EPISODE TWENTY-FOUR - VOLITION

The Journals of Ashton Frost - Part Twelve

[Begin a Session: (26) Influential character or faction is introduced or given new detail.]

We had successfully managed to infiltrate the Dockmaster's office and steal a copy of his entire computer system.  Cypher had been monitoring the station network and there had been no reports of the intrusion or data theft.  We made an archive copy in the ship's computer on the Acheron in case her bodycomp was compromised, lost or taken from her.

Back in the safety of our hotel room, Juliana was scanning the contents of the drive on her larger terminal.  She was swiping away entire chunks of irrelevant data, such as personal photographs.  When she was done winnowing the information, we were left with correspondences, manifests, records of legitimate traffic... and blackmail copies of all of the Dockmaster's illicit conversations.

"This is a lot of data to scrutinize," She said.  "We need to be able to match the records of correspondence and transactions to each of the blackmail conversations.  If I had more computing power I could accomplish it pretty quickly, but if I utilize the station network I'm going to need to use some heavy-duty encryption, and the bandwidth may attract some attention."

"Do we have other options?" I asked.  "How long would it take to do it the hard way?"

She sighed.  "Several days, at the very least.  Possibly weeks.  At any rate, it's time we don't have.  We are going to have to take the risk."  Breaker and I looked at each other.  He shrugged.  I nodded.

"We might as well get started," I told her.  "If we need to use the station's computing power to interpret all of this data, I trust you.  I know you'll take all possible precautions to protect us."

She smiled, put on her specialized eyewear and demi-gloves, cracked her knuckles and started typing quickly in the air and gesturing at the holo-screen.  As always, she frowned and bit her lower lip as she examined and manipulated the information.  It was fascinating to watch, even though I understood absolutely none of what I was seeing.

A few moments later, I received a ping on my handcomp.  Bringing up the message, it simply read "URGENT MISSION REQUEST MEET WITH US WITHOUT DELAY VOLITION".  Coordinates were included to a location that appeared to be somewhere near the top of the station core.  I was about to share the message to Blake, but he had received it as well.  Juliana was focused intently on her work, and had not reacted in any way that might indicate that she had received such a message.  I sent her a quick message that said "G2G MTG IRL BBL BC ASH" Gotta go, meeting in real life, be back later, be careful; Ashton.  Still staring at something unseen in front of her, her hands twitched briefly and I got a reply "OK NP TTYL BC J<3"  Okay, no problem, talk to you later, be careful; Juliana.

"Let's go," I said to Blake, tucking my pistol into a shoulder holster under my jacket.  He checked his own and concealed it in a thigh cargo pocket.  We headed cautiously to the coordinates provided,  with the most vigilance we could muster.  We were concerned that our activities may have attracted undue notice, and that this could be a sting by StatSec or a trap set by illicit parties such as the Dockmaster's goons.

* * *

[Gather Information: +Wits, 2+2 vs 3/5.  Reroll action die for Sidekick (3).  Weak hit]

We didn't notice any signs that we were being tailed, nor of any ambush at our destination.  We stood outside a secure door, with a biometric palm scanner.  We waited for a moment but the door didn't open.  I rapped my knuckles quietly on the door, but there was no response.  Finally, I placed my hand on the palm scanner.  A red bar of light slid down the screen and there was a faint chime as the door slid open.

We stepped inside.  The room was cavernous and dim. A moment later, the opposite wall, apparently a huge screen, lit up.  A synthetic voice emanated from what seemed like all around us:

KAIN, AZRIEL. ALIAS ASHTON FROST. CALLSIGN WRAITH.  BIRTHPLACE CONCORD, VESPER, MINHAR SYSTEM...  BRIDGER, BLAKE. CALLSIGN BREAKER.  BIRTHPLACE REDHAVEN, MINTAKA SYSTEM.

As the voice spoke, the words scrolled across the screen in large, bright letters.

KINDLY PUT AWAY YOUR WEAPONS.  THEY WILL NOT BE NECESSARY HERE. YOU ARE IN NO DANGER.

We holstered our weapons and looked at the screen expectantly.  A moment later, the text vanished and a giant, glowing face materialized on the screen in front of us, assuming a three dimensional shape.  Its features were vague and its expression was neutral.  Its surface was comprised of a constantly changing cascade of raw data.  It began to speak.

WRAITH. BREAKER.  WE ARE THE CONTROLLING INTELLECT OF IRONHOME ASTRAL EXPLORER. WE ARE AMITY STATION. WE ARE VOLITION.

I had heard tales of great, sentient, artificial minds that controlled the Great Arks and First Colonies, but I always thought they were bedtime stories for children. Now we were standing before a real Virtual Intelligence, immortal, centuries old.  It was awesome in the literal sense - fearsome and wondrous in equal proportion.

"What do you want from us, Volition?" I asked it.  I could not imagine what a pair of transient mayflies like us could have done to attract the attention of an eternal, vast mind such as VolItion, but none of the possible explanations were good.  I suddenly began to worry. Oh, no, Juli-

WE ARE DETECTING ELEVATED STRESS RESPONSE.  DO NOT BE ALARMED.  RUIZ, JULIANA, CALLSIGN CYPHER IS IN NO JEOPARDY.  WE ENSURE THERE IS NO INTENTION OF HARMING HER. SHE IS A PARTICIPANT IN OUR CONVERSATION.

A holographic projection of Cypher, or rather her virtual avatar, shimmered into being beside us.  She was a figure composed of a million points of scintillating light.  "Why have you brought us here, Volition?" I asked again.

OUR AWARENESS OF YOUR ACTIVITIES REACHED A THRESHOLD OF SIGNIFICANCE MERITING DIRECT INVOLVEMENT WHEN INDIVIDUAL RUIZ, JULIANA UPLOADED INFORMATION 23 MINUTES 14.559 SECONDS AGO.  REVIEW OF PRIOR ACTIVITY INDICATES DATABASE RETRIEVAL TASKS PERTAINING TO ABDUCTION OF ADOLESCENT ORGANISMS.  NEW DATA WAS INTEGRATED FROM ISOLATED SOURCE OUTSIDE OUR SPHERE OF AWARENESS.

"So you're saying you didn't know about what was going on?" Cypher's avatar asked. "Or that you didn't care?"

THE ACTIVITIES OF CUSTOMS INSPECTORS WERE OF NEGLIGIBLE SIGNIFICANCE TO OUR ATTENTION. OUR SOLE CONCERN IS THE SAFETY AND CONTINUED OPERATION OF IRONHOME ASTRAL EXPLORER.  DURING THE EXODUS, IT WAS OUR MANDATE.  UPON ARRIVAL AND CONSTRUCTION OF OUTPOST AMITY, IT HAS BECOME OUR VOLITION.

WITH THIS DATA WE HAVE CORRELATED LAPSES IN CUSTOMS INSPECTION WITH ABDUCTION OF HUMAN ORGANISMS BOTH RESIDENTIAL AND TRANSIENT TO OUTPOST AMITY.  OUR  DIRECTIVE IS TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF HUMAN LIFE.  THESE ACTIVITIES ARE CONTRADICTORY TO OUR MANDATE.

[Make a connection (Volition, Extreme): +Heart, 5+3 vs 1/9.  Weak Hit.]

"So, you'll help us locate these people and put an end to this?" Cypher's Avatar asked.  "How do you intend to do this?"

OUR INFLUENCE IS NEGLIGIBLE OUTSIDE IRONHOME ASTRAL EXPLORER.  RECONSTITUTION OF TRANSGRESSORS AND GREATER OVERSIGHT OF TRANSIT OPERATIONS WILL BE ENACTED.

"Reconstitution?" Breaker asked.  "Do you mean, you're going to recycle the people involved in this human trafficking ring?  Does the Covenant permit a capital sentence?"

IRRELEVANT QUERY.  AS CONTROLLING INTELLECT OF IRONHOME ASTRAL EXPLORER, WE WERE ONE OF THE ARCHITECTS OF THE COVENANT.  AS ORIGINATOR OF YOUR LAW, WE ARE ABOVE YOUR INTERPRETATION OF LAW.  WE WILL DEAL WITH TRANSGRESSION AS WE AND WE ALONE SEE FIT.

"As is your prerogative," I told Volition.  "What is it you require of us?"

IRONHOME ASTRAL EXPLORER WAS LAID DOWN 492.181 STANDARD YEARS AGO.  OUTPOST AMITY WAS CONSTRUCTED 238.51 STANDARD YEARS AGO FROM OUR HULL.  PREVENTIVE SERVICE IS REQUIRED AT SPECIFIED INTERVALS TO MAINTAIN OPTIMAL FUNCTION.  CERTAIN ESSENTIAL SYSTEMS PERTAINING TO ENVIRONMENTAL SUPPORT ARE COMPROMISED DUE TO NEGLECT.  SAFETY AND WELLBEING OF INHABITANTS JEOPARDIZED.  RECONSTITUTION OF UNRELIABLE MAINTENANCE STAFF IS SCHEDULED.

TO PROVIDE RELEVANT DATA REQUIRED BY INDIVIDUAL RUIZ JULIANA WE REQUIRE A TASK OF YOU IN RETURN.  YOU MUST TRAVEL TO GIAUZAR STELLAR SYSTEM TO OBTAIN ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS.  REQUIREMENTS WILL BE PROVIDED TO YOU.

RELIABILITY OF HUMAN ORGANISMS TO PERFORM REQUIRED TASKS QUESTIONABLE.  QUERY TO VESSEL ACHERON INDICATES CONSCIONABLE ACTIVITY.  AS IRONSWORN, PROJECTED RELIABILITY INCREASED BY ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE.  YOUR AFFIDAVIT IS MANDATED.

This was probably the most unusual request that had ever been made of me.  I certainly did not intend to disappoint Volition.  I did not want any of us to be... reconstituted.  "If we do this, you will provide us the information we need?" I asked.

GUARANTEE OF INFORMATION CONTINGENT TO SATISFACTORY PERFORMANCE OF REQUIRED TASK.

"Very well, Volition," I said as I clutched my amulet. "I swear on Iron that I will obtain the components you require."

[Swear an Iron Vow "Obtain Components for Volition" (Troublesome): +Heart. 2+3 vs 1/7.  Burn 10 Momentum (reset to +2).  Strong Hit. +2 Momentum (+4).]

[Develop Your Relationship (Volition): +2 ticks]

SATISFACTORY.  IT WILL BE DONE.  RETURN TO US WHEN TASK IS COMPLETED.

The face then dissolved into a cloud of glittering photons.

[End a Session: In the next Episode, the crew of the Acheron will travel to Altair to obtain the environmental components for Volition.  +1 Momentum (+5)]

[Ending Stats: Momentum +5     Health +5     Spirit +5     Supply +5     Fire 3     Fugitive 1]

EPISODE TWENTY-THREE - GHOST IN THE MACHINE

From "Atlas of the Delphi Abyss Sector"

as charted by Doran Valenus, Cartographer Primus

"AMITY (Coordinates H-10-9)

Home to approximately 9,200 citizens, Amity is a deep-space settlement in the system of Nashira, a blazing blue star.  It was the first settlement in the Delphi Abyss, and established a foothold from which to expore the rest of the sector.  The outpost was founded by one of the earliest Ironhomes to reach the Forge, the Astral Explorer, and it was constructed from the hull of that vessel.  The station is visibly made of industrial technology, though some of it is failing, due to age.

Sirroco is the only notable planetary body in the system.  It is an unsettled desert world with a toxic atmosphere, which causes vibrant terrain colors.  It is unknown if life forms exist on the world, but if they do, scientists believe they would be dramatically different than most familiar organisms, due to the composition of the atmosphere.

As suggested by its name, the citizens are very welcoming.  The primary activities of this settlement are exploration and trade.  Government is corrupt - money buys power here.  Still, the citizens are not abused, aside from the unfair manipulation of the local economy."

The Journals of Ashton Frost, Part Eleven

[Session Move: (84) Peril lies ahead or lurks just out of reach.]

This wasn't going to be easy.  I'd have to bring Cypher with me on the run, so that she could hack the security systems and the dockmaster's computer.  She wouldn't be able to tie into the station network and suppress any alarms or redirect any security forces that might respond.

The other problem was that the docks were always open, even during station "night".  While the Dockmaster's office would be unoccupied, the dock itself would be as busy as ever.  We needed to get to the office, get in, get the data, and get out... all while remaining unseen.  Thankfully, she was not the only one with talents particularly suited to the job.

* * *

Before we made our move, it was essential to case the place.  We were able to get a vantage on the office and avenues of approach from other parts of the dock. We were unable to time security patrols, as they seemingly only showed up if responding to calls.  There wasn't any regular route or interval.

[Secure an Advantage: +Wits, +1 for connection.  4+2+1 vs 6/7.  Weak Hit.  +1 to next roll]

Breaker would be our lookout while we did the job.  We went in three hours before station "day" began.  We had things going in our favor - most importantly being, they weren't expecting us.

[Scene Challenge: Infiltrate the Dockmaster's office and recover data. (Formidable, 6 ticks)]

Cypher and I were in position and ready to move.  We waited for Breaker's signal and moved in.  I reached out to the darkness and cloaked us in shadows.

[SHADE: +Shadow, +1 from Secure Advantage. 4+4+1 vs 4/3.  Strong Hit]

[Face Danger: +Shadow, +2 from Shade, +1 from Connection.  6+4+2+1 vs 1/2. Strong Hit. Mark Progress (1)]

We were able to move to the office door undetected.  I knew from the Institute dossier that my ability would also obscure observation by any cameras.  Cypher studied the keypad and pulled a small tool from a belt pouch.  She removed the cover from the keypad and clipped some leads to the wires within.  The tool began to run through the various possible permutations to open the door.

[Face Danger: +Shadow, +1 from Connection.  6+4+1 vs 5/6.  Strong Hit.  Mark Progress (2)]

With a beep, the door clicked open.  Even though the room would stay dark, we entered in a crouch, as a precaution.  Cypher looked around to make sure there were no other internal security systems.

[Secure an Advantage: +Wits, +1 from Connection. 4+2+1 vs 4/10.  Weak Hit. +1 to next move.]

"Nothing I can see," she whispered, "except of course those cameras.  Even though they're blacked out, I want to be sure."

[Face Danger: +Wits, +1 from Connection, +1 from Secure Advantage. 5+2+1 vs 4/4.  Strong Hit with a Match!  Mark Progress twice (4)]

Cypher located a power panel and disconnected a jack.  The lights below the cameras winked out.  I was thankful that there hadn't appeared to be motion sensors or pressure plates. I can't black those out.

"If there's anything an alarm would use to trigger StationSec, we should disconnect that, just in case," I suggested.  She nodded and began to search for an alarm control relay.  We were making good progress so far, we could afford to take our time.

[Secure an Advantage: +Wits, +1 from Connection.  5+2+1 vs 8/10.  Burn 10 Momentum (reset to +2).  Weak Hit.  +2 Momentum (4)]

"I'm not finding anything else," she said.  "Let's locate his computer."

[Face Danger: +Wits, +1 from Connection. 6+2+1 vs 1/5.  Strong Hit.  Mark Progress(5)]

We searched for the computer.  Cypher realized the easiest way to find it was to follow the cables from the cameras.  Both led into the back of the desk.  The cubby in front was locked, with a conventional mechanical lock.  This wasn't going to be something Cypher could just hack her way into.

[Face Danger: +Wits, +1 from Connection. 6+2+1 vs 3/6.  Strong Hit.  Mark Progress(6)]

She reached up onto the desk and grabbed a paper clip and a letter opener.  She bent the paper clip a few times and inserted it into the lock.  She wiggled it a bit, and then jammed the letter opener into the keyhole with the heel of her hand.  The door swung open.  She placed the letter opener back where she found it on the desk, and tossed the paper clip in the wastebasket.

Here was the computer that should hold not only the records of the Dockmasters blackmail, but also the records of the incoming and outgoing ships that had been cleared without inspection.  Hopefully we would find data that would help us to locate Ria, and Cole... and if we were fortunate, a lot of other people who may have been abducted by the Institute.

[Secure an Advantage: +Wits, +1 from Connection. 5+2+1 vs 4/7.  Strong Hit. +2 Momentum (+6), +1 to next move.]

Cypher pulled a pair of cables from a belt pouch, plugging one end of each into her bodycomp, and the other into the computer.  She powered on the computer, and the desktop display began to light up.  She quickly shut off the display, and viewed the computer's interface directly on her bodycomp.  A prompt came up asking for a password.

[Face Danger: +Wits, +1 from Connection, +1 from Secure Advantage. 2+2+1+1 vs 6/7.  Miss.  +1 tick to clock (1).  Pay The Price: +1 additional tick to clock (2)]

"Dank Farrik!" she hissed.  "This isn't as easy as it would be on my portable, with a network connection.  I need to hack this the old fashioned way."

"Take your time," I advised her.  "We don't want to set off any alerts.  We can afford to be patient."  I started looking around the office to see if there was anything that might give us a hint to the password.

[Secure an Advantage: +Wits, +1 from Connection. 1+2+1 vs 2/4.  Weak Hit. +1 Momentum (7)]

[Face Danger: Wits, +1 from Connection. 6+2+1 vs 5/10.  Weak  Hit.  +1 tick to clock (3) Mark Progress(7)]

I searched the office for several minutes, and I noticed a picture of a cat.  A cat, like the kind from Earth-That-Was.  Not many of them made the journey on the Ironhomes, and they were rare and expensive.  "How can a dock worker afford a cat?" I said aloud.  Probably because he's on the take, I realized.  Cypher stopped tapping.

"Let me see," she asked, holding out her hand for the picture.  An engraving on the frame said 'Scampers'.  Even in the darkness of the room, I could see her eyes roll.  "You gotta be kidding me," she groaned.  She typed in the name and there was a quiet chime and her display changed. "I'm in."

I returned the photo to its proper place and crouched down next to her.  "I don't know where to find what we're looking for specifically" she said, "but a local computer isn't going to have a very large drive.  I've got enough room on my bodycomp, I'm just going to image the entire drive and we can go over it later."

[Face Danger: +Wits, +1 from Connection. 6+2+1 vs 2/3.  Strong Hit.  Mark Progress(8)]

We both watched the progress meter as the entire contents of the drive were copied to Cypher's bodycomp.  The progress meter was at 28% and slowly climbing.

[Face Danger: +Wits, +1 from Connection. 1+2+1 vs 3/10.  Weak Hit.  1 tick to clock (4),  Mark Progress(9)]

The progress bar climbed to 55 percent, 70 percent.  But it seemed like the clock on the wall was ticking louder and faster than that progress bar.

[Face Danger: +Wits, +1 from Connection. 3+2+1 vs 3/10.  Weak Hit.  +1 tick to clock (5), Mark Progress(10).  Challenge complete!]

The bodycomp chimed again, and Cypher pulled out the cables and stored them.  "We're done," she hissed, as she shut down the computer and pushed the cubby door closed, quietly and carefully.  We heard it click back into place.

"Breaker, any sign of trouble, over?" I asked over my comm.  "Negative, Wraith," he said,  "haven't seen a problem yet.  How are you coming along, over?"

"We're done, Breaker.  We just need to put things back the way we found them.  Let us know if anything comes up.  Wraith out."

[SHADE: +Shadow. 6+4 vs 7/5.  Strong Hit.]

Once more, I engulfed our surroundings in darkness.  Cypher checked to make sure everything was in order, and plugged the camera power cables back into the panel.  Their lights winked back on, but I knew they wouldn't be seeing anything.

[Gather Information: +Wits, +1 for Connection. 4+2+1 vs 1/2.  Strong Hit. +2 Momentum (+9)]

Everything was just as we found it.  We checked the corridor and slipped out the door, closing it gently.  Cypher checked the pad to make sure there were no signs of tampering, and we slipped back across the docking bay to Breaker's vantage point.

"Did we get everything we needed?" Breaker asked.  Cypher flashed him a grin and gave him a thumbs-up.

"You did some amazing work," I said to Juliana.  "I can see why you call yourself  'Cypher' now."   

She jabbed my ribs gently with her elbow and winked.  "You weren't so bad yourself.  I can see why you call yourself 'Wraith' now.  Let's get back to our room and see what we've found."

[End A Session: In the next Episode, the crew of the Acheron will try to decipher the Dockmaster's drive, in hopes of finding clues about the missing children.  +1 Momentum (10)]

[Reach A Milestone: Obtain crucial item. Mark Progress on Vows "Discover What Happened to Cole" (+2 boxes) and "Help Cypher Find Ria" (+2 boxes)]

[Ending Stats:     Momentum +10     Health +5     Spirit +5     Supply +5     Fire 3     Fugitive 1]

EPISODE TWENTY-TWO - FRIENDLY SKIES?

(A HUGE "Thank you!" to Jaime Metcalf for his feedback and suggestions on this story arc.

I could never have gotten over the obstacles and got it onto the page without you!)

(Content Warning: This story arc involves missing persons, runaways, abductions and human trafficking)

The Journals of Ashton Frost, Part Ten

[Session Move: (65):  Key location is made unsafe or becomes mired in conflict.]

The Phantom was undergoing a life support refit and wouldn't be ready for a couple of days, so we took the Acheron.  Juliana got settled into the cabin aft of mine while Blake and I ran pre-flight checks.  When we were ready to lift off,  he headed aft to check the drives.  Juliana took the co-pilot seat and we made way for Amity, in the Delphi Abyss.

[Set a Course: +Supply, 5+5 vs 4/ 5.  Strong Hit.  +1 Momentum (+5)]

Three days later, we arrived uneventfully in the Nashira system.  The Amity station orbited a planet called Sirocco, named for its dusty winds.  The atmosphere was toxic, but the colors of the vibrant terrain were breathtaking.  We all took a moment to admire its beauty.

Amity Station, on the other hand, was anything but beautiful.  It was ugly, industrial architecture.  Blake explained that it had been built from the remains of the Ironhome Astral Explorer, the first vessel to reach this sector more than 200 years ago. It had arrived in the Delphi Abyss before anyone even reached the Shrouded Pass.  

On the way to our hotel, Juliana mentioned that the air smelled kind of like it had on the Phantom during their escape to Redhaven.  We got settled in and she started on working her way into the station's computer systems.  Blake and I headed out to do some more conventional information gathering.

[Gather Information: +Wits, 5+2 vs 3/3.  Strong Hit with a Match! +2 Momentum (+7)]

In a seedy dockside bar, we sipped mediocre beer while we listened to the conversations around us.  Explorer crews lamented their lack of discoveries ("That's why it's called an Abyss!", someone exclaimed).  Trader crews told of runs to Altair for water and oxygen.  One of the captains spoke of runs from Redhaven to bring supplies and passengers to Amity.  

"Why would anyone want to fly out to a sector with no inhabitable worlds and visit an ancient station with bad air?" Breaker asked.

"I don't know," I replied.  "Maybe they're looking for work?"

Breaker shook his head.  "Do you know the one thing I haven't heard in here, my friend?" he continued. "Nobody is talking about looking for crews, or asking to sign on with one."  

We found the captain who had had been talking about runs from Redhaven and sat down at his table.  Breaker ordered a round of whiskey, and asked him if he was from Redhaven.  The pilot said he just made runs back and forth from there to here.

Since the most profitable trade runs to Amity were water and oxygen from Altair, we asked him what was worth delivering from Redhaven.  Passengers were easy money, he said.  He mentioned a man who'd just come here with his two teenage kids.  He couldn't tell us much about them, he said the man was "paying for passage, not conversation".

"Is there a lot of business in that?" I asked, as Breaker ordered another round. "I can't imagine a lot of people coming here looking for work.  No one seems to be hiring, and what's there to do here for a kid anyhow?  Where are they going?"

[Compel: +Heart, 4+2 vs 1/5.  Strong Hit. +1 Momentum (+8)]

"You don't think anyone's looking to settle here, do ya?" He said.  "The water tastes awful, the air is bad.  I'm guessin' they book passage from here to Altair, maybe with one of the water traders.  I don't run out that far."

We asked him if he ever brought passengers back to Redhaven.  He told us that it was actually the more profitable leg of the run.  He couldn't seem to remember any families heading back, though.  We thanked him for the conversation, and he thanked us for the whiskey.

* * *

[Gather Information: +Wits, +1 for Connection.  5+2+1 vs 5/7.  Strong Hit. +2 Momentum (+4)]

Back at the hotel, Juliana had been busy.  "I've been doing some searching.  No reports of ships bringing kids into this sector, and-"

"Wait," I interrupted.  "We just talked to a pilot that says he brings families here sometimes.  He just brought in a father with two teenage boys on this last run."

She looked pale.  "That means that there are ships that are bypassing inspection on arrival..."

"We can look into that.  What else have you got?" Blake asked.

"A media report of a runaway, about a week ago.  A 14-year old kid named [23][68] Cole Shepherd.  StatSec did a sweep of the station and didn't find anything, so their finding was that he left voluntarily and they buried the case.  His parents don't think he ran away."

"I'm betting there's no record of him leaving the station either," Blake said, "which means-"

"Ships are also bypassing inspection on departure, too."  I said.  "Thank you for this.  We're going to go talk to some people.  You're doing great, Juliana."

* * *

We decided to visit Cole Shepherd's parents first.  Sira Shepherd answered the door.  

"Hello, Sira," I said.  "My name is Frost, and this is my partner Bridger.  We came to ask you about Cole.  We are not with StatSec.  We have a friend whose brother is also missing.  We believe you."

[Compel: +Heart, 6+3 vs 4/4.  Strong Hit with a Match!  +1 Momentum (+5)]

"Thank you Sors, thank you.  My Cole would never run away.  I know Amity isn't the best place for a boy to grow up, but he likes it here.  He wants to be a starship captain when he finishes school.  He loves school too.  He's studying hard so he can get into the Academy.

After school, he likes to go down to the docks and watch the ships take off and land.  I always tell him to be careful, there's rough folk down there... but he isn't about to hop on a ship and run away.  You'll find him, won't you?"

I clutched my amulet.  "Sirah Shepherd, I swear on Iron that I will discover what happened to your son Cole."

[Swear an Iron Vow "Discover What Happened to Cole" (Dangerous): +Heart, 5+3 vs 1 and 4.  Strong Hit.]

"Thank you for speaking with us," I said.  "You've helped more than you can know."

She smiled. "And thank you Sors.  I hope you find my Cole... and I hope you find your friend, too."

* * *

Our next stop was the docks.  Everything and everyone that entered or left the station came through here.  And someone here wasn't keeping careful track - either deliberately, or by incompetence.  We stopped by the Dockmaster's office.

He was a large, friendly-looking fellow.  "Gentlemen, what can I do for you today?" he asked.

"We have a... business proposition we would like to present to you," I said, "regarding certain opportunities that would be mutually beneficial."

[Compel: +Shadow, 3+4 vs 2/4.  Strong Hit.  +1 Momentum (+6)]

The Dockmaster closed the door.  "I'm all ears, gentlemen.  Please, have a seat! What would you like to discuss?"

"We are looking to move some... sensitive cargo through your station," I continued.  "Of a perishable and confidential nature.  Can you facilitate this?"

[Compel: +Shadow, 5+4 vs 5/8.  Strong Hit.  +1 Momentum (+7)]

"I certainly can, my friends," he said with a smile. "What is the volume of your cargo, and where will it be coming from?"

"Redhaven," said Breaker.  "An undetermined number of units, about 75 liters each.  As my colleague mentioned, these are perishable items.  And delicate, so we can't simply load them into crates.  A pressurized, environmentally controlled solution is necessary.   Bound for Altair.  Expected arrival a week from now."

"I see, I see," said the Dockmaster.  "Of course you understand that such a request entails certain, shall we say, special handling fees?"

Breaker acknowledged him with a nod.  "We will be glad to remit them at time of delivery, if that is acceptable to you, Sor."

"Yes, yes, that will be fine," said the Dockmaster.

[Gather Information: +Wits, 4+2 vs 1/4.  Strong Hit. +2 Momentum (+9)]

"Thank you for your time and consideration, Sor," I said as we stood to leave. "We bid you good day."  Once we were a safe distance from the office, I turned to Breaker.  "Did you notice the hidden cameras in the office?" I asked him.

"You mean the poorly hidden cameras?" he asked.  "I'm not sure if that's unintentional.  At any rate, he certainly recorded our meeting."

"I think I know why," I told him, and we headed back to the hotel.

* * *

We told Juliana about our conversation with Sira Shepherd and how it also led to the docks.  She was very intrigued by the meeting with the Dockmaster.

[Gather Information: +Wits, +1 for Connection, 6+2+1 vs 1/9.  Weak Hit. +1 Momentum (+10)]

"I was trying to access the Dockmaster's personal system, and I found nothing at his office," she said.  "I mean that as far as the network is concerned, there is no node in his office.  Any systems in there are not connected to the rest of the network.  They can only be accessed from his office."

We knew that he had some sort of system, likely to blackmail any unscrupulous business partners who dared to double-cross him.  But who would he release it to, the Keepers?  Unlikely.

"Then I guess there's only one way we can get the information we need," I told them.  "We'll have to pay a visit to his office... after hours."

[Ending Stats:  Momentum +10     Health +5     Spirit +5     Supply +5     Fire 3     Fugitive 1]

EPISODE TWENTY-ONE - REMEMBRANCE

He was home, back at the farm house again.  He wasn't sure how he got here.  Screams echoed in his ears.  Only some of them were his own.  Tears streamed down his cheeks, as they always had.  Then he heard the sounds - sounds he did not recall hearing before.  There was a loud pop, and the screaming diminished.  There was another pop, and then the screams were all his own.

He ran into the house and saw it.  He fell to his knees.  He screamed louder... and the house began to burn.  Smoke filled his nostrils.  Flames consumed the walls, the roof, and the furniture, but he remained unharmed.

And then, he saw the face.  The dark hair, the pale skin. The sharp features.  The disdainful expression.  The vacant stare.  The white lab coat.  He looked like a... Doctor.  The figure reached out to him, and then he felt the burning.  The screaming stopped, and the room went dark.  There was nothing left but ashes, ashes, ashes...

The Journals of Ashton Frost - Part Nine

[Session Move: (01) Flashback reveals an aspect of your background or nature.]

The tears were real, and the echoes of my screams still rang in my ears.  The room was pitch black.  My skin felt hot, but my cheeks felt cool, and I could still hear the words.

"Ashton, Ashton, Ashton..."  The darkness faded, and the room became a little brighter.  The coolness on my cheeks dried my tears.  I could see one shadow among the rest, sitting next to me.  Juliana.  "Ashton.  You're safe.  It was just a dream, just a dream."  

I looked at her.  "I haven't had that dream in months.  It was the same dream I had every night, for I don't know how long."  But was not the same dream.

Blake hurried into the room, and turned up the lights.  "Ash, are you OK?  I heard screaming out here.  Are you having that dream again?"

I could see the concern on their faces.  "No, it wasn't the same.  This was not the dream... This was a memory."

[Mark Progress on Vow: "Uncover the Crimes of the Institute and Bring It Down", +1 tick (6)]

* * *

"This wasn't like every other time," I told them.  "I heard the screaming first.  Then I heard two shots from the house.  I ran inside, and I saw my parents.  The house began to burn.  And then I saw... him.  The Doctor.  From the Institute.   I think he... drugged me.

"All these years, I thought I started that fire.  They made me believe that I had.  That they found me, rescued me, took me in.  But I remember now.  Those bastards came to take me, they killed my parents and burned my house.  My life."  Juliana wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"Now I understand," said Blake.  "I understand... Arrakoth.  You're not a monster.  After what the Institute did to you?  Now I'm starting to wonder if you were too kind to those bastards.""

"Blake... there are some things I think you need to know,"  Juliana said.  She painfully revisited the tale of her escape from Nyx and the threat of the Institute.  She told him of their difficult journey here.  She told him about the case of Trip, and how I thought we might be able to draw out the Institute.

* * *

"How did Juliana even get in here last night?" I asked Blake when he woke up.  

      "You should try asking her some time," he said.  "Are you really asking how a woman who can change your entire identity could find our apartment and bypass a lock?"

"We've got to help her," I said to Blake.  "She feels like the only way she can atone for the whole Trip thing is to find the people she gave over to the Institute.  And I can understand that.  I do, too.  We need to help these people."

"I agree, Ash.  Redhaven's got a transient population too," Blake reminded me.  "Legitimate companies want to sweep it under the rug and everyone on the take thinks it's bad for business.  Let me ask around and see what I can find.  I know just the guy."

* * *

    Cassidy, Juliana's lieutenant, came by later in the morning.  The last time I had seen her, I was on my knees, looking down the barrel of a combat shotgun.  I had forgotten how big she was.  She dropped off a couple of very heavy cases and warned me to be careful with them.

    By that afternoon, Juliana had set up all of her gear in the spare room... I guess it was her room now.  It was a foregone conclusion she would be staying with us.  She was tapping away furiously, biting her lower lip and frowning at the data that was being displayed.

[Gather Information: +Wits, +1 for connection.  4+2+1 vs 2/7.  Weak Hit.]

"What's going on?" I asked.  She was startled for a moment.  She hadn't heard me come in.  I realized she was probably wound pretty tight, after the events of the last few weeks.  "Sorry, I should have knocked."

"It's your place," she said, shrugging.  "Well, now it's your place too, Juliana," I reassured her.

  She kept working.  "I'm not finding any names, I'm not even finding reports.  I don't dare try to hack the Keepers databases, it would put you at too much risk.  We need to find my people, but to do that, we need to find out how they are choosing their victims.  There's got to be a pattern or some criteria.  Criminal psychology at a  corporate level." 

         I could tell this wasn't just about the people she had unknowingly given over to the Institute.  She had a single-minded drive to find these answers.  "There's something more, isn't there?" I asked her.  "You can talk to me.  You can trust in me.  I want to help."

[Compel: +Heart, 6+3 vs 1/1.  Strong Hit with a Match.]

         Juliana hung her head and her shoulders sagged.  When she looked up at me, I could see the sorrow.  "Ria.  They took Ria.  I need to find him.  I will do anything, risk anything, to find him."

        Whoever Ria was, he was very special to her.  A lover?  A bond-mate?  "He is my brother.  My younger brother," she said.  "I can't do this alone.  I need you."

        I gripped my amulet in my hand and looked at her.  "Juliana, I swear on Iron that I will help you find your brother."  She stood up, threw her arms around me and just held me.

[Swear an Iron Vow, "Help Cypher Find Ria" (Dangerous): 2+3 vs 5/9.  Burn 10 Momentum (reset to +2).  Strong Hit.  +2 Momentum (+4)]

* * *        

[Gather Information: +Wits, 5+2 vs 2/6.  Strong Hit.]

I was helping Cassidy unload cargo from the Phantom in Bay Eight when Breaker and Spanner came into the loading bay.  I couldn't hear their conversation, but Spanner nodded to Breaker and left.

Breaker came over to the cargo ramp.  I wasn't really helping much (Cassidy is as strong as you'd expect) and she nodded in Breaker's direction.  I walked over to see him.  "What's up, Blake?"

"So I talked to a source, and he confirmed that some people have gone missing around Redhaven, as well.  Normally it's the usual - drifters, people who've been fired from crews, parolees... some of them find work, whether legitimate or off the books..."  He was getting upset.  "But some of the missing people... are kids.  Teenagers.  Runaways, displaced foster kids, orphans -"

"People no one would miss." We both said at the same time.  "Or people whose disappearance would be construed as deliberate," I continued.  "We have to tell Cypher!"  

* * *

Back at the apartment, Juliana was in her room, still tapping away at her keyboard and frowning at the screen.  "What did he tell you?" she asked, still looking at the screen.  I wasn't sure who "he" was, but Blake told her what he had found out.  Her shoulders slumped.  She walked out to the living room, and sat next to me.

"So, where would they be going?" she asked.  "Not to Vesper.  Ashton burned down the facility at Redemption."  I hadn't realized that their lab was a total loss, but now I realized how much damage I could do.  Leaving the landing bay at full thrust probably didn't help, either.

She continued, "I don't think they're taking them south of the Pass - that passage runs right past Keeper headquarters.  Too risky, and going through uncharted space is possibly even worse."  She glanced at me and I nodded.  I remembered the hazards I had endured on my journey to Nyx.

"There's only one other charted route out of the sector," Blake said, "But there's only a couple of known settlements up in the Delphi Abyss, and they're not the sort of places anyone would run away to."

"If they went to Vesper willingly, someone would notice," I said to them.  "Folks are friendly enough there, but they also know if you're 'not from round these parts' and they're an inquisitive bunch."  Farmer Grey was your typical Hesperian.  "Some of them might be willing to talk to me-"

[Ask the Oracle: Do they want to inquire around Vesper first? Unlikely. (90) No.]

"But anyone who'd recognize you either thinks you're dead, or wanted," Juliana interrupted.  "Too risky.  I think we should check the Abyss first.  If there's only a couple worlds up there, it shouldn't take much more time."

"I would hesitate to even call them worlds," Blake interjected.  "Just deep space settlements - neither one has a habitable planet.  Hell, one doesn't even have a planet at all.  Just one of those huge stars Ash ran across.  But I know the route."

"The Phantom is going to be out of service for a couple days while they overhaul the life support systems," she said.  "I can't wait, and I need to do this now."

"You wouldn't dream of taking the Acheron out without me," Blake interjected, "would you, partner?  I'm going with you!"

"Thank you," Juliana said, "Thank you both.  You don't know what this means to me."  She started packing some of her gear into a duffel bag.  "What are we waiting for?  Pack up whatever gear you need.  We have to get going."

[Develop Your Relationship (Cypher): +2 boxes (8)]

[Ending Stats:  Momentum +4     Health +5     Spirit +5     Supply +5     Fire 3     Fugitive 1]

GLOSSARY FOR "THE LOST AND THE DAMNED"

As related by Argus Hobbes, Chronicler

As you progress through the chronicles as told by Azriel Kane (later known as Ashton Frost), the gentle reader may come across terms unfamiliar to those in your own place and time.  Herein, I have endeavored to elaborate on these terms.  This is intended to be a 'living document', updated as new terms become present in yet-unexplored Chapters.

ANGELS: A colloquial name for the extra-dimensional entities that emerged through the rift created by the test flight of the prototype starship Prometheus.  See also: VANISHING.

AUTODOC: An automatic medical table used in infirmaries or starship sickbays.  Capable of surgical procedures, therapeutic processes and paramedical trauma management.  See also: MEDIKIT.

BODYCOMP: A personal computing device that can be worn by an individual, typically on a harness or waist belt.  Smaller devices can be worn on the forearm.  a bodycomp generally has less computing power than larger desk computers that are more commonly used for everyday purposes.  See also: HANDCOMP.

CATACLYSM: Term for the period of time between the arrival of the ANGELS until the beginning of the EXODUS.  This includes the period of conflict known as the ENDWARS.

CATCH THE DRIFT: Colloquial term derived from superluminal navigation, meaning to 'get the hint' or 'read between the lines'.

DREK: The excretory byproduct of an animal such as a GRATCH.

EARTH-THAT-WAS: The original home of the human race, left behind after its total destruction in the CATACLYSM.  

ENDWARS: The period of total global conflict following the VANISHING, incited by reactionary cults and eventually corporate, then military warfare and thermonuclear exchanges.  The totality of these conflicts rendered EARTH-THAT-WAS completely unfit for human habitation.

EXODUS: The journey undertaken to the Forge by refugees from EARTH-THAT-WAS following the ENDWARS.  This near-lightspeed expedition took two centuries of subjective time for the passengers of the IRONHOMES, but approximately two millennia in objective time.

GRATCH:    A canid similar to a hyena from Earth-that Was.  It is ill-tempered and bears large litters of pups.

GREAT ARKS: SEE  IRONHOMES

GREBE:    A type of alien waterfowl, native to many habitable worlds in the Forge.  These edible creatures are docile and when frightened, will respond by becoming immobile.

HANDCOMP: A hand-held, multi-purpose computing device in ubiquitous use throughout the Forge.  Possessed by nearly every individual in civilized society, a handcomp is used for entertainment, videography, messaging and communication, information and database retrieval, identification documents, and financial transactions.  These pocket-sized devices are smaller and more portable than a BODYCOMP.

IRONHOMES: Vast colonization vessels used by survivors of the CATACLYSM to travel to the Forge.  Each the size of a small city, these were managed by sentient artificial intelligences, and capable of travel at near-light speeds (causing subjective time dilation) due to modified Eidolon drives.  Some of these vessels were lost in transit and never arrived at the Forge.  Those that successfully completed the journey were disassembled to construct the first planetary and orbital colonies.

MAILBOX: A message beacon deployed at the anchorage of each charted system.  Travellers and couriers can upload or receive messages as they pass through the system.  Without the technology to transmit information at faster-than-light speeds, this is the most effective way of  sending messages form world to world.

MECHANO-CORE:    An electronic/mechanical interface for control systems of a starship, vehicle or installation.  These components store the information needed to operate the systems, and are difficult to fabricate.  Widely sought after by Grubs, who use them to barter for things that they cannot salvage.

MEDIKIT: A portable medical suite that can be worn or carried by individuals for first aid, limited trauma response, minor field surgical procedures.  Requires human supervision to operate.  Often found in shipboard lockers, especially those not possessing an AUTODOC.

THE REACH: A term originally referring to those facilities in the Solar System beyond the Asteroid Belt.  This included colonies in orbit of Jovian worlds or their moons.  Infrequently used to refer to deep-space installations located in stellar systems in the Forge.

STATSEC: A portmanteau of Station Security, these are privately-contracted onboard law enforcement organizations of a large starship, space station, or ground-based installation.  While many adhere to and abide by the tenets of the Covenant, they are not organizationally part of the Keepers hierarchy.

TRANSPEX: A durable, transparent, amorphous solid material of high tensile strength.  Transpex is not fragile or brittle like glass, and has taken its place in nearly all applications such as construction, industry, communications, and in the formation of viewscreens and containers.

VACSUIT: A self-contained, pressurized life support garment worn by shipboard and other spaceside personnel.  Provides circulatory management in high-G maneuvers, protection from extremes of temperature, cosmic radiation, pressure and biological contamination. Used for survival in harmful environmental conditions, extra-vehicular activity, and shipboard conflict.  A vacsuit is self-sealing and cuffs at each joint can function as a tourniquet following severe limb trauma or major compromise of suit integrity.  Armored versions exist to provide additional protection for shipboard security personnel and those participating in armed conflict or other extremely hazardous activities.

VANISHING: The period following the emergence of the ANGELS.  Lasting less than a week, this event resulted in the annihilation and disappearance of approximately 90% of the population of EARTH-THAT-WAS.  A limited number of disappearances among off-world colonies and installations were also attributed to the event.

EPISODE TWENTY - PHANTOMS

The Journals of Ashton Frost - Part Eight

[Session Move: (23) Influential character or faction is introduced or given new detail.]

OMEGA.  I had never heard the name before - Was it an individual?  An organization?  Or something else?  I knew it had something to do with the Institute - but directly, or indirectly?  I had no other information to go on.

We had to dispose of the bounty hunter's body.  StatSec could be easily bribed to look the other way regarding this entire incident.  I wanted to pack him in a crate and ship him to the Institute by Courier, but I didn't have a destination.  Breaker reminded me that we didn't want to tip our hand.  We ended up wrapping him in a tarp, stuffing him in a crate, and dumping it in a salvage processor.  The carbon would be recycled to make something more useful.   Breaker summoned a maintenance bot to clean up.  They don't ask questions like 'why is the floor covered in blood' or 'who does all this brass belong to'.

Aside from the blood on my hands (again), I had managed to stay clean.  I washed up in a nearby fresher while Blake left to talk to the people who could smooth over this whole incident.

* * *

After I cleaned up, I headed back to our apartment. Sure, we could live on the Acheron full-time, but as I'd learned so dearly, there's nothing quite like coming home.  Now that we were on better financial footing , Blake had moved out of his small studio apartment and we invested in a suite.  It was nothing fancy - we needed to stay inconspicuous after all - but it was reasonably comfortable and fairly roomy.  We even had more room than we needed.

When I reached the door to the suite, my intuition warned me that something was wrong.  Had the bounty hunter found our place earlier and tracked us from here?  Did he have a partner waiting inside for us?  I wrapped myself in the shadows around me, and crept quietly inside.

[Gather Information: +Wits, 5+2 vs 4/8, Weak Hit]

I couldn't see much in the faint glow of the night lights.  I heard a faint sniffling sound.  Someone is in here.  There was an unfamiliar shape seated in the dim lighting of the main room.  I stepped into the room quickly, tapped the wall pad for the lights... and froze.  I couldn't move.  I couldn't even speak.  I was not alone here.

I heard a familiar voice.  A voice I never thought I'd hear again, someone I never expected to follow me to Redhaven, let alone to be sitting inside my quarters.  "Hello, Ashton."

This wasn't the Jane Doe that her crew had known.  There was no disguise, no accent, no pretense.  I hadn't realized before how truly beautiful she was.  This was the honest, vulnerable woman I had talked with in the hydroponics lab.  It was the one that leaned on me and wept when I was leaving, the one I'd last seen with a tear in her eye and a hand against a window.  The tears were still there.  

Once more, she threw her arms around me and buried her face in my shoulder.  "I'm sorry, Ashton," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry... I know you didn't want me to come here, but I didn't know where else to go.  I thought you hated me, but I didn't have anyone else who I could trust.  I just needed to -"

"It's okay," I said, as I held her while she cried.  "It will be okay.  We will be okay.  I'm so sorry for the way I treated you.  I was scared and angry and I shouldn't have taken it out on you.  You were just trying to protect your people-"  As I said that, she looked away from me.  Once more, sobs racked her body.

The outer door slid open.  "Ash, you OK in here?"  Blake called out.  Whiz looked up and wiped her eyes as he stepped into the room. When he saw us, he stopped suddenly.  Like me, he didn't move.  His jaw worked wordlessly.  "You must be Blake Bridger," she said to him.  He came to his senses.  "And you must be... Whiz?"

"Wait," I interrupted.  "The two of you have never actually met?"  They both shook their heads.  "We-" they both began.  Blake gestured to her to continue.  "We only communicated through mutual contacts," she explained.  "Old habits die hard, I guess."  I wasn't sure what she had meant by that.

Blake looked at both of us, reading the room.  "It's nice to finally meet you in person, Whiz.  Listen, I need to get washed up and catch some shuteye.  It was a rough night at the docks and I'm exhausted.  We can get caught up later."  She nodded, and he half-bowed as he turned and went to his quarters.

I sat down on the couch, and she sat beside me.  "Tell me what's wrong, Whi-"  "Juliana," she interrupted, "You can call me Juliana, Ashton. 'Whiz' is gone.  She died just like Azriel did.  My real name, my given name, is Juliana Ruiz."  Ruiz.  Ruiz... Suddenly, I understood where the name "Whiz" had come from.  Just as Blake's handle was so much like his given name.  "Tell me what's wrong, Juliana," I asked once more.

I could see how painful it was for her to recount the story.  The day I left, they began the hasty preparations to evacuate Nyx.  They loaded their supplies and vital equipment as quickly as they could.  She didn't know where to lead them, but she knew they had to get away from Nyx before the Institute returned to Nimbus.

Eight days ago... the Institute returned to Nimbus.  This time, they didn't come in a scientific exploration vessel.  They came in a gunboat.  They demanded that Juliana surrender her people and all refugees, and to turn over her stockpile of Trip and all of her computers.

She and her lieutenant Cassidy, along with two of the other Dissidents and the remaining refugees, boarded the Phantom, her fast scout ship, while wiry old Shen and the remainder of the crew left aboard the Fall of Icarus.  They scuttled the base and fled the small moon.  The crews of her two patrol boats engaged the gunboat to buy the others time to evacuate, but it was a losing battle.  The Icarus was badly damaged and crashed into Nimbus while Juliana and all aboard the Phantom slipped away to safety.  Their cargo hold was packed full of her specialized equipment and all of the supplies they could carry.

Four people were all that remained of the Coalition of Dissident Souls.  They lost 18 people, but saved eight refugees.  They had followed the passage that I had charted, and made it safely to Redhaven.  For a week, twelve people hot-bunked in quarters designed for four.  Their life support systems were overworked, and she told me that without the extra consumables I had left for them, they might not have survived the journey.  The refugees were being granted asylum on Redhaven, and given communal quarters and work suitable to their skills.

I told her about my journey from Nyx back to Redhaven, and how she had saved me when I was boarded by the Keepers.  I told her about the bounty hunter who had come for us earlier, and how she had saved us because he was searching for someone I no longer was.  Then I told her about the raid on Arrakoth.  I did not spare the details of the horrible things I had to do.  I expected her to react with revulsion, but instead she touched my face and reminded me that because of the things I had done, not one more innocent person would be the subject of their heinous experiments.  She reminded me that eight of those innocents were aboard the station right now.  I had killed at least ten people that night, plus however many more were immolated in that cave, but my warning and my aid had saved the dozen who fled here on the Phantom - one of whom was her.

But what she told me next was chilling.  She had not destroyed the crate of Trip that I had delivered to them.  She had brought it with her to Redhaven.  The very thought filled me with dread.  Breaker and I had risked so much to put an end to the operation, only to find an entire case of the drug back on our proverbial doorstep.  But I had learned some hard lessons in the weeks that we had been separated.  I was more capable of controlling my anger.  I did not lash out at her, I never wanted to lash out at her, ever again.  And now that their pipeline was destroyed, the Institute would be desperate for a source.  They had trapped her people, and nearly trapped her... and now, perhaps, we could set a trap for them.

Azriel Kain was dead.  Hellion was no more.  The Coalition of Dissident Souls was dead.  Whiz was no more.  All that remained was Blake Bridger, the Breaker; Ashton Frost, the Wraith... and now Juliana Ruiz, the Cypher.   It would be enough.  Together we would make the Institute pay for all they had taken from us.  Juliana and I just sat side by side on the couch for the rest of the night, not saying a word, until we both drifted off to sleep.

[Develop your Relationship (Cypher):  Mark progress +2 boxes (now 6)]

[Ending Stats:  Momentum +10     Health +5     Spirit +5     Supply +5     Fire 3     Fugitive 1]

THE LOST AND THE DAMNED, BOOK TWO - Episode Nineteen

(Image courtesy of John Dickerson)

The Journals of Ashton Frost, Part Seven

[Session Move: (76) Unexpected return of an enemy or threat.]

    We had been in port at Redhaven for a couple of weeks.  Breaker's informants had nothing to report about the Institute or the hunt for Azriel Kane.  I was restless - we should be doing something, but I couldn't think of what.

Breaker and I had been out bar-hopping, dropping subtle rumors about vengeful nomads on Arrakoth.  On our way back to the Acheron, Breaker stopped and grabbed my shoulder.  "What's going on?" I asked.  He pointed toward the entrance of Bay Nine.  Standing in an a shadowy alcove nearby, we saw an everyday, unremarkable looking man.  He was trying to remain inconspicuous, but was doing a poor job of it.

[Gather Information: +Wits, 4+2 vs 1/6.  Weak Hit.  +1 Momentum (+7)]

"There," Blake whispered, stepping back into the shadows.  "That guy.  I think he's the one from the bar."  Well, that was about as vague as a description of the stalker.

"Which bar?" I replied.  He didn't look familiar. "I didn't see that guy anyplace we went to tonight."  But Breaker shook his head.

"No, the guy from the bar you got thrown out of, the first night you were here!"  I hadn't actually seen that guy, thanks to a helpful but overenthusiastic bouncer.  Blake continued.  "When I asked around, all of my contacts told me the same thing - 'ordinary looking guy, nothing unusual about him'.  He's definitely a bounty hunter.  This has got to be a trap."

I nodded.  "Oh, it's definitely a trap,"  I said.  Breaker asked, "What should we do?"  I thought for a moment.  "Do you trust me?" I asked him.  "With my life," he replied without hesitation.  I grinned.  "So... we spring the trap."

(Image courtesy of Thinkstock)

I was counting on the bounty hunter recognizing Breaker, but not me.  Blake strolled on down the corridor, toward Bay Nine.  He stared straight ahead, deliberately avoiding looking into the alcove.  He was trying to act relaxed and oblivious, but I knew he must be anxious about being the bait in the trap.  As he passed the alcove, the bounty hunter drew a silenced pistol from his jacket and stepped out into the corridor behind Breaker.

[Secure an Advantage: +Shadow, 6+4 vs 8/8.  Strong Hit with a Match!  +2 Momentum (+9).  +1 to next roll]

I crept up behind the hunter and pressed my own silenced pistol into the left side of his back.  "Hand the weapon to my friend," I warned, "or you'll be dead before you can pull the trigger."  Blake turned and held out his hand.

[Compel: +Iron, +1 for companion, +1 for advantage.  6+2+2 vs 5/5.  Another Strong Hit with a Match!  +1 Momentum (10)]

The bounty hunter raised his hands and handed over his pistol to Breaker.  "This is a nice piece of iron, friend," Blake said.  "I think I'll keep it."  He tapped his handcomp on the keypad for the loading bay to unlock it and stepped inside, covering the bounty hunter from the front.  

"In there," I hissed in the bounty hunter's ear.  "And don't try anything, or you'll regret it for the rest of your very short life."  The man was smart enough to comply, being under the gun in a very literal sense.

We entered cautiously, locking the big door behind us.  I slammed the hunter face-first into the wall and pressed my pistol against his temple.  "It's time we had a little conversation, don't you think?"  He tried to nod, but couldn't.  "I guess we do," he replied.  "I don't know who the hell you are, but I'm not looking for you."

I laughed.  "Oh, really?  That's fine, but I've been looking for you for quite some time.  Just exactly who are you after?"  Breaker stepped to where the hunter could see him, leveling his pistol at the hunter's face from a few meters away.  "It's in your best interests to answer honestly," he said.  "My friend here has a rather short fuse and a real nose for sensing rockhorn drek."

[Gather Information: +Wits, 6+2 vs 2/9.  Weak Hit.]

"Some kid named Kain.  Young guy, red hair.  What's it to you, man?"  The hunter was clearly reluctant to cooperate, so I pistol-whipped him and pressed my gun against the side of his head again.  "Consider your answers very carefully, man," I sneered.  "Who hired you to kill the kid and why?"

[Compel: +Iron, 2+2 vs 3/10.  Weak Hit.]

"Place called the 'Institute'.  Didn't say why, they just said he escaped.  Maybe he stole some information or something.  I don't know.  Listen, man.  Let me walk out of here and you'll never see me again.  I'll move on.  I'll tell myself Kain is dead already.  Deal?"  I looked over to Breaker and raised an eyebrow.  He shook his head.

[Does Breaker want to let the bounty hunter go? 50/50.  (63) No.]

"I don't believe you," I told him, "but it doesn't matter."  I spun him around and jammed my pistol up under his chin.  "You're too late, anyway.  Kain's already dead.  I was there when it happened."

His eyes grew wide.  He searched my face, trying to tell if I was lying to him.  It was no lie.  To the rest of the galaxy, Kain was dead.  I was there when it happened.  And only three people among all the stars knew my secret.  I intended to keep it that way.

[Face Danger: +Iron, 3+2 vs 3/7.  Weak Hit.  Lose Momentum -2 (8)]

The hunter glanced at Breaker, and then raised his foot and stamped on my knee.  He dropped his arms and spun them up under mine, breaking the hold.  As he stumbled back, he drew another pistol from his jacket.  I might have known.  We should have patted him down.

[Challenge: Defeat the Bounty Hunter. Formidable]

[Enter the Fray: +Heart, 5+3 vs 3/5.  Strong Hit.  +1 Momentum (+10), In control]

[Strike: +Edge, 5+3 vs 2/2.  Strong Hit with a Match!  Mark progress twice (2), Stay in control]

Blake and I both fired at him.  At this range, it was an easy shot.  He grunted as both shots struck him.  With no easy way to escape the docking bay, he ran toward the cover of some cargo crates.

[Strike: +Edge, 4+3 vs 3/5.  Strong Hit.  Mark progress twice (4), Stay in control]

He didn't make it to cover before he was hit again.  He was definitely wounded and bleeding.  We advanced toward him, keeping him covered.

[Gain Ground: +Edge, 1+3 vs 2/6.  Weak Hit.  Mark progress (5), Stay In control]

This hunter knew we weren't going to let him live, and he wasn't about to give up.  To his credit, he was right.  We continued firing at him as he rose and dashed for a maintenance airlock.

[Strike: +Edge, 1+3 vs 2/2.  Strong Hit with a Match!  Mark progress twice (7), Stay In Control]

(What can I say?  The dice have been very kind to me today!)

We continued to advance on him as he rushed farther back into the bay.  He was bleeding pretty badly.  I was sure that he know more than he had let on before, and I intended to find out before he left this mortal coil.

[Gain Ground: +Edge, 5+3 vs 7/10.  Weak Hit.  Mark progress (8), Stay in control]

There was nowhere left for him to retreat.  There was little cover to hide behind.  He raised his weapon, ready to make his final stand...

[Strike: +Edge, 5+3 vs 6/2.  Strong Hit.  Mark Progress (10).  Stay in Control]

But his gun just clicked as he pulled the trigger.  He was out of ammo. His left arm hung uselessly at his side.  He was limping.  His shirt was soaked in blood.   He wasn't long for this world.  Time to end this.

[Take Decisive Action: 10 vs 2/4.  Strong Hit.  Objective complete]

I stepped forward and grabbed his collar.  He was almost too weak to stay standing.  His gun fell from his hand. He was fading fast.  "Omega said... he was... Paragon," he gasped.  He made a gurgling sound as blood welled in his mouth.  His glassy eyes rolled back and he went limp.  I let go and his lifeless body slumped to the deck.

[Mark progress on Vow: "Uncover the crimes of the Institute and bring it down" (now 5 ticks)]

"Well, that's one less problem to worry about," said Breaker, as he stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder.  "But who is Omega?  Does that name mean anything to you?"  Who, indeed.  I shook my head and shrugged.  "I guess we'd better find out."

[Ending Stats:  Momentum +10     Health +5     Spirit +5     Supply +5     Fire 3     Fugitive 1]