Sink or swim

Tech-World
Arriving at Tech-World on their way to Drinax for the coronation of Queen Rao, the travellers met with the ruling council to inform them that at last the three system defense boats that they had asked for were in production and would be delivered over the next few months. A virtual walk through was shown and the council were pleased.

On Tech-World the party also obtained a very high tech set of jewelry for the queen, including a psionic-blocking tiara, although being made of nano-technology it could take a number of shapes.

A sinking feeling
Two years earlier the party had cleared out the cargo hold of the Treasure ship on Sink, and being unable to take everything with them had put two hundred tons of cargo in storage. With Sink more or less on the way to Drinax they took the opportunity to see if it were still there.

Arriving at the now-familiar spaceport surrounded by massive lifting machinery and swamps they landed the Sorrowful Maiden and disembarked to see the Brother in Charge of Spaceport Operations waiting for them expectantly. They reintroduced themselves and asked for the ship to be refuelled, but he kept craning his neck to look around them. Eventually they asked who he was looking for and he asked if Admiral Darokyn would be getting off the ship. Apparently it was well known here.

Once they told him that Darokyn was not on board at the moment he asked if they were here to pick up his possessions. They exchanged glances before Lady Nitrane said a slightly tentative "Yes?". The Brother then asked for some identification. Perhaps there was something in the way that Nitrane responded, or the exchanged glances that made him suspicious.

Asking for a moment to get the papers, the party headed back into the ship and quickly put together some Darokyn-related evidence. They emerged and Lady Nitrane, who had been trained for this moment, spoke so persuasively in deceiving the Brother that he took their evidence as gospel and said that naturally he'd be glad to show them where Darokyn kept his personal possessions.

In the meantime they asked about their cargo and with an apologetic shrug were told that as per the conditions of the deal they agreed to two years ago the goods would be kept for 12 months, then when a further two months passed the cargo would be donated to the depths of the swamp. So it was all gone.

With little choice but to accept that outcome the travellers followed the Brother into the largest spaceport ziggurat. They were led down two levels to where a ramp led into a pool of water. Flanking the ramp were some diving suits on stands and a pump for breathing that was manned by an initiate.

Into the depths
Nitrane and Unter suited up, as did the Brother. Slayed stayed behind to watch the initiate. They entered the water and made their way a few hundred feet along a wide passage past a number of airlock doors before the Brother waved at them to stop and wrote on a board that they should open the one they had stopped next to.

After opening he door, he instructed that they should enter the airlock, disconnect their air tubes, and close the door. At that point the airlock would fill with air and they  could open the inner door where Darokyn's possessions would be found. The followed his instructions, and after a brief struggle with the inner door found themselves in a small room with two wrapped and waterproofed small boxes. They took them and reversed their actions to find the Brother waiting for them and quickly connecting their air tubes again.

Emerging from the water and removing the suits they returned to the ship which was still being refuelled. They opened the boxes and found in the first some personal memorabilia from Darokyn's time in the Imperial Navy and some normal data chips, although three were immediately identified as having military grade security that they could not open with the resources at their disposal. The other contained the memory cores of two ships. One appeared to be the one he'd brought to the Trojan Reach when he defected from the imperium. The other a vessel he'd commanded for many years and which contained his full journey from that time.

In addition to the data and memorabilia they found 7 MCr, of which they game 1 MCr to the Brother in Charge of Spaceport Operations as a donation to his cause. They left for Drinax shortly thereafter.

To be continued.