Char Li's Angels: The Skull of Saint Diana - Part IX
We begin with Bas addressing the crew of the Blessed Saint Horace as he tells them about his interview with Lady Aghera. He is open with them and tells them what transpired between them but can’t get much of a read on how they feel. He dismisses them but then speaks privately in the Captain’s office with Master Smmey, to try to gain some insight into the crew’s sentiment and loyalty. Smmey reassures him that although none of the crew liked what happened with their previous captain (some of them having served under her since the Emperor Wars), he vouches for them, saying that above all they know their place in the celestial order and have sworn loyalty to House Li Halan. As long as whatever they do is in the service of the House Bas can count on the crew to act accordingly.
As ever, Belvoir uses the wait in the Jumpgate queue to try to run some games of chance with the crews, but this time only manages to break even. However he does manage to hide his cheating from his various marks and stay below the radar of the officers and clergymen of the fleet.
Alexi(u)s tries to make good use of the wait in meditation and consideration of the Omega Gospels but their concentration is frequently disturbed and their reflections are of little benefit to them.
With the jump to Ravenna imminent Bas submits to confession and tells Alexi(u)s about his previous encounter in Hawkwood space. Some five or six years ago he was transporting a cargo through Hawkwood space when it was intercepted by a knight named Robert Hawkwood. Unbeknownst to Bas until revealled by the Hawkwoods, the shipment was of Li Halan weaponry. When the knight continued to insult House Li Halan and then threatened to confiscate the weapons, Bas snapped and assaulted him. The entire job turned sour and he believes that the knight was badly injured and possibly died as a result. Alexi(u)s however grants him absolution with a penance to donate to an Amalthean mission to aid other injured individuals.
Word then reaches the flotilla that House Hawkwood has become aware of a group of Li Halan military vessels, and their support ships, moving through House space and is sending a small fleet to intercept and inspect the vessels.
Bas briefs the crew, instructing them to be professional and comply with their host’s requests, meanwhile Belvoir tries to blend in and avoid being noticed. Bas then has the bridge scan the approaching Hawkwood vessels. There are three notable ships on approach; the galliot Saint Lextius’ Blade and the frigates Mercy of Suryada and Debt of Honour.
It is not long before the Debt of Honour locks grapples with the Blessed Saint Horace and connects an umbilical docking tube with the ship. Bas and Alexi(u)s go to greet the boarders as Capt. Sir Bedevere Windsor Hawkwood and a contingent of Hawkwood House Guards enter. Bas takes their “guests” on a tour of the ship while Sir Bedevere, who seems very surprised to find a Guilder in command of a Li Halan vessel, interrogates the captain while his troops turn the ship over. Alexi(u)s and Bas notice that although he keeps control of his emotions Sir Bedevere does react with distaste when they mention the Justinians of Ravenna.
No one is sure what the Hawkwoods are specifically looking for but they do not appear to find anything of note. The consensus is that they are simply exerting their power and flexing their authority by keeping an eye on the Li Halan.
While the inspection of the flotilla passes relatively smoothly it does cause them to lose their place in the Jumpgate queue and so they spend a further two frustrating days waiting for clearance to jump to Ravenna.
Eventually the ships get the permission to jump from the Charioteers Guild but word soon passes around the fleet that they have picked up a chaperone; Captain Sir Bedevere and the Debt of Honour will be accompanying them to Ravenna as an “honour guard”.
The jump from Gwynneth is otherwise uneventful and the ships then start to make their way further in system towards their final destination, and the collection of the fabled relic.
On the seven day trip to the planet Bas has Sir Ulrich research Sir Bedevere and his connection to the Justinians. The Torenson knight learns that Sir Bedevere is connected to Baron Tochiro Justinian (the current holder of Saint Diana's relic) through marriage and that he was involved in the notorious “Arcadia Affair”; a series of events that rocked House Justinian and Ravennan high society about 15-20 years ago.
The way Ulrich understands it, as far as the public story goes, Sir Bedevere was sent by his house to arrest Sir Hasimir Torenson, one of Arcadia’s minions, and was later captured by Arcadia when she reappeared after faking her own death and returned to cause havoc in Ravennan space as a pirate. Bedevere was later rescued by House Decados and ransomed back to the Hawkwoods and has served in the Hawkwood space navy ever since.
As soon as they had completed the jump from Gwynneth Lord Admiral Chan sent signals ahead to Ravenna to announce the flotilla’s presence in-system. The ships make good progress over the week's travel and arrive in orbit on schedule. The Relic is almost in their grasp...
For more on the history and actual previous activities of Sir Bedevere see:
https://trialsofarcadia.blogspot.com/2014/12/session-twenty.html
https://trialsofarcadia.blogspot.com/2015/09/they-think-its-all-over.html
https://trialsofarcadia.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-voyage-home.html
https://trialsofarcadia.blogspot.com/2015/10/session-twenty-two-return.html
https://trialsofarcadia.blogspot.com/2015/09/where-we-currently-are-dramatis.html
https://trialsofarcadia.blogspot.com/2016/01/noble-armada-avast-pirates-off-bow.html
https://trialsofarcadia.blogspot.com/2017/12/where-are-they-now-part-1-hawkwoods.html
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