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Character sheets: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19Y-VpGaUAWvyk6C3wKIp2GE-lZaSH3VJH9yKbR39JXA/edit?usp=sharing This post will serve as information repository as campaign goes on. Dramatis Personae: Cara, a class warrior G3n.Chatham, a survivor of the Scream and the Silence, a brain in a robot armature [url=http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3773929&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1#post459408178]Ellard White, an involuntary exile with dreams of revenge Emrys ap Owen, a military psychic (URL to be updated) Kieran of Clan Eagle, a petty thief who got in over his head Sunshine Raenoar, a native of a primitive world turned engine tech Sector map  Common knowledge There are a few small enclaves of various alien species scattered about, but only two intelligent species have a presence in significant numbers. The Traxans mostly keep to themselves. They appear extremely disinterested in sector affairs, and have yet to demonstrate any intent to expand. Although the species' name for itself is unknown, limited diplomatic contact indicates that both individuals as well as the state are content with being referred to as Traxans. The few who venture out of their system seem to be voluntary exiles, who abandoned old ways of life and have a curiosity about the galaxy. Their appearance is that of a central mass with 6 multi-jointed limbs that end in gripping/manipulating appendages. The limbs are arranged in a vertically symmetric configuration, similar to most complex life. At rest the Traxans are of a similar size to humans, though the distance between tips of opposite extended limbs is close to 2 meters when fully extended. Traxans give the impression of being extremely languid, moving very slowly and remaining at rest for long periods. However, reports of Traxans in pirate raiding parties indicate that in combat they can move at frightening speed through ship corridors and are not slowed by a zero-G environment. The Shantri indicated a preference for the name. Very little is known about them. They rule a large collection of human-settled worlds, but are notoriously secretive and communicate only through human envoys. Traders and passers-by are allowed within their space, but are always accompanied by a naval escort and are not allowed to roam free. No one outside the Shantri Protectorate has ever seen them. The Holst Dominion is the largest human power in the sector. Their navy is large and has extensive combat experience, having fought several wars of conquest over the past few decades. While some long for independence, the majority of their populations are quite willing to trade freedom to self-govern for security, stability and an increased standard of living. Rebel organisations do exist, but are resented by the majority of citizens even without the efforts of Holst propaganda. Enterprise and it's world Perseverance were named by focus groups in centuries past. While those names remain on official records, they are very rarely used outside of that capacity. They are usually referred to Enterp and Persev. Persev is a capitalist utopia or corporate hellscape, depending on who you ask. The major powers of the world are megacorporations involved in fierce competition and there is no central authority. If you want something developed or manufactured without being hampered by morality or ethics, you go to Persev. Just remember to bring your best lawyers and a whole lot of credits. The ships produced by Draken Shipyards are hailed as wonders of art and engineering. They are unsurpassed within the sector. The system remains steadfastly neutral, and is able to guarantee its independence by threat of sabotage of the shipyards. No invader would be able to capture the only prize worth fighting for in the system. Draken sells to anyone who can afford it, and it isn't unusual to see flagships of two hostile fleets bearing its insignia. Due to Draken's stubborn insistence that extradition would violate its neutrality, the world of Vasa is a known refuge to pirates and smugglers. The system is far from lawless - it simply does not consider anything outside of its jurisdiction to matter. More detailed information Caerleon
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May 6, 2016 22:29
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Music Few people seek to travel through the void. Space is cold and unforgiving. Space is food rations, recycled air and powerlessness in the face of sudden death. Those who choose this life often do so to seek glory in the black. Or they have no other choices left. Funny how often those are one and the same. You’ve settled, for now. Like it or not, you work for a corp and you do a dirty job. But someone’s got to do it, and you’d be lying to yourself if you said you’re not treated well. The job might be thankless, but your bosses aren’t. For every two weeks on station, you get a week planetside. You vaguely recall some corp drone delivering a presentation extolling the virtues of the company. You’ve been told research shows it’s “the optimal schedule to ensure the psychological wellbeing of employees in a challenging environment”. You didn’t pay much attention. You were busy evaluating your new colleagues. The corp likes to keep batches of recruits together. No doubt some well-paid shrink thought that up as well. Helps with retention rates or some poo poo. The cost and benefit lines intersect on a chart somewhere. It’s a strange bunch. Charitably. Freaks, more accurately. You didn’t know what to think. And yet it works. Maybe those shrinks get paid for a reason. You develop connections. You help each other through tough times. You feel like your eyes would roll out of your skull if you voiced the thought aloud, but you’re beginning to actually enjoy their company. There... were tough times. You miss the ones who are gone. Not everyone could take it. Two quit. One did something stupid. First day on the job, you’re all told not to look at inmate files. You didn’t know at the time why they bothered telling you that, you don’t have clearance anyway. But the poor bastard somehow got into the system. He spent all night reading. The next day he committed suicide. Walked into cell block C, opened a cell, went right in and handed the inmate a knife. That day you learned to listen to corp policy. It is 2300 station time, synched to Caerleon capital time. It’s the last hour of this rotation. All your personal belongings are already stowed on the shuttle. Your work for the day is all wrapped up. You’re in the canteen, celebrating. Or whatever passes for it up here, where anything stronger than coffee is contraband. But there’s a whole world of vice just a few hours’ shuttle ride away. You all boast about what you’ll do in your time off. Your turn. What will you do? Short social scene before things kick off Zeppelin Insanity fucked around with this message at 22:40 on May 6, 2016 |
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May 6, 2016 22:34
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Gen For the hundredth time, you wonder if the armature Citadel gave you has a dodgy voice synth or if those are artefacts of imperfect wetware-hardware integration. Your thoughts wander to New Caledonia. A week or shore leave isn't nearly enough to cover travel time to even nearby systems. Perhaps once your debt is paid off? More intriguing is that you haven't been able to find it on any charts. You try to remember charts from the old days. It should be... [Error: file corrupt]. Right. But you do have something. You have a decent sense of where it should be. Fragmentary memories don't give you coordinates, but you can work with them. You're reasonably sure that if you had enough money for a good navigator and a few weeks of their time, you could find your world again. Kieran You can't resist checking your pad. poo poo, you shouldn't have. Do they think something's up? No, people check their datapads all the time. You're fine. You're fine. You're fine. Breathe. You've had lots of time to be careful, so you get a +1 to the roll. +1 for security, +1 for int. Difficulty 8 as it's a max-security station after all. Ordinarily this should be more like a Computer check, but I think Security is fine in this instance, at least until you've had time to fiddle with your skills some more. Security program.: 2d6+1+1+1 8 Success! Oh. Oh, you're good. You managed to not only get the docking logs, but also piggybacked a request for flight plans on some routine status comms to the planetside mainframe. You're going to have to review the information in more detail when you're alone, but for the first time in a while you feel real hope. You know the shuttle that took your brother and when. Cross-referencing with that shuttle's flight plans will be a piece of cake. The trail is hotter than it has been for months. Emrys You're a precog. You know to listen to your instincts. There's more to them than regular biology. Unreal sensory stimuli flash through your mind. Explosion. Gunfire. Vacuum. "Emrys? You alright?" You snap back to reality. You decide you'd rather not die today. You have to act. But how? Since Emrys is a precog, he gets a chance to warn you guys. You can carry on as usual until he posts, your characters don't notice anything. I also forgot I was going to do something about bad stat rolls. Check other thread.
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May 7, 2016 07:11
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Emrys has been quiet and pale for the last minute or so. He seems to regain his composure. "We're in serious danger. Something's going to happen in the next few minutes. I don't know what, but I know lots of people will die." You're carrying whatever the situation calls for, the rest of your gear is in the shuttle, so you don't have to worry about leaving anything behind.
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May 8, 2016 07:15
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A short burst of sirens informs everyone of the emergency, then shuts off to prevent distraction. A synth voice calmly recites "Standard emergency procedures engaged." Blast doors slam closed throughout the station. The cell-blocks are vented of atmosphere, isolating the inmates in their cells. The next few seconds are filled with a flurry of comm traffic. Then you feel the station shudder and the synth voice returns. "Warning. Hull breach detected. Hull breach contained. Hull breach detected. Hull breach contained. Multiple hull breaches. Radiological alert. Hull breaches contained. Radiological alert." Your quick reactions certainly made a difference. The problem is, even prison stations aren't build to withstand outside intrusion. The cost to achieve that is so prohibitive that only major military installation justify it. Bitterhold relies on a no-fly zone, automated weapon emplacements and nearby patrols. These don't seem to have detected any threat. There is plenty of non-lethal riot gear on station, but not nearly enough heavier-grade hardware to equip all the security teams. You can't save everyone. But you can make a difference. Gen As you focus your mind on the situation at hand, there's something more. It's like your armature knows what to do without having to be explicitly commanded, but it isn't contrary to what you want - more like the armature does it as you think it, rather than after. code:For the first time, you know with certainty that Citadel really did hook you up with a military model, not the rent-a-cop version. You call up the station map. Hull breaches occurred in 5 spots. Collating reports of security team engagements and blast door failures, a pattern emerges. Your tactical subroutines draw conclusions based on limited data. code:
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May 8, 2016 12:09
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music Gen Whatever the situation, it is reassuring to see your colleagues logging into your private comm grid. They might not be soldiers, but they're not panicking and they trust you. Computer/int, difficulty 6 (generally if it's a skill roll it will mostly be 6, unless it's very difficult) Access camera network: 9 Success! You quickly look through the footage. Shuttle bay seems normal. Empty save for a few panicked techs who were running pre-flight checks on your shuttle. Cell block D. Nothing in the spaces in-between cells. Atmo has been vented to isolate prisoners. One of the cameras faces a heavy duty blast door, and as you watch the dark metal surface suddenly erupts in sparks. Cutting torch. You open the feeds of cameras inside the cells. Most inmates act like you would expect - freaked out. One doesn't. Nervous, but less so than others. He keeps checking the clock in his cell. Clearly he's the one they're after. You log the cell number and save files for facial recognition. You can't access inmate records now, they're kept off-station for security reasons, but it's bound to come in useful if you survive through this. You switch to security central. Several people pointing guns at each other. You can't get sound and don't have a good enough angle for lip reading, but you can clearly see they're arguing. It's a classic stand-off. You won't be hearing from them until it's resolved. There don't appear to be any riot-control measures that would be useful in this situation. There is little need for them. Inmates tend to be rather well behaved when they know you can selectively vent their cell at will. When that threat is overkill, the station relies on security teams in riot gear. You turn your attention to what comm traffic there is. It's a complete mess and a human couldn't make sense of it. A regular human, that is. You effortlessly sort overlapping communications into separate threads. Most tell the same story. Outgunned, falling back, heavy losses. Security teams are mostly equipped with non-lethal weaponry, and only some carry side arms. One thread catches your attention in particular. quote:Team, uh... 6? 6-2? Chatham, I really want to hear your loving tincan voice right now! This is team 5-4. Team lead down. We have no response from central and we're in deep poo poo. They're geared up. Non-lethal bounces right off. We can't hold them!" You seem to be the only one keeping your wits about you. You don't have rank, but that's got to count for something. You can do a leadership/charisma, difficulty 6 to get them to snap out of it, then tactics/intelligence to assume command and direct them. Difficulty 6 for that one team, or you could try for a difficulty 9 to direct every team. Co-ordinating them will take a lot of processing power, and give you -2 to all other rolls for the duration of this encounter, but it will allow you to focus on two objectives rather than one. Sunshine I think wisdom is a better roll for perception, particularly in those situations, but it stands. Most skill checks like that will be difficulty 6 - if it's easier than that, you don't need a check. Your hands are shaking and your mind can't focus. There's too much adrenaline. Emrys, beside you only says "I think they want to blow the station. We need to get out. Soon." You have flashbacks to the Hallelujah. But you don't let that take away your hope. You survived that, so you'll survive this. There's no scrape Sunshine Raenoar can't fly free of. Kieran Computer/int, difficulty 6 Check flight plans: 2d6+1+1 12 Success! You can't find anything useful in the flight logs, but you manage to get access to the internal auto-turret operating feeds. You cross-reference recognised IFF codes with timestamps of when the turrets would have seen the boarders. You figure out the common thread: the intruders seem to be using IFF codes from a batch went live two days ago. Perception/wis check to draw further conclusions Perception check to think clearly: 2d6 6 Success! IFF codes from a new batch. That helps you narrow things down, and you make sure to relay the information to Chatham. He can use the specific codes you've checked to track some of the hostile movement. It isn't foolproof, though. There could be plenty of friendlies using codes from the same batch. You can't use it predictively, can't be sure you got all the hostiles tagged, and can't flag the new batch as invalid without endangering a lot of people. Your mind draws parallels with hits you've planned and you realise something. They wouldn't be relying on the shuttles as their escape route. If they were an option, they would have used them for entry rather than breaching the hull. They're going for the shuttle bay because they don't want any witnesses. Zeppelin Insanity fucked around with this message at 21:35 on May 8, 2016 |
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May 8, 2016 21:29
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You make your way to the shuttle bay. Although the intruders should still be some distance away and engaged, you're not taking any chances. Proceeding slowly, it takes you a few minutes. The shuttle bay is defensible, but there are few of you and much to do. The more you do, the fewer guns there will be to set up a defensive perimeter. This will be split into rounds/actions, to account for the limited time you have before the intruders get here. One skill check will count for one round/action. You'll also need to succeed one difficulty 6 leadership/cha to stop the deck crew from taking off as soon as possible. Two actions, no skill checks, to set up all the crates lying around as useful cover. You have two rounds before the boarders get here, one until team 5-4 arrives with wounded. Feel free to roll your skills and describe what happens based on the result, you don't have to wait for me. If hectorgey doesn't come back, you can order Emrys around for now. Sunshine Three shuttles. One fuelled up and ready to go, just need a few minutes for the startup procedure. One is partially disassembled, undergoing maintenance. The third you've worked on today. It had a number of technical issues, but you think you might be able to get it flight-worthy, just about. It won't be easy, though. You visualise the internal layout. Those shuttles are built to carry 6 people in relative comfort. Same chairs can serve as restraints for transporting prisoners. If you pack the shuttles with standing people, you would be able to fit up to 12 if they don't wear vacc suits. Any real burn will likely end up in bruises or broken bones, but that's better than being left for dead. It will take you one round to go through the start-up procedure on the shuttle that's in best shape. You can also try to repair the other one - it will take two successes for tech:astronuatic/intelligence at difficulty 9. You could also get creative - I'm open to suggestions. Ellard There will be wounded and there will be dying. Maybe you can save some of them. A grimmer thought enters your mind. You have limited space on the shuttles and there will only be time for one run. Triage is not a pleasant word. Difficulty 6 tech:medical/wis (I think wis is better for dealing with stressful situations, but let me know if you disagree) to set up a field trauma centre. One set up and once wounded arrive, you'll be able to treat them - one skill check for triage, one per person for emergency treatment. Kieran and Cara I haven't come up with anything unique for you yet. You can help out with whatever else, or do something I haven't considered if you have an idea. Gen These rolls take place before the round counting begins Difficulty 6 computer/int Tampering with atmosphere: 2d6 2 code:"Thank loving Christ, Chatham, it's good to hear you. We're currently engaged in a fighting retreat towards the shuttle bay, ETA 5 minutes. Two dead, one critical, two wounded, three in good shape. Estimate 5 hostiles." Difficulty 9 tactics/int Assuming direct control: 2d6+1 5 You try to co-ordinate tactical retreats, counter-attacks and ambushes throughout the station, but even with your guidance, the security teams are hopelessly outmatched. With casualties quickly mounting, you abandon attempts to slow down the intruders and focus on getting as many people as you can to the shuttle bay. You don't let emotions cloud your judgement. You have cold, hard numbers in front of you. There are more survivors than you have any hope of evacuating, not to mention all the inmates. What do you do?
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May 9, 2016 08:27
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Team 5-4 stumbles into the hangar. They're in bad shape, but you all breathe a sigh of relief. More guns, and possibly more lives saved. The three able members quickly assume defensive positions. The wounded give them their spare ammo and head for Ellard's triage centre. The acting team lead confers with Gen, who automatically relays the information to you. (I assume! If Gen filters things for morale reasons, feel free to say so.) "Good god, Gen. We weren't prepared for this. They will show up any minute. Only reason we made it here is because they're taking the time to plant demo charges on structural components as they go." He smiles sheepishly. "I always thought I wanted to go out fighting, but..." his voice trails off awkwardly. At the same time, Gen receives another communication which he also relays to you (again, I assume, tell me if it's not the case). "Chatham, you magnificent bastard, I see what you're doing there. This is Gibson up in Control. Station chief is dead. He was with them. Tried to get us to stand down. Things got messy. We're locked out of most functions by command override, but between me and Alex we've been able to circumvent a few protocols. I've sent out a distress signal - can you believe that poo poo's not automated? Security reasons my rear end. I've patched you into the channel we're expecting a response on. I'm also sending you a full data dump, all the station logs for the past few days. Maybe there's something useful there. I'm doing all I can to isolate the cell blocks. Hopefully that will be enough so that at least some of the inmates survive. Most of them might be scum, but no one deserves to die like this. Now the bad news. The bastards will be here soon. We've barricaded ourselves in and sealed the door, but that won't stop them for long. If they've got the override codes, they're going to vent atmo from the hangar. You're all going to have to put on suits, quick, or do... well, something." Gen Difficulty 6 Leadership/cha Calming the techs down: 2d6-1 5 The techs start to protest, but one gets them on your side. "You see her there? That's Cara. She's never hung a working man out to dry. If they're getting off the station, so are we." They're still too shaken up to focus and be useful, but at least they won't get in your way. Since the roll failed, they're not going to be useful, but because of Cara also won't do anything stupid. You review all the camera footage you can get of the boarders, both the chaos of combat footage and the relative calm of their work in breaking out their prisoner. Your pattern matching and tactical analysis subroutines get to work.  code:HP: 6 Saving Throw 14+ Attack Bonus +4 Movement 30’ Damage Void Carbine 2d6 Morale 9 Skill Bonus +2 They're now setting up to get through the cell door. You imagine you don't want to be on the station when they find it's time to leave. Emrys puts a hand on your shoulder. "Sunshine's got a good idea, but there's no time. Unless I delay them. It was good working with you. I'll... figure something out." Since hectorgrey hasn't come back, I'm writing Emrys out. If he comes back, he might have found some miracle way off. You've still got security teams heading your way. With any luck, they'll hit them in the back while they're engaged with you and you can save more lives. Ellard The three wounded security team members rush to your improvised trauma centre. One of them immediately collapses, the other two are bleeding profusely. Gunshot wounds. You've dealt with them before. Can you save them all, or will you have to make the dreadful choice? You need one med/int (normally wis, but this is what you do, and you've already overcome the stress barrier) roll to stabilise each of the security team members. One of difficulty 6, one is difficulty 9 and one is difficulty 12. Every round after the first you will get a cumulative -1 due to their deteriorating condition and you having to work quickly. Others can help you. Cara The shuttle is a mess of half-finished maintenance. It takes you a few minutes to orient yourself and get to work. Still needs two successes at difficulty 9. Kieran You're under time pressure, you can only do one of the three things at a time - the turrets, the fire suppression or rigging the hallway to be flammable. Since Sunshine is about to close the door, I'll take it you're going to make the hall flammable first. The skill checks you've made will count as successes on next rounds, but you can change your mind and do something else if you wish. You can't control the turrets, but you can hack them to operate in manual mode. There are two in the hangar and one in the corridor outside. Any one of you will be able to use them through your data pads with Gunnery/Int or Dex instead of doing any other action. They are equipped with an auto variant of a void carbine (2d6+2, +2 to hit) and don't need to be reloaded. Sunshine There's only one way in and you manage to jam it closed and fry the circuitry. Turns out that if you're good at fixing things, you're also good at breaking them. It won't stop them completely, but it will definitely buy you time. The door being stuck closed and Emrys' delaying action will delay them for another round. You still have two rounds until they arrive. Gen's request to be strapped to the outside gives you an idea. You've seen it in space commandos do it in Incident at Station Zero. It doesn't have to be an armature - anyone with a vacc suit can survive on the outside of the shuttle! They'll have to stay away from the thrusters, and you'd have to fly gently, but if the need calls for it... Well, you're a hotshot pilot, aren't you? If you run out of seats, anyone Gen and anyone with a vacc suit can stick to the outside of the shuttles. Every person on the outside will give a -1 to the piloting check to get out of there unscathed. Overview You have two turns until the intruders engage you. In four turns you will get additional reinforcements and evacuees. In 6 turns you want to be off the station. The shuttle in good condition needs one action to go through the start-up procedure, no skill check required. The damaged shuttle needs two successful difficulty 9 astronautic/int checks. You can use two actions, no skill check required, to set up cover, giving you a -1 bonus to AC. In two turns the boarders will vent atmosphere from the hangar unless you do something about it, with either postech or computers. Difficulty 6, but it will take an action. Each shuttle has room for 6 sitting or 12 standing, for a total of 24 inside if you can get both running. There are 5 of you. There are 8 misc. deck crew and other people who made it to the shuttle bay to be evacuated before you got here. There are 3 wounded security team members and 3 in good shape. In four turns, 6 people will arrive, and in five turns, another 7. That's all that can make it in time. The last batch won't have time to put on vacc suits. Everyone else can if you like, as there's plenty in the hangar bay. What do you do? Zeppelin Insanity fucked around with this message at 07:30 on May 10, 2016 |
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May 10, 2016 06:42
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Sure, if you want to use it. That will knock down the difficulty to a standard 6 - lazarus patches just stabilise someone and prevent imminent, not put them in any condition to do, well, anything. I'm thinking of it in terms of stabilising him enough to survive evac. Medkit and getting the triage station set up won't give you bonuses in this instance except for being able to use int (+1) rather than wis (+0) since you've got a handle on the situation.
Zeppelin Insanity fucked around with this message at 16:37 on May 10, 2016 |
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May 10, 2016 08:53
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One thing at a time! Yeah, you could feasibly do both, but this is a resource allocation challenge.  Which do you prioritise? The techs are not getting in the way, they're just kind of direction-less at the moment. Giving them proper guidance will take an action. Both rolls succeed, so pick whichever one you've done and you can automatically succeed on the other one next round if you like.
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May 10, 2016 18:41
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Things are starting to take shape. The security team scrambles to set up cover. The wounded are being stabilised. The techs have finally snapped out of their shock. You're starting to feel more than hope. Confidence? At the very least the conviction that if you're going to die today, you'll make the fuckers pay for it dearly. The super hot flame of a cutting torch peeks through the metal of the hangar door. Your spirits don't fall. There's still work to do, but you're as ready as you can be to repel the boarders. To keep your spirits high, Gen rebroadcasts the transmission he just received. "CIS Bitterhold, this is captain Evans of the Eagle Patrol Ship Raptor. Received distress call. Calculated most efficient rendezvous vectors, attached. We're approaching on full burn. If vector followed, rendezvous at T minus 63 minutes. Further S&R responders behind us. Can you give us an updated sitrep?" Gen Difficulty 6 Athletics/Dex (-1, +1) Climbing: 2d6 11 There is no walkway or gantry above the door. That won't stop you. Just means your angle of attack will be even more unexpected. You effortlessly climb up and wedge yourself in the angle between the wall and ceiling. You take manual control of the turret in the corridor. They're professionals, and it's likely you'll only get a few seconds from when you first twitch the barrel to when the turret is slag. So you'll make them count. Climbing was one action, and taking control of the turret doesn't count as a second one. Using it will. I presume you want to do some damage before the fighting starts, let me know if you'd rather wait and use the turret after they get through the door. Reminder: 5 enemies, AC2, 6 HP each. Combat rules are on page 60 of the rulebook, but in summary: d20+target AC+relevant bonuses. 20 and over is a success. Natural 20s always hit, natural 1s always miss. Roll and describe what happens! Remember, you get +2 to hit for auto fire, and +2 damage after you hit. You also get +1 to hit for the element of surprise. The turret's weapon is 2d6 damage (+2 for auto). In this instance, due to the element of surprise, if you do enough damage to kill a target, you can do the rest of the damage to the next, but have to roll to hit again. If you get a monster of a damage roll, you can go on to the third target, rolling to hit again. Cara That seems to have done the trick. One of them immediately pipes up and continues your momentum. "You heard the ladies, gentlemen! Suit up and get to work. David, you're with me on the shuttle. Rest of you, see if you can fry the life support circuitry and prevent them from venting us. Cara, what do you need on the shuttle?" If you use your previous roll for repairing the shuttle as your second action, you will have spent all your actions before boarders show up. You'll still need a second success after the fighting starts, but with the techs helping you it will be an automatic success, just an action. Techs roll difficulty 9 Mess with life support: 2d6+1 7 - fail. They still get one more try before the atmo starts venting. You could run over and help them out to guarantee success, but then you're not spending that action on the shuttle. Sunshine The shuttle comes to life with a soft hum and a gentle vibration under your fingertips, barely perceptible through the suit gloves. For you, it's the best feeling in the world. You still have one more action before the fighting starts! You can go do whatever, or if you feel it's more in character, you can stay in the shuttle and tweak the settings to compensate for higher than normal load. That will be an automatic success, and give you a +1 to the piloting check to get out unscathed. Ellard The more you work, the more confidence you feel. Instincts and muscle memory take over. This is what you were meant to do. You feel an intense sense of purpose and fulfilment saving these men's lives. As soon as you stabilise them, you direct them to Sunshine's shuttle and tell them to strap in as best they can while taking up as little space as possible. They're not in fighting condition, and this will get them out from under anyone's feet. When more arrive, you'll all have to board fast. You've used the two actions before boarders breach the door, and one for the first round of combat. Kieran You thought about spraying the hall with shuttle fuel, but the techs were in too much disarray to help. Checking the fuel stores, you quickly abandon the idea of doing it yourself. In space, mass and volume are your enemies, even nowadays. This means fuel has to have immense energy density, and there are compromises made to achieve that. You begin to see why someone felt the need to come up with the innocuous marketing name Sparklite. The amount of warning symbols makes your head spin. Flammable and explosive, obviously. Volatile. Corrosive. Toxic fumes. Carcinogenic. It goes on like that. You'd rather not handle it without proper training and protective equipment. You turn to what you're best at - making computer systems do things they're not meant to do. The turret security protocols are hardcoded and there's no way you can get them to fire on friendly IFF codes, but through a series of minor error-causing attacks you get the turrets to default to a failsafe manual mode. You send the codes to everyone's compads, then proceed to take control of the fire suppression system. You can use the fire suppression system to help Gen out with the element of surprise, giving him two attack rolls in one round before the door is breached, or use them after they've breached giving the boarders -1 to hit and +1 to AC (plus to AC being bad, remember) throughout the engagement. Overview One turn before intruders breach. One turn before atmosphere is vented. Techs have one more chance at a roll. Security team uses all their actions to set up cover. You get -1 AC throughout the engagement. Gen has one action left to do some damage before the fighting starts. Kieran has one action left, which he can use to help out Gen or so something else. Sunshine has one action. Cara and Ellard have spent their actions if they don't change their minds. Zeppelin Insanity fucked around with this message at 13:39 on May 11, 2016 |
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May 11, 2016 07:19
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Ellard Forgot to mention. You've saved a life! You can cash in the goal for 200 xp or hold on until you save a PC life, which I'll give you 500 for.
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May 11, 2016 09:42
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music Difficulty 9 Techs messing with life support: 2d6+1 11 Success! Just before the cutting torch finishes tracing the outlane of an entrance, the techs triumphantly shout over the comm channel. "Life support circuitry wrecked! No way they can do anything remotely now." Then it's pandemonium. You're all expecting it, so you turn away until after the flash and chaff grenades have detonated. It only buys them enough time to get through the door and fan out - and Kieran hits them with the full might of the station's fire suppression systems. The combat hardsuits' joints visibly frost over, immediately changing the intruders' movement from practised and effortless to awkward. They weren't expecting this much organised resistance. Everything was easy up to this point. They're caught off guard. Instead of rolling initiative, all of you get to act first. Due to the fire suppression trick, they get +1 to AC and -1 to hit. The able members of the security team open fire with their pistols. Security 1 vs hostile 1: 1d20+3+1 21 Hit! Security 1 damage: 1d8 6 Hostile 1 down! Security 2 vs Hostile 2: 1d20+3+1 23 Hit! Security 2 damage: 1d8 7 Hostile 2 down! Security 3 vs hostile: 1d20+3+1 7 Miss! With good leadership, motivation, their backs against the wall and engagement stacked in their favour, the security guards prove extremely effective. A flurry of pistol rounds hits their targets and enough of them get through the armour to drop two hostiles. Three left. Dang, your buddies turned out to be pretty badass. Looks like you got this. Gen So much for the turret. Not like it would be any more useful now there's no LOS. You take a moment to check on the progress of the boarders in cell block D. Seems they've extracted the inmate, suited him up and are heading towards one of their initial breaching points. You note that a few are missing the bulky backpacks you first saw them with. Those must be low-yield tactical nukes they brought on-board to guarantee destruction of the station. You don't have much time. "Chatham, Raptor. Acknowledged. Be advised your no-fly zone still appears operational. Engaging automated emplacements to clear path for S&R. Infirmary stands ready to receive wounded. Godspeed." Your plan worked. You're in a perfect position and they have no idea you're there. You now have the choice: engage them with your integrated rifle, or drop down in-between them and engage in hand to hand, causing even more disarray? If you go the hand to hand route, I'll give you the first hit without rolling to hit, due to the circumstances. Ellard You're finishing treating the last wounded person right as the gunfire starts. You pack up your tools - there'll be no time to treat people until you're on the shuttle. You've spent your action for the first round of combat already, but you get to fight back next round. Sunshine These are only light shuttles, and going overweight makes them handle like a pregnant whale. You're not entirely sure what the common expression means. Thankfully, you've got some tricks up your sleeve. Change the fuel burn rate here, adjust throttle sensitivity there, adjust gyro-stabilisers... You're ready. With that done, you turn your attention to the fight and take manual control of one of the turrets. You've got a combat action. Kieran It worked better than you could have hoped. With finite oxygen supply, stations take fire danger very seriously, it seems. You've squeezed into a vacc suit just in case the techs didn't manage to prevent atmo venting. You're not used to being in a vacc suit and you find it awkward. Still, better safe than sorry. You consider your next move. Since you lack spacer background or exosuit skill, you have a -2 to hit rolls and skill checks that require movement. It will count for turret control too, as you're not used to operating comm pads through suit gloves either. Cara With the techs's help, you accomplish the repairs in record time. Sure, you've probably broken every regulation pertaining to maintenance there is. Overloaded systems, disabled fail-safes, a hundred hacked-together workarounds. The shuttle systems likely won't survive more than about an hour. Thankfully, you don't need them to. Instead of coming on with a gentle hum, the drives sputter as if sick. She'll fly. You've used your action for the first combat round, but you can act next turn. Overview 2 hostiles down, 3 to go. You have two turrets that can be controlled with gunnery/dex or int (justify either choice). 2d6+2dmg, +2 to hit. The intruders are hampered by the fire suppression system. They suffer -1 to hit and +1 AC. You've set up cover. You get -1 AC throughout the engagement, except Gen who is out above and behind the hostiles. In two turns, 6 more evacuees will arrive. In three turns, 7 more will arrive. In four turns, you want to be off the station. You have first go in initiative. Gen, Kieran and Sunshine can act. Zeppelin Insanity fucked around with this message at 13:01 on May 12, 2016 |
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May 12, 2016 09:34
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[Hostile 3] expertly uses the momentum of your blow to roll away, then in one smooth motion discards their carbine, spins to face you and with a flick of both wrists extends the suit's integrated monoblades. He or she seems to consider you for a split second, the painted skull on the visor empty-socketed and impassive. Then they charge! Ordinarily I would roll morale here, but these people are in the process of breaking into a max security prison and busting someone out, with their plan involving the deaths of hundreds of people. They know if they surrender, they won't live long.
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May 12, 2016 19:17
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Mu, yep, you've got the rolls correct. L0cke, not quite - the +2 is for the AC rather than for it being a turret. But the end result is exactly the same. Gen [Hostile 3] comes at you with a fury and is cut down before he covers half the distance between you. That's that then. Enemy turn Hostile 5 to hit security team 2: 1d20+7+4-1 30 Hit! Hostile 5 damage: 2d6 2 The last hostile opens fire and hits one of the security team members in the chest. They'll require medical attention during the shuttle ride, but they're still in the fight. Overview One hostile left. One turn until more evacuees arrive. Two turns until even more arrive. Three until you have to be gone. Everyone has actions now. I'm assuming you'll have no trouble with the last hostile, so once that's done feel free to RP all the way to you guys leaving just as the rest of the boarders extract. Decide how to allocate the shuttle space. You've managed to save everyone you could in this situation, so there'll be 32 people. The shuttles can take 12 each inside. Every person strapped to the outside will be a -1 to the piloting/dex roll you need to get out of here unscathed. The difficulty will be 6. Sunshine's shuttle has been calibrated and gets a +1. You can leave people behind if you are mean, but XP will be awarded based on how many people you save. Zeppelin Insanity fucked around with this message at 00:27 on May 13, 2016 |
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May 13, 2016 00:21
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It's viable. You could attach it to the other two shuttles with improvised tow cables, or come up with another idea I haven't thought of. If you go the tow cable route, the piloting check will only be a -2, still difficulty 6. However, with the shuttles tethered together, if one pilot fails, both will suffer consequences. E: forgot to mention: remember, their AC is 3, not 2 at the moment, thanks to Kieran's fire suppression trick. There's no criticals in the system, either success or failure. Combat is deadly enough anyway, as you've just seen some basic dudes with pistols kill enemies in some of the best armour in the game. Which, hopefully, demonstrates how big of a deal getting a first go in initiative/preparing for a fight can be. With that said about criticals not being a mechanic in the system, on a natural 1 or 20 I might go for something like it if it's narratively appropriate. Zeppelin Insanity fucked around with this message at 13:24 on May 13, 2016 |
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May 13, 2016 06:07
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The last hostile falls to the crossfire as more evacuees, led by two security team members arrive in the bay. They form up and follow your directions smoothly. It seems a reasonable, if grim, conclusion that the only ones who made it are the ones with their wits about them. It's time to get off this station. Moving things along before I go to sleep, and it was a foregone conclusion that he'd go down soon anyway. You can grab their carbines if you like - but it's likely that they will be confiscated as evidence. Of course, you could hide them and not turn them over. The armour is heavily damaged from the firefight - but you could probably cannibalise three suits to make one that's fully functional. You can't do that in this situation, obviously, and you'll have to take the bodies. They will each take a space like a person on the shuttle, but if you want to pack them in with people then you'll have to convince them with a dif. 6 leadership. If you strap them to the outside of the non-functional shuttle, it won't affect your piloting checks, but it is quite morbid. Vaccuum exposure will render the bodies unidentifiable, and someone planetside might be able to identify them otherwise.
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May 14, 2016 23:48
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Reminder: Expert class ability lets them re-roll one check per hour.
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May 15, 2016 21:56
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Since Gen was taking the bodies and none of you objected, I'll take the liberty of rolling the leadership check for him. You'll want to decide amongst yourselves how much you turn in and how much you keep for yourself. Take bodies: 2d6-1 6 Success! Convincing a bunch of shell-shocked survivors to ride in a shuttle with the dead bodies of the men responsible for the death of their comrades was quite the challenge. Gen, however, was up to the task. That the survivors owed their life to his leadership couldn't have hurt. The emotionless robotic voice was oddly soothing as it calmly explained that the best way to get justice is to have as much evidence as possible. With the atmosphere purged, gravity turned off and bay doors open, the tethered shuttles take off. It's a challenging and bumpy ride at first, the shuttles overweight and ungainly - add significant mass on tethers and you have a recipe for disaster. Soon, however, you're underway at modest burn, having gained distance from the station. Sunshine is a born pilot, Cara isn't far behind, and Kieran seems to have a knack - or luck. Things settle and get easier. You watch on the view screens as the station breaks apart. It's undramatic. No sound. No fireball. Just a few small flashes. That lack of fanfare makes it sadder, somehow. Ellard expertly tends to the wounded as best he can in the cramped conditions. Everyone who was in bad shape has been stabilised before the flight, and this is as much about psychological comfort as it is about any medical need. Gen's systems, running at full efficiency for the last half hour (God, has it been that little time?) now slowly wind down. It's a feeling uncannily like the the half-remembered memories of exhaustion after an adrenaline rush. Cooling fins deploy from his carapace to assist cooling and glow a dull, fading red. Despite the cramped conditions, it doesn't bother anyone. They're wearing vacc suits anyway, just in case, and one can't begrudge a hero some overheating. You're in constant communication with the Raptor. You'll rendezvous in about 30 minutes. There's another patrol cutter and a hospital ship an hour behind. You're safe. You can RP a social scene while you wait for rendezvous. When you're ready to time skip ahead, let me know. We are nearing the end of the first adventure. You've done very well. You get 35xp for each person saved, for a whopping of 1,120. That's quite a lot, but I won't begrudge you managing to save more people than I expected! I'll add it to your sheets when I wake up, or you can do it yourself. Kieran gets another 100 for his short term goal of getting off the station. You can replace it with a new goal. I'd like to ask you all for feedback. I'm new to this, so it would be greatly appreciated. Zeppelin Insanity fucked around with this message at 23:38 on May 15, 2016 |
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May 15, 2016 23:16
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code:You set to analysing whatever you can find. Both the armour and weapons are from companies based on Persev. poo poo. They're famous for their discretion. Still, you note serial numbers just in case. Looking up the spec sheets of their loadout makes your head spin. One of those suits is more than your yearly salary, and you're paid well. Hell, one of those suits costs more than Gen. Or his current body, at least. You poke around the computer systems, but there's nothing. Not even basic operating protocols. One of the suit's advertised features is that all memory banks are immediately wiped when user life signs cease. It is information, of a sort. It tells you that whoever did this has cash and knows their stuff. The hostiles had military training and combat experience. That they didn't surrender implies their families are extremely well paid if they die, or that they're ideologically committed. That they didn't talk, didn't taunt, didn't tell you to surrender, didn't let a single word slip means they're professionals at black ops. That wasn't an opportunistic band of raiders. They had a specific mission, and they were laser-focused on that. You remember what Gibson said. The station commander was one of them, or in their pocket. Convinced? Paid? Family threatened? You don't have enough data to draw any conclusions.
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May 16, 2016 07:40
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The rendezvous is blissfully uneventful. You send a report to CID over an encrypted connection, and turn in physical evidence with the notable exception of one carbine. All the evacuees are transferred to the hospital ship you met up with 20 minutes later. On your way planetside, the crew let you listen in on rescue operations. You weren't the only survivors. Many of the cells were sturdy and isolated enough to withstand the damage. Only a handful of station crew managed to live. No names you recognise. You're now in the office of Citadel's Caerleon System Executive, Mr someone or other. Takata, maybe? You always thought of him as an immaculately tailored suit hung on a polished PR robot, all quick smiles, polished mannerisms, bland inoffensive jokes and firm handshakes. The man you see is not him. It's someone else wearing his skin. Before you is a broken man, slumped in a plush executive chair. His clothes are rumpled, the suit jacket discarded on the floor.The glow of the screens gives his clammy skin a ghastly look. A faint smell of stimulant mist lingers in the air. A distinctive, sleek, dark green packet peeks out from between the mess of papers on his luxurious synthwood desk. You recognise it. The marketers have done a good job in designing the packet. The trade name is Focus. The street name is Pocket Psychos. Short-term, increases intelligence and logical ability while suppressing emotional response. A favourite of thieves, killers and board members. When you entered, he rose to greet you. He walked out in front of his big executive you're-on-the-other-side desk. Looked each of you in the eyes for a long moment, shook your hands and greeted you by name. It's not impressive, he had hours to look up your files and it's the first trick in the PR book. Something about it feels more sincere than it otherwise would be, though. In the corner of the room is a man and a woman, in business casual so precisely fashionable as to be entirely unremarkable and forgettable. They don't introduce themselves, but they acknowledge you with a nod of the head and a polite smile. If you didn't know they were spooks, they could be anyone from middle-management to bodyguards, or even random passers by on the streets of wealthier districts. Now, behind his desk Mr... Takeda? begins to speak. "I hope you realise it's not corpospeak bullshit when I say you're loving heroes. A few more people like you and we wouldn't be in this shitstorm." He glances at the woman in the room, then pauses for a few seconds, gathering himsef. "So this isn't something I want to do. But keeping you on has become... legally and politically challenging. Your contract with Citadel Incorporated is terminated. In fact, if you check records you'll find that you've been fired between two and fourth months ago. Three times the standard severance package is now in your accounts. I'm sorry to see you go, but we're up poo poo creek and this is the only paddle I can give you." Before you can respond, the woman walks over to the centre of the room. "Agent Voight, Intelligence. I'm in charge of the investigation of this incident. I won't bother saying that we expect your full cooperation, yadda yadda. Actually, we don't need it. My colleague here is a forensic empath, and has already captured all the relevant information from your concious and subconcious. As for any side activities any of you may or may not have had, we don't care. We're Intelligence, not cops. This breach is all we are investigating. Long story short, if you want revenge, I can give it to you. If you want to make yourselves useful, get some sleep and come to my office at CID HQ tomorrow at 16:00. Otherwise, don't get in the way. Any questions? Before you ask, anything related to the case is classified and need to know. You don't need to know." You can get involved, or not. As I was keen to emphasise, this is a sandboxy game and sandboxy campaign, so don't feel railroaded into a questline. If you want to go off and pursue your own agendas, go right ahead! You also all get 3000 credits. Zeppelin Insanity fucked around with this message at 17:28 on May 18, 2016 |
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May 18, 2016 17:24
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The gear is a dead end, Persev companies prize discretion. They would never say anything about a client. CID is not likely to give you any information before you commit, but they have a decent idea of what's going on. In OOC terms, this storyline is going to be a bit about intrigue/dirty politics if you choose to engage with it. But you can go off and do something else!
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May 19, 2016 11:43
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If you'll get involved with the spooks, that will be the next afternoon. You can assume Citadel will put you up in a hotel and you're free until then. Feel free to RP whatever you want, and let me know when you're ready to timeskip ahead (or, you know, do something else). You can also go shopping. Anything TL4 or lower is a possibility, with the exclusion of serious hardware. Basically, as far as weaponry goes, sidearms and maaaaybe a rifle are the most that can be sold legally (illegally is another story). Similarly, no heavy armour. Now and in the future, I wholeheartedly encourage you guys to come up with items/vehicles/clothing/pieces of tech that aren't in the rulebook! We'll work out the stats and price together if relevant. Gen, I was thinking that maybe the debt is more than just the armature - that would be paid off by the 3k, and the other 2k are misc debts to various other creditors, if you want to keep that angle. If you want to just end up with no money and no debt, that's fine too. Ordinarily an AI character just gets an armature at char gen, doesn't have to be in debt, I assumed you chose it that way for RP reasons. Kieran, I'll write up what you've been able to find sifting through the logs sometime tomorrow.
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May 19, 2016 22:07
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Forgot to mention: since some of your characters mentioned gambling, feel free to go off and do that!
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May 19, 2016 23:01
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Ellard Now that you have access to the public net again, there's no shortage of data snoops vying for your custom. You have a lot of dough, and don't want to skimp so you settle for a highly rated local one. Barker Investigations. Real old school type, it seems. You arrange a meeting, and are surprised how quickly you find yourself face to face with the man. The office is small, but nice. The furnishings are tasteful and timeless. The computer hardware looks particularly expensive. The detective might be anachronistic in some ways, but there's no faux-noir affectation here. The man greets you with a friendly handshake. "Welcome! I'm Clement Barker, as I'm sure you've been able to piece together. I apologise for the wait - I pride myself on good customer service. Now, how may I help you, and how shall I call you? In this business many customers prefer not to give their real name." Kieran Cross-referencing the logs with data you've gathered previously takes a few hours of concentration in your hotel room. You keep reaching a conclusion that doesn't make sense. You keep verifying and re-checking the data, until you have to admit to yourself that you're correct. Your brother is no longer a prisoner. At least, not a prisoner held by Citadel. None of the records look tampered with. Nothing seems to have been removed. He was visited by a Dr. Drayton on Bitterhold. This much you already knew. Afterwards he was signed out of Bitterhold and flown to Citadel's HQ on Caerleon. That same day a shuttle took him to Persev. That's where the trail ends. Your eyes keep coming back to two words. Conditional Release. Cara and Sunshine Considering what happened just a few hours prior, you're surprisingly not fatigued. You got a few hours sleep on the way planetside, and now you feel the cash burning a hole in your pocket. Dawn is still a few hours away. Leaving Citadel's Caerleon HQ behind, you take a cab over to the spaceport. Most heavy goes through orbitals, but planetside is still busy enough to support plenty of bars. You're about to enter one of your favourite dives and gambling spots. What was its name again? Gen So, your body was now truly yours. It was a good feeling, no longer having creditors over your head. You were still broke, though, and far from being able to blend in. You didn't resent your appearance, however. If Citadel hadn't put you in a combat armature, a lot of people would now be dead. There was a complication, though. Being able to pass for human wasn't as simple as getting yourself a humanoid armature. Those are set up to accept regular AI cores, and you were a special case. That, and the connections were glitchy. Next order of business was to get that sorted out. Your best bet was to get in touch with the company Citadel used to get you to this stage and see if they can go further. A quick scan of your databanks reveals their name - Synthetic Insights - and contact details. Persev, of course. That's where all the high tech firms were. Whatever the process of transferring your conciousness would involve, it would certainly be expensive. I'll say you're now at 0 debt, but only got 500 credits in your account, if you think that's fair.
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May 20, 2016 22:54
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Ellard The man leans back in his chair with a faint smile of amusement. "Mr White, while I respect your attempt to test me, I am an investigator, not an encyclopedia. My skillset lies in finding information others keep hidden, not in knowing that which is easy to find." He pauses, looking you up and down. "All I know at the moment is what I can tell from your appearance here. Kibo fleet has wronged you in some way. Your vacc suit has elements which may be considered decorative or ceremonial, thus is not a commercial model. It was most likely manufactured by Kibo fleet, which would imply manufacturing capability. Nomad fleets tend to be insular and avoid relying on trade, preferring self-sufficiency. This is backed up by your presence here, because if Kibo maintained regular trade relations, their whereabouts would be common knowledge. This means that in addition to manufacturing, Kibo likely has mining and refining capabilities. All those are only cost-effective at a certain size. At the lower limit, I would put Kibo's population at 50,000, likely considerably more." "Now, Mr White, I assume you're looking for more than a location. My prices do not justify such a... limited scope. 100 credits a day, plus expenses, 500 up front. What, exactly, do you want to know?"
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May 21, 2016 10:12
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Sunshine, Cara, Gen - The Last Canyon You let the chatter wash over you. Sunshine's in her element, elbowing past patrons and exchanging greetings with, it seems like, half the bar. Cara recognises a few colleagues from unions, though most of the bar is space crew rather than local workers. Gen initially causes a commotion, but Sunshine quickly reassures everyone that he only looks like a police droid. Within minutes, he's accepted here like nowhere else, with people joking, laughing, slapping him on the back. Spacers are used to seeing weird things and accepting them without too much questioning. After the tragic events of Bitterhold, this is exactly what you all needed. It seems the news hasn't officially broken yet. All you can hear is the usual spacer gossip. A few ships' sensors may have picked up the detonation, and the crews immediately set about weaving tall tales. You learn that Bitterhold was sabotaged by some disgruntled workers, that it was hit by stray rounds from an engagement with the Holst navy, and the ghost of someone or other took their revenge. The booming baritone of the proprietor calls out "Sunshine, darling! It's been too long! Come to crash the card tables again, I take it? Oh, before I forget, Spider's running a high stakes game in two weeks. 10k buy-in. Thought you'd want to know. And who are your friends?" Gambling is a bit tricky. I think I'll do something like this when playing for cash. I'll roll a target number with a d20, then you roll 2d6+1 die per gambling skill level and try to come as close as possible. You can add, multiply, subtract or divide the numbers you get, but can't discard any. You can also add or subtract your wis/dex/int/cha modifier, but only one of those, and justify how (deft hand, counting cards, bluffing, figuring out the opponent's hand, something like that). If you hit the number, you get 30*stakes, and for every number away from target number you lose 10*stakes. Hopefully that makes sense. If you want to get straight to it, first Target number: 1d20 13 Stakes are whatever you want to bet. I also think it would be very fitting for your character to win a ship in a card game, so that's where the high stakes thread will lead. You'll need the buy-in first, though. Zeppelin Insanity fucked around with this message at 13:59 on May 21, 2016 |
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May 21, 2016 13:55
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I meant that if you have a gambling skill of 0, you get 2d6, gambling skill of 1 you get 3d6, etc. Then the attribute modifier is just a +1/-1, not 1d. If you have no gambling skill, I'd say 2d6 rather than 1d6 because that would be kind of pointless. Edit: Actually, let's make it 2d6 base, then for every level of skill it's +1d6, so at 0 it's 3d6, at 1 it's 4d6, etc. I think that makes more sense and doesn't render Sunshine's 0 level irrelevant. Sorry, bear with me! Zeppelin Insanity fucked around with this message at 19:21 on May 21, 2016 |
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May 21, 2016 18:27
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L0cke17 posted:Just posting to let you know, I'm super busy for the next like 2 weeks. I'm moving across the country, and may not post as often as I would like to, but itll settle out soon after that. I'll try to make a real post later today. Thanks for letting us know! Let me know if there's anything you want me to do with Kieran while you're gone other than just tagging along, and good luck with the move.
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May 22, 2016 18:35
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Gen Your tactical subroutines tag every firearm and other weapon your cameras got even a glimpse of, then set to monitor facial expressions and posture while building rudimentary psychological profiles. It's only paranoia if no one's out to get you, and given recent events, better safe than sorry. Everything seems as calm as a crowded spacer bar can be at the moment, but if anything starts brewing, you'll know. And if it does, well, you'll just get behind [object, medium density (aluminium?), use as cover] located 0.3 metres away and 63.2 degrees to your left, which will let you get your companions out through any of the [3] escape routes. Ellard "Very well, Mr White. I appreciate the challenge. Rest assured that your requirements are not an issue. I deal in information. A client's motives for obtaining it are none of my concern. I will keep you updated on my progress." Just like that, with a single handshake and credit transfer, you've set down the dark path of vengeance. They will rue the day, every last one of the bastards. Leaving the office, you feel different. Energised. The feeling of powerlessness is gone, replaced with a sense of agency and purpose. If your goals weren't grim, one might think there's a spring in your step. Primum non nocere? How childish. Life isn't so simple. Apocron posted:Keeping the contents of the envelope vague as a plot thread. Not sure if it contains a love letter or a strain of virus.  Zeppelin Insanity fucked around with this message at 00:02 on May 24, 2016 |
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May 23, 2016 23:45
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Ellard The suite is grand and luxurious, fit for a CEO. After the food is delivered, you take off the vacc-suit and enjoy the feeling of air and light on your skin. Seeing the different coloured spots on your skin momentarily terrifies you, but soon the kaleidoscope of sensations take your mind off it. The sound of music not muffled by membranes. The texture of everything you touch. The smell of unfiltered, scented air. The taste of finest delicacies and expensive champagne. You never thought you could enjoy those things so much. Looking towards the bed brings a pang. Her. The only piece missing from the picture. Your thoughts are a maelstrom, and she is the eye. Do you love her? Hate her, for being part of the ruling caste and standing idly by while you were sentenced and exiled? Both? It's difficult to say. That night, you dream of a hundred scenarios, all of them involving her. You speak, a tirade of words that pierces the stoicism of the tribe, admonishing the injustice and all who let it stand. She cries. She admits you're right, takes up your cause with a fervour that burns brighter than yours. She changes the social order. She upholds the status quo. She professes her love for you. She mocks you, a low caste believing himself above his station, a traitor endangering the tribe. She embraces you. You slice open her throat, the carotid artery spewing her blood over your hands. She sits by your side and laughs mirthfully. She looks at you coldly as she orders your execution. She gently caresses your skin. All this and more. Your mind conjures up a thousand ways of hurting the tribe, from minor to devastating. From pointed remarks to viral strains spread through the air filtration systems. Joyful, peaceful reconciliation and grim justice. It's the best night's sleep you've ever had. When you wake up, you feel utterly rested. For a while, there is no cough. Your skin does not itch. The spots are still there, but don't seem to stand out as much. Within hours, those symptoms return, but that period of bliss was worth every credit. The room was 1000 credits, and you've paid Barker 500 up front. I'll give you 100xp for the indulgence, very in-character. Zeppelin Insanity fucked around with this message at 11:16 on May 24, 2016 |
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May 24, 2016 11:10
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Moving things along, since Mu or platonic haven't posted in a while. Having spent the night in your chosen ways, and getting some rest in the early morning, you head towards your meeting with agent Voight. The headquarters of the Caerleon Intelligence Directorate are in a grim, brutalist building, clearly meant to evoke an image. An image involving interrogation cells stocked with tools and chemicals. Of course, it's far too civilised an age for that. Spooks like to project an image. Right? Past the facade, the building is like any other government office. Clear, tasteful, uninspired. You're issued with temporary passes and enter a meeting room, where you exchange greetings with agent Voight. "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for meeting me. I'm sure you're wondering why I invited you here. Why you have a chance to get involved. I'll be blunt. Politics. You're... expedient. Deniable. You won't be deputised or anything formal like that. You're not agents. You're not mercenaries. But perhaps a few credits from a slush fund might find their way to your accounts. And perhaps you'd like to have friends in government." "Some of you" - here she makes eye contact with Cara, then Kieran for a long second - "may find those friends quite useful." "I want to be perfectly clear. This is the point of no return. If I disclose information to you, you're in until this is done. So, how does revenge sound?"
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May 25, 2016 20:27
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The gun you picked up is a Void Carbine. It's in the core rulebook. As for the goal, I thought that one was all the way finding out what happened to your brother - you found out something, but the mystery is still there! If you like, you can cash it in for let's say... 100 xp, because it's still early, or wait until you've solved the whole thing and get more. Up to you. Music "Mr Chatham, much as I find your idealism refreshing, unfortunately we do not deal in justice here at CID. We deal in order and security. Our goal and mandate is clear: to protect as many lives as possible. Often that involves playing dirty." The agent clicks a button on a remote. The lights dim slightly, and the image of a man - the man from the cell - appears above the table.  "Our quarry. Prisoner CI-C-24601. Formerly known as General Aran Rhyne of the Bear Clan. Stripped of rank and name upon imprisonment as per custom. Demonstrated excellent strategic and tactical abilities in the Unification Wars 30 years ago. Some precog abilities, moderate level of training. Up until a few years ago, the commander of all Bear planetside forces. The man is one of the reasons Bear is a big player nowadays, though he's stayed out of the public eye so you may not have seen his face before." Here the spook pauses for a second before continuing. "I know your first question will be what he did to get himself on to Bitterhold. I wish I could tell you he is a monster who committed atrocities and war crimes. Unfortunately, I cannot. The sad truth is, the only thing he did wrong was that he played and lost. Big proponent of further unification. Stepped on too many toes. Understandably, he is pissed. Now that he is out, we believe he will set out to cut a bloody swath through the people who wronged him. As Bitterhold shows, likely with little regard for collateral damage." "The intel you provided - by the way, analysts wanted me to say thanks - on the people who blew up your station confirms them as members of Unit 4. Rhyne's special projects group. Other Bears nicknamed them Hellraiser Brigade, which should give you some idea of what they tended to do. The whole unit disappeared a few days ago, so it's safe to assume all members are loyal to Rhyne. Thing is, there's no way they could have pulled Bitterhold off without backing. That took cash. Someone's making a play." "Timing can't be a coincidence. As I'm sure you're all aware, two days from now is Federation Day. Lots of charity galas coming up on the social elite's calendar. I want eyes at the Bear's shindig. That's where you come in. We've offered to provide security at the event, but Bear declined politely and firmly. Clans don't like us getting too heavy handed in their business, and the Articles of Federation are quite clear on sovereignty. Putting agents in at the event would expend more political capital than getting invitations for you." "For the duration, we're putting you up in one of our safehouses in the city. You've also been authorised a 1000 credits to gear up. Get some formal clothes so you don't stick out like sore thumbs. You'll get your comm pads back when you leave. They've been fitted with a chip that will allow an encrypted connection to me. Consider me your handler. Your first priority is to minimise collateral damage. Save lives. Second priority is gathering information. Capturing or killing Rhyne or whoever is backing him, if you get the chance, is a distant third." "People, here's the thing. What happened to the guy wasn't "just". You may sympathise. Don't. Many, many lives are at stake. This thing kicks off, there's going to be a free for all with every clan and every wealthy family out to grab as much as they can by whatever means necessary before the dust settles. Questions?" Formal clothes of sufficient glamour for a high society event will run you 200 credits, which leaves 800 for you to buy things. It's not money in your pocket and you don't get to keep it - CID's covering equipment purchases rather than paying you. For Gen, I'm thinking he could with some fancy bits pass for an ornamental bodyguard bot, but if you have other ideas, it's your show! Zeppelin Insanity fucked around with this message at 09:30 on May 26, 2016 |
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May 26, 2016 08:40
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"An excellent question, Mr White! We have found that imposing a fully fledged cover identity on novices - and I hope you do not find the term to be inaccurate - often leads to poor results. We'll assist you in establishing your own. For now, at least, they don't need to be watertight. At those types of events it's often assumed that once you're past the door, you belong there. New money eager to make connections with old money is good enough, as far as the gist goes. Of course, yours and Mr Chatham's distinctive appearance are a challenge, but not an insurmountable one." "The event will likely be considered a target-rich environment by the general. We're not privy enough to internal clan politics to know who was behind the people behind his fall from grace. Unfortunately, the central government does occasionally imprison someone as a favour to a clan without asking too many questions. That's why we're not giving you any more specific directions than to keep your eyes open. Find out what you can. See who's rattled." "It's worth noting that our analysts are quite confident whatever might happen will be far more low key than Bitterhold. That took serious cash and months of preparation. Preparing two such operations without causing any ripples would be outside the capability of any player on Caerleon."
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May 26, 2016 14:37
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"Another excellent question, and one with a tricky answer. We don't have detailed floorplans. Location is a private villa, and the wealthy tend to find secrecy a little more thrilling than is perhaps reasonable. We made some reasoned guesses from satellite imagery, but as most of the complex is encased within rock, they'll only take you so far. They're on your comm pads now. Do not rely on them in a pinch." "This neatly brings us into the other point. It's fashionable at the moment to have villas outside the canyon itself. The cost of maintenance is a status symbol. The guests will all be expected to arrive in their own, doubtless extravagantly expensive vehicles. Should an evacuation prove necessary, availability of transport won't be an issue. You'll have much more trouble keeping order and ensuring no daggers find their way between ribs in their confusion. That said, we've always got a few dropships on standby for emergencies. Should be plenty carrying capacity for everyone. Time to site estimated at 20 minutes from call in. Can't get closer than that without tipping our hand. Assume double the time if a sandstorm breaks out. The birds can handle it just fine, but piloting and navigation gets tricky."
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May 26, 2016 21:31
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"Couple of hours after you decide on your names and arrangements. Who's going solo, who's paired up and such. Data division doesn't want to get to work until they know everything. Try to keep the number of limos low. It's taxpayer money we're spending, here, and you're not the only team out there that day. Lots of events going on all over the big cities."
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May 26, 2016 23:36
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"Mr White, the time for negotiation was before you agreed to receive highly classified information. If you wish to be a mercenary, there are many organisations that would be pleased to hire you, though probably not in the role of their envoy. That's a career you will be free to pursue when the current matter is concluded." You are momentarily fascinated by how the agent's voice manages to convey a finality despite no noticeable deviation from the dryly professional tone of a government employee, and no change in facial expression. "As for the other part of the question: we don't know what will happen. That's why we're having this conversation. A bomb is unlikely, however. It is indiscriminate. Not that Rhyne appears to care about collateral damage, but it's a different story when potential allies are in the mix. It might be a Bear event, but they won't be the only ones there. Too many powerful enemies all at once is a losing proposition, even for a precog." "We don't know the guest list ahead of time, so no intelligence there. However, I'm sure Mr Chatham will be able to easily run facial recognition scans and correlate with public records. Should it become necessary, we'll be able to upload a portion of our database pertaining to specific individuals. You will understand that we're not in the habit of giving out this information until necessary."
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May 27, 2016 19:27
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"Mr White, if you wish to put a specific price on acquaintances in government, you'll have to speak to an accountant. I am not one of those." "Now, is there anything else?" I don't really want to move things forward until Platonic and Mu reappear. The farthest I want to go is a timeskip to after the data department helped you work out cover identities, and you get geared up. Describe the cover you'll be using, whether you're pairing up with someone, and how you look. As a reminder, the clothes/visual mods to Gen will be 200 credits, which is a lot in person living in the world terms, so feel free to get imaginative in what's fashionable. You then also have 800 to buy gear. Weapons will not be allowed at the event, and I don't plan for you to need them, but you can still buy them and keep them for later!
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May 28, 2016 22:22
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I'll write something up for the search when I wake up. The central point you get is that you're granted access to one of CID's safehouses for now.
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May 31, 2016 00:16
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Gen Culture|Caerleon +int Data search: 2d6-1 9 Despite the wealth of poorly indexed content and not knowing where to look for reliable data, enough patterns emerge to give you confidence. The place itself was Brynmor Manor. An impressive residence, located within on the face of a large mountain. The main ballroom has huge slanted windows constituting one wall, allowing for the viewing of aurora and giving a stunning display of the main canyon's celebrations, with it's firework displays and formation flights. It is the fashion among the wealthy elite to have residences outside of the main canyon, and Brynmor Manor seems to be a large influence behind the trend. It is owned by Delyth ap Aeron and her wife, Brangwen ap Cadfael. You collate the data from a number of interviews and news articles for reference should it become necessary, but at the moment nothing jumps out at you. Much of the manor is carved into the rock, but certain sections have been shown to visitors and written about. Analysing the pictures allows you to augment the basic guesses of the floor-plans that CID provided you with. If you have to venture out of the main ballroom, this may well make a difference. Next you turn your attention to the way these events tend to go. Much is written about celebrities, and events behind closed doors lead to active imaginations. The net is full of posts imagining orgies, secret rituals or bizarre practices. Opinion pieces praising the wealthy for giving back to the community through such charity fundraisers war with pieces which decry the practice as a way for people to pat themselves on the back without effecting meaningful change. This data is quickly discarded in favour of what journalists who happened to cover similar events write. It seems that, like many similar networking events, the charity galas are a place where important deals that change the landscape of the business community are made. Every indication points to all this being tremendously boring to anyone without a stock portfolio. Clan-affiliated events tend to have the majority of the guests belonging to the relevant clan, but that is certainly not a rule. Researching the subject, you stumble across a piece of Caerleon culture completely unknwon to you, and seldom affecting the public: Houses. In the way they present themselves, they resemble nobility, but their practices are much different. A place in a House is not granted by birth or by wealth. It must be earned through actions or influence. Houses often loosely affiliate themselves with clans, but changing allegiances is seen as a noteworthy but not uncommon event. They tend to be named after their area of interest, and have their own holdings - sometimes in industry, sometimes in entertainment and art, and sometimes in military, some houses even having their own retinue troops. Next, your attention turns to plausible disguises. As far as you can find, a brain in a box situation like yours is exceedingly rare, and would raise many eyebrows. However, AI are not unheard of in social circles. Most opt for human-looking avatars, but those involved in military industries as well as those who are simply military enthusiasts occasionally adpot military armatures like yours. In case you wish to pass for more than someone's security bot, you will have to do something about your speech modules before the event. Perhaps Cara or Sunshine can have a look at them? A number of promising avenues establish themselves in your RAM. The most obvious is bodyguard bot, but it is by no means the only option. Industrialist or military enthusiast are equally apt. Whichever way you go, you'll have to give your carapace a good media blasting, new coat of paint, thorough polish and some visual upgrades. It seems that one of the main things that distinguish decorative bots from those who simply choose to adopt that form are... clothes. It seems bizarre to you to put clothes on an armature, but it seems that clothes being a symbol of status is so deeply ingrained in human society that it covers AI as well. A quick search reveals the studios of a number of tailors known to provide for the specific requirements of armatures. There is a dazzling array of possibilities, all with their own potential. Perhaps a simple, elegant suit? Perhaps the throwback carbon fibre and titanium popular among history buffs? The maroon and navy of Federation colours? A clan colour scheme? Whatever you can justify will work. Zeppelin Insanity fucked around with this message at 15:46 on May 31, 2016 |
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May 31, 2016 15:36
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