Completing Operation Green Steamroller

[**Mechanical note**: *I realised that, because I finished late, I hadn’t rolled for the impact of my vow to Medwyn. This is a note to remind myself to do that when I come to work on it, and to work this into the narrative.*] As I was loading my cargo into the *Skirl* I thought about the vow I’d made to Medwyn. Since Dropbox 17 Gamma protocol involved a drop on Boreas I decided I would put that rescue on the back burner unless it literally fell into my lap. In fact, I had no need to lay over in Boreas on the way in, the brandy wouldn’t go off after all. The journey to Boreas itself was quick and easy, almost routine if any trip across multiple sectors can be described as routine. The only thing out of the ordinary was a report back from Phipps’ Phaetons, the mercenary platoon that were part of the distraction for my mission. They were about a day ahead of me and reported that on the route between Boreas and Animus was being patrolled. Whoever was doing it had remained right at the limit of their scanners, but it was two small ships, clearly afraid to tangle with two squads travelling in formation. I decided to press on but fire up the stealth technology. I did notice the two ships, they came a little closer to me than they had to the Phaetons, it looked like fast raiders, probably one or two person ships that could easily prey on a small lone trader like me, but the stealth technology meant they couldn’t find me! Result. I recorded everything I could find and added it to my logs for Conductor. It wasn’t directly my problem but they were in a better position to decide what to do with it than I was. I landed without issue and bartered my relays away. The acid environment has some interesting effects on minerals, so I bartered for some of those. It didn’t go quite as well as I wanted, I’m taking a passenger too and they want to leave in two days time. That puts a time limit on my mission, unless I go and come back which I’d rather not do. Apparently the crystals I’m transporting require precise environmental conditions and my passenger is a technician who will monitor them. I’m 90% sure this is bullshit, but they have the right documentation, and a contract with the person at the other end so I’m now on the clock. I guess tonight to scout out the premises, tomorrow to execute the retrieval. I spent an hour around lunchtime quickly surveying the area with the office I’ve got to enter. It’s part of a small commercial dome so there will be no need to wear a full environment suit. While it looks like most of the buildings are offices they all have food outlets attached and they are all open until late. I make sure I learn the layout of the buildings, heights and so on, where the hiding spots are likely to be, where the exits are. Local fashion is baggy and layered, with pastels. This kind of surprises me, I’d expect something tight to fit easily under an environment suit but I guess these are people who are flaunting that they don’t have to go out into the junk that passes for an atmosphere. Another hour of shopping and I have clothes that will pass for fashionable but let me blend into shadows fairly well. Back on the skirl, I prepare all my gear, double checking everything, then take a rest until late evening. I want to hit the dome when a chunk of the food outlets are still open so I can mingle. I’m packing my environment suit under my trendy new clothes, just in case I need to use one of the airlocks but the hood is tucked down. I head off and luck is with me. The restaurant in the building with the office I’m after is having a party. I take a little time to assess it, it looks like a retirement party, but it’s certainly drawing a huge crowd and people are going in and out of the crowd from the streets and in out of the building proper, but only on the ground floor. The office I’m after is on the third floor. With all this attention I should be able to access the third floor tonight and complete my task. I look around and climb the fire escape of the building opposite, checking everything for alarms. It’s amazing how often people don’t put alarms on their fire escapes, this building is no exception. Moments later I’m on the roof, looking across at the third floor of the building I want to get into. Much to my surprise they have a cable running across the street between the buildings. I can’t pass up on this, and I suck it, remember my training and swing under the cable, making my way across. Moments later I’m on the fire escape and, best I can tell actually outside the offices I’m after. Time to get inside! There’s a horrible moment when my scanner doesn’t start up. I stop, hit the reboot sequence and thirty seconds later I’m looking at the pattern of sensors and alarms for the window and room. It takes a bit of trickery, spoofing their software to make it believe nothing it moving, but they have no dumb alarms, which are actually harder to fool, and two minutes later, I’m standing in front of the console. Time to start hacking! The first layer of the hack goes well - I find a user name and password in a diary. The files open up. As I’m starting to search for the files I’m on mission to uncover, I find something potentially much worse. At first glance the accounts I’m looking at seem to be funding for Honshu funded plan to undermine the AWJ military and start a new war. It’s encrypted like crazy and copy protected but I really should try to get to it. I decide to leave it open and get what I was tasked to do first, then get this if I can and if it’s still safe. I can at least report seeing it. I’m a bit distracted by the implications of what I found, but still proceed with hunting for the Green Steamroller files. Still distracted, I’m buried deep in the files as a guard on patrol approaches the office. I quickly toss a cloth over the display to hide the light and hide, instinctively drawing the shadows of the veil around me. That, at least goes well and the guard moves on, never realising that he didn’t actually look into this office. I relax, refocus, and return to my hacking. It took a long, long time to find the file I was after, it was buried pretty deep. Looking at the data architecture it appears they moved it yesterday - someone is suspicious that the arrival of the Phaetons is related to their experiments I think. Good call but I was patient enough. However, the long period I spent tracking this file down and then unpicking the relatively minimal defences - they’d gone for security by obscurity. I know think I’ve got a decent chance of getting the secret war documents out too. Another twenty minutes and both documents are downloaded, no alarms ringing, no traces in the local computer, nor in the Weave. I give myself ten minutes to take a sip of water and quite bite to eat. Then it’s back out of the window and reset the alarms. The party is dying down and so it’s down the fire escape, and mingle with the crowd and back to the *Skirl*. Retieval successful. I spend the next day composing a report that mentions the raiders patrolling, the second set of accounts that I’d found, and eating out. The next day I load up my cargo, including the technician and set course for Boreas. It turns out the raiders are much more interested in ships *leaving* Animus than those arriving *at* Animus. My stealth technology is up to the job but I have to practically crawl and take evasive action which slows me down. Fortunately the technician doesn’t notice anything unusual or if she does, she doesn’t say anything. The landing at Boreas and offloading the Brandy goes smoothly. Offloading the gems and technician is a little slower, but goes well enough. Leaving the information in the dropbox goes well. I have barely completed the security measures when Conductor contacts me and “rewards” me. Well done with both sets of data you retrieved. We didn’t expect to find anything about Operation Orange Watchtower. We’re going to read you in, and since you’re already in Sector 7 Alpha Bravo, send you to Torrid to investigate a lead there. The data will come by courier to you on Boreas, so you’ve got a few days. [*Mechanically I got a weak hit, which says I don’t know my path forward, this seems more fitting narratively.*] I decide to press on with rescuing Steffon, in the next session.

Preparing Operation Green Steamroller (first session)

I have been travelling for a while, establishing my cover, when I get a message from Conductor. My first real mission!

Operation Green Steamroller is a go.

Soft intelligence has reached us that in Sector 7 Alpha Bravo, which is close the centre of AWJ space, certainly well within the Weave, a group of scientists in a remote settlement on Animus are working on forgesworn DNA, splicing it into domestic animals as part of a series of experiments to build up to create human-forgesworn hybrid super-soldiers. I need to sneak in to an adjacent administration facility, low risk, and to help me along a mercenary platoon is conducting hazardous environment training immediately adjacent to the science facility.

Environmental details: Animus is a planet considered tainted, humans cannot survive in the atmosphere without protection; it is highly corrosive with reasonably high levels of nitric acid in the atmosphere. Environment suits work well. There is a diverse life, all of them with extreme adaptations to the acidic atmosphere.

Target details: The administration office is a low security office block. The specific office is an accountancy firm and will have alarms on the entrance and security systems on their computer systems. There is no evidence they are using anything stronger than commercial encryption.

There are security guards patrolling the office block. They are comprised of people who failed, or have retired from, local sector local police or mercenary groups. Threat level is low.

Copy relevant data, leave without a trace.

There is no particular hurry on this mission; current intelligence suggests they are yet to successfully splice forgesworn and mammalian DNA.

Dropbox protocol 17 Gamma.

I swear on my dagger to complete this mission, and reread the briefing while looking up Animus in my ships logs. It is on a well-established trading route, and because of the corrosive atmosphere they have quite an extensive list of materials they need. If I had a larger ship I could import all kinds of things in bulk as my cover but they buy parts for data hub relays that keep them connected to the Weave on a surprisingly regular basis. These are small, relatively cheap and not highly regulated so I can purchase them without blowing my cover and it would make sense I might transport them. I already have a trading route into Sector 7AB and Boreas, which has a known passage to Animus.

I use my funds to purchase Weave data hub relays, and everyone’s favourite brandy for the route to Boreas. This all goes well and as I try to form a deeper bond with Medwyn, the trader here in Sector 5 Mu Iota, he agrees to give me an ongoing discount if I will help rescue his husband. I ask for some more details. It turns out his husband, Steffon, is on Boreas, which is good, and seems to be trapped there. Medwyn is sketchy on the details though, so I agree to investigate, and if it’s possible, and he’s willing, bring him back. Medwyn asks if I’ll swear a vow to that effect and I agree.

Next session, I will actually travel to Boreas…

Quest Starters

Generating your truths in Starforged (and Ironsworn) gives you related quest starters. These are optional, but are a group of ideas for possible quests that arise from the truths you generated. I'm making a list of them, and will add others to this list as I think of them.

Here in the Forge, a rogue faction holds an artifact of these interdimensional entities. What is the nature of this relic? What power or dark fate does the faction intend to unleash?
An explorer brings news. They’ve located an active gate in the depths of the Forge. Why do you swear to travel there? Which power or foe seeks to take control of the gate?
A forsaken people, sworn to no clan, live on an orbital station. A recent illness left many sick or dead. Supplies are urgently needed. Why were these people exiled, and why do you swear to give them aid? Which clan stands against you?
You vow to forge a new sword from the iron of an important object or artifact. What is it, and why is it meaningful to you? Who protects it?
A famed bounty hunter needs your help tracking down their quarry. What is your relationship to the fugitive? Do you swear to aid the hunter, or the target?
A cult seeks to take control of a site reputed to hold a Primordial artifact. What holy object do they seek? Why are you sworn to stop them?
Someone you love has been corrupted by the powers of the Forge. Why did they fall into darkness? Where are they now? Do you seek to save them or defeat them?
After years of isolation, the launch of a new data hub will connect several outposts to the Weave. But a person or faction seeks to stop it. What do they hope to gain by keeping those settlements in the dark? Why are you sworn to stop them?
You receive a covert message from an AI held by a powerful leader. It is a plea for help. What does it ask of you?
A faction is said to be experimenting with forgespawn DNA to create a new biological superweapon. Where are these dangerous tests being conducted?
Deep in the Forge, an Ascendancy beacon has activated. The mysterious signal has confounded translation. Why are you sworn to seek out the source of the signal? What other person or faction opposes you?
A group of settlers established a home in an abandoned orbital station under the light of a white dwarf star. The previous inhabitants were killed in a raider attack years ago, but it seems the dead do not rest there. The people are plagued by constant mechanical issues, strange noises, and unsettling visions.

Where I live (Truths)

I live in the Forge. The Forge is rather different to the galaxy where humanity evolved. We fled because spirits, angels our ancestors thought at first, arrived. But like so many things, it was too good to be true. Our ancestors at first welcomed these angels among them and once they knew everything there was to know they ravaged our worlds, tore down our defences and those of us who were lucky enough fled. Here we hid, survived. Maybe even started to thrive.

Ironically, the fallen angels provided a way for us to get away. Not all of humanity welcomed them and some had investigated their arrival. They discovered gateways that allowed them and although they didn’t understand the technology completely they reverse engineered the controllers sufficiently that they opened a gateway to the Forge and our ancestors fled, destroying the coordinates so we couldn’t be followed.

We have started to thrive here in the Forge. Things are still tough. Most of us are loosely organised into one of five clans, AWJ, Honshu, Li, Okon and Senna. The clans claim territory and there is both trade and skirmishes between them. Others eke out a living between the clans, maintaining neutrality. I’m proud to be part of Clan AWJ.

Everyone, even me, carries an iron blade. Some are small, daggers, kukris and the like. Others are gigantic, claymores and zwiehanders. Regardless of their size, we all acknowledge the commitment of a vow sworn on our blades. Being without a blade is to be without honour. Personally, I carry three, just in case.

Travelling through the gate changed us. We don’t understand how, but a sizeable part of the population wield powers that we call psychic and you might call magic. I can make others not notice me, if I’m lucky I can make them not notice more than just me. There are others who can accurately see into the future, create and control fire and more. There are stories that psychics can be corrupted by their gifts, consumed by flames, disappearing into the shadows, falling into madness as the futures they see consume their minds. But no one actually knows someone that has happened to.

Each of the clan territories has its own laws and while these are largely the same - we all recognise iron vows, frown on murder, rape, theft and the like, have equality before the law and so on - there are subtle difference. AWJ is strongly supportive of psychics while Senna regulates the use of psychic abilities strongly and Li tries to hunt them down and imprison them. Bounty hunters exist and cross clan boundaries with a certain amount of impunity but laws not upheld, like the Li imprisonment of psychics will not allow bounty hunters to roam in all territories - a bounty hunter trying to execute such a bounty in AWJ territory will be arrested for kidnapping if they get caught.

Although I don’t really pay much attention, unless it’s important for a job, we have many faiths. There are different patterns of gods and goddesses, and religious philosophies, between the clans - Okon and Li predominantly have very different worship practices for example - plus a few practises that are found across all of the Forge. Some, like me, basically ignore it. Some mutter the odd prayer, others are truly devout.

In the central areas of clan space, and along the main routes between them there are is a network of data hubs called the Weave that allows for near instantaneous communication between ships and outposts. There are stories these hubs are often the targets for sabotage and infiltration but who believes things like that? The further you get from the centre, the less likely to be connected to the Weave you are, and couriers replace them, although all the clans are expanding the outposts connected to the weave as fast as they can.

We have orders of sworn healers, and they train the next generation of healers. If you live somewhere connected to the Weave and you’re a clan member you can get almost miraculous levels of care. In more remote areas the level of care falls off - novice healers, riggers and emergency aid is the best many can do. If you’re in another clan’s territory it really depends on why, where and how relations between your clans are right now.

When we fled, our AI couldn’t make the transition through the gates we used. We’re told that we bought the cores, but they all died. Survival meant we didn’t look at redeveloping it first, we used the seers that had emerged instead. But Li and Senna aren’t keen on psychics and have looked at developing AI again, seers can’t be everywhere. There is nascent AI technology but it’s even rarer than seers. It is both coveted and wielded by those in power and there are stories, and some documented cases, of those in power using it as a weapon.

It seems like war is a constant. That’s not really true, someone in my line of work deals in precision in information. True, full-scale, war between any of the clans is actually quite rare. There have been two wars involving all the clans in the last 250 years and five more wars involving two or three clans in the same period. The two all-out wars lasted seven and twelve years respectively, the smaller wars lasted three to five years each. A total of 38 years in 250 is 15.2%. But if you count skirmishes, local flares along parts of borders, where adjacent sectors belonging to different clans fight, that adds another 187 years, so 225 out of 250 in total. Most sectors have not seen even 50 years of war, but it’s almost always lurking somewhere in the Forge. Although each of the clans maintains a standing military - typically space marines in small vessels that can attack in formation or each of which can land a squad to take a hostile outpost. Most of the military might floating around, and some might argue maintaining the near constant state of war, are the mercenary guilds. They’re relatively small individually, few are bigger than company sized, with eight or nine ships carrying a squad each, most are smaller - one or two squads - but en masse there are still a lot of them scattered across the Forge.

Life in the Forge is often hostile and dangerous. This is part of the reason for the sheer numbers of mercenary guild members. There are hundreds of deserted outposts and abandoned ships where forgespawn have eaten the settlers or crew. Mmm, tasty.

Some say the forgespawn are what drove the Ascendancy out, or killed them all. The Ascendancy is our name for those that came before. They were clearly advanced, spread throughout the Forge before us, and vaults remain. We explore them when we can but they seem only loosely tethered to our reality.

Most citizens never leave the areas served by the Weave. In those zones a lot of them never leave their home outpost. But those of us who travel to the more interesting bit of the Forge have all seen the horrors. Things from beyond, from later, from the afterlife, from other dimensions and so on.

About me

Hi, you can call me Bagpipes. That’s not my real name, it’s my call sign here in the Service. It’s a kind of joke. The Service was looking for people who could fit in, sneak around, go unnoticed. I have a real talent for it.

I tend to wear a loose fitting ship suit, and standing at 1.72 m it’s hard to tell if I’m a slightly tall gravity-born woman or a slightly short gravity-born man. The only place I really can't fit in without notice is among the Voidborn. My features don’t really make it any clearer, they’re angular and masculine for a woman, soft and feminine for a man. My voice, with a bit of training, is low-pitched for a woman, high pitched for man, but within range for either. Like a lot of spacers I keep my hair shaved short, and for my job I have a range of wigs, just in case. When I'm being myself I use they/them but professionally I use whatever pronouns are required by my cover

My skin is sort of honey tones. I don’t really quite fit in anywhere, but I don’t stand out either. Even in the Okon clan lands, while they tend to darker skins, I’m not remarkable enough to really stand out.

I was trained, at length, to move quietly, to hid, to use my natural assets to blend in and pass unnoticed. Lots of people the Service trained were probably as good at it as me. But I have an edge. I’m psychic, and my particular form of psychic ability manifests as a relatively strong, but equally specific compulsion. They call is darkness but if you hold a light meter near me, it doesn’t flicker. It’s your brain that paints it dark in your memory as my brain tells yours not to notice me. I have, apparently, tested latently positive for other psychic powers as well, but so far none have manifested for me.

I’m such a good spook, so hard to notice, that they named me after a legendary instrument from before the Cataclysm. One that was so loud and so raucous that it was, allegedly, used as a weapon of war.

The Service equipped me with a ship, Skirl, fitted with stealth tech. Of course, it’s not obvious she’s got stealth tech, she looks like a free trader, and I carry plans for having her refitted with an expanded hold. I’ve just never made it big enough to pay for them yet… I do actually run small cargoes and courier runs to keep up the cover. The interior spaces are busier than normal, with conduits and cables. That’s what happens when you retrofit a small trader with stealth tech! There are removable plate decks to keep customs happy too, they have somewhere to poke into, but I very carefully never smuggle anything. Well, not anything that will go under a plate deck anyway.

Alongside my flight suit, environment suit, tool kit, medkit, flashlights and communicator are a small collection of wigs and makeup, what looks like a second medkit but actually contains a hacking deck and a multitool that functions as an emergency knife and contains an interesting array of tools for dealing with mechanical locks, traps, fences and the like designed to keep me out of places. Oh, and my communicator is Service issue. Lets just say that it has access to channels and decryption tools that would make a military comms operator cry with jealosy but only if you really know where to look.

Callsign Conductor is my handler. Everyone in my training group has a callsign that's a musical instrument. Apparently they assign these cutesy themes at random, to each new batch of trainees, then when we graduate, we each get a handler with a related callsign. I don't know how it works, and I've never actually met Conductor in the flesh. Deaddrops and comm exchanges only so far. Operational security and all that.