(Image by Tommaso Baldovino, TravellerIllustrated.com)
The Journals of Ashton Frost, Part Two
I lifted off from Nyx and headed outbound for Redhaven. It felt good to be heading home. Home. It's strange. Until a few weeks ago, I'd have called Vesper 'home'. But my recent visit there just reminded me how much of an outsider I had become there.
And as I flew away from Nyx, I felt a kind of... loss. I felt awful venting my anger on Whiz like I did. She was just as tangled up in this mess as I was. We were both victims of the Institute. Now that she knew the horrible truth, she wanted to tear them down as much as I did. We had gotten off to a terrible start, but I actually missed her.
[Hearten: +Heart, 2+3 vs 1 and 9. Weak Hit. +1 Spirit (+5), -1 Momentum (+6)]
I laid in a course for my first leg of the trip. Once more, I'd be jumping through Vesper. Hopefully I wouldn't face any scrutiny, but if I did, I hoped my new identity would hold.
[Set a Course: +Supply. 1+5 vs 4 and 10. Weak Hit.]
Dropping out of the Drift over Vesper, I wasn't approached by any bounty hunters. That was the good news. The bad news? There was a pair of Covenant patrol boats at the anchorage.
"Attention, incoming vessel. This is the Covenant Customs ship [76] Silver Talon on approach. Hold position and state your business. Over."
Wonderful. I couldn't afford a Covenant entanglement. "Roger, Silver Talon. This is the RMC Acheron, bound for Redhaven." I transmitted my credentials. "Nothing to declare, Silver Talon. Incidental trade goods below duty exemption limit. Over."
[Compel: +Shadow. 2+5 vs 8 and 9. Miss.]
It was a tense few minutes while I awaited a response. I hoped that the paperwork Whiz provided me would hold. "Attention Acheron, your flight plan includes no port of origin or manifest. Stand down for inspection. Out."
I really didn't need Keepers coming aboard, but I couldn't outrun them and I didn't need Ashton Frost to be on the run from the Law too. I checked to make sure there wasn't anything incriminating sitting around. I was glad I didn't still have the Trip on board. I went to the airlock and waited as the patrol boat docked with me.
The hatch opened and an inspection team came aboard. The Inspector was flanked by two Keepers in light armor carrying webbers. I presented my passport to the inspector and he studied it. "Good day, Captain... Frost. Let's have a look around." I accompanied the team as they thoroughly examined the contents of the cargo bay, and then proceeded to inspect the other compartments.
[Face Danger: +Shadow. 5+4 vs 5 and 10. Weak Hit. Endure Stress -1 (+4). Shake It Off: +Spirit, 5+4 vs 2 and 3. Strong Hit. +1 Spirit (+5)]
They didn't seem to be concerned about their findings. As we were heading to the airlock, the Inspector paused and asked, "How did you come about the hull damage we saw, Sor Frost?"
At least that one I could answer honestly. "I made anchor at H85 and encountered a balefire storm. I was able to jump before taking serious damage." He seemed surprised. "We will make note of that and issue a travel warning," he said as he noted the information in his datapad. "Thank you for bringing it to our attention. Fly safe."
As they undocked and continued on their way, I let out the breath that I hadn't realized I'd been holding. That could have gone much worse. I was thankful that the paperwork Whiz had provided me seemed to hold up to scrutiny. I set a course for Redhaven and took a break for a meal, a cold shower and a long nap.
[Secure An Advantage: +Wits, 6+2 vs 5 and 10. Weak Hit, +1 to next roll]
[Set a Course: +Supply, 2+5+1 vs 7 and 8. Weak Hit.]
Arriving at Redhaven, I made the transition to real space and approached the shipping lanes. Now it was time to see if Breaker's work had been as thorough as Whiz's. I couldn't believe that I was happy to see the ugly hulk that was Redhaven. I just wanted this trip to be over already.
"Redhaven Control to Acheron. We don't show a flight plan on file for your ship. Where are you coming from, over?"
"Captain Frost to Redhaven Control, I am inbound from Vesper on a supply run. Clearance was filed prior to my departure. How far back are you checking, over?"
[Compel: + Shadow, 3+4 vs 3 and 5. Strong Hit. +1 Momentum (+7)]
"Roger, Acheron. Apologies, we see your flight plan. Had a long stay there, over?"
"That's an affirmative, Redhaven Control. Took some union-mandated vacation time while I was there. It's a nice place, you should visit some time if you haven't. They have beaches, over."
"Sounds like Paradise, Acheron. Proceed to your berth in Bay Nine. Redhaven Control out."
I docked the Acheron in good old Bay Nine. I never thought I'd be glad to see it again. Breaker and Spanner were waiting there for me, and they came aboard once the ship was moored. Spanner seemed glad to see me and Breaker was excited to hear about the journey. They were both surprised by my new look.
"Well, Sor Frost, tell us about the trip," he implored. "Did things go well with Whiz?" I told him about the problematic journey to Nyx. I confirmed that the delivery had been made successfully, and about the strained introduction. I went on to tell him about the refugees and the food run, glossed over the volatile argument with Whiz on my return to Nyx, and about the tense inspection on my way home.
[Milestone on Vow "Deliver Trip to Whiz on Nyx". Mark Progress (now 10 boxes)]
[Fulfill Your Vow: 10 vs 4 and 6. Strong Hit. +2 ticks to Quests Legacy Track. +2 XP (now 4)]
[Develop Your Relationship: +2 boxes (now 6)]
When I told him that Whiz had made me test the Trip to prove its purity, his jaw fell. "She. did. WHAT?" he exclaimed. He became more concerned when I recounted its effect on me. Then it was time for me to drop the bomb.
"The problem with Trip isn't just the effect it has on Paragons. The Institute was trading food to Nyx, in return for Trip. They convinced Whiz that they were finding safe harbors for the refugees, but I fear they've abducted them to use as test subjects. They're trying to make more people like me."
He dropped his coffee cup in surprise, took the name of a long-dead deity in vain, and stared at me, agape. "We've all been duped," he said. "We're all accessories to this atrocity. We have to stop it. We've got to stop them from mining the Trip, we've got to stop shipping it to Nyx, and..."
I interrupted him. "There is no more Nyx, Breaker. Whiz is trying to find a new haven for her people, and then she will come here to help us. At first I kind of... threatened to kill her if I ever saw her here. Let's just say we um, repaired that relationship."
"Well," Breaker pondered, "if we're going to drive the miners off of Arrakoth, it wouldn't hurt to have a dozen raiders backing us up. And once the miners are gone, the Coalition will have somewhere safe to stay. Unfortunately we wouldn't be able to go public with the truth about Arrakoth, but they'd be safe there because of the travel restrictions."
I agreed with the idea. If we couldn't do anything else yet, we could at least put an end to the Institute's supply pipeline. They weren't about to intrude on Arrakoth personally. I wasn't even certain if they knew where Trip really came from. "So, what's next?" asked Breaker.
"We're going to go kick those bastards off of that dust ball... even if we have to kill them."
[Ending Stats: Momentum +7 Health +5 Spirit +5 Supply +5 Fire 1 Fugitive 1]