At New Holland:

After unloading the cargo, the crew take a break in the local startown just outside the starport. First, they enter the bar Gouden Schedel. Here they get some information from a bartender about the tourist attractions, and what very recently happened to the most important one.

The bartender’s story about the Church of the Holy Landing Place:

The Church of the Holy Landing Place was destroyed just a week ago by four men that came here in a black ship, the bartender explains. The crew notice that this matches the description of the death quartet.

The most precious artefact was stolen, the bartender continues, and describing the artefact as a golden piece of metal that looks like a boxy skull with big eyes. He points at a painting on the wall to show what it looks like. The bartender calls it the Holy Idol.

What another guest at the bar can knows about the artefact:

Another guest at the bar, possibly another trader tells the crew that the artifact has a density of 38 (g/cm³) and that sometimes you could see that it was emitting Cherenkov radiation. (A crew member with an education of 9+ may remember that the density of gold is about 19.) Scientists are confused and do not know what material the idol is made of and how it can be stable. What they do know is that this isn’t a shard from a bonded super-dense hi-tech military armor.

Both the guest and the bartender tell the crew that there is a big reward (Cr 500,000) for the return of the Holy Idol.

At another bar:

At another bar called Dronken Kat, they talk to a man (Jushua Bockford) who says he is a postgraduate student that works for a scientist (prof. Negel Brakoling). Jushua is looking for a group that can help him going to Reading and there capture an animal that produces an enzyme that professor Brakoling needs for his experiments. Jushua can afford to charter the whole ship for this and will pay extra for the help with catching the animal. Jushua is offering Cr 300,000, but if pressed can add another Cr 100,000.

Jushua says that the animal they are looking for is not that big:  about 100 kg. But it can be aggressive. Jushua has nets and other equipment that can be used for capturing it.

After the animal is captured it should be delivered to the professor’s base at an asteroid here in the New Holland system. Jushua will also go to the asteroid base.

At Reading:

The crew of the Notorious think that this sounds like an interesting and well-paying job, so they agree to help Jushua.

At Reading they land in a starport and prepare for the expedition. The wildlife at Reading is quite dangerous, and the starport and the cities are protected by high electric fences. Outside the fences, the jungle has been cut down for about 100 meters. The area just outside the fences has recently been burnt and is black. A gate in the fence opens for Joshua and the crew  to pass through.

Jungle 5+				Reading  B565742-9
Die	Animal	Weight	Hits	Armor	Wounds	Weapons	Characteristics
1	4 Flying Reducers	1 kg	4/0	none	2	claws & teeth	A7F6S1
2	Hijacker	800 kg	25/10	jack	19	claws & teeth	A4F5S1
3	Grazer	25 kg	10/8	jack	6	spikes	F2A5S2
4	Eater	100 kg	21/6	mesh	9	thrasher	A3F7S1
5	Flying Hunter	1 kg	3/0	none	3	claws & teeth	A5F4S2
6	Trapper	200 kg	22/11	mesh	14	stinger	A0F5S1

 

Most animals have exoskeletons and are Arthropod analogues. The locals call them arachnids. All animals use poison except for the Grazer. Jushua have serums in his backpack.

After two days in the jungle they arrive at a volcano. Jushua says that it was in this area that the animals that we are looking for have been spotted. There is a cave in the volcano and it looks like there is path from where they are standing up to the cave.

Cave 4+				Reading  B565742-9
Die	Animal	Weight	Hits	Armor	Wounds	Weapons	Characteristics
1	Mikeril	100 kg	20/10	none	8	club	A5F4S1
2	Hijacker	800 kg	25/10	jack	19	claws & teeth	A4F5S1
3	Grazer	25 kg	10/8	jack	6	spikes	F2A5S2
4	4 Eating Mikerils	100 kg	20/10	none	8	club	A5F4S1
5	Mikeril	100 kg	20/10	none	8	club	A5F4S1
6	Trapper	200 kg	22/11	mesh	14	stinger	A0F5S1

In the cave they find the animals they are looking for. They look very much like the Mikeril monsters that they met in episode S2E1. They are armed with clubs and appear to be semi-intelligent. They capture an animal and hurry back to the starport, but they are followed through the jungle. The Mikerils will attack at night.

After fending off the attack and returning to the starport, they set the course for the asteroid base in the New Holland system. During the trip, Jushua has put the Mikeril in a cage in the cargo hold and is feeding it once a day.

https://open.spotify.com/track/6J0AjzrYsPZrQtw6IjErhy

At the professor’s asteroid base in the New Holland system:

After the Notorious has landed, professor Brakoling invites them for a meal and a tour of the base. The professor tells them about his research with hybrids and with super heavy elements. The crew gets to meet the other scientists. They seem very nice.

From a young scientist, one of the crew members are discreetly given a small piece of paper. Her note reads, “Please take me with you. He is mad.  Annie”

In a store-room, the crew notices a container with navy markings on it. It has big letters on it that read MN8. This must be the stolen container (from episode S2E2).

When the professor is confronted about this, he is no longer very friendly. He summons security guards with black uniforms with red stripes and black berets with a galaxy badge on them.

Referee’s Note: Yes, this ends in a cliff hanger.

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