Wade's Adventures

Wade was injured at the Black Site on 3.6.5011 (local date). Wade awoke after being healed at Tantalus in a medical facility on 20.6.5011.   This happens over the next 26 days:   Wade’s guns are missing. His wristcomm is on a table beside the bed. There’s a message from Horst:  

Your gear is in Docking lv3, 21F security checkpoint holding, Locker 529, here’s the code: 3825895.

 

A medic arrives to discharge Wade:

• She’s wearing a small gold pin, a stylised version of the Aquila.
• Wade is fully healed.
• He’s a registered Privateer with the Gold Star Trading Company, that gets him the right to treatment and an account payment, so he was able to get treatment, but he owes the money still - Wade cannot legally leave Tantalus until he's paid up.
• She points out that during the scans they picked up several irregularities:
• Genetic damage that will eventually result in a shorter lifespan (this is the result of Wade’s early live as a voidborn, living and working on an Imperial ship with little regard for safety. (estimated fix 235million)
• Three missing limbs, which can be fully regrown
• Facial marks, which can be entirely removed.
• Scars from battle wounds, including many, many bullet wounds that can be totally healed.
• She casually mentions that the cranial biochip implant seems to be in good condition.
• She tries hard to get Wade to have additional medical treatments to ‘correct’ those issues, talks about financing options, etc.

Healed by Tantalus Medical

• Got new clone-vat arm and legs grown and attached.
• Had all scars removed (kept his facial marks)
• Discovered the biochip in his brain
• Paid some of his treatment, owes 14million bits.

Spent time with Russel in the docks, working to help get more resources and supplies

• Made connections with Russell’s deck crews
• Sends money to them from his own wages (2k per day).
• Gained Access to buy the “Peer: Tantalus Deck Crew” Talent.
• Discovered that supply shortages are causing issues resupplying and repairing the privateer fleets - each time a ship gets repaired, it’s weaker and more prone to failures.

 

Got a job working as consultant for the Privateers, getting them organised and working together

• Privateer’s have been conscripted into the Navy as an irregular fleet, but are struggling to work together and the lack of uniformity of ships and independent natures of the crews makes coordination difficult.
• Discovered that small ‘scout’ groups of fast-moving Ork raiders are attacking Tantalus regularly (speeding ahead of the main Ork fleet).
• These ‘probe’ attacks are always defeated, but often at high cost, many Privateers have already been lost, and this is slowly wearing down the Privateer fleet.
• Wade had good success, pulled a failed mission out of the fire and turned it into a victory by taking the stick himself.
• Wade’s training will help to reduce losses and make the remaining Privateer fleet more effective.
• Gained Access to buy the “Peer: Privateers” Talent.
• Wade is paid 24k bits per day.

Discovered that there very few Navy ships at Tantalus

• Most of the Navy is still holding Amphion Point from the Ork fleet there
• The Star Charter is doing well, serving as an anchor for the fleet and a resupply/repair base.
• Governor Star is demanding more and more for his ‘service’.
• The few Navy ships at Tantalus are suffering shortages of supplies and repair parts.

Investigated the supply shortages

• Discovered the shortages are station-wide and are causing issues with every aspect of the war preparations.
• Plans to fortify Tantalus further are slowed because of these shortages.
• Discovered that the economy is collapsing because of these issues (though it’s only known to a few right now).

Met with Supreme Admiral Graves

• Discussed supply shortages, combined Wade’s research with the data held by Compiler Ge’Mor (Trusted Data-Savant of Graves, and Aquilan member).
• Discovered that a complex and sophisticated long-term “skimming” operation has been running for decades (at least 50-60 years, maybe more).
• This has been embedded so deeply in every aspect of the economy that it’s been almost undetectable, it’s only becoming apparent now because of the massive changes needed for the war preparations.
• About 90% of the raw materials needed for advanced technology (like Void Shields, las weapons, etc) have been syphoned away, what remains is just enough to maintain normal (non-wartime) systems at Tantalus.
• Discovered that the materials have all been shipped to the Minoans at Pandareus Voidstation around Hades .
• Discussed that the Minoans have always been ‘difficult’ trading partners, and that they are secretive and abrasive, but have made no hostile moves in the past.
• Discussed the possibility of using the Gravitic Mines as weapons in the war, but the group was unable to make any solid plans.

Speculation about the purpose of this material theft

• Wade speculated about the possibility that the War Mines are made of the missing materials. Ge’Mor confirmed that the composition of the Mines suggests they are made from those materials, but that if that’s all the materials are being used for, there must be billions of mines (far more than anyone thought).
• Wade speculated about the possibility of the Minoans building something like the huge Imperial Voidships in secret.

Revelation of secret allies

• Graves revealed that one of the rare and strange aliens that are occasionally seen in Ithacan space are Aeldari in disguise (for some reason Wade doesn't yet know).
• The Aeldari don’t want their presence known (for some reason Wade doesn't yet know), and have sworn Wade to secrecy.
• The Aeldari confirmed that there is Chaos influence here, but it’s subtle.
• Wade speculated that the Orks may not be the biggest threat, if Chaos is involved.
• The group speculated that someone or something may be influencing the Orks to attack in such a coordinated way - possibly Chaos.
• Graves revealed that she’s known about the Aeldari for about 4 years via the Aquilan society, but is unaware of who the Aeldari are, other than being strange human-ish aliens that know a lot of useful stuff.

About one week after this, the rest of the team reaches Tantalus.

  This is a summary of the things Wade experiences during that week:   1. Supply shortages get far worse, prices rise further, people panic buy and hoard supplies. The media streams show leaked footage from scout ships and illegal Privateer shots of the huge Ork fleet which doesn’t help things.   2. Barter, Trade, Smuggling, and the Black Market are becoming very common. Even regular citizens are having to trade on the black market for regular items and goods. Russel is having to trade on the black market to get parts to fix ships.   Wade learns a few names of people that can get stuff from and trade with fairly reliably:

• Ke’me (Seleene) - Medical, high-tech gear
• Lima Joon (Human) - Food, clothes
• Brakrattra (Themis) - Tools, Equipment,Parts.

  3. Crime has been increasing - particularly thefts. Citizens start to become more insular and protective, many of them start ‘patrolling’ their hab blocks since the Custodian Guards (regular police) are stretched thin and/or taking bribes to look the other way. Many people stop showing up for work because they feel they need to stay home and defend their property, or they just don’t see the point or going to work for the last couple of weeks they’ll be alive, etc.   4. The Mercantile District pretty much shuts down without Privateers and Scavengers bringing in items from the Graveyard to trade and the economy begins to collapse. It’s known as a place where the Black Marketeers, smugglers and shady traders are making a home.   5. The "Wartime Spirit" that swept through Tantalus shortly after the revelation of the Ork Fleet has mostly gone now. The general mood of Tantalus has shifted and people are scared, overworked, underfed, uncertain of the future and there's a LOT of gossip about how 'this is the end' and 'The Raiders can't be beaten' and 'It's everyone for themselves now'.   6. Many of the Privateers and several civilian ships sneak off Tantalus by bribing port officials. In the space of a week, the Privateer Reserve forces are down by 50% - which makes resupplying the remainder easier, but means that Wade's strikes against the Ork scouts are much harder.   7. Wade is told to stop them and instead let the Orks scouts get to Tantalus where station guns destroy most of the larger Ork scout ships and the few (understaffed and undersupplied) Navy ships there pick off whatever the big guns can't - this is very risky as it vastly increased the chances of Ork ships actually landing (or crashing into) Tantalus docks.   8. Wade will be aware that just after we left him fast scouts from the Sleastatt Fleet arrived at Tantalus to make first contact. Many more of the faster, smaller, Sleastatt ships arrived over the next week. Wade is invited to sit in on one of the meetings (the invite shows that Vickars sent it) where representatives of the Sleastatt Fleet and the Ithacan Navy discussed tactics. The following is the summary of that meeting from 15.7.5011. Wade was sitting near the back, there were about a hundred people in the room, Wade was very much out-of-place amongst Admirals and Nobles and their aides. No-one talks to him, they assume he’s an aide.  

• Ithacan Scouts report the main Ork fleet will reach Tantalus on 2.8.5011 (approx 17 days)
• The bulk of the Sleastatt fleet will arrive on 3.8.5011
• Long discussion about how to best defend Tantalus for that 24 hour period.
• Ithacan Navy suggests using the Star-Lancer ISN Argos (which is still non-functional due to shortages, but it can fly)
• The plan is to launch the ship with a volunteer skeleton crew and automation, fly it into the heart of the Ork fleet and when it's about to be destroyed, crash it into the largest Ork ship and detonate the engines.
• The few Ithacan Navy ships left that can help defend Tantalus, but are too weak to fight the Ork Fleet - all reserves are taken from the Privateer fleet and sent to the Navy ships.
• The smaller Sleastatt ships will also concentrate on defending Tantalus from small Ork ships, landing craft etc.
• Tantalus defensive guns + Sleastatt small ships + sacrificing the Argos + the few Ithacan Navy ships here will be enough to hold Tantalus for 24 hours.
• The Sleastatt Fleet will change course and head directly to the Orks rather than regrouping at Tantalus, they will aim to push back the Ork fleet and hold them away from Tantalus.
• No other plans seem viable at this time. Meeting adjourned.

  9. The next morning Wade gets a message on his wristcomm from “the Admiralty” (no name, but it is official). He is thanked for his valuable service, but is no longer required. The Sleastatt Alliance has been given command of the defence of Tantalus. Wade is given 3 million bits for his work, and the rest of the message is a recruitment advert suggesting that he should enlist in the Ithacan Navy to “do his part”.   10: Wade is blocked from entering any of the military areas, even his special access he got no-longer works. All his calls to high-level people are redirected to a recorded message service that directs enquiries to the Admiralty Public Liaison Desk (which is shut down presently). The Privateers that Wade speaks to say that Major Greesham from the Sleastatt Alliance has told them they did good work and they are now to stand down, get some rest, and await further orders. Wade can see deck-crews moving parts, ammunition and supplies away from the Privateer docks. They are being taken to the Navy ships.   11. Wade is at the docks talking to the Privateers and deck crews about what’s going on when a new ship arrives...   It is now 16.7.5011 (local date).

Summary:

Wade Earned 23 days of pay @24k per day. Minus 2k per day for Russel's crew. Minus money for food and living expenses. Minus money for renting a place to stay = 198,200 Bits + 3mill golden handshake from the Admiralty.   Wade has: 3,198,200 Bits. Wade owes: 14,000,000 Bits for his medical treatment. Wade can buy the “Peer: Tantalus Deck Crew” Talent and the “Peer: Tantalus Privateers” Talent as per p130 Core rules.