Present:
- Anastasia "Stasi" Tepes. Zhodani Soldier from Querion – Shane
- Emerse Gee. Daryen Scientist from Torment – Darryl
- "Riley" O'Reilly. Sword-Worlder Pilot from Winston - Richard
- Anton Tositova. Solomani Gunner from Entrope - Ian
- Sang "Spanner" Hoang. Sword-Worlder Mechanic from Winston – Jeff
- MARMALADING: Hoff Ende. Sword-Worlder Scientist from Winston - Kevin
- Gnostic Hands. Solomani Scientist from Entrope – Jamie
- Belle Ende. Sword-Worlder Medic from Winston - Steven
- Split "Penny" Ende. Sword-Worlder Minstrel from Winston - Jason
- NPC: Scurry. Drone Gunner from Winston
- NPC: Zeraphina Althira. Zhodani Winston Diplomat from Querion
- NPC: Finn Cyborg from Querion
by Richard
We are on Dollar.
Gnostic has finished his private discussion with Zeraphina, the Zhodani ambassador.
"They clearly want the crown and perhaps me; in any event I'm in trouble here and we need to go" he explains.
"Go where?" asks Split
"Of course, they want the crown" volunteers Emerse. "It will give them control of this system."
"Sell it to the highest bidder, I say" says Riley in his typically mercenary demeaner.
"But you are a Sword-Worlder!" complains Anton.
"I owe them nothing" responds Riley "especially after booting me out of the military for no good reason"
"No reason?" Split's eye-brow raises "You are a drunken callous thug!"
"But I can fly! Anyways, let's sell it to the highest bidder, I want a better ship"
"We need to get out of this system to do that" repeats Gnostic. "Then we can negotiate from a distance. We should jump to Entrope, another Sword-Worlder system" [Adjacent to Winston system, the other adjacent system being Torment, quarantined. ]
"How are we going to do that, they will shoot us down"
"They won't lay are hand on us" Riley volunteers with just a hint of unwarranted arrogance.
We are in the Winston system, owned by the Sword-World Confederation. One of 26 systems owned by them. The Zhodani control, about 3000 systems but their nearest is six jumps away. Owning the Crown of the Ancients will give the Zhodanis control of the Winston system and a foothold in this area. On the other hand, the Imperium control about 9000 systems and are four jumps away.
"Why don’t we take control of the system?" chuckles Gnostic
"I want a simple life" protests Riley. "Whisky, flying, brawling, women and money – in that order. I don’t want politics"
"And anyway, that will bring the wrath of all of them onto us"
"Let's ask Mum, after all she is our employer and our Mum" Belle says looking at Split
The debate quietens and we all agree that that is the most sensible idea. Belle and Split send a message to their mum, Contessa, outlining everything and seeking orders.
Light-time is an hour to Winston, so messages are not instant. Eventually the reply comes back which reads "make sure everything turned on, then return to Formaline, and orbit it."
"Well we have our orders," announces Belle "let's get going"
Split, Anton and Gnostic ready themselves and head into the Ancients' site on Dollar to turn the system on. They do so without issue and return to the Faerie Queene an hour or so later.
"Ah …. there are two Zhodani frigates on route to Dollar" says Gnostic who has observed them in the Ancients' chamber when they turned the system on.
"We can easily avoid them" states Riley as he prepares the Faerie Queene to launch.
Another message from Contessa: "Treat the Ambassador well…. Am doing a deal now….. A shame that Montrose Space station is still there! Out"
We launch and start our five-day journey to Formaline. "Riley is very intent and closely watching the Faerie Queene trajectory and the two Zhodani frigates.
 |
| Zhodani destroyers on an intercept course |
"Have Zeraphina talk to them"
"Good idea"
"I'm ready to shoot if I have to" (Anton from the gun turret)
Zeraphina hails the frigates and has a long conversation.
"They are here to escort us to Formaline and keep us safe" Zeraphina announces.
"A knew it" smiled Riley nervously with perspiration pouring down his brow.
Four days later we arrive at Formaline and proceed to the surface. We land safely and head into the Ancients' site. Everything was as we left it including the steam door in the ceiling that to date we hadn't opened.
"Let's open it"
"Don’t be stupid"
"Go on"
"No"
We argued for some time eventually leaving it (and as it turned out later, wisely, as we are informed by the Zhodani at a later date that it had 21 spiders behind it. Plus some Ancients' relics).
We successfully enter the main chamber. Nothing had changed and we go about turning the system on.
The solar system lights up (to Gnostic anyway who is wearing the crown) and reveals several Sword-World frigates and scout ships in the sector but trumped somewhat by Zhodani battle fleet: one cruiser, four destroyers and a number of frigates.
Gnostic takes the crown off to see if he can still see the solar system portrayed, which he can.
"I wonder if I could blow up that old scout ship attached to the Montrose Space Station" he ponders.
"Unlikely I think" as he puts the cross hairs on it and touches it.
Simultaneously the scout ship, a Montrose one at that, explodes into pieces and a bolt of lightning hits Gnostic in the chest for 7 points. Gnostic flies across the room and lies here for a moment. He raises his hand and meekly calls out "first aid".
Anyone with any skill fails and even Stasi fails when Gnostic realizes she is trying to suck his blood and wriggles free.
We go back to the Faerie Queene and take off deciding to spend a day refueling before orbiting and awaiting further instruction.
We receive a call from Contessa wanting to talk to Gnostic, who had now been largely cured by Belle.
""How attached to that crown are you?"
"Ah not that attached if we get the right price"
"Good – what's the right price?"
"We want a better ship, some money and Riley wants some good Whisky"
"Ok, over and out. I will be back to you shortly"
An hour or so later Contessa comes back to us. She had clearly done a deal with the Zhodani and lined her pockets but had also come through for us.
We would get an unnamed Zhodani Wolfsbane class Patrol Ship, with
- Jump-2 jump drive
- 3G manoeuvre drive
- grav plates
- grav terrestrial drive
- 2 hard-points with our choice of weapons
- 6 state rooms
- 250 tonnes
- 12 ton cargo hold
Also, some money and whisky.
The deal was done and our new ship would be called "The Lost Crown"
"You will need to induct the Zhodani on how to use the crown" Contessa messages in.
We agree and a Zhodani scout ship docks some hours later and a Zhodani volunteer, Rynae, boards and Gnostic starts to show her the Crown of the Ancients' abilities. For a moment we worried that it may not work on a Zhodani head but our worries were misplaced and Gnostic was able to pass on all the valuable information.
With that completed we head home to Winston, leave The Lost Crown in orbit, and land with the air-raft.
It will be two weeks until the Lost Crown arrives. For the two hard-points, we have chosen Cannons (like YFQ) and a twin missile launcher. We have also requested 1-point body-armour for each crew, new vacc suits, grenades including incendiary grenades and flares.
We rest for two weeks. Riley drinks, whores and fights his way through the fortnight whilst the numerous nerds in the party play with their scientific instruments.
The Lost Crown hold will fit our air-raft, although when Riley also tries to put a jeep in the hold he finds Emerse has built himself a small laboratory where he can sleep, in the hold, so no space for the jeep. The six state rooms are divided up as follows:
- Belle and Penny Ende - the sick bay
- Cyborg Finn and Stasi – no one wants to witness their sexual acts
- Spanner being the only other woman
- Riley and Anton
- Gnostic. He insisted as he had given up the crown
- Itzy and Hoff, our marmalading friends should they ever return.
- Emerse was in the hold with his own small lab.
[ Readers may wonder why these minor details go into the write-up. It may seem strange however history has indicated that we are more than capable of arguing and debating missed facts for many hours in the absence of proof. ]
We remain under the employ of Contessa. A job well done we all think. What will she have in store for us next?
