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Into the Void Ref’s Notes Session 31 and 32

I have been running a modified version of the classic Traveller adventure “the Chamax Horde” for the last few sessions. I say “modified”, which means I used a lot of the structure of the adventures but made it fit into our campaign a bit better. This is the second time in the history of our campaign that I’ve used someone else’s adventure, the first being the Energy Leech adventure which came from Michael Brown’s 1-page adventure Energy Transfer.

It has taken a long time to do this particular adventure due simply to not playing very often. It’s hard for players to remember important details which might help them if you wait too long between sessions.

Now that we are playing online again that may change. Last night I proposed weekly or bi-weekly sessions, Tuesday nights from 7pm – 9pm. For in-person games I always feel like two hours is not enough. Everyone has made time to go to the game location, and then you only play for two hours? That doesn’t seem right. But playing online it feels different. No one has to travel. It is more convenient. And spending two hours a week online for the campaign is not too massive a time requirement. I think it may work. We’re going to try it. Everyone wants to play more. I’d like to as well. And it is easier to prep for two-hour sessions. It’s also easier to keep the Referee-Mind sharp and on-task for shorter sessions. I think that will benefit everyone.

Last night’s game was another zero combat session. Lots of exploration, planning, problem solving. I was very happy with the way all the players were active and engaged. I didn’t have to “find stuff” for each character to do. They just got in there and made it all happen. Before the game I asked them to all review the previous few sessions for important loose ends and details. One player in particular really took that seriously and was on-point with it. I have great players, and I appreciate it!

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ITV Session 32: Chamax Revisited

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SAFCO is in orbit of Planet Chamax, having narrowly escaped the aggressive hordes of crustacean-like creatures on the planet’s surface. They have rescued Caliban Tisk from a rocky island in the middle of a large lake.

On the bridge of the Rambler-II they discuss options. Caliban, who wrote his original crew’s contract with InStarSpec, has told them that whoever completes the survey of the planet will get paid. SAFCO seems up for doing this. Roger is in favor of getting back to Mylor and reporting on the events on Desolis, including the black energy leeching substance and the plans of Doctor Falke.

The team completes the survey, most of which Caliban had on his hand computer.

Lucky brings up the idea of returning do the air space above the ruins on Chamax and using the drone to further investigate the huge dome. They vote. Barney isn’t super happy about the idea, but they decide to attempt it, to gather more information.

Caliban inquires about SAFCO’s insurance situation. Is the ship insured? Etc.

Roger pilots the ship back down. Flint and Lucky take the air raft down and hover about 50 feet above the dome. Lucky sends the drone down. There are still a few of the creatures below, wandering aimlessly around the ruins. Using the drone, and broadcasting the video and sensor feed back to the ship, Lucky discovers that the dome is hollow, but there are 8′ diameter holes in the ground inside the dome, in no particular pattern. Taking the drone lower they see more of the organic furry balls on the ground in the dome.

As the team observes things, they discuss the apparent sensitivity of the creatures to radio signals. They notice after a few minutes of drone use that the furry balls begin to “quiver.” On board the Rambler-II Roger and Barney scan radio frequencies with the scanners. They identify the telemetry/control signals for the drone as well as other non-random signals. Analog signals.

Barney attempts to use the computer to find any patterns or info in those mysterious signals, but is unable.

As the observation continues, finally the furry balls in the dome become more agitated and begin to unfold, revealing themselves to actually be the creatures. They are awakening. Seeing nothing else of interest in the dome, and having had enough of the creatures, Flint signals to the Rambler-II for pickup. The ship returns and retrieves the air raft, Flint, and Lucky, and returns to orbit.

Back in the ship, Caliban saves recordings from the sensors to his tablet. The team decides that perhaps their hacker back on Mylor, Tahm Slykk, might have better luck decoding the signals.

They leave orbit.

As they are leaving Chamax, Lucky monitors the sensor for any potential trouble. Pirates or whatever. He makes a great Comp roll, and discovers a large metal object in very high orbit of the planet.

They investigate, and and find a flat, disk-like ship slowing tumbling but in a stable orbit. As Roger brings the Rambler closer, they see an inactive drive unit on bottom, and a 10′ high 30′ wide cargo door along flat circumference, but otherwise no features. Sensor detect that it does have power. They see ice on the surface.They use the sensors,  which indicate the ship’s surface is cold. Colder than one would expect for a metal object in space.

Caliban begins filling out salvage forms on his hand-computer.

SAFCO comes up with a plan. There is no docking ring. There is nothing on this strange ship for the docking clamp to grab. Flint, Lucky, and Caliban suit up in vacc suits. Barney takes control of the Rambler, Roger having established excellent station-keeping with the other ship. They need to stop it’s tumble. Roger takes the mining pod out. Roger is able to use his massive pilot skill to use the pod’s grabbing arms and thrusters to halt the tumble of the other ship, then returns to the cargo bay.  The three in vacc suits hold on to the outside of the pod, hitching a ride over to the cargo door of the other ship. Caliban has suggested they tether to each other, as he is new to vacc suit use.  Roger gets them close.

On board the Rambler-II, Barney gets the auto-turret ready in case of trouble, and Fardt goes to the other turret (he has no gunnery skill!).

Lucky, then Flint, then Caliban move over to the other ship, to the 3 foot deep ledge where the cargo door is recessed into the vessel.

Lucky finds a control panel on the side of the entryway. It’s a alien panel, but he makes a HUGE electronics roll and successfully opens it.

A massive blast of air comes out. Each must roll STR or less on 2d6 to manage to grab the edge of the door grooves or be blown out. Lucky and Flint make their rolls. Caliban fails and it blasted off the ledge. Flint is next on the tether, and is able to make another STF roll and yanks Caliban back to the ledge without being pulled out himself.

From the bridge of the Rambler-II and the turret, Barney and Fardt witness this, as does Roger from the mining pod.

Everyone also sees one of the furry balls ejected from the alien ship and go flying into space.

End of session.
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Elapsed time: 413 game days

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ITV Session 31: Chamax

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Elapsed time: 412 game days

SAFCO begins where we left off, with the Rambler II landed on top of a plateau and the team looking down on the landing site of the InstarSpec Subsidized Merchant ship.

Elsewhere on the plant, in the crashed Launch of the Sub Merchant, Caliban Tisk awaits rescue. He’s down to few days rations now, but a least on this rocky island in the middle of a lake the creatures can’t get to him. He turns on the Launch’s radio for his daily scan for anyone who might help him. A retired administrator from the Imperium, he took this job to help facilitate any claims expecting it to be an easy job. Now he’s barely escaped the attack on his crew by figuring out to how fly the damaged Launch and finding this “safe” spot. He’s heard occasional non-random and very weak transmissions, but no rescue.

Back at the Rambler II, the team uses the drone to examine the downed ship. Lucky pilots it down, taking his time and doing a good inspection. He flies it into one of the holes in the ship and finds burn marks on the floor plates and two half-meter furry balls in that compartment. The balls are not moving. Roger takes over the drone and examines the temporary shelter as Lucky goes up into the top turret of the ship. Barney decides they might want someone in the pilot’s chair and goes back to the ships bridge and moves it to give Lucky a good view of the site below from the turret. He sees nothing else as Roger pilots the drone.

Caliban Tisk, at the Launch’s radio, hears what sound like telemetry signals. Knowing what will happen, he decides anyway to try to radio any rescue mission that might have arrived.

On the Rambler, the ships comm system picks up a transmission from someone on the planet. Barney communicates with him. The person says to be careful of the giant spider-like creatures, and asks if they are there from InStarSpec to rescue him. About that time the shit hits the fan. Insect-like creatures the size of large dogs begin coming out of holes in the side of the cliff and climbing toward the Rambler II. The team starts hearing the sound of the creatures and see that they are approaching them and under the ship.

Luckily the team is all near the ship, but there are creatures between them on the cargo ramp, which is facing them. They run for the ship but are blocked by some creatures. Roger shoots one with his autopistol and the creature erupts in an explosion of acid. He runs onboard the ramp.

From the bridge Barney can see the things coming from all directions. He turns on the auto-turret and  it begins blasting the creatures. There are acid explosions all over the place. The dead creatures, their own bodies being eaten by their acid, litter the ground, but the creatures just keep coming.

Back at the launch, understanding that the creatures seem drawn to radio signals but knowing they can’t get to him, Caliban Tisk attempts to supercharge the Launch’s radio to draw the creatures away from his would-be rescuers. (Rolls JOT/Electronics – fails). A good idea anyway.

Fardt makes a run for the ramp and avoids an attack. Lucky does the same, shooting a creature but seeming to do no damage. Flint opens up with his submachine gun and has no effect. Lucky and Flint are both grasped and bitten by the creatures. They manage to break free but not before the creatures have secreted acid on them, which starts burning through their armor.  They get loose and make it to the ship, yelling for Barney to take off.

As they stand on the cargo ramp, 20 feet off the ground, there is one creature on the ramp with them. It grasps and bites Roger, who manages to get free. In close quarters they are afraid to shoot the creature for fear of acid. Flint grabs a strap attached to the ramp and does a flying kick, trying to knock the creature off. He connects, but the monster grabs the ramp and remains onboard. Roger then tries kicking it off, succeeding.

The team enters the ship and closes the ramp, being careful for any more creatures, removing their ruined armor. Barney flies them up into orbit.

They check the exterior of the ship as best they can, finding no creatures there or on the landing gear.

Roger takes over the pilot position.

They make contact with the survivor. They find him on a tiny rocky island in the middle of a lake. His use of the radio has apparently attracked many creatures who are at the edge of the water, frustrated they can’t get to him. Flint and Lucky rescue him in the air raft. He introduces himself to the crew as Caliban Tisk, working for InStarSpec as a Claims Facilitator. He tells them that he wrote his old crew’s contract with the company, and the contract says that whoever finishes the survey of the planet will get paid. SAFCO seems interested in completing the work — FROM ORBIT.

End of Session.
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Elapsed time: 412 game days

 

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Into the Void Ref’s Notes Session 30

It took almost a year to get back to the campaign, but I never end a campaign. Ever.

Session 30 was really fun, and was a reminder why I love this group so much. Since William moved to San Antonio last year we are taking the game back to Roll20 rather than in-person. I’ve not run or played a game on Roll20 since the pandemic lockdown, though I’ve kept my account  and all the stuff in there. The biggest issue I’ve had with it is that putting things online is an added layer of preparation. I really like doing everything in a small notebook and using that with my small ring binder that has all the campaign materials and playing in-person. I spend a lot of time on the computer already. BUT — I have made some progress on Roll20.

I got an iPad Mini for Christmas 2024, and recently added and Apple Pencil and the application Procreate to it, and it makes creation of maps for the online game much easier. I no longer want to go jump in front of a bus every time I start working on one. I can sit in my chair, in the front room with my family, and work on the iPad. The pencil works really well too, and the application does exactly what I need it to do.

Now, while I haven’t been running this campaign for nearly a year, I have been running a D&D campaign for three players for about 8 months, so I’ve been getting a lot of GM practice. So jumping back into the Traveller game was not that hard. I was very pleased with the roleplaying done by the group. They give me so many things to riff off of during the game. I had no intention of introducing an NPC computer hacker, but they wanted to find one, so I whipped one up. The things they did that I wasn’t expecting, which was nearly everything, gave me so many options as the referee. It is kinda funny that now, at 60 years of age, I am finally understanding that if you LISTEN to your players and ride that wave the game will be a lot better, and a lot easier to run.

Classic Traveller is a great system for this kind of play. There are enough rules to get the job done, but not so many to make the game oppressive and hard to create and adjust on the fly. Cepheus Engine is the same way.

After the game we started a discussion about the Cepheus Engine, and possibly converting the campaign to the CE System Reference Document. I have already ported a lot of CE mechanics to this Classic Traveller game. I think making it official might help the players, as they’d have all the rules I’m using easily available. So I asked them, if they have the time, to fiddle around with character creation using the online version.

I do, however, ask myself how much this would improve our game. Would it improve it at all? Is it necessary? The honest answer is probably not. Classic Traveller has served us well for many years now. I really enjoy saying I run Classic Traveller. That means a lot to me.

 

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ITV Session 30: A Planet Found

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Elapsed time: 396 game days

SAFCO starts from where we left off, onboard the Rambler II, attached by docking clamp to a doomed freetrader hurtling into the sun. They have the mentally-broken survivor of that craft onboard as well. Roger releases the docking clamp and gets the Rambler to safety with plenty of time to spare. On the trip back to Mylor, Barney attempts to break the corporate encryption on the optical storage wafer containing the doomed ship’s log. He succeeds only in breaking into some image files – pics of alien artifacts and antiquities presumably found on one of that ship’s missions. At skill level of Computer-1 he is unable to break the more difficult encryption. They keep the rescued man sedated. They consult the ship computer’s library program to find that InStarSpec does have an office on Mylor. Removing the vacc suit from the man, they find and InStarSpec ID saying “Igor Ravensky: planetologist”

Returning to Mylor, they turn the man over to the Scout service, who in turn put him in a local hospital.

The team debates what to do. They ask Fardt (who has Streetwise-1) if he knows a hacker who might help with the encryption. Fardt makes his roll. They meet a tall man in a leather overcoat, high hair, and small hipster glasses with circular lenses at the Happy Gluck — Tahm Slykk. Tahm has his portable gear with him. They get Vern to find them a private room, explain the situation. Tahm agrees to help them for an even share of whatever profit they make off this “caper”. They agree. At Comp-4, Tahm easily breaks the encryption and makes them a copy of the ships log. He of course has a copy on his rig as well. He agrees not to step on their toes, and Flint gives him 2000 cr as an advance on payment and goodwill gesture.

Back onboard the Rambler, at the space port, they evaluate the data. They see that the other ship was a typical Type-A Freetrader that had been modified for exploration, with various labs and gear. They see that right before the incident the ship had been two parsecs away, just coreward of the Zerix system (where they have been before). According to the time stamps, the ship was gone less than 3 weeks – enough time for the Jump-2 back and forth and just a little time in that parsec. They also know that there are no planets charted in that system, so obviously InStarSpec has found a new system.

They decide to go attempt to question Igor. Arriving at the hospital they are told he is being kept sedated, that whenever he starts coming around he starts getting agitated and violent. As they discuss next steps, and man in a nice business suit arrives and questions the desk clerk, who points to SAFCO. He introduces himself as Sevor Halin , manager of the local InStarSpec office. He thanks them, asks them what kind of ship Igor was on, and asks them to come to his office the next day.

The three former scouts in SAFCO are familiar enough with InStarSpec to know they are essentially for-profit explorers. They look for new resources, make a claim, then sell rights to other companies that might be able to exploit them. They have hired scouts out of the service, and the Scout Service tends to look down on them as profiteers, which they are, but then again in this universe who isn’t?

SAFCO meets with Halin, and agree to travel to the new system, named Chamax, to find out what’s going on, as they actually sent a two-ship expedition. The other ship is a 400-ton Subsidized Merchant, also retrofitted for exploration. They agree on payment, and Halin urges them to leave quickly.

SAFCO launches the next day, traveling first to the Zerix system, refueling at the gas giant there, and then jumping to the Chamax system.

Unknown to Halin, they have the ships log from the freetrader so they know exactly where to look. From orbit they use the ship’s sensor array and can see the Sub. Merchant still sitting there next to a plateau. They see no movement. Roger lands the ship stealthily on the top of the plateau. Flint and Roger creep up to the edge with Fardt with binoculars. Lucky mans one of the laser turrets on the ship and Barney gets in the pilot’s position.

Looking down, Flint, Roger, and Fardt see the Sub Merchant leaning to one side into the sand. They see a portable temporary shelter and an ATV near the ship as well as the location where the other ship was probably landed. Nearby there are a bunch of stone domes – ruins. One is bigger and has been opened up. They also see holes in the side of the ship with the same kind of scorch marks they saw onboard the doomed freetrader.

End of session:
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Elapsed time: 412 game days

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Into the Void Ref’s Notes Session 29

A few notes about session 29. Not going into too much detail about specifics from the Referee’s point of view as we just started this adventure.

For the first time ever I am using a classic published adventure from the old Traveller books. Two reasons. First, I was having trouble coming up with a good way to take the game at this point. I’ve been collecting the old books, and decided what the heck, let’s do it. Second, after watching some of Seth Skorkowski’s YouTube Videos I feel like I have a new appreciation of both how good many of those published classics are and how to run them.

So if you are in my group, don’t watch Seth’s videos! I might use some of the old scenarios he talks about!

This was one of those session where we had just finished a multi-session adventure. Sometimes deciding which way to take a game is not easy. In order to make this work I needed to get the guys back into space. They had a good reason to do exactly that, but could have decided to do some other stuff first. I might have needed to improvise a better reason. But rather and try to guide them I just sat on my hands. I let them hash it out. No forcing things. If they decided to do something else I would have made a game happen by responding to them. Turns out they did exactly what the scenario needed them to do anyway, so that was cool. We got underway. Sometimes as a gamemaster you have to just let things happen. It’s always better when the PCs aren’t railroaded. I’ve got a folder full of good NPCs and ideas for encounters. I can pretty much always make fun happen with the players’ help.

But I have to admit, it is nice to have DOZENS of concise 1-page adventures from Michael Brown and almost all the classic Traveller adventures and double adventures waiting to be to used.

I had to do a little massaging of the published scenario to fit it into the game, but nothing that major. This is almost always the case. I’m not running the published Third Imperium setting. So a few minor details had to be changed. I ran into this when running the last set of sessions using Michael Brown’s Energy Transfer adventure.

Something I’ve learned from reading Michael’s adventures, and that I’ve become very comfortable with, is finding new ways for PCs to use skills, and coming up with quick rules to determine their effects. For example, allowing the navigator to use his Nav skill to accomplish more efficient travel, save time, and in this case double the amount of time they’d have to accomplish their task upon arrival. They started with 1 hour under normal navigation, but for every 1 he could make his Nav roll by, I gave them an additional hour of time to work before falling into the sun. He made it by 1, so they had 2 hours rather than 1, which helped. I let the Engineer use his skill to gain information about the status of the clearly damaged maneuver drive. This kind of skill use, I think, lets players feel like they are valuable skills. It makes the characters a lot cooler. I had the pilot make a Pilot skill roll to match the speed and attitude of the target vessel. Without that, things would have been more difficult. He has Pilot-4, but he could have failed. Spacewalks and all the rest would have been a lot harder if he’d had to constantly be making adjustments, and using the docking clamp would have been next to impossible.

Once they were inside the ship, I again had to sit on my hands and just answer questions and let them explore. So many of us have been programmed to think that constant action is what makes RPGs fun, but it’s not. Exploration, suspense, information gather, time stress. These all made the game fun.

I can’t wait to continue.

 

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ITV Session 29: Into the Sun

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SAFCO starts from exactly where the last session left off, at the secret landing pad/hideout of the now-dead Lomax Jr.

After discussing what to do with  the transport coffins full of radioactive ore, they decide to dump the coffins into the local gas giant as they are about to go refuel.  The group takes off directly from the hideout, not wishing for anyone to learn they have illegal radioactives onboard the ship. Sally Rasputin remains with the crooks – looks like she has a new employer.

They reach one of the two gas giants in the system, skim some new fuel, and dump the coffins. Lucky uses his Nav-1 skill to plot an efficient course back to Mylor that will cut some time off the journey. As they slingshot around the sun on this trajectory, they receive a broad-beam message. A ship has entered the system and is hurtling toward the sun at high speed. It does not appear to be under power, but it will enter the sun on its current path. Any ships available are instructed to investigate and render aid if possible.  The team decides to intercept and help. It will be close. A typical intercept course will only give them about an hour to help once they meet the ship.  Lucky again uses his Nav-1 skill. The ref rules that if he can make his roll, for every 1 he surpasses his required roll by they get an extra hour to work. Lucky rolls an 8, beating his required 7 by one. They’ll have 2 hours to work. Not much time, but better than just an hour.

sunThe Rambler II alters course. Using Lucky’s navigation, they are able to slingshot around one of the outer planets, picking up speed, and intercepting the incoming ship. They see that the other ship is a Type-A Freetrader, almost identical from the outside to the Rambler II.  The company name “InterStarSpec” is painted on the hull. At this point the clock is ticking. Roger uses his pilot skill to match the speed of the other ship. Barney finds InterStarSpec in the computer’s Library program, identifying it as a company with offices and facilities on Mylor. They are apparently involved in identifying natural resources on new worlds, obtaining rights, and selling those rights to other organizations.

They take the Rambler around the other ship for a visual examination. They see lots of burn marks on the hull. Roger flips the Rambler length-wise and flips it upside down to better establish a lock with the docking clamp on the other ship. They have no airtight tunnel, so Flint, Barney, and Lucky put on vacc suits, use the airlock, and spacewalk over to the other ships front airlock. Lucky is unable to hotwire the panel so the hatch remains shut. He says it looks like the panel has been deliberately shorted out!

The away team carefully spacewalks to the rear of the ship, hoping to access the rear airlock, between the two maneuver drive nozzles. They see the same burn marks on the rear of the ship. Barney notes (using Enginering-3 skill) that the nozzles appear to be ruined, with melted/slagged parts. Lucky succeeds in hotwiring the door. Flint enters the ship through Engineering, followed by Flint and Barney. Roger and Fardt remain aboard ship. Power is on, artificial gravity is working, and life support is functioning.

They do a thorough search of the ship. Looks like there has been a fight all over the vessel. Burn marks similar to those on the hull appear on interior bulkheads, and things are a mess in general. The Jump drive appears to be undamaged, but Barney quickly assesses the situation in Engineering. The M drive will not be repaired without new parts. Not only are the thruster nozzles in horrible shape, but there is damage to the interior mechanisms.  The ship’s powerplant is functioning.

The away team gets to the bridge. Barney notices a big wrench on the floor, and four bolts scattered around.  He knows from the Rambler that these are bolts used to hold a wall panel on in the communications area. Looking at that panel, Flint sees that indeed the bolts are removed. He tips the panel forward to see a skinny, dirty, scraggly-bearded man hiding in the interior. The man looks crazed. Flint removes the panel. The man is shaking, sweating and gibbering nonsense. Barney removes the data storage module containing the ships log. The survivor continue to freak out, muttering “Chamax…Chamax!!!”.  He lunges at Flint, who easily avoids the attack and swats the man down, unconscious. They find a sedative in the medical bay and administer it to him.

Deciding they have gathered all the information they can and having found the one surviving crew member to whatever befell this ship, the away team  puts the man in a vacc suit they find in the ship’s locker, and take a couple of body pistols and shotguns along with ammo (they can’t help but do a little looting). They carefully spacewalk, carrying the man back to the Rambler II.

We end the session with the team and the survivor aboard the Rambler II, the two ships still connected by the docking clamp, both ships still hurtling toward the sun, with 45 minutes before it is too late to escape the star’s gravity well.

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Elapsed time: 396 game days

Loose ends:

  • Ship needs to move to safety
  • The survivor – who is he, is he now just insane
  • What happened to this ship?
  • Still haven’t dealt with Dr. Fawke back on Desolis
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Into the Void Ref’s Notes Session 28

We were one player down this session, but ran his character carefully and safely.

This was the end of a 4-session adventure. Really, it could have been added into the previous session, but I really didn’t have anything ready at the time. One good thing about running short sessions is that it allows you to react to the character’s actions well. It also draws things out a lot.

So here’s something I noticed during this session. At one point a couple of the PCs split off in the air raft, the idea being they could cover the rest of the team from a high vantage point. One of the PCs has good Rifle skill, so he was great as a sniper. The other, Barney, the engineer, was more of a lookout. Barney’s player, William, often puts his character in a lookout position. He seeks a good vantage point, and this has paid off many times for the group, whether playing Traveller or GURPS.  In this particular case it didn’t hurt anything, but it didn’t help either. I could have helped, but it didn’t. As the Referee, I didn’t suddenly invent some threat for him to deal with. Things were as they were. The team had created a good plan. They’d acted rationally. There was no reason some threat would instantly materialize just to keep William entertained.

And the great thing is this: William didn’t need to be entertained. He is a long-time RPGer, and an engaged player. Like the rest of this group, he thinks of the team’s success and how he might contribute to it, rather an worrying about being the constant superstar. So as an adult RPGer, he is able to accept that the actions of his PC did not put him in the spotlight but remain engaged with the game.

I appreciate that. I am a very lucky GM to have a group like this.

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ITV Session 28: Goodbye, Old Frenemy

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SAFCO, Sally Rasputin, and Reesus Peesus have boarded the Rambler-II and are in space, heading for the first of two jumps needed to return to Mylor. The cargo hold contains 6 transport coffins full of radioactive ore intended for delivery to crime boss Lynn Lomax Jr. The micro-bomb Lomax has implanted into the neck of Reesus has been removed while on the moon Desolis, using a microscopic amount of the energy-leeching crystalline organism discovered on that moon of Trask-6. Reesus need not fear Lomax anymore.

The crew spends two weeks in transit back to Mylor. During the trip Reesus teaches the crew a few gambling tricks for card games, and they learn that he wants to kill Lomax, which is fine with the crew, but it would leave a power vacuum. Reesus tells them that Lomax’s 2nd in command, Alro Rupalian, has expressed his concerns over the move into the spaceport, and might be a good person to assume control of the Lomax interests.

As the team approaches Mylor Reesus reveals the coordinates of a private landing site/hideout used by Lomax to receive contraband materials. He is able to give them a general idea of the layout. The landing site is in an inlet in the canyon walls, on a river about 100 km east of Mylor city. They ask him if Lomax will be there and he says yes, Lomax doesn’t trust anyone, so he’ll be there to receive the goods.

To avoid being stopped by authorities SAFCO enters the atmosphere well away from the city. They have devised a plan, as they have no intention of handing radioactives over to a criminal.

Reesus uses a private radio channel to contact Mergatroyd, my Mylor City, to request assistance.

Barney and Flint take the air raft out, far from the landing site, and quietly take up a position on the other side of the river, on the edge of the canyon, across from the landing site, reporting in to those remaining on the ship.

Roger lands the Rambler-II after notifying Lomax via radio that they’ll be there.  As they land, on either side of the landing pad, they see a tower (camouflaged from the air) in which a guard stands watch with a laser rifle. There are several entrances to what must be a base in the face of the canyon walls.

Roger and Reesus descend the loading ramp to great Lomax and his entourage. Both are armed. Lomax comes out smiling, “Welcome SAFCO. I trust you have the shipment? It’s going to make us a lot of money!”. “Yes,” replies Roger, “we’ve got it.”

“I see you’ve brought my favorite lap dog back as well – hello Reesus!”

Reesus seethes. Memory of the weeks and weeks of servitude and fear overwhelm him. He draws his autopistol and points it at Lomax.

“Reesus! What’s wrong with you? Don’t you remember this?” Lomax shows him the detonator he carries with him, which weeks ago would have triggered the micro-explosive Lomax had implanted next to his carotid artery. Reesus is swearing profusely and shaking slightly. Reesus keeps the gun pointed at him. Lomax grows visibly concerned. Reesus smiles slightly. Lomax uses the trigger. Nothing happens. His eyes go wide in disbelief. He triggers it again and again to no effect. Reesus smiles and pulls the trigger – MISSING Lomax completely!

The shit hits the fan as the shot is fired.

From across the river Flint fires his rifle, hitting the closest laser wielding guard in the head, killing him. The guard goes tumbling from his deer stand style post, falling 30 feet to the floor of the landing site.

Simultaneously…

Roger tosses a hand grenade next to Lomax, who fails to dive for cover. He’s blown to bits and two of his henchmen are knocked out.

and…

The other laser guard, having seen Reesus fire at Lomax, fires at Reesus, the bright red laser beam burning a hole through his skull, killing him instantly.

and…

Aboard the Rambler, Fardt directs the automated pulse laser turret to fire on the surviving laser guard. The ships laser hits, vaporizing the goon and burning a hole in the canyon wall.

and…

Lucky points the bottom pulse laser turret at the remaining goons. The GM rolls a morale check, and they fail, dropping their weapons and surrendering.

Roger directs the SAFCO robot to take Reesus to the autodoc, but it is hopeless. A large tunnel has been burned through his brain.

A white flag comes out the door, followed by a tall androgynous man and a few more thugs, all with their hands up. The tall man introduces himself as Alro Rupalian, and asks where Reesus is? SAFCO explains the situation. With regard to Lomax, Rupalian states “Lomax as a fool. Moving into the spaceport and bring the attention of imperial authorities was a dumb risk.”  He goes on the say “We won’t be taking those radioactives. It’s one thing running guns and contrand, but I don’t want to start selling WMD components. That’s bad business.”

Finally Mergatroyd and some associates arrive via air raft and take Reesus’s body. He and Rupalian disappear into the hideout to talk business.

SAFCO, having regrouped, with Sally, board the ship to discuss their next moves…

Loose ends: They still have the radioactives. What to do about Falke, back on Desolis, who has the energy leeching organism and wishes to profit from it. They have not left the hideout yet.

End of session.

IY6026.283
Elapsed time: 393 game days