[Savage Worlds] A Necessary Evil (Inactive)

Game Master Peanuts

Mus'ad stands rubble covered but unbowed, laughing gamely "Hah, Mus'ad make worse boom when have bad flatulence. Again puny metal things fail to overcome the camel of Kashmir!"

Bella, DA and Jack return to find--blinking past the spots in their eyes--a dark shape rising from the rubble. Switching on their torches the shape is revealed to be Mus'ad who wobbles a bit as he shouts his defiance at the world. The machine when they turn their attention to it, has largely been reduced to a pile of slag, now forming a molten column through the center of the chamber, still dripping and sizzling slightly in the still air.

Mission accomplished?

'What...
What happened?'
'Bloody, bellicose, benighted, backward age! Dammit Destroyer, you gave us defective equipment!'

Smarts: 1d10 - 2 - 4 ⇒ (5) - 2 - 4 = -1, Wild Die: 1d6 - 2 - 4 ⇒ (1) - 2 - 4 = -5; to establish a Telepathic contact with Doctor Destroyer so she can cuss him out 'personally'. Yes, I know she has no hope unless she Aces. She's on a roll now & not thinking clearly...

'Bastard! He's hiding from me! You cowardly SWINE!!!'

'Wait, where is Professor Mayhem?! Mus'ad, help me dig for him!' As she begins sifting frantically through the rubble.

Belle succeeds in giving herself a painful migraine, but utterly fails to contact anyone. As she starts to dig through the rubble she also realizes she hasn't seen the Professor since they were back with the mutants waiting for DA's return

Mus'ad just looks at Belledonna askance, before asking "Job done? can get out of place that smells like excrement now?"

The Advocate looks at the blasted ruin.

"I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunk-less legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away."

The villain kicks a bit of wreckage.
"And I am out eight grand because you lot could not be bothered to do the g@&-d%%med prepwork."

Fuming DA turns to the Robo-corpses to see if anything can be salvaged

"Be of good cheer, DA, eight thousand is a drop of water in the seas of finance; we could obtain ten times that sum and spend it all in less than a fortnight on fireworks far less fancy than those we witnessed." Jack zips up to the angry technomage, "And while I admire your dedication to recycling, I doubt there is much left to find on these scraps of metal and dreams. While I doubt he welcomes my voice, the Camel of Kashmir has the correct idea. Let us away, to cleaner air and warmer water, where we can discuss how to recoup losses and see what our masked friend has to say."

'You have invested eight grand in, among other things, being able to come back here later if Destruction doesn't decide to simply cut his losses & hang us out to dry.'
'But yes, this attempt is proving to be a failure & our departure would best be immanent.'

DA finds that what wasn't shredded by Mus'ad's fists has disappeared under at least a thin layer of rubble. The right side of the chamber has collapsed completely and the air is thick with dust. Apart from that the smell is actually not too bad down in the caves; the Omegans past one suspiciously odoriferous pool dripping from a wall on the way here, but otherwise the caves are fairly dry and cool.

It is as the group is attempting to exit the tunnels that they realize how deep into unfamiliar territory they are. Displaying some sort of animal instinct for navigation Mus'ad finds the other's feeble attempts pitifully amusing, but deigns to lead the way out and back towards Southpoint.

So... where/how are you guys exitting?

Happy-Jack has no particular desires as to exit space; he'll leave that up to the others

Jack eagerly inspects every side tunnel as they pass, and generally regards the underground with a cheerful fascination. "It's like the fabled maze of twisty passages, all alike! Clearly I did not spend enough time down here on previous visits. DA, my technophilic friend, do you have a mapping device that could augment our memories of this place?"

Apparently Mus'ad is leading (gawd help us all) but hopefully not the pumping station we entered from.

"I'm recording what I can. Retracing steps is not that difficult but hacking the department of sanitation might be useful."

Even with recordings navigating down here proves troubling, Rebecca is not (currently) equipped with any sort of mapping equipment, and the caves are pitch black and winding. DA would eventually be able to get himself out, but Mus'ad seems much more confident.

Where is Mus'ad leading everyone then? :p

Using his god give gift of intelligence Mus'ad leads the group to the surface as quickly as he can manage - not really caring where they resurface as long as it gets them out quick. Once in sight of the surface he queries "If man who love little gadget still pissy about money Mus'ad can help rob bank or noodle house make him feel better... must take care of my Harem after all" finishing with a hearty belly laugh.

"So, where to now? Back 'home' for planning, or shall we start in on replacing the eight thousand samoleans our diabolic friend misses so?"

As he speaks, Happy-Jack glances around quickly to regain his bearings.

Mus'ad leads the way back through the caves, taking an occasional 'shortcut' and finally emerges into the sewers, where DA is able to navigate a bit more readily, and directs their stalwart 'friend' away from taking them straight back to the waterworks. The cell emerges a couple blocks south of the structure, smelling a little the worse for wear from their traipse through the sewers, but otherwise relatively unscathed. Burning clothing may be a good idea.

I'll give you guys a day or so to tell me what you're doing, otherwise I'll post with you guys back at base.

A rumble is emitted from Mus'ad generously sized paunch as they emerge into the light "Hungry... Shawarma?"

Wincing & wrinkling her nose slightly at the thought of food when they all are in their present state of odour, Isabelle nevertheless nods something resembling agreement. "Although...
Perhaps,
bathing first might be in order?" She adds.
All of you notice the odd shadow thoughts indicative that she is maintaining Mental Communications have faded away, though her features still maintain the expression of concentration you have come to recognize.

GM-Peanuts, Isabelle will attempt to re-establish Telepathic contact with Professor Mayhem in order to determine his whereabouts/intentions. Mostly I'm doing this to avoid the plot-holes inherent in having a character just up & disappear, but feel free to hit her with something if you want.

Even with recordings navigating down here proves troubling, Rebecca is not (currently) equipped with any sort of mapping equipment, and the caves are pitch black and winding. DA would eventually be able to get himself out, but Mus'ad seems much more confident.

Where is Mus'ad leading everyone then? :p

I was hoping that would be assumed under the GPS and hand-held comp that DA is carrying. But I suppose it could not be too hard to build a 3-d Inertial system. Need that blasted workshop. And note the caves are far from pitch black to Da. Radar/lidar to graphic program to hud means walking in well lit tunnels. Well in a simulation of well lit tunnels anyway. The wall visual textures will be off and colors inexact but spatial relationships will be correct and any paint or carvings will jump right out. Gotta love the toys..

Mus'ad

"If man who love little gadget still pissy about money Mus'ad can help rob bank or noodle house make him feel better... must take care of my Harem after all"

"And this is why you were caught. We lost Terron's robots due to insufficient planning and care. Now you want to walk into a bank and hold it up? You'll be back in bracelets before the week is out."

Mus'ad laughs "Here Mus'ad thought robots were gone because Mus'ad crushed them... like bug. Not planning to walk in front... punch through wall easier... but since you being snarky Mus'ad disinclined to help get money back."

Belle's Smarts (Telepathy): 1d10 ⇒ 31d6 ⇒ 5

You can only get so much for free DA :p and they're still pitch black, you can just 'see' fine.

The four remaining Omegans argue their way back to the hideout, finding it once again a big empty space with all of the Professor's fancy furniture and other decorations gone.

Belle's attempts to contact the Professor meanwhile runs into a strange mental static which she suspects--unlike her try against Doctor Destruction--is some sort of active blocking effect protecting his thoughts. She manages to get a brief sense of his mind, before a flash of anger from the other end causes it to disappear in a wash of white noise.

Hmm...Is he simply more frustrated with the situation than I, or is there more at stake?

Rubbing her temples in response to the prolonged-mentalist-activity induced migraine, Isabelle interjects upon the argument between Mus'ad & DA. "None of us are at our best right now."
"Mus'ad, you get peckish & petty when you get hungry. Obsessing over perceived slights which are beneath you."
"Advokat, given the Professor's seeming abandonment, your talents at materials re-purposing will likely be even more at a premium than before. You better than any of the rest of us know the importance of not allowing impatience & emotion to command your intellect & will."
"I feel we would all be best served to focus on repairing our more immediate concerns rather than claiming even greater challenges."

"Immediate concern is filling belly..." before making to move out of the hideout.

"Precisely." Isabelle agrees.

Yours perhaps. My immediate concern is seeing to it we don't kill ourselves. Followed closely thereafter with bathing!

"Come, Mus'ad! If you can bear the presence of the Nikos-whatever you called me, I shall show you this great little Scots-Lebanese place that does a deep-fried doner kebab pizza; a treat for all the senses and the bane of normal humanity's arteries." Jack essays a small bow, arm outstretched towards the door.

Mus'ad looks at the small and hairless with a facade of disdain "No" spoken simply and with finality.

Elsewhere.....

Ugh. Where am I? The alleyway is dirty. Looks like someone was here recently judging from the knocked over trash cans. A few gang signs paint the walls
Star City news? How did I get here? Great. Dumped here by unknown parties with nothing. Not even my clothes. Dingy alleyway. Probably got robbed after I got dumped. Need to find a police station. Get a gun. Lets see who has a smart phone.
Wandering out into the streets seemingly without a care. The occasional pot hole shows that the cities engineers have this area as a low upkeep priority. The buildings lining the streets are mostly faded and somewhat run down. After a time a streetside coffee truck can be seen. The occasional customer at the counter. Walking up tossing a can out to one side when the employee and customer look over Cash Out swipes the coffee and the customers smart phone. Quickly ducking around the corner.
Let's see. Police. Ah. Some distance. Thrift store first then. Get some shoes and other clothing.
Much closer.
Dropping the phone and Wandering to the closest Goodwill store. Slipping inside with one of the customers it's a typical thrift store. Everything washed but mostly somewhat faded. He hangs out by the changing rooms. When someone of the same build uses the room he swipes the shirt and pants and ducks into another empty changing station. Back into the store he grabs a decent pair of boots and again into the changing station. Once back out eyeing the cash register. Later in the evening the last employee is cashing out the register then slumps over. The cash dissappears out of the register. The door opens then closes.
Somewhate better. Now to get a bite. Dunkin Donuts.
Mmmmm. Coffee. Better. Decent hash browns here as well. Too bad McDonalds doesn't serve breakfast this late. I'd rather have a steak egg and cheese bagel. Now what about the other gear. Ever since the crackdown been difficult to get that kind of kit. Might as well wander around and try to get a feel for the movers and shakers. Then come up with a plan to fund what I need.
The rest of the night is spent finding out anyone that can move illicit gear. Some close scrapes with those that think they can get more for him than dealing with him. However when they think they have the advantage he manages to slip away and take them unaware. Oddly disturbing.
Feh. Not much. Need cash to find out anything. Finding a place to flop for the day should be easy.
Time passes.
The next day near to a police station. Cash Out lounges out of the way where he can see but not be seen.
Nope. Nope. No. Nope. Ah who is that? Good weapon there. Now which one is his car? Time to get a few ration bars and gloves.
Time passes
The next day when the officer arrives. He goes about his day normally. Arrives home and just after killing the engine his eyes roll forward in his head and he slumps over. Cash Out appears wearing powdered surgical gloves and grabs his pistol and ammunition as well as swiping his wallet.
Easy when you slip in when they have things unlocked. Need more ammo however. Perhaps I can find someone to run this card.
Where am I going to get a rifle in this mess of a city?
Wandering down the seedy streets. Bouncing from diner to street vendor plotting the next move. Swiping this and that absent mindedly. Wiping off prints and mostly discarding the stuff. Have to keep in practi...Gunfire!
What?!?
Belting pell mell toward the source. Dodge that car, duck through this alley. Down the street. Inside there! Up onto the dumpster for a peek inside
Gagners with guns? The news was telling about how the V'Sori cleared the streets. Some award for lowering crime rate. This is not kosher.
From inside voices: Heh. He wasn't so tough. I guess not all these freaky powered types are so tough. Boss is going to like this. Get us some reward. [general cheering and catcalls].
Well load 'im up boys. Well haul his corpse in for our "civic duty".
Aha! That one over there has a rifle. I need to follow them.
Vehicles arrive. Van and car. The gang leaves the building with their prize
Toss 'im in the back there. Party tonight!
The vehicles rock as they enter. With one every so slight nudge where there shouldn't be one.
Some time later at a desolate warehouse filled with several more of the gangers. Music blares from cheap speakers. Equally cheap booze runs like a river as the members celebrate their sucessful hunt for the evening. Toasts and cheers. Drunken fights. Helpless victems brutalized. Your typical night out for these types. They never notice several rifles and a pile of ammo go missing...
...Back at a run down room. Several rifles on the floor and plenty of ammo Cash Out sits considering
No silencers. Did find a decent rifle and scope. Should be able to find someone to get me the silencer with the rest of this stuff. Some up front so they can trust me. The rest as payment on delivery. The docks might have some leads. Lots of cargo going in and out. Maybe they have connections. I'll go there tomorrow.
The equipment is gathered into a couple of duffle bags then rest for the night.
Time passes

The next day arrives
Yes you can trust me. I'll bring a few pieces to prove it. Pick a time and place. I warn you not to cross me. You won't like the result.
A few hours later
Finally. Silencer for that Glock. Now what in the fires of the inferno is going on here? I need to find out what happened.

I am going to start asking around to see if anyone noticed anything strange in the area I woke up in around the time I first woke up.
Streetwise 1d6 - 2 ⇒ (1) - 2 = -11d6 - 2 ⇒ (1) - 2 = -1

The Omegans find unity difficult in the wee hours of the morning, smelling of the sewers with empty bellies. They go their separate ways for the time being, though most end up back at the warehouse with nowhere else to go. Belle finds Oz rather distraught at having awoken to find her gone, but calms quickly enough now she's back.

End of mission, time for XP and bennies to be reset :) Do you guys want to bother with the adventure deck or not? I don't think anyone's used theirs. Same question regarding Beliefs and Instincts, I should have been reminding you guys a bit more, but your beliefs should change relatively frequently to reflect your character's current priorities, it's fine to have one as a longer term goal, but you should be completing beliefs every 2-3 sessions or so. Please answer in the discussion thread.

Happy-Jack in particular, yours are fairly vague and you've only got one of each.

A relatively easy mission this time, so I'll award everyone a base 2 XP. If you'd like to petition me for more then please do so in the discussion thread. DA you can have an extra benny for next session, you found a secret base, there just wasn't anything you could use there. Belle you drop back down to three bennies this 'session'

Only a few short hours after emerging from the sewers, a brief trill from the communicators, and a slowly pulsing light indicates the arrival of a message. The noise ends quickly but the light continues to pulse intermittently. The Omegans are left to their sleep thereafter.

When they do finally check the communicators they recognize a still image of Doctor Destruction's metallic mug on the screen before a few short lines of text appear.

"Well done Musad's Harem. Thanks to your efforts I was able to extract some information from Alpha Force's old computers that will prove useful to our efforts. If you manage to keep this up you may even find out what that information is one day."

The message fades leaving the Omegans to their own devices once again. The ever present V-Map continues to tick away with V'Sori sightings, troop movements and other items of interest to the Omegans.

Feel free to discuss what you'd like to do. The V-Map is provided as a source for 'official' missions, feel free to find, or create your own.

Abomination? <glancing around and seeing no V'Sori or their thugs> I see none of the abominations here. The thrice cursed space fish are busy elsewhere. Were you here 2 nights ago? What did you see?

Jack looks around the lair with his usual smile; "Everyone rested and refreshed, fed and watered? Time to find some valuables for DA and perhaps cock a snook at our alien scum? That transport on the Sea Bridge could provide both, methinks."

The Advocate examines the map....

"The bridge transport does seem vulnerable..They will be expecting attack though....Perhaps Mus'ad in a stolen semi to smash into the convoy... Bella taking control of a surviving driver .... Explosions a'la Happy-Jack..... Bella's friend in a stolen boat to manage the escape... Limited to what the boat could hold. Risky but possible. ."

"Colonel Clone......That is interesting" (Common knowledge on the Colonel 1d10 ⇒ 5 wild 1d6 ⇒ 2. Assuming he/she was a super villain who used a number of clones? Lab means it is more likely done or can be done to someone else.)"... If the lab is still functional it would make a lovely home...Not to mention the possibilities brought by having our own clones...."

"Destruction is losing some eyes and ears. No wonder he wants this plugged....We could find out more about his network if we do him this 'favor'.."

"Oh...this looks like a quick smash and grab....I wonder where it is happening...."(no location listed for final mission. It is a secret transfer!)

"I think pursuing the clone sighting would be the best return on out investment. Though I am drawn to the possibility of stealing some SOCOP or V'sori vehicles from the transfers. Your thoughts 'Belle? Mus'ad?"

Brow furrowed over his piggish eyes Mus'ad nods "Mus'ad think kill Sea Bridge convoy... no need for Semi, Mus'ad make stop with bare hand before harem make with grunt work to take vehicle... after that you can make with thinking work... that not for Mus'ad"

So. What are you guys doing? One of the missions or something else? It's up to you guys where this game goes.

As leader of Harem Mus'ad imposes his will upon them "We go Sea Bridge... I stop the convoy... the little people make with robbing and thing while Mus'ad make with fists." before striding out the door.

<Still speaking to the drunken holy roller wannabe> I asked you a question. Were you here 2 nights ago? What did you see? I suggest you tell me. No one would miss you if you were to vanish suddenly.
Intimidate 1d4 ⇒ 2; wild 1d6 ⇒ 2

Sorry bout that Cash, meant to post for you but forgot :p

The hobo continues his prayer undaunted, finishing it with a resounding "Amen!" Despite the secluded location of the alley this guys shouted ranting is likely to draw some attention eventually.

"You will not frighten me Demon! I see past your simple shell to the beasts hiding within. I heard the wailings of your fellows, and saw you wrench your way into this world! Begone! Get thee hence Demon!" he demands, thrusting his hand towards Cash.

The man is still several meters from Cash, but as he says those words and puts forth his hand Cash feels a spectral impact slam into his chest and a pressure grip his heart. His breathing becomes shallow as he feels the energy drain out of him, a lassitude falling upon his muscles. A moment later the pressure eases, but his limbs feel heavy, his reactions slowed.

I'll let you know the precise mechanical effects at the end of the scene, but suffice to say you're not immobilized, just 'slowed'. You can look at the spoiler above and decide to spend a benny if you want.

-=-=-=-=-=-

As to the rest of you, it seems Mus'ad has decided for you :)

Mus'ad strides from the door leaving the others to scurry and catch up or else abandon their 'illustrious leader'. A few moments later a beeping from the communicators indicates an update to the V-Map, the icon denoting the Sea Bridge convoy has changed to show Mus'ad's 'smiling' face, and some flashing text indicates that there is new information available.

The convoy is set to hit the Sea Bridge at approximately 1312 hours, just under 5 hours from now. The routes of such convoys are always different, and though the resistance is sure that this one will be headed for Beachhead, once it enters the city tracking it will prove difficult.

The intel suggests that hitting it while it is on the bridge itself will prove most effective. The catch? V'Sori normally shut down traffic on the bridge an hour prior to the convoy's arrival and secure either end with drones and fin troops. The resistance may be able to provide some limited air support if required, but the grant of such resources is subject to Doctor Destruction's approval.

Information on the nature of the convoy itself is a bit more spotty. It will be five* vehicles total, two V'Sori Sargassos which should contain the cargo, and 3 escort vehicles--a V'Sori M'Buna, a V'Sori Barracuda, and a Yaschuk Aerodyne Flying Car.

Well, I should see what 'moral support' I can provide.

"Oz, fastest means to get from here to Beachhead, not using public transportation?" Isabelle prods Oswald to wakefulness as she repeats herself, as necessary.

Reviewing the new information through piggish narrowed eyes Mus'ad appears to be undergoing some degree of cranio-intestinal distress before nodding and grunting "Mus'ad jump on flying car, make crash into funny named one... then maybe throw what left of flying car into third vehicle... should be easy."

"A thrillingly complicated and subtle plan, Mus'ad, truly. And while I agree that this should be a piece of the proverbial cake, perhaps getting DA and La Belladonna Senza Pieta' in on the action would help. Devil's Advocate, have you any devices in your arsenal that could distract our finned friends at the key moment?". As he speaks, Jack flits between Mus'ad and DA to speak.

Jack also racks his brains for details on the Sea Bridge, including length and any possible places on either end that could serve as launching spots for speedy attacks. 1d4 ⇒ 41d6 ⇒ 3 Well, I should recall its length, if nothing else :)

First action Invisibility.
2nd action stealth. I don't know if this can be combined with Invis.
3rd action draw glock and silencer.
4th action attach silencer.
5th put the gun barrel to his head.
If I have the time. If not then let me know. Assuming once all that has gone off
To the bum: Twitch and you are dead and won't have to worry about any of that. Try any trick like the one you just pulled and you won't have to worry about anything anymore. Answer my questions and you may live to see tomorrow depending on what you have to say.
Oh...and apologize.

Back of the head preferably.

Spending a bennie. Can't let some lowlife priest wannabe with delusions of adequacy best me. Now I'm just mad. Shooting him if possible. At this point I don't care of it's not silenced. Priest is going down.