Against the Aeon Throne Episode 003

After the Gap - May 3, 317 @ 12:35

With two patrols neutralized, Gryfinda, Beric, Trevian and Altronus discuss their next step with Aibretta. The fake Azlanti patrol the citizens of Madelon's Landing fielded with the equipment that was retrieved has successfully walked its regular patrol route for the last hour, and has not been challenged. However, with dusk and a shift change coming in about seven hours, their next actions will be decisive for the future of Madelon's Landing.

Trusting them since the slaying of the Azlanti near the cemetery, Aibretta tells them about town administrator Madelon's house and that Cedona might have shared more information with him. This information may still be in his residence. Trevian heads over to his residence and enters the town. He immediately sees that the Azlanti were very thorough in searching the house, but she does find a printed report from eleven days ago mentioning an industrial accident in the Blue Tin Range, but that two people who were hurt are likely to recover. Madelon had written a note to deliver this report to Goraya Li. Trevian is also able to pick up Madelon's data pad.

Returning to the junk hop, Trevian gives the report to Aibretta. She tells him that Goraya Li was worried sick about her niece and nephew, and this would really assuage her fears.


With Trevian at the administrator's house, Altronus and Beric carefully move the glider to the top of the antenna ridge. They climb to the top, and wait for the hobgars to be released from their cage before landing on top of the garrison.



After the Gap - May 3, 317 @ 18:29

With everything in place, Trevian releases the door on the hobgars' cage. The monkeys drop from the pole and attack the garrison building, destroying many of the outside cameras. Azlanti guards come out and engage the hobgars. At the same time, Altronus and Beric launch themselves from the antenna ridge in the glider, and land on top of the garrison. Beric cuts a hole in the roof using
Aibretta's plasma cutter, and they drop from the ceiling inside the Azlanti dormitory.

Outside, Gryfinda and Trevian devise their own means of climbing the garrison's outside wall, and they follow down the hole. Exploring the building, they confront two groups of Azlanti soldiers, and  in short order they successfully eliminate the threats. Gryfinda hacks into the system and disarms the alarm one of the Azlanti had set, warning everyone inside the compound.


Further in they discover the jail, with Madelon as one of the residents. He tells them that he's been here for 10 days, and he and the other prisoners have been tortured. Cedona was removed off-planet on the day the Azlanti landed, and was taken back to the Azlanti Star Empire. Aboard the ancient starship, the Android had found a rune drive, a powerful magical artifact that allowed ships to travel through space without Drift engines. None of the other settlers know anything about the device aside from what Cedona told them. Madelon also tells them that the local commander, Olajara, is in the next room, possibly with a few guards.

Entering the next room, they confront Olajara who hurls insults at them in a stilted Common. The fight is vicious, but Altronus is able to daze the commander, and Trevian delivers the kill shot. On his desk, they find Olajara's computer unlocked. In it are several reports he has written.

Olajara is perplexed that the Azlanti have suppressed their own signals, and he suspects that it is to prevent them from transmitting back to the Empire. Their ship, the Barazad, was rerouted to Nakondis when the probe returned a signal. Lieutenant Sharu, charged with training Azlanti Cadets for the Aeon Guard, took overall command of the expedition that secured Madelon's Landing and the site of the crash of the ancient Azlanti starship. This ship, the Royal Venture, carried an experimental rune drive that allowed it to travel through space without a Drift engine. The whole operation was ordered by Sardat Zolan Ulivestra. A fast courier ship, called the Silver Needle arrived a short time later to collect Cedona and the rune drive and returned to an unknown destination in the Azlanti Star Empire.

Armed with this information, the party returns to Aibretta's junk shop to discuss their next steps.