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.