Issue 0 - when our team first came together

Fiction Silverline
1

The recap will be presented in a series of posts to this topic. This is an in-character version of the events of a “session 0” for this team.

The curtains draw close, and a series of images appear projected onto one wall of the conference room. A soulless voiceover accompanies the pictures, starting with a series of faces.

“Real name, unknown. Goes by the alias Midge Leafstone, first name Midge. Metahuman biology with unusual DNA tracers. Subject self-identifies as a ‘mutant’. Subject has the ability to grow and shrink in size. Subject may be capable of telepathic interactions with some lower life forms. Recommended posture: friendly.”

“Real name, Mia Duson, first name Mia. Works under the vigilante codename ‘Sabine’. Subject was affected by exposure to a mutagen in Sector Zero, case file A204792. Subject has lost her conventional human vision, but can sense and mentally interact with sound-waves. Subject has been traditionally uncooperative with authorities but is on the rec list from Silver Seven. Recommended posture: neutral.”

“Real name, unknown. Goes by the alias Setsujoku Hisako, first name Hisako. Signs of non-human biology, potentially modified by illicit Sector Zero technology. At the time of apprehension, found in possession of several tools and weapons rated Zeta 2 or higher. Subject claims to have invented these herself. Early questioning confirmed she is conversant enough with their operation to be capable of it. Recommended posture: wary.”

“Real name, Miguel Murphy, first name Miguel. Works under the vigilante codename ‘Guardian Ghost’. Father is David Murphy, currently a member of Silver Seven. Subject is known to be cooperative with authorities and comes with a personal recommendation from multiple Silver Seven members, even with his father recusing himself. Recommended posture: friendly.”

“Real name, Ricky Cleveland, first name Ricky. Works under the vigilante codename ‘Pelagos’. Subject shows indications of exposure to Sector Zero mutagens, but no further details are available. Reference case file N399561. Subject has some ability to control and manipulate water. Recommended posture: neutral.”

The people in conference consider, converse, and disperse.

2

Sprout’s Story

Dear Mom and Dad and everyone,

I’m really excited to be here! But it’s scary too. After everything that happened, there’s people who are In Charge. Miguel said I should talk to them and answer their questions. I can’t tell them about Home so I think I’m supposed to lie. I’m not used to talking to giants at all! What if they ask me something weird and I can’t tell a convincing lie? What if I give everything away? The family came so far to be here in this city and I don’t want to spoil it for everyone!

Oops, here comes someone now. Gotta go! Love XOXOX Midge

“Midge Leafstone. Can I call you Midge?” This person is smiling, but they’re a giant, that could mean anything. Cats smile too and they are terrifying!

I do my best to put on a brave face. “Sure! That’s my name. What’s yours?”

“I’m uh, Harvey. Midge, can you tell us in your own words what happened?”

Okay, here’s the part where I have to remember what’s true and what’s supposed to be lies.

“I was just hanging around doing normal giant stuff,” I say, with a wink. Harvey’s face doesn’t move, the way Dad’s doesn’t when I’ve done a bad thing. Uh-oh. “Anyway, someone comes, vroom, around the corner! It’s Mia! You know Mia, right?”

“I know Mia,” the giant says.

“Okay! Mia is cool! Anyway, she’s with Miguel! You know Miguel too, right? He’s cool too.”

“I know Miguel.”

So far so good. He doesn’t suspect anything is weird. I can do this. “Right! So Mia is running, and Miguel is doing the thing where he goes poof-poof-poof and it’s dark, right? He’s not running but sorta is, but he’s keeping up with her, anyway, they are after these bad people! I didn’t know they were bad people at the time but Miguel later told me they were Science Pirates and I don’t know what Science is or Pirate is but he said they were bad guys. Right, so–”

This is the part where I should lie! They can’t find out about Home.

“–so there I was, doing normal giant stuff like I said. And I wanted to help, because, y’know, that’s what we mutants do. I’m almost 62 inches, you know, I can take care of myself!” I expose a bicep and flex. Harvey nods appreciatively, with that smile Mom gives when she’s proud of me but I should get on with my chores.

“So I uh, call a bird, and it scoops me up and carries me along with them!”

“How did you call a bird?” Harvey asks.

“Oh, it’s one of my mutant powers.”

“Great. And this…” Harvey checks a piece of wood in his hand that’s glowing on one side. “… this bird, uh, you say it carried you the rest of the way? Into Sector Zero?”

“Well I don’t know what Sector Zero is but it went into the dark tunnels with the screaming, yeah.” I shudder. “That was pretty scary. I don’t know why anyone would want to go there but y’know, a lot of people were going there that night!”

“People shouldn’t go there,” Harvey agrees. He seems upset about something, but is being nice about it.

“Anyway, so! We meet up with these two other people, just outside the tunnels! Ricky and some other guy, uh, um, Deus Volt is what he said his name was! Giants have great names, don’t we?”

“Yep.” Harvey is unimpressed. “And what about this um, Hisako?”

“Oh yes we found Hisako inside! She was looking through stuff with the glowy bits around her.” I wave my arms, conveying the glowy bits as best I can. Alright. So! The Science Pirate people, they were doing bad stuff in there. Miguel said they had to be stopped. Everyone else kind of agreed. But they also didn’t really trust each other, like, uh, like they weren’t sure who was the good guy and who was the bad guy here."

“That’s always a problem,” concedes Harvey. “Go on.”

“So! I introduced myself, and I said I brought a snack for everyone, even though I actually had a couple of extra snacks, and said, my name is Midge, it’s a pleasure to meet you all, and if there’s bad people doing bad stuff, we ought to do good stuff, because we’re good people! And I asked if they were all good people and they all said yes.”

“Wish it was that easy for me,” Harvey says blandly.

“So! They all sort of smiled, except most of them had masks on so you couldn’t see their faces but I know they were smiling anyway because you can always tell when someone smiles, it’s I dunno, it’s just a thing you can feel. People love to smile. Do you ever smile?”

“Not on company time,” Harvey explains.

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that. Anyway, smiling brings people together and Miguel nodded and said yep, we’re all good guys, we should go do good guy stuff. And that’s what we did!”

3

Sabine’s Story

I break up the questioning by asking a question of my own.

“Harvey, like the invisible rabbit that hung out with Jimmy Stewart?”

I can rez that he’s twitchy, but he’s got great muscle control.

“Just Harvey. Sabine, like…?”

I grin. “Wallace Clement Sabine. Physicist, acoustic scientist, architect. Helped design Symphony Hall in Boston.”

“I see. Thank you. Do you acknowledge you broke the law, Ms. Duson?”

I shrug. “If you mean entering Sector Zero, I know it’s supposed to be illegal. But Science Pirates were going in there, and I didn’t see any of the cops or you military boys there to stop them. So, y’know, who else was going to do it?” I know I’m basically confessing a crime, but they’ve already got me. What’s the harm in telling truth to power?

Harvey nods. “Do you think you were entitled to act on behalf of law enforcement?”

This is the kind of question I hate. Guys like this always think that only grown-ups can do anything, but they don’t really get anything done. So they ask tricky questions to try and make you look stupid. I think over what I want to say.

“I think people were being endangered by the Science Pirates and what they do. They dig up Zeta-level technology, weaponize it, and sell it. They use it on their rivals. Their buyers use it on their enemies. All this stuff trickles across national boundaries, outside of your control. More centers of authority mean more interaction, more conflict, more everything!” I throw up my hands in frustration. I know this conversation won’t do anything, but I have to say it.

“Go on.” Harvey’s face rezzes like an Easter Island statue, but the words are comforting in their hint of hope.

“Well… so, why aren’t we doing more to stop it at the source?”

I hesitate, and realize that there’s no conversation here, just him noting down what I say. It’s disappointing, but maybe someone will hear it anyway.

“Look. I get that you are all busy, and you mean well, but you’re just not very mobile or subtle. And Silver Seven is busy putting out fires around the world. You need people like me, here, who care, and will do something about it.”

Harvey asks a question that I don’t think I’ve ever heard before.

“You lost your sight going into Sector Zero. Why do you want to go back there?”

I’ve been told I shouldn’t have gone in that time. That I was stupid. That I was silly. What’s this?

Harvey waits patiently.

“Well… Listen, every experience we have in life comes at a cost. Want to date some new boy? You have to break up with the old one. And some things need doing. Where would we be without firefighters, soldiers, cops, y’know? Even someone like you could die in the line of duty, but here you are.” I gesture with a hand, doing my best not to come off as threatening. I probably sound like I’m picking a fight.

I rez Harvey shifting in his seat, and his vocal cords tensing. He wants to say something. But he doesn’t come off as upset. Is he… encouraging me? He can’t. It’s not his job. Fine.

“Yes. I went into Sector Zero. I was exploring. The price I paid was my sight. The thing I got was power, and a lesson, and a thing to do with my life. That’s not a bad trade for me. Would I go in there again? Not on my own. But to keep people safe? To help a city and the world? Yeah. So if that’s a problem, better lock me up now.”

Harvey smiles.

4

Astralis’ Story

“We can’t find any record of someone named Setsujoku Hisako. You’ve refused to give us any more information. I’ll ask you again if you are interested in changing your story.”

I shift in the chair. Down to the cellular level, I look and register as human. They won’t penetrate my disguise. I’m not afraid. I’m annoyed. I have a mission here - to save this miserable planet - and this person is wasting my time.

“That is my name. Is Harvey your real name?”

My interrogator lets this pass. “Alright. Back to your story. Let’s talk about these other people who found you. The vigilantes Guardian Ghost, Sabine, Deus Volt, someone self-identifying as ‘Midge’, someone else calling themselves ‘Pelagos’. You were in Sector Zero, doing… what, again?”

I sigh. “Surveying the damaged areas, like I said. I was not there to take technology away, only to understand the current state of it.”

The interrogator pauses. I don’t know him, but I know his type. Any civilization needs such individuals to maintain order by quelling dissent, and my Empire is no exception. He thinks he is serving a greater interest. Right now, he is looking for leverage to extract my cooperation. Right now, he has none. Except…

“Your group - these people - did a lot of damage to that part of the Sector. A lot of people could have gotten hurt. How do you feel about that?”

I pause. I suddenly want to tell him everything, hoping against hope that he’ll listen and get out of my way. I know that’s a terrible idea. I compromise.

“This city. Silverline. It was built in the wreckage of an alien warship.” I know much more than this, but that won’t help anything. “People live here. Bring their families here. This ‘Sector Zero’ is only the worst of the risks. You think you have contained it, and tell the public not to enter. The distinction is meaningless. There is only the risk that is understood, and that which is not.”

I lean forward, hoping this is making some kind of impression. “During the battle with the interlopers, the rest of the group and I destroyed infrastructure. We did this to contain the thieves and prevent the proliferation of dangerous technology. We were successful. However, one member of the group… ‘Deus Volt’? This individual was concerned by the amount of collateral damage inflicted. They were right to be concerned. The faster I am freed, the faster I can return to my work, which is analyzing and neutralizing these dangers.”

The interrogator says nothing. I suspect there is a relaying of information from a hidden superior. Finally he speaks. “Deus Volt reported the incident to us. He’s the reason you’re all being questioned. Are you saying he did the right thing in reporting you?”

Oh yes, this is a worthy thrust. My counter-thrust must be its equal. “If it brought my concerns to your attention, and secured your cooperation with my program, then yes. I must do what I must. The others, I feel, are similarly motivated.”

The interrogation continues. The questions are more prosaic. What happened next? Who did what?

The information that stays with me is the fact that this Deus Volt gave us up to the authorities. I feel no need for revenge. I have no time for such pettiness. I’m simply becoming aware of who my enemies are.

The humans of this planet did much with the warship my father sent here. Many in the Empire thought my father mad, and questioned his actions. But even so, when the heroes of Earth came to our empire and destroyed my father in retaliation, the people rallied behind his memory. That is why I am really here.

I will either avert the coming war, or I will lead it.

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5

Guardian Ghost’s Story

The interrogation feels like it’s going well. But I can’t help but worry.

“…And so, to keep the Science Pirates from getting away, you directed the rest of your group to attack the tunnel supports, and bring the tunnels down?”

“Yes sir.”

“Can you explain what you felt were the risks involved?”

“Yes sir. There was the possibility that the tunnels wouldn’t come down fast enough, and let the Science Pirates get away while we were trapped. Or that they would collapse and hurt someone. Midge and Pelagos ran interference to avert harm to anyone, while Deus Volt and Hisako took down the tunnels. It was also possible that the damage would trigger an unexpected reaction from the infrastructure. Sabine and I were prepared to respond, should that happen.”

“I see. That contingency didn’t seem to pay off, did it?”

“No sir. The whole structure collapsed, trapping us in small pockets with each other. I brought an emergency transponder. The signal wouldn’t penetrate to the outside. I located one of the Science Pirates’ inertial navigators, so people could find their way back, then dispatched Midge through a shadow portal with the transponder and navigator so that we could be rescued.”

“Why did you choose not to evacuate them yourself, or report the incident yourself?”

“I didn’t have a plan for containment. The Science Pirates could have escaped, or perhaps threatened one of the group, if I took them individually. It’s … difficult for me to bring more than a single person along. The riddle of the tiger, the goat, and the grass meant it would be time-consuming to do it safely, and I wanted to minimize the amount of time anyone spent in the Sector under uncertain conditions.”

“I see. And then?”

“Silver Seven member Mack Atlas responded and removed the obstruction. S7 security personnel took charge of the Science Pirates. We were then ordered to report to S7 HQ, under guard, for debriefing and possible criminal action.”

“Did anyone object to this plan?” I hear the name “Sabine” being bitten off, left unsaid.

“There was some grumbling, yes sir. That is, until Mack said something. He said ‘you kids did alright. I hope you’ll come and bail me out some time.’ Well, sir, when a veteran hero like that says something like that, you feel alright. So, well, we decided maybe it was okay.”

“I see. Thank you.”

I pause. I’m not sure of the protocol here, but I think I did okay. What’s the harm in asking. “Dad, did I do okay?”

The interrogator smiles. “I’m ‘Harvey’ to your friends, Miguel. Don’t forget.”

“I won’t, sir.”

“And yeah. You did okay. You didn’t do great. But you did okay. We’ll talk at home. I’ll think of something to tell your mother.”

“Yes sir. Thank you sir.”

6

Pelagos’ Story

I’m standing on the roof of the City Control building. It’s the third largest structure in Silverline City, and probably the toughest. From here, I can see the city walls - the remains of the crashed UFO that this city was born from. I can see the neighborhoods. The gleaming business district, with the Aspire tower dominating it. Embassy Sector, a riot of color. Science Sector, literally glowing with energy. The Residential Rise, following the natural tilt of the alien mothership’s wreckage.

Behind me are a couple of building security guys, and a Silver Seven agent keeping tabs on me. But they’re staying just far enough away to let me make my one phone call.

“Hey mom. Hey dad.”

The voices on the phone are worried. “Ricky! Are you alright? Where are you?”

“I’m at CiCon, mom. Everything’s fine. I’m doing okay.”

“What happened, Ricky?” my dad, of course. They’ve already been contacted by the authorities. They want to know if I’ll corroborate the story they were told, and if their secret is out.

“Well, I was talking to this hero named Deus Volt. He’s around my age, I think. Electrical control, it’s really neat. I was telling him I could shape water, help him spread his electric charges to hit multiple targets, since water conducts electricity, so we should team up–”

“Ricky.”

“Yes dad. So DV got a call on his whatever he’s got and he just took off. So of course I followed him! And it was Science Pirates! I think it was the Laughing Bandits gang, specifically, from their logos! – anyway, Guardian Ghost was in pursuit, and someone named Sabine, and we met up with a couple others inside. We chased down the Bandits. Ghost was amazing! He really directed things efficiently.”

Mom’s voice takes over. “Ricky, the military said the tunnels collapsed on you!” I know my dad is shaking his head. Dad would want to spring this at the right time, but mom was too worried.

I pretend like I don’t know what’s going on here, and keep talking. “It’s alright, it was a controlled collapse, meant to keep the gang trapped. Ghost sent a call for reinforcements. Everything went according to plan.”

“Then why are you at CiCon?”

Well that’s a good question, dad. Too bad I have a good answer! “They just questioned us. They released me a little bit ago. Well, said we could call our parents or guardians and stuff. I think there’s some more processing they want to do with us.”

“Alright, son. Be careful.”

“I will, dad.”

They can’t ask the question I know they want to ask, and I can’t say. Son, did you tell them we used Sector Zero tech to save your life? Are we in trouble? Is this life we built for you going away? I don’t know. I think it’s okay though. I hope it is. My parents broke the law to save my life. Might have bought tech from the very same sort of gangs I was just chasing.

This is the thought that worries me.

Do I deserve to be a hero, if I’m possibly stopping some other kid’s life from being saved, the way mine was?

“Ricky? Are you okay?” Mom sounds worried, but it’s different.

“Yeah sorry. I have to go. I love you both, I’ll see you soon!”

“We love you son.” “Take care of yourself.”

7

Pelagos

I own a boat. I don’t mean that my parents bought it for me. I mean I own one, with my own money. It’s not called “Little Ricky” at least.

There’s a lot of shipwrecks in the Atlantic ocean. Society has been sailing for years and years. A guy like me, who can dive to any depth and poke around in the wrecks without the cumbersome equipment of deep-sea divers or submariners, can get to a lot of interesting and valuable stuff. My family helped me find a market for some of it, and then gave me tips on investing the money I made. So now I have my own yacht. It’s outfitted for other recovery efforts, but sometimes I go out when I want to be alone.

Today I’m out, but I’m not alone.

Silver Seven let us go. The military didn’t throw us in jail. The cops didn’t press charges. I want to think that my parents didn’t just buy off the right people. I figure it’s not that, because everyone’s here. Guardian Ghost, the latest in a long line of patriotic avengers, looking like a shadow in his hat and coat. Sabine, the speedster, with the dark goggles over her face, hair tied back, and a crazy grin as she watches us. The strange dirt-covered person who calls themselves Midge Leafstone, and is looking curiously at everything, and trying to keep their balance as the yacht rocks. The mystery woman, Setsujoku Hisako, who says the least of any of us, but whose hard-light holographic technology is clearly native to the city.

Ghost took off his mask. I guess that’s a sign of trust. I don’t recognize the kid underneath, except he looks Hispanic. Sabine is pale, but with the black hair and and crisp accent of someone from Silverline’s international population. I can’t say anything about Midge except I’m not sure if they’re a boy, a girl, neither, both, or something else. They dress like a country farmer, overalls and simple spun clothing, pockets bulging with oddities such as rocks, Pez dispensers, and even a felt mouse toy. Hisako looks Japanese and sounds like it, but there’s something weird about her, something about the way she stands or moves. It’s like she’s a feral cat caught in the middle of a bunch of friendly dogs.

Ghost says something I’d been thinking just then. I don’t think he meant it. Maybe we’re all wondering. “Hisako… Are you an inventor, or the daughter of an inventor? Your tech is unfamiliar to me.”

Hisako stiffens.

Astralis

Why is this human asking this question? Thankfully I have a cyberpathic link with the computer in my starship, lazily orbiting the planet. I put the question to it, as I have many times before.

> answer inquiry in the context of a plausible human cover story

< YOU ARE THE DAUGHTER OF AN INVENTOR NAME SETSUJOKU YOSHIRO

“Ye-yes,” I answer. “Setsujoku Yoshiro was my father.”

“Interesting.” The human in black steps back, and faces the rest of the group. “My name is Miguel. I trust you all. If that trust is misplaced, there are ways to remedy this revelation. Mr. Cleveland, thank you for the use of your boat.” He nods to another human, the one whose skin rather than clothing is black, who is constantly smiling. He is identified as ‘Ricky Cleveland’, also known as ‘Pelagos’.

“Sure thing, Mr. Ghost!”

‘Miguel’ - callsign ‘Guardian Ghost’ - returns his attention to the other humans, and to me. “This group worked surprisingly well together. And the case isn’t over yet. We found a thumb drive on the science pirates.”

I casually cross-reference the terms. “Science” is of course the methodical inquiry into natural processes, undertaken on any civilized planet. This planet still uses the primitive falsification strategy for hypothesis-evidence loops, not having mastered the more productive post-quantum deduction technology necessary for a truly spacefaring society. “Pirates” indicate groups of outlaw individuals who engage in organized robbery when not on land. The compound term seems applicable: a gang of individuals interested in stealing the products of science.
I notice that Miguel is staring at me. The computer helpfully flashes a summary of the conversation:

< MIGUEL WISHES TO KNOW IF YOU WILL DECRYPT THE ENCRYPTED CONTENTS OF THE MASS STORAGE DEVICE IN HIS HAND

“Of course. Leave it to me.” I take the unusual device from the gloved hand.

> explain the relevance of the term "thumb drive"

< THE TERM REFERS TO THE DEVICE'S RESEMBLANCE IN SIZE AND SHAPE TO THE HUMAN THUMB

> so they do not craft these from the thumbs of some kind of biological specimen that was evolved to support native computing capacity?

< NO

Clearly there is much more to learn here. I nod to Miguel, in what I hope is the correct gesture.

Guardian Ghost

Hisako nods to me. I know I’m taking a big chance on this unknown, but somehow I feel confident of her good intentions. I can’t read thoughts, but I get hints.

As she starts fiddling with it, I turn my attention to the grubby tomboy type in the overalls. “Midge, right? That’s an interesting name.”

“Thank you!”

“You from around here? Silverline, I mean.” They have some kind of shrinking power, and birds carry them when shrunk. Some kind of mutant ability.

“Yep!” They’re smiling brightly, and it’s a little weird. I’m not used to smiles, except when my little sister Katia is up to something.

“Right. Is there uh, a way to reach you if … if we need to work together again?”

Midge scratches their head. “Can you talk to animals?”

“Uh…. no, I don’t think so.”

“Oh.”

Does this kid not have a cell phone? What the hell? “Listen. I’ll give you a communicator. All of you, actually. Here.” I reach into a pocket and pass out the Gladwell radio earbuds. I keep them for emergency situations, when I need to coordinate with an ad-hoc group and they don’t want to share their comms with me. I demonstrate the behavior of the device. Everyone seems to get it except Midge.

“So I put it in my ear, and then… just hold a finger next to it?” they ask.

“Yes. Then just talk into it. You can give it voice commands too.”

“Is it some kind of bug?”

“No, of course not.” The question catches me off guard. Are they more security-conscious than they let on? Is this all a front? I make a mental note to keep tabs on them.

Sprout

It’s not a bug! Huh. It looks like a curled up millipede to me. That’s okay! I put it in my ear. It doesn’t wriggle. That would be distracting.

I try holding a fingertip near my ear. Closer, closer - hey! There’s a noise! It’s like wind chimes.

“Hellooooo?” I say.

Miguel, the boy in black touches his ear, the way I’m doing. “I hear you, loud and clear.” I hear him twice, actually! There’s the one time where he’s talking to me, and once more when the little millipede tells me what he said.

He offers one to the pretty girl, the one with the long hair in a ponytail. Mia! She has a nice name too. She doesn’t want a millipede. Why not?

“I need my hearing. Do you have an external one I can wear, that won’t block the ear canal?”

Miguel shakes his head, but he promises he’ll get one made. He gives her a place to meet!

As Miguel walks away to share millipedes with everyone else, I sidle over to Mia. “Hi there!”

“Uh, hey.”

“Mia’s a great name! I’m Midge.”

“Call me Sabine when we’re together as superheroes, please. It’s… you know how hero code names work, right?”

“Nope!” I really don’t!

“Oh.” She stops and tilts her head. “Well. It’s a name you give to people, to avoid giving your real name. Or to have a shorter, simpler way of introducing yourself. There’s other reasons, but those are good enough.”

I’m supposed to lie about Home, so that makes sense. “I should have a code name then!”

Mia - nope, Sabine grins. “Yes you should. How about… ‘Sprout’?”

I think it over. “Sprout sounds nice too! Do code names always sound nice?”

“Not always. It’s most important that they be unique, not pretty. But if they can be both, why not?”

“And I’m Astralis.” This is from another girl, the one with the glowy stuff. “A code name. For superhero purposes. Is… that … correct? Good?” She always looks so stern, but now she’s so uncertain! It’s weird, but I smile anyway, because she picked a pretty name too.

“It’s great!” I call. Beside me, Sabine nods with a grin.

Miguel is done passing out millipedes. “Right. Astralis. Guardian Ghost. Pelagos. Sabine. Sprout. How do you all feel about becoming a team, at least temporarily?”

I look from face to face. Ricky - Pelagos - is beaming with joy. Sabine looks less certain. I can’t see her eyes, but she’s pulling back like she’s not sure. But she nods. I nod too, because a team sounds good and I’m a mutant and mutants have teams. And finally Astralis nods.

Sabine rubs her hands together. “Right. While we’ve got ourselves a yacht, why aren’t we partying?”

Sabine

I’m still not sure what to make of their faces. I can rez looks of confusion, and glances from one person to another. Do they not get this? We won! We went up against science pirates, we got a major victory against them, and then we went up against CiCon and Silver Seven, and they let us go! This is great!

“Whaaaat?” I ask.

I hear Miguel’s voice. “I think it’s okay to celebrate, but I don’t want to lose sight of our objective as a team either. The gang was working for someone. We have a responsibility to find out who, and what they were really after.”

I rez the girl, Astralis, tensing up. She knows something. Or she experienced something? Daughter of an inventor - maybe someone who secretly worked with the Science Pirates to get high-tech stuff to work on? Is that why she’s so secretive?

“You folks are free to use the boat as you like,” says Pelagos. I like him already.

“I’ve never been on a boat!” says Midge. Sprout? I like Sprout, it’s a cute name for a cute person.

Hmm. Maybe they can thaw the ice around Miguel? Or Astralis? Ricky seems pretty thawed already, but is kind of an eager beaver. He could use someone more mature, reserved. Well, really, that’s still Miguel or Astralis. Maybe.

Too soon to tell!

“I… don’t have time to party,” Astralis announces. “I have my own mission. It cannot wait.”

“Maybe we can help,” Ghost offers. Ooh, good!

“I… am not comfortable sharing the details of it with you at this time.” Astralis looks away. Aww! There’s a secret. If the Guardian Ghost and his predecessors have any kind of rep, it’s getting at secrets. He’s not going to give up on this one.

“Hey, your stuff is probably expensive, right?” Pelagos is joining in. Good! “I’m doing okay financially. I can probably help, if you need, if you want that is.” I can rez his body language, note the reluctance and uncertainty. Awww, he’s awkward too! This is perfect.

“I… will let you both know, if your services can be of use.” Astralis’ voice sounds strange, like before. English is definitely not this girl’s first language. I can’t place the accent either. Her name is Japanese, to be fair.

“Great. Well right now, we need your help decoding that thumb drive,” Miguel says. “If you can do that for us, I think we’ll do whatever we can in return.”

“I will need access to… certain… equipment,” Astralis announces. “I will handle the decoding soon.”

“Time to party, then!” Pelagos whoops. “I got cold soda in the fridge. Come on, relax, you all earned it!”

Oh yeah. This team is going to be great.

8

That’s the end of session 0, character creation and “when our team first came together”. Session 1 will be a week or so out, including “when time passes” rolls for the Legacy and other suitable stuff. Please leave comments, opinions, or any other feedback in a reply!

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