Pelican Tracks -- Entry 5
Aug. 6th, 2014 09:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bluegargantuaFinally! A paying gig! And we’re finally away from quake-ravaged Greenbough, which is a nice enough place I suppose, but you can only live on appreciation for so long.
So breakfast at Baron Vanguard’s was an extended affair but things went smoothly enough and we were finally able to beg off and return to the Pelican. Before we left, the Baron mentioned that he knew someone who might need our services and to expect a visit later that afternoon. It’d had been a nerve-wracking experience, but I was pleasantly relieved on the ride home.
We returned to find the Pelican gleaming. Apparently the crew had gotten bored cooling their heels and tidied up. They were quite pleased to hear that we had work coming in soon. At Wrench’s insistence, we did a little gunnery practice late in the morning. I think he just wanted to make stuff go boom, but everyone seemed to enjoy it and it looks as though they can handle the equipment competently.
Early in the afternoon a car pulled up and out stepped Eltheta Wyndabank, an merchant tycoon in the area. She had a number of her ships impounded by Shizon and needed extra ships to fly cargo for her. Naturally, we took her up in the Pelican and took a tour of the town to show off the many special features we offer. It ended with another daredevil Sanna landing where we practically dropped the ship on top of her car. We were able to drop the cargo ramp right down to the back door. [ED. NOTE: Sanna totally botched this roll. We all spent Character Points like water to boost her score to its usual ungodly total.] A little bravado that sealed the deal. We were told to report to her distribution center later that afternoon.
So after a last check, we spun up the engines and flew over to her airfield. We put down where directed and I headed into the warehouse to meet with the factor. Ms. Wyndabank was also there and we looked over the contract. We were being hired to ship a cargo of “engine parts” to Nortrig. Nortrig is currently (has sort of always been) at war with Ostrion, a nearby island. Even if the cargo is legitimate it could certainly be seen as war materiel and the area is rife with pirates and mercenaries. It’s going to be a bit of a trick to fly there, but the money’s good and there may be a return load which should command premium rates as well.
Nortrig is also quite a ways off but it puts us well away from Shizon and Hutom-Lis which is something we all appreciate. In order to get there, we’ll have to rendezvous with a refueling station called Second Sunrise. Well, technically, we have the gear to just refuel from the clouds, but none of us are super familiar with the region and we’d like to get the inside dope from pilots at the station about what we can expect as we enter the war zone.
So we signed the paperwork, they loaded up the cargo and now we’re away. It’s good to be out above the clouds again. This flight to Nortrig will be a little tricky but we’ve dealt with volatile airspace before. I think we can handle this and turn a very nice profit.
* * *
And now, the comedy bits…
[The GM is using her Random Name Generator to come up with a series of increasingly unlikely NPC names.]
Me: If you actually start using these, then there must be some ancient ruined temple around here with a weird, arcane machine deep within. Every newborn babe is brought to this temple and black-robed priests conduct the ancient rites, the machine flashes with light and a slip of paper emerges with the newborn’s name on it. “All Hail the Name Generator God!”
[our behavior is a little strange]
Sanna: We’re in a cult. *levelhead*
[We return to a suspiciously clean ship]
Me: You know that Ian, Brenda and Brendan had this crazy adventure with the Pelican while we were at the Baron’s.
Wrench: Like every 80’s teen movie and the just barely got the ship straightened up before we got back.
[ED NOTE: We’ve decided that at some point we’ll play a one-shot where we play the three NPCs and figure out what really happened that “One Crazy Night”.]
[Misunderstandings are the best understandings]
Wrench: (talking about Brenda) Yeah they’re in a harness cleaning the windshields.
Me: (thinking he was talking about Rocky) Yeah, using his bushy tail as a scrubber.
Wrench: What? I was talking about Brenda!
Me: (to GM) Can I spend a character point so that Brenda has always had a tail?
[What? It’s true!]
Sanna: I specialize in tight corners and weird landings.
[Doing Business As]
Wrench: We’re not pirates! We’re a totally legitimate cargo company. TLC Cargo! It’s on the ship.
Sanna: I think we should be the Totally Honest Cargo company.
Me: It’s a better fit for you, yes.
[Be prepared]
GM: So you land at the airfield and take the ship’s registry in when you talk to the factor.
Me: Well, I take *a* ship’s registry in.
[Fan service]
Factor: Let’s see here, Patchwork Pelican...ah, based off the old YT-1300 chassis, that’s a good, solid design.
*everyone looks at the audience and winks*
[We each prepare in our own way]
GM: OK, so you can get some supplies.
Wrench: Do we have to worry about perishable foods?
Me: What? You want to pack hardtack and biscuits?
Wrench: Yeah, I’ve got a thing for “period” foods.
Me: Heh, yeah, we’ll be having a baloney sandwich and you’ll be offering us pemmican or something.
Again, the game is fun and now we fly into danger. Should be good.
later
Tom
So breakfast at Baron Vanguard’s was an extended affair but things went smoothly enough and we were finally able to beg off and return to the Pelican. Before we left, the Baron mentioned that he knew someone who might need our services and to expect a visit later that afternoon. It’d had been a nerve-wracking experience, but I was pleasantly relieved on the ride home.
We returned to find the Pelican gleaming. Apparently the crew had gotten bored cooling their heels and tidied up. They were quite pleased to hear that we had work coming in soon. At Wrench’s insistence, we did a little gunnery practice late in the morning. I think he just wanted to make stuff go boom, but everyone seemed to enjoy it and it looks as though they can handle the equipment competently.
Early in the afternoon a car pulled up and out stepped Eltheta Wyndabank, an merchant tycoon in the area. She had a number of her ships impounded by Shizon and needed extra ships to fly cargo for her. Naturally, we took her up in the Pelican and took a tour of the town to show off the many special features we offer. It ended with another daredevil Sanna landing where we practically dropped the ship on top of her car. We were able to drop the cargo ramp right down to the back door. [ED. NOTE: Sanna totally botched this roll. We all spent Character Points like water to boost her score to its usual ungodly total.] A little bravado that sealed the deal. We were told to report to her distribution center later that afternoon.
So after a last check, we spun up the engines and flew over to her airfield. We put down where directed and I headed into the warehouse to meet with the factor. Ms. Wyndabank was also there and we looked over the contract. We were being hired to ship a cargo of “engine parts” to Nortrig. Nortrig is currently (has sort of always been) at war with Ostrion, a nearby island. Even if the cargo is legitimate it could certainly be seen as war materiel and the area is rife with pirates and mercenaries. It’s going to be a bit of a trick to fly there, but the money’s good and there may be a return load which should command premium rates as well.
Nortrig is also quite a ways off but it puts us well away from Shizon and Hutom-Lis which is something we all appreciate. In order to get there, we’ll have to rendezvous with a refueling station called Second Sunrise. Well, technically, we have the gear to just refuel from the clouds, but none of us are super familiar with the region and we’d like to get the inside dope from pilots at the station about what we can expect as we enter the war zone.
So we signed the paperwork, they loaded up the cargo and now we’re away. It’s good to be out above the clouds again. This flight to Nortrig will be a little tricky but we’ve dealt with volatile airspace before. I think we can handle this and turn a very nice profit.
And now, the comedy bits…
[The GM is using her Random Name Generator to come up with a series of increasingly unlikely NPC names.]
Me: If you actually start using these, then there must be some ancient ruined temple around here with a weird, arcane machine deep within. Every newborn babe is brought to this temple and black-robed priests conduct the ancient rites, the machine flashes with light and a slip of paper emerges with the newborn’s name on it. “All Hail the Name Generator God!”
[our behavior is a little strange]
Sanna: We’re in a cult. *levelhead*
[We return to a suspiciously clean ship]
Me: You know that Ian, Brenda and Brendan had this crazy adventure with the Pelican while we were at the Baron’s.
Wrench: Like every 80’s teen movie and the just barely got the ship straightened up before we got back.
[ED NOTE: We’ve decided that at some point we’ll play a one-shot where we play the three NPCs and figure out what really happened that “One Crazy Night”.]
[Misunderstandings are the best understandings]
Wrench: (talking about Brenda) Yeah they’re in a harness cleaning the windshields.
Me: (thinking he was talking about Rocky) Yeah, using his bushy tail as a scrubber.
Wrench: What? I was talking about Brenda!
Me: (to GM) Can I spend a character point so that Brenda has always had a tail?
[What? It’s true!]
Sanna: I specialize in tight corners and weird landings.
[Doing Business As]
Wrench: We’re not pirates! We’re a totally legitimate cargo company. TLC Cargo! It’s on the ship.
Sanna: I think we should be the Totally Honest Cargo company.
Me: It’s a better fit for you, yes.
[Be prepared]
GM: So you land at the airfield and take the ship’s registry in when you talk to the factor.
Me: Well, I take *a* ship’s registry in.
[Fan service]
Factor: Let’s see here, Patchwork Pelican...ah, based off the old YT-1300 chassis, that’s a good, solid design.
*everyone looks at the audience and winks*
[We each prepare in our own way]
GM: OK, so you can get some supplies.
Wrench: Do we have to worry about perishable foods?
Me: What? You want to pack hardtack and biscuits?
Wrench: Yeah, I’ve got a thing for “period” foods.
Me: Heh, yeah, we’ll be having a baloney sandwich and you’ll be offering us pemmican or something.
Again, the game is fun and now we fly into danger. Should be good.
later
Tom
