Introduction/Prologue
Act One
Act Two
Act Three
Act Two
The Vigilant cruises back into the Underside spaceport beneath Aurora. Kei messages Jorruns to meet up onboard the Vigilant.
(Oracle question: Does Fegli have men follow Jorruns. Odds: Likely. Answer: No.)
Kei catches Jorruns up about what was found on the derelict. Then he gets down to decrypting the Captain’s datapad found on the Inferno.
(Secure an Advantage with Wits. 5 vs, 5, 1. Use Fugitive Move. Hunters Clock at 2 out of 4. Strong Hit)
(Oracle Inspiration: Scheme Resource)
Kei takes a couple tries and finally forces the datapad open and discovers that the Inferno was transporting an experimental energy technology. A “package” was deployed on Cyrus without the Farpoint mining colony’s knowledge. There are reams of raw data that Kei can’t make heads or tails of, something to do with that experimental use of the new tech.
The reports lists Cyrus as “polluted, uninhabitable” after this experiment. Fegli was recruited to construct a vessel for the tech so that the UPA would not be connected if fragments were recovered. The result was that any reporting would show that some piece of debris had floated into the gravitational pull of Cyrus. The pad also indicates that systems onboard the Inferno malfunctioned after the package deployment, and the engineering crew could not determine precisely what was causing it. The Captain conjectures in his log that it has to be connected with the “Brillouin wave energy device.” In the last entry, he explains they will hide the Inferno in the radiation cloud while they investigate and make repairs.
Astrid shares her theory: “What if there were miners that survived somehow. That would explain the extractor that keeps showing up around the Inferno. Maybe they planted the bomb in Fegli’s workshop?”
That makes sense to Kei: “From what I’ve found researching Farpoint, they mined both the planet Cyrus and a nearby asteroid field. So, a crew was probably off-planet and returned to find their friends, family, and community obliterated. It’s horrific. I don’t know how we can deal with Fegli for a ship if he’s up to this.”
Saren speaks up: “I know that Lady Thal would concur that we cannot work with such a person. While the vessel is needed, I can speak for her. We must cut ties with Fegli.”
Kei thinks on this momentarily: “I want to confront him, though; I need to know if he knows exactly what he got involved with. Nothing on the data pad indicates his operation even knew what the device they were making was for. However, the Ossyran saw a Gakkadi ship trying to scavenge off the Inferno. Tomorrow, we go back, I’ll confront him, and we’ll learn the truth.”
The following day, at Fegli’s workshop, Jorruns chats with other mechanics. Saren & Astrid hang back, watching the exits and guards. Kei asks and is granted a meeting with Fegli. Inside the mushroom man’s office, Kei settles into a chair while Fegli leans back in his.
“You have information for me, yes?”
“There’s a derelict ship hidden in Karna’s radiation clouds, ” Kei says. He explains the rumor they heard in their subsequent investigation and the information discovered on the log. Kei shares the details about the devastation done to Cyrus. “It says you built a device that was used by the Inferno; I need to know if you knew what was going down.”
(Compel with Shadow. 4 vs. 5, 7. Miss)
(Pay the Price: A friend, companion, or ally is in harm’s way (or you are, if alone))
Fegli nods but otherwise doesn’t speak for an interminable amount of time. Finally: “I know many things, human. I certainly know who you are now.” With a wave of his hand over his desk, a holographic Wanted poster for Kei, followed by another of Astrid and then Rozhan, appears floating in the air. “Fugitives from the Regulak Sector. You need to hand over everything you found out there, or I’ll be contacting the StarForce presence in this region to come pick you up. Or, we can kill you here. Your choice, boy.”
Kei feigns like he is about to surrender and hand over his weapon.
(Face Danger with Edge. 5 vs. 3, 5. Weak Hit)
Kei is fast but not fast enough. Fegli whips out a blaster pistol from under his desk and wings Kei. Kei does manage to push through the door while projecting his thoughts to Saren, who in turn warns everyone telepathically.
(Enter the Fray with Wits. 7 vs. 6, 6. Strong Hit with a Match)
Kei finds cover behind a partially dismantled zip fighter. His team has all taken great cover; he happens to be with Astrid. Fegli’s men are scrambling. Two of the six go running from the building. Fegli is wildly shouting orders to troops that weren’t prepared for this. Getting to the big double doors on the other end of the workshop will be a fight.
(Strike with Edge. 6 vs. 6, 3. Hunter Clocks has 3 out of 4 filled)
Kei & Astrid converge their laser fire, removing one of the guards. Jorruns gets pinned down as Aldor Vebes emerges, his modified Gakkadi pulse rifle taking out massive chunks of the chassis the mechanic is hidden behind.
(React Under Fire with Wits. 6 vs. 1, 8. Weak Hit)
Kei draws fire away from Jorruns by focusing on Vebes. Vebes concentrates his fire at the zip fighter, quickly whittling it away. Kei & Astrid jump for new cover. Takes -1 Stress.
(React Under Fire with Edge. 6 vs. 7, 8. Miss)
(Pay the Price: An individual or community you care about is exposed to danger.)
As Kei & Astrid move toward a freighter engine on the workshop floor, Astrid is struck in the knee and unable to move on her own.
(React Under Fire with Heart. 9 vs. 9, 7. Weak Hit).
Kei takes a breath as Vebes peppers the engine with pulse fire. He takes a breath, lets the fear wash over him, and looks at Astrid, injured and still firing away when she gets the chance. Kei steadies his pistol and opens fire on Vebes. Vebes is hit but returns fire; sparks fly off the engine, burning Kei’s face. -1 Harm.
(Secure an Advantage with Wits. 6 vs 1, 4. Strong Hit)
Kei’s vision comes back after the flash of sparks. He surveys the area above where Vebes is standing. He notices a personal transport chassis suspended by chains. If he can get off a good shot, he could bring that metal crashing down on the Gakkadi.
(React Under Fire with Heart. 8 vs. 5, 7. Strong Hit)
Kei tells Astrid he’s saved her life before, and he’s going to do it again; they are going to get out of here alive. Kei’s pistol fire strikes the chassis chains, bringing it down on Vebes, who lets out a cry of distress as he’s buried.
(Gain Ground with Wits. 6 vs. 6, 5. Weak Hit.)
Kei concentrates his thoughts on Saren, letting him know the move he’s about to make. Kei emerges from behind the engine while Saren steps forward, his beam sword blade unleashed, the hood of his cloak falling back, revealing his snarling bear-like visage. Saren slices clean through one of the Argala Cartel guards. However, more come pouring in from a side room.
(Gain Ground with Heart. 6 vs. 3, 2. Strong Hit)
Standing back to back, moving in a circle, Kei fires off crack shots against the Gakkadi while Saren deflects laser fire with his crackling yellow beam sword. They begin clearing a path towards the door, allowing Jorruns to grab Astrid and carry her for the door.
(Strike with Edge. 8 vs. 7, 7. Strong Hit with a Match)
Kei scrambles onto a broken-down zip fighter and locates a support beam, focusing multiple blasts towards it. Saren uses his connection to the Power to lift two Gakkadi into the air and toss them across the room. Kei finally weakens the support enough that the roof collapses on Fegli’s entire workshop.
(Take Decisive Action. 6 vs. 10, 2. Weak Hit.)
(Pay the Price: It’s worse than you thought: Make a suffer move (-2))
Just as Kei and Saren are about to clear the double doors, Vebes emerges with a roar from the wreckage. He takes aim and strikes Kei in the back with pulse fire, the workshop coming down all around them. Saren snarls and moves to guard his ally.
(React Under Fire with Heart. 8 vs. 6, 8. Use Fugitive Move. Strong Hit. Hunters Clock at 3 out of 4)
Vebes takes aim for his kill shot. Saren has his back turned to check on Kei. Kei sees the weapon and fires off his own; the ricocheting blast strikes Vebes across the head, knocking him unconscious. Saren and Kei join the others in the Underside, stealing one of Fegli’s transports and speeding toward the spaceport. They almost crash into other ships there. Everyone heads for the Vigilant just as another transport roars into the spaceport carrying four more Gakkadi guards.
(Gain Ground with Edge. Burn Momentum. 8 vs. 5, 6. Strong Hit)
Kei shouts for the group to push back into the ship. Jorruns places Astrid on the seats in the hold while he rushes to the cockpit to get the Vigliant’s engines going. Saren stands on the boarding ramp, telling Kei to get on board. Kei keeps the suppressive fire going as the engines come to life behind him.
(Take Decisive Action. 8 vs. 3, 1. Strong Hit.)
Vebes emerges from the crowd of Gakkadi guards. He’s clearly injured, his ornate head markings crushed and leaking green fluid. Kei lines up a headshot as Vebes charges towards them and kills the Gakkadi. He rushes onto the Vigilant, which rockets from the spaceport and exits Aurora.
One of the surviving Gakkadi guards radios Fegli. “Sir, the fugitives have escaped. And Vebes…they got him too.”
Back in the office, Fegli curses. “We won’t let this go.” He taps a panel on his desk, and we hear the chirp of a transmission hail. A holographic image of a copper-skinned man with graying hair and a StarForce uniform appears above the desk. “Barlowe,” Fegli barks. “We have interlopers that discovered the Inferno. They have proof of what happened to Cyrus.”
Barlowe looks angry: “You have taken them prisoner?”
Fegli looks down: “No, but they do not know about the tracking device we put on their ship. Sending you their coordinates right now.”
On the Vigilant, Saren attends to Astrid, using a hyposuture to fix the injury to her knee. He then attends to Kei’s many burns and wounds. “You are brave, Kei Becker,” he says as nanites mend the scarring on Kei’s face. “Thanks, I guess,” Kei responds. “I know you have doubts about securing the vessel back on Lyra, but I feel completely assured that you will complete your mission.” Kei smirks and uncomfortably takes the compliment.
“Where to?” Jorruns voice crackles over the ship’s internal comms. “I don’t think we have any other options; it’s back to the Inferno, and let’s hope the mining extractor is still there.”
“And that they don’t shoot us down at first sight,” Astrid adds.
(I took a session break here, and I rolled Begin a Session when I returned. My result was “Unexpected return of an enemy or threat.” Based on my closing scene from the previous session and the fact the Hunters Clock was at a 3 out of 4, it made a lot of sense that the UPA, in pursuit of Kei and his friends, would be showing up.)
As The Vigilant comes out of jump the crew immediately sees the mining extractor looming over the Inferno. Kei tells Astrid to transmit a hail as he shuts off the ship’s shields and weapons systems as a sign of peace.
(Compel with Heart. 5 vs. 3, 5. Weak Hit)
Astrid tells Kei they have been targeted by the extractor’s weapons, but there is a response to the hail coming through. The channel opens: “Talk.”
Kei explains they have information that proves the parties responsible for the destruction of Cyrus, and they want to give it to the Farpoint miners who survived.
“Prepare to be towed in.” A tractor beam fires seconds later, and Kei kills the Vigilant’s engines, submitting to the miners’ terms. Once in the cargo bay, masked & armored people appeal weapons drawn on each of the Vigilant’s crew as they exit the ship. Kei feels the butt of a rifle.
“Walk. Towards that door. Now.” Kei does as he is told and ends up on a lift with one of the armored people, going up. When the doors slide open next, he finds himself standing on the mining extractor’s dingy, dimly lit bridge. A person sits in the captain’s chair wearing similar armor as the others. The hiss of pressure release as they unlock the helmet, placing it on the chair’s armrest. It’s a woman, young, closely sheared hair, brunette, sunken, exhausted eyes. Kei can tell she’s far slighter beneath the bulky armor; he would guess malnutrition.
“This is the leader,” says the guard who brought Kei. “What should I do with him, Harrow?”
“Let him speak,” replies Harrow. “You have some sort of proof?”
Harrow listens as Kei calmly explains what they found and his theory about what happened. Kei also explains the refugee situation on Lyra and why they were dealing with Fegli.
(Make a Connection. 6 vs. 7, 5. Weak Hit.)
Harrow nods and seems to believe Kei. But she doesn’t betray too much. He’s very unsure whether or not he & his people will make it off of here alive.
“You said something about the geography of the Inferno being distorted, but then something collapsed all the variables down into a singularity?” she queries.
“At some point, the distortion subsided. We had to go quite deep into the ship, though.”
“You think you could get here?” Harrow taps buttons on the armrest panel of her chair. A schematic appears on the bridge’s viewscreen. It zooms on a research laboratory area on the Inferno.
(Gather Information. 6 vs. 6, 7)
(Pay the Price: The environment or terrain introduces a new hazard.)
The schematic itself is being reconfigured as the extractor scans the Inferno, causing Kei to quickly become disoriented while viewing it.
“Brillouin wave energy,” he says, remembering the notes in the Captain’s log.
Harrow chimes in: “Crystals, purple ones. She brings up an image of what remains of Cyrus; fragments of all sizes float there, massive crystal structures jut out of the chunks. “They tore out of the ground when the bomb was dropped. The mining team was in a nearby asteroid field doing extraction when we got alerts from back home. They were all destroyed: our families our community. We tried to return, but there was no home to return to. Then, the scans started to tell us an even worse story. Our systems would detect human life on those floating chunks every few hours. We didn’t know what it meant; maybe radiation from those crystals messing with our systems. Then our comms picked up screams. We began to understand. Whatever they dropped on us tore apart our understanding of spacetime; our loved ones were dead but also alive, phasing in and out from various points in time. They turned Cyrus into a living hell; we want to kill everyone responsible for that.”
Kei sits in stunned silence, unable to fully comprehend the horror of what happened.
“We think there could be something on the Inferno that might end all of this suffering,” Harrow states. “But we can’t handle being there for too long. I’ve sent people over there, and none ever come back.”
Kei remembers the man who appeared out of nowhere in the zero suit with the mining insignia on it. How did he get out of there safely? Saren! His abilities to sense and intuit rather than rely on his eyes constantly. Kei explains the unique skills of his companion and suggests they go into the Inferno with Saren. He should be able to guide them where they need to go.
(Undertake an Expedition. 5 vs. 9, 7)
Everyone meets up in the mess hall of the extractor, and Kei reunites with his crew. Harrow explains the plan with Saren already agreeing to go back there. However, a red alert goes off, and a message from the bridge: “Harrow. We have a big problem.”
Kei rushes to the bridge with her and finds a UPA vessel on screen. “Weapons and shields are at maximum, Harrow,” says the woman at the sensor post. “We are being hailed though.”
“Open channels,” Harrow commands.
The same man Fegli was speaking to in his office appears on screen. He wears the silver command colors of a captain on his shoulders.
“This is Captain Nashid Barlowe of the UPA ship Kingfisher. You are in violation of UPA territorial law by remaining in the vicinity of an environmental disaster site. We also believe you are harboring fugitives onboard your ship.” Images flash on the screen of Kei & Astrid from when they fought off the guards on Glimmer. “We will give you ten minutes to prepare for a boarding party. Please disable and lock up all weapons in your ship’s armory and await further instructions. Barlowe out.” The screen goes back to the sea of stars.
Kei turns to Jorruns: “How long would it take to remotely commandeer a UPA shuttle?”
“The shuttles onboard that ship are going to be linked to its main computer,” Jorruns explains. “It’s impossible.”
“Not those shuttles. There is a UPA shuttle in the cargo bay of the Inferno. Its registry was encrypted, and I doubt its mothership is nearby. How about that one?”
Jorruns takes a look at the schematics of the Inferno. “I think we could do something, yes.”
Kei: “Go for it. I know you can do it.”
(Secure an Advantage with Heart. 8 vs. 1, 10. Weak Hit)
After a few seconds. Jorruns: “I’ve got a lock on her, boss. She’s ready to fly whenever you need her.”
Kei to Harrow: “Get the extractor laser drill ready; lock your targets on The Kingfisher.”
(Face Danger with Shadow. 7 vs. 4, 5. Strong Hit)
Harrow hails the Kingfisher, ready to pull off Kei’s plan. “We’re ready for your boarding party,” she tells Barlowe.
Kei signals to Jorruns, and the shuttle comes tearing out of the Inferno, streaking between the extractor and the Kingfisher.
Harrow commands, “Fire!”
(Battle with Wits. 5 vs. 4, 4. Strong Hit)
The extractor drill beam tears through the engine core. Captain Barlowe leaves the view screen. The Kingfisher begins drifting, and Kei knows their gravity compensators will work overtime. Without intending to, the weapons systems on the Kingfisher are disabled. They still have their shields up, but those are powerless to the type of output from an extractor beam drill.
“Hail them,” suggests Kei. Harrow nods and orders one of her people to do so. Barlowe is back on the screen, looking furious. Sparks fly behind him on his bridge. Kei says,” We can tow you to safety, but before we do that, I want all files on the UPA ship Inferno, including whatever classified information you have access to.”
(Compel with Iron. 5 vs. 7, 8. Miss. Pay the Price: An individual or community you care about is exposed to danger)
Barlowe: “I don’t think we’ll be doing that, Mr. Becker. Instead, I think we will let our counterparts continue their journey to Lyra, where they will deal with the insurrection on that deep space station. I believe you will allow us to teleport onboard that mining extractor unharmed so we can let our colleagues know we are alive.”
(Test Your Relationship w/Harrow. 6 vs. 5, 1. Strong Hit)
Kei implores Harrow to let the Kingfisher crew onboard for the sake of his people back on Lyra. Harrow cannot deny him this and agrees to Captain Barlowe’s demands.
Kei says they can use the Vigilant to escape the extractor. The Kingfisher can’t fire on them anyway. What about the beam drill? Kei asks if the beam drill can be jettisoned from the ship before Barlowe’s people teleport over.
(Create an Advantage with Shadow. 7 vs. 4, 4. Strong Hit)
Harrow explains it takes about fifteen minutes to completely break free. While Jorruns helps deactivate and fry the extractor’s weapons systems, Kei and Harrow follow the beam drill jettison protocol. Each of the twelve locks has to be deactivated by hand. Once the locks are undone, the drill begins to float away, not noticeable yet but completely disconnected from the ship’s controls. The Vigilant leaves the cargo bay and heads for the Inferno. The remaining miners onboard let Harrow know Barlowe and his crew are teleporting aboard now.
End Act Two
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