Recap Session 24: "Time Keeps On Slipping"

Slip sliding away, slip sliding away
You know the nearer your destination, the more you slip sliding away

Things kept sliping and sliding, and no-one had enough time... suddenly everything was happening, and almost, almost, all of it can be told...

Last time, on "Owl Crossings", a couple of ships rammed into the Bacchus, and in one shot left the SSF, and the whole station, leaderless and ruderless. Normally, this would lead to chaos and confusion. But it so happens, people were actually waiting for something just like this to happen. Did they know 2 ships would slam into the hottest party of the year, killing hundreds and hundreds of people? We would like to believe they didn't. It helps us sleep at night.

While Powell siezed the day and took charge of the situation, others did the same with the SSF. Unlike Powell, though, we had two instead of one - both Captain Burke, self-proclaimed patriotic Crosser, and Captian Willson, self-proclaimed patriotic Crosser, pulled on the rains. Eventually, Powell made them share the power. We are yet to see how well that would work.

While this was happening, Hill was every bit as busy. Captain Willson tried to arrest him for charges of terrorism, murder, and damage to the station (perheps more serious, in Owl Cross, then the other two...) but was quickly rescued by Vi, the fearless leader of Local 37. She squirled him away in secret, making like friends, but in the halls and corridors of Owl Cross her bullies and Sidney's cousins were having at it like mad bulldogs.

And of our others heroes when Owl Cross was all madness and mayham? Zebulon Amberley was in Cerberus, facing a difficult choice: while one brother was trying to rescue their father and save Hera, the other was threatening to restart the war Zeb just helped prevent by invading Guy-ben-Henom. And then, just to make matters worse, Job Blackburn (remember him?) pops in with earth-shattering news Zeb decided, for some unknown reason, to share with no-one at all. Instead, Zeb took to try and convince Simeon to avoid ruining everybody's life and play nice with the Dogs. Very fortunate for all of us, as we'll soon discover.

Back in Achaea, Anansi and Rain take their dark sparkling vassel into muddy waters, flying back to the OC. Along the way, Rain has what had to be one of toughest conversations in his life, with Flame. She decides to skip the rehab and the physio and go straight to Heaven - sorry, I meant Shangri-La, the famed pleasure-station on the other side of the super-cluster. Rain declines the invitation to join, but Flame remains hopeful. In Oceania our two hush-hush heroes stumble on another amazing, though less surprising, discovery: the Theocracy is moving troops through the fifth, black, Wormgate. They take pretty pictures and send them to the WDF, so that's better then telling no-one at all.

When Anansi and Rain get to Lima, they find there the "Fleet from a 100 Worlds", led by Johanna Banecraft, who valiantly decided to break into Testra. Sure, she has an alterior motive, but who doesn't? This spell more bad news to Powell, since the fleet actually brings stability to Lima. The Guild slinks away, and the Theocracy withdraws back to the Wormgate. So there's peace in Lima at last, with death and destruction on the horizon as Johanna prepares to break through the gate. With the North Wing caught between Hera and Cerberus in Arcadia, what can be so important?

Back on Owl Cross, Powell and Hill consolidate power, each inside his own nest of vipers and thieves. Hill tells his organization he stopped "Reaping the Wind", getting much points, and eventually stopping the war-on-the-street. Powell quickly makes a political profit from that, leaving no-one surprised.

And how did Powell spend his first two days "in office"? Building a huge statue for himself, in space? Bringing back Prima Nocta? Marrying into a better title? None of those. He spreads rumors that the Theocracy is going to attack....from behind! The man is crazy! Could be right, but still, crazy! Anyway, he gets what he wants, with some forces moving his way, most notable Avalon and Simeon's fleet. Will they help OC in case of surprise attack? That remains to be seen.

When Anansi and Rain get to Owl Cross we finally find out why those ships, despite a terror organization called "The Red Hand" claiming resposnsilibty, were all about. Powell, the greedy bastard that he is, apperantly joined all of Owl Cross' expert systems into one, huge, complex. At the request of none other then the Gi him(it?)self. Powell thinks the Gi is moving in, leaving behind a broken society, deprived of its culture and morality. Anansi thinks the Gi would never leave, but suspects other plots in store. And Rain? Rain remembers the Key is still at large, but if it's nowhere on the Helcyon, did Celerity get it? Or is it somewhere else?

We ended the session with bad news for some, but good news for all peace-loving people: Hera surrendered her control over Arcadian space, ending the Calorix embargo, and bringing Elysium and Lima to join her almost immediatly. Now Heran vessals are in Arcadia again - and the short ceasefire is probably over...

Next, on "Owl Crossings"...
War will break out, in more then one place;
Terrorists converge, causing less violence;
Owl Cross is invaded by Digital People;
The Key is found, and lost, once again;
And somewhere in all this, traitors and plotters will take Owl Cross by surprise...