Month: August 2022

Conrad receives a blackmail demand, which Gus recognises as being sent by a grid-shadow called Spider. After involving Cinque and their Insight contacts, they figure out this is none other than Donald Gettys. An arranged meet goes a little bit sideways, with both parties walking away, Gettys ensuring his freedom with threats against the Vych family. They do learn that Gettys is in league with V0RL, who they now suspect is a VoidCorp AI. How the Nariacs fit into things is no clearer than before; their aqua-laser imports having apparently been endorsed by the Regency. Alan Quinn begrudgingly accepts the stalemate, having traced Gettys getaway car to the VoidCorp embassy building.

Conrad shows up late for his first day of intensive power-armour training. Alloy sends The Cleaners round to Immersive Visions. Gus decides to relocate offices to Haven 6. Ms Fenrir and Gerry Atoz likewise take up residence there. Demon proclaims Abigail to be partially sentient.

Mayhem invites the crew out to dinner, offering to buy out their share as he knows they have aspirations of ship-ownership. While they had intended to follow a lead on the Free Trade Guild, Mayhem wants to make a small detour for a rush deliveryfor the Nariacs, requiring them to beat the Lighthouse to Mikoa, to which the others agree. Just before they leave Aegis, Gus gets a message with familiar encoding…

## A little bird tells me you’re chasing the Lighthouse. It’s all fun and games until someone undertakes an updated survey of Mikoa B; then it’s absolutely hilarious! — Doc P. ##

Arriving in Mikoa, cargo is unloaded at the M3 Orbital Production Facility orbiting A3 and the Sparrow travels to the system’s secondary star. A Nariac patrol craft hails them. Gus seems to not make a good first impression and the vessel adjusts course to keep an eye on them.

Of Mikoa B’s seven planets, only the innermost draws attention. An energy signature near the north pole leads first to caverns containing crystal growths that strongly resemble 3Ds, and then to a hidden colony of isolationists, originally founded many decades ago by refugee Nariac nonconformists, psions, and mutants. Following a relatively cordial encounter, they are given the name of a trusted agent aboard the Lighthouse – Galindria Sunfire. The crew hastily get off-world and land on the other inner terrestrial worlds in an attempt to distract the patrol ship tailing them. After meandering through the rest of the system, the Nariacs enter orbit around B1 for an hour before heading back to the main star. By the time both ships arrive back at Mikoa Three, the Lighthouse has arrived.

The convoy finally arrives back in Aegis. After Conrad and Gus are briefly delayed at security, the crew make planet-fall and split up.

Cinque, Conrad, and Gus meet up with Alan Quinn, who reveals that he is actually a CIB (Concord Intelligence Bureau) agent, though he was technically working undercover for REC when they last met. Donald Gettys remains a person of interest. Sharkie has been scouting traders for transport runs from Lucullus and Alan suspects the Free Trade Guild are again involved. Mayhem later secures a contact on Highport from Sharkie.

The trio visit Alloy with gifts. Mayhem gives them a lift to Sirensea in the Diandes Archipelago, where they meet Deputy Ambassador Naar al-Haq. Information is exchanged, goodies offloaded, and rewards promised. A cryptic suggestion sends them back to Haven 6, followed by a trip to the officially non-existent Haven 23, where Conrad buys some new toys.

Gus meets with someone at a legal firm. Turns out Ayla Vych-Taron had come through with contact details for Michael Taron’s secretary, Ms. Angela Fenrir. However, they were included as part of a contract, which resulted in Gus taking ownership of Immersive Visions and Ferrous Equine Holdings. The first turned out to be Michael’s personal company; the second, a shell used to funnel money to So’ledrei, who collects funds to help sesheyan escape VoidCorp territory. Checking out VI’s office does not go as planned. A hasty retreat is beaten after Gus naively reconnects offline systems, drawing unwanted attention. However, they do learn of a VoidCorp operative codenamed V0RL. Cinque recalls that the Nariac cyber-mariner encountered beneath Islvych mentioned “Veezro Arel”, which sounds suspiciously similar.

The Steel Grid

A chance encounter with Gerry Atoz (and his would-be killers) at the Steel Grid sends the crew on a hunt for Abigail, a runner he met in a hidden gridscape while poking around at TransTechnic. Learning of its recent acquisition by VoidCorp, the gloves are off.

Teaming up with Demon and Gilbren, an incursion into TT’s mainframe reveals that the gridscape was created for Joseph Enrikesson, a sales executive liquidated during the merger. And that the unallocated memory in which it resides is being slowly overwritten. Abigail’s connection is traced back to The Tombs, an installation located beneath TransTechnic Tower on Lower Tier.

Deciding on the direct approach, Conque, Conrad, and Gus pass themselves off as Clear Data maintenance employees to gain access to The Tombs. Wayne stays behind to safeguard Gerry. The trio discover that Abigail is actually an AI running on dedicated hardware. They abscond with this unit, offering Gerry an escape route off-world aboard the Sparrow.

Kat visits the docks to see them off. The majority of those involved in the power outages were rounded up during the subsequent two blackouts and a raid on the scrapyard. The one who put the hit on Gerry Atoz was Michael Redmond, a VoidCorp employee at TransTechnic. Conrad asks her to investigate Joseph Enrikesson.

A trio of armed Concord scouts escorts the convoy to system’s outskirts. This unfortunately thwarts Wayne’s desire to go ghost hunting on Mindara Station.

Working Overtime in Oberon

“I can be nostalgic without actually missing the place, right?” – Cassie

Due to Gilbren’s presence, the convoy is allowed in through the front door, landing in the loading docks, rather than being forced to stay in orbit. Conrad and Gus head into Tribon proper while the others split up to take care of their own agendas.

After stopping to aid a t’sa pharmacist named P’zu (or just Sue), the duo approach Concord with information from their encounter with the externals. Ambassador Cynthia Veil confirms the new species, called the kroath, have been encountered before. She instructs them to deliver the recovered info/tech to Deputy Ambassador Naar al-Haq, who resides on Sirensea in the Diandes Archipelago on Bluefall.

The pair also locate Malcom Sneed, the financier of the mining expedition in Black Widow Canyon. Upon being told of the venture’s fate, he makes plans to take an immediate vacation off-world.

An encounter with Conrad’s “niece”, Sonya, causes them to ask a favour of Marshall Vavaroutsos. Kat later provides them with the genetic records of Manfred Kier (deceased).

Among headlines about a new street drug called Sciseed, a fraal allegedly healing assault victims by laying on hands, and a documentary about the ghosts on Mindara Station, reports of an increase in power outages catch their attention. Deciding to investigate, they get a lead from Sonya on a street gang called the Hand. This brings them into contact with Alfreido, a tech at one of the Middle Tier power stations. After tracking a few of the members back to their scrapyard base, they hand the case over to Kat.