Episode description
This episode carries content warnings for discussion of displaced and unhoused communities.
The news is sour. The revolutonaries known as Millennium Break will be no one's savior today. The Ashen of Saboria, of Harborview, have only each other as their protectors. And as they huddle below, sheltered in the shuddering mountain, the enemy arrives from above. The mission is clear in both objective and absurdity: Zark Vapor, Teasel Fauna, Martia Häske, and Narmine Te'Ketch must simply hold the Pact at bay long enough for a miracle.
This week on the Road to PALISADE: Lancer Pt. 3
Records Recovered from the Divine, Arbitrage
Factions
Hypha & Ashen: The former were a culture of galactic nomads, guided by a paranatural force called the Strand which they could commune with using technological devices built into their antlers. The latter are their descendants, their routes broken by the Principality’s expansions and occupations, their culture ripped from them. Stel Columnar: Famously “courted” by the growing Principality many generations ago, this nation of humanoid synthetics traded freedom for the prestige and security of the Principality. They hid behind imperial walls and pursued the Future, pushing boundaries not only in technology, but in art, commerce, and war. I suppose I can call them cousins, but not with much fondness. Today, they share righteous screeds and fight for the return of something like democracy as part of the Pact of Necessary Venture. What a comedy. The Curtain of Divinity: For generations, the Curtain of Divinity operated in the shadows of the Principality, partly as intelligence agency, partly as shadow government. Now they have been dragged into the daylight, and serve as one of the two ruling factions of the whole Principality. Though there are some divisions along questions of secularity, humanism, and cultural taste, in general, leaders of the Curtain are conservative, traditionalist, and nationalistic. They seek the reunification of all five Stels and the permanence of the Divine Principality. Led, in public at least, by Cynosure Whitestar-Kesh, the Peaceful Princept. In fact, the Curtain has five divisions, each led by a ruthless individual known only by a codename: Silk (diplomacy), Damask (research & inquisition), Lace (military), Linen (economics), and Gabardine (espionage and collaboration).
The Pact of Necessary Venture: As their (current) name suggests, the Pact began as a cooperative exploratory committee founded in the late 14th Century of the Perfect Millennium. They sought new territory to conquer, breaking an old taboo in the process, and inviting destruction and fracture. Which is appropriate, as their vision for the future is one where each Stel is granted more autonomy and independence—some even claim that they would see the Principality utterly destroyed and replaced by a loose affiliation of free states. Despite this, the Pact are no radicals: While they want more independence from the Principality, they have little interest in shaking up the internal power structures of the Stels themselves. After all, their founders were all Elects, and though only two remain (Gallica, elect of the Divine Present, and Rye, elect of the divine Space), they are led by Dahlia, who serves as both Apokine and Glorious Princept.
Persons
Zark “Banjax” Vapor (he/they): Mechanic, Harborview contractor, and pilot of the Ill Portent Teasel “Derby” Fauna (he/him): Entertainer, sharpshooter, and pilot of the Dressage. Narmine “Ketch” Te’ketch (he/him): Former two-bit criminal, current whaler, and pilot of The Captain. Martilla “Journeyman” Häske (she/her): Professional soldier, Pact true-believer, and pilot of the Under the Radar. Kaliope Flow (she/her): The de facto leader of Harborview. Zeke Minuet (he/him) & Deanthe (they/them): A pair of researchers into ancient Hypha culture. Dirwin, Elaina, Stas: Strati that had been kidnapped by the Pact of Necessary Venture from Harborview. Now rescued, and en route towards a rendezvous point. Locations
Saboria: A world controlled by the Columnar which they “gifted” to a group of Ashen refugees fleeing the Curtain. A fiction, of course. The city of Harborview where the Ashen live is under constant surveillance. I do wonder, however, whether the Columnar know the irony of the trap they think they’ve laid. Articles
The Portcullis System & The Divine Space: Huge, distended hexagonal gates that float at the edge of key systems throughout the Principality. Once a week—or more often, if one has the keys to the kingdom—each one connects to one other, forming a faster-than-light highway that serves as the logistical backbone of the galaxy. Built by Orion, the technology is a perversion of that used by some of the earliest Divines, tens of thousands of years. Miscellany
Stratus: A poorly articulated, unanchored, catch-all term that’s far outlived its usefulness. In some eras, a “stratus” (plural: strati) is said to have special powers of empathy. In others, they have a sort of digital telepresence. There has always been debate as to the origin of these “abilities,” whether they are innate or trained or quite literally created. In one long scattered culture, the Hypha, the strati were social and logistical cornerstones, created through careful application of technological skill. Their beliefs were quaint, but one must respect the technique.
Contents
Plot
With the crew’s original mission done, Kaliope Flow offers to let Martilla Häske arrest her, but she declines, arguing that their mission is not yet complete, and they are still in the thick of it. Deanthe then requests assistance from the crew to help move the population of Harborview up a nearby mountain filled with more Hypha ruins. Martia grudgingly allows them to ride Under the Radar, though testily points out there’s a weight limit for her mech. Zark Vapor warns them that technically the Ill Portent isn’t safe for them to be riding in, and while they can ride on the hat they do need to sign a waiver first.
They arrive at the ruins, and the Strati are able to activate a door to allow them passage, revealing crumbling Hypha statues and a safe place to rest. The crew is able to spend time repairing their mechs until Deanthe announces that there are more Columnar forces inbound, and they need their crew for one last mission. Deanthe asks them to hold off the Columnar until they are able to activate and launch the ruins, revealing them to be an ancient Hypha ship called “The Brightsky” which they plan on moving off the planet using the Strand.
The Columnar forces arrive, including Callister Multiply, a Pact pilot who Martia’s describes as “a solid guy”. During the fight Narmine Te'ketch activates the Captain, who is revealed to be the Divine Tenacity which he had previously stolen from the Pact, and Teasel Fauna absolutely vaporizes a number of enemy mechs. The crew manages to hold off the reinforcements as the Brightsky takes off into the night sky with the crew swept up into the Strand alongside the ship.
In the aftermath, having recreated the Chorus Bond, Deanthe is declared the Loess of their group of Hypha. Zark quickly departs the group, preferring to be on his own. Teasel does not become mayor (he didn't run) but does become the de facto night mayor. Martilla is cautious of what comes next, on edge for retaliation from the Pact or Millennium Break, but she stays on the fleet, committed to her new mission. Narmine stays on as well, helping train new pilots, and conspicuously keeping an eye on Martilla on Millenium Break's dime.
Cast
- Andrew Lee Swan (GM)
- Austin Walker (Narmine Te'ketch)
- Keith Carberry (Teasel Fauna)
- Sylvi Bullet (Zark Vapor)
- Jack de Quidt (Martilla Häske)
Other Characters
- Tenacity
- Kellister Multiply
- Dymchurch Burrow