Abel Black and
Kane Drummer, both freshly "retired" from a normal life of corporate subservience, find themselves in possession of a starship. Their careers did not propel them to fame and fortune, so it was by luck and favors that they found a government surplus Hammer-class ship formerly used as a personnel shuttle and courier/scout. They agreed to ply the trade lanes in search of something better, but, for the meanwhile, lay low on a relatively unimportant planet named
Andophael.
Abel Black
Abel hails from
Atlas and knows well the machinations of the
Atlas Combine. In his years of service, Abel has been involved in exposing some high-profile scandals, as well as corporate espionage. One can make some powerful enemies in the Combine. Cybernetic augmentation was not just a perk for him; it was a survival strategy.
Kane Drummer
One of the lucky few to work their way off of
Andophael, Kane signed up for military service in the first corporate military that came recruiting on his home planet. His family did not approve of the decision, and after a hard life in the service Kane understood his parents' apprehensions. Disgruntled and disillusioned, Kane finally found his fortunes turning when he met Abel. Calling in a favor from his old unit commander, Kane fixed an auction in
OMD 62-18 so he and Abel could procure their ship, the
SCS Uriel's Gauntlet.
The Adventure Begins
Abel and Kane arrange to transport their newly-acquired ship, the
SCS Uriel's Gauntlet, with two individuals for Working Passage. Upon arrival in the
Terastont System the crew begins to discuss what their immediate plans should be. The owners briefly entertain the idea of hunting for shipwrecks in the outer system, but that seems a little farfetched. One of the temporary crew tells a story of
Jayme Dawson and the Christian.
During the trip in-system, they observe a military fleet jump in and deploy a flight of modular launches. Official registry identifies them as part of the
Perithr Mandarinate delivering humanitarian aid in the form of medical supplies.
When the
Gauntlet reaches
Heaviside Station they look for connections and work. A ship auction catches Abel's interest. One of two impounded ships is a system boat prospector that might be able to haul ice, but even with the arid conditions on Andophael the economics of the operation don't work out. On the other hand, a little trip to the engineering decks of Heaviside brings them in contact with Omar Kasim. Originally they want to ask about his friend's encounter with the
Christian, but they realize that Omar is a perfect candidate for ship's engineer. They offer him the job, and he accepts on condition of letting him give two weeks' notice.
Planetside, Kane spends time with his family in the northern provinces. His father is upper middle-class, and harbors dreams of someday developing land along the north-south rail line into valuable real estate. The party learns from his family that there is political unrest in the area; a terrorist group has kidnapped the 8-year-old son of the Sur. Abel and Kane arrange an audience with the Sur the next day to see if there is some kind of reward available if they leverage their advanced technology. The Sur offers them a piece of Pretech salvage as compensation for saving his son.
The party takes the ship's aircar grav vehicle and scouts the area. Indeed, there is a ruined hydroponic factory farm just upland from the city, and there they find the freedom fighters. The first one they encounter is Keith, an idealistic youth with fire in his belly but very wet behind the ears. They convince him to introduce them to the leader, "Kasim." Abel presents their intentions in a way that aligns with the group's motives, and together they plan to get the fighters inside the castle.
That evening Kane brings the boy home and collects the reward. He presents an offer to the Sur to bring the boy offworld and let him see the universe before becoming the ruler of this land, but the offer is refused. The boy never wants to be parted from his father again. Abel's auto-mapper provides vital intel for the group to enter via the sewer system. Kane retrieves Abel from the plateau and flies them both home. That night they hear the ringing of alarm bells in the keep, though the outcome of events is unknown.
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