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

"Listen. I signed on to pull a suit out of a shipwreck," Buzzard says, voice loud enough to be heard by their new guest in the common room. "I did not sign up to escort that suit to a different, much larger shipwreck where she will probably get shot."

"Brianna---" Adne begins, quieter, then notices Buzzard's face harden. "Buzzard, I know. It felt like I had no choice in the moment, but that doesn't mean you should be locked into this plan too." They let their shoulders droop, careful to keep their frost-nipped hand submerged in the warm water. Buzzard had grabbed a crystal carafe from the mess and filled it as soon as they got out of the launch bay.

"But if we turn around now, we'll more than double the voyage, and then I'd have to find a way to refuel and resupply without payment for either job..." they trail off for a moment, then straighten up in their seat. "Once we get to Wreck, I can pay your cut for the rescue job with the rest of my savings. That should be enough to get you wherever you need to go."

Buzzard's lips remain a thin line across her face but she lets a heavy sigh escape from her nose.

"Fine. Maybe. I guess Wreck should be safe enough for us if we keep our heads down," Buzzard says, then raises her voice even louder. "She's the one who should be worried!"

Undertake an Expedition: Weak Hit!

Action Score 3 (rolled 1 + 2 Wits) versus Challenge Dice 2 and 8

The balefire has disrupted the normal route between the planet Outlook, by Selfra and the spaceborne settlement of Wreck. Adne and company need to blaze a new trail. We'll call this a Troublesome challenge since they're already part of the way there:

Journey to Wreck (Troublesome)

⬛⬛⬛⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜

Now the rough part: On a Weak Hit, we have to either "suffer costs en route" or "face peril at the waypoint." We just escaped a pretty big peril, so for pacing's sake let's make these problems more mundane.

First we'll Sacrifice Resources (-1) since three people go through supplies quicker than two, which brings that track down to 3. We'll also Endure Stress (-1), since Buzzard and the executive (maybe I'll name them at some point, maybe not, who knows) are bickering constantly. On top of that, Adne feels like they let both Buzzard and Trip Ambly down by ceding to the pressure to help with this other mission. That's wearing at them too.

But I'm going to choose to resist that stress! Adne doesn't want to let this pressure affect their performance. They've got a lot to prove as an Ironsworn if they ever want to complete their vow to break NDA.

Endure Stress (-1) and Resist: Strong Hit!

Action Score 8 (rolled 4 + 4 Spirit) versus Challenge Dice 2 and 3

On a strong hit, we can choose to shake off the stress and take +1 Spirit (restoring us to full in this case) or to gain a point of momentum. The argument gets especially loud as Adne's trying to focus on maneuvering through an asteroid field. They flip on the intercom and calmly tell their passengers to SHUT UP so they can KEEP PILOTING and they don't ALL DIE.

And they do shut up! What a lovely sound, this cowed silence. +1 Spirit!