Chapter 1: Ring of Fire

The old Autumn Gold rattles gently as it enters Walston's upper atmosphere. You sit together with your fellow travellers in the old freighter's mess hall, gazing upon the isolated world as you hurtle towards its surface. An old Terran song plays over the intercom on all decks, the ancient singer delivering every lyric with absolute conviction.

"I fell into a burning ring of fire
I went down, down, down
And the flames went higher
And it burns, burns, burns
The ring of fire
The ring of fire..."

The four of you have come here to Walston to claim a ship, and begin a new chapter in your lives. Wayward Wind was once a prized vessel of House Llewyn's fleet, but was captured decades ago by their rivals, House Gagarin. The Gagarins have made sport of flaunting this capture, putting this once-proud ship to menial and dishonorable tasks. But House Llewyn has finally located the ship, abandoned just outside the Imperium on the Bowman Arm, on the planet of Walston. You've been in transit to Walston for nearly a month, living out of your suitcase and hitching jumps on the tramp freighters that ply these far-flung space lanes.

House Llewyn has tasked the four of you with regaining control of the ship, and bringing pride to the vessel's tarnished name once again. This could mean as a fearsome raider, a successful merchant vessel, or an intrepid exploration ship - the details have been left up to you. Much trust and autonomy has been placed in your hands. With this freedom comes the expectation that you will finance this endeavor entirely; any profits are yours to keep.

To help get Wayward Wind off the ground, House Llewyn has provided you with a crate of spare parts and software in case she's not operational when you find her. You also have the override codes that will allow you to delete the ship’s current operating system and install a new one. The old system may be badly corrupted and is likely still keyed to the Gagarin crew. They trust that you will be able to handle any other unexpected issues that arise.



As the Autumn Gold continues it's descent, you can see endless deserts stretch across Walston's surface. In the distance, you spot massive machines left to bleach in the sun, half-buried in sand.

After a few more minutes, you approach the shores of a vast, still ocean. Shortly after, a verdent island appears on the horizon. Vegetation sparsely covers much of the island, and you can see a several small settlements dotting coastline, while a larger one lies inland.

The Autumn Gold decelrates rapidly, and her inertial dampers whine softly while making sure you don't feel a thing. It spirals into on of those coastal settlements and you can hear the land gear extending. Captain Keller enters the mess hall through automated sliding doors, his metal leg clanking against the Autumn Gold's deck plating. He speaks with a booming, jovial voice.



"Well, travellers, this is your stop. We're touching down at the downport as we speak. We'll unload your cargo onto the platform. Take your time disembarking, we're going to stay overnight. Gonna look the ol' girl over, maybe go for a swim! Did you hear that rattling when we hit atmo?"

He pats his cybernetics arm against the wall of the ship in a loving gesture.

Zuni was ready to walk on some firm ground and see their new ship. He'd come a long way from his drifter days and if there was one thing he knew it was that he was no longer that loser. As he advanced through his career he learned that he had courage and daring proving that people could and did change. This was to be a new phase in his life and he was anxious to get started.

Running his palm on top of his now overgrown buzz cut he made a note to himself to cut it close again first thing when they got settled. To Zuni, looking the part was almost as important as being the part or maybe it was as important.

Tapping his foot in time to the beat of the old tune he had never heard before, he turns to the others. "That's a good idea, Captain Keller. Anyone fancy a swim in that ocean? Looked pretty inviting on the way in. It will be nice to be out in the open. I might even go for a run."

Seally Llewyn, technically Dame Seally Llewyn of House Llweyn, contemplates her mobile comm, tracking the galactic drift and the huge expanse between spiral arms. Seemingly empty, was there a vast undiscovered trove of worlds floating in the abyss? Her mind swam with the possibilities. She wears tight fitting, stylish yet sturdy clothing as a rule, her reddish hair carefully arranged in a nod to last year's fashions, since news of those likely rides with them to the outskirts where what's old is new.

When they disembark, she greets Keller like an equal -- it is his ship, of course, and got them where they needed. I'll miss the Autumn Gold's gurgles and strange clanks when I'm sleeping tonight, Cap. She's a fine bird." She offers her right hand to his artificial one and shakes it firmly.

Her largest possession has been the butt of several jokes. Nearly a meter cubed, she had endured many curious but fun loving jabs that it was "the princess' makeup kit." She only smiled and laughed. She pats it and gets out of the ship.

On her hip is a flechette pistol. The rest of her gear is a small array of electronics and her personal pack with little more than changes of clothing. She's hoping they can buy what they need, once they know what that is.

"Not sure about that Zuni. I might dip my toes in if we can find a hauler to rent for our gear."

Alerio chuckles.

"Ring of Fire. That’s what the boys in the precinct used to call whatever slop the Captain’s wife used to send in."

She thinks back on the great heaping bowls of reddish-brown gloop, all choked down to be polite… and to get ahead here and there. Ask for the recipe and suddenly your patrolling the quiet district next week…

"This shit… it was awful. And it’d have you squirting fire before your shift was…"

She looks about at her fellow Travellers, and goes quiet.

"Never mind!" she says, forgetting the story then. The smile is replaced with a scowl as her thoughts turn dark. Turning to what the Captain had last said to her…

She tries to shake the sudden mood off.

Another few minutes and they’re on solid ground. Alerio stretches her muscles, and coaxes them back into use. A wobble in your stomach was bad enough, but a wobble in your knees before you got your land legs back was twice as bad.

Dressed in tight navy blue gear, with a thick shawl up and around her shoulders, she peers out at the water.

The sudden urge to be submerged came over her. Hellhole had been a dust bowl, and recycled water had that smell…

"Oh, I’ll be there!" she says, grabbing her things and getting ready to dismount!

Fallon was the first one packed up and ready to disembark. There was only so much information available in such a small ship and she had pried enough into her fellow Traveller's lives during the journey to know she was the step before becoming shunned. Knowing where the line is when interviewing subjects is a great skill for any journalist.

But now, a fresh new world! True, it was in the boondocks of space and unlikely to have anything newsworthy to find, but whatever secrets it did have she was going to find it! And what better place to start than at the beach?

"I'm going to need to find a clothing store first. I didn't think to bring a swimsuit." She looks down at herself. Wearing functional clothing of a sleeveless green turtleneck top with black short shorts and boots along with her trusty grey "investigator's coat" (as she thinks of it in her mind) she is not exactly ready for the beach. She has all of her possessions in two bags: a bivvy pack and a regular backpack. She has a visor over her eyes that functions as her personal HUD.

Once the door opens she makes sure she's the first one out of the ship.

"Ahhh right. You guys need bathing suits, don't you? Well, I can just avert my eyes."

Zuni chuckles. He's feeling good and his excitement shows. "C'mon Sealy. Let your hair down and have some fun! The hauler can wait, can't it? See Aliero has the right idea."

Zuni enthusiastically grabs his pack which is so stuffed it looks like it's ready to burst open and heads out behind Fallon, his heavy boots clomping on the floor.

Seally shakes her head. "You've never averted your eyes before. Did you find religion? One of those silly religions about immortal sin?" She smiles, eyes sparkling coyly.

She adds more seriously, "Let's see how busy the landing dock is, and how far away the beach is from it. Just because we're in the armpit of space, doesn't' mean that it is a deserted resort town."

"Space flight can do that to a guy, ya know?" He smiles back, a playful glint sparkling in his eyes. "Really though, that's about the last thing I hope to find ... ever."

Sighing he adds, "Always the practical one huh Seally? Ah, there's one in every group."

Then a thought pops into Zuni's head. "Fallon, you girls can use your trenchcoat and just wade in with that!" The visual that idea evokes is too much for Zuni bringing on a fit of raucous laughter. "Now Alerio, there's a girl that doesn't shy from fun!"

Despite Zuni's devil-may-care playful silliness, Zuni never loses a keen awareness of his surroundings and his hand subtly slides down to his belt to check that he has his pistol even though he knows he does.

"Ah, I was just kiddin' about taking a swim." He points to his cybernetics: "Not sure these are insured for water damage," and gives you a wink. "You folks have a nice time, though. You have my number if you need me."

You stride off of the Autumn Gold down its cargo ramp, and are immediately awash Walston's golden sunlight and salty sea breeze. The air is thin and the gravity is a bit light, but Captain Keller gradually adjusted the Autumn Gold's life support and artificial gravity during the week-long jump so that you feel mostly acclimatized.

As your eyes adjust to the bright, natural light, you see Walston's downport is exceedingly bare; the tarmac is not much more than a patch of bedrock scraped flat, surrounded by a security wall. A tower fitted with a pulse laser turret looms above you, painted bright red. You spot the terminal building built into the wall about 50 metres away. If Walston is like any of the other backwater downports you've visited during this journey, it likely has a customs checkpoint where you can clear security and enter the surrounding community (not to mention the beach).

Wayward Wind is conspicuously not present, nor is there any other starship besides Autumn Gold.



As Keller's crew pushes your crate* onto the landing pad, a female voice makes an announcement over a loudspeaker that echoes within the downport's walls.

"Welcome to Walston, travellers. Please be warned that Walston's atmosphere contains airborne particulate matter, which may cause discomfort and breathing difficulty. Filter masks may be purchased at the terminal. Please note that firearms are not permitted outside the downport. If you need to store any prohibited items, we have secure storage lockers available for rent. Have a pleasant stay."

A small crew of droids approaches the Autumn Gold, hauling refuel lines.

---

* - The crate is conveniently fitted on a Tenser™ grav sled that allows it to float a foot off the ground, and provides a little thrust to help the crate move as well as stop.

Wordlessly, Alerio reaches for her filtration mask, and fits it over her face. She expected much worse than air particles, truth be told. Places like this, at least where she was from, were usually crawling with people looking to make a quick couple of credits; either by crime or useless services exaggerated in usefulness.

"Quiet place." she says, and makes a point of it. But she couldn’t deny that it felt good to get that fresh air again, mask or no. And the light on her skin…

"I guess we’d better go and talk to whoever’s making that announcement!" she says, walking towards the checkpoint. She lets her weapon hang loose, clattering against her back as she walks. She knows better than to give anyone a reason to feel itchy…

Fallon looks at Zuni. "My coat isn't exactly hydrodynamic. Or cheap. This baby cost me a month's salary. Or would have if it wasn't a gift," she grins.

Fallon makes her way down the ramp and stands next to Alerio. When she sees her don a filtration mask, she winces. "First a swimsuit, now a filtration mask. It's been two minutes and I already feel like I didn't bring anything useful," she mutters to herself. When Alerio announces her plan to seek out the voice, Fallon looks at her askance. "I...think that is a recording. But seems like I need to buy myself a filtration mask. And we gotta store our weapons. Too bad they can't take away these guns!" She flexes her almost non-existent biceps and laughs.

Zuni wasn't at all surprised that weapons had to be safely locked away. Seemed to be protocol in places that weren't the outback of space. Still, he felt naked without it.

"I was never a fan of filter masks. Sort of puts a damper on things. But Fallon I didn't mean for you to actually get your fancy coat wet. Ah nevermind. I'm just playing. You know me."

Zuni had great respect for Fallon and even though they were no longer a thing he was still fond of her and felt a little sorry for her too. Those in her field had a tough go of it.

Putting his filtration mask on he was ready to tackle the next task which wasn't quite what he expected.

"It sure is quiet. Too quiet, he says to Alerio nodding his head. "Um .. where are the ships and more importantly where is ours? Underground hangers? Yeah, that must be it."

A warm gust of wind blows across the Tarmac as Captain Keller walks down the ramp, smoking a fat cigar. He motions to the air "If you're lungs are black enough, the dust don't bother ya none!"

In his other hand is hydrospanner, and he gets started inspecting his ship from the ground level, starting with the aluvial dampers.

If you take a closer look in the terminal, you see there's the customs office. Looks like a pretty fancy security setup, despite the planet's backwater status. It has multiple lanes of metal detectors, although all but one of them are closed.

It is only tended by a single man, dressed in a simple grey uniform underneath a flak jacket with the words "SECURITY" stencilled across the back of it in Anglic. He's got some kind of pistol holstered at his hip, as well as a stun baton hanging from his belt. He's looking right back at you with an expression of curiosity on his face.

You also see the storage lockers, located on this side of the security line. A sign in multiple languages proclaims a security lockers are Cr10 per week to rent.

Behind you, you hear the Captain arguing with the droid refuelling team: "No, no! Don't want none of that! I'll fill 'er up at the gas giants!"

Seally brisky walks to catch up to the others. The crate she has double checked and the others got ahead of her. She doesn't have a filter mask, preferring to walk unprepared into the unknown. Well, not really, but she's trying to pretend. Never you mind about the micro-managing of the crate.

At the security desk, she says, "Surely this doesn't count as a firearm. It's barely big enough to concern a strong man like you." Her teasing smile is the opposite of her actions, which is to transfer 10 Cr for the security locker, laying her flechette piston on his table.

Alerio snorts as Fallon brings up the guns. She drags herself towards the checkpoint then, getting more accustomed to the gravity and the air as she goes. When she arrives, she fills the locker without complaint. She knows how it feels to man a checkpoint and have a couple of wise guys come up and try make a fuss.

She nods to the security officer, and draws in the others around her.

"Just here to collect a ship. We’ll be out of your hair in no time!" she says, trying to seem friendly and unthreatening; that great human desire at any checkpoint.

The song from the ship is on her lips then, as she waits for the security officer to process them.

Entering the terminal, the security guard gives you a nod. He's middle aged, and his flack vest isn't isn't doing much to hide his paunch. Still, he seems fairly self assured. After Sally's tease, he simply responds: "Rules are rules, ma'am," but at least gives you the courtesy of a slight blush.

Up close, you notice he's got a black eye that's nearly healed, and there is a gash over that eye with stitches still in.

He slides a old-fashioned transponder fob over to Seally after she transfers the credits. When she taps the transponder to the matching door, it swings open. There's ample room to store her gun. She's able to pass through security without any additional trouble.

As Alerio comes through, he looks up at her comment. "A ship you say? Strange thing to come to Walston for, unless it's a fishing boat."

He gives similar fobs for the lockers beside Seally's for anyone that pays the Cr10.

"We can share a locker. Save some credits," Fallon shrugs. She wasn't exactly hurting for money, but no use wasting it when you didn't have to, right? She puts her revolver in with Alerio's stuff before the woman can protest and smiles and winks in thanks to shut down any potential protest in the near future. She gets in line to get processed behind Alerio.

When it's her turn, she will attempt to ignore her stunfist, fully believing it isn't a weapon but a piece of self-defense equipment, as she answers any questions and fills out whatever forms are required. "Do the beaches here require swimsuits? Or is this planet more...liberal?" she asks innocently.

Seally will share her locker too, it's just her pistol and mags to go in. Her blade she leaves on her hip.

"Do the beaches require ... There's no one here! We could take this young man with us and frolic and no one would ever know." She grins at Fallon.

That rises the security guard's eyebrows. With a completely straight face, he says "Uh, ma'am? If anyone complains about your swim attire, you come tell me and I'll shoot 'em myself. Seems like you're all good here, folks. I won't keep you any further."

With your firearms stowed, you walk out of the downport concourse and into the surrounding town.



In the plaza (and I use that term loosely) outside the downport, you leave behind the clean and orderly for the organic and chaotic.

* A sun-bleached banner hangs above, proclaiming "WELCOME TO STAR TOWN"

* A group of young rascals are chasing a six-legged cat down an alley. One trips and dives into the sandy ground, sending up a weirdly prismatic dust cloud. She starts crying.

* A Vargyr woman is running a stall selling a variety of curios, mostly sparkly glassware souvenirs. A sign advertises filter masks (although you notice none of the locals are wearing one). She looks up from a device and waves at the four of you.

* Across the plaza is a clean building labeled Visitors Centre, and beside it, a smaller building proudly declares itself as "The Walston Museum of Sand."

* On the other side, you can smell the local dive bar. Somewhat redundantly, it sports a flickering neon sign that reads "Hanky Panky's"

* A trio of mechanics in greasy overalls are walking slowly toward the downport, savouring the last drags of their cigarettes

* You can see the beach isn't far away, just past a few tenement blocks.

Alerio cocks a penetrating eye at Seally when mention of nothing but a fishing ship being found on this planet. But she simply plays along with the security officer’s good nature, and nods:

"Heck! That might be all we can afford!"

---

"You’re sure it’s a ship? A ship ship!" she pesters the noblewoman… again.

And then a flutter of panic makes Alerio run cold. She’d learned the hard way to not trust Vargyr that spent too much time around the space docks. She had to shake the idea free.

That was a different place…

She can’t bring herself to wave back, but she doesn’t turn her face away either. Instead, she busies herself with fetching the child out of the dirt as they pass.

"A ship ship?" she says, before stopping to ensure the child is okay.

"You’re alright…" she starts, assuming but not knowing!

"Aren’t you?"

"That's good to know," she responds to the custom's official with a wink. She heads out into town with the others.

Seeing the locals without filtration masks, Fallon decides to put off her purchase of one. She waves back at the Vargyr without knowing why. Investigator's skill or just instinct, but she has a knack of keeping people on their good side so they feel confident in telling her their stories. Fallon enjoys the weather and sun as she meanders down to the water.

Seally decides to get a filter mask. She might not wear one, but it's as good as an opportunity as any other. She approaches the Vargr saleswoman.

"Filter masks, I'm told there is a need for one here, but none of the locals wear any. What can you tell me? I will buy one anyway, if you can tell me of a trustworthy clothier nearby. We're thinnkng of swimming in that sea."

Zuni frowns at the antiquated fob and it adds to his curiosity about this place. He shrugs it off and instead allows himself a moment to dream about the idea of nude bathing with the girls. That it might actually happen seems almost too good to be true. But even the idea of a nice swim and float sounded amazing after the confines of the ship.

"I can transfer 5 creds to your account Sealy for the shared locker?" he asks as he places his pistol beside hers. He finds it hard to part with it though and his fingers linger for a moment and then he's off to other things.

Being the street-aware guy that he is he notices the kaleidoscope of dust that the kids kick up and wonders about it, making a mental note to ask someone about the composition of the sand. He doubts the stall will have anything but temptations to spend creds he doesn't have but he follows Sealy. Some women liked to shop after all.

"Maybe next we should check out the visitor's center and the sand museum. They might have seen our ship? And I'm curious about this odd looking sand." he says as he looks after Fallon heading to the beach. "But after the swim, of course!"

The child stops crying and stares at Alerio. As if she forgot she's hurt, she asks "Are you from space? I like your hair! My mom says I shouldn't talk to spacers because sometimes have an ay-hole. Do you have an ay-hole?" The other kids have stopped tormenting the stray cat and are cautiously watching her interact with Alerio from the alley.

---

Fallon makes her way to the water. There's a reasonable-sized dock here, but all ships must be out on the water. There's a few dinghies are beached on the shore with funny names painted on their sides that reveal a humble sense of humour, like "Walston Battlecruiser" and "Martha's Ship Share".

Most impressively, you see some really well-made sand sculptures of abstract geometric forms. They have an interesting glint to them in the sun, like the sand has tiny prisms in it or something.

---

Seally's friendliness is reciprocated. "Yeah, if you live here long enough you get used to the sand in the air. Tends to irritate the visitors. Don't worry, these are Imperium made, imported straight from Flammarion. Where are you from?" The broker in you admires her transition to a sales pitch: "You know, we say the sand is in our blood, here. It has this unique prismatic crystal content that has inspired our local artists to create some of the most unique glassware in all of chartered space! Tell you what, if you buy a filter mask, I'll throw in a pair of prismatic earrings for half price - a steal at Cr50! What do you say?"

She shows you a pair of teardrop-shaped earrings and they truly do sparkle in the sun with a rainbow of colours.

"You're looking for a swimsuit? Trader Jones might have something ... his place is just 'round the corner, can't miss it. But I'd say your best bet is at Central. That's our capital city. The train leaves every hour or so, takes about 45 minutes."

Watching the noblewoman walk away without answering about the expected state of the ship did nothing to improve Alerio’s hopes on this deal going right.

Half-distracted, she turns back to the kid and chuckles when she realizes what’s being asked of her.

"I am from Space!" she starts with a smile.

"And your mom is right. I’ve met a lot of spacers, with a loooot of ay-holes. Some of the biggest in the sector!" she makes her eyes huge then to drive the message home.

"But not me! I’m alright! I’m one of the good guys!" she says, as officers often did about themselves.

"50 Cr for the mask and those earrings, and it's a deal." This sort of cheap, back world jewelry would have her lynched in her normal circuits, but they do catch the light pleasingly. She holds them to her ear and examines the reflection in her mobile comm's screen. "When I go to Trader Joes, who should I say sent me?"

The little girl looks you up and down with a skeptical eye, but eventually decides you pass muster.

"What's your name? What planet are you from?"

"You drive a hard bargain, ma'am. You've got a deal. Um, would your friend be interested in some fine glasswork jewelry? Humans around her call me Kimber."

She wraps the earrings in a quaint parchment envelope, seals it with wax, and takes your credits. Your filter mask is still in its original packaging.

Fallon inspects the sand scultpures, runs her hand through the prismatic sand on the beach. She jots a few notes in her computer about it. Its interesting, but not something an investigative journalist would waste too much time on. Sand probably doesn't interview well. She removes her clothes and decides to test the water.

"Alerio!" she says, truthfully. That was a name she had taken once everything had gone bad, and she was trying to make it fresh as a Traveller. She puts out a hand to the girl to shake.

"And you? What’s your name?"

She thinks then for a moment on what planet she came from. She’d lived on a few. One had been her birth home, and the other she had tried to make home.

Tried…

She wasn’t in the business of leaving a trail to follow, so she eventually decides:

"Minos."

Lying.

"Have you always lived right here?" she asks, then.

"Thank you, Kimber. I'll show her these." She leaves the stall to rejoin the others, juggling the filter undecided if she should put it on right away.

She sees Fallon getting into the water as is, and thinks that's a fun idea. She does the same stripping down and wading into the water.

ALERIO

---

"Alerio, that's a nice name. My name is Abby"

She reaches out to shake your hand (she mostly gets a finger, but gives it a hearty squeeze). As she starts to explain how she's lived here for all 6 and a half years of her life, a woman comes out of the alley with a concerned look on her face. She approaches

"Abby, you shouldn't be ..." The woman makes eye contact with you, but quickly looks away. "Sorry to trouble you. We'll be out of your way."

"But Mama, Alerio isn't one of those people with an ay-hole!"

The woman's face is a picture of shock and dismay. "Abby dear, we need to leave, now." She scoops up Abby and retreats back toward the alley.

THE BEACH

---

As Seally and Fallon get ready for a dip in the ocean, they notice the air temperature is quite moderate for a sun-blasted desert, in the low twenties (Celsius) if you had to guess. Although the sun is shining bright, Walston is out further from the sun's orbit, which probably explains it. Once you get into the water, however, you find it is considerably warmer than you expected. Nearby volcanic vents, perhaps?

Regardless, after weeks of sonic showers and being cooped up in a tin can, the touch of real H20 that stretches out to the horizon is a truly relaxing and humanizing sensation.

"It’s no problem." Alerio says, standing and making an unthreatening hand gesture as she backs off.

"Your daughter just fell in the sand, and I thought I’d check she was okay!

You take care now, Abby!" she says, with a playful wink to the young girl.

And then she turns on her heel. She’d once had a partner that said little interactions like that were most of the job. Just checking in on people without intruding into their life…

She wanders after the others, and seeing them in the water she calls out.

"Didn’t they tell you?" she calls out, which is uncharacteristic of the cop who keeps things close to the chest; never drawing unnecessary attention.

"Some real big fish in there! Real big!!"

"Then you'd best find a really big fishing pole and catch us some dinner!" Fallon grins and dives back under the waves, mooning the entire beach.

Forget the filtration mask, I should've gotten swimming goggles! she thinks to herself as she enjoys the silky caress of water sliding over her skin.

Alerio can’t help but laugh as the unflappable journalist doesn’t rise to the bait in the least.

You’ve been in ponds with bigger fish than this… she thinks, as she watches the others let the water surround them.

Last to immerse himself in the ocean as he makes his way toward the inviting water he appreciates the sand sculptures as he pads by and starts peeling off his clothes, but he gets cold feet at the last minute and keeps his space boxers on as he dives under the water. Popping up beside the girls ready for a slagging he hollers, "The water is warm! Man does it feel good."

He doesn't tell them that he snuck a peek under the water before he surfaced.

Seally splashes Zuni mightily in the face and then backpedals away squealing as he looks to retaliate. "The water warmth is really warm isn't it. I just hope it isn't full of intestinal parasites!"

She stops, treading water, suddenly serious. "Did anyone ask?"

Zuni freezes, his eyebrows rising skyward. "Is it really a risk? I never thought of it. I imagine someone would have said something when our intentions became obvious."

Fallon surfaces and blows out her held air. When she hears them talking about very un-fun things, she decides to cut that off. "Or maybe this whole town survives by letting foolish visitors go swimming, die, then take all of their stuff with none the wiser? How dark do you want to go? 'Cuz you're killing my buzz and I'm going to get out of the water and get dressed again if you keep it up. Your choice."

Some things you'll notice at the beach!

* There is no intertidal zone, owing to the fact that this planet has no moons and therefore no tides.
* The water doesn't seem to get deeper than 1 metre. If there is a drop-off, it is too far out enough to see.
* You see some fish that mimic the kaleidoscope effect of the disturbed sand* swimming among blue-green water plants. They're fairly small and seem harmless.

After a ten minutes or so, your swim is disturbed by a loud crack and a few seconds of rumbling. Looking back to Startown, you see the buildings swaying slightly. A few kayaks that were stacked against the wall of a shed topple over. Seems like some kind of seismic activity.

People start coming out of their houses and shops. You see there are a mix of both Vargr and human residents, who seem to keep be keeping to their own kind, with a few exceptions. The chatter registers somewhere between annoyed and nervous, and you over hear an incredulous "Did you feel that?" and an alarmed "Second time this week!"

The people mill around a bit, and the discussion starts turning to the newly-arrived off-worlders. Mutters of "Hope they're better than the last group," and a suspicious "Where'd they get to, anyhow?"

---

* - If you ask around, you'll find the locals refer to them as 'rainbow trout.'

Alerio, who has been content to just mill around the beach, wetting her feet on the water lapping around her ankles, calls to some of the closest inhabitants.

"Anything we need to worry about?"

She motions to her companions in the water; an indication that she’s asking if they need to get out.

"What was that?" she follows up with.

Seally stands up in the water, the water halfway up her hips. She pushes the water from her hair, and looks out to sea, wondering if there will be a big wave from the tremor, but mainly looking for signs of a meteor impact, or an industrial operation.

"This water is gorgeous, did you see those fish? But I'm going to go dry off."

She splashes Zuni once more and walks back to shore.

Zuni's enormous smile was wiped off his face after the tremor. Suddenly naked women were of no importance. He ignores Seally's playful splash and exits the water too.

"Fish? Uh ... no ... and I'm right behind you."

"Oh, I'm sure you're BEHIND her, all right. Look at that view! And don't be so worried, it's probably just an earthquake. Have you ever heard of the quakes on Ksandi? Strong enough to crumble mountains!" Seeing everyone continue to leave the water, Fallon sighs and splashes toward the shore and her clothes.

"Nothing gets by you, Fallon, does it?" Zuni chuckles as he relaxes a little, feeling a tad silly.

Nothing like a bit of humor to dampen frayed nerves though, he thinks. Ships move, planets aren't supposed to and he doesn't like it much.

"I wouldn't be a good journalist if they did," she smiles at him reassuringly.

After a moment, the crowd dissipates. Several folks decide to stay outside, and a few take notice as you take towels out of your kit bags and get your clothes back on*. Most politely avert their gaze, but there's definitely some gossip going on.
Seally sees no sign of either.

---

* - Fortunately, space boxers are woven with an insta-dry fabric.

Upon being ignored by the crowd, Alerio turns and makes a face at her companions.

"Not a helpful lot, are they?" she says then.

"All eyes and no mouth around here. I think we’d better see about the ship before that… whatever it was… happens again. I don’t want to be stuck planetside if an ash cloud kicks up."

"Agreed. We aren't geologists. Well at least I'm not. It's interesting no one here seems to know what's causing it though..." she trails off in thought as she pulls on her clothes. "But that's secondary to why we're here. We should go back and ask about the ship at the space port. That guard with the beat-up face said something about it being strange we were here looking for a ship. That makes it sound like a ship hasn't been left here in a long while."

"That is definitely alarming." Zuni pulls on his clothes, thankfully for his high-tech insta-dry boxers™. "But look. I'd like to check out that sand museum. Those fish kind of mimicked the strange colors in it. Maybe it's related to the tremors in some way. Also, the visitor center seems like a place we might want to check out."

Seally dainitly gets dressed as if public nudity is entirely unremarkable. Inside, however, she's shaking a little at the daring-do they've each exhibited. Exhibited, that's funny!

Her administrator training comes in, and she considers the bureaucracy. "We should ask around, yes, and perhaps the spaceport customs officials maintain an inventory of prior landings. If we can track down the ship by it's legal status, then we might have a place to start."

DOWNPORT CUSTOMS: FALLON & SEALLY

---

After getting their clothes back on, Fallon and Seally head back to the downport to make inquiries about Wayward Wind. On their way, they get some strange looks from a few locals. Four more security guards have congregated in the main plaza. Still on the process of strapping on their flak jackets as if they were responding to an impromptu call for duty. They flash you looks as you walk past that you figure they mean to say "watch your step."

When you arrive in the sterile concourse of the downport, you see the mechanics have just cleared through security and are heading toward Autumn Gold - maybe the ship needed more work than Captain Keller's initial assessment. The beat-up guard you spoke to earlier is doing some paperwork (literally - with an old fashioned ink pen on yellow sheets of paper), but nods as the two of you approach.

Seeing your damp hair, he says "So, how was the swim?" with a grin that is leaning towards dirty but stays mostly on the friendly side.

VISITORS CENTER AND MUSEUM: ALERIO & ZUNI

Alerio and Zuni head back to the plaza and make their way to the Visitor's Center to make inquiries about Wayward Wind and learn more about the planet's odd sand. On their way, they get some strange looks from a few locals. Four more security guards have congregated in the main plaza, still on the process of strapping on their flak jackets as if they were responding to an impromptu call for duty. They flash you looks as you walk past that you interpret as meaning "watch your step."

When you enter the Visitors Center, you find yourselves alone in lobby that is a kaleidoscope of shifting colors. A chandelier adorned with the same kind of prismatic glass that Seally's new earrings are made of. They paint the otherwise plain white walls and white plastic furniture in rainbows.

There are a few computer terminals that look like are there to book tours. You see you can charter a fishing boat expedition, or take some vehicles out into the desert for sand sports and a tour of Walston's now-defunct sand harvesting plant. There's also a place to buy tickets for a train to head to other towns on the island, and a place to book accommodations.

There's also a door that takes you to the museum side of the building. After a moment, a Vargr woman with a name tag that reads "Simi" comes through the door and greets you. "Oh, hi there! You must be the new travellers. Sorry, the tremors did a number on one of my displays, and they're already in such a sorry state! How can I help you?"

Fallon flips her wet hair over her shoulder. "The good news is you don't have to shoot anyone," she smiles. "Nobody bothered us at all. However refreshing it was though it wasn't long enough. There was some kind of earthquake that seemed to startle everyone and cut our swim shorter than I would have liked. But now that it's over, we are looking for some information on a ship." Fallon gives the guard the basic info on the Wayward Wind.

Alerio keeps her face blank, though another Vargr had her back up even further. It wasn’t something she was proud of… not when this sector was probably some other gang’s playground anyway. But she couldn’t help it. Instinct.

"Yeah, what was that? I asked around outside but everyone was pretty tight lipped!"

Seally smiles at the guard as if she's intrigued by his dirty look. "I never asked earlier about your bruised eye. Were you dong something manly, like playing double-G kickboxing?"

She'll add to Fallon's info the last know transponder ID and other technical identifiers they have for the Wayward Wind.

"You are presuming that they will give us access to that landing log. I wouldn't count on it. Something is off. Why are the inhabitants here so blase about these quakes? Anyway, I'll see what I can find out at the visitors' center. Good luck you finding stuff out, wish us luck."

Zuni ruminates about the quakes and the prismatic theme of the planet while he and Aliero head over to the visitors' center. He notices Alerio's response to the Vargr with a frown as he has no such feelings for them one way or the other.

"No need to apologize but some explanations would be helpful. What's with the kaleidoscope theme around here and the funky sand, fish, jewelry and so forth? Also, a minor detail but we came here to pick up a ship. Have you heard anything about a ship called Wayward Wind?"

DOWNPORT CUSTOMS: FALLON & SEALLY

---

"Yeah, couldn't help but notice that little shake-up myself," he says with a chuckle. "That's two in the last week. But you take the good with the bad. Folks settled on this island because of the volcanic vents all around the island - they keep things warm, keep the fish coming back. A few shake-ups is a small price to pay for slice of paradise."
"Did you say Wayward Wind?" The guard grimaces and his back stiffens at the name. "Yeah, I remember that ship alright. About 7 weeks back. Why are you asking?" You can tell something is up in the way his demeanour has abruptly changed.
Your concern for his eye is well-timed.

"Turned out the crew of the Wayward Wind was a huge bunch of assholes. Started out just rude, looking down their noses at our little planet. Then they tore up a hotel room. They came back a few days later, went on a joyride through our town, shot up the museum. A few folks got hurt before we chased them off. If folk are more wary of off-worlders than usual, then that's why."

VISITORS CENTER AND MUSEUM: ALERIO & ZUNI

---

Simi downplays the tremor. "Oh, that's just our island. Don't worry, nothing dangerous - just the volcanic vents acting up. They're off-shore and keep this corner of Walston warmer than the rest. You wouldn't want to go skinny-dipping in the ocean elsewhere! Oh, did that come off as judgy? It's totally fine by me if you and your friends want to get your fur wet. I mean ... skin? I mean ... I didn't look or anything."

Siri's ears start turning down, the Vargr equivalent to blushing.
Thankful for a way out of that awkwardness, Simi leaps into full-blown museum guide mode. "So glad you asked! You see, Walston's sands are blessed with a special kind of silica, a kind of naturally-forming prismatic crystal. Delgado Trading used to mine Walston sand to use across the sector in sandcasters. They'd ship it by the kiloton! Everyone wanted Walston sand - did a better job than regular particulates. That is, until x-ray frequency lasers became the norm and our sand become a worthless commodity that nobody wanted. The megacorp packed up shop and everyone was out of a job."

"A few folk stuck around, though. And Walston still attracts artists and sculptors, mind you. My own people crash-landed a cruiser during the Third Frontier War. The people of Walston helped us out, and a lot of us decided to stay. It's so beautiful here, don't you think?"

"You can still visit the old wrecked cruiser - us Vargr do it every year to pay homage to our ancestors. And the old sand mines are quite something to see, if you're interested."

When you ask about the Wayward Wind, she clams up a bit, and her lips curl slightly, showing teeth. "Oh dear, that ship? I wish it had never come here! Why do you want to know?"

Seally shows him the details. "That ship was stolen years ago, and we only just recently got word that it had surfaced. Probably has a terrible reputation now, given what you've said of the hooligans that had it. We're here to recover it in the name of the legal owners, and make sure that is restored. I hope it isn't on too poor of shape, and that the local suppliers have the parts we'll need to buy. "

She hopes that the prospect of local economic activity keeps him favorable.

Zuni listens carefully to the Vargr, nodding at appropriate moments as he had learned to do from his stint as a diplomat. He was finding that being a good listener was a helpful trait and was glad for the training. Up until then, his focus had been all over the place and when it came time to remember something, it had been all but forgotten. But those days were past him now as he mentally patted himself on the back.

But his breaths became a little more shallow as Simi continued talking and addressed the question of the ship they were supposed to meet on the planet. He was beginning to fear that it was no longer here and perhaps had been asked to leave or something worse.

"Wha ... what happened to it? That's why we are here. For the Wayward Wind."

DOWNPORT CUSTOMS: FALLON & SEALLY

---

The guard seems amenable to Seally's request.

"Ah, so you're law enforcement then? Or Skip Tracers perhaps? Actually, don't answer that. The less I know and the sooner you catch them, the better. Here, let's see what our system remembers."

The guard turns an old computer around and interacts with an archaic-looking interface of key presses.

"Yeah, I got a bit more info here. You want me to transfer it to your device?"

VISITORS CENTER AND MUSEUM: ALERIO & ZUNI

---

Simi just starts chatting in a gossip-like fashion with Zuni. You get the feeling that, in a place where sand is the most exciting thing, that these jerks and the trouble they caused was big news.

"So that's the weird thing ... they were here for a couple of days, acted like jerks, and then they took off in their ship. We thought we had seen the last of them. But then they came back on an air/raft a few days later and shot the place up."

"Thankfully nobody died! The security team took the worst of it; they even ran poor Frank down. Now, my husband's brother works in security at Central Lake, and he told me what happened next: They flew their air/raft over the Downport wall and boarded some ship that was about to leave. We haven't heard from them since, hopefully they're not coming back!"

"Such wanton disregard for life! There's some real crazies out there, hey? But our community is stronger. We've created an art exhibit to help the community heal, and we'll be unveiling it in the museum next week if you're still around."

"You're something of a peach, aren't you? Did you include your personal contact info, too?" Seally forwards the results to Fallon (and to Zuni and Alerio, too) and examines it. She enjoys the flirting, and isn't entirely pretending to be interested.

"We'll need to track down this ..." she trails off, seeing the words CLASSIFIED and GOVERNMENT CONTRACT. "This won't be easy." Her mind races through the protocols, but the bureaucracy and legal code of this planet are likely as unique as the coloured sand. She leaves Fallon to ask further questions, and uses her mobile comm to try to find a publicly accessible copy of the system's legal code.

Alerio lets the talk of sand and art installations wash over her. Patiently, she waits for the info she knew the civilian would get to eventually. They always did, after their own little diversions.

"Sorry to interject…" she did wonder if it was better to remain quiet, but she had question.

"No idea who these people were? Maybe who they worked for? Did they ask any questions? Make any requests? Anything that would point towards a reason for being here?"

"Difficult indeed," Fallon murmurs upon seeing the words "CLASSIFIED." "I don't want to get you into any trouble so I'll ask just one more question. Do you know who this 'A. Greener' person is? I'm guessing someone in the government or military on this world?" She jots down in her investigator's book: Why choose the Wayward Wind? What is the destination? How was it recommissioned so quickly?

"Sooo let me get this straight. They took off on the Wayward Wind then came back in an air raft and took another ship, or rather stole it? Hmm. This is very strange and meanwhile, now we don't have a ship, meaning we are stuck. I wonder what the heck they were playing at.

Zuni flips through the log. "How would I go about finding A Greener?

Classifed, hmm.

The security guard gives Seally an "aww, shucks" smile as she heads outside. Seally accesses Walston's public information network and finds Walston's legal code without too much trouble.

Walston's government appears to be a hereditary dictatorship, ruled by the Loudermilk family that traces its lineage back centuries to when Delgado Trading still operated mining operations here. After a quick glance-through, you see that all domestic matters are subject to the approval of the dictator, who goes by the title "First Citizen." They are effectively above the law. The office is currently held by Fenwick Loudermilk III.

You also notice that there is an Alan Greener on the list of government ministers will of the First Citizen, who might be your A. Greener. He holds multiple portfolios including Fisheries, Transportation, and Sanitation.

---

Meanwhile, Fallon asks the downport guard about A. Greener.

"Oh, that's probably Al Greener. We call him 'The Mayor' because he gets a lot of things done around here. Yeah, his wife plays cards with my sister-in-law. Good guy."

"Yeah, we don't really have a military here. The whole planet has about 6000 people, if you include the Vargr. Barely have a government either! The First Citizen is in charge, sure, but a First Citizen knows to leave things alone."

---

In the Visitor's Center, Simi continues to answer Alerio and Zuni's questions. In regards to where they came from, Simi goes on at length:

"Not sure who these people were, I never talked to them myself. My cousin Maerg, who works at the hotel in Central, says they're Imperial on account of their accent and their taste in beer. I mean, we serve Imperial beer here, and no offense intended but only an Imperial would drink Imperial beer by choice. And my father-in-law Fanrek, who worked in the Imperial Navy as a fuel skimmer pilot says ship is an Imperial design."

"But then I heard some folk say they're actually Sword Worlders who were stirring up trouble to foment anti-Imperial sentiment. Although I never heard of a Sword Worlder who would drink Imperial beer under any circumstance, but maybe that's just what they want us to think."

To Zuni's questions regarding how it all went down:

"Yeah, they hijacked a freighter, can you believe that? Anyway it all went bad for them. My cousin Kimber - did you see her jewellery, so nice right? - she had a shipment on that freighter heading to the Elixabeth system. So, she got receipt of goods delivered, so I think the crew of the freighter must've taken the ship back later on. But who can say!"

"But as to where their original ship ended up, that's a good question! I know some treasure hunters who are out looking for it right now! My brother's friend's groomer owns a air/raft - he does those tours out to the old cruiser, remember (I can get you a good deal, by the way) - and he's checking out some mining sites. Like, maybe they were doing some mining surveys? Because the Loudermilks (they run everything around here) have been in talks with some folks to start doing some mining surveys and wouldn't that be something."

"Or maybe they were looking for some old Darrian shipwreck that's rumoured to be out in the Shalllows? Anyway, people are looking for it! It was a hunk of junk, but it used to be a fine ship. Probably worth a few megacredits at least, even if it's crashed somewhere."

"Oh, sorry! You wanted to know about A. Greener? That's probably Alan! He's the go-to guy to get things done around here. He works for the government, lives in Central. Great fisherman. The giant fish that hangs in the Central Lake Library - he caught it."

"Did I answer all your questions, folks? Some people say I can go on and on!"

Seally downloads the legal code, and sets up her search strings to find the sections on government seizure of space craft, reclaiming stolen property, recovery of abandoned property, and the licensing requirements.

She only half listens to Fallon's continued conversation, focussed on the part that she knows she is the best suited of their foursome to handle -- boring law stuff.

"I see," Fallon says as she makes a few more notes. "Has he been seen lately? Since the date of this classified departure, I mean? Is the Mayor usually secretive about anything?"

Distressed to hear that the ship seems lost to them to a bunch of pirates, he nods through most of the spiel that Simi spews. About two lines of all the gibberish are actually useful. Maybe being stuck here makes a person starved for conversation but whatever the reason he remains polite as he has been taught. It actually pays off he has found much to his surprise in the beginning. If the ship really is gone and he is understanding her correctly which he isn't sure about, they had a dilemma on their hands.

"Wait. Which ship is being looked for? The shipwreck or the ship we came to meet?" It looked like they were stuck somewhere between rebellion in the making, mining operations, and some other political maneuvers.

"How about we start by meeting this Alan Greener guy? Can you set that up for us, please?"

The guard thinks for a moment on Fallon's question, then responds:

"Well, he won't tell a soul about his favourite fishing spot, but I don't think that's what you're getting at. Look, Al is well-respected here. The First Citizen and the Loudermilk family are rich celebrity types, they don't really 'do' much. It's Al Greener that does all the hard work. But, you know, you're not wrong - now that you mention it, I've never seen a classified flight path for a civilian vessel. Maybe you should pay Alan a visit! His offices are in Central Lake. There's a train that leaves every hour that'll take you straight there."
Simi extends an apology to Zuni for being confusing.

"Sorry, I probably didn't make myself clear. Sometimes people tell me I talk to much. Let me try again. So the jerks who own the Wayward Wind ditched her out in the desert somewhere, or maybe the ocean, or who knows. And they returned with on an air/raft, stole a different ship, and high-tailed it off Walston. Now there's some folk who are hoping to find the wreckage of the Wayward Wind. Does that make better sense?"

"As for contacting Alan Greener, the best way you can set up a meeting is to contact the palace in Central Lake. All the government folks have offices there. You can call, but nobody really answers the comms - it's just an endless maze of menus. Walston is a more face-to-face kind of place, you know what I mean? Deals are sealed with handshakes and guaranteed by reputation."

"That's ok, Simi. Do you know who these folks are that are trying to find the Wayward Wind?"

"I guess we should think about getting on a train to Central Lake. We might be able to go for another swim," he says to Fallon, nudging her with an elbow, a shit-eating grin playing across his face. "Let's see what the others find out first though."

"I think we'll do just that," she says as she gives him a smile. "Thanks for all your help, Mr...?" she arches an eyebrow in question.

"Great. Thanks!" Alerio says, patting the table with some finality, lest the Vargr go off on another rant.

"We’ll find him. Thanks for the help!" she says, backing away and then out of the building. Once outside, she massages her temples.

"Looks like we found our guy. Let’s meet the others and go meet the Mayor."

"Not specifically, but I'm sure Trader Jones has his boys on it: the Draxle Brothers, the Bramblewood Boys. There's a whole scavenger community that looks for interesting things in the desert and ocean. You know, one time ..."

And Simi starts on a story about how Trader Jones found a centuries-old Scout ship half-buried in the sand many years ago, but Alerio extricates the two of you from yet another story.
"Hank Spencer, ma'am. My pleasure, you have yourself a great day."

"They must not get many off-worlders." she says, as a theory for why everyone seems so eager to chat.

Except the child’s mother…

Alerio looked in the direction of where the child fell, as they go back to meet up with the others. She wanted to see if the mother had let the child back out into the alley after the earthquake.

The crew reunites and shares what each other has learned. Seems like the best bet is heading to Central Lake and finding this Alan Greener. As you prepare to leave, Alerio peaks down the alley and sees the little one that fell in the sand. She's sitting on a doorstep with the six-legged cat in her lap, petting it gently.

Seems like living on the frontier has left some of these folk wary of off-worlders. The laser cannon that overlooks the downport is the tallest building in the town, a testament to dealing with unfriendly folk. The tale of Wayward Wind's former crew is a good example. But, Walston seems to have held on to a genuine friendliness, despite their troubles.

The girl waves at Alerio. "It was nice meeting you!"

You find the train station easily. The ticket agent, an old man who seems to value a strict adherence to protocol, gets you set up. Since the train costs nothing, you wonder exactly what the purpose is of the protocols or even the tickets, but if you inquire you get a predictable "It's always been that way" kind of response.

It isn't long before the train arrives. Although it's showing its age, it seems like it's in pretty good shape. You load your crate up into the luggage section and sit down at the rear observation platform, which features a decent view. Nobody else seems to be heading to Central Lake right now, so you have the train to yourself.


The Train to Central Lake

The trip takes your south toward the center of the island. The conductor points out sights along the way by yelling to you from the front of the train. You see large field of solar arrays, primitive by Imperial standards where cheap fusion power is ubiquitous. You also see some folks in the distance operating colourful parasails, riding inland gusts high in the sky. Soon, Central Lake comes into view.


Central Lake (background) and the Palace of the First Citizen (foreground)

Central Lake is bigger than Startown, and you estimate around 4000 people make their home here. This rail station is bigger, too; the rail lines are like spokes that branch out to the small coastal towns from this central hub. There are a fair number of people coming and going, and a trio of armed guards ignore the crowd as they fixate a wide screen displaying a Gee-Ball match. A man with a sign that reads "The End is Near!" holds up a filthy credit scanner as you pass by, beseeching you for your spare credits.

A Vargr in work overalls waves at you. You see he's got a old, beat-up gravtruck behind him with an open bed, a kind of floating truck. "You folks need a lift somewhere? 20Cr, and I'll take you and your crate anywhere in Central." The Palace is around the lake, maybe 2km from the station.

Fallon makes a gesture in greeting. "We're heading to the Palace of the First Citizen. For 20Cr I expect some tour guide narration of all the amazing history here," she says as she smiles.

Zuni decided to relax and enjoy the ride and not get too anxious about the fact that they had no clue where their ship was. Seeing new sites had always been enjoyable. It's what attracted him to the scouts after all, so he settled in and tried to hear the tour guide over the din. He also made a mental picture of the place just in case hasty exits were needed. As to the rattletrap gravtruck, he places an arm gently on Fallon's shoulder.

"We will give you 10Cr. That's not exactly a luxury rig you got there."

"You want a tour?" he says, his ears perking up. "No problem! I'll show you all five restaurants, the cinema, the secret Imperial hangout club... Credits up front, please!"
"You got a point there," the Vargr concedes, "but I'm also the only ride in town. So you can take it or leave it, sweetheart."

Seally laughs at the interchange. She pats the crate, her precious cargo within safe and sound. "20 Cr it is, here," she taps the exchange with her comm.

"I'm sitting beside him," she announces, laughing again. "After he loads our gear."

"This 'secret Imperial hangout club' doesn't sound very secret," Fallon laughs as she climbs aboard. "But I'm excited to see the places. This world isn't half bad. Seems very relaxing and peaceful."

Zuni begrudgingly hands over the 20 Cr, tapping his comm loudly in protest and almost says I'm not your sweatheart, hun. But he resists the very strong urge to do so.

This vargr is full of shit he thinks but he is probably right about the lack of public transport. "Except for the guys that took the ship we came for, it's peaceful, maybe. Oh and the earthquakes," he says to Fallon.

Alerio waves to the girl, with a warm genuine smile, as she passes by the alleyway!

"Nice kid." she says, to herself more than anyone.

---

Getting off the train, she takes in the sights. To the doomsayer, she swipes a couple of credits across his pad. People like that were invisible, she knew. After a while, no one paid them any attention; not even the gangs. Back when she was working a beat, she made sure to keep those characters fed, because you never know what they might see or hear out there on the street.

Seeing another Vargr, trying to sell the crew a tour, she turns to the doomsayer, and speaks quiet and quick:

"Ekilati Onaki. Name ring a bell around here?"

The driver, who goes by Gino, drops the tailgate and helps you load the crate. "One Central tour, coming right up." Seally rides shotgun, while everyone else has to sit in the back with the crate.Gino takes you to see many sights in the span of 30 minutes. The highlights include:

* Central Lake Library
* Central Lake Community College. The slogan "The College of Knowledge" is proudly displayed across the entrance of the two story building.
* The Farmer's Market, where folks are selling local fish, produce, and other foodstuffs, as well as arts and crafts.
* Fredrico's Supper Club. This, Gino informs you, is the secret Imperial hang out, owned by a retired Imperial commodore. The fanciest restaurant on Walston, complete with a VIP room for gambling.
* Adwuj and Akanarzh, a Vargr bar / cultural center. Your guide informs you they have the best fermented meat loaf in town, perhaps the whole subsector.
* The Walston Inn - "Tell Mary that Gino sent ya!"
* The Palace, which holds all government offices and the planet's court of law.

He's happy to answer any questions you have as you cruise about in a leisurely fashion. When the tour is up, he'll ask where you'd like to be dropped off.

"See? That place isn't secret at all!... Fermented meat loaf? No, thanks... Oh, we should look at some local crafts for souvenirs before we leave..." Fallon responds for each of the place they visit, only coughing occasionally at the dust.

Seally enjoys the ride and the tour, repeating the observations to the others through their comm. As the gritty air begins to irritate her throat, she puts on her newly bought filter mask.

She asks Gino for stories about each of the locations, and passes them on. She agrees with Fallon's zeal for sampling the local wares. Her actions are on autopilot however, as her heart races for the adventure of discovering the Wayward Wind.

"What say you," she says to the others. "The Walston Inn to clean up, then on to the palace?"

"Something like that." Alerio says, before quickly departing. Best to keep things short and sweet.

---

"What time do things start to settle here? Business hours?" she asks their guide, not wanting to get locked out of government buildings over what passes for a weekend here.

"Its only lunchtime," informs your tour guide. "Shop won't close up at the palace 'til five."

"Plenty of time then. Give us a chance to wash off this dried salt. And buy filter masks." She sneezes as her nose tickles from the dust.

During the "tour" as they passed the fish market Zuni wondered what the fish might taste like and if a person would get any of those kaleidoscope hues after they ate some. But he wasn't going to ask and look like a smartass.

"A shower sounds good," he says to the girls, "but I'm not sure shopping sounds like my idea of a good time. Unless they have t-shirts. I could buy a souvenir t-shirt."

He nods at Alerio's question...a good thing to know about the hours they keep here.

"The Walston it is!" Gino says and gives the engine a little extra acceleration for show. He helps you unload, and gives Seally his number in case you need a ride somewhere else.



Deborah (proudly declared on her name tag) is manning the front desk when you enter the Walston, which is similarly decked out in prismatic decorations. She's on the phone with her sister, loudly complaining about her husband. It takes a while for her to finally put the phone down, and she gives you the rundown on accommodations, with prices listed per night:

Cr25 Bachelor's Suite: Single bedroom integrated into a modest living area. A block of 4 (a "quad") shares 1 bathroom. Ground floor.
Cr100 Deluxe Suite: Single bedroom with separate living & dining areas, private shower. Mid-level.
Cr150 Family Suite: Two bedrooms with separate living & dining areas, private shower. Mid-level.
Cr500 Penthouse Suite: Two bedrooms with four-poster beds, floor-to-ceiling windows, huge living area, terrace, hot tub. Top of the building.

All accommodations have access to the fitness area, holofilm library, and a VR games parlour.

"A quad, you say? There are four of us so is there any chance of getting a quad space all to ourselves? I'm sure Zuni here won't mind sharing a bathroom with three women," Fallon turns to give Zuni a teasing wink.

Alerio doubted there would be many other offworlders here to swallow up the bookings. Nevertheless, she lets Deborah answer that for herself. No sense in looking like a know-it-all to a local, and the person responsible for their comfort. Not to mention, but Deborah sounded like a blab.

A talker.

She might be good for some info.

Seally looks at the others and says with a wry grin, "Maybe we should share the bachelor, to get used to cramped ship living."

She also waits to hear if there is a quad option before suggesting two family suites.

"Well isn't this a fancy joint? Wow. I could get used to this," Zuni declares as they enter the posh Walston.

"I can get totally behind the idea of a cramped living space with you lovely ladies. I don't mind sharing a bathroom or even a shower."

He wanted to add at the same time as you ladies but decided that was a little gauche even for him and thus he kept his lips sealed on that one.

"Seriously though, the bachelor pad seems to suit us for the time being, uh.... he squints at her name tag, "Deborah. Such a pretty name."

"We have exactly one guest right now, besides you folks, so we can accommodate whatever arrangement you like. You will have to excuse the smell of fresh paint in the penthouse, just put it back together after some off-worlders trashed the place."

"So, four bachelor's and all in the same quad then? I'll get you your keys made up."

The rooms are sparse but clean, and less cramped than some starship berths you've seen. The crate barely fits in the quad common room after you move some furniture aside. When you are coming and going, you have to slide against the wall to get out.

You have a chance to freshen up, take off your filter masks, and breathe easy for a bit while deciding your next course of action.

Fallon nods her head, satisfied. "Not bad at all," she murmurs to herself. She sets her bag down on the small sofa next to the bed and digs out a change of clothes. She was still lightly crusted with salt water from her swim and her hair was stiff. A shower followed by a quick nap seems the best course of action right now. She heads out with her fresh outfit in search of the bathroom.

"Another off-worlder?" Alerio asks, leaning in.

"You didn’t run them all off after that business with that gang of pirates a while back then?"

---

Alerio peels off the mask as soon as she gets into the room. And then she washed her face.

"Better!" she says, drying off.

"Sounds like things might be against us out here. So far, so good. But we haven’t met anyone with too much power yet. Or something to prove…"

"You know what's sad about these filter masks, ladies? Your own breath ricochets back at you." He adds quickly, anticipating the girls' reactions.

"I floss every day! Honest alien! But hell, this isn't bad at all. Can't wait to check out the bed," he says, with a deadpan face.

Seally takes a short shower, her few belongings tossed onto the desk. Mostly rinsing the salt off, she adds a few special ointments to keep her hair looking vibrantly healthy. Dressing up a little, in lawyerly clothing, she comes out to the common room and leans against the crate. "I was mostly joking about sharing a single bachelor. Even with four I kind of wish we'd splurged on the penthouse." She laughs, and adds, "But I'd rather save our funds for the Wayward Wind." She pats the crate affectionately, thinking of her prize.

Deborah tells you its a he, and a handsome one at that. A corporate representative of some sort, here negotiating a mining survey with the Loudermilks (who, incidentally, own the Walton she slips in, indicating her pride of working for the First Citizen). "Everyone knows folks could use the jobs."

---

After everyone has refreshed, Deborah arrives with a message. "Well, aren't you a bunch of important people. Minister Greener was just on the comms. He wants to meet with you at your earliest convenience. He's over at the Palace. Cheryl is working reception today, she'll buzz you right through."

"Looks like souvenir shopping will have to wait." Alerio says, all business. Last time some big wig had sent for her, she’d been kicked off-world. Better than being killed, but just barely.

"It didn’t take long for them to find us." she says flatly. It could be menacing, if said in a certain way.

Fallon is still toweling her hair dry. "He knows who we are already? Maybe it was our all-natural swim at the beach..." she muses, to counteract Alerio's seriousness. "I can be ready to go in five minutes."

"I'm sure you're right Fallon. I mean who wouldn't find that whole scene ... titillating."

Zuni quickly slips out through the door before he gets whacked over the head by three irate ladies. If Deborah hears him, maybe all four.

"There will be no puns in this hotel!" Fallon throws her towel at the rapidly retreating man.

Seally grins, and is glad she fell in with these yahoos. "You're all so much fun. I can see we're going to be bad influences on each other, in all the best ways." She slips past the big crate and gives Alerio and Fallon quick hugs.

When they're ready to go, she straps on her sword and checks out herself in the mirror, mostly making sure her ass looks good in the lawyer suit, and her eye shadow is just dark enough to be mysterious, but not too dark as to be ghoulish.

You make your way through the Central Lake's dusty streets to the Palace, which is a short ways outside the city proper.

The building itself is reasonably impressive, given the surroundings - clusters of fabricated cylindrical buildings that surround and merge with a central tower. You can tell the architect was going for an organic vibe, and the design probably fares well in wind storms. In addition, you note three pulse laser turrets mounted on towers that rise above the palace. You pass through a security checkpoint, and the armed guards wave you through, apparently expecting you. Entering the Palace, you are met with the most dazzling display of Walston prismatic glass sculpture so far:It seems like a lonely place, with quiet, empty halls. It is as if the Palace was built for a much larger kingdom. Your boots echoing on the polished floors as you approach a reception desk, where Cheryl, a middle-aged woman in royal livery, is filing her nails . "Minister Greener is expecting you," the older woman announces without even looking up. "His office is in the basement. I'd walk you down, but my joints have been acting up."

When you find Greener's office, Greener is inside, looking over a ledger. He's wearing a long, dusty field jacket over top of cloth body armor, and his expression is flat and stern.

He sees you and comes over, welcoming you inside. He introduces himself, and gives you a chance to reciprocate."So, travellers, I trust you've enjoyed your stay so far on Walston. What brings you here to our beautiful, little planet?"

Alerio takes the place in in a kind of awkward tourist fashion. She felt at home in the hustle a bustle of a city planet. She felt equally at home in the quiet solitude of a new colony.

But this was neither, and both at once. Like a decimated world reeling from some recent war. Or a failed luxury planet that never took off. She felt out of place.

"It’s a beautiful place." she says, as introduction.

"Alerio." she says, putting a hand to her chest.

"And we’re here for… well, someone else should explain."

Alerio was along for the ride. This wasn’t her ship, exactly!

Fallon falls in love with the Palace. The architecture, the prismatic sand sculptures, the absence of so many people, the cleanliness. It was indeed a type of backwater paradise. It didn't have enough excitement for her to want to live here, but maybe when she was old enough to retire...

She rolls her eyes at Cheryl's attitude and jots down a note for a later article about her experiences here. She also seems like the type to gossip and vent all sorts of information so maybe could be a potential source if they needed to do some digging to learn more about their ship.

Alan Greener is more imposing, and better looking, than she expected. She had imagined a pale, flabby, officious politician, but this man seems in shape, competent, and knowledgeable. He also had a good sense of style. She jots down a few more notes before responding.

"Fallon Verdt, a pleasure to meet you. We are here to recover a stolen ship, the Wayward Wind. We were informed it had been abandoned here so we have come to reclaim it for the proper owners. Sir," she adds. It couldn't hurt to be respectful when making a first impression.

Zuni is only too happy to hug Seally back and agree with her sentiments as they clomp through the streets to the palace. Upon entering...

"Whoa, this place is so ... expansive. Yeah, that's it. My sensitive eyes don't like the collage of color though. It's striking though. I'll give it that," he says in a low voice so that A. Greener can't hear.

Approaching the minister, "Khazuni," he offers using his formal monicker. "Delighted to meet you. As Fallon said, we are here about a missing ship." His expression is neither accusatory nor overly friendly.

Seally is dressed as a lawyer but her diplomatic background is what's on display. She oohs and ahhs with the others when notable things are pointed out to them, and asks light follow up questions about the design. She's in fine form when they meet Mr. Greener.

"Mr. Greener, it is truly a pleasure that you have reached out to us, as my colleagues have stated. Walston is truly beautiful and we look forward to seeing more of it in the coming days. I'm Seally Llewyn of House Llewyn, the rightful owners of the Wayward Wind. We've been sent to retrieve the ship, and as necessary, repair it as best we can locally. Now, we understand that there may be some complexities to our task, and we're excited to work with you and the government to best come to a mutually agreeable relationship."

Zuni could probably take a page from Seally's diplomacy notebook but something about the man rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe it was his authoritarian demeanor or just something he couldn't quite put a finger on. The power he held seemed vast from what they'd heard so far and with power always came corruption in Zuni's experience. He was happy to let Seally carry on.

Zuni is happy to accept the offer of whiskey and is very surprised at the quality. He had the fortune of experiencing many things as a scout, libations being one of them. He knew quality when he met it and this was a very fine full-bodied and smooth whiskey. The first thought that came to mind was contraband. This bottle would have not only been very expensive, it would have been hard to get in his opinion.

He clinks his glass and listens to the man talk but his ears and eyebrows perk up when he unexpectedly mentions geology.

"I have experience as a scout and some hands-on experience with minerals, especially in a cave environment."

Alerio takes the offered drink, and enjoys it for a moment, but then splutters somewhat when there’s mention of a volcanic survey in their near future.

"Survey?" she asks, uselessly.

She’d been attached to some surveys back in the early days of the colony, but those didn’t sound anything like this.

"Seismic Charges? What are those? What exactly do we need to do?"

To Alerio, they sounded… explosive.

Seally nods her understanding to him, letting the others ask the pertinent questions. She has had some scientific training, a curiosity of her youth, and understands the principles if not the specifics.

She's more concerned with the leverage that Greener has over them, and how much negotiating room they have.

Fallon accepts the whisky and swishes it in her mouth, savoring the flavor. She grimaces a little at the burning sensation. She had been a carouser in her early career and was used to the cheaper and less potent drinks that would stay with you the whole night. But she couldn't deny it was a smooth burn.

Her brow furrows as he mentions surveys and volcanoes. This was completely out of her area of expertise. She'd be little more than a documentarian on this outing. Nevertheless, it didn't hurt to learn all she could.

"We don't exactly have a ship. We hitched a ride here, hoping we would be leaving with the Wayward Wind. If you want to show us the location now and turn it back over to us, we could use it to do this survey for you." Fallon offered.

"I did," Zunia answers to the question of his being trained by IISS and doing his best not to pump out his chest too much. But he is wary of this A. Greener who is essentially blackmailing them with their ship's location.

"If my friends here agree we might do it but how about you sweeten the pot with some extra creds in addition to those salvage rights which we actually don't need since as Seally said we already own through her family?"

Zuni figured if the guy wasn't such a jerk who wouldn't try to extract money from him but since it appeared that he needed them as much as they needed him it was worth a shot.

Salvage rights, my ass. The ship is ours, he thinks as he nods emphatically at Fallon when she mentions turning the ship back over to them.

Seally does the sums in her head. Once they have the ship, then even if he doublecrosses them, they have what they came for. It would be better to get out of this cleanly, and it is a beautiful port to have as a place to return to.

"We would be fools to turn down your offer, Mr. Greener, and fools we are not." She offers her hand. "Once the Wayward Wind is space worthy, we'll be looking for additional work. We look forward to the first of many exercises together. "

"And firearms are prohibited, right, even when working as government contractors?" Seally smiles charmingly, as she wonders where the prior crew went, and figures they'll not want to give up a several MCr ship without a protracted fight. They're getting closer, they have a sighting, if not confirmation that it is still there. Her dreams of galactic adventure draw closer!

She records the information provided into her mobile comm, and asks what specifically is prohibited, and assuming there are no powered flight options allowed, she says to the others, "Perhaps we can rent climbing equipment."

The task itself wouldn't be too difficult as Zuni had experience with seismic charges, tunnels and caves. The extra creds were a boon he didn't expect. They must really need this job done.

"That's a tall order, carrying those charges up a steep slope, even if we use a grav vehicle for some of the ascent, and I'm sure at the very least we will need respirators. Why can't we make an exception with the grav vehicles and get that limiter removed? I mean if you want us to succeed, give us the best chance. Someone around here can surely override the law in this case, yes?"

"Everything’s already up there, waiting for us. The only thing we need to get up to the top… is ourselves. Have I got that right?"

Alerio asked flatly. She was setting her mind to the task at hand. A problem to be solved; an investigation to be carried out. Work. And when it came to work, she was all business.

"Only thing I can think of is gear for the temperature. Not sure we are equipped for volcanic surveys as is."

"We'll be in touch when we have a report."

Seally stands, the meeting over. "Mr. Greener, it's been a pleasure."

Seally leaves and takes some more notes out of site in the hallway.

»Type 7-14 grav veh inhib chip, Dashi Combine

"Yes, a pleasure," Zuni says to Mr. Greener as he follows Seally out into the hallway. "You got that about the grav vehicle I see. Good. You going to hack in?"

Alerio stands, and nods to the man. Spinning on her heel, she follows the others.

"So maybe we do need to go shopping? When do we want to head out?"

Fallon holds her hand out in farewell. "I'm glad we could reach a beneficial agreement for both of us. Hopefully this is over quickly and your fears will be unfounded. This place is too nice to be wiped out by a volcano or an earthquake." She turns and leaves with the others.

Alan Greener bids you good luck as you part, and initiates your accommodations upgrade. When you return to The Walston, Deborah is there to greet you. "Well well, things are looking up for you folks. With Minister Greener picking up your tab, you'll be getting the full treatment. The staff is standing by to help you move your things to the penthouse."

As cozy as your quad was, it's nice to get a big space to live in, especially since living space is always at such a premium in interstellar travel. The luxury of the suite isn't bad even by Seally's standards.

There are two spacious sleeping quarters which are big enough to be their own suites.


The living room is big as a cargo hold. Even sleeping on the couch will be a joy.


Even both bathrooms are wide-open and modern.


In addition, there is a fully-stocked wet bar, hot tub, plush robes and slippers, expansive terrace with outdoor seating, a dining area, and an integrated audio system (which is playing nature sounds from Terra softly in the background when you arrive).

Looking up the details on the Type 7-14 grav inhibitor ship, Seally finds the necessary wiring diagrams and opcodes one would need to remove one from the grav vehicle. You notice that they have tamper-proofing as an option that will disable the whole vehicle if tampering is detected. You estimate:

- Very difficult task (12+)
- Electronics (Computer) check (EDU/INT)
- Will take ~20 minutes, but you can gain a +2 modifier for taking double the time.
- The opp codes and wiring diagram will serve as a Boon for this (roll 3D and drop the lowest die).

"Oh...my...stars," Fallon breathes. "This is gorgeous! Its bigger than anything I've ever lived in. I think I could just move in here and never leave." She wanders through the rooms, running her hands over the plush sofa and soft robes, taking off her boots and wiggling her toes on the velvety rug. Even the smooth and clean floors feel great under foot. Eventually she throws her bag on the bed and collapses next to it with a big grin.

Seally tosses her jacket into a chair and plops onto the sofa. "Two beds, is it? Maybe we can draw straws for matchup." She grins at her device.

"I think we can do this. And by we I mean Fallon. These things aren't easy to disable, but these plans make it look straightforward." She sends the grav inhibitor schematics to Fallon, and then closes her eyes.

"So close. We only need to jump in a volcano and we should be able to see it." In her mind she imagines the sexy bird rising out of the caldera, steam and flame lighting the shiny crimson and gold paint job, with silvery lines on the trailing edges. Nah, too flashy.

Zuni had never seen accommodations such as this .. ever. Dropping his bags, and striding to the sofa, he fell back into it and gazed up at the view, arms stretched wide across the sofa back. "This is like a dream. It is a dream!

But he doesn't dwell there. Jumping up, he checks out the other rooms stopping short at the bathroom, whistling loudly.

"Holy meteorites, have you seen the bathroom girls? A shower and tub with a view. I could spend hours in here."

"Pretty swish place!" Alerio looking around.

"Best not get used to it. We’ll be back to bumping elbows in that bird soon enough." she says with a smirk then!

"Any of you ever jump into a volcano before? It’s a first for me. Closest I’ve come is a hot spring back home."

Zuni, when I'm in the shower, every tub has a view!" she teases. When Seally sends her some schematics for the grad inhibitor and gives Seally an arched eyebrow in answer. "You know I'm a journalist and not an engineer right? I've got some experience with communication systems but vehicles are out of my wheelhouse. Or gravhouse as the case may be. Aren't any of you gearheads?" she asks while still looking up at the high ceiling. This room seemed to have more space than when she was actually in space! She finally rolls off the bed and onto her feet. "Ok, out, Zuni, this lady needs to freshen up. And by freshen up I mean pee."

"You're smarter than me, so if anyone can, you can figure this out."

She smiles as no one takes the bait on the draw straws comment. When she had suggested they share a cheap room, she'd meant one room, but they'd ended up with four. Now they have these giant rooms, and less beds. This couch was ridiculously comfortable though.

"So we either hire a grav truck and mess with the inhibitor to get us to the top, or we go as far as we can then climb. Either way we'll need better oxygen support. That means shopping, or we take Greener up on his offer to raid government supplies. What else might we need, Zuni, to climb an active volcano?"

"We need a seismic activity meter. Should work for volcanic activity. But you know, if the things going to blow we won't get away in time unless we have a grav-ship. We really need to crack that code and hope it doesn't brick it."

Zuni gazes out the window as he thinks of what they will need for supplies. "A heat sensor, some picks, climbing boots, respirators..."

As odd as it seemed Zuni's mind was no longer in the gutter and instead was focused entirely on the expedition to come. It had been a minute since he had been adventuring and the idea of it flooded him with excitement.

"A few heat-resistant vac suits....hmmm, did Mr A, Greener," he says his name with a sneer ... "say whether the grav-vehicle was open or closed? If we had an open ship, maybe we could float the explosive charges down into the volcano without ever getting out of the vessel. Or I suppose we could just open the door of a closed vehicle and drop them from it."

All you need to do is put in a quick call to Deborah and she initiates the transfer of filter masks & respirators from the Department of Operations. She confirms for you that she can also requisition climbing kits for each of you (the TL4 variety), as well as pack you a day's worth of food. Vacc suits aren't something she's got access too - a little too high-tech for Walston; she suggests you might find something in Startown.

As for vehicles, you've heard about desert tours at the visitor's information center, maybe they'd rent you a vehicle. And there's Gino's truck.

Climbing Kit (Central Supply Catalogue (p 48)


Excavation Tool Set (p 78)

"Gino's truck! Hey, do you think he's the type to let us mess with his grav inhibitor? It certainly looks like the kind of vehicle that wouldn't have a tamperproof killswitch!" She starts a list.

"Environment suits are what? 500 a pop? That'll keep us warm, and the filter masks and respirators will keep us breathing. A pressure sleeve might be better, they're a little more. I don't think we need full vacc suits though, right? We don't have enough to equip us all for that."

"There's an idea. Maybe you gals can convince Gino to let us rent it if that's the case. A couple of sweet smiles and a few creds maybe?"

Zuni figures it might be worth giving up a few creds for his truck.

"If we are really in a pinch, I could take a look. Not saying I can actually do it. But I’ll know more if I look at it first.

In any case, take it from me… there’s someone here that knows how to do it. There always is. Used to pick these guys up by the bunch when I was on the beat. Slap on the wrist for breaking regulations and off they go."

"I agree. Finding a local who is capable of doing this is our best bet."

Deborah can find Gino for you, if you like. You can tell she's enjoying the feeling of 'being on the inside' of something that feels important (at least relative to this sleepy, backwater world), but you're sure she's dishing the details to all the gossips around town.

Seally looks at the plans, pretty sure she has a better than even chance of doing it, but they're probably right. Messing that up could leave a trail of question that lead right to them not having good answers.

"I'll call Gino," she says, and pings the truck driver with the deets he gave her.

"Gino, got time for some dodgy work for dubious pay?"

"What can I do ya for?" Gino replies. You can hear his truck running in the background.

This post has been left intentionally blank

"Good to know Aliero but let's see what this Gino is willing to do for us first. Seally, can you ping Gino a pretty smile too?"

Seally putts her comm onto group chat mode so the others can hear and speak. She increases the ambient noise reduction filters to make it a pleasant experience.

"We need a vehicle to get us up the volcano to the south, as high as it can go, and we thought about our good friend Gino who was so nice to work with earlier. Are you interested? We might need to make some modifications to your vehicle, but we'll put it back right after we're done. Can we meet to discuss all of that, and your fee?"

She winks at the others.

"You wanna drive up Mt Salbarii? Why in blazes would you want to do that? I 'spose talking never hurt nobody, so yeah, I'll swing by in two shakes. What room you staying in?"

Fallon peeks her head over Seally's shoulder. "We'll meet you out front of The Walston! See you soon!"

"Do we have a plan for this guy? I bet he's going to want more than we are willing to give. He might hum and haw about the risks to his vehicle and try to squeeze us. He seems like that kind of guy."

You* walk down to lobby and outside the inn. Those of you not in filter masks can taste the grittiness in the air in stark contrast from the filtered air of The Walston.

Gino rumbles up the street, and you step past the small strip of manicured greenery that clings to the Inn's grounds and into the dirty street to meet him.

Now that you are imagining flying this vehicle thousands of metres above the ground, you evaluate the vehicle with a more critical eye. Whatever chassis this vehicle was built on no longer exists; in its place is a variety of incongruous metal scraps cobbled together from salvaged parts. The grav drive sound old; occasional pops and stutters Mar the normally harmonic humming of grav drives. It's boxy, irregular shape means it'll be slow in the air.

Although you are skeptical of how it would hold together under high-stress maneuvers, it looks serviceable enough for a short, routine flight, and is even small enough to fit into the cargo hold of the Wayward Wind for the trip back.

Gino waves you over, one furry arm hanging out the side window. "So, you want to join the mile high club, eh? Yep, old Gino's got ya covered. I got a lovely canopy I can put on the old girl, the whole thing will transform into a classy fantasy come true!"

"I can tell you want to talk numbers. I respect that. I charge Cr500 a flight. Plus I'll need some collateral and I'll get you to sign some 'if you break it you bought it' papers."

---

* - which includes Seally and whoever wants to be in this scene, feel free be doing something else in parallel or jump in here.

Seally looks it over. "It will carry our gear, sure, but how high up the side will it go? We want to go all the way to the top, and I wonder how it'll get up any, you know, vertical patches. Full grav flight is frowned upon, we hear. I'm just not sure. Is there any way to, I don't know, get around those protocols, just if we get into a tight spot?"

Seally leans close to the man, as she looks over the vehicle. It's a wreck, but the Wayward Wind probably is too, and it will have heart so you shut your mouth and see the potential.

"That's what I was thinking, anyway. Maybe a little after-market modification to it so it can do the job we need? Is that on the table?"

"You just let old Gino handle the grav inhibitor. It's all part of the fee. She'll get you a bird's eye view of Mt Salbarii, no sweat. And the canopy's pressurized - hard to do any smooching in a respirator mask, amiright? Gino's got it all sorted out."

"Let's call it Cr450 and call it a day. Special discount on account of your lovely smiles. Final offer."

In contrast, a quick call to Simi at the visitors center will reveal they can get you a grav vehicle rental for Cr100 a day, but you'd have to arrange the removal of the inhibitor yourself.

Zuni's eyebrows waggle up and down at the girls when Gino mentions the mile-high club and the pressurized canopy. But at that price...

"Any wiggle room there, Gino?" Zuni asks but he knows guys like this and isn't hopeful.

Fallon elbows Zuni lightly in the ribs. "Come on, don't badger our new friend Gino. He already gave us a generous 50Cr discount. And I'm sure he's got bills and mouths to feed at home. Don't you, Gino?"

Gino responds with a smile. "Many! I'm just a humble small business owner supplying services with no judgement and no questions asked."

The way he emphasizes those last words makes it sound like he might not actually think you want to have intercourse in the back of his vehicle, just plausible deniability for whatever you're up to. But then again, his learning, toothy grin makes you waiver back the other way.

"450Cr and you disable the grav inhibitor. Tomorrow, we'll pick up our rebreathers and climbing gear, for assistance if nothing else, and scale the volcano in ease and comfort by your manly side."

Seally looks at the others for agreement before she offers her hand to close the deal.

Fallon nods in agreement.

"Oh! I doubt our friend here wants to scale an active volcano with the likes of us, do you Gino?"

"Yeah, I'll be staying on the ground. And word to the wise, if you get caught with the inhibitor removed, I'm gonna act very shocked and deny taking any part of that. But you all seem like smart people, I'm sure you'll be careful."

He forwards you the paperwork. It's a lot less complex than typical Imperial contracts, but they probably have a simpler and less litgious judicial system here. You are agreeing to pay for damages you cause. If you lose it or completely destroy it, you owe Gino for the price of the vehicle.

The paperwork indicates the value of the truck at Cr100,000. A brand new air/raft would cost around Cr275,000 for example, and this junker has got to be a century or older. But, given the lack of places to buy a new grav craft on this planet, it isn't an unreasonable sum.

Fallon's eyes bulge and she sucks in air between her teeth. She looks around at the others. "We must return this vehicle in exactly the shape we borrowed it in."

Seally signs it personally. She doesn't have that much credits on her, but out of all of them, she can probably make it work easier than, say, Zuni. And hey, maybe it won't go pearshaped!

"Don't work, Fallon, everything will go as smooth as the skin on our asses"

Zuni looks over the details, his eyes widening with each second. "You got that right. Fallon. We should record the condition of the vehicle. Just in case ... you know ... there is any misunderstanding about its condition when we bring it back."

Chuckling, Zuni says,"I don't share your confidence Seally because my ass isn't smooth but I'm excited to try it anyway."

Nothing a little waxing and a few weeks of lotion can't solve," Fallon responds as she makes detailed notes and photos of the vehicle in its current condition just in case.

"Yeah, we’re going to need some footage of this shitbird before our friend here takes off. No offense." Alerio had been here dozens of times. Squabbles of the status of returned goods. Nothing but a headache and some paperwork.

"Cheaper to climb." she says, finally. One finally opportunity to not possibly fall 100k further into debt.

Seally gulps a little. " Repairs are one thing, having it destroyed is what triggers the replacement value. Climbing a volcano in thin atmosphere while carrying salvage gear isn't without major risks, either."

She clutches Alerio's hand. " We'll make it work. Come on, we're so close! "

Zuni snickers at Fallon. "Will you be doing the application?" His joking around was to break the tension brought about by such a dangerous mission. They had a tall order in front of them and they might not come back.

"We will have to be on our toes, ladies. We can easily do this but it will take all our ingenuity and care. Volcanoes are tricky beasts."

"I have a strict 'Look but don't touch' policy with colleagues. But keep me updated," she winks.

Turning slightly more serious, she says, "I've never actually seen a volcano before. Not in person or even been on a world with one."

"Well, you’re about to become very well acquainted with one." Alerio says, with a slap on the shoulder.

"Tomorrow then? Who’s driving this hunk of junk up there?"

Zuni fake smirks at Fallon and then answers Alerio. "I don't mind driving a vehicle full of pretty women, cruising the volcano action. But I will certainly defer to you ladies if one of you is hankering to. I can always assist and remain close by." He waggles an eyebrow but only once this time and then becomes serious.

"It's going to be a challenge with all those thermal currents up there. We might be buffeted around like a toy. It's hard to know until you're in it."

217:1115

---

You spend a luxurious night in the penthouse suite. You watch a small dust storm pass in the distance from your balcony, which turns into a sparkling prismatic light show. For dinner, they bring you the alderman tataki, which is as good as Greener told you. When you hit the sack, you find yourself wrapped in astronomically high thread counts, and splayed out on huge, premium mattresses. Whale sounds that synchronize with your circadian rhythms automatically start playing when you turn out the lights, but you figure out how to disable that shit pretty quick.

Morning comes, and Gino delivers the truck as promised. You take precautions against Gino scamming you, scanning the condition of the vehicle. The canopy on the back is indeed something. On the side, a sign boldly exclaims Shaggin' Wagon. Inside, the decor is all bead curtains, purple shag carpet, lava lamps, and pillows with psychadelic prints. The crate just barely fits.

"Okay, she's all yours. Enjoy your 'adventure,' folks!" Gino finishes with a wink and finger guns, and walks off while double-checking his the credits you've transferred to his account.

Fallon laughs and rolls her eyes when she sees the "Shaggin' Wagon". "Well at least we'll be going up in style," she says sarcastically. "And don't be getting any ideas, Zuni. Unless you end up saving my life. I have a soft spot for chivalrous heroes. Shotgun!" she cries as she heads to the front passenger side.

"Yeah? Zuni asks Fallon. "Really? Alright then, it's a date!" He allows himself a smile but then gets serious and down to business. Patting the side of the Shaggin' Wagon he jumps in.

"We should do a quick check that we have everything we need and then set a course to the southern end of the volcano and pray this rattletrap holds up."

" We need to stop by the government compound and pick up the rebreathers, masks, and climbing gear. Then we should make for the market, grab supplies for lunch, and rocket."

She slips the sword a little in its sheathe. " What do we have for weapons? Just in case? "

Seally is trying not to her excitement carry them too far. Gino might be a weasel but she's heavily armed and he knows that, too.

Alerio stoops and pulls a small black knife she keeps in her boot.

"Just old faithful here. I hope we don’t meet anything big."

She taps the vehicle, drumming it while she think.

"We could probably grab a couple of extra climbing picks, if you’re nervous. They can do some damage."

"Guess we will have to solve our problems with tits not testicles, Zuni."

Seally checks out the truck controls. "Pretty sure I can drive this. In case of emergency, everyone else think they can manage?"

"Easy peasy, Seally," Zuni says with his shit-eating smile, "even if I'm only testicles."
"Oh and I have a laser pistol. Not too exciting."

"You managed to keep that from the customs guy? That's great. I locked mine in one of those lockers when we arrived, and you put something in that one too, didn't you? I should have brought extra guns. Harumpf!"

She knocks on the side of the truck. "Hope it holds air."

"This thing is special edition. Got it when I graduated the police academy. Good for when they put a scanner on you and you don’t want it to ping!"

Something like pride beams across her face. She’s had the thing for a hell of a long time and it’s still as sharp as the day it was born.

"Too bad we can’t carry guns here. Never hurts to have a little something extra ready to go."

"That pistol, yeah, I put it in the locker." He winks at Seally. Turning to Alerios he says, "Clever. But surely they'd allow us a special dispensation to have weapons for this trip, although I suppose we won't need them flying over a volcano."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you want yo tell yourself, Zuni," she says in a friendly way. "I put my revolver in the locker but I still got this," she holds up her hand, showing off her stunfist. "Not much, but enough to zap Zuni in the testicles if that becomes necessary."

"There could be wild goats or whatever lives on a mountain. I'm mainly worried about those people that took it, I mean, what if one stayed behind too guard it?"

She shakes her head. "Alright let's go! I'll drive to the compound, that's just easy streets. Maybe Zuni can take it from there out of the city?" She bites her lip petulantly and settles into the drive seat cockpit thingy, during the engine to life. She's seen Gino operate it so quickly familiarizes herself with the controls.

Seally puts her hands on the old-fashioned mechanical controls, and feels it out as she goes. With the grav inhibitor turned off, you have control over pitch and roll from the same controls, so it is kinda tricky to keep it level. You head on over to the operations depot to pick up the climbing gear, filter masks, rebreathers, and excavation tools. Everything seems in order.

When they see they're loading it into Gino's Shaggin' Wagon, they have a good chuckle. "Yeah, you're cleaning those tools when they get back," you overhear one worker joking to the other.

Then Zuni takes the wheel, and you head south for Mt. Salbarii. There aren't any roads, but the desert is flat and there aren't many obstacles. Once Central Lake passes behind the horizon, you feel confident you can get the Shaggin' Wagon airborne without detection. You strap on your rebreathers and pressurize the canopy, and take to the air.

Getting a feel for the vehicle, she keeps it within driving parameters, under two meters from the ground, as if the inhibitor was fully operational. With the three navigators likely all shouting conflicty directions at her, she attempts to enjoy the ride, and pulls into the compound. "Seally Llewyn here for a pickup of some contractor equipment."

When the teamsters load them up and start joking, she jokes back, "You don't really want us to clean them after, do you? Wouldn't it be better if they were still," (dramatic pause) "dirty?" Her smile kills.

It wasn't exactly what he was used to but it would have to suffice. Taking over at the wheel he says,"Stand back ladies and let the master take charge," and did it feel good to be at the helm of a "ship" again if you could call this rattletrap a ship. Unlike Seally, he is methodical and takes his time getting a feel for the craft as they make their approach to the south for Mt. Salbarii before attempting the ascent.

"Ok crew, rebreathers on. Pressurizing the old bird." Zuni is all business now as he checks all systems are go for climbing.

Seally clutches Alerio's arm when they see it. "There it is! Hello, gorgeous, we'll rescue you from this mean ole volcano, yes we will." She barely notices the baby talk.

She shakes her head, and says, "Okay, people, we have a job to do. First and foremost, we need to secure the Wayward Wind, and the seismic sensors, then we need to check it over thoroughly for surprises. Then we need to place the seismic charges, monitor their function, and get the Wind to safety. I hope Gino's truck will fit inside."

Her voice is pleasant, friendly, as she looks at the others each in turn. "Who wants to do what, and what did I miss?"

"I want to know why the hell they landed there!" Alerio moans, with a furrowed brow.

Then, with a heavy, resigned sigh, she starts up:

"Ill plant the charges." raising a hand, though she looks unhappy with the prospect!

"Because it's easy to find?" she guesses. "Also, not many people are going to stumble across it up here. Especially with that grav ban. I'll sweep the ship and make sure it's clean. I can check the electronics to make sure everything is up and running smoothly."

"I don't know, it seems odd, suspicious even. There must be something down there, otherwise, it makes no sense at all that anyone would put a ship down in that. I mean couldn't they just as easily have hidden it and camouflaged it in an identifiable spot somewhere else at the base of the mountain? Grav ban or no it doesn't feel right to me."

Shaking his head, reluctant to let go of those thoughts he says,"I'll take care of the seismic sensors."

Seally knows she had to be useful too. "I'll help you, Fallon. Try and stay together, and watch for surprises. I'm afraid that something scared away those hotrodders enough that they left the ship here. Or maybe the drive failed."

She squees. "We're nearly there. She's almost ours!"

Zuni brings the truck around and lands it near the rear of the ship where it will be easy to load it. As you approach, you get to see first-hand how badly damaged the ship is. Multiple scorch marks blacken the hull, and the upper turret is a burned-out shell.

You make a few passes to search for danger. No sign of movement or habitation. There are some caves toward the out rim of the volcano, and the lake itself is opaque. Perhaps the ship's sensors will be of use to further assess dangers.

As you land the truck, a furry creature emerged from below the ship. It is mamilian with black and white fur, has four legs and a wagging tail, and is making sharp roaring noises at the Shaggin' Wagon. The creature is immmaciated to the point where you can see its individual ribs, and looks quite unhealthy. This might explain its aggression.

"What? A dog? He must have been on the ship. I'm getting out. Zuni exits the ship and stoops low to the ground. "Come here pup. Come on. I won't hurt you. There's a good boy. Where are your people? Hmm little guy?"

As he tries to coax the dog closer he takes the opportunity to scan the area from that level and see if there are signs of anyone or anything in the vicinity besides the dog. If the dog doesn't approach he will go back in and find a treat or ask the girls to bring one out. The dog might be able to lead them somewhere useful.

The dog is too scared to approach. It really does look to be in wretched shape.

As you survey the site, you see no sign of anybody. Now that you're on the ground, you do make out some empty beverage cans with laser pistol holes burned through them.

"Knowing our luck, they got chased off many some great lava worm, or something." she says with a shudder.

"It might explain the damage."

And then she sees the dog approach, and her eyes go wide. She hadn’t seen one since… the K-9 unit back home?

As the dog ignores Zuni, she taunts:

"Last owner must have been a man! Watch and learn!"

Alerio claps her hands and then pats them against her thighs!

"Here! Here! Come and get it! Come on! Here!" and then she wags some of her provisions at the poor thing!

Spotting the cans Zuni says "Hey guys, whoever was here obviously didn't believe in pack in take out They left their litter behind and it looks like they were bored."

He is glad to see Alerio's efforts with the treats beginning to pay off as he watches the poor creature approach the woman.

Seally doesn't understand dogs, they weren't something she grew up with, and preferred monkeys if you were going to have a pet. Still, the creature did look like it could be cute if it wasn't so dirty.

She waits for Alerio, who has a surprising knack for such matters, to gain it's trust.

"They left it here? And then they went on a rampage in town? I'm surprised it can breathe here, we were told the air was dangerously thin." She looks around and then makes her way slowly to the ship. "Let's get this thing checked out and then let us run some atmo scans before we get too carried away."

Fallon nods at Seally's words and makes her way inside. She heads for the sensors first, then to the bridge to check all the electronics.

The dog's bark slowly turns into a whine as Alerio begins to override its fear with its natural affinity for humans, especially humans with treats. It waivers, then caves in and limps towards you, and begins licking the food out of your hands. Up close, you can see the animal is in rough shape, but it must be a survivor to have stayed alive all this time. You're grateful for the filter mask keeping the animal's scent at bay. Pretty soon it is shaking and dancing about you as if moved with joy.

The override codes supplied by House Llewyn work as promised, and you open up the cargo bay doors. This is your first taste of the advanced technology this ship represents. A century old, it was built in the Core worlds at what some consider the height of Imperial starship design.

The bay doors slide open smoothly and soundlessly. Unlike most starships out on the frontier made from bulky Crysteel, Wayward Wind is top-to-bottom Bonded Superdense*, which allows for elegance in design without sacrificing strength. A thin ramp slips out from some hidden space beneath the door and forms a gentle arch between the ship and the ground, inviting you inside.

Unfortunately, the elegance is marred by the frat-house like condition of the interior, which is completely dark. Turning on your own lamps, you see heaps of trash, rotting food, dirty clothes, and dog shit as you enter the cargo bay (18). It takes you a minute to spot the seismic survey gear amid the unlit midden heap. There are a pair of seismic charges, as expected, and a bulky device the size of your crate for analyzing the resulting shockwave. The instructions indicate the charges must be placed at least 100m below the volcano's crust for the shockwaves to penetrate. The device must be set up on the volcano's surface, and then it can remotely detonate the charges and read the data.

The dog follows Alerio inside, so close to her footsteps she could trip over him if she didn't pay attention.
You attempt to access sensors from the engineering station. Power seems good, but the main computer looks to be offline. You do find some manual switches to turn on the lights, at the least.

The bridge is on the second level, but the lift is unresponsive and it will take some doing to get up there. However, Fallon is certain she can begin installing the new operating system from Engineering. Bringing the crate up the ramp, Fallon hooks up the crate computer and begins the reset process. The process goes smoothly, but will take time.

Fallon estimates it will take 4 hours to complete. The system is automated from here, so Fallon won't need to be tied to the computer. However, if something unexpected occurs, it will notify her via comms.

---

* - A material that had its molecular structure partially collapsed in a massive artificial gravity field.

"I guess the dog really does only like women," Zuni kids. When the ramp slides out followed by the doors of the ship sliding open Zuni stares unblinking."Whoa." He hadn't seen a ship as nice as this, with the exception of the exterior damage of course, since the last convention and it was going to be theirs.

"Pity about the crew being such pigs though," he says once inside the ship, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the mess. "Guess we got some cleanup to do."

Zuni finds a treat and tries to feed it to the dog. "Hey Buddy. Girls, what shall we call him, or is it a she?" He cranes his head sideways to have a look.

"I'll grab that seismic gear over there and see what's what. Looks like Greener was right." Extracting the bundle from the heap of refuse and wrinkling his nose again he starts to check out the gear and read some instructions. "It says the charges must be placed at least 100m below the volcano's crust. Easy peasy."

Seally looks at the mess. While she is initially disgusted, she is eager to clean it out. "I'll start cleaning this out, and load the garbage into Gino's truck. Then we can drop it off in the volcano or maybe a landfill or waste management facility."

She wrinkles her nose at the doggie doodoo. "Glad we're wearing these. Hey when you go plant those charges, if you see anything sketchy let us know, we'll be ready for a rescue or back up, or we can bring snacks. "

The caves on the perimeter of the crater look like your best bet for going underground. Before Seally begins the cargo bay cleanup, she can ferry the explorers across to the caves in Gino's truck. Once the crew is able to inspect closer, they see the caves appear to be ancient lava tunnels. The smooth walls of the cave descend rapidly, becoming nearly vertical at times.

Fallon looks around the ship and tries to imagine it without all the rubbish. "Well, it's definitely a cleaner-upper. I guess it's pretty clear there were no women in that group of ruffians," she muses. I'll get started checking out the electronics in Engineering and see if I can get some power back on." After a few minutes she gets the lights on and power back somewhat. "The software upload will take a few hours. I'll help you clean, Seally. Dumping this stuff into the volcano seems like our best bet." Fallon looks for a broom, trashbags, or gloves.

Patting the dog on the head, and coaxing it alongside her, Alerio enters the ship. What had been pleasant surprise gave way to crushing expectations.

"It’s… nice!" she offers, with an unconvincing look that’s partially masked by the glean on her mask.

"That’s all your muck, I take it." she says, looking down at the dog, who looks back up innocently; failing to take any responsibility for the matter.

"I’ll go with you!" she calls to Zuni then. She ponders then for a moment, before speaking to the two other women:

"An old dog that only likes women. We should call it Zuni then, shouldn’t we?" she says with a wink and a laugh. She bends down to pet the dog.

"You stay here, ZuZu!"

"Zuzu huh? You better watch out Alerio. I might cut your zip line. Sure you want to come with me?" He throws a tight-lipped smile her way and continues inspecting the gear.

"Alright then. Let's get to it." Zuzu takes out a safety harness, gloves, helmet, rock shoes, helmet, and tool belt and proceeds to put everything on.

"Come on Alerio. These gloves look your size. Helmet too. Have a look." He pushes the bag over to the woman. "I suggest we go slow and easy."

Zuni and Alerio don the climbing gear and find suitably sturdy rocks to drive their anchors into. With the explosive charges strapped to their backs, they slip their way into their respective lava tubes.

Zuni finds his lava tunnel is almost all vertical, and sweat drips from his brow as he swaps lines without solid footing in the dark, but he manages to make the change. He finds a solid place to anchor the charge, and then begins the onerous climb back out. Reminds him of old times with the Scouts, exploring caves on now far-away worlds for mineral deposits. As your hands make contact with the rock, you find that it is warm to the touch, even hot in certain places.

Meanwhile, Alerio finds her way down. Her descent is much more jagged, which makes for an easier descent but she knows it'll be harder coming back up. Fortunately, Alerio is an accomplished climber and knows how to handle herself dangling precariously over the dark abyss. She gets to 100m (estimated from rope usage), plants the charge, and begins the arduous ascent, having to navigate overhangs and sharp-edged rocks. Alerio also finds the cave's walls to be unexpectedly warm to the touch.

The two of you come up on the surface, dripping in sweating and with laboured breath.

Alerio and Zuni find Seally and Fallon busy with the clean out, and have mostly cleared the trash out of the cargo bay and into the crater. You give them a call for a lift, and they come fetch you in the truck. While they're getting over, a tremor grips the mountain. It is not especially violent but goes on for a surprisingly long time, making it difficult to stand in the open.

After what seems like far too long, the ground stops trembling. Suddenly, you see a disturbance in the surface of the lake. As the Travellers watch, huge bubbles rise to the surface of the lake for a short buy intense burst, then just as suddenly as they appeared, they subside again.

Zuni wiped his brow and looked forward to resting his legs. That was exhausting work and just as he was dreaming about collapsing in a corner of the ship with some smartass remark poised and ready on the tip of his tongue, the ground started to shake.

"Shit. I thought the walls felt warm. I think she's going to blow, ladies. That was probably a warning. If we detonate the charges now, that could make her blow sooner."

Seally and Fallon weren't dancing most of the time they were spelunking, no, no, no, that would be insensitive. Why is ZuZu all worn out and lying in the sun? Well, it's probably the malnutrition you see.

Still, Seally is past gagging to contemplating opening the cargo hold to vacuum and just letting decompression clean up the ZuZu doodoo.

When the rumbling goes off, she points at the lake, and over the intercom, says, "Poison gas, right? Is that a thing? Like sulfur of something, I don't remember, but yeah. Let's check on the software update, Fallon, I want out of here before we're flamebroiled and served in a dogshit aioli."

"Did the earth just fart? A rumbling in the belly followed by a sudden release of gas. I think that was a geologic fart. Maybe it needs some laxatives." Maybe she'd been cleaning up dog poo for so long everything was seeming like a gastric emergency. Regardless, we should fill in Greener about this. Maybe it will confirm or deny his suspicions. I'll check on the updates if you want to contact him."

Seally checks on the other two one more time, then comms to Greener, sending a message.

Charges in place. Craft secured, flight checks in progress. Continued seismic activity. Concerned charges might instigate further developments. Advise.

Alerio arrives back topside, her arms and legs gone to jelly; her breathing deep and gulping. She holds her hands together to stop the tremor for a moment, as she sits on the ground. Her eyes felt heavy, and she knew she’d be aching tomorrow and the day after at least.

"Tell me we are going to be out of here before this thing decides it wants to blow." she manages to speak.

Everyone manages to get back to the ship without much trouble, and Greener responds to Seally's call within a few minutes:

Felt that down here, too. Charges shouldn't cause tectonic activity. Get that data so we can get preparations authorized.

The software reinstall enters its final stages, but it still needs an hour to complete. You have Gino's truck ready to go, just in case. While you wait, a few events transpire:

1. The installation process encounters a large memory sector that cannot be overwritten. Possibly corrupted, but doesn't cause the process to abort. Hopefully won't cause any issues.

2. The water level of the crater lake slowly but steadily drops. Probably draining into the lava tubes, Zuni and Alerio are especially happy they got the job done quickly.

3. Zuzu is very unsettled, and insists on hanging nearby Zuni Alerio at all times.

Finally, the operating system completes. A ball of golden light suddenly forms in the engineering room, and coalesces into a female form. Geometric patterns cascade across her skin in ever-changing patterns.



The synthetic operating system speaks with a posh Core Worlds accent: "Ah, I see I have a new crew. I am your ship's artificial intelligence, and I am here to ensure your journey is a success. I expect you to behave in an orderly fashion and to utilize my skills and expertise to the fullest. Now, how may I be of service?"

"The AI expects us to behave in an orderly fashion?" Alerio says with a dismissive snort.

"It just showed up ten seconds ago, and its already giving orders."

"What exactly are your 'skills and expertise', if I may ask?"

Alerio ruffles the ears of Zuzu as they all wait for an answer to that question. Once they got off this particular landing zone, she’d get someone to take a look at him properly.

She's examining the cargohold after the cleanup, where they discovered that under the trash in the cargo bay, there are busts and reliefs of important figures from the history of House Llewyn peering down from the walls and the floor is emblazoned with a massive rendering of the house's coat of arms. "Greener says the charges won't start an eruption. Can you set them off now, Alerio, before they get dissolved by lava?"

She faces the AI hologram. "Wayward Wind system, accept temporary designation, Goldie. Goldie, the Wayward Wind is currently situated in an active volcano. Prepare the ship for immediate emergency liftoff. We will set down approximately twelve kilometers north, in an empty field on the other side of the lake north of mount Salbarii. Zuni," she points to the man, "is chief pilot. He will operate the Wayward Wind through the flight. Upon landing, please instigate a full system diagnostic."

You know that the Artificial Intelligence Accords that date back to the First Imperium have forbidden the creation of self-aware software, but this one gives you a pretty good run for your money. It speaks as if reciting poetry.

"In addition to standard operating system functions, I am able to augment your crew's skills in several ways:

> Evade/1: I can assist the pilot in executing evasive maneuvers, suggesting statistically optimal counters to the current unfolding tactical situation
> Fire Control/2: I can assist in targeting the ship's weapons and defensive countermeasures.
> Jump Control/2: I can assist with operating the ship's Jump drive.
> Manoeuvre/0: I can assist with operating the ship's Manoeuvre drive.
> Library: I can provide access to the entire Imperial Library.

"I have additional expansion capability to install new software as your mission evolves."

Zuni isn't sure why his fear instincts have kicked into overdrive but they have. He had learned from past experiences not to ignore those warning bells but it looked like things were under control for now. Still ...

Then Alerio plays with his ears and he's all smiles especially when the AI tells them to behave. He was such a sucker for a woman's attention.

Seeing the busts Zuni's brows lift in surprise. "You really are a big cheese, huh Seally?" he says as he straps into the pilot's seat. "Gee, with all the AI can do, do we even need me?" Of course they needed him. This was nervous Zuni talking.

"Alright ladies, ready to get this thing airborne?"