically if it moves position, right?  Anyway, if you want, just take over the Sensor Station when we get to the Bridge.  Nobody will argue with you.  And if they do..."

     Varca's right-hand snaps down to where the holster for his pistol is ... usually attached to his suit, along the outside of his right thigh.  But it's not there, at the moment.

     "Oh, Crap!" Varca says with a big grin and a wink, "Lookit that!  I'm practically Naked!  Heh-heh-heh..."


     "Zhouth is right here, Theo..." Varca says, pointing at the Vargr standing next to him, "You need Aaron to take a look at your eyes, or something?"

     "Anyway--we don't cut a deal with any Faction on the Palace." Varca continues to the group assembled on the Bridge, "We are already part of a Faction--the Crown Loyalists.  We are working for Princess Rao and King Oleb, we have a contract..."

     Varca shrugs--his head nodding slightly to the side, towards Rachando, as he does,

     "Admittedly, going out to look for new markets for what little Drinax actually produces may not be all that glamorous--but a job is a job.  And--as a bonus--we get to live in this Rococo Nightmare that is Vultan."

     "And, I will have all of you know that just because I call His Majesty 'Fat Oleb' and 'the Damned King' does not mean I am in any way disloyal!"

     "All Vespexers call whoever is sitting on the Throne that name!  We call the Monarch the 'Damned' King--or Queen--because it took one hundred years before the Damned King realized that the Vespexers were down on the planet, barely surviving!  Tho', actually, we only call Oleb 'Fat Oleb' because he's...y'know...Fat!"

     "And personally, I consider myself extremely loyal to The Throne!"

     "So.  We work for Oleb and Rao.  Our job is to report back to them, and hand over their share of the profits from our trading mission.  Everyone got that?"

     "In any case, if any of you didn't hear, Cap'n Theodore's father--the actual Baron McFarlane--sent a message warning that if we try to land at the Palace we will be taken hostage.  Now, Baron McFarlane and Theodore don't get along too well, so if that Old Man is sending us a warning, I'm betting it's a valid one.  Theo?  Have you heard any more from the Old Man?"

     "Oh--this reminds me! There are a few more of us who have friends and relatives on Drinax--not just me and Theo--has anyone else received any messages with information about what's going on, there?"
This message was last updated by the player at 00:23, Tue 25 Apr 2023.

"Well, I sure don't have any relatives down here!" Zhouth exclaimed with a downward swipe of his palm. Then he froze in a moment of hesitation, before raising that one hand back up in a one-sided shrug while the other one performed a sweep and stab toward the floating palace. "I suppose that I can't say that as a statistical certainty because I have no idea what they've been up to for the last two months, but I'd still be very surprised to see any of them here!"

Then he pulled both hands back and started tapping at his comm. "Let me try talking to Scholar Voha though. He's my best contact here, although I suppose that's not saying much right now."

In reply to Zhouth (msg # 55):

     Varca makes a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders,

     "Eh.  I suppose it couldn't hurt to try...oh wait!  Voha is the guy who can ban you from ever again accessing the database in the Scholar's Tower!"

     "So--as strange as this sounds coming from Me--do try not to cheese off the Top Scholar of Drinax..."

     Varca gives Zhouth a wink, then steps over to Rachando, offering his gloved hand to the Trader,

     "Rachando.  Welcome aboard Vultan--Fat Olebs latest toy." Varca says in greeting, "I last saw you--what?--almost two months ago?  We were trying to find our fuzzy scholar..."

     Varca hooks a thumb over his shoulder, towards Zhouth,

     "...a space suit designed for a Vargr. I'm truly grateful for your coming out here to warn us about the troubles on the Palace."

     Varca crosses his arms over his chest and frowns at Rachando.

     "Now tell me--what's your assistance going to cost us?"

"Yes Varca, me fat'er also say in no uncertain terms to not return to Drinax and to not get mixed up in Royal affairs. So very likely t'e Cap'n's own warnin' is dead on." Rayjay says sharing the gist of his own message with a concerned chuckle.

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 51):

"Well, I suppose I could use another pair of hands, maybe I could have join us" she teased Theodore, before kissing him. "See you there."

VaccSuits or boarding suits are generally too awkward and uncomfortable to normally wear while on the ship unless you know you are about to enter a battle situation, but as soon as the inner airlock of the Starlight Voyager, Ingrid and Kira wished they were wearing hazmat suits. It was all they could do for a minute to keep the odoriferous wave of horrible smells from making them nauseous.

The other ship's interior smelled and looked like a garbage pit! Trash and rotting food and other less-identifiable material littered floor, chairs, consoles, tables, and even in two places stuck to the walls. If a dozen people had spent a week partying here, it couldn't have gotten this bad, so the blame couldn't all be laid at Rachando's feet.

No wonder Rachando had gotten the ship at a bargain!

Instinct took over with Ingrid and she scrambled to the bridge to hit the emergency power shut-down. Although the normal alert had been dampened down, she still recognized the sound--the fusion chamber was way overdue for purging!

Having grabbed a toolkit from the ship's locker, Ingrid began assessing the ship. It has clearly been used, abused and neglected without any maintenance for well over a year now--the reactor alert only sounded after a year. If not purged by then, there was always the ever-increasing chance of it becoming a nuclear bomb!

Even a quick scan of the maintenance logs showed that the last maintenance date had been changed so that the readings from 14 months ago were showing up as having been done only two months ago.

It looked like every system needed maintenance.

In reply to Ingrid Gustavdottir Sigar (msg # 58):

Teddy kissed her back and waved bye to her and Kira for the moment and went back to his discussion with Rachando and his mates.

At the first break he sends a message to Ingrid asking the status of the ship.

"I just asked them for an update on the status of your ship Mr. Rachando.

I guess we're stuck with Fat Oleb then Varca, suggestions everybody?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:01, Tue 25 Apr 2023.

"Ha-ha-ha!"  Rachando replies to Varca. "Friends and trading partners that we are, why ever would you think I'd take advantage of the current situation?"

"Truth to tell, all this political machinations is bad for business. As one friend to another, though, I'd hope you'd do me this one little favor. As you've no doubt noticed, there are only three trade ships in system at the moment. Until the situation resolves itself, these traders seem to be holding their collective breaths. They won't touch any in-system cargo for fear of winding up in the bad graces of the winning faction. Not that I blame them--in their shoes, I'd do the same."

"However, that leaves me with 20 tons of vinyl recordings destined for Asim. Not quite antiques, but the nostalgia market for the damn things never seems to die. If you'd prefer to take it as freight, I can do that, but I was hoping you'd buy in for 10%. Is that something you might be interested in?"

He winces at the Captain's comment.

In reply to Rachando (msg # 61):

     Varca considers Rachando's offer for a moment, then looks around the Bridge,

     "Ghent!  Please be so kind as to escort Tuan Rachando back to the Lounge and offer him another beverage.  Then go ahead and make this deal with him for the sale of these...vy-nul recording things."

     "I recall seeing such things in use, the last time I was on Asim.  It's a fairly common technology, there.  Look over Rachando's offer and make sure everything is on the up-and-up--make us a good deal."

     Varca gives Rachando a big smile, "Make his wallet hemorrhage..."

OOC: Not trying to get rid of you, Ghent.  Just trying to get Rachando off the Bridge.  We need to make plans, and I wouldn't put it past that cut-throat merchant to sell everything he hears on Vultan to anybody and everybody.  He's more-or-less trustworthy as long as you remember that every action he takes is to the sole benefit of himself.

Ghent squared his large shoulder in front of the Rachando fellow, keeping his face neutral. “This way, sir,” he said politely, but his stance might have implied that he wouldn’t be asking for his cooperation if the other objected. Ghent often found that his bulk often trumped any arguments anyone might have in disobeying any of his requests. He added a belated ‘please’, and nodded towards Varca when the man moved to comply.

"Holy flip, what a dump," mutters Kira in disgust as she kicks an empty beer can across the room. "This is even worse that the lair of Mad Jack McMad. This piece of junk needs to be steered straight into the sun."
This message was last edited by the player at 11:59, Wed 26 Apr 2023.

"Welcome home, Loyal Subjects of King Oleb XVI, Star Dragon Emperor-in-Exile of the Sindalian Empire!" is the next comm you receive. It is directed to the Crew of the Vultan rather than an individual.

"The success of your trading venture precedes you! I look forward to receiving your report... in person."

"What? They wouldn't DARE!"

"My Loyal Hawk Warriors will escort you to your audience."

"Eh? What's that? Fixing Rachando's ship? Well, of course they can repair Our Friend of the Court's ship."

"Lord High Commander Leandra of Air Command informs me that you are 10 hours inbound... after those repairs are made. She's transmitting a landing vector for the Royal Palace."

"Welcome back!"
This message was last edited by the player at 10:57, Thu 01 June 2023.

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 60):

"The ship's status? As an engineer, it offends me. And as a homemaker, it offends me even more. If this ship has been repaired in the last year I'm an Imperial. And it hasn't been cleaned in-well, if we have gas masks, please bring them when you come over. It'll be quicker to list the systems that don't need repair than the ones that do... this is going to be quite a job" she said to Theodore on the comm.

She looked over at Kira. "At least there's the mystery of what's buried under all this garbage. Best case, treasure. Worst case, bodies." she joked.

Rayjay listened to the horror story of reports coming through the comms, curious but also hesitant to offer his assistance. "Miss Sigar, is it truly as awful as ya make it sound? Would a boardin' suit help at all? Or best I come over and assist as much I can to help reduce our collective exposure to such calamity?" Rayjay responded over comms at last, almost hoping she would decline so that he wouldn't have to look upon such a travesty first person.

"Thank you Rayjay, get all of you hazard suits if it's that bad, when our meeting is over, I'll come as well, Varca, can you answer His Majesty? Thank you."

Ingrid and Kira... pick a system and make a roll (or you can role-play it out if you want--think Oscar Madison from the Odd Couple tv show).

"Hang on," says Kira to Ingrid as she tip-toes through the refuse pit that is the Starlight Voyager. "Are we expected to clean this pig sty? I'm happy enough to verify that it can fly but I'm not going to play house maid!"

Ingrid laughed. "No, Teddy would only assign me a maid's duty in order to get me into a maid outfit. We don't have to clean it. Just might make it slightly less of a toxic waste dump in here."

     Varca nods acknowledgement of Theo's order and looks down on the Bridge Stations (when Varca & Zhouth entered the Bridge, they never stepped down from the Captain's Walk)

     Noting that the Comm Station is empty--and then remembering that Ghent had been sitting there, before Varca himself had sent him off with Rachando--Varca addresses Rayjay, who is(?) sitting nearby.

     "Rayjay, please set up a general broadcast," Varca requests, "No encoding--send this signal out in the clear and crank up the signal strength as far as it will go!  I want everyone in this star system to hear this..."

     At a nod from Rayjaynul, Varca snaps to attention, bows his un-helmeted head and brings his gloved right fist up to thump it over his heart.  With a self-satisfied smile, Varca looks up with his Vespexer Red Eyes and proclaims...

     "Greetings to his Imperial Majesty King Oleb XIV, Star Dragon Emperor-in-Exile of the Sindalian Empire and Monarch of Drinax!" Varca says, then drops his right arm to his side,

     "Star-Yacht Vultan, commanded by Captain-Lord Theodore McFarlane, returns from a successful excursion across the Drinax Subsector with many wishes of Goodwill from neighboring Planetary Leaders."

     "As instructed, we bring back News, as well as gifts of friendship, from all across the Subsector.  Testament to the respect your fellow leaders hold for your Imperial Majesty and Planet Drinax."

     "The Crew of Vultan is deeply honored that your Imperial Majesty would greet us personally, upon our return to Drinax System.  We hear your Commands and hasten to Obey!  Just as soon as we have finished providing technical aid to a distressed vessel, we shall make all speed to present ourselves before you."

     Varca again brings up his fist to thump his chest over his heart, then thrusts that arm straight out before himself,

     "Drinax Eternal!  Long Live King Oleb!"

     Varca gives a subtle nod to Rayjaynul to cut the signal--holding his salute until Rayjay nods that it is done.

     His stance relaxing, Varca assumes his more normal scowl upon his face, and once again looks around the people on the bridge--finally pointing at Viridian...
     (I think Viridian is still on the Bridge...)


     "Viridian, please take the Helm and call up software nugget 'Varca Show-Off Seventeen' and load it into the holographic hull system.  Run it as soon as it's ready, please."

     When the small program starts running, bright colors begin to spread across the hull until finally the entire hull is a glowing, pristine white.  The two wings are a bright crimson red, each prominently displaying the Heraldry of Drinax in shining gold.  Running along both Port and Starboard sides of the forward extending 'neck' of the ship is displayed the ship's icon--a Vultan bird of prey with wings spread wide and head turned to face forward--done in crimson and gold, over the white hull.


OOC: I'm hoping Varca doesn't have to make a Persuade roll in order to offer up that load of pretentious crap--he only just finished improving that skill on the Jump here--but I'm ready if one is called for (the roll will suck and Varca's head will explode--but I'm ready...)
This message was last edited by the player at 01:31, Thu 27 Apr 2023.

Though his attention was mostly focused on his comm and whatever messages he was sending or receiving there, and he was only passingly likely to end up in the presentation's background, Zhouth put on a smile as the broadcast began.

To look at it, it was surely a smile for the camera, just in case. Or perhaps it was a smile brought on by the sheer absurdity of what was happening. Maybe it had nothing to do with Varca's broadcast, brought on instead by whatever messages he was reading? Then again, it could be interpreted as an I'm-up-to-something smile.

But whatever kind of smile it was, it was definitely a smile. And not at all worth worrying about.

11 using 2d6+3.  Comms + Int. Just in case.

Presumably Rayjay was at his station on the main deck, or near enough to it anyway so there wasn't more than a moment's delay before he began setting up the requested general broadcast, cranking the power as much as possible without damaging the equipment or possibly being misinterpreted as an act of aggression before finally giving Varca the signal with a curt nod of his head.

However, as Varca began his display, the old gunner couldn't help but smirk, surely the Vespexer was born to be an actor with that performance, however as it ended and the Mission Commander gave his salute, Rayjay cut the feed and deactivated the broadcast before giving him a thumbs up. "Quite t'e performance t'ere Varca, per'aps ya' might take up a leadin' role at t'e Drinaxian opera one of t'ese days?" He suggested mirthfully grinning and chuckling as he did.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:07, Thu 27 Apr 2023.

"Varca you sly devil, flattering fat Oleb like that to make him feel good. Perhaps we'll all get titled by his Majesty for all of this. Now, just go with the flow? After this I need to join Ingrid and Kira to get the yacht serviceable."

Now that the initial shock of the ship's condition has passed, the not-so-radical-solution-as-Varca's procedures quickly come to mind.

With the potential 'imminent' threat of the reactor not suddenly going nova shut down, the ship should be running on battery reserves, but there aren't any! As it turns out, there are batteries, fully charged, but for some reason, they were disconnected.

Once reconnected, Life Support should have kicked in. Of course, it'd already been running when you boarded and clearly hadn't been doing its job. No wonder! It hadn't been purged or the various filters cleaned, purged or replaced in over a year!

Once that's done, the air is freshened up within 10 minutes. No more rancorous odors!

That leads to the next problem and solution. Being a yacht, it would have been extremely unlikely for it not to have a servobot for cleaning up after the owner's parties (why else would you have a yacht in the first place?). Sure enough, there's a servobot... partly dismantled, not in its charging station, and not charged. Another simple albeit not necessarily quick solution.

Now it's on to the serious engineering problems: power plant, M-drive, J-drive, sensors and communications. It is not an armed yacht, so no weapons or fire control need maintenance.

========================================================================================

The gravity field of the M-drive has always been capable of being reconfigured for towing another ship or even carrying one piggyback. It was always a question of power.

The Starlight Voyager is docked with the Vultan at and in an awkward location. While the Vultan has the power, there could be some serious damage if something goes wrong. So, yes, the Vultan can move with the Starlight Voyager so attached, but it is not recommended.

After the meeting, Teddy dons his suit and goes to help Ingrid and Kira!

07:54, Today: Theodore McFarlane rolled 11 using 2d6+2.  assist J drive.

07:54, Today: Theodore McFarlane rolled 6 using 2d6+1.  assist M drive.

07:54, Today: Theodore McFarlane rolled 8 using 2d6+1.  assist PP.

That action prompted Zhouth to worriedly look up from his comm and query, "Umm, Theodore? Who's in ship-command here if you leave the bridge?" One hand made passing stabs toward the floor of the command platform, the nearby door, and somewhere ahead - this time it was genuinely unclear if he was pointing at anything in particular.

"Viridian. I'll be on the other side of the 'tube' if you need me. I can come back with a very short walk. Varca and you can help Viridian. Rachando's ship is ready to explode, The ladies and I are engineers, we'll be as quick as we can. He needs to take his ship to a starport for maintenance. Anything else before I trot over there to help? Ask away if there is, unless there is a real reason I shouldn't."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:01, Thu 27 Apr 2023.

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 79):



     "Performance, Rayjay?" Varca asks, staring forward out the viewscreen at the red primary star of Drinax, "I meant every word I said...but yes, I suppose it was a performance, of sorts...in the sense that both Oleb and I were speaking not to each other, but to everyone else that was listening..."

     "My words may have been flattering, Theo, but their intent was to show to anyone watching that I--and by extension, all of you--were solid supporters of the King.  And you need to consider the significance of Oleb calling us, before we called him--to any member of any of these Factions that Rachando is talking about, the fact that The King honored us that way means that we--our arrival and our mission--are important to him.  Important enough that he was watching for us."

     "And did you notice that comment he supposedly made to someone outside the range of the comm pick up?  When he said 'What? They wouldn't dare!'."

     "On the face of it, that comment had no context to what he was saying to us--but to anyone who was listening, anyone who might be considering taking some action contrary to the Kings wishes--maybe even some action against the King, himself--those words will ring as a warning.  It will make listeners uncertain as to whether the King already knows their plans, or not."

     "Our response told anyone listening that whatever task the King had set us, we have returned both successful and rewarded--which sends the message that whatever plans the king is working, his plans are successful.  Also, our message made it pretty clear that we are loyal to the King and that we will obey him in all things."

     Varca gives the two a sly grin,

     "Though I would not want to take on one of our four-hundred-ton defense vessels--I am very confident that Vultan would ultimately be the victor in any such conflict."

     "So, everyone in this star system who heard those very public messages now knows that the King is up to something; that whatever he's doing its successful, so far.  And that the most powerful starship on all Drinax is one hundred percent behind the King.  And I'm willing to bet good money that, knowing all that, only folks who are truly desperate--or truly insane--would dare take any action against the King...right now."





     Varca nods acknowledgement to Theo, then turns to Viridian,

     "Let's try to multitask, here, Viridan." Varca says, leaning onto the railing around the Captain's Walk, "Rachando's hunka junk isn't going to move on its own any time soon, and we can't move at anything like full speed with Starlight Voyager docked to us.  Similarly, we can't just sit here, waiting for some sneaky smartass to try and kill us by trying to pin it on Starlight Voyager blowing up.  So.  Viridian, please set course for the Highport at the safest speed Vultan can make--even if that's only a couple meters per minute!  Glacially slow is better than no movement at all."

     "Rayjay--call the Highport and ask them to send a rescue tug out our way to take Starlight Voyager off our hands.  Remind them that, in his very-open signal to us, the King himself authorized assistance for a 'Friend of The Court'.  Tell 'em to send the bill for picking up Rachando and Starlight Voyager to the King."

     Varca chuckles, then nods at Viridian,

     "You have the Bridge, Viridian.  Make it happen.  I'm off to shine up my Suit--we're meeting with The Damned King in a short while, you know!"

"Aye-aye, Captain," Viridian responds from his sensor station to Teddy's command. "I have the Bridge."

"Too bad we don't have the Mercifuge with us," Viridian adds. "I wouldn't bother with the thu. According to the engineering logs Ingrid's cleared up, they should have the Starlight Voyager operational in an hour."

"But I can put the ship's underway..."

"You do realize that there's not another ship within half an AU of us, and we'll see them coming when they are still hours away. Besides, Voyager is  dead in water now. It's completely inert--it can't blow up."

Rayjay couldn't help but chuckle all the more. "Roger t'at Varca heh heheh." He acknowledged before clearing his voice and addressing a communique to Highport directly, putting on his best Palacer accent as he did.

"This is Vultan hailing Highport please respond, we request a rescue tug on behalf of the Starlight Voyager whose captain one Richando is to be considered a 'Friend of the Court' by King Oleb the Fourteenth's direct command and thus fully accommodated, including all necessary repairs to see his vessel made space worthy once again. Additionally do make all haste as his Royal Highness is awaiting our arrival." Rayjay said before waiting for their reply.

Zhouth was once again drawn briefly away from his comm-work, this time by Viridian's protest; he glanced sidelong and uncertainly at their stand-in captain, one hand rising in a now-hear-this index point, then folding into a fist before his fingers snapped open with force as he spoke very calmly and measuredly. "Among the many things that I learned working for those intelligence types, it's that stuff that shouldn't be able to explode still can."

"Yeah, Murphy's Law. Know all about it, Zhouth," Viridian responds. "Or are you talking 'spontaneous human combustion'? Watched all those UnXplained Mystery shows when I was a kid. Just because something can't be explained doesn't mean it's magic."

"There's always a reason for it. Did you know that flour was explosive? Under the right conditions it is.We're not talking C4 level of explosive, but it still is."

And your point of pointing out that ANYTHING can explode is? Oh, my god--is your head going to explode?!"

Zhouth stopped and looked up again, this time quizzically. "What? No, and I'm not talking about magic, or psionics, or unfortunate aerosolized air-fuel ratios." He snapped his fingers. "Intelligence types, you know? When there's the right political motive? It's not subtle, but it's usually effective. Starships, briefcases, fancy tea sets..." he seemed to trail off as he returned his attention to his comm once again, although not without a final, distracted mutter of, "I don't think that they ever found all of that Countess's bits and pieces..."
This message was last edited by the player at 08:17, Sat 29 Apr 2023.

Psychological profiling had never held a lot of interest or appeal to him--it wasn't a line of work he'd had any desire to pursue. Way too many causes for people going crazy.

Still, this current situation with so many factions popping out of the woodwork was downright curios if not intriguing.

He couldn't help wondering whether this was a new phenomenon or something that had been going on for awhile and was just now coming to a head. As he looked over the data and the timeline sequence, he realized that there was something... off... about it.

Teddy makes his way to his quarters and puts on his hazard suit and heads over, through the connecter, to Rachando's ship. He turns on his comms and calls out to Ingrid, "You in engineering Ingrid? I'm on my way to lend a hand. Good thing you've been teaching all this to me over the last couple of months! With three or four of us, we might get it under way in a few hours, it looks like he needs to spend some money on updates and maintenance!"
This message was last edited by the player at 11:12, Sat 29 Apr 2023.

In reply to Zhouth (msg # 85):





     The Bridge door opens as Varca approaches it, but he stops just short of the door and turns around,

     "Zhouth isn't talking about unexplained accidents, Viridian, and you know it!  Stop yanking his chain!" Varca says in an amused tone, "He's talking about hostile activities that get covered up as accidents.  It happens all the time!"

     "And your point about there not being a ship anywhere close enough to make such an attack...well...just you remember that we remained unseen when we snuck up on Redthane.  Our stealth was good enough to get literally right on top of him.  And the stealth gear we used in order to do that..." Varca points at the front viewscreen, still displaying the red M-type star of Drinax,

     "...Came from right over there.  So don't discount the possibility that another ship or a weapon has been outfitted with similar salvaged tech, and isn't, right now, closing in on us."

     With that, Varca turns and leaves the Bridge, returning to his own quarters to get his Hazard Suit ready.

In reply to Varca Lexand (msg # 88):

Teddy, assisting with repairs. May add +1 To the rolls of Ingrid or Kira if assisting them.

15:24, Today: Theodore McFarlane rolled 10 using 2d6+3.  assist with J-drive.

15:23, Today: Theodore McFarlane rolled 5 using 2d6+2.  assist with power plant.

15:23, Today: Theodore McFarlane rolled 12 using 2d6+2.  assist with M-drive.

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 87):

"Hello Teddy!" Ingrid sang out gratefully. "It's slow going. In this state, a mistake repairing the reactor could blow up the ship; not that I think blowing up this ship would be any great loss if only the three of us weren't onboard."

That was certainly a discomforting thought but not an overly significant one, after all their own stealth tech wasn't perfect, if you got too close enough it would degrade effectiveness; not to mention the salvaged manner of it made it very unlikely that it'd be complete or without faults or bugs at all. Still, the fact they hadn't been attacked immediately upon their return boded well as clearly someone wanted the ship returned undamaged if nothing else, if at all possible.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:39, Tue 02 May 2023.

With Teddy's help (though probably without it as well), Ingrid and Kira have no trouble repairing the Maneuver Drive. It just needed realignment though how it got out of alignment in the first place isn't clear. The misalignment meant that it didn't quite go where it was directed. A pilot would have no problem compensating for that.

The jump drive itself is fine, though some of the grid could stand to be straightened out. No, it's the jump program that got corrupted by someone overriding core data with Monkey Pong. It could have caused a serious misjump. Rebooting the core data fixes that problem. Someone had apparently shut off the auto-reboot function because it was interfering with their game.

That just left the reactor. A systems check didn't show anything wrong other than the heavy element build-up was approaching dangerous levels. Once they reached a critical threshold, the heavy elements could now start to fission... KA-BOOM! Nuclear bomb detonation.

Starports had the automated equipment to clean out the heavies; alas, the yacht did not. You were going to have to get into the reactor personally and 'sweep' out those heavies. It's not really hard work, just a pain in the keister.

In any case, the repairs are effected within an hour. Rachando is escorted back to his ship, the autopilot is engaged, and the two ships are disconnected.

The Vultan engages its Maneuver Drive at 1.1 gees to make up for lost time. The Voyager's autopilot is set to catch up, but it'll be up to Rachando to make his own docking arrangements.

Arrival at Drinax and the Royal Docking Bay is in 9 hours and 27 minutes.
This message was last updated by the GM at 20:30, Mon 01 May 2023.

Kira excuses herself from the bridge and heads back to her stateroom for a very long shower. She selects an outfit that is both daring and captivating, and should make a lasting impression on King Oleb. The ensemble consists of tight, black leather pants that accentuate her toned legs and shapely hips. The pants are paired with a matching, low-cut leather halter top that leaves her toned midriff exposed and emphasizes her cleavage. Over the top, she drapes a green half-cape that adds a touch of regal flair and complements her fiery red hair. Her outfit is completed with a pair of knee-high, black leather boots.

To accessorize, Kira chooses a silver necklace, drawing even more attention to her neckline, and a pair of silver cuffs on her wrists. Her wavy red hair is left loose, framing her striking face and highlighting her green eyes. She straps a sleek, silver saber to her left hip, the hilt adorned with intricate engravings that hint at the weapon's deadly efficiency. The scabbard has a crimson tassel that matches her half-cape, adding a touch of elegance to her ensemble.

In addition, she fastens several throwing knives around her right thigh in a leather holster. The knives have razor-sharp edges and an elegant, slim design that complements the overall style of her outfit.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:19, Mon 01 May 2023.

"Damn girl! You are some kind of sizzling hot!" Collyn says to her when she opens her door as he walked passed! He whistles, winks and continues, "Now I know why I always loved red heads!"

Kira returns the wink as she saunters towards the bridge. "Thank you, Collyn. Looking forward to seeing you in your finest as well."

It takes awhile before Varca gets a response from Lord Wrax.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:16, Tue 02 May 2023.

[Aboard Vultan. 7 hours 15 minutes until Arrival at Royal Docks]

     Varca steps out of his stateroom and into the central common area just moments after Kira.

     His Hazard Suit--which appears to be the one he's always wearing--is now gleaming, as if he'd waxed the outer surface.  In the center of his chest plate a circular device bearing the Drinaxi Planetary Crest (not the Royal Crest) is done in enameled stainless steel.

     He's wearing the helmet, but the faceplate is open.  He carries no weapon except for an ostentatious twenty-five-centimeter dagger with silver cross-guard and pommel and a rosewood grip.  The sheath is black leather with ornate silver chasing, hanging from his belt on a chain of fine silver.

     Varca pauses to give Kira the once-over...

     "Very nice, Kira." Varca says, "Excellent use of the Pirate Chic style.  Fat Oleb likes redheads--and you certainly cut an eye-catching and dashing figure in that outfit.  Don't be surprised if he asks you to sit on his lap."

     Varca grimaces, "If that doesn't interest you, I've heard that the socially acceptable way to refuse is to simply blush and giggle, but otherwise ignore the offer--you avoid actually refusing a Royal Request that way."

     Varca tilts his head and frowns--raising a gloved hand to point at Kira,

     "The saber is an excellent choice of accoutrement--fancy in decoration but, to the unenlightened, not appearing too dangerous.  Oleb also fancies himself a Fencer, so be warned."

     "Lose the daggers.  While I think the look is daring, weapons are not allowed to be carried in the Palace." Varca slaps the dirk hanging from his belt, "The exception being if the weapon is obviously more ceremonial than functional.  And even then, only a single such weapon is allowed."

Kira nods at Varca's advice, appreciating his insights into the Drinaxian royal etiquette. "Thank you, Varca. I'll make sure to follow your suggestions. The last thing we need is to offend ol' King Oleb over something as trivial as accessories."

She returns to her stateroom, removes the daggers from her outfit, and places them in her locker. Kira takes one last look in the mirror, making sure her attire still looks flawless without the daggers. Satisfied, she heads back out, confident that her outfit will have the desired effect on the king while adhering to the palace's rules.

The inbound journey is uneventful. The Vultan's sensors continue  to register all the ship's in the system, though those in the outer system have the several minutes to hours time lag due to the speed of light limitation. Even if a ship headed inward at 6 gees, it'd take days to reach you.

The Zhodani ship continues to elude the searchers, though that seems to be more about bad intel or incompetence since the Vultan is clearly picking up the Zhodani ship's transponder.

You approach the Highport with some trepidation even though the vector didn't take you close. You get a token electronic wave as you fly by. Fortunately, the defensive orbital gun platforms are under the control of the King, and, while not off-line, aren't tracking you either.

Kira, once again on duty at the helm, deftly pilots the Vultan into the Royal Docking Bay. Spacious for one ship, it can easily handle up to 600 tons of ship. The Royal Shuttle (a 90-ton Delta-Class Shuttle) is already in the bay off on the left.


For some of you, this is the first glimpse of the Royal Palace's grandiose opulence. Gold, silver, and sparkling gems glisten everywhere. Gilt wallpaper, gold trim, silver lame curtains, crystal chandeliers, art (portraits of previous kings and military heroes) dot the walls. Statuary and busts fill niches and 'blank spaces' around the bay. In particular, a 6-foot tall pair of gold (solid?) vultans flank the docking bay's external entrance.

Surprisingly, there is no one in the bay. Even as the ship settles in, no one comes out to greet you. Sensors pick up lots of people going about their business but none of them seem to be hiding or lurking in ambush.

It isn't until at least half of you have disembarked from the Vultan that a hysterical woman runs through the bay shouting "The King is dead! The King is dead!"

She is followed several seconds later by Grand Admiral (retired) Voska Propenski. Although he wasn't alive 200 years ago when the Aslan bombed the planet, his grandfather was, and Voska grew up in the same mold.

"She was telling the truth," he says. "His Royal Majesty King Oleb the XIV was out flying patrol with his Hawk Warriors when his grav-belt gave out and he plummeted to his death. His Warriors are still searching for His Body."

"What?! The King is dead?", exclaims Kira as she hears the news. "Admiral, we need more details. When and where, and can we be sure he's dead? We can take the Vultan and join the search."

"Varca? I think Kira is right, we need to help with the search, our sensors might be able to find him. Should the Admiral join us?" He heads toward the ship. "We need to get to him quickly, he may just be badly hurt!"

Upon hearing the news, Viridian is momentarily stunned...mostly cause it changed the whole scenario.

"It is a low-gravity world," he points out after Kira's and Teddy's comments. "I don't know how that'll affect a fall from such a height--is there a chance?"

"I doubt I'd be any good at search-and-rescue... certainly not up to the Vultan's sensors. How about you, Kira? Think you can make better use of your talents on the search? Or maybe you could join Rayjaynul, Collyn and me on that other mission?"

"And, yes, I understand priorities, but I also understand dividing forces and allocating resources as needed when necessary. We may not have this opportunity again."

He was reluctant to bring up the factionalism in front of the Admiral without knowing whose side he  was on. Getting Varca's attention, he gave the Vespexer a conspiratorial wink hoping he'd realize that the threat still remained and could explode at any minute--someone was going to strp into the power vacuum left by the King's death.

Teddy stops and turns to Varca and Zhouth and the Admiral. "Speak to me. Admiral, what have you planned? Is there any chance he could have survived? We should be armed now probably, just in case. All I have is this dress sword. Zhouth? Ideas? Varca? Collyn, go get weapons for us just in case from the ship's locker, My Gauss rifle is in there. You need to go back aboard Varca, or are your attachments present?"
This message was last edited by the player at 16:39, Wed 03 May 2023.

"Aye, aye sir!" Collyn goes back aboard to get what weapons he can carry just in case a new rival has come already at the news.

"Indeed, the ship's sensors would be far better at locating the King than any of our eyes." Rayjay added, immediately skeptical of the whole situation.

[Aboard the Floating Palace, at the Royal Starport.  Planet Drinax.]

     It takes a few moments, but Varca eventually reacts--silently raising his right hand and making a halting gesture.

     "Collyn, stop!" Varca calls over his shoulder, without turning his helmeted head.
     "Apologies, Lord Propenski." Varca says to the older gentleman, "Around half the crew are Drinaxi natives, and all of us are under personal contract to His Majesty.  As you might expect, we are stunned by this news and are anxious to help in any way we can.  If it wouldn't impose upon your Lordship too much, is there any further news of the event, you could tell us?"

     "How long ago was contact lost with The King?  Where was he, in relation to the Palace?  Was this just a standard Patrol--the likes of which he often flies with the Hawk Men?  And, you said that the Hawk Men were searching for The Kings body but--do you know if the Star Guard have been mobilized to assist?"

     As the former Grand Admiral collects his thoughts, Varca turns to those of the Crew assembled behind him--specifically looking to Viridian,

     "Change of plans.  We are--of course--going to assist with the search for His Majesty.  Those of you who feel you won't be needed for the search may remain here, aboard the Palace." Varca gives Viridian a slight nod of his helmeted head, "Make yourselves useful and locate those supplies we discussed.  Pick a team and go."

     "Kira.  You should go with Viridian.  I mean no offense to you, but for a mission of such importance, I am certain that Captain-Lord McFarlane will take the Pilot's seat, himself.  Correct, Captain?"

     Varca turns back to the old man,

     "Lord Propenski...on behalf of Captain-Lord Theodore McFarlane and the Crew of Star-Yacht Vultan...it would be our pleasure if you would come aboard and assist with finding The King." Varca gestures at Vultan,

     "Our Harrier may be a little long in the tooth, Admiral--but the Power of Old Drinax still flows through her circuitry.  We would be greatly honored if you joined us on her Bridge."

OOC: Assuming Admiral-Lord Propenski chooses to join us aboard Vultan...

     "This way, if you please, Admiral." Varca leads the way back toward the ship,

     "Ah!  Please forgive my bad manners, Your Lordship--I haven't introduced myself.  My name is Varca Lexand.  As a former Scout with the Star Guards, I travelled extensively around the region for several years.  His Majesty placed me in command of an expedition to visit several worlds to spinward, in hopes of finding new Trade opportunities for Drinax.  All part of his plans to expand our homeworld's economy."

     Varca shuts off his suit's vocoder and opens a private channel to the Crew (who should all have some means of communication on them!)

^{<COMM Start>>>} "Listen up!  We are going to find The King and NOBODY is gonna get in our way!  If those moronic Hawk Men--or even the full-fracking-force of the Star Guards--get in our way, we will remove them!"

     "Aaron, Zhouth--just as soon as we're aboard with the Admiral, make up some spacedust story about 'just remembering' that back on Torpol somebody caught a case of a flu, or something, and that you want to give Lord Propenski a vaccination 'just to be safe'.  Use the excuse of being able to do that customizing-the-vaccine-to-his-biology-thing to get whatever kind of specimen you need from him in order to look for whatever drug may be in use, here on the Palace--then give him a vitamin shot or something.  If you find something, then Zhouth can synthesize an antidote using his new Pharmacology skills, he's been bragging about." ^{<<<COMM End>}

"Details are still coming in," Grand Admiral Propenski answers, "but it happened about two hours ago. If you mean by 'standard' anything the King feels like doing, then that's what it was."

"The Hawk Warriors don't agree on just where it happened, or even when, for that matter, so it's a wide search area. I believe a comm has been sent to The Star Guard but there's nothing they can do in the outer system."

"I thank you for the offer but I will be taking the Royal Shuttle to join the search."

With that remark, the Admiral continues to the shuttle and boards it.

Zhouth, unsurprisingly, looked rather stunned by the news, though he once again quickly transitioned from that to comm-tapping at an absolutely frenetic rate; once the ex-admiral took his leave, this was joined by a slightly less rapid-fire, "It doesn't matter if this was an accident. We need to find him first. Without killing anyone to do it. Gunning at anyone who isn't obviously trying to kill him will set everything else off." And with that he nearly dashed back inside, his pace restrained only by the need to keep his comm slightly steady.

Teddy nodded to Varca and headed for the Vultan as fast as he could walk without running.

"What? Hell no, I'm joining the search!" says Kira to Varca, and follows Teddy
This message was last edited by the player at 12:48, Thu 04 May 2023.

In reply to StarMaster (msg # 107):
[Aboard the Floating Palace, at the Royal Star Dock.  Planet Drinax.]

     "Of course, Lord Propenski." Varca responds to the former Admiral, "Thank you for your time and the information.  Our Vultan will join the search just as soon as we can launch."

     Varca just shrugs at Kira's response, "As you wish.  You and Theo--I mean--Captain-Lord McFarlane can settle who's Piloting between yourselves."

     Finally, Varca answers Zhouth via the open comm channel to the Crew, "Damn. I was hoping we could get a sample from the Admiral to analyze.  Plus, having him aboard would have given us more legitimacy."

     "Say--now that we're sitting right in the middle of a stardock that's theoretically full of air we think may be contaminated with a paranoia drug that only affects people who are genetically Drinaxi--maybe we can use Vultan's sensors to scan for it...?  Or, if not that, maybe we can capture a sample of the air, before we leave the Palace?"

     "And Zhouth--everybody!--I'm not saying we're gonna fire on anyone who just stumbles into our way.  But I am saying that if we encounter anyone who makes an effort to prevent us from searching for The King--I am prepared to light 'em up with our targeting scanners and warn 'em off.  Anybody refuses that...well, I'm prepared to use force to change their minds.  Remember, people, without Oleb to back us up, those letters he gave us--in secret--will be useless..."

Zhouth was still on private comms to the group. "Unless whoever takes over from him wants to recognize them instead, or issue new ones, or whatever else it is. They might also change the mission around. We're still okay even without them because we haven't actually done anything interstellar-illegal yet, but I don't like the idea of this place turning into a war zone, you know? Also, it might not still be floating by the time they're done fighting over it." There was a pause and then he continued, and this time one could hear the sly grin in his words. "I wouldn't be so worried if we were in the Extents, but you Drinaxi just don't know how to do proper leadership fights."

Aaron had been considering the issue for the whole 9-hour trip inward, second-guessing himself several times over. It wasn't until the ship had docked and just before everyone disembarked that he briefed Viridian and his away team.

"Unfortunately, we still can't 100% rule out the other possible causes--poison, disease, radiation, or psionics," Aaron explains, "the fact that Rachando doesn't seem to be affected is still our best indicator that only someone with the Drinaxi gene can be affected."

"And the best way to disperse it among the Palace population is through the ventilation system because everyone has to breathe. After crunching the numbers six ways to Sunday, the worse case scenario is that it only takes one part per million to affect someone."

"It does not appear to work instantaneously as the reports indicate a gradual escalation over weeks. This makes sense since any radical behavioral change would be quickly and easily noticed."

"All indications are that this isn't an amateur operation. So this drug will be contained in a pressurized container, probably a cylinder, possibly more than one. It probably has a timer set to release a bit of gas every other day, and run its course in 8-10 weeks."

"Given our ability to contain extremely high pressures, we should be looking for something about the size of 2-3 end-to-end fizzy cans. Expect misleading labeling if it even has any. It's most likely fastened to a ventilation duct with duraglue."

"Just keep in mind that removing it isn't going to turn everyone normal instantaneously. People won't get worse, but it'll probably take a week or two to wear off."

He further explains to Varca:

"Even if the Vultan's bio-scanners were that good, it could still take days if not weeks to isolate the drug... probably a virus... and even longer to workout an antidote and produce it in any quantity. That was never really an option... but you never can tell."

Given the news about the King as soon as they stepped off the ship, it was obviously clear that Aaron would have to join the search team in case they found an injured King that needed immediate medical treatment.

He gave ashrug and a nod to Viridian. It was his show now. Aaron headed right back into the ship.

"Kira!" Viridian exclaimed at her small mutiny. "There aren't any viewports to look out. How do you expect to spot the King any better than the others watching the viewscreen? Two heads are better than one--yeah-yeah, so I suppose 7 pairs of eyes are better than just two."

"In that case, Ghent and Taliesa... care to join me and Collyn as Rayjaynul leads us to the Life Support section? I've got a feeling we're going to need your particular methods of persuasion."

By now, though, he wasn't entirely convinced of the timely necessity of this excursion. On the other hand, they might not get another opportunity. If one of the factions managed to wrest control of the Palace from the others, the Vultan might not be allowed to land again.

He headed off in the direction Rayjaynul indicated.

Ever confused as one of the crew's oldest members, Rayjay can't help but feel he's been left out of the loop about something very important. Supposedly some drug or virus that makes people go crazy. Or specifically Drinaxi go crazy? Would that mean he was at risk or was already exposed? Looking around to make sure there weren't any to eavesdrop, Rayjay in no uncertain terms demands an explanation to be made.

"What in t'e seven hells are ya all talkin' 'bout? Clearly someone failed to share some need-to-know information, because we went from t'e King bein' missin' out in t'e Drinax wastes, to their bein' a contaminant in t'e air makin' people paranoid. So first and foremost, what's our source, can we trust it, and how should we approach t'e problem to reduce potential causalities? Ideally in t'at order please." Rayjay said falling back on his well-trained navy instincts on such matters, which was effectively to confirm the situation and or orders then proceed from there.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:04, Fri 05 May 2023.

In reply to Rayjaynul Brown (msg # 115):
OOC: Aaron clearly stated that he said all he said before Viridian's Team--including Rayjay--disembarked from the ship.  Thus, no eavesdropping.  Well, except for alla us...

---

     "Y'got it backwards, Rayjay," Varca says, "We suspected something was being added to the Palace air before we knew about The King being lost."

     "Aaron figured out that folks on the Palace were acting a little--off--and that the behaviour seemed to possibly be an outside influence.  Given several factors, we assumed the cause might be a drug.  And yes, Aaron also noted that the cases of extreme 'odd' behaviour were only happening to people with Drinaxi genetics.  Palacers and Vespexers alike.  And that the noted odd behaviour was mainly happening aboard the Floating Palace."

     "We weren't one-hundred-percent certain, Rayjay--everyone.  It was all a set of circumstantial evidence based on behavioral trends noted in the news and social media over the past six-to-eight weeks.  The speed at which social anxiety has risen in that short time is, itself, extremely suspicious...but it could also be totally normal."

     "We--Me, Aaron and Zhouth--kept quiet about it until we could get more data.  We did come up with a contingency plan, which we didn't choose to enact until the Kings disappearance--our plan assumed the 'contaminant' that is affecting people on the Palace is airborne and thus located somewhere in the Life Support equipment, below the Palace."

     "Now, with the King incommunicado and everyone else suspicious of us, it's doubtful we could convince anyone of our suspicions, so we gotta do the old 'take action and ask forgiveness later' thing."

     "Originally we'd planned to send Rejji out with Viridian--nobody would be suspicious of a Vespexer walking around the Palace with his suit sealed--but now, with The King possibly injured down on the planet's surface, both Rejji and I are needed for the search, down there.  Captain Theo is too publicly known not to attract attention--his father has already warned us that there are people watching for us, in order to grab us.  You, Rayjay, were born a Palacer but you haven't been here in years--we picked you up on Torpol, if you recall, as you were heading home--likely very few people have seen you in all that time."

     "So, now you have to be Viridian's guide down to the Underlinth, and as an obvious non-Vespexer..." Varca points at his red-orbed eyes, "...it would be suspicious if you wore a filter mask.  As Aaron just said, whatever is in the air--if anything--it takes a while to build up in your system and will dissipate with a little time."

     "You are the only one who can do this, Rayjaynul, so you've been Volunteered.  Suck It Up, Sailor, and go do what's gotta be done!  Think of it this way--if we find The King alive and we resolve an attempt to cause Civil Unrest--maybe The Damned King will Knight all of us!"

The look on Teddy's face says it all, he is visibly angry! Livid!"Varca, tell me why I shouldn't space you? I'm the fucking captain of the ship! I usually defer to you out of respect, I no longer have any! You've endangered my ship and you did not inform me!" He says with a raised voice!

"Getting real tired of your shit," adds Kira, glowering at Varca.

Teddy storms back aboard the Vultan! When he passes Ingrid, he asks her softly, "coming dearest?" he takes her hand, slumped a bit, and walks aboard. Suddenly feeling very tired.

     Varca accepts the criticism of both people.

     First turning a blank stare towards Kira, Varca makes a vague gesture aft and down, and in an almost deadpan, says,

     "The airlock is down that way, Crewman.  Feel free to express your fatigue of my command by leaving at any time.  You can collect any monies owed you after the King is located."

     Varca then turns to Theo,

     "You are absolutely right, Theo." Varca says, bowing his head in apology, "You should have been read into this immediately.  All I can offer in apology is that we only had suspicions about all this.  We had no proof of any of it. And, as long as the ship was floating at the edge of the jump limit, we were in no danger."

     "It was my decision to keep you in the dark.  In the back of my head I was thinking that, with everyone on the Palace acting like they were, then even if we did find some proof of what we suspected, we wouldn't be believed, and then might be called upon to take unauthorized action to try and end whatever was going on."

     "And if it came to that kind of activity, I wanted the majority of the Crew--and you, especially--to have a plausible deniability to what I'd have probably done."

     "I am deeply sorry."

"I wouldn't trust you to 'command' a garbage scow" growls Kira. "But I like the rest of the crew. An interesting bunch. So just stay the hell away from me and we'll go find the King."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:21, Fri 05 May 2023.

"I'll think about it Varca, I'll think about it. All aboard that are coming aboard. Good luck finding the poison." He climbs the ramp into Vultan without looking back.

Kira follows Teddy into the Vultan and heads to her quarters to change into her normal ship attire, a comfortable green Cloth jumpsuit and white sneakers.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:29, Fri 05 May 2023.

"Yes Varca, I'm not senile... yet. And t'ere's nothin' to suck up, waste flows down t'e pipes after all. Just sayin' t'is 'ole conversation came out t'e black and sounds as crazy as a Vespexer wit'out 'is mask."

"To t'at end, wit'out clear understandin', mistakes could 'ave been made. But now we know not to damage t'e vessel no matter w'at and not to wear masks in public. Close confines 'owever might be wise given pressurized concentrations wit'in a closed fluid volume, as in air in a closed maintenance room."

"So, time to accessorize, heh-heheh." He said with his usual chuckle, feeling a great deal more at ease knowing just what he's getting into.

OOC: Just out of curiosity, do we even have any filter masks?

"Filter masks, a torch, anything else? I guess we'll be unarmed, what if we get arrested and questioned?"

"Actually, you can carry wit'in t'e Palace, so long as it's a suitably showy sword and not drawn of course." He said indicating his own rapier. "As for if we get caught, if tellin' t'em we got lost on our tour to Drinax's surface doesn't work, t'en maybe t'e trut' t'at a paranoid Vespexer asked us to make sure t'e life support wasn't poisoned might work heh-heheh." He chuckled heartily.

     Varca heaves a deep sigh, then turns towards Kira,

     "Wrong.  This is not a pleasure cruise, and I am not an Activities Director.  I am the Mission Commander.  Captain McFarlane is in charge of ship operations.  You are just a Recent Hire.  We are both the Boss of you.  There will not be any of that 'you go your way, I go mine' silliness aboard Vultan."

     "If you cannot accept the command structure aboard this vessel then leave.  I'm very serious about this, Cik O'Neill.  Agree to obey the command structure or get off the ship.  Whatever you decide, it will not be held against you, either personally or professionally."

     Varca acknowledges Theo with a silent nod, as the Captain heads deeper into the ship, then turns back to Kira,

     "But you will need to decide now, as we will be lifting off in a few minutes."


OOC: "Cik" = Sindalian word meaning "Honored Miss"; "Tuan" = "Honored Sir"

Ghent looked up at the scene between Kira and Varca, and then looked towards Taliesa. He had been meaning to get to know the merc better, but so far the opportunity hadn’t presented itself. He raised an eyebrow and nodded towards the storm brewing between the two, somewhat interested in what was going to happen between them. He sighed, wishing he could stick around to see the fallout, though he imagined that Varca would pull rank and that would be the end of that, but he had to wonder what that might mean for the future.

He moved his bulky frame and headed towards the others.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:49, Sun 07 May 2023.

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 119):

Ingrid followed Teddy back aboard the Vultan, now looking rather out of place as she'd worn her favorite pink ball gown to meet the King.

When Ingrid got aboard the ship, Teddy turned and wrapped his arms around her in a hug and kissed her, "you look absolutely stunning dear, the king would have loved you! Get changed and look after the engines sweetheart. Time to find the king."

Ingrid kissed back. "Thank you Teddy, that's sweet" she said, teasing "The King had beautiful women to sit on his lap, he wouldn't take you seriously without one."
Then she grew serious. "I hope we can find the King... I'm Tizonian, I know how difficult it can be to lose a ruler. I'll take care of the engines and the Vultan, don't you worry."

"Well, this isn't going very well. All of the palace bigwigs are suddenly silent-treatmenting us, and that's after Scholar Voha's big lecture about how we're standing in the way of change that's mostly about not changing anything!" Zhouth sounded uncharacteristically annoyed as he barged onto the bridge, hands waving about like angry snakes, to make that announcement. Then he stopped and shrugged while letting out a minute but exasperated sigh. "So, okay, we're doing this entirely on our own, and I'm sure that we'll get to watch the palace plunge from the sky right about the point that we find him. At least that will rid Oleb of all those meddlesome priests, right?"

In reply to Zhouth (msg # 132):
[Aboard Vultan, Launching from the Floating Palace.  Planet Drinax.]

     "I tried to tell you." Varca says, turning from where he's standing on the Captains Walk to look at Zhouth, "I lived among them for decades--I learned how to be an arrogant ass from them!"

     "It's just that--the Palacers have never before exhibited so much collective idiocy, as they seem to be doing, right now.  There has to be something behind that.  Let's hope Viridian and his Team can find something of that nature and eliminate it from the equation."

     Varca gives Zhouth a sardonic grin, then calls out to everyone on the Bridge,

     "Okay, everyone--same plan, different location!  We're going to go see The King and that means we dress to impress, except this time it's not High Fashion it's Combat Protection.  Everybody with Raider Suits, suit up!  If you haven't been assigned a Raider suit, put on your Vacc Suit.  And if you don't have a Vacc Suit--there's a few Emergency Vacc Suits in the Ship's Locker."

     "Everyone be in a suit by the time we get to the Night Pillars!"

     "Zhouth, you and I should get suited up then head down to the Countermeasures Suites."

     "The Bridge is yours, Cap'n Theo!  As always!" Varca gives Theo a thumbs up, then heads off to change into his Raider Suit, then to Portside Countermeasures.

Teddy spends a few minutes donning his suit, trying to give Ingrid plenty of room to put hers on. "See you on the surface dear!" he says, kissing her on top of the head, he heads for the bridge.

Zhouth put on a wan grin, although there was a certain worried weariness that there that it usually lacked. "I don't think it's entirely down to the gas, if there even is gas, nor will turning it off if it's there stop them from doing what they're doing right now or undo the things that they already have."

Nevertheless, he turned away and headed off to get suited up for their expedition to the surface.