Akila City
Akila, Cheyenne system
05 May 2331
Adam bides his time by relaxing, working out, and triple-checking all of the systems in the Queen to make sure there are no surprises when he next takes off. Speaking of surprises, Adam was alarmed when Akila City security showed up to inspect the cargo on the Courser but all was in order and they left without incident. Adam didn't think he had made any enemies just yet in Akila City so he chalked it up to random chance.
At the end of the week, all of the crew showed up on time and in (relatively) good shape so they were ready to head for Jemison!
Transition zone
Cheyenne system
07 May 2331
The two day trip to the edge of Cheyenne space goes without incident.
Transition zone
Narion system
10 May 2331
The Queen reached Narion twice as fast as the Courser did, due to its more powerful spike drive. There was only one incident during the trip. Akintola needed some toilet paper so he (innocently enough) grabbed some from Mayumi's head. Mayumi treated it like a theft and was close to challenging Akintola to a duel before Adam showed up on the scene and explained the difference between things of hers that were of value and things of hers that were more like "group items". Mayumi apologized for overreacting and Akintola promised to ask first before borrowing anything in the future, even if it was as basic as TP.
Adam figures it's best to wait where he is for the Courser, even if the speed of the Queen allows him to get to one of the inhabited planets and back in time. He didn't want to distract the crew with a trip to port. On Day 2, they receive a hail from a patrolling FC Militia ship.
Unidentified ship, this is FCS Vanguard. Are you in need of assistance?
Vanguard, this is Captain Adam Wood of the FCS Queen of the Void. We are in good shape, thanks. We are on a trading mission to Alpha Centauri and our slowpoke of a sister ship hasn't yet emerged from drillspace. Once she shows up, we'll be on our way.
Roger that, Queen. Say, didn't you have a ship called the Courser?
That's affirmative, Vanguard. The Courser is the slowpoke I'm waiting for.
I thought so. We haven't forgotten how you rescued our pilot, Ensign Collins, after that pirate attack. You have our thanks.
Thanks not needed, Vanguard. Next time it might be you saving my ass. Good karma is its own reward.
We appreciate it all the same. By the way, keep your eyes peeled out here. We ran into an unidentified one-seater in system recently and it ran when we hailed it. Lost it around Anselon. No telling what they were up to.
Good to know, thanks. We're bailing out as soon as the Courser arrives but will keep a lookout until then.
Thank you, Queen. Stay frosty.
Waiting for the crew to get off of shore leave, I rolled for a Starport Encounter and got "Security at starports is always high, you and your cargo are searched. The search will throw up some issue on a 6 on 1d6." I rolled a 4 so we move on!
Leaving the Cheyenne system, I rolled on my Ship Encounter - Major table and got 'None' as a result. Onward!
While in drillspace between Cheyenne and Narion, I rolled for both ships on the Onboard Event table. For the Queen, I got "Theft from a passenger stateroom or luggage area". Since I don't have passengers, I made something up. For the Courser, I got "Typical trip with highs and lows".
Once we arrived in Narion, and since the Queen will be here for three days waiting for the Courser (Adam doesn't want to risk an encounter occurring in Narion space considering what's happened to him here before), I roll on the Ship Encounter - Frontier table. I get a "Military-Corvette" result.
Rolling again on the Ship Reactions - Military table yields "Warn you of an unidentified ship in this system."
I figured 50/50 chance the FC Militia ship would recognize Adam's name and they did!
11 - Return to the UC
Re: 11 - Return to the UC
I need to find the time to write this out but I rolled for Onboard Events during the trip from Narion to Alpha Centauri.
Courser - "Captain is incapacitated, roll for a simultaneous event/crisis that needs resolving!" The Ship Malfunction I rolled is "Flooding".
Queen of the Void - "Ship Malfunction. Check Table." The Ship Malfunction is "Jump Drive trigger".
Once we get to Alpha Centauri and head to New Atlantis, the Ship Encounter is "Express Courier 200". The Ship Reaction is "Comms are out, radio silence".
Nothing too exciting. I just need to add some color. Soon!
Courser - "Captain is incapacitated, roll for a simultaneous event/crisis that needs resolving!" The Ship Malfunction I rolled is "Flooding".
Queen of the Void - "Ship Malfunction. Check Table." The Ship Malfunction is "Jump Drive trigger".
Once we get to Alpha Centauri and head to New Atlantis, the Ship Encounter is "Express Courier 200". The Ship Reaction is "Comms are out, radio silence".
Nothing too exciting. I just need to add some color. Soon!
Re: 11 - Return to the UC
Transition zone
Narion system
13 May 2331
The Courser finally shows up and finds the Queen waiting for her. Hearing that their trip was uneventful, Adam orders them to dump the fuel bunkers into the main tank and commence plotting a drill to Alpha Centauri. Under an hour later, they were off.
Well, the Courser was. When Adam tried to engage the Spike drive on the Queen, it politely coughed and then died.
Adam looked back at Helena and shrugged.
This was met with a withering stare of disdain from Helena.
You're the Engineer on this ship, Adam. Go engineer me a solution.
Adam couldn't help but smile.
You're taking to this Captain role quite nicely, Helena. Errr, ma'am. I'm on it!
Adam headed to the Engine room where he was alarmed to see that the trigger wiring for the spike drive had been disconnected. Adam quickly realized that the most likely culprit was... him, when he was doing his system checks back in Akila City. He must not have tightened everything properly and it finally came loose. He hooked everything back up, triple-checked it, and headed back to the bridge.
Everything ship shape now, Adam?
Should be, ma'am. We'll find out in a second.
Anything I should be worried about?
Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence, ma'am.
I hope you've spoken with the guilty party?
Oh, he's been severely chastised, ma'am. I don't expect he'll make that mistake again.
Helena allowed herself a small grin. Very well, Adam. You may proceed.
Not going to bother making a Fix roll here. Simple problem, simple solution.
Narion system
13 May 2331
The Courser finally shows up and finds the Queen waiting for her. Hearing that their trip was uneventful, Adam orders them to dump the fuel bunkers into the main tank and commence plotting a drill to Alpha Centauri. Under an hour later, they were off.
Well, the Courser was. When Adam tried to engage the Spike drive on the Queen, it politely coughed and then died.
Adam looked back at Helena and shrugged.
This was met with a withering stare of disdain from Helena.
You're the Engineer on this ship, Adam. Go engineer me a solution.
Adam couldn't help but smile.
You're taking to this Captain role quite nicely, Helena. Errr, ma'am. I'm on it!
Adam headed to the Engine room where he was alarmed to see that the trigger wiring for the spike drive had been disconnected. Adam quickly realized that the most likely culprit was... him, when he was doing his system checks back in Akila City. He must not have tightened everything properly and it finally came loose. He hooked everything back up, triple-checked it, and headed back to the bridge.
Everything ship shape now, Adam?
Should be, ma'am. We'll find out in a second.
Anything I should be worried about?
Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence, ma'am.
I hope you've spoken with the guilty party?
Oh, he's been severely chastised, ma'am. I don't expect he'll make that mistake again.
Helena allowed herself a small grin. Very well, Adam. You may proceed.
Not going to bother making a Fix roll here. Simple problem, simple solution.
Re: 11 - Return to the UC
Transition zone
Alpha Centauri system
16 May 2331
Once again, the Queen beats the Courser into the system but this time, Adam doesn't bother to wait for his fleet's other ship.
Alpha Centauri is just about the safest system in the galaxy, he reasons. No need to sit here for three more days to escort her in. She'll be fine on her own.
When Adam announces his decision, the crew is quite pleased, seeing as it means three more days of shore leave. They make way for New Atlantis and Jemison.
About halfway to their destination, Mayumi picks up an object in space near the ship. Diverting to investigate, she finds that it is a cargo container. The crew looks to Adam.
My interest is piqued. Captain, permission to intercept that container and bring it on board.
You may, Adam.
Lacking the Courser's Ship's Locker, Adam finds himself being the only one on board with a Vacc Suit. Resolving to rectify that once they reach planetside, he brings the ship alongside the container and adjusts to match its speed and vector. Then he suggests to Helena to call General Quarters and have everyone watch for approaching ships while he space walks. Helena agrees.
The precautions taken end up being for naught, as the container is retrieved without incident and no ship sightings are reported. Adam prudently decides to store it in the Queen's Smuggler's Hold. He notes the container's markings indicate it originates from the cargo carrier OB230.
Returning to the bridge, he suggests to Helena they get underway.
Don't you want to open it first?
Not here. I'd rather keep whatever's in there far away from the Queen if it's dangerous.
Good call. Did you learn anything else about it?
It comes from a ship called the OB230. I'll have to do some digging on information about that ship when we arrive in port. For now, let's keep our cargo a secret. Might be nothing but containers don't just fall off a ship anymore. This was likely jettisoned on purpose. I'd like to know more about the purpose.
Ship Encounter-Major table yields a result of "Transport Table->Cargo Carrier 1000". Rolling on the Ship Reactions-Transport/Special table yields a result of "Cargo in space from that ship. But no ship".
I rolled a d10 and got a 1. So only one container.
Let's see if an Oracle can tell me more about this cargo. Mythic GME gives me:
45 for Random Event Focus. NPC Negative.
40 and 84 for Actions. Energize and Strength.
12 and 32 for Descriptions. Carelessly and Festive.
51 for Elements-Objects. Information.
I will need to think more on this but obviously losing this cargo is bad for whoever lost it.
This cargo was going to help the NPC become stronger, and delivering it would have energized their group.
They must have been celebrating finding this cargo (festive) and were careless with the transfer, losing some (all?) of it.
The cargo has some information within that gives Adam a clue as to its purpose.
Alpha Centauri system
16 May 2331
Once again, the Queen beats the Courser into the system but this time, Adam doesn't bother to wait for his fleet's other ship.
Alpha Centauri is just about the safest system in the galaxy, he reasons. No need to sit here for three more days to escort her in. She'll be fine on her own.
When Adam announces his decision, the crew is quite pleased, seeing as it means three more days of shore leave. They make way for New Atlantis and Jemison.
About halfway to their destination, Mayumi picks up an object in space near the ship. Diverting to investigate, she finds that it is a cargo container. The crew looks to Adam.
My interest is piqued. Captain, permission to intercept that container and bring it on board.
You may, Adam.
Lacking the Courser's Ship's Locker, Adam finds himself being the only one on board with a Vacc Suit. Resolving to rectify that once they reach planetside, he brings the ship alongside the container and adjusts to match its speed and vector. Then he suggests to Helena to call General Quarters and have everyone watch for approaching ships while he space walks. Helena agrees.
The precautions taken end up being for naught, as the container is retrieved without incident and no ship sightings are reported. Adam prudently decides to store it in the Queen's Smuggler's Hold. He notes the container's markings indicate it originates from the cargo carrier OB230.
Returning to the bridge, he suggests to Helena they get underway.
Don't you want to open it first?
Not here. I'd rather keep whatever's in there far away from the Queen if it's dangerous.
Good call. Did you learn anything else about it?
It comes from a ship called the OB230. I'll have to do some digging on information about that ship when we arrive in port. For now, let's keep our cargo a secret. Might be nothing but containers don't just fall off a ship anymore. This was likely jettisoned on purpose. I'd like to know more about the purpose.
Ship Encounter-Major table yields a result of "Transport Table->Cargo Carrier 1000". Rolling on the Ship Reactions-Transport/Special table yields a result of "Cargo in space from that ship. But no ship".
I rolled a d10 and got a 1. So only one container.
Let's see if an Oracle can tell me more about this cargo. Mythic GME gives me:
45 for Random Event Focus. NPC Negative.
40 and 84 for Actions. Energize and Strength.
12 and 32 for Descriptions. Carelessly and Festive.
51 for Elements-Objects. Information.
I will need to think more on this but obviously losing this cargo is bad for whoever lost it.
This cargo was going to help the NPC become stronger, and delivering it would have energized their group.
They must have been celebrating finding this cargo (festive) and were careless with the transfer, losing some (all?) of it.
The cargo has some information within that gives Adam a clue as to its purpose.
Re: 11 - Return to the UC
This game is dragging so let's see if I can speed it up.
Went into my Traveller folder and pulled out Allies, Contacts, Enemies & Rivals. Found Masa Paralamatrama, Amiable Broker. Does she want to be my new Factor on New Atlantis? Factor interest: 2d6 3 Nope! Oh well, I tried.
Let's go to the old favorite, Ironsworn Starforged, and roll until we get a reasonable result.
First Look: Imposing
Initial Disposition: Wanting
Character Role: Scavenger
Character Goal: Forge an alliance
Zakia Finn, aka 'Scout'
She'll do for now. Attribute rolls are 13, 8, 10, 10, 15, 8 We'll change the 8 in CHR to 14.
d20 for Background is 10. Peasant. Exert-0 as a free Skill. We'll roll three times on the Learning table. 4, 7, 8 is Notice, Trade, Work.
Expert is her class. Going with Connected as one Focus (Connect-0). We'll also take Diplomat (Talk-0). We'll take Trade-1 as her bonus Skill.
Not bothering with equipment or weapons, she's going to be solely a Factor for me in UC space.
Level up to 2. Four skill points and a Focus. We'll raise Connected to level 2.
Spending 3 points to raise Trade to 2. Pocketing the last point for next level.
Went into my Traveller folder and pulled out Allies, Contacts, Enemies & Rivals. Found Masa Paralamatrama, Amiable Broker. Does she want to be my new Factor on New Atlantis? Factor interest: 2d6 3 Nope! Oh well, I tried.
Let's go to the old favorite, Ironsworn Starforged, and roll until we get a reasonable result.
First Look: Imposing
Initial Disposition: Wanting
Character Role: Scavenger
Character Goal: Forge an alliance
Zakia Finn, aka 'Scout'
She'll do for now. Attribute rolls are 13, 8, 10, 10, 15, 8 We'll change the 8 in CHR to 14.
d20 for Background is 10. Peasant. Exert-0 as a free Skill. We'll roll three times on the Learning table. 4, 7, 8 is Notice, Trade, Work.
Expert is her class. Going with Connected as one Focus (Connect-0). We'll also take Diplomat (Talk-0). We'll take Trade-1 as her bonus Skill.
Not bothering with equipment or weapons, she's going to be solely a Factor for me in UC space.
Level up to 2. Four skill points and a Focus. We'll raise Connected to level 2.
Spending 3 points to raise Trade to 2. Pocketing the last point for next level.
Re: 11 - Return to the UC
I was re-reading the older threads and I am reminded that there was a negative consequence when we stole the Yuma back. I need to create a Nemesis for Adam.
Let's hit Persons of Interest.
Motive - I'm going to choose here, versus a random roll. The motive is Hatred, to ruin and destroy a hated enemy.
Ambition - Attain a rank before a hated rival gets it.
Avarice - Their social standing requires vast outlays.
Craving - An unreasonable appetite for gambling
Curiosity - Choosing here, vs random, they want to know who stole the Yuma from them.
Desire - An utterly unacceptable object of longing
Excitement - Sample a wide range of chemicals
Glory - Redeem some past ignominy or failure
Hatred - Offworlders, whether all or of a specific world
Piety - This game is complicated enough as is. Not bringing religion into it.
Protection - A loved one incurred some dangerous disfavor
Revenge - They were ruined by a careless celebrity's fun
Safety - The victim of a shady deal they made is furious
Capabilities - Skills, a very talented professional
Sources - Associates, who lend it to the NPC
Visual appearance - Moves in quick, darting fashion
Her name is Niu Ding.
Let's hit Persons of Interest.
Motive - I'm going to choose here, versus a random roll. The motive is Hatred, to ruin and destroy a hated enemy.
Ambition - Attain a rank before a hated rival gets it.
Avarice - Their social standing requires vast outlays.
Craving - An unreasonable appetite for gambling
Curiosity - Choosing here, vs random, they want to know who stole the Yuma from them.
Desire - An utterly unacceptable object of longing
Excitement - Sample a wide range of chemicals
Glory - Redeem some past ignominy or failure
Hatred - Offworlders, whether all or of a specific world
Piety - This game is complicated enough as is. Not bringing religion into it.
Protection - A loved one incurred some dangerous disfavor
Revenge - They were ruined by a careless celebrity's fun
Safety - The victim of a shady deal they made is furious
Capabilities - Skills, a very talented professional
Sources - Associates, who lend it to the NPC
Visual appearance - Moves in quick, darting fashion
Her name is Niu Ding.