K-051: Live Session Summary Part 1, Independent Transporter Welcome Wagon

Oliver discovers that Welcome Wagon’s computer system has been hacked. If a person can get access to one of the ship’s terminals and send a one of four short, specific messages in the internal messaging system, they can hijack the comms array to send specific pre-crafted messages, which seem to announce:

• This ship is involved in people smuggling from the Dominion;
• There is a very important passenger on board who can provide assistance with Dominion secrets;
• There’s a very important passenger on board who is under the protection of the Dominion Navy;
• There’s someone on board with access to secrets who could be very valuable;
• There’s also a general emergency message.

Oliver is pretty sure Argyle left those messages in the system – he’s not the first Dominion security expert to hack into this ship’s systems!

He confirms from the system timestamps that he’s about 200 Cycles behind Argyle.

For the rest of the trip Oliver has an occasional chat with Maloney and anyone else who will talk to him, feeling out how difficult it is likely to be for him to adapt to separatist life. In the big room on the same deck there’s a family of five tucked up over in one corner, and other than that, it’s empty. He senses the lack of passengers is disappointing for the crew in general and Maloney in particular, who appears to supplement her income through personal services. Other than his fact-finding chats, he keeps to himself.

At one point Maloney offers to buy his gecko overshoes. Oliver’s not interested in bargaining with her over price, but he’s curious as to why she wants them – it seems that she considers them ‘shiny dominion tech!’ Oliver’s happy to try and blend in to be more like a Separatist, and agrees to sell if she’ll include a set of Separatist Mag Boots as part of the deal. She does and he earns 1000 Standards, that he doesn’t really need. Her main concern is that she can pay in Standards not Dominion Money.

Oliver asks her about how one might go about finding people up that might not want to be found. Moloney suggests he try the public directory or, notes that he can probably hire a private investigator. Oliver thanks her for the advice.

Channing briefs him on their destination system, she says that Gateway and Neargate is a binary star system, and the Electorate have a colony world orbiting each star. The stars are not close, they are far-apart binaries. Gateway is economically important as the point on the Separatist side of the border where Dominion ships trade with the Electorate. She notes that Neargate is much smaller, though actually better suited to human habitation. The star that Gateway orbits is a hot dwarf star, hotter than the G-class stars that are often ideal. Gateway itself is an ocean world, which does mean lots of water but unfortunately also means not actually a breathable atmosphere.

It’s quite warm though still within human habitable range, natural gravity is about 0.5 G, though, says Channing, it’s often artificially buffed in many places. She notes that the day-night cycle is right on a Circad, so it maintains an expected daily routine. There’s a fair bit of space traffic here as the main trade port with the Dominion.

Channing notes in passing that one of the reasons they’re going to Gateway is that technically they’re complying with the agreement between the two governments that Dominion Mers enter Electorate jurisdiction via Gateway.

Welcome Wagon exits hyperspace on 211.505 at the GY break, or 799-1-4-7 at 22:15 in Separatist time after a bit over 13 Cycles/Circads in jump. Oliver knows that its 16.3 Lights from Nonoop to Gateway, suggesting that Welcome Wagon isn’t exactly a racer.

It takes another 3 Cycles/Circads to reach what is apparently Gateway Highport, though the Separatists refer to it as the ‘Orbital Station’. Oliver has adjusted his body clock to Separatist time during the trip, and Welcome Wagon docks at what is now late at night for him: 211.508 GG08 / 799-2-1-4 00:15. Like the Dominion, the Separatists have a ‘standard time’ across their jurisdiction, but the times don’t line up; the start of the Separatist Circadian (00:00) occurs at the start of GG07 on the Dominion clock, and the start of a Dominion Cycle occurs at 11:45 Separatist time.

Oliver and the family of five are asked to grab their gear and assemble at the airlock. Channing retrieves Oliver’s weapon from the safe and returns it to him. After a short wait, the doors open and everyone is invited to disembark.