Kidnapped on Aramanx

Where the Travellers use their high tech gear and a low tech nose to locate a captive wine heiress and make another favorable impression.

This note is from our February 8th, 2015 session and was mostly written by Carl with edits and additional material provided by Kay and myself. I did the picture of Zenfalen Island using Sketchup, Kerkuthea and GIMP.

Continued from: Zilan Wine, Conclusion

Date: 254-1104 Imperial.

Location: Aramanx station, orbiting the planet Aramanx in the Aramis Subsector.

After dinner, Gvouzdon dropped off the decoy brooch (the one we made on Aramis) complete with tracker and transmitter, at a pawn shop. Then we went back to the Skylark to discuss what we might or might not do about Lisa being abducted. We figured a couple days to plan our options for action, and to let someone bite on the brooch, would be good.

Our best guesstimate : Lisa was being held on Zenfalen Island.

Library Data: Zenfalen Island

Zenfalen Island lies some 85 kilometers off the eastern coast of Klavisur and has been controlled by that nation since the first rise of divergent nationalism over 500 years ago. A tiny island, Zenfalen has never had much significance, being by and large a haven for fishermen. In recent years, the island became the property of Lord Magistrate Vernor, a powerful and wealthy landholder well known as the leader of the Progressive Party in the kingdoms Grand Council. The Lord Magistrate maintains a small villa at the eastern end of the island, although he rarely uses it. It is usually reserved for important guests, and is frequently used by offworld visitors who wish to conduct business with the Lord Magistrate. It is believed that Vernor’s fortune and political influence derive from the backing of various offworld corporations, who stand to profit if Klavisur is brought into closer contact with off planet interests.

The villa supports one town, Falenza, population 3,150. A supply ship calls at the island once a week on its way to the Granstol Archipelago, site of a cluster of extensive fisheries.

The hunting preserve was largely for Vernor's guests, with a big omnivore as the primary prey. A lot of woods with some likely clearings made it reasonable to put down the air raft safely and unnoticed. With 8 hours of flying time between charges, we could actually make two round trips (2 hours down, 2 back up to pickup/dropoff altitude) if we needed them.

Local transport was ruled out because of too much red tape and dependence on luck and timing. We decided to load the Skylark, get in an orbit opposite the space station, and time our arrival for the wee hours of dark. We hoped that would give enough dark time to rescue Lisa and get out undetected.

Gvouzdon got a tracker mask, which would allow him to use that monumental nose to sniff out Lisa while still being able to breath the planet's thin atmosphere. We figured that was more reliable than just random knocking on doors.

Medicus and Kipenzi went also. Both of them can fly the air/raft, and fewer people would be better than more. ANY contact, unless squashed immediately, would prove disastrous. Less was definitely more in that case.

Kipenzi: "We figured Gvoudzon to literally sniff out Lisa, Medicus to bring drugs in case we needed to sedate someone – read Jellica Chan – and to pilot the air raft with Kipenzi on sensors to find people on the IR in the dark; and one empty seat for Lisa coming back."

257-1104
We were ready and planned out for the rescue effort. Making one more pass through the pawn shop, we learned that the brooch was still in place. It seemed that Gvouzdon was the item of interest, more than the brooch, when the kidnappers wanted him to deliver the money.

We established an orbit opposite the station, and hoped that none of the four patrol ships would be interested in us. When the timing said GO, off went the air raft and the three rescuers. Jellica Chan was a secondary person to grab if possible, but Lisa was the mission.

Once at ground level, Medicus flew a reconnaissance pass around the island.

The villa was more like a hotel, a large building with two wings of three stories. There were outbuildings as well. One of them had the look of a barracks, and a lot (40+) of people were in it. Most of the heat returns were stationary, but a few were still awake and moving around.

Kipenzi: "The villa/hotel showed up in IR that one of the wings was almost fully inhabited, but the opposite wing was empty except for three rooms in a row on the top floor, a vacant room, another occupied room and the rest vacant."

After a closer inspection of the building (anti-grav vests were such a good investment) the team settled on one of the roofs. The best guess at that point was that Lisa stayed in one of three rooms on the top floor. Sometimes you just have to guess and hope.

Kipenzi: "There was a roof airlock that opened onto a spiral staircase going into the building. The airlock door was unlocked."

Opening the access door on the roof, they got into the building. Everyone assumed that some sensor had reported the opening, so no one dawdled. Down to the third floor. Listening at the door, Gvouzdon heard someone walking in the hall. That person came to the roof access doorway, and was quickly subdued. It was a guard, wearing a Klavisur regular army uniform.

Gvouzdon caught Lisa's scent in front of one of the rooms, and Medicus found a set of keys on the guard. Opening Lisa's door quietly, they woke her and assured her as much as possible that the cavalry had arrived.

As Lisa was being roused, Lorn Denveldt came out into the hallway in a robe. Kipenzi held him at gunpoint, and he was drugged to sleep. The big sleep. His data pad came along to be rescued also. We have had decent results getting information from machines, and hoped this would add to our string of success.

Lock the doors, up onto the roof, and off and away. OOPS, should have brought a grav vest for Lisa. At least two could fly along while holding her between them. As they flew off, a guard vehicle was driving up from the barracks area. Nick of time again.

They contacted us up on the Skylark, and we rendezvoused two hours later.

Shortly after we secured the air raft and got people indoors, a second rendezvous occurred. One of the local patrol boats matched course with us wanted to board for an inspection. "We know you are up to something and we are going to figure it out".

Lisa's presence on the ship, and her assurance that we just rescued her, put them at ease. We had a nice trip back to the station, for many and many an interview.

The laptop/PDA self destructed before we could learn anything, but Lisa had heard some things. There were LOTs of troopers on the island. Chan is a mucky muck in the Vemene, Tukera's espionage/intelligence unit. She had changed the priority of their kidnapping from getting money to getting Gvouzdon. Lisa did not know why.

Boris and Lisa hired the bears for security. Good move.

The brooch had been purchased from the pawn shop just after we checked. We did not detect a signal on station any more. The dealer said it was purchased by "just a regular looking spacer".

270-1104
With interviews and questioning, we had our hands and time full. Gustav Fireau arrived with Lisa's 20 MCr. ransom in hand. He was really happy to see Lisa had been rescued. I bet he was happy to keep the money too, but that was a secondary consideration at best.

Gustav gave the Skylark crew a 5 year exclusive shipping contract for his wine. As we thought about how to hem and haw our way out of that (We DO NOT NOT NOT want to go back to Zila.) Oberlindes offered to take the shipping contract and send us the royalties. [5 million credits a year royalties, oh yeah – Kipenzi]. Happy ending all around there.

Oberlindes also meets the group in private. In the course of several encounters, The Skylark’s crew has impressed him with their ability to handle difficult situations. He wants them to know that Oberlindes Lines, which is gaining clout in the subsector, will be an ally they can call on from time to time as he hopes he can call on them now and again.

We also got a special case of Eiswine, for shmoozing possible contacts or customers.

271-1104
We launched off the station, planning a jump to Patinir Belt and on to Aramis.

In Patinir, we will be reporting on the demise of the Wolblutn, and relating the tale of the destroyed mining ship.

At Aramis, staying in space we will contact the Navy. Our meeting with Capt Sunita Dietz some months ago (113-1104) went well, and we hope that our information about the Meson guns will not fall on deaf ears.

Another thing we plan to do is get legal help to see what our status is on planet. Possible that the brooch missing has been put in the "we will trip over it someday" category, rather than Skylark being on the "detain and question" list.

Overall, we have about had it with Tukera, the missing meson guns and the whole thing, and are ready to head back to Rhylanor and just trading for a while. Any bets on how that will work out?

Continued in Trade War - Part One.

See Also: Dramatis Personæ, Skylark 2, Campaign Starts, The 2nd Adventure, The Chamax Plague, Horde, Shadows, Research Station Gamma, Twilight's Peak, Prison Planet, Leedor on Aramis, First Call at Zilla.