Character: Gvarokh
NPC: Chuck
Location: Kunsinan Supply House, Limii Starport
System: Theton
Gvarokh notices that the captain has forwarded him and Slade an email from
Vincent stating that the fuel bladder will be installed sometime during the next
work shift, which is in roughly 10 hours. Since Gvarokh is off duty then, he
figures that Slade will oversee the work. Besides, it's engineering stuff.
Gvarokh uses his handcomp to find the other gear.
Electrical Took Kit | $2000 | |
Mechanical Tool Kit | $1000 | |
Atmosphere Tester | $150 | |
Radiation Counter | $100 | (handheld and wristband) |
Laser Cutter/Welder | $1200 |
Long Range Thruster Packs: None available. However, there are short range
thruster packs available for $5,000 each.
He says aloud, "Might as well get the whole set, minus the thruster packs."
"I'll get a cart," Chuck replies.
While he's gone, Gvarokh inspects the radiation counters. Both are capable of
measuring exposure and have alarms which will sound when the user experiences
either intense pulses of radiation or when cumulative levels of exposure have
been reached. The handheld is capable of three dimensional tracking of multiple
radiation sources, while the wristband version contains a needle which points to
the source but is limited to the plane of the watch.
[Use these links for an idea (it's the same watch from 2 different
stores):
Store 1
Store
2]
Chuck returns with a flatbed cart and the two men start loading it up with gear.
Gvarokh asks Chuck, "Those pirates stole our filter masks too, didn't they?"
"Yeah, they did."
Chuck pushes the cart over to the filter mask section while Gvarokh looks up
the store's inventory of the stuff. He discovers that the basic masks are 25
credits each, with individual cartridges going for 5 credits each. Each filter
is designed for a specific taint.
They pick up a filter mask for each of the crew.
While Gvarokh looks up taints of the worlds along any of their routes back to
Larkarda, he asks Chuck for his input. "Chuck, any recommendations for the
filter carrrrtridges?"
"I'd go with 50 micron dust and pollen. With bacterial and viral, your best bet
is to get vaccinated at the world to make sure you've got the most up-to-date
dosage. Or buy new cartridges at that world that have been soaked in a
breathable antiseptic."
Gvarokh checks his handcomp for the results. If the Kilikiir route is taken,
they're all set. But if the captain decides to go back another way, different
cartridges will be needed. Rather than try to outguess the captain, he decides
to just buy Chuck's recommendations.
Turning his attention to goggles, he finds all manner of combinations of light
intensifier, infrared, ultraviolet, and light filtering. Individual function
goggles go for 500 credits while combo units double the price.
Chuck decides that he wants to grab a LI/IR combo and Gvarokh does likewise, but
he also picks up a light filtering pair.
They wheel the cart up to checkout where a retail clerk stands with a datapad.
"Good dran, gentlemen. Did you find everything that you were looking for?"
"Yes, thank you."
"Ok, let me ring this up for you."
"Uhhhh, we actually need to bill this on three separate accounts if that's ok."
"Not a problem. Go ahead and divide it up."
Gvarokh and Chuck divide up their shopping to pay accordingly. Chuck's bill is
$1000. Gvarokh's is $1500. And the ship's bill is $11,930.
The clerk smiles, "Gentlemen, you qualify for free shipping."
"Great!" Gvarokh says.
"When would you like it delivered?" the clerk asks.
"You're open 32/6, right?" Chuck asks.
"Yes, we are."
"How about sometime after the start of the next shift." Chuck turns to Gvarokh,
"This way, we'll both be back and the captain won't get all paranoid about a
delivery."
Chuck asks the clerk, "You guys have a firearms outlet?"
"Yes, we do," he replies. "Up one level. Easy to find." The clerk emails the
info to Gvarokh's handcomp.
"Excellent. Thanks for your help."
The two men leave and head to Kunsinan Firearms Supply House.
Location: Kunsinan Firearms Supply House in Limii City
It's a fairly large store. Besides firearms, it has blades and all sorts of
outdoor equipment.
Gvarokh notes the time and lets Chuck know that he has to be on duty in little
over an hour.
"No problem."
Chuck heads to the shotgun section and selects the
NeoArms 18mm/11 Manual Action
Shotgun. He picks it up. "I've heard about this one. Pretty good as far as
shotguns go."
Gvarokh replies, "Pick up three more. I'd like to replace the ship's inventory
of this one. And be sure to pick up plenty of ammo. By the way, what's the
price?"
"300 credits."
"That will do. I've got to pick up a snubbie for the captain."
"Ok."
Gvarokh wanders over to the handgun section and selects a snub
pistol along with 18 rounds each of HE, HEAP, tranq, and gas ammo.
Chuck meets up with him while he uses his handcomputer to look up other long
arms, hoping for something that can go auto. He finds an assortment of single
shot and semi-automatic carbines and rifles. He's a bit surprised to find
submachineguns available. There are several varieties of SMG's available. He
spots a TL 11 version of the Ma-90 and is
blown away by its appearance. "Dog, this is cool."
"Yeah, it looks sweet. Only 1500 credits. Not too bad. Might complement the
shotgun nicely." Chuck ponders purchasing it.
A big grin crosses the vargr's face, "I'm going to buy it."
"Me too. How much ammo do you want of each type?"
"I figure ammo'll go fast in this thing. If it isn't too expensive, let's get
200 rds of AP and 500 rds of generic." Gvarokh checks the prices. 500 rounds of
DS goes for 160 credits. 500 rounds of Ball would only cost 80 credits. 200
rounds of HEAP will cost 96 credits.
He opts for 1000 DS, 500 Ball and 500 HEAP.
Seeing that the weapon comes with two clips, he grabs two spares.
While Chuck finishes loading the ammo, Gvarokh says, "While we're here, let me
check for non-lethal weapons."
A quick check of non-lethal weapons scores a hit. He finds that there's pepper
spray, tranq pistols, tranq rifles, electrostun pistols and handhelds, net guns,
shock batons, thud guns, IR heat guns, sonic disruptors, optical disruptors,
lube guns, and sticky guns. There's even sleep gas and sticky grenades.
Gvarokh hasn't heard of some of the weapon types so he delves further:
Gvarokh frowns. He's not too sure that the lube and sticky guns are going to work too well in the corrosive atmosphere. He opts for tried and true technologies like tranq rifles and electrostunners.
He's not sold on the electrostunners so Gvarokh opts for two tranq rifles. He
grabs two boxes of ammo and notices that there's even a weapon sim adaptor and
it's compatible with Simrii's unit.
"Ok, Chuck. That should do it. Let's get going."
They're approaching the register when they get a comm call from Lakir.
"Hey Top Dog, I need to bring something bulky back across the XT line. Has the
Capn' finalized a list of stuff to acquire? If so, I'll pick up some of the kit,
ohhhh about a pinkie-size load, if you can break it up in various sizes. I'll
also need a hand tractor to handle the load, so you better make sure they throw
in the rental. Also, hold off on having some of the other stuff delivered, I may
need to make a few more runs."
Gvarokh replies, "I'm already making a restocking run. I will forward you the
list I got so we don't overbuy. I don't believe the captain has made a final
list. I was just getting stuff I thought was obvious. When you see the list,
don't be afraid to get anything I missed or that you need."
The list goes out.
"And, hey, while you're on the line, I'm getting myself a cool little SMG. I am
seriously considering getting a extra pair for the locker. Are you interested in
one? Here's a picture."
Gvarokh sends him a
picture.
"Nah. I'm tapped out till we draw another paycheck. How you gettin' those things
'cross the XT line? Don't those things fall under the 'prohibited' class? Fire
off the address for that kit pick up, and I'll swing by and grab it; see how
easy it is comin' back across the Line."
"Uh, hadn't thought of that. I'll check to see what they normally do.
Regardless, here is the address for the kit pickup. I'll pre-authorize you for
the pickup."
While he's still on the line, he asks the checkout clerk how they normally
handle the XT line transfer with the normal stuff and the fun stuff, and if
there is anything to watch out for.
"Customs just scans the contents to make sure nothing illegal heads out. They
check the paperwork to make sure it all matches. If you want, we can do that for
you." He checks his datapad. "Since you qualified for free shipping with the
order you had earlier today, I can just combine this one with it and handle the
delivery for you. There's less headaches that way. Customs knows us and that we
have a clean record. No offense, but you're not a local. We still get scanned
like everyone else, but our deliveries get expedited quicker than you would.
Unless you need the weapons right now, of course."
Gvarokh laughs.
"No we don't." Chuck says. "Works for me boss. How about you?"
"Works for me. It makes sense, and probably gets us the stuff as quickly as
possible."
Gvarokh then tells Lakir not to worry about the pickup, that the company is
going to just deliver the lot for them.
"Bummer on the crossing routine. I'm heading back ta the ship. Lakir out."
Gvarokh informs the clerk how he wants the bill broken down for billing. He
finishes scanning the order and says, "Ok, I've got the 3 shotguns with 300
rounds of ball, 2 tranq rifles with 100 rounds, and a snub pistol with 18 rounds
of HE, HEAP, tranq and gas. That order is going to come to 2,035 credits.
"The next order is one Ma-90 with 2 extra clips and 1000 rounds of DS, 500 ball,
and 500 HEAP for 2,644 credits.
"And the last order is one shotgun with 100 rounds of DS and a Ma-90 with two
extra clips and 200 rounds of DS and HEAP for 2,570 credits."
Gvarokh pays for the ship (with the ship's bank card) and his purchase while
Chuck pays for his. "How soon can we expect delivery?"
"We should be able to merge this purchase with your previous order and have them
both at your ship in a couple of hours."
"Grrrrreat."
As the time is drawing closer to Gvarokh's work shift, he and Chuck then leave
the store and head back to the ship.
Character: Lakir
Location: Limii Starport
Note: Some of this material has been covered elsewhere.
The meeting has just ended. Slade and Simrii resume the discussion about
building a secret storage compartment in the cargo hold as Lakir heads up the
life to his room to get his gear. As he's figuring out what to bring, he
remembers that he had some thoughts that he wanted to share with Vlad. He whips
out his SuperPDA and sends him an
email. He hits 'send' and pockets the PDA.
He finishes gathering up his gear (Gauss pistol, 4 mags of dart, 1 mag Tranq,
his communicator, and combo tool) along with a crew badge and departs the ship.
Out in the corridor, he starts heading towards the starport exits. Passengers
and visitors head through Customs. He follows the signs for "starship
personnel." He walks down a non-descript corridor with only a couple doors. He
pictures the scanners embedded in the walls as is typical of high tech/low law
level worlds. Before he knows it, he's outside the starport and near the
inter-level traffic corridors.
There's a fair amount of pedestrian traffic. All manner of people are out and
about: businessmen in suits, vilani youth in the latest fashions, starship
crewmen in jumpsuits, etc. Lakir takes a mass transit lift up to B27, the level
that Igakhum's is on. It's crowded but not uncomfortably so.
It's not far to the bar so he walks. It helps him to get a feel for the
surroundings and the routes he's committed to memory. There isn't much variation
here. It's block after block of buildings, at least on this street. What's
different are the architectural styles of the building facades. Faux stone here,
stucco there.
He finally arrives at the bar, which proclaims that it's open 32/6. Judging from
the front, Igakhum's is a typical upper middle class establishment. A sign out
front says, "Cover charge: None", which the latter part obviously subject to
change.
Once inside, Lakir notes that there are two other customers here: an visibly
old guy sitting at the bar eating soup. Another is a businesswoman enjoying a
salad. A sign says "seat yourself", which he does, choosing a large booth in the
back of the place with his back to the wall. He's able to see the door, some of
the bar, and a few tables in front of the booth. When he stands he can see alot
more, except for what's blocked by two 3 meter columns in the center of the
room. They look to be structural elements.
While he waits for someone to wait on him, Lakir surveys the place over a menu.
It's a hodge podge of stuff. There's a state-of-the-art holodisplay, a LCD stock
ticker, a scrolling LED marquee with local news. A couple of walls have been
covered with screens which are fed with imagery from external cameras. Lakir can
see a newly arrived ship decelerating, its thrusters full aflame. Holoposters
for classic video shows compete with product ads and neon signs. Low walls and
planters offer some privacy.
A waitress soon arrives, "Good dran to you. I'm Kelly. I'll be your waitress."
"Good dran, Kelly."
"Have you had a chance to go over the menu?"
"Yes, I'll have the roast beef club with fries and a coffee."
She punches in his order on a datapad. "Thanks. It'll be out in a few minutes."
While he waits, Lakir notes an emergency exit and a service door that both open
on the service corridor B27-K56. At least they should according to his maps.
A few minutes later his sandwich and coffee arrive. Both are good. He savors
both, pleased to be away from the mundane starship activities he's accustomed to
and settled in some old school recon work. When he's finished, he pays, then
uses the bathroom, confirming that the service door opens up onto the alley. He
peeks his head out. There don't appear to be any other doors from Igakhum's to
the alley.
He checks the time on his PDA (06:30 vilani) and departs for Oda's place.
Her apartment is one level below the bar so he gets there in no time at all. So
he tries out the other routes, committing the visuals to memory.
Once back in front of her apartment, he doesn't see any place that he can hide
so as to stealthily monitor Oda's home. It's all apartment buildings. The
exception is a women's clothing store. Lakir window shops for a few minutes,
using the reflection of the glass as a mirror. Unsatisfied, he walks inside and
browses through the material at the front of the store.
After a minute or so, a clerk approaches him. "Is there anything I can help you
with, sir?"
"No thanks. Just checkin' some stuff out for my wife. Birthday's coming up."
"Well, if you change your mind, let me know."
"Thanks."
Lakir stays for ten minutes longer, but doesn't notice any comings or goings
from Oda's apartment building. Nor does he see anyone casing the joint. He
decides to head back to the bar.
The walk back to the bar goes without incident. Once there, he comms Gvarokh,
"Hey Top Dog, I need to bring something bulky back across the XT line. Has the
Capn' finalized a list of stuff to acquire? If so, I'll pick up some of the kit,
ohhhh about a pinkie size load, if you can break it up in various sizes. I'll
also need a hand tractor to handle the load, so you better make sure they throw
in the rental. Also, hold off on having some of the other stuff delivered, I may
need to make a few more runs."
Gvarokh replies, "I'm already making a restocking run. I will forward you the
list I got so we don't overbuy. I don't believe the captain has made a final
list. I was just getting stuff I thought was obvious. When you see the list,
don't be afraid to get anything I missed or that you need."
The list comes through:
Med Scanner
Medkit
3 radiation counters
8 filter masks
16 filter cartridges
Electrical Took Kit
Mechanical Tool Kit
Atmosphere Tester
Laser Cutter/Welder
"And, hey, while you're on the line, I'm getting myself a cool little SMG. I am
seriously considering getting a extra pair for the locker. Are you interested in
one? Here's a picture:"
The picture
comes Lakir's through SuperPDA as which Lakir recognizes as the SMG that Simrii
and Slade own.
"Nah. I'm tapped out till we draw another paycheck. How you gettin' those things
'cross the XT line? Don't those things fall under the 'prohibited' class? Fire
off the address for that kit pick up, and I'll swing by and grab it; see how
easy it is comin' back across the Line."
"Uh, hadn't thought of that. I'll check to see what they normally do.
Regardless, here is the address for the kit pickup. I'll pre-authorize you for
the pickup."
While he's still on the line, Gvarokh asks the checkout clerk how they normally
handle the XT line transfer with the normal stuff and the fun stuff, and if
there is anything to watch out for.
Lakir listens in on the conversation.
"Customs just scans the contents to make sure nothing illegal heads out. They
check the paperwork to make sure it all matches. If you want, we can do that for
you. Since you qualified for free shipping with the order you had earlier
today, I can just combine this one with it and handle the delivery for you.
There's less headaches that way. Customs knows us and that we have a clean
record. No offense, but you're not a local. We still get scanned like everyone
else, but our deliveries get expedited quicker than you would. Unless you need
the weapons right now, of course."
Gvarokh laughs.
"No we don't." Chuck says. "Works for me boss. How about you?"
"Works for me. It makes sense, and probably gets us the stuff as quickly as
possible."
Gvarokh then tells Lakir not to worry about the pickup, that the company is
going to just deliver the lot for them.
"Bummer on the crossing routine. I'm heading back ta the ship. Lakir out."
Lakir then heads back to the docking bay. He makes sure to pay attention as he
comes across the XT line, but it's not much different than when he left. He
walks down a non-descript corridor with only a couple doors. He figures that the
scanners are embedded in the walls as is typical of high tech/low law level
worlds. Maybe there's a RFID tag embedded in the "starport personnel" ID tag he
snagged before leaving the ship. That would make sense. He's not carrying any
bags so there's no indication that he bought anything. Of course, he could be
smuggling something small inside his jacket for all they know. Scanners might
pick it up, but if they don't care about the gauss pistol he's packing, they
probably don't care about a pocket sized trinket either. Before he knows it,
he's back in the starport and on his way back to the ship.
Next: The Meeting With Oda