Starlight:Our Hopes And Expectations

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June 2, 2017 – Episode 17: Our Hopes And Expectations

Game Outline

1. The PC’s showed an interest in speaking with Sikarna about what happened.
2. The repairs theMacedonians helped with have increased the point total on the MS. 21 (18 maybe?) points per build.
3. Sikarna and his discovery
   1. Sikarna will hear them out and say “I think there’s something I need to show you.”
   2. Sikarna wants to make sure he doesn’t sound like a complete loon
   3. Sikarna was trying to simulate different situations to determine figure out the star topology to try to extrapolate where they were. After discovering what they had about Chronos, he shifted the focus of his simulations and the latest results were troubling.
   4. “This is the Milky Way Galaxy, the one we live in. Here it is simulated out to 10000 years, notice, not much rotation. Here is is simulated out to 10 million years. (it rotates slightly, and a few stars wink in and others out of existence).”
   5. Now, here’s the simulation I’ve been running for the last few months.
   6. The image expands to show two galaxies. “the Milky Way and Andromeda.” The simulation starts as the two galaxies, spinning on their axis. “As you may be aware, Andromeda and The Milky Way are being drawn towards one another at 402,000 kilometers an hour.” The galaxies move towards each other. “it is predicted in 4 billion years, they will collide” the leading edges of the spiraling forms collide and stars and clouds of gas begin to scatter an re-align. “This is sped way up. It won’t be as violent as it seems here. The orbits of stars within both galaxies will be effected, and the supermassive black holes at their centers will be drawn towards each other” The galactic centers spin around each other in a long dance, growing closer and closer together with each orbit. “until eventually the centers will collide, and the stars will finally reach a stable orbit.” The screen echos his narration. The simulation stops, and he hits a button “here is a star map of what we can see around us and the places we have been.” He presses another button and the star-map is overlaid to the galactic simulation. It zooms in to a part of the galaxy, further and further down, and then stops, among a field of stars. “the match isn’t exact, there are some stars the simulation doesn’t account for, other object we just don’t know exist within Andromeda that would effect other orbits, but...” the overlay shifts a bit, and several starts match up. “this simulation has almost 40% match rate for the stars we have encountered, including age. Now 40% may not sound like a lot to you, but when you consider the amount of unaccountable variable in simulating something out 4 billion years…” The image of the star map duplicates side by side. The map on the left rotates from top-down to looking along the axis of the galaxy, pointing towards the galactic center. “And of course, there’s this.” Next to the simulated image, a live view from the starlight’s external camera points towards the galactic center, they both share the same unfamiliar diffuse glow that is so different from the Milky Way “ this is shockingly similar looking”.
   7. What I’m saying is, I think we may not have been transported to a where as much a when. Relatively speaking, we may not have moved very much at all.
      1. Where is earth
         1. By my calculations, it Sol would be near the galactic core, about 100k light years. If we could jump to it in a straight line, we’d get there in about 274 years. Of course, we can’t go in a straight line, so we’d have to take whatever circuitous route we could figure out on the way, and the gravity drive can only change enough power for about a 6-7 day jump. Besides, by now the sun, not quite a red giant, has grown hot enough to roast the surface of earth. In fact, several of our colonies as they exist to us would have to have been abandoned in that time frame, as the stars grew older and make life impossible, so if humanity does still exist, it would probably be totally unrecognizable to us, and nowhere near where it was born. 4 billion years is a long time to evolve.
      2. Fielding other questions
   8. I had been thinking of speaking to Andersen here before bringing this to the larger crew. It is quite mad, but when you show me this...
   9. I am a man of science. I like to deal in absolutes. That said, the create these Macedonians call Chronos… if it does hold to key to what sent us forward this time, it could also hold the key to what can send us back to our time. And even if it’s complete madness and we’re stuck here forever, it took me away from my family and everyone I loved, I’d happily see it burn. And we can’t keep running forever. The life these Wanderers live… I’m an old man, and if, in the end, I’m going to live out my remaining days in constant fear, I’d rather end it on my terms and get it over with.
4. The girl’s data pad
   1. Her name: Amalthea (Amma) Carina
   2. Date of Birth: Sunday, June 23, 2841
   3. Date of Death: Monday, June 22, 2854
   4. First recording, the file details indicate the video was locked and designed to unlock on June 23 2859: A middle-aged woman looks into the camera. “Amalthea, I hope this video finds you happy and healthy. I like to do a personal video for every girl I’m tasked with raising-” the video cuts off
   5. Another recording shows Amalthea as a toddler, interacting with the datapad.
   6. Data in the datapad
      1. Some historical information is outlined, after leaving Mars the Astrid went to Theta Bootis and took on members of the colony before it was over-run by the “Watchers”
      2. Some facts of the Starlight incident
         1. Eventually, some sort of creature emerged from the vortex, a black, shadowy figure with red eyes humanity applied a number of names to, Nemesis, Lucifer, Chronos, etc.
         2. Battles raged across the various earth colonies. Humanity quickly realized it was a losing prospect, and the battles of attrition that ensued were designed to hold the Devourers off enough for the building of massive ships that would whisk mankind away from the Devourers, however humanity didn’t count on how persistent they would be.
         3. The “Devourers” seem to be tied into time somehow, as their coming is always heralded by a burst of tachyons. Additionally, they are drawn to high gravity like moths to the flame, which is particularly apt as they are also especially effected by gravitational forces.
         4. Time also seems to be effected by “Nemesis”. After the figure emerged, earth seemed to speed up, with changes to the planet the star system accelerating. Erosion, tectonic activity, etc sped up.The zone of effect increased as well, and Alpha Centuari started showing signs of effect a year later. Some colonies also reported sped up evolution and mutation of creatures.
         5. Sikarna would say that such a shift in time scale could have sped up Andromeda’s movement towards the milky way, and perhaps explain some of the variance in his simulation.
   7. The PC’s seem to want to tell the commander about this.
      1. She’ll listen to the situation and review the videos. She’s not sure what to make of it, but feels their current course of action is still valid.
      2. “Saying all of this is true, and that we’re far in our own future, I don’t see any way forward but the one we’re pursuing. Let’s say earth has been destroyed. Then we owe it to those whose lives have been lost to avenge them. And if we can truly destroy this “Chronos” [ or “Nemesis”] or whatever it’s called, even if it doesn’t get us home, maybe that weakens the watchers enough where we, and these other wanderers can finally stop running.”
5. Meeting the Thanatos
   1. A homeship. They come because they are aware of the humans going to the remnants of one of their ships. They’re a little pissed because they see it as violating the dead.
   2. Word has been brought to them that the humans are looking to take on Cronos, so they sought the humans out so that they may see them and record their existence before it is gone forever.
6. The last Part
   1. Kalu Vann and Arvis Mal are leaving
      1. Kalu Vann explains to the PC’s first
         1. King Cydon has gotten word that the Starlight was aiding the Macedonians. He does not wish Kalu Vann or Mal to be caught up in this folly, so he as recalled them.
         2. “May you find the Green and Blue Heaven you seek, Earthlings.” He salutes to the PC’
   2. The Macedonians are meeting the Starlight here, in the planet ship Troktiko.
      1. The Troktiko is here to aid in recovery of the part.
   3. A planet where the part is under water
      1. A week after Kalu Vann has departed, you all sit in your morning briefing. Andersen stands at the front of the auditorium, a video screen behind him. An alert sounds letting you know the ship is about to drop out of jump and Andersen lightly braces himself against the podium. The ship shivers and another tone sounds marking the end of the jump.
         1. “Alright! This is the place. The Macedonians say this is the place we can find the last part of the gate.” He presses a button on the podium. “Alright, send the video through.” The screen behind him shows a view of one of the system’s planets. “This is one of the video feeds Ops is using to analyze the system, to see if we can determine where the part is.” He looks up at the image behind him of a terrestrial planet slowly turning. As it turns, you notice a large water-filled crater takes up most of the northern hemisphere.
         2. “Huh.”
      2. A large crater, nearly 3000 miles in radius, dominates the landscape of this planet. There is no plant life in the area around the crater and the center third of the crater is filled with a sea. There is plant and animal life on other parts of the planet, however.
   4. Zakiri will pilot the bell down. The approach lands the bell along the shore. Macedonian mining rigs can be used to carry them out over the water, but are unable to submerge themselves.
   5. Retrieving the part.
      1. The item is under water – should be encouraged to figure out ways to do it.
         1. Hard piloting - planetary checks to navigate
         2. Average perception/computing to find the gate part
         3. Anything else PC’s can think of
         4. 6 successes before 3 failures = 10 xp
         5. Piloting failure also cause system strain
      2. Underwater Fight
      3. After retrieved, they have to bring the part to the surface.
         1. Walking it out not really possible.
         2. Tractor beams more likely
      4. After getting it out of the water, the PCs have to attach it to the mining rigs, who will lift it out of the atmosphere. They will follow the landing bell up.
7. The landing bell clears the atmosphere with the final spar of the gate in tow. You are all nervous with anticipation. Every step of your journey to recover the pieces has been met by conflict and resistance from the watchers. You expect no different this time and undock from the landing bell to escort the mining rigs back to the ship. The long flight back to the ship is tense but blissfully uneventful.

Musical Inspiration
Song:	Starlight
Artist:	Muse
Album:	Black Holes and Revelations
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