Rbz22: Unlikely Bedfellows
General Summary
While the rest of the crew sorted out their scuffle with the would-be hijackers, Quinn, locked up with the refugees, managed to rally them against the crew of the Fortune's Favor. With the captain and his ablest cronies coughing and wheezing from the cloud of leaked coolant, this proved to be a surprisingly simple affair. By the time Saskia parked the Rubizahl and the trio made their way back to the hydroponics bay, Quinn had already sorted everything out.
It would take the crew the rest of the day to make good on Quinn's promise to the refugees, but it was a straightforward affair to find their colony pod (which, despite the battle, was none the worse for wear) and tow it to an airlock so that the refugees and the surviving crew of the Fortune could use it as a lifeboat while they awaited rescue.
With the refugees safety secured in their lifeboat, Quinn revealed to the rest of the crew that he had made an aurum vow to retrieve the refugees' holy relic, insisting that such a sacred item must not remain in the hands of thieves. While somewhat taken aback that he made such a commitment without consulting them, the crew found themselves in quick agreement that this would be a worthwhile detour from their main goal to retrieve Khosla. They turn to Hugh, who had made himself at home in a corner of the crew mess, for information. He had already revealed the location of the Oath Breakers' asteroid hideout, and it was here that they had planned to take the relic. However, the asteroid base was a well guarded outpost, with a myriad of stolen weapons and hidden traps to bolster its defenses. Reinhard scoffed, eager for a frontal assault, while Saskia favored a stealthier approach through the asteroid belt. Bennesh, however, wanted to know if there were any allies to bring to the fight. Afterall, the Rubezahl was neither a warship nor were they an elite strike force. Hugh revealed that the Oath Breakers, true to their name, had bitter rivals in the Oathkeepers. The Oathkeepers were a loose gathering of space pirates, who adhered to a strong code of honour -- or something like that. The Oath Breakers thought little of the code, hence their breaking away from the former, and also their name and enduring enmity. It seemed like their best option, so long as they themselves did not get captured by the pirates, and so the crew set course for one of their well known ports of call.
Once they arrived in system, it wasn't long before they were threatened to surrender or be boarded. But Bennesh saw that it was only a supply skiff bluffing their way to an easy score, and negotiated instead for a meeting with local pirate captains. The pirate lackeys complied and they soon found themselves standing in the hanger bay of a frontier moonbase, across from a trio of pirate captains -- of this, there could be no doubt as between the trio, there was a talking parrot, an eyepatch, and an enormous pirate hat. Saskia and Bennesh tactfully reframed from snickering and, instead, focused on the negotiation. They had intel from a prisoner about Rampart, the Oath Breakers' asteroid hideout. In exchange, they wanted the Oathkeeper to help them mount an attack, to avenge their fallen friends. The tale of vengeance struck a chord with some of the pirates, but one of them -- the burly captain with an eyepatch -- was suspicious and wandered aloud why they should help rather than take what they wanted. After all, they could just as easily take the prisoner and convince him to talk. Bennesh intervened, "Why of course we did not bring the prisoner with us -- that would be very foolish!" But Eyepatch laughed and simply shoved him out of the way and stalked toward the boarding ramp only to find Reinhard blocking his way. "Yarr! Step aside!" the pirate captain. "You didn't think we would come here unprepared, did you?" Reinhard stepped forward in challenge while producing a small shiny black sphere from his jacket, "A thermal detonantor. We are no match for you, of course, but if we go, you go. And half the hanger bay too." The two large men stared daggers at each other. No one dared move. Then suddenly, Eyepatch burst out laughing. Then the other pirate captains and their goons as well. And then a nervously sweating Bennesh too. Eyepatch walked up to Reinhard and clasped him on his shoulder for his gutsy play, "You'd make a fine pirate! Why don't ye join us for this attack of yours, eh? And don't ye worry. We'll have one of our gunners take yer place." It wasn't a suggestion, and so Reinhard didn't contradict him. Instead, he gave a wink and a nod to his friends before walking off with the pirate captain.
With the refugees safety secured in their lifeboat, Quinn revealed to the rest of the crew that he had made an aurum vow to retrieve the refugees' holy relic, insisting that such a sacred item must not remain in the hands of thieves. While somewhat taken aback that he made such a commitment without consulting them, the crew found themselves in quick agreement that this would be a worthwhile detour from their main goal to retrieve Khosla. They turn to Hugh, who had made himself at home in a corner of the crew mess, for information. He had already revealed the location of the Oath Breakers' asteroid hideout, and it was here that they had planned to take the relic. However, the asteroid base was a well guarded outpost, with a myriad of stolen weapons and hidden traps to bolster its defenses. Reinhard scoffed, eager for a frontal assault, while Saskia favored a stealthier approach through the asteroid belt. Bennesh, however, wanted to know if there were any allies to bring to the fight. Afterall, the Rubezahl was neither a warship nor were they an elite strike force. Hugh revealed that the Oath Breakers, true to their name, had bitter rivals in the Oathkeepers. The Oathkeepers were a loose gathering of space pirates, who adhered to a strong code of honour -- or something like that. The Oath Breakers thought little of the code, hence their breaking away from the former, and also their name and enduring enmity. It seemed like their best option, so long as they themselves did not get captured by the pirates, and so the crew set course for one of their well known ports of call.
Once they arrived in system, it wasn't long before they were threatened to surrender or be boarded. But Bennesh saw that it was only a supply skiff bluffing their way to an easy score, and negotiated instead for a meeting with local pirate captains. The pirate lackeys complied and they soon found themselves standing in the hanger bay of a frontier moonbase, across from a trio of pirate captains -- of this, there could be no doubt as between the trio, there was a talking parrot, an eyepatch, and an enormous pirate hat. Saskia and Bennesh tactfully reframed from snickering and, instead, focused on the negotiation. They had intel from a prisoner about Rampart, the Oath Breakers' asteroid hideout. In exchange, they wanted the Oathkeeper to help them mount an attack, to avenge their fallen friends. The tale of vengeance struck a chord with some of the pirates, but one of them -- the burly captain with an eyepatch -- was suspicious and wandered aloud why they should help rather than take what they wanted. After all, they could just as easily take the prisoner and convince him to talk. Bennesh intervened, "Why of course we did not bring the prisoner with us -- that would be very foolish!" But Eyepatch laughed and simply shoved him out of the way and stalked toward the boarding ramp only to find Reinhard blocking his way. "Yarr! Step aside!" the pirate captain. "You didn't think we would come here unprepared, did you?" Reinhard stepped forward in challenge while producing a small shiny black sphere from his jacket, "A thermal detonantor. We are no match for you, of course, but if we go, you go. And half the hanger bay too." The two large men stared daggers at each other. No one dared move. Then suddenly, Eyepatch burst out laughing. Then the other pirate captains and their goons as well. And then a nervously sweating Bennesh too. Eyepatch walked up to Reinhard and clasped him on his shoulder for his gutsy play, "You'd make a fine pirate! Why don't ye join us for this attack of yours, eh? And don't ye worry. We'll have one of our gunners take yer place." It wasn't a suggestion, and so Reinhard didn't contradict him. Instead, he gave a wink and a nod to his friends before walking off with the pirate captain.
Report Date
16 Apr 2022
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