Happy Tyr’s Day

Story:

If there was one continued disappointment for Jeremiah is that many of his assignments had no bonuses to them.  If it wasn’t for the continued good pay of being a 1st Officer his savings toward owning his own starship would be very negligible.  As it was he lived a very Spartan lifestyle ( other than the once a month trips to whatever local bar and brothel there was on a system) and still put a lot away, but those missing bonuses were just not to be found in the standard route assignments he found so often in his life.

This last year he had easily found work as a first officer being the bridge crewman and pilot of the far trader known as Red Grasshopper III. They were on a route out toward the center of the Imperium but six jumps out would return back to Regina.  It was a well-known route and well patrolled by the Imperium so no trouble was expected.  It was however new to Jeremiah and so he learned some new things and saw some new places.

The captain was also the owner and played the role of that very well.  Senior Captain Largo Frogman, was a good captain with the right balance of running his ship with discipline, encouragement as well as striking a good balance between micromanagement and letting his crew free to do their jobs.  The Grasshopper was well maintained by her engineer and the steward/medic was top notch.  Jeremiah was the pilot and shared that with the captain. He sat in the navigation co-pilot seat a lot.

This was great for him as he began to fine-tune his navigation skills.  He smiled at his ability to come up with his own course routes through a system and jump coordinates were getting much easier. He could program the computer with the navigation himself. By the end of the trip, he took the Navigation Journeyman exam and passed so now both Pilot and Navigator had the word Journeyman next to them on his Free Trader ID card.

When they touched down in Regina a year after setting out, Captain Frogman thanked him for his hard work and excellent navigation.  He didn’t promise him a spot for the next voyage, but he was open to the idea if Jeremiah wanted it.

Jeremiah was uncertain because he was looking for something more lucrative than a simple Route assignment.  As much as he liked Captain Frogman he needed something more profitable and so he would chance it on a new assignment.   He gathered his gear and headed to The Naked Gypsy.

As usual, the bar/brothel didn’t fail to lift his spirits.  He ran into some dock workers he knew from back a few years and bought them a round of drinks.  After a couple hours, they left and he headed upstairs to the brothel.  He found that a lot of the girls that had been there when he had first started coming there were gone.  Madam Anabelle explained that many of them retired. Jeremiah shook his head – prostitutes retiring at 26 standard years was something he couldn’t fathom.  Lots of time on your back leads to time on your back sunbathing somewhere. It made him smile.

There was a new girl that caught his eye and he asked to see if she was available.  Mirana was as young as he had been when he left Strouden but she obviously has skills he had never thought of that age which he learned in the hour he spent with her.  He went next door and got a room in the hotel.  He checked the job list.  He needed something to make some money. When girls of the evening are retiring faster than you and you are a spacer, it’s time to double your efforts

Megatraveler Notes:

Start:

Free Trader 1st Officer Jeremiah Kilwood

Rank: O4 – 1st Officer   Terms Served: 2

UPP: A67A74   Age: 27  Homeworld: Strouden UWP: A-745988-D N Hi In

Skills: Pilot – 2, Navigation – 1, Engineering – 1, Sensor Ops – 1, Legal – 1, Carousing – 1, Small Blade-1, Turret Weapons-1, Streetwise – 1, Zero-G Combat-1, Handgun – 1, Grav Vehicle – 0, Computer – 0, Vacc Suit – 0

Brownie Points: 5, Bonus Money: 25000 Cr.

Year Ten:

Roll for position availability: 9 + 1 for Intelligence = 10 – position available, serves as 1st Officer

Roll for assignment: 4 + 1 for Social 5- = 5 –  Route Assignment

Survival Roll: 7  – Survives.

Skill Roll: 8 – Skill acquired.

Bonus: 3  – No Bonus

Roll for Skills: (1 for skill roll) – Rolls Business Table rolls: 2 – Space cascade – picks Navigation – 2

Year-End

Free Trader 1st Officer Jeremiah Kilwood

Rank: O4 – 1st Officer   Terms Served: 2

UPP: A67A74   Age: 28  Homeworld: Strouden UWP: A-745988-D N Hi In

Skills: Pilot – 2, Navigation – 2, Engineering – 1, Sensor Ops – 1, Legal – 1, Carousing – 1, Small Blade-1, Turret Weapons-1, Streetwise – 1, Zero-G Combat-1, Handgun – 1, Grav Vehicle – 0, Computer – 0, Vacc Suit – 0

Brownie Points: 5, Bonus Money: 25000 Cr.

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!