Justice - Conclusion

The Skylark’s crew completes their plot to bring Lord Julius to justice and head for the planet Vilis, only to find their way blocked by the outbreak of The Fifth Frontier War.

This note is from our April 8, 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 2.

Imperial Date: 161-1107.

Location: The Planet Equus in the Lanth Subsector.

Morning
After our free time bar hopping, Medicus is the only one of us seriously hung over but he uses something in his kit and he is good as new.

It is time to think seriously about the letter that Julius will 'intercept' from the office on Equus that will draw him in.

Our first draft sounded promising, but we need to learn some local information and people to help make it feel more authentic.

We spent some time looking, listening, and talking to people for background information as well as just general info. We put our bar hopping expedition from the night before down as research.

Sam found a possibly interested broker to buy paintings and learned local variations in the law, where it is enforced and where it is not.

166-1107
Sam has sold the cargo purchased on Rhylanor and loaded the Skylark’s cargo hold with local goods. At least that was out of the way since it is always possible that we may want to leave abruptly...

This world has a large population of Bwaps, commonly referred to as Newts, amphibian sophonts. They are found mostly in admin positions, they love spreadsheets and tend to be obsessive-compulsive, and are some in judges’ positions.

We find that we can get a permit to fly the Skylark 2 to the world’s many undersea domes. We just need to get the ship certified as a legal submarine and get one of our pilots licensed.

Lord Julius’ Safari ship is certified for it, but we don’t know if he has a licensed pilot. Horace Surrabeck was licensed, but Lord Julius has his own crew.

It took about a week to get the Skylark 2 certified and for Medicus to get his license as an Equus Flying Sub Pilot.

173-1107
Medicus was the only one of us to get certified. The rest of the hopefuls did not do so well...

Absent some compelling reason to go someplace, we were all getting homesick for Vilis, and figured we would head back, trading along the way once this job was done.

We planned to use the rimward route through the Sword Worlds. New places and faces in the near future.

After a long discussion, decide on a rimward route: Skull, Resten, Dershon, Zaibon, Hofud, Dyrnwyn, Saurus, and finally to Vilis.

Back to the matter at hand we started looking at which city we would lay our trap. We decide on Boerperd: a heavy industry area with a customs port. It’s about 720 Km North of Equus Down, there is a sub shuttle that can get us there in 45 minutes. Weather is bad now, high winds and rain tropical storm.

Off to Boeperd to scope out the environs and meet people. Underground mag-lev local transportation took about 45 minutes. Locals commute back and forth for work at the starport.

Leon was going to look into art collectors and society things, Sam was doing his normal cargo thing, and the rest of us packed a bag for the trip.

174-1107
After we arrived at Boeperd, Medicus spotted a tail on us. Clearly we had made an impression and someone wanted our autograph...or not. We had the impression he just wanted to keep tabs and see what we were doing.

We went to the Customs office near the sea port and found art galleries and art collectors.

We asked the customs officers what are the logistics of moving a package through customs and what requirements if person shows up to collect whose name isn’t on shipping info.

We found some possible places Julius might sell the painting if he decided to on this planet. We also made a contact for future questions about paintings, law, and so on. We met with Drake Irgama, who would be our law enforcement contact.

After talking some with Drake, we decided he would be more on our side after seeing the video. We were right. He had some good advice on what to do, and after verifying the video, the local law enforcement was on our side, too. Cue 'The Entertainer', because we be gonna do 'The Sting'.

The storm became a full typhoon, but the city took it in stride. It seems that they were a fairly regular occurrence on this part of Equus.

Hanging out and waiting out the weather, we got rooms and went in search of the local entertainment and 'wildlife'. Karaoke figured prominently at the bar scene.

The storms had washed out a part of the roads, so we were stuck for a few days. We notified the Skylark and settled down to enjoy the place.

177-1107
Back to the Skylark, with things proceeding well enough. The letter was off to Julius and the arrival set up.

The Letter:

My dear Horace,

I hope this missive finds you in good health and better spirits. Say hello to your darling family for me. I have been thinking of you of late, as a serendipitous coincidence has occurred. You remember our last conversation at that dreary party? We were discussing art in general and something was said about the Dawn Odyssey, etc ,etc…. pirates, etc, etc. Anyway, I just happened recently upon an estate sale here, and lo and behold, what do I see in the auction lot but a painting that bears a passing resemblance to it!

Upon closer inspection, what I thought was a painter using the same theme, it looks more like an exact copy – see image capture. I immediately thought that here was some scion’s art course work to practice the brush strokes of a master (at least it wasn’t that insipid Solomani Mona Lisa that’s been done to death), and as you can see they did a passable job of it.

Oddly enough, (you’ll laugh), the auction lot ticket had it mis-identified as “Sunrise over Vanejen” which of course it isn’t; they look nothing alike. See image capture.

Anyway, I bid on it (you know how impulsive I am) and got it for an outlandish 300 credits! (overpriced – I know – but it was an estate sale and I was feeling charitable).

So now I’ve done something else marvelously impulsive, and I’ve sent it to you as a present. It has to go to the Equus postal depot in Boerperd because of the customs inspector thingie. Just remember – the provenance says it’s the “Sunrise over Vanejen” from the estate sale. Don’t bother trying to contradict them, you’ll never get it out of the customs office if you do.

I’m reliably informed that it should arrive on 191/1107.

I think it should make your office sparkle. (it’s just a touch dreary, if you don’t mind my saying)

Hugs and kisses,

Pookie Wooster

We wanted to have a view of things, but not so that we would be noticed if Julius looks for someone to get even with.

Turned out that we didn't even need a picture, cause local law wanted to arrest him for the murder. With a couple or three weeks to wait for Julius' arrival we had time to experience the local culture.

It will be a two-week minimum before seeing action by Lord Julius. We decide to wait. Medicus, Kipenzi, and Fig spend some time on target practice.

194-1107 2300
The Safari Endeavor requested clearance to land. The game was afoot.

Kip calls Drake to inform him and local law enforcement to get ready.

The painting was supposed to be in the customs office at Boeperd.

195-1107
Medicus and Kipenzi get to the customs office before Lord Julius and his bodyguards so we can get all on video for our clients. Agents Irshu and Jula are behind counter and aware of situation. Lord Julius comes in with his bodyguards Chantal Patini and Jordan Shaku. Lord Julius shows his ID and four police officers come in with guns drawn and order them against the counter. They show admirable restraint and cooperate. Lord Julius ranted some but was smart enough to not start a fight. We take selfies with Lord Julius in the background being hauled away.

We transmit the video and police report to Rhylanor and our clients and tell them to send our payment and TAS memberships to the Vilis branch Bank of the Imperium. We should get there in 16 weeks and so would it.

Evening: back at Katherine’s Kantina for celebratory party.

196-1107 0900
Lift off from Equus Down.

197-1107 0001
Jump out of system to Skull in the Lanth Subsector.

204-1107 0400
Arrive in the Skull system.

We pass the Cosmic Wanderer, a 400 ton mining ship in low orbit. They were friendly and we exchanged news.

Two hours to port, on the ground and checked in at 6am.

Facilities were sparse, but cheap at 10 Cr/day, unrefined fuel only available and trading to be done.

211-1107
Leaving Skull for Resten/Lunion.

218-1107
Arrive in Resten.

About 20,000 Km out, Sam barely dodged a garbage can-sized rock, averting badness. After getting clearance to fire, Medicus blasted it out of orbit with the ship’s lasers.

Spent almost a week there and left with a fresh cargo.

225-1107
Left Resten for Derchon.

232-1107
Arrive Derchon. C-Class starport with almost no facilities, but cheap at 15 credits a day. We bought unrefined fuel and refined it while Sam sold the cargo we bought on Resten and found us something to sell on Zaibon.

239-1107
Left Derchon for Zaibon.

246-1107
Arrive on Zaibon.

Months news old finally caught up with us as we passed near the local X-boat route:

⑆ REGINA/REGINA (2314-A788899-A)     054-1107

¶ Reports over the course of the last several weeks of a marked increase in piracy in the coreward reaches of the subsector have been substantiated by Navy officials in a routine press release. In today's weekly press briefing, a naval spokesman confirmed that an unusually large amount of shipping had failed to make scheduled planet-fall and that no communications from the Kinorb Cluster had been received for over two months.

¶ When questioned further, Public Relations Officer Lieutenant Commander Vanderheydt hault-Josephson pointed out that fewer than ten ships had been scheduled to make the little-used Kinorb-Pixie run in that period, and difficulties at Riesling Down Starport on Kinorb could easily explain the situation. However, hault-Josephson added that the Navy had not ruled out the possibility that piracy from "a source or sources unknown" could be responsible.

¶ In response to the situation, hault-Josephson announced that the battle cruiser Agidda, until yesterday under order to join the squadron at Efate, was instead being routed to join her sister ship Adamdun in the Kinorb Cluster and report back on the situation. The dispatch of Agidda was further described as "purely precautionary." Ω

That didn’t look good. We were in the Kinorb cluster at Yorbund in 1101 and were at Beck’s World, just two parsecs away just last year.

Then we got something a little more recent, but still three months old:

⑆ REGINA /REGINA (2314 A788899-A)     157-1107

¶ The war scare in the Marches has provided an unexpected bonus for the local electronics firm of Currothers-Aljein. Psionic shields have become a popular fashion.

¶ Psionic shield helmets have been on the market for centuries, reported Auges Currothers, senior partner of the firm. "They were popular for a brief time during the psionic suppressions back in the 800s, but they were considered to be something of an embarrassment after that," Currothers said. "Pretty soon, nobody wore them, even during the Third and Fourth Frontier Wars, but for some reason we can't keep them in stock now."

¶ Local Imperial authorities are pleased with the trend and suggest that it reflects a patriotic response to the threat posed by mind-reading enemy spies. Ω

We wondered if we had anything to do with the new popularity of the psionic shields, the news of our experience on the Kesser hit Regina just as we were leaving.

⑆ REGINA /REGINA (2314 A788899-A)     186-1107

¶ The Admiralty was electrified by the reported appearance of a substantial Zhodani war fleet at Ruie (Regina 0209 C776977-7), scarcely a parsec from the sector capital. The report was carried by the detached scout/courier Wayward Dream. The crew of the Wayward Dream was quickly cloistered by Imperial Naval Intelligence and the ship placed under heavy guard in a sealed hangar bay at Luck Gibson starport. Ground crews at the starport, however, reported that the vessel showed some evidence of battle damage.

¶ While all naval personnel at Regina Naval Base were put on full readiness, all ten heavy SDBs were launched and are rumored to be vectored toward Prometheus, the large gas giant would be a first priority target of a hostile fleet.

¶ Representatives of the diplomatic ministry have pressured the Zhodani embassy for an explanation, but thus far Ambassador Shterbifriashav has been unavailable for comment. Although Ruie is not an Imperial world, a Zhodani fleet almost certainly have had to have violated the demilitarized zone established after the Fourth Frontier War. Grave diplomatic repercussions are expected. Ω

Zhodani fleet reported at Ruie, very close to Regina. This is not good at all.

The next report was worse:

⑆ REGINA/REGINA (2314 A788899-A)       187-1107

¶ FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH

¶ The Duke of Regina, speaking through his seneschal, announced in an emergency press conference that as of 12:01 A.M. this date a formal state of war has existed between the Imperium and the Zhodani Consulate. The seneschal explained that the declaration of war was handed to him by Ambassador Shterbifriashav late last night. The seneschal declined to answer questions, stating that no further information was available at that time. Ω

Sounds like the Imperium will be on a more military footing. On the bright side there is A LOT of money to be made trading during wartime.

The next day we got news from Rhylanor, about a month and a half old.

⑆ RHYLANOR/RHYLANOR (2716 A434934-F)           201-1107

¶ Word has today been received by fleet courier of the invasion of Regina, the capital of the Spinward Marches. Naval spokesmen of the 212th Fleet declined to comment publicly, but in private one naval officer expressed the opinion that prolonged resistance on the world was unlikely in the event of a serious Zhodani assault.

¶ Coming only days after receipt of the news of the outbreak of the war, news of Regina's invasion is a heavy blow to hopes of an early victory over the Zhodani. The fall of Regina could sever the main communications artery to the Jewell subsector, and seriously hinder communication with fleet elements presumed to be fighting there. Ω

Fig took this one particularly hard, Regina is his home world and he has family there.

Could be that with communications severed, more opportunities for money getting messages back and forth. Of course, that was 45 days ago so a lot could have happened since then.

⑆ RHYLANOR/ RHYLANOR (2716 A434934-F)          204-1107

¶ Army Vice-Marshal Adam Lord Bryor today announced that a presumed state of war now exists between the Imperium and the Sword Worlds, following receipt of word that Lanth (Spinward Marches 1719) was under attack by fleet and ground elements of that state. Characterizing the Sword Worlds' action as "a perfidious betrayal", Bryor dismissed any suggestion that Rhylanor was vulnerable to a Sword Worlds attack.

¶ "In addition to the Imperial Marines on-planet, Rhylanor has 25 active divisions equipped to Imperial standards", Bryor explained. "Even if a Sword Worlds squadron could fight its way through Rhylanor's boats, there's no conceivable way a Sword Worlds army could gain a foothold on-planet. Since Rhylanor is one of the foci for naval reinforcement from Deneb Sector, a Sword Worlds fleet would be courting disaster to strike here."

¶ When questioned as to possible plans to retake Lanth, 212th Fleet spokesmen suggested that no such operation was likely to be undertaken in the near future, as most naval assets would probably be concentrated for an attempt to relieve the 43rd Provisional Army along with its supporting naval squadron, at Efate (Spinward Marches 1705). Ω

We are one jump from the Sword Worlds Border, so much for the idea of crossing the Sword Worlds to get to Vilis. Between the Zhodani coreward and the Sword Worlds spinward from here, Vilis may be completely cut off.

⑆ RHYLANOR/ RHYLANOR (2716 A434934-F)                  204-1107

¶ The Travellers' Aid Society issued a travelers' advisory, declaring the entire Spinward Marches sector an amber zone until further notice. Ω

EVEN MORE - TAS declared the entire Spinward Marches an amber zone.

⑆ RHYLANOR/RHYLANOR (2716 A434934-F)                   204-1107

¶ The local branch of the IISS Detached Duty Office issued orders requiring all detached scout personnel in the Spinward Marches and Corridor sectors controlling surplus scout vessels and all other retired scout personnel under the age of 66 to report to the nearest scout base for examination.

¶ All scout vessels will be armed and re-fitted for service in scout squadrons attached to the Navy. All retired personnel in suitable physical condition will be inducted into service for the duration of the emergency in accordance with established procedures.

¶ Failure to report for examination during a state of emergency is treason, and a maximum sentence of death may be exacted upon conviction. Ω

Here we sit in an asteroid belt... Nope, could backtrack to Lunion. The X-boat route would give updated information as timely as we could get.

Waiting for more X-boat updates on the war, we plan out our next route, preferably AWAY FROM a war zone. So Zaibon to Lunion to Gandr to Carey to Formice to Mora maybe. Sam mentions going back to Rhylanor, as some of our monies were left in the Bank of the Imperium branch office there.

If we had taken the coreward route we would have arrived at Dinomn on 232 on the X-boat route one jump away from Regina, or maybe K’Kirka on 211 and found out by 218 before jumping to Denomn that Regina had fallen... and been IN the war zone.

Scout service was recalling all retired/etc people physically fit (lets Fig out, bahahahaha). No word on whether the Navy is recalling people as well. Leon is ex-Navy, he hates the Zho’s so knowing him, he might even volunteer if they will take him.

Continued in Raid on Lunion

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.