[FATE Accelerated] Men in Black Suits

Men in Black Suits (NPCs)

Mysterious Men in Black Suits

These two Men in Black Suits attempted to abduct Victoria and fell to the heroes, a U.S. Marine and a bucket of chum.

Skilled (+2) at: Guns, Intimidation

Bad (-2) at: Social Situations

MIBS 1 Stress [_] [_]
MIBS 2 Stress [_] [_]

[FATE Accelerated] Spectral Seattle, Session 1

After character creation, we started out the first session of the FATE Accelerated Edition: Spectral Seattle game in Pike Place Market.

Jeremy and Jarvis were hanging out by the mini-donut stand, enjoying some mini-donuts, when Jeremy spotted his not-quite-acquaintance, not-quite-friend Victoria (a recent FATE character stolen shamelessly from Christian Walker's Destination Unknown) weaving her way through the market. 

Jarvis spotted a gun tucked into her waistband at the back, hidden under her jacket, and that was news to Jeremy. Figuring that something was going on, they started to trail her. Jeremy mentioned that Victoria had escaped a doomsday cult and they wanted her back, so maybe that's why she was packing heat.

Suddenly, two Men in Black Suits (MIBS) came out of the crowd and grabbed her. A brief struggle, a bit of chloroform and a trench coat pulled over her, and Victoria was as good as abducted.

The J's leapt to her defense, with Jarvis quickly jumping from behind, trying to grab Victoria's gun to get the drop on the two MIBS. Meanwhile, Jeremy cut them off and stopped them from the front, trying to pretend that he knows them.

We worked through the conflicts and both players failed in their rolls trying to gain an advantage, with X trying to get the Aspect "I got the drop on you!" and R trying for "I know you!" 

MIBS #2 grabbed Victoria's gun and pointed it at Jarvis, causing a point of Stress, while MIBS #1 turned to Jeremy, smiled and said "Hey, you're Jeremy Saga! I know you!"

X chose to take the point in Jarvis' first Stress box. 

Jeremy grabbed a bucket of chum from a nearby fish stand and dowsed his MIBS. He succeeded and did two points of Stress to the MIBS.

Jarvis grabbed an off-duty U.S. Marine using his Stunt to get a volunteer. He gathered a small crowd and asked the marine to examine Victoria's gun to verify that is was real. X's roll beat MIBS #2, resulting in 3 Stress points. That took the MIBS out and X narrated that the marine put the smack-down on the MIBS.

Jeremy used another bucket of chum to finish off MIBS #1, winning the roll and did another point of Stress. With both MIBS down, Jarvis quickly frisked MIBS #2 and gained an advantage Aspect "The Detailed Plan" with style, rolling 5 above the target. That gave them two free uses of that Aspect.

The marine unloaded the gun and handed it to Jarvis as the two of them escaped with Victoria.

At a burger joint on Capital Hill, Victoria recovered while they figured out what was happening. The doomsday cult that Victoria escaped from had a ritual that allowed them to eat ghosts and gain something from it. A review of the plan pointed to the Seattle Aquarium, where Jeremy works (specifically the Aspect "Shark Tank") and Jeremy used his Student of the Occult stunt to figure out that the cult was looking for "Admiral Yamamoto's Spectacles" (another Aspect) in the stomach of one of the sharks. The cult believed it contained the ghost of Admiral Yamamoto.

The group got interrupted by the arrival of Kate, Jeremy's love interest, who drove up in a black '57 Chevy. Distracted by Kate (R accepted a FATE Point for this trouble), they lost valuable time but managed to get to the Aquarium right after closing.

Once in the observation dome below the shark tank, Jeremy and Jarvis had Victoria stand watch while they figured out which shark had the artifact. Jeremy determined that it was in Oxmix the Dogfish (a type of shark) with an advantage roll with style, creating the "Ritz Crackers!" Aspect worth two free invokes.

They narrated the scene, with Jeremy helping Jarvis get the shark to throw up by feeding it Ritz Crackers (which it loved) but also using Ritz Crackerfuls With Cheese (lactose intolerant shark). 

With the shark vomit in a net, they prepared to get the spectacles when I turned to X and said "I'd like to invoke your Trouble: In over my head." X rolled with it and took the FATE Point and we ended the session on a cliffhanger.

Lucas, the cult leader, and his men had snuck in, grabbed Victoria and now faced the PCs, with Victoria, bound and gagged, being suspended over the shark tank. Lucas calmly requested the artifact or Victoria would sleep with the fishes!

[FATE Accelerated] Jeremy Saga

Jeremy Saga (R)

High Concept: Ghost Hunter

Trouble: In Love with Kate (a Rival Ghost Hunter and my Bookie's Daughter)

Aspect: I have one of the first Tarot Decks

Aspect: 

Aspect:

Approaches:

Careful: Mediocre (+0), Clever: Fair (+2), Flashy: Good (+3), Forceful: Average (+1), 

Quick: Fair (+2), Sneaky: Average (+1)

Stunt: Because I am a Student of the Occult, I get a +2 when I Cleverly create advantages by discerning Supernatural phenomena.

Stunt: 

Stunt:

Refresh: 3

Current FATE Points: 3

Stress: [_] [_] [_]

Consequences:

Mild (2):

Moderate (4):

Severe (6):

[FATE Accelerated] Jarvis Manhattan

Jarvis Manhattan (X)

High Concept: Supernatural comedian, looking to make a name for himself.

Trouble: In over my head.

Aspect: Bullwinkle Hat ("Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat, Rocky!" "Not again!")

Aspect: 

Aspect:

Approaches:

Careful: Average (+1), Clever: Fair (+2), Flashy: Good (+3), Forceful: Mediocre (+0), 

Quick: Fair (+2), Sneaky: Average (+1)

Stunt: Because I am a skilled performer, I get a +2 when I do something Sneaky right in front of people.

Stunt: Because I know how to work an audience, once per game session I can recruit a volunteer to help me do something.

Stunt:

Refresh: 3

Current FATE Points: 4

Stress: [_] [_] [_]

Consequences:

Mild (2):

Moderate (4):

Severe (6):

[FATE Accelerated] Spectral Seattle

I got together with friends X and R and ran an impromptu game of FATE Accelerated Edition. Since the game is all about running stuff fast and loose, I thought up a quick setting for the game.

I came up with Spectral Seattle: a mystical glimpse of Seattle, with ghosts and magic, hidden from most peoples' view, but full of danger, mystery and intrigue.

We cracked open FATE Accelerated Edition and got started making characters using the 30 second characters rule. The character generation process took more than 30 seconds but we still had time at the end to play a pretty good session, so it maybe took us an hour to make the characters.

Both R and X had to come up with two Aspects each, a High Concept and a Trouble. I helped each of them clarify their Aspects, which I think worked well.

X came up with "Supernatural comedian, looking to make a name for himself" as his High Concept and "In over my head" as his trouble.

R chose the High Concept "Ghost Hunter" and the Trouble "In Love with Kate (a Rival Ghost Hunter and my Bookie's Daughter)."

For their third Aspects, they chose physical objects, with R selecting "I have one of the first Tarot Decks" and X chosing "Bullwinkle Hat ("Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat, Rocky!" "Not again!")"

As none of us have played a Fate game before (though I own several, including the Dresden Files RPG), coming up with these Aspects proved to be a difficult process because I gave the barest of setting info–hey, I was making it all up on the fly! 

This took us the longest time since it was a new system for us. I'm sure that I could have tightened the character creation process if I had chosen to have more specific boundaries for the characters. 

We left the remaining Aspects blank for now and will get back to them during the game.

The next step was determining the Approaches for each character. 

X chose Careful: Average (+1), Clever: Fair (+2), Flashy: Good (+3), Forceful: Mediocre (+0), Quick: Fair (+2) and Sneaky: Average (+1).

R chose Careful: Mediocre (+0), Clever: Fair (+2), Flashy: Good (+3), Forceful: Average (+1), Quick: Fair (+2) and Sneaky: Average (+1).

While their approaches came out pretty similar, I don't think that'll be a problem during play.

We finished off the characters with a few stunts. I read aloud the formula for the first type of stunt, the +2 to an activity and we brainstormed a few. 

R proposed "Because I'm a Student of the Occult, I get a +2 when I Cleverly create advantages by discerning Supernatural phenomena." I thought that worked really well with his High Concept.

X came up with two stunts: "Because I am a skilled performer, I get a +2 when I do something Sneaky right in front of people." and "Because I know how to work an audience, once per game session I can recruit a volunteer to help me do something." The choice of adding a second stunt worked well when we got to playing.

I assigned each PC the standard 3 Refresh, 3 FATE Points and 3 Stress, along with the Mild (2), Moderate (4) and Severe (6) Consequences. I told them that we'd get into what that stuff meant when it came time to deal with a conflict.

They named their characters and talked a bit about their backgrounds. X's character is Jarvis Manhattan (I suspect it is a stage name) and he said Jarvis was in town doing a comedy show. R's PC is Jeremy Saga, a part-time Ghost Hunter who works at the Seattle Aquarium. I asked how Jeremy and Jarvis knew each other and they came up with the PCs having met at a ghost-hunting information club.

With some room to grow the characters in terms of Aspects and Stunts, we started the game. I'll give an account of that first session and full PC write-ups in the next few posts.

[Leveraged Serenity] Werewolves of Londinium, Session 3

Session 3: August 10, 2012

The third session continued with character generation (using the Leverage rules and mixing in the Serenity rules as necessary).

• L played Tobias Bunt, The Merry Old Gentleman (Mastermind/Thief)

• X played Gunther Mason, The Road Warrior (Wheelman/Hitter)

• E played Ella James, The Mechanic (Hitter/Hacker)

• C played Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer III, The Actor (Grifter/Thief)

Planet: Persephone
System: White Sun

Year: 2515

The session started with the PCs looking to break up the Zanzibar Marketplace auction run by a shady company called United Spaceship Works (USW). 

Chaucer and Tobias were at the auction location, somewhere in the Eavesdown Docks, watching a vid screen with the extender kit on it, in a different shipping container, also somewhere in the Eavesdown Docks, while Ella and Gunther were outside, gathering resources and closing off avenues for their marks. 

Yet the crew was facing a number of dangerous obstacles, which included, but was not limited to, surplus USW guards and an interested party that had tracked the kit over the Cortex that they had nicknamed The Eye of Sauron.

Chaucer took the opportunity to look very much the rich guy and verbally downgraded the kit, saying it had blood all over it (C created that as an asset). Some of the bidders hesitated, thinking that this auction wasn't quite kosher.

Meanwhile, Gunther stole one of the USW trucks to haul the kit away but was caught by a security guard, in the form of "Hash Browns," an ex-lover from his past who thought he was the "One who Got Away." Gunther proceeded to charm and bed her in the back of the stolen truck, leaving her asleep there as he stole her master keys to an even larger truck and drove off.

Back in the auction, Tobias, acting drunk, started making a scene, saying the kit was well worth the price, whatever was asked for, which caused even more of the bidders to balk. On his way out of the auction, he lifted a radio off of one of the guards.

Ella had tracked the kit down to a shipping container a good mile away and noted that there were a bunch more USW guards around the container.

With the auction in an uproar due to Chaucer and Tobias, the crew quickly assembled and raced off in the large truck to steal the kit, listening to the radio for any signs that they'd been discovered. Along for the ride was a bucket of chicken that they dowsed with knock-out sauce.

The night before, Tobias had met the USW security chief, the one in charge of the group guarding the kit, while out drinking. He remembered that that guy really liked his fried chicken and the bucket of chicken could prove handy.

Chaucer was currently on the outs with his family, a rich Osiris merchant house that was a front for the Tongs. For the past few months, Chaucer had avoided them and rarely accessed his bank accounts (they'd be able to track him if he did). Knowing that his Tong had major dealings on the Eavesdown Docks, Chaucer had Ella break into the Tong server over the Cortex to find out exactly what stolen goods they had on Persephone.

Ella found that the kit's hiding place was right next to a shipping container owned by Chaucer's Tong. So she switched some things around, including some vid feeds, so it made it look like the USW security were guarding the Tong container, with intent to steal. 

While in the Cortex, Ella also discovered that the Eye of Sauron was the Tong looking for the extender kit that had been stolen from them in the first place. They wanted it back. Ella called up the Alliance military, tipping them off to a bunch of stolen goods. With Alliance on the way, they didn't have much time.

Then Tobias stumbled around the corner in front of the kit's hiding place and "recognized" his old drinking buddy from the night before and brought out the chicken, which the guards greedily devoured and promptly passed out.

Gunther backed up to the other side of the shipping container and unlocked it with the Unknown Key (X defined as an asset). They quickly loaded the extender kit into the truck, along with some of the Tong's stolen merchandise, then moved the rest of the Tong's goods into the USW shipping container. Slamming the doors as the Tong and Alliance descended on the location, they hauled ass out of there, giving the Tongs, the Alliance and USW security the slip.

All told, the PCs escaped with the extender kit, which they promptly flew off of Persephone and installed on their Firefly, while leaving United Spaceship Works and their security detail to deal with the Alliance and the Tongs. It would take each of these groups a long while to figure out what had really happened, yet Chaucer was convinced that his family would figure it out first. Best to leave the system for a while!

Assets defined:

The One who got away D6

Jonny the Red (Info Broker) D6

Intimidatin' Phone Call D6

Unknown Key D6

Looks trashy with all the blood on it D6

Radio D6

Bucket of Chicken with Knock-Out Sauce D6

Complications defined:

More guards D6, raised to D8

The Bucket of Chicken with Knock-Out Sauce started as a response to my rolling a 1, which allowed one of the players to define a free asset. When he was stumped, L called out "How about a bucket of chicken?" And off we went - first by defining it as a Bucket of Chicken with High Explosives Hidden Within but the others realized that would cause more trouble than it was worth, so it was changed to knock-out sauce. The Bucket completely made the session snap and the plan came together really well after that.

I also talked with C after the game, pointing out, rightly, that the Tongs were going to figure it all out sooner than later, to which C completely understood and expected. When that particular issue bites them in the ass, as it will, is something I plan to hang over their heads like the Sword of Damocles until the thread snaps at just the wrong (for them) moment. Fun!

[Leveraged Serenity] Werewolves of Londinium, Session 2

Session 2: July 27, 2012

The second session continued with character generation (using the Leverage rules and mixing in the Serenity rules as necessary).

• L played Tobias Bunt, The Merry Old Gentleman (Mastermind/Thief)

• X played Gunther Mason, The Road Warrior (Wheelman/Hitter)

• E played Ella James, The Mechanic (Hitter/Hacker)

• C played Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer III, The Actor (Grifter/Thief)

Planet: Persephone
System: White Sun

Year: 2515

The session started with the PCs trapped in the same shipping container and no farther on their individual quests to steal the Firefly Aught Two extender kit, a very valuable commodity.

Tobias used some knowledge of thievin' to break out of the shipping container and the combined group made off, to work on a way to disrupt the Zanzibar Marketplace auction and steal the extender kit.

Just out of the shipping container, the group ran into USW guards, one of whom was an old flame of Gunther that ended tragically (in fact, Gunther has the "Disastrous Love Life" distinction and X was playing it to the hilt).

But it turned out that "Hash Browns" (his pet name for her) actually thought of Gunther as "The One who Got Away" (I had rolled a 1 in the dice-off and that allowed X to declare an asset) and managed to sweet talk her from turning them in.

After escaping the guards, the crew then worked to get more info on the auction. Chaucer met up with an old "friend," an info broker named Jonny the Red. Using an Intimidatin' Phone Call to Chaucer's former kick-ass bodyguard (who promised to break Jonny's fingers, one by one, the next time they met), they got an invite to the auction and learned where to meet.

Tobias and Chaucer went to the meet and once there, noted that the extender kit was not present (much to their displeasure). The bidders could see the kit over a video feed. Chaucer contacted Ella, who quickly tracked down the video feed and found out where in the Evesdown Dock the vid was coming from.

Tobias was playing a drunk bidder and Chaucer a rich man, each pretending that they didn't know each other. As the bidding started, they each asked for proof that the kit was actually there and that the vid wasn't just a tape.

The session ended with the PCs split up, each trying to work the auction or find the kit.

Assets defined:

The One who Got Away D6

Jonny the Red (Info Broker) D6

Intimidatin' Phone Call D6

Unknown Key D6

Complications defined:

More guards D6

[Leveraged Serenity] Werewolves of Londinium, Session 1

Session 1: May 11, 2012

The first session started with character generation (using the Leverage rules and mixing in the Serenity rules as necessary).

• L played Tobias Bunt, The Merry Old Gentleman (Mastermind/Thief)

• X played Gunther Mason, The Road Warrior (Wheelman/Hitter)

• E played Ella James, The Mechanic (Hitter/Hacker)

• C played Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer III, The Actor (Grifter/Thief)

Planet: Persephone
System: White Sun

Year: 2515

The session started with the PCs in two separate groups, Gunther and Chaucer together and Tobias and Ella together.

Gunther was flying an old Firefly Aught Two called The Erciyes owned by Chaucer. Chaucer is a rich playboy with a shady, criminal past from a shady, criminal family. The two of them heard of an extender kit for an Aught Two to convert it into a Firefly Aught Three available for sale on Persephone. 

The value of this ultra-rare extender kit is fairly high as they are very much sought after for the wide variety of Fireflies around the 'Verse. The crew of the Erciyes want the kit for the ship, 'cause it tends to shake a lot during landings.

Flying into the Evesdown Docks, Gunther and Chaucer did a search on the local Cortex to find out where the extender kit was being sold. Chaucer found out that it was being sold in a Zanzibar Marketplace (a secret auction where bidders give in their top bids and the winner gets info of where to pick up the package).

Tobias and Ella arrive at the Evesdown Docks looking for the extender kit themselves to steal and then sell. Searching around the docks, they come up with some leads: seems the folks selling it are from a company called United Spaceship Works and there is someone named Chuck Findley looking for the kit as well. 

While searching on the Cortex, they also come across a program watching for the extender kit that they call The Eye of Sauron.

While searching for the United Spaceship Works, Ella and Tobias follow a guy eating Kung Po chicken and find a shipping container that looks to be the storage place of the kit. However, they can't locate the Kung Po chicken guy (though they do find his food, on a table outside the shipping container). They enter the dark container, hoping to make a quick score.

Chaucer and Gunther also found out about the United Spaceship Works and find their shipping container (the same one the others found, yet on the other side of the container).

And the session ends with both groups trapped together in a dark shipping container.

Assets defined:

Kung Po chicken lunch D6

Complications defined:

Suspicious worker D6

The Eye of Sauron D6

[Leveraged Serenity] Werewolves of Londinium

In addition to running a Leveraged Serenity game for one group (the Wretches on the Provenance), I also am running Leveraged Serenity for my other group, this one I'm calling the Werewolves of Londinium.

So I'm going to present the write-ups for those games as well. Enjoy!

[Leveraged Serenity] Wretches on The Provenance: Thomas Harding

J is playing Thomas Harding in my Leveraged Serenity game: Wretches on The Provenance.

Thomas Harding

Archetype: The Ninja

Primary Role: Hitter

Secondary Role: Thief

Quote: "I am not a bad guy!"

Plot Points: 2

Roles:

Grifter D6

Hacker (to be defined in play)

Hitter D10

Mastermind (to be defined in play)

Thief D8

Wheelman (to be defined in play)

Attributes:

Agility D10

Alertness D8

Intelligence D6

Strength D8

Vitality D10

Willpower D6

Life Points: 14

-2 penalty: 7

Specialties:

1. I did a guy from a thousand yards out. It was a rifle shot in high wind. (Guns) (Hitter)

2. (to be defined in play)

Distinctions:

1. Ex-military

2. (to be defined in play)

3. (to be defined in play)

Talents:

1. Urban Camouflage

2. (to be defined in play)

Weapons:

Service Pistol [Attack D10 (Agility) +D10 (Hitter), Damage D6W]

Auto Rifle [Attack D10 (Agility) +D10 (Hitter), Damage D8W]

Ballistic Mesh Armor (1W/8W, Torso)

Thomas Harding served with the Alliance during the war and participated in the Battle of Sturgis as a ship's marine. He traveled for a time with Col. Nathan, with whom he joined the rest of the crew of The Provenance.

[Leveraged Serenity] Wretches on The Provenance: Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest XII

P is playing Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest XII in my Leveraged Serenity game: Wretches on The Provenance.

Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest XII

Archetype: The Director

Primary Role: Mastermind

Secondary Role: Grifter

Quote: "Honour demands it!"

Plot Points: 9

Roles:

Grifter D8

Hacker (to be defined in play)

Hitter D6

Mastermind D10

Thief (to be defined in play)

Wheelman (to be defined in play)

Attributes:

Agility D6

Alertness D8

Intelligence D10

Strength D6

Vitality D8

Willpower D10

Life Points: 18

-2 penalty: 9

Specialties:

1. (to be defined in play)

2. (to be defined in play)

Distinctions:

1. The fix is in

2. (to be defined in play)

3. (to be defined in play)

Talents:

1. Absent-minded Professional

2. (to be defined in play)

Weapons:

Callahan Ceramic Special (Service Pistol) [Attack D6 (Agility) +D6 (Hitter), Damage D6W]

Heavy SMG [Attack D6 (Agility) + D6 (Hitter), Damage D8W]

Sabre [Attack D6 (Strength) + D6 (Hitter), Damage D6W]

Ballistic Mesh Armor (1W/8W, Torso)

Colonel Nathan Forrest served in the 1188th Lift Infantry Regiment on the Independent side during the war. The 1188th was responsible for covering a vital retreat in the closing days of the Battle of Serenity Valley. Since the war, he's wandered around the Verse, lately with the crew of The Provenance.

[Leveraged Serenity] Wretches on The Provenance: Herr Heufensteaffer

D is playing Herr Heufensteaffer aka “The Hoff”, in my Leveraged Serenity game: Wretches on The Provenance.

Herr Heufensteaffer aka “The Hoff”

Archetype: The Safecracker

Primary Role: Thief

Secondary Role: Hacker

Quote:

Plot Points: 2

Roles:

Grifter D4

Hacker D8

Hitter D6

Mastermind D6

Thief D10

Wheelman D4

Attributes:

Agility D10

Alertness D8

Intelligence D10

Strength D8

Vitality D6

Willpower D6

Life Points: 12

-2 penalty: 6

Specialties:

1. 48 hours lying on my belly in no-man's land (Thief)

2. Army Contacts (Hacker)

Distinctions:

1. Ridiculously German

2. (to be defined in play)

3. (to be defined in play)

Talents:

1. Safecracker

2. (to be defined in play)

Weapons:

Pistol [Attack D10 (Agility) +D6 (Hitter), Damage D6W]

"The Hoff" is an old business associate of Marcus Devereaux. At the beginning of the session, he's found at the Serenity Valley cemetery, standing in front of a grave that turns out to be his real grave.

[Leveraged Serenity] Wretches on The Provenance, Session 4

Session 4: August 3, 2012

The fourth session continued with the character generation (using the Leverage rules and mixing in the Serenity rules as necessary).

• S played Marcus Devereaux, The Road Warrior (Wheelman/Hitter)

• X played Lance Fielding, The Confidence Man (Grifter/Mastermind)

• C played Shannon “Mandy” Fielding, The Gadgeteer (Hacker/Thief)

• P played Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest XII, The Director (Mastermind/Grifter)

• J played Thomas Harding, The Ninja (Hitter/Thief)

• D played Herr Heufensteaffer aka “The Hoff”, The Safecracker (Thief/Hacker)

Planet: Hera
System: Georgia

Year: 2515

While the crew were at the Serenity Valley cemetery, Marcus spotted Heufensteafer, “The Hoff,” standing in front of a grave in the 11th Londinium section of the graveyard and called out to him. Marcus knew “The Hoff” during the war, when Marcus was a wheeler-dealer of “goods of questionable provenance.” During those exchanges, “The Hoff” used his (current fake) name.

The grave, unbeknownst to Marcus, turns out to be “The Hoff’s” “official” grave, listing his real name. “The Hoff” spent the war in the 11th Londinium as a scout and recognized Colonel Nathan Forrest, as the enemy (Independent) commander of the 1188th Lift Brigade, standing with the rest of the crew a few yards away.

Marcus called the rest of the crew over and introduced them to “The Hoff” and offered him a ride off Hera. They all returned to Medford and their ship and Lance, Nathan and Thomas went off to gamble with the crew of the Free Wheelin’.

While they were gambling, Marcus and “The Hoff” went looking for work. Using his UFM Membership card, Marcus managed to get a shipment of grain to go to Newhall. While Marcus was making the deal, “The Hoff” noticed that the guy giving them the job was looking at him strangely. As they left the office, he saw the guy pick up a comm, call someone and say “Yeah, he was here. With that Devereaux guy. Yeah. OK. They’re shipping grain to Newhall.”

After playing poker with the crew of the Free Wheelin’ and agreeing to take the shipping containers that belonged to the crime lord Ho Van Tian, Nathan and Thomas went looking for work as well, while Shannon went back to the ship to see what she could do about changing the history/electronic tracking info on the shipping containers.

Nathan found two prospectors and their families who were interested in travelling to New Kasmir and arranged passage for them, their families and their equipment on The Provenance. Thomas looked up an old buddy (who turned out to be a fence) and got a job delivering a small wooden box to New Hope. “Don’t open it. Just deliver it.” Thomas promised not to open it.

Back on the ship, “The Hoff” called one of his army contacts, a fellow over at the Custer Alliance Base. He described the man in the grain office and wanted to know if he was right about knowing him. The contact recognized the man and told him he’d give a wave back in 5 minutes. Twenty-five minutes later, he got a call back. Before the line went dead, he saw his friend, bleeding profusely from his mouth and eyes, look at him and say “Arcanis” before expiring.

“The Hoff” was immediately concerned and asked when they could leave Hera. The grain silo wasn’t ready for them to pick up the grain yet but The Provenance received the shipping containers from the Free Wheelin’.

Shannon proceeded to change the electronic tracker on the shipping containers and repainted them, one for Zarconium Products Incorporated (a company that recently went bankrupt) and the other for United Spaceship Shipping.

Nathan included the shipping containers in with the deal for the prospectors and gathered them and their gear on board while Thomas tried to figure out what was in the small wooden box.

Shannon rigged up a detection machine and got a good view of the contents of the box - turns out to be a solid block of something, about the same consistency as C4 explosives. The package in the small wooden box was vacuum sealed and there are some explosives in the Verse that do explode when exposed to air.

With all that in mind, Thomas stenciled “Emergency Foodstuffs” on the wooden box and hid it in plain sight in the ship’s galley.

The Provenance picked up the grain and took off, with Marcus talking to Hera’s starport ground control. Starport ground control asked for the flight plan. Marcus decided to lie and said that the ship was heading to Meridian. As he’s signing off, he hears a woman’s voice in the background of starport ground control say “They’re lying.”

"The Hoff" was about to check on the Cortex about "Arcanis" but remembered it was a bio-weapons program during the war and knew that if he actually tried to search for it, it would probably be flagged and he'd be linked. He did check the local news feeds and found out two bits of info: there was a small outbreak of influenza that killed two people in Custer (one of them, presumably, his army contact, and this was the news cover-up) and a grave had been emptied at the Serenity Valley cemetery, the grave that "The Hoff" was visiting.

As they leave the gravity well of Hera, they spot the I.A.V. Dortmunder, an Alliance cruiser, in orbit and they move to put the planet in between them and the cruiser. Once out of sight, Marcus deployed a starship decoy to Meridian to throw off any pursuers and then plotted a course to New Hope.

Jobs defined:
Deliver package to New Hope, Georgia System (Thomas) D4
Deliver grain to Newhall, Kalidasa System (Crew) D8
Deliver Prospectors to New Kasmir, Kalidasa System (Crew) D8

Assets defined:
Old buddy (a Fence, Thomas) D6
UFM Membership (Marcus) D6
Parts Kit (Shannon, permanent for the job) D6
Spot something hinky (Hoff, permanent for the job) D6
Spaceship Decoy D6
Detection Machine (permanent for the job) D6
Military Remembrance (Hoff) D6

Complications defined:
Disturbed Grave D6, raised to D8