Parental Advisory: Vector Thrust Session 2a - "Great Leap Sideways" Alex Goodwin (30 May 2020 11:48 UTC)

Parental Advisory: Vector Thrust Session 2a - "Great Leap Sideways" Alex Goodwin 30 May 2020 11:48 UTC

I'm experimenting with breaking out the session reports into two parts,
as we're getting more familiar with the rules and more is getting done
within a given time.

Previously, the crew had been contracted by one of Badass-Moustache's
old partners-in-crime (Captain Derryn Dodgie, RN, the _white_ sheep of
the Dodgie family) to go have a look-see behind the Vilani border and
field-test collapsible tankage.

By the time they lobbed back at their berth on Phoenix Orbital three
days later (the Champs-Élysées and surrounds weren't exactly sorry to
see the PCs sod off), 15 displacement tons of spec cargo awaited them in
three lots (I didn't fudge the amounts, it just came out that way to
precisely match the cargo space available with unfolded tanks), along
with a loading order for 40 dton of refined fuel (per the GT:IW writeup,
Terra's ports are collectively class A, so it's refined fuel or get out
and push) and just under a dton of collapsed fuel tankage.  It was
prototype kit, packed to withstand the handling those ruffians,
scoundrels and talkers-in-the-theatre that make up the Scouts would
inflict upon it, thus it only expanded out to 40 dton.

Drake pounced on the fuel loading order like a starving chihuahua
setting upon a pork chop, leaving Nikki to groan in worried anticipation
as Badass-Moustache started sorting out getting cargo aboard.  6 dton of
assorted pharmaceuticals, 6 dton of small arms, and 3 dton of
radioactives weren't completely trivial to load, but In Moustache We
Trust.  (Drake discreetly checked the cargo loading a bit later).

Drake Milford being Drake Milford, he DID actually consider going into
Vilani space via Barnard, Aggida, Nusku, Apishal et al.

For about a tenth of a second.

Sneaky buggers was _far_ more appealing, thus Das Boot would be crossing
into the Ziru Sirka via Sirius and then probably Markhashi, or Illike at
a pinch.

With all cargo, fuel and lunatics duly verified to be aboard, the flight
out of Phoenix Orbital's traffic pattern was routine, as was the
outbound jump to Junction.

After emergence, however, it seems that El Capitane was still somewhat
of an um...celebrity.  Junction Highport kept a rather close and
jaundiced eye on Das Boot as it flew a precision-welded approach - the
senior traffic controller on that shift would later swear Captain
Milford was messing with her head.  He was actually letting Rosa fly the
approach because it worked out cheaper for him personally.

Presenting a duly-authorised-and-countersigned UNNF fuel chit caused
much WTF? ("Did he steal it?") in the highport admin.  The fuel chief
was rather disappointed to find out that the matching half of said fuel
chit had arrived four days earlier and matched up in all respects, along
with a letter from one Captain Dodgie, RN, explaining the situation and
kindly requesting recto-cerebral extraction to speed the Paradise upon
its way.

Thus was Das Boot duly fueled and on its way, with another fine
establishment not exactly sorry to see the back of the PCs.

Is it just me seeing a theme here?

In diametric contrast, no one said boo at the 80 ton fuel chit being
presented at Procyon.  The most comment it generated was "Fuel boys will
be three, maybe four, hours, Captain."

Badass-Moustache and Nikki took that time to unload the cargo, unfold
the collapsible tanks and then reload the cargo to make getting at the
loaded tanks easier while in Jump.

When the fuel boys graced the Paradise's berth with their august
presence, Nikki managed to critfail the fuel transfer and 20 dton of
protium got loose.  Enter El Capitane, who in a load of bollocks again
worthy of the House of Commons, managed to convince the fuel gang it was
their stuffup, so they had to make the shortfall good.

Again with cargo, fuel and lunatics duly verified to be aboard, Das Boot
flew a precision-welded departure, cleared out past the 100D limit,
spooled its jump drive and jumped out to Sirius (which, as at 2124, is
not known to have any permanent or temporary inhabitants, nor a port.  I
believe that results in a UWP of X000000-0).

Herr Sweep's take on spinning up the jump drive:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/612927701258469378/716197527371776071/CAT-TREADMILL.gif

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