In our previous episode, Logan finished with his sabotage mission as part of his vow to help the settlement of Unity, and in the process, further developed his relationship with both Mina and his friend Dex.
This gives him a chance to rest, recuperate and think about what’s next for him as he ponders his next course of action.
[Begin a Session: Flashback reveals an aspect of your background or nature]
My handiwork seems to have done the trick, because we enjoy a serene silence over the next few days that I spend recuperating and enjoying what this community has to offer inside the peacefully elaborate wooden complex of Unity. In other words, the machines aren’t running,
[Sojourn]
[Miss: 2 + 1 + 0 = 1 vs 2 | 10]
[Fugitive Asset- Change to Strong Hit] 3/4]
[Clear “Shaken” condition and take +1 spirit, +3 health]
The rest does wonders for my body and my mind, no doubt owing to the meditation sessions will it take pardon during the early morning hours each day. I don’t feel as nervous anymore, and I do have a sense of peace, but it’s not quite as thorough as I would help. I still carry a lot of worries about my friends, the trouble I may have gotten Dex into, having bailed on that courier job we were supposed to do, and of any possible retribution that Mina and her people might face after our sabotage mission.
Mina tries to reassure me that everything will be fine, and that I shouldn’t hold any blame for anything that may or may not happen here. I can tell that she’s just trying to calm my nerves she’s not usually one to pacify others. She also says that if things don’t turn out quite so fine, then there will be hell to pay. That’s the Mina I know.
She’s a little bit like the younger version of me, with a little more wisdom and a lot more experience. She’s dedicated to fighting injustice and kicking ass on people who deserve it, and although she’s more reckless than I am now, her energy does remind me of who I used to be, and how he relates to the current me.
I’m honestly glad I came here and helped her and her people, even though it may just be a short term blurb in the midst of a long battle against the forces of destruction in the name of “progress.” However, by the end of the few days, I’m ready to get going. I have quite a few things on my plate right now, I’m feeling motivated to get back out there and resume my current trajectory.
For now, I know that I stuck another thorn in the side of the Obsidian Accord, by delaying their extraction operation. I want to take the momentum gained from that and run with it as a head off for my next mission, which is to try and find and make contact with that mercenary on the planet Nix For Brianna and her crew. They need all the help they can get, and I feel bad that I’ve delayed this long, but sometimes it’s hard to prioritize when you’ve got a lot of things on your plate.
I ask Dex if he wants to come with me, but unfortunately, he declines the invitation. He’s got other jobs of his own, and he also hast to go back and make good with the guys who hired us for this job. I’ll run him back to Kosha and then head back out to the EH-6206 system from there.
Before departing, I ask Mina if there’s anything else I can do for her. She replies that she could really use more weapons, or better yet, able bodied folk who can fight. The Obsidian blockade ship has made it hard to get any additional supplies, but besides that, if the people here on Unity have any chance to stand up against the unsanctioned destruction that’s going on here, they need a stronger resistance force, whether it’s weapons or people.
I ask if she knows if there are any other settlements on the planet on Penumbra.
[Ask the Oracle: No]
She says that’s she doesn’t know, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t one or any. Perhaps the best place to start looking is close to home, because those people, if there are indeed any other inhabitants on this planet, would have a vested interest in protecting their world from greedy outsiders who seek to destroy their sacred landscape.
Is that something she and some of her fellow Unitarians can investigate?
[Ask the Oracle: Yes]
She says yes, so I tell her that I will bring them more supplies and weapons.
[Swear an Iron Vow]
[Miss: 2 + 1 + 1 = 2 vs 5 | 10]
[Develop Your Relationship]
Of course, weapons cost money. Lots of money, and I’m not exactly rolling in credits. I might be able to do another trade with Magnus, but I’m not exactly sure if I want to go down that road with him again… at least not right now. I may have to, but I’d like to try and find another way first.
I have a an idea, though. It’s a little out there, but if I can pull it off, I might be able to kill a few birds with one stone. I’ve already promised Gavin that I’d find and bring him some Xallium crystals, and if they’re as valuable as they sound, then that would be enough to find an entire cache of weapons for Mina, and Brianna.
Of course, the prospect of actually finding some xallium crystals is still beyond my immediate vision. In theory, I know know where they come from, so I just need to find a planet with the right climate and geological conditions, hope that it has a xallium mine somewhere on or below its surface, and then you go down and get some. Easy as pie, right?
Yeah, not so much. The more I think about it, it seems like I’m gonna have to pull off some kind of hijack or heist, because I don’t think anyone’s just gonna offer them to me if I do manage to find a source. And if I want any chance of success, I’ll probably need to put together a small, but capable crew that can help me pull it off.
When I consider who I would want to help me with that mission, two names immediately come to mind. Hopefully, it won’t take too much convincing to get them both on board, but first I need to do some research. And I could also use a bit of downtime to get my head together.
[Set a Course]
[Strong Hit: 4 + 2 + 1 = 7 vs 6 | 3]
[Navigator Asset: take +2 momentum on a strong hit]
Departing from Penumbra, I’m easily able to avoid that Obsidian cruiser and its snub fighters that are parked above the atmosphere, now that I know its location. I just skim low around the backside of the planet before climbing out and engaging the E-Drive. I have a feeling that they’re more concerned with unauthorized ships coming in than leaving, but either way, I make sure they don’t see us as we ascend into the upper atmosphere and leave the system.
With Dex’s help in verifying the coordinates and waypoints for our journey back to Kosha, (he’s got a lot of experience navigating throughout the Ebon Helix), I set our course and then sit back as we make pur way through the mystical purple fabric of hyperspace.
During one of our rest stops along the way, we pass by an immense Jovian planet that has a rocky moon orbiting it. I actually pick up signs of life that show up on my scanner. Not much, but there’s something down there.
Consulting my sector chart, I find that the planet is actually logged in the system; it’s called Nuada, and it has at least one orbital settlement. The moon is called Ory, and it permanently sits on Nuada’s shadowed side. I don’t know if there is any life on the moon, or if my scanner just picked up life forms from Nuada’s orbital. Research for another time.
MaxDocker
[Hearten]
[Weak Hit: 6 + 1 + 0 = 7 vs 7 | 6]
[+2 spirit, -1 momentum]
The trip back to Kosha provides some much needed downtime for Dex and me after our chaotic adventures on Penumbra. We look back on the dangers we faced with a surprising and rather uncharacteristic sense of therapeutic humor, especially for Dex, who is often quite serious. We use the time to help us lift our spirits and get us back to a better headspace as we make our way across the sector.
We share quite a laugh about the part where I nearly blew myself up! Looking back, I don’t even know how I made it through the night without breaking down, but the support I got from Dex and Mina in a long way towards helping me stay on track.
Dex still has to deal with his clients, who won’t be happy about the fact that we weren’t able to complete the mission, But he’s not too worried. He’ll frame it that the on-planet contact had been compromised and taken out, which is basically the truth. There was nothing we could do.
I’m sure he’ll land on his feet, he always does. And from what it sounds like, he may even decide not to do jobs for The Veil anymore. Money is money, but at some point, how much is it worth the stuff you’re doing to get it is hurting your friends and the people you care about?
After we arrive on Kosha, Dex and I part ways, The first thing I do is pay a visit to Jackpot, to try and shore up my supplies, which are now fairly depleted. I also need a new handheld, after having destroyed mine trying to hack the energy barrier.
This is actually the first time I’ve seen him since delivering his engine parts to Magnus. He’s a good guy, and I was glad to help him out.
[Resupply – Miss]
[Pay the Price: You face a tough choice]
[Oracle: Action/Theme – Raid/War]
Unfortunately, his inventory is extremely low right now. In fact he’s almost cleaned out of anything useful. Apparently, theft has been rampant in the settlement lately. Most people including jackpot, think that it’s the result of a criminal ring that sprung up in the past few weeks, although they’re unsure if it’s a local gang, or a larger element that has spread throughout the sector.
That’s the problem with authoritarian rule. The Obsidian Accord doesn’t care about local crime, or even if there’s an outside faction that’s causing trouble here. They just don’t want the locals rising up or causing problems for them.
Jackpot is not the only one who’s been hit recently, but it’s definitely hurt his ability to provide for his family, and that makes me furious. There’s something so violating about having people steal your shit, especially when it directly impacts your livelihood. It really tugs at my gut to see him, and others I care about, suffer like this.
Without even thinking, I swear to him that I’ll find out who’s behind this and put a stop to it.
[Swear an Iron Vow]
[Strong Hit: 2 + 1 + 0 = 3 vs 1 | 2]
Eager to begin investigation this matter, I spend the rest of the afternoon talking to Jackpot and doing some general sleuthing around the merchant district. I’ve known a lot of the traders here since my teen years, so there a lot of possible sources where I can try to learn what’s going on.
[Gather Information]
[Miss: 2 + 2 + 0 = 4 vs 10 | 7]
Ultimately, I fail in my sleuthing skills and make little to no progress in research in my investigation. It seems as if everyone is just too scared to provide any details about this current and sudden trend of thievery and extortion. They all try to brush it off, but I can tell that it’s a touchy subject that has everyone on edge.
In talking with one woman in particular named Asha, who usually wears a long, flowing ground length skirt to hide her prosthetic leg (she used to give me treats when I was a kid), I do my best to soften her up with memories of young Logan in the hopes that I can coax something out of her. I actually fib a little bit and tell her that I’m working undercover as part of a larger effort to reign in theft and trafficking of stolen goods across the sector.
[Compel] +shadow
[Weak Hit: 2 + 2 + 0 = 4 vs 9 | 2]
Asha is hesitant to open up, no doubt for fear of retribution, just like everyone else. She stonewalls me like the others, but with persistence, and my official sounding story, she begins to crack and open up a little bit to my questions, on the condition that I don’t linger or tell anyone else that she gave me any info.
Pretending to peruse through her inventory, I feign interest in a few select items near the back of her stall, and use the opportunity to pry out a few pertinent details, like how often is this happening; (more than once a week?), is it always the same person, and does she recognize any of them as being a local?
[Ask the Oracle: Yes]
[Ask the Oracle: No]
[Ask the Oracle: No]
Her answers don’t tell me much, but at least the ice has been broken. It’s a start, and it gives me an idea. I thank her, discreetly, making it look like I’m unsuccessfully haggling over a partially dismantled com unit before exiting the stall empty handed.
Armed with this limited, but somewhat helpful information, I leave the merchant quarter and make my way to Brianna’s safe house to check in with her and her crew. Mostly, I’m looking for Cole, and fortunately, he’s there at the new location. Thankfully, it hasn’t been compromised since the last time I was here.
It’s good to see him again, and after greeting each other, I share with him some of the stories from my recent battles, and let him know how I’ve been able to benefit from his weapons training. I also ask him if he’s got any more grenades he can spare.
[Resupply]
[Weak Hit: 4 + 1 + 1 = 6 vs 1 | 6]
He does have a few, but his supply is low. He promises that he’ll give me what I need, if I help him get his hands on some more. His plan is to break into a local Obsidian armory with a couple more recruits here in Kosha, and now that I’m back, he could really use my help.
Honestly, it sounds like a risky idea, and reflects the desperation of the people here. From what I understand, most of the arms that Brianna and her crew have are usually smuggled in from off planet.
The fact is that there are various places to acquire weapons and other munitions around this part of the galaxy, but I remind him of the last time they tried to break into an Obsidian installation. That was when Kirsa and I first met Brianna, and it did not go well.
I tell him of my grand plan to acquire a much larger cache of weapons for both his crew, and for the people on Penumbra, who are fighting their own indirect battle with the Accord.
As I share the basic premise of my hair brained scheme, which Involves stealing a shipment of xallium crystals, and then using them to fund a large supply of arms, it sounds even more ridiculous, now that I’m actually speaking the words out loud.
That said, it doesn’t surprise me when I watch Cole’s eyes light up as I lay out the plan. Well, not really a plan yet, more of the skeleton of an idea that will require some careful scheming in order to take shape and flesh out the actual body of a plan.
As crazy as it sounds though, there’s no argument. Being the total bad ass that Cole Hammond is, this whole thing is right up his alley and he lets me know that he’s all in.
“And while we’re at it,“ I add, “we can make our way to Nix and find that mercenary that Akim was looking for when he crashed.“
“But before we do all that, I need your help in dismantling whatever crime ring has been hitting the merchants here in Kosha.”
“Well then, it sounds like you and I are going to be spending a whole lot more time together, Logan,” Cole replies.
STARFORGED ADVENTURES 
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