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.