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ZEU-OOM! - ZOOM!
CRUNCH! Guess? dodges as one of the vehicles comes straight towards him while Melissa is not quite so lucky. The ram's spikes tear a massive gouge in the ysoki's side and she barely stays standing!
From the top of the vehicles pops another pirate with a mounted gun! Each fires at the other two crew members, shots going wild.
Melissa, 138 Damage
Jaraduk, 45 Damage
Akh, 16 Damage
Guess?, 30 Damage
Pink Vehicle, 0 Damage
Blue Vehicle, 28 Damage
Knowing that the two road rollers will need some time to recover after their ramming attempt, Akh activates his thruster heels and flies toward the vehicle that just tried to take out Guess. He reaches in toward the vehicle's pilot from above and claws away, focusing his powers into creating a rip in space that lacerates flesh.
Jaraduk remembers that he didn't get a jetpack installed in his armor.
Bad Jaraduk!
He sprints laterally hoping to not leave a neat, tidy line of ramming targets with his teammates. Spread out a bit.
Then he unloads with the grenade launcher.
Guess? tries to identify what those vehicles are, how tough they are, and whether they have potential vulnerabilities.
While trying to assess the lethality of the vehicles, Guess? falls back on an eons old tradition that has served his ancient ancestors well in their constant quest for survival in a cruel, harsh world that dislikes short, green humanoids. Guess? RUNS!!
"Worst case <huff puff> I get to the ship <huff puff> turn the ships guns on those mofos <huff puff>!!"
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Akh flies over to the nearest vehicle and sees - to his dismay - that the vehicle is covered by a transparasteel layer that protects the inhabitants from the asteroid's lack of atmosphere (and any incoming whips). Thankfully Akh is able to redirect his attack towards a protruding exhaust pipe for maximum damage. Jaraduk's off-kilter grenade sends some of the chasing pirates ducking for cover, but isn't in range of the vehicles. Meanwhile, Guess? and Melissa both get hoofing it towards safety. Both vehicles swing around in wide circles to get a bead on the party, giving Akh an opportunity to attack the vehicle as it moves underneath him. Guess? recognizes these Assault Plows from the advertisements in the back of Freelance Economics e-magazine . These are low end models for the roving mercenary band. They offer utilitarian value with their hover capability and total environmental protections. They can also be outfitted for a trio of larger creatures or a band of smaller ones. This particular model comes with the spiked plow attachment, damaging more thoroughly than the base vehicle and causing bleed in living creates . The manned turret in the back is outfitted with a heavy reaction cannon and a bubble for vision.
The turrets continue to fire, one barely clipping Akh's armor.
Melissa, 138 Damage
Jaraduk, 45 Damage
Akh, 19 Damage
Guess?, 30 Damage
Pink Vehicle, 40 Damage
Blue Vehicle, 17 Damage
Guess? continues running top speed towards the ship.
"Almost there! Just hold out a little longer guys!
"It's a shame the ship's guns ain't gunna leave much salvage from those vehicles... But I s'pose it'd be a bigger shame if y'all died, amirite???" quips Guess?
The thing about these...
Jaraduk hefts a new type of grenade in his hand.
is that they only affect the bots and machines.
He approaches again, joining Melissa before launching it at the nearby vehicle.
Flies between the two ships and invisibly gains some altutide. Hurt as she is she's not risking running into another plow
Akh swipes at the vehicle wheeling away with a claw, then looks eastward. "Guess? Maybe you can shoot, but there's a good chance you'll hit us too. How about you just start the engines so we can get out of here... unless you think this is a vehicle Reisora-ing opportunity?"
In the mean time, he can see that Jaraduk's still staying and fighting, so Akh also approaches the pink truck from an oblique angle to deliver another dissolving slash.
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Starship weapons are never precise enough to target a single individual (or even small group) and can, if the GM decides, be simulated as deadly hazards instead of weapon attacks.
As Guess? disappears into the ship, you briefly question if he'll take off without you before focusing on the danger at hand. Melissa invisibly continues down the same path.
Jaraduk's grenade splashes against the vehicle but the pilot grits his teeth and pushes through the shock.
The car comes screaming in, the turret sending a large shell into Jaraduk's shoulder - slowing him down but not enough to be hit by the dangerous ram! Akh lays into the vehicle beneath him , which fires upwards and misses wildly. Seeing only one viable target, the driver guns it towards Jaraduk and nearly rams into his own ally!
Melissa, 138 Damage (Invisible)
Jaraduk, 62 Damage
Akh, 19 Damage
Guess?, 30 Damage
Pink Vehicle, 72 Damage
Blue Vehicle, 20 Damage
Jaraduk grits his teeth and grunts through the pain as the vehicle slams into him.
Is that all you've got? he taunts disingenuously through the lingering pain.
Seeing how close together they are, he plays the waiting game with another short-circuit grenade that he finally lobs between them to hit them both.
Guess? climbs aboard the ship and sprints to the bridge while yelling at the ship's AI and robot.
"Ship, start launch sequence ASAP and bypass all preflight checks. This is an emergency takeoff! Prioritize power to low speed, high agility maneuvering jets and all weapons!
"Robot, get to engineering and initiate all overrides to get us in the air and weapons online ASAP! We've got crewmember lives to save... an unsurprisingly common task for me, if I do say so myself!"
"Jaraduk are you alright? You seem to be staying in the middle of traffic." Akh swipes at pink as the truck races away from him, then pursues it for another entropic slash.
"Guess I hope you can get those weapons online quick, because Jaraduk seems committed to staying here and brawling with plows."
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In an absolutely epic show of stupidity bullheaded bravery, Jaraduk explodes the grenade just at the moment of collision. One of the drivers is able to turn his car to avoid the worst of the blast but the second driver's car spins out as the steering mechanism reboots. Muffled cursing echoes through the thin air from within the pirates' hover car. Akh chases down the stunned car, laying into it. Vehicle parts litter the landscape. The vehicle is still a long way from breaking down but it sure isn't running at top condition any more.
The other hover car speeds away from the dangerous duo before pulling the emergency break and spinning around to lob a projectile right into Jaraduk's joints. The stunned car's system is still rebooting, though the turret appears to be coming online faster than the steering!
Meanwhile, Melissa continues invisibly towards safety and chastises Guess? for forgetting the loyal digital shipmates The cubic robot shuffles out of the closet, extra-long aux cord trailing behind him. "Initiating overrides! Using weapons to save lives! I don't understand the process, but I understand the goal!"
Melissa x2, 138 Damage (Invisible)
Jaraduk, 86 Damage
Akh, 19 Damage
Guess?, 30 Damage
Pink Vehicle, 108 Damage, STUNNED for 2 more rounds
Blue Vehicle, 29 Damage
"Jaraduk are you alright? You seem to be staying in the middle of traffic."
I'm good! I think I can do more damage from here!
Does that frog have horns?!?
Nuars gain a unique weapon specialization with their natural weapons at 3rd level, allowing them to add 1-1/2 × their character level to their damage rolls with their natural weapons (instead of just adding their character level, as usual).
He turns to shout at the fleeing vehicle.
Hey, wait!
and gives chase.
Seeing that pink is disabled for now, Akh swipes at blue as it tries to maneuver, then flies eastward at a brisk pace, not wanting to be left too far behind if Guess? gets the engines fired up.
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Akh and Jaraduk leave the stunned vehicle behind and chase after the other hover car. Both lay into it, but the pirate driver is able to resist the stunning shock. With both Melissa and Guess? hidden away in the ship, both turrets turn on Jaraduk! RAT-A-TAT-TAT! Bullets fly, but they bounce off the "froggy" armor.
VROOOOOM! The mobile hover car charges at Jaraduk, plow spikes gleaming. But Jaraduk dodges to the right at the last moment, palm skidding along the vehicle's side.
Melissa x2, 138 Damage (Invisible)
Jaraduk, 86 Damage
Akh, 19 Damage
Guess?, 30 Damage
Pink Vehicle, 108 Damage, STUNNED for 1 more rounds
Blue Vehicle, 63 Damage
Jaraduk continues to defy the charging vehicle (but he knows he'll feel it in a couple of days).
One last try...
Previous round:
This round if Piloting and Engineering is still required:
This round in case ship weapons can be used:
Guess? aims dead center for pink!
*10=180
Hoping to clear out from the two enemy vehicles before Guess starts blasting, Akh flies east at full speed (run action). He flies somewhat "up" as he goes, hoping to be out of the ship's direct line of fire.
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As Akh flees for safer ground, Jaraduk shall know no fear and pops a final grenade. It's electricity covers the vehicle whose axle spins uselessly in place. Through the dash you can see the sarcesian pilot slam his fist angrily into the wheel.
Twin lasers, taller than Melissa, move over Akh and Jaraduk's heads in an eyeblink - leaving behind an afterimage that will remain for at least a minute. They hit the lagging vehicle in an instant, sending out the shockwave of asteroid dust and leaving behind a crater of nothingness.
Melissa x2, 138 Damage (Invisible)
Jaraduk, 86 Damage
Akh, 19 Damage
Guess?, 30 Damage
Pink Vehicle, 277 Damage
Blue Vehicle, 70 Damage, STUNNED for 2 more rounds
Jaraduk plays the short-fuse game with another grenade before launching it at the cockpit area of the remaining vehicle.
When a microbot grenade detonates, the blast radius fills with microbots like those created by the microbot assault spell. The microbots consider only creatures in the blast radius to be the thrower’s enemies, and they do not discriminate between the thrower’s allies and enemies. The microbots last for 3 rounds. More advanced grenades create more dangerous microbots. The first time a creature leaves the area of the microbot cloud during a round, that creature takes an amount of magical piercing damage according to the grenade’s type.
•Mk 2 (Level 9): 2d6
Cackling with glee as a goblin does, Guess? fires again, aiming for a spot that would take out blue but avoid Jaraduk.
*10=200
Looking at the crater of nothingness where the pink vehicle once was, Guess? ponders, "D'ya think there's any loot left??"
Akh zooms eastward some more, happy to not be getting blasted by enormous waves of energy. He idly ponders why none of their would-be assassins have ever considered this particular strategy, as it seems quite effective.
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Jaraduk's grenade explodes over the vehicle, spraying nanobots.
Then, the vehicle disappears in massive laser plume! Jaraduk's visor goes black as it counters the intense heat. Just a few meters stands between the atomized enemy and where Jaraduk stands. Jaraduk shakes off the terror and high tails it behind Akh into the starship! You rush to battle stations and finish the takeoff sequence that Guess? and Melissa began.
As you take off from Brixlot, starships surrounding Brix’s Grub prepare to launch and give chase. While the science officer's station begins to flash warnings, you first observe starship lights turning on and illuminating the surrounding asteroid. One starship, marked on your screen as the Never Home, is faster than the others, however, and might intercept the Second Chance before you can enter the Drift! THE CHASE IS ON!
You recognize the Never Home, captained by Melisar Corpserender, a sarcesian known for her hatred of Eox, whose inhabitants she blames for the destruction of the ancestral sarcesian home world.
"Just wait until I get Lord Sinjin's bounty on you! With all of that money I'll finally be able to end Eox once and for all. Through Orbital Bombardment!" Will Guess? recognize this as the misdirection that it is?
Then, a familiar face fills your monitors. Brik Andeslug, the moist yet affable bartender and proprieter of the asteroid, fills your feeds. "Nuh-uh-uh! You didn't say the magic word!" You've been hacked! Can Melissa expel the intruder?
Guess? takes the ship in a narrow pass through a small diameter asteroid cluster. There's no way he can dodge them all, can Akh and Jaraduk destroy the incoming asteroids before they collide with your ship?
Never Home? Never Heard of it.
He looks up and reflexively shouts, then fires.
Asteroids!
"I wonder if these ones are getting paid any better than their friends on the asteroid? Because I doubt you'll do more than scratch Eox with the kind of credits they were talking about." Akh idly considers the funding scheme at work here as he seeks lock-ons for the weapons. "You'd think the Never Home's captain would know better. She's been at the whole attacking Eox thing for a while."
"We're finding quite a lot of trouble here all of a sudden. Maybe we should have found another place to hide out."
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The crew avoids every obstacle, distancing yourself from the incoming starship with the graffiti showing an exploding zombie. As you fly, turbulence from enemy fire and near-collision with asteroids rocks the ship. Can Guess? pilot through the interstellar waves?
Then, a particularly large rogue meteoroid looms in the front viewscreen. Can Jaraduk and Akh blow it to pieces before you collide?
As you are almost distant enough from the asteroid to enter the Drift, you fly through a debris cloud. The dense cloud of rocks and space dust ping your ship and damage critical systems! Can Melissa reroute power to keep the ship going?
Jaraduk doesn't even let up on the trigger...
"Orbital bombardment of a dead undead planet? Really? Seems kind of redundant and inefficient if you ask me. Now if you REALLY want to torture Eoxians, you should probably find a way of deploying healing serums in a gaseous form over large swathes of the planet. That'll really mess up them undead up!"
Guess? struggles with the ship amidst all the enemy fire!!
"a leaf on the wind... a leaf on the wind... a leaf on the wind... a leaf on the wind..."
Akh sprays energy from the ship's weapons as he answers Guess? "Healing serums are surprisingly expensive. I'm not sure even Sinjin's wealth would cover that one."
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Without even enough time for the pursuing ship to respond, you pop into the drift!
With the rendezvous on Brixlot made impossible by Sinjin’s placing a bounty on your heads, time to resort to plan B: meeting Tarika in the Drift. The coordinates she provided your crew prove accurate; she arrives soon after you. The new ship, Surety, is shiny and like-new. It docks with you and three old friends board. Tarika, her daughter Shan, and your good buddy Strek. The two crews mingle in person. Tarika is delighted to see you. "You're still alive! I'm starting to think that the worse the odds, the better off you'll end up and the richer we'll all be!" She laughs and pats your thighs good naturedly. Shan and Strek greet you with handshakes and hugs. “It’s great to see y’all still kicking,” Tarika remarks as her whiskered smile fades. She pulls her worn wrench out of the pocket of her grease-stained jumpsuit and turns it in her hands. As she fiddles with it, she sighs. “Life’s never easy for y’all, is it? I’m afraid I’ve got good news and bad. I hacked into the Company’s files and rifled around a bit. They seem to be makin’ good on their promise to leave y’all alone. So you’re safe, but only from the Company.” She snorts, whiskers twitching. “The bad news is Sinjin wasn’t bluffin’. That bounty is very real, and very public..."
"And 100,000 credits. He’s spreadin’ the word near and far. Every bounty hunter from Absalom Station to the Azlanti Star Empire is lookin’ for ya.” She pauses, letting her words sink in. “But y’all have to pay the bills, I know, and keep this beauty up and runnin’.” She pats the wall of the Second Chance affectionately. “I’ve been lookin’ for work that won’t getcha dead, and well, there ain’t much. Low profile jobs in out of the way places are all we can manage right now, and there ain’t much money in it, but maybe you won’t draw too much attention. So... how ‘bout a simple pick-up and delivery in Near Space? A phentomite community on Orry needs rare metals and minerals for a construction project. I’ve taken the liberty and tracked down a supplier and let the phentomites know we’re comin’." She laughs off Akh's objections and continues.
"Y’all are gonna be dealing with Servanor Industries, a mining company operatin’ on Centus II, and your liaison is a shirren named K’shv’l. They’re clean–no connection with the Golden League or any shady sorts. Doesn't hang out with the kind of people who would have heard of the bounty even. Pick-up’s arranged, but the purchase price ain’t finalized." She eyes Guess? very intentionally. "My advice? Don’t spend too much time haggling. Get the cargo and split." Back to the rest of the group. “Deliver the payload quick-as-you-can to a phentomite named Elby on Orry. Now, landin’ a ship on Orry is tricky business, which is another reason no one wants this gig, but I trust y’all can do it.” Tarika provides you coordinates to Servanor Industries on Centus II and to the drop point on Orry. She claps her furry little brenneri hands. "Alrighty, question time."
Hmm, no connections you say. We should give their name another pass in the infosphere. Somehow it feels like the perfect trap for Sinjin to lay.
Or maybe he's succeeded in making us paranoid to a self-defeating level...
"I do like low profile jobs that earn good credits, but I think we're getting distracted from the big Sinjin-shaped problem. Shouldn't we go deal with that first, then get all the nice friendly phentomite-helping jobs afterward? I was hoping you had some research for us on where he's hiding our Tarika." Akh protests and objects rather insistently.
"Otherwise, what's the reason no one else wants this gig? Is it because the cargo is life-threateningly radioactive? Is there exploding livestock involved (again)?"
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"No, no miners strike there! A dozen mining corporations are headquartered there, each with its own massive tower stretchin’ up above the toxic clouds, where the gravity ain’t so bad. So there's opportunity for the workers to move around if anything goes bad. Oh... did I mention the air’s toxic and the gravity’s incredibly strong? But... the planet’s rich in heavy metals and minerals. So, ya know, the dozen corpos. Of course, the real work, mining, happens on the surface, where everything’s poisonous and heavy as hell, so that’s where you’ll meet K’shv’l. Lucky for us, Centus II is pretty isolated; the corporations are so busy bickerin’ with each other, they don’t pay much attention to what’s goin’ on off-planet.” She looks to Jaraduk and shrugs. “I mean, I ran all the background checks I could think of. He’s not affiliated with the Golden League. But honestly? Nowhere is safe for y’all right now.” Jaraduk isn't sure, but Melissa can vouch that the corporations aren't going to be turning you in.
Tarika cocks her head at Akh. "Huh... Well the latter questions are easier to answer. It's pretty much just because it's so darn tricky to land on. Orry’s unnatural! Something broke it apart a long time ago, but instead of shattering into an asteroid belt like it ought‘a done, chunks of island just hang there, circlin’ around a big ol’ ball of… I don’t know what! Anyway, phentomites live on the islands, the air’s thin, gravity fluctuates wildly, and there’s only a short window to approach by starship. Even then, it ain’t safe. So insurance rates on freighters go stupid high for anybody headed there. But... you don't have insurance! So it doesn't matter!” She laughs at her own dark joke.
"But, for real... You do have a rather Sinjin-sized hole in your galaxy. I was thinking you'd prefer to keep a low profile and stay in the public circles. Maybe the bounty will just blow over?" She shakes her head slowly, not believing herself. "If you'd prefer, we can hunker down and research Sinjin. I don't know much about his mysterious fortress but we have an abundance of contacts."
"Blow over?" Akh looks over at Tarika "The only thing that will blow over is (some of) our brains when they're not in your skulls anymore thanks to his assassins finally getting their acts together. I don't think 100,000 credits is going to attract exclusively incompetent people." He coughs in his hollow fashion "Maybe the Wintermourne people will show up again for a final betrayal."
Akh sees how Guess and Melissa are looking at him and shakes his head "When this definitely doesn't blow over and we have to go against Sinjin up close and personal anyway, well, I guess we'll be in trouble. But after that you'll realize I was right."
"Alright Tarika, I think we're burying our heads in the marshmallow pit first. Other than how hard it's going to be to land there, anything else we should worry about on Orry? The phentomites aren't going to be part of some doomsday cult, are they?"
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Tarika laughs boisterously. "Come on, Akh! Not like you've ever been right before..." Her voice trails off as she starts to count off on her fingers. "Oh wait. Hmmm..." A DING cuts off her trail of thought. "Dinner!" You all share a meal, where you reminisce over old times and the many struggles you’ve gone through. Around a mouthful of food, the brenneri finally answers. "No, no cult. Other than the cult of capitalism we were all trapped in before we hung in our EJ badges. Centus II is a high-gravity world, but that won't be tough for your pilot. " She eyes Guess?. "Now, this is one of those jobs where you're the go between for two corps. So you'll get a chance to negotiate your BP payment at cargo pickup. Enjoy that. Beyond there? Just don't irritate Servanor Industries, I suppose. Y'all have spent enough time on the wrong side of the corps." Eventually, after everyone has had a night’s sleep, she bids you goodbye and wishes you luck. "Contact me when the job is done!"
You prepare to leave for Centus II.
If disguises are back in, Jaraduk decides the alien froggoth hasn't been worn out yet!
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After a few hours of conventional and holographic makeup, you strap in and pop into the Drift. A couple days of Cheffy's fine cooking later and you pop out above a dry, yellow planet shrouded in banks of toxic green fog. Environmental domes speckle Centus II’s craggy surface, marking mining camps, field offices, and other sites. A few slender towers topped by large spheres pierce the mesosphere—headquarters for the mining corporations operating below. Upon approaching, the comm unit trills, indicating an incoming message. “Greetings, unidentified starship.” The voice has the sterile courtesy of a traffic control AI. “You are now entering Servanor Industries airspace. Please state the purpose of your visit.” Once you inform the local AI traffic control system that you're here to meet K’shv’l, you’re assigned Landing Zone 13, located at ground level near the base of a tower. "Upon atmospheric entry and docking procedure completion, proceed to surface vehicle access point alpha-9. Imperative: utilize road network A28. This is the optimal route to site SI-316. Alternate routes are currently subject to unpredictable geo-thermal activity. Your contact, shirren entity k’shv’l, awaits at SI-316." A quick scan by Melissa confirms that Centus II is a high-gravity world where simply walking is exhausting. The thick atmosphere contains high levels of arsenic and dangerous metals in vapor form. Suits on!
Guess? is able to land easily, as expected. A series of six clearly labeled roads exit Landing Zone 13 and you get to walking. About an hour later, you arrive at an environmentally sealed dome. The dome’s entrance is patrolled by a pair of guards, each wearing a battle harness mounted with a light machine gun. "State your business, strangers. Hmmm... Alright, proceed forward for decontamination." Upon proceeding, your crew enter a clear chamber large enough to fit multiple vehicles. The doors seal shut behind you and the chamber fills with dense pink gas. Five minutes later, the gas disperses and the door opposite the entrance opens, allowing you access to the interior of the environmental dome. Inside, the atmosphere is thick, but non-toxic according to your HUD. Beyond the decontamination chamber is a small mining town that looks to be home to about 100 employees and their families. Blocky, gray plastic buildings line the yellow dirt roads, with a trio of larger buildings near the entrance labeled ‘Office,’ ‘Mess,’ and ‘Medic.’ An underground mine and sorting facility can be seen at the far end of the settlement. The streets are empty, save for a few kids playing with a dented toy drone.
You head to the 'Office'. A purple host shirren sits at a desk in this simple room, wearing a vibrant plaid business suit. Their antennae twitch rhythmically while they type on a computer console with one hand, browse social media on their comm unit with the other, and listen to Ephemeral Immortal, the latest release by synth-opera singer Eladenza. A strange fusion of opera and hyper-pop, the tune is extremely loud and completely drowns out a pair of vidscreens streaming a reputable newscast and a popular—and absurd—gossip vidcast. Two worm-like larval shirren squirm around in front of the vidscreens. The shirren raises one hand in a delaying gesture while they fiddle with their comm unit for a minute. Eventually, they look up from their device and gasp, mandibles clacking in glee. “Oh, joy! Many greetings, strangers! I’m K’shv’l. Who might you be? Curious!” You note that the shirren speaks audibly, a rarity among their kind. They give each of you an enthusiastic handshake while stroking their face with their antennae. After you introduce yourselves, but before you state your purpose, K'shv'l interrupts you to ask about the latest gossip. "So rare that we get off-worlders. How's the Station? What planets have you been to recently? Please, fill my nest with the stories of the world! And please, call me Kish. Feels better on the throat, yes?"