Ship's Log

110-1105 - Jenghe/Regina (1810)

The Caliban lands at Jenghe Highport and is met by Daniel Idsu, a young athletic looking man who is keen to finalise the transaction so that he can get back planet-side to prepare for the big sailboarding competition at Ghonsai Bay. The crew is keen for the work to be over so they can unwind in a decent pub instead of being crammed together in a glorified tin can. The 40 tons of cargo is unloaded in a little under three hours.

While the crew is enjoying a meal and several drinks at the Ashirka Hotel, they learn a little of the political environment they find themselves in. Jenghe is preparing for a referendum to decide whether it accepts the First Mortgage offered it by the Regina Colonial Authority. This means a very large injection of capital in order to build industry, autonomy and self-government in return for repayments over the next 100 years. Failure to repay the loan means that the Colonial Authority takes control of the system again.

The three major clans on the world each control a different facet of the world's economy and have different opinions on which way the vote should go. Clan Nakaam, which is most closely allied with the Colonial Authority, dominates the law enforcement community and controls the world's bureaucracy. Clan Idsu oversees the import and export services and so controls the flow of goods and services to and from the world. Clan Apasa manages the shipbuilding cartel -- a very important position to hold on a water world. Clan Idsu strongly supports the yes vote. Nakaam, while it cannot openly oppose the First Mortgage, votes no. Clan Apasa is currently sitting on the fence unwilling to offend either clan because the vote could go either way.

After a very fine dinner of fish and goji, a drink of fermented seaweed, a very professional looking, middle aged man approached them and introduces himself as Daniel Idsu, trade representative of Clan Idsu. He's surprised that he had so much trouble tracking them down. He had expected them to be at the ship waiting for him. By the time the crew have realised that they have been double-crossed, Daniel Idsu is in a fine rage. In a very quiet but firm voice, he demands the goods returned or he is going straight to the Imperial authorities to have the crew charged. The cargo, he says, is important to Clan Idsu strategy to win the First Mortgage referendum and comprises incentives for other clans who are currently undecided which way to vote. The crew argue him into giving them 36 hours to return the missing cargo.

Initial enquiries, in the form of a complaint about safety violations on the shuttle which carried the cargo planet-side, reveal that the shuttle landed at Jenghe Downport an hours ago. They also discover that the guy who duped them was Piiri Nakaam, a sailboard star tipped to win the competition. They hire a ship's boat and drop planet-side with a couple of mechanical problems along the way caused by trying to push the craft beyond its endurance.

On landing at Jenghe Downport, they quickly locate the cargo -- minus the cargo module -- shuttle and park in front of it, pointing their exhaust baffles directly at it. The foreman of the team handling the shuttle (another resident of Clan Nakaam) runs over. They threaten him. They cajole him. They try to bribe him. But only when they convince him that they will fire the boat's engines does he give them the information that the entire cargo module from the shuttle was loaded on-board a hovercraft and taken away. Where? He doesn't know. Did Piiri go with the hovercraft? Yes. They tuck Cr1000 in his pocket and board the ship's boat to fly to Ghonsai Bay. As they take off, coughing the ash particles and sulphurous compounds from their lungs, they see Cr1000 fly away in the breeze. Family, it seems, is more important than money.

While they search for the cargo hovercraft amid the islands of the Ghonsai Archipelago, the radio for the Marquis to catch a shuttle down. If they need to attend the pre-competition festivities, the Marquis' social position may work in their favour. The Marquis places calls to the heads of the three major clans asking to meet them later in the week. To Conrad, leader of Clan Nakaam, he suggests an invitation to the pre-competition dinner may be advantageous. Conrad readily agrees -- contacts in the Imperial nobility rarely count for nothing.

Conrad greets the Marquis and shows him around the hotel and viewing facilities. The lights of a thousand ships twinkle off the calm night ocean. The Marquis explains to Conrad how much of a sportsman he is and how danger excites him so. Rather than mention the obvious mismatch between the Marquis' words and physique, Conrad allows the Marquis to meet Piiri and take him away from a private chat where the Marquis grills the lad about his involvement in the theft of the cargo. Piiri cowardly refers all answers back to Conrad. Conrad made him do it. He didn't want to but how can you refuse family?

About this time, the crew in the hired ship's boat spot a heat plume from a the engine of a cargo hovercraft nestled in a quiet cove on the outlying island of Dademur. It appears to be the missing cargo module.

Back at the dinner table, the Marquis explains the situation to Conrad.

The civilised option is for Clan Nakaam to return the goods and reimburse the crew for their trouble and, after the goods are delivered to Clan Idsu, impound them on a legal technicality.
The uncivilised option is for the crew to contact Clan Idsu, hand over all the evidence they have collected and start legal proceedings at an Imperial level.

As the main course arrives, Conrad tells the Marquis that he'll have his answer before dessert. Conrad excuses himself to make some arrangements.

With a little negotiation, Conrad and the Marquis strike a deal. In return for not bringing Imperial anti-shipping charges against Clan Nakaam, Conrad agrees to return their cargo and not ask them to repay the Cr40,000 they have already receieved. With Clan Idsu's payment for the cargo, the team has earned double the scheduled fee for this job. Also, in return for being awarded 'preferred transporter' status, the Marquis agrees to doctor the cargo manifest to give Conrad an excuse to impound the cargo until after the First Mortgage vote.

The next morning, the crew take possession of the stolen cargo at Jenghe Down starport just in time to turn it over to Daniel Idsu and his entourage. Idsu is pleased that he has the cargo and can meet his promises to the other clans to secure a 'yes' vote.

The Caliban lifts with a cargo of fresh water and seafood for the corporate mining world of Dinom. Accompanying them is Arlent Streen, his son and secretary. He's an arrogant man and majority shareholder of the board of directors of the Dinom Resource Corporation, LIC. Streen likes the good things in life and expects them to be provided -- for a price, of course.

As the crew preps the ship for jump, a news broadcast from Jenghe tells of impounded cargoes and questions being asked about 'shipping irregularities' by Clan Idsu.

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Starting Credit:   65,000 Cr
Cargo Carried:     30,000    [75% Balance: 40 tons, haulage]
Passenger Fees:    30,000    [3 x High passage - A. Streen]
Cargo Fees:        11,500    [25% Deposit: 46 tons, haulage]
Other Income:      40,000    [Consulting fees to Clan Nakaam]
Outlays:          -44,000    [Fuel and Life Support]
                  -24,000    [16 tons, Seafood, on spec] 
Loan Repayment:   -30,000    [Personal Loan A]
Closing Credit:    78,500 Cr
Credit Owing:      34,500