Iron Stars - eggix

The doors to the cell slam open as two Party peace officers, and a man in a shirt and tie clutching a leather briefcase appears at the doorway. "Get up Eggix. Someone here to see you." One of the guards says as the buzzing stops and the door rattles closed again, depositing the suited man on this side of the bars. "Hope the party is here to take you away for good. Getting tired of picking you up on the streets. A good thief wouldnt get caught so often." the other laughs, before letting the well dressed man know they'll be just down the hall if they're needed, or if you try anything foolish. "Eggix Thasmard? I am here representing the Party leadership" he explains, before setting his briefcase down on a stool and opening it. You cannot see what he is sifting through inside other than that it is papers. "We have an opportunity for you, if you accept. A chance to get out of this cell. With conditions of course, but a chance to clear your name and spend whats left of your life in some kind of relative comfort." (edited)

Eggix remains seated but looks up to meet the gaze of the man in his cell. "What do you need me to do?"

"Just like that is it? No questions about who I am or how the party became aware of you?"

14:58

He seems surprised, but if cutting to the heart of the matter is what you want, he seems to want to oblige. Most of the papers go back into the suitcase and he's left with a much smaller pile after making a quick note.

"Sorry.. I'm often impulsive.. I didn't mean to be rude. Who are you and what is the importance of me in this situation?"

"You're a thief. Say what you want to defend yourself but the facts are what they are. Fortunately for you the polity is going to release you, if you can promise us your services. We've got a situation on a bordering planet the party controls, and we neeed someone with quick hands to swap some dangerous cargo for us, before it falls into the clutches of the wrong people"

17:43

"You'd be saving thousands of lives, both human and Geon, if you manage this task"

Eggix gets up and sighs "Maybe for once in my life I can achieve something for the greater good and earn some respect.... What type of cargo are we talking about here? How soon would I need to ship off?"

"You'd be leaving now upon acceptance of the assignment and fitting of your restraint device. The mayor of the human settlement on Mehani is planning something against the Geon tribe that lives on the planet. The CBSS has been uplifting these naturalist Geon, and the plan involved explosive filled comm-servers meant to bring down the large communal city-cave these Geon live in. The party needs your expertise in heisting these decoy servers away , and will support whatever plan you deem best once on the ground. You'll be working with another agent named Kolbeckite"

Eggix is slightly taken back "What do you mean restraint device?" The silence of the room is suddenly broken by a slow, high-pitched breaking of wind. Eggix stares solemnly at the man as the sound reverberates around the room "Sorry, I'm a little nervous... What happens once this mission is complete? Will I be shipped off back here? If you can guarantee my freedom from this cell post-mission will I gladly accept."

"A small anklet. Its so you don't try to run before the mission is complete. If you stray from 20km of the settlement (larger than your mission area by a good margin) , it will explode. If you do this, and do it right, you will be returned here and officially freed."

Eggix straightened up and moved toward the man. "I'm in."

"Very good. Which leg do you favor?" he asks, as he gets some small tinkering supplies from the case out onto the bed.

Eggix raises his left leg onto the bed "This one should do it"

He nods and there is a brief cold sensation as bare metal is applied to skin. Some foam gel inside begins to inflate slightly for cushion, and upon the clasp being closed a small beep signifies the device is armed.

16:14

"Just a formality. You're one of the first in a new amnesty pilot project the Chairman is trying to implement. Better treatment than those Shtrafbats from the second world war eh? Not just throwing you to the wolves or the enemy with no weapons. We will walk to the main gate of the facility and you will be given your things back (items from your character sheet) , and we will get you on a shuttle to mehani"

16:14

"the crew is under orders to shoot you if you try to sabotage the craft or hijack it"

Eggix smirks softly "Well, I'll feel right at home then. This Chairman must be a top bloke, do I get to meet him? Looking forward to getting all of my stuff back.. It better all be there, I know how many power cells I had you know.. Lead the way squire"

16:47

"While we walk can you tell me about this Kolbeckite character? Are they coming out of one of these other cells to pair up with me or are they roaming free?"

"They were a member of the Geon tribe on another Brotherhood world, and wanted to step forward to represent his people in a mroe official capacity. He was never a prisoner, and is in every way a top CBSS agent. You won't be meeting him until after, his assignment involves apprehending Mehani's governor, and that is to be done at the same time you are to heist the explosives away- we need to make sure the plan isn't carried out by underlings following orders"

Eggix rubs his chin "Hmm, should be interesting then.. I haven't done anything like this before though.. I can only hope I don't screw it up.."

"It can't be worse than rotting in jail , no? " You're brought to your feet and are walked out of the cell. Other inmates look on or extend mirrors out of the bars so they can see what is going on. Youre marched down the hall and down some stairs that you have to be buzzed into- and through a wing of the prison you don't remember seeing on your way in. Your equipment is laid out on a table here, and there are four officers in the room as well just a few meters away, just in case you get any ideas.

Eggix looks over the table, quickly counting the items and making sure everything is there "Hmm, hmm, yep. All good." He begins to pack things into his backpack and put his belt and holster back on. "What was that part of the prison you brought me through?" He enquires "I don't remember seeing that on my way in here. Had a creepy vibe to it."

"decommissioned now, has been since the revolutionary days. We're not in the business of keeping political prisoners anymore- not now that we have an international appearance to keep up, but there are advantages to having some...off the books...cells...in our control. You wouldn't want to end up there" he says matter of factly. "I don't want to see you there either, so do your best job out there. A shuttle is going to be touching down in five minutes to take you to Mehani. This is going to be your last chance to ask any questions"

Eggix ponders a moment, then shakes his head to himself "There'll be more time for questions once the mission is completed.. I want to get moving in time to ensure we save these people"

The shuttle lands, and you're taken aboard before the last of your restraints aside from the bomb anklet are removed. The shuttle crew says nothing but seems respectful enough. You're helped aboard and shown your cabin, the galley, and are given a compad, allowing you to catch up on everything you missed while in jail.

14:16

( https://www.worldanvil.com/w/iron-stars-nekosmash Anything on the world anvil we always assume is basically information on the galactic internet, so your character would know it)

Iron Stars

A play by post adventure (This game has no real time or voice sessions). Five years have passed since The Scream, a psionic disaster responsible for killing billions across the galaxy in one swift stroke. Humanity has clung to life now forced to continue without virtually any of its psychic citizens or psi-tech industries that developed around ...

Eggix heads to his cabin and lays down, pulling up the compad to read through the information as he waits for the ship to reach it's destination.

The ship enters the Mehani system and begins silent running after a day spent in spike travel. You're called to the bridge to meet with the crew so they can determine a good place to drop you onto the surface.

Eggix gets up and heads towards the bridge, passing by the galley to grab a bagel first. Upon reaching the bridge he walks up to the first person he sees "Hey there friend, who's in charge of putting this pony on the ground?"

“You, we need to pick a landing site , close to colony but far enough away where you won’t be seen. You’re the thief , tell us how youd approach something like this”

Eggix chokes on his bagel "Ahrrrmpphh hrmpmp hrmp hrpm... swallowing... Right, of course, yes.. That's my job.. Are we able to fly in over the water then get low enough down to the ocean so we can fly across the top of it?" (edited)

https://www.worldanvil.com/w/iron-stars-nekosmash/a/mehani-article

Mehani

04:47

(Colony is on the big eastern continent amid that lake in the top left corner of it)

"Can someone bring up a map on screen for me?"

The map displays

05:05

(The planet map is the one that’s in this thread already )

"Let's get low around here and approach the island from the west, flying as low as possible to avoid detection. We'll set down on the coastline where I've pointed out and make our way inland from there"

(We're looking at about a half day's walk inland, but it will keep you safe from casual observation. The ship has an armory and locker if you think you might need a couple pieces of gear too)

Eggix looks around a little confused "Do you guys hear that........? Nevermind.. My conscience is telling me that if we land there it'll be about a half day's walk inland but should keep us safe from observation." Eggix steps over to the controls of the shuttle and proceeds to punch in the required numbers to set the shuttle to auto-pilot down to the landing zone. "I'm going to head to the armory to see what I might take in with me" Eggix combat rolls out of the bridge (What's in the armory?) (edited)

(any non-heavy TL4 or lower weapon)

(I think I'll continue with just what I have on me, hopefully I can get in and out without coming in contact with anyone

)

Looking through the armory you don’t find anything you need or anything thst could help you get the job done without making a lot of noise. As the ship begins its atmospheric entry and eastward flight , you make your way to the airlock. Engines bank and howl before the craft sets down in a snowy forest , several kilometers from the settlement.

(What time is it?)

(mid morning right now, the other side of the operation is already going so waiting for nighttime isnt an option)

Eggix presses a button to open the airlock and steps out onto the icy plain. There's a chill in the air and an eerie silence as he looks around across the desolate landscape. "Ain't nothing to it but to do it" He says to himself as he takes his first steps. Eggix heads directly towards the mountains at a quick pace. He sings to himself softly "Old grey man she ain't what she used to be, ain't what she used to be ...."

(Sneak/dex)

(What's that mean?)

(Roll a sneak check, and when it asks what attribute to roll it with, select dexterity )

1

(I'm not sure how to roll a sneak check sorry)

03:15

(13)

(looks like everything is correct) You go to ground upon entering the woods and use the skills you've learned over a lifetime of sneaking and breaking into places. The frost crunches underfoot, and you enter the forest outside the settlement, walking through it over the course of the morning. The mehani settlement is a sleepy place, but it is home to 50,000 people and more on the way every day. Light activities like logging, food production in greenhouses, and other activities take place here to keep the wheels of life turning. There is logging road that you also notice, that leads from this settlement to the Geon one. There is no traffic on it and it seems like the next major movement on it will be the convoy of fake comm servers to the Geon.

(Can I see the convoy? Is it guarded if so?)

(No. This is just the route they’ll have to take )

(I might setup here for a bit and wait for the convoy to pass - following it in to the Geon settlement)

(is that what you want to do?)

(Yeah let's do that =D)

You wait for several hours before hearing the sounds of heavy engines beginning to start up in the settlement. You cannot see the trucks yet but you hear a few shouting voices yelling for them to get rolling.

(Can I create a blockage on the road?)

(Id need some details about how youd plan to do it)

(I'd like to try move a large tree trunk into the path of the convoy) (edited)

(Exert/str)

06:27

(Or with constitution. Your choice)

(10)

Rushing across the road you’re able to move a stout trunk across the path. It won’t hold them in place for long but it should buy you a few moments if you csn remain unseen

Eggix makes his way back to the side of the road and awaits the convoy, concealing himself as best he can.

(How close would you want to be to the road?)

(5-10m from the roadside)

Crouching into in the brush you see the three convoy trucks stop and idle as the lead driver and his bodyguard step out to look at the fallen tree trunk. The bodyguard has his sidearm drawn, and is scanning the treeline , just in case.

(I want to make my way down to the last truck of the convoy and then sneak onto the back of the truck after the driver and bodyguard hop back in)

(This will be another sneak/dex, as the other trucks have people in them)

(10)

You manage to make your way to the back of the convoy and the driver’s guard is in the cab, not riding in back. You can see six large wooden crates here lashed to the truck bed, their lids nailed down with cheap thin metal nails

(Can I use my toolkit to try get the nails up?)

(Yes , no check needed for that then since you’ve got the tools for the job)

05:14

Popping open the first of the crates you can see two comm servers inside, but instantly can smell the putty used for the plastic explosives they’re packed with. The geon are unfamiliar with technology and would not pick up on this

Eggix stares into the crate "Bingo."

10:55

(How big are the comm servers? Can I take them out of the crate?")

(Theyre very large. Think like a modern day server stack, and probably a lot heavier since the empty space is all filled with explosives

(Can I pull the putty out and throw it into the bush?)

(Youd have to disarm the explosive or find some other way to get these boxes off the trucks without being noticed )

1

(Let's disarm the explosives)

(Fix/int)

(8)

Working quickly you're able to pop the lids and cut the necessary wires to render what is in this truck harmless, but the convoy is beginning to move again with the obstruction cleared, and you have two more vehicles to worry about

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit." Eggix mutters to himself quietly. He sits down to stop himself from falling over as the truck begins moving. (I'll have to ride this to the Geon settlement and hop out when we stop and try get on to the other trucks)

(Yeah I thought as a burgler your best chance was at the warehouse since it fit your skills best but then we waited in the woods. That’s why I asked a couple times if you were sure you wanted to wait, but we can ride this out and see what we can do)

03:16

(If you didn’t want to try anything before we get there I can fast forward )

(Ah, no worries :D, yeah we can move forward to the warehouse

)

(We can’t they moved out of it into the convoy )

04:18

(We will have to wait to see what happens at the geon colony then)

04:24

The trucks drive for about an hour westward and then north, before coming to a halt. You can hear the Humans and what must be the geon sentries conversing with one another before the trucks start moving again

(Oh)

Coming to a halt you hear the sounds of what must be water dripping from above, and more talk in Geon. You're not sure what they're saying but their tone sounds excitable. Light from the outside is gone now, you must be underground in the Geon colony itself. After another moment of driving, the convoy comes to a halt in the middle of the Geon caves.

(Can I hear anyone around me at the moment?)

(notice/wis)

(7)

You don’t hear anyone around the trucks right now but you’re in the middle of a busy village. You’ll have to work quickly

(Alright let's jump out and move on to the next truck)

Jumping out you can see this last truck in line is entirely empty. It’s crew must be elsewhere. The guard is sitting in the passenger seat of the next vehicle (mid) , and you can see him through the vehicles rear view mirror. He seems distracted for the moment.

Eggix takes a few quick breathes and then moves quickly and quietly toward the back of the middle truck, intending to jump in and start disarming the explosives.

The guard feels the truck shift somewhat as you enter the back, and you hear the passenger door slam closed along with slow footsteps on the stones outside as he begins making his way back to peek into the cargo area (edited)

04:52

You can see his shadow on the canvas sides passing by slowly and can only hope you are not equally back lit

(I want to hide behind the boxes in the truck)

Moving into the cargo area, the guard notices you hiding behind one of the comm server towers (9 for notice )

14:57

"Hey! what are you doing in here!" he says, fumbling for his weapon

Eggix takes the opportunity as the guard fumbles for his weapon to move in close and strike the guard to try knock him out.

(Would need attack/damage, and with what weapon you’re using if any)

(I want to punch him)

02:54

(Attack 11 damage 7)

The guard staggers backwards and bangs his head against one of the metal support beams. He collapses , knocked out for the moment.

Eggix throws his fists into their in a celebratory manner, clearly pleased with his efforts. "Sweet, sweet justice." he mutters as he kisses his knuckles softly. He returns to disarming the bombs on the current truck.

(since you did the previous ones you'd know what to do here so we don't need another check to just remember what you did)

14:10

As five minutes go by, you can hear the radio on the downed guard crackle. The driver of this truck is coming back from wherever he was in the Geon town, and is looking for him.

"Oh boy" Eggix says to himself as he finishes up disarming the explosives. He moves over to the body of the downed guard and begins undressing him. He puts the guards uniform on and hops off the truck. "Hmm, maybe the keys are still in the truck" he wonders to himself as he walks to the final truck to inspect the cabin for keys.

You see the driver in the final truck is still sitting in his seat, preventing you from casually rifling through it, uniformed or not

Eggix walks up to the drivers side door and knocks on the window "Hey chief, break time, I'll take over from here, you can leave the keys - we're going to be shipping this out once we've got it unloaded, I'm happy to do that"

(talk/cha, normally I wouldnt since this is a pretty routine thing you're asking, but you didnt make any efforts to hide your face)

(7)!

“Alright. Five minutes and I’ll be back. Gotta take a leak”

02:00

He unbuckles his seatbelt and steps out of the cab, stretching out.

Eggix waits for the guard to walk out of sight before climbing onto the back of the truck and proceeding to disarm the explosives.

@Nekosmash

(You’re in the group mission)

01:09

(None of the personal threads are going to move until that’s done )

(oh shit sorry man :/)

Level Up Level: 3 Old HP: 6 New HP: 16 New Skills: Sneak + 8

(+8?? How did you do that when skills cap at 4, and you’re not level 9)

(Oh, didn't know that :D)

00:30

(Yeah that’s why I’ve said twice now it’s a good idea to consult page 56 in the core rulebook and why I’ve posted this chart a few times now too)

(Sorry dude)

(All good. Let’s just get it fixed ) (edited)

1

(Okay, skills: Sneak 2 Notice 0 Talk 0 Shoot 0 To confirm - had 8 to spend, 5 for sneak 2 from 0, 1 each for notice talk and shoot to 0 from -1) (edited)

(And while we are at page 56, page 57 would have also told you to pick a new Focus at Level 2. And as they are quite character shaping, you won't want to miss out on them.)

1

(okay, we'll get the foci figured out and since your mission is all set, once we get that handled we can return to trying to disarm that last bomb and save the geon settlement)

@Eggix Thasmard

(archiving for now)