CT solo - Part 8 : Catching up

[But what about her pursuer?

Q: Does Fadmer have any associates here? unlikely (5+): O4 C8 - no.
Q: Can he draw on any special resources? 50/50 (4+): O2 C3 - no, but... he's got money to draw upon (so he'll have bought a revolver and a dagger)

Fadmer needs to roll INT or less (10-) to track down Ortance.
DMs for her evasion: +streetwise, +2 high INT
2D+3=7

Q: Where does he find her? 1-2 street, 3 pub, 4 hostel, 5 shopping centre, 6 cinema: pub
Q: Is it busy? 50/50 (4+): O3 C7 - no.

surprise: F4, O1 - he achieves surprise; encounter range=short]

Ortance has found a pub with the least ghastly music piped in for her last evening on Forboldn. She's sitting in quiet contemplation of something purporting to be beer when she looks up to see Fadmer sliding into the booth beside her.

"I guess you found me then."

"You were a fool to have doubted it. You're only prolonging the inevitable." [react=6, unreceptive]

"You're too late, you know. I've hidden the datacrystal, and sent my parents a long letter telling them where to find it if I'm not home within a 3 weeks of receiving it."

"And if it's gone when they get here? And you're gone?"

"If I'm gone it won't matter. It will be here without me."

"You're failing to see the big picture. I'll get you to tell me where it is."

"You want another lump on your head to match the first one?"

"You haven't any friends here and I do. You're hardly in a position to make threats."

"But you've no authority. We're just two private citizens with a personal quarrel as far as the corporate police are concerned."

"I'm sure I can manage an extradition with their help."

"Hm. And just how do you propose to get me out of here?"

"I'd hoped you'd come quietly."

"So you have a gun?"

"Don't you?"

"I didn't intend to stay so long I'd need one."

"You are new at this, aren't you?"

"Does it show?"

"Not to your credit, I'm afraid."

"Oh, bother. May I at least finish my pint?"

"Be my guest."

[Q: Has O seen an escape route here? 50/50 (4+): O2 C2 - no, and... there's only the front airlock]

Ortance gives up halfway through and says they might as well go now. As they step into the airlock and the door closes behind them, she pulls her gun from her bag instead of her filter mask.

"Well played! But you can't very well shoot me."

"True. But I perhaps--"

She backhands him across the face with her gun before finishing her sentence. They scuffle as the airlock's internal pressure changes to the exterior levels, Fadmer landing several good punches before she knocks him senseless with the butt of her pistol.

[surprise dice, O6, F1 - surprise attack
pistol butt attacks as a club -1: hits for 5 dmg to STR (down to 3)

Round 2
F fights back unarmed
his fist hits her for 3dmg to STR (also down to 3)
O's second attack misses

Round 3
F hits again; she takes 5 dmg to END (down to 2)
O hits for 6dmg. His 3 physical stats are now 366, so wherever it's applied will render him unconscious.]

The door opens as Fadmer slumps against the wall. Ortance hastily holds her mask to her face as she runs into the street.

She starts to consider whether she really should hide the datacrystal and send a letter like she'd said. For now, she retrieves her stuff from the hostel and finds elsewhere to live.

[She must throw 6+ to avoid immediate issues, DM +streetwise: 2D+1=8, ok
The police will only investigate later on a roll of LL or less (4-); 2D=no
Q: Can Fadmer pick up her trail again? unlikely (5+): O4 C5 - no]


070-1105

On the appointed day, the Issaries takes off, but only flies into low orbit. Stantil & hal Ushsh take the launch down to a place 50km outside of town that's popular with hikers. Ortance has paid cr100 for a taxi there.

[Q: Any problems? unlikely (5+): O6 C8 - yes
Q: What? Communicate / Environment

need to roll 8+ to land without incident: DMs +electronics, +ship's boat
2D+3=12, ok]

Dust storms make landing hazardous. Ortance sets up the comm as a beacon to help guide the launch in. At least the taxi driver doesn't make her pay extra whilst she sits out the storm in the back seat. He doesn't want to drive until the storm abates.

Ortance is bent nearly double against the wind as she races into the launch's airlock, which closes swiftly behind her. She removes her breath mask, and is still brushing the sand from her clothes when the interior airlock door opens and she sees hal Ushsh laughing at her.

"What?"

"Nice black eye."

"I ran into Fadmer."

"With your face?"

The rendez-vous is at the jump point (the launch is also M-drive 1), 6.2 hours away. Hal Ushsh tends to Ortance's injuries with a first-aid medkit to pass the time.

[No ship encounters, drive malfunction, or misjump.
Event: Sensors are producing false readings. Or are they?]

Meanwhile on the bridge of the Issaries, Gzo and the Captain have been glued to the sensors; anomalous reading keep appearing at the extreme edge of sensor range, and they suspect the ship is being followed. Adpl is on standby in the turret.

Gzo has already put the jump co-ordinates in the computer, and as soon as the launch has docked, the Captain activates the j-drive. He's ordered Gzo and Adpl not to discuss the possibility of being followed with the rest of the crew; he doesn't want to sow panic. And no one really questions the hasty jump. The Captain is just like that sometimes.

[To avoid bad reactions for this trip: 10+ due to how stressful things have been; 2D=10]

The jump is surprisingly calm. Maybe too calm. Ortance spends a lot of time holed up in her room. The sole passenger (Clanstie the hunter) hardly bothers her outside of meal times.


077-1105
Hefry C200423-7 Ni Va

When the Issaries is about to emerge from jump at Hefry, Captain Rov orders everyone to their action stations, except Ortance & hal Ushsh, who are to remain on standby in the lounge. No one questions the order, but they can all tell something's up.

[Q: Anyone question the order? certain (2+): O1 C3 - no, but...
ship encounter: 200t far trader, Ignore you, but polite
50/50 chance for in/outbound]

After a few tense minutes, the sensors report a far trader inbound for the main world. Gzo tries to hail them, but gets no response. The Captain orders Stantil to delay acceleration until the trader is out of weapons range.

Four hours later (it should have been about three) they land on Hefry, a tiny vacuum world.

[World Event: You get ill. you are bedridden each day till you successfully roll End 10+
Q: Is this the plague? unlikely (5+): O1 C4 - no, but...
It affects 1d8=3 N/PCs.
7+ to diagnose: DMs +medical, +2 if EDU A+ : O 2D+1=8, h 2D+3=7]

Gzo, Adpl, and the Captain started feeling feverish as the ship was descending, but none of them said anything, thinking it was probably just nerves. By the time the ship has safely put down on the docking pad, they are all shaky and sweating. Hal Ushsh orders them confined to quarters immediately. Everyone is convinced it's the plague from Forboldn.

Hal Ushsh enlists Ortance to go over the information they picked up at Forboldn and cross-index it with the ship's library programme. Based on the symptoms and the library data, they both feel certain it's just a normal cold. But they do tell the port control, and agree to a 48-hour quarantine to be safe.

Sure enough, Gzo recovers in 24 hours, and Rov in 48.


080-1105

The Captain and Stantil go into the port to drum up trade. Everyone else gets shore leave. Ortance prefers to remain aboard, ostensibly to look after Adpl who's still poorly but on the mend.

There's nothing good for speculative trade (4t overpriced (120%) farm machinery abandoned in port & offered for sale), but the Captain does nearly fill the hold with freight, and finds five high passengers bound for Regina -- much to Ortance's chagrin.

78,920 ship's fund

+195,000 195t freight
+ 60,000 6x high passengers
+  9,000 9x low passengers
- 26,900 life support
-  5,000 fuel
-    300 berthing
----------
310,720 new ship's fund

67,500 owed for gross profit first voyage (due 090-1105)

132,000 owed for gross profit 2nd voyage (total due 090-1105 = cr199,500)

126,000 secret fund


87-1105

It's finally time to leave Hefry. Ortance welcomes the new passengers aboard with consummate grace and charm, even though she is inwardly suspicious of each. None of them look in the least bit dangerous, but then, neither did Fadmer. So she'll keep a close scrutiny on them all, in the name of attentiveness. What a diligent steward she is!

[no malfunctions, misjump, or eventful ship encounter

Q: Do any passengers make O nervous? 50/50 (4+): O3 C4 - no, but... none of the do. And all of them do.
She needs to roll SOC or less (9-) to maintain the sweet & charming façade: 2D=4]

The passengers don't actually cause her any bother this trip, but her nerves are frayed from looking for trouble in the most minute gestures, and suspecting a coded threat lurking behind every utterance. It's worse than being at one of Lady Dovenpford-Kiishalikir's soirées!

[Avoid bad reaction 9+ this trip: 2D=8]

But it is nearly an axiom of space travel (so young Ortance believes) that when the passengers are well behaved, it is the crew who will kick off. One evening in the galley, Stantil -- of all people! -- loses his temper with hal Ushsh.

She'd given him lip for his gentle reprimand about always antagonising Adpl, and he responded with both barrels. The shouting is more than Ortance can take, and for the sake of her own sanity, she must intervene. [Needs 9+, DM +steward: 2D+1=5]

It works a charm! Now instead of excoriating each other, they've both turned all their ire on Ortance, who soon rushes off to her room in tears.

[Q: Any fallout? 50/50 (4+): O5 C6 - yes
Q: What? Propose / Bureaucracy]

Captain Rov steps in with a new duty roster. Ortance, Stantil, and hal Ushsh are all put on different shifts so they don't have any contact -- but the bad feelings still simmer.

[Onboard event: What the problem is will probably revolve one of the PCs skills, status or situation.]

(1d6): 1 medical, 2 electronics, 3 streetwise, 4 computer, 5 SOC, 6 corporate background: 1d6=4]

The Issaries' computer starts glitching again. None of the sinks or fresher will dispense any water as it is all being diverted to the engine room as emergency coolant [Wildly / Dry]. Ortance has to work with Lluyd to find the source of the problem and fix it.

[10+ needed for repairs, roll once/day; DMs +engineering, +computer
The problem starts day 1d3=1
d2: 7+2, fail
d3: 10+2, success

Captain Rov must make steward roll (8+) to deal with passengers: 10+1, ok]

Lluyd, in the engine room, finally isolates the affected sensors, and Ortance re-programmes the monitoring software to account for the needed adjustments. She's also had to simulate a decontamination emergency in the main airlock so it could be used as a shower -- and provide drinking water.

Somehow, Captain Rov has kept the passengers from getting too tetchy during the crisis, which lasts nearly 72 hours. And Ortance must work ceaselessly the rest of the trip to keep them happy. But at least it means she's too busy to worry about what's waiting for her at home.


next post: Regina!