While the group consider Chiree's request they ask the little alien a few more questions but other than the fact that the humans on Vanejen call the creatures Chirpers very little meaningful information can be gained from the child-like being. While the group are still taking to Chiree, Bucky whips out a hand computer and begins looking up Chirpers. What he reads worries him enough to warn the group to watch out for any valuables they have, as Chirpers are known to steal shiny item. This upsets Chiree as he has never taken anything in his life without asking first, and he thinks that maybe some of these humans are no better than the others he has run into.
At about this time the bar owner catches sight of the group talking to Chiree and suddenly announces that he his shutting the bar early tonight and to drink up and get out, and looking directly at the group he tells them to make sure they take the Chirper with them. As they are leaving Vann catches sight of the bar owner talking hastily into a communicator.
The group and Chiree are about halfway back to their hotel when they are stopped by two peace enforcers who begin to question the group about their whereabouts that evening. the enforcers let it be known that they are looking for a group of thugs and a Chirper, and that the group fit the descriptions that they have been given but they do want to know what happened to the Chirper. It is then that the group suddenly realise that Chiree is not with them any more. Finally, the group convince the enforcers that they are not the thugs they are looking for, the enforcers move on and while the group are standing around wondering what happened to Chiree, the little alien suddenly appears by Olivers side. When the group ask him where he was Chiree just says that he was there with them and that maybe he was hidden by the shadows. Bucky though is not convinced and suddenly remembers something he read about Chirpers, he tells the others that it is said that Chirpers can move exceptionally quickly and that they are going to have to keep a close eye on Chiree.
Back in the hotel room the group begins to do some research on Chiree's story. Olivers search for 'Alien Prisons on Vanejen' and then just 'Prisons on Vanejen' produces the locations of several prisons scattered across the world, but there is not one specifically for aliens. Wilhelm provides a copy of his audit report on Vanejen, which leads Bucky on a vast research trip all about the Vilani and the roots of humaniti, but it ultimately fruitless in finding anything about where Chiree could have been held. With computer records not providing any information useful to saving Chiree's siblings Wilhelm suggests that they get some rest and begin anew in the morning/
The next morning the group splits into two teams with Bucky and Oliver going to check out any museums and science centres while Wilhelm and Tommy check out the docks and the starport. Oliver is the first one to get some information, the curator at a small science museum tells him that before he retired and became the curator he used to own a transport submersible and once made a delivery to the Imperial Research Station and that because the ice was bad that winter they had to deliver the supplies to an underwater dock at the station. Tommy and Wilhelm overhear a local radio report about a sailing ship being attacked by a multi-tentacled sea beast in the ice floes of the southern seas, but they cannot find any sailor that is willing to confirm the story.
The next day the group splits again to continue its hunt for specific information. Bucky and Oliver find nothing, though Bucky does eavesdrop on a couple having a conversation about the legend of Twilight's Peak and the cargo of drugs the convoy was carrying. Though, once back at his hotel room he realises that the couple have not added anything new to his notes on the legend. A drunken sailor in a bar at the docks tells Tommy about how he was almost sunk by pirates in the archipelago in the southern seas, but that he has never heard of the sea beast that was mentioned on the radio.
The third day of information gathering yields little for the teams with just talk about the excellent reputation of the local university and also how humans of Vilani extraction are superior to those of Solomani extraction.
The fourth day provides the group with a couple of nuggets of information. Firstly Wilhelm and Tommy discover that the old Imperial Navy Orbital Base used to be a research station but after several years it was moved down to the surface, in a dome on the bed of the southern sea. Meanwhile, Bucky and Oliver find a newspaper article about rumours of gold on the barren northern continent. The article concludes that the rumours are false like all stories about Chirpers and their hoards of gold. Back at the hotel, later that day, Bucky and Oliver take the story at face value and do not bother to question Chiree about it.
By day five the teams are running out of bars and institutions to visit. Bucky and Oliver pick up some interesting gossip that Zhodani agents frequently come to Vanejen and despite talking about trade and commerce they also spend a lot of time on the northern continent touring and studying the Chirper villages there. While Tommy and Wilhelm get talking to the owner of a tavern, who tells them of a down on his luck submersible captain who is likely to lose his ship, as despite having a lucrative contract he cannot get a crew because of the pirates. Deciding to follow up this rumour Wilhelm and Tommy make their way to the dockside.
Down on the docks Tommy and Wilhelm finally get pointed in the right direction and go to meet Captain Zoltan Hdratsky at his submersible, the Akula. The sea captain explains how he has a contract with the Desaix family to run supplies to various chemical factories, all owned by the Desaix family, on the planet. But, as he cannot get a crew to sail with him because of all the talk about pirates operating in the southern sea, he is likely to be found in breach of his contract and as a consequence the Desaix family will seize his vessel under Vanejen law. After further questioning the captain reveals that he knows the location of the Imperial Research Station as he has made several deliveries there, but he will only tell them the location if the group agrees to help him complete his delivery to Desaix Chemicals. Quickly Tommy and Wilhelm agree to the terms and return to the hotel to tell the others and to collect any gear they might need from the Aurora.
Whilst the others head of to the Aurora, Bucky heads down to the docks to wait for them. While he is waiting he has a rather unsavoury encounter with a desperate sailor, fresh in port after a long cruise. After refusing several cash offers for certain 'services' Bucky decides that violence is the only way to dissuade his admirer. The fight is very short and Bucky walks away leaving the sailor curled up in agony on the floor.
When the others arrive they all head over to the Akula and board the vessel, once in their assigned quarters Chiree pops out from beside a bunk and says that he will stay hidden in the compartment until they get to where his siblings are being held. The trip to the Desaix chemical factory takes eight days, in which the adventurers learn how the submersible operates. Zoltan is pleased that he has managed to fulfil his contract and with the way the group has worked in helping him to save his submersible. He points out on the chart the location of the Research Station and says that provided they pay the fuel costs he is willing to take them there in the Akula. The fuel bill comes to just under Cr6,500, a cost the group happily splits between themselves.
The trip to the research station is uneventful and takes just over two weeks. When they get there the problem of getting in starts, sailing close to the globes that spiral down the central shaft of the station reveals a hatch on the underside of each globe, with this in mind Captain Hdratsky positions the Akula underneath the globe nearest to the sea surface. Vann tries to reach the hatch from the top of the sail, but he slips and falls, the second time though he is able to climb higher which allows him to reach and unlock the hatch. Using brute strength he pulls himself up and on to the ladder in the hatchway and begins to climb. After about three meters though his way up is blocked by some form of machinery. After Vann returns to the Akula, Bucky decides he will go up and see what he can do about the machinery that is blocking the shaft, after leaping on to the ladder though, he finds he is not strong enough to pull himself up into the shaft. Dropping back to the sail of the submersible, Bucky returns to the group to report his failure and to decide what to do next.
As they are discussing what to do next, Zoltan suggests that they use the underwater dock, where he has delivered supplies before. Submerging the Akula, the ship spirals down until Hdratsky finds the docking module. The doors on the module open as the submersible moves closer and once it is inside the doors close around the Akula, holding it in place while the flooded module drains.
Tuesday, 31 May 2016
Monday, 30 May 2016
The Chirper of Vanejen - Introduction
With the Aurora all buttoned up, berthing fees paid for the next three weeks and the group all booked into a hotel close to the starport, they can finally begin their break on Vanejen. As seems customary they head out to one of the local bars on their first night.
Later that night, a small bird-like alien cautiously edged its way to the table and the adventurers. Afraid to speak, it stood in the shadows and watched. Finally, Tommy noticed it and beckoned it forward. "What's up, little fellow?" He asked.
Slowly, needing lots of encouragement from the group, it told it's story.
The creature was far older than anyone guessed, aged maybe sixteen or seventeen standard years, and said the group could call it Chiree. It had lived, with its nest of some forty or fifty adults and children, in a small village on the savannah between the jungle and desert. As a mere nestling, it had been taken from its home, along with two siblings, by rough men wearing guns and uniforms with gold badges. It spent weeks in a cage in the hold of a ship, and was finally taken to a terrible prison, where it had spent the last year. Chiree describes the prison as a lot of individual cells, each crowded with varieties of aliens, and guarded by metal monsters.
Weeks ago, he managed to escape by sneaking out of his cell and leaping into the icy waters around the prison. Washed up on a beach, almost dead, he recovered and worked his way here, living off fruits and berries. Initially hiding, he tried to get help from humans, but they drove him away with rocks. It ends it's story with a simple plea; "They will kill my nest mates, I just know it. They are planning terrible experiments on them. Won't you help me? Please."
Later that night, a small bird-like alien cautiously edged its way to the table and the adventurers. Afraid to speak, it stood in the shadows and watched. Finally, Tommy noticed it and beckoned it forward. "What's up, little fellow?" He asked.
Slowly, needing lots of encouragement from the group, it told it's story.
The creature was far older than anyone guessed, aged maybe sixteen or seventeen standard years, and said the group could call it Chiree. It had lived, with its nest of some forty or fifty adults and children, in a small village on the savannah between the jungle and desert. As a mere nestling, it had been taken from its home, along with two siblings, by rough men wearing guns and uniforms with gold badges. It spent weeks in a cage in the hold of a ship, and was finally taken to a terrible prison, where it had spent the last year. Chiree describes the prison as a lot of individual cells, each crowded with varieties of aliens, and guarded by metal monsters.
Weeks ago, he managed to escape by sneaking out of his cell and leaping into the icy waters around the prison. Washed up on a beach, almost dead, he recovered and worked his way here, living off fruits and berries. Initially hiding, he tried to get help from humans, but they drove him away with rocks. It ends it's story with a simple plea; "They will kill my nest mates, I just know it. They are planning terrible experiments on them. Won't you help me? Please."
Tuesday, 19 April 2016
The Lockbox - Epilogue
Kai Wyn is speechless with rage as he watches Bucky smash the sacred Kai-Laek relic and the just walk away as if he had done nothing. His followers want vengeance here and now and prepare to attack, but Kai Wyn recovers his composure and tells them to wait, here is too public the attack will be a futile gesture even though they outnumber the group many times over. So, he sends four man off to discover and follow the buyer, clearly he is the one behind the theft and they will deal with him first. Bucky and his friends can wait for now, when they think they are safe will be the time to strike, no matter where they go Kai Wyn promises they will have their revenge.
Later that day, back at the hotel the group are pleased to find that Wilhelm has returned. He is pleased that Oliver got a good price for the cargo and the new cargo is being loaded overnight, so they should be able to get off Treece in the morning. When he hears about all that has gone on in his absence, he is a little shocked but hopes that the group are OK, though next time to maybe try to research things a bit better before ending up in tough spots. Bucky sullenly heads off to the computer and tries to look up the Kai-Laek, sure enough there is a picture of an urn that looks just like the one they had, the article goes on to state that the Kai-Laek take extreme measures against anyone not of their religion who even looks upon a sacred relic. Bucky realises that they might not have heard the last from Kai Wyn.
The next morning the Aurora lifts off and Wilhelm says that they will be heading deep into the Rhylanor subsector to do his audit, he says that hopefully Bucky will be able to find some more clues to decypher the puzzle of Twilight's Peak as well as earning a bit of money with Oliver buying and selling some cargoes along the way.
The first stop is at Kinorb, while Wilhelm conducts his survey the group are free to wander around the starport for a week. Bucky finds no information on the Gyro Cadiz convoy, but Oliver finds a vendor who has some coynes similar to the one they found in the Pyramid on Yorbund, though the merchant says these are of Aslan origin and made of gold. Oliver buys the six the merchant has available but later discovers that they are just made of aluminium which has then been painted gold. The next stop is Fulacin, the world is run by an Imperial Megacorporation and there is no information available on the convoy.
After Fulacin the scout heads to Jae Tellona, Belizo, Bevey, Cipatwe before finally ending up at Vanejen. Bucky has so far discovered nothing that could help him in his quest, but as Wilhelm points out Vanejen is where the convoy started from so there could be more information here. It has taken them 14 weeks to get here since leaving Treece and the group look ragged, especially Wilhelm. So Wilhelm tells the group that they are going to have some rest here for a bit, he has paid the berthing fees for three weeks which will give them all ample time to recharge their batteries. Oliver quickly does the accounts from their trading and announces that so far they have made a profit of about Cr 72,000, after taking off his broker fees of Cr 12,000, so they can all enjoy themselves for a while.
Later that day, back at the hotel the group are pleased to find that Wilhelm has returned. He is pleased that Oliver got a good price for the cargo and the new cargo is being loaded overnight, so they should be able to get off Treece in the morning. When he hears about all that has gone on in his absence, he is a little shocked but hopes that the group are OK, though next time to maybe try to research things a bit better before ending up in tough spots. Bucky sullenly heads off to the computer and tries to look up the Kai-Laek, sure enough there is a picture of an urn that looks just like the one they had, the article goes on to state that the Kai-Laek take extreme measures against anyone not of their religion who even looks upon a sacred relic. Bucky realises that they might not have heard the last from Kai Wyn.
The next morning the Aurora lifts off and Wilhelm says that they will be heading deep into the Rhylanor subsector to do his audit, he says that hopefully Bucky will be able to find some more clues to decypher the puzzle of Twilight's Peak as well as earning a bit of money with Oliver buying and selling some cargoes along the way.
The first stop is at Kinorb, while Wilhelm conducts his survey the group are free to wander around the starport for a week. Bucky finds no information on the Gyro Cadiz convoy, but Oliver finds a vendor who has some coynes similar to the one they found in the Pyramid on Yorbund, though the merchant says these are of Aslan origin and made of gold. Oliver buys the six the merchant has available but later discovers that they are just made of aluminium which has then been painted gold. The next stop is Fulacin, the world is run by an Imperial Megacorporation and there is no information available on the convoy.
After Fulacin the scout heads to Jae Tellona, Belizo, Bevey, Cipatwe before finally ending up at Vanejen. Bucky has so far discovered nothing that could help him in his quest, but as Wilhelm points out Vanejen is where the convoy started from so there could be more information here. It has taken them 14 weeks to get here since leaving Treece and the group look ragged, especially Wilhelm. So Wilhelm tells the group that they are going to have some rest here for a bit, he has paid the berthing fees for three weeks which will give them all ample time to recharge their batteries. Oliver quickly does the accounts from their trading and announces that so far they have made a profit of about Cr 72,000, after taking off his broker fees of Cr 12,000, so they can all enjoy themselves for a while.
The Lockbox - Part Three
Day 4
The night in the cells has not been good for Oliver, the bad food and lack of sleep has left Oliver feeling exhausted and eager to get out of this place. Meanwhile, back in the hotel the others awake feeling refreshed and full after a hearty breakfast. No-one feels it is strange that Oliver has not returned yet, maybe it is taking longer to find the gun dealer than he planned.
In the early afternoon Bucky decides to get out of the room for a bit, and heads out to get a caffeine based beverage from a local vendor while Tommy and Vann spend sometime studying the urn. To confuse any watchers Bucky takes the empty briefcase with him. Two of Kai Wyns 'associates' follow Bucky at a distance whilst two others remain in the hotel.
Whilst Bucky is enjoying his drink the two watchers discuss what to do, Kai Wyn has told them to just observe but, here is a chance to get the case and the urn back. So, the two watchers manage to flank Bucky and proceed to attack him, they would prefer to leave him unconscious but they will kill if they have to. What they don't realise though is that under his coat Bucky is wearing his cloth body armour, which easily turns their first dagger thrusts. As Bucky draws his own dagger he feels a dagger cutting deep into his side, Bucky instantly slashes at the attacker and is rewarded by feeling his blade cut deep into the chest of the man, who staggers backwards giving Bucky an escape route. Bucky grabs the briefcase and runs for his life, heading back to the hotel. Meanwhile, his attackers are drawing attention from the other customers so decide not to pursue Bucky but to run in the opposite direction.
When Bucky gets back to the hotel he lets Tommy and Vann know what has happened before sorting his wounds out with the small first aid kit in the room and some strong painkillers. Later that evening Oliver finally returns having been released with a fine and a strong warning from the police.
Kai Wyn is not a happy man, the stupid and rash actions by his men mean that there is no longer a chance that the group will hand over the relic and his plans to involve the authorities is ruined as the attack on Bucky has cost him the moral high ground in the case.
Day 5
Finally the day of Gamegas arrival comes and the group departs to meet his starship at the starport. Despite feeling quite sore Bucky insists he is fit enough to come along. The trip to the starport is uneventful, though the group do spot Kai Wyn and several of his followers tailing them at a safe distance, though once they are in the starport they quickly lose sight of their stalkers in the crowds.
The flight from Kkirka lands on time and after a little wait the group manage to locate Urkinu Gamega and convince him that they are there instead of Shawn Grey, who they say has been killed. Gamega is shocked to learn about the death of Grey, but he is still a businessman and as long as the group have the item that Grey recovered then he is willing to conclude the deal. He takes the group to a quiet area of the starport and offers them the same deal that he had with Grey, he gives them Cr 5000 for the contents of the case. When he opens the case and sees the contents he gives a cry and staggers backwards before declaring that the urn is a Kai-Laek urn and that the group have signed their death warrants. Gamega then flees from the group and tells them to keep well away from him, inhis haste he has left the urn and the Cr 5000 with the group.
Not really expecting that reaction the group are left a little stunned, but Bucky is the first to recover and he picks up the urn and smashes it on the ground, scattering the contents before striding away.
The night in the cells has not been good for Oliver, the bad food and lack of sleep has left Oliver feeling exhausted and eager to get out of this place. Meanwhile, back in the hotel the others awake feeling refreshed and full after a hearty breakfast. No-one feels it is strange that Oliver has not returned yet, maybe it is taking longer to find the gun dealer than he planned.
In the early afternoon Bucky decides to get out of the room for a bit, and heads out to get a caffeine based beverage from a local vendor while Tommy and Vann spend sometime studying the urn. To confuse any watchers Bucky takes the empty briefcase with him. Two of Kai Wyns 'associates' follow Bucky at a distance whilst two others remain in the hotel.
Whilst Bucky is enjoying his drink the two watchers discuss what to do, Kai Wyn has told them to just observe but, here is a chance to get the case and the urn back. So, the two watchers manage to flank Bucky and proceed to attack him, they would prefer to leave him unconscious but they will kill if they have to. What they don't realise though is that under his coat Bucky is wearing his cloth body armour, which easily turns their first dagger thrusts. As Bucky draws his own dagger he feels a dagger cutting deep into his side, Bucky instantly slashes at the attacker and is rewarded by feeling his blade cut deep into the chest of the man, who staggers backwards giving Bucky an escape route. Bucky grabs the briefcase and runs for his life, heading back to the hotel. Meanwhile, his attackers are drawing attention from the other customers so decide not to pursue Bucky but to run in the opposite direction.
When Bucky gets back to the hotel he lets Tommy and Vann know what has happened before sorting his wounds out with the small first aid kit in the room and some strong painkillers. Later that evening Oliver finally returns having been released with a fine and a strong warning from the police.
Kai Wyn is not a happy man, the stupid and rash actions by his men mean that there is no longer a chance that the group will hand over the relic and his plans to involve the authorities is ruined as the attack on Bucky has cost him the moral high ground in the case.
Day 5
Finally the day of Gamegas arrival comes and the group departs to meet his starship at the starport. Despite feeling quite sore Bucky insists he is fit enough to come along. The trip to the starport is uneventful, though the group do spot Kai Wyn and several of his followers tailing them at a safe distance, though once they are in the starport they quickly lose sight of their stalkers in the crowds.
The flight from Kkirka lands on time and after a little wait the group manage to locate Urkinu Gamega and convince him that they are there instead of Shawn Grey, who they say has been killed. Gamega is shocked to learn about the death of Grey, but he is still a businessman and as long as the group have the item that Grey recovered then he is willing to conclude the deal. He takes the group to a quiet area of the starport and offers them the same deal that he had with Grey, he gives them Cr 5000 for the contents of the case. When he opens the case and sees the contents he gives a cry and staggers backwards before declaring that the urn is a Kai-Laek urn and that the group have signed their death warrants. Gamega then flees from the group and tells them to keep well away from him, inhis haste he has left the urn and the Cr 5000 with the group.
Not really expecting that reaction the group are left a little stunned, but Bucky is the first to recover and he picks up the urn and smashes it on the ground, scattering the contents before striding away.
Monday, 18 April 2016
The Lockbox - Part Two
Day 2
The next morning the group begin to look through the papers in Grey's box. The first thing Oliver checks are the bank statements and is disappointed to find there is only a couple of hundred credits in Greys account, though there is evidence of Gamega paying Grey Cr 5000 several times in the past. The other papers detail several jobs that Grey had done for Gamega and the items he had subsequently sold to him, the last job seemed to be on the obscure planet of Otrai.
After studying the papers the group decide that they need to find out what Grey has stored in the lockbox. They head down to the starport and find the lockbox, inside they find an attache case. With Oliver, Tommy and Vann keeping watch Bucky opens the case carefully. The case is heavily padded but sat in the middle of it is an ornate, inscribed urn, after showing it to the others he replaces it and closes the case. Not wanting to risk leaving the case in the lockbox they decide to return to the hotel with it, following them at a discrete distance are four shadowy figures.
A couple of hours later there is a knock at their hotel room door, Tommy cautiously looks through the peephole and sees a well dressed man smiling back at him. While Tommy is engaged in a conversation through the closed door, Bucky draws his dagger and stands to one side of the door, Oliver calls reception and demands that security comes to the room quickly while Vann stands around looking menacing. As the conversation through the door continues, Oliver decides that security is taking far too long to get there, so he opens the window and jumps out. Fortunately, they are on the ground floor of the hotel, so the fall is not too great. He immediately begins to run to reception, to berate the staff for allowing people to come to their room without announcing them first!
Meanwhile, back at the door Tommy decides to open the door to the man and his three companions. When they are in the room, the well dressed man introduces himself as Kai Wyn and says that he would like his property back. He says that he knows that the group have the contents of the lockbox and that the late Mr Grey stole the item from him on Otrai. Tommy remains non-committal on the subject of the urn, not wanting to give anything away or to give Kai Wyn any excuse to do anything drastic. Bucky stands in the corner of the room thinking how best to stab the newcomers, while Vann waits on the other side of the room waiting to see what develops. The situation continues for another five minutes until a couple of hotel security guards arrive at the room. As soon as the guards enter the room Bucky starts shouting about how Kai Wyn and his companions are threatening and harassing the group, though the only weapon visible is the one in Bucky's hand. Kai Wyn smiles and allows himself and his group to be escorted from the room, though he does turn and say that he hopes the group will consider his offer and do the right thing.
Day 3
The following morning the hotel receptionist contacts the group and says that a gentleman wishes to speak to Bucky. When Bucky accepts the call he finds himself looking into the smiling face of Kai Wyn, who apologises for the incident the previous day and says that he made a mistake in just turning up at their room. So, he suggests that just he and Bucky meet face to face in the lobby of the hotel.
The meeting with Kai Wyn is an awkward one, to say the least. Kai Wyn insists that Bucky, and the group, should do the right thing and return the urn to himself, the rightful owner, while Bucky tells Kai Wyn to prove that he is the owner. During the conversation Bucky confirms to Kai Wyn that the group have physically seen the urn and examined it. Even though he hides it well, this news saddens Kai Wyn as he knows things can only end one way now. Realizing that with Bucky in such a belligerent mood that further discussions are going to be fruitless, so Kai Wyn expresses his sorrow that they cannot come to terms but he does leave a communicator code in case the group change their minds about his offer.
When Bucky gets back to the room his version of the meeting is rather different to what actually happened. He says how Kai Wyn was hostile and threatening towards the group and refused to pay the group for the urn. This version of the meeting disturbs Oliver deeply, so he heads off to find some underworld contacts who might be able to sell him some guns for the group, despite knowing they are illegal on Treece. Unfortunately, he ends up making contact with an undercover police officer and is promptly arrested and put in gaol.
That night Kai Wyn is contemplating what to do next. He could take direct action against the group, after all they have seen the urn (by Buckys admission) and the penalty for that is death. But, killing the group would be messy, especially so soon after the death of Mr Grey. An alternative would be to approach the authorities and enlist their help. Proving that he is the rightful owner of the urn is simple enough, and getting it off the group will be simple especially if he shows the connection to the late Mr Grey, after all they had his locker key, they broke into his apartment after his death and many people saw them in the bar together. It would be so easy to link them to his murder. Finally, he decides to be fair and to give the group two more days to do the right thing, after that he will let the authorities know of the situation.
The next morning the group begin to look through the papers in Grey's box. The first thing Oliver checks are the bank statements and is disappointed to find there is only a couple of hundred credits in Greys account, though there is evidence of Gamega paying Grey Cr 5000 several times in the past. The other papers detail several jobs that Grey had done for Gamega and the items he had subsequently sold to him, the last job seemed to be on the obscure planet of Otrai.
After studying the papers the group decide that they need to find out what Grey has stored in the lockbox. They head down to the starport and find the lockbox, inside they find an attache case. With Oliver, Tommy and Vann keeping watch Bucky opens the case carefully. The case is heavily padded but sat in the middle of it is an ornate, inscribed urn, after showing it to the others he replaces it and closes the case. Not wanting to risk leaving the case in the lockbox they decide to return to the hotel with it, following them at a discrete distance are four shadowy figures.
A couple of hours later there is a knock at their hotel room door, Tommy cautiously looks through the peephole and sees a well dressed man smiling back at him. While Tommy is engaged in a conversation through the closed door, Bucky draws his dagger and stands to one side of the door, Oliver calls reception and demands that security comes to the room quickly while Vann stands around looking menacing. As the conversation through the door continues, Oliver decides that security is taking far too long to get there, so he opens the window and jumps out. Fortunately, they are on the ground floor of the hotel, so the fall is not too great. He immediately begins to run to reception, to berate the staff for allowing people to come to their room without announcing them first!
Meanwhile, back at the door Tommy decides to open the door to the man and his three companions. When they are in the room, the well dressed man introduces himself as Kai Wyn and says that he would like his property back. He says that he knows that the group have the contents of the lockbox and that the late Mr Grey stole the item from him on Otrai. Tommy remains non-committal on the subject of the urn, not wanting to give anything away or to give Kai Wyn any excuse to do anything drastic. Bucky stands in the corner of the room thinking how best to stab the newcomers, while Vann waits on the other side of the room waiting to see what develops. The situation continues for another five minutes until a couple of hotel security guards arrive at the room. As soon as the guards enter the room Bucky starts shouting about how Kai Wyn and his companions are threatening and harassing the group, though the only weapon visible is the one in Bucky's hand. Kai Wyn smiles and allows himself and his group to be escorted from the room, though he does turn and say that he hopes the group will consider his offer and do the right thing.
Day 3
The following morning the hotel receptionist contacts the group and says that a gentleman wishes to speak to Bucky. When Bucky accepts the call he finds himself looking into the smiling face of Kai Wyn, who apologises for the incident the previous day and says that he made a mistake in just turning up at their room. So, he suggests that just he and Bucky meet face to face in the lobby of the hotel.
The meeting with Kai Wyn is an awkward one, to say the least. Kai Wyn insists that Bucky, and the group, should do the right thing and return the urn to himself, the rightful owner, while Bucky tells Kai Wyn to prove that he is the owner. During the conversation Bucky confirms to Kai Wyn that the group have physically seen the urn and examined it. Even though he hides it well, this news saddens Kai Wyn as he knows things can only end one way now. Realizing that with Bucky in such a belligerent mood that further discussions are going to be fruitless, so Kai Wyn expresses his sorrow that they cannot come to terms but he does leave a communicator code in case the group change their minds about his offer.
When Bucky gets back to the room his version of the meeting is rather different to what actually happened. He says how Kai Wyn was hostile and threatening towards the group and refused to pay the group for the urn. This version of the meeting disturbs Oliver deeply, so he heads off to find some underworld contacts who might be able to sell him some guns for the group, despite knowing they are illegal on Treece. Unfortunately, he ends up making contact with an undercover police officer and is promptly arrested and put in gaol.
That night Kai Wyn is contemplating what to do next. He could take direct action against the group, after all they have seen the urn (by Buckys admission) and the penalty for that is death. But, killing the group would be messy, especially so soon after the death of Mr Grey. An alternative would be to approach the authorities and enlist their help. Proving that he is the rightful owner of the urn is simple enough, and getting it off the group will be simple especially if he shows the connection to the late Mr Grey, after all they had his locker key, they broke into his apartment after his death and many people saw them in the bar together. It would be so easy to link them to his murder. Finally, he decides to be fair and to give the group two more days to do the right thing, after that he will let the authorities know of the situation.
The Lockbox - Part One
Day 1
A couple of days after Wilhelm has left to do his audit and after Oliver has sold the cargo and arranged for a new cargo to be available when Wilhelm gets back, the adventurers are enjoying an evening of 'entertainment' in a bar near the starport. Late into the evening the group notice a pale, agitated man enter the bar, dressed in a standard ship-suit the man moves through the bar and seems to be looking for someone. Finally he spots the group and heads straight for their table, the stranger seems to recognize Oliver, though Oliver cannot place where he has seen the man from, and seems relieved that there is someone he knows in the bar. The guy quickly pulls out a key, held on a chain around his neck, and places it on the table.
With several nervous glances the guy says that the key is for a lockbox in the starport, box number 9764-A2, and that inside the box is a package that needs to be delivered to a man called Urkinu Gamega, who should be arriving shortly. He would stay and finish the job himself, but he has been called away on urgent business and has to leave in the morning, so as he trusts Oliver, could they keep the key safe and deliver the package to Gamega when he arrives at the starport. He gets out Cr 500 and drops it on the table and says that they can get another Cr 500 from Gamega when they deliver the package. He seems very reluctant to tell the group anything about the package, other than it is not dangerous and it is only going to be of interest to Gamega, who collects things like that. The guy then seems to get more agitated and finally he gets up and quickly makes his way to the back of the bar, Vann tries to follow him but soon loses him in the crowded bar. The group are left with a key, Cr 500 and an unexpected job to complete. Enquiries with the bar staff about either the man or Gamega draw a blank, with no-one knowing who they are, so with nothing else to do the adventurers settle down to enjoy spending the Cr 500 they have just come into.
Later that night, as the group are leaving the bar, they hear muffled cries for help and the sounds of a fight coming from a nearby alley. Bucky, Tommy and Vann decide to go investigate the fight while Oliver thinks that he might have left something in the bar and ducks back inside. Reaching the alley Bucky and the others are confronted by a body near the entrance in a pool of blood. Turning the body over Bucky discovers it is the guy that gave them the key, he has been stabbed several times and is close to death. Tommy and Vann get the impression that there are several figures hiding in the shadows, but a search reveals nothing. Meanwhile, Bucky attempts to staunch the wounds of their patron, who suddenly raises his head and whispers to Bucky, "Don't....Look", with his last breath. A search of the dead man turns up very little, just an ID card and a business card with the name of Urkinu Gamega, on the back of it is a date and flight number. Close to the body and half in shadow Vann finds a strangely curved dagger, stained with blood, carefully he picks it up and tucks it away in his jacket. Leaving the body where it is the group head back to the bar to rejoin Oliver. When Oliver sees the ID card he remembers the name, Shawn Grey, as an engineer on the ship that Oliver worked on, though Grey was only on the ship for a couple of jumps before moving to a different ship. The address on the ID card turns out to be not too far away from the bar, while the flight number corresponds to a regular star liner due to arrive from Kkirka in four days time.
Bucky is keen to investigate Grey's apartment straight away though Oliver feels that going in the morning would be better, the debate between them gets a little heated but when Tommy and Vann say that they will go with Bucky, Oliver decides to head back to the hotel by himself leaving the others to go to the apartment. What Oliver doesn't see however are the two shadowy figures following him back to the hotel.
Bucky and the others easily find the apartment block in a seedy area of the city, though getting past the security door is proving to be a little problematic as no-one seems to be answering. Eventually, Bucky manages to get an answer and he and Vann gain entry to the building, though it does cost them Cr 50 each from a demanding resident. Tommy waits in cover outside to make sure no-one follows them in. The apartment is clean and tidy, well it was until Bucky and Vann begin searching it. It takes them about an hour but they manage to find a hidden wall panel, after carefully removing it they retrieve a box filled with papers. After finding nothing else of interest they decide to head back to the hotel, though they don't notice the four people following them in the shadows.
In a dark warehouse the leader gathers his sixteen followers around him, he is displeased with them and makes sure that they know it. He says that they should have retrieved the key and dealt with Mr Grey before he could involve others in his schemes. Now he is going to have to find some way to negotiate with these strangers before they discover what is in the lockbox, and if that fails then they will have to be dealt with, but for now they must be kept under close scrutiny.
A couple of days after Wilhelm has left to do his audit and after Oliver has sold the cargo and arranged for a new cargo to be available when Wilhelm gets back, the adventurers are enjoying an evening of 'entertainment' in a bar near the starport. Late into the evening the group notice a pale, agitated man enter the bar, dressed in a standard ship-suit the man moves through the bar and seems to be looking for someone. Finally he spots the group and heads straight for their table, the stranger seems to recognize Oliver, though Oliver cannot place where he has seen the man from, and seems relieved that there is someone he knows in the bar. The guy quickly pulls out a key, held on a chain around his neck, and places it on the table.
With several nervous glances the guy says that the key is for a lockbox in the starport, box number 9764-A2, and that inside the box is a package that needs to be delivered to a man called Urkinu Gamega, who should be arriving shortly. He would stay and finish the job himself, but he has been called away on urgent business and has to leave in the morning, so as he trusts Oliver, could they keep the key safe and deliver the package to Gamega when he arrives at the starport. He gets out Cr 500 and drops it on the table and says that they can get another Cr 500 from Gamega when they deliver the package. He seems very reluctant to tell the group anything about the package, other than it is not dangerous and it is only going to be of interest to Gamega, who collects things like that. The guy then seems to get more agitated and finally he gets up and quickly makes his way to the back of the bar, Vann tries to follow him but soon loses him in the crowded bar. The group are left with a key, Cr 500 and an unexpected job to complete. Enquiries with the bar staff about either the man or Gamega draw a blank, with no-one knowing who they are, so with nothing else to do the adventurers settle down to enjoy spending the Cr 500 they have just come into.
Later that night, as the group are leaving the bar, they hear muffled cries for help and the sounds of a fight coming from a nearby alley. Bucky, Tommy and Vann decide to go investigate the fight while Oliver thinks that he might have left something in the bar and ducks back inside. Reaching the alley Bucky and the others are confronted by a body near the entrance in a pool of blood. Turning the body over Bucky discovers it is the guy that gave them the key, he has been stabbed several times and is close to death. Tommy and Vann get the impression that there are several figures hiding in the shadows, but a search reveals nothing. Meanwhile, Bucky attempts to staunch the wounds of their patron, who suddenly raises his head and whispers to Bucky, "Don't....Look", with his last breath. A search of the dead man turns up very little, just an ID card and a business card with the name of Urkinu Gamega, on the back of it is a date and flight number. Close to the body and half in shadow Vann finds a strangely curved dagger, stained with blood, carefully he picks it up and tucks it away in his jacket. Leaving the body where it is the group head back to the bar to rejoin Oliver. When Oliver sees the ID card he remembers the name, Shawn Grey, as an engineer on the ship that Oliver worked on, though Grey was only on the ship for a couple of jumps before moving to a different ship. The address on the ID card turns out to be not too far away from the bar, while the flight number corresponds to a regular star liner due to arrive from Kkirka in four days time.
Bucky is keen to investigate Grey's apartment straight away though Oliver feels that going in the morning would be better, the debate between them gets a little heated but when Tommy and Vann say that they will go with Bucky, Oliver decides to head back to the hotel by himself leaving the others to go to the apartment. What Oliver doesn't see however are the two shadowy figures following him back to the hotel.
Bucky and the others easily find the apartment block in a seedy area of the city, though getting past the security door is proving to be a little problematic as no-one seems to be answering. Eventually, Bucky manages to get an answer and he and Vann gain entry to the building, though it does cost them Cr 50 each from a demanding resident. Tommy waits in cover outside to make sure no-one follows them in. The apartment is clean and tidy, well it was until Bucky and Vann begin searching it. It takes them about an hour but they manage to find a hidden wall panel, after carefully removing it they retrieve a box filled with papers. After finding nothing else of interest they decide to head back to the hotel, though they don't notice the four people following them in the shadows.
In a dark warehouse the leader gathers his sixteen followers around him, he is displeased with them and makes sure that they know it. He says that they should have retrieved the key and dealt with Mr Grey before he could involve others in his schemes. Now he is going to have to find some way to negotiate with these strangers before they discover what is in the lockbox, and if that fails then they will have to be dealt with, but for now they must be kept under close scrutiny.
Monday, 21 March 2016
The Kinunir of Regina - Epilogue
Later that night in the bar the group witness an argument between a scout and a navy man about the epic Twilight's Peak, an argument that swiftly turns from verbal blows to physical ones. After the pair are ejected by the bouncers, Wilhelm asks Bucky if he knows about Twilight's Peak, Bucky says he only knows vague details about it, Wilhelm smiles and changes the subject of the conversation.
The following day, with the Aurora upgraded and loaded with a cargo of pharmaceuticals the group depart from Regina. The first stop is going to be Yori, where Wilhelm and Oliver will sell the pharmaceuticals and buy a new cargo. During the week in jumpspace Bucky tries his best to get into the book Wilhelm gave him just before they lifted off, it is a copy of Twilight's Peak, but, like most readers of the epic he soon gives up on the badly written, over-long epic. Deciding to let the ships computer do the hard work for him, Bucky patiently scans in each page and writes a program to produce a summary of the book with all the unnecessary bits taken out. The computer gets to work, and about six hours later is ready to deliver its findings. Bucky is surprised to discover the summary just says;
"We died".
Feeling that this is a little too summarised, Bucky rewrites the parameters used by the program and sets it running again, in a little over eighteen hours the computer delivers a five page summary of the epic, which is something Bucky feels more comfortable in reading.
After leaving Yori, Wilhelm sets course for Treece in the Lanth subsector as the next port of call. When they arrive Wilhelm announces that he is going to survey the system and do his audit of the world, which is going to take a week, until then the crew can stay groundside and try to sell the cargo, buy some new cargo and maybe Bucky can find out something more about the Twilight's Peak epic.
The following day, with the Aurora upgraded and loaded with a cargo of pharmaceuticals the group depart from Regina. The first stop is going to be Yori, where Wilhelm and Oliver will sell the pharmaceuticals and buy a new cargo. During the week in jumpspace Bucky tries his best to get into the book Wilhelm gave him just before they lifted off, it is a copy of Twilight's Peak, but, like most readers of the epic he soon gives up on the badly written, over-long epic. Deciding to let the ships computer do the hard work for him, Bucky patiently scans in each page and writes a program to produce a summary of the book with all the unnecessary bits taken out. The computer gets to work, and about six hours later is ready to deliver its findings. Bucky is surprised to discover the summary just says;
"We died".
Feeling that this is a little too summarised, Bucky rewrites the parameters used by the program and sets it running again, in a little over eighteen hours the computer delivers a five page summary of the epic, which is something Bucky feels more comfortable in reading.
After leaving Yori, Wilhelm sets course for Treece in the Lanth subsector as the next port of call. When they arrive Wilhelm announces that he is going to survey the system and do his audit of the world, which is going to take a week, until then the crew can stay groundside and try to sell the cargo, buy some new cargo and maybe Bucky can find out something more about the Twilight's Peak epic.
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