Savage Rifts and the Tomorrow Legion

Game Master Shadow Bloodmoon

Bereft of any foe, or any combat-oriented mission, Atlas resumed his introspective silence as the logistics of stuff and civilians was seen to.

'I was supposed to die gloriously defeating her. ...what is to become of me now?'

As Burgurk raises an excellent point, Atlas nods. "I would be happy to exterminate such foliage as required to enable trade between the two villages," he states. Call it odd, but he always did love murdering trees.

The way you got here was via a map and some roads, but it wasn't easy going. Definitely not fit for trade, yet. However, setting up a trade route between Pux and Whykin is definitely a start in the right direction towards the Legion's mission. That said, your Mountaineer can definitely make the trip back. That and you'll have to turn it back in eventually. It was a mission requested item. With the damage to the front from the rocket launchers, the mechanics may have to have a word with you though.

The older man nods. "Well, I don't think any of us are really up to the task of traveling that far. Plus, we have to take stock of the situation here. With some of us now gone because of that creature that was in the base, we have some folk who are going to be a might bit upset. We appreciate what you've done to cleanse Pux of that evil, but our work is far from done. I understand you have to get back to your mission though, and I think the rest of these folk could do without any military robots or weird magic type stuff for a while. " Some of the crowd that has stuck around murmurs in the affirmative.

The mission is technically complete. Once you guys get back to Whykin, you can radio home base and go from there... That is where you will get the rest of your experience and paycheck and the next mission..

Do you want to role-play the trip back, or does nothing eventful happen? Could we use our vehicle to "smooth out" the existing roads (running over small bushes and trees, etc.) to make the journey from Pux to Whykin easier for others? And, just to make him happy, are there any large trees in the way that Atlas could take down? :)

It's not really a long enough trip to warrant even a quick encounter, so I'm going to say you make it relatively easily.

After checking to see if anyone is going with you, you load up the Mountaineer with Jalera and your gear. Setting off, you start driving away from Pux and working your way back to Whykin. Though the little bit of road that exists here helps, the terrain is still somewhat difficult to navigate and a few times you have to backtrack just to get past a section of overgrown forest.

Checking the clock on the vehicle's instrument panel, you notice that it has taken you almost two hours to travel the 20 miles, but you have reached the outskirts of Whykin, a large city that is a vast difference from the usual environment of this planet. A few patrols pass you by as you get closer, but it isn't until you reach the gates that they stop you and ask that the driver roll down the window.

"Welcome to Whykin. You can park your vehicle in the designated area there, no weapons allowed inside. Leave them in your vehicle and proceed through the gate. Enjoy your stay." He points you over to where he wants you to park and then moves on to the next vehicle.

Where to?

"From what I can recall of our last visit, the populous here is not particularly fond of species different than there own. I suggest Jalera and I remain here. We will watch over the vehicle and the merchandise while you secure a buyer."

Great - Burgurk gets a -4 to Charisma for being Simvan, and Atlas is...well...Atlas. I'm sure this will go well. ;)

Yes, you guys are amazing in a fight, let's see how we handle social encounters...

Burgurk shrugs, and says "Ok, Atlas, load up on all those weapons and ammo, and let's get to town..."

Once we get to town, Burgurk will stop the first passer-by he sees and asks them if they know where to buy and sell weapons.

Would he know if the Legion is liked/respected here? If so, he'll introduce himself as being a member of the Legion.

We were here before, and Whykin is not a nice place. The people are very xenophobic, and hate D-Bees. I think the reason they are not Coalition is that they are not anti-magic the way they are, just anti-non-human. As a result of this viewpoint, they tend to view the Legion ad the dregs of society. It would actually be better to avoid mentioning them at all.

Without a human face to do the sale, this might be a waste of time. We might be better off letting Atlas try alone, or Shakti could try to pass for human, though with her personality, that could go poorly.

"Burgurk, before you go, recall that Jalera's husband is part of the guard here, and is human, perhaps he could be entreated to act as go-between in this transaction."

Of all of you, Humphrey is closest to human, but we may have lost his character. All of you were brought in last time because of the altercation that occurred outside the gates. However, as Shakti said, you do have a contact in the city, if you can convince one of the guards to let you in to talk to him.

Outside the gates, Burgurk's efforts at speaking to some of the locals is looked upon with disdain. Most of them reply with something along the lines of 'Get in line cretin.' Or somesuch. The line is long and could take some time to get through, but then again, you aren't really in a hurry...

I would try...but I don't "technically" have any dice in Persuasion, so I'd be at a minus -4- to so much as wish someone a good morning. Here, I'll try.

Wanting to be of some kind of help, Atlas observes what Burgurk is doing, and then tries the same thing, walking up to a passer-by at random.

"Salutations to you, would you be able to..."

Persuasion!: 1d4 - 4 ⇒ (4) - 4 = 0
Persuasion ACE!: 1d4 ⇒ 3 = 3
WILD Persuasion ACE!: 1d6 - 4 ⇒ (4) - 4 = 0

"...direct me to a merchant of weapons of death and destruction?"

Somehow he thinks that's not how nice people talk.

One of the passersby that Atlas finds stops to actually listen to the cyborg for a moment. Looking the machine man up and down, he says, "You sure don't look like none of the Whykin Police Bots that run around asking silly questions as if someone is going to just say they know a guy. Look, you should be careful blabbering about so loudly. Seems the locals got wind of some big to do up north a ways and are a little on edge. With the hardware you're carrying, I'm surprised they haven't locked you up already." He looks around for a moment before coming conspiratorially closer. "Your friends are gonna have a real hard time getting through that gate with all that not being human and all. I can help with that, but you gotta do me a solid first."

Burgurk asks "What is it you require?" with just a trace of suspicion in his voice.

The man, presumably human, takes you aside, away from the line of people. "Listen, I need to get something into the city myself, but I have no one to do it that hasn't already been seen by the locals. You'll just need to stash it with any other equipment you might be carrying into town. I've got a guy inside waiting for it. I'll pass along his comm code and you just need to contact him once you're out of site of the gates. He'll do the rest."

As a player, I have a bad feeling about this, but...

Agreed. How can you arrange for us to get thru?"

Were Burgurk to call back and ask for a second opinion, she would probably tell him this does not sound like it is worth the trouble. A) it sounds like a setup, B) the optics of Legion agent getting caught smuggling something into a city it has tense relationships with Castle Refuge would not be good, and C) I dont think we would even want to enter Whykin. The place is a racist dumpsterfire, and being spotted inside would surely not go well.

Surely our duties will take us near a Mercantile district again soon, and we can store the gear till then.

"Coms check; Burgurk, Atlas, status please."

The man slowly pulls out a handful of official looking identity cards. He holds one up towards Burgurk and then shows it to him. Amazingly, Burgurk's likeness has been transmitted and confirmed to be the identity of one Fargo Danright, merchant caravan officer. "With these.", he says with a smile. "They'll work long enough to get you in, but after that, they're useless."

Burgurk will answer Shatki's comm check and apprise her of the current situation with the guy he's talking to. After listening to her response, he will tell the guy that he's not interested.

***Pause a moment,*** Atlas interjects on the comms as Burgurk states his plan to decline the man. ***My A-TAC gives us a very low probability of coming up with a plan with a higher percentage of working than this one.
If you are afraid of the consequences, then I will commit the infiltration alone. I am able to carry all the wares and, if things go poorly, you will be able to extricate without further losses.

Is this amenable?***

The cards seem to vanish into the man's coat as he smiles a wry smile. "As you wish, but the offer won't be here long."

The line appears to be getting longer as the time wears on...

***Pause a moment,*** Atlas interjects on the comms as Burgurk states his plan to decline the man. ***My A-TAC gives us a very low probability of coming up with a plan with a higher percentage of working than this one.

If you are afraid of the consequences, then I will commit the infiltration alone. I am able to carry all the wares and, if things go poorly, you will be able to extricate without further losses.

Is this amenable?***

"If you wish to pursue this course of action, it is of course up to you. Your skillset is the least distinct of this party, and as any other automaton could likely perform your duties as well or better, you are also the most disposable member team. However, the risk here seems disproportionate to the potential gains; we have no immediate need for the money, other opportunities will likely arise, and failure would mean significant loss of face to our benefactor. Being caught smuggling contraband could result in a variety of penalties, from your indefinate incarceration to your destruction."

"Even though interacting with you is tiresome and you core program seems fatally corrupted, your corporeal element still represents a significant investment of resources. It would be wasteful to lose that investment when the simple overlay of a new operating system might restore you to usefulness."

It's shameless the way we flirt.

"Atlas, I have to agree with Shakti on this. I think you would make a big spectacle walking thru town carrying hundreds of pounds of weapons, and if you get caught, we'll all be in trouble. Let's go back to Shakti."

Atlas ponderously shakes his head as he replies over the comms. ***As usual the Useless Government Bureaucrat is so wrong she makes my point for me. It would be easy for me to remain silent and take on the appearance of another work-mech; just another beast of burden that is only harmful if approached.

Of course...***

The mission is technically complete. Once you guys get back to Whykin, you can radio home base and go from there... That is where you will get the rest of your experience and paycheck and the next mission..

***...we could just radio back to HQ if you are too afraid.***

Shakti just kind of lets the stupidity of the comments speak for themselves, awkward silence just kind of filling the airwaves for a few minutes.

"Is he serious? Burgurk, can you see him? Is he winking maniacally, or has he just completely lost it? Is he smoking from his CPU? I guess it was just a matter of time before that last transistor blew. Oh well, I guess if he's going to go off and do whatever, we might want to report a rogue robot, just to maintain deniability when it inevitably goes wrong. Burgurk; are you headed back here with the other 'sane' people?
Perhaps Jalera knows of a way to contact her husband."

Shakti turns to see if the wolfen witch has woken from her slumber yet.

DM SBM, I need info. *Are* there "work-mechs" wandering around this town? What other towns are between here and HQ that we might sell this stuff at?

"To the foolish, true wisdom would appear as foolishness. Burgurk, when we get back we need to have them adjust the Bureaucrat's crazy pills," Atlas retorts, explaining everything.

There are a few small settlements between here and home, but not many. Garnet Town would be the biggest one, and some of you have been there already... they might not have the resources themselves, but there was a Black Market contingent there, if you recall. As for work-mechs, there are unarmed cyborgs and actual labor robots in many areas outside the city and probably more inside.

Before deciding, Burgurk turns to the guy offering the ID badges and says "Do you have any idea how I could get in touch with a specific person in the town guard once I get in?"

The man turns as Burgurk catches up to him. "Change your mind?" After the Simvan asks his question, the man gives a wry smile and says, "The same way you contact anyone else. Talk to people who might know him, like the guards at the gate or go to one of their precincts in the city."

"How well would a bunch of town guards at a precinct take to a Simvan walking in and asking questions about one of their own?"

***That probably depends on more the 'how' of the asking than the 'what'...as soft squishy humans usually are in social interactions,*** Atlas opines over the comm channel.

Shakti takes the time to check on Jelara.

I presume it has been several hours since we fought Greyspear and she closed the portal. Has she woken up yet?

Greater Boost Healing Skill: 1d12 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 141d10 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10

Healing: 1d12 + 1 + 1d12 ⇒ (12) + 1 + (7) = 201d6 ⇒ 4

The man only grins wider. "That, my friend, is not my problem. Unless of course you wish to change your mind."

In the back of the Mountaineer, Shakti does her best to bring Jalera to consciousness. It takes some time for even the slightest movement from the lupine female, other than breathing, but finally her ears start to twitch and her bleary eyes begin to open. "Did we stop her?", she manages to let flow out of her mouth.

Burgurk thinks real hard (for him) for a minute, and then politely refuses the guy's offer. "Shakti, Atlas, I don't want to get caught up in whatever this guy's 'favor' consists of. We are NOT going to try and sell the weapons and ammo here. Maybe we can find a buyer in Garnet Town. Atlas, let's get back to the vehicle."

**Acknowledged,*** Atlas states as he re-embarks.

As you return to the vehicle, you see that Shakti has awoken Jalera, who is conscious but still shaky. She is looking around bewildered. It will take you about a day of travel to get to Garnet Town, but it will be a welcome respite from the prejudiced people of Whykin.

Shakti replied to the wolfen woman while handing her a cup of water, "Yes, and you and I were able to close the rift. We are on our way back to Castle Refuge. We are outside of Whykin. Do you wish to contact your mate while we are here, or would you rather send word once you are safely within the castle walls?"

Jalera takes the water and sips it as she sits up. "Good. At least that problem will no longer plague Pux. That and the residents there will stop blaming me for all the bad things that happen to them. For the time being at least." Her eyes look down for a moment. "It is a difficult thing, being so close to the one you love, but unable to see them. As much as I would like to, his position here is important to him and so it is important that I not jeopardize it by brazenly walking into town." She sighs heavily and if you look closely, you can see a tear coming to her eyes. "I will contact him when I get to Castle Refuge, if I am able." With that, she adjust herself to be more upright and looks to the others. "Home then?"

Unless you guys have anything else you want to do, we'll fast forward to Garnet Town(as that was the original plan, unless you want to go all the way back to Refuge first). First one to do an Interlude gets a Benny and all of you should now have 15 XP. I'm awarding the final two for this mission now, so when you are ready for your next mission back at Castle Refuge, you are ready to go.

The trip back to Garnet Town is rather peaceful, at least as far as Rifts Earth is concerned. Even with watching several Coalition aircraft flying north, seeing a herd of Fury Beetles grazing in the ruins of a city called 'ingfie', judging by the sign next to its borders and then having to backtrack and circle a bit to avoid a sudden growth of mushrooms the size of small trees when a Rift opened nearby, you arrive in the outskirts of Garnet Town. The local guards, consisting of dirt farmers with cheap laser rifles and armor made of materials better left in a junkyard, recognize the symbols on your vehicle and wave you to park it just outside. As you exit the vehicle, you notice that there are a few Legionnaire regulars in the main square talking with Lithari, the mayor of Garnet Town. There is a woman with the regulars that has wild hair, guns strapped to her outfit and even from here, you can see she has an attitude that says she's not local and definitely not a 'regular'. They seem to be discussing something if importance. You also notice that the building that housed Lt. Beehan of the Coalition still has CS Soldiers guarding it...

Atlas, this is the time to either stay with 21-12 or bring in Anya. I'll set it up for both options when we get to the debriefing.

Is this the town where everyone (including the black marketeers) was camped outside of some gate or building?

That is correct. You fought them off and sent them packing.

"Wu tien jein ah that is NOT good enough!" the battle-armored woman screams at the official.

She towers above the humans in a suit of battle armor that initially appears like a single sheet of shiny metal crafted into an un-ending battlesuit that bristles with missiles and weapons of destruction, but carries them with an easy aura--not one of threat, but of promise. While few would call her conventionally pretty, she speaks with a passion that certainly seems hard to resist. Indeed, one might think even if she were wrong, it would matter but little....

She takes a break to get in a few breaths, preparing for a greater fuselage. She gets out, "And if those pieces of lai su are NOT gone then Imma--" before her roving eyes catches the party and a girlish smile sprouts on her lips despite her current conversation. "I'll be right back. STAY HERE, GORRAMIT!" she yells before striding quickly on confidently toward the party.

"Hoi chummers, I'm Wraith. You the Big Damn Heroes I keep hearing about?"

Hey kids! There's a big shiny Feral credit if you can count the number of Firefly references here! =p

Atlas sees the representative of the Legion and stomps to meet her. "Salutations, WhiteAngel. I did not...know you would be here. Are you...overseeing the hand-off of obligation?" he groans out in his typical monotone.

"Fraggin' ace I am! They was all 'yes ma'am we's-a gonna do it' when I got here, but y'all can see that we still got purple-bellies in the 'racks, so I'm here to see if I can try and sweet-talk 'em out-a town before we gots ta mess 'em up."

He turns his head to indicate his companions, neck-servos whining softly. "This is Burgurk and Usele--erm, ah, the being known as Shakti."

Atlas nods once. "Residual resistance would be a natural response based on prior CS behavior. Let us know if we can be of assistance."

If Jalera is there he will introduce her as well.

Wraith offers up an armored gauntlet for shaking for the newcomers. "You all headed back 'Castle-side or you here ta stay? Mebbe take in some fireworks?" she asks with a wry smile.

She looks the group over. "Ain't y'all a Glitterboy short?"

At the mention of the Glitterboy Atlas predictably rumbles to a half-crouch and falls silent.

Burgurk nods curtly at Wraith, then takes Atlas aside and asks him "You seem to know her - is she Legion? If so, how much does she follow the rules? Is she going to report us if we sell the guns and ammo in front of her?"

After a few minutes the assault mech comes out of his Jonis-induced fugue (perhaps the emotion surge is more than his A-TAC can process since its a problem that can't be solved with just more firepower?) and goes with Burgurk.

"Based on the circumstantial evidence that she was standing with the Legionaries, I conclude that she is still enrolled in our ranks," he grounds out as if reading a list of ingredients. "Additionally, affirmative, she is a recent recruit that gave me additional advice on how to act clandestinely before I went out on my last mis--mis---mis--mis--mission." He left hands twerks violently for a second then stops.

Lastly he gives an odd rumbling sound that could be considered a chuckle. "From what I know, not only will she not file a disciplinary report for the mercantile transaction of black-market goods, she may be able to facilitate such an exchange, and at advantage."

Technically, both Jalera and Humphrey are still with you. I'm probably going to have Humphrey go with Atlas when he goes and does his thing for Jonis.

Jalera looks at the woman in disbelief. Only shaking her head in response. "I don't know where the Legion finds you people, but I guess if you're trying to do good in this world, you'll take anyone."

Humphrey chuckles at this and says, "Right you are lass! And I'm Sir Humphrey of Her Majesty's Royal Army, at your service." He gives a slight bow to the woman and stands to the fore. "My recent addition to this little band of worthy soldiers seemed to have come at a good time."

We'll try to work in the info that Anya has about Jonis organically, as the conversation continues.

Burgurk goes back to the rest of the party, and says to Wraith "Greetings, my name is Burgurk as Atlas said. We are merely passing thru Garnet Town on our way back to the Castle, but Atlas says you might have some contacts here that would buy some weapons and ammo from us...off of the Legion's books?"

He's wishing right now that he still had his telepathic powers...