Free-Spacers, The Gravity Age IC

[TwoBitWriter]

Free-Spacers

You have just exited the Fuji-Saeder Slipgate from Earth Prime and have finally arrived at your destination at Kowalski Station on the fringes of Human Confederate space. You swear that those corporate pigs who practically own all the Slip systems raise their Gate Fees every year. Fortunately, you still have one month left on your gate pass.

Your brief mission to Earth Prime, the Human homeworld, was very lucrative. You even picked up a new crew member, a Manticore Mercenary on Sabbatical named Koriel, who is spending his time in the rec-room with Saela, Mkanu, and Suvar playing cards.

The Gravity Induction Drive is still making that annoying clicking noise and Saela has been in a foul mood the entire trip through the Slip and is now sitting in the rec-room but separate from the other three and muttering darkly to herself. She knows that there is nothing she can do to the engine while its engaged in the slip and she will have to wait until they have some downtime.

Mkanu is starting to get fed up that Suvar is winning hand after hand and accuses the telepath of cheating. Suvar calmly replies that he is not trying to read their minds but sometimes it slips and suggests another game. Mkanu punches some buttons on the game table and initiates a game of Perivians and Star Armada, immediately volunteering to play the Grabaldan.

Tex has been relaxing in the cockpit, letting the auto-pilot do his job. He is idly shuffling a deck of cards and listening to his favorite Alasion music band, The Jungle Fighters. He is accompanied by Jane, who is sitting quietly and idly playing a logic game with the ship's computer.

After exiting the Slip two guard buoys aim their Mass Cannons at your ship (standard procedure, too many pirates these days) and the ship is immediately hailed. The viewscreen is taken up by the image of a pretty female Confed officer. "This is Lieutenant Robinson of Kowalski Station Port Authority, Please transmit your ship ID and mission log before we clear you for this system." Robinson says.

The transmission is heard throughout the entire ship.

[Meshakhad]

Koriel, figuring that playing any sort of adversarial game against the telepath is a losing venture, goes to another screen and brings up the list of films. He settles on an ancient Terran classic, Lord of the Rings.

[jagadaishio]

Jane

Not bothering to pause the logic game with the ship's computer, Jane gives the mental commands to bring up the requested information and send it to the Lieutenant. "Just sent it, Cap," says Jane to Tex, eyes staring off into space as it watches the game going on in the local cyberspace.

[SurlySeraph]

Mkanu looks over at Koriel with a vaguely confused look. "Come on, Koriel, play. Play against the computer at least, Suvar can't read its mind. It'll be more fun than reading about things that didn't even happen." Hearing the message interrupt, he looks up from the game parameters screen. "Ach, there's still time for a speed round. If you're joining in, join."

[Meshakhad]

"Eh, I was never very good at that game anyway." He point to the screen. "Besides, THIS is a classic."

[TwoBitWriter]

After a few moments, Lt. Robinson messages back. "Log received, Free-Spacers huh? Glad you turned up, we could always use an extra hand in this sector. Check the job board in Barbarossa's Cantina."

"Magellan, You are cleared for landing in Docking Bay Delta-Nine. Welcome to Kowalski Station"

The Guard buoys turn their cannons away and a green light gives the all-clear signal.

[Boggs]

Tex

As Tex finishes sending the transmission he takes his legs off the control panel and looks around the cockpit. He gives a short announcement, "Alright, fellas, ladies, and... robots. Ship's takin' us in now; grab your gear and let's get off this heap. Meet together in the docking bay to discuss our next mission and departure."

After making the announcement, Tex grabs his already packed bag and looks to his HUD for Celebe, "Hey buddy, could you finish takin' us in?" A few seconds later a small robot coms hovering into the cockpit.

[Sicarius]

Suvar

"Tsk, tsk. Even if I couldn't read your mind, you telegraph your every play." Suvar leaned against the table. "Then again, maybe cards just ain't your game."

It was almost time to earn his keep again. Which meant another silly dance in a crowded bar, making your scrappy crew look better than all the other scrappy crews. But it beat a shallow corporate career giving your soul to some faceless entity.

"And this," Suvar gestures to the holo-display on the game table. "is even more of a classic. Sentient beings have pitted their wits against one another in command of armies since the beginning of existence."

[Meshakhad]

"I'm not saying strategy games aren't as classic as Lord of the Rings. I'm just saying that I'm not good at Perivians and Star Armada." He smiles. "Though if you want to play a classic strategy game sometime, there's always Starcraft. Of course, all the psychic powers in the world couldn't save you from a Zerg rush."

Koriel left the rec room. He stopped by his room to pick up his railgun, then joined everyone in the docking bay.

[The_Snark]

Saela

"Tch, glad someone's happy to see us for a change," Saela mutters at the lieutenant's permission. She raises her voice. "I hear ya, Cap," she calls back, already heading out of the rec room and to her quarters. "Dressed to kill, or no?" Their euphemism for going heavily armed. Some prospective employers liked to know you had firepower, and others got nervous. For her, it was the difference between bringing medgear or not. Bar brawl, she could do without it; firefight, they might end up needing it. If I go at all, anyway—they don't need me jobsearching, and I want to figure out what's gotten into the engine before it blows up under us.

[Sicarius]

Suvar

Unlike the others, Suvar always walked unarmed. It was easier to get into high-securiy places by walking in the front door anyway, and having weapons tended to make that difficult. Besides, given his abilities, he was a master at hiding in plain sight anyway. It didn't matter who saw him when he had every credential that stated he belonged there.

"Lieutenet's kinda cute. It might be beneficial to get a good word in Port Authority." Suvar stated, straightening the exotic collar on his jacket. His hair was groomed expertly, a rarity in the long days in a shuttle. He had to look good for getting jobs, it tended to make people think his crew was more professional. He long since gave up trying to do the same to the others, finding the effort not worth the payoff.

His armor snugly under his overshirt which was under his jacket, Suvar appeared every bit like a businessman or politician. Surrounded by the others, however, he looked like some sort of mafiaoso or criminal leader, which was a perfect impression.

[jagadaishio]

Jane

Jane opts to just get off the ship as-is. You don't have nearly as much of a need to spruce yourself up when you don't sweat or shed skin flakes everywhere. It does grab its computer card, placing it in its jacket's breast pocket and linking up with the computer by means of the integrated comm system built into its head. Jane scans the local net while waiting, seeing if there are any rumors of local banks having having sub-par firewalls.

[TwoBitWriter]

Kowalski station is the largest Human installation this close to the edge of human space. It is a major hub for interstellar trade. In fact, as you are pulling into your docking bay, you notice that neighboring you is a Trenal Ishki-class Freighter ship and a Grabaldan military Frigate, which is probably involved in a diplomatic mission of some sort.

The station is supremely enormous, and a shuttle runs constantly to ferry you to whichever deck you wish (Save for the restricted military areas.)

From the dock you can search for work at one of many Cantinas (where many people needing Free-Spacer's service hang out.) You can also check with the Kowalski Port Authority to see if they are in need of mercenary work where the Confederates don't want to get their hands dirty (or noses bloodied.)

There is also a massive trade bazaar, where one can purchase many (legal) goods.

The HCEC military also various recruitment and "Free-Spacer Relations" locations where you can possibly get a contract from the Human Government.

After docking, you step down from the Magellan and are greeted by Lt. Robinson. She is wearing the dark blue uniform of the Confederate Space Command and is flanked by two HCEC troopers in full body armor and carrying vicious-looking plasma rifles.

She nods at you. "Again, welcome to Kowalski station." Lt. Robinson says. "We make a policy of personally meeting every Free-Spacer crew that comes through this station. I have read your log and see that you do not have employment at the moment."

She looks over at each and every one of you. "I uploaded a guide to all of the station's civilian-access areas. That should be enough to get you started. Do you have any questions? "

[Meshakhad]

Koriel heads over to the "Free-Spacer Relations" booth, looking for military contracts.

[SurlySeraph]

As Mkanu walks out with his backpack, he gazes at the Grabaldan frigate with mixed pride and fear. As if in a daze, he salutes towards it. He then blinks, remembering that he's not in the army anymore. "Suvar, I want a drink. Unless you need me for something, I'll be in one of the catinas. Just poke me in the mind if you need me." Mkanu walks off towards Barbarossa's Catina.

[Boggs]

Tex adjusts the pack he has hanging over his arm, slinging the strap across the shoulder to free both arms. He looks around the station, Ah, good to be back in a familiar place...

As Lt. Robinson finishes her speech, he looks up to her, "I have only two questions. One, where can I get something nice to eat? And two, what are you doing for dinner?" He gives a sly smirk, pulling the computer card from his pocket. He makes the adjustments to bring the uploaded data into his HUDs interface.

[Sicarius]

Suvar

"Thank you Lt. Robinson." Suvar shook her hand warmly, but firmly, smiling professionally. It was an aura he painstakingly cultivated. "Every Spacer should have the pleasure of a personal greeting. It's the small things, isn't it?" Rather than the direct approach at a woman who probably got too many passes from chauvinistic Spacer pigs, he opted for just being friendly and hoping that Tex's big mouth wouldn't get him shot in the foot by association.

"Any local regs I should worry about? Can't wear green or eat red meats, that sort of thing." His tone was in obvious jest.

[jagadaishio]

Jane

Jane smirks at Tex and Suvar's actions towards the Lieutenant, but otherwise just smiles and nods in response to the greeting. It does a quick scan of its computer and finds the map file that was mentioned. Jane then plans a short route to Barbarossa's Cantina and sets off on foot, browsing the local net once again in search of an overlooked, profitable, and easy hack job. Somehow it doubts that there will be many hack jobs posted openly on the Cantina's boards.

[TwoBitWriter]

Robinson lets a smirk slip at Suvar's comments, but quickly regains her icy composure, but not before raising an eyebrow at Tex's questions.

"Barbarossa's is the largest full service recreational facility on Kowalski station, the shuttle can take you there free of charge. You can find food, drink, and entertainment there." She ignores Tex's second question, being quite used to Spacers and their mannerisms while in port.

"And just stick to HCEC and Star Armada laws while on-board. You will be allowed to retain your sidearms, but leave your heavier weapons on your ship and I don't care whether you have a license for them or not. They are not allowed past this point. We have security teams that constantly monitor every docking bay so you have no need to fear their theft. No fighting, save for self-defense and arena combat."

"And please, be courteous to the other patrons of Kowalski station, this is one of the largest trade networks in the galaxy. Any attempt to disrupt the peace will be met with swift consequences." She says, indicating her two armed escorts.

Mkanu and Jane

Barbarossa's Cantina actually takes up an entire deck of the station and is made up of a huge myriad of vendors and locations. It features nearly fifteen levels of restaurants, gaming parlors (gambling or arcades,) a local Fighter's arena, an artificial river and park space for nature walks, and job boards. The job boards themselves mostly consist of small odd-jobs (mechanic needed, mistress wanted, etc.) and few big jobs stand out at first glance, further perusal may yield better results.

Koriel

The Free-Spacer Relations Department was established a few years ago by the HCEC Sol and Colonial congresses as an indicator of the government's final acceptance of the growing Free-Spacer and Mercenary groups. It promotes and encourages legal jobs and recruitment tactics while simultaneously cracking down on violators.
The forced dissolution of the Cobra mercenary group by HCEC-employed Manticore mercs is a recent and notorious example. The Cobra would not dissolve peacefully and opened fire upon the Manticores, resulting in a massive firefight that led to the death of nearly every single Cobra member as well as several Manticore casualties.
A Human women dressed in professional attire sits behind the desk at the FDRD office and smiles brightly at you as you enter. "What may I do for you sir? If you are inquiring about government contacts, please consult the computer system to your right."

[The_Snark]

Saela

Saela shifts restlessly as the lieutenant explains regulations. No heavy weapons, no killing people, she'd heard it all before. She watches as some of the others begin to make their way off on their own. "Tex, I'm going to go have a quick look at the engine," she mutters as the Confederate woman finishes. "See if I can figure out why she been growling." If they needed spare parts they didn't have, or if it was going to take a while, best they knew now.

She makes her way back up the ship's ramp and back to the engine room, stopping to pick up the gear kit and accompanying list of blueprints and parts.

[SurlySeraph]

"Jane, I want to go to one of the restaurants. I know you don't need to eat, so if you don't want to go along that's fine. Seeing that ship just... it just made me think about some things that I don't want to think about. I'll just get something to drink. Humans do drink alcohol, right?" Mkanu goes off, looking for the cheapest, most bar-like restaurant he can find.

[Sicarius]

Suvar

The smirk on her face and her quick evasive maneuver told Suvar what he wanted to know. A woman who hate to maintain decor, especially around Spacers, and annoyed enough by it. Clearly, she wanted a sense of humor that was forbidden while on-duty. And they said he needed his telepathic powers to read people.

"Thank you, Lt." Suvar smiled. The telepath decided that before Tex's pursuit got him a black eye and the crew a black spot, he would have to salvage this. "I don't think I need anything more, Lt. Maybe I'll catch you later." Suvar spoke smoothly, it was a promise if she wanted it to be. Besides, he was registered, if she wanted to find him, she could.

But now, Suvar needed employment while Saela got the ship humming. His biggest thing was being a negotiator anyway, it was high time he made due. Heading to the cantina, he saddled up to the bar.

"A shot, my good man." Suvar ordered, and then began his usual perusal of the job boards, searching for a job that would fit his crew's talents, as well as something he could do on the quick without leaving.

Take 10 on gather information, for a 23

[Meshakhad]

Koriel looks up any jobs that would be good for a ship like the Magellan.

[jagadaishio]

Jane

"I don't need to eat or drink, but doing it doesn't really hurt me. Just a bit of a waste, you know?" Jane says conversationally. "I'm actually looking for a job that I can do myself in my free time, though. So if you hear any rumors about, well, anything to do with computer networks, make sure you tell me. I'll be looking around the boards for a job like that."

Jane then goes off to search through the job boards for any legitimate computer network jobs, even while continuing to search the net for hacking rumors. If the local boards can all be browsed remotely, Jane just uses its computer to do that and goes to sit in the bar with Mkanu.

[Boggs]

Tex

Tex looks back as Saela heads into the ship. He accesses his droid Celebe and informs her to assist Saela in the engine room. And also, to keep her company while she does repairs. After he adjusts his left arm, Damn, this thing is still uncomfortable. Looking back to the Lieutenant he gives a mock frown, "What? A veteran can't think back to his glory days in Flight Academy? Geesh, whatever happened to respecting your elders?"

Tex goes to the cantina; he notices Suvar at the bar and walks over tossing his pack on the ground next to the stool. He knocks on the bar, "Barkeep, two shots and a brew if it suits you." He looks to Suvar, "Good to be back around some kind of civilization, eh?" he gives him an elbow to the ribs jokingly. Knocking back his shots he peers around the bar, perhaps looking for a good poker game.


[roll0]

[TwoBitWriter]

Saela:

After a thorough inspection of the GI Drive, you are able to finally find the source of the engine noise. Apparently, as best you can tell, after Tex did a pirate jump (where a ship illegally enters a Slip without using a Slipgate, a very dangerous manuever) a few days ago he knocked loose the engine's Magnet-Coupler and it had been shaking around. There was no real danger, and it wouldn't have compromised the ship in any way. But damn it was annoying! You quickly secure the Coupler and seal everything up.

Tex and Suvar:

The bartender is an older man, about Tex's age, and his face has one massive scar that runs up his right cheek and past his eye. His right eye has been replaced with a cheap cybernetic replacement. His ugliness is sort of an odd relic in an age where beauty can be easily purchased regardless of age and social station. He is wearing a white, sleeveless shirt that reveals both of his muscular arms. On his left arm, just below the shoulder, is a tattoo of the HCEC Planetary Command Emblem, the Infantry/MAT arm of the Confederate military. He looks at Tex. "Where did you serve? You got the look of an old Space Command flyboy."
Tex also notices a card game taking place in the corner of the bar.

Koriel:

There are two jobs that stand out to you. One involves serving as bodyguards to a "high-risk" diplomat from the S'vreen council. The S'vreen are a single-system species that are vassals to the Human Confederacy. Lately, the S'vreen have been asking HCEC for more political autonomy and for the rights to export their raw materials (including raw Vulcanium) to other markets. There have been many death threats against the S'vreen High Chancellor and the HCEC government wishes to hire an independant group to protect him on his mission to the SOL Congressional session being held on Europa, a moon of the planet Jupiter in the Sol System. All applicants interested in this job should report with the Confederate Foreign Relations Department in Sector 4 of Kowalski Station.
The other job is another government contract to transport an experimental new starship energy cannon. The details are hazy and ask that all interested parties meet with the HCEC R&D Department in Sector 8 of Kowalski Station.

Jane:

You find out that Asteron corp. the fourth largest producer of entertainment media in the galaxy, has been having problems involving a computer virus that has infected their Kowalski site. They have issued a contract requesting independant assistance in the matter.

Mkanu:

You enter another bar, a different one than Tex and Suvar's. This one just happens to have six Grabaldan soldiers drinking and engaging in an arm-wrestling contest. They notice you immediately and stand and issue a salute (A standard response to fellow Grabaldan, as everyone has been a veteran at some point in their lives.)
The largest of the six steps forward, wearing a smart uniform of red with gold trim. A silver chain drapes from his left shoulder to his right breast, this marks the Grabaldan as a Marine Sergeant (the closest Human equivalent rank.) A Grabal-Sabre hangs on a scabbard across his back. He speaks to you in your native Grabaldan tongue. "Greetings, brother. You were not on the Jun'soth with us. In what manner did you arrive in this Human Port? My squad and I are on shore leave for the evening. Would you care to join us and share proud stories of honorable battle?"
"He seems a bit scrawny, was he a MAT? They have to keep 'em scrawny to fit in those things." One of the other Grabaldan calls out.

[Sicarius]

Any job postings that I find or no?

[TwoBitWriter]

Suvar:

(sorry, forgot about the job post search)
You find one entry from the Haroun corporation that requests the services of an independant Spacer crew to escort a Haroun freighter and crew to the Disraeli system and protect them from any potential hostilities from the Rogue Legion. Their job is to take on a shipment of ore from the colonists of that planet. After they have secured the ore on their vessel, escort them to Trenal space and oversee the safe delivery of the ore to the Wregol corporation. Then, escort the empty freighter back to Kowalski station. This seems like a long, and possibly dangerous mission. But the payout is equally enormous.
Another job is posted by Free-Star, the bounty hunting group. There is a Mutate convict by the name of Halo Ortinez who recently escaped from the Alasion penal planet of Celphalon IV. Authorities know that he somehow managed to smuggle himself aboard a small supply ship. There has been no contact from the crew and it is believed they are dead and the ship, commandeered. Halo is a Mutate with limited telepathic ability and is noticeable by his brown fur-covered skin and extremely high-pitched voice. The ship was last spotted in a sector adjacent to Kowalski Station. Halo is a war-veteran and expert soldier and should be considered armed and extremely dangerous. He was orignally the leader of a gang of Mutates responsible for twelve high-profile robberies and ten murders. The bounty is doubled if he is returned alive to the Free-Star Group.

[The_Snark]

Saela

The coupling was back in place almost too soon, leaving Saela in a slightly irritated mood. She could have fixed that in ten minutes if they'd agreed to power down between slips, and then she wouldn't have had to worry about it the whole way here. Not to mention it left her alone and without a whole lot to do here.

Doffing her mechanic's gloves in favor of a less battered and thinner set, she heads back down the ramp, glancing through the guide the port officer uploaded to see if there were any decent machine shops. She'd have to check that out later; for now, she heads to Barbarossa's and the job board, looking about for any of the others.

[Sicarius]

Suvar takes note of the two jobs. Using his comm, he sends the details of the following message to the crew in general.

"Couple jobs available. Escort mission to escort a Haroun corp freighter to Disraeli, pick up a shipment, deliver it to Trenal space, then escort the empty freighter back here. Big pay, big risk, if you guys want it.

As far as the other job was concerned, he was going to check around. A couple of Mutate bars might have some answers, but he might not be welcome unless he had an in. That meant either persuading Saela to come out of the ship and go 'slumming' so to speak, or get a disguise.

[Meshakhad]

Koriel

Koriel likes the first job the most. He's heard of the S'vreen from the research he did for his citizenship test. And any excuse to visit Sol is a good one.

The other job has the main drawback of not providing much information. Koriel knew that there was a need for secrecy, but the more information he had, the better he could do his job. The saying "What you don't know can't hurt you," was not accepted by the Manticores. They preferred "What you don't know can get you killed."

Manticores rarely worked with Confederate Intelligence.

Still, he might be able to find out more information about this job if he went down to the R&D department. But he might need someone to translate the technobabble that was probably the indigenous language.

After recording the key job info, he went over to Saela.

"Saela, I need your help on something. There's a government contract to transport some kind of experimental weapon. The posting's a little fuzzy on the details, so I was going to head down to the R&D department to find out what I can. I thought I'd bring you along so I can understand any important technical details."

[SurlySeraph]

Mkanu smiles and salutes back at the Sergeant. "I work with a crew of Free-Spacers. We arrived here only a few minutes ago, looking for work. I saw the Jun'soth as I came in, and it caused me to remember my service. I expected to just sit here and drink alone, but I see no reason not to speak of my experience if you wish to know." Mkanu signals to the bartender and sits down by the other Grabaldans. He turns to the other "Yes, I was in a MAT. And I can tell you how I got it..."

Knowing that bragging about a planetary civil war won't reflect very well on him, Mkanu launches into the story of one of his earliest childhood battles against the Perivians.

After finishing the story, Mkanu asks the Sergeant why his ship is there, and whether they have an important task in the area.

Taking 10 on a Gather Information check, for a total of... 10.

[The_Snark]

Saela

Saela glances at her communicator as it beeps. Big payoff, fine. Big risk, not so good. Won't be doing ourselves any favors if we have to blow our salary on parts and ammo. Not to mention fuel. She clicks the little voice-transmitter on, setting it to give the message to Suvar. "That is one hell of a distance, Suvar. Lots of time and lots of risk—have to be a very nice paycheck to cover the fuel and still be worth the time and effort."

She glances up at Koriel's approach. "Government experiment?" she grunts, surprised. "They want an independent shipper to handle experimental weaponry? That's weird." She considers for a couple moments. If she didn't check this thing out, she'd be curious what the weapon was the whole time on-station. Even if she was a little leery of the contract, it couldn't hurt to satisfy that itch. "Sure. Not like I'm doing much right now." She stands, waiting for him to lead the way.

[Meshakhad]

Koriel led Saela to Sector 8 of the station. He found the HCEC R&D department, and looked for a receptionist of some kind.

[Boggs]

Tex

Tex keeps his eyes affixed to the poker group in the corner, "Yeah, I served. It was a long time ago... the Perivian Wars. I did my time and been trying to make a full recovery ever since... and you?"

He takes one shot then a long swig of his beer, "Also, what can you tell me about those card sharks in the corner?"


[roll0]

[TwoBitWriter]

Suvar:

You know enough about Mutate society (based on living and working with two of them) that Mutates tend to form small, extremely tight-knit communities within other race's systems, often taking over an entire neighborhood or station residential sector for their own. They are very unlikely to cooperate with you in releasing any information they may have about Halo, particularly because he never victimized fellow Mutates. You would have to prove somehow that you are a friend of the Mutate community, or have Saela or Koriel do the job for you. A disguise may work, but some Mutates have telepathic abilities granted by mutation and it may be hard to fool them for too long.

Tex:

The Bartender nods soberly, listening to you speak about the Perivian Wars. "It was a Perivian Reaver that took my eye during the Two-Sun campaign. I was a lowly infantryman fighting in the jungles of Rigel III..." He goes on a bit longer and the two of you exchange war stories. When you ask about the card players he replies, "those boys? They are always here playing Earth and Yolond-style Poker. I own one of the two bars in Barbarossa's that still has its gambling license. If you wanna jump in, go ahead. Be careful though, they play some pretty high stakes." (The Ante DC is a 20 wealth check, follow that up with your Gambling Roll. I will let you know your results from there)

Koriel and Saela

HCEC has a large experimental weapons research facility based on Kowalski, though they do the bulk of their weapons testing on the nearby Deathworld-class planet of Rychex. The R&D facility here is mostly used for administrative and financial functions.
You enter the labs and are greeted by four HCEC soldiers wearing full body-armor and two MATs (Saela recognizes them as Rebel-class MATsuits.) They do not aim their weapons at you (a refreshing change.) The group's sergeant approaches you and asks for your business. When you ask about the job you are escorted to a room with grey steel walls with a long table and four chairs. Two humans enter, a man and a woman dressed in HCEC science officer uniforms.
The man speaks. "I'm Doctor Robert Larkin and this is Doctor Mila Ivins. We have been informed that you have inquired about the transporting job."
He looks over at Dr. Ivins, who has not said a word yet but has stared at the two of your for some time. "They're clean," she says quietly.
"Excellent," Dr. Larkin says. "I can give few additional details until you accept the job. But we seem to be in a rather peculiar fix. Rogue attacks have stepped up recently and we see to have lost all of our transport ships to these pirates. This puts us in a unique bind because normally the HCEC government would never allow a Free-Spacer crew to transport such experimental devices, particularly arms. However, HCEC Space Command is in need of our latest development for some...ahh.. 'special manuevers' that they wish to conduct. We need someone to simply deliver the weapon to a particular HCEC Space Command Station in a classified sector. A self-deleting Navmap will be uploaded to your ship. After you arrive at the station it will self-delete. You, and the rest of your crew, will also be required to sign a confidentiality agreement as part of the contract. I can't give too many details, but the pay will be significant. If you encounter any Rogues, well, you cannot let the weapon fall into their hands at any cost. You don't have to give me an answer right away, but please deliver your response within 24 hours."

Mkanu:

The Grabaldan Sergeant, whose name is Patroko, nods approval at your story. "The honor of serving the Empire is the greatest that a Grabaldan warrior can hope to achieve. Even so, it is most unfortunate that you were forced into such a conflict at so young an age."
In regards to your question about their mission, he shrugs and says, "the Human Confederacy and The Empire are having another trade dispute." He leans in close to you and whispers. "We are escorting Emperor Kalenno himself to Earth-Prime to meet with the Human president regarding the matter."
You get the distinct impression that he would never have revealed that information to just anyone, and must have been truly impressed with your service record.
"It is truly unfortunate that you were unable to remain in The Service, if I had met you before, I would have picked you to be the MAT support specialist in my Marine Ranger unit. If you happen to find yourself near Graba Prime, stop by the Hotali garrison and ask for me. But unfortunately, it is time for us to return to our ship. May honorable death come to you after a long, honorable life, fellow warrior." Patroko takes your hand in a firm handshake, followed by a salute. He and his squad all shake hands with you and salute you as they exit the bar, leaving you alone.

[Meshakhad]

After leaving the R&D department, Koriel shook his head.

"I don't like it, Saela. Too little information. They won't even tell us where we're going. I don't think we should take it."

[Sicarius]

Suvar

Of course, Mutates were tight-knit, and his best method of infiltration would not hold up under serious scrutiny. His other method, jumping into Koriel or Saela's head and telling her what to say would be considered at best intrusive and rude and at worst, well, it could get him kicked off the ship.

Rather than risk his neck or his livelihood, Suvar instead started looking for Mutates. When he sees one alone, either in transit to an area or not appearing to be working at the current moment being the ideal time, he uses his mental force of will to attempt to have the Mutate perceive him as his friend, looking for a quick tip.

Charm Person on an isolated Mutate if I can find him. Power resist applies, DC15 will negates.

[TwoBitWriter]

Suvar:

In one of Barbarossa's eateries you happen across a young Mutate women whose body is covered with thin and shiny layer of a green, slime-like substance. However, beyond that she appears quite normal, almost pretty, and you don't see other obvious mutations. She is dressed as a civilian station worker and she seems to be on her lunch break. She appears quite guarded and nervous when you walk up to her, but your mental persuasions quickly bring her around. After your charm effect works, she begins talking very openly with you. Her name is Jula and she has lived and worked on Kowalski station ever since she was brought here with her family as a little girl. She lives in the Mutate disctrict of Residential Sector 3, the largest Mutate community on Kowalski. "Halo is a criminal, yes, and he has done horrible things. But you have to understand, to my people he has garnered quite a romantic reputation. Some of the more militant in our fold see him as a revolutionary hero. I know that he showed up in secret to RS3 about a week ago. He met with some of his contacts and left a few days later, taking along some of our young men and women with him."
Jula blushes. "I found him quite charming and I almost left with him myself. He is one of the revered you see. And I saw it as a possible chance to get away from here. Oh please don't tell the Humans about him being here! We have enough trouble getting along as it is..."

[SurlySeraph]

Mkanu has another drink, then sends a message to the rest of the crew.

"If you have found any jobs that we can take on, I am ready to go. I would prefer it if we can take a job between here and Earth Prime. The crew of the frigate of my people that we saw coming in are headed there, on a very important mission. But wherever we go is alright." Mkanu leaves the bar and goes off to meet up with Saela and Koriel.

[Meshakhad]

At the bar, Koriel tells Mkanu about the other job - the one escorting the S'vreen High Chancellor.

"It's a legit job, and it gets us back to Sol."

[The_Snark]

Saela

"If they can't even tell us how long it's taking..." Saela agrees on the topic of the HCEC job, shaking her head. "We can tell the others, but there's got to be better jobs around here. How much were they offering?"

She listens as he gives the details of the other to Mkanu, shrugging and muttering something about babysitting diplomats.

[jagadaishio]

Jane

Jane pokes around on the net to see if it can find out any more information about the Asteron corp. job, which it intends to accept. While making the search for more detailed information on the problem, it makes its way back to find the rest of the crew. It sends a message to all of the crew carrying a computer card or a communicator, saying, "Where is everyone? I found a solo job. Does anyone need any research done on other jobs?"

Jane performs two searches, one basic, straightforward search (taking 10 for a result of 22) and one looking in unusual places which may have no information or an unexpected wealth of information.
[roll0]

[Sicarius]

Suvar

"Please, the secret is safe with me. I'm just very interested in people that have such a heroic reputation. Do you know where he went? I'd like to see the living hero for myself."

[SurlySeraph]

Mkanu

"I think you are right. Unless something closer comes up, we should take the job watching that chancellor."

[Meshakhad]

"There is one drawback of that job. See, the only reason they'd go with an independent ship is that they suspect their own people of trying to kill the Chancellor and sabotage the deal with Earth. Otherwise, they'd simply triple the diplomat's security detail and hire some mercenary warships."

Another thought came to his head, one that made him shudder.

"Actually, the only reason they'd choose an independent ship is if they also suspect some of the humans. Otherwise, they could simply get a Confederate warship to transport him. It might also explain why they're holding the conference on Europa, rather than on Earth Prime or in orbit."

"Anyway, if we take the job, we'll be painting a big bullseye on the Magellan's hull. The question is, if they try to kill him, what are our chances?"

Koriel contacts Jane.

"Jane, it's Koriel. We're at the bar. I found a job escorting a S'vreen diplomat to Sol. There have been several assassination attempts against the S'vreen High Chancellor, apparently. Could you find out more about the attempts - how many, what kind of methods were used, and who might behind it? If they're trying to use a Free-Spacer, that indicates that they suspect people in the S'vreen government, perhaps even the Confederacy, are behind it."

"Basically, assuming they try and bag him while he's on our ship, what kind of methods would they use? Are we talking a bomb on the hole or a warship trying to blow us out of the ether?"

After he cuts the link with Jane, another idea pops into Koriel's head.

"You know, maybe we can minimize the risk. If we find another job - like some kind of cargo run - that takes us back to Sol, we can use that as a cover. We won't need to worry about customs, since we're still in human space." He contacts Jane again.

"One more thing, Jane. Can you try to find some sort of cargo job that goes to Sol, preferably to Jupiter? We might want to get a cover job to avoid anyone realizing that we have the S'vreen ambassador on board."

[Boggs]

Tex

Tex knocks back his other shot looking over to the group. He looks back to the bartender, "You say a Reaver took your eye on Rigel III? That's where I was gunned down in my fighter," Tex pauses, lifting his arm, "it's how I lost this. Say, did you ever serve under Captain Spiers of the 101st? That's the poor squad that had to drag my ass out of enemy lines. Always felt bad, some men died and I got a battlefield commission... never sat right with me."

[jagadaishio]

Jane

Jane communicates back to Koriel, saying, "Yeah, I can look into both of those. It'll take a little while, but I'll see what I can get a hold of."

Jane uses the same research strategy as before, first taking 10 and then doing a riskier search which could yield lots of information or very little information.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[TwoBitWriter]

Jane:

From your research into Asteron Corp you learn that they are a frequent target of hackers and pranksters due to their high-profile status in the entertainment industry. This comptuer virus is very likely a result of that. It could also be a disgruntled/former employee.
The receptionist at the local Asteron office seems very happy to see you, you meet with the local manager who gives you the entire situation. He mentions that he hired outside help because he suspects one of his own techs to be the culprit. (roll two computer use checks simultaneously for your work on the job.)

As to your search for a cargo job, unfortunately, all of those contracts require a freighter ship with a much higher capacity then your small Escort.
However your research into the past of the S'vreen chancellor, by the name of Slen Thoric, gleans a wealth of information. Apparently, he was the lead General of the S'vreen forces during the Perivian War. Their fleet was small, but played a large and decisive part at the battle of the Twin Suns, where the back of the Perivian Invasion Fleet was finally broken after nearly ten years of brutal war. He entered into politics where he quickly climbed to the highest administrative seat allowed by the Confederacy, the seat of High Chancellor of S'vreen Affairs. He is a vocal and persuasive supporter of complete autonomy being granted for all vassal-races in the galaxy. This made him popular with the vassals but extremely undesirable to the four Great Races of Star Armada. Every sort of assasination technique has been tried against him, bombing starships, poison, etc. He has proven very elusive and endures such popular support that whomever has been targeting him has been completely unable to subvert his supporters into spies. No one knows exactly who is ultimately targeting him, it is certainly one or all of the Four governments.
You get the impression that the S'vreen and Confederate government are hiring a small, relatively ineffectual Free-Spacer crew for the exact reason that Koriel proposed, the belief that anonymity is the strongest defense against the entity that is seeking to end Thoric's life.

Suvar:

The girl frowns for a moment. "He mentioned that he was leading his people on an Exodus to the only free-space left in the galaxy. I don't know where that is, and he wouldn't tell me where since I wasn't going and all. Come to think of it, he didn't tell anyone where that was." You are very confident that she is telling the truth.

Tex:

"I knew Captain Spiers. Brave man, some would say crazy. I was in the 101st, but fought in a different company. He was in E company, and I was in A. My company was actually guarding E's flank as we assaulted that Perivian Outpost and Starbase on Rigel III. But those E-boys had it the worst, right-dead in the center they were. I remember them grumbling about it after we pulled out, something about saving downed pilots and mucking through the hot jungle and taking in Perivian missile fire and getting chopped up by Reavers the entire time." The Bartender chuckles a bit. He pours you another drink."On the house... so you were that pilot, huh? We didn't pull out for almost a week, what did you do the whole time you were down there with us?"

[jagadaishio]

Are those two checks such that Jane can take ten on both of them? If so, that's what it does.

[TwoBitWriter]

Jane

(For this I would prefer that you not take 10 and roll. I also forgot to mention the following about the S'vreen.)
The S'vreen are an intelligent race of spider-like chameleon beings. They have strong psionic abilities which they use for communication. They typically stand and walk on four legs, while using their other four appendages as hands. However, all eight appendages end in hand-like feet which give them incredible adaptability. Using all eight legs to move they can cover great distances quickly and with minimal effort. Their chameleon abilities made them excellent hunters who excel at ambush. They are also physically strong and are about the size of a large human. They possess eight eyes. They are generally of a friendly disposition and, despite their natural knack for it, are not particularly aggressive or warlike. They also have short lifespans and generally do not live past the age of forty Earth-years.
Their population is concentrated on four planets of the Habilus System, and were incorporated as vassals to the Confederacy nearly one hundred years ago.

[Sicarius]

Suvar

Now that Suvar had the information he needed, he bid the Mutate a fond farewell. "I better get going, and you'd better get back to work. And don't worry. I can keep a secret if you can." With a sly wink in her direction, Suvar departed, getting a drink and then punching in the details for the convinct job on his comm.

"Suvar, here. I think I found us something fast. There's a Mutate criminal who escaped, rounded up a bunch of local Mutates here and said he was leading them on an Exodus. Cheery and nice in theory, but I think he might be inciting them to become some sort of terror organization. If we bring him back alive, the Bounty Office will pay us double."

[jagadaishio]

Jane

Jane sets to work on its computer job while the others continue trying to decide which job to sign the whole crew up for.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[SurlySeraph]

Mkanu

Mkanu replies to Suvar's call. "I have my stun baton. He cannot be too hard to capture. We are considering another job, one protecting a S'Vreen chancellor. But if the convict is in the area, we could capture him and then leave with the chancellor, no?"

[The_Snark]

Saela

"That? That is why I hate government escort jobs. Boring until somebody tries to kill you, and when that happens, they're usually well-equipped enough to make a government worry," Saela grumbles.

She glances over what Suvar is sending them, shrugging with a slight grimace.

[Meshakhad]

Koriel nodded at Saela.

"That is a very good point. And if I had the choice, I'd rather be the hunter than the hunted. I vote we take the bounty hunting job."

[Boggs]

"Much appreciated," Tex says taking another drink. "Well, I was holed up for awhile waiting for rescue. I couldn't do much. My arm was pinned in the wreckage and I would have never survived amputating it myself. When Spiers made it there, he severed it at the shoulder and dragged me back to safety," he takes another drink. "Their Doc did the best he could at patching me together; I was unconscious for a few days. Then, I spent the rest of the time in the back lines providing assistance to the artillery. Couldn't let countless soldiers die for my survival and then do nothing. So, I loaded mortars. After pulling out from Rigel III, they gave me a new arm... with a few military enhancements." Tex takes another drink, leaning in really close to the bartender, "Say, my former Admiral was a great friend of mine. Had a secluded base in deep space. I went there frequently for fleet supplies. Missiles and ship mods aren't exactly cheap. But, he was killed by a rogue group of reavers. Now it's hard to find any discounted wares. And everything is so expensive these days. Do you know of anyone who may have more acceptable prices?"

Tex takes another drink, he listens over the comm to the crew deciding on the next job. Having been around awhile, he doesn't mind what it is as long as it pays well. He glances back to the card table. He fights the urge to go over there and gamble.

[Sicarius]

Suvar

The psychic, realizing he had gotten enough jobs and was pending a decision, decided to live it up a little and frequent a few human drinking establishments, trying to avoid Spacer bars. After all, maybe he'd meet an exotic temptress or two. There were worse ways to spend in dock, and interesting people were interesting people no matter what.

[TwoBitWriter]

(This game is officially back open!)

Jane:
The system's firewall is one of the finest and most advanced that you have ever seen, this virus was definitly uploaded by someone with security clearance. You are issued a temporary passcode to gain access to the system. After probing around in the Asteron Network you eventually locate the hostile code. It is a real monster, and elusive. Everytime you clean out one datasec it pops up in another. To make things worse, it prevents you from actually rebooting the system. After fiddling a bit more with it you are finally able to temporarily shut down the Asteron net, then reboot it and emulate a data-ghost. Since you are no longer appear as a regular user, but a stream of data, you are able to finally isolate the bug and obliterate it completely, you are also able to tag the Usercode of the one who uploaded the virus. Another reboot, and the system is completely back to normal.
The Asteron execs thank you for your service and upload the promised fee to your account (+2 Wealth Bonus)

Tex:
"Well," the bartender says. He glances around and then leans forward, adopting an air of conspiracy. "I got a... 'friend' who runs a special market for Free-Spacers such as yourself. No permits or licenses required. Cheap stuff too... they didn't have to pay for it after all. Now, I don't do business with him myself but I do know that he definitly does not want to gather Confederate attention if you know what I mean." He pulls out a small datacard and starts to punch in some information. "His name is Lars Unhault, and he has some connections with the Rogue Legion, I'm sure you've had dealings with them before so I will leave it to you whether or not you wish to contact him. He is based on this station, making deals and even contracting out work for the Legion. You can usually find him at Vic's, an upper-class joint that is too hoity-toity for Barbarossa's and are based in Residential Sector 1, where all the Station's Officers and other afluent citizens live. But you didn't get that from me? Okay?"

Suvar:

Using your psychic abilities and natural charm, you easily snare yourself a good-looking human woman. Her name is Zelda and she is a Station Officer who just got off-duty. She seems really into you.

To Everyone:

Well, you require no special registration for any particular bounty-hunting job. And you are properly licensed to receive compensation for such work. You can easily begin working at anytime.
The diplomat job requires that you formally register for the job, full mission specs will be released upon that time.

[jagadaishio]

About how long did it take Jane to complete that computer securities job?

[Sicarius]

Suvar

I'm going to ply the lovely Zelda for fascinating information over drinks. Not using the telepathy unless it's necessary. If she's willing to talk, Suvar's willing to listen. Autohypnosis to keep myself awake during the boring bits. If I get a free moment, going to see if I can ask a quick question if there's a labor dispute/security informant or other related 'talking' job that Suvar can get done on the quick for some extra cred. Otherwise, just gonna have a good time on shore leave.

[SurlySeraph]

Mkanu

"Saela, I think we have an agreement, then. Once the rest of our crew is finished relaxing, we should look for that criminal Halo. I realize that he is one of your people, but he is a murderer and if justice is not enough motivation, the reward should be. As for myself, I will go directly back to the ship. I find I relax best in front of a practice dummy." Mkanu starts walking back to the Magellan to work out before the mission.

[Boggs]

Tex

Tex takes another drink then smirks, "Didn't get what from who?" He chuckles to himself, "Well, it's been a pleasure. I need to get back to my ship. What do I owe you... I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

After paying the bartender, Tex will return to the ship and tinker around in the cockpit.

[Meshakhad]

Before returning to the ship, Koriel purchased a weapon he had meant to get for a while - a sidearm. He picked a compact Colt Python, since it was inexpensive. He also picked up a speed loader and a box of fifty .357 bullets.

When he returned to the ship, Koriel sat down in the meeting room. He left his new gun in his room.

[jagadaishio]

Jane

Throughout the course of its job, Jane migrates slowly back to the ship. By the time the securities job is finished, everyone should be well and ready to start on the bounty hunting job. Assuming that Jane has finished the securities job by that time, it volunteers to search around on the net and collect any information that anyone needs to complete the bounty job.

A series of research checks to be used throughout the course of the job, made in advance.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]

[TwoBitWriter]

Tex:

The bartender shakes your hand. "The name's McManus, Sergeant Jacob McManus. You, my friend, are always welcome here. If you need anything else, just give me a call. I know a lot about what goes on here at Kowalski."

Suvar:

Your natural charisma and people skills easily sway the lovely Zelda. After a pleasant time out, she coyly states that she needs to get home and asks if you will walk her back to her quarters...
You and Zelda have even more fun in her quarters. Some time later, you emerge, feeling a fresh burst of energy. You get the call from your fellow crew members that they have going to pursue the bounty-hunting job and to meet back at the ship.

Jane:

Your research on the network brings you to a hidden site that is heavily protected from unsolicited intrusion. It appears to be a recruiting site for Halo's "Great Exodus" It has a listing of coordinates for all those interested in joining Halo's crusade, in the nearby Halcyon sector. There is no gate to take you there, so it may take a day or so by Induction-Drive. The site speaks frequently of a new era for the Mutate people and their friends.

[Sicarius]

Suvar

"I love shore leave." Suvar smiles. "If we're going to track this guy down, I'd say we need a plan of action. Going in guns blazing is not going to solve anything."

[The_Snark]

Saela

Saela scowls at Mkanu, which could mean he hasn't convinced her, that she's annoyed with him for thinking she'd sympathize with Halo, or... something else. She isn't interested in making it clear, that's for certain. A bit stubbornly, she stays at the table a few minutes longer, glancing over the job specs Suvar sent over.

When Suvar returns to take his messages, she sends, "Suvar, you got any idea where this guy is yet? All you say is that he ain't on-station anymore. That leaves a lot of space to hide in."

[jagadaishio]

Jane

Jane takes a better look into the security of that site, not doing enough to run up against the security, but enough to get a feel for whether or not it could potentially hack it.

[roll0]

[Sicarius]

Suvar

"I wasn't going to bog myself down in legwork too intensely until we got at least group support here." Suvar offered meekly. "But he won't be hard to track down. Guys like that leave trails in data and in people, and if someone can handle the former, I can handle the latter."

[TwoBitWriter]

Jane:

After a bit of probing, you note that whoever constructed the site's security probably had at least the same level of skill as yourself, possibly more. It would be extremely difficult to hack this system. It was obviously intended to keep out any government-employed hackers.

[jagadaishio]

Jane

After finishing its search for data and prodding of the firewalls of the sight, Jane offers its information to the crew. "It seems that there are sites not too far away where there's recruiting going on. I'll log the coordinates with the ship. Anyway, the site looks like it has mad security, and I'm not going to poke it anymore for now, in case it's the type of security that can poke back."

[Sicarius]

Suvar

"It might just need a gentleman's touch. I could probably pose as a friend to his cause in order to get us access."

[SurlySeraph]

Mkanu

"Do we really need to bother with gathering so much information? We know where Halo's enclave is. Can we not simply go there and seize him? There are only so many accomplices he can have. Besides, what information could the site have that we cannot learn by simply looking over his base when we get there?"

[Sicarius]

Suvar

Suvar cocked an eyebrow incredulously. "We don't have intel. He could have one or an entire new star system's worth. And until we can make a better decision, why would we want to expose ourselves to a potentially exponentially large amount of blaster bolts? Besides, you've done your history of war. Attacking a fortified compound is the worst idea for the numerically inferior force."

[The_Snark]

Saela

"I don't think you were with us yet, 'kanu," Saela says dryly, "but I got the captain to swear off plans that involve the phrase "so crazy they'll never expect it" a while back. Running in shooting without knowing what's going on counts in my book."

[Meshakhad]

"Infiltration is probably the safest strategy," Koriel said. "Perhaps Saela and I could go in, seeing as we're Mutates. Though that leaves the question of what to do with the rest of you..."

[Boggs]

Tex

Tex sits at the cockpit playing Solitaire. He looks over to their discussion and simply shakes his head. After a few minutes of them talking he looks over, "Sending only two of you in there might not be the wisest of ideas. Although, not all of us can easily walk right into the enclave. Regardless, this ship goes where the money is... that's it." He takes a drink from the flask in his pocket. "But, more intel could be beneficial. I don't want any of your deaths on my conscience."

[jagadaishio]

Jane

"I'm willing to provide any support I can, but considering the security that their site had, it isn't likely that I'll be able to do anything flashy like hacking their cameras or security systems. So if you two go in, you would probably be on your own for quite a while."

[Sicarius]

Suvar

"Three..." Suvar speaks up. "If you don't mind me hiding in one or both of your heads. However, that might raise some red flags if they have any telepaths snooping around for me."

[SurlySeraph]

Mkanu

Mkanu shrugs. "I understand that simply attacking would be reckless, but it did not strike me as too reckless to succeed. Very well, let us try infiltration. Perhaps the rest of us could stay in reserve to act as a diversion, to distract their security from you should they begin to suspect anything."

[Meshakhad]

"The more people we can bring, the better. We can probably bring four people, total. Saela and I will come openly, of course. Suvar can ride in our heads - he might alert any nearby telepaths, but we'll need his powers to keep up our act. Jane can come as our android - maybe we'll be able to get better access once we're there. We'll only need the captain and Mkanu to act as a reserve."

Another thought popped into his head.

"You know, we don't need to grab Halo on our first trip in. The first trip can be solely reconnaisance. Once we have better intel, we can formulate a plan to grab Halo. Saela and I will pose as representatives of a small Mutate community, sent to see if rumors of this Mutate paradise were true. That would explain us waiting around, gathering information, and then leaving."

"In the meantime, we'll need to make sure they don't spot Magellen. Jane, what information do we have on the coordinate area? Is it a star system?"

[jagadaishio]

Jane

"I'm not sure," says Jane, shrugging. "I know from the coordinates that it's in the Halycon sector, and that isn't too far away. But I didn't check the coordinates against a star map before transmitting them. They are saved to the computer, though, so it's a quick check."

Jane then makes a quick connection to the ship's computer through its own computer card to get the information, continuing to speak as it draws the information up. "If anyone notices Suvar taking a mental ride, you could just say that it's an insurance policy. You know, so that everyone back at the mutate community knows what's happening as it's happening."

[The_Snark]

Saela

"You and me both, Cap," Saela mutters. "If someone notices Suvar, that means they have mind-readers of their own, in which case we may already be dead. Me, I don't think they'll take kindly to traitors in their midst, no?" She exhales, shaking her head a little. "Don't like it, but maybe a short trip. Maybe. On behalf of just a few people, not a whole damn invented community. He's probably trawling the whole area for help, he might call us out."

[TwoBitWriter]

Your business on Kowalski concluded for the time being, you decide to head toward the Halcyon sector and search for this supposed Mutate Messiah.

You amble back into your ship, and strap in for take-off. Tex fires up the Induction Engines and, as soon as he has clearance, takes off.
Jane idly punches in the coordinates for the Halcyon sector, which is not directly accessible by gate and will require travelling the long way. Jane calculates that it will take approximately 27 hours to arrive. Now its just a matter of settling back into your usual travelling routine.

[The_Snark]

Saela

Not unusually for her, Saela vanishes into the bowels of the ship as they take off, presumably checking the ship's systems over once again. Of course, she did that before they landed, too; she already knows there isn't anything for her to find unless something broke down while they were on ship. A cynical person might conclude that she'd simply rather not be around the rest of the crew right now... which also isn't too unusual, actually.

[Boggs]

Tex

Knowing of Saela's usual whereabouts, Tex goes over a private channel to speak to her. "Saela, I'm still not comfortable going into this with such little intel. I'd like you to prepare the necessities for a boost out of the sector. I don't care how much it burns or what it takes. What good is a dead crew?"

He awaits the coordinates to be punched in, fooling around with his droid up at the cockpit. When they're punched in, he sets the ship to auto-pilot and programs the droid to sound his personal alarm in case of any unexpected blips on the radar.

Afterwards, he makes an announcement over the loud speaker, "Alright, we got 27 hours on this bird... who wants to break open the spirits and play a bit of poker?"

[Sicarius]

Suvar

The psychic was always less active on ship. No women, no interesting stories he hadn't heard before. It made a people person like him feel less interested in doing anything. Planetside, life was so abundant it made his head hurt. A psychic could easily get overwhelmed by the latent energy of so many people's thoughts. Now, it was just the crew, and he couldn't even read Jane. He considered reading the crew once, but anyone you had to be stuck with for days didn't need extra incentive to break your face.

In his bunk, Suvar laid on his bed and sighed. 27 hours was a long time when you had nothing to do. Gambling was way too easy when you could see the other guy's cards or make him believe you actually are bluffing.

[Meshakhad]

Koriel joined Tex for a game of poker.

[TwoBitWriter]

A day passes quite uneventfully. Each of you are able to find plenty of time to sleep. So you are quite rested when the nav-computer sounds an alert indicating that you have arrived in the Halcyon star system.

Halcyon is actually a binary star system, with the larger star being called Halcyon-Alpha, and the smaller being called Halcyon-Beta.

The nav-computer tells you that there are five planets orbiting the twin stars. None are capable of supporting life.
You know that this region was long ago abandoned by corporate and HCEC prospectors as each planet is both uninhabitable and lacking in mineral resources. It briefly held a bad reputation as a nest for pirate activity, but they were cleared out several years ago. It doesn't surprise you that one such as Halo Ortinez would utilize this remote star system for his base of operations.

The computer sounds another alert, this time notifying you of approaching vessels. You patch through to visuals and see two old Star-Armada fighters from the Perivian war. You are hailed by an audio-only communication. Jane pulls up the comm.

"You have entered the Halcyon star system, home to the Celarian colony of New Prospect. If you are a Human Confederate representative, we will be happy to escort you planetside so you may conduct your business. Otherwise, this sector is restricted to non-Celarians Please state your name, race, and reason for entering this sector. If your answer is not satisfactory, you will be asked to leave.
However, if you are fellow Celarians who have ventured for a new home, you are welcome. New Prospect is the future of our people and you will find a place to belong here."

The transmission ends. So far, their weapons are not armed, but their shields are raised.

[Sicarius]

Suvar

"Now that is useful." Suvar flipped a coin in the air, and made sure the communications channel was not open. "I can easily pose as a Confederate Representative and demand his surrender in exchange for the freedom to not have his colony blown out of the sky by militant types who consider his crew nothing but terrorists. It would go a long way into proving faith with the Confederates that they are legitimate in their belief."

[Meshakhad]

"How about we go with my plan?" Koriel suggested. "We can leave threats for later."

Another thought entered his head.

"But that might work if we have him alone. I've dealt with this sort of terrorist before. They're true to their cause, willing to do anything for it. I have no doubt Halo would die for his cause - maybe he would be willing to surrender his freedom. He comes with us, we leave the colony alone."

[The_Snark]

Saela

Saela does what she can to set up a boost for the engines; whatever she's accomplished didn't take her more than a few hours to piece together.

And while her temper has improved slightly over the trip, to the point where she joins in for a few hands of cards, she still snaps "Can we maybe stick with one plan at a time? Me, I don't like the idea of walking right into his hands before we give the ultimatum. Either we claim to be Feds, or we go in as potential colonists, cha? Not both."

[Meshakhad]

"Yeah, good point. Leave the whole 'threaten him' thing as a potential extraction plan. We'll stick to the 'potential colonist' plan for the recon."

Koriel looks at Tex. "Captain? It's your call."

[Sicarius]

Suvar

Suvar threw up his hands innocently. "Alright then. Not going to step on your toes or get you worked up over it."

[jagadaishio]

Jane

Jane spent most of the trip setting up as many firewalls on its mind as possible, for protection in the event of seizure. At the time of being hailed, Jane chooses not to weigh in on the decision of the plan. It's willing to stand behind either, and besides, it's putting the finishing touches on the firewalls.

[roll0]

[TwoBitWriter]

You are hailed again...

"We still have not received a response. If you do not respond in five minutes, you will be escorted out of the system. If you refuse to comply, we will open fire."

[Sicarius]

Suvar

Suvar grabbed the comm and send out a return audio-only communication. "Please don't shoot. The comm is always on the fritz. We had heard this was the new Paradise, and we came looking for a home of our own."

[Boggs]

Tex

Tex thinks for a moment, looking back to the crew. "For now, it's safer to pose as potential colonists. We aren't exactly prepped for Fed-disguises... plus, less margin of error this way."

Tex comes over the comm, "Sorry about that, I was in the can. You know how these long voyages can be... we come seeking settlement."

He goes off comm, speaking to the crew, "If any of you have some kind words to say now is the time."

[TwoBitWriter]

The response is quick. "Roger that, welcome noble brothers and sisters of the Celar! You will find New Prospect on the fourth planet. We are uploading landing coordinates now. You will be provided with lodgings and food. When you are rested you will meet with our leader who will interview you for job placement. If you have any questions, you may relay them to the New Prospect Port Authority..."
Jane receives the coordinates, and the two fighters glide away, toward the fourth planet. You follow, and are soon hailed by the Port Authority.

"Welcome to New Prospect, the great hope of the Celar race. You are cleared for landing in Docking Bay 5. Please inform us of how many passengers are aboard your ship..."

You enter the planet's atmosphere. At some point someone has constructed a starport here, which you are surprised to see. It looks old, and was most likely a facility built for the corporate prospectors and was abandoned by them and is now inhabited by Halo and his "colonists." You can see the Artificial Atmosphere Pods jutting from the Starport, that must be the colony itself. It is small, but large enough to house hundreds of people. Located North of the colony in a separate facility is what appears to be a hydroponic facility for food production.

[SurlySeraph]

Mkanu

Mkanu furrows his brow, and makes sure he is nowhere near a communications unit. “They said they want to know how many people are on the ship. Is there some way we can make sure they do not notice those of us who will not be going to negotiate? Or should we just let them know the captain and myself are here, before any psychics or scanners check over the ship? If we do not want to fight, we cannot let them think we are hiding anything from them.” He pauses in thought for a moment. “In any case, make sure you can communicate back to us. If negotiations go... go…” Mkanu struggles to think of a word that has the full range of connotations he’s looking for. Finally, he settles on understatement: “If negotiations go badly, I want to make sure I can cover your escape.”

[Meshakhad]

"Tell them three crew plus two Mutates passengers and an android."

[Sicarius]

Suvar

"They'd make us leave as soon as we disembarked the potential colonists." Suvar pointed out.

[The_Snark]

Saela

"Then we say we'll want a ride out of here, either to tell our families to come along or in case we want to head elsewhere. You guys just sit tight on the ship and they can't complain—you're already here, so it isn't like you're more of a security leak by staying around a bit than you otherwise would be." Saela shrugs. "If they're nervous enough to want you out, they're nervous enough to search the ship. No good hiding."

[Sicarius]

Suvar

Suvar shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised if they made us leave anyway, and arrange transport on their own. But nothing is ever without risk. Let me know when you want me to pop over into your heads. It makes me rather unresponsive to things on my side."

[jagadaishio]

Jane

"Whatever you're going to tell them, you should decide on it fast," says Jane, pocketing its computer card. "Unless you want things to go bad fast when their patience wanes."

[The_Snark]

Saela

Saela leans over the captain's shoulder and flips the comm on again. "Two of us, plus the ship's crew, that's three. And their synthetic."

[TwoBitWriter]

There is a slight delay in response from the Port Authority, but finally the comm crackles to life.

"Please unload your Mutate passengers. The rest are welcome to enjoy our hospitality for the evening as thanks for bringing fellow Celar to their new destiny. A New Prospect representative will meet with you in the hangar bay to show you your lodgings for the evening and to take your Celar passengers to meet with our leader for welcome and orientation."

The Mutate who greets you in the hangar has a third arm protruding from his chest and skin covered with a thin layer of scales. He is accompanied by a humanoid synthetic, dressed in an Earth-style business suit. The Mutate himself is wearing a purple jumpsuit with a third sleeve sewn in to accomodate his arm.

He shakes each of your hands, using all three of his, and speaks to Koriel and Saela. "Welcome to New Prospect, brother and sister Celar. My name is Ishrae and I am the Manager of Colonists' Affairs here on New Prospect. It is my job to greet all incoming Celar and escort them to The Leader."
He turns to the rest of the crew. "My humblest thanks are in order for your safe escort of my brethern. Please follow Mirm here," Ishrae says, indicating the synthetic, "to our guest quarters where you will be fed and housed for the evening as a token of our appreciation."

"Now, if you two would be so kind as to come with me, we can make acquaintances." He offers right arm to Saela, smiling. "And you are...?"

At the same time, the synthetic Mirm turns to the non-Mutate members of the crew, beckoning them toward a seperate exit. "This way to your quarters please... If there are any questions you have about the colony I will be happy to answer them." Mirm starts shuffling off toward the exit door, while Ishrae leaves for another.

[jagadaishio]

Jane

Jane tries to make eye contact with Saela, hoping that she'll pipe up and say that the synthetic goes with the mutates. It doubts that the escort will let it accompany them if anyone other than one of their 'new members' says it. And it doubts that it can gain much of an access to most of their local systems from wherever the main crew is being lodged. Hell, they may have isolated that area entirely, just in case of a situation like this.

[Meshakhad]

Koriel piped up.

"The synthetic comes with us."

[Sicarius]

Suvar

Suvar nearly hit himself in the head. He should've given Koriel a refresher on how to speak politely. "Ahem. The synthetic is the property of our esteened passengers." Suvar clarifies.

[The_Snark]

Saela

"Saela Kiyet," she replies as she takes the offered arm, a bit surprised at the old-fashioned courtesy. She feels out of place, like she ought to be wearing a ballroom gown instead of her well-worn mechanic's worksuit—although she would feel more out of place wearing any sort of fancy dress. Jane's attempted signals fly right past her, and she's caught off guard by Koriel's statement, though she tries to hide it when she realizes how odd that would look.

To cover it up, she asks, "How big is the colony? We hadn't heard about it until we stopped nearby."

[TwoBitWriter]

Ishrae gives another charming smile at Koriel and Suvar. "Of course, we would not wish to seperate our brethern from their rightful property." He motions with a free hand to Jane to join them.

After leaving the hangar, Ishrae answers Saela's question. "You are likely from the human Kowalski Station. We do a fair share of recruiting there. We are not a large colony, merely numbering five hundred Celar at the moment. We have to grow slowly, because the HCEC authority has deemed our visionary leader a criminal. But don't trouble yourselves with those concerns. Here you will find a proper place to belong."

Koriel, Saela, and Jane
Ishrae takes you down a long hallway lined with glasteel windows that let you look out on the surface of the planet. In the distance you can see the rest of the colony, the living dome, the agricultural dome, and so on.
Eventually you reach a sliding door that simply has the word "Leader" emblazoned with bold white letters.
"This is where I take my leave, I have other duties to attend to. The Leader will speak with you, and find out your aptitudes. From there you will get your duty assignments and living quarters assignments. Good day."
And with that, the door slides open, and Ishare turns to leave. You enter the large, exquisitely decorated office. There is a large, muscular Mutate seated in a cushy chair behind a large, metal desk.
He has two large horns sprouting from his forward, which curl back slightly but end in sharp, menacing tips. His skin constantly shifts in color, but currently matchs the colors of the desk and chair he is sitting at. He is dressed in a gray jumpsuit, but you can't help but notice a slight bulge under his left arm, likely a pistol of some kind.
He stands, and beckons at two chairs before his desk, indicating that you sit. "I am pleased to see you. I am Halo Ortinez, the Leader and founder of New Prospect... And you are...?"


Meanwhile...

Suvar and Tex
Mirm escorts the rest of the party to a simple room adorned with rows of cots. "Please forgive the acommodations, but we do not get visitors regularly. Please enjoy your stay. I will return with hot food and drink." With that, Mirm leaves.

Once the synthetic is gone, you notice that the room has several video monitoring devices. Its not a long leap for you to conclude that someone is also listening in to your conversations.

The door opens, but instead of Mirm, you see a young Mutate girl step in. She says nothing, looking fearfully up at the cameras. She rushes up to Tex, slips him a piece of paper, then quickly runs out of the room.

Tex
The Paper only has one word on it, "Help!"

Mkanu
You remain on the ship, and watch the rest of the crew split into two and leave the hangar. Saela,Koriel, and Jane leave with the Mutate man, and everyone else leaves with a Synthetic.
Some time passes uneventfully, but eventually you see the man that left with Saela, Koriel, and Jane return, with two Mutates who are carrying Laser Rifles. They walk toward your ship, the three-armed Mutate drawing a Plasma Pistol.

[jagadaishio]

Jane

Jane stands where it is, arms crossed behind its back and staring blandly above Calo's head. It is trying its best to play the part of the obedient servant robot. It makes a quick connection to its computer card and checks to see if it's picking up any unencrypted wireless networks now that they're deeper into the mutate area of the colony.

[SurlySeraph]

Mkanu

Mkanu mutters to himself. "Two men with him and he still feels he must show off his pistol. I am strong, but even a coward does not take such precautions unless..." After a moment of thought, Mkanu turns away from the view of the hanger bay and starts walking swiftly towards the cargo hold where his MATsuit is stored. The terrorists had been very friendly so far, and perhaps they just wanted to talk. But they were still armed terrorists, and he'd rather be prepared. If there's time to do so before they reach the ship, Mkanu will open all the doors between the entrance to the ship and where the MAT is stored, so he can run there in a hurry, and then come back (without his suit) to the entrance. If not, he'll just get as far towards his MATsuit as he can.

[TwoBitWriter]

Mkanu

Ishrae (the three-armed Mutate with the pistol) speaks to the two armed Mutates as they approach the main entry to the ship. They try to open the door initially, but find it is locked. Ishrae motions to the two men, pointing toward the cargo doors. He stays behind and begins fiddeling with the entryway controls, attempting to gain access.

You see the two Mutates approach the hangar as you reach your MATsuit.

[The_Snark]

Saela

"Saela Kiyet," she introduces for the second time. "This is Koriel. We're prospective settlers, here." She sits, trying to conceal her discomfort at the whole situation: the reverence Ishrae seemed to hold Ortinez in, the expectation (maybe requirement) that they would stay, the ornate decor (surely the cost of that could have been better spent, part of her harps).

She fidgets, and waits for him to start with... whatever this meeting is supposed to be for.

[SurlySeraph]

Mkanu

Mkanu watches the Mutates uneasily. After hesitating, he climbs into his MATsuit and prepares to power it up. If they were there to talk, he could think of an excuse for being in an armed powered suit when they got to him. If they weren't, he'd never regretted preparing before a fight before and he wouldn't regret it now.

Listen check: [roll0]

[TwoBitWriter]

Mkanu:

Through the enhanced sensors of your MATsuit you can hear the conversation outside the ship.
"Search the vessel and take a log of its contents, its original owners won't have much need for it after we are done with them. The two Celar and their Synthetic won't be leaving this planet anytime soon either. If you find anyone aboard... kill them." Ishrae says to the two other terrorists.
The cargo bay doors slowly begin to open...

Saela, Jane, and Koriel:

"A true pleasure to meet you. I like to interview all new colonists in order to get an idea of where their skills and talents lie... so that we can maximize their usefulness here at New Prospect..." He looks over the three of you. "We always have needs of synthetics, and we have none as advanced as your bio-replica here..."
He looks at Koriel, "You have the look of a soldier... that is good. We could use such talents, many of the so-called "great races" would have objections to our ambitions here..."
He turns to Saela. "And we always need females... particularly those as lovely as you. The survival and expansion of our people demand it. But hopefully you have other talents that can be put to use..."
He claps his hands. "Once you tell me where your skills and experiences lie, I will assign you to your quarters and you can begin work tomorrow. You will find not better home here. Indeed, you will find that you have no desire to ever leave..."

Tex and Suvar:

Please make a Spot check, along with any other actions you wish to take while you are in the room.

Jane:

You are able to pick up on a data node, which you can use to remotely access any system on this station.
(Please indicate what you wish to search for, along with an accompanying Computer Use check. I will allow you the time to search for three different items/systems/data.)

[Sicarius]

Spot: [roll0]

If Tex isn't going to read that piece of paper, Suvar is.

EDIT: Afterwards, Suvar cumbles the tiny paper up and eats it. stating to Tex, "Fiber is an important part of your diet." He then stands up and yawns, stretching his arms all the way over his head. "I'm gonna go stretch my legs. Being cooped up on that tin can is making my legs atrophy."

[The_Snark]

SaelaMaybe he's trying, but Ortinez is not managing to make her feel at home. Saela's never really given much thought to childbearing, but she knows that when she does, she wants it to be in a context that doesn't put her in mind of some kind of breeding pod. She wasn't an incubator on legs. "I'm a mechanic," she mutters, "but we ain't sure we're going to stay. Not just yet, anyway," she adds, not wanting to antagonize Ortinez. There was an odd implication to his last words, like they wouldn't be allowed to leave. God damn, I really hope I'm just being paranoid. "We just came in to see if it was true. The colony rumors, I mean. I don't feel ready to settle down just yet, but... I've got parents back on Medura, thought they might want to know."

"Not a lot of Mutates back there," she adds, shifting in her chair again. The more time she spent here, the more she just wanted to get out.

[jagadaishio]

Jane

Upon finding the node, Jane immediately tries to access the station's door controls, alarm controls, and sensor controls. Being in control of any or all of these systems could be of enormous use to their endeavor on the mutate colony. Physically, Jane remains standing still, staring off into the distance, looking like nothing more than a tool of Saela and Koriel awaiting commands.

Computer Uses:
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

[Boggs]

Tex

Tex holds the slip of paper in his hand. He looks back to the door and thinks of the small girl who ran from the room. Looking to Suvar, "We've got to find a way to slink around this station. There's something... odd at work here."


[roll0]
[roll1]
Also, Searching the room for anything of notice (secret doors, a breeze between wall cracks, etc.)
[roll2]


(OOC: Sorry for the delay, it has been a busy couple of weeks.)

[TwoBitWriter]

Seala, Jane, and Koriel:

Halo claps his hands and laughs. "Of course, I understand. But surely you are in no hurry to leave. Your friends have already been given quarters for the evening and you will be welcomed to the same hospitality. Please, come with me and I will show you to your room. In the morning, you will be free to leave, naturally."
He stands, and beckons you to follow him. He opens a side door in the office, revealing a long hallway with Glasteel windows running down its length. As you step down the hallway, you can see out into the rest of the colony, at least into one of the work areas.
You see hundreds of Mutate men and women toiling in their work. Some are shuffling into and out of a dark tunnel, entering with Gravity-Shovels, and emerging with carloads of a strange ore-like substance.
Halo seems to notice you observing the work. "This planet still has rich ore reserves, which we use to turn a profit on the Galactic Market. We always have needs for mechanics for our Shuttle Carts," he says to Saela, before turning to Koriel, "and we have an opening for a new guard captain..."
You eventually reach the end of the hall and enter a door labeled "Worker's Dormitory."
Halo stops in the room, which is lined with empty bunks. "All the workers are on-duty, but this would be a good way for you to meet some of the colonists before you leave tomorrow... I must give my leave, I have several Administrative matters to attend too..."
He leaves, and the Door quickly slides shut behind him. You hear the unmistakable sound of a Magnetic lock engaging. You try the door, but it won't budge. There is one other exit to the room, which appears to lead to a another hall which links to a restroom, shower, recreation commons, a locker-room, and the entrance to the mines.

Jane:
You are able to gain Administrative Access to the entire Colony Network. You now can control doors and other security protocol.
You also happen across an interesting communique from Halo Ortinez to an individual known only as "Inari."
"The last shipment of "colonists" you sent me spend more time whining about their homes than doing any actual work. Just yesterday I had to Nerve Staple a half-dozen just to get the rest of the workers back in line. I demand better quality workers on the next shipment. I will meet with you on the Human Disraeli Outpost on Salabrax to personally inspect the Mutates you have rounded up. Only then will I authorize the credit transfers."
- Halo Ortinez

Mkanu:
The doors open, and the two Mutate Guard see you. They gape in surprise before yelling out. "We got a damn MAT in there! Blast him!" They open fire.
(Roll Initiative and take your attack action.)

Suvar and Tex:
Suvar peeks out into the hall, and sees no trace of the Mutate girl. He does notice two Mutates armed with Laser Rifles heading toward your room. You slink back inside. You don't think they noticed you, but this does not bode well.
Tex snoops around the room and discovers a maintenance tunnel in the ceiling, large enough to accomodate an adult male Human. He pulls the hatch off, and a ladder slides down, allowing you to access.

[SurlySeraph]

Mkanu

Mkanu bellows "Deceitful cowards!" and sprays the soldiers with his chaingun.

Initiative: [roll0]
Attack (autofire attempt): [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]
10 rounds expended

[The_Snark]

Saela

"Sure, there's no hurry," Saela answers, not wanting to sound suspicious. One night couldn't hurt any. Unless their cover was already blown, in which case it didn't matter what they agreed to.

In the dormitory, though, she looks at the locked door with suspicion; she's already on edge. Either he suspects us, or... the workers are routinely locked in at night? Sh**.

She slips her communicator out of a pocket, activates it to contact Tex. She does her best to keep her apprehension out of her voice, along with anything that might be incriminating if they were being bugged. No mention of her suspicions; no indication that she was a longstanding member of the ship's crew, not a passenger. "Hey, Captain. We talked with the Leader. Sounds like they want us to stay the night before we head back out again—does that work for you?"

[jagadaishio]

Jane

"You may want to hear this first, Saela," says Jane, after Saela whips open her com unit. She quietly recounts the message which she intercepted to Saela, Koriel, and the captain if their com units aren't jammed. "I believe that this is a slaving operation. Ortinez is luring prospective colonist here, then forcing them to mine or selling them to others."

Then, even quieter and hopefully more cryptic, in case the coms are being monitered, "Oh, and I am currently 'fully enabled' here, in case you need my assistance with anything.." Hopefully that's enough to tell everyone involved that she has security systems control.

[Sicarius]

Suvar

Suvar and Tex
"Great...Tex, we have company..." Suvar climbs up the maintanence hatch after Tex.

[Meshakhad]

Saela

"****."

Koriel's mind raced again. There went his plan to convince Ortinez to come peacefully. Along with any desire to do so. In fact, "blow Halo's head off with a railgun" jumped to Plan B.

He quickly concluded that staying the night was out of the question. There was no way he would be able to keep his railgun, or any other gadgets. Hell, they might even try to disable his cybernetics!

Koriel shunted any thoughts of this being a Mutate haven out of his head. This was a slave colony. He was dealing with slavers. Like the people who had gang-raped his mother to death.

The kind of people Koriel lived to kill.

He began to form a plan in his head. Fortunately, Halo had neglected to confiscate their weapons. Which meant Koriel was fully armed and armored, and there was nothing between him and the mines - the mines full of slaves he intended to turn to their side.

He also had Jane. The bioreplicant gave him a huge edge. He could turn their security systems against them, cut off access to key locations. And they would have no idea what was happening.

Just one thing he needed to check.

"Saela, you armed?" he whispered.

[The_Snark]

Saela

"I was about to ask the same thing," Saela says softly, worst-case scenario confirmed. Or perhaps not the worst case; at least she wouldn't be torn about what they should be doing this way. She shrugs her shoulder, and then opens her hand, revealing a smallish device that covers her palm and most of her fingers. It doesn't look like a weapon Koriel is familiar with, but given the context it probably is one. "It's only good for a couple shots, point-blank range. You?"

"Captain, you getting this?" she adds.

TexI just realized my message to you was inside a spoiler, so you might not have seen it. Saela's using the communicators, and they're probably transmitting their conversation, but this was the first message he got:

"Hey, Captain. We talked with the Leader. Sounds like they want us to stay the night before we head back out again—does that work for you?"

Followed by Jane's message. The communicator is still on, so Tex might be able to hear the conversation between Saela, Jane, and Koriel in its entirety, too.

[Meshakhad]

Koriel

Saela & Jane
To answer Saela's question, Koriel unslung his railgun.

"They probably figured that we bought their whole facade - which we did - so they didn't bother to take it. Idiots."

Peering at her palm, "What kind of weapon is that? Never mind. You'll be needing to fire more than two shots." He handed Saela his Colt Python and the ammo to go with it.

"Anyway, we need to move fast." He raised Jane. "Jane, I need you to initiate a security lockdown. Seal every door on this station except those between us and the mines." He paused before giving his next instruction. "And if you can, hack into their life support and kill everyone inside their security substations."

[The_Snark]

Saela

"An emergency one," Saela replies to his question, slipping it back up her sleeve and taking the Python, although she holds it a little awkwardly. She listens to Koriel's instructions, then says, "Countermand all that, Jane. Just disable any bugs they might have in the room. First we're gonna talk about the plan, maybe see what the Cap an' the others have to say." She gives Koriel a hard stare. "Maybe you run around doing whatever you like back home, but not with this crew. Kay?"

[Meshakhad]

"Sorry. Used to being in command of my own squad."

"OK, here's my plan: Jane puts the station into lockdown and kills the guards at the security substations. That'll cripple their ability to coordinate security responses."

"We - Saela and I - get into the mines. We take out the guards in there, and liberate the slaves. After stopping at an armory to arm ourselves, we link up with the Captain, Suvar, and M'kanu. We find Halo and capture him. The only part I haven't worked out is how to get the slaves out of here, but that can wait until we've taken control."

[TwoBitWriter]

Mkanu:

Before the two terrorists can react, you spray a hail of bullets over them. They manage to avoid most of the shots, but there are simply too many and eventually they fall down dead. Your MAT Comm System picks up the three-armed Mutate's communication, "There's a damn MAT in their ship! I need reinforcements!" You step out into the hangar to see the Mutate running toward the door he had taken Saela, Koriel, and Jane through.
(If I recall correctly, even if you miss, you still deal half-damage.)

Jane:
You pick up a communication from the Hangar. ""There's a damn MAT in their ship! I need reinforcements!"

Tex and Suvar:
You crawl through the maintenance tunnel, which branches off occasionally, you see signs with directions pointing toward the Main Maintenance Office, Hangar, Mines, Workers' Dormitory, and Security Office.
Below you, you hear one of the Mutate Terrorists talking. "This is Corporal Haigen reporting. Sir, I think they are in the maintenance tunnels... Will pursue."

[SurlySeraph]

Mkanu

Mkanu shouts at the retreating Mutate "Don't throw your men's lives away! Tell them to stay at their posts or we'll kill every last soldier in this colony!"

Intimidate: [roll0]

[jagadaishio]

Jane

"It would appear that Mkanu has been forced to begin an assault in the hangar. So, I'm going to initiate a lockdown right now. I'll follow behind you two and cause each door to open as we reach it. I'll also monitor Mkanu's progress and ensure that he is unimpeded," says Jane, outlining its planned course of action. "I will only turn the automated defenses against the guards or vent their oxygen if forced to. They may also be captives, working under force of compulsion such as blackmail, or their families being kept captive here on the compound. It would be foolish to assumed that they are all simply evil people."

Jane then uses its administrative privileges to sever all access to security cameras for anyone except itself, disable all security alarms, and enable a base-wide silent lockdown. It then unlocks the doors to the slave barracks, and starts up a security cam feeds to monitor Mkanu, scout ahead on their own route, watch the security stations, and search, camera by camera, for the captain and Suvar, neither of which have been heard from for quite a while.

Finally, as little more than an afterthought, Jane starts searching around for some sort of effective makeshift weapon.

[roll0]

[Sicarius]

Suvar

Suvar crawls forward ahead, trusting his psychic senses to alert him whenever there were people close by. With some good social engineering, he might be able to get the workers to revolt, and that would be the perfect smoke screen for him. So he turned toward the Worker's Dorm, and began crawling.

[Meshakhad]

"Time to move."

Koriel shouldered his railgun and activated his HUD. He approached the door, waiting for Saela to follow.

[TwoBitWriter]

Mkanu:

The Mutate ignores you and dashes through the door, leaving you alone in the hangar for the moment. You can hear warning klaxons wailing in the distance. Jane opens a link to your HUD, giving you access to station maps and security cams. (You can see what Jane sees, basically) And see an entire Squad of Mutate terrorists converging on your position. You count seven, six have Laser Rifles but one is carrying a Rail Gun.

Jane, Saela, and Koriel:

Janes manages to find a small Compact Laser Pistol (2d8, Small, 20 Critical, 40' increment) It is fully charged with capacity for 50 shots. Jane also completes the link to Mkanu's MAT and accomplishes everything on the system that it wished, causing havoc.

Koriel hears, through the door, the sounds of several booted feet getting louder as it approaches your location.


Suvar and Tex:

One of the terrorists below you take a few pot shots in the ceiling, the blasts from their Laser Rifles nearly striking you, but missing. You scramble forward until you eventually reach a small Maintenance control room, which is big enough to stand in. From here you can access the Main Maintenance Office, Hangar, Mines, Workers' Dormitory, and Security Office. You hear someone scrambling through the air vents after you. Another laser blast shoots out of the tunnel you just emerged from.

[Meshakhad]

Koriel took cover behind a bed, and aimed his gun at the door.

Ready action: shoot the first guard that walks in the door

[SurlySeraph]

Mkanu

"Very well, then. Perhaps losing this squad will make him reconsider. If they are not wise enough to leave and save themselves, at least they will die honorably."

Are there any heavy objects in the hanger that can fill most of the hanger entrance that the soldiers are approaching? If so, Strength check to drag it over to the entrance: [roll0]
If not, Mkanu will ready an action to shoot as many of the soldiers as possible with autofire.
Attack: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]

[jagadaishio]

Jane

Jane stands back, pistol in hand, and waits for the door to open.

Readies an action to shoot a guard if there is a guard on the other side of the door.

[Sicarius]

Suvar

Suvar looks around for something to wedge in front of the opening they just came out of. Something heavy so that those following wouldn't be able to push it back, even though being trapped in a vent significantly reduced pushing power.

[The_Snark]

Saela

Saela stands to the side of the doorway against the wall, ready to hit the first person to try and come through the door with an electrified dart. She holds the gun in her other hand, in case she needs it later.

Readied action, same as the others.

[TwoBitWriter]

Saela, Jane, and Koriel:

The noise grows louder, coming from the Mine Access door. It flies open and about a dozen adult Mutates wearing work jumpsuits scramble though. They are carrying various mine tools, a couple are armed with Laser Pistols.
A Mutate female steps forward and sees the three of you. "Are you the ones causing the trouble? Because we'd like to help!"

Tex, Suvar:


With a bit of effort, Tex and Suvar manage to block the tunnel they came from and avoid the Laser fire. There are a few more options of where to go.


Mkanu:

You only manage to move a large, heavy crate in front of half the hangar entrance before the doors slide open, revealing the squad of terrorists. However, you have managed to create a bottleneck that they try to scramble through, only to meet auto-fire from your chaingun. You manage to kill two of the terrorists, but the rest open fire.
Four open fire at your suit with their Laser Rifles, the beams harmlessly deflected by your Neo-Vulcanium armoring.
However, the leader with the Railgun aims and unloads a powerful round, which strikes you square in the chest (28 damage, your hardness of 20 reduces that to 8. That damage goes to the extra 100 hp that your suit gives you and doesn't actually hurt you.)

[Meshakhad]

"Oh, good." Koriel stopped pointing his railgun at them.

"What's the situation in the mines?"

[SurlySeraph]

Mkanu

As the shock from the railgun round knocks him back, Mkanu grins. He can feel a rush of adrenaline as the fight begins in earnest, and he can't think of anything he'd rather feel. With a shout of defiance, Mkanu charges the terrorists, trying to cut down their leader before he can fire the railgun again.

Attack:
Damage: [roll1]
If there's anyone between me and the leader, I'll make an Overrun attempt.
Strength check (factoring in a +4 size bonus from the mecha and the +2 bonus from the Steamroller class feature: [roll]1d20+8+4+2

30 rounds left in chaingun, 80 hp left in the MATsuit

[SurlySeraph]

Fixing that overrun strength check: [roll0]

[jagadaishio]

Jane

Jane just stands there and continues to monitor the system while Saela and Koriel speak.

[The_Snark]

Saela

Saela nods shortly. "Cha, that's us." She lowers her weapon, and nods towards the laser pistols. "Where'd you get your hands on those?"