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>>> 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: Rescue Team Required - URGENT
>>> Message Begins

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

By agreement of myself and 879 Wuthering Inkwork (Muse IX) a team is urgently needed to investigate a missing dropship that was due to arrive in Azuria (Siruta) some days ago but has failed to arrive.

The passengers of the ship are of particular importance to the Altarian Dynasty as well as the ongoing concern over Keter Borderlands Governance.  Interested parties 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

Summary

The party receive their briefing from Cpt. Abiding Storm aboard Her Glorious Command where she explains that a shuttle carrying an Altarian Ambassador due to take up governership on Siruta has gone missing. They're tasked with retrieving them, or finding out what happened.
The party make their way down to Azuria on Siruta, where the Ambassador was due to arrive, and after dealing with some enemy crabs that were roaming the streets during a strange Azurian Observance decreed by the spiritual mystics, determine that the shuttle - the Best Of Intentions - must have been downed outside of Ship Hearted space and so they'll need transport that is resistant to the Decay. They find and work with Captain Violet Afterburn who takes them aboard her ship - the Justification - which is an old fashioned wooden vessel with a set of large afterburners attached - something that Moon and Relaxation both remark on as out of place.
As they're due to board the ship, they meet the quartermaster of the ship - Doubled Chainshot - who is suddenly set upon by dockyard goons and appears to be fatally stabbed by an Elegy Spectre (Spectre Orion). Luckily for them they have a lucky charm which prevents this Severe Injury from being fatal, and the party proceed to interrogate Orion. Orion explains that Chainshot was selected for pruning by the Elegy, and Chainshot speculates this is due to a false belief that Chainshot assassinated the Ambassador. Chainshot reveals themself to be an Altarian Dynast - 332 - but claims innocence about the Ambassador's attack. The party persuade Orion to wait for them to return to determine whether or nor Chainshot did in fact do the crime they're said to have committed.
The Justification leaves port, and after a battle with some Scourgelings - small forms of a much larger Scourge somewhere out there - they are invited to dinner where they discuss the variety of Scourges, Doubled Chainshot's concerns about the Ambassador (Pentagonal Pectoral, 313) and their competence, the Orion Gate failure, and during which Violet Afterburn confides in Tiny Ember that she is also an Altarian Dynast, the runaway black sheep of the family, order of 37.
They finish dinner, and Ember has the idea to tinker with her communicator to create a scanner to triangulate the crash site of the Best Of Intentions. She does so and is able to navigate the ship toward a wreck site. With some clever distraction, the Decaying trackers infesting the site are avoided and they retrieve the Solar Shielded Flight Recorder from the wreckage and make their way to an island to play back the recording.
Relaxation is able to get the Recorder to play back and understands that the Ambassador has been able to make their way to safety in an underwater cave system. Relaxation repurposes a rudimentary O2 supply on the rowboat they're using to construct some SCUBA packs, and the party dive through some caves to find the Ambassador on their own, surrounded by the dead crew who tried to help them. They explain it was a Scourge that attacked the ship and, grateful for the rescue, don an O2 breather that Ember tinkers with to make their way back to the Justification.
The ship, under siege from Decay, welcomes them back on board to fight off waves of Decaying creatures, but during the fight Doubled Chainshot makes an attempt on the Ambassador's life. There's a tense Altarian stand-off with Chainshot and Pectoral, during which an indignant Violet Afterburn reveals her station as the rumoured 37 in system reported by Moon. She insists she doesn't want to use her station, but Pectoral requires convincing to take the position that should obviously go to Afterburn in their mind. After some tense negotiation, and a failed backstab from Chainshot against his captain, Pectoral agrees to take the position but the party note that Afterburn would be better positioned with her knowledge to take the position.
Leaving the wreckage, the silhouette of a full-grown Scourge appears and an enormous monster breaches the surface of the water. Ember punches the Afterburners and the ship rockets back toward safety as the party fight off wave after wave of Scourgeling creatures, ending up infected by some fo them, but able to make it safely back with the Ambassador as the Craruan Defenders arrive to engage the Scourge with giant robots.

After arriving at Azuria again, the two Dynasts in the party take to serious negotiations again with Afterburn with Pectoral in earshot. Moon and Relaxation end up in a good-cop bad-cop situation trying to persuade Afterburn to take some degree of responsibility and provide assistance to a clearly out of their depth Altarian in Pectoral. Moon plays up Afterburn's ego - noting with Weight of Words her capabilities - which serves reasonably well as she is irked by Relaxation's blackmail suggesting that he would out her position to other high ranked Altarians in the system. Afterburn eventually agrees to be on hand to assist Pectoral should the need arise, but harbours resentment for Relaxation's approach and attempt to strongarm her into something she's spent a long time avoiding.
They then speak to Pectoral about the situation. Pectoral is grateful for the assistance offered by Relaxation with both administrative and practical matters. The weight of Relaxation's words does, indeed, relax Pectoral about the situation, and having overheard Moon in the negotiations with Afterburn doesn't doubt that Relaxation keeps good company to call upon as well.
Moon resolves the situation with Spectre Orion who is still waiting for them, making sure that Doubled Chainshot is clearly being taken to prison and not summarily executed. Spectre Orion is evasive about the future of the contract out on Chainshot but leaves it be for now.
Wandering Hymn goes to speak to the Azurian Mystics about her infection from the Clam-like Scourgelings. They wince when looking at it, identifying it as a parasite egg, but while they suggest it could be dealt with by methods mystical or mundane, there's a chance that, as a Various, Wandering would be able to gain a benefit out of assimilating it once it was fully grown. Hymn decides not to risk it and petitions the Azurian mystics to channel some of their Ship Heart's power to purge it. They do so in exchange for a fascinating conversation about Ship Hearts and the one aboard Unquiet Journey.
Hymn also expresses sympathy for the Azurian Mystics who will now have to deal with the whims of a Dynast, but doesn't offer any specific support.
On the Unquiet Journey, Wandering Hymn talks to the Ship Heart and recounts the trip:
- Unquiet Journey, my home, my hope, I honour you.
- The journey was not as I anticipated. Indeed, it was little to do with Siruta and those who call it home at all, rather the Altarian Dynasty and its internal politics. The Dynasts spent much of the time arguing and agreeing amongst themselves who should rule Siruta, paying little mind to the fact Siruta already has too many on its surface who would govern it, not too few.
- I learned a close secret of the Dynasty, however, which I present as oblation. One Violet Afterburn of Siruta is themself a Dynast, but with no interest in ruling the planet for themself. They number just 37 on the Dynast’s internal hierarchy, fewer than any public Dynasts in this system.
- May this fascinate you.
- My Home, my hope, I honour you.
The Ship Heart is indeed fascinated and thanks Wandering Hymn for the information, expressing a hope that she will certainly return with future mysteries, and any further developments here.
Tiny Ember returns the flight recorder of the Best Of Intentions to Her Glorious Command, which Abiding Storm greatly appreciates. She remarks from the playback that clearly advanced shielding is going to be needed on vessels approaching Siruta in the future on account of the particular biology of the Scourges, and begins to muse about what form that could take. Ember then reports to the medbay on Firebrand and is able to have the parasitic Scourge eggs removed from her by the ship's doctors.
Ember proceeds to refine the rebreather that she worked on and constructs a Mark II of the mask that is more effective at recycling air in low O2 environments and underwater. It works perfectly for her and she's able to produce 3 from the parts she has available. Languid Relaxation does likewise.

Ambassador Pentagonal Pectoral, 313, takes up a post as Governor on Siruta, working out of a temporary office in Azuria until she can find an appropriate space in True Siruta. Azurians seem somewhat noneplussed by this, but respect that they're trying to help out, while True Siruta is split on whether or not they can handle their import/export and tax regulations by themselves. Independents and the Craruan Defenders have yet to pass judgment.
Violet Afterburn is said to have been sending out her second in command on ships while spending more time in the ports of Azuria, closer to where Pectoral is working.
Doubled Chainshot, 313, is imprisoned for their crimes. It's a cushy cell, though, thanks to their connections.

3 Clout with one of:
- Her Glorious Command
- Muse IX
- Altarian Dynasty

1 Clout with Sirutan Independents for not outing Violet Afterburn's secret rank in the Dynasty and trying to cover for her when it was outed.
Mark II Rebreather - You may provide up to three members of your party (including yourself) with an efficient rebreather that can provide up to 1 hour of air underwater or in low (or no) O2 environments. Inform the GM of this when it is relevant, it should provide some bonus to you where negative effects would otherwise be conferred due to low O2 availability.
No parasitic infection.

Friendship with Azurian Mystics
Friendship with Unquiet Journey (Ship Heart)

Nemesis status with Violet Afterburn due to the blackmail attempt.
Friendship with Pentagonal Pectoral, 313.
Parasitic Infection - if left unchecked by the end of your next Mission, there will be an additional effect.
Mark II Rebreather - You may provide up to three members of your party (including yourself) with an efficient rebreather that can provide up to 1 hour of air underwater or in low (or no) O2 environments. Inform the GM of this when it is relevant, it should provide some bonus to you where negative effects would otherwise be conferred due to low O2 availability.