Moments ago, or a lifetime, or both...
The pistol was made in Kentucky. It had been forged with steel which started off as iron mined in Australia. It's designer was a man from Tokushima Prefecture in Japan who lost his son in a skiing accident. The pistol was purchased in bulk by the Terran Confederation, but was lost from the records by an unfortunate clerical error. The pistol ended up, through a series of strange events, in Marlowe's hand.
This pistol's barrel, also by pure happenstance, was now aligned with Captain Memnon's forehead.
Tears streaming from his eyes, Marlowe stares coldly at the captain.
"How could you kill my son?"
--------------------
Earlier, aboard the Terran Trader Ascendant Star
After talking with the passenger's boy Tom, Geiri discovers that the person to whom they are to sell the livestock on Junction is named Chovak. This sends chills down his spine -- this could be the same Chovak whose son's death he had (perhaps accidentally, perhaps not) caused. He could be the same Chovak who is known in parts of the Imperium as Chovak Rend-Ship, a bold and unstable pirate.
The Star's computer announces that it is too near a gravity well, and drops out of jump space prematurely. The crew discovers a small black sphere outside which promptly declares "This pod is for Agent Locke." After some discussion, along with threats of destruction by the strange sphere, it suddenly announces "identity confirmed" and opens an iris door on the surface.
Blake volunteers to head over to the pod, followed minutes later by Geiri, who was too interested to let examination of this pod pass by. Once inside they discover a pair of cylinders mounted to the far end of the sphere.
"Agent Locke, you are instructed to take these containers to Dockmaster Logan at the Junction Spaceport. Upon safe delivery, you will be paid 150,000 Solars per container."
--------------------
Aboard the Imperium's Destroyer Katmodi
"Commander Horrugil, we are two hours from the drop point."
"Thank you, Lieutenant."
Horrugil peers out of the bridge at the ring of transverse color around the ship. "I really do not wish to tarry here. Please ensure that the Terran computer begins calculations as soon as we arrive."
--------------------
Aboard the Ascendant Star
Memnon, Jack, Landon, and Marlowe keep watch as Blake and Geiri attempt to maneuver the first cylinder towards the Star's airlock. Blake discovers he has been planet side too long, loses his orientation and ends up vomiting inside his vacc suit. Jack prevents Blake from becoming lost to space as he gently positions the Star to catch him. The pair bring the cylinder aboard, and return for the second.
After the Blake and Geiri return with the second cylinder, the strange black sphere speeds away. Calculations are nearing completion, and Jack returns to the flight deck to convince the ship to fall into jump space. The rest of the crew ask the passengers to return to their staterooms, and then put last mysterious cylinder on the deck.
"Jump calculations complete," announces the computer.
Moments later the same computer states, with a casual voice, "Ship ahoy."
In the flight deck, Jack sees an Imperium destroyer slip out of jump space at the same moment that he presses the jump switch.
Meanwhile, on the cargo deck, the crew discover that the cylinders are stasis pods containing an approximately forty year old female in one and a young boy in another. A debate rages as to what they will do with the pods. What if they are diseased? What if they are slaves? What if they are rich? What if we replace the occupants with some of the passengers? What??!?
Finally a plan is hatched, at the insistence of Captain Memnon, to have Blake and Marlowe open the woman's pod safely within the airlock.
A whiskey bottle slowly clatters across the cargo deck.
--------------------
Aboard the Katmodi
"If I did not just witness this, I would not believe it." states Horrugil flatly. "Where does it look like they are heading now, Lieutenant?"
"They appear to be proceeding towards Junction, sir."
"Fine then. Let us try to meet them there. Try to avoid any Terrans enroute."
--------------------
Aboard the Ascendant Star
As they discuss what to do with the cylinder in the airlock, Captain Memnon presses a few buttons on the other cylinder. Landon, Jack, and Geiri look on as the panel indicates the boy is being revived.
Suddenly, a security program is tripped and the display on the cylinder states "Security Alert: Terminating Subject." In a last ditch effort to stop the cylinder from completing its murderous program, Captain Memnon shuts off the cylinder's power and forces it open. A young black male tumbles out, gasping for air. Eyes wide he coughs and reaches with both arms towards the floodlights attached to the ceiling of the cargo deck.
Marlowe screams within the airlock. "No! No!"
The airlock door opens as Marlowe rushes to the scene. Landon brings Marlowe a crash kit as the "doctor" attempts to resuscitate the frightfully cold boy. After a four tense minutes, Marlowe begins sobbing.
He yells "Stay away from that other stasis pod!" while staring at the ground.
Somewhere, deep in his grief-wracked mind, he is dimly aware of his own hand reaching up behind his shirt...
Thursday, May 19, 2011
A Shot in the Bar
The Captain and Geiri look over their ship as the hydrogen tanks fill with fuel. "I just know this is going to work," claims Captain Memnon. Aghast, the Geonee mechanic turns to the captain and says, "Are you mad, of course it's goin' ta work!"
Blake Weaver and the "doctor," Marlowe, talk with each other in the ship's meager galley as Marlowe examines the nasty wound in Blake's leg. They both skirt around their pasts and mainly focus on what lies ahead.
Landon tries his best to get Jack to open up in the flight deck. Meanwhile, Jack opens up a bottle of spirits which seems to have materialized behind an electrical panel.
"We have cows!" exclaims Geiri.
--------------------
Captain Memnon has agreed to take care of "Snake Eyes" (now the newly named "Ascendant Star"), as a favor to his old friend Nikolai Barros, who owns the "FBO" (Starship Service Station) at Lakefront Starport. Using a hefty bribe, and with the help of new friend Landon Slate (an airport administrator), he has been named the legal owner of the 100 dTon, barely functional scout. The scout's former owner, Raven Moteske, has not been heard from in over three years and is assumed to be deceased. A few days pass as the crew prepares the ship and tries to work out how to make money with it.
Not willing to let his fixer upper go, and sensing an opportunity for more fun, Geiri Narsain has decided to join Memnon on his journey, signing on as the ship's engineer. He has also hit it off well with Jack Smith, whom they discovered sleeping off a hangover when they first opened the Ascendant Star.
On their last night in New Orleans, the crew decide to go out on the town for drinks. Upon arrival in the bar, they notice an older black man and a young white man fighting. The younger man is clearly winning the fight, and both are very intoxicated. Landon succeeds in diffusing the situation. After chatting with the odd couple, the crew agree to hire on the enigmatic Marlowe and Blake Weaver as the ship's ad-hoc "doctor" and security specialist, respectively.
Geiri and Jack quickly separate themselves from the group with some female companionship. Geiri unwittingly finds and loses true love with Raven (no relation). Jack finds that he loses all of his money when his pair of lady companions liberate his wallet during the night. He considers it money well spent, as memories of that night with Angela and Rebecca will keep him warm in the coldness of space for years to come.
Memnon and Landon decide to retire back to the ship. As Marlowe leaves Blake at the bar, a tall man brushes by him. The man mumbles something to Blake and shoots him in the leg! In the chaos, Marlowe loses track of him in the Bourbon Street crowds and returns to his friend in order to mend his wounds.
The next day, the crew loads their rapidly found fares, a family heading for Junction - along with about fifteen cows, for the sum of 50,000 Solars. As they load the ship to leave, they notice the stares and laughter coming from the crew of the Lady Dragon, which has parked next to them on the tarmac. It turns out that the vessel is owned by Steve Jordan, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and a New Orleans native. Why they fly cargo occasionally is anyone's guess.
After they load up, Jack barely manages to keep the Ascendant Star in the air as the rickety old ship escapes into the vacuum of space. With one last computation after a few hours burn away from Earth, the Ascendant Star slips into jump space, carrying dreams of a bright future for some and a quick escape for others.
Blake Weaver and the "doctor," Marlowe, talk with each other in the ship's meager galley as Marlowe examines the nasty wound in Blake's leg. They both skirt around their pasts and mainly focus on what lies ahead.
Landon tries his best to get Jack to open up in the flight deck. Meanwhile, Jack opens up a bottle of spirits which seems to have materialized behind an electrical panel.
"We have cows!" exclaims Geiri.
--------------------
Captain Memnon has agreed to take care of "Snake Eyes" (now the newly named "Ascendant Star"), as a favor to his old friend Nikolai Barros, who owns the "FBO" (Starship Service Station) at Lakefront Starport. Using a hefty bribe, and with the help of new friend Landon Slate (an airport administrator), he has been named the legal owner of the 100 dTon, barely functional scout. The scout's former owner, Raven Moteske, has not been heard from in over three years and is assumed to be deceased. A few days pass as the crew prepares the ship and tries to work out how to make money with it.
Not willing to let his fixer upper go, and sensing an opportunity for more fun, Geiri Narsain has decided to join Memnon on his journey, signing on as the ship's engineer. He has also hit it off well with Jack Smith, whom they discovered sleeping off a hangover when they first opened the Ascendant Star.
On their last night in New Orleans, the crew decide to go out on the town for drinks. Upon arrival in the bar, they notice an older black man and a young white man fighting. The younger man is clearly winning the fight, and both are very intoxicated. Landon succeeds in diffusing the situation. After chatting with the odd couple, the crew agree to hire on the enigmatic Marlowe and Blake Weaver as the ship's ad-hoc "doctor" and security specialist, respectively.
Geiri and Jack quickly separate themselves from the group with some female companionship. Geiri unwittingly finds and loses true love with Raven (no relation). Jack finds that he loses all of his money when his pair of lady companions liberate his wallet during the night. He considers it money well spent, as memories of that night with Angela and Rebecca will keep him warm in the coldness of space for years to come.
Memnon and Landon decide to retire back to the ship. As Marlowe leaves Blake at the bar, a tall man brushes by him. The man mumbles something to Blake and shoots him in the leg! In the chaos, Marlowe loses track of him in the Bourbon Street crowds and returns to his friend in order to mend his wounds.
The next day, the crew loads their rapidly found fares, a family heading for Junction - along with about fifteen cows, for the sum of 50,000 Solars. As they load the ship to leave, they notice the stares and laughter coming from the crew of the Lady Dragon, which has parked next to them on the tarmac. It turns out that the vessel is owned by Steve Jordan, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and a New Orleans native. Why they fly cargo occasionally is anyone's guess.
After they load up, Jack barely manages to keep the Ascendant Star in the air as the rickety old ship escapes into the vacuum of space. With one last computation after a few hours burn away from Earth, the Ascendant Star slips into jump space, carrying dreams of a bright future for some and a quick escape for others.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The No-Show
It is night time in the French Quarter, near the corner of Dauphine and Toulouse Streets. Branson looks through the rain-streaked windshield towards the Hotel St. Louis. Tourists scuttle about trying to get out of the rain. A few revelers are wandering off of Bourbon, too inebriated to notice that these streets still have traffic in them. He speaks into a concealed headset.
"No, I've not seen him yet. I think he's a no-show."
A tinny, female voice responds:
"I was assured that he would be there by now. I'm sorry."
"Maybe he decided to get drunk. It is New Orleans after all. I'll keep waiting as long as you keep paying me."
A barely audible click signals the end of Branson's conversation. A drunk woman with stringy, wet, red hair takes an interest in Branson's car. She sits on the hood as another woman fishes out a camera. Branson takes his pistol and taps on the windshield with the barrel. Suddenly sober, the ginger jumps off the hood and hustles out of view.
"He's not going to be here," Branson mutters.
"No, I've not seen him yet. I think he's a no-show."
A tinny, female voice responds:
"I was assured that he would be there by now. I'm sorry."
"Maybe he decided to get drunk. It is New Orleans after all. I'll keep waiting as long as you keep paying me."
A barely audible click signals the end of Branson's conversation. A drunk woman with stringy, wet, red hair takes an interest in Branson's car. She sits on the hood as another woman fishes out a camera. Branson takes his pistol and taps on the windshield with the barrel. Suddenly sober, the ginger jumps off the hood and hustles out of view.
"He's not going to be here," Branson mutters.
Snake Eyes
Tijuana-Class 100-dton Cutter
The Tijuana-class cutter was designed for long, slow interstellar trips, ferrying fuel and supplies to remote outposts. Its extra fuel capacity was intended to be used to refuel remote outposts, but in the end just ended up giving longer legs to a ship that lacked both cargo space and berthing space. Still, the Tijuana-class can be useful, especially if the stock jump drive is replaced with a much more efficient model. The Tijuana-class has an early jump drive, which are notorious for consuming vast quantities of fuel. The few Tijuana-class vessels still in the service of the Terran Confederation Navy retain their original gun turret, but most of these have long since been removed. With the influx of more Imperial ships and money to chase them, the Tijuana-class cutter is rapidly becoming a museum piece – and a bargain basement deal for many a budding free trader (if they can afford the upkeep).
Tech Level: 9
Hull: 100-dton Streamlined Close Structure hull, dDR 10 armor.
Systems: 2 Maneuver Drive, 2 Jump Drive, 50 Fuel Tanks, Standard Bridge, Model-0 Sensors (Scan 12), 1 Hardpoint, 5.5 Fusion Power, 2 Staterooms, 4 Double Staterooms, 17.5 Cargo
Statistics: EMass 146.41 tons, LMass 284.91 tons, Cost (New) $87,131,600, Value ~$6,500,000, SM +8, ASig +8, HT 8, Hull dHP 25, Life Support 12, sAccel 1.4G (2.73G Empty), Jump-1 (5-parsec range), Top Air Speed 740 mph.
Crew: 5 Pilot/Navigator, Sensor/Communications, Drive/Power Engineer, Commander, Loadmaster/Steward. Also an empty Gunner station.
Passengers: 5 (in Double Staterooms)
Monday, May 9, 2011
A Hot Day
The sky is dim with early morning light and the air is soupy with the late July heat. The gentle tattoo of the lake's waves beat rhythmically on the concrete barrier as a pair of pelicans stand watch over the water. Overhead, low puffs of scud clouds race across the sky, chasing a wind aloft that never quite seems to make it to the ground.
Just up the shore, the New Orleans Lakefront Starport is waking up to what promises to be an insanely hot day. Gleaming shuttles are being prepared for the day's activities. A beautifully curved, white, two hundred ton interstellar corvette is being carefully escorted out of a hangar. Her lines are clean; she was clearly built for fast atmospheric flight. On the side of the ship, clearly written in bold red, are the words "Lady Dragon." Behind the ship, it's clear that this ship was built with acceleration in mind, as the engines look large enough to adequately push a ship twice her size. Low, thick wings and cover panels also show that at some point she may have served with the Confed Navy. The thick wings hide an inner strength ready to endure anything her pilots can throw at her. The panels clearly cover mounting hard points for turrets. Evidently, this Lady Dragon once hurled fire.
The ship comes to a rest. A few people walk out of the maintenance building and open the hatches. As a crew person disconnects the tow bar, the aft ramp comes down. Forklifts begin bringing pallets of cargo to her as other crew persons begin to fuel her up with hydrogen. After about half an hour, the trail of cargo has ended and the fuel lines are secured. The Lady Dragon's engines begin to purr. The ramp closes, and she lifts off of the ground. Her great maneuver drives light up and with a load roar the Dragon hurtles into the sky, momentarily distracting the pelicans from their sentry duty.
The crew person lights a cigarette as he watches the white corvette streak out of the atmosphere. He looks over near the fence line and sighs. Now that the Lady Dragon has been launched, he has been asked to move the derelict hundred-ton Snake Eyes to a different spot at the other end of the tarmac. The ground man guesses that this tub has been sitting in the same spot for at least five years. The grey paint has begun to peel at the edges of panels. Legend has it that its owner bought it to tinker with, but he has since died, leaving the identity of the current owner as some sort of mystery. The ground man hooks up the tow bar to the front gear and begins to haul the pile of junk to a new nest. As he begins to move the vessel, one of the front tires disintegrates with a loud bang. The ground man sighs again. It's going to be a long, hot day.
Just up the shore, the New Orleans Lakefront Starport is waking up to what promises to be an insanely hot day. Gleaming shuttles are being prepared for the day's activities. A beautifully curved, white, two hundred ton interstellar corvette is being carefully escorted out of a hangar. Her lines are clean; she was clearly built for fast atmospheric flight. On the side of the ship, clearly written in bold red, are the words "Lady Dragon." Behind the ship, it's clear that this ship was built with acceleration in mind, as the engines look large enough to adequately push a ship twice her size. Low, thick wings and cover panels also show that at some point she may have served with the Confed Navy. The thick wings hide an inner strength ready to endure anything her pilots can throw at her. The panels clearly cover mounting hard points for turrets. Evidently, this Lady Dragon once hurled fire.
The ship comes to a rest. A few people walk out of the maintenance building and open the hatches. As a crew person disconnects the tow bar, the aft ramp comes down. Forklifts begin bringing pallets of cargo to her as other crew persons begin to fuel her up with hydrogen. After about half an hour, the trail of cargo has ended and the fuel lines are secured. The Lady Dragon's engines begin to purr. The ramp closes, and she lifts off of the ground. Her great maneuver drives light up and with a load roar the Dragon hurtles into the sky, momentarily distracting the pelicans from their sentry duty.
The crew person lights a cigarette as he watches the white corvette streak out of the atmosphere. He looks over near the fence line and sighs. Now that the Lady Dragon has been launched, he has been asked to move the derelict hundred-ton Snake Eyes to a different spot at the other end of the tarmac. The ground man guesses that this tub has been sitting in the same spot for at least five years. The grey paint has begun to peel at the edges of panels. Legend has it that its owner bought it to tinker with, but he has since died, leaving the identity of the current owner as some sort of mystery. The ground man hooks up the tow bar to the front gear and begins to haul the pile of junk to a new nest. As he begins to move the vessel, one of the front tires disintegrates with a loud bang. The ground man sighs again. It's going to be a long, hot day.
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