Game 1 Part 1 Coming to Venus

1.15.2189

### Scene

**Far from Earth, 42 million kilometers at its closest approach, the planet Venus hangs in the void. What had once for so long been land enveloped in an eternal swirling cloud of death now stands a world of seas, deserts, mountains, jungles....and humans. Aboard the interplanetary mass transit ship, the *Abeona*, thousands of passengers are being woken up for the final time during their long transit between the two bastion of human life in the solar system. Here was a place that so many people have traveled to make new lives for themselves. It is also a place where so many hopes and dreams have been shattered against the planet's harsh and formidable landscape. Still, there is a vibrancy that has been growing for a long time. Venus has long been recognized for its just out of reach potential. Perhaps things will be different this time for Florence Greenwald, a reporter for the Global Press, the most independent paper on Earth.**

### Character

#### The Reporter, Florence Greenwald

* She works for the Global Press. She is looking for her contact on Venus, Doc Mulden, the bartender.
* She as been having a rough time getting to her contact, but she is elated to finally have found his establishment. She isn't sure what he will offer her yet
* She has very little knowledge or understanding of Venus aside from what she has read about, mostly basic history, its major corporations, and its politics, however she almost zero first hand experience with any of these subjects.

### Greenwall Bar

Time:

1.17.2189 (Mid-afternoon, very hot and dry outside)

### Scene

**Inside a cellar bar called Greenwall near Old Republic Tower, the oldest government building in Io (though it is mostly ceremonial at this point), *Florence* walks down dimly lit steps. Though narrow, the bar stretches back deep into the Ionian mountain side. It is cramped but almost cozy. Most of the furniture and interior is made from hydroresin, the same drab substance coating the buildings of Io to protect them from the drastic weather and acid rain. These deep cellar rooms were designed for rare but dangerously acidic Halja Rains. The city of Io is no longer prone to such weather, so many of these cellars have been hijacked and repurposed for other uses.**

**Steps stretching from wall to wall appear every 20 feet as the cellar goes both back and downwards into the stone. The first tier is bar level, with the counter to the left. To the right is a series of old arcade games and gambling machines. The second tier has a series of tables in the middle and booths to the sides. Hanging above the third set of steps are a cluster of vidscreens. The third tier is similar to the second but a false wall with a door covers the rest of the cellar.**

**The bar is full of men and women cheering, booing, and screaming at the vidscreens as a destructive game of motor races plays. Money is passing hands and drinks are being slammed. The crowd consists mostly of local city folk dressed in a mixture of fashionable street clothes and labor overalls. The match must be particularly riveting as the front bar area is almost completely clear save for the Bartender and The Wastelandersitting at the far end of the counter. The Bartender looks out of place with traditional dress compared to the dreary look of the establishment, sporting butler style livery. He has a thin mustache above a sly but inviting smile as well as dark thinning hair combed to the side.**

**The Bartender nods to Florence. She recognizes him from the description she was given by her contact on Earth. As she comes closer to the bar, he asks her, "What can I do for you miss?"**

**Florence replies, "I'd like a dry martini with a Mediterranean olive", her code phrase.**

**The Bartender smiles more than he was before and says, "Sorry miss, this is a cellar bar, we don't sell above ground food" Its the code phrase reply she had been waiting to hear after 3 months of interplanetary travel, harassment from customs, and bribes to every cop who could tell she was a Earther newcomer.**

**Florence says, "So you're my contact on Venus, finally."**

**She had no idea how he was suppose to help her, but her friend in the Global Press had given her a tip he said should wouldn't regret. This might officially be a slightly expensive puff piece on 'Life on Venus', but the Reporter knew that there was something much more exciting, and front page worthy, than following some locals around.**

### Characters

#### The Bartender, Doc Mulden

* Somewhat strange, but friendly. Speaks bluntly but politely. If he can find value in you, he will quickly become much more informal and can even be a bit of a big mouth.
* He has maintained this bar for most of his life and has heard a lot of things. His bar brings in middle and lower class citizens of the city, but also a few politicians who drift in from their occasional meetings at the Old Republic Tower.
* He is morally neutral, preferring not to take sides but instead profit from everyone. He is much less interested in the information he has than he is the money it will make him. Regardless, he does love his bar, so anything he thinks will directly threaten it will concern him.

#### Raltor, The Wastelander

* He stays quiet and mostly keeps to himself. However, his need for work drives him into the cities to offer his service as a guide in the wastes. He normally doesn't come this far into the heart of Aphrodia, but a contact of his offered him good pay for what should be a fairly easy job.
* His appearance and demeanor are enough to tell people that he is not from the city, but from out in the wastes. Wastelanders are usually treated with a mix of respect, fear, and disdain. They are hardy people, so their skills and abilities are not to be trifled with. However, they are often thought to be uncivilized or even violent. Since they are not citizens but live within Aphrodia's borders, some people see them as an obstacle to solidifying the national boundaries.
* He is wearing worn leathers from various desert animals, is covered in cloak, and carries a stuff backpack. He is clearly armed with a compound bow, something rarely seen these days. On his should sits an intimidating Rust Tailed Raptor. Though he has tamed it, many people are nervous to be near it.

### Event: Contact on Venus

* The bartender, named Doc Mulden, is willing to discuss matters with Florence, but only after he has been compensated. He will remain pleasant and play coy, even if he isn't paid, though he won't give up anything without it. He will take money or rare goods.

* Once compensated, Doc Mulden will tell Florence that he has a hot tip about a salvage crew preparing for a haul. Though salvage might not sound particularly interesting or politically important, word on the street is there is a major contract being offered off the books. Doc's own sources say that an executive from an Earth company had been asking about the contract, though it seemed as if he was not involved in it directly. Doc is waiting for an employee of the salvage crew to show up so that he can introduce her. The contract isn't for another 2 Shifts (the 19th), but the salvager is a regular here.
* If he is rewarded handsomely, it will add +2 to Investigation or Streetwise skills to get extra information from him beyond what he originally had to offer.
* An Investigation or Streetwise skill test (3) will reveal that armed private security were seen with the Petrov Heavy Industriesexec, meaning that he must be very important (0 MoS), that the salvage contract is worth 10 times as much as a typical haul (1 MoS), and that the salvage contract likely was issued by radicals in the city who have been looking for evidence that the government is corrupt, though how the haul will reveal this is unknown (2 MoS). A Fumble will cause Doc to mock the person for not knowing Venus too well.
* A Business Skill test (2) will remind the player that Petrov is one of the largest and most powerful companies on Earth and has many investments on Venus as well. PHI is an industrial company that makes everything from toasters to tanks. A MoS of 3 or more will remind the character that Petrov has a long history of working in tangent with the other largest companies to manipulate the Euro-American Union, and has been known to be very underhanded when dealing with trouble.

### Scene

**As Doc and Florence are talking, Switch Jackson steps out from the restrooms and sits down amongst the other patrons watching the game. He feigns watching the game, but he is clearly distracted, perhaps even disturbed. He is a man in his thirties with a rugged look, still wearing his work clothes, perhaps better suited to the fields than in a bar in the middle of Io. He turns around quickly to scan the bathroom door, but then quickly turns around again as Dr. Mordechai de Atacama Swayze also steps out. His face is twisted and uneven, as if it had fallen away like a porcelain doll and someone had haphazardly glued it back together. He is also emitting an odor of cheap perfume and a decaying sandwich. Though the doctor has difficulty making normal emotions with his face, he carries himself expressively, and he is clearly upset and stressed. He sits down at the bar between Florence and Raltor, muttering under his breath and fidgeting in his large medical bag.**

* Give the players the opportunity to talk if they want

**The door to the bar opens loudly as three men descend the steps. Ace Bannon scans the room, talking into his head set, arguing, as he walks to the bar. He is wearing a Tyrian pilot suit, intricate in its design compared to the fatigues worn by the average pilot. He is fairly well armed, equipped with XXX. Behind him is Mousillini "Moose knuckles" Rawhide, a company man. He is holding a clipboard overloaded with papers and a briefcase. He is talking frantically to the man walking behind him, Dutch "The Colonel" McKracken.**

### Characters

#### Switch Jackson, the Homesteader

* His family and home were destroyed, first by the empty promises by the politicians that their farms would prosper, then later by raider attacks. With barely anything left, he has traveled to Io to look for work.
* He was washing up in the bathroom when he say Dr. Swayze's face, mid recovery from his medication. Even as it healed up, the scene shocked him, forcing him to leave the rest room.

#### Dr. Mordechai de Atacama Swayze, the Scientists

* Scarred by his own experiments and discredited in his field, the scientist now uses his overqualified skills to act as doctor on odd jobs.
* His face is disfigured by a toxin that must be regularly treated. Without his medication, his skin begins to slough off. Even with it, the toxin produces a foul smell that must be covered with cologne.

#### Ace Bannon, the Mech Pilot

* Ace is currently employed by the Aphrodian private security firm *Agrona Arms*, which has been contracted to protect McKracken Salvage and Rescue.
* Though he technically works for Agrona, Ace is still a citizen of Tyrus and owes his debt to his nation to test an experimental neural net in combat mechs. He carries the computer with him everywhere (it is smaller than most neural nets, but it is still the size of a small brick). The device is conspicuous enough that most people assume it is experimental Tyrian tech, though Ace won't tell anyone what the experiment is or what makes the device special (make sure Eric knows this)
* Ace is currently under contract to protect Dutch and his operations along with two other Agrona soldiers, Rory Dax and Jim Hopper, under the command of his handler, Cece Colfax. His first assignment is to personally guard Dutch. His teammates will rendezvous with him at the docks in Nazareth with the mechs and carrier rig.

#### Mousillini "Moose knuckles" Rawhide, the Company Man

* Moose is currently employed by Gigatech, a Venusian company that has recently been bought out by Petrov Heavy Industries. The company is responsible for the design and development of Venusian styled mechs and has been acquired by The Company in order for them to learn how to build better mechs to fight on Venus with.
* The Company is now digging through tons of Gigatech's backlog paperwork, discovering that there are gaps in salvage records with returns. Moose has been sent in to figure out where some extremely valuable salvage from lost shipments has ended up, much of it tied to McKracken Salvage and Rescue which has done many jobs for them in the past.
* Moose has been hounding McKracken for shifts and has finally cornered him at the Greenwall. McKracken is largely ignoring him.

#### Dutch "The Colonel" McKracken

* Dutch runs his own salvage company called McKracken Salvage and Rescue. He is extremely weathered and gruff looking. His close friends call him Dutch, his customers call him McKracken, and everyone else knows him as The Colonel. He used to work for the Aphrodian State Army but was honorably discharged after failing to carry out unethical orders.
* Dutch is a patriot who feels that the government has failed the country. He was an idealist who's dreams were crushed by the reality of war. He tried to do something to ease his mind by starting a business that included spending time away from civilization and while still helping people. While spending time in the wastes, he was again reminded of war. He is now a revolutionary, working with dissidents in the capital and in the electorate to lead a coup against the corrupt government.
* Dutch has learned of a trade deal between Aphrodian agents and a smuggler. The cargo supposedly includes a some number of mind hacked Mord suicide bombers. The creation and use of Mords is highly illegal and unethical. Dutch is working with double agents who are inside the Aphrodian space ship in orbit above Venus. The plan is to document and hijack the transaction, then bring the evidence down into the Gauntlet Desert where Dutch's salvage crew will grab the evidence.
* By a complete stroke of luck, Dutch managed to accidentally find out that captain of the smuggling ship also has evidence that a hit has been put out on Chancellor August Donner by members of his own government. Although the Mords are Dutch's primary concern, he is fully aware of the implications of this assassination plot. He has made sure that one of the Resistance agents on board will secure the relevant data disk.
* The plan is to take Dutch's salvage rig, *Instaurabo*, which is stationed with its standard crew in the docks of Nazareth, meet up with the rest of his security team from Agrona Arms, drive out to the oasis town of Catalhoyuk where they will refuel and restock before heading deep into the wastes of the Gauntlet Desert. A secret beacon has already been placed that an agent on the spaceship will activate, both directing the ship and Dutch's rig. Dutch already knows the general area of the beacon, so he will direct his crew in that direction.
* Dutch will lie to everyone about their refuel station, telling them that they are headed to a oasis town called Zeme. About halfway through their trip, he will take Raltor and his driver aside and explain to them that changing course, but not to bring it up so that nobody would start arguing about their contracts. The driver fully trusts Dutch. If Raltor wants to protest, Dutch will do his best to appeal to him, quickly offering him cash in hand (XXX). If Raltor continues to protest, Dutch will try to Intimidate him (Bld 2d+2 vs Raltor's Wil, 2d+0) into keeping his mouth shut. If he wins, Raltor will back down, but he can still do as he pleases once he leaves Dutch's presence. If he fails, a random player character near by will hear his complaints.
* If anyone figures out the truth about the deviation and demands extra pay, Dutch will agree to bonuses. He will explain that he got a hot tip about an important wreck, but wanted to keep it secret so that they would get their first. He still doesn't completely trust all of his new crew.

### Scene

**Moose is pacing around Dutch and can be heard desperately asking him about how so many of his manifests don't match up with the records that were submitted to Gigatech. Moose seems like he doesn't want to cause trouble, but the severity of his problem is taking a toll on him. Dutch waves him away, saying that he doesn't have time for this and that his secretary can handle it. Moose complains that the office for McKracken Salvage isn't even in Io, but in Nazareth, which is where he already spent shifts looking for McKracken in the first place. Dutch continues to ignore him.**

**Dutch sits down in the middle of the bar room and calls out to Doc for a drink. As Doc approaches, Dutch asks him if the woman and the man at the bar are there for him. Doc mentions that the woman is a reporter from Earth and that the man is the new guide. Dutch calls out to Florence to join him. He asks her what her interest is in Venus.**

* If she stands by her cover story, that she is just doing a puff piece on life on Venus, Dutch will get frustrated. He will complain that Earth doesn't take Venus seriously enough. He will also mention that if she wants to see life on Venus, he will show her what its really like, no hand holding. He will also warn her that he doesn't expect her to last long.
* If she admits that she is trying to reinvent herself or that she took the job so that she could become a kind of embedded reporter, covering the Cold War and possibly another full out global war, Dutch will get excited. He will agree with her that there is much more than meets the eye to this planet and that the lives of all Venusians are fated to the whims of Ishtar and Aphrodia. He will proclaim his patriotism while mentioning his disdain for the current establishment. Though he is very skeptical that Florence will last long, he believes she has the potential.
* Regardless of the outcome, Dutch will then began assembling his team.

**Dutch turns and nods to Ace, beckoning him to his side, which Ace does somewhat grudgingly. He calls out to the wastelander, referring to him by the more endearing term, Aenean, then he also calls for Switch and Dr. Swayze. As they take their seats, Moose elbows his way through and grabs his own seat. Dutch looks angry, but then a smile comes across his face. He says to Moose that if he is going to stick around, then the least he can do is shut up and stay out of the way. Ace makes sure to stand between the two.**

**Dutch eyes up the crew with an incredulous stare. He starts with Switch, mentioning that he had heard he was good with machines. He asks him if he has ever operated an industrial mech before. He also asks him about where he is from.**

* If Switch is honest about his farm going to ruins because of the government, Dutch will get a wild look in his eye. He won't press the matter too much, but he will make off comments about the government often failing to keep its promises.
* If Switch mentions that he lost his family to wastelanders, Dutch will ask him cautiously if he is capable of working around or with wastelanders. Regardless of Switch's answer, Dutch will point out that their salvage operations usually involve going deep into wasteland territories. He will also mention that he has been known to hire a few as guides.
* If Switch keeps quiet about his past, Dutch will be able to tell that he is hiding something for personal reasons. Though he doesn't know the exact circumstances, Dutch will intuitively feel that Switch was hurt by the government somehow, though he won't push the issue publicly.

**Next Dutch turns to Raltor. Dutch is careful when speaking to him, fully aware that many wastelanders do not trust city dwellers. He asks Raltor why he decided to get a job working for urbanites. Dutch admits that he respects the skills and wisdom of Aeneans and that he has spent some time dealing with different tribes out in the Gauntlet Desert. He was good friends with the last guide he had, and is very sad that he was killed by a land mine, presumably placed by Ishtarian soldiers. He has not had a proper guide in days, so he is hoping that Raltor can help them navigate the desert safely.**

**Dutch then addresses Dr. Swayze. This is not the first time that Dutch has hired the disfigured doctor, though this is the first time he has met him face to face. Unlike most people in the bar, Dutch seems unconcerned about the doctor's condition, perhaps knowing how it feels to be scarred. Normally the doctor would do odd medical assignments, usually operations within Io. This is the first time that the doctor has gone out of his way to ask for a specific assignment, and Dutch is surprised that it would be one that takes him so far away from civilization. Dutch asks him if there is a special reason for volunteering.**

* If Dr. Swayze makes excuses, Dutch will drop the subject, but will keep his eye on the doctor. Dutch doesn't know the doctor too well, and so he is skeptical that he might be a double agent. Then again, he excels at his work and Dutch knows this job could get violent.
* If Dr. Swayze admits in any way that he is looking to lay low for a while, Dutch will become sympathetic, but he will still be suspicious. He will express the fact that he understands the need to but distance between your problems, but he will also mention that he won't tolerate those problems following them on their contract.

**Dutch finally turns toward Ace. He tells everyone that the contract will operate under the protection of a government subsidized protection service, carried out by *Agrona Arms*. The rest of the team has already arrived at Nazareth, but Ace was assigned to act as personal protection. This is apparently Ace's first job with this particular firm, and they put him on less than prestigious guard duty. Dutch mentions that he understands why Ace would be upset about the arrangement, but as long as he is on the job, he expects him to take it seriously. Dutch reminds everyone that the Gauntlet Desert is a dangerous place, known for its dust storms and warbands. Dutch notices that Ace is carrying what looks to be an advance neural network box for a mech and asks him if it is some kind of Tyrian experiment that he needs to know about. Ace doesn't hide the fact that it is part of his civic duty to experiment new Tyrian tech, but he won't disclose its purpose.**

**Dutch looks around at his new crew members and smiles. He might not know what to expect from them, and he might not be able to trust them, but he has always been a man of action. He stands up, looks at his watch, and explains to everyone the itinerary. Everyone will meet again on the 19th, 0800 hours at the Juno Rail Station to catch a ride to Nazareth. By 1800 hours the whole team, including the standard rig crew and Agrona's own command rig, will be assembled and ready to leave for the oasis town of Zeme, their first and last stop before driving out into the contested wasteland territory. In the desert, they will respond to any rescue signals or commands from their relay at Zeme.**

**Dutch clasps his hands together and begins to walk out when Moose stands up. He demands to know what Dutch plans to do about the inconsistencies in his paperwork. Dutch finally gives in a little bit and tells him that he can ride with them to Nazareth where he is sure that his secretary will work it all out. Ace steps in between Moose and Dutch, but then Dutch leans in to speak to Ace. He mentions that he needs to go someplace privately. He informs Ace that he should stick around and get to know the people who's lives he will be protecting.**

* If Ace insists on following, Dutch will palm him some extra cash, demanding that he meet him later with the rest of the crew.
* Give the players time to decide what to do next.

### Event: Juno Rail Station

Time:

1.19.2189 roughly 0800 hours (mid-Afternoon, hot and dry outside)

### Scene

**Compared to the hot air and blinding sun, the massive chamber of the Juno Rail Station is a cool relief. It is no surprise that so many people in transit like to spend their time idling at the station before venturing to the surface. The station is located deep in the mountainside of Io as well as downward almost a half a kilometer (quarter mile). It only has one main tunnel in operation, straight to Nazareth. Construction on other tunnels is ongoing, and much of the equipment is stored on the same decks as the food stalls and vendors. Although the main chamber is quite large, about 45 meters (150 ft) to the top, the meager lighting doesn't quite reach to the ceiling. The darkness, the dense foot traffic, and artificial air circulation produces a cramped and claustrophobic atmosphere at times. Along side the docks are a few of the huge cars that carry passengers between the two cities. Being this far away from the caustic and dusty surface, it is much easier to maintain the powerful electromagnetic systems that allow the cars to glide at high speeds suspended in the air between the rails.**

**Dutch is waiting on the side of a large stepped dais, upon which a statue of the goddess Juno stands about 10 meters (33 ft) tall. The station is of the goddess' name sake, she being a deity whose roles include the safe passage of travelers, but above all else, love and unity. She stands with her scepter and a peacock familiar, dressed as a queen of the heavens. The statue is old and worn. Though it is made from materials designed to stand the ages, it is chipped and pocketed with many marks, almost as if it had been in an explosion. Dutch's strong posture next to the goddess makes him easily noticeable from the milling crowd. He sees the party and waves them down as he descends the dais.**

**As the party moves through the station, they are met with various dealers in stalls selling wares from all over Venus and Earth. There is a odd mix of old and new, modern and traditional. One vendor is selling the newest computer programs while next to him is a desert shaman peddling medicinal herbs and dried animal parts. One stand is covered in prepackaged, highly processed snacks and drinks directly across from pit chefs working kebabs of rope lizards and scarab worms over grills. The closer they approach the large dais, the crowd shifts from that of commerce to one of soapboxes and proselytizing. People with all manner of rhetoric stand side by side, vying for people's attention to listen to the secret truths they had foreseen. Though Venus's cities tends to be very secular, areas like these where people are forced to listen draw the extremes from all walks of life. As one prophet claims that the world is coming to an end, another is promising she will be the next savior.**

**Dutch stands on the other side of the rabble with his arms crossed, looking satisfied. The crew wades through to meet him. He mentions that people try their best to avoid these fanatics when passing though. He feels sad that it has made traffic around the statue of Juno fairly rare. He admires the strength that the goddess represents, even if it is just an idea. He also wryly remarks that not all of these screaming conspiracy theorists are completely wrong. Sometimes, he says, you can only get away with speaking the truth if people think you are crazy.**

**A loud horn sounds from the PA system followed by an announcement.**

**"Delays expected. Repeat. Delays expected. Rails are down due to a failure in the Aquanet pumps. Stand by for updates"**

**"Typical" Dutch says. He tells the crew to hold tight while he goes and talks to the service operators about the delay.**

* The characters have roughly an hour to wait before the railway comes back online.
* Soon after Dutch leaves, one of the rambling "prophets" begins to harass Moose. She will tell him that as a Company man, he must know about the poison that they put in the food that the government gives to the poor and the wastelanders. Its a plot to turn them into zombies so that they will turn on their countrymen, cause mass chaos, and by the time anybody can figure out what to do about it, Ishtar will have sided with Earth and will blow up Io.
* If Moose tries to ignore her, she starts to accuse him of being a robot puppet, mind hacked to do whatever the company says. Even him ignoring her is exactly what they programmed him to do. She will even follow him, getting louder the more he tries to ignore her.
* If Moose engages her, she will accuse him of proving her point that she can't express herself in the system without having a "suit" telling her how to think and feel.
* The other players can do as they please, but the longer they linger, the worse the woman harassing Moose gets. After about 15-30 game minutes, if none of the other players have started engaging her as well, a police officer will bump in and get involved. If other players do get involved, a cop will show up shortly and try to break things up.
* As soon as the cop gets involved, another bystander speaks up. He is dressed in a dark green jumpsuit with a hood pulled over his head. He keeps telling the officer, "It's ok, everything is going to be alright." He will repeat this often.

### Characters

#### Police Officer

* As soon as the confrontation escalates, a police officer will step in. At first she will deal with the radical head on, but as soon as anyone tries to help or say anything critical, the officer will turn around and start to argue with the players.
* The officer will say that she is sick and tired of these instigators and that people should stop trying to engage them. She says they wouldn't make such a scene if people would just ignore them.
* Regardless if the players take the opportunity to walk away from the situation or stay and argue, the officer will find a problem with one of the players, and ask to see their identification. The characters take priority in this order of appearance:
	1. Florence- the officer notices that she is a newcomer and will try to bribe her, suggesting that her ticket for the rail might be a fake. If She discovers she is a reporter from Earth, she will tell her that he press pass might not be valid anymore, again asking for a bride to expedite the process.
	2. Raltor- the officer picks on the wastelander, asking how he could even afford to ride on the rail way. She will suggest that his ticket is a fake.
	3. Dr. Swayze- the officer is shocked by his horrible face. If she can make a successful Notice test (d6+1) versus the doctor's Disguise skill (d6+1), she suspects that she has seen him somewhere. She can't recall but she feels obligate to find out.
	4. Ace- the officer notices that Ace is a Tyrian and well armed. Although private security is common, she decides to make extra sure he is on the level. She badgers him to provide ID and a working permit.
	5. Switch- the officer notices that Switch is not from the city. She asks where he is going. Whatever he says, she starts to criticize him for not being able to afford a ride on the rails. She suspects his tickets are stolen and wants to run his ID.
	6. Moose- the officer feels like Moose had said or did something to provoke the Radical. Then the officer claims to have seen him in the station many times before and chastises him even more, saying that he should know better than to come around these parts of the station.

* The second bystander again interrupts to tell the officer that "It's ok, everything is going to be alright"

#### Conspiracy Radical

* After the officer engages the players, the Radical seems upset that she isn't being paid attention to anymore. She pushes the cop aside and tries to grab Moose while yelling at him.
* The players can try to intervene, but if they fail or do nothing, the following sequence will play out:
	1. The officer will try to push the Radical away, followed by putting her into a submission. A struggle ensues.
	2. The Radical will break free and pull out a knife, slashing the officer's hand, giving her a Light Wound (-1). The officer will reel back in pain as the Radical makes a run for it.
	3. The officer pulls out her firearm and yells for the Radical to stop.
	4. The Radical continues to run. The officer open fires (-1 light wound) for at least two turns. If she doesn't hit the first two times, she will hit the on the third, killing the Radical.

* If by some chance the officer is incapable of killing the Radical, a second officer will appear and take the fatal shot.
* After the Radical is dead, a group of 5 officers show up to clear up the scene.

### Scene

**The scene in front of the dais of Juno is full of screaming bystanders, some running away while others closing in to catch a glimpse. As the radical lays dying, the officer rolls on the ground in pain, blood staining her uniform. More officers arrive preceded by wailing miniature flying drones with flashing red and blue lights. The man in the jumpsuit is quick to come to the side of the wounded officer, though he doesn't seem to be doing anything to help. Instead, he tells the woman, "Its ok, everything is going to be alright"**

**Before the officers can start to interrogate the onlookers, Dutch grabs his closest crew mate and then orders Ace to round the others up. The rail is back online. Dutch looks particularly frantic, which is a change from his stern or cocky attitude he showed previously. He urges his team to hurry. The rail is leaving soon and this mess is sure to bring more trouble than its worth. The crowds that had been waiting to board are anxious, adding to the tension of the gunfire.**

**Dutch makes sure that everyone is aboard, including Moose. Dutch mentions that he saw some of what happened. Though he doesn't quite like having a Company stooge rooting around in his business, he does feel bad for Moose being harassed. Dutch doesn't believe that he is some kind of government robot mole designed to poison our drinking water...he's just a bloodsucker.**

**The crew find their seats which are near the side of the car facing the station plaza. Out from their windows, they can see the chaos around the police incident. Even more officers arrive, huddling around their wounded comrade. Just as the car begins to move, the crowd of peacekeepers suddenly jolts, and then turns and runs from their friend. Still standing next to her, the man in the jumpsuit has his arms outstretched and is staring upwards. The last image the passengers see before the car swiftly accelerates is a bright flash and a loud explosion. By the time anyone on board could really react, the rail car was already accelerating away over 300km/h towards Nazareth.**