Drinax to Torpol
The entire fleet jumped to Torpol, planning to go three ways from that point on. The Harrier and Frontier Trader would be visiting Noricum to investigate the source of the message globes. The Far Scout, Lab Ship and Salvager would proceed via Palindrome (dropping off the Lab Ship) to Theev, where the salvager would be returned to Admiral Darokyn and the Far Scout given some weapons. Lastly the the Far Trader would commence a regular trading route between Torpol and Drinax to generate funds.
Torpol to Marduk
The Travellers decided to split the Harrier and Frontier Trader in an effort to find out what happened to Professor haut-Belzoni who had left Drinax over a week earlier. The Harrier would travel to Noricum via Marduk and the Frontier Trader via Oghma, enquiring at those worlds on the way through.
On Marduk it became apparent that the professor, in the scoutship "Confidence", had not come that way, so the Harrier flew to Noricum.
Marduk to Noricum
Arriving in the Noricum system the Harrier was immediately hailed by an Imperium Navy ship and told to stop engines and prepare for boarding. Deciding that it was better to run than be boarded the party set off in the direction of the nearest gas giant with the Gazelle class escort "Thompson" in pursuit.
When the navy ship closed to range it opened fire, only just missing the Harrier, which then responded. After a few rounds the Harrier was winning but the outcome became inevitable when the Frontier Trader arrived in system and opened fire with missiles, disabling the imperium ship.
The party ships approached and found that the Thompson's crew were dead, most likely from radiation damage, and that the ship was badly damaged and beyond repair. Finding some things to salvage, a crew were set to work to take a Particle Cannon barbette, the ships computer (with logs), and the power plant.
Before work could be completed another ship was detected entering the system. This was not immediately picked up as it was very distant, but soon it became clear that this ship was closing in on the salvaging operation. For a while nothing was done; the approaching ship broadcast nothing, and the party did not hail it. Eventually though the party determined that it was on a direct course to them and send a comms message.
Responding immediately the captain of the ship remarked that he was just heading down to the planet to see the Sindalian emperor. This was accompanied by a slight change of course towards the downport on Noricum and the ship flew past.
Leaving the Frontier Trader to finish salvage operations the Harrier landed at Noricum downport and awaited the return of Failock from his trip, whereupon they visited him to ask where they might find the emperor too. Served drinks by an Aslan female, the meeting was amicable but a little strained. When the party left Failock blasted off and was last seen heading out towards the 100 diameter limit.
After visiting the emperor - a pleasant man in a ramshackle hut - the party moved their ship to close to the location mentioned in the message globe. They were met there by the Frontier Trader and search parties went out to find the location of the base.
On a hunch Slaid decided to search the dam and found it to have a considerately higher water level than would have been the case in years past. Opening some sluices the water level was dropped so that an entrance to an underground base was exposed.
Opening the door the party found a kilometre long passage opened into a small communications base. It had apparently been shut down deliberately as there was no damage but also no possessions or signs of anything being interrupted. An oddity was found in the form of a particle cannon in a far room which pointed at a series of numbers carved or etched into the wall.
Just them they were interrupted by a voice emanating from a holo projector. It was Failock who thanked them for putting themselves is such a difficult position. He advised that we was repossessing (reclaiming) the Frontier Trader and that they could just stay in the base while he cleaned out the remaining crew on the surface. At that point a number of explosions filled the corridor and it was filled with a hardening foam, preventing escape.
Determining a means of cutting through the foam, the party emerged from the tunnel sooner than Failock would have liked. The frontier Trader was under attack by an Aslan trader with an Ion cannon which reduced power so that it could not power up or return fire, while Failock's scout ship was just taking off. The party split to help the trader from a boarding party, and to the Harrier which would engage Failock's scout.
The boarding party were victorious, and took many of Failock's marines captive (as well as the crew of the aslan ship). The ship combat happened in the atmosphere above and again the party were victorious, shooting down the scout just after an escape pod launched. That too was shor down.
Finding Failock's body in the escape pod (and taking samples) they went to the downed scout and found that the aslan female was the pilot and amazingly still alive in her battle dress. She was taken on board the Harrier for medical treatment while the other captured crew were set to work to fix damage and clear out the base.
Captain Slaid talked to the crew and persuaded nearly all of them to join the party cause, and the aslan female, once she was patched up (and following a small sual) declared that she would follow the chieftain (Captain Slaid) faithfully for a year and a day.
Back in the base the computer eventually divulged that there were two scout ships that departed with message globes which were going to go to Thebus to meet up with escort. Unforunately checking the dates they would have arrived in the middle of one of the largest naval battles of the Sindalian civil war.
Noricum to Thebus
The party knew that a large battle had taken place but not exactly where, so they arrived near the main planet and went to the Highport. There, while they fended off people trying to get them to stay in hotel rooms or take safari's to the planet surface, they found some local pilots who advised them of the Proactive Recycling Company and the location of the wrecks which were shill being salvaged 2000 years later.
Making an appointment to see the president of the company, they travelled to a gas giant where the PRC had their base. The president eventually agreed to sell them the data of wreck locations and the party located five 100t scout wrecks to examine.
Making their way through the system faint signals were detected as if something were following them, but nothing was identified. They went from one scout to another without luck until reaching the last one. There the message globe was found held in the fist of a mummified pilot.
Upon searching the logs in the scout computer they found that the other scour was going to head to Number One.
Making their way back to the main port they undertook maintenance and then left for their next destination.
Thebus to Number One
Landing on the top of a mountain - almost the only dry land on the planet - they party initially found difficulties getting through customs and security checks. Unter was taken away for questionning and in the meantime Lady Nitrane and Jack Sparrow went to the main city - Dragonsdome - to see if there was any information about a scour ship arriving 2000 years ago.
Trying to be careful about what they asked for, the initial attempt ended up with some history books and the well wishes of some bureaucrats. Realising that they'd been too vague, and with Unter released, they tried again which resulted in a meeting with the 9 year old girl who turned out to be the Warden.
The Warden was interested in hearing about their anti-piracy exploits, while the chamberlain, a rival to Lady Nitrane, glowered at them. They persuaded her to check the records for a scout ship and in no time at all were made aware that one had arrived and had been immediately encased in Everglass and sunk: the warden of the day not being sure which way the civil war would go he decided to hedge his bets. As it turned out the rebels won, so the scout ship remained in its watery resting place.
Submarines that went to the required depth being in short supply the party had to search around until they found Captain Greenfell who could take them where they wanted to go. The eight hour trip there was uneventful and they found the scout relatively quickly. Determining that the best approach was to cut a hole in the side of the scout and enter to search this plan was put into action and the globe was found straight away (and just in time).
On the return trip a number of depth charges were dropped on the submarine but the party and Captain Greenfell escaped. On their return to Dragonsdome they told the story of their trip to the warden, who was not very interested, and made their way back to the ship.
Opening the globe they finally worked out that the codes were firing solutions for Sindalian model particle cannons, and that four would be needed to fire together on the planet Ace. With only two of the correct model guns in their possession they decided that the closest place to find them would be Salif, a jump-2 away.
Number One to Salif
Upon arriving the party found that Salif is a tidally locked planet, meaning one side always faces the star, and the other away resulting in a desert too hot to live in on one side, and a frozen wasteland on the other. Where they met though was a habitable ring around the planet.
Arriving in the downport they started looking for weapons to buy. Finding that they needed permission from the government they lodged a request and retired to their hotel room to wait. When they got there a man was waiting for them and broached with them an offer to overlook their past digressions and give them the permissions to purchase the weapons if they'd only help out with a little job.
The job, it turned out, was to kidnap Tiznee Zazzle, the holostar leader of the planet, and they help her get to Albe (jump-7 away) for medical procedures. Upon returning they'd be heroes, and would get a discount on the purchase of the weapons.
Planning well meant that the kidnapping went smoothly and within a day the party and Tiznee were transferring onto a luxurious ship for the trip to and from Albe while the Q Ship was sent to Thebus to get a new paint job and a new transponder identity.
On the journey attempts to get Tiznee to open up were futile until near Albe when she let them know that she was going for procedures to make anagathics work on her again. Keeping their noses clean the party didn't do anything on Albe (an Imperium tech level 14 world with a hundred billion inhabitants) so when Tiznee was all done with her recovery they were ready to taker her back immediately.
The journey back was spent determining how the triumphant return would work, and a story including Failock was devised for added realism. Transferring to a battered trader the party and Tiznee emerged as heroes. A number of days of interviews and holorecording were ahead of them.
Purchasing two new particle cannons and power plants to power them used up most of the cash on hand. The arrival of the Far Scout, after a circuitous trip to find them (the party forgot to leave word where they were heading) meant they were back up to three ships, which would be four if they could find the Q Ship on Thebus.
Salif to Number One
Intending only to refuel the party were hailed just as they were taking off and told the warden wanted to see them. Powering off the ship and dressing in their fancy clothes they made their way eventually to see the warden in her offices. There she told them that she knew about their "rescuing" of her "good friend" Tiznee and wanted to hear all about it.
Lady Nitrane started telling the story but there were so many interruptions that it went late enough that the party were invited to stay the night and take up the story again the next day. After some unusual breakfast choices the story continued but more interruptions, and invitations of others to come and hear the story (requiring retelling of earlier parts) meant that it was a full day before excuses could be made and the party left. Time will tell if the story recounted by Nitrane holds up with the official story.
Number One to Thebus
The Q Ship was meant to land on Thebus, get a new paint job, and hide up while things were taken care of on Salif. Not being able to raise them from the Harrier, the Far Scout was asked to do a sweep with its superior planetary scanners and it found a likely location within an hour or two. Unusually there was more than just the one ship and so the party went to investigate.
It turned out that the Q Ship had landed near the wreckage of an Aslan trader, and in the last few hours two Aslan military landing craft has landed nearby which had disgorged some Aslan warriors in battle dress and some heavy vehicle mounted weaponry. The problem turned out to be that the Aslan thought that the Q Ship crew had shot down the Aslan ship, and killed everyone.
Emerging from the Harrier Nitrane, Unter and Sparrow approached the heavily armed Aslan marines. Unter tried to ask to speak to their leader but found diplomacy to be a little tricky without sufficient knownedge of how Aslan society works. Sparrow took over and had a better result, with the Aslan noble who ordered the action brought to them in the form of a holo projector.
Given an hour to come up with an explanation the party identified that a missile was the probably cause of the ship crashing. The Q Ship does not have missiles. Also with a line of Aslan dead buried near the ship it seemed that there had been survivors, so Unter looked for and found tracks leading away. While following the tracks a number of crossing tracks were found, made by human type boots. Whoever had left the ship was being followed.
Arriving in a clearing they found the recently deceased bodies of four Aslan, who had been living there for some time. The bodies had been scalped, which led to the assumption that the Aslan had been hunted by some sick individual (or individuals) wanting an authentic "kill Aslan" experience.
The Aslan noble pacified, the party and Q Ship were allowed to leave. Not wanting to revisit Number One (where the warden had made them promise to visit her to finish the story) plans were made to travel directly to Ace. Refuelling at a gas giant the ships jumped for Ace.
To be continued.
