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Northern Wilds

1.

Deployment Orders: Operation Snowfall

Lore

RESCUE PROTOCOLS IN EFFECT

Listen up, mercs! We got a whole shuttle of Exiles in trouble. You’re the folks who get to hit the drop pods and save their sorry butts. Most of the passengers in that ship were humans and Aurin, and most of them are civilians, so don’t expect much help when you arrive. Keep an eye out for anyone with real combat training – I do see more than a few on the passenger manifest.
Someone like that might be a big help dealing with the unexpected.

You heard me, soldiers. We don’t know much about this region at all, except the Dominion doesn’t seem to want it – most likely because it’s damn near frozen solid. But the eggheads say they got some mighty interesting scans from underneath the ice. Might be Eldan – and it might be worth checking out. Any advantage we can get against the Dommies is an advantage I
want.

One more thing. Looks like Deadeye Brightland was on this ship. Now he and me don’t always see eye to eye, but he’s one of those people to watch for. Not a bad fighter to have in your corner, and he’s managed to stay alive in some pretty nasty situations. Of course, he’s brought some pretty little wife along to Nexus, so he might not be that interested in getting into too many scrapes. But if the survivors are going to make it, we
all got to pull together. Like always.

Fleet’s prepping a rescue shuttle right now. When they depart, I’ll send the signal to light the landing flares. Stay frosty, mercs.

Stonebreaker

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Northern Wilds

1.

Shuttle Boarding Pass

Lore

BOARDING PASS 48XK32B

PASSENGER 1: Sadie Brightland – Seat 12A
PASSENGER 2: Aron Brightland, A.K.A. Deadeye – Seat 12B

DEPARTED FROM: Arkship Gambler’s Ruin

DESTINATION: Gallow Spaceport, Algoroc

NOTES: Peacekeeper records may indicate Aron “Deadeye” Brightland is a wanted criminal within the fleet and in several star systems. These records are in error and are to be updated.
By order of the Admiral of
the Exile Fleet, Aron “Deadeye” Brightland is hereby granted a full pardon for any and all crimes against the Exile Accords. He is now free to own and carry firearms and other potential contraband on his person. His status as a free sapient and the similar status of his spouse Sadie Brightland shall not be questioned. In the latter case, all previous employment records for Sadie Brightland née Angelthorn are sealed by order of Avra
Darkos.

This ticket is non-transferrable, non-refundable, and non-toxic. Thank you for flying with Exile Shuttle Lines.

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Northern Wilds

1.

Renzo’s Journal

Lore

[Ice and snow have obliterated the date and first few lines of this journal. The following words are still legible.]

…and at last, we’ll realize the dream that has kept us going lo these many years, months, and days: Nexus! A new home beyond the Fringe! Never thought I’d see the day that Nellie, me, and little Tyka would have a real home of our own with a garden, a roan or two out back, a good dog, maybe a used bot to help us with
the chores. A lifetime spent on those cold, leaky rustbuckets is too long. Now Tyka will get to grow up on a real world with a sky over her head and ground beneath her feet.

And to think we wouldn’t even be here if Nellie’s mother hadn’t been lost in that mysterious engine explosion. I’d never wish such a dire and terrible thing to happen to my beloved bride ever again, but I have to admit – the little inheritance her mother had set by is the only reason
we were even able to do this. We managed to scrape together just enough to pay the Protostar real estate man for a nice little plot on the ground. Not one of their fancy floating houses, that’s just the sort of thing little Tyka would plum walk right off. Sure, we spent all we had on the deed, and I’ll have to take a few extra jobs here and there to get by at first, but the little green man promised us Nexus is the planet of new beginnings and
prosperous lives. And who can argue with that?

And now here we are on board. We just departed the launch bay, and I’ve been given permission to head to the forward cabin to grab us a few refreshments. I’m leaving Nellie and Tyka all buckled in to their seats, and I’ll be back in two shakes. Nothing could possibly stop our dreams now!

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Northern Wilds

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Lusk’s Report: Vol. 1

Lore

Northern Wilds Expedition X-Minus 37 Minutes

Got time to jot down some notes while that big… Whatever-It-Is lumbers on past. Hope I ain’t gotta deal with one of them long-haired giants anytime soon.

So Brightland’s got the survivors at the crash site under control, much as anyone can. Callin’ his little crash site camp “Settler’s Reach.” Funny, true, and pretty damned sad. That may be as far as them settlers reached this time, but me and my team
of science-types aim to see them on to Tremor Ridge, or Gallow, or wherever the hell they aim to go. So while Brightland keeps his one good eye on the flock, we aim to check out our surroundings, see what we can find out.

Saw some funny-lookin’ tracks up near the ridgeline. Somethin’ light-footed, on two legs, what ain’t yetis. And there’s a lot of ’em. Could swear I hear some kind of shoutin’ going on up in the hills. Yappin’ like heynar, but
communicatin’ like Aurin hunters on the stalk.

Gonna see if I can’t get a closer look and send the others on ahead. Almost regretting leaving without a weapon, but it’s more important to document my findin’s and these here voice-to-text data tablets are heavier than I’d like. Speaking of which, I need to shed some baggage, so I’m stashing these initial notes here. I’ll pick ’em up on the way back. If you’re readin’ this, and you ain’t me, leave it here, would you?

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Northern Wilds

1.

Lusk’s Report: Vol. 2

Lore

Northern Wilds Expedition X-Minus 123 Minutes

Them yetis and the rootbrutes were a might tougher to deal with than I expected. The rootbrutes come by the name honest-like – they got roots what’ll brutalize you. See, a rootbrute looks like your typical space mushroom, right? Everybody’s seen them big, mutated, vacuum-resistant funguses on asteroids and suchlike, feeding off the nutrients in the metal. Now imagine them giant space-shrooms
gettin’ up, walkin’ around, and flingin’ clots of poison sludge at ya. And as if that wasn’t enough, if you stand in one place for too damned long them roots of theirs’ll crawl through the dirt to come pokin’ up at ya where the stars don’t shine!

They got a long reach, is what I’m sayin’, and when ya gotta fight ’em, and ya will, it’s best to stay light on your feet.

Lotta yetis in these here parts. No tellin’ how they got to Nexus, but I seen big furry bipedal
beasts just like ’em on damn near every ice planet this side of the Core. Wonder how they wound up here? Eldan, I suppose. Or maybe just convergent evolution. I seen stranger things, and this Nexus variety is bigger and meaner’n most.

No point negotiating with yeti. I ain’t hearing any kind of language that’ll translate. Best to just take ’em out if they come at you.

Spottin’ more and more of them little biped tracks as I go.
Must be approaching an encampment or village or some such. Saw what looked like a little blue man with big eyes in the woods a short spell ago, but he plumb vanished soon as he saw I’d seen ‘im. Then more of that damned yappin’.

Startin’ to reckon I might not be the one to pick up these journals after all, but I gotta keep pressin’ on. Still wish I had more to fight with than this utility knife. So if you’re readin’ this, and ya ain’t me, a word of advice: if ya got a weapon, draw it.