Trouble on Torpol

This episode takes place in the Torpol system.

Arriving in the Torpol system, the Phoenix approaches the HighPort. Over comms the Captain announces to the flight controllers their intention to bring to justice those who recently attacked the system. On hearing this the authorities direct the crew to land at the LowPort which is located at the south polar ice cap. There they will meet with a planetary representative to discuss what happened.

While a blizzard rages all around Senior Pilot Sparrow lands the Harrier neatly, and the landing bay dome closes. Still icy cold, the customs formalities are taken care of, after which the unloading of cargo and passengers takes place.

Checking the starport trading systems, a good price is obtained for the Graphite and the Machine Parts, which more than covers the berthing, maintenance, fuel and life support costs. But not that much more. Some accounting record-keeping difficulties are encountered, but Captain Slaid is getting the hand of it now he thinks.

When ready, the senior crew make their way into the starport proper. It is a clean, almost sterile place. The public sections are white plastic and emphasise the planets carefully maintained reputation as a watery paradise that's both a safe place to refuel and a wild party planet, with holograms of tropical beaches and sun-kissed seascapes blocking the view of the howling polar blizzards outside.

The crew are escorted into the grey, functional corridors of the private starport to meet the Starport Administrator, Provost Martial Haddo Farx.

Provost Farx

Farx is a Provost - an order of administrators and facilitators who engineer society on Torpol. He wears bright orange robes and has a tiny golden fez with a scale model of the starport on top of it. He is young, cheerful, and ready with a drink. He does not seem at all inebriated.

Farx explains what happened while video of the attack is shown.

"Torpol’s lack of stable land means that many of its industrial facilities are in orbit. The target of the pirate attack was one of these orbital factories, an automated chemical refinery. The factory’s onboard cameras transmitted images of the attack just before they were destroyed."

The images show two ships approaching from the orbital refuelling dock. A barrage of accurate laser fire severs the refinery’s cargo module, and one of the ships swoops in to capture it. The other vessel moves to provide cover, then departs. One of the ships was a Far Trader, the other was a 400-ton Vulture-class salvage hauler.

"Both ships refuelled at the orbital dock. They conducted their business electronically, and gave false names, claiming to Argo 1 and Argo 2. The ships just bought fuel and departed; none of their crews left the ships."

Farx provides the raw footage to Captain Slaid and asks if there's anything else he can provide. After some consideration the recordings of direct comms to and from the Argo 1 and Argo 2 are requested, and are shortly thereafter provided, along with recordings of general comms chatter in the vicinity of the docking ports.

Analysing the data.

Captain Slayed takes charge of the video imaging. He takes care to check everything and spends a few hours poring over the footage from every angle. The armaments and tactics of the ships are examined and it seems that no more can be ascertained. However on a whim he checks the footage using different wavelengths of light and it becomes apparent that the salvage hauler has recently been painted. Analysis shows a logo underneath the paint. It bears the starburts-and-starship of the Imperial Navy!

At the same time, Senior Marine Silent Unter analyses the Comms data. Aside from requests to refuel made directly through the docking connectors, a single encrypted radio transmission is uncovered from Argo-1 (the Far Trader) to a ship docked at the downport. The recipient of the message is a refitted scout called Misery's Company. Checking the records for landings it appears that this scout arrived one day before the two Argo's. The captain, a Vargr called Krrrsh, sold computer scrap metal to another trader called Holmer. It certainly appears as if this is the scrap stolen from Clarke. The ship then refuelled and departed.

Library Data: Admiral Darokyn
Infamous pirate captain; formerly an Imperial officer, he was found to involved in a smuggling ring. He fled the naval base at Tobia with several other members of this ring, and set himself up as a pirate. The Imperium has not, to date, placed a bounty on his head; the Duke of Tobia said that the matter was one to be resolved by the Imperial Navy and they would punish their own traitors.

By now Captain Slaid has started looking into records of Vultuire Class haulers and discovers one, the Imperial Navy ship Mercifuge, which was part of a flotilla that fled the Imperium under the command of renegade "Admiral" Darokyn some thirty years ago. The mercifuge is listed as stolen. According to rumours Darokyn is based on the world of Theev.

Back on the trail of the scout ship Silent Unter uncovers that after departing it was apparently involved in an incident near the jump limit with an old and battered trader called the Sarcomond. No other details are available. What happened is known only to the crew of the Sarcomond and their captain, Danel Vlaw.

Captain Vlaw

Lady Nitrane tracks Danel Vlaw down in, where else, the starport bar. A hard-nosed, independent trader who has had his own share of shady dealings and opportunistic piracy, he is initially reluctant to talk. Approaching him with a drink seems to break the ice, and after explaining that she is after the ships that attacked the orbital facilities (and Clarke) Vlaw opens up and loses some of his distrust.

He tells the tale with a gravelly voice and wide gestures. As the Sarcomond approached Torpol, a scoutship approached on a suspiciously tight course. When she came within range, she flipped over, matched velocity with the Sarcomond, and demanded that the Far Trader hand over her cargo.

Vlaw smiles at this point.

“My ship, she has surprises. Two pop-up turrets, you see. Bad news for pirates. I burn the pirate amidships, here and here...

He pokes Lady Nitrane in the stomach and chest, for emphasis.

“...and she is very, very scared. Over the radio, I hear them calling for the jump. Their captain is Vargr, I think. He orders them to jump for Borite.”

Preparations

After recounting the story to the Captain it becomes apparent that the next destination should be Borite. But should the ship fly empty or should cargo be purchased?

After a while it is decided that no passengers will be taken, but that some specialist medical supplies might be a handy high-value cargo to have. The price on Torpol is very enticing and the Captain makes the purchase.

To be continued...