Shopping, Selling And Suprises

    Saturday, 115-1114: Afternoon
Dealing With The Plumbing
     Aali and Aiden were preparing to leave the ship to visit representatives for the shipyards which had offices on-station.  They had decided to visit offices of the Arka Diirshu shipyard first.  If needed, they'd visit the Adusmi Kagsip and Ashkema Anmiisi.  But Arka advertised they specialized in rehabilitating ships.  Colinne worked on disassembling the intruder software in her stateroom.  Jocelynn was researching buying MRE's and systems to flavor water in the ship's lounge.  Mikah, Sekea, Fesic and Zimzod had left for the Shuttleport, to take a downwell flight to visit an aquarium advertising megafauna on exhibit.

Rol had just ended a call with the Port PR Rep. Mr. Loger.  He'd told Rol TAS was very excited.  Because of Mikah and Zimzod's involvement, they wanted a face-to-face meeting with the crew who expected to be involved in the interview.  Rol said he could talk to the crew and get back to him on that.  But, they had agreed the meeting should be at noon the next day in system central offices.  Officer Bicell Loger would attend for Station's Public Service.  TAS would have some of their legal and financial folks there along with a female brunette news producer: Zedaya Hengantrep.  They'd also have an older male Interviewing reporter named Hougen Erzodme.  So, Rol now had to let the others know about the meeting, but wanted to wait for that until the group was all together.

Arriving at the Arka Diirshu shipyard, Aiden and Aali introduced themselves as part-owners of a Solar Wind class yacht and wanted to talk to someone about a project.  So, they asked to speak to one of the yard's project managers.  When they were sitting in one of the firm offices, Aiden said they planned to make an extended visit to a system where refueling would be difficult.  Since they'd only need fuel for micro-jumps while in-system, they wanted to be able to shift some of the spare cryogenic jump fuel to their in-systems fuel tanks.

The project manager heard everything he needed to, and straight out said the answer was "no".  He then explained that what they were asking was against all safety standards and ship design protocols.  Nodding, because he and the crew had talked about and expected exactly that answer before they went asking, Aiden played dumb and asked the man to explain how it was risky?  The project manager said the first of two main reasons to consider was that incompetent or careless crews might make mistakes which led to a forced misjump or other fuel-driven disaster.

The second was the potential for ship system failures.  Especially while working with cryogenic fuel.  That sort of modification added possible failure points that could create crisis.  Even the best crew might not be able to react fast enough, and not at all if an added nozzle failed and fuel was allowed to flow freely from either system tankage.  Because of that, Imperium-wide ship design philosophy obeyed the hard and fast rule that both fuel systems "must be" kept entirely separate.  The man continued that any firm who did that work opened themselves up to legal challenges up to and including liability for loss of life.

Nodding, Aiden asked what recommendations the man could offer to extend their normal space time on station?  The immediate answer the project manager offered was to use collapsable fuel bladders to tank extra fuel.  The downside of that was that any crew that wanted to do that had to have the on-board space to deploy the bladders.  Before continuing, the man pulled up the standard specs for a Solar Wind class vessel.  He then pointed out that class ship normally tanked 17.6 dtons for four weeks normal space operations.  Everything from thrust to life support.  At the same time, the jump subsystem tanked 176 dtons allowing the ship to jump as many as four parsecs at a time.

Given the stats, the simple math said that adding 4.4 dtons of fuel to the normal space fuel would give them an additional week.  But they also had to answer the question where those tanks would go, since they had to be filled and available from the very start of the voyage they were to be used in.  The project manager pointed out they could run extra fuel feed systems to their ship's cargo bay.  They could then connect collapsable bladders to a fuel valve there in the cargo bay, but meant the space would not be available for cargo.  The project manager said his firm could do the work to create a connection point in the cargo bay and sell them the bladders they'd need.  But he wouldn't authorize a direct normal to jump fuel transfer system.

Nodding as he tried to move forward with what the crew wanted instead of what some technician tried to force them into, Aiden asked how much that modification would cost?  Not surprisingly, the man said he couldn't give an estimate until they had a chance to evaluate Aiden's ship.  Following where the man led, Aiden had seen no chance to push back against his refusal and turn things back to the fuel transfer the crew wanted.  Hoping Aali had seen some opening, he asked her how she felt about the project manager's comments.  Brought into the conversation, Aali said she entirely disagreed with the yard man's position on the transfer shunt.  She said space travel was inherently dangerous, and every spacer dealt with the risks.  So, she felt the yard man should grow a set and face the risk down instead of hiding with his tail between his legs.  She also suggested there might be more money in accepting and carrying out the job.

Picking up on Aali's points and position, Aiden reminded the man she was the ship's chief engineer.  He also built on her points by reminding the man he'd been in the IISS for over a decade, and had the experience of many jury rigs.  He also pointed out the ship was their property and they could modify it however they wanted, despite empire-wide superstition.  In the face of that, the project manager backed off and could only speculatively ask, "How much extra money are we talking about?"  That pushed Aiden back a bit because he still had no idea how much the job would cost?  So, the "added percentage" was hard to judge.  Eventually, Aiden offered him an additional 10% over the actual cost, figuring he could go up to 15% if the man refused the first offer.

Lucky for Aiden, the guy took the 10% offer, which didn't keep the man from jacking up the base price too.  But the crew could just walk away if they tried that tactic.  Still, the project manager felt it was time to bring them to his contract team and draw up the papers to have the ship evaluated.  Aiden then held things up a moment so he could update Jocelynn and get her authorization to do what he'd planned and discussed with the yard man.  Sadly, Jocelynn had hoped Aiden and Aali would get pricing for the full job from each of the three yards before choosing one.  But she very quickly learned none of them would have cited a full price estimate up front.  So, that hope was dead on arrival.

Accepting that, Jocelynn asked how Aiden felt about the guy and Aiden said it seemed the man was being pretty straight with him.  He also didn't think the man was willing to put them in danger to make some extra cash, and the yard wouldn't risk their reputation for some small quick cash.  Accepting that, Jocelynn wanted to check in case, and asked to speak to Aali.  When she asked her the same thing, Aali said this was standard fare when dealing with shipyard workers.  She'd gotten no feel of slime from the guy and it felt like he was being honest with them.  Nodding, Jocelynn accepted their reports and authorized the work to be done by the yard.

As expected, the contract was simply for an evaluation and an estimate on the final cost of the job.  The project manager also said it meant the crew would have to move their ship into one of the yard work bays.  Aiden nodded that off because that would have to be done no matter where they signed.  The yard also demanded an upfront Cr 10,000 binder to cover the work being done.  And they wrote into the contract the 10% offer over the normal cost for the full work to be done after an estimate was provided.  After the papers were done, Aiden had to call Jocelynn again, to authorize payment of the KCr 10 from ship's funds.  Jocelynn waved her magic finger and that happened before that call ended.  Added to that, both Aiden and Aali were part owners of the ship and could sign the contracts as needed.

That done, the yard wanted to know how soon the crew could move the ship into one of their workbays?  That reminded Aiden the crew would have to move off the ship so they could hand it off.  Aiden realized he'd hadn't checked if the berth the ship was in even had stateroom and office space, as had berths in other ports.  Aiden realized he had to check that before telling people they had to leave the ship, so he knew what was open for them to use or if they'd have to rent hotel rooms.  When he checked, Aiden saw the berth only had six staterooms, so some people would have to rent hotel rooms or double up in the berth staterooms.

For the third time in a short window, Aiden called Jocelynn to tell her the ship and crew would have to move.  Jocelynn wasn't surprised because that would have to happen sooner or later anyway.  After she gave him the OK and they cut the line, Aiden told the project manager they could move the Upgrade into one of their berths in 24 to 36 hours.  That agreed to, they got down to finishing the paperwork.  The work plan said it would take as much as a week for the yard crew to evaluate the job and send them an estimate.  Done with that, Aali and Aiden left the yard headed back for the ship.  Along the way, comedically, Aiden called Jocelynn yet again, rather than waiting until they got back to the berth.

The math was simple.  Those who wanted to save their money could fight over the berth staterooms while those who preferred to guarantee their comfort could rent hotel rooms.  Any crew who wanted their own berth would have to fight for single occupancy or double up if there were more than six who wanted to be cheap.  When Aiden updated Jocelynn, she agreed they needed to have a crew meeting and let everyone know.  Jocelynn felt it would be good to put the word out to the others that they'd have to be back at the ship for a crew meeting.

Death In A Tank Shell
     Earlier that afternoon, Mikah, Fesic, Zimzod and Sekea had left for the station's shuttle port with Fesic agreeing to pay the Cr 25 portCab fare.  They each then bought Cr 100 tickets for scheduled transit to a coastal city where the aquarium was located.  Riding the shuttle downwell, they all got Jocelynn's call to tell the crew she wanted them to return to the ship.  When Jocelynn realized they couldn't get back to the ship, she decided to handle things via the call.  When everyone had joined the call, Jocelynn told them about the agreement Aiden had signed.  When she told them they had to move off the ship, Mikah immediately said she'd be booking a hotel room for herself.  Zimzod also said he'd rent a room too.

Jocelynn worried that splitting the crew up would be dangerous, with crew members isolated in their own hotel rooms away from the berth.  Mikah shrugged that off saying they'd be close enough to work together.  Jocelynn said she would take one of the berth staterooms and let Mikah and Zimzod do as they pleased.  Rol joked, "What's all this about danger?  We're adventurers.  We eat danger for breakfast."  Fesic was on the other end of the spectrum and said he absolutely would not be isolated in a hotel.  So, he claimed another of the berth staterooms.  Rol also said he'd be renting a hotel room.  That meant there would be no enforced doubling up in the staterooms.  As people started reacting and before the call broke up, Rol told the others about the meeting TAS and Mr. Loger had asked for.  He also told them he'd call Loger back and set up a call for the next day to make decisions and get things rolling.

Wanting to have somewhere to crash when she got back to the station, Mikah grabbed one of the shuttle's work screens and did a search for top rated hotels near the port.  Sparking up her comms, Mikah called the hotel, the Rashu-Dinagar, and introduced herself with all her titles, bells and whistles as she said she wanted to book a room.  Her call was immediately bounced to a high-end concierge who introduced her to suites they maintained for VIP's, dignitaries and significant executives.  The suite was a promenade style set of rooms with ceiling to floor transteel viewports in each room and classic style art pieces.  The space was also good for small parties or gatherings and the fee was Cr 10,000 per week.

When Mikah booked the room, she also told the others about the place so everyone knew where she'd be.  Hearing that, Rol called the hotel to look for a room.  What he got was a presentation because Mikah's call suggested some important people might have just arrived in-system.  Now, they were using ID systems and name recognition on all incoming calls.  That meant they knew who Rol was from the start.  Because of that, and based on the shooting news, they felt they had to offer him a "more secure" suite.  It had much the same bells and whistles that Mikah's suite did, but also had security upgrades.  It was located on a floor where lifts could only arrive if the person in the car had a key card for that floor.  They also wanted Cr 15,000 per week and Rol booked it.

Zimzod also called the same hotel and got the executive treatment.  Despite that, he was annoyed with the price offered him for his suite.  Finally pulling his noble rank, Zimzod forced them to back off on trying to up-sell him and eventually settled for renting him a higher-cost single room accommodation.  That cost him Cr 7,000 per week.  At the same time, Rol asked about the hotel's security and was given the rundown of camera networks, AI-based traffic guard programs, live and android patrols and more.  Weapon and biosensor arrays covered both the hotel's entries as well as key points of movement throughout hotel traffic patterns.  After he was settled, Rol called Mikah and Zimzod to suggest they check in with each other each hour and provide a location lockdown before going to sleep.  Zimzod snarked that he'd certainly call Rol hourly while he was asleep.

On the ship, Jocelynn had started looking into the costs of MRE's, containerized water and water flavor treatment options.  Jocelynn chose to look for one ton each of dehydrated and canned rations.  Because they'd realized they could easily ship as much food as they'd need for the time in Sonthert, Jocelynn had options and decided to ask Rol what he thought about buying half dehydrated and half canned rations?  That would let them vary their diet and mix or match not only from the different meals in each ration case, but between "dry and wet".

While they talked, Jocelynn learned they could store 14,000 canned ration meals per dTon storage.  So, they could do both canned or dry as they wanted.  After talking to Rol, Jocelynn decided to buy one ton each of the dehydrated and canned.  Rol did recommend they buy a smaller amount of luxury level meals to mix in from time to time to increase their food variety.  Agreeing, Jocelynn decided to buy ten percent of the meals from luxury menus and the rest from general nutrition offerings.  The bills came to Cr 25,200 for the genNu meals and Cr 14,000 for the luxury meals.

Jocelynn also wanted to buy two tons of water containerized in a pair of cargo pods.  That cost her Cr 2,000.  When Rol joked about stocking up on recreational drugs, Jocelynn snarked back she had plenty of supplies for her hookah and they had more than enough alcohol aboard.  Next, Jocelynn looked into a beverage serving system that would mix powders and even heat, cool or carbonate the water into different flavored beverages.  She had first checked syrup-based systems, but those consistently used tubes that would have to be replaced often and also took up cargo space.

The dispenser Jocelynn ordered connected directly to plumbing which could then be run from the cargo bay and connected to the water storage.  It was a four-server kiosk in the ship's lounge, taking up more of that space.  It cost Cr 500 by itself.  The "flavor packs" would cost Cr 50 per "100 Person days" pack.  Thinking about those, Jocelynn ordered 10 flavors to prevent 'flavor fatigues'.  And she faced a crap-ton of flavors to choose from and spent time deciding to buy 300 person days of the flavors Citrus mix, Berry red, Tropical yellow, Cola, Spice Tea mix, Blue Drink, Nutridrink Plus, Electro Salts, Caff Boost, Mint Cool.  That meant 30 flavor powder packages, and the cargo space for that was one sixth of a dTon and they'd cost Cr 1,500 (Cr 50 each).

Jocelynn also realized she had to talk to Aali about the plumbing.  The serving kiosk would be set up on a stalk pedestal rising from the deck in the ship's lounge.  It would have four serving nozzles which each served one of the drink selection screens.  Those would be touch-screens where a user could touch the symbol for the flavor they want and place their cup under the serving nozzle.  Under the deck, the kiosk would need to be served by plumbing which ran under the deck plating from that point back to the cargo bay.  In the bay, a connector would have to be installed so the line could be connected to the water storage pod.

Jocelynn placed the orders and talked to the agents to hold the deliveries until the ship was returned from the ship yard.  At the moment, they would be moving the ship for a week, but that assumed they didn't immediately order the work done.  If that happened, they had no idea how soon the ship would be returned, and she wanted the deliveries to wait until then.  Especially since one of the deliveries included installation work.  And Aali would have to have the plumbing ready for that.

Done dealing with that part of the plan, Jocelynn was considering what would happen next when the ship got a buzz from the berth's visitor entrance.  Checking a screen set up to receive broadcasts from the camera showing outside that portal, Jocelynn saw an InstellArms delivery person.  And they were carrying a small box.  With a bit more cheer and the thought of new toys, Jocelynn admitted the person to the berth.  Stepping out to meet the woman, Jocelynn was given a box that was 8 inches by 6 inches by 4 inches addressed to Aiden.  Signing for it, Jocelynn could see nothing suggesting what was in the box, and set it aside to hand off to Aiden when he got back.  Jocelynn then tipped the woman Cr 20 and she left.

Now that he'd spoken to the crew, Rol decided to call Mr. Loger, update him and lock down the details for the next day.  When Mr. Loger answered, Rol said the crew had agreed to meet at noon the next day to iron out the details of the interview.  hearing that, Loger was pleased and said that would be great.  Loger said he could get things organized and have the TAS team there too.  When Rol asked if they'd be meeting in the TAS studios, he was told it would be in Loger's office in Station Central. 

Done with Loger, Rol sparked up his comms to call Aiden.  Aiden was on his way back to the ship from the yard with Aali when he answered.  Rol asked Aiden, "How would you like to take a trip to InstellArms with me?"  Hearing that, and having been assigned to the task with Rol, Aiden said, "I'm assuming this is related to the satellite job?" and Rol answered, "That it is."  Rol added, "How would you like to go and see some sats?"  Aiden checked his location and figured how to get to InstellArms from there before he said he'd meet Rol there.

On the way, Rol called Jocelynn to ask how much total space they had to carry any satellites they bought?  Jocelynn broke down what they had and could play with.  Of the 41.8 tons they would have if the bay was stripped bare, 2 tons were dedicated to the sand cannister ammo rack.  A spare round which couldn't fit in the rack did it's best to snug in and not get in anything's way.  Another half ton was devoted to the crew's weapons lockers, which Zimzod had installed quite some time before, but few crew actually used.  Another half ton was devoted to their cargo sealer and another full ton to the pell 'droid.  That left them 37.8 tons that currently were mostly in use.  When he left her, Aali returned to the ship to relax and do more work on the engineering systems.

Their cargo for sale took up 26 tons, and would be free to use once they were sold.  Added to that, they had the clutter they'd collected, including the Zhodani command combat armor suit which took up space for 1 dTon.  The emergency shelter, 2 ice cutters and portable fusion plant they'd gotten from arch Duke Norris on Denotam, which took up three more dtons of space.  And the LSP Autodoc they'd "acquired" from the InstellArms workers, which ate another dton of space.  If those were cleared up, that would give them four more tons of space.  Reflecting on Aiden's conversation with the yard man, that was enough space to store fuel bladders for an extra week of normal space operations. Considering that, Jocelynn suggested looking for ten-ton sats, if possible.

Since lunch, Colinne had switched from working on her Zhodani studies to work on the intruder software.  Deciding to take a break, she decided to do a physical workout to get her body moving.  While she'd stepped out to the lounge to work out, Jocelynn suggested they try to find time to work on their psi and stent practice.  They agreed to try that if the time presented itself.  Still, they returned to their planned work for the time and would see what happened later.

On the shuttle downwell, Mikah, Zimzod and Rol connected with their comms and checked into their rooms.  That way, they could move their gear quickly after returning to the station.  The hotel then sent them electronic keys they could use to manage access when needed.  Rol's key also let him use the secure access to the hotel floor his suite was on.  After landing, they had to ride a cab to the aquarium, for which Zimzod paid Cr 20.  When they arrived, the building looked...  Underwhelming.  It looked like a large, one-level office complex on the outside of which were video panels used for advertisements.  It certainly didn't look like it could contain the large tanks needed to display mega sea-fauna.  Still, Mikah suggested the building could have been built "down" instead of up.

When they went inside, they had to each buy a Cr 25 ticket.  Grabbing electronic maps, they then saw the facility went down twenty levels into the sea!  There were local sea life galleries which were no more than floor to ceiling transteel observation compartments letting visitors sit and order drinks and snacks while looking out into the ocean life just outside the aquarium.  For Cr 5 each, there was a vid-program that could install on each of their comms, that explained the aquarium's uppermost entry level including common spaces, class rooms and the lifts to lower levels and the live displays.  They could also watch vid-clips discussing the displayed they were about to see, or simply take the lifts down and see things live.

Mikah was all for taking the plunge and Zimzod agreed.  Both Fesic and Sekea wanted to read up a bit and look for what would be the most exciting.  Mikah fixed the two men with a look and demanded, "You have five minutes."  The map defined levels of predators, separated into "just" predators and extreme predators.  Then, there were the mega-fauna prey on which the predators fed.  Further levels displayed lesser species of sea fauna and even oceanic evolutionary oddities from Lanth's seas.  From there, they had to decide where they were going?

Mikah wanted to go to the extreme predators from the get go, and no one disagreed with her.  So they checked the map to find out what level that was and entered the lists.  The tanks displaying different species were often a number of levels long, because many of the creatures were so massive.  When they reached the floor they'd selected, the doors opened and the first thing they saw were large and very noticeable warnings against doing many things including pounding on the transteel.  Both visual and audio warnings told them that, despite the structure of the display containers, there was still danger and it was theoretically possible for the creatures to violate their tanks!  So, care needed to be maintained.

Designed for drama, the first creature displays they came to were those containing the sulfur krakens.  This was because those were the most dangerous and exciting of sea creatures known to live on Lanth.  This set of tanks were the most heavily attended and when they checked, the four saw the clock was closely approaching their feeding time.  That got a cheer for all of them and they waited to see the excitement.  During the wait, they could see electronic vid-information displays, static warnings against unsafe actions and other generic scientific data all around the transteel viewports that let visitors see every part of the tanks.

Soon enough, speakers let the aquarium staff start describing the feeding of the krakens, by releasing creatures called "Lanthian Broadbacks" into the kraken's tanks.  The broadbacks were filter-feeding herbivores that ranged through Lanth's open oceans.  They grew as long as 20-35 meters and had been found to be generally docile.  Still, given their size, research said that they were the primary prey of Lanth's sulfur kraken.  The Lanthian Broadback was described as a massive, slow-moving baleen-analog that had evolved in Lanth's nutrient-rich, chemically harsh seas.  Its bulk, placid nature, and predictable migratory routes made it the preferred prey of creatures like the sulfur kraken.

The Lanthian Broadback's body form was torpedo-like, with a wide flattened dorsal ridge ("broadback") used for thermal regulation.  The species' skin was a pale slate-blue color mottled with yellow-white sulfur-neutralizing patches, which were a biochemical adaptation to Lanth's volcanic upwellings.  A double-lobed tail provided slow but powerful propulsion.  Instead of baleen, Broadbacks have evolved flexible keratin-silicate combs lining their cavernous mouths, through which they filtered enormous blooms of the chemosynthetic plankton that thrived around Lanth's sulfur vents.

Examination of their senses showed their eyes were small and recessed.  An adaptation to the dim, particulate-filled water of Lanth's ocean.  They primarily navigate using low-frequency sonar pulses that could be detected hundreds of kilometers away.  They usually traveled in pods of 6-20 individuals and migrated along deep-sea vent chains, following plankton blooms.  Known for "singing storms", multi-pod resonance events could last hours.  Calves were born at ~4 meters long and stayed close to the mother for several years.  Adults could reach a full size at ~40 years and may live over a century.  Mating rituals involved synchronized circling around warm sulfur plumes.

They played an ecological role as prey for the Sulfur Kraken due to the Broadback's size and slow maneuverability.  Those traits made it ideal prey for the larger predators.  And the krakens were a deep-sea ambush predator that lurked near sulfur chimneys.  Broadbacks' sulfur-neutralizing skin helped them survive near vents, but not the kraken's tentacular strike.  Pods responded to kraken attacks with coordinated sonar bursts that could disorient smaller predators but rarely deterred a kraken.

The four listened to the biology lesson, which was timed to end just as a portal opened releasing a school of Broadback, they watched for the action to start.  The sharp-eyed among them realized there had to be some sense the krakens had which warned them feeding was imminent because many of the krakens shifted the pigments of their skins to make themselves hard for the Broadbacks to see against the tank walls.  Then, the hatch between tanks opened and a school of the whales drove into the kraken tanks.  From there, the violence was sudden, immediate and devastating.

Having realized full visibility would be difficult despite the science built into the tank walls, each of the four put on their data-HUD-goggles.  Shifting through the modes, they each quickly found a mode that would let them see the most detail with the least distortion.  Then, the water was being colored by blood in the swirling current patterns made by the panicked whales while they tried to escape the predators.  All four of them quickly realized that this feeding experience wasn't for the faint of heart as other visitors screamed in horror or terror.  The Broadback whales were ripped apart with several even having been grabbed by more than one kraken.  Chunks of bodies were ripped away from the whales with each kraken grabbing and ripping with as many tentacles as they could.  There were few visible conflicts between the tentacles of opposing krakens but there were a few.

Then, as quickly as it had started, the violence was ending.  The krakens still grabbed for drifting chunks of the remaining bodies, but the frenzy was over.  Watching just a bit more, the four moved on through the more exciting or interesting displays.  There were other chances to see feedings because the different species feedings were staggered.  That let more visitors see some of the feedings regardless when they arrived, but the rest of the feedings the four saw were more sedate if not outright boring.  They eventually picked their way through the displays they'd considered interesting, because they still had to get back to the highport as they all had to move their gear off the ship and three of them had to move to the hotel.  Sekea was the only one of them with a relatively easy move to a stateroom in the berth.  Fesic had wanted to stay longer but also didn't want to be left alone.

Heading back to the local downport in a cab, they talked about where to have dinner?  The four agreed to stop at a nice restaurant after they'd gotten back to the highport.  So, they rode and each bought a Cr 100 ticket back to the station shuttleport.  When they got to the downport, Sekea paid the Cr 20 cab and they made their way to the shuttle security and boarding concourse.  During the flight, Mikah made it clear they wouldn't do a vargr restaurant and she joked that Fesic couldn't handle Aslan food.  So, she ironically suggested seafood.  While there would have been better seafood places downwell, not to mention less expensive places, seafood was still the least expensive class of food in the Lanth system.  Fishing was a chief industry on the mostly water world.

While no one wanted something different, Zimzod joked they could have gotten seafood cheaper dirtside.  Mikah only snarked back, "Shut up Mr. Millionaire."  Instead of the high-quality places Mikah had been visiting, she settled for "good quality" this time.  Each of the dinners cost Cr 60 or so, and they enjoyed their meals.  A taxi back to the local downport cost them Cr 15 and a Cr 20 fare got them from the shuttleport to the ship.  In the berth, they began shifting their gear from the ship to their berth staterooms or hotels with the others.

Sensors And Slumber
     When Rol and Aiden met up at InstellArms, the external sales team had all been given their images.  So, those people both alerted the pair's concierges while members of the external sales team led the two in to meet the women.  Both men could read the beaming smiles on the faces of the concierges, which said they were spending these last free seconds day dreaming of the commissions they would get that afternoon.  When they shook hands and asked how they could help the men, Rol considered saying, "Oh.  We're just browsing today."  Aiden toyed with the idea of ordering a new jock strap. 

When Rol stumbled through trying to explain what they wanted, Aiden stepped in and said they were looking at planetary and system survey satellites.  That caught the concierges by surprise and they could only ask what is it the crew would be using the sats to look for?  Being cagey, Rol said they'd be looking for old and abandoned mining settlements and habitations of that sort.  Nodding, because Rol's answer suggested the Upgrade was going 'lost treasure hunting', they were more sure-footed in what they could offer and how much that would help them fill their bank accounts!

Nodding and assuring the men they could help, the women checked their datapads to check the known stats of the Upgrade.  They then led the men into a more private setting while they sent runners for drinks, snacks and other comforts.  As a united front, the first unit they had to offer the men was a LSP-SSX-9 "Surveyor-9".  A 10 dTon planetary survey satellite.  The satellite was from a firmly mid-interstellar(12) manufacture made by Ling Standard Products.  After going through the technical details they said that satellite could be bought for MCr 3.5

A second offering was the more technically advanced Naasirka NSA-14-D DeepScan Array.  An 8 dTon survey satellite.  Designed to high Imperial standards(14), that sat still had several more complete and capable sensors.  It also had a more compact system chassis and other higher tech functions.  Again, they ran through the device's capabilities and stats before telling the men that could be bought for MCr 6.  Both satellites were being sold as "Heavily Used" rather than newly manufactured.

When Rol asked if they had any devices that were a step down from that, he was told that was what they had in stock and the rest were military or combat in nature.  That wasn't a surprise as those who had owned satellites which survived the Fifth Frontier War had been steadily dumping old tech for improved devices.  That meant they were already building against the next war and used gear was being dumped by one and bought by those with less money to spend.  And stocks were thinning.  Rol did ask for a download of the specs for both and said they would talk with their crew and make a decision.  While they left, both men got pings on their comms saying the specs files had been delivered.

They then left to return to the ship because Rol was certain he had a crew to cook for.  Jocelynn and Colinne had been working aboard the ship the whole day so they simply waited to see who returned before they decided what to do for dinner?  Aali had returned to the ship earlier and dove into checking engineering systems checks and reading the reports from her androids.  Eventually, when Rol and Aiden got back, Jocelynn had given Aiden his box from InstellArms and the pilot took the box and did his best to be furtive while he went to store it.  Jocelynn only shook her head, looked at the others as they heard what sounded like a cackle from where Aiden went, and said, "I knew he was buying sex toys."  The others laughed

Everyone at the ship went to a restaurant serving generic Lanth-based dishes.  What would have cost them each Cr 40, Jocelynn announced she'd pay for their meals, thanking them for their work that day.  After the dinner, Colinne and Jocelynn did some private stent and Psi training before moving their gear to berth staterooms.  During those studies, both women were elated to feel Jocelynn "level up" when Jocelynn psionic energies surged.

After both groups ate and got back to the ship, Aiden put the bulk of his energy into moving his gear into one of the berth staterooms.  He then spent the rest of the evening studying the specs for the two satellites.  Aali also moved her gear and asked for a copy of the specs after she'd been told they were available.  When she was done with that, she sat to watch the news.  Fesic both moved his gear and volunteered to help the others move their stuff.  When that was done, he relaxed and watched the news with Aali and the others.

After dinner, Mikah had planned to get back to the ship, move her gear and then take a long hot bath in her hotel room before going to bed.  Rol reached out to everyone telling them those who were needed for his meeting had to present themselves the next day for a meeting at noon.  To make sure no one was late, he told them all to arrive at Station Central offices by 11:15 am.  Rol then started working to get his gear moved to his hotel room and relax there before going to bed.  Sekea also packed up one to two weeks gear and moved that to his berth stateroom before kicking back and practicing his drawing and drafting skills.  Zimzod got his gear moved and then relaxed to watch the news in his hotel room.

When Mikah had gotten back to the ship from dinner, Jocelynn pulled her to the side and said she wanted to ask about the autodoc they'd "acquired" from the then-fired InstellArms workers.  She said the device was taking up space in their cargo bay.  Jocelynn wasn't sure if it was better or worse than the one in their medbay?  Or, if Mikah was considering removing some installed system or other so they could have two autodocs installed?  So, Jocelynn wanted to know if they should hold it or sell it?  Mikah said she wanted to wait until after they were done in the Sonthert system before investigating and making decisions on the autodoc.  Nodding, Jocelynn accepted that and made certain she'd not included that on the list of sale items she wanted to sell.  That check showed she had not told the bwap about the device.

    Extolay (B45589A-A  N  G  110  Im  M2 V  M4 D)                            Date: 094-1114
    Following news delivered by ships from the Arden Federal Navy, local commanders have decided
    to create a response flotilla.  Even as those decisions are being made, local command has sent
    notifications to fleet headquarters on both Regina and Lanth regarding the news and their
    reactions.  It has not yet been announced which Commodore or junior Admiral will be tasked with
    leading the flotilla.  Experts say the task force will most certainly include the most advanced
    medical ships currently in local space.  They suggest some civilian ships may also be asked to
    take part, though such craft will most likely serve in logistical.  The announcement of this
    order of deployment should likely be made in the short term, to accommodate the Ardininan
    vessels who will undoubtably accompany the Imperial ships to Tremous Dex.

    Lanth (A879533-B  2  Ni Cp  G  710  Im  F5 IV  M9 D)                           Date: 115-1114
     Reports from the main Lanth highport have been released regarding the recent shooting on-station.
    Per a statement regarding the reports, security public speaker Lieutenant Kinsa Muuguma stated
    the investigation was proceeding well and they might have preliminary findings to provide station
    prosecutors in a week or two.  When asked, the Lieutenant told the press the four gunmen had been
    low-paid dock workers.  One of them had recently been restricted due to suspected criminal
    activities, and was suffering from the resulting loss of income.

    Other answers stated the weapons recovered had been low-end revolvers, which were strictly legal
    under the laws of Lanth.  Still, the weapons had not been purchased under the system laws, which
    made their possession illegal.  Additional legal restrictions were also in place due to station
    restrictions.  The attacker's plan, such as it appeared to be at this stage of the investigation,
    seemed to be wet tissue hanging from bent wiring in the vent airflow.  The wounded gunmen were
    still in custody in the station medical services while the unwounded were in detention.  As for
    the continuing investigation, security forces were still looking to determine how the gunmen got
    the revolvers.  When captured, they had limited ammunition, which suggested a small number of
    known contraband sellers.

    More information would not be released on that at a future date.  When asked about the reason
    for the shooting and any possibility of continuing danger to the station's population or visitors,
    the officer simply sheepishly smiled at first.  He then explained that there was certainly almost
    no risk to those on-station except a small and identified group.  Explaining himself, the officer
    said some on-station were already aware of a questionable offer to kill the crew of the IMS
    Upgrade.  Waiting a beat for that to sink in, before transitioning that it was a sad joke on the
    gunmen.  When his pause was met by confused looks, the Lieutenant said rumors were starting to
    spread that the offered bounty was fake.  He added that a check of interstellar news would show
    the nation of "Stepozhevac" had existed, but had ceased to exist quite some time before.

    Tureded (C465540-9  Ag Ni  G  614  Im  M3 V)                           Date: 087-1114
    Continuing after events between the Spinward Development Corp and Vermene, Subsector Admiral
   Vanpua has released an additional statement.  Additional forces were requested from the
   Imperial naval base in the Macene system(Rhylanor).  The Admiral also stated a working
   agreement had been agreed to by both corporations.  Word was also being sent out that Marquis,
   Baron Vaan Praygo had banned emergence of all ships registered or contracted by SDC.  When
   Admiral Daannuur Ikuur Khurkaar(Imp. Navy, Ret.) asked for the release of "currently held"
   SDC assets, he was told that would not happen pending completion of a full investigation to
   their activities in-system.  When Adm. Khurkaar protested that, he was told, in no uncertain
   terms, he could be placed under investigation too.  In detention.

   It is understood that both the Vermene and SDC assets in-system would leave.  That was without
   regard for contracts or Tukera activities in-system.  Additionally, general warnings were now
   being broadcast to all ships emerging from jump that those registered to SDC were to
   immediately plot a new jump out-system.  Those ships which claimed to need to refuel would
   be forced to prove their condition before being taken under military escort to a location
   where that could be accomplished.  All legal representatives for SDC in-system raised legal
   claims, but those would be forwarded to the Subsector Senate to consider.  That easily meant
   months would pass before the issues were resolved.

Hearing the report on the shooting, Jocelynn was pleased the claim the bounty was fake had been added to the talking points.  Even if they couldn't prove any effect this early, it was a start.  Settled into his hotel room, Zimzod considered that he, Mikah and Rol were now isolated from the rest of the crew.  He also worried they presented easy targets moving around on their own.  Especially when they planned to take part in a media interview which would make them more recognizable in open society.  Thinking about that, Zimzod called Mikah and Rol to suggest they talk whenever planning to leave the hotel.  That way, they could plan to move in groups, and be less vulnerable.  The others heard what he had to say and agreed.

Aali did her physical therapy while watching the news, then went to bed.  One by one, Aiden then Colinne then Fesic went to sleep while Jocelynn went through the day's accounting to make sure she'd covered her tasks.  Jocelynn eventually got some late-evening gear maintenance done and meditated before going to sleep.  In her hotel suite, Mikah had taken her bath and was now asleep.  Rol did a set of physical therapy morphing slightly into calisthenics before he showered and hit the rack.  Sekea also went to bed as did Zimzod.

    Sunday, 116-1114:
A Surprise Claw From The Black
     In the berth, Aiden was the first to wake and he made himself chow before watching what passed for the station channel's morning vid programs.  Mikah woke in her suite and the first thing she did was attack the in-room caff-maker.  She then checked the restaurants in the hotel to see which would serve the best breakfast?  With that, she got herself seated and placed her order before calling both Zimzod and Rol.  When they answered, she said one of them should call a car for them to share getting to the planned 11:15 meeting.

The place Mikah ate in was pretty much standard decor for well-appointed port restaurants.  There were many large and expansive viewports looking out into the open space around the station.  Added to that, the place had cantilevered projections out beyond the station's hull which were almost entirely made of transteel.  That meant diners in those spaces could look out through 270 degrees of the tube in which their seats and table were placed.  Paying Cr 50 for her food, Mikah ate and then went back to her room to get changed and prepared for the meeting.

Aali woke and did her physical therapy before moving to the galley for chow.  While she ate, Aali started working through the over-night reports the androids had stacked up for her while they'd worked.  Aali then did stent practice, reaching out to the 'droids and engineering systems directly with her stent.  When she was done with that for the moment, she went back to her stateroom to start getting ready for the meeting.  Fesic had woken at a similar time and prepped the outfit he planned to wear before having chow.  He then hung out in the ship's lounge until it was time to get ready for the meeting.  Sekea ate and went back to his training.  Zimzod woke and ordered room service before jumping into his physical therapy.  That cost him Cr 40.  When the time came, Zimzod, Mikah and Rol rode a portCab to central offices for Cr 20, which Rol paid.

It was getting later in the morning when Jocelynn finally woke and realized she had little time to prepare before they'd have to leave for the meeting.  So it was she rushed through her daily routine, dressing and grabbing some hasty food packs while the others prepared.  When Aiden suggested they order one large car, Jocelynn agreed.  After the car arrived and they all loaded in except Colinne.  She stayed back because she felt she wasn't needed.  The drive to Station Offices took a bit and cost Jocelynn Cr 25.  Since Rol had set up the meeting for noon, and told everyone else to arrive by 11:15, the crew were assembled outside the offices with the better part of an hour to spare.

Despite the early arrival, they decided to present themselves to one of the technicians and see what they could do.  That tech had them wait while he called Mr. Loger, then said they could wait or take a small tour of the offices.  Rather than showing them through the central offices of a station likely not much different than any other station, they grabbed a TAS functionary and took them to a nearby TAS studio cluster.  There, they got an abbreviated Cr 1 tour of example compartments not being used at the time.  They did eventually return to the central offices and came just outside Mr. Loger's office in time to see a steady stream of catering arriving.

As the short time passed, they soon saw the team of TAS people arrive and be escorted into Loger's office.  Less than a minute after that, Loger himself came out of his office, seeming to be checking things off a list, when he looked up and seemed surprised they were there.  He blurted out, "Oh!  You're done with the tour." and he invited them into his office.  The crew each gave him a check point for acting.  Badly.  When they entered, took in the others and the food, and had taken seats everyone was ready to get moving.

On top of the on-vid talent, TAS had finance, legal and other team members.  TAS had also footed the bill for a high-end lunch, so they were being dined if they weren't being wined.  And cafe tables had been moved in so there were no awkward knee-balancing jobs to be done.  Mr. Loger then opened the meeting explaining Lady Mikah's crew had come to him with the offer of an interview.  He impressed on the TAS people that your crew did this of your own free will, and wished to take part in recorded interviews which would open them to multiple subjects.  The TAS people were pleased as Mr. Loger said those subjects had to be locked down in the meeting they were currently having.

Mr. Loger firmly stated one of the key subjects would be the bounty on their heads, and what seems to rapidly be appearing to be its fictional nature.  When he finished speaking, A TAS executive-type stood and said, "When we were told your crew had volunteered to take part in an interview, we told Mr. Loger to set up a meeting with everyone from your crew who wanted to take part in the interview.  Since almost every member of the crew are here, can we assume you all want to be involved and on camera?"  Hearing that, Sekea said he was fairly new to the crew and likely would have no role in the interviews, at which he got looks of "so, since you were told, why did you come to the meeting?"

Into the silence that followed, Mikah groused, "Well, Lady Mikah doesn't even want to be here.  So, why don't we get on with this."  The executive told her they simply wanted to insure they had her willing cooperation with the project before they got anything started.  One of the legal people stood and asked if there were any topics TAS might want to cover but which her crew do not want to speak about?

Considering for a beat, Mikah said, "We will not be speaking about the events which happened in the Rech system."  Hearing that, the entire TAS crew became less pleased than they had been.  The air change in the room was so heavy the TAS news producer lost her composure enough to snark out a "Shit!"  Sarcastically, Mikah only answered, "Sorry." in a tone that obviously said she wasn't.  Stepping in, Zimzod said there were some parts of what happened in Rech they could talk about.  All ears perked up with Mikah snarled back, "Yes there are.  But I would rather not rely on people's faulty memories when it comes to what we can and cannot say."

When the news producer asked, "Can we ask about the conditions that constrain what you can or cannot say?" Mikah shot that down with a hard and direct, "No!"  Given the answers so far, the TAS people were beginning to believe this whole thing was a 'bait and switch' where Lady Mikah and her crew wanted to use them only for what they wanted.  Many in that group wondered if they'd find any value in the meeting at all?  The executive stood and bluntly asked, "Are there any other topics you do not wish to speak on or have raised?"  More conciliatory, Mikah answered, "Umm, I don't think so.  We'll let you know as we go along."

Shaking his head, the executive said, "I don't think you understand.  We need to lock these limits down now so they can be encoded in the contract.  Rol made things even worse when he opened with, "We'd like to limit the discussion to the bounty on our heads.  Its falsity in terms of payment and validity."  That confirmed for the TAS staff the crew only wanted to use TAS for their benefit and give them nothing.  Not even a bone.  A number of the TAS people wondered why they'd not yet left?

Mikah again pushed, "Well, you can ask us general questions, but where it comes to tactical or strategic questions about our deployment in certain systems?  We're not gonna talk about that.  So, this would have to be handled on a case-by-case basis."  The executive shook his head because what Mikah had just said entirely ignored what he'd just told her.  He'd said they had to encode the limits in the contract.  So, they needed the specifics.  And they also had to write in the limits, so there was no "case by case".

In the silence that followed, the TAS people took notes on their datapads and noteputers while looking glumly at each other.  The executive then said, "So far, this is turning out to be no more than a public service announcement which you hope benefits you and your crew.  We had hoped there would be much wider areas of conversation.  Obviously, with regard to Sir Rol, the questions regarding his actions during the war have been put to rest.  Mikah then interrupted him and said, "OK, let's put it this way.  If you ask a question to which the answer is classified, we will not be answering it."  Nodding, the executive admitted that wasn't an issue in a tone that said that should be obvious.

The executive continued, "We understand and support that and will protect your rights to keep any classified data entirely secret."  Zimzod, Mikah and Rol had all remembered the same promise was given and kept when Rol did his interview back on Rhylanor.  Picking that up, Rol said, "We would agree to answer what we can answer.  But we reserve the right to not answer a question if we feel the answer is classified.  Or, where the answers we give might put us in legal jeopardy."  As he spoke, Jocelynn said, "Agreed."  Nodding, the executive reminded Rol those requirements were standard clauses in any media contract.  To knowingly reveal and broadcast classified Imperial data was against Imperial law and harshly punished.

While no one had yet said anything, the room seemed to become a lot brighter, and the TAS people were all hopeful.  So, the executive asked if their willingness to answer questions extended to the Rech system and the Dawnstar Horizon and Rol firmly said, "Yes."  With things now getting interesting, the TAS man said they had to decide where the interview would happen and when?  Rol and Jocelynn led the calls to have them done in the TAS studios.  Nodding, the TAS News producer said Lady Mikah Kirlim and Sirs Sir Aidan Radetsky and Sir Zimzod Egosion were considered the headliners, as the only present survivors of the Dawnstar Horizon.  TAS was willing to offer them Cr 25,000 each for their interviews.

The others, not considering Colinne or Sekea, who could contribute would be paid Cr 10,000 for taking part in the interviews.  When they found that reasonable, the next question was when they could schedule the interview for?  Everyone agreed to do the interview three days later, in the early afternoon at the TAS offices.  It was not commented that those not expecting to be involved in the interview should not come with the rest because that message had now been delivered.  Twice.

Done with that, the producer and editorial people moved forward and she said, "Now, let's talk about this bounty."  With rough brushstrokes, tell us your understanding of the bounty and how it came to be?"  Jocelynn was the first to speak, and she said they'd only learned of the bounty after the attack on Ghandi's mainport station.  Following that, she said they'd done some research without mentioning the IRIS agent who'd told them the details.  Especially where none of the authorities in the Ghandi system could or would give them anything meaningful.

Given what they'd learned and what they knew about the collapse of Stepozhevac, Jocelynn felt it was simply responsible to start telling people the bounty was fake.  Especially where innocent people were dying or being threatened.  Of course, no one on Lanth had died, but Jocelynn was certain TAS had huge files of video and data on what happened in the Ghandi system.  Suddenly, as Jocelynn was getting ready to continue, her comms started to buzz like mad.  In fact, the comms of every member of the crew had also gone crazy.  They had no way to know it but back at the ship, Colinne's comms was also going crazy.  Having all looked at the caller ID, no one was sure who said it first, but they all echoed the comment, "I don't know any law firm called Phleti, Irbdeli and Worall.

That stopped them all again.  Cold.  Because they were all being separately called by what they could only guess were different operators from the same law firm!  Not having any way to explain that, they each started answering their calls.  As Colinne had on the ship, they were each greeted by a different caller who said they were working for the law firm, and told a member of the minor Aslan Clan named "Khtaeiyousta'aaah hlea'airl" had 'declared war' on the crew of the IMS Upgrade.  When members of the crew asked why, some much less sharply than Mikah's demand, they were told they had to visit the law office for a full explanation.

Hearing that, Mikah snapped, and demanded, "No!  You can tell us right now!" and was told, in no uncertain terms, that - No!  Her caller couldn't.  They didn't work that high up the food chain, nor did they have anything other than what they'd said.  Still, Mikah turned to the TAS team, who had already broken out their gear and looked like they were gonna have puppies, and said, "Hey TAS, you want another story?"  Zimzod broke the brief pause that followed with, "Wow.  Control.  No one's creaming themselves."  No one else laughed because none of them had yet peeled themselves from the compartment roof.

Holding the comms so she was certain the caller could hear, Mikah told the TAS folks, "These jokers are telling us that an Aslan clan has decided to declare war on us."  Hearing that, the TAS team had mixed expressions of joy - for the bonus they were gonna get - and serious.  Because they knew that lawyers calling about Aslan war declarations was a deadly serious business.  When the news producer asked why, and if the caller had given them any details, Mikah sarcastically said, "No.  They said we have to go to their offices." In indignation.  Of course, if Mikah had listened, she could have added that the caller knew nothing.

The TAS lawyer stepped in and agreed they did have to go to the law offices.  When the crew looked at him in surprise, he told them the information they'd obviously been paid to deliver couldn't be told over comms.  They were being paid and had to insure they were properly delivering the information to only the correct people in a respectful and secure manner.  While Mikah was openly disgusted with the situation, Rol looked around and said it seemed they had to deal with that before they could continue talking about the bounty.

TAS said they were done setting up the interview and would provide them secure cars to and from that event.  They also said they'd send a team to the Aslan enclave to see what data they could get on the war?  The crew were warned this sort of breaking news would hit the station feed very quickly without mentioning that at least one of the techs in the room was checking in with their management as things happened there.  They added that they would like the crew to sign papers and contract TAS to cover both this war and the crew's activities and reactions to the situation so they could bring it to the masses.

None of the crew really cared what TAS was asking but they did say it was OK.  When Jocelynn said she was going to the lawyers right after they were done, Rol asked if he could ride along?  Zimzod said he thought they should all get a car and go together.  On the ship, Colinne felt she had to go to the law offices.  When Jocelynn agreed with Zimzod, they had Mr. Loger call a car for them.  At the same time, Loger was like a kid whose birthday wonder gift had been smashed to pieces.  Just when he thought he could report to station management that everything was smoothing out, this came like a meteor out of the sky.  Now, he had no idea how this latest mess would play out?  But they did pay for the car to the lawyers.

When they were all seated and introduced to the lawyer handling the case, Mr. Huastest first made it clear they'd been hired only as a communications link.  The legal aspects of the war were all being handled in-house by Clan Khtaeiyousta'aaah hlea'airl lawyers.  He did say they'd been contacted without regard to any skill their firm had in Aslan legal proceedings.  Still, he affirmed that their firm had worked hard to study Aslan law and be prepared, with more than one enclave of them on-station and in-system.  Past that, Mr. Huastest was emphatic the crew needed a lawyer to deal with their side of the legal issues.  That said, he offered to sign a retainer to act as their representation.

Jocelynn smacked that offer aside, saying, "Oh.  Isn't that convenient." even though she'd later learn their offer was very reasonable given the crew's situation.  Still, at the moment, she asked if they couldn't just be told what was going on?  Mr. Huastest was good with just leaping into the situation, but did tell them that if the crew hired them, they could address some points with advice they'd hold back in a simple description.  When Rol and Jocelynn pushed to just be told what was going on, Huastest had them sit and started his summation.

Starting to speak, Mr. Huastest reminded the crew Mikah, Jocelynn and Fesic had dined at an Aslan restaurant recently.  And, during that event, Jocelynn had offered several low-ranking Aslan males rifles, of which the Clan bought two.  The males who received the rifles then had the onus of proving themselves and earning honor, or dying in the attempt.  Moving past what the crew already knew, Huastest told them that one of the workers had died in his attempt for honor while the other, Ealekheieaahaiw, had won his challenge.  Now having gained a slight level of honor in the eyes of the Aslan, this new warrior was faced with finding ways to gain more honor or life at the bottom of the heap.

Even though the crew of the Upgrade were not Aslan, they "had names".  That meant challenging them could earn him honor.  So, due to motives they could only guess at, the Aslan warrior approached his leaders and asked for command, so he could challenge the crew.  Based on their reputation, and the belief they'd fought for their lords, the Aslan allowed it.  That meant Ealekheieaahaiw could gain serious honor if he led the unit he was granted to victory.  Because of this, the Clan's legal team were now reaching out to them to negotiate the rules of the declared war.

Because most of the crew didn't understand how a war was managed and held by the Aslan, Huastest explained.  The Aslan fought war in various ways.  The first, and the one every Imperial citizen was familiar with, was all out war.  In that case, armies of warriors and fleets of ships went head-to-head in devastating combat actions. Outside of that, Aslan males were so combative that smaller wars and conflicts had sparked up far too often in the early history of Aslan society.  Because of that, an entire legal industry grew with the task of managing the smaller wars from expanding into devastating internal or inter-clan conflicts.

When Jocelynn asked if they could simply not fight and concede the fight, she was told that would be seen as an insult, making things worse.  With that question, Mr. Huastest realized these people understood nothing about Aslans, their honor or their wars.  Given the crew were not clients, he gave them an abbreviated explanation about how Aslan "wars" were negotiated and limited in scale and scope.  When Jocelynn pointed out the local government said they couldn't have weapons in-system, Mr. Huastest said the government wouldn't likely be concerned with they're using their weapons for that.  It spoke volumes about some in the crew that their ability to use their toys almost wiped the awareness of their situation aside.

Still, he told them this war declaration was a reach for honor.  This wasn't driven by anger, hate or any of the normal motives.  It was just an Aslan warrior doing what they did.  But, if he and his warriors managed to kill the entire crew as part of the war, they could also claim the MCR 300 bounty.  The lawyer had to consider that factored into the clan's thinking before giving the warrior permission to make the challenge.  Hearing that, Mikah angrily burst out with , "Well, first off.  There is no three hundred million!" as if anyone considering collecting the cash was just going to hear that and say, "Oh!  Ok." and go home.  Especially if they heard it from the intended target.

Rol snarked, "When they kill you, make sure your last words are how the bounty doesn't exist."  Rol then asked if they had to kill the Aslan warriors to win and they were told they could get away with making them combat ineffective.  He added that what combat ineffective means would have to be defined in the legal negotiations, so they would need a lawyer informed in Aslan law.  Rol nodded and said, "We have some room to work with because it is an honor challenge."  Mr. Huastest explained that the next step was to negotiate the rules for the "War".  When he said that he was certain one of their 'absolute' demands would be that every member of their crew take part, Mikah snarled, "Absolutely not!" as if she actually thought she had any control over the question.

Considering that, Jocelynn and Rol agreed they'd be putting that law firm on retainer.  When they said so, they were told the lawyers wanted a Cr 5,000 retainer and Jocelynn paid the bill from ship's funds. Now, as representing attorneys, Mr. Huastest said he'd have staffers look into exclusion clauses or other Aslan code that might limit who could fight.  Especially since Zimzod, Fesic and Aali were wounded already.  Huastest also suggested they could dig at asking what honor would be gained by challenging already-wounded opponents?

Huastest also planned to look into their rights to choose the venue, or battlescape.  If they had that, they could drive the Aslan to fight ship to ship, in space.  That would protect less ground-combat ready crew from having to engage Aslan warriors on a battlefield.  Rol theorized that they might throw away not only advantages, but force balancing elements in the pursuit of more honor.  Huastest agreed with that theory and said they would test that in negotiations.  When Mikah firmly said, "Well, we're not doing anything to the death", again, like she had any control over the situation, Rol pointed out they might not have control over that.

Mikah clarified that they could have control if they demanded it, but the lawyer shook his head and said it didn't work that way.  He pointed out they could only control what they could legally control.  Demands had nothing to do with it.  That was, unless they wanted to create more fights over the process. Rol asked who fast they could get the talks started and Huastest said he actually wanted to delay things 24 hours, for time to dig into some of the finer points they wanted to more completely understand.  Nodding at that, Jocelynn said she had one request.

When the lawyer looked at her, Jocelynn said she wanted this war to happen after their planned TAS interview.  That way, she hoped to use their announcement the bounty was fake to humiliate the warrior.  Part of the problem with that, as the lawyer had said, was that they had no control over the timing - yet.  The second problem with that was that they - the targets - would be making that claim.  So, they'd have a serious credibility problem with the viewing public.  No matter how much they "claimed" the bounty was fake, that was not something they could prove was fact.  Because of that, their high level of confidence that there was no guarantee their claims would have any impact at all.  It was just their best play at the moment.

Scrolling back past that, however, the bounty had nothing to do with the war.  Ealekheieaahaiw was in this for the honor.  There was no evidence he was even aware of the bounty because Aslan males were famously entirely uneducated in the ways of money and economics.  Even if he did have that understanding, he may only have used that as a lure to get the clan leadership to give him his boot stripes.  It was obvious to the lawyer he was only in it for the honor of the fight.  So, his fighting and surviving would be of value in itself.

When Jocelynn wondered at the station's reactions again, Huastest said the station wouldn't have issues with whatever gear they used for the war, so long as it was properly stored afterwards.  Rol asked and was told that the Aslan wouldn't move before the contract for the war had been settled.  That would have been dishonorable.  Huastest also let them know the war challenge was running on the TAS banners as breaking news.  To that, he asked if they wanted his firm to hire them as public relations and media support?  Jocelynn simply said, "Yes." and was told they wouldn't charge a new retainer.

Mr. Huastest said they should run all questions from the media through his firm before answering, to the extent they could.  That said, he did acknowledge the fact they'd already signed a fairly open and barely restricted contract for an interview already.  Huastest also pointed out that TAS could ask questions about the now-announced war, so their crew should be very conservative when giving answers.  Unless they could have the time to run the questions past the lawyers, but he didn't feel that would be possible.  Above all, Mr. Huastest wanted to impress them that what the Aslan were doing was an act of honor.  Because of that, everyone involved needed to act with respect and courtesy or they may be seen as having violated the rules.  Even if the negotiations haven't been finished yet.

Another of the lawyers said, in all honesty, that some of the Aslan warriors involved may expect members of the crew to connect with them.  And even drink together to celebrate the coming challenge.  So, the way the Aslan conduct challenges like that are, in a way, there to protect the participants.  And it would be up to the crew to keep things respectful, or suffer reactions that could include sudden assaults where an insult was felt.  And, Aslan warriors took insults very easily.

When Mikah made a joke about inviting them to the ship and feeding them "vargr juice", the crew laughed and the lawyers realized it was some kind of in-joke.  When the joke was explained, they cautioned that the Aslan might accuse the crew of poisoning the warriors, which would end very badly for them.  Especially since they didn't know how the cocktail of drugs would affect Aslan biology? 

Yard Sales And You
     Returning to the ship from the lawyers, they'd agreed to let the Aslan make the first move and see where they stood after negotiations began?  Mikah also said they had to now move their combat gear into the berth before they moved the ship to the yard.  While they rode, Jocelynn's comms started buzzing and she answered to find it was port offices.  They told her the paperwork to shift command in the registry was ready for the next step.  So, they had to come to the Registry office to move the process forward.  Wanting to just get things done, Mikah diverted the driver and they all went to cool their heels at the office while Mikah and Jocelynn finished the forms.  Since Rol volunteered to pay for the ride, he was first on the hook for Cr 20.

Everyone in the office stopped to look up in surprise and curiosity when so many people arrived at once.  Even where some ship's entire crew arrived, they were normally five or fewer.  Only the command staffers from ships with larger crews usually come to the office.  That 'moment of tension' expanded when the crew realized that vid screens around the compartment had rolling 24-hour news playing, to occupy the minds of people waiting to be cared for.  And reports on the early breaking news talked about how few details were available yet as they walked in.  Still, the broadcast included pictures of them all, and some discussion about the recent ambush shooting.  So, everyone in the office was shocked to have a news story walk in their office door.

Not certain what was happening, someone must have tripped a silent warning as security from other parts of the office came into the compartment.  One of the office staffers cautiously stepped forward and asked, "Can we help you?" in a hopeful tone.  Mikah shook her head and snarked, "Calm down people." in a tone of almost disbelief in how easily spooked they were.  Jocelynn told them her name and said they were just there to finish up some paperwork in a bored and slightly annoyed tone.  When the staffer was able to pull up the paperwork, things settled down very quickly and they had Mikah and Jocelynn sit to do the work.

The process not only included forms, but demanded one-on-one conversations with both Mikah and Jocelynn.  The steps also demanded a Cr 2,000 fee be paid before the data could be replicated to the registry database.  That was because this data was shared out to other solar systems along the xboat network.  Both Mikah and Jocelynn were very surprised when they finished, and were told the work would be done and they'd be updated that the databases were updated and the change of command was posted.  Both had expected to be told to go to yet another office, but that wasn't the case.  They also told Jocelynn that she would be recognized with command rights for the Upgrade even now.  So she could act as the ship's captain.

After the thanks, for returning to the office so quickly, the crew gathered to leave.  As she was about to step through the office portal, Jocelynn suddenly turned back to the room and loudly said, "BOO!"  She then smiled and left.  Grabbing a second portCab, they went back to the berth, where Rol paid Cr 30 cab fare for the large cab they'd hired.  At the berth, they started moving all their weapons and combat gear into section of the berth as a temporary armory.  Pulling his gear, Aiden chose to leave the primitive 2.4mm revolver he'd bought on Denotam behind.

While everyone else emptied every combat resource they had out into the berth armory, they had the TAS interview in three days.  Their lawyers had also let them know they would formally start negotiations the day after that.  So, the war would happen well after the interview.  While they talked about who to try to exclude from the war, they were all certain Fesic didn't want to take part.  He even volunteered to guard their rear - in the ship, manning its guns - from well outside the combat zone.  No one was amused.  Rol reacted to his comments by saying Fesic would be their point man and that got some laughs.

Still, there was no way they could yet enforce exclusions.  Just like the ambush, you will be involved in combat if you are a member of the crew.  When Mikah suggested it would be dishonorable to force people who were not trained combat specialists to fight, she ignored the fact that they were known as a crew.  They were all listed as troubleshooters and all recognized in media as having taken part in everything from ship-to-ship actions to shooting events.  So, their "reputation" and the media coverage suggested they all were "combat experienced" even if they were not "combat trained".  And, suggesting the reports were wrong would also suggest the crew allowed the media to lie, which would be an act of dishonor itself.

After they moved the combat gear to the berth stateroom, Aiden asked if they should also move the cargo out of the ship.  Given the open berth space they had, even with the ship in the compartment, Jocelynn agreed they should and also had everyone pull their 'junk sale' gear while she emptied "for sale" things from the ship's locker.  After that was done, Aiden moved the ship to the shipyard, so they could get to work.  They promised a report for the crew in the next week or so.

Shortly after Aiden left with the ship, Jocelynn got a comms and answered, "Dame Guerrek".  The caller turned out to be Mie Ver-bwhep, who Jocelynn had hired to be their cargo broker.  When she asked what was up, the Bwap said it was disturbed.  Teh first issue was that Aiden's Light Assault Gun, Mikah's submachinegun and Emkir's sealed combat armor were intrinsically combat oriented equipment.  Because of that, they were strictly illegal to sell and own privately in the Lanth system.  Given that, he would not broker those items for the crew.  Sadly, that was not what bothered the creature.

Much of being a broker had nothing to do with the actual goods being bought or sold.  It had to do with inter-relationships and the effect of events on what was wanted or needed in a given market.  That, and a myriad of other factors combined into how a skilled broker could craft a deal for a client.  Because of that, he had been building and maintaining profile models of the market and for the crew, as one of his clients.  But, in the course of the day and night before, it seemed their crew had suddenly been all over the network and the subject of constant chatter, which led it to research specifically what was happening.  It then started using that data to update its models.

While it said it was working more on managing that data, the bwap told Jocelynn a side effect of their sudden notoriety was that people had started taking notice on what they had for sale.  The more focused market meant a number of those people were reaching out to buy the items the crew could see, which did not include their cargo yet.  The first item to be sold was a laser sight unit Sekea was getting rid of.  The buyer was offering a shocking Cr 24,300!  Jocelynn was so shocked she let slip a "Damn!"  She then said, "Done!" and that deal was closed.

Next was a silver stylus Zach had owned before he died.  When the Bwap mentioned it, Jocelynn remembered she'd been told that had come from the wreck of the Quasar Viper.  It was old enough an artifact that the device would have to be modified to be used with modern datapads.  The offer on that was Cr 167, but Jocelynn wanted it to ask the buyer if they would pay Cr 200?  The bwap interrupted, saying the buyer had left their contact link and wanted a call back.  That was because they also had a treated leather-like document pouch from the same era, sold by a shop on Capital and a set of five gold-plated buttons from the same era.  So they wanted to talk about perhaps bundling the items.

A more complicated set of offers were on the two Darrian styled suits which were "day suit" copies of a main suit, all three of which had been gifts from Duke Luis' of Lunion.  Ironically, they also had the main suit up for sale, but the buyer hadn't posted on that garment.  The buyer was offering Cr 170, and had given their comms code, so they could ask questions about the items owned by Sir Terin.  Even more comedic, a second buyer also offered some cash and left their code to be called.  Two buyers had also made offers on one of Emkir's items and both had left contact data hoping to possibly buy more.  And, since the bwap wouldn't handle Emkir's sealed combat armor, that was something they could sell free of a broker's fee so long a they didn't get arrested for it.

Getting back to "normal", a buyer was offering Cr 600 for the TL 12 field laser communicator.  A final buyer offered Cr 780 for Zach's nomadic robes.  That came from someone with an academic comms node.  That buyer also attached a comms code with a request to be called.  Thanking the bwap, Jocelynn took the names, contact links and other data and started making calls.  She told everyone payment would be in advance and electronic.  After her crew confirmed the payment, buyers would be given the berth data so they could come to pick up, or have a service pick up, what they'd paid for.  The buyer for the sights was happy with that had Jocelynn made sure the payment went to Sekea, because the sights had come from him.

Jocelynn then called the person who'd made the offer on the stylus because she wanted to tell that buyer about the pouch and uniform buttons.  Jocelynn learned the buyer was a staffer for the Imperial War Museum of Lanth, and hoped to add to the museum's collections.  when Jocelynn offered the idea for a bundle, the buyer asked what her ship wanted for all three together?  when Jocelynn asked for Cr 400, the man agreed and sent the cash right off.  That payment went to the ship's funds.

The next items Jocelynn wanted to deal with were Terin's goods.  Calling the first of two buyers, the man turned out to be involved in the fashion industry on Lanth.  Jocelynn listed out all of the goods Terin had left behind, and learned he only wanted the one suit, and was offering Cr 170.  Since the suit was easily worth Cr 1,000 or more - given it had been a gift from Duke Luis', Jocelynn told the man she had other buyers and would call him later if the suit were still available.

The second buyer turned out to be a niche footwear collector, and it turned out Terin had owned a pair of notable casual shoes, even if they didn't look special at all.  Doing a very quick network search, Jocelynn couldn't find anything on the shoes so she let them go for Cr 23, which went to the ship's funds.  Done with that buyer, she called the first buyer back and asked if he would go up to Cr 200 on the suit?  When the buyer said he wouldn't raise his offer, Jocelynn sold the suit for Cr 170.  Jocelynn next had to consider the buyers out for some of Emkir's stuff.

Two buyers had offered to buy Emkir's tuxedo and a third had made an offer on Emkir's nomadic robes from Jae Tellona.  When she called the academic, Jocelynn learned the buyer was working in a study group digging into the nomads of Jae Tellona.  Thanks to that, the man was very interested when Jocelynn told him they had Zach's leftover robes too.  Jocelynn then had to tell the man there might be others making offers on the robes, so she had to check with those buyers to learn the range of items she had on offer before she could sell anything to him.  He was good with that and asked her to call him back once she knew.

Calling the first contact interested in the tux, Jocelynn explained she had a range of other items that had been owned by Sir Emkir.  She mentioned the robes, and also said there was an item off-list due to its legality to sell in-system.  When the buyer asked, she told him it was a set of sealed combat armor.  The buyer was duly impressed but he was part of a fashion agency and was only interested in the tuxedo.  Nodding, Jocelynn told him she had to call one other buyer since he was obviously educated and low-balling her.

The second buyer listened to Jocelynn explain the situation and got very excited about the combat armor, after she mentioned it.  when the man asked about the height, weight and other factors the suit was made to fit, he realized it wouldn't fit him but might fit someone he knew.  So, he asked how much Jocelynn wanted for everything they had from Emkir.  Excusing herself, Jocelynn asked what the man's interest was in Sir Emkir and his property?  The man introduced himself as Sir Gojege Juanor, and said he'd noticed they were selling Sir Emkir's Order of the March Defenders uniform.

Having then done his research, he knew Emkir had worn the tux during his wedding, which was officiated over by Arch Duke Norris, and in the Grand Duchess Delphine's gardens.  So he was originally interested in the tuxedo, for a historic archive he was part of, but was now much more interested in the combat armor.  And he was willing to grease the wheels on the deal by buying everything they had which Emkir had owned, for his archive.  Responding to how much she wanted, Jocelynn said the sealed armor would be KCr 30, which was retail for the armor but cheap when it included the add-ons.

Going through the list of everything they'd had from Emkir, Jocelynn finally asked for KCr 35 and the buyer asked for KCr 30.  They negotiated and finally came to KCr 33 for everything including the robes, which the buyer didn't want to start with.  So, the money was exchanged and Jocelynn gave the man the berth ID to come get his new toys.  When the man asked for the gear to be shipped to him, Jocelynn checked the costs and saw it would cost Cr 500.  When she told the buyer, he said he was good with that and sent her the additional cash.  After the deal was closed and they were off the line, Jocelynn told Aali she was getting that pay-day.

Next, Jocelynn called the academic guy and let him know Emkir's robes had sold to someone else.  He still wanted Zach's robes and paid Cr 780.  Last of all, Jocelynn called the buyer offering Cr 600 for the TL 12 field laser comms and that buyer sent the cash.  Over the remainder of the day, buyers showed up at the berth to pick up their purchases and Jocelynn shipped off the gear to the one man.  The broker's fee covered everything except the KCr 30 for the combat armor, so that was 10% of Cr 29,273 or Cr 2,927.

    Sunday, 116-1114: Nearing Lunch
Where everyone is at the end of the session:
     Jocelynn: In the berth after having sold off some "yard sale" gear
     Everyone else: Having just returned from the lawyers to the berth

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Next: Pending