Interlude at Rhylanor
This note is from the Sep 22, 2013 session and was mostly written by Carl with input from Kay and I. I did the renderings using Kerkythea and Sketchup.
Continued from Twilight's Peak - Conclusion
Location: In hyperspace between Fulacin and Rhylanor in the Rhylanor Subsector.
Imperial Date: 284-1103
About an hour into jump space the cleanup had started, with Fig on an IV for blood replacement and saline, plus a broad spectrum antibiotic that Medicus thought wise. Fig had lost a lot of blood the day before when an Ancient warrior had shot off his prosthetic arm, leaving a gaping hole where the mount had been attached.
The Zhodani had pretty well trashed the Skylark 2, spreading all our food (two unopened LS packs plus the shelved items), our ship's locker, and nearly every cabinet or box in the whole ship all over the place. This was not going to be a quick pretend dusting.
Leon and Kipenzi were in the engine area, continuing the analysis and checking of everything (we had no plans to do anything but eat, sleep as needed, and check stuff for the entire week in jump). Sam was starting on the spilled food in the galley.
Medicus, minding the helm and
eagle-eyeing the gauges and meters, heard a different sound at that
point. You can well and truly believe that ANYTHING different right then
was a great big red flag demanding attention, so he let the entire ship
know that we had an event going on.
Listening closely they determined that something was in a ventilator duct, with one possible opening onto the bridge. After blocking off the vent onto the bridge, and using the bio scanner, Kipenzi learned that the unknown was a small rat-like (or at least about rat-sized) biological organism, probably got in while the doors were open after the Zhodani broke in. During that time, Sam found a couple of gnawed food packets as well.
Another life sign was discovered in the scattered food packs, and Sam put it immediately into a sealed metal food case. Discovering one in the trash compactor was a surprise, but after compression did NOT kill it we got a little more concerned. After the scanner found a fourth one in the life support system, it was red flags all around. Life support percolated to the top of the priority list, so Kipenzi and Leon put their heads together and caught it eating an air filter and dumped it into another metal box. 10cm long, black, rat like, soon to be dead.
Inspecting the trash compactor revealed a hole in the back, leading into space between the walls, causing us more concern, but the one in the vent was now the highest priority. Sealing off a general area it was in, and injecting CO2 solved that problem. We determined that the reading in the food pack and the one in the trash were both eggs. All went into the metal case, for later disposal. Full scan of the ship ensued, and no further life signs were detected.
Back to the general cleanup.
As well as just surviving the trip, a super high priority was to let the Navy know about the Zhodani presence at Fulacin, and after some discussion we decided that 90+% honesty was the best way to do that. Basically we would tell them we are traders, and were on Fulacin to evaluate the marketability of the hides and meat of the indigenous fauna (Kipenzi's hunting permit lines up well with that). We saw the octagonal building during our hunt, and set down to look at it. Pretty much a full disclosure, leaving out any mention of our time on Vanejen (not lying, just not sticking it right in their faces that we were on planet during the time in which the research facility was likely visited)
Another consideration was the loot we got from the Haunting Thunder, and the two lifters the Ancient folk gave us as a going away present. Sadly, we did not have to worry about the Haunting Thunder computer, because the Zhodani had taken it - we really really hope that it was just a target of opportunity, because they took all our hard media as well (likely thinking it was backups) and downloaded all our computer logs. With luck, and the Fulacin atmosphere, none of that made it back to anyone who might pass it on to 'them'.
We taped together a package consisting of:
- The Saber and the two uniforms from the Haunting Thunder.
- The Forged documents we used on Vanejen.
- A copy of our video from Fulacin.
- The two VACC suits from the Haunting Thunder.
- Both ancient lift devices
These were connected together firmly and ready to deploy when we could
Jumping into the Rhylanor system on 294-1103, we decided our best option was to put the rats out on a random trajectory and our 'package' equipped with a short range transmitter beacon that we would later turn on electronically out on a known trajectory. Whenever our repairs and whatever else was needful had been done, we could find it. In theory...
We called the Navy and after a little talk got cleared into the Navy base for a face to face with Intelligence. Kipenzi, Sam and Leon went in and in relatively short order convinced them that there was something real at Fulacin and it needed to be at the very least investigated.
With Leon being his normally professional Navy communicator, they actually did pay attention, and after a day or so some Intelligence personnel and an Ancient Specialist really listened, and we were cut loose after only 3 days at the station. Already there was some unusual naval activity going on in the system.
While we were sitting at the naval base, one of the ships in the Spinward Point to Point race, the Awful Annie popped out into the system. We read a little about it:
The First Spinward Point-to-Point Race was begun on 067-1103, from the specially constructed launch station in orbit over Trin. Contestants in the race were required to collect encrypted data chips from offices on Glisten, Mora, Lunion, Rhylanor, Lanth, Regina and Frenzie, returning the set to Trin in the shortest time. The cost of the elaborate anti-cheating precautions alone was immense, prompting several Imperial ministries to denounce the competition as a “silly game for people with too much money and nothing better to do.” Despite this, several nobles entered the race in person, as did teams from the Imperial Navy, Scout Service, and strangely, the Army, competing against sponsored vessels representing corporate and planetary interests.
An early casualty was the Tukera Lines entry, which suffered a jump-drive failure and never cleared the system. The skipper was philosophical: “Someone sabotaged us. It happens.”
Maybe we will think about that someday, when we are rich folk of leisure.
Over the next several weeks, we repaired ($$$ OUCH) and refitted and replaced all our stuff, and Fig got his new left arm. This one is a planned upgrade, with a sensor package in the hand (motion, EM, Geiger counter, temperature and metal detection; hand itself and supporting arm have a 75meter cord and firing ability, with full hand control while deployed.)
A good deal of our time was spent discussing Keanou, the planet where Medicus grew up. His ring vibrated when we got near the door to the ancient site on Fulacin, and Keanou (in the prison, in his teens) is where he got it. Medicus was not a prisoner, just the son of the prison doctor and a reasonable medic even at that time. Having seen one ancient site up close, there is no way in known space that we would not give it a try if there might be another, and the unfriendly atmosphere on Keanou lends a little more hope that we might find another. Fulacin's atmosphere, we learned from the ancients, was part of their defense system. However, the taint in the atmosphere of Keanou seems to be naturally occurring dust from the surface, most of which is trackless desert.
Tarkwall prison, an Imperial Detention Facility, is an even less nice place than you would think a prison would be. The inmates are largely used as miners, and conditions are unkind. [Pitchblende mine = uranium=radiation poisoning= life sentences] There is an annual influx of freelance and commercial miners as well, when rains make it possible for 'regular folk' to try and score big due to dust-spice which is gathered right after it rains. We had about 6 weeks until that time arrived, if historical weather patterns are reliable.
Orion Metallurgy controls the formal mining on planet, and has an office on Rhylanor.
No landing is allowed other than at the space port, but it looks like they would be hard pressed to monitor or do anything about it, so we got the air raft (the brand new air raft) fitted with a Ground Penetrating Radar, hoping that we might find a surface access to the mine that the prison harvests. That is our goal, for now.
The rumor when Medicus was there was that some people tried and maybe succeeded in escaping that way, though the planetary map makes that look like a frying pan --> fire kind of thing. Desert planet, bleak and hostile.
Medicus found a relatively current list of inmates, and actually remembers knowing 6 of them.
We failed to find any real geological maps or information about the planet, but we did get 40 year old maps of the known mines as a starting point.
Leon talked with the local office of Orion corp., and while he was told that almost everything is a trade secret, he did get a letter of introduction to their facility on Keanou. I am still not sure how he does it, but he definitely has 'it' a lot of the time.
At one of the universities, in the geology department, Kipenzi made a lucky find about the planet. While there was no information about any caves in the area of the prison, she did get a decent article on how they would form if they were present.
It is possible for someone to visit prisoners, and we discussed Medicus going in and talking to folks he knew. No doubt there would be extensive supervision but many a guard will take 5 for the proper incentive.
Fig's VACC suit was modified to allow clamping down the left sleeve and removing the glove, in the event that we ever need to use 'the hand'.
(NEVER to be known as 'the claw')
What about calling it Thing? - Terry
The Skylark 2 in Bay B12 after getting repaired and a new two-tone paint job.
We stocked up on supplies, atmosphere masks, anti-radiation meds (the mines are radioactive to one degree or another) goggles, etc, (etc includes 5 probe balls with flight capability full spectrum sensors & holo projectors - Kipenzi) and were pretty well set to launch with a full hold for an intermediate stop at Tureded for trading. Not going back to Fulacin any time soon as the Navy has closed the starport due to ‘technical difficulties’ around the planet and has set up a tanker barge in space so that any ships traveling into the system can ‘gas up’ and be on their way without setting foot on the planet.
On the way out, we heard a news report that the Navy had raided the offices of MagetoDynamics on Rhylanor- but no specific details.
Before we jump to Tureded, we found and picked up the jettisoned package of the Haunting Thunder and Ancient tech.
Continued in: Prison Planet Part 1
See Also: Dramatis Personæ, Skylark 2, Campaign Starts, The 2nd Adventure, The Chamax Plague, Horde, Shadows, Research Station Gamma, Twilight's Peak.
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