Decision Seven
Paya is a world covered by deep, stormy seas. The continents are rugged mountains. Settled by colonists from Rethe and Inthe, Paya quickly grew, ultimately reaching a population of some 12 million people.
That was before disaster struck 30 years ago.
A large asteroid hit the southern continent where the majority of the population was located. Without their own space technology, the planet had neither warning nor hope of salvation. In the wake of the strike, disrupted weather patterns, increased seismic activity, and the total collapse of a coherent, organized society quickly claimed the majority of those people who survived the strike itself.
Relief efforts were mounted by the Imperial Navy out of Inthe, and a few survivors were taken off. One group, however, refused Imperial evacuation and laid claim to the planet as the sole remaining legitimate owners.
This group, an isolated community of some 500 eccentrics from a tiny mountain settlement on the northern continent, formed the complete membership of the Society of Evolutes. This organization, a pseudo-religious group dedicated to the principle of improving humaniti through the scientific principles of selective eugenics programs, withdrew into isolation from the rest of Paya when it became clear that there was no future for their aims and goals within mainstream Payan society.
With the destruction of the main colony, the Society took the view that the way was being paved for the creation of their own ideal world, in accordance with their principles. They have divided the entire planet into 18 disctricts, each belonging to a family of 20-50 persons. From this base, they have set out to re-populate Paya.
A few years after the catastrophe, Oberlindes Lines came on the scene and saw in Paya an ideal base of operations for an expansion into the Aramis subsector. Oberlindes offered to lease ground for a starport, and built a new Class A facility to replace the one lost in the asteroid strike. Shortly thereafter, the Imperial Navy, seaking a base in the Scatters of the Aramis subsector, on the fringe of the Imperium, also sought to lease land for extensive construction. The payments for these two offworld leases, though quite reasonable by the standards of the offworlders concerned, have made each and every Payan citizen fabulously wealthy by anyone's standards.
Today, the population of the planet is measured in the hundreds. But, a lot of freight passes through Paya's Class A starport, being situated the way it is on the Spinward Main.
Paya was the GRENDEL's last port of call, and the 80 tons of freight that GRENDEL is carrying is some of that trade, flowing down the Spinward Main, passing through Paya's new starport.
The high passenger aboard GRENDEL is Danton Jarrick. He's an import/export executive working for Oberlindes Lines. The other three middle passengers GRENDEL is ferrying are Jarrick's personal assistant and two junior team members. Normally, the foursome would take the trip to Dhian on an Oberlindes bird, but at the moment, all local Oberlindes starships are engaged in moving the subsector headquarters deeper into the subsector on Aramanx.
Jarrick's objective, on this trip to Dhian, is to open a dialogue with the Dhian government as a precursor for Oberlindes business and services being brought to Dhian. The 20 ton lot that GRENDEL is carrying is part of the process of Jarrick opening that dialogue (it's a bribe).
The other 60 ton lot in GRENDEL's hold is non-related, third-party, freight.
As GRENDEL approaches the PURCELL, Captain Longe knows that space combat may be immenent. He wants to avoid it, but there is certainly a risk.
As it so happens, there are 20 low berths aboard GRENDEL and 16 low berth passengers (that's the way the dice fell). We've got 4 passengers not in low berth.
The Captain decides that the safest place for the civilians is in the low berths. Should the ship be holed, the low berths are equipped with long term battery back-ups. Nobody will get sucked out into space (should a hole that big appear).
Now, in a normaly game, I'd probably role play this with the player playing the Captain. But, since I'm playing both parts, I've diced to come up with a dice roll that will determine how cooperative the passengers will be to being put into low berth.
Previously, I rolled the passenger's reaction to the Captain and this situation. I ended up with a "7" on the Reaction chart ("Non-Committal").
I'm going to roll 2D, with a success occuring on 7-. Because of the potential combat situation, I'm going to give the Captain a -1 DM on this throw (although he doesn't mention to the passengers that the GRENDEL carries only two Vacc Suits! That's good for another -1 DM all by itself!)
To smooth the suggestion, the Captian tells the passengers that all four of them will get a taste if the crew receives monetary compensation for this attempted rescue from the IISS. Seeing as how the Captain has Bribery-1, I'm going to allow another -1 DM to the throw with regard to the Captain's expertise.
So, the roll to convince the passengers to accept placement in low berth is a roll of 2D for 7 or less, with a -2 DM on the roll.
I roll a 4. No problem. The passengers will all go quietly into low berth.
Now, the question is: How long does it take?
The GRENDEL is a TL 9 Type A Free Trader...a true tramp freighter.
For the TL 9 Cold Berths the GRENDEL carries, a UGM task roll must be made to install a passenger into the low berth: Medical/EDU/+1 Typical time on this throw is (3D -DMs) x 10 minutes.
Because of the high rate of failure, a medic can move extra slow, taking his time, double checking everything. If this is done, use a +4 DM to the throw, but the time roll will be increased.
As you can see, installing the four passengers will take some time. Remember that the Captain acts as both the Navigator and the Medic aboard the ship.
Luckily, the GRENDEL is only a 200 ton vessel and does not require a Navigator. But, IMTU, the Navigator has an important job during space combat. He collects and sorts sensor data, interpreting it, then ships it off to the Gunner consoles. Starship Gunnery assumes a Navigator is feeding data to the ship's gunners.
While installing the passengers into low berth, the Captain will have his entire attention on that task, and he will physically be away from the bridge (and the Nav panel).
Given that, should space combat break out while the Captain is engaged installing the passengers into low berth, each gunner will fire his weapon with a -1 DM penalty.
Also note that the GRENDEL's pilot is brand new to the crew. This is his first voyage with Captain Longe (having hired the Plunt on Paya).
Understandably, Plunt hasn't yet earned the Captain's trust. Yet, Plunt will be in command should a space battle break out while Captain Longe is engaged with the low berths.
While Wain is in engineering (and monitoring the life boat on the ship's umbilical), the Captain asks the ship's steward, Standhardt Rouse, to stay on the bridge while the Captain is away.
They'll all be able to interact via the ship's internal comm, though.
Since I didn't have this idea last night, I'll say that the Captain just convinced the passengers to lay down in the berths as the PURCELL made long distance sensor range at about 600,000 km--when scans reveal exterior battle damage on the tender.
The GRENDEL is now 500,000 km from the PURCEL, and the dialogue takes place where the GRENDEL speaks of her hurt crewmember, and the PURCEL's skipper suggests the exchange using the X-Boat.
Longe thinks this is strange, by the way. Why would pirates agree to take an injured person aboard and not jockey to allow the entire ship to dock--so that the pirates could overwhelm them.
At this point, Longe does not think that the PURCELL is over-run with pirates. He thinks its crewed by Scouts who have been attacked and are wary of strange vessels with tales to tell.
Longe is suspicious of Drake.
It takes 4 hours for the GRENDEL to mate with the X-Boat before backing off. In the process, Drake's lifeboat is set adrift, no longer linked by the umbilical to the GRENDEL.
This is four hours that Captain Longe can be installing the passengers into low berth.
At his insistence, Jarrick is the first to go into low berth. Because time is of the essence, Longe chooses not to do the system cross-checks and gain the +4 DM. It'll take too much time.
So, to install Jarrick in the TL 9 cold berth, the roll is Medical/EDU/+1.
I rolled an 8. +1 EDU bonus. +1 Medical skill. +1 Difficulty modifier. A success!
And, this took (3D -3) x 10 minutes. It took almost two hours! 110 minutes.
OK, let's do Jarrick's personal assistant. I make the same roll: I rolled a 6 +3 = 9. Another success! And this took only 50 minutes.
We've still got a little time. Jerrick's Lead Team member: I rolled a 5. We made it, just barely. Time taken: 70 minutes.
OK, only 10 minutes to go until the X-Boat transfer is complete.
Another Decision needs to be made here: Who's going aboard the X-Boat?
Captain Longe can't. He's the only one with medical expertise to put the last passenger into cold berth. He'll have to stay on GRENDEL.
The Captain deems the two gunners necessary too. Should a space fight errupt, those two can defend GRENDEL.
Longe orders the new pilot, Plunt, into the X-Boat. Plunt doesn't say anything, but he looks at Longe with a wary eye.
Plunt, though, is ex-Navy. A commander. He'll go because there's people to rescue on that other ship.
Longe divides his crew into two. The two gunners and himself stay aboard GRENDEL. Between them, they have the skills to operate the ship should things get hairy.
Stuffed into the small X-Boat is: The Pilot, Plunt; the Engineer, Wain; and the Steward, Rouse.
Boarding Party
Pilot Rieeck'aird Plunt, with Carbine (6 mags) and Cutlass. Long Range comm. LI Goggles. (Total wt = 6.5 kg)
Engineer Frannsis Wain, with AutoRifle (7 mags), Cutlass, and Flak Jacket. TL 9 Long Range Comm. LI Goggles. (Total wt = 11.25 kg)
Steward Standhardt Rouse, with Carbine (4 mags), Cloth Armor, LI Goggles. TL 9 Long Range Comm. (Total wt = 5 kg)
OK. Time to read on and see what happens.
