CW: Brief descriptions of vacuum-related injury, corpse-like anatomy, and underwater vegetation.
"I'm not taking off my glove! We're in space! And we do not have time to argue about this," Adne shouts, pressing their visor against the escape pod's viewport. "The balefire will swing back this way in three and a half minutes! At most!"
"Well, I'm safe in here," the voice responds a little more softly, as if leading Adne through a thought exercise. "Far safer than I'd be out there if you did turn out to be one of them. And if you leave without me, I'm sure Ambly will send another in your place."
The executive inside the pod must realize they would die long before another rescue party could get here. Adne knows it's a bluff. But. They also know their stochastic projections did not account for an extended bargaining session.
Air hisses and internal suit alarms blare. Adne holds their rapidly reddening hand --- and the black iron cabling around their throbbing wrist --- centimeters away from the reinforced glass.
"I swear on my iron to help you finish your mission!"
Swear an Iron Vow: Miss with a Match!
Action Score 5 (rolled 2 + 3 Heart) versus Challenge Dice 5 and 5
Our first Miss! And an extra bad Miss because we got a Match. Some moves have special rules for when you roll matches on your challenge dice, but generally speaking they mean something extra bad happens --- or good, if you get a Strong Hit with a match.
I'm tempted to let this go, because I know what the major obstacle would be. But I also want to keep this first quest moving along, and I want to honor the prep work that Adne and Buzzard have done. So let's burn that momentum, we'll get two back for our Strong Hit anyway!
Swear an Iron Vow Redux: Strong Hit with a Match!
Action Score 7 (current value of Momentum track) versus Challenge Dice 5 and 5
A moment passes. Then the pod's armature begins to loosen. Buzzard swiftly jams the pry bar in and works the pod the rest of the way free.
"Great! I look forward to working with you," the voice responds, clearly pleased. Then a finger emerges from the darkness inside the pod, pointing over Adne's shoulder. "And since you really aren't one of them, you should probably hold on tight. I'm not very familiar with the thrusters on this thing."
Adne looks back from replacing their glove to see a dozen hands emerging from underneath a loosened floor panel. Each one has been uniquely warped by cold, vacuum, and chaos. Yet they move with one rhythm, like a seaweed forest swept by the tide.
Then all frame of reference disappears as the pod's short-range navigational suite sends the three spiraling off in the vague direction of the Guiding Star.
Reach a Milestone: Bring the stranded Selfra exec to safety
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New Vow: Help the Selfra Exec Complete their Mission (Dangerous)
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