It takes almost a week for ROCK to reach a safe jumping distance and make the transition to hyperspace enroute an NJP at a system closer to the Imperium. It is only then that shipboard routine can return to normal. Throughout the transit through the Qantseqr system, most of ROCK's inhabitants spent most of their time in PEBBLE to avoid the intermittant mental scans emanating from the orbiting satellites. Those who area allowed on ROCK (those with sufficient mental defense that they were unlikely to be found by the scans) spend much of their waking hours watching for any sign of zho ships that might be looking for them. PEBBLE, it is explained to those who don't already know, has significant mental defenses that protect everyone onboard.
KYLE (OOC) : I'm not sure where Kyle falls on the spectrum, though he's probably near the edge. His Ego is above average and has Mental Defense, but he still might be vulnerable. Regardless, he'll spend some of his time waiting for the jump trying to figure out ht emystery of the Solomani langage. Also, I'm curious how good a library the ROCK has. Kyle is three years behind on technical reading, not to mention current events. Thank heaven for speed reading.
OMEN: Remember that Vareq provides Mental Defense to anyone within line of sight, so anyone willing to stay near him can stay on ROCK.
After everyone has gotten a good nights sleep in a real bed, the group convenes a meeting in the wardroom. Jack, Surge Vamperina and Professor are required attendees. So is Rockora, who others may soon learn is an AI that lives in ROCK's computer system.
MIDNIGHT: Midnight attends the meeting, but has nothing to add. Much of this information is new to him, but he's content to follow the team whatever they decide.
Those that have not been aboard ROCK before are also introduced to Curt who remained on the ship while the rest of the team went down to Qantseqr. He remained because he was feeling extremely ill, but feels much better now.
VAMPERINA: "We're meeting to discuss where we are going from here. The obvious answer is Rio, which is where Sir Jon wanted us to go, but there are mitigating circumstances that may cause us to rethink that destination. I think the first question that we need to get answered has to do with the ownership of ROCK." Turning to Professor and Nanci Ricket, she asks, "Professor, who is the legal owner of ROCK?"
PROFESSOR: "My wife and I are the legal owners of ROCK," he replies without hesitation "though the Institute of System Studies does hold a lien until it is paid off. Obviously I do not know what has transpired in the last four years but I have no reason to believe that the ship would have been reposessed since I had scheduled payments going to the bank regularly during my absence."
VAMPERINA: Vamperina nods and looks at Jack.
JACK: "Perhaps it would help to understand our situation a bit better, before we get into making any decisions. We found ROCK in orbit of a mining colony in the Newcomb system called Black Moon. It was uninhabited except for Lisan, who was in Cold Sleep, having been persuaded to do so by Rockora. We repaired ROCK and got her operational, then woke Lisan to determine if she was all right, and what would be best for her. During this time we searched ROCK very carefully because we had found some reason to believe that the Zhodani may be involved, and found out who Lisan was, and who her parents were. We still did not know whether you were alive or dead, but had every reason to believe it had been months if not years since Lisan was put into cold sleep (do we have dates on that, Surge?).
JACK: "Obviously when we found ROCK it was our intent to salvage her and refurbish her and claim her as our own. All that changed when we found Lisan, we weren't sure what to do. When we woke her, we explained to her the situation as best we could, and helped her to adjust to the reality as we knew it. In the end, we took her to Jewell, where we met up with Sir Jon, and he helped us fill in a few of the missing pieces. He also recruited us to work for him, at least in the short term while he continues to have leverage against us, to come and find you and your wife. We knew that this would be a long term assignment as we had only shreds and crumbs of information to go on, but we had been strongly considering making the attempt for Lisan's sake even before he asked us to do it, so we agreed. He arranged for Lisan to stay on Regina with your relations, and we did some training and preparation, and went to Zeycude.
JACK: In the end, Zeycude turned out to be only marginally useful, as Sir Jon had more intelligence he was able to give us after we returned to Rio indicating you had been moved from Bastille Island, which was our last lead. He had reason to believe you'd been moved to Qantseqr, and he was right. It turned out to be a trap, set for us, because the Zho had known we were looking for you from our inquiries on Zeycude. We are pleased we managed to get you out of there, and now we are supposed to return you to Rio and Sir Jon.
JACK: "The thing is, more recently we have been given new information that the ROCK did not actually belong to you, or the IIS, but belonged to its creator, a man we last saw on Black Moon. It definitely muddies things quite a bit, because we have every reason to believe this man was wrongfully imprisoned, and the ROCK confiscated illegally. Now I realize the government will do whatever it wants with people and objects, and later fill in the blanks to make things seem nice and legal, but we're trying to do what's -right- here, not what a powerful politico wants us to do. At the very least I am inclined to fulfill our promise to Rockora and investigate Etienne's whereabouts and try to hear his side of the story before just waltzing in to the IIS and handing them the keys, so to speak." Jack seems ready to continue, but then decides to let others speak first.
MEK: This is more than Mek ever knew about the whole situation. He listens and when Jack is done, he chirps in, "Hey, Jack, as the only full-time Imperial employee, I'd like to say something in defense of my paycheck. The Imperial government types aren't ALL bad. Look at me. I'm not all bad, once you get over the annoying habit of not knowing when to take the cue to shut up so other people can talk."
MEK: "Like now." He shrinks down and floats up.
SURGE: "I'm not to interested in Sir Jon and his charity. I was more than willing to go on this last mission to Qantseqr but that was because we had no choice. If we return to Sir Jon and the IIS they may force us into another situation where they either take ROCK or put us into further service depending on the new conflict with the Zho."
KYLE: "I'm sorry," interrupts Kyle, "new conflict with the Zho? I've been out of touch with the news nets for a little while, so please forgive my ignorance. But is there another frontier war brewing?"
MEK: Mek nudges Kyle, and whispers, "Coffee's done been brewed. They're serving numba five and you done got to be the sugar, Sugar. Started just before we shipped for you."
OMEN: Vareq clears his throat. As you know, I was a representative of the IIS."
OMEN: "That being said, I can assure you that what is said here will remain in confidence. I joined this mission in order to rescue my agents, not to achieve any personal or political agenda."
OMEN: "Due to...recent events...I'm not even certain that I'd be welcome back into my previous post. I don't think I even want to go back. So you may consider me a free agent for the time being."
OMEN: "I have to agree with Jack. I don't see any particularly good reason to return Rock if her services are still needed. We do have to drop off our passengers, however."
OMEN (OOC): Brendan was ZMAD. I don't remember what you said about Dalag. I'm assuming that Kyle didn't work for ZMAD, but was he an IIS agent?
GM: Dalag Thompson is with the Imperial Scout Service.
SURGE: "Now we do have the matter of returning many of us to where they need to go. Mek is on loan from the fleet and I don't believe they'll take kindly to him not returning to duty once this mission is complete. Vareq may be in a similar situation. Kyle, Brandon, Dalag and the Rickets also may wish to be returned to the IIS, though I believe that is more up to them. There may also be a monetary reward for our success though it might pale in comparison to the confiscation of ROCK."
KYLE: "My main interest is in speaking to the people responsible for my ending up on Qantseqr for the past three years - no, not the Zho, the intelligence operatives who co-opted me against my will and without my knowledge to do some of their dirty work. As I see it, they drafted me into their organization. And since I spent three years in prison while on duty for them, I figure they owe me at the very least three years of back pay."
MEK: "And MY main interest, besides keeping my post as Planetary Governor intact, is to get back on payroll. I no show up, I no get paid and the AWOL police hunt me down. So wherever we go, for me it has to be a place I can make my sad good-byes. Besides, I still have some unfinished business to finish. I'd put my foot down, but then I'd just have to swab the deck again."
SURGE: "Don't get me wrong, I don't have the illusion that ROCK is ours to keep. Quite the contrary. However, I don't believe the IIS is the one that should take control of it."
SURGE: "I would be interested to see about returning to Black Moon and assisting Etienne. I know that is what Rockora would like. Though I'm curious how Etienne will feel about ROCK's ownership since it seems it was taken from him, possibly illegally."
VAMPERINA: Vamperina nods and says, "I think we all agree that none of us have any legal claims to ROCK. As Jack said, Lisan's presence aboard ROCK negated any possible claim that we could have made. Also, given our status at the time, I doubt that any court would have recognized our claim anyway."
VAMPERINA: "That means that it's between the Rickets and Etienne. Professor, what are you thoughts on this."
PROFESSOR: The professor looks very thoughtful as he replies. "As far as I know, I am the legal owner of ROCK. That said, however, I obviously owe your team a tremendous debt of gratitude and if giving up ROCK is something that I must do to make things right between us, I have no problem doing so."
PROFESSOR: "One thing that confuses me is your constant reference to the 'IIS'. Do you actually mean the ISS - the Institute for System Studes - or are you really refering to the imperial spy agency, the Imperial Investigative Service? To my knowledge, the IIS has nothing to do with ROCK and I can't imagine why they would think that they own the ship. My wife and I have just spent the better part of the last three years trying to convince the Zhodani thought police that we really are researchers and not imperial spies. Your mention of 'Sir Jon' and his ability to provide intelligence makes me think that the IIS was somehow involved in my rescue, for which I must be thankful, of course, though it may also explain why the Zhodani believe that we were spies."
JACK: Yes, Sir Jon of the IIS is the one that convinced us to come and get you, and gave us intelligence after we proved ourselves capable. I have reason to believe he would like to continue using our team, but I don't know that I am comfortable with that, or that you others are either. I do know that I don't want to 'enlist' in his service in any permanent fashion, but I would not object to working with him again someday if the cause was just and the conditions were right. I do not know the particulars of his relationship with you and Nancy, but he definitely has more than simply your personal welfare at heart when commissioning your return.
JACK: This does mean that we need not fear returning to the IIS and the ROCK being seized, however, which solves our current dilemma. It is still worth continuing discussion however, since the Rickets will almost certainly leave our company at that time, and would seem likely to want to take the ROCK with them. I do not wish to take unfair advantage of your generosity, but I do appreciate your offer of the ROCK in consideration of our efforts on your behalf. I do not know what such a sacrifice would mean to you, but I know it would mean quite a bit to us, we don't have the means to purchase a ship, and we do enjoy our mobility, and the ROCK especially. Hmmm, with the war on it would seem unlikely that you would need her to get in and out of Zhodani space for pure research reasons, I would expect any priviledges you had with them to have long since been revoked, even IF we manage to clear up this spy business.
PROFESSOR: "Getting back to the issue of ROCK's ownership, let us query she who has been with ROCK the longest. Rockora, who is the legal owner of ROCK."
ROCKORA: The melodic voice of the ship's enigmatic AI comes over the speakers in the wardroom. "Professor Charles and Nanci Ricket are the legal owners of ROCK, subject to liens held by..." she goes on with legal information on lien holders, the major one of which is the Institute of System Studies. The IIS is not listed.
PROFESSOR: "Thank you, Rockora," the professor says. "And what can you tell me of this other claimant that Jack has mentioned - Etienne I believe is his name."
ROCKORA: "Etienne commissioned this ship in the year 5872 (about 800 years ago). Etienne was captured by the Imperial Elite Guards in the year 6427 (142 years ago) and his ship was taken from him." Rockora goes on to name the exact crimes that he was charged with, which are horrendous, but no more so that some of the crimes that Jack, Vamperina, Surge, Curt, Max and Nobody were charged with. "ROCK was then used by various imperial services for the next 136 years - most notably the Imperial Scout Service and the Imperial Investigative Service. It was sold at public auction in the year 6563, at which time Professor Ricket bought it."
PROFESSOR: The professor nods and says, "it seems clear from his rap sheet that this Etienne was a career criminal who commissioned this type of ship to further his criminal ambitions. Jack, I'm curious where this new information came from that makes things seem muddied concerning ownership of ROCK. Is it your believe that Etienne's claim is legitimate and that he is not guilty of the crimes that were brought against him? If he was arrested by the Imperial Elite Guards then that would seem to indicate that he is a mutant."
JACK: Jack seems to choose his words carefully as he continues. "His mutancy would seem to be obvious since he is at least 700 years old, but that does not preclude his owning the ship. It does make it that much more suspect that he was imprisoned for these crimes and his ship confiscated. I myself have been charged with similar crimes in the past, and it was of course completely false, simply because I had been recognized as a mutant. Rockora, do you have any personal knowledge as to Etienne's innocence or guilt?
JACK: Jack seems a bit surprised by some of this information related by Rockora, but replies, "So it seems I was mistaken in my understanding of how things were. Rockora, you simply want to go find Etienne because you are concerned about his wellbeing, not because you believe the ROCK should be his?
PROFESSOR: "No Jack, I think there is more to it than that. Rockora is an AI and her motives are often mulititudinous and obscure."
PROFESSOR: The professor begins asking Rockora a number of questions regarding her loyalties and desires. His conversational style is friendly but pointed. It is clear that he is well used to dealing with AIs and it is equally clear that he is extremely intelligent and knowledgeable about the nature of AIs in general, and Rockora in particular. His questions and the way that his mind processes the answers indicates a broad understanding of thought patterns as applied to both human and artificial intelligences. Of those assembled in the wardroom, only Kyle is able to keep up with the logical flow of the professor's questioning (TECH: Comprehensive Scientist on 16-). The professor's final question, which seems to come out of nowhere, takes everyone except Kyle by surprise - "Rockora, are you in love with Etienne?"
ROCKORA: "Yes."
SURGE: Surge nodded thoughtfully. Though not that surprising as he reflected on it, his lack of sensitivity kept him from really considering such a personal angle in the matter.
KYLE: Kyle pays close attention to the questioning, and he nods as he begins to follow where the professor is going. "Very interesting," he says when Rockora makes her (its?) revelation. "I've read the theory on this, but never heard of a documented case. I did know an AI at the University of Rhylandor that was inordinately fond of the lab's puppy, but I never had a chence to look into that in great detail."
PROFESSOR: The professor sits back and contemplates for a moment. He does not seem surprised by Rockora's answer. "Jack, you mentioned that Etienne had been wrongfully imprisoned. Is he still in prison? I would very much like to meet this man."
MEK: Mek chimes in almost immediately, "That sounds great. It'll give you a purpose in life and get you right back into the flow of things. And it's a lovvvve story. A weird one, but still a lovvvve story. So right AFTER we drop me back at a friendly port, so I can avoid those nasty charges of desertion, which I can hardly afford on corporal's pay, I'll see what I can do to get you guys maps, hydrogen, and free season tickets to the Astros. Surge, my e-friend, what's our nearest port-o-call? Time's a'wastin', and the Emperor is no doubt asking himself, 'Where is MEK? I NEED him now more than ever.' Mustn't make the Emperor wait."
SURGE: "Thank you, Mek. Your wishes are more than clear. We'll get you back, no fears there. As for hurrying, we're a considerable distance from our home territory. It will be some time before we're even close to a port-o-call that we'd consider. Sit back and enjoy the ride. It's not as if we're drifting aimlessly in space."
KYLE: "I don't mean to be troublesome, but are you sure he's wronglyimprisoned. That was quite a list of crimes that Rockora gave us."
JACK: "To my knowledge he escaped after we did in order to go to ground and hide from an enemy we believe were planning to either co-opt him for use in their plans or revenge themselves upon him in some way. If you would like to meet him, that would work out well with our plans after Rio, we could go to investigate his whereabouts and assist him in leaving Black Moon with you and ROCK with your blessing. It also postpones the painful decision of whether or not ROCK would serve us better in the long run than it would serve you and Nancy in your researches, and gives you time to get to know us as well.
JACK: "As for his guilt or innocence, Rockora has yet to answer my direct question on that matter. I cannot be certain either way, but given his mutancy,
and his efforts to be a hero in Cape Goliath in the past, I suspect he is innocent. I am probably not completely objective, however, as I myself was mprisoned at this very same prison with him, convicted of murder of a security guard without so much as a legal trial or defense. I hope it goes without saying that I never so much as touched this security guard, let alone murdered him.
PROFESSOR: The professor nods and says, "let us get a bit more information about the matter then."
Once again he addresses Rockora and begins asking her questions about Etienne. Very quickly he learns that Etienne is also known as Xorn of whom the professor has heard. He is a very powerful mutant with powers related to the earth. To Imperial law enforcement, he is known as a vigilante killer. The questioning goes on for quite some time, painting a picture of a man with super human abilities and the will and desire to use them to do what police and courts could not - go after criminals who are able to evade the law with high priced attornies, blackmail of officials and bribery. Xorn was known as being uncorruptible. His targets were always the worst of the worst among the criminal element. For the most part he simply captured them and "convinced" them to confess their crimes and serve their time in prison. However, there was one categorical exception to his methods and that had to do with pedophile murders - those who raped and murdered children. Xorn was merciless with them. After capturing them, he would execute them - murder is the word that law enforcement officials use - in cold blood.
JACK: Jack shakes his head sadly, but doesn't comment.
Much of his vigilante actions took place in Cape Goliath over 200 years ago. He was finally captured by the Imperial Elite Guard about 140 years ago and sentenced to life in prison. The only reason that he avoided the death penalty is because there was a lot of public support for him among those who were alive during the time that he was operating in Cape Goliath.
JACK: Rockora, how many years of his life sentence did he serve? Was there no possibility of parole? To an immortal a life sentence is very long indeed.
ROCKORA: "He has served 140 years. He has been denied parole 10 times. He was first eligible after 40 years, with another parole board every 10 years."
JACK: "Thank you. I will not comment on what I consider a suitable length of imprisonment for killing child molesters, that is too subjective, and I am not a judge or jury (well, not right now anyway). It seems the Professor and Nanci are intrigued enough to want the ROCK to continue on to Black Moon after spending a little time in side trips to Rio and Regina to re-unite people with those they miss, is this satisfactory to you Rockora? At the very least this will allow you to re-unite with Rocknetta, and see what she has learned.
MEK: Mek looks thoroughly confused, "Rocknetta? She's got a sister? This is weird."
JACK: Jack explains, "The way I understand it Rockora was unable to leave the ROCK, so she created a construct, I guess the closest analogy is a sister or daughter, yes. She was able to send Rocknetta into the comm net through a satellite in order to investigate why Xorn had not returned to her for so long, and this is the source of much of her data about what happened since he left her. She is still in the communications network around Black Moon. She may well have a lot of accumulated data that will help us find him, so reuniting the two is the first step toward that goal.
MEK: "You know, Jack, when you say it that way, it almost sounds like it should make perfect sense. Like meeting a caring bureaucrat. AI, prisons, and ROCK. Oh my."
JACK: It seems we have reached a consensus, and should head on to Rio to attempt to meet up with Sir Jon again. We will deal with what we find there when it happens :) Is there anything else anyone wishes to discuss?
JACK (GM): Basically Jack is wrapping up the meeting unless someone comes up with something. We can easily go back and revisit this later too. Jack has not promised Rockora that we will personally be able to continue to Black Moon, because we're not sure that's the case, but she should at least be comforted by the knowledge that the Rickets, the legal owners of ROCK, want to go, even if we end up forced into something somewhere else, she will eventually get there.
----------
Although he was known publicly for the years that he spent in Cape Goliath, Rockora goes on to describe a man who, at most times, was very introspective and kept much to himself. His favorite activity was asteroid mining and he was very good at it. Most of the time that he owned ROCK was spent in this manner. He travelled from system to system and, whenever he wanted to raise a little money, he would do some mining for a few years. Because of his immortality, he stayed away from any type of long term committements though Rockora does believe that he was in a long term relationship for many, many years before Rockora was "born". She does not know what happened to the relationship but suspects it ended in some sort of tragedy. This revelation leads the professor to another line of questioning at which time he learns that Rockora is not as old as ROCK. Rockora was "born" shortly before Xorn began his vigilante career on Cape Goliath. She does not know who created her but is fairly certain that it was not Xorn for he was not a scientist.
JACK: "The man I met in Black Moon prison was definitely changed from the Xorn of old, but still was introspective and kept to himself. When an opportunity came to escape, he chose not to take it, believing he was still unworthy of his freedom, probably more for the things he was forced to do in the prison than for what he did outside. He is definitely a man of conscience."
PROFESSOR: "Nothing I have heard has made me change my mind about wanting to meet Xorn. Jack, I belive that I concur with you. We stop at Rio to drop off Mek, Brandon, Dalag and anyone else that wants to depart. From there we travel to Black Moon and see if we can find Xorn. You mentioned that others were also looking for Xorn. Would you classify these others as a minor nuisance, a grave danger, or somewhere in between?"
NANCI: Nanci looks at her husband almost in disbelief and says, "Charles, you are forgetting someone whom I am even more interested in seeing and I certainly hope you are too!"
PROFESSOR: The professor slaps his forehead and says, "What am I thinking? You are correct dear. Lisan comes first."
From there the conversation turns to the Ricket's daughter Lisan, with both the professor and his wife pressing for details of how she was found and all other details that the team has and is willing to impart to them. Vamperina relates how she, Max and Jared found the ship with Lisan inside. Jack, Surge and Curt chime in at times with their own observations.
GM: For anyone wishing to get the details, feel free to read some of the public turns under the Mystery Spaceship adventure on the website.
JACK: "I'm sure Lisan looks forward to being reunited with you, and it's certainly been much too long, I plan to keep our stay at Rio as brief as possible. While the rest of us will be eager to move on after Regina, I certainly plan to take a bit of a vacation while there to give you some time with her.
----------
Eventually the conversation gets back Xorn.
JACK: "We have very little information about this organization, but it seems well organized and well equipped, so I would classify them as a grave danger overall, though they seem to act in the shadows and have a secret agenda they pursue, so the public in general would seem safe from them for now.
MEK: Not really wanting to put a wet blanket on happy reunions, Mek clears his throat. "Ahem. Guys. You realize that after we hit Imperial space, I might be ROCK's owner, indirectly of course. This baby is armed to the teeth, thanks to the Emperor, and it has a stealth mode to die for, but I'd be more than willing to put THAT off for awhile. Point is, when we see the Imperial Fleet again, they may seize, requisition, abduct or declare eminem domain on ROCK. Though you have to admit HMS ROCK has a certain ring to it, but I'm not too sure HMS PEBBLE is as terrifying. So, while we're all planning happy reunions, with the war on, we all might be a bit disappointed, if you get my drift."
KYLE: "Actually, in that case the emperor would be the owner. Though the rules vary among the worlds of the Imperium with respect to intra-system militaries, I believe that all of the assets of the Imperial Navy technically belong to the emperor. But you're right, if there is a war going on this would be avaluable ship for the navy to have. I can't say I'm familiar with how often the Imperium has siezed ships using eminent domain. Rockora, do you have a very good history database? Is that a common occurrance?"
MEK: Mek straightens himself to his full 1m of current height and looks at Kyle with mock surprise, "OK. I said 'indirectly.' More like very indirectly, true. Well, I suppose very, very, very indirectly. Or maybe not at all. Some people and AI can be so picky about details. I'll have my attorney work on that. Midnight, you still on retainer?"
SURGE: Surge nods to Mek, "This is also my fear and as you recall one of the reasons why I didn't mind taking this mission. If we go against Sir Jon's wishes, what's to say he won't take control of ROCK and put us under the witness protection program? Is it worth the risk of returning to IIS? Perhaps but I won't be surprised when yet another mission comes up for our team."
JACK: Sir Jon may be a shark, but he's been an honorable enough one once his word is given. We have a contract, and I believe he will honor its terms and not seek to blackmail or coerce us into continued action just because there's a war on. This would include the ROCK, which while a nice little scout ship with some formidable weaponry for its size, is just not that valuable in an actual battle.
SURGE: "Don't get me wrong, I have every intention of returning all passengers to an Imperial port, such as Rio. I'd prefer that we approach with typical stealth and not announce our presence. If we really want to collect the reward and close the IIS chapter in our lives let us handle that business on Regina, if possible. Essentially some place not on the edge of the war zone."
JACK: Honestly I think we're better off with Sir Jon. "Better the devil you know than the devil you don't know" and all that. If we go to Regina without ironclad ownership by the Professor and clean prison records, they will have all the more reason to seize the ROCK.
SURGE: Surge nods thoughtfully to Jack. In a quiet voice he replies, "I hope you're right."
SURGE (OOC): Surge will go along with the plan to return to Sir Jon and then go from there on to Regina.
JACK: Jack grins back wryly and says, "I hope I am too. Either way it's a risk, and I'm not willing to order everyone to do it my way, I'm just giving you all my best guess that Sir Jon is less likely to screw us, since he still hopes to be able to use us again in the future.
MEK: As everyone goes on about Sir Jon, Mek dreamily adds his own musings, "You know, I'm beginning to miss Sir Jon. The beer, the long talks about life. Oh, and who can forget the electro-bowling? Yeah, Sir Jon is..... Oh, wait. That's my dad I'm talking about. Sir Jon's the guy with the contracts and stuffy suits. Never mind me. I'm just taking up space, but not much."
VAMPERINA: Vamperina concurs with Jack and Surge that dealing with Sir Jon is our best bet at this point.
GM: Obviously the empire can confiscate private ships but, in practice, it is seldom done. That said, however, ROCK does have some unique capabilities that the empire might want to make use of so whose to say what will happen.
MIDNIGHT: Midnight agrees Sir Jon seems to be our best bet. "I'm actually due some weaponsmithing testing per my agreement/contract with Sir Jon, so reporting to him would probably be best for me personally. Plus, it solves the problem of getting Mek back to his unit since he's grow tired of our company."
MEK: Mek comes to full size, since people seem to have stopped shooting at him, "Midnight. I couldn't possibly grow tired of you, especially lately. I hardly ever grow tired. But when I get back, I have orders. And most likely those orders will be that I have even more orders. I have odors too, but you've all been so kind as to not mention them." He sniffs his underarm, "EWWW! Especially there."
GM: The meeting eventually breaks up and people go about their duties as the ship begins the long trip back to the empire. |