Session Log 11

Mars Tier

• Before they caught up with the fleeing go-cycle, the ghost shuttle lead Terry on a merry, satellite-evading chase and sneaked them into the TQZ. By the time they finally laid real eyes on the vehicle it was stopped dead in the middle of what enhanced vision told them was a perfect cylinder of very cold Martian surface - soil, go-cycle, and the air above it.

• Nicklas climbed up a nearby canyon wall and took a sniper’s position keep an eye on the surrounding terrain.

• Kru proved just how cold the circle was by walking into it - and immediately begining to freeze. The only thing that saved him was the fact he was wearing a vacsuit. John and Piv dragged him free and thawed him out.

• The bike appeared to have been ⅘ of the way across the frozen circle when the cold overcame it and it stalled. The hatch was partially open so Kru scoped the interior with a remote and determined it was empty.

• Rentlov found disturbed soil marks on the ground indicating that perhaps Oz-1 jumped from the cycle, exited the circle and continued northeast towards the White Zone.

• As the party tried to follow the tracks, Nicklas spied some odd figures watching from the opposite canyon lip. They looked like humanoid morphs in strange environment suits. After being made they stared back for a few moments and the disappeared below Nicklas’ sightline.

• John 117 opted to track - or at least follow the suspected route Oz-1 took - on foot, hiking until dawn. He saw no indication of his quarry.

• Kru plotted a possible course and determined that in about 100 clicks it intersected a cluster of strange round buildings that records indicated did not exist until about two years after the Fall. The party debated for some time about whether to leapfrog ahead to the building complex in case that was Oz-1’s goal or whether they should break off pursuit and return to Pontes Station. They decided to return to the orbital.

• On the way out, the team called in to the “Korean laundry” and was given coordinated to pick up some “shirts.” It turned out that some kind of remote drone had crashed in the Zone along with it’s payload - a small metallic case. The team picked it up, resisting the urge to look inside, and when they arrived at the Pathfinder City shuttleport they were met by a humorless Asian phenotype morph who took the case, said nothing and walked away.

• Not long after returning to Pontes Station they got word from Kru’s muse that satellites were tracking a large dust plume moving slowly southwest, apparently having originated from the target cluster of TITAN tech buildings.

Stars Our Destination Tier

• Terry and his entourage were hustled aboard a shuttle and zipped off to Three Sheets to the Wind just ahead of the Direct Action posse.  Upon arrival he was swamped by a spontaneous mesh-mob of enthusiastic fans. He was swept away to make an impromptu speech with Rentlov acting as a sort of manager and Nicklas tagging along as ad hoc security.

• Kru found a coffee shop and began working on two things. First he researched his father’s arrest and discovered he was being framed - rather clumsily - and falsely connected to Fee Luna, a terrorist organization that had claimed responsibility for several nonviolent nanite attacks against infrastructure they saw are part of the oppression of the clanking masses. he also managed to trace the IP address of the person who hacked the planted files back to Mars. Second, he hacked up and released a cryptic message worm to his mother hoping she would realize he was alive and trying to reassure her.

• John 117 realized that he recognized the main structural section of Three Sheets as the core of a half-built space station he had been sent to on an ego-napping mission in the last months of what would become the Fall. He had been sent to capture three anarchist agitators - Alice Cho (an EDF member), Bugaboo Jones (a neo-gorilla mercurial rights activist) Able Able (an informorph hacktivist). He apparently got Jones and Able Able but something went wrong and he had to abort the mission before he could get Alice.  

• Quest #3 - Most Wanted - Unlocked

In light of this discovery John 117 did a little research and discovered two things. One, Alice Cho is still alive and is first among peers on the Stars Our Destination - and still an elder among the EDF. Two, he found a club/museum called Notorious that had a series of curated exhibits about famous criminals from before the Fall. In a featured display was a well-documented presentation on the “Spartan morph” who had ego napped Jones and Able. It was clear by the stains - spit, blood and other - and graffiti that this Spartan character was loathed by the people of the swarm.

• Quest #4 - Double Meme-ing - Unlocked

Rentlov, backing away and let Terry tell his story. While exploring the open plaza he noticed some AR advertizing - a strangely familiar little dirigible flying around the vast space - touting the next episode of Dead Orbit, the famous, caustically humorous, anti-hyper corp mesh-cast show. Rentlov’s show from before the Fall.

The ad claimed the host - Osiris - would be broadcasting live from the upcoming, swarm-wide Launch Day celebration.