Category: Audio File

Audio Files are used to upload original sound files.

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Story 99

They look like scales

You muse aloud, “The Drift System is a dangerous place, any kind of improvement to our hull might make a big difference.”

The merchant pulls out his communicator and starts yelling at someone on the other end, “Look K-2, none of your attitude — bring me a pallet of duranium plates.” The merchant cranes his head around to look at the numbered designation on the wall, “Haul them to docking bay 69.”

He turns his attention back to your engineer, “While we wait, how about getting me another beer.”

Reluctantly, your engineer steps away to oblige, clearly unwilling to ruin this merchant’s rare generosity.

Moments later, you emerge onto the docking platform to find the merchant sipping a frothy ale. A tall, black-and-gray droid pushes in a grav-sled piled high with gleaming duranium plates. Without hesitation, the merchant and droid begin tack-welding the plates in a tight pattern that looks for all the world like fish scales. In no time at all, your ship’s sides are completely sheathed in the new armor.

The merchant wipes his hands on his coat and calls to your engineer, “Next step: we’ve got to tweak your electrostatic barrier from inside.”

Your engineer motions you aboard via the ramp. “Right this way.”

You follow along, bringing up the rear, feeling like a spectator onboard your own ship.

Inside engineering, the merchant directs the droid: “K-2, trace the barrier’s power couplings and install a bridge-accessible polarity toggle switch.”

Within minutes, K-2 announces, “Task completed,” as it snaps the tactical console back together.

The merchant strides over, flips the electrostatic barrier on, then off again. “I’ve magnetized those duranium plates to the hull. The magnetic field holds them tighter than tack welds ever could. If you don’t want to burn through shields when something’s closing fast, just reverse the barrier’s polarity with this switch. It’ll fling the plates away from the hull, taking the hit for you. Just remember, it’s a one-time deal.”

Place the Modification: Hull Plates hex next to your ship mat. As long as you continue to use this specific ship, you’ll have the one time option to block all damage from an attack by launching the plates off your ship.

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Story 98

Re-arranging the deck plates

You admit, loud enough for the merchant to hear you, “We’re always tight on space, a little more storage could make a big difference for this operation.”

The merchant turns to your engineer, “I’ll need you to get some tools for me: a hammer drill, a plasma torch, a spanner, and several magnetic clamps. If you don’t have any on hand, I’ll need you to print some self-sealing stem bolts, and grab me another beer.”

Soon, the merchant is working with a torch in one hand and a beer in the other. Before long, he’s shifting floor plates and rearranging various conduits. Eventually, he’s using one last self-sealing stem bolt to secure the final deck plate in place.

Place both of the Modification: Storage hexes next to your ship mat. As long as you continue to use this specific ship, you’ll have two extra non-contiguous storage spaces. These spaces may be used to transport or install anything. These storage spaces can not hold damage.

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Story 97

Building a better engine

All of those options sound enticing, yet… “What this ship could truly use is greater speed.”

As soon as you convey this wish to your unexpected benefactor, he immediately yanks his communicator out and starts barking orders into it, “Okay K-2 grab some nano bots along with some ceramic slip and meet in the launch bay.” His eyes wander around until he sees the location ID. “I’m in bay 69.”

As the merchant puts his communicator away and looks at your engineer. “Grab me another beer while we wait for my android to show up with everything.”

Soon, you join everyone in engineering where there is a flurry of activity. A large two meter tall black and gray robot named K-2 is pouring a gray ceramic slip into an engine manifold along with an open vial of nanobots beside it. Meanwhile your engineer is attaching additional duct work to the plasma chamber and clearly the merchant himself is reprogramming the fuel intermix. The activity is accompanied by the sound of clanging metal, the distinct smell of energy rods, and the metallic tang of solder.

Soon, you possess an engine that’s finely tuned and primed to deliver the swiftness you’ve longed for.

Place the Modification: Engine Hex next to your ship mat. As long as you continue to use this specific ship, you’ll have an extra 1d4 every time it’s activated. The extra 1d4 can go above the engine’s originally intended maximum speed and will work with a GTS mod. The GTS mod may now also take your ship’s engine over its intended maximum. This bonus only works as long as you’ve got this engine on this ship. As soon as either is upgraded, this bonus goes away.

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Story 96

Merchant

You can feel the mechanical rumbling of the hydraulics on the boarding ramp as it descends. You glance at the monitor, which reveals two people slowly making their way up the ramp. Your ship’s engineer had disembarked from your vessel a couple of hours ago to go get a raktajino and some relaxation, ‘R&R’ as he was calling it. He’s come back to the ship, but he isn’t alone. The other person with him is swaying slightly with the all too familiar gait of one who is inebriated.

You open a comm channel to find out what’s going on.

“Hey Chief, any luck finding a decent raktajino?” you inquire, your voice crackling through the ship’s intercom.

“Aye Captain, apparently they serve them in the bar down in the casino. While I was there though, I ran into someone you might know.”

Recognition dawns on you as you squint at the monitor. You recognize the drunken individual from his bald pate. He’s the merchant that runs Gadgets N’ Outfits.

Continuing, your engineer explains, “He’d been there for quite a while, and, well, he believes that I may have tipped him off on his last hand of cards while I was walking past the card table. Afterwards, I might also have bought him a couple more drinks. He started raving about all these simple enhancements spacers could make to their ships but never bother to.”

“It’s ridiculous,” the merchant slurs, his speech thick with the effects of alcohol. “Spacers just don’t have a clue how to use their stuff e-fish…e-fish-ent…efficiently.” It takes him three tries to complete that last word, which detracts somewhat from his bluster.

“So Captain, when I was telling our local merchant about our ship he had all kinds of ideas on how to improve it, but I don’t think we should push our luck too much on his generosity.” The engineer leans in closer to the comms, his voice dropping to a near whisper, “Also, I doubt he’ll stay upright long enough to help us with more than one of his brilliant suggestions.”

You quietly ask your engineer, “Do you really think this is a good idea?”

Continuing to whisper, your engineer responds, “He might be a conceited drunk, but he’s also a genius. I’ll check his work to make sure that we don’t end up regretting his assistance.”

Understanding the situation, but also wanting to know your options, you raise your voice, ensuring the merchant can hear you clearly. “What kind of improvements are we discussing here?”

With a slightly exaggerated gesture, the merchant squints at the ship and begins to list his offer. “Well, I could improve your FTL drive. I could get you a little more storage space on this tin can. I could even reinforce your hull for the next time you find yourself in a scrum.”

Your engineer asks, “So Captain, what do you think?”

If you choose to not accept any help at all and send the merchant home to sleep it off, the story  ends here and you may continue your turn.

If you want to improve your engines, listen to/read Story 97.

If you want to gain some extra storage, listen to/read Story 98.

If you want to improve your ship’s hull, listen to/read Story 99.

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Story 95

Space Honey

A request is sent through the omni, reaching every spacer. Their broadcast is heard far and wide. Two Strayons, clad in crisp white lab coats, appear on your view screen. One looks male and the other female.

The female begins, “I am Shoni, and this is my colleague Rodi. Firstly, we are immensely proud of the achievements of our many scientists, engineers, and courageous explorers who have helped us establish a new home, simply named New Strayos. We come with an important request for our people.”

The male, Rodi, continues, “Despite this great accomplishment, we face several challenges, notably the need to populate our new world. We intentionally limited childbirth on our Colony Ship, but now we suspect that our prolonged time in space may have resulted in a lasting reduction in our… um.”

“For goodness’ sake, Rodi, we’re scientists. You should be able to openly discuss our decreased sexual proclivity with others,” Shoni interrupts.

Rodi, looking embarrassed, continues, “We are grateful to the spacers who helped resolve the issues caused by the space wasps. Interestingly, scans of The Hive show some intriguing chemical properties that might be highly useful for… um.”

With a resigned sigh, Shoni takes over, “It seems that the space honey from The Hive possesses potent aphrodisiac qualities which could significantly bolster our efforts to populate our new world.”

She casts a sidelong glance at Rodi, who resumes, “The Strayons are willing to offer generous payment for this space honey, and those who assist in harvesting it will have an important role in the legacy of our people.”

Shoni, now satisfied with Rodi’s contribution, concludes, “Anyone bringing space honey to our Colony Ship on New Strayos will be rewarded with 3,000 credits per cargo unit. Those who deliver two or more units will receive accolades from our people. On behalf of the citizens of New Strayos, we extend our heartfelt thanks in advance for your support during this critical time.”

Place the ‘Space Honey Harvest’ hex tile on the position in The Hive where the Hive Queen initially spawned. When harvesting space honey on this  tile, roll a [d20]. On a roll of 1 add a new Hive Queen immediately adjacent to you if there is currently not a Hive Queen. Otherwise a roll of 1-10 will spawn an additional Wasp Drone. Any Wasps hatched by the harvesting process immediately attack you prior to the end of your turn. If a new Queen is hatched, then after the current player’s turn the Queen will once again follow the rules and logic outlined on The Hive NPC card. A roll of 11-20 will result in successfully harvesting space honey. There are only a total of 10 units of space honey and they are not replenished.

Place a ‘Space Honey Sell’ hex tile on New Strayos. When a ship delivers Space Honey, they receive 3,000 credits and if they sell 2 or more units of Space Honey, they also receive a Fame Point.

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Story 94

The Atomizer

As your favorite omni broadcast cuts to a commercial, you notice a familiar short man with a bald pate, a constant smirk, and a puffy green shirt. Observing his bald head—with a fringe of dark hair still framing the sides—you can’t help but wonder, “What kind of universe lets us replace an artificial heart for someone named Picard, yet can’t cure male pattern baldness?”

The man begins, “You may have noticed that many spacers are dying in inconvenient locations, making it increasingly difficult to safely navigate the drift system.”

The scene shifts to a family aboard a starship. They gaze out an observation window at a sprawling debris field as a voice comes over the ship’s comm system: “Attention all passengers, we have encountered an unexpected debris field. If we detour around it, you’ll be late for the spacers’ fair. Should we try to go through it, there’s a 15% chance we’ll blow up and completely miss the fair. We are currently reviewing options on the bridge.”

The child looks sadly at his parents before whining, “But…I was really hoping to get some funnel cake.”

We cut back to the familiar bald man, who continues, “If you’re a spacer, you might have thought it was INCONCEIVABLE that no one tackled this problem sooner. Fear not, my spacefaring friends, for I’ve developed a blaster mod available exclusively at Gadgets N’ Outfits on the Kiln. For just 1,000 credits, you can purchase the Atomizer (trademark pending) and use it to clear debris fields.”

The scene returns to the child, now clearly at the spacers’ fair enjoying a funnel cake, as a voiceover adds, “Act quickly, and Gadgets N’ Outfits will throw in a free lavender essential oil with the purchase of an Atomizer. Let’s face it, spacers, even sonic showers can leave you less than fresh—a touch of lavender will make your ship that much more livable.”

Once again, the screen cuts back to the familiar bald man, who announces, “Now back to that drivel you were watching. I like to think of it as chewing gum for the eyes.”

Your favorite omni broadcast resumes.

The Atomizer counts as both a gadget and a mod and must be placed on an activation spot on a blaster that has no other mods. When activated, you may choose to use it either as a blaster or to clear a debris field. Clearing the debris field happens automatically. If the debris was created by the destruction of a ship, you simply remove it from the tile. If it was a pre-existing debris field, you cover it with an empty space hex. Note that any resources within a debris field are destroyed by the Atomizer. Additionally, if a ship is in the targeted debris field, the Atomizer will not function. Every two debris fields removed by a player earns them 1 Fame Point.

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Story 93

Hidden Room

As you explore further, you stumble upon a hidden room tucked away in the depths of the factory. Inside, you find a dusty terminal flickering to life as you power it on. Lines of code flash across the screen, revealing fragments of intricate algorithms and complex neural networks.

With bated breath, you realize that this is where the heart of the AI research was conducted. This forgotten corner of the factory holds the key to unlocking the mysteries of HAL’s advanced artificial intelligence systems. As you delve deeper into the terminal, you uncover hidden files detailing the development of groundbreaking neural interfaces and cutting-edge machine learning algorithms.

The more you read, the more you realize the magnitude of the technological achievements made within these walls. It becomes apparent that HAL Industries was light-years ahead of its time, pushing the boundaries of what was thought possible in AI and robotics.

Just as you finish copying over the data that contains the missing components needed for Charles Truman and Dr. Merv Arken’s project, a faint noise startles you from your concentration. You shove the data fob into your pocket. Listening intently the sounds grow louder and more distinct. The whole factory sounds like it is turning on and the computer screen changes to show a glowing red circle. Invisible speakers intone, “Sorry Dave, I can’t allow you to do that.”

You can hear heavy machinery coming towards the door. You tap your comm, “I need a bar tender’s exit.”

“Sorry Dave, you’re not going anywhere.”

As the sounds of heavy machinery grows louder, you also hear the whine of your ship’s engines. Reacting quickly, you drop to the ground as two laser beams blast a hole through the wall, sending debris and dust flying. Without hesitation, you jump up and sprint towards your ship. You dive through the newly created opening into the open air lock, which is still cycling as you frantically tap on your communicator again. “Lay ions, we need to get out of here fast!”

Place the HAL marker on the Trans-Human Project goal card. Your next stop for this goal is the Trans-Human Project in Neo-Vostock.

When you arrive at the Trans-Human Project in the Neo-Vostock sector, listen to/read Story 88.

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Story 92

A gift for the man with everything

You arrive at the Kiln and find that the bald man is in his office in the rear of the Loan Shark’s business front. While waiting for admittance to his office, the crew that you know flies the Rep Omen are dragging a man with a disheveled and forlorn look. 

The door you’ve been standing outside of buzzes and softly clicks open. The bald man calls to your crew, “Enter.”

You walk in and see an impeccably dressed, broad shouldered, bald man sitting behind a beautiful carved wooden desk while scanning something on his tablet. As everyone from your crew finishes entering the office along with a small grav-sled holding a medium sized tree. The bald man sets down his tablet, “What can I help such renowned spacers as yourselves with?”

You nervously clear your throat, “Actually we came to make a tribute. We were on Aeon Station and saw something that you might appreciate and occasionally find useful.” You motion to the tree. “This is a carnivorous tree from a neighboring solar system.”

“Carnivorous?”, is his one word question.

“From what we understand, it is capable of eating a human sized creature but we’ve kept an electrostatic barrier around it to ensure that we didn’t test its ability.”

“That is a thoughtful gift”

You earn 2 fame points. Continue the rest of your turn.

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Story 91

A Strayon ambassador

The ship is a towering behemoth of metal and glass, an encapsulated city that houses the last remnants of your people. As you wend your way through the bustling corridors you feel the weight of responsibility on your shoulders. Parliament on board this ship is minuscule compared to the large group of representatives that worked as government functionaries on your old home planet but the colony ship could only save so many and it became a meritocracy for who to save.

You can’t help but feel a sense of unease as you enter the Parliament chamber and take your seat at the front, facing rows of seats occupied by representatives from different sectors of the ship’s population. The chamber falls silent as all eyes turn to you, waiting for your address.

You begin with a simple “Thank you for gathering today,” but then you pause. The silence stretches on, causing murmurs to rise among the group and even your own team starts to shift uneasily in their seats. Finally you lean into your mic and clear your throat, “An ambassador from Tunow, a planet in a neighboring solar system, was meeting with us at Aeon Station. During the meeting, wanting to impress me and my crew, the ambassador started boasting. ‘Last week, I was on Doravin V. I met one of the all time greatest glocken athletes. The previous week, I was on Zhian Prime. I met the galaxy’s leading mathematician. The week before, I was on Kei. I shook hands with the most beautiful supermodel in the universe. A few days earlier, I was on Lunari. I had lunch with the most accomplished chef who ever lived. From there, I went to Ularos IX, where I got an autograph from the best composer I’ve ever heard!’

I nodded humbly and replied, ‘Yes, our leader has been traveling a lot recently.'”

The room laughed and you sat back more comfortably holding the mic in your hand.

“I want to remind all of you that we are a small colony now. We cannot afford to isolate ourselves from potential allies and friends. And who knows, maybe one day we will need their help.”

Silence falls over the chamber as everyone ponders your words. Finally, one representative stands up and speaks out.”Very well, I support sending an ambassador,” he announces firmly, “We need to consider the long-term benefits for our people.”

Slowly but surely, more voices join in and before you know it, the majority of the representatives are in support of your request.

Transport the Strayon ambassador to Aeon Station. The Scoundrel will specifically target your ship while the ambassador is on board. After arriving on Aeon with the ambassador, gain two fame points.

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Story 90

Union Negotiations

As your ship approaches the Kiln, you receive a hale. Your comm officer opens the channel and on your screen appears the notorious thick necked bald man.

“Welcome to the Kiln, I’ve been expecting your arrival. Meet me in my private office on the lower deck as soon as you dock.”

—

As you enter his office, you notice a nice topiary in the corner. You turn to greet your host, but he looks right past you and your crew.

“Welcome, Dr Truman. It’s good to see that your experiment was a success.”

The robotic version of Dr Truman enters the room and shakes his hand, “We’ve spoken before, or at least my biological counterpart and you have, but it’s nice to finally meet in person, or maybe that’s person to robot.”

“Agreed, but I would like to get down to brass tacks and start our negotiations for manufacturing and labor.”

As they start negotiating in earnest, you realize your part is done. Place the union game token on your Goal card for the Trans-Human Project. Earn the fame points from your card and draw three mission cards to see what you get paid for completing this goal.

0 blue mission cards, you earn 5,000 credits

1 blue mission card, you earn 6,000 credits

2 blue mission cards, you earn 7,000 credits

3 blue mission cards, you earn 9,000 credits