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[Xander Morhaime]

Parthia system, southern fringe of Federation space
June 12th, 2805, 12:03 galstandard time

"It's a good ship, sir. The best you can get in this sector and this price range, certainly..."

The manager of the Parthia IV station impound dock continued making his sales pitch as you all stood in an observation deck overlooking the berth holding the ship the man was going on about. An old destroyer, decommissioned a long time ago and since then subjected to numerous modifications by its subsequent owners. Its shape was blocky, nowhere near as stylish as the more modern ships, but it looked to be in good condition... and, being in the impound dock, it came dead cheap. The name "Blue Crow" was painted on the side of the hull.

"...plasma steel armour plating, a pair of SirTech 28-series mark 3 pulse thrusters, four hardpoint turrets to ward off all but the most determined or suicidal pirate..."

Parthia itself was a rather unimportant system. Five planets, two of which were gas giants, and the other three were uninhabited rocks that hadn't yet merited the attention of any colonisers, and an asteroid belt between the first and second planet serving as the system's main point of interest. And of course there was the waystation above Parthia IV, the first of two gas giants in the system. It made its business refuelling ships and processing raw ore from belt miners... and, at times like this, also from selling ships confiscated to cover debts.

"...shipboard AI, medical bay, plenty of cargo space, prospector drones included in the package. A real steal at this price, I should think..."

You'd all come here in the employ or company of Doran Routhe, a retired officer of the Federation 3rd Fleet. After so many systems traversed by passenger liner you had finally decided that having your own ship would be far more preferable... and, in the long run, more profitable. Of course, ship prices being what they are it wasn't looking good until you happened to chance upon the auction where the Blue Crow was being sold. Of course buying it used up most of your collective funds, but it looked like it could pay off soon.

"...everything as the owner left it, save for perishable supplies which had to be removed off ship. Assuming there's no questions, I'll just need sir's authorisation on the transaction and you can move on to having a look around the ship yourselves."

[Malek Deneith]

- It comes with an AI? That's rare, especially considering it's a destroyer. - Doran tapped the ground with his cane - Is the reactor supplied, or do we need to buy fuel to make it run?

[Xander Morhaime]

"I believe the AI was one of the modifications installed by the previous captain. And a fuel refill comes with the package, sir," the manager replied with a smile. "The ship is also fitted with fuel scoops... it's nowhere near as efficient as refuelling at a station, but the option's there."

[Malek Deneith]

- Well unless others have any questions I guess we can authorize and move on. Real luck to find a ship at such price. It might be old, but it sounds well equipped for the cost.

[UltimateChaos]

Pacing impatiently back and forth Dr. Shelder makes an idle gesture, his attention obviously focused elsewhere.

Well, what are you waiting for Commodore?  Sign the damned thing so we have a way off this rock.  I hope the medical bay is in better condition than it's hull.

Vince's hands working quickly, he draws out what appears to be the claw of a large feral beast from his shrit.  His hand grips it tightly, but his cold steely eyes stare straight at the retired commodore, Doran.

[Gargulec]

Elizabeth muffled a yawn, and laid down her luggage on the floor, and sat down next to it, closing her eyes. She was really weary, and was really hoping for the chance to get some real sleep sometime soon. She was not really paying attention to the salesman anyway, for her involvement in the purchase was painfully small compared to the one of her much wealthier companions.

If you did not know her, you would probably find it surprising that this lithe, slightly short women who rarely left Doran's side was in fact a veteran of one of the most elite non-Legion formations in the Federation. Of course, there were some give-aways, but none too obvious. Somebody interested in military gear and lifestyle could probably notice that the tight, formfitting bodyglove she was wearing was in fact standard ODI issue sealant sheath, worn under armour to seal eventual breaches, and despite being not very modes nor really comfortable- it made the wearer sweat like crazy- also usually worn off-duty as well, for it drastically cut down the time necessary to get yourself into the battle gear or that her hair were cut in standard military fashion. Somebody gifted with good sight could also possibly notice the stock of a military rifle sticking out from Elizabeth's luggage bag, and that was probably the last clue available on her origin.

She yawned again, this time failing to muffle it in time.

'Sorry...'

[Silhar]

"Ze sleep ov yours vazn't too good, ??????? ?", Matvieyevich utters silently, adressing Elizabeth, standing somewhere nearby. After a few seconds, he yawns as well, leaning his back against the wall. It appears that his interest in a purchase is relatively low. But, he decides to ask a question anyway - just for his own curiosity.

"Vould ye mind telling uz, zir, vhich ?????????? did thiz ship belong to before ?"

After a while, he adds, smiling keenly.

"And... vhere iz ze catch ?"

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I may use my telepathic talents to check if the man will be lying when talking about "a catch". At GM's discretion, I would like to do so.

[S.K. Ren]

"Yes, that is the proper question. Where is the catch?. If you don't mind, I would like to look over all the paperwork you have regarding this vessel's service records, repair history, a list of all renovations. If there is anything we'll have to fix ourselves, I'd like to do it before we get stranded in space." Evedro asked. His small frame left him unimposing but he had enough confidence to make up for it. Brushing his scraggly brown hair from his face, he pulled out a small notepad and began making notes of the exterior of the ship.

[Xander Morhaime]

"Pardon, sir... which what?" the manager asked, apparently not understanding Yurij's thick accent.

"There is no catch, sirs. Granted, the ship has had the majority of its weapon systems removed and its thrusters and power plants swapped out as per decommissioning regulations, but it still is armed, as I've mentioned, with four hardpoint turrets. I would expect the larger cargo hold doesn't do structure strength any favours, but only if it's getting shot at. We don't exactly have a history of the ship on hand here - the vessel itself was confiscated to cover the previous owner's debts, anything beyond the most obvious changes is anyone's guess. I would just like to remind sirs that ships in pristine condition, with a meticulously kept service record and maintenance history, tend to cost many times more than what sirs will be paying. You get what you pay for, as the saying goes."

[S.K. Ren]

"Wonderful" Evedro sigh sarcastically. "Well the sooner we sign the papers, the sooner I can give her a rundown."

[Gargulec]

'Just buy it, crew...' murmured Elizabeth. 'We need that ship, right? No chance for getting something better at that price, right?'

She stretched her arms.

'So just finalize the purchase... no sense to drag it any further.'

[Silhar]

"??????o.", shrugged Yurij, bouncing off the wall. "Let uz finish thiz an' depart already, ??? ? Ve'll have ta check thiz one out later on anyvay."

Blasted place. The Russian was sick of its aura already. The silent hum was making it hard to concentrate, not to mention getting rid of a feeling he was recieving for a few hours - or grasping into anybody's mind just for fun.
All he wished for was to get away from here as soon as possible, no matter if on board of an old, malfunctioning destroyer, a prison ship or a wooden boat.
Silently, he stared upon the rest, watching Doran finalizing the trade, with a shallow glance sweeping both Evedro and the Doctor, finally looking at Elizabeth busy with fighting off the sleep, then moving his stare back to the Commodore.
Slowly, he sat under the wall, checking his possessions.
"Blue crov. Ye, more like >>?????? ????<<...", Morgov pondered, his face marked with no smile. "Ruzty hen."

[Xander Morhaime]

"Wonderful, wonderful... if you'd just sign here and authorise the transaction, you can get to looking around your new purchase..."

***

The formalities done, you descended to the docking bay. The first closer look at the ship was promising at least - the hull, while a bit on the dirty side, looked quite solid. A grav platform carried you up to the airlock located near the front of the ship. The airlock opened without any problems and let you aboard the ship. The interior wasn't exactly first-class, no frills or shiny paintjob, but no wires just hanging about loose in the corridors. The air was a bit cool here, colder than the station's atmosphere.

And then the shipboard AI spoke up.

"Greeting: Welcome aboard the Blue Crow," the voice said in a calm and measured tone with a metallic ring to it. "I have been notified that you will be taking command of this fine vessel. Introduction: I am Carrion, the on-board computer. It is my duty, and possibly - though unlikely - my pleasure to see this ship safely through any insane risks you may wish to expose it to. Request: If you will step up to the bridge, I can provide you with a technical readout of this ship and its capabilities."

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The OOC thread should now be updated with info of the current ship in your possession.

[Gargulec]

'It's called Carrion? Uh, Sir, I would strongly advise that shut this damm thing off before it vents us out into space...'

[Xander Morhaime]

"Objection: I assure you I have no intention of doing so. You are the new crew, and so my new masters. It is preferable to being melted down for scrap."