Orbit
Arcturus III-a, Arcturus system
09 April 2331
Adam manned the Comms station and began scanning for wrecks around the northern pole of the moon. It seemed like a thankless task, but Adam persevered knowing that there was definitely something down there, at least according to the engineer at the Xalor landing pad.
It took a solid 60 minutes to find it but Adam did indeed spot the wreck. It was a Heavy Frigate, about as large as a warship could be without prompting the UC Navy to perform its own salvage operation. The armor was scarred and punctured in several places but the fuselage hadn't broken apart on impact with the surface so it seemed reasonable that there would be some decent salvage aboard.
Naruhiko, find a decent spot to cut into the hull and attach the Boarding Tubes.
Yes, Captain.
Hail me on personal comms when you're ready. I'm suiting up. Oh, and sound general quarters. I'm not expecting trouble but better to have everyone ready if an emergency arises.
Aye, aye.
Adam put his Powered Armor on and attached a Laser Pistol. He decided to downgrade his weaponry in order to be able to carry more. Once Naru was in place, he gave the order and waited for the boarding tube's lasers to cut a hole into the wreck's hull.
Entering a three-way hallway, Adam chose to go 'west', walked to the end, and peeked through the bulkhead door's window. The room beyond was entirely full of a hazy golden liquid. Adam guessed it was fuel of some sort. He toyed with the idea of opening it and letting the room drain but the door was completely stuck. He got back on the comms.
Naru, you have some experience here. What do you think?
You could cut the door open but if that's fuel on the other side, you will almost definitely ignite it, at which point you're a dead man. I would prefer to be far away when that happens.
Understood and agreed. We'll go elsewhere.
Adam returned to the hallway nexus and went 'north'. The next room was a storage facility full of foot locker-sized boxes. Adam pried one open to find UC survival gear. Looked like a nice haul, they were all in pristine condition. In zero-G conditions, Adam was able to able to float several boxes of the gear back to the airlock and transfer them back to the Courser.
No spare parts yet but that looks like some decent credits.
Once the Gear was loaded and the airlock resealed, Adam headed 'east' down the final unexplored hallway. The room was full of computer terminals, all of them blown out or destroyed. Adam took a few minutes to salvage any tools, wires, or chips he could put to use, then moved on.
This room was centrally located within the ship and had four exits. Adam went 'south'. Another room full of supplies, but fire had burned everything to ash, or so it appeared. Adam poked around to see if anything survived the fire. He found a small tank of air, which he knew the UC Navy kept on ships in case of unexpected decompression. He hooked it to his belt, connected it to his suit's internal systems, and kept moving.
Only one direction to go from this room so Adam continued 'south'. It looked like officer's quarters. Adam nosed around, figuring if the ship went down in combat, unlikely anyone was coming back here for personal effects. One of the desks had been cracked open by fallen debris, saving Adam the trouble of picking the locks. There were several bulky boxes of dark metal. Adam opened one up. Oh, ho, what's this doing here? These were Akilan Star Diamonds. Only found on Cheyenne, Adam could think of only one reason why these would be on a UC Navy ship.
Spoils of war. Oh well, to the eventual victor, meaning me, go the spoils.
Adam grabbed as many as he could comfortably carry and resolved to come back for the rest. There was another room adjacent to this one, to the 'east'. Adam was about to open the door when he heard a faint hissing sound. There was a vent above the door spraying some sort of gas, he couldn't tell what it was from inside his suit. He looked through the door's window into the next room. Wires hung down from the ceiling, sparking even now. Hmm, sparks plus gas probably equals explosion. Adam took the time to find the leak behind the vent and sealed it before opening the door. The room had a number of officer's bunks but Adam found nothing more of value.
Adam moved back to the airlock and dropped off the boxes of exotic gems. He moved back to the centrally located room and headed 'north'. Around that time, the oxygen in the portable tank he had scavenged ran out so he unplugged it, switching back to internal air, and dropped the tank. The room was unremarkable, full of pipes and gauges, but he could hear a faint voice. Was someone still here on the ship? A chill ran down his spine but Adam dismissed the idea and began looking for the source of the sounds. It took a while but he found a data slate playing on a loop. No ghosts here! Unfortunately, it was only after he found the slate that he realized he had improperly secured the oxygen hose on his suit. He had lost some air, not a lot but enough to keep an eye on.
Adam moved 'east' and found what he was looking for. Spare parts galore! This must be the Engineering area. Adam grabbed what he needed and contemplated heading straight back to the Courser but decided the wreck was in good enough shape, there might be more of value. He resolved to keep looking.
He moved 'south' and found another storage locker full of gear and equipment. He grabbed some easy-to-carry tools and kept moving 'east'. The next room had been smashed up, probably by the rough landing. There was a possible path through the debris, but Adam would have to widen it and he worried that in doing so, he would cause it all to collapse. He decided to leave things as is and explore somewhere else.
Instead, he moved 'north' and found the ship's infirmary. There were a lot of medical supplies left intact. It made Adam think the ship wasn't in a battle for long. No bodies, lots of unused medical supplies. They must have crashed with all hands abandoning ship safely. Adam noted the location and kept moving. Another spot to return to if he had time.
In another part of the infirmary to the 'north', Adam found a recharge port for the portable air tanks on the ship. Good timing, too, as his internal tank was getting low. He was able to top off his suit's tank and keep moving.
And was he glad he did! Just to the 'west' of the infirmary was the engine room. And guess what he found, in pristine condition? A drive-2 spike drive! This was amazing luck! Normally, it would be a huge pain in the ass to take this out, seeing as how it was centrally located in the middle of the ship, but much easier in zero-G. Adam radioed back to the Courser the good news and asked Olga to put on a vacc suit and come over to help, giving her instructions on how to navigate to his location so she wouldn't get stuck along the way. With her assistance, he was able to remove the drive and float it over to the airlock.
Adam could barely contain his excitement but he had to loot a little more before leaving. After loading up the drive, Adam made two more trips back to the wreck, to collect more of the exotic gems and the medical supplies. Only then did they retract the boarding tubes and take off to head back to the pirate ship.
09 - Top Gun
Re: 09 - Top Gun
Abandoned Cryo Lab
Arcturus II, Arcturus system
11 April 2331
As they were flying the Courser back to the location of the pirate ship, Adam realized he had made a crucial mistake. Flying a Patrol Boat generally required a crew of 5. Even if he went with a skeleton crew of 3 crew, one of the two ships wouldn't even have that many people. He would have to recruit a new crewmember before they left the system. There were a few settlements on the planet; it shouldn't be that much of an issue.
Adam breathed a sigh of relief when they returned to the Cryo Lab and found the pirate ship still there, intact. He did a quick sweep of the ship after arrival, to ensure no one was hiding out inside, and then he and the crew got to work.
I am making the ruling that I don't need spare parts because I can salvage what I need from the old Drive-1 when installing the Drive-2. It will still count as jury-rigged. "A disabled system can be jury-rigged back to functionality for one tenth the system’s cost and one day’s work per 25,000 credits so spent." A Drive-2 upgrade costs 100,000 cr so the jury-rig will take 1 day.
Abandoned Cryo Lab
Arcturus II, Arcturus system
12 April 2331
The next day, Adam was ready to test out his new ship. He carefully activated all systems and then powered up the Spike Drive. All systems normal. Whew, we did it right!
He was impressed by the capabilities of the Survey Sensor Array. Quite powerful. Wait, what's this? An extra cargo bay?
Olga, did you find a second cargo bay?
A... second bay? No, nothing like that.
Do me a favor, head to the cargo bay but stop short of entering and see if you can find a switch to open a hatch in the floor.
Olga spent 10 minutes looking but found nothing. It was only when Esana, and then Adam himself, went down there and searched that they were able to discover the secret code pad, which took Adam another hour to hack and reprogram.
Olga let out a low whistle when they finally got it open, even though it was empty.
That is a smuggler's hold, Captain. Should be shielded from scans.
Hmmm, very interesting. I'm sure we can find a use for that at some point. How big, do you figure?
The crew conversed amongst themselves and the consensus was 2 tons of space. A good spot for low weight, high value cargo.
Ok, everyone, here's the plan. Naru and Olga are staying with the Courser. Naru, let's find a spot far away from the Lab for you to wait. Once we get there, button up and stay vigilant. If you run into any issues, take off and head straight for me. Esana, Kayla, and I are going to check out the settlements on the other side of the planet.
Why not go back to Xalor, Captain? They owe you a favor.
They do indeed but I'd like to avoid taking on any crew who follow orders from their god instead of their Captain. We'll find someone else.
Roger that.
Arcturus II, Arcturus system
11 April 2331
As they were flying the Courser back to the location of the pirate ship, Adam realized he had made a crucial mistake. Flying a Patrol Boat generally required a crew of 5. Even if he went with a skeleton crew of 3 crew, one of the two ships wouldn't even have that many people. He would have to recruit a new crewmember before they left the system. There were a few settlements on the planet; it shouldn't be that much of an issue.
Adam breathed a sigh of relief when they returned to the Cryo Lab and found the pirate ship still there, intact. He did a quick sweep of the ship after arrival, to ensure no one was hiding out inside, and then he and the crew got to work.
I am making the ruling that I don't need spare parts because I can salvage what I need from the old Drive-1 when installing the Drive-2. It will still count as jury-rigged. "A disabled system can be jury-rigged back to functionality for one tenth the system’s cost and one day’s work per 25,000 credits so spent." A Drive-2 upgrade costs 100,000 cr so the jury-rig will take 1 day.
Abandoned Cryo Lab
Arcturus II, Arcturus system
12 April 2331
The next day, Adam was ready to test out his new ship. He carefully activated all systems and then powered up the Spike Drive. All systems normal. Whew, we did it right!
He was impressed by the capabilities of the Survey Sensor Array. Quite powerful. Wait, what's this? An extra cargo bay?
Olga, did you find a second cargo bay?
A... second bay? No, nothing like that.
Do me a favor, head to the cargo bay but stop short of entering and see if you can find a switch to open a hatch in the floor.
Olga spent 10 minutes looking but found nothing. It was only when Esana, and then Adam himself, went down there and searched that they were able to discover the secret code pad, which took Adam another hour to hack and reprogram.
Olga let out a low whistle when they finally got it open, even though it was empty.
That is a smuggler's hold, Captain. Should be shielded from scans.
Hmmm, very interesting. I'm sure we can find a use for that at some point. How big, do you figure?
The crew conversed amongst themselves and the consensus was 2 tons of space. A good spot for low weight, high value cargo.
Ok, everyone, here's the plan. Naru and Olga are staying with the Courser. Naru, let's find a spot far away from the Lab for you to wait. Once we get there, button up and stay vigilant. If you run into any issues, take off and head straight for me. Esana, Kayla, and I are going to check out the settlements on the other side of the planet.
Why not go back to Xalor, Captain? They owe you a favor.
They do indeed but I'd like to avoid taking on any crew who follow orders from their god instead of their Captain. We'll find someone else.
Roger that.
Re: 09 - Top Gun
: 5#1d100 90 10 65 84 59
: 5#1d100 10 83 32 66 83
: 5#1d100 40 79 80 3 39
Weathered, Friendly, Hunter
Aged, Unfriendly, Scout
Scarred, Indifferent, Scout
Uncanny, Desperate, AI
Plain, Unfriendly, Hunter
What the hell, let's roll up an AI NPC! Or a VI, as they call it in SWN. A Virtual Intelligence. As always, I will skip the Unfriendly ones. I'll take the Friendly Hunter and the Indifferent Scout as well. I need bodies. This will get me to Adam plus seven crew, which means I can put 5 on the Patrol Boat and 3 on the Courser.
Let's name the new ship, while we're at it. We'll roll with Adam's callsign, Monarch, and name her Queen of the Void.
: 5#1d100 10 83 32 66 83
: 5#1d100 40 79 80 3 39
Weathered, Friendly, Hunter
Aged, Unfriendly, Scout
Scarred, Indifferent, Scout
Uncanny, Desperate, AI
Plain, Unfriendly, Hunter
What the hell, let's roll up an AI NPC! Or a VI, as they call it in SWN. A Virtual Intelligence. As always, I will skip the Unfriendly ones. I'll take the Friendly Hunter and the Indifferent Scout as well. I need bodies. This will get me to Adam plus seven crew, which means I can put 5 on the Patrol Boat and 3 on the Courser.
Let's name the new ship, while we're at it. We'll roll with Adam's callsign, Monarch, and name her Queen of the Void.
Re: 09 - Top Gun
Rolled on my Procedural Tables Excel sheet:
Leaving the Arcturus system - Ship Encounter (Frontier) is a Mining Derrick 600.
Ship reaction - Debris and wreckage from the rolled ship
I'll just say the Mining Derrick is actively mining an asteroid and small pieces of rock are flying everywhere so we give it a wide berth.
The drill from Arcturus to Cheyenne is unremarkable. We'll assume the Queen of the Void's rutter is up to date for that route, at least.
Ship Encounter once we arrive in Cheyenne - funnily enough, another Mining Derrick 600, even though I rolled on the Ship Encounter (Major) table this time.
Ship reaction - Requires help with repair, please!
Ship malfunction - Inertial compensators failing.
Leaving the Arcturus system - Ship Encounter (Frontier) is a Mining Derrick 600.
Ship reaction - Debris and wreckage from the rolled ship
I'll just say the Mining Derrick is actively mining an asteroid and small pieces of rock are flying everywhere so we give it a wide berth.
The drill from Arcturus to Cheyenne is unremarkable. We'll assume the Queen of the Void's rutter is up to date for that route, at least.
Ship Encounter once we arrive in Cheyenne - funnily enough, another Mining Derrick 600, even though I rolled on the Ship Encounter (Major) table this time.
Ship reaction - Requires help with repair, please!
Ship malfunction - Inertial compensators failing.
Re: 09 - Top Gun
Loyal Hollow
Arcturus II, Arcturus system
12 April 2331
On the other side of Arcturus II, there are a number of towns relatively close by each other. Some are farm towns, others mining towns, but the largest one is a centrally located transportation hub called Loyal Hollow. It's got a sizable spaceport so Adam heads there first. Loyal Hollow is interesting in that almost every building has a globe-like structure on its roof. Adam later learns that there are issues with chemicals in the local water, so when they first built the town, all the inhabitants needed their own tanks of filtered water.
Adam chats up the ground crew at the spaceport and finds there are three places to look for new hires: the Old Gang is here in the Spaceport District, while the Crimson Cartel and New Koga Saloon are in Cratertown. Adam orders the crew to refuel both ships while he does some recruiting.
At the Old Gang, he meets Akintola Soyinka. Akintola has leathery skin, and lines around his eyes that somehow make him seem wise, not old. He caught a ride to Arcturus chasing a bounty which he was unable to track down and now he's sorting out how to get the credits to head back to the UC. He and Adam hit it off, sharing a few bounty hunter stories (Akintola has many more than Adam does, so Adam mostly listens) and when Adam offers him a job, Akintola happily accepts. Adam walks back to the Queen of the Void and introduces Akintola to the others, then heads to Cratertown.
Adam comes across the Crimson Cartel next and checks it out. His eye is drawn to a beautiful woman with long black hair draped across half of her face. He offers to buy her a drink and strikes up a conversation. Adam learns that Helena Vasiliadis is a Professor of Archeology at New Atlantis University. She's been out here on the fringes of FC space looking for evidence of alien ruins. Unfortunately, she hasn't yet found any and her grant money from MAST (Military, Administrative, and Scientific Triumvirate; the council that runs the UC) has almost run out. She seems confident that something will come through soon but Adam is smitten by Helena, finding her one of the most interesting (and attractive) people he's ever met, and he talks her into joining his crew for a time. She's unconvinced until he mentions the Survey Sensor Array on the Queen of the Void and suggests that maybe they could find some time to look for more evidence of aliens. This seals the deal for her.
Helena tags along with Adam as he heads to the final stop: New Koga Saloon. As they arrive, a pair of burly men are throwing a young woman out onto the street! They attempt to toss her to the ground but she plants her feet and they can barely move her. They end up shoving her away roughly, muttering something about 'her kind' not being wanted there.
Adam rushes over to the woman. Are you ok?
I am uninjured, yes. Thank you for your concern.
Why were they tossing you out? I feel like a place called New Koga would be welcoming to someone of your, you know, ancestry.
That is entirely the problem. I have no ancestry. I am, well, I am not human at all.
Adam chuckles... and then realizes the woman is serious. I'm afraid I don't understand.
I am an android.
Adam does a double take. That's amazing. You look perfectly human to me.
The people on this planet feel the same way until I tell them my true origin. After that, they are not as friendly as you. They see me as a spy or think I'm programmed to receive a coded message one day and kill everyone.
I see. Well, humans can be quite fearful of the unknown.
Thank you for not fearing me.
Hmm, I've got an proposition for you. Let me lay my cards on the table.
Lay your cards? You wish to play a game?
Uh, no, that's just a figure of speech. It means, let me cut to the chase.
You wish to chase me? The woman looked even more confused.
I'm sorry, let me speak plainly. I need some new crew members. Would you be interested in joining me?
Crew members? You own a ship?
Yes, two of them actually. You'd have to leave Arcturus II with me though. Not forever, but I travel across the Settled Systems. We might not be back here for months, or even years.
Your crew, are they fearful of the unknown?
No, we have people from all walks of life. They will get along just fine with you.
This suits me. I accept.
Excellent! What is your name?
I am called Mayumi Abe.
Mayumi, I am Adam and this is Helena. Welcome to the team.
The team? I thought I was joining your crew.
Yes, you are, the team is another way of saying the crew. Ok, I see you're a very literal person, Mayumi. I will work on being clearer.
I backed the Kickstarter for The Perilous Void so I used that to do some quick development of a town.
Special feature was Novel Architecture.
Five districts: Transit, Residential, Mixed, Transit again, and Municipal. We'll say one Transit district is for spaceships, the other for local traffic.
Also randomly rolled the names for the town and the three watering holes.
Arcturus II, Arcturus system
12 April 2331
On the other side of Arcturus II, there are a number of towns relatively close by each other. Some are farm towns, others mining towns, but the largest one is a centrally located transportation hub called Loyal Hollow. It's got a sizable spaceport so Adam heads there first. Loyal Hollow is interesting in that almost every building has a globe-like structure on its roof. Adam later learns that there are issues with chemicals in the local water, so when they first built the town, all the inhabitants needed their own tanks of filtered water.
Adam chats up the ground crew at the spaceport and finds there are three places to look for new hires: the Old Gang is here in the Spaceport District, while the Crimson Cartel and New Koga Saloon are in Cratertown. Adam orders the crew to refuel both ships while he does some recruiting.
At the Old Gang, he meets Akintola Soyinka. Akintola has leathery skin, and lines around his eyes that somehow make him seem wise, not old. He caught a ride to Arcturus chasing a bounty which he was unable to track down and now he's sorting out how to get the credits to head back to the UC. He and Adam hit it off, sharing a few bounty hunter stories (Akintola has many more than Adam does, so Adam mostly listens) and when Adam offers him a job, Akintola happily accepts. Adam walks back to the Queen of the Void and introduces Akintola to the others, then heads to Cratertown.
Adam comes across the Crimson Cartel next and checks it out. His eye is drawn to a beautiful woman with long black hair draped across half of her face. He offers to buy her a drink and strikes up a conversation. Adam learns that Helena Vasiliadis is a Professor of Archeology at New Atlantis University. She's been out here on the fringes of FC space looking for evidence of alien ruins. Unfortunately, she hasn't yet found any and her grant money from MAST (Military, Administrative, and Scientific Triumvirate; the council that runs the UC) has almost run out. She seems confident that something will come through soon but Adam is smitten by Helena, finding her one of the most interesting (and attractive) people he's ever met, and he talks her into joining his crew for a time. She's unconvinced until he mentions the Survey Sensor Array on the Queen of the Void and suggests that maybe they could find some time to look for more evidence of aliens. This seals the deal for her.
Helena tags along with Adam as he heads to the final stop: New Koga Saloon. As they arrive, a pair of burly men are throwing a young woman out onto the street! They attempt to toss her to the ground but she plants her feet and they can barely move her. They end up shoving her away roughly, muttering something about 'her kind' not being wanted there.
Adam rushes over to the woman. Are you ok?
I am uninjured, yes. Thank you for your concern.
Why were they tossing you out? I feel like a place called New Koga would be welcoming to someone of your, you know, ancestry.
That is entirely the problem. I have no ancestry. I am, well, I am not human at all.
Adam chuckles... and then realizes the woman is serious. I'm afraid I don't understand.
I am an android.
Adam does a double take. That's amazing. You look perfectly human to me.
The people on this planet feel the same way until I tell them my true origin. After that, they are not as friendly as you. They see me as a spy or think I'm programmed to receive a coded message one day and kill everyone.
I see. Well, humans can be quite fearful of the unknown.
Thank you for not fearing me.
Hmm, I've got an proposition for you. Let me lay my cards on the table.
Lay your cards? You wish to play a game?
Uh, no, that's just a figure of speech. It means, let me cut to the chase.
You wish to chase me? The woman looked even more confused.
I'm sorry, let me speak plainly. I need some new crew members. Would you be interested in joining me?
Crew members? You own a ship?
Yes, two of them actually. You'd have to leave Arcturus II with me though. Not forever, but I travel across the Settled Systems. We might not be back here for months, or even years.
Your crew, are they fearful of the unknown?
No, we have people from all walks of life. They will get along just fine with you.
This suits me. I accept.
Excellent! What is your name?
I am called Mayumi Abe.
Mayumi, I am Adam and this is Helena. Welcome to the team.
The team? I thought I was joining your crew.
Yes, you are, the team is another way of saying the crew. Ok, I see you're a very literal person, Mayumi. I will work on being clearer.
I backed the Kickstarter for The Perilous Void so I used that to do some quick development of a town.
Special feature was Novel Architecture.
Five districts: Transit, Residential, Mixed, Transit again, and Municipal. We'll say one Transit district is for spaceships, the other for local traffic.
Also randomly rolled the names for the town and the three watering holes.
Re: 09 - Top Gun
Transition zone
Arcturus system
15 April 2331
Having obtained three new crew members and topped off the fuel tanks on both ships, Adam was ready to head back to Akila City. He divided up the crew as follows:
Courser:
Only one event of note while they headed to the edge of the system: they passed a Mining Derrick that was drilling some asteroids for ore. It was generating a lot of flying debris and both ships had to adjust course to avoid any damage, which they did. On the way out, Adam checked the Queen's rutter to make sure the drill route from Arcturus to Cheyenne was up to date but it was new so no worries there.
Transition zone
Cheyenne system
21 April 2331
The spike drill was smooth as silk, and fortunately there were no other ships in the vicinity when the pair dropped in to the edge of the Cheyenne system. Adam was focused on piloting so he didn't get much of a chance to interact with the new members of his crew. He gathered that they all got along great, helped along by Kayla's charisma and positive personality. Adam checked in with the Courser, who reported no incidents. Esana sent him a private note, saying it wasn't important or worrisome right now but he wanted to chat with Adam once they landed. Adam's curiosity was piqued but he filed it away for later.
On the way into Akila, they did run into a ship having technical difficulties. It was another Mining Derrick, coincidentally.
Hailing passing ships, this is the Mining Derrick Voyager. Declaring an emergency and requesting assistance.
Voyager, this is Captain Wood of the Queen of the Void. What's your emergency?
Copy, Queen of the Void, this is Captain Rotman. Our inertial compensators are failing. Once they go, it'll take us weeks to get into port. Do you have any spare parts on board?
Adam had used scavenged parts from the Queen's old spike drive so he didn't have any spare parts.
Negative, Captain, but I am an engineer. I'd be happy to take a look. Otherwise, I can pick up some from Akila City and bring back to you.
Either would be welcome, Captain Wood. Much obliged.
Roger that. Let me bring her around to dock.
Adam contacted Naru and told him to hold position while he boarded the Voyager. Adam gave repairs a valiant try but the Voyager's captain was right; they needed some spare parts.
Fix check vs DC 10: 2d6+2 8 Decent roll but not going to cut it vs DC 10.
Thanks for trying, said Captain Rotman. We don't have any other ships in system currently but our HQ is on Akila so you can get spare parts from them. They will also pay you for the service.
Music to my ears, Captain. Hold tight for a couple days and we'll be back.
Once Adam got back to the Queen and resumed their flight to Akila City, Mayumi questioned him.
Captain, why did you stop to help that ship? Did you know their Captain?
No, Mayumi, but there's a code among ship captains that you help when you can, and others will help you when you need it.
A code? Was their captain a computer?
Adam smiled and sighed. No, Mayumi. It's more of an unwritten agreement among captains. You don't have to help others if you don't want to, but odds are you will need the help somewhere down the line, so why tempt fate?
Mayumi opened her mouth to ask another question but Adam stopped her.
Yes, I know, 'fate' is another complicated concept. We'll talk more about that over dinner.
I forgot to roll for Onboard Events during the drill.
For the Courser, I got "Crewman has affair with passenger." There aren't any passengers on the Courser but I am reminded of the NPC Relationship Table rolls I made a while back. Olga was 'Married couple' and Naruhiko was 'Secretly jealous'. I think I'll say that Olga and Naruhiko are a couple now and Naru gets jealous whenever Adam asks Olga for help.
For the Queen of the Void, I got "Typical trip, with highs and lows". I want to keep the game moving so I'm not going to expand on that right now.
Arcturus system
15 April 2331
Having obtained three new crew members and topped off the fuel tanks on both ships, Adam was ready to head back to Akila City. He divided up the crew as follows:
Courser:
- Naruhiko
- Olga
- Esana
- Adam
- Kayla
- Mayumi
- Akintola
- Helena
Only one event of note while they headed to the edge of the system: they passed a Mining Derrick that was drilling some asteroids for ore. It was generating a lot of flying debris and both ships had to adjust course to avoid any damage, which they did. On the way out, Adam checked the Queen's rutter to make sure the drill route from Arcturus to Cheyenne was up to date but it was new so no worries there.
Transition zone
Cheyenne system
21 April 2331
The spike drill was smooth as silk, and fortunately there were no other ships in the vicinity when the pair dropped in to the edge of the Cheyenne system. Adam was focused on piloting so he didn't get much of a chance to interact with the new members of his crew. He gathered that they all got along great, helped along by Kayla's charisma and positive personality. Adam checked in with the Courser, who reported no incidents. Esana sent him a private note, saying it wasn't important or worrisome right now but he wanted to chat with Adam once they landed. Adam's curiosity was piqued but he filed it away for later.
On the way into Akila, they did run into a ship having technical difficulties. It was another Mining Derrick, coincidentally.
Hailing passing ships, this is the Mining Derrick Voyager. Declaring an emergency and requesting assistance.
Voyager, this is Captain Wood of the Queen of the Void. What's your emergency?
Copy, Queen of the Void, this is Captain Rotman. Our inertial compensators are failing. Once they go, it'll take us weeks to get into port. Do you have any spare parts on board?
Adam had used scavenged parts from the Queen's old spike drive so he didn't have any spare parts.
Negative, Captain, but I am an engineer. I'd be happy to take a look. Otherwise, I can pick up some from Akila City and bring back to you.
Either would be welcome, Captain Wood. Much obliged.
Roger that. Let me bring her around to dock.
Adam contacted Naru and told him to hold position while he boarded the Voyager. Adam gave repairs a valiant try but the Voyager's captain was right; they needed some spare parts.
Fix check vs DC 10: 2d6+2 8 Decent roll but not going to cut it vs DC 10.
Thanks for trying, said Captain Rotman. We don't have any other ships in system currently but our HQ is on Akila so you can get spare parts from them. They will also pay you for the service.
Music to my ears, Captain. Hold tight for a couple days and we'll be back.
Once Adam got back to the Queen and resumed their flight to Akila City, Mayumi questioned him.
Captain, why did you stop to help that ship? Did you know their Captain?
No, Mayumi, but there's a code among ship captains that you help when you can, and others will help you when you need it.
A code? Was their captain a computer?
Adam smiled and sighed. No, Mayumi. It's more of an unwritten agreement among captains. You don't have to help others if you don't want to, but odds are you will need the help somewhere down the line, so why tempt fate?
Mayumi opened her mouth to ask another question but Adam stopped her.
Yes, I know, 'fate' is another complicated concept. We'll talk more about that over dinner.
I forgot to roll for Onboard Events during the drill.
For the Courser, I got "Crewman has affair with passenger." There aren't any passengers on the Courser but I am reminded of the NPC Relationship Table rolls I made a while back. Olga was 'Married couple' and Naruhiko was 'Secretly jealous'. I think I'll say that Olga and Naruhiko are a couple now and Naru gets jealous whenever Adam asks Olga for help.
For the Queen of the Void, I got "Typical trip, with highs and lows". I want to keep the game moving so I'm not going to expand on that right now.
Re: 09 - Top Gun
Akila City
Akila, Cheyenne system
23 April 2331
As they approached Akila, Adam thought about his plan to head to Sol system to sell the aluminum they had taken from the Queen. He decided that 20 tons of aluminum wasn't likely to bring back a huge profit and wasn't worth going that far out of his way. He would just sell it on Akila and take whatever he got. It's not like he bought them in the first place!
Adam also had a number of chores to attend to:
Adam first visited Akila City's Ship Services Technician and got the Queen in line for repairs. The Lead Tech told Adam it would take a day to complete the installation.
Next, he paid a visit to Judy. Adam was pleasantly surprised to find her hosting a VP at GalBank and discussing plans for Monarch Industries to match a donation to a local charity. Once she was finished with the VP, Adam sat down with her to discuss next steps.
Hey boss, how did the bounty hunt turn out?
Good but Judy, first things first. I've decided not to take the aluminum to Sol system. Turns out it was only 20 tons so not enough of a profit there to warrant the trip.
Yes, I agree. So you'd like to sell it here?
Yeah, I doubt we'll get anything for it but I want to clear the Courser's cargo hold.
Actually... Judy taps a few times on her keyboard. I was out to dinner last week and overheard a conversation with a couple of execs at Laredo Firearms. They were talking about some issues with piracy causing delays all along their supply chain. I bet if we step in with some timely aluminum deliveries, we can clear a nice profit.
Fantastic! I am impressed, Judy.
Thank you Adam, uh, I mean boss.
Adam will do, Judy. Now, the next job I have for you will require some very careful outreach.
Got it. What are we talking about?
Remember how Ryujin was the owner of that Abandoned Cryo Lab? I found some evidence in there that would be fairly harmful to Ryujin's reputation if word got out.
Oooh! A bit of blackmail, eh?
Actually, no. I don't feel like dealing with Ryujin spies taking revenge on us just as we're getting started. So rather than sell it to one of their rivals, I'd prefer to sell it back to them. For a small finder's fee, of course.
Judy nods vigorously. Fully agree, boss, I mean Adam. I will see if I can make a contact in Ryujin for you.
Great. Oh, and when you're off work tonight, come find me at the spaceport. I'd like to introduce you to the new crew members... and the new addition to Monarch's fleet: the Queen of the Void.
Wow, you did it! Congratulations, Adam!
Thanks. Celebrations are in order, for sure. Oh, that reminds me. You will have some more work to do later this week. I had to raid an old UC Navy derelict to get a new Spike Drive for the Queen and I found some more loot in the process. I have some Survival Gear, Medical Supplies, and Akilan Star Diamonds for you to sell. No rush.
Damn, I guess you were busy.
I looked more closely at the Suns of Gold rules and I think I understand Friction better now. The GM is supposed to determine it for each planet. Since the Freestar Collective is supposed to be all about libertarianism, we'll assume the Friction is low in Akila City. Call it a 2.
Next, it's time to see if my investment in a Friendship Society was worth the credits. I'm supposed to roll CHR (Connect) against DC 9. I have no CHR bonus and Connect-0 so not looking good.
Connect vs DC 9: 2d6 10 Hey, it worked! Cool, now Friction is reduced to 1.
Now I roll 3d6, and my +1 INT is cancelled out by the -1 Friction. Selling aluminum: 3d6 16 16 is excellent. That's +80% on the sale value of the aluminum. Metal Ingots, Common are 1,000 cr per ton but I can sell them for 1,800 per ton.
Last check is the Trouble Table. Akila is an Agricultural World so there's a 20% chance of trouble. 1 or 2 is bad: 1d10 10 10 is good. We're in the clear! Adam pockets 36,000 credits.
I don't see the cost of installing a new system in a ship, just the cost of installing a mod. A Drive-2 upgrade costs 100,000 cr. We'll assume the installation cost is the same as jury-rigging a disabled system back to functionality. So 10,000 cr and one day of work.
At some point, I need to figure out a way to determine if Judy is going to rip me off but, for now, we'll assume she's still loyal.
Akila, Cheyenne system
23 April 2331
As they approached Akila, Adam thought about his plan to head to Sol system to sell the aluminum they had taken from the Queen. He decided that 20 tons of aluminum wasn't likely to bring back a huge profit and wasn't worth going that far out of his way. He would just sell it on Akila and take whatever he got. It's not like he bought them in the first place!
Adam also had a number of chores to attend to:
- Checking with the Trackers Alliance to make sure his membership application had been approved after his success on the bounty
- Having the shipyard crew in Akila City properly install his new Spike Drive
- Making sure Judy hadn't bankrupted his company while he was gone
- Figuring out how to profit from the Project Marzanna data he found in the Abandoned Cryo Lab
Adam first visited Akila City's Ship Services Technician and got the Queen in line for repairs. The Lead Tech told Adam it would take a day to complete the installation.
Next, he paid a visit to Judy. Adam was pleasantly surprised to find her hosting a VP at GalBank and discussing plans for Monarch Industries to match a donation to a local charity. Once she was finished with the VP, Adam sat down with her to discuss next steps.
Hey boss, how did the bounty hunt turn out?
Good but Judy, first things first. I've decided not to take the aluminum to Sol system. Turns out it was only 20 tons so not enough of a profit there to warrant the trip.
Yes, I agree. So you'd like to sell it here?
Yeah, I doubt we'll get anything for it but I want to clear the Courser's cargo hold.
Actually... Judy taps a few times on her keyboard. I was out to dinner last week and overheard a conversation with a couple of execs at Laredo Firearms. They were talking about some issues with piracy causing delays all along their supply chain. I bet if we step in with some timely aluminum deliveries, we can clear a nice profit.
Fantastic! I am impressed, Judy.
Thank you Adam, uh, I mean boss.
Adam will do, Judy. Now, the next job I have for you will require some very careful outreach.
Got it. What are we talking about?
Remember how Ryujin was the owner of that Abandoned Cryo Lab? I found some evidence in there that would be fairly harmful to Ryujin's reputation if word got out.
Oooh! A bit of blackmail, eh?
Actually, no. I don't feel like dealing with Ryujin spies taking revenge on us just as we're getting started. So rather than sell it to one of their rivals, I'd prefer to sell it back to them. For a small finder's fee, of course.
Judy nods vigorously. Fully agree, boss, I mean Adam. I will see if I can make a contact in Ryujin for you.
Great. Oh, and when you're off work tonight, come find me at the spaceport. I'd like to introduce you to the new crew members... and the new addition to Monarch's fleet: the Queen of the Void.
Wow, you did it! Congratulations, Adam!
Thanks. Celebrations are in order, for sure. Oh, that reminds me. You will have some more work to do later this week. I had to raid an old UC Navy derelict to get a new Spike Drive for the Queen and I found some more loot in the process. I have some Survival Gear, Medical Supplies, and Akilan Star Diamonds for you to sell. No rush.
Damn, I guess you were busy.
I looked more closely at the Suns of Gold rules and I think I understand Friction better now. The GM is supposed to determine it for each planet. Since the Freestar Collective is supposed to be all about libertarianism, we'll assume the Friction is low in Akila City. Call it a 2.
Next, it's time to see if my investment in a Friendship Society was worth the credits. I'm supposed to roll CHR (Connect) against DC 9. I have no CHR bonus and Connect-0 so not looking good.
Connect vs DC 9: 2d6 10 Hey, it worked! Cool, now Friction is reduced to 1.
Now I roll 3d6, and my +1 INT is cancelled out by the -1 Friction. Selling aluminum: 3d6 16 16 is excellent. That's +80% on the sale value of the aluminum. Metal Ingots, Common are 1,000 cr per ton but I can sell them for 1,800 per ton.
Last check is the Trouble Table. Akila is an Agricultural World so there's a 20% chance of trouble. 1 or 2 is bad: 1d10 10 10 is good. We're in the clear! Adam pockets 36,000 credits.
I don't see the cost of installing a new system in a ship, just the cost of installing a mod. A Drive-2 upgrade costs 100,000 cr. We'll assume the installation cost is the same as jury-rigging a disabled system back to functionality. So 10,000 cr and one day of work.
At some point, I need to figure out a way to determine if Judy is going to rip me off but, for now, we'll assume she's still loyal.
Re: 09 - Top Gun
After leaving Judy, Adam headed over to the local HQ of Titan Space Miners. The supervisor on duty was a man named Severinus Sedano.
Mr. Sedano, I'm Captain Adam Wood of the Queen of the Void. I connected with your Captain Rotman of the Voyager as I entered the system. I assume he's contacted you?
Yes, Captain. Thank you for your offer to help.
Well, I'm always willing to help another Captain in need. I assume you have the spare parts he needs?
Yes, we do. I can have them loaded onto your ship immediately, assuming you are ready to depart.
Yes, that works for me. The only remaining issue is compensation for my assistance. Rotman told me you'd handle that.
Certainly, Captain Wood. I can authorize a payment of 5,000 credits for this mission.
Adam winced and scratched his chin. That seems a little low, Mr. Sedano. I was thinking more like 20,000.
Sedano calmly chuckled. Captain, I could only authorize that sort of payment for a true emergency. This is more of an inconvenience. Still, I don't want to seem ungrateful. I can make our payment... call it 8,000 credits.
Make it 15,000 and I'll get right on it.
Alas, I can go no higher than 8,000, Captain. My hands are tied in the matter.
Adam sighed deeply. Well, if it were a job, I'd pass, but I gave my word to Captain Rotman so I will do it for 8,000. Please get the spare parts delivered to the Courser. I will be taking that ship to the Voyager.
Very good, Captain. And again, our thanks.
Adam gave the man a curt nod and walked out.
I rolled for Sedano's Character Aspect from Starforged and got "Experienced". I decided to make an opposed skill check and... Adam lost. Oh well.
Opposed skill check (Adam first): 2#2d6 5 7
No encounter on the way out to the Voyager.
On the way back, we encounter a Lab Ship 400. Reaction is 'Ignore you, but polite'.
Fine by me. I am going to keep things moving!
Mr. Sedano, I'm Captain Adam Wood of the Queen of the Void. I connected with your Captain Rotman of the Voyager as I entered the system. I assume he's contacted you?
Yes, Captain. Thank you for your offer to help.
Well, I'm always willing to help another Captain in need. I assume you have the spare parts he needs?
Yes, we do. I can have them loaded onto your ship immediately, assuming you are ready to depart.
Yes, that works for me. The only remaining issue is compensation for my assistance. Rotman told me you'd handle that.
Certainly, Captain Wood. I can authorize a payment of 5,000 credits for this mission.
Adam winced and scratched his chin. That seems a little low, Mr. Sedano. I was thinking more like 20,000.
Sedano calmly chuckled. Captain, I could only authorize that sort of payment for a true emergency. This is more of an inconvenience. Still, I don't want to seem ungrateful. I can make our payment... call it 8,000 credits.
Make it 15,000 and I'll get right on it.
Alas, I can go no higher than 8,000, Captain. My hands are tied in the matter.
Adam sighed deeply. Well, if it were a job, I'd pass, but I gave my word to Captain Rotman so I will do it for 8,000. Please get the spare parts delivered to the Courser. I will be taking that ship to the Voyager.
Very good, Captain. And again, our thanks.
Adam gave the man a curt nod and walked out.
I rolled for Sedano's Character Aspect from Starforged and got "Experienced". I decided to make an opposed skill check and... Adam lost. Oh well.
Opposed skill check (Adam first): 2#2d6 5 7
No encounter on the way out to the Voyager.
On the way back, we encounter a Lab Ship 400. Reaction is 'Ignore you, but polite'.
Fine by me. I am going to keep things moving!
Re: 09 - Top Gun
Akila City
Akila, Cheyenne system
27 April 2331
Two days out to the Voyager. No new contacts during that time. Dropped off the spare parts and Captain Rotman said they could handle repairs so Adam took his leave of them and headed back to Akila.
Two days back. Encountered one ship on its way out of system, the Lab Ship Artemis. They acknowledged hails but had no interest in chatting so Adam moved on.
Arrived back in Akila City and Adam paid the crew and cut them loose for a week. Now he could concentrate on his next move.
Akila, Cheyenne system
27 April 2331
Two days out to the Voyager. No new contacts during that time. Dropped off the spare parts and Captain Rotman said they could handle repairs so Adam took his leave of them and headed back to Akila.
Two days back. Encountered one ship on its way out of system, the Lab Ship Artemis. They acknowledged hails but had no interest in chatting so Adam moved on.
Arrived back in Akila City and Adam paid the crew and cut them loose for a week. Now he could concentrate on his next move.