Health Spirit Supply Momentum 5 4 5 5

We were separated almost immediately and placed in separate rooms. Our weapons and comms were confiscated, as were our packs. I wasn’t too off guard about this - when your ship looks like the Nomad does, you get used to staring at the inside of a customs office.

After about an hour, a woman entered the room, heavily scarred, dressed in a fancier version of the station uniform I’d seen others in. She smiled when she saw me and placed her papers down on the stainless steel table between us, “Mr. Savela, it’s good to meet you. I trust things have been pleasant for you so far? Sorry about all this, but y’know, sometimes one of my agents just gets a bad feeling and it’s my job to investigate.”

“You’re the port master?” I asked.

“That I am.” Another smile. “Commander Mae Okiro, at your service.” She offered a hand and I took it. We shook.

“Now, if I’m understanding this correctly, when you were spoken to by my agent about your reasons for being here, you lied to him and said your companion was your bodyguard, not, in fact, your client, is that correct?”

I swallowed. If she knew that, it was probably safe to assume she’d searched the nomad, maybe even found the data chip that was keeping us hidden from Bonfire’s sister. No point denying it. Hopefully the truth would be compelling, “Yeah, that’s right.” I grimaced. “Sorry. I have a duty to protect my client.”

Face Danger: Weak Hit

Endure Stress: Miss

Sweat beaded on my brow. If they’d gone through the files on the Nomad, how much did they know?

“We searched your ship, Mr Savela, it’s certainly a… interesting vessel.”

“I have legal salvage papers,” I said immediately, “She came from the Spheries, but she’s mine.”

Compel: Miss

“If I understand correctly, you would need to grant us access to your ship’s database in order to find these papers. Are you willing to do so?”

I grit my teeth and said, “Fine.”

“Excellent.” She turned to the mirrored window, “Lieutenant, have somebody investigate the Nomad’s records.”

Turning back to me, she said, “Now all of this, whilst fascinating, is extraneous to what we’re here to discuss. Mr. Savela, what is you and your companion’s purpose aboard Reverie Station, and why did you seek to conceal them?”

I was going to have to tell her everything. And be honest about it, if they had access to my ship’s records.

And that’s what I did.

Compel: Strong Hit w/ match

“I know,” I concluded, “That it wasn’t the best of ways to go about it, but I was protecting my client from someone who had threatened us with harm. I wasn’t about to just hand her over when just the thought of it sent her into a tizzy.”

“Well, I must say, your story seems very compelling. And the evidence we have, along with the statement from your client seems to back up what you’re saying. If it’s true what you said about Mantis threatening you, that’s a serious allegation, do you wish to press charges?”

“Not really,” I said.

“Well, even if that's true, I would like to tell you about our station’s victim protection program.”

Make a Connection: Strong Hit

Sojourn: Weak Hit

Hearten: Automatic Strong Hit

"Did you know about this?" I said to Bonfire when, with us both released, we went to a small bar on the commercial floor of the station, "The Quints…" I glanced around us, and spotting only a few station hospitality staff and miners, continued anyway at a whisper, "The Quints are evil bastards, but this right here?" I thrust a finger into the leaflet the commander had given to me, "This is the good shit. Accommodation and stipends for people fleeing violence and abuse? Additional security measures? They even have counselling for crying out loud."

"Are you saying that you would like counselling? I do not know if we have time for that, although I am sure it is of great benefit to

many."

"What?" I scoffed, "No, I don't need that."

"Your only friend is a robot who hates you." She pretended to think, placing a finger to her chin, "You know, we should probably make time. This seems urgent."

"Ugh, shut up," I groaned, burying my face in my arms, "Why are all the people so horrible to me?"

"You bring it on yourself," she said wisely.

"Probably true."

She took a neat little sip of her drink - something fizzy and orange. Non alcoholic, apparently she needed her head clear. “I did know about the program though.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

She shrugged, “I panicked. And you seemed like you knew what you were doing”

“Nobody ever tells me anything,” I groaned, “Do you know how much easier my life would’ve been if I could just–” I waved at our table of completely legal false identity documents, “everytime I had some dickhead on my tail who for completely unintelligble reasons didn’t want medicine getting to Deadrock?”

“Has that happened often?”

“Well, not specifically, but I’ve definitely had people on my tail who I’d rather weren’t multiple times.”

"Because of the Spheries?"

And nope, definitely too close to things I did not want to talk about. “So this Lux guy, huh? You think he’s here?”

Bonfire wasn’t even phased, “I know he is. So does my sister, apparently.”

“Your sister’s after the same guy?”

She scowled. “I will talk about my sister the second you talk about the Spheries.”

Fair enough.

“Do you have a plan for how you’re going to get him back to the ship?”

She nodded, “Shoot him full of tranquilisers and drag him there.”

I frowned, “There’s gotta be a better way than that. Could you not hide him in something?”

“Like what?”

I thought back to the hangar bay where we docked, “There were those… buggy things that people were using for baggage, maybe we could borrow one of those?”

“Fine, if you need something to do whilst I apprehend the target, fetch us a… buggy.”

I grinned, “At your command, m’lady.”

Deepen Relationship

And so, I went down to hangar bay twelve where I found an older, wiry man working by a bank of several small maintenance and cargo vessels.

He looked up at my approach, and I saw the name attached to his uniform said staff member: Jihun.

“Excuse me sir, I was wondering, would I be able to borrow one of those fine vehicles you have there? My crewmate and I have some pretty heavy things we need to get back to our ship that we can’t carry on our own.”

Secure an Advantage: Miss

He looked at me doubtfully for a few moments, then nodded towards one of the vehicles, “It ain’t just free for anyone.”

“Alright, how much?” I hoped that the payment for getting Bonfire to Reverie had gone through.

“Fifteen thousand creds for an hour.”

I grimaced, then checked my account.

Check your gear: Strong Hit

I had enough. I grinned.

“Sure.”

Half an hour later, I had the transport in my custody and a hefty price weighing over my head for any damages it incurred.

I patched through to Bonfire on the Comm, “Bonfire, this is Princess, I’ve got the vehicle, just heading over to the nomad now to find some stuff to secure it with.”

I rummaged around in the Nomad’s cargo bay as I spoke, something that I preferred to avoid if possible, but, I reasoned, it was in aid of a good cause.

Check your gear: Strong Hit

I found a decently person-sized crate and, once I’d emptied out the stacks of posters variously decrying the evils of fornication, mint scented soap, and the Quints (that one I completely empathised with), I loaded the box and some sturdy looking straps onto the transport vehicle.

Face Danger: Miss

“Bonfire?” I said again when she didn’t respond.

There was no reply.

Shit.

Health Spirit Supply Momentum 5 5 5 10