You cross your arms as you think of what to say to your first officer. “I think we should minimize our time here,” you say.

Tom nods. “I kind of gathered that. I can have us ready for takeoff in fifteen minutes if you give the word.” He leans in close to you, draping an arm over your shoulder as he whispers. “Though I would recommend opening that long box before we take off, seeing as we aren’t really sure who’s in it.”

“Noted,” you say. Another thing crosses your mind as he speaks. “Also, where would you suggest going after we leave New Albany?”

Tom looks a bit puzzled, as if thinking about possible destinations. “Well, we could always swing around to the frontiers, try to make a quick buck on less savory cargo. Or we could head back around to the inner solar system and pick up some more legit work there.” He pauses to light a cigarette, backing away from you a little so that the smoke doesn’t get in your space.

“Captain,” Virgo speaks up. “I would definitely suggest picking up some jobs in the inner solar system. I know that the CFP has been having logistics problems lately, so we could definitely turn a profit by trucking supplies out to Ceres from Mars.”

“That’s a good point,” Tom agrees. “They’re hurting for reliable supply transportation. We could practically name the price and they’d have to fork it over.”

“Supplies?” Solfrid speaks up. “You mean things like food, right?”

“Well,” Tom begins. “Food is certainly on the list, as well as water, ammunition, clothes, and other essentials.”

She scowls at him. “You shouldn’t try to extort money from people in exchange for ferrying essentials to them. That kind of thing isn’t right.” She crosses her arms. “People shouldn’t have to worry about affording enough food to keep themselves fed, even if they’re on an asteroid.”

Tom frowns. “Well we have to worry about affording food…”

“Actually,” Virgo shrugs. “We don’t have any troubles affording food. That’s about the cheapest of our expenses.” He holds up a little ledger. “I keep track.”

“See?” Solfrid grins smugly.

>”Both of you, stop it.”
>”Tom’s right though. We need to make money wherever we can, even if it means occasionally putting others at a disadvantage.”
>”Solfrid’s right. We can’t be extorting people over food.”
>Write-in.

>>959360
>"Alright, we won't charge them high for food and water. Everything else is still open to penny-pinching though. Maintenance doesn't pay for itself."

>>959360
>>”Both of you, stop it.”
I will charge a market competitive price that's fair. End of discussion. While Solfrid is morally right, this ship does have numerous issues, as shown by it having bits and pieces fall apart every trip it seems like. That does cost a pretty penny to fix.

>>959360
this >>959376

>>959360
>”Both of you, stop it.”
We will evaluate the market when we get there. If you really want to do charity we can do half a load of supplies for the relief organizations who are catoring to to the more well-to-do folks and undercut them by handing out the other half of the cargo to the most desperate.

File: Colonel Narrien.jpg (63 KB, 500x737)

63 KB JPG

You sigh, rubbing your eyes as their disagreement threatens to spill over into an argument. “Both of you, stop it.” You practically growl at them. Tom raises his eyebrows at you, and Solfrid shrinks back a little. “First off, it’s not even certain that we’ll be taking those jobs. And even if we do, I doubt we’ll have the last word in what we can charge. There’ll probably be contractual limits to the prices we can set.”

Tom nods slowly. “Right sir, sorry.”

Solfrid frowns, looking down. “Sorry sir,” she mutters.

“It’s fine,” you reply. “I just don’t want any arguments happening over something like that.” The group continues walking, with you at the front. “And for the record, I think Solfrid is in the right, morally.” You shrug. “Though maintenance isn’t cheap regardless. There may come a time where we have to choose between our morals or our lives.” You frown. “I’ve seen it happen before.”

“I understand,” Solfrid and Tom both say. However, you see the two of them scowl at each other from time to time. You know that Tom has a younger sister, and you figure that Solfrid reminds him of her.

“Captain,” Virgo speaks up after a while. He talks just low enough to not be heard by Tom and Solfrid, who walk over to a booth to look at something. “Were it up to me, I would probably agree with Solfrid, though for different reasons. The CFP are one of the only things keeping a border conflict from breaking out between the Federation and Empire. They may be glorified mercenaries, but they keep the peace.” He frowns. “At least for the time being.”

There is a low rumble, then the entire station seems to shake slightly. The lights flicker as the crowds all gasp. Tom and Solfrid immediately rush back over to you and Virgo.

“What the hell was that?” Tom is the first to speak.

You are about to say something, but the intercom blares, first in the Imperial language, then in English. “The rumble just now was a seismic disturbance caused by the weight of this station. We ask all guests and residents to remain calm while crews inspect the station for any damage. Thank you for your cooperation.”

“That’s strange,” Virgo says.

“Not much we can do about it through,” you relent. “May as well finish our business here and head back to the ship.”

After about ten more minutes of walking and talking with your crew, you all head back down to the main hangar areas, where you notice a rather large commotion. Looking over to the embassies, you see that one of the consulates looks like it was blown up. There are Imperial soldiers, army and navy, milling about and sifting through the wreckage. Colonel Narrien stands back, looking at the damage with a couple of junior officers at his side. There is a scowl on his face as he takes a puff of a cigar.

>Head over and ask what happened.
>Ignore him and head back to the ship.

>>959546
>Head over and ask what happened.
Can't hurt to know.

>>959546
>>Ignore him and head back to the ship.

>>959546
>Head over and ask what happened.
We are heading out into the wild, it would help to learn what dragons are stirring.

>>959546
>>Head over and ask what happened.

>>959546
>>Head over and ask what happened.

File: Narrien.jpg (11 KB, 590x247)

11 KB JPG

You decide to walk over to Colonel Narrien and see what happened. You look back at your crew as you walk away. “Hold tight, I’m going to see what’s up.”

“Captain,” Tom protests.

“It’s fine,” you reply. “I know the guy in charge.” You shrug. It’s technically not a lie. You close the distance between yourself and the Colonel as he blows a large cloud of cigar smoke into the air.

“Captain,” he greets you without turning around. The junior officers at his sides turn to face you, seemingly caught off guard. He waves them off as he turns to face you, saying something to them in the Imperial language.

“What happened here?” You gesture to the wrecked consulate.

Narrien frowns, tossing his cigar stub to the ground and stomping on it. “Damn anti-military radicals,” he begins. “I thought the Navy Infantry had put those sympathies to bed here.” He clenches a fist. “Those fools don’t realize that military action against protests just creates more support.”

“I was under the impression that the protests were on other parts of Triton,” you say.

Narrien nods. “They were. But when the Navy cracked down on them, they became bolder. More violent.” He gestures to the consulate. “This is what’s left of the temporary base for the Naval Infantry here. They haven’t attacked a single Army unit.”

“So they want the Navy gone.” You nod.

“Precisely,” Narrien replies. “The original protests were about a kid that got killed by a group of Navy MPs. And instead of doing the right thing and investigating the circumstances around the killing, the Navy declared martial law and sent in their combat troops.” He shakes his head. “The Army has always been responsible for the day-to-day policing of places like this, but after the War, the Navy started taking precedent when it came to police duties. The only problem is that they don’t know how to do it properly.”

>”Did you find the culprit?”
>”What’s going to happen now? Will the Navy crack down even harder?”
>”Were people hurt in the explosion? I’m not seeing any search and rescue personnel.”
>”Does the Navy really have that much political pull in the Empire?”
>Write-in.

>>959721

>”Did you find the culprit?”
>”What’s going to happen now? Will the Navy crack down even harder?”
>”Were people hurt in the explosion? I’m not seeing any search and rescue personnel.”

>>959721
>>”Did you find the culprit?”
>>”What’s going to happen now? Will the Navy crack down even harder?”

>>959721
>”What’s going to happen now? Will the Navy crack down even harder?”
Is anti-navy equivalent to anti-clan or are the clans everywhere?

>>959721
>"This feels a bit to much like old and recent history. Same shit, different boots."
>”Does the Navy really have that much political pull in the Empire?”
>”Were people hurt in the explosion? I’m not seeing any search and rescue personnel.”

>>959785
The specifically anti-Navy sentiment is pretty unique to Triton. There is anti-military and anti-clan sentiment throughout the Empire, mostly in the outer colonies, but the anti-Navy radicals on Triton have very specific reasons for wanting the Army back in charge. The Army's MPs are a lot like regular beat cops, while the Navy MPs are all basically like OMON in Russia.

>>959809
Ah I can see why they want the army back and at attention, and not having to let the navy give them the wrap around. No HOMO. Sorry had to do it.

File: Rear Admiral.jpg (19 KB, 599x316)

19 KB JPG

You sigh, looking at the damage. “Did you find the culprit?”

Narrien shakes his head. “No. And we likely never will. The bomber was already gone by the time the blast occurred.” He crosses his arms. “The only upside to all of this is that nobody was hurt. The garrison was out on patrol when this happened.”

Now that you think of it, you don’t notice any search and rescue people on the scene. It makes sense, you suppose. “What’s this mean for the civilians here? Will the Navy crack down harder on them?”

The Colonel takes a step forward, picking up a piece of shrapnel. “Most likely. That’s the only metric they understand. Force. They apply force to every obstacle in their path, and when it blows up in their faces, they merely double down.”

“But how can they have that kind of political pull? Is the Navy really that strong?” When you say that, Narrien merely looks at you warningly.

“Best not to ask questions you don’t want the answer to, son.” He shakes his head when you open your mouth again. “There are some very powerful people in the Navy’s MP branch. Members of the Royal Family. So what they say goes, even if it flies in the face of every rule in the books.”

“Colonel,” a voice rumbles from behind the two of you. You turn around to see a man in a uniform similar to Narrien’s. He is a grim-looking individual, looking more like a skeleton than a man. “I see you’ve been making some friends since your posting here. Care to introduce us?” Though he speaks with a non-Imperial accent, you can tell that he’s from the Imperial outer colonies, not the Federation.

Narrien swallows nervously, saluting. “Good afternoon, Rear Admiral.” The man returns the salute and Narrien gestures to you. “Unfortunately myself and this gentleman have just met recently. I believe it would be best for him to introduce himself, sir.”

>”I was just leaving.” (ends conversation)
>”Rear Admiral? Are you the man in charge of the Navy MPs?”
>”I’m Captain Starwind.”
>Write-in.

>>960098
>>”I’m Captain Starwind.”

>>960098
>”I’m Captain Starwind.”

>>960098
>>”I’m Captain Starwind.”

>>960098
>>”I’m Captain Starwind.”

File: RAdm.jpg (29 KB, 630x420)

29 KB JPG

“I’m Captain Starwind,” you reply, holding a hand out for the Rear Admiral to shake. He merely sneers just enough to notice.

“Starwind…” He grumbles, his voice sounding like sandpaper over corrugated steel. “You’re the Federal ace from the War. Lost a lot of good men to you.” He takes a step toward you and you realize just how physically imposing he is. The man easily stands a head over you, with the build to match. “What’s a Federal agent doing at McArthur?”

You frown at the man, letting your hand drop to your side. “I’m not a Federal Agent,” you reply bitterly. “I left the Navy as soon as the War was over.”

The Rear Admiral nods at you, his eyes never leaving yours, almost as if trying to read you. “That’s what they all say…” He pokes your chest with a gloved finger. “You’d best make sure I don’t have any reason to take you in for questioning, or I’ll get you to spill the beans about your entire operation.”

“There’s no operation,” you insist.

“Just like the Navy Yard wasn’t attacked by Federal spies?” The Rear Admiral raises an eyebrow at you. “I had friends there, you know. People who trusted me.” He looks over his shoulder, at your crew standing a mere thirty feet away. “Sort of like how they trust you.”

You clench your fists unconsciously, gritting your teeth at the imposing man. Every fiber of your being wants to rip him to pieces for threatening your crew. The Rear Admiral merely grins at you, putting his hands in his pockets smugly.

“So just remember to keep your nose clean, Captain.” He points his thumb at your crew. “And keep their noses clean too. I don’t like to use... enhanced interrogation, but I am exceedingly efficient at it.” He walks past you, putting a hand on your shoulder. It makes your skin crawl. “Oh, and feel free to stop by the Navy’s new headquarters on the top levels if you need anything.” He smirks over his shoulder as he walks off toward the elevators.

Narrien shakes his head, eyes wide. “I’m sorry that you had to meet him. That kind of introduction is enough to rattle just about anyone,” he grumbles.

>”Who the hell was that?”
>”I’m leaving.” (ends conversation)
>”There’s no way it’s legal for him to just go around threatening people like that.”
>Write-in.

>>960407
>>”I’m leaving.” (ends conversation)

>>960407
>>”Who the hell was that?”

>>960407
>>”Who the hell was that?”

>>960407
>"Indeed, well its about time for me to get back to my crew. It was a pleasure." Shake hands and leave.

>>960407
>>”Who the hell was that?”
Well, paranoia out the wazoo

Would be ironic if there really isn't a conspiracy and it's all just different people doing different things

File: 1471218517808.jpg (779 KB, 1200x903)

779 KB JPG

I'm gonna call it a night here since I've got to be up early tomorrow. I'll be running at the usual times tomorrow and Thursday, then I might take a break on either Friday or Saturday, I'm not sure. Either way, it feels great to be running again.

Mood music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2YlbiyiuMc

So do you guys think there's really a Federation/Imperial conspiracy, or is it just zealous people looking hard enough that they see something where there's nothing?

>>960617
It's just coincidences, and people seeing things where none exists. But it's gonna start a war anyway.

>>960407
>Write-in.
I know the type.
I wonder if him and that other guy (Grand Admiral ... Leander?) have ever been in the same room together.

>>960617
Mostly just the inertia of two military industrial complexes continuing to exist. There is totally still ongoing espionage (hi Sammy!) and maybe the od black-ops cockblock maneuver. But I doubt there is a silent or cold war going on.

>>960708
>I wonder if him and that other guy (Grand Admiral ... Leander?) have ever been in the same room together.
It'd be an absolute bloodbath. Like, they'd broadcast it live on pay-per-view and make millions.

>>960407
>”Who the hell was that?”
I know I'm paranoid, but it feels weird being on the receiving side for once.

>>960617
From Fed to Imp? I'd suspect it's possible, if the admiralty is involved. possibility of the scale being larger than just radicals are there.
From Imp to Fed? I'd suspect it less than the feds, but if a few overzealous, paranoid people among the higher ups can exert their power in a discreet manner, I'd say it's possible. otherwise, might just be some radicals alerting too many officers.

File: They're like a mix of OMO(...).jpg (71 KB, 387x712)

71 KB JPG

“Who the hell was that?” You gesture to the Rear Admiral as he walks away.

Narrien takes out another cigar and lights it with a wooden match. “That man is Rear Admiral Vladimir Kosovic,” he sighs. “He was a commander of the Navy’s special forces, commonly called STAVO, during the War. There aren’t a lot of official stories about what happened, but apparently he ordered them into a trap by accident and they were cornered and killed by Federal ground-attack craft.” He shrugs, grimacing.

You think back to your time piloting a close air-support fighter in the early stages of the War. “Did that happen on Pallus, by chance?”

“Indeed,” Narrien replies with a raised eyebrow. “You’re familiar with the story?”

You sigh, running a hand through your hair. “During the battle on Pallus, I was a ground-attack pilot. My squadron may have been the one that blew up his unit.”

Narrien takes a puff of his cigar, looking back toward the wreckage. “I see. Still, it is doubtful that he’d know that.” He crosses his arms. “Anyhow, Kosovic was demoted to Vice-Captain after that and had to work his way back up the chain. He ended up in control of the Navy’s special police unit, GROM. They’re basically a special forces unit charged with putting down dissent.”

“I see,” you nod. “They don’t sound too friendly.”

Narrien chuckles a little bit. “They’re the furthest thing from friendly. GROM used to be in charge of counter-espionage before the War ended, and now they’re used as counterterror forces.” He shakes his head. “Bunch of damn commandos with no war left to fight. The Empire couldn’t just get rid of them, so they found another job for them to do, even if the job was something they shouldn’t be doing.” He glances over at you. “There’s also a rumor that the majority of the unit’s members are former Naval commandos who joined up after STAVO was disbanded.”

>”I should go. Thank you for the information.” (ends conversation)
>”What else can you tell me about STAVO?”
>”So is GROM just deployed here on Triton, or do they have men elsewhere?”
>Write-in.

>>962545
>>”I should go. Thank you for the information.” (ends conversation)

>>962545
> is grom just here or elsewhere too?

>>962545
>>”I should go. Thank you for the information.” (ends conversation)

>>962545
>>”I should go. Thank you for the information.” (ends conversation)

>>962545
>>>”I should go. Thank you for the information.” (ends conversation)

“Thanks for the information,” you say simply. “I should probably get going.” You gesture to your crew, who look worriedly at you.

“I understand, Captain,” Narrien replies. “Take care of yourself. There’s a lot of bad people out there.”

“You do the same,” you say as you turn around. “See you.”

Tom is the first to speak up as you return to the group. “Captain, what happened over there?”

“Well, it looks like anti-Navy radicals blew up the consulate.” You shrug.

Tom looks away, seemingly wanting to say more but choosing not to. However, Solfrid speaks up instead. “But who was that scary guy in the black coat?”

“Clearly some kind of investigator,” Virgo postulates.

“Yeah,” you nod. “Something like that. He’s the guy in charge of the military police here.” You point back at Narrien as all of you walk toward the Bad Habit. “But that guy was in charge of the regular police before the Navy took over policing duties.”

“Interesting,” Tom rubs his chin. “So there’s a power struggle between the cops and the Navy over who polices this place, and the civilian populace seems to want the regular police back.”

“Sounds like a story that’s been repeated since the beginning of time,” Virgo adds. “Seems like power struggles are all that happen anymore. Nobody actually does things because it’s the right thing to do.”

“Well the Captain always tries to do the right thing,” Solfrid speaks up, causing all of you to look back at her. She turns red with embarrassment from your collective stares. “Well, I mean… At least as far as I’ve seen…”

Tom chuckles. “Yeah,” he agrees. “The Captain’s good like that. Always has been.” He points to her. “You’re pretty good at reading people, you know that?”

The four of you continue talking as you board the Bad Habit, heading up to the Wardroom. You quickly head up to your quarters to stow the model kit, and when you arrive back in the Wardroom, you find all of your crew seated and doing various things.

>Sit and walk with a crew member. (specify)
>Tell Tom to get the ship ready for takeoff.
>Divide the pay up.
>Get Tom and Solfrid and open the long box.
>Write-in.

>>962635
>Divide the pay up.
Warn them that they won't get to use it until after our next stop, as there's no way in hell we are staying longer than to just drop off cargo and pick up some new cargo.
>Get Tom and Solfrid and open the long box.
If it has a random soldier in it, we might want to let them off the ship before we go.

>>962635
>>Get Tom and Solfrid and open the long box.
Get this issue dealt with. Whether or not the person inside wants to stay or leave should be made clear ASAP.

>>962635
>>Get Tom and Solfrid and open the long box.

>>962635
>>Get Tom and Solfrid and open the long box.

Going out to get some dinner. Be back in about an hour or so.

File: Spoiler Image (69 KB, 500x503)

69 KB JPG

“Tom, Solfrid,” you get the attention of your two crew members. “Meet me in the old CIC. We’re going to open a piece of cargo.”

They both get very serious, standing up and walking back to the CIC with you. Cynthia is the only member of your crew that looks confused as you all leave the room. It makes sense, seeing as Virgo and Corrigan were on the bridge when you found it, so they’d know about it.

You close the bulkhead door behind your for security’s sake, since you don’t know how the box’s occupant will react when you open it. Moving the crates of rifles off to one side of the room, you clear off the box and kneel down next to the control panel.

“Captain,” Solfrid speaks up as she looks at the control panel too. “We should be able to safely open it right here.”

Tom grimaces, pulling a rifle from one of the crates and loading a magazine. You furrow your brow at him and he shrugs. “What? The person inside could be some kind of psychic ninja for all we know. I’m not taking any chances.” He slaps the charging handle into the ready position, chambering a round. “You guys can open it. I’ve got you covered.”

Solfrid looks at the control panel with determination, pressing several buttons. You both stand back as a pneumatic hiss signals the box’s opening. The lid is actually two pieces, and both of them slide to the side and fall off, seemingly to give the occupant clearance to step out. You look into the box to see white mist billowing out, and as it subsides, you see the sleeping body of the occupant.

A young woman wearing a Federal Navy officer jumper lays there. She is maybe twenty five, with short hair and a petite frame. You estimate that she’s probably shorter than Corrigan, but taller than Solfrid.

You lean in a little bit, checking to make sure that she’s still breathing. As you do, the woman’s eyes dart open and she lets out a blood-curdling scream. She shrinks back, eyes going from you, to Solfrid, to Tom, and back to you. However, as she looks around the room, she stops screaming, calming down a little bit.

“Where… Where am I?”

>Write-in.

>>962798
On the ship of a survivor of the war.

>>962798
You're aboard my vessel. The Bad Habit. we found the wreck of your ship and this thing we brought it on board. Sorry but you've ben asleep for years. The war is over, Federation won. I know I'm a vet. Who are you?

>>962798
Dat picture- fuck me but I want to keep her.

this>>962815

>>962798
This >>962815 except better written.

>>962815
This but start with "The question isn't where so much as when."

>>962858
Oh and I'm so glad we told no one else (except tom but he won't talk) that the crew ate each other so Cynthia or Corrigan didn't accidentally drop that later. I mean telling her their all dead is bad enough.

File: Ensign Brooks.jpg (36 KB, 385x385)

36 KB JPG

You kneel next to her, frowning and thinking of how to break the news to her. “Well, you’re aboard my ship,” you begin. “We rescued you from the wreck of the Wales.” You gesture to the box.

She looks at you optimistically. “Are we at a Federal facility? I should go see the Commander. Where is he?”

“Ah Christ,” Tom mutters, putting a hand over his mouth.

The woman’s expression changes entirely. “What?” She glances over at Tom and then back to you. “Did something happen? Where are the rest of the crew?”

You sigh, looking away before speaking. “Miss,” you begin. “The Wales was adrift for quite some time…” You look back at her, hating to be the one to tell her this. “You’ve been asleep for two years.”

She looks confused for a moment, but then the full weight of what you’ve said hits her like a freight train. Tears well up in the corners of her eyes as she croaks out part of a sentence. “Then… All the crew… They’re?” You merely nod sadly as she begins to weep. She grabs onto your jacket, burying her face in your shoulder as she sobs.

You hear Tom sit the rifle down behind you, sighing to himself. Looking over, you see Solfrid looking at the floor, likely unsure of what to do.

After a couple of minutes, the woman in the box stops sobbing, and she pulls away from you just enough to speak. “So what about the War?” She sniffles, seemingly on the verge of tears again.

“It’s over,” you nod. “Ended with an armistice about a week after the Wales was disabled.”

She seems to steady herself, wiping her tears away. Whatever substance is in the long box, it has soaked her jumpsuit completely. “I’m… I’m Ensign Samantha Brooks…” She smiles weakly at you. “But my friends call me Sam.”

“I’m Allen Starwind, the captain of this vessel,” you reply. “Nice to meet you, Sam.”

She starts shaking as she speaks again, likely from being clothed in a soaked jumpsuit. “Would I be able to maybe get some food? I’m very hungry.”

>”Let’s get you some dry clothes first.”
>”Sure.”
>”Do you remember anything leading up to you getting put in this box?”
>Write-in.

>>962941
>>”Let’s get you some dry clothes first.”

>>962941
>>>”Let’s get you some dry clothes first.”
>>”Sure.”

>>962941
>>”Let’s get you some dry clothes first.”
>>”Sure.”
Food and cleaning first. Ask details later.

>>962941
>”Let’s get you some dry clothes first.”
The special today is space rat on a stick.

>>962941

>”Let’s get you some dry clothes first.”
>”Sure.”

I got pulled away from my computer. Give me a little while to get back and start writing.

“Sure,” you reply. “But first let’s get you into some dry clothes.” Sam nods as you help her up from the box. Her legs almost buckle as she leans against you, bracing herself.

Walking into the wardroom, you draw some very strange looks from Corrigan and Cynthia, who likely weren’t expecting you to walk out with a young woman leaning on you for support.

“Uh, Allen?” Cynthia stands up, eyes wide. “What’s going on?”

“Long story,” you reply. “This is Sam,” you gesture to Sam. “And Sam, this is Cynthia, my engineer.” Sam waves weakly at Cynthia, who returns the wave. “Could you and Corrigan get her some dry clothes to wear? I’m going to heat up some food for her.”

“Sure,” Cynthia looks over at Corrigan and they both walk Sam to the staterooms. You, Tom, and Solfrid breathe a collective sigh of relief and sit down in the wardroom’s chairs.

“Well that was certainly something else,” Tom says as he stands up and walks over to the kitchen. “Should we tell Sam about the grisly fate of her shipmates, or just keep it under wraps?”

“I doubt she wants to know the details,” you frown.

“Details?” Solfrid raises an eyebrow at you.

Tom starts the stove, putting a pan on the burner. “Trust me, you don’t wanna know, kid.”

Virgo merely leans back in the bench, closing his eyes. “So that girl was the occupant of the long box,” he says. “And I’m guessing she was a member of the crew?”

“Yeah,” you frown.

“Well she’s in a totally different world now,” Virgo continues. “It would be a disservice to her if we just dropped her off here and left. I say we convince her to stay aboard for a while, just until she can get properly oriented.”

Tom grunts from inside the kitchen. “That’ll mean another mouth to feed, and unless she either does work or pays for passage, we’ll be losing money from her just being aboard.” He throws some food in the pan, humming. “I hate to sound draconian here, sir, but maybe we should tell her we don’t have any room for non-earning bodies.”

>”I’ll ask her when she gets back out here.”
>”Virgo makes a good point, we should ask her to stay.”
>”You’re right, Tom. We can’t be throwing money at her if she’s not helping out.”
>Write-in.

>>963395
>>>”I’ll ask her when she gets back out here.”

>>963395
>>”I’ll ask her when she gets back out here.”

>>963395
>>”I’ll ask her when she gets back out here.”

>>963395
>”Virgo makes a good point, we should ask her to stay.”
Fuck you Tom. She has just been through a mutiny, an attach, then time travel and you want to dump her on an "enemy" world that is in a state of civil unrest? Shit she probably has family back home who thinks she is dead. I'm sure they would be happy to retroactively pay for her passage.

>Off her to use our FTL comm to talk to her family.

>>963395
>>”I’ll ask her when she gets back out here.”

>>963411
*attack
*offer

File: thinking.jpg (60 KB, 736x413)

60 KB JPG

>>963411
Wonder if the Feds are gonna give her 2 years pension and a retirement package, at least then she'd be given a good start after being legally dead.

“We’ll see when she gets back in here and gets some food in her,” you reply, glaring at Tom for a second. “I’m not opposed to her staying, but she may have a good reason to leave.”

“Right,” Virgo says. “Probably best to not jump to conclusions just yet.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Tom relents, fire flashing up from the pan as he swears a little. “Still, we’re going to need to find some work for her to do if she’s staying.”

After a few more minutes, the three girls return, with Sam wearing a warm-looking robe over some plaid pajamas. She sits down across from you. “Food’s almost ready,” Tom calls out from the kitchen. “Hope you like bacon and eggs, I figure breakfast is appropriate given your two-year slumber.”

Her eyes light up at the mention of breakfast. “It’s been so long since I had bacon and eggs!” She smiles as Tom sits a plate in front of her. As she begins to wolf down the food, Tom goes back and makes her a cup of coffee as well.

“So me and some of the crew were talking,” you begin. “Do you have any idea what you’re going to do now that you’re awake again?”

Sam stops eating long enough to reply to you. “I honestly don’t know,” she says. “You said the War ended in an armistice, right?”

“Yeah,” you nod.

“Well where are we right now?”

You frown. “Triton. McArthur station,” you reply.

“Oh,” she says. “Well I suppose I could find some way back to the Federation…” She seems to deflate a little. “I probably shouldn’t stick around your ship for too long. You’ve probably got places to be and everything…”

>”You can come with us until you get back on your feet.”
>”I’m afraid we can’t keep you around for very long. We’re planning on leaving as soon as the port workers load our cargo up.”
>Write-in.

>>963568
>What are your skills? What department did you originally work in?

>>963568
this>>963585

>>963568
>>”You can come with us until you get back on your feet.”
this: >>963585

>>963568
>”You can come with us until you get back on your feet.”
>What are your skills? What department did you originally work in?
>Do you have anyone waiting for you back home?

>>963568
>”You can come with us until you get back on your feet.”

“You can come with us until you get back on your feet,” you reply. Sam seems to brighten, even if only slightly, at your response. “What did you do in the Navy anyway? Which department did you work in?”

She smiles at you. “I worked in system maintenance at first, but they transferred me to navigation after I was assigned to the Wales.”

Tom crosses his arms. “So you’re a navigator who can fix things. Any other skills?”

She pauses, thinking. “Well I’m pretty good at organizing. And I can do whatever things need done that the rest of the crew don’t want to bother with.”

Cynthia speaks up. “I could always use an extra hand in Engineering. We’ve almost always got something that needs fixed.”

“And having a dedicated navigator wouldn’t be bad either,” Tom nods. “I mean, I’m good, but navigation was never my specialization.” He gestures to Sam. “Even having an extra set of eyes looking over the jump calculations would be good. We might be able to shave time off of our routes.”

“How so?” You raise an eyebrow.

Sam speaks up. “Well we were trained to find the shortest possible routes on star charts,” she says. “Which means that a trained navigator would be able to see things that most people would miss.”

“Interesting,” you say with a smirk. “So you’ll be able to help us get around in space more efficiently.”

“Well I can try…” She looks away. “It might take some time to get used to the way this ship maneuvers.”

The intercom on the wall buzzes and Tom walks over to pick it up. “Yeah?” There is a long pause. “Right, thanks.” He hangs up the intercom and looks over at you. “Looks like the dockworkers just finished delivering our cargo.”

You, Tom, and Virgo head downstairs and load up all of the crates of cargo bound for New Albany. It takes maybe fifteen minutes with Virgo’s help, and the three of you return to the Wardroom to find Sam still sitting at the table.

“Something wrong?” You raise an eyebrow at her as you sit down.

“Not really,” she says. “I just don’t really know what to do right now. Everyone went back to their rooms right after you three left. Is there anything I should be doing?”

>”Let’s get a stateroom set up for you.”
>”Hang tight. I’ll need you to review an FTL jump plan in a few minutes.” (take Tom up to the bridge and get ready to take off)
>”You can always turn the TV on if you’re bored.” (watch some TV)
>”Let me get Cynthia and have her show you around the Engineering room.”
>Write-in.

>>963890
>>”Let’s get a stateroom set up for you.”

>>963890
>>”Let’s get a stateroom set up for you.”
So the plan is to keep her onboard until she can get her affairs in order, which should be sometime after we get back to inner Sol after delivering to New Albany, right?

>>963890
>”Let’s get a stateroom set up for you.”

>>963890
>>”Let’s get a stateroom set up for you.”

File: smuggest.jpg (44 KB, 398x370)

44 KB JPG

>>963911
It'll take however long it takes.

>>963890
>”You can always turn the TV on if you’re bored.” (watch some TV)
Let he catch up on shit.
Also, is no-one interested in asking her where home is and if she has any family there who thinks she is dead?

>>963890
>”You can always turn the TV on if you’re bored.” (watch some TV

File: 1476182634829.png (1.18 MB, 1920x1028)

1.18 MB PNG

I think I'm going to call it a night. We'll resume tomorrow around 4PM-ish, and run until about the same time as tonight.

Mood music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpMfZPAc1kg

>>964021
Thanks for running. I'm looking forward to being held up at New Albany and having our arms shipments "confiscated".

>>964049
Oh, trust me. I've got some fun stuff planned for New Albany.

>>964021
People seem to forget that her returning to Federation means everyone will know that we looted Wales, and that the super assassin escaped. This will likely lead to a ton of problems, for us and even for her if someone thinks she knows too much.

>>964676
>everyone will know that we looted Wales
The ship was in Imperial space, and had been there for two years. Not sure if even the Feds would bother persecuting us for something a bunch of other people had already done.

Not sure about Albatross though. Best case would be to play dumb and act like we know nothing, since any interrogators would also keep from questioning us too hard, try to not give info away to a civilian.

>>964676
>>964708
And if they think Sam knows too much, they can just question her and let her go. She's a low-ranking member of a starship crew, shouldn't know anything, and murdering her for no good reason is how you kick off a story about one guy investigating it and uncovering a conspiracy that reaches to the highest echelons of government. That ain't something a corrupt government wants to happen.

>>964676
Not sure that it would. They don't know there was anything there to loot or that the freaky guy was still there. Remember the treasury guys have already been there and retrieved the gold. Who knows where the freaky guy went.

>>964820
I wasn't even talking about the gold. Remember that the wreck still wasn't recovered because its status was in a very legally grey area. We can have problems with the law.

just a reminder. to take care of the 'salvage' from the ship we had to call in a help of a pirate. let that sink in a bit.

Since she looks undecided, let's observe her for now, and if she doesn't like how the world has gone to, we can keep her and everything will stay unknown.

if she wants to get off our ship we might have problems. be it major or minor.

>>965085
>just a reminder. to take care of the 'salvage' from the ship we had to call in a help of a pirate. let that sink in a bit.
What's your point?

>>964676
This, we need to give her a space nap....

Or make her tell a story of waking up in the box on some imperial world in a shady salvages warehouse or something, before joining a crew that seemed to be mostly Federation type folks.

“Let’s get a stateroom set up for you,” you say. You gesture for her to follow you and Tom as you all head forward to the staterooms. Stateroom 6, the only free one, is near the forward airlocks. You open the door and step inside, looking in at the unused stateroom.

It is pretty much identical to the others aboard, save for the storage containers over in the corner. Tom steps into the room and points to the containers. “I was using this room to store some things, I’ll get these out of your way.”

He walks over and drags the containers out, freeing up some space in the room. You gesture for Sam to step in and check the room out. “These staterooms were originally designed for two crew, hence the bunks,” you begin. “But we don’t have a huge crew, so we don’t have anyone sharing rooms yet.”

“It’s a lot bigger than the officer rooms on the Wales,” Sam says. “Ours were about half this size, and they had four bunks per room.” She walks over to the bunks, pressing a hand into the mattress to get a feel for it. “What kind of ship is this? These look like old naval bunks.”

“It’s an Oberon,” you reply with a nod. “Pulled out of service probably forty years ago.”

“Huh,” she smiles a little. “Seems a lot cozier than most naval vessels. Your crew almost seem like a family.”

“Most of them are people I’ve known for a long time. Other than Solfrid anyway, she’s a new hire.”

“Is she an alien or something? I’ve never seen someone with…” She gestures to her own ears.

“Yeah,” you chuckle. “She’s a Psirinean. They don’t have a lot of contact with humanity.”

“Oh,” Sam nods. She sits down on the lower bunk, stretching.

“I found a pillow and some blankets, sir.” Tom walks in carrying a puffy quilt and a pillow. “Here ya’ go.” He tosses them to Sam.

“Thanks,” she replies. She tosses the pillow behind her, wrapping the quilt around herself.

“Don’t mention it,” Tom replies. “You should get some rest. I’ve read that stasis is rough on people. If you need anything, you’ll be able to find either me or the Captain pretty easily. The Bad Habit isn’t a big ship.”

Sam decides to take Tom’s advice and get some rest, so the two of you return to the Wardroom.

>Prep the ship for takeoff.
>Gather the crew and divide the cash.
>Head back out into the station for something. (specify)
>Do something else. (specify)

>>965725
>>Prep the ship for takeoff.
THEN
>Gather the crew and divide the cash.

>>965733
seconding

>>965725
>>Gather the crew and divide the cash.

>>965733
Thirding

>>965733
Fourthing.

>>965733
Supporting

“Tom, could you get the ship ready for takeoff?” You look over at Tom, who gives you a casual salute and heads up to the bridge.

You walk over to the PA and switch it on. “Attention all crew, meet up in the wardroom. We’re going to be dividing up the pay.”

After a few minutes, your crew gradually file into the wardroom, taking seats or just standing while they wait for Tom to return from the bridge.

“Sam getting settled in alright?” Cynthia walks up and stands next to you.

“I think so,” you reply. “It’ll take a while, but I think she’ll be okay.”

“Well I would imagine it’d take a while. The entire world changed while she was asleep.” She frowns, leaning in so that the others can’t hear her. “And I wish you would trust me enough to let me in on things the rest of the crew already knows.”

“Sorry,” you frown. “It never came up in conversation.”

“Oh, and it did with literally everyone else?” She hisses at you. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you told the passengers too.”

“Cynthia…” You cross your arms, stepping back. Luckily, it seems like the rest of the crew aren’t paying attention.

She looks like she’s about to say more, but you hear Tom enter the room and get everyone’s attention. “Alright, we’re prepped for takeoff.” Tom looks over at you, raising an eyebrow as a smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth. “Anyway sir, how do you want to divide up the cash? We’ve got 18,000 Standards. Had to spend 500 on provisions earlier, so that’s why it’s an even amount now.”

>Divide it evenly among all six crew. (this includes yourself)
>Save an amount of it in the general fund, then divide the rest of it equally. (specify amount)
>Keep half for yourself, then divide the rest evenly.
>Write-in.

>>965881
>Save an amount of it in the general fund, then divide the rest of it equally. (specify amount)
6,000 in general, 2,000 to everyone else

>>965881
>>Save an amount of it in the general fund, then divide the rest of it equally. (specify amount)3000 saved

>>965881
this>>965890

>>965881
Supporting >>965890
Also, guys, we should talk with Cynthia some time and head off any disaster

File: Your ship's bridge looks (...).jpg (608 KB, 1280x972)

608 KB JPG

“We’ll put 3,000 in the general fund and divide the rest equally.” You point to the wad of cash in Tom’s hand.

“Right,” he nods. He takes an amount of it and walks over to the lockbox, depositing it. He then walks around to each crew member, giving them their pay. Finally, he hands you your 2,000 Standards. “Alright, folks. That’s pay-day. Corrigan, you’ll be needed up on the bridge. Cynthia, could you head down to engineering and do your thing?”

Corrigan heads upstairs without saying a word and Cynthia sighs as she heads downstairs to the Engineering room. You and Tom head upstairs as the rest of the crew clear out.

Depositing yourself into your seat, you stretch tiredly. “Cynthia, are our systems looking good?” You speak into the engineering intercom.

“… Yeah. Everything looks good on my end,” she says flatly.

“Okay,” you nod. You definitely figure that you should talk to her at some point. “Tom, everything looking good on your screen?”

“Aye sir,” he replies. “Landing gear pressure is good… Engines are spinning up evenly.” He leans in and looks closely at a specific cluster of gauges. “Coolant pressure is a little low, but we should be fine. I’d ask Cynthia about it when you get the chance.” He glances back at you. “You two fighting or something?”

“Don’t worry about it,” you reply with a frown. “We ready for takeoff?”

Tom looks back at the gauges one last time. “Yes sir, just give the word.”

>”Do it.” (leave Triton)
>”I actually have something to do first. (postpone launch) (specify action)

>>966019
>>”Do it.” (leave Triton)

>>966019
>>>”Do it.” (leave Triton)

>>966019
>>”Do it.” (leave Triton)

>>966019
>>”Do it.” (leave Triton)

>>966019
What happened to the vampire, did we turn him loose on Triton?

>>966246
Yup

Hey everyone. Unfortunately, something has come up and I have to call it a night. I'll try to run a session tomorrow, but with family Xmas stuff I might have to postpone that session until Saturday.

>>966373
thanks fir running boss have a good un

>>966019
>”Do it.” (leave Triton)

>>966019
>”Do it.” (leave Triton)

is thread dead?

>>977772
My apologies. My family's Christmas stuff extended into the week, so I haven't been able to post. In fact, I just now got done with the last of the Christmas stuff.

I'll probably run tomorrow, assuming I'm not too hungover or anything.

New thread:
>>980281
>>980281
>>980281