As the year 1105 was starting, each of our heroes was looking for a new start on life. Tabitha Perez and Tupper Vilantes, old political friends, have just purchased The Solar Phoenix, an Animal Class Safari ship. Solar Phoenix just came on the market after being recently refurbished for luxury travel. Both women are wanting to explore together and have parlayed the end of their old careers into this ship. They face the need to hire a crew and make sure they can finance their explorations. A strange letter comes to them offering just that.

Neil M. Powers is looking to leave behind the desk job of corporate security with Thunderbird. Rutger van de Rosse has recently left the Scout Service, seeking to explore, but fully on his own terms. Finally, Amarr Kurrn is seeking to put distance between himself and the enemies who still pursue him. Each of these sophonts receives his own invitation from A. Kobayashi of Forysythe Investments Neil's,Rutger's,Amarr's.

On Day 60, all 5 arrive at the Flying Deer, a well to do restaurant and bar in the Karin Highport. Neil arrives an hour early and goes to the bar to watch the area and the entrance. He does not notice anything of interest, until 30 min before 13:00 when he sees the noted politician Tabitha Perez arrive with Tupper Vilantes. Ms. Perez he knows from helping her both beat a false story and help her turn the tables on a conspiracy to stop the First Planetary Congress. Ms, Vilantes he knows more personally, from just helping her defense in court, where she just managed to get off. He hears them say they are with Kobayashi and they are escorted to a private room. It is clear both are well known at the Flying Deer and the attractive hostess, Amynda, greets them both quite warmly.

Next to arrive are Amarr Kurrn and Rutger van de Rosse. Neil does not know either sophont, but it is clear the Aslan and Vargr know each other. Two decades ago, a young scout helped a young marine sneak behind enemy lines. They are startled to see one another. They are even more startled they are there for the same function. They are told that Mr. Kobayashi is running behind, but are escorted to the same dining room, this time by Amynda herself, who pays special attention to Amarr, assuring him there are foods available for Aslan specifically.

Tupper lights up when the two enter the room. She remembers fondly from the two weeks he was abord her old ship, the Far Trader Raum Zauberstab. It has been some time since they have both been on planet since Amarr joined the navy after his marine discharge. Amarr introduces Rutger as best he can. Rutger remembers Tabiatha from the mid 1090s, when, at Dame Whalen’s direction, Rutgers substituted as the driver for a navy puppet’s Benjamin Arton’s primary opponent. This happened to be one Tabithia Perez. His casual conversation gave her enough ammunition to sink Arton’s campaign. Tabithia does remember the conversation, but had not remembered Rutger.

It is about this time that Neil arrives to the party. When the last two went in, he got up at the appointed time of 13:00 and introduced himself as part of the party. He was again told their host was running late, and escorted in. Tupper is even more excite to see the man who she feels saved her from prison and greets him warmly. Tabitha also greets him as well, albeit more formally.

The five individuals have time to talk and discuss their own invitations and what they may bring to the table in this venture. It becomes clear that while they do not all know each other, everyone knows someone. After 20 minutes or so, their host arrives.

Kobayashi arrives and apologies for being unavoidably detained. He is pleasant and formal. When everyone is seated he explains the full offer form Forysythe Investments.

My Employer is an Imperial Noble fame and power. As a Noble he takes the long view for both Imperial and family ventures. The Foreven sector is on the edge of the Imperium now, but it will someday become part of the greater whole. Mr. Forysythe wishes to better understand what is there, in far more detail than are in basic scouting reports. This is where you come in.

Mr. Forysythe is willing to charter your ship and your services. He will provide vouchers for ship’s maintenance, docking, and fuel while within the Imperium, or with a world that will recognize them. For exploration, he will provide you with maintenance parts. Your ship can manage its own refueling of course. I will provide you with a list of sites that need additional exploration.

Each of you will also be paid twice the normal rate for crew of a ship. I have the full details here. I know you will each want to fully look at this offer.

The group asks questions and satisfies themselves this is legitimate. They are somewhat uncomfortable with just how much this attorney knows about their individual pasts. Tabitha has some thoughts on who Forysythe actually is, but she keeps herself. Kobayashi departs and allows them to discuss the offer in private. They quickly agree this sounds like the opportunity they are all looking for. Rutgers asks to see the ship.

The ladies take them all to the Solar Phoenix and everyone choses a room. Rutger goes first and actively rejects one of the high passage staterooms, in favor of the smaller standard room of which he is accustomed. Amarr, a retired naval commander is happy to take one of the nicer rooms. Neil decides to take the last high room, somewhat reluctantly, as he does not want to be along on the lower decks.

The Phoenix is more luxurious than a typical noble yacht. In addition to the standard Jump-2 Drives, it has Thrust-2 Maneuver Drives. With four high state rooms on the upper deck, two of the three remaining standard rooms are on the lower deck. The Trophy lounge is intact, but the environmental chambers are replaced with a gourmet kitchen, onboard distillery, pool, and hot tub.

While the others got settled, Rutger decided to explore the lower part of the ship. He aging former scout had never seen such well appointed things on a ship. At the pool he shouted out ”Echo!” as a joke and turned to leave. What he heard was not the sound of his voice but an inhuman shriek! Startled, Rutger pulled his weapon and checked the room. Nothing was there. Nothing at all. Unsure of what had happened, he holstered his weapon and went back to the others, not telling them what had happened.

The group decides to get additional equipment for their mission of exploration. Amarr and Neil end up in the Karin nation of Lakota, in its capital Lakota City. Rutger and the ladies are in the nation of Roosevelt in its capital of Theo. All are working on their own personal shopping lists and continuing to get to know each other better. Both groups are somewhat unguarded, but that does not mean they are unaware. Neil is training to always keep an eye out, and he notices a ground car slow and a long barrel of a gun emerge, aimed at Amarr! This is within a few minutes of Tabitha noticing three vehicles that are following them now clearly slowing, and men of questionable natures moving towards them.

Seeing the men coming, Tabitha shouts out an alarm! Rutger finds a pathway through the crowd and he and Tupper get Tabitha through into the giant shopping complex they just left. Some sort of communication suppression in ongoing. Rutger shoots into the air, announcing to everyone that something is going on! Once inside, the lead elements of the men chasing them catch up, and in a brief fight, Rutgers knocks down their leader and moves to run, but Tabitha is no the running type. The noble turned politician draws her ceremonial sword and places against the neck of the fallen leader, threatening to kill him if they don’t back down. Apparently, hired goons have no honor and the five more who have caught up attack. The leader manages to squirm so that sword hits is vest, not killing him. He yells ”Get her!” and five men turn their stunners on Tabaitha who collapses to the floor.

A close in combat ensues as a security guard moves forward. Tupper falls from a shot, just stunned, while the others drop the security guard as he closes. Rutger has a feral grin as the stunner turned on him fails to even register against his cloth armor and trenchcoat. He leaps upon the nearest attacker and bites the man’s neck in a sudden display of ferocity the human attackers were not expecting. Tupper shakes herself awake and without getting up, pops open her cybernetic arm to reveal here laser weapon. She drops another attacker but is then stunned again. Rutger throws himself on top of the men who just picked up Tabitha, perfectly striking the men to cause them all to fall. At this point, several shoppers in this freedom loving nation of Roosevelt, approach with their small arms drawn. The attackers who are standing flee, as the men move forward. Rutger fishes out a communications suppressor from the leader’s pocket and turns it off.

It is only a short time for EMS and the police to arrive. As Rutger and Tupper are giving their statement (they are guards for former the Planetary Congresswoman) two Confederacy agents arrive to take charge. Tabitha is taken to the hospital under guard, while the other two decide to head back to the Highport and the safety of the Solar Phoenix. Tupper tries to contact their other friends, but initially, to no avail.

Neil throws himself onto Amarr as he shouts a warning. Both men are used to physical actions and Amarr goes down with Neil, avoiding the gunshot. As the car speeds away, violent looking men charge out of the building they were just in. The two rise up and run to the woods. Calls on their comms are jammed, most likely by the men chasing them.

Woods? Lakota City is based on an idealized understanding of the far distant North American native lives were like. Like a theme park, it embraces the idea of harmony in nature, and not things like mass buffalo killings. The buildings are spread out, often with natural features between them. There are roads, of course. The illusion of being just on the edge of a proper city sweeps across the whole of the city. Only places like its starport and airport seem fully modern.

The violent men follow quickly. Amarr and Neil vault over a hedge which slows the men pursuing them. Two get close enough to try and grab their prey, but their prey easily knocks them down with stunners and keeps running. Amarr managed to leap across a water drainage ditch made to look like a creek. Neil however misses his jump and slides down the far wall, 10 meters with a splash. There is no good way up the steep sides. Amarr yells for Neil to run along towards the end and he keeps pace up top. The two quickly reach the end, with their pursuers following along the far bank. The end opens and flattens into a wide lake they cannot cross. However, Neil can now get up to rejoin Amarr. Unfortunately, the assassins can get over now as well.

Finally, two of the killers close. This time, they have laser pistols pulled. Neil whips his own out and fires, while Amarr pulls his stealth knife. In short order, both assassins are bleeding out on the ground. Neil notices a tattoo of the Lighted Way terrorists, the very ones that attacked Amarr so many years ago. The two men quickly move ahead and they find they are near a building and both dodge the people on the walkway to get inside. There they are able to call for help, the jammers left with one of the bodies. Their assassins decide going into a building is too big a risk and break of the chase.

Neil contacted the building’s security, the local police and his old friend Thunderbird Head of Security, Leon Greatbear. He also sees a message from Tupper telling him Tabitha is in the hospital after a kidnapping attempt at the mall. He also has inquiries from the Karin Confederation security. In a run of bad luck, the police get there before the “Connies” and Thunderbird and arrest both men, there being two bodies and confessions. However, Leon is not without influence, and the two find themselves instead delivered to Thunderbird HQ.

After a quick debrief, Leon sets them up in a safe-house apartment, and offers them replacement weapons, since theirs are now in police custody. The next day, the whole group gathers back at the high port, sans Tabiatha who is only released late in the day.

Tabiatha comes too in the hospital, clearly disoriented. She is met by her old friend and political ally, Karin Confederacy President George Lincoln. He assures her she will be safe, and has provided Confederacy security for her until she leaves. Tabiatha is most grateful and upon discharge on the 63rd, she gets up to the highport and meet with her friends.

The Travallers are ready to depart as soon as they can. Tabitha returns to the ship on the 63rd and completes her packing, with Tupper helping her leave behind a lot she does not need. Amarr gets a message from one Captain Brixton of the Apocalypto Army. Amarr asks both Rutgers and Neil to tail him. Captain Brixton has an offer for the formal Imperial Marine and Naval Officer. Noting the terrorist attack upon his person, the government of Apocalypto has decided to offer Amarr a commission as a full Colonel in the Apocalypto Army on Reserve status. This will give him half-pay to support his wife and daughter, and the Regiment will then watch over them as well. Amarr is flattered and humbled by this offer which he gladly accepts. He asks Brixton to have someone teach his daughter to fight and to use a weapon in his absence. The officer gladly agrees.

The Solar Phoenix departs the next day. They are headed for the Urnian subsector of the Foreven Sector, their place of call. This area is bordered by the Imperium in the Trailing direction, and the Zhodani in the Coreward direction. Urnian borders Five Sisters, and the launching off point is a balkanized world named Taxu.

Taxu is a heavily industrialized, high-tech world close to the Imperial border, but not with in it. It is a vital strategic objective in any conflict. It is the site of both Imperial Navy and Scout bases and has a significant Imperial Army contingent in place as well as its own indigenous forces for its various nations. Taxu has seen a lot of unrest in recent years and is in the throes of a bogged-down counter-insurgency campaign that is really close to wars between is nations. Although Amber Zone status has not been imposed since it is outside the Imperium formally, visitors are advised to be cautious. It is a gateway to the rest of the sector for the Jump-2 Phoenix.

This is a three week trip, from Karin, to Mirriam, to Emape. The crew decides to take minimal stops and use their vouchers for refueling and a quick bite to eat at the highports. Each member of the crew spends the time in different ways. The daughter of a noble and politician that she is, Tabaitha is in full passenger mode and spends her time in heavy study. She is hoping to learn more about being a spacer, and directs her energy to that. Amarr wants to improve his engineering and alternates between books and time looking at the M-Drive. Neal does some study, but also concentrates on giving the computers a good work-up. The veteran spacers, Tupper and Rutgers spend the three weeks working. The Solar Phoenix is practically new and has not had a significant work up before this flight. They are all over the various systems and functions, working hand in hand to get things operating well. Things look good, except for the brand new scanners, that despite his best efforts, continue to have odd glitches and ghosting.

Of course, it was not all work and study. Tupper and Tabitha made sure each week there was at least one shared meal among the group, and both were quite happy to use the luxury amenities. Both made sure that at least weekly, everyone met for a good meal made in the gourmet kitchen, even if no one was great at cooking. It was important for the ladies to build a solid team, and they started laying the groundwork for this.

It was not all smooth sailing on the trip. Amarr, alone in his study of the M-Drive, felt the hair on his body stand up as he was hit with the strong smell of blood. It was overpowering, as if something as large or larger than human was exsanguinated before him. He summoned Neil and Rutgers, but by the time they arrived the smell was gone. All three did not know what to make of it. Nothing more seemed to come from it, and the incident moved to the back of their minds.

The group expected to have some relief at being out of Imperial space upon reaching Taxu. Taxu is a heavily industrialized, world just outside Imperial border just two subsectors of unclaimed space form the Zhodani Consulate. It is thus a vital strategic objective in any conflict. It is the site of both Navy and Scout bases and has a significant Imperial Army contingent in place as well as its own indigenous forces. Taxu has seen a lot of unrest in recent years and is in the throes of a bogged-down counter-insurgency campaign. Although Amber Zone status has not been imposed, visitors are advised to be cautious. Still, it is not under Imperial jurisdiction, and it is the jumping off point to the next system, where there is both a place to refuel and things to investigate. Upon arrival, however, it is clear things are not going smoothly.

Whenever a ship first enters a system, it is normal to open communications to update news and information. This syncing is a natural part of any ship movement. While Taxu is not part of the Imperium, it is close enough and advanced enough to be part of this network. An immediate alert pops up, warning everyone that Taxu’s smoldering fire is heating up.

The small brushfire war that has sputtered off and on -for several years on this frontier world has, within the -last week, come suddenly alive. New ships are arriving in -orbit daily and Down Franklin Starport, for many months -nearly empty, is now choked with a steady flow of marines -and army troopers disgorged from busy fleet shuttles..

There is more in the dispatch, and Tabaitha immediately suggests they dock, refuel, and get out of dodge. The team agrees with that plan. The Solar Phoenix charges towards the Highport. They notice what is obviously a space battle going on deeper in system well away from Taxu itself. Everyone is relieved that the big ships are fighting elsewhere, even if it is somewhat disconcerting that the highport has no starships or capital ships there at the moment. Their relief is short lived and an emergency signal comes to them:

Solar Phoenix! System Control Taxu. The Dagger has just emerged from jump space close to your ship and is not acknowledging attempts to make contact. It is maneuvering on a collision course with the planet. Since all available naval vessels are engaged in the battle on the far side of the system, you are instructed to investigate and render assistance as required or disable the craft. Destruction of the Dagger is a last resort due to the debris it would create.

This is an order under the authority of the Imperial Navy to you as Imperial citizens, and they know they would be wise to follow it. Everyone suits up as Rutgers moves the Phoenix on an intercept course.

Rutgers takes the helm and Amarr takes to their turret and they charge towards the enemy ship. Neil mans the sensors and tries to see if it armed. He cannot find anything, but then a loan turret answers that question as it fires. Rutgers takes no evasive action but charges in to find a place to dock. They trade shots as they close to docking range. Amarr concentrates on the turret, but keeps missing. Strikes against the 1000 ton ship are not going to stop it. Twice, the Dagger’s pulse laser cuts into the Phoenix, once blowing Neil out of his chair, and another starting a fuel leak. Rutgers first attempt to doc fails as the airlock he was aiming for is clearly destroyed. He pulls away and Amarr strikes the enemy turret square with a blast. Before either can fire again, Rutgers manages to dock with the Dagger. Now it was on inside.

Once aboard, it becomes apparent that the ship is lifeless. Only the emergency lights are on and life support is operating at a minimal level. Tupper charges towards the bridge before anyone can stop her. She quickly rounds a corner and is struck three times by an auto turret. She staggers back out of its field of fire. Neil charges ahead and slags it with his laser rifle. Rutgers funs up to give her first aid. They move forward cautiously and find another turret. It is clear to Tabitha they are sound activated and thereafter, they are easily delt with.

Reaching the bridge and engineering areas the group discovers the controls are not only smashed but electronics have been gutted and, quite possibly, sold or used elsewhere. Jury-rigging a control system would take at least 36 hours and the and they do not have that long. Dagger is headed directly for Taxu, on a pre-programed course that will take it into the atmosphere. Plotting the target area indicates the Capitol. Dagger will hit the upper atmosphere in a little over eight hours. As for the guidance system, the ship is currently being controlled by an extremely dumb, lobotomized version of its computer. Neil gets to work hacking it.

Neil and Tabitha stay on the bridge as the other three make their way, cautiously, to engineering. There they find the same story as on the bridge. Tupper notices something odd in the M-Drive that is some sort of monitoring system. They are not sure what the item is. Before they can check further, Neil’s efforts at hacking the computer cause the J-Drive to start spinning up. Even though there is no fuel, damaged as it is, who knows what will happen. Amarr and Rutgers shut it down by severing its power. Neil heads to engineering to investigate.

There are sensor leads that Neil is just able to find. It reveals an additional problem: A five-megaton nuclear device has been concealed within the vessel. It is connected to a set of sensors monitoring the ship’s path. Clearly, altering the Dagger’s course will set it off. This gives Neil and idea.

The computer could be easily by confused by false data fed from its remaining sensors, fooling it into changing course. Neil gets to work with his mobile comm and plots a path away from Taxu. As far as the computer thinks, it is making course corrections towards the planet. This accomplished, Neil sets the Dagger on course outside the solar system, leaving his personal computer behind.

”They had better replace this!”

They all evacuate the Dagger and fly straight to the naval highport radioing ahead their damage and their wounded. As the Dagger dwindles into the distance, the battered Solar Phoenix is brought directly into a repair bay. As the crew disembarks, they are meet by EMTs and two lines of cheering station personnel. Tupper and Neil are taken to sick bay. Tabitha, recognized, is immediately taken to talk with the local commander. This leaves the other three to be debriefed.

As someone instrumental in Karin’s unification, Tabitha is in high demand. She demurs going to the surface, but visits with several leaders to give her thoughts on what Taxu might do. She is feted on all the talk shows and makes quite the impression. All the crew are heroes to an entire world. During their two weeks, Amarr studies and sends one final encrypted message home. Tupper irritates the naval personnel repairing her ship, in classic ship owner fashion. Rutgers goes to the Scout Base and hears rumors about an outlandish space dragon. And Neil spends his time in rest and relaxation.

The first stop for the Solar Phoenix is the “Salamander” system in parsec 3134. Salamander is two parsecs from Taxu and the only system for refueling in range. It is a binary system, with a G9 Star and a red dwarf companion.

There are two sites for follow up of interest to their employer. One is on Salamander itself, which has odd objects on it. The other is a metallic reading from an ice moon orbiting the outer gas/ice giant, a Neptune-like world. Since they have to refuel anyway, the crew decides they will start there first.

The trip does not start well. The Foeven Sector is poorly explored and settled in part thanks to its strange jump space effects. Plotting and jumping are more difficult than normal. While Tupper does an excellent job with her astrogation, Rutgers struggles with the jump drive operations. The resulting jump is more sickening than normal, and the ride has strange bumps that are unusual. Nonetheless, the ship arrives near the target and they move for immediate refueling as is a standard practice when you have used all your fuel.

This does not go easily either. For most of their passes things are all right, but the ice giant has a highly turbulent atmosphere. Rutgers can only remember one or two refueling this difficult in his service. On the last pass, the Solar Phoenix is shoved deeper into the atmosphere, straining the ship, but with no ill effects other than a scare for the crew. Everyone is happy to be clear of the blue-green world and headed to the moon.

Manning the sensors, Neil is easily able to find the object of their search in a mere 10 hours. There is a dome of metallic concreate poured nestled into the surface of the ice moon, with another slab for landing. Rutgers brings the ship down, and misjudges the landing slightly in the dim light and reflective ice covering the old pad. The landing damages one of the landing gear, but the ship is otherwise OK. Before anyone can respond, however, there is a surge of gravity upwards along with an explosion outside the ship. Anything not strapped down or secured is tossed about the ship. All power goes down. Emergency lights come up slower than they should have. The gravity on the ship is now only from the moon – the grav compensators are off. The ship is strangely quiet, with nothing running.

Neil tells everyone to get into their vacc suits, but the experienced spacers, Tupper and Rutgers, are already ahead of him. Everyone falls to seeing the damage. It is alarming: Every gravity circuit on the Phoenix is dead. This includes the parts in the M-Drive, J-Drive, and Fusion reactors. The ships is on emergency power only. The Ship’s Boat and Air/raft are also down. They are stuck on this world. Rutgers compiles and inventory of the broken parts. Maybe they can find something in the facility next door. Neil and Amarr note that most of their weapons packs are

At the edge of the landing pad is a large airlock and what is clearly a slope down into the ground. Neil and Rutgers crank it open. Tabithia stays close to Tupper, having grown more and more unnerved as the hours have passed. She is sure someone, or something, is following them. Only Tupper is totally safe for her. Once they have shut the outer door, the exhausted men let their Aslan friend crank open the inner door. The air entering the chamber is breathable, but quite cold. The long tunnel does slope down and head back up into the top level of the dome. The opens into an entry area, with storage and power facilities.

Rutgers notes that the power systems should work. They end up draining every operational powerpack they have left to kick start the systems. It is a tricky thing, like only having one match with a fire. The tension is high, but Rutgers has cold started systems before. They welcome seeing the lights come on as the power plant comes to life, burning long stored fuel. The beta unit is not working well, and Rutgers shuts it down. The Alpha unit will be enough. Neil begins the process of slowly bringing up the computer. It is tricky, as the computer is having issues. Still, he finds this was Ice Station Zed, set up for Genealogical Research, 20 years ago. He gets a print out of the crew. The data is highly corrupted. Neil starts a program on his own computer to decrypt it. The logs come out chronologically. As he waits, it appears this mission was for xeological research.

While Neil and Rutgers look to reactivate the power, Tupper and Tabathia head out to explore. They find a dead man in an autodoc. This shock greatly upsets Tabathia and she starts going through the doors of the medbay looking for ”a wooden stake”. Tupper is concerned but keeps checking. It is about this time the lights come on, and the autodoc flickers back to life. The man inside if listed as Jeff Gunt. He has a final log entry:

LOG 1085-365

Jeff Gunt

Bert is dead. I don’t think he killed himself. He just did not wake up. I am not a medic, I fix machines. I keep hoping Thew will come back. Then I pray he won’t. I am going to try putting the base in standby mode and putting myself into the autodoc on hibernation. With luck, the overdue signal will have worked and in about 6 weeks someone will come looking for us.

The body inside is well preserved. The autodoc simply shows that he died when it could no longer maintain power to keep him in hibernation. The ladies go into the specimen lab next door. This lab has several specimens in cases. One is the spitting image of what a stake looks like, and Tabitha opens the case and takes it back to stab the corpse, feeling this is her duty somehow. Tupper does not notice her leave the room and continues to look over the lab.

Neil gets a CREW ROSTER and the first of the logs. Reading the logs so far, it is clear there is some sort of fungal life in the tunnels under the ice. The areas are kept warmer than expected and while the life is not compatible with Terran life, it is an astounding find.

Amarr heads forward to explore other darkened rooms. It takes him some time, but he is delighted to find a Fabber! Upon inspection once the power returns, it is clear it will work. Amarr shouts with delight and comms everyone the fabber is here. They can build the parts they need, starting with restoring the ship’s fusion reactor!

Rugters goes to examine the Beta power cell to see if it is salvageable. What he finds at first looks like sabotage, but he cannot understand how it would be broken this way. Then parts crumble in his gloves like dry leaves. Is this even metal? He is quite unnerved as he clears his gloves.

Amarr is looking to close off their part of the base from the rest and he succeeds, but finds he is wandering lost and cannot find his way back. The old marine and naval officer is not panicked, but has a rising concern. He cannot raise anyone on the radio. How did he get so lost?

Neil is still working with the computer, coaxing it into action when Amarr’s scream echoes down the hallways. Neil’s comm is all static and so he uses speakers to have everyone meet at the fabber. Rutgers wonders why he used speakers and a radio, while Tupper races to the scream of her crewmate, Tabitha, sword out, follows. They find Rugters standing, vacantly staring at a bulkhead door. When she talks to him, he denies screaming and then wonders how she got to him on this side of the door. It is clear he thinks he is locked out!

Tabitha sinks to the floor and lowers her blade. Here normally bright eyes dull and her face neutral. She has fallen into despair and hopelessness. At this point, Tupper too is sure that they are being stalked. She knows that Tabitha is safe, but the large Aslan is a bit unnerving.

Gathered together again, the group briefs each other. Tupper orders 2 min comm checks as they split up. Neil and Amarr get the first of the recharged power packs. Amarr is sure they are not making it out, but this gives him a sense of purpose. He might go, but can the rest get out. He knows his family will be cared for. Neil is growing fatalistic as well, but not incapacitated, like Tabiath, who sits in the corner while Rutgers charges more power packs. Rutgers fights a sense of futility off as he knows he can fix anything. He and Tupper eye one another warily.

As Neil and Amarr go off to inspect the storage area, the room is much bigger than expected. In fact, the two are quickly lost in a maze of shelves. The room just goes on and on, like an enormous warehouse. Neil is grabbed by sticky arms and pulled to the ground. He yells and Amarr decides to climb the shelves, but they are so tall, and he never seems closer to the top. Tabitha arms her gauss rifle and uses the comms to see if they are OK. Neil sees nothing around him and Amarr is suddenly able to find him in the rather small room. They do not find any more power packs and they head back to the others.

Rutgers notes they have now been up over 30 hours and no one has eaten much. They cannot function this way, and something is going on. He suggest getting back to the Phoenix and getting some sleep. Tupper holds Tabitha’s unresisting hand and pulls her across the surface of the moon as fast as she can once the airlocks are opened. It is clear to Neil she is thinking of nothing but safety. While not a spacer, the former agent manages to navigate the low gravity and get their when they do to enter the airlock. Tupper briefly feels this is the end when Neil leaps in and then stops the cycle.

”We decontaminate first!” and Neil runs that cycle at its highest safest setting. He radios the other two to do as well, while the women race to Tupper’s cabin. Tupper helps Tabitha out of her suit, gets her clean and with effort, gets her to eat and drink something. Tabitha is shortly dead to the world in Tupper’s bed as Tupper finishes her own ablutions. Tupper climbs into be next to her friend, and they hold each other for support. Tupper struggles some, but exhaustion takes her.

The men take more time to eat and drink. Rutgers heads to bed, and the old Scout he is, falls asleep immediately. Amarr and Neil decide to split a watch. Neil stays up four more hours, and while he stays awake, his mental state continues to falter. He awakens Amarr, who snaps up like the marine he was and he takes over watch. Neil crawls into bed. Three hours later, the alarms are going off. Tupper, Neil, and Rutgers race to the bridge there, they are horrified to see Amarr raging. The Aslan is threatening to kill everyone standing against him as he smashes at controls with his bare hands and claws. Tupper yells of “Amarr, what’s wrong?” go unheeded, but Rutgers covers Amarr with his stunner and calls on his memory of marines barking a perfect order ”Stand Down Marine!” Attention!”. Amazingly, through the red haze of his vision, Amarr pauses. Before he can act again, the two other men stun him and he drops. They take him to the sick bay an sedate him, keeping him strapped down. Tupper returns to her cabin, while Neil goes back to sleep. Rutgers makes sure the damage is not too severe and then too rests. Tabitha never work up.

After 12 hours, things are somewhat better. Sleep has restored Tabathia’s spirt, though here sense of unease is still high. They whole crew gathers with Amarr and wakes him up. Tabitha sits at his head, speaking gently too him, soothing him. Rutgers goes to repair the fusion plant with the initial fabricated parts. They again use up all power packs to jumpstart their ship. As the lights come back to full, they have some sense of hope and tensions ease.

With the autodoc back online, and access to the medical bay and computers, Tupper asks Amarr to let them scan him. It is very clear his brain is responding to something. His sensor cortexes are active, which much be causing hallucinations. Tupper wonders about the rest of them and asks Neil to help her process the data stored in their personal medical recorders. The news is grim. Their has been some sort of malign effect on their brains since just after touchdown. Tabitha was hit first. The effects are driving hallucinations and paranoia. It is at this point Neil gets a comm ding the rest of the logs are ready.

Neil asks if there is a drug they could take. Tupper says their might be, and she asks Tabitha and Neil to help her. They just create a formulation to impact the dopamine receptors in their brains. It is crude and she is worried there may be side effects. However, it should stop their issues. This allows them to reenter and stay here. Tupper keeps up monitoring of vitals, with Tabitha monitoring her. The men head back in to retrieve the logs and get more parts. It will be days before the fabber is done, needing some back and forth, plus the time to repair. The logs themselves make for horrifying reading:

Ice Station Zed Logs

Everyone spends the days doing what they can. Tupper and Tabitha monitor the crew. Neil monitors the computer and scanners, while the other two repair the ship. Tupper notes the increase in power by the Phoenix seems to have increased the effects as well, which has caused their does to go up. After several days, Rutgers shows signs of involuntary movements and twitches. These are minor, but worrying. A week later, he is struggling to not shake, while Neil and Tupper also are starting to have these side effects. Tupper crafts some more medications that slow these effects. All three now feel like they are in a fog. Even with this problem, Rutgers fixes much of the ship. Still, he is in no shape to go outside to fix the landing gear – just using the vacc suit will be hard. Amarr stops his friend and goes out to repair it. An hour late the ship lurches sideways as the port gear all but collapses.

“Oops!” comes over the comm. Rutgers hauls himself sideways to the gravity resisters. With the gravity plates in the ship at the bottom of the priority, the whole list of the ship is felt inside. Working at a significant disadvantage, Rutgers manages to repair the resisters and power them up, righting the ship.

The days drag on, but finally, they have an operational ship again. All agree to return to Taxu for an overhaul. Rutgers suggests getting away from the moon and doing a shakedown before jumping. With their fuel topped off local ice, the Solar Phoenix rises like its name, but from ice, not fire, into the great black. On the far side of the planet, Tupper’s scans show no intrusions. The crew comes off their medications, and Rutgers goes into the autodoc for recovery. Tupper and Neil will also need medical attention, but that can wait for the jump. 30 hours after leaving the cursed moon, Rutgers and Tupper do their work to jump back to Taxu.

Happy Halloween!

After a week of recovery and a lot of silence, the Solar Phoenix arrives back at Taxu for an overhaul. They are warmly received as the heroes they are. After getting docked, Tupper and Rutgers check in for treatments of the extrapyramidal symptoms from the medication Tupper whipped up. After two days their damaged nervous systems are repaired.

Scarred by the EMP and loss of energy weapons, everyone wants some sort of slug throwers. Tupper immediately goes to find a grey market pistol for her personal protection, and lands an unmarked, unregistered gun. Tabitha takes a more direct route, using her influence and diplomatic skills to legally purchase arms from the station directly for the team.

Tupper suggests searching for families of the ill-fated crew of Ice Station Zed. This strikes a chord in the weary crew of the Phoenix. Everyone gets to work, and after a day, they have found four family members associated with the doomed crew. Tupper sends off a message that will travel slowly across the Imperium, carried by ships a bit at a time.

Newly energized by their investigation, the crew begins various tasks. Tupper finds a job as a visiting medic at major clinic in one of the lower tech level nations on the balkanized Taxu. While Neil planned to spend his time bar hopping the Highport, he instead goes along as a guard. As a spacer, Tupper has seen several lower level tech worlds, but Neil, hailing from the highest tech level nation on Karin, is amazed at what he finds. These people deal with ovens that only use convection, lights that have to be operated manually, even locations without integrated environmental controls. Tupper, however, is fine in the element. She uses her advanced medical skills and medical kit she brought with her to perform seeming miracles to the people of this part of Taxu. This helps her heal her soul in a deep way.

As a key member of the former Planetary Congress of Karin, Tabitha engages in several consultations on planetary unification for the sometimes war torn Taxu. These are not open to the public, but with key leaders. Amarr goes as her personal security, though as the daughter of a Sub-Sector Duke, Imperial Marines also are sent to accompany her. Amarr takes some not so gentle ribbing at his former Naval status and does succumb to off duty partying one night.

Rutgers goes camping in what anyone in the 21st Century would call “glamping”. He is unplugged and in nature, but with a semi-climate controlled yurt, and access to running water with porcelain. This greatly renews the scout, and he is ready to return to a ship when he gets back.

The crew returns to the Highport and they note in their last “adventure” someone skilled in biology would have been good. Neil, totally forgetting that there was an EMP, strikes upon the idea of a computer with expert programs to help. He and Amarr go off to find and buy they system and the programs, not just biology but others, rather ignored that fact that neither of them is really skilled at Science at all. The other three decide a more direct approach, and Tabitha puts out an add. They get immediate responses. Afterall, they are heroes.

Three candidates appear to be of most interest: Daisy Windsor, Reyas Tenhil, and Liza Ling. They interview them each. Daisy Windsor is an old woman confined to a float chair after what she says is the effects of an old illness. While she is highly experienced, the three are put off by her. Reyas Tenhil is an exceedingly handsome middle-aged Darrian. While his biology skill is clear and Rutgers likes his planetology, the ladies are less and thrilled with his demeanor. The group decides to go with the third option, the female Vargr Liza Ling. Liza is an Imperial raised Vargr, recently out of school. She is eager to travel and see the world and is good at both biology and medicine. She impressed them with her answer about what to do immediately after the surge of a gravometric EMP: ”I’d do a scan of all the crew for effects.”. This left the three wondering why they did not think of that. Tupper contracts with her to join the crew, and just adds her to the overhead bill for their employer, as much as they charged the repairs to him.

With the new member on board, Solar Phoenix heads back to Salamander. Amarr and Neil start teaching the newest crew member how to use a gun.

Salamander

UWP: X762000-0

Third Rocky Planet in System

• Large (.9G), Standard Atmosphere, Dry (6%), Uninhabited
• Eccentric orbit with perihelion close to the primary star causing dramatic climate shifts, with some areas reaching over 600*C every 3.27 standard years.
• Significantly powerful electromagnetic fields indicate dense core
• Viable biosphere with unknown water source that is suspected to retreat underground and/or to the polls.

Salamander is a target because of possible structures seen. This is their target. After a days’ scan, they find a large city with a metallic object at the middle. They land the ship on the outskirts and take the air/raft in to investigate. The city itself is composed of terracotta buildings. Investigating the center of the city, there is a clearly crashed colony ship. All through the flight, Neil uses speakers to call out, but there is only silence.

Along the dusty ground are large, leafy plants, all with long tubes running in the same direction. When they land, Liz wants to take a sample, but Tupper orders her not to do that just yet. The area around the broken ship has a large wall, with ancient writing. Tupper is able to decipher: This is the City of Khukhri Urzir founded in -3751 (Modern dating)

May we have freedom here, forever

It appears this is a refugee colony from the time of the expansion of what is now called the first Imperium.

The buildings themselves are all works of art. Shaped from local clay with strong local plant fibers, they are durable and fired in the kiln the world becomes. Each place is painted with colorful glazes. They enter several buildings, and nothing that would flash over in the heat is present. However, molded furniture exists, alongside molded ovens and clay piping and plumbing, leading to what is clearly a system of aqueducts.

They investigate the inside of the long dead colony ship to find it was stripped of all technology. This would be a giant oven, and while it is the centerpiece of the city, it was clearly not useful for much now. They follow the aqueduct and notice that the plant tubes also go that way, merging and getting bigger. Water clearly is flowing back and forth inside them. This leads to the entrance to a natural cave, its entrance also embraced with terracotta arches. Inside they hear the rustle of small creatures as they descend into the cooler and much wetter caves. The aqueduct ends with a high-tech pipe that goes back into an area clearly for habitation when the planet was too hot. At its end is an ancient fusion powered pump to take water from the wet caves, sterilize it, and send it back.

Everything is Highly degraded – nothing biodegradable left. Non-rustable metal tools are found I places. They also find three skeletons preserved in the dripping calcium of the caves. For whatever reason, the people of this bold colony died out long ago. They let Liz take samples and the whole group rather somberly heads back to their ship. This magnificent city of molded stone the monument to the ingenuity of the human mind and the determination of the human soul.

The next objective close by is what appears to be the ruins of a non-human city on the dry world of Ifrinn. Ifrinn is known to be a religious dictatorship, founded 500 years ago after being expelled from the nearby planet of Rhegar. While Rhegar is a religious oligarchy run by devout nobles of the Church of Rhegar, the people of Ifrinn were much more radical and that sect that had attempted to seize control of the world and lost. Killing 100,000 plus people was not an option, so they were banished.

Rhegar has recently developed TL 9 and has exerted control over the near by sytems of Jorgh and Yhan which both had similar faiths to Rhegar, and established an outpost on nearby Jhar. The crew decides to head to Rhegar first to gather information on their nehibor.

When they arrive near gas giant of Rhegar, they find it supported by a space station and are hailed. It suddenly dawns on the crew at this moment, they have no currency they can use and no trade goods. Tabitha answer the hail, and uses her natural charm to get them what amounts to diplomatic status. They are given free fuel. Rutgers impresses the local with his engineering in helping them make a modified fuel attachment and docking attachment. He leaves them with plans for the universal devices and makes notes for modifications to the docking system for the local area. After topping off, they head in system, taking a bit over two days to arrive at the Rhegar mainworld.

GM: A funny note on this is that I had the players roll their Charm stat at the table in that moment. Tabitha’s player rolled a 12, with the dice rather supporting her character. Fate it would seem.

Docking at the highport, which is in good condition for a culture that just achieved the tech level to have gravity technology, they are met by Vice Minister Sued Irdeu. She escorts them to the planet, and everyone spends a couple of days at Rhegar as welcome guests from the Imperium. They are able to get all their questions about Ifrinn answered, thought it is clear the party line casts the Rhegarians in the sort of light one expect from past historical events. Tabitha wonders what will be said of her in ages hence.

After a pleasant stay, with both Amarr, Liza, and Rutgers finding themselves quite popular, the crew returns to the Phoenix and heads to the more dangerous Ifrinn.

Ifrinn is a former garden world now towards the end of its habitability. Its oceans have mostly evaporated and been lost. Its air is now thin, needed a breather. The people of Ifrinn are part of the splinter Church, the Church of the Bastion. The believe an ancient evil is coming and they are called to stand against it, lest it destroy everyone. They used to be more spread out on the world, but they have retreated to a single massive city, Bastion, sitting in the middle of a dried out shallow sea bed.. The site the group is tasked to explore is half way around the world.

The group ponders how to approach Ifrinn. They see their options as an open approach, asking to explore the site and trying to sneak to the site directly. After a long debate, they opt for open, and they jump to the system’s sole gas giant. Their they are met not only with a hail, but the movement of local system patrol ships. Ifrinn does not have a full TL 9, but clearly they have some bulkier technology the marks the transition.

The Phoenix is told they can earn the right to refuel by giving ton for ton of processed fuel. Clearly, the Ifrinni are willing to let a high tech ship do the dangerous work for their fuel depot. The crew decides to make two runs, and sell the one full tank they have, earning solid credits for their stay. Tabitha takes time between runs to contact the Church of the Bastion and is met with stone walls. It is only a lucky break on one try that lands her an audience with a Bishop on Ifrin. After two days of refueling, the Solar Phoenix heads in system, taking almost four days.

The highport of Ifrinn is well away from the planet, making scanning difficult. With no real modern docking facilities, Rutgers flies Tabitha and Neil in the ship’s launch to meet with the locals, and then returns to the Phoenix. Tabitha and Neil are met and go through significant security. They are asked to dress in local garb, and Neil insists that Tabitha is not out of earshot. They both emerge in the conservative dress. They are given armbands as guests that are white on white. These have electronic communications and they are told not to lose them. The two are led to a departure area for the local shuttle to take them to the planet.

They meet a young woman there, Arkee Rurgaku. Tabitha strikes up a conversation and discovers she is a Sojourner in Training. This means she is being trained to go to other worlds. Arkee is most excited to meet actual imperials and is animated in her conversation in the waiting room, and on the trip down. While Neil engages in some of the conversation, he mostly amuses himself with discreetly using his neural comm to monitor all armband interactions. While these are encrypted, the more primitive technology is no match for his security skills. If needed, Neil is sure he can open doors his way, if Tabitha’s way fails.

The shuttle is TL9, complete with gravities, though larger and less efficient than a full TL 9 civilization would be. The trip still takes several hours. While his companions are in motion, Rutgers gets as much view of the world as he can. The only illuminated area at night is the city of Bastion, what appears to be a downport, and several pyramidal towers at the edge of the basin that rise up to the old level of the ground. Brilliant lights point outwards and inwards. No other artificial lights exist. As the sun comes up, massive solar arrays are easily visible with their reflection. It is clear the city won’t have power issues.

As Rutgers is watching, he notices a series of drones leave the highport and surrounded the Solar Phoenix. He looks them over with the sensors and they seem to be chemically power drones with cameras. Rutgers polarizes all the windows to keep them from looking in.

As the shuttle descends, Neil note the farms around the city. Bastion is a literal giant fortress archology, in the shape of a pentagon. Neil can see clear fields of fire across the basin, as if the whole area is designed to repel attacks. Even the landing area is on a raised bit of bedrock. After landing, the two say good by to their new “friend” and are escorted to the presence of the Bishop Magus Kaasha.

Bishop Kaasha is not the hard radical expected by the David and Tabitha. He is clearly well used to dealing with outsiders. There is a trace of defensiveness in his voice when he asks what they were told on Rhegar about his faith. He admits they were in the wrong, but that was 25 generations ago, and now the Church of the Bastion has a new purpose. Both of the experienced travallers find the man to be absolutely sincere.

Tabitha presents their request to explore the alien ruins, what the Bishop calls “the Others”. He notes that the Others as a race appear to have been native to this dying world, arising late in their existence. Their actions accelerated the changing, drying, climate of the world, unleashing the local life he calls “Devastators”. These horrid, acid spitting, digging creatures, destroyed the Others 300,000 years ago. The devastators were on the way to destroying the world until some other creature, he calls “Daemons” appeared and stopped them.

Both sets of creatures look like giant horror bugs to David and Tabitha. It soon becomes clear that the existence of these warring species is why Bastion is the only remaining city. Attempting to cull the daemons who burrowed into their foundations and destroyed them, only made the devastators population explode. David notes the killing field the dried sea basin appears to be, and Bishop Kaasha notes that, yes, every 1-2 years there is an outbreak of devastators that pour into the basin. Not only do they deal with those, but their predators, the daemons, who are not far behind. The Church of the Bastion knows that either species, unleashed on another world, could devastate that world in short order with either species ability to breed. He finally notes that the daemons are not genetically related to this world at all.

In order to get right to research, Kaasha wants technical support from the Imperials. The two go back to their ship and talk it over with the crew. Declining to offer weapons technology, they agree that Rutgers and Amarr will take the ship’s launch and offer direct training and documentation of the M-drive. This is acceptable and the works begins at the downport. Arkee Rurgaku is assigned as a Sojourner in Training, along with several of Bastion’s most highly skilled engineers. It takes three weeks.

Arkee is assigned to accompany the team to the city of the Others. They take the launch and the full team, including Liza. Arkee is in a more primitive and bulky vacc suit, but one that is clearly armored, and carries both a large rifle and slug thrower. It is clear the rifle is as high tech as this world can produce.

The area near this city is a devastated wasteland. Old stone and steel buildings for the Others rise amid rolling dunes. The crew begins a cautious survey, slowing entering into the city, making sure to stick together. Amarr sends probes down into tunnels that are clearly from Devastator eruptions. While he is doing that, one probe suddenly goes off line with a hissing noise. As he turns to tell the group, 6 Devastator erupt near the party!

Neil cries out “Back to the ship!” and the team starts to retreat. Rutgers, Tupper, and Akree are surprisingly effective with their weapons. While Arkee’s rifle is not as dangerous as the gauss rifles of the travallers, her armor piercing rounds are quite destructive. Tabitha and Liza can not do damage with their pistols and both run. Amarr and Neil have the unfortunate luck to have two of the Devastators right on top of them. Both are spit at. Acid flies from the monsters as they close, damaging several of their suits.

The Devastator behind them are being taking down by the fire, but Tabitha and Liza find one on top of them. A nasty spiked leg strikes at Tabitha, but she expertly parries it with her sword, yelling for Liza to keep going. In short order the path way is clear and the closest pursuers are far away.

They reach the ship, with the bugs right behind them. Rutgers charges through the airlock, forcing past the equalizing air. There is no time to cycle three people at a time. Even as Neil and Amarr clime in, Rutgers has leapt into the pilot seat is and slamming the ship up into the air. Acid spit strikes the rising ship. At 5 gravities of thrust, the ship’s launch is well away from danger.

Tabby, Amaar, and Neil’s suits are all have damaged armor and will need refurbishment or replacement. Still, no one is dead, even if some recording drones are lost. The group returns to the downport with Akree and the Bastionites ensure their ship is not carrying any additional occupants. The group says their goodbyes and returns to the Solar Phoenix to plot their next moves.