Game date: October 2nd, EY217
Location: Providence | Limbaugh | McNeely Station
Previous events: Stuck on McNeely station
Bishop is feeling better and is at last up and about. Everyone pitches in and moves the guns and ammo to the personal areas of the ship again in preparation for the work that will be done; there's no reason for the modification crew to enter the crew quarters for what they're doing. The spare parts from the People's Freedom are crated and left in the hold. Once everything's been packed away Volkova reveals to Malcolm that she's been working on a cane for him to use while his leg heals. It's made of metal, naturally, and she proudly reveals that the cutouts that she's made to lighten it were inspired by Jillian's art. This explains the nauseating look of it despite its structural solidity.
The crew have a conversation about what they're going to do in the next little while. If they're going to stay on McNeely station for a month or more they'd might as well get a flat to live in and Malcolm offers to find one in Victoriaville. The opportunity of carrying passengers as well as cargo means that they can be less ad hoc about carrying people and it's decided that they'll sell the pickup and buy a small wheeled shuttle to ferry people to the ship. Malcolm would rather get a small one-man fighter that he can use in case of attacks by pirates but that's nixed by the rest of the crew. By the time they finish discussing all this it's late enough that they can sleep on board that night and find a place the next day to live while the ship's being modified. No one else can hear, but Jillian cries herself to sleep after standing in front of a blank canvas for a couple of hours.
Malcolm heads off early on October 3rd to get a four-bedroom flat in Victoriaville. With the gate to Piccadilly still out of order there are more empty short-term rentals available and it's not a problem to find a nicer place than one would normally expect. He leaves the contact information with Lieutenant Commander Phoebe Rubins if she needs to get in touch with them and returns to the ship. By the time he gets there Volkova has patched up the superficial damage to the pickup and the toxic waste has been loaded onto it. If they can't fly the stuff out to Crapworld they'd rather have it stored somewhere other than on the ship no matter how well the barrels seems to be sealed. He drives the pickup to the storage centre and pays to store them there. The added cost from storing the waste until they can leave the system likely means that they'll break even on this job instead of making a profit.
Not surprisingly, there isn't a shuttle bus for sale to be found on the station, but that's probably not too much of a problem. Since they're in orbit above a planet full of manufacturing facilities why not buy a shuttle direct from the factory? A quick look at some catalogues and a call to Findlay Automotives sets up an appointment at their factory-fresh dealership on the surface. Gabi has no desire to land down on the hideously corrupted surface of Limbaugh and Harry would rather hide out in their new flat than show his face on Limbaugh, so after the pickup is parked on the street outside the flat it's just the usual crew who flies down to the surface.
On the way down through the atmosphere Malcolm decides to really give the new atmospheric engines a test drive and pulls off several high-g turns, rolls, and all sorts of other maneuvers. Without the artificial gravity that the space drive provides everyone on board (who are of course strapped in) suffers through all this and Bishop discovers that he's not quite as over his brief illness as he thought.
Tourists don't come to Limbaugh to land on its surface and that's obvious as the Steel Hummingbird approaches the ground. Through the intermittent gaps in the yellow-brown clouds one can make out belching factories, industrial barrack-like housing, and the occasional yellowed natural area. Jillian and Malcolm have to use sensor readings as much as visuals to find where to go. As the ship comes in to land on the pad next to the Findlay Factory everyone puts on respirators and they make use of the airlock to prevent any of the smelly, smoggy atmosphere from entering the ship.
The sales area is small with only a couple of vehicles on display. Some of the smoggy smell has permeated the showroom, making everyone but Volkova a little queasy, and the salesman's cigar doesn't help any. The crew tells him that an unpainted minibus would be fine; their captain has experience painting vehicles. Luckily for Jillian's feelings the smog is especially strong at that moment and the salesman can't make out the Hummingbird out the windows. After some wrangling they decide on a minibus with enough room for a dozen passengers and their luggage with room for two (three in a pinch) up front. One is available in a dark blue colour and they take it. Buying direct from the factory is a good idea and the discount makes all the nausea worth it.
After driving the minibus to the ship and making the return flight back up to McNeely station the minibus is parked next to the pickup. There's much debate over what to name the shuttle bus. Volkova wants to name it "The Tick" since ticks are small and live on hummingbirds but no one else is convinced and the shuttle remains unnamed for the time being. Malcolm flies the Steel Hummingbird to the Angoulem hub of the station and docks in the Ace Repairs and Modifications bay. While he's doing this Jillian registers the vehicles and gets a learner's permit, intent on learning to drive.
That evening, after the crew goes out for dinner with Gabi (and brings food back for Harry), Jillian actually makes some headway on her painting.
With nothing to do but relax everyone but Harry heads off to the central park of McNeely the next day, October 4th. The new issue of The Star is out with one of Volkova's photos featured on the cover! Every member of the crew buys it with joy and starts to read it right next to the newsstand. When Gabi asks them why they're so interested Jillian tells her that they just like the magazine an awful lot and hastily points to an article about the Clegman Championship Run that she sees therein.
Bishop is off chasing women as soon as they enter the park. Volkova and Malcolm are intrigued by the rental rowboats by a large lake and rent one. Volkova wants to row, thinking it looks like fun, but soon tires of what she sees as a boring activity and tries to get Malcolm to take over. The ensuing row can be heard by Jillian and Gabi back at the shore.
Bishop's Bedpost Notch Count: 0 (running total: 10)
Volkova's Bedpost Notch Count: 0 (running total: 1)