Scene 1 — The Double Betrayal

GM Story Progression

Scene 1 begins as a controlled corporate extraction and ends with the crew trapped inside a three-sided prison firefight. VantaCore’s Onyx Team intends to steal the Resonance Twins from Helix Meridian, eliminate the hired crew, and erase the evidence. Two Tamsin Rooks have infiltrated the Onyx unit and intend to turn the extraction into a rescue.

The Rooks know VantaCore has hidden thermal charges inside every issued Onyx utility vest. The party does not. When the Rooks free the twins, they also warn the crew about the charges, creating a second betrayal inside the first.

Scene Cast

Character	Level	Starting Role	Scene Function
Onyx Field Leader	3	Commands the VantaCore extraction	Controls the thermal-pack network and organizes the retreat
Two Onyx Operatives	1 each	Security and prisoner-handling personnel	One is normally removed during the opening chaos; the other retreats with the leader
Mara Venn	3	Tamsin Rook leader disguised as an Onyx restraint specialist	Releases the twins, warns the party, and directs the escape
Second Tamsin Rook	1	Disguised Onyx support specialist	Covers a weakness in the party and operates the EMP device
Kaelen and Vanya Dax	1 support NPCs	Restrained prisoners	Provide defensive resonance and directional EMP support
The PCs	1	VantaCore’s hired specialist crew	Survive the betrayal, disable their charges, and open an escape route

Selecting the Second Tamsin Rook

The second Rook can be an original NPC or one of the seven pregenerated characters not selected by a player. Do not duplicate a pregen already being played as a PC.

Party Weakness	Suggested Supporting Rook	Contribution
Limited healing	Vortex	Medicine, stabilization, and battlefield support
Limited area control	Miiyu	Controls movement and protects exposed characters
Weak frontline	Sarangari or Iolana Vale	Holds the center lane while others work on objectives
Limited technical skills	Tipps	Disarms thermal packs and assists with the hatch or turrets
Limited reconnaissance or Thievery	Shessara	Reaches separated controls and opens physical locks
Limited coordination	Kinnik	Directs frightened characters and helps the party divide its tasks

Onyx Breach Utility Vest

Every PC and both disguised Rooks were issued an expensive VantaCore utility vest before entering Omicron-9. The vest is worn over normal armor and does not replace it.

The vest includes an encrypted squad communicator, tactical power distribution, two magnetic equipment clips, a quick-access battery sleeve, biometric monitoring, and a hardened mission computer. It is far better equipment than a level-1 contract crew would normally receive.

Hidden inside the reinforced back panel is a shaped thermal charge tied to the wearer’s contract identity.

Vest Feature	Effect
Encrypted Squad Channel	All wearers can communicate silently across the cell block while the network remains active.
Quick Battery Sleeve	Once during Scene 1, the wearer can draw a stored battery as part of the action used to install it.
Mission Telemetry	The vest tracks position, vital signs, ammunition use, and squad identity.
Hidden Thermal Pack	A concealed shaped charge can be armed by VantaCore or detonated by an authenticated Onyx operative.
Persistent Tracking	A vest retained after the escape can be traced until its VantaCore components are removed or scrubbed.

Scene 1.1 — The Contract Walk

The crew enters Omicron-9 alongside five apparent Onyx personnel. Only three are genuine VantaCore operatives. Mara Venn and the supporting Rook are wearing copied armor, valid credentials, and matching utility vests.

The prison appears paused rather than abandoned. Cameras track the group, security doors open exactly on schedule, and no living Helix Meridian personnel are present. CUSTOS-9 allows the group deeper into the complex because the stolen credentials remain valid.

What the GM Should Establish

Detail	Purpose
The PCs were issued unusually advanced gear	Makes the utility vests noticeable before their real purpose is revealed
The Onyx leader repeatedly checks squad telemetry	Foreshadows the remote detonator network
Mara quietly confirms that every PC is wearing the issued vest	Appears to be a routine equipment inspection
The second Rook carries a heavy equipment case	The case contains the directional EMP device
Omicron-9 contains no visible biological guards	Establishes that every prison response will be automated

Scene 1.2 — Descent from the Gantry

The extraction unit enters from the elevated eastern gantry. The containment vault is below, with two dormant android guards and two retracted turrets positioned at the guard stations.

CUSTOS-9 identifies the constructs as local security equipment undergoing a scheduled maintenance suspension. The Onyx leader orders everyone down to ground level before opening the vault.

Allow the players to choose their positions as they descend. A character who remains near the ladder begins closer to the upper gantry. A character who moves with the Onyx leader begins near the south side. Characters watching the Rooks can notice that they position themselves closer to the twins and farther from the genuine Onyx personnel.

Scene 1.3 — The Double Betrayal

Step 1 — The Vault Opens

The Onyx field leader uses the stolen authorization to open the containment chamber. Kaelen and Vanya emerge wearing heavy restraint collars that keep them separated and suppress their shared resonance.

Mara approaches under the pretense of checking the transfer restraints. She inserts a copied biometric key and unlocks both collars at once.

The Onyx personnel are surprised. They knew the Tamsin Rooks existed, but they did not know their own team had been infiltrated.

Step 2 — The Twins Make Contact

Kaelen immediately reaches for Vanya. When their hands meet, their resonance field activates. Loose equipment rises from the floor, lights bend toward them, and the containment chamber begins to vibrate.

The twins initially activate the following channels:

Channel	Opening Effect	Purpose
Personal	Anchor Shell	Protects the twins against immediate gunfire
Allied	Kinetic Defense	Protects the nearby Tamsin Rooks and any PCs who have not attacked them
Hostile	None	The twins have not yet identified every threat in the room

Step 3 — The EMP Strike

The second Rook opens the equipment case and triggers a heavy directional EMP device aimed across both guard stations.

The pulse disables both turrets and both android guards for two full rounds. Their lights go dark, their weapons lower, and CUSTOS-9 momentarily loses direct control of the chamber.

The EMP does not permanently destroy them. At the beginning of round 3, all four automated defenders reactivate and classify every unauthenticated creature in the room as a possible intruder.

Step 4 — The Vest Network Arms

The collar release and EMP trigger VantaCore’s contingency protocol. Red indicators appear on the PCs’ utility vests and on both Rook vests.

Every thermal pack begins a shared three-round countdown.

Step 5 — Opening Rook Actions

Before normal initiative begins, the two Rooks and the twins receive one opening turn.

Character	Opening Action
Mara Venn	Uses her first action to disarm her own thermal pack, then warns the PCs and moves toward cover.
Second Rook	Uses their first action to disarm their own pack, then takes cover or assists the nearest endangered PC.
Kaelen and Vanya	Activate Anchor Shell and Kinetic Defense while remaining adjacent and touching.
Onyx Associate Removed from Encounter	Is knocked unconscious, trapped beneath damaged equipment, or neutralized by the opening Rook attack.

Roll initiative after these opening actions.

Thermal-Pack Countdown

Place a visible counter at 3. Reduce it by 1 at initiative 0 each round. When it would fall from 1 to 0, every armed pack detonates.

Disarm Thermal Pack [one-action]

MANIPULATE TECH

Requirements: The character is wearing the vest or is adjacent to another wearer, and can hear Mara’s instructions through the squad channel.

Attempt a DC 15 Crafting check, DC 15 Thievery check, or DC 17 Computers check. A character trained in none of these skills can still attempt the check using Mara’s directions, but the DC increases to 17.

Result	Effect
Critical Success	The pack is disarmed, and the character also disables the vest’s immediate tracking transmitter.
Success	The thermal pack is disarmed.
Failure	The pack remains armed. The character can try again.
Critical Failure	The pack remains armed and its personal countdown advances by 1.

Each pack requires its own check. A technically skilled PC can move between allies and disarm multiple packs over several turns.

Strip the Onyx Vest [three-actions]

MANIPULATE

A character can physically remove the utility vest instead of attempting to disarm its charge.

The character spends all three actions releasing the magnetic harness, disconnecting the suit leads, and pulling the vest free. Until the beginning of their next turn, the character is off-guard and cannot use reactions.

When the activity is complete, place the armed vest in the character’s square or an adjacent empty square. The character can move away on a later turn. The pack continues counting down and still explodes if not disarmed.

Thermal-Pack Detonation

The wearer of an armed pack takes 4d6 fire damage and 1d6 persistent fire damage. The wearer does not receive a saving throw.

Every other creature within 5 feet attempts a DC 17 basic Reflex save against 2d6 fire damage.

For a particularly fragile party, reduce the wearer’s damage to 3d6 fire.

Onyx Detonate Network [one-action]

Each genuine Onyx operative carries an authenticated command trigger. An Onyx operative can use one action to immediately detonate every armed utility-vest pack in the chamber.

By default, the Onyx leader does not use the command trigger during the first two rounds. VantaCore originally intended to detonate the crew after the extraction was complete. The leader uses it early only if the PCs block the retreat, seize the trigger, or clearly commit to helping the Rooks.

Mara warns the party that every genuine Onyx wrist controller can trigger the packs.

Onyx Retreat

The Onyx leader immediately recognizes that the extraction has failed. Recovering the twins is no longer realistic while the Rooks, PCs, and prison defenses are all active.

The remaining two Onyx personnel begin moving toward the south exit.

Onyx Target Priorities

Priority	Target
1	A Tamsin Rook directly blocking the retreat
2	Kaelen or Vanya if a clean shot can disrupt their resonance without killing them
3	A turret, android, or PC currently attacking Onyx personnel
4	Any creature standing between Onyx and the south exit

Onyx personnel do not remain in place to trade fire. They Strike, move toward the exit, and use the guard stations or central lane structures as cover.

Round-by-Round Progression

Round	Thermal Packs	Onyx	Prison Defenses	Likely PC Priorities
Opening Turn	Countdown begins at 3	Surprised; one associate is normally removed	EMP disables all four constructs	Understand the betrayal and locate their own charges
Round 1	PCs begin disarming packs	Leader and operative move toward the south exit	Turrets and androids remain disabled	Disarm packs, protect the twins, and move toward useful controls
Round 2	Countdown approaches its final step	Onyx reaches the south side and covers its retreat	Constructs remain disabled for their second full round	Finish disarming, activate the hatch interlock, or hack a turret station
Round 3	Any remaining packs detonate at initiative 0	Onyx begins arming the south-exit incinerator	Two turrets and two androids reactivate	Open the hatch while surviving random automated fire
Round 4	Disarmed or expended	Onyx withdraws beyond the south breach door	Constructs continue selecting targets	Complete the physical hatch lock and evacuate
Round 5 and Later	No longer the primary threat	Onyx has escaped or been defeated	CUSTOS-9 escalates its chamber response	Enter the maintenance hatch before the cell block becomes unsurvivable

The South-Exit Incinerator

Once the Onyx personnel reach the south exit, one operative installs a large VantaCore thermal incinerator against the outer corridor frame. The device is intended to destroy the pursuit route, kill witnesses, and remove evidence left near the breach door.

Arm Incinerator [two-actions]

An Onyx operative adjacent to the south exit installs and arms the device. It begins a two-round countdown.

Disabling the device requires expert proficiency and a successful DC 22 Crafting, Computers, or Thievery check. It is not intended to be a realistic level-1 objective.

When it detonates, the incinerator fills the south corridor and the area immediately inside the exit with lethal heat, collapses the outer passage, and seals the route behind the retreating Onyx personnel.

Following Onyx Through the South Exit

The PCs can attempt to pursue Onyx rather than use the maintenance hatch. This is a valid decision, but it should quickly reveal why the route is unfavorable.

Obstacle	Result
Onyx covering fire	The retreating operatives fire from prepared positions while continuing to move.
Credential-locked breach door	The outer door closes after Onyx passes through it.
Door security	Opening it requires expert proficiency and a DC 22 Computers or Thievery check, or damage beyond what the party can reasonably inflict during the countdown.
Thermal incinerator	The corridor becomes a clearly marked kill zone.

The south route should not instantly kill the party. Characters who pursue discover the sealed door and incinerator in time to retreat to the main chamber. This costs them time but leaves the maintenance hatch available.

Opening the Maintenance Hatch

The maintenance hatch uses two separate security systems positioned on opposite sides of the room. The party must divide its attention and cross exposed ground.

Objective 1 — Release the Remote Interlock

The hatch’s pressure interlock is controlled from the eastern guard station, across the central transfer lane from the hatch.

A character adjacent to that station spends 1 action and attempts a DC 15 Computers check or DC 15 Crafting check.

Result	Effect
Critical Success	The pressure interlock releases, and the physical hatch lock gains a +1 circumstance bonus on its first attempt.
Success	The pressure interlock releases.
Failure	The interlock remains engaged.
Critical Failure	The acting character takes 1d6 electricity damage, and the station locks until the beginning of the next round.

The interlock must be released before the physical lock can be opened.

Objective 2 — Open the Physical Access Lock

Once the remote interlock releases, an armored lock assembly rises from the maintenance hatch.

A character adjacent to the hatch spends 2 actions and attempts a DC 15 Crafting check, DC 15 Thievery check, or DC 17 Athletics check.

Result	Effect
Critical Success	The hatch opens immediately, and the ladder below deploys normally.
Success	The hatch opens.
Failure	The lock remains closed, but the character can try again.
Critical Failure	The lock jams. The next attempt requires 3 actions instead of 2.

Opening the hatch exposes a 20-foot maintenance drop leading into Scene 2.

Turret Activation and Hacking

The two turrets reactivate at the beginning of round 3. They are controlled through the adjacent guard stations.

Access Turret Controls [one-action]

A character adjacent to a guard station attempts a DC 15 Computers check.

Result	Effect
Critical Success	The character gains access and can immediately use Shut Down Turret as a free action.
Success	The character gains access to that station’s turret until the end of the turn.
Failure	No access is gained.
Critical Failure	The turret adds two additional targeting entries for the hacker during its next target selection.

Shut Down Turret [one-action]

Requirements: The character has accessed the turret controls.

The turret shuts down for the remainder of the encounter.

Rewrite Turret Identification [two-actions]

Requirements: The character has accessed the turret controls.

The turret removes the PCs, the twins, and the Tamsin Rooks from its valid target list. Onyx personnel, android guards, and the other turret remain valid targets.

The turret is not directly controlled by the PC. It continues choosing among valid hostile targets using its normal targeting procedure.

Automated Target Selection

When a turret or android activates, create a temporary target pool rather than having it automatically focus on the PCs.

Target Condition	Entries Added to the Pool
Visible, conscious creature in range	1 entry
Damaged that construct since its previous turn	2 additional entries
Adjacent to or visibly protecting a twin	2 additional entries
Used a conspicuous resonance or technological effect	1 additional entry
Critically failed to hack a turret	2 additional turret entries only

Randomly select one entry from the pool. CUSTOS-9 considers Onyx personnel, the Rooks, the twins, and the PCs separate groups of unauthorized intruders. The constructs can therefore attack any side.

Android guards do not increase their priority against a character merely for hacking a guard station. The hacker remains a normal valid target and can still be randomly selected.

Android Guard Behavior

The two android guards are intended to be moving battlefield threats rather than reasonable level-1 targets to destroy. Give them high defenses, substantial Hit Points, and enough resistance or Hardness that direct attacks produce limited results.

Their vulnerability is not low durability. It is their narrow targeting logic.

Single-Target Lock

At the beginning of each android’s turn, select one target using the target pool. The android locks onto that creature until the beginning of its next turn.

During that time:

Android Limitation	Party Advantage
The android uses attacks and reactions only against its locked target.	Other characters can move or attack without drawing its reciprocal responses.
The android does not immediately switch when its target retreats.	The locked character can move behind cover while allies exploit the opening.
The android normally Strikes, repositions, and withdraws.	The party can predict where it will move and avoid surrounding it.
The android chooses a new target only at the start of its next turn.	The party gains almost one full round to act once the lock becomes obvious.

Android Tactics

An android normally moves into range, makes one ranged or melee Strike against its locked target, and then Steps or Strides toward cover. It does not stand still and trade attacks with the entire party.

After the party observes this behavior once, a character can identify the pattern with a successful DC 15 Perception check or DC 15 Computers check. On a critical success, the character immediately explains the weakness to every ally who can hear them.

Once the players understand the lock behavior, do not conceal which creature each android is tracking.

Twins’ Directional EMP

Kaelen and Vanya can briefly disrupt a mobile automated defender without shutting down the entire battlefield.

Directional EMP Burst [two-actions]

ELECTRICITY RESONANCE TECH

Requirements: Kaelen and Vanya are conscious, adjacent, and touching.

The twins release a focused electromagnetic burst in a 30-foot line. Each android guard in the line attempts a DC 17 Fortitude save.

Result	Effect
Critical Success	The android is unaffected.
Success	The android takes a –1 status penalty to attack rolls and cannot use reactions until the beginning of the twins’ next turn.
Failure	The android shuts down until the beginning of the twins’ next turn. It is off-guard, cannot act, and cannot use reactions.
Critical Failure	As failure, but the android is also slowed 1 during its first turn after restarting.

After using Directional EMP Burst, roll 1d4. The twins cannot use it again for that many rounds.

The fixed turrets are shielded against this smaller directional pulse and must be disabled through the guard stations.

Ending Scene 1.3

The scene ends when the twins and at least one PC enter the maintenance hatch, or when the GM determines that the remaining survivors must withdraw immediately.

The Rooks do not require the party to formally join them. Mara’s immediate argument is practical:

Scene 1.4 — The Maintenance Drop

The opened hatch leads to a twenty-foot service shaft. Smoke rolls across the ceiling while gunfire and automated announcements continue above.

The twins, the surviving Rooks, and the PCs descend into the maintenance network. The hatch closes behind them, muffling the battle but not ending the pursuit.

Scene 2 begins with the discovery that the visible collars were only part of the twins’ restraint system.

Adjusting the Scene

Party Condition	Recommended Adjustment
Four PCs or limited technical skills	Remove one Onyx associate during the opening, use Tipps or another technician as the second Rook, and have only one android activate in round 3.
Five PCs	Use the default two active Onyx personnel and activate all four constructs in round 3.
Six PCs	Keep all three Onyx personnel active or allow the removed operative to return with reduced HP.
Seven PCs	Keep all three Onyx personnel active and allow one turret to recover from the EMP at the end of round 2.
Party is badly injured	Delay the android activation until round 4 or have the first construct target retreating Onyx personnel.
Party is dominating the encounter	Have the Onyx leader threaten the command detonator, accelerate the south-exit incinerator, or direct a turret toward the twins.