Over the course of the last three months, the normal end of month radio communications happened normally and on schedule. Both Jack and Vamperina use the codes that you came up with to indicate that everything is going fine.
Then, on June 1st, one day after the last radio communications, Surge contacts Jack on their secure, private frequency. Knowing that the group is taking a small risk is transmitting from the asteroid belt, Jack minimizes the risk at his end by keeping is replies general, and not revealing any location information.
Surge tells Jack that they have finished their survey and plan to come back in three days. Surge uses a code that indicates for Jack to meet the group at the site that is about 2000 km from Circle City.
Jack, in turn, tells that group that "everything is arranged and should proceed smoothly and expeditiously".
And so it is that, shortly after the resupply ship visits the mining pod, everyone except Chase heads over to ROCK to make the trip down to Black Moon. Chase is the obvious one to remain behind since he does not need an imperial ID (he already has one) and does not need to obtain any spaceship licenses. On the off chance that the resupply ship should return unexpectedly, or Serene should contact the mining pod by radio, Chase should be able to handle things and hopefully make them believe that all is normal here.
As before, Vamperina takes the ship through the asteroid belt for several hours before heading down to the planet. Also as before, she comes into Black Moon's atmosphere on the far side of the moon from Circle City and flies nape-of-the-earth to the location where they are to meet Jack. PEBBLE and Jack arrive at the site at about the same time.
Getting to the point outside Circle City where Jack left a rental vehicle (Keith, mark off Cr300) takes about a day and a half. Surge, Eli and Max fly under their own power, while Eli is also able to grant flight ability to Vamperina. Curt uses his extra limbs and clinging to hold on to Jack while he superleaps. Jack can make the trip in about an hour and a half. Vamperina and Max are using the survival suits that you found on ROCK. Jack is using the survival suit that you bought in prison.
NOBODY: Actually, Whomever is the strongest could use my shared power and if their strength is high enough to casually carry the other two with their gear, then Jack wouldn't need to hop along. The flight that Eli shares costs no END for the either user.
JACK: If we can speed the process up by using my leaping to get them some distance, and then they split off before the landing and fly under their own power, let's do that. I was surprised it would take them a day and a half, let's minimize that as effectively as we can, both to reduce costs and to reduce the time away from my job (because that may send up red flags to anyone watching me).
You all get into Circle City with no problem. You bring Jack up to date on what has been happening up in the asteroid belt (separate email). In turn, Jack tells you that he has made contacts with some of the people who will be responsible for administering the tests and issuing the licenses. This will help expedite the process.
And that is exactly what happens. Jack pulls some strings so that all of you are able to take your license tests in the next couple of days. Once you schedule a time, you call Parl Klive and tell him you are ready to get your imperial IDs. That will take an entire day.
GM: For the imperial IDs, simply mark off Cr10,000 for each ID.
GM: Jack and Eli are able to find the parts they need to fix the hatch. Total cost is Cr2,000 after bartering. Let me know if you buy the parts.
NOBODY: We do.
GM: For the license tests, go ahead and mark off the cash and send me the die rolls. Since each section of the test is 20 questions, send me a separate email for each section. Right now I am assuming the following:
Vamperina - Private Pilot license - Cr1000 for test - Cr2000 for license
Surge - Private Astrogator license - Cr500 for test - Cr500 for license
Eli - Private Engineer license - Cr500 for test - Cr500 for license
If this is incorrect, and there are more people that want to test, or you want to get a commercial license instead of a private license, let everyone know.
If everyone passes their tests on the first try, then all of your dealings in Circle City can be wrapped up in a couple of days, unless you want to stay longer. This includes buying the parts to fix the hatch.
JACK: Are we ready to pull up roots on Black Moon and leave completely then? I should buy my last 2 vacc suits from Jan's then with the discount. Surge, you don't need one, but presumably you'd like something to camouflage yourself in space, perhaps a cheaper suit. I have been on the lookout for something that looks right, but is actually damaged and unrepairable to buy (or steal) for you, since it would be dirt cheap, but they keep a pretty strict eye on such things, if a suit isn't safe, they destroy it for parts.
VAMPERINA: "Yes we are. The one question is whether we want to continue to mine to earn a little extra cash. My thinking is that we mine for one more month to get some extra cash and also find some more ice asteroids. Then we leave here as soon as we get our cash cards in early July."
The trip back to PEBBLE is uneventful, as is the trip back to ROCK.
..........
VAMPERINA: "I have enough to pay for my ID and my test. I will also throw Cr10,000 into the party treasury to pay for others to get IDs and licenses. I still have some money left so if we come up short, let me know and I can donate some more."
SURGE: "I will pay for my test and license. I do not have the funds for my ID. Can the group cover for my Cr10,000 ID?
JACK: Personally I think it's worth it as long as you don't have to retest every year or two. Whether we have the money or not is another question. From your talk of what you can afford (just the testing fee) it sounds like the group is paying your 10,000 ID fee, which is fine, I will mark it off now, as I marked off the Cr2000 parts cost you mentioned.
JACK: I can afford my own ID as well, and put about 1000 in the treasury in the last 3 months because I was saving up for it. That leaves barely more than 30,000 in the group fund, but no costs for me. This covers Vamperina, Nobody, and myself. Surge, Curt, Max? Do you want IDs, do you need the money or do you have it yourselves? This question also applies to testing and licensing fees.
MAX: "I have enough to pay for my ID."
CURT: Curt says so far I have made 19,200cr mining as well as what was on the bank card I gave to Jack to use. Im not sure what of the mining money has already been put into the pot, but if none of it has been put into the pot, Curt will pay for his own ID and chip in the rest to the group fund.
CHASE: "Since we are going to be together anyway, why not just pool our resources together..or those of us mining give a percentage to the ship treasury. Its not like we all going shopping tomorrow."
VAMPERINA: "We've kind of been doing that. As people earn money, they've been throwing some into the party treasury. How much each person donates is entirely up to them. Right now, I just want to have enough to get everyone an imperial ID and the proper licenes."
NOBODY: "I have been assuming that that was already done. Surge and I spent over three months overhauling the Rock and Pebble. I would expect those earning money to toss it in the kitty, maybe keeping a little for themselves. Of course, if you would rather keep your individual stashes, Surge and I could submit a bill for our services. Chief Engineers don't come cheap." Eli is sheepishly grinning to soften his point. "Before we found the Rock, it was slightly different, but I expect that most of us were putting in half, or more of our take-home pay. I know I did. My personal stash is pretty much drained. After the tests I am currently in possession of Cr750."
CHASE: "Well to be honest...no...but no time like the present so here's 2K for the Gunnery license and 3k more for the Treasury kitty and that's my half."
SURGE: "Chase, I realize you're new to our group and I'm not sure if we've formally decided anything. Essentially if we band together to become the crew of ROCK and start operating a starship we're going to need more formal structure. If nothing else the expenses of running a starship are not insignificant. Nobody and I have already chimed in several months of labor getting this outfit in good order. We neither have had a chance to mine or earn any credits for ourselves. After paying for my license and test I have 172 credits to my name. Am I concerned? No but when it comes to paying for 50,000 credits of parts each year we're going to have to agree to some sort of system.
SURGE: "I'm not sure how much you trust us or are willing to pitch in. From what I can tell you seem to be a trusting sort. I'd suggest that each of you with significant personal accounts put forth what you can so we know how much we have to work with. That way we can more carefully budget our upcoming expenses. I know I would want to have the next six months of expenses arranged ahead of time." Surge then asks to make a running total of credits and known expenses.
NOBODY: The old man smiles up at Chase. "That's very generous of you, since you hardly know us. From what I hear you have no real reason to stay or go from this system. Are you planning on throwing in with us? If so, then why don't you give the credits to Jack to put in the kitty so that we can spend it where it is needed most.
NOBODY: I think we, the group and Chase, need to sit down and spend some time getting to know each other a lot better before we make any real solid decisions. No offense, Chase, but I have no real idea who you are or what your motivations are. The rest of us have known each other for several years at the least.."
CHASE: "I know I don't know any of you except Max and Vamperina who I've mined with for the past few months...and if you want pictures.." Clearing his throat. "ahemmm, anyways I recognize that I really don't have anything to gain I'd rather have a bit of adventure then to sit on a rock mining the rest of my life.
..........
NOBODY: "We need to get our hands on the tools to open that safe on the Rock."
SURGE: "Yes, we need to find some electronic lockpicks. See if we can find some high quality ones."
GM: If you want 2016 person days of food (enough for 6 people for a year), you will need to mark off another Cr10,000.
NOBODY: "I was being cautious with my original estimate. We could get by on half that if need be. Especially with so many of you not needing to eat. If I can get access to the right kind of study software, I was thinking we could possibly turn a room into a hydroponics garden."
..........
NOBODY: "I blew the test away. Unfortunately, I can only afford the fee for the test. Would the group be willing to pay the Cr4k for a Chief Engineer's license? It could really come in handy in the future."
VAMPERINA: "If we have the money then I vote that the party pay for the commercial license."
VAMPERINA: "As for myself, I aced the simulator part of the test (starship pilot) and barely squeaked by on the Systems Operations part of the test so I have my Private License. How did you do Surge?"
SURGE: Surge grins and beams, "I aced all tests, 100%. I went ahead and bought the commerical license. I now have a 1st Astrogator's license."
SURGE: "I aced every section and will pay for a commercial license for a 1st astrogator position."
NOBODY (to GM): Can we get a sealed certified copy of our test scores in case we wish to pay for the upgraded license on a different planet at a later date?
GM: The clerk will give you copies. The license must be upgraded within 6 months for the test results to be valid. Otherwise all licenses are good for 5 years.
NOBODY: "I can pay the Cr500 for the private engineer license if the group decides that they can't afford the Cr4k for the Chief Engineer license. I am also going to take the gunner test, just to see how I do. If I get lucky, I could qualify for a Chief Gunner license, but my marksmanship isn't all that great, so I could end up with a lesser position."
GM: One thing that I am not clear on is whether you have been deducting the cost of the tests; Cr500 for Starship Engineer and Cr400 for Gunnery. This cost is in addition to the cost of the license.
NOBODY: "Looks like I qualify for a Chief Gunner license as well. 90% shooting, 100% Rocketry, 95% Energy Weapons (I really blew it on one question, though. Nothing really important. Just some stupid civilian rule about not shooting through your own ship.), and 100% for Energy Shields. The commercial gunner license costs Cr2k."
NOBODY: "For those things that I said I could afford, I have. I recently deducted Cr900, for the 2 tests, from my stash. I can afford to pay for the private Engineer license, but am waiting on the group's concensus to see if we are going to get the commercial C.E. license. I cannot afford the Gunnery license at Cr2k. since the test scores are good for 6 months, that does give us some leeway. We can leave this system, go a ways away, and earn profit enroute, then buy our licenses at another system.
NOBODY: If we decide to hang here for one month, to do some mining, I might be able to contribute depending on how long the additional repairs take.
NOBODY: BTW, we still need an additional Cr10k of parts to perform repairs on the ship, otherwise I'm going to be doing some overhauling at each jump, which is a waste of time. I think that having the Rock in optimum condition from the get-go is more important than my commercial licenses."
VAMPERINA: "It sounds like we are doing okay money-wise so, if we have the cash, let's get everything we need. We should be able to earn another Cr15,000 or so in June with 4 of us mining. The rest can look for ice asteroids."
SURGE: "We have a pretty long list of things we'd like to get and we don't have credits for them all. Let's make a list of remaining expenses and prioritize them. I say we get the necessary licenses and IDs now. Nobody, in your case I'd suggest you get the Chief engineer's license now. I'd hold off on the gunnery license. We should also get the parts next."
SURGE: "After that we should get two more vacc suits with Jack's discount. We will need electronic lockpicks. We should have a good amount of food on hand though if prices here are too expensive we can plan to pick up more on our next jump. I would like to get ROCK to a point where we have a full year's worth of supplies and credits on hand. As Nobody mentioned earlier we'll need to get more parts to keep ROCK in optimal shape. It sounds like we should plan our next jump to a system where we can fully get the parts and get ROCK in top shape."
SURGE: "I also agree that at least one more month of mining would be prudent to bring in more credits."
VAMPERINA: "Basically we need to hear from Jack on how much we have left in the kitty after all of the ID's and licenses are bought. I agree that we should buy the Chief Engineer commercial license and Chase has already given Eli money for the Gunnery license. Unfortunately it's going to be awhile before I can qualify for a commercial Pilot's license."
..........
Test Results
Vamperina
Piloting - 100%
Systems Operations - 75%
Nobody
FTL Drive - 100%
Aux Electronic - 100%
Aux Mechanical - 100%
Engineering Theory - 100%
Nobody
Firing Simulator - 90%
Weaponsmith: Rockets - 100%
Weaponsmith: Energy - 95%
Weaponsmith: Shields - 100%
Surge
Astrogation - 100%
Mathematics - 100%
Computer Programming - 100%
Astronomy - 100%
..........
Spending Money
Electronic Lockpicking Tools - Cr6,000 - These would normally be hard to find and obtain legally. However, with both Surge and Eli being skilled inventors and having both electrical engineering and mechanical engineering skill, they just need to get some tools that are pretty close to what they need, and then modify them for their needs. If you buy the tools, then I need Eli and Surge to send me three die rolls each for Inventor, Elec Eng, and Mech Eng. These rolls will determine whether the kit is a -1 kit, +0 kit, +1 kit, etc. It's not likely to be better than +1, but it could be worse than -1.
JACK: I consider this a medium priority item, hopefully we'll have the money this trip. It strikes me as odd that I could get a perfectly good +1 electronic lockpicking kit through my contacts for 10k last July (when we were breaking into Serene), and getting some tools that are a gamble to do as well, and have no chance of being better costs more than half that. How much would a kit that is a solid +0, but contained all the necessary tools, cost? I was thinking more in the neighborhood of 2k was likely for that...
GM: Are you talking about the Cr5000 that you spent on "security defeating implements". If so, then that is more of a security systems toolkit. If you actually spent Cr10,000 on a lockpicking kit (not an electronics toolkit), let me know. If you remember when, or any details surrounding the purchase, that would be helpful.
..........
2016 Person Days of Food - Cr10,000
JACK: I consider this a low priority item past the first month's worth of food or so. This world is a bad world to be restocking food on, as almost everything is shipped in from offworld, and prices are triple or more. I suggest we get a month's worth for now.
NOBODY: "Sorry, Jack, but I couldn't disagree with you more. It takes two weeks just to make a jump. One week in jump space, and one week to make the planetary approach from the jump point. You don't need to eat, but I sure do, and so will the little girl, and probably Chase. I don't like the idea of starving to death, and we have only one low berth. The least I recommend is 6 months of food for 6 people. That gives us 1 year for the 3 of us who need to eat, and allows for the chance of a few passengers.Anything less than that and I would consider it a neglectful act." *Steve, I'm assuming standard Traveller travelling, please assume that Eli knows the actual time you have set for jump space travel.*
GM: It will take about 6 and a half days to reach a safe jumping distance. How long in Jump space depends entirely on where you want to go. I think everyone has the star map I sent so you can look at it and decide. You can also ask questions about what you know of some of the systems around you.
GM: By my count, the following people all need food; Eli, Vamperina, Max, Chase, Jack (most of the time) and probably the girl.
VAMPERINA: "I agree with Eli that we should definitely have at least a six month supply of food."
JACK: I was considering one month to be more than enough to make a single jump to a system where we knew we'd be able to find food for a reasonable cost. I'd never risk anyone's health to save a few creds, I thought a month was plenty. If we don't know where we're going, or how long it will take to get there, that changes things. Given your original assessment of a two week trip why would we need 12 times as much? An additional two weeks in order to make sure we could jump again if we absolutely had to makes sense to me, 6 months doesn't.
JACK: Now if it will take us 6 weeks in jumpspace to get where we're going, and we're not even sure of that assessment, that's different. I thought this was pretty much an exact science, 2 weeks to get where we're going, and another 2 weeks to go another jump if we had to. I've heard of missed jumps, but was under the impression those only happened when things went catastrophically wrong. Given that our current priority is food and replacement parts, can we find a system that looks like a good destination?
JACK: I'm simply pointing out the economics of the situation, that buying here is bad, economically. If everyone feels the need to have foodstores of this size, so be it.
NOBODY: "Hmm. My fault for not explaining it right to you. If things go wrong in transit, there is a good chance that if we can effect repairs, it will take months, or if we have to creep back with insystem drives, that could take months, possibly years, if we are close enough. The reason for having enough food for 2X the mouths onboard for one whole year, is to cover those emergency periods when something goes bad.
NOBODY: We will be flying in an unfamiliar vessel. There is the possibility that navigation could screw up. There is the possibility that I missed something when working on the ship. There is the possibility that Surge missed something in the computer. There is the possibility that one of us is an idiot or a spy and could sabotage things. There is the possibility that we could run into pirates. There is the possibility that we could attract the wrong attention as soon as we fully fire up the Rock. There are a million things that could go wrong that could possibly be repaired, by us, over a period of several months. I want us to have those months to repair the ship. That is why we need the food and water. In space there are few places to pull over and haggle with a farmer for food and water.
NOBODY: I am willing to risk enough food for six people for six months, but only until we can get to a place, soon, with cheaper prices. Anything less than that is sheer folly. Any person who has total confidence in his ability to not have any accidents is a corpse waiting to happen.
NOBODY: Have I explained it well enough this time?" Eli's tone, during this talk, was stern and confident. He spoke as if he had given this lecture many times in the past.
VAMPERINA: "Jack, everything that Eli has said is true. In my opinion, the greatest danger is a misjump. This in no way reflects on Surge's talents as an astrogator. Sometimes it simply happens. Most misjumps take the ship to the right system, but not to the normal jump point. This is a problem because the ship might end up in the outer reaches of the solar system and takes many months to get to the inhabited planet. All in all, it is much better to be safe than sorry. I will happily mine for a couple extra months just to make sure we have enough food on board.
..........
Required Maintenance for ROCK - Cr15,000 - Doing this maintenance will keep Eli and Surge from having to re-evalutate the ship's systems after every jump to see if they are okay for another jump. The ship will be good for at least 5 to 10 jumps.
JACK: I am unclear on whether paying this now is even a possibility, since Surge implied that we can't get all the necessary parts here. I consider this a fairly high priority, if it can be done.
..........
Parts to Fix Hatch - Cr2000
JACK: Mid to high priority as well.
Does anything else need to be added to this list?
NOBODY: "Max, do we need anything for waking the girl?"
MAX: "No we don't. There is a doctor's bag onboard so if whe has problems when we bring her out of cold sleep, we have everything we need."
NOBODY: Did you give a name for the girl in the low berth?
GM: Yes I did. Lisan Ricket
JACK: Vacc suits from Jan's while we have access to the discount were mentioned, I will consider this a medium to low priority item, we can get them just before we leave if we still want them.
JACK: As of right now with Curt's donation to the treasury and getting his own ID, that changes quite a bit. From my perspective as treasurer things were looking pretty tight with having to pay for IDs for both Eli and Surge out of the treasury, and these were high priority expenses for this trip.
JACK: Now that we know Curt has afforded his own and thrown in the extra, I can try to figure what we have left. As of now we have IDs for Eli, Surge, Vamperina, Curt, Max, and myself, and Chase had his own, so I think we're set on that score (I marked off the 20k for Eli and Surge). Most of you were able to afford your own licenses and testing, but I marked off the 4k for Nobody's Chief Engineer license, as I consider that a good investment. This leaves us with Cr19187 in the treasury to afford all the other things on the list above, and a little personal money in each of our pockets.
GM: Did you get the money that Chase threw in? He gave Nobody Cr2000 for the gunners license but Eli suggested putting it into the kitty instead in case it's decided not to buy that license. He also threw Cr3000 into the kitty, so a total of Cr5000.
NOBODY: "Okay. I have the two commercial licenses now. Chief Engineer and Chief Gunner. Here is my remaining Cr750 for the group kitty."
NOBODY: "The tools needed for safe-cracking a tech 13 safe are significantly different than those just for B&E. We're hoping to be able to continue using the safe, so we want to do a careful job."
JACK: That makes sense, all right I'll mark off the 6k for those tools (and yes, I did get your final donation, and Vamperina's much earlier donation, I've been doing my damnedest to keep up with it. We did also expend over 30k credits this trip from the treasury.)
..........
JACK: I did get the 3k Chase threw into the kitty (thank you), and considered the 2k payment for Nobody's gunner's license, since that was what Chase intended it for. Technically if we want to skimp we can go down to 1k for Nobody's 2 licenses and get back 5k, but I was trying to just get past this stuff. I personally don't think saving 5k now and paying it 3 months from now is going to be that important to us, and since I have the licenses arranged now through my contacts, and will unable to do that if we leave the system, let's just get it done.
SURGE: What about the 10k that Vamperina threw in?
JACK: With that money we can afford the ship's parts for the hatch, but not the larger maintenance, even if we could get it all here. We can also afford the tools for the electronic lockpicking kit. That leaves 11,187 in the treasury if it ends up costing us the 6000 mentioned above, and no food on the ship. If we can't get maintenance stuff here, or can't get it this trip, we can spend some of that money on a month's worth of food.
JACK: As for whether to stay or go, it sounds like waiting a month or two would be prudent. One month seems like the consensus, which will give us in the neighborhood of 15,000 total between all of us as far as income, which will cover the maintenance parts, but that's giving up on the possibility of buying a vacc suit or two before we go, and leaving us with <10k cash reserve. Personally I'd like to see that a bit higher before we make a jump to a system where we don't have jobs or a reliable source of income, and where we can't be sure what our expenses will be. If we wait two months, get a decent vacc suit for me and a cheap one for surge, we're doing much better, probably around 20k left.
JACK: (I really have very little idea what income you guys are making while mining, I know it's decent, but I can't plan properly with what little information I have. Vana seemed confident you could make 15k this month even with a few days off for the trip to the surface, so if you can do that for 2 months I think we'll be ready, financially, to move on.)
VAMPERINA: "In March we earned a combined total of Cr18,000. In April, we earned Cr11,000. In May, we earned Cr16,500. April was uncharacteristically low for us. Everyone had a bad month. Even missing these last few days, we should still pull in about Cr15,000 in June. If everyone is up for earning additional money, I have no problem mining for another 5 to 6 months. If we do, then Jack should stay down here for that time to keep up the radio communications so that Serene doesn't get suspicious. Then, when we have the money we want, we make one more trip down, pick up everything we need, and then bug out of this system."
JACK: I think 2-3 months is most reasonable, gives us a good cushion of cash reserve, and enough to afford our first big maintenance bill, and even enough to get those 2 vacc suits at the discount. If everyone wants to stay an additional 3 months after that, sure, we'll make good money, but I was under the impression several people were eager to leave Newcomb. I am getting that way as well, to be honest, I just don't want to 'go off half-cocked.'
VAMPERINA: "I never go off 'half-cocked' mainly because I don't have a ... oh nevermind."
GM: If you decide to stay an extra 3 or 6 months (or whatever), then I plan to timeflow it. For the shipboard maintenance, Mike can send me 15 die rolls. He needs a 12 or less. For every roll he makes, the group can find Cr1000 worth of the needed maintenance supplies. The rest you can get at your next port of call. Basically just let me know, and we'll time flow. Make sure you indicate how long you want to stay."
SURGE: "Right now it seems that things are pretty comfortable. I believe we could easily mine a few more months without much risk. I also feel more comfortable knowing we have a sizable cushion in our treasury. I would like to see Cr30,000 for starters. That would be above expected expenses such as maintenance parts, vacc suits, and our food stores. This is preferrable to landing into a new system and struggling to raise some credits in a new place. We should still do that as I would prefer to keep us stocked with a year's worth of supplies and eventually Cr60,000 in reserves."
NOBODY: "How about we work for 3 months, then meet again to decide whether we want to leave or continue mining at that time."
CURT: Just a quick note to say as I'm pretty sure I've said before. I would prefer to stay and mine several extra months and start this out with a full ship and a thick wallet than to take off to the unknown with "just enough" to get us to our next stop and then hope we can find some better jobs. I know others probably feel different, but I don't think I can make as much money as I'm making now anywhere else. My skill set is quite limited.
..........
NOBODY: "I found Cr12k worth of parts for work on the ship. Jack, here is a list of the parts and the venders. Can you see if you can get a markdown for us? I will also look into seeing if I can order some of the remaining unfound parts to be here within the next three months."
JACK: I'd be happy to try and get us some kind of deal on these, just keep in mind that most businesses don't leave a lot of room for negotiation in their prices these days. I'll do my best. Does this mean we only have 3k worth of parts left to buy at our next port of call? Great :)
JACK: (to GM): Let me know what kind of Trading rolls or other skill rolls to make to make this happen, so we can figure out the final cost.
GM: You're not going to be able to get any special deals on this stuff since you're not really buying in bulk (no Cr12,000 worth of parts is not bulk).
..........
SURGE: "Some of you have talked about star maps. We currently have a full star map of the four sectors. I bought one a while back. A star map is of no use when it comes to astrogation for that we need a star chart. Star charts are expensive and are registered to the buyer. We currently have two star charts. They are of the subsectors of Chronor and Jewell. To get a full set of star charts for the Spinward Marches we'd need the remaining 14 subsector charts. You can usually buy them for Cr1000 per subsector which would bring the total to Cr14,000. I would like to get these eventually, if not before we depart. Depending on where we wish to head to we may need to buy a star chart or two."
GM: Just as a point of note, the two star charts that you have were found on ROCK.
NOBODY: We should have more starmaps. This will keep our options open. I recommend that we secure all maps for sectors adjacent to our current sector.
CURT: Again, I agree with Nobody and Surge on this. Lets get what we need now. If we need a few more Star Charts, let get them now, as long as it isn't going to throw up any weird flags or something. I.e. someone walks in with no ship or anything and starts buying Star Charts. My guess is that nobody could care less though.
GM: Buying star charts of Zhodani space could send up warning signals. Buying star charts of imperial space should be fine.
..........
NOBODY: Eli will finish the repairs that are required in the Rock and Pebble. He then wants to rescan/survey deck 2. He strongly feels that he missed something there. After that, he would like to try his hand at asteroid mining. The question is, how long will the additional repairs take? That will determine how much time he will spend re-surveying deck 2, and how much time he can spend mining.
CURT: Curt agrees with this. I say get everything we need now. I would rather have too much, than be a bit short.
GM: Fixing the hatch will takea day and you don't need to make any rolls. Using the Cr12,000 worth of supplies to do scheduled maintenance will take ten person-days (so 10 days if one person does it, or 5 days if Surge and Eli both work).
NOBODY: Also Eli and Surge need to modify the new tools for opening the safe and then Surge needs to attempt the safe again. How long will all of that take?
GM: It will take a day to modify the tools. You can both (Marty and Mike) can send me your three rolls (Inventor, Elec Eng, Mech Eng) whenever you want.
CURT: Eli, unless you really want to, I would say don't bother mining and just spend your time on the ship getting to know it better. We are making a good amount of money with the group of us that is currently mining and I would think your skills would be better suited to helping us get the ship ready.
SURGE: "Actually, we have already spent a lot of time pouring over the ship. While I should spend some more time on level 2, I can keep the fort down while you all go mining. We'll have plenty of time on the ship in the future for additional searches. Also, I am capable of fixing all of the systems on the ship, minus weapon system, and have no desire to mine. Nobody has been couped up on the ship all this time and some mining might be a nice change. Also the increased output would be welcome. I would suggest that you carefully turn in your increased output. Jumping 6-8k in a month may be too suspicious."
SURGE: "The other thing that we should look at is finding more ice asteroids. That will help us greatly in filling up our tanks. Finally, I would like Nobody to accompany me as I attempt to get by the ICE in the ship's computer. That shouldn't take very long though. That would be after we modify the tools for the safe and attempt to open it."
VAMPERINA: "I would definitely like to have a couple of people out searching for ice asteroids. We DEFINITELY want to have full tanks when we leave here and I would prefer to avoid the long trip to the closest gas giant to refuel. I would also prefer to avoid trips to Black Moon to refuel."
JACK: The obvious answer is to store some of his ore in the hold of the ROCK. This will allow you to pad over a weak month, or cover a few days' trip to the surface when the time comes, and if we don't use it, so be it, we can always sell it here or elsewhere.
GM: ROCK's hold is only 12.5 tons so there is not a lot of room for cargo. A lot of that area will be taken up with food and other supplies.
..........
JACK: I have marked off the Cr6000 for the toolkit, the Cr12,000 for the maintenance parts, and the Cr2000 for the hatch repair parts. I do not have enough left in the treasury to advance order the final set of maintenance parts, but we should be able to scrape it together out of personal funds. I also have not marked off any money for food and expendable supplies, because it wasn't really agreed on how much we need, and we ran out of money. For now just having enough supplies for Nobody for the next few months should be all we need, since Serene is footing the bill for the supplies for the others in the mining pod.
VAMPERINA: Vamperina throws in the rest of her cash. Total of Cr3000 more credits.
CURT: Curt says he has already thrown in all his personal money. |