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This section covers the first story arc in our Trinity campaign, sessions 1-6.

Session 1 — February 4, 2006

Having had their contracts finalized, the three planet-fall specialists found themselves killing time in the Yutu Yinchon spaceport of Olympus, the largest settlement on Luna. Introductions with the crew had been established, most being professional and friendly.

In the course of exploring the moon’s most cosmopolitan neighborhood, the three became aware that two of their fellow crewmembers were being discretely followed by Yinchon locals. Turner Shaw in particular, having become somewhat familiar with Javier Santioso, second in command of mission supply, decided to join the two as they entered the local Sino-Portuguese diner for lunch. Johnny McFarlin and Celeste Devereaux likewise joined.

It was clear that Santioso was rather anxious throughout, but had calmed once the specialists were in his presence. The calm was short-lived, however, as a telepathically manipulated assassin arrived on the scene and shot Bonreri Gurang, the ship’s lead supply manager. Johnny moved in quickly enough to stop the assassin’s escape before stabilizing Gurang. After the arrival of the United Lunar Police Force, the specialists suffered through an hour-long interview process. In the end, the police concluded they’d acted appropriately and released them with instructions to be available as witnesses in time.

Having established a mindscan link with the telepath who’d controlled the assassin, Celeste led the team into the Underworld of Olympus, explaining in the meantime what she’d learned about him. Yun Mei Han of the Poison Clan, a somewhat inexperienced telepath, had manipulated the assassin into attacking Gurang. His purpose was to “assist” Santioso in some fashion.

Reaching the sublevel which hosted his estate, the team was quickly met by Poison Clan enforcers. Fast-thinking and old fashion Chinese courtesy got the group past the guards and into Han’s home. Again, the bluff won the hour as Han was manipulated into thinking the specialists were agents of Santioso. Han agreed to a meeting with Santioso to discuss new terms for shipping to Al Sadima to what were presumably illegal goods.

On return to Yutu Yinchon, the group split to pursue various avenues of investigation. McFarlin confronted Santioso directly, intimidating him into accompanying him after becoming satisfied that the team had been right to suspect him. Shaw searched the El Mara’s manifest for evidence of Santioso’s activities and quickly discovered not only the location of the illegal goods but that the El Mara featured an extremely thorough system of surveillance gear that monitored all its rooms as well as the rooms of staff staying at the Tau Chi Star in Olympus. Devereaux presented the discovery of the rogue telepath to the local Ministry branch. The Ministry authorized the team to participate in the capture of Han.

When all three regroup at the Tau Chi Star with Santioso was in tow. Shaw secured the room from eavesdropping before the team discussed how to proceed. The team decided to continue acting as Santioso’s agents, attend the meeting, and use Ministry agents as support. Santioso was manipulated into compliance through telepathy and appeals to his self-interest.

The plan went off without a problem. The psi-disrupting drugs provided to the team by the Ministry worked perfectly in disabling Yun Mei Han. No member of the specialist team or the Ministry support group was injured, nor were any of the smugglers killed. The team was congratulated for its good work by the Ministry, Aeon, and the United Lunar Police Force.

Santioso was described by the team as having been manipulated by Han into participating. This impression was conveyed to both Lunar authorities as well as Commander Villares of the Al Sadima mission. Villares listened to the report given by the group and made only brief reply, with some mild rebuke for not having brought information about the events to him initially. The team was ordered to be ready to depart for the mission the following day.

Session 3 — March 11, 2006

Following his piercing shot to the heart of the L2, McFarlin was detained in the storage room-turned-brig under the order of Villares, who quickly summoned Shaw from elsewhere on the El Mara. Celeste was called up from Sufrayi. Villares angrily interviewed McFarlin, who presented his reasons for lasing a hole in the L2 – an unscheduled jump – which Villares came to believe, particularly with the confirmation provided by Celeste. The team was granted special authority to investigate, so long as significant decisions were cleared by Villares.

Traveling back to the L2, having been there only several days before, the team investigated the specifics of the unplanned jump. McFarlin was the target of special contempt from most of the L2 crew, understandably, but still insisted on assisting in coordinating the repair efforts on the ship, which he did well. Devereaux and Shaw conducted investigations on the ship. Recalling that Villares, De La Garza, and Brecht had all had occasional unscheduled access to the L2’s jump system, the team turned its suspicions on De La Garza.

The investigation of De La Garza was … pursued through various methods. Phase one involved a good deal of violence when Shaw successfully provoked De La Garza into beating him. Shaw was, however, unsuccessful in attempting to get a personal item of the captain’s. Celeste took a different approach, seeing De La Garza in his cabin. With apologies and courtesy, Celeste worked to regain some of Mario’s confidence, before stealing a personal item.

Token in hand, Celeste waited until the night to explore De La Garza’s memories. She found, eventually, that he’d been the one to set the L2 to jump away. He thought himself a champion of humanity, willing to do anything to destroy the aberrants; this desire seemingly inspired, in large part, by the loss of his family to the Esperanza disaster.

The team took the electronic and telepathic evidence to Villares. De La Garza was confronted and arrested. His initial interrogation didn’t reveal much, but pressure from the team led him to make his confession, although he didn’t fully reveal his motives. He alluded to having only been part of something larger.