16/10/2019 - Unfriendly Planet (1)

Healing Wounds

Del heads for the Medical Bay, as his hand is hurting. Cyrus is putting an Autosplint on Buzz’s arm to repair his broken arm, while Alisa is in intensive care.

Drent sends out a message to Lucia, his new love on Aramis. A long message that will transmit once they emerge from hyperspace. Grant has a shower and relaxes.

They emerge from hyperspace in the Musayid system. There isn’t much space traffic in the system and they are far away from the inhabited planet.

Del asks Zen about the Low Births on the ship. There are six, but they are not wired into Liberator’s systems. The make of Low Birth guarantees five years without danger of medical intervention being required. They can be set to switch off and raise an alarm if the monitors register medical problems with the occupant.

More Clues about Vlen

They find a will on Alisa, which has not been opened. They plan to open it in front of a solicitor.

Grant reviews the statue and data recording he found in Vlen’s cabin. The statue was found in the Boughene system. Looks like there is a source of Ancient Artefacts in the Boughene system. There have been reports of disruption in the G band in that system. Vlen planned to make a deal with Professor Ujinka to get hold of her research into this.

The Sceptre that Alisa found is oddly warm to the touch and is most likely an Ancient Artefact that Vlen stole from the Brotherhood of Humaniti.

They look through Vlen’s various different IDs on planets across the Spinward Marches and resolve to check out some of his other identities sometime in the future.

Planning the Next Move

They talk about the PMGP weapon. It has a power source that is removable, but has warnings on it not to remove without the correct tools. They put it and other spare weapons in the empty armoury on the Liberator and set the code on the lockable door to 6969.

They rest, eat and sleep while the ship re-charges its energy banks. In the morning, they discuss whether Vlen is actually dead. He could have killed a clone or somehow otherwise faked his death. He could still be out there somewhere.

They look up Beck’s World and it is around 18 parsecs away. They will need to make two jumps. They have Zen plan a jump. The Navigation Computers program a jump to Dhian and then a further jump to Beck’s World. That will take about two days.

Searching and Spying

Meanwhile, they speak to Orac about the computer files uploaded from Vlen’s computer. They discover Vlen has been monitoring transmissions across the sector on various planets, with a complex algorithm looking for knowledge of Ancients and also monitoring the covert activities of Federation agents that are still operating in this Sector.

He has recently discovered that one Federation agent, Gand Holcess is on his trail, talking to his contacts and sources and searching for him. He has a ship, the Alahir, which Cyrus recognises. This agent seems to be closing in on Vlen.

Beck’s World

Liberator jumps to Dhian and then to Beck’s World under automatic control. When they arrive at Beck’s World, Zen gives them details of the world. It has a tainted, unbreathable atmosphere. They will need to wear environment suits of some kind. The place also has a Class D spaceport – barely anything there. It also has a low law rating, suggesting weapons are allowed.

Sensors show the system is empty of any other craft. As they approach Beck’s World, they find a yacht called the White Star in geostationary orbit over the only part of the planet that registers a settlement on the surface.

Dealing with Buzz

As they move to suit up and leave the ship, Buzz enters the flight deck. He is feeling much better, but wants to know that the hell is going on. What is this ship? Where are they?

A long conversation ensues in which Buzz queries sceptically their claim that the Federation turned up and the events on Alell. Eventually, they get bored trying to talk him round and Del offers him two alternatives. Join their mission to “pick up a girl” on Beck’s World, or be put in a Low Birth. He eventually agrees to go with them.

They suit up and take their weapons. Buzz is only given a body pistol, which he complains won’t even hurt someone in a vacc suit. Grant says that’s probably a good thing.

Landing on Beck’s World

Boarding one of the shuttles, they descend through the dusty atmosphere and follow the weak signal to the planetary landing port. It has a class “D” designation, which means facilities are minimal. When they emerge from the clouds, the port is little more than a large pad to land on.

Drent lands without a problem. They notice there is a ship’s boat from the White Star landed here.

Some Unusual Customs

After a delay, a rough looking local “official” wearing a scruffy old vacc suit and wielding a large energy rifle approaches on foot. He knocks on the shuttle door and they let him in the airlock.

His name is Uro and he is the local Customs Inspector. He works for the Thanes, who run Beck’s World. He asks their business and when they say they are University folk, he looks disgusted. There are already University geeks on the planet and they are not liked.

He is reassured when they say they are there to take the University people off Beck’s World. He tells them they will need to pay 100 credits each in order take weapons onto the planet, which Grant pays. Uro seems pleased and leaves.

Not Much to See

They leave the shuttle. They can a large dome with “Food, Fuel and Girls” advertised around it. There is an anti-ship missile launcher on the roof. Around the dome are a series of smaller, run down looking dwellings, mostly temporary accommodation that has never been replaced and patched up when needing repairs.

Further up the mountain side there are a small number of better looking, newer dwellings. They assume that is where the University works are located.

A Rough Bar

They head for the dome and enter what looks like a bar and nightclub, inhabited by a rough looking mix of scum and villainy. The dome has an atmosphere and they are able to take their helmets off and chat with the locals.

They are not particularly welcomed, until they sample the local liquor and buy a few rounds for people, after which they are accepted. The barman tells them about the University of Regina students and archaeologists. Most people on Beck’s World believe they are stealing priceless Ancient Artefacts that rightly should belong to the locals.

The barman also reveals that, while some of the University people live in the domes higher up on the hillside, their main excavation is 1,000 kilometres from here. Only the University people know exactly where.

Del tells them they are here to take the University people off the planet, which seems to content them. After an hour or so, they decide to leave. Buzz is mostly keeping quiet and following their lead. He seems a little out of his depth.

The Local Law

When they leave, after putting their helmets back on, they notice an old building bearing the symbol of the Federation. Apparently the representative from Regina sub-sector authority is housed there.

A group of well-armed looking local thugs in armour step up and surround them. One of them introduces himself as Jocan, head of the Thanes. He tells them he is the authority on this planet and wants to know why they are carrying weapons and what their business is.

They repeat their story about here to take the University people away but Jocan seems more agitated about them carrying weapons. They tell him they paid the customs man, but when asked for their permits, they don’t have anything to show them.

Fleeced for Credits

Jocan demands 7,000 Credits, 5,000 for their weapons and another 2,000 because Del’s is wearing battle armour. Surrounded and at a disadvantage, they have no alternative but to pay up. Grant gives them the last of his credit bars.

Grant asks Jocan for permits, but he says his word is good and they can tell anyone they encounter that he personally gave them permission to carry arms.

Jocan and his thugs leave after an uneasy pause. The Travellers discuss what to do next and how they just don’t like this place. They resolve to visit the University domes.

The University Dwellings

They trudge up the mountainside and approach the newer looking domes. They see two people in vacc suits working on a communications antenna on top of one of the domes.

One of the people spots them and slides down the side of the dome. He initially tells them that this is University property and they are not allowed to be here, but when Grant says they are not locals, the man suddenly seems very pleased to see them. He introduces himself as Kenton Wyld and invites them in.

Once they enter the pressurised dome, they can take their helmets off. They see Kenton is a young man in his twenties, slightly geeky looking and clearly excited to talk with off-worlders. He offers them tea and they talk.

Tea and a Chat

Kenton tells them the locals are causing all sorts of trouble for them, mostly minor though thankfully. They seem to be under the impression there is a gold mind of valuable Ancient Artefacts that the University is stealing. In reality, they have found caves that contain the remains of an Ancient settlement, but it is in poor condition. It is quite dangerous and they have only explored a small amount of it.

When Grant asks about Juni Voslang, Kenton confirms she is working at the site right now. However communications have been cut off for some reason. He was checking the antenna just in case the problem is at this end, but it does not look like that is the case.

Kenton also tells them more about Beck’s World. Their geological surveys suggest it once was had a habitable biosphere, but something at some time in the distant past ripped the atmosphere off the planet and set the planet’s evolution back a billion years. They wonder if a super-heavy gravity source passed through the system, such as a dwarf star.

Landslide!

Suddenly there is a heavy explosion from outside and the ground rumbles. Big rocks begin to hit the side of the domes and smash the walls down.

End of Episode One