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Cast-offs, discardeds, discharges, and deserters. People Terra Cassavander believed the Jovian Lunar Commonwealth had done a disservice. Treating them like nothing more than more meat for the grinder. People the Commonwealth had abandoned. Some more literally than others. Cassavander had been the leader of the Commonwealth’s 5th Rifle Division before his desertion. The 5th were a decorated and accoladed unit, a feather in the Commonwealth’s cap, until he and a close group of confidantes had taken the bridge of the division’s flagship and burned hard for the asteroid fields. By the time every loyalist on-board had been dealt with, Jovian High Command had all but erased the 5th Rifles from the records. Every grand deed, every friend Terra had ever lost in pointless, fruitless conflict lost to history. To this day the unit has not been reformed, out of resentment for his disloyalty.Hadn’t stopped the steady stream of Jovian deserters who found their way into his employ. As far as he was concerned, anyone smart enough to escape the orbit of the Commonwealth before they ended up dead was good enough for his 5th Rifles. * In today’s episode, the crew of the Vehement have a meeting of the minds with a who’s who of the Territory’s best mercenary companies. As the situation becomes clearer, how much more risky will Torvald’s plan prove to be? We encounter old enemies, encounter old friends, and have possibly one of the greatest discussions of all time. This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 23 : Battleplan Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@CodyOjea)

Recall Pumpkinfein had never wanted to waste away in a boardroom. As the fifth child in the line of succession however, little else was expected of him. By the circumstances of his birth, his role in his family’s tapestry was to be minimal. Even with those lowered expectations, Recall’s aspirations, his youthful ambition, pressed him into the service of the Rectified Solar Union’s military. Four years at the academy, and a generous donation from his family, put the young man on the fast track to commanding his own vessel in the RSU’s naval fleet. He kept up appearances with his family, a swelling of pride at his accomplishments seen through their eyes, through their notice. As the attacks on Mars began, he waited to be called on. To defend the Union in his family’s name. The call he received, he had not expected. From a von Furstenberg no less. The house his own had sworn to centuries ago. The fighting was turning Earthward, Jovian fleets would fill the sky soon enough. He was needed. This was his chance to make a mark on his family’s legacy. He simply needed to act according to plan, and history would see to the rest. * In today’s episode, with Otto’s coronation complete, the gang investigates the remnants of the old von Furstenberg manor, and the suspicious circumstance of Otto’s late father. If the Vehement crew are going to topple Torvald’s treachery, they’ll need some very solid evidence. Have a signing party, get a little loamy, and always remember to check your flight logs. This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 22 : Pieces Fall Together Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@CodyOjea)

Prominence, it’s been quite a while. I was skeptical when Lord Torvald contacted us. Can you blame me? How often do you get a direct line from the head of a Gentry household instead of some MAB representative? But when your name came up -- when I saw the Vanguard Arm was onboard, the risk of taking a job from a...private contractor seemed trivial. Eyed the rest of the roster and it looks like a few more friendly faces will be joining us. Crew from the Vehement. Good, steady mercs they are. Soft hearts. Cassavander will be there too...can’t win ‘em all I guess. We’ve been moored to the von Furstenberg’s boot inhibitor for a few days now. Found it along the Martian slipspace lane, or I guess it found us, just where he said it would be. We’ll be waiting here to group with you and the others. In case you’re wondering, the retrorockets from the briefing are in our cargo bay on the Matador, so swing by after you boot in to pick them up. In the meantime, I just thought I’d say hello. And I’m looking forward to working with you again. Don’t try to outshine my kids too hard out there. -Hoyt Bancroft, of the Iron Bulls mercenary company. Private communication to the leader of the Vanguard Arm, Dearest Prominence. * In today’s episode, there’s a very big ‘to-do’ and Otto is in the spotlight! With the coronation of House von Furstenberg’s newest liege come further entanglements, and plots from both sides are beginning to brew. But who will come out ahead? We put our heads together, reconcile with our siblings, and get rowdy at a very fancy party. This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 21 : The Coronation of Otto von Furstenberg Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@CodyOjea)

Torvald von Furstenberg had achieved the impossible. He had accomplished something no other member of the family would have ever entertained, let alone attempted. Torvald had managed, against all odds, to bring the black sheep of House von Furstenberg; rebellious, headstrong Otto, back into the fold. The von Furstenbergs had all but abandoned the boy out in the Territory. Otto had become anathema to them. To consider him was to acknowledge the blemishing disgrace on their House. But Torvald knew, if everything in his House- that’s what it was now with his brother gone, his House- if everything was to be in order, he needed Otto to come back in from the cold. And he had done it, but there was still so much more to arrange. * In today’s episode, we finally see how the other half live as we complete our journey to Earth. A welcome mat is extended and our crew plan to take full advantage of Gentry hospitality. But what does the new head of House von Furstenberg have in mind for Otto? We attend a one-trumpeter reception, meet the old family, and plot someone’s demise. This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 20: The Prodigal Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@CodyOjea)

Six hundred and eighty. Six hundred and eighty years. That’s how long it would take you to get from Earth to Pluto in the 21st Century. In the 28th, moving at near-light speed with a nice boot drive, it wouldn’t even take two weeks. It’d be a fucking pleasure cruise. Smoothest tenday of your life, with the right crew. Of course that’s what it always comes down to, isn’t it? You can have the shiniest ship in the Territory; best in the RSU, Commonwealth, or the Freeholds, fresh off the shipyards. Without a good crew, a crew that works together, that gels, a crew who won’t be at eachothers throats at a pin drop, you might as well be shooting yourself out of a cannon. You might get farther, anyway. No, a good crew is worth its weight in unregistered anchor parts, and nobody but nobody gets anywhere without people behind you who you can count on, people who want what you want. And if you’ve got some passengers you don’t agree with, or some crewmates you rubbed the wrong way or who put you off, here’s some perspective that might change your tune. Just be glad it’s ten days, and not six hundred and eighty goddamn years. * In today’s episode, we get underway for our long journey to Earth. A ten-day trip with two armed killers aboard isn’t exactly anyone’s idea of a vacation, but how will the crew of the Vehement fare under this duress? We pull rank, make some upgrades, and dread what’s yet to come. This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 19: Circumstances of Departure Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@CodyOjea)

Had they all feared for their lives when the rounds started flying? Of course, but freeholders would proudly tell you they are stronger than that. Freeholders don’t panic under fire. They find cover and assess. Freeholders are ready for anything, anytime. They think on their feet and they execute. When the gunfire started downtown, they’d known what to do almost on instinct. All of them had managed to live through at least one large-scale assault by now, for most that number was higher. This was just another day on Charon Beta for them. For the poor, bloodied bastards lying in the street in the aftermath, it had been a near death experience. It appeared to those on-scene that the gunfire simply...stopped. A robot appeared, followed by two strange characters, and the wounded were whisked away to a nearby triage. Crisis averted. Life continued for those still breathing. Luckily this time it appeared there would be no dead to be mourned. The reality of their situation is that freeholders have lived in a constant state of readiness for hundreds of years. But as ready as a life in the crosshairs of two galactic empires will make you, it never makes you any less terrified when the shooting starts. * In today’s episode, the Freelancers patch themselves up and prepare for a long journey, all under the watchful eyes of their captors. What awaits Otto back on Earth, and with two new, violent passengers will the crew of the Vehement make it that far? We replace what was lost, misremember a famous play, and put our loved ones in harm's way. This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 18: Out in the Cold Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@CodyOjea)

They’d seen to her in one of the clinics near the shuttle hub, under a full complement of armed freeholders. Mended up her broken and bruised wrists in freshly printed casts. Taken her knives, for what good that would do them. But she had not allowed anyone to tamper with the TrackingSoft chip inserted at the base of her neck. The golden tether connecting her to her quarry, who she’d been keeping tabs on since their engagement. Casperov would be damned if she let that miserable scrapheap get away. The freeholders eventually let her rejoin her associate Houndstooth. A smile crept for the faintest moment across her face, seeing the bloody welt left by the impact of the bottle on Houndstooth’s forehead, but he was otherwise unharmed. Alistair had not seen her smile often, and she could read the confusion in his eyes like a pop-up book. After a few hours in a cold, windowless room shuffling legal papers and smooth talking Freehold authorities, they’d come away with their freedom, knowing the softer approach was no longer viable. They’d underestimated their opposition. The kid gloves needed to come off. The TrackingSoft had triangulated the bot’s position to a local dive on Beta, where it had stayed for the past few hours. She was sure the others were there with them, and if not it would still be a fine opportunity for a little revenge. * In today’s episode, the game is still afoot as the Freelancers keep up the cat and mouse act with an injured and abashed Houndstooth and Casperov. What lengths will the deadly duo go to in their hunt for Otto Von Furstenberg? Hunker down, mark all the exits, and answer your dang comlink! This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 17: Disarmed Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@CodyOjea)

Suspicion, a cautious distrust. If anyone knows how to foster suspicion, it’s Alistair Hounsdstooth. In this business, cautious distrust is what gets you in the door. Their expectation for you to overperform, overdeliver. Everybody loves an underdog, so why not play a little below the table? The trick is to make whatever story you’re selling half believable, even if none of it’s true. Create the narrative. Create suspicion. Create an opening. It all went to plan, the Vehement. A little bloviating, a trumped up story oversold with sympathy. Just a couple of Queen MAB’s subjects looking for an edge, help from a kind soul. Sure he met us at the door with his sidearm on, but why let that stop a little polite conversation? Not like either of us didn’t come prepared for the occasional violent outburst. We’ve been sitting with the good captain for a day or so now. Trying to soften him up but he’s a stubborn one. We’ll settle in for a while now, but we will find what we came here for. * In today’s episode, hot damn we’re in a tight spot! Scarlett is under the gun after his accidental encounter with the dangerous duo of Houndstooth and Casperov. What are they looking for on Charon and what does it have to do with the crew of the Vehement? Take a nice shuttle ride, drown your sorrows in a river of ale, and maybe even get a little stabbed, this episode! This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 16: Houndstooth and Casperov Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@CodyOjea)

The crew save for Chief O’Donnell and Doctor Peryton had offloaded from the Vehement for shore leave on the Freeholds. With Bete, Otto, and Scarlett gone as well, Ambrose was finally beginning to enjoy his time alone. He had just capped off a long 18-hour nap when the airlock comms buzzed his quarters. “Houndstooth and Casperov: Finders, Keepers” gold print emblazoned across a business card, vague enough to be enticing but direct enough to tell Ambrose the kind of thing these two were sniffing around the Vehement for. The hand holding the card belonged to a questionably fashionable man in a fur coat and stetson. Next to him a stern-faced woman with tattoos Ambrose couldn’t place stood arms crossed, staring directly into the camera. Almost past it, as if she was looking right at him. The ersatz cowboy cleared his throat and spun up a quick compliment before launching into his pitch: He and his associate were on Charon working a case. Freelance, big client. Armed and dangerous runaway on the loose, last known whereabouts pointed to the Freeholds. They just wanted to ask Ambrose a few questions. In person, they wouldn’t budge on that. Wouldn’t be proper detective work, Houndstooth said. Ambrose had dealt with all manner of skip tracers, bounty hunters, and private eye types before and yet there was something...off about these two. Eventually his curiosity got the better of him. * In today’s episode, the Freelancers return to the safe haven of the Charon Freeholds with rest and recovery on the agenda. Leaving the situation on the Jackknife to the authorities on Charon, the Freelancers return to the Vehement to find the crew away on leave. We set some rumors straight, check in with our friends, and try to say goodbye. This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 15: Back to the Vehement Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@CodyOjea)

The Jovian military wouldn’t make any moves without solid information to go on, of that Virgo was certain. They wouldn’t waste resources to recover an asset as vital to Aspirant Kennet’s grand design as Doctor Xade without proper intel. They needed something verifiable. Something concrete. He was certain he had gummed up the works considerably in this regard. Jewels Carcanet and his cabal of enforcers from Jovian Intelligence had come knocking not long after the doctor had left Mirandan atmo. They’d stormed the barracks in full assault gear to take him into custody. What little good their armor and weapons would have been against his teeth anyway, but Virgo Bombay went quietly. They held him for another day, spent it putting the boots to him. From there, as expected, Jewels handed him off to the Comandante and the interrogations began. What were you doing that day? Have you ever seen these three before? What about their uniforms? The suit left in the pump room? Did you assist these individuals? Some of your things appear to be missing? He had anticipated many of the Comandantes lines of inquiry, but there was one question that had thrown him off. One with a much more complicated answer than he could give. Lieutenant Bombay are you a patriot? * In today’s episode, it’s a long three days trip back to the Charon Freeholds after the death of Trilly and the rescue of Doctor Xade. Grief, rage, and the cramped confines of the Jackknife Soliloquy make a for a dangerous combination on this return trip. And what awaits them beyond the hyperlanes? We’ll shout it out, have regrets, and play a few hands of poker. This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 14: Float Along Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@CodyOjea)

Two years. Two years since Trilly had dared to set down on Miranda. When she was a little girl, running errands for the Vory on Titan, she’d heard the rumors about this place even then. She’d come up substantially in the trade since, but the rumors remained. If there was ever a place that gave Trilly the shivers, it was Miranda. And yet here she was. When one spoke of Miranda within the Commonwealth, it was with eyes that were fixed to the wall ahead, in words drawn out from the corner of one's mouth. Miranda was the devil that would steal your face if you so much as met eyes with it. The boogeyman of the Lunar colonies. And yet again, for a second goddamn time, here she was. Waiting for a pickup that might never come. Waiting to get pinched by a few trigger-happy Jovian doughboys in their shiny suits of 20-foot-tall armor. But she was here for a reason. A damn good one, she knew. Morgen had asked her to save Bete, and now Bete had returned the favor. Something cosmic in that, she thought. * In today’s episode, the Freelancers make their way out of the Mirandan base, but first Scarlett and Otto need to pay a visit to the lab of one Doctor Birch. Plus, a look at the war back home as the Jovian Lunar Commonwealth continues its campaign against the Rectified Solar Union. In this episode: stealthy slips, anthro-hybrids, and one hell of a getaway! This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 13: In the Clear Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@CodyOjea)

From the moment he was brought back online aboard the C.C.V. Shining Sky Rigel had known something had gone wrong. The whole trip home he had worried that he was to blame. Now back on Miranda he was sure of it. Doctor Xade had been confined to their lab, patched into Rigel’s home network. He knew the toll that interfacing with him long-term would take on them, but Comandante Carcanet had assured Rigel that the Doctor needed more time to “acclimate” to interfacing. Rigel was fairly sure that was not necessary, but the Comandante had ordered it, so it must have been proper in some regard. At least there was no danger of being forcibly de-synched in the confines of the lab. Even before Xade had been jacked in, he could feel that they did not want to be there, but they assured him it was not his fault. This did not put him at ease. Where had it gone wrong? He and Doctor Xade had been operating at near-perfect synchronicity, not a single fluctuation or error. What could they have done differently? The Comandante had told him the operation was to be a test, judging his capabilities. Had he failed the test? Had the anchor that managed to deactivate him been a trick question of some kind? What would Comandante Carcanet think about this? What would the Aspirant- Rigel did not wish to continue this line of thinking. He disliked being anxious, and thinking about Chyron Kennet was the last thing he wanted to do right now. * In today’s episode, we continue our journey into the depths of the Jovian base in search of Bete’s creator, Doctor Morgen Xade. What new friends and foes will the Freelancers meet on their mission to save Xade from the Lunar Commonwealth? A rather fishy gentleman? A loyal AI? A work-a-day guardsman? And which is which? Listen to find out! This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 12: Xade and Rigel Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@CodyOjea)

Vettel had drawn sentry duty again. He always hated guard details. He would just end up standing there for four hours, boring himself half to death. At least the rotating patrols got to move around a little. Got to pilot an anchor, like he’d signed up to. Got to see the sights, if in fact there were any sights to see on this godforsaken rock. Miranda was always so damn bleak. Year round it was always the same grey flatland, the same blue-grey sky, surrounded by the same awful, choking fog. Even on the best of days you could hardly make out the hulking, behemoth form of the planet below on the horizon. Kowalski had also drawn the short straw, he noted as the other Jovian joined him at the forward post. He raised his free hand in greeting, relaxing his grip on the rifle slung over his shoulder. Kowalski adjusted his mask, stepping past the safety line that seperated the clean air of the base from the polluted atmosphere. “Best settle in, V,” he said, voice distorted through the facemask. “Looks like another day of fuck-all.” The footfalls of an approaching anchor thundered in the distance. Vettel didn’t have to look to know it was Jovian. He could tell by the sound of it now. Yep. Another day of nothing. * In today’s episode, we step through the fog and creep through the smog of the Mirandan surface and make our way to a place from Bete’s past: the heavily-guarded Jovian facility where they intend to find one Doctor Morgen Xade. We sneak through the front lines, have some trouble with the front door, and crawl our way to (relative) safety. This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 11: Face Adversity Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@CodyOjea)

There was this saying in the old world, a long time ago: “the guilty always return to the scene of the crime” they said. For folks like me, who do the illegal well and do it often, we’ve taken this old adage and made our own use of it. In a backwards kind of way, anyway. In the circles of smugglers, runners, spys, and info brokers, the sentiment is a little different. The guilty should never return. Never hit the same spot, attack the same target, never be in the same place, never work with the same people. You cannot go home again. And if a job requires it. Find a different job. There’s plenty more dirt to get on your hands in the Territory. But here I am breaking the only rule in my profession. Back in the exact spot I pulled Bete from a couple years back. Knowing the kind of grudges the Kennet’s hold, statute of limitations is probably still up on that one. All it would take is one lucky Jovian patrol. Whatever happens to me on this run is my own fault. Just need to make sure if something does go sideways it doesn’t fall back on Bete and their friends. * In today’s episode, the Freelancers are headed back to Bete’s homeworld, the Jovian moon Miranda. But travel takes time, and too much time trapped in the cramped quarters of the Jackknife Soliloquy could be disastrous to our team. Will our heroes maintain composure or will their tempers flare? Expect a little rambling to pass the time, some much needed suit deodorizing, and an explosive setback all straight ahead. This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 10: Welcome to Miranda Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@CodyOjea)

After the dust up with that ship of freelancers and that Gentryman from the Union, Commandant Carcanet was happy to turn his attention to more important matters. The expeditionaries from Charon would be returning soon, and the data they had transmitted ahead needed assessment. All the combat data from each anchor in the lance was in the process of being poured over by Jovian intelligence, but Carcanet had managed to save the very best for himself. The new anchor. The experimental one. He’d even studied Xade’s ridiculous notes so he could better understand the new telemetry from the strange devices they had used to perfect the new anchor’s systems. In motion the machine was pristine. Quick and graceful like some great, ancient predator. Truly something that would strike fear into the hearts of the enemies of House Kennet. Something about the way it moved even made him afraid. No, not afraid. Uneasy. He watched it dance through a hail of incoming fire from the Freeholders in some futile effort to halt its progress. Of course they were ineffectual. And then, a burst of concentrated fire from an autocannon! The offending anchor was...familiar. He’d seen it on that freelancer ship, he realized! A two-bit mercenary had single handedly bested the Commonwealth’s newest experiment. The oversights were obvious. Glaringly so. And upon their return, Commandant Carcanet knew exactly who was to blame. And who would take the punishment for their failures. * In today’s episode, in the aftermath of the Jovian attack, the Freelancers plot their next course of action. How will they prepare themselves for this leg of their increasingly perilous journey? We'll heal ourselves up, put our digital noses where they shouldn’t be, and chart a new, more covert course. This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 09: Good Friends Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@CodyOjea)

They left us here to die, way back when. The Solar Union. The moons that would become the Commonwealth. In the beginning they’d taken anyone, the destitute, the hungry, the desperate. Anyone willing to sign their life away, contract themselves to a life of servitude, and take a one-way flight to the edge of the Territory. A life of hard work for a percentage shaved off interest on their relocation fees. Remainder passed to the next generation. Company scrip for the company store. Things only got worse as time went on. Contracts meant our work continued apace until Pluto was no more. Mined and extracted of anything of use until all that remained was a field of debris, cold and dead and alone on the fringes of the Territory. A whole damn planet killed by the Gentry and their greed. We understood our part in it, too. Our labor had been the murder weapon. And while they skulked away with the pilfered remains, we mourned. Not only the scale of the loss we had helped inflict, but our own sorry situation as well. The Charon Freeholds and the thing that had once been Pluto were not unalike in the end. Alone, adrift, dying. But in that desperation, we found a drive. A spiteful resilience. We would be goddamned if we were going to die out here, the only memory of what had been done in the dark. * In today’s episode, the Vehement crew are spread thin and the Freeholds are under attack! Outnumbered and surrounded by Jovian forces, our Freelancers are forced to defend themselves, but what new danger lurks among the Jovian ranks? We’ll hijack some hardware, reveal a few unwelcome surprises, and suplex some mechs, all right here, right now. This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 08: Freeholds Attack! Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@CodyOjea)

Linwood was getting on in years, surely. He had seen generations of folks come and go from the Freeholds in his time as a Dockmaster. Whether they came in from the Venusian plains, or the atolls of Ganymede, or were born and raised in the Freeholds, he never forgot a one of them. He took a certain pride in that. It gave him an impetus, a drive, a fierceness to protect the folks attached to those names. Young Ambrose had not been home to Charon in a long, long while. Linwood was beginning to think he had all but forgotten them. When he learned that Ambrose had returned, ship crowded with strangers, and invoked his name in the doing, a grin crossed Linwood Berrett’s face. He was going to learn a good few more names yet, he thought. * In today’s episode, with the Cydonian refugees finally delivered to the safe harbor of the Charon Freeholds, the crew of the Vehement enjoy some well-deserved downtime. What do the Freeholds have in store? Parrot infestations, otherworldly cocktails, and telltale cryo-tubes await within. This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 07: Moments and Macaws Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@SixChordCircus)

Miranda, the fog-shrouded moon of Uranus, in the heart of the Jovian Lunar Commonwealth. A strange and enigmatic planetoid where, it is said, the machinations of the Commonwealth’s war machine are brought to life. Since the outset of the First Jovian War, it has been rumored and propagandized within the Rectified Solar Union that Miranda was home to the Jovian miltary’s intelligence and scientific initiatives. The stories of cloak-and-dagger operations and horrific experiments taking place on the the Mirandan surface prevailed well beyond the war, even among the Gentry. Regrettably, this has made the true intentions of the Commonwealth on Miranda almost as unknowable as the surface of the moon itself. Though House Kennet and their Gentry bannermen would have it no other way. * In today’s episode, the crew of the Vehement have jumped their way to one of the most clandestine outposts in the Jovian Lunar Commonwealth: the mysterious moon Miranda. Survival hangs in the balance as our Freelancers are surrounded by the Jovian military, but is there more than military might waiting on Miranda? We trade metaphors, swap harsh language, and make one last push for the Freeholds. This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 06: Thorn in an Elephant's Side Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@SixChordCircus)

Just outside of Jupiter’s gravitational pull, beyond the boundaries of Europa, Ganymede, Callista, and Io sits a massive ship graveyard. A vast field of decommissioned and destroyed debris placed there specifically as to not be an eyesore upon House Kennet’s glorious Commonwealth. The ships moored there passed on their names and salvagable parts to more worthy vessels long ago, and the graveyard is unknown to most folk in the Commonwealth, but some life does still lurk within the oft overlooked quadrant. Scoundrels, killers, and cutthroats of all stripes prowl the area, hiding among the skeletons of Jovian starships, masking their signatures to avoid detection, scrounging for overlooked salvage, or lying in wait to strike at unexpecting passers-by on the galactic slipstream. One such outfit, numbering seven strong ships and a detachment of fighter craft, are a scrappy crew of Jovian deserters turned pirates known to those of the Jovian moons as Vance’s Raiders. * In today’s episode we begin our trek across the Territory to the relative safety of the Charon Freeholds. The Vehement is stuffed to the gills with passengers and precious cargo, but will these temporary arrangements lead to lifting spirits or broken hearts? And what else is out there waiting for them? The forging of bonds new and old, an unscheduled stop in hyperspace, and some more crafty hacking await your ears. This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 05: Cramped Quarters Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@SixChordCircus)

In the face of Cydonia’s looming destruction the old worries of Weldon Woldt seemed far away and altogether insignificant. Money, work, comfort, all that mattered now was that next, forward step. Never quite escaping the shadow of the Amano capital ship that loomed large overhead, never quite out of earshot of the thumping boom of artillery, or the mechanical whirring of distant anchors. He’d run, and run, and run until he’d entered the Halation square, the shelter a generous sprint across the concourse. The Security Forces had already mustered, gunmetal grey anchors shining, fresh off the assembly line. A pilot descending to meet him as he approached. Officer Piedmont Kels. “We were waiting for you, Overseer Woldt, already a few inside.” He’d barely managed a mumbled response before Kels had rushed him into the shelter proper and shown him to his console. Weldon watched, dumbstruck, as the reinforced metal doors closed, expecting to never open them again. The last he saw of the outside world was a city on fire, and the strong, confident smile of Piedmont Kels. * In today’s episode, the Freelancers move forward with their plan to evacuate Mars, and try to help where they can. With a ticking clock and a gang of ruthless mercenaries at their backs the pressure is on! We learn important lessons about close quarters living, do a little experimentation with some alien elements, and try to hold everything together when things look their most grim. This week on Play By Podcast: Territory Nouveau 04: What I Think is Best Play By Podcast is Michael Collins (@arealwriter), Leon Barnes (@SlapKatZ), Liam Higgins(@liamhiggins97), and Max Coe (@_NotMyDivision_) Cover Art by Ariel Corrales (@arielcorrales_) Music by Cody Ojea (@SixChordCircus)