From Part 2: Then I hear a chorus of footsteps coming from the exit. I shift my eyes and I see Sato. Flanked by half a dozen guards.
We are outgunned.
Quick note: Part 3 is narrative heavy. I had an idea of a neat little twist in the story and wanted to go with it.
Normal service should resume in part 4.
BEGIN A SESSION
Roll on the table for inspiration.
Roll = 19 | Flashback reveals an aspect of another character, place, or faction. +1 Momentum (now 9).
Flashback Scene
Curtis Sato is running through the corridors what appears to be a ship, but it could easily be a station of some kind. There are small explosions and laser fire happening around him that he takes cover from as he desperately tries to reach his destination.
He see's something and stops, holds back and takes cover. He see's two humanoid creatures working on some kind of terminal at the wall. They are armed.Sato wastes no time in firing at both of them before heading to the terminal himself.
He clamps his fingers of various cabled and circuits. He studies them, trying to make sure he gets the correct ones.
He pulls on a wire and his body is drowned in an electric surge. Lightning waves travels through him and he falls unconscious to the floor.
Later....
Sato's eyes flutter open and focus until he see's the Superior officer. He speaks.
"I am Commander Dakhal. I belong to the 'Defenders of the Universal Ascendancy. And you are Curtis Sato or should I call you 'Swindle'? You are a very hard man to track down."
I rolled up a faction here.
End Flashback Scene
I am hanging from my arms against a cold white wall. My feet are tied to the same surface. The room is different to the one Sato was being held in. This looks much more like a prison cell than an interrogation room.
A door in front of me slides open. Also different from the other room. That door seemed somewhat much more secure. Heavy, manually operated. Odd, I thought that the interrogation room door would be more secure than the prison cell. It's possible, of course, I've got this all wrong.
The superior officer approaches me. Two guards remain at the doorway, which remains open.
"Where's Sato?" I ask.
"Swindle is fine. You are aboard the starship 'Retention', I am commander Dakhal. We are the Defenders of the Universal Ascendancy-"
"Never heard of them" I cut him off and he gives me a stern eye.
He approaches me and his rotten breath lingers in my sinuses.
"You are a very lucky man Mr...?"
"Captain! I want to see Sato."
Dakhal asks me why I am so protective over someone I barely know, and I cannot answer straight. There's no real reason. I made a vow and I have to stick to it.
"I received a warning call coming from the direction of your fleet, then I see Sato's ship being escorted. What has he done to require an entire fleet to bring him in Why are you taking him prisoner?"
Dakhal laughs.
"Sato is not our prisoner. He's here to work for us"
My eyes widen. He then tells me that they used me to test my loyalty and integrity. The whole act of Sato in the darkened room, the guards being shot, it was all a set up.
If I could be so loyal to my vows as to try to help someone I barely know, then they could also use someone like me.
"We thought you were a Runner, but needed to be certain. We don't get many in this sector and we pay handsomely".
Later...
I meet back up with Sato and Dakhal, it all seems very strange how only a few hours ago I was essentially at war with the Commander and trying to prison break a man I'd only met a three or four times.
I am going to roll a connection move with Sato. Roll +Heart (2) (possibly should have done this last session before setting a rank for our connection.
Roll = 2 +Heart (2) = 4 vs 3, 8. Weak Hit. Connection made but at a cost.
I'm going to need some inspiration on the cost, rolling on the Action & Focus tables.
Action: 30 | Defend
Focus: 74 | Settlement
This one seems pretty easy to interpret; There are rumours that his home city is to be targeted by the SKADA as one they want to invade due to the work they carry out there. Once we complete the quest we are about to be handed. He asks that I join him in protected that city.
Naturally I agree.
Here, I roll on some oracles to "generate" the mission that Dakhal will give us.
Action: 22 | Command
Theme: 19 | Death
Descriptor: 80 | Rare
Focus: 56 | Obstacle
Dakhal uploads details of our mission to the Sister's Winter computer and takes us through the details.
We are to follow the signature of a rare ship belonging to an alien race. This ship is rare due to it's design and code make-up. With this ship we will be able to enter an area of space where we are to seek out an AI commander by the name of 'Seren-six' and destroy him. Dakhal doesn't go into details of why the DUA want this machine destroyed, just that it is to happen if a great war is to be avoided.
We will receive details of this mysterious region of space when we capture the ship, which we are told is called The Osmosis.
My original vow of helping Sato escape from this fleet is now null and void and will be replaced with this new vow of destroying Seren-six. I'm making it an 'Extreme' vow since I feel this is my first "proper" mission.
No doubt I'm missing something within the rules here, but there is no longer a need to try to escape. I know there is 'Forsake your vow' but I can't think why this would come at a cost.
There was this, which is perhaps the closest thing.
After more briefings, Sato and I get our gear together and board my ship."Before we set off to find The Osmosis, there's one thing I have to do".
I want to complete my original vow of travelling to Sigil. I don't particularly want to get involved with anything right now, but just to satisfy my own thirst for completing my vows, I just want to check it out.
Progress roll against the track "Travel to the settlement of Sigil"Track = 9 vs 1, 9. Weak hit. Reach the destination but there is a complication.
I travel the few hundred thousand kilometres to Phaedra and arrive at the co-ordinates of the settlement Sigil, only to find, where that settlement should be... is a smouldering crater...
End a session (forgot to do this at the end of part 2)
Next session I would like to try to develop the relationship with Sato and perhaps even introduce another NPC or two that I could work on for future connections. +1 Momentum (now +10, ripe for burning!).
End of Part 3.
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