Session 02: Fools' Errand
General Summary
After destroying the last fighter controlled by Mimic, Kade goes to fly Cygnus back out into space, but they are caught in the navigational override (a tractor beam by any other name) of the nearby city of Port Karma.
Once they land in the ship port, they are immediately escorted by security bots to a "waiting room" (holding cell). Blake Solas shows the bots some sort of credentials and is allowed to leave, but Kade and Roku are taken without comment or explanation.
The cell they are taken to is bare of furnishings except for a narrow bench set into one wall. There are faint design glyphs on the walls that cause Roku to remember someone from his past.
In a flashback, Roku recalls the last time he spoke to the Forge-renowned shipwright Kimora Zhang, two years ago. Roku had come to Zhang begging them for help settling his father's 3 billion credit debt, which had fallen on Roku with his father's death. Kimora was not unsympathetic to Roku, as they were an old friend of his father's and have known Roku his entire life. They offered to take on one quarter of the debt in exchange for Roku giving them the Edenstone and agreeing to not pursue that mystery (calling it a dangerous "fool's errand"), as it had been the mystery that claimed his father's life. Roku was able to convince them to actually take on half of the debt and walked away from the meeting having promised Kimora that he would bring them the stone. Kimora let him go but they didn't look convinced.
In the present, Roku tells Kade that he thinks Kimora might be responsible for the design of the ship port and Kade is surprised to learn that Roku just kind of knows the best shipbuilder in the Forge. Kade asks him why he needed her ship if he knows such an amazing shipwright personally, and Roku informed Kade that he couldn't afford the ship. Kade asks Roku a bit more about his connection to Zhang, trying to see if it's anything they can use, and Roku tells her that Zhang was a friend of his father and a sponsor of his father's expeditions until his father died trying to decipher the Edenstone.
Roku also reveals that his mother is still alive and lives on Chiron, where she has a prestigious position as a professor at the University of Chiron, which is one of The Quintet (the five most prestigious Terminus universities). Kade is less impressed by this than he might have hoped. Roku admits that he doesn't really have much of a relationship with his mother (he doesn't even know if she's still alive) as he hasn't seen her since she and his father had a falling out, at which point Roku and his dad left Chiron when Roku was a teenager.
After a few hours of waiting, Blake comes and breaks Roku and Kade out of the cell and they book it into the city. They attempt to buy horses at a less-than-reputable dealer so that they can travel to the other end of the city to meet up with some connections of Blake's, but the vendor refuses to sell to them and they are almost spotted by the starport security. They make their way across the city on foot. When they stop to take a breath, Zigy quietly informs Kade that Cassius O'Brien is trying to contact her. Kade goes apart and talks to Cass, who wants to know why they missed the rendezvous. Kade explains their situation and asks if Cass can help. He tells them he'll send a ship to pick them up outside the city. Kade then asks Cass if he can run a database search without telling anyone on the last name "Kobayashi." Kade mentions that he'll have to inform the Mechanic Superior but that he can keep it from anyone else and give her access to the database.
Kade does not tell Roku about what they asked Cass to do.
Outside the city, they are picked up by an Ascendency shuttle and taken to the Ascendency fleet that is in orbit around Silex. Cassius and Kade greet each other (and ambiguously flirt?), and then Roku and Blake are shown to a room to wait while Kade is shown to a terminal to access the database.
While looking through the database for information about Kobayashi and Kimora, Kade sees an extended communication log between the Sacred Ascendency and Port Karma and realizes that the Ascendency is probably going to turn them over. She heads back to her companions and informs them that it's time to leave. Fortunately, Cass "forgot" to lock the door, and "forgot" to not leave them supplies, and "forgot" to not make the code to the nearest escape pod something he knew Kade would know.
They launch the escape pod and aim it at Silex's rings so that it will collect enough space dust to register on Port Karma's scanners as an asteroid, thereby allowing them to sneak back to the city. They land a little way outside the city and start the walk across the terrain toward the starport.
As they walk, Kade asks Roku a bit more about himself. They learn that Roku's mother has the last name Rorke, which makes her a member of the Rorke Clan. Kade asks Roku why he doesn't have the last name Rorke, as Rorke-born babies are given that last name regardless of which of their parents is from the Clan. Roku replies that that was a point of contention for his parents, implying that may have been one of the many things contributing to them not working out. Kade infers that Roku's mother wasn't supposed to marry and have a kid with Kobayashi, which Roku confirms.
"Damn," Kade says, "getting a husband and son is quite the way to have a juvenile rebellion."
"Yeah," Roku replies, "she really committed to the bit."
"Or apparently not," Kade replies, before immediately regretting it and apologizing. Roku pretends to brush the comment off but it actually affects him very deeply.
Once they make it to the starport, Roku is able to hack another ship's computer to copy down its legal registration with the starport, which he will then use to trick the starport's navigation system into releasing Cygnus from its lockdown. Zigy helps them create a distraction that draws away the guards all surrounding Cygnus, and the companions are able to sneak aboard the ship, take off, and safely leave Silex behind.
While Kade pilots the ship, Roku makes his way back into the crew quarters where he sits down beside Blake. She sees how badly he's shaking and offers him her flask. They commiserate a little bit and Roku thanks Blake for rescuing them. Blake plays it off as nothing much, claiming that she only did it because they're her ride. However, she then tells Roku that if she's learned anything in her time as a hunter out in the Fool's Straits Sector, it's that friends and connections make all the difference. She respects and appreciates Roku's loyalty, and implies that she is interested in counting him as a friend and ally. Roku accepts her tacit offer.
A moment of amiable silence passes and then Blake quietly warns Roku not to trust Kade. Blake tells him that Kade is the sort of person who will betray anyone eventually. Roku replies that in his experience, people give back what they're given. Blake answers that, in that case, Kade must not have ever received anything good.
Missions/Quests Completed
Kade and Roku freed Cygnus from lockdown in Port Karma
Character(s) interacted with
Kimora Zhang (in flashback)
Vibe Check
Kade learns a lot about Roku in this session. They learn that Roku is on his quest because he wants to complete his father's life's work and that he has a complicated, pretty much nonexistent relationship with his mother. Kade also learns that Roku has a deep personal connection to someone who is both extremely powerful and potentially standing in the way of them deciphering the Edenstone. As a result, Kade is starting to soften toward Roku and genuinely regrets when she makes a comment that she suspects hurts his feelings. On his end, Roku continues to appreciate how capable Kade is, even if they aren't the best conversational companion when stuck in a featureless holding cell for several hours. Kade's regard for Blake remains about the same. Kade appreciates that Blake broke them out but this does not excuse Blake's past crimes as far as Kade is concerned. Kade doesn't believe at all that Blake broke them out for any reason other than Blake has no other way off of Silex. Roku, on the other hand, takes a somewhat rosier view of Blake's actions and so he expresses genuine gratitude toward her for rescuing them. Blake also appears to be warming up more towards Roku, or at the very least she recognizes that Roku is the ally she's mostly likely to make here, as the bridge with Kade has been thoroughly and completely burned.In Game Date
18 Aprion 212 1:23 - 19 Aprion 212 4:26
18 Aprion 212 1:23 - 19 Aprion 212 4:26
Report Date
16 Oct 2022
Primary Location
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