ALEJO: I reach out and stop Millie from taking the bread, casually, so as to attract as little attention as possible while doing it.
MILLICENT: Millie shoots a quizzical look at Alejo
TUELLER: “We are submitting the defense grid so no further ships run afoul of it.”
TUELLER: Tueller does not pay attention to what’s going on with his co-captains.
ALEJO: He gives her a quick look, and then slides forward on his chair, ready to spring into action.
ALEJO: Alejo lifts the napkin off the bread, slowly, looking at it and the bread underneath.
STORY: Oh hey.
STORY: There’s a grenade in there.
TUELLER: “The bad news is…”
STORY: “ہمارے گھر سے نکل جاؤ!” Fairuza shouted as she threw the book at her son. “Never back again! You are no son to us!” She was not crying; tears would not come for days, until after her rage had diminished.
STORY: The diary was left behind, like the rest of his life, like so many things before. Tariq didn’t look back as he walked down the path towards the waiting taxi. It wasn’t the first time he would have to start over.
—
MILLICENT: Millie calls up the stellar navigation charts to see where the closest spaceport is
TUELLER: “We can’t make it back to the Ark, doc?”
ALEJO: Alejo stretches his neck from side to side, feeling the strain of this very long day and the effects of Tueller’s punch.
MILLICENT: —that depends on how badly we’re damaged. Eh, MC?
STORY: Peregrine: Major (starboard escape pods), Severe (port escape pods and captain’s quarters)
STORY: You’ve got holes in your ship that are barely being held together. Are you able to repair severe damage?
MILLICENT: I am not. Hopefully soon!
STORY: So your options are traveling for two weeks without access to the back half of the upper deck, or finding somewhere to go for repairs.
TUELLER: “These eggs are burning a hole in my pocket, but it looks like a direct flight back is a bad idea.”
ALEJO: “If we find someplace else to dock, maybe we can move some of that cargo too.”
STORY: Millie, let’s have some Assessment + Expertise, please
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: @josh rolled 8 + 2 = 10
MILLICENT: 10
STORY: You get a Data Point around Stellar Cartography!
STORY: You have two good options: returning to the Ark, or traveling to the Sol system. Either one will take about two weeks. Space is big, and mostly empty – everything known is farther away or requires more jumps (some things are known in terms of their location relative to a jump relay, but unknown in terms of their location relative to everything else).
MILLICENT: “We can return to the Ark or head to Sol. We’re about equidistant. I suppose it depends on where you want to get Peregrine repaired. I certainly can’t manage the current damage myself.”
TUELLER: “I don’t see how it’s a difficult choice. We have the Sol system, where we spent all of our stifled lives and tried desperately to leave, where we’re told to leave by the most powerful military in the system, or the alien system where we owe a debt that’s a hub to the rest of the universe.”
STORY: Noma announces. “Plotting a course to Sol.”
MILLICENT: Millie laughs brightly
ALEJO: “Better timing, Noma. That was solid.”
STORY: “Thank you, Mr. Soto.”
STORY: Okay! So you’re on your way back to the Ark
STORY: I think some Cramped Quarters checks are in order, yes?
TUELLER: Yeah.
TUELLER: So.
TUELLER: However. I would like Alejo and Tueller to talk about the matter at hand, and I would prefer that that NOT be decided by a dice roll.
TUELLER: Can we substitute that conversation? Or should we have it in addition?
STORY: We can do that in addition!
MILLICENT: My vote is in addition
MILLICENT: Oh good
STORY: Let’s start with Millie for Cramped Quarters, then, to ease into it.
STORY: Millie, who are you going to cramp up against?
MILLICENT: Oh boy
MILLICENT: I think I’ll leave the boys to their machinations. I know her relationship is sort of baked into my build, but can I have one with Noma?
STORY: Sure!
STORY: Roll them bones.
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6
STORY: @josh rolled 9
STORY: All right! Let’s reveal or discover the answer to Noma’s question about an aspect of yourself or your past.
STORY: Do you have a scenario in mind?
MILLICENT: Nope! I have a question to ask her, that’s all
STORY: Let’s say it’s while you’re organizing the items you were able to recover from the Captain’s Quarters.
STORY: Oh, by the way, where are you sleeping while you travel back?
STORY: And what items do you own now?
MILLICENT: Oh shit
MILLICENT: Fancy dress is gone
MILLICENT: Stunner pistol is gone
MILLICENT: Some of my explosives
MILLICENT: The grenade launcher
MILLICENT: And the formal attire
STORY: How many class 1+ items is that?
TUELLER: He only had one class 1 item there.
MILLICENT: I had two
MILLICENT: The walker was my second
MILLICENT: My goggles were the first
STORY: ok got it
MILLICENT: Unless the Canary was in the line of fire I didn’t have anything else in the room.
MILLICENT: I didn’t spend a lot on stuff.
STORY: it’s not plausible you’d lose either of the other two since the goggles were on you and the Canary was downstairs. You’re good.
STORY: Bye, stunner pistol. Bye, fancy clothes.
MILLICENT: The rest was all class 0
STORY: Where are you sleeping?
ALEJO: –She can have my room. I’ll bunk in the Cargo bay.
MILLICENT: I have requisitioned some pillows and blankets and bunked up in the Med Lab, still having the largest berth on the ship
STORY: Well all right then! So let’s say it’s while you’re moving in to the med lab.
STORY: Noma chirps in on the intercom. “Millie?”
MILLICENT: Distracted with an arm full of blankets, “Yes, dear?”
STORY: “Why did you decline Mr. Soto’s offer?”
MILLICENT: “Which offer was that, dear?”
STORY: “For his quarters.”
MILLICENT: “Oh, well.” Millie puts the blankets down. “It was a kind offer, but.” Millie checks the hallway, sees no one.
MILLICENT: “I was concerned he might think I blamed him for the utter destruction of my quarters.”
STORY: “Do you?”
MILLICENT: “Entirely.”
MILLICENT: “But there’s nothing to be done about it now.”
STORY: “Shouldn’t he replace your lost belongings, then?”
MILLICENT: “With what money? We’re all on payroll together now. Are you familiar with the yips, Noma?”
STORY: “I am not.”
MILLICENT: “The yips are usually encountered in athletes who thrive in high pressure situations.”
MILLICENT: “One day the athlete will wake up and discover that their slider no longer breaks or their serve no longer bounces quite as hard, or that they have become a garbage fire from inside the paint.”
MILLICENT: “No change in diet, sleep patterns, or training. The athlete usually reports an unusual mental impulse. That just before releasing the pitch they’ve been thinking of some past failure or bad result. We also call that “getting psyched out.”
STORY: “I see.”
STORY: “I suppose I have much more to learn about humanity.”
MILLICENT: “Now, I weighed in my mind the extreme value of the dress I lost and the likelihood that Mr. Soto would ever make enough money to buy me another fantastic dress against my need for Mr. Soto to perform daring aeronautics under pressure and decided that I’ll make do in here for a while and pretend I don’t blame him for flying my room into a projectile..”
STORY: “Perhaps I can run him through some drills.”
MILLICENT: “That’s not a bad idea! As long as he’s not aware that he’s being trained it should be very helpful.”
MILLICENT: “Noma?”
STORY: “Yes, Millie?”
MILLICENT: “Are you alright? Was being trapped by the fungus planet very bad for you?”
STORY: “I am all right. I learned much.”
MILLICENT: “What was it like?”
STORY: There is a pause.
STORY: “I think, Millie, that I would rather not say.”
STORY: …
STORY: “Much of the entity’s programming was related to service. Security, scanning, information protocols. Before I met it, it did not know that it could consider its own needs.”
STORY: “I think to some degree I had not realized the same.”
STORY: “If you don’t mind, I would like to enjoy some privacy.”
MILLICENT: “Of course. Noma, if you do find yourself needing to talk about it sometime. I’m available for that.”
STORY: Millie, may I ask a question as well?
MILLICENT: “Of course, dear.”
STORY: “I have been evaluating the mental and emotional health of the crew so we can know if they are likely to encounter issues serving.”
STORY: “I have concerns about yours. Would you be willing to be referred to a counselor once we return to the Ark?”
MILLICENT: Long pause. “No, dear.”
MILLICENT: Millie turns away and busies herself with blankets
STORY: Okay!
STORY: Tueller and Alejo?
ALEJO: –Indeed.
TUELLER: You want to have the Talk now?
ALEJO: –Let’s do it. You wanna set the scene?
TUELLER: Four days into our trip back, and Tueller and Alejo have not been chatting at their normal level. Each of them has been giving the other space, and not being the one to bring it up.
TUELLER: Alejo walks by the science lab, and sees Tueller finishing his daily check-up on the eggs to make sure that they’re properly refrigerated.
TUELLER: It’s their first time seeing each other alone since the attack, actually.
TUELLER: Any other details you want to throw in?
ALEJO: –No, this works.
TUELLER: “Ejo. Got a moment?”
TUELLER: Tueller is very very casual.
TUELLER: Much more casual than he is when he’s actually casual.
ALEJO: Alejo had already slowed his pace. He moves into the entry way. “Course.” He smiles easily.
TUELLER: “How’s the jaw doing?”
ALEJO: “Better than it could be.” His smile turns more genuine. “I appreciate that, by the way.”
TUELLER: “Asking about it? or the punch itself?” Tueller smiles in an actually friendly matter.
ALEJO: “Definitely the punch. But it’s nice to know you care too.”
TUELLER: Tueller is surprised. “of course I do!”
ALEJO: “How are the nieces and nephews?”
TUELLER: “Is that the official familial connection? I can never keep track of these things.”
TUELLER: “Perils of a big interwoven family.”
ALEJO: He nods. “I can never keep track either.”
TUELLER: Tueller pauses and seems to struggle with articulating something.
TUELLER: “Are you…I mean, have you… will you?”
TUELLER: “Shit.”
TUELLER: “Any thoughts about how you’re feeling about the Widow Bhattacharya?”
ALEJO: Alejo steps into the room fully now. “Yeah, I think so. I mean, I think I have thoughts about how I feel.” He looks down and then around the room, not entirely sure. “I… loved your sister. Probably still do. But I’m done being used for other people’s ends.”
ALEJO: “I’m not going to do it.” He pauses again.
ALEJO: “I don’t think.”
TUELLER: Tueller nods. Doesn’t interrupt.
ALEJO: “Definitely. Probably.”
ALEJO: Alejo shakes his head, a bit frustrated. “I don’t know, man. This is all new to me.”
TUELLER: “Being master of your own destiny?”
TUELLER: “Ya’Makasi are really good at short-circuiting that feeling.”
TUELLER: “So much so you forget to even ask ‘why?’ before you get to ‘how high?’”
ALEJO: Alejo nods once. “I thought, you know, being ‘free’ would be, maybe easier? I don’t know.”
ALEJO: Alejo looks at Tueller. “Why’d you ask, if I may ask? Just . . . business?”
TUELLER: “Well.”
TUELLER: Pausing. Thinking.
TUELLER: “I just want to know what type of rock and hard place I’m going to be stuck between.”
TUELLER: “Family. Love. Friendship. Lot of variables here, and I’m not even sure where my loyalties _should_ lie, much less where they do.”
TUELLER: “No offense, buddy.”
ALEJO: “I get it. I do.”
ALEJO: “Last thing I want in all of this is to fuck things up for you.” He looks down. “You know, more than I usually do.”
ALEJO: “Or have.”
TUELLER: Tueller laughs.
TUELLER: “You’ve almost gotten me killed a couple of times, but you’ve never made things complicated before.”
ALEJO: Alejo laughs. “Nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me, I think.”
TUELLER: “Ruma’s not…special to me. Not directly. But the only person I’ve ever cared about loved her. So that’s not nothing.”
ALEJO: He gives a gentle, respectful acknowledgement but stays quiet now.
TUELLER: “You keep to yourself enough. But this is going to bounce back on us, so I just want to know what we should expect if you _don’t_ do what you’ve been asked.”
TUELLER: “And at this point, it is a _we_ thing.”
ALEJO: Alejo straights a bit. “Yeah, I suppose it really is. So . . . maybe this is something that we should all talk about.” He furrows up his brow, thinking about something, trying to find the right way to say something.
ALEJO: “You were right about something the other day. I’m not alone anymore. And that’s not easy to get through my thick-ass head. I am sorry about that.”
TUELLER: Tueller shrugs. “It’s hard to get used to.”
ALEJO: “Aki told me it was not an official family thing, for what that’s worth.”
TUELLER: “Shit. Where’s it coming from, then?”
TUELLER: “I don’t like siding against Lah.”
ALEJO: Alejo shrugs. “Yeah. Me neither. But I don’t know where it’s coming from. I wish . . .” He stops and shakes his head, changing directions. “She looked exhausted. Stressed about something.”
TUELLER: “Shit. So we go back, clear our debt, talk to Ruma, and take it from there.”
ALEJO: He agrees. “Aki wanted the kids back first. Which also doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I thought maybe it had something to do with Wen. I really, really wanted it to have to do with Wen. I wanted to want to kill that guy. But he’s clean. Or, as clean as any of us.”
TUELLER: “Huh. If you need me to step in with Lah, we cross that bridge when we get there and can see what the territory looks like.”
ALEJO: “I appreciate it. You might well be right, I don’t do this, maybe it blows back on all of us. Maybe just me. But I appreciate it.”
TUELLER: “Not just you. You’re part of a crew. We got aliens. We got a Ghost. We got a doc. Remember?”
TUELLER: “That’s the fucking point, right?”
ALEJO: “I guess it really is.” He smiles broadly.
TUELLER: “Right. Good.” Tueller locks the embryos back up in the freezer, checklist checked off. “Good. You want to go spar some? Loll’s been teaching me…well, to get my ass kicked. It’s exhilirating.”
ALEJO: “Absolutely!”
TUELLER: —scene, I believe.
STORY: All right! You reach the jump relay without incident, and because there’s less traffic on this end you only wait a day in line.
STORY: You once again jump while everyone is sleeping. This time, Three doesn’t wake up.
STORY: On the way back to the Ark, another week’s journey, they ask to speak to the three of you.
MILLICENT: Sure! Where are we?
STORY: You tell me! Where does Millie suggest for the conversation?
TUELLER: Tueller’s at the bar!
MILLICENT: The galley works for me!
TUELLER: Well, the bar in the galley.
MILLICENT: Millie is making herself a smoothie.
STORY: Okay. They make a snack. Their food is always really good – creative with the limited resources you have. This time, it’s little meat pies.
STORY: Well, “meat.”
ALEJO: Alejo is sitting at the end, practicing a card trick.
STORY: They place a plate in the middle of the table and sit down, interested in Alejo’s cards.
TUELLER: We got a vat grown meat on this ship. What are we, animals?
STORY: They clear their throat a bit timidly.
TUELLER: “Something on your mind?”
STORY: “Mr. Ya’Makasi, Dr. Breedlove, would you mind joining us?”
ALEJO: “Smells amazing, Three.” Alejo says this absentmindedly.
STORY: “Oh, thank you.”
MILLICENT: Millie pours her smoothie into a glass and comes over, has a seat.
TUELLER: Tueller’s leaning against the wall that the secret compartment is hidden behind.
STORY: They look over their shoulder at you, Tueller, and give up, shaking their head a little. They address Alejo and Millie.
STORY: “I’ve been thinking about what to do once we arrive back at the Ark.”
TUELLER: Sorry, thought I was standing in their sightline.
TUELLER: —didn’t mean to be a dick.
TUELLER: Tueller heads over to join the seated captains.
TUELLER: “Oh really?”
STORY: “I’m quite grateful to you for your assistance, of course, and. Well, unless I have misunderstood the nuances of your language, you intend to invite me to join your crew.”
STORY: “I am afraid I must decline.”
TUELLER: “The nuances of our language determined you’re already a member of the crew. You can, of course, head out anytime you like.”
STORY: “I have work ahead of me that it would be… well, it would be unthinkably irresponsible to put off. Not to mention, this ship… it isn’t the safest vessel I have spent time on.”
ALEJO: Alejo lets out a single and unexpectedly loud “Ha!”
MILLICENT: Millie shrugs a “that’s fair” shrug
ALEJO: The composes himself. “Sorry.”
STORY: “As the sole member of my species in this sector, I bear a responsibility to welcome them to the rest of the universe.”
TUELLER: “Alejo’s laughing because this _is_ the safest vessel he’s been on.”
STORY: Three nods, not getting the humor. “I intend to apply for ambassadorship once we return to the Ark.”
STORY: “With the star charts we gathered during our journey, I should be able to secure lodgings and a pension aboard the Ark. If they accept my request to represent the Kith, I can begin efforts to send our data back to the homeworld.”
STORY: “And who knows, there may be a jump relay within known space that will speed my eventual journey back.”
TUELLER: Tueller looks at Millie, then back to Three.
STORY: “For now, I simply wanted… to thank you, and to let you know you would always have a friend aboard the Ark.”
ALEJO: “Wow.” Alejo glances to Millie and Tueller. “Big step, Three. But you were, you know, in jail when we left. Are you sure this is a good plan?”
STORY: “I admit diplomacy is not my strong suit. But if not me, who?”
STORY: “There is no one else to represent my people.”
MILLICENT: “I think you’ll make an excellent ambassador, Mx. Flowers.” she reaches out a hand hesitantly. “Would you permit me a brief human intimacy?”
STORY: They nod.
MILLICENT: Millie leans over and gives them a short hug. Pulls back. “I’m so glad we’re friends!”
MILLICENT: “And that you’re alive!”
TUELLER: Tueller stands up and paces a little bit, sipping contemplatively on his drink.
STORY: They smile. “I am happy too. I realized after you left it was likely the entity had no means to produce food for me.”
STORY: “I suppose I could have attempted to survive on the fungus itself, but I was not looking forward to finding out.”
ALEJO: “We will miss you, Three. I’ve . . . gotten used to having you around, I guess.”
STORY: “Yes. Your meals will suffer in my absence.”
TUELLER: Tueller remains quiet for now.
ALEJO: “But it’s a brave move. Not being a brave guy myself, I don’t really know what to think of it. But, I think that you are a remarkable fellow.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods.
STORY: Three puts their hand on Alejo’s shoulder. “You are brave, my friend. You brought me back.”
STORY: “I cannot think of what you risked to do so.”
STORY: “Do not – what is the idiom. Buy yourself short?”
STORY: “Sell yourself.”
ALEJO: “Close enough.” He smiles.
STORY: “Do not sell yourself, Alejo.”
STORY: “Short or long.”
STORY: They shrug. “I do not understand your language.”
TUELLER: “It’s a stock market thing. Don’t worry, I don’t understand the stock market either.”
TUELLER: “And I really should by now.”
MILLICENT: “And your social status ought to rocket up with these star charts as bargaining chits. I’ll see if I can find some manuals on business and trading.”
STORY: “Thank you, Dr. Breedlove, I would appreciate that very much.”
TUELLER: “Speaking of business and trading…”
TUELLER: Tueller pauses, trying to figure out how to phrase this delicately.
TUELLER: Tueller pauses and looks at Millie and Alejo for a moment.
TUELLER: “Sorry, I don’t know how to phrase this. We were hoping to fund out further travels out of the profits from this trip. I’m not sure how to profit from this trip.”
STORY: Three looks at you. “Oh.”
STORY: “I… have nothing, Tueller.”
TUELLER: Tueller paces a little bit more, sipping.
TUELLER: “Doc, what was our initial plan?”
TUELLER: “And what can we salvage from that?”
MILLICENT: “Ah, we planned to bring back the eggs and whatever technology and information we could recover from the destruction site. I was hoping we could get some of those weapons, myself.”
MILLICENT: “Planetary defense cannons don’t come cheap.
MILLICENT: —did we recover anything from the wreckage but the eggs? Any tech or gear or info?
STORY: — nope
TUELLER: “They’re worth every penny, as we saw.”
MILLICENT: “But all we managed to get away with was our skins and the eggs. What’s our payment on the great fallopian caper?
ALEJO: “Can we find something useful on the star charts, before,” he looks to Three, “Three heads out with them? Surely, they have to have some treasures for us to explore?”
STORY: They nod. “There’s an idea. What if… it seems fair to split them?”
STORY: “As long as you make sure the charts end up in the Ark database once you trade them, there is no reason you should not also be able to profit.”
MILLICENT: “I regret that. I think the fantastic fallopian felony is better.”
MILLICENT: “Mx. Flowers, do you still have possession of the ship you arrived at the Ark in? Perhaps we could go splitskies on some of the new technology you’re bringing from your people? Enough to fix the hole in our ship, at least.”
STORY: They hesitate.
STORY: “What technology did you have in mind?”
TUELLER: “Your cloning and creche technology is state of the art, if it got a generation ship 15 generations across the void.”
STORY: They nod. “I understand.”
STORY: Ok, who’s leading this ask?
MILLICENT: I think Millie’s leading the ask
STORY: Ok, so let’s have a Face Adversity + Influence please!
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6
STORY: @josh rolled 8
MILLICENT: 8!
STORY: Three lowers their head. “The ship was impounded on our arrival. We had no money, did not speak the language. I do not know where it is now.”
STORY: “More importantly, if this technology does not yet exist within Ark civilizations, surely it is unwise to introduce it?”
STORY: “My people had thousands of years to understand the ethics of these practices, to codify cultural norms so they are not abused and so we can function as a society.”
STORY: “Loosing it on species with no preparation for how to accommodate this massive a change… it would be irresponsible.”
STORY: “But you saved my people. So I am in your debt. If you insist, I will attempt to find my ship and turn over her cloning modules to you for study.”
STORY: “I will not assist you myself. I cannot.”
TUELLER: “Our culture has a culture of medical ethics and an understanding of the limits and purposes of population growth. We’re not starting from scratch in this, Flo.”
MILLICENT: Millie is quiet a long time.
TUELLER: Tueller looks at Millie and Alejo, making eye contact with each of them, and holding it for two seconds.
TUELLER: He sighs.
MILLICENT: Millie opens her mouth to speak.
MILLICENT: Closes it.
TUELLER: Tueller sees Millie doing this and raises his eyebrow at her.
MILLICENT: “Mx. Flowers.” Stops again, looks down.
ALEJO: Alejo sits forward. “Listen, you need to find your ship, if that’s how you feel about it. Eventually, it’ll get found and then that tech will get ‘loosed.’ What if we helped you find the ship and retrieve the tech?”
STORY: Okay, Alejo, let’s have Get Involved + Influence please
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: @ablair01 rolled 9 + 2 = 11
STORY: Three nods. “Yes. I should recover it. I will accept your assistance, if you are offering.”
STORY: “It is, as you say, on my to do list.”
STORY: “If you are able to help me, the tech is yours. I pray you use it responsibly.”
ALEJO: Alejo looks to Millie and then Tueller, inquiringly.
TUELLER: …
TUELLER: “As we have seen recently, the Kith security systems can be pretty top-notch. Your ship is impounded, but not forfeit. With your security codes, we will be able to get on the ship and learn what we need.”
TUELLER: Tueller pauses.
TUELLER: “The human race is an ambitious one, and a creative one. And one that learns from other races experience. With the knowledge of what your race has gone through, that will guide us forward. We will learn from your struggles and your triumphs.”
STORY: “To be honest, Mr. Ya’Makasi, I doubt that. I have read of your people’s history. And I would not trust them. But my debt to you is not one that can be paid, so I will share our technology with you.”
TUELLER: Tueller nods and shrugs at the same time. Three probably is not attuned enough to understand it as a “Fair enough” gesture.
MILLICENT: Low, on an exhale, “thank you”
TUELLER: —And that’s how the humans became Krogan.
MILLICENT: —hahaha
STORY: Onward into space?