Escape Trajectory: Makkuro — IC

[FinalTemplar]

OOC

Creed would awkwardly vote for candidate 1 because they've got the majority.

[Namelessjake]

Despite Cass' preference towards Sofia, he is out voted and you finalise hiring Leena Cantrell, who shows up later that day having resigned her post on the Alhamdulillah. The rest of the day passes with Hikaru, Marko, Tess and Creed going out to buy some decorations for the ship. The bedding in the officer's quarters is replaced, including Hikaru and Marko upgrading to a double bed, rugs are laid down, lights are hung up in the mess, and other cushions and plants are added to the ship replacing its sterile military utilitarianist feel with something a little more homey.

While the Makkuro's living quarters are given a facelift, the repairs also finally come to a close with the ship now being as combat ready as it was when you stole it.

Days 12 - 14

With the repair work finished, the shipyard turns its attention to removing the sandthrower and the installation of a workshop in the cargo hold. These works progress over the next couple of days without issue. The sandthrower takes a couple of days to remove, but the act of throwing up a bulk head and installing machinery to form the workshop is dealt with in a matter of hours.

As the final touches are being added to the workshop and you are busy prepping the ship for your departure, Cass is busy running Leena through the ship's comms system when the panel lights up. "Looks like someone is trying to contact us Sir," she says, diligently bringing up the message on screen, having picked up the basics of the Makkuro's systems with ease.

The grizzled bearded face of a greying man appears, immediately recognisable to Hikaru, Cass, Tess and Creed, as Marco Bao, the Idaretian mob boss who sprung them out of their Diktat holding cells only a couple of weeks prior. The message is a prerecorded one owing to the light delay between Idarete and the Station making real time communication impossible.

"I hope you've been enjoying your time on Asteria Station," Bao says.

"If you recall, we made a deal a couple of weeks ago. The plans for Medus Landing in exchange for future use of you and your ship. I fulfilled my end of that bargain and now I expect you to do the same."

"It looks like the war on Antheus is only going to escalate further and I need a team to extract one of my people, a Dr. Rousseau. You should be able to find them at the House Kylen Research Institute in the South Pole. That's in League held territory for those of you who don't pay much attention to current events. I need you to get them and bring them back to me on Idarete.

Although it should be relatively simple for people of your capabilities and you owe me this job, I'm still generously willing to pay 50,000 credits for their safe return. That should more than cover your costs. I look forward to our next meeting," the message ends.

Makkuro Updated Deckplan

Makkuro Repairs and Transactions

Day 11
+2 HP repaired
25/25 HP

Day 12-14
Sandthrower removed and Workshop Installed.

Ship's Fund
-300 for decorations and new furniture
New Total: 11,960

[ratwizard]

Insert Tess - Cass scene here

Cass finds a cruel irony in the filling of his station being decided by the others, but he figures it means little in the long run. He spends the rest of the few days leading the repairs, onboarding Leena, and observing the work on the sandthrower and new workshop.
 

---

As they prepare to depart, Cass looks up at his screens once prompted. "You can just call me Cass," the Alldisian says, wrinkling at the formality. "Thanks, Leena."

He listens to Bao's request carefully. Knew he'd be cashing in on that favor soon enough. At least it's something interesting. I'd rather get myself lost in a warzone than go back home, being honest.

Cass turns to the others in the ops deck. "Fly in, extract his labcoat, fuck off. That sounds like a pretty easy shot at fifty kilo, assuming we don't get too embroiled in the local politics," he says, eyeing the new security officer in particular.  "Plus, Bao got us where we are now, whether we want to admit it or not. I'm much more inclined to run an op for him than Holland. What do you think?"

[Fialova]

Tess stifles a laugh as Leena refers to him as 'sir', before listening in minor annoyance to the transmission. I guess we do owe him, but so soon? We barely got this thing livable. She sighs, but thinks to the conversation days prior and the other job they'd been offered, knowing this is clearly the better option. 

"Yeah, might as well. Can get Bao off our back, and pays nearly as well as Holland's job. And who knows, if we end up on Alldis and find out her ex-wife is a pedo or something, we can do that job too. We've got a month, she said," Tess responds with a shrug, still unsure of the wisdom in denying someone like Holland. We may have offered Bao a future job in exchange for his aid, but I don't see Holland letting this slide if we just ignore her request. Last thing I need is her telling the Harlequins where I am and who I'm with. We' have a League cruiser pursuing us in no time.

[BartNL]

Info

What does Warner know about Dr. Rousseau, the Anthean south pole, House Kylen and their research institute?

[Namelessjake]

Warner and Kaze

While the name Dr. Rousseau is unfamiliar to you, the Kylen name is recognisable across all of Antheus. For the past few decades House Kylen has been the most powerful of all the noble houses of Antheus. Over the years others have come close to matching their power, however those houses have waxed and waned, while House Kylen endures.

Like all Great Houses, they hail from one of the poles where the planet's climate is more temperate and Mediterranean in nature, the southern pole as Bao mentioned. While their lands are some of the richest on the planet, arguably more important in this modern age is their control of the planet's largest space station, Kylen's Hold.

Their research institute is known as one of the finest centres of learning and research on Antheus, serving as the university for their capital, Ksar Birkir, as well as hosting the House's most prominent scientists and research projects.

[BartNL]

Enjoying Asteria station. It's worse than the trenches of Antheus.
Rescuing a league-aligned scientist. Fishy. But I can hardly pass the chance to visit Antheus, especially if things are escalating.
Warner replies to Cass: "I can't comment on what we owe Bao. But I can give some insight on Antheus. The planet is mostly war torn, but the poles are relatively unscathed. On south pole lies the planets largest spaceport. So if there's any safe place to land, it's there."

[ratwizard]

Cass nods thankfully at the doctor's insight. "There you go. Big spaceport. Relatively safe for, you know, being Antheus. Plus, I'd bet we can line up more job offers for whatever comes next. Can't hurt to build a schedule for upcoming contracts. Stable work means stable pay, and we've got maintenance that's not going to pay itself."

[greysigil]

Mmm, Antheus, huh? Don't really want to risk going somewhere so hot, almost asking to get picked up by the League or Diktat, but it beats a League core world.
Kate rolls herself out from under the panel she was working on. "You can say that again, she's in pretty good shape, but without some regular credits she won't stay that way." She sits up with a stretch. "As for the job, active war zone sounds kinda dicey, but there should be enough chaos for us to keep a low profile, long as we're quick about it. If we do this, we'll be square with that guy, or do we know yet?"

[FinalTemplar]

"I dunno how I feel about it, but I don't think we have a choice here." Creed says, tapping rhythmically on his thigh. He sighs and stares off into the distance, clearly doing some math. "By my best guess if we leave now, it's six days to Antheus, and another two weeks from there to Alldis." He looks between them, "We can do it, we'd be cutting it close, but there would be no time to stop anywhere else. No side jobs, no fuck ups." He says, his voice faltering at the end knowing he's mostly talking to himself.

[Chanchabruhh]

As the conversation continues, Kaze's mind drifts momentarily to memories of his past on Antheus. The mention of navigating through obstacles triggers a flicker of recognition in his eyes, hinting at a depth of experience beyond what he shares with the crew.
 
"Antheus holds its own challenges," Kaze interjects, his voice tinged with a hint of nostalgia and concern. "But I know the terrain well, and I can help navigate us through any obstacles we may encounter."
 
His words carry a weight of authority, hinting at a deeper understanding of warfare and survival honed through years of experience. Yet, beneath his composed exterior, there lies a complexity that few can perceive—a duality of personas struggling for dominance within him.
 
"I defer to the expertise of the rest of the crew," Kaze continues, his tone respectful. "But rest assured, I am prepared to adapt to any situation we may face."

[greysigil]

"Three weeks of just travel, not accounting for any kind of set up we might need to do, execution of the job itself, or any complications that may arise? You're right, that's cuttin' it mighty close. And that's if we leave right now." Kate says, still sitting on the roller board she was using. "I prefer not to do rush jobs, things get missed and mistakes get made that way, but if y'all think we can get 'em both done, quick and clean, it would be technically possible."

[Scratcherclaw]

Hikaru grits his teeth as he watches the feed from Bao, grateful that he doesn't have to put on a face for a prerecorded message. Just when we were finally getting a taste of freedom. At least it pays.

"Yeah, doubt we've got much of a choice anyways, considering how easily he got this message to us," the idol says with a resigned shrug. "But if it's out of the warzone, that'll make this a lot smoother. Last thing we need is laser fire from thousands of conscripted assholes."

He lets out a sigh, wondering if their future will be full of these back-and-forths over favors owed. "Worth a try to manage both. We should wrap up whatever else we need to here and then hit the road, so to speak, yeah?"

[ratwizard]

"A thousand laser rifles wouldn't heat up the Mak's hull by more than a degree or two. It's the anti-air we'd need to worry about," Cass says, teasing their captain. His face tightens as there appears to be a growing consideration of doing the job on Alldis.

"I've said my piece about the hit job on Alldis. If you all wanna hash that out again, let's do it once we get Antheus sorted. Sounds like we're all in agreement there, at least."

[BartNL]

"Plenty of time to pull the trigger on whether to do the Aldiss mission." Warner replies.
"Kaze, have you been to the south pole?"

[greysigil]

"I'm gonna second Cass, we should focus on this first job before we get to far ahead of ourselves. Don't want to start counting our eggs before they hatch, and all."

[Chanchabruhh]

“As for the south pole,” Kaze responds, addressing Warner directly, “I’ve never been there myself.”

[Namelessjake]

Warner

While the divide is not strictly directly across the equator, you would know that the North Pole has been the traditional stronghold of the Houses that were backed by the Escriosians in the Bronze Rebellion.

[Fialova]

"So Antheus first, anything else can wait. Works for me," Tess responds, as the others all appear to be in agreement. "I'm sure one of the few safe ports on an otherwise war torn planet will see plenty of work that needs doing, and who better to do it than the private owners of a small military vessel?" she continues with a smirk. Just so long as we don't get caught up in the war proper, we should be able to make a killing there. 

[ratwizard]

"We should send Bao a message while we're still on Asteria's comms protocol," Cass suggests. "If the timing's right, we'll have more info by the time we're close to Antheus."

He turns toward Hikaru. "You wanna do the honors?"

[Scratcherclaw]

"May as well. More info's good, and we won't have to worry about him hounding us more," Hikaru says, grimacing at the prospect of getting on the crimelord's bad side. With a steady breath, he readies the closest comms panel and pressed Record on the UI. With a PR-worthy face, he begins, "It's been a bit, Bao, but message received. We can hardly forget the service you did for us, so we'll return our end of the bargain and make for Antheus as soon as possible. Looking forward to hearing more information when we arrive there, but you can count on us. We'll keep in touch." 

With this, he ends the recording, ready to transmit it to Idarete. Hope this job is as simple as he described. But who am I kidding? It won't be.

[Namelessjake]

Your message is sent to Bao and you return to prepping the ship for departure. Around half an hour later you are ready to push off and Creed signals as such to the harbor's traffic control.

Receiving the green light, the gantry slowly retracts from the Makkuro's airlock and the berth's docking clamps slowly move the patrol boat away from the dock before releasing. Creed then takes over using thrusters to maneuver the Makkuro out of the circular cavity that forms the docks in the centre of the asteroid, before the main engines and the spike drive fire, rapidly accelerating you away from Asteria Station eleven days after the Makkuro first arrived, towards the edge of the system.

You have been underway for a couple of hours when Martine calls you back together. 

"So I was just checking over some of the repairs in the reactor room when I found this attached to a panel that was replaced yesterday," she says once you have all assembled, holding up a small black square device. "It contains a message - I think you should all just read it," she adds, placing it on the table and pressing it with her thumb, causing a hologram to spill forth. Comprising solely of the message Martine mentioned it reads;

You have been working for Asteria and Holland, something which gives many of our number pause, however we have no choice but to ask this of you - I can only hope you are decent working people who can at least sympathise with our plight. 

Our contacts within the corporation have discovered that a ship, called the Bounty of Arcturus, is due to arrive in a few days time. The ship will be carrying a large number of mercenaries and Holland plans to use them to break our strike, before forcing those of us who aren't gunned down into corporate slavery.

The union has managed to scrape together 20,000 credits which are yours if the Bounty of Arcuturus never reaches the station. It should be arriving from the Mona system in the next couple of days.

Going through the station's communication relays is too risky so I can only trust that you'll do the right thing. 
-S

Creed

You know that while you can leave a system from anywhere far enough away from the gravity well of its star or stars, ships will always arrive in a system in roughly the same area based on the direction they were travelling. 

You could divert to the region of space where traffic from Mona would arrive to intercept the ship without losing any meaningful time, still be able to drill to Antheus from there.

[ratwizard]

Just can't get away from this fucking station, can we? Cass groans inwardly as the note is revealed. He is quiet for a moment, the opportunities and liabilities and dangers running through his mental calculus.

"Sounds like everybody on Asteria wants a piece of the Makkuro," Cass jokes, though no smile shows. "How's, uh, the temperature on something like this? I didn't want to get involved in all that shit, especially after Prancaris-1. Taking a side's a good way to put us in somebody's crosshairs, either from pissed-off union gangers or shit-head corpo titans.

Even still, twenty kilo for a quick job like this, while we're already headed off-system? I mean, shit, we could tell this PMC to find another job or we dust their tub. Or even offer to split the pot with them if they agree. What the union doesn't know about where their pooled-up funds might be going isn't gonna hurt them.

Or at the end of the day, we can pretend this note never made it on board."

[Scratcherclaw]

"Guess it means we're making a name for ourselves. Though it's not every day that you meet an independent ship for hire, at least not in these reaches," Hikaru replies, almost proud that they've already made such an impact. Doubt most stick around for longer than a resupply, unless they need repairs like us.

He offers the man a shrug. "Hard to know what kind of mercs she hired. Probably the cold, corporate paramilitary type, so not total savages." He pauses for a moment, considering their options as the pangs of guilt threaten him. I mean, who of us hasn't been fucked over by a megacorp before? A subsidiary of one basically told me how to live my life.

He moves his head side to side, pondering. "We could always lie. Tell them the strike's over and Asteria no longer needs their services. Then throw them some of that 20k and call it a cancellation fee. Maybe they'll just cut their losses and turn around after that?"

[Chanchabruhh]

Kaze listens intently to Hikaru's suggestion, nodding in agreement as he considers the potential outcomes. "That could work," he muses, his tone thoughtful. "Offering them a cancellation fee might be enough to placate them without escalating the situation further."
 
He leans forward slightly, his gaze focused as he weighs the pros and cons of each possible course of action. "It's certainly a less confrontational approach, and it might help us avoid unnecessary conflict. Plus, if they're motivated by profit like most mercs, they might be willing to accept the offer and move on."

Kaze's expression remains calm and composed, but there's a hint of determination in his eyes as he speaks. "At the end of the day, our priority should be to protect the crew and the ship. If we can find a way to resolve this peacefully and without putting ourselves at risk, then I'm all for it."

With a nod of agreement, ready to support whatever decision the crew makes collectively.

[FinalTemplar]

Creed leans back in his pilot's chair, biting down on his knuckle. "I can plot a course to intercept the Bounty without taking too much time away from our trip. If that's what we're doing, I can go there." He looks back at Hikaru, waiting for him to give the order. "What's the word, captain? Are we taking a stance?"

[Fialova]

"I don't think there's a way we can intervene without word getting back to Holland," Tess responds, her worries about the woman's methods only growing now that she knows the extent to which she'd go to put down a strike. "Whether they listen to us or not, I'm sure they will get a message to her about what happened. And then we'll be on her shit list both for preventing her strikebreakers and for avoiding her job." Last thing we need is another reason for her to come after us, especially if we just ignore the hit she's asked me to do. We are currently a liability, but if we openly go against her and she hears of it, we become targets.

She awkwardly shifts in her seat as she ponders the situation and the possible courses of action, none of them appealing to her sense of self-preservation. "I say we either ignore them entirely, or just blast the ship out of the sky before it has time to relay anything. No point trying to haggle with the mercenaries, I'm sure our attempts to bribe them could just be countered by Holland's endless supply of credits and her penchant for always getting what she wants."

[ratwizard]

"There is a way," Cass interjects. "Like you said, we come in hot with the plasma cannon. If we aim for their sensor modules, we stand a good chance at leaving them quiet while we slug them. If they manage to get a emergency repair in place, I could run a jamming script on what's still left. Just, uh, depends on what class of ship we're talking. Anything meaner than the Mak and we're looking down a barrel at a quick end."

He pauses, frowning. "Not, you know, saying we should do it. Just that it's not completely batshit insane to consider."

[FinalTemplar]

ooc

Does Creed know anything extra about the "Bounty of Arcturus"? A pilot/int check would be [3d6kh2+2] if you need me to roll it.

[greysigil]

Who the fuck managed to get that into my reactor-- no. Not yours. Only been here a few days, can't get too attached. Kate thinks as she reads over the message, listening to the others voice their thoughts. "Tess is probably right, announcing our presence and trying to buy them off with our, comparatively limited funds ain't the brightest idea I've heard. Gives them a chance to tip off their bosses, and/or, sucker punch us while we're talking." She shifts uncomfortably. "I dunno, it'd be smarter to leave it alone, Holland would be real dangerous if we get on her bad side, plus she'll prob'ly just hire more goons if these ones bite it on route. She absently starts rubbing at the scar tissue around her prosthetic eye. "I just... Don't like the idea of leaving them to just, die like that. I mean, shit, I'd probably still be down there, without you or--" She catches herself, internally wincing at the memory of her other crew. The ones that left her behind.

She sighs, crossing her arms. "Be dangerous as hell, if we miss that opening shot, if their boat is bigger than ours, but we'd be helping people, even if it's only for a moment. How much is that worth to us?"

[ratwizard]

Cass listens to the Chief's worries, nodding as he mulls them over in his own mind. "Not worth my own hide," he answers honestly, shrugging. Fuck Asteria Corp and all, but the union's fight isn't mine.

"It's safer to move on by, let it all sort itself out. We'd be taking on a lot of risk for a payout of only twenty kilo. Still, if it goes well and we cash in, then land the Antheus job? We're up seventy total. That's over two months of overhead for the Mak. All in a couple week's work."

And it would keep us flush without needing to head for Alldis, he considers, though he doesn't voice his logic. 

[Scratcherclaw]

Hikaru lets out a hefty sigh, grumbling to himself for a moment. "I hate that you're both right," the idol says to Kate and Tess, crossing his arms in frustrated thought. "And yeah, we could blow them out of the galaxy if everything goes our way. But depends on the size of their ship and whether our lucky streak holds up..." He pauses, his voice trailing. "But dooming those people to that. Could any of us really sleep if we didn't at least try?"

He frowns, looking to the rest of his crew with the faintest glimmer in his eye. "No harm in at least sizing up their ship, right?"

[ratwizard]

"Spoken like a true opportunist, Glitter." Cass gives him a sly smile. "I'm cool with it if the crew is."

[Namelessjake]

Creed

The name of the ship is unfamiliar to you, although that isn't too surprising given the ship is coming from a region of the sector you are less familiar with.

[Chanchabruhh]

Kaze listens intently to the varying perspectives offered by the crew, his expression thoughtful as he weighs the ethical and practical implications of each suggestion. Despite being new to the crew, he remains respectful, refraining from interrupting as each member voices their concerns and proposed courses of action.

When the captain, Hikaru, suggests assessing the situation further without committing to any specific action, Kaze nods in agreement. "Agreed," he says calmly, his voice measured. "Sizing up their ship before making any decisions seems like a prudent approach. It'll give us a better idea of what we're dealing with and how to proceed."

He casts a glance around the room, meeting each crew member's gaze with a respectful nod. "Whatever we decide, our priority should be to protect ourselves and the ship. We'll need to be prepared for any outcome."

With that, Kaze falls silent, ready to assist in whatever task the crew deems necessary to handle the situation at hand. As the crew deliberates, Kaze takes a moment to subtly let his guard down, allowing himself to relax slightly. He runs a hand through his hair, adjusting it with a casual ease that contrasts with his usual disciplined demeanor.