Previous Episode: Conviction

The return trip to Velke took about a week in hyperspace, during which each of the crewmembers managed to get up the nose of at least one other. Lance and Relena were not on speaking terms.

Finally they arrived at the spaceport, a vast space station which was effectively another planet in the Velke system. Velke had three such artificial satellites - the spaceport, the House of Defiance base, and the zero-g hockey stadium. Upon leaving the ship, Noumalia noticed an article in the previous day's newsfeed - an apparently unowned kurr-ssa had escaped confinement at the Live Goods Shipping station on-planet, and caused some property damage. Animal Services finally subdued the beast and took it into custody.

Noumalia immediately booked passage on a shuttle to the planet's surface. Meanwhile, Relena refuelled and purchased maintenance on the Shark. Her funds were running out - she needed to get a cargo soon, or she would not be able to make the next payment to Etukla. She Forbade Lance from leaving the ship on his own, but when it was clear that Lance was taking station leave whether she liked it or not, she instructed Kelda to escort him. Unity stayed on board ship, enjoying the peace and quiet. Lance visited a brothel, but started to get a migrane. Judicious application of painkillers allowed him to complete his contracted services (ahem!), and he went to a bar to complete the treatment by getting drunk.

Planetside, Noumalia found Animal Services, where she talked to the Animal Control Officer on duty, whose name was Reba Kinney. Reba helpfully explaned that the animal control laws stated that if an animal's owner could not be located in the Velke system, they had the right to sell the animal to members of the public. Noumalia was very angry about this, but she agreed that she would not make a scene - the kurr-ssa had caused some property damage, which was currently being paid for by the state. If Noumalia publicly claimed ownership of the animal, the debt would pass to her.

The kurr-ssa had been bought by Mr Dario Dehesus, who worked for a corporation called Paragon Genetics. A brief Guildnet search revealed that this was a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Company, and indeed Kinney confirmed that Mr Dehesus had been wearing an Immaculately Tailored Suit. She was able to trace Dehesus' ship, the Challenger and determine that he was headed for Spicer VII. She returned to the spaceport and the others.

Relena had acquired a cargo of luxury items, and they were able to set off. They set course for Spicer VII, which would have been about a week's journey. However, a day and a half in, the ship's proximity alarm went off and they were forced to drop out of hyperspace. The Challenger was drifting, having had its engines knocked out. Dehesus contacted the Shark and claimed that they had been attacked by pirates. The pirates were in a light cruiser-class vessel, and they knocked out the Challenger's engines with one blast from their ion cannon. Then they boarded the ship and left with the kurr-ssa. None of Dehesus' other specimens were taken.

Noumalia was shortly able to get the ship spaceworthy again, while Relena established that the attackers had retreated to a nearby uninhabited system. With trepidation, the Shark followed them.

They were easily able to detect the ship, which was making no pretense at hiding. Cautiously, Relena hailed them. She received a response, but when she provided her identity, the comm operator on the other ship said "please stand by".

Kelda speculated that it would be funny if it happened to be Shad Lavandar's ship.

Then the response: "This is Captain Shad Lavandar of the Guild cruiser Genesis, how may we assist you?"

Relena explained the situation. Captain Lavandar seemed more than happy to bring the kurr-ssa over. He and his medic, a Zin-shee named Lielinth, transported to the Shark's cargo bay. Upon seeing Noumalia, the kurr-ssa became ecstatic - literally knocking her to the ground.

Lavandar seemed to know an awful lot about what Relena and her crew had been up to since they last met. He was also very knowledgeable about the state of the Imperial invasion of Guildpace. He explained that the Empire had made a deal with the Combine - a pirate state on the rimward-spinward border of the Guild. By going through the Combine, the Empire avoided having to deal with the Arthirian Sphere. The Sphere, by the way, was locked up tight. No-one was getting in and no-one was getting out. Ships approaching the border are fired upon.

The invasion had split into two forks. One, led by Swordmaster Ree - a haochann of considerable repute (Kelda knew of him) - was making straight for Guildhome. The other, led by Swordmaster De Foure - an anthropos, but previously unknown - was making progress counterspinward towards an unknown goal. The Guild has lost all contact with worlds in the path of the invasion, but there have been some rumours that the Empire is using a new kind of "supersoldier" in the invasion, about which almost nothing is known.

Relena asked if there was a way to contact Lavandar in an emergency. Lavandar gave her a code, instructing her to broadcast it on an open channel. Someone would respond - maybe not him, but someone.

While they were chatting, Lavandar's First Officer contacted him with the news that an Imperial patrol was moving into the system. The patrol consisted of a Ramship escorted by three Swordships. Lavandar and Lielinth returned to their ship and they moved off. Relena ordered that the Shark resume its course for Spicer VII.

Next Episode: Wasteland

Quote of the week:
She's about to dutch out. We'd better go get her.
- Kelda