Elite roleplay: The docks

THE DOCKS (Dockyards)

The Docks is where all pilots berth their ships. It is the first place that pilots find themselves upon landing their ship. Docking and launching is controlled by the Citi Gateway’s Traffic Controllers while each individual dock is controlled by a dockmaster and a team of orange clad dock crew workers.

The Docks is a sparse and desolate, 0.1G environment, littered with service vehicles, cranes and landing pads. While cool, the air is dry and lightly filled with the smell of burnt metal and ship grease. Public Service Announcements blare across the the docks reminding all pilots of station regulations. The docks contain 45 individual ship docks, several warehouses storing massive tank of hydrogen fuel, and standard shipping containers of cargo, the dock’s traffic control tower and the local pilot’s market which resides in one of the warehouses.

Ship docks
Each specific dock has a landing pad, a ship hangar and adjoining terminal. In each terminal there is a passenger waiting area, the dockmaster’s control tower and several dock crew vehicle bay.

Warehouses
If the docks were already unpopulated, warehouses would be completely vacant of anyone if not for a small handful of security staff. Warehouses are completely automated and highly guarded facilities as they contain massive amounts of valuable and flammable material.
"Loitering is a crime punishable by death" - Station Announcements

Pilot's Market
The pilot’s market is best described as a tourist trap for pilots. Every person who’s not a pilot is trying to guile a pilot to part with their credits.

"The station administrators would like to remind all pilots that transactions in the pilot’s market are not protected by Citi Gateway or The Bank of Zaonce" - station announcements

General Roleplay Etiquette:

1. Control only the actions of your own character(s). (AKA: God Mode)
This doesn't matter how small the action is, even if it is as simple as scratching their nose or a direct reaction to something else that just happened. This applies to everything from casual conversation to full blown fight scenes. If you'd like someone to do something specific, PM that person, however keep in mind they are completely within their rights to say no. Especially if said action is inappropriate to their character and/or circumstance.

2. Don't brute force your way into another persons RP.
Approaching with a conversation starter is fine, or indeed some other small action. However charging in, guns blazing and disrupting the flow of another person/pair/groups conversation/arc is about as rude as doing so in real life. If something is going on that you'd like to participate in, be subtle about it. Put out a gentle hook for someone to take, but again, be aware that said hook may not be taken. If you fear it was simply unnoticed, PM the person or people it concerns. Or even leave a message in the OOC forums.

3. Good grammar and spelling is preferred.
We're not asking you to be perfect, but please at least demonstrate willingness. no1 iz gna tak u srsly usng txt spk. There's a wide variety of people here, many who speak English as a second, or even third language. There are even some with varying degrees of dyslexia and/or likely other issues that affect spelling/grammar. We accept them all here. However, people who aren't accepted, are those unwilling to accept polite correction. Remember that even a small thing like the placement of a comma, or the wrong use of there/their/they're can completely change the definition of an entire sentence.

4. Accept constructive criticism gracefully and politely.
If someone spots an issue with your writings, they may wish to help you improve that writing. They may do this through PM or even publicly air their thoughts on the OOC forum. If they have taken the time to be polite and explain what is wrong with your writing, the best way to behave is to respond in kind, using the same manner they have approached you with. It means they have taken an active interest in what you have written and wish to see more. Basically, you have a fan!

5. Don't take the actions or opinions of things done IN RP, to be directly relevant to the writers thoughts or opinions.
Basically, if some ones character calls your character a jackass, it doesn't mean the writer thinks you are a jackass. It's a ROLE they are PLAYING. Watch a movie. The argument between the characters isn't an argument between the actors involved. The same applies here.

6. It's not a popularity contest.
Your RP might be bustling with participants. You have 3 people off station in a fire fight, while another 2 are infiltrating the darkest areas of the station, meanwhile a group of 4 others are tracking your movements in an effort to stop you. Good for you, I'm sure it will be a thrilling read! But you know what? Sometimes the absolute BEST work, comes from two RP characters having a simple heart to heart. Both are valid, both are great, but NEITHER is categorically better than the other. Period.


Inara RP Etiquette:

1. Respect the setting and rules of the universe.
Inara is an Elite: Dangerous 3rd Party Tool. The RP Forums are set in the Elite: Dangerous universe. Elite: Dangerous has rules, as any fictional universe does from Lord of the Rings to Star Wars, or Game of Thrones to Star Trek. If you intend to RP within the Elite: Dangerous universe you are bound by the history and rules of that universe. Simply put, this RP forum is bound by the same rules as the game, so if it can't be done in the game, it is not permitted here. This applies to things from a 50Ly Jump Range on a normal, unmodified Sidewinder, to the destruction of entire stations.

2. Respect the characters created by others.
We have a wide variety of characters already here. It's expected that some will be similar, just as it's expected that two characters will be vastly different. Opinions of each persons character will naturally be varied, but all are valid provided they follow the rules of the universe. You are allowed to interact with, or avoid interaction with, any character in the RP forums. But you have no right to belittle others for their creation. You are not an authority figure on writing, nor are you directly affected by another persons imagination. You might not like it, but you MUST respect it.

3. Be caught up on current events before joining in.
You need basic things like character descriptions in order to interact with them. You also need to know what's going on in the surrounding areas. This is simply because the people you are hoping to RP with, might be gearing up to something that you might not want to be part of. Or simply that the most recent post, out of context, could leave a different impression on the goings on than if you gather that context. We don't expect you to read every single post from the beginning of the forums, just enough to get that basic understanding.

4. Either subscribe to, or frequently check, the Roleplay: Q&A and OOC forum.
People may be discussing something relevant to you there, or even discussing you directly. Perhaps someone asked what the general consensus on the existence or non-existence of a certain object. Or we're just chatting about random gibberish. Either way, be aware of it and use it. If you're unsure about something, such as how guns would look and or behave, or even the music selection, use the OOC forum to ask. We don't have all of the answers, but the collective knowledge and logic usually allows us to overcome an issue and come to a decision on what should be allowed. Frontier Developments, and even David Braben himself, don't have the answers to every possible question that can be asked.

5. Large Scale events exploding out of nowhere are a complete no go.
We get it. Everyone wants their character to be noticed and for people to be tripping over themselves to interact with them. In some audiences, an introduction involving you blasting in for landing in a fiery wreckage of a ship, before cart wheeling out and sword fighting 35 Ninjas before whisking off with the local celebrity for a glorious night of passion, is in fact, cool. This is not one of those audiences. It is generally considered better to build your character up slowly over time. Eventually, you might even have a legitimate excuse to fight those Ninjas. Maybe even with other RP participants by your side.

6. Perfect characters are boring.
The point of a character arc, is that it is in fact, an arc shape. One who is morally unquestionable, fully kitted out and an infinite fountain of knowledge, cannot go through an arc. Give your character flaws. Be it a tendency towards befriending the wrong people, or a bad knee that frequently gives out at inopportune moments. It gives readers something to latch onto and empathise with. You can give your character exceptional capabilities at something, but it requires balance. She's a damn good pilot with no equal, but can't drive an SRV for peanuts. It can lead to some very interesting moments between characters, be it heartfelt or comedic.


Other Notes:
It should be noted that there can be exceptions to these points. For example, good grammar when a character is speaking is actually rare. Few people in real life actually speak with perfect eloquence after all. Or previously arranged actions during a fight scene, such as someone stumbling back after a punch. What's key to remember is context.

All in all, remember this is purely for fun. We have some seriously talented writers here, and others whose writing history starts and ends at high school. But many are willing to help out in whatever way they can. All it takes is that you ask nicely.

Also keep in mind that many people who RP here, also have logbook stories related to the character, or characters, they portray. If it looks like there's an "in joke" going on that you're unsure of, it's probably in those.

In fact, some users have even gone to the trouble of creating "alts" to RP with. If you read back far enough, it's usually pretty clear who has and hasn't, and which ones are the "alts". It's therefore not unheard of to see the apparent seizing of control of other characters. If you do spot one, point it out in the OOC section. If intervention is needed, it will be sorted quickly and (hopefully) politely.

Most, if not all RP participants here have Logbook stories pertaining to their character(s). These are for the reading pleasure of anyone who wishes to do so. While it can be useful to read them in order to gain a bit of backstory on a character you wish to interact with, it should not be assumed that your character shares that knowledge. Within the E:D Universe, these Logbooks either don't exist, or are private diaries kept by the characters. Either way, without explicit statements to say otherwise from the writer, your interactions should reflect that your character is in the dark about any information you, the writer/reader, have gained from reading the stories.
Wild Jim Gruden
15 Aug 2023, 2:08am
An automated voice announced to the pilot’s market. “Paging Sanjay Gulati and James Gruden. Shuttle doors closing in five minutes, Bay 17. Please board at this time.”

While hurrying through the pilot’s market to catch a lift to bay 17, and griping to Jim, Gulati realized in mid-sentence that Wild Jim had stopped a few paces back and was looking back the way they had come. “…two damn days of leave. Hell it takes one just to get anywhere since Henderson only allows shuttles to-- Jim! C’mon, we’re going to miss shuttle!”

Gulati walked back, clapped a hand on Jim’s shoulder to snap him out of whatever had grabbed hold of his attention. “Jim, lets go.”

Wild Jim nodded to a group of four people at one of the food kiosks ten meters further down the market. “You see them, Ghouly?”

Gulati looked to where Jim had nodded, catching glimpses of the four people through the crowd that flowed around them. “Yeah. Just a couple of guns. Mercs or something. Probably on leave like us. Which, I remind you, is up for us and why we need to catch the shuttle.”

Jim shook his head. “No not on leave.” He looked to Gulati. “They're getting ready for something. I’ve seen a few other groups that look about the same, three to six people each. There’s at least two dozen of them, maybe more, just waiting for the word.” Jim’s eyes slowly lifted like he was following an ember drifting up from a fire. “Can you hear the calls? They’re about to ride a cold wind, driving hell before them, brother. “

“What the hell Jim, don’t start with that valkyrie crap now. We are going to miss the shuttle!” Gulati grabbed Jim by the upper arm and headed toward the lift. “Let’s go.”

Jim went along with Gulati, grinning. As the lift doors began closing he laughed and shouted to the commandos. “YOU LUCKY BASTARDS!”
Tiffany Yür
17 Aug 2023, 12:10pm
So the Scythe had snatched 3/6 of my passengers in the Jotnar-system, seriously, check it out where it is, and I hit the self-destruct button on the nearly shieldless Dolphin. I don't know if the Scythe snatched the rest of my passengers while I was floating in the escape pod waiting for the rescuers. Anyway I did not get paid, so I'll just assume taking CEOs on a business trip and obeying their wishes is now bad for business. Probably equipping the Dolphin with a point defence, though it does not matter, the Scythe is able to destroy this kind of a passenger ship. Might have used heat sinks before getting interdicted by it, but no way could have escaped once in normal space. Thinking of leaving the Bubble for good.
Venus Duval
17 Aug 2023, 12:34pm
The docks and hangars begin to hum with energy. All members of the rescue crew were making their way to their assigned ships and hangars. The pilots from each ship began their preflight routines. Each one meticulously checking over every single panel and thruster ensuring no items were out of place.

The steady hum became a more thunderous drone as each ship spooled up its engines traffic was light at this particular moment in time which even further magnified the roar emanating from the ships preparing to depart. The ground crews scramble to ensure every ship is fully fueled and restocked with ammunition where needed. The largest group of commandos makes their way onto Lifeboat. Their squad leader performs a gear check ensuring armor plates and weapons are properly attached and secured. She performs a weapons count and gear accountability check as well.

A couple of the commandos break off from the group once gear checks are completed and begin to pray for their success. A few others chat amongst themselves about what they plan to do when they get back home. A few sit and stare blankly into the distance cigarettes in hand mentally preparing themselves for what could be the last time they ever see this group of people they call family.

I enter my cutter dressed in my old imperial navy armor. The sleek matte black armor though lightweight is made of a tough alloy. I perform my own gear check ensuring no excessive gaps in the metal plating are visible. I walk over to the armory and pull out a short barrel carbine. The rifle is a SCAR H variant archaic and old tech but reliable. Chambered in 7.62mm a mag capacity of 30 rounds and selectable fire rate of single, burst, or full auto. I check over the sling making sure it is not frayed or torn and that the clips are secure. I pull out 8 mags and place them into mag pouches on the front of my armor and my waist. I check over my med bag and ensure to replace any items missing. As I make my way out of the armory I grab a combat knife and place it on my lower back. I grab my plasma pistol and place it on my right hip ensuring the mag lock holds it securely.

I exit the armory and head to the cockpit while composing a message to Meowers and Kira as a bit of a reminder of the game plan.

Hey just as a bit of a reminder for when things get hairy. Aventus is going to pose as the medical transport supposed to pick up Silvia and Melli. I will be approaching the carrier from out of sight of the bridge. I'll drop a recon limpet and patch the signal over to Kasumi for her to utilize if and when she has a chance. I'll be boarding the carrier and heading straight to engineering to disable the main thruster and fsd. While down there I will be authorizing docking for both your ships and activating the turret defenses ensuring to target any and all vessels that are not registered to either of you. The two of you will be meeting up with Aventus and his squad in the hangars at which point we will all converge on Melli's location. Next target will be Silvia.

I sent the message off and began all of my preflight checks. Taking particular care to ensure my autopilot routine was perfect and no bugs or breaks in the code were present. Once I leave this station there will be no time to fix anything so it all has to be perfect now. I light a cigarette and put on some Celtic style music. Letting the melodies take me on a journey calming my nerves and my mind. We were about to enter the eye of the storm and I was reasonably nervous and concerned.
Venus Duval
17 Aug 2023, 2:57pm
"Incoming message"

'Thank you Celeste.'

I open the message from Kasumi and think for a moment after reading it. I decide the best bet for all of us would be the carrier she had mentioned so I respond accordingly.

Right. Uh you said you had a carrier well that seems the best choice considering my cutter alone is not set for long distance travel. Just need to know what the name is and where it's located. Oh you wouldnt have happened to see Aventus would you? He missed gear inspections and is supposed to be performing his pre-flight checks. No one has seem him since the mission brief.
Venus Duval
17 Aug 2023, 6:16pm
We can discuss that in private and in person. Open net is not ideal. Ok well could you send Aventus back to the docks? He needs to do his pre-flight checks. He is also not answering any messages from anyone. Makes sense though if he's got food in front of him.

I send off the message to Kasumi after having read her response. I close the messaging console and sit back in my seat. Only about an hour before we depart this station, and my mind begins to wander. Memories race by and thoughts come and go. All of them regarding what is going to come and what has transpired. The changes in my life and the changes to come. I light a cigarette and close my eyes trying to calm my nervous mind.

Last edit: 17 Aug 2023, 8:27pm
Wild Jim Gruden
17 Aug 2023, 8:19pm
Wild Jim and Gulati sat on a bench in the waiting area of Apex Shuttles. Gulati leaned forward, elbows on knees, shaking his head. “Dammit, Jim, I told you we were going to miss the shuttle. There will be hell to pay getting back late.”

Jim, relaxing with his head against the wall, eyes closed and arms crossed, shrugged his shoulders. “What are they going to do, terminate the contract and tell us we can’t come back?”

“Yes,” said Gulati, frustrated with Wild Jim’s lack of concern.

“Hell, Henderson Genetics will be doing me a favor if they let us out of the contract. No excitement guarding labs on a dusty space rock.”

“Yeah, well it is steady pay.”

“But not good pay. We should find an old fashioned civil war that needs professional hired guns. Or maybe some corporate wetwork. Always good money in that. I heard Azimuth might be looking for bullet slingers.”

Gulati looked to Jim, stunned. “Christ, Jim. They do some sketchy shit. Would you really want to contract with them?”

“Ghouly, everyone hiring guns does sketchy shit. You really think Henderson Genetics built a lab just to study those cucumber things growing outside the perimeter, or why their corp security are the only ones to deal with the supply ships? I’m sure there are less than moral things going on in the Henderson labs, but I don’t hear you complaining about them paying you.”

“But work for Az?” Gulati shook his head. “I don’t think I could do that.”

“Generally, our job is not to think, just to shoot.” Jim felt a subtle buzz at the back of his skull, slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head to realize that it was a faint vibration in the wall. He looked to the observation window and the docking bays. “Ghouly, what do you make of that.”

Gulati looked to the docking bays. “Man, bunch of ships spooling up. You thinking maybe it's those people you saw earlier getting ready to go deliver some hurt? Or, maybe, Jim, it is just a coincidence.”

“Maybe,” said Jim resting his head back against the wall and closing his eyes. The buzz reminded him of the slight hum he hears when the valkyries start waking up. “Wonderful thing about humans is our capacity for violence and the willingness to respond in kind. People like us, Ghouly, will always have a job doing violence on the behalf of others.” Jim chuckled as the buzz increased. “As long as they pay well enough.”
Venus Duval
18 Aug 2023, 3:40pm
Arriving at his hangar Aventus wastes no time jumping right into things. He walks the perimeter of Lifeboat now with its brand new ship ID displayed over the drab boring black paint. "SV-44A" the hope was that anyone not privy to Black Flight wouldn't recognize either to be a false ID. To deepen the ruse Aventus generated a false name following the same naming convention for Black Flights pilots, "SVI-4004".

He reaches the loading ramp of Lifeboat and pauses. What dangers lay ahead were a mystery to anyone. However he knew what lay ahead of him. A fleet of pissed off trigger happy pirates. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

'Game time.' He thinks to himself as he walks up the boarding ramp to finalize his pre-flight checks and routine.

A few moments later all ships for the rescue fleet act as a single almost hivemind and all lift off from the landing pads. Then with thunderous roar all ships lurch forward with the smaller FDL leading the pack followed by Lifeboat and finally my ship Slipstream. We clear the slot and meet at the rendezvous point just outside the ports Exclusion zone. I call over to the team over a secured net.

'I'm not really one for speeches. Nor would I even know where to begin. You all face the gates of Valhalla in this very moment. I pray that the gates don't open for any of you during this fight but if they do I will ensure your name is remembered.'

I look out towards the station and think about my choices leading up to this point. I think about what I'm going to say to Silvia. What she is going to say to me. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. A single fearful thought pops up in my mind a question brought to me by Kasumi in her last message.

"What do we do if Azimuth shows up?"

My only answer is run. Far away. We can handle a fleet of raiders but add in a corporation fleet... one that has money to just throw at a problem... forget about it. We are better off grabbing our targets and leaving the raiders to fend for themselves. My mind swirls into a chaotic frenzy. I close my eyes and take a long slow breath in an attempt to calm my mind and my nerves. It helped albeit only slightly. Thoughts still raced through my mind.

Continued in Off Station.

Last edit: 18 Aug 2023, 11:40pm
Kasumi Goto
18 Aug 2023, 3:53pm
I separated from Meowers once we reached the docks, waving at her as I walked away.

Whatever the ground crews had been working on with my ship was done. While I hadn’t yet exchanged one shield booster for a shutdown field neutralizer, that would just be a matter of minutes once docked at the carrier, able to be done before the jump initiated.

I thought about stopping by the armory in the Corvette before taking off, only to realize my things were still on my Phantom. A quick detour later, I was back with my suit, the railgun - ammo was present regardless of ship - and additional, old armor I never quite had the heart to dispose of. I dropped them off in the armory, then headed up to the bridge and took off. No checks required, given that I had an AI always ensuring everything was performing at optimum - though I still liked to check myself.

Venus had her fleet gathered outside, but I passed them by, giving them a short look at the black and red painted Federal warship before it blipped into supercruise. Reaching the carrier was a matter of seconds, having it parked near the station.

There, I gave the order to have my Phantom transferred over, and get the field neutralizer installed. As the ship descended into the hangar, I began to prepare with whatever ammo and other gear I thought I’d need, waiting for Venus’ and Meowers’ signal to begin the jump.
Meowers
18 Aug 2023, 10:12pm
Continued from Citi Gateway

Finally, I made it to the hangar, automatically, with my vision turned onto my stream of thoughts, and feet walking forward almost on their own. I didn't want to ask it directly, in order not to disturb those... certain vibes, but what was initially a wacky random idea dropped into the conversation by me, seemed to be something far more important for Kasumi.

What it has to do with her body? Was it something like an intrusive thought, or kind of obsession of hers? Or some deep personal secret she didn't want to tell anyone until I literally, and absolutely by accident, pointed at it? Hm. Anyway, this thingy might be also useful for me and my own... Quirks. To say... I liked to see my own body as a machine, operated by my mind, sturdy, utilitarian, reasonably strong and, looks like, hella resilient. Practical and pragmatical. Nobody and nothing taught me to think otherwise. But, maybe, it's time to try? Who knows... Ah, a dilemma. Still, shouldn't cross some moral barriers. Or I'm going to totally hate myself and I don't want it.

Anyway... Main switch to 'on', let those systems warm up before the take-off and a short trip to the carrier... And I should use that time to pack the Big Bag of Funny Things. So, let's do that. First of all, rifle magazines, those hefty cylindrical keglets, eighty rounds tightly packed into two spirals inside each one of those, they're cold and solid metal, yet each one is attached to an energy cell, coalescing into a deadly union of mass and energy. Once discharged, the cell will provide enough power to melt eighteen grams of metal core, overheating it far beyond most temperature scales, encasing it in a magnetic field to form a projectile of a chosen shape, and then to launch it forward through the barrel at the velocity of almost one in a half kilometres per second. Believe me, you don't want to be on the way of this little thing.

Ah. Weapon engineering is almost like poetry.

I guess, twelve of those should be enough, six on the belts, six on the back. Then... I needed a coolant liquid to keep the party going non-stop, three bottles should do it: each one contains enough of that bluish substance to fully replace whatever is running through the rifle's cooling circuits, probably gaseous at that moment. 'Spare last round'. Ejecting the coolant into someone's face is also not quite a comfortable procedure for those on a receiving end.

And two field medkits. In quick access pockets on the sides of the backpack.

When everything was ready, neatly packed and stored close to the cockpit door, I dropped in a pilot seat and allowed myself to relax for a few minutes with a cigarette, before leaving the station and heading for the carrier.

Continued to Off Station

Last edit: 19 Aug 2023, 1:54pm
Vasil Vasilescu
26 Aug 2023, 7:13am
The Onoarea set down with the soft-touch landing that Gutamaya touted on their clippers. Landings barely felt even in high gravity, the only indication passengers might have that the ship had touched down in a station was the sound of electromagnets locking the landing gear to the platform. As it was, there were no passengers on board to be impressed, only 50t of overpriced cargo, but Vasil knew that would soon change.

His sister, Octavia, had contacted him just as he was about to enter Mackenzie Relay in orbit above Emerald. “Vasil,” she said in that short, authoritative tone she had when directing others and she did not want to debate. “I need you to personally transport two people to the summer estate on Emerald. Stefan will have the details.”

According to his brother, Stefan, the two VIPs were Bianca and Lorenzo DiMatteo, the daughter and son-in-law of a patron that Octavia felt could help advance her political goals. They’d managed to get caught up in the Thargoid conflict and found themselves on a rescue ship in Alliance space. One of the ERS contractors was bringing them to Inara and Vasil was to bring them to Emerald, sparing no expense. Well, almost none.

“Use the clipper,” said Stefan. “Octavia says they are not important enough for the cutter, but that they are to be the only passengers.”

On Citi, Vasil began reducing power in preparation for the ship being lowered into the bay for cargo ops. “Jefferson, what is the status of the DiMatteos?”

“The DiMatteos are expected to arrive on station in 2.4 hours. They have not yet departed the Allied Solace.”

“Alert me thirty minutes before their arrival. Contact the concierge at the Chateau Dans Le Ciel, ask that a suite be made ready for the DiMatteos, and arrange transport for them to the hotel. Tell the concierge this is for official ERS business.”

“Understood, commander.”

Once the ship was fully secured, cargo control contacted Vasil. ”Welcome back, Commander. It looks like you have an unscheduled 50 ton delivery consisting of food cartridges, synthetic meat, beer, and produce. We just need to verify some missing manifest info prior to offload. We need the shipper, recipient, and any special instructions.”

“Shipper is Bad Investments Limited,” Vasil said. “Recipient is Willow Thorn. ERS will prepay storage for one week. Account details to follow.” Vasil knew the fifty tons would not make much of a difference, but he felt Willow would get it to the right places before the week was up. He’d also considered obfuscating who the food was from, but the woman was resourceful enough to find out anyway. However, by not hiding who the shipment was from, Vasil wondered if Willow would bother looking any deeper and realize he’d also hidden a subtle joke in the shipment.

Half of the synthetic meat chicken wings were broken.
Willow Thorn
26 Aug 2023, 5:17pm
"Like, what am I supposed to do with 50 tons of.. food?" Asked Willow glaring at the warehouse manager.

He looked at the small thin girl, and couldn't help him self.

"If I was you, I'd eat most of it, but cover it in batter and fry it first ok?" She looked up set, and was drawing a breath to rebuke his observational comedy, so the manager kicked in first to forestall his just deserts.

"Ok ok, that was a cheap shot, I'm sorry. Look, do what you like with it. Eat it, sell it or donate it to the needy, but you only got a week alright? Warehouse space is for goods that are going somewhere, because we don't have a lot of space to go around. I'd like to know this stuff is going to move, that's all"

"Like, yeah I get it when you put it like that, but I didn't know it was coming, right? And like, I'm not prepared for.. Oh wait, I did kinda prepare for this" Willow checked she had a copy of the manifest on her slate.

"Right, ok, so I'll like, go talk to some people I know at the market. Like, when I know it's moving, I'll let you know, ok" said Willow already backing off. She turned and floated away, pushing off the walls in a hurry to get to the elevators.

"Like sure, or whatever, you know?" said the dock manager in his best valley girl voice once Willow was out of ear shot. "Kids!"
Vasil Vasilescu
26 Aug 2023, 8:52pm
Once the cargo had been offloaded and the fifty standardized one-ton containers transferred to storage, Vasil took the time to change before Bianca and Lorenzo DiMatteo arrived.

The transformation from imperial space trucker to Emerald Repatriation Society executive did not take long. Vasil had always cleaned up well, but hardly ever had the need to be “publicly presentable” as his sister, Octavia, referred to it. Though, most people called the tendency for high-born imperials to showcase their status as being “overly ostentatious.”

There was still an hour or two before the DiMatteo’s arrived, so Vasil left the ship to grab a quick drink and maybe a bite to eat at the pilot’s market before they arrived.

Vasil’s un-imperial tendency for moderation showed in the custom-fit black flight suit he’d chosen. With subtle gold highlights, the suit was fashionable enough to hint at status without being overbearing. It was designed more for business negotiations than Imperial social events, so he was not completely out of place in the pilot’s market. Even the gold ERS emblem collar devices blended in, and unless he had tapped one of them, only a few people would probably notice the emblems were comm links to a ship.

Eventually, he came to the place Willow had shown him, took a seat and ordered a beer.

“All I have is some beer-flavored water,” said the proprietor. “And even that tastes more like recycled piss water than beer.”

“That’ll be fine,” said Vasil. “I guess supplies are running short?”

“They are, unless you have the money to outbid the fancy habs for premium food and drink.” The man set the beer-flavored water in front of Vasil. “Probably only have a few weeks left at the most. Gonna be a real shit show around here after that.”

Vasil took a swallow of beer and coughed. “Your right, this does taste like reclaimed piss.” He looked up and down the market. “Sounds like maybe you need an angel or something. Eh, you never know. Sometimes the strangest things happen.”

Last edit: 26 Aug 2023, 9:26pm
Willow Thorn
29 Aug 2023, 11:52am
You do some one a favour once the saying goes, and Willow could see why. So a bunch of food cargo was donated and she, with the willing help of the loudest voices from the catering wing of the Pilots Market, had sold and distributed the lot in record time. They were like animals picking over the carcass of fallen pray.

Whatever, the food was sold and Willow had a small stack of credits she didn't earn. The hard part was dealing with the now endless calls from eatery owners with petty complaints about what had been sold, or asking when the next lot was coming in. Honestly, it was like they had only just started running a business and didn't understand how independent pilots worked.

To get over the calls coming in, Willow went down to talk to everyone and explain how she had become responsible for selling the goods, and let them know she was going to change her contact information. A few people told her it was a shame she couldn't get more, because the 'Cleavers' had pretty much driven out every other dealer willing to sell directly to the caterers on the Pilots Market.

The Cleavers sounded like a gang name that a kid would find cool, but it was short for people from Cleave Hub. They were selling food at prices so high, only buyers with plenty of credits could fill their stock rooms. A few people also told Willow, the Cleavers were bringing more than just agricultural goods on to the station. They said that with that knowing tip of the head that suggested what they were talking about was not good.

Remembering what the hacker had said to Willow about not poking her nose in, she looked around the station with new eyes. If you looked, it was there to be seen. Drugs and gambling were easy to spot when Willow started looking, and she could believe the rest she had been warned off wouldn't take much digging to unearth.

Last edit: 29 Aug 2023, 1:09pm
Vasil Vasilescu
31 Aug 2023, 3:30am
Vasil had nearly finished the piss-water beer when a small chirp in his ear bud alerted him to an incoming message. A quick tap of the ERS insignia on his collar opened a link to the Onoarea and the Jefferson COVAS politely informed him that the DiMatteos would be on station in thirty minutes, arriving aboard the Freedom, a Core Dynamics Fed Dropship.

Vasil paid for the beer but did not finish it, wished the stall owner luck, and headed back to the Onoarea. He knew the fifty tons of foodstuffs he brought in would not make much difference. He had no idea, though, that his simple act of anonymous goodwill had drawn unwanted attention from the wrong people, or that the ideas he had to expand that small act of charity might pull others into danger as well.

Back on the Onoarea, Vasil listened to the flight control chatter, and once he heard that the Freedom was awaiting landing clearance, he sent a secure channel request to the ship.

The reply was immediate and exuberant. “Vas, old buddy! That toe-headed ERS rep you have on the Allied Solace said you’d be taking charge of the VIPs.”

“Yeah, Bobby, I am. Octavia wanted them picked up in the clipper by an ERS executive.”

“Ooh, fancy. I suppose this beat up old tub of mine is not pretty enough to be seen on Emerald.”

“The ship is okay, Bob. It’s the beat-up old pilot that’s the problem.”

“Ha. I know the real problem with me is that I’m a better pilot and better looking than you. Anyway, Vas, why the secure channel?”

“Two reasons. First, I’ve arranged for someone to meet the VIPs at the terminal and take them to a suite at the best hotel on the station. If I am not at the terminal, I will meet them at the hotel. Second, I have a business proposal I’d like you to discuss with that indy trader group of yours.”

“Okay, let’s hear it, Vas.”

“For the next few months whenever they come to the station, if they have the extra cargo space, bring some food. Not a lot. No more than 30-50tons, and very basic stuff. Cartridges, synthetics and the like.”

“So, the low value stuff.”

“Exactly. Any manifests, bills of lading, and invoices come straight to me, not through ERS, and must have Bad Investments Limited as the sender. The storage, recipient, and other details we can get into later, but the bottom line is that on delivery I’ll pay 10% over whatever they paid for the cargo.”

“Ten percent on fifty tons of cheap stuff is not much. At most a few thousand creds.”

“True, but it is a guaranteed 10% on cargo space that might otherwise have been empty and not earning any profit.”

“I’ll get the word out for you, Vas, but I have to go. Flight control just cleared me for landing, bay 46. Get in touch once you get your VIPs settled and we can talk details. Over and out.”

Vasil closed the channel. Once all of the details were worked out, Vasil felt certain there would be a few pilots with smaller ships, or maybe new traders looking to build capital, that would take advantage of the offer. Nothing motivated small indy traders like being broke. A guaranteed ten percent is something they’d accept that the bigger and more experienced traders would see as a waste of time.

For Vasil, this was becoming more of a business experiment than the single act charity he had originally planned. He’d fund the experiment for two months to see how many pilots would take advantage of the offer, how Willow handled it, and if she found out that he was behind the shipments. Since he was making no serious effort to hide what he was doing, Vasil did not think it would take Willow long to discover the truth if she wanted to. In fact, that fit perfectly into his plans.

Last edit: 31 Aug 2023, 3:37am
Willow Thorn
31 Aug 2023, 9:58pm
He was on the station somewhere, the Hacker had told Willow Vasil had ships here, and his name wasn't on any passenger lists that had departed, but where was he? The Network could have found out easy, but Willow didn't want to stalk him. Willow would do the investigating her self, but her time was filled with learning about catering supplies, and the people buying them on Citi right now.

Whatever, she had a meeting with the council of cooks? Cartel of caterers? She'd come up with a name for the bargain hunting food vendors on the pilot's market, but at least this time she knew what price she should be charging for the few goods Bad Investments Ltd were dropping off. After that, she'd have to get that guy off her back that was pestering her for a meeting about her supply chain.

What was there to say? She didn't know who was delivering what, or when goods would come in. The Network was looking into the deliveries, so Willow could at least talk to the pilots when they made a drop. At least that way she'd have some clue what was going down if she failed to find Vasil and make him pay a damn manager that knew what was going on to deal with this crap.

She'd spent a lot of the credits from the first 50 ton delivery, but she had that sprung on her, now she had a hint of an idea what was going on. Vasil could heir an accountant too, that way maybe Willow could work out how the last bunch of indi pilots made this shit work.

"Willow Thorn? You look like a Willow Thorn"

She had been so deep in her own head, she didn't notice the group of men outside the loading bay of her warehouse space. They didn't look like the kind of guys that talked about merging supply chains, or bar & grill owners.

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