Begin a Session(52)Important character is put in danger or suffers a misadventure
"Can you get rid of it?"
"Not really, Director Taylan. We'd have to take it apart and start again. We're working on a hotfix that will let us reassign it to another user..."
"But until then, I'm stuck with a mechanical parrot that interjects randomly when I speak."
1d4→2 Theme(19)Death
"Death," says the parrot.
"How long will this hotfix take?"
"Well, once we've isolated the problem it shouldn't take more than a couple of days."
"Days? Look, this is ridiculous."
"It's state of the art! It's using subspace field variations to predict future events with an estimated 96% accuracy."
"It just spouts words randomly."
"It's still in the prototype phase."
"And why does it look like a parrot?"
"It's designed to sit on your shoulder and give you prophetic advice in realtime."
1d4→2 Theme(84)Strength
"Give me-"
"Strength," says the parrot.
"You see? It's working!"
Momentum:4 → 5
"So, are you feeling better?" asks the director.
"I don't know...it felt like I was on the trail of something big but it just led right back here," says Jett.
"Well, maybe the forensics team will pick up something you missed. While we wait for their results, there's plenty to be done around here."
1d4→2 Theme(33)Faction
"Faction," says the parrot.
"Is that a real parrot?" asks Jett.
"No, it's...well, it's a long story, let's just say it's temporary and leave it at that. So, you were investigating the Ascendancy?" asks Althea
"Yes, after they attacked me and the pirates I was flying with. We discovered they were after this." Jett produces the pyramid from his pack. "The pirate who found it said it was just floating in space when he discovered it. I later found out it has some kind of power."
"Power? Like some kind of energy source?"
"No, a mysterious power. With it in my possession I was able to speak with a ghost and put their spirit to rest. That's why I went to Pyla, to try and find the origin of the artifact and maybe get a clue as to why the Ascendancy are after it."
"And instead you found a lost Polestar ship with a missing pilot."
"Exactly. Has Polestar been looking into the Ascendancy?"
"Well, people are certainly talking about them. They don't follow normal pirate patterns at all, there was no gradual buildup of power or takeovers of rival clans, they just appeared fully formed seemingly overnight."
"Maybe they're invaders from another sector?"
"That's the logical conclusion, but also they don't act like pirates. Pirates are after valuables - cargo and hostages. The Ascendancy destroys ships indiscriminately - there's no profit in that."
"So you're saying they're not really pirates?" asks Jett.
"Not as we understand them, no. But solid information is rather hard to come by so it's hard to tell anything about them for sure."
"Who's heading up the investigation?"
"We don't have an investigation."
"Well that should be your next move. Gather every scrap of intel you can and try to find some kind of pattern."
"If you can find someone who's willing to work on it then I'll sanction it, but I can't reassign people just because you say so."
"Fine, I'll find someone."
Make a Connection(Heart)—5 vs 5|3
Given Name(11)Asha Family Name(76)Braddock
"So, I'm looking for someone to head up their own research team."
"I'm in."
"You haven't heard what you'll be researching yet."
"No, but it usually takes years to get your own team. Plus, I know about you - you were created using technology mixed with magic which is my area of study. The chance to study you would be fascinating."
"You wouldn't be studying me, you'd be researching the Ascendancy."
"Well, you wouldn't be asking junior researchers to head up your research team if you weren't desperate, so I'm in if I can also study you while we work on whatever it is you were talking about."
"The Ascendancy."
"Yeah. What is it?"
"The pirate group that have been attacking settlements and ships across the sector."
"Sorry, never heard of them, I don't really watch the news. You want me to research pirates? Why?"
"It's a long story. I'll debrief you once we go to the Director's office and make this official."
A couple of days later, Jett and Asha have their own small office and are officially responsible for Farpoint's investigation into the Ascendancy. Jett has told Asha everything he knows, and she has made plenty of notes on what he's been saying.
"So the way I see it, we have three strong leads," says Asha. "Two are already in our possession."
"What do you mean?" asks Jett.
"Well, we know they were after the pyramid, so if we can figure out what it is it will give us a clue what they're up to."
"I tried that and the trail led here."
"Maybe you didn't look hard enough. From what you told me, you saw a Farpoint logo and dropped your investigation to come back here."
"It felt like a solid lead at the time."
"Well anyway, there might be more on Pyla. Also, there's the list you found in the debris field showing Ascendancy targets. Have you looked into any of the names on the list?"
"No, I was preoccupied with getting to Pyla."
"So we find a name on the list that hasn't been hit by the Ascendancy, and go there to find anything that looks like the pyramid."
"What's the third lead?" asks Jett.
"The wreckage of the Ascendancy frigate that rammed into Reck. If we can get aboard we might find some clues."
"It was destroyed on impact, wasn't it?"
"What if there was some kind of flight recorder that survived? Either way, their raid on Reck was unsuccessful - whatever they were after is presumably still there. So either way, it's a lead."
"Okay, it sounds like we have quite a few angles to attack this problem from. I think we should analyze the data we already have while we wait for the forensics team to come back, then either go back to Pyla or pick somewhere from the list." says Jett.
"I'll analyze the data, you go to the gun range and get some practice in."
"I don't carry a gun."
"Jett, you were given a gun and kept it all this time when you could have gotten rid of it whenever you wanted; deep down you know you might need it someday so you might as well know how to use it."
"But...it was a gift, it has sentimental value."
"Go to the firing range."
A few days later, the forensics team returns, and the Director calls in Jett and Asha for a meeting.
"The results are in. The ship was The Nucleus, which has been missing for two years. Total systems failure, cause unknown. The pilot, Given Name(35)Fletcher Family Name(35)Arden, escaped in the escape pod but hasn't been heard from since. We think he probably engaged the cryosleep function and is floating in space somewhere; he would have made contact if he had made it to a settlement. There's plenty of other data of course, but since the incident predates the Ascendancy it's not relevant to your investigation," says the director.
"Should we go and look for him?" asks Jett.
"We have a team on it," says the Director.
"What about the pattern that Jett saw in the wrecks? It led him straight to the Farpoint vessel," says Asha.
"Nobody else can see it, we even had our forensic AI take a look and can find no connection between the wreck sites - they're just random crashes as far as anyone else can tell."
"Well, the pattern must exist or Jett wouldn't have been drawn to the Nucleus. What if there's a pattern to the Ascendancy attacks that Jett can discern that nobody else can?"
"That's your department," says the Director.
Back in the office, Asha asks "So, Pyla, Reck, or pick a name from the list?"
"Let's take a look at the list, maybe something will jump out at me," says Jett.
Gather Information(Wits)—9 vs 2|6
Jett separates the list into three sublists - people, places, and ships. "The places are going to be the easiest to find, but we won't know what to do once we're there. The ships could be anywhere and will be constantly moving. I think finding these people should be the top priority. Do you recognize any of the names?"
Does Asha recognize any of the names? 50/50(16)Yes
"I know this one," she says, pointing to Given Name(89)Tomiko Family Name(31)Kaan . "Tomiko Kaan is Character Role(53)Miner an asteroid miner."
"How could you possibly know that?" asks Jett.
"She dug up a relic from inside an asteroid. I was supposed to buy it for Farpoint but she decided to keep it as an ornament instead."
"Ok, let's go and find her. I vow to investigate Tomiko Kaan's relic."
Swear an Iron Vow(Heart)—5 vs 9|9match 15 - Find Tomiko's Relic
"One problem, chief. She was planning to sell her claim and start over somewhere else, something about wanting a fresh start," says Asha.
"You could have told me that before I made a vow."
"It's fine, we'll just pick the next name from the list."
"It's too late for that, I made the vow. You can come with me or stay here looking at spreadsheets of ship attacks."
"I'm coming, I'm coming."
Jett and Asha set off for Lodestar Station. It's a large station near the asteroid belt where Tomiko used to work - miners sell their ore here, then it's refined in the foundries and sold to traders as bars and ingots of valuable resources.
Set a Course(Supply)—10 vs 9|7
They arrive at the station. At first sight, it looks like the wreckage of a derelict dreadnought but on closer inspection it's a station built inside the enormous vessel. Mining ships are coming and going, and trade vessels sit in dock. The Irony comes in to dock, and Jett and Asha make their way onto the station. Jett is carrying his gun for the first time - he is wearing it in a shoulder holster under his jacket and it feels uncomfortable.
"So, you've been here before, right? Where should we start looking?" asks Jett.
"You ask around the locals, I'll go and try and speak to the station manager. Let's meet back at the ship when we're done."
Jett starts at the Miner's Alliance building. He asks the clerk at the desk about Tomiko.
Gather Information(Wits)—7 vs 5|7 Momentum:5 → 6
"Oh, I remember Tomiko. I think she spent too long in space, she went a little bit loopy."
"What did she do?" asks Jett.
"Well, there's this rumor among miners that there's an exoplanet that's one giant diamond, cruising between the stars in the dark. It's nonsense, of course, and even if it were true it would be impossible to find. She was convinced that she knew where it was and sold her claim on the asteroid field here to go and chase it."
"So if I wanted to find her...?"
"Well, she can't be too far away, she comes back here to resupply her provisions and water every few months."
"So if I don't want to wait months, I have to just hope to get lucky?"
"Well, the rumors say that the last sighting of the exoplanet was when it passed a nearby star a few years ago, nonsense obviously but she's probably somewhere around there."
Later, back at the ship, Asha has come back empty handed - the manager doesn't keep track of individual miners. Jett tells her about the exoplanet.
"Are you sure you don't want to just give up on Tomiko and follow a different lead?" says Asha.
"What are the odds that one of us would know one of the people on the list? It can't be a coincidence, it has to be fate," replies Jett. "Let's get started, she's not going to be easy to find."
End a Session
Momentum:6 → 7