Byron backs out of the room and heads to find a shuttle.
"Malos," replies Jerry. "We will investigate and bring in these raiders."
He goes with Byron to the shuttles.
Clarke may be dour and dreary but it is at least efficient. A data query soon finds you a shuttle leaving for the Relic-quarry in five hours.
After grabbing a somewhat bland bite to eat, you board the shuttle and take your seats. Two hours later, you land in Hiewad city. You gather at the window as the shuttle approaches because the damage from the raid is obvious from the air. blast marks on the ground from weapons fire, imprints in the mud where ships landed, and the remains of the warehouse
that once contained relics from the ruined city.
Hiewad city is only more interesting than the downport because of the relic-quarry and the damage. The people are purposeful and earnest, but their dress is monochromatic and their speech filled with aphorisms of the Psychopomp faith. Here and there a black-cassocked Keeper walks about, his ceremonial foam-tanks on his back.
Puh-ping!
Jerry looks around the shuttle depot, trying to decide how to proceed. Shrugging, he turns and walks towards someone who seems to performing some official work.
After asking for some directions, Jerry and his companions find their way to an official who is dealing with the aftermath of the raid.
"We are representatives of the Drinax government, which has an interest in tracking down these raiders. What information can you provide about the ship, or ships, that attacked the relic-quarry and the city?"
Jerry leads the team in investigating the attack.
Daneel volunteers to look around near the damaged areas. He'll start by heading to the muddy area they saw where the raiders' ships landed.
Jerry asks his crewmates to scout the attack sites and interview witnesses, hoping that he has not forgotten anything.
Daneel and Jerry learn some things. Two pirate ships landed here and attacked. They killed everyone present before blasting the door off a local warehouse and looting the place. Finding no one guarding the warehouse, Daneel checks out their records and learns that the pirates stole primarily computer parts recovered from the Relic-Quarry. A quick analysis shows that these parts could be salvaged by a sufficiently advanced (TL 14+) culture.
Step knows that the Florian Empire buys such scrap for recycling.
Byron will look around as well with limited effect.
Jerry turns to his companions, trying to conceive of a plan.
"I would try to pick up some gossip, or other information, by talking to the locals in a bar," he says.
"Except I don't think that these people are the type to hang out in bars. Can anyone else do some digging around? Don't these people have any kind of traffic control or other sensors to control traffic in the system?"
Jerry starts to pace as he continues to speak quickly. "The pirates stole things besides computer parts? What other things?"
"Maybe I will try with Malos, or the other. Where would the miners keep records of what they recovered from the Relic-Quarry?"
Byron will go carousing to see if he can get some information. But gets more caught up in carousing then asking questions.
"It doesn't look like we are going to find anything else here. We should take our search to one of the other systems that were attacked." Byron says.
"I agree. We seem to have learned everything we can, here on Clarke," says Jerry.
"Let's go to Torpol. Should we try to pick up some cargo for the trip?"
"It was not a bad stop, if nothing else there is another bounty to claim here." Byron says as he starts heading back to the shuttle.
Five hours later, after a surprisingly tasty lunch in drab Hiewad City, an ornithopter ride back to the downport and a shuttle to the highport, you are back onboard Nemesis and outbound for Torpol.
Another week goes by in J-Space. The marines chafe at the lack of action, Daneel and Chief Kagni break down and repair a lubrication pump, and Ray pumps iron with Byron. Steph spends her time looking for possible cargoes (and piracy targets) at Torpol and during it all, Jerry reviews paperwork from Drinax.
Nemesis, in its guise as the yacht Sweet Adeline, jumps into Torpol space, 400,000 kilometers from the Highport.
"Welcome to Torpol, Sweet Adeline," says a voice from Traffic Control. "We have twenty-one Pleasure Ports for your relaxation and amusement. Pleas refer to Channel 169 for all your resort information and several free vouchers at some of our finest hotels, restaurants and deep-sea expeditions. Come to the beacon and relinquish helm control at my mark. Enjoy your stay!"
Trojan Reach/Tlaiowaha 0601 - B55A77A-B Wa
Torpol's star is a single F4V main sequence star, roughly 4.4 times as bright as Sol, with its habitable zone roughly twice as far from the star as Earth from Sol. The system contains six gas giants and two planetoid belts.
Torpol is a water world, with no surface land. The population of 60 million lives on the ice caps at the north and south poles of the planet, or on huge stilt-supported platforms built in shallow water. The planet’s primary industry is, unsurprisingly, fishing and producing hydrogen fuel for the trade convoys that dock here. Despite Torpol’s lack of natural resources, the provosts who rule the planet have proved themselves canny merchants, buying and selling goods along the Florian trade route. The eccentric Florian League is a difficult trading partner, as guessing what the Floriani will decide to invest in next is something of an art, and the provosts have studied the demands of the distant League in order to predict which goods will sell in coming years.
Torpol has also made its name as a planet for shore leave, by establishing a string of ‘pleasure ports’ along the tropics. Torpol’s high Law Level (no weapons of any kind are allowed) is a reflection of the provosts’ need to keep the planet’s reputation as a safe place to relax. The pleasure ports may feel wild, erotic and untamed, but they are actually the safest place on the planet.
No doubt, raider problems on such a planet would be devastating to their carefully-maintained image as a resort.
Once at the highport, you ask about the raiders and are directed down to the planet, to one of the southern ports, to speak with the Provost Martial, Haddo Falx.
The public sections of the polar port emphasise Torpol’s carefully maintained reputation as a watery paradise that is both a safe place to refuel and a wild party planet, with holograms of tropical beaches and sun-kissed seascapes blocking the view of the howling polar blizzards outside. Well-groomed guards escort you behind into the grey corridors of the private starport to meet with Provost Falx in his office.
The Starport Administrator is one of the Provosts, an order of administrators and facilitators who engineer society on Torpol. Falx dresses in bright orange robes and has a tiny golden fez with a scale model of the starport on top of it.
"Ah, do come in. I understand that you've got some expertise in the raider incident is that right?"
"This place looks like it will be more fun to explore. But it might be good to find out where the attacks occurred and just head there first." Byron suggests.
Jerry nods before replying to Provost Falx.
"Yes, we have some expertise. And knowledge of what occurred on Clarke, too."
Jerry pauses, then continues. "What and where did the raiders attack here on Torpol?"
The Provost leans forward. "A moment. What is your interest in this matter, Mister...?"
"Ahh! Please forgive, I should have introduced myself," replies Jerry.
"I am Jeremiah Xavier Jaramillo-Smith, a duly appoined representative of the King of Drinax. My companions," said as he vaguely gestures towards his companions, "are representatives of the Kingdom of Drinax. Direct appointment from the King himself, even."
Jerry pauses to gauge the reaction of the Provist.
"His Majesty has ordered us to assist in this investigation and to deal with these raiders. That is our interest in this matter."
As the Captain talks to the provost, Daneel hangs back. He lowers his telepathic shields a bit and reaches out - brushing the Provost's mind to see what is going on in there.
Check: Average (8+) Telepathy (1D x 10 seconds, PSI)
Reach: Long
PSI Cost: 2
Falx's face lights up. "Ah! Welcome to Torpol, Mister Jaramillo-Smith, ladies and gentlemen. We would be pleased to accept any, um, expertise you have!" He flicks a button on his desk communicator. "Jerrold? Drinks for five, please. On the double."
In short order, a rotund but middle-aged man enters with a drinks cart and serves each of you a drink of your choice.
"So, where would you like to begin?" asks Falx when Jerrold has left.
"What can you tell us about their forces?" Byron asks as he would like to know more about how large a group the pirates really are.
"Well," says the Provost, "Torpol’s lack of stable land means that many of our industrial facilities are in orbit. The target of the pirate attack was one of these orbital factories, an automated chemical refinery. The factory’s onboard cameras transmitted images of the attack just before they were destroyed."
He manipulates his datapad for a second and plays the recording. It shows two ships approaching from the orbital refuelling dock. A barrage of deadly accurate laser fire severs the refinery’s cargo module, and one of the ships swoops in to capture it. The other vessel moves to provide cover, then departs.
"We've confirmed that one of the ships was a Far Trader, the other was a 400-ton Vulture-class salvage hauler," says Falx.
"Both ships refuelled at the orbital dock. They conducted their business electronically, and gave what we assume to be false names, claiming to Argo 1 and Argo 2. The ships just bought fuel and departed; none of their crews left the ships."
"Can we get a copy of that video feed?" Byron asks.
"Certainly," says Provost Falx. "Perhaps you'll find something there we didn't. Is there anything else you need?"
Falx gestures and the video leaps to your own personal computer.
How much fuel did they take on? Was it enough for more then a single jump? Byron asks hoping to help narrow down where they might have come from or where they might have been heading after.
"I don't know," says Falx, his ornate little fez bobbing on his shaved head. "Here. I'll give you access to our data feed and you can query the database. I'll ask Jerrold to give you an office here where you can work."
That done, he refreshes your drinks and smiles at you, easily the most helpful civil servant you've ever encountered.
Later, situated in the small office downstairs from Falx's, you address the computer to query the fuel logs.
__________________________________________________________
Yes.
Byron takes his time with the video and begins to see what he can learn.
Jerry turns to his companions.
"I am not bad with computers, but I think that some of you are better with Comms and Sensors. Let me see if I can find fueling records for the ships," says Jerry.
Jerry turns to the computer and begins querying the records made available by Falx.
"Hmm, maybe someone else should try this."
"I'm on it, Captain."
You all missed the part about the Boon, I see. See above and add a die.
Byron searches through the video, noticing details. The 200-ton Far Trader has two double turrets, both equipped with twin pulse lasers. The 400-ton salvage hauler has two single and two double turrets, and is armed with two pulse lasers, two sandcasters, and two missile launchers.
But here is where it gets interesting. Byron notices that the salvage hauler was recently repainted, but using computer analysis and AI reconstruction, Byron can discern a logo and a registry beneath the paint – the salvage hauler bears the starburst-and-starship of the Imperial Navy! A quick cross-reference through Jhayne's Fighting Starships demonstrates that the salvage hauler is actually the Imperial Navy ship ISNS Mercifuge.
According to official bulletins, the Mercifuge was part of a flotilla that fled the Imperium under the command of renegade ‘Admiral’ Darokyn some thirty years ago. The Mercifuge is listed as stolen. According to the pirate lore Byron discovers in the general histories of the Trojan Reach, Darokyn is now a notorious pirate operating out of some unknown system within the Reach and has a fleet of ships at his command.
Meanwhile, Daneel closely examines the communications relays and discovers that the putative Argo 1 – the Far Trader – made a single radio transmission while docked at the refuelling station. It broadcast an encrypted greeting to another ship, a refitted scout, that was landed at the Torpol Downport. You recall that there was a third ship, a scout ship, at the attack on Clarke. The refitted scout ship has since departed the system.
Jerry quietly speaks with his companions, after Byron shares what he has learned.
"Should we go to the Torpol Downport try to learn anything about that scout ship? Byron, you could not find anything in the computer system, so that might mean that the scout ship somehow hid its identity. Or, maybe, had an accomplice in the Downport."
Jerry pauses, waiting for his companions to respond.
"So, we go to Downport and try and figure out what the scout was up to? Sounds good, bossman."
"Did we find out what they took from the chemical factory? I can assume some sort of chemical, but what kind specifically. It might help us know what they are going to do."
"Too bad we're just one ship. It would be amazing to be able to swoop in and take the pirates home port and his flee. Taking out 'Admiral’ Darokyn would be a real boon for Drinax, and having those ships working for us would be a boon for us and Drinax's coffers."
Steph makes arrangements to travel to Downport.
"Captain the marines are bored. Can we give them shore leave here? It would help with morale."
"Yes, the crew is overdue for shore leave. The usual, about staying together and not breaking any local laws," replies Jerry.
"And, we can go to Downport, too. Makes sense for the officers to go along with the marines, doesn't it?," asks Jerry. "And we can try to learn more about that scout."
"Makes perfect sense to me. We have to keep an eye on our crew." Steph grins and prepares to go to Downport.
So... whaddya do?
Byron hits the bars and sees if anyone remembers people from the Argo 1 and manages to not get too drunk before he starts talking to people.