Watch the entire session on YouTube at https://youtu.be/rArZwuDs6sA.
The crew decided not to waste any time travelling to Absalom Station and sent their report to Chiskisk via an encrypted message through the Drift network. Switch punched in the coordinates they had collected from Tahomen’s comm unit and jumped through the Drift to the Diaspora. All was quiet when they arrived so they began scanning for signs of life or habitation. Drez had spent a great deal of time in the Diaspora but realized they were not close enough to any of his acquaintances to request assistance in their search. After several hours, a blip showed up on their sensors which they quickly identified as an old Nebulor Outfitters Starhopper. Cypher opens comms and hails the vessel.
He is greeted by a cheerful voice who introduces herself as Captain Alera Okwana of the Free Captains. The two groups banter a bit (although the PCs are humorously undermined by Cypher who keeps the PCs’ comms open while they debate how to deal with the Free Captains).
The battle ensues and it quickly becomes apparent the Free Captain pirates are outmatched. Cypher outmaneuvers Karrina (the pilot of the Rusty Rivet) but the PCs do have some trouble using the new weapon systems they installed. The Light Particle Beam shuts down (critical fumble on the attack roll) and Wesley has to rush to repair it. Once they had shaken off the rust, several well-placed shots nearly crippled the Rusty Rivet and Captain Alera begged to surrender.
The PCs boarded the Rusty Rivet and negotiated the terms of the pirate’s surrender. In the end, the pirates gave each PC 1,200 credits and the location of an asteroid where the Cult of the Devourer is known to operate. Wesley also added a backdoor to the Rusty Rivet’s computer systems in case the PCs encounter the pirates again.
The Raza raced off to the location provided by the pirates, Asteroid K9204.
The asteroid was large and composed of a grey mineral with wicked protrusions covering its surface. The PCs found the only place they could land on the rock and began exploring. They found a ravine not far from the landing site and while exploring it found a mound of shiny metal. Nuil identified the metal as cold iron and the PCs quickly gathered all of it. Wesley and TIM-X returned to the Raza with the special ore and the mechanic began daydreaming about what he could make with the cold iron.
Meanwhile, the rest of the crew continued to explore and in a drift of dust, they found the corpse of a cultist which had been there for several months. It looked like the cultist had been attacked by a large beast but before the group could learn more a hidden sniper opened fire on them. The crew spring into action and quickly determined the sniper must be on a large spire next to the ravine. They quickly began to scale the spire (low gravity plus jump jets made that easier than you would think) and found a sarcesian sniper at the top. The sarcesian was mostly mumbling incoherently while doing his best to try to kill Drez. The PCs quickly whittled him down and killed him before he could do any serious harm.
Searching his belongings, they found his journal.
“The entries describe the stubborn sarcesian’s disagreements and personality clashes with others of his kind on his nearby home, and they detail his decision to leave and spend a month cooling down on this asteroid. The journal entries become increasingly jumbled going forward. References to a “flesh beast” recur multiple times until Yex begins referring to this same creature as “master.” Maudlin praise of the creature as a higher power suddenly gives way to gibberish written in no known language. The journal’s final entry simply reads, “Yex keep scratchies away so master finally makes Yex into skree YES.”
The PCs suspected he had been under the influence of a Skreesire and prepared themselves to face the beast.
End of session.
The Zen Game Master 
Leave a Reply