Iron Stars - vanon

Vanon Talenar, Technical Foreman of the Vari national shipbuilding group relaxes at his apartment on Vari. The news is playing on the holoscreen in the apartment, showing several local politicians have met with accidental or unfortunate deaths, and CBSS officials are moving to more fully integrate the planet into their union. It's good news for you, and your labor team- as the money and benefits you will get from industry nationalization are going to improve. to that end, something seems to have marked you for more, as your compad chimes, a secure message from an unknown number. 1 New Message: Important

Vanon glanced over at his compad and frowned at the strange message. He grumbled as he methodically set aside the parts of the scrapped drone he was tinkering with and then pulled up the message.

Foreman Talenar, 

You have been selected by Communist Brotherhood of Stellar States Central Command for a promising role in an upcoming salvage investigation. You will be one of the first in the entire nation to see a former Slyth planet, and assist in recovering the remains of a stricken cruiser from its surface. 

The work will be complicated, and demanding. A salvage operation of this magnitude has never been attempted by the CBSS before- and if successful you will be responsible for resurrecting a major displacement warship at a time where the CBSS needs it most. 

Your timely response is appreciated. There are others who would give anything to be where you are now.

Vanon considered for a few moments after he read the message, but his decision was never in doubt. The few operations he had conducted for the state in the past had been small scale, always through an intermediary. To be contacted directly was a great honor and despite some of his misgivings about the state, he would never turn down an opportunity like this. He sent a terse reply. Yes. When do I start?

A Towncar will arrive this evening. You will be taken to the starport, and then to Mantaine, a slyth world several days east of CBSS territory, but still within our borders

(edited)

He shakes his head at the time frame, annoyed as he imagines the bureaucrat who was probably coordinating this effort.

That is acceptable, but there is much to prepare.

I will require, at a minimum, detailed specifications of the ship, current state of all major components, a complete list of all tools and equipment available to me on site, and detailed skill sets and qualifications of all on-site personnel who will be reporting to me.

(I’ll fill in the details as the mission goes on. Some of it is depending on how the other players mission ends )

9:18 PM

(This is going to be pretty flat if I just throw you a list and it’s just telling people to do things)

(sorry, poor RP on my part - I was fully expecting you to not tell me any of that)

The respondent on the other end of the line does not send a list of any kind but sure enough the town car arrives as scheduled. It beeps it’s horn just once outside, and it’s a engine idles as the driver waits for you to emerge from the building.

Vanon takes a look out the window and sees the vehicle. Well, at least the car is on time. He grabs some gear he had prepped and heads outside towards the car.

Heading downstairs, a driver in a military uniform, ranked private , opens the rear door, and the trunk so your tools and traveling equipment can be stored away for your trip to the starport. "Good evening Comrade Talenar!" he shouts, though he does not salute, as you have no military rank

"Good evening." Vanon nods at the private as he walks down the pathway and stows his gear in the trunk. "I don't suppose you have additional information to give me on this operation?"

"Everything will be explained on site. The details are mostly classified, sir. Not suitable for transmisison over airwaves"

10:27 AM

He dutifully takes your bag and you can see the car sag on its rear axle just a bit, before the air ride system compensates for the weight of your tools

"Fair enough, let's get on our way then."

(I'll make a group thread for you and Vitriol)

**Level Up**
Level: 2
Focus: Tinker lvl 1
Old HP: 6
HP Roll: 4
New HP: 7
New Skills: Fix 1 for 0SP (Tinker), Lead 1 for 2SP, Notice 0 for 1SP
Current AB: 1

**Level Up**
Level: 3
Focus: N/A
Old HP: 7
HP Roll: 12
New HP: 12
New Skills: Fix 2 for 3SP (using 1SP remaining from Tinker foci last level), Notice 1 for 2SP
Current AB: 1

(I was looking through some surrounding planets on the wiki - maybe Vanon could go to Angelos? I was thinking to do more clandestine activities, politics or recruitment rather than all-out war, but that might be fine)

(It would be I would imagine more of the politics than actually fighting. Trying to bind and alliance together of revolutionaries to handle those who don’t agree with the change. Ect )

(sounds great!)

As the free merchant arrives to finish the work here on this former slyth world, it also comes with new orders for you that you and two bodyguards will take the shuttle that brought you here and make for Angelos, to support the communist Revolution there

As he reads the new orders, Vanon surges with pride but also doubt. He had hoped this day would come again - he knew he could bring the workers together, lead a revolution - but the memories of his previous failures weighed heavily on him. The infighting, the lack of commitment, and ultimately the betrayals that doomed his earlier attempts. He let all that pass over him. He knew he must have impressed the CBSS leadership with his work on Mantaine. They had faith in him, and he would have faith in himself. He immediately begins packing his belongings and saying his farewells to the salvage crews as he readies himself for the trip to Angelos.

8:24 AM

(will my ATV be available to me there, or will that take a while to get fitted out?)

(It will be available)

10:23 AM

(5 days of downtime, passing through Vari on the way there)

During the flight, Vanon returns to his study of the Slyth logs they recovered from the downed cruiser. A few insights he gathered from the Slyth engineers while they were visiting the crash site helped guide his understanding of the alien computing architecture (Program 26/90). He also took advantage of the fly by Vari to gear up for Angelos. With multiple deadlocked war fronts, he needed to be prepared for possible military conflict. (was thinking about getting a combat field uniform and maybe a drone, both of which I would keep in the ATV - unless a drone would take a while to fit out?)

(if you have the credits to buy and fit the drone, you could keep it in the ATV)

(Ghostwalker with Observation Suite & Grav Muffles; 9 power cell A; Combat Field Uniform - 6340 credits)

(There’s a drone tab on the character sheet that’s very helpful for plugging that all in)

5:56 PM

(But that’s good. We can get all that)

Vanon packs away his new combat armor in the ATV, hoping he never has to use it. He'd participated in his share of firefights, but never an all out battle. The drone on the other hand...he breaks into a smile as he handles it and stows it away in the ATV. He had worked on a few in the past but never owned one as sophisticated as this stealth drone and he felt like a kid with a brand new toy. He pats it lovingly before returning to his cabin for the final leg of the trip to Angelos.

The planet when you arrive still reflects the most recent reports. It’s hard to determine who is fighting who, and even harder to get some sort of communication with anyone on the surface, those stations are targets for both sides alike.

Vanon addresses the shuttle flight crew, "You can't reach anyone? There's gotta be something. Someone with a radio and a tinfoil satellite dish or something." (has there been any CBSS contact or involvement with Angelos to date?)

(No there hasn’t )

(it looks like on the map, the rebel HQ is an airship - which is awesome, by the way - is that the extent of the CBSS intelligence on the rebel force?)

(Yeah that’s it. Just what they could guess from orbit)

8:01 AM

(Nobody could be risked on the ground with all the other things going on)

Vanon sighs and shakes his head as he wonders what he's gotten himself into. "Alright, let's do a fly by in the region the rebel HQ was last spotted in, see if we can spot any larger towns that haven't been hit by the war yet. Keep her out of visual range though. I doubt they have anything that could shoot us down, but I don't want to spook anyone."

(program/int, at +2 since the ship has survey sensors)

(8)

The towns on the northwest island, to the west of rebel HQ look to have been spared most of the pains of the war but its clear based on your orbital flyby that they were attacked at it least one point in the past. You can see places where new structures have been built over the old, and bomb craters are now small likes, or overgrown depressions in the fields .

"Alright, these towns look the least damaged. Let's set down near the southern one, but well away from the town - we can take the ATV in closer."

(like 10kmi- ish?)

(that works)

(also just realized I didn't get any ammo or fuel for the ATV :D, any chance the shuttle has some stocked?)

(The shuttle has a locker so a type B cell and ammo are available )

(Alright, stocking a type B and 10 rounds of ammo for 600 credits)

2:15 PM

Vanon preps the ATV for landing, stocking it with a power cell and ammo. He heads back to the bridge as they get ready to set down. "See if you can put her down in there." he points at a nearby bomb depression in a field. "Should keep the profile lower so it's not as easily spotted."

The Atv is deployed before the ship heads back to monitor from orbit. The 10km to the settlement takes you across an icy tundra with thick ice rocks and loose trees

"Alright comrades, " Vanon addresses his bodyguards. "This terrain looks pretty dicey so I'm going to take it slow. Keep an eye on the sensors. I'm hoping we'll be able to see anything coming before they see us." He hops in the driver seat and gives them a grin. "Plus I've never driven one of these things before, so hopefully you can look out for the bad guys while I try not to drive into any trees."

(one of the ship pilots can drive if you want, since they're trained)

(oh didn't realize, thought it was just Vanon and the 2 bodyguards. But yes that would be better :))

(better solution than rolling a bunch of checks)

7:58 AM

(notice/wis , at +2 for scanners though0

"Comrade! Forgot you were coming along in all the excitement." Vanon says to the pilot and slides out of the drivers seat. He instead mans one the sensor stations from the co-pilot seat as they get underway. (15!)

Radio signals that are highly mobile seem to be departing the settlement, heading in this direction. They are possibly scouting, or exploring- their chatter doesnt seem to indicate they're prepared for a confrontation, or expecting one.

Vanon addresses the pilot "Comrade can you hide us behind one of those rocks? I wanted to recon that town without being spotted, and we also might be able to figure out which side they're on by listening to their chatter."

8:19 AM

He turns to the back, "One of you two man the railgun as well. Do not fire unless we're fired upon though."

They seem to be on the communist revolutionary side, and should be here in moments on their swift bikes. The rock outcrop offers concealment, and cover, and you will have to be careful in announcing yourself.

Vanon had planned to recon the town beforehand, but learning that the scouts were on the side of the revolution, he quickly decided to try to hail them instead. He told his comrades to remain in the ATV and started climbing to the top of the rock outcrop so hopefully the bikers would spot him as he tried to flag them down.

You hear them long before you see them. Emerging from another tangle of trees and stones, 50m away, three scout bikes, an all terrain quad bike, and then finally another pair of scouts emerge from the trees. their gear is a mix of light armor and weather-appropriate gear. The bikes also have modifications to allow their tires a better grip on the ice and snow. They are wearing fully concealing helmets to keep the wind out, and as they notice you, they halt their bikes, dismounting and drawing weapons to close in

"Comrades!" he shouts as they come within hearing distance, his arms opened wide in a welcoming gesture, clearly showing no weapon in hand. "Don't be alarmed. I'm just here to talk."

As they close to within 10m, so talking is possible, their weapons are held ready, but they are not aiming at you. "Who are you?! What do you want?!" The lead biker shouts up to you, hand resting on his own still holstered pistol

"I'm Vanon Talenar. Me and my...organization are here to help assist with the communist revolution. I hope I'm in the right place. If you're not revolutionaries, this conversation might go poorly." Vanon slowly moves his hand to rest on his own holstered pistol for dramatic effect.

"What organization is that?" he calls out, "This might still go poorly" Some of the other bikers laugh, the dark laugh of gallows humor

Vanon gives a small smile. "Well, let's hope it doesn't. From what we've seen from orbit," Vanon points lazily at the sky, "it looks like you could use our help, and shooting me won't make you any friends." "I'll tell you all about the organization but this isn't the place. Who's in charge in town?" he gestures with a nod towards the direction they were headed.

“We don’t have any proof you’re who you say you are. We aren’t bringing you anywhere until you provide some”

7:46 PM

Most of them are now reaching for weapons

(what kind of weapons do they have?)

Most of the bikers have semi-automatic carbines that shoot solid rounds. The convoy leader has a revolver. The heavy quad has a machine gun, that the driver is about to operate if this meeting continues going at its current pace.

(can i use my authority foci to try to get them to stand down and take me to the town?)

(You not telling them who you’re with has them thinking you’re a spy and taking a spy home to their leaders and families is I think too against their interests for the foci to work)

"You demand proof? Very well. I'm with the Communist Brotherhood of Stellar States. You can see a small example of what we have to offer - just behind this rock ledge I have an advanced vehicle, dropped just a short while ago from our orbiting shuttle. It's just a scouting vehicle for us, but it could still mow through your group as if you were blades of grass. You're welcome to see this small measure of proof, but you'll want to lower your weapons - my comrades in the vehicle are not as forgiving as I am to open threats."

The tensions seem to calm somewhat as you mentioned working with another communist actor. The vehicle moved out from behind the rocks and the riders are suitably Awed by it

"You see? There is much to gain by working with us. Perhaps now you can answer my questions about your town. There is much to do, comrades and we have little time to waste."

They seem relieved. "Your driver, he will move into the middle of the pack, and the weapon up top there will have its power disconnected. We'll be monitoring closely"

8:18 AM

"You must understand we have been at war for a long time. We have seen all manner of dirty tricks"

"Very well." Vanon gave the necessary orders to his team. He wasn't too concerned, he was fairly certain he could get the power restored quickly should an incident occur. "I'll return to my vehicle now and we'll follow your lead."

They;re pleased with the developments, and youre escorted across the plains to their settlement- consisting of a large central holdfast, outlying residences and warehouses, and a large project where it looks like the locals are all taking turns constructing walls and other fortifications around their settlement. A pair of battered anti aircraft guns keep an eye on the sky, their old-pattern radars spinning quietly, constantly on the hunt for targets. Farmers do their best to keep bringing in crops, loggers cut and plant trees, and life tries to go on despite the threat of constant bombardment

Vanon looks on approvingly as they pass the industrious workers. He addresses the scout leader as they arrive and exit the ATV. "This is a fantastic town, my friend. Too much in our worlds, the people rely on technology and have lost the value of hard work. I'm glad we have the chance to assist your people in the war effort so they might carry on with this important work."

"Technology is a help, but it can fail, so the ways of doing it by hand should not be forgotten. It is how we have coped with the bombings, and the lack of supplies. Your Brotherhood, you do not do things this way?"

Vanon shakes his head. "Some of our worlds have advanced to the point where people can have all the necessities of life provided for them with little work. Both a blessing and a curse. But I'm of the opinion that it's better for the people to have that option and let their natural industry take them where it will. There's plenty of us who understand that there's always more work to do, and would be lost without it. I for one was just a humble mechanic not too long ago and kept myself busy, along with many of my fellow workers, and now I find myself here doing even more important work."

They are content to listen to your tales of the wider CBSS, though they know your job here is not to do with them, but with their leaders instead. The village council is fetched, consisting of a military officer, and two village elders who seem to have the regard of the people in some form or another. They meet you on the steps of the holdfast, each of them looking pleased at getting some air for the day- and interested in recent developments

"Greeting comrades. I'm Vanon Talenar of the Communist Brotherhood of Stellar States. Thank you for meeting with me."

"And thank you for coming- and for not killing our scouts just because you could. We have not heard much of what you are doing here, or who you are. We are in the embarrassing position of our scouts knowing more than we do"

Vanon looks a little embarrassed at the mention of the threat to the scouts. "Glad to be here, and yes our meeting with your scouts may have gotten a little...heated. I'm afraid I'm more of a mechanic than a diplomat. But regardless of that, it's what I'm here to do. We heard of your revolution and ongoing war and have come to see how we might assist. The CBSS has offered similar support to other groups in the past - we try to support our communist brothers and sisters wherever they can be found."

Very distantly through the clouds the form of a prop driven, four engine observation plane can be seen at high altitude through the clouds. “Got anything to handle those? Too high to try to waste ammo shooting down. Bombers will be here soon. That is a scout”

(I assume out of range for the railgun as well? Is the orbiting shuttle armed? Though I'm just realizing now that I'm not sure I actually have a way to contact the shuttle...)

(You can contact the shuttle, orbital bombardment is wildly inaccurate and illegal under most circumstances, and the shuttle is not armed. The scout plane is out of range of the railgun, its higher than 4km up in the air) (edited)

"Afraid not. At least nothing planetside. All we have here is what you see on the ATV, and it doesn't have the range for that. If the bombers make their approach lower, we can try to take some of them out." Vanon looks out over the settlement. "Do you have a shelter? Our ATV is well armored and might be the safest place for a few of your people if you don't."

"It should fit in the main hall of the holdfast, we will clear a way, bring it forward in a moment"

11:01 AM

they order men inside, and retreat themselves to move things out of the way so the large vehicle can fit inside

Vanon directs the pilot to drive into the hall and takes a minute to don the combat armor he had stowed in the back of the ATV. He addresses the councilors, "Get as many people as you can into that ATV. This armor will suffice to protect me from anything that's not a direct hit."

Inside the holdfast everyone is safe , and your vehicle is too. They won’t get inside as they have no need and you’re still something of an unknown

6:10 PM

The drone of the engines ebbs away as the scout plane reports it’s findings and turns around. The bombers will no doubt be poking around soon

"So while we're hunkered down in here, what can you tell me about the war? The more we know about attacks like this, the better we can assist."

“There’s no major power blocks to speak of. Some like communism. Some don’t. It’s neighbor against neighbor in some places. Alliances change all the time depending on if they think they’ll see morning or not (edited)

Vanon nodded. That matched the limited intelligence that the CBSS had gathered. "We can work with that. Chaotic and dangerous, but I'll take that over entrenched state power any day." He paused for a moment, taking in the tense atmosphere as everyone waited for the bombers. "So what are your people looking for? Other than fewer bombings of your settlement." he said with a wry smile.

“We are wanting to be fully communist, and are prepared to fight for that ideal. This land is rich and fertile despite the ice and frost. We think we might be on top of geothermal or some other heat source here

"Well, that's good to hear. I'm sure it'll take a coalition of those willing to fight to prevail in the war. Is there not a rebel group leading the war effort? We've heard rumors of an airship housing the rebel leaders."

"Oh, they think they're leading things alright. Like any group,they are divided about how to handle things, and they cannot broadcast often"

3:46 PM

"Staying hidden is the only reason they have not been shot down"

"Is there a way for us to contact them?"

“The whole planet would see the transmission if we did it from here. We would have to find them, and then get close enough to transmit. It could be a long search “

Vanon nods. "Well, we might just need to proceed without them for now then. If we gather enough allies, they will probably try to contact us." "Would you be willing to join a coalition led by the CBSS? It's perhaps a tall order to trust a foreign group like ours, but it sounds like that might be exactly what's needed after so many failed alliances - an outside entity that hasn't been involved."

“If the Cbss can sort the planet we would fight along side them how we could. If they can do something about the air attacks that would be even better”

"We appreciate that comrade, and once we're done here, I'll see what we can do about those air attacks. We'd be reluctant to intervene with military force, at least for now. If we're seen as an invading force, that could poison everyone against us. But I'm sure we can work out something." "Can you tell me anything about any nearby settlements? I think we saw one towards the north west on this island and a larger town across the sea."

“Across the sea are there those planes are coming from. I don’t believe the settlement to the northwest has chosen a side yet “

10:40 PM

Outside, you can see the scout plane has departed. The bombers will be here any moment

"Hmm, well perhaps there is a way to learn more about the bombers, wait a moment." Vanon heads back to the ATV and attempts to contact the shuttle. "Some aerial bombers are about to make a run at our location. Any chance you can track those and see where they're based?"

“We will do our best. We will have to wait for them to bomb you and then track them home. Stay safe down there “

Vanon heads back over to the councilor. "Alright, we might be able to learn more about the bombers. I got in touch with our shuttle to see if they could track them. I guess now we just wait for the bombers."

(I don’t want to cut you off. If you’re happy with the info we have already I can fast forward to that)

(yep, sounds good)

From above, the drone of bombers driven by propellers drowns out the other ambient noise. Five bombers at low level begin sweeping over the town, bomb bay doors open. Several large explosions rock the fields, and a home at the edge of town is likewise leveled by one of the heavy explosives. Machine guns from the belly turrets shoot anything moving out in the roads, and continue to spray down homes as they pass by- though most of the raid seemed to be focused on destroying the farmland and any other infrastructure outside. Once their bombs are released, they turn right, and begin heading back the way they came. Your shuttle is tracking them- but the bombers will need time to get where they are doing as they're only prop driven. In the meantime, the shuttle has been able to get a glimpse through the cloud cover, and has taken several photos of rebel command. (edited)

"Sounds like the bombing has ceased. My team can help look for casualties and our ATV's medbay is small but is at your disposal if any of your people need it." "Also, our shuttle may have located the rebel command airship. You mentioned making a transmission to them - is that something we could do from our shuttle?"

They don’t seem to know if it will reach or not, they have no experience in spacecraft or communications with a range like that. The driver of your explorer however believes that will work

(Is there anything I can help with post-bombing? I didn't want to abandon the settlement right after but if there's not much I can help with, I could just head out and try and make contact with the rebel ship)

The countryside has been damaged and the home leveled at the edge of town may have people trapped within

Vanon takes his team out in the ATV and surveys the bombing damage. He shakes his head at the destruction. Even after all the fighting he'd been involving in, it still disturbed him to see the carnage of war. He spots the home that looks like it took a heavy hit and heads in close to look for survivors.

(fix/int) One is trapped under a beam, too large to be lifted by hand

(10)

You’re able to make a lever out of the fallen beam and some tools in your explorer , lifting the fallen joist enough for the victim to pull themselves clear. The explorer pilot runs out with a medical bag in hand

Vanon helps walk them out of the building after they pull themselves free. "Are you injured comrade? And is there anyone else trapped in the building?"

He is having trouble breathing, but points to the wreck of the house with one blackened soot covered arm. Coughs come out instead of words, but he seems frantic

Vanon hands him over into the arms of the pilot. "Treat this man. You two" he addresses his two bodyguards, "help me search for other survivors." He heads back inside the building with care, keeping an eye out for any other supports that might be on the verge of collapsing.

The building seems to have collapsed into something like a pocket, and you can faintly hear people crying out weakly for help, from behind a fallen section of debris. Beams, chunks of ceiling, smashed furniture, and dirt have all fallen upon one another to make a strong and effective barricade

Vanon yells into the debris while looking at the barricade for any crawl space or anything they could remove to open a hole. "Can anyone hear me? Is anyone badly injured?"

They’re shouting but there’s too much in the way for the words to be clear. You can see some gaps under a large section of roofing that has come down. It’s too big and heavy to lift by hand

(any gaps big enough to fit Vanon or maybe the drone?)

(the people in there could get out and we wouldnt need you if it was that big)

Vanon looks to see if there's a way to use the lever he constructed earlier to make a larger gap.

(exert/str)

(7)

The explorer is also hooked up with its powerful engine, and pulling the wreck aside as you lift up, the four people huddled in the corner of the room are freed. They have light injuries, but the collapsing pocket seems to have saved them from most of the fire

Escorting them from the building, Vanon offers to drive the survivors into town as he heads back to the councilors, and checks in with the shuttle to see if it'll be ready to pick them up soon.

The shuttle is ready, and can confirm the bombers came from the settlements to the south, across the sea now that they have had time to observe their course

Vanon makes sure the survivors are taken care of in town and says his farewells to the councilors, promising to be in touch soon. He gets in touch with the shuttle. "Can you pick us up outside this settlement? We're going to try to make contact with the rebel leaders' airship first before we lose sight of them again."

Theyre able to make their way down to the ground to get you. It’s a matter of Ten minutes to get the ATV loaded and everyone aboard before it heads skyward again back to the safety of orbit

"Alright, let's try to find the rebel leaders again. They couldn't have gotten too far in that airship. I'm not sure how close we'll have to get to transmit to them, but we'll just have to see."

“If you have a message you want to send you’re better off getting it typed out. We won’t be able to maintain contact for long”

To the leaders of the rebellion,

I am Vanon Talenar, here on behalf of the Communist Brotherhood of Stellar States.  We have learned of your rebellion and wish to discuss further how we might assist.

We have not discovered any other means by which we could contact you, so our shuttle is currently performing a fly-by near your airship to deliver this message.  We will circle your airship a few times at a safe distance and then depart to land on the North-Western island, just east of the mountain range.

We ask that you follow us in and send a delegate to meet with us.  We will look forward to meeting with you.

Vanon Talenar
CBSS

They don’t answer but the shuttle detects some sort of transport plane launching from the airship, and beginning to move in the direction you asked them to go. The airship itself remains on its current course

"Perfect, looks like they got our message. Let's keep ahead of them and see if we can find a flat area where they can land safely."

They seem to be making for a valley where they can set down. That looks to be the best place to conduct the meeting

Since it looks like they're heading to a predetermined location, Vanon instructs his pilot to follow them in instead. "Though keep an eye out for anything unusual as we approach. If they use this spot a lot, it could be a prime location for an enemy ambush."

The craft sets down as you circle and things seem safe there. You see no evidence of gunfire or ambush

"Alright, let's set down near them and I'll go have a chat with our friends. You two can stay on the ship for this one." nodding to his bodyguards. "No need to spook them further than our fly-by probably did."

They land, 150m from the landing site. A leader looking figure and a half dozen security personnel are waiting, the security troopers look nervous and are taking defensive positions looking outwards

Vanon shakes his head, having second thoughts about leaving his bodyguards behind as he views the arrayed troops. He exits the shuttle with some reluctance and heads towards the group, raising a hand in greeting as he approaches.

"You sent the message?" the leader asks, looking around himself

"Yep, Vanon Talenar, good to meet you." Vanon stopped walking once they could comfortably talk at a normal volume, and made no effort to approach further. "Sorry about the unusual contact method, we had no other way to reach you. Are you one of the rebel leaders?"

"One of them. Pleased to meet you. You said you're working with the Communists too?"

"That's right. I'm with the Communist Brotherhood of Stellar States. We advance the cause wherever we can, and I'm hopeful we'll be able to assist our communist brothers and sisters here as well. However, I'm afraid I know little about your organization. What can you tell me about the rebellion?" (edited)

“Not here. You will come back with us aboard our plane. You may bring two security. Is this agreeable ?”

"Alright, that's fine with me. Let me make the arrangements with my men." Vanon headed back into his ship and gathered his bodyguards, and told the shuttle crew to just track them from orbit after they departed. After just a few moments for his bodyguards to gather their gear, they headed back outside to the rebels. "All set."

the interior of the plane is battered but you can see they've done everything they can with limited resources to keep the place functional. The heavy prop engines begin to turn, slowly, as the large plane turns around to take off again. THe rebel leader sits down, and gestures for you to sit next to them , while your respective securities cover from behind and wherever else they think best. Both sides remain wary of one another, but professional, and appreciate things did not come to violence given the obvious tension of the initial meeting

Vanon nods to the rebel leader as he sits down, grinning as he experiences the heavy vibrations and loud noise generated by this ancient plane. "You know, this is my first time in a propeller plane. I'm a spaceship mechanic by trade, and we learn the fundamentals of ships such as these, but I've never ridden in one before. Quite enjoyable for a change."

“So long as enemy fighters don’t find us. You won’t think this is so pleasant then.” he says, adding some dark humor to the situation. “Starship mechanic! They send a starship mechanic to do what. Start revolution?”

"Just here to talk. Though if you need your airship repaired, I'm happy to take a look," Vanon jokes.

The plane looks like it will be nearing their destination soon. Quiet reigns for a few moments, as each person takes in the sudden change in circumstance. "What do you think the CBSS would do to this place? Worker to worker"

(can I tell if he's being genuine?)

(you can roll a talk check if you want to, but im not sure what you're referring to)

(Oh i meant for the worker to worker bit, if he's just trying to pump me for information or if actually wants to know as a worker how we would help him)

It seems his question is genuine, they have taken up arms hoping for a better life, and you have come to their world claiming to deliver one. They want to know what to expect.

"The CBSS isn't interested in a takeover or to conquer any lands, but would be more interested in an alliance with a communist state here. Of course, there needs to be a communist state to ally with, and I think you'd find we have the resources and capabilities to help make that a reality. What that state looks like would really be up to the workers, and I would want to learn more about your communities to discover what would work best. But in any case we'd be looking to empower the workers, give them a larger voice in how everything is run, and create a more equal society."

"And to do that, the communist state needs to be the only one left standing. What can the CBSS offer? I understand you'll be asked these questions again when we meet with the rebel council, but if it seems like we agree, I can try to speak to some of them beforehand for you. I also have to wonder what the CBSS hopes to gain from the revolution here. An ally, you've said, but the obligations needed to maintain such an alliance, are things we would need to consider"

"We have many things to offer. For example, we noticed there was no radio communication we could pick up on as we approached. Perhaps the CBSS could provide such equipment. Superior communication could easily provide the edge needed to win a war. This is but a single example from what we have noticed. We will need to learn more about your situation to determine how we best can assist. And of course there will be terms to the alliance, but we are not looking to impose our rule here. Even just having a friendly state here where we could build a small outpost would be beneficial to us."

You sense he is about to say something when he looks out the window, and his face goes pale. “We may have a problem and I hope you’re handy with a gun”

Vanon frowns and looks out the window to try and see what the man is worried about. "What is it?"

“We appear to have been spotted by enemy interceptors. There are two ball turrets on this thing. Our security can handle the nose and waist guns. It is time for us to go to work. Do you prefer dorsal, or belly?”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Vanon couldn't help but give a little smile at the opportunity to man the guns on this craft. "I'll take the turret up top."

"Alright, both machine guns have a targeting board, so you can swivel and shoot both at once at whatever passes. Good luck!" he shouts, and as he heads down a crew ladder in the thickness of the wing root connectors, the same ladder leads to the ball turret above, where a dusty seat and two worn but cared for guns are nested, waiting to be unleashed

Vanon rushes over to the ladder and climbs up into the bubble. Taking the seat, he takes a quick glance over the controls, which seem simple enough. He gives the guns a test swivel and they rotate smoothly to his satisfaction. He grins and yells back down the hatch. "Alright, I got it. Let's do this!" Looking back up at the extensive view granted by the ball turret windows, he starts scanning for targets.

Enemy interceptors are coming in from rear, and high. You can see two of them for now. They are daggerish aircraft with rear props, and swept wings. A pair of guns nestled in each , and one cannon in the nose are prepared to do what they can to bring your transport plane down

Vanon trains the guns on one of the small planes. Unsure of the range of his weaponry, he goes ahead and fires off a burst at one of them, trying to get a feel for the weapon if nothing else.

(Same stats as the HMG from the book so they'll be just coming into range now) You can see you've got reach, and it might be longer than theirs.

12:44 PM

(initiative)

(3)

(2, you are up first)

With the planes now in range of the HMGs, Vanon shoots a burst at one of them. (20/8)

(You can shoot both guns, so we'd get two attacks)

(4/12)

The first of the interceptors is forced to break off from its strafing run as your shots punch several holes in its canopy and nose. It veers hard right, diving and you feel the craft shake as the belly turret begins trying to score some hits of its own. The second interceptor lines up, main cannon chugging. Chunks of armor are torn free of the cabin and you can hear a scream down below as one of the men is hit. The interceptor passes by, on this altitude. You’re able to spin and track the enemy craft

10:28 PM

The damaged enemy plane has not reappeared from the cloud layer yet

10:29 PM

(Back to yiu)

Vanon grits his teeth as the interceptor's fire comes dangerously close to his position. As it trails into the sky to prepare for another run, he tracks it and fires off another burst. (20/6) + (9/9)

The back of the machine bursts apart in a scattering of wreckage, trailing fire and black smoke. It dives below the clouds. Looks like we're going to have to credit you with that one!" your rebel contact calls out jovially. (edited)

1:37 PM

The sound over the headset is tinny, and static filled

"Yes! Nailed it!" Vanon exclaims into the headset as he continues to swivel, looking for more interceptors. "You see any more down there? I think I hit another one but not sure where it went."

Your question is answered as solid rounds smash through the bottom of the craft. The turret down there is missed but one of the engines is burning.

8:31 PM

It passes by the top arc of the craft and you’re able to deftly spin to lead it with your guns

Vanon struggles to keep the guns trained as the transport pilot attempts to compensate for the lost engine, but he quickly fires off another burst as the interceptor passes, trying to catch it at closer range. (14/11) + (13/9)

Something on its underwing pylons snaps off. The weight of it as the plane inverts begins to shift and falling free it smashes through the interceptor The fuel tank explodes at the impact , bathing the interceptor into a self sustaining fireball as it tumbles toward the ground. Ahead, fighters from rebel command are catching up after being scrambled. They’ll be able to take you the rest of the way in

Vanon heads back the ladder to the main cabin, checking on his bodyguards. "You both alright? That was a hell of a close call, we should take our own shuttle next time."

Three have been hit and are being treated by medics. “Your ship is too easy to track. The propellant leaves an ion trail across the sky. Would have led them right to us. It has to be this way. “

Vanon nods. "Either way, we got through it alright, it looks like we're in the clear now." He then grins and gives the man a hearty pat on the shoulder. "And now you can tell your comrades that the CBSS has already helped you take down two enemy aircraft, eh?"

“You’ve read my mind” he says with a smile. Ahead you can see the craft is coming in for landing at the top airstrip of the massive floating command center airship

"This is a fascinating piece of engineering, my friend." says Vanon as he watches the airship approach through the window. "I've never seen anything like it. You'll have to give me a tour sometime."

“It might be sooner than you think. “ The craft comes to land and it stopped by arresting wires. Towed to an elevator , the transport plane is brought below deck where medical and the other resistance leaders are waiting

As the door on the cargo plane opens, Vanon steps aside to let the medical personnel attend to the wounded. He then exits to address the welcoming party, raising a hand in greetings. "Greetings. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, and apologies that it put your men in harms way."

“Theyre soldiers. They understand the risks. You however were there with them and faced the same. Welcome, however. We have a place to talk if you are prepared

"Excellent, lead the way." Vanon gestures for his two bodyguards to follow as well.

There is a series of corridors that pass through machine shops, engineering rooms, barracks decks, and other trappings of life on this large station. You climb a ladder to a meeting room, quiet and away from the oil slick walls that seem to be the norm elsewhere here. Sitting down, the rebel leaders join you

9:20 AM

"You've come a long way to speak with us, so please, unless you have question first, say what you came to say"

"Very well, I do have many questions but I can at least start with why I'm here." Vanon takes a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing. "That part is simple - the CBSS wishes to help our communist brothers and sisters here. If we can help end the wars and create a stable communist state here that we could ally with, our brotherhood would grow stronger. It really is as simple as that. However, beyond that is where my questions begin. We know there is some communist support here but not to what extent. We know a little of the war effort but perhaps not enough to know how best we could assist. I also know very little about you all." he gestures around the table and gives a little smile. "Not even enough to know how receptive you'll be to everything I've said so far, so perhaps we can start there."

"our receptiveness would depend on how this world looks when the Revolution is over. Are we a strong planet, where the workers have the means of production, and the tools necessary to improve their lives? or will we have exchanged a corrupt capitalist government for a corrupt socialist one, too distant from our own system to care about the survivors once the war is won?"

Vanon nods. "A valid concern. I won't lie to you, our government has its problems. Bureaucracy appears to be inescapable in any government." he says with a brief smile. "But it works. We have multiple strong, independent worlds in the brotherhood." "And I don't think your people have much to worry about. I've seen the strength of your workers - we made contact with one of your settlements, luckily a communist settlement, on the north-west island when we made landfall. I saw first hand the strength and industriousness of the workers there, remaining strong even as bombers came from across the sea. Once united, I don't see how they would allow themselves to be ruled by a corrupt government."

"not even if those people were tired from fighting? or the planet was so grievously destroyed that the ruins were not worth fighting over? This patchwork of states is going to see the planet destroyed. Whoever wins, is going to preside over the largest rubble pile in the sector. What can the CBSS do to bring this war to a close quickly, while leaving the planet intact?"

"To answer that, we'll need to know more about the war, but here's plenty of ways we could help. I was mentioning to your colleague here on the flight over that we noticed a lack of radio transmissions when we first arrived. We could assist with coordinating the war effort, providing better communication between the various states. We understand your plight here, having to maintain secrecy with limited transmissions for your own security, but we'd have no such restrictions. A few well coordinated attacks and a lasting alliance might be all it takes to achieve a decisive advantage and end the war."

“It seems you have something to offer. The other communist territories would need to be contacted. We have no battle lines now, if we put something together and find some cohesion maybe we can pull this off. Right not both sides are lashing out haphazardly , there’s no order. There’s no plan”

"Well, sounds like we just made one." Vanon says, smiling and opening his arms to the sides in a welcoming gesture. "The CBSS would be happy to assist with this. Do the other communities have any communication equipment? Establishing contact with them is all well and good, but I think we'll need sustained communication to coordinate a war effort."

"Few. The ones that do are too far south for us to safely travel. This airship looks sturdy, but if we lose it, the entire Communist leadership is also lost. "

"Of course. And this is where we could assist - our shuttle can probably slip us in safely. Though any intelligence you have on the area would be most helpful. Our shuttle can likely outrun any enemy aircraft, but we have limited weaponry."

(Just FYI because its a fine point I had missed until recently, heavy weapons can hurt spaceships, but the ship does get to subtract its armor value- so being seen or getting into a chase is likely still going to be very dangerous)

(got it)

"You would risk a run to the southern side of the planet? We don't know the situation there, so we can't give effective orders. We can't promise a cohesive battle plan until we know what things there are like"

Vanon shrugs. "If you have better intelligence on other communities nearby that we can get in touch with, we can start there instead. No need to go flying in blind if we don't have to yet."

“I have an alternate suggestion, and you’re free to turn it down if you’re committed to the path you’re on. If we can stop those bombers we know we have a settlement nearby that’s friendly to us. We can set down, unpack into a proper base, and actually begin to make a unified battle line. That airbase needs to be handled. It’s runway cratered. Anything to buy us a few weeks to set ourselves up “

7:20 PM

(The Shazi, a planetary assault frigate with iron rain arrays finishes next month as well which can help with the ground campaign, as it’s not indiscriminate orbital bombardment )

(cool, good to know!) Vanon considers the idea for a moment. "That's a good idea, we even had our shuttle track those bombers to see where they're based. But I'm not sure we have the firepower for that right now. Were you thinking an aerial bombing? We have an ATV that could help with a ground assault, but we'd need a larger assault team if they have any serious defenses. Do you some available forces that could join in?"

"A raid could work, but we circle back to not having enough airlift to get a sizeable force in place. We could para-drop them in, using the transport plane, but extraction is a more complicated matter. They'd be stranded. "

"Could we commandeer one of the bombers for an extraction? We could also perhaps fit a small team on our shuttle that we could park nearby beforehand."

“I can’t speak for what you might see on the ground. I couldn’t be certain. If you can get one out of there you could try to use it. “

"Do you know anything of their defenses? Perhaps me and my men can surveil the base first and signal you for an attack. I wouldn't want to para-drop your team into unknown danger."

(So this can go a number of ways depending on how long you wanted to stay and what your interests are. We could go from a couple ops to embolden the communists here before you do other things, or turn this into a full fledged essential war sim as you start putting a front line together. I can run anything depending on how long you want to stay)

(full war sim sounds pretty fun! I think Vanon's going to want to see this through anyways.)

(sounds good to me, as wider issues come up ill do some behind the scenes teaching)

6:12 PM

"Anti-aircraft guns around the airfield, as protocol. The airfield will also have a garrison to protect the airframes and pilots. I'd expect a few hundred. Confusion is going to be your best chance at keeping them all from responding in an organized manner, and from responding all at once"

6:13 PM

"You're just there to cause damage, and prevent the bombers from making a crossing. Once they're off the backs of the northern settlement, we'll begin digging in with a sizeable deployment there, and can begin progressing the battle lines south"

(cool, you're the best! How does this work for planning the attack on the airbase? More of a kinda pre-set tactical plan and then I'd manage things once we're there? I feel like I'd need to know a lot more about pretty much everything to be able to contribute to a plan - e.g. unit capabilities, base layout)

(The tension here is they don't really have any of the information you want. The problem is they dont know what might be there because the attacks and bombing raids have been so frequent. You'd essentially be doing a recon in force during your raid)

(gotcha) "Understood. Do you have explosives or other weapons we can use for distractions or damaging the base?"

"Two mortars, a rocket tube, and a dozen laser rifles can be spared. Everything else is in the hands of ship security, or are earmarked for fighting brothers and sisters elsewhere already, and we will lose face if they don't show up

"Very well, it will have to do. When can we start the raid - will your men need to make preparations first?"

"They can be ready within an hour, any further planning is whatever you feel most comfortable with, but we're prepared to support you now"

"Might as well get on with it then before I talk myself out of it. I don't know what additional planning we'll be able to make without seeing the base first." (Just to confirm, rocket tube = rocket launcher? Also, would the shuttle have anything additional - demo charges, land mines, other heavy weapons?)

(It’s the AT one shot rocket launcher from starvation cheap. Heavy weapons generally aren’t useful in a ship security setting since that’s a great way to get blasted into space. Those types of heavy munition are generally not available in a ship armory )

(got it. good to go then.)

(I can pull those stats for you if you need them)\

8:03 PM

The equipment is loaded aboard your shuttle. As far as how many fighters you want to bring with you, and how many of them are to come from your own crew, is left to your own discretion as long as it does not exceed the crew capacity of your ship

Vanon takes 15 of the rebels with him, planning to give them the laser rifles, mortars and rocket launcher while he, one of the pilots and his two bodyguards man the ATV. (assuming only 2 pilots, 2 bodyguards in his shuttle crew. I also shuffled around some gear between Vanon and the ATV - basically to keep my spy drone with me in case there's an opportunity to use it)

(that works for me, ill get an airfield map together, since they'd have that at least)

12:16 PM

From the sky, you can see two main living areas for the technicians and soldiers that live here. Two long runways and two massive hangars make up the flight facilities here, though you can see construction efforts on the ground to put up more. A hit now will ensure those planes have no place to go

(sorry for delay, should be able to get back on soon)

(no rush!)

Vanon gathers the men to look at the layout and devise a tactical plan. "So ultimately we're looking to do damage to either the runway or any critical assets in or around the hangars. If we take that ridge in the northwest corner, we should be able to see if there's anything in the hangars we can destroy and either go in to sabotage them or try to hit them with the mortars. If not, we can just try to crater the runways. It should also give us a good defensive position if we get a retaliation from the south. I'm thinking we may be able to use the ATV to distract their forces down there and either lead them away from the ridge or delay them, but we'll have to see what it looks like on the ground." he looks around the room. "Any other suggestions? You all have been fighting these people longer than I have and probably know their tactics better."

"Counterbattery. The mortars are going to have to move quick once the rounds go off"

7:47 PM

"They'll drop their own back before long, or hit them with any bigger guns that might be in the area"

"Right, so we'll need to stay mobile. It probably goes without saying but we can't linger in any case since we'll be heavily out numbered. If we retreat along the runway, we could get their artillery to do some of the work for us, though that could leave us exposed." "Getting a small squad to try and draw the eastern encampment towards the west rather than north towards the runway would make that more feasible, but that's going to be dangerous."

"They;ll be wedged between the two camps. THey'll have to escape north because the sea isnt an option. It seems like a good way to get cut off"

"Yes, and we don't have many men to spare here. Drawing them west won't help since we'll need to retreat that way." Vanon shakes his head evaluating the situation. "We'll just have to take our chances with them taking the northern path. I think instead of going south with the ATV, we can instead screen ahead along our fallback route." "Any other suggestions before we proceed?"

The major concerns seem to have been addressed. All that can be planned out until the raid actually begins seems to be covered now. Armed, armored, and prepared, all that remains is to launch the mission and pray for a safe return to celebrate a victory

"Alright then. I'm not really one for inspirational words, but we got this. Get your gear and let's do this thing." Vanon goes to grab his gear and get the ATV prepped for deployment.

There is a frozen Tagia on the north side of the airfield where the atv and soldiers are dropped off. 5 kilometers is outside easy observation and you have a smooth path up the overlook at the north end of the airfield

"Alright men, let's see if we can do some recon before we go in. Move up towards the overlook and I'll see what I can spot with the drone once we're about a klick away." Vanon instructs the pilot to keep pace with the men outside and has one of his bodyguards man the railgun while he preps his drone. (sorry again for delay, should be good now.)

Moving into position, everyhone is ready and is waiting for information from your recon flight. This world should not have ECM, so the drone should be able to work

Vanon first pilots the drone just over the ridge line, taking it lower as needed to see if anything of note can be spotted in the hangars - structural weakpoints, fuel or munition stores.

(notice/wis)

(6)

You see a marksman at the top of the control tower near the hangars. He has a long rifle at his side and looks bored. He would have range to see you once your teams begin their mortar strike if not sooner. One of the hangar doors is also open and it appears flight operations are going to begin for an afternoon sortie soon.

11:27 AM

A pile of trashed parts from planes that made it back but are too useless to fly again on their own is arranged on the north side of the runways, at the base of the hill from your position

"Perfect, looks like they have some planes departing soon so we'll have to move now. Let's see if we can catch the last one on the runway and take it out there so their departed planes can't use the runway to land. We should be able to use that scrap for cover, let's move up behind there once the planes start going. Mortars - if we get spotted, go ahead and open up on any planes on the runway, but don't forget about the counterbattery. We'll keep the ATV back until we get spotted or until we're ready to start firing. Mind the sniper as well. We'll probably want to get close with the ATV and rip the tower up with the railgun. Anyone gets cut off or has to retreat, head back up towards the dropoff point, but this should be a quick in and out." Vanon takes his drone up higher to keep an eye on the two encampments so he'll know when they start to respond.

(if its got station keeping, it can make patrol loops without you needing to spend time or focus flying it)

(sadly it does not)

(Someone here can fly it if you plan to take part in the attack. I’ll try to arrange things around what you’re personally doing )

(Yea, that sounds better) Vanon hands the drone controls off to one of his bodyguards to monitor and addresses the ATV crew. "Keep me appraised of the enemy reinforcements. I'm going to lead the main group - be ready to come in when we start the attack or if we get spotted."

The mortar teams are prepared to move out, as are the riflemen. All that remains is your order

(do the mortars have range on the hangars / runway from where they are currently?)

(Once they're outside the ATV they'll be within range)

Vanon gives the order for the mortar team to set up here and for the ATV and riflemen to move out as soon as the planes start to get out on to the runway.

An hour passes as the technicians begin picking up the pace. Everyone grabs a few moments of rest here and there while they’re in the concealment. There’s a sudden blast of engine noise as the first of the heavy quad engine bombers begins making its way from the hangar and down the taxiway to the first of the runways.

"Alright, let's move out team. Mortar team - wait until we're in position or until we get spotted. Take down any planes outside and then just pepper the runway further down. We don't want any friendly fire near the hangars during our assault."

(sneak/dex)

(7)

(5 for their notice, you could get to that scrap pile at the bottom of the cliff which has you within 150m of the hangars and control tower. Any closer than that is open ground and with all the people around I don't think there's a way to pass without notice beyond there)

Vanon takes the ATV and rifle team down to behind the scrap pile and has the riflemen set up for an assault on the hangars and readying the ATV to take out the control tower. He takes a last look at the location of the planes. (also, forgot to ask/say, but I'm going to take the rocket tube if that's ok. I can loan the soldier my laser rifle since I don't think there were any extras)

(That’s fine by me)

9:21 PM

One of them is on the taxiway being loaded with bombs and machine gun rounds. Another is being wheeled into position on the opposite runway and will be serviced much the same in a few moments. The remainder of the formation is still in their hangars at the runway edge waiting to be dragged out when space allows

Vanon unholsters his laser pistol, keeping the rocket tube slung on his back. He takes a deep breath and issues the attack orders. "Alright, let 'em have it. Mortar team, fire on the two planes. ATV, get out of cover and take out the control tower sniper. RIflemen, light up the ordinance and anyone with a weapon. Go!"

Their first shot each is a ranging shot. Both miss but manage to scatter debris across the runway. ATv rolls out and it’s turret weapon fires continually trying to keep the sniper down if they’re unable to take him out. Anything that keeps him from using his weapon. The resistance fighters fan out and begin firing at the planes, the technicians And the ordinance. A few shots hit but it’s not enough to actually force it to explode

"Mortar team, one more shot and then relocate. We'll move into the hangars while you're on the move."

(Seen , rolling it out now)

1:36 PM

One of the mortar shells strikes a parked bomber directly, while the other falls short and over-ranges the control tower. Shrapnel and flames spread in all directions and scythe down three of the crewmen closest to the plane. The burning body of one of the pilots cartwheels across the sky to skid and fall apart on the runway- the component pieces still burning. the first of the Alarms are sounding in the southern residential clusters now as defenders begin to mobilize. The ATV continues suppressing the tower. You're not sure if the marksman is down or not and the drone is having trouble seeing through the now thick clouds of black smoke coming from the bomber wreck

"Mortars, relocate. Riflemen, on me!" Vanon emerges from behind the debris and leads the troops at a run for the nearest hangar.

You have to sprint across 30m of open tarmac, and at the hangar you're about to storm three technicians with service weapons take cover near the open doors, looking to oppose your advance until reinforcements arrive (initiative)

(5)

(6) Two of their shots miss, but the third is a dead eye and places a shot center mass in the rebel next to you, pitching him onto his back. (15/6, they had woven so it hits and hes down). You can see the shot was a clean one, and is of terminal consequence (your move)

Vanon sees the man go down next to him but knows they can't stop. "Keep going men, take down those technicians!" he shouts at his riflemen. He charges forward 10m and shoots at the nearest technician with his laser pistol. (19/6)

That one falls as well. Your rebels bring down the last before he has a chance to run

5:47 AM

The hangar seems clear but reinforcements are undoubtedly on the way, and more techs are likely in other buildings

(anything of note in the hangar besides the planes?)

The planes and ordinance are all that is in the hangars right now. You will want to ensure you have given yourself plenty of space before trying to intentionally set any of it off (edited)

Vanon takes a quick glance around the hangar but knows with the alarm going off, they don't have any more time. "We're done here men, back to the scrap pile, now. ATV, meet us there and we'll load up after I try to send them one more present."

A helicopter is lifting off from the residential area. It is a fat bellied transport but you can make out a heavy gun sticking out of each side. They'll be here in a handful of seconds no doubt to deploy troop reinforcements. The ATV fires as it descends the hill to the crap pile, attempting to continue keeping the sniper pinned down. The rate of fire has them going through ammunition quickly and the top of the control tower is a tangled ruin of masonry and shattered metal. It would be a surprise if anyone up there was still among the living

(are the riflemen & me back to the scrap pile as well or still on the way?)

(its a fair distance away, not something we can cross instantly, you'll be just about back to it by time the chopper gets here)

(got it) Vanon eyes the enemy transport with apprehension as he and the riflemen run across the tarmac. "ATV - switch fire to the helicopter! Move it men, move it!" he yells somewhat breathlessly. He unslings the rocket tube from his back as he runs - he'd need to take down the chopper if the ATV can't.

The ATV is struggling to get a bead on the aircraft. The untrained rebel gunner is not leading his target and fires at where the chopper was, not where its going to be. Trying to do some on the battlefield training is more time than you have right now. Counterbattery fire from the settlements begins pounding the hilltop with a mix of high explosives and smoke.

Vanon continues to run down the tarmac with his men but sees the ineffectiveness of the ATV against the chopper. As they near the scrap pile and the helicopter is nearly on top of them, he turns and takes a knee. He takes a deep breath and holds it as he takes aim at the helicopter with the rocket launcher. (not sure if need to do initiative again, but went ahead and rolled the shot if not - 22/16)

The shot is clean. One of the rotors is hit and the engine begins to shear off. This close to the ground it is going into auto rotation but the passengers are expected to mostly survive. They'll be shaken, but angry and in position to follow before long.

Vanon sees his shot connect and rushes to load into the ATV as the helicopter starts its crash landing. "Mortar team, report in - you still have visual on the runway? Put some more rounds on the second plane or anywhere on the runway if you can see it. We're coming to you for evac." (is there a path up the hill that doesn't take us directly through the counterbattery fire?)

(the skimmer is pretty fast, they'd have to get lucky to hurt you

Vanon tells the ATV pilot to head up the hill after everyone is onboard and then takes over on the railgun.

Soldiers begin emerging from the wreck as the ATV is halfway up the slope. Ranging shots bank off the side, scorching armor and blowing a few components free. THe gunner shrieks and falls into the coupola, trying to stanch the neck wound he has suffered. Blood shoots against the wall of the ATV. Coming to the top of the hill, the mortar team did not displace in time. They've managed to get a round off before the fateful artillery shell that ended their lives, destroying one of the hangars and everything in a 100m radius around it as the explosives inside also cooked off. The airbase is out of commission, at a heavy cost.

Vanon rushes over to the gunner, clamping his hand down over his, trying to put more pressure on the wound.

8:25 AM

"Help me get this man into the medbay! Pilot - get over to the rendezvous point ASAP, and contact the shuttle to get us out of here."

(heal/int)

(3)

The wound is too severe . The gunner dies in your arms. The ATV makes tracks across the plateau. Artillery fire chases but its not corrected fast enoguh to catch up with you and still be accurate.

"Sorry comrade," Vanon says softly, bowing his head over the man. "Your sacrifice will be remembered." After a few additional moments he addresses the pilot in a dispassionate voice, "what's the ETA on the shuttle?"

"three minutes. They won't catch us. We're safe now"

9:02 PM

(3xp, 5000 credits)

It's a quiet group that boards the shuttle to head back to the rebel leaders. Vanon knew they should be celebrating - who knows how many lives will be saved with those bombers out of commission - but he couldn't shake the men he lost from his mind. But after just a few minutes wallowing in his thoughts, he pulled himself together and got back to work, checking on the men with minor injuries and making some repairs to the ATV.

You're unable to do much to the ATV without a functional workshop on board. The wounded are stabilized but several of them are going to need more intensive care back on the Rebel airship. True to word, they're already making headway toward the village you first contacted, intent to set down and finally deploy their colony core so something of a working, modern settlement can be made there. The first organized resistance on this planet is about to begin

(would there be any base-building, defense, or something similar I could design / contribute to? No idea how that would play out, just a random idea that I thought might be fun)

(I can put some thought into it, i hadnt planned to get that crunchy with things at the moment)

(cool, no worries if not) Seeing the airship en route to the village, Vanon directs his ship there to await their arrival and discuss the situation with the village council.

The village council is waiting along with rebel leadership. It seems like talks are ongoing about how power sharing is going to go but your shuttle returning is reason enough to end the meeting for now. The villagers are also standing by , loitering trying to see if they can gain any insight

Vanon tiredly walks up to to the group, the exhaustion from the battle finally catching up to him after his restless return flight. He pulls himself up though and puts on a smile as he approaches, nodding to the gathered villagers before addressing the leaders. "It would appear news of our mission has already reached this village."

(I sent you a message in regards to your other question )

"We did not know anything aside from your ship came down, and that meant some of you had survived. Please, tell us everything"

"Yes, many of us did survive - I wish it had been all of us, but such is war." Vanon said, his smile quickly disappearing. He glanced at the gathered crowd and began pacing as he recounted the raid. "The assault went as well as could be expected. We approached the airbase from the north and were able to deploy into position right next to the hangars without being seen. We were also able to catch them just as they were deploying for a bombing mission, giving us plenty of targets. Our mortar team took down one of the planes, and our ATV gave us suppressing fire as me and the rifle team assaulted the hangars." We perhaps underestimated their response time or maybe were just slow in the assault but we didn't have much time before they sent a squad in a gunship after us. We were able to take it down but the squad got out alive and came after us. We lost one man during the assault and then another on the evac. We went back to pick up the mortar team but the counterbattery...they didn't relocate in time." Vanon paused in his pacing and looked between the gathered leaders. "They did get in one last shot on the hangar though, and must have hit a munition store or something since it took out the hangar in a huge explosion. It was a high cost, but they completed the mission for us - the airbase is out of commission for a while."

“By tims those bombers are in a state to come back we will have the anti air guns from the airship installed on defense towers around the town. They’re in for a nasty surprise. We have a small outpost. Now we need resources and we need to raise a battalion of volunteers to head west and raid the capitalist hamlets there. Id like to leave the commoners there out of it if we can. Anything we take from them we will just end up giving back when they become refugees. Their upper class though…plenty of plantation homes to raid “

"Sounds like my kind of plan. How far are the hamlets?"

“The hamlets are about 100 kilometers from here. Enough to make coming by foot too difficult of a prospect. The next course of action is transportation out there for fighters and for anything we manage to loot from the wealthy

Vanon starts to consider the logistics, his thoughts still a little foggy from lack of sleep. "Right. I'm pretty handy with a wrench and could help put something together for transportation...depending on what we have to work with. Is using the airship an option?"

"the airship is being deconstructed for parts so we can solidify a base of operations here. I'm afraid that's out for good now. You might be able to boost some transportation during your raid, but getting there and coming up empty is a risk"

"Any other land vehicles we could repurpose? How about the planes that were on the airship? You'd need fewer of those now that we're on the ground with static defenses. We could take those apart and make some crude land transports."

They seem to not want to weaken their air defense posture just yet, as in time that base could be repaired and planes might menace them again

"Very well, perhaps we start with volunteer recruitment first anyways, to see how many men we'll need to transport."

"Alright, see who you can get from the townsfolk. By time you are back we should be ready for some more serious work here. Soon the entire continent, and the entire world, will be red"

(hey, sorry but I think i'm gonna need to take a break from here for a while)

(sorry to hear that)

7:57 AM

(I'll keep everything active, just hit me up whjen you're ready to come back)

(Going to archive this until you'er ready to come back)

@Vanon Talenar saw you've been online a bit more. Your thread is down here now and we can move it back if you decide to come back.

Vanon Talenar is finally released from a long stay in the hospital aboard the rebel airship here on Angelos. The air raid came without warning and without any mercy and you were caught out in the open. Healed and ready for service again most of the rebels believe Youre a good luck charm and are looking forward to continuing the fight against the capitalist states here.

Finding his way outside, Vanon takes a deep breath of the cold air. It was a welcome change from the sterile air circulating in the hospital. He touches a few new scars that he bore including a long thin one just above his left ear, now a ready reminder of how close he came this time. Rather than discouraging him, it steels his resolve to see the rest of his job here done. Taking one last deep breath, he sets out to locate the rebel leadership to get an update on the situation.

You begin moving to rebel leadership's offices and you can see a briefing has just begun being held outside the large airship entryway. Its deployment into an official base is a big step forward for the movement, but the work has only just begun. One of the senior officers is beginning to discuss some matters of import. "the air raids have started again. We need a team to cross the sea on one of our transports to put that airfield out of commission for good. Our last raid stopped the attacks for a while but it is clear other airframes have been moved up to continue their air campaign. We've hit them a couple times, they'll be watchful, but this is too important to pass up for a safer time. The second mission , we need to begin exploring eastward. There is one other large village on this continent. We don't know what's happening there or how the locals might feel about joining us. We need a team to take a quiet look around, maybe try to engage a few of the locals in conversation and then report back, see if we might find some new allies- or determine what the obstacles might be in getting them to join us. And finally the third mission, We need to do a security sweep of the woods north and east of the village. We scattered the capitalist forces in the nearby village during our last raid, and the people those nobles had under their sway are now here, proud to fight and live alongside us- but we can't allow any loyalists to linger in the countryside. Every moment we aren't hunting down survivors is another moment they're getting organized. "

As the officer takes a pause for input, Vanon steps up behind the other assembled men and women. He raises his hand until he catches the officer's eye. "Looking for volunteers?"

"I am indeed. We need all of these missions handled, I'm trying to fill a team for each of them. We do this, we buy ourselves a month of peace to really build up what we can do"

Vanon nodded at him. "I could take a look at that village. Maybe ease myself back into things with hopefully fewer things bombing or shooting at me. And I could handle negotiations if we find any friendlies there."

“Your explorer has been repaired too. We can send you and a team out there to get the lay of the land , see what the situation is out there “

"Good! You read my mind. Glad to hear she's ready for action. It'll be good to get out there again, I've been cooped in that hospital for too long. If we already have a team, I'm ready when they are."

(I think last time we had a driver, a drone pilot, and 3 other riflemen, with you making a 4th, filling out our interior space. Still wanna do that layout?)

(sounds good)

The team from last time is assembled and your gear is carried inside. Everyone is eager to be off now that another settlement has been discovered , and it’s hoped they’ll be friendly. The engines cycle on and the explorer begins to hover gently. (D10 for the hex, since we are going south and not easy like we mapped already)

Vanon nods at the team as they assemble. "Good to see some familiar faces. Remember this is a scouting and diplomacy trip so no heavy trigger fingers here. We'll play it safe with the ATV and just get in range for some scouting with our drone at first." He smiles at them all. "Here's hoping for a more boring trip than some of our previous ones, but glad to be out here with you all again."

12:00 PM

(9)

Arriving in an empty field you can see that a capitalist bomber has made a sloppy belly landing here, damaged during a raid on your compound. It’s crew must have been forced to ditch when the plane skidded to a landing. Frost coats many of its surfaces and it looks like it has been here for at least a little while

"Well, look at that. Probably worth a detour to see if there's anything worth salvaging. Let's make a quick circuit around it to see if we spot any sign of survivors." Vanon turns to one of the riflemen and nods at him. "Go ahead and man the railgun. We get any hint of hostility, you go ahead and open up on them, I'm not looking to take any chances here."

12:41 PM

There are no survivors at the site here, but the wreck itself had some gear inside, though the cargo module door is still sealed- looking for some kind of passcode.

Vanon will look around the cabin interiors, seeing if there are any open computer systems or logbooks that might have the passcode.

Looking through the wreckage you see the pilot compartment is relatively intact. The bodies are gone either taken by the crew or counted among the survivors. The navigators terminal looks to be working still.

Vanon takes out his own datapad, seeing if he can connect to the terminal and download any of the navigational data.

(Program/int)

(7)

The default password for the cargo module seems to have never been changed. "Hooah!" will allow entry.

Vanon gathers a couple of the riflemen. "Got something here, I think we might be able to get into that cargo module. Keep your weapons ready, just in case." He enters the code.

The module opens with a hiss revealing packed small arms, grenades , and extra grav harnesses fitted to combat field uniforms

"Well, look at that, the enemy left us a nice gift." Vanon grabs one of the grav harnesses to inspect it and stows it with his gear. "Grab anything you need for yourselves and let's get the rest of it stowed away in the ATV." (can I assume it came with a power cell B or maybe had a spare one in the ATV?)

(the ATV would have a couple I'm sure)

(Great! I shuffled around some inventory to keep it on me) "Alright, I think we're done here. Let's call this location in, see if they want to send a larger salvage team, but we should keep moving towards that town"

(it'll be cramped in the ATV, but if we wanted to keep the other gear around we could too, never know, might be good bargaining chip if you guys don't end up giving it back to the rebel camp that has been our home)

(Yeah, we'll definitely keep anything we can fit from that cargo module in the ATV. Was thinking more for salvaging the rest of the downed plane for the call-in.)

Tou radio the find back into command. They report that they'll try to move some things around so a team gets out here to at least take the scrap. It can be turned into a number of useful things back in the settlement

After hearing back from HQ, Vanon directs his pilot to keep heading towards the village. "Let's keep an eye out for the enemy on the way. At least some of them got out of that wreck and could be anywhere."

Tracks are found in the snow at the edge of the clearing along with a discarded survival pack. Someone was here recently and theyve left a trail to follow in their haste to flee

"Follow those tracks!" Vanon instructed the pilot. "We're not leaving enemy soldiers out here to cause chaos if we can help it."

(Survive/wis)

(8)

You’re able to track the prints to a frozen lake, and across it to a cave on the other side

Vanon directs the pilot to pull off to the side of the cave and for one of them to man the railgun while the rest join him right outside to the side of the cave mouth. (how far can I see into it / how deep is the cave?)

(Hard to tell in either case, as it curves after a handful of meters in)

Vanon readies his laser rifle and signals for the men to follow him in quietly. He slowly makes his way in, just as far as he can see with the natural light.

It’s evident your quarry fled here. You can’t see around the bend with the natural light but you can see the system goes deep into the rocky hills that makes up this side of the ice lake

Vanon lights up a flare to inspect the area and see if he still spots any tracks inside the cave.

There are a few boot prints in the snowy cave bottom. There’s nothing showing the person coming in has left

Vanon was reluctant to pursue - they had a mission to attend to after all - but still felt compelled to at least try to chase the survivor down. He signalled his team to follow and flare aloft, continued into the cave.

The cave bends one more time before it looks to come to a dead end. You hear something skittering in the back of the cave, as they see the dull glow of your approaching flare.

Hearing the movement, Vanon presses himself against the nearest wall for cover and signals his men to do the same. He then yells out, "We hear you in there and there's nowhere for you to go. Surrender now and we'll take you as a prisoner, unharmed and alive. Resist, and we're coming in with grenades. You have ten seconds to decide."

A wounded Capitalist pilot pulls himself from his nest at the bottom of the cave. He is bleeding, and looks to have broken a leg at some point during the walk over here. Adrenaline kept him going, but is leaving his skinny body now.

Seeing the bleeding man pulling himself out into the open, Vanon rested his weapon on his shoulder and shook his head at the man. "Those are some rough looking wounds. Might be your lucky day we found your tracks." Vanon said, before turning to his men. "Secure him in the ATV medbay and we'll try to get him stabilized." "Any others in your crew make it out alive?" he asked, turning back to the downed pilot.

“Just me. Navigator fell through the ice. Everyone else dead when we hit the ground “

"Right. Well, I'm not going to shed any tears for the men trying to bomb us. In any case, you're now our prisoner and as we travel back, you'll comply with our commands and won't attempt to escape. Otherwise, you'll become a soldier again. And we shoot enemy soldiers." With that, Vanon nods to his men to start helping him to the ATV and leads the way out of the cave.

He is helped aboard and brought to medical, where one of your soldiers keeps watch outside. The pilot doesn't seem like they are in much of a state to do anything.

Once they're all piled in, Vanon addresses the crew. "Alright, we still need to scout out that village so we'll just have to tow him along until we can head back to HQ." He turns to his ATV pilot. "How much further do we have?"

"another few hours of travel. We can knock him out with sedative from the first aid kit if you're worried about him"

Vanon waved off the suggestion. "I'm not too worried, he's not going anywhere with that leg. I just wanted to let him know the consequences in case he decided to do something stupid. Let's keep moving."

(so not trying to metagame or anything but I was skimming through Muhammad's thread - is he in the same region as me?)

(He is about 200km away from you right now)

8:17 AM

(He also hasn't reported his distress or any kind of contact so we wouldn't know he needs help, even fi he is closer)

(got it, just wanted to check. Maybe we can meet up at some point in the future for a joint mission or something if the logistics/timing works out. And assuming we're both still alive.)

(d10 for our next area, and then we'll be there!)

(2)

Moving past the lake you enter a zone of empty ice pack. You get a short mineral return here, something in light concentration and industrial - close to the surface too- but other than marking the spot for future prospectors if this becomes safe territory it doesn't seem like there is anything else here. Moving quickly through the zone to avoid any recon aircraft you make it into some light woods just 10km away from the settlement you've been sent to reconnoiter as the sun begins to set on this day of travel.

Vanon joins the pilot up front as they reach the woods. "Good, seems we're almost there. Let's approach slowly, hopefully our sensors will let us spot any scouts before they spot us." "Do we have any details on the terrain around the settlement? I'd be looking for a good spot out of sight of the settlement, perhaps a couple kilometers out, where we can launch the drone for a circuit of the area."

"The woods here are pretty dense, if we power down and throw the netting up, we're only going to get caught if they're really lucky or we make a big mistake. What do you think?"

"Perfect. Especially at night, I doubt they'll have much chance of spotting us. Then perhaps in the morning we can make contact or...well we'll see what we see first."

(Any arrangements you want to make for concealment we can list all that off now and then we can night scout or wait for morning. I’m good either way)

(I think all good with just powering down and throwing up some netting. I think we'll go for the night scouting for less chance of spotting the drone)

(Sounds goo,d lets send that drone up, and get a notice/wis!)

Vanon takes the drone out of the ATV and sets it out to flight, taking the controls himself as he pilots it towards the settlement for an initial reconnaissance run. (Notice+WIS = 6)

It's difficult to make out much detail with night vision, but the drone begins heading off in the direction of the settlement, its cameras on and watching everything happening on the forest floor. You can see about 5000 people live here, and from this thousand foot level their allegiance is unclear. The drone pilot wants to know if there's anything specific he should begin hunting for.

"Any military assets - heavy weaponry, vehicles, aircraft. Especially around the main approaches to the settlement. Unless they look outwardly hostile or ready for aggression, we'll probably openly approach on a main entrance for a diplomatic approach. Though ideally one that can't turn our ATV into a crater if things go poorly."

(sounds good, I need to refresh myself on a couple drone rules real quick and ill post again soon, been a while since we've had them used in an area without ECM but with ground observers)

(okay, just need a pilot check, if the npc is doing it, its 2d6+2, and I'll compare that to the notice of the ground radar)

8:17 AM

(Their DC is high but just so i know how to color this, and then I'll give you a nice list of info)

(12)

The settlement has a moderate armed presence. They have their own uniforms and there’s nothing identifying them as part of either side. The town has air defense batteries concentrated toward the center of town, three barracks distributed around the settlement with troop presences around them, and a central motor pool near the town hall where light utility vehicles and a six light tanks are kept.

(what do the entrances look like - are they gated off / protected by soldiers?)

The town does not have walls but you can see occasional street patrols of light jeep like vehicles or fire teams of soldiers on foot with lamp drones

10:36 AM

(The lamp drones are basically just flying light bulbs controlled by a drone control rig. ) (edited)

Getting a better picture of the town, Vanon considers the situation for a few moments before going over the situation with his team. "We can probably get into the town with relative ease, so that changes our course of action here. Given we still don't know which side they might lean towards, we keep under the radar and talk to a few of the townsfolk first. A few of us can head in on foot, leaving any heavy weaponry and armor behind so we're not conspicuous. With the drone keeping watch overhead we can hopefully avoid any patrols. We get in there, feel them out, and see if making official contact is a good idea. Thoughts?"

The team sounds good with it. They’re worried about being made if the town turns out to be on the other side of the conflict , and are trying to figure out an extraction plan if one can even be had (edited)

"Yeah, not many good options there. If we can get to the edge of the town, we'll run like hell and see if you can pick us up in the ATV." "If we're caught in the middle, you can try to create a diversion while we attempt to commandeer one of their vehicles. But...let's call that plan B since I can see that going to hell real fast."

That seems to be their conclusion as well, and the only thing that can be done now is try and see it out.

(would we be able to arrive while any pubs or other shops are still open if we left now or is it too late in the evening? Could otherwise wait until morning)

(You’d be able to hit a pub. I’d say the shops would be closed

(good enough, let's do it!)

(taking 2 others with you? or going alone? )

(yea, me and two of the riflemen)

Heading in looking like civilians , you make your way to the edge of town. There’s no official guard presence here that you can see. A bar with its lights on advertising good food and cold drinks plays it’s same looped advertisement music and you can see a steady stream of traffic going in and out of the establishment

Heading towards the bar, Vanon feels a little naked without his armor on. Despite the relatively short time he had spent wearing it so far on this campaign, he had gotten comfortable with its heavy weight on him. Doubts about this course of action enter his head as he approaches but it looks like a pretty busy night so hopefully that would reduce the scrutiny on them a bit. He gives a subtle nod to the two men at his side and heads into the establishment, attempting to blend in with the crowd.

Inside the bar you can see a counter with as many people on stools as it can allow. Others are at tables or booths talking and drinking. A game of darts takes place in the next room so drunken antics don't hurt any unprepared patrons. All in all, it seems about 70 people are inside drinking away their night and trying to forget the war.

After taking a moment to look around the room, Vanon heads over to the bar. He nudges one of the patrons aside to get closer and gestures for three drinks once he catches the bartender's eye, pointing at one of the beverages that a few other nearby patrons had in front of them.

No one questions you being here, and room is made for you like you and the team are just another group of thirsty locals coming in from the cold for something warm to drink.

Waiting for his drinks, Vanon leans against the bar and turns back to his men, saying loudly enough for the patron next to him to hear. "Hell of a night. I think we've earned those drinks." He sighs and after a short pause glances over and gestures at the patron's drink. "What are you drinking there, friend?"

"Starlight Sands, very nice drink, you guys get into trouble or something? "

"More like trouble found us. My neighbor up north got hit with something - an explosion took out half his property and there's debris everywhere. Probably a plane got shot down or accidentally dropped a bomb or something. Luckily we were able to get them out of there and give them a lift into town to try and get some medical attention." Vanon shook his head. "How are you all faring here?"

"The war is mostly to the north, and there's another town full of people between here and there. I've decided I'm not going to worry until refugees start showing up. That means we're next"

"Yeah, I hear you, but it could be here sooner than you think. Who knows where those bombers are going next?" Vanon takes a pause to grab his drinks and hands two to his men. He silently toasts the patron before taking a sip. "That is a nice drink." he says, giving the man a smile before continuing. "So you think the higher-ups in town have a plan for that?"

“We are on their side. They’re not going to bomb us. I don’t know why they would. Without our oil fields those planes don’t fly “

9:13 PM

“Feels a little bit like cutting off your nose to spite your face doesn’t it?”

With that bit of knowledge that they were working with the capitalists, Vanon knew it was risky every minute they stayed here to be potentially discovered, but tried to maintain a nonchalant attitude. "Yeah, who knows though. It's war, alliances change. Maybe they want a little more direct control over that oil one day." Vanon shrugs and takes a big swig of his drink. "But hell, I bet we both came here to try and forget about the war and listen to me going on about it. Let me buy you a refill there my friend, to make up for it."

"All good things to think about friend. Sometimes talking about it helps. Hope you feel a bit better now, and you're right. That day may come. Its happened in some other places. Hopefully this all comes to an end before that happens"

"Hopefully. Though from what I hear, the communists up north might be getting the upper hand. I wonder if the people in charge here might be thinking about switching sides. Getting on the winning side before it's too late."

"I'm sure it's in people's hearts, if not on their lips. I think if they knew how things might change, or what their place in the new order might be, they might not be so hesitant. Reluctant to sign yourself away to something new if you're already getting by with how thing are now. I think we fear change, evolutionary maybe. "

3:19 PM

He takes a long sip from his drink, eyes closed. The point maybe a bit too well made, and a bit closer to home than intended.

Vanon takes a moment to glance around the room as the man finishes his thoughts. Most of them probably workers just like the ones he was fighting for up north. He came to a decision. "I'm afraid I've mislead you, my friend." he began, his voice lowered. "At least regarding my reason for being here. The part about the bombing is true. Many of our neighbors have been bombed. I myself nearly died not long ago from one such bombing." "But we're here...well," he gestured to all the folks around them in the crowded bar. "for all of you. The workers. I can't tell you how things would change, or even what your place would be with us. Because ultimately that is up to you. But know that if you and your people want freedom, true freedom that comes from joining a brotherhood of your fellow workers, know that you will have support from your comrades up north. We all fear change, but well, all it takes is for a few to lead the charge, and if it's in people's hearts, they will follow."

(Talk/cha)

(Used expert reroll to get a 7 (5 before))

"I think you might be on to something there. You've given me a lot to think about. "

8:59 AM

(he's not going to blow your cover, and you have probably also convinced him , so thats a rumor that's going to spread here)

"Good, I hope you do think about it, friend. That's all I ask. But for now, I think it may be time for me to leave. Hopefully I'll see you here again soon but if not...you know where to find us."

He nods and goes back to his drink, with new ideas swirling in his head.

Leaving the man to his drink, Vanon gets up to do a quick walkthrough of the room, heading over towards the room with the darts, listening to see if he can overhear any other conversation about the war or maybe the oil fields.

Several of the men in here sound like they're oil workers. They're a hard working group of people, and you see its about equally split between shifts. They've gone through several pitchers of beer tonight, and it sounds like they're complaining about managers.

Looking over his shoulder at them as he passes, he leans in a little, catching a glance from one of them and gives them a nod. "Sorry, couldn't help but overhear some of that. You all work over on the oil rigs? I hear that's a hell of a job."

“It is. Long days. Pay isn’t great. Better than being on the streets though or that’s what I keep telling myself at least “

"Yeah, I hear you. Funny how the folks putting in the long hours get the least pay while the people at the top rake it in. But at least you got job security while the war's going on, right? I hear they fly those bombers nonstop and your oil's the only thing keeping them going."

"So they say. The refinery really gets the credit for that. Turning oil into J-5 isn't an easy process. Fact that we're even using oil for this is..... well, humanity has a long way to go to get back to where we were. Not sometihng we're probably ever going to see"

Vanon nods. "Could take a while with just what we have here." he paused, as if remembering something. He briefly considered revealing himself to this group as well, but thought he had taken enough risks already and tried a different tack. "But you know, I hear the communists up north are getting help from some sort of interstellar nation. Advanced technology, spaceships, and all that."

"Propaganda I'm sure. Just like when corporate tells us a raise is coming and whatnot. " He throws his dart, the shot landing close to the bullseye but not quite out of the ring around it.

"Thought so myself before I saw some of it with my own eyes." He takes the metatool off his wrist and tosses it to the man. "I did some trading up that way and they got stuff like this over there, not to mention a few high-tech vehicles and weapons." Vanon shrugs. "Maybe they got it from salvage or something, but I think there's something to it."

He looks it over appreciatively. “This is well made. You got this from trading up north? Did they have more?” His companions are likewise getting off their stools to look it over for themselves

"Yep, told them I had done some work as a mechanic and they tried to recruit me, probably pulled these out to try to impress me." Vanon grinned at them. "Can't say I wasn't tempted, them talking about how the workers own everything up there. Vanon took a turn on the dartboard as the oil workers paused to look at the metatool. "Hell, if they weren't getting bombed all the time I might've taken them up on it."

9:49 PM

(8 for my dart attack :D)

The dart ends up at the very edge of the board. “Makes sense. Lot of risk just for some extra credits. This is well done though. Worth thinking about. “

"Well, there's plenty of other perks. Better working conditions. Fewer bosses to deal with. Add all that up, might be worth the risk one day." "But why don't you hold on to that." Vanon said, gesturing to the metatool. "One working man to another. I'm somewhat retired from my mechanic days anyways."

"Are you sure? this is really nice , I feel bad taking this from you for nothing"

"Don't worry about it, I'll be heading back up north soon enough and can pick up another one. But tell you what, how about you buy us a round of drinks and we'll call it even."

They agree to that and before long a few more frosty pitchers are brought into the room, refreshing everyone with some of the cool alcohol. It’s not very strong or particularly flavorful, but it’s a nice change from water or the constituted protein drinks that CBSS rations come with

Vanon idly chats with the group, getting to know them a bit as the mugs are filled and enjoyed. At a pause he lifts his mug to the group. "Here's to you all, to everyone working a hard job and not getting paid enough for it." he says, taking a swig of the refreshing drink. "You know, I say we celebrate again once you all start getting paid what you deserve. Right now with the war demand...you could gather your fellow workers, stop production, and demand higher pay. Show the folks up top who's really in charge here."

"whgat if they don't negotiate? what happens then? I can picture the execs keeping firm on all this or hiring scabs"

"Always a risk, of course. I know you all have your livelihoods, your families to think of. This wouldn't be an easy decision. But you'll never have better leverage than you do now."

(they're receptive to the message, but i don't think they're about to go strike right this second, not sure if you wanted to try to get them to do anything else or not)

(yea, figured that was a long shot but worth a try, think i'm all finished with my attempted rabble rousing for the day)

(You’ve pushed them several degrees in that direction) (edited)

8:48 PM

The drinking continues but you’ve talked enough business for one night. Outside the cold winter wind howls, and everyone is glad to be inside for just a little longer

Vanon finishes his drink while chatting with the group, enjoying this bit of simple downtime. But he knew he had lingered long enough and made to leave. "Well friends, it's been great getting to know you. Hopefully I can swing by here again for a few more drinks one of these days."

"You're welcome anytime. Actually, I've got something I want to talk to you about" the largest of the oil workers says, moving to talk with you away from the others.

"Of course," Vanon says, walking with him away from the others. "What can I do for you?"

"Have you considered trying to...set yourself up here peddling stuff like that metatool? "

11:58 AM

"You'd have to do it under the nose of the authorities, but I think you're on to something here. Everything you said in that dart room was so true of all of our situation"

"I could. Or I could bring...other goods. They're fighting a war up north, but it sounds like the workers here are fighting a different war of sorts. And I'd like nothing more than to see you all win that war."

"We don't want a shooting fight in the middle of town. Our families live here, but if you bring us the good stuff the northerners are holding out on, you might see things change here before the war comes home. My family lives here, my parents live here. I don't want to see violence in town or even close to it. If something happened to any of them, I don't know what I would do"

"Fair enough. I'm all for trying the nonviolent approach first. I'm sure I could find some more goods like the multitool to bring down."

"The people who run this place. The ones who REALLY run it are too busy looking at their credit balance to know how things are for the people that work for them. You do this, you'll have the war over here pretty quickly., and I think that is something we all want"

"Sounds like we're in agreement. I'll make it happen." Vanon said, putting forward his hand for a handshake. "And anything you can do in the meantime to discreetly spread the word would be most helpful."

The shake is firm and you can feel his labor worn hands. It feels like leather. “I’ll be doing that. I think everyone we were just playing with would. The war needs to end one way or another and I hope it does with this world better than how it started “

"It will. And we'll both have done our part to make that happen." Vanon said, releasing the man's hand and giving him a reassuring nod. "But for now, take care my friend. I'll be in touch soon."

(3xp, 5000 credits ) (edited)

(leveled up!!)

**Level Up**
Level: 4
Focus: N/A
Old HP: 12
HP Roll: 11
New HP: 13
New Skills: Talk 0 for 1SP, Shoot 2 for 3SP, 1SP still unused from previous levels
Current AB: 2

(you've got some inroads started here, good to move into this any way you like from here)

(i actually still have that captured pilot in the back of the ATV, so I think I'll head back to rebel HQ to drop him off, check in there, start looking into getting a shipment of goods delivered.)

Rebel HQ is a busy place as you Return from the countryside. It looks like other CBSs operatives have been here since you left and the situation is improving here at camp. The pilot is taken from you for care and questioning by the camp security

Vanon takes a little time to look around the camp and talk to some of the rebels before seeing if he can locate some of the leadership team to brief them on his trip and get an update on the situation.

The rebel council is willing to meet with you upon hearing you are back. Your mission is of outmost security and planning for them

"Councilors, thank you for meeting with me. I'm happy to report our scouting mission to the village in the south was a success."

5:19 PM

(does that village have a name?)

(We didnt end up getting it )

**Level Up**
Level: 5
Focus: Diplomat lvl 1
Old HP: 13
HP Roll: 23!
New HP: 23
New Skills: Pilot 1 for 3SP, Talk 1 for 2SP (using 1 unspent point from last level)
Current AB: 2

(I'm also finally getting around to some refits for the frigate I got gifted a month or two back - do I just post the image of the new version in shipyard-updates?)

(Yes please )

(leveled up from the weather station repair - details incoming)

10:15 AM

!roll 6d6

Vanon Talenar Roll: [6, 5, 4, 4, 4, 3] Result: 26

**Level Up**
Level: 6
Focus: N/A
Old HP: 23
HP Roll: 26
New HP: 26
New Skills: Fix 3 for 4SP
Current AB: 3

(going to put this in the post archive folder for now, but please feel free to return anytime)