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From: traveller-request@metolius.wr.tek.com (TML Administrator)
Subject: TML Bundle #177: Table of Contents

-AMN- --Date--- --Sender--------- --Subject-----------------------------------
2222  14-Mar-91 grue@cs.uq.oz.au  Re: the big Big BIG picture << >Subject: (222
2223  13-Mar-91 bart@cs.uoregon.e Re: Striker (2216) << In TML biweekly V14#18,
2224  00-Jan-00 Alan Huscroft     The Big Picture << I have a couple of Postscr
2225  13-Mar-91 Richard Johnson   He dit it again! << Just noticed that Alan (o
2226  14-Mar-91 "Simpson, Bart"   Spinward Marches to Spica << All of the basic
2227  14-Mar-91 "Bruce T. Ritchie Martial Arts vs. Brawling << Greetings Gang! 
2229  15-Mar-91 plb@violin.att.CO Re: (2227) Martial Arts vs. Brawling << Opera
2230  15-Mar-91 plb@violin.att.CO Re: (2223) Re: Striker (2216) << Operating Sy
2231  15-Mar-91 Mark F. Cook      Mint copies of Striker available!! << I just 
2232  16-Mar-91 d9bertil@dtek.cha Voyage of the Gamla Bettan part Two [story:25
2233  16-Mar-91 Richard Johnson   Trouble mailing to Chris Olson (fwd) << <Incl

------------------------------

Archive-Message-Number: 2222
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 91 15:57:14 EST
From: grue@cs.uq.oz.au
Subject: Re: the big Big BIG picture

>Subject: (2220) Re:  The Big BIG Picture....

>Yes, it would be interesting to see what people know about Charted Space
>in Traveller.  There are so many things about the map that we know little
>about; the Lesser Rift area...the Hive Federation...heck, just the sector
>spinward of the Marches.

I'd like to find out a little more...


>Still, it's hardly impressive in comparison to the seven great Core
>Expeditions of the Zhodani.  According to the Ref's Manual, they've
>roughly explored (probably not surveyed!) a corridor some thirty
>parsecs wide and SEVEN THOUSAND long toward the galactic core!  Even
>assuming that they aren't straying much from a subsector-wide area
>near the middle, that's still a corridor about 175 sectors long!!!
>I figure that it would take a ship able to Jump 6 parsecs every two
>weeks over 44 years to reach the far end, one-way.  No wonder they're
>still planning the eighth one...you wouldn't want to leave anything
>behind....

It is worse than that, the Zhodani only have Jump-5 ships (since they
are TL=14!).  This makes the one-way trip about 53 years (closer to 54)!
And it would be safe to assume that the early trips were made at a
lower TL than the later ones.


>Still, it would make for some interesting adventure possibilites for
>Zhodani parties.  Besides, who knows what they're going to run into
>way out there?  You can't exactly call for reinforcements. :)

Could be kind of fun running into some high-tech xeno-phobic planet
along the way (one that was marginally industrial the previous time
through, could be capable of putting up decent resistance on the way
back).  The supplies required would be HUGE, they mustn't have sat down
and worked out the specific details when the figures in the ref's guide
were invented ;-}

I think it would make a VERY good scenaro.  A couple of supply ships
mis-jumping about 1000 parsecs out would cause lots of 'fun' problems.




        						Pauli
seeya

Paul Dale               | Internet/CSnet:            grue@cs.uq.oz.au
Dept of Computer Science| Bitnet:       grue%cs.uq.oz.au@uunet.uu.net
Uni of Qld              | JANET:           grue%cs.uq.oz.au@uk.ac.ukc
Australia, 4072         | EAN:                          grue@cs.uq.oz
                        | UUCP:           uunet!munnari!cs.uq.oz!grue
f4e6g4Qh4++             | JUNET:                     grue@cs.uq.oz.au

------------------------------

Archive-Message-Number: 2223
Subject: Re: Striker (2216) 
Date: Wed, 13 Mar 91 22:49:39 -0800
From: bart@cs.uoregon.edu

In TML biweekly V14#18, message 2216, Mark Cook <markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.COM> writes:
> > 3.  If not, is it still illegal for me to photocopy the game, or
> >     parts of it, and send them to the person who requested it?
> Yes, but that's never stopped me. :-)

I'm *not a lawyer*, and thus you *shouldn't believe me*, but as I understand
the copyright law, it is perfectly legal to make a copy for personal use of
a work which is (1) out-of-print, and (2) unavailable at a reasonable
price.  Thus, if you (Adrian) can't find a copy of the Striker rules at one
of the places suggested on the list, you shouldn't feel guilty about copying
it.

Somebody should just try to get GDW's permission to photocopy the thing --
if they don't plan ever to publish it again, why should they mind?  (Oh, I'm
sure you creative souls will all think of good reasons -- it's just a
rhetorical question :-).
					Bart Massey
					bart@cs.uoregon.edu
					
"I've got so many lawyers working for me, I make Bell Labs look like an
organization engaged in the business of making scientific discoveries."
						-- The Usenet Oracle

------------------------------

Archive-Message-Number: 2224
Date: Thursday 14th March 1991 10:12:19 GMT
From: Alan Huscroft <ASSHUSCR@cms.am.cc.reading.ac.uk>
Subject: The Big Picture

 
I have a couple of Postscript files lurking around in some dim and dusty
corner which map out all the sector names I have ever been able to find.
Trim off the margins and tape them together and it makes quite a nice
2-page spread.  It just shows the names of the sectors (including alien
alternatives), no astrographical features, no political borders or
anything like that.  If anybody is interested in seeing these files I
might be persuaded to go and hunt them down.  I can't promise they are
absolutely complete because there are some gaps in my collection.
 
As far as world data is concerned, I don't have any more information
than Metlay.  There are certainly several Imperial sectors for which
I've never seen anything published.  I imagine DGP is saving them up
for future publications.  (We probably won't get to see Ilelish sector,
for example, until they finally get around to finishing The Black Duke.)
 
And whoever had the yacht deckplans -- if you can get them in Postscript
form then I'd like to see them!
 
............................................................................
: Alan Huscroft              : Janet:    A.Huscroft@uk.ac.reading          :
: Reading, England           : Internet: A.Huscroft@reading.ac.uk          :
: 6-G takeoffs AND landings! : X-boat:   A.Huscroft@terra.sol.solomani_rim :
:............................:.............................................:

------------------------------

Archive-Message-Number: 2225
Subject: He dit it again!
Date: Wed, 13 Mar 91 17:32:01 PST
From: Richard Johnson <agora.rain.com!richard@tessi.UUCP>

Just noticed that Alan (our wise and wonderful sysadmin) dumped
all incoming uunet/uucp mail that arrived Monday and Tuesday.  If 
you sent something in the last copule of days, and read this before 
you see a reply by me, please re-send it.  I'm gonna put PBEM turn
10.7 together Friday night with whatever I have then.

Thanks.
Richard
	richard@agora.rain.com
	home of the Pharosian bitching cactus

------------------------------

Archive-Message-Number: 2226
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 91 13:41:00 CST
From: "Simpson, Bart" <C447463@UMCVMB.MISSOURI.EDU>
Subject: Spinward Marches to Spica

All of the basic survey data from the Spinward Marches to Spica (read
7 x 5 sectors of the Imperium) is available from GDW or Digest Group
Publications if you prod enough. I have them in a text format that I
took from a macintosh program. I don't know if this will help fill in
the big BIG picture for you (I'm just starting on the list) but I will
help with it if I am able...

                            Bart

------------------------------

Archive-Message-Number: 2227
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 91 17:14 EST
From: "Bruce T. Ritchie, P.S.C." <BRUCER%PSC.PLYMOUTH.EDU@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
Subject: Martial Arts vs. Brawling

        Greetings Gang! Hi Bob!

     A question, if I may... How do some of you handle a Martial Arts
skill? I know that a while back there was an article about MA in
either Chall. or Travellers Digest, but I found it a bit confusing. If
I recall the author equated MA skill level with dan rank. This would
seem to suggest that you'd need a skill of 12 to be a beginning black
belt!! I must have missed something and the issue is not available to
me at the moment.
     Or, would the Martial Arts be lumped under Brawling, with
extentions to take care of weapons such as Katana (long blade), etc.?
Have any of you done anything with `ninja-esque' PC's or NPC's?? Do
you break down the skill among things like stealth, blade, brawling,
etc?

     Sure, a FGMP is great... but sometimes ya gotta be subtle....

                                brucer
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
        Bruce T. Ritchie (Brucer@PSC.Plymouth.EDU) AKA: Zben Blaine
        Media Services
        Plymouth State College
        Plymouth, N.H. USA
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
       "The difference between science and the fuzzy subjects
        is that science requires reasoning, while those other
                subjects merely require scholarship"
                                        Lazarus Long


------------------------------

Archive-Message-Number: 2229
From: plb@violin.att.COM
Subject: Re: (2227) Martial Arts vs. Brawling
Date: Fri, 15 Mar 91 10:12:55 EST

Operating System: HP-UX A.B7.00 U
Organization: AT&T-BL, Red Hill System Administration Group (HRSAG)
Location: HR 2C119
Phone: (201) 615-4419
Return-receipt:
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL5]

*| 
*|         Greetings Gang! Hi Bob!
*| 
*|      A question, if I may... How do some of you handle a Martial Arts
*| skill? I know that a while back there was an article about MA in
*| either Chall. or Travellers Digest, but I found it a bit confusing. If
*| I recall the author equated MA skill level with dan rank. This would
*| seem to suggest that you'd need a skill of 12 to be a beginning black
*| belt!! I must have missed something and the issue is not available to
*| me at the moment.
*|      Or, would the Martial Arts be lumped under Brawling, with
*| extentions to take care of weapons such as Katana (long blade), etc.?
*| Have any of you done anything with `ninja-esque' PC's or NPC's?? Do
*| you break down the skill among things like stealth, blade, brawling,
*| etc?
*| 
*|      Sure, a FGMP is great... but sometimes ya gotta be subtle....
*| 
*|                                 brucer

I have been handling martial arts the way the GM I first started
playing under handled them without thinking too much about it.  The
asumption he made was that a brawling of 3+ indicated some level of
martial arts skill.   Increases above 3 were higher levels of
martial arts skill. 

So far as long bladed weapons were concerned, he (and I ) take the
closest weapon covered in the sword, broadsword, etc skills and
applied those.

Funny you should mention Ninjas... He had some character
generation table that he created just for that purpose.  You could
have a Ninja character in his campaign, and parties often had to
deal with Ninja assasination attempts if they got a little too big
for their britches...


- - -- 
Peter L. Berghold | TELEPHONE: +1 (908) 615-4419
- - ------------------+---------------------------------------------------
EMAIL ADDRESSES:   BIX - PETEB  COMPU$ERVE - 70152,3017 
FAX (908) 706-2004 DELPHI - BERGHOLD GENIE - PBERGHOLD

------------------------------

Archive-Message-Number: 2230
From: plb@violin.att.COM
Subject: Re: (2223) Re: Striker (2216)
Date: Fri, 15 Mar 91 10:18:46 EST

Operating System: HP-UX A.B7.00 U
Organization: AT&T-BL, Red Hill System Administration Group (HRSAG)
Location: HR 2C119
Phone: (201) 615-4419
Return-receipt:
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL5]

*| 
*| In TML biweekly V14#18, message 2216, Mark Cook <markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.COM> writes:
*| > > 3.  If not, is it still illegal for me to photocopy the game, or
*| > >     parts of it, and send them to the person who requested it?
*| > Yes, but that's never stopped me. :-)
*| 
*| I'm *not a lawyer*, and thus you *shouldn't believe me*, but as I understand
*| the copyright law, it is perfectly legal to make a copy for personal use of
*| a work which is (1) out-of-print, and (2) unavailable at a reasonable
*| price.  Thus, if you (Adrian) can't find a copy of the Striker rules at one
*| of the places suggested on the list, you shouldn't feel guilty about copying
*| it.
*| 
*| Somebody should just try to get GDW's permission to photocopy the thing --
*| if they don't plan ever to publish it again, why should they mind?  (Oh, I'm
*| sure you creative souls will all think of good reasons -- it's just a
*| rhetorical question :-).
*| 

HA!  Are you kidding?   GDW hasn't struck me as being too
cooperative about much of anything!   When I asked them about
publishing SHAREWARE for Traveller and MegaTraveller they gave me
the knee jerk reaction of "The Traveller and MegaTraveller names
are protected by copyright and remain the property of GDW..."

I tried to explain to them I wasn't trying to STEAL anything but....


- - -- 
Peter L. Berghold | TELEPHONE: +1 (908) 615-4419
- - ------------------+---------------------------------------------------
EMAIL ADDRESSES:   BIX - PETEB  COMPU$ERVE - 70152,3017 
FAX (908) 706-2004 DELPHI - BERGHOLD GENIE - PBERGHOLD

------------------------------

Archive-Message-Number: 2231
Subject: Mint copies of Striker available!!
Date: Fri, 15 Mar 91 20:35:49 PST
From: Mark F. Cook <markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.COM>

I just got off the phone with Ken Fonarow at the Weekend Warrior and
he confirms that he still has mint condition copies of Stiker (2nd Ed.)
available.  They are shrink-wrapped and don't include dice, but you still
get books 1, 2, and 3, plus the additional charts.  The only difference
between this and the original boxed sets is the missing 2 6-sided dice
and the box itself.  BTW, he still does have boxed sets but they're
sure to be priced out-of-sight.

The shrink-wrapped copies are now $30.00 (up from $20.00 early last
year).  I assume this means the mint-condition boxed 2nd Ed. sets are
probably up around $75.00, but I didn't ask about them so I'm just
guessing about the price.

Later,

        Mark F. Cook

USMail: User Interface Technical Support
        Hewlett-Packard - Interface Technology Operation
        1000 NE Circle Blvd.  Corvallis, OR 97330

INTERNET: markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.com
          markc%hpcvss.cv.hp.com@relay.hp.com

------------------------------

Archive-Message-Number: 2232
From: d9bertil@dtek.chalmers.se
Subject: Voyage of the Gamla Bettan part Two [story:25k]
Date: Sat, 16 Mar 91 9:42:15 MET

  I admit that this version of Pixie (Hitech port in on the road from Regina to
Gvurrdon, with a naval base added as an afterthought) dosen't match the official
DGP one (Naval Base out in the middle of nowhere) but we like our Pixie the 
way it it is:)

===============================================================================
Copyright (C) 1990,1991 Bertil K K Jonell, All Rights Reserved, Permission is 
hereby granted to the TML to distribute and store this document on the TML and 
associated ftp-sites and to the Members of the TML to store it if they should
find it interesting enough:)

Written and Directed by: Bertil K K Jonell
Corrected by: Olof Dahlberg and Tomas Eriksson
Starring: Olof Dahlberg, Tomas Eriksson, D J Fredrik Granholm, Mikael Rubin and
          Henrik Sjo"strand.
Rating: R (Still no mention of Belgium)
Ships and Vehicles provided by the IISS, Medical facilities by Naasirka, 
	  Catering by the TAS and Legal Advice by Sohn, Sohn & Sons, Regni,
	  Regina.

Voyage of the "Gamla Bettan" part Two
                       The Lawyer:
Time: 070-1112  0230 hours Imperial Standard Time
Location: Pixie/Regina/Spinward Marches

The Gamla Bettan and Crew:
   Gamla Bettan (Old Betty in the language of some ethnic worlds of the 
Imperium, Swordworlders might understand it too) is a tech 11 Scoutship about 
35 years old. She is of a variant class and is shorter and thicker than the 
standard Type S, but has the same performance. Gamla Bettan lacks armament.
   Preben Moeller, Scout, 26 years old. Smart but with great lapses in 
education and behaviour in a civilized environment. Trained as pilot and 
navigator. Born in the absolutely worst slum district of Efate. Ran Xboats 
between Regina and Rhylanor for 8 years.
   Werner Schmallhaussen, Major in the Roupian State Security, 26 years old. 
Very good with all kinds of slugthrowers. Werner has been trained in various 
military areas, including infantry tactics, using a SMG, and as a corpsman. 
Born on Roup and currently on extended AWOL.
   James P Troop, ForceCommander in the Imperial Marine Corps, 34 years old. 
Strong, smart and agile, but with a behaviour and language fitting a Sergeant 
Major. Born in the Shionthy belt, and managed to get out. Trained to lead 
marines in combat, but little else useful.


Excerpt from an interview with John Ichiwara after his visit to his 1000th 
world: "Pixie? Yes, I've been to Pixie. A very curious world indeed. Did you 
know that it's been continually inhabited by the same family from the days of 
it's discovery back in the 350's until today? They are quite sensitive about 
what you call them. Remember to call them 'pixians', never 'pixies'."

   Three men came walking down the access-tunnel connecting the Scout ship to 
the Eldritch down Starports main terminal. Or rather: Two men walked and 
dragged the third one along rather effortlessly in the low-gee environment.
   "Easy, Werner, The left foot now, and the right one, that's right, and left,
 and right, " Preben instructed him, "Hang in there for a few minutes, there's 
got to be a medibooth in the lounge."
   "A month from now you will laugh at this story, Werner!" Troop said 
cheerfully as they stepped out of the tunnel and onto a green carpet of grass 
stretching down to a quiet brook a few hundred meters away. Scattered trees 
stood outlined against the deep blue sky, where the clouds formed the words: 
"Welcome to Pixie, Gateway to Gvurrdon" and in smaller letters: "Eldritch 
Starport Authority, Pixie/Regina/Spinward Marches". After a few more steps the 
hologram dissolved and revealed the Starports' main mall.
   Troop cast a glance around the silent surroundings, "It's pretty dead here. 
What's up? A local holiday or something?"
   "No, It's just that they are going by IST and looking at that clock," Preben 
indicated a large globe bearing the insignias of the Eldritch Starport 
Authority, "it's well past midnight." There's the booths!" Preben pointed.
   "It's never this empty at Regni, no matter what time a day. And I thought 
that Pixie was on a trade-route. Hold Werner, will you?"
   "Sure," Preben held Werner while Troop opened the booth. Even though it had 
indicated that it was currently unoccupied, a semiconscious sentient in Scout 
uniform fell out. Troop felt the smell almost immediately.
   "Shit! Does every scout always drink pangalactic gargleblasters like it was 
tap-water?" he said as he dragged the scout out of the booth and propped him up
against a convenient wall.
   Preben put Schmallhaussen in the booth and explained: "Yupp, it's our 
'National Drink'. Just like Marine 'Pufferfish Parties'."
   "Yeah," Troop grinned "One got to have guts to eat pufferfish."
   "The pufferfish got to have it guts cut out, you mean, I guess?" Preben 
closed the booth that activated automatically. After observing that Werner was
in no condition to answer questions it prompted Preben for a case history and, 
most importantly, money.
   "<Beep> Please state full name and homeworld for you and the patient."
   "Preben Moeller, Efate, and the patient is Werner Schmallhaussen, Roup."
   "Please put five credits in the slot and state the patients symptoms."
   "Nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pains and light fever." Moeller 
answered as he put the money in the machine.
   "Now preparing diagnosis..." The medibooth began to hum and buzz as it 
busied itself. After a few minutes it was ready.
   "The Diagnosis for patient Werner Schmallhaussen is severe food-poisoning. 
Do you wish a treatment?"
   "Stupid soda-can. Schmallhaussen said the same thing himself when he began 
to feel ill, and he has corpsman training." Troop muttered.
   "Yes, we want treatment."
   "The patient is unconscious and can not give his consent. Do you take take 
the responsibility?"
   "Yes I take the responsibility, just get on with it!" Preben signed the 
paper that the machine presented for him.
   "Thank you, the treatment will begin when you have put fifty credits in the 
slot, and will take approximately thirty minutes."
   "What? I've already put five credits the damned slot you stupid piece of 
junk!"
   "That was for the diagnosis, Please put fifty credits in the slot for the 
treatment."
   Preben gave in, and paid up "Very well, just hurry!"

   As the medibooth hummed and the intoxicated Scout began to snore, Troop made
a recon-tour around the mall. It looked like every other type A Starport mall 
that he had seen. Built as a big, four stories high hangar, two hundred meters 
long and fifty wide, and with a big houselike structure in the middle. The 
floorspace was covered with various sofas, chairs and billboards, and the 
banks, shops, bars, and offices for the various freight and passenger lines 
was located in the middle 'building'.
   At the far end big signs indicated that the starport administration could 
be found to the left and the hotels to the right. The only thing moving was 
the occasional janibot that was sweeping the floor.
   After spending some minutes peering through the show-window of a 
Interstellarms outlet, Troop went back to Preben and the booth, his steps 
echoing emptily in the big mall.
   "This place is dead!" he said, "But I found a ironmonger that seems to 
have a good selection, better than on Efate, at least."
   "Don't blame me for the curfew, I had no chance of knowing that Ine Givar 
had planned a major bombing-campaign just when we arrived." he continued 
ironically, "They don't consult me, you know.".
   "Look, we've got company."
   When Moeller looked in the direction that Troop indicated, he saw that a 
man was walking in their direction. Clad in a strict suit and tie and carrying 
an attache case, he seemed very out of place in the Starport environment. He 
obviously also felt out of place, because he kept looking over his shoulder 
all the time.
   "You want to know what I think, Preben? I think that the booth has snuffed 
Werner and that that clown in the suit is a Naasirka lawyer coming to nail you 
for it!"
   The man was clearly heading for them and Moeller glanced at the booth to 
make sure that Werner's values was in the green.
   Troop put on his best 'Macho Marine' posture and made sure that Werner's SMG 
was easily accessible in his duffel bag. The man in the suit almost stopped 
when he saw this, and came up to them hesitantly.

   "Good evening, gentlemen." he began "Let me introduce myself. My name is 
Eric T Sohn, and I'm a senior partner in the law firm Sohn, Sohn & Sons from 
Regina, and I would like to ask you a question."
   "Shit! It was a lawyer!" Moeller exclaimed.
   Mr Sohn jumped a meter backwards "I beg your pardon?"
   "No, eh, I'm sorry, we, eh, we, eh, had made, eh, yes! When we saw you, 
Troop thought that you looked like a lawyer and we made a bet! yes, that's 
what it was: a bet."
   Mr Sohn looked very confused.
   "A question, you said." prompted Troop.
   "Uh, Yes, a question. I would like to know if it was you three that arrived 
with the Scoutship about half an hour ago."
   "What if it were? We haven't done anything illegal, Have we Troop?"
   "Shaddup Moeller! Let me handle this!" Troop hissed in answer and turned to 
Mr Sohn, "I guess that we should introduce ourselves. I'm ForceCommander James 
P Troop, Imperial Marines Retired, and this is Preben Moeller, IISS detached 
duty." They shook hands.
   "As answer to our question, Yes, we came in that Scoutship."
   "Do the ship stand to your disposition or are you presently on your way some
where?" Mr Sohn looked disapprovingly on the unconscious Scout.
   "No, we are totally free to go wherever we wish in it."
   "Good, good. You may be the solution to my problems. I'm trying to locate a 
certain person that has disappeared and I wonder if you would be interested in
finding this person. There would, of course, be a substantial reward for a 
successful conclusion."
   "That sounds interesting, Mr Sohn. Can you be more specific?"
   The lawyer hesitated and looked behind himself to ensure that nobody was 
listening before he continued. "I'm truly sorry, but due to various reasons, I 
cannot go into specifics at this time and place. Could you come to the TAS 
Hostel in one hour, then we could discuss the mission in more detail."
   "In one hour? Isn't it enough to do that tomorrow?"
   "I'm afraid not. I'm already booked on a flight to Feri which leaves in 
five hours. It is essential that everything is arranged before that time."
   "Very well, then. We have to get hold of a few friends first, but we will 
be there in one hour.

   When Mr Sohn had left Troop began lecturing Preben "In the future, Preben, 
you keep your mouth shut and let me handle all situations like this. If you 
insist on behaving like you'd come directly from the slums of Efate, we'll 
never get a decent assignment."
   "Oh yeah? What's wrong with the slums of Efate? I was born there you know!"
   "Yeah, tell me about it. And even if I hadn't known I could have guessed 
after listening to your accent and watching your table-manners!"
   "Don't blame me for disliking lawyers. We weren't afraid of the cops at 
home, there are no cops at Efate, but the corporate lawyers with their squad
of bodyguards unloading from their G-limo outside was a major storm-warning. 
They usually show up to evict you or give you a summons and if their hired 
muscle 'happened' to bump somebody off they would get you to pay damages to them
for it!" They were interrupted when the door to the medibooth opened and a very 
pale Werner Schmallhaussen stepped out.
   "<Beep> Treatment successfully completed. Have a nice day and welcome back!"
the booth blipped enthusiastically.
   "I guess I ate a little to much at Efate?"
   "A little!" Troop laughed "You stuffed yourself around the clock for three 
weeks!"
   "We have got a mission now," Preben explained as he walked towards the 
nearest public terminal "there is a lawyer," he pronounced it as an insult, 
"that wants us to look for someone. It didn't sound too hard." he put a 
quarter cred in the terminal and called up the naval base.
   A sleepy marine guard appeared on the screen "Imperial Navy, Pixie Naval 
Base, Good evening!"
   "Hi! I want to speak with Master Chief Petty Officer Zod Miandwhypt of the 
'Monsoon', that's a StrikeCarrier."
   "I know what class 'Monsoon' is," the marine guard answered irritatedly, 
"but do you know what time it is?".
   "Just connect the call will you? He's expecting us to call."
   After several signals Zod answered, at last. "Who the bloody... Oh, it's 
you Preben, " he looked at his watch, frowned and shook it. "I'm going to nail 
the bastard who sold this watch to me. Do you have *any* idea what time it is, 
Preben?"
   "Sure, a quarter past three in the morning." He proceeded to tell Zod about 
the mission and the lawyer that they were supposed to meet at the TAS Hostel.
   "Can't it wait until tomorrow?"
   "No, he's leaving in a few hours. We are to meet him there at four. 
Remember: the early bird get the largest worm and it sounded like this will be 
a very, repeat very, profitable deal."
   "OK, OK, I'll try to get there in time. By the way, have you found an 
engineer yet?"
   Moeller answered that there were nobody on the Gamla Bettan that was 
trained for engineering so Zod continued. "You see, I know this Lieutenant 
Commander that was Chief Engineer on the 'Monsoon'. He's an engineer and he's 
also quite good at electronics and stuff. He's mustering out today."
   "Bring him along then," Preben said "Remember, The TAS hostel in forty-five 
minutes."
   "Ok, I'll be there, Bye!"
   "Bye!"

   Erik T Sohn waited until the waiter had left before answering Werners 
question: "I want to hire you and your ship to locate a certain person that, 
shall we say disappeared, twenty one years ago."
   "How much?" asked Moeller.
   Mr Sohn looked perplexed "How much I want to locate the person?"
   "No, How much you want to pay us"
   "Eh, Rather a direct fellow, are you not? The payment is not in money."
   "We don't want another ship." Preben cut him short. "And we can't transport 
a lot of goods."
   "The payment is not in goods or something like that! What do you take me 
for? A mere merchant?" Mr Sohn looked almost insulted and both Werner and 
Troop furiously kicked Moeller on his shins under the table. "The payment is 
in securities."
   "In what? Zod asked.
   "I cannot disclose the identity of the company until I know if you accept 
the mission or not. I'm very firm on this subject for various reasons which I 
cannot disclose either."
   "I guess that we have to know some more thing before we can decide, " 
Werner asked, "for example, how big will our compensation be?"
   "About one and a half megacredits.."
   "Each?" Troop asked quickly.
   "Certainly not! One and a half megacredits total, give or take a few 
hundred thousand. The exact amount depends on the stock market, and the faster 
you find this person, the more it will be worth. This is non-negotiable."
   "Hey, We can buy a turret for that!" Zod exclaimed loudly "I demand that we 
buy a turret!" He began to wave at the waiter. "You there! I want a turret"
   "A turret?" The waiter asked when he reached their table.
   "Yes, a turret, don't you know what a turret is?"
   "I'm afraid that I've never heard about a drink named 'turret', sir"
   "Not a drink, damn it! A turret! The kind with lasers in it!"
   "This is a restaurant, sir. We do not sell turrets with lasers in them 
here!" the waiter answered testily.
   "Please forgive my friend, he tend to be a bit excited at times." Werner 
apologized to the waiter while Troop rapidly quieted Zod using very harsh and 
vulgar language.
   Preben asked if there were any megacorps involved and Mr Sohn assured that 
there were not.
   "Any other corporations involved?" Preben persisted.
   "There is a Reginan corporation that would like that you didn't find this 
person, but they are only active in this subsector. They won't resort to 
violence, since that would cause them to lose anyway."
   Troop immediate caught on to thread "Any other violence?". He looked 
almost disappointed when Mr Sohn said that he didn't think so.
   "I can imagine that the Marine Corps might be a little irritated, but the 
mission is in no way illegal by Imperial laws."
   "This is unfortunately all I can say, Do you accept the mission?"
   "Well, what do you say?" Werner asked them "It sounds good to me. Anyone 
have any objections?". When nobody protested he turned towards Mr Sohn and 
said "Yes, we accept the mission."

   It was very visible that Erik T Sohn felt great relief when he heard that 
they accepted. He looked like all his troubles were gone and a positive outcome
guaranteed.
   "Could we get the whole story now, please?" Zod asked impatiently. "I want 
this over with so that we can buy a turret."
   "If you mention that word again I'll tie you to a Yresish ant-hill!" Troop 
threatened him.
   With a worried look at Troop and Zod Mr Sohn began: "We, that is Sohn, Sohn 
& Sons, have since many years represented the Scofeld family of Regina and the 
company Scofeld Investments LIC, that was founded by the late Desmond Scofeld, 
and several minor partners, in the 1070's. It growed during the aftermath of 
the Fourth Frontier War and were, in fact, one of the financial backers behind 
Sergei hault-Oberlindes.
   Desmond died last year without heirs. His wife died in the 4FW and his son, 
John, died in a pirate raid in 1093 along with his wife, Melissa U Chorral and 
their daughter, Desmonds grandchild, Tracy Everlyn Chorral-Scofeld. According 
to his will, the same clause is in all the original five partners wills, the other partners would have the option to buy his part of the shares if he died 
without leaving any direct heirs. The money in this case would go to Desmonds 
closest heirs, a bunch of distant cousins of his totally without interest in 
Scofeld Invest LIC.  
   However, in a late addition to the will, Desmond stated that a certain part 
of the inheritance should be used to finance a last attempt to locate John, 
Melissa and Tracy. When this fact was made public the other two surviving 
partners immediately filed a complaint against the will on the grounds that 
Desmond was mentally incompetent we he wrote the addition. This case will 
begin in a few weeks and I have no idea how long it will take.
   The task of locating his heirs fell on us, the Sohn, Sohn & Sons, since we 
were the law firm that he usually had employed. To avoid any conflict of 
interests we had to refuse any other assignments from Scofeld Invest LIC.
   We began the search with a big advertising campaign all over this and the 
neighbouring subsectors with pictures and fingerprints of John, Melissa and 
Tracy, computer-generated pictures of how they would have looked ten years ago 
and today and promises of large rewards for information about their 
whereabouts. Initially we met with little success, but two months ago the 
first reply came in. It was from one of the pirates...
   The pirate, who naturally wish to be anonymous, had settled down on a world
in this subsector claimed to have served with Captain Belit on the 'Barracuda' 
between the years 1088 and 1094. He told us that he remembered a strange 
episode that took place in 1093."

  "Belit" Troop laughed. "Do you know how many pirates there is that use that 
name?! The Corps have at least fifteen 'shoot to kill's out on pirates that
call themselves 'Belit'. It's fifth on the top ten list!"
   Mr Sohn asked irritatedly if he could continue, and when Troop fell silent 
he did.

   "They had been cruising for several weeks without attacking any shipping, 
slowly working their way coreward from their usual territory between Regina 
and Turedad on the Spinward Main towards Feri. According to Belit they were on 
a special assignment that would be very profitable.
   When they reached Feri they waited for a few weeks before attacking a small
Oberlindes liner enroute from Regina to Efate. Belit ordered them to 
concentrate their fire to the crew and passenger part of the ship. Just 
minutes before the liner exploded a smallcraft was launched and tried to 
escape from the pirates.
   Since all space vessels are expensive they captured the fleeing craft 
intact. The pirate claimed that the three persons on the pictures were among 
those aboard that craft, but they were using different names!
   According to him Tracy had not been related to John and Melissa!
   Belit had interrogated all the survivors from the liner who subsequently 
had been spaced, all except John, Melissa and Tracy. The first two had been 
murdered, put in a freezer and flown to Ruie, and the latter lived because the
crew had refused to space her.
   "Most of us were veterans from 'fourth'," the Pirate had said, "we were 
only in this kind of work because we had no choice. Some of us had been 
commerce raiders, others had taken 'extended AWOL' from various units. Zapping 
fat traders, and spacing witnesses is one thing, but the suggestion that we 
should space a seven year old kid almost caused a mutiny. But Belit said that 
contract specifically said that ALL persons aboard the liner should be killed 
so we put the girl ashore on Knorbes on our way to Ruie."
   But on Ruie Belit had returned to the ship without money but in a terrible 
mood. They had immediately blasted off for Knorbes and turned the planet 
upside-down for two weeks until the Navy had arrived to chase them away.
   The Pirate's career had taken a sudden end the following year when the 
Barracuda was pounced upon and destroyed by another pirate ship when he was on 
shoreleave.
   We, speaking as the Sohn, Sohn & Sons, thought that the matter was solved. 
Tracy was living on Knorbes and it was their low level of technology that 
prevented her from getting in touch with us. But, sadly to say, all our 
investigations on Knorbes came to nought."
   Zod interrupted him irritatedly "What's wrong with Knorbes? I was born 
there and look what I am today!"
   "Yeah, a navy geek that would run if he saw a Zho eye to eye!" Troop 
laughed.
   Von Tjaikovskij almost dropped his monocle when he protested "Excuseth my 
humble opinion gents, by what hasth thee against our glorious Empire and it's 
equally glorious Navy?" Preben just listened to the accent and groaned.
   "Hey, have your exaltedness ever heard about the Galanglic language?" Troop 
retorted. "No speaken galanglic, eh?"
   Preben felt forced to intervene "Calm down Troop, If Tjaikovskij..."
   "Von Tjaikovskij if you may." Roshel said as he polished his monocle.
   "On my ship you ain't von. On my ship you're Tjaikovskij!"
   "Oh dear!"
   "As I was saying, Tjaikovskij may be a noble, but don't hold it against him.
If he is a good engineer he's good enough for me!"
   "You amaze me, Preben" Werner said ironically.
   Mr Sohn almost regretted hiring them but said "Gentlemen! Please! I must be 
on a ship in two hours time and you bicker about accents." In the embarrassed 
silence he continued:
   "To recapitulate..."
   "Capitulation? Never!" Zod hollered but the rest of the crew shut him up.
   "To recapitulate, " Mr Sohn continued, "we had traced Tracy to Knorbes but 
there she had disappeared. Then came our second lucky break. We got a letter 
from Boughene.
   The letter was from a certain Leonides Chubhelm who was working as an 
electronics engineer for Ling Standard on Boughene. He was born and had gone 
to school on Uakye and he had some interesting things to tell us.
   He had recognized the computer projection on how Tracy would look ten years 
ago and gotten interested enough to compare the fingerprints to the ones in 
the old yearbook from the Uakye City Polytechnic Highschool."
   "They have fingerprints in their yearbooks?" Werner asked amazed "Why?"
   "Standard practice to help catch juvenile delinquents" Troop answered.
   "We didn't have that on Efate," Preben remarked, "But I never went to 
highschool!"
   "He further told us that she had gone by a different name then. According 
to him she called herself Kiiara Travernier and were supposed to be the 
daughter of a cousin of a captain of a free trader that plyed the routes 
between Efate and Regina."
   "Passing Knorbes!" Troop exclaimed.
   "Exactly! We naturally did a thorough investigation about this 'Kiiara' 
person and found that all ID's fitted Tracy exactly, All documents identifying 
her as 'Kiiara Travernier' was forgeries. Quite bad forgeries, actually. The 
trader had died five years ago, but we could confirm that he didn't have any 
cousins.
   Mr Chubhelm also told us that 'Kiiara' had signed up with the marines, and 
that he had got a holo from a publication that Uakye City PolyHigh published 
and sent out to all old students every five years with the latest news about 
what all old students did. The holo," Mr Sohn passed around a holo depicting 
ten persons in IMC uniforms standing around a Trepida AFV, "shows the 1108:5 
OCS class of newly graduated marine 2nd lieutenants here at Pixie."
   Once again it seemed that our work were finished. We thought that Tracy 
served in the marines somewhere in the subsector and that all that remained 
for us was to inform her about the inheritance and clear all legalities. Then 
we ran into a wall, again.
   Our message to her, care of the Imperial Marines, was returned with a 
'Addressee Unknown' label. I immediately travelled to Uakye and checked with the
IMC enlistment office there and they confirmed that she were in the marines 
after all. They claimed that she had been assigned to Pixie for OCS and that I 
should check there. I got here and made inquiries about her on the naval base, 
but they said that they never had heard about anyone named Kiiara Travernier, 
or Tracy Everlyn Chorral-Scofeld either for that matter. They compared 
fingerprint- and retinal data with what we had and said that they were 110% 
certain that they didn't match any person in the IMC living, dead or 
lowberthed, either in the IMC now or retired or MIA or KIA or POW or anything.
   They said that she didn't exist.
   I want you to find her!"

===============================================================================
- - -bertil-
- - -- 
>From the foolfile:
"The Baltic states are not occupied"  -  Swedish Foreign Minister Sten Andersson

------------------------------

Archive-Message-Number: 2233
Subject: Trouble mailing to Chris Olson (fwd)
Date: Sat, 16 Mar 91 18:12:44 PST
From: Richard Johnson <agora.rain.com!richard@tessi.UUCP>

<Included message follows>
I haven't noticed anything, but then I'm notoriously innacurate with
this mail stuff.  Anyone else notice problems?
Richard


****included message here ****
**** this space for rent  ****

:From: intelhf!uunet!moss.att.com!gsw (Jerry Williams)
:Subject: Trouble mailing to Chris Olson
:To: richard@agora.rain.com (Richard Johnson)
:Date: Mon, 11 Mar 91 9:19:24 EST
:X-Mailer: Elm [version 2.1 PL1]
:Content-Type: text
:Content-Length: 437
:
:Has anyone else had trouble mailing to Chris Olson?
:
:I can never get through to him at chris@ssbell.imd.sterling.com
:I get the message
:
:	"...unable to contact machine 'sparky'
:
:	The following mail has not been delivered:
:
:		sparky!mail chris (Date 03/04)
:
:	"
:
:I think the other messages are going through.
:
:This might have something to do with the @ in the address.  I'm
:going to try to find an alternate address.  Any suggestions?
:
:gsw
:


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End of TML Bundle
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