Second Session A

Arriving at Hrulthgar's planetoid, after a relatively safe and quiet trip. Othis notices very little communication; he thinks this means something big is being planned. The planetoid's comm-nets think it's because the Hammerhead folks in the local area have been successfully cowed into submission.

Upon docking, Hruthgar Half-Beard is part of the welcoming committee and immediately recognizes Phaedra! He takes her by the hand, with some reluctance on her part, to "introduce her to some very important people, that someone of your station deserves to meet." Hruthgar also announces the presence of "Phaedra Coriad, here to bid on the auction." Some of Hruthgar's closest flunkies seem to have wired heads - the wires that many Green Sun citizens would recognize as being placed on their citizens before sale in Galliard space.

This leaves Linus, Othis, and Shine. Shine takes the precaution of using Linus's high-tech disguise kit to take a look around, looking like an old Terran man. The remaining dockworkers, after starting maintenance, warn them that a typical meteor shower is likely to affect the area the next day; but not to worry, as they are quite common in Hammerhead.

Investigating the auction, there seem to be two other artifacts up for bid: The Founder's Skull, allegedly (and possibly for real, by Shine's research) the cat skull of the founding uplifted creature of Green Sun. The Manacle Codex has also been put up for sale. They realize that the bids are quite low - "orchestratedly" low, at least by the records. What is Hrulthgar up to?

A pirate prison has been set up along the main, equatorial route, along the inside of the planetoid: Captured pirates for display and punishment. The rule of Galliard law over Hammerhead anarchy. People are surprisingly quiet about matters. Othis, looking into the cage, realizes that his mother is amongst the prisoners. He manages to sneak up and speak to her quietly. "I'm fine," she says. Glancing about, she shows him that she's carrying a gun! "Don't worry about me... I'm going to be fine, really. I can't say any more than that."

Linus and "Shine" search out and talk to Hrulthgar, attempting to create some trouble between him and the Galliards. "Are you sure you'll get paid the right price for these artifacts? Look at the bids! You're being cheated by those Galliard bastards!" One of Hurlthgar flunkies, the dockmaster, mockingly laughs at the statements.

They are too successful, causing Hrulthgar to immediately cancel the auction, using the public emergency system so everyone in the planetoid can hear him denounce the "Galliard cheats."

Following the comm data, the Magnum Opus's crew realize that Hrulthgar may not have as much control of the situation as it appears. Much of the network seems under the control of the largest Galliard vessel docked here, the Supremacy. And Hrulthgar is soon removed for "medical reasons," a thinly-disguised pretext as a man which looks quite like him is placed in the pirate prison pen under a different name.

Further communication gets the location and guard plans for the artifact space: Surprisingly light. It looks like the Galliards really do control the station.

Phaedra comms them about the auction, and whether she should bid. After replying that she should bid as much as she's able to afford, the remainder of the crew are stupified to see that the auction is, in fact, reinstated and the figures Phaedra considers "affordable."

Othis discovers a bomb aboard the Magnum Opus's engines! He manages to disarm the "bomb" part, while leaving the rest in place. It seems likely that the maintenance crew tried to sneak it on.

Retiring for the evening, the crew wonders what to do. Two Galliard partygoers - a naval cadet and some sort of hanger-on - arrive to collect Phaedra's baggage. "Captain's orders," they says, "she's moving onto the Supremacy."

With some effort, they manage to remove her safely from the confines of the Supremacy's bar and back onto the Magnum Opus.