Court on Lunion

Have we got a bomb pumped laser laying around? And would a bomb pumped laser actually have any effect on a black hole? I think we're still dealing with a lot of unknowns with the black hole plan, where as the Jump ejection plan seems much more straight forward. Plus jump ejection is half a year closer to where we are.  We're never going to have a plan that we like. We have to settle on a plan we dislike less than other plans. 

Energy is just as good as mass as far as a Black Hole is concerned; better, in this case, because light doesn’t get slowed down relativistically like mass does, meaning it will go right in and expand the Black Hole to where the Artifact is. The Science Station studying the Black Hole will probably have a few that can be used one way or another; I’m sure the argument “Shoot that black hole with some bomb-pumped lasers to suck up that abomination or you’ll all wind up as pullers” will be very convincing. From where I sit, the Black Hole plan, while tedious, is the most reliable one. It depends on a property of matter we know it has, as opposed to one it merely might have. The Jump Bubble plan reminds me of an episode of Futurama where Fry and Bender complain that moving pillows one by one takes too long, so they pile all the pillows on the cart to deliver them all at once... but the gravity of that planet is too high, and so the cart breaks under the weight of the pillows. Leela then chastises them for not following directions, and orders them to deliver the pillows one by one... by hand, rather than using a second cart. Then they complain that if they could only use the second cart, it would break, and then they could give up ; like you guys want to try the easy plan with no hope of success that ruins any chance of trying anything else.

Yeah you may think the black hole plan is better, but you won't hear me not complaining about it! ( yeah I've seen that episode ) Energy is just as good as mass as far as a Black Hole is concerned. Lets just say that's true for a moment, and lets just say that 100% of that bomb's mass was converted into energy and then fired into the black hole as a laser ( far fetched ).  E=MC^2 goes both ways. E/C^2=M . So the energy delivered by a bomb pumped laser is the mass equivalent of dropping the mass of that torpedo into the black hole. The effect of which, I imagine, would be jack. The effect would be jack if you fired a bomb pumped torp at a smaller target like a main sequence star or even a gas giant. A planet may get a crater, but that's about it. A starship can survive a hit from a bomb pumped laser ( mostly ). We're talking about the collapsed core of a super sized star here. I doubt it gives a rat's arse what you shoot at it.  But all pseudo-intellectual bullshite aside, the big difference between our situation and the episode of futurama you quoted is that the Jump jettison plan is far from being the "easy plan with no hope of success". That's nonsense. It's the plan that, according to all the information we currently have, provides the best chance of success. 

If you are so sure its non atomic matter, then the matter /energy of out universe would not be a power source for it so we could throw it into the middle of a sun. as for the black hole, who is to say psi energy will be effected buy the gravity  well of the black hole. Once spaghettification occurs all that psi energy is releases, and who's to say if a black hole wont prove to be a power source turning that part of space into the "Puller extents". Just because we cant get spectral analysis of it doesn't rule out that its made from atomic matter, it probably is but the teck level of its creation is high enough that it might as well be protected by magic. And ill say it again, thats a bloody long way to take an ancient artifact and not have the space cops pull you over for a random search and seizure. Remember its a freekin warzone.

... maybe we should cover it in honey and feed it to bears?

Tenacious Techhunter said: Wolfen said: Tenacious Techhunter said: Why were Zenobia and Bob not moved to a more suitable cryoberth at the first available opportunity? I suppose that was technically Simone’s (Bob’s) job? Great question. I agree that it would have been Dr. Simone's responsibility by default, but I don't even know if Bob was actually aware that the psions were frozen. I had intended to deal with their accommodations while we were at Tenalphi, but we didn't get the chance. :( When would that first opportunity have been? Well, when we first put them in there, I told everybody that those berths weren't designed for long term use. I brought it up again when we we first made port at Smoug. Nobody was interested or willing to entertain other ideas. I realize I should have kept at it, but I let myself get distracted by all of the other shit that was going on.  Everybody was pretty clear that the priority with the psions was in keeping them harmless and out of our way, so realistically, the only good option would have been buying full cryoberths and transferring our prisoners to them. Of course, that probably wouldn't have been possible until Tenalphi anyway, as I doubt that Smoug would have full low berths available for purchase and the facilities to install them.  Now, whether or not Bobvh would have survived in a normal low berth is a question only Pakkrat could answer. Regardless of the answer, however, I hope we can all take to heart the fact that our constant bickering is distracting and destructive. I also hope that we can all try to be a bit more willing and able to compromise and work as a team. I think I see now why Bob has been so critical of our "rule-by-committee" approach to decision making. So, I'm going to make a post in the Corporate Structure thread about this.

I do not want anyone else to go through what I went through, probably tenfold since the middle might be fully visible. I've seen and understood stuff I had 0 intention of knowing about. So basically what I'm saying is, I'll throw the bloody Ark out of the ship, this is only because I'm the only one that you can guarantee will not look back at the Ark as it "explodes". Also I trust the "trio" of psions because Uthka would never say to do something that would cause harm to the Dame and Isis needs us to not die so her ticket can be fulfilled to kill the man that killed her husband. Also Zenobia seems to be in a situation that she wouldn't risk hurting us *cough* Ragnarok Missiles *cough*.

Alby said: Yeah you may think the black hole plan is better, but you won't hear me not complaining about it! ( yeah I've seen that episode ) Energy is just as good as mass as far as a Black Hole is concerned. Lets just say that's true for a moment, and lets just say that 100% of that bomb's mass was converted into energy and then fired into the black hole as a laser ( far fetched ). No, that’s not where I was going with that. You fire the laser to increase the radius of the Event Horizon... so rather than waiting a literal eternity waiting for the thing to fall in due to momentum, you just make the Black Hole bigger so that the new Event Horizon has already swallowed it. A funny thing about the Event Horizon of a Black Hole is that it’s proportional to the mass ... Instead of the inverse square, or the cube root, or some other funny number. And we really only need to get it started, so that it swallows some nearby mass, since mass is so much more effective than energy. So it’ll be a little chain-reaction-y. But it’s probably nothing that the scientists poking and prodding at the thing haven’t already done a few times before.

Alby said: But all pseudo-intellectual bullshite aside, the big difference between our situation and the episode of futurama you quoted is that the Jump jettison plan is far from being the "easy plan with no hope of success". That's nonsense. It's the plan that, according to all the information we currently have, provides the best chance of success.  Here’s what we have so far: If it were made of atomic matter, we know it would disintegrate... but it isn’t, so we don’t know that. If certain theories about the structure of the universe are correct, an object composed of some unknown sort of mass may stop existing, by virtue of being outside the Jump Bubble... but those theories are far from proven. It’s nothing but uncertainty. Here’s what we know about the Black Hole: It swallows mass; unless the artifact has been playing an elaborate trick on us this whole time, it does have mass, but if it’s trapped inside a dumbfire missile, the missile will probably pull it in anyway. It swallows energy; light is the typical example. So... if this thing still has mass or is made of pure energy, it’s going in and not coming out. We have good reason to believe it has both of those things, and no reason to believe it’s anything else, although, if it is, that’s a bit in “beyond our comprehension” territory, at which point no solution we come up with will be correct.

VIC e. said: If you are so sure its non atomic matter, then the matter /energy of out universe would not be a power source for it so we could throw it into the middle of a sun. as for the black hole, who is to say psi energy will be effected buy the gravity  well of the black hole. Once spaghettification occurs all that psi energy is releases, and who's to say if a black hole wont prove to be a power source turning that part of space into the "Puller extents". Just because we cant get spectral analysis of it doesn't rule out that its made from atomic matter, it probably is but the teck level of its creation is high enough that it might as well be protected by magic. And ill say it again, thats a bloody long way to take an ancient artifact and not have the space cops pull you over for a random search and seizure. Remember its a freekin warzone. It’s not that we can’t get a spectrum analysis of it; we did . It shows no spectrum lines at all . It is a theoretically perfect blackbody radiator. That pretty much rules out it being made of atoms, since any light it gives off isn’t being produced from interactions with electrons. Spaghettification happens really quickly; we’re going to fire the bomb-pumped laser and swallow it between puller signals... the period of which will have been stretched out due to relativistic effects. Just because it’s not made of atomic matter, that doesn’t mean it can’t interact with atomic matter or energy in a useful way. The 2 cultures that left it in that temple had the choice of throwing it into Bowman’s sun, and chose not to. While I have no basis for trusting their decision not to, I’m inclined to think they had good reasons for not doing so.

Wolfen said: Tenacious Techhunter said: Wolfen said: Tenacious Techhunter said: Why were Zenobia and Bob not moved to a more suitable cryoberth at the first available opportunity? I suppose that was technically Simone’s (Bob’s) job? Great question. I agree that it would have been Dr. Simone's responsibility by default, but I don't even know if Bob was actually aware that the psions were frozen. I had intended to deal with their accommodations while we were at Tenalphi, but we didn't get the chance. :( When would that first opportunity have been? Well, when we first put them in there, I told everybody that those berths weren't designed for long term use. I brought it up again when we we first made port at Smoug. Nobody was interested or willing to entertain other ideas. I realize I should have kept at it, but I let myself get distracted by all of the other shit that was going on. Everybody was pretty clear that the priority with the psions was in keeping them harmless and out of our way, so realistically, the only good option would have been buying full cryoberths and transferring our prisoners to them. Of course, that probably wouldn't have been possible until Tenalphi anyway, as I doubt that Smoug would have full low berths available for purchase and the facilities to install them. The plan was to keep them in the emergency berths for only as long as necessary to transfer them to more reliable units. Since it looks like we did that to the best of our ability anyway, I think we can correctly chalk this up to a “no fault” accident. Are we sure that the on-station medical facility couldn’t have done anything for Bob? Or were we just too busy being stuck in the firefight to have had the chance to try something while it mattered?

Uthka has given us bad advice before, with regards to the comms, out of a misunderstanding she had about how comms works between star systems. Certainly not deliberately bad, but certainly bad . If they can give us something verifiable, then we can act on that. But a “to do list” isn’t a verifiable fact.

Alby said: ... maybe we should cover it in honey and feed it to bears? And risk creating another Panzor? I think not!

Guys, there is no amount of discussion that will change TT's mind, so there's no point. Pakkrat has already given us, through Jacob's skills and research, through the three weirds, and through multiple comments specifically saying not  to let our own understanding of real world science to outweigh our characters' in-game science, that we have as much certainty as we're going to get. I don't like it or understand it, but he's never going to accept that anybody else's idea could work once he's decided that his own idea is best.

Discussion, no; facts , yes. No fact , in game or not, has been brought to light that would guarantee that any material, regardless of its unknown properties, would be destroyed upon impact with a Jump Bubble. Pakkrat has rather clearly guaranteed that neither approach is conclusively going to work. :P

Actually I'm pretty sure that's not true TT. Absolute destruction of anything passing through a jump bubble seems to be a solidly establish fact.  Oh and  Well, when we first put them in there, I told everybody that those berths weren't designed for long term use. I brought it up again when we we first made port at Smoug. Nobody was interested or willing to entertain other ideas. I realize I should have kept at it, but I let myself get distracted by all of the other shit that was going on. That's not entirely true. I was looking up all the in game specs on all the available versions of the cryoberth thingos. None of them mentioned the fact that they can only hold folks for a limited time as far as I could tell, but it could well be implied. Some are dodgy "emergency" one's and others are for actual passenger transport. I tried to keep in mind that in game canon folks traveled for long periods of time in sublight ships while in low berths. I figured that as long as they had power you could stay in them indefinitely.   But I'm pretty sure I posed something or said something in meta that agreed with you about upping their accommodation. Real lowberths take 2dtons each though. So it needed to wait for cargo space to be set aside and for someone to phisically spend the money buying the new low berth capsules ... which I think we were planning to do at Tenalphi?

If the only things tested so far were regular mundane matter, then that doesn’t apply to our case.

You may well have mentioned it at some point, and I may have missed it or just don't remember. No offense intended.  As far as the specs of our "emergency medical cryo berths," the simple fact is that we have set aside neither tonnage or money for any  low berths, but they were figured into the med bay for some reason that pre-dated my arrival in the campaign. When I first heard of them and mentioned that they weren't accounted for, I was told that they were limited as I've described. The rest is just as you say; we just didn't get the chance.

This is an indication, story driven, but readily evident that the 1200dT Colonial Cruiser's exact specifications will be closely monitored and known by the entire crew.

Over the next few weeks ill keep a check on the news feeds, especially those coming in from Derchon. While i am sure that there will be nothing of interest regarding pullers or massed hospitalization of psionicaly adept people, its good to just make sure.

VIC e. said: Over the next few weeks ill keep a check on the news feeds, especially those coming in from Derchon. While i am sure that there will be nothing of interest regarding pullers or massed hospitalization of psionicaly adept people, its good to just make sure. While it does take a week or more for news to travel even one parsec of space via X-boat mail, it will eventually be learned that there is no news of any strangeness from Derchon system nor Tenalphi.  Tenalphi's terrorist problem is the latest sensational news, but many statements from Lady Anrsrea, Marquis of Tenalphi have been made.  News nets continue to speculate about her reporting personally to the Duke of Lunion concerning the terrorist attack and the damage cost estimates to the Highport. Final death toll count puts the casualties of the Bowman Incident at just over 4000 sophonts.  LSP and the IISS are having trouble re-staffing their respective facilities, yet Garrison Starport is recovering nicely.  The RayEagle  is on station indefinitely. Public records have been published and the Artemis Group  and their 800dT Broadsword- class Mercenary Cruiser Ares  have been logged as arrived at the geostationary Highport above Lunion.  Speculations as to the history and current affairs of the company and why they have been summoned to a Court of the Peerage are like wildfires to those who care.  Paparazzi are in abundance with their telephoto lenses and camera drones, watching all approaches to the Palace of the Duke for anyone who matches the registered crew of the Ares.   Why are the Artemis Group is so important as to merit/demerit a multi-signatory, Ducal Warrant is the question of the week. Date: 023-1110⑆ Rhylanor ( Spinward Marches 2716)[ edit ] By TNS Staff Writer ¶ After months of speculation by informed sources, the Admiralty revealed that a major operation to relieve Jewell has been undertaken by combined Imperial and Colonial forces. ¶ No further data is available. Ω Date: 039-1110⑆ Rhylanor ( Spinward Marches 2716)[ edit ] By TNS Staff Writer ¶ The public relations office of the Imperial Navy refused to deny or to confirm rumors of Zhodani atrocities against the citizens of Ruby ( Spinward Marches 1005) and Emerald ( Spinward Marches 1006) during the recent occupation of those worlds. Ω 040-1110 A suspected beltstrike in Bowman, covered up by the so-called Bowman Incident, has caused new prospectors and belters to rush to Bowman to conduct operations despite the lack of hard evidence of any new mineral finds in the largest known planetoid belt in the Third Imperium.  Analysts say that such gold-rushes are normal after periods of silence or some happenstance brings the locality to public eye.

Is there any chance some one in the Darrian embassy has the ability to either smuggle us into the palace or disguise me enough that i wont be recognized going into the palace. Once out of camera range ill happily remove said costume.   P.S. I might not be able to be there for the meta this week as i am getting an internet upgrade from smoke signals to wire and tin cans. Look out the "Third world" , Australian internet might catch you in 2 or 3 hundred years.

The Darrian Consulate can array Izek as a secretary to Adm. Galen the Darrian Envoy.  Then once inside, he can check any weapons and assume his Adept identity with little fuss.

Denouement:  Court on Lunion et al I feel it necessary to post, without speculation, interruption, alternation of the plot, a closing act concerning the Warrant and the Court on Lunion. The Ares .  The Third Imperium rules the space between worlds and everything in it.  The Duchess Delphine Adorania Muudashir of Mora, a woman who is used to getting her way in all things, desires all things that were close to her friend Colonel Lloyd Robertson.  Her homeworld is a matriarchy where men aren't allowed positions of greater power.  Is it any wonder her red-faced anger at the temerity of Duke Norris of Regina?  Through Eminent Domain of the Imperium, she has levied claim over the Imperium-built, 800dT Broadsword- class Mercenary Cruiser crafted by one of her heroes, Col. Robertson.  By Imperium law she has to present fair market payment for the ship, but she can tie up the vessel indefinitely in judiciary court if she's not satisfied.  The Artemis Group is certainly allowed to take gear, equipment, systems and the like from the ship before she takes possession of it.  But in doing so, reduces the amount the Duchess has to pay for it.  The Imperial Interstellar Scout Service wants their Zhunastu Industries jumpdrive back too, again reducing the final bill for the Duchess.  It is most likely that the ship will become a museum piece dedicated to Colonel Lloyd Robertson on Mora.  The hero of the Fourth Frontier War, an open-minded soldier and commander who held out a hand where others pointed weapons; the Colonel was a remarkable man that only a nuclear weapon could put down. The Artemis Group.   Given that a key crew member is exiled from the Domain of Deneb, ( Spinward Marches, Trojan Reaches, Deneb and  Reft  Sectors), the company has to fill in the gaps and decide on a new starship Captain, re-assign leadership, and rededicate to a company role based on the final construction and capabilities of the 1200dT Colonial Cruiser being built in orbit over Lunion/Lunion.  It is also likely that the Darrian Confederation will recall Admiral Galen, now a self-distinguished Emissary and Ambassador to the Third Imperium in keeping the peace between them and Darrian.   Dave is free to keep Galen, but is advised to retire the character into a golden Diplomatic history.  The new ship will need more crew and have better coverage of all ship positions given its future role. Zenobia Manes.   It is likely that her debriefing and testimony against Captain Maarg will lend credence that the Imperial Naval Intelligence has been dishonored by the corruption of the Intelligence facility on Wypoc regardless of the Captain's zeal in trying to even the arsenal against the Zhodani.  She will likely suffer a Career Event (as in character creation) that her entire team was killed by the Bowman Incident (and later events swept under the carpet), such that it will likely negatively affect her Mustering Out Benefits.  It is also evident to those in the know, that Zenobia will be watched like a hawk the rest of her Career and life.  Zenobia conducts a Psion's memorial for her apprentice Bobvh Nain in a private cremation.  Neither of the two had family before Wypoc. Professor Isis.   Because of her close relationship with the late Colonel Lloyd Robertson, the aforementioned Duchess Delphine will grant her asylum on Mora for the rest of her natural life in employment to Delphine.  Because she can test and train, with a little help and supplies, students in psionics; it is felt best that she be detained and retained as an ex-pat Zhodani and continually prove herself innocent of the Colonel's assassination on Darrian.  In effect, she is removed from play though she lives a life of matriarchal luxury in the court of Duchess.  Two women who lost the man they loved.  Her Vengeance Ticket stands as she does not betray it to anyone but the Artemis Group. The Ark.   The IISS cannot possibly come out with their knowledge of the crystalline Ark.  The storm it would cause would shake the foundations of the Scout Service.  Ling Standard Products cannot likewise come out because of their employees starting a firefight on Alpha Moon against the IISS, a clear act of treason against an Imperium department.   The megacorporation is already bruised by the insurance claims employee next of kin are levying against them for the lives lost in the Bowman Incident.  Both the Scout Service and LSP have lost the Darrian Outpost to the Imperium Navy, the RayEagle  who then lost the entire Epsilon Moon to the arrival of the blockading, TL16 intelligent battlecruiser and its attendant Darrian Navy.  There is likely a court hurricane in the works between the Darrians and LSP, with casualties such as the Scout Service, belter looters over the years who scavenged the Outpost before or during the initial IISS dig.  Now that the Ark, the Heart of the Many, is destroyed by reality's sharp edge only Jeff Scardack can understand its true purpose and reasons for its existence.  It was only he that saw its inner light snuffed in jumpspace between Tenalphi and Derchon.  It is a foregone conclusion that the Artemis Group will watch Jeff from behind his back for the rest of his employment with them. Extents Vargr.   The "Archduke" Norris of Deneb has sent the three Extents Vargr and their robot into exile from the Domain.  Happily and tired, Senior Scout Gevaudan Cannagrrh takes his Sister-Dame Qithka Cannagrrh, Uthka Varzeekh and Witness back to Gvurrdon  Sector and the Dzen Aeng Kho (the Society of Equals) in his new Far Scout variant reaching construction completion on 060-1110.  The Artemis Group has time to say their goodbyes, exchange parting gifts, wine tastings at Argentill Vinyards, recall and document all the adventures of the company during the Fifth Frontier War.  Gevaudan, as I have posted in other threads, will take up starship Trade in the Sixth Horizon , though such a decision comes after he and his sister learn of their Pack's tradition that the two sibling must ritually Infight for the Alpha of Pack Cannagrrh.  Because the two have lost their rivalry during and after the Bowman Incident, neither of them wants to bloody the other for the Pack's traditions.  Thus, Gevaudan punishes the Dame by making her take the Pack Alpha throne on their homeworld on Dzuerongvoe/Dzen ( Gvurrdon  1413), a move that will end her field correspondence for Kfan Uzangou , the magazine she worked for.  Witness will be returned to the magazine, a distinguished robot for its services.  Qithka will have to learn to be a Pack Alpha and administer to all the assets the Pack owns.  Thus with his Sister-Dame out of his hair, Gevaudan is also by default exiled from his own homeworld if the two do not Infight.  By breaking with Pack tradition, the Equal Pilot-Astrogator must avoid his homeworld for the rest of Qithka's reign.  Uthka Varzeekh is dismissed from Qithka's service at her own request.  She returns to Sibiatl , the mobile Psionic Institute that travels between the Thirz Empire and the Society of Equals.  There she is a valued resource in her later years as an Instructor, Seer, Psioncology and Sociology teacher concerning topics of Talented-Untalented relations and interactions.  Uthka's crystal tarot deck was shattered to tiny shards by her female Aslan Guards on Lunion/Lunion, which also caused Uthka to lose her cool during the interrogation.  Before the Extents Vargr depart to their exile, Professor Isis gives Uthka the monadium, hexagonal Coyns she pocketed on Alpha Moon's IISS base from Meg the little survivor girl.  In Traveller, monadium is nigh indestructible.  Uthka spends the rest of her life trying to unravel the mysterious connection between the Droyne Coyns, the Droyne and the Ancients through them.  She too is unmade by the Empress Wave that sweeps through Gvurrdon Sector slightly years before Gevaudan in 1187.  Gevaudan Cannagrrh in the 1130s Virus Era takes up Concubine slaving out of the Wilds of the former Thoengling Empire's shambles.  By transporting survivors from the lawless wastes and back to the Society of Equals, they can work their way into citizenship through the upwardly-mobile stratification of that Orwellian polity.  It was seen as a backwards humanitarian effort.  Gevaudan Cannagrrh contributed to the Artemis Group from afar but the distance of communications meant that he was hindered to quarterly missions for them as he plied the stars just outside the Dzen Aeng Kho. Gerald Rothschild  returns to the Artemis Group having used his payoff money from the [AMC] back on Aramis/Aramis.  The Imperium Noble playboy and Chief Engineer seeks to return the "bad old days" when responsibility could be avoided on a day-to-day basis.  He takes up his old position of Chief Engineer for the Artemis Group. Captain Panzor was never heard from again.  There is a rumor that his pelt is a rug somewhere and his 'psionic' sword impales his skull as a grisly trophy. Hot & Spicy the touring rock band sends Artemis  a copy of their new album though it takes nearly a year to travel from one end of the Vargr Extents and Julian Protectorate to the Spinward Marches.   They are doing well and Pepper is currently the top Sorceress in the online, heavily-instanced, Red Wizard.   Cinnamon continues to bite fans who think she is a werewolf as a band gimmick that makes her incredibly popular with the young crowd.  Their goal of interracial peace between Vargr and Humaniti continues and has some minor success in the Third Empire of Gashikan.  Sylk wear is elevated to new heights of fashion thanks to help and endorsements from Ginger, her Panet Khrragg, Nutmeg and a reluctant lead singer Rock Salt.  Pepper undergoes treatment for cirrhosis of the liver and the band rallies behind her recovery from alcohol and drug abuse. Squeeek  the Uplifted Solomani Dolphin continues to bring badly needed supplies to worlds that are near Failing due to the Fifth Frontier War.  He continues into Hard Times and manages to eschew the Doom Trade through his efforts.  He is viewed as a hero. That's all I can think of right now.  Return later to this post to see more conclusions to the Fifth Frontier War.  

Inspired by scandalously vague news reports about her former bodyguard, Pepper convinces the band to release as a single a cover of an old Solomani song, “Secret Agent Man”.

Or a rock/metal cover to September - Cry For You

Izek speak to our resident lawyer and advocate, pointing out that we should seek compensation for those wrongfully interrogated, but also for the Artemis group as our reputation has been smeared. Yes we have had a boost in our rep, but it is also a slur on our groups integrity and standing and by default every member of the group.

Yer we all know that Izek only loves money and will push the legal envelope to get what he can.

Well ... that could backfire a bit. The families of those Aslan guards that Gev killed could be looking for some compo too.  We're also assuming he was "wrongfully interrogated". Pulling out a Zho light saber and using psionic powers would go a long way toward confirming that he is Outworld Coalition. He hasn't exactly proven that he isn't by his capers. He got off pretty easy with that exile.  May be a better idea to let sleeping dogs lie. 

Because I apparently have to preface this with "Pakkrat Says" nowadays..... While the security footage shows a brawl in that interrogation room, Gev cutting into his Aslan interrogators, the white Vargr was unable to devote time to a single killing blow.  Once his initial foes were out of reach or on the floor, he bolted from the room.  He was chased all night and only stunned and re-captured an hour before Court.  Also seen are dewclaws of the Aslan Guards giving Gev as good as he lashed out.  This is why the Pilot-Astrogator was so roughed up and bloody by they dragged his stunned hide into the Audience Hall.  Gevaudan's jaunts were reported verbally by his Guards later, exposing him as a teleporter .  How he knew the Aslan 'conned' as enemies is something only Crow would know and could explain.

Pakkrat said: ... How he knew the Aslan 'conned' as enemies is something only Crow would know and could explain. So to everyone else it simply looked as if he was violently breaking out of custody? That was how I was reading it. If I got that wrong let me know.  

Gevaudan was being treated roughly, interrogated as one might treat a prisoner rather than respectfully to a Warrant guest.  Instead, the Aslan were physically rough, abusive in language and generally disdainful of Gev.  Their mistake was that they didn't know what the 'flashlight' was, nor did they equip this interrogation room with a psi-squealer as they did with Prof. Isis.  One of the reactions of Duke Luis, overheard by the closest of characters was to ask why Aslan had been assigned to a Vargr, "cats and dogs in the same room....".  To him, it was a volatile mix at the very first frames of the playback. But to answer the question, after his rough mistreatment, his sniffer con, then Gev went for the mindsaber and the Aslan drew stunsticks and popped dewclaws.  Then the brawl began after the initial surprise of the Zhodani weapon's ignition glare.  A slight moment of hesitation but then challenge accepted.  Brawl.  Stunsticks and dewclaws versus mindsaber and Infighting. Edited for spelling.

Assuming that Gev and/or the Vargr ladies want to press a suit, Sebastien will happily represent them, pro bono. As for Artemis Group initiating a suit for slander or liable, he would also be willing to do that, but he would advise against it.  In Gev's case, there is a case to be made that the vargr acted in self-defense, and that the initial detention was improper - especially given the fact that our new Arch Duke has admitted as much. Obviously, that would have to be decided in a back room settlement, but that in itself is a strong point in the vargr's favor. There are legal and diplomatic issues here that I would have to go through with Pakkrat, obviously, and the nature of any potential case might be significantly impacted by those factors. As for Artemis Group seeking damages for slander/liable, there is really no case until and unless the events in that Court become public. Since everybody has a vested interest in avoiding any such disclosure, that would be virtually impossible to pursue. It would also almost certainly burn our bridges to the Nobility of the Domain of Deneb, at the very least. Considering the fact that we now have a large boost in our reputation and possibly even our influence with both the polities and the military commands of the Spinward Marches, it would be a shame to squander that boon on a frivolous lawsuit. We also have yet to negotiate our payment for the initial leg of Sebastien's Ticket, and to set up the new Ticket to go after Maarg. It would be foolish to bite the hand that has yet to feed us, as it were. We should rather capitalize on the flux created by the unforeseen events at Court to push for additional Ticket Adjustments and other benefits/compensation. 

Since we'll have a bit of time before Gev and the ladies head out, anybody who wants to ask Gev (or Crow) about Gev's reasons for acting the way he did will have the opportunity. For his part, Crow will not try to justify Gev's behavior to Runt, as he feels that it doesn't matter what he says. If Runt or anybody else wants to discuss it, that's fine, and he'll be willing explain. Though he'd suggest that folks speak directly to Gev first.  For the record, Jacob doesn't feel that we should necessarily fire Runt. He's not vindictive or anything, but he'd want a very clear understanding with Kayleb about professional behavior regarding passengers and other crew moving forward. 

Yeah, that “mandatory cultural sensitivity training”? Even more mandatory. He better start ranking up some Sophontology if he wants to stay employed. What I would recommend here is that Sebastien suggest to the Duke a gift to Uthka of a lifetime subscription to the “Trans-Imperium Tea of the Month Club”. For Gev, we suggest a few upgrades for his ship, “in order to better and more expediently comply with the Arch-Duke’s decree” ( that will get those engineers working hard...). It does not advantage Artemis Group for this to be made public. However, if Gev, Uthka, or Qithka insist on pressing charges, Charoux is inclined to be supportive. Of course, Sebastien is likely to say something along the lines of, “These things happen in a Monarchy.”, and Qithka is likely to recognize that. When asked for information by the press, Charoux will disguise his face using his holo-watch, and his voice using his translation software, and say only that, “The views of our inferior grade employee, Kayleb Groughtk, do not reflect the views of Artemis Group. The conditions of his employment will be reviewed, and termination of his employment given full consideration.”. They will likely have no idea what that means, and even bad press is good publicity; mysterious press even better.

Pakkrat says.... Gevaudan.   The Senior Scout spends the rest of the week at Argentill Vineyards, healing his brawl bruises, cuts and damaged ego.  For while the Admiral Galen was right to commend him for his leadership concerning the Ark, (a possible Charisma increase), being hauled into the Audience Hall half disrobed and in restraints, shamed by his fellow crew, and being banished or exiled from the Spinward Marches  by none other than the Archduke himself....it's a blow.  If asked, Gevaudan does not want to press a lawsuit for damages.  "This one knows who to blame.  Maarg.  Make a do."  Gevaudan will suggest to Capt. Crow to take Dr. Simone's 'body' back to the Ares, (Crow will know why by the tone of the Pilot-Astrogator's voice).  The white Vargr does request Advocate aid to get his EMP-shielding collar, Teleportation Suit and Mindsaber back from the Palace of the Duke.  He will spend the days in a study, a library or in the kitchen.  His nights are spent on an outdoor battlement of the estate keep and watching the stars after dusk.  With him is his handcomputer that provides him a live feed from the orbital shipyard constructing the Sixth Horizon.   His Sister-Dame tries to approach him but Gevaudan rebuffs her with, "You kick too many blood hornet hives!"  It is during this week that a germ of a plan is seeded in the arrival of a Gvegh  text-only missive.  The letter is authentic featuring certain idioms that mark it as a directive from Pack Cannagrrh.  Still in pain, the Pilot-Astrogator thrusts it at his sibling after reading and begins planning with his keen intellect.  In his uninjured hand he clutches the Witch's Fiddle he had been maltreated with, like some meditative, smooth, palm rock. Dame Qithka.   The Dame Qithka is partially shamed by her brother during Court.  But because Gevaudan only spoke those words in earshot of Kayleb, Qithka and those very nearby, there is not enough shaming to cause her a Charisma Check.  She too does not want to aggravate things for her brother through some lawsuit.  Gevaudan has stated his mind and she keeps silent and vigil over him from afar, watching him heal.  Knowing that she will be taken home, the elder sister reads the directive from home.  "They want to us to Infight for the Alpha of Pack Cannagrrgh."  A ritual and often bloody battle between two simultaneous incumbents to the Alpha position of the Pack is indicated.  The Progressives and Traditionalists have black sheep in each of their respective arms of the family tree.  Only Gevaudan and Qithka remain full Equals and true to the polity culture.  "I do not wish to fight you, Gev," she says to the recovering younger brother. Uthka Varzeekh.   The gray Seer stays in quietus  the entire stay at Argentill Vineyards.  She has exposed herself at nearly the same time as Gevaudan due to the harsh treatment of the Aslan Guards questioning and searching her.  Yet, it has only earned her pain and the shattering of her crystal tarot into shards and slivers.  She won't be pulling placards on anyone else for some time.  The middle-aged attache spends her time sitting in the gazebo in the hedge maze and sniffing red roses nearby, a new experience for her.  The eccentric Vargr woman cradles her I (Heart) Tea mug as it was not in her shoulder bag that was emptied in the interrogation room before Court.  Never again will she prophesie for a Human or Aslan, she promises herself. Witness.   The robot does what it always does.  It watches the painful conflict between the siblings and the dilemma they will have to consider as only one of them can rise to Alpha of Pack Cannagrrh.  The magazine robot is fully versed in this middle echelon Pack from the Society of Equals and knows that the magazine editors will be keen to cliffhanger the decision of the siblings on the matter.  The floating robot is silent unless directly addressed on matters of Kfan Uzangou  business. Isis and Zenobia do not return to Argentill Vineyards with the Artemis Group.  They say their goodbyes right there in Court's conclusion, thus missing their chance to wish the Extents Vargr a farewell.

Wolfen said:  For his part, Crow will not try to justify Gev's behavior to Runt, as he feels that it doesn't matter what he says. If Runt or anybody else wants to discuss it, that's fine, and he'll be willing explain. Though he'd suggest that folks speak directly to Gev first. The motive behind Gev's behavior seems obvious to Runt. It's unlikely that he would ever feel the need for someone to explain it.  Gev was lawfully detained and interrogated as a suspected agent of the Outworld Coalition. Rather than vindicating himself or waiting for legal representation, he confirmed all suspicions by producing a Zhodani weapon and attacking those detaining him. The reason the records don't show the case behind his arrest is obviously because Coalition agents hacked the system and deleted them.  Kayleb is actually stunned that he wasn't put back in detention as a prisoner of war. Being tagged as OC, and then engaging in combat, technically made Gev an "Enemy Combatant". He joined the war from Kayleb's point of view.  The above is far easier to believe than the idea that Maarg was somehow behind it. If it were Maarg then why not incriminate the entire crew and invalidate the testimony of all of us? And why is the "case" behind his arrest so weak? If it were a setup Kayleb would suspect that it would be more solid, and not able to be brushed off as an "administrative error". Incriminating evidence being deleted seems a more likely "error".  We were all permitted to carry "ceremonial weapons". If a Zhodani mindsaber is a "ceremonial"  weapon for Gev then he is definitely OC. If it isn't a ceremonial weapon then he deliberately smuggled a forbidden weapon into the palace, a bit like that waitress smuggling in that machine gun. Either way, Gev looks like a crook. Defending him makes us look like crooks.  For the record, Jacob doesn't feel that we should necessarily fire Runt. He's not vindictive or anything, but he'd want a very clear understanding with Kayleb about professional behavior regarding passengers and other crew moving forward Yeah, that “mandatory cultural sensitivity training”? Even more mandatory. He better start ranking up some Sophontology if he wants to stay employed We're in the Imperium. The entire crew are playing pro psion and Kayleb is the one who needs " cultural sensitivity training "? ... That was a joke. He could probably use some. Well .. a half joke .  Let's talk about professional behavior. I'm not sure if people have considered the irreparable damage to the company's reputation that has potentially been delivered by the recent capers. I'm not sure if Gev being chased by Imperial guards, teleporting around with a Zho lightsaber, is public knowledge yet, but imagine if it was? "Yeah that's our Captain, and we'd like to get compensation ... ". I really can't see that going well for us.  Kayleb took a vocal stand against what he believed were potential threats to Imperial security. One member of this crew can't sweep stuff like that under the carpet. 

He was not lawfully detained, the warrant was illegally altered. There are states in the US where you can legally claim self defense and injure or even kill an officer if you believe an arresting officer is over steeping his authority and your life is in danger. Yes there have only been a couple of people who have used that defense, but they have used it and were found innocent. As for smuggling a mind saber, he was taken from the estates straight to the palace under arrest instead of as a guest. As for the rest of your issues, there is only speculation and NO evidence as to any of your allegations. Nothing of what you say would be admissible in a court of law, civil or military.  It might stand up in a medieval witch hunt, but not in a modern society with laws and procedures. My character is not pro any thing, as a half breed child he coped a lot of flack for not looking Darrian enough. As a result he learned to only judge people on how they treated him, and with the Darrians having their own psi corp psionics are not an issue, and cybernetics to Izek are a personal issue. suspicion and fear start wars, not orgies, and isn't that what we all want?  ;)

Nothing of what you say would be admissible in a court of law, civil or military. It might stand up in a medieval witch hunt, but not in a modern society with laws and procedures. That's not entirely true. Simply being psionic is illegal in the Imperium. Using psionic powers is definitely out. And the concealed weapon he was carrying is also a bit of a law breaker. That's two crimes right there that he seems to be getting off scot free with. And it wouldn't be a huge leap to link Gev with the Waitress, at least as a suspect. .  As a result he learned to only judge people on how they treated him... Oh that goes for Kayleb too. Keep in mind that Kayleb has been lied to, belittled and betrayed. Turns out that Kayleb's "Captain" was a psion with a fondness for Zhodani hardware all along. He has dissed the Imperium more than a couple of times. Gev is the kind of guy who would make his own sister apologize to K at gun point for making him a sandwich.  Darrians having their own psi corp psionics are not an issue, and cybernetics to Izek are a personal issue. suspicion and fear start wars, not orgies, and isn't that what we all want? ; Yeah that's fine. But the Darrians don't have a vast interstellar psionic empire trying to destroy them. The Imperium does. It's not just suspicion and fear. Suppression of psionics is a policy put in place to ensure the Imperium's security. It's like the Imperial "Patriot Act".  I don't want to talk too much more about this OOC. Would REALLY love to sort this out "In Character" in the game if we can. I just wanted to make the point that it isn't just Kayleb's personal prejudices that we're talking about here. Both Isis and Gev have, at least in Kayleb's opinion, done things that make them a credible threat to the Imperium - Isis and her conspiracy to commit murder against an Imperial serviceman, and Gev with this psionic secrecy and his concealed weapon. 

Neither having or using psionics is evidence that they are OC operatives and he is being exiled for his psionics. Arch Duke Noris has stated that Margg is the person behind the bombing and an Illegal psi institute. And as for for conspiracy to murder an imp citizen, you also are guilty for being part of a group who have taken the ticket. Being an Imp lackey wont protect you from that crime if it was pushed. As for dissing the Imperium, Izek is guilty as charged, and its the xenophobic attitude of the Imperium, plus its propaganda and elite political structure that Izek dislikes. and guilty until proven innocent attitude will get right up Izeks nose. And really that's what Runt is doing. He has no evidence only suspicion, and being a Psion is not evidence of any thing other than being a psion. Yet you also seem to forget that the Arch Duke (who is the local imp god person, and can do as he pleases at the a whim) has let Gev go. If he thought Gev was OC, then Gev would be pig food by now.

Gevaudan.   The Pilot-Astrogator will not meet nor speak with Former Force Commander Kayleb "Runt" Groughtk.  To Gevaudan's mind, the Archduke - the Human with the most Charisma in that Audience Hall - has spoken his judgment upon Gevaudan Cannagrrh and by extension his Sister-Dame and entourage.  Gevaudan cannot rescind that sentence.  He is banished from the Domain of Deneb albeit gently and with formality and political dignity due the Dame Qithka Cannagrrh.  As such, as soon as the Sixth Horizon is complete, Artemis Group had better be willing to fly with him Coreward or get their own craft.  The Equal Vargr will not risk the wrath of such a Charismatic Human. Dame Qithka.  It is likely that she will lose her honorary membership to the Knightly Order should the events of that Court become released to public.  She has no choice but to answer her recall by the magazine, the letter from her and her brother's Pack, and her issue of being left alone means she rides with Gevaudan. Uthka Varzeekh.  A deep blue, silken package will arrive at Argentill Vineyards, addressed to her.  It is from Prof. Isis.  Inside are the monadium Coyns and a brief note of thanks.  Uthka spends the rest of the layover days in the hedge maze, enjoying roses and solitude.