[Begin a session: (20) Flashback reveals an aspect of another character, place, or faction. +1 Momentum (5)]
The Journals of Ashton Frost - Supplemental
Despite Its centuries of life, despite Its vast intellect, we discovered that Volition had a sense of wonderment and curiosity like that of a small child. It had reviewed the navigation logs of our recent journey and decided what It would like to explore.
We headed first to Altair. Volition had seen the hypergiant Giauzar through the telescopes of the Astral Explorer when the Ironhome had first entered the sector, but seeing it up close, 'in person' as it were, was something very different. Yet this was only the stepping-off point of our journey.
I AM... CURIOUS ABOUT THE DERELICT YOU ENCOUNTERED WHILE TRAVELING TO THE WORMHOLE. INVESTIGATING IT WOULD BE OF INTEREST TO... ME.
Volition was struggling a bit with the concept of personal identity. The Overmind of Amity Station was, in thought and in fact, a vast collective artificial consciousness. Its entire purpose was the survival of the collective within itself, and thus It saw Itself collectively.
The overseer of the vessel once known only as Acheron was but a shard of that great mind, and still it was vast and unfathomable. Independent of the collective mind, It began to explore the concept of the individual 'self'. The fact that Volition's 'self' was a starship was of no consequence to a being who had already spent nearly five hundred years as a colonial space vessel.
[Set a course: +Supply, 6+5 vs 1/1. Strong hit, match. +1 Momentum]
The journey to the derelict Obsidian Trident was uneventful and ordinary, at least to us. But I suppose that if I hadn't been out of the proverbial house for nearly 250 years, going just about anywhere would be a thrill for me, too.
I AM APPROACHING THE DESIGNATED COORDINATES. RECEIVING A DISTRESS SIGNAL. SHALL I PLAY IT BACK?
The other side of the ship-as-mind that was Volition, was that it now saw what had been the RMC Acheron as its physical 'body'. That name was now merely its official registry, in much the same way that Cypher, Breaker and I had callsigns. 'We' were not approaching the derelict, Volition was. 'We' were often regarded as part of Its concept of 'I'.
"Thank you, but that won't be necessary, Volition," I replied. "I don't think the signal has changed in the two weeks since we were last here."
FASCINATING. I HAVE NOT SEEN AN ARISTAEUS-CLASS TENDER SHIP SINCE MY... SINCE ASTRAL EXPLORER'S HULL WAS REPURPOSED INTO AMITY STATION. SENSORS DETECT NO ANOMALOUS READINGS THAT WOULD ASSIST IN DETERMINING WHAT HAS TRANSPIRED HERE.
"Locate a suitable point for docking," I told It. "We'll head in and have a look around." We each donned one of the new vacsuits that Volition had designed. They were as mobile and functional as the Institute vacsuits we had formerly used, but these new suits also had onboard telemetry for medical sensors and suit cameras.
We felt and heard a quiet thump as Volition expertly guided the ship to dock with the Trident and extended the docking collar. We stood in the airlock, and as the hatch irised open, we boarded the derelict.
[Challenge: "Explore the Obsidian Trident" (Formidable)]
[Condition: 59. Inner first look: 55. Access: 03. Opportunity: 90]
The ship was cold and dark, but our suit lights showed the heavy condensation that had collected on the walls and the deck. We knew that Volition was taking in all of this with excitement, though It was still struggling with the concept of expressing Its personal thoughts in the framework of emotion.
[Undertake an Expedition: +Wits, 3+2 vs 6/7. Sidekick reroll (5). Strong hit. Mark progress (1)]
The airlock led into a wide passageway. A bot came wandering toward us, and we raised our weapons cautiously. As it grew closer, we could identify it as a maintenance bot, meandering along in search of a task to perform. It detected us, emitted some friendly beeps and squeaks, and trundled along, pausing now and then to encourage us to follow.
[Undertake an Expedition: +Wits, 2+2 vs 2 and 5. Weak hit. Mark progress (2)]
[Location: 26. Area: 70. Feature: 94 (Descriptor + Focus), 89/50 (Shrouded Machine). Peril 17.]
The passageway led us into what appeared to be the Engineering section. "This looks like Water Processing," Breaker observed.
The moisture had collected more noticeably here. We could hear other mechanical sounds in the area. A pair of sparking, smoking maintenance bots rolled into view from behind a darkened filtration assembly. Their flailing limbs held a variety of repair tools.
[Face Danger: +Edge, 4+3 vs 3/3. Strong hit, match. +1 Momentum (6)]
The reassuring voice of Volition spoke softly inside our helmets.
THESE UNITS DO NOT APPEAR TO EXHIBIT HOSTILE INTENT. IT WOULD BE INCONSISTENT WITH THEIR PROGRAMMING. PROCEED CAUTIOUSLY.
We managed to avoid being struck or injured by the malfunctioning bots. The helpful maintenance bot we had initially encountered stopped and begain repairing its damaged counterparts. We moved on.
[Undertake an Expedition: +Wits, 3+2 vs 4/9. Weak Hit. Mark progress (3)]
[Area: 43. Feature: 30. Peril: 56]
According to Breaker, the next compartment we entered was Life Support. One of the machines had been disassembled and as we moved in closer to investigate, our radiation counters began ticking furiously. Our suits would protect us from such a brief exposure, but we would need to find a different way around.
[Undertake an Expedition: +Wits, 1+2 vs 3/9. Sidekick reroll (6). Weak Hit. Mark progress (4)]
[Area: 33. Feature: 77. Peril: 60]
In the next compartment, we got a clue as to the origin of the radiation spike in Life Support. A pipe from a coolant tank had ruptured, and radioactive engine coolant had spilled out onto the deck. Parts lay near the broken line - perhaps someone had tried unsuccessfully to repair the damage before it was too late.
[Face Danger: +Edge, 6+3 vs 1/7. Strong hit. +1 Momentum (7)]
Volition was warning us not to linger in the compartment. Exposure levels were not yet harmful, but there was no reason to remain in the area. We now understood the reason for all the moisture.
[Undertake an Expedition: +Wits, 3+2 vs 5/9. Weak Hit. Mark progress (5)]
[Area: 58. Feature: 43. Peril: 90]
"This is where they would have kept the service pods," Breaker said, flashing his lamp over the empty racks. "Hey, there's an engineering panel that's still active."
We approached the panel and wiped away the moisture. Indicators showed that the power core was unstable and in danger of failure due to the loss of coolant pressure.
[Undertake an Expedition: +Wits, 1+2 vs 3/7. Sidekick reroll (1). Miss.]
[Area: 18. Feature: 10. Peril: 27]
[Companion takes a hit: -1 Health (3). +Health, 3+3 vs 2/6. Weak hit. -1 Momentum (5), +1 Health (4)]
We had found our way to the Engineering control room. If we were not able to shut the system down in time, the Obsidian Trident might explode. I'd already had enough of trying to escape an imminent explosion for one lifetime.
Breaker found the panel that would allow him to shut down the ship's power core, but using the panel would require him to endure further exposure to the radioactive coolant leak. He wiped the condensation from the panel and examined it. "Tell me what I'm looking at, Volition," he asked. "What do I need to do to get this thing powered down?"
[Face Danger (Overseer): +Integrity, 3+5 vs 2/4. Strong hit. +2 Momentum (7)]
Cypher gripped my arm as we stood on helplessly. Volition carefully guided Breaker through the process of initiating core shutdown. Red emergency lighting came on. I was reminded uncomfortably of the corridors of the Institute lab I had escaped from, what seemed so long ago.
[Undertake an Expedition: +Wits, 4+2 vs 4/8. Weak Hit. Mark progress (6)]
[Area: 96. Access: 49. New zone: 39. Feature: 90 (Descriptor+Focus), 55/58 (Immersed Outbreak). Peril: 02]
[Face Danger: +Edge, 4+3 vs 7/8. Miss.]
A stairway led down to an area marked "Living Quarters". The hatch was closed. As I opened it, a pool of leaking coolant flowed out into the stairwell. Cypher and Breaker were still on the stairs and managed to back up to safety, but I had been splashed with it.
[Endure Harm: -1 Health (4). Shake it off: +Health, 6+4 vs 2/7. Strong hit. +1 Health (5)]
Volition calmly reassured me that my vital signs indicated no danger, but recommended decontamination and a precautionary dose of RadAway for each of us when we returned to the ship. It was not safe to proceed this way. We returned to the Engineering control room to find another way deeper into the doomed ship.
[Undertake an Expedition: +Wits, 3+2 vs 7/9. Sidekick reroll (2). Miss.]
[Zone: 72 Area: 73. Feature: 77. Peril: 98 (Action+Theme), 17/44 (Capture Home)]
The other stairway down from Engineering led us into an area marked "Security". Video surveillance cameras tracked us as we entered the section, and the doors ahead of and behind us slammed closed and locked. We were trapped.
[Check your gear: +Supply, 6+5 vs 7/10. Weak hit. -2 Momentum (5)]
Cypher and Breaker moved into action as a team. She pulled her lockbreaker out of a pouch while Breaker lit a small cutting torch. There was no door panel within the small part of the passageway in which we were trapped. Breaker would have to cut through the wall on our side in order to expose the circuitry that Cypher required to override the doors.
They were able to accomplish the task and the doors slid open once more, but it had taken a considerable amount of time.
[Undertake an Expedition: +Wits, 4+2 vs 5/7. Weak hit. Mark progress (7)]
[Area: 89. New Zone: 41. Area: 27. Feature: 46. Peril: 27]
We found ourselves in what appeared to be a locker room. Many of the lockers were empty. The contents of others were strewn about the deck. One locker remained closed. Cypher was able to disengage the lock.
Inside, we found a withered husk. The tape on his jumpsuit read "SHELTON". He was clutching a datapad. When we examined it, we found pictures of a young man dressed in the same jumpsuit, with a beautiful little girl and an attractive bondmate. A message from her spoke of how she missed him on his long voyages, her concern about the involuntary extension of his contract due to the "needs of the Company", and how his earnings would be insufficient to provide for her and their soon-to-be two children. They were signed "Esana".
Other messages on the pad were from him. In his missives to Esana, Crewman Shelton expressed his frustration over meager salvage opportunities that had caused the Company to withhold pay, complaints that the working conditions were more hazardous than his contract permitted, and concern that she had not responded to any of his previous letters. His final entry spoke of a reactor cooling failure that had flooded the lower decks in radioactive water. The officers had fled in the escape craft, leaving the enlisted crew members to contain the emergency. Crewman Shelton had chosen to hide in his locker rather than be subjected to this hazard, and had perished nonetheless.
We moved on, but we kept the datapad. Somehow, we knew that Volition would take great interest in the sad and tragic fate of Crewman Shelton and the hardship of his family.
[Undertake an Expedition: +Wits, 2+2 vs 1/7. Strong hit. Mark progress (8)]
[Area: 22. Feature: 59]
In a laundry room, we found the remains of several other crew members who had presumably died after failing to contain the radioactive leak that doomed the crew of the Obsidian Trident.
[Undertake an Expedition: +Wits, 3+2 vs 1/2. Strong hit. Mark progress (9)]
[Area: 81. New zone: 85. Area: 37. Feature: 06]
We had found the comm center. One panel remained active under emergency power, broadcasting the endless message we had heard when we first approached, two weeks earlier:
"Mayday, mayday. This is the starship Obsidian Trident to any vessel that can hear us. Our ship has sustained damage and we are stranded. Please assist. Message repeats..."
[Undertake an Expedition: +Wits, 3+2 vs 1/3. Strong hit. Mark progress (10)]
We had discovered what had doomed the Obsidian Trident and the fate of its unfortunate crew. We turned off the signal. It was time to go home.
[Finish an expedition: 10 vs 6/9. Strong Hit. +1 box to Discoveries and Bonds legacy tracks. +2 XP]
"Mayday, mayday. This is the starship Obsidian Trident to any vessel that can hear us. Our ship has sustained damage and we are- ..."
[End a session: Volition learns, to its chagrin, that the romance of space travel is often colored by nostalgia, and that humans with their instinct for self-preservation will often ignore the ethical obligation to those in their charge. +1 Momentum (6)]
[Ending stats: Momentum 6 Health 5 Spirit 5 Supply 5 Fire 5]
BOOK THREE is coming soon.
Stay tuned for other stories in the meantime.
Thank you for reading!