Fellow role-players, here is my update for Session 5c.39 of the “Vortex” telecom space opera campaign, which met via Skype on Sunday, 7 July 2013. We’ve been using FATE 3e Starblazer Adventures /Mindjammer, Bulldogs, and an online dice roller.

In one future, humanity has begun to colonize the Sol system, but environmental degradation, population pressures, and internecine conflict persist. The rediscovery of mystical abilities and open and official First Contact with galactic societies, themselves at war, threaten Terra’s very survival. Can heroes rise to the challenges ?

FATE 3e “Vortex: Terra’s Pride” (Team 3/5c) telecom Player Characters, as of summer 2013:

Acting crew of the experimental scout ship Blackbird:

• “Capt. Kevin Reese” [Bruce K., primary ]-male Terran “near-human” (cyborg), former Interplanetary Patrol officer and member of the Blackbird and Dauntless crews; homeworld security task force commander

• “Hector Chavez” [Beruk A., primary ]-male Terran human, former spy and crewmember on the Appomattox, cautious engineer and communications expert

• “Dr. Srinu Pahul” [Byron V.O., primary ]-male Terran “near-human” (genetically modified) xenobiologist, curious and planetary patriot; with robot PEPE

• “Lt.Cmdr. Tela” [Sara F., secondary/absent ]-female Tharian (gargoyle-like alien), escapee from the Encegulans (slug-like slavers), fond of humans; engineer with boyfriend Kedar

• “Chris McKee /Agent Prometheus” [Josh C., primary/absent ]-male Terran human, former assassin for the eugenicists at Black Box Security Co., sniper and seeker aboard the Blackbird and Pina Colada

• “Orion Starchaser” [Geoff C., primary/absent ]-male Pomuyan (blue telepathic humanoid alien), irrepressible mystic and thrill-seeking galactic hitchhiker

• “Chiron” [Dexter V.H., primary/absent ]-male (secretly android) pilot, assigned to assess and protect humanity

See other records for the previous crews of the Blackbird, Appomattox, and Gryphon.

“26 to 28 August 2195 A.D./C.E. or 1 Terran Galactic Era:” Lt.Cmdr. Sebastian Growlick [Bruce] destroyed the frigate Crazy Horse in an attack on the Zarkonian Armada at Wolf 359, and the rest of the “Terra’s Pride” homeworld security task force regrouped at Procyon.

The Blackbird heads back to the Ilokar battle group in the Asteroid Belt to report on its encounters with the enemy at Sirius and Wolf 359. The explorers find the Union of Solar Nations (U.S.N.) space navy busy with the evacuation effort.

First, the Blackbird must pass the Shaka Zulu battle group in solar polar orbit. Raptor II-class fighters fly escort, as Adm. Joseph Ochieng sends his regards to the crew of the Sovereign.

Capt. Kevin Reese, Dr. Srinu Pahul, and Hector Chavez then report to Col. Shan Gray and Adm. Jacques Pons. Kevin is relieved to learn that his sister in law Jennifer has been given a berth in a ship leaving the Mars Confederacy. Adm. Pons awards Lt.Cmdr. Growlick a posthumus medal for his valor.

Kevin also passes on a status report from the Terran outpost at Camp Alpha, which is about to be overrun by the armada. Hector mentions reverse-engineering of alien force-field technology to provide ships with a tunable energy shield.

Srinu shares medical data gathered from his patients aboard the Crazy Horse. Polarian (amphibious humanoid alien) and other survivors had described the Zarkonians, but humans haven’t yet studied the crustaceans firsthand.

The U.S.N. officers ask what missions “Terra’s Pride” is considering. Dr. Pahul recommends heading toward Oasis Station, which could be a destination for human refugees. Hector notes that there are three slower-than-light generation colony ships behind enemy lines that could be informative if they haven’t been found and destroyed.

In addition, Chris had noted that an abandoned mining site at Van Maanen’s Star revealed Precursor (ancient alien) technology that might be helpful in the fight against the Zarkonians.

Col. Gray, once Kevin’s superior in the Interplanetary Patrol, confers “Ranger Corps status” on “Terra’s Pride,” granting its ships’ commanders wide latitude in deep space, even though they still report to the U.S.N. chain of command.

Capt. Reese requests three Transit (faster-than-light) drives to bring to the generation ships, the Firebrand, the Nova Aquarius, and the Faithful Starlight. Hector and Tela recall encountering similar colonists aboard the Chengdu and Zheng He.

Adm. Pons says that the Ilokar is escorting a civilian fleet to Fomalhaut, Phi Ceti, and Chi Orionis, then possibly to Oasis Station, about 30 parsecs from Earth. He orders every outbound Terran vessel to take on as many passengers as possible.

As waves of Zurmiz Krott (biomechanical probes) attack Eclipse Station on Saturn’s moon Titan, as well as the Venusian Finance Union, the scout ship Blackbird leaves the besieged Sol system.

Capt. Reese sends Capt. Helena Cain and Lt. Nathan A. Jessup on the corvette Dauntless to Epsilon Eridani, with Phi Ceti as a backup rendezvous. Cmdr. Jasmine follows with the Pina Colada, and Capt. Elektra Contos brings up the rear in the Tigress. The task force still has three zero-point devices.

Meanwhile, the Blackbird returns to Sirius to see if there is any debris worth salvaging from the Crazy Horse’s attack. Kevin pilots defensively, and Hector detects 50 Zurmiz Krott and 20 Zarkonian fighters in the area, as well as the remnants of 12 Zarkonian vessels and four Kutalrin (vulture-like cyborg) scavengers.

Srinu activates the _Blackbird_’s stealth suite as a small Gustrall (antlered, orange-furred, raptor-like alien) warship enters the system. The Zarkonians swarm the unlucky arrival, allowing the Terrans to retrieve some ship fragments undetected.

Capt. Reese boldy takes the scout craft around Sirius, as Dr. Pahul sets containment protocols for a mostly intact Zarkonian corpse. Chris is interested in studying alien technologies such as a computer fragment, and Hector records everything for later analysis.

After avoiding another firefight, the Blackbird heads to Epsilon Eridani to meet with its sister ships….

Dexter, Sara, Josh, and Geoff, we missed you during this “Vortex” session! I look forward to continuing our latest party’s adventures! -Gene

P.S.: Here’s a quick overview of past “Vortex” teams:

• Party 1 (1982 to 1984): The Zarkonian Bomb, a screenplay by Gene D., Carlo R., and Bill B., at A.S.H.S. (and the AD&D1 “Vanished Lands”)

• Party 2 (1984 to 1986): “The Adventures of Jason Delmar,” short stories by Gene D. (and Star Frontiers games)

• Party 3 (1986 to 1988): “Vortex,” a role-playing game by Gene D. and David I.S., at SUNY-Binghamton (and Shadowrun games)

• Party 4 (1996 to 1999): “Vortex: C.D.I./ Venture,” using GURPS 3e Space, in Northern Virginia (and GURPS “Voyagers II: Adventures in the Dimensional Corps”)

• Party 5a (2010 to 2011): “Vortex: the Blackbird,” using FATE 3e Starblazer Adventures, Massachusetts

• Party 5b (2010 to 2011): “Vortex: MarSoupAil,” using FATE 3e, Massachusetts (and one-shots)

• Party 5c (2011 to 2012): “Vortex: the Gryphon,” using FATE 3e, online

• Party 5c.2 (2012 to present): “Vortex: Terra’s Pride,” using FATE 3e Bulldogs, online