Hi all, Found a typo in the last report ("manufactored")--strangely, MS Word didn't pick it up. Hmmm. Anyway, here's the corrected one. :-) Have fun, Yean Wei. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- JoLT! Report 6.01 Company status: - it is approx. 8:00 PM on Sat 09.10.2199 - we are due to leave New Fremantle tomorrow (or else to pay further docking fees if staying) - we have a full tank of fuel (300 l, 4800 km range) - we have 34 ration packs, which will keep JB/TI fed for 22.7 days - we have 16 luxury ration packs, which will keep Rosita Mercy fed for 16 days - we have HIST project subscription paid until 26.08.2200 - we have CommCore access paid until 24.08.2201 - we owe 100000 cs at 20% p.a. to the North Bank; first interest payment of 20000 cs will be due 31.12.2199 - company funds currently 8850 cs *** fuel now costs 0.5 cs/l rather than 5 cs/l *** Sun 10.10.2199 - we buy some film editing software so that TI can produce the film of Rosita Mercy's (RM's) trip with us - film editing software for bodycomps -100 cs - tutorials for film editing software -100 cs - we set sail for Prime Meridian, planning to stop along the islands of Curly, Moe, and Larry on the way for Rosita Mercy (RM) to do some sightseeing; we will drop her off in Al-Mamlakah to catch a plane back to Haven in time for her space flight back to Earth - pre-booked flight from Al-Mamlakah to Haven for RM -300 cs Tue 12.10.2199 - after a few days of clear sailing, we reach Curly, an island a few km in diameter and uninhabited; we sail on after a short break Wed 13.10.2199 - we reach Moe, an island about 10 km long and covered with thick mangrove swamp - we explore the island; after a little while, JB notices that a stick RM picked up looks like a tooth or bone; on clearing some mud away, it turns out to look like a human femur - we try to backtrack to where RM picked up the bone, but get lost and instead find a place where there are many bones and something in a tree; LF investigates with her remote and it turns out to be a dead animal, possibly a land lizard or a marsh devil; its torso appeared to be crushed - it is now around midday, and we try to keep backtracking; we manage to get back to where RM picked up the bone; TI finds a human skull; RM and TI dig in the mud further and find a badly rusted hunting rifle; JB identifies it as a MacLeod-manufactured rifle of a model dating from about 3 years ago - digging around further, we find evidence of three human corpses, all with crushed ribcages; in the meantime, LF sent her remote scouting around and found a submerged boat around 10 m long - TI suspects the cause of death could be a Hangin' Joe - TI swims underwater to investigate the boat while JB keeps watch; TI picks the lock on the main hatch and looks in; it is dark and TI has no light source - we return RM to the Yellow Sub and bring a magnesium flare back to the sunken boat; TI and JB and LF's cicada investigate - inside, we find several data spikes and some crates with scientific equipment and substances in them - we return to the Yellow Sub with all the discovered and salvaged items: rusted hunting rifle, three skulls (JB suggested bringing them for identification from dental records at the next city), a crate with scientific equipment marked HPLC, a crate with various substances (some marked radioactive), several data spikes, and some ammunition - on checking the data spikes, one turns out to be a holiday-type record of the three dead people: two men and a woman, apparently non- aquaform modified humans (neural jacks visible) Thu 14.10.2199 - TI and JB return to the corpse site to search for a camera, and find a camera with data spike intact - this data spike contains the fateful last record of the three people, who were apparently travelling to this island to photograph Hangin' Joes and themselves fell victim to these creatures; from the built-in date on the film, they died 10 months ago - most of the other data spikes contain biological reference material, though three contained widely differing music - we return to the Yellow Sub, where TI looks up salvage laws and LF contacts the GEO at Fort Pacifica to report the finding - GEO Deputy Marshal Johanssen replies and speaks to all three of us - we replace the skulls at the corpse site and sail for Al-Mamlakah - later that day, we pass Larry, another mangrove-infested island Fri 15.10.2199 - as we are sailing, the sonar detects something around twice the size of the Yellow Sub passing behind us a few km away; it does not pursue and we do not investigate Sun 17.10.2199 - we approach Prime Meridian and dock at Al-Mamlakah - Al-Mamlakah is the Poseidon headquarters city of Atlas Holdings, who seem to specialise in various forms of vehicle construction, including orbital shuttles; the city is heavily fortified and armed; there is a shuttle port on the outskirts of the city, and residential areas on nearby hills; the city has many tall towers, though a tall metal spire stands out above even these - we pay for 10 days' docking fees -100 cs - we refuel -53 cs - we report to the GEO High Commission of Justice and hand in the film footage of the three doomed travellers and the Hangin' Joes, as told to by Deputy Marshal Johanssen - Al-Mamlakah has mag-lev links to Kansas in the south and Cooper's Ferry in the north; the heavy fortifications are due to the fact that GenDiver attacked and destroyed Atlas's first underwater base on Poseidon some years ago; a cold war of sorts exists between the two incorporates Mon 18.10.2199 - TI brings RM south to Kansas via mag-lev to see the sights; LF and JB stay in Al-Mamlakah; LF tries looking up some friends while JB inspects the submersible construction facilities and maintains the Yellow Sub; submersible prices here appear to be around 10% cheaper than in Haven - TI and RM stay in Kansas, a frontier farming town, for a few days Thu 21.10.2199 - while working on the Yellow Sub, JB is approached by a middle-aged Arab man dressed in a suit and calling himself Ben; he asks to speak privately to JB and asks about JoLT and whether they can 'make people disappear'; JB takes Ben's e-mail address and says the company will contact him if interested - TI and RM return from Kansas; TI and LF finish producing the film documentary of RM's travel with us - RM flies for Haven; we made 7750 cs profit from taking her with us on our travels (9000 cs paid, 1250 cs spent) - TI and JB investigate the underworld presence in Al-Mamlakah; though Atlas security maintains strong order, there appears to be plenty of intra-corporation politics - TI finds that some eco-terrorists (or so they claim) are seeking a mercenary group to perform a kidnapping for 18000 cs Fri 22.10.2199 - TI probes for further information on the kidnapping contract, and the contact says to meet in the Blue Lagoon (a tavern near the wharf) tonight and to wear a yellow hat; TI buys a yellow hat with the Atlas logo on it and draws a smiley face next to the logo - TI and JB meet the eco-terrorist contact, a rough-looking male squid aquaform in his 30s; after a little briefing, we decline to accept the contract Sat 23.10.2199 - LF found a Native woman who might be interested in joining JoLT; she is Angela Morris (AM), a squid aquaform around 25 years of age currently working in a health food store; we interview her; her main skills are in wilderness survival; she has very little experience with technology in general - we buy two torches (10 cs each) -20 cs Sun 24.10.2199 - AM farewells her brother at the health food store (they lived just behind the store) - JB tests AM's accuracy with a rifle; she appears an ordinary shot - we wait the next few days for news on the assassination (Ben) or the kidnapping (eco-terrorists); we cover basic emergency procedures for the Yellow Sub for AM Wed 27.10.2199 - after waiting a few days for news, we set sail for Cooper's Ferry; for this leg, TI and JB are eating normal rations and AM is eating luxury rations - that evening, on CommCore news, we hear of an Atlas executive being 'captured and carried off' by a wild animal while hunting with other Atlas executives near Al-Mamlakah Fri 29.10.2199 - we land at Cooper's Ferry, a small farm town of around 1000 people - we take lunch in the local pub and interview a few people (the proprietor and a couple of mag-lev pilots); TI asks about Shah Kelkin (a name earlier linked to Advanced Software); this Shah Kelkin turns out to be a mag-lev pilot - later that day, we set sail for Alderberg, en route to Haven Company status: - it is approx. 3:00 PM on Fri 29.10.2199 - we are just leaving Cooper's Ferry, heading for Alderberg - we have a mostly full tank of fuel (85.3%, 256 l, 4096 km range) - we have 19 ration packs and 6 luxury ration packs, which will keep JB/TI/AM fed for 12.5 days - we have HIST project subscription paid until 26.08.2200 - we have CommCore access paid until 24.08.2201 - we owe 100000 cs at 20% p.a. to the North Bank; first interest payment of 20000 cs will be due 31.12.2199 - company funds currently 8177 cs ----------------------------------------------------------------------