Barille 01 - Beginnings

This is the beginning of a great adventure...

Begin a Session

INT. LONG-RANGE TRANSPORT SHIP — RENTED CABIN — SLEEP CYCLE — STILL

A stiff bunk in a rented cabin. Barille sleeps in his dark blue suit, collar loosened. Dark curly hair, three days of stubble. Somewhere ahead, the frontier world of Reck waits, and a job he still knows almost nothing about.

Barille Black is asleep on the stiff bed, wearing his dark blue suit, loosened at the neck. Character Goal(91)Gain Riches, Seek Power

Growing up within the domain of a founder clan, the Circle of the Elder Stars, Barille's childhood was difficult. Not being of notable bloodline meant he was relegated to the lower ranks of the Circle's caste system. But his ability to fight, endure, and finish jobs earned him a reputation that elevated his status. Barille has since left the Circle, for reasons unknown, and now drifts through the sector Devil's Chain, moving from contract to contract.

When he left, Barille made a vow: to Establish a new noble house in the Circle of the Elder Stars, a house that would surpass all others and become the dominant authority within the faction.

With no FTL ship of his own, he buys and barters passage between systems. He is already on a job, a posted contract for the Risen Union (RU). The RU keeps its cards close; the pay is good, but the briefings are thin and tend to raise more questions than they answer.

For this one he has sworn a vow to Investigate and report on the rumored horrors of Reck and he means to see it through.

The ship lurches. Barille is thrown from the bunk as the hull rocks hard enough to buckle the deck plating. Attack or catastrophe, the damage is real and it is bad.

BARILLE
Good gods. I'm trying to get some sleep TODAY!

He hauls himself up and works the cabin panel, trying to pull the ship's status. Gather Information(Wits)—4 vs 5|3 The door slides open onto flashing klaxons and people shouting down the corridor. A crewman sprints past.

BARILLE
Hey, what's going on?

CREWMAN
We're under attack, someone's shooting!

Not ideal. This is a transport, not a warship. Really not wanting to be boarded, or explode....

Barille digs a black iron coin from his pocket, flips it, catches it, and eyes the crewman with a look.

BARILLE
Get a message to your captain, burn like hell. I'll see if I can hold them off. NOW GO!

Okay, no idea who these hostiles are or why they'd hit a transport this far out. Straight piracy? Deal with the immediate, very explody problem first and figure out the rest after.

He pulls the launch UI up on his hand terminal and kicks off the pre-launch sequence for his snub fighter. Green across the board. He breaks for the hangar bay. Does he reach it clean? 50/50(30)Yes The ship rocks a bit, sounds like the transport pilot is making moves, but no major new strikes.

INT. HANGAR BAY / OPEN VOID — SN-27 SNUB FIGHTER — CONTINUOUS — TENSE

The 27's engines are already humming when Barille drops into the seat. He punches launch control and the fighter blasts out into the black.

Enter the Fray(Snub Fighter / Integrity)—9 vs 10|3 Fend off attackers until the transport can escape Position:Position → in control One roll of the controls and the hostiles resolve on his scans: a large frigate with at least three fighters circling. The transport is already putting on a hard burn, no other friendlies anywhere. Long odds, but they haven't spotted him yet.

BARILLE
Let's see how good their scans are.

He shields the engines, kills his EM signature, and goes ballistic on a burst of RCS, setting an ambush for the fighters as they come around. Gain Ground(Shadow)—6 vs 3|4 They have no idea.

Small-time raid. Under normal circumstances it would've worked. Not today, fellas.

Barille fires the 27's railguns at the lead ship, his engines and weapons coming alive in the same breath. Strike(Edge)—5 vs 9|6 Position:Position → in control

The first fighter erupts. Before the others can react he fires again and hits the second. Now they see him. He can't get an angle on the third, which peels away and burns clear... and then the frigate opens up. Alarms, inbound missiles, and a hull bristling with guns. Barille rolls and burns to evade.

BARILLE BLACK
ahhhhHHHHHHH!

React Under Fire(Edge)—4 vs 9|5 He slips the ballistic rounds, but there's no answer for the missiles. Burning hard, one still catches him and detonates. Snub Fighter / Integrity:4 → 2 Withstand Damage(Snub Fighter / Integrity)—6 vs 4|2 Momentum:2 → 3 Position:Position → in a bad spot Brutal, engine and nav damaged, but still flying. Still taking fire, though the burn has opened distance between him and the frigate.

He needs to stay well clear of that frigate. A glance at the transport: they're making atmo at Ackriss-2. If he breaks off now, the raiders will just chase them down to the surface. They didn't see me the first time. Let's do it again. He cuts engines and cranks the EM damping. Disappear, and see what they do. Gain Ground(Shadow)—5 vs 1|2 Momentum:3 → 5 Fend off attackers until the transport can escape +1 (8/10) Thirty seconds of silence. They have no idea.

BARILLE BLACK
Is this really going to work again? Hahaha, suckers. I guess they're not used to anyone shooting back. Let's put a round in your drive cone.

Take Decisive Action(track)—0 vs 8|2 Take Decisive Action(99)It gets complicated: The true nature of a foe or objective is revealed After another thirty seconds the frigate begins its own burn toward the planet. As it pivots, Barille lines up the shot and fires. A direct hit, dead center on the drive. And it should be finished, except it isn't. Action + Theme(75)Create World The ship should be crippled, and yet it's still accelerating. The third fighter has vanished from scans. Something is very wrong.

The frigate's engines aren't lit. No heat signature at all. And it is still driving hard after the transport, which is dropping straight toward Reck. The 27's engines flutter to life and then sputter — limping, Barille has no hope of catching them. Time passes. The frigate should have started its retro burn long ago; instead it's moving far too fast for reentry. Beyond visual range now, but the sensors are steady: the frigate is still accelerating toward the planet.

BARILLE BLACK
Oh no. They... they wouldn't. WHAT?!

The frigate hits atmosphere and begins to break apart. Whatever survives the fall is going to slam into Reck and take a large piece of the settlement with it. Barille is too far out to do anything but watch.

That shot in the drive cone should have put down any ship built. It didn't. And they weren't fleeing, they were accelerating into a suicide strike. None of that makes sense for a low-level raid.

BARILLE BLACK
Okay, let's get down there and see if we can help. Hopefully the settlement had some kind of defense, otherwise the damage is going to be... Let's just get down there.

End a Session

Barille 02 - Reck