Game 1
- Module 1: Departure Earth
- Scene 1 — Greater Quito Spaceport
- Location:** Greater Quito Spaceport, Ecuador
- Time:** Early morning.
The morning air is cool on the plateau east of historic Quito. Beyond the glass walls of the terminal, the Andes rise in every direction, their upper slopes still catching the first sunlight. Below them, almost absurdly long runways disappear toward the horizon. Several sleek Shenlong spaceplanes sit quietly at their gates while robots move among them, fueling, inspecting thermal tiles and exchanging cargo modules.
Unlike twentieth-century airports, there is little noise inside. Most travelers have already checked in remotely. Security takes place continuously rather than at a single checkpoint. Small maintenance robots move almost unnoticed along walls and ceilings while larger cargo robots glide silently across the polished floors. Large displays show departures, launch windows and weather conditions over the equatorial ascent corridors.
Announcements are brief.
- "Trans-Solar Flight Twenty-Two to Goddard Transfer Station now boarding through Gate One Alpha."*
The PCs arrive independently or in small groups. Each has won, earned, or been sponsored to attend the First Solar Infrastructure Symposium at L5. Some already know one another; others meet for the first time while waiting to board.
The departure lounge contains an interesting cross-section of humanity. Engineers compare notes over coffee. A family is seeing off a daughter beginning work at Luna. Several construction workers in matching company jackets are headed to Darwin after connecting through Goddard. Two elderly men quietly discuss beam propagation equations over breakfast. Their conversation drifts into old stories about "the Zurich meetings" and "those crazy GIGO days." Few nearby pay them much attention.
The boarding process is efficient. Identity verification is largely invisible. Passengers pause briefly at illuminated portals while AI systems confirm identity, health status and travel authorization. Within seconds the indicator changes from amber to green and each traveler continues toward the boarding bridge.
Outside, the Shenlong **SS Redfin** waits with its nose slightly elevated. Heat shimmer dances behind the engine nacelles as preflight checks continue. A fuel tender disconnects while an inspection swarm makes one final pass along the leading edges of the wings before dispersing.
---
- Scene 2 — Boarding SS *Redfin*
The cabin resembles a modern airliner more than a spacecraft. Large windows line both sides. Seating is comfortable rather than luxurious. Storage lockers are overhead, while heavier luggage has already been loaded robotically into the cargo module.
The flight crew greets passengers individually.
The captain jokes that "it's a beautiful day to leave Earth."
The first officer seems younger than expected.
One of the flight attendants quietly apologizes for a last-minute crew substitution, mentioning that another officer called in sick only yesterday.
Nothing seems especially unusual.
Several passengers begin casual conversations.
One of the elderly engineers introduces himself only as "Martin." His companion finishes his sentence before he does several times, suggesting they've worked together for decades. They ask polite questions about the players' backgrounds, showing particular interest in robotics, AI, infrastructure or spacecraft engineering.
---
- Scene 3 — Departure
The cabin doors close.
Outside, robotic servicing vehicles withdraw one by one.
The safety demonstration is almost entirely automated, although a flight attendant walks the aisle answering questions.
Acceleration begins gently.
The Shenlong rolls almost the entire length of the runway before the SABRE engines transition into full power. Passengers feel themselves pressed into their seats as the aircraft climbs over the eastern ridges, banking slightly before turning toward the Atlantic ascent corridor.
Cloud layers slide beneath the wings.
Blue gradually darkens.
Conversation fades.
Within minutes the horizon begins to curve.
The sky changes from deep blue to black.
Stars appear while the sun still shines brilliantly through the windows.
Someone across the aisle quietly says,
- "Every single time..."*
Several first-time passengers instinctively look downward.
Earth fills half the sky.
Twenty minutes after leaving Greater Quito, **SS Redfin** reaches Low Earth Orbit.
The difficult part of the journey is over.
Or so everyone believes.
L5 Infrastructure and Systems Conference 2158
Keynote Speaker: Albino "Bino" Muzzin
Architect of the Muzzin Abstraction Layer Recipient of the Shackleton Medal Founding Fellow of the Open Systems Institute
Presentation: "Bandwidth Changes Everything"
Later:
"Bino Statement Causes Market Turmoil"
"Atlas Issues Clarification"
"L2 Conference Ends Amid Controversy"
"Transcript Unavailable"