Category: Game Sessions

·

ITV Session 40: Beetle Battle

IY6026.344

SAFCO is on Uetonah. After some discussion of how to proceed, they meet the spaceport worker who Barney encountered  at Irma’s Imported Mooch Emporium, after chatting up a local about what’s happening on the planet. He suggests they meet again later at their ship (the Fortunate Son) as they might be watched here at the bar. Later they meet him at the ship.

The man says he recognizes them from their previous visit to the planet, when he fought alongside them in their last battle on the planet. He tells them he’s been unable to get a message to the Sophont Liberation Front rebels to warn them of the Samson Mining’s plans to wipe them out with mercenaries. Caliban asks him if he has proof the Pachyderms are sentient. He tells them that he rebel leader, Jason, has been studying them for well over a year and would likely have data. Barney is of course interested in this as well.

He has the latitude and longitude of one of the four rebel hideouts, about 40km away. SAFCO agrees to deliver his warning message to the rebels, as it will get them closer to Jason Slimjack, the leader, and perhaps they can help in some way to uncover the truth of the Pachyderms. He asks the PCs if they had EVER heard of the Pachyderms (amazing beings) before coming here? Especially the scouts! The would normally be aware of most major lifeforms. They admit they had never heard of them, and posit that knowledge of the Pachyderms has been intentionally kept secret.

The next day the team sets out to collect some supplies for the expedition. Flint tells Silvonius Janks they are going to scout out plants/herbs that perhaps would make good cargo, and they’ll be gone about five days. Fardt agrees to stay with Janks. Caliban goes to the rental shop where the team rented grav bikes on their previous trip. He finds them looking to sell ten grav bikes, as business is very slow due to the mine shutdown. He knows that they should probably sell for about 20,000cr each in good shape (he has Grav-1 and can evaluate them). He uses his Admin-4 skill to bargain, getting the price down to 11,000cr each, and convinces Silvonius Janks to bring them on as spec cargo. They should be able to sell them much higher elsewhere. Lucky, Barney, Roger, and Flint buy some insecticide spray bombs to deal with big bugs in the jungle. Barney and Lucky, together, use the day to build a flamethrower.  The group has brought 4 hand grenades each from their stash.

They will be ready to go the next morning.

Their contact gave them latitude and longitude, and said if they go there they’ll likely be found by patrols. This issue is that travel on Uetonah is difficult. The Jungle is so thick that the only good way to move through it is through the twisting and turning tunnels smashed through the jungle over the aeons by the Pachyderms. So traveling five kilometers in one direction as the crow flies is impossible. Flying over the jungle is possible, but the trees are 600-800 meters tall and form a dense canopy. In fact, there are multiple layers of canopy down to the ground, each its own ecosystem. So finding the rebels from the air would be impossible.

SAFCO leaves town, entering the jungle via one of the jungle tunnel entrances by the strip mine. As they enter the tunnel they again find it would be dark of not of the colorful bioluminescence the permeates the jungle.

Roger and Flint fly their bikes side by side in front, with Caliban in the middle, and Lucky and Barney side by side in the rear. Roger uses his skill as a Navigator along with his bike’s onboard radar and compass to weave them in the right general direction. In the first five kilometer hex he misses his Nav roll, which means they’ll spend twice as much time in that hex, resulting in two, rather than one, random encounter rolls.

As they fly through the twisting, glowing path, Flint signals to the group to come to a stop. Using his Tactics and Leader skill, as well as military experience, he has used his onboard radar and good old combat awareness to gain surprise against three MegaBeetles that are blocking the tunnel. The team knows from a previous encounter that these creatures are very tough and very dangerous, and aggressive. Flint and Lucky each throw a hand grenade, doing a lot of damage to the beasts – enough to make them mad. The rest of the team take gun shots at them. They manage to kill one of the beetles, but one rushes Flint on the ground and the one that was hanging from overhead rushes, upside down, to Roger. Both monsters attack and miss! The team blasts with autopistols, auto rifles, and Flint uses his submachine gun. After a couple of rounds they luck out and don’t get bitten or crushed and they kill the beetles.

WHEW! Uetonah is dangerous!

End of session
IY6026.346
Elapsed time: 454 game days (1 year 80 days)

 

 

·

ITV Session 39: Return to Uetonah

IY6026.328

The members of SAFCO spend some time doing various things as they wait for parts for the Rambler-II. Barney and Fardt have done all they can without the expensive drive components, and they have at least five weeks until the parts arrive.

They meet at the Happy Gluck that evening to discuss next moves. Barney has been interested in the Pachyderms of Uetonah for a while. As a former bureaucrat working in the diplomatic corps on the border of the Kresk Directorate, Caliban has some knowledge of such issues, and knows that the Imperial Office of Sophont Relations has at least a sub-office on each Subsector capital. Mylor’s subsector, of course, is not fully explored and the imperial presence is undeveloped. The nearest office would be the Prometheus subsector office, on planet Prometheus, one subsector rimward.

They see a man going from table to table chatting people up. He’s wearing a green velvet jack, black pants, and black boots. He’s about 5′ tall, heavy set, with gray goate. He approaches the table. Caliban notes that he’s wearing an antique wrist watch.

The man introduces himself as Silvonius Janks – Interstellar Commodities Trader. He has just landed his Far Trader, the Fortunate Son, and is in need of a crew. He tells him that his pilot, navigator, and engineer have been hired away by some guys doing recruiting.

He explains that he has a load of 1)polymer components he thinks he can sell on Overon, and that 2)he has crates of military fatigues made of cloth armor fabric he’s heard he might sell to Samson Mining, on Uetonah.

He offers the Scouts all standard crew contracts based on their skill levels, and offers Flint a position as Gunner for one of the craft’s two turrets. Lucky gets a bonus for serving not only as navigator but as gunner. Caliban negotiates a contract to represent Janks in upcoming business transactions, for a 5% commission on net sales.  They find out that his previous crew lacked a steward, so Fardt is able to take that position, insuring that they’ll not be eating rations of garblag haggis for the next few week. Janks informs them that he want to leave for Uetonah in two morning.

SAFCO spends day doing the following…

Barney and Fardt go out to purchase supplies. They see see the recruiters from Samson Mining working a booth in the market. Barney has Fardt go use his streetwise smarts (Streetwise-1) to approach the booth and listen, acting like he want to join up. They don’t take Fardt seriously, but he makes his Streetwise roll and overhears them telling the possible recruits that rebel kooks on Uetonah have come close to shutting down mining operations. He then instructs Fardt to talk to his underworld contacts and start a rumor that Samson is signing people up for a death mission — to a planet where everything will kill and eat you. Guaranteed death. Fardt again rolls and makes Streetwise check. Rolling 1d6, we determine that recruiting efforts will be delayed by four weeks.

Flint and Roger visit Alro Rupalian who agrees to have 2 goons guard the Rambler-II while they are gone, simply out of goodwill.

Caliban makes friends with doc workers – they will help watch the ship. Finds out they are union. They will send him the name of union leader for future representation for contracts. He gives them some drink vouchers to the Happy Gluck.

Janks takes onboard one more lot of product – spices – to sell on spec.

SAFCO boards the Fortunate Son and heads for Overon, 2 parsecs away. One week in Jump Space.

Caliban assists in selling the polymers there for a nice profit. He sells the spices as well, also for a good profit. Flint visits the head of RCMP on the plant, Robert Tilton. He tells him about a possible post-scrubbing claim on Chamax, should there be anything good there.

There are no available cargo lots that Janks can currently afford.

They jump to Uetonah, and are boarded for inspection by a system defense boat. It is clear to Roger that the FS would be no match for it in a fight, and says “we’d better play nice.” They are allowed to land at the Samson spaceport.

Caliban trades the cloth armor fatigues for 200% of their original cost ($100,000 total). Sadly there is no cargo to ship out at this point. Perhaps when they are ready to leave.

They talk around the spaceport and city. Flint and Roger in the city – lots more posters now than on their previous visit. Barney chats up a dock worker, finding out that rebels have mostly shut down mining operations, but that will soon be fixed. Samson has brought in military weapons, and will soon have a private army to wield them. They will wipe out the environmentalist kooks. Lucky explores the city, and sees more pro-rebel graffiti and flyers around. “Free the Pachyderms” and “All Sophont Lives Matter”. Caliban does a casual, informal intelligence test on a pachyderm, and gets confusing results.

Man in spaceport bumps into Barney, and whispers to him to meet him at Irma’s Imported Mooch Imporium at 7pm.

End of session
IY6026.344
Elapsed time: 452 game days (1 year, 78 days)

·

ITV Session 38: Gun Shopping

IY6026.328

Two weeks have passed. SAFCO is still waiting for word on the parts they need for the Rambler-II.

PC’s discuss what to do with info on Dr. Fawke.

Caliban transmits some message to the Scout Service, complimenting the Scouts he was a bit of a dick to in the last session, realizing he was in a different culture and he misread it. Well done.

PC’s take alien data disks to Tahm Slykk, who agrees to build them a device that will read them. They pay him 10,000cr as his 10% share of their earnings from the trip to Chamax. He’s going to buy a new molecular analyzer for his workshop.

PC’s go gun shopping. Lucky talks to a gunsmith about buying a higher quality autorifle. He puts down some money on a new one. (Note: we had talked about using the finely made weapons rules from Mongoose Traveller, but I have decided not to. I’ll come up with some advantage for the new gun that will not unbalance the game).

Barney and Fardt work on Rambler. See Sub Merch in port. Barney talks to Sam, one of the mechanics. Finds out that the ship came in with no cargo. Barney notices the Samson Mining logo on the ship. Samson is the company doing mining on Uetonah, and possibly exploiting the native Pachyderms.

PC’s to the Happy Gluck, meet Flint’s old comrade Capt. Lex from the RCMP Army, who the find out is working for Samson. Barney on lookout. Lex introduces them to the pilot, navigator, and engineer from that ship, and tells them he is there to recruit soldiers to wipe out the rebels from the Sophont Liberation Front who have become an increasing problem for Samson. He refers to them as “environmentalist kooks”.  Lex offers SAFCO the chance to join up and make some money, but they decline. Lex and his crew leave. Barney rejoins the rest of SAFCO at their table and they compare notes.

End of session
IY6026.328
Elapsed time: 436 game days (1 year, 62 days)

·

ITV Session 37: Sharp Dressed Man

Still IY6026.306

SAFCO and Caliban Tisk have made it back to the Rambler-II. A few of the alien bug fur balls were blown out into space. Everyone is feeling the need for some revenge on the ugly bastards, so the team takes turns locating the 4 fur balls on the turret scanners and frying them with the ship’s lasers. Even Caliban takes a turn, and his Jack-of-all-trades skill comes in handy. He fries one!

After a brief discussion, SAFCO decides it is time to return to Mylor. Not a hard decision, really. Barney informs the team that the ship is overdue for annual maintenance. As a miracle-worker he’s kept them safe, but it is getting too sketchy. Among other things, the ship needs a new Jump Drive B modulator as well as a replacement for the Jump Field Control Matrix. This will likely have to be brought in from a Type-A starport a subsector away. They are looking at 7 weeks downtime and about $400,000 credits. Luckily the company has enough in the bank to cover it. A course is set and they jump, managing to avoid a mis-jump.

During jump they discuss plans going forward.

Caliban prepares insurance claim documents for SAFCO, as well as forms to reinstate life insurance on each member (owed them by the Scouts). He also files on Lucky’s behalf for compensation from the Scout Service for the disfigurement and trauma he underwent during his service (this one will be had to justify. Being a Scout is inherently dangerous!). Caliban also prepares instructions for his tailor on Mylor for a new suit, as well as instructions for fabriation of new field clothing and dress duds for SAFCO. He also prepare the proper forms, to be submitted to the Scout base on Mylor, suggesting that Chamax be immediately quaranteened. Caliban make a couple of Admin-4 rolls to start the process on a couple of these projects.

SAFCO and Caliban prepare a suggested plan for dealing with any other Chamax colony ships that might float into an inhabited parsec.

The Rambler-II arrives back on Mylor. The various claim transmissions are made.

The entire group heads to the Scout base once Caliban has picked up and donned his sweet new suit. He’ll be taken seriously wearing this!  Walking in, the Scouts and Flint see some familiar faces. Caliban tries to take charge, barking orders at a scout. The man asks Lucky “Hey who is this guy”. After a response from Caliban, the scout says “You should settle down, Slick.” Barney smooths things over, and they meet with Scout Admin Billy Zoom.

After showing Zoom their footage and documentation of their harrowing experience on Chamax as well as in the alien ship, and the survey data, he agrees that quarantine will likely be instituted (if not a planetary scrubbing), and he will tranmit data to the Quarantine Agency. In the meantime the Scout base on nearby Zerix will put in provisional interdiction satellites at Chamax. He thanks them and they leave.

Roger and Fardt go relax at the Happy Gluck.

Next they visit InStarSpec, to meet with Sevor Halin. Caliban has a plan. Barney is wearing a nice new uniform, while Lucky remains “badass” looking. While he initially scoffs at request for payment to the team for completing the survey (Caliban has the original contract, stating whoever completes it gets paid), he eventually decides it’s not his money after all and pays them the 100,000 cr specified in the contract, as well as the 100,000 cr he owes SAFCO for their work sorting out the situation. They show him the footage. He offers them a contract to go back and capture one of the Chamax bugs, saying such a life form must be valuable. They decline.

Caliban’s tablet pings, indicating payment received.

A vote is taken, and SAFCO agrees to accept Caliban into the company. He brings a useful skillset that none of the others possess.

SAFCO goes over its financials and other resources. They decide to take the data disks recovered from the Chamax ship to their hacker associate, Tahm Slykk, to have them copied.  Lucky begins compiling a list of useful gear they might want to procure for their future endeavors.

End of session
IY6026.314
Elapsed time: 422 game days (1 year, 62 days)

·

ITV Session 36: Chamax Understood

Still IY6026.306

SAFCO is still in the alien disk ship, on the Computer deck. They investigate the equipment. The storage media they found appear to be eight optical disks, each 8 inches in diameter and about 1/4″ thick. Each is a different color, and each has writing. Lucky examines them using his Electronics-3 skill. The disks and the associate equipment, like the rest of the ship, appear to be of a lower tech level than even low Imperial standard. The team looks over the deck. They see nothing that appears to be ship controls.

Lucky asks Caliban, who has experience with first encounters with alien races, to look at the optical disks. Caliban, who is also knowledgeable about document filing systems and such, needs and 11+ to make sense of the alien system. He is allowed to use the following modifiers. Admin-4, Liason-1, JOT-1. He succeeds with the roll.

Caliban assumes that if there is an order to the disks, it likely starts with either the left or right side. Few aliens would start in the middle or have some other odd way of doing things. He looks over the writing on the disks, and decides that the disks, if there is an order to them, go right to left in their holder. Lucky notes that it would be easy to remove the container and take the disks.

Another bug comes up the ramp to the computer deck. A fight ensues. Damn! These bugs are tough! The team peppers the thing with bullets as it chaotically attacks! The bug misses its attempts to bite team members. Caliban detaches his radio, turns it to what he thinks is a bug frequency, and throws it down the hall, trying to get the bug to chase it. The bug still continues attacking. Finally, Roger gets a good shot and pops the things acid sack, killing it. Caliban retrieves his radio.

The team decides to decend the ramp to the Engineering deck. They have no bug encounters on the way.

On the Engineering deck they see lots of low tech equipment, as well as a strange bank of devices that give the impression of being something like temperature controls.

Caliban uses his tablet to broadcast what they are seeing to Barney on the Rambler-II, who is Eng-3. Barney sees a small fusion reactor. He sees no evidence of a Jump drive. He estimates this ship could do no more than .6% lightspeed. It would take over 400 years to cover one parsec. He thinks the weird equipment looks
like some kind of temperature device.

Together the team thinks this ship is totally automated — a hibernation ship. No controls. No food prep. No facilities. Only the computer deck seems to have work stations or any expectation of interaction with a sophont.

They decide to return to the Rambler-II. Lucky and Caliban return to the computer deck to get the disks, while Flint and Roger stabilize the tumbling disk ship and see about bringing over a fresh vacc suit for Lucky.

On the computer deck, Lucky loads disk one, succeeds in a Comp-1 roll, and views an explanatory video, showing that the bugs originated on this planet, Chamax, as did the crustacean aliens. The bugs natural predator was intentionally eliminated and the bugs went wild, eating all organic matter on land. The aliens built disk ships and sent them out at sublight speed to try to colonize other worlds. This ship, apparently, was invaded by bugs as it lifted off. They ate the colonists, damaged internal systems, and the ship failed to leave orbit. They see a short depiction of the bug life cycle.

Back on board the Rambler-II, SAFCO and Caliban begin discussions of next steps, realizing the danger of the bugs should they invade other worlds.

End of session
IY6026.306
Elapsed time: 414 game days

·

ITV Session 35: More Bugs

Still IY6026.306

SAFCO and Caliban Tisk continue exploring the alien disk ship.

They have patched Lucky’s vacc suit with a quick-patch, but there is still a large hole being burned into it, quickly, by the bug’s acid.

Roger uses his blade to cut out the section of vacc suit affected — about an 8″ diameter spot. Lucky’s suit takes another 11 points of damage before he can get it cut out. It requires two quick patches and an 8+ roll by Caliban (aided by Jack of All Trades-1) to get the two patches to work correctly. The discarded fabric burns away, leaving a burned mark on the metal floor of the ship.

The team decides to try to find the central column of the ship, as shown in the video they were shown, to ascend to what looked like a bridge/computer room. They proceed, with Flint taking the point. As he moves through the halls another bug attacks him. He and Roger fight it. Simultaneously another bug attacks Caliban and Lucky. They manage to kill both bugs.

They reach the central column, and find a spiral ramp leading up and down, as well as a hatch into what turns out to be a column going through the vehicle, with a weird non-human ladder and lots of wires and conduits. They go up the ramp, and are attacked by another bug.

This bug gives them a lot of trouble. It bites Lucky and Roger, but Flint is able to pry it off both of them before it spits acid. Both of them get their vacc suits damaged again, and there is only one quick patch left. They shoot it many times, but fail to hit the acid sac and kill it. The ships power again fluctuates. Gravity goes away. Flint has left the hatch in that level’s central column open. Caliban situates himself to quickly slam the hatch shut. Flint uses his Zero-G combat skill to go flying at the bug, which is now flopping around wildly in the air. He has a crowbar with him. He makes a DX roll, and is able to hit the bug like a ball into the hatch, which Caliban slams shut and locks.

WHEW!

Now they have two damaged vacc suits and only one patch. The atmosphere in the ship is like that of the planet, however, which means it is breathable, and it is above freezing.

They continue up, and find what appears to be a “computer room.” Alien tech devices and monitors, etc. Ships power fluctuates again and the gravity comes back, but the lights to out. They are once again using their suits’ helmet lamps. Lucky makes an electronics roll and recognizes what appears to be data disks in a storage compartment. He considers taking the entire storage container, but the group decides that Barney is need on-board, since he has computer skill and may be able to figure out how to read them.

The session ends as the team discusses how to proceed. They need Barney and a spare vacc suit, and the alien ship is still tumbling with the SAFCO mining pod still attached.

End of Session:
Still IY6026.306
Elapsed time: 413 game days

·

ITV Session 34: Zero Gravity

IY6026.306
Aboard alien disc ship
Continuing from previous game

SAFCO and Caliban Tisk continue to explore the alien craft. Barney and Fardt are aboard the Rambler-II. Lucky explores one of the outer hallways.

As they explore the ship, they find more hibernating fur balls.  Roger kills one that is blocking his way.

The temperature in the ship has risen to -40 C.

The ship contains many curving corridors, which lead to chambers with what look like sleeping couches for some kind of alien physique.

The power and systems in the ship “hiccup”. On board the Rambler-II, Barney uses the sensors and can read the power fluctuations. In the alien ship, artificial gravity goes out. The team and the fur balls are now in zero-g.

Barney uses sensors to study the alien ship, determining that the engineering section is on the bulging section on the presumed “bottom”.

The boarding party uses Vacc Suit and Zero-G Combat skills to maneuver around the ship.  There’s another hiccup. Lights go out and the ship seems to move. Barney sees a couple of maneuvering thrusters on the disk ship fire, and the ship begins to tumble again, this time with the mining pod attached to it. The cargo door is now flipping around. Inside the alien ship, the boarding party is now relying on the headlamps from their vac suits for light, as the ship very slowly tumbles. The fur balls are bouncing around.

Caliban checks his suit readouts. Interior temp of the ship is approaching 0 C.

There’s another power fluctuation. Around the ship, panels slide open on the walls, revealing video screens. A recording begins to play. The face of a crustacean-like alien appears and speaks in an alien language. An animation starts as he speaks, depicting their ship landing on an idyllic planet. Crab-like aliens exit the ship. The do not look like the bugs. It shows equipment compartments opening on the outside of the ship, crab-beings setting up camps, and one alien going up a central shaft in the ship to a compartment on top and accessing a computer.

SAFCO discusses what they think has happened on this ship. The mystery continues.

The ship has warmed above freezing now. Two fur balls unfold into bugs. They are all in zero-g. The bugs try to get to the humans to attack but fail. Various gunshots fail to kill the bugs.

On board the Rambler-II, Fardt manages a lucky shot with the pulse lasers and fries the alien ship’s maneuvering thrusters.

There’s another power fluctuation. Gravity comes back on. The bugs and humans land back on the floor. Many shots fail to damage the bugs. Finally, Caliban manages a great and lucky shot, and one bug explodes in a burst of acid and dies.

The other bug leaps on Lucky and bites him, then continues grasping him. Lucky is still up. Flint shoots it in the back but it doesn’t die. He then realized that was a bad move – the acid would have gotten on Lucky.  More shots. Lucky pries himself free, but not before it spits some acid on him. Flint blasts the bug and kills it.

Caliban quickly patches the Lucky’s vac suit, but it still has acid on it that continues eating through it. The ship continues to tumble.

End of Session.
Still IY6026.306
Elapsed time: 413 game days

 

·

ITV Session 33: Fur Balls

IY6026.306

SAFCO and Caliban Tisk still in orbit of planet Chamax.

Lucky, Flint, and Caliban, in vacc suits, are standing inside the alien disk ship, just inside the cargo door. Atmosphere is still escaping that ship. Roger uses the mining pods claws to grab the edge of that door, as he has noticed the escaping air is thrusting the ship away slightly. He exits the pod and joins the others. Barney and Fardt remain about the ramble, Barney at the pilots seat and Fardt in the bottom turret.

Lucky closes the door of the disk ship. As it closes, the ships interior lights activate. They notices the sound of “a ship returning to life” as the vessel’s systems come back online. Their vacc suits indicate the temperature inside is -100 C.

Looking ahead, there is a central ramp that leads up. On either side is a ramp that leads down apparently to a lower deck. Just inside there is a 1 meter by 1 meter hatch on the walls of each of the side ramps.

Looking down the left down ramp, no lit up, Lucky sees about 10 meters away one of the meter-diameter fur balls they found on the planet that are apparently hibernating creatures.

Going up the central ramp, Roger gets to the end and finds a curving corridor to the left and right. Down to the right he sees a fur ball.

The fur balls are not moving. Lucky uses binoculars to look at his. There are no apparent eyes or other sensory organs focused on him. It is just a fur ball.

Rogers check his suit. They have been in the ship a while now, and it is warming as the systems come back online. Up to -90 C now.

Lucky looks at the square hatch in the right side ramp walls It is 1×1 meter square. He makes and Engineering roll. He recognizes that it is a fairly low-tech hatch. A simple mechanical latch. He estimates based on that they are dealing with a lower than Imperial average tech level.

Caliban and Flint are on the left side ramp. They open that hatch. Caliban stoops and looks through. He sees a curving corridor, and about 10 meters in is another fur all.

Flint advocated simply kicking the frozen/hibernation fur balls into space. Caliban, experienced in alien first contact, thinks they may be dealing with an intelligent species. He further mentions to SAFCO that if they can make a positive first contact they might be able to benefit financially from any contracts they can make with them. He asks Barney, aboard the Rambler-II, to broadcast some of the strange radio signals they found on the planet.

Barney moves to the communications panel and does just that, and notices that the alien ship is now broadcasting radio signals. He records them and send them through the ships computer (makes COMP roll) and successfully analyzes them. They match similar patterns of what might be S-O-S or “Hailing Frequencies Open” or “We are here” kinds of simple signals. Caliban records them.

The alien ship continues to warm. Flint suggests they reopen the cargo door to cool the ship back down. He is concerned about waking up the creatures.

Caliban uses his radio, up close, to broadcast the alien signals right at the fur ball in front of him. He’s not listening to the other’s conversation. Flint re-tethers himself to Lucky and braces himself against the small square portal opening. Lucky moves to the cargo door control and uses his Elec-3 skill to try to use the alien controls to only raise the door a little bit to bleed off some of the warming atmosphere.

Caliban sees his fur ball beginning to quiver. He is determined for a successful first contact.

He manages to raise it only 1 meter, but that’s a lot. The air begins whooshing out. Flint easily braces himself and is not sucked out. Lucky misses his roll and is sucked out into space, tethered to Flint. On the upper deck, a fur ball is sucked past Roger, who makes a DEX save to avoid it smashing into him. He then fails his STR save and is blown down the corridors. He tumbles past the dangling Lucky.

Lucky makes a DEX save and manages to grab Roger by the ankle as he tumble by.

Inside, Flint manages to partially shut his small square hatch. The fur ball smashes into his back, as does Caliban. Using his great strength (he makes a STR save) Flint pulls Lucky and Roger back into the ship. Lucky shuts the cargo door. The lights and life support are still on.

In the side corridor, the fur ball begins to unfold into an adult Chamax. It attacks Flint but misses. He hits it twice with his sword, but it doesn’t die. Caliban fires with his auto pistol but misses. Lucky spots the thing through the hatch and shoots it with his auto rifle. He penetrates the creatures  body and ruptures its acid sack. No one is at Close range. The beast erupts in acid, and dies.

The team is still aboard the alien ship, which continues to warm…

End of session
Still IY6026.306
Elapsed time: 413 game days

·

ITV Session 32: Chamax Revisited

IY6026.305

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.
IY6026.306
Elapsed time: 413 game days

·

ITV Session 31: Chamax

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