[SF] Fly Free or Die AP - GM Ewok

Game Master EwokBanshee

Can Akh avoid the impact damage of the truck slamming down in the same way he could avoid falling damage thanks to his fly speed?

Huh! I didn't know that was a perk of Fly, that makes sense. Yepp, go for it!

Strek's microwaves (which just gets more horrifying the more I think about it...) collide with the enercopter, causing a piece of aluminum strut to glow a hot red. Jaraduk launches a grenade into the 'copter, further damaging the interior. Somebody teach duk how to roll above 3 for damage. :) Guess? throws off the driver with a bullet to the elbow, but the armor turns away most of the impact. Melissa's attack is turned away by the distance and the howling wind. Just next to the ysoki's feet, a hobgoblin dies.

Reflex, DC 13: 1d20 + 5 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 5 - 2 = 23
Reflex, DC 13: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

Seeing things get desperate, Akh decides to go rogue. With an extraordinary leap, the "dwarf" leaps across the 30 foot gap! If the dwarf didn't look like an olympic track athlete, you would have sworn he was flying! He crashes through the open bay of the enercopter, narrowly missing the shocked hobgoblin sniper, like the physical manifestation of Torag himself. He must have been drinking grog from the deep Vohxan mines, because he unleashes a brilliant and electric belch that washes over the pair of hobgoblins. The pilot shakes briefly from the pain, but manages to hold onto consciousness and keep the craft aloft.

Reflex, DC 13: 1d20 + 5 - 2 ⇒ (11) + 5 - 2 = 14
Reflex, DC 13: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

The soldier in the back of the craft looks up, horrified. "Dogs and horses, a devil-dwarf!" He fires a laser into Akh's chest, earning himself a whip to the skull.I'm guessing that damage replaces the damage you're about to save from the collision.

azimuth laser rifle @ Akh: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25
Damage @ EAC: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Del keeps the truck moving forward, avoiding being distracted by the mayhem. She puts another 10 feet between you and the following hover truck. Jaraduk's eyes are on the map. "6 seconds to the turn!" Alright, this is it! Del's piloting check this round will determine how the turnoff goes.

Round 7, everyone is up!
Jaraduk SP 0/14, HP 8/20, RP 4/4
Akh SP 0/18 HP 18/18 RP 3/3
Strek SP 2/14 HP 18/18 RP 3/3
Guess? SP 0/12 HP 10/12 RP 4/4
Del SP 0/10 HP 1/14 RP 5/5
Melissa SP 7/13 HP 15/15 RP 4/4

Pink Enercopter 0 Damage
Pink Enercopter Driver 19 Damage (-2 to saves)
Pink Hobgoblin Trooper 14 Damage

Second Hover Truck 0 Damage, Entangled 3 more rounds

Green Hobgoblin Trooper 90 Damage
Green Enercopter 79 Damage
Green Enercopter Driver 111 Damage
Yellow Hobgoblin Trooper 25 Damage
Orange Hobgoblin Trooper 80 Damage
Blue Hobgoblin Trooper 80 Damage
White Enercopter 75 Damage
White Enercopter Driver 104 Damage

"Sorry HG, if your friends had been worse shots or these legs went faster you could have made it... " the 6 damage for going over the cliff probably wasn't the best treatment for ruptured organs either.

"Get him while the gettins good! Crash em all let saranrae sort em out! " The balls of fire from the last few enercarts suggesting they be judged.. harshyly. Or were riding pintos

attack: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 4 + 1 = 21
damage: 1d8 ⇒ 8

Strek's microwaves (which just gets more horrifying the more I think about it...) collide with the enercopter, causing a piece of aluminum strut to glow a hot red.

Ever stick an aluminum can in a microwave?

Strek presses the tiny red BOOST button on the side of his weapon's barrel, overcharges the freshly loaded battery, and takes what will hopefully be the last shot required to end this chase.

Ember Agitator vs EAC: 1d20 + 3 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 3 + 1 + 1 = 25
Damage (F): 1d8 ⇒ 4
Overcharge: 1d6 ⇒ 1
Boost: 1d4 ⇒ 2

Ohhh.. That's... That's a lot of damage..

Damage (F): 1d8 ⇒ 2
Overcharge: 1d6 ⇒ 6
Boost: 1d4 ⇒ 1
And Critical burn 1d4

"Akh! Get ready to jump!"

I'm sure you meant to add that Melissa and Strek would delay until after Akh's turn? :)

I'm sure you meant to add that Melissa and Strek would delay until after Akh's turn? :)

Well melissa needs to get the get em up so.. no for her part. But for flapping the wings for a soft landing you can do that as a reaction, so i figure the copter drops and akh drops onto the windshield like a giant palmedo bug no matter who's turn it is :)

I like to think of it more like an elegant butterfly, but...

Akh kicks free of the enercopter in true action-vid fashion, not watching as it explodes in fireworks behind him.

Del downs her serum, regrips the wheel, and takes the turn!

Healing Del: 1d8 ⇒ 7

Piloting: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20

"Oi Thorin!" yells Guess? trying to appear as though he's addressing Akh and Akh's unusual abilities. "Roll me inna latex duckee 'n tickle ma dinglies! Those serums o' flight 'n drag'n breath work'd!!! Now git outta dere!!!"

If the enercopter is still in the air, Guess? will shoot the driver. If the enercopter is down, Guess? will move to a position of cover facing the second truck and fire at the truck's driver.

Stunt and Strike (Bluff) vs CR: 1d20 + 17 - 20 ⇒ (10) + 17 - 20 = 7 or below is flat-footed
Diasporan Rifle vs EAC: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24
Damage (F), crit: 2d8 ⇒ (6, 6) = 12 and -2 to saves if Stunt and Strike succeeded

Jaraduk indeed keeps his eyes on the map, intensely focused on helping Del with that nasty jump still fresh in his mind.

Piloting, aid: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

I'm really going to need to crack open the EJ medical plan after this... assuming I'm still covered by it when this is all over.

Just then he looks up to see the last enercopter going down.

damn.. all the crits.....

"Its amazing how often there's a problem with your paperwork when you need medical care but it never affects the billing cycle..."

Melissa's shot hits the driver in the neck, knocking him out cold. As she fires, Strek's rifle makes a whirring noise and launches a huge burst of microwave radiation. It hits the enercopter's display panels, breaking significant systems. But the enercopter is already going down, it's bow bending to the will of gravity. Akh leaps gracefully from the dying craft, kicking past the alarmed hobgoblin soldier. Behind the android, the enercopter crashes into the road and then - thankfully - bounces off into the canyon. You can hear a series of crunches as the craft bounces down the sharp cliff.

Fall Damage: 20d6 ⇒ (3, 2, 5, 2, 2, 3, 1, 1, 4, 2, 2, 1, 5, 5, 1, 2, 3, 6, 4, 2) = 56

You don't have much time to appreciate the moment, because Del yells over the coms "hold onto something!" You pass an ancient metal sign that points left, stating MOUNT WINTERPEAK, just before a tunnel into the mountain appears about a half mile away. A screech echoes on the mountainside when Del forces the hover truck into the tight turn, the truck's underside scraping against the road. If not for the weight from the crates, you may have flipped from the force. You are enveloped by darkness as you enter the tunnel and your eyes go backwards towards the chasing truck. Did Del manage to lose them?

Seconds after you enter the tunnel, you hear deafening crash followed by a series of fiery explosions. Before they are out of sight you see the front of the second hovertruck mashed against the tunnel wall, several explosions blossoming from the crates on the back. Perhaps the driver saw the tunnel too late and wasn't able to turn in time! Or, finish the turn that is. At this speed, they ended up running their truck head-on into the tunnel mouth separating the mountain road from the tunnel turnoff. Flames lick the surface of the vehicle, threatening to consume it all in a matter of minutes.

COMBAT OVER!

Status!
Jaraduk SP 0/14, HP 8/20, RP 4/4
Akh SP 0/18 HP 18/18 RP 3/3
Strek SP 2/14 HP 18/18 RP 3/3
Guess? SP 0/12 HP 10/12 RP 4/4
Del SP 0/10 HP 8/14 RP 5/5
Melissa SP 7/13 HP 15/15 RP 4/4

Second Hover Truck ??? Damage

Pink Enercopter 58 Damage
Pink Enercopter Driver 73 Damage
Pink Hobgoblin Trooper 60 Damage
Green Hobgoblin Trooper 90 Damage
Green Enercopter 79 Damage
Green Enercopter Driver 111 Damage
Yellow Hobgoblin Trooper 25 Damage
Orange Hobgoblin Trooper 80 Damage
Blue Hobgoblin Trooper 80 Damage
White Enercopter 75 Damage
White Enercopter Driver 104 Damage

Looks back at the scene with horror. and With the part of combat they absolutely don't tell you about in the stories.. "Wha..why.What on earth didn't they slow down fo " horpmh and hocks up the entire contents of her cheekpouches. A bottle of dwarven beard oil, a comb full of compartments, two toolkits , and a fire extinguisher clang onto the back of the truck as she doubles over and falls down hard on her rump. The planets most guilt laden rodent wipes snot and drool off her muzzle with the back of her paw.

" Are any of them... did any of the..your fri.. HUman? Areew..chitter chisqueek "

(sometimes a squeek is just a squeek)

"Wait wut?!?" exclaims Guess?, dropping the woefully inadequate Dwarven accent. "They crashed?!? Lars!!! We gotta stop and go back!! See if Lars survived!"

And then a half second later, another realization dawns on Guess? as his eyes widen in deep, dark horror. "And the shipment! Those fools destroyed the weapons! The plan for getting full payment... literally up in flames... Nooooo!!!"

Can we stop? I assume reversing the truck is out of the question, so we'd have to run over to the crash site on foot?

Melissa looks over at her W.W.S.D. T shirt hanging out of the box that blew up. Only one arm is visible today, and its not the one with milk and cookies.

You can't turn the truck around. I suppose a good piloting roll could get the hover truck to reverse down the tight hallway. But then... that would remove the great picture of you running back down the tunnel! lol.

Unless someone restrains him or if the truck doesn't stop... Guess? hops off the back and runs towards the fiery inferno!

As Guess? runs, he yells into comms, "Laaaaaaars!!! Laaaaaaars!! Are you alive?!? Can you hear me??? Talk to me buddy!!

"And uh, hey, if you can lift a finger, try to save a crate or two will ya?? Pretty pretty please???"

"Go back?" Del repeats in confusion. "Go back?! Why would we go back, the entrance is a flaming pile of rubble, and truck parts, and guns, and EXPLOSIVES! Plus, the smell! Oh, gosh, the smell of... of the burning... argh, no. Nope! Definitely not!"

Del continues to ramble as she drives down the tunnel. "Back is a nightmare. Forward is... hopefully not a nightmare." She taps her fingers anxiously on the steering wheel, pulls out another healing serum, and downs it in one swig.

Healing Del: 1d8 ⇒ 5

"This was the good choice, this was the good choice," she mutters to herself, clearly shell-shocked from the bloodshed and destruction. "Oh, gosh, I can't believe this was the good choice. What kind of horrible job did we sign up for? Gun running to tyrants!? Starving prisoners? Slave labor? Never again!"

She calls back loudly to Guess? "Did you hear me? No more gun running! It has led us to this!"

She devolves into more mumbling, "I'm going back to running yarro berries and pepper seeds. Maybe fish. I don't mind the smell! Cupcakes! Why don't we ever get to deliver cupcakes? Or some tasty biscotti. Delicious with tea. I'd pay good money for biscotti..."

Ninjad!

Del apparently doesn't realize she's been stopped this whole time, frantically freaking out at the steering wheel of a now stopped hovertruck...

Scampers after Guesse? holding a few toolkits, and her cable line and waves a fire extinguisher in his direction.

Strek slings his weapon to his back, morphs his arms into legs, and hollers at Guess?, "We ain't got tha time for yer stumpy legs, hop on!"

Gives him +10 to Speed!

Akh floats his way over to the burning wreck, staying at a safe distance. "Poor Lars. He could have leapt out to safety or took control of the truck, but he stuck to the plan to the last. That was a guy who had his priorities clear in his head." He shields his face from the burning heat.

"Don't think we'll be able to get any weapons out of that... Maybe we should go before they think to come and investigate the scene."

Jaraduk is again surprised by the latest turn of events.

Stopped? We're going baack?!

Rather than hopping off and running after Guess? and Strek, the Nuar gingerly opens the cab door and steps down, walking behind their run.

I think I'm almost broken... Good driving Del.

Dimly, Del hears everyone screaming about Lars. She glances in the rearview mirror—doesn't see him. Glances in the side mirrors—doesn't see him.

She notices the others hurrying away and steps out of the hover truck, peers down the tunnel, and wraps her arms around herself. She stares after them for a bit, still not quite comprehending.

Eventually, she starts off after them, towards the fire and the flames and the screaming of her companions. Dimly, she wonders, where the hell is Lars?

Someone's talking to her. She missed it. What had they said?

"Thanks," she mutters to Jaraduk.

While riding on Strek's shoulders (if Strek is all legs and no arms, does he even still have shoulders to ride on? hehe), Guess? replies to Del, "Well, not to put too fine a point on it but this gun running job would've been fine if we delivered to the legally rightful tyrant buyers... maybe.

"Nevertheless, can't dwell on the past - we'll update Tarika with our all fruits and baked goods job preferences later. For now, Akh is right! Lets not stick around long. We check if Lars is alive, remedy any surviving hobgoblin witnesses, grab any salvage, then get outta here!"

Guess? will do those things in that order after arriving at the wreckage.

When stating 'remedy surviving hobgoblins,' Guess? stows his rifle but draws his auto pistol in his main hand and dogslicer in his offhand.

Strek swivels his head around 180° to look at the goblin riding on his back.

"Cap'n, I don't think we're goin' back to Edge. I'm pretty sure we're stuck on this rock for a while."

"Oh don'tcha worry! We'll be back to haulin' baked goods n' smugglin' absolutely one hundred percent perfectly legal medications in no time! Who's got this? Guess?!?"

"Anyone that didn't just take the Saranrae express to pharasma Call out.. Moan pitifully? Dramatically push wreckage off of you.. hello..anyone.... " puts out a loose piece of burning wreckage with a WHOOSH of the fire extinguisher.

" We got this. If my people show up, hi, you helped us out and we're ransoming you back to EeJay. If H.G.s show up you..we were attacked by rebels. Honestly this kind of screw up has Vohkis VIR written all over it... . We can't just lean anyone in.. that. "

"If the GA shows up, yah, we were attacked by rebels. But if they don't, the plan is to rendezvous with your people where they'll have our ship waiting. Your people rough us up..."

Guess? looks over at Del then quickly adds "...as needed."

Guess? turns back to Melissa and finishes, "Then your people get outta the area with the truck and cover their tracks. We hang out at our ship for a bit then 'wake up' from being unconscious and call in the GA claiming we were attacked but ultimately left alive... presumably because the 'rebel scum' didn't want to be seen as murderers of Pact World citizens.

"The GA were then supposed to pay us for half the shipment and we get off planet."

Guess? throws a momentary forlorn look at the burning wreckage.

"Oh well. Thanks for your help back there, by the way. Things could have gone differently if you weren't around." says Guess? sincerely.

Excellent RP. 10/10.

The wreckage is horrific. The flames are intense enough that you aren't able to get too close, but you can see - and smell - the bodies inside the cab and around the entrance of the tunnel. There are three mangled forms within the cab; the middle one is, or was, distinctly human. Using Melissa's fire extinguisher you are able to push the flames back enough to dive into the wreckage briefly. Lars' body is pinned against the dash, and you're unable to pull him out but you do manage to grab the small handheld computer that served as his spell cache before the flames begin to encroach once again. Wiping away the ash from your faceplate, a few dozen feet away from the burning melting mess, you are left with just that small piece of your long-time travel partner and coworker.

Eventually you pull yourself together and walk around the back of the ruined hover truck. A few hobgoblin soldiers, who must have been riding on the back of the truck, were thrown clear of the flames. The collision mangled most of their bodies and belongings but you are able to compile six sets of gear from that which remains. Loot on Slide 7! To Guess?'s dismay, the cargo is just... gone. Who knows whether it was the Drow explosive tape, the grenades, or the ammunition that blew first. But the flames and initial explosion seems to have set off or ruined the remainder. It's a miracle the tunnel mouth didn't collapse from the force.

After a few minutes of looking around, to no avail, you begin the long walk back down the tunnel. Though Jaraduk - and now Melissa - are new to the crew, Del, Guess?, Strek, and Akh have known and worked with Lars for years. While he could be a bit quiet, he had been sharing the same air with you on countless runs through the Drift. And now, he's gone.

You get back on the road, a little quieter than normal. After another hour of driving you are waved down by a dwarf who seems to just appear out of the snow. He directs you through a hidden cleft in the wall that was covered by a camouflaged tarp. After a short trip through the dark, you arrive at the resistance hideout! An old mining camp in the mountains, it is nestled where two mountains meet. After stepping out, you are met by an old shirren woman named Ahnya who is bundled in heavy clothing to protect against the cold and leaning on an archaic spear. Just behind her is a dwarf in fairly advanced armor. Pictures on Slide 1! She introduces herself, then points to the dwarf. He smiles wide. "My name is Vog. Don't recognize me?" He hits a switch on his belt and a hologram appears, replacing him with a slightly taller hobgoblin! Now you recognize him as the rebel who recruited you for this whole dirty business. Ahnya holds out a hand with a cred-stick. Within your minds you hear, "Thank you for helping us, we have so few friends in the galaxy. Here is the promised payment." You check the amount, everything is there. (Even though 'everything' is half of what the EJ corp was expecting from the Gideron Authority.) They lead you through a gate to reveal BD514 parked within the inner courtyard. Vog smirks. "Stole it from Labor Camp 1120 this morning. Thank you for everything you've done. I know it couldn't have been easy, betraying your employer like that. Hopefully they'll chalk it up to an accident and won't be too hard on you." He nods and looks over the boxy craft. "Just fly quiet on the way out, it's not too hard to get past the G-A guard network." It seems you can leave Vohxa, but you know the Company won’t be satisfied with this reduced payment.

He walks away, leaving the six of you standing there. Hmmm... you've lost Lars, but here is this convenient ysoki appeared out of seemingly nowhere to fill that spot. How peculiar and fortunate for you. As you speak among yourselves, Ahnya returns with a large wooden box in her arms. "I'm sorry we don't have more credits to spare. Perhaps you could take this as well? Our engineers just cracked through the explosive tape on the first crate and I thought you should have these." Within the box are 6 tactical infinity rifles and 24 frag grenades II, all of which are clearly marked with the House Zeizerer crest.

Back at the wreckage. because the forum post god hungers today

"Huh. Why would your ship be out here...wait you have your own ship? " Guesse? Imagines he has that look on his face when his gears start turning.

... presumably because the 'rebel scum' didn't want to be seen as murderers of Pact World citizens.

She laughs hard enough that she has to hold a bruised rib. "Right.. whoever heard of rebels using stunner weapons..." she sighs

"Oh well. Thanks for your help back there, by the way. Things could have gone differently if you weren't around."

"Yeah well.. no problem. This is what I'm supposed to be doing after all..." and looks around at the destruction.

Strek looks conflicted. Lars and him spent countless days working side by side, learning each others tips and tricks for hacking computers together, and now he's gone. Brakim are known to be slow to trust, and suspicious of outsiders, but Strek never knew how to show he cared for his crewmates other than through actions.

During the silence after the shirren offers them the credstick, Strek looks to their ship, then to the rebels, and then asks quietly, "How many of your people are ready to leave? I reckon we got room for 50 tonnes of 'cargo'."

Whoops, I didn't see Guess?'s post earlier. You can always go back to the wreckage at this point to play dead if you want. Though the rebels still have your ship... lol.

Nah, the plan was always to meet the rebels. No need to retcon - all good! I'll get a post up later on. Got a long work day ongoing...

The shirren looks aghast at Strek's offer. She even speaks out loud, with strained difficulty. "You can offer, but I doubt any of my number would join you. This is our planet. We're not going to let the goblins take it after all of our work now that we've turned it into a habitable and profitable place to live." She looks down to Guess? and corrects herself. "Sorry, hobgoblins."

"Speaking from personal experience, you don't want to wait until they turn your planet into a wasteland first. Offer's good until we leave orbit."

He then swivels his head to Melissa. "You plannin' on stayin'? We could use a tunnel runner. Sometimes I get tha feeling that Edge ships were designed by ysoki, for ysoki."

Hoo boy, the frag grenades II are right up Jaraduk's alley :)

Back at the wreckage...

Not having spent quite so much time with Lars, Jaraduk's reaction is more stunned and shocked. He... was only just working alongside us. He looks around at the others, still with a look of whiplash on his face. Does this happen often?!

Now...

Jaraduk scratches the back of his head and laughs nervously at the offer of reward. Uh... no problem. That's us. Always doing the right thing. Hopefully it doesn't cost a life per deed in the future... I'm guessing there are no more creds for funeral expenses for our fallen.

Disappointingly, no useful equipment for me. No grenade or longarm proficiency.

Akh is quite solemn as the hovertruck continues into the rebel base. He helps unload the crates of weapons without paying too much attention to the operation. In his mind, he replays Lars sacrificing himself. As he drops off the final crate, he coughs out "Not worth it. Not worth it at all." He lowers his head to Jaraduk "Not often, no. Sometimes we had close calls but everyone got out in the end."

"Sometimes it seems working for EJ is far more dangerous than working for professional assassins and spies." He floats up and stretches out "EJ will not like this. They will not like this one bit. We had some big failure with the berries. And now we have a second big failure. Assuming we can get away, out of system, we can expect that EJ will come to confront us. Maybe finish us off before we can mess up another job."

"I can see the 'corporate discipline officers' already. We're doomed."

Gloomily, he adds "Anyone else thinking maybe we shouldn't get back in contact this time? Maybe its time to find another employer."

"How many slip ups can we have in a Standard year, again?"

"Speaking from personal experience, you don't want to wait until they turn your planet into a wasteland first. Offer's good until we leave orbit."

He then swivels his head to Melissa. "You plannin' on stayin'? We could use a tunnel runner. Sometimes I get tha feeling that Edge ships were designed by ysoki, for ysoki."

Melissa pops out of the box at Streks feet.

"Well.. that simplifies THAT. Hell yes get me out of here. I am not doing THAT again just so I can stop hobgoblins from enslaving people and leaving them with GLOP and water instead of having the freedom to be paid enough to buy GLOP and water. Be sure to give this letter to mom telling her I lived. You'll keep more limbs that way. Byeeeee " the speech is delivered intermitten with Melissa dragging the box up the ramp with enough speed to induce a doppler effect.

Previously...

While retrieving the holoskin from Akh and snapping it back onto himself, Guess? says, "Akh is right that things doesn't typically go like this. But we're typically not facing off against a trained military force either. It's usually just street thugs or thieves trying to steal a crate or two while we're in transit."

(Come to think of it, for a team of Amazon Prime delivery guys such as our party to get into a shooting battle against the army, it's a miracle the party survived!)

"But avoiding contact and trying to run away from the Company wouldn't be a good idea. Worst thing they'll do is fire us and we're out of a job. If we don't report in and just take off, then we're pirates who have stolen their ship. We'll be marked throughout the pact worlds as criminals and our best chance for survival really will be to become pirates based in the Diaspora. Pirating with our ship may not go so well though because, well, no ship armaments. But y'know... if we wanna go down that route, I once heard of a guy who might have some Diaspora contacts..."

----------

Presently...

Guess? watches as Melissa makes her way up into the ship. "Well, we could do worse.... I think??"

Guess? turns to Vog and says without malice, "One of our crew died helping you out. Yes, he and the rest of us knew the risks but nevertheless, I think this means at the very least your organization has an obligation to help us out. Here's our problem...

"So what do we gotta do? Why, cover this whole thing up, of course! And your band of merry sentients are going to help us!"

(Sorry for repeating the following... for like a third time now, I think??)

Guess? describes to Vog the plan of making it look like the resistance beat up the party but left the party unconscious in the ship. The party will then pretend to come back to consciousness, radio in to the GA to say we've been attacked but left alive in our ship with a note from the rebels warning us 'GA sympathizers' to never enter the system again. Guess?'s big lie to the GA will be laced with a few resistance scum epithets here and there, which usually works well on these GA hobgoblins. If they end up wanting to inspect our ship, we'll hide away the infinity rifles, grenades and Melissa somewhere on our ship... it ain't our first rodeo keeping things hidden aboard BD514. After describing all this, Guess? says:

"Assuming all goes well, the GA will still consider us allies which may give us an opportunity to help you again one day and EJ won't fire us for participating in war activities - although they will probably fire us for not completing our delivery. It's a win / almost-win situation!

"So, Vog, will you help us fake a cover up? The GA are trying to wipe your ass out but lets not give 'em a reason to target my crew's asses as well! After all, I happen to like my cute lil green bee-hind!"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31

Hmmmm... I've been rolling really well lately. I'm worried a string of critical failures are imminent!!

----------

And no matter what Vog says in response, afterwards, Guess? will then ask in his used car salesman tone:

"And by the way, we're not averse to side jobs! Got any items you or your colleagues need delivered? Our fees are very reasonable and we've got multiple rate plans depending on the level of white glove service and insurance coverage you require!"

"Why does EJ expect you to deliver supplies on the ground through a war zone when they don't even send you with your own truck? "

"Lets see.. what could we paint on the hull. Collaborator? War Criminal? Quisling? Edge Of Tyranny? We've got gallons of coal tar I wonder if we have nearly enough feathers... "

Would explain why the rebels went through the trouble of stealing a ship for people they don't like: Good propaganda.

Some things we could paint on the hull

Hold a contest with the rebels for best slogans.

EJ: We bring good things for death

EJ: Built better on the backs of slave labor

EJ" Its not slavery when it's outsourced

EJ: Because your dividends are worth our lives

Chitte chitter EJ squeek chitter squeek (this one is both anatomically impossible even for strek and not translatable by board standards. It might offend the delicate sensibilities of sailors on the forums)

Dear Mom,

Estimates put our odds at about 8 to one. Well my first scouting mission out I offed 8 HGs and one human corporate collaborator. So done my part. I'm out! Found some schmucks heading off planet and hitched a ride. Last pup out so you and dad are free! Have some goop to celebrate. Will send some cash if i strike it middle class. -Melissa

PS: Don't pick up your old career. Its weird out here and the poor HGs don't deserve THAT.

If you were wondering why the rebels got art even though they're barely in this one scene... guess who would have been attacking your truck if you'd turned down their offer? :)

After discussing the issue, most of you come around to Guess?'s side. The Evgeniya-Jaimisson corporation may be callous and cheap, but the worst thing you'll get by going back to them is a pink slip. Leaving with their ship, however, may brand you as outlaws with a bounty on your head. Though that would be an exciting turn for the adventure! I'll just pull out the Skulls and Shackles AP and start converting.

The shirren hears out Guess?'s plan and nods slowly. "Yes, I think we may be able to make that work. It is a dangerous plan, if you get caught. But you seem like a smooth talker." She walks away, to gather a crew together with stun guns. You overhear one of the people she's speaking with say "...target practice...".

Looking around the mining camp, you see a group of little old ladies of different races gathered around a set of sewing supplies. They are hand embroidering this rebel cell's symbol, a hand lifting up a pickaxe, onto the inside of the front pocket of some miner's shirts. Your keen eye for fashion, or profit, tells you that you could sell these shirts to the upper class of Absalom Station for quite the profit. Once you tell the customers about the plight of the voxhan people and how these proceeds help the gun runners who support them, you'll be sure to make a sale. And besides, worker-chic is in right now.

It seems nobody at the rebel cell recognizes Melissa, which is good because they certainly don't like desertees. They are more than happy to help her out with some EJ slander though! Soon there is a whole work party helping paint up the spacecraft.

"Whoa with the stunners.. I think they're beat up enough already. Too bad the giant butterfly took a healing potion though that would have been sweet... but probably another war crime if we didn't patch that up. Oh..erm.. don't watch kitsune news for a few days. "

Profession Miner: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

OH. Hey, could I model one of those as a professional outfit for miner? That would get me that last +1 .....

Also for the logo is anyone else seeing...this

It also needs to be false to be slander! :)

profession merchant, earn a living: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24
If I read the spoilers correctly, I think the DC is 23, not 28?

"Ladies! These uniforms are lovely! Absolutlely lovely!! In fact, this work reminds me of my grandmother and her sisters' work. They were always working on decorating and patching up clothes for everyone in our tribe. Oh, the memories your work brings back! May I purchase these for 200 credits?"

Of course no such warm, fuzzy activities actually happened within Guess?'s goblin tribe... so here's an extra bluff roll just in case it is needed above and beyond the earn living roll.
Bluff: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (12) + 13 = 25

Yes, DC 23 was the best result, you've got them! Those will turn for a nice profit on Absalom Station.

Some things we could paint on the hull

Hold a contest with the rebels for best slogans.

EJ: We bring good things for death

EJ: Built better on the backs of slave labor

EJ" Its not slavery when it's outsourced

EJ: Because your dividends are worth our lives

"Hey Melissa, no need to select just one - perhaps we can use ALL of them to 'vandalize' the ship. Only problem is EJ may garnish our salaries to pay for the cleanup paint job. But we can worry about that later. This will definitely help sell the story to the GA..."

"Oh, we are definitely using all of them, but the winner gets to go on the windshield "