Episode 2: Space Race from Space

Dane tucked in his wings and flew forward. The snow and ash in the air mixed into a haze of gray. The plasma smoke grew thicker and he fought back coughs and he descended into ground zero. It was a crater now, 100 feet deep. The destruction had been total. If Wang had been anywhere nearby, he must have been vaporized instantly.

Dane's brother was dead.

The dragonborn sadly flew upward, fighting back chokes on the dense smoke. Finally the air grew clearer, and cold sun lit up the morning. Dane saw Martha making lazy circles above the crash site. Amadea was hanging out the back edge on a harness, extending soul seals - the gallon-sized metal canisters that held in souls for future consumption. SPERTS gave her an allowance back at base, and Dane knew Amadea hated not knowing where they came from. This new supply would last for weeks - a soul every 2 days, so she could keep her substantial form.

Dane flew into Martha, sat, and sagged against his rifle. "Any sign of him?" Griswold asked. Dane didn't answer.

Amadea quietly did her work, pulling the souls in and pushing them into the canisters. Each soul was different, but they were all about the size of a softball, gently glowing in colors only she could see. This one was soft pink and hissing with anger at a family member. This one was morphing between blue and purple and was bubbling like boiling water. This one was gunmetal gray, and the surface of it was pouring into the center. It seemed oddly familiar ...

Wang?

Amadea lifted the canister. "I have Wang in here! I have his soul!"

"Well, you give that to me Missy!" Griswold barked. "The techs have ways of bringing souls back. Not ghosts mind you, that's different of course. But raw souls we can use. Maybe that crazy bugger has a second chance after all."

Relieved for her companion, Amadea hoisted herself up and gave the canister to Griswold. "Please, do what you can to save him. We can go now, I have what I needed." She gently set her pile of souls down, brushing herself off with a shudder.

"Wait--" Dane paused, staring at the canister that contained his vaporized friend. Wang had died gloriously in battle, could Dane really deny the afterlife he himself longed for so much? Was he that selfish?

Then he remembered all the little gadgets Wang loved so much, and he made his decision. "Alright, if it helps out the tech people." He knew that Wang's true paradise lay in the folds of electronics.

Kespa stared solemnly at the vaporized crash zone from Martha. She hadn't been on earth for more than a day and she'd already let a human die. Not only let, but directly caused his death. Wang, wasn't that his name? Maybe if she hadn't told him to blow the engine core. They could have found another way to kill the Russians. Kespa had no idea that the blast radius would be so large, but still...She rested her head in her hands. She looked up as the others returned to the ship. She would not let this happen again. No other human deaths.

A little corrosive goo dripped from her arm making a hissing sound as it hit the floor.

Griswold pointed Martha toward home. The ride was long and silent. All eyes were fixed on the cold metal seal holding Wang's soul.

--REWARDS--

Primary objective: Prevent the Russians from accessing the crash site. COMPLETED +$1000
Secondary: Pick up the pilot. COMPLETED +$500
Secondary: Get pictures of the crash site. FAILED
Total payout: $1500

SPERTS Mission 2 special deals are about to be posted! Check out the thread for heavily discounted ways to spend your loot.

All characters gain 10 CP to use for gaining new advantages, attributes, skills, or just to save for later.

Each character gained +1 to a stat they used in the field:

Amadea: +1 FP
Dane: Throwing
Kespa: Guns (Shotgun)
Wang: Special. Becomes an android; character remade.

Remember, all changes to you character count toward your power total. Don't worry about hitting a target number of matching your fellow players exactly. If you need any help, don't hesitate to let me know!

Please post how you spend your rewards in this thread.

Skill Increased: Throwing + 1
Points Unspent: 10

Chose not to spend points yet. Saving.

Dane will purchase an Underbarrel Grenade Launcher and appropriate ammunition, as well as a survival kit (total $823)

Note that non-exotic ammo is available for free courtesy of SPERTS.

Skill Increased: Guns (Shotgun) +1, total: 16
Points Unspent:

Buying Basic Kit (-73) and Three Point Lander (-350), remaining money $20577.

Skill Increased: Special, made into an android.
Points Unspent: 10

Wang forked some money into purchasing both the Minigun and the Rocket Pods for Martha, also bought a Basic Kit for himself.


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Current Wealth $91589