GM Tarondor's Secrets of the Ancients - Traveller

Game Master Tarondor

The Ancients were a race of extremely advanced aliens thought to have lived in this region of the galaxy some 300,000 years ago. Almost any ruins dated from that time are thought to be their work. The Ancients are believed to have died out in an apocalyptic war, says Sally. The G-Band information does not correlate to any data I have accessed, but the Professor is a renowned expert and likely knows much that is not in any database.

"Murdered!" she almost chokes on her wine. "What? How? And why are you investigating this? Isn't the POC searching for the killer?"

Dev takes a deep breath and speaks to the Professor.

"I was informed of his death a few weeks ago and we have only been here for a couple of hours, but so far we have concluded that someone wanted something my Uncle had, and did not take no for an answer. He was found at the TAS after meeting with a couple of men. We do not know who they were but suspect they might be part of the organized crime syndicate located here."

He takes a breath to let this information sink in before continuing.

"We received your message as we were searching the TAS room he had rented, but before we got here one of our group was contacted by a person who had some information. We stopped off to see what he had to say, and while leaving to come here, we received a message from the investigation officer saying they had solved the murder and we did not need to snoop around anymore...which to me seems very suspicious."

"Hmmm... Well, I could ask someone in the ducal office to look into the matter, but they generally leave Regina's government to themselves. Still, it won't hurt to ask. I knew that Vlen moved in some dangerous circles, but... murdered. Why?"

The professor stands up and wanders over to the window. "The conference on Deneb really showed how little we understand about the Ancients. Do you know they found a site near the Solomani sphere that had -"

The lightglobes in the walls dim. The holoscreen on the wall goes dark. Outside, something falls into the lake with a splash.

"Emperor’s beard! Haven’t the household robots been maintaining this place at all?" grumbles the professor. "U4! Come in here!"

The robot in the hallway outside does not respond. The professor fumbles for her pocket comm. "It’s dead too. All power’s gone. Everything’s just shut down."

She glances out the window. "Hey, there’s some-" Suddenly, there’s a hole in the window... and another hole in Professor Ujinka’s chest. A bloody rose blossoms on her robes and she topples to the floor.

Downstairs, you hear the front door smash open.

What do you do?

Zirelle wasn't particularly pleased to witness a death, but having been a pirate for so long, she was used to saving any emotional shock for later. So, her first stray thought was dismay that an interesting job had fallen through, although the professor's assistant was still there... maybe...

Her neural comm automatically took notes

"There’s another dig on Beck’s World. My assistant Juni is there now and she’s working to isolate the G-band conditions."

Conference on Deneb: site near the Solomani sphere

Then she quickly shook herself to the new reality. Someone was targeting the professor. Maybe for something she had found that was here in the house, maybe just for the whole idea... Vlen's murder was likely connected in some way, but was it just the G-Band secret or something else?

She pulled out her stunner and moved quietly to a place that wasn't visible from the hall and not in the light from the window, so hopefully she wouldn't be easily seen.

She got ready to shoot anyone who came through the door, as long as it wasn't one of her allies of course.

Guys?

Dev stands somewhat shocked at seeing the professor shot down right in front of him. His first reaction is to dive for cover and ready his gun, but he had not thought to bring it to this meeting....so dives for cover and hopes some of the others were not as unprepared as him!

Chuck drops to the floor and crawls over toward the Professor.
"Professor!" He says.

Staying low to the ground, he'll see if she's responsive at all to glean more information from.

Anyone, give me orders for Ben and Erryll.

They both take cover and draw weapons.

They both take cover and draw weapons.

Erryll in fact slams Ben to the ground, gives him the WTH look, and then draws his laser pistol

Oh yeah, that is totally better.

Chuck finds that Professor Ujinka is critically injured. She'll die without immediate transport to a hospital. No amount of first aid is going to save her.

The rest of you take up positions (see map, above) and wait. You hear small noises downstairs. They stop, and those of you with any combat experience know that means that the attackers are drawing close. They certainly knew that Ujinka was on the second floor...

Any preparations in the last few seconds?

Looking to the others, Dev whispers.

"Does anyone have an extra gun? Did not think I would need mine out here on an Imperial preserve!"

Looking to the others, Dev whispers.

"Does anyone have an extra gun? Did not think I would need mine out here on an Imperial preserve!"

Almost everything was disabled as they entered, correct? Is there a CPU for the security system that might not have been disabled? Certainly the cameras are out ... also, is there a LAN/WAN infrastructure that we could use to remotely bring any of the robots back to active status? Even as a distraction they could be valuable. AND can we see the cars from the windows in this room?

"If we can make this work the way I want it to, you can borrow mine, but right now, you and I need to quickly move that brown couch against the door frame, and then stack the table on it to add more weight & resistance."
Erryll comes over the the other end of the couch near Dev
"Then I can figure out how likely I am to die crawling down the side of the house for my medkit."

Providing that Chuck shares the information with us...

Quietly Zirelle says

I'm glad she's still alive. I think if we want her to stay that way we need to risk getting out of here now. One person carries her, everyone else cover fire? She needs a hospital, not a medkit.

"In all honesty, that was to keep her alive to make it to the car ..."

"Whoever shot through the window cannot be on premise yet. Are comms still active? Did they just knock out the estate or was there an EM pulse or something?

What? Did you not hear the front door crash open? Maybe not the same person who shot, but they are definitely on site. Is this a rescue mission or are we letting her die and staying and fighting it out?

Zirelle realizes that Erryll's question is a good one though, and she queries her neural comm, seeing if she can get a signal in order to get an ambulance onsite.

Ben looks around from under Erryl and whispers"I will fire, but I can't promise to hit the broad side of a barn. Just give the word."

What? Did you not hear the front door crash open? Maybe not the same person who shot, but they are definitely on site. Is this a rescue mission or are we letting her die and staying and fighting it out?

Zirelle realizes that Erryll's question is a good one though, and she queries her neural comm, seeing if she can get a signal in order to get an ambulance onsite.

"I cannot let her die while I have any ability to save her; and I didn't mean to imply there was only a sniper, quite the contrary. I meant the sniper will very possibly be covering our route the the cars, even after we subdue whoever is here."

Need the comm answer though: this is an Estate of the Duke of the Regina. If we can radio his security forces, Erryll should be able to request an emergency grav vehicle be sent to medivac the Professor

"Ben, can you get over here to carry the Professor? I'll cover us." Chuck says as he readies and function checks his laser pistol.

"I ain't too sure going out a window from the second floor is going to be a good idea without the right tech, but I'll leave that to you." Chuck says to Erryll as he moves to the doorway to watch down the hallway.

Chuck braces himself on the doorframe to steady his first shot.

Sally, can you reach any services to call for help?

Chuck will fire on the first hostile looking thing that comes into view.

All electronics are nonfunctional. That includes any communications devices or networks. Now that you think about it, every weapon above TL 6 is sufficiently complex to also be incapacitated. You're weaponless!

Erryll, you saw the security drone outside the window. If you could get to the house's utility room and reboot the local computer network, you might be able to reactivate the drones, even if communications to the outside world are still cut off.

Chuck, Sally isn't responding. You remember that Ujinka had two crossed Sword World broad swords at the top of the stairs for decoration...

Erryll, the windows of this room face out over the lake. The ground cars are on the other side of the house.

Erryll, you saw the security drone outside the window. If you could get to the house's utility room and reboot the local computer network, you might be able to reactivate the drones, even if communications to the outside world are still cut off.

Erryll, the windows of this room face out over the lake. The ground cars are on the other side of the house.

Exactly what I wanted to know, thanks!

Chuck finishes his function check.

"Crap! Must've been an EMP or somethin', my laser pistol is out. Z, I'm going for those swords by the stairs. I'll grab you one." Chuck shouts as he holsters his pistol and starts to sprint down the hallway to the stairs.

Seeing that it wasn't going to work, Zirelle gives up on her neural comm and holsters her stunner, taking out her Holmgang sword instead. She supposed that in this situation lethality was appropriate anyway, and her initial instinct to hide and ambush wasn't going to work if they had a chance of saving the professor.

Hey Tarondor, the Holmgang sword looks like it might have taken some tech to make, but otherwise seems like just a normal sword... can I still use it?

She sprints after Chuck to offer support.

Ben moves to get to the Professor and carry her out as best he can.

I do not see her on the map so I did not move my icon, but I would like to get to her if possible.

Ben moves to get to the Professor and carry her out as best he can.

In principle, having the weak guy (no offense Ben) carry an entire human is sktchy at best. Dev didn't have a weapon and is pretty strong

Erryll leaves his gun out ... he had given any number of stitches to goons who had been pistol whipped; he knew it was effective. This had to be a charge.

"The professor needs to be placed in the front passenger seat of the car I drove by myself. Then either myself or possibly Ben needs to drive it towards the administration hub of the estate, possibly attempting to collide with security forces to get their attention; and yes, I did actually just suggest that. He & I would at least be given 'careful' treatment due to our families."

Seeing Ben struggling to move the Professor, he crawls over and lifts her into his arms.

"I got her...grab one of those swords and let's get the hell out of here!"

Hey Tarondor, the Holmgang sword looks like it might have taken some tech to make, but otherwise seems like just a normal sword... can I still use it?

Yes. It's still just a sharp piece of metal.

At the head of the stairs, Chuck seizes a broadsword from the wall decoration just in time to spot a figure enter the stairwell below. It is dressed in fatigues and a body armor and carrying a heavy pistol. Moments later, is joined by a second figure. They haven't spotted you yet, but are just now starting up the stairs.

What do you do?

Chuck tucks back into the hallway to hide from view until the last moment. He hurriedly gestures to the rest of the group to get back against the wall and do the same.

Once he's sufficient tucked back, he'll wait to swing out at anyone that comes into range.

Zirelle will follow Chuck's lead and wait. She plans her attack for when they are most vulnerable at the top of the stairs (hopefully knocking them off balance so the return trip is a little more painful).

Zirelle was consciously focused on this ambush that needed to work so they could save the professor, but the ex-pirate part of her mind was still complaining a little bit in the background about how much amazing loot there probably was in this place and she wasn't even pausing to grab any of it.

Anyone else? We're just coming off the holiday, so I'll wait until tonight to move forward.

How does falling damage work in Traveler? If we jump out a window and run is that likely to break a leg?

FALLING - A Traveller who falls on a 1-gravity world suffers 1D damage for every two metres they fall. High- or low gravity worlds (see Gravity) will increase or decrease

the damage by 1D for every four metres fallen. A Traveller who make a successful Athletics check can reduce the distance fallen for the urposes of calculating damage by a number of metres equal to the
Effect of their check. Armour does not protect against damage sustained
from falling.

The windows are five meters up. So you'd suffer 2D damage unless you have a good Athletics score.

Ben motions to the others and begins making his way towards a window that is close to the vehicles.

"Pst, hey! Check out those rooms for anything useful. I'll keep an eye out here." Chuck says in a hushed shout to his companions down the hall.

Zirelle looks between Ben and Chuck and the top of the stairs, not sure what plan was best, but then her instincts kicked in and she steeled herself, admitting that the professor's death was likely. The best option would be to find how to reboot the house systems.

She nodded to Chuck, sheathed her sword and ran silently back the other way, checking out the rooms, looking for what they needed.

While the others are planning their escape, Dev attempts to render some first aid to the wounded professor.

Medic: 2d6 - 2 + 2 ⇒ (3, 6) - 2 + 2 = 9

Zirelle, Chuck, Erryll and Dev (carrying Professor Ujinka) move one way, into a passage at the far end of the entry hall. They can see several rooms off this new corridor, including bedrooms and a bathroom.

Meanwhile Ben heads in the other direction and finds himself in what appears to be a nurse's station, complete with an autodoc! Knowing the gunmen are coming his way, he quietly closes the door behind him.

From her vantage point glimpsing out of the nearly-closed door, Zirelle can see the gunmen come up the two staircases (one each) and make their way stealthily towards the hallway to the study. One passes just feet from her but doesn't spot her.
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Ben, there is a large bay window beside the autodoc, but it doesn't open. Easy to break, though. There is a smaller window in the bathroom from which you can see the vehicles. It does open.

Zirelle, Chuck and Erryll, you can surprise the Orange gunman or just sit tight and hope to slip out when they head for the study. Or do whatever else you'd like.

Dev, your hands are slick with blood from your attempts to staunch the bleeding. Professor Ujinka is ancient and unlikely to survive without real medical attention real soon.

Windows aren't marked on the map. Assume that any exterior room has a window. The bay windows (the protrusions from the wall) don't open and the bathroom windows are small and a bit of a squeeze.

As Zirelle is watching the door, Chuck pulls a small multi-tool from his pocket and attempts to reset his laser pistol manually.

Hard 10+: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (3, 1) + 2 = 6
Chuck has Mechanic 2, so I believe I'm rolling right.

The small indicator lights on his pistol flicker briefly but falter.
"...shit..." he mutters

As Zirelle is watching the door, Chuck pulls a small multi-tool from his pocket and attempts to reset his laser pistol manually.

[dice=Hard 10+]2d6+2
Chuck has Mechanic 2, so I believe I'm rolling right.

The small indicator lights on his pistol flicker briefly but falter.
"...s+#*..." he mutters

You would add INT to that. You have a 10 INT, for +1. Still a failure, though.

Can Erryll examine the autodoc to get its status? Is it functioning? If it wasn't on previously, it may not have been effected by the EMP ...

Ben shakes his head since he is all alone in a place that might save the professor. Looking at the windows he picks up a chair and stands near the big window.

Did this room have a door lock?

Zirelle can see bedrooms and a bathroom off this way... wrong way. She stays silent as the gunmen pass, and then goes to see if Ben was luckier.

Can Erryll examine the autodoc to get its status? Is it functioning? If it wasn't on previously, it may not have been effected by the EMP ...

Erryl is on the wrong side of the house for that. There are two gunmen in between.

Ben shakes his head since he is all alone in a place that might save the professor. Looking at the windows he picks up a chair and stands near the big window.

Did this room have a door lock?

Yes, but it looks fairly flimsy.

Zirelle can see bedrooms and a bathroom off this way... wrong way. She stays silent as the gunmen pass, and then goes to see if Ben was luckier.

___________________________________________________

Chuck and Dev, go!

Chuck continues to tinker with his pistol.

Ain't no way I'm taking a knife to a gun fight he thinks as he tries to reconnect a fried diode.

Mechanic 10+: 2d6 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (6, 1) + 2 + 1 = 10

I assume I'm allowed to do this again?

His pistol hums quietly and he feels the vibration ever so slightly in his hand.

"Z, look out."

I assume I'll need to wait for next turn to do anything else.

Erryll isn't really built for it, but can we let gravity do some of the work? Can the orange thug be bullrushed over the railing to fall down into the foyer? Could certainly break a leg or something ...

Exactly my thoughts. :) At the very least it'll delay his actions.

Erryll isn't really built for it, but can we let gravity do some of the work? Can the orange thug be bullrushed over the railing to fall down into the foyer? Could certainly break a leg or something ...

You could certainly try! That'd be a Melee (Unarmed) attack.

Anyone, give me orders for Dev.

Dev continues to offer aid to the professor, but after the danger has passed (if it does), he goes back to find Ben since this part of the house doesn't look helpful.