Glisten

When the crew travels to the Glisten system for some rest and relaxation they get a delivery job for Pax Rulin in the Trojan Reach Sector.

This chapter is based on Carl and Kay‘s notes from our April 5, 2020 session. Since we are now scattered around the country, we use Discord for voice communications and the Roll20 online virtual tabletop to connect with each other. I modeled the image in Sketchup and rendered it in Twilight Render. The map is from TravellerMap.com.

Continued from: Skylark and the Pit - Conclusion.

Location: The Planet Craw in the Glisten Subsector

Imperial Date: 304-1108

While we finished stripping Sam’s old vacc suit for parts, Sam went out looking for cargo.

There was nothing we could do about Medicus’s prosthetic arm. It had been zapped by the Ancient ship’s defense system when he walked through a trapped door. The elbow wasn’t working well and the diagnostics were complaining about several failed systems. The only place nearby with the tech to work on it would be Glisten, our next stop.

When we get there, we will need to replace a lot of stuff and restock our larder with consumables.

We spent a week on Craw, a dry, dusty world with a population of about 9 million, mostly Aslan. Once Sam had the cargo bay full, we were glad to be out of there.

311-1108 midnight
We jump out of Craw for Glisten.

317-1100 2000
Into the Glisten system and headed for Glisten Station. Glisten is a high-tech, asteroid belt civilization. They have a high population, high tech and a diverse economy, you can buy just about anything here. Ship building is a major industry and the Imperial Navy builds capitol ships here.

It is nice to get back to civilization. We are thinking, maybe take some classes and possibly get some of the artifacts analyzed to see if we can figure out how to replicate them (and maybe get a patent). We also would like to get the information we learned about the Ancient language out into the universe, and the Imperium.

We missed Arbellatra Day while we were on T’yana, it is a big deal on Glisten.

Arbellatra ended the Imperial Civil War and became Regent for 10 yrs before assuming the throne.

From the database:

In addition to the other forms of public tribute to the memory of the first Alkhalikoi to occupy the Iridium Throne, Glistenites have dedicated a holiday to the empress. Called simply “Arbellatra Day,” the holiday is celebrated on Day 240 of every year (the date of her confirmation by the Moot as empress). Arbellatra Day is a patriotic holiday that honors the accomplishments of Arbellatra and the dynasty she founded. Thus, the holiday also focuses attention on Emperor Strephon and his accomplishments as well.

Each asteroid celebrates Arbellatra Day in a different fashion, according to their own local traditions and customs. Glisten City sponsors huge street parties in its crowded avenues, while Ensu holds a variety of public artistic exhibitions, such as poetry readings and historical plays. Arbellatra Day is a popular time of year for tourists to visit the system, as it’s one of the most elaborate festivals of its kind in the Spinward Marches. Many neighboring systems have adopted the holiday as their own, spreading it throughout the subsector.

Our current Emperor, Strephon, is her descendant.

318-1108 0200
Docked and ready.

Glisten runs on Imperial time, so we sleep in.

After breakfast, Sam started calls to brokers, Medicus got his arm repairs scheduled on 321, Fig got ship maintenance scheduled for 325, and started calling around on getting ship supplies.

Sam ordered a new hardened vacc suit at a starport supply vendor, to be delivered later that afternoon.

Sam went shopping for drone repair or replacement and found that his drone was mostly fused inside so he bought another one. He also picked up a new engineering bot at the same shop and ordered another case of radio relays and button cameras.

We checked the news for any local events or rumors and decided to do a bar crawl that evening.

Leon and Fig stayed at the ship while everyone else went out. No real action in the bar circuit, but we had a nice evening out on a town.

Spent most of the time at the Lone Star bar, seems like every port has a Lone Star, even though it is not a chain. Had a nice chat with the bartender, Blackburn Hill, who knew the station very well and gave us suggestions of places to visit while we were on Glisten.

319-1108
Breakfast and then shopping for more supplies, restocked food for the galley.

Unrefined fuel loaded and being refined. Sam selling the cargo from Craw.

Follow up on what we started the day before.

Another night out. More talking, more schmoozing this time at Jo’s Bar & Grill, and Sam actually met someone interesting. In the course of conversation, he learned that Imperial banks are approaching critical shortages of platinum and iridium, metal prices are due to soar. Could be a clue on cargo, or cargo to avoid.

320-1108
Kipenzi and Fig start taking a class at a zero-G gym. Medicus taking target practice at a local firing range.

That night we checked out Star Chucks, a place that was recommended on our first night. Medicus had a chat with an old ex-navy gunner who plainly had too much to drink. He was eventually thrown out by a bouncer. As he was being escorted out, he cursed us all with “The Curse of Ganulph”. None of us had a clue what that was, but it sounded bad, maybe a Navy thing.

Fig, who is an ex-Scout himself, met a Scout named Vinor Inzler, who talked about how he narrowly escaped death by sacrifice on an otherwise peaceable planet somewhere in the Outrim - this occurred many years ago and he could not remember the world’s name.

321-1108
Medicus went in for his prosthetic arm repair. There was a lot more damage than they thought. He got a 'loaner' for the repair time. Slightly shorter than his permanent one but usable.

Evening bar hopping: We picked a random place called Jimmies. Sam heard a rumor that an eminent zoologist is willing to pay 5,000 Cr for a carnivore of unknown species. Probably not something we want to follow up on. Knowing our luck, it would get loose on the ship.

322-1108 Morning
We did some quick research on the Duchess of Glisten:

Although the Duchess has little to do with the governance of the system, Glistenites frequently seek her opinion. By tradition, she possesses an ex officio seat on the GCA Board. Nevertheless, she rarely attends its meetings, preferring to devote herself more fully to the administration of the subsector as a whole. Duchess Muktheswara is far more interested in external affairs than she is in the day-to-day events of the Glisten system.

Leon contacted the office of the Duchess of Glisten, Avaraja Muktheswara, to see if they were interested in the dictionary of the Ancients’ language that we got on T’yana. They were very interested and wanted him to bring it over right away, which he did.

They were interested in learning how he came to get such a thing and he gave them the sanitized version of our adventures on T’yana.

323-1108
Medicus went down and had his repaired arm installed, he had almost gotten used to the temporary replacement, but not quite, the shorter length still bugged him so he was glad to get his own back. He had been in touch with the shop so he was spared the sticker shock. Due to a lot of the very high-end electronics being fried, it had cost just over half a million credits.

Sam went looking for people who could analyze - with no questions asked - the artifacts that we had brought out of the Ancient ship on T’yana.

Sam found an under the counter place that might do an analysis of a few of the artifacts we made off with, see what they are made of (if possible).

The first one they analyzed was a tool that it was made of a variant of a known but expensive material. The analyst could not imagine someone making a tool out of it.

Most of the tools/artifacts were the same material, but one came up unknown. That raised eyebrows and got a purchase offer. He could find a buyer. We got the chemical analysis information and turned him down.

Green cube, tools, misc.

Some we can figure out ourselves, all of the electronic devices were non-functional, they looked like they might be some kind of test equipment.

The frictionless hollow tube was also a known material, it could be made on Glisten, but would be expensive.

The multicolored ball was a type of plastic that didn’t show in an index of known manufacturers in his database, the analyst said it was probably a custom material, not something you could buy off the shelf.

The green metallic cube was nanotech and he had no idea how it was made; it was a grown machine that was almost alive... and higher than Glisten’s Tech Level 15.

At that point the lab tech got wise that he was looking at Ancient tech. He said, “You have found an Ancient site, haven’t you?”

Then he offered to hook us up with a buyer but we politely turned him down and took the printed report of the analysis.

It was late at night by the time he was done and we took a circuitous route back to the TAS hotel and made sure we were not being followed. There were probably people who would kill for our bag of artifacts.

Our off-the-books chemical analysis cost us 13,500 credits.

324-1108
Sam went to a local bank and rented a safety deposit box for the Artifacts.

Everyone moved over to the Travellers Aid Society hotel for the week and prepared the Skylark 2 to be moved over to the local shipyard where it will be for the next week getting annual maintenance done.

That evening we went to “The Earthling”, famous for its authentic Terran Cuisine.

Medicus met a brash young trader who boasted of how he evaded a squadron of pursuit ships of strange design, when down on an Outrim planet procuring trade goods. He went on at great length about the overpowering armament of the strangers, and all the tricks he used to escape, but avoided all questions about the planet except that it had a standard atmosphere.

Fig heard a customs and excise official bemoaning a lack of Navy control over privateers, Trane/Glisten is rumored to have given letters of Marque to one or two corsairs, operating in Pax Rulin subsector.

325-1108
We donated the Ancient artifacts to the office of the Duchess, hoping it would add to our Cred somewhere, and to get them into a more appropriate area for proper study.

The TAS hotel on Glisten is really a first-class facility, the rooms were very nice. While we were there, we spent most of our evenings at their Octagon Bar, listening for rumors and meeting people from all over the sector. Their food was excellent.

The shipyard began maintenance on the Skylark, it would take about a week before they were finished.

332-1108
We get the Skylark 2 back and move back in. It has that “New Starship Smell” again.

Updates on the war were 'pretty much more of the same', but one strange in and out jump of a ship in Ruie on the TNS news feed:

back and move back in. It has that “New Starship Smell” again.

Updates on the war were 'pretty much more of the same', but one strange in and out jump of a ship in Ruie on the TNS news feed:

⑆ RUIE /REGINA (1809 C776977-7)                                       234-1108

¶ Ruie Orbital Traffic Control reports that a ship jumped into the Ruie system yesterday transmitting an unknown transponder signal.

¶ When ROTC requested information from this unknown ship; it energized its jump grid and jumped.

¶ An unnamed member of the ROTC is quoted as saying, "The strange thing is that the transponder signal was on the proper channel, but was broadcasting in a completely unknown language." Ω

Very odd.

Later we got a personal thank-you note from the Duchess concerning the Ancient artifacts that we donated.

Leon asked, “What’s the Curse of Ganulph about?”

This was a good time to look up the Curse of Ganulph that we were gifted.

Medicus finds Ganulph is world in the Egyrn subsector, but there is not much there: 8108 Km in diameter, barren, no atmosphere, no population and red-zoned. It orbits a M3 V Dwarf. Not far from T’yana, where we had our last adventure.

Nothing on the “Curse of Ganulph” was listed.

Leon used some of his Navy connections and came back with:

Ganulph, Manoeuvre of, 1084: In early 1084 during the Fourth Frontier War, lmperial forces assigned to the Egyrn subsector were drawn into a long series of skirmishes in the vicinity of Walei and Nabeth. The reason for these became clear when a Zhodani task force arrived over Ganulph and overwhelmed the solitary guardship, the Light Cruiser Alchemda.

The Imperial resupply base with its small marine garrison held out for a short time, but eventually a spread of missiles penetrated a munitions storage silo, causing an immense nuclear explosion and sympathetic detonations in other storage areas. In the increasing convulsions that followed, Ganulph lost its thin atmospheric envelope and all life on the planet became extinct.

Munitions at the base included certain experimental weapons, and the subsequent court of inquiry laid the blame on the logistics staff for inadequate storage safeguards.

Well, now we are complete.

345-1108
Another night on the town.

Fig meets an ebullient merchant captain, who he encouraged with liquor, told a story about a trader who was chased out of an Egyrn Subsector system by a warship neither Imperial nor barbarian.

Medicus met someone who had heard of us, and had a job offer. Ceredig St. John, knows we are reliable and quiet if the need arises. He smiled when asked where he had heard of us, but needed a quiet delivery of 50 tons of cargo. Medicus got Sam involved and they settled on 1.1M credits for delivery to Pax Rulin, capitol of Pax Rulin Subsector.

The cargo was general starship spare parts, for a LARGE ship.

St. John worked for McClellan Factors, a giant cartel who has cornered the market in District 268, after a long and bitter fight with Baraccai Technum (BT).

Looking them up in the database, we found that the main regional McClellan base is at Mertactor/268 (1537), with advance facilities at Trexalon/268 (1339), and, in the Egyrn subsector, Factors are maintained on Walei (0902), Kaldamar (1201). Nabeth (1202) and Ashley's Rock (1601).

Things can get pretty hot between the two cartels' supporters on some worlds, but relations have not escalated into a full trade war.

Checking up on their rival, we looked up the Baraccai Technum (BT). Although not a megacorporation, it is nevertheless an important part of the economy of Glisten. This Marches corporation is based at Trin in the nearby Trin’s Veil subsector. Specializing in manufacturing, transport, and brokerage interests, BT is at the forefront of developing new markets, such as those in District 268 and beyond. Glisten is the headquarters of its Extra-Imperial Activity (EIA) division. The EIA devotes most of its resources to cultivating the worlds of the so-called Outrim Void, a portion of Trojan Reach uncontrolled by the Imperium.

The Baraccai Technum’s EIA is a major employer in Glisten. It has a constant need for starship crews, as well as ex-military personnel interested in exploratory trade beyond the borders of the subsector. In this way, the EIA is responsible for the presence of many non-Glistenites in the system. It’s also among the most vigorous seekers of business opportunities in the regions adjacent to Glisten subsector.

350-1108
Checking out Pax Rulin: although it’s the subsector capital, it has a low population, and is a vacuum world.

Fig and Kipenzi check the manifest, just general parts for 1K ton ships- no specific damage, just spares for a larger ship, Nothing hinky with McClellan, they just they don’t want people to know it was from them.

352-1108
Jump out for Horosho.

358-1108 1800
Into the Horosho system.

At 93 diameters out we meet the 100-ton scout ship Gazer, outbound for Craw.

We land at the C-class port and start fueling up with unrefined fuel. It is a water world, but local regulations prevent us from just doing an ocean refueling.

359-1108
It is Medicus’s 42nd birthday.

Port fees are cheap but there are almost no services at Horosho Down. A bored clerk named Paula makes life difficult - the additional paperwork costs us an extra day. Sam swears that she was screwing with us just to have something to do.

362-1108 midnight
Jump out for Romar

Before landing we meet the 1000-Ton Hlai Hyro, they are friendly and chatty and outbound for Overnale.

365–1108
We spend New Year’s Eve in jump.

003-1109 1800
Into the Romar system.

On our way to the main world, the 400T patrol boat, Swiftsure was asking for sensor logs and did a quick inspection. With sealed cargo going to Pax Rulin we had no trouble.

006-1109
On our way out to the 100 planetary diameters’ limit we pass 50T cutter the Spica Everest 5. We say “Hi” to each other and continue out to the Doradon jump point and jump at midnight.

Continued in: Last Flight of the Amuar - Part 1.

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, Kesser's Return, Justice, Mission to Mithril, Outback and Skylark and the Pit.