Main / 1105-008-FreeAmpClear

Calendar

1105-007 -- 1105-008 -- 1105-009

Timing of events
6:00 - Start of Day
10:00 - Mission Briefing
??? - ???

1105-008 - 08:00 - The Free & Clear - Cargo Bay

[Amada Cerabu] Cerabu completes his morning ritual and meditation. A few minutes of quiet reflection to settle his pulse and blood pressure, to even out his breath, and to settle the thoughts racing around in his head. Today, the mission officially begins; his bid back into society after fifteen years of isolation; his chance to find meaning after years trying to find himself.

He stands from his kneeling position taking his staff in hand. Walking to his personal cargo crate, Amada Cerabu reaches in and pulls out a suit identical to the one he wears every day, only the colors vary from day-to-day. If asked, he would say you don't change what works, or everyone should have a signature--if he answered at all. Most likely he would simply grunt.

Climbing the ladder to the passengers deck, Amada felt the isolation. Over the three weeks he had been on the Free & Clear, he had made a habit of maintaining his state of mind, his presence of peace, by maintaining his isolation. He had known Cal many years ago, worked together across several jobs, made connections on both ends and sold what Cal found to the highest bidder he could find, or the right one. But that was over fifteen years ago. Cal had said people change. Amada Cerabu knew he had changed over those intervening years. Cal too seems to have changed, but to what degree, Cerabu didn't know.

The rest of the crew were a mystery to him. He liked Jeet. The roboticist/engineer seemed affable and a genuinely happy person. He liked to be useful and helpful. Ashe Volare was flashy. An entertainer of some kind, Cerabu didn't know what Ashe's role was on the ship. She was supposed to be the Steward and was perfectly capable of the job. Ashe took care of Cerabu's needs more than the ape needed. It was almost a nuisance. But with Cerabu having bought out the ship and no other passengers for the pointy-ear to attend to, he felt it was his duty to let Ashe do the job appropriately.

Kalidaren, or Sed, wasn't like the other two. He was secretive and too curious for his own good even after being told not to ask questions. Secrets usually meant something to hide. Changing his appearance and name between ports didn't help Cerabu's suspicions that Sed was going to be a problem. Only the future would tell if he was right or just paranoid.

Over the past three weeks, Cerabu had spent most of his time with others with Cal talking about old times. Cal was the only one who knew the mission so it was comforting to be able to relax around his old friend, to talk like nothing had happened and like it was still fifteen years ago. But it wasn't. It wasn't fifteen years in the past. It was now. It was 1105.

Cerabu showered and changed clothes. Jeet had been working on the presentation over the past weeks. Cerabu had given him all the information he could, helped him lay it out in order. It would go the way he wanted. Cerabu had spent most of his free time planning out everything he knew, which only helped him to discover there were a lot of variables outside of his control. Complications. Complications required contingencies.

At 09:30, he made himself some coffee in the passenger suite and made his way back down to the cargo hold to the same area he used for his daily meditations. Jeet would be there in a few minutes and they would make the last adjustments before the others arrived. Today, the mission would really start.

1105-008 - 09:15 - The Free & Clear - Crew Lounge

[Jeet Pringtip] Jeet pops into the Crew Lounge, shuts down the mini-holo projectors, and collects them. He will need the projectors for the walk-through. He then grabs a cuppa, and heads for the Cargo Bay.

1105-008 - 09:30 - The Free & Clear - Cargo Bay

Jeet enters the Cargo Bay and walks over to the planned display area. He picks three spots around the perimeter, and places the mini-projectors. He takes out his PDA and starts them up. Heading over to the Bot Crate, he opens it up and flashes up the bots. They were in stand-by mode, from the tweeking the night before, so it was moments, not minutes to have them ready. Connecting the mini-projectors was nearly instantaneous.

Cerabu enters the cargo bay from aft, the only entrance from the passenger level, his private level at the moment. He looks over to Jeet moving around the empty space placing and testing his equipment. Cerabu smiles as he brings his cigar to his mouth in an indication of approval. Walking over to the tech specialist, Cerabu puts a large hand on his shoulder. "You're doing good, kid. When the others arrive, we'll get started." Moving to his personal cargo container, Cerabu opens it, takes a gulp from his coffee and then sets the mug down on an interior shelf, then retrieves his cane and waits.

[Kalidaren / Sed] There was not enough coffee in the galaxy... Sed considered as he poured an oversized mug and decided to supplement this with a bowl of nutripaste bites. Comfort food... He juggled his breakfast as he made his way to the cargo area and found an out of the way perch, ready for the briefing.''

Cerabu looked over each crew member as they came in looking to gauge their level of attention and before he started. He knew it would likely be low. Only Cal knew what they were doing. And while Cerabu had not *completely* isolated himself, a decade-and-a-half of living almost monastically had instilled a strong tendency toward distancing himself and . . . well . . . isolationism. It would be a hard habit to challenge. He pondered his return to society and wondered about this current challenge to re-engage while he waited for everyone to arrive.

1105-008 - 09:55 - The Free & Clear - Cargo Bay

[Cal Cooper] Cal emerges from the piled crates of cargo to the area at the aft end of the bay that Cerabu had reserved for himself. He glances around, and then walks to a console on the wall. His voice echoes from the ship's public address system.

Ashe? Did you oversleep again?

Room left intentionally for Ashe

Cerabu watches the steward walk in. Ashe was one of the crew he was unsure about. What were Ashe’s actual skills beyond waiting hand and foot on people that didn’t need it? But there were those that desired a servant at their disposal. Cerabu had no use for those kind of people.

Using two fingers and his thumb, he put out his cigar and set it down on top of his personal cargo container. Looking over to Jeet, he nodded that he was ready and moved to where they had arranged to be the forefront of the presentation. He carries his cane . . . if it can be called that at a metre-and-a-half long.

“You've come with no knowledge of what lies before you. That was my decision. Captain agreed to go along with it though he wanted to bring you in before this. I insisted and since I am the one paying, I make the decisions as long as it doesn't interfere with running the ship.”

“We're headed for Thebus.” The ape nods to Jeet to project a video of Theban countryside. Mountains. Green and brown hills. Scrublands. Trees. Oceans. Lakes. “I’ve been researching our destination, the primary planet. There is a starport, but outside of it it is mostly wilderness. We're going into the wilderness.”

Jeet decides at the last moment to skip the opening presentation, and keep it professional. Even a casual backhand cuff from Amada would likely do some damage. The two Bots circle in on either side of Amada and Jeet, to give the full 3D effect. The Theban Lion didn't appear, as they didn't start walking the terrain. But everything other than wind and heat of the sun was there. Even some slight background noise from insects and random animal calls. The two bots blend into the terrain as bushes or tree trunks.

He pauses to take a breath before continuing. He again nods to Jeet to show the tourist’s picture. “A few months ago, a tourist on a hunting trip took a picture of what is believed to be a starship bridge.”

For the bridge, it appears around the cargo bay, with people either on appropriate console seats or sitting on the consoles (Jeet had tested this part in advance and repositioned containers appropriately. Amada was in the center of the bridge, on one side the Captian's Chair. Jeet was on the other side. The Bots remained visible, not bothering with concealment.

The bridge is not a standard bridge. It is ornate. Very ornate. And if the projection image color is correct, the railings, posts, and metal supports look to be gold.

“This is what we are after. That is why I need to entire cargo bay. If the bridge is standard size, Captain tells me this is twenty tonnes, then there'll be plenty of space after it's loaded. But this picture is all we have. It may be more than a bridge and we won’t have the gear necessary to cut the bridge away from whatever else remains. But truth is, we don’t know what's there. If it isn’t what we think . . .," the ape's voice softens, “we may come back with nothing. I believe we're making an empty trip.”

Cal looks around, visibly impressed with the video presentation. He starts to ask a question, but stops himself, looking at Cerabu, and decides to hold his questions for the end of the presentation.

After a generous pause for the crew to process what they are seeing and put together what is being asked of them, Cerabu continues with the full strength of his deep baritone almost bass voice, “But . . .,” the word is punctuated by the metal butt of Cerabu's cane slamming down onto the cargo deck. A pregnant pause fills the space to gather attention. He again softens his tone as he speaks, “we may come back with something more.”

“Captain and I have spoken about the possibilities. While it is a longshot there is anything . . . and we will most likely we come back with nothing . . . there is an equal longshot that there is a vessel . . . a ship . . . probably not functional . . . but maybe able to be made so. Having three engineers aboard is a blessing. Since only Captain can fly a ship . . . that leaves us with two choices if the impossible occurs. One, the Free & Clear goes into storage at Thebus until Captain can return to it. Two, we hire someone who can fly to bring it back to Torpol alongside the artifact.”

Cerabu pauses again, slowly slapping the top end of his metal engraved cane into his palm three times before catching it on the fourth. He then releases it to wave the silver-coloured balled top in a broad gesture over the heads of the crew. “Listen to my words carefully. No one is to know about this. When we speak among ourselves, it is the artifact , the site , and I am the finder. Captain understands the need for this.”

“While we hope for an easy extraction . . . locate the site, use Tech's robot's to cut away any loose rock, soil, vegetation, ship's cargo crane hauls it in, and get under way . . . we can't count on it. We prepare for the worst possibilities. And, we have to plan for the impossible. That is what I have been doing.”

Sed stroked his chin, and not finding his goatee, scratched at his stubble. Time to shave again. After the briefing. He took a long draw on his now cooling coffee. A mission, an interesting mission. This is what he had fallen back in with Cal for. Never dull. He grinned at Cal with raised eyebrows before giving him an appreciative incline nod of the head. I wonder if I recognise that ship? The purser then frowned and began calculations of what it might be worth.

Jeet had tried his best to get details out of the few images Amada had provided. If the rest of the ship was similar, it was pretty well dressed. Very fancy, and likely had a few treasures worth some effort. The Bots would not fit the work profile the contractor described. Mining drones would better suit cutting and excavation tasks. But, if this was a pleasure yacht, would others be after it? That would be a better task for his toys.

Cal looks with wonder at the images behind Cerabu. He had seen Sindalan artifacts before, and recognized the elaborate style, but he had never encountered them at the scale of a starship. He started mentally inventorying all the jeweled consoles and gilted panels, assessing the value of it all with a practiced eye. Then dividing the sum by five. Or two? Or . . . one?

The ape looked over the faces. He was familiar with what appeared there. This, he knew, was the greatest challenge. He measured his words spacing each one out and giving them weight using his cane to point at each individual in turn with each syllable of the first three words leaving only Jeet out. “Make no mis-take, artifact is taken. That’s why you’ve been paid and why only I know the location. Reward for bringing artifact home worth more than what you’re imagining.” He paused holding his staff tight in both fists. His right palm down. His left palm up. It was a readied stance intended very specifically to make his position very clear.

“Now, the complications.” Again, he paused for the room to settle and regain their attention, which he knew was divided at best, but that would soon be taken care of. “Picture was pulled . . . scrubbed soon as it was known, someone else could of seen it . . . artifact hunters, pirates, anyone with money or influence. We’re going to have days, no more.” He repeated the word to let it sink in, “Days.”

Cerabu looked over to Jeet with a nod to bring up public archival footage of the planet. His tone, almost professorial, “Thebus is small, fourth moon of a large gas giant in the first orbit of the star. Sixty-five percent standard gravity means when you’re hit,” Cerabu makes a motion of a broad backhand strike with his cane, “you’re going to hit and bounce several metres away and whatever hit you will be on you before you stop. No telling what might hit you, might be a Theban Lion.”

This was Jeet’s cue to bring up motion images of the Lions of Thebus. Large golden looking creatures with lean muscle and great manes that ran down the ridges of their backs ending where their tails began. The image stood snarling beside Cerabu, the eyes bearing down on the uplifted ape by a few centimetres. In an evenly measured voice, his eyes unfocusing as if in memory, “I bear the scars that say you don’t take one down by hand. Only one I know that survived.” His eyes narrow as he looks at the crew. If anything would focus them, this would. “Lions evolved with Thebus. Silent and deadly during the day . . . more so at night. You don’t see them coming.”

He returns to a matter-of-fact tone. “Days are sixty standard . . . average twenty-eight day, twenty-eight night. Tilt means seasons . . . shortened days, nights. Not sure season we’ll arrive. Days can exceed 100 Cee and nights negative that. Hierate bombed it. Atmo's thin. Respirators. Fighting exhausts you. Do the work. Get back in the ship. Go home. Get paid. Questions?”

Jeet will wait until others ask. If it looks like there won't be questions, he'll jump in. Jeet is not a ground pounder. He's hoping others have better skills. Jeet looks around at the rest of the crew...

Based on what you've said, there's no on-planet advance team, so we'll be dropping in with no local prep. Are you planning on hiring on any local guns, or are we relying solely on what we have here?

“Fewer people, fewer complications. Re-evaluate when we know what’s there.”

He pauses. Also, previously you mentioned getting local labor for excavation and such. That normally takes time, and like you said, we don't have much.

“If we need help with retrieval, prefer equipment over bodies, but we’ll do what’s needed, or what’s available.”

He looks at Sed, and frowns. Sed, if you can't sell off our cargo immediately, then I want it moved to local storage; we'll have to eat the fees while we try and move it. That might take some extra time; if Cerabu needs you for anything, that takes priority. That said, I want it off our hands before we have to lift. This is not the time to hold out for the best price.

Sed brightened with coffee and collaborative talk, and assured the Captain that he'd sell at the next available opportunity. "I believe I can unburden us of our cargo without financial loss. I'll do my best," he solemnly nodded.

“Non-producing system. Commons, bio-chems should move. Post them on arrival. Keep contact for buyers while we hunt. That’s the cover. Hunting Theban Lions. Primary income outside of starport. Cargo should offload before lift-off.”

You'd be the hunter, and us the hired transport?

The ape nods affirmative. “I'll enter port, check if permits're required. File necessary paperwork.”

We'll need to look like we're planning to settle in for a while, to justify using the ship as a base. Yeah, that should work. Sed? When we hit the port, lay in some extra supplies, and make a splash picking up some of it high end. That should help sell the idea.

One plus for defense; The Free & Clear has a caster which can be loaded with AP. I can have it in the air with little notice, and have the fire control paint the area. Two or three rounds should slow anyone down, unless they've got damn good armor.

“Tech had thought on that. Ship sensors keep constant scan of area, relay to bots and our comms, bots move to intercept. Should prevent surprise lion visits, and anything else.”

To Cerabu he offered, "I can fight, although it's not my forte. I can help with the separation of the bridge from its craft.. if required. I can also pilot in a pinch..." Sed also wanted his motivation understood. "Gold may fill the purse, but purpose fills the soul. Understand that I promise to do this for my fair share of profits, also to align myself with the ambitions of our Captain... and to uncover this rare artefact (his research would later show more clearly what it was) the doing of which I will take pride in, along with our team."

He paused to choose words and with a sardonic grin said, "And if it all goes sideways; which it might; I’ll still be there, doing what I can. I'm no hero. But I show up, I pull my weight, and I don’t walk away when it gets messy."

"I have no skills with weapons, and likely more a hazard to our own crew than a help. However, I can run an Ops Board, and can provide Information Officer oversight on situations. Using the Bots, and ship's resources, I can feed sensor data to the Bots and crew to keep everyone aware of what's happening around them. With the Bots sensor suites, I can't imagine anything sneaking up on you.

I would suggest Mining or Construction Bots/Drones, if we are likely to cut up and move a part of a ship. The Gun/Security Bots can move some heavy stuff, but they can't cut through Hull Plate, nor lift more than a few hundred kilos.

Captain, do you want to consider looking into acquiring, or possibly renting, heavy excavation equipment? We could suggest we are building pit traps? If anyone asks why a hunting party needs such gear?

“Need bots for heavy soil, loose rock. After that, we decide. Don't want to attract more attention than we need until we can make a claim.”

1105-008 - 11.30 - The Free & Clear - Common Area

[SKILL] Sed's Engineering check attempt to understand what kind of spacecraft the bridge came from (2D+6) (vs Difficulty 8) 1 + 2 + 6 = 9 [ +1 Effect] [Marginal Success] 1D x 10 minutes = 50 minutes

Sed retired to the Common area after the briefing, wondering what type of craft the bridge from Jeet's holograms came from. He felt like he should know, and, booting up his database, he scanned the available data. Surely... He stubbornly trawled the records, opening up page after page, cross referencing technical diagrams and comparing items from his mind's eye to what he saw on the screen. Then it occurred to him to search closer to home... and that was the trick! A Drinax ship! Of course! It had to be, with the finery and adornment. In gold as well! Was Cerabu aware of this?

Cal enters the commons, looks around, and confirms Sed is alone in the room. The others must still be back in the cargo area, or on the passenger deck.

Sed, a word?
On this business with Cerabu and his bridge, or ship, or whatever. No side deals. This is Cerabu's job, we're the crew. This is not the time to try to be clever. Got it?

Sed considered Cal's intent for a moment, "A gold-plated bridge, Cal. Stars judge us! This is better than any deal I could dream up!" The Purser was excited. "But, understood. Cerabu is in charge." he finished with a wink and a grin.