IY6026.358
SAFCO is still on Overon. They’ve been back less than a day. They notice that the city is crowded with tourists. They talk around, and find out that they have returned just a few days before the Overon Gran Prix, a space ship race through the asteroid field in the system. While at the starport they see what appears to be a troop transport.
Barney and Caliban seek out some information and business. Caliban manages to get a great price (50% of base price) on 48 tons of industrial polymers, which he thinks they can turn a profit on at their next stop. The crew has found out there’s a Jump-4 starliner in orbit. Barney sees the landers at the starport. He inquires about job openings on the ship, as it is going to return to Prometheus via Listo after the race. That would cut at least two weeks off their projected transit time to Prometheus. At the union hall he finds that yes, they are looking for a better pilot, gunner, steward, and engineer. He tells the lady he’ll be back regarding the jobs. She says “don’t wait too long, sweetie.”
The rest of the crew has gone to the Mooch Mine to chat people up about the race and relax. As they approach the tavern they see three men being tended by medics on the sidewalk, and four burly-looking guys in custody of the local authorities. Roger sees a pilots pin on one of the hurt guy’s collar. Flint gets a good look at the other guys, and decides they are mercenaries. He’s seen plenty like this before. Roger speaks to the injured pilot, and finds out he and his two friends were to be the crew of RCMP-Overon’s ship in the Gin Prix. Roger asks if he thinks they might want to hire a new crew, and the guy says sure, he should speak to RCMP administrator Robert Tilton. Roger, Flint, Lucky, Fardt, and Jinx enter the tavern and see a bunch more of the mercenaries. They chat with locals and learn a bit more about the race.
Barney and Caliban, at the starport, make some inquiries about the troop transport ship. They find out it has come, after a couple of jumps, from Pelucidar, a notorious tough and criminal planet that is interdicted (poorly). They also find out it has filed a flight plan for Uetonah. Not surprising.
Flint and Roger go to RCMP headquarters to find Admin. Tilton yelling about the injury of his race team! Flint says he may have a solution. Tilton’s jaw drops when he finds out that Roger is rated as Pilot level 4. With Barney ranked at Engineering 3 and Computer 2, and Lucky at Gunner-3 (the ships shoot “data streams” as mock combat), Tilton agrees to split any prize money they might win — the purse for the winner is 200,000 cr. They make the deal.
Back at the ship, they inform Silvonius of the great cargo deal they have made for the ship, discuss the race, and begin discussing possible ways to delay the mercenaries who, after they see the race and gamble their last paychecks away, will be heading to Uetonah to cause problems.
End of session
IY6026.358
Elapsed time: 466 game days (1 year 91 days)
Leave a Reply