Byron goes to plot the coordinates.
Let's spread the blame around for this one!
Daneel, why don't you give me an Engineering (J-Drive) check?
"Byron, are these numbers right? Something's not adding up.
Siete does his best to help.
"Its a bigger jump then you might think. I think you need to let out some more power." Byron says.
Killian returned to the medical suite and speaks to the doctor who had been working on the ship.
"So Doctor...tell me a little about yourself. Do you have a specialty? Anything I should be aware of with the crew?"
_______________________________________________________
Dr. Hargek is a young female vargr, just a few years out of medical school. She has a mechanical parrot that hops about small sick bay. "I interned in internal medicine at the Scholar's Tower," she says. "The crew is in good shape, though with the increased number of crew I suspect that we begin to reach a limit beyond which crew irritability is likely to rise."
Siete does his best to help.
Byron works with Siete to find the way.
The astrogation team thinks they've got a good lock. Time to light up the engine, Daneel.
Daneel takes he data from Byron & Siete and programs the drive.
The silvery light of the lanthanum grid glows across the hull. Moments later, the ship jumps into the alternate reality of J-Space, a silvery void without form or feature save for the occasional unexplained light in the distance.
And the crew, new and old settles in for a week-long journey to an unknown place somewhere in the Outrim Void.
Daneel spends his time doing routine maintenance, sparring with the marines, and reprogramming the steward-bot (for fun).
lol
Besides checking that the environmental filters are up to scratch - the library data mentioning ancient war plagues has set his Vespexer reflexes atwitch - Marco spends his time socialising and sparring with the marines.
Time passes as Nemesis sails through an endless, shapeless void. The new, closer quarters chafe as everyone gets used to the new sleeping arrangements. The Marines grumble, but Marines always grumble.
Krrsh the vargr works hard to be useful. With Chief Kagni and Daneel running the engines and the stewbot cleaning the passageways there isn't a great deal for him to do, but he fills in wherever he can.
Marco and Daneel work out with the Marines. Because Siete has parked his bike in the vehicle bay, they now work out in the small empty portion of the cargo bay.
Killian takes over as the ship's Medical officer, leaving Dr. Hargek little to do, but between the two of them, they work out a diet and vitamin regimen to keep the crew in good shape.
Steph's holovid directory continues to be good for morale, and the crew now have a tradition of watching "The Last Prince," a romantic drama about the tense years before the Fourth Frontier War, though Steph herself has fallen in love with dubbed Aslan historical dramas.
About a week later, the Jump Alarm sounds, warning that the jump bubble is about to collapse. An hour later, with everyone strapped in, Nemesis emerges at its location in deep space. The stars shine cold and clear, but no suns are nearby. For several tense minutes, no depot is found, but Daneel spots it on long-range sensors. It's an asteroid about half a million kilometers away. It's not emitting any electronic signals, but is clearly marked in artificial lights and man-made structures.
Then, a powerful fire-control system targets Nemesis about the same time that Daneel figures out they have a large missile battery.
"Ahoy, mates," says a voice in a ridiculously anachronistic Terran accent. "We'll be thanking you to heave to and run up your colors, if you please. What ship be you and where bound?"
Byron lounges in his seat and says, "Well, that doesn't seem very friendly. But if we want to find out anything we need to play along. I am not sure its a good idea to claim a flag though."
"Who are we to these pirates then? Mercenaries looking to sign up, fences for their goods, a courier to someone here - do we even know anyone who might be here? Reckon one thing we don't want to be is prey." Marco raps a tabletop firmly for emphasis.
Jerry gets on the com, "Get that vargr up here!"
After he orders that, Jerry realizes that they probably don't have the time to wait. He keys the transmit button before replying to the hail.
"We are the Misericorde," he states (having pulled a name from one of the ancient historical drama vids he had been viewing in his downtime).
"Bound for Theev."
Steph holds their course steady, and grins at the name Jerry chose. "Byron can you get us a course for Theev? Just in we need a back up plan. I don't not want my ship shot up if we can avoid it." She pats the edge of her station with affection.
Byron shrugs and starts plotting a course in case things go really sideways.
"Well, Captain," says the voice. "I don't reckon I know you or your ship, but this here's a free port. Any ship can fuel here, but the rules are a little different. This is how it'll go."
"You stand off there and we'll send ye a fuel barge. She'll cozy up to you, all quiet-like and you'll see she's got no weapons nor crew. When you're satisfied, she'll approach and dock with your fuel port. That's when you'll pay your credits. And only then will you get your fuel. Nothing but the finest Grade AA Imperial, mind you. None of that bilge-sucking Florian clap a' thunder. Then, when you've had your fill, the barge returns and you're on your way as sweet as you please."
"Arm weapons, approach the station or even fly crooked and you'll be sent to the starry deep. Savvy?"
At about this time, Krrsh comes onto the bridge, looking nervous. "Crewman Krrsh reporting as ordered, sir!"
Jerry ensures that he is not transmitting externally before speaking with Krrsh.
"We are at the fuel depot. What's the going rate for fuel hereabouts?"
Steph continues to hold the course. She glances back at Krrsh, and waits for his answer.
"Steph, they called for us to stop forward motion. I think we should play nice and hold our position." Byron suggests.
Retcon:
Steph brings the ship to full stop, and waits for orders.
Krrsh says "It's four times the going rate outside," he says. "They got a monopoly, so they can do it. The juice is good quality, though. And yeah, I recommend you give them a wide berth. They've got multiple missile batteries and a pair of fighters out there, so I've heard. It's just the cost of doing business in Theev."
"Interesting. Do you know of any other places like this that act as waystations for those who might need to avoid the more traditional stops?" Byron asks Krrsh.
"Helm, now that you are stopped, signal for the fuel barge to approach," states Jerry.
He turns his chair to face Krrsh.
"Once we are fuelled, is there any protocol before moving out to jump distance?"
Killian maneuvers his grav-chair forward into the bridge area.
"All good Captain? Should medbay be preparing for visitors?"
While at the bridge he will scan Krrsh's mind to see what mysteries the creature might be holding back from the group
"Interesting. Do you know of any other places like this that act as waystations for those who might need to avoid the more traditional stops?" Byron asks Krrsh.
Krrsh shakes his head. "Just this one. From the other side, it's a two-parsec jump from Vume to Dolberg, Realgar or...or the one that's hard to pronounce. So you can get from the Theev Cluster into Imperial space with a smaller ship. But I suspect that there's at least one more somewhere in the vast space between Palindrome and either Nekrino, Scaladon or Boulder. For all I know, this isn't the only one between Noricum and Theev. The Pirate Lords will have backup routes, of that you can be sure."
"Helm, now that you are stopped, signal for the fuel barge to approach," states Jerry.
He turns his chair to face Krrsh.
"Once we are fuelled, is there any protocol before moving out to jump distance?"
"Nope. Just let the barge sail away, signal the station and then jump. I always liked to move out a little. I know space is big and the odds of hitting another ship are almost nonexistent, but I figure everyone's using the same coordinates to drop in, so why not move off a few thousand klicks first?"
The barge approaches, you pay for the fuel, receive the fuel and then jump!
Byron begins plotting a jump to Theev.
Most believe Theev to be a myth. The fabled thieves’ port, the pirate’s refuge where lawlessness is king and the Imperium’s police cutters and patrols cannot reach – some tales place it in District 268, others in the middle of the Great Reft, others in Vargr space. In truth, Theev is quite real, and just as lawless and dangerous as the stories claim.
The planet is an unremarkable dustball, similar to Mars on a good day. The main city, Blacksand City, is built on top of a series of plateaus linked by sealed walkways. Ships are landed out of sight in the chasms between the plateaus; bars and other entertainments are built into the sides of these chasms. Anything and everything is for sale in Theev – the city’s main business is supplying raiders with weaponry and fencing stolen goods, especially cargoes stolen from traders heading for the Florian League or the Aslan Hierate. Theev’s shipyards are infamous, producing advanced models of corsair and equipping pirate vessels with cutting-edge military-grade weapons.
The city is lawless, but the pirate lords who rule it punish those who use excessive violence. Stab some fool in a bar, and the body can be dumped down the chasm and forgotten about, but bring anything heavier than a laser pistol to a fight, and you’ll be down that chasm with your throat cut faster than you can say ‘my, the pirate lords of Blacksand City certainly have efficient assassins working for them’.
Theev’s survival is something of a mystery. It is only three parsecs away from the military base at Realgar, easily within range of patrols. Any number of Aslan
warriors has sworn to wipe out that den of thieves and vipers, and while most of these are idle boasts, an aggressive Aslan could make it across the sector and strike at Theev. Then, too, there is the mystery of how Theev started, and how it is always well stocked with the latest weapons and ship parts. Someone is behind Theev, someone who is an enemy of peace and civilization in the Trojan Reach.
You pop out of J-Space a hundred thousand klicks from the surface of the red sand world of Theev. Orbiting the planet is a vast space station bristling with weapons, called The Eyes of the Skull. Using Krrsh’s code, the Travellers can pass the watchful eyes of the Skull and land at the Theev DownPort. The port looks like a swarm of titanic black scarabs from above – every landing pad has huge bay doors that close overhead when a ship is docked, to conceal the visitor from watchful eyes and protect them from the dust. The city itself consists of hundreds of skyscrapers that rise from a network of canyons. The skyscrapers are linked by covered walkways.
When you open your doors, a woman is standing there. She is young and beautiful, but strange. She has clearly benefited from genetic and cybernetic augmentation. She wears loose black robes that could conceal any number of weapons. She has a wide smile on her face. ”Good day. I am a Widow. I have come to welcome you and explain the rules of Blacksand City.”
” Here, in the starport, or the Upper City, or any building marked by red flags, the Law of the Lords holds sway. The Law of Lords is no murder, no weapons fire, nothing that offends the calm and tranquility of the city. Anywhere else on the planet surface, anywhere in the canyons below, anywhere not marked by red flags, another law holds sway – the Law of the Street. The only restriction is a ban on any weapon that might breach the city’s environmental containment. The punishment for breaking either law is the same – death.”
”The red flag zones move, so some buildings in the Lower City are protected on one day, and left open to the Law of the Streets the next. Be sure to look for the flags.”
"Sounds like a nice place you got here, where would be a good place to grab a drink?" Byron says as he plans his night of carousing.
Steph smiles at the woman in greeting. "Thank you for the information. May I ask how large the red flags are? Are they clearly noticeable?"
"Than you for the warning," replies Jerry.
"Can you provide any specifics on the weapons which are forbidden? And, is is acceptable to possess such weapons within a ship that has landed?
"Sounds like a nice place you got here, where would be a good place to grab a drink?" Byron says as he plans his night of carousing.
The widow gives Byron a bland smile that makes his skin crawl, just a little. "I'm told that the Bell and Arms on Andynyk Lane is an enjoyable establishment," she says. "Though there are entertainment halls both more and less expensive, more and less reputable. I understand that it has a 'best of both worlds' reputation."
Steph smiles at the woman in greeting. "Thank you for the information. May I ask how large the red flags are? Are they clearly noticeable?"
The Widow turns her head to regard Stephanie, matching her smile, though something about it seems off. Stephanie can't quite say what. "They are all large enough to be visible. Posted at each corner of each building. Remember, the whole of the spaceport and upper city -plus- any place posted with red flags enjoys the Lords' Law."
"Than you for the warning," replies Jerry.
"Can you provide any specifics on the weapons which are forbidden? And, is is acceptable to possess such weapons within a ship that has landed?
"All weapons are legal in Blacksand City," she says. "What is prohibited is 'murder', 'weapons fire' and 'anything that offends the calm and tranquility of the city.' The Lords' Law is practical, not moralistic."
"Of course, the definition of offending the calm and tranquility of the city is subjective and varies depending on the parties involved, so one is well advised to avoid offending important parties. And walking down the street armed for war might meet that definition as well. That said, most people in Blacksand City are armed with personal weapons. Some wear armor." She smiles blandly, as if discussing the weather.
"I am leaving now. Please enjoy your stay, and may it be profitable. I do hope we won't need to get reacquainted." She pivots and walks away without another word.
"I will hit up the Bell and Arms and see if I can get anything interesting out of the locals." Byron says as he straps on his weapons over his armor and prepares to head out.