Chapter 10: Year 300, Days 7 and 8

[joertexas]

Captain: Remind me to discuss an opportunity I've been presented while at dinner. There's that whole hoopla around the 'Race around the Belt' coming, and they want me to give a speech.

Indrani makes a note in her hand comp. "Done."

[The Bindoner]

Nālani (who is in her room with Assana) uses her personal comm to contact Indrani: I need to speak to you, in private. When would be convenient for you?

[ateno]

Reven Stiilpahth "Repacking will be difficult. I figured i could move some of the furniture into passenger quarters, if i can rustle up an extra set of arms. Some of the knick-knack bits might be better kept in one of our quarters for now. I'll check the chip when i get some time after cleaning up here and let you you. Reven out." Reven walks over to the ship comm panel and activates it ship-wide. "Any crew onboard not currently engaged in other matters report to the bay. We have some furniture to move to passenger quarters. Thanks."

"No, thank you Reven.

[joertexas]

Nālani (who is in her room with Assana) uses her personal comm to contact Indrani: I need to speak to you, in private. When would be convenient for you?

"Excuse me," Indrani says as she reads the message. She goes to Nalani's door and presses the admittance chime.

[TheFallenSon]

Noor

Thacho: There you are. Thanks for the garbage detail. I obviously have to leave anything official for the XO, but I think things should work out. What I need you to start thinking about are our vulnerabilities and exposure. Where the next attack is coming from. I'm also mulling a public appearance in a day or two. I need you to scout the location and devise security.

“Yes ma’am. I can certainly take care of those things moving forward. I’m headed out to purchase a new armoury for the ship with XO Pranit. I’ll get started on my security assessment when I return. Then I’ll scout the areas for your appearance.”

As he walks up to the cab, "Crew-Quarters section I guess, is that right Thacho?"

“My best guess is Nalani’s beamers charge packs will need to be picked up Yacht side. Like the armor piercing rounds as well. I’ll want to look about getting The Lady a body pistol or something similarly easily concealed. No need for her to go unarmed moving forward. Ild also be interested in picking up some weapons for close work. Maybe a few blades and cutlasses. I’m not the best with them, prefer my fists. Boarding shields? Crew side we can get the actual mags, functional stuff is what we would find there. Might be the best place for some shotguns and the no frills weapons.

[BackworldTraveller]

Pranit and Thatcho
First to the Crew Quarters.

The Taxi takes the pair through the tunnels from the Queen's bay to the central "mountain". The trip allows occasional glimpses of the outside through giant windows in the white-washed tunnel walls. Branches from the other bays join the route - the specific route you followed joining a circular tunnel surrounding mountain. From this, a turn allows you to turn under the monolith and slowly ascend inside in a wide spiral. About every 10m vertically, there is a turning into a large bay or two - commercial lading docks or plusher (just) passenger stops. The taxi driver picks one about 50m up and stops.

That will be Cr6 please. Your destination is to your right when you enter the main corridor - about 250m.

The Main Corridor is a curving affair, interspersed with emergency pressure doors every 100m or so, with neat shop-fronts and doors to offices (brokers, naval architects, ship surveyors), bars, hotels - and a few residences. (The door you enter from is marked "Taxis".) The whole is tidy and reasonably lit. There are members of the port security visible (two) - and a thin crowd. This is a practical commercial floor not a shopping destination. (n.b. You'd guess deliveries to this floor's establishments were from the floor below).

The shop you are looking for, "Crew Security", is right where the driver said it was. It seems to have an airlock door and a display of electronics and vacc-suits in a thick window.

[ateno]

"Lets stick to just what the captain originally ordered. Pistols for everyone with ammo for same and body pistols but half traq. a few clips and ammo for the lone smg. I doubt we can afford laser packs. You can wrote up a summary and request what you think we need for the ships locker."

Pranit hits the announce button for requesting entry.

[BackworldTraveller]

The shop is quietly professional...Entry is effected by an airlock door (running away will be slowed by this feature), and you are admitted to find a tall woman (Low-G Belter physique) waiting to greet you.

Good day. And how may I be of service?

There are displays of various security devices - physical, and electronic, defensive or offensive, mostly non-lethal. All are in locked display cases. There is one other door from the shop-floor - "Staff Only" says the sign.

[SpinwardMarch]

Maggie

Reven, I will help as soon as I can, but I have a guest on the way.

[BackworldTraveller]

Maggie then Indrani and Nālani
Maggie answers her phone, then heads to the airlock to allow her guest access. The Captain (Captain Karl Schultz) is introduced to Captain Carter and the Pilot, Nālani as they return from their "discussion" in Nālani's cabin. (Reven and Noor are shifting furniture downstairs, and occasional clangs can be heard coming up the access shaft)

After discussion of the qualities of the journey from the North Pole to the South, the state of the ship repairs and the chaos the attack on Sparks main port has caused he gets down to business

I'm here for two reasons. Firstly, To offer Ms en Sabah our official sympathies. I hope I can do that shortly, in person. Secondly, as the victim of a violent attack, she is entitled to an update on the investigation. I have brought that with me, and thirdly - though I shall address that first - I understand that you have been the victim of a cyber attack and that Captain Holtz believes this to have been undertaken using technology stolen from our embassy. I have been asked to recover the item you have found (for analysis) and aid you in the removal of the unwanted code that it will have left behind if it is, as Captain Holtz suggests, ours.

[TheFallenSon]

Thacho stood at a loose parade test position behind the XO. He would wait for the officer to give him leave to speak. Proper decorum. Possible ongoing interview. No pay discussed.

[ateno]

Good day. And how may I be of service?

Pranit waits two beats.

"Greetings, I am XO of a ship and require identical sidearms for our crew, we plan on leaving tonight, could that be accomplished toaday? Delivery, of course."

Assuming it is.

"This is our armsmaster, he will handle the specifics. I will let him deal with the specifics, I will handle payment and delivery."

Pranit will look around the store while Thacho shops.

Pranit

[BackworldTraveller]

"This is our armsmaster, he will handle the specifics. I will let him deal with the specifics, I will handle payment and delivery."

May I enquire what ship? It's always worth checking the paperwork and credit status before accidentally offering inappropriate services. Administration has become tighter since the civil war, particularly for those not on regular routes.

[ateno]

*Ah poop*

"Of course, we represent the Queen of the Belt, docked over at dock number, just a freighter, nothing special, and it will be cash. The weapons will be registered to the ship as self protection. Does that check all the admin boxes, young lady?

[BackworldTraveller]

Ah - The Queen - Made the news a couple of days ago. I can see why you might need some replenishment if the stories are true.

She checks her data-pad and looks up

I'm not getting any response from the vessel. If I cannot verify your bona-fides with the vessel, I'll have to treat you as a general non-resident. Sorry.

[ateno]

Is what it is, no worries, you have to do your job as we do,
.

Pranit steps aside and nods at Thacho.

[joertexas]

Maggie then Indrani and Nālani


I'm here for two reasons. Firstly, To offer Ms en Sabah our official sympathies. I hope I can do that shortly, in person. Secondly, as the victim of a violent attack, she is entitled to an update on the investigation. I have brought that with me, and thirdly - though I shall address that first - I understand that you have been the victim of a cyber attack and that Captain Holtz believes this to have been undertaken using technology stolen from our embassy. I have been asked to recover the item you have found (for analysis) and aid you in the removal of the unwanted code that it will have left behind if it is, as Captain Holtz suggests, ours.

Indrani nods. "How long will your examination take?"

[TheFallenSon]

“Right so we are looking for five 9 mm pistols, standard navy, and five auto pistols in the same caliber. All weapons laser sighted with a combat optic if possible. Nothing too fancy, something for basic work when the going gets tough. 20 extended magazines for each type of weapon, 10 regular magazines for each, and additional rounds to accommodate reloading each magazine twice. AP rounds if you got’em.

We would consider a trade of several Snub Pistols to lower the cost of the entire transaction.

I also need some beam ammo. I would like the price for 10 cartridges for a standard pistol and two power packs for a cabled one.

What have you got in a nonlethal capacity? Stunners, tranq rounds, Stun Sticks? Do you carry product designed to directly repel or assist in boarding actions? Any melee weapons for close work? What’s something you’ve got in inventory that you really want to move…but just can’t seem to find anyone willing to take it off your hands?

He awaited the shop keeps reply to the order and the questions. Making sure to not make direct eye contact with Pranit. He has made an offer that could very be above his new title of Armsmaster…but well such is life.

[BackworldTraveller]

Indrani nods. "How long will your examination take?"

That depends on the lab, I'm afraid. But an initial diagnosis, I'm told, is a few seconds.

The Captain produces a standard data chip.

The tool on there should result in a specific challenge. I take that, and the hardware, back with me and the lab gets the specific response key for you, sent to your phone. You plug the response in and the whole virus shuts down.

But there is a hitch. We want to know how the hardware came to be here. It should have been in a safe place and never have left the building. As Maggie here hinted, we also have a problem.

[BackworldTraveller]

“Right so we are looking for five 9 mm pistols, standard navy, and five auto pistols in the same caliber. All weapons laser sighted with a combat optic if possible. Nothing too fancy, something for basic work when the going gets tough. 20 extended magazines for each type of weapon, 10 regular magazines for each, and additional rounds to accommodate reloading each magazine twice. AP rounds if you got’em.

We would consider a trade of several Snub Pistols to lower the cost of the entire transaction.

I also need some beam ammo. I would like the price for 10 cartridges for a standard pistol and two power packs for a cabled one.

What have you got in a nonlethal capacity? Stunners, tranq rounds, Stun Sticks? Do you carry product designed to directly repel or assist in boarding actions? Any melee weapons for close work? What’s something you’ve got in inventory that you really want to move…but just can’t seem to find anyone willing to take it off your hands?

He awaited the shop keeps reply to the order and the questions. Making sure to not make direct eye contact with Pranit. He has made an offer that could very be above his new title of Armsmaster…but well such is life.

9mm Pistols and Munitions we can do.

Laser pointers I can understand - IR or visible? I'm not sure which of the various options you refer to as "Combat Optics". Each person seems to have differing preferences? I still like simple mechanical triggers as they work when the battery is flat, but we can do point-and-shoot computer-assisted triggering; cameras on the barrel with fibre or radio comms to a display pad for those awkward "Round the Bulkhead" shots? IR sights? Even telescopic sights - although are usually dead-weight at pistol ranges.

The trade value of your snub pistols would depend on number, make, condition, etc. Are you looking to dispose of ammunition too?

Can you confirm the make and model of the cartridge laser. The power packs tend to be bespoke and I don't carry a comprehensive range. Do you need charger cables for those?

The laser powerpacks, I'm assuming standard fittings. Just remember with those to charge to full before first using them or the battery life can be reduced.

On the non-lethal side, we have various options, though many are limited to government-cleared customers only.