Introduction/Prologue
Act One
Act Two
Act Three
Act Three
The Vigilant docks with the Inferno. Kei, Saren, and Harrow don the zero suits and enter the airlock. The shifting of space-time begins right away.
Zone: Operations – Command Offices
The trio finds themselves in the administrative wing of the ship. A comms channel is hissing over the loudspeakers.
(Explore a Waypoint. 3 vs. 7, 5. Miss)
(Pay the Price: The environment or terrain introduces a new hazard.)
Kei notices a comms channel is on and listens in. He suddenly hears screams and cries from the crew at a point in the past. The panel explodes in a flurry of sparks.
(Face Danger with Edge. 6 vs. 2, 6. Weak Hit)
Kei can dodge the flames but sees a ripple in space-time that reveals to him the ship is about to make a significant shift, possibly exploding or warping out of this time. The region of space they are in is becoming increasingly unstable.
Zone: Living – Observation Lounge.
The lounge looks out on the newborn sun Karna as the swirls of its nursery nebula die down over millennia.
(Explore a Waypoint. 3 vs. 8, 9. Miss)
(Pay the Price: You encounter signs of a looming threat.)
The view outside the observation lounge shifts, and Kei suddenly sees a desert world floating out there. A ship emerges from the atmosphere, adorned in gold ornamentation, sleek and deadly looking. It’s not like any ship Kei has ever seen. He feels fear vibrating off Saren and turns to look at his companion.
“The Empress” is all Saren says before the image ripples and Karna reappears. He looks at Kei and says, “For a brief moment, I could feel her; she felt me there.” Nothing more is said as they continue on.
Zone: Living – Laundry
The remains of an officer lying on the ground, his body turned to dust with hyperage while his uniform is intact.
(Explore a Waypoint: 6 vs. 2, 1. Strong Hit)
Brillouin wave energy is detected by Harrow’s sensors. Saren reaches out for the source and can guide the two others, the shifting stopping and a clear path suddenly opening up.
Zone: Research – Containment
A clear cell sits in the middle of the room, massive in scale. A humanoid figure is in a state of decay, as if it was burnt into a char. Purple crystal juts from its skin.
(Explore a Waypoint. 8 vs. 3, 2. Strong Hit)
Kei scans a control panel on a unit attached to the cell and finds a menu detailing the dispersal of nanites. He tests it out, firing the smallest dose into the chamber. Harrow shouts for them to look. The crystals coming out of the body appear to evaporate, but the nanites break down their structure. Kei returns to the control panel and sees it can scan for Brillouin wave energy. He does one, and it shows the levels plummeting. Returning to look in the cell, they find the body has been restored, not to life but in a state reflective of a vacuum-sealed corpse. He was an officer on the ship. Kei reasons he was hit with a blast of radiation from what they were carrying and got quarantined here.
“The nanites seem to break the crystal down and kill the radiation,” Kei explains. “I think we have found the solution for what’s happening on Cyrus.”
Harrow can’t hold back her tears of relief. Saren helps transport the nanites from inside the machine to a small cylindrical container that can be returned to the extractor.
(Finish Expedition. 9 vs. 3, 3. Strong Hit with a Match)
Back on the Vigilant, Harrow contacts her crew, explaining the discovery. They let her know the Kingfisher crew that teleported over have been contained. Some remain on the broken ship, aware of the others’ capture. Once everyone is back on the extractor, they go to jump, knowing the UPA has been contacted and is sending forces. A stop is made in the former orbit of Cyrus.
The miners say a solemn prayer, and Harrow launches the nanites inside an incendiary probe. It explodes, and the massive crystal structures covering the planetary fragments begin to dissolve. The miners weep tears of joy as fluctuating life signs finally fade; they say their goodbyes now, knowing their loved ones can rest in peace.
Harrow has one last stop before they flee the Cluster for parts unknown. “You needed a ship?” she says to Kei. “I think we might have something.” They go to an orbital port for the Farpoint mining colony that is still intact, and there is a massive industrial freighter. “We won’t need it anymore, and I suppose your people will be mighty thankful for that. It’s yours, free of charge.”
Kei is overwhelmed and profusely thanks her. “I hope you find some peace out there,” he says. “Any idea where you are headed?”
Harrow just shakes her head. “Somewhere quiet, maybe we can start over. Good luck to you.”
The Vigilant flies into the cargo bay of the freighter. Kei and his people get to the bridge. They send Harrow and her crew one last sign-off and then make the jump, headed back to Lyra to try and outrun the UPA forces coming their way.
To be continued…
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