Leaving the Telluran Directorate worlds behind, the expedition continues it’s journey towards the edge of charted space. Following the trail spinward from Tellura there is the Corelian subsector, territory of the non-aligned worlds, who with Kingdom of Peladon are involved in a desperate struggle against the Korsumug Empire. The Korsumug or Zerps, as their species are named, rule an ancient empire that extends into two subsectors of Theta Borealis. Their empire until a hundred years ago, was in an advanced state of decay as the govenors of clusters of worlds creating their own satrapies from the empire’s districts. One hundred years ago this all changed as a new leader emerged supported by a new ally: the black ships. This leader, Generalissimo Klaqutro, overthrew the old order and with some reforms have restarted the offensive towards the recently colonized worlds trailing of their empire. The attacks have shown that the rot of the empire has reached it’s heart as they have suffered high casualties for little territorial gain, and without the cadre of the black ships, their attacks would have collapsed in disaster as they had long ago. Times are different now, whole subsectors have been thrown into disarray as the warzone has expanded; if vacuum did not fill the space between the stars it would be the smoke of a thousand battles raging. However, the newest leader, Generalissimo Xirzodi, the handpicked successor of Klaqutro, has shown no sign of changing course, even as his popularity slides.
Urlishsha is a dry dusty world, orbiting on the close side of the habital zone of main stage F9 star, brighter in spectral class than a G, though only barely so. With no oceans to speak of, only large shallow salinated lakes, the main settlement is located on northern edge of a large inland sea in the northern hemisphere. Urlishsha is home to about 56 million souls, the Capitol, Laasheim, a metropolis of 7 million is the largest city where smaller cities and settlements spread out in a cresent along the shores of the inland sea. Most of the world is unpopulated and vegetation only grows along the shores of the lakes, the interior being mostly desolate desert enviornment.
On the approach to Urlishsha, there is suddenly sickening shudder in the Loreli, like receiving a hammer blow. Seconds later general quarters wails from every speaker right before all power cuts. What certainly seems like mere nano-seconds, everything stops as gravity cuts out: people, helmets, cups, papers, electronic pads, all the small accoutremonts of life rise in zero G, then slam hard sideways into walls and back as the real G forces are felt.What little power is left in emergency battery storage is used by the computer, Archie, firing thrusters to try to brake and stabilize the Loreli before she suffers catastrophic re-entry in Urlishsha’s atmosphere.
Comments
Everyone should roll 2d6 to avoid injury from gravitational acceleration.
10+ to avoid, zero g combat skill applies, as well as dex 9+: add 2, dex 11: add +4.
DR Zhe rolls a 6, with a dex of 13, and barely makes it…
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=28187823#editor/target=post;postID=6838491000565912225
Montana flies up hitting his head on the various pipes and exposed metal beams on the ceiling. Trying to brace himself against the ceiling he swings his right arm up to cover his face just as the G forces shift in the opposite direction causing him to slam into the floor flat on his back with a sickening thod. Groaning…..he mumbles to Dr. Zhe “I’ll take that shot now…”
rolled 5 (+2 for Dex) = 7 FAIL
[Rolled 6 (+4 for dex and +1 for 0-G Combat Level 1) = 11 SUCCESS]
Even with being caught off guard, Jaq’s reflexes and training kick in the moment the grav plates go off-line and realizing what is coming, is prepared for the consequences and rolls with her feet pointed toward the bow as the braking thrusters fire. Landing on the wall on her feet, she quickly slides down into a position where she can absorb the heavy G’s that are coming. Once the acceleration dies down, she will move out toward engineering and try to put her expertise to work. “I hate crash-landings” she mutters to no one. Besides, I just got her stuff stowed, she completes in her head. On her way out, she will grab her com-dots and activate it, trying to raise anyone else on their personal communications. She will also grab her pistols. With a thud like that, you never know if you are about to be boarded.
Montana takes a 4 and 2 hit, both to strength.
Jaq’s pistols are in the armory, though boarding as the ship spins out of control is unlikely as the explosion ruptured the hull in places and effectively acted as off axial thrust. But as she or anyone else comms in, the command crew and even the ship’s computer will say that there has be a major explosion in engineering and the powerplant is out. Sabotage most likely and that just before the explosion, someone ejected from the rear airlock on A deck.
This would be a good time for Mercy to use her hatch to get to the engineering deck.
Ruptured hull… Jaq pauses and grabs the soft helmet and gloves for the Combat Environment Suit she wears as her casual dress aboard ship. Acknowledging the problem, she advises that she is heading to Engineering, as she has some skill with ship’s systems and 0-G experience, she is certain she can be put to work somewhere and it is likely that at least some of the ship’s engineering crew has been incapacitated. As she drifts down the corridors to Engineering, she also advises that it would be good to do a check on the ship’s crew and passengers. Checking to see if he is on net, she suggests that perhaps Montana might organize such an action.
2D6=5+6=11
Una heads towards Engineering to do what she can as well.
Collecting himself off the floor, Montana taps his communicator. “Montana here, I will conduct a sweep of the ship to check on the crew.” He begins looking for other injured individuals and taking inventory of all crew.
2d6 = 4 + 2, Dag fails
Roll(2d6)2:
5,5,2
Total:12
Douglas looks round most of the rest of the team bounce round the ship interior. He goes to help those who need it.
Dag takes 2 to endurance and 3 to strength. Still waiting on Dav, Dycrstlas, Conn and Khan.
Those going out into the corridors find the ship in major disarray, and sudden jolts from thruster bursts are still making it worse. Some crew are putting together damage control parties while other crew are just in panic.
The bomb went off in section 23, they think it only damaged the control on the powerplant, however, to access the engineering deck, they plan on opening the clamshell doors to the pinnace and accessing 23 through the boat deck. It was a vicious plan by the bomber, to disable both the powerplant and boat deck. It will be a hairy space walk to swing around on a tether from the upper A deck airlock to the clamshell doors of the pinnace bay.
Montana, checking on the crew, winds up in the command section, where he learns that if they can’t regain full control of the Loreli, they are going to try to skip her off Urlishsha’s atmosphere, and then the Ravens can try to link cables with her to slow her and take her under control. Secondly they have video of the perpetrator of the bombing from the ship’s security cameras, Dag seeing the video, recognizes the bomber as the scruffy crewmate who was working the boarding ramp and directed him to his cabin. The Captain has ordered a navsat launched to track the assailiant down to the planet, if nothing else, to exact revenge for the death of the Loreli and her crew.
Douglas is in his Vacc Suit and makes his way to the A Deck Airlock to see if he can find any clues, material etc that our bomber may have left behind. An injured crew will be reported and helped, but his priority is to get to the airlock.
Montana continue to help injured crew get to sickbay. (OOC how big is the ship and how many people are on Board? 75? 15?)
Once the injured are transferred to sickbay, Montana access the ships crew log to find the TAS 2 form of the crew member from the video camera.
OOC: This is from GDW’s Traveller Adventure 1 LBB – Organizational lists call for a crew of 80 for Kinunir class Battle Cruisers: 10 officers (not counting marines), 35 petty officers and ratings, and 35 marines.
There are some differences between the Loreli and Kinunir, it is listed in the wiki.
Douglas at the security station by the airlock on Deck A, as well as Montana, if he is at a security station, such as by the brig, can see this was an elborate plan. The assailant was a supply crewman, acting as if delivering food to the engineers (two) on duty in the section, who poisoned the crew and planted a breaching charge on the rear of the section and another on the Y control of the powerplant, both evacuating the section and shutting down the powerplant. The, plan was involved and the charges didn’t detonate until the assailant had exited the airlock, in the engineering section, the assailant had introduced a hacking script, both disabling the doors and occupying Archie’s attention for time enough to escape. Once escaped, they used a foam re-entry module and at about the same time of the planned skip on the atmosphere of Urlishsha, they will be entering the atmosphere. Right now, the main thing is to get somebody back into engineering to get the powerplant back online.
From the background info on the crewman, a one Enrii Moebius, probably a false name, they are a pilgrim, most likely of Vladzic’s gang. The same encountered on Rockmine.
Montana suggests that while the ship repairs are being made (need someone with an engineering skill to give us an ETA on repairs) a ground party be formed and head to the planet to capture the gang-member. (OOC I assume we have shuttles etc to take down to the planet—- I am on traing with bad Internet so can’t look up ship details at this time).
Montana gets his combat armor on and places a request to get guass rifle from the armory. He also asks Dr. Zhe for medical attention on his injuries…“Doc, I know you are going to tell me to get in bed and rest for days. That’s not happening right now
- I’m headed to the dirt to bag the terrorist- you have any pill or needle for me in the meantime?”Montana also ask the chief communications officer if the escape pod can be tracked via any automatic distress or homing beacons … “don’t those pods automatically emmit a beacon so passing ships can detect pods that were jettisoned off of a shop” Montana asks the communication officer.
(OOC—-sorry for typos—- hard to type a lot on the iPhone)
Jaq continues by the fastest route she can find. Floating down the corridors expertly, she dons the gloves and helmet to seal her suit. “Douglas, is there anyone conscious or alive in engineering? I’ll be there in 90 seconds.” Flipping down to Deck C, she pushes off toward area 23. “Archie, can you override the valve to the boat deck for 30 seconds?” she says as she gets to the hatch. Once inside the Drive Room, she will verify the damage she heard being broadcast. Already she was formulating a plan to modify a Jump Drive control panel to bring power back online.
Dag, while getting aid from the Doctor, overhears Montana’s request and keys his mic, “Command, this is Lieutenant Thorskeld requesting permission to join Mr Montana in going after the perpetrator dirtside. Also requesting full combat loadout.”
Looking over at Montana, he smiles grimly, “Count me in…”
Map of Gumrak base is sent to everyone I have on my list in email, if any did not receive it, then you need to send me an email and I will send it, Una and Montana I am pretty sure I don’t have on the list, which I can send out the Theta Borealis sector pdf as well. Also, everything is uploaded in the Citizens of the Imperium file library as well under Campaigns, Beyond the Frontier.
Jaq needs two rolls, one to swing around from the airlock on deck A to the clamshell doors of the pinnace, a zero g maneuver, 10 plus same as the other roll to avoid damage, and if she succeeds, reconnecting the y control for the pp should be easy as it it is 8 plus with plus for each level of engineering skill. It would be nice if one of the teleporters were around with elec skill to teleport in and open the iris manually from the other side, the hacking script that is disabling the doors is incredibly advanced, Archie thinks it must be TL17.
The two drive lackeys in the section are dead, if not from the poisoning of their food, then from the evacuation of atmosphere. Checking out the galley/steward bot that usually delivers the food has been found to be sabotaged, then which the scruffian supply crew volunteered to run the food deliveries and which he hid the re-entry ’chute and vacc suit in the cart as well; this was an elaborate plan.
If Jaq fails her rolls, another big roll is coming, whether or not the Loreli survives skipping across the atmosphere or crash lands on Urlishsha. Archie has plus 4 pilot skill, though chance and fate happen to all.
The Captain, security force commander and the Republican Guard Major are all furiously working on a plan detail to get the assailant, this is a major crime, next time it could be a liner filled with refugees or orphans. They have interfaced with Urlishsha defence command to locate a known pilgrim base in a isolated and unpopulated zone of Urlishsha, while Urlishasha’s government is allied with the RoT, they don’t need to alienate the space pilgrims either, but what has happened is beyond the pale of acceptable behavior, out of order for scruffians even. Emergency craft have been launched from Urlishsha, they will arrive too late for what will happen, much as it always is, long boring hours of spaceflight are interspersed with seconds of sheer terror.
The plan is as follows, the Ravens will do a wild weasel attack run to take out the bases air defence assets, but with much of the base underground, it will take ground troops to dig them out. Not unless there will be no prisoners, which are wanted, under psychic probes the Major is sure she can get tongues to wag. The Captain will go down with the Loreli if he must, but the Major and the rest of the security detail as well as the science team will all abandon ship in either the pinnace, g-carrier or air/rafts.
The Captain comms in one last order to everybody, burn the base to the ground, avenge the Loreli if she goes down with all hands.
Swinging to the Pinnace: [Rolled 6 (4 for dex and +1 for 0-G Combat Level 1) = 11 SUCCESS]
[Rolled 9 (2 for ENG Level 2) = 12 SUCCESS]
The clamshell doors open, admitting Jaq into the hangar area. She quickly moves to open the hatch into area 23 and she notes the drifting and very dead engineering crew members with detachment. on comms she will say, “Two dead crewmen in here. It looks like they were still breathing when the hull blew.” She continues to move to the panels. Getting to the Power Plant control panel, she describes the damage. “I’m not sure if this panel can be saved. let me see if I can work up a bypass. How much time do we have til entry interface?” Jaq begines to work feverishly to rig a bypass. She will survey the damage to be sure there is nothing from the panel that will be of use. Not caring that her comms are still open, she talks to herself while she is working. “Nothing like a little hotwiring, although I don’t think I’ve ever actually hotwired a starship before… a few speeders, sure…” Her comms fall silent for a minute, then she says something about the laws of physics and the cold start of a fusion reactor… In an old Terran accesnt, she says, “Ya canna change the laws of physics.” Then dropping the accent, “Sure you can, Scotty… ya just have to not get caught.”
Checking the damage more closely, Jaq is relieved to see the reactor wasn’t in shutdown, just offline as the y control is power distribution network controller for the ship’s smart grid. Hotwired directly, Archie has enough processing power to spare to run the grid at nth %. That done, she can focus on holding on as the ship skips across the atmosphere (2d6 = roll 9, the Loreli survives) and then getting the iris open. Damage control has setup an inflatable airlock on the other side. DC is also doing an EVA to get a patch over the hull by the rear exhaust venturi to get back hull integrity.
Urlishsha has promised all the help they can give, being a parliamentary democracy, they depend on Terrelayne support and not for just being on the high jump (j4) route, but against Telluran encroachment as well. The Leading Member of Parliament Cisle (their prime minister) has promised support of their armed forces in a few battalions and SDB’s in help at the base, but they won’t arrive until about half a day after the security section does.
(OOC— who would be in-charge of us Marines? Are we independent, or is this like star fleet where we take orders?).
The security section is technically university police, except hired by contract, Terrelayne marines are a separate service. Montana and Dycrstlas, would be outside of the regular stucture laid out in the wiki, and hired just as military contractors for 3500Cr a month. Overall command of the mission is Dr Misishii, Captain Igmirshuemkanam as commander of the Loreli, would be overall ranking officer with Republican Guard Major Tliablzhdiliepr being second as XO, though as ranking ground forces officer and with officially being of observer status, is looked to for overall commander of ground operations. Of the Loreli’s troops, 2nd squad has been deleted for the science team; first squad retains it’s positon as zero-g forces, using the pinnace and armed with accelerator rifles and snub smg’s. 3rd squad is detailed in the wiki, force commander of the Loreli’s troops is Captain Czentuli while 3rd squad is commanded by Lieutenant Dayton.
Is that convoluted enough?
Guard Major Tliablzhdiliepr will be in overall command of the operation against Gumrak, while Sergeant Anderson will lead the assault team. Terrelayne doctrine specifies mission style tactics where applicable: general orders are given, where then subordinates figure out how to carry them out.
Ty (Sgt Anderson), in the G-Carrier during descent towards Gumrak, puts a map box on the floor and pops up it’s holo display of the map of Gumrak. The other officers, such as Cpt Czentuli on the pinnace, are vid-linked in. Holding his helmet under his arm and with a serious look, he begins: “It’s the song I hate. The Ravens are making their air runs against the base’s defenses right now, it seems we have caught them totally off guard, the SAMS and AD Laser, only got off a few unaimed shots before being taken out.” He pulls up a window of fusion gun fire and missile strikes on the base, big gouts of debris mixed with spinning bodies erupt into the air. “We got their ship on the ground as well, it wasn’t even powered up for flight, looks like most of the flight and ground crew bit it on the tarmac near the ship. There are pirates out in the fields and aquaculture farm to the northwest, though they are most likely just lightly armed and a minimal threat. We’ll drop down behind the burning ship and aquaculture fields on the other side of the drainage ditch. The base is triangulated off by the drainage ditch and two intersecting tank ditches, while not knowing for sure, there are most likely perimeter fighting positions. The strike against the NW corner SAM probably brought down part of the tank ditch and drainage ditch into it’s crater, Lt Thorskeld as FO can bring further fire into the area from the Ravens on overwatch the collapse more of the sides of the ditches. We will assault through the drainage ditch, it has about 30cm of sewage in it, so keep your faceplates shut. Mines are ether not present or deactivated, small hands always seem to find them. Dag will be following me leading elements of the 3rd squad while first stands in reserve. Jaq, Khan, Montana and Dycrstlas will be with Dag as lifeguards. Keep your laser hot, Dag, your accuratized fire will be our heavy hitter here. Conn and Una will be coming in at a distance in an air/raft and bringing two drones up for an eye in the sky. Dr Zhe will be with Dag’s team as medic for the assault group. Now is the time for questions.”
The Guard Major nods her head in approval of Ty’s plan.
Dag nods understanding and begins coordinating likely targets with Gunnery section after checking his personal gear.
“So do you call your lasgun mjolnir, Lt THOR-skeld?” Ty comments, laughing at his own joke.
Jaq nods her assent as she checks her weapons. As the Pinnace flares for landing, she flips her faceplate down and racks the bolt on her SMG. She prefers her pistols, firmly holstered on her hips, but she knows the SMG is her better weapon going into a hot situation. She makes a last minute check of her Combat Armor and other equipment.
Once on the ground, Jaq takes up a position to the left and rear of Dag and keeps her head on a swivel, fully reconning the area the best that her senses allow.
After checking his combat armor, gauss rifle and 200 rounds of ammo, Montana removes a cigar from his locker, and without lighting it, sticks it in his mouth, rolls the cigar slightly, enjoying the flavor… an odd smile creeping across his weathered face. Observing the raised eyebrow from Jaq, Montana says, as if well-rehearsed, “I never enter combat without one…. She gets lit once the mission is over… you outta try it, the anticipation is the motivation not to get killed.”
Jaq smiles behind her faceplate. “Isn’t not getting killed is motivation enough?” she asks. “And, perhaps, the opportunity to do some damage.” Her grin gets bigger.
“No one alive in engineering so far, we’ll keep looking.”
Douglas should suit up and check an SMG out of the armory, he can do security on POW’s and any negotiation for capitulation.
Ty slaps a tube of three grenades in his gauss rifle of his own special mix: 2 HE and a HEAP last. Then dons a messenger bag filled with hand grenades: 12 HE, 6 Frag, 4 smoke, two colored smoke for dust off and 4 CS (tear gas); RoT Army’s favorite sport is baseball. “I pulled an opfor pic from recon, the pirate militia looks like to be armed with ACR’s, underbarrel GL’s and armored in scrapped together combat armor (CA +1); heavy stuff probably MG’s in bunkers, tac missiles and hand grenades, maybe a claymore or two.”
Through the acrid smoke of the burning ship (it’s actually the heat of the smoke that provides camouflage to the team), Ty pushes Jimmi with the gauss LMG into the ditch first. Jimmi balks a bit and Ty admonishes him: “C’mon, your wall of steel up front.” Also knowing that the MG has the biggest potential for fratricide next to Dag accidentally bringing holy hell from above down on their heads. Ty then pulls a 15cm tube from is bag and pushes a flat button with his thumb, where a disposable little recon plane pops out, flying on silent wings. Tossing the tube away, he jumps down the 3 meters to the bottom of the ditch with splash of sewage and mud, expertly raising his rifle to his shoulder in the well worn style of a professional soldier and begins a steady pace to infiltrate the base.
The assault has begun.
GM: I have some additions as well as using the errata for CT combat under some houserules in the wiki.
Flicking the safety off his gauss rifle, Montana quickly jumps down into the trench after Ty. As he has done countless times before, Montana adopts his combat crouch position—a half-squat position. As the group advances through the terrain, Montana constantly scans left to right and then right to left in a pattern. His rifle is half-raised, stock tight under the arm, at the ready. His years of training and combat missions have taught him to expect an attack at any point. The years of hard military disciple show in Montana’s behavior and professionalism in both his silence and his constant scanning for ambush points. As he observes the terrain, he memorizes the obstacles, choke-point points, natural high-ground and cross-fire opportunities in the event of an immediate attack. His impressive tactics training shines in assaults such as these. From a distance the marines all look the same as the advance; same attack stance, same constant scanning, and same uniform. But one of them has something about him that distinguishes him in the methodic advancement; yes, one marine has an unlit cigar gritted between his teeth.
Unlimbering his Laser Carbine, Dag follows Montana.
Jaq smiles as she watches the gruff marine take point. Holding her SMG at the ready, she takes up her position. Montana may be on alert, but Jaq is also highly aware of her surroundings, although she is significantly more subtle about it. She moves fluidly in the suit, safety off, finger extended on the trigger guard.
Slogging through the muck, Ty reaches the intersection of the drainage and tank ditches, raises his hand to signal a halt to the team and pops his head around the corner for a quick look. Some debris has fallen in the ditch but the 3m retaining wall is still intact, he has the little drone buzzing at his shoulder like a humming bird, waiting. Once Dag reaches them at the intersection, using hand signals, he says look at the wall; pulling up the map on a virtual window that only he and Dag can see, he uses his finger to point out strikes he would like, keeping them well out of the 25m burst radius of the orbiting Raven’s fusion guns. Three along the inside of the wall should bring it down, pointing it out to Dag, he prints by the points: 3 FFE’s (fire for effect).
Time to bring down the hammer of the gods on them. The Raven’s have already have had their ranging shots but the first may miss still. Dag should roll for effectiveness of his FO, 11 plus for success, with plus 4 for every level of FO skill.
Signaling for everyone to get down with their bad selves, he preps for the strike. He texts out an old Terrelayne Army joke to display on the command link:
The God of War speaketh to the Infantry: “I dub thee the Queen of Battle.”
Infantry: “Right on!”
The God of War speaketh to the Artillery: “I dub thee the King of Battle.”
Artillery: “Right on!”
Infantry: “Wait, you know what the king does to the queen?”
God of War: “Right on!”
Thus the Terrelayne infatryman’s warning of incoming artillery fire: “Right on!”
Jaq starts to mutter some curse in an ancient language, but checks herself and only mouths the curse, instead. She takes cover.
Montana, chuckling at the joke, grits the cigar tight, and grabs dirt in a cover prone position.
Fingers crossed, Dag rolls; 5 + 3, +4 skill is 12!
(checking with GM, does “B” Int give any bonus here?)
According to the FO skill in LBB1, no; however, next use will be plus 1.
(should I roll again? I wasn’t sure if you wanted one roll or three.)
One roll should resolve the mission, though if you rolled three that would be fine as well. as an aside to everybody, I view character skills more as a resume than a play book. It’s how one plays the role versus the roll I feel is a cooler way to do it.
Seconds after Dag coordinates the resolution of the fire mission, three violet-white beams of energy arc down to the earth like shards from a dead star. As they strike, great eruptions of dirt fill the sky as the very planet itself seems to lift up and slam down again, raining chunks of debris and sewage.
Ty, quickly, though in a calculated but not hurried manner, let’s his rifle retract on it’s lanyard to position on the sternum of his armor. Grabbing two grenades he then taps Montana on his shoulder, lifting one grenade and using a combination of secure text to heads up display and universal soldier’s sign language, he shows the one in his hand as white phosphorus, eg “smoke,” then taps his back to say cover my back, and signals for them to charge up the collapsed wall before the dust settles.
The rest of the team will follow, third squad then Dag’s ad hoc squad. Scrabbling up the rocks and other chunks of churned earth, Ty moves like a wicked wraith into havoc of the artillery storm. As they crest the lip of what used to be the ditch, off at a side of about a 45 degree angle from the point of where they emerge, there is a bunker, the crew of an ACR LMG still stunned from the concussion shockwave of the blast, can barely turn the MG and fire wild, before Ty with practiced precision having already twisted the timer for 3 second delay on the grenade, tosses it in front of the embrasure from where the MG spits fire. The grenade pops white heat, and smoke, perforated by bullet holes from sub-caliber DS rounds fired from the MG firing blindly. Dodging to the side, Ty makes to toss the other grenade (an HE) through the aperture where the light of hell shines through of the machine gun’s staccato rattle.
Motana, sprays the inside of the bunker after Ty closes in, tossing the other grenade through the embrasure, rotating the machine gun crew off this mortal coil. The town’s buildings are mostly composed of mortared sandstone with corrugated metal roofs. The firestorm of the attack has created as mass of rubble and smoke. Figures can be seen moving in the distance, as well as cries of the wounded; the assault force has reached a fork in the road, in one direction is the town, the other lies though the embrasure of the bunker and the tunnels that lie beneath.
Which way to proceed?
“If we enter the Bunker we’ll be without fire support from on high, Ty. Should we clear the town first?” signals Dag.
Ty nods in agreement with Dag, though he looks at Montana, Jaq and everybody else for a consensus.
Dycrstlas taking cover in the rubble, thinks to himself, I know this place…
Conn rolls 8, no mods. fails.
Twisting the cigar in his mouth, Montana says, as if reciting a paragraph from ’Burton’s Military Traditions and Tactics’, “secure the high ground first.” Scanning the town he adds “eliminating the resistance in the town first will allow us unfettered access to the tunnels…. Controlling the height shortens your fight.”
Ouch, Conn takes a five to his dex and a six to endurance, time enough has passed for them to go back up to half plus the undamaged portion, but Conn has some bandages while flying recon in the air/raft with Una running the drones.
Ty agrees with Montana and adds that if he was base commander he would be putting together a counter-attack to try to push them out of their little toe hold on the base. True to those words, Conn comms in that through the smoke and such, he is picking up activity around a big bunker garage door a few hundred meters into town, looks like a rally and stage. Looking down the main drag up through town, Ty thinks it would be suicide to assault that way, better to go house to house through walls, up the main street every door and window become a threat. With that said, he throws another smoke grenade as far as he can down the street, then charges a short distance across the street into a store and after a quick scan, pops a ram grenade into an exterior wall from the inside and peers into the alley on the other side before disappearing through the hole into the alleyway.
As others move into the store they hear a strange keening from the basement.
Montana, signals Ty and Dag to cover him as he advances quickily into position to cover the entrance to the basement. His back to a wall, gauss rifle trained on the opening (OOC: door or open stairway?) advancing slowly to the stairway/door.
Jaq pauses in her position, listening to the keening. She wonders, is this anything she’s ever heard before? (GM, does it jog her memory what the keening might be?)
This was a two story dry goods store and stop ‘n shop, the second story has been blown off and debris plus all sorts of goods have tumbled from the shelves. It is an open stairwell, surrounded by a metal railing, now partly torn away. Jaq having not spent much time on Urlishsha other than passing through, can’t quite place the keening. Though barging through the front entrance of the store is an older Sergeant of the 3rd Squad, is Riik Munoz, followed by Lt Dayton, nearly half his age. Munoz pauses for a moment hearing the keening and comments gruffly “It’s a grass dog.” Sure enough, moving the railing and looking down, one can see a 11 year old girl holding a quite vicious looking specimen of the local fauna:
It’s demeanor changes from frightened to vicious when it sees the helmet peeking in, the girl holding it saying “No, Rufus!” There is a family of four down there, father, mother, and two kids; this was once their store.
Sgt Munoz, barely pausing in passing seeing people checking the basement, yells: “This is a clusterflip! What the hell does Anderson think he is doing, we should be setting up a defensive perimeter to repell that counter-attack, we should get fire support on that staging area! Not going exploring room to room!” Munoz climbs through the hole Ty shot in the wall with a RAM Grenade, Chintzl and his ammo carrier (another infantryman) having already crawled through as well. Over the comms an argument errupts between Ty and Munoz as Munoz finds Ty kicking at a metal door on the back of the building next door, un-able to open it that way, Ty steps back and shoots a a high explosive grenade into it, blowing it off it’s hinges but nearly bowling everyone out there over with the back blast.
“Dammit, Anderson!” Munoz yells at Ty. “What in tarnation are you doing out here!?! We need to be setting up a defensive perimeter before we get overrun!”
“Flip that Munoz!” Ty yells back. “Overrun by by townsfolk? I can break up their attack without turning the street scene into a massacre. They want us to take the town, fine, but I ain’t here to slaughter a bunch of people. You know damned well as I do that they didn’t have nothing to do with anything, otherwise they wouldn’t have been caught like it was sunday morning!”
“This is muntiny, Anderson!” Lt Dayton manages to squeak in.
“Hell you say, I ain’t playing death squad no more, not for you, Abrie or anyone, flip her and you, light! You too Munoz!” Ty says, turning and disappearing through the smoking hole of the doorway of the building next door.
Chintzl, true to his nickname, declares: “Crap! Ty has lost it, time to fly!” and then turns, running down the alleyway back towards the drainage ditch.
“GOD DAMMIT, CHICKEN, GET THE FLIP BACK HERE!” Munoz bellows, sounding like a vein is about to burst in his forehead.
So much for the assault, it has now fallen apart.
Dr. Zhe keeps his medkits at the ready, and hovers low behind cover .1 meter off the ground, and draws 2 surgery foils and a surgery Laser and gets ready….
Observing the situation, realizing that there is no danger in the basement, Montana removes the cigar from his mouth, rotating it around as if appraising a fine Darian vase, says “sweety…. the anticipation of lighting you is killing me.” Glancing around the town he adds, with a hint of acceptence, as he shoulders his gauss rifle, tucks the cigar back between his lips, and mutters “hell, at least I ain’t dead.”
“Oh for freak’s sake!” Jaq says over comms. Turning toward Dag and says, “Does this happen all the time? If so, we are in trouble.” She continues in her assignment, but her alert status has just gone up. She doesn’t like this situation. Now that her boots are on the ground, this seems like bad intell, just like on Coriolis 5.
Looking over at Jaq, Dag responds, “We’re in trouble,” then he laughs drily.
Tabbing his comms, he tries Major Tliablzhdiliepr’s channel “Major? Lt Thorskeld requesting clarification. We have a situation here…”
“Yes, I see, Mr Thorskeld.” Abrie comms back. “Though I should probably take the blame, calling a squad of rent a cops an assault team doesn’t make it so. I suppose we should be to hard on Sgt Anderson, it is easy to forget he isn’t all there anymore.”
Dag in viewing the situation, can see they are holed up in a store, in a burning town, about to be overrun in a counter-attack and when his back was turned, two more of the troopers of the third squad have slipped out the door they came in and have run off. The last, the second team leader, Cpl Sadar Tandeel, is the last one there; Sgt Munoz followed Ty, trying to chase him down and Lt Dayton, has followed Chicken to try to ‘rally’ him and the MG ammo carrier trooper followed the LT. Cpl Tandeel is the missile trooper though, carrying a tripod mounted tac missile, here is a picture of of a lower TL setup, but the TL 15 job is similar, and lighter, Tandeel only has one 45kg standard HE missile though.
Captain Igmirshuemkanam breaks in on on the comm channel: “Lt Thorskeld, for what it is worth you are now in command (a dubious honor at best), being ranking officer. If you can extricate your team, we’ll level the place from orbit.” Sounding particularly blood thirsty.
Outside a hue and cry can be heard from the townsfolk as they begin their counter-attack. Behind the cry can also be heard the definite rumble of AFV’s firing up, tabbing in on Conn and Una’s recon data, everyone can see that the townsfolk are desperately loading what looks like provisions in some tracked vehicles.
“Dag, we’re interested in just one guy, right?” Jaq says on the local net, “Why blast this whole town? These people,” she points down into the basement, “surely don’t seem to be a big threat.” Jaq’s thoughts are crossed with innocent people being slaughtered just because someone sought to hide out among them. “Seems awful excessive collateral damage.” She pauses trying to gauge the effect the thought was having then finished, “Just my observation.”
“That’s a good point Jag,” said Montana. Perhaps we should investigate the tunnels under the town to see if the terrorist is hiding there," he adds.
Remember, with your comms, you can talk or listen in to most of the chatter on the commnet. For instance, the other team, with the help of the ships have, pinpointed the spot where the assaliant from the Loreli landed about 50 clicks to the SE of Gumrak. While it hasn’t been said outright, Gumrak is being leveled as part of Terrelayne’s policy of “rough justice” towards denziens of the frontier and the pilgrims being mostly just as bands and small settlements, are particularly vulnerable.
Alternatively one can uplink with Ty, who Munoz has just caught up with:
“Mmmmm, rot-gutty, ahhhh.” Ty says.
“Been looting, Anderson?” Munoz says catching up with Ty on the second story of the building next door.
“Hey, let go, you’ll break it!” Sounds of breaking glass. “Fine I have another and I’m not staying here, you can have this spot.” Crunching sound like a jump.
“Dammit, Anderson just jumped across the alley to the other building.” Munoz reports, probably talking to Dayton on another channel.
Meanwhile, the attack by the loacals moving forward with finding no resistance, the second part launches: two tracked ATV’s with pulse guns, an un-armed wheeled ATV and two wheeled ATV looking trucks charge up the street, negotiating the rubble in the drainage ditch and are making a break north towards the shore of the inland sea.
After the vehicles overrun the counter-attack, a 10 round burst of gauss fire is seen/heard from an upper story, probably Ty. It hits who looks to be the more experienced pirate leader, while the rest of the attack: lightly armed and mostly unarmored boys, old men and women.
Two grenades then get tossed from the direction that the gauss fire came from, hitting the middle of the street, they begin broadcasting loudly: “I am a high explosive grenade! I will detonate in 10 seconds! Touch me and I will explode! I am a high explosive grenade! I will detonate in 9 seconds! Touch me and I will explode! I am a high explosive grenade….” and so on, they are called screamers in the infantryman’s jargon.
“Best thing the psy-war guys ever created.” Ty mutters.
Before the grenades detonate, the crowd of 40 or so attackers, bereft of leadership, scatter into the surrounding ruins. (9 vs morale of 4)
“That seems to have ‘settled’ the villagers down for a bit.” says Dag to Jaq and Montana. “I agree, these people are not a serious threat, at least not for now. Let’s head to the tunnels asap, the faster we get our man, the faster we can get off this rockball.”
{Dag tabs his comm} “Ty, Munoz, regroup on me. Let’s take this underground.”
(OOC love the crowd control psy grens!)
(Credit where credit is due, I think I stole the grenades from Ellison or Harrison)
Ty comms in: “Roger, that.” Munoz comms in: “I’m heading towards the ditch to see if I can rally Chicken and er… (not wanting to imply Lt Dayton has cut and run) …the rest of the squad.”
Jaq lets herself enjoy a smile at the ‘Screamers’. She silently agrees with Ty, indeed… The best thing ever from Psy-ops. She moves ahead to the tunnels, taking point of sorts. “On it, boss,” she says to Dag. There were a lot of tunnels back home and she used to love to play around in them, so she is not as intimidated by the closed in spaces as some might be. As she drops down, she lets the light intensifiers in her face plate assist her seeing until her eyes adjusted. She kept them on the lowest effective setting with an auto-timer to back off gradually, almost imperceptibly, as her eyes adjusted.
She continued to scan her surroundings and watched for things like triplines and tripsensors. She hoped that intel about the tunnels was more accurate than the dreck that was served up about the surface. She didn’t want to end up taking out any civilians just trying to hide. One thing she always hated was the idea of pacification campaigns. She remembered her history about how psions were “pacified”. Oh, it wasn’t something she learned in school… It was just something a mentor of hers once taught her about. “I hate Pacification Campaigns,” she said out loud on the ground loop. Too many innocents die because someone is afraid of what they do not understand." In a whisper not fully intended to be heard, she added, “Like Psions.”
As the group heads down into the tunnels, Montana un-shoulder’s his gauss rifle, flicks the safety OFF and adopts his combat-crouch. Mumbling to himself, “Quit your begging Betsy…. its not time to light you. The mission isn’t over and I haven’t had to yell medic yet.” With a sly smile, at his own wit, he slips into cover mode as Jaq takes the lead, his eyes scanning for cross threats (as Jaq looks left and advances, Montana looks right covering the cross threats and follows to her last point), classic advance and cover scenario.
Dag, knowing he’s a much better shot with a sidearm, shoulders his Laser Carbine and unholsters his Gauss Pistol. Then he smiles, as he follows Jaq and Montana into the tunnels.
Ty climbing back into the store through the hole from the alleyway has a wicked little grin on his face, with the faceplate of his helmet flipped up. Seeing Montana with the cigar, he gets an idea and walks over to the counter, selecting a packet of tobacco products from behind the register. “You know the Terrelayne military has a fit if you test positive for this stuff, non-addictive ganj they couldn’t care less, but addictive tobacco, no way.” Ripping the package open with his teeth, he shakes out a brown wrapper cigarette clasping it with his chompers. Wandering into the next room where there is cook top running from methane bio-gas, he lights it, the burner flaring a bit burning off part of his eyebrow. “Dang, I’m wounded-in-action, hell if I was an ossifer I could apply for a Meritorious Conduct Under Fire ribbon, beggin’ your pardon Mr Thorskeld.” Ty adds realizing he is slipping up. Now pulling a brown glass flask from the grenade bag marked simply ‘vodka 2cr’ on a piece of tape. He puffs the cigrette a bit then takes a big inhale, upon which he then begins to cough heavily. “Damn, how do you guys smoke this crap? I saw guys doing it in the etceteras (Extra-Territorial Corps), but that’s harsh. Too harsh.” Flicking the cigarette out the window and then unscrewing the cap from the flask, tilting it up for a 90 degree pull. “Ah well, work is the curse of the drinking class; let’s go.” Offering a drink to anyone who wants it, as he heads back out the front door to the bunker and entrance to the tunnel system.
On the way he passes out a couple of grenades to everyone: one frag and one HE, he shows how to to activate them on the HUD’s of their combat armor, just pull up a little window with the ‘thought-mouse’ (combat armor has to be fitted in more ways than one), set the 3 digit timer from 0 seconds or suicide or to 999, about 16 1/2 minutes and the verbal warning is enabled with a check box in the lower corner; 3 seconds is typical, however.
They climb through the embrasure and into the bunker where the dead crew of the ACR-LMG lay, the MG is still there. Obviously they are faced with amateurs, any real commander would have reoccupied and recrewed the MG in one hot second if without opposition of someone storming their tunnel complex. The tunnel complex is cut from the native stone and where needing reinforcement, is set with concrete, the complex is old though and the concrete is turning to dust, one can write in it with a finger. Debris has fallen in the further tunnels inward from the bunker,the tunnel being barely big enough from someone to pass through ducking their head would easily ckoke off if there is a collapse. Ty using soldier’s hand signals points to the ceiling and then to a grenade as to say caution with their use, lest one brings the roof down on their heads: “Frag first my friends” he texts the team. The tunnel leads down some stairs descending an easy 10 meters into the earth, from where it levels off, heading towards a room, dimly lit and looking rubble strewn about 25 meters ahead.
Actions?
Also anyone not with the assault team can jump in and post as there is plenty going on outside and on the ship.
In response to Jaq’s comment, Ty adds: "Yeah, it’s the song I hate, they always have a euphemism for everything, easier to burn a ‘base’ than a town or shoot ‘pirates’ than just people. Notice how taking prisoners or asking for surrender was never mentioned? Not funny that, I’ve seen that omission one too many times. ‘Oh Terrelayne’s proud sons and daughters, reach to the stars and they will be ours!’ " Ty sings the chorus from the march of the Extra-Territorial Corps. “Yeah, but somebody else already lives there.” He dead pans afterwards.
The ETC or etceteras are the Terrelayne forces fighting on the frontier against the Korsumug Empire and whatever else is out there like the black ships, they are often called the expendables as well. In one more famous incident, a platoon was abandoned on a planet as the Korsumug advanced, almost two years later during a raid on the system, a message was heard from the planet: “If it isn’t bad enough you left us here, at least airdrop us some ammo you bastards!” It turned out to be the last transmission received, a poignant reminder to every trooper their value.
Yes, behind the Republic’s white picket fences of perfectly terraformed worlds like Banderhue, there lies the heart of darkness.
Montana taps his comm, “team, as I leaned from General Tallbot during an operation on Flammarion a few years back, it’s safe to assume that we are never safe. Keep your eyes open and safeties off.”
Jaq doesn’t pretend to be innocent of the situation, but somewhere in her mind echoes the voice of a man, “The horror… the horror.” She just nods with Ty’s comment. "Omissions never make history, just Co-missions (she intentionally pronounces with a long “o”)." As she descends down the stairs, Jaq notes the fragility of the tunnel and keeps her thoughts to herself, hoping silently that there is another way out. Seeing the room ahead, she moves to the most dimly lit wall and moves forward quietly to examine what
-and who- might be in it while she does her best to remain in the shadows and unseen.Montana follows Jaq’s stealthy advance, his respect for her tactics and skills growing by the minute. He makes a mental note, “when this over I need to find out more about her training and experience—- top notch.” Checking behind him to see how Dag is handling, he gives and approving nod. Muttering quietly to himself, with satisfaction, “I am the middle of a quality assault sandwich”.
Dag keeps a careful eye on his footing, so as not to undo the excellent point work of Jaq and Montana ;-)
Looking into the room, Jaq sees it is the missile magazine for the missile turret above (now knocked out), the ceiling is partially caved in and the loader/elevator is partially crushed and broken. The missiles load in 3 missile box type cassettes, some of them crushed now and one can smell the pungent odor of hydrogen from the fuel cells of the missile’s motors; the magazine holds about 300 50kg missiles, most of which are still present. There are two sentries, but being no fools to engage in a firefight in a missile magazine, as soon as they detect the team coming, they head off, shutting a blast door to the magazine behind them. the door is fairly large, large enough to fit an air/raft or similar sized lift cart through. It’s 3×3 meter size is probably the size of the tunnel beyond, large enough for a lift cart of missiles to load the magazine. The sentries were dressed in street clothes and one being a kid armed with a carbine and an older one with a autopistol.
If anyone checks the blast door, it seems they have jammed something in it from the other side, to try to open it a roll under str will do it. It is a lever style lock, engaging rods in the door frame.
Montana crouches behind some of the rubble (hoping for cover modifers) and aims his gauss rifle at door in case it opens suddenly while Jaq is working at unjamming it.
Using cover gets a -4 modifier, it is listed in the some houserules wiki, it is actually errata though, max cover plus evading at short range is -5. A firefight in a missile magazine could be interesting, and very bad.
[OOC- I am camping this weekend— won’t be back until Sunday night – Montana will continue following Jaq and if combat happens, please feel free to fight for me—be back sunday]
Under Montana’s cover, Jaq moves to the door and attempts to open it. [Jaq’s strength is a 6 – Rolled 10]
Dag comes forward to add his efforts to Jaq’s while Montana covers. Str 6 rolled 3 + 1 = 4.
(OOC, actually I forgot, Dag’s Str is still 3 from the ship explosion unless he’s had time to heal or been mediced?)
Let’s say his strength is 5 because he has been healed some in the ship’s infirmary (midway between 3 and 6 = 4.5 round fractions up), so he makes it, feeling something snap on the other side of the door, the lever now moves freely, unlocking the lugs in the door jamb.
As the lever gives way, Jaq takes up her SMG again and prepares for whatever might be behind the door. Once she is in position and Dag is out of the way, she nods to him to go ahead and open the door. As the door opens, she is in a crouched position and she scans the area beyond.
Beyond the door, what she sees down the 3×3 meter corridor (much larger than the tunnel from the bunker) is the lights are flickering over what looks to be a version of hell. A common area off to the right is being used as triage, but the injured and dead are spilling into the hallway. Other personell see her looking out at them and other than giving her a look of utter hatred, they are too absorbed in helping the injured to do anything except what they are doing, many are women and children; their cries of despair make nails on a chalkboard seem as elegant as a symphony in comparison.
Jaq mutters a long string of eloquent curses through several different languages, noting over a whisper maybe heard on comms but not out loud. “Dag, you seeing this?” She asks absently. She forces her eyes past the carnage to see if the corridor continues. Other than that, she remains in place, although she does lower her weapon a bit, so as to be less threatening. Finally recovering, she says on comms, “We have a field triage point here. Looks to be mostly if not all civilian. There are a lot of non-combatants hurt here.” She knows that there is nothing she can do to establish any kind of good will, so she moves forward to start scanning faces for their quarry.
Entering the triage area, she can see off to her right, the common area even more filled with the injured and dead, a galley beyond is being used as a make-shift surgery theater, with med-bots as well as doctors trying to save who they can. The youngster and older man are there in the area, when they see Jaq and the others appear, he quickly speaks to the youngster, sending him scampering off down the corridor to what looks to be a larger area farther down at the end of the corridor, about a hundred meters down. He then raises his hands, his pistol holstered, and approaches the team, saying: “We are prepared to surrender, we can do nothing else.”
At that point Captain Igmirshuemkanam breaks in on the comm: “Who authorized anybody to accept capitulation? Lt Thorskeld, what is going on down there? I thought I told you to extricate your team and we were going to destroy the base from orbit! Is that crazy bastard Sgt Anderson putting you guys up to this?” Notably, Republican Guard Major Tliablzhdiliepr’s channel is silent.
Jaq motions for Dag and Montana to cover the older man and turns her back and lowers her faceplate so she is not overheard. then on Comms jaq replies, “Captain Igmirshuemkanam, these are unarmed civilians. Women and children. Non-combatants who have not even offered token resistance. Since our objective is a single individual, to bombard this facility from orbit would mean the mass-murder of innocent lives. Ultimately, these people’s surrender will only hasten the capture of our quarry!”
“During my time in the marines there were many an order that conflicted with my moral and ethical compass. I understand that at times even the death of civilians is necessary for a great cause. But hell, this isn’t one of those moments. I didn’t sign on to this outfit to allow civilians to be slaughtered.”
Taping his comms, he adds to the ship above, “just what the hell is the purpose of this mission to obliterate civilian villages? We are looking for one terrorist—let us continue our search for him!”
With Jaq’s interjection, Captain Igmirshuemkanam’s tone turns from venomous to obsequious without missing a step, like the polished politician he is.
“Of course Scout Yancy, you are exactly correct, I am highly respectful of the wishes of the Imperium. I am sure you have a very good reason for not destroying this pirate base.”
…and just as that he switches to a cool, officers tone: “Mister Thorskeld, report to me when you return to the ship, and bring the contractor Montana with you. Captain out.”
Republican Guard Major Tliablzhdiliepr then comms in to the assault team and on the command channel to Igmirshuemkanam: “I tracked Moebius to about 20 clicks from where his ‘chute went down, he was cut up pretty bad from some saw grass and looks to maybe have tangled with some local fauna. When we reached him (her and a fire team from 1st squad in the pinnace most likely) he was very aggitated, he pulled his pistol and seemed to be struggling with something and he shouted ’I don’t want to do this!’ before shooting himself. He ripped off his issued psi-jammer before doing it though and I had a glimpse of his thoughts before he put a bullet in his head. Someone had done a personality overlay on him and there was a major conflict between his organic self and the one from the machine, though one image I did pull clearly was of a Mari Vladzic; a woman in her early 30’s, covered in tattoo’s and was captain/owner of the ship that was roasted on the field according to intelligence records. She should be either at the base or with the escaping convoy, Thorskeld, proceed to the command bunker and see if you can pick her up, I will interdict the convoy.”
With that Ty motions with his gauss rifle to the surrendering fellow: “Command bunker down the hall I presume?” The man nodding, Ty merely says: “Lead on.”
As they move out, Ty claps his armored hand on Montana’s shoulder, saying: “We were always just a diversion or show of force, they knew all along that Moebius character wasn’t here. You gotta know to read between the lines, if you expect the command to ever be direct or truthfull, fugeddaboutit.”
(GM There will be a new adventure log post tommorrow or so, plus the Astron Sector Map and some world maps sent out by email, everyone make sure I have your email.)
(Bravo, GM! Well written and well played!)
Dag shoulders his gear and follows the others, wondering what hell awaits him in Captain Igmirshuemkanam’s cabin…
“Ah crap, I am always getting in trouble with the big brass,” says Montana. Reaching into his pocket Montana removes his lighter and sparks up the reliable flame. With his other hand he places the cigar in the path of the flame and inhales, sparking the cigar to life. Taking a long draw, bliss sweeps across his face. Taking two more puffs, he removes the cigar from his mouth, looks at it lovingly and says "Betsy, it was worth the wait…. this could be my last smoke, the big-brass wants to see me sky-side— perhaps I will be calling “medic’ after all.” He heads off with the rest of the party for the transport.
Jaq pauses for a moment, canning the dead and wounded for anyone who might fit the given description of the woman, Mari Vladzic; early 30’s and tattoos. If she doesn’t see anyone in a brief scan, then she moves along to catch up with the rest of the group heading on to the Command Bunker.