PROLOGUE: PART 4 - THE GARDEN (SIMULATION 2)
ARC set the second trial as a Vow of Diplomacy, rank Formidable.
- Escort Ambassador Miranda Albrecht, a live proctor, to the neutral world of Florius.
- Meet a renegade Gray warship.
- We would be graded on the condition of our ship, our demeanor, and the Ambassador’s safety. No heroics. No mess.
The simulation chamber formed a hangar bay around us, the family ship Venture materializing on the deck. Albrecht appeared beside it and we swore the Vow. A weak hit. We were determined, but our questions began immediately. We set a course and pushed hard. Albrecht talked while we flew, a constant, low-pressure test.
Punctuality, presentation, patience. Be fifteen minutes early to anticipate interference. Make small talk because the overture opens the door to learn a target's desires. Dorian absorbed the lecture, handling prep, fuel checks, and tea. Selene listened, tersely, resisting the idea that a fight could be won with words.
Mid-route, the Expanse punched back. A gravity wave rolled in, and the ship shook like a snared drum. A moment of peril. Dorian rerouted power to the thrusters, a strong hit on his gear check that gave Selene the edge she needed. We took a breath to steady hands, then she threaded the ship between the swells.
Strong hit with a match! The storm fell away, the hull sang clean, and Albrecht’s voice landed like a bow on a string: "So you do know how to dance, Selene..." We finished the expedition in one piece and made planetfall on the grim, gaseous world of Florius.
The meeting was all chill stone, colder voices. As the Grays laid out their terms, Dorian pushed his senses, a successful Gather Information roll. He heard the demands—more fuel, more ammunition, amnesty, and the hostages stay put—but he also detected the truth. Albrecht wasn't negotiating. She was stalling, pinpointing their location while communicating with a hidden asset.
She sent us to deliver the refusal. Dorian carried the message in calm words. The answer he got back was a fist to the gut that folded him to the floor. A weak hit on his Face Danger roll. He swallowed the pain and kept the tenor where Albrecht wanted it.
Selene tensed, her kinetic power a coiled spring, but she saw the ambassador's watchful eyes and chose to hold. We did not escalate. The room held its breath.
Albrecht broke the silence with a lesson we should have seen coming.
Always bring a gun.
A Sable shadow peeled away across the floor like spilled ink. One shot per Gray, crisp as metronome clicks. When the smoke thinned, bodies were down and the silhouette was gone. Albrecht smoothed the moment and called the negotiations complete.
What it taught us: Selene can trade brute force for precision when it counts, earning her an apprenticeship under Albrecht. Dorian can take a hit and still hold the frame, proving his resolve. A weak hit on the final Vow left us tied for first with our cousins—not a clean victory. And with Albrecht, small talk is never small. It is the opening move, and the endgame is already loaded before the first word lands.
Click here to watch Learning Phase 2 on Youtube or head to the Listen page if you prefer audio only.
Navigation
Home | Blog | Appendix | Listen | Support