IY6026.305
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.
IY6026.305
Elapsed time: 412 game days
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