Chapter 1: Ring of Fire

"Pretty swish place!" Alerio looking around.

"Best not get used to it. We’ll be back to bumping elbows in that bird soon enough." she says with a smirk then!

"Any of you ever jump into a volcano before? It’s a first for me. Closest I’ve come is a hot spring back home."

Zuni, when I'm in the shower, every tub has a view!" she teases. When Seally sends her some schematics for the grad inhibitor and gives Seally an arched eyebrow in answer. "You know I'm a journalist and not an engineer right? I've got some experience with communication systems but vehicles are out of my wheelhouse. Or gravhouse as the case may be. Aren't any of you gearheads?" she asks while still looking up at the high ceiling. This room seemed to have more space than when she was actually in space! She finally rolls off the bed and onto her feet. "Ok, out, Zuni, this lady needs to freshen up. And by freshen up I mean pee."

"You're smarter than me, so if anyone can, you can figure this out."

She smiles as no one takes the bait on the draw straws comment. When she had suggested they share a cheap room, she'd meant one room, but they'd ended up with four. Now they have these giant rooms, and less beds. This couch was ridiculously comfortable though.

"So we either hire a grav truck and mess with the inhibitor to get us to the top, or we go as far as we can then climb. Either way we'll need better oxygen support. That means shopping, or we take Greener up on his offer to raid government supplies. What else might we need, Zuni, to climb an active volcano?"

"We need a seismic activity meter. Should work for volcanic activity. But you know, if the things going to blow we won't get away in time unless we have a grav-ship. We really need to crack that code and hope it doesn't brick it."

Zuni gazes out the window as he thinks of what they will need for supplies. "A heat sensor, some picks, climbing boots, respirators..."

As odd as it seemed Zuni's mind was no longer in the gutter and instead was focused entirely on the expedition to come. It had been a minute since he had been adventuring and the idea of it flooded him with excitement.

"A few heat-resistant vac suits....hmmm, did Mr A, Greener," he says his name with a sneer ... "say whether the grav-vehicle was open or closed? If we had an open ship, maybe we could float the explosive charges down into the volcano without ever getting out of the vessel. Or I suppose we could just open the door of a closed vehicle and drop them from it."

All you need to do is put in a quick call to Deborah and she initiates the transfer of filter masks & respirators from the Department of Operations. She confirms for you that she can also requisition climbing kits for each of you (the TL4 variety), as well as pack you a day's worth of food. Vacc suits aren't something she's got access too - a little too high-tech for Walston; she suggests you might find something in Startown.

As for vehicles, you've heard about desert tours at the visitor's information center, maybe they'd rent you a vehicle. And there's Gino's truck.

Climbing Kit (Central Supply Catalogue (p 48)


Excavation Tool Set (p 78)

"Gino's truck! Hey, do you think he's the type to let us mess with his grav inhibitor? It certainly looks like the kind of vehicle that wouldn't have a tamperproof killswitch!" She starts a list.

"Environment suits are what? 500 a pop? That'll keep us warm, and the filter masks and respirators will keep us breathing. A pressure sleeve might be better, they're a little more. I don't think we need full vacc suits though, right? We don't have enough to equip us all for that."

"There's an idea. Maybe you gals can convince Gino to let us rent it if that's the case. A couple of sweet smiles and a few creds maybe?"

Zuni figures it might be worth giving up a few creds for his truck.

"If we are really in a pinch, I could take a look. Not saying I can actually do it. But I’ll know more if I look at it first.

In any case, take it from me… there’s someone here that knows how to do it. There always is. Used to pick these guys up by the bunch when I was on the beat. Slap on the wrist for breaking regulations and off they go."

"I agree. Finding a local who is capable of doing this is our best bet."

Deborah can find Gino for you, if you like. You can tell she's enjoying the feeling of 'being on the inside' of something that feels important (at least relative to this sleepy, backwater world), but you're sure she's dishing the details to all the gossips around town.

Seally looks at the plans, pretty sure she has a better than even chance of doing it, but they're probably right. Messing that up could leave a trail of question that lead right to them not having good answers.

"I'll call Gino," she says, and pings the truck driver with the deets he gave her.

"Gino, got time for some dodgy work for dubious pay?"

"What can I do ya for?" Gino replies. You can hear his truck running in the background.

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"Good to know Aliero but let's see what this Gino is willing to do for us first. Seally, can you ping Gino a pretty smile too?"

Seally putts her comm onto group chat mode so the others can hear and speak. She increases the ambient noise reduction filters to make it a pleasant experience.

"We need a vehicle to get us up the volcano to the south, as high as it can go, and we thought about our good friend Gino who was so nice to work with earlier. Are you interested? We might need to make some modifications to your vehicle, but we'll put it back right after we're done. Can we meet to discuss all of that, and your fee?"

She winks at the others.

"You wanna drive up Mt Salbarii? Why in blazes would you want to do that? I 'spose talking never hurt nobody, so yeah, I'll swing by in two shakes. What room you staying in?"

Fallon peeks her head over Seally's shoulder. "We'll meet you out front of The Walston! See you soon!"

"Do we have a plan for this guy? I bet he's going to want more than we are willing to give. He might hum and haw about the risks to his vehicle and try to squeeze us. He seems like that kind of guy."

You* walk down to lobby and outside the inn. Those of you not in filter masks can taste the grittiness in the air in stark contrast from the filtered air of The Walston.

Gino rumbles up the street, and you step past the small strip of manicured greenery that clings to the Inn's grounds and into the dirty street to meet him.

Now that you are imagining flying this vehicle thousands of metres above the ground, you evaluate the vehicle with a more critical eye. Whatever chassis this vehicle was built on no longer exists; in its place is a variety of incongruous metal scraps cobbled together from salvaged parts. The grav drive sound old; occasional pops and stutters Mar the normally harmonic humming of grav drives. It's boxy, irregular shape means it'll be slow in the air.

Although you are skeptical of how it would hold together under high-stress maneuvers, it looks serviceable enough for a short, routine flight, and is even small enough to fit into the cargo hold of the Wayward Wind for the trip back.

Gino waves you over, one furry arm hanging out the side window. "So, you want to join the mile high club, eh? Yep, old Gino's got ya covered. I got a lovely canopy I can put on the old girl, the whole thing will transform into a classy fantasy come true!"

"I can tell you want to talk numbers. I respect that. I charge Cr500 a flight. Plus I'll need some collateral and I'll get you to sign some 'if you break it you bought it' papers."

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* - which includes Seally and whoever wants to be in this scene, feel free be doing something else in parallel or jump in here.

Seally looks it over. "It will carry our gear, sure, but how high up the side will it go? We want to go all the way to the top, and I wonder how it'll get up any, you know, vertical patches. Full grav flight is frowned upon, we hear. I'm just not sure. Is there any way to, I don't know, get around those protocols, just if we get into a tight spot?"

Seally leans close to the man, as she looks over the vehicle. It's a wreck, but the Wayward Wind probably is too, and it will have heart so you shut your mouth and see the potential.

"That's what I was thinking, anyway. Maybe a little after-market modification to it so it can do the job we need? Is that on the table?"