Hi Alex,

Thank you for another update to brighten my Pacific Northwest gray drizzly day.

Tom Rux

> On 11/05/2021 9:32 AM Alex Goodwin - alex.goodwin at multitel.com.au <xxxxxx@simplelists.com> wrote:
>
>
> 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
>
> --
> -----
> The Traveller Mailing List
> Archives at http://archives.simplelists.com/tml
> Report problems to xxxxxx@simplelists.com
> To unsubscribe from this list please go to
> http://www.simplelists.com/confirm.php?u=ff6BDSuvG5k7w08ZXndUzoWBZbNxS5Ee