Session 2 - Rank and Privilege

Session 2 - 21 Jan 2025 - Rank and Privilege

During the week in jumpspace from Teta Lise to Pesacce, Chief Rugger tried to get his team of regulators to work together a bit better, Cdr Coltin's pilots hit the simulators and LCdr Lee's INI staff cracked the Trenchant navigation computer and interrogated the prisoner.

The nav computer gave up its secret easily enough, revealing that Trenchant had been operating in the Addison Arm; in Ben's Oath, Delin, Addison and Hachin. The prisoner didn't know much - the captain had been the one that died, but he knew the captain had had contacts who had linked him up with the ship and who could fence cargos and indeed entire starships. They'd passed on a Marava-class far trader that way, so if he'd been allowed to sign off he'd have been a rich man indeed. IN assessed him not useful as an asset, and the captain remanded him in the brig rather than have him shot immediately.

A perfect jump in to Pesacce and they made for the naval base at Pesacce's high port. Captain Edaarku was happy to receive them and briefed:

• Yes, repairs, resupply, and refuelling is available. We can supply a replacement fighter pilot.
• Piracy has been on the rise lately, and it's been bloody hard to get the subsector fleet (2173rd Fleet) to take it seriously.
• The Countess of Vald has invited you for cocktails (notably, not for dinner, a gentle snub.)
• This is Force Commander Rockwell, I've been holding onto him for you.

Lt Rookson INI further briefed (he intended to brief just LCdr Lee but the seniors stuck around and he couldn't tell them to leave):

• INI is conerned about a rise in Solomani secessionist nationalism in the sector, including in the political leadership.
• INI is further concerned that there may be a secessionist bloc being grown within the 2173rd fleet.
• The concern is sufficient that INI is actively conducting ounterintelligence ops against the 2173rd.
• Four officers of the 2173rd have gone missing in the last three months, one of whom turned up dead.
• The last one to go missing, only two days ago was an INI asset, Lt Arren Kingston, who'd been paid to try and infiltrate the seperatists

Lee asked for information on Kingston, and Rookson was only too happy to provide his address in Ravenna and details.

Everyone went down to a big fancy party; the senior staff, Capt Edaarku, Raynesford, Jacquard and Nadigir, plus Chief "Steve" Axton in plain clothes. The Countess' flying palace was extremely extra, flying a circular path over the Harpsichords to generate an artificial day/night cycle on a tidelocked world. Even the flags were engineered to flutter aesthetically.

In a huge ballroom with vast vertical windows, about sixty people mingled to the carefully amplified sounds of a strong quartet.

Countess Sunami Yoshida of Vald held court, and ignored Captain Halloway for a calculated few seconds on her arrival. She was "very pleased" to see the Navy and "hoped they would enjoy" visiting Pesacce. She had a few questions as to the captain's intent, before introducing her naval advisor, Sir Christopher Freemantle.

Mercifully, Chief Rugger had instantly recognised Freemantle and both warned the Captain of who he was, and removed himself to a quiet corner before Freemantle could recognise him. And "Lt" Lee had launched an effective charm offensive at Freemantle while the Captain was engaging the Countess. Freemantle seemed very reserved, sizing Halloway up, but certainly by no means friendly.

Meanwhile, FCom Rockwell was staring at his own boots near the windows and was approached by a conversational Baron Gethin Blackford who confided he didn't enjoy these parties much either and rhapsodised about his work constructing the darkside farms. Rockwell wasn't very excited by that either.

WCdr Coltin and Cdr Raynesford had cut a dash to the bar, where they met a young man in a very expensive suit who introduced himself as Toshi Yamamoto and was deeply interested when they started talking about the Trenchant - he certainly seemed to know about warships despite obviously not being a military man himself.

The Captain was then buttonholed by the Marquis of Ravenna, who transpired to be Toshi's father Hachi. He was a lot warmer than the Countess, clearly an ex-Navy man and asked very nicely if she wouldn't mind giving his son a lift to Ben's Oath. He had some political concerns there and wanted o send his emissary - and arriving aboard a Navy armoured cruiser would lend some gravitas to the mission. He and Halloway clicked pretty well, and he left open an offer of further conversation.

Everybody headed back to the ship, except "Lt" Lee, who met up with Chief Axton, received a duffel bag of clothes and gear, and headed for a civilian shuttle on the next pad.