I had hoped to get this finished in 2024, but it took me a little longer. Hope you enjoy this final, extra long (nearly 7,000 words) final part to Messiahs.
[Begin a Session: Flashback reveals an aspect of another character, place, or faction]
One of the first things Gerard Linnaeus saw that made him want to go running from Dakhnour was watching a soldier from his house beat a frail al-Raml man to death for stealing a bowl of grain meal. The heir to the corporate house of Celadon felt a rage grow in him that had been there since he was a child. Now in his twenties, as he was being prepped to lead the House by his father, Gerard felt even more disgusted getting to see the Enclave treatment of the natives.
His mind was already filled with the prophecies of Najat Dahandeh by the Mind Mothers who gave him daily academic instruction. Since the corporate houses took control of Audun, stories across Enclave space told some variation of an outsider coming to the desert world and saving its people. The Mind Mothers believed that while this would be incredibly destructive to the houses, it would provide a necessary shake-up that might see them ascending in power against their rivals among the Thought-Shaman and the Flight Syndicate. Gerard didn’t know that for generations, young men and women who were heirs within this system were told these same stories and their teachers were searching for someone who would be a true believer. They found it in Gerard.
He planned a routine inspection of the mining rigs in the Great Northern Sea. Gerard knew how to cause a malfunction that put the sky dancer on the sand. His al-Raml contacts inside Dakhnour had set things up with their free brethren, who staged an “attack.” They carried Gerard away so he could begin his training and ascension. There was a brief detour, though.
An astronomical event – strange purple-green lights falling from the sky – sent Gerard off incognito. He believed they were part of the prophecy – mentioning a burning star that falls from the sky and opens the gates of the afterworld. He called himself Idris and kept his face concealed, barter for rides aboard the various desert ships. He ended up in Jahar, where Gerard witnessed the Vok’s emergence on the planet firsthand. A large metal spider emerged from a hole in the world. He saw one of the great worms transformed by the Vok, now a plague to Audun.
Gerard was truly convinced he was the Najat Dahandeh. How could he not be? The prophecies the Mind Mothers had told him matched everything happening to him. He would free Audun from the cruel hand of the Enclave. He would use the atomic weapons hidden beneath the sand in this temple to make it all possible. Or the universe would burn by his hand.
Captain Kae asks Dael if she could buy them some clothing to help them blend in while they’re on Audun. Kae will figure out how to transport them to The Takrit somehow.
Oracle question: Will Dael buy local clothing for Kae and her people. Odds: Likely. [Ask the Oracle: Yes]
Kae checks in on Lady Thal, still wondering what she should do with the knowledge Wraithus gave her about this woman.
Lady Thal Disposition: Demanding
Thal seems very upset, shouting at Rozhan Kane. She wants to get to the ancient temple as soon as possible; she claims to have this powerful feeling that something terrible is happening soon. There is no time to waste. Where is the transport already?
While money isn’t a thing in UPA-controlled space, it is in the Enclave. Kae had brought some obsidian Vexorite shards, Audun’s preferred ‘coin.’ She trawls along the harbor looking for sandships headed in the direction of The Tikrit.
Secure an Advantage w/Heart – [Miss: 3 + 3 + 0 = 6 vs 6 | 7] – [Pay the Price: You are separated from something or someone]
Kae goes out with a couple of the Concordia crew she brought with her, but no one is willing to take them. After the bombing today, people are paranoid that they might be transporting the perpetrators. They are waiting as told to them by the decree of House Linnaeus. Increased inspections will be happening for the foreseeable future. When Kae returns to the spot the rest of her group has been attacked. Lady Thal is missing. Rozhan Kane tells her the attackers were Vok disguised as locals. He is terrified about what their plans for her are.
Kae tries to see if she can find their trail.
Gather Information – [Strong Hit: 3 + 2 + 0 = 5 vs 4 | 2] – [Leads to a nearby or familiar place]
Kae uses her cybernetic eye implant to see traces of the Vok radiation they leave behind. The trail ends at a temple devoted to the Mind Mothers, the matriarchal religious class within the Enclave. Their temples are not places often welcome to outsiders. Kae goes back to retrieve Abrams in case his mastery of the Power can help get her inside. Kae approaches the main entrance and explains that she believes a friend of hers is living here, concocting a whole story about an offworlder woman who became a missionary and is passionate about the al Raml.
Compel w/Heart – [Weak Hit: 5 + 3 + 0 = 8 vs 5 | 9]
Oracle: Begin Safety
The sister at the entrance is happy to let Kae in to find her friend. However, they must do a deep scan of all visitors. Kae realizes her implants will give her away, as will Abrams’ lingering Vok implants. Such augmentation is forbidden in the Enclave without the use of Essence. Kae can’t risk it and pretends to be overcome with emotion about seeing her old friend that she must step outside. She asks Abrams if he can sense where the Vok are inside the temple.
Secure an Advantage w/Wits – [Miss: 1 + 2 + 0 = 3 vs 4 | 5] – Burn Momentum – [Strong Hit: 1 + 2 + 0 = 6 vs 4 | 5] – +2 momentum and +1 on next roll
Abrams can hear them. They are bringing Lady Thal to the Mother Maximum, the head of the temple. He sees something else. She has been converted into part of the hivemind. She is working against her own people in service of the Vok. Kae knows they must get inside before the Vok harvest Thal’s DNA or worse. They probably extracted the same information from Dreng that he shared with Kae. Kae uses her optic implant to x-ray the ground and see what sewer connections could get them inside the temple.
Secure Advantage w/Wits – +1 from the augment – [Weak Hit: 3 + 2 + 2 = 7 vs 8 | 6] – +2 Momentum
Kae is able to scan beneath them and create a map that her optic implant helps her follow. She and Abrams descend beneath Dakhnour and attempt to enter the Mind Mother temple from underneath.
Face Danger w/Shadow – [Weak Hit: 4 + 1 + 0 = 5 vs 10 | 2] – -2 Spirit
Kae is able to make it through the maze of sewer tunnels but is disheartened to see the squalor the poorest of the al Raml are forced to live in. They have set up shanty towns amid bogs of human waste. The fact that the corporate houses allow this is abominable. She and Abrams climb up through a grating in the floor, undetected by the mothers. Kae uses her implant to find Mother Maximum’s office.
Oracle question: Is the Mother Maximum alone with Lady Thal? Odds: 50/50. [Ask the Oracle: No]
Kae and Abrams walk in on the Mother Maximum, surrounded by four Vok drones. Her face has peeled away, revealing the cybernetics beneath. She is Vok and is deep-scanning Lady Thal with neuro tentacles.
Kae grabs a blunt object to use as a weapon, Abrams unleashes the Power attempting to push back the drones with his mind.
Battle w/Heart – [Miss: 2 + 3 + 0 = 5 vs 9 | 5] – Burn Momentum – [Weak Hit: 2 + 3 + 0 = 6 vs 9 | 5]
[Pay the Price: A surprising development complicates your quest]
Abrams sends two of the drones smashing up against a wall as Captain Kae leaps over the desk and brings the paperweight down on the skull of the Mother Maximum. It sparks as nanobots pour out, trying to repair her. Kae is knocked to the ground as the Mother Maximum roars in anger. She notices a ceremonial al Raml dagger, something stolen during an archaeological expedition and given as a gift to the MM. Kae jams the object into the MM’s chest. An explosion of sparks follows, and the MM collapses.
Kae rushes to check on Lady Thal; she appears okay. One of the drones twitches, and Kae notices his form shifting. She points this out to Abrams, who suddenly looks worried. The drone takes on the form of Paul, the sole autonomous Vok Kae encountered during the Battle of Borges Station. He doesn’t say anything; he just smiles at Kae. His eyes glow white hot, and he opens his mouth, from which a beam of energy emerges. The room becomes cacophonous and booms.
Kae is alive and okay. So is Abrams. That is unconscious. But now there is a massive hole where the wall used to be, and the ceiling is crumbling down on them. The floor is giving way, too. Kae and Abrams get Thal up and attempt to rush out the way they came. Kae activates the overlay mapping saved in her ocular implant (+1)
Face Danger w/Edge – [Weak Hit: 6 + 2 + 1 = 9 vs 4 | 9] – Take -1 Health
Kae, Abrams, and Thal make it out and back to their comrades, but not without Kae getting struck in the head by a piece of falling debris. She bleeds out and feels dizzy. She’s very far from the Concordia’s medbay and can feel it. Usually, such an injury can be healed in seconds on a starship. For now, she bleeds and it stings. Kae is certain this second bombing will cause Dakhnour to go under tight security lockdown. They have to get out of here and to The Tikrit as soon as possible. Kae informs her group they will commandeer a ship at the harbor, taking the crew if need be. Every part of the group is given a role, and Kae leans toward tactical planning.
[Mark Progress: I will keep Lady Thal alive while we are on Audun :4 boxes]
Face Danger w/Heart – [Strong Hit: 4 + 3 + 0 = 7 vs 3 | 6] – Take +1 Momentum
Kae and her group storm a sandship under the cover of darkness and successfully take it.
Oracle question: Is the crew aboard the sandship? Odds: 50/50 – [Ask the Oracle: No]
Thankfully, the ship is empty, so Kae doesn’t have to threaten anyone. Off they go. Rozhan Kane tends to Lady Thal, who is awake now but very light-headed. She keeps saying she had a strange dream that she was floating underwater. She felt like a fish in a tank. Strange faces watched her. Kae thinks she knows what the Lady is beginning to remember.
Oracle: Unnatural Being
While on the way to The Tikrit, Abrams speaks with Captain Kae away from the others. He confesses the voice of the Vok hivemind is strengthening in him again. When he sleeps, he dreams about being a drone in a distant cluster of ships. He assumes the Power allows him to see through the eyes of another being that has been absorbed. A rolling sandstorm far on the horizon reminds him the Vok are amassing strength on Audun. He tells Kae if he turns at any point, she is to kill him immediately. He will not serve them again. Kae promises to do so but modifies the vow in her head.
Swear an Iron Vow (I will protect Abrams from being taken by the Vok on Audun – [Strong Hit: 3 + 3 + 2 = 8 vs 3 | 7] – Take +2 Momentum
Set a Course – [Strong Hit: 6 + 5 + 0 = 10 vs 2 | 4] – Take +1 Momentum
The sandship arrives near the encampment outside of The Tikrit. Kae uses the instruments onboard to scan for life signs. There’s very little in the camp or even inside The Tikrit. Where did everyone go? From what Kae could gather, the Najat Dahandeh assembled a massive al-Raml army. Maybe two dozen remain. The camp is still standing, but these people left in a hurry. Kae sets out to investigate with her people in tow. Kane remains behind on the sandship, nursing Lady Thal.
Gather Information – [Miss: 3 + 2 + 0 = 5 vs 5 | 9] – Burn Momentum – [Weak Hit: 3 + 2 + 0 = 6 vs 5 | 9] – Take +1 Momentum
Oracle: Scheme Decay
Kae and one of her crew, Chauncey, scout ahead. She sees the previously sealed doors of The Tikrit wide open, explaining the life signs she detected there. The people inside are mostly cloistered in one area. They slip into the ruined temple and find al Raml using an acidic compound harvested from one of the fiercer plants that grow on Audun. They are attempting to melt the lock off a corporately sealed door—the vault where the atomic weapons are kept! Things have gotten worse.
Create a Clock: Breaching the Vault – 1/4
Kae rushes back to the sandship, hidden on the other side of a large dune, and shares this information with her companions.
Kane’s disposition: Demanding | Abrams’s disposition: Unfriendly | Thal’s disposition: Curious
Kane wants Kae to rush in, guns blazing (if they can find any onboard), and stop the al-Raml from breaking the seal. Abrams sits quietly and bristles when Kae approaches. She’s deeply worried about him. She checks the medical supplies they have to determine if any psychoactive drugs can combat the infiltration of the hivemind.
Check Your Gear – [Miss: 3 + 5 + 0 = 8 vs 9 | 8]
While checking, Kae hears a cry from Elsbet, one of the Concordia crew. She rushes back onto the bridge and finds Abrams with his cybernetic arm wrapped around Elsbet’s neck, holding her up off the ground. Kane is protecting Lady Thal. Chauncey and Davis are circling Abrams, searching for an opportunity.
Kae attempts to speak to Abrams’s humanity, pushing through the Vok control.
Create a Clock: Breaching the Vault – 2/4
Face Danger w/Heart – [Weak Hit: 6 + 3 + 0 = 9 vs 7 | 10]
Kae watches Abrams’s face change slightly, she sees the real him coming through. For a moment, the Vok programming takes over, he drops Elsbet and lashes out at Kae, pinning her against a control panel. She can feel the panel being crushed behind her, her own body being harmed. “Remember who you are,” she manages to choke out. Abrams snaps back and releases her, stepping away, shocked at what he’s done.
Test Your Relationship – [Weak Hit: 5 + 1 + 0 = 6 vs 10 | 3] – Triggers Develop Relationship and a complication
Develop Your Relationship – [Miss: 5 + 2 + 0 = 7 vs 8 | 9]
Abrams thanks Kae and quietly gestures for her to leave him be as he stumbles back to the sleeping quarters. Kae can feel him creating distance between them.
[Mark Progress: I will protect Abrams from being taken by the Vok on Audun :3 boxes]
[Mark Progress: I will keep Lady Thal alive while we are on Audun :6 boxes]
Lady Thal asks Kae if she saw the Najat Dahandeh in The Tikrit. Kae found it hard to make anyone out; they were all dressed like al Raml, but it was also only lit by glowrods. Thal seems to be hinting that she wants to go with them when they attempt to stop the breaking of the vault door. Kae does not think this is a good idea.
Compel w/Heart – [Strong Hit: 6 + 3 + 0 = 9 vs 2 | 5] – Take +1 Momentum
“Your Ladyship, that is simply not a good idea. I vowed to protect you here, and you will have to wait on the sands until we have cleared the way.”
Lady Thal agrees that this is a level-headed thing to do and thanks Kae for looking out for her.
[Mark Progress: Lady Thal :3 boxes]
Kae tells Elsbet, Chauncey, and Davis they will gather whatever amounts to a weapon on the sandship and set off some charges she found in the supply hold. They will spread them out around the camp to force the al Raml to have to split up. While they are distracted, the four of them will get into the Tikrit and destroy the supplies they were using to try and break the vault door. She tells Kane he’s welcome to join.
Oracle question: Does Kane accept the invitation? Odds: Unlikely
Kane says he will remain aboard the sandship until it is safe for Lady Thal to enter The Tikrit. Kae feels worried about leaving them there with Abrams. She checks on him to see if he will come along with her group.
Oracle question: Does Abrams come with Kae? Odds: 50/50. [Ask the Oracle: No]
Kae is still uncomfortable with this and tells Abrams his skills and abilities will be needed for the fight. They are still unsure of the Al Raml’s firepower.
Compel w/Heart – [Strong Hit: 4 + 3 + 0 = 7 vs 2 | 5] – Take +1 Momentum
Abrams seems to have regained control of his senses. He quietly nods. Then speaks: “Yes, I have a duty to stop this. Thank you for helping me see clearly, Miranda.”
Kae has the four others set up the charges around the camp to provide distraction. She then uses her optic implant to track the movements of the al Raml through the rock of The Tikrit.
Secure an Advantage w/Shadow +1 for Augmented – [Strong Hit: 6 + 1 + 1 = 8 vs 7 | 1] – +2 Momentum and +1 on next move
The charges are set, and the crew returns to Kae and Abrams, watching from the ridge. They prepare and set off the charges. The nearly abandoned al Raml camp erupts in flames. The people inside the temple come rushing out—but not all. Kae gives the others the signal to enter Tikrit and subdue the ones who stayed.
Face Danger w/Heart – [Strong Hit: 4 + 3 + 0 = 7 vs 6 | 2]
The ten al Raml who remained inside the cavern are shocked as Kae’s people systematically remove them. In moments, all of them are on the ground and bound. Just like they taught back at Star Command Academy. Kae tells Elsbet and Davis to take point at the entrance and be ready to alert her if the ones checking out the explosions head back.
[Mark Progress: I vow to prevent Audun from being destroyed by nuclear holocaust :2 boxes]
As long as these atomic weapons are here, the planet is vulnerable. Kae realizes they’ll need to contact the Corporate Houses and talk about moving the weapons off the world. Then she reflects on how they got here and realizes the number of Enclave laws broken. There was nothing she could do; these weapons had to be secured.
Oracle question: Does Gerard Linnaeus make himself known to Kae? Odds: 50/50 . [Ask the Oracle: Yes]
“You’re not Enclave, are you?” one al Raml says to Kae. She glances down at him and realizes he’s not Al Raml at all. He’s of a different complexion, an offworlder? Then, an image comes to mind, back at Borges Station as she was preparing to receive the Enclave delegation. This is Gerard Linnaeus, heir to the corporate house on Celadon. He’s the one who’d been missing.
“What are you doing embedded with the al Raml?” Kae asks. “Kidnapped?”
Gerard disposition: Suspicious
“I’m not talking to some off-world scum,” he spits at Kae.
She’s very confused. “Maybe you failed your astrography exams, but you are an offworlder here, too, kid.”
He smirks. “You don’t know who you fucking with. You speak to the Najat Dahandeh.”
Are you fucking kidding me? Kae thinks. This nepo baby is under the delusion he’s the prophesied savior of Audun? Then, the clone of the Empress sits in a sandship meters away. Too many Messiahs for Kae’s liking.
Oracle question: Do any Al Raml have comm units on them? Odds: Likely. [Ask the Oracle: Yes]
Kae notices a comm unit on one al-Raml and snatches it up. She attunes it to the sandship frequency and starts broadcasting, hoping Kane will pick up.
Oracle: Oppose Enemy
Someone in the sandship activates their comms, however Kae can hear weird background noises: a gasp, scraping, crashing then…a boom erupts from over the dune. Kae rushes to the mouth of the tunnel, where Elsbet and Davis are staring up into the sky. A greatworm, the largest native species on Audun, has rared back its front. Its cavernous mouth is open, and hanging from the rim is the sandship. The greatworm looks augmented; large portions of its flesh have been replaced with metal and wires. It looks like Vok.
Part of the metal near its front liquifies and pours onto the sand, forming a column about 1.7m tall. That column shifts and forms into a body, the form of Paul.
“So good to see you again, Captain,” Paul smirks. “You have assembled everyone I could have hoped for in this place. Both of the heirs. The fallen cleric. The tainted knight. And you, the fated witness to it all.”
“You have no idea what Star Command will do to you. They and the Enclave are going to wipe you, Vok, out. It would be in your best interest to go, find some corner of space devoid of other life, and live there.”
Paul disposition: Threatening
“You are like a speck against an infinite canvas, Captain. You can’t comprehend what is happening around you. I will make you see the truth.” Kae can feel her ocular implant being reshaped. The pain surges through her brain. She focuses her mental control of the implant against the Vok attack.
Face Danger w/Iron +1 from Augment – [Miss: 1 + 1 + 0 = 2 vs 3 | 4] – Burn Momentum – [Strong Hit: 1 + 1 + 0 = 8 vs 3 | 4]
For a moment, Kae feels the tendrils of the Vok spreading through her mind, taking control of her every function. But then something clicks. She finds her mental footing and takes back control of the implant, forcing the Vok’s presence out of her mind. Paul actually stumbles backward and has to catch himself before falling over.
“You are impressive…for a human.” Paul sneers.
Kae takes a breath. “I have people onboard that sandship. I want them released and unharmed.”
Paul’s form does a shimmer that serves to dust him off. “I wouldn’t want to harm them. They are crucial for what comes next.” He gestures, and the worm lowers its front, gently depositing the sands on the ground, meters away from the opening of The Tikrit. A beat. Lady Thal, Kane, and Abrams exit. They appear okay. Abrams moves with some difficulty.
“Into the temple,” Paul orders. Kae’s people look at her, and she nods.
Oracle: Damaged Refuge
Paul seems to know where he is going. He leads the group deep into the temple, squeezing past fallen blocks of stone. He glows with an eerie light that illuminates almost everything around him.
“This was a refuge for the ancient people, those who came first,” Paul explains. “In caverns like these, you humans formed your first notions of the universe and of how to amass power for yourselves. Tell me about the Grand Purge, Prince Linnaeus.” This last bit has him turning to look at Gerard.
“The autonomous machines were a threat to humanity,” the heir to House Linnaeus shares. “They enslaved our ancestors, and it was through the Mind Mothers and the Thought-Shaman that we pushed them back and were free. We defeated these machines, machines like you.” He spits at Paul, who just smiles back.
“But you didn’t really. You fractured your own society. Half of you stayed where you were and formed your precious Trade Enclave. The other half migrated beyond their known sectors of space. They took the machines with them. What they found were worlds inhabited by other humanoids, but very much not human. This is the Old Imperium. It has truly become everything the ancestors feared.” He turns to Kae.
“Isn’t the UPA the slightest bit interested in exactly where the Vok came from?”
She tries to figure out his angle. “Yes, we’re constantly scanning and searching for your origin point.”
Paul nods. “Yes, in space. But not time. A bit of an aside, where did you come from? I mean the humans that make up the UPA. You are not native to those regions of space. According to the Sulvu, you arrived on massive colony arks millennia ago. Where were you before that?”
Kae doesn’t know what game he’s playing, toying around with basic primary school history. “We fled our war-torn sectors far away from here. Those in power refused to waiver from their destructive capitalism, so our leaders put everything they had into the colony arks. Our ancestors drifted through space asleep for a long time; that’s what every child in the UPA is taught. You’ve absorbed all the data on our society, and you know this. What are you after?”
At this point, the group had emerged into a large half-dome room. A chasm plummeted deep into Audun, and a crumbling stone bridge led across to the facade of an ornate altar.
“Your people have a habit of making weapons, wouldn’t you say?” Paul asks. Not waiting for a response, he continues. “Do you know about a Star Command ship designated Inferno?”
Kae shakes her head.
“I didn’t think you would. Very few of you, even those in command positions, know about the UPA’s mistake. The Inferno is…was?…will be? a ship powered by Brillouin wave energy. It uses very specific crystalline structures to reflect intense waves of energy. The result is that the fabric of time is pulled apart ever so slightly. Or that was the intent until the ship’s core was activated. We encountered your ship in the past, fragments of artificial intelligence from long-dead civilization. These forerunners were as foolish as you, destroyed by their own lack of logic. But the Inferno benefited the Vok; it jump-started this unique evolutionary path we have been traveling. We are what the ancestors of the Enclave feared would come to pass.”
Kae knows the Vok never lie, so she has to believe this is the truth. Did the UPA accidentally create the Vok?
Paul motions for Lady Thal and Kane to move towards the bridge. “And you believe exactly what is inside this temple, Lady?”
“Our ancestors’ secrets, answers to questions about the nature of life?” Kae can hear the doubt in the woman’s voice. She sounded so sure in the meeting room on the Concordia.
“When the Vok became one with that great worm out there, we suddenly absorbed a knowledge we’d never been privy to,” Paul states. “We could see the history of this remarkable planet, of the Essence,” he turns and looks at Abrams, who won’t make eye contact, “of the Power, too. And it comes back to those initial fears that humanity would create its own annihilation. It did. It created us…and it created something else long ago.”
He motions for Kane and Thal to continue across the bridge. He follows, never turning back to force Kae, Abrams, or Gerard. Kae follows. Then, Abrams and the young prince. The interior of the altar room is covered in ridged, bone-like material. Kae touches it and finds a thin layer of mucus covering it. Kae uses her optical implant to scan and analyze this substance.
Secure an Advantage w/Wits +1 from Augmented – [Weak Hit: 3 + 2 + 1 = 6 vs 6 | 5] – take +1 for next move
The analysis returns data on hive insects – bees, wasps, etc.- and fluid produced from glands in their mouths that act as adhesives for their hives. Kae wonders if this is some type of subterranean life form. Based on the size of this room, they would be as large as humans.
Paul walks over to an inlay on the far wall. It shows a person holding a large egg while kneeling. The person presents the egg to a severe-looking woman adorned with the traditional garb of a Mind Mother. He touches specific spots on the wall and steps away. The floor in the middle of the room partially slides away, and a hole opens up. Kae can hear the ancient gears and mechanisms as something is being brought up from below. She looks at Abrams and notices pebbles at his feet lifting into the air. He’s allowing the Power to flow through him. He’s about to make a move.
“Your brother has come to save you,” Paul says as he steps towards the hole. A platform emerges, and there is a large, shiny black figure curled up, obscuring most of itself from them all. Kae pulls the laspistol she took off one of the al Raml just as Abrams raises his hand and directs the Power at Paul.
Enter the Fray w/Heart – [Miss: 1 + 3 + 0 = 4 vs 8 | 5] – In a bad spot
Paul reacts with incredible reflexes, using the Power himself to aim Abram’s arm at Kae. The force of Abrams’ will knocks the laspistol from her hand and the captain to the ground. “Rise my brother and feed,” Paul proclaims.
The figure unfurls on the platform. Standing up at full height. Kae notices its arms are lined with a carapace that glints in Paul’s illumination. They look like blades. The eyeless creature opens its maw and bears its endless rows of fangs, mouth dripping with mucus. Kae has never been so terrified in all her life, she realizes. But she cannot let Paul and this thing get loose. The creature turns its head towards Lady Thal, and Kane stands in front of her. Kae dives for the laspistol so she can fire on that creature and draw its attention to her.
React Under Fire w/Heart – [Miss: 6 + 3 + 0 = 9 vs 10 | 9] – stay in a bad spot
[Pay the Price: You create an opportunity for an enemy]
Paul leaps across the chasm and directly in front of Kae as she reaches for the weapon. He brings his foot down hard on her hand. She can feel the bones and tendons being completely crushed to a pulp. A type of madness fills his face. (Take 1 Harm). Kae’s free hand finds a rock and slams it with all her might against the Vok’s leg. She uses her optical implant to scan beneath his flesh and see the weakest spots in the limb.
Clash w/Iron +1 from Augmented – [Weak Hit: 3 + 1 + 1 = 5 vs 2 | 8] – mark progress but stay in a bad spot
[Mark Progress: Chiton & Paul :2 boxes]
[Pay the Price: You are stressed] – Lose 1 Spirit
Paul’s leg crumples as Kae hits the right point. He lets out a sound of pain, something Kae has never heard come out of a Vok. He steps off her hand, looking just as surprised. She glances in time to see the creature stepping closer to Kane, who is trying to protect Lady Thal. Gerard Linnaeus stands, stunned.
“If you really are the Najat Dahandeh,” she shouts. “This would be a hell of a time to prove it to us.”
React Under Fire w/Heart – [Strong Hit: 6 + 3 + 0 = 9 vs 6 | 7] – Take +1 Momentum and you are in control
Gerard furrows his brow, hearing Kae’s encouragement. He takes a combat stance she’s unfamiliar with, some form taught here in the Enclave. He positions his hands and shouts a single word that echoes through the altar chamber. A blast of energy ripples through the air and strikes the creature in the back, drawing its attention away from Kane and Thal. Kae is surprised. Is this kid the real deal? That’s for later; now, stop the Vok.
[Mark Progress: I will keep Lady Thal alive while we are on Audun :8 boxes]
Kae tries to ignore the pain of her crushed hand. She scans the room for anything that could be used as a weapon. To help her, she amps up her optical implant to scan more details than usual.
Secure an Advantage w/Wits +1 from Augmented – [Weak Hit: 3 + 2 + 0 = 5 vs 4 | 5] – Gain +2 Momentum
Kae spots a blade made of the same bone-like material that sits out from the wall it hangs on. She snatches it and tries to recall her fencing training from the Academy. Paul sneers at her; his leg is self-repairing but slower than usual, leaking a blue liquid. The Essence the Vok absorbed?
Strike w/Iron – [Strong Hit: 5 + 1 + 1 = 7 vs 2 | 4]
[Mark Progress: Chiton & Paul :4 boxes]
[Mark Progress: Chiton & Paul :6 boxes]
Kae strikes out at Paul, the bone blade splitting his chest until his upper half explodes in reaction. Something in the sword’s material disrupts Vok’s control of their forms. Gerard focuses his power again, slamming the creature up against a wall. He looks to his side and sees Abrams there, focusing the Power and lifting the creature into the air.
Kae attempts to move Paul towards the chasm just outside the altar chamber.
Take Decisive Action – [Strong Hit: 6 + 6 + 0 = 10 vs 8 | 2] – Take +1 Momentum
Paul stumbles backward, spitting binary code venom at Kae. She can’t understand the specifics but gets the drift. He wants her dead. His footsteps back into the chasm, feeling the void. For the first time, Kae sees panic on a Vok face. It’s brief as he falls backward, disappearing into the void below.
[Mark Progress: I will protect Abrams from being taken by the Vok on Audun :6 boxes]
Kae returns to the altar chamber, where Gerard and Abrams have brought the creature back to its pedestal. The being is lowered back into the prison it had been in for who knows how long. The pain finally floods Kae’s head, and she falls down. Her crushed hand screams at her. She can’t wait to be back in the Concordia’s medbay, where this should be healed in seconds.
Abrams rushes to check on Kae. She asks him what he can sense of the Vok.
Oracle: Strange Faction
“The Vok as we know them are no more,” he explains after a moment’s focus. “They are fragmenting into combating factions with opposing agendas. They have become more like us, it seems.”
“Are they still a threat to Audun?” Kae asks him, thinking about the atomic weapons sealed in a vault a mere walk from where she stands.
Oracle question: Are the Vok intent on using the atomic weapons? Odds: Small Chance. [Ask the Oracle: No]
[Mark Progress: I vow to prevent Audun from being destroyed by nuclear holocaust :3 boxes]
Kae and Abrams go over to Gerard, Kane, and Lady Thal. Everyone seems okay, a little scuffed up and stressed, but alive.
[Mark Progress: Rozhan Kane :6 boxes]
[Mark Progress: Lady Thal :4 boxes]
“Find what you were looking for here, Lady Thal?” Kae asks. She nods.
“Yes, Captain Kae.” Lady Thal answers. “I found that the answers to what I seek don’t lie in the past. Only horrible nightmares of our darker selves live there. I have to look to the future. I must return to the Imperium and help lead the Resistance against the Empress.”
Forge a Bond with Lady Thal – [Miss: 3 + 4 + 0 = 7 vs 8 | 10]
Thal continues, “Your UPA has done nothing but tiptoe around providing the Imperium refugees with the help they need. You capitulate to The Empress rather than use your might against her. You and your ship would be useful in my mission, Captain Kae.”
Kae can’t imagine leaving Star Command, going rogue, and stealing a ship. “I’m sorry, Lady Thal. I can’t do that, and I will be taking you back to answer for your crimes.”
Something glows in Lady Thal’s eyes. Kae glances at Abrams, who looks shocked. Kae knows he’s just reached into her mind and seen what Dreng Wraithus showed the captain: Thal is a clone of the Empress. He lunges at her, the Power crackling around him. The Power emanates in Thal, too. Rozhan Kane attempts to protect his liege. Gerard stands back, stunned. Kae makes a move to protect Abrams.
Battle w/[Weak Hit: 4 + 3 + 0 = 7 vs 7 | 5] – Make my objective but with a cost
[Pay the Price: A friend, companion, or ally is in harm’s way (or you are, if alone)]
Kane takes the blast from Abrams’ wielding of the Power. He collapses. Lady Thal rushes to his side. He’s dead. She screams. Her scream shakes the foundations of the cavern. Kae knows they have to get out of there now. Abrams is stunned. Kae shakes him. Gerard is already making his way back towards the entrance of the cavern.
They reach the outside of The Tikrit. The Vok-controlled greatworm is gone already. The sandship is smashed to pieces. The al Raml that remained are gone, and they can find no trace of Gerard Linnaeus. It’s just Kae, Abrams, and her three crewmen. They find some sandfoots tied up at nearby posts. Looks like this will be their slow journey back to civilization.
Kae knows it will be a bureaucratic nightmare to clear all this up. But she saved Audun from nuclear holocaust, right?
Fulfill Your Vow (I vow to prevent Audun from being destroyed by nuclear holocaust) – [Strong Hit: 6 + 3 + 0 = 9 vs 5 | 1]
Those weapons will remain sealed as Kae hears a rumbling behind the caravan about an hour later. She turns and watches The Tikrit entrance crumble, like at Lady Thal’s power.
She failed to protect Lady Thal, though. That woman is troubled, but it’s probably safer that she’s buried inside that old temple and not out here.
Forsake My Vow (I will keep Lady Thal alive while we are on Audun)
Later, when they return to the Concordia, a brief skirmish occurs onboard. Thal’s people, this strange collection of refugees and outcasts learn about her ‘death’ and lash out. With help from Enclave forces, Kae has them quelled. They’ll be taken back into UPA space to answer for a laundry list of crimes. Kae doesn’t feel good about it, though.
Abrams appears to be okay. Paul failed to bring him back into the hivemind.
Fulfill Your Vow (I will protect Abrams from being taken by the Vok on Audun.) – [Strong Hit: 5 + 6 + 0 = 10 vs 6 | 5]
She brings Abrams to the medbay for a complete examination, and they find his Vok implants have gone entirely dormant, making them easier to remove in surgery. A few days later, Abrams is up and recovered. He tells Kae that the young Linnaeus they encountered was no prophesied savior. He detected that the boy was simply attuned to the Power. He hopes the boy doesn’t cause further trouble for Audun and returns home.
House Linnaeus seems happy for the Concordia to leave, and Kae sets a course back to Borges Station. She has a lot to think about. War with the Old Imperium feels like it’s only a matter of time now.
The End
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