Mayday!

>>> Incoming Transmission
>>> Source Identifier: C14 Abiding Storm # Her Glorious Command
>>> Destination Identifier: TE3-Firebrand#Her Glorious Command#Starlight Ebbing#Muse IX#Endeavour#Unquiet Journey#*
>>> Subject: Escort Team Required
>>> Message Begins

For the attention of all able mercenaries, explorers, experienced individuals:

A team is required to board a shuttle carrying sensitive cargo between vessels in the Keter Borderlands in preparation for the impending expeditions to the surface of Hive V.

Interested parties will be compensated and should report to Her Glorious Command for a dropship at 1100 this coming Sixday.

Yours respectfully, 14th Century Abiding Storm Captain, Her Glorious Command

>>> Message Ends

Wretched Export - James
Desiring Peace - Phil
Warded Path - Tamsin

Summary

The party sign up to escort cargo on a shuttle with a mysterious Client. The Client refuses to speak but C14 Abiding Storm confirms that the mystics believe they are on the level. The cargo is a small but delicate crate and the party deduce that the cargo would be dangerous to have destroyed.
The Client, a hooded androgynous and species-agnostic figure is friendly to the party but enigmatic. They board the shuttle together and store the cargo in a cargo pod and take off. Warded Path pilots them through the system when suddenly they are attacked by a ship - The Seraph - and despite Warded Path's expert dodging and weaving they are boarded. The situation appears dire and though The Seraph detaches, the damage to the ship is great and the Client jettisons the cargo pod so it can land safely.
The cargo pod, and the ship, careen toward Ace's World and Warded Path is able to bring them to a controlled gliding crash in the wilderness. They escape Decaying Trackers and Warded Path has Endeavour intervene to bring them to the nearest town en route to where the Cargo Pod landed.
At the town, Dry Ace, the Client is insistent they move post-haste to get to the cargo, but Warded Path is convinced they need to make contact with Her Glorious Command to update on the situation. In the town they meet Jack Diamond, the Marshal working for ACE, who extorts chips out of Desiring Peace in order to use the town's buggy and communications.
Wretched Export pokes around and finds the buggy workshop where he talks to the mechanic and also meets an old starsighted woman who tells of a dream she had about birds falling from the sky and losing a golden nugget. The birds tell everyone they meet about the nugget and ultimately the nugget is stolen from the birds and the birds eaten by the crocodile they told about it. The woman advises Export not to share his nugget, and he takes this under advisement. He then proceeds to try to repair one of the other broken buggies in the town, but a mishap while tinkering results in it exploding in a chain reaction that also damages the buggy they want.
Warded Path sends a message via Diamond's communications network to get to Her Glorious Command, and the party take the (now damaged) buggy onwards. On the journey, the Client crashes the buggy into a ditch and the party is set upon by scavengers who they defeat and request fix up the buggy on pain of death. They do so and drive until they can't drive any further.
They fight off some Razormonkeys - with their elite Decaying monkey dispatched by a well-placed sniper shot from Desiring Peace - and find their way through the forest to a spooky crevasse-ridden area where a broken holoprojector is being infrequently powered and depowered by a local Ship Heart flickering between states (still a way away). The party traverse the area, but Wretched Export falls in a pit. The party swing into action to rescue Export from a group of robotic Emus that they determine were part of an ill-fated family restaurant attempt.
Export beheads one of the Emus and pockets the robot head and a coupon for kids eating free that falls out of it.
Back on the trail, The Seraph drops some more pirates into the area who the party defeat. They yell about “The Cause” but fail to elaborate further. Moving on, the party also come across a radio where they overhear a conversation between a person and a bot talking about retrieving the cargo. Desiring Peace gives away their status and then yeets the radio into the bushes.
A short altercation with some Goosehawks (Geesehawk?) later and the party make their way to the cargo where they find it is, as Path has been determining, a Ship Heart. Its container - a Shipboard Computer Integration for Organic Networking - is in a bad way and the Ship Heart itself is confused. The party quickly discover that if it makes any attempt to refer to itself or them directly then it will malfunction and emit dangerous electricity into the area, damaging itself. Moving it is a slow process, made worse by the fact that the Scavengers, Pirates, and then Security Bots from ACE all show up to try to take it. Seven Broad of ACE tries to make a deal but the party refuse, so they instruct ACE's bot army to take the Heart.
The fight continues, with the Bots not letting up, until eventually Her Glorious Command enters the stratosphere and launches a shuttle to retrieve the party while also bombarding the area from above. Missiles rain down as the party make it into the shuttle where they find X. Worshipful Portent piloting a Ship Heart mystic's dream of a shuttle. It takes off, and the party successfully exfiltrate from the area as Her Glorious Command continues to rain destruction from above.

On the shuttle it is indeed super mystical with X. Worshipful Portent taking over the case of the Cargo from C14 Abiding Storm due to the presence of the Ship Heart. Portent explains they had no idea there was a Ship Heart and if they knew they would have the same level of security that they do now. She explains that the Her Glorious Command Cathedral will be taking matters from here and nobody objects
The party carefully ask no questions around the Ship Heart. Portent also explains there's now a major diplomatic incident with Ace's World, and that they will be taking the Heart to its destination from here.
Peace stomps over to the Client. Asks what Client stands for. They collapse and come around, able to talk. The party wants answers, which is annoying to the Client and they seem distressed by this. Export asks what their task was - they answer that it was “to escort the gloriousness to its home”. The party is very critical. Client explains that was what their vision told the to do. Path asks why they were untalkative. Client says that they served supreme beings. The vision had them not speaking so they didn't speak.
Path uses Vessel to ask Endeavour why a ship heart might want to do this. “while every question deserves to be answered, there are many who do not wish everyone to know the answers,” says Endeavour.
No one objects to HGC taking on the ship heart so long as they still get paid. The ship heart is now under the responsibility of the cathedral rather than the captaincy. Questions remain around who sent the ship heart and why.
Shuttle docks now the missile salvos have ceased while the area below has been completely raised. Including the buggy and the Emus. Peace asks if expenses are included. They are assured that their dedication will be recognised by the HGC but HGC have no intention of engaging with Ace’s World until they admit what they've done. Hooded figures appear to take possession of the Ship Heart.
Desiring Peace uses favour with Firebrand to ask them to send a mystic to come help which they do
Wretched Export back home disassembles severed robot Emu head. Wants to understand how it works. Its a dumb robot designed to be an entertaining face at a family world Aces World Forest Family Retreat. Can diagnose how to make something which can regurgitation stock phrases and take orders - waiting for response and giving response to answer. Export uses this to make a robot buddy, getting help from the Craruan Defence Force for this by burning their Clout with them. Repairs emu head to point where it can be carried around to be told things to be remembered. Can recall 3 pieces of information, currently opening times, specials and kids menu. It's annoying when spoken to. Also, Export has a valid coupon for the restaurant.
Warded Path: back on Endeavour communes directly with Endeavour and gives a full report and suggests using channels to find out what ship heart set this in motion and give royal bollocking. Endeavour is very interested in which heart did. Searches through extensive data banks and can't find anything shady about Highest Branch. Endeavour is certain it isn't like any of the known ship hearts in system. “this would be a matter of great interest if you're able to get the answer. There's only one ship heart whose status is unknown of - Hive IV.” Path asks about the SCION. Endeavour shows Path its SCION. Standard interface - highly, highly secret technology, advised not to add to public data banks because Aspexx will sue the heck out of you. If a ship heart is destroyed, it would be a disaster on level with the Orion gate. Path asks if ship heart was normal but damaged or a young ship heart. Endeavour doesn't remember being young and has no further information. Otherwise Aspexx would sue them. Asks Path not to mention conversation to Aspexx.
Peace: debriefs captains of Firebrand/HGC. Asks Lt about the lost expenses. The Lt looks through folder “so your subordinate gambled away all their money on Ace’s World…” After the situation is explained, Lt says the situation is difficult and directs Peace to HGC. Also, the war has escalated. Thus far HGC has been evicted from orbit. Large amounts of complaint made by Ace who apparently has a robot army which is concerning. GC is interested in keeping the peace. The Lt questions wisdom of Peace's interactions with Ace’s World. Peace has previously spent time setting up gambling ring on Firebrand and wants to do the same with the military of HGC. Now has contact base there. Teaches them about chicken racing.

Ace's World and Her Glorious Command are on the brink of all out war. Her Glorious Command has been banned from Ace's World's space and Dynasts on Ace's World are being viewed with suspicion and scrutiny.
Aces High is demanding compensation for its armies and threatening to take matters further if her demands are not met. Her Glorious Command is declining to comment.
X. Worshipful Portent on Her Glorious Command is pursuing an ongoing investigation with help of Firebrand Mystics to determine the source and agenda of the rogue ship heart and the mysterious Client. This information is not yet publicised.

+2 Clout with Her Glorious Command

Burns all Clout with the Craruan Defence Force
Has a robot companion on a tripod that cannot move but can remember and regurgitate information:
- It can recall 3 pieces of information at a time
- It can answer simple questions about its information if sufficiently well defined
- It has an annoying personality when spoken to, but only speaks when it is spoken to
- It is as yet unnamed, but we suggest calling it “Natter”.