Free Worlds Middle

# Copyright (c) 2014 by Michael Zahniser
#
# Endless Sky is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under t
he
# terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software
# Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later ver
sion.
#
# Endless Sky is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY
# WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR
A
# PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.
mission "FW Diplomacy 1"
landing
name "Free Worlds Diplomacy"
description "Travel to <planet> to meet up with Alondo, who will explain
more."
source
near Sabik 1 100
destination Longjump
to offer
has "event: navy occupying the south"
on fail
dialog `You have failed an essential Free Worlds mission. If you
want to complete the story line, revert to the autosave or another earlier snap
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
Às you are landing, you receive a message from JJ, on b
ehalf of the Council. The message reads:`
`
Captain <last>, sorry that we have been out of c
ontact. We need your help once again, to assist in a diplomatic mission. Please
meet up with Alondo on <planet> as soon as possible. He will give you more infor
mation.`
`
Sincerely,`
`
Jean-Jacques and Freya`
accept
event "catalytic ramscoop available"
on complete
dialog Às you are landing, Alondo contacts you and asks you to
meet him in the spaceport as soon as you have a bunk prepared for him.`
mission "FW Diplomacy 1B"

description "Bring Alondo to <planet> to meet with Parliament. Your guar
antee of safe passage will expire on <day>."
autosave
source Longjump
destination Earth
deadline 24
to offer
has "FW Diplomacy 1: done"
passengers 1
blocked "You do not have a bunk free for Alondo. Return here when you do
."
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
`You meet up with Alondo, who insists on not telling you
anything until you are safely back aboard your own ship. Once you have brought
him to his room, he says, "Here's the deal. The Senate has been secretly reachin
g out to other worlds, and three of them have decided to join us: New Portland,
Dancer, and New India."`
choice
`
"That's great news!"`
`
"Why haven't I heard of this yet?"`
goto heard
`
"Indeed it is," says Alondo. "Any worlds joining
us would be reason to celebrate, but these three are particularly important bec
ause they are on the trade route to Tarazed. If we control those systems, our su
pply convoys will be much safer."`
`
"Why isn't this public knowledge yet?" you ask.`
label heard
`
"Well," says Alondo, "apparently the Senate was
not being as secretive as they thought. Somehow word leaked out to the Republic
that those worlds were defecting, and a massive Navy fleet moved to occupy those
systems. Which means we're on the brink of another bloody battle."`
choice
`
"Don't worry, I'm sure we can defeat the
m."`
goto defeat
`
"Is there any way to avoid a fight?"`
goto avoid
label defeat
`
"I'm sure we can," says Alondo, "but with heavy
loss of life on both sides. We want to avoid that if at all possible. That's whe
re you come in."`
goto plan
label avoid
`
"That's what we're hoping," he says, "and that's
where you come in."`
goto plan
label plan
`
"How so?" you ask.`
`
He says, "We've arranged for you to be granted s
afe passage through Republic space for the next three weeks. That's enough time
to bring me to Earth and back. If I can meet with Parliament in person, maybe I
will be able to work something out."`
choice
`
"Okay, let's go to Earth!"`
accept
`
"How do we know this isn't a trap? You'r
e willing to risk your life for this?"`
`
"If we can save thousands of lives from being lo
st in a needless battle, it's worth the risk," he says. "Now come on, the clock
is ticking. We need to be safely back in Free space before your safe passage exp
ires."`
accept
on accept
event "fw safe passage starts"
event "fw safe passage ends" 24
mission "FW Diplomacy 1C"

landing
description "Bring Alondo to <planet> to meet with the senior Navy offic
ers. Take as direct a route as possible, because your safe passage expires soon.
"
source Earth
destination "New Wales"
clearance
to offer
has "FW Diplomacy 1B: done"
passengers 1
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
`You drop off Alondo and wish him luck. Hours pass, and
you begin to worry that he has been taken prisoner or killed. But finally he ret
urns, looking very discouraged. "It makes no sense," he says. "The tax revenue t
hey get from those three worlds doesn't come close to covering the cost of defen
ding them. They should be glad to let them go."`
choice
`
"So, the Senate won't give up those worl
ds without a fight?"`
goto fight
`
"Maybe they're afraid of the precedent i
t would set if they give in to us."`
goto precedent
label fight
`
"That's right," he says. "Amazing how heedless t
hey can be, sitting in their comfy Parliament house deciding the fates of others
."`
goto next
label precedent
`
"Yes, that seems to be what's at stake," he says
. "But by now they should see the writing on the wall. Amazing how callous they
can be about the lives of the Navy crews who are following their orders."`
label next
`
"So, we just head home in defeat?" you ask.`
`
"Not quite," he says. "While we have the chance,
I want to talk with the Navy leadership directly. Landing near the secret base
on New Austria would be way too provocative, so I've arranged to meet with them
on their base on <planet> instead."`
choice
`
"Okay, if that's what it takes to avoid
another bloody battle, I'll take you there."`
accept
`
"Are you insane? Flying straight into th
e largest Navy base in the sector?"`
`
"Don't worry," he says. "The Navy takes honor ve
ry seriously. If they promise our safety, we'll be safe. At least until that gra
nt of safe passage expires, that is." You have serious doubts, but you have no c
hoice but to obey him.`
accept
mission "FW Diplomacy 1D"

landing
description "Bring Alondo back to <destination>. Take as direct a route
as possible, because your safe passage expires soon."
source "New Wales"
destination Longjump
to offer
has "FW Diplomacy 1C: done"
passengers 1
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
`When you land on <origin>, Alondo says, "You should joi
n me for this meeting. You may find it eye-opening."`
`
Four of the Navy generals who are stationed here
have agreed to meet with you. You discover that one of them is from the Dirt Be
lt. Another grew up in the Rim, and admits to you that if he were not serving th
e Navy, he would be fighting for the Free Worlds. All four of them seem sympathe
tic to your cause, and express genuine regret not just for the Navy lives that h
ave been lost, but for the Free Worlds losses as well.`
`
And all four of them state, without any hesitati
on or equivocation, that if the Senate orders them to continue to fight the Free
Worlds, they will fight until all possibility of victory is gone.`
`
Alondo thanks them for their time and their hone
sty, and you return to your ship. "Well, it was worth a try. Now we just have to
get home safely," he says.`
accept
on complete
dialog `You are still finding it hard to believe that you made i
t to Earth and back in one piece. Alondo thanks you for transporting him and say
s, "Now I just have to break the bad news to the Senate. JJ and I will meet you
in the spaceport bar in a few hours, once we've decided what our next steps will
be."`
event "navy using mark ii ships"
mission "FW Southern Recon 1"

name "Reconnaissance"
description "Fly through Rastaban, Delta Sagittarii, and Albaldah to get
a sense of the Navy's strength in those systems, then report to <destination>."
autosave
source Longjump
waypoint Rastaban
waypoint "Delta Sagittarii"
waypoint Albaldah
destination Trinket
to offer
has "FW Diplomacy 1D: done"
on fail

shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
Àlondo and JJ are in a somber mood when you meet up wit
h them in the bar. You can't help remembering that Tomek always used to be a par
t of these gatherings, before he turned against the Senate. And now it looks lik
e your next major battle will be fought without Tomek's expert guidance.`
`
JJ says, "We've done all we can. Sooner or later
we will have to fight the Navy for those star systems. So to start with, <first
>, we'd like you to scout them out and report back to us on the Navy's presence
there. Freya is on Trinket, gathering a fleet. Report to her there when you're d
one."`
accept
mission "FW Southern Recon 1B"

landing
name "Electron Beam"
description "Steal an Electron Beam from a Navy gunboat and return it to
<planet> for Freya to look at. She thought your best bet for finding lone gunbo
ats might be the Wei or Alnasl systems."
autosave
source Trinket
destination Trinket
to offer
has "FW Southern Recon 1: done"
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
event "gunboats in Alnasl"
conversation
`Freya thanks you for performing the scouting mission, a
nd you give her a copy of your ship's logs to analyze. As she looks through them
, almost immediately something catches her eye. "Looks like the Navy is fielding
some new weapons," she says. "Some higher-yield torpedoes, and a beam weapon ev
en more powerful than heavy lasers. Those beam weapons in particular worry me."`
choice
`
"Yes, that kind of negates the advantage
I was hoping we'd have due to our new plasma turrets."`
`
"Does that mean we're not going to attac
k them after all?"`
goto attack
`
"Well," she says, "the plasma turrets weren't th
e only ace up our sleeve, but still, it's frustrating that the Navy still has su
ch an advantage over us technologically."`
`
"What should we do?" you ask.`
label attack
`
"We're going to have to fight them eventually, b
ut first we need as much information as we can get on their new weapon systems.
I'd like you to find one of their gunboats that has the new electron beams insta
lled, steal one of them, and bring it back here. I imagine one of them can't be
much bigger than twenty or thirty tons, so you ought to be able to find space fo
r it. Think you can do that?"`
choice
`
"How can I find a gunboat that's all by
itself? They're usually a part of a bigger fleet."`
`
She thinks about that for a moment, then says, "
The Navy has shifted most of their capital ships to the defecting systems in the
south. That means that some of the systems up north will have lighter defenses.
You might try Wei or Alnasl. Good luck, Captain."`
accept
on complete
event "normal in
outfit "Electron
dialog `You hand
They tell you that she's waiting
Alnasl"
Beam" -1
off the Electron Beam to Freya's science team.
for you in a cafe in the spaceport.`
mission "FW Southern Battle 1"

name "Escort Battle Fleet"
description "Travel to <planet> to gather a fleet of experimental new wa
rships, and escort them back to Trinket."
source Trinket
destination Zug
to offer
has "FW Southern Recon 1B: done"
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
`Because this world is a tourist destination, there are
innumerable small cafes in the spaceport. You meet up with Freya in one of the s
maller ones. "Thank you for acquiring that weapon sample for us," she says. "It'
s typical Republic weaponry: far more efficient than anything we're able to make
, and very well designed. My engineers were kind of in awe as they disassembled
it."`
choice
`
"Do you have any tactical advice on figh
ting ships with one of those installed?"`
goto advice
`
"Is there any chance we can reverse engi
neer it and build our own?"`
goto reverse
label advice
`
"Well," she says, "its range is very slightly sh
orter than our plasma turrets. You might be able to use that to your advantage i
f you can position your ship just right so that you can hit an enemy target but
they can't hit you. You may find that useful in the upcoming battle."`
goto battle
label reverse
`
"Maybe, although we haven't even mastered the ar
t of building heavy lasers yet," she says. "We certainly won't have time before
the upcoming battle."`
goto battle
label battle
`
"So we're definitely going to attack the Navy?"
you ask.`
`
"We have no choice," she says. "We tried diploma
cy. If we don't show a willingness to support new worlds that want to join us, o
r if we don't seem to have enough strength to defend them, some of those that ha
ve joined us already may start to return to the Republic."`
choice
`
"Okay, I'm ready to fight."`
`
"I wish it hadn't come to this, but if y
ou think it's our only option, I'll join the fight."`
`
"Thank you," she says. "But there's one more thi
ng we must do to prepare for battle. I mentioned before that we have an ace up o
ur sleeve. It's a new warship designed by Southbound Shipyards, intended to be a
match for a Cruiser. They've only finished building three of them. I'd like you
to travel to Zug and escort them back here. Once you return, we'll prepare for
battle."`
accept
mission "FW Southern Battle 1B"

landing
name "Escort Battle Fleet"
description "Escort a fleet of experimental warships to <destination>."
autosave
source Zug
destination Trinket
to offer
has "FW Southern Battle 1: done"
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
`When you land on <origin>, a Southbound Shipyards execu
tive leads you to a hangar. The hangar is huge, but it clearly was not meant to
hold a ship as large as the one it now contains. There is barely enough space fo
r the cranes and catwalks being used by the construction crews. He says, "The Dr
eadnought is a new design, the largest ship we've ever built. Only three of them
have been completed so far." You can't help but be impressed at the size of the
Dreadnought: as bulky as a Cruiser, it looks like a cross between a Bastion and
an Argosy freighter.`
`
He then leads you out to a section of the spacep
ort where three Dreadnoughts are parked. Next to them, and looking tiny by compa
rison, are five Furies. You ask, "Are those Furies part of the battle fleet, too
?"`
`
"Yes," he says, "equipped with some fancy new we
apons from Barmy Edward up at Kraz Cybernetics. I haven't seen them in action ye
t, but he's convinced they'll be useful against the Navy."`
`
You thank him for his time, and meet up with the
captains of the battle fleet, arranging for them to follow you back to Trinket.
`
accept
npc accompany save
government "Free Worlds"
personality timid escort
ship "Dreadnought" "F.S. Sequoia"
ship "Dreadnought" "F.S. Sitka"
ship "Dreadnought" "F.S. Rosewood"
ship "Fury (Flamethrower)" "F.S. Montag"
ship
ship
ship
ship
"Fury
"Fury
"Fury
"Fury
(Flamethrower)"
(Flamethrower)"
(Flamethrower)"
(Flamethrower)"
"F.S.
"F.S.
"F.S.
"F.S.
Faber"
Beatty"
Mildred"
Clarisse"
on visit
dialog "You have reached <planet>, but you left part of your con
voy behind! Better depart and wait for them to arrive in this star system."
on complete
dialog `You land on <planet> with the battle fleet. Time to meet
up with Freya in the spaceport.`
event "battle for Rastaban"

"reputation: Republic" = -1000
system Rastaban
fleet "Small Free Worlds" 10000
system Lesath
fleet "Small Southern Merchants"
fleet "Large Southern Merchants"
fleet "Large Free Worlds" 1100
system Sargas
fleet "Small Southern Merchants"
fleet "Large Southern Merchants"
fleet "Large Free Worlds" 1500
800
1600
600
2500

name "Attack Rastaban"
description "Travel directly to the <system> system, so that you will ar
rive on <day> and join the battle against the Navy. Disable or destroy all Navy
ships in system."
source Trinket
destination Dancer
clearance
to offer
has "FW Southern Battle 1B: done"
deadline 3
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
event "battle for Rastaban"
conversation
`When you meet up with Freya in the cafe, she looks like
she hasn't slept in several days. "I can't believe we're headed for another maj
or battle," she says. "I keep hoping the Navy will just pull back and not force
us to fight them."`
choice
`
"It doesn't seem likely that Parliament
would allow that."`
`
"Yes, their sense of honor can be inspir
ing at times, but right now it's annoying."`
`
"Indeed," she says. "Although, based on what Alo
ndo said, the Navy hinted that if we made such a show of force that there was no
way they could win the battle, they could honorably choose to retreat. So, if t
hey start trying to retreat, let them go. But I suspect it will be a difficult b
attle to win."`
`
"What's the battle plan?" you ask.`
`
"The fleet from Southbound Shipyards will be tra
veling with you," she says. "Other fleets with other commanders will be convergi
ng on Rastaban separately, at approximately the same time. So, you have no time
to lose. You must travel directly to Rastaban from here, or else you will arrive
too late to join in the fight. Good luck, captain."`
accept
npc
personality heroic disables escort
ship "Dreadnought" "F.S. Sequoia"
ship "Dreadnought" "F.S. Sitka"
ship "Dreadnought" "F.S. Rosewood"
ship "Fury (Flamethrower)" "F.S. Montag"
ship "Fury (Flamethrower)" "F.S. Faber"
ship "Fury (Flamethrower)" "F.S. Beatty"
ship "Fury (Flamethrower)" "F.S. Mildred"
ship "Fury (Flamethrower)" "F.S. Clarisse"
npc
system Rastaban
personality heroic uninterested staying disables
fleet
names "free worlds capital"
variant
"Falcon (Plasma)"
"Osprey" 2
fleet
variant
"Falcon (Plasma)"
"Osprey (Missile)" 2
fleet
variant
"Falcon (Heavy)"
"Osprey (Laser)" 2
fleet
variant
"Falcon (Plasma)"
fleet
variant
"Bastion" 2
fleet
variant
"Bastion (Heavy)" 2
fleet
variant
"Falcon" 2
npc evade
system Rastaban
personality heroic uninterested staying
government "Republic"
fleet
names "republic capital"
fighters "republic fighter"
variant
"Carrier (Mark II)"
"Lance" 4
"Combat Drone" 6
fleet
variant
"Carrier (Mark II)"
"Lance" 4
"Combat Drone" 6
fleet
variant
"Cruiser (Mark II)"
"Combat Drone" 4
fleet
variant
"Cruiser (Mark II)"
"Combat Drone" 4
fleet
variant
"Cruiser (Mark II)"
"Combat Drone" 4
fleet
names "republic small"
variant
"Rainmaker (Mark II)" 2
fleet
variant
fleet
variant
fleet
variant
"Gunboat (Mark II)" 3
fleet
variant
fleet
variant
fleet
variant
on complete
event "fw southern expansion"

landing
name "Sweep for Navy Ships"
description "Travel through the systems near Rastaban and make sure that
the remainder of the Navy occupation fleet is retreating. (If they are fleeing,
let them flee.)"
autosave
source Dancer
to offer
waypoint Girtab
waypoint Albaldah
waypoint "Delta Sagittarii"
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
Às soon as you land on <origin>, you contact Freya and
let her know that the system is yours. "That's great news," she says. "Now we ne
ed to make sure they've pulled back from the neighboring systems, too. Take a fe
w ships and sweep through Delta Sagittarii and Albaldah and make sure they're cl
ear. Leave the rest of the fleet on Dancer to handle the prisoners and repairs."
`
choice
`
"What should I do if I encounter Navy sh
ips on my patrol?"`
goto patrol
`
"What are we going to do with the prison
ers?"`
goto prisoners
label patrol
`
"If they're fleeing, let them flee," she says, "
but if you discover a strong Navy presence remaining in one of those systems, re
port back to Dancer before engaging them. Meanwhile, I'll ask Alondo to contact
the Navy generals and see if we can get Katya back in exchange for those prisone
rs."`
goto katya
label prisoners
`
"Well," she says, "my hope is that we can trade
them for any of our people who have been captured so far in this war. Including
Katya."`
goto katya
label katya
`
"You think she's still alive?" you ask.`
`
"Certainly, and having this many Navy prisoners
gives us a great bargaining chip for negotiating her freedom. Now, gather your p
atrol, and by the time you get back, I hope we will have arranged for her releas
e."`
accept
npc
government Republic
personality fleeing uninterested
system "Delta Sagittarii"
fleet "Large Republic"
npc
government Republic
system "Girtab"
npc
government Republic
system "Albaldah"
on complete
dialog `You've finished patrolling the nearby systems. Now you c
an meet up with Freya in the spaceport, and hopefully she will have good news ab
out Katya.`
mission "FW Southern Prisoners - Release"

name "Return Navy Prisoners"
description "As a goodwill gesture, return the Navy prisoners to <destin
ation>, rather than imprisoning them on Clink. Your safe passage ends on <day>."
source Dancer
clearance
destination "New Iceland"
to offer
to fail
has "FW Southern Prisoners - Keep: done"
deadline 7
on offer
conversation
`You find Freya and Alondo watching over a large hangar
where several hundred Navy crew and support staff are being kept under guard. Al
ondo says, "I contacted the Navy generals. They say Katya is not under their con
trol; she is a prisoner of the Intelligence bureau, and arranging her release co
uld take weeks. But they promised that if we return their prisoners now, they wi
ll ensure Katya's release and return her to us soon."`
choice
`
"How do we know they won't break that pr
omise?"`
`
"Why not just keep the prisoners until w
e have Katya back safely?"`

`
Freya sighs. "Alondo claims that the generals va
lue their honor so highly that we can trust their promise. I am not so sure. Eve
n if the generals do their best, what if Intelligence refuses to honor the deal
we make?"`
`
Alondo says, "On the other hand, if we release t
hese prisoners on parole as a gesture of good faith, it could bring us much clos
er to a diplomatic end to this war. Which would be far preferable to another bat
tle as bloody as this one."`
`
Freya says, "And meanwhile, JJ is off on a top s
ecret mission. And that means he's not available to consult with, and we need to
make this decision now."`
`
"And since we cannot agree," says Alondo, "we ar
e giving you the deciding vote."`
choice
`
"What do you mean?"`
`
"We will be putting you in charge of the prisone
r convoy," says Alondo, "and arranging a week of safe passage for you. If you th
ink we should return the prisoners as a gesture of goodwill to improve our chanc
es of a diplomatic end to this war, bring the convoy to <planet>."`
`
"But if you think we should hold on to the priso
ners until we receive Katya safely back," says Freya, "bring the convoy to Clink
. Understand?"`
`
It's a serious choice facing you, with no clear
right decision. You thank them for trusting you, and begin preparations to escor
t the prisoners.`
accept
on accept
event "fw safe passage starts"
event "fw safe passage ends" 7
npc accompany save
government Escort
personality timid
ship "Blackbird" "F.S. Charity"
ship "Blackbird" "F.S. Good Hope"
ship "Blackbird" "F.S. Stoutheart"
ship "Blackbird" "F.S. Nightingale"
ship "Blackbird" "F.S. Turtledove"
npc
government Republic
personality staying uninterested
system "Kaus Borealis"
on visit
on complete
karma ++
set "fw delivered prisoners"
mission "FW Southern Prisoners - Keep"
name "Keep Navy Prisoners"

description "Rather than releasing the Navy prisoners, deliver them to t
he mines on Clink, to be held until Katya is returned to you."
source Dancer
destination Clink
to offer
to fail
has "FW Southern Prisoners - Release: done"
on complete
karma -set "fw delivered prisoners"
event "fw prison on Clink"
mission "FW Southern Prisoners - Released"

landing
name "Report to Dancer"
description "Report back to Freya and Alondo on Dancer that you chose to
release the prisoners."
source "New Iceland"
destination Dancer
to offer
has "FW Southern Prisoners - Release: done"
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
`<origin> has become the home of a major Navy base almos
t overnight; the number of ships and people here is almost overwhelming. You ret
urn the prisoners, who have all taken an oath of parole to take no further part
in the war against the Free Worlds. One of the four Navy generals who you and Al
ondo met with earlier is here, and as you are unloading the prisoners, he says,
"More volunteers for the 'Oathkeepers,' I see."`
choice
`
"Who are the 'Oathkeepers'?"`
`
"The officers you granted parole to months ago.
We reassigned them all to duty in the north, patrolling for pirates."`
`
"You mean they really do honor their promise not
to fight us?" you ask.`
`
"Of course. They swore a vow, after all." You su
spect it's not quite that simple, but decide that questioning this general's wor
d would be pointless. As you are getting ready to leave, he says, "Don't worry,
we will be returning Miss Reynolds to you shortly. The ship carrying her should
arrive here in a week or two."`
`
You hope he is telling the truth. Now, it is tim
e to meet with Freya and Alondo and decide what should be done next.`
launch
npc accompany save
government Escort
personality timid
ship "Blackbird" "F.S. Charity"
ship "Blackbird" "F.S. Good Hope"
ship "Blackbird" "F.S. Stoutheart"
ship "Blackbird" "F.S. Nightingale"

ship "Blackbird" "F.S. Turtledove"
npc
government Republic
personality staying uninterested
system "Kaus Borealis"
on visit
mission "FW Southern Prisoners - Kept"

landing
name "Report to Dancer"
description "Report back to Freya and Alondo on Dancer that you chose to
keep the prisoners on Clink."
source Clink
destination Dancer
to offer
has "FW Southern Prisoners - Keep: done"
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
`You drop off the prisoners at the mines of Clink, to be
held until the Navy returns Katya to you. Now, it's time to meet with Freya and
Alondo and decide what should be done next.`
accept
mission "FW Southern Break"

landing
source Dancer
autosave
to offer
has "fw delivered prisoners"
on offer
event "fw occupying the north" 50
conversation
`You land on Dancer and report to Alondo and Freya that
the prisoner transfer is complete. "What do we do now?" you ask.`
`
Freya says, "Well, I hope we're done with fighti
ng for a while, now. We'll stay here to hold this system against any Navy retali
ation. And, we'll keep hoping that Parliament might come to their senses and agr
ee to a diplomatic end to this conflict. In the meantime I suggest you spend som
e time doing whatever it is you do to earn money on the side - carrying passenge
rs or freight or hunting pirates. We'll contact you when things begin to move fo
rward again."`
choice
"Sounds good. I'll hope to hear from you
soon."`
decline
`
"You're sure there's nothing else I can
do to help the Free Worlds right now?"`
`
Alondo says, "You might hear from some other fol
ks who could use your assistance, but as for the Council, I think it's a waiting
game for us right now. Please don't think we aren't grateful for your help, Cap
tain. All we're saying is that hopefully, for a few months at least, we'll all b
e able to take a break from fighting and go back to actually living our lives. A
nd don't worry, we'll contact you as soon as things get interesting again."`
decline
mission "FW Southern Break Ends"

name "Return to <planet>"
description "Travel as quickly as possible to <destination>, to rejoin t
he main Free Worlds fleet."
landing
source
near Rastaban 1 1000
destination Dancer
to offer
has "event: fw occupying the north"
not "FW Northern 1: offered"
on offer
conversation
`Soon after you land on <origin>, you receive a message
from Freya: "Greetings, Captain <last>! I hope you've made good use of your time
off, because we're about to be right in the thick of it once again. As soon as
you're able, please come rejoin the fleet on Dancer. We have some urgent and sen
sitive work to do."`
accept
mission "FW Northern 1"

landing
name "Northern Expansion"
description "Take a fleet to <destination> (visiting Alphecca and Seginu
s along the way), securing those systems to allow them to defect to the Free Wor
lds."
autosave
source Dancer
destination "New Tibet"
waypoint Alphecca
waypoint Seginus
clearance
to offer
has "event: fw occupying the north"
passengers 1
blocked `You receive a message from Freya: "Captain, please meet up with
us as soon as you have a bunk free for Alondo." You have no bunks free, so you
should return here once you have made one available.`
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
`When you land on Dancer, the Free Worlds fleet appears
to be preparing for another battle: missiles and torpedoes are being loaded onto
ships and crew members are running around. You eventually find Freya and Alondo
, and ask them what is going on.`
`
"Another three worlds have secretly told us they
are ready to defect," says Alondo, "and this time around we want to get there b
efore the Navy does."`
`
Freya says, "We need you to take Alondo, along w
ith the ships that we've been able to muster, and fly through the Seginus and Al
phecca systems, then land on <destination>. If all goes well, you will get throu
gh to <planet> before the Republic can muster reinforcements. Drive off any Repu
blic ships you encounter along the way."`
accept
npc
personality heroic escort
fleet "Large Free Worlds"
npc
government Republic
system "Wei"
npc
government Republic
system "Seginus"
npc
government Republic
system "Alphecca"
on complete
dialog
Às soon as you land, Alondo rushes out of your ship to
meet with the governor of <planet> and "get these papers signed before they chan
ge their minds." He tells you to meet him back in the spaceport in an hour.`

name "Meet With Freya"
description "Now that the northern star systems are secured, go back to
<planet> to meet with Freya and work with her to remove any surveillance equipme
nt the Navy installed in the Wei system or elsewhere."
source "New Tibet"
destination "Dancer"
to offer
has "FW Northern 1: done"
on fail

shot of the game.`
on offer
event "fw northern expansion"
conversation
`You wait in the spaceport bar for a while. Your Free Wo
rlds uniform has drawn a good deal of attention from the locals: a few of them w
aved to you when you came in, or gave other subtle signs of approval, but no one
is sitting with you. They probably want to avoid getting into trouble with the
Republic if the Free Worlds is not able to hold this planet.`
`
Finally Alondo arrives. "Come on," he says. "Let
's talk outside." He seems tired, but not frightened.`
choice
`
"Is everything okay?"`
`
"Did they agree to join us?"`
`
"Yes, yes, of course," he says. "But taking on s
ix more worlds all of a sudden - I just hope it's not more than we can handle. W
hen the Navy recovers from the battle at Rastaban and strikes back, now we have
much less idea where that strike will fall."`
`
"So, what do we do next?" you ask.`
`
"We need to move more of our fleet up here to th
e front," he says, "but I'd be willing to bet that the Navy has installed survei
llance equipment on Hope, and maybe a few other planets in this sector too. Whic
h I should have thought of before, because in order to be sure we've tracked eve
ry last one down, we need Freya's expertise in signals and sensors. So, I'm send
ing you to meet up with her on Dancer."`
choice
`
"No problem. Don't worry, we'll be able
to handle this just fine."`
accept
`
"Aren't you afraid the Navy will strike
while I'm off fetching her?"`
`
"Of course," he says. "But I talked with JJ, and
he thinks they're still recovering from the last battle. And if their sensors a
ll go dark, that will be a big deterrent to keep them from attacking - certainly
more of a deterrent than you could add by staying here with our fleet."`
`
"Understood," you say. "I'll go get Freya."`
accept
mission "FW Northern 2A"

landing
name "Sweep Hope"
description "Bring Freya to <planet> and destroy any Navy sensor emplace
ments that she finds there."
source "Dancer"
destination "Hope"
to offer
passengers 1
blocked "To continue this mission, you need a bunk free for Freya. Retur
n here when you have made one available."
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
Às soon as you land, Freya shows up at your ship with a
small suitcase full of clothes. "No time to waste," she says. "Let's get going.
Our first target will be <planet>, since we know for a fact that they were inst
alling something there."`
accept
mission "FW Northern 2B"

landing
name "Sweep Hope"
description "Bring Freya to <planet> to check for any Navy surveillance
stations."
source "Hope"
destination "Clark"
to offer
has "FW Northern 2A: done"
passengers 1
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
Às you approach the planet, Freya sits down at your shi
p's sensor console and begins fiddling with some settings that you didn't even k
now existed. She seems entirely focused, and clearly knows what she is doing. Yo
u recall being told that she is an engineer, not a politician or a military comm
ander, which makes the fact that she has been able to step up as such a strong l
eader in the Council very impressive.`
`
"Yup, eight different stations," she says finall
y, "including this one that I nearly overlooked, buried twenty feet under the ic
e, that is acting as a relay for them." She points out each station on your map,
and you fly by each one and destroy it. "Now," she says, "that was what had me
most worried, but for the sake of completeness we should sweep the other new wor
lds, too. Let's go to <planet> next."`
accept
mission "FW Northern 2C"

landing
name "Sweep Clark"
stations."
source "Clark"
destination "New Holland"
to offer
has "FW Northern 2B: done"
passengers 1
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
Ònce again, Freya works some sort of magic with your sh

ip's sensors and manages to locate another surveillance station. "Right in the m
iddle of the city," she says. "We'll have to go there on foot and disable it."`
choice
`
"Are you worried that it might be guarde
d?"`
goto guard
`
"Okay, I'll grab my favorite guns and ex
plosives!"`
goto guns
label guard
`
"A little worried," she says. "We should be arme
d, just in case. But I'm not picking up any human heat signatures from the build
ing, and it wouldn't be like the Navy to leave some of their own behind for us t
o capture."`
goto destroy
label guns
`
"Now, now," she says, "we just convinced this wo
rld to join us, let's not go blowing up their whole factory district. I don't se
e any human heat signatures, but you can bring your weapons anyway just in case.
"`
label destroy
`
Warily, you approach the sensor installation, ki
cking down the door to an old abandoned warehouse. Freya is right - it's not gua
rded. She shuts down the transmitter, then asks for your help bringing some of t
he sensors and other equipment back to your ship. "I always love having a chance
to look at Navy technology," she says. "Now, let's head to <planet>."`
accept
mission "FW Northern 2D"

landing
name "Sweep Clark"
stations."
source "New Holland"
to offer
has "FW Northern 2C: done"
passengers 1
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
`You spend quite a while flying back and forth above the
surface of <origin>, but Freya is unable to locate any Navy signals originating
from the surface. Finally she gives up. "It's an out-of-the-way planet," she sa
ys. "Any fleet coming here would pass through Alioth or Seginus first. So I gues
s they didn't bother to put anything here. Time to head to New Tibet and meet up
with Alondo!"`
accept

landing
name "Freya to Zug"

description "Bring Freya to <destination>, to help with ramping up Dread
nought production."
source "New Tibet"
destination "Zug"
to offer
has "FW Northern 2D: done"
passengers 1
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
Às you approach <origin>, Freya quickly locates two Nav
y surveillance stations and contacts Alondo, asking him to send some Free Worlds
personnel to destroy them. Then you land, and Alondo comes aboard your ship to
discuss your next steps in person.`
`
"There's a good chance we've taken care of all t
he sensors in this sector," says Freya, "so we can start moving our fleets aroun
d here without tipping the Navy off. And I just heard from Southbound Shipping t
hat they've got two more Dreadnoughts ready for service."`
choice
`
"Only two? I was hoping to get a Dreadno
ught of my own soon!"`
goto two
`
"Don't we need to defend Rastaban and th
e other systems to the east, as well?"`
goto east
label two
`
"Patience, Captain," says Freya. "Building proto
types is very different from doing mass production."`
goto zug
label east
`
"Yes," says Freya. "Which means our fleets will
be stretched thin. We really need them to ramp up Dreadnought production."`
label zug
`
Alondo asks Freya, "Do you think you could help
them in the shipyards? After all, you were a superb fleet supply manager back in
the Defense Pact days."`
`
"I'll do what I can, if you think you're all set
here," says Freya.`
`
"I'm fine," says Alondo, "and JJ is on Rastaban
now, guarding our other flank. So you can take a break from being on the front."
He heads back outside, and you and Freya get ready to visit the shipyards on <p
lanet>.`
accept
on complete
"salary: Free Worlds" = 2500
conversation
Às you are landing on <planet>, Freya says, "I miss Kat
ya. It's hard being the only woman on the Council."`
choice
`
"Don't worry, the Navy said they're tryi
ng to find her and return her to us."`
`
"Do you think the Navy reneged on their
promise to free her?"`
`
"I don't know," she says. "I hope the Navy will
keep their promise. But in the meantime, three people on Council is too few. We
didn't want to say anything to you until the Senate cleared it, but we've nomina
ted you to take Tomek's spot on the Council. What do you say?"`
choice
`
"I'd be honored. Thank you."`
`
She grins. "Don't mention it. You've been with u
s since the beginning, and we've all come to trust what you have to say. I wish
we could throw you a big dinner or something to celebrate, but... well, we're al
l busy with the war right now. But Alondo and JJ both said to tell you they're g
lad to have you on board. And you'll get a salary increase, of course. Which you
ought to celebrate by buying us both a few drinks in the spaceport bar before y
ou leave. Okay?"`
choice
`
"Okay, I'll meet you back at the spacepo
rt in a few hours."`
`
"Great," she says, smiling. "See you then." She
picks up her suitcase, and hurries over to the shipyard.`
mission "FW Northern 3B"

name "Dreadnoughts to <planet>"
description "Escort two more Dreadnoughts to <destination>, to help defe
nd the front against any Navy incursions."
autosave
source "Zug"
destination "Clark"
to offer
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
`Freya turns out to be a whiskey drinker, like Tomek. By
the time she has finished her first drink, she is chattering quite passionately
about starship design: load balancing, stress lines, shield matrices, shipboard
computers. Rather than dulling her intelligence, alcohol just seems to reduce h
er ability to explain things in ways a non-specialist can understand. You try to
steer the conversation towards something less technical...`
choice
`
"So, why did you join the Council, initi
ally?"`
goto council
`
"Where's your home planet?"`
goto home
`
"How long do you think it will be before
they're mass-producing Dreadnoughts?"`
goto dreadnoughts
label council
`
"Well," she says, "you know the Council. Visiona
ries, big picture people. They needed someone who could take care of the actual
concrete details. Data crunching for our 'thousand eyes' program tracking pirate
fleet movements. Supply chain management. This was back in the days of the Pact
, of course, before we had officially separated from the Republic. And I had wor
ked with JJ in the past, so he asked me to come with him and help out on a large
r scale."`
goto leave
label home
`
"I grew up on Earth," she says, "deep in the bow
els of one of the major cities. Even as a kid I hated that dirty old planet and
knew my only shot of leaving there was to be smarter than everyone else. It wasn
't until years later, when I came back to visit with some money in my pocket and
a bit more perspective, that I was able to travel to the few parts of Earth tha
t are still pretty, and realize how precious our home world is."`
goto leave
label dreadnoughts
`
"Ugh," she says, "let's not talk about work whil
e we're busy relaxing." You refrain from commenting that all her talk about star
ship design sounded a lot more like work than like a fun relaxing topic of conve
rsation.`
goto leave
label leave
`
You hang out in the bar for another hour or so,
and then she says to the bartender, "Two bottles of champagne to go, please." He
gives her an odd look, but the Council is well enough respected that he does no
t question her.`
`
You walk over to the shipyard, where the two new
ly completed Dreadnoughts are parked side by side. "Time to christen our new shi
ps," she says, handing you one of the bottles. You each fling a bottle at one of
the ships, and shout out...`
choice
`
"For victory!"`
`
"For peace!"`
`
"For justice!"`
`
"May it come soon," echoes Freya. "Now, tomorrow
morning the crews for these ships will be ready, and we'll need you to escort t
hem to <planet>. I'll stay here and do my best to help manage the equipment supp
ly chain and construction crews." She says goodnight, and wishes you a safe jour
ney tomorrow.`
accept
npc accompany save
personality timid
ship Dreadnought "F.S. Bartlett"
ship Dreadnought "F.S. Magnolia"
on visit
dialog "You have reached <planet>, but without both the dreadnou
ghts you were assigned to escort! Better depart and wait for them to arrive in t
his star system."

landing
name "Meet Convoy"
description "Travel to <destination>, to escort a convoy of medical supp
lies. Watch out for Republic attacks."
autosave
source "Clark"
destination "New Kansas"
to offer
has "FW Northern 3B: done"
clearance
on fail
shot of the game.`

on offer
conversation
`Waiting for you on <origin> is a message from Alondo: "
Hello Captain! We've got another minor crisis: a merchant fleet was supposed to
bring us a shipment of medical supplies from up North, since many of our worlds
are running short. But, the Republic is threatening to attack the convoy if they
try to cross over into our space, so they're waiting on <planet>, just inside o
f the Republic's territory. Please go meet up with the fleet and bring it back t
o New Tibet."`
accept
mission "FW Northern 4.1A"

landing
name "Medical Convoy"
description "Escort a convoy carrying medical supplies safely to <planet
>. Do not fire on the Navy Oathkeeper ship that is in orbit there."
autosave
source "New Kansas"
to offer
karma >= 2
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
`You land on <origin> and meet up with the fleet you wil
l be escorting. A few minutes later, an urgent message comes in from Alondo: "We
've got a crazy situation here. Return to New Tibet immediately with the convoy.
You will find a Navy Oathkeeper ship in orbit. Do not attack them, just see to
it that the convoy lands safely." The Oathkeepers are Navy officers who swore no
t to fight the Free Worlds, so you can't help wondering what they are doing on <
planet>.`
accept
npc accompany save
personality escort timid
government Merchant
fleet
names "civilian"
cargo 4
variant
Freighter 4
on visit
npc save
government "Navy (Oathkeeper)"
personality heroic staying uninterested
system Alioth
ship "Cruiser (Mark II)" "N.S. Peacemaker"
mission "FW Northern 4.2A"

landing
name "Medical Convoy"
description "Escort a convoy carrying medical supplies safely to <planet
>."
autosave
source "New Kansas"
to offer
karma < 2
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
`You land on <origin> and meet up with the fleet you wil
l be escorting. A few minutes later, an urgent message comes in from Alondo: "We
've got a crazy situation here. Return to New Tibet immediately with the convoy.
" He provides no further information.`
accept
npc accompany save
personality escort timid
government Merchant
fleet
names "civilian"
cargo 4
variant
Freighter 4
npc
government Republic
personality heroic
system Sarin
fleet "Small Republic"
on visit
dialog "You have reached <planet>, but you left part of the conv
oy behind! Better depart and wait for them to arrive in this star system."
mission "FW Alphas 1.1"

landing
name "Liberate Poisonwood"
description "Destroy all pirates ships in the <system> system with the h
elp of the Navy Oathkeepers, then land on the planet and let the Navy troops eli
minate the Alphas."
autosave
source "New Tibet"
destination Poisonwood
clearance
to offer
has "FW Northern 4.1A: done"
on fail

shot of the game.`
on offer
event "alphas capture Poisonwood"
conversation
`You land the convoy safely on <origin>, but everyone se
ems to be busy with whatever new crisis it is that Alondo alluded to; no one app
roaches you to help unload the ships. Eventually you track down Alondo and ask w
hat is going on, and why there is a neutral Navy ship in orbit. "We just receive
d word that Poisonwood has been captured by pirates, while all of our fleets wer
e busy guarding the front," says Alondo. You recall that Poisonwood has remained
loyal to the Republic, even though they are deep inside Free Worlds territory.`
choice
`
"If we liberate them, will they switch t
heir loyalty to our side?"`
goto loyalty
`
"If they're not one of our worlds, why s
hould we help them?"`
goto help
label loyalty
`
"Possibly," says Alondo. "But that's not what is
important. Before they were overrun by pirate troops, one of the colonists mana
ged to take a photo of the pirate leader."`
goto photo
label help
`
"Because one of the colonists took a picture of
the leader of the pirates who attacked them," says Alondo.`
goto photo
label photo
`
He hands you a small printout of a photograph. I
t is a somewhat blurry picture of a group of armed pirates running down a street
in a desert town. What grabs your attention immediately is that several of the
pirates appear to have green skin. You recognize that as the mark of the Alphas,
the sociopathic, genetically engineered super-humans who enslaved entire planet
s during the Alpha Wars, five centuries ago.`
choice
`
"It must be a trick. There can't still b
e Alphas around. Maybe the pirates dyed their skin green to make people fear the
m."`
`
"How is it possible that some of the Alp
has are still alive?"`
`
Alondo says, "This may be a trick, but we can't
afford to take that risk. The Alphas were the greatest threat humanity has ever
faced. And before they contacted us for help, Poisonwood reached out to the Navy
." As he is speaking, a shadow passes overhead. You look up and see the unmistak
able silhouette of a Navy cruiser, coming in for a landing.`
choice
`
"Are you insane? You're letting the Navy
come here?"`
`
"We're going to work side by side with t
he Navy right after that awful battle?"`
`
Alondo explains, "It's only one cruiser, an 'Oat
hkeeper' ship, sworn to take no part in our war. The Free Worlds have almost no
troops trained for ground combat, so without the Navy's help we would be unlikel
y to be able to eliminate the Alphas."`
`
The Navy ship lands, and a man steps off who you
recognize immediately: General William Danforth, who is something of a folk her
o throughout human space, and who you have heard is the commander of the entire
Oathkeepers regiment. With him is a man who he introduces as Commander Aaron Ngu
yen of the Navy Humanitarian Corps. As Nguyen shakes your hand, you are struck b
y the fact that although he is your enemy, you see no trace of hostility in his
eyes - in fact, his expression is surprisingly warm and affectionate.`
`
"We have no room for error," says Danforth. "The
se Alphas must be eliminated, and they must not be allowed to escape. On that, a
t least, we can all agree."`
`
Freya says, "Captain <last> will lead the attack
." She beckons to two of the Free Worlds captains. "Marco, Emily, you will join
them with your Falcons. Destroy any pirate ships in orbit, then land and secure
the facility. Understood?" You nod, and prepare to take off for the <system> sys
tem.`
accept
npc accompany save
personality escort heroic
npc
government "Escort"
personality heroic
ship "Falcon (Plasma)" "F.S. Alder"
ship "Falcon" "F.S. Starry Warrior"
npc kill
government "Pirate"
personality heroic staying
system Graffias
ship "Leviathan (Heavy)" "Dread Lord"
ship "Leviathan" "Dominator"
ship "Firebird (Plasma)" "Vengeance"
ship "Firebird (Missile)" "Revenant"
ship "Firebird" "Draugbreath"
on visit
dialog "You have reached <planet>, but the battle is not over you've either failed to kill one of the pirates, or left one of your ships behin
d in a different system."
on complete
event "liberation of Poisonwood"
conversation
`The ships in orbit are eliminated, but there are still
the Alphas and their servants here on the ground to take care of. Danforth's shi
p unloads a squadron of troops in heavy battle suits. The Navy troops move with
far more precision and purpose than you have ever seen among the poorly trained
Free Worlds soldiers.`
`
They sweep the city and quickly ascertain that t
he Alphas are holed up in a large factory. The troops encircle the building and
burst through the doors, and soon you hear the sounds of explosions and gunfire
within. You wait with Commander Nguyen in an alley facing the building. "I'm wit
h the Humanitarian Corps," he explains. "Killing things is not in my job descrip
tion."`
`
Just then, one of the second floor windows shatt
ers and a figure comes tumbling out, rolls, and starts running in your direction
. Then it does something you would swear no human being is capable of: while sti
ll moving in your direction, it begins leaping from one wall of the alley to the
other as easily as you would run up a staircase, gaining altitude with each jum
p so that soon it will pass two or three meters above your heads. Several Navy t
roops are running after it, but they hold their fire to avoid hitting you and Ng
uyen.`
choice
`
`
(Try
goto
(Try
goto
to shoot it.)`
shoot
to grab it.)`
grab
label shoot
`
You open fire, but it is leaping back and forth
so fast that it is almost impossible to hit. But then you see Commander Nguyen c
limb onto a nearby dumpster and leap into the air, managing to grab the creature
by the leg as it flies by.`
goto pin
label grab
`
Unfortunately, by now the creature is far outsid
e your reach. But then you see Commander Nguyen climb onto a nearby dumpster and
leap into the air, managing to grab the creature by the leg as it flies by.`
goto pin
label pin
`
The two of them fall to the ground and roll over
and over in a jumble of limbs. You and the Navy troops run after them, afraid t
o shoot for fear of hitting Nguyen. But somehow Nguyen gets the upper hand, pinn
ing the creature in a full nelson hold, with his legs wrapped around its body to
keep it from kicking him. "Kill it!" he shouts.`
choice
`
(Kill it.)`
goto kill
`
(Let the Navy troops deal with this.)`
goto navy
label kill
`
While Nguyen holds the creature still, you put a
gun to its head and pull the trigger. Not even an Alpha can survive that; the c
reature goes limp. Now that you can get a good look at it, you can see that it d
oes indeed have green skin.`
goto end
label navy
`
While Nguyen holds the creature still, one of th
e Navy troops puts a gun to its head and pulls the trigger. Not even an Alpha ca
n survive that; the creature goes limp. Now that you can get a good look at it,
you can see that it does indeed have green skin.`
goto end
label end
`
Nguyen gets shakily to his feet; he looks stunne
d and very pale. "Thank you," he says. The sounds of gunfire within the factory
eventually dies down. "We'll continue to patrol the city," says Nguyen, "in case
there are more of them. Then I'll meet you in the spaceport." He heads off back
into the city.`
mission "FW Alphas 1.2"

landing
name "Liberate Poisonwood"
description "Destroy any pirate ships in orbit around <planet>, then lan
d and eliminate the Alphas and their servants who have occupied the city."
autosave
source "New Tibet"
destination Poisonwood
clearance
to offer
has "FW Northern 4.2A: done"
on fail

shot of the game.`
on offer
event "alphas capture Poisonwood"
conversation
`You land the convoy safely on <origin>, but everyone se
ems to be busy with whatever new crisis it is that Alondo alluded to; no one app
roaches you to help unload the ships. Eventually you track down Alondo and ask w
hat is going on. "We just received word that Poisonwood has been captured by pir
ates, while all of our fleets were busy elsewhere," says Alondo. You recall that
Poisonwood has remained loyal to the Republic, even though they are deep inside
Free Worlds territory.`
choice
`
"If we liberate them, will they switch t
heir loyalty to our side?"`
goto loyalty
`
"If they're not one of our worlds, why s
hould we help them?"`
goto help
label loyalty
`
"Possibly," says Alondo. "But that's not what is
important. Before they were overrun by pirate troops, one of the colonists mana
ged to take a photo of the pirate leader."`
goto photo
label help
`
"Because one of the colonists took a picture of
the leader of the pirates who attacked them," says Alondo.`
goto photo
label photo
`
He hands you a small printout of a photograph. I
t is a somewhat blurry picture of a group of armed pirates running down a street
in a desert town. What grabs your attention immediately is that several of the
pirates appear to have green skin. You recognize that as the mark of the Alphas,
the sociopathic, genetically engineered super-humans who enslaved entire planet
s during the Alpha Wars, five centuries ago.`
choice
`
"It must be a trick. There can't still b
e Alphas around. Maybe the pirates dyed their skin green to make people fear the
m."`
`
"How is it possible that some of the Alp
has are still alive?"`
`
Alondo says, "This may be a trick, but we can't
afford to take that risk. The Alphas were the greatest threat humanity has ever
faced. We have very few people trained in ground combat, but I've gathered some
of our best and loaded them onto a fleet that will be accompanying you. Destroy
any pirate ships in orbit, then land and secure the facility. Understood? And do
n't let any of your escorts die; they're carrying the troops you'll need for the
ground battle." You nod, and prepare to take off for the <system> system.`
accept
npc accompany save
government "Escort"
personality heroic
ship "Falcon (Plasma)" "F.S. Oak"
ship "Falcon (Plasma)" "F.S. Alder"
ship "Falcon" "F.S. Starry Warrior"
npc kill
government "Pirate"

system Graffias
ship "Leviathan (Heavy)" "Dread Lord"
ship "Leviathan" "Dominator"
ship "Firebird (Plasma)" "Vengeance"
ship "Firebird (Missile)" "Revenant"
ship "Firebird" "Draugbreath"
on visit
dialog "You have reached <planet>, but the battle is not over you've either failed to kill one of the pirates, or left one of your ships behin
d in a different system."
mission "FW Alphas 1.1A"

name "Danforth to <planet>"
description "Escort General Danforth's ship to <destination>, so that he
can leave Free space without being accidentally attacked."
autosave
source Poisonwood
to offer
has "FW Alphas 1.1: done"
on fail
shot of the game.`
npc accompany save
on visit
dialog "You have reached <planet>, but you left the <npc> behind
! Better depart and wait for them to arrive in this star system."
on offer
set "fw alphas done"
event "death of nguyen" 35
conversation
`When you meet up with Nguyen, he still looks very worri
ed. "We think we killed them all," he says, "but we can't be sure. Also, we reco
vered some instruments for genetic manipulation from the factory. The Alphas can
't breed normally, because if their offspring inherit some of the Alpha mutation
s but not others, the result is rarely viable, and even those that live long eno
ugh to be born don't have all the Alpha traits. So, they rely on artificial inse
mination instead."`
choice
`
"Well, it's good news that you recovered
those instruments, then."`
`
"It would be," says Nguyen, "except that we also
discovered that several dozen of the women who were taken as slaves... are now
pregnant. We'll have to ask them to terminate their pregnancies. It's the only s
afe decision, but I still don't like it." He sighs. "I'm a Buddhist, you know. C
ommitted to doing harm to no living thing. That's why I joined the Humanitarian
Corps. They promised me I'd never be asked to take a life."`
choice
`
"Is that why you didn't kill that Alpha
yourself, on the street?"`

goto street
`
"That doesn't seem like a moral dilemma
to me. We know those children will grow up to be monsters."`
goto kill
`
"Couldn't we let the children be born, i
f that's what the women want, then imprison them or something if they do turn ou
t to be Alphas?"`
goto live
label street
`
"Yes," he says. "Silly, isn't it? Anyway, this i
s my job to deal with; you need to go find Danforth."`
goto end
label kill
`
"Well," he says, "I envy you for living in a uni
verse where decision like this are easy. But to me it's still a painful choice t
o make. Anyway, that's my problem to deal with, not yours; you need to go find D
anforth."`
goto end
label live
`
"The Alphas were originally bred to be super-sol
diers," he says, "a weapon in the hands of a despotic government. As much as I h
ate to admit it, there are certain branches of the Republic who would love to ge
t their hands on a small army of impressionable Alpha children. Far better for t
hem to die than for that to happen. Anyway, that's my job to deal with; you need
to go find Danforth."`
goto end
label end
`
He leaves, and you return to Danforth's ship. Da
nforth says, "Hello there, temporary ally. It was an honor to fight alongside yo
u, while it lasted."`
choice
`
"You too. I wish we could bring this war
to an end."`
`
"If the Republic would just leave us alo
ne, we wouldn't need to be enemies."`
`
"I know," he says. "But for now, I need to retur
n to my fleet. Which means I'll be needing an escort out of your territory, just
to make sure no one attacks me. Maybe you could take us by way of New Tibet? I'
m sure Commander Nguyen would appreciate one last visit to the Buddhist monaster
ies there before that world becomes closed off to us completely." You agree, and
he begins preparing his ship for takeoff.`
accept
mission "FW Death of Nguyen"

landing
to offer
has "event: death of nguyen"
on offer
conversation
`Soon after landing on <origin>, you receive an encoded
message from General Danforth, the leader of the Oathkeepers. "Captain <last>,"
he says, "I would like to thank you once again for allowing us to assist you on
Poisonwood. Unfortunately, I have bad news that may concern you. Commander Nguye
n, who was with you when one of the Alphas was apprehended, has been assassinate
d, shot in the head at point blank range. His attacker has not been found. We fe
ar that this may be retribution for his part in the action on Poisonwood, and we
urge you and your crew to be cautious. With deepest regards - Danforth."`
decline
mission "FW Alphas 1.2A"

landing
name "Return to the Front"
description "Travel to <destination>, to bolster the defenses there."
source Poisonwood
to offer
has "FW Alphas 1.2: done"
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
event "Poisonwood reverts to Republic"
set "fw alphas done"
conversation
`The ships in orbit are eliminated, but there are still
the Alphas and their servants here on the ground to take care of. Your escorts u
nload the troops, who spread throughout the city and quickly determine that, as
far as the locals know, the Alphas are all holed up in a large factory on the ou
tskirts of town. The locals also inform you that the Alphas have taken dozens of
prisoners and are holding them in the factory.`
`
As you are trying to prepare the Free Worlds tro
ops to storm the building, suddenly one of your escorts, the Starry Warrior, tak
es off. You radio the captain, who responds, "Sorry, Captain, but I'm following
orders. Alondo suspected you wouldn't like this." Then he opens fire on the fact
ory, destroying everything within several blocks with blaster fire and torpedoes
. He does not stop firing until there is nothing left but smoldering rubble in t
hat entire section of the city.`
`
The Alphas are presumably dead. So are their pri
soners, and any of the locals who were unlucky enough to be close to the factory
when it was destroyed. The governor of Poisonwood, unable to conceal his anger,
asks you to take your troops and your ships and leave his world immediately.`
`
You send a message to the Council asking what yo
u should do, and they tell you to leave the planet and join Alondo on <planet>,
to help bolster the defenses there. You leave <origin> with a heavy heart, glad
that the Alphas are gone but wishing things here on <origin> had ended different
ly.`
launch
mission "FW Bloodsea 1"

landing
name "Alondo to <planet>"
description "Bring Alondo to <planet> to meet up with Freya, who has suc
ceeded in working out most of the remaining kinks in the Dreadnought production
line."
source "New Tibet"
destination "Bloodsea"
clearance Àlondo manages to convince the spaceport to let you land "fre
e of charge."`
to offer
has "fw alphas done"
passengers 1
blocked Àlondo contacts you and asks, "Do you have a bunk ready for me?
" You do not, so you will need to free one up to continue this mission.`
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
`You report in to Alondo, who listens to your descriptio
n of the battle for Poisonwood with a grim expression on his face. "It's not the
end, of course," he says. "It seems like no matter how many times we win a batt
le against the Alphas, there are more of them out there. But I'm glad that the i
mmediate crisis has been dealt with."`
choice
`
"Isn't there any way we can track down t
he rest of the Alphas?"`
`
"What is our next mission now?"`
goto next
`
"Not really," he says. "There are probably small
enclaves throughout human space, and perhaps beyond our space as well. All we c
an do is make it harder for them to grow powerful."`
`
"And how do we do that?" you ask.`
label next
`
"The Senate has authorized a diplomatic mission
to Bloodsea," he says. "It's the smallest of the pirate worlds, and we're going
to see what we need to offer them to get them to join the Free Worlds. The offic
ial settlements there only amount to a few thousand people, so it shouldn't be t
oo hard to convince them that joining us is better than resisting us."`
choice
`
"Okay, sounds like fun!"`
accept
`
"Wait, didn't things go south rather qui
ckly the last time we attempted this?"`
`
Alondo grins. "Yes, but the Free Worlds is in a
much stronger position now, and the pirate worlds know it's only a matter of tim
e before they are forced to become civilized. And, the incident on Poisonwood pr
oved that we can't afford to fight a war on two fronts. We need to eliminate the
pirate threat, and a diplomatic solution with them is the only sort that will l
ast. So, let's get going!"`
accept
mission "FW Bloodsea 1.1"

landing
name "Ships from <planet>"
description "In order to work toward a peace treaty with Bloodsea, meet
up with a convoy of heavily armed merchant ships on <planet>."
autosave
source Bloodsea
destination Zug
to offer
has "FW Bloodsea 1: done"
to fail
has "FW Bloodsea 1.2: done"
passengers 1
on offer
conversation
`The local leaders are unwilling to meet aboard your shi
p, and Alondo is afraid you will be ambushed if you venture too far away from it
, so eventually they agree to set up a tent on the landing pad next to yours and
meet there. Outside, a storm is raging, the rain mixing with salt spray from th
e blood-red ocean nearby.`
`
As you talk, it becomes clear that the inhabitan
ts of Bloodsea are ashamed of how destitute and undeveloped their world is. Seve
ral of them have visited the island spaceport on Deep, and after dancing around
the issue for a while, they make a request: if the Free Worlds builds them a rea
l, modern island spaceport, they will join the Free Worlds.`
`
One of them lays out a detailed list of amenitie
s the port must have: concrete seawalls, raised landing pads, floating docks, st
urdy hangars and warehouses, and various defense systems "for when the others le
arn that we've decided to join you." Also, the deal is off if you show up in orb
it with a fleet that "looks like an invasion fleet rather than a construction fl
eet."`
`
You thank them and return to your ship. Alondo a
sks, "What do you think?"`
choice
`
"Well, building a spaceport is probably
cheaper than fighting a major battle."`
goto port
`
"They're asking a lot. Why don't we just
invade them?"`
goto invade
label port
`
"Yes," he says, "except that I can almost guaran
tee that when we show up on their doorstep with everything they asked for, some
local warlord will attack our ships, steal our supplies, enslave our workers, an
d build himself a nice cozy island fortress."`
goto attack
label invade
`
"That's certainly the simpler option," he says,
"especially because I can almost guarantee that when we show up on their doorste
p with everything they asked for, some local warlord will attack our ships, stea
l our supplies, enslave our workers, and build himself a nice cozy island fortre
ss."`
goto attack
label attack
`
"So, we attack them?" you ask.`
`
"You're on council now," he says. "I'll leave it
up to you. Option one is, we bring them the supplies and workers, in merchant s
hips, but use very heavily armed merchant ships in case they double cross us. Op
tion two is, we go to Dancer and see if JJ can lend us an invasion fleet."`
accept
mission "FW Bloodsea 1.1A"

landing
name "Supplies from <planet>"
description "Stop on <planet> so that the ships you are escorting can pi
ck up more supplies and workers, then bring them to Bloodsea to help build a new
spaceport."
autosave
source Zug
destination Deep
to offer
passengers 1
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
`Waiting for you in the spaceport on <origin> are two Be
hemoth heavy freighters, which will be carrying the equipment and workers to Blo
odsea. You can't help notice that nearly a third of their cargo space has been c
onverted into extra outfit space, and both ships have a pair of plasma turrets m
ounted on them, and what looks like torpedo launchers as well.`
`
While you are on Zug, you and Alondo meet up wit
h Freya and ask how the Dreadnought production is going. "We're nearly there," s
he says, "just one or two kinks left to work out. They've produced another two p
rototypes, but not enough to start selling them yet. I know, you're itching to p
ilot one of your own. Believe me, we're working as fast as possible."`
`
Your next stop is to pick up more workers and co
nstruction supplies on <destination>.`
accept
npc accompany save
government Merchant
ship "Behemoth (Heavy)" "F.S. Bungles"
ship "Behemoth (Heavy)" "F.S. Humble"
on visit
dialog "You have reached <planet>, but you left the freighters b
ehind! Better depart and wait for them to arrive in this star system."
mission "FW Bloodsea 1.1B"

landing
name "Supplies to <planet>"
description "Escort these two freighters to <destination>, to help build
a new spaceport. This may just be an excuse for pirates to attack you."
autosave
source Deep
destination Bloodsea
clearance
to offer
has "FW Bloodsea 1.1A: done"
passengers 1
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
`You stop on <origin>, and wait as more supplies are loa
ded onto the two Behemoths you are escorting. Your final stop is <planet>. Alond
o thought it likely that some pirates would try to intercept your convoy and ste
al its cargo, but as long as both freighters land on the planet without being ca
ptured or destroyed, you will be able to begin the construction project and thus
meet the demands of the people on <planet> to convince them to join the Free Wo
rlds.`
accept
npc accompany save
government Merchant
ship "Behemoth (Heavy)" "F.S. Bungles"
ship "Behemoth (Heavy)" "F.S. Humble"
on visit
dialog "You have reached <planet>, but you left the freighters b
ehind! Better depart and wait for them to arrive in this star system."
npc
government Pirate
personality plunders staying disables
system Antares
fleet
names pirate
variant
"Raven (Afterburner)" 2
Hawk 2
"Fury (Flamethrower)" 3
Sparrow 5
on complete
set "fw bloodsea done"
event "dreadnoughts for sale"
event "dreadnought deployment" 40
event "bloodsea joins free worlds"
event "bloodsea spaceport completed" 100
conversation
À few of the locals on Bloodsea appear surprised that y
ou actually brought the supplies for a new spaceport, and that you arrived with
all the supplies intact. But after meeting up with Alondo, they agree to hold th
eir side of the bargain: from now on, Bloodsea will be a part of the Free Worlds
, with all the rights and responsibilities that implies. And that means that the
y will refuse to knowingly harbor any pirate fleets or other known criminals.`
`
Alondo tells you that he will catch a ride back
with the freighters when they return. "But, you'll probably want to head out soo
ner," he says, "because I've got some good news for you. Freya just contacted me
, to say that they're now ready to start selling Dreadnoughts to certain select
members of the Free Worlds, including you. That also means she's done with her w
ork on Zug, so she'll need you to give her a lift from there."`
accept
mission "FW Bloodsea 1.2"

landing
name "Invasion Fleet"
description "Rather than
J on <planet> and gather a fleet
source Bloodsea
destination Dancer
to offer
has "FW Bloodsea
to fail
has "FW Bloodsea
pursuing a diplomatic agreement, meet up with J

to invade and subjugate Bloodsea."
1: done"
1.1: done"
mission "FW Bloodsea 1.2A"

landing
name "Capture Bloodsea"
description "Take a Free Worlds fleet to invade the <system> system and
eliminate any pirate resistance, then land on <planet>."
source Dancer
destination Bloodsea
clearance
to offer
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
event "battle for bloodsea"
karma -conversation
`When you meet up with JJ, he says, "So, it's going to b
e battle rather than diplomacy? I suppose that may be for the best; I'm sure the
pirates were planning some sort of double-cross. But still, it's too bad we cou
ldn't find a peaceful solution."`
choice
`
"Alondo convinced me that the Bloodsea n
atives were just planning to betray us."`
`
"I don't think the pirates will understa
nd any language except overwhelming force."`
`
"Perhaps," says JJ. "At any rate, we'll never kn
ow, now. I need to keep most of my fleet here, to defend against the Navy, but I
've selected a few of the strongest ships to accompany you to Bloodsea. Good luc
k, Captain."`
accept
npc
personality heroic
ship "Dreadnought" "F.S. Bombastic"
ship "Falcon (Plasma)" "F.S. Equalizer"
ship "Falcon (Plasma)" "F.S. Enforcer"
npc evade
government "Pirate"
system "Antares"
fleet
names pirate
variant
"Firebird (Plasma)"
"Raven (Afterburner)" 2
"Hawk (Rocket)" 2
"Fury (Flamethrower)" 3
Sparrow 5
ship "Leviathan" "Freedom"
ship "Manta" "Lucifer"
ship "Bastion (Heavy)" "Punisher"
on complete
set "fw bloodsea done"
event "dreadnoughts for sale"
event "dreadnought deployment" 40

event "bloodsea independent"
conversation
`You land at the main spaceport on Bloodsea with Free Wo
rlds ships circling overhead, ready to bombard the locals if they show any sign
of resistance. It is a tense atmosphere, and the leaders sullenly agree to give
the Free Worlds access to their planet and to avoid knowingly supporting piracy
or other criminal activity. You have won this world, but you have clearly not wo
n the hearts of the locals.`
`
A while later, you receive new orders from Alond
o. "I've got some good news for you," he says. "Freya just contacted me, to say
that they're now ready to start selling Dreadnoughts to certain select members o
f the Free Worlds, including you. That also means she's done with her work on Zu
g, so she'll need you to give her a lift from there."`
accept
mission "FW Dreadnoughts Ready"

landing
name "Meet Freya on <planet>"
description "Freya is done overseeing the initial production run of Drea
dnoughts in the shipyard on Zug. Meet up with her there, to give her a ride to w
herever she is assigned next."
source Bloodsea
destination Zug
to offer
has "fw bloodsea done"
on fail
shot of the game.`
mission "FW Albatross 1"

landing
name "Freya to <planet>"
description "Bring Freya to <planet>, to meet up with JJ and make plans
for convincing Albatross to give up piracy and join the Free Worlds."
autosave
source Zug
destination Dancer
to offer
has "FW Dreadnoughts Ready: done"
passengers 1
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
`Freya comes to your ship soon after you land. She is be
aming, and looks more relaxed than you have seen her in months. "Southbound Ship
yards is churning out Dreadnoughts now!" she says. "Still only at a rate of one
a week or so, but for a ship this big that's quite impressive. And it means you
can now buy one of your own, if you've got enough savings. Seriously, even if yo
u can't afford one yet, be sure to stop by the shipyard and check them out." She
is clearly very proud.`

choice
`
"Great job, Freya! I'm really glad to ha
ve a talented engineer on the Council to help get things done."`
`
"Glad to hear it. Now, what is our next
action against the pirates?"`
goto pirates
`
She smiles. "Thanks. It was actually really refr
eshing to be able to tackle a concrete, solvable problem for a change, instead o
f all this nebulous political stuff. Speaking of which, our next step will be to
go visit JJ. He's going to be doing the diplomatic outreach to Albatross."`
goto alondo
label pirates
`
"Right, right, back to work," she says. "Well, i
t sounds like the next order of business is for you to transport me to <planet>
to take JJ's place there while he makes a diplomatic visit to Albatross."`
goto alondo
label alondo
`
You ask, "Wait, doesn't Alondo usually handle th
e diplomacy?"`
`
"Usually, yes," she says. "But the locals on Alb
atross specifically asked for JJ. They're a very traditional population, and JJ
is well-known as both a family man and a brave soldier. Whereas Alondo is... Alo
ndo."`
choice
`
"Fair enough. Let's head to <planet>!"`
accept
`
"Wait, I don't understand. Why don't the
y like Alondo?"`
`
She looks genuinely surprised that you don't kno
w. "Alondo is gay," she says. "There are few worlds here in the South where that
would bother anyone, but Albatross is one of them. So Alondo is taking a break
to go visit the Senate, while JJ deals with this particular diplomatic situation
."`
choice
`
"Okay, I feel silly for even asking. Let
's go meet up with JJ!"`
accept
`
"Ah. That certainly explains a lot."`
`
"It seems crazy that anyone would be bot
hered by that in this day and age."`
`
"Yes," she says. "Yes, it does. Now, let's go me
et up with JJ."`
accept
mission "FW Albatross 2"

landing
name "Visit Albatross"
description "Bring JJ to Albatross to negotiate with the local leaders a
nd perhaps convince them to join the Free Worlds and give up their support of pi
racy."
autosave
source Dancer
destination Albatross
clearance
to offer
has "FW Albatross 1: done"
passengers 1
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
`When you meet up with JJ, he looks exhausted. "Our scou
ts are reporting that the Navy is building a massive base on New Iceland," he sa
ys, "just a few jumps away from here. So every day I look up at the sky and wond
er if today is the day when they will invade."`
`
You talk for a while and agree that despite the
threat from the Navy, dealing with the pirates is important. JJ explains that Al
batross started out as a sort of farming commune: independent, but not associate
d with any illegal activity. But they were dominated by pirates, and since then,
one pirate overlord after another has held sway over the planet. So in principl
e at least, the locals ought to welcome the idea of Free Worlds protection.`
`
While you are traveling with JJ, Freya agrees to
stay here and work on a better surveillance network, to give Dancer advance war
ning if the Navy decides to invade.`
accept
npc
system Nunki
government Pirate
personality staying disables plunders
fleet "Small Southern Pirates"
mission "FW Albatross 2A"

landing
name "Hunt Ryk Bartlett"
description "Hunt down the pirate warlord Ryk Bartlett, who has been plu
ndering merchant convoys in the vicinity of Zeta Aquilae. (Only his personal shi
p, the Dread, must be destroyed.) Then, return to Albatross."
autosave
source Albatross
destination Albatross
clearance
to offer
has "FW Albatross 2: done"
passengers 1
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
`Your meeting with the elders of Albatross happens in se
cret, by night. They are afraid that if their current pirate overlord, Ryk Bartl
ett, finds out that they have met with you, they will face retribution. JJ begin
s by describing the Free Worlds' offer: all the benefits of the mutual defense p
act, in exchange for an agreement to uphold human rights and the rule of law, pl
us offering financial support for the Free Worlds.`
`
"Begging your pardon," says one of the elders, "
but what makes you different from any pirate organization that comes in here, de
manding our money in return for 'protection'?"`
choice
`
(Let JJ answer that.)`

goto jj
`
(Try to give an explanation myself.)`
`
"We're a representative government," you say, "w
ith open financial records and clear human rights guidelines that we uphold."`
goto unconvinced
label jj
`
JJ explains about the Senate, that each world ha
s a say in how the Free Worlds income is spent. "And," he says, "we will not tak
e your children as slaves, or force you to work in factories producing illegal d
rugs."`
label unconvinced
`
The elder who spoke seems unconvinced. "Seems to
me that you 'Council' folks are the real rulers, and your 'Senate' is a figureh
ead," he says. "So I don't call that true democracy."`
`
"Maybe," says another of the elders, "but they'r
e still better than Bartlett. I say, if the Free Worlds can free us from him, we
'll at least give their new government a try." A few of the others nod in agreem
ent.`
`
They explain that to the best of their knowledge
, Bartlett is spending most of his time near the Zeta Aquilae system, plundering
merchant convoys of heavy metals coming out of Rand and Oblivion. If you can de
stroy Bartlett and his flagship, the Dread, his followers will probably disperse
.`
accept
npc kill
personality staying plunders disables heroic nemesis
system Orvala
government Pirate
ship "Bastion (Heavy)" "Dread"
dialog "You have destroyed Ryk Bartlett's ship. Hopefully now th
e elders on Albatross will be more inclined to bargain with the Free Worlds."
npc
personality staying plunders disables
system Orvala
government Pirate
mission "FW Albatross 2B"

landing
name "Return to Dancer"
description "Return to Dancer with JJ, and meet up with Freya."
autosave
source Albatross
destination Dancer
clearance
to offer
has "FW Albatross 2A: done"
passengers 1
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
event "albatross joins free worlds"
conversation
`When the elders on Albatross learn that you have destro
yed Ryk Bartlett and freed them from his rule, they grudgingly agree to join the
Free Worlds, "at least on a trial basis." You hope that you will be able to liv
e up to the promises you have given them.`
`
After you return to your ship, JJ says, "So far
Freya says there have been no hints of a Navy attack against Dancer, and she has
a new set of surveillance satellites up and running in Alpha Arae to monitor fl
eet activity. So, let's go meet up with her and decide what our next steps shoul
d be."`
accept
event "battle for zeta aquilae"

"reputation: Republic" = -1000
system "Zeta Aquilae"
fleet "Small Southern Merchants" 5000
mission "FW Rand 1"
landing
name "Occupy Zeta Aquilae"
description "Take a Free Worlds fleet to Zeta Aquilae, drive away whatev
er Navy ships are there, and then land on Rand, which has decided to join the Fr
ee Worlds."
autosave
source Dancer
destination Rand
clearance
passengers 2
blocked "You need a bunk free for Freya (in addition to JJ) to continue
this mission."
to offer
has "FW Albatross 2B: done"
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
event "battle for zeta aquilae"
conversation
`When you land on Dancer, Freya has just received some e
xciting news. "It turns out taking out Bartlett had some unexpected side effects
," she says. "Bartlett has been dogging the systems on the northwestern fringe o
f the Dirt Belt for years, and had a lot of enemies. The governments of Rand and
Oblivion are so grateful to you for eliminating him that they've reached out to
us to begin the process of joining the Free Worlds! And several other worlds in
that region are interested now, too."`
`
JJ frowns. "That's really awful timing," he says
, "and would put us in a really bad tactical position - spread out, and with the
Navy right in the middle."`
choice
`
"Are you saying we shouldn't let them jo
in, even though they want to?"`
`
"Well, I say, if they want to join us, w
e should let them. Who knows if they'll be this enthusiastic about the Free Worl
ds later if we let them down now."`

`
JJ thinks about that for a moment, then says, "W
ell, I guess we should let them join. It will mean we may need to launch an assa
ult to drive the Navy off New Iceland. But if we do that, our tactical position
shifts from one that's worse than what we have now, to something much better. Fr
eya, did they say if there's any sign that the Navy has gotten word of this?"`
`
"A few carriers are in orbit around Rand," she s
ays, "so they must suspect something. But the bulk of the Navy fleet is still to
the north and east of here."`
`
JJ says, "Okay Captain, here's what I propose. W
e'll leave the bulk of our fleet here to defend Dancer and New Portland, but tak
e a few of our best ships to Zeta Aquilae and drive out the Navy. Freya and I wi
ll travel with you so that if we need to make any decisions, we'll have most of
the Council there in person. How does that sound?"`
choice
`
"It sounds like a good plan. Let's do it
!"`
accept
`
"I'm still worried we're over-extending
ourselves."`
`
"You may be right," he says. "Freya, what do you
think?"`
`
"I think we need to take this opportunity while
it's available," she says. "Sorry, Captain, but I'm with JJ on this one." They b
oth board your ship, and you get ready to travel to Zeta Aquilae.`
accept
npc
personality heroic disables
ship "Dreadnought" "F.S. Elder"
ship "Falcon (Plasma)" "F.S. Reliant"
ship "Falcon (Heavy)" "F.S. Bismark"
ship "Osprey" "F.S. Lapwing"
ship "Hawk (Rocket)" "F.S. Echo"
ship "Hawk" "F.S. Shadow"
npc
system "Kochab"
ship "Dreadnought" "F.S. Linden"
npc evade
system "Zeta Aquilae"
government Republic
personality staying heroic
fleet
variant
"Carrier (Mark II)"
"Lance" 4
"Combat Drone" 6
"Gunboat (Mark II)"
fleet
variant
"Carrier (Mark II)"
"Lance" 4
"Combat Drone" 6
"Gunboat (Mark II)"

on complete
event "fw expanded and cut"
mission "FW Rand 1B"

landing
name "Regroup at Wayfarer"
description "The Free Worlds fleet has been scattered by a Navy invasion
. Regroup with the ships that fled to <destination>, and plan your next move."
autosave
source Rand
destination Wayfarer
passengers 2
to offer
has "FW Rand 1: done"
on fail
shot of the game.`
on offer
conversation
`You meet up with the governor of Rand, and sign the pap
ers to make her planet a part of the Free Worlds. The nearby systems are reporti
ng no Navy interference: they seem to have been allowed to switch allegiances wi
thout any attempt by the Republic to stop them. Of course, that might partly be
because these are mining planets, not as necessary to the Republic's survival as
the farming worlds on the other end of the Dirt Belt.`
`
Freya leaves the meeting to check up on her surv
eillance network, and rushes back into the room a few minutes later. JJ takes on
e look at the expression on her face and quickly excuses himself from the table.
You join him outside in the hallway, and he asks Freya what's going on.`
`
"The Navy just invaded Delta Sagittarii and Rast
aban," she says. "We're cut off from the rest of Free space. Our defense fleet w
as woefully outnumbered. Many ships were destroyed, and the rest fled back towar
d the Rim, or to Tarazed."`
`
"I was afraid of this," says JJ, "but I didn't t
hink it would happen so quickly. I wonder if they knew that these new worlds wer
e joining us, and deliberately used them as a diversion."`
choice
`
"What do we do now?"`
`
JJ says, "Freya, you said part of our fleet fled
to Tarazed?"`
`
"Yes," she says. "Probably not a strong enough f
leet to drive them off, though."`
`
"Well, I guess we should regroup with them," he
says. "Hopefully then we can plan a coordinated strike. Or if necessary, we can
abandon this sector and get our fleet back to the Rim without losing too many sh
ips. Captain <last>, can you take us to <destination>?"`
choice
`
"Sure."`
accept
`
"What if the Navy follows the fleet to W
ayfarer? We're three of the four Council members. Shouldn't we avoid a situation
where we could all be killed?"`
`
From JJ's expression, it's clear that he doesn't
even want to dignify that question with a response. "If we die, the Free Worlds
will live on," he says, "and there's no way we're abandoning a whole section of
the fleet just to save our own skins. So, let's go to Wayfarer."`
accept
npc
personality staying timid
system Tarazed
ship "Dreadnought" "F.S. Holly"
ship "Falcon (Plasma)" "F.S. Nebula"
ship "Osprey" "F.S. Larkspur"
ship "Bastion (Heavy)" "F.S. Ironwood"
ship "Argosy" "F.S. Nightingale"
event "battle of alioth"

system Rutilicus
fleet "Small
fleet "Large
fleet "Small
fleet "Small
system Cebalrai
fleet "Small
fleet "Large
fleet "Small
fleet "Small
system Alioth
fleet "Small
fleet "Large
fleet "Small
fleet "Large
fleet "Small
Southern Merchants" 600

Southern Pirates" 8000
Republic" 1000
Republic" 1000
Northern Merchants" 600
Republic" 3000
event "end battle of alioth"

system Rutilicus
fleet "Large Southern Merchants" 2000
fleet "Small Southern Pirates" 8000
fleet "Small Republic" 1000
fleet "Large Republic" 2000
fleet "Navy Surveillance" 1600
system Cebalrai
fleet "Large Southern Merchants" 2000
system Alioth
fleet "Large Northern Merchants" 600
fleet "Large Southern Pirates" 2400
mission "FW Defend New Tibet"

landing
name "Defend New Tibet"
description "Defend New Tibet from a Syndicate fleet that is attacking t
hem, then land to rescue a Syndicate defector carrying vital evidence and inform
ation."
source Wayfarer
passengers 2
to offer
has "FW Rand 1B: done"
on offer
conversation
`The fleet in orbit around Wayfarer is pitifully small,
surely not enough to take on more than a couple of Navy capital ships. JJ orders
one of their communication officers to try to establish a secure link to Bourne
or to any Free Worlds post on the other side of the Navy blockade. After about
ten minutes, the officer returns and says, "Sir, we're receiving communications
from New Tibet. You need to talk to them."`
`
"Our fleet is there?" asks JJ.`
`
"No sir, the Syndicate. They're under attack by
the Syndicate."`
`
"What?" says JJ. He rushes into the communicatio
n room, and you and Freya follow. On the video screen is a Buddhist monk in a ma
roon robe; behind him, you see other monks rushing about with none of the sereni
ty you would usually expect of them. "What's going on there?" asks JJ.`
`
The monk explains, "Yesterday a Syndicate ship l
anded near our monastery, and the pilot sought refuge with us. He brings evidenc
e that the Syndicate, or some faction within the Syndicate, was behind the attac
ks on Geminus and Martini."`
choice
`
"Why would the Syndicate do that?"`
`
"What sort of evidence?"`
goto evidence
`
"He claims that a certain faction within the Syn
dicate values economic growth above all else," says the monk, "and incited this
war for that reason."`
`
"That's insane," says Freya.`
`
"But not completely implausible," says JJ.`
label evidence
`
The monk says, "He brought a great deal of evide
nce. Plans for a nuclear device. Data from underground testing. A manufactured b
omb casing. Samples of fissile material. And he named the planet where the devel
opment was done: Mutiny, in the Gienah system. We hid his ship in a cave. A day
later, a Syndicate fleet appeared in orbit. They do not know where the defector
landed, but they say they will destroy whatever settlement is harboring him unle
ss he is returned to them immediately."`
`
After a moment, JJ says, "If these allegations a
re true, if we can prove that the Free Worlds was innocent of any involvement in
those attacks, the Republic might make peace with us, or at least agree to a ce
asefire. I vote that we try to shelter this defector and hear his story."`
`
"And if it's a lie," says Freya, "and we refuse
the Syndicate's demands, we lose our only ally. And many civilians will be kille
d, as well. I care about justice, but trading a definite ally for a slim possibi
lity of peace: that is an unwise investment. I vote that we hand this man over t
o the Syndicate."`
`
The monk says, "We want to see justice done, and
peace prevail. If you ask us to, we will flee to the mountains and take refuge
until help arrives."`
`
As the third Council member present, you have th
e deciding vote, and the entire course of this war may rest on your decision.`
choice
`
"I say we rescue the defector, even if i
t means war with the Syndicate."`
goto rescue
`
"I say we hand the defector over to the
Syndicate, and focus on winning the battle against the Republic."`
goto surrender
label rescue
`
"Are you sure?" asks Freya. "A lot of lives hang
in the balance."`
choice
`
"Yes, I'm sure. We rescue the defector."
`
goto "definitely rescue"
`
"Fine, we'll hand him over. But I don't
think it's the right thing to do."`
goto "definitely surrender"
label surrender
`
"If Katya were here," says JJ, "she would tell u
s to choose justice over political expedience."`
choice
`
"Well, she's not here, and I say we can'
t afford to lose the Syndicate as an ally."`
goto "definitely surrender"
`
"I suppose you're right. Let's mount a r
escue operation."`
goto "definitely rescue"
label "definitely surrender"
apply
set "fw did not rescue defector"
`
"Very well," says JJ. "In that case, we'll need
to meet with the fleet captains and figure out how to take on the Navy. Let's me
et in the spaceport bar in an hour."`
decline
that's
sweep
t over
ks can
label "definitely rescue"

`
JJ seems very relieved at your choice. "I think
the right choice, Captain," he says. "We can take the fleet we have here,
up north to avoid the thickest part of the Navy's occupying fleet, and cu
to New Tibet to drive the Syndicate ships away. Let's just hope these mon
stay hidden until then."`
accept
on accept
"reputation: Syndicate" = -1000
event "fw at war with Syndicate"
event "battle of alioth"
npc evade
government Syndicate
system Alioth
fleet
names "syndicate capital"
variant
"Splinter (Mark II)" 2
"Manta (Mark II)" 3
"Quicksilver (Mark II)" 5

npc
ship "Dreadnought" "F.S. Holly"
ship "Falcon (Plasma)" "F.S. Nebula"
ship "Osprey" "F.S. Larkspur"
ship "Bastion (Heavy)" "F.S. Ironwood"
ship "Argosy" "F.S. Nightingale"
on complete
"reputation: Republic" = 1
event "fw armistice"
event "end battle of alioth"
conversation
Ìt doesn't take long to find the monastery that contact
ed you earlier, but nothing is left of it but burnt-out shells of buildings. You
land and look around for survivors. You find several corpses dressed in maroon
robes, some of them badly burnt, but no sign of the defector or the monk you spo
ke with earlier.`
choice
`
(Wait to see if anyone approaches now th
at the Syndicate fleet is gone.)`
`
(Give up and contact the rest of the Fre
e Worlds fleet to figure out what to do next.)`
goto leave
`
You wait around for a while, but this mountain v
alley seems to be entirely desolate. Then finally, when you are about to give up
hope, Freya spots the distant figures of a few dozen people coming down the sid
e of one of the mountains.`
goto gunboat
label leave
`
You are just about to leave when Freya spots som
ething and points. "Look," she says, "someone is coming down the mountain slope
toward us." Sure enough, it's a group of several dozen people wearing the distin
ctive robes of the monks.`
label gunboat
`
As you wait for them to approach, JJ receives a
message from one of the militia crews. "Sir, you have incoming! A scout ship, wi
th Republic markings. Apparently unarmed. Shall we intercept them?"`
`
"Oathkeepers?" asks JJ. "Or ordinary Navy? Who a
re they?"`
`
The voice on the other end pauses. "Neither. Nav
y Intelligence."`
`
JJ thinks about that for a second, then says, "L
et them land. But follow them down, and if you see so much as a hint of them pow
ering up weapons, blow them out of the sky. Understand?" The officer acknowledge
s his order and signs off.`
`
As the group of monks approaches from the mounta
inside, the scout ship comes in for a landing and skids to a halt in the dirt a
few dozen meters away. A woman steps off it. She has dark skin, and is dressed e
ntirely in black. Even the whites of her eyes are black: when she gets closer, y
ou can see that it is actually a scleric tattoo, an intricate Celtic knotwork pa
ttern inked into the whites of her eyes. She sees you staring at her, and winks
at you with a friendly grin.`
choice
`
"I'm Captain <last> of the Free Worlds.
What is your business here?"`
`
"Who are you, and what gives you the rig
ht to land on our planet?"`
goto hostile
`
"My name is Raven," she says. "I'm here to quest
ion this defector. If he is telling the truth, our war with you will end today."
She pauses, then adds, grimly, "And, another war will begin."`
goto questioning
label hostile
`
She frowns. "My name is Raven," she says. "I am
here to question this defector. If you are interested in knowing the truth, you
will allow me to do so."`
label questioning
`
The monks approach, and you see that among them
is a man in more ordinary attire, who must be the defector. "Now," says Raven, "
I will question him alone, on my ship."`
choice
`
"No, we insist on being present for your
interrogation."`
goto present
`
"Very well, we'll wait outside."`
`
"No!" says JJ. "We're staying here."`
label present
`
She hesitates for a long moment. This is probabl
y going against whatever orders she is following. But finally she says, "Very we
ll." The monks step aside. She approaches the defector, and reaches out her hand
s to him. Hesitantly, he takes her hands. It's an oddly intimate scene, the two
of them quietly holding hands and locking eyes - not like any interrogation you
have seen before. "Now," she says, "tell me your story."`
`
"My name is Sawyer," says the man. "I'm a physic
ist, a Syndicate employee. We had a secret project on Mutiny, a planet in a pira
te system. We were developing nuclear weapons." He hesitates, and looks away for
a second, then says, "They told me it was for fighting the pirates. I didn't re
alize otherwise until--"`
`
"That is a lie," says Raven, calmly.`
`
He seems flustered. "Okay, they didn't tell me w
hat the weapons were for, and I didn't ask."`
choice
`
"Why would the Syndicate attack the Repu
blic?"`
`
"Why did you wait so long to report this
?"`
goto wait
`
They both seem surprised at you asking a questio
n. "I'm not sure," says Sawyer, "but the Syndicate's profits have more than doub
led since this war began. Maybe they knew they would benefit from it more than a
nyone."`
`
"What led you to report this?" asks Raven.`
label wait
`
He says, "It was when I heard that there had bee
n another major battle. Up until then I had been telling myself that the worst o
f the damage was done. But after that battle, I knew that millions more could di
e because of our crime, and that I had the power to stop it."`
`
Raven continues to ask questions: who was involv
ed, how the facility was hidden, where the raw materials come from. At one point
, JJ pulls you aside and says, "She must be a Questioner. How they operate is a
tightly kept secret. I'd always assumed their methods were... a bit more medieva
l."`
`
Finally, Raven is satisfied, and radios her ship
. "He's telling the truth," she tells them. "Send word to the generals at once.
And, release the captive."`
`
The door of her ship slides open, and another wo
man steps out - shakily, hesitantly, shielding her eyes against the sunlight. It
takes you a few seconds to realize that it's Katya.`
`
As you all rush over to greet Katya, Raven taps
your shoulder and says quietly, "Meet me in the main spaceport in a few hours an
d we'll figure out what's going to happen next." She returns to her ship.`
mission "FW Liberate Delta Sagittarii"

name "Liberate Delta Sagittarii"
description "Lead a Free Worlds fleet to drive the Navy out of Delta Sag
ittarii. Another fleet ought to be arriving from the Rim at about the same time.
"
source Wayfarer
destination "New Portland"
clearance
passengers 2
to offer
has "FW Rand 1B: done"
not "FW Defend New Tibet: done"
on offer
event "fwc southern battle"
conversation
branch surrender
has "fw did not rescue defector"
À few of the Free Worlds crew members are still milling
around the spaceport in confusion. You help to gather them together and explain
that you are headed out on a very important mission to New Tibet.`
decline
label surrender
`When you and Freya enter the spaceport bar, JJ is talki
ng with someone on his communicator. "The code word is 'havoc,'" he says. "Yes,
I'm certain. It's the only option we have left. Good luck."`
`
"What was that about?" asks Freya.`
`
JJ says, "I was calling in some reinforcements,"
he says. "A group of ex-militia folks and bounty hunters who want to further th
e cause of the Free Worlds, but want to do it freelance instead of taking orders
from us or the Senate. They call themselves the 'Wolf Pack.' Have you heard of
them?"`
branch know
has "FW Wolf Pack 2: offered"
choice
`
"No, I haven't."`
`
"Too bad," says JJ, "they've managed to get thei
r hands on some technology I'd love to have access to. But anyway, they've agree
d to make an initial strike and fade attack on the Navy fleet to soften them up,
before our own fleet gets there."`
goto plan
label know
choice
`
"Yes, I helped them get access to some b
etter ramscoop technology from the Deep."`
goto yes
`
"No, I haven't had any dealings with the
m."`
`
"That's odd," says JJ, "I thought they said you
helped them to get their hands on the catalytic ramscoop. But anyway, they've a
greed to make an initial strike and fade attack on the Navy fleet to soften them
up, before our own fleet gets there."`
goto plan
label yes
`
"Ah yes," says JJ, "an excellent piece of corpor
ate espionage. A little shady and underhanded, of course, which is why we let th
e Wolf Pack handle things like that rather than doing it through official channe
ls. But anyway, they've agreed to make an initial strike and fade attack on the
Navy fleet to soften them up, before our own fleet gets there."`
label plan
`
"That'll need to be one hell of a strike for it
to make any difference," says Freya.`
`
"Don't worry," says JJ, "it will be. They've bee
n itching to get into the fray for months now. Captain <last>, we'd like you to
fly along with the fleet and help to mop up whatever the Wolf Pack leaves behind
in the Delta Sagittarii system. Then we'll land on New Portland and figure out
what our next steps are. Freya and I will ride on your ship."`
accept
on complete
event "fwc southern liberation"
npc
personality heroic
fleet
variant
"Falcon (Plasma)"
"Osprey"
fleet
variant
"Falcon (Heavy)"
fleet
variant
"Bastion (Heavy)" 2
fleet
variant
"Dreadnought"
npc evade
fleet
variant
"Carrier (Mark II)"
"Lance" 4
"Combat Drone" 6
fleet
variant
"Cruiser (Mark II)"
"Combat Drone" 4
npc
personality staying derelict
fleet
variant
"Carrier (Mark II)"
"Frigate" 2
fleet
variant
"Cruiser (Mark II)"
"Frigate" 4
npc
system "Rastaban"
npc
personality staying derelict
system "Rastaban"
npc
system "Rastaban"

Free Worlds Middle

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Free Worlds Middle

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# Copyright (c) 2014 by Michael Zahniser

mission "FW Diplomacy 1B"

event "fw safe passage ends" 24

mission "FW Diplomacy 1C"

mission "FW Diplomacy 1D"

mission "FW Southern Recon 1"

dialog `You have failed an essential Free Worlds mission. If you

mission "FW Southern Recon 1B"

mission "FW Southern Battle 1"

mission "FW Southern Battle 1B"

event "battle for Rastaban"

mission "FW Southern Battle 2"

mission "FW Southern Battle 3"

mission "FW Southern Prisoners - Release"

e have Katya back safely?"`

mission "FW Southern Prisoners - Keep"

name "Keep Navy Prisoners"

mission "FW Southern Prisoners - Released"

ship "Blackbird" "F.S. Nightingale"

mission "FW Southern Prisoners - Kept"

mission "FW Southern Break"

"Sounds good. I'll hope to hear from you

mission "FW Southern Break Ends"

mission "FW Northern 1"

mission "FW Northern 2"

dialog `You have failed an essential Free Worlds mission. If you

mission "FW Northern 2A"

mission "FW Northern 2B"

mission "FW Northern 2C"

`Once again, Freya works some sort of magic with your sh

mission "FW Northern 2D"

mission "FW Northern 3"

name "Freya to Zug"

mission "FW Northern 3B"

mission "FW Northern 4"

shot of the game.`

mission "FW Northern 4.1A"

mission "FW Northern 4.2A"

mission "FW Alphas 1.1"

dialog `You have failed an essential Free Worlds mission. If you

mission "FW Alphas 1.2"

dialog `You have failed an essential Free Worlds mission. If you

personality heroic staying

mission "FW Alphas 1.1A"

yourself, on the street?"`

mission "FW Death of Nguyen"

mission "FW Alphas 1.2A"

mission "FW Bloodsea 1"

mission "FW Bloodsea 1.1"

mission "FW Bloodsea 1.1A"

mission "FW Bloodsea 1.1B"

mission "FW Bloodsea 1.2"

pursuing a diplomatic agreement, meet up with J

mission "FW Bloodsea 1.2A"

event "dreadnought deployment" 40

mission "FW Dreadnoughts Ready"

mission "FW Albatross 1"

is clearly very proud.`

mission "FW Albatross 2"

mission "FW Albatross 2A"

(Let JJ answer that.)`

mission "FW Albatross 2B"

event "battle for zeta aquilae"

ds later if we let them down now."`