A series played using Starfarer from the Calypso Compendium. This post is published under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 licence.
Explore the universe in search of refuge.
Emson
- Explorer (Improvise, Leap, Lucky, Spot)
- Future human (Attractive, Educated, Healthy, Trivia)
- Off-worlder (Barter, Loyal, Mine, Scavenge)
- Social (Charm, Empathise, Recall, Secret)
- Key of the Daredevil (take unnecessary risks)
- Key of the Impulsive (act on instinct or impulse)
- Secret of the Hidden Ace (surprise element; 4+ means it betrays)
- Secret of the Legend (Social +1, trait cap is 5)
Prospector, trader, scavenger, thief. She's many things, and an heiresson the run. She's reckless at times but always comes through with connections or improvisation.
Emson, or Lady Emson Niskanen of Robos IV, sits across the table from her fence and wonders which of them will shoot first. Baen has been augmented with additional cybernetic limbs that could be wielding addtional firearms. She keeps both of her, completely organic, hands on the table in front of her, the idol she's trying to sell rests between them. It's a small stone egg that she... "excavated" on a trip to a frontier planet; harmless enough but Baen's reaction suggests this could be the start of a very bad day.
She decides to start soft, reminding Baen of their long history to lower his defences. 2d6 + Social + Charm + Empathise + Recall = 3 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 10. Gain 3 currency "Rapport." Baen visibly relaxes and raises his original hands above the desk in gesture of trust. His new hands stay out of sight, so she can't relax just yet. She recognises a look on Baen's face, guilt, that doesn't fill her with confidence.
"You ratted me out to the Arbiters?" Emson's diction could cut glass, all sharp and as cold as ice. Baen sweats and tries to stammer out a reply before falling silent. Spending 1 "Rapport" to get the truth out of him. "Em, you've got to believe me" Baen mutters, unable to make eye contact, "I have to keep the legit front going, and I can't do that with the law all over me." Emson idly rolls the idol back and forth between her hands, the weight feels satisfying as it rumbles to and fro.
"How much time do we have?" Emson chooses her words carefully. If the Arbiters were coming in force, she'd know by now, but it's always good to know what timeframe she has to work with for an exit strategy. Spending 1 "Rapport" to get an honest answer. Baen hems and haws before Emson's glare causes the words to spill out of his mouth. "Ah, I've not given specifics, just the notes. They don't know when we're meeting or where to find you. They're just keeping tabs on me..." Baen trails off and his eyes widen as he realises the implications. Emson rises to her feet and crosses to the window where she peers through the blinds. 2d6 + Explorer + Spot = 5 + 3 + 1 + 1 = 10. Gain 2 currency "Countdown to Cops."
The coast is clear for now, but its only a matter of time before there are Arbiters kicking the door open. Emson weighs her options and decides to cut and run. The idol isn't valuable enough to worry about so she pushes it across the desk to Baen. "Do me a favour and stall them for as long as you can." Baen seizes the idol in his organic hands and rises to his feet. Emson notes that while his guns are still holstered, his cybernetic hands had been on the grips of the pair of pistols he always wore. Spending 1 "Rapport" to secure Baen's compliance. Baen nods, tucking the idol into his jacket, "I'll keep them busy, one way or another."
Emson climbs up onto the desk and reaches for the hatch in the ceiling, roof access is a good start. 2d6 + Explorer + Improvise + Lucky = 3 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 7. The hatch has a lock that requires some creative work to bypass, but once its open Emson hauls herself into the maintenance ducts. She hears Baen seal the hatch behind her and begins her long crawl upward to the roof. The sound of Arbiters breaking into Baen's office is muffled but its clear that he won't be able to talk them down.
Emson can't risk calling up a schematic of the building, that would require net access, a signal that could be traced. Instead she relies on instinct and fortune to guide her. 2d6 + Explorer + Improvise + Lucky = 6 + 4 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 13. Gain condition "Fortune's Favour." After what feels like an eternity of crawling through the dark, cramped tunnels of the service ducts, she reaches an opening above her. Light can be glimpsed from an upper branch of the duct network.
She pats her pockets for inspiration (using Hidden Ace to gain a tool; 1d6 = 5, it will betray her) and finds her mag-grapel - she thought she'd left that in her other coat. Pulling it free, she rolls onto her back to take aim up the shaft above. With the line in place, she begins to inexorably haul herself upward. 2d6 + Future human + Athletic + Mag-grapel = 5 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 10. +2 forward to next roll. She makes short work of the climb, but finds her mag-grapel stuck fast inside a join connecting two sections of duct. Cursing under her breath, she turns and heads for the light at the end of the upper duct.
The light is coming from the side of a metal grille. Pressing against itto feel for a way to open it, Emson realises that she'll need to force it. Spending 1 "Countdown to Cops" to break out of the ducts. Out on the roof she hears the sound of sirens from below, the Arbiters are on the scene. It won't be long before the ground forces ae combing the street and air support won't be far away. She scans the adjacent buildings for potential exits. 2d6 + Explorer + Spot + Fortune's favour + 2 forward = 5 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 = 15. +2 forward to next roll.
Emson sights a walkway on the next building which leads to an open doorway. It's a nondescript structure so there's no telling what's inside, but it must be better than leaving in custody. She gets a running start before vaulting for the walkway... 2d6 + Explorer + Leap + 2 forward = 1 + 1 + 1 + 1+ 2 = 6 ...before realising that she's misjudged the distance. I'm going to spend 1 "Countdown to Cops" to mitigate. She barely catches the edge of the walkway, straining to pull herself up onto it. She hears the thrum of the Arbiters' flyers above and scrambles for the doorway.
To be continued...