Well, what are they already talking about doing? If they're talking about making plans to try to find and ambush the boss, or the bodyguard away from the Fusion Queen, you could take their plan and run with it. Maybe throw them a lead to try to ambush Hatchbuster while he's taking care of some business, and then go after the boss and a pack of gathered up regular mooks.
If they're just running, someone should chase. Have the Downside Kings boss fight happen to them, somewhere else, with the boss making a point of showing up to finish them personally, to make a point that no one can get away with what the party just tried, before anyone else gets ideas.
If they're talking about making plans to try to find and ambush the boss, or the bodyguard away from the Fusion Queen, you could take their plan and run with it.
This is what my group did. I try to run my game in a way that's neutral to the PCs.
How does the boss react to a group of people incompetently attacking her home base? Well she'd want to know:
1) Who they were?
2) Who were they working for?
3) Why did they attack?
4) What needs to be done to stop future attacks?
So the sensible answer for #4 is increase security on the club and security on the boss. Not too much (they were incompetent), but enough to handle a fight. I'd keep the boss going about normal daily activity in and out of the club with bodyguards at all times. I'd make it a hard encounter if the PC's engage her (not epic) outside of the Fusion Club.
For points #1-3 they could either get hackers (boring) or thugs to go out and ask questions (in groups of 1 or 2 thugs). Let the PC's potentially run into some of these thugs, if they mess around for too many days have the thugs ambush them (average encounter. Can't guarantee where the PC's will be after all).
Finally depending on how bad the PC's actually were, they may have another gang (e.g. Level 21 Crew) reach out and offer to help them make another attack on the Fusion Club or on the big boss (perhaps give them information on where the big boss will be so the PC's can attack there).
any characters have any family or friends on Absalom? Classic mobster move to attack/kidnap someone. The ol’ “meet me at dock 34 at 2:00 or I blast your friend out the airlock” would make for an easy showdown. The two come alone as she doesn’t want to draw the gangs attention to the fact the Homebase was invaded and guards killed on her watch, avoiding what they may consider weakeness. Besides, she has the upper hand. Villains always think they have already won.
Maybe have the villain start the depressurisation of the airlock when negotiations inevitably fail. Put a timer on how long they have to deactivate the process, throwing a sub-objective into the brawl.
Party decides to retreat.
Not totally sure what to do next any suggestions?
Oh, my party also decided to skidaddle after some bad rolls against the goons right before the boss room. They decided to rest and come up with some other plan.
At the time I had only 2 PCs (now there are 3), so I split them up for some character background developing. After they each had a scene, one of them returned to the Moons of Sleep, while the other took an Absalom Station equivalent of a monorail.
At the Moons of Sleep, the PC encounters Ferani Nadaz inside their room, lobbing all the grenades available from the Fusion Queen stock plus what she picked up from hatchbuster, and two downside kings rushing in from the corridor outside.
In the space monorail, Hatchbuster shows up inside the car accompanied by two other downside kings.
Sounds means? Wait for it.
At the hotel, the automatic customer protection service kicks in (only 5 credits extra), and an Observer Class Security Robot (AA 94) drops down from the ventilation system.
In the car, Jabaxa reveals himself amongst the passengers; he was trailing the PC, suspecting the Downside Kings were planning to take her out.
The twist? I give control of Jabaxa and the robot to the player without a PC at the scene, turning the whole thing into a simultaneous combat between 10 characters. It was highly entertaining.
My players almost turned tail and ran after busting the door down without resting (I was probably going to have Hatchbuster bust in on their rest anyway if they rested in the storeroom). They were all bunched up at the door, so the shock grenade that rolled an 8 hit 4 (out of 6) PCs, 3 of which failed, knocking one to 8 HP (after being shot) and one down to 1 HP.
They stabilized the door kicker, they started booking it out of the place, with two other PCs providing covering fire (effectively) before the Solarian (who was raiding the bar till at the time) came swaggering into the stock room, took on Hatchbuster toe to toe, the mechanic and operative taking pot shots at him, wore him down and then Ferani was easily dealt with afterwards.
I took the solarian player aside afterwards and thanked him for just gunning it, since my mind was racing trying to figure out what I was going to do if they actually did fully run away.
As an aside, I had Ferani have a Explorer Hancoil. Pretty damn good loot I felt. Everyone in the party is pretty new to RPGs, so was giving them something that was a good weapon, and the electrical damage would be incredibly useful in the next few parts of the AP.
Aaaaaand they sold it because its range was too low. Now I won't feel bad if they die!
