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Aygavan's rip in reality and the shot from Ryder is enough for each dredger to fall still. As the battle comes to an end, the dust settles around you and you get a moment to catch your breath.

Your comms are all buzzing intermittently, and have been doing so all battle, but the signal is too weak to make out what's being said. As you spend a few minutes recovering, you can piece together that through the crackling, you’re receiving reports from all around Brinnoa about thousands of Swarm creatures exiting the city.

The reports are interrupted by a message from Jaldamarrak. ”All SDF forces, this is a full retreat. Fall back beyond the Dethomar River and regroup at Fort Gallant.” His orders are followed by the sound of close-range fire from a semi-auto pistol, and then the signal cuts out.

Good job, everyone! That fight was tough and the dice were not rolling in your favour. Leech, you can use another RP to Stay in the Fight and go back to 1 HP, or someone else can try to heal you if they have the option.

The dredger that had attached itself to Leech detaches from his unconscious body and turns to Ryder, attempting to latch onto closest moving target.

Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

Round 7

Jerry's shot hits, but although the dredger looks very weak, it's still moving.

Brundus, Ryder, and Aygavan, you can act now!

Not sure if I made it clear that it was Aygavan’s turn. I hope you don’t mind me botting things just to get things going again. Let me know if you would have done something else!

Aygavan pushes the dredger off and then takes a 5-ft step away.
Strength: 1d20 ⇒ 15 Success!

Round 7

Having just been pushed away by Aygavan, the dredger (C) turns its attention to Brundus and manages to latch onto him, although it takes two attempts.

Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (9) + 7 - 4 = 12 Miss
Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (12) + 7 - 4 = 15

Leech, it's your turn. You can use a Resolve Point to stabilize. I'm not sure if you have any other options available. If you don't stabilize, you lose a Resolve Point.

The bug gets a bonus to AC but that's it. Unfortunately, that bonus makes your attack a miss

Round 6

Although the needle misses, the dredger reacts quickly, swiping twice at Leech. The first attempt to claw at him is unable to get through the armour, but the second slices into Leech.

Claw vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 7 - 4 + 2 = 9 Miss!
Claw vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 7 - 4 + 2 = 15
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

I can't believe how difficult these dredgers are! I haven't adjusted anything for a slightly larger party, although the dice rolls haven't exactly been going in your favour

Round 5

Despite Aygavan’s attempts to injured the one attached to him, he’s unable to hurt the creature.

Round 6

In response to Aygavan’s attempted attack, the attached dredger tries to claw at him. Its first attempt gets through Aygavan's armour, but it's unable to land a second hit.

Claw vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 7 - 4 + 2 = 17
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
Claw vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 7 - 4 + 2 = 13 Miss!

Leech, it's your turn!

Round 5

Despite the dredger’s attchment to Leech making it a tricky shot, Ryder is able to hit the creature. It makes a high pitched chittering noise on impact, but is still alive.

Both Jerry and Brundus manage to land a hit on the other dredger, and when Brundus’ fist slams into it, it falls still and its legs curl up as it dies.

Aygavan, it's your turn to act!

Round 5

Despite being shaken off by Leech, the dredger is persistent and tries once again to attach to him, lashing out with a claw once it has.

Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (15) + 7 - 4 = 18
Claw vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 7 - 4 + 2 = 16
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Oof, that's a hit. Brundus, Jerry, and Ryder, you can act now.

Round 5

Aygavan’s shot goes wide, but the shot draws the dredger’s attention and it scuttles in Aygavan’s direction. When it reaches him, it clambers on to him, its barbed legs helping it attach.

Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

Leech, it's your turn to act!

Round 4

Brundus’ heavy punch seems to do quite a bit of damage to the dredger, but despite looking wounded, the dredger is still standing. In response, it lurches at Brundus and latches onto him.

Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

Brundus, as the creature is still standing, I'm assuming you're going to use your pending move action to step away, so the dredger is going to use its turn to follow you and then attach.

Aygavan, you're up!

Round 4

The dredger near Ryder scuttles up to stand near him and Leech, and then latches onto Leech's armour.

Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

Brundus, Jerry, and Ryder, you can go now

Dredger A Fort save: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
Dredger C Fort save: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

Round 4

The dredger nearest to Leech seems disoriented and confused by the flash of light, taking a step closer to Leech and attempting to lash out with a claw while it is still a bit too far away.

Claw vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (3) + 7 - 1 = 9 Miss

It's the start of round 4, and it's Leech's turn!

Round 3

Pulled away from Jerry, the dredger turns its attention to the one who forced it away. It attempts to latch onto Brundus, but is unable to attach. Despite that, it tries to claw at him, but is unable to reach.

Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (9) + 7 - 4 = 12 Miss!
Claw vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (3) + 7 - 4 = 6 Miss!

Aygavan, it's your go!

Round 3

The dredger targeting Ryder is determined to attach again after being pushed away, but it is unable to grab on. Despite this, it attempts to lash out at Ryder, but can't get through his armour.

Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (7) + 7 - 4 = 10 Miss
Claw vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (11) + 7 - 4 = 14 Miss

Brundus,Jerry, Ryder, it's your turn! Sorry about the delay - I've not had much internet access the last two days.

Reflex Save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

The dredger is unable to avoid the acidic fog summoned by Aygavan, making a high-pitched chittering noise as it's enveloped in it.

Round 3

Despite being pushed away from Leech once, the dredger moves out of the toxic cloud and attempts to climb onto him and away from the temporary environment. It's able to attach to Leech's armour, but struggles to claw at him.

Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (12) + 7 - 4 = 15
Claw vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 7 - 4 + 2 = 8 Miss!

Leech, it's your turn!

Round 2

When Brundus' fist makes contact once again with the dredger, the power behind his punch is enough to kill it, its legs curling up as it dies.

The insect attached to Jerry attempts to slice into him, but despite making two attempts, Jerry's defensive position makes it unable to get its claws close enough.

Claw vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 7 - 4 + 2 = 10
Claw vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 7 - 4 + 2 = 11

Aygavan, it's your turn! One down, three still to go.

Jerry, I think you could fire if you wanted to. The bug being attached to you doesn’t mean you can’t use your gun.

Round 2

Despite being pushed off by Brundus only seconds before, the same dredger attempts to reattach itself. Although it struggles to get a good grip, it manages to latch on on its second attempt.

Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 7 - 4 + 2 = 13
Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 7 - 4 + 2 = 19

The one attached to Ryder claws at him, its short, sharp legs slashing through his armour.

Claw vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 7 - 4 + 2 = 20 (+2 because it's attached)
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
Claw vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 7 - 4 + 2 = 19
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Max damage on both attacks? That's not good! Brundus and Ryder, you can act now.

Round 2

The Dredger that attacked Leech attempts to get closer, trying to scrabble over him. On its first attempt, it fails to get a grip, but it tries again and is able to attach to Leech.

Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (4) + 7 - 4 = 7
Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (13) + 7 - 4 = 16

And it's Round 2! Leech, it's your turn.

Round 1

Hearing the shot from Jerry’s gun, the dredger near him scuttles closer and digs its legs into the fabric of his armour, attaching itself to him and tucking its body close, clearly preparing to use its smaller legs to attack.

Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

Aygavan, it's your go!

I think it's a move action to draw the serum and then a second move action to drink it. Correct me if I'm wrong though!

Round 1

The dredger near Brundus moves quickly into the space next to him, making the now-familiar attempt to climb onto him.

Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

The northwestern dredger moves around the rocks Ryder has taken cover in and tries the same, its barbed legs clinging easily to the fabric of his armour.

Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Brundus, Jerry, and Ryder, it's your turn to act. To detach the dredgers, it's a DC 10 Strength check made as a move action.

The dust from the collision makes it impossible to see anything more than 30 ft ahead of you, and even things closer than that are obscured by it. The ground is shaking, and once the ringing in your ears stops, you can once again hear the sounds of battle in Brinnoa.

As the ground shakes, you slowly start to realise that it isn't just the explosion causing the tremors, but by the time you realise that there's something underneath you, it's too late. Four Swarm dredgers burrow out of the ground, preparing to attack.

They emerged from the ground as part of a Surprise Round. Now let's get into the actual combat!

Round 1

The south-western dredger scuttles towards Leech and lashes one barbed leg out towards him, finding a weak spot in Leech's armour and slicing into him.

Claw vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27 Oof! Not a good start for you guys.
Damage: 2d6 + 3 + 3 ⇒ (4, 4) + 3 + 3 = 14

Leech, you can act now!

Jerry, the city is to the north, so if you want to move, feel free.

In the midst of your preparations, you hear a large explosion to the north. Looking in that direction, you see a large Brinnoan skyscraper tilting sideways, engulfed in flames. Only moments later, a shadow falls across the landscape as a massive structure streaks across the sky above, billowing a trail of smoke.

The huge station strikes the hills to the north of Brinnoa. There’s a massive flash of white light, followed by an ear-splitting explosion a few seconds later. A cloud of dust rises from the impact, enveloping the region in minutes.

DC 12 Will save or you’re shaken for the next 1d4 hours after what you’ve witnessed. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.

Yeah, the black area at the top of the map is a crater, so I'd say that standing inside that would give cover. The rocky outcropping is cover as well - I'd say it's normal cover if you're standing, but improved cover if you're prone.

It takes you half an hour to reach an appropriate area. A mile from the road, you find large craters and hastily dug trenches marring the landscape. You’re nearer the city now and can hear the sounds of battle more clearly than you could upon your arrival at the highway. You see several Swarm vessels enter the city’s airspace and start to land at the outskirts, bringing hundreds of soldiers to the fight.

You can make some defensive preparations (or simple hunker down in one of the craters or trenches) here, before the fight comes your way. There's a new map available if you want to place your tokens somewhere on it.

Jaldamarrak peers into the distance, towards the city. "Stay out of the city limits," he tells you. "I know you want to be in the midst of things, but our job is ensuring the civilians get away. The Second Battalion was building trenches near the city outskirts in preparation for a land attack from the Swarm. They've moved into the streets now, but the trenches will still be there for you to use."

Ryder, you'll also know that the landscape around Brinnoa has several craters that could potentially be used as well.

By the time you reach Inter-Region Highway 12, the sun has fully risen and the sky has been saturated with hundreds of aerial vehicles fleeing the capital. The road is just as busy, the slow-moving traffic being waved forwards by SDF soldiers. Crying civilians ask questions as they follow the procession of vehicles, getting curt responses from most soldiers along with the repeated instructions to proceed to Reos City, several dozen miles to the south.

In the distance, you can hear the sounds of weapons fire, drowned out by the screeching of the ramjet engines of SDF fighter planes passing overhead to join the battle. Even from this distance, Brinnoa looks like a disturbed hornet’s nest, with the Swarm vessels engaging with the First Battalion.

Despite the evacuating crowds, it doesn’t take long for you to spot Major Jaldamarrak. He seems to be organising the evacuation effort, but as he’s holding his doshko ready in one hand, it’s clear he plans to get into the battle himself once everything is running smoothly.

He spots you as you approach, giving each of you a cursory look over. “Glad you could join us, Midnight Squad!” he says gruffly, giving you no time to speak. “No time for rest, get your rears in gear and double-time it to the front! The Swarm is about to take Brinnoa, and we’re giving these evacuees as much time as we can before the critters come flooding out of the city. Go north and find somewhere to take up a defensive position. Make sure you’re far enough away from the highway that you don’t risk hitting civilians with any stray bullets.”

Round 5

Jerry is able to hit the dredger with his final bullet. Now surrounded, the insect has nowhere to dodge to when attacked, and a final hit from Brundus’ armed fist is enough to squash it.

Combat Over. Those two bugs put up quite a fight!

Your comms have been crackling throughout the fight, but now that the dredgers are no longer a concern, it’s quiet enough for you to make out some words in the transmission. “-I repeat, all squadrons form up on Inter-Region Highway 12.” Despite the buzzing quality of the communication, you all recognise the voice of Major Jaldamarrak. “Brinnoa is being fully evacuated, and we have to defend the civilians while-”

The transmission cuts out again, replaced by the white noise of interference. You all know where Inter-Region Highway 12 is, and it’s going to take you about an hour to get there from your current position.

Round 4

This time, Jerry's shot goes wide, missing the insect. Even though its no longer attached to Aygavan, Ryder and Brundus are unable to get a hit in.

Round 5

Having been detached from Aygavan, the dredger turns to Brundus and attempts the same thing - first, it attempts to attach, but is unable to grab on. Failing that, it tries to lash out with one of its smaller claws, but misses.

Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (11) + 7 - 4 = 14
Claws vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (5) + 7 - 4 = 8
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Aygavan, if you want to do a standard action as part of your previous turn, that’s fine - just include it in your next post before your actions for this round.

Round 3

Ryder is unable to get his blade through the creature’s chitinous shell, and Brundus is struggling to get a good hit in.

Round 4

The remaining dredger, still attached to Aygavan, makes two attempts to claw at him. The first can't get through his armour, but the second manages to slash into Aygavan.

Claws vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (10) + 7 - 4 = 13
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Claws vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (17) + 7 - 4 = 20
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

The dice rolls weren't kind to you that round! Hopefully this round will be different. Aygavan, you can make a Strength check as a move action on your turn to detach the bug.

Jerry's shot hits the dredger in a soft spot between its carapace. It curls up and goes stiff, clearly dead.

One down, one to go! If Aygavan is threatening the remaining dredger's square, then you're flanking. I'm not 100% sure he is. Does Aygavan have a melee weapon out?

Round 2

Both Jerry and Brundus miss when they try to attack the dredger next to them. Despite it looking severely wounded, it's still agile enough to avoid their blows.

Reflex Save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

Aygavan once again calls upon elements from somewhere else, but this time, the creature manages to dodge the attack, only to get caught by Berith's needle.

Ryder is able to detach the dredger and throw it aside, managing to disorient it just enough for him to get his knife between its shell and cause some damage.

Claw vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (7) + 7 - 4 = 10
Claw vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (19) + 7 - 4 = 22
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9 (Ouch!)

Seemingly too weak to attempt to attach to Brundus, the dredger next to him lashes out twice with its claws. It misses on the first attack, but manages to slash through his armour on the second.

Round 3

The other insect, having been pushed aside by Ryder, skitters carefully passed him and attaches to Aygavan.

Guarded Step
Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

Back to you guys for Round 3!

Round 1

Before the second insect can react, Jerry hits it with another bullet.

Reflex Save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Aygavan aims for the same bug, causing fire to explode around the creature.

Leech’s attempt to shoot at the one latched onto Ryder misses, the bug too difficult to hit without risking catching Ryder as well.

Brundus shot misses as well, the second dredger deftly skittering out of the way.

Ryder attempts to brush the attached dredger aside. Although he tries to slice at it with his knife, it’s an awkward angle with the insect attached to him and he’s unable to find a weak point in the dredger’s carapace.

Attach vs. KAC: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

The further dredger, clearly weakened, moves up towards Jerry and also attempts to climb onto and attach to him, but is unable to latch on.

Round 2

Claw vs KAC: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 7 + 2 = 10 bonus for being attached

Still attached, the creature uses the smaller claws on its underside to try and scratch at Ryder, but is unable to penetrate his armour.

It's Round 2 now so all of you can act again!

No damage, but its latched on to you. You can still move but it will move with you. As you're not grappled or restrained, I don't think you can use an Escape action but you can use a move action to make a Strength check to remove it. I should have put this in the earlier post, sorry about that!

Round 1

As the insect is hit by Jerry's bullet, it recoils backwards, making a series of alarmed clicks.

The other scuttles towards you, reaching Ryder and using its barbed legs to latch on to the fabric of his armour.

Attach (vs KAC): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

All of you have higher initiatives than the other bug, so you can all act now!

The Dredger's have no specific weaknesses.

As for Identify Creatures being a Free Action, I haven't looked at the Biohacker playtest in a while, but yeah, that feature makes it confusing. Maybe there's something clearer in the Operations Manual, but I won't have access to that until next week.

Berith recognises the creatures as the Swarm Dredgers Jaldamarrak showed you on the projector. From the look of their barbed legs and smaller claws, it seems likely that they will try to attach to prey before clawing at them.

I think Identifying Creatures is a free action so you can still do something more with your surprise round. It was a DC 5 check so you can ask for one additional piece of information.

You begin the journey towards Brinnoa, making your way down the icy slope of the escarpment and then weaving your way between snow-covered hill banks. Gaps in the snow display the red-tinged dirt you’re all familiar with, glittering slightly with ice. Your comm units buzz occasionally with an attempt at communication, but the signal is never good enough to make out more than a couple of words at a time.

As you step out onto a small break of flat land, both Jerry and Berith spot movement in their corner of their eyes, and they turn to see two insects scuttling out from around one of the small hills, attempting to close on you.

Jerry and Berith can act in a surprise round before the first Swarm insect takes their turn. I always forget the rules of surprise rounds, but I think it's just a move action or a standard action, but not both. There's a link for the battle map in the campaign description!

When Ryder attempts to contact central command, the only response is static. It seems as though interference from the overhead is disrupting the signal. That, or the Swarm are somehow blocking communication.

The first several hours of the patrol pass by slowly and quietly, other than a few brief periods where the wind picked up and the temperature dropped even lower than the usual biting cold. None of you notice anything out of the ordinary. There are no signs of Swarm activity, and the cold of the Dead Winter has ensured that there isn’t much sign of native wildlife either.

As the end of your patrol nears, morning twilight lights the horizon a dusty pink. It isn’t long now until sunrise and until you can start the trek back to camp. The stars are starting to fade, but you start to notice the flashing of small lights in the sky, and only minutes later, a loud atonal alarm is followed with an all-points emergency broadcast over your comm units.

A hurried female voice says, “Attention all Suskillon ground forces, this is Spacedock Prime-1. We are under heavy attack! A Swarm armada has entered in low orbit and has begun to-”

The transmission ends as abruptly as it began in a burst of ear-splitting static. Up in the sky high above Brinnoa, there are now hundreds of flashing lights, something you now recognise as the sign of starship combat far above you.

What do you want to do? Go toward the battle? Retreat back to camp? Try to contact SDF central command? If you want to keep your conversations going, feel free to make some posts covering the patrol before responding to this.

Jerry nods to indicate he understands the mission. He pauses for a moment contemplating if he should ask another question. "Um, one more thing before we go. Is it true that some of our soldiers are being captured and that the swarm has a way to "obtain" information from them? he asks nervously.

As he’s dismissing you, Jaldamarrak frowns at Jerry’s question. “I’ve seen it done before in other wars, by other Swarm creatures, but not by any that I’ve seen since arriving on Suskillon. It might be true, but there haven’t been enough MIAs to think there’s anything other than the usual casualties of war.”

You leave Camp Cavalier before the sun sets. There’s a brisk, bitter wind, and each breath is a puff of smoke. As you march west, the sun moves lower and lower in the sky. The light of the setting sun makes the frosted red sand a glittering scarlet, matching the crimson clouds. It takes a couple of hours for you to climb up to the escarpment, and by the time you reach your patrol area, the sun has fully set and the only natural light comes from the stars.

You’ve got an entire night of watch. Plenty of time to talk to one another! Could you each roll a Survival check to see what you spot during the start of the patrol?

Jaldamarrak nods at Jerry's question. "If we were worried about keeping a low profile, then we'd worry about lights. In this case, we're more concerned about signs of unusual activity. Take a light source if you need it. If you do catch the attention of any bugs, better you can see them to fight them. The bugs can see in the dark, and we're starting to suspect that the dredgers don't need sight to sense our positions. We don't want any of our troops to be the only ones hindered by the dark."

He looks over each of you, checking to see of any of you seem like you're going to ask something more."If you have no further questions, you're dismissed," he says, turning off the projection. "You're exempt from training this afternoon so take the time to prepare. Get some rest, double check your equipment. It's a two hour walk to the patrol route and sunset is scheduled for 2107, so make sure you muster up by 1900."

He walks round the table to the door and opens it for you, giving each of you a firm pat on the shoulder as you pass.

Suskillon days are 26 hours long, and the current temperature is around 25°F (-4°C), so you're going to need environmental protection to make it through the night. Most patrols are scheduled for 10 hours, so you'll be heading back at around 0500. It's going to be a long night, so if any of you have any money left and think there's something you might want to buy, now's your chance - although I know you just made your characters so credits might be low. I'm fine for you to redo your equipment a bit before you leave, if you think there's something you'd have chosen in Chargen given this information.

Jaldamarrak frowns at Berith’s question. “If that’s true, I’ve heard nothing of it. The Swarm is irritatingly mysterious. Whatever their purpose is, we don’t know it.” He turns his attention to Brundus. “As for whatever controls the Swarm, I’ve not seen anything. I’m sure there’s some sort of telepathic control going on there, but with the bugs. Not with any of us.”

“Standard fire will do you fine. Put enough rounds into them, they’ll die. Be warned, they’re nasty little critters, about the size of a khefak, but the burrow right under you. They’ve got barbed jaws that latch onto you and take you down in a matter of moments.” Jaldamarrak takes a moment to tap a few words into the small computer controlling the projector, changing the 3d display from the map to an image of what you assume is a Swarm Dredger. The small creature has a swept-back, segmented carapace and a set of three mandibles covered in hooked barbs. “Report any sightings before engaging, but you have leave to take any of those bugs out. Any opportunity to try and reduce their numbers, take it. My kill count is 112 since joining the war, but there always seem to be more ready to take a dead one’s place. We want to take out as many of them as we can before they do the same for us.”

At Ryder's questions, the corner of Jaldamarrak's mouth lifts in a slight smirk and he gives Ryder a second look-over, clearly impressed. "Good questions, soldier, but as many times as I've fought the Swarm, that doesn't mean there's much I can tell you. First rule of fighting the vermin is to be adaptable. I've fought the Swarm on a handful of fronts, and every time, they've been different. Here on Suskillion, there's something... more cunning about these critters. Like they've got a purpose other than just killing everything they come across. We've seen a number of new variations in their ranks, including the expendable scouts we're calling 'dredgers'. As for your patrol tonight," he gives each of you a hard look. "I know you're hoping for some excitement, but the best outcome for everyone is if you see nothing. If you do see any evidence of creatures not native to this system, report back immediately."

The major’s module is barely big enough for both an office and personal quarters, and it looks even smaller with the green-scaled, hulking vesk inside, his head barely an inch from the ceiling. At nearly 8 ft tall, Jaldamarrak cuts an imposing figure. He acknowledges each introduction with a brusque nod, and then there are a few minutes of heavy silence as he looks over your postures and your kit, both eyes - one of which is cybernetic - lingering just a bit longer on Aygavan’s hand.

Seemingly satisfied with your appearances, he shows you to a metal table in the center of the room, a 3d blue map projected onto its surface. He’s wide enough to take up one side of the table by himself, and he gestures for you to organise yourselves around the remaining sides.

“I am your commanding officer, Jaldamarrak, and I was killing Swarm before you were clutching your mother’s tails. I know more about this enemy than every soft-skin general in this system, and I know for a fact we are losing this war.” he states, his voice deep and gruff. There’s a weighty pause as he takes the time to look each of you in the eye. “You’ve probably heard that over the last seven days, the Swarm has retreated from three smaller cities to the east of Brinnoa, and the media and SDF alike are calling this a turning point for the war. I know better. Those vexers are up to something, and I’m not letting the Fifth Battalion get caught with their spacesuits around their ankles. I’ve selected the five of you to form what I’m calling the Midnight Squad.” He uses a clawed finger to trace a path from the camp’s position on the map to a steep slope to the west. “For your first assignment, you’ll patrol the Delta Escarpment a few miles west of Camp Cavalier from sundown to sun-up and report back with any unusual activity. Any questions?”

As the half-hour lunch break draws to an end, your comms beep with an incoming message. You’re each greeted by the tinny voice of the camp-wide communications VI reciting your IDENT code, followed by “You have been excused from afternoon training. Report to your commanding officer at 1300 to receive your new briefing.”

A check of the time shows that it’s already 1253, so you don’t have that much time to finish your lunch break and find your way through the maze of barracks to Major Jaldamarrak’s office.