Game in the Brain

They entered the Whangga System by its farthest gravity well, its 4th Gass giant. They attempted jumped pretty close hoping to save time and energy, they got more than what they expected as they soon found themselves in an Ice-field, moments as they exited jump.

The Rizzoli had several kilos of Ice hit its civilian hull, its old and faulty inertial dampers stressing at impacts. It took a few seconds for the entire system to show up in its sensors, all the data overlapping with the jump tape’s most recent data coordinates in the 3d display of the main screen. It seems that the Stern Metal Horizon heat and density signatures seems to have increased in plurality, but it will be some time before light of the Rizzoli’s arrival would reach and be processed by the ships in system.

Another unexpected sight is that of a station sized facility, orbiting the gass giant. The station was more in-system and difficult to detect except for the gravitic lensing that indirectly betrayed its presence. The Rizzoli was about 120 diameters from the gass giant and facility when a powerful electro magnetic burst from the station hit the ship and sensors warned of a possible lock.

Anthony, reacted quickly. Activating a Drone protocol quickly, and coordinating a evasive maneuver with Captain Vicky, they narrowly evaded the second surprise: A beam fire pattern targeting their previous approach. The drone bought valuable seconds and mili-seconds for the ship as the drive changed direction and the utility gravitics warped and absorbed the innertia that would have crushed the frail humans inside the ship.

The beams were invisible to the human eye, but to the ship’s eye it was a deadly and beautiful brilliance of colors beyond the range of differentiation for un-augmented human senses. The evasion pattern Capt. Vicky next input through kinesthetic action and emotional response put the ship away from the stations line of sight and fire, driving deeper into the ice field where precious mili-seconds of signal sorting made the difference between life and death.

Byrnden and Vulgaris were both sorting through the data while holding on to dear life when the inertial systems stretched its limits. Vulgaris used his keen power of observation making sense of information detected while Byrnden tried to reached out across what was about 4 light seconds away.

Vulgaris came up with several points – low heat signatures for what should be an active station and minimal activity. Byrnden’s senses cannot detect sentience or possibly cannot push his senses that far.

Anthony, was barely recovering from the jostling when the inner system signatures have begun moving at 6Gs at their vector.

++++++++++++++++

Isbel Tascioni, Director of Marketing and Sales of CGE appeared before Countess Regina Perez. The countess did notice her enter, she was busy giving her secured approval for several documents until Isbel cleared her throat.

”  My Lady.” She let out as Regina looked up.
” I’m sorry Isbel, just give me one more second… and that’s done…. How can I help you.” 
”  My Lady, the Rizzoli I’ve given them your thanks.”
“…and how did they take it?” Regina peered over her glass HUD, while keeping her head over the hard copies she was imprinting.
” Quite well, they were so busy fussing over it they almost forgot about everything else.”
” I’m just glad for they were there at the right time and place.”
” That is wonderful my lady.” Isbel would smile with her mouth, but can’t bring her eyes to light up.
” I sense ‘But’ there Isbel.” Regina stood up from her desk and walked over to view the ocean from her office. Not looking at Isbel, as she hid her own thoughts.”
” I don’t want to speak out of turn… “
” Isbel, I wouldn’t be where I am if I had an aversion to truths my trusted officers had to impart.” 
“… well, my Lady. Didn’t you find it odd they were at the right time and place? Are you not awfully suspicious who they are or if they had any motives?”
“Paranoia comes with the seat at the head of the table. It did spring to mind that the circumstance is more that how it seemed. As much as I am a victim of circumstance, I can very well see that they were as well.”
” Still, my Lady, 2 million gift voucher at our port facilities is a very generous gift.”
“ How much would you have  put a price for the life of a Countess, Isbel?”
” I don’t mean that, but the MOU and exclusivity were both already very generous offers.”
” I don’t think I would negotiate what it means to impart good faith Isbell. Anyway, this is how I felt after they saved my life… I felt like being generous. “
” Quite a rare feeling, my lady. Us being in the business that we are in.”
” I will allow myself to feel grateful once in a while, especially when it seems they were people who were merely passing by.”
The door behind Isbel lit up, and asked in a polite tone: “Sir Jed Greene, to see you my lady”
“Send him in.”
Isbel continued, it seems “Jed is back”
“My Lady. Isbel! good you’re here too.”
Jed gestures, swiping information towards the smart wall.
“I’ve done background checks with the Rizzoli and there were some ‘yellow-flags’ that lit up, but they are not so bad. Their credentials are ok for a C-D class merchant company, many gray areas to consider but not enough to fail them for the Roupe Expansion project.”
Isbel cringed a bit “I still object to giving them 70M worth of equipment and 5M worth of androids to deliver”. I know its Roup but I would rather have an A-Class merchant hauling the shipment, then I wouldn’t feel bad paying them A-Class rates.”
“You can save your ‘I told you so’ when they screw up Isbel, not before. They saved my life, I will give them that much benefit of the doubt. Sometimes all anyone needs is a chance.”    
“Well now?” Jed stated to allow them to focus on the more pressing matter. “On the matter of the fire fight, it seems we have bigger problems than a C-D class merchant company with a hundred million in equipment…” Jed motions and a new image appears on the smart wall.

Players present
Anthony Palmer  +Justin Sandock
Byrnden Animal Handler +Mateusz Sierzant
Vulgaris Security Expert  +Garry Profaci
GMT+8 Wed 6pm every other week. next session is next week.