“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it.”
―Terry Pratchett
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The air hangs heavy aboard Pam’s shuttle. Huddled together, the ragtag crew of the Invictus weighed their impossible choices. The once bustling Absalom Station, their refuge, has turned into a prison. Held captive under the combined pressure of the Drow forces, relentless bounty hunters, and an insatiable eldritch horror.
You can feel it on the back of your neck, a silent predator stalking its prey. Its otherworldly senses had fixated on one of you, a particular scent drawing it closer with each passing moment. This monstrous entity was relentless, its hunger insatiable, and It absolutely will not stop until it feeds.
Adding to the suffocating atmosphere is the recent slaying of a
member of the Unseen, a shadowy organization that you once held an uneasy
alliance with. Their loyalty, always veiled and tentative, now hangs by a
precarious thread. You, Chanterelle, are the subject of their scrutiny. The once
watchful eyes of the Unseen could now become the daggers of betrayal, leaving
you exposed to danger from all sides. Keep your senses peeled, your nerves
taut, for even the shadows hold potential threats, especially in your
direction. A whisper from the Unseen could spell your doom as much as the claws of the approaching beast.
The Cost of Freedom:
Run: Escape seems like the simplest solution. You could vanish into the vastness of space, using the partially-functioning shuttle to jump from system to system, forever fugitives. But the saying about a "check always coming due" echoes in your minds. The Drow wouldn't relent, and the eldritch horror's hunger wouldn't be satiated. It would be a temporary reprieve, not a solution.
Fight: Facing the abomination head-on feels like staring down an avalanche. Lives would be lost, sacrifices made. Yet, victory means protecting millions on Absalom Station and severing the creature's hold on them. It is just a fight, but the cost could be crippling.
A Grim Option:
The weight of another possibility presses down on you; destruction. To contain the horror, you could cripple the station's core, triggering a chain reaction that would engulf Absalom Station. Over 2 million lives would be extinguished, a monstrous price to buy time against an even greater monstrosity. This choice offers safety, but only at the expense of becoming a beacon of infamy, hated and hunted across the galaxy for the deaths of innocents.
Your Advantages:
Despite the bleak outlook, glimmers of hope remain:
Ash's Father and Benny's Secret: Ash's father, still at large, could hold the key to a hidden weapon or strategy. Benny's veiled secret might offer another unexpected advantage.
New Ally: Pam, Benny's wife, joined the team, adding another mind and a source of emotional support in their time of need.
Bubblegum: While shrouded in mystery, is a powerful asset.
Citizenship: As property owners, you have certain legal rights.
What is Your Choice?
Each option comes with a terrible price, a Faustian bargain. Your survival hinges on an impossible choice: become desperate fugitives, embrace a costly victory, or condemn millions to save yourselves. You know you have to act, and soon. The clock is ticking, the Drow are closing in, and the eldritch horror's hunger grows with each passing second. Your next move determines your fate, and potentially, the fate of Absalom Station and beyond.
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