Posted by Gamemaster Alias Smith N. Jones, Esq. (Gamemaster) in Main Sim Prelude - Send In The Clowns
The night was dark and there were no lights on this side of the circus encampment. The hover-trailers and ground wagons used to haul all the infrastructure that made up The Wonderful and Incredible Flying Gorthek Family Circus sat quietly in ordered rows on the opposite side of the big top tent where the show was in full swing. The circus had never before performed on the planet, so the crowd was at maximum capacity even for the late late show. Gasps and laughs could be heard and music played a bright and lively tune as fantastic animal tricks and daring feats of acrobatics were performed in front of a wholly mesmerized and cheering crowd.

So it was that the darkness was disturbed by a flash of yellow and a bouncing red balloon. Weaving their way through the vehicles was… well… a clown. A yellow and red checkered suit jacket clashed hysterically with blue and green striped pants and white gloves; all topped off by a yellow bowler-style hat with a bright pink flower on the side. The face of the clown was painted white with blue accents around the eyes and a broad red smile outlined in black. Only the clown wasn’t actually smiling. Their expression was far less jovial.

It was one of fear.

The clown weaved through the parking area and made their way to a wall. With an agility not normally found in clowns, they leapt to the top of the wall and rolled over the crest just a soft tink sounded right behind them and a wicked, slender knife fell to the ground. Dropping to the ground on the other side, the yellow-clad jester began sprinting for the nearby woods. Less than ten seconds later, four black gloved hands found purchase on the top of the wall and two figures dressed in black leather pulled themselves up and over the wall and began pursuit of their comical quarry.

An hour later, the Federation Ambassador to Seferian VII, the seat of an independent system government, sat at a small table in the Federation Embassy with his spouse and young children enjoying their first family meal in some time. The children had had a wonderful day at the nearby circus; and regaled their parents with their descriptions of the acts and the wonderful side-show attractions. Their parents laughed and asked questions of the young boy and girl. It was a special moment for all of them…

Interrupted as the ground floor window was shattered by a colorful form diving through it, sending shards of glass and wood across the room. The Ambassador leapt to his feet as his wife and children screamed as the clowns body hit the floor, a knife buried to the handle in his back. As he landed, his outstretched arm pointed at the Ambassador, his hand opened one last time and across the floor rolled gold-and jewel encrusted orb with the figure of a winged human female holding a sword aloft set on the top.

GM

On the far side of the quadrant, the USS Asimov was docked at Starbase One in orbit around Earth. The ship and crew were enjoying a well-deserved rest and the ship was being refit and reconnected after their last mission. The past three weeks had been easy, enjoyable, and without problems.

And then the phone rang.

GM