Wile the Capitan got a tour of their De-facto Flag Ship the Falcon Rampant I was shown around the Montezuma Navies Gray Falcon, at first I thought it was just a Gunned Type-A, but the Engine Housing was wrong, during my time on Free Traders I've seen some odd modifications but this looked like original equipment, We docked on the upper deck like you can do on some old Solomani Type-A's, like on the Falcon Rampant the signs of Ship Shaping where immediately evident only not as extreme or ill considered as on the Rampant. What should have bean the Reception area had none of the faded niceties I would have expected instead it looked like a Military or Policing General purpose area right down to the word "Storage" stencilled on to the door of what I would have expected to have bean the Low Berth chamber on a Commercial Ship.
We then went forward through Quarters of some description where I detected a mild Funk even though the Berthing compartments where closed and in to a Mess area where I "enjoyed" some Java and Mid's (You'd think with the Crash we could have lost the recipe for bad ships coffee and stale sandwiches, but you can find it even out in the Wilds). the few Crew present tried to look sharp but came across as Merchantmen playing Solider. down some stairs and aft I could hear something going on but my guide ushered me forward through what I assumed was Officers Country and on to the Bridge, I was now convinced this was some kind of Last Imperium Customs Vessel or Light Tender of some kind as it was set out in a Military format, Both Manurer Stations looked functional making me Hazard to guess the ship was Jump Capable as did both the Electronics Stations, their was space for Tactical Stations but they where empty panels in their places. At one of the Electronics stations was a member of the Brotherhood chanting Mnemonics in what I would later learn was the Pre-Collapse Gereshim dialect of Anglic as he went about his duties.
The Second Officer who until now bean my guide took over the Helm Station from the First Officer who was now my guide. The Second Officer who was some kind of Warrant seamed to have a good relationship with the Rates would have bean my preferred choice to carry on had I known what came next, as We moved back Aft one of the Crew had begun work on one of the Hatches as we moved past the first officer kicked the man as we passed I'd swear intentionally then Struck him for "Blocking the Passageway", the man was in genuine Fear of the officer, further Aft we came to the Hold where the ships Armsmen and some of the Rates where conducting Target Practice using paint ball guns as to my surprise their Captain an apparently Youthful Woman looked on from where she was discussing some maintenance work bean done on some kind of M-Pod with the Chief Engineer a man with a Free Traders accent.
The Capitan of the Gray Falcon and most of her Warrants displayed a façade of Disciplined Professionalism, the Chief Engineer who was a former Free Trader was more Relaxed and Confidant, the First Officer who appears older than his Capitan is a petty Tyrant waiting for a Transfer to a more prominent command, all are technically capable. the Crew are little more than a spare sets of hands for the Officers. After reviewing the report on the Falcon Rampant I'm of the opinion that the Gray Faalcon is the more competent but significantly less powerful ship clearly pointing out the Montozuman Fleet would be easy prey for the RCN, any Pocket Empire or passing Vampire Fleet, the Officer Core (both Commissioned and Warrant) is selected because of a combination of Technical Ability and Politics leaving little room for Leadership Qualities or Tactical Acumen, from what I understand they receive much of their training at the Ground Forces Academy where they trade Ground Operations training for additional Technical Classes before being apprenticed to a Serving Fleet Officer.
In the Coming weeks I'm to start GM'ing a TED Navy game of TNE, the PC's are a Navy Officer, a Army Officer with a pass through Special Forces, a Technical Priesthood member and a Psion. the party have a modified Free Trader for their "Warship", but it's bean proving impractical as a conversion of a TL-10 Trader to a "Warship", so I'm designing a 200 D-Ton TL-11 Customs Cutter for them, but even that's proving problematic
We then went forward through Quarters of some description where I detected a mild Funk even though the Berthing compartments where closed and in to a Mess area where I "enjoyed" some Java and Mid's (You'd think with the Crash we could have lost the recipe for bad ships coffee and stale sandwiches, but you can find it even out in the Wilds). the few Crew present tried to look sharp but came across as Merchantmen playing Solider. down some stairs and aft I could hear something going on but my guide ushered me forward through what I assumed was Officers Country and on to the Bridge, I was now convinced this was some kind of Last Imperium Customs Vessel or Light Tender of some kind as it was set out in a Military format, Both Manurer Stations looked functional making me Hazard to guess the ship was Jump Capable as did both the Electronics Stations, their was space for Tactical Stations but they where empty panels in their places. At one of the Electronics stations was a member of the Brotherhood chanting Mnemonics in what I would later learn was the Pre-Collapse Gereshim dialect of Anglic as he went about his duties.
The Second Officer who until now bean my guide took over the Helm Station from the First Officer who was now my guide. The Second Officer who was some kind of Warrant seamed to have a good relationship with the Rates would have bean my preferred choice to carry on had I known what came next, as We moved back Aft one of the Crew had begun work on one of the Hatches as we moved past the first officer kicked the man as we passed I'd swear intentionally then Struck him for "Blocking the Passageway", the man was in genuine Fear of the officer, further Aft we came to the Hold where the ships Armsmen and some of the Rates where conducting Target Practice using paint ball guns as to my surprise their Captain an apparently Youthful Woman looked on from where she was discussing some maintenance work bean done on some kind of M-Pod with the Chief Engineer a man with a Free Traders accent.
The Capitan of the Gray Falcon and most of her Warrants displayed a façade of Disciplined Professionalism, the Chief Engineer who was a former Free Trader was more Relaxed and Confidant, the First Officer who appears older than his Capitan is a petty Tyrant waiting for a Transfer to a more prominent command, all are technically capable. the Crew are little more than a spare sets of hands for the Officers. After reviewing the report on the Falcon Rampant I'm of the opinion that the Gray Faalcon is the more competent but significantly less powerful ship clearly pointing out the Montozuman Fleet would be easy prey for the RCN, any Pocket Empire or passing Vampire Fleet, the Officer Core (both Commissioned and Warrant) is selected because of a combination of Technical Ability and Politics leaving little room for Leadership Qualities or Tactical Acumen, from what I understand they receive much of their training at the Ground Forces Academy where they trade Ground Operations training for additional Technical Classes before being apprenticed to a Serving Fleet Officer.
In the Coming weeks I'm to start GM'ing a TED Navy game of TNE, the PC's are a Navy Officer, a Army Officer with a pass through Special Forces, a Technical Priesthood member and a Psion. the party have a modified Free Trader for their "Warship", but it's bean proving impractical as a conversion of a TL-10 Trader to a "Warship", so I'm designing a 200 D-Ton TL-11 Customs Cutter for them, but even that's proving problematic
