Characters: All
NPC: Ushin, Chuck, Uengghae, Kagfak,
Captain Su Daagudakur and her crew
Location: Miishakaal, docked at Meliva Starport
System: Maran
Miishakaal has safely returned to the Maran system along with its flock
of three merchants vessels. The makeshift crews assigned to the other ships are
already carrying their gear back to the ship. Ushin disembarks from
Miishakaal with his own suitcases and nods to each of the crewmen and
thanks them for their service.
As Ushin shakes Gvarokh's paw, he says, "This isn't goodbye. You'll be hearing
from me within the next drandir or two. My report has already been sent over to
Zirunkariish, and I'm sure that they're processing it. I don't know what the
bounty is on those other ships, but I can't see it being any less than Captain
Su's ship. Ahhhh, I think I see an inspection team arriving now."
Gvarokh follows Ushin's gaze. An air-raft is on approach towards two of the
ships, the Zirunkariish logo visible on its fuselage.
"Good drandir, Captain, and thank you."
Ushin proceeds over to Captain Su. They exchange several words, shake hands, and
then Ushin heads over to the air-raft full of inspection technicians.
Captain Su comes over and says, "Well, I guess this is goodbye. Thank you,
Gvarokh, for everything. Once again, I owe you. That's twice you and the guys
have saved us. And yes, rescuing Ronni is the same as rescuing me. If I had to
wait around for approval from a bank, I don't think I would've gotten a ship
anytime soon. Probably would've had to sign up on some schlub's trader."
"You're welcome. Well, now that you've got that trader back, do me a favor?"
"Sure, anything."
"Move your operations rimward. It's just too dangerous this close to the border.
Head back into the Vilani safe zone."
She nods. "It's going to be pretty competitive there. I'm sure the chickenshit
traders are all there. There'll be more money to be made out here in amber
zone."
Gvarokh sighs. "Please consider it and keep at least six parsecs between you and
the border."
"No, you're right. I have to be thankful that we still have a ship."
"Well, regardless of what you decide, know that we will always be willing to
help if you and your crew ever need it. And please remember that, no matter the
context or what it looks like, you can always trust me."
She smiles. "Thank you. And you should that we'll be eternally grateful to you
and your crew for what you've done for us."
Gvarokh extends his paw, but she lunges in for a hug instead.
After goodbyes and hugs (to willing participants, oh and Bill, the one guy
remaining in Su's crew, opts to shake hands) are granted all around, Su and her
crew return to her ship to await the legal release of her ship.
Miishakaal's crew return to their ship to await word from Ushin and
Admiral Khagamsusuu.
In the meantime, they get caught up on the news.
Characters: Gvarokh, Lakir, Vincent
NPC: Chuck, Admiral Khagamsusuu, Major Elloekothe, and Major Irma
Arsashaammu
Location: Conference room at Meliva Starport
System: Maran
Admiral Khagamsusuu has contacted the ship and requested Gvarokh and his
officers meet with him. They're to go to a conference room in a secure section
of the starport, not far from the massive hangar deck. Gvarokh acknowledges the
call and says that they'll be there shortly.
Gvarokh picks Lakir, Vincent, and Chuck to accompany him on the meeting. He puts
Slade in charge and instructs everyone to sit tight until they get back.
Marines in combat armor are stationed at every checkpoint. Gvarokh's identity,
as well as that of the others, was verified three times.
Inside the conference room, Admiral Khagamsusuu is going over some details with
a human aide (male) while two female army officers (one vargr and one
human)—majors judging by their ranks—sit to his right. There's a
pile of breakfast pastries and fruit on the table. The bacon-wrapped krullers
look and smell interesting to a vargr's nose. A hot pot of coffee stands alone
on a hot plate on a table next to the wall.
When the group enters the room, the admiral rises to shake Gvarokh's paw and the
others' hands. After a warm greeting, the admiral introduces the other two
officers: Major Elloekothe and Major Irma Arsashaammu. Both shake hands and
Elloekothe sniffs the air. Both women have athletic builds and firm grips.
Chuck grabs a doughnut and pours himself some coffee. He offers it to the
others.
The admiral says, "I received a copy of Ushin Numumshunnii's report. He was well
taken by your performance in his salvage op. It won converts among the more
lukewarm members of our committee." He pauses, a more somber tone taking over.
"But it was his report on what happened to Envar after the starship recovery
that won over the rest of the group. While there are still some who don't feel
that your group is up to the task, no one doubts the need for action or the fact
that it had to happen yesterday."
"Thank you for your faith in my team."
With an earnest sincerity, the admiral responds, "You've earned it." After a
brief pause to let that sink in, he continues, "We're giving your privateer
mission more focus. You'll need to find your way to Gemid, find the source of
the bioweapons, and neutralize it. That includes all data pertaining to the
construction of the weapon and the manufacturing facility. In executing your
objective, you are authorized to use any means necessary." His brow furrows, his
tone grave. "Any. Collateral damage will be tolerated."
"Understood."
Lakir says, "Collateral damage sucks, particularly when you're the 'collateral'
part. We'd prefer to not get tarred with that brush if we can help it. Been
there, got the t-shirt. It blows."
This elicits a chuckle from Elloekothe.
The admiral nods. Just when you think he couldn't be more serious, he kicks it
up a notch. "There are some that believe assets needs to be eliminated as their
continued usage turns them into liabilities. They assume that asset loyalty runs
dry rather fast when, in actuality, it's theirs that's run dry. Perhaps it's
because they use the term 'assets' instead of 'soldiers' or 'patriots' or
'people'. I am not one of those people. I don't take loyalty lightly." He points
at Lakir. "You are not 'collateral' or 'expendable'. Nor will you be
scapegoated." He grabs the rank insignia on his jacket. "I will use every bit of
power this position affords me to see to that. Understood?"
The group nods. Chuck is the only one to vocalize: "Yes, sir."
Settling back to his "normal" serious level, the admiral continues, "The majors
will be assigned to your ship for this mission. They're to follow your orders,
but will also make certain you follow mine.
"Major Elloekothe specializes in covert ops, recon, and materiel acquisition.
She has spent a great deal of time undercover on occupied worlds and built a
list of contacts you may need to call upon to get you where you need to go.
"Major Arsashaammu is a biologist. Her knowledge runs from weapons to
medicinals. While we have a team working on a counteragent for the virus and its
neurotoxin, she may have to develop something in the field for your own use.
"Their presence is intended to bolster your team, to fill in the gaps in your
team's skill set and knowledgebase. We need your mission to succeed, Captain.
If you fail, we might not get a second chance to prevent Envar from happening
again."
Gvarokh looks at Major Arsashaammu and asks, "Are you a biological scientist, a
doctor, or both?"
She replies with a smile, "Both."
Chuck comments, "Great! Looks I've got one less job to do."
Gvarokh glances at him and sniffs the air just to make sure he's being sincere
and not sarcastic. Judging by the smile on his face and the lack of testosterone
in his sweat, he appears to be sincere.
Gvarokh continues, "When integrating the majors with my crew, is there any
expectation of standing or position within it? Granted, we don't really have a
formal command structure or anything, but I want to make sure things will go as
smoothly as possible."
The admiral glances at Elloekothe and Arsashaammu. "For the day-to-day operation
of your ship, it's entirely up to you. But for the mission, they will only
report to you."
Gvarokh reaches over and grabs one of the krullers. It smells great.
"We were able to secure you a Ueknou class corsair, but it came at a
price: your ship." He holds up a hand before Gvarokh can get upset. "The
Ueknou came from Diiron. It was captured in a recent skirmish there.
They're running low on ships, and they're pissed off that we haven't sent them
any more to bolster their forces. They'd intended to use the corsair for their
defense."
He leans in, as if talking in a lower voice will make it less likely that he'll
be heard outside the room. "The truth is: I'm being overruled by the Bureaux.
I'm not allowed to send any more ships down the line. Maran is on the perimeter
of the safe zone. If the coreward worlds fall, so be it. The Council is more
concerned about holding back Lucan and Dulinor's forces. The Confederation and
other hostile vargr nations haven't made a major move in years. The border is
holding. It's work for smaller vessels. Odinaga and Timat are doing the best
they can to manage the situation.
"However, we consider the Envar attack a sign of a major move. We have couriers
en route to Vland to explain the gravity of the situation, but we don't know how
they'll respond."
He leans back in his chair, and his voice returns to normal volume. "To
compensate the Diironites, we're giving them your ship and another trader. No,
not one of the ones you just salvaged. They weren't happy considering the
discrepancies in performance, but the tonnage was a compromise they're willing
to accept, or at least not secede from Ziru Sirkaa over.
"The Ueknou is at Timat. Repairs will be completed by the time you
arrive."
"Will it be possible to affect the weapons load out before we depart Timat?
Those plasma guns turned out to be extremely helpful multiple times in the
recovery mission. Also, will it have its standard sub-craft, too?"
"Yes, the ship we secured for you still has its G-Carrier. Ghoerruegh
class, if I'm not mistaken. Highly rated and reliable. Fast and stealthy."
Lakir jumps in. "We'll definitely want to take our air-raft. We've modified it
quite a bit, and I don't want to lose that."
The admiral nods. "The deal was for your ship, not the air-raft."
Lakir adds, "Maybe we can trick out the G-Carrier—"
"That won't be necessary," Elloekothe interrupts. "The Ghoerruegh class
doesn't need to be tricked out. Its design is already optimal. Not only is it
fast and stealthy, but it has a laser turret for teeth. And for defense, it has
anti-laser aerosol canisters—"
The admiral raises a hand to calm Elloekothe. "What the major means to say is
that the G-Carrier is already optimized for corsair usage. Over the years, the
manufacturer has gone to great lengths to please the corsair community.
Modifying it could raise a red flag.
"Now, modifying an Imperial-made air-raft to look more mercenary, that's a good
thing."
Lakir nods. "Getting back to the main ship: Any chance we can get our plasma
turrets back? That would be big. You can keep that missile shit. Reloads are a
bit tough to come by these days, though one tube might be worth keepin'. Need a
read on our consumables resupply if we go that route though."
Gvarokh adds, "While it might be nice to have the literal 'nuclear option'
available to us, I much prefer having all energy weapons in an actual fight. And
I can't stress enough how valuable those plasma turrets were when we battled
the pirates at Ikhog."
The admiral consults a tablet. "The ship has four pulse laser turrets. If you
need the nuclear option, Elloekothe will assist you with that once you're in
Confederation space."
Elloekothe leans back in her chair and crosses her arms.
"As for the plasma turrets, I will see what I can do. However, I can't promise
anything."
Gvarokh addresses the aide, "We're going to need a lot of boxes and crates to
pack up our stuff."
The aide makes a note on his tablet.
Gvarokh turns his attention back to the admiral. "We're going to need some gear.
Some of our junior personnel haven't had the opportunity to equip themselves
like our senior members." He gives a nod towards his present company.
"You have a mercenary license. Put it to use before you go."
Seeing that there's nothing else to discuss, the admiral stands to signal that
the meeting is adjourned. He takes a holocube from his aide and hands it to
Gvarokh. "This contains all the intel we have on Gemid. It's got one of those
pseudo AI agents in it that can answer your questions about the data contained
within it."
"Thank you, sir." He pauses a moment, then adds, "I'll need a bit of time before
the majors show up."
"Will two hours suffice?"
"Yes."
"Two hours then. Good hunting, gentlemen."
With that Gvarokh, Lakir, Vincent, and Chuck leave the conference room and
return to the ship.
Characters: All
NPC: Chuck, Uengghae, Kagfak
Location: Miishakaal
System: Maran
Gvarokh, Lakir, Vincent, and Chuck have returned to the ship, and Gvarokh calls
a meeting.
Once everyone has gathered in the crew lounge, Gvarokh says, "Our first mission
as privateers is to track down where the Envar virus was made and neutralize it.
Apparently, by any means necessary. The navy brass believes that we'll find the
answers on Gemid as they're the only ones with the technology to pull this sort
of thing off. And since they have a history of making biotech of this sort, it
stands to reason that we start there.
"There will be major changes coming up for this mission. First off, we'll be
getting two additional crewmembers for this mission. One is a covert ops
specialist with extensive experience in the Extents. The other is a biologist
who will be our lead for dealing with the virus and its neurotoxin. Both are
majors, but you will not pretend they are crew. They will be part
of the crew. They will be fighting alongside us and performing ship tasks as
appropriate to their skill set. Obviously trust has to be earned, but respect
should be immediate."
Dougok sniffs suspiciously at the mention of new crewmates. He emits a growl
that maybe lasts a second.
"The second thing is that we're going to be getting that Ueknou corsair
we talked about weeks back. The problem is: the world that currently owns it is
demanding that we loan them Miisha for as long as we're on this mission.
That means we have to pack up all of our stuff and bring it with us. That means
everything. Leave nothing behind. Miisha should look stripped. All
personal effects, gear, equipment, and supplies are to transfer to the new ship
with us.
"We'll have plenty of time to pack as we're picking up the Ueknou at the
naval base on Timat, though they're not the ones who 'own' the ship. Timat is
two parsecs from here, so we can be there in a week."
Gvarokh checks the time. "We've got some time before the majors show up, so I'll
answer any questions you have, and then we can see about buying some gear for
those who aren't fully equipped."
Dougok asks, "What positions will our new crewmates fill? And what is the
condition of the Ueknou? We'll want some time to try her systems out."
Gvarokh replies, "As mentioned earlier, one is a covert ops specialist, and one
is a biologist. The biologist is also a medical doctor and will fill that
position in the crew. I would expect the covert ops specialist to serve in a
variety of roles. She will likely help us with contacts along the way."
Dougok wags his tail. "Are the new additions human or vargr?"
"Actually, one of each. The special ops is vargr; the doctor/biologist is human.
Both are female."
Dougok's tail wags more intensely. "Vargr...good." He then asks, "What is going
to be our cover story with the ship? Do we intend to pose as star mercs or
heavily armed merchants?"
Gvarokh says, "Let's put it this way: We are, for all intents and purposes,
privateers. We are independent operators in the employ of the Vilani Bureaux.
Our cover is that we are corsairs. We will even act as corsairs, though
obviously our targets will be different. We will be predators hunting predators;
corsairs hunting corsairs."
Dougok's tail is still wagging, though a bit more calmly. He grins, showing his
canine teeth. "It is good that our identity is clear to all. I'll gladly paint
the Flaming Eye on the ship."
Lakir then says, "As part of the shopping expedition, when the majors get here,
we'll want to ask them what sort of gear we're going to need for bio detection
and protection. And anything we might need for destroying bugs. And decon gear
in case of exposure."
Gvarokh adds that he wants Slade and Vincent to remove the fuel bladder. "It
might come in handy on the next ship."
They nod in understanding.
Gvarokh says before the conclusion of the meeting, "Maran is our last, best
place to go shopping before we head out. If you guys can think of anything you
might need in terms of armor, ammo, weapons, or equipment, buy it now. You
should be able to use our mercenary license to get what you want."
Kagfak and Uengghae start to whimper but Gvarokh is quick to placate them. "I
know you guys don't have much money right now. I'll use the ship's funds to
cover any reasonable purchases. Oh and you're going to have to room together for
the week so the new crew can have rooms. I swear that everyone gets their own
stateroom in the new ship. Ok?"
Both Kagfak and Uengghae wag their tails to indicate that they're fine with
having to bunk together for the week.
Gvarokh's notes the time. "Chuck, would you join me on the bridge, please."
"Sure." Chuck follows Gvarokh to the bridge.
Characters: Gvarokh
NPC: Chuck
Location: Miishakaal's bridge
System: Maran
Gvarokh and Chuck are on the bridge while the rest of the crew has dispersed to
go shopping.
"What's up, Captain?"
"I wanted to get your opinion on something." Gvarokh looks up at Shiraamer's
urn.
Chuck follows his gaze. "Oh. Yeah."
Gvarokh keeps staring at the urn. "I've been giving it a lot of thought. It
doesn't seem right to move her to the bridge of a corsair. And we can't leave
her on the Miisha. The most appropriate thing probably would have been to
bury her on our old base at Larkarda, but that isn't an option anymore."
"No, it's not." Gvarokh breaks away from the urn to look at Chuck, but he's
still looking at the urn. "She died there. It broke her heart."
"I thought about taking her with us to figure out an appropriate way to inter
them somewhere. Maybe we'll drop her into an appropriate sun. Perhaps even
Maran's."
Chuck shakes his head. "No, that wouldn't be right."
"I'm kind of at a loss for the best remaining option."
"Well, you're right. She really wouldn't be at home on a corsair." Chuck locks
his gaze on Gvarokh. "She belongs right here."
"But—"
"This is her home. It's still her ship. Don't get me wrong. You've been a great
captain, but you've never really made the ship yours. It's like you've been
doing your old first officer's job, keeping the ship together until Shiraamer
comes back for it. You need a ship of your own. Let's leave her here."
"Where?"
A grin appears on Chuck's face. "I bet we can hide her behind some bulkhead
somewhere. This way she'll be able to watch over Miisha while those numb nuts
are flying her around. If they screw up, her ghost can haunt them until they get
their shit together."
Gvarokh lets loose with a good belly laugh that sounds decidedly vargr. "Ok, you
convinced me. Which panel or bulkhead is least likely to ever be opened?"
Chuck shrugs. "Oh I don't know. Maybe in the ship's locker. Or the wall between
your room and Simrii's. I'm sure that Slade can come up with a few places."
"Hmmmm. I'll find a spot this week in jump and hide it there. Then she can truly
guard her ship going forward."
Chuck grins.
Just as they're about to go about their other business, the ship's computer
chimes, "You've got mail." Gvarokh and Chuck exchange a puzzled look.
"Who's it from?" Gvarokh asks.
"The Zirunkariish Corporation."
Gvarokh tilts his head to the side. Chuck's eyebrows go up. Gvarokh says, "Read
it."
"With regards to case number 11260447UN13, the Zirunkariish Corporation has
deemed that your compensation for the recovered property to be 2,000,000
credits. A report explaining how we calculated this figure is attached. This sum
has been deposited into your account.
"Should you wish to dispute these sums, cancel the deposit within 32 hours and
reply to this message with—"
"Stop reading!"
Chuck and Gvarokh stare at each other, barely containing their enthusiasm. Chuck
finally blurts out, "Score!"
Next: Shopping Trip