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| − | <br>
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| − | ''Game Date: 26 Jan 2014''<br>
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| − | ''Present: Tabby, Chris, Sara, Paul, and Maer''<br><br><br><br>
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| − | <br>
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| − | '''Saturday, 28 Oct 2519'''<br>
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| − | '''New Edinburgh Spaceport, New Edinburgh'''<br>
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| − | '''Aberdeen, Kalidasa (Xuan Wu) system'''<br><br>
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| − | Oksana is spending the night with Ebenezer Scrooge. <br><br>
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| − | Verity is manning the bridge on ''Space Otter''. <br><br>
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| − | Stone and Xiu have just observed The Operative exit the Merchant Guild HQ. They don't stop and stare, of course, but get right back on the mule and head back to the ship. <br><br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' Keep your eyes out for trouble. <br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' I'm here. You got trouble. <br><br>
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| − | Aboard ''Otter'', Verity sits unaware of this latest development because Stone hasn't commed ahead to tell her: all comms traffic is being monitored by the Feds and he doesn't want to tip them off that we've seen you-know-who. Once they arrive, there's a brief discussion of what to do next. Stone decides to play it cool but make sure ''Otter'' is fully fueled up and ready to go at a moment's notice. Decision made, Stone leave the bridge. He's got some covert digging around to do. <br><br>
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| − | '''Verity:''' Do you need me for anything, Captain? <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' No, but keep watch. <br><br>
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| − | That she will. Verity's not the trusting sort when it comes to the Feds. <br><br>
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| − | Meanwhile, back at Scrooge's mansion, Oksana and her host are a bit busy with each other. Joyously. Vigorously. And something intrudes: a beeping sound that won't go away. It finally gets through to Oksana, making her stop and listen. <br><br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' Are you going to get that? <br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' (distracted) Get what? <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' [[Those Who Stare In The Black, Game 19: Precipitation#HOW TO SPEAK RUSSIAN|''Minutochku'']]. Hold on a …. minute. <br><br>
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| − | She gasps and disengages and actually starts looking for the source of that sound. That damned beeping thing is—<br><br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' (listens) Oh, shit. (quits bed) Get dressed! <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' Uhhh … (snaps to) Okay. <br><br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' It's an alarm. We need to get out of here. Quick. <br><br>
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| − | He yanks on his clothes. So does she. Once they're both dressed, Scrooge opens the bedside table drawer and pulls out a pistol. He tucks it in the back waistband of his pants. <br><br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' (pointing) Share? <br><br>
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| − | He pulls another handgun from the drawer with an extra clip and hands them to her. She chambers a round, engages the safety, and tucks both gun and clip in her waistband. Scrooge walks to the bedroom armoire, presses a panel on its side… and click! a secret door sinks back and slides aside. <br><br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' Through here. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' (rolls with it) Of course. Is ''Russian'' house. <br><br>
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| − | There's a passage beyond and Scrooge pulls Oksana with him into it. Once inside, he places his hands on two other unremarkable spots on the wall, presses, and closes the secret door. It slides into place with the hiss of a hermetic seal. There's light in there, about twenty feet back from the door, bright enough to see by and dim enough not to give anything away once the door's closed. <br><br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' Where are we going? <br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' To the sub basement. (moving) Then probably out to—I would say out to your ship. It's less likely to be a problem than Mal's. I do have another ship but I want to drop you off first<br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' All right. Lead on. <br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' I'm sorry you got caught up in whatever's after me. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' And that would be what? <br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' We'll find out. Let's get to the sub basement. <br><br>
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| − | He takes her hand and starts walking toward the light twenty feet away. <br><br>
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| − | Back at ''Space Otter'', Verity's still on the bridge. There's an alert coming over the sensors. Something's coming through our immediate airspace. It's an aircraft, flying in from the city proper, and it's heading right for us. She can't tell anything more than that. She alerts Stone. <br><br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' If you can't get anything more, warm up the engines. <br>
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| − | '''Verity:''' Right. (via comms) Xiu. Fire her up. <br><br>
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| − | Even as she issues the order, two more sensor blips appear behind the first. The new blips are bigger than the first. They'll be here in just a minute, coming in hot and fast and aiming straight for our very own airspace. <br><br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' I'll call the Port Authority about this, ask them what the deal is. (hails them) New Edinburgh Port Authority, this is ''Space Otter'' at Berth 17. We have incoming in our airspace. Can you identify the craft? <br>
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| − | '''Port Authority:''' Have no clue, ''Space Otter''. They aren't answering our hails. <br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' (via in-ship comms) Can we move the ship? <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' (via same) It's not coming at us directly, just … around our ship. <br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' Okay, so it's not going to bean us. <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' No. <br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' Nor is any part of it coming to bean us? <br><br>
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| − | Not on its current trajectory. Of course, that could change any minute. <br><br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' Okay. Fair enough. <br><br>
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| − | The three blips are close enough to identify a little better. The smaller is a small personal type vehicle, the two larger are patrol craft or small fighter craft. Xiu's on the bridge at this point and she looks at the sensor feeds with a jaundiced eye. <br><br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' I didn't do anything. I was with the Captain the whole time we were out. <br>
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| − | '''Verity:''' Not likin' this. <br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' I said I didn't do anything. <br>
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| − | '''Verity:''' Not that. I couldn't care less if you did anything. I'm talkin' about the idjits that are about to come close. You know, there's the thing called 'personal space.'<br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' Yeah. I like ten feet of it, usually. <br><br>
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| − | As the bogies are coming in hot, Stone comms Oksana to give her an update. Nothing. He can't tell if she's out of comm range or if she's simply too busy to answer. <br><br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' Joy. <br><br>
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| − | As for the good doctor … She and Scrooge are negotiating the secret passage. He leads them to a dead end, presses on two bricks on the wall an arm's width apart, and speaks a passcode. A door appears like the first. Beyond it lies a spiral staircase down. <br><br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' After you. <br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' After you. No, seriously. It'll close if I let go. <br><br>
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| − | He's still pressing the two bricks down. Once she steps through, he steps in after her. Behind him, the door closes and seals with a hiss. The light is dimmer here, only just bright enough to see where to put their feet. They take the stairs down, stepping off the bottom tread at a dead end. Scrooge presses several bricks in a methodical sequence and says "Starfish." Another secret door opens with a hiss. They step through and Scrooge hits a brick on the inside. Looking back, Oksana sees the spiral stairs folding and collapsing, sinking into the floor, concealing their existence. Then the door slides shut and the air seals close everything up tight. <br><br>
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| − | It's quiet down here. The alarms either cannot reach this far or they aren't wired to sound down here. They're in a vast cavernous room filled with computers and equipment and a large number of screens. <br><br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' Should I even be seeing this? <br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' I trust you. <br><br>
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| − | The screens all show camera feeds and Oksana realizes that he's got his entire house under surveillance, rooms and all. Apparently his cameras are everywhere. On them, they can see that the Feds have arrived, their distinctive uniforms unmistakable. They are everywhere, too. <br><br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' I need to ask you something. The last time I was here, were you filming us then, too? <br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' These cameras don't go on until and unless there's an alarm. (a beat) But if you want to film next time—<br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' No. Absolutely not. <br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' (grins) But that would take care of those cold lonely nights. <br><br>
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| − | Oksana head-swats him. He laughs and puts his fingers to the keyboards under the screens. <br><br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' You're going to pay for that. <br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' Hopefully pleasantly. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' We'll see. <br><br>
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| − | The images on one of the screens shifts and changes and a plan of the city comes up. <br><br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' You're ship is over here. There's a reason why I worked hard to get you into that bay. We have a way to get to your ship underground from here. I have another ship a few berths away. I'll take it and get the hell out of Dodge, pick up one of my business partners on the way. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' All right. We'd best get going. That's … not very close to here. <br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' Uhhhhnnnn, no. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' You have car? <br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' Sort of. <br><br>
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| − | He walks over to a large horizontal pipe sunk half in the floor. He lifts a section of it up and to the side like a hinged lid. Beneath lies a passenger capsule and the entire assembly suddenly becomes clear: he's got a pneumatic tube line running underground. <br><br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' Get in. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' Are you coming with me? <br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' Absolutely. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' (eyeing his expression) No jokes. Let's go. <br><br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' Fair enough. <br><br>
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| − | The tube is a two-seater. She gets in the rear seat and he takes the front. As with everything he owns, it's top quality. The hatch closes with a hiss and she feels the cabin pressurize. Scrooge flips some switches, the interior lights go dim, and the tunnel ahead opens. A second later, they're on their way. Acceleration pushes them back into their seats. The ride is very smooth. <br><br>
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| − | Back on ''Otter'', the fast-approaching bogies are close enough for a visual. A second later, the first craft zips dangerously close to the bridge windows. It's a personal air skiff—like a Skidoo for atmo—and the rider is none other than our former passenger Jacob Marley. <br><br>
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| − | What manner of insanity is this? <br><br>
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| − | He's grinning like the Mad Hatter and saucily waves at us on the bridge as he flashes by. He's followed by a couple of blaster bolts and their energy glares through the bridge windows like lightning flashes. The fighters come down and one pulls a sweet maneuver to cut him off at the front as the other closes off his escape from the rear. They blow right past us. Hell, you could hold a match out the bridge window and strike it on their passing hulls, they zip by THAT close. <br><br>
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| − | '''Verity:''' (pissed) You know that thing called personal space? I'm really getting ticked. <br><br>
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| − | And to make her more pissed, there's an All Wave broadcast, telling all ships to stay grounded and out of the way of an Alliance pursuit of a thief and smuggler, currently in progress. <br><br>
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| − | Yeah. No joke. <br><br>
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| − | At that moment, a proximity sensor starts yarking on the bridge. Something's coming up from underneath the ship. <br><br>
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| − | Wait. What? <br><br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' Cameras. <br>
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| − | '''Verity:''' On it. <br><br>
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| − | She slaps them on and we see that part of the landing pad directly beneath the ship is sinking into the ground and then sliding aside like a door. <br><br>
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| − | Again: What manner of insanity is this? <br><br>
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| − | Underground, Scrooge stops the tube car sharply enough to throw them against their straps. He throws open the canopy and points up. <br><br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' That ladder. Go straight up. Your ship'll be there. <br><br>
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| − | Oksana scrambles out and leans down to plant a deep kiss on Scrooge. <br><br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' Stay safe. <br>
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| − | '''Scrooge:''' Persephone. Three months. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' Right. Got it. <br><br>
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| − | And up that ladder she goes. The air rushes past her, making her clothes flap as Scrooge jets out of there. At the top of the ladder, there's a big lever. She pulls on it and a section of the ceiling above drops and slides aside. <br><br>
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| − | On ''Otter's'' bridge, the cameras show Oksana's head pop up from underground, quickly followed by the rest of her. Once she's clear, the hatch closes up. It seals beautifully. You can't even tell where it starts. Oksana wonders if Scrooge hasn't built this entire city his own damn self. He's certainly got it wired. <br><br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' Hit the lift. <br>
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| − | '''Verity:''' On it. <br><br>
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| − | She's already got the cargo lift winching down for their doctor. Oksana hops aboard and gets lifted up. As she rises, a wave from Port Authority comes over the bridge comms. <br><br>
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| − | '''Port Authority:''' ''Space Otter'', Port Authority. Your scheduled cargo shipment has been delayed for one hour due to the air chase ongoing. You are still on schedule for lift off. <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' All right. <br><br>
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| − | As if Scrooge was listening in, another message hits our boards: he's sent us our shipping schedule and instructions, just as we'd discussed in our meeting earlier. Oksana immediately gets to the bridge once she's aboard. <br><br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' What's going on? <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' Okay … (where to start?) … Our erstwhile passenger just flew past the nose of our ship. Followed by two fighter craft. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' Flew by? Flapping his arms? <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' By hoverbike. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' By passenger, you mean our most recent one? <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' Yeah, the one that tried to leave early. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' (okay) I have a message from Scrooge. He says to meet him at Persephone in three months' time. He's getting out of here. I suggest we do, too. <br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' We can't. <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' That's why I called everyone together. The cargo we're supposed to receive should be here with an hour delay, due to the aerial nonsense, and then we can get out of here looking legit. Or we can try to sneak out, now. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' No. Let's try to keep our noses as clean as possible. <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' That's my thought. I was looking to see if anyone knew anything that we didn't. Okay. (sighs) So. Somehow, that guy's—once again—doing something insane and drawing all sorts of attention to himself. <br>
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| − | '''Verity:''' Did it look like he was having fun? It looked like he was having fun. <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' It looked like he was having fun. I myself would prefer fun less dangerously. <br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' I'm not entirely sure I buy that line. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' So … (thinks) …<br><br>
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| − | She goes to a side console and starts skimming through the open news feeds, hoping to find clues as to what's really happening under the surface. She thinks that Marley's the distraction, directing attention away from something else more important. <br><br>
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| − | She finds something: The Alliance discovered a thief that managed to break into cargo managed by a well-known company that is run by a Mr. Scrooge. There is an APB out on the thief and there is a high-speed chase after him at the moment. Anybody harboring this criminal will be persecuted to the fullest extent of the law, blah-blah-blah …<br><br>
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| − | And then there's that other thing …<br><br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' (to Oksana) I'm not sure if you know this or not but when we attempted to send information to the Merchants Guild, our message got intercepted. We resent it by messenger and the messenger disappeared. So I went to talk the Captains in the area. One of them agreed to go with me to the Merchants Guild, armed for bear. We got there and got the polite brush off. "Yes, we'll attempt to get this information out to everybody. Not everybody's going to have the money to put together these drugs in case they should need them. And then, oh, we decided to stake the place out. Watched from a café. And saw the most wonderful Alliance Operative coming out. <br><br>
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| − | Oksana just looks at him. <br><br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' (off her look) Yeah. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' Well, his ship ''is'' in orbit. <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' Yeah. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' And that cargo being delayed. It's not our cargo from Scrooge, now is it? <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' Yeah. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' The second we get it aboard, I say we go over it with a fine-toothed comb. <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' That was one of my thoughts. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' I wonder what Marley put in it. Assuming the Feds did not find it first. <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' Or assuming that the Feds didn't put something in it. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' (sighing) That, too. <br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' Did Marley leave anything behind on our ship? <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' No, not anything that I've found. <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' He's been playing fairly up-front, without anything from him. Just that paste-up or whatever with that moron. <br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' I'm going to make sure our gear's upgraded enough to detect anything he or they might be hiding. Maybe I can get a bead on what supposedly went in or out. <br><br>
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| − | Oksana makes sure everything on the ship is stocked up and locked down against a precipitous departure—galley, provisions, med bay, garden bunks, hydroponics, quarters, shuttle, everything. She inventories as needed as she goes, noting anything that needs to be purchased before they leave. It doesn't take long. She keeps meticulous records on this sort of thing. Once she's finished, she reports to Stone for further orders. <br><br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' Nothing I can think of. Just be sure we keep extra sensors on that cargo as we bring it in. <br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' I can rig up some self-contained hand helds. You have to plug them into units once aboard the ship, but at least if they affect the ship via the cargo directly, at least they'll make it harder to do. <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' Okay. That's a good idea. Get started on it. <br><br>
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| − | She manages to get four of them in the hour we've got. While she's doing that, a wave comes through on the bridge and Verity accepts it. It's from Mal. <br><br>
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| − | '''Mal:''' Hey, [[Those Who Stare In The Black, Game 19: Precipitation#HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE|''Mei mei'']]. Let Stone know that the cargo that we were slated to get, we already got, and we're going to be blowin' off for Bellerophon for this load. Everything looks legit here. <br>
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| − | '''Verity:''' Make sure you check your cargo well. Ours is delayed by an hour. <br>
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| − | '''Mal:''' Always. As soon as they lift air restriction, we're off this mud ball and hittin' the Black. <br>
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| − | '''Verity:''' Okay. Good luck. Keep in touch. <br>
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| − | '''Mal:''' You as well. Safe flyin'. <br>
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| − | '''Verity:''' You, too. <br><br>
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| − | There's nothing more to say. Verity cuts the channel and comms the Captain with the news. <br><br>
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| − | '''Verity:''' Mal's on his way. Or about to be on his way, as soon as they lift. They got their cargo already. Going to Bellerophon. <br><br>
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| − | As for those air restrictions, a notice goes out there will be a three-hour wait before they get lifted. Great. We're three hours minimum from lift off, instead of one. As for Marley … well, the situation's calming down. The Alliance has failed to catch him. <br><br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' Surprise, surprise. (Not!) <br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' Wherever he is, guys, he's lost to us. <br>
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| − | '''Verity:''' At least the lock down will give us a couple of hours to load our cargo. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' Three hours? I have time to take shower now. Excuse me. <br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' (Snickers!) <br><br>
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| − | She's got reason for one: Her trip through the tunnels and other activities need washing off. Oksana leaves the bridge. Stone turns to Verity. <br><br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' I'll go help her with her—<br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' —Her shower? <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' The handhelds. For the cargo. <br>
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| − | '''Verity:''' That wasn't where my mind went. <br><br>
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| − | After about an hour and half, we get an alert that our cargo will be here in a couple of minutes. Once it arrives, Stone helps Xiu with her handheld scanners. Oksana pulls on a pair of work gloves and goes down to help. What started as an off-color joke on the bridge continues with Xiu ribbing Stone about the source of his wealth. Several candidates are proposed but bacon- and beer-flavored male birth control tops the list. Stone confirms nothing and takes the teasing in stride but his ears do get a little pink. <br><br>
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| − | From all the exercise in loading the cargo, of course …<br><br>
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| − | Given we've 200 tons of cargo, it translates into a lot of exercise, even with machines to help. At least we have enough room to stow the cargo. ''Otter's'' capacity is 350 T. This time loading is little slower, thanks to the need for scanning. Going over it carefully we spot a few anomalies. Oksana thinks a couple of the cargo boxes have been tampered with. She alerts Xiu. Xiu sees the seals have been opened and reset on three of them. <br><br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' Captain. (points) We got tampering on this box, and this box, and this box. <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' What's the invoice say is in them? <br><br>
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| − | Two of them are fairly large and contain protein packets, nothing special about them, just the standard protein fare. The last one is smaller and contains seeds of a strain specifically bred to conditions on Hera that the customer wanted to try out. <br><br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' Leave them in place 'til we get out of here. We'll examine them a little more closely once we're in the Black. (gestures at the hold) Close it up. Lock it down. <br><br>
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| − | By the time we're done securing the cargo for the journey, the no-fly restrictions have been lifted. We burn atmo out of there for Hera, the destination for the cargo. Verity does a nice job plotting the best route there. Hera is in Georgia and from Aberdeen it will be at least two weeks to get there. Thanks to Verity's plot, it will only take 13 days. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | We're good on fuel— Otter's capacity is 2400 fuel hours. 13 days would hardly make a dent in our gas tank. Oksana has already done the shopping for meds and provisions. Our walk-in is full of beef. Our garden bunks and hydroponics are thriving and producing fresh food. We also have 2 months dry provisions and canned. We're good and once we are clear of planetary jurisdictions, we can relax a little. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | <br>
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| − | '''Sunday, 29 Oct 2519'''<br>
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| − | '''Mid-Bulk Transport, ''Space Otter'''''<br>
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| − | '''En route to Hera'''<br>
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| − | '''1000hrs, ship's time'''<br><br>
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| − |
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| − | Stone and Verity are on the bridge. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | '''Stone:''' Scan our trail. Check for any chemicals or emissions we might be emitting. Make sure you give it a good going-over. They fueled us from that Alliance Longbow. There's a chance they've added a little something to make it easier to track. <br>
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| − | '''Verity:''' Already done. There wasn't anything. We're clean. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | Because Verity did that first thing. She's paranoid about the Feds that way. He alerts the rest of the crew on in-ship that he's ready to inspect our cargo a little closer. Message delivered, he turns to Verity again. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | '''Stone:''' There was a reason I wanted to wait until we were a day out. Because if they did, I figure we could sit there and have you do some fancy flying to make it look like we turned off and headed in a different direction and continued on our way. <br>
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| − | '''Verity:''' Done. You know I'm extra paranoid to begin with. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | Thanks to our cargo, we couldn't just file a faked flight plan with the Feds. It's already a matter of record we're headed for Hera. Stone leaves Verity on the bridge to do what she does best and joins the rest of the crew assembled in the cargo hold. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | '''Xiu:''' So what do you think's in them? <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' This is the time to find out. <br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' Yay, holiday presents! <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' Let's check the seeds. It's smaller. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | It is. The protein packets arrived in a crate big enough to stand up in. The seeds are in a smaller container. Stone checks the manifest documents closely for hidden instructions from Scrooge. Nope. The documents are clean. If there's anything to be found, it's going to be with the physical cargo. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | Oksana finds something on the seed box. A starfish has been etched into the metal on the inside of the case, right there on the underside of the lid. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | '''Oksana:''' Hmm. I think this one's for me. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | She fiddles with it and there's a click! when her hand touches toward the center of the lid. Easing the metal free of the box, she finds a small data chip. Oksana fetches a data reader and plugs the chip in. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | It contains a few more drop points, a couple more shipment orders, as well as a protocol for any future meetings (as agreed to prior to the Feds going ape on Aberdeen). There is also a video file. Not sure if it's of a private nature or if it's to trigger seizures, Oksana steps aside and shields it from the crew as she opens it. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | It's Jacob Marley. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | '''Marley:''' Hey, guys. I was told to pass this along to you. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | Relieved, Oksana turns the reader so everyone can see it. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | '''Marley:''' I figured that you'd catch this and not the Feds, hopefully, so I dropped this in before you should have been delayed for launch. As it stands right now, we have an Operative trying to track down who Ebenezer is but they have no leads. I'm hitting the Underground because right now, I'm their best lead. Good luck. Have fun. Be safe. That's it. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | The screen goes blank. Oksana sighs. What the hell is going on? <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | '''Xiu:''' My stupid sense is tingling. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' Just my luck. Of all the boyfriends I could have made in the Verse, I had to make one with a spy. <br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' Well, yeah. Cuz otherwise, they're kinda boring and they don't travel well. <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' Hey! <br>
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| − | '''Xiu:'' Captain, you double as a spy. <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' Sh-hhh! (off Xiu's look) I'm just an honest businessman. <br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' Uh huh. I'm pretty sure that's an oxymoron, isn't it? <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' No, no. You have to be honest, otherwise people don't trust you. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' And give you money. <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' That's right. <br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' That's funny. Tell me another one. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | It's an uneventful trip to Hera. We soak up the 13-day respite gladly. Xiu and Verity use the time to rig up a non-manual control for the Gat. The project keeps Xiu especially occupied and out of trouble. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | Oksana keeps up with everyone's comforts as Steward, planning out meals and keeping track of our inventory. Stone looks for work en route. Part of that involves checking the itinerary Scrooge gave us. He calls the crew in for a meeting and explains our schedule. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | Our itinerary after Hera goes something like this:
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| − | *Harvest, Red Sun; 2-2.5 weeks flight from Hera
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| − | *Osiris, White Sun; 1.5-2 weeks flight from Harvest
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| − | *Persephone, White Sun; 3-4 days flight from Osiris
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| − | *Total length, including time on Hera and subsequent layovers: 2.5 months<br><br>
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| − |
| |
| − | That would put us on Persephone at about the time Scrooge told Oksana to meet him. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | '''Oksana:''' I'd say he's pretty much given us our marching orders. <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' I've run the math. It looks like it's profitable. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | At worst, we'll break even but Stone's a good businessman. We'll do more than break even. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | '''Stone:''' Of course, that's assuming we don't pick up anything else. <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' Or get shot. Or get killed. Or jailed. Or all three. <br>
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| − | '''Stone:''' True. <br>
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| − | '''Xiu:''' Isn't that what they call Russian R&R? <br>
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| − | '''Oksana:''' [[Those Who Stare In The Black, Game 19: Precipitation#HOW TO SPEAK RUSSIAN|''Kohnyeshna'']]. Keeps things interesting. <br><br>
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| − |
| |
| − | Stone breaks the meeting on their laughter and the crew returns to their duties. Xiu and Verity go back to working on the Gat. Oksana makes sure the crew eats well and sleeps well on schedule, looking after their health and well-being. Stone continues to check his contacts and looking for work. Are there any cargoes they can pick up on the side in addition to their assignments from Scrooge? Anything promising that's on the way, following our itinerary? <br><br>
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| − |
| |
| − | He keeps an eye out for cargoes we can pick up on spec, as well. He finds an order for the Governor of Harvest, in Red Sun. That might be useful. He flags it for a closer look later.
| |
| − | Hera and Harvest are the two big breadbasket planets in the Verse. There isn't much in the way of foodstuffs needing shipment to Harvest, but there is some cargo in the way of medical supplies. Some equipment for shareholding and whatnot. Alcohol that's distilled only on Hera and not available on Harvest. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − | Oksana approaches Stone about the possibility of taking on passengers once we arrive. There are none looking for passage from Hera to Harvest. All right. Less work for her. What about the cargo that got tampered with and we tampered with further? Have the cargo recipients been alerted to that fact? Are there any penalties we're going to have to pay for it? Stone assures her that the public announcement the Feds made about the tampering while on Aberdeen would cover our asses nicely. No need to worry. Besides, the notification and customer handling will be taken care of by another middleman company working for Scrooge. They will be in charge of handling local disbursements and deliveries. <br><br>
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| − |
| |
| − | <br>
| |
| − | '''Saturday, 11 Nov 2519'''<br>
| |
| − | '''Mid-Bulk Transport, ''Space Otter'''''<br>
| |
| − | '''Spaceport, Hera'''<br>
| |
| − | '''Georgia (Huang Long) system'''<br>
| |
| − | '''0700hrs, local time'''<br><br>
| |
| − |
| |
| − | As usual, we're told to heave to and be boarded for inspection before we're allowed to land. As usual, Verity is practically vibrating with loathing at the intrusion and delay but she manages to keep a lid on her dislike. Once the Feds get done poking their noses into our business, we can land and get on with our business. <br><br>
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| − |
| |
| − | Here's hoping we can get back to it soon. <br><br>
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| − |
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| − |
| |
| − | <br><br><br>
| |
| − | ==='''''HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE'''''===
| |
| − | '''Mèi mei''' ='''妹妹'''= May may = Sister, younger sister [http://translate.google.com/?hl=en#en/zh-TW/sister Sound clip]<br><br>
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ==='''''HOW TO SPEAK RUSSIAN'''''===
| |
| − | '''Minutochku''' = = Min-uh-'''toch'''-koo = Wait a minute [http://translate.google.com/?hl=en#en/ru/Wait%20a%20minute Sound clip]<br>
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| − | '''Kohnyeshna''' = '''конечно''' = kohn-'''yesh'''-nah = (interjection) Of course!, Certainly! Sure!, I should say so!, Surely!, You bet! [http://translate.google.com/?hl=en#en/ru/Certainly Sound clip]<br><br>
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| − |
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| − | <br><br><br>
| |
| − | ----
| |
| − | Go to [[Those_Who_Stare_In_The_Black:_Timeline|'''Timeline''']]<br>
| |
| − | Go to [[Those_Who_Stare_In_The_Black#Index|'''Those Who Stare In The Black''']]<br>
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