First Voyage: Sketchy Notes vers. (pt. 1)


The crew meets each other on the dock.

Undersized, Dejah Thoris' 4th quarters are left empty for passengers or extra storage... not something that Marshall is entirely happy about.

Ma: "This is a four-hand ship? Where's the other crew?"

Hu: "This is it, chief. QRC wants spare space on this rig in case we need to bring something or somoene delicate home."

Mo: "Oh, thank God! That means some extra leg room."

Ma: "QRC made a big deal about the fact that I had a lot of different skills. I take it we all have at least enough overlap to cover the gaps?"

Hu: "I sure hope so. Anyway, I'm Hugo. i will be your pilot, gunner, and exopilot. In a pinch I can read a starchart, creat a GPS net, and plot a decent course."

Ma: [shaking hands] "Marshall Montag." until recently, I was a scout of the Azumi SDF."

Hu: "Azumi, huh? That's a jungle planet. I'm from Torrent myself. I bet you can handle a skybike pretty well."

Ma: "I guess."

Mo: [Getting in on the handshake]: "Molly! I'm your surveryor, programmer, biologist, archaeologist, medic, and morale officer. I'm from everywhere."

Hu: [chuckle] "Morale offeicr?!"

Mo: "Well, somebody has to keep this lot laughing."

[Hugo's comm beeps]

Hu: "Hey look we have cleaarance. I'm dying to take this vessel out!"

Ma: "Great, but do we have a mission?"

Mo: "I got a briefing packet while I was on the tube over. Coordinates, and all."

Ma: "I don't like how mysterious QRC are bing."

Hu: "QRC is pretty hush-hush about what they want. We have more qbits than i hav ever seen in one place in the Qcomm here. I get the feeling we need to be wary of competition. That ain't a flashlight on the turret up there."

Ma: "Still, I was expecting... I dunno, a hierarchy, duty assignments... a QRC representative for our first briefing? The Dejah Thoris is one hell of a ship to just drop in our laps and say go."

Mo: "The company rep I talked to was a Hune. They value independence even moree than humans do. If a lot of the brass are Hune, then we can expect something like the opposite of micromanaging."

Ma: "Hmm..."

Mo: "Cheer up! I'll do the briefing once we are out of dock and kicking the tyres. Then we'll get to know one another a bit after we lay in a course."

The crew tosses their duffles onto their bunks as they board the Dejah Thoris' glittering, factory-fresh interior. Hugo lets out a low whistle and heads to the cockpit to begin a pre-flight check, setting down a glass sphere full of tiny glowing jellies on the console.

Molly and Marshall sit down behind them as Molly punches a few keys on her comm bracelet and conjures up a hologram of a planet and coordinates.

Alone Among the Stars Daw: 

🃞, 4, ðŸ‚¼

Mo: "We're going to be exploring an arid planet -Uuthan- that supports life, but with conditions too harsh, and apparently not enough goodies on the Gathu survey to be worth colonizing. QRC wants a survey of the life there, including DNA."

Hugo checks the coordinates against a databse, and nods. They all pause to watch the ships first-stage star-sails unfurl, and begin tacking into a stellar wind until they are at jump range.

Oracle Time!

I am expecting the PCs to find strange plant life growing in the desert on Uuthan. First, a CF roll: 10. it will go as planned.

Segue: Lucky at Cards...

The crew holds their breath as the antimatter is injcted into the hyperdrive and the sails re-fold. There is a hiss, and then reality suddenly erupts into a riot of strange, uncomfortable colors. With coordinates locked in and hyperjump engaged, Hugo can trust autopilot to call him af any Hyperspace Ghosts or Wayward ships are detected, otherwise, there isn't much to hit in H-Space. he joins the others arounf the table in the ship's galley.

Mo: "Now, then, down to the important task of gettign to know each other."

Marshall shifts a little uncomfortably.

Mo: "Don't worry, I'm not going to torture you with corporate crap. No, we will do a real personality test -- poker!" [Molly produces an wrapped deck of cards and a bag of chits from her duffel bag.]

Hu: "Poker, huh?"

Mo: "Down boy, I tell you what: first one of you boys brew a decent jug of hooch in the engine room, and maybe then, I'll consider a game of strip poker. For now, I'll just be relieving you of credits."

Ma: "In your dreams." [Pulls up a chair.]

Some Questions

  • Is this plane relevant to QRC's secret agenda? No
  • Is this a test of their skills? Yes
  • Is this plant natural? Yes
  • Has it got valuable properties? Extreme Yes
  • Is someone else after it? Extreme Yes
  • What are they like? Befriend Reality
  • Will they be a danger?  Extreme Yes

Well, that makes things interesting...