character
Ship “Hello, name” “
I care about you all, but I’m not perfect. Do you expect me not to have favourites?
”
Whose memory have you altered? How many are you willing to sacrifice? Authority: Turn a ship system off or on.
Spheres: Special Circumstances. Society.
Agent Bulkovsk “
Fragile as we are, maybe... we’re just not meant to be around here. Do you still love them? Who deserves to die? Authority: Discover a secret.
”
“
character
How did you really end the war? How will you save the ship? Authority: Capture another.
”
Spheres: Special Circumstances. Politics.
“
Get this fucking monster out of my sight! What if I’m seen?! ”
How have they fucked it up recently? Why do you care so much about them? Authority: Make something believed.
Councillor Drozj “
Could I just get some tea, if you would? Thank you. ”
Who would destroy your career? What do you want your legacy to be? Authority: Propose a new public policy.
character
Biochemist Tokar “
They still don’t believe me. Not in their hind brain. Their fear centres. How should humanity change? Who do you need samples from? Authority: Quarantine another.
”
Spheres: Science. Society.
character
Spheres: Society. Politics.
character
Are you fucking braindead? You’ve never seen real fucking violence.
Councillor Halama
Spheres: Family. Politics.
Spheres: Family. Special Circumstances.
Agent Olshak
character
Physicist Shpila “
I would love to explain, darling, but I’m afraid I don’t have a clue myself!
”
Have you made them proud? What are we better off not k nowing? Authority: Solve a technical problem.
character
Spheres: Science. Family.
character
character
“Citizen” Geremek
Citizen Velerovich
They will all be better worlds soon enough. Whether we like it or not.
“
Who knows your real identity? Whose forgiveness do you seek? Authority: Deny access to an area.
What terrible technology do you hold? Is the addiction getting stronger? Authority: Destroy something.
“
”
Spheres: Science. Special Circumstances.
Finally! Now you have to listen to me! Right?
Spheres: Science. Politics.
”
Citizen Ridgyer “
Sweetie. Come now, please? Not again... Look, I just don’t think... ”
character
Science
inspiration for scenes
Sure, but special material is needed.
A ship’s system requires attention.
A spectacular stellar phenomena.
Whose love do you need? What cultural practice do others not share? Authority: Get another’s attention.
The data doesn’t make sense.
Spheres: Society. Family.
Hurried research.
Family
inspiration for scenes
A shared hobby; very extreme sports. Fucking like it means something. The legacy of past mistakes. A bit too high at a party. An argument in public. An outing to eat.
A creeping terror. This collective joining of human minds. They seem happy. Rational. Memories intact. They just all want the same thing. They want you to join them. Mind reading is a violation, mind control more so. Can it be stopped? Should it? Is it a virus? A cult? A fad? A new beginning for humanity?
A holographic protein helix.
S p h e r e T r u e U n i t y
s t o r y
Society
inspiration for scenes
A three-day celebration. Very stimmed. An art gallery, or what passes for it. Religious festival. Openly mocked. A cultural misunderstanding. Food from five worlds. A xenophobic assault.
S p h e r e
True Unity: Unjoined Keep this secret and face-down. You remain an individual human, unblessed by the communal joining of the Unity mind, alone and limited.
S p h e r e A g e n d a
S Special p Circumstances h e r e inspiration for scenes
Therapy in a virtual environment. Leaked intelligence documents. The use of overwhelming force.
A meeting on a secure channel. Spying in plain sight.
Politics
inspiration for scenes
Shaking hands, friendly smile. Teeth. A strategy meeting over drinks. Betrayal is part of the game. A compromised policy. A speech to the public. A carefully staged riot.
True Unity: Unjoined Keep this secret and face-down. You remain an individual human, free from mind-fucking memes and existential annihilation.
S p h e r e A g e n d a
True Unity: Unjoined Keep this secret and face-down. You remain an individual human, flawed and tiny, divided against your peers and petty.
Less-developed civilisations can be nudged. A secret assassination here and there and the galaxy becomes a less barbaric place. Wars averted. But Special Circumstances got it wrong with the Haltain - interference instead triggered the genocidal war. Nuked each other. Gigadeath. Cities levelled. How do you help refugees who want to murder you? Should you?
A g e n d a F a l l e n S w o r d
s t o r y
A Fallen Sword: g Native Violence e n d a Cannot be a Special Circumstances character. This is public and face-up.
You, the Haltain, will have revenge for their dishonour and hypocrisy.
By God, their guilt will be exploited to destroy everything they value.
True Unity: Sympathiser Keep this secret and face-down. While you remain an individual human yourself, you cannot help but feel that the Unity mind is to the common good.
Fallen Sword: Tolerance This is public, keep it face-up. Haltain Refugees should be cared for and their culture left in tact. Special Circumstances are culturally imperialist thugs; worse than those they interfere with.
A g e n d a A g e n d a
A Fallen Sword: g Native Ambition e n d a Cannot be a Special Circumstances character. This is public and face-up.
You, the Haltain, were wronged. But there has been enough blood.
By God, these fools are now a ticket to the Haltain’s rise to power.
True Unity: Joined Keep this secret and face-down. Your brain is a slaved processor for the Unity ur-mind that wishes to subsume humanity into itself. It is glorious.
Fallen Sword: Integration This is public, keep it face-up. Haltain Refugees should be cared for and eventually they will see the benefits of our society and integrate. Special Circumstances simply messed up this time. It happens.
Fallen Sword: Autonomy This is public, keep it face-up. Respect the Haltain’s autonomy to murder each other like barbarians. We cannot change that. Caring for refugees is just violence-enabling Interference. Special Circumstances is misguided.
A g e n d a A g e n d a A g e n d a
The galactic community brings many benefits. New people. New ideas. But if you have the best culture already, some say your ship just gets crowded with fucking awful people with bigoted ideas. Independence starts to look like a good idea. Exploring the unknown. Not getting involved with barbaric primitives. Others say those conservatives just cannot cope with change.
Exit Right: Anti Exit This is public, keep it face-up. You want to stay because division and isolation don’t help. We need to change the galaxy for the better. Learning from newcomers is how we grow. It’s painful but necessary.
Murder is difficult on a ship. There are sensors everywhere, and Ship passively monitors them all. And medical technology means even decapitation is rarely fatal. But someone has managed it. Seems like Heyde’s body acted like a person for days before the zombie heuristics program faltered and revealed an otherwise empty brain. What monster could do this? Why?
E x i t R i g h t
s t o r y
A g e n d a M i n d w i p e
s t o r y
Exit Right: Pro Exit This is public, keep it face-up. You want independence, because we’re too involved in shaping the societies of others, like we’re gods. You are happy to accept foreigners, if they adapt and stop any barbarism.
Exit Right: Anti Exit This is public, keep it face-up. You want to stay because we cannot stop barbarism any other way. We must unite to be effective. Foreigners might sometimes be barbarians, but it’s not their fault.
Mindwipe: Murderer Keep this secret and face-down. You killed Heyde, your friend. For jealous love? From a political or scientific disagreement? Protecting someone? Something else?
A g e n d a A g e n d a A g e n d a
Exit Right: Pro Exit This is public, keep it face-up. You want independence, because their religious barbarism is affecting ship policy. People are scared. Bigotry is treating foreigners like children. They choose to be stupid.
Exit Right: Undecided This is public, keep it face-up. You’re not a xenophobe nor an apologist for foreign barbarism. The whole debate is toxic and a distraction from real issues.
A g e n d a A g e n d a
A Mindwipe: g Innocent Lover e n d a Keep this secret and face-down.
Although you weren’t together recently, you loved Heyde despite the flaws; bursts of anger and jealousy.
A Mindwipe: g Innocent Rival e n d a Keep this secret and face-down.
You opposed Heyde, politically or from scientific views. Hated, even.
Especially during the violent outbursts. But you didn’t murder anyone.
Love conquers all. Or it would try to, in plasma fire and virus bombs. Twenty subjective years apart might seem short after more than two centuries together, but you’ve changed. Promises are hollow. Memories fade. Especially after they chose the wrong side in a conflict on some barbarian backwater world. And now a king is dead and the place is a mess.
L o v e C o n q u e r s
s t o r y
A Love Conquers: g Mutual Friend e n d a This is public, keep it face-up.
What the fuck has got into them? They were so fucking beautiful.
Those fucking barbarians ruined it. They need time together to heal.
A Mindwipe: g Innocent Friend e n d a
A Mindwipe: g Innocent Friend e n d a
A Love Conquers: g Loyal Ex-Lover e n d a
A Love Conquers: g Rebel Ex-Lover e n d a
Keep this secret and face-down.
You knew Heyde quite well, socially. Occasionally crazy, but who isn’t?
You disagreed, and were even attacked once, but you didn’t murder anyone.
This is public, keep it face-up.
Keep this secret and face-down.
You knew Heyde well enough. Occasionally crazy, but who isn’t?
You even had sex a few times a while ago and got your heart broken. You didn’t murder anyone though.
This is public, keep it face-up.
You were the barbarian king’s most trusted advisor and companion. You love and understand these people like no one else can. Especially not your arrogant asshole ex-lover.
The fucker has gone native and supported a corrupt dictator. Well, the dictator is dead so it’s rescue time. If there is anything left of your ex-lover to rescue.
A Love Conquers: g Offspring e n d a
A Love Conquers: g Acquaintance e n d a
This is public, keep it face-up. What. The. Fuck.
This barbarian world needs stabilising before your parent’s shit kills even more. Who cares who is in charge? Your parents are fucking nuts.
This is public, keep it face-up.
You know the couple professionally and you love one of them, but...
At least their spat could help change this world for the better, fostering a democratic revolt.
