The 300
Contents
Setup
Its as warm as it gets on the ice age planet, Leonidas II. The crew of the Sandpiper have been docked here for just over three weeks after their last mission left them nearby and in need of repair. Now that the ship is nearing spaceworthiness, they need to figure out their next move.
While waiting for repairs to be completed on their ship, the crew meets Samuel Carter, a local businessman on Leonidas. He inquires with the players about their availability for a little covert commerce. After some discussion, they agree that they are willing to listen.
A few hours later Mr Carter returns with an offer. He has 300 cases he would like delivered to Fenris X in the Azuriach Imperium, no questions asked. The players agree, provided they are told how illegal the items they carry are. Mr Carter assures them that these cases would not be illegal in most of the known universe. Reassured, a deal is reached.
Menkaar V
The cases are being held in a warehouse on Menkaar V, so the players make their way there to collect them. During the journey they discuss their options. Everyone knows the Azuriachs are not friendly to unlicensed commerce, yet corruption could be an opportunity they can exploit. In their view it would be unbelievable for them to have empty holds (if they 300 cases are hidden), so the only option is to acquire a secondary cargo as a cover.
Yet, the situation remains dicey. What kind of cargo makes the most sense? If the items are too mundane they may not provide the necessary cover, yet if they are too illicit, they may trigger legal ramifications the crew are not interested in exploring. Given their past, a diversionary cargo of adult entertainment is chosen.
After some research into the local planetary commerce the crew decides a tertiary load of fine meats would lend itself to a potentially very profitable and fully legitimate third cargo.
Diversions
Immediately upon their landing the crew begins arranging their cargoes. They meet with the man who will deliver the 300, as well as make initial contact with someone about porn. Alison hits the streets to see if anyone might be able to provide false merchant licenses for the Imperium, while Peter gets to work converting the cargo space to refrigerated units. The captain arranges a delivery of porn for the next day, and Alison finds information about a gentleman who may be able to produce the items necessary.
Imperial Vacations
Alison tells the rest of the crew that this man, Vinny, that she met had vacationed illegally in the Imperium with his family last year on forged papers. He has offered to provide the necessary documentation for $5000. Its a relatively large sum, but considering what it could mean to them, a meeting for tomorrow at 9am is planned.
The next morning the crew takes separate vehicles to the rendezvous. Peter rides his motorcycle, while Alison and Al take a cab. Peter is a little tardy, so Alison and Al walk in alone.
At this time of the morning the bar is relatively unpopulated. Alison speaks to the Hiss'Ist behind the bar, who points them to the back corner, where Vinny and a very large, bald gentleman are sitting alone. They coolly make their way over and take seats facing him.
Meanwhile, outside, Peter spies a suspicious blue van pulling up across the street. He parks his bike and bides his time outside. Three men slip out, all armed and moving towards the door. Thinking quickly, Peter phones Al inside.
'Something is going down'
Al turns and looks at the door just as the three men burst inside. They immediately take up positions of cover while one lets loose with a laser burst, and the last man moves into firing position. Because of her training Alison is able to keep her wits even without forewarning, and the bodyguard also seems ready, but Vinny is not so lucky. He is thoroughly stunned by this development.
'God damn you Vinny!' Shouts the last man.
The bodyguard draws his gyrojet pistol as he turns his table on its side and lets loose a shot that lands a few inches above the gunners head. Al has taken cover near a neighboring table, while Alison has also turned her table into a shield. But the last man, has something in store for them all.
He takes careful aim and uncorks a burst of blaster fire right into Vinny's chest, dropping him instantly. The mood in the bar instantly shifts.
Responding on pure instinct Alison moves the table in front of Vinny and immediately begins providing medical attention to stabilize the fallen mobster. Just like the old days, she thinks as a flurry of gyrojets fly over her head from the first armed intruder.
'No more kid gloves Louie' Shouts the bodyguard as he springs into action. With a deftness that belies his tremendous girth he leaps over the table, produces a grenade, and lobs it between the laser toting antagonist and Vinny. It explodes into a thick anti-laser smoke as he takes up position between the gyrojet armed man and his boss. Al continues to scramble under tables to close the distance between himself and the armed men.
The shooter, presumably Louie, moves toward and through the open door while his carbine toting companion sprays the room with covering fire. Sensing that they are slipping away, Al makes his move with a dash through the smoke and emerges in front of the gunner. This was clearly unexpected, as the gunner momentarily hesitates.
The bodyguard follows him through the smoke, only pausing long enough to bury a gyrojet burst into the third intruder who was hiding by the bar. Alison finished stabilizing Vinny and moves to secure the stunned man by the bar.
Just as the gunner begins to catch his wits Al steps forward and snatches the rifle from his hand. He punctuates this action with a scream of surrender, which he seems unable to resist, flinging his hands haphazardly towards the sky.
'Excuse me, sir' rumbles the bodyguard as he barely squeezes by this action. Al raises his brow at this seemingly unnecessary pleasantry.
Outside, Louie believes he is in the clear, so he moves towards their van, but he has not counted on Peter lying in wait.
'Holy crap!' he shrieks as Peter nails him with a direct hit from a stunner, dropping him to the ground.
'Please forgive me sir, I need to secure this man.' says the out of breath bodyguard as he bends down to cuff Louie. Peter lowers his stunner and looks perplexed.
Inside the bar Alison and Al work together to secure the subdued attackers and consolidate them near the bar. Peter comes in and shares his experiences from outside.
After a moment the bodyguard comes in with his cuffed quarry.
'Excuse me ma'am, I need to cuff this gentleman.' he says as he drags Louie over near the other two. His rough treatment of the foes a stark contrast to his overly polite demeanor. He apologizes for the intrusion and shares his opinion on what has happened here.
It seems that Louie is recently divorced from a sister of Vinny's, and because he is no longer family he was removed from the gang. He tried to convince them to let him stay, but his performance was only average and the sister preferred he be sacked. And so he was, obviously to his chagrin.
Alison could hold back no longer, 'Why so polite?'
'Well ma'am, I am taking these classes. My temper was taking over my life, so my coach believes that if I concentrate on being courteous I can master my emotions. It is a long road. How is Vinny?'
'He is hurt badly, as soon as you can we need to get him to a hospital.'
'I keep telling him to wear a vest, but he refuses. Some kind of damn machismo thing. Excuse my language, ma'am.'
Once the relief arrives the family patriarch meets with the group to discuss terms. He is, of course, very thankful for the help they have provided, so he offers them the documentation they have requested for free, as well as a merchant license which could help them pass for legitimate. He says this will take them 2 days to produce, and the players agree to wait. He also tells them that anytime they are in the area they are always welcome here.
Azuriach Insertion
Time passes and the players acquire their documentation. Al examines the paperwork and agrees that the quality is good. The players have used the time to land a third cargo, one of high quality meats. Peter has cultivated some hidden spaces which he believes will be perfect for smuggling operations.
They choose to use a series of short jumps to disguise their entrance into the Fenris system. Even so, they are prepared for the worst as they emerge from hyperspace.
But nothing emerges.
As they approach the planet they notice on sensors that there is a very large (1,000,000+ tons) naval force orbiting the planet. This raises their alert level considerably.
Eventually they are contacted by planetary authorities and asked which starport they will be approaching. Once this is negotiated, they also discuss the nature of their trip and send over their documentation. Everything seems good, so far.
After they secure a landing bay and prepare to disembark they are contacted by trade officials who wish to inspect their cargo and documentation further. Everyone is anxious.
What is This?
Stern looking and impeccably dressed, Imperial inspectors make their way onto the Sandpiper and ask terse questions. They give a cursory look at the paperwork and Al plays his hand.
'We have these boxes over here,' referring to the porn, 'and we might not notice if one or two were to go missing.'
'Ulrich, secure these boxes. Everything is in order here.'
The crew breathes a sigh of relief.
First Contact
Using a secure channel the players make contact with their clients and concoct a plan to exchange goods. The cases will be disguised using the beef as a cover. The players will deliver it using their APC, after removing the heavy guns.
The preparation takes a few hours, and once it is complete they cautiously move towards the clients base. On the way a heavy military presence is evident all over the planetary surface. The players surmise that their revolutionary clients are in deep trouble.
Because of the discreet nature of the exchange, and the cover up, they meet a local rancher and exchange the goods at his ranch. Everyone agrees that everything is in order, and the players return to their ship.
Play it Again
Once they arrive they find a message from their clients. After resuming contact they ask if they could hire them to transport 2 people off world into the Terran Union. They offer an excellent compensation package, and after a short round of negotiations there is an agreement in place.
The problem becomes, how do we get these people onto the ship discreetly? This concerns the players greatly, especially given the overwhelming naval presence surrounding the planet. This is a risky gambit.
A plan is hatched to return some of the meat under pretense of low quality, and the people will be concealed inside them. Not an ideal situation for those being transported, but one that should work well enough.
Tension is high as the starport is also teeming with security, yet the rancher finds a way to get the goods to their hold without incident. And not wanting to increase the risk, the crew prepared for takeoff immediately.
Once out of the atmosphere, the crew is confident the worst is behind them.
Uh Oh
Peter had prepared by choosing a location and computing a jump path before they took off, so they would be able to quickly get into hyperspace and away from here. As they approach the location a hail comes through on their communicators.
Sensors show a single fleet corvette approaching. The players look at one another in astonishment.
To be continued with...
