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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Whizbang Dustyboots" data-source="post: 9625515" data-attributes="member: 11760">The sky overhead blazed with light. Red and blue beams streaked across the heavens, illuminating the clouds below. Nimble starfighters and heavy gunships exchanged fire, weaving around a mishmash of ungainly other ships of all sorts. From the ground, it was impossible to tell if this was a battle between the Old Empire and the New Uprising, the Red Moon Syndicate and the Targ Cartel, or someone else. Not that Facula Albedo was actually on the ground.A generation ago, engineers wanted a simple way to get ore from Gur the Targ's Spice Mines to the Nuuka Spaceport as cheaply and efficiently as possible.With the sort of ruthless logic that only an engineer who would never have to use it daily could employ, they built a five mile long bridge, the width of two hovertrucks, running from mountaintop to mountaintop, 2,000 meters above the ground.And with chunks of flaming starships falling all around him, Albedo was halfway across."Nass!" Albedo roared, struggling to be heard over the sound of the carnage. "We don't need to fight over this! We're friends!"Albedo couldn't hear the snort that Nass G'rassk made at this, but he knew the Talok well enough to read the sneer on his scaly face. They were friends, to the extent that G'rassk had any, but he had been so scarred by his time in the Mystic Order's temple as a young child that everything, including friendship, had to fight its way out through layer upon layer of rage."Just fulfilling my contract!" G'rassk yelled, voice crackling through the translator mask he wore. His instructors had forbidden their students to speak Galactic Standard as children, to better indoctrinate them into the teachings of their order. G'rassk could understand it well enough, but still could not bring himself to speak it himself, even years after he'd fled his masters."Me too," Albedo muttered, hands hovering over the pistols at his waist.G'rassk abandoned the Mystic Order before learning all of the powers of a full initiate and refused to use a plasma sword. He was dangerous at close range, where his electrostaff was both an impenetrable wall and a deadly threat. And at range ...Albedo felt his pistols jerk slightly away from his grip and the brush of what felt like fingertips across his forehead."Knock it off," Albedo growled, snatching at his pistols. That touch in his mind meant that G'rassk was listening to his thoughts, so he didn't need to yell. "You toss them over the side and you're buying me new pistols."Don't interfere with Itsuki Itch, G'rassk's voice rumbled in his mind."I know, you've been hired to protect him from me."I would do it for free, G'rassk rumbled. He's trying to do something great."'Don't Get Attached!' Does no one care about the Guild Code but me?"Albedo could feel the ghost of G'rassk's chuckle in his mind and he inched closer, lifting his hands slowly away from his pistols, fingers spread open.Djed Kebay never believed in honor or anyone else's rules."No, he didn't. Not sure anyone in the galaxy is upset that he's dead. Not the way they would be if you or I don't make it off this bridge."Albedo kept inching closer to G'rassk, keeping his mind on all the good times they'd had. They had both joined the Nomad Guild at the same time, two runaways looking for a new start and needing someone to watch their back. They'd each saved the other's life more than once, fighting off agents of both the Admiral and Master Vacuus until each realized they'd have to wait to have their vengeance.Another step closer. A huge chunk of ship -- Condor class, part of Albedo's mind automatically recognized -- tumbled past them into the ravine, glowing with the heat of reentry.Enough, Facula. I don't want to hurt you, but I will toss your weapons and bike over the side and and leave you defenseless and walking out of here. What do you know about Itsuki's whereabouts and mission?Albedo felt the fingertips brushing across his forehead again, more insistent now as G'rassk probed deeper, although without the skill of a Master or Grandmaster."That he's headed to Nuuka and that you're assigned to make sure he's able to get off the planet safely." He was close enough for G'rassk to hear him normally now."He's not there yet," the speaker crackled. "Just securing the site.""Which hangar? I'm not interested in hurting him. They just want him to stand trial or something."Another snarling laugh from G'rassk."That's as good as killing him," came the voice from the speaker. "He's too dangerous to the Order to let him live.""Because of his skill with the plasma sword?""Because of his ideas ... what?"Albedo was atop the Talok now, knocking his electrostaff out of reach, G'rassk's tattered robes flapping around them, as Albedo tried to pin his wrists to the ground."'Don't Get Attached!'"The electrostaff leapt to Gr'assk's hands, glancing off Albedo's stun baton, which he got up just in time. Albedo, rolling back onto his feet, swung at G'rassk's face, ripping away the translator mask.Just walk away, Facula! This is bigger than the Nomad's Guild!G'rassk swung his staff two-handed, faster than seemed possible unless one knew he was using his mystic arts to speed the blow. But Albedo did know and was expecting it. He sidestepped the blow and then stepped up to his friend, wrapping him in a bear hug."'Finish The Job!'" he quoted, headbutting Nass G'rassk into unconsciousness.He stood swaying over his friend a moment, wiping the blood from his forehead. The sound of exploding starcraft competed with the ringing in his head, conspiring to drive him into unconsciousness."And the Nomad's Guild is all I have left," he muttered.Albedo tied G'rassk to the other Nomad's hoverbike and then searched through his datapad, using the Talok's limb hand to bypass the biometrics. He scanned through the few conversations with Itsuki Itch that hadn't already been deleted. Still, it was enough.He reached over and activated the emergency features on G'rassk's bike, indicating he had been in a serious accident and needed medical help immediately. The hoverbike took a moment to locate the nearest medical facility and raced off to deliver its rider there.Albedo staggered back to his bike and sat on it a moment, waiting for his head to clear.Assuming G'rassk's information was correct, he had several hours before Itsuki would be at the spaceport. He needed to get cleaned up and rest up before confronting this Mystic that everyone seemed to agree was incredibly dangerous.The Real Deal -- "Limitless Products With Limitless Potential!" a flickering sign announced, despite all the evidence to the contrary -- was a ramshackle trading post, patronized by a variety of Lek'tok, Murians and Ghols. Nothing for sale looked new or even slightly used. But there was the smell of food cooking and the patrons looked happy to eat it. Good enough.Albedo's head had stopped bleeding and the ringing was gone from his ears. The space battle overhead was ending as someone was winning.The patrons of the Real Deal stood outside, drinks in hand, oohing and aahing as plasma beams and explosions lit up the sky.Albedo picked his way through them, spotting an empty stool he could drop into and order something to eat."Listen, you little worm -- you're going to pay for my meal, and my man's too!"A hulking Ghol stood before him, looming over a petrified Murian. She shoved the littler figure back, blocking Albedo's route to the stool."Can you two just settle this peacefully?" Albedo sighed. "I've had a long day and I just want to eat."The Ghol snarled without looking at Albedo."This dwang-for-brains knocked into us, spilling all our dinner over the ground. And now he's going to pay for it!"The Murian's terrified squeak suggested he wasn't going to be able to do any such thing."I'll pay for your dinner," Albedo said. "Just let me get mine.""No," the Ghol said, gripping the Murian's lapel. "He made me lose face. So now I'm going to mess up his.""Look, lady, I've had a really bad day," Albedo growled and for the first time, the two Ghols and the Murian looked at him. He was armed, bloody, bruised but defiant. It had clearly been a bad day for him, but worse for other people.The Ghol let go of the Murian, who made brief eye contact with Albedo and raced off when Albedo jerked his head, telling the little man to go.The Ghol woman straightened up now, smiling broadly."A Nomad! I've always thought about joining the Guild! What's the work like?""Hungry," Albedo said, elbowing past her to the stool, just ahead of a Lek'tok hoping to claim it. "It's very hungry work."[SPOILER="This turn's rolls"]Rolled a 2 on Exploration: "If your Notoriety is 6 or higher, you encounter a Lead." Things are starting to happen faster now, as expected.I roll a 5 on the Leads table: "They're a Rival Nomad, vying to get to the Target first to capture or protect them. Roll for their Nomad profile. Resolve all: What connection does this Nomad have to your Origin? Speak with them. They Attack you, using the Loadout on their profile. Lose 2 Favour and gain 1 Notoriety if you kill them." I only have 2 Favour, so this would be a bad idea.Rolling up the Nomad: They're an Uncanny: "Your unusual look and esoteric techniques hide a unique talent, belief or genetic trait that gives you an edge." They left the oppressive Mystic Order cult they were born into to explore the galaxy. They only speak through a rare or ancient language, translated through crackling speakers. They did not understand their powers as a child and hurt someone. They're a reptilian Talok named Nass G'rassk, with an angry personality.For showdowns, I roll a 2 for the Site: "You meet on a precarious bridge or platform, high above a canyon or river." I roll a 6 for Setting: "A starfighter battle breaks out int he sky above, bombarding the area with debris and stray laser fire." These generators are cinematic as hell.OK, time for combat. G'rassk has +2 at ranged with his mystic powers or +2 in melee with his electrostaff. He has a +1 on defense.Albedo rolls a 6 + 2 for an eight on the first melee attack. G'rassk rolls a 5 + 2, for a 7. His 1 defense allows him to block his first lost attack.Albedo rolls a 6 + 1 on his next attack for a 7. G'rassk rolls a 5 + 2, for a 7. A friend pointed out to me that the language of the rule in the book says that if the PC beats a roll he wins, implying that ties are a loss. Oops!Time to burn some of Albedo's 3 motivation points, forcing G'rassk to reroll. This time, he gets a 2 + 2 for a 4. And with his Defense gone, he's down. Since Albedo spares his friend's life, obviously, he gets +1 Favour, for a total of 4. He's getting a reputation as a tough guy, but not a bad guy.Rolled a 3 for Destination: "You arrive at a bustling market or travelling scrap crawler run by Locals." I have to choose between a Destination Events roll or speaking with a Local to gain Motivation. I'll go with a Destination Event, and roll a 2 and then a 6: "You see an unaffiliated mercenary or rebellious citizen being intimidated by a Hostile soldier or guard." I roll a 6: "If you successfully get rid of the Hostile, you may try to Recruit the Asset. How do they help you take down or scare off their tormentor?"Details of the trading post are rolled up, as always using the Game Master's Sci-Fi Toolkit.Threaten roll against the Ghol: 4 + 3 (half of Notoriety, rounded up), for a 7. There's no way a mundane Hostile can beat that, so the Ghol backs down.A 4 on the results roll: "Their anger turns to genuine curiosity about the life of a Nomad."We're near the end of the game and Albedo's in no mood to recruit the Murian.[/SPOILER]</blockquote>

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