IC Campaign Thread (Alternity)

[Blue Jay & Megan]

Title: Discharged (POV: Blue Jay)

I just completed arrangements with my CO to be discharged from my unit
to take care of my kid since my mother passed away and I'm the only
one left to take care of Megan. We discussed other options; but, I
said flat out no to them. I wanted to keep my daughter. With no
other options available and with cutbacks looming over Aegis, we
agreed that the best option was for me to take an Honorable Discharge
while things were still good. If they needed me again, we'd have to
work something out when they'd call me up to duty again. I'd get to
keep my ship free and clear with the condition that I never sell it.
I'd be on my own though for employment, even though I'd have a good
record under my belt. A few issues, of course, would remain
classified as best as possible.

-----------------

After the Honorable Discharge and such, I've fallen into hard times
and have had to borrow money. They're reasonable people and such with
reasonable terms; but, I'm gonna be owing them a lot of money for
long time. Damn, how do I get myself into these messes? It doesn't
matter, I HAVE to take care of Megan, and it was the only way to do
it. I would have lost her if I hadn't. I need to make a clean start
some how and fix this mess I've made.

-----------------------------------------------

Grandma is Dead (POV: Megan)

Why'd she have to leave me? What'd I do wrong? I was good. Now Mommy
has to stopy flying to look after me cause there's no one left. I
love Mommy; but, I miss Daddy. When's he coming back for me?

----------------

I'm scared. Is that what happened to Grandma? They said she died too.
I don't think I'm gonna trust anyone who tells me what to do again...
ever.

[Blue Jay & Megan]

Title: New Situation, New Job, New Crew (POV: Blue Jay)

Babel was te right choice... specifically the SpaceWalk... a throwback
to ancient days. Megan was having a blast watching all the pirate
antics despite the danger she put herself into; but, in the end, I
suppose it was worth it: We got ourselves a new crew and got everyone
to show themselves off to impress the captain and his security chief.
The Captain's name is Dr. Frederick Optio, I believe. His ship is
named after some scientific principle, shortened to The Demon. He
sounds like a brilliant man with a noble cause of space exploration.
This sounds like honest and decent work. I've always hoped to have
some decent role models in Megan's life, and I think I fell in with
the right crew.

I'll be taking my militay-type orders from Jim. He seems a decent
negotiator and fair, as well as competent. The T'sa named Kol'sa
seemed a bit nervous about something; but, he was quick to help me
rescue my daughter and I'm grateful for that. Jack, I'm even more
grateful to, which is why I interfereed with his mock-prate gig for
saving my daughter's life, in order to get him out of this flea dump
and aboard Dr. Optio's ship. The interference worked; but, one day
the truth will come out and they'll be a price to pay. I can only
hope by then he'll be grateful to be out of this flea dump and on Dr.
Optio's ship and look back to the day when I interfered with his stage
performance and changed the course of his life. Maybe I did it for
selfish reasons or noble reasons, the point is, I knew he was better
off with us than here.

---------------------

YAY!!!!!! WE GOT A NEW HOME!!!! (POV: Megan)

We got a new home! We got a new home! We got a new home! We got a new
homw! Mommy got a job flying again! They even got a cat person! I
got to hold his hand I even got to go on a pirate ship!!! a REAL
pirate ship!!!! With pirates fighting and everything!!! Captain Jack
saved me from falling over... he's awesome. He took on TWO pirates...
No one's supposed to know... but Mommy helped him... I could tell...
she taught me the signs to look for with Mindwalkers about, so I'd
know when to run and hide or when to go to Mommy for protection. I
like Capain Jack. He's my hero!

[Forrestwolf]

Blue Jay, Megan, Kal'sa, Dr. Fredric Optio, and Jim Borala turn from
the mock pirate ship battle and towards the sound of a deep voice
nearby. A man with a shaggy grey beard, blue cap, and pipe is sitting
at a table where several patrons have clustered about to hear his
tale.

'Never was there a tale as tragic as that of the Augustine. The ship
destroyed - all hands lost - it was a dark day in the Tendril system,
my friends.

'The tale begins when the ship's captain, Robert Harrison, came into
the system after so many years of silence during the Great War.
Governor Harrison turned the system around, getting machines working
again after so many cycles of the Burn - but it took forty years -
forty years! - until his men found what they were looking for: alien
artifacts.

'Not just some old ruin on Atlas - oh, no - they found a real gem of a
treasure: a black pyramid buried deep below. They say the woman
leading the team, Elizabeth Danwin, saw shadows in the tunnels for
weeks before she finally came across the artifact. Said they'd been
telling her which way to go...

'Couldn't scratch the thing, though. Silent as the grave - all it did
was glow when they shot it. No matter how much juice they poured into
it, it just glowed all the brighter. Couldn't peek inside at all -
drove Dr. Danwin mad, they say, wanting to know how it worked. Years
she worked on it - till finally, she got Governor Harrison to agree to
move it to the Augustine to get more power - to maybe use it as a
defense onboard the ship.

'Bad choice for the Governor, you know. For an hour, he had his fleet
fire volley after volley at the Augustine - and not a scratch on it -
all the time, the black thing glowed brighter. Till something gave, -
Nova Station got hit by a blast of energy, coming from the Augustine.
Six other ships were lost that day - and all that was left of the
Augustine were a few pieces in a crater on Atlas. Not another scrap
was found - and of course the good Doctor as well as the Governor were
lost, since they were aboard the Augustine.

'I know there's Hattires and Ancientists over there now, on Atlas,
messing with what they shoudn't. Don't you go signing onto their
ships, friends, or you'll learn the lesson that the Governor should
have, over fifty years ago.'

The man sits back, puffing on his pipe, as the people around him talk
about the story. You get the feeling many have heard this tale
before.

(Meanwhile, Jack is trying to make a quick exit with his gear to wait
at the Demon)

[Blue Jay & Megan]

Megan had seen death before; but, didn't understand the danger part of
it. The story she heard was exciting. She blurted out, "Mom, can we
go see it? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease? Pretty please?"

Blue Jay look from face to face amongst the others, then to Megan,
"Depends what the Captain says, Megan. This could be awfully
dangerous. Also he might have other missions in mind for us already."
She looked back at the Captain for an answer.

[Nol Drek]

Jim listens to the story with interest, but he remains skeptical. He
says to Dr. Optio, "A strange tale... black pyramids, alien artifacts,
and new power sources. It sounds like the crazed ramblings of some mad
spacer who's spent too much time in Zero G. But sometimes there's a
grain of truth in these stories. Alien tech could definitely be a
windfall for the Consortium and has the potential to make us extremely
wealthy. I say we check it out."

[frit...@comcast.net]

Dr. Optio nods vaguely at Jim's words, his gaze distant.  It sounded improbable, and he was certain that the tale had been exaggerated in multiple respects.  The technology sounded vaguely reminiscent of the tales of the Iln Cube; that legend also involved a seemingly impassive artifact that caused massive destruction when it finally reacted. 

 

If there was any truth whatsoever to the rumor, the danger to the crew would be substantial, as it always was with xenotech.  Optio reached his hand under his jacket, and felt the sharp planes of the object nestled in its holster under his shoulder.  But the danger of scavengers and untrained amateurs gaining access to something with that sort of power was even worse.

 

"I agree," he said finally.  "I'd hoped to have more time here to get our bearings in the Verge, but I don't want to lose time on this.  Blue Jay, I'm going with you to the Demon.  I want you to talk to our new mechanic; I'll want an estimate in one hour on how long it will take to make the modifications to accommodate your fighter.  If it will take too long, we might have to fly separately for now.  I don't know who will fly the Demon, but I'll worry about that.  Either way, I want both ships fueled and ready for takeoff within twelve hours."

 

He passes a card to Jim.  "Here's the credit link.  We need rations and supplies for the increased crew size.  Go with Kal'sa and see if he can show you where to get a good deal.  Keep it simple, MREs are fine.  Remember," he says, looking around at everyone, "whatever we run up on our credit line with the Consortium comes out of everyone's profits."

 

"Okay, let's go."

 

 

-------------- Original message --------------
From: Nol Drek <ha...@usit.net>

>
> Jim listens to the story with interest, but he remains skeptical. He
> says to Dr. Optio, "A strange tale... black pyramids, alien artifacts,
> and new power sources. It sounds like the crazed ramblings of some mad
> spacer who's spent too much time in Zero G. But sometimes there's a
> grain of truth in these stories. Alien tech could definitely be a
> windfall for the Consortium and has the potential to make us extremely
> wealthy. I say we check it out."
>
> On Apr 16, 1:13 pm, "Blue Jay & Megan" wrote:
> > Megan had seen death before; but, didn't understand the danger part of
> > it. The story she heard was exciting. She blurted out, "Mom, can we

> > go see it? Pleeeeeeeeee eeeeeease? Pretty please?"

[Blue Jay & Megan]

Blue Jay acknowledged with a simple, "Understood, Sir," then to Megan,
"Megan, if you want to go, you have to help me now." It was the only
way to keep Megan in tow and under control.

Megan ran over to Dr. Optio and hugged him before joining up with her
Mom and they trotted off.

Eventually they caught up to "Captain" Jack, who was busy examining
the Demon and making estimates. He partially acknowledged their
presence as he was busy. They made small talk about the Demon, while
trying to keep Megan busy with little jobs. The clear next step was
to bring Blue Jay's ship over to the hanger bay to begin further
estimates and preparations. They needed an estimate in one hour and to
be ready for take-off in twelve hours.

Blue Jay went to fetch her fighter; Megan insisted on staying with
"Captain" Jack for the short few minutes doing small jobs under his
supervision... clearly she learned quickly and understood a little
about many of the ships' systems... she had a lot of potential... but
still she was only 10 years old and there was much she had to learn.
Someone like "Captain" Jack could teach her these things... with a bit
of patience.

On Apr 17, 10:24 am, fritw...@comcast.net wrote:
> Dr. Optio nods vaguely at Jim's words, his gaze distant.  It sounded improbable, and he was certain that the tale had been exaggerated in multiple respects.  The technology sounded vaguely reminiscent of the tales of the Iln Cube; that legend also involved a seemingly impassive artifact that caused massive destruction when it finally reacted.  
>
> If there was any truth whatsoever to the rumor, the danger to the crew would be substantial, as it always was with xenotech.  Optio reached his hand under his jacket, and felt the sharp planes of the object nestled in its holster under his shoulder.  But the danger of scavengers and untrained amateurs gaining access to something with that sort of power was even worse.
>
> "I agree," he said finally.  "I'd hoped to have more time here to get our bearings in the Verge, but I don't want to lose time on this.  Blue Jay, I'm going with you to the Demon.  I want you to talk to our new mechanic; I'll want an estimate in one hour on how long it will take to make the modifications to accommodate your fighter.  If it will take too long, we might have to fly separately for now.  I don't know who will fly the Demon, but I'll worry about that.  Either way, I want both ships fueled and ready for takeoff within twelve hours."
>
> He passes a card to Jim.  "Here's the credit link.  We need rations and supplies for the increased crew size.  Go with Kal'sa and see if he can show you where to get a good deal.  Keep it simple, MREs are fine.  Remember," he says, looking around at everyone, "whatever we run up on our credit line with the Consortium comes out of everyone's profits."
>
> "Okay, let's go."
>
>
>
> -------------- Original message --------------
> From: Nol Drek <h...@usit.net>
>
> > Jim listens to the story with interest, but he remains skeptical. He
> > says to Dr. Optio, "A strange tale... black pyramids, alien artifacts,
> > and new power sources. It sounds like the crazed ramblings of some mad
> > spacer who's spent too much time in Zero G. But sometimes there's a
> > grain of truth in these stories. Alien tech could definitely be a
> > windfall for the Consortium and has the potential to make us extremely
> > wealthy. I say we check it out."
>
> > On Apr 16, 1:13 pm, "Blue Jay & Megan" wrote:
> > > Megan had seen death before; but, didn't understand the danger part of
> > > it. The story she heard was exciting. She blurted out, "Mom, can we

> > > go see it? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease? Pretty please?"

>
> > > Blue Jay look from face to face amongst the others, then to Megan,
> > > "Depends what the Captain says, Megan. This could be awfully
> > > dangerous. Also he might have other missions in mind for us already."

> > > She looked back at the Captain for an answer.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Forrestwolf]

Jack works with the Demon and the fighter for a while, swearing a bit
under his breath (and occasionally not) as he goes. He finally says
the job will be done within six hours or so; it looks like the ships
can even be connected in atmosphere, thanks to the fact that the
fighter will be tucked partially into the cargo ramp in a way that
avoids exposing vulnerable surfaces.

It seems Blue Jay will be able to handle the Demon during takeoffs and
landings.

Meanwhile, Jim and Kal'sa head off for their shopping; they find that
Babel has a thriving commercial district with a bewildering array of
hi-tech parts - likely due to StarMech's substantial presence here.
[Feel free to purchase any items you have the cash in the party for
according to the 'book' cost.]

Jim thinks long and hard about the fact that the group's destination
is a vacuum world...soft e-suits would seem to be the order of the
day, but are likely way out of the group's league unless they're
rented. Kal'sa finds him a place where you can rent exploration
equipment -it appears that rental of equipment costs 10% of the 'new'
price per month, with a down payment of one month's rental. Weekly
rentals are 5% of the new price, with a one week down payment.

[Again, everyone feel free to shop ahead of time! And coordinate cash
if you like.]

[Time passes...feel free to post other actions while you're waiting on
Babel.]

[Blue Jay & Megan]

Title: Mechanic's Apprentice POV: Megan

'Oh Boy! Captain Jack is letting me help him fix the ship! This is so
much fun! Mom taught me a lot of stuff and now I'm getting to fix a
REAL transport ship for a REAL mission!' Megan was thinking to
herself.

Megan spent a lot of time trying her best to do whatever Captain Jack
told her to do. From his perspective, it was probably just things to
keep her out of his way; but, in time, he might have actually noticed
that she wasn't screwing up the little jobs that he was giving her.
She seemed to take whatever jobs he assigned to her seriously. In a
way, he was probably about the only person she might have actually
taken seriously when he gave her something resembling an order.
Something that Blue Jay even seemed to have trouble doing. She was
really taking to him. It was both a blessing and a curse he probably
figured, as she hovered about him a lot when she was not around her
mother.

Title: Getting the Ship Prepped POV: Blue Jay

Blue Jay and Jack worked on their estimate and sent word to Dr. Opio
about the six hour estimate. Hopefully satisfied, they set to work
and did their best to meet the deadline. Blue Jay was relieved that
the Cargo Bay would not be depressurized as had once been thought.
This made things a lot safer for overall crew safety in the event the
crew needed to access the Cargo Bay while she was using the Fighter in
combat away from the Demon. This was of particular concern to her
because of Megan, who Blue Jay did not want sucked out ino the vacuum
of space due to an accident.

Hopefully, by the deadline of six hours, they would be ready for take
off, and the others would also have returned from their shopping. Of
paricular concern, she trusted that they would get e-suits for a good
bargain rental, since they would be traveling in a CO2 environment on
a planet that was 0.5 G gravity that was -46 deg C.on average with
high radiation, They'd be light on their feet, hopping around like
bunnies in a toxic enviroment. They'd be frozen irradiated popscicles
if they didn't suffocate.

[Blue Jay & Megan]

Title: Megan & The Black Suitcase - POV: Megan

Megan hugged her Mom byebye and waved to the others as they headed out
the airlock with the cargo on their mission. After they were gone and
things were quiet for a while; Megan smiled and she went to her
quarters where she had secreted a couple tiny makeshift tools she had
built from some scraps she found. It didn't do much; but, she hoped
it might give her an edge in getting into Kalsa's Black Suitcase.

Title: What? Me? Worry? - POV: Blue Jay

Blue Jay was back guarding the crates with nothing, but a knife
effectively. The other three were about to explode in a hole. Her
daughter was alone in a ship on a radioactive toxic planet. No...
nothing to worry about here. Blue Jay had been in tough situations
before and would surely be in worse to come. She simply listened to
the comm traffic of the three as they explained the situation to each
other, she simply added, "I got your back out here. Let me know if
you need anything," and remained on alert. After all, the situation
could always be worse. It's NEVER as worst as it can possibly get.
Never tempt Fate by uttering the stupid words, "It can't possibly get
worse than this," because than it will most CERTAINLY WILL GET
WORSE... just to prove you wrong. She learned that the hard way.