After assembling all ships and crew on the space station it's time to work out what to focus on next, namely whether to get the scientist for Lady Yemar, or get Goff to start fixing the station properly.
Both Goff (on The World) and the scientist (on Tobia) are a long way away. Consideration is given to getting Goff first to get repairs at the station moving, but in light of Lady Yemar's failing health it is decided to get the scientist first.
Trip to Theev
The party head to Theev with the Far Scout and the three Harriers in their fleet. Dai Kinnear is left in charge of the space station with instructions to push on with whatever repairs can be made. The trading ship is set up to fly between Salif and Homestead (to coreward) and Number One (rimward).
The trip, via Salif, Number One (where stories had to be told), Noricum and then the fuel dump, is uneventful.
On Theev
Arriving in Theev the Harriers are sent for full repairs (MCr37 worth) to bring them up to 'as new' condition. Full maintenance on the original Harrier is included in that price, as is berthing for however long it takes to repair them.
Messages are left for Lomarr Fisk (for transponders) and Devon (for new identities). Heading down to the planet the party books into the second best hotel in Blacksands. The next morning after breakfast Lomarr calls Lady Nitrane and invites her to lunch at the same place as last time; the rooftop restaurant on the best hotel in town. Devon soon after contacts Unter to arrange a meeting that night.
At lunch, Lomarr is waiting for Lady Nitrane and her 'bodyguard' Unter. He is as ever a gracious host and Lady Nitrane an excellent companion. As they arrange the next date Lady Nitrane mentions that there will in the near future be a need for a transponder.
Meeting with Devon that night the party arrives at a place bar that appears to have been booked just for Devon's meeting. Devon is there with a companion, and small talk is followed soon after by the main purpose of the meeting. The party tell him that they need identities as they want to go to Tobia. Devon knows just the man, a specialist in that field called Kagni Vasiir. In addition, he suggests meeting with Nosetter Hali, a specialist in clandestine activities. Meetings are arranged to see both of these people the next morning.
New identities
Arriving at the very fancy and up-market skyscraper in which Kagni has his offices the party are immediately ushered into a large conference suite where they are made comfortable. Moments later Kagni arrives, dressed immaculately in fine suit, and asks what the party need.
He is clearly aware of who the party are and what they want as he has a number of possible identities for each person in the party, including crew members. Each person is asked to select an identity and then temporary cosmetic changes are made, if required, to make them look as much as possible like the intended identity.
Following this, costumes are provided as well as a memory card that has a full back history for the party to memorise. Access to the ship's computers is requested to create a false trip log and cctv footage of the passengers. All told this costs MCr1.5.
Spy Master
Later that day the party go to see Nosetter, the specialist in clandestine activities. After some questioning it becomes apparent that there is too much that is unknown at this distance from Tobia. Nosetter suggests that an operative of his could accompany the party on their ship to advise them once they reach Tobia.
Harrier Shakedown
Next day Krssh approaches the group with questions about what he should do with the Harriers, and how long he should wait for the party. The suggestion is that the repairs to the ships won't be proven until they have a combat. Slaid is very careful to say that he expects that three ships go in, and three (the same three) come out.
Following the shakedown the Harriers are to report in to the Station, then proceed to Paal where they will wait for the party.
Second Dates
The lunch with Lomar Fisk proceeded as planned, with a transponder delivered to the Far Scout's hangar for installation within the hour.
At the same time Captain Slaid was meeting Admiral Darokyn from whom he had received a request to meet at the Rose Pavilion. The admiral just seemed to want to catch up, say thank you for the early return (in good shape) of the salvager, and to enquire politely as to the party's plans.
Reluctant to give too much away Slaid admitted that there was a trip to Tobia on the cards, and that the new identities were for that. He also admitted that the two additional Harriers, that the admiral knew about, were recently found - but again no specifics were given. Finally, Slaid offered to show Darokyn around a Harrier the next morning.
Two Admirals Breakfast
The next morning Darokyn is welcomed aboard the original Harrier. Overnight the most advanced of the food preparation units was brought aboard and very nice kaf and sweetmeats were served as the admiral took in the impressive sights of the Harrier.
Lady Nitrane, who had not met the admiral the day before, was particularly keen to introduce the idea of him providing men to help repair the space station. Captain Slaid reluctantly agree but in the end Darokyn was given the information. With the information about the Harriers being recently found, and the need for repairs to functions like life support, biosphere, construction and manufacturing facilities, it was obvious that Admiral Darokyn put it together quickly and surmised that the party have found a space station somewhere.
Leaving on good terms, the party prepared to leave later that day for Palindrome with their new identities, the far scout sporting a new paint job and a new transponder.
END
(Did I forget anything?)
Monday, 19 February 2018
Friday, 2 February 2018
Trading Log for the Drinax to Torpol route
This is the log of the trading ship <NAME> travelling between Drinax and Torpol.
Month 1
- Drinax Out
- Flew out to Torpol with rest of fleet
- Torpol In
- Lord Wrax encountered flying to Torpol
- Torpol Port
- While in port a liner was escorted into port by police after it had been attacked
- Torpol Out
- HOSTILE (Aslan ihateisho scout - challenged us to duel - fought him off with some injuries). Need better ship. (REPAIR BILL 3MCr)
- Drinax In
- Ship noted on parallel path into Drinax that had damage. Asked - Aslan raiders in Pourne
- Drinax Port
- Rachando put us in touch with someone selling driods who was passing through. Bought an Autodoc as ship has no medical facilities. (COST 0.8MCr)
Month 2
- Drinax Out
- One of Lord Wrax's ships had collided with an orbital facility as Far Trader on way to 100d.
- Torpol In
- Freighter tried to make contact. Suspicious. Ignored. Possible trap
- Torpol Port
- A ship had to leave in a hurry. Apparently a psionic on board or something.
- Torpol Out
- Torpol SDB followed us. Not sure if escort for our safety or theirs.
- Drinax In
- Princess Rao's ship incoming at same time.
- Drinax Port
- Some duel between Kasiyl ended up with a dead diplomat and a woulded Kasiyl.
Month 3
- Drinax Out
- Unusual SDB activity. Lord Wrax up to something?
- Torpol In
- Encountered some cargo that had been jettisoned. Hold full, so left it alone.
- Torpol Port
- There's an alien zoo at the starport. Lots of interest.
- Torpol Out
- Nothing to report
- Drinax In
- Was given priority landing over another freighter. He wasn't happy.
- Drinax Port
- Some shennanigans with crew of freighter. Authorities put it down for us. Freighter crew imprisoned. That zoo has come here now.
Month 4
- Drinax Out
- Mercenary Transport noted landing on surface. Some activity in response. Don't know what happened.
- Torpol In
- Provost Falx on SDB to meet us (odd). Insisted on coming aboard to say hello. Sociable chap. Seemed worried about something though.
- Torpol Port
- Sent some cargo back. Some mixup with loading. Wrong cargo loaded. Sorted out in the end.
- Torpol Out
- Seemed like another ship followed us to the 100d. No contact but suspicious.
- Drinax In
- That ship from Torpol seen incoming to Drinax. Hmm. Didn't land.
- Drinax Port
- Autodoc a success and persuaded by Rachando to take on a Servitor to look after the crew better. Got gambling add on to pass the time (COST 0.2MCr)
Month 5
- Drinax Out
- Lord Wrax personally escorted us to the 100d jump point. Worried.
- Torpol In
- Star Guard ship encountered. Why in Torpol?
- Torpol Port
- Saw a ship with the Black Signal. Enemy of Theev. Couldn't do anything about it.
- Torpol Out
- Another ship followed us. Need another ship for protection.
- Drinax In
- Had collision with large Freighter. Jumped in at same moment. Lord Wrax came aboard to see damage and read logs. Seemed disappointed that we had no illegals on board. Some damage.
- Drinax Port
- Repairs were done in timely manner. No delay leaving but could not stay on ship in port. (REPAIRS 1MCr) Befriended a lost child who was wandering around the accomodation areas. Parents eventually found.
Month 6
- Drinax Out
- Nothing to report
- Torpol In
- Encounted Imperium Liner doing the sightseeing trip. On way to Thebus I think
- Torpol Port
- A ship that had misjumped arrived in port. Crew shaken but OK. Drives need to be replaced. Jumped from Florian League! Had some interesting cargo that we missed out on.
- Torpol Out
- Picked up a cargo pod on sensors a little further out. Had some kind of camouflage on it. Picked it up out of interest. Contained Illegal cybernetics. Figured Rachando could use them.
- Drinax In
- Lots of SDBs around. Rachando contacted us immediately. Cargo was trap. Jettisoned and destroyed before SDB could get to us.
- Drinax Port
- Lord Wrax personally instpected ship. Incandescant when logs (which we'd tweaked) and cargo bay showed nothing illegal.
Month 7
- Drinax Out
- Lord Wrax prevented us from leaving but Princess Rao interceded to let us go.
- Torpol In
- Nothing to report
- Torpol Port
- Imperial ship landed at port. Crew bullying people everywhere. Provost Falx seen drinking more heavily that usual.
- Torpol Out
- Saw one of Peter Vallis' ships coming in as we left.
- Drinax In
- Saw a different Peter Vallis ship leaving at speed (jumped early)
- Drinax Port
- Imperial partrol in port. Officers and marines strutting around. King Oleb turned purple. Explains why Vallis' ship was leaving in a hurry
Month 8
- Drinax Out
- Nothing to report
- Torpol In
- Caught a problem with the astrogation computer. Calcualated jump manually.
- Torpol Port
- Got astrogation software and computer replaced. Saboutage? (COST 0.4MCr)
- Torpol Out
- HOSTILE Blockade runner attacked. Jumped early but got away with it. Damage quite bad.
- Drinax In
- Arrived in system to find Lord Wrax on a SDB. Insisted on coming on board to see logs and damage. How did he know?
- Drinax Port
- Repairs cost 5MCr. Liner arrived with half a dozen escorts. Important VIPs?
Tuesday, 30 January 2018
Catch up
Much has happened since the last post. Here'a an update.
ACE
After meeting up with the Q-Ship on Thebus, and following the altercation with the Aslan, the party headed eventually to Ace where they met with Peter Vallis. The kindly (?) pirate made a deal whereby the party got some contacts on worlds which increases standing, and they also got Professor haut Belzoni as a passenger.
With much deliberation it was decided that the firing solution obtained from the message globes would be executed with Peter Vallis' ship out of the way on the other side of the planet. A coruscating cascade of light resulted thanks to the atmosphere of the planet which laid out - in numbers tens of miles long - the coordinates for a location in empty space.
The party replaced the Harrier (jump 2) with the Far Scout (jump 4) for the journey as the empty hex was 2 hexes away and so if nothing was there they could return. The rest of the ships went the long way around to Salif where if everything went to plan the party would meet up with them.
SPACE STATION
Arriving in empty space a long range scan was initiated and by good astrogation (or plain luck) they detected a large metal anomaly that was not that far away. Upon getting closer it was seen to be a large space station - and as they approached the ship was hailed by the station comms:
Access was made to the station via a Harrier-sized docking port. The station itself appeared to have been mothballed - deliberately shut down in good order. Looking through it the party eventually found what seemed to be the Treasure of Sindal: a large cache of huge torpedoes. Half the 48 torpedoes were found to have atomic warheads (and would do large amounts of damage themselves) but the other 24 had plague warheads and a single one would result in huge loss of life.
With some time to look around, the party found that while everything was deliberately shut down, there would need to be extensive repairs made simply because of the two millennia that had passed. In addition to the station, and it's manufacturing and ship construction features, two Harriers were docked and looked like they could be repaired.
SALIF
In order to meet up with the other ships the party jumped to Salif. Explaining what they had found the entire fleet jumped back to the station the crews were put to work to start repairs. The magnitude of the job and the lack of expertise meant that it became apparent that someone with appropriate skills would be needed to head up the job.
The decision was made to ask Lady Yemar to find out if she had someone. After all, she has a highport on her planet. The problem of Professor haut Belzoni also arose; ever since seeing the station and the warheads he was very keen to get in contact with the Imperial authorities and tell them to bring a fleet to take possession of the station and to dispose of the warheads. That would not be a good outcome for the party.
PALINDROME
Heading to Palindrone via Salif the party met up with the alarmingly ill-looking Lady Yemar. After pleasantries were completed she was told about the station (although not where it is) and immediately grinned as she said she knew just the man for the job. The person she had in mind is called Goff, and can be found on the planet called "The World". Some advice: impress him with the Harrier and if possible something like Sindalian Brandy would do well to persuade him further. He's not going to be in it for the money. The best mechanic in this part of the galaxy would be more interested in new experiences.
The trip to get the scientist who devised the bacterial weapon that incapacitated Lady Yemar was also discussed. He's on Tobia, which is an Imperial capital, and as such new identities might be in order, and a reason for visiting. New identities really mean a trip to Theev as there's nowhere else likely to be able to make them to pass scrutiny. You have the name of the scientist and the name of the fixer who has provided Lady Yemar with that information. They are both on Tobia.
Jim Cheese and the Lab ship were on Palindrome too, and the party directed him to take the lab ship to Salif where they would meet him and together jump to the space station where the lab ship should be useful for accommodation and workshop purposes. Cheese was super excited that you had got him a space station.
However the next stop was Torpol to get some money (hopefully) from the trading ship.
TORPOL
The jumps to Thebus and then Torpol were uneventful. Meeting with their contact Falx they were told that the trading ship was likely to be 10 days away. With no time to go anywhere else it was decided that the party would spend just over a week at a luxury resort with a discount provided by Falx. Sun, sand, surf, swim, and getting sloshed was the order of the day.
With the trading ship arriving soon the holiday was over, and when the party returned to the downport at the south pole the ship had arrived. Making contact the crew were happy to see the party and recounted the things that had happened - and advised that there was MCr25 profit.
With the amount of interest shown by Lord Wrax and other parties it was decided to have the far trader also return to the space station by way of Salif. The route back would be to Oghma, Thebus, Number One and Salif, then meet with the lab ship and all head to the space station.
The last action was to persuade Vii Lon, the party's broker on Torpol whom they had rescued from Theev, to accompany them back to the space station and to act as onboard broker for the far trader.
SALIF
The trip to Salif was uneventful. New crew members were picked up on Thebus and Oghma, and the Warden on Number One was apparently unaware of their visit. On Salif they found the lab ship and also the Frontier Trader which was picking up spare parts for Space Station repairs.
SPACE STATION
Back at the station the party were keen to see what had been done in their absence. The docking bay contained many airtight habitation modules connected together into an accommodation and work area, and power from a ship was being routed to many now-powered systems which made power tool use possible as well as local doors, lifts and lighting. Refuelling was possible now that the pumps and safety systems were powered and water reclamation and food synthesisers had been brought from Salif to supplement the shipboard facilities of the resident ships.
Thanks to the party harrier being available for comparisons, the two docked harriers were now operational, although still needing repairs to make them 'as new'. They each had an operational particle barbette, but hull brittleness meant that the hull value was 40 instead of 100. Other then difficulty in maintenance, a less effective hull covering and the chance of occasional power fluctuations, the only other significant issue was the lack of turret weapons in the second hardpoint. Oh, and the interior also needs to be fixed.
When the harriers were all powered up an interesting feature was noticed. The ships synchronise so that for every harrier beyond the first they get a +1 to attacks and +1 to sensor rolls. The ships seem to be capable or swarming enemies as well as hiding from them.
No progress was made on any of the larger problems, such as space station power, but with habitation possible and powered tools and lighting (not to mention that the docking hangar can be used) there are many of the facilities needed to undertake the repairs.
OPTIONS
The following course of action has been discussed:
ACE
After meeting up with the Q-Ship on Thebus, and following the altercation with the Aslan, the party headed eventually to Ace where they met with Peter Vallis. The kindly (?) pirate made a deal whereby the party got some contacts on worlds which increases standing, and they also got Professor haut Belzoni as a passenger.
With much deliberation it was decided that the firing solution obtained from the message globes would be executed with Peter Vallis' ship out of the way on the other side of the planet. A coruscating cascade of light resulted thanks to the atmosphere of the planet which laid out - in numbers tens of miles long - the coordinates for a location in empty space.
The party replaced the Harrier (jump 2) with the Far Scout (jump 4) for the journey as the empty hex was 2 hexes away and so if nothing was there they could return. The rest of the ships went the long way around to Salif where if everything went to plan the party would meet up with them.
SPACE STATION
Arriving in empty space a long range scan was initiated and by good astrogation (or plain luck) they detected a large metal anomaly that was not that far away. Upon getting closer it was seen to be a large space station - and as they approached the ship was hailed by the station comms:
This is Admiral Gani Peras of the Star Guard. This station is off limits to unauthorised personnel. If you attempt to dock, this station will automatically self-destruct. Officers of the Star Guard with Ducal-level clearance, transmit your authorisation codes before attempting to dock.The party transmitted the codes from King Oleb...
This station holds the contents of the Imperial Vault of the Star Dragon. I implore you, use this treasure with wisdom and humility. The mistakes of the old dynasty must not be repeated. I have done my duty to Humaniti; I ask you to do likewise and wish you good luck. Admiral Gani Peras, signing off.With that the comms went silent.
With some time to look around, the party found that while everything was deliberately shut down, there would need to be extensive repairs made simply because of the two millennia that had passed. In addition to the station, and it's manufacturing and ship construction features, two Harriers were docked and looked like they could be repaired.
SALIF
In order to meet up with the other ships the party jumped to Salif. Explaining what they had found the entire fleet jumped back to the station the crews were put to work to start repairs. The magnitude of the job and the lack of expertise meant that it became apparent that someone with appropriate skills would be needed to head up the job.
The decision was made to ask Lady Yemar to find out if she had someone. After all, she has a highport on her planet. The problem of Professor haut Belzoni also arose; ever since seeing the station and the warheads he was very keen to get in contact with the Imperial authorities and tell them to bring a fleet to take possession of the station and to dispose of the warheads. That would not be a good outcome for the party.
PALINDROME
Heading to Palindrone via Salif the party met up with the alarmingly ill-looking Lady Yemar. After pleasantries were completed she was told about the station (although not where it is) and immediately grinned as she said she knew just the man for the job. The person she had in mind is called Goff, and can be found on the planet called "The World". Some advice: impress him with the Harrier and if possible something like Sindalian Brandy would do well to persuade him further. He's not going to be in it for the money. The best mechanic in this part of the galaxy would be more interested in new experiences.
The trip to get the scientist who devised the bacterial weapon that incapacitated Lady Yemar was also discussed. He's on Tobia, which is an Imperial capital, and as such new identities might be in order, and a reason for visiting. New identities really mean a trip to Theev as there's nowhere else likely to be able to make them to pass scrutiny. You have the name of the scientist and the name of the fixer who has provided Lady Yemar with that information. They are both on Tobia.
Jim Cheese and the Lab ship were on Palindrome too, and the party directed him to take the lab ship to Salif where they would meet him and together jump to the space station where the lab ship should be useful for accommodation and workshop purposes. Cheese was super excited that you had got him a space station.
However the next stop was Torpol to get some money (hopefully) from the trading ship.
TORPOL
The jumps to Thebus and then Torpol were uneventful. Meeting with their contact Falx they were told that the trading ship was likely to be 10 days away. With no time to go anywhere else it was decided that the party would spend just over a week at a luxury resort with a discount provided by Falx. Sun, sand, surf, swim, and getting sloshed was the order of the day.
With the trading ship arriving soon the holiday was over, and when the party returned to the downport at the south pole the ship had arrived. Making contact the crew were happy to see the party and recounted the things that had happened - and advised that there was MCr25 profit.
With the amount of interest shown by Lord Wrax and other parties it was decided to have the far trader also return to the space station by way of Salif. The route back would be to Oghma, Thebus, Number One and Salif, then meet with the lab ship and all head to the space station.
The last action was to persuade Vii Lon, the party's broker on Torpol whom they had rescued from Theev, to accompany them back to the space station and to act as onboard broker for the far trader.
SALIF
The trip to Salif was uneventful. New crew members were picked up on Thebus and Oghma, and the Warden on Number One was apparently unaware of their visit. On Salif they found the lab ship and also the Frontier Trader which was picking up spare parts for Space Station repairs.
SPACE STATION
Back at the station the party were keen to see what had been done in their absence. The docking bay contained many airtight habitation modules connected together into an accommodation and work area, and power from a ship was being routed to many now-powered systems which made power tool use possible as well as local doors, lifts and lighting. Refuelling was possible now that the pumps and safety systems were powered and water reclamation and food synthesisers had been brought from Salif to supplement the shipboard facilities of the resident ships.
Thanks to the party harrier being available for comparisons, the two docked harriers were now operational, although still needing repairs to make them 'as new'. They each had an operational particle barbette, but hull brittleness meant that the hull value was 40 instead of 100. Other then difficulty in maintenance, a less effective hull covering and the chance of occasional power fluctuations, the only other significant issue was the lack of turret weapons in the second hardpoint. Oh, and the interior also needs to be fixed.
When the harriers were all powered up an interesting feature was noticed. The ships synchronise so that for every harrier beyond the first they get a +1 to attacks and +1 to sensor rolls. The ships seem to be capable or swarming enemies as well as hiding from them.
No progress was made on any of the larger problems, such as space station power, but with habitation possible and powered tools and lighting (not to mention that the docking hangar can be used) there are many of the facilities needed to undertake the repairs.
OPTIONS
The following course of action has been discussed:
- Send the harriers off to Paal where they will meet with the party and then head to The World to see Goff.
- Party go to Theev to get false identities and then go to Tobia to get the scientist, then meet the harriers and head to see Goff.
- Have the trading ship set up on a Salif to Number One trading route instead of the Drinax to Torpol one
- Identify people on various planets who can be hired to fix:
- Power and Engineering (Goff)
- Computer / Technology / Robotics (someone from Tech-World?)
- Life Support / Hospitality / Station Administration (someone from Falcon, a series of hollowed out asteroids?)
- Mining and Refining (someone from Acrid, which is a mining colony?)
- Manufacturing (someone from Vorito which is the only high tech level industrial world in the reaches?)
- Biosphere (someone from Pandora which is a garden world, or again from Falcon?)
- Ship Docking and Repairs (someone from Salif, which is a Class A Starport, or Theev?)
- Ship Construction (someone from Theev, or maybe Tobia if living dangerously?)
- Gunnery / Marines (the Star Guard or mercenaries?)
- Probably other things I can't remember.
Friday, 27 October 2017
The Treasure of Sindal
Time for an update.
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.
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.
Wednesday, 5 July 2017
Where to from here?
The players are on Drinax, taking a well earned rest and preparing to travel to Noricum where the hope to discover the secret of the Message Globe.
After the Frontier Trader is repaired and a laboratory space established on the lab ship, Lady Nitrane approaches Scholar Voha to see if he knows where haut-Belzoni can be found. Voha admits that he has not seen the Imperium scientist for a few days and gives some suggestions as to where he might be.
Lady Nitrane spends time looking for him and asking around, eventually finding word that he was seen at the starport. When she reaches there it is found that he left three days earlier on a scout ship called the Confidence.
Deciding that it might be a good idea to find out a little more, she uncovers after careful investigation that haut-Belzoni was seen talking to, and being wined and dined by, the individual called Feihlokh who attended the banquet. It later transpires that Faihlokh himself left on his scout ship two days later.
At this point the weapon for the Harrier is a day or two away, and the other ships will return from their trading mission a few days after that. It is decided that rather than speed after haut-Belzoni that the party prepare and plan carefully what they might do.
The Harrier is returned to full weapons complement, and the trading ships report a good profit, so the signs are all positive as the party decide where to go.
DECISION TIME:
The proposed approach is as follows:
Harrier and Frontier Trader to travel to Torpol, then Oghma, then Noricum. The hope is that this is the route taken by the archaeologist and that he is taking his time (the scout is rumoured to be a little tight fisted so might want to refuel at gas giants which takes time).
The Far Trader to be set up to trade between Drinx and Torpol, using Rachando as broker on Drinax, and Vii Lon as broker on Torpol
The Far Scout, Lab Ship and Salvager will head to Palindrome, via Torpol, Borite and the refuelling station. At Palindrome the lab ship will be dropped off for Lady Yemar's future healing. The Salvager and Far Scout will head to Theev where the salvager will be returnef to Admiral Darokyn. While on Theev the Far Scout will be equipped with weapons and afterward will travel to Noricum to meet with the party.
It is decided that Krrsh will captain the ships heading to Palindrome and Theev. He has the codes and has been there before. The crew of the Far Trader is yet to be determined.
EQUIPMENT:
Captain Slaid has purchased Scout Battle Dress, and Silent Unter has purchased Command Battle Dress. Lady Nitrane has declined to purchase any at this time.
- Captain Slaid is overseeing the repairs to the Frontier Trader. These take a week at which point the ship is ready to fly.
- Lady Nitrane checks with Scholar Voha about getting some help in repairing one of the laboratory spaces on the lab ship. The idea being that a general purpose lab might be attractive to the scientist haut-Belzoni and persuade him to accompany the party.
- Sparrow is seen spending time with his Aslan friend Kasiyl. He is finding out more about why Kasiyl left ASlan space.
- Silent Unter carouses with Chieftain Galx of the Vespexers. She is keen for some of her people to be included on the party ships, to demonstrate that the whole of Drinax supports the re-establishment of the empire.
After the Frontier Trader is repaired and a laboratory space established on the lab ship, Lady Nitrane approaches Scholar Voha to see if he knows where haut-Belzoni can be found. Voha admits that he has not seen the Imperium scientist for a few days and gives some suggestions as to where he might be.
Lady Nitrane spends time looking for him and asking around, eventually finding word that he was seen at the starport. When she reaches there it is found that he left three days earlier on a scout ship called the Confidence.
Deciding that it might be a good idea to find out a little more, she uncovers after careful investigation that haut-Belzoni was seen talking to, and being wined and dined by, the individual called Feihlokh who attended the banquet. It later transpires that Faihlokh himself left on his scout ship two days later.
At this point the weapon for the Harrier is a day or two away, and the other ships will return from their trading mission a few days after that. It is decided that rather than speed after haut-Belzoni that the party prepare and plan carefully what they might do.
The Harrier is returned to full weapons complement, and the trading ships report a good profit, so the signs are all positive as the party decide where to go.
DECISION TIME:
The proposed approach is as follows:
Harrier and Frontier Trader to travel to Torpol, then Oghma, then Noricum. The hope is that this is the route taken by the archaeologist and that he is taking his time (the scout is rumoured to be a little tight fisted so might want to refuel at gas giants which takes time).
The Far Trader to be set up to trade between Drinx and Torpol, using Rachando as broker on Drinax, and Vii Lon as broker on Torpol
The Far Scout, Lab Ship and Salvager will head to Palindrome, via Torpol, Borite and the refuelling station. At Palindrome the lab ship will be dropped off for Lady Yemar's future healing. The Salvager and Far Scout will head to Theev where the salvager will be returnef to Admiral Darokyn. While on Theev the Far Scout will be equipped with weapons and afterward will travel to Noricum to meet with the party.
It is decided that Krrsh will captain the ships heading to Palindrome and Theev. He has the codes and has been there before. The crew of the Far Trader is yet to be determined.
EQUIPMENT:
Captain Slaid has purchased Scout Battle Dress, and Silent Unter has purchased Command Battle Dress. Lady Nitrane has declined to purchase any at this time.
Saturday, 10 June 2017
High Society (Part 2)
The room in which the globe will be opened is a sealed chamber, utilising the best anti-bugging technology available at TL15. Present are King Oleb, Princess Rao, haut-Belzoni, Ambassador Poloc, Scholar Voha, and the party.
[Background known to the players]
The glorious Empire of Sindal endured for hundreds of years, and ruled over much of the Trojan Reach. The old Emperors of Sindal were proud and generous; their descendants were proud and cruel, and kept order through orbital bombardment and biological weapons. Subject worlds that refused to pay the ruinous taxes demanded by the Star Dragons were blasted into oblivion from high orbit. In time, the Sindalian provinces rose up en masse, supported by rebels within the Star Guard, and the empire tore itself apart in civil war. Old Noricum, the former seat of the Emperor, was destroyed. Parts of the empire survived – worlds like Albe or Drinax had the strength and technology to hold onto some territory – but for the rest of the sector, the fall of Sindal brought an end to interstellar rule of law.
It was a cruel irony that perhaps the finest and bravest officer to ever wear the crest of the Star Guard came into her own in that last war. Admiral Gani Peras was a brilliant naval officer, beloved by her crew and feared by her enemies. Both loyalists and rebels courted Peras; her sense of duty demanded that she stay loyal to her oath to the Emperor, but her sense of honour forced her to acknowledge the wholly justified grievances of the provinces. She led the defence of the spinward fleets, slowing the advance of the rebels and ensuring that the war impacted on the civilian population as little as possible. She avoided direct engagements where possible, preferring to use smaller lighter ships to attack enemy supply lines and fuel dumps. Whenever a rebel commander used ortillery on civilian targets, though, Peras showed no mercy. The rings of debris that still orbit Homestead and Vume are testament to the wrath of Gani Peras.
Not even a commander of her calibre, though, could stop the civil war. Around the year -1400, her squadron of five surviving ships jumped into the Noricum system – the besieged seat of the emperor. What happened next is a matter of conjecture, but most historians agree that Peras somehow convinced the emperor to hand over the contents of the Imperial Treasury. Some believe Peras hid the treasury somewhere on Noricum; others claim she intended to use the treasury as a bribe to convince the advancing rebels to negotiate. Others believe the Last Loyal Admiral betrayed her oath at the last, and stole the treasury for herself.
Peras returned to her squadron and they jumped out – out of the system, and out of the history books. There were never any confirmed sightings of them again. Peras became another legend of the Reach, gone for two thousand years.
[End of Background]
In the sealed room, haut-Belzoni explains that twenty years ago he obtained a curiosity – a message globe. These devices are common across Charted Space. Each globe contains a secure message and can only be opened with the proper authorisation (or enough hacking skillz). Open the globe without the right key and its contents are instantly erased. This particular globe bore the emblem of the Empire of Sindal and came from the world of Albe (Sindal/0601), one of the most important worlds in the old Empire and now an imperial protectorate. This globe was a message intended for the Duke of Albe, and required Ducal-level clearance to open. Even more astoundingly, the datestamp on the globe showed that it was sent only a few days before the fall of Noricum. Presumably, similar message-globes were dispatched to the other key systems of Sindal, like Drinax but never arrived, lost in the chaos of civil war.
Haut-Belzoni knew the tale of Gani Perot and the treasure of Sindal, and realised the message globe could be the key to that mystery. All he had to do was open it and the one world where the old Ducal-level clearance codes might still exist was Drinax. So, haut-Belzoni took a leave of absence from the university, and here he is.
At this, Scholar Voha produces another relic from the archives of Drinax – a second message globe. This one, he explains, was also sent by Gani Peras’ fleet to the Ducal Seat at Drinax at the same time as the message went to Albe. The globe was opened at some point in the intervening centuries but all it contained was a string of numbers and letters. Perhaps these numbers are a code; but not one any cryptographer in all those years managed to break. This second globe from Albe may contain the key to the code.
With great ceremony, Voha accesses the computer archives, and King Oleb gives his authorisation. Computer systems built during the days of the Sindalian Empire flicker into life as Oleb enters the codes passed down to him from the dukes of Drinax. The message sphere pops open, and haut-Belzoni examines the contents.
CONTENTS OF IMPERIAL VAULT TRANSFERRED TO ADMIRAL PERAS’ FLAGSHIP.
ADMIRAL PERAS ORDERED TO SET COURSE SPINWARD ALONG MAIN TO REFUGE.
IMPERIAL FAMILY AND RETAINERS WILL FOLLOW IF DEFENSIVE LINES AT SALIF FAIL.
KEY DISPATCHED TO THE DUKES OF ALBE, DRINAX, DPRES AND YGGDRASIL.
SIGNED BY HIS HAND, FELIX STAR DRAGON, EMPEROR OF SINDAL.
Following that message is a page of closely printed letters and numbers, similar but not identical to the message sent to Drinax, followed by the word ACE.
Haut-Belzoni points out a string of co-ordinates printed at the bottom of the message, and explains they are a date, time, location and verification stamp. It is a genuine message, sent only a few weeks before the fall of Sindal. The location is on Noricum, the old Imperial throne world, but it was not at the Imperial palace. The location is not one he recognises – and he has made a study of Noricum. It must be a previously undiscovered secret base!
The Imperial family died on Noricum; they never followed Peras to the refuge, perhaps because the rebels broke through the lines at Salif (Sindal/0206) quicker than expected. That might also explain why no message-globes are known to have reached Dpres or Yggdrasil - the rebels swept in from the spinward side and may have intercepted the couriers, probably in the Thebus system. The battle of Magg’s Moon was one of the last decisive encounters of the war. It might be worth looking for wreckage in that system, or questioning salvage crews and junk dealers on the markets to see if a sealed message globe was ever found.
King Oleb however appears to be a little uninterested. Perhaps there is something in all this, but it's been over two thousand years so there's very little to be gained by all this. He dismisses haut-Belzoni and the ambassador and says he'll think over it.
As soon as they leave he rounds on the party and excitedly exclaims "You must find this!" in his most enthusiastic voice. He will provide the characters the Ducal codes that may prove useful for opening things, and tells them that they must ensure that if there's anything relating to the Sindalian Empire to be found, it must be returned to him to strengthen his claims. He cares not for gold or treasures that are not directly related to the empire, so there's a good chance, if any of this is true, for the party to fund more piracy and mayhem in the Trojen Reach.
It is the Princess who suggests that it might be useful to escort the scientist, so that they can not only take advantage of his knowledge, but also keep an eye on him. She is not sure how many other people he has told of the message globe but it's a good bet that there will be others interested in the treasures of an empire.
End of Part 2.
[Background known to the players]
The glorious Empire of Sindal endured for hundreds of years, and ruled over much of the Trojan Reach. The old Emperors of Sindal were proud and generous; their descendants were proud and cruel, and kept order through orbital bombardment and biological weapons. Subject worlds that refused to pay the ruinous taxes demanded by the Star Dragons were blasted into oblivion from high orbit. In time, the Sindalian provinces rose up en masse, supported by rebels within the Star Guard, and the empire tore itself apart in civil war. Old Noricum, the former seat of the Emperor, was destroyed. Parts of the empire survived – worlds like Albe or Drinax had the strength and technology to hold onto some territory – but for the rest of the sector, the fall of Sindal brought an end to interstellar rule of law.
Timeline:-2000: Rise of the Empire of Sindal
-1600: Sindalian revolts begin.
-1400: Fall of Noricum and collapse of the Empire. The duke of the regional capital of Drinax claims the imperial title.
-1000: Aslan first cross the Great Rift to the Trojan Reach
500: Aslan expand into Tliowaha Subsector. Trade between Imperium and Aslan grows.
700: King Glaxo bombs rebel worlds.
884: King Oleb XIV establishes the Drinax tax.
885: Fall of Drinax.The Aslan, led by the Ahroay’if clan, bomb Drinax.
1085: Reconquest of Asim.
1105: Current year.
It was a cruel irony that perhaps the finest and bravest officer to ever wear the crest of the Star Guard came into her own in that last war. Admiral Gani Peras was a brilliant naval officer, beloved by her crew and feared by her enemies. Both loyalists and rebels courted Peras; her sense of duty demanded that she stay loyal to her oath to the Emperor, but her sense of honour forced her to acknowledge the wholly justified grievances of the provinces. She led the defence of the spinward fleets, slowing the advance of the rebels and ensuring that the war impacted on the civilian population as little as possible. She avoided direct engagements where possible, preferring to use smaller lighter ships to attack enemy supply lines and fuel dumps. Whenever a rebel commander used ortillery on civilian targets, though, Peras showed no mercy. The rings of debris that still orbit Homestead and Vume are testament to the wrath of Gani Peras.
Not even a commander of her calibre, though, could stop the civil war. Around the year -1400, her squadron of five surviving ships jumped into the Noricum system – the besieged seat of the emperor. What happened next is a matter of conjecture, but most historians agree that Peras somehow convinced the emperor to hand over the contents of the Imperial Treasury. Some believe Peras hid the treasury somewhere on Noricum; others claim she intended to use the treasury as a bribe to convince the advancing rebels to negotiate. Others believe the Last Loyal Admiral betrayed her oath at the last, and stole the treasury for herself.
Peras returned to her squadron and they jumped out – out of the system, and out of the history books. There were never any confirmed sightings of them again. Peras became another legend of the Reach, gone for two thousand years.
[End of Background]
In the sealed room, haut-Belzoni explains that twenty years ago he obtained a curiosity – a message globe. These devices are common across Charted Space. Each globe contains a secure message and can only be opened with the proper authorisation (or enough hacking skillz). Open the globe without the right key and its contents are instantly erased. This particular globe bore the emblem of the Empire of Sindal and came from the world of Albe (Sindal/0601), one of the most important worlds in the old Empire and now an imperial protectorate. This globe was a message intended for the Duke of Albe, and required Ducal-level clearance to open. Even more astoundingly, the datestamp on the globe showed that it was sent only a few days before the fall of Noricum. Presumably, similar message-globes were dispatched to the other key systems of Sindal, like Drinax but never arrived, lost in the chaos of civil war.
Haut-Belzoni knew the tale of Gani Perot and the treasure of Sindal, and realised the message globe could be the key to that mystery. All he had to do was open it and the one world where the old Ducal-level clearance codes might still exist was Drinax. So, haut-Belzoni took a leave of absence from the university, and here he is.
At this, Scholar Voha produces another relic from the archives of Drinax – a second message globe. This one, he explains, was also sent by Gani Peras’ fleet to the Ducal Seat at Drinax at the same time as the message went to Albe. The globe was opened at some point in the intervening centuries but all it contained was a string of numbers and letters. Perhaps these numbers are a code; but not one any cryptographer in all those years managed to break. This second globe from Albe may contain the key to the code.
With great ceremony, Voha accesses the computer archives, and King Oleb gives his authorisation. Computer systems built during the days of the Sindalian Empire flicker into life as Oleb enters the codes passed down to him from the dukes of Drinax. The message sphere pops open, and haut-Belzoni examines the contents.
CONTENTS OF IMPERIAL VAULT TRANSFERRED TO ADMIRAL PERAS’ FLAGSHIP.
ADMIRAL PERAS ORDERED TO SET COURSE SPINWARD ALONG MAIN TO REFUGE.
IMPERIAL FAMILY AND RETAINERS WILL FOLLOW IF DEFENSIVE LINES AT SALIF FAIL.
KEY DISPATCHED TO THE DUKES OF ALBE, DRINAX, DPRES AND YGGDRASIL.
SIGNED BY HIS HAND, FELIX STAR DRAGON, EMPEROR OF SINDAL.
Following that message is a page of closely printed letters and numbers, similar but not identical to the message sent to Drinax, followed by the word ACE.
Haut-Belzoni points out a string of co-ordinates printed at the bottom of the message, and explains they are a date, time, location and verification stamp. It is a genuine message, sent only a few weeks before the fall of Sindal. The location is on Noricum, the old Imperial throne world, but it was not at the Imperial palace. The location is not one he recognises – and he has made a study of Noricum. It must be a previously undiscovered secret base!
The Imperial family died on Noricum; they never followed Peras to the refuge, perhaps because the rebels broke through the lines at Salif (Sindal/0206) quicker than expected. That might also explain why no message-globes are known to have reached Dpres or Yggdrasil - the rebels swept in from the spinward side and may have intercepted the couriers, probably in the Thebus system. The battle of Magg’s Moon was one of the last decisive encounters of the war. It might be worth looking for wreckage in that system, or questioning salvage crews and junk dealers on the markets to see if a sealed message globe was ever found.
King Oleb however appears to be a little uninterested. Perhaps there is something in all this, but it's been over two thousand years so there's very little to be gained by all this. He dismisses haut-Belzoni and the ambassador and says he'll think over it.
As soon as they leave he rounds on the party and excitedly exclaims "You must find this!" in his most enthusiastic voice. He will provide the characters the Ducal codes that may prove useful for opening things, and tells them that they must ensure that if there's anything relating to the Sindalian Empire to be found, it must be returned to him to strengthen his claims. He cares not for gold or treasures that are not directly related to the empire, so there's a good chance, if any of this is true, for the party to fund more piracy and mayhem in the Trojen Reach.
It is the Princess who suggests that it might be useful to escort the scientist, so that they can not only take advantage of his knowledge, but also keep an eye on him. She is not sure how many other people he has told of the message globe but it's a good bet that there will be others interested in the treasures of an empire.
End of Part 2.
High Society (Part 1)
The characters are still on Drinax.
Arriving at the starport on the floating palace the party are informed that none of the royal family are currently available, but that Princess Rao wants to see them as soon as she can get free of her current engagements.
While they wait, the Captain sends the NPC crew to the Frontier Trader to wake it from its mothballed slumber. They arrive and start work, but it will take some time. He then goes with the party to see Rachando, who is just finishing up with a guest and will see him shortly.
When Rachando's guest emerges Sparrow is surprised to see that it is his good friend Kaisyl of the Ahroay'if, an Aslan noble. While Slaid visits with Rachando Sparrow accompanies his furry friend to speak with him.
After the small talk is out of the way, Slaid asks if Rachando can obtain a particle weapon to match that which is in the Harrier already. Rachando thinks that is possible, but will take a couple of weeks as the weapon will be sourced from the nearest Aslan world.
Sparrow finds out that his friend is here without any fanfare. Kaisyl is not in hiding as such, but his ship is hidden in the outer system and he is not insisting on any diplomatic or other rights that might usually be extended to him.
When Princess Rao is available, they meet with her in one of her private rooms. She is pleased that the pirate that menaced Torpol and Clarks has been brought to justice, and more so that those planets are now much more favourably inclined toward Drinax. She insists that while King Oleb is going to want to hear tales of daring and piracy in high space to disrupt trade, she considers diplomatic effort to be much more likely to succeed. The approach therefore is to be in parts piracy, trade and diplomacy.
Princess Rao also informs the party that they are all invited to a banquet to be held that evening, which means getting out the ball gowns, dress uniforms and evening wear once again. Lady Nitrane heads off to visit with Lady Hill, the most influential courtier in the palace, and an old dear friend. When Lady Hill sees Nitrane's Theev dresses she agrees that they are entirely fashionable, and they set to work to prepare for that evening.
Sparrow dusts off his old diplomatic attire, and Unter his tuxedo. Slaid polishes the trinkets and baubles on his admiral dress uniform.
Before the banquet drinks and nibbles are served while the guests mingle and talk. All are introduced to the King (who upon seeing the party mugs and hams it up terribly, winking and exaggerating to make it known that they are not at all doing something for him - with some eyebrow raising from the Imperial ambassador) and to the guest of honour, an Imperium scientist called Yutal Mirobar haut-Belzoni (who appears to be tolerating the backwater hicks to whom he is being introduced, and occasionally cleaning his hands).
Unter meets up with Chieftain Galx, the representative from the Vespexer tribes (those who live on the surface of the planet). She and Unter are very good friends, and she and her muscled companions chat with him while waiting for the banquet to start.
Sparrow notices Kaisyl is there looking slightly frantic. He clearly does not want to make conversation with anyone so is either in motion or hiding behind a pillar until Sparrow catches up with him and Kaisyl relaxes.
Lady Nitrane does the rounds, in her regal manner, passing Lady Hill who murmers approvingly at her dress. Nitrane's ex-husband, Lord Wrax of the Star Guard, appears to be avoiding her however as he is always at some distance chatting to various people who at times turn to look at her.
Slaid notices Rachando in conversation with a number of people who look like merchants. Looking around, Slaid sees a few other people who are unknown to him. One, someone he finds out is called Faihlokh, gives the impression of being rather more than the humble merchant he is dressed as. This Faihlokh at one time is seen with Lord Wrax. Faihlokh looks over at Lady Nitrane, then at Slaid, before returning to conversation with Wrax.
When the gongs are sounded for the meal to commence, the party are split up. Unter and Slaid are with guests of no particular importance, and their meals pass uneventfully. Lady Nitrane finds herself next to Scholar Voha, chief scientists in the Scholars Tower. He is aware of their mission and while some innocuous chitchat indicates that the mission is well, they agree to talk later in more privacy.
Sparrow is seated next to the scientist haut-Belzoni who, it becomes painfully apparent, is a rather boring individual. It's possible that from others historical naval technology, and in particular Vilani logistics during the Fifth Interstellar War, could be very interesting. But not from haut-Belzoni. His droning voice and mannerisms that suggest he's explaining something interesting to a backwoods ape are too much, so it takes a good 10 drinks for Sparrow to be numb enough to nod in a friendly manner and not feel any more pain.
The only vaguely interesting piece of information that comes out of haut-Belzoni's lips is that he's found a message globe from the old Sindalian empire and he intends to open in the next morning in the presence of the King and Scholar Voha. Sparrow nods (at times alarmingly and exaggeratedly) and eventually haut-Belzoni shuts up.
After toasts are completed and the banquet guests start to leave or continue mingling Lady Nitrane, interested to hear what the scientist had to say, catches up with Sparrow and, noticing he is quite drunk, instantly sobers him with a medpack. It is then that Sparrow notices Princess Rao catch his eye, hold for a second, and then continue talking to her companion. The message is somehow clear. He is to come over and talk to her. When he does, she turns to him, as if to just wish him a good evening, and says that he and the party will attend the opening of the globe the next morning. She instantly turns to another guest - the conversation with Sparrow taking no more than two or three seconds.
After alerting the rest of the party, Sparrow heads off to spend an evening talking with Kaisyl while Nitrane, Slaid and Unter return to their lodgings for the evening. Sparrow learns more about why the Aslan noble is on Drinax. He's not very talkative - wanting to keep things even from his close friend - but some things do come out. Kaisyl is here because of something called Ihatei - an assemblage of unattached males who gather to make war. There is a gathering near to the Aslan border and somehow Kaisyl is involved.
The next morning the party are escorted to the Scholar's Tower where the globe will be opened.
Continued in Part 2.
Arriving at the starport on the floating palace the party are informed that none of the royal family are currently available, but that Princess Rao wants to see them as soon as she can get free of her current engagements.
While they wait, the Captain sends the NPC crew to the Frontier Trader to wake it from its mothballed slumber. They arrive and start work, but it will take some time. He then goes with the party to see Rachando, who is just finishing up with a guest and will see him shortly.
When Rachando's guest emerges Sparrow is surprised to see that it is his good friend Kaisyl of the Ahroay'if, an Aslan noble. While Slaid visits with Rachando Sparrow accompanies his furry friend to speak with him.
After the small talk is out of the way, Slaid asks if Rachando can obtain a particle weapon to match that which is in the Harrier already. Rachando thinks that is possible, but will take a couple of weeks as the weapon will be sourced from the nearest Aslan world.
Sparrow finds out that his friend is here without any fanfare. Kaisyl is not in hiding as such, but his ship is hidden in the outer system and he is not insisting on any diplomatic or other rights that might usually be extended to him.
When Princess Rao is available, they meet with her in one of her private rooms. She is pleased that the pirate that menaced Torpol and Clarks has been brought to justice, and more so that those planets are now much more favourably inclined toward Drinax. She insists that while King Oleb is going to want to hear tales of daring and piracy in high space to disrupt trade, she considers diplomatic effort to be much more likely to succeed. The approach therefore is to be in parts piracy, trade and diplomacy.
Princess Rao also informs the party that they are all invited to a banquet to be held that evening, which means getting out the ball gowns, dress uniforms and evening wear once again. Lady Nitrane heads off to visit with Lady Hill, the most influential courtier in the palace, and an old dear friend. When Lady Hill sees Nitrane's Theev dresses she agrees that they are entirely fashionable, and they set to work to prepare for that evening.
Sparrow dusts off his old diplomatic attire, and Unter his tuxedo. Slaid polishes the trinkets and baubles on his admiral dress uniform.
Before the banquet drinks and nibbles are served while the guests mingle and talk. All are introduced to the King (who upon seeing the party mugs and hams it up terribly, winking and exaggerating to make it known that they are not at all doing something for him - with some eyebrow raising from the Imperial ambassador) and to the guest of honour, an Imperium scientist called Yutal Mirobar haut-Belzoni (who appears to be tolerating the backwater hicks to whom he is being introduced, and occasionally cleaning his hands).
Unter meets up with Chieftain Galx, the representative from the Vespexer tribes (those who live on the surface of the planet). She and Unter are very good friends, and she and her muscled companions chat with him while waiting for the banquet to start.
Chieftain Galx
Sparrow notices Kaisyl is there looking slightly frantic. He clearly does not want to make conversation with anyone so is either in motion or hiding behind a pillar until Sparrow catches up with him and Kaisyl relaxes.
Lady Nitrane does the rounds, in her regal manner, passing Lady Hill who murmers approvingly at her dress. Nitrane's ex-husband, Lord Wrax of the Star Guard, appears to be avoiding her however as he is always at some distance chatting to various people who at times turn to look at her.
Slaid notices Rachando in conversation with a number of people who look like merchants. Looking around, Slaid sees a few other people who are unknown to him. One, someone he finds out is called Faihlokh, gives the impression of being rather more than the humble merchant he is dressed as. This Faihlokh at one time is seen with Lord Wrax. Faihlokh looks over at Lady Nitrane, then at Slaid, before returning to conversation with Wrax.
When the gongs are sounded for the meal to commence, the party are split up. Unter and Slaid are with guests of no particular importance, and their meals pass uneventfully. Lady Nitrane finds herself next to Scholar Voha, chief scientists in the Scholars Tower. He is aware of their mission and while some innocuous chitchat indicates that the mission is well, they agree to talk later in more privacy.
Sparrow is seated next to the scientist haut-Belzoni who, it becomes painfully apparent, is a rather boring individual. It's possible that from others historical naval technology, and in particular Vilani logistics during the Fifth Interstellar War, could be very interesting. But not from haut-Belzoni. His droning voice and mannerisms that suggest he's explaining something interesting to a backwoods ape are too much, so it takes a good 10 drinks for Sparrow to be numb enough to nod in a friendly manner and not feel any more pain.
The only vaguely interesting piece of information that comes out of haut-Belzoni's lips is that he's found a message globe from the old Sindalian empire and he intends to open in the next morning in the presence of the King and Scholar Voha. Sparrow nods (at times alarmingly and exaggeratedly) and eventually haut-Belzoni shuts up.
After toasts are completed and the banquet guests start to leave or continue mingling Lady Nitrane, interested to hear what the scientist had to say, catches up with Sparrow and, noticing he is quite drunk, instantly sobers him with a medpack. It is then that Sparrow notices Princess Rao catch his eye, hold for a second, and then continue talking to her companion. The message is somehow clear. He is to come over and talk to her. When he does, she turns to him, as if to just wish him a good evening, and says that he and the party will attend the opening of the globe the next morning. She instantly turns to another guest - the conversation with Sparrow taking no more than two or three seconds.
After alerting the rest of the party, Sparrow heads off to spend an evening talking with Kaisyl while Nitrane, Slaid and Unter return to their lodgings for the evening. Sparrow learns more about why the Aslan noble is on Drinax. He's not very talkative - wanting to keep things even from his close friend - but some things do come out. Kaisyl is here because of something called Ihatei - an assemblage of unattached males who gather to make war. There is a gathering near to the Aslan border and somehow Kaisyl is involved.
The next morning the party are escorted to the Scholar's Tower where the globe will be opened.
Continued in Part 2.
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