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]