18/09/2014 – Trouble with Tempest (2)
Travel to Derwyn
The new pilot Drent Winter is ready to join the crew when they return to Dyvers. They get 36 hours of rest and leave before they have to prep for the journey to Derwyn.
Drent makes a good impression by flying the ship very smoothly from Dyvers to Derwyn, contrasting strongly with their recent freight journey.
When they arrive, Derwyn is a small, cool and dusty planet. Telcos is the main city and star port. It is the only major development and it’s a big, over developed sprawling metropolis. The buildings at the bottom are poor with richer, more expensive and newer buildings at the top. The place has a "mining-town" feel to it.
When they speak to Space traffic control, they discover they are expected and a bay has been reserved for the Red Queen in the Derwyn Mining Company’s (DMC) private docks. They dock up in a nice, clean shiny space dock which has been decorated and looks very posh. Other important guests are arriving.
A porter is waiting for them when they disembark and they are invited to follow him to the reception.
Attacked
On the way in they are spotted by Mika Hunt, who is escorting other guests. He welcomes Grant Kennedy and his crew (“This guy saved my life!”) and offers to personally escort them to the reception.
As they head in, Ace recognises a sound from behind and above that suggests someone priming a weapon. He spins round just as an assassin, on an upper level, fires at Mika, but Ace’s reaction puts him off and two of his three shots hit the porter behind Mika. Ace fires back with his body pistol, but the shot bounces off the assassin’s armour, who promptly flees.
DMC guards scramble to the scene. Ace and Cyrus try to pursue the assassin, but by the time they reach the upper level, he has vanished.
Mika comes out fairly unscathed, as under his formal wear he is wearing body armour. He quickly takes charge of the situation. The porter had no armour and medical aid is rushed, but he does not survive.
Party Fund Raising
Under heavy escort, Mika and the crew arrive at the reception, which turns out to be a Democratic Party fund raiser with lots of big names there. Some people recognise Grant Kennedy and ask after his father or offer their condolences on the situation. A comedian makes jokes about Dyvers’ President Starmann and his United Party.
While the United Party is currently more popular on the main planet, Dyvers, Derwyn remains a Democratic Party strong hold thanks in part to the work of Popara Hunt. President Starmann has been using his power to hound out Democratic Party office holders, (including Grant’s father) but his efforts on Derwyn have met with resistance, leading to protests and calls for Derwyn to be given independence from Dyvers. This is an issue that is currently splitting the Democratic Party as it is a very unpopular proposal on Dyvers.
They have a brief meeting with Popara Hunt, who tells them to enjoy themselves and not to worry about making a donation. He wants them to come to his personal apartment and have breakfast with them tomorrow morning, in the mean time have fun! He is disappointed Grant did not bring his glamorous girlfriend, but she was not in the mood.
The crew enjoy nice food and drink. Chat to a few people. Grant seems more in demand than anyone else. Later “entertainment girls” appear to be available and some crew members take advantage, especially Cyrus, who is also drunk.
Dirk strikes up a conversation with Ransom, who works for the Mayor’s Office, in procurement and import / export.
Breakfast With Popara
Accommodation was provided and in the morning they are roused from their sleep by porters who encourage them to get ready for their appointment with Popara Hunt at 11:00 hours sharp. Cyrus is in a mess but manages to rouse himself through willpower and experience.
They are taken up to the top of the DMC building to the CEO’s suit where Popara has an enormous office / lounge / bedroom. He has a buffet laid on and is constantly stopping to answer messages in his ear or make a short conversation with someone about his business empire.
He tells them how his family had a poor reputation and his father ran the business rather brutally. He has taken a wiser approach, improving the living conditions for miners on Derwyn and moving away from sleazier business dealing. In a candid moment, he also confides that his older son Zonnos just does not have the temperament to take over this business and he is likely to be forever a resentful man that he will not inherit the business. He thanks Grant again for saving his younger son Mika’s life, who is his hope for a brighter and more progressive future.
Then he moves on to his main reason for asking them here. Tempest, the new and very addictive drug, has become a serious threat to society. It has very quickly spread on the planet Derwyn, as well as Dyvers and planets in other systems. It’s popular with the miners who still have a hard life here. It is instantly addictive and causes users to become aggressive and dangerous. It has caused a large increase in crime, worker disciplinary action and industrial strife on Derwyn. It is a threat to all the work he has done.
Where is Tempest Coming From?
Popara also tries to encourage Grant to get involved in the Democratic Party and run for office on Derwyn, but Grant is rather reluctant.
Popara wants to know where Tempest is coming from and who is dealing it. Who is the Tempest Drugs Lord? He has people looking into it, but they are not getting very far. He is looking for a small, independent group who can look into this on the side for him. It won’t be easy but he’s prepared to employ them outside of their freight contract duties to look into it for him for a few months. He can offer accommodation and expenses, as well as a generous payment that he does not make clear.
Grant quickly accepts this request, while the others are a little more hesitant and it’s not really their line of expertise. Popara points out that they will learn and he needs people who don’t appear to be professionals. He also reminds them he owns 20% of the ship and hasn’t asked for any dividends.
So they sign up for the job. He appoints Vago, one of his secretaries, as his liaison with the group. They work out that while Grant won’t stand for election on Derwyn, he will start an exploratory committee to see if it is worth while standing, which is his cover for remaining on Derwyn.
Popara is pleased and ends the audience, pointing out his son Mika wanted to talk to them before they left.
Mika’s Job Offer
They are escorted to the next suite along, where Mika resides. He is pleased to see them and chats a little, but seems distant and preoccupied. He tells them he needs some equipment transporting on trade routes on outer systems. Part of a chain where they receive goods from a ship that jumps in, jump to another system and drop off goods to a waiting ship, no questions asked, although he assures them the goods are not illegal just ... secret. He needs people he can trust to be discreet.
They point out his father has already given them some work to do. Mika is fine about it and says when that is done this will be their main job. He seems to take for granted their acceptance and assures them they are rewarded properly for their efforts. Cyrus briefly spots Sloane dressed up in black uniform acting as a guard for Mika. Sloane nods to Cyrus but does not say anything and seems very much at home in his new role, as though he has done this before.