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Story 88

The Crystalline Matrix

As you approach Neo-Vostock, the massive research station of the Trans-Human Project comes into view, its metallic exterior gleaming under the refracting light of all the nearby ice.

As you finish docking your ship at the designated port, you find the docking area crowded with a large group of protestors. You send Dr Truman a quick message before disembarking from your vessel. As you step onto the station you find yourself surrounded by a sea of angry faces. Their voices rise in unison as they chant slogans against the Tran-Human Project. The signs they hold are filled with derogatory messages directed towards Truman and his research team. Some read “Crystals have no souls” or “Truman is not God”. You can feel dozens of the gazes from the crowd turn towards you and your crew. To prevent a scene you join in with their chants and slowly work your way through the crowd towards the security detail guarding the lab entrance. When you get to the security team you quickly flash them your credentials and before anyone in the crowd has time to react, you find yourself being ushered into the research area.

Inside you find quite the juxtaposition to what you just saw out in the docking area. The research area is a hive of activity. Scientists and technicians bustle about, focused on their work despite the tension in the air. You navigate through the labyrinthine corridors until you reach Dr. Charles Truman’s private lab where you are greeted by Truman’s assistant, Dr Nora Maxwell-Granger.

“That was a good idea signaling us your intention to try and blend in with the protestors. Obviously, we got your message to the security team.”, Nora comments, completely bypassing a more traditional salutation.

“Thanks, but why do you even have a bunch of protesters just outside your labs?”, you question.

“Apparently, a well funded religious sect thought we were playing god by wanting to move the minds of all those people suffering from Lock-in to crystal matrices. This would somehow strip them from their soul.”, Dr Maxwell-Granger explains.

While Nora was speaking, Dr Truman had also made his way over to the group, “I completely dismiss their arguments as I believe that our souls are an ineffable part of our thoughts and reflected in our actions. Hopefully the Creator finds my attempts to save millions of people on Azure an acceptable offering.” He pauses, and then continues, “Follow me, I want to show you what you’ll be transporting.” You follow him further back in his lab and you see some sort of machine using a laser to etch a green crystal. The crystal glows softly as it spins within the intricate machinery, beams of light dancing around it in a mesmerizing display. Dr. Truman gestures towards the crystal, “This is the culmination of years of research and innovation, the key to unlocking a new era of possibilities.”

“It’s amazing to think that a lifetime of thoughts, memories, and sensations could be captured inside that crystal.”, you muse aloud.

Nora chimes in, “What’s more impressive is to realize that our own memories sometimes grow hazy with age, but this will preserve them in crystal clarity. No more forgetting where you left your keys or when your anniversary is.”

“This sounds like the lead-in to some sort of dystopian future. Robots that never age and have better memory than the humans they were spawned from.”, you respond.

Truman clears his throat, “Our goal is not to replace humanity, but to enhance it. Imagine a society where those suffering from debilitating illnesses or injuries can live on within these crystalline matrices, free from physical limitations. It’s about preserving the essence of who we are and giving individuals a chance to continue their journey in a new form. In this particular case it is to save the millions of people suffering from Lock-in.”

The laser finishes etching the crystal and retracts, revealing a green light on the front of the cabinet. “It appears to be finished,” Dr. Maxwell-Granger announces, carefully placing the crystal onto a hexagonal platform. She then activates an electrostatic barrier around it before placing it inside a metal briefcase. “This is the version we want Dr. Arken to work with, so I’m taking extra precautions in how we package it for transport.”

Dr Truman hands you a data fob, saying, “You’ll need this as well; it contains an explanation of how the data crystals function and schematics for the equipment we used to create it.”

“With the protestors in the docking area, how are we supposed to get back to our ship to get off this station?”, you ask.

“You and your crew have repeatedly shown your resourcefulness, I was hoping you had an idea.”, is Truman’s response.

Your engineer speaks up, “I have an idea, but no one is going to like it and it’s going to require some equipment from this station.”

“Go on.”, you encourage your engineer.

Your engineer tells everyone his idea and you find yourself nodding along as he lays it out.

—

Sudden blaring alarms pierce the air, and an automated voice echoes through the speakers, warning of a breach in the docking bay and urging all nonessential personnel to evacuate immediately. The message is repeated in multiple languages to ensure everyone understands. Slowly but surely, the bay empties out as protestors and workers alike scramble to get to safety. Some ships initiate emergency launch to disengage from the station, but the bay remains intact. As gravity plates shut down and the handful of remaining people begin floating, you and your team rush out of the labs wearing mag-boots provided by the maintenance crew. Dodging floating objects, you make your way to your own vessel and urgently prepare for an emergency launch as well.

Draw three mission cards.

0 red cards mean that the other ships fire at you for 1d12 damage. You may use shields to offset damage and you gain a 3,000 credit bounty. You do get away.

1 red card means that the other ships fire at you for 1d8 damage. You may use shields to offset damage and you gain a 2,000 credit bounty. You do get away.

2 red cards mean that the other ships fire at you for 1d6 damage. You may use shields to offset damage and you gain a 1,000 credit bounty. You do get away.

3 red cards mean that you successfully get away undetected.

If any successful Smuggler Missions have previously been accomplished you may choose to try and redraw three cards from the Mission’s deck to try and obtain a more favorable outcome. 

The bounty is being offered by the same church that sponsored the protestors and does not require you to gain outlaw status. Add the small crystal matrix token to your Goal card, your next stop is Merv’s Missiles or Arken’s Arsenal.

When you arrive at Merv’s Missiles or Arken’s Arsenal, listen to/read Story 89.

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Story 87

The HAL Data

As soon as you arrive on Lunari, you start scouring through all the data archives. However, each one seems to be missing crucial pages of information about the patents and there is no trace of any source code either. You come to the conclusion that your best bet is to locate their old factory and search for answers there instead. However, when you look into the whereabouts of the factory, you discover that it has not been sold or demolished like you expected. Instead, a trust fund has been set up to cover its property taxes indefinitely. This is a new concept to you, but it means that the building still stands.

You arrive at HAL industries and see that the once-bustling factory now stands silent and abandoned. As you cautiously step inside, you are greeted by a wave of dust and debris that dances in the sunlight filtering through the broken windows. The air is thick with the scent of rust and neglect, a stark contrast to the cutting-edge technology that once thrived within these walls.

You make your way through the maze of deserted corridors, passing by remnants of robotic prototypes and discarded circuit boards. It’s clear that this place was once a hub of innovation and progress, but now it lies frozen in time, a relic of a bygone era.

Draw 3 mission cards and if three of them are blue read/listen to Story 93. If less than three of them are blue, keep track of how many you have acquired. You must gain three of them before moving on to Story 93. If you have successfully completed any Research Missions or Detective Missions, you may immediately draw three more cards for each one that you have successfully completed. If need be, next round you may draw three additional cards and add the number of blue colored Mission cards to your total.

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Story 86

Beautiful Fabric

Next you decide to check out the booth with the interesting fabrics. The tentacled creature at the booth displaying mesmerizing fabrics that change color as air moves over them turns its attention to you as you approach. Its large, expressive eyes seem to scan your very soul, making you feel a bit uneasy yet intrigued at the same time. The creature extends a tentacle towards the nearest fabric, causing it to ripple and shift into a shimmering array of colors that dance in the station’s artificial light.

“Welcome, traveler,” it communicates in a melodic voice that echoes in your mind. “Are you drawn to the allure of our color-changing fabrics?”

You nod, unable to tear your gaze away from the hypnotic display before you. “They are truly remarkable. What are they made of?”

The tentacled creature swirls gracefully, its tentacles undulating in a mesmerizing pattern as it explains, “These fabrics are woven from strands of light-sensitive fibers harvested from the depths of the Luminous Nebula. They react to even the slightest change in air currents.

You run your hand over the fabric, feeling its smooth texture beneath your fingertips. The colors shift from deep blues to vibrant purples as you move, creating a dazzling display of hues that spark your imagination.

“How much for a bolt of this fabric?”

You end up haggling with the Cephalonox to come to a price of 2,000 credits per crate full of the fabric, and he has four crates that he would be willing to sell us. You know you can get double that price on Zhian Prime and if you sell them two or more crates of the fabric you can earn a fame point as well.

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Story 85

Stim

As you enter the booth with the small adorable looking creatures with brown fur and bushy tails, the furnishings in this booth seem to be better suited for various species on the station, including yourself, but the creatures move around quickly and leap from place to place. Then one of them begins to speak.

“Welcome to Squiros Limited, where we sell nuts, Stim, and other merchandise like this shirt that says ‘My friend visited Aeon Station and all I got was this lousy T-shirt’,” squeaks the rodent-like creature.

He speaks at a rapid pace, causing you to wonder if your universal translator is working properly. You start to tap the side of it to make sure it’s okay.

“It’s fine,” he assures you. “We just talk much faster than most other species on the station. Our bodies produce a chemical that makes us move quicker, which we have been able to replicate synthetically and we call it Stim.”

“Stim?”, you ask.

“Oh yes, it’s one of our best selling products. We sell it to a lot of different species and it usually helps them get a whole lot of work done in half the time, but then they crash and need to rest. Their bodies aren’t designed to handle it as well as ours do.”

“You said ‘usually’, what are the exceptions?”

The creature glances at another brown furred creature in the booth before continuing, “Some species are simply too slow to handle Stim like we do. For example, those large beasts with gray skin and flat teeth. They tried using Stim once and one of them had a seizure right in front of my booth. Needless to say, that was not a good day for sales. But you seem quick-minded; I’m sure you and your crew would handle Stim well. I can offer enough for everyone in your crew for 2,000 credits.”

If you purchase Stim, receive a silver and blue tablet with a hexagon engraved on it. It is a single use item, although you could purchase multiple doses at 2,000 credits each. When you declare that you and your crew are taking a ‘dose’ you may take two full turns in a row; however, during the following round your turn will be skipped. If there is an activity that is time sensitive you may count both turns as taking place in the same round.

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Story 84

Crystals

The insectoid creatures eagerly show your engineer the purple colored crystals meant to enhance the ship’s blasters, chittering excitedly as they explain its properties. Your engineer’s eyes widen in understanding as they discuss potential modifications and improvements that could be made with this crystal. It seems like it might be a worthy investment, especially considering the recent encounters with hostile forces during your travels through charted and uncharted territories.

After some negotiations, you reach an agreement with the insectoids to purchase the crystals along with a set of schematics for implementing the baster mods. The price is 1,000 credits per crystal mod and it even looks like it would work with the piercer mod.

The mod extends the range of the blaster activation it sits on to a range of two. Do you purchase them, and if so, how many?

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Story 83

Soylent Green

The B’tor’s booth is a metallic kaleidoscope of flashing lights and softly humming machinery. One of them extends an upper arm and waves you towards a food molecular reorganizer. You can’t deny the appeal of being able to enjoy a variety of fresh, nutritious meals onboard your ship. However, the unsettling truth about the protein source gives you pause.

Speaking your language perfectly, without any help from a universal translator, she asks, “Why don’t you at least give it a try?”

The interface has an option for your language, so you key in a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate malt. In less than 5 minutes everything is ready and smells amazing. You get past your initial hesitancy and give it a try. It tastes great.

The B’tor continues, not only can it simulate nearly any food, but what you’re eating is actually nutritious. We may have faster than light travel and communication ansibles, but in many ways I consider this one of my people’s crowning achievements.

As you slurp from your chocolate malt, you really have to agree. You contemplate the moral dilemma of consuming something that contains a small percentage of protein derived from deceased B’tor, but the taste is so satisfying that you push those thoughts to the back of your mind.

“So how much are you asking?”

The male B’tor interjects, “2,000 credits and a couple of stands worth of slurry.”

“How about a stanyear’s worth of slurry and you install the machine?”

The male B’tor counters, “Six stands and we’ll install it in your ship’s galley.”

Do you accept the offer?

If you do, pay 2,000 credits and gain a fame point. The food molecular reorganizer does not take up any cargo space on your ship. You may also choose if you want to visit any other vendors in the flea market.

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Story 82

Carnivorous Tree

As you approach the booth being run by the feathered aliens, they turn to you with curious eyes. One of them whistles a melodious sound and your universal translator interprets it as “Greetings.” You can’t help but think that there might be something lost in translation there.

“Welcome, traveler!” the other alien chirps, its feathers rustling with excitement. “What can we offer you?”

“I’m interested in that carnivorous tree,” you say, gesturing towards the unique plant in the corner of their booth.

Ah, yes,” the other alien nods. “A rare find indeed!”

“And how much are you asking for it?” you inquire.

The feathered aliens exchange glances before speaking in unison. “2,000 credits.”

You know a bald man that runs the lower deck on the Kiln would appreciate and find uses for a carnivorous tree.

If you purchase this tree and take it to the Kiln, read/listen to Story 92.

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Story 81

Egg-sactly what you ordered

“I’ve just transferred 6,000 credits to your account for a job well done”

“We appreciate the credits, but if whatever is in that egg is related to the nightmarish creature that chased us when we were in atmo on Planet 0, you might want to reconsider the idea of trying to keep that in a zoo.” 

“Do you have any recordings of the creature that chased you?”

“I’ll send the sensor data when I get back on board my ship.”

Gain 6,000 credits and continue your turn if you have any actions left.

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Story 80

It hatches

You leisurely sip your coffee and spoon mouthfuls of spacer’s porridge into your mouth while enjoying a quiet breakfast in the small galley of your ship. You’ve always assumed spacer’s porridge is like hot dogs, and it’s better not to know what exactly goes into making it. At least the coffee is good. Your first officer joins you in the galley, their red jumpsuit catching you off guard.

“I didn’t even know those came in red,” you quip.

“Neither did I Captain, but when I saw it I knew that if anyone could make it look good, it would be me.”

“I do appreciate your humbleness.”

“Thanks for having coffee ready. I just want to grab a cup before checking on our mysterious egg again. It seems to be getting warmer and last night I swear I felt something moving inside.”

“I can’t wait to get that thing off our ship. If it’s anything like the creature that chased us, I don’t want to stick around to see it mature. The owner of the Space Zoo must be mad.”

Trying to change the subject, your first officer looks down at your porridge. “Do you have any idea what that is made of?”

Shortly thereafter, your first officer makes their way out of the galley and a few minutes pass, when a ship wide comm comes on. It’s your first officer’s voice, “Hey guys, we have a problem. The egg has hatched and I can’t find the hatchling anywhere.” Suddenly, there’s a scream and crunching noise over the comm.

You bolt from the galley and as you enter the cargo bay you see that your comm officer beat you there by moments and already has his blaster drawn. Everything happens so quickly but you see it all in slow motion. The monstrous creature is gorging itself on your first officer when it turns its head towards your comm officer with a menacing look. Without hesitation, your comm officer shoots the creature center mass. The blast would have killed you, but the creature only lets out a howl before blasting a hole in the hull with some sort of plasma breath. Before the shields can activate, both the creature and your first officer’s remains are sucked into the vacuum of space.

Remove the egg from your cargo hold, and add a damage token to your ship for where the creature escaped.

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Story 79

Maybe we can learn their weaknesses

You and your crew land on Ularos IX. You use your influence as a renowned spacer to gain admittance to the Ministerial Den and see the Great Pack, the name given to the council that leads your people. As you enter the council chamber a voice booms from all directions, “Greetings, we have been expecting you.”

You recognize this as the voice of Xixar, leader of the Ilex council. “We thank you for agreeing to meet with us.” you reply respectfully. “We come with an offer for an Ilex to become an ambassador on Aeon Station.”

You see Xixar standing at his table within the council room palms down as he leans over a microphone, “An interesting proposal indeed, and why do you think we should send an ambassador?”

Some of the other members of the Great Pack lean forward in their seats as they focus on you awaiting to see what your answer will be.

“We believe that having an Ilex ambassador on Aeon Station will grant us valuable insight into the affairs of the Drift System and beyond,” you state confidently, meeting the gaze of several pack members. “Our presence in such a diverse and intricate network of species could open new avenues of trade, knowledge, and alliances that would benefit our people greatly.”

One of the other council members leans into his mic, “It may also give us the opportunity to see who is weak enough for us to conquer, making it easier for us to continue expanding our empire across various solar systems.”

Clearly, this was the carrot that was needed to get the Ilex on board as the council room suddenly seems more animated. You certainly owe Pack Member Greyvel some blood wine to thank him for the comment. The discussion within the council room continues for an extended period of time and eventually you are tasked with flying an ambassador to Aeon Station.

If the Avenger NPC has not yet spawned, please spawn it now and it has a singular purpose of trying to blow you up as you try to take an ambassador to Aeon Station. If you successfully get the Ambassador to Aeon, receive two fame points.