Actual Play - 3rd Game (1 Apr 12)

Between our last game and this one, the characters have stayed in the town with the library.  Twenty-three days have passed, and the characters spent the majority of the time training with their weapons, while they awaited further orders from King Ossian or Clanchief Artemis.  During this time, rudimentary radios, batteries and solar panels have been constructed by the townsfolk, who continue to hone their skills.  Much of what has been produced so far have been produced by hand, and finely crafted with wooden cases and containers.  Metal is in short supply, so is used sparingly only when it is completely necessary.


As the party prepares to go speak to the Librarian, the Radio they found near the third impact site crackles to life.


"Hello?  Hello?"


When they respond, First Contact asks,  "I’m detecting many transmitters on the surface, where did you get them?"


They explained that they've made them, and are working develop other technologies as well.  First Contact continues to milk them for information, and they go to the Library to learn more.  It is only there the Librarian reminds them they were told by Ossian and Artemis not to give it any more infomration.


While they're discussing it, Delphi receives a telepathic message from Clanchief Artemis, "Tell the Librarian to implement Plan Alpha."  Upon hearing this, the Librarian excuses himself and disappears into the back.  Upon his return 10 minutes later, he hands the party a large stack of plans, and, as before, says to take them to the silversmith.  When they return to the library to ask about Plan Alpha, he tells them it is their plan to rebuild their spacefaring civilization either when it is safe to do so, or necessary due to some threat.  He then sends a runner with a radio to their capital city, to spread the news about Plan Alpha.


Zaccheus, Dara, Cinnia, Gildas, Delphi, Tiernan, Blaine and Lykaios are taken into the basement of the library, while Lairgnen and Alec return to the Inn.  In the library, the party is led to a small room with chairs facing a blank wall.  They spend the next three weeks there, ten hours a day, watching ancient videos on space travel, learning the rudiments of piloting a spacecraft and how to use a vacc suit.  After their training is complete, they're sent to the capital, where they find a large wooden building with it's roof torn off.  Sitting in a now-exposed basement is a preserved 50-ton cutter!  They party is told they are to fly it to the outer asteroid belt and locate Alpha Base, drop off 5 scientists whose job will be to bring the base back up to full capability, and return to Arden with cargo from the base for Plan Alpha.  They manage to take off successfully, and the trip to the belt takes 15 days.  


At the outer belt, they transmit special codes to hail Alpha Base, and manage to locate it.  Alpha base is a huge asteroid, hollowed out and turned into a space station.  They land on the surface, and locate an airlock large enough for the cutter.  Zaccheus manages to fly the ship into the airlock, and then into the station, where they find 49 additional cutters berthed!  The next morning, the party checks additional cutters, and after finding five that work, begin the journey back to Arden.  Zaccheus, Dara, Gildas, Delphi and Cinnia each take one cutter for journey, which only takes 4 days, as the cutters are in much better shape and are capable of sustained 4g acceleration rather than just 1g.  Upon landing on Arden, Cinnia manages to damage the drives of her cutter; but the party is welcomed back as heroes anyway.  


For three days, they party and rest, and then are sent back to Alpha Base in a single cutter to resupply it with food and five more scientists.  At Alpha Base the newer crew of scientists tells them they are to just take the one cutter, and head to the inner asteroid belt in order to locate a trio of subsidized merchant vessels that are hidden there.  They make the inner belt in three days, and manage to find the merchant vessels almost immediately.  Zaccheus manages to land the cutter in the cargo deck of one of the merchant vessels, and they secure it in place.  Zaccheus then manages to fly the merchant vessel back to Arden and land it successfully, where they are again hailed as heroes!  On the ship, the party was able to call up a subsector map; and when they show it to the Librarian for assistance in reading it, he tells them the ship's computer must be malfunctioning, and the data clearly mixes maps from various eras!  It shows both the First Survey and Second Survey borders, but only pre-First Survey data about the systems shown.


Right after visiting with the Librarian, Tiernan is handed a radio.  King Ossian now has a radio as well, and he tells the party the Highsmeet has ended, and ended badly.  Rather than being welcomed back into Uruki society, the Kingdoms of the Valley of Arden have again been banished; in fact, the Uruki of the Great Central Plain have vowed to conquer them instead.  Per custom, Ossian and the rest were allowed to leave the Highsmeet peacefully, but the Uruki of the Plain are already massing for war.  Ossian believes a pacification campaign may well be necessary.  The party is instructed to return home; and after picking up Lairgnen and Alec, are given a wagon, now modified with an electric motor, to drive back to the Valley.  All ten return to the Valley to rest and prepare for whatever comes next!