June 13 2020

We approach Ecolid 3. We find there is a moonbase, but don't see anyone doing anything on it.

We also observe the planet with probes and things seem unusual…. people are farming but not using machines that are right there, doing stuff by hand.

at that point all are probes are shot down with lasers. Psyche detects a buzzing in her ear, the one with an earworm in it. She contacts it and it tells her that there is an attempt at communications from the planet, but not strong enough to communicate, from the direction of the planet.

She is able to focus on one, which starts asking "what is it?" "why was it there?" "why did you destroy it?"

We find there is an imperial trump center we can transport to. Rex volunteers to go, looking as if he is possessed. He is able to hack their computer system and gain access to logs. He was mimicing the paasite, so was able to hear some of the communications, but at some point the queen orders him to stop and he is paralized. Anna pulls him out via trump and hits his reset switch.

Psyche uses the hacked access to talk to the queen, and announces her name and who she is. The queen offers to let her talk to a human who does not have a parasite.

This guy explains that there was a period of chaos when the alien ship crashlanded, but they are better now and are only taking over indigenous native life instead of more humans. However, the command of the base decided to launch a bomb to wipe out the colony, and the remaining humans decided to band with the aliens to stop that, and they used the base defenses to fire upon the ship traveling to the moon base (which caused them to crash on Ecolid 4).

After establishing communications, we reestablish contact for the queen to the moon base which is only people that were taken over. Psyche disables the nuke on the moon, essentially sabotaging it.

We track down two groups of people in the wilderness, one is happy to come back, but the leader of the other group draws a weapon, is disabled and flees. Two of them come with us.

Psyche arranges to have a coordinated report when contact with the empire is reestablished. She hands the report to Deca, who agonizes over it a bit, and eventually contacts someone in the empire and requests a secure audience, and tells everything. They discuss the options of going with the story or getting a nuke response team.

Rex finds there is petty crime on the planet, which he views as a healthy sign of independence.

Deca after much discussion and deliberation, calls Psyche and Anna into his quarters. He says the empire will eventually find out. He doesn't want a time bomb. He says he wants Psyche and Anna to present his best argument… to The Emperor.

Psyche relates what happened with the Nose Worm generation ship that arrived on Ecolid 3, and argues for letting the colony live. The Emperor objects to the nose worm's pan to have the children of hosts become hosts for new nose worms. He says they are Imperial Citizens, and must not be taken over by nose worms. He also notes that this is an imperial world, and they are not protected by an imperial military. He also says the leaders of the civilian government must pay the consequences for what they did. He also says the Nose Worm Queen must accept the agreement. He asks everyone to say "yes" to this plan. Deca says yes. Anna says yes. Psyche is very hesitant, but finally says yes as otherwise the planet would be nuked.

Afterwards Psyche is furious at Deca for putting her in that situation. She is considering leaving the ship, saying she can't do this anymore.


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