Interlude: Stitch-In-Time Station

## Synopsis

### The Shipping Lanes

During a brief stop between Spike Drills, Drake Masterwood accidentally got his ship The Christine caught in a pre-tech shipping lane that automatically corrals ships to the Stitch-in-Time station. Fortunately, this saved on fuel. Unfortunately, this meant that the party was subjected to psychic intrusions that took the form of psionic advertisements that would have been considered incredibly anachronistic.

The main sufferers included the Space Cat, who was NOT HAPPY with things, and demanded that Drake do something about it. Unfortunately, Drake couldn't. No one could.

### Social Media Frenzy

Upon receiving some invitations to an all-expenses-paid vacation to Ameena, the sector's Hot Springs resort, Drake realized that he needed to up his social media game. Drake ~~coerced~~ asked Mielikki and Erin to help him out with that. By uploading videos on the platform StabbedIn while streaming to his viewers as "Red Wake Drake" and doing a video on receiving the vacation and looking forward to actually having fun.

Mielikki set up a meta channel going on about the behind-the-scenes of "Red Wake Drake"

The invitations received showed that there was another guest that the crew did not meet yet, and that they would see him at Stitch-In-Time Station.

### Enter: Bahal Slapticus (aka Finding Religion Again)

The crew made their way to refuel, repair, and restock all their supplies on Stich-In-Time station, though they did not really have much of a choice. While there, at the central chapel, they meet a very buff man named Bahal Slapticus who was preaching the words of the Stellar Spirit and the gifts of the heavens.

Drake entered dramatically asking the Reverend why Bad Things happen to Rich People and the Reverend told a great parable. In this, Drake and Bahal Slapticus became great spiritual friends. Erin and Mielikki felt as though doom was hovering over their shoulders, and Erin felt a sense of internal moral disgust for probably what may have been the first time in her life. It was here that Drake told Bahal about the vacation, and Bahal understood where the Stellar Spirit wanted him to go.

After receiving donations from the congregation and skimming the top off, Bahal Slapticus was approached by the Founding Family of Stitch-In-Time station to ask if he wanted to work with them. Bahal said no, and that the Stellar Spirit was calling him to elsewhere. Upsetting the family, Bahal joined the crew.

### Shopping and Goods

While the ship was undergoing more maintenance, Erin and Mielikki decided to do some shopping on their own for illegal and legal things. Mielikki wanted more knives. Erin wanted a blackslab (which is totally illegal).

Meanwhile, Penelope had decided that she was going to take her leave as her contract stipulated that she could come and go at any time. Though it took a bit, the crew realized how much they needed a medic on board since Penelope's healing was probably taken for granted. After a brief panic about how to handle medical supplies, Drake and Bahal decided to approach a drunk male nurse and convince him that joining their crew was a great idea. Donald Green joined the party.

### Escape from Stich-In-Time Station

The Founding Family then approached the crew as they were about to leave with Donald Green. They caught the Reverend stealing money from the donations, and wanted him brought to justice. Being called out, Bahal Slapticus accused the founding family of heresy and a fight nearly broke out as Drake no longer wanted to leave space stations in disarray every time he left.

As tensions rose, Erin decided to do a flashy thing. Garbing herself as an avenging valkyrie with her telekinetic powers, she levitated Bahal Slapticus up in the air, then teleported to retrieve him and bring him on the ship. The show looked as though the Reverend was lifted and rescued by an angel, and some of the staff fell to their knees. They must have witnessed a miracle!

The Founding Family was then exhaust-blasted nonlethally by the Christine and left floundering.

## Aftermath

* Penelope took shore leave.
* Bahal Slapticus got a 10,000 Credit Bounty on his head.
* The crew got an additional 5,000 Credit Bounty for collusion with the Reverend.
* Donald Green joined the party as the hapless NPC. He wasn't allowed to bring his things. He believes he was kidnapped.
* Another scientist snuck aboard????????