Changing sides

We left the party in Tizon.

They had done their job and delivered the Imperium's reply. The cease fire would start from now. No military ships would move without permission from the other side. The Imperium would abandon the three illegal military bases. The cease fire would remain in place for as long as it took High Command to meet on both sides. With the large size of the Zhodani Empire and the Imperium, this could take a while.

So the party was discharged, having completed the deliveries.

Aida then offered them a small job.

A rogue element of Zhodani had mutinied and taken two frigates. (Apparently, this happened quite a bit, on both sides, and in peace times too. Long communications lines often meant lone ships would be out of comms for months on end.) The rebels were docked in a temporary star-port in Torment. The main battle fleet could not attempt to engage them as they would just Jump out. However, if an innocent scout ship was to deliver a small package to them - a package of explosives, disguised as a whisky crate, say - then that might provide a good outcome.

So the group jumped in to Torment.



The Zhodani rebels allowed the Scout ship Lollipop to dock and sent two soldiers on board to do a cursory search. Aida hid herself away during this time.

Torment's temporary star-port had three wings. One had the two rogue frigates docked, one wing was for the Lollipop, and the other wing was still under construction (construction having recently ceased). They had been told that the blast radius of the whisky bomb was 100m, so decided the safest spot to place it would be in the empty wing; that would more than cover the frigates in the blast.


Aida would dress up as one of the rebel Zhodanis and she would wheel the crate over to the half-built wing. To provide a diversion, Dick (Shane) and Worthington (Chris) would perform a burlesque show for the Zhodani rebels.

Note that burlesque was one of the Jump-time activities, to wile away the week of the jump, so the party had had some practice. In fact, that very trip, burlesque was the randomly selected activity - Aida had performed too. Having a female participant, emphasized by the macromasia of the Zhodani, had spurred the party's motivation ten-fold.  What was formerly a despised activity, was now something to be looked forward to.

The Dick and Worthington burlesque show went ahead, the diversion worked, and the crate was delivered. All that need be said is that the name of the system "Torment" aptly described the feelings suffered by the hapless Zhodani rebels who endured the show, and that when the bomb detonated some time later, it would have put an end to their suffering.

A week later, they arrived back in Tizon.

With the misson accomplished, Major-General Seskia offered the party new employment. They would work for the Zhodani military as Zhodani forward recon (not for the Scout Service) and travel in the Zhodani scout ship Sosok under "Captain" Aida. It was a 1G 3-jump ship. Belter did not want to lose his rights to his scout ship, so agreed to surrepticiously provide the Scout Service information on Zhodani acitivities at every port when he could. In return, the Scout Service would house and maintain the Lollipop.

Aida told the group about the Zhodani equivalent of burlesque called Tolshok Zoh. It was performed on a pole and involved disrobing and gyrating. Dead-eye Dick was fascinated, so Aida invited him and the rest of the party to one of the performances on board the Battleship Ogromnia Moloka. The stage was down the centre of a bar and psycho-tropic blood was provided through communal teats that adorned either side. The Zhodani girls were already excited and a bit spaced-out when the show began. But much to Dick's disappointment, the performers were well-oiled Zhodani males, scrawny but with well-cut muscles, with enormous members. They did their stuff on the poles amid screaming Zhodanis.

One of the Zhodani ensigns at the show took a liking to Dick. She introduced herself as Cara and hauled him back to her cabin for the night.

When Dick stumbled back to the Sosok the next morning, he'd lost his front teeth, he had two ribs broken, he was covered in bruises and raked with fingernail clawings. Doctor Worthington spent the morning repairing Dick's wounds. The amused Aida explained to Dick that he was lucky that Cara didn't give him "hard loving", or else they would be officially betrothed. Zhodani marriage is "until death do us part" - usually death of the male.

"How would I know what 'hard-loving' would be?" asked Dick, now worried.

"Oh, you wouldn't be able to walk."

Orders arrived. The plan was for the Zhodani fleet to leave the Sword Worlds and jump to Entrope. But they had to wait another week for the official clearance to arrive from Margesi.
In the mean time, the Sosok was ordered to jump to Zeta 2 (using its jump-3 capability) and then jump to Entrope to meet up with the fleet (which would arrive at the same time). The Sosok was to make sure that the Imperium had left Zeta 2.

During the week from Tizon to Zeta 2 the activity was golf.

"Strip Golf" proclaimed Dick. Having never played golf before, it took Aida half a game to realize that she didn't have a 2 handicap while the rest of the players had a 36. But by that time she was naked and Dick was snapping away photos like there was no tomorrow.

"You will destroy those,"  Aida warned Dick. "Else your encounters with Cara will seem mild".

He hastily agreed.

Arriving in Zeta 2, they were greeted to an abandoned system and no space-port. There was some civilian activity on the surface. So they jumped out back to Entrope.

The activity this week was Drug Week. Aida offered up her psycho-tropic blood based drinks, and Worthington a collection of morphine-based injectables.

They arrived in Entrope and the main Zhodani fleet was there.

After docking at the class E star-port, a package was delivered for Dick. It was a brass knuckle-duster and a note "See you tonight, my toshi lubovnika. Cara." Dick asked Aida the significance of the knuckle-duster.

"Is lover's gift. She will use it to heighten enjoyment"

"Not for 'hard loving'?" he whimpered.

"No no. Side-cutters, or brace and bit."

With a bit of trepidation, Dick went off to the Ogromnia Moloka for his date with Cara.

The next morning, Dick crawled back to the Sosok coughing blood, with a broken jaw and more ribs, holding several teeth in his hand. Doctor Worthington had him patched up in no time, but it still hurt like hell.

.

Diplomatic Demands Delivered

During the trip from Gungnir, Aida wanted to check that they had set the correct jump co-ordinates to Margesi, as promised, but Belter (Darryl) refused to let her onto the bridge. This was despite protestations from Standage (Ian). So she spent the entire time in her state room.

Arriving in Margesi, the Lollipop was immediately put into tractor beam by the Imperium Navy thereon and towed well clear of the class C star-port. An umblical was fixed to the hatch, and a squad of marines came on board. They clapped Aida in irons and marched her off, and then proceeded to search the ship. Unlike the Zhodani experience, the Imperium marines' search was a lot more violent and damaging. They smashed broken glass and crockery all over the kitchen, and proceeded to use heavy weapons on Belter's collection of antique whiskeys "to check them for illegals".

Belter protested: "You are violating the neutrality of the Scout Service!", but he was punched down with a rifle butt. The party was forcebly disembarked and watched helplessly, from the star-port, as the Lollipop was dismantled *again*. This time, out in space, well clear of anything crucial.

Eventually the marines pronouced it "safe and clear", and start to reassemble it.

Standage had to use leverage from the Diplomats Corps to get Aida released from the Navy interrogation. She was brought back with a few cuts and bruises. He then accompanied her to the Diplomats Corps building in the star-port. The Diplomats were not very happy with the Zhodani demands, so they suggested a binding Cease Fire, so that some "big wigs" from Imperium Central could discuss with Zhodani counterparts.

Aida grudgingly accepted this, so she and the party reboarded the reassembled Lollipop for the trip back to Tizon - the place where the Zhodani fleet from Gungnir would meet up - so she could deliver the message to Major General Seskia.

A week later they arrived in Tizon.

After Aida's experience with the Margesi navy, she insisted, much to Belter's anger, that the Lollipop be searched again. In fact, she wouldn't even let it dock at the star port.

Techies came on board and they searched it. There were some chemical anomolies in the cargo bay and they detected unusual gamma radiation from one of the unbroken whisky crates. Sure enough, that crate was false and was in fact a bomb. The trigger was a radio signal, but they disabled that.

"I wonder of we are working for the right side," mused Standage.

Into Diplomacy

At Trifuge, the party picked up a new crewman: Dead-eye Dick (Shane), a Navy ensign. They also arranged with the Scout Service to change the transponder so the ship could be renamed "Tin-pot". This was done a way out in the system behind some asteroids so as to avoid detection, and just before the jump.

Scout orders were to go from Trifuge to Torment and thence to Hrunting. So the Tin-pot spent a bit more than 12 hours accelerating up to 1000km/s before they jumped.

The jump week passed uneventfully. Dead-eye decided to make a list of activities with which to wile away the jump week:

1. Canasta
2. Drinking
3. Learn a new instrument
4. Burlesque
5. Beach volleyball
6. Golf
7. Carousing
8. Carolling
9. VHS Cassette tapes
10. Board games
11. Learn a new language
12. Puppetry of the penis
13. Cooking - Masterchef
14. Poker
15. Charades
16. Drug Week!
17. Karaoke
18. Disco - rollerball
19. Party, party, party
20. Morris dancing

After the week passed, Tin-pot arrived in Torment going at 1000km/s. Sure enough, the illegal Imperium base there had been destroyed. There was Zhodani radio activity, so they kept quiet and burned the jump fuel for the next jump to Hrunting.

Another week.

Tin-pot arrived at Hrunting. Straight away, comms was saturated with messages on Zhodani frequencies. They had calculated the jump to position themselves to be out by the gas giant in such a spot so as to be travelling at scoop velocity after maximum deceleration - thence to refuel and jump out. This whole manoeuvre would take 34 hours. Within an hour, they were Medium-rang pinged (1 light-hour range) from the star port here, and got a "report to star base" message. They ignored it actively. When they did not comply, they detected incoming 6G missiles. These missiles would arrive in 30 hours, so they had a choice, get one parsec of jump fuel, and do a safe jump, or get four and do a "less than 100-diameters" jump. This would give them a 1-in-6 chance of a misjump, but they figured they would risk it, in that they would be able to jump-2 when they arrived should they land any where awkward.

They jumped to 1019, an empty system with no misjump.

Then jumped to Garda-Vilis. This was an Imperium Navy base with four destroyers docked.
Belter (Darryl) checked in with the scouts. Standage (Ian) checked in with the Diplomats Corps. They wanted him to seek out someone of note in the Zhodani, and get down to talking - a protracted war would harm both empires. The Scouts asceded the demands of the Diplomat's - after all the Diplomats would be paying. Unlike the Scout Service, which is a neutral corporation who will do scouting for anyone that pays them, the Diplomats are one half of the Imperium (the other half being the Military). The Diplomats were saturating the Sword Worlds systems and the Darrian empire's systems with as many diplomats as they could get a hold of in the hope of finding the main Zhodani fleet.


To kill two birds with one stone, the Scouts suggested they go via Zeta 2, another illegal and secret Imperium navy base, to see if it had fallen to Zhodani. Then Margesi, then Gungnir.

Zeta 2 was still held by Imperium - they jumped out fast as they could when heavy Imperium radio traffic saturated the air.

Margesi was a short dock and refuel, and then to Gungnir.

As luck would have it, Gungnir was well-occupied by Zhodani. It was a large battle fleet indeed. One battleship, two cruisers, ten destroyers and numerous support vessels.  Not attempting any stealth at all, the Tinpot headed for the class B port and docked. They were greeted at the airlock by Zhodani marines and escorted to one of the hotels in the starport. Here they were put up in luxury and were content until Belter noticed, out the window of the hotel, that the Tinpot was being swarmed over by Zhodanis, and they were dismantling it. He rushed to the door of the suite but there were guards outside who refused to let them out. Belter screamed and ranted, but the marines stood firm. Slowly, over the course of the day, the Tinpot was taken to pieces, while the party looked on helplessly.

That evening an envoy of the Zhodani arrived and escorted the group to another building in the starport with the envoy and a squad of marines. Here they were introduced to Major General Olga Seskia, and her sub-altern adjutant Aida Fedotova. Belter protested loudly and impatiently that how DARE they touch his space ship, and how DARE they interfere with  possessions of the NEUTRAL Scout Service. Aida calmly reminded the group that changing the transponder of a ship was highly illegal and that the Zhodani was in their rights to confiscate it, or destroy it, and that he should sit down and shut up. The ship was to be turned back into the Lollipop, and the Tinpot transponder to be incinerated.

Standage asked if he could speak with Maj Gen Sieskia in private in that he was authorized by the Imperium Diplomatic Corps to speak for them. She agreed and outlined Zhodani demands:

1. All three Imperium bases in the Neutral zone (Zeta 2, Torment and 494-908) to be abandoned and destroyed.
2. As compensation for the violation of the Neutral Zone treaty, the Darrian empire shall cede to Zhodani interests

Standage was to take the demands back to the Imperium base in Margesi. So they took off pronto heading for there.

Treachery !

We left the Lollipop securely docked in the Laberv class B orbitting
star-port. Laberv had been appropriated by the Zhodani navy and there
were three destroyers and five frigates docked there.

Belter (Darryl) went to the Scouts Office and asked if the Zhodani
would let them explore the system. The scouts' agent asked the local
Zhodani supervisor if this was possible. She checked with Colonel
Hayak, and confirmed with "so long as Lollipop's jump drive is
disabled."
Asking the Scouts, they said the typical way to disable the drive was
to remove the jump capacitors - these were each the size of a
full-height fridge. Lollipop had one. Belter agreed, and the
technicians would be around in two days to do it.

Dr Worthington (Chris) (only person in the group with Streetwise) made
some surrepticious enquiries through the Laberv underworld and found
he could source a black market jump capacitor for 90,000 credits. It
would be delivered to them out in the Badlands in three days time, a
day's journey from Laberv's rendezvous city Scunthorpe. Scunthorpe was
the only place on the surface that the Zhodani would allow lighters,
shuttles and air-rafts to land from the Laberv star-port.

The group spent a few heady days watching the security searches in the
docking station where goods from the surface arrived. Searchers were
pretty cursory, so the party decided risk it. Worthington gave the go
ahead and paid the money (using Scout Service promisory notes and 50K
cash from the group)

The next day, Zhodani technicians arrived and removed the jump
capacitor, the magneto-hydrodynamic actuator and two cans of elephant
beer. Luckily, actuators could be bought in the space station itself,
so they replaced that one quite fast; for 10K credits.

Bad Pitt (Shane) sneaked off and, in an act of justified treachery,
told his Zhodani minder that "it might be a good idea to check on any
large items delivered to the Lollipop".

The purchase was made out in the Badlands, and the jump capacitor was
bought, and trucked in to the Scunthorpe. It was loaded onto the
air-raft and ferried up to the space station, with a whole lot of
other similar-sized supplies.
On cue, Zhodani security swarmed over it like a bad rash, and found
the jump capacitor. They arrested Worthington, Standage (Ian) and
Bobby (Jeff). The capacitor was confiscated and the three were beaten
senseless by Zhodani grunts. They were deposited, unconscious, outside
the door of the Lollipop.

On board and several hours later, Worthington (who has Medical-3)
happened to notice some strange electronic interference when he walked
past the ship's UHF bread-oven. So he did an all-frequency scan of
himself, and discovered he was packing some kind of low-power Ka-band
(satellite) transmitter in his head. He scanned the rest of the crew:
Standage, Bobby and Bad had similar implants.

Suspicions were beginning to form against Bad, so Worthington
surrepticiously took Standage and Bobby back down to the planet and
they found a back street abortion clinic. Here, Worthington performed
an operation on the back of Bobby's neck and found he had a
spider-like device, the size of a new-born's hand, sewn in, under the
skull, next to vertabra C2. It was Zhodani "liquid technology" and had
a multi-directional Ka-band antenna. Using his best Electronic-1
skill, Worthington gambled that it had no nasty booby-traps like
lethal cocktails of sarin and botulism, nor capsules of hydrofluoric
acid, nor even packages of C4, so he deftly removed it from Bobby. A
freq-scan revealed it was no longer transmitting.
Standage was next, and Worthington removed his implant - they kept it
warm after removal and that seemed to keep it transmitting.
The Worthington bravely asked the back-street clinic director himself,
Dr Blind "palsy" Pew (medical-1), to operate on him. Luckily, Dr Pew
turned out to be more deft than blind, and did a magnificent removal
of Worthington's bug. They kept that one warm too.

In order to shake off the worries from stopping Bobby's transmitter,
they faked Bobby "Blade" Morton's death, claiming he was MIA, and
reported this to the local police. And returned to the space station
without him.

A new pilot, Dobby "Spade" Dorton, of Laberv, would join the Lollipop
a few days later.

Suspecting treachery over having seen their jump capacitor found, they
planned to do the whole thing again and made sure Bad overheard them.
This time a real fridge was shipped up. And sure enough, it was
searched. But before they could confront Bad with claims of treachery,
he vanished

The next day, after much pleading and wheedling, they convinced the
Scout Service to get them another capacitor: "Meet us on Harbour
(planet nearest the sun) in two weeks time."

So, ten days before this date, the Lollipop plotted a trip to the 2nd
planet (Mercury size) to "examine some Ancients sites there". The
Zhodani authorities gave their consent (since the Lollipop can not
jump). Too, a Zhodani scout ship was sent to escort the Lollipop "for
safety reasons". On the planet, the Lollipop flew into a cave "good
archeological remains here" and waited two days, transmitting
regularly to the Zhodani scout ship which orbitted on a one day orbit.
They snuck out in the shadow of the planet, and kept the planet
between them and the scout ship, slowly spirally out and accelerating
to maintain the shadow.

The eventually got out to one light-minute (1.8M km), the limit of
short-range scan, and skulked off to planet 1. Here they met the
Scouts, who haad just jumped in, and they got their capacitor,
installed it, and then successfully jumped out.

Two weeks and two jumps later they arrived inTrifuge. Thank fully,  Zhodani free