You frown, thinking of all the ways this could go wrong. A meeting of all the big-wigs in the Empire is certain to be a powder keg, and with things the way they are, you’re not so certain how a Federal war hero will be received. Still, Corrigan would be willing to risk a lot for you, and in fact, she already has on a few occasions. You rub the back of your neck. “Well, the ship should be fixed by then. I don’t see why we can’t go there.”

She nods. “Thank you, Captain.” Her expression is somewhat grim, even though she’s said nothing is out of the ordinary, you imagine it’d be hard to not worry. “If you will excuse me, I must write a reply to this letter.”

You nod. “Right. See you later, Corrigan.” With that, you both go your separate ways. You head back to your room, which isn’t particularly roomy. It’s a typical hotel room, though since it is made for spacers, it has a few amenities you’d expect. An FTL communication station, Q-band radio system for receiving important messages, television with an FTL hookup to get signals from all over the cosmos, and even a safe to hold valuables when you leave the hotel for a bit. Since you and Tom have been sharing the room, space is at an even greater premium than normal. Tom’s already fallen asleep on the bed, so you take the couch, scrunching up to fit properly.

And a good half hour later you still can’t get to sleep. Between the noise of the city and the occasional beeping of the air conditioner, you find yourself restless. It’s been a while since you were planetside for this long. You grumble and get up, heading out onto the balcony that spans the whole second floor of the spacer dorms. Though the place has a fancy title, it is literally just a motel with spacer stuff packed into the rooms. You lean against the railing, gazing out into the city of Olympus Mons. Orange streetlights illuminate the narrow streets and footpaths. You see one of Mars’ moons hanging low in the night sky, whether it is Phobos or Demios, you aren't exactly sure.

You yawn. Boredom is a hell of a thing. You fear going stir-crazy if you have to stay planetside much longer than two weeks. Hopefully Allie gets the renovation done as soon as possible.

>Get a glass of water and try to get to sleep again. (end day)
>See if any of your crew are awake. Maybe you can talk to them for a while.
>Contact that journalist that visited earlier.
>You haven’t heard from Sergeant Hendricks in a while, you should give her a call.
>Go on another walk to clear your head. The last one just confused and frustrated you even more than before.
>Write-in.

>>1903238
>>You haven’t heard from Sergeant Hendricks in a while, you should give her a call.

also good to have you back Zap sup?

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>>1903324
Good to be back. Lately I've been sandwitched between work and school a bit more than I expected. Things should mellow out in October though, so I'll try to make threads weekly between tests and the like.

Anyway, I'll wait ten more minutes for more votes to come in, then I'll start writing.

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You pull out your communicator, selecting Hendricks’ number and holding the device up to your ear.

It rings for a while before she picks up. “Hello?”

“Hey,” you reply. “It’s Allen.”

“Oh, Allen!” She seems to be speaking more quietly than normal. “How’s it going?”

“I’m doing alright,” you reply simply. “We haven’t spoken in a while, just wanted to see what’s going on.”

There’s a pause. “Well, our unit, and consequentially Dr. Kowalski, were reassigned to the MDSD a couple weeks ago.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Really, Mercury Darkside?” The Mercury Dark Side Station was always the Federal Navy’s primary R&D center. You’d heard that it was deactivated and mothballed after the War in favor of newer bases on Earth and Venus.

“Yeah,” she replies. “And that Major Cole guy is our new CO. Apparently the Navy is doing something with the evidence from Dr. Sofia’s place. We’re acting as the guards since we were at ground zero when the doctor’s research was discovered.”

You grimace, leaning against the railing with your elbows. “This seems like the kind of stuff you wouldn’t want to tell a civilian…”

“Well, I figure you’re trustworthy…” You can hear her frown through the phone. “Besides, we don’t do anything directly involved with the labs… They’ve got other soldiers here for that. These big, quiet types wearing full combat gear and facemasks all the time. I don’t think I’ve ever seen ‘em off-duty. Corporal Hewitt thinks they might not even be humans!”

>”What do you think the Navy is doing with Kowalski’s work?”
>”Do the masked goons have any insignia?”
>”What are Cole’s thoughts about all of this?”
>”Has everything been going well for you over there?”
>”So what happened with New Albany? The news hasn’t mentioned it a whole lot.”
>"Is there a reason you're practically whispering?"
>Write-in.

>>1903381
>"Is there a reason you're practically whispering?"
first then

>”Do the masked goons have any insignia?”
>”What are Cole’s thoughts about all of this?”
>”Has everything been going well for you over there?”
>”So what happened with New Albany? The news hasn’t mentioned it a whole lot.”

Gonna call it here for tonight. We'll run tomorrow in the early afternoon, and probably on Friday as well.

>>1903490
thanks for running Zap!

>>1903490
Arglebargle always late to the party I am.

>"Is there a reason you're practically whispering?"

Ahhh Hendricks... she had it rough on the New Albany. Good to see she's soldiering on.

>Has everything been going well for you over there?
>Why so quiet? am I calling at a bad time?
>>1903490
Welcome back, OP!

“Is there a reason you’re practically whispering?”

“It’s the off-shift,” Hendricks replies. “I don’t want to be too loud, the walls between the staterooms aren’t that thick.”

“So you’re not allowed to make phone calls?” You raise an eyebrow. It makes sense, but you’re surprised she would even answer in that case.

“Not using private devices,” she confirms. “Only line of communication to the outside is the base telephone room.”

“Fair enough,” you reply with a sigh. “So how have things been going since we last spoke?”

“I’ve been alright,” she replies. “Nobody back home believed me when I told them about New Albany. Especially when I mentioned how you showed up.”

“I suppose I can see why.” You shrug. “It isn’t exactly a normal-sounding story.” As you look out over the city again, you notice a few CFP ships flying in formation, angled up as they leave the planet. “And what does Cole think about your current posting?”

“He doesn’t like it,” she says in a grim tone. “Says it seems fishy, like the Navy is playing with fire.”

You nod. “They have been known to do that from time to time. I’d say his fears are reasonable.” Your mind wanders back to New Albany for some reason. “So what ended up happening with New Albany anyway? I haven’t heard much in the news.”

“From what I’ve heard, the Marines got it under control again.” Hendricks pauses, and you can hear rustling in the background, she must be moving around in her stateroom. “Information’s been pretty tightly-controlled though, so the truth could be far different.”

“Right,” you reply. “Makes sense, they might not want any other colonies getting any ideas. Especially out in the Frontiers.” You grimace. “Oh, and another thing… Have you gotten close enough to those masked goons to see if they’re wearing any insignia?”

“No insignia whatsoever,” she says. “The Velcro patches on their uniforms are empty.”

“That doesn’t bode well,” you grumble. “Masked goons with no identification. Sounds like something MSOF would’ve done.”

“You think they’re MSOF? I thought they were disbanded years ago!” Hendricks speaks in a hushed tone that makes you think of a gossiping schoolgirl.

“Just a comparison,” you chuckle. “I doubt the Marines would keep a unit with that kind of reputation around… Could be composed of former MSOF though.”

There is a moment of silence before she speaks again. “Did you ever know somebody named Sam Higgins?”

>”Maybe.”
>”Yes.”
>”Why are you asking?”
>”Can’t say I have.” (lie)
>Write-in.

>>1905381
>”Maybe.”
>”Why are you asking?”

>>1905381
>>”Maybe.”
>”Why are you asking?”

>>1905452
actually just make it a 'yes'

nothing wrong with knowing a starship mechanic's brother, right? no need to admit more out of hand

>>1905470
(feel free to go with "maybe" if you don't want to wait for tiebreaker though)

Your brow furrows. “Maybe. Why?”

“Well there was this contractor who showed up here right after we arrived…” She sounds a bit confused as she continues. “This guy seemed to recognize me, walked right up and asked if I knew you.”

You frown. “Strange… Did he say anything more?”

“Just that he hadn’t heard from you in a while. Said he’d be getting in touch with you soon.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Okay… Thanks for the info.”

“So you do know him,” she replies.

You shrug. “We’ve met before, yeah.” You figure that it’d probably be safer to not tell her about Higgins’ true occupation.

“You sure know a lot of people,” she adds.

“It happens when you’re a spacer.” You shrug. “Though, I’m sure you’ll have friends and acquaintances all over the cosmos by the time you leave the military too, the Service does that to people.”

“I suppose so. Do you still keep in touch with your military buddies?”

You sigh. “Not really. Most of them have moved on and settled down.” Frowning, you continue. “Of course, plenty of us became spacers and colonists. Hell, my second in command is my old co-pilot.” You shift, turning around and sitting on the railing.

“I see. Your second in command is that blond guy, right?” She yawns quietly as she finishes her sentence.

You nod. “Yeah, that’s Tom.”

>”Well, I’ve taken enough of your time. Just wanted to catch up.” (end conversation)
>”So what’s the Dark Side Station like? I’ve always been curious about it.”
>”Do you have any idea what Higgins’ job is on the station?”
>Write-in.

>>1905612
>>”So what’s the Dark Side Station like? I’ve always been curious about it.”

>>1905612
>”So what’s the Dark Side Station like? I’ve always been curious about it.”
>”Do you have any idea what Higgins’ job is on the station?”

>>1905612
>”Well, I’ve taken enough of your time. Just wanted to catch up.” (end conversation)

File: Mercury Dark Side Station.jpg (105 KB, 670x918)

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“So what’s MDS like?”

“Surprisingly normal,” Hendricks replies. “Though, we only get to see the areas that security makes use of, so the R&D facilities could be totally different. It looks and feels like every other military station.”

“Huh,” you shrug. “I honestly didn’t expect that.”

“Yeah, the only thing that’s particularly different is the permanent solar eclipse. Because of the way our orbit is situated, we ever cross into the light side of Mercury, so they have the station far enough back that you can see the sun’s corona.” She hums to herself for a second, and you hear what sounds like paper being moved.

“Makes sense,” you reply. “For the solar panels to get enough light, right?”

“And the personnel,” she adds. “Not seeing the sun for months can cause problems, you know.”

You chuckle. “Debatable. The ships I served aboard never had windows and we didn’t complain.”

She also chuckles. “Yeah, but when you’re aboard a ship you stop for shore leave every now and then. Stations don’t have that luxury.”

“Fair enough.” You rub the back of your neck, feeling surprisingly cold. The nights cool off pretty quickly on Mars.

“Well if you don’t mind, I need to get some sleep.” Hendricks yawns again. “It was good talking to you, Allen.”

“Same to you,” you say. “Take care of yourself.” With that, you hang up. As you pocket your communicator, you hear something moving around in the alleyway nearby. As a light mist of rain begins to fall, you sigh.

>Try to get to bed again.
>See if one of your crew are still up.
>Call that reporter and see what they wanted.
>Don your raincoat and go on a walk.
>Write-in.

>>1905845
>>See if one of your crew are still up.

>>1905845
>See if one of your crew are still up.

Rolled 5 (1d8)


1. Tom
2. Cynthia
3. Virgo
4. Corrigan
5. Solfrid
6. Samantha
7. Paul
8. Nobody

>>1905939
Well alright then. Writing.

File: Solfrid1.jpg (27 KB, 225x350)

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You are about to get to sleep when you hear a sound coming from around the corner. Frowning, you listen closer to see if it’s anything to be worried about. It almost sounds like… Music? You round the corner and see your psirinean crew member sitting against a section of railing, down near where her room is, reading from a magazine. She’s got a boombox next to her, and is listening to a very old-school song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckM51xoTC2U

“Radar Love,” you say as you approach her. “Classic. I always figured you were more into punk though.”

She looks up from the magazine, grinning. “My tastes are eclectic, Captain.”

“What’re you reading?” You point to the cheap-looking pamphlet.

“Just a monthly fiction magazine,” she holds it up. On the cover is a stereotypical detective in a tan trenchcoat and fedora, looking grimly toward the viewer as he pulls a revolver out. Behind him is a woman in a red dress, who you assume is the heroine of the story. “This month’s featured story is about this private-eye who gets mixed up with military spooks while investigating a case.”

You lean against a beam between two sections of railing. “Sounds interesting. Can’t sleep?”

She goes back to reading the story. “I was raised aboard a starship. Planets like this… I guess they don’t feel natural to me. The way things don’t move, how different the noises are… I guess it’s not something I’ll ever get used to.”

“Guess not,” you reply. “I’m in sort of the same boat. Spent years at a time on starships.”

“Right…” Solfrid nods. Finally, she sighs. “Captain, since I’m a citizen of the Psirinean Protectorate, a power uninvolved in human affairs, I need to ask you a question. If war breaks out between the Empire and Federation, do you intend to choose a side?”

You almost do a double-take.

>”After what I saw in the War, I don’t think there’s enough money in the galaxy to make me join a side.”
>”Depending on the circumstances, it’s certainly possible.”
>”I don’t see how I could avoid getting drawn into it, given my past and expertise.”
>Write-in.

>>1906021
>>”After what I saw in the War, I don’t think there’s enough money in the galaxy to make me join a side.”

>>1906021
>No, although given my lot it may just happen against my will. Here's hoping for better.

Likely our captain would have a very different outlook this time too, as instead of a defensive war against imperial aggression this time war is wanted by the high heads on both sides of the power struggle. That and if I were a betting man the federation would initiate this time.

>>1906021
>No, although given my lot it may just happen against my will. Here's hoping for better.

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Sorry for the slow update, I ate some dinner and got sidetracked watching a car auction on TV. Writing now.

>Tfw I see people overpaying massively for common cars and """"muscle trucks""""

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“No,” you say bluntly. “Though, with my luck, I may end up dragged into it anyway. Here’s hoping that doesn’t happen though.” You sigh.

Solfrid raises an eyebrow, then nods. “I suppose that’s about the best answer I can expect.” She turns her attention to the magazine again. “Though, if you were to get involved, I’d have to choose between going back to my people, or staying aboard and giving up my Psirinean citizenship forever.”

“Oh,” is all you can say.

“But you’ve done well for your crew so far,” she continues. “And you’re a good person. I think you’ll make the right decision, if the time ever comes.” She smiles a little bit. “I’ve learned a lot about humanity since I joined up with your crew. Far more than I could have otherwise…” She trails off, standing up and leaning against the railing. “So thanks. I appreciate being able to see the world from a different angle than the rest of my people.”

“Well I’m glad I could help, I guess.” You smirk, crossing your arms. “You seem a lot more serious than normal.”

“I guess you could say that’s a psirinean thing,” Solfrid says almost hesitantly. “We come across as overly-friendly at first. Especially to people we aren’t familiar with. But most psirineans act like I am now when we aren’t going out of our way to be inoffensive.” She shrugs. “Plus being exposed to a different culture begins to have an effect. You humans definitely act colder than most psirineans.”

“Colder?” You raise an eyebrow.

“Yeah… Like, it seems like the natural state for most humans is mild discomfort or something. Like most of you aren’t enjoying life that much.”

“To be fair,” you begin. “We’ve mostly been through the less pleasant areas of each world we visit.”

“That’s not what I mean. Even friends and families sometimes act cold to each other. It’s like humans get sick of each other’s company after a while.” She frowns, leaning toward you.

You sigh. “That’s just part of being human, I think. Maybe psirineans are just more social overall.”

“That’s certainly a possibility,” she nods. “Might explain why humans make everything into a competition as well…” She trails off again. “Oh well, that’s just something that makes us different I guess. Nothing inherently right or wrong with it.”

>”I’d like to learn more about psirinean culture.” (Any specific topic?)
>”Is there anything you would change about the way I’m managing things? Anything you see that’s flawed?”
>”What are your thoughts about the rest of the crew?”
>”You know, Mars is basically the center of human culture. Have you done any exploring around Olympus since we landed?”
>Write-in.

>>1906391
>>”What are your thoughts about the rest of the crew?”
>”You know, Mars is basically the center of human culture. Have you done any exploring around Olympus since we landed?”

>>1906391
>>”You know, Mars is basically the center of human culture. Have you done any exploring around Olympus since we landed?”

>>1906391
>”What are your thoughts about the rest of the crew?”
>”You know, Mars is basically the center of human culture. Have you done any exploring around Olympus since we landed?”

“What are your thoughts on the rest of the crew?”

Solfrid shrugs. “So far I get along pretty well with everyone. Cynthia definitely made it a point to sort of show me around the ship and get me acquainted with things, so I have to give her props for the warm welcome. And Virgo is probably the smartest person I’ve ever met, I guess it’s true about thulians being wise…” She frowns, glancing at you. “I’m worried about Samantha though. She hasn’t been the same since she learned about her family.”

You nod. “That’s just part of grieving though. I can’t fault her for it.”

“That’s true,” Solfrid agrees. “I just think you should keep an eye on her.”

“That’s fair,” you reply.

Solfrid continues. “And Tom seems strange to me.”

“Strange how?”

“It’s like he’s not being honest about something. But not in a malicious way…” She grimaces. “It’s almost like he’s trying to convince himself of something. I see the same thing in you, to a certain extent. But with him, it’s like he’s putting on a brave face every time he wakes up in the morning.”

You raise an eyebrow. As far as you know, Tom is one of the more honest people out there. “He’s a complicated guy,” you reply. “Maybe you’re just getting mixed signals or something.”

“Maybe,” she nods.

“Anyway,” you decide to change the subject. “You know, Mars is the cultural center of humanity. Have you been out on the town much since we landed?”

She shakes her head. “Not really. I was planning on going out tomorrow with Corrigan and Virgo though. They were wanting to head to the market and cultural districts.

“Sounds like fun.” You smile a little bit. “Well, I think I’m going to hit the sack, been awake for too long.” You yawn loudly. With that, the two of you go your separate ways. You head back to your room and fall onto the couch with a sigh.

This time, it isn’t long before you find yourself fighting to stay awake. You think you hear the message app on your communicator beep, but you’re already asleep before you can reach for it. Hopefully the next two weeks go by relatively quickly. You hate being landlocked.

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And that's it for tonight's session. We'll run again on Friday night, and possibly on Sunday afternoon if I'm not too exhausted from work then. Thanks for playing!

>>1906021
>This month’s featured story is about this private-eye who gets mixed up with military spooks while investigating a case.
Is the space elf an enigmatic psychic in deep cover?

The next few days are relatively uneventful. You and Tom manage financial affairs, while the rest of the crew just sort of does their own thing. Cynthia has been working closely with Allie on upgrades to the ship, which you are thankful for. You ended up calling that journalist’s number, and his assistant answered and explained that he wanted an interview with you. Though you didn’t give an answer one way or another, the assistant said they would be in contact with you again soon.

You grumble, opening the door to your room and stepping outside. It is overcast for the third day in a row. From what you’ve heard, that’s becoming more normal every day with terraforming efforts becoming more intense on the poles. You put your hat on and head down the stairs to the small parking lot. In the parking lot is your truck, which had to be vacated from the Bad Habit’s cargo hold during renovations. You and Tom have done some work to it over the last couple days to make it road-legal for Mars.

Speaking of Tom, he is leaning against the truck and working on something under the hood. You raise an eyebrow. “More stuff broken?”

“Fortunately, no.” He looks up at you, grinning. “I just finished putting a new computer chip in, should give us a few more horsepower.”

“And how much did that cost?” You cross your arms. It’s not that you’re a cheapskate, but you aren’t actively making any money right now.

“I paid for it myself,” he says defensively. “But it was cheap regardless. I know a guy.”

You shrug. “Fair enough man.”

Tom lights a cigarette, closing the hood. “I was just about to head over to Allie’s place and check on their progress. Want to tag along?”

>”No thanks, I have other things I need to do.”
>”Sure.”
>Write-in.

>>1914878
>>”Sure.”
>Our resident Psirenean had some interesting stuff to say about everyone.

>>1914878
>"Sure"

>>1914878
Sure

“Sure,” you say. The two of you get into the truck and Tom drives out of the parking lot. It isn’t a long drive to Allie’s shop. As you pull up, the gate to the main lot opens automatically and Tom parks over by a half-disassembled VTOL. Though the area has become less messy since you last saw it, the main lot still acts as a sort of boneyard.

You both exit the truck and walk into the front of the shop, where you are greeted by one of Allie’s new employees. “Morning, sirs,” he says in an unfamiliar accent. “Can I help you?”

You nod. “I’m the owner of the Oberon being worked on out back. Would it be possible for me to head back and check on it?”

He raises his eyebrow. “Oh, you’re Captain Starwind. Sure, follow me.” He leads you both through the shop area, where a couple workers mill about looking for parts. Eventually, the three of you exit the back of the shop, walking into the large concrete lot out back.

Your ship sits on three different jigs. It has been cut in half, with the two halves sitting separately from each other. A third section of hull sits in another jig, clearly being prepped to be attached to the two end sections. You see sparks coming from inside the new section, meaning that someone is welding something in there.

“Allen!” Cynthia waves at you from across the lot. She stands next to Allie at a makeshift table. Both of them are wearing mechanic’s coveralls, and as you approach, you see that the table is littered with blueprints.

“Captain,” Allie greets you as well. “What do you think of the work so far?” She gestures to the ship. “We’re scheduled to fit the hull sections together today. After that, we’ll only have interior work, plus some fit and finish, left to do.” She puts her hands on her hips proudly.

>”So are you moving ahead of schedule?”
>”It seems like you have even more workers here since the last time I visited.”
>”So Cynthia, what have you been up to over here?”
>”Cutting the ship into sections won’t negatively impact hull strength, right?”
>Write-in.

>>1915096
>Sounds and looks good, can't wait to see the lady in action... within reason of course.
>So, what have you been up to?

>>1915096
>”It seems like you have even more workers here since the last time I visited.”
>”So Cynthia, what have you been up to over here?”

>>1903234
fucking gay.

>>1915096
>”Cutting the ship into sections won’t negatively impact hull strength, right?”

>>1915124
Yes you are buddy

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>>1915124

>>1915096
>”It seems like you have even more workers here since the last time I visited.”
>”So Cynthia, what have you been up to over here?”

“Seems like you have even more workers than the last time I visited.”

Allie nods. “Well, they’re temps. I only have them on until we get your ship done.” She sighs. “It’s a little more work than I expected.” She points to the blueprints. “We had to rebuild a portion of the subframe running through the cargo bay to give the Bad Habit enough structural rigidity.” She crosses her arms. “The frame was corroded and had some stress cracks near the center of the cargo hold.”

“That’s not good,” you remark.

She shrugs. “Of all the places for stress to happen, that’d be the most likely. Cargo holds tend to be the weakest points on most ships…” She trails off. “Though the extent of the stress was unexpected. I’d guess the former owners were doing some serious acrobatics pretty often to stress the frame that much.”

You grimace. “Duly noted. Thanks for the information.”

“No problem,” she replies. “We got that taken care of as soon as we could. Everything’s structurally sound now.”

You look over at Cynthia. “So what have you been up to over here?”

“Helping out,” she says with a grin. “And taking notes. This whole process has taught me a lot of useful information about our ship. I should be able to do more comprehensive maintenance now.”

“Anything specific?”

Cynthia nods. “I learned that our airlocks actually function as escape pods,” she begins. “They can jettison from the ship and maintain their own power and air for up to three days.”

“They can also survive reentry,” Allie adds. “And have automated parachutes to soften the landing.”

“Well how about that,” you nod. “It’s good to know we have an egress system. Hopefully we’ll never need to test it.”

“It’s good that you didn’t need to,” Allie says. “The explosive bolts and separator rockets on the starboard pod were completely offline.” She points to a pile of scrap in the corner of the lot. “I went ahead and replaced them with working ones.” She stops herself, snapping her fingers. “That reminds me, could you do me a favor?”

“What sort of favor?”

“Well, since you have a truck… Could you head to an address and pick up some parts and tools for me?” She frowns. “I could send some of my guys over, but the shop van is actually under repair right now.”

>”I don’t have much else to do. Sure.”
>”Let me ask Tom first, he’s the one who drove the truck here.”
>”Sorry, I have other stuff I need to do today.”
>”Is there any payment involved?”
>Write-in.

>>1915393
>>”Let me ask Tom first, he’s the one who drove the truck here.”

>>1915393
>”Let me ask Tom first, he’s the one who drove the truck here.”
>"Do you need them back immediately or do you figure we could make a stop or two?"

Going to call it here so I have time to get ready for work. We'll run again on Sunday.

>>1915436
Support.

>>1915393
>”Let me ask Tom first, he’s the one who drove the truck here.”

>>1915393
>"I don't have much else to do. Sure"
I don't have to ask Tom. I'm the captain!

Not sure if I'm stating the obvious or totally off base but regarding what Solfrid was saying earlier about Tom, and us, I'm thinking is about trying to prove to ourselves that what we did, and who we were, during the war doesn't define us and that we can live normal lives. And with the pending war comes an increased risk of falling into old habits.

Have we talked to Paul at all since we brought it in board? We are never going to unlock the quest to scrounge up the parts of his old chasis and get meatbag killing tips at this rate.

“Let me ask Tom first,” you say. “He’s the one who drove the truck here.” Allie nods and you walk over to Tom, who is looking up at the ship somewhat absently. “Hey, Tom.”

“Sir,” he greets you.

“Allie wants us to pick some things up for her since we’ve got a truck.” You cross your arms. “Do we have anything else we need to do first?”

“Ah, the truck-owner’s lament: people asking you to help move things all the time.” He chuckles. “I don’t think we have anything else that needs doing.”

“Right,” you nod. Heading back over to Allie, you get her attention. “Looks like we’ll be able to pick that stuff up for you.”

“Great,” she says. Allie then walks over to the table and gets a clipboard with some paperwork on it. “This is the shipping manifest and other paperwork. Just get them to sign off on it when you receive the cargo.”

You frown, reading the paperwork. It is about as vague as most such documentation. There are some lines for signatures, as well as a chart listing two boxes of “industrial supplies and tools” as the cargo. At the bottom is an address. While you don’t know the exact place, you’re familiar with the neighborhood.

Tom calls over to you. “Ready to go, sir?”

>Leave
>”What exactly are we transporting? This paperwork doesn’t tell me much.”
>”Is there any payment involved here?”
>”Don’t you have a shop truck that could pick up boxes of tools for you?”
>Write-in.

>>1928611
>”What exactly are we transporting? This paperwork doesn’t tell me much.”

>>1928611
>what are we transporting anyway?

“So what are we transporting here?” You gesture to the paperwork. “All it says is two boxes.”

Allie nods. “They’re boxes of electronic components and special tools for installing them.” She then points to the Bad Habit. “I don’t have all the components to refurbish your computer hardware.”

“Duly noted,” you reply. “May as well get going then.” You and Tom head over to the truck with the paperwork. You decide to drive this time, quickly making sure you’re headed in the right direction using your communicator’s map function.

“You know,” Tom begins as you pull onto a stretch of highway. “Most of Olympus is a real shithole.”

You look out at the various boroughs as you pass them. Many of the buildings, especially on the east and north sides of the city, are run-down and dilapidated. Though people still inhabit the old colonial tenements, the signs of urban decay are a serious contrast to the modern, upscale skyscrapers downtown. “Guess that’s just how the dice fall,” you remark. “An old teacher of mine once said that every city has at least two faces.”

“Maybe,” Tom says with a sigh. He lights a cigarette and takes a long drag, puffing the smoke out the open window. “Sure makes the CFP seem less appealing.” He then grumbles a little. “They sure love to act better than everyone else.”

“Well to be fair,” you begin to retort. “This city was a major hub for refugees after the War ended. It probably just wasn’t designed to take that kind of population increase.” You shrug, flipping the radio on and turning the knob to hear the music a little better. “And I’m sure the refugees were thankful to be living in a place that wasn’t bombed out.”

“Just saying, seems like this place would be better-managed under a Federal governor-general.” Tom takes another drag of his cigarette. You remember the governor-generals, military officials put in charge of unruly colonies during the War. He looks over at you. “Sometimes you can’t rely on civilians to keep the peace correctly.”

>Say nothing.
>”Maybe you’re right.”
>”Civilians shouldn’t have to live under military rule. Especially in peacetime.”
>Write-in.

>>1928741
>sure looks like it, sometimes... however...

>what if you get someone like (insert idiot commander you both know) to fill the spot?

>there was shortage of (that one chill base commander) in the staff last I recall

>>1928741
>The issue is the bigger the the head of the leader the worse they are at governing. At least with civvies you can boot one out in an election.

>>1928797
>>1928858
I'll try to combine these into something. This next post will probably be the last one for the night since I have to go meet up with some people later. Writing now.

>>1928875
have fun and thanks for the adventure OP!

File: The building looks like this.jpg (1006 KB, 1492x1938)

1006 KB JPG

You frown. “Remember Commodore Harrison?”

Tom grimaces. “Yeah. Dumb bastard seemed intent on getting our fleet shot to hell in every engagement.”

You nod. “Now imagine if someone like him was in charge of a planet. Or imagine if someone like Leander was able to run a place like Mars without any accountability.” You merge onto an exit ramp. “There’d be martial law as soon as some gang-related skirmish happened.” You sigh. “Yeah, it’d be easier to keep the peace with soldiers running the place, but who watches the watchmen? At least in a democracy people can be voted out of office if they abuse their authority.”

Tom frowns. “Sure, there are a lot of military men who don’t have the temperament for overseeing civilian operations, but there are plenty who could do it.”

“Who decides which man gets the job?” You raise an eyebrow. “If it’s the military establishment, I’d be pretty skeptical of their abilities. Remember all the times high command screwed up and got men killed over nothing?”

Tom nods slowly. “Maybe you’re right…” He gestures to several homeless on a street corner as you exit the highway. “But there’s got to be a better way than this.”

You sigh. “There probably is. We just haven’t found it yet. I’ve still got hope though.” You point to a homeless shelter not more than two blocks away. “Besides, people naturally want to help each other. Sometimes it takes action from the common man before the authorities act on their own.”

“So it seems. Oh, shit.” He points to the address on the paperwork. “I think we just passed the place.”

“Right,” you find a place to turn the truck around. Creeping up the street slowly, you find the address and pull over. As you exit the truck, you see you destination. It is an old building made from Martian brick, with a burned-out neon sign over the doorway that reads ‘MACHINERY AND ELECTRONICS DELUXE’ in a bold font. It looks like a part of the sign was designed to flicker on and off to emulate movement at one point, but you can’t tell what it was supposed to be anymore.

You frown, walking up to the metal door with baited breath. “I hope this place is still in business.” You knock on the door. There is a long period of silence, then you think you hear something on the other side of the door. Finally, just before you were about to knock a second time, the door swings open.

And that's it for both this session and this thread. We'll have our next thread on Friday, and run though the weekend.

>>1928903
O.o
A cliffhanger.
Oh well, guess I'll have to tune in next time.

>>1928903

Its gonna be our spy friend or our crime lord friend. You heard it here first!

>>1934763
>crime lord friend
:/