Chapter 2 - The Abreia Job - Gameplay

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With the course already plotted for launch and transit to the system's edge, Xandar has everyone strap in and goes through the final systems check before taking off. Receiving permission from Meridian Tower Control for flight, he engages the ship's engines and the Kukuri lifts from the platform, hovering high in the air for a moment before lateral thrusters are engaged and you begin the atmospheric flight to the other hemisphere - a straight launch into space from Meridian would have brought you a bit too close for comfort to the blockade fleet surrounding Prime Station and any of their patrols in its immediate vicinity.

Even as it is, when you angle the nose of your craft and home up into the far reaches of Basajaun's atmosphere and the weightless void of space beyond, there are several long and tense moments as two blips on your censors seem to change their trajectory and plot an intercept course for the Kukuri. Luckily, the distance proved too great and the Kukuri's surprisingly advanced Spike drive engines are able to keep the other two at bay and they eventually give up the chase. Who those craft belonged to was anyone's guess. They were not transmitting IDs, which would be highly illegal in most (or all) systems, and usually, such culprits would be military craft, smugglers, or the like.

With the ship fueled, resupplied, and little reason to push the Kukuri's luck by hanging out near Basajuan, Xandar takes the ship out to the far reaches of the system where the gravitational pull of Horiago was weak enough to allow a spike drill. Unless they wished to take it easy for a while and enjoy their spoils from Savannah Tower, the crew would need to pick a destination system and make contact with prospective employers and try to get hired.

They could of course simply drift at the edge of Horiago, but contacting employers in other systems for information would potentially take days or even weeks just for their initial inquiry to reach its destination, and then days or weeks for a reply. It would be far more efficient in time and communication, if not perhaps for fuel, to sail to one of the systems and make contact there. But which one should they pursue first? A return to the hated Meza Virs, a homecoming on Lur, or elsewhere?

"Well, the only lead I have that might end up with some pretech goodies is a dig on Abreia. The job listing says it pays $25K. Probably not a bad option. However, I don't know a lot more than that about it. There are a couple of other options we could take, that might be safer." He says using air quotes when he says the word safer. "One of those is a transport from Lur to Aipaloovik which also pays 25K. The same guy is hinting at an additional transport to Yama for 11K, and there's also a run from Mesa Virs to Yama for 8K. Could be lucrative, but no hint of pretech possibilities.

I'm open to any of that. I do think we need to get somewhere we can sell this gold. I imagine we'll get a better price for it on the less advanced systems, but probably none of those will be able to buy it all."

"Either the job on Abreia or going to Lur sound fine to me. Going to Lur might lead to even more options, so maybe that wins out.... Plus, family," she says with a nod to Boz. She looks around to Svetlana. "You have any thoughts on this?"

"So we're just waiting on your thoughts, Svetlana. Pi has indicated he's keen to have improvements, and we discussed that really means either discovering some TL4 or 5 artifacts or getting our finances in a situation where we can buy some decent TL4 equipment."

"Heh. Being new to all this, I'm not sure I really have thoughts on the matter. You all will have a far greater handle on what is needed most. As for me, I just appreciate the opportunity to maybe earn a few credits and having a place to stay out of sight until I can get back on my feet and back on Prime - that's all I need. I'll help wherever and in every way I can, of course, but I am very much the greenhorn here."

"OK. I guess we're headed to Abreia." Xandar plots the spike drill and initiates.

OOC, remember Xandar get's some special treatment with spike drills.

The ship's spike drive engages and the ship drills up into metadimensional space from the edge of Horiago System, following the rutter's course to the Bikiak System, where the crew hopes to find new employment on Abreia. Much of the time is spent either practicing marksmanship, performing daily tasks for operating the spacecraft in flight, getting whatever exercise one might, conversing with one another or with pi, or working in the new workshop.

Svetlana follows the crew around during the shifts, taking on whatever tasks the captain or crew assigns to her. She seems bright and is able to pick up on most things quickly enough when shown, though there are of course the usual mistakes oft made by new, inexperienced spacers. The young woman also volunteered for galley duty, taking it upon herself to prepare the meals, which turned out quite tasty by spacer standards.

Otherwise, the voyage is blessedly uneventful, and after what the clock indicates as a mere four days of transit, thanks to Xandar's navigation and piloting skills and the Kukuri's unusually advanced spike drive. The warning beeps indicating you've reached your drill point go off and with a familiar but unsettling sensation, the ship's spike drive disengages and ship and crew are spat from the rutter-stream back into the void of normal space.

Reading the sensor data, Xandar begins plotting a course towards the planet Abreia. He notes that the ship should have enough fuel for intra-system travel, but it will need to be refueled before attempting another spike drive. The expected travel time from your current location to planetary orbit is about 16 hours.

About an hour into the flight:

"I've put together a bit of a packet from what I could pull off the KTL's system comms." Svetlana says, and swipes over her datapad and almost instantaneously, you each receive an 'incoming message' notification on your own pads. "Hopefully it will come in handy."


Svetlana's info packet

"I'm going to refuel before we land. I don't want to be in a situation where we need to leave and can't get out of here because we have to refuel." Xandar sets course for one of the gas giants to start the refueling process.

Xandar plots a course to orbit Nioba, a gargantuan orb of orange swirling gases where the Kukuri's fuel scoops can gather the fuel needed for the ship's drives. Once begun, the operation takes about an hour or two, and goes smoothly as Xandar keeps the ship held steady in the outer atmosphere while Lilac operates the scoops and Boz keeps an eye on the scanners... Surrounding the gas giant are twenty satellite moons, all devoid of life or habitation. Yet, the sensors find near one of the largest of these moons a large object of some kind, sentient made, most likely human. The first sign of such that you've seen since entering the system.

It is a bit difficult to read this much nuance into the sensor readings, but Boz thinks there may be another ship at the object, near enough that it may even be docked or within an easy space walk distance. This second object is the actual source of the faint heat signature.