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SCENE 02 — TRAVEL PREPARATIONS

1 | Scene Overview

Location: Streets and Public Services Ring of New Kourou
Type: Planning · Resource Management · Logistics
Era: Beta Age
Tone: Practical · Tactical · Slightly tense depending on Trooper alert level

Atmosphere & Sensory Cues: Courier horns drifting across the Public Services Ring · Tandora vendors calling out prices · soft clatter of Veyra hooves on compacted dirt · occasional flutterwings cutting through the twilight · Trooper patrol footsteps passing at uneven intervals.

2 | Read-Aloud Description

Initial Read-Aloud (Scene Opening)

You step out of Ezrah’s office and into the muted twilight of New Kourou’s Public Services Ring. The street is alive with movement: courier carts rumble toward the station gates, hungry settlers gather around the Food Market stalls, and the silhouettes of Veyras flicker across the muddy, unpaved road.

Across the street, a weathered cart stands alone — dark wood, copper-bound, its wheels sunk slightly into the dirt. A faded sign hangs crookedly from the side:

FOR SALE — 400 KOUROU
HOO INCLUDED
ASK AT SCHMITZ FUNERAL HOME

The windows of the covered rear compartment are shuttered, each shaped like a narrow chapel-slit. Brass rings dangle from the corners where funeral veils once hung, and a few dried flower petals cling stubbornly to the spokes.

Your next step is clear: decide how you want to travel to Morningstar.

As the largest ExoHuman settlement on this planet, New Kourou offers more options than anywhere else on the planet — fast, slow, cheap, discreet, or dangerous. But given all the events of the last few days… not every option is equally safe. And not every option is wise.

Staged Read-Alouds (Progressive Descriptions)

Trigger / Timing	Read-Aloud or Narrative Insert
When players linger to buy supplies	A voice cuts through the twilight from the direction of the Food Market — loud, rhythmic, and clearly intended to pull customers in. “Tasty Tandora! Healthy Tandora! Last batch before mist rolls in!”
When players discuss travel options	A sudden outburst erupts from Mandala’s Mount stalls. “Green!? Why is the entire animal green!?” Mandala’s voice cracks with outrage. A breathless customer protests: “I— I told you I need it for marketing!” The Veyra in question stands miserably beside them, bright leafy-green from mane to tail, chewing hay as if none of this concerns it.
When players take too long debating	A Flutterwing glides down and lands lightly on the mortician’s cart, chirping an enthusiastic mating trill. The small bird bounces on its feet, vibrating with excitement — and then, mid-song, releases a splattering drop of liquid feces. It splashes across the hanging sign, smearing the “4” in “400 Kourou” until it looks more like a faded “00”, as if the cart were nearly free for the taking. The flutterwing flutters away, utterly pleased with itself.

3 | Scene Intent

Scene Type	Player Intents	DM Function / Story Link
Planning · Resource Allocation	Pick a travel method · buy supplies · evaluate risk and time pressure	Establish how PCs leave New Kourou · create branching path toward Morningstar · set pacing and danger level for Chapter II

4 | Key (N)PCs + Dynamic Cues

Name	Role / Affiliation	Motivation / Goal	Dynamic Cues — How They React in Play	Wiki Link
Rajid Mandala	Owner, Mandala’s Mounts	Rent Veyras; protect reputation of his stable	Offers mid-tier animals. If PCs get closer, this leads to a new scene: Scene 2b - Mandala's Mounts	Mandala’s Mounts
Sola Enu (voice only)	Vendor at New Kourou Food Market	Sell Tandora fruits & smoothies	Heard yelling his typical sales call (“Tasty Tandora — Healthy Fruits!”). If PCs follow the voice, this leads to a new scene: Scene 2c – Food Market	New Kourou Food Market
Random New Kourou Locals	Settlers, workers, passers-by	Go about daily business; avoid trouble	Provide quick directions if approached. Some may warn PCs if Troopers have been asking about strangers. Never initiate conversation.	—

Special Character Notes (only applies if PCs are in the party):

Lexa Rourke will always prefer her own Veyra Kelta if she is in the party.
Rogan Sokolov will always refuse fast mounts and argue for slower, safer travel.

5 | Triggers, Options & Consequences

A. Trooper Alert Level

Trigger / Cue	Immediate Reaction / What Happens	Future Hook / Consequence
🚨 If PCs are wanted (from previous adventure outcome)	Trooper patrols are active; PCs must use disguises or stealth routes.	Courier Station becomes risky; Veyra rental safer; walking or buying the mortician’s cart becomes appealing.
🧍 If PCs are not wanted	Normal street traffic; no additional risk.	All travel options freely available.

—

B. Travel Option: Mandala’s Mounts

Trigger / Cue	Immediate Reaction / What Happens	Future Hook / Consequence
🐾 PCs head toward Mandala’s Mounts	Hoofbeats, raised voices, and the smell of feed drift from the stable lane. A brief glimpse shows Rajid Mandala arguing with a customer, who leaves Rajid behind.with a green-dyed Veyra	Unlocks next scene: Scene 2b — Mandala’s Mounts.
🕵️ Wanted PCs approach the stable road	A stablehand looks up briefly, brow furrowing — but says nothing yet.	Signals potential risks if PCs are recognized or questioned.
🐎 Rogan present & discussing options	Rogan dismisses mounts as “unreliable show-offs.”	Builds character tension; applies roleplay flavor before entering Scene 2a.

—

C. Travel Option: New Kourou Courier Service

Trigger / Cue	Immediate Reaction / What Happens	Future Hook / Consequence
🏛️ PCs head toward the Courier Station	They see the station building at the far end of the Public Services Ring: steel pillars, cargo ramps, hanging lanterns, a half-emptied departure yard.	Unlocks the next scene: 2a – New Kourou Courier Station.
📣 PCs listen to the ambient sounds	A distant horn echoes, followed by muffled loudspeaker chatter	Implies caravans are active, nudging PCs to check schedules in the next scene.

—

D. Travel Option: Food Market Stop

Trigger / Cue	Immediate Reaction / What Happens	Future Hook / Consequence
🥫 PCs head toward the Food Market	The smell of sweet Tandora fruit and fried root mix drifts from the stalls around the corner; vendors shout prices over each other.	Unlocks the next scene: Scene 2c – Food Market .
🍉 PCs listen for vendors	A loud, cheerful voice rings out: “Tasty-Tandora! Healthy fruits! Smoothies for one K!”	Identifies the presence of Sola Enu, who appears in the next Food Market scene.

—

E. Travel Option: The Mortician’s Cart (New Vehicle)

Trigger / Cue	Immediate Reaction / What Happens	Future Hook / Consequence
🛒 PCs inspect the cart	A darkwood funeral cart with copper bindings. Shuttered chapel-slit windows. Brass veil-rings at the corners. Two coffin clamps still fixed inside. Dried petals caught in the spokes.	PCs understand its structure, weight, and potential tactical uses (storage, concealment, mobile cover).
🏚️ PCs look around for the seller	They spot Schmitz Funeral Home just around the corner: a squat structure built from charred starship bulkheads and soot-stained alloy ribs; its facade clad in burnt hull plating salvaged from the Last Frontier, polished cabin wood visible inside.	Unlocks the next optional scene: 2d – Buying a Mortician’s Cart.
🚫 PCs attempt to buy or negotiate here	The cart is unattended; the only instruction is “ASK AT SCHMITZ FUNERAL HOME.”	Forces PCs to physically visit the Funeral Home if they want this vehicle → leads to new Scene.

—

F. Travel Option: On Foot

Trigger / Cue	Immediate Reaction / What Happens	Future Hook / Consequence
🚶 PCs decide to walk	Slow but silent; costs nothing.	2.5-3 days travel; risk of wildlife or bandits; opens DM improvisation opportunities.

6 | DM Notes

Tone & Mood: This scene is calm but charged with practical urgency. New Kourou is alive with motion, and the PCs stand at a crossroads. Every choice feels consequential, but nothing is forced.

Player Agency First: The point of this scene is choice, not direction. All travel options are valid — emphasize trade-offs, not “correct” answers.

Trooper Alert Level:
- If PCs are wanted: gentle tension, discreet movement, disguises.
- If not: standard free navigation.

Travel Option Clarity:
- Veyras → fastest, flexible.
- Courier Service → comfortable, slow
- Mortician’s Cart → cheap, odd, tactically versatile.
- Walking → slowest, but stealthy and free.

No Cross-Scene Resolutions:
- PCs can decide to go to the Courier Station, Mandala’s Mounts, Food Market, or Funeral Home.
- Actual interaction happens in Scene 2a–2d.

Character Dynamics:
- Lexa gravitates toward mounts.
- Rogan resists fast mounts.
- Use as flavor, not railroading.

Foreshadowing the Cart: The mortician’s cart appears strange but useful later. Let it stand out without overselling.

Continuity Notes:
- PCs still have Martin’s biological tools.
- Mention Trooper patrols only if relevant to their alert status.

DM Tutorial: How to approach the scene

Short version:

Related Pages and Further Information

↑↑ Start: Hunting An Unknown Hunter
★ Overview: All Scenes of Hunting An Unknown Hunter
☞ Resolution: Case Resolution and discoverable Backstory
← Previous Scene: Scene 1 – The Briefing
→ Next Scene Choose from Hub below

New Kourou Hub Overview (Travel Options)

Location	Type / Activity	Primary Opportunities	Tone / Difficulty	Leads To Scene
New Kourou Courier Station	Travel · Ticket Purchase	Buy caravan tickets · Check departures · Assess risk if wanted	Bureaucratic · Busy	→ Scene 2a – Courier Station
Mandala’s Mounts	Travel · Mount Rental	Rent Veyras · Speak with Mandala · Handle “dead Veyra” conversation	Loud · Mildly tense	→ Scene 2b – Mandala’s Mounts
New Kourou Food Market	Supplies · Provisions	Buy trail food & water · Spot Sola Enu’s Tandora stall	Crowded · Friendly	→ Scene 2c – Food Market
Schmitz Funeral Home	Vehicle Purchase	Inspect & buy mortician’s cart · Meet undertaker apprentice	Quiet · Slightly eerie · Low pressure	→ Scene 2d – Buying a Mortician’s Cart

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