Horus will cast colour spray again (DC15) and retreat back towards his companions (5 left, 1 down)
Round 2
Initiative 28
Mordanna's bullet takes the bugbear in the thigh, tearing a a bloody hole.
Initiative 22
Kimefe's second shot also strikes the bugbear putting another hole in its gut. It's evil grin is broken by a coughing fit, blood dribbles down its chin.
Initiative 16
Grimwold moves and calls down a blessing on the group.
Intiative 15
Horus throws another burst of rainbow light at the bugbear before stepping back.
Again, the bugbear shakes off its effects.
Initiative 8
Leo moves, then snaps off another shot at the bugbear, tearing through it's upper right arm. Though bleeding from several bullet wounds, the big fella looks like he still has some fight in him.
Initiative 6
The bugbear charges down along the bar, bringing his big sword down in an overhead chop at Horus.
The nimble engineer dodges out of the way, and the blade carves a large gash in the floor instead.
Initiative 5
The remaining customers hit the floor, covering their heads and wailing. The bouncers finally snap out of it, and advance on the bugbear firing on him with their pistols.
Two of their bullets strike the assassin, adding more blood to the torrent now leaking down his body.
Initiative 3
Grunk bellows in fury, "Not my crew!" and charges towards the bugbear, punching at it with his powerfist.
The bugbear brings his sword up to parry the heavy blow, barely avoiding having his skull smashed by the angry Grunk.
End Round 2
------------------
Begin Round 3
Mordanna 28
Kimefe 22
Grimwold 16
Horus 15
Leo 8
Assassin 6
Customers/Bouncers 5
Grunk 3
As the bugbear approaches Leo takes a step away from the bar behind one of the tables. With practised care he fires into the combat.
Moves 1 square away from the bar in a straight line.
Mordanna moves closer to Leo (3 up, 3 right).
She holds her fire as she is not sure she can hit the bugbear with her comrades in the way.
With his blessing made Grimwold heads back across the bar to get a clear shot at the bugbear. He pauses for a second waiting for an opening, hands steady with a practised aim, he fires.
Moving forward again (Should be in the row that Grimwold is in and the column that Leo's in according to the map right now), Kimefe fires again. It's nice to know my gun is working now.
Attack:
Damage:
Round 3: init 15
Horus steps back(5ft step) and casts Grease on the bugbear's nasty sword.
Round 3
Initiative 28
Mordanna moves up closer to Leo.
Initiative 22
Kimefe moves forward and fires again, missing.
Initiative 16
Grimwold moves over, and fires at the bugbear. His well aimed bullet enters the assassin's head right between his eyes, blowing the back of his head off. The burly goblinoid slips limply to the floor.
End Combat
Turning to the closest enforcer he almost interrogates the poor orc: You there, you're an enforcer here right? I want to know where the other exits are, now!" leaving little room for interpretation or objections.
"Uhb, uhhh, eh, kitchen! Yeah, back there, through the kitchen they take the trash out there." He stammers, clearly in shock. "All those people dead..." He promptly starts vomiting.
Horus tries to ignore the nearby conflagration and begins to search the dead bugbear for anything useful.
Leo walks over to the vomiting enforcer, puts his hand on the enforcers shoulder and says firmly: "Yes they're now pull yourself together and go to the kitchen door and guide the rest out." He turns to the remaining enforcers and his ensigns and orders: "All right listen up, we're going to get people out the kitchen entrance." He points to one of the enforcers: "You clear the way and keep the door open." He turns to the remaining two: "You start getting people out, go see who is still alive." Finally he starts giving orders to the officers: "Mordanna clear our path out of here, go with the enforcer to the kitchen exit. Grunk and Grimwold go help the enforcers with getting people out of here. Kimefe go help Horus secure any evidence on the bastard and when you're done get out. Everyone stay sharp there might me more assassins around." Done with his orders Leo waits for everyone to begin executing.
"Aye"
Mordanna moves to the kitchen exit and helps keep it clear.
Grimwold holsters his weapon. " Y'Sir! " He turns quickly to go and check the civilians giving first aid to anyone that needs it.
Kimefe kneels down next to Horus and starts going through the goblinoid's pockets, taking everything out of them.
Perception:
Kimefe kneels down next to Horus and starts going through the goblinoid's pockets, taking everything out of them.
Perception:
After having given his orders Leo keeps a watchful eye on the proceedings his trusted carbine ever ready to fire should it be required. Well at least everyone is acting as ordered. A good quality in the new ones. He thinks to himself.
Horus and Kimefe turn up an Autoscroll and the the bugbear's sword. Other than that he doesn't have anything on him.
Grunk moves to help the bouncers get the other customers out. Coordinating things in Orcish. Within a few minutes everyone's out the back and led through the narrow alley out into the street. At the same time security and fire control arrived and are working to put out the blaze. Men in black security uniforms have the area cordoned off, and are beginning to interview witnesses. Because the bar is mostly metal and stone, the blaze luckily didn't spread very far into the bar.
Sheriff Blackburn approaches Leo as soon as he sees him and says, "Mind tellin' me what in the hells is going on here?!"
"Good question Sheriff, I'm not even sure myself." Leo answers while trying to let the carbine causally hang by his side. "We sitting in a booth with two of our new possible members of the crew and my chief engineer walks up to the bar. The next I see is some bugbear attacking him and setting the place on fire." Leo shrugs his shoulders in an apology as he finishes.
"Nothin' but trouble." he says spitting on the ground near Leo's feet and then walking away muttering to himself. Around this time all the crew's communicators turn on. "This is seneschal Cinderbeard. The Headman requests your presence in his dwelling immediately."
As the group makes their way the the Headman's place, Kimefe will start reading through the autoscroll taken from the bugbear, looking specifically for information about the Bloodclaws.
"Oooh, this is gonna be good!" she says excitedly.
"We'll see." Leo adds dryly.
Use technology check:
"I feel like I'm really close to cracking this code, but I'm missing something. Can one of you guys check and see what I'm doing wrong?"
Looking Kiemefe's protocol Leo suggests: "I would have done the same as you. Perhaps adding that line of code there down here also?"
"Let's see....ah ha! Bypass the main routine over to this subroutine. Then hit it with a dual breaker attack here and you should be in."
Grimwold stands nearby the group just keeping a lookout for further trouble.
That bugbear was ready for us. A new group in port is suss but not enough for that reaction. He looks up at Horus " You reckon that bugbear new your team was gonna be here askin about his gang? Just seems like he had a tip off, being right there when we'd just started askin questions... "
Hearing Grimwolds question Leo turns towards him and answers grimly: "I think you're right, he had properly been tipped off. He adds after a short pause: "I don't like this one bit." Thinking out aloud: "Who would have tipped them off?"
Working together the team manages to crack the encryption on the auto-scroll. The device is empty save for a single message.
"There's a team of FEF pigs gonna be askin' bout business round town the next few days. Keep an eye on 'em, and then take care of 'em. Payment's double usual, meet at these coordinates when the job's done:
X:199923034 Y:132039480 Z:129380039
- Bloodclaw"
Those are coordinates relating to a solar body, IE within a single solar system.
You'd have to run it through a computer to be sure, but you think that'd be on the far side of the system.
Those coordinates would put you in the system's asteroid belt on the far side from the gate. There are several dwarf planet sized bodies in that part of the belt.
Hearing Grimwolds question Leo turns towards him and answers grimly: "I think you're right, he had properly been tipped off. He adds after a short pause: "I don't like this one bit." Thinking out aloud: "Who would have tipped them off?"
" Who knew you were comin here? That'd be a good place to start workin it out. Obviously Auriel knew... but I don't see how it would benefit him."
"Looks like the bloodclaws are hiding in the systems asteroid belt."
[dice=Pilot]1d20+8
"Looks like the bloodclaws are hiding in the systems asteroid belt."
"I'm not so sure about that. If they are always there then the coordinates would not have been included in the message--they would have just met up and exchanged credits. But it's definitely a good place to start."
"Scary thought you have Grimworld, but properly the place to start." Leo answers.
Looking to Hightower and Kimefe adds: "Lets get shipside then, unless you have anything left to do. It'll be an option for the new to see the Excelsior and meet the captain."
"Does this mean we are leaving?" Mord says with a smile.
"And I was having so much fun. Still, I'd rather be flying something."
Your comms crackle to life again, this time the Captain's charming voice comes through. "I just received a formal complaint filed by the Constable. Something about mass death and destruction at your hands. What's going on down there? Any updates for me?"
"This is Gotrum. We were ambushed sir. I'd prefer a debriefing shipside if that's al right capt? Over."
Looking at Mordanna he lets the communicator go and says with a smile: "You'll fly soon enough"
"Aknowledged. You'll need to use the Headman's teleporter to get back up here since those treasonous prigs stole the shuttle. See you soon XO. Ageera out."
"I guess we need to decide what to do with this sword, and then head back shipside and go to the asteroid belt."
As the party stands around talking things over, the headman's seneschal Botarr Cinderbeard approaches the group. He bows and addresses them, "The headman has reviewed the security footage, and found your actions entirely commendable, despite the constable's objections. Were you able to discover anything?" His face looks concerned, as he looks at the carnage that was the front of the bar. By this time the crowd is pretty thick around the security cordon. People are talking to each other hurriedly and covering their mouths. It's obvious that everyone is scared.
"I'm not sure seneschal, we're going to have to look at it our self for any clues, could you send us a copy? We lost our shuttle and need to get shipside, could you lend us the Headman's teleporter?"
"Yes of course Lieutenant. Right this way." The dwarf leads the group back through the base, into the lavish area surrounding the Headman's living quarters. They pass through the marble and gold painted luxury back out onto an outdoor area. This landing pad is surrounded by a forcefield to keep the wind and sand out, and there is a large teleporter resting in the middle of it. "Here you are." he says to the crew, bowing. "Please let us know if you learn anything. We'll handle the situation down here for now.
The teleporter is basic planetary model, you've all worked with them before. It's easy enough to get yourselves back up to the Excelsior. The captain calls a meeting once everyone is back.
Sitting down at the meeting, Kimefe immediately takes apart her gun and begins cleaning the sand out of it. Although she seems entirely intent on her work she is actually listening to everything said very closely.
" Good evening Captain, Doc Grimwold Starforge at your service. " Grimwold introduces himself giving his usual casual salute. He then takes a seat and waits for the meeting to begin.
"Sir." Mord says as she nods towards the captain. She sits down and waits.
The captain was waiting in the bridge level conference room before any of you arrived. He simply nods to Kimefe when she comes in, respecting her apparent wish for silence. As the two new crew memembers enter, he stands and rebuttons his open uniform. Pulling it straight he walks over and offers his hand. "Greetings you two. I am Captain Alejandro Ageera, your new CO. I understand that you were previously Guild employees, correct?"