Prison Planet, Part 1
This note is from the Oct 6, 2013 session and was mostly written by Carl
with input from Kay and I. I did the models in Sketchup and rendered them in Kerkythea.
Continued from: Interlude at Rhylanor
Location: The planet Rhylanor in the Rhylanor Subsector.
Imperial Date: 340-1103
We were ready to go, all cargo-loaded and ready to blast off for
Tureded, enroute to Keanu. As the last few days wound down, we found an
off-the-book weapons shop and made a few discrete purchases for those
times when just nothing else will quite do.
As well as that, to celebrate the new arm Fig went out and got some personal art applied.
On top of forearm:
Sam had done his usual superb job of in-port trading, and we were bucks up as our third year of travel and joint adventuring was winding to a close.
Leon,
in a little departure from his usual calm and reserved demeanor, got
Fig a hook attachment in case the new hand ever became detached.
The ship was fully checked over, repaired and everything we had lost or that we were suspicious of was replaced.
340-1103: We launched off and precision astrogation put us almost right on top of our package (the Haunting Thunder stuff, etc). With the Skylark 2 design, everyone who is not formally occupied with something has the ability to display whatever they like on their console, and as a rule anyone who isn't doing something else is looking at the sensor display, so we had plenty of eyes on target as we approached.
Though it may have been a false positive that Medicus noted (or we really missed the boat in our examination) Kipenzi went out to the package with full scanners and checked thoroughly before loading it for another more comprehensive inspection for bugs, traps, etc. We found nothing amiss, and unpacked for the jump to Tureded.
Doing the space inspection did allow us to fully ops-check the modification to Fig's VACC suit, allowing him to remove the left glove in space without losing suit pressure and life support, just in case the new hand ever becomes needful, and it worked exactly as we had hoped the seals would hold.
341-1103: Jump to Tureded.
348-1103: Into the Tureded system, an almost perfect textbook arrival as planned. There was a 100 ton former Scout ship that was now being used as mining vessel a little closer than we would have wanted, but Medicus had seen enough things close up by then to handle it well.
Tureded has 4 spaceports evenly spaced around the equator. Since part of the reason for coming here was to visit the Octagon building we had read of in the Octagon History we found some time back, we landed at the nearest to the Octagon. It had been converted to a bar, and as full a scan as we were able to do (pretty darned full with the gear we have now) showed no basement, hidden passages or secret doors. Looked like just one more place we could have come to enroute to Fulacin.
We took pictures of ourselves in front of it kind of like the 20th Century garden travel gnome, only we take pics in front of octagon bldgs. Throughout the sector - Kipenzi
Checking with Departure Control, we learned (no surprise) that Fulacin Downport was still closed, with refueling available from space-based Navy barges. We had (and have) plans to return there to see if the two other sites were still at the poles or if the Droynezillas had nuked them too, but know it will be a good long time before it will be possible, and likely longer before it would be wise. That will be for another day.
Cargo dealings and refueling completed, we jumped out for Keanu on
356-1103, arriving in space on 363-1103 and down on planet in time for
the New Years celebrations.
The rains that would bring up the frantic spice mining harvest had not yet begun, but clouds on the horizon told everyone that it would not be long. Two other merchant ships are in port waiting for the spice harvest: a 400 ton Aslan and a 200 ton. Leon commented that he hoped no Makers would show up, but never explained that. He is impenetrable much of the time. [I think you mean inscrutable - Kipenzi]
The Class C spaceport was near a city of about 6000, about half way around the desert planet from our target area, and with the New Year’s Day celebrations going we just went with the flow and wandered the town a little.
Medicus remembered some about the township, and he went with Kipenzi to hangouts that the prison personnel might reasonably be found in. They met Dan Thakkar, a prison guard who did not look in very good shape. Medicus talked a little with him and found out that the anti-rad treatment at the prison wasn't helping him much anymore and was suffering from long-term radiation exposure.
They learned that Raul 'Bat Man' Minuglu, was still an inmate and had actually had scientific papers published in the intervening years.
Medicus also learned that the caves below the prison are a well known rumor but as far as Dan knew, just a rumor or legend. There have been the occasional prisoner disappearance over the years, but they were attributed to 'just one of those things'.
Philip Karageorge, another prisoner from Medicus' time, had become a cell block leader, and Waltrin Gana had been a member of the Ine Givar terrorist group. Peter Wogen, now dying from silicosis, works with the prison doctor, and Jon Kupishii had turned his behavior around, and is now mostly on or near the surface, working as a clerk in the main office. Also Maxim Hanar is one of the few prisoners who gets visitors.
There was also some talk of recent arrivals, a pirate crew that for reasons Dan could (or would) not imagine, had NOT been split up. They and have been involved in a gang war within the facility and now control a cell block area. Antov ‘Corpsetearer’ Spall and Balin Starovich were mentioned by name, and Medicus later told us that Balin is the man responsible for the death of his (Medicus's) mother. There is no universe in which a pirate crew being kept together in prison is a good thing, and we determined to be extra watchful in our ventures.
Dan also talked a little bit about how security had been modified after the prison riots that were Medicus's last visit here. There’s an AI named CARL that’s hooked up/into the video cameras. It had been there before but had been significantly upgraded after the riots.
Later in the evening, a youngish fellow vaguely familiar to Medicus came in. Jesse Aidoo, a son of one of the guards from Medicus's time there, had become the prison gopher, and had been sent over to try and get a message on a ship headed to Rhylanor about a mysterious meteor that crashed and may have carried some unknown disease with it. Landing only a few miles SW from the prison, a prison work crew was sent out to investigate and recover it, and now there is a new undiagnosed disease spreading through the prison population.
Medicus got the basic symptoms, and the rough location of the debris, hoping we could find some more pieces as we approached, and learned the basic mechanism of setting up a visit. The system was call to schedule and take a shuttle. Talking about the disease opened up the option of offering them some additional help.
On the gossip side, Medicus learned that Ambin Grise, the warden, has a girlfriend in Circle City near the spaceport. Her name was Maribel Hermosa was said to be kind hearted and to visit the prison at times, and the warden visited her at times.
Sam and Leon, at different hangouts, mostly just gossiped and listened. They spoke with Armitage Trout, a self-styled scholar whose prime theory is that the rings around Keanu are artificial, and he discussed his paper. He is certain that they are the remains of a large ship or a fleet from the wars of the Ancients. He was also certain that there exists Ancient artifacts on Keanu but so far has found nothing. Sam and Leon, ears perked up, wisely kept their own counsel.
With our tiny transmitters, Fig, who stayed aboard the Skylark was able to do a little research on the names that came up. He learned and shared that the warden was a retired Navy Captain, in the Treece planetary navy. His last assignment was as Captain of the Grand Nova, a rust bucket system defense ship. He retired from the navy and became Tarkwall Prison's warden when the Grand Nova was scrapped 10 years ago.
One guard, Thomas Dannessur, is the warden's nephew. Apparently the man sits at the front gate and pushes one of two buttons to open or close the gate – that he hasn’t confused them yet is surprising to the warden. The warden's sister also lives in Circle City. Kipenzi had the idea of a possible meeting at whatever passes for the beauty salon, not that Kipenzi has ever needed any visits.
001-1104 : New Years Day in Circle City, not the most happening of towns but that was where we were.
Medicus called over to the prison (open for business every day) and asked for the warden. Assistant warden Voller took the call. Referring to his talk with Jesse the night before, he offered our help (at a price to be agreed upon) for whatever medical assistance we could be, but only after our trading dealings were done. He was very receptive, certain that they had been infected by some alien disease brought down with the wreckage (upgraded from debris now). [Guard Emil Patuik got it too, and apparently wasn’t exposed to work crew or associated guards- this thing is air-borne?- Kipenzi] Dizziness, weakness and facial blotches are spreading, not just restricted to the recovery team who brought the artifact in. Asst warden Voller approved our visit, making it seem to us like he is the person really running the place.
We were approved to fly the Skylark over, so we could have the auto-doc present, but told to NOT OVERFLY THE PRISON. There was shuttle port that would be sufficient to hold us.
Realizing that we may already be exposed if it is airborne, everyone took their turn in the auto-doc, and we all came through with no flags or warnings. Medicus double checked that we had proper meds and got us all up to date on everything.
During our 'sell time' in port and in town, Kipenzi was able to meet both the warden's girlfriend and his sister, The warden was completely smitten with Maribel, and she DOES NOT like the assistant warden even a little bit. The term “bitter, obnoxious bastard” comes to Maribel’s mind when she talks about the Asst. Warden. The term “empty-headed socialite, tries hard to be fashionable but clueless” comes to Kip’s mind.
The Chaplain, Jacobin Thomas, was described as depressed over some of the prisoners [state of their souls. Honestly, it’s a uranium mine with obsolete equipment and medicine and the worst prisoners in the sector – of course they’re depressed, it’s essentially a life sentence since few live over a few years- Kipenzi]
The shuttle pilot, Corvas Doll, a hotdog that Maribel would get the warden to fire if there were anyone else hireable.
Thomas (the nephew) was fired from several other jobs, and given his position to help the family. He’s now the main gate guard.
Leon took the letter of introduction he got on Rhylanor (connected, though we still don't know just how or how much) and went to Orion Metallurgy. He was able to get old charts of the area around the prison, from before it was handed over to the Imperium about 100 years ago. There were some notations of 'Possible Void Spaces' annotated on the maps.
We also had the latest available geologic maps (at least the latest available when we were on Rhylanor) to compare them with.
Tarkwall has one female prisoner, part of the pirate crew, and she was housed separately from the male population. hmmm woman pirate, not in the main prison area... we were wriggling eyebrows at this point. Her paperwork for relocation, as well as for one Vargr prisoner, was 'pending' She’s not supposed to be here- paperwork snafu – Kip.
The assistant warden, we learned through our research, had been there about 15 years and predated the current warden. The previous warden died from an apparent suicide, a drug overdose. We became a little more sure that the assistant just wanted the power without having to shoulder the blame, and pondered how best to approach this man.
004-1104
After the cargo was sold and we were refueled, we notified the prison
that we were inbound, and headed that way. Our plan, at that point was,
assuming the price was agreeable to the prison. We wanted 100K to cover
our costs and a little more.
Medicus and Fig (two best medical) would take the auto-doc in and deal with people there. Kipenzi and Leon would go up in the air raft, scouting for more debris and using the Ground Penetrating Radar system we purchased to look for possible access to the cave area. Sam would keep the Skylark buttoned up and safe. We agreed on physical signals of duress, to be used if we were somehow taken captive by an escape attempt and someone wanted to use the Skylark as a getaway.
As we approached we looked for any more debris fields, but saw nothing. The clouds we had seen in days past were fast becoming thunderclouds, and Medicus promised us that what happened on Querion 'was just a one-off thing, cannot possibly happen twice'.
We had learned in Circle City that most atmospheric craft are grounded during the major rains.
As planned, Medicus and his semi-able assistant Fig (notably Fig the silent for the prison actions) were met by the prison ATV and rode in. To our surprise, having seen a map of the prison layout, they were taken underground to the Admin section. (maybe having the lady pirate in the offices is not such a major SNAFU as we had thought) There were guards all over, but the technology was primitive by any standards at all.
They were met by the assistant warden, glad to see us but not truly
friendly. He was a good negotiator, but starting a bit high we wound up
at our desired 100K figure, and he was happy to hire us. The plan was to
leave the auto doc behind (we didn't want to take anything along with
us, germ-wise), and the prison was really happy to be getting some real
medical gear.
The assistant warden, as we had surmised, was the real boss of the place, with the warden delegating almost everything to him. He saw his duty as getting the maximum work out of the prisoners, working for the Imperium.
The medical man in the prison was Dr Omar Blint. Dr Blint's assistant was a prisoner named Talbot Vinge, incarcerated for crimes related to bio-weapons development. Another great big HUH? from Fig and Medicus, and the rest as they researched Vinge. Bio weapons crimes and you put him in the dispensary.....???? WTF [Triggering a “roger that” from Kipenzi, and an upgrade to her paranoia. Kip brings up the point that 1) a pirate crew cooperating + 2) bio weapons specialist with access to medicine = possibility that the plague was manufactured for a prison break. And we just arrived weeks too early in their plans. Kipenzi makes it clear – NO ONE who isn’t Skylark crew comes on-board, for ANY reason. And turning to Medicus, she adds, “and if that female pirate prisoner happens to be Medicus’s mother – WE’LL TALK”. Medicus agrees.]
[Speaking of Medicus re: mother killed by Balin the prisoner, Kipenzi’s math goes something like this: Medicus + Balin = oh, just kill him AFTER we get paid…and find the Ancient site…and get off the planet - Kipenzi]
We planned to set up in the containment area, for as much security as we could get, and went back to the Skylark for more gear and to be sure we were updated on anti-radiation shots and anti-parasitics. Returning to the prison fully suited up, Medicus checked out the artifact/wreckage/debris. It was apparent pretty quickly, and to Fig looking on through the glass, that this was part of a landing gear assembly. Reading off a serial number (and again equipped with our to/from Skylark comm) Sam was able to look it up. The strut was from a fighter lost in the 4th Frontier war, and is neither radioactive nor biologically active. Medically sterile, we knew this was not the cause of whatever disease was troubling the prison.
FYI: as Kipenzi was researching Balin’s background to see what kind of pirate he was, ie money-hungry psychopath or brigand working for the Imperium under letter of marque, turns out he lost his ship due to Imperial paperwork snafu and took it back with extreme prejudice, then decided it paid better and took out his irateness on Imperial targets. But that aside, Kipenzi ran across something else… the Ine Givar terrorist group was involved in the Garda-Vilis dust-up when we were passing through it last time. If memory serves, the Tanoose Liberation Front wanted self-rule but was loyal to Imperium. The Ine Givar went further. No details except bodies of Ine Givar group were found in front of the Imperial Scout base after a meeting with the TLF. Walter Gana was an Ine Givar terrorist and ‘friend’ of Medicus. Ya never know when knowing someone might be beneficial.
Continued in: Prison Planet Part 2
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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