“Have you heard from your brother since we last spoke?” You raise an eyebrow.

Allie nods. “He’s called a couple times, yeah.” She shrugs. “But they’ve been short conversations.”

You nod, remembering the mysterious agent who you helped last time you were here. You aren’t actually sure that Allie fully understands what her brother does for work, and to tell the truth, you aren’t completely sure yourself. “I see.”

She crosses her arms. “Have you spoken to him at all?”

You frown. “We’ve spoken, yeah.” Looking around, you marvel silently at the progress Allie has made on her shop. “You wouldn’t happen to need a transport crew for anything, would you?” You then make a gesture at the various machinery littering the lot. “Seems like you’ve got a pretty large operation nowadays.”

She looks off toward the main building, scratching her chin thoughtfully. “Well… I suppose I could use some help getting cargo from place to place…”

“Any place in particular?”

Allie nods. “I’ve still got that contract with the CFP forces based on Ceres. They’ve requested an order of spare parts for their gun-laying systems.” She points to a stack of crates off in the corner of the lot, covered by a canvas tarp. It’s not a huge amount of cargo, probably enough to fill a third of your hold.

“How much does it pay?” You raise an eyebrow, looking over at the payload.

“Ten thousand standards.” She puts her hands on her hips. “But I can work it in to another discount on your ship’s overhaul if you’d like.”

>”We’ll take the job.”
>”I don’t think we’ll do it. Sorry.”
And if you take the job:
>”I’ll just take the cash.”
>”I’ll take the discount.”

>>1343882
>”We’ll take the job.”
>>”I’ll take the discount.”

>>1343882
>”We’ll take the job.”
>”I’ll take the discount.”

>>1343882
>”We’ll take the job.”
>”I’ll take the discount.”
It makes sense to take the cash if its worth the same amount as the discount, but given other anons and mine spending habits its probably best to tie it up in a discount, even if its the same amount and not readily available.

File: Enforcer.jpg (16 KB, 397x360)

16 KB JPG

You put out a hand, which Allie shakes. “We’ll take the job. And the discount too.” You grin.

Allie smiles and nods, gesturing to the boxes. “Alright. I’ll have those delivered as soon as possible.” She crosses her arms. “Need anything else? I’ve got to get back to welding.”

“I think that’s it,” you reply. With that, you gather the pump and leave the shop, getting back in your truck and heading toward the customs office.

Cynthia speaks up after a while. “I wasn’t aware that she had a contract with the CFP.”

You shrug. “She mentioned it before. I guess she makes spare parts for them.”

“I thought I saw an automated machine shop in there,” Cynthia nods. “It looked like a pretty nice setup. I’ve been wanting to get a small lathe and mill for the engineering room.”

“Sounds expensive.” You grimace. “Machine tools aren’t cheap.”

“Could cut down on parts costs,” Cynthia replies with a grin. “After all, I can machine the simple stuff. And with the right prints, I can make anything.”

You sigh. “We’ll see if we have the money once the time comes. Let’s just focus on getting more work under our belt first.”

The two of you don’t talk much more until you arrive at the customs office. Exiting the truck, the three of you make your way into the building, finding your way to the specific office. Walking in, you notice a lot of other spacers in the room, many of whom appear to be fresh off their ships. You walk up to the main desk and prepare to ask for the list of available contracts, only for a gloved hand to grab your forearm. Looking over, you see a familiar face within the crowd.

“Captain,” the goon who worked for HK stares you down. “Once you’re done here, my employer would like a word with you.”

>”Sorry. I don’t plan on staying long.” (refuse)
>”Okay. I’ll be there.” (accept)

>>1344229
>>”Okay. I’ll be there.” (accept)

>>1344229
>”Okay. I’ll be there.” (accept)

>>1344229
>>”Okay. I’ll be there.” (accept)

>>1344229
>”Okay. I’ll be there.” (accept)

>>1344229
>”Okay. I’ll be there.” (accept)
Well, I suppose we should look for more jobs to the outer planets, drop that dude off on earth and fill our hold up their if it isn't alread and do a trip out to jupiter then back to mars to our refitt.

>>1344229
>”Okay. I’ll be there.” (accept)

>>1344229
>”Sorry. I don’t plan on staying long.” (refuse)

>>1344229
QM cuuuuuuurse

Fell asleep last night before I could call the session. Will resume tonight between 7:00 and 7:30.

Okay give me just a little bit longer. Session soon-ish.

You grimace, not too keen to be meeting with a crime lord today. Still, it’s not a request you feel you should turn down, especially considering how reasonable HK has been so far. “Alright,” you finally nod. “I’ll be there later.”

The goon nods without saying a word, disappearing into the crowd and leaving you to what you were doing. You grumble and walk up to the customs desk, requesting a list of the available contracts.

“Here they are, sir.” The receptionist hands you a sheet of paper with the list of jobs.

>Paper from MARS to TITAN ORBITAL TRADE STATION. (***)
>Grain from MARS to EARTH. (****)
>Steel from MARS to VENUS. (*****)
>Seeds from MARS to NEW BRAZIL. (****)
>Dry goods from MARS to RHODES II. (****)
>Unrefined lead from MARS to GANYMEDE. (********)

You have space to accept one contract at the moment.

>>1346299
>Steel from MARS to VENUS. (*****)
>Paper from MARS to TITAN ORBITAL TRADE STATION. (***)
Seems a straight an easy milk run while keeping in the solar system and heading in one direction. We do have our passenger though so we should do
>Grain from MARS to EARTH. (****)
first and foremost. Also that lead plothook, man its tempting to take for the write up but seems a terrible idea, and Allen's suffered from some terrible ideas recently. Sorry, not gonna bite on that.

>>1346299
> grain from Mars to earth
Now we can ditch Roy

>>1346299
>>Grain from MARS to EARTH. (****)

>>1346299
>>Grain from MARS to EARTH. (****)

>>1346299
>Grain from MARS to EARTH. (****)

You check the box for the delivery of grain to Earth. You figure that you may as well head over there as soon as possible to drop your passenger off anyway. Not only that, but you remember Samantha mentioning that she had family on Earth she wanted to visit.

The receptionist takes the paper from you as you turn and leave the office, reuniting with your crew. “So where are we headed next?” Cynthia raises an eyebrow as she walks beside you.

“Earth,” you reply. “I figured it’d be best to drop our passenger off and deliver some cargo at the same time.”

“Makes sense,” Cynthia nods. “And with where Ceres is in its orbital path, it’ll actually be pretty much a straight shot from here to Ceres, then to Earth.” She frowns a little. “Though, we’ll have to cut through the asteroid belt in the process.”

“Duly noted,” you reply.

“So who was that guy who got your attention?” Virgo speaks up next, crossing his arms.

“A messenger,” you reply. “Just told me that there was someone wanting to see me soon.” You grimace, not wanting to mention that he’s a crime lord. "The message was from somebody I met last time we were here."

The three of you talk casually as you make your way back to the truck and get in. Again, Cynthia chooses to drive and you sit back and relax until she pulls out onto the main road.

“Where to now?” She raises an eyebrow at you, waiting for directions.

>”Just head back to the ship.”
>Give her the address of HK’s place.
>Write-in.

>>1346495
>>Give her the address of HK’s place.

>>1346495
>Give her the address of HK’s place.

>>1346495
>Give her the address of HK’s place.

>>1346495
>Give her the address of HK’s place.
We are supposed to be not keeping things from our crew anyway.

I feel bad about forgetting about Sam now. But what are we going to tell anyone who asks how she survived the Whale? The treasury knows what happened to the ship but I'm assuming they didn't share that info very far.

>>1346495
>>Give her the address of HK’s place.

>>1346327
We are the best transportation.

Questions? Fuck no. People got a right to privacy.

You grimace as you tell her the address. She begins driving toward the place, and for a while you don’t talk about anything. Finally, Cynthia speaks up. “So who are you going to meet anyway? This address is downtown.”

“His name is Mr. Lowe,” you begin reluctantly. “Me and Tom met him last time we were here. His sister was the girl we transported to Ganymede.” You grimace. “Lowe also happens to be a crime lord.”

Cynthia doesn’t look at you, in fact, she doesn’t give any hint of what she’s about to do. You feel the truck lurch as she slams on the brakes and pulls over to the side of the road. “Allen…”

You put your hands up defensively. “I’m just going to talk with him,” you say defensively. “He’s never asked me to do anything illegal before, and he seems trustworthy enough for me to not be too worried.”

She shakes her head angrily. “That’s the thing about those types. They start off innocent enough, then they drag you into the muck and make you their pawn.”

You frown. “Do I really seem like the type to end up as some mob boss’s pawn?”

She sighs. “No… But that’s not the point. If he’s as powerful as he sounds, that makes him dangerous. He can’t be trusted.”

“I agree,” you nod. “But it doesn’t mean I can’t at least speak with him. He could have a decent legal job lined up for us.”

Cynthia is silent for a while before she throws the truck back in gear and begins driving again. “Fine. But I’m heading up to that meeting with you. And Virgo should come along too.”

You nod. “Sounds like a plan to me, assuming they let all of us head up together.”

The truck pulls up to the building and all three of you exit, walking up to the door. The same man from the customs office greets you and guides you all in. The elevator ride up is very awkward and quiet. The goon stays with the elevator once it arrives on the top floor.

The three of you enter his office to see him sitting at the couch facing all of you. However, his characteristic smile is gone, replaced with a slight scowl. He lights a cigarette and takes an excessively long drag before exhaling. “Starwind and company,” he finally says. “Please, have a seat.”

>Sit down.
>”There was a rather cryptic message hidden in my ship’s computer. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
>”I assume this isn’t a social call?”
>”I’ll stand, thanks.”
>Write-in.

>>1346816
>Sit down.
>”I assume this isn’t a social call?”

>>1346816
>>Sit down.
>”I assume this isn’t a social call?”

>>1346816
>Sit down.
>”I assume this isn’t a social call?”

>>1346816
>Sit down.
>”I assume this isn’t a social call?”
How's your sister doing?

>>1346816
>>”I assume this isn’t a social call?”

File: Lowe.jpg (242 KB, 800x900)

242 KB JPG

You sit on the couch opposite of HK, with your crew sitting next to you. Frowning, you lean forward. The mood here is far more somber than when you last visited. “I take it this isn’t a social call?”

Lowe frowns, sighing. “Not in the least, Captain. He looks over at Virgo, then at Cynthia. “I understand you’ve been getting around since you left Mars. Meeting interesting people, getting involved in civil wars…” He then glares at you, and even though you can’t see his eyes through the sunglasses, you can tell he’s pissed. “Tell me, are you familiar with the pirate Blackheart?”

You sigh. “We’ve crossed paths.”

Lowe shrugs, leaning back. “You’ve more than crossed paths, Starwind. I know that you helped her avoid the authorities here on Mars, then you conducted some sort of business with her that turned out to be quite lucrative.”

“What of it?” You raise an eyebrow.

Lowe’s brows furrow as he takes another drag of the cigarette. “If you were anyone else, Captain, you’d be dead right now. And to be fair, you aren’t out of the woods just yet.” He makes a gesture and you hear four separate clacks of assault rifles being readied behind you. There is a feeling in the pit of your stomach as the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. You hear Cynthia make a scared noise as she looks back. “You helped a direct competitor, more of an enemy really, escape a trap I laid for her, and then you did business with her. The money she made from that business allowed her to conduct an operation that left three of my best men dead.” He sighs. “Like I said, if you were anyone else, you’d be dead. But you’re you, and that makes you more valuable alive, even after what you’ve done.”

There is a long period of silence as Lowe gestures for one of his goons to bring something to him. There is a muffled “yes sir” as the man approaches and hands him a folder.

Lowe opens the folder, looks it over, then sits it on the coffee table in front of you. “You see, Captain, you’re reliable. Not only that, but it seems like you aren’t afraid of much. That makes you extremely useful.” He peers over his glasses, and just for a moment you are able to see his eyes. They are the eyes of a man who hasn’t had much sleep in a while, the eyes of a man on-edge. "Especially in times such as these..."

>”So what exactly do you want, Lowe?”
>”I’m a businessman, not one of your goons. I do business with whoever I feel like.”
>”I wasn’t aware you had a feud with Blackheart.”
>”I’m leaving.”
>Write-in.

>>1347132
>>”So what exactly do you want, Lowe?”

>>1347132
>I do business with whoever I feel like.”
dont care for your feud with Blackheart.”
but what exactly do you want, Lowe?”

>>1347132
>>”So what exactly do you want, Lowe?”

>>1347132
>”So what exactly do you want, Lowe?”

>>”So what exactly do you want, Lowe?”
somethings on your mind and it's not just my antics

“So what exactly do you want, Mr. Lowe?” You cross your arms, though it is more of a defensive gesture than you’d like it to be.

Lowe sighs, looking at the floor before speaking. “I got a phone call this morning from one of my people on Ganymede…” He looks back up at you. “The facility where Sally is has been overtaken by a group of terrorists. They haven’t sent out any demands, nor is there any information on how many people are alive. I don’t even know how many hostiles are there.”

He opens the file and slides a photograph of the facility across the table. It is a large platform in the middle of the ocean. You frown as you pick it up. “So you don’t have any idea who you might be dealing with…”

He shakes his head. “The facility’s security systems are totally automated, so a single person could probably take the place over.” He raises an eyebrow at you. “But my hackers managed to get some security footage that suggests a small team took the place.”

You scratch your chin thoughtfully. “And when did they take over?”

“Nobody knows,” Lowe replies. “Comms from the platform ceased at around 02:00 yesterday morning. If I had to guess, I’d say that’s when it happened.” He removes his glasses and rubs his eyes tiredly. “The Imperial Government hasn’t said anything about it yet. I only found out when my guys tried to approach the platform…”

“And what exactly happened when they approached the platform?” You sit the photo down.

“They were met with automatic fire from the defensive turrets.” He scowls as he explains what happened. “They were in little air-skiffs, so they had to turn back.” Lowe then picks up another photo, handing it to you. It appears to be a surveillance photo. In it, you see two men in military uniforms carrying assault rifles, as well as a person in a labcoat. The image is too grainy to make out any details. “This is the most disturbing thing about the whole affair. One of my hackers managed to get this from the CCTV at the facility.” He points to the person in the labcoat. “One of the scientists there appears to be in cahoots with the terrorists…” He sits the photo down and looks back at you. “Captain, my little sis is there… If you can get her home, we’d be more than square.”

>”Okay. I’ll do it.”
>”I don’t suppose I have any say in this, do I?”
>”This is too dangerous. I’m no commando. We aren’t doing it.”
>”I’ll need more details before I can make a decision like this.”
>"Don't you have other people more capable of doing something like this?"
>Write-in.

>>1347349
>”I’ll need more details before I can make a decision like this.”
>"Don't you have other people more capable of doing something like this?"

>>1347349
>”Okay. I’ll do it.”

>>1347349
so OP I assume this iss'nt in the direction of Ceres and earth so we might have to get there ourselves and solo it

>>1347399
It's out of the way, yeah. Ganymede is Jupiter's third moon.

>>1347349
>>”Okay. I’ll do it.”
and no more of this bithcing baout me workign for peopel you dont like
il do jobs for you liek any one eils

Calling the session for the night. Keep those votes coming. We'll run tomorrow at around 6:00 PM assuming no major interruptions.

>>1347349
>"Don't you have other people more capable of doing something like this?"
And I don't owe you anything you little shit. I am expecting to be well compensated for this.

>>1347349
>”Okay. I’ll do it.”
>"Anything else you can tell me?"
>"So why me and not an "extraction" expert, you must have a reason?"

>>1347466
Heh, I wouldn't call the emotional turbulent man (on the inside at least), who was considering riddling us with bullets, out on anything. That said if this makes us square (we want to come back to mars after all) and helps his sister, who is nice enough, I'm all for it. I am genuinely confused as to why us though. Maybe has something to do with the men he already sent having turned down trying to get riddled again, perhaps the fact its outside his turf makes getting any new people there hard? Terran organized crime seems a hard gig in imperial space. He may just be on the back foot a little too, we did hurt him a bit business wise and his rivals likely have been active too. And he'll probably pay us something too (although not likely alot).

>>1347349
>"Don't you have other people more capable of doing something like this?"

>>1347349
>”Okay. I’ll do it.”
>”I’ll need more details before I can make a decision like this.”
>"Don't you have other people more capable of doing something like this?"

>>1347349
>"Don't you have other people more capable of doing something like this?"
>Write-in.

She's a good kid. But . . . I'm an independent contractor. I don't owe you anything. I'll still do it, because she's a good kid, even if you don't pay me.

But you and I both know you'll owe me, whether or not you admit it. I don't work for you, so it's not a betrayal, and I don't work for Blackheart so if I'm your enemy it's because you're lashing out at me because you can't get to her.

Don't pull this shit on me again, if you want to make a deal in the future. I'm going to write this off as a bad decision made in a moment of grief on your part.

>>1347535
Nah man. Tell him we'll do it but lay down the line that we don't work for him. Man has enough enemies already, doesn't have to go making more. Besides what if we were less of a soft touch and this sort of shit risked his sister? She doesn't fucking deserve that, if he wants to play this game he has to be better than that.

Like, he seriously just asked someone he threatened to kill to save her, for free because we did a deal with his enemy. Like if we were pricks what would stop us from giving Sally to Blackheart and getting paid and helping her crush him - since SHE didn't threaten to kill us for working with him.

Like let's not say that until we return his sister though.

>>1348520
>>1347349
>”Okay. I’ll do it whether or not you pay me”


Forgot that part. Like we're doing it to help her out not him.

>>1347535
S for why tell him off now, it's because if we don't do it now then he'll squeeze us again for something else later. Like that's classic Mob tactics. Don't give them an inch.

File: Miss Claudia.jpg (25 KB, 720x480)

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You sigh, rubbing the bridge of your nose. Though your vessel is about the furthest thing from ideal for a mission like this, you figure that you probably can’t just say no.

Looking back up, you give him your answer. “Okay. I’ll do it.” Looking over, you see Cynthia give you a look like she wants to say something. “But I have some questions. Why exactly are you asking me to do this instead of one of your people?”

Lowe nods, crossing his arms. “That’s as good a question as any,” he admits. “In truth, it’s because I can’t do much on Ganymede. The place is incredibly hard to operate on for people like me. It was hard enough to get two people to investigate the facility.” He points to you. “However, you’re not one of my guys, so it’ll be much easier for you to get there and do this.” He frowns. “Besides, it would take too long to purchase a ship on fake credentials to use for this. You were readily available.”

You nod. “Makes sense. Still, it seems a bit dangerous to trust someone you just threatened with rescuing your sister, don’t you think?”

Lowe chuckles darkly. “You think you’re going alone? I’m not that stupid. You’re mostly just going to be the means of transport. I already have someone who is a specialist in infiltration.” He snaps his finger and you hear footsteps behind you.

“Why hello again, Captain Starwind~” A familiar voice purrs behind you. As you turn to see who it is, she places a kiss on your cheek. “You’re certainly in a rough situation today.” Miss Claudia smirks at you before walking over to the area to the side of both couches.

“Miss Claudia is the person I turn to when I need a more subtle touch than usual.” Lowe frowns, raising an eyebrow. “You’ll be getting her to the facility and ensuring she and my sister make it out safely.”

You frown. “I see. So you’ve covered all your bases here…”

Lowe shakes his head. “Far from it. But this is the safest way to do this.”

Nodding, you decide to make one more thing clear before you leave. “And Mr. Lowe,” you begin. “I don’t work for you. I choose who I do business with, plain and simple.”

Lowe raises an eyebrow. “I suppose I can’t have a controlling hand in everything that affects my business. Fair enough, if you manage to bring Sally back, I won’t bother you about that sort of thing anymore.” He then snuffs out his mostly-gone cigarette. “So, do you have any more questions?”

>”When do we get started?”
>”Has the Imperial government made any attempts to rescue the hostages, or have they been completely silent?”
>”Do you have any idea why these people took over the facility?”
>”It’ll be difficult to evade Imperial sensors. I don’t want my ship being tagged if we have to go loud.”
>Write-in.

>>1348825
>>”When do we get started?”
>>”Has the Imperial government made any attempts to rescue the hostages, or have they been completely silent?”

>>1348825
>”When do we get started?”
I have a passenger to Earth who I'd really like to not bring along on a covert op.

>”Has the Imperial government made any attempts to rescue the hostages, or have they been completely silent?”
>”Do you have any idea why these people took over the facility?”

>>1348825
>”When do we get started?”
>”Has the Imperial government made any attempts to rescue the hostages, or have they been completely silent?”
>”Do you have any idea why these people took over the facility?”
>”It’ll be difficult to evade Imperial sensors. I don’t want my ship being tagged if we have to go loud.”

All the things. I suppose we can also always . . . Fuck I don't know how to get back at him for this in a way we won't find distasteful.

I guess we could tattle to his sister about how he treated us.

>>1348868
For especially insidious revenge, we could enlist Blackheart's help and encourage her and Lowe's sister to become friends through comedic shenanigans

>>1348825
>”When do we get started?”
>”Has the Imperial government made any attempts to rescue the hostages, or have they been completely silent?”
>”Do you have any idea why these people took over the facility?”
>”It’ll be difficult to evade Imperial sensors. I don’t want my ship being tagged if we have to go loud.”

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>1348884
I mean yeah we could always get her citizenship on Blackhearts colony, or give her our diplomatic deputization or whatever.

Honestly her and Lowe should really be working together. Share the pie, but make it bigger instead of wasting resources fighting.

Dudes totally going to backstab us anyways. He's a fucking mobster.

Blackheart too probably, don't trust pirates or idealists and she's both.

Really we should just honeydick Sally onto our Crew.

>>1348825
>>”When do we get started?”

“Has the Imperial government moved at all on this?” You grimace as you look down at the photos again. “I mean, it wouldn’t make sense for them to ignore a hostage situation.”

Lowe nods. “It seems like they don’t have any idea.”

“So these terrorists are highly secretive.” You frown. “Any idea who they are?”

“The uniforms looked vaguely familiar,” Claudia is the next person to speak up, interestingly enough. “I recognized the helmets. I think they’re the old style Imperial ones.” She crosses her arms, a serious expression on her face. “I don’t think they’re Imperial soldiers though. Those helmets were phased out almost a decade ago. Still popular out on the frontiers though.” She shrugs. “Could be mercenaries. Maybe they’re working for somebody who’s looking for something specific from the facility.”

Lowe raises an eyebrow, taking a drag from his cigarette. “I see. It would certainly make sense. From what I’ve heard, they work on a lot of secret research out there. Stuff for big corporations and the like.”

You frown. “Could it be some sort of corporate conflict?” Lowe shrugs, so you get on to your next question. “Alright. What about keeping the Imperial government off of me? I don’t want them on my back if things go loud.”

“I have that covered,” Claudia replies. “They won’t have any idea that your ship is there, Captain.”

You nod. “Okay. When do we get started? I have a passenger who wants to get back to Earth. He could pose a problem if we bring him along.”

Lowe scratches his chin. “That’s true. How long will it take your ship to get to Earth?”

“Almost a day,” Cynthia answers for you. “Though I have to install a new coolant pump before we can even take off.”

Lowe grumbles. “And approximately how long would it take you to do an FTL jump from Earth to Ganymede?”

“An FTL jump?” Cynthia frowns. “Why?”

You answer. “It’d be the quickest way. Though we’d have to disengage while we moved through the asteroid belt most likely.” You rub the back of your neck. “Judging by previous FTL jumps in-system, it’d probably take a few hours easily. Maybe half a day.”

Lowe sighs. “Well it looks like the soonest you could be at Ganymede would be sometime the day after tomorrow then. It doesn’t seem like the terrorists are making any moves anytime soon, so that should be fine. I’ll be sending updates on the situation. My hackers have access to the facility’s CCTV, so I have eyes on the place.”

“Okay,” you nod. “Looks like we’ll be there as soon as possible.” You and your crew stand up. “We’ll be leaving now.”

“Alright,” Lowe replies as he gestures for you to leave. “I’ll send Claudia in a couple hours. Have a stateroom prepared.”

The three of you get into the truck without a word as Cynthia drops it into gear and heads back toward the dockyards. “Allen,” she finally speaks up. “I don’t think we should do this.”

“It’s not like we can just back out,” you reply.

“Why not?” Cynthia raises an eyebrow at you, though you can hear the desperation in her voice. “We can just leave and tell Lowe that it was too dangerous.”

>”We gave him our word.” (stick with it)
>”Maybe you’re right…”
>”Agreed. This is too much for us.” (abandon the job)
>Write-in.

>>1349182
We gave our word we should at least try.

>>1349182
>>”We gave him our word.” (stick with it)

>>1349182
>>”We gave him our word.” (stick with it)

>>1349182
>”We gave him our word.” (stick with it)

Besides, think of it as helping rescue someone with poor luck in family instead of working for Lowe.

Something's come up. It'll be a few hours before next update.

>>1349182
This >>1349256

We could always put Roy on another ship, in sure Lowe will pay for it.

I hope it isn't Dr Sofia who has taken up residence there. Or whatever the name of that mad scientist ego kidnapped us and we shot dead but her body mysteriously vanished.

File: Tom 1.jpg (20 KB, 400x300)

20 KB JPG

You shake your head. “We gave him our word. We’re doing it.”

Cynthia however, keeps at it. “Allen, this isn’t on you. There’s nothing wrong with breaking your word to a mob boss. He’d do the same to you.”

You look over at Cynthia. “We’re doing this. The man’s sister is being held hostage millions of miles from home. Backing out now would be wrong and you know it.”

Cynthia looks like she’s about to say more, but she merely sighs as the truck pulls up to the Bad Habit. Cynthia pulls into the cargo hold between the two parcels of cargo you’re set to deliver. As the three of you get out, Tom walks up to you from somewhere in the cargo bay.

“Captain,” he greets you. “Cargo just arrived. We’re set to go as soon as the new coolant pump is installed.”

“Good,” you nod. “First, we’re heading to Earth to drop off some cargo and our passenger. After that, we have to get to Ganymede as quickly as possible. Can we do an FTL jump from Earth to Ganymede?”

“Ganymede?” He raises an eyebrow. “I mean, yeah. We can do it, but what’s the rush? Do we have time-sensitive cargo that needs to be there?”

“Not cargo,” you reply. The two of you begin ascending the stairs with Cynthia just behind you, carrying the new pump. “We’re headed there for a pickup job.” You grimace at the sound of what you’ve just said. “Well, it’s really more of a rescue.”

“Sir?” He stops you as the two of your reach the top of the stairs. “What exactly do you mean? What could be so important that we need to immediately FTL from Earth to Ganymede?”

>”We’re rescuing Mr. Lowe’s sister.”
>”Gather the crew in the wardroom. I’ll brief everyone in a few minutes.”
>”Don’t worry about it. We’re just the transport for the person actually doing the job.”
>Write-in.

>>1349948
>>”We’re rescuing Mr. Lowe’s sister.”
>”Don’t worry about it. We’re just the transport for the person actually doing the job.”

>>1349948
>”We’re rescuing Mr. Lowe’s sister. Or to be more accurate we're supposedly mostly needed as transport for a infiltration specialist who is. We'll see if that's still the case when we get there.”
>”Gather the crew in the wardroom. I’ll brief everyone in a few minutes.”
>"And put the good coffee on please."

>>1349948
>”We’re rescuing Mr. Lowe’s sister.”
>”Gather the crew in the wardroom. I’ll brief everyone in a few minutes.”

>>1349948
>>”We’re rescuing Mr. Lowe’s sister.”

>>1349948
>”We’re rescuing Mr. Lowe’s sister.”
>”Gather the crew in the wardroom. I’ll brief everyone in a few minutes.”

File: Wardroom.jpg (46 KB, 640x427)

46 KB JPG

“We’re rescuing Mr. Lowe’s sister. Get the crew together in the wardroom and I’ll give a full briefing.”

Tom nods. “Right, sir. I’ll gather everyone.”

With that, you both head your separate ways. You first head up to your quarters for a moment, then head down to the wardroom and get a cup of coffee. By the time you’ve finished your cup, everyone but Cynthia has gathered in the wardroom. You hear the occasional bang from downstairs as she likely installs the new pump.

Tom walks up to you as he leads Samantha into the wardroom. “Alright sir,” he says. “This is everyone.”

You nod. “Thanks, Tom.” Then you lean against the wall and rub the bridge of your nose before continuing. “So we’ve encountered something of a hiccup… A powerful person here on Mars has requested that we go to Ganymede, where his sister is currently being held hostage.” You look around as the first statement sets in. “Now, we aren’t going to be the ones doing the actual rescuing, at least not as far as I know. We’ve been asked to transport the person who will be responsible for going in and getting the hostage. Other than that, there isn’t much to it.” You sit your cup of coffee on the table and continue. “Now what that means is that we’re going to swing by Earth to drop off a passenger and some cargo, then we’ll do an FTL jump to Ganymede. Samantha, is such a jump safe?”

Brooks frowns thoughtfully. “Other than the asteroid belt, it shouldn’t be anything too tricky. I might even be able to get us through the belt in FTL with the right calculations.” She raises an eyebrow. “If we did that, it’d shave a couple hours off of the trip easily.”

You nod. “That’s good to hear. Any other questions?” You look around the room at your crew, waiting for a response.

Corrigan raises her hand. “Captain. Do you know the exact location of this facility? I am familiar with some of the corporate research platforms on Ganymede, and I might be able to tell you more about it.”

“I’m not—!” You begin to reply, but a voice entering the room cuts you off.

“It’s the Co-Prosperity TK-121 Platform,” Miss Claudia steps into the wardroom, dressed much more casually. “Four major corporations do work there because Ganymede’s regulations are far more lax than their home worlds. They also have a research-exchange program, which is what our hostage was part of…” She then looks mischievously at you, quirking an eyebrow. “Why hello again, Captain…”

>”How did you get aboard? I locked the door behind me.” (guarded)
>”Hello to you as well, Miss Claudia.” (friendly)
>”Passengers like yourself are generally expected to stay in their staterooms unless given permission otherwise.” (hostile)
>”Thanks for the info.”
>”Ladies and gentlemen, this is Miss Claudia. She’s the infiltration specialist.” (introduce her)
>Write-in.

>>1350311
>”Thanks for the info.”
>”Ladies and gentlemen, this is Miss Claudia. She’s the infiltration specialist.” (introduce her)
>I would Ask on HOW you got in, but you ARE the infiltration specialist. Cynthia find the hole and plug t please.

>>1350311
>”Ladies and gentlemen, this is Miss Claudia. She’s the infiltration specialist.” (introduce her)
And we don't know for sure that they are hostages, they might just be collatoral in someone taking over the facility, they might be exerimental subjects, they might be being interrogated for trade secrets before being killed.

>>1350311
Oh and maybe we should press her a little more on how she is going to ensure that the Imps have no idea our ship is there. If we don't know how she is doing it we won't know to look out for it failing while she is on station.

>>1350311
>>”Thanks for the info.”
>>”Ladies and gentlemen, this is Miss Claudia. She’s the infiltration specialist.” (introduce her)

>>1350311
>”Hello to you as well, Miss Claudia.” (friendly)
>”Thanks for the info.”
>”Ladies and gentlemen, this is Miss Claudia. She’s the infiltration specialist.” (introduce her)

>>1350311
>”Hello to you as well, Miss Claudia and thanks for the info.” (friendly)
>”Ladies and gentlemen, this is Miss Claudia. She’s the infiltration specialist.” (introduce her)

File: Claudia1.jpg (35 KB, 640x480)

35 KB JPG

You sigh. “Hello to you too,” you smirk. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Miss Claudia. She’s the specialist who’s going to be going along with us.”

“Nice to meet all of you,” she says with a polite, yet almost dangerous smile. “I never expected the Captain to have such a diverse crew.” She then looks over at you. “How soon do we leave?”

“We’ll have to wait for my engineer to install the new coolant pump,” you reply. “I’m not sure how long that will take though. Thanks for that information by the way.”

“Of course, Captain.” She nods at you, and it is only then you notice she’s carrying a rather large metal case. “Would you mind showing me to my room? This is pretty heavy.”

“Right,” you reply. “Okay everyone, dismissed.” With that, you both head downstairs, with you leading her to the passenger staterooms. Opening the door to the unoccupied one, you motion for her to enter. “We’ve only got two staterooms, and they’re both pretty small.”

She smiles as she walks in, tossing her case on the bed. “It’s quite nice actually. Far nicer than the quarters on most starships I’ve been aboard.”

“I wasn’t aware you’d been on a whole lot of starships,” you reply as you lean against the doorframe. “You don’t seem the type to get involved with interstellar travel.”

She chuckles lightly. “Oh the things you don’t know about me… Yes, I’ve been aboard my share in the past.” She looks distantly at al old photo hanging on the wall. It is a framed picture of the naval yards on Venus.

>”Well then, have a nice day.” (leave)
>”So if I don’t know much about you, why don’t you tell me some?” (pry, roll a 1d100)
>”Something tells me Mr. Lowe doesn’t plan on keeping his word after this whole deal. Would that be correct?” (roll a 1d100, high-difficulty)
>”How exactly did you get aboard? I locked the door behind me.”
>Write-in.

Rolled 18 (1d100)

>>1350688
>>”So if I don’t know much about you, why don’t you tell me some?” (pry, roll a 1d100)
>”Something tells me Mr. Lowe doesn’t plan on keeping his word after this whole deal. Would that be correct?” (roll a 1d100, high-difficulty)

Rolled 56 (1d100)

>>1350688
>”Something tells me Mr. Lowe doesn’t plan on keeping his word after this whole deal. Would that be correct?” (roll a 1d100, high-difficulty)
Gotta be in it to win it.

File: TKS_cutaway.png (71 KB, 2646x1009)

71 KB PNG

Gonna call it here for tonight since I'm dead tired. We'll run tomorrow at around the same times. You've got one chance left to clear the DC for either question. Good luck.

Also, here's a neat diagram of a proposed Soviet orbital craft.

>>1350688
>”So if I don’t know much about you, why don’t you tell me some?” (pry, roll a 1d100)

Rolled 32 (1d100)

>>1350688
>>”So if I don’t know much about you, why don’t you tell me some?” (pry, roll a 1d100)
>>”Something tells me Mr. Lowe doesn’t plan on keeping his word after this whole deal. Would that be correct?” (roll a 1d100, high-difficulty)

Rolled 25 (1d100)

>>1350688
>”So if I don’t know much about you, why don’t you tell me some?” (pry, roll a 1d100)

Rolled 93 (1d100)

>>1350688
>”So if I don’t know much about you, why don’t you tell me some?” (pry, roll a 1d100)
>”Something tells me Mr. Lowe doesn’t plan on keeping his word after this whole deal. Would that be correct?” (roll a 1d100, high-difficulty)

>>1351139
Forgot to drop my trip. Sorry about that.

>>1351139
Erm, I hope that isn't too late because it is the only good roll.... . . . . .. . .

>>1351449
Unfortunately it is too late. I only take the best of the first three unless there's a 100 or 1 rolled after the first three.

Anyway, session will be starting in around three hours.

File: Claudia2.jpg (166 KB, 1024x768)

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You raise an eyebrow, crossing your arms. “So if I really don’t know anything about you, how about you enlighten me a bit?” You take a step into the room.

Claudia smirks, taking a step toward you. “I see…” She hums to herself. You almost make out a familiar tune before she stops, sighing. “Let’s just say that you know more than you realize. Or at least you would…”

“What do you mean?” You frown, confused.

“That night at the Olympia Club wasn’t the first time we both crossed paths.” You see her smile falter just a little bit, her gaze growing distant. “But… It doesn’t matter now, I suppose. What’s important is that you do your job so that I can do mine, right?”

You grumble, nodding. “Right… And if this job gets done, I’ll be square with Lowe…” You then look away, grimacing. “Assuming that he doesn’t have any plans to dispose of me afterwards.”

“I believe he gave you his word, yes?” That dangerous smirk returns as Claudia takes another step toward you, getting uncomfortably close.

“What’s the word of a mob boss worth?” You chuckle mirthlessly. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s got a pair of concrete shoes prepared for me already.”

The smirk vanishes for a moment as Claudia’s brows furrow. “I think you worry too much, Captain. Perhaps you’re paranoid?” She then presses a finger to your lips, preventing you from replying. “Though… Perhaps you’re right? Why do the job in the first place if you suspected that to be the case?” She chuckles, though you can tell it’s been practiced before. There isn’t anything genuine about it. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Captain… I have a lot of unpacking to do.” She quirks an eyebrow as she gently pushes you out into the hall. “Wouldn’t want a stranger seeing some of my more… Intimate possessions…” With that, she closes the door in your face, leaving you alone in the hallway. You sigh, so much for getting some information. Now you only have more questions.

>Visit a crew member. (specify)
>Head up to your quarters and relax for a bit. (timeskips to takeoff)
>Do something else. (specify)

>>1353427
>Visit a crew member. (specify)
Corrigan

>>1353427
>Do something else. (specify)
Call up blackheart and ask her what she may know about a Mr.Lowe and his lil sister.

If i had to choose sides, I'd go with blackheart.

>>1353643
And make sure the line is secure, and untraceable.

>>1353427
If this >>1353643 is a thing we can do I'll support it. Because we really don't know much about this guys business and how he runs it.

>>1353427
>>Head up to your quarters and relax for a bit. (timeskips to takeoff)

File: TEF2zGFO4Q3hIN_1_a.jpg (17 KB, 480x200)

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You pull out your communicator, remembering the secure line Blackheart forwarded you some time ago. Dialing the number, you begin walking to a more secluded part of the ship. It rings for almost a minute before a pale hologram of the pirate flickers in front of you.

“Captain Starwind,” she greets you with a grin. However, she seems to read your expression quickly. “Something wrong?”

“Yeah, you could say that.” You frown. “Are you familiar with a Mr. Lowe? Operates out of Mars…”

She swears to herself. “You’re right I’m familiar with him. The man’s a damn snake in the grass.” She rubs the bridge of her nose tiredly, looking over at someone off-camera. “Beremy, you’ve got the conn. I’m heading to my quarters for a bit.” There is silence as she walks off the bridge and enters her office, closing the door behind her. “Most people refer to him as HK, though I’ve never been able to find out why…” She sighs. “I didn’t always command the Iron Hand. Back when I was just small-time, I was running a little frigate, smuggling stolen goods all across the galaxy…”

You raise an eyebrow. “I see… Interesting.”

“Well,” Blackheart continues angrily. “One day, I delivered some goods to Mars, and when I was leaving the planet, a couple unmarked fighters blasted us. I found out later that those fighters were HK's goons, of course…” She looks away. “A fire erupted in the crew compartment… The artificial gravity went out and burning hydrazine started flying everywhere…” There is a long pause while she seems to collect herself. “When hydrazine catches fire in zero-g, it’s like a liquid adhesive. It sticks to everything it touches… I had an eight-man crew, and the fire blew into the compartment so fast that it covered everyone but me and my lieutenant… He was too injured to get to the escape pod, so I dragged him there myself…”

You wait for her to continue, but she seems to be waiting for a reply from you. “So… What happened after that?”

She rubs her eyes, sitting down on one of the couches. “The rest of my crew were already caught up in the flames… The globs of hydrazine just kept hitting them… There wasn’t anything I could do, and Beremy was too badly injured to survive without first aid, so I…” She grimaces, looking right at you. “I shut the escape pod hatch and I left them behind.” She sighs, not breaking eye-contact.

>Write-in.

>>1353788
thats rough,
so that way you tow have a grude happening?

>>1353788
That is no way for someone to go.

>>1353788
Damn, that is not a good way to go.

ALso ask her if she's operating out near Ganymede

“That’s a bad way to go,” you reply. “I’m sorry.”

Blackheart nods. “So am I.” Then she frowns thoughtfully. “Anyway, why are you asking about him?”

You grimace. “Well, it’s kind of a long story, but I’ve basically been strong-armed into working for him.” You then feel the need to correct yourself. “Well, not exactly… Apparently his little sister has been taken hostage on Ganymede. I’m helping get her back.”

Blackheart raises an eyebrow. “I see. Can’t say I would’ve agreed to help that scum-sucking worm, but his sister doesn’t deserve to have something bad happen to her because of who her brother is, I guess.”

“Right. That’s kind of my mentality, especially after he threatened me earlier today.” You shrug. “I’ve met his sister though, she seems like a good kid.”

Blackheart’s one good eye goes wide. “He threatened you? What exactly did you do to get on his radar?”

“Well he was pretty sore about me handing that gold off to you apparently,” you reply.

“So he knows about that…” She rubs her chin. “That means he must have an agent embedded among my crew…” She swears to herself again. “Guess I’ll have to keep an eye out for spies now… Anything else you wanted to talk about?”

You nod. “You wouldn’t happen to be operating in the Solar System, would you?”

She shakes her head. “I’m out near the Arthurian Cluster now. Lots of trade ships moving through these new areas of space.” She rubs the back of her neck. “That’d be a good weeks’ FTL jump for me to get to the Solar System.”

>”HK’s sister is being held hostage on a research platform on Ganymede. You wouldn’t happen to have any intel on the place, would you?” (ask for intel about the mission, roll a 1d100)
>”So you’ve been feuding ever since HK attacked your ship?”
>”I stumbled across some kind of stealth drive. Would you mind taking a look at it next time we meet?”
>”So long, Blackheart.” (ends conversation)
>Write-in.

>>1353940
>>”So you’ve been feuding ever since HK attacked your ship?”

>>1353940
>>”I stumbled across some kind of stealth drive. Would you mind taking a look at it next time we meet?”

>>1353940
>”So you’ve been feuding ever since HK attacked your ship?”
Does he have off-Mars interests I should watch out for?

Rolled 66 (1d100)

>>1353940
>>”HK’s sister is being held hostage on a research platform on Ganymede. You wouldn’t happen to have any intel on the place, would you?” (ask for intel about the mission, roll a 1d100)

Rolled 25 (1d100)

>>1353940
>”HK’s sister is being held hostage on a research platform on Ganymede. You wouldn’t happen to have any intel on the place, would you?” (ask for intel about the mission, roll a 1d100)

>>1353940
>>”So you’ve been feuding ever since HK attacked your ship?”
>”HK’s sister is being held hostage on a research platform on Ganymede. You wouldn’t happen to have any intel on the place, would you?” (ask for intel about the mission, roll a 1d100)

She only told us her horrific experiences from Lowe raiding Blackheart, but that doesn't really explain why Lowe is feuding with her. It gives reason for blackheart to be made at lowe.

I suppose we are to fill in the blanks with our imagination?

>>1354073
Are you going to roll a d100 with that?

Rolled 38 (1d100)

>>1354073
>>1354102
Thought you needed to call for one so poeple won't game it, if it rolls poorly.

“So you’ve been feuding ever since he attacked your ship?” You frown. It makes sense for Blackheart to take it personally, but Lowe doesn’t seem like the type to get that heated about anything.

Blackheart sighs. “Something like that… I guess you could say that it became something of a cycle. I retaliated after that, hunted down the pilots that attacked the ship. Then he sent more people after me…” She looks away. “I thought maybe things had died down, but then he sent people to try and attack us on Reznor’s Pride a while after we got the gold. We took them down, but it wasn’t a clean fight, that’s for sure…”

“So he’s got resources all over the galaxy,” you reply.

“Mostly in the outer frontiers,” she replies. “Places where it’s easy for him to operate. I couldn’t believe he’d sent people into my own backyard though…” She grimaces. “Lost some good people when they attacked.”

You grimace. “His sister is being held on a research platform on Ganymede,” you decide to change the subject. “Do you have any people around there that might be able to provide some intel?”

Blackheart grins ever so slightly. “I’ve got people there, yeah. It’s one of the few places in the Solar System where I can go.” She then sits her communicator down. You can still see her from its resting place as she pulls out some kind of tablet and begins scrolling through. “Hmm…” She frowns deeply. “Looks like there was a report of communications ceasing from a Co-Prosperity platform…”

“That’s the one,” you reply. “Can you tell me anything else about it?”

“Nothing much,” she replies. “The Imperial government has been pretty quiet about it. Looks like they know, but that aren’t in a position to act…” She then gasps. “Now this is interesting… Apparently right at around the same time the comms ceased, the Imperial counterterror unit based on Triton moved out. Looks like they won’t be near Ganymede for another few days though, probably flying aboard a slow transport or something…”

>”Thanks for the information.” (ends conversation)
>”Should I even bother then? If the Imperials are getting ready to intervene, everything should be sorted out.”
>”So the Imperials have moved, but there’s nothing else going on with them? Is it possible that they’re the ones who captured the platform in the first place?”
>”How bad was Lowe’s attack on Reznor’s Pride?”
>Write-in.

>>1354276
>>”So the Imperials have moved, but there’s nothing else going on with them? Is it possible that they’re the ones who captured the platform in the first place?”
>>”How bad was Lowe’s attack on Reznor’s Pride?”

>>1354276
>>”Thanks for the information.” (ends conversation)
iv got some hting il want to show in next time we meet

>>1354276
>”Thanks for the information.” (ends conversation)
Eh, we could maybe us this as leverage against Lowe to step down his aggressions but we really enough strength to ensure he doesn't just knock us off later. Best bet would be to try to get through this without making any enemies since our business depends on us being able to access the most ports.

>>1354276
>>”So the Imperials have moved, but there’s nothing else going on with them? Is it possible that they’re the ones who captured the platform in the first place?”
>”How bad was Lowe’s attack on Reznor’s Pride?”

>>1354319
This.

“How bad was the attack on Reznor’s Pride?” You lean against the wall as you speak.

“Bad,” she replies. “An entire dockyard rendered inoperable for the next month at least, fifty people dead…” She sighs, rubbing her eyes again. “An absolute nightmare, to put it lightly.”

You swear to yourself. Lowe had made it sound like he was the one who got attacked. It’s becoming a little bit clearer just how much of a snake he is. “That’s horrible.”

“Yeah,” Blackheart says. “They launched a missile as they were escaping, and most of the fatalities were from the collateral damage.” She grimaces. “I was the one who shot them down after that.”

You shake your head, putting your mind on a different subject. “You mentioned that the Imperial government moved, but that they’re keeping everything under wraps. Is it possible that they’re the ones who took the platform over in the first place?”

Blackheart shrugs. “It’s possible. Still, it wouldn’t exactly explain their most elite counterterror unit being called to Ganymede, now would it?” She points at the camera. “If you ask me, it’s probably some of those anti-military extremists that the Imperials have been so worried about lately. I heard they do a lot of secret military research there through proxy companies.”

“Makes sense,” you nod. “Though you’d think amateurs would have a hard time executing an operation that well.”

“That’s just the thing,” Blackheart says. “A lot of the more militant extremists are former military themselves. I was reading that a lot of former special forces members were left unemployed after the war ended. Some of them were pissed off enough that they decided to go rogue.” She shrugs. “Could be some of them, I suppose.”

You are about to say more when you hear a voice somewhere nearby. “Allen?” Cynthia calls out to you. “I’ve finished fixing the coolant pump. We’re ready for takeoff whenever you are.”

You frown. “See you around, Blackheart.”

“You too,” she replies with a small smile. “Take care of yourself.” With that, she ends the call. You step back out into the corridor, finding Cynthia nearby.

“You called?” You smirk as she walks up to you.

“We’re ready for takeoff. Just finished running coolant through the pump. We’re right as rain.” She smiles, waving a wrench in the general direction of the engineering room.

>”Alright, let’s go.” (prep for takeoff)
>”Actually, there are some things I need to do first.” (specify)

>>1354533
>>”Alright, let’s go.” (prep for takeoff)

>>1354533
>>”Alright, let’s go.” (prep for takeoff)

>>1354533
>>”Alright, let’s go.” (prep for takeoff)

>>1354533
>>”Alright, let’s go.” (prep for takeoff)

>>1354533
>”Alright, let’s go.” (prep for takeoff)
Er, who hacked our ships systems and left us that message? I thought they were going to meet us here.

>>1354604
Who indeed! Perhaps you just missed them.
Or perhaps they just didn't tell you that they were the ones to leave the message.
:^)

>>1354621
Oh, I didn't think HK would be that vague in the message but I suppose he delegated it to Miss Claudia's subtle touch.

>>1354625
Assuming, of course, that it was indeed HK who left the message. You've still got time until you actually take off. Plenty of time for somebody skilled to stow away if they wanted to.

File: Spoiler Image (50 KB, 788x460)

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“Alright,” you reply quickly. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Sounds good,” Cynthia nods, walking toward the engineering room. You head up to the bridge to find your crew already at their stations. Sitting down in the captain’s chair, you lean over and turn the PA on.

“Attention all passengers and crew,” you begin. “We’re about to take off and head to Earth. Buckle up.” With that, you switch off the PA and hand everything over to Tom. He quickly brings the ship up out of the docks and angles the nose up, blasting into the sky without ceremony.

The ship drifts into a high enough orbit for a sublight burn, and you call Cynthia one last time before engaging the engines.

“Everything look good down there?” You speak into the intercom with some hesitation. You know that Cynthia is a good mechanic, but it’s always a little nerve-racking when you’re running with untested parts.

“Everything looks good.” Cynthia replies confidently. “Reactor’s actually running cooler than I’ve ever seen it. Looks like we’ll be able to produce a little bit more power this way.” You can hear the grin through the speaker. “Looks like we’re ready go.”

“Alright. Thanks.” You switch off the intercom and look over at Tom, giving him the signal to punch it. However, just as he’s about to, you hear an alert sound crackle over the Q-Band, followed by an authoritative voice.

“Attention merchant vessel Bad Habit,” the voice says professionally. “This is the CFPAF Delphi. You are requested to disengage your propulsion systems and prepare to be boarded for inspection.” You look over at Tom, who shoots a worked glance at you before cutting power to the engines.

“Um… Allen?” Cynthia’s voice crackles over the intercom box. “We’ve just lost propulsion. What’s going on?”

You grimace as the light cruiser comes into view, red paint-scheme far too bright in the sunlight. “We’ve been stopped by the friendly neighborhood authorities. Just hold tight…”

And that's it for this thread. As much as I would've liked to get more posts in, real life wasn't having it. The next thread will go up on Thursday as usual.

Mood music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhhQrFfzFM4

>>1354639
its not the super human is it?

>>1354676
You'll just have to find out.

>>1354663
Well that should be fine, right? IIRC the only contraband we have is the Imp ID spoofing thing, and Claudia I suppose. We also have two diplomats and a space elf on board!

Thanks for running!

>>1353788
They're still using hydrazine? My god. It's like oars on an ocean liner.

>>1354796
Her old frigate was a real piece of shit. Honestly, they were lucky that it didn't go up in smoke before that. It was over a century old.

>>1354621
>>1354676
>>1354681
Figured whoever sent the message would meet us when we got there.

I thought it was Allie's brother.

New thread:
>>1368907
>>1368907
>>1368907