Happy New Year!!!

[BackworldTraveller]

Einar:

Realizing he's not going to get very far with the clerk Einar moves to the side.

Looking around for someone official other than the flustered clerk he asks "Can you tell me where I would find Mr Tukera? I will return here when things quiet down a little"

He then steps outside.

Having stepped outside, Einar's memory for faces (the recon roll worked) comes up trumps. On the far side of the main entryway, there is Sigur Firebrand! He seems to be briefing a small group of dockers (including a couple of Vargr), wearing Vacc Suits and wielding a heavy-duty plasma torch, associated high-energy battery packs and a massive flat-packed emergency air-lock.

He finishes up and the group move towards the main cargo airlock. Sigur himself stands for a moment before moving towards the inter-level lifts.

[dongriffiths]

Einar:

Striding towards Mr Firebrand he calls out

"Excuse me Mr Firebrand. Can you spare a moment?

I am Einar Svennsson my uncle told me to contact and offer my services to you. I did just leave a letter from him with your clerk.

Is there anything I can do to help at the moment."

[Hvalreki]

Solomon Tukera

Lots about LSP. Usual stuff. Minimal pay. Tied up 6-ways contracts. They've their own problems since their gas-giant orbiting base had a magnetic bubble failure and the giant's radiation belt cooked a load of employees and a couple of managers! They need these contracts from the Duke and to fulfil them they need to refine ore. With our driver down, the belters will have to take the LSP price offer and have to pay more in fuel to get it to the refinery. It also puts Maas in a bind. We'll have to buy refined metal at spot not at contracted rates because we're buying their metal made from their ore not that delivered for processing by the mass-driver route. It will cost us more and they'll take the profits while our margins are squeezed.

But they have a less defined view on the Knight

Horvath is the odd thing. Knight - but one of those that wouldn't lift a finger unless it's holding a drinks glass. This LSP thing is relatively new. He's said to have shot a few strikers at Ucella to encourage the others. But his main interest is collecting stuff, people, trophies. I'd bet that the main reason he's here is that Scout Service enquiry. If they look too closely his supply of pretties from the dig will dry up. Or maybe there are too many leaks and too many items flooding the black-market so he's using the scouts to close down the opposition?

Ucella Anderson comes up with one suggestion
If we are purchasing stuff (off the books) as gifts for clients, the Vargr at the Salvage Yard in Koenig is a good source. He may know more.

Solomon's comm pings with an incoming message. "Oh bloody hell.."

Solomon copies the message to the team from his neural link.

Sir Solomon

I understand that you were caught up in the recent unpleasantness at Koenig's Rock. In the light of the importance of stability in the Bowman System to the new Naval Initiative from Iderati, I propose we meet to discuss how we can best align our interests to best serve the Imperium.

Sir Horvath Ulorhua-Mann, K.S.M.

"Well, I'm going to need to respond to this eventually. What can we do to get outside his OODA loop here? Maybe lean into the Maas Industries angle?

Anya, your family is well connected here. How could Maas Industries get the official blessing to take charge of the mass driver repair or the investigation into the powerplant attack before the clown posse from LSP shows up? We need to move quickly and gain the initiative."

[Grognardsw]

Isaac C. Heinlein (Ike), security, mercenary

In the hospital room with Ms. Crozat...

...I need your company to make this problem go away.

“The Brotherhood will try its best Ms. Crozat,” said Ike.

Ike radioed in the assignment to Brotherhood HQ, requested a bodyguard for Ms. Crozat, and said he would be in the office soon to strategize.

“That was a nice song,” Ike said to Phoenix as they were leaving. “To answer your question, yes business politics are behind the attack and the Brotherhood has been hired to try to stop it. More political minds than mine can explain the details. We’re going to Brotherhood HQ to expand our team.”

At Brotherhood HQ, Ike recapped what Ms. Crozat said. “We need a team with technical and political background and connections to properly investigate this. I suggest we tap outside resources if necessary.”

By this I mean other players. Ateno, I don’t have a good handle on the politics and what is actually going on. I need a walkthrough of it. Hvalraki’s post #183 seems like a start.

[ateno]

"Well if Horvath is involved, I can support your cause. I know Wholea-s pretty well. I guess my chord of his song is what intagated the attack, so I'm in. What do you need?

Phoenix

[The Bindoner]

Nehnya

OK - We've got the KRPA looking at the mess at the minute - 'til they are done, all we're doing is sweeping round the edges. Your first job: Day Rate Cr150. I need to know what the brokers have in powerplant spares. We had two Imperial Navy GP-built 1000dTon plants. Standard stuff, but big. The explosions have broken those and I'm guessing its been done so it will take weeks to get what we need to fix them with like-for-like stuff. So I'm needing to improvise. Search round - report back here 08:00 tomorrow with a list. You can do that?

I can certainly do that. I am not familiar with your Imperial Navy designs, but as they are the local standard, that will not matter. I may access the available data on these units? I am sure they are quite simple, being military, and Imperial. (She makes the term Imperial sound like a synonym for antiquated) A list of the station brokers would speed the task. This is my first visit.

While we are speaking, may I ask, who is responsible for security here? I know they will be as busy as you, but it would be sensible to establish my bona fides with them. After all, I am a newly arrived foreigner, about to ask about the availability of spares for your sabotaged plant. I do not want to distract them. Or be interrogated.

Nehnya will use the station's, and her own, database to check the specifications of the plant, the locations of any dealers, and plan an itinerary for a tour of them.

[Grognardsw]

Isaac C. Heinlein (Ike), security, mercenary

At Brotherhood headquarters, Ike talked with political minds sharper than his to try get a handle on what was going on...

LSP - Interstellar conglomerate. Seems to be contracted to provide ships and bases to the Imperial Navy...and Bowman is the nearest source of good metals. The other contractee is Maas Industries - a smaller group but with lower managerial overheads and with special deals with LSP in Bowman. However LSP is probably over-stretched if Maas' contacts are honoured. With the driver down, Maas can't pre-empt smelter capacity, and so LSP can both deliver on its side of the deal and prevent Maas doing so.

n.b. LSP sees LSP's interest as the Imperial interest. Maas disagrees and the Miners are mostly just trying to get the greatest margin possible. An LSP monopoly would be bad for them!

Anonymous Pirates. These are absolutely unconnected with LSP in any way. At all.

The Imperial Dig. The Scouts are investigating an old Darrian (TL-16 i.e. higher tech than the Imperium which is TL-12 to TL15) settlement. They have tried to tie up all the sites but keep having problems with Bowman Belters "Strip-Mining" the sites. Sadly, the site is about as corrupt as you can imagine and the best and most useful items are being lost to private collectors and private research labs wholesale. Koenig's Rock is a major sales point for the strip-miners which is at odds with the organised groups who like their cuts unadulterated.

KPRA. This is the local police and militia. Every faction (and more) are suborning its members to facilitate their own agenda. It's thus little more than a protection racket on tourists - except when something drastic happens. The recent raid has rubbed in this fact with unknown consequences at this time.

The background tensions include
LSP Vs Belters
LSP Vs Maas Industries (and other competitors)
Imperial Scouts (IISS) Vs LSP
Imperial Navy Vs Imperial Civil Administration

e.g Horvath is a renowned collector of Artifacts (presumably black-market), is working for the IISS on a commission to clean up the black market supply (a Law Enforcement post as part of the Subsector Admin), and is working for the LSP as a fixer (and thus plays both sides of the IISS Vs LSP divide!) while being famous for a callous disregard for work and workers (and the butt of a song exposing this created by Phoenix).

Ms Crozat is the leader of a family of Belters that has a near-monopoly over power-supply to Koenig's rock and is thus going to lose out if LSP take over unless she gains a seat in the LSP house when that happens. She's too old for that but her daughter may not be - nor are many others including the KRPA chief and those running the Rock's Catapult Sling to the smelter.

Ike recalled the objectives Ms. Crozat wanted the Brotherhood’s help with, and asked his director for direction.

1) LSP want to gain control over the port, the slingshot and the resources. The strike yesterday by "Anonymous Pirates" is a step towards denying access to those things to anyone not in LSP's pocket.

“Should we and can we make a strike against the pirates? Sabotage heir ships or equipment, take out their key personnel, etc.”

Identify LSP enemies, align their resources with ours to fortify port and slingshot.”

2) Tightening the Imperial Grip over the dig is another symptom of the big-bad-company imposing its will over the small-guy. If the cost of doing business is too high for the local execs, then the status-quo-ante is possible. So...I want the Brotherhood to make the cost too high.

“How can we weaken the Imperial involvement in the dig? Make the effort not worth the cost?”

3) Prove wrong doing and tie LSP in their own Imperial Regulations; Make a song and dance about that; Bring their miss-deeds into the light.

“We need cyber-hacking help in breaking into LSP systems and exposing their corruption. Inject viruses. Create false orders via communications. Disrupt supply and information lines?”

4) Their next step will be a safety audit, or some such. The KRPA will oppose that but they are compromised. I don't think you guys will roll over so easily. And if LSP start successfully charging us for "Protection" that will be the end of things here.

[BackworldTraveller]

Einar:

Striding towards Mr Firebrand he calls out

"Excuse me Mr Firebrand. Can you spare a moment?

I am Einar Svennsson my uncle told me to contact and offer my services to you. I did just leave a letter from him with your clerk.

Is there anything I can do to help at the moment."

Your Uncle is Haan Magnarsson? Sigur checks. With affirmation he continues Are you just looking for employment or are you here on some scheme of his?
He finishes fiddling with his computer and indicates you should accompany him
So they tell me that you were in the Patrol? If that is the case, you will be just what I need - Indeed, last night's chaos might help me pay you. you walk through the upper levels of the Rock following Sigur for a moment before he reveals I'm headed to a meeting of the Heads of the Families. My boss will be there, dangling his own power-play.
You won't be allowed in, but you'll be able to meet the second-tier players gathered outside. Get to know them as you'll find them everywhere in the next few days.

Someone on the inside here let those raiders into our computers. Not just the public net but the security one too. My boss wouldn't have left that obvious a trail - even though he wants the "LSP Station Head" title - but it will be some poor, useful idiot. The search for that traitor will make the whole KRPA useless for almost anything while everyone accuses everyone of being the mole.

What I want you to do is work out why the raiders picked their specific targets - what were the common factors on the ships they shot. The stolen ones too. If you are in, I can pay consultant's rates of Cr500 per day. Equipment at KPRA expense. And a tin-star for what that's worth here.

Is that common factor LSP? Or is there another player making LSP look bad (or is that look worse)? Something odd is going on because there are Sword Worlders and Darrians appearing all over the place asking about the dig and the IISS cleaning house there too and some big-wig from Maas is poking his nose in. Is this all related? If so, how?
When large scale politics is being played out, its places like the rock that get ground up by accident. I'm supposed to keep these people safe. Sometimes I wonder if they deserve it!

Anyway, are you in?

[BackworldTraveller]

Isaac C. Heinlein (Ike), security, mercenary

At Brotherhood headquarters, Ike talked with political minds sharper than his to try get a handle on what was going on...

LSP - Interstellar conglomerate. Seems to be contracted to provide ships and bases to the Imperial Navy...and Bowman is the nearest source of good metals. The other contractee is Maas Industries - a smaller group but with lower managerial overheads and with special deals with LSP in Bowman. However LSP is probably over-stretched if Maas' contacts are honoured. With the driver down, Maas can't pre-empt smelter capacity, and so LSP can both deliver on its side of the deal and prevent Maas doing so.

n.b. LSP sees LSP's interest as the Imperial interest. Maas disagrees and the Miners are mostly just trying to get the greatest margin possible. An LSP monopoly would be bad for them!

Anonymous Pirates. These are absolutely unconnected with LSP in any way. At all.

The Imperial Dig. The Scouts are investigating an old Darrian (TL-16 i.e. higher tech than the Imperium which is TL-12 to TL15) settlement. They have tried to tie up all the sites but keep having problems with Bowman Belters "Strip-Mining" the sites. Sadly, the site is about as corrupt as you can imagine and the best and most useful items are being lost to private collectors and private research labs wholesale. Koenig's Rock is a major sales point for the strip-miners which is at odds with the organised groups who like their cuts unadulterated.

KPRA. This is the local police and militia. Every faction (and more) are suborning its members to facilitate their own agenda. It's thus little more than a protection racket on tourists - except when something drastic happens. The recent raid has rubbed in this fact with unknown consequences at this time.

The background tensions include
LSP Vs Belters
LSP Vs Maas Industries (and other competitors)
Imperial Scouts (IISS) Vs LSP
Imperial Navy Vs Imperial Civil Administration

e.g Horvath is a renowned collector of Artifacts (presumably black-market), is working for the IISS on a commission to clean up the black market supply (a Law Enforcement post as part of the Subsector Admin), and is working for the LSP as a fixer (and thus plays both sides of the IISS Vs LSP divide!) while being famous for a callous disregard for work and workers (and the butt of a song exposing this created by Phoenix).

Ms Crozat is the leader of a family of Belters that has a near-monopoly over power-supply to Koenig's rock and is thus going to lose out if LSP take over unless she gains a seat in the LSP house when that happens. She's too old for that but her daughter may not be - nor are many others including the KRPA chief and those running the Rock's Catapult Sling to the smelter.

Ike recalled the objectives Ms. Crozat wanted the Brotherhood’s help with, and asked his director for direction.

1) LSP want to gain control over the port, the slingshot and the resources. The strike yesterday by "Anonymous Pirates" is a step towards denying access to those things to anyone not in LSP's pocket.

“Should we and can we make a strike against the pirates? Sabotage heir ships or equipment, take out their key personnel, etc.”

Identify LSP enemies, align their resources with ours to fortify port and slingshot.”

2) Tightening the Imperial Grip over the dig is another symptom of the big-bad-company imposing its will over the small-guy. If the cost of doing business is too high for the local execs, then the status-quo-ante is possible. So...I want the Brotherhood to make the cost too high.

“How can we weaken the Imperial involvement in the dig? Make the effort not worth the cost?”

3) Prove wrong doing and tie LSP in their own Imperial Regulations; Make a song and dance about that; Bring their miss-deeds into the light.

“We need cyber-hacking help in breaking into LSP systems and exposing their corruption. Inject viruses. Create false orders via communications. Disrupt supply and information lines?”

4) Their next step will be a safety audit, or some such. The KRPA will oppose that but they are compromised. I don't think you guys will roll over so easily. And if LSP start successfully charging us for "Protection" that will be the end of things here.

Boronu suggests that you meet him at the Town Hall. There's a heads-of-family meeting there - we can find somewhere to sit down and discuss the issue. Getting tangled in internal rock politics can be detrimental. Tangling directly with LSP doubly so.

You used to work with the new Maas guy? Lets see what his take is on this because a Maas/LSP alliance or Maas/LSP war is going to affect everyone. The KPRA's about to eat itself, I've heard, looking for whoever let the Raiders into the rock security computers. Hortalez will be out of pocket because they backed the KPRA's "damage-insurance" protection scheme. Maybe we can get leverage there? Oh for the simple days of bodyguarding rich miners until they went broke!

[BackworldTraveller]

Nehnya

OK - We've got the KRPA looking at the mess at the minute - 'til they are done, all we're doing is sweeping round the edges. Your first job: Day Rate Cr150. I need to know what the brokers have in powerplant spares. We had two Imperial Navy GP-built 1000dTon plants. Standard stuff, but big. The explosions have broken those and I'm guessing its been done so it will take weeks to get what we need to fix them with like-for-like stuff. So I'm needing to improvise. Search round - report back here 08:00 tomorrow with a list. You can do that?

I can certainly do that. I am not familiar with your Imperial Navy designs, but as they are the local standard, that will not matter. I may access the available data on these units? I am sure they are quite simple, being military, and Imperial. (She makes the term Imperial sound like a synonym for antiquated) A list of the station brokers would speed the task. This is my first visit.

While we are speaking, may I ask, who is responsible for security here? I know they will be as busy as you, but it would be sensible to establish my bona fides with them. After all, I am a newly arrived foreigner, about to ask about the availability of spares for your sabotaged plant. I do not want to distract them. Or be interrogated.

Nehnya will use the station's, and her own, database to check the specifications of the plant, the locations of any dealers, and plan an itinerary for a tour of them.

The area around the town hall is filling up as there seems to be something going on in the main chamber. Sat to one side with her computer (Roll:10+1(Computers)+2(EDU)=13), she comes up with three salvage operations on the Rock - two little more than holding areas of specific wrecks found by specific belters and one more sophisticated operation run by the Rock's Vargr. There is a wider selection of businesses near the starport - but that is a long trip. The main issue is that the system doesn't really have many big power units...The Rock, The LSP stations and the Starport. The Rock's plant is actually physically larger than most ships in the system!

[ateno]

"Mr. Heinlein, I would like to play for the wounded, if that's alright, can I meet you at this meeting later? Or would you prefer for me to stay with you?

Phoenix

[dongriffiths]

Your Uncle is Haan Magnarsson? Sigur checks. With affirmation he continues Are you just looking for employment or are you here on some scheme of his?
He finishes fiddling with his computer and indicates you should accompany him
So they tell me that you were in the Patrol? If that is the case, you will be just what I need - Indeed, last night's chaos might help me pay you. you walk through the upper levels of the Rock following Sigur for a moment before he reveals I'm headed to a meeting of the Heads of the Families. My boss will be there, dangling his own power-play.
You won't be allowed in, but you'll be able to meet the second-tier players gathered outside. Get to know them as you'll find them everywhere in the next few days.

Someone on the inside here let those raiders into our computers. Not just the public net but the security one too. My boss wouldn't have left that obvious a trail - even though he wants the "LSP Station Head" title - but it will be some poor, useful idiot. The search for that traitor will make the whole KRPA useless for almost anything while everyone accuses everyone of being the mole.

What I want you to do is work out why the raiders picked their specific targets - what were the common factors on the ships they shot. The stolen ones too. If you are in, I can pay consultant's rates of Cr500 per day. Equipment at KPRA expense. And a tin-star for what that's worth here.

Is that common factor LSP? Or is there another player making LSP look bad (or is that look worse)? Something odd is going on because there are Sword Worlders and Darrians appearing all over the place asking about the dig and the IISS cleaning house there too and some big-wig from Maas is poking his nose in. Is this all related? If so, how?
When large scale politics is being played out, its places like the rock that get ground up by accident. I'm supposed to keep these people safe. Sometimes I wonder if they deserve it!

Anyway, are you in?

Yes sir, he's my uncle and I'm looking for a job, nothing to do with any of my uncles plans.

If you'll have me I'm in. Please lead on.

Einar shoulders his duffel and falls in behind.

[Hvalreki]

Solomon Tukera



As the Maas executive team ponder what to do next, Solomon watches a newscam from his neural feed showing people gathering at the town hall.

"Ok team, new plan. There seems to be some kind of town meeting happening. Maas should be represented so let's get ourselves there expeditiously. Keep your vacc gear on but helmets slung, oh and no heavy weapons. We don't want to alarm local security."

He sets off at a brisk walk towards the Town Hall, his security team fanning out to form a cordon around them.

Sol's entourage:
Odo Maas
Willem Loken
Agustino Thrape
Shore Kaguki
"Morning Shift" body guard

[Grognardsw]

Isaac C. Heinlein (Ike), security, mercenary

“I will see you then Boronu at the Town Hall for the heads-of-family meeting,” Ike said.

"Mr. Heinlein, I would like to play for the wounded, if that's alright, can I meet you at this meeting later? Or would you prefer for me to stay with you?

Phoenix

“Sure, I think with the concert over our security contract is technically completed. I’ll see you later,” Ike said to Phoenix.

[ateno]

Phoenix goes to the social worker office and asks where she can go to play for the wounded.

"I did not make a appointment, but I am hoping I can help? I will play at lunch time in the cafeteria also."

Phoenix

[BackworldTraveller]

Phoenix fame has preceded her - and the fact that Ms Crozat has appreciated her visit. She gets an opportunity to look around the various wards of the hospital. For a backwater dump of a rock, the facilities are surprisingly high-quality - if short of consumables. "Donated by..." and "Opened in memory of..." plaques suggest the source of the funds wasn't local. Someone has seriously rich contacts somewhere.

The patients are split into two groups - those there for general issues with living and the one or two that were brought down from the Arena. To her surprise, she recognises one of the injured in a Medical Berth as her very own holographic technician! (Ramona Stiggisdottir was at the back of the venue when the gravity went and got caught by equipment falling sideways) She's not going to appreciate her singing as she's clearly healing on medical-slow and in the associated induced coma. How she's afforded this treatment is not clear.

As phoenix progresses about the Hospital, Helen (Phoenix's bodyguard) notes that her presence is causing the hospital's functioning to grind to a halt. Staff and Patients are asking for Autographs, Songs, etc. making bottlenecks and distractions and traffic jams.

Are you looking for any particular contacts or information or just taking the temperature or just cheering up the patients and staff?

[BackworldTraveller]

The majority of the group all find themselves gathered outside the town hall's main conference suite with the various families' aides, guards and sycophants. The room is occupied by the family representatives only. Two tough looking belter militia from the KRPA guard the door and are very picky about who gets in. The room is mostly filled with Belters - the style of dress reveals their local origin. Conspicuous by their absence are the major traders from the big corporations (Maas excepted).

Solomon is recognised and approached by a neat administrator type

Sir Solomon, I'm sorry but this first part of the meeting is closed to all but the family heads. Rather than wait in this crush, would you prefer to accompany me to the Ishi Plaza and we can wait there until the family heads are ready to receive presentations from the Corporations and Imperial representatives? The nature of this emergency has rather precluded a formal agenda so I cannot guarantee the time for that.

[ateno]

<Snip>
As phoenix progresses about the Hospital, Helen (Phoenix's bodyguard) notes that her presence is causing the hospital's functioning to grind to a halt. Staff and Patients are asking for Autographs, Songs, etc. making bottlenecks and distractions and traffic jams.

Are you looking for any particular contacts or information or just taking the temperature or just cheering up the patients and staff?

I am listening to local gossip and 'taking the temperature.

Phoenix will have a selfie taken with Ramona Stiggisdottir and send it to her so she can see it when she wakes.

"Alright everyone thank you, I will be in the cafeteria about 11:30 local and play a short set, in the mean time I need to set up a broadcast so everyone can hear it. Helen, lets go to the office."

I know we don't have a office, just a cue to leave and don't have people follow.

We head back to the Social workers office and ask if any of our other crew is in the hospital. And ask if she sets up a broad cast, would it be a problem? Then Phoenix will stop by each of any crew then, 'at a run'.

Phoenix

[BackworldTraveller]

Nehnya takes her list and starts heading around the Rock looking for the items on her list - or alternatives.

I'm interested in what options you might be looking at and how your engineering skill might be helping/hindering that!

She quickly discovers that there is a major issue with the main airlock which makes accessing the outside tricky - but she manages to work around that and (using the paperwork request) gets access to the outside via the personnel lock at the top of the settlement.

She quickly discovers that there really aren't many direct spares available. She also discovers that the port is basically offering ship repair services by scavenging retired/scrapped/stolen parts and thus what is available is open for discussion, but the source of the parts is never mentioned. What you see is what you get. A maintenance history is an unexpected bonus.

Outside the rock, the KRPA and port personnel are tidying up from the attack.

If interested, a Recon roll - and/or some form of inter-personal skill roll - will get further information but may attract unwanted attention from security

[Grognardsw]

Isaac C. Heinlein (Ike), security, mercenary

The majority of the group all find themselves gathered outside the town hall's main conference suite with the various families' aides, guards and sycophants. The room is occupied by the family representatives only. Two tough looking belter militia from the KRPA guard the door and are very picky about who gets in. The room is mostly filled with Belters - the style of dress reveals their local origin. Conspicuous by their absence are the major traders from the big corporations (Maas excepted).

Solomon is recognised and approached by a neat administrator type

Sir Solomon, I'm sorry but this first part of the meeting is closed to all but the family heads. Rather than wait in this crush, would you prefer to accompany me to the Ishi Plaza and we can wait there until the family heads are ready to receive presentations from the Corporations and Imperial representatives? The nature of this emergency has rather precluded a formal agenda so I cannot guarantee the time for that.

Waiting in the room with the others, Ike saw Soloman Tukera, his old service buddy from the Karin missions. He was talking to an administrator.

“Sol! How have you been? Involved in all this? What’s the latest?”