RYO: “Chandra wants Doctor Breedlove’s help. Needs it, actually. The only way to get that is to give her something that doesn’t matter. I’m giving her an ally. And information that is unimportant.”
RYO: “If you make me make this pitch to Chandra, I will. But that’s not the position you want. You want something over me. You know I’ll win the battle. You want the war.”
SIOBHAN: “That’s your play here? The triple cross?” Siobhan scoffs.
RYO: He shrugs. “Quadruple. But yeah. It’s what I do.”
RYO: “You have your skills. Which I grudgingly respect. I have mine. And you know it.”
SIOBHAN: “You’re freelancing, but you think Tormod will agree with you once you tell him?”
RYO: “You know he will. I have far too much political capital to burn. Will he be pissed? Sure. But if you play this card now, you lose your leverage. You let this play out, it gets me in deeper . . . you might have enough to move me out of second position.”
SIOBHAN: “I’m not political, and I’m not going to go any higher than CTO, so I’m mostly just curious to see how he’ll respond when he sees this. Thanks for talking into the camera.” Siobhan taps the side of her UberGoogle Glass. She turns, and her computer interface spike comes out as she walks to a terminal.
SIOBHAN: “I hope we both see how this goes.”
STORY: Tormod stood over her, the wine bottle still in his hand, spilled wine trickling down his arm and a drop of blood falling from the base. His eyes blazed with panic and betrayal, and she breathed slowly on the floor, now finally subdued. He kicked the knife from her unconscious hand and watched it clatter across the room. Siobhan stepped into the room bearing a contract for his signature, took in the situation in an instant, and was across the room checking her pulse and cuffing her hands behind her back. She looked up at Chandra and flicked her chin towards the wound in his belly. “You ought to get that checked out.”
—
STORY: Your crew is a skeleton of its former size – now only a scavver who can’t get a job anywhere else, an orphaned kid, a former marine with a grudge against the captain, and Tueller serve under Captain Soto. I suppose the cat counts, in her way.
STORY: Millie’s gone, onboard whatever vessel that holds Kahn and is bringing her to a reunion with Noma. With each minute, she’s farther away from you.
STORY: What’s the plan, space cowboys?
TUELLER: Tueller’s gone to space traffic control to try to see if there are any former Ya’Makasi navigators who work there now who might help them track where Chandra’s ship went.
TUELLER: He’s brought a bottle of Encelandan scotch.
ALEJO: Alejo is on the bridge, trying to analyze the necklace Calixta gave him. He’s enlisted Fig’s help, hoping to figure out what it does or how it works, so that he can make contact with her.
STORY: Figgan turns it over in her hands, her equipment for detail work laid out on a cloth on the console in front of her. She shakes her head and puts it down. “I don’t know, boss, far as I can tell there’s no way for us to turn this thing on from our end.”
ALEJO: Alejo nods. He turns the thing over and over in his fingers.
ALEJO: Like a puzzle.
STORY: Alejo, as you’re looking at it, it starts to glow.
STORY: Softly, and slowly.
STORY: You’ve never seen this happen before.
ALEJO: “Thanks Fig,” he says as it starts to glow. He trails off.
ALEJO: He holds it expectantly.
STORY: And with that, let’s check in on Millie aboard Chandra’s craft.
STORY: It’s a larger vessel than Peregrine, this one with about 20 crew not counting the various security and business staff aboard.
STORY: Millie, after your initial meeting and drink with Chandra, he’s been occupied with work and hasn’t really been around. He encourages you to make yourself at home, and you do so, though you never quite feel free from observation.
MILLICENT: Are they like uniformed? Do they have ranks showing on their clothes? Or is it more informal like ours?
STORY: It’s informal, but it’s clear to you that they all know their own position in the hierarchy.
MILLICENT: Okay.
STORY: Three days have passed on your journey to Sol. You’re through the jump relay and in open space, returning to… well, you’re not sure of that.
STORY: Chandra bumps into you in a hallway.
STORY: “Millie.” He smiles. “Wonderful to see you. How’s Kahn doing?”
MILLICENT: “He’s improving. Tomorrow I believe I’ll let him try a walk around the corridor.”
MILLICENT: Millie coughs. This is hard. “Thank you for the use of your excellently stocked medical facilities.”
STORY: “Excellent. Of course. His health is important to me.”
MILLICENT: “Interesting, why is that?”
STORY: He continues as if he didn’t hear you. “Got to be going.” He turns back to an associate. “Rude of me, I’m so sorry. Dr. Breedlove, this is Ryo Hanaka, my COO. Ryo, I’ll catch up with you later, I’ve got a subspace I need to answer from the Encharans.”
MILLICENT: “Of course. Mr. Hanaka, it would be pleasant to meet you under many other circumstances.” Millie holds out her hand to shake.
STORY: And Chandra keeps moving down the hallway.
STORY: So tonight:
STORY: Stu and Henry have made up temporary characters to play tonight’s mini session
STORY: They’ve both got goals that I have whispered into their ears
STORY: Millie, you’ll understand your goal shortly as well.
STORY: You’ve got 2 1/2 hours to resolve this mystery: what activates Calixta’s rescue beacon?
STORY: Think of this as a game of Fiasco – basically, you guys are playing Calvinball and I’ll step in when needed. You can make up NPCs who are onboard, events or facilities in the ship, whatever you like – just don’t make decisions for the other players
RYO: Ryo smiles quickly, perfunctorily and takes her hand. “Circumstances are sometimes what we make of them.”
RYO: “Your reputation proceeds you, Doctor.”
MILLICENT: “Now you’ve got me curious. What have you heard?”
RYO: His smile turns more authentic. “More important question: what do you know about us, or rather, your host?”
RYO: “Care for tea?” Ryo gestures for her to follow him as they talk.
MILLICENT: “I know that your boss, my host, stole my visor, at a wedding no less. I haven’t gotten it back yet. And yes, please. I’ve been craving a decent cup of tea for over a year. Do you know no one on the Ark can make a decent cup? It’s incredible. I know he’s fused together some espionage organization and a religion. I must say I don’t really understand the particulars. Oolong, if you have such a thing.”
MILLICENT: Millie Sorkins him
SIOBHAN: Does Millie have her replacement visor, btw?
STORY: Yes!
MILLICENT: Cool. Is she able to access The Net from this ship?
MILLICENT: SectorNet, I guess?
STORY: Nope.
STORY: As you enter the galley, you’re introduced to why – Siobhan, describe yourself!
SIOBHAN: Siobhan Byrne is a pale large Irish woman–like a less interesting looking Gwendoline Christie, except her left arm is completely mechanical–sleek and prehensile, kind of like Doc Ock’s tentacles. The fingers are very graceful looking and there are two mechanical thumbs. Her right eye has been replaced by robotics that visibly look you up and down intently. The effect is, however, more Google Glass than Borg. She does not say anything to you but kind of sniffs at your entrance.
RYO: “Doctor, my associate, Siobhan.” He nods at Siobhan.
SIOBHAN: “Doctor? Ahhh, the new addition.”
STORY: Ryo, Siobhan, what’s your relationship like?
MILLICENT: Millie nods. Offers her hand to shake.
SIOBHAN: I don’t know. What type of person are you, Ryo?
STORY: https://the-peregrine.obsidianportal.com/characters/ryo
RYO: Ryo is the COO of Chandra’s organization. He’s a meticulous, discerning, opportunist. He’s a strategist but not overly friendly.
RYO: Smart but not personable.
SIOBHAN: Okay. They get along fine but are not friends. Siobhan isn’t friends with anyone other than Chandra.
SIOBHAN: Siobhan comes in and shakes hands with a weak handshake, but then squints with both real eye and fake eye. She let’s go of Millie’s hand and grabs her firmly but clinically by the upper arm.
SIOBHAN: Siobhan’s mechanical hand comes up and firmly but not painfully grabs Millie’s head, and moves it to side to side.
SIOBHAN: Does Millie comment on this or struggle?
SIOBHAN: Siobhan is trying to look at the area behind Millie’s ears; she cocks her head to the side and you hear a faint whirring from Siobhan’s eye.
RYO: “We were about to have tea. Oolong. Would you care to join us?” Ryo frowns as this happens, mildly annoyed but used to seeing it.
MILLICENT: Millie takes a sharp, deep breath, but keeps her cool. “Is this necessary, Ms. Siobahn?”
SIOBHAN: “Shush Ryo.”
RYO: His frown deepens.
RYO: He makes eye contact with Millie and shrugs. “She’s very cautious, I’m afraid.”
MILLICENT: “Studying phrenology, are we?”
RYO: Ryo laughs at this.
SIOBHAN: “I said shush.”
SIOBHAN: “Doctor, you have Cherenkov radiation radiating from behind your ears. Do you have quantum entangled tech in your head?”
MILLICENT: “I don’t have any tech in my head, if you please.” Millie jerks her head away at this.
SIOBHAN: “Now now now doc we’re all friends here. There’s no need to lie.”
SIOBHAN: “That blue halo you have tells the truth.”
RYO: “If you know the answer to the question, Siobhan, why ask it?”
RYO: “Being that we’re all friends.” He’s clearly annoyed now.
SIOBHAN: “Because I don’t know the answer, I know the question, which is more than you have.”
MILLICENT: “Oh, I did create a networked communication device. Could you be seeing that?”
SIOBHAN: “Oh definitely that could do it. And that’s why it’s leaking electromagnetic radiation…..that ways.” Siobhan points down towards the area of the ship where Kahn is resting.
MILLICENT: “Yes, Mr. Kahn has a similar paired implant.”
SIOBHAN: She kind of cackles.
SIOBHAN: “Well that’s interesting.”
MILLICENT: “May I ask, who made your eye?”
SIOBHAN: “Would you trust anyone but yourself to make something like this?”
SIOBHAN: “I wouldn’t.”
MILLICENT: Millie can’t help but laugh. “I suppose I wouldn’t. Oolong?”
STORY: https://the-peregrine.obsidianportal.com/characters/siobhan
SIOBHAN: Siobhan releases Millie, but still looks at her more like something on a slide rather than another person.
SIOBHAN: “Four sugars and chickpea milk, please.”
RYO: Ryo nods and lifts his wrist, igniting a hologram of his personal assistant. “Astra. Ashling Oolong for three, please.” He looks at Siobhan and grimaces. “One with . . four sugars and chickpea milk, please.”
SIOBHAN: “I’d love to hear why a stranger…oh, a strange friend, sure, Ryo…is on my ship leaking communications willy nilly.”
MILLICENT: Millie turns to Ryo to hear the answer.
STORY: “Coming up, Ryo,” comes the cheerful response from his watch.
RYO: “Oh, did Chandra not tell you?” This is a not at all subtle dig. “Because Dr. Breedlove is a genius and has agreed to help us.”
SIOBHAN: “Oh, I love to make friends with geniuses.” Siobhan leans on the table, hand over her mouth, tapping both thumbs on her face.
RYO: “Well, at least the genius part is true.” He smiles at her.
MILLICENT: “Well.”
MILLICENT: “I agreed to accompany you. And to save my crewmate, who I suppose your people shot until he was almost dead.”
STORY: A short, thin woman enters from a back room carrying a small tray with three porcelain cups and a small teapot. There’s a dish with sugar and a small bowl with a grey opaque liquid. She places it on the table in front of the three of you, bowing. “Out of chickpea milk, Ms. Byrne, I’m sorry.”
STORY: https://the-peregrine.obsidianportal.com/characters/astra
MILLICENT: “I also love to make friends, but let’s agree that these aren’t ideal friendship circumstances.”
STORY: “Brought protein mixture.”
SIOBHAN: Siobhan lightly grabs the arm of the woman dropping it off. She gets a slight away look in her face..
SIOBHAN: “We got another shipment when we left the Ark. It should be….in bay 2, box 47839A3. Please retrieve it and make my tea properly.”
SIOBHAN: She releases the arm.
STORY: She nods, trembling, and leaves quickly.
SIOBHAN: “Now where were we?”
RYO: Ryo sighs. “Friends.”
RYO: “And yes, this isn’t an ideal set of circumstances to make them, but some of the best friendships come from adversity.”
SIOBHAN: “To adversity!” Siobhan raises her glass in a toast, and then sets it back down, with a glance towards the door Astra left from.
MILLICENT: Millie frowns, half-heartedly lifts her mug.
MILLICENT: “Adversity.”
MILLICENT: “Oh, that’s a nice oolong.” Millie sighs and sits back a little.
SIOBHAN: “I look forward to it.”
STORY: The lights flicker.
STORY: Siobhan, power failure – a brief one, but somebody fucked up.
SIOBHAN: Siobhan stands up immediately like something exploded.
RYO: Ryo looks pleased that Millie likes the tea. He looks at Siobhan casually.
SIOBHAN: She walks over to a tasteful wooden table, with one of her metal fingers, does something complicated and suddenly there’s a terminal.
MILLICENT: Millie leans forward. “Now that’s an interesting place to put a terminal.”
SIOBHAN: She inserts her finger into the dataport to make a connection with the ship computer to run a diagnostic.
SIOBHAN: “Not one you can use, sadly, Doc.”
SIOBHAN: “So don’t try. I’d hate for us not to be friends.”
STORY: Engineering. Improper conduit use for the main power generators.
STORY: Probably that idiot Martens hired last week.
SIOBHAN: Siobhan tries to connect with the ship security cameras for that area.
STORY: They’re running around down there, scrambling to correct whatever was done, and there’s a small fire smoking from one of the panels. Looks like a short.
RYO: Ryo watches Millie closely, trying to catch her eye. “Siobhan, do feel free to deal with that directly, if you must. We’ll keep your tea warm.”
SIOBHAN: “Issue in engineering. Short in a panel started a small fire.”
MILLICENT: “Oh, don’t worry. I’m not interested in making my stay here less comfortable than it currently is.”
MILLICENT: “However, if you are facing an engineering crisis and need an extra hand. One that’s attached to a genius?”
SIOBHAN: “Sure, friend, let’s get to work.”
RYO: “Less enjoyable, perhaps, but surely you are not lacking for comfort.” He frowns at this exchange.
SIOBHAN: “You’re welcome to lounge here, Ryo.”
STORY: As Siobhan and Millie are leaving, Calixta steps into the galley. She ignores Millie and sits down in the empty seat opposite you, Ryo. She’s in a loose-fitting shirt and a pair of athletic shorts.
MILLICENT: Millie does her best to control her face as she passes Calixta.
STORY: She immediately takes a cookie from your tray of tea and points at one of the cups. “You gonna drink that?”
STORY: Millie, there wasn’t a shred of recognition from her.
RYO: “Well, I’m certainly not much use with an engineering crisis.” He gestures to Calixta to take it. “Do come back when you’re finished, Doctor. I’m anxious to talk more.”
SIOBHAN: “Feel free, Calixta.”
STORY: She does!
SIOBHAN: “Please castigate Astra when she returns with my chickpea milk too late for it to do any good.”
STORY: “Thanks, Shiv.”
STORY: “Hey, let’s go over the security protocols for his meeting later – I’m not totally comfortable with the location you picked.”
SIOBHAN: “This way, Doctor Breedlove.”
RYO: “Hmm.” Ryo hums absently, focusing on Calixta.
SIOBHAN: Siobhan leads the way quickly through the ship to Engineering.
STORY: Calixta sips Siobhan’s abandoned tea, leaning both elbows on the table and peering at you over the cup, Ryo.
STORY: “So.”
MILLICENT: Millie takes some serious brain notes
RYO: “What’s bothering you about the protocols? I have gone over them myself. Several times.”
RYO: “But I’m always happy to take notes from you,” he adds with an easy smile.
STORY: She ignores you. “You like her?”
RYO: He shrugs. “She’ll be useful. She’s too smart for her own good. But she’ll play ball, as long as we can dangle enough carrots.”
STORY: “How likely do you think she is to play ball when she finds out we’re not going to Sol?”
STORY: She taps her wedding ring on her cup idly, making a little click-click-click sound with it.
STORY: Staring off as she thinks.
RYO: He seems surprised by this. “Didn’t realize she didn’t know. Tormod didn’t share that detail with me.”
STORY: “Huh.”
STORY: “Weird.”
RYO: “I think it’s best to be honest about that sooner rather than later, but she’ll play ball.”
STORY: “Kay. Good luck with her. Why’s he got you babysitting?”
RYO: He shrugs. “I guess because of my gleaming personality? At least compared to the other options,” he gestures after Siobhan.
STORY: “Fair.” She reaches out and ruffles your hair. “See you around, Ryo.”
STORY: Finishes her tea and departs.
STORY: Siobhan! Millie! You head down to engineering just as they’ve finished putting out the fire. There’s a fair amount of smoke in the room, but no longer any danger. Plenty of minor damage to consoles and wiring.
SIOBHAN: “Crisis passed?”
SIOBHAN: “Yes, crisis is passed,” she says after a faint whirring from her eye.
SIOBHAN: “Anyone want to step up and take a stab at the cause?”
MILLICENT: Can I see what happened? I slide on my visor to check it out.
STORY: Chief Martens looks rushed, but he stops to face you, Siobhan. “Sir. A faulty installation of our central resistors, sir. My apologies. We’ll start repairs immediately, shouldn’t affect the main cabins.”
SIOBHAN: “Show her.” Points to the Doc.
STORY: Millie, there was a fire in here, but there’s no significant alien tech besides what you see in any ship – parts borrowed here and there from various civilizations to make a decent flying vessel.
SIOBHAN: “Let me see you work, Doc.”
MILLICENT: Millie takes a look!
STORY: “Show–” He looks at Millie, confused. “I’m sorry, ma’am, I’m Chief Martens. You are?”
STORY: He stands halfway in front of the door, possessive of his domain.
SIOBHAN: “Tormod’s guest.”
MILLICENT: “Dr. Millicent Breedlove.” Handshake offered. “I’ll be respectful of your ship, Chief.”
SIOBHAN: “Show her. Does it seem to you like we’re getting sloppier these days?”
STORY: “I–” he sputters, then composes himself. “Apologies, sir. Ma’am, please, this way.”
STORY: He leads you over to the main panel with damage. It’s a mess!
STORY: What do you do, Millie?
MILLICENT: I want to take a look at the panel and verify the cause of the fire, then see if there’s any underlying problem that could be addressed that’s being missed.
STORY: Let’s have an Assessment + Interface please!
SIOBHAN: Siobhan stays back and putters around like the room belongs to her. Occasionally running tests herself but keeping an eye on Millie too with an unreadable expression on the two-thirds of her face that isn’t machine.
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 +2
STORY: josh rolled 6 + 2 = 8
STORY: You get a handle on what’s wrong, Millie, and find an underlying problem they haven’t yet dealt with. If you’d like to fix it, give me FA + Interface!
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 2
STORY: josh rolled 6 + 2 = 8
STORY: You can fix it, but you’ll short out your visor. It’ll need repair later.
SIOBHAN: “Something interesting, Doc?”
MILLICENT: “Yes, I’m.” Millie pushes her visor up on her head. “I’m sure you would have caught it on your next system-wide paraphorectic scan. The polarity inducers in your subspace compensators were misaligned. It wouldn’t surprise me if you went through some nasty gravitational well in a nebula recently. Three week ago, I’d guess? One of your, I assume, junior technicians would have, haha, compensated by realigning the polarity inducers and now? Well, now you’re going to have a short a couple times a week and a fire about half the time. I can fix it, if you like, but It’ll blow the positronic receptors in my visor. I’ll need to beg the favor of an hour or two in your engineering bay.”
SIOBHAN: “Oh, I can step in here, my dear.”
SIOBHAN: “You are not the only genius on board. Tormod collects them, in fact.”
SIOBHAN: “Who knows! You might in fact enter a couple of rooms where you are not the smartest person in it. That is probably a rare experience for you.”
SIOBHAN: Siobhan comes to look at the subspace compensators.
MILLICENT: Millie raises her eyebrows in amusement and steps to the side.
STORY: Millie, Siobhan’s at it a while. That tea sounded nice.
MILLICENT: “He collects them, you say?”
SIOBHAN: “Like a trophy hunter.”
MILLICENT: “What would he need a ship full of geniuses for, I wonder?”
MILLICENT: “Are we just,” Millie gestures, “trophies?”
SIOBHAN: “Who wouldn’t want a ship full of geniuses?”
SIOBHAN: “Oh, we’re not just trophies. I’m the Chief Technology Officer of a multigalactic organization with unlimited resources.”
SIOBHAN: “It’s the only way I can avoid being bored.”
MILLICENT: “That sounds like quite a work-around.”
MILLICENT: “And a lot of paperwork.”
MILLICENT: “I can see why you’d relish coming down here and getting your hands dirty.”
SIOBHAN: Three rods come out of Siobhan’s arm and form a tripod, bracing against the wall to hold her hand steady. Siobhan’s hand starts to do exceptionally fine and precise work on the polarity inducers; there are sparks and a faint blue glow as she works.
MILLICENT: “Well, I believe my oolong is getting cold. Do you mind if I make my way back there or shall I wait while you arrange an escort?”
RYO: Ryo walks in. “I’ll take you.” He smiles.
RYO: He looks at Siobhan working.
SIOBHAN: “Send someone back with my fucking tea when they get that sorted, please,” she says conversationally.
RYO: “My pleasure. Happy. . . . Sparks.” He gestures for Millie to follow and leads the way out and to his personal anteroom.
MILLICENT: Millie thanks the chief engineer on her way out.
RYO: “Did she give you her trophies speech?”
RYO: He asks this absentmindedly.
MILLICENT: “She did, actually.”
MILLICENT: “Didn’t quite answer my question, though.”
RYO: “She is truly brilliant. Exceptional. Just not overly personable. But I’m one to talk.”
RYO: “And what was your question, Doctor?”
RYO: He leads them to a different part of the ship and into a smaller chamber, his personal anteroom. It’s impeccably designed and luxuriously comfortable.
MILLICENT: “Why is Chandra collecting geniuses? What, specifically, is he trying to do?”
STORY: Astra is in there, organizing papers. She smiles and collects them before bowing and leaving.
RYO: “Ahh, Astra, dear. Can I trouble you for more Oolong for the Doctor and me. Also, send someone else, but get Siobhan her tea with the chickpea milk, please.”
STORY: “Yes, of course Ryo.” She’s out in a flash, always moving quickly and quietly.
RYO: He offers Millie a comfortable chair. “Please.”
RYO: “While I appreciate your directness, I’m afraid some things have to wait. But, I do want to tell you something that you’re likely to find disconcerting. We are not headed to Sol.”
RYO: He studies her response carefully.
MILLICENT: Millie sits back, hard.
MILLICENT: “I see.”
MILLICENT: “And where are you taking me?”
MILLICENT: “And is Noma there or was that a lie too?”
RYO: “First, I apologize if you were told something different. I assure you, I did not have a hand in that. And I’m afraid I don’t know anyone named Noma. Who is she?”
MILLICENT: Millie shakes her head. “If you haven’t been told then it’s above your pay grade. I don’t want to jeopardize the wellbeing of my crew member or myself by telling you something your boss doesn’t want you to know. Can you please tell me where we’re going and why?”
RYO: He smiles at this. “Very little is above my pay grade, Doctor. And, while I wouldn’t phrase things quite as brashly as Siobhan, you’d do well to be more aware of your room. Your arrogance won’t cut it here.”
RYO: “But I’d truly prefer to be friends.” He looks at the door. Then he lifts his wrist and turns on a device. “We can now talk privately.”
SIOBHAN: Siobhan will just continue with the repair work, and also investigate herself as to what would have caused this, to confirm that Millie was right and figure out who to blame.
STORY: Millie was right, and it’s that new crewmember who’s to blame.
SIOBHAN: Siobhan sends a discreet message to Leitch, the head of security to detain Bolano, the new crew member and bring him to her quarters.
RYO: “We’re headed to Vekner 4. The station, to be precise. We are going to close a particularly important technology deal that will give us more raw computing power than any other single installation in Sol.”
MILLICENT: Millie sighs and sits down, tries to relax. “I am. Delicate speech is not my forte. I apologize for hurting your feelings.”
RYO: “Oh, you didn’t hurt my feelings.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods, “Thank you for telling me.”
RYO: “When I said that you need to learn to read a room, I meant that more specifically. I need your help and, I think, you need mine.”
MILLICENT: “Go on.”
RYO: “You are either beholden to Chandra, in which case I’ve just signed my own death warrant, or you’re truly a free agent. I’ve been playing a very dangerous game for a very long time.”
RYO: “You know Mr. Soto, I believe?”
MILLICENT: Long pause. “I do.”
RYO: He nods. “As do I. And Kahn.” He smiles weakly at this. “Thank you, by the way, for saving his life.”
MILLICENT: “Of course. I don’t think I’m revealing enough in saying that I owe a lot to Kahn.
RYO: “I’m sure. He’s . . . one of the few good men I’ve ever known.”
MILLICENT: “Ah. Yes. I’ve been rather fortunate in that arena, I think.”
MILLICENT: “Go on, please.”
RYO: He lifts his wrist and looks at a timer. “We haven’t much time. We either take this friendship on a leap of faith now or we don’t. I want to help you stop Chandra. What he’s doing, or rather trying to do, has gone well beyond what even someone as amoral as me can condone. And with that confession, I either have to kill you now or trust you. Which shall it be?” He looks at his wrist. “And not to rush you, but we have about thirty more seconds of privacy.”
STORY: There’s a knock at the door, breaking the tense silence. “Got a minute, Ryo?” It’s Chandra.
RYO: “Or less,” he gives her a quick look. Shrugs. Turns off the device on his wrist. “Of course, Tormod. Please come in.”
STORY: Millie, are you staying where you are?
RYO: “We just ordered tea. Would you care for some?”
STORY: The door opens and Tormod enters, carrying the tray Astra had brought you earlier, with fresh tea.
STORY: “I told Astra to take a break. Thought we could talk.”
RYO: “Ahh,” he smiles broadly. “Thank you!”
STORY: He places the tray down on the table. “Millie.”
STORY: “Getting along with my COO?”
RYO: Ryo looks at her with interest.
MILLICENT: “He makes a mean cup of oolong, but unfortunately I haven’t yet had time to finish one.”
STORY: “Mm.” He smiles, genuinely. “Ryo, I’m not sure about the offer for the Vekner deal, I think it’s too soft. They don’t like us, we need to make them an offer big enough that it’d tank their stock prices if they turn us down, got me?”
STORY: “And Calixta doesn’t like something about the meet location, can you circle back with her on it? Thinks it’s too open or something. Probably just her being paranoid.”
RYO: “Absolutely, which is why I’ve already also secreted 20% of it into five holding companies. If they screw us, we’ll dump it very cheap. They will . . . not like that. And, of course. I will check immediately.”
STORY: He looks back at his handheld deck, scrolling. “Seer’s handling some emergency with the engineering crew below decks, so I need you in the strategy session for the,” he rolls his finger over, trying to remember. “You know. The Io thing.”
RYO: “Of course.”
STORY: “All right.” He stands, not having touched his tea.
STORY: “Ryo treating you nicely, Dr. Breedlove?”
STORY: “Showing you around? Not too much, I hope. I’m still not sure about you.”
STORY: He smiles, but there’s a little danger there.
SIOBHAN: Siobhan is psyching herself up to do an interrogation.
MILLICENT: “He and Siobhan let me loose down in engineering for a few minutes. I even got to see some of the guts of the ship. Maybe I’m not on the shortest leash. But, as I’m sure you’ll verify, I behaved myself. May have even helped a bit.”
STORY: “Mm. All right, then. Let’s have dinner later. I expect you’ve still got questions for me?” to Millie.
RYO: Ryo sips his tea.
MILLICENT: “About a thousand.”
RYO: “She is very curious. I attest to that.” He smiles. “I will be sure that she is at dinner.”
STORY: “Good. Speak to you later, then. My quarters, 1900.”
STORY: He breezes out.
STORY: He always smells nice.
MILLICENT: As soon as he leaves. “Does he always smell nice?”
STORY: Ryo’s previous threat-offer hangs in the air.
STORY: With Chandra’s cologne.
RYO: “Always.”
RYO: He refills her tea. “And your answer, Doctor?”
MILLICENT: “I don’t trust Chandra, I don’t trust Siobhan, I don’t trust you. And I don’t think you should trust any answer I could give you about whether to trust me until I hear what Chandra is planning. If you can tell me and I also can’t abide it then I will help you and you will be able to trust me.”
RYO: He laughs. Then stands. “They always say trust is earned. Perhaps we’ll earn each other’s, though you’ve offered little so far. Let me see if I can build us a bridge. Who is Noma? Let me find out what happened to her as a gesture of good will.”
RYO: He goes to the wall and hits a button, revealing a hidden terminal.
MILLICENT: Millie shrugs, stays seated. “Fine. Noma is an AI. She’s a dear friend of mine. A few years ago she separated herself from the Collective and came traveling with me. She was riding along in my old visor when your boss stole it and kidnapped her.”
RYO: “Hmm. Curious.” Ryo hits a few buttons on the terminal, searching for information about Noma.
MILLICENT: “I’d say that’s earned me some information, Mr. Hanaka.”
STORY: Nothing in the logs you can access, Ryo. If there’s anything at all in your systems, it needs Chandra’s administrator password.
RYO: “Well, what I can tell you is that any information about Noma isn’t available to me, which means that it requires Chandra’s administrator access. He’s keeping that close to his vest.”
RYO: “I will do a bit more digging for you. But it will take a little time. Whoever this Noma is, she’s more important than I imagined.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods. “She really is.”
MILLICENT: “If I’m telling the truth, then Chandra has potentially made an enemy of The Collective.”
STORY: Siobhan!
STORY: You head to your quarters, and Calixta meets you along the way, joining you for the walk. “I’m hearing you’ve detained the new eng crew?”
SIOBHAN: “People talk, huh.”
STORY: “Go easy on him, Shiv, he’s new.”
SIOBHAN: “I’m just going to ask him one question and then we’re on our way. I’ll be gentle.”
SIOBHAN: “More gentle than you’ve been, at least.”
STORY: You both arrive and enter. Leitch has Bolano sitting uncomfortably on your couch.
SIOBHAN: “Leitch, I’ll handle this. You take Calixta out and hang close. I’ll be very quick.”
SIOBHAN: “Thank you, sir.”
STORY: Calixta frowns. “Excuse me?”
SIOBHAN: She is perfunctory in dismissing him. She’s already got other things on her mind.
SIOBHAN: She makes a shooing gesture at Calixta.
STORY: Leitch gently but insistently ferries Calixta out. “What the fuck?” she protests as she leaves.
SIOBHAN: “Now, Bolano, I’m going to talk, you’re going to listen, and then I’m going to ask you one question, you’re going to answer it, and we’ll be on our way. Normally the way this works is, I tell you I know everything about you…”
SIOBHAN: “I tell you about your brother Roberto and his debts. And then I tell you…” eyes fluttering a second, “How I’ve purchased his debt. Which I have. And how it’s going to get so much worse for him from here on out if you don’t cooperate.”
SIOBHAN: Eyes flutter “I just bought your mom’s apartment too.” For good measure.
STORY: Bolano, already sweating, is now shaking.
SIOBHAN: “But here’s how it works. I want an answer now, and I want it fast. So.”
SIOBHAN: Her index finger on her metal hand comes out, and flips back, and an intense torch starts up. “This is a fusion torch. So I’m going to ask you a question and if you don’t answer truthfully, I’m going to burn out your right eye and then ask again.”
SIOBHAN: “So.”
STORY: His eyes widen.
SIOBHAN: “Why did you sabotage my ship?”
STORY: “A-a-i-i-i-i-I, I didn’t!”
SIOBHAN: Siobhan tilts her head. “I’ve got a computer in my head and access to the ship’s diagnostics and they say you did. I can see what happened. I just can’t see why, so that’s why you’re telling me.”
SIOBHAN: She doesn’t move forward yet.
STORY: “I swear, Ms. Byrne, I didn’t! I didn’t sabotage anything!”
STORY: He’s squirming in his seat.
SIOBHAN: How…confident would you say Siobhan is in the ship’s diagnostics system?
STORY: Very! She designed it.
SIOBHAN: “You tell me that the system which I designed is lying to me? I should trust you–who just joined the crew over one of my creations?”
STORY: “I–I–”
STORY: He’s lying.
SIOBHAN: “I do not like your answers. Your eye is forfeit.” She steps in and jabs him there with the torch.
STORY: Let’s have a FA + Influence on this one.
SIOBHAN: /roll 2d6+1
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 8 + 1 = 9
STORY: He confesses, after he loses a few more fingernails.
STORY: It’s messy in here – you’ll need janitorial to come clean. And it was loud – likely the crew heard.
STORY: You should brief Chandra.
STORY: Ryo! Millie!
MILLICENT: Yar!
STORY: It’s about 1800, an hour before she’s to meet Chandra for dinner.
STORY: Time to heist this shit.
STORY: What’s the plan?
RYO: Astra has made sure that Chandra isn’t around and she’s keeping watch. Ryo gives Millie access to a terminal to break the biometric lock on his quarters.
RYO: “Here’s to trust.”
MILLICENT: We stage just the kind of distraction that will keep Chandra busy on the bridge or his office or anywhere but his office. Maybe we let slip some terrible news to some allies that only Chandra can talk down?
STORY: Astra’s confused why she’s been sent to take him on a wild goose chase, but she’s loyal – she’ll do her best.
MILLICENT: And yeah, then Millie hacks the biometric locks.
SIOBHAN: Siobhan goes off to brief Chandra.
RYO: He steps back from the terminal.
MILLICENT: “To trust.”
MILLICENT: Millie hacks that shit.
STORY: Access please!
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 2
STORY: josh rolled 6 + 2 = 8
STORY: You pop the lock to his quarters.
STORY: What do you do?
STORY: Siobhan, you’re headed to find Chandra when you get a little blurp on your wrist console.
MILLICENT: Hey I want to try a thing before that
MILLICENT: Scapegoat
STORY: Excellent! Who are you framing?
MILLICENT: Hmmmm. Can I figure out who shot Kahn?
MILLICENT: I’m at a terminal. I should have access to the mission logs from all active personnel.
STORY: Some merc, probably not somebody onboard.
STORY: Most of the security forces were rentals, they left Memory Alpha in their own ships.
STORY: Mission logs weren’t submitted for those crews, and there’s nothing in this system saying it, so no one there to blame unfortunately.
MILLICENT: Cool, Sergio, then. I’m going to blame Sergio.
STORY: Okay!
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 2
STORY: josh rolled 10 + 2 = 12
STORY: Siobhan – someone has accessed Chandra’s private terminal. Looks like an external hack – from someone on the Ark. You can get more detail at a console.
SIOBHAN: To a console!
STORY: Sergio Ndrangheta. Which is weird, last you heard he was in custody. Maybe someone acting on his behalf, but it definitely came from his crew.
STORY: Millie, Ryo, what’s next?
RYO: Ryo uses his deduction skill to assess the room and try to find anything else that’s not in a terminal.
STORY: You haven’t been in here in a while, Ryo, but you remember there’s a safe in the closet. Anything kept separate from the main systems would likely be in there.
SIOBHAN: Siobhan puts a bounty on Sergio and a quarter of that bounty on any member of his crew.
RYO: Ryo moves to the safe. “Any good at hacking a safe?”
MILLICENT: Millie checks the rest of the system for security to that room.
STORY: Millie, you shut it off before coming in, you’re safe as long as nobody walks by.
RYO: “Never mind. Keep looking for his private deck and hack that. I’ll handle this.”
SIOBHAN: Siobhan goes looking for Chandra.
STORY: Where are you headed to find him?
SIOBHAN: The bridge first.
MILLICENT: “Only if it’s alien tech.”
MILLICENT: “Good luck!”
STORY: Bog standard, Millie, no dice.
MILLICENT: Millie checks his quarters for alien tech and his personal deck
STORY: Ryo, let’s have a FA + Expertise to see if you can get into the safe.
STORY: Millie, some amount of alien tech, but you recognize all of it as stuff you’ve seen before – small upgrades to security, a couple collectibles, some entertainment devices. Nothing that jumps out at you.
RYO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 10 + 2 = 12
STORY: You remember his passcode and pop the safe on the first try.
STORY: Inside, you find a portable deck, much like the one he carries daily. You find a high-tech visor. And you find a small stone pendant on a leather rope, about the length of a necklace.
STORY: Siobhan, he’s not on the bridge.
SIOBHAN: To his quarters then!
STORY: All right! Arrive whenever you think it’ll cause the most trouble for our good guys.
RYO: Ryo tosses Millie the deck. “We’re short on time.”
SIOBHAN: Knock knock knock.
RYO: “This your visor?” He says this as the knock happens.
MILLICENT: Millie grabs it without looking and stows it in a pocket. “Sure.”
MILLICENT: Millie puts the tech nonchalantly on the table next to her, slides a book over it.
STORY: Siobhan, there’s a faint heat signature on the doorknob. Somebody is in there.
RYO: Ryo ignites his com only to Astra. “Astra dear,” he whispers, “could you please distract whoever is outside of Chandra’s quarters?”
SIOBHAN: Siobhan turns the knob and walks in, “Tormod, we have…”
RYO: He looks at Millie. “Got any great ideas?” He mouths this.
STORY: Astra comes in, sounding overwhelmed. “Is– do you mean to stop distracting Mr. Chandra, then?”
SIOBHAN: “…oh we definitely have an issue.”
RYO: “Siobhan. Hello.”
SIOBHAN: “Hello Ryo. Hello Friend,” to Millie.
MILLICENT: “Friend!”
SIOBHAN: “What’s…up?”
RYO: Ryo pockets the pendant. “Sating curiosity, of course.”
SIOBHAN: Siobhan takes in the room. Like, really takes it in on all wavelengths.
SIOBHAN: She turns around and walks out.
SIOBHAN: Quickly.
MILLICENT: Millie turns to Ryo. “If you can talk her down, talk her down. I’m going to get what I can from this deck before security arrives.”
RYO: Ryo nods and follows Siobhan. “We should talk,” he says, catching up to her.
SIOBHAN: “Hard pass.”
RYO: “Your call. Be very sure it’s the right one.”
MILLICENT: Millie takes a quick deco at the deck, takes what she views as pertinent, converts those files to audio and downloads them to her network communications array.
STORY: Millie, Access
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 2
STORY: josh rolled 6 + 2 = 8
STORY: You get the files, but it’ll be detectable later that they were accessed.
SIOBHAN: Siobhan turns to Ryo. “Make your pitch.”
RYO: “Chandra wants Doctor Breedlove’s help. Needs it, actually. The only way to get that is to give her something that doesn’t matter. I’m giving her an ally. And information that is unimportant.”
RYO: “If you make me make this pitch to Chandra, I will. But that’s not the position you want. You want something over me. You know I’ll win the battle. You want the war.”
SIOBHAN: “That’s your play here? The triple cross?” Siobhan scoffs.
RYO: He shrugs. “Quadruple. But yeah. It’s what I do.”
RYO: “You have your skills. Which I grudgingly respect. I have mine. And you know it.”
SIOBHAN: “You’re freelancing, but you think Tormod will agree with you once you tell him?”
RYO: “You know he will. I have far too much political capital to burn. Will he be pissed? Sure. But if you play this card now, you lose your leverage. You let this play out, it gets me in deeper . . . you might have enough to move me out of second position.”
SIOBHAN: “I’m not political, and I’m not going to go any higher than CTO, so I’m mostly just curious to see how he’ll respond when he sees this. Thanks for talking into the camera.” Siobhan taps the side of her UberGoogle Glass. She turns, and her computer interface spike comes out as she walks to a terminal.
SIOBHAN: “I hope we both see how this goes.”
STORY: Calixta emerges suddenly and silently from a turn in the hallway. She smiles and steps briskly toward Siobhan. “Hey, what’s up?” she asks, and before you know it she’s reaching for Siobhan’s head and twisting, there’s a sickening crack, and Siobhan goes limp. Calixta catches her under her arms, looking up at Ryo. “Help me get her to an airlock. Now.“
RYO: Ryo nods, shocked. He helps, not very gracefully.
RYO: “That was . . . unexpected.”
STORY: Ryo, when you lean over to lift Siobhan’s body, the pendant falls out of your pocket, and Calixta looks down at it curiously when she sees it hit the deck.
RYO: He looks at her looking at it.
STORY: She leans over to pick it up, squeezes it, and immediately passes out.
SIOBHAN: Siobhan continues to be dead.
RYO: “Jesus.”
MILLICENT: Millie finishes her download and walks into the hallway.
STORY: Two bodies, awkwardly piled on top of each other, and Ryo standing there looking at them.
RYO: Ryo looks up. “Hi. Help.”
MILLICENT: “Nope, nope. Not doing it to my sciatica. You can haul those two to an airlock.” Turn to almost camera. “You never know you miss the overactive somatotropin producing legal giant until you have to push your own corpses out the airlock.”