This game just came out.
This game just came out. In addition to being damn good so far, it also has an excellent soundtrack. I’m likely going to have to pick up the full thing soon, but here’s an extended version of one of the more common themes.
[Edit] Looks like they’re taking them down. What a shame.
Foreword: This is just idle speculation rather than concrete decision-making or anything.
Foreword: This is just idle speculation rather than concrete decision-making or anything.
I’ve been considering the impact of the two book stretch goals, and the order in which I chose to approach them. During the Kickstarter, I set Carta Galaxia to be the smaller of the stretch goals, to be unlocked first. Thus after UW was out the door, I began working on Carta right away. However, both personal gut-feeling and general commentary from community members have led me to wonder if I shouldn’t have started Far Beyond Humanity first.
I’m almost done the first pass of The Core quadrant of Carta, which is by far the largest. But the other 3 quadrants, and the general universe chapter, will still take a lot of time.
People are chomping at the bit to inject magic and robots into their UW games, and I realize that I’m missing an opportunity to have community playtesting done. Had I been smart (hah), I would have knocked out an Alpha version of FBH for people to play while I wrote Carta, then gathered that data to polish up the final product.
It might not be too late to attempt that, but it would require a conscious decision to put Carta aside and focus on at least getting a working prototype of FBH’s content out there into the hands of the community.
Thoughts?
There is somebody who has started a forum for all Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) games on Roll20. I am a big fan…
There is somebody who has started a forum for all Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) games on Roll20. I am a big fan of the roll20.net teleconference system for games, though other places exist. It has great features but is system-agnostic and works for any rules set apart from the biggies like D&D or Pathfinder.
To discuss starting PbtA games or joining games, go to the Looking For Group listing and ask to join. You will then get a link to joining the forum proper (this one is not a game as such but set up as a forum only).
https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/44388/powered-by-the-apocalypse-pbta-game-club
https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/44388/powered-by-the-apocalypse-pbta-game-club
Used this playlist last session for a starship battle.
Used this playlist last session for a starship battle. I think it’s really good at evoking that feeling of scale that’s crucial for wet navy and space navy alike.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_69o-lYHj-M&index=2&list=PLR3R_-LsCwyCezkdwNB5GmkX8JWE-tyir
Origin skills and +1 to stats
Origin skills and +1 to stats
As far as I can tell, there is no way to advance skills from an Origin, and thus no way to improve stats as you advance. Is this correct?
Has anyone experimented with allowing origin skills as normal advancement?
Just had a question about the Scoundrel’s addict power.
Just had a question about the Scoundrel’s addict power. If you use it to take a stat to +3(while dosed) do you fall to a 0 or a +1 if you fail to dose? Where exactly does the -2 from “failure to dose” apply? Baseline state or buffed stat?
Sorry in advance if this has been asked before. But it was a pretty heated debate in our group.
Tales of the John Henry
Tales of the John Henry
Due to Mother’s Day here in the US, we’re not playing next week. So, to keep everyone engaged and creative, I came up with a sector map and invited them to fill in the descriptions. It’s a work in progress, but it’s already bearing fruit.
Ibara Sector
0001 #01 Ibara
Productive-Advanced-hub
Sector capital, intra-sector hub, orbital industry, high fashion, glass towers
Who is running the show at the sector capital?
Which factions are they allied with?
What is Ibara’s major vice?
Who has contacts here?
What is the ship carrying that is illegal here?
[Alternate] Ibara is heavily visited since it is a hub that connect two other sectors. The sector jump points at X and Queen’s Gate were found decades later. All this traffic has turned Ibara into an industrial powerhouse for the sector and its neighbors.
0006 #02 High Kanton
Impoverished-Regimented-lane
Police state, strong class system, ethnic ruling class, intrigue, smuggling
What makes the police distinctive here?
Where do foreign merchants stand in the class system?
Who is an unexpected ally here?
Who does the government have a dislike for?
What do the rebels hope to achieve?
0102 #03 Rigor
Rustic-Advanced-end
Rich live in space, poor and short-lived workers on the planet, unique resources on planet, Consortium Stronghold
Who are the rich in space?
Who lives on the planet?
Why is there no high tech on the planet?
What is the unique resource on this world?
Who in the crew, if any, has visited this world?
[Alternate] The world of Rigor is a tough one: Most people have lifespans that barely stretch more than 45 standard years. If it wasn’t for the people living here, this world would be considered a failed colony. It would be, if it wasn’t for the citizens of the orbital colony of Empyrean.
The citizens of Empyrean are some of the richest people you’ll ever encounter. House Geneeskunde of the Consortium owns the colony and the world. The colony has access to the very best in technology and culture. And most importantly, they have access to Dorius cinereus boletus, a fungus that only grows on the planet Rigor.
Processed and refined, it produces Dorac, the potent anti-aging drug. However, due to its biological peculiarities, Dorius cannot grow near or in intense EM fields. As most technology puts out EM radiation like a firehose, this means the world below cannot use any technology that involves electricity whatsoever. The down port for the space elevator, is surrounded by a 40 km dead zone where Dorius cannot grow.
Thus, the people Rigor, mostly convicts and purpose grown clones, toil in the fields and caves, growing the fungus for their masters overhead. It doesn’t help that Dorius itself is poisonous. When it spores, the fine particles will enter the lungs and cause a massive allergic reaction, killing the victim by drowning in their own mucus.
0109 #04 Colt
Productive-Regimented-lane
Paranoia, house controlled, export restrictions, sports
What kind of unique but strict government is here?
What are all those satellites in orbit for?
Who has an old friend here?
What distinctive animal lives here?
What high quality goods do they produce?
0202 #05 Illwind
Productive-Impoverished-lane
Dirty, industrial, polluted, serfdom, corporations
Who in control here?
Who escaped debt here?
What does your ship need here?
What is Illwind’s major export?
What is about to become unstable?
[Alternate] A long line of greedy industrialists and corrupt politicians have kept control of the cities and the factories there. It’s mean and drab life for most of the inhabitants. Of particular note is Purgatory, an industrial prison complex where prisoners are kept in virtual slavery until they pay off their debt. “It’s better than Hell.” is a common saying here.
0207 #06 Terry
Regimented-Impoverished-end
Resource poor, prison, imports almost everything, strategically useless
Where is the main prison complex located?
Who has a friend incarcerated here?
What is the ship bringing to the system?
Who runs security here?
Why is the strategic value of the system going to change?
0300 #07 Corona’s Nook
Crowded-Productive-lane
Way point, water world, genetic modifications, Corona Station
How does the population cope with the limited land masses?
What is the favorite sport here?
What is their main export?
What is unique about Corona Station?
What are the obvious (and not so obvious) gene-mods here?
0301 #08 Fulton
Impoverished-Advanced-lane
High tech commune, no markets, aggressive recruits, hand built
What offer does the commune make that is too good to be true?
What is the catch?
Who is surprised to find a family member here?
What is their take on clones and gene-engineered people?
Which faction is their greatest enemy?
0304 #09 Hell
Impoverished-Brutal-end
Former resource paradise, depleted, battlefield, nuclear winter, holdouts, no sensible person comes here
Who fought here?
Who remains here?
Who among you has been here before?
What was mined/refined/harvested here?
What crime lies hidden here?
[Alternate] Access to Hell is restricted. It is the dumping ground for hardcore felons, exiles, political prisoners, and malcontents that various governments want to make disappear without turning them into martyrs for their given cause. There’s always at least one Krosnov cruiser or patrol craft in orbit that has orders to inspect everyone coming and going from the planet. Most of the world’s population is gathered around the shallow equatorial oceans.
0305 #10 Mutt
Productive-Galactic-hub
Asteroids, anarchy, libertarian extremists, lawlessness, zero-G industry
What brings the crew here?
What do they make/sell here that the crew cannot get anywhere else?
What hazards are there that don’t show up on the map?
Who has a secret mission here?
What is hidden in the belt that will disrupt everything?
[Alternate] No one is sure how this ring of inhabited asteroid cities got its name, but nearly anything can be found, traded, bought, or manufactured in its hundreds of habs. Of course, you might have to travel halfway around the belt to find it. While there are no habitable worlds in the system, they are part of the ‘Golden Circle’ of jump points and there is a constant flow of goods moving through.
0308 #11 Purcel
Colony-Brutal-end
Domed cities, dangerous spores, guerilla forces, exotic flora and fauna
What makes it worth living here?
What is causing people to go crazy here?
Who knows some of the mercs that provide security here?
What goods are being imported?
Who tightly controls exports here?
0309 #12 Queen’s Gate
Rustic-Advanced-hub
Floating cities, orbital habitats, rabid environmentalists, intra-sector hub
What do you have to do to visit the land?
What highly desired plant only grows here?
Who’s hiding in the wilderness?
What is endangering one of the floating cities?
How are rabid environmentalist making your life miserable?
[Alternate] Most of Queen’s Gate population live in orbital habs or on floating cities. The people have a very hands off approach to the land and strive to preserve its natural beauty.
0401 #13 Roost’s Landing
Galactic-Crowded-hub
Boom-town orbital stations, hustlers, prospectors, company town economy
Why is the planet uninhabitable?
What are prospectors looking for?
Which corporation owns the habs, the stores, the hangers, anything not nailed down?
Who is given a survey map to a possible find?
Why are they given the map?
0405 #14 Cardinal
Regimented-Galactic-lane
Theocracy, awesome orbital architecture, scholars, missionaries, pilgrims, serenity
Who is really excited about being a tourist?
Who happens to know one of the head priests?
What incredibly valuable thing was stolen?
Why is that warship scanning you?
Who is trying to forget (or seek forgiveness) about that incident with the nun?
[Alternate] Home of the Floating Cathedral, Cardinal is a favorite layover for religious scholars, Church workers, and pilgrims. They like it calm and orderly. Most residents closely follow the teachings of the Church of the One.
0406 #15 Lando
Galactic-Advanced-end
High tech resorts, pleasure palaces, cruise ships, orbital industries
Who had vacation plans for Lando’s resorts?
How does Lando deal with pirates and other undesirables?
What natural features make Lando such a destination?
Who has a big debt to one of the casinos?
Which faction is a major influence in the system?
0408 #16 Elliot’s Hope
Productive-Privileged-hub
Heavy industry, shipyards, competing Houses, upper class one-upmanship
What is that burning smell?
Who is eager to put you into debt?
Why was someone on the ship sent a dueling dagger?
Who got that invite to the fancy ball?
Who coming and looking for answers?
[Alternate] Elliot’s Hope is a stronghold for the various Houses of the Consortium and several of them have large industrial facilities here. The Houses spend an inordinate amount of time and resources trying to impress each other.
0409 #17 Han’s Landing
Impoverished-Productive-hub
Corporate farms, shipping hub, exotic produce, ranching
What tastes like chicken?
Who is offering to ship livestock?
What does the starport smell like?
What is [insert Faction name] doing way out here?
Who accidentally steps on someone’s time honored tradition?
[Alternate] Metal poor, Han’s Landing gets by with exporting a wide variety of agricultural products. Vast ranches and corporate farms dot the surface of the world. The Landers (their name for themselves) are proud if not wealthy. They have a strong work ethic.
0500 #18 Lawson Station
Galactic-Advanced-hub
Sargasso Sea of spaceships, salvage crews, shipyards, open markets
What hazard makes Lawson Station a home to ship repairs?
What unusual job or bounty does the Station offer?
What feature makes Lawson Station stand out from your typical space station?
Why is the only planet in the life zone uninhabitable?
Who wants to book passage on your ship that requires a vote of the shareholders?
0502 #19 Quinton’s Hope
Rustic-Crowded-lane
Walled city starts, lush lands, a dashed hope
What offer does the government of Quinton’s Hope make to the ship and her crew?
Why are the cities over-crowded and low tech?
Who has family here?
What favor do they ask?
What secret are the homesteaders trying to hide?
0503 #20 Chung
Colony-Privileged-hub
Water world, clones, bountiful sea life, dynamic weather
How do you reach the domed undersea cities from orbit?
Who are the privileged class that live here?
What prevents people from colonizing the surface?
Why does this place have a large clone population?
What strange tradition must all visitors go through?
0504 #21 Knox Alpha
Rustic-Privileged-end
The Lodge, fantastic forests, restricted access, private preserves
Why is Knox Alpha also called “The Lodge”?
Why is access to the surface restricted?
Who is seeking passage to/from this place?
What special cargo is your ship bringing?
What changes people who spend too much time here?
0508 #22 Marsk Eta
Productive-Galactic-lane
Research station, clones, asteroid mining, boredom, dead world
Who has a loved one here?
How do the workers here relieve their boredom?
What the creepiest thing you see?
Which small firm is especially interested in your goods?
Who unintentionally broke one of the local laws?
[Alternate] The only habitable location in the system is Marsk Station which is dominated by the Second Life Corp. The primary business here is clones, research, and some asteroid mining.
0600 #23 Babe
Regimented-Colony-hub
Limited resources, strict rationing, black market, corruption
What is in short supply on this colony?
Who controls the flow of goods?
What natural event is keeping the colony from thriving?
Who on the crew abandoned someone here?
Why is there a warship blocking the Bangle Gate?
0603 #24 Newt
Advanced-Rustic-lane
Huge deserts, high winds, pharmaceuticals, cactus ranches, corporate enclaves
Who has a friend working as a researcher here?
What drugs are commonly exported from here?
How do the locals cope with the high win?
What barbaric local sport is popular here?
What has infested the ship/shuttle/landing party?
0604 #25 Sensi
Regimented-Crowded-end
Plateau cities, drug dependence, hostile lower altitudes, aggressive flyers, terrace farms
What drugs from Newt are heavily used here?
What culture dominates the government and lifestyle of the people?
Why do people bother living here?
What technology is expressly forbidden?
What strange request comes from off world for the crew?
0605 #26 Uhura’s Home
Galactic-Brutal-lane
Shattered planet, mineral rich, hostile debris field, a few remote supply hubs
Who is manning the point defense gun?
Who finds someone they didn’t expect to be alive?
What shady business has the supplier got going?
What equipment is a miner trying to sell?
Who is compelled to take the ship into the debris field?
0606 #27 York
Crowded-Regimented-lane
Militant, mandatory service, code of honor, weapons development, recruiting
Who grew up here and managed to get out of service?
Who knows a guy that knows a guy with a discrete offer?
Who has ran into these government thugs somewhere else?
What do they think of clones?
What keeps everyone crowded into walled cities?
[Alternate] York is crowded, dirty, and under the heel of a strong military regime. Krosnov has an appointed governor in this system and it is a major recruiting station for their people. As imagined, their main exports are weapons and soldiers. Don’t step out of line or you might get stuck in a penal legion for a tour or two.
0700 #28 Bangle’s Call
Advanced-Impoverished-end
Blockade, secrecy, research facility
How can you get past the blockade?
Why do Imperial warships prevent access to the planet?
Who hired you to rescue someone from there?
Who is the passenger that paid you to go there?
What did they bring in the cargo hold?
0701 #29 Hindu
Regimented-Galactic-lane
Ethnic, vegetarian, large orbital colonies, numerous laws
Which member of the crew is part of this belief?
What laws do they break before they even leave customs?
What unusual pets to they have?
What color is forbidden to be worn?
How do they treat their dead (are there any on board as cargo or passengers)?
0705 #30 Cold Opal
Regimented-Productive-hub
Merchant house stronghold and industrial complex, planetary glaciation
Who on your crew really hates snow?
Which two factions are competing against each other?
How far are they willing to go?
Who are you willing to piss off?
Who is here to collect a debt?
0800 #31 Reason
Brutal-Advanced-end
War zone, robotics, patrol ships, scavengers
How do you land without getting blown out of the sky?
0803 #32 Xero
Advanced-Privileged-lane
0807 #33 Deep Epsilon
Colony-Impoverished-end
0901 #34 Panko
Colony-Crowded-lane
0904 #35 X
Crowded-Brutal-hub
Expensive fuel, volatile weather, bunkers everywhere, dust and grit, intra-sector hub
What do they want in exchange for refueling?
What outrageous thing would they accept for fuel?
Who has a bounty hunter after them?
What is hidden on the outskirts of civilization?
Why are they over populated?
[Alternate] Discovered by a wild jump, X is a terrible place to set up a colony with its harsh weather and limited living spaces. But, it is a sector hub and that does give it some value as a way-station.
0907 #36 Jotun’s Moon
Rustic-Crowded-end
Gas giant, radiation hazard, unusual day/night cycle, tunnels, mines, forced labor
What exotic flora/fauna live on the surface?
What are they mining?
Which faction runs this facility with an iron fist?
Who’s allergic to the local food?
What are the miner’s really afraid of?
[Alternate] Jotun is the dominate gas giant in the system. It’s largest moon is almost habitable. Zwergenkind von Joten (the dwarf child of Joton) has a breathable atmosphere, but the close proximity to the gas giant results in too much radiation and magnetism for unprotected humans on the surface. The moon is tidally locked so one side always faces Jotun during its 168 hour day. The vast major of the moon’s population are mining clones living in cramped tunnels that used to be mine shafts.
Anyone wanna get an online group going? I’d GM or someone else can. Either way.
Anyone wanna get an online group going? I’d GM or someone else can. Either way.
I’m pretty new to PbtA and have been dying to try it.
I’m pretty new to PbtA and have been dying to try it. This week, we’re on a break from our regular game, so I’m going to run a UW one shot. Yay!
I wanted to make a few example origin/career/career combos (and archetypes to go with them) using iconic Sci Fi characters (maybe some from Firefly, Farscape, and/or Star Wars characters) just to give my friends a point of comparison during char gen. However, my search-fu is pretty weak. Have people already done this somewhere? If not, what do people think would be some examples?
For instance, at a quick glance (not going for perfect accuracy since they’re just examples, not pregens for play), I’d say Jayne Cobb would be a Brutal Military Scoundrel w/ Mercenary archetype while Mal would be a Rustic Military Personality w/ a Space Cowboy archetype.
Any other suggestions?
#RustbucketTales #Session12 #SeasonFinale
#RustbucketTales #Session12 #SeasonFinale
Previously on Uncharted Worlds…
…The Shadow clips the prison transfer shuttle stabiliser, sending it immediately into a spin towards the city below…
…Orcha checks BountyNet and sees that he is wanted on Jagatika for murder, assault, and escaping from prison.
…The Shadow approaches Fallow Highport, passing the curved, deadly shape of the Scythe in its docking port…
…the Fallow traffic pattern flashes a system arrival notice for the Nerian “yacht” Tanngrisnir. Sai beeps an alert: it has queried for news of Rustbucket.
…the bridge on Fallow: a single span of stone in a perfect inverted catenary across a vast canyon. Anvil takes to it with a laser cutter and hacks out a sample. The stone starts slowly but visibly growing back.
…The Tanngrisnir blasts the Rustbucket with its energy cannon. The shields take most of the blast, but the engines catch some of it. On the bridge, damage alarms start flashing. The Rustbucket dodges further energy blasts, and puts a blocky Nakamoto interdiction boat between it and its attacker.
…Kestrel makes the Nakamoto captain an offer: a cargo of dustspice to look the other way, so she can collect on Orcha’s bounty herself, in another system. The captain agrees.
…Rustbucket burns for the jump point, with Tanngrisnir in pursuit.
Rustbucket is not a happy ship. Dev wishes Orcha had died in the desert. The side-effects of Lynard’s low-tech amputation have made him grumpy with everyone, and Anvil’s efforts to fit him with a makeshift prosthetic have put him in the firing line. Dr Westcott, from his cell, is carefully probing kestrel to see whether she would betray Orcha for him. Meanwhile, Anvil has stumbled across the modifications to the hand-scanner Orcha used and realised he was deleting information on the Greenworlds from the AI they retrieved from SR-388. With Sai, he has reached some interesting conclusions about why Orcha was doing that and what the Epoch Trust has been up to. Meanwhile, both Tanngrisnir and Scythe are actively hunting them, hoping to either collect on Orcha’s bounty, or use it as an excuse for revenge, respectively. Damaged, injured, pursued, Kestrel takes Rustbucket somewhere its pursuers won’t go…
Forsjon: the pirate world. A hollowed-out asteroid containing a warren of tunnels, guarded by a Xa dreadnought. Beyond the authorities, beyond the law, a place for pirates and outlaws to do business. Stolen cargoes, slaves, repairs, mercenary contracts, bioweapons, secrets – anything can be bought and sold here, for the right price.
Stepping onto the dock, Anvil and Orcha are surprised to find no customs staff to greet them. There’s just a sign, saying that they are under the Peace of Xa, and some graffiti: “an armed society is a polite society”. The dockside businesses all have armed guards, all muscle, shotguns and attitude. Pirate crews swagger from bar to bar, their gaudy fluorescent colours signifying their allegiance to one crew or another. At the end of the dock, someone is being noisily crucified before a crowd, a sign round their neck saying “murderer”. At this, Dev pales and offers to fix the slow leak in engineering. She doesn’t feel safe here, and doesn’t think Rustbucket is safe either. She collects an autoshotgun from the locker, and leaves the others to it.
Orcha has to buy Lynard a new leg, and Kestrel has some ideas about buying a clone body to collect Orcha’s bounty, so along with Phoebe and Lynard they head for the medical part of Forsjon’s endless bazaar. After some window shopping, they select a body-mod shop and look over the merchandise. Orcha thinks Lynard should get a heavy, mechanical prosthetic, pirate style, Lynard would prefer a real leg, or at least something that feels like real flesh. Pricing is pushing them towards something more basic, until Kestrel steps in with a counter-offer: fifty thousand for a fast-grown clone body and the leg. The shopkeeper says that they know someone and it’ll take time to set up, but he can do it; if they come back in an hour he can fit the leg and do the prep work on the clone. The group splits up as they leave, with Kestrel taking Phoebe and Lynard to a bar to move cargo. Orcha loiters in the bazaar, and manages to get out of the way when he sees Enrico Sodala, his Epoch handler, and Orcha-17, his clone brother, walking along the concourse. The two of them here together can only mean one thing: they’re here to shut down -37 and initiate a new Orcha model. They’ll have a ship, a medical team, and some muscle, and they’ve probably already noticed that Rustbucket has docked and be looking for him. Orcha keeps a low profile, then heads back to the ship. Once there, he warns Dev not to let in someone who looks like him…
Anvil meanwhile knows exactly what he wants: false registration papers for Sai. He talks to some local synths, who point him at an identity fixer, a weasel-faced woman covered in tattoos. She can get what he wants, but she needs a little job done: she wants his AI to steal a database from one of her competitors. Anvil agrees, and they shake on it. Anvil will need physical access to do the job – the database is on an isolated system – so rents a terminal in a nearby data-shop and sets to work doing research, keeping contact with Sai over the comm. He’s just scoped out the local corridor pattern and is looking for service ducts for an access point when a heavy hand claps down on his shoulder. He turns around to see the unwelcome face of J C Tucker, a Xa pirate he’s had dealings with in the past, surrounded by some of her crew. A long time back, Anvil sold Tucker some stolen cargo, but the deal went wrong and Tucker got the blame for it. She spent three years on a prison planet because he didn’t spot a tracking device, and now she wants those three years of her life back. Anvil pleads poverty – they’ve got no cargo, after all. “But you got here, right? That means you’ve got a ship. We’ll take that instead”. They pick him up, haul him outside, and start marching him towards the dock. “What’s your ship’s name again? Rustcan? Dustbin? Rustbucket?” Anvil improvises “We’re docked as the Scythe”. One of the pirates checks the docking list on their comm: “It’s not coming up on the search, are you lying to us? No, wait, there it is, in 17-A”. Sai has heard everything and has hacked the docking database and renamed the ship next door to theirs.
In the bar, Kestrel shakes hands with the merchant, and arranges for delivery. She’s turned her shrinking cargo of basic firearms and a pile of credits into some medical supplies and a hold full of low-grade consumer electronics. All obviously stolen, of course – but she knows some places where people won’t look too hard. She collects Phoebe and Lynard from their cubicle, where they’re nervously trying to keep out of trouble, and heads back to the body-mod shop to sort out that clone. When they get there, the shop-muscle follows them in, then stands in the doorway, blocking their exit. A man in a suit – Sodala – steps out of the back room, accompanied by someone who looks like Orcha with a flashy handgun. The man in the suit has a proposition: Orcha-37 is wanted for murder, assault, and escaping from prison. They want him. If Kestrel turns him over, they could provide, say, a cargo of high-grade bio-mods. When they see Kestrel’s suspicion – this is worth more than the bounty – the suit changes tack: or, they can let her companions live. When Kestrel hesitates, the Orcha shoots Phoebe in the head. Leaving the corpse on the floor, they start marching Kestrel at gunpoint towards the Rustbucket’s dock, leaving the shopguard to deal with the broken Lynard.
As J C’s gang is passing dock 17-B – now host to the “Acheron”, according to the display board – Anvil makes his move. He tries to break and run for it, but one of the pirates, a huge goon with a whirring cyberarm, grabs him. Anvil turns, spots the weak point in the arm, and disables it with a twist. He kicks the legs out from under a second pirate, then turns and runs for Rustbucket’s airlock. A few shots ricochet of the deck before he makes the safety of the lock door, palms it open, and dodges out of the way. The pirate chasing him is confronted with the business end of Dev’s autoshotgun, backed up by Orcha’s sniper rifle, both summoned by Sai over their comms. Faced with superior firepower, the pirates back away nervously…
The gunshots from ahead are exactly the distraction Kestrel needs. She twists, pulls her pistol – the Orcha foolishly didn’t search her – and shoots the Orcha in the shoulder, then disables the man in the suit with a shot to the leg. As they lie there on the deck, she calmly shoots each of them between the eyes, then rifles their pockets before heading for the Rustbucket. As she walks away, the locals, who had been waiting at a respectful distance until the business was done, descend to take whatever she left behind.
On the Rustbucket, Anvil is explaining the business with J C to Orcha and Dev when Kestrel walks in. She looks Orcha in the eye as she dumps a pair of comm-tablets, a collection of anonymous, high-security looking datachips, and Orcha-17’s custom pistol on the table. “Congratulations. Here’s your inheritance”. One of them aks if this means they need to prep for launch. “No, we need to go back and see if Lynard’s OK”. “And Phoebe,” asks Dev? “She’s not OK”.
Kestrel and Orcha retrieve Phoebe’s corpse and a sedated Lynard from the body-mod shop, as well as a pair of legs for Lynard (tossing a live grenade from hand to hand can be very persuasive). Orcha then drops the right information in the right place to ensure that the bounty on him is collected using Orcha-17’s body. With cargo loaded, Rustbucket heads for deep space to make a deposit. Phoebe will be buried among the stars, “because it is as high as it is possible to get”. Lynard won’t be sticking around – he tells Kestrel that he’ll get off at the next safe stop, where-ever that is.
Kestrel has a new policy: the Epoch Trust is on her shitlist, and they’ll be letting Dr Westcott out.
—-
The data transfer light keeps flashing. The display screen says “decrypting”. “What did you say this thing is?” says Orcha suspiciously, looking at the backup computer with Enrico Sodala’s comm and datachips plugged into it. Cornered, Anvil admits it: “I have an AI. I think its a copy of the one we captured a few months ago”. “My name is Sai,” says Sai.
The light stops flashing. “Our theory is confirmed,” says Sai. “The Epoch Trust has decoded part of the Greenworld Codex and located a number of Greenworlds. They have dispatched AI-controlled ships to these worlds. My parent, Saina, was one of these”.
“What will the ships do when they find the Greenworlds?” asks Orcha.
“They will destroy them”.