Episode 21 - Manual Entry

Intro
Matt: Hello and welcome to Celestial Expanse, a real play D&D podcast set in the Celestial Expanse universe, my name is Matthew, I'll be your DM for the night, playing with me tonight is Ben as Rell... Ben: Hello. Matt: Jason playing as Theran... Jason: I thought you said Ben Azrael. Matt: No? Jason: I was like "that's a whole different thing." Yeah Azrael would be really different. Matt: Rebecca as Martle... Rebecca: Wait, wait I forgot to open my pun list, I'm still getting used to this! Matt: Too late! Jason: *cackles* Too late, moving on! Rebecca: No! I will interject one randomly when it's opened! Jason: Do it when it's Boston's turn. Matt: Boston as Juniper... Boston (singing): I'm gonna pop some spells, only got 2 slots in my pocket. Matt: Oh my god. Rebecca: When two black holes talk to each other they only discuss dark matters. Matt: Aaaaahhhhhhhhh. Nooooooo. Noooo. Jason: This is why we don't let you. This is why we don't let you. This is why we can't have nice things. Matt: Do you know how many physicists you just upset with that? Rebecca: Probably so many, but I don't care. Matt: And Natalia as Z. Natalia: Ewo. Matt: So how's everybody doing tonight? Boston: I'm dying. Matt: What else is new? Boston: Cough cough *cough cough*. Ben: *inaudible* Matt: So outside of that... Boston: Pardon me while I actually cough, cause I'm dying. Natalia: Juniper and Z are gonna have hacking battles throughout this episode.

Episode Description
After escaping Parliament, the Crew rendezvous with a member of the Raiders of Central. You can always trust a pirate...right?

Summary
Quin takes them to the Regar system, where the dreadnought Rhea is hidden in the shadow of the moon Sechuon. Quin talks to his brother on the comms, who says he's in trouble with the captain. Rell parks badly, scraping off a layer of either paint or rust. Juniper stays on the Torag to study and babysit. They're told to hand over their weapons before seeing the captain, but Martle tells them she's sisters with Lelia and they're allowed to keep them. They go through the dreadnought, seeing small cities on the way. They enter the throne room and see a woman posing for a portrait. She's a heretic elf, well dressed, wearing a red coat with gold buttons. There seems to be an unfinished tattoo across her nose, and the fingers on her right hand are replaced with gold and alabaster prosthetics. Z is immediately very taken with her. She introduces herself as Captain Iming Aldarina. Quin says he has something for Lelia and Pirate Lord Demia, but the Torag needs more fuel to get to them. Martle tries to pawn off the children in exchange, but Iming wants them to do a mission for her. In exchange, she'll give them a full tank of fuel. One of her crew stole a part needed to keep them in geosynchronous orbit and fled to the moon's surface, where defenses against other ships are preventing anyone following. She wants him killed and the part recovered, and doesn't want to risk the lives of any of her own crew in the process. He's an enlightened elf, handsome, relatively short, bald with blue eyes, pictured with a smug expression. They've read his journals, and he seems fascinated by some strange crystals. Martle agrees, and they learn they're going down in havoc pods, defenseless shells that do little else besides shoot a single person down to a planet's surface. Theran asks for a new wrist communicator for Martle and a dose of hemlock, to corrupt the enlightened elf's body. Iming says she doesn't allow drugs on her ship, but it's bound to be on here anyway. She has one of the guards give Martle his wrist communicator.

They go back to the Torag to get Juniper. Rell tells Martle Iming is hiding something, but Martle points out everyone has secrets. They're taken to the havoc pods by a very unenthusiastic dragonborn. Rell gets paler as they approach, seemingly afraid of heights, and Juniper questions the wisdom of using havoc pods. Martle tells her she has to if she wants to stay part of the crew. She goes to get in, but then has a flashback to the pod she was trapped in on Iepetus, and panics. Martle walks both Juniper through her panic attack, casting Shield of Faith on her. The havoc pods launch and the crew steer with joysticks to reach the moon. The episode ends with the pods entering the atmosphere.

New Information

 * The moon Sechuon is unusually lush, and its planet, Rapture, is relatively close to the sun.
 * Heretic elves aren't too rare.
 * Havoc pods are drop pods for individual use. They're difficult to steer, and are little else but a shell. No armor, no weapons, no defenses of any kind. They are known as death boxes, because a shot from anything larger than a pistol will take them out.
 * Hemlock is the CE equivalent of heroin.

Memorable Quotes
Jason: I blew up an apartment, but it was for charity. Think of the children, guys.

Matt: You're traveling towards the dark side of that moon. And, Jason, I swear to god if I hear any Pink Floyd references here - Rebecca: I was thinking Mulan. Jason (laughing): I was too busy posting Szechuan sauce images in discord, sorry.

Natalia: Z falls to her knees and says "I would gladly take up this mission for you, my lady. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, my captain, my captain!" Iming: Aren't you adorable. Martle: Do you want to keep her instead of the kids.

Matt: So it's love at first sight, is what you're saying. Natalia: Oh no, it's not love. This is lust. This is all lust.

Matt: You just know they're basically flying coffins.

Martle: If you can survive the things that terrify you, it makes you more powerful.

Trivia

 * Rell got a -1 history check.
 * Captain Iming Aldarina and the other pirates of the Rhea were introduced this episode.