(008) Meet Connie Malone

[Keven]

Carlos nods. "You can't break the laws of physics, love. A Jump 2 ship is a decent compromise for a civilian ship. You can get into a lot of places you couldn't with a Jump 1 ship. But the tradeoff is, reduced cargo capacity. I can live with this."

"We have some time to figure out our next moves after we complete the job of moving managers around," Zaki continues as she manipulates her HUD with her eye movements."We will have to execute eight jumps to get out to Rangent and back here." She looks at Carlos. "I know it's not as fast as you might like, but then we can use it to work our way rimward, back toward home."

Carlos smiles. "We need to find a 'fix' for your medical problems first, love. You're still not 100% yet. Bound to be something out here we can use to do that, we just have to look for it." He kisses the tip of her nose. "THEN we can work on going home."

[joertexas]

Carlos smiles. "We need to find a 'fix' for your medical problems first, love. You're still not 100% yet. Bound to be something out here we can use to do that, we just have to look for it." He kisses the tip of her nose. "THEN we can work on going home."

Zaki resists the urge to throw her arms around his neck, and leap into his arms. She smiles until her dimples show. "That's so wonderful to hear you say that we will be going home." She sobers a bit as she consults her HUD. "I haven't started my research on places we could visit about sophonts who are resistant to modern therapies. I know it's a very rare condition, at least on my, well, former, home planet."

[Keven]

Carlos smiles. "We need to find a 'fix' for your medical problems first, love. You're still not 100% yet. Bound to be something out here we can use to do that, we just have to look for it." He kisses the tip of her nose. "THEN we can work on going home."

Zaki resists the urge to throw her arms around his neck, and leap into his arms. She smiles until her dimples show. "That's so wonderful to hear you say that we will be going home." She sobers a bit as she consults her HUD. "I haven't started my research on places we could visit about sophonts who are resistant to modern therapies. I know it's a very rare condition, at least on my, well, former, home planet."

Carlos grins. "No rush on heading back yet, love. We've got what, 130 year lifespans? We can afford to knock around out here for a few years, maybe a decade or two, collecting stories to awe our grandchildren." He kisses her nose again. "Let's check out the boat."

[Tiglath]

Overhearing some of the conversation Sigrun offers "We could take you to see the elves on Darrian - they could heal you with their magic. However, training might yet help you" she grins "I'll be there like a bad hangover every morning throughout jump".

[Keven]

Overhearing some of the conversation Sigrun offers "We could take you to see the elves on Darrian - they could heal you with their magic. However, training might yet help you" she grins "I'll be there like a bad hangover every morning throughout jump".

Carlos glances in her direction. "'Elves', you say. With 'magic'. Where are these 'elves', gospah?"

[joertexas]

Overhearing some of the conversation Sigrun offers "We could take you to see the elves on Darrian - they could heal you with their magic. However, training might yet help you" she grins "I'll be there like a bad hangover every morning throughout jump".

Carlos glances in her direction. "'Elves', you say. With 'magic'. Where are these 'elves', gospah?"

Zaki bestows a smoldering look on Carlos at his mention of their grandchildren, and then she turns to hear Sigrun's reply.

[Tiglath]

Sigrun replies "The elves of the Darrian Confederation have technology beyond comprehension. They are not warriors and are both dishonourable and untrustworthy but if they can quench suns then they can heal Zaki. Their homeworlds lie just beyond the Sword Worlds and are therefore not so far away".

[Eris]

Sigrun replies "The elves of the Darrian Confederation have technology beyond comprehension. They are not warriors and are both dishonourable and untrustworthy but if they can quench suns then they can heal Zaki. Their homeworlds lie just beyond the Sword Worlds and are therefore not so far away".

Hum, that might give you a medium term goal, mighten it?

1. Short term, getting the LSP personnel to their worlds and getting back.
2. Mid term, working your way out through the Sword Worlds to the Darrian Confederation to see if they can help Zaki. Sigrun returns home...for a visit?
3. Long term, back to Reaver's Deep? At least for Carlos and Zaki

[bruce.desertrat]

Before long the group leaves the Vargr cafe and heads outside. A cab is hailed and they board it for Pad 23 where Connie Malone is waiting for them.

The Connie Malone is close to 50 meters long and at the small winglets at the rear about the same width. Forward of the wings the Type R is about 15 meters wide, perhaps a bit less. The forward cargo hatch is open making the ship bow look like it has a gaping mouth. A cargo van is parked next to the open bow cargo hatch. Your cab circles over and lands next to a metal gantry that rises from the tarmac to the forward personnel hatch on the upper deck.

After paying the cabby you step out and look the ship over. Connie Malone is painted a light gray with red and light blue stripes highlighting the ship's surfaces. Connie Malone is painted in black paint in large letters near the ship's bow. The bottom of the Type R is flat and only about 3 meters above the tarmac. It is held aloft by four large legs with wide skids, not wheels, where the legs meet the tarmac.

As you are looking over the ship you hear the whirring sound of an electric motor and see a squat tractor rolling down the short wide ramp leading from the large cargo bay to the tarmac. Captain Ito is seated aboard the tractor that is pulling a flat bed trailer piled high with boxes and trunks held in place by straps.

When he reaches the tarmac he stops and waves you over, "Welcome ladies and gentlemen. I'm just finishing removing my personal belongings."

Pedro has a 'kid seeing a Christmas haul beyond his wildest dreams'-sized grin on his face. "She's beautiful"

[bruce.desertrat]

Sigrun replies "The elves of the Darrian Confederation have technology beyond comprehension. They are not warriors and are both dishonourable and untrustworthy but if they can quench suns then they can heal Zaki. Their homeworlds lie just beyond the Sword Worlds and are therefore not so far away".

Hum, that might give you a medium term goal, mighten it?

1. Short term, getting the LSP personnel to their worlds and getting back.
2. Mid term, working your way out through the Sword Worlds to the Darrian Confederation to see if they can help Zaki. Sigrun returns home...for a visit?
3. Long term, back to Reaver's Deep? At least for Carlos and Zaki

I think I gotta figure out where Pedro comes from after all, work in a visit back to my clan, Auntie.

[Keven]

Sigrun replies "The elves of the Darrian Confederation have technology beyond comprehension. They are not warriors and are both dishonourable and untrustworthy but if they can quench suns then they can heal Zaki. Their homeworlds lie just beyond the Sword Worlds and are therefore not so far away".

"'Quench suns'? That's physics. She needs bioremedialisation. How good are they on life sciences?"

[Keven]

Sigrun replies "The elves of the Darrian Confederation have technology beyond comprehension. They are not warriors and are both dishonourable and untrustworthy but if they can quench suns then they can heal Zaki. Their homeworlds lie just beyond the Sword Worlds and are therefore not so far away".

Hum, that might give you a medium term goal, mighten it?

1. Short term, getting the LSP personnel to their worlds and getting back.
2. Mid term, working your way out through the Sword Worlds to the Darrian Confederation to see if they can help Zaki. Sigrun returns home...for a visit?
3. Long term, back to Reaver's Deep? At least for Carlos and Zaki

Carlos is from Daibei. He's spent some time in the Deep, but he's not from there.

[Tiglath]

"'Quench suns'? That's physics. She needs bioremedialisation. How good are they on life sciences?"

Sigrun replies "The elves' technology is such as to be better described as magic. They are Ljósálfar so they possess light magic and healing is part of that. I can't describe how good their medicine is because it is possible even they don't know". She searches for a frame of reference "In military terms it is rumoured that the Zhodani have backed off from invading them under threat of their solar technology. If their medicine is anywhere near as advanced it will surely work for Zaki".

She shrugs and concludes with a grin "Of course the Sword Worlds still fight them, or actually their mercenaries, on certain disputed worlds".

[joertexas]

"'Quench suns'? That's physics. She needs bioremedialisation. How good are they on life sciences?"

Sigrun replies "The elves' technology is such as to be better described as magic. They are Ljósálfar so they possess light magic and healing is part of that. I can't describe how good their medicine is because it is possible even they don't know". She searches for a frame of reference "In military terms it is rumoured that the Zhodani have backed off from invading them under threat of their solar technology. If their medicine is anywhere near as advanced it will surely work for Zaki".

She shrugs and concludes with a grin "Of course the Sword Worlds still fight them, or actually their mercenaries, on certain disputed worlds".

Zaki chews her lip as she focuses on her HUD. "There are two equally high-tech Imperial worlds that are about the same distance as Darrian, but are trailward of here. They are Vincennes and Pashus. They might be safer destinations."

[Tiglath]

Sigrun replies somewhat defensively "Both the Sword Worlds and the Darrian Confederation are entirely safe to travel! However, if you just need high tech worlds in the Marches then Rhylanor has the highest level of Imperial technology and is only about ten parsecs from Regina - that's about six J2 jumps for Connie Malone".

[Keven]

"'Quench suns'? That's physics. She needs bioremedialisation. How good are they on life sciences?"

Sigrun replies "The elves' technology is such as to be better described as magic. They are Ljósálfar so they possess light magic and healing is part of that. I can't describe how good their medicine is because it is possible even they don't know". She searches for a frame of reference "In military terms it is rumoured that the Zhodani have backed off from invading them under threat of their solar technology. If their medicine is anywhere near as advanced it will surely work for Zaki".

She shrugs and concludes with a grin "Of course the Sword Worlds still fight them, or actually their mercenaries, on certain disputed worlds".

Zaki chews her lip as she focuses on her HUD. "There are two equally high-tech Imperial worlds that are about the same distance as Darrian, but are trailward of here. They are Vincennes and Pashus. They might be safer destinations."

"Or, we can check out all three of them as we fly by, love. These 'elves', though, how close to human are they?"

Sigrun replies somewhat defensively "Both the Sword Worlds and the Darrian Confederation are entirely safe to travel! However, if you just need high tech worlds in the Marches then Rhylanor has the highest level of Imperial technology and is only about ten parsecs from Regina - that's about six J2 jumps for Connie Malone".

"Four to check out then. This could work..." He kisses Zaki on the nose again. "Let's check out our new home."

[joertexas]

"Four to check out then. This could work..." He kisses Zaki on the nose again. "Let's check out our new home."

The blonde turns her attention to the ship. "It's certainly big enough," she said as she took in the cavernous opening at the vessel's nose. "It looks hungry."

[Keven]

"Four to check out then. This could work..." He kisses Zaki on the nose again. "Let's check out our new home."

The blonde turns her attention to the ship. "It's certainly big enough," she said as she took in the cavernous opening at the vessel's nose. "It looks hungry."

"It's a bit bigger than what I'm used to calling 'home away from home', at least. A 400 tonner, looks like. We can always upgrade later, love..."

[joertexas]

"It's a bit bigger than what I'm used to calling 'home away from home', at least. A 400 tonner, looks like. We can always upgrade later, love..."

"We need to check the cabins' grav plates before we pick one," Zaki says calmly. "And I hope the med bay is decent."

[Tiglath]

"Or, we can check out all three of them as we fly by, love. These 'elves', though, how close to human are they?"

Focussing on the Connie Malone Sigrun distractedly replies "They are light elves so they look like you'd expect - smaller with golden skin and pointy ears but are basically human. Don't you Imperials have sagas?"

"It's a bit bigger than what I'm used to calling 'home away from home', at least. A 400 tonner, looks like. We can always upgrade later, love..."

Sigrun searches for a translation and replies "She is a workhorse, she is the best ship for earning us money".

"We need to check the cabins' grav plates before we pick one," Zaki says calmly.

Sigrun loudly agrees "Ja, cabin gravitics are very important". Then she snickers and with robust nudge and an entirely theatrical wink asides to Zaki in mock prudishness "You are so shameless - "Belter girl"!"