Stories

“Death Angel” – Rogue Wizard – The Fire of Fury – Part 19

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Sol’s Day!

Rogue Wizard’s Journal – October 30th, 2019

Well, the fear I have been having has taken form. I have been nervous every time we go to town and the last couple of times I felt that we were being watched.  Closely watched.  Lunette says her scouting runs every morning show nothing but I pulled my familiar raven Nevermore from his pocket dimension and added his wandering eyes to scouting and in the end, it has paid off.

The cold of fall and early winter is on the Upper Peninsula so the skinny dipping sessions have disappeared and we are spending more time in the sauna and cuddled in bed for that matter.  Our plan was to settle in here for the winter and then take off in the spring.  As safe as this place seems, the fact remains the longer we stay here the more difficult it will be to keep ourselves hidden.

My relationship with the two women is growing and we are now pretty comfortable in the presence of each other to the point intimacy of all levels is pretty normal with us. If it wasn’t for the constant danger we are in, things would be wonderful.  As it is we have to remind ourselves our little paradise on earth is under threat from some of the most dangerous magic users in the world.

Today brought to that the forefront of our mind as we finally saw a Death Angel wandering in town.  It took us back for a second but we knew immediately he was hunting for us. he didn’t stand out at first with his black overcoat like he probably would have during summer, but in the cold weather, he looked normal for this time of year.  If it wasn’t for his pale skin and pure white hair – two side effects of necromantic magic.

I have been a rogue wizard all my life and am not in any way bound by the Council’s laws on necromancy (which you can see they violate themselves), but you know what magic form I have never dabbled in?  Necromancy.  It dangerous shit as it can truly exact a heavy price if you do not learn to safeguard yourself.  The most potent form of it is death spells which require the life of someone to cast.

I suppose this is also its greatest weakness and why so many necromancers don’t like casting the death spell.   You have to first bind another living creature to the spell as the ‘cost’ for casting it, then cast it hoping you did the binding spell right.  If you don’t it will take that price from you.  That’s why necromancers like immortals as if the bind their death spells to an immortal then its unlimited charges.

Normally though most necromancy takes blood or other living things of smaller size like bugs or rats.  Which is why necromancers are fond of them. They also tend to use blood magic using their own blood when possible but the blood of others if necessary.  It isn’t uncommon for necromancers to have cuts on their palms.  More subtlely the magic begins to take the color from your skin and hair. Pale is what you call a long term necromancer.

Nevermore was circling the town above us when he spotted the guy. He was tall, pale and dressed in a black overcoat. Really, right out of a movie.  These necromancer types the Council recruits are usually professional and have the same moral code as Darth Vader.  Often the same effect on people too.

I quickly told the girls to get in the truck and we needed to leave as quickly as possible without causing a scene.  We finished our shopping, loaded the truck and headed back to the cabin. We all breathed a heavy sigh of relief when we were home.

Nevermore came home a little later. I had left him to observe the man.  He stayed, seemed to track something by sniffing where we had been and then took off into the woods.

“What could he be sniffing for” Amber asked.

“Me”, Lunette answered.

Pixies have their own smell that is unique.  Lunette never wears perfume as she already smells like flowers constantly.  I love her smell but it is unique in that what would a pixie be doing here in the middle of nowhere?  There is no grove up here.  The presence of a pixie wouldn’t be too abnormal if this wasn’t werewolf territory for the most part and pixies and werewolves have a blood feud so old, no one remembers who started it. But if that smell is accompanied by two others who are human then it might set off some alarm bells.

Nevermore lost him and came home.

The time of year does not help either. Halloween is upon us and that means the worlds are crossing over and the spiritual plane will give necromancers a little boost to their powers.  All wizards really, but the undead will walk tonight and they will have an easier time spotting us. I checked my wards and we are sitting by the fire instead of in the bedroom.  The plan is to take shifts being on watch. This could get ugly. Nighttime will be the worst.

Writer’s Notes:

The series is coming to its finality. I should also note that the last parts are going to be emotionally draining for me to write. That’s the only spoiler alert you are going to get. 

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Countess” – Space Tramp – Chapter 12 (Megatraveller Fan Ficiton)

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Sif’s Day!

Story:

As Jeremiah looked at his bonus amount on his personal device, he laughed a little.  He got his wish but it was not as much as he hoped, but it was something.  He realized the big bonus was rare but this was not much more than his normal pay.  He considered it poetic though as this last year’s charter assignment had been one long one of being diplomatic and kind to someone who was at best melancholy.

The captain of the Trilian-Moons Maiden, a well kept and polished Free Trader, was competent to be sure.  She was uniquely suited to dealing with this charter assignment. She needed a pilot/navigator and she was pleased with Jeremiah right away because of his skills. But Captain Sarah Kingwood was very much instructing him on etiquette and protocol of the social variety. The entire trip this was the case and she made that clear, in multiple ways, because their charter client was Countess Borgosman.

Countess Borgosman had chartered the ship because the nature of this trip was to be more behind the scenes and she was not announcing her coming to the various places she was visiting hoping to surprise the stewards fo the various fiefs of her property she was visiting for inspections.  She always was suspicious of everyone and had a condescending opinion of everyone’s competence level.  The promise of a bonus and this being a charter trip made Jeremiah willing to put up with even a Countess snob if it meant more money.  Besides he would be either in his room or at the control most of the time. However, the countess insisted on a formal dinner every night with all crew members present.

The upside for the captain was that meant she only needed a crew of three – just her, Jeremiah and the Engineer Jill Forest, a young but very technically savvy woman.  The Steward and Doctor for the trip would be provided by the Countess. The captain provided a more standard uniform for this occasion that matched her own to Jeremiah and Jill.  I few days before the countesses arrival, they had lessons from both the Captain and the countesses’ steward for the trip on all the appropriate customs.

Jeremiah did manage to utilize some of his Streetwise and Carousing skills as far as dealing with people in learning all this.  When the countess arrived he knew how to act and address her as well as eat at the table properly. He wore the uniform with his firs officer pips on the shoulders. It was a little stiff but he managed. He only had to wear it at the dinner and the rest of the time was just keeping his work uniform clean as possible which he always did.

When the countess arrived he was a little puzzled because she was younger than expected.  It was later revealed she had inherited her father’s title and land after his death a couple years ago.  She was tall and thin having actually grown up on a much lighter gravity world.  Her brown hair was plain and so was her face.  But she was also looking a little sad at times.

The trip was actually very uneventful.  His contact with the countess was usually always only at dinner. The first dinner he seemed to avoid her attention but he noticed she dressed in her dinner dress and wore the jewels and makeup of noble well and held her head high.

It was the second night that she turned her attention to him.  She asked a lot of questions about his background and some of the trips he had piloted for and navigated.  She almost seemed amused when he told her the stories fo his growing up on Strouden.  She seemed very interested in his background and how he became a Free Trader. But other than this her conversations were mostly with the captain after that.  Her only social interaction with him as official like a tone from a bureaucrat.

The next many months went by and the trip settled into a dull routine other than Jeremiah was paying a high degree of attention to the human interactions at dinner.  Learning finer points of being polite and looking well mannered.  Learning to handle different people of different social classes was definitely something he felt he could put to use as a captain.  Despite her nature, the countess was always polite although her questions always assumed that the person she was talking to might not know something as well they thought. Jeremiah, however, seemed to escape this attention. He settled into being on the bridge for his shifts, sleeping, dinners, and reading.  There was not much else to do.

When they landed on Regina a year later, Jeremiah felt well versed in the basics of social customs of the upper classes and nobility. The real problem though was, as he walked down the ramp of the ship for the last time, he realized while this was nice to know; he preferred the real world grit of real people.  Being a liaison to the upper class was a good skill but he hadn’t had fun for a whole year practically and was eager for a stiff drink and some female companionship of a more intimate and preferably sensual variety.

But he shook his head at the bonus of 2500 Cr for the trip.   It was something to be sure but he was fairly sure that was a lot less than the captain was expecting.  He smiled and walked into The Naked Gypsy and breathed in the air.  Yep, the smell of booze, sex, and fun. Felt more like ‘home’ than the last year.  Next year he would be completing the last year of his third term and turning thirty.  It seemed so long ago that he stepped on to the deck of his first starship.  Right now, fun awaited as well as a more lucrative future – he hoped.

Megatraveler Notes:

Start:

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.

Year Eleven:

Roll for position availability:  8 + 1 for Intelligence = 9 – position available, serves as 1st Officer

Roll for assignment: 8 + 1 for Social 5- = 9 –   Charter Assignment

Survival Roll: 5  – Survives.

Skill Roll: 9 – Skill acquired.

Bonus: 10  –  Bonus. rolls 2 – 2500Cr

Roll for Skills: (1 for skill roll) – Rolls Free Trader Service Table rolls: 1 – Interpersonal Cascade  – picks Liaison -1

Year-End

Free Trader 1st Officer Jeremiah Kilwood

Rank: O4 – 1st Officer   Terms Served: 2

UPP: A67A74   Age: 29  Homeworld: Strouden UWP: A-745988-D N Hi In

Skills: Pilot – 2, Navigation – 2, Engineering – 1, Sensor Ops – 1, Legal – 1, Liaison- 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: 27500 Cr.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Navigator” – Space Tramp – Chapter 11 (Megatraveller Fan Ficiton)

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

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!!!

“Three Tattoos” – Rogue Wizard – The Fire of Fury – Part 18

/ Ed Raby Sr / 1 Comment

Happy Thor’s Day!

Rogue Wizard’s Journal – October 1st, 2019

Well apparently my hunches are not that great, but still can’t shake the feeling we are being observed.  Lunette pretty much said it was possible but there was nothing to be done but to try to stay alive.  She has been doing this far longer than me os I defer to her judgment. September left us and now October and the changing leaves are with us.

The results of a small cabin, three people in love and regular naked sauna baths are a greater intimacy in a very short time. The three of us are very close now and quite intimate. There is also the potential for cabin fever which will come when the snows fall.  To combat this now, Lunette suggested a few excursions and finding an old friend of her parents managed somehow to procure us and old Ford Pickup.

This opens up a lot of possibilities not the least of which is all of us throwing our backpacks in the back and taking off.  But for now, we have used it to make a few trips.  The most notable of these was to a mystic tattoo artist in a major city about 75 miles away.

Magical tattoos are the combination of alchemy for the ink and enchantment magic.  There has always been a little bit of magic to a tattoo artist and the mages of the world have been going to mystic ones for a long time.  They actually have their own wizard family – The House of  Minerva.  Well, this is the house of all people who use art and magic in combination.  It should be noted one’s house is more based on magic preference or philosophical preference.  It is hereditary for some mage families.  Mostly though you pick one at age 12.

The tattoo artist we went to a lovely tattooed lass with a purple mohawk was House Minerva but part of the underground.  Sadi can cuss and drink like a sailor.  I know we would go out with her after work at the local bar.  Lunette and her have worked together a couple times. She is also a wizard with tattoos in the fact she is both a top-notch alchemist and an enchantment magic specialist.  I now sport three tattoos of hers.  This process took about three days.

The beauty of all of them is that they enhance my magic.  Two of them in very powerful ways. The third is a link between the three of us.

Now going around my right wrist is a circle of small Viking axes.  Guess what it does? It enhances my Evocation magic and boy I wasn’t expecting the change in the color of my flame but it is color is now bright blue with white.  I checked my lightning and it is red instead of bright yellow and my frost has gone from pale blue to pure white.

On my left wrist is a circle of interlocked Viking shield like a shield wall.  It’s cool because each shield is unique.  It enhances my Abjuration magic. Yeah, my shields are even stronger and they also have changed color or should I say change colors – shimmer like a multicolored rainbow now.

If I hold my hands together then the two tattoos enhance each other is I am doing only one or the other of my types of magic. Makes fireballs even more spectacular and shields even harder. I just can’t do both types of magic at once when I do that.

The last tattoo is one all three of us received.  Required a few drops of blood form each of us mixed into a potion that was then dabbed before dabbing the ink. Its three hearts interlocked in a triangle and all of us three are wearing them on our right shoulder blade. Each heart represents one of us.  Lunette’s is fairy-like with purple and black strands interweaving.  Amber’s is a red flaming heart much like her tramp stamp.  I wasn’t sure what to put for mine but Sadi looked at me a moment and did one on paper and I smiled.  The heart was made up of dark grey strands mixed with silver.   Very cool.

Each one is unique as mine has my heart at the top and the two others interlocked below it.  Lunette’s has hers at the top and mine and Amber’s bellow it and Amber, of course, has hers on top and mine and Lunette’s below it.  The main effect is if I concentrate I know where both of them are even if they are out of sight.  I also know what they are feeling, but that is unique to me as I am empathic. Lunette and Amber say they don’t feel anything.

We are back at the cabin now and the tattoo process was not as painful as I thought. Like getting scratched but all for a good cause.  We need all the advantages we can get if the shit hits the fan.

Writer’s Notes:

Don’t have anything to say at this point other than I can’t wait to get my own first tattoo.  I was hoping to write this chapter after I got my own so I could weave some of my feelings about it into this, but I may have simply rewrite it later. 

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“1st Officer” – Space Tramp – Chapter 10 (MegaTraveller Fan Fiction)

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Tyr’s Day

Story:

Jeremiah was in the brothel of The Naked Gypsy in the Silver Moon Room which was home to the lovely madam Anabelle who was sleeping next to him.  He had paid the extra money to be her last client for the night and for the room.  The cost also came with Anabelle offering some more entertainment in the morning and a proper hand bath.  Jeremiah smiled at the prospect. The celebrations last night of him passing his 1st officer exam would have a proper and relaxing end.

He had found a rather boring Route Assignment where he was serving as the Far Trader Kilroy Jinx’s Pilot.  It was an assignment that was simply a two-parsec jump to Dinomn and back again to Regina which he would make six times.  However, he applied for his 1st officer Exam right away and discovered this exam was unlike all the others in that he had taken before this was a battery of tests testing his complete knowledge of starship operations.  Engineering, Navigation, and Piloting were tested again and in addition to all that was the mandatory Pilot training.

He found himself in the Jinx’s Bridge even in his off-hours.  He would set the autopilot and then run through the Pilot simulations the Free Trader Service provided as testing.  It would normally be basic stuff that guaranteed every 1st Officer received Pilot training.  Given that Jeremiah was already a pilot, he was being tested at the Journeyman level.

There are five ranks of expertise recognized in many skills for the Free Trader Service – Novice (no skill), Apprentice (operating license), Journeyman (allowed to do basic instruction), Expert and Master which are both honorifics to denote advanced ability. Jeremiah was basically being asked to upgrade his basic operator’s license to a level where he could, if he wished to, instruct other people in being pilots.

Jeremiah had to admit this was one phase of training the Free Traders took very seriously but thankfully he has served so long and had the right skills it was not really a problem for him.  The added Pilot training was welcome.

His social life had taken a nosedive but he was content.  After his last assignment, he was trying to move on from Kate and he felt staying busy learning and working was the best policy.  Even though the assignment was a simple boring route, he kept himself challenged with training and work.

The 1st Officer training was unlike the rest of the testing in that it had an actual graduation ceremony. He walked across the platform and received his fourth pip on his shoulder from a Senior Captain.  He looked down the line fo the five or so others doing the same and realize he was the youngest of them.  He had literally accomplished this feat of becoming 1st Officer as quickly as one possibly could. He was a far different man than the young Space Tramp that signed up on a Free Trader those nine years ago.

As he headed to The Naked Gypsy, he looked own on his ID Card the Journeyman label next to Starship Pilot had been truly earned.  He felt a sense of pride and accomplishment.  Now all that remained was to finish the term and reenlist.  Next term would have the goal of becoming Captian.  But that was three years away,

When he entered the Naked Gypsy, he was greeted with a party by some of his former shipmates and some of the dockworkers.  He didn’t have to pay for a single drink that evening and probably could have had a female companion for the evening for free.  But the brothel madam Anabelle had offered her services for the evening for free and he decided to splurge a little an pay to be her sleeping companion for the night.  She smiled when he announced this like it was something she wanted as well.

It was now early morning, Anabelle and he had had a late night but he was eager to get the morning entertainment and that hand bath.  He now knew why Anabelle was both the madam and had the highest reputation for her services.  She was definitely at least Expert level.

He had to find a new assignment, but he was pretty confident now that his services would be more in demand.  Mostly though he had discovered that he loved the life of a Free Trader Officer the most. Time to go learn some more and be better prepared for the day he earned that fifth pip and was a Captain.

Megatraveler Notes:

Start:

Free Trader 2nd Officer Jeremiah Kilwood

Rank: O3 – 2nd Officer   Terms Served: 2

UPP: A67A74   Age: 26  Homeworld: Strouden UWP: A-745988-D N Hi In

Skills: Pilot – 1, 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: 4, Bonus Money: 25000 Cr.

Year Nine:

Roll for position availability: 10 + 1 for Intelligence = 11 – position available, serves as 2nd Officer

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

Survival Roll: 7  – Survives.

Skill Roll: 4  – No Skill acquired.

Bonus: 9  – No Bonus

Roll for Promotion: 8 – Promoted to 1st Officer.  Skill Acquired – Pilot -2

Roll for Skills: None

1 Brownie Point earned for promotion.

Year-End

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.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Fenris-Fire” – Rogue Wizard – The Fire of Fury – Part 17

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Thor’s Day!

Rogue Wizard’s Journal – September 11th, 2019

The fact that I am writing this today indicates that we not only survived our little raid against the local werewolf pack, but we were also successful in wiping them out.  I have to say this has been one of the more emotionally hard missions I have been on since I have been a wizard.  Mostly because now I know for sure a cure for lycanthropy is available but the way it is transferred requires very intimate (as in sex) magic. it also would require werewolves to want to be cured and to accept the idea that sex with a wizard with the antibodies would cure them. A long shot at best.

In the case of this little pack of werewolves, I would say they didn’t want to be cured.  I mean when you have the phrase – ‘werewolves rule’ on the side of the house/cabin you live in that pretty much indicates there is a little fanaticism.  But I am getting ahead of myself.

This morning we awoke and prepared for our attack.  Mostly Amber and I had to sync up our magic.  Each mage has their own magical frequency.  Basically, it means I can cast my fireballs through my own shields because they have the same magical resonance.  But Amber’s fireball hit my shields and can’t go through. The thing is on this raid I knew the best strategy was for me to full-on be the shield guy while Amber stayed inside my shield and did the fireball thing to the werewolves. Lunette’s role was to channel and distract the werewolves until Amber and I could handle them one at a time or in at most a couple.

But that meant syncing my magic with Amber’s so her fire could go through my shields. This involves a small ritual known to most mages and it lasts until the sunset.  It is a small binding ritual but to make it stronger, Amber and I did it skyclad (not a problem as you can imagine).  Then we geared up.

Amber had brought her a more practical short dress outfit. More of a cheerleader uniform with long sleeves, knee-high boots, and gloves. She wore a ruby necklace that I knew would augment her powers.  All red of course.  Lunette shrunk down and put on her little leaf outfit and attached her dagger.

For myself, I grabbed my favorite T-shirt.  It has a raven sitting on a skull in the middle with the words ‘Too many idiots, not enough axes” written around the picture. Jeans, hiking boots. and my valknut pendant.  It was pretty warm outside despite the early fall so no hoodie.

We headed out with Amber and I walking and Luneette guiding the way and scouting.  It was a good walk and took about an hour, but soon we were over a cabin in the woods.  Lunette landed on my shoulder and kissed my cheek and Amber took my hand for a few seconds.  Then Lunette used her illusion to make us invisible and we approached the cabin.

It was high noon so the werewolves were fast asleep but one was prowling on guard duty.  He was our first target.  He was in human form. probably middle-aged and tall but skinny. When he stopped and began sniffing we knew he had detected us but couldn’t place us.

“Now”, I said.

Lunette sped away like a bullet and struck the guard right in the face with her pixie pinball thing she does. I put both my hands together and cast my shield spell expanding it around Amber and myself.  Amber let loose with her fireball and it passed through my shield and struck the werewolf before he even had a chance to growl. Then however he screamed.

That of course brought a commotion inside the cabin we could hear.  Lunette zipped inside going right through a windowpane.  This was followed by cries of confusion and pain.  One of them ran out of the front door.  She was naked and transforming.  Amber never gave her a chance to finish and then there was a second burning werewolf corpse.

That made the odds even and Lunette shot out of the cabin.  Amber followed our plan and basically set the cabin on fire.  We were giving the surviving werewolves a choice. Burn alive inside or come out and fight.  All three chose the latter but they were stupid and came out one at a time. Now, they were fully transformed so they were fast as hell. The first one got a few steps toward us before Amber torched her.  But the next to last one got close enough to swipe at us, but his claws scratched harmless against my shield. He roared in frustration and it was the last sound he made before Amber torched him too.

The last werewolf took off out the back away from us but Lunette caught him and then pinballed him until he was standing still swiping at air trying to hit her. Amber let another fireball fly and there there was a final fifth Fenris-Fire burning on the ground. They hadn’t had a chance.  It was a slaughter.

We came home pretty much in silence. The cabin was burning behind us.  Thankfully far enough from the trees and we did hear fire engine sirens as we got further away.  The werewolves would be burned to ash leaving no trace.  Just a cabin that caught on fire for some reason to the local authorities.  I still worry though the magical forces would detect something quite different.

When we got home we all stripped down to our skin and headed to the sauna.  We all took turns being bathed by the other two.  Made love as a Trois and then did a skinny dip to cool off. Combat always made me horny and still does. Apparently, that is true for the girls as well.  The girls are talking right now about the battle and I am writing the record of it.  My fear is that we just set off a beacon any mage could see was us.  I hate my hunches as they seem paranoid, but damn if I am not right most of the time.

Writer’s Notes: 

Probably not the most dramatic battle scene, but I want to give the impression that my threesome is not only sexy as hell but deadly. They can handle themselves.  This is also the first time Amber has gotten to show her stuff in battle proper.  Yes, she is a badass fire mage. 

One might say the werewolves were treated callously but Amber has good reason to hate them and so does the Rogue Wizard.  Lunette, as all fae, has an ancient feud with both werewolves and vampires.  My character has a long history by now of killing with magic. Yeah, he still has his moments of ‘what if’ but there is a recognition of time and place being right for reflection on the morality of the situaiton.    

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Security” – Space Tramp – Chapter 9 (MegaTraveller Fan Fiction)

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Tyr’s Day

Story:

Jeremiah was laying in bed staring at the ceiling.  Next to him laying naked on her belly was 3rd Officer Kate Stuvak.  A woman who he had met and shared a night of passion with four years ago before she shipped out the next day.  For the last year though they had been shipmates and lovers.  But right now they were on Regina in the hotel next to The Naked Gypsy, ironically in the same room in which they had made love four years ago.  He glanced over to her, even laying on her side, her figure was sensual.  He had come to know it well this past year.

A year ago, Jeremiah had been determined to get a position that reflected his experience and as luck would have it a captain was drawn to him and his latest escapade.  The issue was security as Captain Ping was looking for people that could handle themselves in a fight and Jeremiah with his last mission fit the bill.  Captain Ping was a short man of Zhodani decent but was born without psionic powers. His ship The Efate Starmaid was scheduled for a route going from Regina to Efate and back again. He had an engineer and a steward.  He needed a medic and pilot. Jeremiah became the pilot and navigator.

Jeremiah stowed his gear the next day and met the engineer and steward. Both first-class spacers who also had some form of martial talent.  Both were married to each other with twelve years of experience each. Mr. and Mrs. Angelos were both very good at what they did and had been with Captain Ping for a couple years. Fine couple and they were sharing a stateroom which meant Captian Ping could take on another passenger.

One day before they shoved off, Captian Ping located a Medic. This was needed because of the Starmaid possessing eight cold berths for travel and in this case, a particularly long cold sleep would be required as part of their trip would be through a series of E class starports (read bedrock landing place and nothing else) requiring them to refuel at gas giants.  Those passengers would be about four months in cold sleep. This was also the reason he was looking for crew who could fight – pirates loved such places.

When Jeremiah saw Kate striding up next to Captain Ping, he smiled at her and she smiled a very knowing and naughty smile back.  She leaned over and said something in Captain Ping’s ear and then he looked at both of them and shook his head but smiled happily. Jeremiah walked over to Kate.

“What did you say to the captain?”

“I told him he wouldn’t need to be showing me my stateroom because I would be sharing with you.”

Jeremiah led her to his room and it became their room.  It meant only three of the staterooms had crewmen, so that meant five for passengers. While he helped unpack her knapsack, she brought him up to date.

Kate had made the return journey hopping Free Traders and working her way back to Regina. She had made it to the edge of the Corridor Sector and decided to head back. She had passed her 3rd Officer exam last year and had been getting medical training for the last couple of years.  No steady boyfriends, she was a spacer after all.

“How’s the wound?”, she asked.

“Ok, just a scar now.”

‘Well, I have one of my own”

She turned around a dropped her pants and underwear. Sure enough, there was a long scar on her left buttock at least ten centimeters long.

“Firefight with some pirates in the Corridor sector.  Vargr crossing the border and raiding.  I had my ass up too high and one of them shot me.  That’s why I turned around.”

Jeremiah licked his lips, he had forgotten how sensual she was.  She laughed, then dropped her pants and underwear around her ankles as she stood up straight.  She stepped out of them kicking off her shoes at the same time.  She turned around and pulled her shirt up over her head revealing those wonderful breasts of hers he remembered so well.  She smiled and spoke.

“We have a couple hours.  Why don’t you lock the door?”

Two hours later they were flushed, happier and listening to Captain Ping.

Ping was an Imperial Navy Commander (retired).  He had somehow come into possession of the Starmaid, and he was a firm and fair captain. Being former navy he was prepared for combat and that was wise given the long stretch of gas giant refills.  He insisted they all learn how to handle a handgun and/or turret weapons.  Jeremiah had basic skills but Ping had him being a fair pistol marksman by the end of the trip.  In the event of combat, Ping would take the pilot seat and Jeremiah would handle the turret weapons and sensors.  Mr. Angleos would handle engineering and repairs as necessary.  Kate and Mrs. Angelos would keep the passengers calm and safe.

In than it was a lot of preparation but for naught as nothing happened and they arrived in Efate and then returned back to Regina. The trip was more profitable than expected but the expenses piled up more than expected too.  No bonus, but Kate and Jeremiah got a letter of recommendation from Captian Ping for their great work. Unfortunately, the Starmaid was going to be in port for some maintenance and upgrades. Otherwise, he would have signed them both back on.

Kate and Jeremiah had gotten along quite well and it was enjoyable to ‘come home’ each night to some company. It was sort of like playing being married but as she would joke – with far more sex than a married couple. It was just that Kate’s main ambition was to use the Free Traders to be a doctor. Jeremiah knew that would eventually lead her to settle down.  Something he knew he would probably never do.  They both needed to find a new position and it was a safe bet that finding the same ship both of them could get a job on was slim.

He looked at her.  He was rather fond of her, but he was a spacer.  He cuddled up to her and woke her in a way he had done many times so that she was eventually moaning in his ear. It was the first time in a while he had not been in the brothel at The Naked Gypsy to start a new year.  He hoped Kate brought him better luck than the prostitutes usually gave him.

The next morning Jeremiah walked into the Free Trader offices and reenlisted.  No problems and he smiled with his papers now updated.  Next year he could try for 1st Officer and that meant some real money.  He had already started putting away a lot of money.  He still wanted his own ship and that was a lot of MegaCredits.  He headed back to the hotel to find Kate was gone.  He pulled up his personal device and she had left a text that she had found a ship and was shoving off in a few minutes. She thanked him for an enjoyable year and that she hoped they would bunk again sometime. She wished him the best of luck.

Jeremiah was sad she was gone but relieved that the long tearful goodbye he was expecting didn’t happen.  He sat on the empty bed and called up the job roster for the Free Traders.  The best way to move on was to find work.

Megatraveler Notes:

Start:

Free Trader 2rd Officer Jeremiah Kilwood

Rank: O3 – 2nd Officer   Terms Served: 1

UPP: A67A74   Age: 25  Homeworld: Strouden UWP: A-745988-D N Hi In

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

Brownie Points: 3, Bonus Money: 25000 Cr.

Year Eight:

Roll for position availability: 9 + 1 for Intelligence = 10  – position available, serves as 2nd Officer

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

Survival Roll:  8 – Survives.

Skill Roll: 11  – Skill acquired.

Bonus: 9  – No Bonus

Roll for Skills: ( 1 for skill roll): Rolls Officer Skills table: 4 – Gun Combat Cascade – pick Handgun – 1

Roll for Reenlistment: 8 -reenlists

1 Brownie Point earned for the term completed.

Year-End

Free Trader 2rd Officer Jeremiah Kilwood

Rank: O3 – 2nd Officer   Terms Served: 2

UPP: A67A74   Age: 26  Homeworld: Strouden UWP: A-745988-D N Hi In

Skills: Pilot – 1, 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: 4, Bonus Money: 25000 Cr.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Zero-G” – Space Tramp – Chapter 8 (MegaTraveller Fan Fiction)

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Tyr’s Day

Story:

As Jeremiah sat down in the barstool of The Naked Gypsy, he remarked how lucky he was to even be there. This past year had brought him closer to death than any other and he was sure if it hadn’t been for some legal wrangling and calling in a favor from Captain Junos he would probably be in prison right now.

That’s what happens he was thinking when you sign aboard a ship simply to get off-world when nothing else is available.  Looking back at t though things seemed legit when he met Captain Cyril Jackson.  He had his crew filled out as far as officers but he needed a second engineer.  The Engineer officer was 1st Officer that specialized in Engineering and so Jeremiah filled the role of Engineer crewman.  The Regina Blue Mule III, a subsidized merchant class vessel, needed two engineers to monitor and maintain its power plant, jump drive and maneuver drives.

As it turned out, The Mule was a bit of a  maintenance problem. Jeremiah actually spent most of the time monitoring the drives and power plant while the chief engineer ran around fixing other systems.  The one thing that kept crashing was the artificial gravity plates which needed an overhaul. it made life interesting as sometimes for hours on end everyone was floating. Jeremiah took it as an opportunity to work on his Zero-G maneuvers and got quite good at moving about without gravity.

The route was speculative to be sure and The Mule could carry a lot of cargo and as it turned out it was cargo that Captain Jackson wanted to move a lot of.  But he also was a smuggler. Something Jeremiah wouldn’t figure out until the third port of call.  He was however under contract, so he shut his mouth and worked his job.  The trouble with this trip really hit a climax on the return leg to Regina when they actually jumped into the Regina system for the final stop. Jeremiah was eager to put this contract behind him, but one major adventure awaited.

One of the system defense ships hailed them and asked them to power down and prepare to be boarded.  Captain Jackson panicked and ordered them to run for it. Jeremiah quickly surmised that there must be something aboard that was contraband.  Not wanting to be implicated he decided to disable the ship in some way.  He wasn’t sure who was with him on this mutiny, but he for one was not going to be on the run from the Imperium.

The Imperium as a general rule does not give two shits about what each system does to govern itself. The Imperium rules the space between the stars and this was definitely something that the local Imperial authorities would take interest in.  Especially since they were carrying passengers both in staterooms and cold sleep. Captain Jackson’s actions were endangering a lot of lives.  Jeremiah decided to act.  He went over to the console that was governing the artificial gravity and basically disabled it.  The Chief Engineer caught on and tried to stop him but Jeremiah had learned how to maneuver in zero-G, so he went behind him and knocked him out with the butt of his blade.

After that, the lack of gravity played to Jeremiah’s advantage.  The medic and steward were too busy dealing with passengers so he got past them and found his way to the bridge. Captain Jackson was arguing with his bridge officer when he broke in and with a single swipe of his blade floating between them he killed the captain by slicing his neck.  Blood hung weightless in the air as Captian Jackson died.  The bridge officer surrendered,  powered down the rest of the ship, and announced to the Regina system ship their surrender.

This last week had been one fo being arrested by the system authorities and sitting in a cell waiting for processing.  There was some talk of stripping them all of their Free Trader credentials, so Jeremiah placed a call to Captain Juros and an hour later he was released and told nothing would be done to him.  He then started to shake, as it had been the first time he had killed anyone.  He was hoping Jackson’s family wouldn’t be after him until he learned that he had no family left alive.  The Mule would be towed back to port and put up for auction by the bank that supported the loan.

He arrived at The Naked Gypsy and had the first of many drinks. He realized how lucky he was as he could have been killed a couple of times. One more year and this second term would be over. He made a mental note to do more research on any captain before signing on with them. The image of his blade going across Jackson’s neck was still with him, but he slowly realized it was the only way.  Jackson had been armed with a gun and he had to take him down and he used his new skill in Zero-G to do so.

He pulled up the menu for the brothel upstairs. He found a girl he wanted but she had appointments for the next hour.  He paid upfront and reserved her for after that.  Right now, he would be content to nurse a couple more drinks. Hopefully, this next year would be a little more peaceful.

Megatraveler Notes:

Start:

Free Trader 2rd Officer Jeremiah Kilwood

Rank: O3 – 2nd Officer   Terms Served: 1

UPP: A67A74   Age: 24  Homeworld: Strouden UWP: A-745988-D N Hi In

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

Brownie Points: 4, Bonus Money: 25000 Cr.

Year Seven:

Roll for position availability: 4 + 1 for Intelligence = 5  – position not available, serves as enlisted

Roll for assignment: 8 + 1 for Social 5- = 9  – Speculative Trade Route

Survival Roll: 4 + 1 Brownie point spent – 5 – Survives barely.

Skill Roll: 8 – Skill acquired.

Bonus: 5 – No Bonus

Roll for Skills: ( 1 for skill roll): Rolls Shipboard Life: 4 – Zero-G Combat – 1

MegaTraveller Shorthand

Free Trader 2rd Officer Jeremiah Kilwood

Rank: O3 – 2nd Officer   Terms Served: 1

UPP: A67A74   Age: 25  Homeworld: Strouden UWP: A-745988-D N Hi In

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

Brownie Points: 3, Bonus Money: 25000 Cr.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Wolfsbane” – Rogue Wizard – The Fire of Fury – Part 15

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Thor’s Day

Rogue Wizards Journal – September 7th, 2019

Amber definitely has lycanthropy and Lunette and I have been debating what to do.  I hope the ‘cure’ I just tried with Amber works but it is probably going to take a couple days to know for sure. But I am getting ahead of myself and should take this in order.

Amber displayed the restless sleep and the rapidly dilating pupils on the first day.  She woke up screaming the second night.  Then I knew she had it as I have been there.  Lunette for her part at that point created a magical potion from Wolfsbane that is supposed to slow the progress of the disease but the inevitable march would come so the three of us one day sat down to debate what to do.

The first thing we talked about was not Amber’s disease, but the possibility of a werewolf pack being around.  We continued our routine as much as possible including the skinny dipping but we were now much more watchful and we did it earlier during the day saving night time for discussion time.

I set up some wards on the cabin and sauna shed and the path between the two. they would give me a warning buzz in my head if anything got too close. Skinny dipping in daylight would have been interesting but it was now more about a quick cool off before retiring quickly to the cabin.  Our relaxing time had been interrupted by actual danger and that had us all on edge.

Last night we talked about what to do about Amber’s developing lycanthropy.  She, of course, did not want to be a werewolf despite the power.  You slowly but inevitably go feral and there are only a couple cures. The one used on me required killing a werewolf draining its blood and the magical power of Mrs. W. who used both healing and mental magic on me to affect the cure which involved bathing in the blood of the werewolf. The whole ritual died when she did, so that was out.

This, of course, brought out all the other known cures real or legendary.  One of note involved a ritual of wolfsbane potions and a magical altar that reputedly a mage had built for the express purpose of curing lycanthropy. No one knew if it was even real.  Some healing mages of the past and developed enough power to cure it but that was legendary.  Most of the rest were dreams of desperation.

In the end, the discussion turned to me and my antibodies. Mostly how we could use them to cure Amber.  I wasn’t sure how that could happen.  Mrs. W. and I never talked about this and I had always assumed that it was because it was irrelevant, but I had to now consider the possibility that had I been brought forward to cure others it would have tipped people off to my existence a long time ago and that boys and girls would have led to my death.

Now though that the Council was very well aware of my existence, it seemed that this discussion would have been helped if I had approached people with healing magic and asked but I never thought to do so.

How does one normally transfer antibodies from one person to another? Well, you can make a serum from the blood.  But that requires a lab and in this case, a full alchemy lab which we didn’t have access to and would take a lot of energy and time which might reveal where we were. Amber wouldn’t hear of it. Transfusion?  There were other issues most notably biological blood type but more importantly for us, the equipment we didn’t have.

Suddenly Lunette laughed. Amber and I raised eyebrows and watched her for a minute as she chuckled endlessly, then she spoke.

“Fluid transfer, that’s all we need.”

“Ok, Lunette what are you getting at?”  Besides the fact, Amber and I think you have just lost it.”

“Remember when you almost died Edward from that poison blade? How did we cure you?”

“How could I forget?  I lost my virginity and learned to supercharge my healing powers at the same time. Well basically I had sex with you, that’s also how you got those wings of yours.”

“Yep, but the sexual exchange is what did it.  It is the only thing inherently magical about what humans and in particular mages do.  Sexual magic is the key to making it work.  You just need to use it to transfer the antibodies to Amber and you can do it through a combination of magic and sex.

“Now…”

But my voice trailed off as I saw Amber’s eyes.  She had that look on her face where she felt excited but awkward at the same time.  She knew I wanted to take that part of our relationship a little slower. At the same time, she was afraid of what was happening to her and she wanted to make love to me a long time ago.

“Ok. how does that work exactly?”

Lunette explained that the antibodies were magical in nature and that they would be present in all my bodily fluids. The trick would be to get them to magically jump from me to Amber.  This would require natural magical energy and both Amber and myself to focus on what healing skill we had through it.

“Basically Edward you have to do what you did back then and Amber has to open herself up to the transfer with her own healing magic. The sexual act provides the energy boost and the means of transfer. Sexual healing at its finest.”

I had to admit her logic was sound.  I had gone over again and again about how I had not died that time so long ago and it came down to the supercharged nature of the sexual exchange between fairies and mages.  It saved my life and gave Lunette new wings.  The old pink and light purple ones had been ripped off by Elpis.  They had been replaced by these black and dark purple ones and I had a hand in that.

I got up and moved closer to Amber.

“A long time ago, I resisted what Lunette is talking about.  I tried everything else and in the end, it didn’t;t matter.  Practical sexual magic won the day and healed us both.  I am alive because of it.  Now, here you are Amber and my feelings of love for you are brand new. You also have a horrible disease that right now is just beginning to take hold of you.  It is weak and my temptation is to try some other way because it is weak, but every time I do that I regret just going full-on and getting it over with. So, if you think it is worth a try my love, I am willing to try as well.  I mean I am not asking you to do anything horrible but it might be for nothing.  I just wanted more time to get to know you better before we did this.”

“Oh, Edward… I have wanted to make love to you for a couple months.  It’s not me that I worry about.  It’s rushing you.  I love you too much to do that, but I don’t want to be a werewolf either and this does make a lot of sense.  It’s rushing you that doesn’t sit well with me.”

I nodded.  Then I stood up.  And put out my hand.  She took it and I led her into the bedroom with the double bed. No door but I slid the curtain across the doorway and I head Lunette leave the cabin. I took Amber in my arms.

“Gentle, I still am a little sore from my wounds”, she remarked.

“Absolutely, gentle and loving, my love.”

I am not the kind of guy who kisses (or has sex with a girl) and tells.  So, no details other than I am now sitting here in the early morning. looking at her naked body laying in the middle of the bed.  As soon as I finish this entry, I am going to cuddle back up with her and wake her up in a style more befitting a lover.

I hoped this worked.  Lunette is in the other room sleeping on the single bed.  She seems at peace. as well.  I can feel it – love for both of them.  I don’t know where the future leads, but I want them both with me.

Writer’s Notes:

The only thing I am going to comment on is the idea that a person can love romantically more than one person.  given my own experience, I say it is very possible to do so.  It is only our western society that says it is wrong, but I have yet to find any traditional reason to say so.  One form of sexual orientation is bisexual and that kind of assumes a Trois relationship for such a person to be satisfied completely.  I also think that it is more of an ownership thing of saying you control someone else’s sexuality and you don’t simply because you are lovers.

The one thing I think is for certain is the human race is not naturally faithfully monogamous. We have to work at it and that makes things unnatural at times. I suppose if we git rid of jealousy, envy, and desires to control sex and sexuality, it wouldn’t be a problem. But here we are – the human race – flawed and unhappy because of it.  

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Streetwise” – Space Tramp – Chapter 7 (MegaTraveller Fan Fiction)

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Thor’s Day

Story:

Jeremiah did land on his feet, but it wasn’t the way he expected. He was looking for a new ship to serve but everyone was pretty much full and he would have had to take a position as enlisted if he settled for a couple of the jobs.  Then a job with the Free Trader branch office on Regina presented itself. He was fairly sure this meant staying planetside for a year, but he figured it was at least a position that was acceptable for a 2nd Officer.

He became one of the Free Trader Office’s representatives with the various labor unions on Regina, particularly the starport dockworker’s unions. This involved a whole different kind fo diplomacy as the unions were often at odds with the free traders because each captain had to contract individually with them or in small groups of ships.  This was very unlike their contracts withe various star lines, but on occasion, the Free Trader’s Union would negotiate a flat rate for all free Trader captains.  But then it would change and the whole game would start over again.

So Jeremiah worked for a lot of different Free Trader captains negotiating rates for the dock workers. It actually offered him a deeper look into the underworld nature of Regina.  Yeah. regina is the Sector capital and yeah it’s tech level is high, but it also has a seedier side and Jeremiah found out about various parts of it.  He wasn’t sure this past year which had been handier to have – his ability to party at a bar with union bosses; his blade on his hip that he could use well; or his developing sense of being streetwise.

One union boss tried to drink him under the table but he reversed it on her and in the process got a better deal for three Free Trader members.  The next day to show there were no hard feelings; she took him to bed so that lead to even more deals with her particular union group.  Some forms of negotiation were definitely very enjoyable.

Another occasion involved a strike of some of the dockworkers but one hand on his blade was enough to send them packing.  A thug from another union tried some shit with him and the blade came in handy again. Although he never actually got any blood on it.  The threat was enough and only once did he have to pull it and the wide eyes of the thug whose neck it suddenly found itself pointed at were enough to make Jeremiah smile.

Of course, there were some deals that were less than above board legally.  Getting sensitive goods around customs for example. Some union bosses would offer a lower rate for a wink and a nod when it came to other activities of a less than legal nature. Smuggling was everywhere. Jeremiah simply learned how to do these things and who to talk to when it counted. Between his new understanding of the streets and his legal knowledge, he walked the fine line between legal and illegal many times.

It was a long year where he never got past the cargo holds of most ships but he learned a lot about the starport dockworkers and the Regina criminal underground.  His old days on Strouden now made a little more sense. Navigating this underground, and its less than savory world, had a lot of uses.

His contract complete with the Free Trader Union, he sat in now what had become his favorite hangout The Naked Gypsy. He now hoped the next contract would get him back into space. He heard Captain Juros had settled into retirement, so that was out.  No, he needed to have the deck of a ship under him again and to see new worlds again.  He disliked this last year financially because it required he maintain an apartment and so he hadn’t made any money but had survived.

He downed his glass and according to custom headed upstairs to the brothel.  He was a little wiser and it was still a long few years until he could test for his 1st Officer exam.  Time to learn and grow as much as possible.  Well, that and enjoy life when possible.  Madam Heather said there were a few new girls since his last visit.  Time to try one out.

Megatraveler Notes:

Free Trader 2rd Officer Jeremiah Kilwood

Rank: O3 – 2nd Officer   Terms Served: 1

UPP: A67A74   Age: 23  Homeworld: Strouden UWP: A-745988-D N Hi In

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

Brownie Points: 4, Bonus Money: 25000 Cr.

Year Six:

Roll for position availability: 8+ 1 for Intelligence = 9  – position available.

Roll for assignment: 7 + 1 for Social 5- = 8 – No Business

Survival Roll: 5 – survives,

Skill Roll: 3 – Skill acquired.

Bonus: N/A

Roll for Skills: ( 1 fo skill roll): Rolls Planet Life Table: 2 – Streetwise – 1

MegaTraveller Shorthand

Free Trader 2rd Officer Jeremiah Kilwood

Rank: O3 – 2nd Officer   Terms Served: 1

UPP: A67A74   Age: 24  Homeworld: Strouden UWP: A-745988-D N Hi In

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

Brownie Points: 4, Bonus Money: 25000 Cr.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!