Solo Traveller - Episode 26: A little information

somewhere in jumpspace...

[jump event: What the problem is will probably revolve one of the PC's skills, status or situation.
Which PC? (1d6): 1-2 Inty, 3-4 Eshtam, 5-6 both
1-2 skills, 3-4 status, 5-6 situation

3=E
2=skills

1 bribery, 2 JoT, 3 pilot, 4 recon, 5 streetwise, 6 vacc

6=vacc

Problem: Stop / Exterior factors -- atmosphere in engineering is venting into fuel tank, someone needs to fix it. Fleshing this out a bit: E has vacc & engineering (via JoT) so has best chance; actually, Inty has the same skills, so...]


Date: 335-1106

More problems in engineering! Diula staggered out of there half unconscious and then collapsed in the corridor. Orneev ran to get the Doc and then went and found me. There was lots of commotion and somehow we all ended up in the corridor outside Diula's stateroom waiting for the Doc's pronouncement. Even Heldamin was lurking at the back, looking all concerned and stuff. Diula mumbled something about leakage, and the doc said she seemed starved for air. I told Orneev to fetch me a vacc suit, as back-up engineer I would go and see if I couldn't fix the problem. Herself says I should take care of my crew, she'll go fix it.

[Just needing a vacc suit skill check seemed a bit silly, so I decided she needs to make an engineering roll (8+) to fix the problem.
vacc roll: 7+4, success
engineering (JoT-1 = eng-0) + 1 for Edu: 10+1=11]

She was at it a couple hours. Seems that there was a loose connection in the life-support system and the air recyclers were pulling all the oxygen OUT of engineering and venting it into the jump drive fuel tank, which was nice and empty at the moment. I was still sitting with Diula when she come and told me this, the doc had long since left and Orneev was in the galley attempting to make his mum's special soup for the patient. Diula laughed when she heard, said it figures and that we ought to sue those idiots that did our annual maintenance -- the ship ain't been the same since they fixed it!


Date: 339-1106

arrive at Tolirion/Foreven (2137 B788736-9 Ag Ri)


Date: 340-1106

Wouldn't let us unload when we put into port. Something about new security screening procedures for all inbound ships. So we all had to sit aboard and just wait, and all the time the clock is ticking and we got to make our deliveries.

[World Event: Security check. Roll the Law Level or less to avoid a complete check of papers and a search of belongings and vehicle.

I think that should read "or higher"; DM +legal (Inty has legal-1)
8+1=avoided]

Later: The security screening was kind of a joke in the end. A couple port authority officers come aboard, look over our manifest, ask a couple questions about our cargo, skim read our registration, and that was it. "Everything seems in order. Welcome to Tolirion." Then they left and said we're cleared to unload.


Date: 342-1106

Me and the doc took Diula into the countryside for some fresh air, the doc says it'll do her good after the incident in engineering. There's a monorail that leaves right from the port and out away from the city. There's this big nature reserve with trees and grasses and lakes that is a popular tourist destination. So it's also got nice restaurants and clean toilets -- all the best of town & country. So us three bought us a nice, prepackaged picnic and headed out for the day to enjoy the scenic splendour of Tolirion. I kinda wish Orneev could of come too, but he needed to take care of business, and he always complains about being outside without at least a filter mask on. Course when I said that to Diula she goes, "I totally understand. If the air ain't filtered I don't trust it either." Well just they grew up on toxic hellhole planets they don't gotta ruin it for the rest of us!

It was a good day out. Saw some local wildlife, argued a little about if they were indigenous or not (in a friendly way), took a little boat ride. Me and the doc bought a couple bags full of fresh food for the galley. Diula bought a souvenir which is in frankly poor taste.

But when we got back Orneev was looking decidedly grave.

[selling cybernetics: 6+3+1(Ag world)=10, 130% ; that's what they paid for them, so no sale

cargo search: mechanical parts (-3 Rich, 3-3=40%) 20t @ cr28,000/tonne is an excellent deal... but ship's fund is a measly Kcr72]

Fist he tells me he couldn't find a buyer for the cyber parts. Well, he could have, but they wouldn't offer more than we paid for them, so taking into account the space they took up that wasn't filled with freight it would of been like paying 1000 credits to ship them here. So he didn't sell.

Then he found a great deal on 20t of mechanical parts, but we only have enough on hand to buy 2 tonnes. And we don't know where we're going, so maybe that's a bad idea to buy them, and we won't really make much money on only 2 tonnes anyway.

He says it could be a week before he finds another buyer for the cybernetics, and he doesn't have much hope of a better deal; the market for them here isn't what he expected. Then he said it would be real helpful if we had a firm destination, so maybe could I talk to the Boss?

I told him I'd try. But if he ever referred to her as the Boss again he could move back into his own stateroom.

So by this point I was in a mood for a fight, so talking to Herself seemed like a fine way to get one. Only I didn't. I made my case and got ready for her foul temper to jump all over me, but she just thought for a second and said we needed to confer with Heldamin. So went and got her, and made the doc give her something to sober her up a little, as she's been pretty much in a chemical stupor since we hit Obox.

The the three of us went to the bridge and Eshtam pulled up a star chart. "Where are we now?" asked Heldamin.

"We're on Tolirion," says Estham. "That's right here."

Heldamin sorta sneered back at her. "I know where Tolirion is. I own like three houses here. And a nightclub."

Whatever Eshtam thought about Heldamin's outburst, she didn't show it. I kinda wanted to slap her though. She only asked Heldamin, "So, we've got one jump to make, and from there it's one more jump to the final destination. What I need to know is how we're doing for time."

"What day is it?"

"342."

[Q: Does Heldamin say it's OK to tarry? 50/50 (4+): O1 C5, No.] (4jumps, averaging 10 days with refuelling=40: may be on Ikaktu already 3 weeks)

Heldamin screwed up her face for a minute like she was having a big think. Then she finally says, "His ship'll make jump-3. So figure, 4 jumps, averaging about 10 days a piece with refuelling and all that... he may have been on Ikaktu for three weeks by now. He's not going to stay put forever, you know."

Then everyone was quiet and thinky. Heldamin broke first, and asked, "Can I be excused now?" Herself just waved her off.

"Look," she says to me, "your mortgage is coming due again soon and you're just scraping by. Get a consignment for Zalba and let's get out of here."

When I told Orneev he was ecstatic. "Zalba's a way better market for cybernetics than this dump," he says. "I guess she was in a good mood or something."

I guess she was. And I told him we're headed to Ikaktu after that. But not to say anything as I don't think I was supposed to hear that part. And I wanted to tell him we're maybe getting rid of our Overseers on Ikaktu, but I didn't. I don't want to jinx it!

[Orneev posts their destination and cargo capacity on the starport board that night. The next day he and Inty go out at the opening of business to finalise some freight deals.

cargo lots -4DM for population of destination, +1DM for difference in TL
major: 30t
minor: 10,10,20,25,30

Orneev gets a 20t and a 25t cargo to fill the hold.

Diula & Veev had a random encounter when they went into port to kill time: 4 vigilantes, reaction roll= 9,intrigued. An uninteresting set-up, so I decided to see if Mythic had any ideas.
Q: Does Diula blab about things she oughtn't? unlikely (5+): O2 C9, No. ZZZzzzzz......

Again, there's no port event. And...

Q: Problem with Heldamin? 50/50 (4+): O3 C5, No.

Inty & Orneev had an interesting patron encounter at least (scout pilot - Pursue / Business; 1d6 hexes in a random direction=Dellia). But don't take my word for it...]


Date: 343-1106

Things run pretty smooth at the port for such a laid-back world. We were done with all our business by mid-morning, so me and Orneev decided we'd just wander into the city for a while. It was a bit touristy and overpriced, but whatever.

On our way to find the monorail station though, this girl runs up behind us and yells, "Hey, Captain!"

Didn't recognise the voice. I turned and didn't recognise the face, either. It was some girl wearing what looked like an old IISS uniform
 and carrying a duffel bag that came up to her shoulder. "You're captain of Hekabe," she continues, "You're free traders, right?"

"Yeah..." I said slowly. She was kinda freaking me out.

"Sorry, I overheard you guys talking with the export clerk. I didn't want to bother you when you were busy, so I waited out here until you were done. The name's Schienu."

"I'm Inty, this here's Orneev, my first mate."

"Pleased to meet ya. Here's the thing: I got some business on Dellia, and I really want to get there soon. I'm tracing a scout ship that went missing over 5 months ago, and I just got wind of some information placing its last voyage there. Once I find it, I need to remove certain articles from the hold, so it would be nice to have a decent size ship to put them in. There's probably some decent stuff for salvage too, if you're interested. I can pay above standard charter rates, and help out around the ship -- I was a scout 8 years 'fore I headed out on my own. Interested?"

"Sorry," I says, "but we're hoping for a return trip back here from Zalba. Got a hot tip on some cargo there, and we can't afford to pass it up. Life of a free trader and all that! Maybe some other time."

I don't know if she believed me, but she took the hint and went away. There was something really wrong about her. Don't know what, but it made my skin crawl. I don't know if I should mention this to Herself or not. Maybe someone's after us now. So I'm glad I lied and said we were coming back here from Zalba. Best not to mention Ikaktu.

[It was a patron encounter, so with my GM hat on I know it wasn't the Enemy, but just for fun:
Q: Was the job on the level? 50/50 (4+): O5 C1, Yes, and... it was a completely legal salvage operation. So technically, it wasn't a significant encounter. But it seemed interesting.]


Date: 344-1106

Loaded & underway. I wish all freight handlers were this efficient. Almost at the jump point, and the breakfast dishes ain't even washed yet.


cr72,684 ship's fund

    -100 berthing
 -14,000 life support
 -25,000 refined fuel
 +45,000 freight
--------
cr78,584 new ship fund

next mortgage due 355-1106