Play date: October 19, 2014
In-game date: November 23, EY218
Location: Bashois, Nodapar system
Previous events: Wandering in the Mi Kyong delta
Malcolm continues to ply the boat upriver with Volkova at the bow shouting out how they want to see Choi and are friendly. They pass by areas that look like they've been clearcut of the strange plant life and Volkova successfully uses the larger piece of xenotech that Malcolm fished out of the river to keep another set of "guardian" creatures away from the boat.
When they see a rise up ahead with a building on it it's obvious that they're close to their goal. The building looks like it's been constructed out of logs from the vegetation. When movement is spotted in the greenery along the shoreline there is concern, but there are no arrows this time and they continue unmolested.
As it turns out the building on the hill has several smaller clusters around it and the lot are surrounded by a palisade, everything made of logs. There's a makeshift dock at the edge of the water that Malcolm pulls up to. They can only see the tops of buildings over the low wall, with the exception of the silent structure on the hill. There's no sign of movement, nor any sounds. Nonetheless, the eighty cleared metres to the wall is a daunting distance. Bishop, Ester, Jillian, and Volkova decide to head up to a closed gate in the wall, with Malcolm and Shiv staying in the boat. Malcolm attaches the scope from his Blingmaster to an assault rifle and Shiv likewise has an assault rifle in hand. The group walking to the wall is much more lightly armed: Ester has opted to bring her rifle but the other three are unarmed, Volkova only carrying the larger piece of xenotech that she's gotten from the river.
Malcolm alternates between peering through the scope at the top of the wall and scanning the area outside of the palisade and notices a group of four beings creeping out from the jungle. Two are people -- one with what looks like a hunting rifle -- but the other two are tall, thin crustaceanlike beings. He's seen enough bizarre things in the last few years to take this in stride and simply shouts out a warning to his friends.
At the gate Volkova shouts out that they want to see Choi and that they're peaceful. Someone sticks her head over the wall and demands to know why they're worth seeing Choi. Volkova hefts the xenotech over her head and says that she knows how to use it. The head disappears and there are several tense minutes. The four locals who came out of the jungle are keeping their distance, hunkering down at the edge of the palisade and watching.
After a ten-minute wait the door opens a bit and the same woman who was at the top of the wall tells them they can come in but must leave their weapons outside. Not wanting to turn a meeting with Choi into a gun battle they agree. Ester runs down to the boat and tells Malcolm what's going on as she stashes her rifle. He decides to come along, leaving only Shiv in the boat with a large number of firearms. He's more than a little frightened but agrees to wait and guard the boat.
Inside the gate they're patted down as a group of roughly a dozen humans and an equal number of the crustaceans watch with curiosity. There are also four large collared animals that have rather menacing mouthparts. Ester's amazed at the apparent community between humans and nonhumans, but the Steel Hummingbird's crew plays it cool. Bishop and Jillian both notice that the humans and crustaceans are speaking with each other in some language that seems to mostly be made of clicking noises and Bishop also sees that the crustaceans seem very intrigued by Volkova's xenotechnology. Jillian concludes that these things must be the "ghosts" that McCarthy Benoit told her about in Minty Alley.
Bishop has brought the "egg" with him but it isn't found. The same can't be said for Malcolm's Blingmaster, which he couldn't help but bring. Its plethora of minor and bizarre functions come in handy once again as he uses its lighter function to convince the locals that it's a gag item he carries around for sentimental reasons. There being no sane reason for putting a lighter into a functional pistol, they believe him and let him keep it. Volkova keeps things friendly by sharing a pack of cigarettes, something some of the humans are very excited about.
The security check over, they're led up to the largest structure at the top of the hill. As they trudge the woman who first talked to them, who seems to be in a position of some authority, rambles on about how amazing Choi is, how one doesn't talk to Choi -- one listens -- and so on. Bishop honestly loves the fact that humans and ghosts live together in perfect harmony and enthuses about this to Morgan Mitchell, the woman taking them up the hill. She seem to really warm to him but keeps rambling on about how no one will say that Choi was a kind woman, a wise woman, with plans and wisdom, and it's a relief when they get to the structure at the top.
Morgan doesn't dare to enter the building but ushers the rest in. The interior is very dark, with shafts of light visible in the close, steamy interior. It's also cluttered with strange log structures -- furniture? sculptures? hoarding?-- and xenotech laid out in what looks like a complex pattern and some creatures, definitely larger than a human, clatter in the shadows.
Choi's sitting partially in a shaft of light on a throne and it's obvious that she's wearing xenotech like a spindly exosuit but most of her is in the dark. She asks what they want here as if she's talking to errand boys, sent by grocery clerks, to collect a bill. The story about how they heard about her in Carerra and decided to find her doesn't sway Choi. She's obviously suspicious but her tone changes once Volkova demonstrates that she can indeed use the xenotech After that Choi's demeanour improves markedly. She's suddenly extremely interested in how someone else could learn how to use the stuff and finds the story about Bishop's use of the Dreaming to help Volkova make her breakthrough fascinating.
She leans forward as Bishop and Volkova tell their story and is completely in the light. Under the xenotech she's wearing little enough clothing that her large numbers of tattoos are visible. Some, like the full sleeve of various xenothechnology on her right arm, are of high quality and obviously done before she was brought here. Others, like the pistons on her left fingers, tears on her face, and the knife on her stomach, are typical of the lower quality found in prison tattoos and probably done on Crapworld. She looks to be in her early forties.
The charm of the more social members of the group works on Choi after Volkova's xenotech use gives them an opening and they manage to convince her that they want to join her group. At Choi's suggestion Volkova will stay with her and apparently be her apprentice, which she agrees to. The others will join in the general life of the settlement and see how things are done here. This works out well for everyone; the Steel Hummingbird's crew wants to take some time to see if Choi is a maniac and if they should hand her over to the Black Rose or not. Jillian's worked out from their conversation that Choi likes being in charge and wants to use the xenotech to gain power but that isn't enough to get a good feeling for more than that.
Over the next eight days they get the lay of the land. Volkova brings booze and cigarettes to get on everyone's good side but leaves her tools on the boat -- there's no machinery to be seen here. Local collared animals supplement good old fashioned elbow grease. Shiv is told that he's to stay on the boat. He's not too fond of the creepy ghosts and agrees. Malcolm notices a ghost using the xenotech to control some creatures one day, which he finds interesting. The impression he had was that Choi's xenotech, found throughout the settlement, could only be used by Choi. None of the other humans know how to use the stuff and indeed they seem to be generally the weak-willed and slightly crazy sort of people. They talk about Choi as if she's almost a god, which disturbs the new arrivals. The total count of inhabitants is sixteen humans, twenty ghosts, and an unknown number of animals that live here. The humans have a couple of hunting rifles and shotguns, but no other firearms.
While everyone else is performing manual labour Volkova tries to find out more about Choi and finds out that Choi was sentenced here by Hoax without the benefit of a trial. The person who sentenced her? None other than Inspector How. Volkova admits that they've had run-ins with the Inspector as well and that Hoax stooped to steal their beer money at one point!
December 1, EY218
By the time their probation is over Bishop has learned the basics of the ghost language and become friends with Morgan Mitchell, Malcolm has found a bed partner, and everyone's acquitted themselves well in terms of being generally useful. It's time to formally meet with Choi again, something they manage to arrange without Ester being present.
This meeting is as spooky as the first; there are still at least half a dozen large animal guards in Choi's chambers. It's a pretty honest meeting: they talk about their suspicions over Hoax, reveal the existence of the Leary survivors, and bring up the threat of the D'vor. They don't mention the Grob, though, and claim that it was the Leary's crew that told them about the D'vor. When they bring up the fact that they have a ship here, are contractors working for the Black Rose, and that the criminals want her back to work on xenotech Choi rails about the Black Rose; she used to work for them and when Hoax sent her here they let her rot for years, only coming to get her when they needed her. She's not sure if she wants to go back to an organization that treated her life so casually when she has her little kingdom here. Granted, it's a small kingdom in a swamp on Crapworld, and even being taken advantage of by the Black Rose might be better than that.
Choi does tell them about the ghosts when they ask. They seem to be the original inhabitants that ruled Crapworld and were a force to be reckoned with some time in the past. Their civilization was based on controlling the creatures of the planet to do work for them but the ones that are around now are degenerate remnants who somewhat know how to use the xenotech but who can no longer make it. Humanity's efforts to destroy much of the life on the planet has shattered their culture. She doesn't seem too broken up about it and ends the meeting by telling them that she'll think about it for a day.
The Hummingbird's crew stay in the boat that night now that the cat's out of the bag, keeping watch, but the night passes uneventfully.
December 2, EY218
Choi has decided to take the Black Rose up on its offer. While she waits for the outsiders to get their ship and return she'll get things sorted out here. Relieved, everyone leaves on the boat while Choi returns to the palisade.
Over the next four days the boat makes it back to the Steel Hummingbird's hiding spot without much trouble; Volkova uses the xenotech to keep creatures away. Shiv is dropped off near Minty Alley -- he can hardly go back to Carerra -- with directions on where they'll leave the boat so he can pick it up later. He could be brought on board the Steel Hummingbird but he's as likely to be trouble as not and leaving the planet seems too big a step for him so he gets the boat as a consolation prize. Malcolm's been very careful with the fuel supplies but it will still be pretty much empty, so Shiv would have to bring some diesel with him. A motorized boat would be a good way for him to cement his place in Minty Alley.
Good food, hot showers, and clean clothes are savoured once everyone's on the ship. Ghost is ok and Samiksha's also alive; she really doesn't seem to mind being alone for long periods of time and doesn't treat the crew with much enthusiasm when they show up.
December 6, EY218
The flight back to Choi's compound doesn't seem to attract any military attention as Malcolm keeps the ship flying very low with all its external lights off and manages to avoid anything that looks like it might be inhabited. Choi is indeed waiting for them with a bag of personal items and some xenotech parts. When she boards the Hummingbird in front of her forlorn-looking followers she doesn't say goodbye or even glance back at them.
Leaving Crapworld goes well. Jillian's worried about being noticed by the defences; in the month they've been here there have no doubt been changes in their arrangement. She plans as best she can and in the end they make it past the satellites, space stations, and patrolling ships without being noticed.
It's a two-day trip to the slide point and once Choi's had her own chance to enjoy showering, good food, clean clothes (she wears the shortest, fluffiest robe she can find, apparently with nothing underneath), and wine in the luxury quarters for a day Jillian decides to question her. After all, if she's a decent person the option of not giving her to the Black Rose is an opportunity, though it would likely mean having to kill Ester and Samiksha. Additionally, handing someone who is apparently as good as Choi is at xenotech to the Black Rose is dangerous -- Jillian's worried that Choi might indeed be a thoroughly bad person. If that's the case they may need to kill her (Malcolm suggests having the interview in the "murder room"... just in case). Jillian decides to bring Bishop and Malcolm to the talk, leaving Volkova to keep the Roses occupied if they get curious.
It turns out that Choi was a professor at the University of Aiscapo's Department of Xenobiology and Xenotechnology and knows the people they've met there. Jillian quickly and awkwardly lurches the conversation to the point where she can ask Choi how she feels about testing biotech weapons on civilians. Choi's surprised at the sudden turn in the conversation but answers that she wouldn't see the point in that. She's curious about this strangely specific question and Jillian admits that her Black Rose ex did just that a little while ago... and then admits that she was a Black Rose herself in the past.
They talk about other possibilities for Choi. She can hardly go back to the university and the Hummingbird's crew won't tell her about the Grob or bring her to the Leary's crew in order to keep them safe. Choi's life is xenotech and the only people who will let her do so are organized crime. As much as Choi doesn't especially want to work for the Black Rose she doesn't really have much of a choice and her work may be important to saving the cluster. To try to keep her focused on what's important when she's working later they tell her about the D'vor and show her the photos of the squid ship that Volkova took a while ago. Choi's very impressed by they ship. They also tell her about the base on Ganesha's moon, where she may well be working. Jillian offers to set up a mailbox on the Ashram for Choi under a fake name if she needs help; the xenotechnologist is touched by this.
December 8, EY218
It's time to travel through the slide point to Vishnu. Everyone is prepared and strapped in before they slide. The trip itself is surprisingly easy; the benefits of experience and planning are obvious. Not only is the damage to the ship trivial to fix, Jillian manages to see the hidden location inside the slide point, though they decide not to try to reach it. After thirteen hours in real time they exit the slide point and are two AU "below" the orbital plane of Vishnu.
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Bishop's Bedpost Notch Count: 0 (running total: 20)
Jillian's Bedpost Notch Count: 0
Malcolm's Bedpost Notch Count: 1 (running total: 9)
Volkova's Bedpost Notch Count: 0 (running total: 4)