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. He just killed the crew of the Nevermore and claimed their ship.
- 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.
Make Friends and Influence People, Part II
The crew of the Starlight crowded around the entrance to the infirmary. Manfred shifted Crypt's body outside the mass of happy people, his dark eyes peering through the ragged holes in his mask for a way to the doctor.
Farley squeezed out of the room. A large smile covered his face.
Tally asked, "Is he really-"
"Tatters is awake and healthy," the Captain said.
Manfred nodded and began to slowly grind through the crowd. As he approached the crew parted.
Inside he saw the comatose boy now awake and joking with Midnight. Gale's eyes fixed on his "package". He slipped the pregnant woman down by the door.
Manfred shuffled back out as Gale rushed over to check the wounded pirate.. He walked back to the kitchen as the medic worked to stabilize her new patient. Then he grabbed the other package.
Nightingale found him in the kitchen unpacking the box of food supplies. The word 'Nevermore' was stenciled on the side.
"Where did you get the food?" she asked.
He stacked up cans in the pantry. "A ship."
"What ship?"
"I didn't ask."
"Why did you go the Never-, the ship?" Gale tapped him on the shoulder as he unloaded. "I want to know what you did to those pirates?"
"Brace paid me to help him take the ship."
When Manfred looked back at Gale, she was already out the door.
A voice boomed over the Nevermore's comms. "Come out now or we will open the ship to the vacuum."
Brace looked at the monitor showing the exterior. The White Guard surrounded the ship.
"Time to go," Brace said.
Rat, the nurse, had already fled. Hands up and screaming he exited into the guard's custody.
Brace carefully stripped his stolen uniform and left the ship with his hands above his head.
"Who are you and what is going on?" the lead White Guard asked.
"I am Brace." He gestured behind him. "I recently acquired this ship and was inspecting it."
Brace glances at Rat and reaches out with his mind. Back me up if you want to live.
I believe he went aggro using direct brain whisper projection.
Tears rain down Rat's face. "It's true. The captain lost it in a game of chance."
"She didn't take it well," Brace said. "I had some trouble with stowaways."
The White Guard conferred. The leader told them, "Okay. We will just check the ship for remaining stowaways. Stay here."
I'm not sure how we let this pass but it must have been an epic act under fire roll to bluff them.
Brace watched the guards enter the Nevermore and smiled. Beside him Rat shook and sniffed.
Gale entered the dock.
Brace's smile faltered. He made his way toward her, ambling along to avoid giving the guards an impression that he was escaping.
"What are you doing here?" he hissed.
"I was about to ask you the same question," she said. "Did you kill the crew of the Nevermore?"
"Shh. You want the guards to arrest both of us? Or worse?"
"You can't just murder people."
Brace glanced back at the unassuming guards. "Do you believe in right and wrong?"
"Of course," she said with a laugh.
Brace shook his head. "I don’t. There is good and there is evil. This ship was evil. You know that. That crew did horrible things. It needed to be stopped."
Gale stared at him. She opened her mouth for a long moment as she struggled for a response.
Brace cut in and took her hands. "For the sake of our friendship, just drop it. Leave it alone and don't ask me about it again. I didn't tell you what I was doing because I knew this would happen."
Gale's eyes glistened. Before they overflowed, she nodded and turned away.
“You’re just like him,” she whispered.
Brace's face fell as she left.
"Have you seen a man about so high who smells like pot?" Midnight asked the fiftieth merchant. "No? Thanks."
Midnight Storm headed toward's Snail's club. Perhaps he had seen Vivek.
He found the club owner overseeing the morning setup. Midnight walked up behind him.
"Hi Snail. I was wondering if I could ask you something. Since I've been drumming up so much business lately, I thought you could help me find a friend."
This was followed by one of Midnight's rare Manipulate a Person failures.
Snail shakes his head. "Midnight, Midnight. I thought we had an understanding. You get your cut and I provide the venue. Why, I even put down a bundle of jingle on these amazing fruit from the Garden Ship. We are going make a mint on them. A cut of that is yours."
Snail hands him a fruit. Midnight Storm examines the strange fruit. It was the size of an apple but springy. A greeenish juice formed droplets on the violet surface.
"Thanks," he says pocketing the fruit.
"Well I have a lot to do before tonight's show."
Here we encounter the second of the new player characters in the game. Switch started in this scene as a throwaway NPC but was upgraded to a PC when Jamil began to look for his next character after Brace.
Midnight continued his search. His neon lit path weaved into the gaming district. As he pressed through the crowds, a cute blonde popped up in front of him.
"Hey, who are you?" she asked.
"I'm Midnight Storm," he said, eyeing her fetish wear.
The woman smiled broadly at him. "The singer? Wow. I'm Switch by the way. Short for Switchblade."
He shook her small elegant hand. "Nice to meet you."
Her long fingers wrapped around his tightly. "Hey did you want to have some fun?"
"Actually I'm looking for a friend," he said as she dragged him into the Gumbo casino.
"Well maybe they are in here?" she said. "Let's look around."
"I suppose," he said.
The pair wandered the floor for a few minutes before Switch pulled him to a craps table. "Let's play a bit while we are here."
"That's not really why I came here."
"Please!" she said smiling up at him.
"Okay."
Midnight placed some bets and quickly made some lucky rolls. As he picked up his winnings, he turned to Switch. "I really need to find my friend. You take these while I ask around."
Midnight walked over to the casino guards. "Hey, I'm looking for a friend of mine. He might have been by here. His name is Vivek."
The goons looked at each other for a moment. One said, "I think you want to talk to Boss."
A few minutes later, they ushered him into a spartan chamber. Boss towered over even his men.
"I hear you are looking for my old friend Vivek."
Midnight looked up at him. "Yeah, do you know where he is? He left the ship last week and never came back."
"I heard he was last seen in bay thirty-something several nights ago. I might be able to learn more if you made it worth my while."
"I'm a pretty good singer. I could put on a performance for you," Midnight offered.
And successfully manipulates a person.
"Sure, how about tomorrow night? I'll tell you after the show."
"Sure."
Once outside, Midnight searched for Switch. She was gone but he found a note waiting at the front desk. It told him that she could be found at the Carnival, a ship in Dock 2. He left the casino and noticed a man following him.
Midnight thought he had lost his tail before his next stop. He peered around the smoke-filled bar. In a knot of guys, he spotted a familiar face. "Hey, Snaz! There you are. I've been looking for you."
The broad shoulder young man looked up from his drink. "Hey Midnight."
"Are you okay?" Midnight noticed a half-empty bottle nearby. "Where's Molly?"
Snaz's eyes grew watery. He quickly knocked back his drink. "Guys, could you give me a moment with Midnight?"
His friends moved off and he poured a drink for himself and Midnight Storm. "She left me. I haven’t seen her since the day after the concert."
"I'm sorry, Snaz."
"I tried your advice. I was sweet to her. I even bought some of those purple flower things from the garden ship. She seemed happy. Then next thing I know I get back from work and she's gone. Maybe I was too soft for her."
"No, that's not it, Snaz." Midnight patted his friend's shoulder. "You're not the only one who has disappeared lately. There is something odd about that ship. I think I should investigate it. I'll let you know if I see Molly."
Midnight Storm walked back to the Starlight. Maybe Manfred could tell him something about the fruit Snail gave him.
More trouble with Midnight's followers. He failed quite a few Fortune rolls over the series.
Ahead a half-dozen young men and women jeered and shouted at a squad of White Guard.
Toa led the protest, aided by more of Midnight's fans. "Stop oppressing us!"
"Disperse or we will use force," the head guard replied.
"All you know is how to bust heads!"
Midnight placed himself between the authorities and his fan club. "Hey! Let's calm down a moment. What's the problem?"
"These thugs have been harassing in the markets," Toa said. "Questioning people, even kids. Arresting them on ridiculous charges. They are making it impossible to enjoy ourselves or even work."
"I will take care of this. I think I know what is going on. You and the others just leave them alone for now."
"Okay Midnight Storm, we will leave it to you. You know I have your back if you need help."
"I sure do." Midnight watched the White Guard marching off. The leader glanced back in his direction. From within his blank helmet came a strange buzzing.
A wolf of the Maelstrom!
"So what do you think it is?" Midnight asked Manfred.
The giant cook held it next to the ceiling light in the kitchen. "I don't know. I wouldn't eat it."
"Well that sounds sensible. Manfred, could you come with me to the garden ship? Maybe if you saw the plant it came from you could tell what it is."
Manfred nodded. "We might also get some vegetables as well. Normal ones."
"That and some of our crew. You haven't even met Ula and Bigs yet."
The pair walked to Dock 6. Switchblade slid up beside them.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"We are checking out the garden ship." Midnight traced Switch's supply form. "It, uh, might be dangerous. Some of our crew went missing there."
"Sounds fun."
The odd party continued on their way.
In front of the garden ship, they found a stall selling fresh fruits and vegetables. A constant stream of customers milled past the stall, nabbing produce.
Many other people lined up at the main hatch, trying to get work on board. The fit young man at the door turned most away. The three waited their turn in line.
"So you want to work?" The man smiled and looked up at Manfred. "You look pretty strong, dude."
Midnight stepped forward. "Actually we are looking for some friends."
"We're all friends here."
"Uh sure, I'm looking for some specific people: Ula and Bigs."
"Oh you are Ula and Bigs friends? Thanks cool. I'm Ganymede."
"I'm Midnight Storm. Are they still here? Can I see them?"
"Oh I see, sure, I'll check if they are still on board. You stay here, dudes."
Midnight glanced at the others as Ganymede stepped inside. When he turned back, an extremely toned woman had taken his place.
"You just stand right over there, friends." She pointed to an area next to the door. "We have a lot of other people to deal with."
Ganymede returned a few minutes later, smiling even more broadly. "Your friends are on board. They'd love to see you. I'll take you to them. Come, follow me."
Manfred, Midnight, and Switchblade followed Ganymede inside garden ship. The bright white corridors were broken by transparent doors looking down endless halls of green growing things.
Watermelons hung from the ceilings of some rooms. Deeper inside, a path of running water broke up the hallway, dotted by floating square pads of peat dotted with green sprouts.
Ganymede paused at a large frosted doorway. He places his palm on a crystal display and breathed into the black surface. Manfred looked at the security door and snorted quietly.
The doorway slid open. Beyond lay a large open green space populated with fruit trees. The visitors breathed in fresh air scented with grass and rich earth.
"This is amazing," Switchblade said. She tumbled on the grass, turning a few somersaults.
Midnight steadied himself as the thick oxygen threatened to overwhelm him. Elsewhere in the orchard, dozens of young men and woman worked the land, trimming branches, picking fruit, and tending to the smallest detail. Many wore soft, home-spun clothes similar to Ganymede. Others however had space suits, jumpers, and other garb from the many ships docked at Megaton.
Ganymede led them over to Bigs and Ula. The couple was listening as a young woman described how to care for a small sapling.
Midnight approached them. "Ula? Bigs?"
"Midnight!" Ula exclaimed. "It is wonderful to see you."
"Glad you are here, kid," Bigs said.
"I came to bring you back to the Starlight," he explained.
Ula and Bigs looked at each other.
"Why would we want to leave?" Ula asked. "Things are so wonderful here."
"This ship is amazing," Bigs added. "We've been invited to stay by Emma."
"But-" Midnight began. A flash of wild red hair caught his attention. He ran after it.
"I guess he had to run," Bigs said. "Are you Midnight's friends? Why don't you take some fruit with you."
Switchblade takes the strange violet fruit. "Thank you."
The carnival worker, expertly mimed taking a bit and then slipped it into Manfred's pack. She looked up at Manfred and raised her eyebrows. Manfred nodded slowly.
"Well, I'm afraid we need to catch up with our friend," she told Ula and Bigs. "See you another time."
Midnight caught up to the curly-haired woman. "Molly!"
Molly turned around, dressed in the hand-woven fabrics of the garden ship. "Oh, Midnight Storm, how nice to see you? When did you get here?"
"I came to get my friends. What about you? Why did you leave Snaz?"
"Snaz?" she said. "Who is that?"
Midnight Storm's mind raced as the implications hit home.
Don't eat the fruit! Basically there was a custom move for the fruit. If you failed the roll after eating it, you forgot what you loved most. We all found this terrifying.
A few other men and women wandered up. One asked, "who is your friend Molly?"
"Oh this is Midnight Storm. He is an amazing singer and musician."
"Oh really? That sounds great."
Voices chimed in around him.
"Could you play for us?"
"How about a show? I'm sure Emma would love that."
"We could use the pressing area as a stage."
Midnight looked around at this false Eden. "I can do a concert. But I need to talk to my friends first. I'll be back."
He headed back to Ula and Bigs. Manfred and Switch made way for him.
"Ula," he said. "I understand your and Bigs's decision. But you owe it to Farley tell him in goodbye in person. Please come back with me. I'll escort you right back when we are done."
"I suppose so."
Successful manipulate a person with the leverage of guilt.
Midnight and Ula stood in front of Farley's door.
"I guess it is time to say goodbye," she said.
"I guess so."
As she leaned forward, Midnight Storm struck her hard on the back of the head. She spun as she sunk to the floor, shock and betrayal etched on her face.
"But not for you," he said.
Seize by force: conciousness?
Next time we introduce even worse threats and set the stage for everything to fall apart.
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