This article contains content from pre-release sources that may or may not be reflective of canon upon release. This article therefore likely contains spoilers.
For the Benefit of All was an Assassin mission that took place in 2016.[1]
A few hours have passed since the Descendants left the gloomy swamps of ancient Rome. Ziggy gathers them in the common room; he has found something worthy of their attention. After an in-depth search and triangulation of the data gathered, the technician has found a trace of the pommel in a photograph from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
"The bloke in the photo is Dr. Samuel Smith, a brilliant young engineer with no evident link to our dear Nazi Müller or the Templars. Pretty unexpected if you ask me. However, as you can clearly see, that object he seems to be using as a paperweight on his desk... well, it really looks like our Piece of Eden fragment to me, dunnit?" As you study the photo, Ziggy hands you an envelope containing plane tickets for the next flight to Houston. "Failure is not an option, lads!"
Unfortunately for the Descendants, Ziggy stays behind in London and can only help them remotely. He has booked a room for the PCs in a motel not far from the Johnson Space Center and tickets for an "open house" guided tour of the facility. The Descendants must find the office of Dr. Samuel Smith where the Shard of Eden could be located, and reach it without being discovered.
In the dimly lit room of the cheap motel, you huddle around a small, stained table cluttered with maps, tourist brochures, and the few high-tech gadgets that you could safely get through airport security. The heavy air, with the scent of mildew and stale cigarette smoke, adds to the clandestine atmosphere that fills the room. Peeking through the tattered, blue curtains, you see the blinking lights of the Johnson Space Center. Your goal is to reach Building 31, where the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science offices are located. Time to make plans, and to make them work.
Challenges
The Guided Tour: The PCs can enter the part of the facility that is open to the public as regular visitors during the open house tour at the Johnson Space Center, and wait for the right moment to sneak away from the group in search of Building 31.
Security Officers: As the characters move deeper into the Space Center, they encounter vigilant security officers stationed throughout the facility.
Security System: The Johnson Space Center boasts a state-of-the-art security system, including surveillance cameras, motion detectors, and latest-generation alarm systems. Any Stealth check made to remain undetected while moving in restricted access areas requires 1 Raise.
Weaknesses
The Article (minor): The PCs might call the Johnson Space Center, posing as journalists from a local newspaper or TV, securing themselves a guest badge and gaining access to buildings that are normally off limits to the public. Therefore, the Descendants overcome the Security System Challenge and have 1 Free Raise on any Social check made to overcome the Security Officers Challenge.
Employee's Badge (minor): If the PCs can steal or fake an employee's badge, they can disguise themselves as workers who would be inconspicuous walking through the Space Center corridors. In this case, the Descendants overcome the Security System Challenge.
Dr. Samuel Smith's office in Building 31 is a busy workspace befitting a senior employee—which might look slightly in contrast with his relatively young age. Regardless of when the Descendants infiltrate the facility, they will find Dr. Smith working on legitimate NASA projects at his desk.
Looking through the open door into the office, you can see walls lined with tall bookshelves filled with volumes on astromaterials, aerospace engineering, and space exploration. At the center of the room is a spacious desk piled high with neatly stacked research papers, books, an Abstergo laptop, and a NASA-branded mug filled with steaming black coffee. And there it is... the Shard of Eden, being used as a paperweight.
Challenges
Knock Knock: The Descendants could try to engage in a conversation with Dr. Smith while remaining inconspicuous—maybe in disguise—to try to steal the fragment of the artifact undetected. In this case, to take possession of the Shard of Eden Fragment, the PCs must make at least a Social check to deceive Dr. Smith and a Stealth check to take the artifact without being noticed.
Ring Ring: The PCs can create a distraction by calling Dr. Smith's office phone and summoning him somewhere else in the complex. In this case, the Descendants can make a Social check to convince him to temporarily leave his office.
Over and Out: After successfully retrieving the artifact, the PCs must exit the Space Center without raising suspicion or getting caught, before returning to the motel.
Weaknesses
Fire, Fire! (major): The PCs could trigger the fire alarm, leading to an evacuation of the facility and allowing them to access Dr. Smith's empty office. In this case, the Crew achieves the Take the Shard of Eden Key Objective. However, by doing this, they automatically trigger the Alarm Setback.
Dr. Samuel Smith, a brilliant engineer, is the son of a US intelligence agent. He grew up in a household that valued discipline, integrity, and a strong work ethic. Deciding to follow his passion for space exploration, he excelled academically, earning a doctorate from MIT at a remarkably young age and getting his first job at NASA soon after.
Dr. Samuel Smith is not connected in any way to the Templars or other agents in pursuit of Isu artifacts. He is completely unaware of the origin of the pommel or its properties, and he ended up in its possession by pure chance—he works with astromaterials, materials not from our Earth, and found it at an auction for meteorites and objects made of exotic minerals.
This is his backstory, unless the Reader decides to introduce an intriguing twist: instead of having inherited the Shard of Eden by pure chance, Dr Smith could have been an active participant in the conspiracy or—why not—be the mastermind behind it all, possibly being the actual descendant of Heinz Müller...
