GM: Sean Nittner
Players: Eric Fattig, Adrienne Mueller, and Karen Twelves
System: Blades ’68
Downtime session after a hectic score. Here’s the things I wanted to make we addressed alongside the personal business.
- Fate of Delta at the Golden Hand. The Golden Hand is at -2 Faction Status with Dirt Barons, which means they will go out of their way to hurt the Barons, even if it cost them something. They also have personal issues with Delta (he defeated Epsilon-1, which lost them a contract with the Bluecoats, even though his resonance echo has been replaced, Avrand still holds a personal grudge from when Delta broke his arm).
- Work with Adrienne to create a new character. Spoiler, it ended up being Little Gallo the Swinger!
- SCORPION Syndicate. Ramp up the threats.
- Bowman and the palace. Ramp up the surveillance and pressure.
- Trouble (local): None. Yay!
- Trouble (crew): Wrong place, wrong time. Little Gallo went to a Tomorrow Project party and got roughed up…but he learned about their plans for something called the Catalyst Engine…and heard about the Yesterdays.
- Adjusting the faction clocks for Scorpion Syndicate, Red Torque, SMF, and the Palace to reflect actions from last score.
Personal Business
Nav was still hurt from the last assassination attempt from Lord Dunvil’s Hollows. She went to Sister Elsa for care and was nearly patched up, but it will take time to recover completely [3/4 ticks on the healing clock after two downtime actions]. Sister Elsa suggested that she take it easy and let the wounds heal. Nav inquired if going to a bath would help and though the healer of the Weeping Lady knew that Nav was angling for another score, and that she wasn’t a doctor, she nevertheless offered a “doctor’s note” to Nav that she should rest in the Blue Baths.
[Side note: After her encounter with the shadow-warped Castelle Fane, Nav deadlocked her Confident key with Doubting]
Delta was dropped up unceremoniously (Nav was still searing about the last job) and taken into the back by two Charlie units. He saw the Ultraplasm bomb (that he had worked on before) being loaded into a truck with Avrand (who had a grudge against him) supervising. Delta tried to radio the Charlie units to take him via another path, but either his radio was damaged (possible) or the bombs interference blocked transmission (likely) or they had been instructed to ignore him (also a possibility). [1-3 result on a Risky/Standard Command]. Avrand spotted him on the way and told the Charlie units to place Delta on the repair rack with a restraining bolt to make sure he didn’t go anywhere.
The units dutifully obliged and hun him up on a rack, right next to Epsilon-1. The reaction to flinch was minute, but detectable.
Paolo was fried from the last mission and needed to let off steam. He found Three-Fingers finishing a set and of course the sax player and gambler took his earnings in chips instead of cash. Paolo cajoled him into gambling together at the roulette table (famously known for involving the least skill but also having some of the greatest rewards). There they spotted Little Gallo, who was being interrogated by Val about who beat him up. Val was threatening to send them to the Bellweather Fusion Station! Little G wouldn’t give names, but when Val finally gave up and stormed off, he revealed to Paolo that he had been doing Dirt Baron work and was at a Tomorrow Project party when he overheard them talking about a project: The Catalyst Engine. Unfortunately, he was also caught and beat up, but he kept ahold of the tape recorder he used to recorder their conversations. Paolo told him to take it to Nav (she’s the spy) and then won big on 22 (the number on his car Salvation). Miraculously Three-Fingers made out okay as well! [Recovering 6 stress indulging voice, actually gambling a stack (two taking from the bank) and doubling his money. We folded the vice roll into a Fortune roll as well, but only the die he rolled as part of the devils bargain counted to see if he won].
Nav was in the base when Little Gallo appeared, and again said he was just fine, but that he had info for him. “I did just like you trained me and stuck with it to get the dirt.” Nav corrected him that her lesson was “Get the info. Don’t get caught.” Since befriending Harani from the Anchayat Consortium could be dangerous for her standing with her parents, they got together to write letters home and corroborate each other’s innocent stories. When they finally got time alone Harani told her the story of Elasha trying to wrest control of the Anchayat house and being banished to Doskvol. Harani said she would do anything to get back, but Nav was inclined to stay. This is where my friends are.
Delta tried to talk to Epsilon-1, and found the unit was neither angry nor upset about their fight “Your victory was improbable.” It was a compliment “You operated outside the parameters specified in the match”. A mechanical way of saying you cheated. Delta determined the Epsilon-1’s repairs has been de-prioritized after it’s failure in the council meeting. Feeling guilty, Delta transferred some of his Drain through the repair rack conduit to help power up Epsilon-1 [Using the Energy Beam ability].
Paolo asked around and eventually found Mack Ransom at overseeing a Xantha Pharm dispensary construction. He told Mack he wanted to pay off his debt and Mack said sure thing, Paolo just had to do him a favor by getting someone to give up his property. Paolo begrudgingly met with George Panelli in the home he had lived in for 30 years. The home his wife died in 10 years ago, and the home he intended to die in as well. Paolo told George flat out that ] if he didn’t sell, Mack was going to kill him. George told Paolo to get better friends, but eventually he relented [Success on Risky/Standard Command. Devils Bargain to take -1 Faction Status with Silkshore Citizenry].
When Nav got back to the base she saw broken glassware and ask Paolo what happened. “Some of the glasses were broken” he said in the most passive voice possible. Geraldine, who was scooping up the mess, made a feeble attempt at putting them back together, but it was hopeless. Nav also reminded him that he needed to talk to Loretta about their heat, so the very grumpy (volatile even) Paolo stormed out to find their lawyer just as she was closing up shop.
Loretta was concerned. Paolo seemed dour and he was never dour. He told her he had a terrible day and did things he wasn’t proud of but wouldn’t tell her what it was. She warned him about closing in and cutting other people off..,Kassius might not stick around if he did that to him…just like he had done to Loretta years before!
The crew didn’t want to risk going to war with the Tomorrow Program, so they let Little Gallo’s beating slide [-1 rep, which just brough them down from Tier 1S back to Tier 1W.
Planning Meeting and Engagement Roll
The score was simple, Little Gallo would pose as a racer that could move product for Red Torque (they had the shipment, but it was too big to move all in one go). The figured they could skim a little off the top (6 stacks) without the SCORPION Syndicate knowing.
Gallo got the job from Blaze (leader of the Red Torque) who smiled as he wiped ash from his face. “So kid, you ever been to the Deathlands?” [Engagement roll results: Desperate situation].
In the distance a figure in the shadows was watching as all of this went down.
A saying when you’re going to kill someone “Turn their lights out so we can keep our lights on!”
