Traveller - The TNC: 2013

Session 2 - 13th August 2013

Year 1105

Characters:

Hal Stryker - ex marines
Hector Shackleton - ex scout
Clyde Shelton - ex military intelligence

Our intrepid group arrive in the Grille system. No word of the chaos they have left behind in the Fornice system seems to have come through, or at least the ship is not immediately escorted to the starport. Instead the Endurance is allowed to land at a very basic starport, little more than a flat piece of rocky ground. Grille is a planet of little atmosphere and less gravity. Protective clothing is vital to traverse the ground to until access to the interconnected series of buildings in the city can be reached, where there is articial gravity and a breathable atmosphere.

Bauchelain and Kilavin, in full vacuum suits, are allowed to disembark first and are quickly out of the characters view. Hal, Clyde and Hector soon follow and are greeted by a figure who introduces himself as Nipper Fullwood. He escorts them to an office in the Sunflower Corp building, which stands near to the starport. Here the characters meet a sharp-suited man by the name of Harvey.

Harvey informs the group that they will get full payment in about a day, after they have fully checked the cargo to make sure it is intact and has not been interfered with. Looking on his vid screen he mentions that they have been declared wanted for treachery and murder. This causes some consternation as to how the message could have got to Grille quicker than their ship. He also recommends the Zero-G bar as the place to stay in the meantime, as Sunflower has credit there.

Heeding the advice of Harvey, Clyde, Hal and Hector walk through the covered passages to the rather seedy bar. After grabbing some drinks, plans are hatched as to the next move once payment has been received. With just enough fuel for a Jump-1 they are limited in their options. Eventually a decision is made to jump to Maitz and hope that either the news has not reached that far, or that the low law level will mean they do not get arrested immediately. Some fuel scoops may also be an idea to allow for use of gas giants as a store of unrefined fuel.

Deciding to see if anybody are in the bar knows where they can buy some unrefined fuel, no questions asked, Hector mingles with the customers, most of whom are slightly unsavoury, sharing jokes and banter. No pilots are available but he does run into one person who can arrange some equipment for “protection” at the right price. Hal gets involved and asks for a Gauss Rifle. As a tech level 12, illegal item, it is going to cost some. Hal does not flinch at the price of 6000cr, four times above the norm, and Hector manages to negotiate some free ammunition too.

After picking up the rifle and storing it on ship, Hal joins Clyde and Hector as they go back to speak to Harvey about possibly buying some unrefined fuel. A little bit of bribery later and Harvey says he will meet them in an hour with news about the fuel and cost.

An hour later, the crew are in the Zero-G bar looking out for Harvey. Just as Harvey is about to enter the bar, there is the sound of a huge explosion, and the upper half of Harvey is thrown over to land near the chair of Clyde, who has calmly remained in his seat. Pandemonium reigns in the bar, but the crew of the Endurance keep their cool and notice the barmaid going down into the cellar. Following her they find emergency vac suits, which they don, along with some weaponry and an anti psionic helmet.

Back up the stairs, Clyde overrides the safety lock keeping the force fields at the entrance closed. The “innocent” inhabitants are instantly killed and sucked out into the inhospitable external Grille environment. Here the group see the full extent of the damage as it appears a series of bombs have exploded, set in such a way as to maximise damage.

A gunman looks to be trying to fire on them from a distance, but seems clearly unprepared for zero-g combat and loses control as he fires his weapon erratically. The group close on him as they make their way to the ship, and soon he is flying out up into orbit as a shot hits his body. Two more are waiting near the ship in cover, but are spotted by Hal and Clyde. As Hector makes his way to the ship, Clyde and Hal sneak around to the back of the two would-be assassins. One loses control in zero-g combat, whilst the other is swiftly taken out.

Jumping on board, and after a quick survey of the ship to ensure there are no stowaways, the Endurance takes off, ready to jump to Maitz.

Session 1 - 6th August 2013

Year 1105

Characters:

Hal Stryker - ex marines
Hector Shackleton - ex scout
Clyde Shelton - ex military intelligence

The capital of the Mora subsector (AA99AC7F) of the Spinward Marches is an unwelcoming place. Governed by the Guild Masters, visitors are severly restricted in the work they can do, and trade is tyrictly through the Merchant's Guild. Being 90% water, the majority of its inhabitants live under the sea in vast underwater cities, a design that escalated when industrial pollution tainted the atmosphere to such an extent that existance on the surface was impossible without filter masks.

It was into this environment that three intrepid men mustered out of their respective services. Sitting in the Gannymede bar, alone except for each other after former collegues had toasted health and wished well for the future, former marine Hal Stryker, ex-military intelligence Clyde Shelton, and retired scout Hector Shackleton turned to each other. None of them wished to remain on the planet, especially Hal who was born there and knew only too well the downsides of the place.

Some trouble with local hooligans (or street skutters) in the bar was quickly halted when Clyde Shelton shoved a glass that had been thrown at him in the face of one that made the mistake of threatening him. This drew the approval of a middle-aged scout commander, Bob Johnson. A very smartly turned out man, with an enthusiastic and infectuous smile, Bob mentioned to come to his office the next day to hear proposal that they may like to take up.

At Bob's office the trio were offered a job of scouting data on some dangerous systems which the Imperium scout data library had little accurate data on. Amber worlds would pay 75,000cr, Red worlds and Sword World systems 100,000cr, and Zhodani worlds 200,000cr. They were also introduced to Kelly Rogers, an overweight man in his early forties. A pleasant seeming chap with a very slight limp, he asked that, as part of the job the crew transport three tons of computer hardware to the Sunflower Corp on Grille. Seeing a chance to get off Mora and make some money using Hector's Type-S Scout Courier, Endurance, the group accepted.

Cargo was loaded, vital equipment purchased and a course was plotted to take the Endurance to Fornice (A354A87C) and then on to Grille (E4103357). A quick search of the scout library brought up the news that the atmosphere on Fornice, already thin, was starting to dissipate under the influence of solar winds, the molten core having cooled and solidifed causing the eradication of the magnetosphere. An extremely densly populated world, the people of Fornice were all trying to leave by whatever means necessary. Grille was revealed to be gthe sort of world Fornice will become, with just a trace atmosphere, mere thousands of inhabitants. As a way to make a little more money, the group decided to offer passage to pople on Fonice to take them off planet.

The trip to Fornice was trouble-free, and the crew quickly disembarked and uploaded an advert to the data stream offering passage off system to Maiz for up to four passengers for the price of 25,000cr each. Retiring to the Lithium Tavern to await customers, they were soon rewarded with the approach of two strange figures, dressed in black, one tall with greased back black hair who introduced himself as Bauchelain, and his companion, shorter in stature with a black moustache and neatly cut, short black hair, Kilavan. Something feeling emanating from both of these made the three ex servicemen feel extremely uncomfortable. Bauchelain seemed to be the spokesman, very polite but to the point. The deal to take them was quickly struck, although Bauchelain asked to see the ship first. Taken to the ship by Hal and Hector, Clyde stayed back in the bar and spotted a shifty person following them. This sneak hid whilst Bauchelain and Kilavan were shown the ship. After they had left the spy spoke to the mechanics working on the Endurance. Clyde paid some money over to the mechanics, who said he was asking about entrance hatches.

Strangely there were no other respondents to the advert, and the time came to leave. Whilst Hector was on the bridge making his checks, Hal and Clyde were about to escort the passengers on board when the mechanics from the day before pulled pistols and demanded the ship. A feel of violence was in the air, until Bauchelain made a dismissive wave of his hand and the three fell down, dead. Hal retrieved the pistols and everybody got on board as the craft took off. Before the Endurance could get out of the atmosphere a communications broadcast came through from the police asking the ship to return to port for questioning about the dead mechanics. In reply Hector shut dead the comms and sped out into space. Just as they were pulling out of orbit, two police cruisers came in pursuit. Fortunately these were the older, smaller and slower Python class ships, the force being overstretched by the sheer number of illegal transporting of people off world.

With the armed Pythons chasing, Hector quickly established the presence of an asteroid field and made for that, flying evasively to avoid any laser fire. Swooping behind an asteroid, the Endurance still had no luck in losing the pursuit, and a close call with a similar maneuveur on another asteroid forced the company to think of alternative plans. The comms link was switched on and permission granted for poilce from one of the Pythons to come on board, whilst the other flew back.

Four of the police came aboard the Endurance, and Bauchelain came out to deal with the problem. Sure enough, without any seeming action, four police fell down dead. Hal then decided to sneak aboard the docked Python and knocked then pilot unconscious, before transfering the dead bodies onto the police ship.Extracating themselves from the Python, Mr. Shackleton then made the jump to Grille.

A Brief Look at the Type S Scout Courier (courtesy of Freelance Traveller)