Turn 6: The Megnat Spaceport (Planet Gavarle)
[Current Location: Gavarle - "Megnat Spaceport"]
As soon as the HMS YOU'RE NEXT has landed, the most wild elements of the crew stormed out to pursue their own devices...
Search the place for a shop or market that sells ship equipment like weapons or that can upgrade our ship systems or weapons.
Or just one that sells normal weapons. We need weapons.
Starbeard immediately heads for the nearest ship parts dealer. It is after all expected of a spaceport of such calibre to have a dedicated area to ship parts and equipments dealing.
He enters a weapon shop of the parts market. There is a girl at the counter, probably a mechanic judging from her clothes. She is browsing some tablet, probably to check their inventory. Starbeard appears in front of her, writing something on a notebook.
She reads, and points at one of the terminals of the shop. Starbeard grunts, and checks the shop's inventory for weapons. nnoyed grunts to insults, and short answers to borderline speeches of propaganda. Overall, life was safe and good in Gavarle. Everyone benefitted from the proximity of the Jump Gate, and the protection of the Alliance Navy.
Torfair's "LEP-07" (Light Laser Turret) - 10000 A. Credits
A light defensive armament designed by Torfair Systems. Fire a volley of energy shots at the target. Decent fire rate and energy consumption.
Designed for civilian use.
Torfair's "MEP-043" (Medium Laser Turret) - 25000 A. Credits
A medium defensive armament designed by Torfair Systems. Fire a volley of energy shots at the target. Decent fire rate and energy consumption.
Designed for civilian use.
Torfair's "MEP-013" (Medium Beam Turret) - 30000 A. Credits
A medium defensive armament designed by Torfair Systems. Fire a focused beam of energy at the target. Long wind-up and high energy consumption.
Designed for civilian use.
Starbeard needs weapons. But to get weapons, you need money.
Katerina looks for a bar.
With her own plans only known to her,
Katerina headed for a random bar of the spaceport. She stopped at the
Red Dust, a simple enough bar full of noisy seafarers. She stopped at the bar counter, and looked around.
A table full of men and women in uniform, probably the crew of a military ship.
A lone man with black glasses drinking from a whiskey glass.
A table with three men in civilian clothes. They seemed to be having an argument.
A bunch of men playing a game of snooker.
The barman, a burly man with many tattoos on his exposed muscular arms asked you what you wanted to drink.Brimming with anticipation, Sneed rushed out of the ship while flailing its tentacles, bumping into nearby crew mates along the way.
Explore the spaceport. Look around for interesting sights. Ask people what its like living here. Also ask around for information regarding the star Xoa and the creatures known as Black Riperii that apparently lurk around there.
"Captain, let me know when you're ready to contact our mission provider. Per your approval, I'd like to head the negotiations of the terms of our employment, as I believe I would be the best member of our crew for the job."
"Go for rhit rhand initiate negotiations - Rhi'lll take a walk around rhe spaceport in the meantime."
Follow Sneed and get a feel for the spaceport. What is a telling detail that jumps out at me?
Sneed went on his envisioned Exciting Spaceport Discovery, followed somewhat closely by Jim.
The Megnat Spaceport may not have been as imposing as The Hub's spaceport, but it clearly won in one aspect: architecture and refinement. The massive main hall's ceiling was a dome projecting the vast space outside. And in the middle of the hall, there was a gigantic pillar shaped structure. It was the end of the space elevator connecting to Gavarle's surface. And where the walls were a metallic gray in The Hub, they were turquoise and green. They were also decorated with pictures and short videos of the surface.
Sneed was awed in front of this colorful display of planetary wealth. He asked around people for their lifestyle, without any consideration for personal space. He got various answers, from annoyed grunts to insults, and short answers to borderline speeches of propaganda. Overall, life was safe and good in Gavarle. Everyone benefitted from the proximity of the Jump Gate, and the protection of the Alliance Navy.
[Luck +0]: [3] -Partial Success-
Sneed's frantic asking was for the most part, fruitless. Most people he asked never heard of Xoa, or just knew Black Riperii by names. Only one somewhat more knowledgeable person from the rest had an interesting tidbit of information:
"Xoa? Isn't that some star of an uncharted system? In the... eeer... Foot of Totome. Yeah that was that, I think. And Black Riperii? Some nasty creatures I heard, the navy forbid civilian ships from travelling through systems suspected of being inhabited by them. Heard they were able to tear a transporter in two."
[Intelligence +2 / Information Gathering +1]: [8] -Critical Success-
As you walked around the spaceport, your eyes caught an important detail. First, there were a lot of navy personnel around. Much more than what one would expect, even for a Capital Planet's spaceport. Furthermore, amidst the laughter and hearty agitation, you could feel tension. Was it because of the recent news? War was far from the system though, how curious.
With that in mind, you listened carefully to conversations from visibly tense individuals. There were many mentions of "something big" sighted in a system two to three long jumps away. An uncharted system, which fortunately wasn't Xoa's one. You could ask around to clear your doubts.
That man who just discussed with a group of marines smelled of clues.
"Thank you captain."
Thomas will try to contact Mr Lyon Hept, their potential employer.
Thomas immediately sent a call to Mr Hept using his communication device. The man who answered had a lax tone initially, and immediately perked up with excitement when he heard you called for the escort mission.
"Yes, this is Lyon Hept speaking. It's about the escort job for Xoa? Marvelous! (...) More details you said? Of course, meet me up at the bay 60A, in the civilian ships area. I will send you the coordinates."Thomas headed alone to the rendez-vous point. A small cafe with an outdoor terrace giving over the infinite space. A man in a suit waved at Thomas, the ex-lawyer felt immediately more relaxed seeing a fellow civilized individual. He seemed in his late forties, as could attest his gray hair.
Both men shook hands as a greeting.
"I am Mr Lyon Hept, researcher in energy engineering. You are Mr Thomas Whitney, right?"
[Luck +2]: [2] -Failure-
"Thomas... Whitney... this name rings a bell, wasn't it... Oh! Oh. I remember."His tone changed quite dramatically. There was displeasure in his voice.
"Who wouldn't have heard of you? That was quite the... spectacular case. So you are now a freelance ship captain?"Jim J. Barkley: (Captain)
Health: Healthy
Morale: Good
Inventory:
-[5000] Alliance Credits
-Voice-Activated Claw Drone
-(Anti)Bugging Tools
Katerina:
Health: Healthy
Morale: Good
Inventory:
-[10000] Alliance Credits
-Civilian clothing
-A small ruby ring
Edwin 'Starbeard:
Health: Healthy
Morale: Good
Inventory:
-[0] Alliance Credits
-Space pirate flintlock gun
-Space pirate sabre
-Space pirate clothing
Sneed the 38th:
Health: Healthy
Morale: Good
Inventory:
-[5] Alliance Credits
Thomas Whitney:
Health: Healthy
Morale: Good
Inventory:
-[10000] Alliance Credits
-Classy suit and glasses
-Briefcase
-Coordinates for Mission Contact: Lyon Hept
Name: HMS YOU'RE NEXT
Class: Honesty-class Corvette
Hull: Undamaged
Shields: 100%
Speed: Stationary
Power: 10/100
Hold: 2/11
Systems Status:
Armament
1- Medium Laser Turret (Cost 20P) [Online]
2- Light Laser Turret #1 (Cost 10P) [Online]
3- Light Laser Turret #2 (Cost 10P) [Online]
Base Systems
1- Shield Generator [Online] [Base Power -20]
2- Sensor Systems [Online] [Base Power -10]
3- Reactor [On] [Base Power +200]
4- Life-Support System (Power Recovery 10/turn)[Online] [Base Power -20]
5- Engines (Jump Cost 20P) [Online] [Base Power -50]
Additional Modules
1- Storage Room [+1 Hold]
Hold:
-Crew belongings (Free)
-Food reserves (2 Points)
-1 Human-Sized Zero-G Suit
-1 Alien-Sized Zero-G Suit (4 arms 1 tail)
The Emelus II system is a Galactic Alliance controlled one. Humans are the major species, but many other spacefaring species live and trade there.
Star:
Emelus II
Planets:
Gavarle: the Emelus II system's main inhabited planet.
Leti
Munito
Toblaon
Idvent
Askland
Turgion
Other objects:
Jump Gate Em II: The system's jump gate. Link to various other gates.
The Hub: A massive space station, with the one of the largest shipyards of the system.
Fergas Station
Other Astral Objects:
Storblarte Nebula
Fergas Asteroid Field