TUELLER: “Alejo, I’m not sure you’ve ever meet Ruma, Nandini’s widow.”
TUELLER: “So sorry again for your loss. For all our loss.” To Ruma.
TUELLER: Tueller is genuinely sorry, btw. Not antagonistic.
STORY: Alejo, she shakes your hand warmly, wincing at Tueller’s last comment but not responding. “Alejo Soto? I hadn’t had the pleasure. Nice to meet you.”
ALEJO: Alejo bows his head deeply. “Madame.”
STORY: “Tueller, I had some trouble securing the armaments you had requested, but was able to pull some strings to get it done. The boarding armor will be delivered to the Peregrine when we arrive tomorrow to begin the refits. Now, if I may be so bold, I have done you a favor, and I’d like to ask one of you.”
TUELLER: “I am in your debt.”
TUELLER: He says that in a formal sort of way.
STORY: “Glad you understand. I’d like, Mr. Ya’Makasi, for you to help me become pregnant.”
STORY: Hub star systems have anywhere from three to five Jump points. Lane systems have two. Cul-de-Sac systems, like Sol, have a single jump point in. Traveling by Fixed Jumps can be a slow, tedious process; travel a week out of a system, take a Jump point, travel another week, take the next Jump, etc.
TUELLER: for us.
STORY: I know we didn’t have it that way but I’m forgetting why. Is it important to anyone that the jump relay be close by?
TUELLER: No. You said it was in orbit near Venus.
TUELLER: Which made it so the Maitri could jump out and head towards Mercury.
STORY: Yeah, let’s kill that.
MILLICENT: Do ships have to fit INSIDE the relay?
TUELLER: Cool. Retconned.
STORY: It’s about a week out from Neptune.
STORY: Josh, yes they do. This means gigantic colony ships and star destroyers cannot complete interstellar travel without doing Wild Jumps.
STORY: It also means most interstellar trade and exploration is completed by small, class 1 and 2 crafts.
MILLICENT: Oh cool
STORY: Which is good news for you and your five Cargo compartments! It guarantees that any foreign Cargo you bring into a new location will be considered for purchase.
STORY: Millie, you’re the only one to undergo a fixed jump before. Describe the experience for us please.
MILLICENT: Your ship takes twenty minutes or so to get situated within the jump corridor
MILLICENT: And it’s like spending twenty minutes the last few rungs before the top of a roller coaster
MILLICENT: Even season space travelers feel palpable anticipation
MILLICENT: And then the pressure in the ship seems to drop and you feel like you’re being pulled back in a slingshot
MILLICENT: And then, the opposite of that
MILLICENT: Jumps are relatively safe to human bodies, but they’re disorienting as hell, especially at first
TUELLER: Like the camera effect from Vertigo.
TUELLER: Or Goodfellas.
MILLICENT: There’s a sensation of still moving extremely fast that can last for a couple of minutes or even hours for the uninitiated
STORY: https://78.media.tumblr.com/0d2411d736ccf0539c96b5a63719bf77/tumblr_n54nvaWwX81ql8t12o1_400.gif
TUELLER: La Haine?
MILLICENT: It also floods the body with endorphins and adrenaline, so it’s not advised that even senior, experienced space fliers walk around for at least 10 minutes after a jump
TUELLER: —Courtney’s fucking nuts for Vincent Cassel. If I weren’t benefiting from it, her taste in weird-ass men would be disturbing.
MILLICENT: Otherwise you’re likely to lurch wildly, trying to compensate for the dangerous speeds that are no longer present
MILLICENT: —haha very good self awareness burn
STORY: — i love matthieu kassovitz so tell her we can team up
STORY: Millie, you’re describing the sensation, but for the record, nobody totally understands the science. It’s rumored the plans the AI Collective sent were missing pieces, with huge empty rooms included that AI-controlled machines later went in and filled with equipment.
STORY: Your mentor theorized it worked somewhat like a warp bubble, or like a tesseract – rather than moving the ship at impossible speeds, it bends space around your ship. It would explain why it’s a disorienting experience yet typically does no physical damage to a ship. It also explains why every ship that jumps isn’t obliterated by microscopic space dust.
MILLICENT: Yeah, the bolide question ruled out the straight shot theory
STORY: The Peregrine makes it out to the jump relay relatively quickly, in six days, but you are forced to wait nearly ten more to depart due to the glut of ships in front of you also planning on traveling. Cul-de-sac systems always have the worst traffic.
TUELLER: Question,
TUELLER: Do they set up jump spots in particular places, or is it the hanger or whatever we want to call it that allows you to jump?
TUELLER: That is, if we knew the tech, could we build more, or is one built in the only place in the solar system where one could exist?
STORY: That isn’t common knowledge, but you could possibly investigate it through your contacts. Someone in CJH must have an ancestor who was involved in the construction.
TUELLER: Okay. That’s a great way to say ’We’ll decide later!”
STORY: Yeah!
STORY: You pass through the jump relay without harm, though Tariq is nauseated for hours afterward.
STORY: Jenny is fascinated with the experience and spends the whole time kneeling on a cargo container, peering out a porthole.
TUELLER: Tueller throws up a little, and looks mortified throughout as a result.
TUELLER: He either recovers quickly, or gets really good at pretending he did.
STORY: You fly for another two days before arriving at The Ark in the evening. Due to the nature of space travel, time isn’t always consistent and your bodies are pretty used to getting sleep when you allow it and catching up when they can. The Ark seems to have given up altogether on having different times of day, and is just as active now as it would be on a Sunday morning or a Tuesday at 2 am.
STORY: Tueller, describe something about the Ark you notice on approaching the Ring.
TUELLER: …
TUELLER: —Sorry, minor cat issue.
TUELLER: Okay, every inch of the Ark seems to reflect light back directly at us. It shimmers like it’s covered in glitter.
TUELLER: No matter what angle the surface is, it reflects your light back at you like a retroreflector.
MILLICENT: Why is that?
TUELLER: Well. It does that with all energy. If you fire lasers or plasma fire at it, it’s coming right back at you.
TUELLER: Except for the solar panels, which will just drink it up.
TUELLER: The Ark is immune to energy weapon attack.
STORY: You find a spot to get in orbit in the Ring and order a shuttle to take you to the Ark. Tueller, you have a chance to check your email before leaving. Alejo, Kahn comes up to the bridge as you are finishing the shuttle request.
STORY: “Cap.”
ALEJO: “Hey Kahn. What’s up?
STORY: “The, uh, crew’s been about a month without a break, and we’re gonna be stuck here a few days for the refit. What do you think about some shore leave for them?”
TUELLER: —What are the attributes of your Class 3 Crew? Loyal, armed, and something else?
ALEJO: –Yeah, that got changed a bit in discussions with Jess. It’s now Criminal, Stealthy, and . . .
STORY: — Informants
STORY: — my bad!
STORY: — I literally forgot they had features until I went to look it up two days ago.
ALEJO: –Right Informants.
MILLICENT: –Nice!
TUELLER: —Well that’s all helpful!
MILLICENT: —Good selections
STORY: — they’ve unofficially got Beautiful as well, natch
TUELLER: —They’re a Jess Mason NPC, of course they’re inhumanly hot.
ALEJO: –Precisely!
STORY: — do I -want- to spend my time looking at a bunch of uggos? no.
ALEJO: –But we’re all pretty damned hot.
TUELLER: —Hey, give your guys some shore leave!
ALEJO: Alejo nods agreeably. “Yeah. Yeah, I think that’s an excellent idea. Let’s get a rotation set up.”
STORY: He shakes his head. “Just let ’em go, I’ll stay here.”
STORY: “I don’t like busy places.”
ALEJO: He squints up. “Really? Sure about that?”
STORY: He nods. “Sure, Cap, fine with me. I’ll get some reading done. Or practice my zero-g shooting.” He shrugs.
ALEJO: “Tell you what, you stay with the ship for now. Then I’ll send someone else back in a bit and you join me for a well-earned drink and dinner. Yeah?”
STORY: “Sure, Cap. I’ll let them know to get packed up.” He pats you on the shoulder and heads below decks.
ALEJO: “Thanks.”
STORY: Everyone’s excited to explore the Ark. Jenny is going with Alejo as his bodyguard. Jac has a long shopping list of parts she wants to pick up. Tariq wants to review his notes before he departs, so he’s going to catch a later shuttle. T’chololl finds a long dress that manages to reach to mid-thigh on her and has struggled into it.
STORY: She looks to Tueller. “Is this acceptable attire for our departure?”
TUELLER: We keeping in touch?
TUELLER: Tueller is a little surprised by this. “This your first time out of Maitri property?”
STORY: Yeah, let’s assume everyone has a walkie that will work reasonably well throughout the Ark. If you can’t reach each other on walkie, it’s possible to have someone paged, though A-Sec doesn’t like to do it.
MILLICENT: –oh hey that’s a good intro for one of my new upgrades
TUELLER: —I know!
MILLICENT: —Network, wife
STORY: She nods. “I traveled for six years aboard one of our exploration ships, then was assigned to the refinery on Maricury. I have not traveled beyond Mait and Sol.”
STORY: — oh hey, husband! why don’t you tell everyone about it before the shuttle arrives?
MILLICENT: Millie swings a large briefcase onto the mess room table.
TUELLER: “You look good. Yes. That’ll do jsut fine, Loll.”
STORY: She nods formally. “Thank you, Captain.”
MILLICENT: She pops it open and inside are a dozen or so thin metallic rods the size of matches.
TUELLER: “You can fight comfortably in it, I hope?”
STORY: T’chololl nods. “Naturally.”
TUELLER: Tueller smiles. “We’re not _looking_ for a fight, mind. But ready for it.”
STORY: “Only the ignorant and the weak are ever unprepared for battle.”
MILLICENT: “I thought we might want to stay in communication while we’re taking our “R&R”,” (you can hear the quotes), “and I needed a break from building Mr. Vespertine’s new prosthesis, so I whipped these up.”
ALEJO: Alejo watches Tueller and T’Chololl with mild amusement.
ALEJO: “Looks complicated, Doc. What is it?”
MILLICENT: Millie smiles hugely. “They’re subdermal communicators.”
STORY: Kahn takes a deep breath and looks to the ceiling.
TUELLER: —I fought the urge for Tueller to just pick one up and swallow it.
MILLICENT: “Just tap here, behind the installation site,” Millie taps behind her ear, “and you’ll be connected to the network.”
STORY: — GM interjection, they tap and they’ll be connected to you – not the full network.
STORY: — you’ll need ot be involved to patch people together
STORY: — you’re like an old timey operator, but with subdermal implants
MILLICENT: “You’ll need to speak out loud, but, installed correctly they will transmit sound waves using your skull, so they won’t be heard by anyone around you.”
MILLICENT: —word, good note
STORY: Jac looks skeptical.
STORY: “You want us to put that in our bodies?”
TUELLER: “No jet fuel, this time?”
TUELLER: “…inert, I know.”
STORY: T’chololl does nothing.
MILLICENT: “Well they _are_ sub_dermal_ after all.”
ALEJO: Alejo laughs louder than he intended at this .
MILLICENT: “Oh no, they’re powered by proximity to the body’s electromagnetic field.”
MILLICENT: “No jet fuel required!” Big laugh
STORY: Jac crosses her arms. “Sounds like a good way for your Ghost to spy on us.”
MILLICENT: Millie shrugs. “I can’t help that you feel discomfort in Noma’s presence, but I have asked you several times to stop using that slur.”
STORY: Noma comes over the speakers. “I do not mind, Millie.”
TUELLER: “I don’t know, Doc. This seems disturbingly discreet, for you.”
ALEJO: Alejo looks around the room, trying to read the faces of the people around him before speaking.
TUELLER: “You sure you don’t have something in a more burnished metal cast?”
MILLICENT: Millie shrugs at Tueller, “I supposed I could augment one for you, Mr. Ya’Makasi. Perhaps I can make the resonator tip look like a little skull.”
STORY: Alejo, Jac and Kahn look worried, Tariq looks curious, Jenny looks eager, T’chololl has her eyes narrowed at a bug that is crossing the floor in front of you.
ALEJO: “Slur aside, Doc. Jac has a legitimate concern about privacy. These might have some advantages, I admit. But what safeguards, if any, are in place?”
ALEJO: “No offense, Noma.”
STORY: “None taken, Mr. Soto.”
MILLICENT: “Well, if I can be trusted, Mr. Soto, then I have installed a series of taps that can render the device completely off and unable to receive or transmit.” She shrugs again. “If I am a liar and am, for whatever reason, interested in the private lives of my crew to a disturbing extent then of course nothing you do could stop them from transmitting your every thought straight to me.”
TUELLER: “Noma’s already hacked my mail.”
TUELLER: “You want to give her an in into my head?”
STORY: “I did not, Mr. Ya’makasi.”
MILLICENT: “Noma?”
STORY: “Yes, Millie?”
MILLICENT: Millie sounds concerned.
MILLICENT: “Have you been monitoring private crew transmissions?”
STORY: “No, Millie.”
MILLICENT: “Well then.”
MILLICENT: Millie looks satisfied.
ALEJO: “Our crew,” Alejo says pointedly. “I think that we need some time to think about this, Millie. I appreciate the energy in creating these, but I’m not asking our crew to implant them without a bit more time for everyone to think it through.”
TUELLER: “Noma, you are either lying now, or you were lying earlier.”
TUELLER: “Or…well, something else entirely.”
MILLICENT: Millie looks concerned again.
ALEJO: Alejo clenches his jaw, clearly wishing that this conversation wasn’t going to veer in the direction it seems to be veering.
TUELLER: “Regardless, I think I’m going to take a pass on putting a bit of you in my head for now.”
TUELLER: “Ghost possession, is, as you very well know, a common theme of holo-vids these days.”
STORY: “Mr. Ya’Makasi’s terminal receives a certain string of data when it is accepting electronic messages. Though the content is encrypted, I did determine that the pattern is measurable, so I am able to tell when you receive messages. You mentioned thirty-two days ago while speaking with Mr. Vespertine that your terminal is specialized to only send and receive messages between your family. You have received twelve messages since last logging into your terminal. From what information I was able to gather on SectorNet and from your conversations onboard, you do not have a positive relationship with your sister, so I extrapolated that they were from her.”
STORY: “I have no interest in possessing anyone. I am merely.. practicing my deductive reasoning.”
TUELLER: “And the reason you told Ejo that you could tell him the contents of those messages?”
ALEJO: Alejo glances to Jenny. “Pirates sometimes have trust issues,” he whispers with a smile.
STORY: “Were my conclusions accurate?”
STORY: Jac bursts out laughing.
STORY: — she didn’t tell him she knew the contents, did she?
MILLICENT: Millie sits back and looks impressed
MILLICENT: She’s now watching the room
ALEJO: Alejo sighs. “Noma, that’s very helpful. But . . . ” he hesitates, “you made me an offer. Was that a test? A lie? You indicated to me that you knew the contents of those messages.”
ALEJO: His voice is suddenly flat.
TUELLER: —I can go to the text, but I’m pretty sure she did.
STORY: “Searching.”
STORY: A recording begins to play back.
TUELLER: —She did.
STORY: STORY: “I will continue to be honest with you. I believe Mr. Ya’Makasi will make contact with his sister shortly.”
STORY: STORY: “Do you wish to be apprised of their correspondence?”
STORY: ALEJO: “Fair request, Noma. And . . . no, probably best if I don’t spy on my friend. But thank you for the offer. Now, let’s plant a bomb, shall we?”
STORY: “I did not represent that I knew the contents of his correspondence, Mr. Soto. I believe he would make contact once he checked his messages, which I believed would happen soon after I notified Mr. Ya’Makasi that he had unread correspondence.”
ALEJO: –This is like that episode of Black Mirror, where everything can be replayed!
STORY: “You declined my offer to begin to monitor them, so I did not take steps to do so.”
ALEJO: Alejo nods again, considering this. “Alright.” He takes a long, deep breath.
TUELLER: “Anyhoo, no surveillance in my head for now.”
STORY: “Perhaps I can suggest a modification.”
STORY: “Millie, if you disable the subsonic magnaspanners, the system will not be sophisticated enough for me to occupy it. They will work more like… walkie talkies.”
STORY: “It will cut me off from communicating with any of you in this manner, but perhaps it will ease Mr. Ya’Makasi’s privacy concerns.
TUELLER: Tueller gives the slightest of nods.
STORY: “Millie will be able to track your location and health, and communicate through the implants, but they will be limited to that.”
MILLICENT: Millie considers. “I could certainly do that.”
STORY: Jac shrugs. “That sounds… less bad.”
MILLICENT: Millie looks around the room. “Would that be an acceptable. Amount of access?”
TUELLER: “Can it be done by the time the shuttle gets here in,” checking the sensors, “ten minutes?”
TUELLER: “Because I’m Ark bound when that shuttle arrives.”
MILLICENT: Millie reels back, does some calculations in her head
MILLICENT: “That, I. I could do some.” She looks pained. “Yes. But it would be such _sloppy_ work.”
TUELLER: “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good, Millie.”
TUELLER: “Get it done, or don’t. The hub of the galaxy is out there, and I want to get onto it. Whether you can call me or not.”
MILLICENT: Millie’s face tightens. “Fine.” In a tone you haven’t heard from her yet. “Dr. Guosin, _with me_.” She grabs the briefcase and storms off to the lab.
MILLICENT: Millie comes back 8 minutes later with an injector gun and a dozen adjusted implants
TUELLER: Tueller is flexing his hands, looking impatient.
MILLICENT: She insists on giving herself the first one.
STORY: T’chololl stomps on the bug, and picks it up, with a confused look.
STORY: “What are they eating?”
TUELLER: “Hmmm. Looks like part of our protein stocks got out of its container.”
STORY: “Hmm. Sloppy.”
STORY: Okay! Everyone has an implant, everyone’s heading to the Ark?
ALEJO: Yup!
MILLICENT: Millie shows everyone their vitals on a screen, shows them how to work it just before the shuttle arrives
MILLICENT: ARK ARK ARK
ALEJO: — Except Kahn, I think.
TUELLER: “Who’s staying on the ship?” Can you look at our protein containers?”
STORY: Kahn nods wearily. “I’ll check them.”
TUELLER: “Thanks, Kahn. It’s not beef, but I know you can be trusted to wrangle it.”
ALEJO: “Tariq can help. He’s staying behind for a bit, right?”
STORY: You board the shuttle and are brought to the Ark in a short, half-hour trip. Alejo, please describe for me the deck you arrive on.
ALEJO: The deck is a crush of people and machinery, sounds and smells. It is at least 300 meters long, maybe more, and three decks tall.
ALEJO: As soon as we disembark, a host of vendors descend on us.
ALEJO: It’s a bit disorienting, after having been on such a small ship for weeks.
TUELLER: Tueller strides confidently through the crowd like a New Yorker through Times Square, ignoring everyone trying to sell him shit.
TUELLER: He heads to the clearly marked information kiosk and demands a reputable guide.
ALEJO: Alejo smiles broadly, pulls on a black and red stocking cap, and looks around like a kid in Times Square.
STORY: You negotiate one, a kid who can’t be older than 17. Let’s briefly break narrative and go through the Acquisition rolls.
TUELLER: “Ejo, with me. We need to go to the Ya’Makasi Embassy and Emporium.”
MILLICENT: Millie is all eyes, dictating notes subvocally to Millie the whole time.
STORY: Can everyone please let me know what Class 0 Assets they would like to pick up?
TUELLER: Rifle
TUELLER: Grenades
TUELLER: Triggered charges
TUELLER: Destructive charges
TUELLER: Ya’Makasi Jumpsuit (Class 0 Cultural)
TUELLER: Greatcoat (Class 0 Formal coat)
TUELLER: Class 0 formal wardrobe for Alejo
TUELLER: Class 0 costumes for Alejo
TUELLER: Food, supplies, etc.
TUELLER: A well-stocked bar.
STORY: All good on those. Let’s limit you to 3 on anything you want multiples of, otherwise you’ll have to roll Acquisition.
STORY: Make sure you update your character sheets with this stuff, too, I”m not gonna keep track of it
TUELLER: Cool.
ALEJO: Sounds good.
MILLICENT: Give me a minute, I’ll have a list
STORY: Millie, anything?
STORY: ok.
STORY: Let’s allow Tueller and Alejo and Jenny to break off for their trip to the embassy.
STORY: Tueller, please describe the Embassy Promenade level.
STORY: I’ll start you off – it’s the top level of one of the colony ships and consequently one of the only spaces with real sunlight. They use this to great advantage, and the space is full of long, curved pathways and copious plants, with a real water river passing through the center.
STORY: In one part, there’s a small waterfall. It’s commonly used as a casual meeting place for off the record meetings.
TUELLER: The Ya’Makasi embassy is a fully functioning store, functioning brothel, bar, and meeting place. It has a maitre d in a tuxedo greeting all guests.
TUELLER: It is laid out in oak. It is impossible to tell even to a close eye if the oak is real or not.
TUELLER: There are well-armed guards everywhere. This is a high class establishment, not a dangerous dive.
STORY: The maitre d is good at his job, and recognizes you, quickly opening the velvet rope and waving you through. “Welcome, Mr. Ya’Makasi. May I take your things?”
TUELLER: There is baffling everywhere, and all conversation is a murmur. You cannot overhear what anyone is talking about.
STORY: Jenny isn’t armed, she’s wearing a short leather jacket and fitted pants with a yellow stripe down one side.
STORY: She looks around, checking everybody’s sight lines and corners.
TUELLER: ’Yes, thank you. I would love to see the management, whenever is convenient for him or her.
TUELLER: “And my usual drink, please.”
STORY: He nods. “Certainly, sir. Will your companions be joining you?”
TUELLER: “Absolutely. Treat them as you would a guest of our family.”
MILLICENT: Stun baton
MILLICENT: Triggered charge explosive
MILLICENT: Destructive charge explosive
MILLICENT: Heavy Stubber (0 level heavy weapon)
MILLICENT: Formal clothes, business
MILLICENT: Doctor clothes (scrubs, white coat)
MILLICENT: Formal clothes, fancy dress
STORY: — this Mos Def song is great, stu
ALEJO: Alejo gives a slight bow of his head.
ALEJO: — Might be one I added. Quiet Dog?
STORY: — that’s it! sorry! HENRY this Mos Def song is great
TUELLER: —Yeah, I had nothing to do with that.
ALEJO: –No, no. No worries. I just dig the song.
ALEJO: “Scotch for me, please. Rocks. Jenny?”
STORY: “Please, this way, sir.” He leads the three of you up the stairs, past the go-go dancers to the VIP section. It is a small oval-shaped area, down a few steps, that has a good view of the rest of the compound.
STORY: Alejo, as you head up the stairs, you swear you hear someone above call out your name.
TUELLER: —Tueller’s drink is a Penicillin, btw.
STORY: “Water, please.”
STORY: — hey, irl, everyone try a Bee’s Knees when you get a sec, they are s o g o o d
ALEJO: He looks up, curiously and a bit puzzled.
TUELLER: —A heavy stubber is basically a 50 cal machine gun, I believe!
STORY: — wait what? a level 0 heavy weapon? … ok
STORY: — i should have read that more closely
MILLICENT: —Penicillin sounds great
TUELLER: —It is listed in the manual as exactly that.
MILLICENT: —I was seeing it as more of a grenade launcher
STORY: — well, all right!
MILLICENT: —a clumsy, decently ranged grenade launcher
MILLICENT: —can it be that?
TUELLER: “And if I could have a briefing on the state of the Ark and our position here at our soonest convenience I would appreciate it.”
STORY: — sure, but you can’t take the grenades out
STORY: The maitre’d nods. “Certainly, sir, I’ll let Mme. Bhattacharya know your needs immediately.”
STORY: A waitress brings your three drinks as Alejo is still standing, peering up at a balcony above.
TUELLER: “Indeed.”
TUELLER: Tueller takes his drink and downs about half of it in one go.
TUELLER: “And another of the usual, please.”
ALEJO: Alejo shifts, distracted. He turns and takes the drink. “I . . . ah . . . can you please show me to the restrooms?” He asks the waitress.
STORY: Jenny notices this, Tueller. “Everything ok?”
STORY: The waitress puts a delicate hand on the back of your arm, Alejo, and starts to walk you to the back of this level.
TUELLER: “Everything is…well. We’ll see.”
ALEJO: “Back in a minute,” Alejo says over his shoulder to Jenny and Tueller.
STORY: Millie, let’s jump over to your adventures. What are you doing aboard the Ark and who if anyone are you bringing with you?
TUELLER: —Let’s spread those informants out!
TUELLER: —I assume we brought characters to be named later as well? Not merely just the named ones so far?
STORY: — i dunno, i’ve been debating whether there are any more characters
STORY: — if there are any, sure, they came
MILLICENT: Millie brought Tariq with her to look out for what kind of tech will and won’t be sold to humans as sort of a scouting run for future heists
STORY: Tariq is still aboard Peregrine, he’s heading out tomorrow. He wanted to organize his notes
MILLICENT: Then Millie went out with Loll
MILLICENT: Who went out, presumably?
TUELLER: Huh. yeah, I guess she didn’t come with Tueller. There goes that buddy comedy.
STORY: Okay! She is very tall, and weird.
STORY: Where are you headed and with what goals?
TUELLER: Or Rom Com.
MILLICENT: She’s the expert on the ship;s new drive.
MILLICENT: We need to pick up parts we might need for repairs
STORY: She is!
MILLICENT: So I’m going with her on a parts run, I guess.
STORY: Okay!
TUELLER: —Tueller and Alejo are on ship remodeling duty, I guess.
TUELLER: —Not I guess. Definitely.
STORY: Your guide advises you that you can find good, cheap used parts at the Ark Radio station, a popular place for scavengers to bring their wares and trade. It functions as a junkyard to many.
STORY: You approach the area – tell me about the other people you see here.
MILLICENT: There are a mass of corporates who have gotten into a massive bidding war, probably over something innocuous, but no side wants to see the other “win”
STORY: They’re all distracted by it, giving you and Loll time to pick through some of the other wares.
STORY: What Acquisitions would you like to do?
TUELLER: —Are we saving the Cargo to trade for the remodeling of the ship?
MILLICENT: I want the above list and a Medical Kit
STORY: The ship remodeling is already paid for as part of character creation unless you want to use it for armaments or something
TUELLER: Remodeling the ship so it doesn’t look like an E-M ship
STORY: Millie, you stop at a medical supply place on your way to the radio station. Give me an Acquisition roll -1
MILLICENT: Why -1?
TUELLER: Class 1 Asset
MILLICENT: aha
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6-1
STORY: @josh rolled 6 – 1 = 5
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 -1
STORY: @josh rolled 2 – 1 = 1
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6
STORY: @josh rolled 5
MILLICENT: 4
MILLICENT: Wait, sorry
MILLICENT: 5 from the first one
MILLICENT: Jesus, snake eyes?
STORY: why on earth did you roll three times
STORY: 5! So you can only get your Medical Kit if you call in a Favor.
MILLICENT: Because for me it didn’t show up until the third one, then I saw all three
MILLICENT: I don’t need a medical kit that badly
MILLICENT: Pass!
STORY: Ok!
TUELLER: We don’t have any favors to call in yet, do we?
STORY: You are at the radio station, digging through things, when three people appear near the doorway, shouting and pointing… what appear to be very large guns in the air. They are of different alien races, all about 6′ tall, all very frightening looking.
STORY: They move quickly towards the crowd of diplomats you are standing near, waving the guns threateningly, shouting in a language your interpreter isn’t picking up.
STORY: What do you do?
MILLICENT: I mean, they’re not here for me. Do I recognize the alien races or any markings that would bind them to a common cause?
STORY: Why don’t you roll Assessment + Expertise for me
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6
STORY: @josh rolled 7
MILLICENT: 9
STORY: You don’t recognize their race, but you do notice they all have the same barcode-type tattoo on their necks.
MILLICENT: Okay
MILLICENT: Who or what caused this situation?
TUELLER: That Deduction skill, tho.
STORY: it’s pretty good, huh
MILLICENT: Millie turns and hands her packages slowly to Loll. “Slow, gentle movements only and no loud sounds, if you please, Ms. Thasht.”
STORY: — guys, we packed almost all our dishes, so i only have these double old fashioned glasses from which to drink wine, and i’m not sure how much wine i’ve had.
MILLICENT: She turns back to the gun wavers.
STORY: — i’ve had two Some Wines.
STORY: Loll nods.
MILLICENT: Hands high, smiling. Clearly, friendly. “Good afternoon, I’m not sure you’re going to get what you want like that, gentlemen.”
STORY: One of them immediately focuses on you, pointing his gun at you and moving over quickly. He reaches out to grab your arm. What do you do?
MILLICENT: “Please excuse me if I’ve misgendered you. My xenopsysiognomy does leave something to be desired.”
MILLICENT: Millie lets him grab her arm, still smiling.
STORY: He wrestles you toward him and slings his arm around your neck, holding the gun toward your torso and shouting at the other businessmen. He and the other two start to move, dragging you, toward the glass doors that separate the junkyard from the radio studio. Loll looks at you, her head tilted to the side, a calm expression. What do you do?
MILLICENT: Shake my head calmly at her. To the one who’s grabbing me, “I really think you might want to take a breath and consider your options. What is it you’re trying to achieve here?”
MILLICENT: Squeaked out from the headlock
STORY: You are dragged through the doors as they swing them open, then grab a metal sign on a pole and shove it through the handles, effectively barring the door. Loll shakes her head at you and stands, waiting. The alien holding you releases you and pushes you down the hallway, barking out, “Walk! Get to the speaker man!”
STORY: One of the others stays back at the door, covering it. The third goes with you, pointing down the hallway, scratching his arm. “Go! Find him!”
STORY: Let’s switch back to Tueller.
STORY: Tueller, you’re sitting with Jenny, awaiting the arrival of a Bhattacharya, most likely getting at least a little drunk. Jenny looks concerned.
TUELLER: “Bhattacharya’s are one of the Three Families, along with Ya’Makasi.”
STORY: A stout, middle-aged human man with a curly moustache approaches with a clipboard, sitting down across from you. “A thousand pardons, Mr. Ya’Makasi, Mme. Bhattacharya is delayed. May I assist you with your mercantile concerns while you wait? And can I get you another drink?”
TUELLER: “There are a couple things you can provide me to keep me supplied. My friend, in the facilities, has a couple requests as well. And who do I talk to about work on my ship?”
STORY: “You can submit everything to me, sir, and I will address each on your behalf. Please.”
STORY: Let’s do some rolls!
TUELLER: You said we don’t need to roll to rejigger the ship so it no longer looks E&M?
STORY: Correct.
STORY: That’s just part of the workspace stuff
TUELLER: Excellent.
TUELLER: Fastforwarding through the Class 0 assets, then.
STORY: Yep
TUELLER: “We are in need of some EVA suits. Preferably Battle Armor.”
TUELLER: Tueller looks mildly uncomfortable and polishes off his second drink at this
STORY: He nods. “How many, sir?”
TUELLER: “Six, if you have them.”
TUELLER: “M&A quality, preferably.”
STORY: — boarding armor, right? class 2 uniform, armored, sealed?
TUELLER: —Yes.
STORY: He nods, writing. “It may be difficult, sir, but I will see what we can do. Anything else?”
TUELLER: “Our ship, The Peregrine.”
TUELLER: Tueller pauses.
TUELLER: “And then sloughs off his mild slur to ask formally. “By my status as Scion of the Ya’Makasi line, member of a ruling family of this company, I hereby formally request and order that you set up our ship, the Peregrine, out orbiting this station, with a Ya’Makasi Diplomatic Pouch for the unimpeded transfer of goods, knowledge, or people for the good of our family against those who wish us and would do us ill-will, and I declare as Scion that I shall uphold my duties entailed in this honor and responsibility, up to and including assisting in the destruction of any who would violate Ya’Makasi sovereignty.”
STORY: He writes very fast.
STORY: Nodding the whole time. “Of course, sir. I shall. Have workmen sent. Is she in the Ring?”
MILLICENT: —wolfwhistle.midi
TUELLER: “Indeed.”
STORY: He nods again. “Excellent. Will that be all, sir?”
TUELLER: —Should I ask for Alejo’s workspace as well?
STORY: Sure!
ALEJO: –Yeah.
STORY: He can have left you a list, Alejo if you have anything else that requires a roll let us know
TUELLER: “As I am out on a limb here, whatever concealment or baffling you can add to our ship to get us in and out of hostile volumes would be most appreciated. We are a small ship, but despite my differences with my sister, I know she would hate to have to destroy our enemies in the event of my death.”
STORY: “Naturally, sir. I shall be certain to wipe your ship of traceable serial numbers or identifiable design as well, will that be sufficient?”
ALEJO: –I do have a couple of things that are rolls.
STORY: — tell us!
STORY: We don’t have to RP this out, we can just do the rolls now.
TUELLER: “Much appreciated. YOu are a gentleman and a scholar and your work for our company is much appreciated. One last thing, our ship was…acquired. Extralegally. We would like to no longer look like an Erde-Maris ship. They’re ugly things, built by people from a gravity well, for people from a well. Make us a goddamn spaceship, please.”
ALEJO: — flash bang grenades, smoke grenades, and upgrading my pistol to a Class 2.
STORY: “Of course, sir. I shall ensure you have a more attractive method of conveyance going forward.” He bows deeply.
STORY: Tueller, give me Acquistion -4 (-2 asset, -2 market disposition) for the Boarding Armor. This is gonna be tough.
TUELLER: —Are we using your Cargo for that, or should we barter it?
TUELLER: /roll 2d6-4
STORY: @chris.stuart rolled 8 – 4 = 4
STORY: Oof. If you call in a Favor, you can get them, otherwise…
STORY: no dice
TUELLER: Favor is different from debt?
TUELLER: Like, if I took on another debt it would be ours?
STORY: — Whenever a character faces a social consequence, they can call upon an appropriate faction to take the brunt of that consequence, rather than tackle the consequence themselves. This incurs debt.
STORY: yep
TUELLER: If I can call in a Favor here, I will do so.
MILLICENT: Wife says you do so
MILLICENT: She’s getting more wine
TUELLER: So, yes. Doing so.
MILLICENT: —guys, we’re going to buy such a house
ALEJO: –Congrats! Is it the one with the long-ass sport court soon to be something else?
MILLICENT: —that’s the one
MILLICENT: —god knows what we’ll do with it
ALEJO: –Excellent!
STORY: Excellent. Favor called in, to the Bhattacharyas. We’ll handle that shortly – let’s do Alejo’s rolls
ALEJO: –Okay! -1 for the grenades, yes?
ALEJO: /roll 2d6-1
STORY: @ablair01 rolled 7 – 1 = 6
STORY: Yep
STORY: one apiece, unless you want to bundle them which i wouldn’t recommend because it’ll be -2 additional
STORY: 6, oof. No Flashbang without a Favor
ALEJO: –Right. Pass.
ALEJO: /roll 2d6-1
STORY: @ablair01 rolled 5 – 1 = 4
TUELLER: —I am okay with Alejo trading our cargo for his gun.
TUELLER: —Including it, that is.
ALEJO: No grenades!
STORY: You guys are having bad luck
STORY: No grenades
STORY: ok the pistol is right now class 1, correct?
STORY: so it’s -2, +1 = -1 total
ALEJO: –Okay.
TUELLER: —
TUELLER: Can he throw in the cargo as well? To get a zero.
STORY: Sure
ALEJO: –Oh, I didn’t see Stu’s comment. Right.
ALEJO: –If Josh is cool?
MILLICENT: —signed off on
ALEJO: /roll 2d6
STORY: @ablair01 rolled 6
TUELLER: —And if he doesn’t get it, then we still have everything.
STORY: AGGGGH.
TUELLER: ooof.
ALEJO: –Damn. . . .
STORY: Ok, so if you don’t want to do the favor thing, you just don’t make the deal, so you keep your gun and the cargo.
ALEJO: –This dicebot hates us.
MILLICENT: —That’s from Millie and Josh. Millie only cares about learning from the Cargo, once she’s studied it it’s dead to her except as far as it gets her closer to new tech
TUELLER: —we haven’t rolled above a 6 yet.
STORY: Yeah. Okay! So much for shopping.
ALEJO: — Not worth it yet. We’ll keep the Cargo and try again later.
TUELLER: So, Tueller is just sitting awkwardly, waiting for a relative to his dead girlfriend to come out.
MILLICENT: —Yeah, we’ve gotten retail boned
STORY: The mustachioed gentleman gingerly his leave, promising to return once the work is finished, and thanking you for your time.
TUELLER: Can we barter?
STORY: Oh sure!
TUELLER: I’ll try this!
STORY: What do you want to offer to barter with?
STORY: the cargo?
TUELLER: Yeah, swap the pottery?
ALEJO: —Go Tueller!
STORY: do it, that’s a roll +1
TUELLER: /roll 2d6+1
STORY: @chris.stuart rolled 7 + 1 = 8
ALEJO: –Best roll of the night!
STORY: Nice. You will get new cargo, buuuuuut…
STORY: the provenance or legality of the goods is dubious.
TUELLER: Natch.
STORY: GOOD NEWS, THOUGH – the mustacioed gentlement is as we speak installing a secret cargo compartment in the nose of the Peregrine.
STORY: So you can take it with you without much fear it’ll be discovered. Where you can sell it is another question.
STORY: Okay!
STORY: Let’s switch to Alejo on his trip to the bathroom.
ALEJO: –Well, ahh . . . .
STORY: Where are you going?
TUELLER: Tueller will sit and drink and await the relative of his dead girlfriend.
ALEJO: Alejo will slip upstairs as soon as he can.
ALEJO: Putting stealth to good use.
STORY: Oh right! I was going to make you roll, but yeah, you just slide on through that crown unnoticed. You reach the balcony you noticed earlier, its occupant standing near the edge, arms crossed and facing away from you. She takes a drink from her glass. A rather large alien with thick, stony blue skin steps halfway in front of you.
STORY: “Let him by, Urdo,” she says, without turning around.
STORY: She turns back to you and gestures to the couch set back away from the balcony edge. A scotch on the rocks waits on a coaster for you.
ALEJO: Alejo bows slightly to the alien as he steps past.
ALEJO: “Surprise.” Alejo says softly, as causally as he can manage.
STORY: She wears a long, clingy gown, something you’re not used to seeing her in. Her hair is down, too – not the tactical gear you’re used to. She looks very tired.
STORY: She turns to you, a disappointed look on her face. “I need a favor.”
STORY: “You’re shortly going to be given a job. I need you to complete that job, and deliver the goods to me.”
ALEJO: Alejo tries to keep his face bright and slightly impassive. “Right.”
STORY: “And I have a target for you.”
STORY: She turns away, not watching your reaction.
STORY: “High profile. Needs to be done quietly.”
ALEJO: He swallows hard and does not say anything for a several seconds. “A target.”
STORY: “Urdo will give you the profile.”
STORY: She turns back, finally making eye contact with you. “I want to be clear that this is in no way an official request from Consolidated Jovan Holdings, and I am not speaking to you as a representative of that faction or as the Ya’Makasi family. Understood?”
STORY: “But nonetheless, I want to urge you to consider that a favor owed by me is a valuable thing. And that I am not the only one who wants this done.”
ALEJO: Alejo nods very slightly. “How are you?”
STORY: She closes her eyes for a moment.
STORY: “I’m well. Please give Tueller my love.”
STORY: She turns away from you and walks to the balcony. “That’s all, thank you Alejo.”
ALEJO: “Aki . . . ” Alejo stops. Shakes his head, drops his eyes. “You should say ‘hi’ to Tueller, at least.”
STORY: “I will when I have the time. Maybe after your op.”
STORY: “It’s good to see you.” She regrets this as soon as she says it.
ALEJO: Alejo smiles and looks down, giving her cover. “You too. Always.” He turns and steps past Urdo. Without looking at him he says, “Please just push the details to my encrypted tablet.”
STORY: Urdo grunts in confirmation. As you head back downstairs, it vibrates, indicating that you have received a new message. You join Jenny and Tueller in the VIP section as you pull it up and glance over the file.
TUELLER: Tueller is drunk and trying to make small talk with Jenny.
STORY: You look up from the face on your tablet to see the very alive, very present-at-this-exact-moment face that you were just observing on your tablet.
STORY: Tueller, a small woman arrives at your table, descending the stairs and offering her hand. You have met her once before.
STORY: “Mr. Ya’Makasi. Ruma Bhattacharya, we met at my wedding. I’m not sure if you remember.”
STORY: “You were, forgive my frankness, somewhat drunk at the event.”
TUELLER: “Of course, Ruma, I remember you, and I apologize again for the scene.”
TUELLER: “In my defense, your brother did ask for it.”
TUELLER: “Repeatedly, at length.”
TUELLER: “Not in so many words, but he asked for it.”
TUELLER: —You set me up, Jess.
STORY: She twitches, slightly. “He has not forgiven you, I would recommend you stay out of his way if you encounter him. Has my steward seen to your needs?”
STORY: — YOU set you up
TUELLER: “he has, most definitely.”
ALEJO: Alejo walks up. He smiles at the scene but respectfully remains on the sidelines.
TUELLER: “Alejo, I’m not sure you’ve ever meet Ruma, Nandini’s widow.”
TUELLER: “So sorry again for your loss. For all our loss.” To Ruma.
TUELLER: Tueller is genuinely sorry, btw. Not antagonistic.
STORY: Alejo, she shakes your hand warmly, wincing at Tueller’s last comment but not responding. “Alejo Soto? I hadn’t had the pleasure. Nice to meet you.”
ALEJO: Alejo bows his head deeply. “Madame.”
STORY: “Tueller, I had some trouble securing the armaments you had requested, but was able to pull some strings to get it done. The boarding armor will be delivered to the Peregrine when we arrive tomorrow to begin the refits. Now, if I may be so bold, I have done you a favor, and I’d like to ask one of you.”
TUELLER: “I am in your debt.”
TUELLER: He says that in a formal sort of way.
STORY: “Glad you understand. I’d like, Mr. Ya’Makasi, for you to help me become pregnant.”