The Players
Logan Drake: Wildcatter, Captain of the UNCSS Solovetsky Island, ex-USCMC.
Mary: Company Agent representing the United Nations Interstellar Settlement Corps.
Rob Ishbot: Pilot, works for the Souta Corporation.
Inazume: Colonial Marshal, from the Independent Core System Colonies.
Session Zero: Preparation and Departure
The Magellan SEV docked gently with the UNCSS Ìyánlá, securing itself to the docking ring alongside the Umsindisi, Chimata-no-kami, and Typhoon. As the clamps thundered quietly shut, Logan Drake sent a cheerful farewell message to Ìyánlá’s captain, Tadesse Kondwani. “See you in two years!” came the reply from the ship’s android, Gaius, before the crew headed to the cryo deck. The ship’s DA/UT/UR flickered her lights, and the canopy started to close. The last thing they saw was the distorted image of their ship’s Working Joes—James and Miss Sophie—and the last thing they heard was one of them whisper, “Sleep well.”
102 weeks and 5 days later, the crew awakened with thousands of W-Y dollars already banked. This was the way to make a living—until hyper-sickness kicked in. For the next twenty minutes, they wished they were dead. An hour later, they were ready for the post-arrival briefing. Quietly, they filed through the airlock and boarded the immense UNCSS Ìyánlá, taking seats in the spacious mess hall alongside their fellow pioneers. The room buzzed with conversation: “Have we arrived? What news from home? This coffee is still shit.”
Governor Kholwa Abantu stood at the front, calling for quiet. “First, the good news. We have all arrived on the fringes of the Far Spinward Colonies without a hitch. Home is now more than 30 parsecs behind us.”
“But talking of home, here’s the bad news. The United Americas and Union of Progressive Peoples are at war. Fighting has broken out across the frontier and hostilities are ongoing. Furthermore, the world of New Albion has broken away from the 3WE. While there are no hostilities yet, some fear it may come to blows. But the political stupidities of our governments do not change the situation here. We are a United Nations expedition and have a mission to fulfill for the good of humankind, so leave your petty political rivalries back in the Middle Heavens!”
“And talking of bad news, we have not picked up any signals as we had hoped. What this says about the fates of the people out here, we won’t know until we explore. As a precaution, for now, we will keep two of our SEVs with Ìyánlá and send only two—Typhoon and Solovetsky Island—to reconnoiter the old colonies. Good luck everyone, and please be careful out there.”
A moment of silence followed, then pandemonium broke out. Valentina Berezi of the United Americas leaped to her feet, pointing her finger at UPP General Nurlan Ozolinski: “We can never trust you UPP bastards!” Ozolinski pulled himself to his impressive height, tense and restrained. Others started to shout, while Colonel Buston and Lynna Young-Hee of the 3WE tried to intervene until they fell into an argument about the New Albion Protectorate. W-Y Director Kamal Vartouhi stood still to one side, arms crossed, an onlooker, while Governor Abantu waved his arms in a futile attempt to restore peace. Alecto Throop, the freelance search and rescue captain sitting next to the crew, leaned over and said, “Didn’t think I’d have to rescue people from inside the mothership!”
Gaius, the android, sidled up to the players. “Quite a display, wouldn’t you say? I’m not convinced these missions shouldn’t be android only, if you ask me.” He handed them a data disc. “Your assignments. I see little point in delaying your departure any further. I’ll brief you in detail when you’re en route.”
Ignoring the argument, the crew decided they were here to do a job, not to get involved in politics—yet.
First Expedition: Gorham Colony, KOI-2650.01
The SEV Solovetsky Island descended towards KOI-2650.01, a dusty, wind-swept planet orbiting a red giant that cast a pale rusty-orange hue over everything. As they approached the surface, the crew could see the desolate remains of industrial settlements scattered across the harsh landscape, each one covered in a thick layer of dust. These settlements, once teeming with life and activity, now stood abandoned, silent witnesses to a forgotten past.
Rob Ishbot, the ship’s pilot, guided the SEV into a rough landing, causing the vessel to shudder and groan. The landing damaged the ship slightly, but they had no time to worry about that now. The crew—Logan Drake, Mary, Rob, and Inazume—disembarked and began their mission.
Their destination was the Tontas Ravine mining facility, the only occupied settlement on the planet. As they arrived, they found a ragged mining outpost, barely clinging to life with just eight survivors. The survivors were split into two feuding families, the Morinos and the Parks. The arrival of the PCs ignited old tensions, which soon erupted into violence under the cover of a massive sandstorm that swept across the ravine.
The storm howled around them, battering the facility and leaving the colonists and the crew defenseless against the deadly creatures that roamed the planet. The PCs had to navigate through this chaos, dealing with the renewed feud between the Morino and Parks families while trying to repair the facility to ensure everyone’s survival.
The Tontas Ravine mining facility, once a beacon of hope, was now a place of despair. The Morino and Parks families had put aside their vendetta out of necessity, working together to survive. Over the years, they had mined pentlandite and collected a fortune in precious stones. However, the long-standing resentments and hatreds between the families simmered just beneath the surface, waiting for the right moment to erupt.
As the storm hit, the PCs took shelter with the colonists. Emilia Morino, Diego Morino, Danny Morino, Morgan Park, Violet Park, and Benny Parks were the remaining survivors. The storm battered the base, causing significant damage. The water tanks collapsed, flooding the basement and the access tunnel to the storm shelter. The shelter’s roof hatch, weighed down by water, needed a firm push to open. Together, the crew and the colonists managed to escape the shelter, but not without suffering losses.
Violet Parks was frantic, desperate to find Danny Morino. When they found his body, scoured by the dust and with a severe head wound, Violet’s grief turned to hysteria. Inazume tried to determine the cause of death but failed. The body was moved to the hab block and placed in the medical bay.
The PCs began repairs on the facility, starting with the solar array and comms relay. Rob, accompanied by Morgan, ventured to the basement to access the vault, only to discover they needed three key cards—one held by Morgan, one by Emilia, and the third by Danny, which was missing from his body.
Returning to the hab block, the crew heard a scream from the ore processor. Logan and Mary discovered the remains of Morgan Park, shredded by the massive machine. Distrust grew between the remaining Parks and Morinos, who separated and locked themselves away for the night.
The next morning, the crew split up to continue their mission. Logan and Mary searched the basement, while Inazume and Rob met with Emilia. She agreed to help them access the vault, and they recovered the Colony Data Disc. Mary discovered discrepancies in the colony records, noting that the original number of colonists was much lower than the records from Weyland Corp or the Three World Empire indicated.
As they repaired the power node and the damaged pylon that was part of the electric field encircling the ravine, Emilia warned them of an approaching swarm of space locusts. Their attempt to energize the field failed, and tension reached its peak as the roar of the Swarm grew louder.
Suddenly, the sound of engines filled the air. The Cargo Lifter, a WY-37B Transport Sled, appeared on the horizon and made a hasty, rough landing. Patrick Parks emerged from the cockpit, gun drawn, with Maya Morino in tow, her face bruised and her hands bound. He used her as a shield, demanding that only the Parks board the lifter, or Maya would die.
The desperation and menace in Patrick’s voice were palpable. Logan attempted to mediate, but his efforts only enraged Patrick, who aimed his shotgun at him. In response, Inazume and Rob aimed their weapons at Patrick, causing Diego to raise his pistol at Violet, who brandished a wrench.
Inazume shot first, wounding and disarming Patrick, while Rob kept his weapon trained on him. Mary then stepped forward, managing to de-escalate the situation with Emilia’s help. The crew and the remaining colonists boarded the Cargo Lifter, except for Violet, who accused Benny of killing Danny and admitted to murdering Morgan. Emilia’s last words to her were, “Stay here and die with your poor husband and your lousy cheating lover.”
The Cargo Lifter took off, escaping the swarm. The PCs returned to the ravine once it was safe, bidding farewell to the remaining colonists. They boarded the Solovetsky Island, ready to return to the fleet for debriefing.
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