Interviews for new crew were held on board the Old Speckled Hen, with the assorted company seeing each potential new recruit in turn.

First came Amit Chandha, a crewman of the Where are we Again, moving ship due to a lack of real work on that vessel and personal problems with another crew member (it was later learned that his relationship with the chief engineer had recently ended). Chandha was able to answer Chavez’s technical examination, and was clearly a skilled and efficient man, and so was hired.

Next came Madzimoyo Tutu, a one term ex-Navy gunner. During conversation it became apparent that gunner Tutu was skilled with ship’s guns and hand to hand combat, but with little else. It further became apparent that Captain Chavez had not won his respect, and that Tutu seemed to be looking down on Chavez slightly (despite Tutu being sat on a cushion on the floor and Chavez and the others on chairs). 

Lastly came Arachnid Pounce, a Vegan gunner who had served on a number of merchant vessels. Although relatively uncommunicative, not overly friendly (Pounce declined the offer of a seat) and having a disturbing appearance, Pounce seemed skilled and was hired. Little comment was made on Chavez’s attempt at a technical question, which wandered, lacked sense and ultimately did not seem to be recognised by Pounce as a sentient communication.

With Chandha and Pounce hired, and Tutu rejected, the crew prepared for departure with crewman Sardini negotiating good rates for their arms, wooden artefacts, some fruit and their spare parts inventory. With that accomplished, and a General Tavares moved into a stateroom following his offer of much higher than the normal passage rates, the Old Speckled Hen left planet and made jump for Calvary.

The jump was uneventful, save for Arachnid Pounce hunting rabbits he had brought on board through the corridors and for his ongoing feud with 315 who he suspected of wishing to kill him (though he seemed to have no fundamental objection to 315 making such an attempt). Arachnid Pounce had moved onto the hydroponics deck, where he had fashioned a secure semi-concrete igloo-cave arrangement for his comfort.

On arrival in the Calvary system, it was immediately noticeable that in-system radio traffic was much greater than it had been on their last visit, some 20 years past in local time. An Imperial battleship was present, as was a Concordat vessel and various Lucidus vessels. Also present were signals of unknown origin, soon identified by ground control as AI piloted alien vessels of the extinct local civilisation.

Communication with ground control established that the Concordat had cracked down on sales of illegal nanotech, but that Calvary had applied to Lucidus for protectorate status and was now receiving grant money from Lucidus. The Imperial vessel warned that the alien ships had sometimes attacked human vessels in system, though their rational was unclear and no obvious pattern of who was attacked and who not had emerged as yet. On being asked, the battleship commander advised jumping immediately out of system without attempting to make planetfall.

At this point, a message was reached from mid system, and an image of the deceased Marquis came on screen being broadcast from one of the alien vessels. He proposed a mid-system rendezvous, which Chavez agreed to, curious to learn more. It soon became apparent that the Marquis was merely an emulation program based on an image known to the alien machines, and showing little of the Marquis’ own wit or personality. On reaching the rendezvous point, communications became more strained as the alien vessel recognised Chavez as having helped briefly resurrect the local cult which had led to the extinction of the indigenes, and Chavez was invited aboard the alien vessel.

After some quibbling, Chavez accepted, and a small life support bubble was sent over. He entered it, and was taken to the alien vessel, where almost instantly he was dissected at the atomic level and his consciousness uploaded to the alien ship which began broadcasting back to the Old Speckled Hen demanding that 315 be handed over. The crew became increasingly nervous, and began trying to fire up the engines in anticipation of a quick escape, only to realise that without Chavez they had no pilot.

Increasingly unconvinced by the communications received from the alien vessel, the crew in desperation asked Tavares if he could pilot a ship, he could and they began to prepare for an emergency jump out of system. The alien vessel opened fire, Arachnid Pounce returned such, each hitting the other and the sensors on the Old Speckled Hen being badly damaged. Tavares’ skill showed as they made jump, leaving behind Calvary, the alien attacker and the disembodied consciousness of Chavez trapped within an unsympathetic alien host.

A week passed in jump, the crew trying to adjust to the sudden loss of Captain Chavez, and concerned that without him their ship would be taken from them. On arrival at Lucidus, they were immediately bombarded by radio spam, including a false ground control communication which after 20 minutes of conversation revealed itself as yet another form of advertisement masquerading as an official communiqué. Among the various signals, was one from an old friend of Chavez and, coincidentally, of Ugo Sardini – one Colonel Houston formerly of the Army Logistical Corp. The Colonel was now living in Arcadia, an orbital low-g habitat based on an idyllic neo-Grecian ideal of participatory democracy and sybaritic luxury, and was known for his ability to handle complex bureaucracies including those of the Scout service.

After depositing Tavares on a shuttle sent by a local version of himself, and exchanging heartfelt thanks and best wishes with him, the Old Speckled Hen docked with the Arcadia, where they were processed by local and Imperial customs agents with great thoroughness and professionalism and then greeted by Colonel Houston himself. Houston was aware of legal arguments that might preserve the control of the ship, and had ideas for selling the crew’s story of events at Calvary to the talk show circuit and for film rights. The people of Arcadia held a vote as to whether to throw a welcome party, with the Colonel arguing in favour and his personal status in Arcadia being so high that immediately the vote went in favour and for three days the crew were entertained at no expense with as much food, drink, chemical and sensual entertainment as they could wish for (perhaps more). Marquez particularly threw himself into matters, with men, women, newters, genetically modified satyrs and at times all of them at once. Three days past, refreshments and restoratives were provided for a further day, to replenish the crew.

Following this, the crew engaged on a gruelling sequence of talk show interviews, seeking to drum up interest in their story, and began to search the local webs for potential sales contacts for their various goods.