The cast:
- Brace (ex-Brainer Battlebabe): the ship's pilot and also a spook, that despised part of humanity touched by the weird. He has extensive psychic powers. Shiv hates him and the White Guard tried to violate him.
- Midnight Storm (ex-Skinner Solace): teenage post apocalyptic rock star who wants to help people.
- Nightingale (a.k.a. "Gale") (Angel): the ship's doctor hunting her brother Bluejay.
- Manfred (Faceless): A massive man who wears a mask fashioned from a stop sign. He used be a cook on a cattle ship.
Manfred was Jordan's replacement after Vivek was blown up. His starting moves I believe were Oh yeah!, Rasputin, and possibly Juggernaut. He had an armored apron and machete. Basically a grenade wasn't going to cut it with this guy.
Make Friends and Influence People
Farley walked through the Starlight followed by a massive man using a Golden Age sign as mask. He glanced back and asked, "now you are sure you can cook?"
A deep voice resonated behind the red metal, "I served on a garden ship called the Dent. We carried cattle. I skinned, butchered, and prepared meat for five years as head cook."
Farley glanced at the massive machete hanging from the giant's side. His eyes traced a path up his armored apron to the warped letters spelling 'STOP' on the new crewman's face. "Okay Manfred, we'll give you a try. Here's the galley."
Manfred scanned the doorway and then stepped inside, dwarfing the kitchen. "There are no locks."
"No, we've never needed them before."
"Is that cat food?"
As Midnight's cat leaped out from behind the crate of aluminum cans.
"Uh, yes." Farley sighed. "Ula and Bigs, some of the other crew, got work at the new garden ship at port. They are earning produce in trade for their work. They were supposed to bring their latest 'payment' yesterday. I'll see what is holding them up."
Manfred nodded and opened the spice drawer. "There isn't much to work with. For flavor or substance."
"I know it's a challenge. If dinner is any good, you're hired."
This works better in the narrative here than later when it actually occurred in-game.
"Getting to White will be extremely difficult," Landers said. "I could be exiled or worse if my people knew I was talking to you. Sneaking you in to look at our supreme leader while he is incapacitated..."
"I know it would be hard, " Nightingale said, glancing at Brace. "I need to get the machinery to conduct a full brain scans first before we even start thinking of breaking into the central nexus of the White Guard."
Brace spoke up. "Just in case you were thinking about it Gale, I don't think calling White to us would be a good idea."
"Oh no, that sounds like a terrible idea."
"Calling? What does that mean?" Landers asked.
"Brace can psychically call people through the void. If he called White, he would come, physically, to us."
"Let's not do that." Landers chewed her lip. "I think I can get us in, when you are ready that is."
I'm pretty sure there were Read a Person rolls galore in this scene.
"Make sure you don't tell anyone," Brace said. "We don't know if they can be trusted."
"Are you sure?" Landers said. "There are others who believe, like me, that we need to get outside aid. They might be able to help."
"No."
"Okay, I'll keep them out of loop if you think that is best. You trust me, right? I came to you, after all."
After a period of uneasy quiet, Gale said, "of course. Let's plan to act once I have the machinery functioning. Brace do you still have the guard uniform you stole?"
He nodded.
"Then we will use that. Landers I'll contact you when we are ready."
After Landers left, Brace stood up stiffly.
"Are you okay?" Gale asked. "Lift your shirt."
Brace carefully peeled up his shirt, revealing blood stained skin and torn stitches.
"You should have told me that this happened. Hold still while I restitch these."
Brace placed his hands on the wall as Nightingale closed up his wound with needle and thread.
Gale scowled as she asked, "What happened to the people who did this to you?"
"What do you mean?" he demanded.
"People who do stuff like this shouldn't be free to walk around." Gale finished the last stitch.
"They are not around."
The infirmary door opened. Sun and Tally looked inside.
"Is this a bad time?" Tall asked.
Brace slipped his shirt back down and quickly exited the room.
"So why are you here?" Nightingale asked Sun after dealing with Tally's questions.
"You talked about checking out the local bar scene last night. Interested in joining me?"
"Sure. Getting drunk would be a nice change of pace."
The women headed to one of Megaton's numerous bars. At the second place they stopped at, a man with an eye patch sat down next to Gale.
"Hey, can I buy you a drink?"
Gale shrugs. "Knock yourself out."
"Barkeep! Another drink for the lady." He turns back to her. "I'm Pip. Just got my first payment for the reconstruction in sector F."
"Reconstruction? What happened?"
"Apparently someone managed to get a grenade past security and blew-up one of the guest quarters at this swank hotel over there. Shame too, I heard the blast got a local girl, and some other guy. They still don't know who he was. What's your name by the way?"
"I'm Gale." Gale listened to Pip for a few more minutes but interjecting. "Thanks for the drink Pip. You seem like a real nice guy but I'm not looking for a nice guy tonight."
Gale got up and let Pip take a shot at Sun instead. She moved through the crowded bar eyeing people up for a one night stand or a bar brawl. Months of infirmary work boiled to the surface.
She jumped into the lap of a large hairy man. "Hey, its your lucky day."
"Get off of me bitch!" he said tossing her on the floor.
"That'll work too," she mumbled before smashing a mug in his face.
I believe we used Seize by Force but since no one is dealing significant harm the stakes are pretty low. Even so a harder move is required at this point.
Gale exchanged blows and insults with the goon as his friends cheered him on. Then she noticed several pirates from the Nevermore moving to surround them. She caught the glint of at least one knife blade in the shadows.
"Enough of this," she said, switching tactics and closing with her opponent. She connected with a flurry of blows, sending him sprawling into a table.
She succeeds and deals +1-harm in addition to seizing victory.
As crowd burst into cheers and boos, she followed Sun out the backdoor. With Cage right behind her, she slammed the door into his face. The bar crashed down, sealing off the pursuit.
A hard hit on acting under fire.
"Well that felt good," she told Sun as they returned to the ship. "It feels like forever since I've gotten to unwind."
Midnight dug into his dinner. "I can't believe this is cat food."
"I know," Tally said. "This new cook is great."
A murmur of approval spread through the galley.
"I'm surprised you are here however," Tally continued. "I heard you are playing packed houses."
"I needed some quiet time away from my fans. They might have better food out there but they aren't you guys. You are like my family. Talking about which, where is Ula and Bigs?"
Actually Midnight's fans are Followers. They have surplus: 1-barter, +party, +stupor, +growth and wants: +desertion, +savagery.
"I'm not sure. They started working at the garden ship that came in a few days ago. They haven't gotten back yet."
"Hmm, I'll have to check it out."
"Midnight," Main Stream called out. "Where are you going?"
Midnight stopped. "I was going to look for Vivek. No one has seen him for a few days. I was hoping to check on Ula and Bigs as well."
"Okay, I was hoping to review some research with you first."
"Alright," he said, shuffling his feet.
"I've researching what I overheard the White Guard talking about when they accosted me. They mentioned being plagued by nightmares. I think there could be a connection to the Legend of the Redoubt. Do you know that story?"
"Of course. It was some big Golden Age ship right? Something happened and they all turned into reavers? The first reavers."
"It is not just a story." Main Stream pulled out an old leather-bound bible and opened it. On the bleached pages was a hand-written memoir. The first page was titled 'The Extraordinary Adventures of Captain Campbell.'
Main Stream turned to a marked section. "Campbell captained a ship named the Redoubt. In this section he describes rescuing a ship that survived passing through a black hole. The survivors began suffering nightmares of ravenous hunger. This could be the same Redoubt as the legendary first reaver ship. Unfortunately the log ends shortly afterwards."
"Interesting idea. I'm not sure how it helps us."
"The dreams the White Guard mentioned, they could be the same as the Redoubt."
"That sounds bad."
"How about three air filters, a canister of gel, and prosthetic arm?" Gale asked the slick haired man.
"Look those all sound great but I'm going to need something more to part with a miniaturized HMRI," he replied. "I salvaged this at great personal risk from the last Golden Age hospital on Rigel IV."
Nightingale was pretty sure this well-groomed merchant had never been off station but bit her tongue. "I'll be back with more."
"I look forward to it."
Gale hoped Brace would make good on his offer of help finance this project.
Gale got a soft hit to go into a bustling market looking for a particular thing.
"So what do you think?" Brace asked Manfred.
The giant cook looked down at the pilot. "Why do you need a ship?"
I'm not really sure either.
"Let me worry about that. Will you help me storm it or not? I think between the two of us we can easily handle the opposition."
"It depends on how much you are paying."
"Well-" Brace began as Midnight Storm burst into the kitchen. "Midnight what do you want!?"
"Sorry, I wanted to show you something." The musician held up a thick book.
"I don't need a book. Show Main Stream or Farley."
"It's from the Redoubt. It talks about the first reavers."
"I don't care. We were discussing business here."
"Gale said you would be interested."
"I don't want to know about reavers," Brace said. He kept his face still, trying to hide his feelings about the visions he'd had the previous two nights.
And probably interfering with Read a Person.
Midnight shrugs. "Fine. Oh Manfred, I thought you could use this. My friend Snail gave it to me."
The young man handed Manfred a bottle containing a live yeast culture. The faceless figure grunted.
Just then Rum ran in. "Where is Gale? I have a letter for her."
The mail is really slow around here.
"Give that to me," Brace said, grabbing the letter. "Run along."
The pilot put the letter in his pocket and resumed negotiating a price with Manfred.
Three minutes later, Gale shouted into the galley. "Brace, we have a problem. The bastard wants more money for the medical equipment. Brace are you listening?"
Midnight stepped up behind her. "If you need cash I have some to spare."
"Oh! Thank you Midnight."
"No problem, just trying to help out."
As Midnight headed to his room to gather the barter, Gale entered the kitchen.
"Okay then," Brace concluded. "With that settled what's for dinner?"
"I've managed to craft some 'meat' patties with cheesy and bacon-like centers. There are buns baking in the oven. Farley got me some onions, tomatoes, and other vegetables to craft some toppings and condiments."
"So burgers?" Gale asked.
"I use the term loosely until we get some quality meat," Manfred said.
Brace silently offered Gale the letter.
"What's this?" Gale said as she turned it over. Her hands shook as she saw the stylized bluejay on the seal. She tore it open carefully.
Inside on crisp, new paper, she recognized her brother's handwriting. After some token efforts at asking forgiveness, the text promised that he will see her soon.
"How did this arrive?"
"The kid brought it," Brace said.
Gale searched out Rum. She found him snacking on some hardtack.
The child gulped down an ancient cracker. "An old man gave it to me in the market place. He had scars on his face."
Brace scanned the room as he slipped out. Almost the whole crew was present, except Ula, Bigs, and Shiv.
"Okay deliver it to the Starlight," she instructed the slick haired man by the HMRI.
He looked up from his pile of jingle. "Of course, it will be there within the hour."
"Now, do you know where I can find some more pharmaceuticals?"
"I'm afraid I don't deal with those. I used to know a woman who carried such drugs but she died of lead poisoning last year. I know a fixer who might know where to get some."
Another soft hit on looking for something in a bustling market.
"Who and where?"
"His name is Lunch. He runs a greasy spoon out of his ship the Good Trip."
"Thanks."
Gale headed to the dockmaster's office.
"I'm looking for the Good Trip."
The portly woman swiveled in her chair to a tablet bolted to a wall. "It's not here, " she croaked.
"I was told it was in port."
"It is or was. The White Guard impounded it."
"What about Lunch, the guy who owned it."
"Have you seen him?"
"No."
"Oh, too bad. The White Guard want to talk to him. No one has seen him since last night."
"Thanks."
Gale wandered the docks, questioning arrivals about sources of medical supplies.
"So do you have any for sale?" she asked the captain of the Vigil.
"Unfortunately not," the man said. "All of my supplies are spoken for. A man named Mech arranged purchase before we docked."
"Maybe I could buy them from him. Do you have a way to contact him?"
"I recommend steering clear. From what I have heard, Mech is a very dangerous man. It is best you do not get involved."
Frustrated, Nightingale returned to the Starlight.
This was not the best way to end a scene. I'm not sure why we shut down her purchases. Failure should always advance a plot.
Manfred watched a White Guard exit the Starlight. "Is that you?'
Brace nodded. "Let's get our gear through the security door."
The pair exited the automated security, fully armed and armored. A real White Guard walked over. "What's going on here, soldier?"
"Soldier? I am a Captain! Get back to your station, soldier!" Brace ordered. "I am escorting this prisoner to lock-up."
"Sorry sir, I didn't realize." As he walked off, he mumbled, "all our uniforms look the same."
Brace acted under fire and pulls rank.
Brace led Manfred to a sleek black ship. "This is her, the Nevermore."
They walked up the port entrance. A man with a bandaged arms stopped them.
"What do you want?" Cage asked, a hand at his side.
"I am conducting an inspection for contraband," Brace said. "Step aside."
"I'll take you to the captain."
Manfred stayed outside as Cage and Brace boarded the ship.
In the galley they passed a single large man cleaning his nails with a knife. Brace sized him up and decided he wasn't a serious threat.
Brace by this point has changed playbooks and was a Battlebabe.
Cage took him to the front of the ship and knocked on a metal door. "Captain! The White Guard want to inspect the ship."
Brace closed his eyes for a moment and looked forward to the coming battle. He saw a vision of a woman's head exploding followed by Cage bleeding out of his eyes.
Visions of Death!
The murmur of two voice came from inside. The door slid open and an imposing woman looked at him. The smell of cigarette smoke wafted into the hall.
Brace tried to peer past her into the room.
"What do you want?" she asked.
Brace replied by lashing out with his mind. Cipher swallowed a scream and slammed her hand on the door control, locking him out and sending off alarms throughout the Nevermore.
Brace failed to go aggro. Cipher takes 1-harm ap though.
The blare of the alarm trickled into the dock. Manfred turned his aluminum face to the thick outer hatch. He approached with slow heavy footfalls.
The steel screamed as the door pulled free of its hinges. Inside a man readied for a battering ram. Instead a monster of a man strode through the gap. He raised his weapon. Manfred's machete came down. The guard rained down on the floor in chunks.
Oh Yeah! move in action. Followed by seize by force.
A squad of pirates race to the sounds. They leveled their submachine guns as they rounded the corner. Manfred turned his aluminum gaze towards them.
They unloaded into him.
Bullets bounced off the walls, impacted on his lead-lined apron, and sliced into his thick flesh.
He advanced.
Manfred swung twice. The men, now halved, fled.
Manfred has 3 armor between his apron and his moves (including a successful seize by force). He is unharmed. He deals 3-harm however so the gang suffers several fatalities. Rather than seize the situation, he chooses to dismay them.
The cook strode back to the doorway to wait.
Brace intends to leave no survivors.
Brace crouched low as the galley door slid open. The crowd within fired high and late. Switching to autofire, he mowed them down. A half-dozen men and women died in a spray of blood and bullets.
Brace got a couple new weapons as part of becoming a Battlebabe. His two pistols feature autofire so gangs are not a real problem.
He moved into the room, scanning for survivors. The big guy with the knife was absent. Brace popped his spent clips and slid new ones in.
A grenade tumbled toward him from the left.
He glanced that way, catching a glimpse of Bug slamming the door shut behind him. Brace threw himself forward, across and out of the room.
The explosion ripped the galley apart. Brace rode the blast into the next room.
"There you are," Cipher said.
Brace looked up. The pirate captain stood at the far end of what appeared to be recreation center. The surviving crew, minus Bug, were arrayed around her. They readied their guns.
Brace thrust his pistols in front of him, firing all out. The roar of bullets filled the room as screens and consols burst into sparks on both sides. Pain laced his body as several rounds found their marks.
But many more of his landed.
The pilot ran across the blood slicked floor, cutting down survivors before reaching Cipher.
"It's over," he said. He fired into her forehead at point black, bringing his earlier vision into reality.
Brace basically makes two seize by force rolls here. Thanks to the White Guard 2-armor and the relatively weak weapons (smgs deal 2-harm) he gets out with only minor wounds (I think he took 2 or 3 harm in total). The grenade was a soft move (since he was able to act under fire to avoid all damage).
Brace walked to the entranceway. Manfred waited there. Blood caked his apron and dripped from his machete.
"Did anyone come this way?" the pilot asked.
The cook motioned to three fleshy piles.
"Okay, it should be done but go clear the ship while I see what we can do about the door."
Manfred stomps off while Brace looks at the torn hatch. "Fuck. How are we going to hide this?"
A voice whimpered from the corpse pile in the wreckage of the galley. "Please, please help."
Manfred's eyes focused from behind his red mask on the dying man. Blood poured from several of his arteries. "No."
He stomped forward into the kitchen. A man crouched there, his hands up.
"Don't hurt me. I'm not with them. I surrender."
Manfred adjusted his grip on his massive blade. "Who are you?"
"Rat. I didn't know they were pirates. I just want off."
"Get in the larder."
The cook locked Rat inside and continued his search. He reached a turn in a corridor when a hail of bullets perforated the wall in front of him.
A woman shouted at him. "I have an assault rifle and I will kill whoever you send this way!"
Manfred backtracked. He went down a branch parallel to the defended hallway. Then he pressed an ear against the wall. He heard the woman breathing rapidly.
Manfred punched through the wall, his massive hand seizing her arm and pulling it through the gap.
He twisted. Snap.
With his other hand he grabbed the assault rifle from her and tossed it behind him. She struggled futilely as he pulled her through the wall, hampered by his broken arm and the mass of the child in her belly.
The cook paused. He smashed his head into hers and tossed her over his shoulder. "I'll take you to a medic."
Manfred used seize by force to get what he wants.
A few minutes later he returned to Brace.
"You grabbed Crypt?"
"She's pregnant."
"Okay. Is the ship clear?"
"A man named Rat is locked in the larder. The two escape pods were jettisoned."
"Okay, help me lift this hatch. Maybe we can balance it so it looks intact from a distance."
Gale tuned the knobs on the HMRI. The screen to her left translated the cerebral images into an oscillating pattern of thoughts and feelings. She looked to her subject.
Tatters lay on the cot, still trapped in a coma.
"I hope this works," Gale said, beginning the recording.
As she watched the display, she felt herself drawn in. Her view sank into the undulating image. The liquid pool filled her eyes, covered her face and crashed over her ears.
She snapped her eyes close. The sensation faded, replaced with echoes of a tolling bell.
She opened her eyes. The old wooden church surrounded her. The bell tolled on behind and above her. In front of her, hanging over the altar, was Tatters. She could see through his body like a damp cloth.
"Tatters! Tatters, can you hear me?"
The boy cracked open his eyes. He cried. "Why did you come back! You need to get out of here. Run before he finds you!"
"Who? Who did this to you?"
"The shadow man. He took my doll. Now I'm trapped here. It's like he took part of my soul."
"Don't worry." Gale looked around. "I'll get you out."
"I need the doll to escape."
"I'll find it."
Gale located some stairs and ascended up the bell tower. She found a small window partway up and slipped through it onto the loose shingled roof.
From her vantage point she could see the vast and decimated city. The screams and cries of reavers came from every quarter but she focused on what she could see. A few hundred yards away, she spied an upper story window opening onto a decaying nursery.
Gale began to hurry along the rooftop towards the potential hiding spot. When she reached the edge, she leapt to an adjoining building. Faster and faster she raced along the crumbling skyline, bouncing off of exposed rebar and sliding down poles.
We created some custom parkour rules but I didn't feel like they offered much. There wasn't enough tension and I believe it came down to just succeeding on enough rolls.
She made a final jump and crashed through the window into the nursery. A doll, the doll, sat on a small bed.
Gale grabbed a moth-eaten blanket and wrapped up the figurine. Then she tied the blanket to her waist as a sash.
She leapt back out the window, the snarl of Reavers already closing in. Gale pivoted back towards the church. She ran on the ridgepoles, scattering shingles where her feet fell. She could see the church up ahead.
The Reavers filled the square around the church.
Gale increased her speed. Her jump from the final roof carried her to a rusting light post. She swung off it on top of a dusty fountain. Reavers scrambled for the stone lip but she was already gone. A tall reaver collapsed to the cobblestone street as she landed on him before leaping to catch the lowest edge of the church roof.
She hoisted herself up and caught her breath.
The reavers screamed and banged on the walls and doors of the church. Gale ignored them as she carefully made her way back to the bell tower and then down to the altar.
"Here it is," Gale said, presenting the doll to Tatters.
The boy grabbed it. A glow filled him, increasing in brightness. In moments he was too bright to look at. Then he disappeared in a flash of starlight.
Gale blinked for a several second, her vision cloudy and dark.
Someone stepped around her.
Her vision cleared and she made out this new figure. Before her stood a woman much like herself, cloaked in shadow. This "Gale"'s face was curled into a frown. Faint scars etched her temples and hands.
The shadow Gale punched her. Gale gritted her teeth as the telegraphed attack came and smiled grimly back.
A second blow landed. Gale spat her blood into the shadow's face. Darkness swirled around her.
Gale opened her eyes. The medbay's flourescent glow shone down on her.
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