Justice - Part 2

The Skylark’s crew continues researching their plot to bring Lord Julius to justice and then moves on to Equus across the border in the Lanth Subsector.

This note is from our March 4th, 2018 session and was written by Carl with additions by Kay and myself.

Since we are now scattered around the country, we used Discord for voice communications and Roll20 online virtual tabletop to connect with each other.

Continued from Justice - Part 1.

Imperial Date: 146-1107.

Location: The Planet Rhylanor in the Rhylanor Subsector.

We got the Skylark 2 back from the shipyard after her refit, and all is OK (we hope). She even has that “new starship smell” again.

Fig remembered from his time in the Scout Service that they had grav lifting cargo nets with serious capacity (big bookcase size) that came in a small storage bag. He found eight of them at an outfitter shop near the starport and bought all eight for the crew and the ship.

One Hundred Thousand each was pricey, but the possibilities are worth the expense.

Leon headed out to where the high social set hangs out to learn what he could about our 'target' and his standing in society.

At the Rhylanor office of the Imperial Enquirer, Fig had learned that Lord Julius has enemies and apparently no “friends” of note. Reading further, we learned that these enemies include:

• Lady Veria Imasha - High Commissioner from the Ministry of Water and Air
• Sir Garrett Kumara - Vice Governor of the Martin Mines District
• Lady Iiga Wood - Council of Advisers, Chairperson of Health Committee
• Sir Isshin Tyri - Council of Advisers, Minister of Sports, Married to Lord Julius’ Cousin. Went to school with Sir Garrett Kumara
• Ishu Ostapiuk Maolivir - Cousin, beat Lord Julius in a duel when they were in their early twenties and is responsible for the scar he still carries.

Leon returned later that day, with a heaping helping of nothing. Icetina is such a backwater that no one on Rhylanor really knows much other than the news and gossip rags.

Our first stop is going be Equus, so we can talk with the family and friends of the victim about what may have happened. Maybe we will trip over a clue. Maybe we will find a friend.

What we know so far:

• Horace Surrabeck has a widow on Equus, Layla Palamara (Age 45). She is veterinarian.
• His teenage son is Evan Surrabeck. (Age 15).
• They live on Stonemetz Island, about 45 minutes from the starport.
• Horace retired from the Imperial Civil Service in 1099 and sold a previously purchased ship share, cashed out his retirement and used the money for a down payment on a used Animal Class safari ship, the Safari Endeavour. With his contacts from working at the starport he was able to offer new and unusual tours.
• In 1105 Horace met Lord Julius. Lord Julius directed many new customers from Icetina’s upper classes to Horace’s business. Times were good, and Horace expanded the business. Just then business suddenly dried up as his Icetina customers stopped. Horace was desperate and accepted Lord Julius’s offer to become a business partner. That was 6 months ago, and things seem to have stabilized. It was then Horace met his tragic death, and the company’s assets reverted to Lord Julius as the remaining business partner.

147-1107
Talking with Oberlindes locals, we re-confirmed that the trading in Icetina Starcone Pine had dried up. That was the cause of Julius's financial woes initially, so no new news there.

We got news from Regina: just after we left Regina, a task force went to Shionthy, and applied an Imperial Interdict to the entire system. An Agent from the Imperial Quarantine Agency will be determining the long-term fate. Details were they were focusing on the Whale’s remains after it was destroyed, in case of ‘contagion’. It is a good thing we got out of the system before informing the Imperium about it. Otherwise we’d still be there, trapped by the quarantine.

148-1107
Cargo loaded, all packed and set to go.

155-1107
Out of jump space in the Equus system. News from Efate system. There are a lot of small (Jump 1) ships here, making the circuit around the Spinward Main. Scout base in system. Nice world, mostly ocean with breathable air.

156 -1107
Layla Palamara (the widow) agreed to meet and talk with us. Medicus and Kipenzi go to visit her. She passed on what information she had, memory being what it is. Her husband’s office has been closed since his death.

Lord Julius had his own crew, so the old crew were laid off. We will try to contact them if possible and see if they knew anything at all.

He was meeting at a hotel with someone. She suspected cheating at first, but it was meeting in a conference room. He didn't talk about that, though he was usually open about his work stuff. She has the records of where and when.

Other people in the company were let go, and none of them had any idea of what or why anything happened.

Over the next few days we tried to hunt down the names of people who came and went from Equus, from 6 or so weeks prior to the murder to a month afterward. Maybe some name we had already encountered would pop up.

Medicus and Kipenzi were able to spoof/hack the hotel where the meetings took place, and some of the attendees were on the list of Julius enemies. All of them but the cousin (duelist).

The meetings started after Julius became involved in the safari operation. NOTE: this is a HUGE amount of time for government mucky mucks to take off just for a meeting i.e. two weeks in hyperspace each trip from Icetina to Equus – per month. WHY didn't Horace just go to Icetina?

It sorta looks like the 'enemies' were planning a coup, and Julius found out. He could not go after the nobles, so Horace took it in the shorts. Julius was sending a message to people he could not actually touch directly. He DOES have a temper, we learn.

Fast forward to us sending the letter to the Icetina company office telling (or so it seems) Horace that his painting has arrived and is available for pickup.

Maybe we go after the other nobles too, since it was their coup attempt that set Horace up for death...? More things we need to know before going too far forward.

160-1107
Finally able to take some party time. Off to the bars! The Slipping Robot caught our attention. "A round on the Skylark" usually gets us some friends.

Talk got around to Shionthy and the interdiction. People think it may have been an anti-matter collision and the interdiction is for safety.

Efate too, out of the blue (or black) sky. A broker at the bar talked with Medicus some. She asked about our cargo, and we passed her on to Sam. Asking about Icetina, she basically said "BLECH!!". The leaves on the native plants are black. It’s a mostly desert world. Two-thirds of the planet population lives around the starport.

Lots of competition for trading to Icetina. Lot of transference from one ship to another, rather than trading to the populace. Good starport for annual maintenance, though it looks like crap. Whole area around here has a low piracy rating. The Navy gunnery school on the world probably helps.

Another bar patron was a government clerk and was interested to learn that officials from Icetina had visited regularly. Relations between the two systems are not great now, some disagreement over gas giant rights.

“The Icetina government is trying to extort ‘rent’ money from people fueling up at the gas giant. Probably to off-set money they lost from wood exports. Sounds like government corruption is the norm”.

One person is pretty likely a smuggler, and clued Medicus in on who to grease on Icetina. At least it is some information, might even help Sam in the trading.

More talking through the evening, a lot about Shionthy and Efate.

Our new bar friend says, “Zhodani advisers” were found on Efate, something that the commander had strongly refuted in an earlier dispatch from Efate. Hmm.

All of which makes another previous TNS dispatch of more consequence:

Things may be heating up in the Regina Subsector.

Continued in Justice - Conclusion

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, Trade War, The Bloodwell, ANNIC NOVA, The Kinunir and Kesser's Return.