The Delivery, Part 1
Notes:
- This is my first Starforged game, trying to understand the rules and probably getting them wrong here and there.
Bruno ‘Vertigo’ Wolfe
| Character | Edge | Heart | Iron | Shadow | Wits | Paths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruno | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Explorer & Veteran |
Dramatis personae
- Wild Pegasus – ship name, P326AN
Randoms
- Kayla ‘Fixer’ Valk: Rosy, Freckles, Savage, Enunciates; conservative cleric; manage ghosts.
- Magnus ‘Mole’ Taylan: Bullnecked, Moustache, Contrary, Gravelly voice; sinful slave; defile beauty.
- Curtis ‘Deadeye’ Blackstone: Ripped, Battle scars, Sarcastic, Talks to self; inept hitman; attempt love.
- Faye ‘Shadow’ Dykstra: Coltish, Shaved Head, Sarcastic, Laconic; sinful herald; abuse contraband.
- [police] Cole Jin: Barrel-chested, Brand Mark, Protective, Deep Voice; subtle herald, damage discrimination
- [police] Christa Hobbs: Slumped, Wrinkled, Driven, Quaint Sayings; kind ascendant, maintain stories
The delivery
The planet was in that early stage of development. A small portion was tamed and civilised while the remainder was wild and undiscovered. I was flying to one of the remote locations Apex Depot – a small settlement in the middle of nowhere.
Most of the inhabitants are away from town exploring and surveying the surrounding lands. There wasn’t much to the town: accommodation blocks, a pub, garages and a warehouse. People would move back to town just before winter set in and wait out the worst of the weather.
It was suppose to be a normal delivery: fly to the settlement and drop off some cargo. I had been given a one-time key to unlock the warehouse and its security system and if no one was there I’d just dump the cargo in the warehouse and head back to White Water. (They paid half up front and the other half after I delivered!)
If the locals wanted anything sent back, a guy called Fletcher, would be there to identify the items and help me load them into the Pegasus.
As soon as I arrived it was clear that something was amiss: my normal procedure was to circle the landing zone just to make sure there wasn’t any surprises waiting for me – you know, people who wanted the cargo and weren’t willing to pay. As I circled the warehouse I could see to the west of the town that the forest had been flattened: something had travelled through the bush knocking the trees to the ground.
My curiosity got the better of me and after I scanned the area with the instruments I had onboard – visual and thermal imaging, plus scanning the radio frequencies for any local chatter. I could find nothing threatening: whatever happened seems to have taken place before I arrived. Oh, I did widen my search to the whole settlement and, again, nothing was detected. No one was home.
In the movies, the hero would charge out and run into danger. I’m not an idiot and before I left the ship I contacted flight control and let them know something was dodgy here and I was just going to have a quick look around. I also sent them the photos of the area. I changed into my combat gear and exited the ship. As a backup measure I also started recording my armour’s audio so I could narrate my search.
The first thing I saw was the door to the warehouse: it wasn’t locked as I expected but slightly ajar. As I approached the building I noticed that many of the storage boxes outside the warehouse were broken and smashed. I forced the door open and found the same inside: many of the boxes and shelves have been destroyed or looted. The place had been ransacked.
Q: Is there a booby-trap at the entrance? Likely YES/NO(58) = Yes Bruno/Endure Harm: action(6)+health(5) vs. 7,2 = Strong Hit ( shake it off: Health -3 +1 = 3 ) NOTE: Probably should have also rolled an "endure stress"
I didn’t notice the trip wire until I felt it tug at my shins. There was a click and an explosion threw me across the floor. I think my armour was the reason I survived intact. I was stunned and knocked about but alive! The only problem was the comms link with Pegasus was cut: my helmet’s HUD was reporting comms failures. OK, I’ll try keep the next few minutes simple: a quick look around and report back to flight control via the ship’s communications.
Q: Do I find Fletcher? 50/50 YES/NO(21) = Yes Q: Is he dead? Likely YES/NO(3) = Yes
Once my head cleared I walked slowly around checking for more booby-traps and examining the damage. Further inside the warehouse was a body, I assume it was my contact Fletcher, he was lying face down amongst some shelving that had been destroyed. Definitely dead and from my cursory examination it looked like he was shot in the back.
Bruno/Swear an Iron Vow: action(6)+heart(2) vs. 7,4 = Strong Hit NOTE: Probably should have also rolled another "endure stress"
Vow: find out what happened to Fletcher and the warehouse
Time to let the authorities know that something bad has happened. I left the warehouse and walked unsteadily back to Pegasus. The comms were working and I contacted flight control again and reported the body. It took a few minutes for them to respond, no doubt having a frantic conversation on what to do. They let me know that they will be contacting the police but it might be a while before they arrive. They suggested that I wait here for the police to arrive, but if I felt it was too dangerous I could head back home – in other words it was my decision and whatever happens has nothing to do with them.
No, I’ll stay and try to find out more on what happened. If the police complain about me stomping over a crime scene, I can always blame the booby-trap and say it was concussion or something like that causing me to make dumb decisions (not my usual stupidity).
Bruno/Secure an Advantage: action(5)+wits(2) vs. 2,10 = Weak Hit ASK THE ORACLE: action = Escalate (91), Relationship (96) (bonus +1 to next move)
On second thoughts I think I’ll ignore the warehouse and scout around the area, checking out the downed trees to the West. A quick walk through the bush led me to the destruction I saw from the air.
Bruno/Gather Information: action(4)+wits(2)+bonus(1) vs. 6,9 = Weak Hit ASK THE ORACLE: action = Overwhelm (62), Portent (68) Q: Find evidence of a vehicle? 50/50 YES/NO(59) = No
The trees have definitely been flattened by something. There’s no tracks of any kind so I really don’t know what caused the damage, but all of the trees I can see have been knocked over in the same direction: whatever did this was travelling South to North.
A flash of colour caught my eye and as I moved closer I found a blue jumpsuit with a badge on one sleeve. It was worn and filthy but I could make out the words on the badge: Storm Tamer. I know this badge, in fact, one of my jumpsuits in the ship has the same badge.
When I was young and foolish I was a pilot for the Mercenary group called The Storm Tamers. They were saboteurs: specialising in wrecking enemy communications, hacking satellites and targeted EMP blasts to disable vulnerable technology. We were a surgical strike: killing off the enemy’s ability to coordinate forces for a day, or just for a few crucial hours.
Q: Did I leave on good terms? 50/50 YES/NO(39) = Yes Q: Was it because of a death? 50/50 YES/NO(51) = No ASK THE ORACLE: action = Reduce (90), Creation (27)
I flew with the Storm Tamers for a few years but over time our methods were studied and counter-measures were developed. Our commander, Magnus Taylan wouldn’t change, and in the end we were unable to find decent work (don’t ask about what jobs we were being offered at that time). With frustration growing amongst the team, Magnus finally announced that the group would shut down. It was sad, but we all knew it was going to happen. I did leave with a large amount of money in the bank and started a nice business delivering supplies in the middle of nowhere. Until today.
But the questions is: who’s jumpsuit was it and why are they here?
Bruno/Secure an Advantage: action(5)+wits(2) vs. 4,8 = Weak Hit ASK THE ORACLE: action = Command (70), Honor (20) (+2 momentum)
A few more minutes searching revealed nothing. My suit’s radio was still broken, and I was getting a bit nervous wandering out here alone. I headed back to the Pegasus to wait it out for the police.
As I was walking back, I remember I still have my key to access the warehouse: I wonder if that will shed some light on what happened here?
Bruno/Gather Information: action(5)+wits(2) vs. 8,9 = Miss ASK THE ORACLE: action = Coordinate (55), Hate (49)
The access key let me into the warehouse’s inventory system. I skipped to the last page, assuming that it held the latest items. I spotted something in the list: an item labelled Shadow’s book.
Was it the title of a book or the name of a person?
You see, “Shadow” was the call-sign of Faye Dykstra one of the nastier Storm Tamers – she was a bit of a psychopath and would bend the rules some times; until the day she went too far and was expelled from the group. I don’t know exactly what happened that day. The talk around the mess was that Faye had to be dragged out of the command room by some of the troopers. Magnus was furious days afterwards.
Damn, I suppose I have to go through the warehouse again looking for this “book.” Luckily the inventory system had a location and a simple map. The book was located to the right of the door next to an emergency generator.
Q: Is the book here? Unlikely YES/NO(5) = Yes Q: Is it hidden (not in plain sight)? Almost Certain YES/NO(12) = Yes Bruno/Gather Information: action(2)+wits(2) vs. 3,4 = Weak Hit ASK THE ORACLE: action = Explore (43), Mysticism (75)
I entered the warehouse again, this time taking a bit more care in where I’m stepping: yes, I know I checked the place previously but I really don’t want to get caught again. The map said that the “book” was to the right of the door but all I can see is smashed storage crates and shelving, nothing caught my eye except a bedroll placed on the ground. Probably belonged to the late Fletcher.
The generator that was shown on the map was there, untouched. As I walked past it something wasn’t quite right. I walked around the generator for a minute or two and finally realised what was bothering me: even though I could hear a humming sound the generator wasn’t running. I stopped and tried concentrating on the sound, spinning around to see if I can identify the origin of the noise.
I finally determined that the sound was coming from a drainage grill next to the generator. Kneeling down I prised open the grill and pulled out an object.
Weird
It was a crystal block the size and appearance of a book with some writing actually inside the solid crystal – I can’t make out what it says. The humming noise was coming from the crystal book.
I have no idea what it is.
I’ve been away from the Pegasus too long (still with my suit’s comms unit broken) and thought it best to get back to the ship and wait until the authorities arrive. I’m not sure what to do with the book so I’ll hide it and wait for a good opportunity to pass it onto someone.
Q: Does someone get in contact with me? Likely Who (D10): 1-6 Police, 7-9 settlement, 10 ex-Storm Tamer. YES/NO(65) = Yes. Who = 7
As soon as I stepped into the ship and removed my helmet, the ship’s AI let me know that there’s a message waiting for me. I walked into the cockpit and checked the message: It was from Kayla Valk one of the settlement managers. It was a standard request for the status of the supply drop. Damn it, I’ll have to return the call and let her know about Fletcher – the problem is that I don’t know her relationship with him. I could wait for the police to arrive and let them do the notifications, but what if the people who ransacked the warehouse are going after others in the settlement?
Bruno/Endure Stress: action(6)+spirit(5) vs. 8,4 = Strong Hit ASK THE ORACLE: action = Affect (79), Rival (76)
Brief. Professional. To the point.
I let Kayla know what has happened and she was upset, but not that upset. It seemed that Fletcher was an acquaintance and not really close to her. She did decide to spread the news around to the other people in the settlement and fly back here to look around herself. There wasn’t enough room for a second ship to land at the warehouse, so she would have to land at the settlement and travel here by road.
I locked up the ship, turned on the burglar alarm (outside monitoring) and waited. I also replaced the comms unit in my suit with a spare and made sure it was working, and the ship was still recording my comms.
Q: Who shows up first? Who (D10): 1-6 Police, 7-9 settlement, 10 ex-Storm Tamer. Answer: 6
The first to arrive was the police. The asked me to move so they could land and I jumped over to the settlement’s main landing area. I arrived a few minutes before Kayla arrived: she was a young woman, wearing a simple robe with a cowl to keep the sun from her freckled face. We introduced ourselves and began walking to the warehouse.
As we walked along the path to the warehouse, I got the impression that she was the settlement’s religious leader. She mentioned “her flock” a few times as we chatted during the walk.
It was only a few minutes and we arrived with two officers standing at the doorway. They introduced themselves to us: Sergeant Hobbs, was an older woman who looked like she had seen all-sorts of crap and was planning to retire any minute now. Her partner was Officer Jin – a heavy-set young man who looked like he could wrestle a bear and win.
I noticed that Jin and Kayla seemed to know each other. And more interestingly, I also noticed that Hobbs wasn’t pleased with this.