Session One — Departure¶
Played: 2026-01-23
The UMS Carl Sagan departs Lunar orbit. Three and a half days to Mars — time enough for the crew to settle in, learn each other's secrets, and discover that the ship itself might be working against them.
What Happened¶
Lunch and Revelations¶
The four PCs gathered for lunch — their first real chance to talk since departure. The conversation happened on two levels simultaneously: a pleasant verbal discussion for anyone who might be listening, and a telepathic exchange underneath carrying the real substance.
The secrets came out quickly:
- Rin revealed the existence of the Mispahk artifact — a Tiamat cylinder recovered from the Belt, with alien script that shouldn't exist.
- Rin also shared that Professor Leonidas has his own artifact: an identifiable piece of evidence he hasn't fully disclosed to the crew. Not as definitive as the Mispahk cylinder, but real.
- Victoria, well aware of the possibility she's under surveillance, realized that a telepathic conversation gave her the security needed to discuss the Tiamat remains. (Her NDA specified she could not discuss "with anyone who does not already know about it" - so she's not breaking NDA)! Victoria shared her psychometric experience: the vision of linked minds facing extinction, and the recurring dreams she's been documenting in a strict dream journal ever since.
- Kai raised concerns about the ship's main power conduit between the fusion drive and the power distribution system. His engineering instincts flagged a materials weakness during pre-flight checks.
- Rin reported finding an extra encryption system in the comms suite — one that shouldn't be there. Suspicions turned toward Kyle Chen.
Kyle Chen arrived at the tail end of the conversation, just after the PCs had concluded that Kai's conduit concerns might involve sabotage. The timing was... noted.
The Book Club¶
With Chen present, the conversation shifted to verbal-only. The PCs established a "book club" — ostensibly a social activity for the voyage, actually a cover for their regular telepathic strategy sessions. Azure used Psychology to evaluate Chen's behavior during the interaction: career Fleet, open and curious demeanor, but he didn't sit with his back to a door. And he noticed Azure evaluating him.
Ship Business¶
The conduit: Kai found that Dr. Tanaka had independently identified the same weakness and had already started printing a replacement component. The two of them are working together to redesign the system so it's no longer a single point of failure.
The failure: The conduit gave out during midpoint turnover — the moment of highest stress on the power system, when the ship flips to begin deceleration. Kai's instincts and Tanaka's preparation meant they were ready.
Character Moments¶
Victoria keeps a meticulous dream journal about the Tiamat visions. She's noted no changes in content, only in her own deepening interpretation — her empath training lets her extract more meaning with each repetition. Her assessment: "Clearly someone is trying to communicate. I just need to establish the connection." She's also planning to learn cetacean medicine to better serve as ship's doctor. Virtual assistant: Clarus.
Azure spoke with Splishy-Splashy about broader concerns and learned that the whales asked Splishy to take this mission. After the ship reached cruising status, he sought out the other PCs for the lunch meeting. Virtual assistant: Arif.
New Mechanics¶
Double-Talk: A new skill established this session — the art of carrying on a verbal conversation while simultaneously communicating telepathically about a completely different subject. Harder than it sounds. The PCs will need practice.
Artha¶
| Character | Award | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Kai | +1 Fate | Playing out reading a "physics magazine" while having a world-shaking conversation about aliens |
| Azure | +1 Fate | Clocking Kyle so fast |
| Victoria | +1 Fate | Arranging excuses for the PCs to conspire (including setting up regular activities) |
| Azure | +1 Fate | Intense roleplaying of protector / leaning into Talent |
| Rin | +1 Fate | Balancing out the Talent portrayal; being the lighter side to Azure's intensity |
Quotes¶
"Ah, Luna. Where 'Mike-ologist' does not mean you study mushrooms." — James
"You won't catch me reading Telepath Monthly." — Azure
"I find United Telepaths more compelling than Telepath Monthly." — Victoria
"Are you sure? I got a C in high school Physics. It was only 10 years ago." — Azure, on whether Kai can explain fusion dynamics
"I forgot to translate between pilot and engineer." — Azure
"Shut up and eat your tube paste!" — Rin