06/11/2019 - Bay Shar (3)

Another Student Dies

Cyrus quickly climbs up using his Grav belt and checks Buzz, who is injured but still conscious. Cyrus gives him pain-killing shot and then heads for Kenton. When he arrives, he realises that Kenton’s suit has been pierced and he has died partly from shock and partly from lack of oxygen. There is no hope of reviving him.

Del has another funny turn after firing his weapon. He slings it over his shoulder, draws his vibro-blade and confronts Bay Shar with it. The man is only four foot high and has a very bizarre appearance. Del asks “Sherriff” Cyrus for his handcuffs so he can restrain Bay.

Voslang in Hiding

Del then decides to ignore Bay and use the open channel to try to get Professor Voslang to communicate. He tells her the man trying to kill her has surrendered. She responds cautiously, asking for Kenton. Cyrus informs everyone on the open channel that Kenton has been killed. The Professor goes quiet.

Bay then becomes a little annoyed, wanting to know what is going to happen to him. Del tells him to shut up and wait his turn.

Who is Bay Shar?

Del continues to try to engage Professor Voslang. She eventually asks who Bay is. Del says that’s a good question. Bay tells them he is a professional who does jobs for others, for a lot of money. Grant sarcastically asks if his work usually involves killing innocent people, Bay confirms nonchalantly that that is usually how things happen yes.

After prompting from Del, Bay says he was hired by someone anonymously in Aramis. However, he knows who it was, a man called Harlon. They know him and tell Bay he is now dead. He does not seem particularly bothered.

He was hired to get Professor Voslang and her Detector. Del reveals that they have come for similar reasons, they met Professor Ujinak and she told them about her researches.

Voslang Quizzies Del

Professor Voslang is rather surprised, that’s just a side project she was working on. She did not realise it was that important to anyone, although Larsa (Professor Ujinak) did seem to be excited by it.

She then quizzes Del about his meeting with Professor Ujinak and wants to know details of how and why they met, what Larsa said and what her place looked like. She is clearly double-checking that their account is genuine and Del just about manages to set aside her fears.

Bay interrupts again as this point, asking how much longer he is going to be delayed here. Del says he can shoot him now if he likes and Bay does not seem that bothered. What is bothering him is the boring delay. When Del point out they are here because someone killed Grant’s Uncle, Bay asks what the hell that has got to do with anything.

Voslang Emerges

Del then talks again to Professor Voslang and asks her if they can have a copy of the Ancient Detector technology she is developing. She says she will have to get to the base camp and collect everything together.

When told she can keep her weapon, Professor Voslang points out she is a scientist and doesn’t have a weapon. She eventually leaves her hiding place and makes her way to the Ancient Stairway.

Meanwhile, Drent has helped Grant back to the Base Camp and is going through everything there. There’s nothing of great interest, supplies, living quarters and scientific equipment. Cyrus takes the body of Kenton back up the Ancient Stairs to the Base Camp, helped by Buzz.

What To Do With Bay?

Del has Professor Voslang scan Bay for hidden devices using her scientific instruments. The Professor says he has a number of them under his vacc suit. Del then escorts Bay and the Professor back up the Ancient Stairs to the Base Camp. Bay struggles because he is cuffed but they make it in the end.

The Travellers use their private channel to discuss what to do with Bay. There are many possibilities. Grant is primarily interested in both justice for the slain and getting money out of Bay. Drent suggests taking his ship. Del suggests blowing up his ship and stranding him here. Cyrus suggests asking him for 100 million Credits.

The argument goes back and forth. Buzz is mostly quiet but towards the end starts to agree with his brother.

Haggle For His Life

Bay then intercedes on the public channel and says that he can offer them his ship. He will take it, under escort, to the nearest civilised system, such as Regina, and sell it probably for 40 million Credits. When they mention 100 million he flatly tells them he does not have that sort of money.

Del then tries to intimidate him, turning down his offer and demanding 20 million in cash, they don’t want to wait for the ship. Bay remains calm even when Del points his gun in his face, coolly saying that Del is making no sense. He would have to travel to a civilised system to arrange a bank transfer for that sort of money, so what is the difference?

At one point they ask what Professor Voslang would like to do with Bay. She is upset by the death of all her friends and says Bay should be stranded here and his ship destroyed.

Cyrus then points out on their private channel that the chances are that Bay’s ship is likely trapped and if they go on it, there is a big danger that he could turn the tables on them or get them all killed.

Leaving the Caves

Grant eventually decides the matter, resolving to ask for 5 million Credits and Bay will come with them to Regina to arrange this. His ship will be left here and he can come back for it after he gives them the Credits.

Bay is a little surprised but accepts this offer. When Professor Voslang finds out, she is outraged because Bay is a murderer. So the Travellers are just mercenaries after all? Drent tells her “It’s all about the money, Princess.” She is not impressed and her attitude towards the Travellers turns cold.

Professor Voslang collects all she needs from the Base Camp, including her detector equipment. Then she leads them from the Camp back through the complex cave network to the cave entrance, where the Ship’s Boat from the White Star (Bay’s ship) and the Liberator Shuttle are parked.

Sniper Ambush!

As they emerge from the cave, a hidden shooter blasts Buzz and he collapses instantly.

Bay then announces that his assistant is armed and at a safe point. She will kill them all if they don’t let him escape. Bay then makes a run for his Ship’s Boat, though still cuffed.

The Travellers and Professor Voslang scatter for cover, except for Cyrus who moves over to Buzz to try give him medical care. When the snipper starts shooting at Cyrus, Drent and Grant try to give him covering fire by shooting at where they think the sniper is.

Fortunately, Drent was very close and his fire is mostly able to distract the shooter, but she does get a hit on Cyrus.

Buzz has a Hole in his Chest

Del shoots Bay in the leg and the little man falls over, but he keeps crawling towards his Ship’s Boat despite being cuffed. Del then helps Cyrus get Buzz into cover, doing his best to attract the attention of the shooter as he has heavy armour. Unfortunately, the shooter has a powerful energy rifle and is able to significantly wound Del.

Del’s intervention gets Buzz into cover. Buzz has a hole in his chest though where the energy blast burnt away part of his heart, lungs and ribcage. He has died from shock. Cyrus uses foam to fill in the hole in his chest and stop him bleeding out, then manages to use a medpac to revive him and somehow keep him alive.

Cyrus then communicates with Dirk on the Liberator, they need a teleport probe landing as close as possible as soon as possible as there is a medical emergency. Dirk asks where they are and as they are very near a Liberator shuttle he knows their precise location. He will do what he can.

Shooting the Sniper

Meanwhile, Drent and Grant are shooting up at the shooter above them. She is wearing an expensive vacc suit like Bay’s and their weapons are not having much effect. Del throws them his weapon and picks up Buzz’s energy rifle to keep shooting at Bay, who continues to crawl and roll towards his Ship’s Boat.

It takes a while before Drent finally gets a good shot on the shooter and she is forced to change locations, at which time he gets another good shot and she goes down.

Del then hobbles over to Bay and stops him just as he gets to his Ship’s Boat and the door opens for him. Del shoots him at point blank range in the head and kills him.

Bay’s Last Revenge

At that point the Liberator teleport probe lands nearby. Carefully, Cyrus and Grant move Buzz over to the probe. Del begins to head to the probe himself, but Bay’s body suddenly explodes behind him and he caught in the blast, his suit taking significant damage and him breaking his arm and taking further serious injury.

Del is forced to limp to the probe and teleport up to the Liberator with Cyrus, Grant and Buzz.

Drent takes Professor Voslang to the Liberator Shuttle. The Professor is fascinated by the teleport technology and asks various questions about it, but Drent can’t help her. When she asks who invented it and he replies “a scientist”, she stops asking any more questions.

Medical Emergency

On the Liberator, Cyrus gets a grav-stretcher from the Medbay and takes Buzz to an Autodoc. Thanks to his inspired work, Buzz is still alive and the Autodoc is able to stabilise and keep Buzz alive, although he still needs specialised surgery.

Del is in a bad way but the other Autodoc is keeping Alisa alive. He is forced to use rely on personal support from Cyrus. He elects to stay in his battle suit and refresh the medpac in the suit. He does put his broken arm into a medcast.

Drent docks the shuttle and takes Professor Voslang to the flight deck, where he brings Dirk up to speed with events. The Professor is fascinated by the Liberator and asks lots of questions, which Drent ignores but Dirk can’t help but tell her about how special the ship is.

Time passes as they crew recover from their exhausting ordeal on Beck’s World and heal their wounds. They eat and sleep.

The following day Grant, Drent, Dirk and Professor Voslang meet up in the flight deck. They discuss what to do and resolve in the end to disable Bay’s Yacht in orbit, ordering Zen to use the Neutron blasters to take out its engines, which he does.

End of Episode Three