M-Space - Part 6 : Close quarters

There are few personal possessions in the cabins, just suitcases full of toiletries and civilian clothing interspersed with Sunbeam Corp work uniforms -- white jumpsuits with the corporate logo emblazoned on the chest in vivid yellow. Everyone pools together the clothing and finds some things that mostly fit, or can be passably altered. Their own clothes are washed in the fresher units and set aside for when they disembark.

[Q: Anything good in the ship? 50/50 (4+): O4 C6 - yes
Q: What? Judgementally / Valuable - some objets d'art -- this is important later.

The 6 days in hyperspace were run as an Extended Conflict. I used the Dinner Party schema as a starting point. Everyone gets a single "action" per day. The "winner" (best successful roll) does 1d6 damage to anyone who fails their skill roll, but may decide not to deal damage to any given person. "Initiative" is in order of highest current HP (though initiative doesn't make any particular difference in this conflict).

Everyone's Conflict Pool (HP) is the avg of INT+CHA, and they each get a Goal, which I rolled randomly for the NPCs:

T 16 - figure out Cloelia
C 15 - keep powder keg from going off [Stop / Tension]
D 14 - get the upper hand over SpecEx Hanna [Ambush / Competition]
S 13 - make the enemies & traitors pay [Vengeance / Tactics]
H 12 - make an alliance [Create / Allies]

To make things more interesting/varied/creative, no one can use the same skill more than twice. I will narrate events in whatever order makes sense, and put the mechanics in a section at the end. Only the successful die rolls were noted to make it easier to compare numbers for the successes.]

Scenes from Hyperspace

day 1

"Are you using the fresher in there?" calls Theophania from atop the dishevelled bedsheets.

"Yes," replies Cloelia.

"Why?"

"You should, too, if we're going back out there."

"Back out? Why?"

"I think we should hang out in the common room a while and make sure they all play nice."

"Why?"

"I just want to see as many live bodies get off this ship as got on."

. . . . .

Stipan is shut in his cabin trying to steel himself for the trip ahead, but Damiana and SpecEx Hanna are in the lounge, albeit on opposite sides of the room.

"This is cheery," says Cloelia as she walks in. "Honest opinion time: how's this uniform I found suit me?" She strikes a little pose, at which the others can't help laughing.

"I'd not use you on the front of the Sunbeam corporate brochure, if that's what you're asking," jokes Damiana.

"It doesn't, um, zip up all the way in front," observes SpecEx Hanna.

"Hmmmm... Theophania didn't seem to mind... Anyway, it's already depressing in here. Why don't we try to make the best of a bad situation and just pretend we're on a passenger liner."

"To that end," says Theophania, "look what I found in the captain's personal liquor cabinet."

"I'll get some glasses."

"Thanks, ummmm...," begins Cloelia, "I was going to say, 'Thanks, SpecEx Hanna,' but... what's your given name."

"It's, er, Abigail -- but no one calls me that, not even me mates. I got used to being just Hanna in the navy."

"Well then, thanks, Hanna."

Theophania fills the four glasses. Cloelia raises hers and says 'prust' or something similar, an archaic Clyteian toast. Damiana frowns momentarily, but elects to keep her cool. As a proud Inahian, she bears the customary prejudice against the neighbouring system, but is smart enough to know when to let it rest [Passion - Hate Clyteians (36%); luckily she fails her roll]. She stays as long as is polite, then retires to her cabin, pleading exhaustion.

Hanna is fading as well. But as she is leaving, she pauses in the doorway. "I... I'm sorry about earlier. I hope you two don't hold it against me. You were an unknown quantity and I had a job to do."

. . . . .

"So, what do you think about our new friends?" asks Theophania.

Cloelia yawns. "I think I need to sleep on it."

[d1

T 16 - Influence, fail
C 15 - Influence, 41
D 14 - Insight, fail
S 13 - Willpower, fail
H 12 - Influence, 23

Cloelia wins the contest. She doesn't want to wear down Theophania (and/or isn't being especially closed off towards her), and can't affect Hanna (who succeeded in her roll), so deals 1d6 to Damiana & Stipan. Damiana takes 6 damage, dropping her pool to 8. Stipan takes 3, putting him at 10.]


day 2

Theophania doesn't know what to make of Cloelia's dedication to her new 'project', so spends the day watching her watching them. Hanna tries to make herself scarce, but winds up bumping into everyone. Stipan tries to convince the others that Hanna is plotting to take over the ship, but is reminded that they're in hyperspace, so taking over the ship would have no practical effect. Also, she can't fly it.

Damiana manages to corner Cloelia. "I'm not saying Stipan is right, but Hanna's dangerous. No one that young gets to where she is otherwise. We should all keep an eye on her."

"I dunno. I bet she's more scared than us behind that façade."

[d2

T 16 - Perception, 02 crit!
C 15 - Deceit 61
H 12 - Stealth, fail
S 10 - Influence, fail
D 8 - Influence, 40

Theophania wins. Her whispered insights to Cloelia deal damage to Hanna & Stipan: Stipan takes 2 damage (down to 5hp), Damiana takes 5 (down to 6hp).]


day 3

"Nooooo," pouts Theophania, "It's boring out there. Let's just stay in bed."

"But I've had such a grand idea! We're all going to make dinner and eat together. Trust me, this will make it a lot less tense. It can't fail!"

Miraculously, Cloelia is able to convince everyone to share a repast. Hanna endeavours to watch everyone for signs of weakness, but is too easily drawn in to Cloelia's little party games. Damiana relies on her charm school lessons to be pleasant with her inferiors. Stipan tries to stay focussed on his suspicions, but is out of his element and the wine may be going to his head.

[d3

T 16 - Influence, 30
C 15 - Influence, 47
H 12 - Perception, fail
D 6 - Courtesy, 41
S 5 - Willpower, fail

Cloelia wins again, doing 4 damage each to Hanna & Stipan; Hanna's down to 8hp, Stipan has 1 left.]


day 4

"You're awfully quiet this morning," says Cloelia.

"Lost in thought," says Theophania.

"I can tell. You always twirl your hair round your finger when you're thinking deeply... except when we're lying here, you've taken to twirling mine."

"Sorry."

"If it bothered me I'd have said. Credit for your thoughts?"

"I was just thinking... about us."

"Oh?"

"So, like... are we...?"

"Are we...?"

"You know..."

"Oh my dearest darling, you know I can't answer that question until you can ask the whole of it."

. . . . .

Hanna is alone in the lounge when Theophania and Cloelia emerge. "Thank the gods it's you," she says. "you're both far less uptight than the other two. I don't think they're really ever going to forgive me for... you know."

Stipan and Damiana do eventually arrive. Theophania uses her psi-powers to read everyone's emotional state (except for Cloelia's); the boredom and frustration they all evince conceal nothing deeper.

Cloelia tries to get everyone talking about Aretesi. "It's all kind of messy there, with the various power blocs and offworld corporations fighting all the time. Now, the main factions are..."

But no one really wants to listen. Hanna fidgets for a while, then excuses herself to her cabin. Damiana leaves next, having had about as much of that Clyteian's babbling as she can take for one day; she needs to play the long game, so no use wearing herself out now. Stipan isn't really interested either. But he permits himself a parting shot as he leaves.

"Hanna's using you two, you know, if it isn't obvious. She trying to turn you against us. Don't let her. Remember who she works for, and what she was doing when you met..."

[d4

T 16 - Empathy, 17
C 15 - Politics, fail
H 8 - Streetwise, 27
D 6 - Willpower, 23
S 1 - Influence, 21

Hanna wins this round, mostly by staying out of the way. A frustrated Cloelia takes 3 damage (down to 12hp)]


day 5

Theophania is still trying to figure out just what, exactly, Cloelia meant the other morning. Did she want her to ask her...?

Cloelia, for her part, is restless, wandering in and out of the lounge on the slightest pretext, hoping to find something to say to the others.

Hanna is convinced that Stipan is up to something, and observes him stealthily, but he doesn't go anywhere except the lounge and his own cabin.

Cloelia has convinced them all that one meal a day as a 'crew' is necessary for their cohesion, and no one has seen fit to argue. At dinner time, Stipan tries to get them talking about their plan for when they have landed on Aretesi, but has as little success as Cloelia in drawing them out.

Everyone retires early, leaving Cloelia and Damiana alone in the lounge.

"Trouble in paradise?" asks Damiana. "Sorry, but I think you two are a disaster waiting to happen."

[d5

T 16 - Insight, fail
C 12 - Insight, fail
H 8 - Stealth 20
D 6 - Insight, 24
S 1 - Oratory, fail

Damiana wins. She is tired of Stipan's shit, so does damage to him, leaving him at 0. She also damages Theophania & Cloelia: 5&3 damage respectively puts T at 11hp, C at 9.]


day 6

Theophania has almost asked Cloelia to make things official six times... almost. She doesn't want to ask until she's sure of her answer.

Cloelia has snuck off into the lounge again to see if there are any good snacks left. Theophania assumes she's checking up on the others. Or stress eating.

Hanna has been trying to get a private word with either of them, but didn't hear Cloelia moving about, and misses her chance.

But Damiana finds Cloelia on one of her forays into the lounge. "You've got to do something about Hanna before we arrive."

"I thought we all had an agreement."

"Easy for you to say -- you and lovergirl have guns. We've no such leverage, Stipan and I."

"Just drop it, kay? I'm not in the mood."

[d6

T 11 - Insight, fail
C 9 - Stealth 17
H 8 - Perception, fail
D 6 - Influence, fail
S 0 - x

Cloelia got a terrible roll but still won the round. She does 6 damage each to Hanna & Damiana reducing them to 2hp & 0hp respectively.

That was the last round of the conflict, so it's time to look at the results. There's no single winner with the schema I was using; the success or failure of each person's goal depends on how much damage they took to their Pool.

Pool reduced to 0

- Damiana gets no edge over Hanna; she'll have a -10% penalty on any further attempts

- Stipan wasn't sure where to start; -10% to further actions taken against his companions

Pool reduced to below half

- Hanna isn't seen as a threat by Theophania & Cloelia, but neither do they regard her as an ally

Pool above half

- Cloelia keeps the simmering tensions from boiling over (her Pool dropping below half would have resulted in an incident. Dropping to 0 would have made her directly involved in the incident, if not its instigator)

- Theophania gains some insight about Cloelia, but as they are at the same level it isn't a complete success.]

Theophania starts as the door opens and Cloelia stomps into their cabin.

"Nothing good left in the stores?"

"No... it's not that," sighs Cloelia, flopping heavily down on the bed. "I'm just tired of this vipers' nest. They aren't even trying to make the best of it, just jockey for position. It's exhausting! At least I can count on you for a safe haven."

She's leaning on me for support, not just out of boredom, thinks Theophania. I'll definitely ask her when we get to Aretesi. It'll be better, not to do it on the ship... when did I get so insecure?

At 12 hours until arrival, the 'crew' convene for one last dinner in the common area.

"So," says Damiana, "what are we going to do when we arrive?"

Stipan shoots Cloelia a didn't-we-both-try-to-raise-this-point-already look, but she ignores him.

"We should probably get to the planet first," says Cloelia. "And see if we can't turn some of these, er, objets d'art decorating the cabins into cash. I'm afraid all my currency was lost aboard the freighter."

"We should also try to get away from this ship," says Hanna. "Before it gets reported stolen."

"Must we?" asks Damiana. "This ship is Sunbeam corporate property."

"Is it, though? Did anyone make any headway with the computer?"

[Computer rolls for cracking security--

Stipan (50%): 87, fail
Theophania (46%), but at a Formidable (-40) difficulty since she was really just obsessing over Cloelia: 53, fail]

"I couldn't defeat the security measures," says Stipan.

"I, er, didn't get very far either," mumbles Theophania. "Now, when we land on Aretesi--"

"When was that decided?" interjects Stipan. "There's a refuelling station orbiting it--"

"And we have so much fucking cash on hand!" snaps Cloelia. [Influence 51% vs Willpower 45%: 96 vs 98...]

Her outburst cuts him short, but they both lapse into uncomfortable and embarrassed silence.

"So where shall I put us down?" asks Theophania. "The main port, a minor one, or somewhere rural so we can ditch the ship?"

[I made a quick 1d6 table to determine the NPCs' votes based on what their personality/deviousness/leanings seemed to indicate.

  maj. min. rur.
  --------------
C 1-3  4-5   6
H 1-2  3-4  5-6
D 1-5   6    -
S  1   2-3  4-6

And rolled 1,2,4,1...]

They go round the table, and everyone votes for the main port, including Theophania -- though she went last, as she was going to vote the same as Cloelia, no matter what.


Scene 12

Chaos: Out of control (d8)

Setup: arrival at 0403 Makif/Aretesi

NPC List: New Dawn, Sunbeam, Cloelia, SpecEx Hanna, Damiana, Stipan

Threads: long term-goal, short-term goal, Cloelia, Corporate War

[In the last scene, the Oracle decided that there would be a problem with the ship after arrival at the destination system. So,
Q: Does it occur immediately, or after contact with the planet? (1d6): 1-4 immediately, 5-6 afterwards: 1d6=2
Problem: Kill / Weather (=Life support failure)]

Some ships exit hyperspace more gracefully than others. There's always a bit of a wrenching sensation as the ship plunges through hyper-dimensions back into normal spacetime, but beyond that it's up to the ship. Bulk freighters tend to lurch, sleek space yachts tend to purr, whilst most civilian craft tend to vibrate for a greater or lesser time. But the vibrations usually last a few seconds, not two minutes.

"Oh shit, we're venting atmosphere!" shouts Cloelia even before the warning klaxons sound.

Cloelia puts on her own vac suit then assists all the others to get into theirs safely, naturally starting with Theophania but expending no less care on Stipan or Damiana: another testament to her orbital childhood. She sees that Hanna learnt how to suit up properly in the navy and leaves her to it.

[Cloelia made a successful Vac Suit (51%) roll to help the others. Neither she nor Hanna needed a roll to get suited up, and unless anyone tries anything acrobatic, no more rolls are needed.]

When Hanna is suited up she rushes down to the engineering section to run diagnostics and make repairs. She returns dejectedly to the bridge about 15 minutes later. "There is a major life support failure and a hull breech in the aft cargo section. I can't fix it with the tools onboard. It think it needs a major overhaul."

[Her Engineering (55%) roll was 00, critical failure, so it there had been a chance of fixing it, there isn't one now.

Q: What is the first contact they have over the comm? (1d12): 1-3 refuelling station, 4-5 main port, 6 minor (local) port, 7-9 faction military, 10 world military, 11-12 roll 2x: 10]

Other than automatic beacons, the comms stay surprisingly quiet until they hit Aretesi's gravity well, when the comm lights start flashing a priority communication and a trio of aerospace fighters appear on the scopes.

[The communication (via UNE): insane - illusion - current scene; they think the PCs ship is an enemy vessel and scramble fighters

Cloelia's Influence (51%) assisted by Politics (+12=63%): 59, success, but would have failed without the boost from her Politics skill.]

"Let me," says Cloelia and switches the comms over to her suit before anyone as a chance to argue. The voice on the other end (they can all hear the conversation but not interject) belongs to the rather improbably titled Sub-orbital Sub-commander of one of the Aretesian militaries. Cloelia and the soldier have a long argument back and forth (luckily she knows all about the situation on-world!), and although they eventually accept her explanations, they still insist on the fighters accompanying ship to the nearest port.

Theophania sets the ship down on the platform indicated, and everyone trades their vac suits for breath masks. Aretesi's atmosphere should have been human-breathable decades ago, but corruption and corporate warfare have slowed, if not reversed, the terraforming process.

They are greeted at the exit ramp by a unit of local soldiers who politely request they come out unarmed. Each must submit to a minor interrogation in a starport outbuilding, and they are released one by one. Hanna makes it back to the ship several hours after the rest, but no one is the worse for wear from the experience; neither Sunbeam nor New dawn are involved in the nearby conflict, so the locals lost interest in the new arrivals. Their ship, however, is grounded. Due to heavy fighting, no departures are allowed for the foreseeable future. They were lucky not to have been shot down.

[Q: Is anyone detained? Unlikely (5+): O6 C3 - yes, but... for only 1d30=3 hours
Q: Who? (1d6) 1 T&C, 2 D&S, 3 H, 4-6 everyone: 3]

Back aboard the ship, they are busy packing up anything portable and of potential value (mostly some old vases and odd bits of glass art) into the various suitcases and carry-alls aboard the ship whilst wondering about their next move.

[Stipan is up to something. He pits his Stealth (at +20%) vs everyone else's Perception. No one makes a successful roll, but as they are distracted and busy, his attempt succeeds.]

Stipan sneaks off to the bridge and sends a voice communication to the local Sunbeam corporate HQ over what he hopes is a secure channel. "Galle 9 has fallen. Section V Manager Damiana Manabat is a traitor. Have intel on a New Dawn military officer involved in the raid and two possible spies or saboteurs -- or at least witnesses. Headed to main port. Will contact further from there."


to be continued...

M-Space - Part 5 : Allies by necessity

Scene 10

Chaos: Out of control (d8)

Setup: to the ship

NPC List: station personnel, mystery antagonists, New Dawn contingent, SpecEx Hanna, parasites

Threads: long term-goal, short-term goal, freedom, Cloelia, station

[Getting back to the ship will also use Random Location Crafting; 50/50 chance for the small or large location column: 1d2=small]

T0 : expected - expected - none

The corridor outside the recreation area is dim, but there are no new signs of fighting.

"Everyone needs to move as quickly and quietly as possible," says SpecEx Hanna. "And if someone runs towards us, open fire immediately -- friendlies or no."

"Just a moment," says Damiana. "What's happening?"

"Maybe your scientist friend would care to explain."

"The quarantine breach... Oh, God..."


T1 : expected - none - none
T2 : expected - expected - expected

Unnerved by SpecEx Hanna's orders, everyone nevertheless obeys, and they begin moving swiftly yet silently forward through the dark station.

T3 : special - none - special
Loc: RETURN
Obj: THIS IS BAD (random) : Small, Hidden

At length they come to a T-junction, where passage area is sealed off by a manual pressure door. "We need to go through there," says one of the soldiers, glancing at a wristcomp holomap.

[Hard (-20%) Perception rolls are needed, only 2 characters make them]

"Stop!" shout Theophania and Damiana almost in unison.

Everyone freezes.

"There's something on the ceiling above the door," says Damiana, pointing.

"A proximity mine!" gasps the soldier.

"We need to double back," says SpecEx Hanna.


T4 : random - none - expected
Location: Aromatic, Personal

They backtrack, and alter their route. The new path to the ship takes them through a crew quarters section. First they move through a laundry station. Piles of dirty laundry, half-put into machines, still sit where they were abandoned at the start of the invasion.


T5 : random - none - expected
Location: Atmosphere, Artistic

From there they cut through a disused storeroom which was converted into an art studio. Several half-done paintings on easels surround a table with a bowl of commissary fruits arranged for a still life.


T6 : special - random - random
Location: EXIT HERE
Encounter: Busy, Evil
Object: Bizarre, Fuel

A lifepod station is across the corridor on the other end. [1d10-4=0] All ten pods have been launched. Tubs of paraffin are stacked by the entrance to one of the pods for some unaccountable purpose.

[Encounter is 1d6=5 parasite hosts. They are (1d12): 1-5 station personnel, 6-9 New Dawn troops, 10 freighter crew/passengers, 11-12 mixed (d10 for each): 7]

Five figures rush towards the group out of the gloom, New Dawn soldiers in combat armour. One of them has a rifle slung on their back, the rest are unarmed. Hanna shouts for her soldiers to engage and the rest to fall back.

[Q: Do they get away? likely : O2 C5 - yes]

Blaster bolts pound into the armour of the maddened soldiers. One of them leaps upon the handcuffed station tech, knocking him over. Hanna's soldiers keep firing. Everyone else is running.

The sounds of blaster fire behind the runners suddenly stop, followed by sounds of a scuffle. Then they round the corner at the next junction, leaving it behind.


T7 : random - special - expected
Location: Enclosed, Dry
Encounter: MULTI-ELEMENT -- expected, expected (Parasites, Station, New Dawn: 2d3=P&S)

[Q: Can they avoid the encounter? 50/50 (4+): O6 C5 - yes

Damiana needs to roll Willpower (61%) vs Loyalty (62%): 34 vs 95, will not intervene]

They run blindly through the dark station. SpecEx Hanna is hurriedly calling up the station schematics on her handcomp. They almost blunder straight into a group of parasite hosts savaging a pair of station personnel. Hanna says to keep going, and no one hesitates.


T8 : random - special - random
Location: Confusing, Bright
Encounter: EXIT HERE
Object: Important, Classy

[Exit Here = small docking area.

Q: What is beyond? 1 system shuttle, 2 hyperspace shuttle, 3 escape pod, 4 workpod, 5 small private ship, 6 sunbeam corp military lander (i.e. the cavalry): 1d6=5]

They come to a corridor with emergency klaxons blaring and flashing red lights. A high-security airlock entrance is set into the wall.

"What's this?" asks Hanna.

"What???" responds Damiana."

SpecEx Hanna looks up for a moment, then blasts the loudspeaker above their heads.

"What's through there?"

[Damiana once again check Loyalty vs Willpower: 81 fail vs 38 success, willpower (i.e. self-preservation) carries the day]

Damiana considers the question for a moment, then realises there's only one clear option for survival. "It's a way to save all our lives."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a ship. We can escape. but..."

"But what?"

"We need to come to an agreement first."

"I'm listening."

"We go to a neutral system, then all go our separate ways. No one's a traitor, everyone lives. Agreed?"

"Agreed. So how do we get to it?"

"We, er, need to open the security door."

"Don't you have clearance? Or whatever?"

"Not this level. Only the senior executives, and maybe security..."

"Dammit."

"I can bypass the lock, if you give me a minute," says Cloelia. "I'll need your handcomp, if you don't mind. And someone's ID badge."

[Cloelia needs a difficult Electronics (56-20=36%): 30, succeeds]

Cloelia uses the corer of Stipan's ID as a screwdriver to get into the access panel, then plugs in the handcomp and gets to work on running a bypass. Meanwhile Theophania and Hanna are standing guard. Hanna spots something a few metres away on the floor, and goes to investigate. It turns out to be a leather attaché case, still handcuffed to its owners arm. The rest of the owner is not present.

Damiana looks over to see what it is. "Ugh... but that might be important..."

No one moves to pick it up.

Cloelia stands back in triumph as the security readout flashes green, but the airlock door fails to open. She sighs and starts in on the manual release crank, which is now unlocked.

Beyond is a sealed landing bay containing a single small starship. Other than the flashing light coming in from the corridor, the bay is in complete darkness.

They quickly go inside to examine the ship by torchlight. It s currently powered down, and the entry hatch is closed.

[Q: Is the ship locked? likely (3+): O5 C2 - yes, and...]

Cloelia examines opens the access panel by the hatch, and looks deflated when she finds only a keypad beneath. "No way I'm opening this up without proper tools," she says. "ship hulls are made of stronger stuff."

"Maybe there's a clue in the case out in the corridor," says Damiana.

"That's probably just wishful thinking. I'll let us in from inside," says Theophania.

"Um, what?"

"Ssshhhh. I need to concentrate."

Damiana's silence is mere consternation. Theophania shines her torch through the viewport into the empty cockpit and stares. [Teleport 42% : 46, fail -1PP ; next round 34, success -4pp]

Damiana is opening her mouth to finally speak her mind when Theophania is suddenly not there.

Then the cockpit lights up with a reluctant flicker. A few seconds later the entry hatch slides open and the ramp extends. Theophania stands silhouetted against the open hatch. "We'll discuss this later. For now we need to get the hangar doors open and the ship moving."

"C-can any of us fly it?" stammers Hanna, walking up the ramp.

"I can," says Theophania. "Can anyone plot a course?"

[Q: Can Hanna? Doubtful (6) O6 C3 - yes, but... base skill level +10% (at this point I decided she needed her own character sheet; rolling up a PC without using life paths is pretty quick once you've made a few.]

"Fortunately, yes," says Hanna. "I learnt a bit of astrogation in the navy."

"I'll go out to open the hangar doors," says Cloelia. "Help me get into this vac suit. And promise not to leave without me!"

[Easy Vac suit roll to avoid mishaps (51+20=71%): 29, no issues]

As Theophania preps the ship for launch and Cloelia gets the bay doors open, SpecEx Hanna releases Damiana and Stipan from the binders. When Cloelia returns and is safely through the airlock, Theophania fires the manoeuvring thrusters to propel the ship out of the open ceiling.

[Q: Is there anyone on the New Dawn ship monitoring sensors? 50/50 (4+): O5 C6 - yes.

Sensor skill (60%) roll succeeds. Hanna also gets to make a Sensors (54%) roll, succeeding.]

"Shit," says Hanna from the co-pilot's chair. "The Vengeance is firing up her guns."

Theophania immediately makes evasive manoeuvres and rolls the ship. She fires thrusters as lasers streak past [their Gunnery (60%) vs her Pilot (37%): 17 (success) vs 04 crit!] and interposes the bulk of the station between her and any successive shots.

[Q: Pursuit? unlikely (5+): O3 C1 - no, and... might not be able to leave]

Theophania is braced to manoeuvre again, but the New Dawn ship never comes out from behind the station. "They must still be attached," offers Hanna.

[Q: Is the ship fuelled up? unknown d6=2: O6 C6 - yes

+EVENT: PC positive - Failure / A project : the destruction of the station after raid by opposing corp means T won't suffer fallout, and may even be considered for another mission if she runs into Olafemi again (noted for later)

The ship has Hyperdrive-3, 1d3=1 hex fuel]


Scene 11

Chaos: Out of control (d8)

Setup: space travel

NPC List: New Dawn, Sunbeam, Cloelia, SpecEx Hanna, Damiana, Stipan

Threads: long term-goal, short-term goal, Cloelia, Corporate War

Once they are well away from the station, Theophania calls a meeting a meeting in the lounge. She has Hanna put the sensor readouts up on the lounge screens in case of warnings or pursuit.

"So it looks like the ship didn't get re-fuelled before the station was attacked." says Theophania.

"Meaning...?" asks Damiana

"We've a rather limited range."

"Narrowed options are preferable," says Hanna. "Under the circumstances."

"Indeed," says Damiana. "So, where can we go?"

Theophania pulls up the sector chart on a screen. "We're here, at Aug, so using all our fuel we can only reach Makif and Audrima."

"Not much of a choice..." mutters Hanna. "I guess we're going to Makif."

"Not so fast!" says Stipan. "You're not still in charge, you know. We need to vote on it. Weigh our options carefully first."

"Be my guest. I'll let you lot debate this whilst I start plotting the course to Makif."

"I'd really rather you didn't."

"Why don't you all read the entries on both systems in the sector data and leave me to it. I'm not throwing my weight around and I don't claim to speak for all of you -- but there's no real choice here."

She wanders out to the bridge. The others watch her go in silence, then call up the data on the two systems. Each has but a single inhabited world. Eidiya (in Audrima) is a low-population, failed colony whose toxic atmosphere is slowly eroding the antiquated life support machinery. Aretesi (in Makif) is a failed terraforming project, and currently a hotspot for armed conflict -- but at least there's a refuelling station, and despite the ground wars, outsiders still find reason to visit for trade.

[Q: Any dissenters? unlikely (5+): O3 C1 - no, and...]

No one wants to spend weeks or possibly even years stuck on Eidiya waiting for a ship to come by with fuel for sale, so the vote is unanimous as Hanna had said.

[Navigation software? Level 1d6-2=1, +5%
H's Astrogation (40+5=45%): 25, ok]

Hanna plots a course for Makif. With the minimal fuel levels, she estimates travel time at 6 days.

[Q: Any unforeseen problems with the ship? Doubtful (6): O6 C1 - yes, and...
Q: Immediate? 50/50 (4+): O2 C2 - no, and... occurs after arrival in destination system
+Event: NPC action - Stipan - Communicate / Masses (he's going to try to send a message to his corp as soon as they are back in normal space (lacks Communication skill, so can't send from hyperspace))]

Within the hour, the ship has entered hyperspace. Theophania and Hanna emerge from the cockpit into the lounge to find the others all staring expectantly.

"Now that we're safely away," says Damiana, "I believe you have something you were going to explain to us..."

"I really want to hear this, super bad," adds Cloelia.

"Right," says Theophania, "that. It's, uh, just a thing. I can do. I dunno how. It's maybe genetic, but no one else in my family... also it was never in my doctor's reports. I've been told -- later, when I had it studied-- I can somehow project a psionic field around myself that allows me to slip a small distance through spacetime. It's just like any other kind of thinking, to me. I couldn't tell you how I do it, but I do it all the time. When I want to. Just one of the mysteries of the universe, or summat."

"Is there anything... else you can do?" asks Damiana.

"No, that's my one good party trick. And before you ask, I have to see where I'm going to end up or it doesn't work. It's embarrassing how many times I've locked myself out of my own flat."

[It's a hard (-20%) Deceit roll to convince the others with her halting explanation: (77-20=57%): 47

vs everyone else's willpower--

C&H fail; D 30, S 24; T wins the contest -- for now.]

No one is quite sure of the explanation, but they aren't sure asking questions will get them anywhere, so decide to keep schtum for the time being. Cloelia isn't sure she wants to know any more. In fact, she might like to forget...

After a few more moments of awkward silence, Damiana suggests they explore the ship and figure out sleeping arrangements. The ship has [2d6=] five cabins, one of which is larger than the rest. Cloelia pipes up almost immediately, saying she'd like to take the captain's suite since she and Theophania will be sharing, and it works out to less space per person than a private room. [simple Influence (51%) roll: 05, crit!] No one has any objections, and they're maybe even relieved that the logic of the situation works for everyone.

"I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds..." she says as they are looking through the cabin.

"Not at all!" says Theophania as she locks the door, and then decency requires we fade to black...


next post: hyperspace

M-Space - Part 4 : Capture

The prisoners are marched through some of the less-damaged corridors and finally into one of the station's recreation areas whose fancy carpet, mood lighting, and plush sectional sofas in conversation pits stand in absurdly high contrast to its use as the New Dawn troops' command centre.

[Q: Where are they taken? Location: Artistic, Modern]

The soldiers ask everyone's identity, then separate Theophania, Cloelia, and Miho from the station personnel and march each group off to a separate holding area. Theophania's group is placed on a sofa before one of the viewports, offering them a spectacular vista of Cha, the ocean planet round which Galle 9 Research Station orbits. Behind them stand two soldiers, anonymous in head-to-toe combat armour.

Cloelia fidgets in her seat for all of thirty seconds before the nervous question inside bursts forth. "What do you think they--"

Theophania presses her finger against Cloelia's lips. "Shhhh... they'll get upset if we talk."

Cloelia shrinks back into an anxious silence. Theophania is certain she sees one of the soldiers relax ever so slightly, relieved at not having to threaten the civilians.

Not long afterwards, a young woman appears, with two more soldiers in tow. Unlike her bodyguards, she's removed most of her combat armour, and -- more unusually, notes Theophania -- wears no rank insignia. She looks like she hasn't slept in days; there are deep circles round her eyes, her shirt is rumpled and coffee-stained, and more of her hair has escaped the bun she put it up in than currently remains.

New Dawn Special Executive Abigail Hanna
Background: Aspiring bourgeoisie or upper class
Role: Military, soldier, enforcer, law officer
Problem: A loved one is in trouble
Age: Unusually young for their role
Desire: They want an entirely different job
Trait: Paternalism

(full character sheet at the end of the post)

[UNE--
NPC Relationship: peaceful
Conversation Mood: cautious
inquisitive - demand - flaws]

"I'm SpecEx Hanna. Who are you then?"

"We two," says Theophania, "are passengers from the freighter that docked her an hour ago. She's crew."

"Whatever are you doing here?"

"Would you believe, just passing through?"

"And you just decided to take A quick peek in at a restricted facility?"

"We came here to drop off supplies," says Miho. "and trade vouchers for fuel for the trip out. When there was no answer, we docked to investigate. We're stuck here without fuel, so..."

"Of course. And your connection to Sunbeam Co-operative?"

"The same as our connection to every other -- they pay us to haul freight somewhere, we haul it."

"And what sort of supplies were you dropping off?"

"The usual -- food, spare parts, toiletries -- nothing exceptional."

[Meanwhile, Theophania is attempting to scan SpecEx Hanna with her psionic Empathy (42%): 30, success; the power costs 2 Power Points to activate (T has 16 to start)

SpecEx Hanna's general feelings & attitude : Helpfully / Dry = Distrustful. she doesn't particularly want to harm outsiders, but she needs to know they are who they say they are

Some die rolls for the interview--

Theophania needs to roll Deceit (77%); she's not really dissembling, but needs to avoid suspicion at all costs, so it seemed the most appropriate skill: 68, success

Miho is completely honest. Easy ship skill (Mechanic 65+20=85%) to prove she is who she says: 52, success.

SpecEx Hanna pits her Insight (65%) against them: 92, fail

Theophania keeps her Empathy scan up for the duration, so must spend 1d3=1 more PP.]

Cloelia decides to keep her mouth shut and let the others handle the interview. This is officially the most trouble she's ever been in. She's terribly curious about Theophania's reaction to it all. She has a sense that this isn't terribly unusual for her -- and would love to know why. Plus focussing on that little mystery is probably the only thing keeping her from pissing herself in fear...

Whilst Cloelia is lost in thought, the interview continues until SpecEx Hanna is satisfied. She tells the prisoners to sit and enjoy the view whilst she makes a decision. She dismisses their guards, but reminds them there is no way out except through a room full of soldiers, and that escapees are shot on sight.

"Don't worry," says Theophania when they are alone at the viewport, "I don't think she intends to keep us here long."

"Really? That's, um, optimistic," says Cloelia.

"She's professionally inscrutable," adds Miho. "How can you tell?"

"I'm good at reading people. We're just bystanders, and they've nothing to gain by offing us. Besides it'd be shitty for morale."

Cloelia slumps against Theophania in relief, and heaves a long throaty sigh as Theophania puts an arm round her shoulder. "Get a room," mutters Miho.

[Q: Are they held a long time? 50/50: O1 C1 - no, and...

+Event: PC negative - Abandon / Misfortune (the freighter crew will leave them behind)]

Minutes later a pair of soldiers come over, young women about the same age as SpecEx Hanna, but bearing private's insignia as is usual for soldiers of their age-bracket. "We're to escort you back to your ship now."

"The fuel?" asks Miho.

[Q: fuel? 50/50: O4 C3 - yes, but...]

"Only one trip's worth. No spares -- that stuff's expensive."

"Fine. Any word on the rest of my crew? Two more parties came aboard..."

[Q: Any word? 50/50: O1 C4 - no, but...]

"Sorry, they don't tell us anything."

The soldiers bring them back to the corridor where the fuel was left. Joerg's body has been removed, but a smear of blood marks where he fell.

"Sorry," says one of the privates, "you gotta push."

Miho takes the lead with one trolley, Theophania and Cloelia follow with the other. The soldiers bring up the rear.

[Q: Do they get back to the freighter? likely: O2 C7 - no
Q: What now? (1d6): 1 firefight, 2 ship breaks away, 3 ship breaks away damaging station, 4 quarantine problem, 5 random event, 6 roll 2d5: 1d6=3]

The soldiers have a map of the station up on an handcomp, and occasionally call out a direction at a juncture. Miho follows their directives, the only words spoken on the trip back towards (she hopes) her ship.

There's an ungodly noise as the seal on the docking ring ruptures. The freighter's mooring thrusters fire, and the huge vessel smashes against the side of the station. The impact reverberates down the length of the corridor and the crumpling metal screeches like a dying beast. The emergency lights flicker and a wind picks up as the section begins decompression.

Theophania's group stop short, waiting for the auto seals to kick in, but the wind grows stronger, and with it the knowledge that the seals have failed to engage.

"We need to get to a pressurised area!" shouts Cloelia.

[Getting to a safe area requires a test of either Athletics or Brawn, augmented by the other of the two (i.e. there is a bonus equal to twice the critical success rating of the secondary skill). The difficulty begins at Easy (+20%) and increases each turn if the roll is failed.]

Theophania, Cloelia, and Miho push themselves along the wall back past the soldiers [rolls succeed] who, in their momentary panic, are trying to walk straight up the corridor against the wind [rolls failed].

Miho and Theophania shout at the two to get down and crawl, and grab their hands to pull them to safety [rolls succeed with extra Augments from C & M]. Cloelia already has the cover off the manual crank for an iris valve and begins turning it furiously almost before the soldiers feet are clear.

"Lucky... I grew up on... a station," pants Cloelia once the valve is safely shut. "Those safety drills... become ingrained..."

"Th-thanks for helping us," says one of the soldiers.

"No worries," says Theophania. "I guess you're taking us back, now..."


Scene 7

Chaos: Out of control (d8)

Setup: dealing with New Dawn, again

NPC List: ship's captain, crew, passengers, enemy agents, fugitive, station personnel, mystery antagonists, New Dawn contingent, SpecEx Hanna

Threads: long term-goal, short-term goal, freedom, Cloelia, station

[Q: Did one of the station crew mention that Theophania had a delivery for someone here? Likely (3+): O4 C6 - yes]

SpecEx Hanna looks [Partially / Graceful] faintly bemused to see them return. She has Cloelia and Miho escorted back to the viewport, but takes Theophania aside by herself.

[UNE--
NPC Relationship: peaceful
Conversation Mood: neutral
knowing - history - rewards]

"You've been less than forthright," says SpecEx Hanna.

"Ah. yes. It didn't seem pertinent to bring up. I'm in the same relation to Sunbeam Corp as the freighter crew, just at an exponentially smaller order of magnitude. It was a simple courier job. And before you ask, other than the name of the recipient, I don't know any more than you do. I don't even know what was in the suitcase. I was just going to drop it off and continue on to Parra."

"Parra? What's there?"

"Never been, so... novelty?"

"I see. But what I don't see, I think you'll understand, is that this freighter was already bearing a corporate consignment for the station. So if someone engaged a private courier, I must ask myself: to what purpose?"

"I was to make sure it didn't get lost or intercepted."

"Anything else?"

"I can give you my contact's name if you want it. That is, the name she gave me."

"I see. That won't be necessary. Now I'm going to have to hang onto you for a little while longer. I can't risk your involvement being more than you say [prejudiced - reputation - friends]. Once we've dealt with the freighter situation, I'll decide what's to be done with you."

"And my two, er, shipmates?"

"I don't know yet. I'm not terribly concerned about the mechanic. But the other one -- I get the sense you're a package deal."

"We only met aboard. Keep me if you must, but let her go."

"I'm going to keep you both for the time being. I can't risk it."


Scene 8

Chaos: Out of control (d8)

Setup: d8=Interrupt (was: waiting)
Interrupt: Ambiguous event - Expose / Goals

NPC List: ship's captain, crew, passengers, enemy agents, fugitive, station personnel, mystery antagonists, New Dawn contingent, SpecEx Hanna

Threads: long term-goal, short-term goal, freedom, Cloelia, station

Theophania and Cloelia are brought under guard to [Full, Quiet] a tiny (seats 24) 3-d cinema room, where [1d3=3] Stipan, Damiana, one other station crewman are already being held. Other than the crude bandage on Stipan's upper arm where he had been shot, they seem unhurt.

"Huh," says Cloelia, "I wonder why they're holding us here, of all places?"

"There's nothing in here but seating," says Theophania. "In case we get any bright ideas."

[Q: Are the station crew injured? unlikely (5+): O2 C5 - no (except from earlier). Damiana had attempted First Aid (26%): 83, failure - his arm is still useless.]

"What was all that commotion?" asks Damiana. "It sounded like a bomb went off."

"Not sure," says Theophania, "but something happened to the freighter. A whole section of the station vented atmosphere, and the emergency seals failed to engage."

"Where's your friend?"

"Trying to contact the freighter for our hosts, I presume."

"Oh. What're you going to do now?"

"Sit here and do nothing until they send for me. Maybe get some kip."

"How can you be so calm?"

"Histrionics don't seem terribly productive."

"And your friend?"

"Sleep sounds heavenly," says Cloelia, yawning. "It's well past my bed time."

"You two do realise we're all prisoners... and only for as long as they think we're still useful. Now, if you help us, when the cavalry arrives, I'll be sure to see you're rewarded for doing the right thing." [friendly - shelter - current story]

"And just what," asks Theophania, "makes you so sure the cavalry is actually on the way?"

"This station represents a very substantial investment. The work we're doing here is truly revolutionary."

"This has something to do with the quarantine breech, doesn't it?"

"Well, yes."

"What's so special about this research, then. What are you doing here?"

"I'm afraid I can't divulge that information unless you sign a non-disclosure agreement."

"You want my help getting out of here or not?"

"All right, you have a point. The research involves...

[Q: What? (1d10) 1 biological warfare, 2 chemical warfare, 3 mind-control drugs, 4 attack aliens, 5 parasites, 6 psi, 7 cybernetics, 8 q-tech, 9-10 she refuses to answer but it shows up (roll 1d8)]

...genetic engineering. Of alien parasites."

"To what end?"

"Certain... ummm... military applications."

"Such as?"

"The intent is to turn enemy soldiers into friendlies."

"The intent...?"

"We haven't gotten much past the turning point."

"Meaning...?"

"The hosts currently regard everyone as hostiles."

[Cloelia needs a Willpower (39%) roll to keep her mouth shut: 44]

"That's revolting!" shouts Cloelia. "And probably unethical!"

[Damiana needs a Loyalty (passion, 62%) roll to tow the party line: 94]

"We can discuss the moral implications of research once we are far away from this place. For now, we need to escape."

"Until they let us out of his room," says Theophania, we're kind of stuck. Unless they decide to up sticks and leave us behind."


Scene 9

Chaos: Out of control (d8)

Setup: d8=Interrupt (was: waiting)
Interrupt: NPC action - SpecEx Hanna - Imprison / Competition

NPC List: ship's captain, crew, passengers, enemy agents, fugitive, station personnel, mystery antagonists, New Dawn contingent, SpecEx Hanna, parasites

Threads: long term-goal, short-term goal, freedom, Cloelia, station

Theophania is finding it hard to actually fall asleep stretched out on the floor, but finds comfort in the weight of Cloelia's head on her chest and her soft, regular breathing; she'd passed out almost immediately from exhaustion.

Damiana ordered the two station personnel to try resting as well, but the constant creak of fidgeting in the theatre seats tells Theophania they are having as much success as she is.

. . . . .

"Rise and shine, campers!"

Theophania opens an eye to see that SpecEx Hanna has returned with [1d3=] a pair of fully-armoured soldiers. She's put on the rest of her armour as well.

"Put those three in binders," she orders.

"My... my arm," winces Stipan.

"Bind their wrists together, then."

The soldier complies, binding Stipan's left wrist to Damiana's right. The third station crewman gets his wrists handcuffed normally.

"Right, let's go," says SpecEx Hanna. "You're officially our prisoners. We're going to take you to our ship, but there's a little detour we need to make first."

"Wait," says Theophania, "what about us?"

[Q: What does she intend? Neglect / Emotions]

"I'm not bothered. You're free, I suppose."

"But we need to get off this station. What if we surrender to you?"

"But you aren't with Sunbeam Corp." [knowing - telling - retainers]

"No, but we're stuck here otherwise. Unless the freighter is back."

[Q: Is it? unlikely (5+): O3 C1 - no, and...]

"It isn't. And I don't believe it will be."

Cloelia will try to roll her Influence (51%) against Hanna's Willpower (43%): 02 crit vs 35 normal success, Cloelia prevails]

"Please," says Cloelia, in her most scared and pathetic voice, "I'm just a passenger. Don't abandon me here to die."

SpecEx Hanna sighs. "Fine. Come with us, both of you. I guess we can use an extra couple sets of hands."

One soldier prods Damiana with a carbine. She and Stipan head out. The rest follow.

[Q: Anyone left in rec area? unknown d6=6: O2 C5 - no]

The recreation area is now completely deserted. All the military hardware is gone too, leaving only the detritus of the soldiers' mealtimes.

Theophania looks at SpecEx Hanna quizzically. "Weren't there some soldiers here just a little while ago?"

"I sent them on ahead to clear the way back to our ship." [scheming - plan - rewards]

"And Miho?"

"Your mechanic? She took her freedom and ran... said something about escape pods."

"What about our equipment?"

"Uh, you can have your weapons back... I think they're still here. "Just remember whose side you're on." [friendly - promise - antagonist]


next post: escape!

SpecEx Abigail Hanna

STR 11  CON 10  SIZ 13  DEX 12

INT 15  POW 14  CHA  9

DB -    Ex -   Init 14  Luck 3

Homeworld: 0005 Kaltizoul/Carrizc

Culture: Rural/Ironden (mining colony)

Career: prof-starship pilot (ex-navy astrog/sensors)

Passions: Loyalty to Corporation 49% (New Dawn Zaibatsu),  Desire order 69%,  Hate homeworld 59% (Carrizc)

Standard Skills: athletics 33%,  brawn 34%,  deceit 39%,  endurance 45%,  evade 39%,  first aid 42%,  influence 33%,  perception 69%,  stealth 42%,  vacc 42%,  willpower 43%

Professional Skills: astrogation 40%,  comms 45%,  demolitions 34%,  engineering 55%,  mechanics 42%,  sensors 54%,  streetwise 48%

Combat Styles: Military Officer 53% (blaster pistols, rifles, carbines),  HtH Expert 48% (small blade, unarmed)

M-Space - Part 2 : Space adventure

"We've been out of hyperspace for, what, a good hour now?" says Cloelia. "Why haven't we docked?"

"Shall we go and find out?" asks Theophania.

"Let's do."

Despite the uncertainty, Theophania is somewhat elated at the delay. She still hasn't decided what she is going to tell Cloelia about having to deliver a package to some scientist on the research station. Or been back to her cabin to make sure it's still there...

Scene 3

Chaos: Average (d10)

Setup: arrival
d10=Altered

NPC List: {Friend}, {Enemy}, ship's captain, crew, passengers, enemy agents

Threads: long term-goal, short-term goal, deliver the item, Cloelia

[Alteration: problem with arrival -- Quietly / Lacking : no response when hailing station

Q: Does the captain/crew try to stall? likely (3+): O2 C6 - no.

N.B. Being in possession of a full character sheet, Cloelia will count as a PC from a Mythic event standpoint, even though I'm still sort of running her as an NPC -- at least where Theophania is concerned. I'm adding a Thread about her for this reason.

Also, Cloelia is an independent (probably) and was interested in (or after) the package for her own reasons (again, probably), so there is a chance that one of the other passengers currently onboard was the enemy agent that Olafemi was worried about. To this end, I gave both Theophania and Cloelia Perception rolls to notice anything suspicious on the ship... at a difficulty of Formidable (-40%) as they were a bit preoccupied. Needless to say, they both failed their rolls.]

Most of the passengers have collected in the dining area, and are harassing the stewards for news. Captain Nikolaidis himself makes an appearance to defuse the situation.

"I'm sure it's nothing, just a communications problem. But we are unable to dock without clearance. I'll provide further updates when we have them. Until then, please enjoy our hospitality."

[Q: Is there another update before the passengers get antsy? 50/50 (4+): O1 C2 - no, and...
Q: How many kick off? 1d%=74% of them =17]

His words trigger a spate of shouting, and loud arguments with the crew. Most of the passengers seem intent on pillorying the captain, so Theophania and Cloelia go back to their cabin and listen through the open door.

[Q: Does anything transpire nearby? 50/50: O6 C10 - yes : Imprison / News
Q: Everything kept under control? likely (3+): O4 C3 - yes, but...]

One of the passengers is demanding to know what's really going on, screaming that the Captain is lying to them. Two crew members try to calm him down, and they wind up in a scuffle. One of the crew gets a bloody nose, but fortunately the veteran spacers are able to restrain the man and forcibly confine him to quarters.

Theophania and Cloelia just giggle amongst themselves. The crew look over peevishly, and Theophania stabs the door close button with her finger. More laughter ensues.

[Q: Do the captain & crew eventually get things under control? likely (3+): O3 C5 - yes -- but chaos increases.]


Scene 4

Chaos: Out of control (d8)

Setup: d8=Interrupt (was: passenger meeting)

Interrupt: NPC action - captain - Excitement / Illusions

[The captain thinks he sees someone signalling from the base by flashing lights in a window -- but it is actually just reflections on the exterior hull.]


Scene 5

Chaos: Out of control (d8)

Setup: passenger meeting

NPC List: {Friend}, {Enemy}, ship's captain, crew, passengers, enemy agents

Threads: long term-goal, short-term goal, deliver the item, Cloelia, station

At the beginning of the third hour, Captain Nikolaidis announces over the PA that everyone should assemble in the dining area. Before leaving the cabin, Cloelia tucks a tiny blaster pistol into the top of her boot, well hidden under her long skirt. "Just in case," she says.

[She needs a formidable Insight roll to gauge T's reaction: 55-40=15%: 35, no idea]

She's a bit worried what Theophania might think at the sight of the pretty little gun, but all she gets in reply is a non-committal, "good idea."

Theophania is inwardly cross for not knowing the blaster was in the cabin this whole time, but feels better knowing it's there now. Maybe she should be cross with herself for trusting Cloelia too easily...

All the passengers (save one) are present, and they have calmed down considerably. [mood is Generously / Good]

"The comms may still be down," Captain Nikolaidis informs them, "but we saw someone signalling, so we will dock. It could be a delicate manoeuvre, so all passengers should remain in quarters, preferably belted in, until further notice. There are instructions above each bed on how to deploy them as acceleration couches."

The passengers all file back to their cabins, most too worried to speak.

"I don't wanna get in a crash alone," says Theophania. "Think the belts will work if we both crawl in?"

"Well, we know it fits you," smirks Cloelia.


Scene 6

Chaos: Out of control (d8)

Setup: docking at the station

NPC List: {Friend}, {Enemy}, ship's captain, crew, passengers, enemy agents, station personnel, mystery antagonists

Threads: long term-goal, short-term goal, deliver the item, Cloelia, station

Cloelia and Theophania are lying side-by-side, strapped into Cloelia's bed-cum-acceleration-couch, still giggling over the absurdity of it all.

"Ya think this will really protect us in an emergency?" asks Cloelia.

"As long as we don't lose atmosphere in the cabin..."

"Shouldn't they have passed out emergency vac suits to the passengers?"

"On a licensed passenger liner, they would have..."

The ship docks with a suspiciously heavy jolt. Seconds stretch into aeons as they lay together in silence, the Captain's voice finally comes over the intercom.

[Q: Any problems docking? Doubtful (6): O6 C5 - yes
Negligence / Technology : the pilot is careless and damages the docking ring

It will hold for (1d10) 1 seconds, 2-3 minutes, 4-8 hours, 9-10 days: d10=hours

Q: Are there obvious problems inside the station? unknown d6=2: O6 C2 - yes, and...
Adventurously / Creepy : emergency power & lighting only, signs of combat -- think Aliens or Death Station

Q: Is the entry corridor blocked? 50/50: O3 C4 - no, but... it was at some point

The Captain must make an Oratory (at base+10%) to convince crew to venture in: 69, no]

"Will disembarking passengers please convene in the dining area? Without your baggage."

Besides Theophania (and Cloelia, who tags along out of curiosity), [1d00=44%] 9 other passengers assemble to hear out Captain Nikolaidis.

"I'm afraid we don't know what is going on on the station, but there seems to be an incident. There is only emergency lighting beyond the airlock, and... rather a lot of clutter. We can't go anywhere until we refuel, so I need to send some of my crew inside to ascertain the situation. If anyone knows the station, and would be willing to help..."

[Q: Does anyone? unlikely (5+): O2 C6 - no]

After a moment of silence, Theophania speaks up. "I don't know it, but I volunteer to go. I need to find someone."

"No one special, I hope," murmurs Cloelia.

"No, pet, I just need to make a delivery."

[Q: Other volunteers? 50/50 O6 C7 - yes]

Theophania goes back to her cabin to retrieve her blaster. She finds everything as she left it.

[Q: Has the package been disturbed? unknown 1d6=5; O3 C2 - no, and...]

There are twelve volunteers in total: Theophania, Cloelia, [1d6=] 3 passengers and [2d6=] 7 of the crew. Captain Nikolaidis makes thirteen. He divides them into three groups. All the crew wear holstered blaster pistols, and the captain issues a single blaster carbine to each group. Everyone is handed a torch and a wrist commo.

[C&T in group 1d3=2. Captain in group 1d3=3

group 1: 3 crew 1 pssgr
group 2: C,T, 2 crew
group 3: Captain, 2 psg, 2 crew]

Theophania and Cloelia are put in a group with two of the crew, a no-nonsense mechanic named Miho, and a sullen cargo handler named Joerg. The Captain hands [d2=] Joerg the carbine, but it's clear that [d2=] Miho is in charge.

Miho Okonkwo (f)
Background: Common labourers or cube workers
Desire: They want a promotion in their job
Trait: Pessimism

Joerg Shvedov (m)
Background: Aspiring bourgeoisie or upper class
Desire: They want answers about a past trauma
Trait: Filiality

[Both of them have stats as a Technician (The Triton Incident, p.30).

Exploration was handled with the Random Location Crafting rules in Mythic Magazine #2, which continues to be my go-to tool for area generation.

It's a big, empty, creepy station, so Expected encounters will be treated as None until the party start running into... whoever. Due to its size, I'm using the Large column for Locations.

Rather than rolling Regional Descriptors, I used the SWN results from the system generation tables:

Galle 9 (Research Base)
Occupation: Scientists from a major local corp (Sunbeam Co-operative)
Situation: Perilous research underway]

The three groups advance as one through the docking ring and into the station. The corridor beyond the airlock is dim. Pools of near-darkness are broken up only by distantly-spaced emergency lights. Theophania notes the "clutter" mentioned earlier by the Captain is either a half-completed or half-destroyed barricade made of mess room furniture. Or did he mean the dislodged ceiling or hanging wires? Or blaster burns on the walls.

T0 : expected - random - none
Encounter: Hidden, Negative

After 20m they come to a junction. Theophania's group is sent down the side corridor.

[Formidable (-40%) Perception checks are needed to spot the hidden encounter; I interpret Negative to mean it won't make itself known if they miss it. Unsurprisingly, no one makes the roll, though Theophania only misses it by 1 percentile.]

The side corridor is the same gloomy affair as the main one. Miho leads the group very slowly forward, unnerved by the amount of blast marks in some sections. At one point Theophania thinks she sees something in the ceiling behind a grate, but then Cloelia treads on a cable and yelps in surprise, distracting her.

T1 : expected - none - none

T2 : expected - expected - expected

The dark corridor curves onward interminably. There are occasional piles of ruined furniture, but no signs of life. Miho tests her wrist commo, and gets nothing but static. "I guess we're on our own," she says.

T3 : special - expected - random
Location: Roll twice -- expected, random (Empty, Meaningful)
Object: Single, Loud

They reach another junction. A smaller side-passage leads off to the right, and an infirmary is situated to the left. The door is open, with the door mostly recessed into the wall-housing. There are no patients inside, nor any signs of occupation, but a blinking computer panel casts red light onto the wall behind it, accompanied by an annoying tinny sound.

[Q: Signs of recent occupation? 50/50: O1 C7 - no

Q: Medicines left? 50/50: O4 C7 - yes]

Miho motions for Joerg to go in first with the carbine, but the infirmary proves to be deserted.

"Let's see if this will tell us anything," says Theophania as she sits down at the computer terminal. Meanwhile Cloelia and Miho look through the cabinets and into the closet as Joerg guards the door.

"Doesn't look like anyone was here for a while," says Miho. "It's all still neat and tidy. How're you coming with the computer?"

[Theophania needs an Easy (+20%) computer roll to take stock: 46+20=66%: 16, ok.

Using the hacking rules in the M-Space Companion, the computer seems likely to have an effective INT of either 10 or 15; 1d2=10.

Trying to hack it pits its system (INTx5=50%) vs her skill (46%): 60 vs 75, both fail, but she can't easily get in.

Q: What does the alert say? UNE:mysterious - obscurity - enemy]

"Well," says Theophania, "I acknowledged the alert to turn off the noise, but that's about it."

"What'd it say?"

"Uh, 'quarantine breach'..."

"Shit. Can you unlock it? Find out what's going on?"

"Not easily."


T4 : Random - none - expected
Location: Reassuring, Natural

They go back to the corridor, following the main passage. They soon pass a door that's been blasted open. Humid air and the heavy smell of damp soil wafts out into the corridor from the enormous open space beyond, the station's plant garden (both recreation and oxygen-reclamation facility). Miho motions for them to check it out.

[Q: Door open? O6 C2 - yes, and...

Hard (-20%) Perception rolls for clues: Theophania makes her roll, Cloelia and Miho fail, Joerg fumbles

Q: What does T discover? Efficiently / Ancient]

"Any idea why they blew the door off?" asks Miho quietly.

"Not really," says Theophania, "but look here, stamped into the dirt. Bullet shell casings -- a lot of them."

[Joerg manages to stand in the way of a second clue.

Q: Any bodies or blood? unknown d6=4: O6 C6 - yes

+Event: PC positive - T - Attach / A plot -- something about the situation on the station will result in another decent job/mission/adventure

Q: State of the bodies? Mechanically / Delicate

Q: Destroyed by bullets? 50/50 (4+): O1 C8 - no]

"Oh-- oh, god," gasps Cloelia. "What's that over there?"

"It looks like bodies..." says Miho.

No one makes a move towards it, so Theophania decides she'll take a look at the forms lying in the dirt beneath a flowering bush.

"It's just a couple of station robots," she says to collective sighs of relief. "Looks like they were shot up with blaster fire."


T5 : expected - expected - expected

T6 : expected - expected - special
Special: COMMON GROUND: Treat this as an Expected Element. Eliminate three Progress

They exit through the rear of the garden, moving deeper into the station. The corridors are almost completely dark, with several of the emergency lights having been shot out.

T7 : Expected, PP-6 - random - expected
Encounter: Delightful, Frightening

They turn a corner to find a figure silhouetted against the pool of light shining over a furniture barricade. It raises a hand and stomps towards them, waving a pistol...


next post: some secrets revealed

M-Space - Part 1 : I first met that dear one

Theophania gazes out the shuttle's porthole at the surface of Inah falling away beneath her. The barren landscape is dotted with blue-grey city domes whose patterns remind her of the eyes of some gigantic arachnid. A gigantic, disappointed arachnid who is staring at her most accusingly. Right, time to check her itinerary.

Her passage has been booked on a bulk freighter, of all things, which was improbably christened the Petunia. The trip to Parra is expected to take about 15 standard days (hyperspace travel being impossible to gauge precisely), including a stopover in 0303 Aug for refuelling. She has a suspicion that her delivery is bound up in the lack of details about the stopover; she'll have about six days to study the mission particulars so isn't particularly bothered about them right away.

What is immediately important is a trip to the space station market level. One never can be sure there'll be anything decent to drink on these sorts of voyages, so it's best to stock up with a bottle or three. Theophania also wants to get a big container of gilso powder; she'd never heard of the stuff before coming to Inah, but now she can't countenance breakfast without it.

When she arrives at the docking tube, she hands her baggage over to a bot, and mills about with the other passengers, waiting for the steward to show her to her cabin. She doesn't take much notice of her fellow travellers; she'll have more than sufficient time in hyperspace to take stock of them. But as she blankly follows the steward and baggage-bot to her cabin, one of the passengers watches her with uncommon interest...

[The foreshadowing is merely for the sake of narrative. I didn't roll the Scene Alteration that introduces this passenger until Scene 2, so they didn't yet exist.

NB : Scene 1 of the adventure was played with Stars Without Number rules, then I switched to M-Space.  I'd actually figured out Scene 2's start before pausing the game to hunt for a new system.]

Scene 1

Chaos: Average (d10)

Setup: leaving on the freighter

NPC List: {Friend}, {Enemy}, ship's captain, crew, passengers, enemy agents

Threads: long term-goal, short-term goal, deliver the item

[Q: Any problems leaving the system? unlikely (5+): O4 C4 - no, but... port encounter

+Event: Introduce a new NPC

Both the Event and the Encounter were stricken from the narrative. Avoiding pickpockets in a crowd with a good perception roll is a non-event, and the NPC (constantly angry corporate exec) never came into play as a more interesting one came to the fore. I also excised the crew's astrogation rolls.

Q: What is the ship like? Enormously / Fat = bulk freighter

It has 15 crew and up to 25 passengers: (2d4+2)x10=90% full - 23 passengers

Q: Anything unusual happen aboard? unlikely (5+): O1 C6 - no]

Once secured in her cabin, Theophania glances over the mission details (deliver the package to a certain scientist at Galle 9 Research Base) and crawls into bed with a bottle.

. . .

When she eventually emerges from her cabin, Theophania discovers the freighter's dining facilities to be much better than she'd imagined, the equal of any cheap passenger liner.

Captain Nikolaidis is there, making a point to greet each and every passenger, but his eyes don't match his smile. He's well past his prime, and should probably have retired by now. He must owe the Company a fortune for them to keep him on here, Theophania surmises.

[The captain:

Reza Nikolaidis
Age: Unusually old for their role
Desire: They want to leave their current life
Trait: Curiosity

Q: Do any passengers stand out? certain (2+): O5 C7 - yes
d6=f, Swiftly / Lovely]

Theophania forces herself to make polite conversation with the other passengers, but her heart isn't in it, and she's still a little drunk, so her chances of spotting an enemy agent are close to nil.

The only person who stands out is a fashionably-dressed woman in ostentatious-yet-tasteful jewellery. She is alternately breezing through the crowd, interrupting conversations with well-chosen bons mots, asking favours of the captain as if they were old school chums, and just generally, as the expression goes, using up all the life support.

[Wis/Notice 13+ for first day: 8, no (I'd planned to reduce the difficulty by 1 each day)]

Theophania makes a hasty exit to avoid getting caught up in the socialite's wake.


Scene 2

Chaos: Average (d10)

Setup: transit
d10=Altered

NPC List: {Friend}, {Enemy}, ship's captain, crew, passengers, enemy agents

Threads: long term-goal, short-term goal, deliver the item

Alteration: ADD A CHARACTER = passenger takes interest in Theophania

Cloelia Kavelin
Background: The elite of this society
Role: Criminal, thug, thief, swindler
Problem: Romantic failure with a desired person
Age: Young adult
Desire: They want answers about a past trauma
Trait: Curiosity

[Q: Does she have some idea about the package? 50/50: O4 C2 - yes, and... wants to steal it
Q: Is her information reliable? unknown d6=1: O5 C7 - yes]



Theophania decides she can't bloody well spend the whole trip in her cabin -- not at the rate she's going through those bottles. It's time to brave the passenger lounge.

The lounge is actually quite pleasant: low lights, wooden bar (probably synthetic), a holographic piano player. It's quiet this time of the 'afternoon'. Perhaps Theophania had better try acclimating to the ship's clock if she doesn't want to be out-of-synch when they reach Aug.

In addition to the bored-looking steward, there are only three passengers present. Two business types at the bar discussing the intersystem stock market, and a young woman who keeps smiling and glancing over in Theophania's direction. Her fair skin is flushed pink from whatever she's been sipping through a straw, and she is immaculately made-up for someone with 3cm of brown roots peeking out below her light blonde hair. She's much shorter and more full figured than Serafina, to whom Theophania is most certainly not comparing her... and now she's walking over to Theophania's table.

"Hi. Travelling alone? Me too. If you maybe wouldn't mind some company...? It'd make the trip go faster." [friendly - happiness - friends]

"Please," says Theophania, indicating the seat next to her.

"So, I gather you're not from Inah."

"What gave it away?"

"Oh! I just realised how awful that sounds. I meant, I sound so obviously Clyteian -- it's the way I say my Rs, especially -- and you didn't tell me to get lost."

"I'm from Vigdis. I wouldn't have blamed you for guessing it."

"Were you on Inah long?"

"Longer than I intended."

"Oh?"

"There may have been a girl involved."

"Oh... I'm Cloelia, by the way."

"Theophania."

"It's very nice to meet you."

They are soon chatting away pleasantly. Cloelia talks a lot about travel. It's plain she does it all the time [prejudiced - view - experience]. But Theophania is by nature suspicious, and has every reason to be cautious whilst on a job.

[C's Deceit (70%) vs T's Insight (64%): 24 success vs 90 failure, Theophania has no idea what's up]

What's she up to? thinks Theophania as they natter on. She seems genuine. That smile isn't fake. Is she flirting? Her glances linger, when her eyes aren't... elsewhere. Now she's offered to refill my drink at the bar. I think she wants me to watch her sauntering away... and coming back. I'm sure those top two buttons weren't undone before she got up. She keeps touching my arm when she laughs. Now her hand's on my thigh... she does keep her nails short... is this girl an enemy agent, or angling to become my rebound? Or both?

[I made Cloelia her own full character sheet; not only was it extra practice with Lifepath character generation before converting Theophania, but I thought it would make for a more interesting run through of M-Space's Extended Conflict rules.


Cloelia Kavelin

STR  5 CON 12 SIZ 12 DEX 12
INT 14 POW 12 CHA 16
DB -1d2 Ex +1 Ini 13 Luck 2

Homeworld: 0104 Clytie/Astynar
Culture: Orbital/Delta-7 (military space station)
Career: Thief

Passions: Loyalty to Quartermaster (home station) 58%, Desire shiny things 64%, Despise the military 46%

Standard Skills: conceal 54%, deceit 70%, evade 34%, influence 51%, insight 55%, perception 60%, stealth 56%, vac suit 51%, willpower 39%, zero-g 34%

Professional Skills: commerce 88%, electronics 56%, lockpicking 54%, politics 55%

Combat Styles: -

Extended Conflicts can be nearly anything where two sides (sometimes more) are pitted against one another. The rulebook provides examples for situations as varied as boating through a storm, poker games, chases, dinner parties, and more.

They essentially run like combats. Each side has a Pool (hit points) derived from one or more attributes, and each conflict Round is a resisted skill test with the winner inflicting 1d6 damage on their opponent. Victory conditions vary, but reducing the opponent's pool to 0 to determine a winner is the standard.

The current Extended Conflict is a fairly simple contest. Cloelia is trying to use her charms to distract Theophania into dropping her guard long enough to get at the secret package. Cloelia's pool is equal to her Charisma (16); Theophania is resisting with Intelligence (18). If Cloelia wins, I'll use the oracle to figure out what she does to the package; if she loses then she won't have an opportunity.]

[Round 1]

Theophania still isn't sure about her new friend's true intentions, but also doesn't really care. It's either see where this leads, or mope in her stateroom for the duration of the trip.

[Cloelia is trying to worm her way in, pitting her Influence (51%) vs Theophania's Willpower (62%): 44 vs 33 - both rolls succeed, but Cloelia has the higher result so wins the contest. Theophania takes 1d6=5 damage, dropping her pool to 13.]

Theophania decides to be honest with herself. There's no doubt about where this is leading. But that does mean she can't use her psionics to probe this charming creature, no matter what suspicions she may harbour. Powers of the mind and affairs of the heart don't mix; she'd learnt that lesson the hard way.

[Round 2]

The conversation drifts as they exchange untruths. It's no longer really about what's being said, or what's being concealed. It's just an excuse to smile at one another.

[They both roll Deceit (Cloelia 70%, Theophania 77%). The rolls are 83 (failure) vs 63 (success), so Theophania wins. Cloelia takes 1d6=3 damage, reducing her pool to 13.]

Theophania tells a good tale, interspersing details from old cover stories with insignificant events from her actual life.

An announcement comes over the ship's intercom that dinner will be served in the main dining area, and both women realise they'll need more than a stomach full of liquor to see this through.

[Round 3]

The change in surroundings disrupts the flow of their little tête-à-tête. When the serving bot brings their food, Cloelia abruptly begins discussing the news of the sector, just to have something to say. Her interlocutor appears ever-so-politely bored by it...

[Cloelia uses her Politics (55%) against Theophania's Endurance (35%): 40 vs 27, both succeed, but again C has the higher roll; Theophania takes 1d6=1 damage, leaving her with a pool of 12]

...and realises she needs to make the next move.

[Round 4]

"Hey, there's a dance in the lounge after dinner," says Theophania. "Wanna check it out?"

"Sounds fun."

[Theophania's Dance (38%) vs Cloelia's Willpower (39%): 22 success vs 95 Failure; Cloelia takes 1d6=6 damage! Her pool is now at 7, which is under half, so any further CHA-based skills become Hard (-20%)]

They hug awkwardly (too brief? thinks one; too close? thinks the other) and rush off to their respective cabins to put on their glad rags.

Theophania shows up to the dance in a dress that was probably intended as a slip. Cloelia is in black velveteen with a plunging neckline and short skirt. She's daubed herself in translucent powder, so the changing lights on the dance floor cause little scintillations across her face, and shoulders, and décolleté.

The music in the lounge is popular, terrible, and to neither woman's taste, but at least it has a rhythm. Cloelia dances with a slow and heavy grace whilst Theophania slithers round her sinuously.

[Round 5]

During a slow dance, Cloelia whispers in Theophania's ear. "This is fun and all, but how about we go back to yours..."

"I, um, I'm sure your stateroom is nicer..."

[Influence vs. Influence (C 51-20=31%, T 43%): 70 vs 74, both fail their rolls, so neither takes damage]


[Round 6]

Shit, wonders Cloelia, is she on to me?

[C's Insight (55%) vs T's Deceit (77%): 32 vs 61, Cloelia takes 3 damage, down to 4hp]

It's best to be safe. And there are still 5 days left before they arrive at Aug. Cloelia pulls back from Theophania, and takes her by the hand. "Back to mine, then..."

[What happens next, dear reader, doesn't involve any die rolls, and is, furthermore, none of your nor my business, so we will continue the Extended Conflict the following day (ship's time).]

[Round 7]

"Mmmmmmm... you were right," says a sleepy Cloelia. "The coach class bed would've been far too small. Fancy some breakfast... um, lunch? You should probably change first. We can stop by your cabin on the way."

[Cloelia's Influence (with the penalty to CHA skills, so 51-20=31%) vs a Formidable roll against Willpower since Theophania will be hard pressed to say no (62-40=22%): 66 vs 95, both fail so no damage]

Theophania's cabin really is quite cramped, leaving Cloelia no way of snooping. Theophania doesn't shut the fresher door when fixing her hair, either.

[Round 8]

They have space cocktails for brekkie. The kind with vegetables thrown in for nutrition.

[Both roll Endurance (C 24% vs T 35%): 09 vs 24, oops: Cloelia takes 4 damage to 0hp, losing the Conflict.]

Cloelia feels the liquor going to her head already, and says that maybe they'd better take some food and go back to hers for a picnic and a nap. She'd much rather be holing up in her cabin with her new friend than nosing round her poxy baggage, anyway!

Theophania, for her part, wastes no time in bringing all her clothes and her toothbrush over to Cloelia's cabin....


next post: space adventure (for real this time!)