Chapter 1: Ring of Fire

Seally shakes hand after hand, and recieves more than a few hugs. Her heart swells, but in the back of her mind, she's wondering if she should charge the Walston government for services rendered. The thought, incongruous with the spirit of charity for which they're being congratulated, makes her smile even broader.

Further, the extended party-like atmosphere that further delays their full inspection of the Wayward Wind also increases her anticipation of that time.

"I'm so happy we are in the area and saw what was happening."

"Alerio worked wonders to get the engines working, otherwise we might not have gotten her airborne at all!"

"See her, that's Fallon. She got the ship online for us and got the sensors to find all of you in the town."

"Oh no, thank you, but go thank Zuni. His piloting was instrumental in getting everyone on board and to safety."

Positively exhausting, but in a way that recharges her spirits, too.

What a natural high it was to have saved the Barvinners from a terrible fate and to be greatly appreciated for doing so. He was surprised at Greener's reaction too. He hadn't liked the man at first, but here he was showing how devoted he was to his home and its inhabitants.

"Yep. Looks like we've turned out to be a great team."

In a quick moment of reflection, Zuni realized that he had come a very long way from where he had started in life and he felt proud and happy, and excited to tackle what adventures awaited.

Alerio waves from where she lies on her back, when her name gets brought up! Eventually she sits up, and talks to the others.

"Did Greener mention having his crew take a look at the Wayward? Could really buff this thing up nice!"

Seally recalls the deal. He said he'd have the boys in space port fix what they can free of charge. He wasn't sure exactly what they'd be able to do, but hopefully it's enough to get us flying to a port that can bring it up to our exacting standards. We are fine women of discerning tastes, after all!" She twists a wry grin. [b]"And a rather shabby but well meaning hound. Also Zuzu, if we can keep her,["/b] she adds with a laugh.

As the day turns into evening, Greener opens up the Walston to house the Barvinners. You see a real outpouring of people banding together; all evening, Delores works tirelessly with a volunteer crew to make supper. People from around Walston arrive by train to deliver food, blankets, toys, and warm smiles.

In the morning, you bring the Wayward Wind to Startown, where a crew is assigned to do maintenance. The tech level of the Wayward Wind is much higher than anything Walston is prepared to deal with, so they're limited in what they can do, but they'll do all they can. You'll receive a report after a week's time on the repairs, as well as a detailed summary of systems that need further work. At the very least, they'll scrub it clean from bow to stern.

Everyone seems to know who you are now, by name. You get the best treatment from the locals, and nobody will accept your money - everything seems to be on the house for the heroes of Walston. People stop you in the streets to thank you, to invite you over for tea or whiskey, or to ask you to tell the tale of what it was like. One particularly bold Vargr grandmother, the village matchmaker it seems, even offers to set you up with some nice local folks to settle down planet side.

Seally will spend her time in three ways:

Harassing the ship repair folk. Harassing is such a strong word. What do you call it when you show up unannounced each day with caffeinated beverages for everyone and ask lots of questions? She can't keep her eyes off the ship, and familiarizes herself with all of it's systems. And installs her Autobar. Crucial, that. Her plan is to motivate the crew into going just a little bit extra.

Scrounging the government archives. Scrounging is definitely the wrong word. She employs a small crew of young adults to summarize all of the data they can scavenge on the sector: news, maps, rumours, and hard intel. Organizing them to do the work of several people, and leading by example is her plan. A big part of that is figuring out what kinds of things they could do with the Wayward Wind while it is still not in top condition.

Studying leadership skills. She's learned that she probably needs to be able to convince crowds of people into acting in concert. The close call at Barvinn has convinced her of that.

Fallon spends her time interviewing people, combing through data logs, pouring over paperwork, and checking anything she can about the crew that had possession of the Wayward Wind before them. She wants to know how they got it, what they did with it, and why they abandoned it. She feels a mystery is buried and wants to do everything she can to uncover it.

Zuni is impressed at the outpouring of support coming from the people of Walston and very much enjoys getting to know the Vargr grandmother. He gets a kick from her matchmaking attempts and he enjoys endless cups of the most delicious tea with her that he has ever tasted while he offers suggestions on her potential matches and parries those which include setting himself up with a mate. He works

When he isn't getting drunk on tea he learns the intricacies and quirks of the Wayward Wind and village government.

The week plays out peacefully with no further eruptions, but a thick, black haze hangs over every town in Walston, and black ash stains anything outdoors. Even the locals start wearing filter masks.

The Barvinners move in with other family, and the ones with nowhere to go are settled in the quads of The Walston Inn. Things look like they're going to work out for most folks.

Seally: The repair crew is predisposed to liking Seally, as their leader's brother lived in Barvinn and his sister-in-law escaped aboard the Wayward Wind on the day it erupted. Furthermore, being Imperial royalty certainly piques the interest, having never met such a person, and bringing beverages clinches the deal. The crew finds her curiosity with their work and craftsmanship to be refreshing. You can tell they're giving you their very best work.

There's only so much they can do with the tools at hand, especially given the discrepancy between the Wayward Wind's tech level and that of their equipment. They do manage to get the ship's maintenance back up to snuff so new problems don't start happening, and they do a hell of a cleanup job. The ship actually smells like new by the end of the week.

What's more, the maintenance crew organizes a surprise for Seally and the Travellers. By the end of the week, they've got the interior looking really homey with handmade quilts, carpeted rugs, potted plants, multiple sets of the softest towels, a small library of classic Terran literature and music, and many other comforts. When they give you the final tour, the Wayward Wind really feels like a home.


Stateroom on the Wayward Wind, complete with artificial daylight and virtual window displays

She's astonished. Appearances are everything, and appearances are deceiving, which really means that deceiving is everything. In a spaceship as much as diplomacy.

The refurbishments that the Walstonians provide is heartbreakingly touching and yet despite doing their absolute best, it's parsecs from adequate. The list of repairs required is numbing. The debt they'll need to take on to bring the Wayward Wind up to full operation scares her, and she comes from the kind of money that buys little planets like this.

When she sets up the autobar, however it feels like she's back in the finest hotels in the core. She gathers the others, having installed a few bottles of regular hooch varieties, and pats it.

"We need to come up with a signature drink. A ship's special."

With an automatically updated database covering the finest cocktails developed on civilised worlds, the autobar provides a voice-activated drinks delivery system.

Fallon taps her chin for a second, then grins. "How about 'Wayward Wine'?"

Zuni nods in appreciation of Fallon's drink idea. "Or Zuzu's Special aka Hair of the Dog."

Jokes aside though he has to give credit where credit is due. "This is really something, Seally. I love it."

Alerio had rubbed elbows with these people for the week, and had come to genuinely like them. When it came time to thank them, she didn’t claim any part of the restoration; happy as she was with the knowledge they had parted with as she helped them put things in and rip them out. She, for the most part at least, knew how to tackle just about anything on this ship.

"Give me a Windy Walston." she says, trying out the name.

"Hey! Can I get a… wait, what’s a ‘Skinny Dipping in Star Town’?" she says, imagining some very fashionable and overpriced cocktail.

Having this discussion where she has installed the Autobar in the common area, she says, "Yes! We should find a local hooch and stock it, use it as the basis for our signature cocktail."

"Now the hard part. Divying up the four officer staterooms. And where do we keep Zuzu?"

Alerio's been tracking an itemized list of repairs still needed for the Wayward Wind, and the estimated expenses.Hull Microfractures

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When built, the Wayward Wind had a hull value of 88 rather than the 80 she would have had with conventional shipbuilding materials. However, her age and the battle damage she suffered has reduced this to a mere 40. Without extensive repairs, the Wayward Wind is rather fragile. General Systems

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The Wayward Wind’s maintenance costs are 200% what a ship of this type should normally require (currently, Cr5314/month). The extra cost is absorbed in replacing minor systems and components, and ongoing loses through leaks, spoilage and other ongoing costs. Missing Hardpoint

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The entire turret mechanism for the ventral weapon mount was destroyed by a direct hit from a fusion weapon. A full repair will enable a newly purchased turret or barbette weapon to be mounted. Manoeuvre Drive

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Problems in the M-drive persist. Remedying this problem requires a proper diagnostic of the drive (requiring 3-4 days and partial dismantling of the drive system) which will indicate the level of repair required. If the drive cut out in battle or during operations in a gravity field, the results could be catastrophic.Jump Drive

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The Wayward Wind’s jump drive is fully functional, but a little ... wayward. Fully fixing the drive means an in-depth inspection and testing of all components. The drive will need to be dismantled (a process requiring 3D days of work) and the problems carefully catalogued.Holographic Hull

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The damage to the outer hull disabled the network of holographic projectors on the outside of the ship, which allows the ship to blend in visually with its surroundings (though still visible to other kinds of sensors).

Using middle points of ranges for average costs...

Hull: 7x250= 1,750 kCr
Turret: 1,750 kCr
Maneuver Drive: 3D x 750k = 10.5 x 750k = 7,875 kCr
Jump Drive: (3D+1) x 750k = 8,625 kCr
Holography: 1,750 kCr

Total: 21,750 kCr (plus or minus)

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Seally whistles at the costs. They had all been thinking that the damage was substantial, but to see it all laid out was appalling.

"We can address one of those maybe. What's most critical do you think?"

Some other features you discover about the Wayward Wind:

Holographic Controls: These advanced pilot controls give a DM+2 on initiative rolls in starship combat.

Fuel Scoops: The Wayward Wind can skim and process hydrogen from gas giants and bodies of water, effectively providing free fuel when such features are present in a star system.

Early Jump: The Wayward Wind's J-Drive is able to operate closer to gravitational fields than regular J-Drives. Whereas the safe distance away from a large astral body for entering/leaving Jump space is 100 diameters away from that object, it is only 90 diameters for the Wayward Wind.

Stealth Jump: The Wayward Wind's J-drive is designed to emit minimum radiation when coming out of Jump space. Detecting a ship equipped with a stealth J-drive emerging into real space requires is a Formidable (14+) task.

Passenger Space: There are eight staterooms and 8 low berths (cryogenic pods) available to rent out to passengers when travelling between systems. The staterooms are luxurious compared to most vessels providing passenger transport in this region. Presumably, the crew will occupy 4 of the 8 staterooms.

Cargo: The Wayward Wind can hold up to 43.75 Displacement Tons* of cargo in its cargo hold. She's equipped with a magnetic cargo scoop for pulling in cargo while in space.

Damaged Memory Core: It turns out the damaged memory core is physically intact, but it is unreadable and unwritable. The Walston techs can't figure out what's wrong with it, and Goldie does not seem able to interact with this memory in any way. A more sophisticated diagnostic at a class-A or class-B starport may provide more answers.

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* - A Displacement Ton (abbreviated as dTon or dT), a unit of volume is equal about 14 cubic meters. It is derived from the volume of a ton (mass) of liquid hydrogen, the most common fuel used by starships.

Fallon takes a sip of her drink. "That's uh...a lot of credits. Seally, you don't think your family would be willing to cover much of this? I mean, it's technically a family heirloom, right?" She takes another sip. It might be the most expensive drink she'll be able to drink for a long time.

"House Llewyn's involvement was in gifting us the Wayward Wind, on the understanding that we would repair the damage to her reputation, and hence, Llewyn's. Further, this is a test, and should I fail, my future with the family would be fatally curtailed. I'm afraid that the path to more funds there is one that we should explore only as a last resort."

She pets the wall.

"This is a fine ship, and it's spaceworthy as it is. I say we get out there and put ourselves in the thick of it. Maybe we avoid getting into firefights for awhile, until she's patched up. Let's make friends, chase salvage opportunities, and run mail, passengers, and cargo for a little while. Once we get this beauty back in proper shape, we can expand our horizons."

She gathers them together. "Let's pool some of our credits. I'll create a shell corporation, and we'll each be equal partners. Say, a 30,000 Credit buy in, and we each have one share. We can use those funds for routine maintenance and fuel, other incidentals, and any paydays we get we can reinvest into ship repairs. What do you think?"

"I like it. I can contribute to that. She's a fine ship with great potential and I am excited to begin our adventures when she's ready. I got .... let me see ..." Zuni calls up his bank account, " a little shy of 58,000 creds, ladies."

Zuni goes through the possibilities in his head. "I like the idea of salvage work. It can be ... well ... pretty exciting and challenging. But yeah ... I know we have to do what we can to earn the creds."