Iron Stars - marcus

Marcus awakens to a message dancing on his compad. It’s been some months since he left aslief for Gudrun. Desperate for work, Marcus had taken to sleeping on the Trivedi Cloud orbital station so he could be the first to find work when new ships came in. A battered shuttle, engines steaming from@over burn makes its way to the docking ring and a fanfare of people begin to cluster near the breezeway door., eager to see why it has returned in such a hurry and with damage

(Is the message on the compad from station-sec? It's possible their short-handed on security with relief ships for helping with The Remnant aftermath.)

01:14

He looks at his compad to see what it says as he grabs his armor and combat rifle.

(The remnant aftermath has been done for two years. I’ll let you know what you’re doing , let me set the mission up)

02:20

The message is about the shuttle coming in. A UNW notable names Proceus Pompeus is missing and presumed dead on the planet of Lohizune, and the shuttle took ground fire trying to get close enough to extract them. The individual was poking around a fortified shipyard and had a run in with security there. His organization, Tomorrow’s Dust, is paying all and any for information about the fate of their founder and the message is a wideband job offer for this task

He thumbs off a message to accept the job.

The shuttle is undergoing repairs but another is assigned to you, consisting of two pilots and a crew chief for the journey. A locker on board has any additional adventuring gear you might need, and the ship is ready to depart as soon as you are

After embarking on the shuttle I don my armor. Once done, I give my combat rifle a quick check for readiness. Afterward, I check the details of the op; who the hostiles are, breathable atmo or not, where I'm being set down in relation to the aborted extraction point.

This planet is a temperate world that is orbitally locked. It does not turn and has a permanent day an night side. Pilgrimage Site The world is noted for an important spiritual or historical location. In this case, the Queen of Heaven Solar Collector provides light and electricity to the entire planet. The world does not rotate, causing a split of eternal day, and eternal night. The Brotherhood of Fenris once occupied the collector, posing as monks, but have since been dislodged and power has been restored across the planet. Pilgrimages from nearby cities and towns still bring food to the plant workers, as getting to and from the site is not an easy task.

20:18

It is a seven day trip via spike jump , and you’ll have that time for yourself to engage in any pursuits you think important. (There’s a handout on the top of the roll20 page with what you can do in your downtime)

Marcus inquires about the lasted reported location of Proceaus Pompeus before contact was lost with him and if he was headed to the Solar Collector. Then he looks into the Brotherhood of Fenris and their reasons for occupying the collector.

The brotherhood is gone now, destroyed almost a year ago, but they had occupied the collector as a way to take tribute from the locals. Proceus was last seen east of Divaria in the northwest of the planet, near a shipyard on the coast

The next thing he is going to check is the UNW equivalent of the state department's public notices along with travel and tourist agencies. He's looking for any notices or bulletins about travel from the UNW to Lohitzune, especially in the area around Divaria. Things like high-risk areas were they advise people not to go, local customs to be aware of, etc.

This is not a world they had much information on. Events like this with early exploration are what populates a database with this kind of information

Next thing he is going to look into is the Tech Level of the Lohitzune, if it has been rated. Then he'll look into what this shipyard was/is.

There is no rating and there is no information on the shipyard since Proceus was killed during the initial exploration

03:29

)I’m not trying to be obtuse. The planet isn’t within any polity territory and the information I sent you from world anvil is all that’s known. He. Was the first person in a long time to go there so we don’t have much)

(no worries. Didn't think that at all.)

03:37

He sighs, then gets up to check the locker inventory for a couple items, such as rope, zip ties something similar, and grenades.

Rope is available. Grenades are in the ships armory, but there are only a few of each variety. The amount of explosives transported aboard a ship is generally low for all the reasons that come to mind without much thought.

He sets aside a bundle of rope and a couple of the Frag and Sticky grenades along with one Scrambler grenade. He packs a couple days of food and water rations. He loads it all into his pack and sets it aside ready to go. He checks the mission brief again to see what the LZ this shuttle dropping him at is. Then he starts running through some warm-up exercises before he begins doing a heavier workout. During the flight, he spends time reviewing what info he has and working out.

(spending the 7 days on exert then is how im reading it, so 7/90 for exert, and part of the fly over will be selecting a landing zone)

(Sounds good) A couple days before drop, he checks his gun and armor to make sure everything is in working order. He sighs as his mind wanders, remembering his days back with the 7th... back to the days before Santee went to hell. "Old habits." He quietly muses to himself. He remembered how his squad mates where laughin' and tellin' stories as they each checked their kit. By some luck they got a sergeant that was retired. He worked them hard but his squad took it in stride. Their CO wasn't too bad. He shook his head. He had better things to think about. He had a drop to get ready for.

Approaching the planet, an alert sounds six hours before you're expecting to be within local space. By time the necessary scans are done, and your kit is re-readied for the 10th time, theyll be about ready to determine an LZ and drop you off. On the bridge, long range scans are already running, showing a heavily forested zone around the shipyard, and the layout itself

20:16

(just grabbing the map)

20:17

20:17

(everything is modern, i just couldnt find a scifi map with the layout i liked, so this fit the bill)

(Is the aborted extraction site on this map?)

(its a bit to the south of this, but no, just in the large wooded area)

(looks like near location 1 is a good place to drop in. appears to be high-ground and immediate access to the high-ground is to the west by all appearances.) Marcus decides to have them drop him near location 1. After confirming his choice he heads down to the ramp and waits for the craft to reach the LZ.

The shipyard looks empty right now but you pass a large crater in the trail, and an abandoned scout car that looks to have been turned out. A large explosive had gone off there, and whoever had also been in the area left at least some trace of themselves behind. There is no evidence of bodies, but evidence of shooting and branches torn apart by gunfire. Two smashed drones also litter the small battle site

Marcus takes a knee as he looks at the ground more closely.

00:39

(is there are any discoloration or disturbance to the ground, like a body would have lain or had been dragged?)

(Survive/wis)

(6)

You can see a body was dragged toward the shipyard for a short ways before it must have been picked up or placed somewhere. THe drag marks stop after a few meters

He looks around for wheel/tread marks, burn ground, anything that would suggest a vehicle or signs of sentients moving about.

There are tread marks heading toward the shipyard along with wheel tracks from a second vehicle. The wheels match the type the abandoned scout car here is using

Marcus keeps low as he moves over towards the nearby stairs, taking cover behind the rocks near it to keep out of sight. He peeks around the rocks to the north towards the shipyard to see if there is anything still there.

Original message was deleted or could not be loaded.

Pinned a message.

14:15

A pair of sentries around building the south side of building 3 are looking out over the beach and water, nto toward the wood. There is no evidence of the vehicles that brought them here, but they might be parked elsewhere in the shipyard

He looks out towards the direction that the sentries are looking.

The water is open, and the view is quite beautiful, but there is nothing notable out there aside from the nice view.

(There is a building at number 2 between his position near the stairs and the where the sentries are at 3? How tall is that building?) Marcus looks at the area between his prone position and the sentries.

(Its smaller than building 3, just a small house where some of the engineers slept)

Marcus looks to the edge of the nearby woods watching and listening. He wonders what lays within them that the sentries are so sure of that they can stand with their backs to it. (Any movement or sound from woods to the west of the sentries?)

)nothing that you can detect, but there isnt anything there, your notice check from the way beginning was good, you'd have heard it ) (edited)

"Two sentries looking out over a waterfront with no other live body in-sight, that's strange." He thought to himself. He unfastened and shrugged off his pack, leaving it where he was hunkered down. He adjusts his knife to have it readied. Next he grabs the rope from his backpack and stows it on himself. "Next time, bring a shock stick." He mentally noted to himself. He readied his rifle and took one another look from his prone position to make sure the sentries hadn't moved and that no one else was around. Then he carefully tried to slip around and over the ledge next to the stairs without making a sound. He was going to make his way to the closest building (location 2) to keep something between him and sentries. Then he'd try to get closer to them and get the drop, hopefully without firing a shot. (edited)

(this is going to be another sneak/dex since we're getting very close to them, and they'll have a chance to notice)

(kk i'm make the roll)

19:29

(8)

(6, you're not detected, you could get to building 2)

Marcus pauses a moment, back against the building, as he takes an opportunity to look through any nearby window inside said building.

The inside of building 2 is a bunk room where engineers once slept. There is evidence that others once slept here recently, but there is no sign of them now. (more than just the 2 guys, but no belongings have been left behind signaling they are still around. )

"No bogeys inside. Clear." He mentally checked off in his head. He slowly slipped around to get behind the sentries, keeping his rifle up until he got to the corner of the building. Once at the corner, he quietly peeked to see if the sentries were still focused on watching the beach.

The sentries are still looking away, and don't seem to have noticed you

(Estimated distance to my position?)

(10m or so. If you're going for some kind of execution or something, I'd recommend a look at the rules, since you can only get one, not both)

(not what I was planning but thank you for pointing that out.)

21:55

He slips out bringing his weapon up and crouching low as he moves to 5 meters behind the sentries.

Nithing happens, they do not sense you

He takes a slow quiet breath. In a low menacing tone. "Freeze. Turn and we drop you. Eject your clips and toss your guns a few meters in front of you."

(going to roll a morale check here, 6 v 8, they fail) You hear a thump as rounds are ejected from chambers, and the magazines are removed from the bottoms of the guns.

"Using thumb and index finger, slowly take out any other weapons you got and toss them away in front of you. Get cute or twitchy and you'll see you brain come out through your nose." He keeps his voice low and menacing. He doesn't move as he keeps his gun trained on them and continues to crouch.

They don't have anything else on them that you might consider a weapon, and wait to see what else you need them to do

"Keep looking forward. Slowly lay on the ground on your belly and put your hands behind your head, fingers laced." He says menacingly. He continues watching them and keeping his gun on them.

They comply (failed morale again) , and don't do anything that goes against what you've instructed

"Chou. Hicks. Cover them. Shoot'em if they move. Rest of ya on overwatch." He says in a gruff commanding tone. Still crouching, he moves over to one of the sentries and uses a section of rope to hogtie him securely by ankles and feet. Then he moves to other one and hogties him the same way.

They don't resist, thinking they'll be shot by companions of yours that aren't there for causing the trouble. They are silent once tied, and do not struggle

22:44

There is a bump from inside the building they are guarding, the sound of something hitting the floor or being knocked over

After they are secured he moves to the door of the building, gun up. He tries the door to see if it's locked.

The door is locked, but one of the troopers has a ring of keys on his belt. It is not exaggerated or very large, only a few on it, but the second key you try seems to fit

After unlocking the door he pushes the door open, while standing off to the side, and cautiously looks inside. (edited)

A man, or what was once a man, and might be a machine now, is banging his fist against the side of a fluid filled tank. An oxygen mask, feeding tubes, and waste removal tubes have been worked into the holding contraption, and you can see from the bubbles escaping around his mouth he is trying to get your attention. A right leg, a left arm, and half of his head have been replaced with prosthetics for limbs that were too damaged to keep. A toxin injector on his arm has been disabled, and you can see other cords belonging to cyberware have been likewise severed

He steps into the building in a crouch before coming up, gun sweeping around the inside of the building. Making sure there is no one immediately in the room, he looks at the man in the tank and holds a finger up to his own lips. He checks any other entries into the room with the tank, making sure there isn't any other surprises skulking about. (edited)

The way you've unlocked seems to be the only way in, but you're able to pull down window shutters from inside, so the ight is dim and you cant be observed by other guards who may be around.

After shuttering the windows, he walks over to the med tank controls. He looks at the condition monitors for a sitrep on this guy's condition.

The patient is stable. This is Proceus Pompeus, who had been captured and horrifically hurt as a result of the battle. Believing him to be a source of information about the wider galaxy, he has been stabilized and placed in this tank to be questioned constantly by the facility commander.

Marcus quirks a brow, shakes his head and punches the commands to cycle the tank so that he could get the VIP out. Then he looks at the man in the tank. "I'm here to take you home. Hope you can walk. Give me a thumbs up if you hear me." He looks at the VIP. (edited)

He gives a thumbs up as the tank begins to bubble, the liquid is slowly being drained out

He nods as he turns to head to the door to grab the sentries and pull both of them inside. He knocks both of them out with a quick pop of his rifle butt before hand to keep them from calling out.

There is no struggle, just the simple snap of a rifle butt against two heads, knocking them out. Trickles of blood gently run down the backs of their heads, but they remain quiet

He looks around in the room to see if there are any scrubs or clothes for the VIP. If there are none to be found he unties and strips one of the sentries, tying them back up the way he had before afterward. He takes the sentry's socks and uses them as gags on the sentries. He sets the clothes and the boots aside for the VIP for when he gets out of the tank. Then, Marcus steps outside and grabs the rifles and mags that were on the ground still and brings them inside.

Mr. Pompeus and his possessions are in the room here upon taking a moment for inspection, and though it will be several moments before he is free of the tank you lay out everything for him so he can take care of things once he is out. Outside, a large engine is making enough noise nearby that you can hear it even from in here and over the hum of the machines

He pokes his head outside to see what the vehicle is.

It can't be seen from here. It must be in the woods, but approaching

He ducks back into the building and checks on the VIP and the med tank. Then he checks the sentries weapons and preps it for the VIP to use.

Mr. Pompeus has a rocket launcher that was taken from him at the time he was captured. It looks to be loaded still. He was previously in no position to get to his belongings. The fluid finishes draining, and there is another set of hisses as the glass container sides rise, releasing him into the cold air of the world once again

"No time to talk. Possible inbound bogey's. Gonna barrow this." He says in a terse commanding tone as he moves to grab the rocket launcher. "Gear up quick." He heads back to the door and outside, getting the launcher prepped and taking a knee as he looks towards the woods.

A personnel carrier runs down a tree 300m from the edge of the base, turning onto the service path to get into the facility

Marcus aims for good shot on the cockpit while it's still off the ground. "Good time for a Hail Mary." He thinks. Then he says next word as he squeezes the trigger. "Ease." (edited)

(the rocket launcher is 3d10, we still need a hit roll but just a 10+.

(kk. i'll roll in a sec.)

23:20

(dex+shoot+d20 correct?)

(Dex + Shoot+ d20+ attack bonus if you have one)

(17)

23:23

(and 22 on the 3d10)

The rocket whistles as it streaks from the tube, striking the personnel carrier at the turret ring. Flames follow it as the black smoking vehicle continues moving, though the engine noise has entirely died out. It seems like its moving now from momentum alone.

02:44

There are screams aboard as fire rips through the troop compartment, and the would be reinforcements are either burning or otherwise occupied with their disabled vehicle. Proceus finishes dressing and arranging his gear. "how are we getting out?" he asks. "I heard something, my captors. They were talking about a starship hidden here in the drydock."

(was there an extract planned with the shuttle or was i to find my own way off-world?)

(the shuttle can get close, but the pilots wont risk the ship if the area looks dangerous still)

03:47

(or there's the option of finishing Proceus' mission and getting the ship out of the dock here)

Marcus looks at Proceus. "There's a ship here? How guarded is it and what's the location of it?"

"They captured me before I got close. Like I said before, In the drydock building. Not sure on the guards"

"Building to north or on the island?"

(Would be 5 on the map)

He nods after seeing Proceus point in the direction of the drydock. "Sounds like we're gonna need a couple things just in case then." He turns and hurriedly goes to recover his pack and then regroups with Proceus. Then he heads with Proceus over to the drydock to get eyes on the situation there.

The drydock building has no security guards on the outside, but there are cameras on the corners of the building slowly panning around the complex

Marcus looks around for the personnel carrier he shot the rocket at.

The carrier is belching black smoke, and if any crew survived, they're working to try to either get out, or get the fire out. Either way, it won't be troubling you if you are economical in using the next few moments

(So it's nearby?)

(the carrier is now 500m away, 300 from earlier plus the distance from your previous location to this one)

He pulls out a sticky grenade and takes aim on the camera closest to the door. Then he squeezes the trigger to put a round or two through the camera.

(so grenade is just readied and not being used?) (edited)

(right)

Two rounds blow the camera closest to you apart, making a shower of sparks rain down on you. Proceus copies you, popping the camera on the other corner on the side of the building facing you

Marcus starts booking towards the door. If the door opens, he's throwing the sticky grenade through the open door way. If the door doesn't open, he's taking a flanking position on the door.

The door opens slightly, but is held by a chain from inside the door. You only see a piece of it. (If you don't have a metatool, Proc has one)

He nods to the door chain. "Got a key or cutter for this?" He asks Proceus. (edited)

He nods, and a metatool extends from his wrist. There is a brief snap, as the chain is gently cut

He takes a look at Proceus to see if he's got body armor or defensive augments of some sort. Then he gently pushes the door open, letting inertia swing it wide.

He's already surprised you with a bit of cyberware, and was captured with a good amount of equipment , he seems capable of handling himself

He peeks around the door frame to look inside the building.

Inside a set of large metal clamps near the fore, and aft of the ship, a spaceworthy Heavy Frigate is sitting in the dock here. Two soldiers stand at the base of its ramp. Its unclear if there are more on board. Each of them are talking to one another and smoking. The building is well insulated and you can see once you shut the door that they probably didn't hear the small blast outside when the carrier was hit

He looks at the interior for the best stealth approach. In a low whisper to Proceus. "We'll try and get the drop on them. I'll take point and go low. Form up on me and take high. Go in three." Waits for a confirm from Proceus.

He nods back, ready to go

20:46

His weapon comes up, and begins tracking (edited)

He holds up his fingers counting up. On three he crouches low and slips in with his weapon up. He checks his flanks as he moved quietly towards the guards near the ramp.

Proceus follows, shear rifle in hand.

Marcus is going to try and go for another stealthy drop on the guards near the ramp. If it worked the first time can't hurt to try again.

(sneak/dex)

21:18

(guards have a 6 notice)

(9)

(they dont hear proc)

(9)

(They won't hear you)

As soon as Marcus gets within 10 meters of the guards he stops, gun aimed. In a menacing low-tone to the guards. "Freeze. Eject your mags. Slowly toss your weapons a couple meters to the side. On your knees, hands behind on your head, fingers laced. Make a sound or get twitchy, and you're DRT. No muss, no fuss."

(they've taken a morale check to comply here, and got a 9, so we're going to jump into initiative)

(aw they got froggy.)

(Their loss. Literally)

21:46

(8)

(and my Alert gives me two init rolls and take the best, which gives me... 9)

(Marcus, Proc, guards. they are 10m away)

Marcus see's the signs of their decision to fight and squeezes a burst at one of the guards.

22:08

(and I roll a 7 to hit. 11 for Dmg.) (edited)

(26/7)

(The benefits of level 8)

The first guard is missed but the second is struck by Proceus. He’s not killed but is wounded.

00:47

(23/12 proceus ) the surviving guard returns fire at proceus , terrified of the shear rifle in his hands

(25 hp left, your up marcus)

(we top of the round already?)

(yep, your turn)

(kk. doing burst at the first guard again.)

00:59

(much better that time. 21/13)

(I did worse, 17/16. Tell me if it hits)

The guards at the base of the ramp are both put down, and for a moment the drydock is silent again. The ship airlock remains open, allowing you aboard though you're not sure what might be inside

Proceus walks into the airlock, sweeping the area. He motions for Marcus to follow when It's all clear

the airlock seems safe enough. A passage runs past the stairs on this level, but the stairs lead up to the bridge. Going left, you would head toward the back of the ship to engineering and engines. (edited)

Proceus remembers the model and the blueprints he found, and checks for anything missing from this section of the vessel

(Sorry just woke up)

17:28

Marcus pulls overwatch to for a bit to make sure no other guards popped out like roaches from hidey holes. Then he moved up the ramp into the ship. He looked for airlock access panel to close and secure the airlock from the outside.

There is an airlock panel, and they're unsecured so you wont need to hack to get it closed. the ship is the same as the one modeled, and the bridge is the only way it is lifting off. It is presumed the dock controls have probably been programmed into its systems too

Proc heads to the bridge to see if there is any pre-programmed flight plans, or anything like a ghost driver

He goes through and checks every room, corridor, and compartment to make sure no other sentient is aboard the ship.

(we're splitting up then?)

20:08

(checking the entire ship could be the process of hours, and you;'d be on the ground and vulnerable the entire time)

(I thought Proc was getting ready to fly the ship? Sorry. I'll have Marcus abort that then.)

(Well, seeing where it's been before could provide a story hook, and just flying it is good too)

After a short bit of not feeling the anything like a take off happening, Marcus makes his way to the bridge."We've gotta get get goin'. What's takin' so long?" He thinks silently to himself.

On the bridge, most of the sensors and computers are dark. There is no bridge crew aboard right now, and to spike it from the system you'll have to link up with the shuttle, and see if there is a way to get those sailors aboard for the time being. It looks like a shiptender mount is fitted to the vessel. Cameras begin powering on, allowing you to sweep the compartments. Two engineers are working on the outside of the ship, and you suspect once it powers up they'll react somehow

20:37

No one seems to be inside

"Can you get us off the ground?" He looks at Proceus.

"I can try, though it may be bumpy." (pilot-0)

"I'll buy that over crashin' it myself to paint a mountain."

(You've got enough with 0 to at least fly, just nothing complicated)

(No barrel rolls?

)

20:59

Proceus lifts the behemoth off of the dock, slowly lifting into the sky loudly as the technicians on the ground look up to see their charge flying away

Marcus looks about the bridge for the comm station. He wanted to get started punching up the channel needed to call the shuttle. "Anything else you overheard about this ship from your captors?" Marcus remarked to Proceus.

(I have no idea, bud. I just found a blueprint and a model. You'd have to ask neko)

(Nothing else)

21:19

Rising into space, the heavy frigate is bumpy and you can see without the shuttle crew coming aboard you'll never make the jump out of here.

"I'll try to take it in for a landing somewhere far away from here, then we can regroup and call for help"

(you could meet them in space too)

21:27

(so we're out of danger)

(Right, that works. I just thought I'm not a good enough pilot for that) (edited)

(3xp, 5000 credits)

21:28

(for both of you)

(yay!)

(woot) "Just get us into the black and I'll call the shuttle to meet us." He says as he gets the channel pulled up and calls the shuttle to meet up with them and get them out of the system.

Once the shuttle pilots were on board and they were underway, Marcus would go through the ship doing a sweep.

Proceus follows him, so they don't get separated. That's how you die in horror movies

"So. I'm Marcus." Opens door and looks in, then sweep gun around. "Someone paid me to check if you were alive or dead." Moves to the next room. "Sorry to say, but I didn't bank on you breathing." Opens door and looks in, sweeping the room.

00:06

"Also didn't bank on snagging a ship." Moves to the next room.

Proc follows his rhythm, mostly following his movements "I didn't expect for me to be alive either"

00:08

"Last thing I remember is getting hit"

00:09

"Then I was in a chamber of some sort, and you were draining it"

00:09

"I will compensate you for this though"

He chuckles. "I got paid. Grats not buyin' the farm." Opens and checks the next room. "Any idea what kind of ship this is? Looks like a navy frigate. Don't remember seein' one like it back on Aslief or the station I was at last." (edited)

"No idea. I came here due to some secrets I bought, had no intel on what was here. Glad it was such a beautiful ship. This could definitely boost my faction" (edited)

He checks the next room. "Faction?"

"Yeah, I own a meager faction, although I recently had a few ideas on how to change it. I'm the type of guy that can't sit on something long enough to do something meaningful with it"

00:55

"Jack of all trades, master of none"

"What faction?" He finishes sweeping the room. His movement is measured and methodical. His expression, impassive.

Proceus admires his movements. They were of a trained man. He'd do good to remember his name "Ah, it's called Tommorow's Dust. Cheesy, I know"

00:59

"You've probably never heard of it, being so new and all"

00:59

"There's been a lot of new factions entering the galactic stage recently, all doing good work"

"That's good to hear." He checks and sweeps the next room. "Means more work that pays."

"Haha, ain't that the truth"

01:02

"There's always a need for more cash"

"Also means shit might hit the fan sometime soon." He checks another room. "People get pissy when it gets crowded."

"People are always pissy. If one well placed event happened, there might be war in the 'verse"

01:06

"That'll be interesting"

He sighed. "Yeah." He finishes sweeping the room. "Their a fuckin' hoot. The smell of ozone and gunsmoke... smell of bowels, ammonia, and rot from dead bastards on both sides." He opens another door. "Sounds of wizzing rounds and buzz-cracks of lasers." He moves to the next room. "Of shrilling artillery shells that herald the coming departure of some unlucky sods." He opens the next door. "The soft gurgling, wisp of steam and bubbles from knife-cut grin on a jugular." He sweeps the room. His voice having been even and steady while he talked.

"Yikes, didn't know you were so against them"

01:23

"They're bad, I'll say that"

01:23

"But they are inevitable"

"Didn't say I didn't like them. Just talkin' from experience." They reach the engine room after a while.

"Right. From your description, you seem to only have seen the worst parts"

So far your search hasn’t yielded any stowaways aboard

He opens the door. "Aslief. Twenty-six, sixty-six. Santee Irregulars, Seventh Company." He says as sweeps the room. "I was a sergeant when it was over."

"Huh. Never been in a war, just rose through the ranks exploring and stuff"

01:34

"Can't hold a candle to your experience"

"Your lucky. Saw too many friends and fellow hunters die."

01:39

He turned to head out of Engineering. "And that doesn't count the civilian casualties Remnant didn't give a shit about towards the end."

"I'm so sorry."

01:40

"I haven't seen any friends die, usually due to going it alone. I hope things get better from here"

He nods. "It is what it is. It's why I left Aslief and to be a merc. List of reasons to kill someone is long enough to repel the Abyss. Don't even need a war to do it."

"Agreed. There might even be more reasons to kill someone outside of a war."

01:46

"Being a merc is a great lifestyle, floating wherever you want, not having loyalty to anyone" (edited)

He looks at Proceus. Then nods and continues sweeping the ship. "There is that. So where are we headed to? I already got a com that my pay cleared."

"I feel obligated to add onto that, if only to show my gratefulness. And I guess we'll go our separate ways after this. I'd love to have you visit on Gudrun, and maybe I'll even have a job for you"

He shrugs. "I'll accept your gratefulness if it makes ya feel better. I've heard about Gudrun. Seems like a place I should visit." He opens the door to another room. "And can always use more work and money."

"I can make sure you get some of the money flowing through there, if you take on a job now and then. "

01:54

(Basically, factions have nedeavors, and we have to do em')

01:54

(If you'd help, I'd compensate ya)

(sounds cool)

01:54

(he is a merc for hire)

(Sounds like a cool way to spend my cash)

He nods with a slight smile. "I can dig that."

"That'd be awesome. I'm glad I got this awesome ship though"

02:04

"Definitely worth dying" (edited)

"You mean waking up in a tank right?" He smirks.

"I dunno man, that felt like dying to me" He says with a smile

He shrugs and nods. Eventually the ship is checked over and if no stowaways are found, he calls it good. He then picks a cabin and checks out.

"Night" Proc says, then follows suit

The shuttle crew docks, and everyone is needed to begin the jump out of system. You breathe out when the spike drive finally kicks on, several hours later, beginning the 7 day spike trip back to Gudrun.

(Smol gift of 50,000. Thanks for the rescue!)

(sweet)

05:05

(For downtime, Marcus works on Exert. 14/90, right?)

(yeah since we did 7 on the way here too, that checks out)

He keeps to himself somewhat, occasionally coming out to be a little social while getting caffeine. After servicing his weapon and doing physical exercises, he spends the rest of his time sleeping. Once reaching Gudrun, he disembarks and starts looking for a place to get some cyberware for himself.

The taros to the west are revered for their work with cyberware, and skilled doctors are not hard to find, nor are their clinics especially difficult to locate

Marcus decides to seek out the taros in the west first.

(what kind of cyberware did you have in mind? i suppose is hould have asked before throwing you into something)

(I'm thinking Marcus is looking for some of the things that UNW Marine might have, if they use any. I know that Dermal Armor is gonna be something he is also interested in, especially if the power armor version is available (i'm doubting it is though as it's a TL5 implant or at least restricted). Also looking at Panspectral Optics, Immunofiltration Systems, Tagger Nanites, Adrenal Suppression Pump, and Bioadaptation Augments.)

(theres a Tl4 version of the dermal armor, the Tl5 is not available)

(thought so, but doesn't hurt to ask. the TL4 version is just fine.)

(everything else is also available)

(does the UNW have a Marine Corps?)

(I think i'm gonna limit the first batch of cyberware Marcus gets. The surgery on some of these has got to be a real wringer to a persons body. not to mention recovery and adjustment time is a factor too.)

18:12

(to that end, Marcus is gonna get; Bioadaptation Augments, Dermal Armor, Immunofiltration System, and Panspectral Optics. He'll start with that and pick up more later.) (edited)

(yeahj you cant go above your system strain\

18:14

(so lets make sure we're being mindful of that too)

(right. my system strain is 12 atm. and iirc there are things that can affect that temporarily and going over it does bad things.)

(yes, any kind of psychic or more instant healing causes strain, certain environments can cause it, ect. Going over is very bad)

(ok so that list of 4 augments totals 6 system strain and 70k credits.)

(sheet updated with what you bought)

(kk. how long is my recovery time, if any?) (edited)

Marcus was sitting up in bed looking through the window at the night sky. He had been convalescing for the last few days and he was supposed to find out when was being released soon. The Taros had done great work with the implants and few marks were even noticeable. Money well spent he hoped. "Still can't get over star-filled nights." He thought. A few minutes later he looked over at his compad on the nightstand next to his bed. "That advisory com-line for the President was outta left-field. Really didn't expect to see that. Ever." He thought to himself. He sighed as he leaned back. Sometimes it was hard to sleep, even after this long. Sometimes their faces were blurred by a fog or haze and their voices muffled in his dreams. Other times... he closed his to try to sleep, and hope the ghosts had taken the night off. (edited)

(6 days, no downtime can be taken during that time)

14:54

Your body is more machine now, than man, but the surgery was a success and the clinic has been advising you that things are working normally. There is a bit of a delay between thought and cyberware activation, but after a week or two, that residual lag should go away as the computerized components and your own bioelectrical signals acclimatize to one another.

(You fine if I pop in my new char here?)

After Marcus was discharged, he'd do some shopping. He was looking for a new backpack, of the top of the line models. Also wanted to pick up some additional items to round out his kit. He initially thought that he'd only need his rifle. But he came to a realize that not everyone is joyous about seein' such things. He needed a sidearm and maybe he'd look at what battle rifles were out there. He still couldn't figure out where that absurd deposit to his account came from. His best guess was some army hazard and back-pay or something. Whatever the case, it had sat there a good while and no one had commed him about it. So off he went to do some shoppin'.

(we've got our own custom equipment too on the resource doc)

22:55

(if any of the book weapons aren't doing it for you. I personally am a big fan of the tempest as a sidearm)

(so the Tempest is like a machine pistol.)

23:14

(I mean its an smg that can be one-handed.)

23:16

(i agree that looks cool.)

23:19

(i think that he's gonna go for a Mag Pistol or the Tempest, unless some thing truly special or unique jumps out at him.)

(its a laser SMG, its encumbrance 1 so it can be fired one handed

(ah gotcha)

(energy weapons tend to have a bit extra range as well, so its an improvement over the projectile one unless youre going to be underwater or in a world with an atmosphere that would scatter a beam, like lots of dust or particles)

(Range is measured in meters correct?)

(yessir)

(hmm)

(So this is the shopping list of things that Marcus is looking for;) (edited)

00:40

(Total spend in credits is 1850)

00:43

(also Pro was wondering if his new character (Ukrast) could pal around with Marcus. it's fine with me as long as it's cool with you Neko.)

(If it’s fine with you that’s all I need)

01:38

(That list is also good. All available )

(Hi again then)

(hey hey) Having finished all his errands, Marcus decided to try an open air bistro. While he waited for his meal and drank his coffee he checked to see if any new contracts or jobs had gone up for merc work.

Ukrast Pompeus sits down by Marcus and calls a waiter over. With pointed ears and a different skin color, you can tell he's not human. "Hey! My brother told me about you, said you were a solid guy. I'm Ukrast, Proceus's adoptive brother"

Marcus looks over at Ukast. He'd seen enough Taros over the last week to recognize one by now. He nodded and held out a hand to shake. "Good ta meet ya Ukast. I'm glad I was able to get your brother home to ya." Marcus is human, but rather pale like a person who didn't get much sun. He also seems to squint reflexively.

"Rather you didn't" He says with a poker face "Anyway, I was thinking about joining up with someone to do some exploring"

02:42

"You mind if I tag with you?"

Marcus looks at him appraisingly like his sizing him up. "What'cha good at? Got any natural talents, gifts, skills, certifications, and/or formal education." Even though he looked to be in his early to mid twenties, he looks a rough. His voice sounds gruff like a person whose had to shout and yell alot, but his tone is serious.

"Well, I'm good at sneaking around, and decent and close-range combat. I'm also ok at hacking and can work my way around a trap." Ukrast has on a tuxedo, with a nice bowler hat on

He nods. "Do you like working in a tux or is that just your off-duty wear?"

"I work in a tux. It's fresh, and radiates ability and prowess"

02:59

"I don't use armor either"

He nods. "So if bullets and energy bolts start flying, you duck for cover pretty quick then?"

"Well, I have a pretty tough body. I was taken in by an order as a boy, learned morals, and more importantly, martial arts"

03:03

"I can take a bullet"

He nods. "Ok. Can try this out and see how it goes. I feel it necessary to tell you that I haven't gotten very many exploratory gigs." He looks back at the available merc contracts.

(Didnt want to interrupt)

04:17

On Mariam, now that the ice and snows are stabilizing, an irradiated settlement has been uncovered by an areal sweep. No one has visited the place since the time of the Weather Control Tower going haywire, and not in the several post scream years since it was repaired and the storms stopped.

Marcus looks over the contract details. Particularly the person or group putting out the contract, as well as what they wanting done.

The UNW government has the contract and they’d like the area explored

He looks at the payout for the contract.

There is not one listed, but the UNW is known to pay well. You suspect much of the reward will be determined based on what is discovered

Ukrast takes a peek at the compad "The UNW is pretty generous with their cash, seeing as we have lots o' multi millionaires" (edited)

Marcus accepts the contract for the job. Then he starts digging through those details that would only be given to someone taking the job, if there are any. Once he is done perusing through them he starts looking into info about the local area; flora, fauna, and local activity by sentients. He checks the date of the areal sweep that uncovered the irradiated settlement along with the current rad levels at the time of the sweep.

You will be safe in atmofilters or vac suits on the ground for the duration of a reasonable exploration mission. There does not appear to be any life within the settlement based on an overhead flyby, but no other information is available

(Better buy an atmofilter then)

(i'm guessing that the Bioadaptation and the Immunofiltration cyberware won't help with the that either so i'll need a Vac suit.)

(they would be fine)

20:22

(i dont rememeber what everyone has, so if you've got some way to mitigate dangerous environments, you're fine)

(I just bought a atmofilter, should be good enough)

(yeah bioadaptation covers harsh environments.)

Last thing he checks to see if there are transport arrangements provided and the details of those arrangements.

A free merchant that the UNW merchant marine uses occasionally is set aside for use on this mission

20:43

(Tomorrows Dust's Free merchant is out trading this month, and we havent fit the heavy frigate yet)

He looks at Ukrast. "Hope you're ready for a trek through frozen back country if it comes to it. The area is also still irradiated, but the areal flyby didn't pick up anything movin' on the ground. Other than that, it's a simple recon on the surface. You gotta backpack for yourself to carry whatever kit ya got?"

"I've got a pretty small kit, I like to travel light. And I'm fine with a snowy trek. Good thing there aren't any big animals, though that means that there might be lots of small ones" (edited)

He looks up Mariam's planetary ecology for a moment. "There are Tarfins in the sea and something called a Glacial Stalker on land."

Ukrast searches it up as well "Those things look bloody scary"

He nods. "There's an entry here that they're also on Gudrun."

"Then stay out of the bloody forests"

04:07

"It's that easy"

He chuckles silently. "Sometimes easier said than done." After putting his compad away, he digs into a bowl of chowder with a pretty quick pace. He only paused long enough to shake pepper on the chowder and mix it in before continuing.

(I’ll get that mission up tomorrow once I’ve got the mental bandwidth to kick off an 8-12 person mission)

=====================================

Marcus leaned against a bulkhead, looking out into the local starfield. After returning from the mission, the med-techs had gotten him fixed up and slapped with a clean-health-bill. Next came getting a grub and some rack time... the later wasn't quite working out. "Gotta stand down trooper," He thought to himself, "Remnants weren't eating people." His thoughts flashed to the sight of the man, whole-bodied and terrified one moment... then liquifying slurry the next. He didn't like that it was getting under his skin. "At least Varghouls eat fresh off the bone." He noted in thought. He blinked a few times and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He looked around the corridor, thankful for how quiet it felt. He turned back to the starfield-view again. He wondered about how many ways he'd seen people die now. Then his mind touched on the memory of the man he replaced as sergeant in the 7th... and how he died. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a few moments, letting the memory flash in his mind before locking it down. He opened his eyes to see the stars again. He wondered how many of those stars were ones he'd seen before from other skies.

(Were you pulling back from the group mission?)

14:05

(No problem either way, just wanna know what to write )

(nope. He's going on the next group mission.)

)awesome, same area? New assignments are up)

(yep)

(we can move back here if you've got a mission involved)

03:10

(or want to spin something up)

(there was that expedition to Mariam to visit an irradiated settlement that got put on hold.) (also would like to get Marcus a Taros rifle before heading on that expedition. don't know if anything special needs to be done for that.)

(You have enough face for it. I forgot about that, we did like three other missions in between. )

(thats cool. ok, i'll mark the credit spend and add the gun to the sheet.)

(sheets been updated. he's going to keep the combat rifle and store it along with his body armor. i'm assuming that the ammo for the combat rifle is usable for the taros rifle as well.)

(3 days of downtime to Mariam and then we will kick it off )

(Working on Exert. 17/90.)

Marcus spends some time re-familiarizing himself with the info about the mission and about the area. Afterword, he checks and rechecks his new Taros Rifle.

The rifle seems fine and ready for use. Counters in the shuttle begin rising slowly out of background levels and reminders to don your protective gear begin chiming on the wall console. There is a gentle ping as a view of the settlement ahead begins generating. Most of the buildings are ruined and skeletal, especially close to the power plant that had gone critical

He settles in for the landing and waits to disembark. Once on the ground, he pulls out his navcomp to get his bearings for the target AO. (Went back to double check and I think we figured my Bioadaptation Augment and Immunofiltration System could protect me from the rads.)

(yes that is what we decided)

20:10

(the machines in the shuttle are just giving their usual warnings. No way to account for every single iteration of gear each individual person can have)

(right)

21:03

After getting his bearings, he slips the navcomp into a pocket. He slips on his backpack, shoulders his new rifle, and heads towards the abandoned settlement.

A pair of hab towers, the ruins of a manufacturing plant, and somthing resembling a lab dominate the settlement, poking out above the snow

Marcus makes a stealth approach to the closest of the hab towers. Keeping his rifle ready and himself alert for any possible threat.

(Sneak/dex)

(9 for Sneak)

You dont notice anything on approach to the hab towers, though the wind makes some of the broken shutters bang and crack against their frames, ever so often. The light is strangepassing through the building

Marcus cautiously enters the hab, his Panspectral Optics running full-boar. He keeps his rifle raised and steps slowly around, avoiding any debris on the floor to not make any noise as much as possible. He looks around in all directions, including above him.

Your optics would reveal a trio of lasers passing from the top of the door threshold to the bottom before you enter

Marcus looks at the door frame and the lasers. He assesses if they are set into the frame/structure itself or if they're an addition to the hab.

Theyre after market “features”

Marcus makes a quiet and cautious reconnoiter around the hab tower. He checks for first and second floor windows, particularly ones that appear to be busted out.

Almost all the doors and windows are broken out. The area has been abandoned for some time, and the shockwave of the irradiating event also woujld have destroyed most of the glass

Marcus looks through one of the windows with his Panspectral, making sure it was clear inside. Then he tries to climb in through one of the windows carefully.

You do not see anyone inside the apartment you're looking into. The buildings are alien in architecture, with tall swooping roofs and high ceilings. The doors are also arched instead of squared off, and the snow drifts around the base allow you to enter a second story window that does not have trip lasers in front of it

Marcus makes his way up the snow drift to the second floor window and makes his way inside.

You're in an apartment, the furnishings are gone and a black smear on the carpet denotes they might have been burned to make heat and light for others in the recent past. The door to the apartment is wide open, revealing a stairwell going upwards, and down to the bottom two floors, once existing at street level- but now covered by dense snow

Marcus pulls out his Navcomp and activates the auto mapper to track his progress and build a map. Once that is done, the next thing he checks quietly is if there is any compartments in the apartment that might have anything in them.

The nav computer can approximate a layout of the building, but doesnt seem to be able to divine if there are objects in those apartments.

After finding nothing in this apartments storage compartments, he quietly exits the apartment he entered. He systematicaly and quietly moves through the corridor, making his way to the front entrance. He kept his Panspectral Optics running and checking each door and corner on his way to the entrance. While that happened, he let the Navcomp record his path and map through the hab.

The lasers are still up over the front doorway in. You don’t see anything but a few snow rabbits that are disturbed by your travels , but there’s no sign of anything larger down on this level.

((So basically the plan that Marcus has is to go through each level systematically. He's being very cautious with his movements and alert of his environment. He'd keep his Panspectral Optics running full tilt while looking around in the tower. He has his navomp record and build a map as he goes through each of the hab towers and makes brief notes of flora and fauna, as well as any doors that are non functioning or blocked. He'll check storage compartments in the apartments that he is able to get into. He'd start from the ground floor and make his way up to the top of the tower first before trying to venture into any sub level floors that might exist in this towers construction. If he comes across any active security system he'll make note of it on his map. Then he would try to go around it through another path. If that is not possible, he'd take a look at it to see if he can deactivate it. If that is not possible, then he'll try to figure out if he can deactivate it. If all else fails he'll simply move on in his exploration of the tower.))

(Alright. I didn’t get to this because I need to roll out a bunch of rooms then , since we are sort of taking this all at once. I’ll get a plan together and make this the first thing I do tomorrow)

((sorry, i thought that this would be easier. i'll take do what i was doing before next time.))

((It is easier))

The floors are empty for the most part. Someone’s been scavenging here but you find lots of evidence of their passing. Clearing the tower you find nothing of value aside from the absolute knowledge that you’re not alone

Having made his way back out of the first hab, Marcus checks his Navcomp for the map of it. He makes a few notes regarding the hab. Then he turns and heads to the next closest structure in this abandoned settlement.

(The manufacturing plant and lab were the only other sites of relative value)

Marcus approaches the science lab cautiously, gun to his shoulder. He looks around the area of the science lab as he approaches for any signs of other people or critters.

Your navcomp pulls up the inside of the building as you approach

05:12

He circles around and checks the perimeter of the lab structure, being cautious and quiet. He looks for any breaches, anything strange, or evidence of recent habitation. Once done he then heads to the entry for the lab and checking nooks, corners, and doors.

(I’ll throw some room numbers in this )

13:37

(I forgot to do that)

(kk)

15:09

(E is for Entry, i didnt haave a stroke when making an 8)

15:09

There are no external defenses as you approach the frozen lab complex, of if there are any, they're as frozen as the landscape around you.

With his Panspectral Optics running, Marcus is going to the entry point. He's being alert and cautious in his approach. When he gets to the door panel he'll check to see if it is still powered and if the security is still active.

Security isn’t displaying on the exterior access panel, but it’s powered and the door controls look Intact enough. The radiation level is high here and even your augmented body is going to struggle if you linger here for more than a couple of hours

Marcus starts a timer for 20 mins and gets his navcomp running. Then he activates opens the door and looks inside (into room 2).

The entry way has a reception desk with a computer that’s empty now along with the two heavy doors that lead into the lab. Some ruined couches and places where guests would wait and the rotted remains of a potted plant are against the walls in the relative positions of where they would have been

Marcus moves cautiously around to check the computer at the reception desk. While he moves and looks around the room he stays aware of the rad levels.

The screen has been blown out, and the keyboard looks to have almost melted a bit, the middle of it bows upward at something like an unnatural angle

Marcus moves cautiously towards the back set of doors and checks for a functional panel. He checks to see of the rad levels have changed at all with having moved more towards the center of the lab facility.

Original message was deleted or could not be loaded.

Pinned a message.

22:46

There is a panel, with a simple lock and unlock function on it. It seems to open into the lab core. There are also doors leading north, and south, to more ancilary parts of the facility. The rad level isnt changing much from its base level- though its more than you'd want to be exposed to for long

Marcus opens the door to Area 2. He quickly drops to a firing crouch and hunkers his body to the bulkhead near the door for cover.

Nothing activates as the door opens. Sliding doors head north, south and straight ahead to the west

Marcus makes his way around to each door (North first, then South, then the last door). He checks the rad levels and then opens each door and checks the rooms. (edited)

Fifteen minutes remain on your timer. North is a short access annex to personal quarters and a door to the lab core way. West leads to storage and the reactor, which has a higher rad count by a large factor compared to the rest of the area. South leads to the lab access hallway along with some additional storage

Marcus heads North towards the personal quarters, picking up the pace a bit. Reaching the door, he opens it and keeps his weapon raised.

Yoi hear something hissing and stomping on the other side of the door. A low rhythmic pulse sounds like footfalls

Marcus thinks a few moments, takes a deep breath, then triggers the door. He then quickly backs up, gun raised, as falls back the way he came to the entrance. If he was gonna fight something, he wanted to get it outside and away from the rad zone.

Something clicks and shrieks behind the door as you move 10m back into the reception area

16:58

3

(I assume I have clear los to it?)

(yessir)

Marcus watches the thing move as he continues falling back and hunkers behind cover.

(initiative)

(4. lol, this'll hurt.)

(5,) The laser weapon mounted in the tail lashes violently around the room, burning indiscriminate lines through the door, desks, and other articles in the room. The desk begins to softly burn (19/4 on you as well if that goes through)

(my ac is 17. that hits unless unless i get something for hunkering behind cover.)