Tag: Xia

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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.

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Story 78

An old Scoundrel

When landing in the capital city of Loath, you don’t find yourself going to any of the official buildings, instead you find yourself in a darkened bar sitting across from Noonien, one of the few remaining architects of a free Loath.

“A hundred years ago, it seemed like a daring plan to overthrow the King while he was visiting our colony. It caught our oppressors off guard and over the years we’ve achieved both great and terrible things as we’ve expanded our Axis to include Kei and Smuggler’s Den. But now, I feel like all I have left are my memories.”

You interject at this moment, “What if we had something new in mind for you?”

“What could an old man like me possibly offer?”

“How about becoming an ambassador for the Outlaw Planets on Aeon Station.” You continue to outline your experiences on Aeon.

“Endlessly droning on with hand puppets representing every sentient species from neighboring solar systems sounds awful.”

“Ahh, but someone like you could shake things up. You could demand reparations from the Lawful Planets while on an intergalactic stage. You could seek out new alliance that would benefit our long-term security. You could learn if there are planets in other solar systems that could join our Axis one way or another.”

Noonien looks at you with a glint in his one good eye, “I like the twisted way you think. Take me to Aeon so I can bully some weak minded diplomats into doing our bidding.”

Transport Noonien to Aeon Station. The Enforcer will specifically target your ship while Noonien is on board. After arriving on Aeon with Noonien, gain two fame points.

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Story 77

Ambassador Elvis

As you exit your vessel onto Kemplar II, a group of individuals dressed in ceremonial royal guard garb greet you. They lead you inside to meet with King Elvis. The moment you enter the throne room, you are struck by its extravagance. Elvis is clad in glittering white robes adorned with rhinestones, and his striking blue gaze immediately meets yours. He sits upon a throne encrusted with shimmering gemstones that catch the gentle lighting.

Elvis gets up from his throne and meets you in the center of the room. “You’re here just in time to take a meal with me. Please join me as I have kept my old robotic butler on as my head chef. He was made aware that you would be joining us, so he has already prepared enough food for everyone.”

You follow the King into the dining room and laid out on the table are a number of platters with interesting aromas wafting from them. Some of which you can identify, but others are new to you. The robotic butler named Austin, begins removing the silver domed lids from everything and names each of the dishes as he goes along.

He lifts the covers off the first two dishes, “For appetizers we have fried dill pickles, and barbecue chicken bites wrapped in bacon.” He opens the next two dishes, “Our sides consist of, mashed potatoes and a triple bean bake.” With a flourish he removes the lid from the last platter, “And our main dish tonight is one of the King’s favorites, meatloaf topped with bacon.” Austin continues, “While everyone gets seated, may I offer anyone a sweet tea?”

Everyone from your crew and the King have a great time telling stories and swapping jokes throughout the meal. Eventually, Austin clears the table and brings everyone coffee and chocolate chip oat cookies. You notice but choose not to comment on the strange way Elvis drinks his coffee from the edge of the cup that is directly above the mug’s handle.

You start to address Elvis as “Your excellency…” but you’re interrupted when his guards suddenly collapse and a group of five ninjas barge in. You get ready to defend yourself, but before you can move, Elvis and Austin spring into action, showcasing impressive fighting skills that surprise you.

The ninjas are quick and skilled, but Elvis and Austin move with an agility and precision that is astonishing. The King is a blur of motion, his rhinestone-covered robes swirling around him as he strikes back at their attackers. Austin, the robotic butler, moves with a fluidity that belies his mechanical nature, his metal limbs darting out to block blows and deliver counterattacks with deadly accuracy.

In the chaos of the fight, you find yourself back to back with Elvis, fending off the ninjas together. Despite the gravity of the situation, you can’t help but be impressed by the King’s combat prowess. As you work in tandem to take down the assailants, Elvis grins at you, his blue eyes shining with excitement.

After a few intense minutes, the last ninja falls to the ground defeated. You catch your breath, adrenaline still coursing through your veins as you survey the scene. Elvis dusts himself off and walks over to you, a wide smile creasing his face.

All you can manage to say is, “That was amazing!”

“Thank you, thank you very much.”, is the King’s response. He turns to you with a serious expression. “But, you didn’t just come here to eat meatloaf and fight ninjas, what is the real reason for your visit?”

“Despite attacks on your personage, your duties here are really just ceremonial. However, you are a symbol of the Lawful Planets. If you were an ambassador on Aeon Station your innate charisma could give our planets a greater voice in intergalactic affairs.”

Elvis nods and you and your crew continue your conversation with the King. Clearly Elvis is sold on the plan. You and the King make plans for him and Austin to fly to Aeon Station on the TCB (Elvis’s ship). When flying towards Aeon Station he will become the primary target of the Scoundrel. If the Scoundrel successfully attacks the TCB, Elvis will feel that it is necessary to blow up the Scoundrel prior to completing his flight to Aeon. You may consider giving him help if that occurs. Once Elvis arrives at Aeon, you gain two Fame Points.

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Story 76

That egg has scales on it

As your ship lands on Planet 0 near the data beacon, you take a quick look out of your cockpit. “Well, that was easier than I expected,” you say to yourself when you spot a single large egg just 10 meters away from the beacon.

Your navigator jumps in, “We’re going to need a grav-sled for this.”

You and your crew immediately notice how interesting this egg is. It’s massive in size, requiring an entire standard cargo space on your ship. The egg’s surface is unlike any other you’ve seen before – it’s covered in rough black scales with a reddish tint. As you struggle to get it onto the grav-sled, you can feel its warmth against your skin. Perhaps it’s just absorbing the heat from the nearby sun.

Once the egg is secured in the cargo bay, your crew hears a loud roar reverberating through the air, containing both high and low pitches. The sound seems to penetrate your very soul as you can feel it vibrating within you.

Quickly, you key the overhead comm and say, “Let’s move, everyone. We don’t want to stick around and find out what made that sound.”

As everyone else was busy loading the egg onto the ship, your first officer had the foresight to divert enough energy from the data beacon for an extra engine boost. You’re now hurtling towards the planetary shield at a frantic speed, but you hear that same unsettling roar once again.

“Incoming weapons fire!” your first officer yells from their station.

With no time to spare, you shout for evasive maneuvers. A splatter of plasma narrowly misses your ship’s hull and collides with the planetary shield, causing a disruption. “Navigator, head for that break in the shield!” you command. The gap closes just as you make it through. “I don’t know what just attacked us, but we need to get this egg off the ship and delivered to the Space Zoo.”

Place the egg game token in your ship’s cargo hold. You may take any additional actions that you still have sufficient armed markers for.

At the beginning of every round while you have the egg in your cargo hold, roll a [d20]. If you roll a 1-3 at any point read/listen to Story 80.

If you get all the way to the Space Zoo and deliver the egg without rolling a 1-3 on a [d20] along the way, then read/listen to Story 81.

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Story 75

Convince the Strayons to take a seat at the table

While talking with Ambassador Tazik you eventually find yourself in a more secluded area on Aeon Station and there in front of you is a transparent steel window overlooking Planet 0. The view is breathtaking, and the Ambassador allows you a moment to appreciate the sight before addressing you.

“It’s almost transcendent,” he says, “to witness such a beautiful and vibrant planet surrounded by the bleakness of space. Many of our home worlds were once this pristine, but over time we have slowly destroyed them through war and exploitation. Few within our general assembly have done better. This particular planet has the strange occurrence that many nearly identical planets have been seen across the cosmos. Unlike other planets similar to Planet 0, this planet has not yet been dominated by any sentient species that would strip it of its resources and beauty. The general assembly has chosen to protect this planet and has placed a shield around it in an attempt to prevent others from despoiling it.”

You nod, understanding the Ambassador’s intention to emotionally connect with you before making his request. You also can’t help but have a sense of familiarity as you view a planet so alike to the one your people had fled from due to disaster.

“So what do you want from me and my people?”

The Ambassador grins, revealing large flat teeth. “We are asking for your government to send an ambassador to join us on Aeon Station. Some opposed your inclusion in our general assembly due to your lack of a homeworld for many years. However, after much debate, it was decided that having your species’ perspective on matters concerning the Drift System and nearby solar systems would be valuable, especially since you are establishing a new home within the Drift System.”

If you choose to try and convince the Strayons to send an ambassador to Aeon Station, fly to the Strayos Colony Ship and listen/read Story 91.

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Story 74

Convince the Ilex to take a seat at the table

While talking with Ambassador Tazik you eventually find yourself in a more secluded area on Aeon Station and there in front of you is a transparent steel window overlooking Planet 0. The view is breathtaking, and the Ambassador allows you a moment to take it in before speaking.

“It’s almost transcendent,” he says, “seeing such a beautiful and vibrant planet surrounded by the bleakness of space. Many of our home worlds were once this pristine, but over time we have slowly destroyed them through war and exploitation. Few within our general assembly have done better. This particular planet has the strange occurrence that many nearly identical planets have been seen across the cosmos. Unlike other planets similar to Planet 0, this planet has not yet been dominated by any sentient species that would strip it of its resources and beauty. The general assembly has chosen to protect this planet and has placed a shield around it in an attempt to prevent others from despoiling it.”

You nod, understanding the Ambassador’s aim in trying to emotionally connect with you before making his request. “So what exactly do you want from me and my pack?”

“I’ve heard that you and your crew appreciate directness,” the Ambassador replies. “We are asking for your government to also send an ambassador to join us on Aeon Station. As your species has a history of conquest and destruction, some oppose your inclusion in our general assembly. However, after much debate, it was decided that having your species’ input on matters concerning the Drift System and nearby solar systems would be beneficial.”

If you choose to try and convince the Ilex to send an ambassador to Aeon Station, fly to the Mission Point on Ularos IX and listen/read Story 79.