S1.1 — The Contract Walk
Read Aloud
Read Aloud — The Contract Walk
The prison does not feel abandoned. It feels paused.
White security lights stare down a corridor built from dark plas-steel. Cell doors stand sealed. Camera lenses follow the breach team in perfect silence. Somewhere behind the walls, pumps move air through a facility large enough to bury a city block.
Your handler’s voice arrives through a private channel. “Vault access in ninety seconds. Secure the assets, keep your weapons down unless my people fire first, and the balance clears before you reach orbit.”
Ahead, the corporate squad leader raises a fist. Three commandos stop half a beat late.
GM Notes
S1.1 — The Contract Walk
This is a short exploration and roleplaying beat. Ask each player where their character walks in the formation and what they are watching. Resolve no more than two checks per PC so the opening stays tense.
Handler Ilex Mora
Mora speaks through encrypted comms and never appears in person. She is calm, specific, and unwilling to answer questions about the twins. A successful DC 15 Perception check notices a slight delay suggesting her voice is being relayed from off-world rather than from the promised command shuttle.
Positioning Benefit
A PC who explicitly studies the route can begin the crossfire adjacent to any south-side cover position. A PC who studies the commandos can begin with Tamsin Rook identified and does not mistake the first rebel shots for attacks against the crew.
Clues Before the Betrayal
| Clue | Check | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Suit payment telemetry loops through a local simulator. | DC 15 Computers check | The promised escrow account does not exist. On a critical success, the PC also finds a purge authorization token tied to their squad ID. |
| Fresh access panels run beneath the center deck. | DC 15 Perception check or DC 15 Crafting check | Someone installed thermal charges within the last twelve hours. |
| Three commandos use obsolete hand signals. | DC 14 Society check | The signs belong to the Tamsin Rooks, not corporate security. |
| The containment vault has two sets of biometric records for each twin. | DC 15 Computers check | The public identities are fabricated. The hidden files classify the twins as research inventory. |
Do not stop the betrayal because of these successes. Instead, reward preparation: a PC who identifies a clue gains a +1 circumstance bonus to their initiative roll, and the party starts with one piece of useful evidence for later scenes.