Dot!
Batabatabata
The enercopter's rotors make their distinctive sounds as you all make your last preparations for the train heist mission ahead.
“There she is!” shouts Arda Vonn*. She wrenches the enercopter’s controls hard to one side. Straining to make her voice heard over the whirling rotors, the jububnan pilot motions to a pile of packages under a tarp behind the passenger seats. “Better get yer war bags on!”
Through dust-caked windows, the train can be seen hurtling through the desert ahead like a massive serpent of glass and steel. This is it: the big score that’s going to make the whole team rich. And the plan couldn’t be simpler! Just rappel onto the roof of a speeding train filled with armed gangsters, somehow get inside, find the passcode that opens the cargo car, locate and grab the prize, and then signal Vonn for pickup before the train reaches its destination. You could do this in your sleep.
______
*Arda is pictured on slide two!
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Kevan taps on his datapad a few times with a claw before stowing it in the ceiling locker. Best investment I ever made, he thinks to himself as he flips a few levers and taps the "Scramble" button to engage the lock. Well, maybe the larger datapad too. Pops always said I'd end up needing glasses from squinting to see all those schoolbooks on those tiny e-readers... The bear shakes his head, teeth bared for a moment before his mouth relaxes again into a thin-lipped frown.
As numbers race across the safe's screen, Kevan turns to survey the rest of his apartment. Tiny by most species' standards, it seemed like it would barely have room for the large bear to turn around in - let alone fit in the washroom. Thankfully the landlord had been open to the idea of some remodeling, and it wasn't like Kevan spent that much time looking at the cracked walls or scratched floor. That honor belonged to the four-by-four spread of monitors mounted to the wall next to the door. The better to see folks coming in. And with the sound system he'd just finished hooking up yesterday, perhaps he would be able to work through the sounds of the downstairs neighbors drilling into their concrete walls.
Personal computer? Check. Cache? Check. Serum? Check. Pistol? Check. Toolkit? Check. Teeth reveal themselves again - this time in a smile. Brains? Check. Aramesh said it should be easy, so it won't be. Good - more time to make the Syndicate bleed their precious credits. Nodding, the bear pulls open the door and pulls up his rent-a-scooter app. Easiest way to get somewhere in town, after all - especially if you don't want to make awkward small-talk with a taxi driver about why you're headed somewhere.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
“And I don’t want any f!@&in’ corn …”
Slaved into the com network of the local Kettle’s Posh Chicken franchise, Lena can’t prevent three SMILE emojis flashing across the front of her outerface, as her latest biochemically-enhanced customer reaches past the greasy pane of the grav-through window to snatch the 100% recyclable FLASH™ bag from her manipulation digits.
😃 😃 😃
“Have a nice day, Sir.” she replies automatically.
The cretin responds with a sneer, spinning up his servos rapidly enough to produce a cloud of smoking plasma, as he gravs off into the dark of another graveyard shift in Pan’s Underward.
Lena is beyond even a silent sigh as she turns to the surveillance screen, where the next customer cruises into view in a … 268 Redshift Hallajan(!)
Flash grounder for this ward, Baby. Hope you got the know-how to secure her.
“Welcome to KPC. May I take your order?”
The operator’s window slides silently to the side, as a clipped female voice responds immediately and precisely.
“I’d like an LNA-400 combat drone, please. Scouting and Infiltration spec. One that can handle scanners, radios and knows the drill.”
“That cool? And I’ll take a side of corn. Gravving up to the first window, where I need an answer. Right now. Yes or no."
Pros and cons, reduced to a series of 0 and 1s ⚡ flash ⚡ through Lena’s cerebral matrix at near light speed, as the brash grounder hauls up to her open window.
“What’s it gonna be, Lena?”
Arda Vonn’s green Slaad-like features scowl from the grounder’s dim interior, like she doesn’t care either way.
“Yeah, Woman. F@!% it. You’re on.”
Disconnecting from the ethernet, no doubt setting off a silent alarm in her supervisor’s Ready Room, Lena tears off her hygiene-cover and squeezes her flea-shaped outer casing through the grav-through window, demonstrating at least one of her skills has not dulled.
Twenty seconds later, with the pair gravving side-by-side through Pan’s early morning, Arda commences the briefing.
“Attention to detail is crucial on this job, Lena. And you’ve already accumulated one strike.”
A tiny electric motor whirrs as Lena’s casing yaws to permit her optical sensors to fix Arda’s quizzically.
“You forgot my f@$*in corn.”
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
What, am I supposed to guard an actor this time? No, looks more like CosPlay.
That was his first thought when he met with the potential client. Who dresses like Boffo Zandarini when trying to hire a bodyguard?
Fortunately the potential client had done at least a little research. It is really hard to pass up a free meal of fresh fish. He had already eaten his second plate before the client even said anything interesting.
“You should have led with that.” Pointing to his empty dishes, he says “One more bowl of the shrimp with plankton noodles and we can discuss payment.”
Really, the guy should have led with the job was against the syndicate. Another opportunity to hurt those who destroyed Commander Luca and the dream that was Dustcrag.
Maybe he should have asked for some sorbet for dessert as well. Probably not a problem, the guy likes to talk.
——
Barat grabs his kit and moves towards the enercopter's exit.
“Ready!”
Previously
"A grav-train? The package is on a moving grav train? and we are certain that this is the route?" the colony looked at the intel brief and began formulating myriad plans within sub-colonies of the collective hive mind "How many others may have come across this information? We'd be displeased to become another victim of the infamous Royce Flynn"
Giving nothing away about their plans, Aramesh took the info-brief and headed off into the night to begin assembling a team. Aramesh ponders the problem "A grav-train? a grav-train? It is a large, fast moving safe. A rounder to get us in, a ruffian for any resistance, and a box-man for any safes and security. We think we know just the team..."
***
Aramesh is conscious of the grav train speeding along, and the movement of the enercopter distracting them, but takes a moment to calm the hive and look at the packages "Final equipment check, then we start rapelling"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"'Bout time to go!" Arda brings you in even closer and you rappel down. As you make contact with the train car, you can feel the wind and scenery flash past you. Though the train's movement is fairly smooth, it still shakes and rattles a bit as it curves around a hillside.
The enercopter circles once and flies off, leaving everyone within crawling distance of an access hatch in the train roof. It's locked from the inside.
Barat takes position next to the hatch, ready to drop in as soon as Bokoloff or LNA got it open.
Kevan cracks his knuckles and gets to work without a word.
Kevan expertly picks the jock, the bear's large fingers surprisingly nimble handing the delicate tools.
The hatch opens into a nondescript baggage car. A single nuar security guard is stationed here, distractedly browsing the infosphere on his personal comm. Opening the hatch won't alert him, but each person who enters the car must attempt a Stealth check to sneak past him.
According to Aramesh's information, the syndicate VIP passenger car lies just beyond the next door, which is locked, but one of you can open it (assuming you sneak past the nuar guard with hot pink dye job) with a successful Computers or Engineering check.
Barat does his best to not make a racket as he sneaks past. Maybe the guard is too wrapped up in browsing the infosphere to notice?
The Nuar guard has been cheering as he watches his favorite show, Mu's Fight Club. Unfortunately, Barat thumped to the floor at a moment when the audience was collectively holding its breath.
He looks away from the show, and starts to see Barat there. "Hey! You're gonna make me miss Mu!"
From his comm unit, the Fight Club chimes,
The nuar looks at his comm unit in anguish. "Ah, man! This was the fight where she was taking on Barathu Six! You're gonna pay for making me miss this!"
Lena
Nuar Mu Fan
Aramesh
Kevan
Barat
Lena is up!
"No witnesses" Aramesh buzzes to Barat.
The Aramesh collective understands that if this is to be the final big score, then it is vital no trace is left for others to later follow and jeopardise things in the future. It is unfortunate for the Nuar, but now they have to go.
“Do not concern yourself, BRAVO OSCAR. Not even Lena perfect –– yet.”
The combat drone scrurries forward 10 feet and with a clear shot, fires a needle loaded with amblaree poison at the mino-guard.
“Besides; any additional expenses incurred as the resultant of an individual’s negligence will be subtracted from their share.”
QUERY: What is it about Inner World Meats and Sports? CONJECTURE: Hypothesize they have not got enough imagination to have a real life.
“ATTENTION: Because of LIMA NOVEMBER ALPHA’s scurry ability, allies can occupy her space without penalty.”
In this case, the roll was low enough that the trick attack would not make the difference between a hit and a miss.
But let's provide you with a bot block that you can copy into your character and just copy and paste when you attack.
[dice=Sleight-of-Hand Trick Attack CR]1d20+16-20[/dice]
[dice=Advanced needler pistol]1d20+8[/dice]
[dice=Piercing Damage]1d6+3[/dice]
[dice=Trick Attack]3d8[/dice]
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Maybe it's nerves, and maybe it's just that the Nuar guard just looked so pathetic, but Lena's attack misses him.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
It's the guard's turn!
He moves forward, draws his tactical cryopike and attacks LNA!
The cold damage cuts right through LNA! Then the guard shouts, "That's for making me miss Mu's big fight!"
Lena (-19)
Nuar Mu Fan
Aramesh
Kevan
Barat
Everyone is up!
"No witnesses" Aramesh buzzes to Barat.
“Hired a bodyguard, not an assassin.” Barat replies over the private channel.
Barat focuses his energy, creating a shield and aligning it against the Nuar.
He then tells the Mu fan “Dead Nuar don’t get to watch the rebroadcast. Stand down!”
Aramesh tries faking the nuar out, then turns to LNA - "That will buff right out - back to it!"
***
Inspiring Boost to LNA - restore 16 Stam.
CleverFeint+Convincing Liar
Bluff
Bluff
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Kevan’s eyes light up with the thought that runs through his head. <<I’d hate for an upstanding Syndicate Stooge like yourself to miss their show. Don’t worry, I can rewind the broadcast.>> The large bear squeezes forward, punches in a few commands on his wrist computer, and grins as bits of the large crate nearby begin to fall off and shrivel up into electronic-looking junk.
With a nod to Aramesh, Lena throws her multiple manipulation digits about like a giant flea shiver-spasming from the ❆cold❆
She then appears to ignore the guard, locking onto his comm link. “QUERY: What does it mean if the game-judge holds one of the Beefy Folk’s hands up in the air above her head?”
"Oh that means Mu won the round!" The nuar answers, automatically, and then lowers his cryopike a bit. "Geez, you guys are great at the scary presence! I really can't take the four of you, can I?"
He pauses, uncertainly.
"You can't. If I were in your shoes I'd be thinking really hard right about now about your next move. You can either play it smart and catch the next episode of Mu's Fight Club by dropping the weapon, giving us what we want, and not putting up a struggle, or you can start swinging again and find yourself thrown from a high speed grav-train. I'm easy either way"
He drops his weapon. "Better make it look good and knock me out, but nothing that would wreck the face, okay? I'm hoping to make the Gladiator circuit someday, and I want to keep my looks."
“Black eye, no broken bones.” Barat nods in understanding.
The guard hands over some of his corporate-issued equipment, and you all knock him out and make it look convincing.
According to Aramesh's information, the syndicate VIP passenger car lies just beyond the next door, which is locked, but someone can open it with a successful Computers or Engineering check.
“The entity means the gut, not the face, Barat.”
After her icy shower, Lena is keen to show the Ijtikri how it’s done – her metal limbs repeatedly tenderizing the beef.
Sated for the moment, the combat drone crawls up a wall, and along the ceiling to hang upside down while she manipulates the door.
"One step closer"
Kevan growls under his breath. Syndicate… but just a stooge. Not worth going out of the way for. With a few taps of his claws, the bear animates the new electronic junk scattered across the floor into a whip-like shape. He swings it a few times, then nods in satisfaction as its constituent parts abandon their shape and begin to orbit closely around his hand.
On the other side of the door, you find a well-appointed luxury passenger car filled with Ixo Syndicate's finest. Here, well-dressed passengers fill a lounge area with a fragrant haze of cigar smoke, conversing with each other from upholstered leather chairs and engaging in a lively game of skimmer around a card table.
At the bar, Brom Lancaster, a lashunta mixes drinks while watching the crowd. Six security guards keep watch over the proceedings, but all appear to deferring to Brom. Brom sips from a tumbler of bright blue liquor, and has started up a card game of Skimmer with a sharply dressed human most of you recognize.
The sharply dressed fellow in the white suit grins broadly as he spots Aramesh and Lena. "Aramesh! Lena! And you brought friends! Want to join me in a friendly game of Skimmer?"
If you would like to play Skimmer—a gambling card game--each of you should attempt Bluff, Intimidate, and Sense Motive checks.
What do you do?
Barat moves just behind Aramesh, exactly where you would expect a bodyguard to be. His weapons are holstered and his eyes scan the room.
It doesn’t appear he will be volunteering to play the card game.
"Royce Flynn, this complicates things" Aramesh buzzes quietly through internal comms.
***
"Skimmer? Maybe, what's the stake?"
Kevan sniffs and does his best to imitate Barat’s vigilant stance. Don’t worry about me, I’m just a dumb bodyguard, nothing to see here…
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
“Nice shirt, Mr Flynn. Do they make them for men?”
Lena scuttles across to the bar, and nods respectfully to the Lashunta underboss.
"Skimmer? Maybe, what's the stake?"
The combat drone inclines her head deferentially to envoy. “While we’re negotiating that, how about a side bet: 60 credits against the present condition of Catarina Jurado?”
"You know, just to get our circuits warmed up."
"My Ijtikri bodyguard is carrying my stake."
"Royce Flynn, this complicates things" Aramesh buzzes quietly through internal comms.
Am I supposed to recognize that name?
"My Ijtikri bodyguard is carrying my stake."
Seems they expect me to know who this is.
Barat holds position and continues to survey the people in the car.
This feels like a bad situation for me to be in the dark about. I better let them know I have no idea who this person is or what is going on.
Over the internal comms, Barat says “Who?”
Aramesh steps aside as though checking a message for a moment, and replies to Barat - "Royce Flynn, gentleman thief extraordinaire - it means we have some serious competition to get the prize, the man is the slipperiest snake you can find"
Barat shifts his weight a bit. Aramesh notices one of the back tentacles he stands on lifting to point at him and then up before returning to the floor.
Competition, got it. Could be worse.
"Sixty credits sounds fine, do you really have it?" Royce asks, curiously. "I suppose you're an enterprising bot, and I have nothing against contributing to the Catarina Jurado legal defense fund. If you manage to win it off me." He grins, and looks to Aramesh. "Are you in too, or do you have to take a vote amongst yourselves? I can never be too sure with collective intelligences." Royce gestures to you, then addresses the lashunta man. "Brom, these are Lena and Aramesh."
The lashunta man, Brom, gives you each a brief nod, then shuffles the cards. "A sixty credit stake is a little low, but we can start small."
Wait a minute…sixty credits? I hope it is just a strange coincidence and that bot isn’t trying to gamble using my credits!
At the repeated mention of the stakes, Barat gives LNA a perplexed look. Fortunately he is a squid of few words and doesn’t use any of them right now.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
One of the LED displays on Lena’s front-panel *winks* out then on, as she gives Barat a manipulation-digit’s up.
“Between my neural net and your deep-pockets, Barat, what could possibly go wrong.”
"A sixty credit stake is a little low, but we can start small."
“Well if you want to kick it up a quantum or two, how about the loser has to spend the rest of the journey on the roof of the train?”
<<If he's not Syndicate, then why are we bothering with him?>> Kevan grumbles telepathically to his teammates - but he doesn't not move from his guard position behind Aramesh. Slowly he lets his gaze pass over everyone, lingering for a few moments longer on the lashunta at the bar.
Where could he be keeping that password? Well, if I were in a similar situation, where could I put mine...
"One more moment"
Aramesh types in a message to the group I suppose it does give us an opportunity to loiter and observe the dynamics here and determine how this can play out, if we all just stood around it would draw attention
"You all get started, I have a parched throat. Mr Brom, what is that delightful looking blue drink you have there?" Aramesh uses the pretext of the drink to get close, look around, and begin ingratiating themself with the true target.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Brom raises his eyebrows at the new stake. "I am not spending the trip on top of my own --"
But before he can finish, Royce waves a hand. "Don't worry, Brom. I got this," he says with utter confidence. "Accepted, Lena. You do know how to spice up a game."
Then Royce pointedly invites one of Brom's bodyguards to join in. "Why don't you join us, Zim? Help your boss out."
Then Brom noticeably relaxes, as of course Zim will take the fall should it look like Brom would start losing. Brom glances over at Aramesh. "The blue drink is called Worlanisi Whimsy." He deftly pours one for Aramesh, then says, "Let's move this game to the table, where we can all enjoy the play."
The stakes are set and the game of Skimmer begins! Lena, let's find out if you lose Barat's credits and must spend time on top of the train. Please give me a Bluff, Intimidate and Sense Motive check now. One each, please.
While playing the game, Brom is sitting next to Royce, and then has body guards to either side and behind him. You will need to get around both the bodyguards and Royce to maneuver Brom into a position where you can steal his datapad. You are outnumbered, so violence isn't a wise option; you must rely on subtlety and guile.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
This encounter is structured in abstracted social rounds, each lasting between a few seconds and several minutes. Every round, each PC selects one of the following seven roles and attempts a DC 20 check using a skill determined by their role.
CHOOSING A ROLE
One PC must select the conversationalist role. PCs can't duplicate roles, but they can change roles each round (except for the PC who takes the conversationalist role). If a role allows the use of multiple skills, the same skill can't be used on two successive rounds, even if a different PC takes over the role. The PCs can act in any order, but the conversationalist always acts last.
The PCs' skill checks represent their success in maneuvering Brom into a more advantageous position or stymieing Royce's effort to get the datapad. For most roles, a successful skill check grants a +2 bonus to the conversationalist's skill check at the end of the round; the conversationalist and pickpocket roles have special rules.
PROGRESS
When the encounter begins, the PCs have 0 Progress, while Royce has 1. At the end of each round, Royce automatically gains 1 Progress, while the PCs gain or lose a number determined by the results of the conversationalist's skill check. The PCs can never have less than 0 Progress. On a really good round you can get 2 Progress. Once the PCs have 5 Progress, they can try to lift the datapad off Brom using the pickpocket role.
Conversationalist: The conversationalist sidles up to the bar and engages Brom in dialogue, employing jokes, anecdotes, or other conversation with the intent of leaving him vulnerable to another PC's attempts to pick his pocket. The conversationalist uses Diplomacy for their checks.
Copilot: The copilot sets the conversationalist up for punchlines, aids in steering dialogue toward or away from specific topics, and uses nonvisual cues to help the other PCs perform their roles. The copilot uses Culture for their checks.
Distraction: The distraction creates a situation elsewhere in the car to draw the attention of Brom's bodyguards or Royce's cronies. The distraction can use Bluff, Intimidate, or Perform for their checks.
Interference: The interference watches for circumstances that might hinder the other PCs' efforts and counters them before they become problems. The interference uses Perception for their checks.
Pickpocket: This role can be taken only when the PCs have at least 5 Progress. The pickpocket casually approaches the now‑vulnerable Brom and tries to remove the datapad from his pocket. The pickpocket uses Sleight of Hand for their checks. If Royce makes more progress than you, he might be able to pickpocket as well. And there are consequences for failure!
Saboteur: The saboteur surreptitiously interferes with one of the car's mechanical or computer systems; for example, the saboteur might raise the thermostat, motivating Brom to remove his coat. The saboteur uses Computers or Engineering for their checks.
Windbag: The windbag briefly derails the conversation by using their knowledge of obscure trivia to make an outrageous but accurate claim. The windbag uses Physical Science or Life Science for their checks.
Everyone choose a role, roleplay it, and give me your rolls. Because of time zones, we won't make the Conversationalist wait until last, so please put those dice rolls under spoilers.
Lena, remember that you can play Skimmer and do whichever role you choose at the same time!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Kevan idly taps at his datapad twice, then lets the arm it's mounted on hang down by his side. The program he just activated will take a few seconds to infect any nearby devices, but soon the room will be abuzz with a low hum of electrical-psychic interference that shouldn't be audible - especially not over the sounds of the train itself - but should make any telepathic individual irritable and distracted. Unless, of course, they happen to have the dampening program installed on their personal computer and have it synched to the overlapping interference waves.
Avoiding the obvious 'direct approach', Aramesh decides to start working on diverting the various flunkies, "Did you want a drink? Here, let me get some drinks for you" Aramesh pulls a couple of non-alcoholic drinks from the bar "If everyone is playing a game I'm not going to stand here drinking alone" he starts handing out the drinks to the nearby guards "I suppose you are all used to it though, the lot of a guard seems to be a lot of standing around patiently waiting for someone to do something mundane"
"Ever thought about doing VIP protection for like, more legitimate clients? My cousin has been working with the management of Strawberry Machine Cake, said there were some openings, do you people know any good people? Hey I reckon you have just the look they are probably going for..."
Convincing Liar
Bluff
Bluff
Train can’t be going faster than the enercopter that dropped us here. Normal rating on one of those is about 90 mph, but I bet that Arda can push that a little. Still makes a good starting point to guess the speed of this train.
Barat glances out the window and asks “How fast? Over 75 M P H?”