After recovering from the party, Nikov directs the convoy to proceed to
Kushuggi 2528.  3 gas giants are rumbled, but (unbeknownst) the rough
system map is not altogether accurate.

Kushuggi 2527, according to observations, has 3 gas giants and 1 large
(at least Terra-sized) rockball.

Kushuggi 2526 showed a gas giant, a primary, and sod-all else.

Kushuggi 2528 showed 2 gas giants, while 2729 showed 3 fifths of one
half of sod-all smaller than a star.

Joe, astroguessing this jump, critted his astroguess roll, while Curly
and Nikki (despite the help from Das Geezer) didn't do so well,
succeeding by a combined total of 3.   They've had better jump entries -
to point Drake felt need to announce the jump entry was normal.

Rabble, rabble, rabble.

Upon emerging in 2528, Joe rolled no-goodnik on sensrs.  To much player
and PC lulz, he only found the system primary and the largest GG.

Swearing and rerolling, he managed to rumble all 3 gas giants again. 
Joe also turned up the _Caerbannog Rabbit Fancy_ (big surprise) and,
over time, rest of convoy.

EC noticed something off about the rough system map and decided to
correct it himself.  Much to Curly's surprise, he managed it.

After that little feat, Drake decided to proceed to 2527, heading for
the gas giant nearest the rumbled rockball.  Drake succeeded by 5 on his
astroguess roll - Curly critted the insertion and Nikki did likewise on
the jump drive.  Very smooth entry - almost criminally so.

During jump, Trinh said she was hapy with gunner progress.  Priss
continued rebuilding the machines in the machine shop.

Emerging into 2527, Joe located them in-system fairly quickly -
confirming the rough map's overall accuracy.

Turns out they were 100D out from a Neptune-sized ice giant, and approx
6 AU out from the rockball.  Boosting towards the rockball, it takes Joe
about an AU to confirm the rockball's gross physical parameters (9k
miles diameter, ~40% water, thin atmosphere, weird gross surface
topography - lots of canyons).  A garden world, but not too high up the
list.

Curly managed a smooth insertion into a 300-km high ball-of-twine
orbit.  The air/raft crew prepped for launch (their vehicle was
enclosed, and they wore suits anyway) while the active scanning got
under way.

A couple of hours later, the air/raft team called in, asking the ship to
take a shufti at some radio bands oop north.  Joe takes such shufti, and
picks up something.  Nikki backs that up with an 11 (on dice) sensor
roll - her best guess is some weird take on radio communication.  Taking
a closer shufti, the pair refine their analysis to pick up multiple
areas in the northern uplands, above the Armstrong line.  5 separate,
fairly well dispersed, signatures show up as prime candidates.

Drake decided to stick his oar in then and swung one of the ship's
telescopes onto one of the target areas - he was able to make out rocks
about twice fist-sized.  Overlaying Nikki's data, sources tend to be
strongly correlated to abundance of rocks.

The guys from Dan Hurd Prospecting get asked to take a shufti - they,
along with Nikki, notice the rocks are silicate rocks (big surprise) but
apparently anomalously high in silicon concentration.  As expected from
the altitude, very little erosion.

Drake decides to wait for the ground term to return, then he'll "Captain
Kirk that shit."

Nikki followed up on another site, and saw similar characteristics,
denser signal sources, and higher noise floor.

As the air/raft returns to the ship, Drake roughs out a mission plan
(and managed a reasonable attempt).  One of the prospectors joined him
in the hold, already suited.  After a pax change, and everyone now
aboard plugging their suits (back) into the air/raft, Beverly managed a
reasonable-but-rough launch.  By contrast, the rest of the trip was nice
and smooth, right down to the flare before touchdown, approx 50 m from
the site.  EC, true to his earlier declaration, waltzes over while
everyone else is digging kit out / prepping for relaunch.

Our fearless leader (whether his crew follow him out of loyalty or
curiosity remains unaddressed) saw something approximately d10-sized
springing from one rock to another as he approached.  He saw a few more
bounce around, including (as he got near) two bouncing off him, despite
efforts to grab them.

The one Drake was specifically grabbing for zagged mid-jump to dodge him.

The next group EC went for scattered, as Drake managed a pratfall. 
However, he landed on a bit of "rock" that took violent exception to him
landing on it. A combined total of 24 damage after armour, both from the
initial bang and from landing badly, neatly reduced all his physical
characteristics to zero.  As his half-buggered suit yelled for help, I
rolled a 5 - poor sod was mortally wounded and needed prompt medical
attention to survive.

"As Drake lacks both Kirk's Plot Armour and Picard's Hair Metal, reality
has ensued." - Me

"I can't complain" - Herr Sweep

Upon receiving the yell for help, Nikki ordered Curly to beat feet from
orbit.

CURLY DRIVE BOOT GOOD - screaming powered descent was fine, landing... a
little crunchy.  (Curly needed 12, managed an 11).

Was a good landing, but not necessarily a great one - Curly managed to
inflict three critical hits to Das Boot.  Two were obvious - the master
life support alarm went berserk (Crew sev 2) and the hull made a weird
noise (Hull sev 3), twisting at least one frame and bending the landing
gear out of shape.  The more insidious crit was the integral fuel tanks
springing a leak (Fuel sev 2).

Nikki barely managed to calm the crew down from the edge of incipient
panic.  Jim Ladone asks if that was a special occasion for him - Nikki's
nonchalant answer of "Nope" let him very pale.

Nikki grabbed Joe and got weaving on unborking life support. Ladone
fainted after seeing the pair work.

About this time, Drake made it to sickbay, where Bert proceeded to work
his magic.

One snake-eyes later, Bert felt professionally insulted as Drake ceased
to be on _his_ operating table.  For reasons that are still unclear to
me, Herr Sweep pissed himself laughing at Drake's death.

Nikki took some shortcuts as she and Joe got the life support back
online in 60 minutes, to cheers.  Joe suited up and lobbed outside to
check the hull damage - the airwaves turned blue when he spotted LH2
boiloff from Das Boot.  Landing gear was buckled, most landing gear
stanchions were buckled (the exception had been stove in), hull was bent
and a minor transverse frame had warped.

Thus warned, Ladone and Nikki salvaged the remaining fuel into one of
the collapsible tanks.  Nikki then ordered Drake's body put into cold
storage and appointed Joe as XO.

"You want to settle some bets with Drake's corpse, don't ya?" - Herr Sweep

"Would YOU believe he was dead without the body?" - Easy Frag

"...shaddup" - Herr Sweep

---

As can be seen from the now-late Captain Milford, I have a slight
problem, and thus am soliciting the Learned Members' advice.

Herr Sweep wants to continue playing - he's having a ball.

The convoy is explicitly out beyond the black stump (4 pc from Dismal).

Do I appropriate a former NPC as Sweep's new PC?

Do I retcon a new PC in?

Should I take a third option?  If so, what?

Alex

--