Remembering where girly pop is here. Looks like we need to finish up this journey and get to wherever she's going.
Let's begin
Begin a Session Momentum:3 → 4
INT. COCKPIT CR-497
Undertake an Expedition(Edge)—10 vs 3|10 Health:3 → 1 Endure Harm(Health)—3 vs 9|10 Momentum:4 → 2 To the Delivery Point: Glimmer Job +1 (8/10)
Sable spat into the sink in the lavatory and another piece of her tooth fell into the basic. Tears were running down her face as she dug at her gums trying to relieve herself of the pieces of bones that had become dislodged from her jaw. She spate again and held her mouth while she whined.
The ache had been getting worse over the day, only to wake her in a cold sweat and the most unimaginable pain she had ever remembered being in. He hadn't just chipped the tooth. She would have to get the thing worked on before infection settled in.
"I hate the fucking dentist..." she commiserated with the sad, disheveled, bloody image of her in the mirror.
It was time to move on.
Finish an Expedition(track)—0 vs 8|7
`iv-track-advance:Courier Job: Glimmer Outpost|The Starforged/Campaign Sable Rowe/Progress/Sable/Courier Job Glimmer Outpost.md|16|24|dangerous|1` > Match: *Does the client come to meet her?* `iv-oracle:Likely|34|Yes|move.oracle_rollable:starforged/fate/ask_the_oracle.likely` Is it Merrick or someone else? `iv-oracle:50/50|22|Yes|move.oracle_rollable:starforged/fate/ask_the_oracle.fifty_fifty`NPC:Merrick Arden
The ramp clicked into place with a satisfying accordion of extending metal.
“Glad to see you arrived safe my dear—“
Sable stopped in her tracks as she was met with a wall of personal and at the center of it was finely dressed man leaning on a cane.
“Glad to see I’m safe too—if you’ll excuse me.” She disembarked and moved to retract the ramp.
She felt the cane rest firmly on her shoulder, “I appreciate your diligence, I’m Merrick Arden, you have my package.”
Sable turned back and forced a painful smile. “I have to confirm—you understand.”
“Of course, of course, Ganden—“ The rest went unsaid but entirely understood. A man with a datapad walked forward and showed Sable the face of it. Sable scanned the code and the confirmation popped up—this was Merrick Arden.
Fulfill Your Vow(track)—0 vs 6|9 I will make an iron vow a bit later. Makes sense this situation is complicated.
His cane clacked on the ground as he walked closer to her.
“I shall have my surgeon look at that.” His bent calloused fingers touched her bruised lip. “That boy did a number on this beautiful face.”
“How did—“
“Of course there was surveillance attached to the package. What kind of curator would I be if I didn’t keep a close eye on what I acquire.
“Yes, I know about the Serrato man that was on your ship. You were careful and I’m understanding so all of forgiven, but best not to be so careless again.” He squeezed her jaw just enough to shoot pain through her skull, but she did her best not to wince too hard.
“The Courier Guild appreciates your understanding,” Sable shifted and worked to turn over the package.
I'm adding +2 to the Sojourn move due to the hit with a match from the journey move. Sojourn(Heart)—6 vs 4|4match Health:1 → 4 Spirit:3 → 5
"Walk with me," his demand was soft, warm, almost sounding like a suggestion, but it was anything but. Merrick didn't seem like the kind of person to be refused. "You are an impressive pilot Sable."
"Thank you." Sable waited in anticipation for whatever that compliment was going to cost her. She might well be a warm biscuit for how he was buttering her up.
"You were attacked were you not?"
"I was. I evaded the situation." She replied.
"Very well, but even I can see that this frontier can be—demanding." He was choosing his words carefully.
They wound through the crowded streets and Merrick talked with Sable about her ship. How he had noticed the damage done to it and how apologetic he was for how hard fought the journey was. It wasn't. He knew that, and so did Sable. This was an act. He ingratiated himself to her, offering all sorts of services in exchange for how well she done on the job. He didn't need to do that, he paid her the compensation that was required, he didn't need to pay her anything else, but the kindness she received today would come at a great cost.
But she fell for it. At the time she blamed it on the pain her tooth was giving her. At some point, you're in so much pain that a deal with hell itself seemed like a good idea. The surgeon was quick, the meds were... well, they were worth it. When Sable awoke her clothes were cleaned, her tooth restored, and she was washed, scrubbed, de-blemished, and slathered in skin treatments until she shown like a pearl.
Then Merrick let her walk wherever she wished. She got to learn about where he was currently stationed.
Planetary Class(81)Rocky World Planet Oracles > Rocky World:Ory Settlement:Meridian
Meridian was a busy industrial settlement on a large lifeless planet called Ory. Merrick said whatever life had lived here long ago was far gone. It’s been theorized that their corpses reacted to chemical storm causing the crystalline structures along the planets surface and their biomaterial rotted into a highly volatile fuel source. Though the stability of it is still being tested and hasn't been incorporated into a marketable fuel blend yet, the industry around it has already created a lively local economy.
Those who lived here were a mix of wealthy merchants and highly paid workers who were both collecting the raw material and refining here planetside in Meridian. Then there was the engineers, scientists, and biologists who had taken residence up either working for the refinery or studying the planets phenomenon.
Merrick seemed to be well connected, but not the manager of this operation. His intrigue stayed with the crystals. Sable felt like there was something more he kept his ears perked for, but he was keeping that close to his chest.
Sable knew at this point she should have left. Thanked him for all he had done and proceeded on her way. When they got back to her ship he had it half taken apart. New panels for the ones that had been torn off, he had the targeting computer replaced with something more automated and easier to use, and a whole service was being perform. She tried to refuse, using every excuse she could, but Merrick had an excuse for every single one.
Merrick wasn't paying for anything, he just had a technician contact the Courier Guild and negotiate maintenance requests Sable had been neglecting. With the proper form filled out and an outside contractor handling the repairs she was in a even harder position to say no.
She was trapped and the fall came even harder when he released her to the wild of Meridian's night life. The music pounded in her ears and crushed her body with force of the oppressive soundwaves resonating through her body. The antigrav dancefloor let her lose herself to the motions of the music until she was wasted and forgetting anything important.
Sable woke the next morning entangled with some forgotten name still bundled in the sheets. She gathered her things and made her way bleary eyed to the closest place to get food then off to find her ship, can of steaming noodles in hand.
INT. COURIER-479 CARGO HOLD
"Ganden," Sable addressed the casual intruder, "what brings you aboard my ship?"
"I have a package for you to deliver." He was a quiet man with a low resonating tone.
"I'll check my datapad." Sable unclicked it from the wall and sure enough there was an official request. "Merrick sending something else out?"
"This is personal. Merrick has nothing to do with this." He said softly, his eyes shifting almost shamefully.
"I understand." Sable clicked her courier tag to the datapad and accepted the job.
Swear an Iron Vow(Heart)—3 vs 9|8 Does it have to do with Merrick? Likely(19)Yes Has he done something to her ship she has to take care of? 50/50(27)Yes
- Track
- Ganden's Courier Job
- added
INT. CR-479 COCKPIT
The little device lit up with all sorts of lights and warning as she swept her ship. She got to a panel inside the cockpit and her scanner flashed a warning. She reached up under the panel and pulled out a box, inside was another scanner of some kind and a holonote.
Sable,
I'm glad to see you are taking notable precautions. However your scanner is out of date, thusly I have provided one for you to use if you so wish.
Regards,
Merrick
How deep would this relationship go? Make a Connection(Heart)—4 vs 10|1 Merrick Arden
Sable groaned and shut the device back in the box and hid it in the deepest cubby hole she could find in her ship. She then charted a course out and left Ory and Meridian behind. She would have to find someone trustworthy to look through her ship and see if all is safe, she consulted her navmaps.
Gather Information(Wits)—5 vs 6|4 Momentum:2 → 3
There wasn’t much in this area of the sector, but she would make do. Find Someone to Check Her Ship
Undertake an Expedition(Edge)—6 vs 10|8 Pay the Price(13)You face a tough choice Descriptor(10)Biological Focus(48)Lifeform Action(75)Reject Theme(97)Weakness.
CR-497 slipped out of FTL and came to a terrible sight when she settled into the anchorage. A Branta floated in destress with debris tangled in its flesh. The massive creatures usually traveled in a pod, following the current of drifts especially just after large ships have carved the passage. It large eyes glossy with pain and it's flesh rotting and flaking away.
It moaned a deep resonance that shook Sable to her core. She couldn't leave it here like this, but she also couldn't help it. Her heart twisted as she made the choice to put it out of it's misery.
"Let's see if these things work?" She turned on the screen to her targeting computer and lined up a shot at the base of the creature skull—that's how they put down livestock right? She fired and the shots bounced off the creature thick armor and it reeled towards her flicking a tentacle hard at her ship. Starship / Integrity:4 → 2 Withstand Damage(Starship / Integrity)—7 vs 4|4match Starship / Integrity:2 → 3 Momentum:2 → 3
It's tentacle wrapped around her ship, creaking the metal threatening to crush the hull. Sable clambered in her chair as the dying creature brought her close to it's face, glossy eye glaring through the glass at her. Her console was blaring in alarm, red lights reflecting through it's deep cosmic pupil that dilated largely into sable scared little gaze. she felt insignificant as the creatures single eye spanned the entirety of her viewport.
"I was trying to help. I'm sorry for whatever did this to you." She felt silly talking to a Branta. It's not like the thing could understand her—yet it let her go and shifted with a great pained groan and Sable felt awful at the sight. A tiny baby Branta was nestled closely to it's mother, suckling on a dying teat.
"Oh... I'm awful, I'm so sorry." Sable breathes. The Branta shifted back to her, gazing into her. "I don't think I can save her—or him—it?, my ship—well actually for an infant, my ship is big enough for it follow me, but I don't even know where to take it."
Make a Connection(Heart)—5 vs 4|4match Tiny Sana Role: Just a baby
The next hour was spent trying to figure out how to communicate with an animal, granted a seemingly pretty intelligent animal, but it was incapable of reading Sable's nav maps. She took to referring to the mother Branta as Sana and the baby as Tiny Sana, ranting out loud in her cabin about how in the universe she was going to help a baby Banta that was undoubtedly very large and would get very hungry. That's when the Branta shifted again and spit some sort secretion from a gland all over Sable's ship, Tiny Sana then moved away from it's mother and thumped into Sable's ship. The mother Branta died and now Sable was stuck with it's baby she held her courier tags and softly promised to find the Branta pod. Swear an Iron Vow(Heart)—5 vs 2|1 Find the Branta Pod Momentum:3 → 6
"Fuck!" Sable shouted into the air and as though responding she was pushed off her feet as the baby bumped her ship again jostling it and throwing Sable to the ground.
Undertake an Expedition(Edge)—7 vs 2|7 (Ex) Find Someone to Check Her Ship +1 (2/10)
Sable comes out of FTL and Tiny Sana slams into the ship again, sprawling through space clumsily. The Branta scurries back to CR-497 and bumps into it happily.
"I need to check on that thing." Sable set the e-drive to charge and suited up to go on a space walk to check on Tiny Sana. She connected herself to the ship and carried a small medkit—not that it would do any good. The airlock opened with a hiss and Sable found Tiny Sana bumping and nuzzling the hull of her ship. Sable activated her magnetic boots and walked out to the Branta, who seemed confused, but curious.
"It's ok Tiny Sana, it's just me... your human auntie— I guess." The Branta make a squeaky trill and Sable gave it back a thumbs up. She walked closer and saw one of it's eyes was cloudy like it's mother's. "Ah shit, was she sick?" Her boot clunked on the metal ship as she got closer to look at it's eye, only to see something wriggling in the corner. "Oh! Gross, a parasite?!"
Tiny Sana trilled and bumped the ship again. "Ok, ok, hold on, this is gonna suck for the both of us. I think is need something more sturdy."
Begin the Scene Remove Tiny Sana's Parasite Tiny Sana's Anxiety(0/The Starforged/Campaign Sable Rowe/Clocks/Tiny Sana's Anxiety.md)
Sable, against the better judgment of anyone sane and with sensible medical knowledge, grabbed a pair of pliers and decided should indeed remove the parasite herself. Secure an Advantage (Scene Challenge)(Wits)—3 vs 2|4
Sable examines the situation, took her time to be around Tiny Sana so she was comfortable. She then found the bump where the parasite was behind the eyelid, and she pushed on it until the thing poked out. Face Danger (Scene Challenge)(Edge)—10 vs 9|4 Remove Tiny Sana's Parasite +1 (3/10) She carefully and quickly shoved her locking pliers onto the parasite and got a good secure hold on the thing, it squelched disgustingly. Tiny Sana was still calm at the moment, but Sable knew she wouldn't be for long, she began wriggling the parasite back and forth to pull it out.
Face Danger (Scene Challenge)(Iron)—6 vs 5|6 Remove Tiny Sana's Parasite +1 (6/10) Tiny Sana's AnxietyThe Starforged/Campaign Sable Rowe/Clocks/Tiny Sana's Anxiety.md → 0/1 Tiny Sana whined and pushed on Sable causing her lose her good grip.
Secure an Advantage (Scene Challenge)(Iron)—3 vs 6|2 Momentum:5 → 7 The locking clamps held and Sable quickly grabbed them again, she let go of her magnetic boots and braced herself against Tiny Sana.
Face Danger (Scene Challenge)(Iron)—4 vs 9|7 Tiny Sana's AnxietyThe Starforged/Campaign Sable Rowe/Clocks/Tiny Sana's Anxiety.md → 1/2 Pay the Price(72)You waste resources Supply:4 → 3 Sacrifice Resources Tiny Sana jerks and the only thing holding Sable close is her cable and her grip on the pliers holding onto the parasite, the medkit scatters into space.
She tries to yank again Face Danger (Scene Challenge)(Iron)—7 vs 9|1 Remove Tiny Sana's Parasite +1 (9/10) Tiny Sana's AnxietyThe Starforged/Campaign Sable Rowe/Clocks/Tiny Sana's Anxiety.md → 2/3. The Branta squeals and jerks away from Sable, she attempts to use the momentum to finish yanking out the parasite Finish the Scene(track)—0 vs 9|7 Develop Your Relationship (C) Tiny Sana +1 (3/10)
The disgusting wriggling thing slicked out of the socket it had burrowed into. Sable held her gag as it writhed in the locking pliers. "Gah, that's disgusting." She wedged it into her exhaust exit and fired up the afterburners and incinerated it.
Undertake an Expedition(Edge)—4 vs 6|1 Momentum:2 → 3 (Ex) Find Someone to Check Her Ship +1 (4/10) Explore a Waypoint(Wits)—3 vs 7|2 Momentum:3 → 4
Sable spent the better part of her piloting through the drift reading anything she could find on Branta's in the courier databases. Gather Information(Wits)—8 vs 1|10 Momentum:4 → 5 Good news Tiny Sana is big enough to start eating gatherings of placknet, but Sable would have to teach her how. Sable scanned the surrounding areas to find a likely gathering of tiny little organisms. They cluster in charged dust clouds to munch on the micro-debris. Luckily Sable found one and was able to make a pit stop.
Tiny Sana seemed to be doing fine after her impromptu surgery. Sable kept checking the wound for infection, but didn’t really know what to look for, either way Ting Sana was still able to keep up with the ship. Even though the branta was becoming more and more frustrated she couldn’t feed on it. Sable hoped she could rectify the food situation soon.
Secure an Advantage(Edge)—8 vs 7|3 Momentum:5 → 7 Face Danger(Edge)—10 vs 1|1match Momentum:7 → 8 Develop Your Relationship (C) Tiny Sana +1 (6/10)
Sable spent as much time as she could studying the little information she had about branta feeding patterns, but Tiny Sana was becoming more insistent by the minute. Her incessant bumping of the ship was giving Sable a permanent twitch. She would have to figure out how to teach Tiny Sana to open her mouth as the went through the cluster of placknet.
It took several passes, the baby branta confused and clumsy as Sable flew backwards and opened the cargo hatch to simulate opening her “mouth”. The tiny organisms flew into the opening and splattered all over the inside of the cargo bay. Then she did it. Tiny Sana swooped in along side Sable’s ship and opened her mouth to consume food. Sable almost jumped out of her chair in excitement as she finally got the branta to eat.
She spent the next while flying with Tiny Sana, playing and swooping through obstacles, disturbing the placknet until the branta was exhausted and nestled herself on Sable’s ship to sleep.
Sable settled in to rest and she realized just before she slipped into sleep that she could track branta pods by following the food. (Vow) Find the Branta Pod +1 (2/10).
End a Session