The Raven and The Spire

*"Nanobots...dying doctors...promiscuous counselors...and a no-nonsense commander. These are the voyages of the starship RAPTOR."*

The Raven and The Spire was a Lasers and Feelings game that followed the exploits of the CSS RAPTOR and its crew in their efforts to track down a rogue Consortium captain.

#### The Crew

The CSS RAPTOR had just lost its Captain to an unknown disease. Therefore, the RAPTOR fell under the cooperative control of:

* Mack Reddie, a no-nonsense soldier
* Commandante Gork, a crazy inventor
* Dr. Nerps, a sickly alien doctor
* Counselor Thomas, a suave psychiatrist
* Dash Riprun, a silent engineer

#### The Mission

The RAPTOR received a transmission from Admiral Victor Yaren. Captain Jennifer Spears, ranking officer aboard the CSS RAVEN QUEEN, had reportedly gone rogue and headed into Spire territory - a big no-no in the current brink-of-war climate between the Consortium and the Spire. Furthermore, Admiral Yaren's daughter, Vera, was Science Officer aboard the RAVEN QUEEN. The mission became high priority, forcing the RAPTOR to divert its course from Med Base 1241. Telemetry showed the RAVEN QUEEN's last known destination was a neutral waystation called Omnia Outpost.

#### Omnia Outpost

The crew arrived at Omnia Outpost. They were almost not allowed to dock, but bribed the docking officer to let them in. Once they landed, the team was faced with resistance from the Customs Officers. They managed to get through, though, and split up. Counselor Thomas immediately got distracted with an attractive alien; Commander Mack Reddie made his way towards the Administrator's office, but instead stopped into a bar; and Gork and Nerps went looking for parts and supplies. The went to Zook's Starship Emporium, owned by a Gremm named Zook, and bought some medical supplies and some nanobots.

Mack Reddie struck up a conversation with a six-armed alien named Vin who was a fan of humans. He told Mack that he'd seen some humans pass through a couple days ago, headed to the Administrator's office.

Thomas, meanwhile, had some pretty sweet alien sex.

#### Father Kyle

The crew regrouped and headed for the Administrator's office, located inside Club Oasys. They found a peculiar religious figure perched outside the door, preaching about the return of the Void God. In questioning him, they found out that he had been found by Captain Spears on Vita 4, where he gave her a Void Crystal. They then hunted for more, until Captain Spears finally found them: on Genos Prime, in Spire space. Armed with this knowledge and more than a little annoyed, the crew departed Omnia Outpost...but not before getting into a confrontation with some of the guards on board. They blasted their way out, making sure to leave a present for the docking officer who clearly betrayed them in the form of an implosion bomb.

#### Plasma Wastes

The crew then faced a choice. They could travel through the Plasma Wastes - the quickest way to get to Genos Prime, but very dangerous - or around, which was safer but slower. They opted for the quicker option and entered the Wastes.

The RAPTOR's strong shields held. As the crew soon found out, the same was not true for the RAVEN QUEEN, which had disintegrated into multiple pieces. They found Commander Yaren, the Admiral's daughter, onboard and were able to save her. According to her, the RAVEN QUEEN's shields couldn't take the heat, and so the crew was forced to jettison. The Captain went alone toward Genos Prime.

#### Spire Space and Genos Prime

The RAPTOR came out of the Wastes into the Genos system. After some quick scans, they found the shuttle used by Captain Spears. After some discussion, they decided on a plan. They picked up the Captain's lifesigns. Three of the crew (Thomas, Reddie, and Nerps) beamed to the ground and confronted her. Meanwhile, Gork and Dash ran the ship. During the confrontation, the RAPTOR's scans detected a Spire ship - **FIRESTORM** class - entering the system. Mack KO'ed Captain Spears, beamed aboard with the others, and the RAPTOR made it out of the system undetected.

#### Aftermath

Captain Spears was court-martialed; Commander Yaren received a promotion and took command of a new ship; Dr. Nerps attempted an experimental cure to his lifelong illness, which failed; Mack Reddie took over as fulltime captain of the RAPTOR; and Gork entered a top-secret experimental weapons research program based on nanobot technology.