I've had to cut off The Biro Expansions, otherwise it would forever grow
and never be posted.  As it is, I'm retroactively starting a new chapter
as of a few weeks ago and starting from that.  I'll see how I go with
the rest of The Biro Expansions.

---

With Das Boot parked in Phoenix Down, Drake decreed a week's shore
leave, retroactively - Curly had already buggered off to surf.  Drake
drank to that.

Through a long and convoluted series of events, Drake lobbed at the next
Worshipful Company of Master Spacers & Starmen get-together/booze-up in
the Old Dart.  El Capitane managed to avoid making a twat of himself
this time, and ended up talking to one Nikolai Nikolayevich Nikov, TCN
Navy Scouts.

Gospodin Nikov makes an offer of joining an exploration/survey convoy
heading out past Teapot (Kushuggi 2530), on the grounds Drake + crew had
proved themselves lucky + good enough to come back the other way with
sod-all preparation.  How well would they go with doing it deliberately,
with preparation and support?

Despite not making a twat of himself, Drake still managed to make the
society papers.  Apparently N.N. Nikov currently held the rank of
Lieutenant Commander.

While this was happening, a funny feeling told Nikki it would be a good
idea to stock up on spare parts, so she chased up a whole 2.6 dton of them.

Drake managed to make it from London City Shuttleport back to Phoenix
Down, holding off making a twat of himself until he reached Das Boot's
berth, where he called a general talk talk in cargo hold.

Drake relays his efforts - thru a coincidence of timing, Easy Frag
joined the convo just as Drake got to the money bit.  Players found the
timing hilarious, so Nikki turned up as the talk talk got to money.

Crew were interested, so El Capitane sent a message to Nikov and sets up
meeting at berth in Phoenix Down.

Nikov, in civvies, plus two offsiders lob at berth later that night.

Nikov answered any remaining questions and, upon learning Das Boot had a
6 pc unrefuelled range, asked how in blazes they managed to make money. 
Nikki smugged about the new Lyman drive.

Basic idea for charter was 12 months' time charter out into the region
to trailing of Teacup Station

More discussion ruled out Nikov's original idea of oiler - for starters,
ship was too small.  Pathfinding, on the other hand, fitted perfectly.

Discussion wrapped up, with Nikov giving Drake a week to respond.

Two days later, one of Joe's many contacts popped up.  Bo Xai Lai, a
drinking buddy of multiple decades' standing, more familiarly known to
both Joe and Badass Badass-Moustache as Sifu.

Through a truly Pythonesque series of events back in the day, Sifu ended
up taking over the Shockwave Riders psi institute (previously mentioned
as first such outside Zhodani Consulate in the Advisoryverse) from Joe's
dodgier-than-the-Dodgies grandfather.

One venture that Sifu had set up was a training ship, the _Caerbannog
Rabbit Fancy_ , where junior staff and non-junior students were sent to
the Institute of Experience.  Previous trips had been into the Ziru
Sirka, but the outbreak of war embuggerised that approach.  Sensing a
way to help out one of his teachers and make some coin at the same time,
Joe mentioned Nikov's exploration convoy and explained the details.

Because Joe was an old (in both senses of word) partner-in-crime, Sifu
was game to engage Joe as his agent for negotiating the services not
only of the _Caerbannog Rabbit Fancy_ but another ship the Riders had,
_Echo Papa 507_, in return for 5% of the gross charter fee.

Later that day, Ahluvda Hudugurusinha contacted his old shipmate, Curly,
who was busy working on his fusion-powered kombi in the ship's hold at
Phoenix Down, surfboards strapped atop.  (It was Wombat's idea for the
surfing and the kombi - I just ran with it, after I stopped pissing
myself laughing).

After some catching up, Curly asked Guru where he was up to. Turned out
one Agro Vation had obtained himself another support boat, the _Stacey
Thomson_, with a mostly-green crew.  Guru did half-heartedly offer a
second mate spot to Curly, who (as expected) declined, saying he wanted
to see what weirdness happened to Drake Milford next.  Speaking of
weirdness, Curly asked Guru to hold while he rattled Joe's cage.

After Joe answered, Curly conferenced him in and Joe filled Guru in on
the details, and who to contact.  Much to Curly's amusement, Joe tried
the agent idea on with Guru, who turned him down flat, the level of
flatness being somewhere between a pancake and Wyoming (which, iirc, is
flatter).

Curly let those two talk and dropped out of the call.

(Yes, I was a bit stuck, so went with the Yankovic-level coincidences to
move things along).

--
Alex