PARTIZAN 13: A Captive Audience

Episode description[edit | edit source]

Content Warning: This episode features injury, surgery, and infection.
With Gur Sevraq retrieved (and secreted away inside of the Winter Palace), the Rapid Evening ought to have earned themselves reprieve. But with the drums of war beating, an overeager member of the crew volunteers them for a difficult new mission. With this added pressure, Clementine Kesh pushes herself to get back on her feet as quickly as possible, while her crew uses what time they find to continue pursuing their own goals.
This week on PARTIZAN: A Captive Audience

///Operation Dossier\\\[edit | edit source]

//Organizations\\[edit | edit source]

The Curtain of Divinity: Though Kesh is technically governed through an elaborate parliamentary democracy, the truth is that The Curtain of Divinity, a secretive organization inside of the Stel (and with agents across all of the Principality), serves as the actual power behind the throne. Knowledge of the Curtain is carefully guarded, and its membership is even further protected.
It is unclear (even to the vast majority of the organization’s members) how, when, and why the Curtain was founded, but its fundamental organizational hierarchy is a key part of one’s induction into the society. The Curtain keeps a simple, cell-based hierarchy, with individual worlds reporting up to star sectors, which then report up to the highest tier of command.
At each tier there may be countless operatives, but each reports to one of five key figures in their tier:
The Silk: Minister in charge of Curtain diplomatic corps. Commands undercover agents who have infiltrated foreign governments.
The Damask: Philosopher, theologian, and scientist whose purview is performing and obtaining heretical and otherwise forbidden material.
The Lace: Marshall in command of the Curtain’s military forces, including reconnaissance and martial saboteur units.
The Linen: Steward, Quartermaster, Armorer, Bookkeeper. In charge of industrial espionage.
The Gabardine: Chief spymaster, keeper of all information, and (traditionally) the executive who proposes large scale, cross-branch action.
Each planet and/or sector has their own chief operatives in these roles, which roll up to the top, Divinity-wide tier. When referenced in speech or text, the operatives use only these titles, e.g. “The Lace of Partizan” or “The Gabardine of Divinity.”

House Brightline / HORIZON: In the popular consciousness, HORIZON is a radical, anti-Principality terrorist organization. In actuality, they are a radical-reformist group, which seeks to drive out what it perceives as corruption in an empire that ought be pursuing noble (instead of selfish) ends. Secretly funded by Stel Kesh’s House Brightline. Its Partizan branch is commanded by Gucci Garantine.

The Church of the Resin Heart: A Disciples of Logos church on Partizan which claims to be the true inheritor of Logos Kantel’s religious mission. The “resin heart” in question is a 3-foot large object pulled from the sea 400+ years ago and displayed as a relic by the Church.

//People\\[edit | edit source]

Audacious Opportunity (A.O.) Rooke (he/him): Was a young freelance mercenary operating under Stel Orion charter before being captured by Stel Kesh on an assignment deep behind enemy lines. Now commands the Rapid Evening’s infantry division.

Figure A (they/them): A synthetic being that once worked inside of the Divine Past, working to make the data the Divine had available to it more understandable by other people.

Crysanth Kesh (she/her): Clementine Kesh’s mother. Third in line to the throne of Kesh. As Gabardine of the Curtain of Divinity High ranking member of The Curtain, the highest such on Partizan itself. See The Curtain of Divinity above for more.

The Winter Doctor (he/him): Dr. Schuyler has been making visits to the Winter Palace for decades. Now he does so for Clementine Kesh.

//Places\\[edit | edit source]

Fort Icebreaker: A mobile fortress and battle station which patrols the northeastern border with Kesh. Moves between a dozen different smaller, subterranean bases, each of which is connected to a network of underground transport tunnels. In some sense, this entire system is “Fort Icebreaker.”

The Verglaz Taiga: Wrapped around the northern latitudes of Partizan, the Verglaz is a beauty to take in, at least from the comfort of the palatial Kesh estates which dot its wooded expanses. From the smaller villages and towns, where feudal tenants huddle for warmth in the snow, whatever aesthetic pleasure the taiga may offer the rich is lost. In the south west, though, a new source of warmth has made its presence known: The burning engine of the Apostolosian war machine, which melts the ice away with artillery barrage and crashed mech, both.

Cruciat: The Jewel of Kesh’s holdings on Partizan (and the home of the Stel’s Winter Palace) sits on a cross shaped island in the northernmost reaches of the Prophet’s Sea

The Winter Palace: Owned and managed by House Kesh, but eternal “home” to the Princept, whether they choose to visit or not. Built for privacy and access, featuring both its own port and trainyard.

Barranca: To the north of Obelle lies the Apostolosian province of Barranca, where mediterranian subtropical shores give way to a vast latticework of ravines and crags. There, military bases and civilian settlements sit in the crooks and alcoves, shaded by high canyon walls. Rising above it all is the famed Barranca Loop, a massive suspended cable system that runs up above the atmosphere like a giant bridge, and which allows Apostolos to launch ships and cargo into space. Heavily patrolled and under complete control of Stel Apostolos.

//Things\\[edit | edit source]

The Divine Future: An ancient divine, dating back to the second major war in the Golden Branch star sector. Exists in the form of golden orb slightly larger than a softball or bocce ball, which can either be carried by or hover around its Elect. Offers its chosen unparalleled perspective on the hopes and dreams of themselves and others, and the endless vigor with which to pursue them.

The Divine Vernacular: A Stel Nideo Divine which allows those loyal (and blessed) to communicate instantly, at distance. A power some say is more powerful than even the sharpest spearhead.

“The True Divine”: A phrase found in some Progressive Asterists texts and doctrine, but also across heterodox and heretical religious creeds and in of the teachings of gnostic and esoteric secret societies.

Contents[edit | edit source]

Opening[edit | edit source]

“

An excerpt from a decree of Crysanth Kesh, third in line to the throne of Princept, and Gabardine of the Curtain of Divinity:

It is good that I packed for a long stay. Though my daughter failed to retrieve the new prophet, she did, in her blunder, offer me a new opportunity. A fortnight past Gur Sevraq was, to the public, just a fortune teller who'd done some parlour tricks. We knew better, of course. He was an asset out of pocket, waiting for retrieval. That Apostolos has him now is less important than the fact that they would want him to begin with. When the greatest military power in Divinity stoops to kidnapping a single soul, that soul's value rises. Sevraq was a prize, now they are a cause.

We know, of course, that he is more than a simple miracle worker. If we only wanted more miracles, we would inaugurate a new Divine. Sevraq's little miracles represent a connection to the greater thing. To the most horrible thing. To the very thing we pulled the Curtain in front of. And this is why, finally, we must take vibrant, clear action.

For months the little Lace of Partizan has been eager to keep the battlefields cold. You are a coward, hardly fit to be a Lace at all. A stronger man would have seized this world for The Curtain, and made a case for your own elevation to the galactic stage. Instead, you have been keen to move figurines around in palace-yard playfights. No longer.

The hostaging of the prophet will pull others into this war. We will not fight alone, but we will win alone. And when we do, we will claim Sevraq, and we will claim Partizan, and with what we find here we will return stability to the galaxy. And when the True Divine asks who saved the Principality from its wrath, God will know our name.”

– Crysanth Kesh

Plot[edit | edit source]

While a Whitestar officer is over to help resupply the Rapid Evening, AO chooses an unfortunate time to boast. The Rapid Evening lose some supplies and are earmarked for the next assault on Fort Icebreaker.

The Winter Doctor is hired to the Rapid Evening. His ministrations aren't enough for Clem to recover, as she's more severely injured than anyone thought. She's desperate to get out of bed, and when Leap offers to try to help she makes an arrangement for him to do impromptu surgery on her. This goes badly, and she is much sicker than before. Word also gets out about Clem being injured in battle; Gucci sends her a get well card.

While Clem is sick, the Rapid Evening is emboldened. SI has Gur give a sermon to the prisoners in the tunnels under the Palace, which goes extremely well. Millie contacts Crysanth Kesh, hoping to become her agent, but gets no direct reply. Leap works on getting access to the prison's security systems, with SI's aid; he also shows the Vernacular ring to Millie and they discover they require a secret cipher.

Despite the potential risk, Gur joins Clem in her sickroom, attempting to advise and sway her.

Because of Milli's letter to Crysanth, the Rapid Evening is brought to attend a revue. Clem gets shown off as a hero of Kesh. Leap and Milli throw food at the stage and cause a ruckus until they're kicked out. SI does a comedy roast of Crysanth, but she's unphased.

Clem and SI ask Gur about what he knows. He tells them about the Resin Heart at his church, which has a strange effect on those who stand before it. It’s one piece of a divine body spread across Partizan. SI sees his own vision from Future, in which he is able to make Clementine into an effective monarch. Gur speaks cryptically about the future ahead and warns them they may encounter Motion in their next mission.

Cast[edit | edit source]

Other Characters[edit | edit source]