Everyone except Dan shows up: Chris (Peter Sangaree), Paul (Korzhun), Tim (Sir Brindal Karth de Hazat), and Nick (Brother Xavier). Tim and Nick spend a lot of time glaring at each other across the room.
With Montgomery Burns vanishing into the background, the characters decide that a bit more caution in black-market dealings (with the Utag especially) is called for. The closest Utag settlement is Lijngren. It lies about 1500 km away, within the Assault Carrier's range. They determine that the thing to aim for is some kind of negotiated peace with the local Utag. If any kind of trading is to be done, it needs to be very subtle, with appropriate precautions.
Korzhun decides to get really ambitious, and build himself a treehouse. He is interested in particular in building a treehouse large enough to serve as sort of a common gathering-place. He stakes out a patch of agwaro trees within an easy walk from the settlement settlement for his construction site.
As the characters debate, the Sutter Kane comes into port, bearing another load of corn husks for the Chibren. The characters get on board and head upriver to negotiate fuel prices with them. The two-day trip upriver is fairly uneventful, punctuated by occasional efforts to net river eels and (at least for Brindal Karth) diligent study of Hazat military manuals.
The characters reach the Cooperative to find that the Chibren have been engaging in some significant infrastructure improvements. In particular, they have constructed a floating dock large enough to berth the Sutter Kane. After another episode with terribly-overdressed Chibren handlers, the characters are met by Senator Hareb, who greets them and offers them a ride back to the city of Tellermire on a truck loaded with corn husk bales. Both the characters and the Senator are convinced that some trade deals need negotiating.
Everyone assembles in a conference room in the depths of Tellermire. Senator Hareb has stew brought in, along with imported yam beer from Fennen Marsh (to the characters' dismay). The Senator explains that the Chibren have been buying it from the sailors on the Sutter Kane. Brother Xavier makes noises about starting to regulate the brewery business.
With everyone appropriately fed, Senator Hareb sits down at the head of the table and says, "Let's talk." The negotiations begin.
Three months have elapsed since the characters started trading dye between the Chibren Cooperative and the weavers of Pernley Bay. In that time the Sutter Kane has made two trips back and forth, clearing some 6000 FB.
The characters decide to give Montgomery Burns 20% of the net profits for the anti-radiation drugs as a sort of "finder's fee", amounting to a total of 3051 FB, plus another 2500 FB for his personal share. Brother Xavier, Peter Sangaree and Sir Brindal Karth each siphon off another 2500 FB each.
After all this finagling, the characters determine that the current total colony fund amounts to some 23,400 FB, minus three months of back wages for the crew of the Sutter Kane and the various paid colonists (everyone except for the convicts).
Dye is so far the most successful trade good the Chibren have come up with. The characters are able to sell some 400 barrels per month, at a price of 15 FB each. The Chibren have thus far primarily been interested in preserved meats (which are hard for them to raise locally) and vegetable waste (which they use to make plastics, and are also hard for them to get in the necessary quantity). Senator Hareb initially offers a rate of 8 FB per barrel of dye, and 20 FB per ton of vegetable waste. The characters manage to get him to cut his price for dye to 7 FB per barrel.
The characters then turn to the prices they will offer the Chibren for goods. Salt pork and salt beef cost the characters 80 FB per ton. They agree to sell them to the Chibren at a rate of 100 FB per ton. As agreed before, the Chibren will buy corn husks and other vegetable matter for 20 FB per ton.
The Sutter Kane has a cargo capacity of some 200 tons. The characters and Senator Hareb agree that 100 tons of this load should be used for vegetable matter (costing the Chibren 2000 FB per load). The remaining income from each return load of dye buys the Chibren 22 tons of salt pork or other similar goods. The characters' net proceeds from each round trip will be some 7020 FB, with no net surplus or deficit accruing to the Chibren.
The next agenda item is fuel. The characters need a source of fuel for their vehicles, and the Chibren are interested in using some of the refining capacity they build for the Utag for their own profit. Everyone agrees to a price of 1 FB per 25 liters of fuel, very similar to the price charged at the Tuam airfield. To facilitate the exchange, Senator Hareb offers to provide a fuel barge with a capacity of 200,000 liters. To provide some basis for comparison, one full load of fuel for a VERTOL is about 8000 liters, while a full load for the Luftking is about 4400 liters.
To simplify the whole matter, the characters agree to purchase 75,000 liters of fuel every six weeks at a total price of 3000 FB per six weeks. To pay for this, they agree to give the Chibren an additional 30 tons of meat every six weeks, neatly filling out the capacity of the Sutter Kane. The net cost to the characters is 2400 FB per six weeks, reducing their total profit from trade to 4620 FB per six weeks.
With the negotiations concluded, the characters board the Sutter Kane and return to the colony.
On the voyage back, Captain Halfiron notes that the Sutter Kane is really not designed to navigate rivers, and runs a risk every time it heads up to deliver cargo to the Chibren. The characters listen to his problems (primarily sand bars and submerged rocks), and decide to buy a couple of barges and some small pusher boats so the Sutter Kane can transship cargo at the colony. As a side benefit, small boats with huge engines on them have all kinds of other uses. A 100-ton barge costs 300 FB, a small boat hull costs 200 FB, and a pair of big gas motors costs 300 FB. The total cost for two barges and three boats is 2100 FB.
The characters decide to buy all this stuff in Tuam and leave it for Captain Halfiron when he next docks there. They also decide to spend 500 FB buying a shield for Korzhun.
After returning to Fennen Marsh, the characters fly to Tuam on their shopping expedition. Peter Sangaree heads down to Tuam Port to buy the boats, barges and motors while Sir Brindal Karth prowls the High City markets looking for useful gadgets and trade goods. He buys a case of flashlights (50 of 'em) for 50 FB and a case of fire-starters (50 of 'em) for 10 FB with the idea of trading them to the Pakorgo. He also buys Korzhun his shield.
As a final stop, Peter spends 300 FB of his own money to buy raw materials for 10 more of his prototype stamped guns, and a lot of ammunition (200 FB of the total goes to ammo).
With their shopping out of the way, the characters set up for a diplomatic expedition to the East coast Utag settlements. They decide to take one Hunter VERTOL and the Assault Carrier. Fearing that the Utag might shoot first and ask questions later, they take a risk and let Brian the Goat fly the Hunter. Fearing that Brian might overreact, they nominate Peter Sangaree as his politically-reliable copilot. Linus Cossett is given the task of flying the Assault Carrier. He takes Fergus Genne ab Marlwen as his copilot. Passengers on the Assault Carrier include the remaining characters, plus all of their Utag captives (the Banneret Sieggen Atto and a half-dozen of his men) and one of Brother Xavier's Goon Squad to act as a guard. As a final precaution, they borrow Bob Lungflook's SMG and issue it to the Goon Squad trooper, just to ensure that he'll have a way of making one heck of a racket if the prisoners start giving him trouble.
The characters are able to navigate their way across Sulesslund to to the airfield at Lijngren without any particular difficulty. About fifty miles from the field, they turn on their laser comlink and try to raise the air traffic control. They are eventually rewarded with the thickly-accented voice of a traffic controller who initially has a hard time believing that they are who they say they are. It takes them some effort, but they manage to convince him that they are serious, and that they're going to land no matter what he wants them to do.
The characters' VERTOLs land at the airfield without incident and without incurring any anti-aircraft fire from the Utag. They are met by the Jarl Vulfsson and a couple of local militiamen. The Jarl is a portly, pudgy man who is clearly out of breath from the long walk to the airfield. He gives them a rather tentative welcome, and invites them to a feast at the Jarl's Lodge that evening. He suggests that they not engage in any particular violence, as Lijngren is a peaceful place mostly known for producing flax.
The Jarl apologizes in advance that real negotiation will have to wait until the following day, as all of the Eastern Settlements are normally represented by the Jarl of Erlwood, Jarl Gunter Feggen. Jarl Vulfsson explains that he has already been alerted, but will be unable to reach Lijngren before tomorrow. The characters, displaying unusual grace, accept his explanation without an excess of snide comments.
In a gesture of goodwill, Sir Brindal Karth turns over the group's Utag prisoners to Jarl Vulfsson before his departure.
That evening, the characters head into town to enjoy the promised feast at the Jarl's Lodge. They leave their pilots and the Goon Squad man at the planes with instructions to stay alert and to be ready for trouble. Brian the Goat agrees extremely enthusiastically that if there is trouble, he will be there to meet it.
The feast is mostly attended by the elite of Lijngren. Most of the Jarl's other guests appear to be either merchants and tradesmen or local Utag hauscarls. The characters quickly discover that most of Lijngren's economy is based around weaving the flax produced farther east at Pejjet into linen and trading it to the other local Utag settlements. Both Jarl Vulfsson and his closest advisors hold their positions based upon their financial success in this market.
For the characters, the low point of the feast is a speech by another guest of the Jarl, a Colonel dressed in the uniform of the Utag raiding forces. The man bears hideous radiation scarring, and is obviously only barely able to walk. After a brief introduction from the Jarl, the Colonel embarks into a horrific description of the destruction of the Vulfzee Base and the doomed heroism of the defenders as they tried to save some small number of the local villagers and noncombatants from the merciless Hawkwood bombardment.
As the Colonel talks, the characters look around the table to see the other Utag developing expressions of shock and outrage. Because it is no secret that they were materially responsible for calling the Hawkwood CPB's down upon the Utag, the characters start to fear that they are going to be lynched.
When the Colonel finally croaks out his last few words and sits back down, the Jarl invites Sir Brindal Karth to make a speech, presumably to defend himself. Sir Brindal Karth offers the floor to Peter Sangaree, who tells a story about a Hazat vessel called the Red Syrmfish that was attacked without cause by aircraft firing missiles from beyond the horizon. Just as the Colonel dwelt upon the terrible wounds suffered by the survivors of the Hawkwood attack, Peter dwells upon the vicious splinters and terrible burns suffered by the unfortunate Hazat. Peter is able to tell his tale with such feeling and conviction that none of the Utag realize that he is inventing most of the relevant details, basing everything upon the actual raid upon the Red Syrmfish, which had nothing at all to do with Hazat colonists. By the time Peter is done, the mood at the table has softened enough that the other characters no longer imagine themselves to be in imminent danger.
The remainder of the evening is really quite a success for most of the characters. The meat is plentiful and fresh, and the mead and ale flow like water. Save for Korzhun (whose capacity for food and drink is near endless), everyone becomes quite drunk by the time the guests start to filter away.
Late that night, the characters head out of the Jarl's Lodge to stumble back to the airfield and their planes, escorted by a pair of the Jarl's militia. Along the way, they are ambushed by a gang of five youths armed with SMGs. Though the characters aren't exactly in the best shape, they are still able to deal a quick defeat to their attackers.
The attackers open up with a burst of fire that doesn't do significant harm to the shielded characters, but which does inflict a brutal wound upon one of the Jarl's militiamen, who collapses into a heap. Peter Sangaree discovers that an assault rifle is a wonderful thing as he drills two attackers in a hail of bullets. Korzhun, less encumbered by drink than the other characters, uses his mass and his new body shield to good effect by simply charging through one attacker, stomping him to the ground and throttling him. Brother Xavier, another great fan of shields, charges the two remaining attackers. They blaze away at him, landing a burst of automatic weapons fire upon him and burning out his shield, but he is still able to cut them both down. Sir Brindal Karth contributes by dragging the wounded militiaman to safety and administering elixir, probably saving the man's life.
The fight is over in under thirty seconds. By the time the smoke clears, two of the attackers are dead and three are prisoners. All of them are wounded. A passel of Jarl's militia show up in a clutter to try and take control of the situation. The characters, uninterested in long arguments and legalistic debates, simply turn over the survivors to the locals and head on their way with a promise to be back in the morning. Not being totally insensible, they do appropriate a couple of the attackers' weapons, which appear to be substantially too nice for a gang of random malcontents.
Upon returning to the airfield, the characters are greeted by a very concerned Linus Cossett. He first asks if everyone is okay, then tells them that when the gunfire broke out Brian the Goat tried to touch off the Hunter and rescue the characters by strafing the town. He wasn't sure he was doing the right thing by restraining Brian, but the characters reassure him that everything worked out okay in the end.
The remainder of the night goes completely uneventfully, though the characters do sleep in the Assault Carrier with armed guards posted and pilots ready.
The next morning, the characters watch as a small propeller plane approaches from the North then lands as far as possible from their aircraft. Several figures get out of the plane and are swiftly whisked off to the town proper.
Within two hours, an emissary approaches the characters' aircraft to summon them to the Jarl's Lodge. They are informed that the Jarl Gunter Feggen has arrived, and is waiting to meet with them.
The Jarl Feggen proves to be an aged man who has clearly seen almost as much excitement as Brian the Goat. He is missing both his right eye and his left leg, the latter replaced with a simple prosthetic left leg. He dresses in Utag offworlder's clothing and is accompanied by two aides in the uniforms of the Utag raider forces. He greets the characters with as much warmth as the situation dictates, then offers up a few anecdotes about his youth, when he commanded the Typhoon Eaters squadron in the Byrrem Isles. The characters instantly recognize that he is an old fart, relegated to his current position by his injuries.
Old fart or not, Jarl Feggen is quite willing to discuss business with the characters. Both sides are quickly able to agree upon the idea of partitioning Sulesslund into zones, then staying within their respective boundaries. The Jarl further agreed that the characters' ships and planes should be considered inviolate to Utag raiders. The two sticking points are the area around the Gulbraigh Ruins, which would have been upon the Utag side of the partition but which the characters wanted access to, and the ability of Utag forces to intercept and inspect Hazat ships and aircraft operating out of the Fennen Marsh fief.
Jarl Feggen proposed that the Utag should have the privledge of inspecting any ship or aircraft the characters might operate, to ensure that others were not abusing the characters' right-of-way. Peter Sangaree refused to allow this. At the same time, Peter wanted to extend the line of partition around the Gulbraigh Ruins, while Jarl Feggen refused to divide the Utag settlements into two groups with no land access between them. After some discussion, both sides come to the following agreement:
With this agreement in hand, the characters bid goodbye to the Jarls Feggen and Vulfsson and fly back to Fennen Marsh.
The session ends with the characters back at the Fennen Marsh colony, having successfully negotiated trade terms with the Chibren Cooperative and a peace treaty with the East Coast Utag settlements. Each character gains 4 experience points.
At this point in the story, the Fennen Marsh colony has grown fairly substantially. The full-time population (not including the characters) numbers some 44 people. Beyond that, the Sutter Kane carries a crew of 54 more and makes regular stops, and the Chibren Ranger Groupleader Ribben and two or three Rangers are often in the area. The entire population is broken down below.
The regular colony expenses include wages for the inhabitants, money for food and expendable supplies, and upkeep for the Sutter Kane. They are summarized below. The total cost amounts to some 15,850 FB per year, or 1585 FB per month (assuming 10 months per year). The characters currently owe about 3 months back payments for these expenses (4755 FB).
| Description | Type | Amount | Units | Per Year | Cost/Yr |
| Laborer Wages | WAGE |
1.5 |
10 |
50 |
750 |
| Bob Lungflook Wages | WAGE |
6 |
1 |
50 |
300 |
| Patera Fen Wages | WAGE |
4 |
1 |
50 |
200 |
| Fr. Seaden Quinn Wages (Surveyor) | WAGE |
4 |
1 |
50 |
200 |
| Fr. Samwise Oak Wages (Carpenter) | WAGE |
4 |
1 |
50 |
200 |
| Fr. Merrill Howe Wages (Cook) | WAGE |
4 |
1 |
50 |
200 |
| Brian the Goat Wages (Pilot) | WAGE |
10 |
1 |
10 |
100 |
| Linus Cossett Wages (Pilot) | WAGE |
10 |
1 |
10 |
100 |
| Fergus Genne Wages (Pilot) | WAGE |
7 |
1 |
10 |
70 |
| Horace Redd Wages (Mechanic) | WAGE |
2 |
1 |
10 |
20 |
| Convict Wages | WAGE |
0 |
25 |
50 |
0 |
| Captain Gregor Halfiron Wages (SK) | WAGE |
10 |
1 |
50 |
500 |
| Fr. Peria Wesk Wages (SK) | WAGE |
4 |
1 |
50 |
200 |
| Fr. Tiebalt Gunn Wages (SK) | WAGE |
4 |
1 |
50 |
200 |
| Fr. Orson Culles Wages (SK) | WAGE |
4 |
1 |
50 |
200 |
| Ship Crew Wages (SK) | WAGE |
1 |
50 |
50 |
2500 |
| Colony Foodstuffs (per week) | CONS |
1.4 |
44 |
50 |
3080 |
| Colony Expendables (per week) | CONS |
1 |
44 |
50 |
2200 |
| Sutter Kane Foodstuffs (per week) | CONS |
1.4 |
54 |
50 |
3780 |
| Sutter Kane Upkeep (per year) | MAINT |
300 |
1 |
1 |
300 |
| Morgen Luftking-2 Maintenance (yearly) | MAINT |
750 |
1 |
1 |
750 |
As an additional cost, Sir Brindal Karth de Hazat currently owes the MachtArbeiterBank of Lenbow on Delphi a total of 20,000 FB, at an interest rate of 22% per annum. The year's interest will be due in another seven months, and will amount to some 4400 FB.
As a final insult, per Sir Brindal Karth de Hazat's agreement with Director Yie of the MachtArbeiterBank, 25% of the profits from the fief's activities are to be paid to the MachtArbeiterBank. At the moment, this amounts to nothing, but once the characters manage to get their economy off the ground it may become a substantial chunk of money.