Blax-9 fires at the northern soldier.
Val'nor and Blax-9 drop the third foe with a couple precise shots. The man falls to the forest floor with two smoking holes in his armor plates.
The echoes of gunfire fade into the fog-shrouded distance, and the natural noises of the wood slowly pick up after a few moments. All else is quiet until...
Blax-9 will search the bodies for any information or anything of value.
Perception -
"To the southeast, we are not alone"
Stealth -
Bast quickly and silently fades into the forest looking for who made the noise
Blax-9 arms his rifle and follows Bast.
Val'nor nods and blends into the shadows and follows the others.
Lasereater trumps toward the southeast spraying fire when he gets close.
"Burn, stoopid long shanks!".
Bast, Blax-9 and Val'nor move into the trees quietly and in mutually supporting formation. Lasereater crashes into the underbrush, waving his pistol around and blasting at a bird as it flies away, chirping. The shots immediately flush out the quarry.
"I surrender! Surrender, I said!" A lanky, middle-aged man, gap-toothed with short, graying hair, steps out from underneath a tall fern, hands held high. He is lathered in sweat and haggard with exhaustion. He stops short when he sees Lasereater, features flickering between surprise and confusion. "But, uh... you aren't the Azlanti."
Blax-9 spits out his cigar. "No, we ain't the Azlanti, but we may still kill you anyway. Who are you and what are you doing here?"
The man starts as Blax-9 steps out of the underbrush. He shoots his hands up higher and stammers, "Hey, hey, I surrender I said. I don't want any more trouble. I'm Jellik Fulson, a mechanic from the colony here at Madelon's Landing. I was running from the Azlanti... well, hiding in the forest from their patrol. I had no idea you were here, too." He drops a hand to wipe sweat from his brow, a nervous tic. "Um, but... who are you?"
Blax-9 introduces himself and the others. "Why you runnin' from the Azlanti? We're seeking friends who were here investigating an ancient wreckage site. They were Starfinders. You wouldn't know anything about that now, would you?"
"Him looks like him tasty after burn burn ... scaredy self make da meats salty."
Lasereater grins maniacally and spits another spout of flame into the air.
"Starfinders? You mean Sarigar and Meeko?" Jellik starts to answer, then is startled by Lasereater's display.
"Whoa, whoa, hey!" Jellik shouts, backing away from Lasereater. He looks around, ready to bolt into the woods.
Blax-9 nods and lights a cigar on the spout of flame. "Yeah, that's them. Good 'ol Sarigar and Meeko. Whatcha know about 'em Jellik? Just tell us everything and don't be lying or trying any trickery. We don't got all day and Lasereater is hungry!"
Jellik shies back from Lasereater but holds his ground. "Well, uh... I don’t know how far back to start. Maybe it’s when we saw the meteor crash-land about 10 or 20 miles from here. A group of folks went to scout it out—Cedona, Quorsica, and others—and they came back with some strange news. First, they learned that the meteor was some kind of high-tech probe, but it had been destroyed in the crash. Interestingly, the probe landed near an old crashed starship we hadn’t noticed before. Been there for ages, probably. Cedona suggested we call the Starfinders, to get some experts here to check it out. And that's what we did," he punctuates with a nod.
"Your friends arrived a couple weeks later—the shirren Meekko and uh... snake-man, Sarigar. They went into the crashed ship with Cedona and came out with a pack full of old tech. Mmeko seemed like she was very excited; but that Sarigar fellow was gloomy. He talked to our leader, Madelon, and Aibretta—that’s our best mechanic and my ex-wife—about what they'd found."
"A few days later, a starship sailed in above the town commons, blasted our communications building and your friends' ship to slag, and unloaded a bunch of soldiers. There wasn’t a lot we could do. Sarigar tried to fight but was overwhelmed. The soldiers rounded up everyone in town and their leader—a stern woman whose face I never saw—told us that our planet was now annexed as a part of the Azlanti Star Empire. They threatened to kill any who protested, and made a bloody mess of Sarigar—hung him up in the commons as a warning."
"The soldiers forced us to unload some prefab building components, which they turned into a garrison in the center of town. The woman in charge asked us about the crashed ship; turns out, it’s old Azlanti technology. She was very interested in what Mekoo found. They rounded up Madelon, Cedona, Meeko and a few others and jailed them in the garrison. The large ship went away, but all the soldiers stayed."
"They’ve instituted martial law in town; we’re basically prisoners. We try to make do just as before, but anyone stepping out of line gets punished. When I got the chance, I ran. I didn’t know there were soldiers in the forest waiting to catch escapees. Four of them found me. I killed one with a lucky shot, but the other three chased me. And that brings me up to where I met you."
Bast inhales sharply through his nose
"They killed Sarigar or just roughed him up?"
Do you know of a back way into town? Some way my friends and I could sneak in and cause some havoc? Anyone in town a fighter, if we were able to get them weapons would they be able to use them?"
Jellik shakes his head, wiping his brow again. "I couldn't say if he was alive or dead, but he was in rough shape, that's for sure."
"I can lead you to town. the fog makes it a little easier to come and go without being seen, but there might be more Azlanti patrols around. I think some of them have motion detectors."
"Our people aren't really fighters. I mean, we're survivors... we can handle a scrap, but we're no match for a company of hardened soldiers."
"If you want to help, I think you should talk to my ex, Aibretta. Her junk shop is on the edge of Madelon's Landing, and I know an entrance in the back. She can tell you more about what's going on with the Azlanti and whatever your friends discovered."
Blax-9 nods, "Well I guess it's lucky we ran into you then Jellik. Let's talk to Aibretta. But remember, if this is some sort of trap I'm killing you first."
He motions for the man to lead the way.
Val'nor says Yeah, lets head to the junk shop. Also see if we can check on Sarigar.
Lasereater looks disappointed that Blax-9 beat him to the threat, "Umm ... I kills him second, den."
Jellik nods and gives a nervous smile. "This way," the mechanic says, pointing in the direction the Azlanti patrol came from. He guides you through the mist-shrouded forest, explaining the layout of Madelon's Landing along the way. He also happily answers any questions you have about the colony.
Jellik does all the talking, but even he fades off into nervous silence when no one talks. A few hours later, he holds a finger to his lips -- somewhat absurd given your stoic silence -- and leads you off the track through a low gully beneath some thick fern growth. A minute later, you see the outline of a rectangular building emerges through the fog: a mechanic’s workshop consisting of three interconnected, prefabricated modules, each the size of a shipping container. The central module is open on one side and appears to be a repair bay, although the tool chests, spools of wire, and broken equipment stacked haphazardly around the area imply that the repairs are slow going at best. Storage crates, broken furniture, and scrapped engines litter the yard around the junk shop. A short metal fence surrounds the yard, separating the chaos within from the orderly paths and shrubs of the surrounding colonists’ modules.
Jellik moves up to the outer wall, feels around a moss-covered panel until he finds a hidden catch. The panel swings open to a low crawlspace -- Jellik waves you hurriedly inside. The concealed entrance leads into the repair bay. As you climb up into the day, the owner comes in, wielding a large wrench defensively. Aibretta is an older, tawny-skinned, thickset woman with long fingers and a piercing gaze. Her wavy brown hair is pulled back in a messy bun to keep it out of the way.
"Jellik, is that you?" she growls. She stops as she sees the rest of you. "Who the hell are you guys?"
Blax-9 nods at the woman and then introduces the group. "I'm Blax-9 and these are my friends. We're here to rescue Sarigar and Meeko. Can you take us to them? What can you tell us about the Azlanti forces here?"
"Ooooh! Fixy fix broken stuff!"
Lasereater's eyes get big at all the junk and he immediately starts wading into it
Aibretta looks askance as Lasereater dives into the junk and unfinished work. Jellik steps forward. "They're Starfinders," he interjects with a half-smile.
She glances at her ex and then back to Blax-9, lowering the wrench. "Sarigar is still hanging at the crossroads south of the Common. Last I saw, he's still alive, but barely. They lash him a few times a day to remind everyone to stay in line." She shakes her head, sighing. "As for Meico, she got taken into the Azlanti garrison with Maledon and Cedona. I haven't seen any of them since."
"You look like resourceful types, but there a lot of Azlanti troops. A direct assault would be suicide. A few of us have been coordinating a resistance to their occupation. We don’t have all the pieces we need yet, but with you on our side, perhaps we do."
Blax-9 finds the most comfortable chair to lounge back in while he kicks his feet up and blows smoke rings. "Well, we can't really just leave Sarigar to die. He does owe us a lot of money after all. Suppose we better go get him down. We'll need to get the others out of the garrison at the same time or shortly after. Aibretta, perhaps you and your rebels could create a diversion to cover us?"
Aibretta smiles, rubbing a greasy hand across her chin as she thinks. "I won't put our people in the line of fire, but I think we can manage to drum up a couple decent distractions for you. I've thought about setting the hobgars free from the trap; they'll cause no end of mischief. I think we might be able to get some out of the town chasing Jellik." Her ex perks up, turning a shade whiter. "Or thinking its you out there," she adds with a grin.
To Blax-9, she continues, "Just let me know when you need us. These kind of things will only work once, and I can't promise how long the Azlanti will go along."
Val'nor's eyes get just as big as Lasers. He starts cataloging all the items he sees. He still has his drone shopping list in his head. When the talk turns to rescuing Saigar. He focuses on the task at hand, and says "Lets check out a map of the village?"
"I wonder if I tap into the azlant comms and learn something about them"
< Scan for network signals
< intercept and decode the signals
Val'nor attempts to pick up on Azlanti signals, but doesn't make it far. The entire area is still blanketed in jamming static. There are no communications getting in or out of the colony.
Lasereater pops his head out of the junk pile and picks up some things that are obviously broken, "Me take these. Ok? Bring back when doen or fixed."
"Go gets Venshurcappin now?"
Blax-9 nods at Aibretta, "Alright then, a diversion it is. When can your forces be ready? What can you tell us of the Garrison defenses? You got anyone on the inside? Are there any alternate means of entry that you're aware of? You know where we can get some Azlanti uniforms?"
Val'nor pulls up the map on his datapad, and starts peppering the 2 locals with questions in between Blax-9's. "Where are the guards posted?" "Are all the roof tops the same height?" "How tall is this 'Glimmerrock' and is it hazardous? I Would like to get a overview of the operation."
Aibretta's eyes go wide at the battery of questions, but she smiles grimly and digs into it, pointing at a sketch map of the colony.
"I'll need an hour, maybe two, to get my people in motion. That should give you enough time to get Sarigar. You can hide him in here, if you like. You know the back way in. That little rescue will probably pull some Azlanti out of the garrison and give us a head start."
"The Azlanti patrol around the town and a little ways into the perimeter forest. I haven't got a pattern or anything -- they've been good about keeping things random. We've counted somewhere between 20 and 30 soldiers in the colony. There were more initially, but they left with the ship."
"They naturally congregate around their garrison building. I know of only two ways in or out: the main entrance and a small back door. Only Qorsica has been inside and lived to tell -- they dragged her in with Madelon and the others, beat the living crap out of her then dumped her outside to die -- but her memory of it is naturally pretty hazy."
"I don't think there's any secret entrances to the garrison. It seems pretty secure by design. Even getting inside will be tough... probably going to have to blow the door or hack the lock."
At this point Jellik coughs, stepping forward nervously (especially under his ex's impatient stare). "I umm... saw one of the Azlanti remove her helmet just before entering, as though she were getting off-duty, but the door didn’t open for her. She looked at her helmet, tapped it a few times, and put it back on; the door then opened for her. I'm not sure what that means, but it seemed important."
Aibretta sighs, "And you wait til now to bring it up? Ugh, nevermind... well, that might be worth looking into, but we might not have time. What else?"
"The Glimmerock... I guess about 30 feet high. Not dangerous as far as we know. Its a strange thing, looks like a natural crystal formation, but Cedona and others suspect its actually artificially constructed. It glows brighter or dimmer on some astrological cycle, and boosts communications signals significantly. Madelon decided to build the colony around it."
"The colony buildings are all the same standard con-ex size. The Azlanti garrison is a bit taller, but other than the trees the Glimmerock is the tallest thing in the colony."
"We haven't got anyone inside that came out again, except for Qorsica that is. No uniforms or armor -- you'll have to get those yourselves," she finishes with a knowing glance.
Blax-9 nods his thanks, "Do you have any explosives that we can use?"
He then turns to the others. "I suggest we use the diversion to grab Sarigar and then move immediately to the garrison before the Azlanti can organize a defense. We'll have to blow the doors unless we can grab one of those Azlanti helmets or otherwise manage to open the door. What do you think?"
”Not take venshrcapn with us. Him prolly weak and slow. “
"No explosives, or even weapons for that matter. The Azlanti rounded up everything."
"Your goblin friend makes a good point," Aibretta agrees with Lasereater. "Sarigar won't be in any condition to join you inside. If you rescue him now, bring him here. That will give me time to organize the others and then we'll set off the diversions for you to break into the garrison."
Lasereater pulls out a broken collapsible ladder and a broken light reaction cannon out of the pile of junk. He hoists the items and marches along with Blax-9, looking ridiculous with the massive piece of weaponry.
Blax-9 nods as he raises an eyebrow at the scavenging space goblin. "Alright then, let's go find 'ol snake boy. I'm sure that ladder and cannon are going to come in handy Lasereater - good thinkin'. Aibretta, can you tell us how to get to Sarigar? Are there any patrols or guards that we need to watch out for?"
Once they have directions, Blax-9 gathers up his gear and leads the way.
Val'nor "Nope, I'll grab some cast off clothing and try to look like a local" Then he follows Blax-9, and Laser outside.
Aibretta points out a route on the map that will keep you mostly out of sight until you reach Sarigar's gibbet. As she explained before, the Azlanti patrols are random so she cannot guarantee a safe route.
Val'nor grabs a heavy rain coat with a sleeve missing, but its hood is deep and hides his face.
You head out into the foggy colony, making your way between the long connexes and avoiding the road. You circle around the back the administrator's home and approach the crossroads from the west. As you get closer, you start to make out details of the scene about forty feet ahead.
Sarigar hangs suspended from a makeshift gibbet constructed around a tall lampost. His tail is chained to the top of the post, leaving him hanging upside down. His body is covered in lacerations and long welts, and his right arm ends at a cauterized stump above the elbow.
A small crowd of six colonists stand nearby, looking uncomfortable and forced into watching the display. Two brutish azlanti -- one with a beard and the other with prominent widows peaks -- stand below Sarigar, wielding sparking taclashes. They're distracted making a show for their unwilling audience, and do not yet notice your approach.
Lasereater eyes the chain seeing if he can use psychokinetic hand to move it around.
"Half-shankses go make sure stoopid Ass-lanties don mess Lasereater up."
Assuming they stay distracted, Lasereater will attempt to use his telekinesis to unwrap the chain, keeping a flight spell ready in case Sarigar falls
Blax-9 finds cover with line of sight on the guards. He takes aim at the nearest guard and readies to fire as soon as they realize something is amiss.
Val'nor attempts to climb up to the roof of the connex house just east of the Admins house.
He will lay on his stomach and take aim at "widows peak" In his comms he says "in position"
Lasereater heads off to get closer to Sarigar, lurking behind the gathered locals. Blax-9 and Val'nor get into sniping position.
Blax-9 carefully lines his sights up on the nearest soldier. When everyone is in place he takes a deep breath and squeezes the trigger.
Blax-9's shot cracks through the air, sending birds into flight and the colonists ducking for cover. The shot is only inches off target, perhaps due to the misty air, however it ricochets hard off the Azlanti's shoulder guard. The man recoils in surprise, and his partner looks around sharply.