They find cheap motel with an underground parking lot. Their air/raft isn't the only one there, but nearly so. Tandery pays a reasonable sum for an adjoined suite, and they choose who sleeps where without any squabbles. Before heading out into the strip, Tandery addresses her crew.
"Remember, it's cash only here. The Captain has given me a modest budget. Do I divide it out now, or would you prefer I hang onto it?"
"You be the bank!" says Korilu. "Last time I was out here I lost so much down the back of a sofa or in the seat of a ground car or summat. Plus it'd be nice to go somewhere all together for once. Y'know, as a crew."
There is general assent. Korilu leads them out into the bustling night. She seems to have a destination in mind, and they all follow. Fortunately Diter catches her by the arm before she runs excitedly out into traffic. She has everyone eat a hasty dinner from a stand that sells some sort of local fare. Lin can't help but note that the breaded, fried animal-on-a-stick is the same size and shape as a hydroponic-rat, but this she keeps to herself.
Having survived Korilu's meal plan, they all follow her to a pub with bad lighting and not enough seats.
"It's not usually this busy!" she shouts above the din.
"That," replies Tandery, "is because the fleet's not usually in port. Look!"
[Q: Do they hear anything about why the warships are in port? 50/50 (4+): O6 C2 - yes, and...
Startown Liberty encounter: 2D=11 navy crew on leave; they will buy 1D=3 rounds of drinks, but become belligerent about merchants
Q: Any officers? unlikely (5+): O4 C1 - no, and...]
There is a sea of crimson and black Tifräish naval uniforms. Tandery, having served in that navy herself, notes that none of them are so much as an ensign. They all look so young! But they seem happy enough. Some of them even offer her crew a place to sit, and free drinks besides.
One round appears, then another, then a third. Tandery is feeling the liquor a little, and says the next round is on her. She totters off towards the bar with one of the naval ratings in tow.
Korilu takes the opportunity to pounce on Lin. "You seem quiet. This planet have you confused or summat?"
"It's... it's just so primitive. Like, I think this table is made out of wood. And not, y'know, cuz it's fancy."
"Yeah, it is a bit quaint, innit? But I, like, thought you were from Glun."
"Oh, um, yeah. But I haven't been there for a long time."
Waiting at the bar, Tandery has questions of her own. "How come there's so many of our ships in port? You guys just showing the flag, or what?"
"They ain't told us nothing, 'cept to be on good manners and be friendly with the locals. There was some sort of incident involving trade --of course-- and sabre rattling from Pardub. Nothing like old house hatreds to bring us out on a goodwill tour of the backwaters."
They collect four bottles of the local fire-water and head back to the table to find several arguments have broken out. Harrisumn and a young shuttle pilot are shouting back and forth as he shakes his fist in her face, Korilu is throwing her drink in someone's lap, and even Lin is on her feet and wrathful. Worst of all, Diter is sitting quietly with that smug look of his that's just daring someone to throw the first punch.
"What's going on?" shouts Tandery. "I leave you guys alone for five minutes--"
"They started getting mouthy about how merchants lead a fat, cushy, useless life!" screams Korilu.
"What the hell--?"
"It's true!" says a starman, puffing up his chest and glowering over Tandery with all his bulk. "You--"
"At attention, starman!" she bellows. "And from now on you will address me as befits a Fregattenkapitän, is that understood?"
The starman, and not a few of his comrades, snap to attention and salute. The others look on in wonderment. [reaction=10]
"I fought in the last war," she continues, "when you were still a schoolboy, I was at Ävke. I made it back. Most of my squadron did not."
"Yes, ma'am. I'm very sorry ma'am. Thank you for your sacrifice, ma'am."
"Now you and your shipmates can drink this round courtesy of my merchant vessel, and meditate on the relative merits of peacetime trade."
She turns and stalks out without another word. Her crew watch her leaving, and scurry out of the pub after her.
[The Startown Liberty drinking rules posit ridiculously low-alcohol content in the far future. Three rounds of spirits results in each PC taking 3D-3 against their Capacity.
K 20-10=10
H 16-12=4
T 17-15=2
L 11-7=4
D 22-13=9
They could all still drive safely!]
Tandery is standing on the kerb staring across the traffic at nothing. Korilu sidles up to her. "I want to go dancing. I know just the spot!"
"It's not a bad idea," says Lin. "It'll keep you from getting maudlin."
"Yeah, sure, fine," says Tandery. "But, Kor, this better be a nicer place than you took us that time on Bhöjnlis, or your shore leave privileges will be permanently rescinded."
* * *
They roll out of the club at closing time. Lin feels pleasantly tired from dancing and merry with drink. Diter is half-stumbling, and has been exceptionally pleasant; apparently he's a friendly drunk. Tandery is still fairy sullen, and hiding it poorly. Harrisumn has been engaged in an hour-long monologue where he analyses his precise state of drunkenness in medical detail. Poor Korilu is barely upright.
"I'm 'a be sick," she declares and lurches into the alley.
"Someone please go after her," says Tandery. Lin follows on Korilu's heels.
Korilu is only a few metres down the alleyway, holding onto the brick wall with one outstretched hand whilst heaving up a particoloured admixture of the last few hours' drinking. Lin puts an arm firmly round her waist to keep her upright.
"Careful, sweetie. I got you. Let me hold back your hair."
"I know you're not >urk< who you shay you are... >>bleurghhh<<..."
"Yes, dear. Mind your feet, dear..."
[Q: Does Korilu let anything slip? 50/50 (4+): O6 C5 - yes (she was the only one to suffer ill effects!)
Q: Back without incident? likely (4+): O4 C4 - yes, but...]
When the crisis has passed, they rejoin the others and head back towards the hotel, without incident save for a few more emergency stops with Korilu, the last one being in a potted plant down the corridor from their suite.
092-1105
When they limp back to the port the next day, Captain Elleder is amused at the state of them. Only Diter and Harrisumn manage to avoid a hangover [rolling under END], and he asks them to accompany him to the port that evening for business. The others can mind the ship. And Korilu.
They come back late, and the Captain has good news: thanks to Diter's social contacts, they've secured an important Patron who has a short, extremely lucrative job for them.
[World Event: Another off-worlder befriends you, they are in a spot of bother it soon transpires, would you help? There may be payment, or a favour.
This sounded like a patron, so I rolled one up. D66=noble, so I made her a character sheet using Buch II (which contains the Supplement 4 rules).
954B7B Age 34 Noble 4 terms
dagger-2, navigation-1, hunting-1, engineering-1, carousing-1
cr200,000
high passage, dagger, yacht
NB. Herr/Herrin (Lord/Lady, SOC 11) is both a title and form of address.]
093-1105
Other than Diter, Lin's never met a proper noble before. And Diter doesn't really act like much of anything other than a posh, stuck-up pratt. These she has met before. So if he hadn't been introduced as the son of a baronet, she'd never have been the wiser. But when the captain escorts their patron into the Effi Briest's common room, Lin has no doubt that she is in the presence of nobility.
The noblewoman walks in and takes her seat with consummate poise, if not actual grace [SOC 11, DEX 5]. The silky violet fabric of her tunic flows like water with every movement. Her head is shaved in the noble Pardubish style, with the crown of her head tattooed with a bright yellow lozenge shape, glowing brightly as gold against the deep brown of her skin.
Lin's eyes dart over to Tandery to see what the situation calls for. Tandery is sat upright in her chair as if an admiral had come on deck, so Lin decides she'd ought to mind her posture as well. Harrisumn is still in the galley preparing refreshments. Korilu does a short nervous curtsey, which sets Diter snickering. For his part, he's still got his feet up on the table, and the noblewoman is pretending not to notice. Lin guesses that means he outranks her.
Captain Elleder presents Tandery, Korilu, and Lin to Herrin Ngamová with all due formality, then invites her to fill in the details of their task.
"As you are no doubt aware," begins the Herrin, "relations between House Pardub and the ruling council of this world have soured of late. I am, for reasons having no immediate bearing on my present circumstances, returning to Pardub from parts rimward. Having stopped off at our embassy here, I sent Lomoucký, my steward, along with my bodyguard on an errand in our ship's boat, which has subsequently crashed in the wilderness. I suspect sabotage, or worse. I have engaged all of you to accompany me to the crash site to recover any cargo that survived the crash, and the bodies of my retainers who I fear did not. The authorities are being entirely obstructive, which is why I cannot use any of the embassy personnel. It is my hope that a team of neutral outsiders can circumvent this difficulty. Once the recovery is finished, I will also require you to take me back to my yacht, which is in high orbit."
"Captain," says Tandery, "can we not take the ship?"
"The port authority would never allow it. Especially with all the warships landed here. But to answer your next question, the Herrin's yacht has provided orbital scan data, so we have a map to the crash site."
"Great. But the air/raft is going to be an awfully tight fit."
"I have an ATV," says the Herrin. "It bears no insignia, so it shouldn't attract undue attention."
[There is of course a special item which the Herrin wants to recover --the only thing she really cares about-- and which she will not mention (GM fiat, I didn't roll for any of this).]
Tandery and Elleder study the scan data to plot a route to the site whilst Korilu takes the Herrin to her stateroom to find some less-conspicuous clothes for her to wear (to be topped off with a hat borrowed from Harrisumn to conceal the very obvious signifier of her allegiance and status).
[D makes a mechanic roll to find a safe place to conceal weapons in the ATV: 2D+1=13 - the cops would need to dismantle the vehicle to find them]
Meanwhile Lin and Diter collect the armaments and equipment from the ship's locker and head down to the cargo hold (where the Herrin has parked her ATV) and set about concealing the weapons inside various components of the vehicle. As they work, Lin finds him uncharacteristically chatty.
"What do you think of Herself?"
"Uh, she seems legit."
"Hahaha! No, I meant, how are you not doubled-over laughing at the sight of her. Madame is so very earnest. The very picture of Nobility. Everything in its proper place and with all the customary ceremony. I daresay she can recite her lineage back 20 generations by rote. I'm guessing whatever shithole you're from is too inconsequential a world to be burdened with any of our ilk, so you aren't in any position to appreciate the delicious ridiculousness of our divine patroness. As a point of reference, I'm the [d6=] third son of a baronet. Not even a full baron. Our estate is a paltry 24,000 square kilometres -- and it'd be smaller were there more people on Nivvid, or less land mass. Imperially speaking, we're the lowest of the low, minor cogs in the great machine of state, or whatever. But for all her pomp and majesty, she's below us. "
"So, it's people like her that propelled you towards a life of 'slumming'?"
"We begin to understand one another!"
next post: ATV adventures
While all your after action reports are great, this one has really seized my interest. The fact that it uses my favorite rules set, Traveller, is one part but the largest part is the fascinating setting you're creating with rolls and revealing with each post. Just as with any sandbox you had high level framework in place. It's how you're rolling up the player-level details and fitting them into that framework on the fly that is so much fun to read. This series of posts has been a perfect "How to sandbox" guide.
ReplyDeleteAlso, any post with the phrase "particoloured admixture" MUST be good!
I'm glad you're enjoying this one so much. I was almost hesitant to post a non-3I Traveller game. I think solo sandboxes are suited to my play style, given that I tend to complicate everything; there's always more to do and three directions to go in all at once. I think Traveller is also unique in how the slice-of-life and high adventure elements fit seamlessly together.
DeleteI do try for a pretty turn of phrase as well!