Iron Stars - skeka

Skeka, a young slyth warrior awakens in their small apartment on Gudrun. The trip from the colony on Ilaria was long-but the opportunities and employers are here on Gudrun in service to the United Nations of Worlds. It seems only right, as UNW researchers were the ones who found the cure for the plague that sent the remaining Slyth into their deep freeze- those lucky few Slyth in remote worlds who had survived the decimation and fall of their once proud empire. Every slyth life is precious, when only 1500 of your kind exist in the known galaxy right now, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. The UNW is always looking for those handy with a weapon to serve as security for its exploration teams, especially now with several major conflicts around the polity borders. The planet Musheera is one such site, though there are others around the UNW that also are home to ruins of lost cultures and ages. Any seeking employment are encouraged to visit a UNW recruiting office. Luckily for Skeka, one is just down the street, a short distance from the apartment building where she temporarily lives. (edited)

Skeka would slither hey way to the building down to the office she was currently just wearing some nice casual wear nothing too flashy and a leathery "man's purse" just in case. As she enters the building she has a nice casual look around since this is a new place for her

1

There are three clerks in this somewhat new and clean building. One of them is helping a Geon with some documentation, permits it looks like for an unrelated matter elsewhere on Gudrun- not really relevant to exploration from what you've been able to overhear. The other two seem attentive, waiting behind their consoles to assist if you need it. They are professionals and are trained to not rush things.

I would go to a random worker and ask about the UNW recruitments for mercenary work. In a casual neutral tone but curious

(did you want to explore? or did you have something else in mind? that's what im trying to figure out)

(No I'm just gonna go and talk to the charlk. Just a random one) (edited)

"Hello there Slyth, welcome to UNW recruiting. How can I help you?"

"i'm here to apply for a uuh job? well im looking to work for someone who needs a mercenary and i think i'm pretty fit for the job, im pretty sure il be needing to fill out a few documents"

"Merc work, well that depends on the sort of work you plan to do. No doubt yo've seen the advertisements. Different elements of the UNW are responsible for different areas"

"I was thinking maybe I could work for a science team. Exploring planets that haven't been fully explored yet and being a personal body guard in some way"

"I see. We're trying to staff a team looking into the ruins of some former megacorp holdings on Rawhani. Do you have any problems working in a badlands environment?"

"Hmmm I dont think so along as its sunny and all haha. I think with a group and slow approach and all anything is possible..."

"Alright, so you'll do it?" she asks, quizzically trying to make sense of your answer

"Yeah I'm certain..." gives a light smile

Your transport leaves tonight, and you'll be meeting the other five members of your expedition then. A few forms are filled out, and you're advised to wish goodbye to anyone here you might need to , since its expected you'll be afield for some time.

"Oh tonight? Well uhh yeah I think I'm ready well I live alone and I did locked my apartment soo I'm fine. Sure il fill out the paper work and get on board." after that skeka would follow along what shes told to do and make her way to the ship and meet 5 new faces

The free merchant is a blocky vessel with enough room for the flight crew and the exploration team you'll be traveling with. Two of the assembled look to be other security team members- with you being the third. They are both human. A merlon technician, and two humans who also look to be specialized labor focused round out the contingent. They are assembling gear and taking inventory near the cargo ramp, supervising some sort of tracked exploration vehicle being loaded into the bay.

I would casualy approach the security team and introduce myself and explain to them that I'm the new team member and if they needed any help.

They're quick to state they've got this under control, and the vehicle will be loaded in a few moments. Once it is, the shuttle will be taking off, and you'll have a few days of space travel utilizing the ship's spike drive before reaching Rawhani. The shuttle is loaded down with exploration gear, but there is still enough space for everyone to have their own compartment aboard.

skeka would just coaperate with the crew and all and after they land on the planet she will wait for further instructions. for now she would be sticking close to the guards and maybe do a few small talks too (to be continued) (edited)

(Alright we have a couple things to do in the meantime. We're not just going to race off to the new spot. We have 3 days of downtime in spike space. The roll20 has a handout near the top of what you can work on in that time during travel)

https://www.worldanvil.com/w/iron-stars-nekosmash/a/rawhani-article?preview=true

Rawhani

17:26

Exiting spike space 3 days later at Rawhani, you're interrogated briefly by the planet's new space defenses, before being allowed to close into orbit. The team convenes in the central galley, to determine a landing zone, and set expectations for how things will be handled once on the ground.

(Ngl it sure looks like a wasteland)

17:31

skeka was just waiting for further instructions "well they sounded friendly" sarcasm

"We have a decision to make about where to land. The desert is littered with ruins outside the corporate enclaves. I also want to be clear that the people living here now are UNW citizens. Moving into a situation guns blazing, when there is no threat to the group is murder, and you will be sent home in chains for criminal trial if this happens"

"hey i don't kill anything that moves unless told do or if its trying to kill me, don't worry i won't do anything stupid" she now checks if shes all ready

There is a failed enclave in the middle of the southern continent, where those cast out of corporate society tried to make a life for themselves and were unable to surmount the harsh challenges of the desert. No other input as to another landing zone has been given, so the group decides they will land on the outskirts, and try to see if there is anything worth investigating here. Once on the ground, the navcomp held by one of the group experts should be able to generate a loose street plan, and you can determine what buildings to investigate. Descending through the atmosphere is a matter of routine, and the rocky red ground of the planet's endless badlands reminds you of oxide powder scraped from a blade, it billows in large dust devils, and is whipped into a frenzy as the shuttle sets down to land. The engines power down, and the cargo ramp begins lowering to the exploration vehicle can disembark and serve its purpose of carrying you itno the ruins

i would have my gun holstered with me just in case overall i would ask what was our next step. probaly using the veichle to reach our next point. skeka didnt mind how the wasteland look at least it was warm (edited)

1

20:34

The easiest way into the ruins seems to be the southwestern side of the settlement. It is large, and stopping in the first of the many town squares will give the computer systems aboard the explorer time to map- in the meantime, the group can explore the surrounding houses

"So these place abandoned or will we run into into other people? I suggest we keep our eyes and ears out for anything suspicious..." skeka told this to the group

20:57

"Hmmm let's check a few building...well what's left of em I think the only thing we will find is scrap or used drugs haha"

They don't really have an answer, but the safe bet might be to expect to see other scavengers in the area. Your group is doing much the same. A building to the west, north, and south seems to be your immediate options

skekab would also look around those parts if she spots something useful to grab (I'm pretty sure I roll something)

22:05

(Do I roll a 1d20 -1 for notice?)

(I'll let you know when its time to roll something, you didnt pick a building or at least a direction from what I listed. That's also not how skill checks are done)

I would pick the north building (on the map) since it looked pretty decent

Three families would have stayed in this building. You enter the foyer, where the flat flagstones have been pulverized and cracked. Doors to each of the three apartments have been shredded and you see evidence of gunfire on each of them, either breached with shotguns or pitted with laser rifles.

I would check to find and scrap maybe or some valuable material if not then I would go to the west building with the team

(Notice/wis)

05:40

(Well that's low prob)

Moving too quickly you don’t find much of anything in the north house. Most of the debris seems to be from the building falling apart , and the smashing of the various household implements by whoever attached this place

welp guess were going to the other one "all this places seem looted alredy but hey you never know" (edited)

(You only went to one building so far. Are you skipping one?)

(Oh no let's go over all of em. Fixed my comment) (edited)

The western building is organized much the same, though the apartment doors here are closed and do not seem to have been short or forced open. There are three apartments, and a burned skeleton is propped against the wall in the foyer, grasping for the exterior doorway. The victim never made it before getting lacerated by energy weapon fire.

check the skeleton if it has anything still on

15:27

after there I would push the door open then jump back

(which door, 1, 2 or 3?) The skeleton has nothing on it but scraps of burned clothes and its blackened bones. Scavenger vermin and bugs have eaten the flesh and softer tissues.

Door number 1)

(but yeah how i imagine is i just pull the handle down with my gun barrel then push it forward and go back a bit)

The door opens, revealing a sitting room, and a hallway going back to the other parts of the apartment. The kitchenette is intact. Many jars and bottles sit on the counter, along with a cold stone hearth, with a cook pot still dangling over a fire that was never lit. You're unsure how the back rooms look from here in this apartment, unable to see them from the entryway.

(Is my squad with me or am I alone? I have a felling someone is here or WAS here)

17:30

skeka has a felling someones been here

(the other two security troopers are outside, watching the explorers)

17:31

(and protecting the vehicle.)

skeka would raise her voice a bit "hey anyone in here?"

17:32

"If yes could you answer? I dont want to enter if its occupied..." behind cover still

17:36

if there was no answer I would then go to the kitchen and check it out still on my guard

There is no answer but the wind whistling through cracks in the imperfectly constructed building. Local spices, cooking reagents, and some nutrition packs stolen from Megacorp supplies are in the kitchen .Each of them mixed together would have made a nutritious meal for a family, though whoever lived here before the raid never got to enjoy another one. Even so, the supplies are worth taking. They may not be valuable, but it might mean a better meal for the exploration team tonight.

il put my bag and take the supplies as I'm packing them I would be looking at the door still with my gun ready

18:05

if there was nothing still I would go back to the hallway and look then make my way back to the team

18:06

(I dont fell safe alone Haha lvl1)

THe doors of apartments 2 and 3 in here remain closed. You emerge back into the sunlight, as the explorers are fiddling with scanners on the vehicle, trying to map the settlement under the watchful eyes of the other two members of the security detail

skeka would casualy say hello and tell them what she found in the building she was in

18:28

"This area has seen a lot of shooting too just be careful"

18:28

"Say what should our next task be? Theres still daylight" (edited)

"Our next task? This is our task. Exploring these ruins, finding anything of value that can be brought back to civilization, and trying to figure out what happened here. This is the job. You said the interior of that building had weapons fire in it? What else did you see?"

"well apart from a skeleton and all tho there are a few rooms still left to explore...if you want wanna come with me just in case?"

19:47

(im sure the 2 merchants and 1 merc is good to stay?. also if its not ok i can go back alone and check the rest of the building)

(Once again, explorers. and yes)

19:49

He nods, letting the other security trooper know he is going to step away for a moment to help you sweep the surrounding buildings.

we go back to the place i was and go to the hallway skeka would slowly enter the next closet door now with her buddy

He nods, holding his weapon level , waiting for you to approach the door. If anything is on the other side, he will have you covered. THe soldier does take note of the laser burned body, but says nothing about it

pushes the door open the take half cover and looks if she can see anything inside

As the door opens to apartment 2, nothing jumps out or fires back. A family was about to have dinner here when they were killed. More blackened skeletons, four this time, sit at the table, all shot as they were about to eat. Their meal is scattered across the table from the death throes. There is no blood, consistent with energy weapons. A pair of dust goggles and scarves are on pegs next to the door, along with a walking stick made from a rod of cloth wrapped reclaimed iron. It is simple, with a small point at the end to help it grip rock and the ground. The layout is much the same , two back bedrooms you cannot see from the main room.

I would like to explore the room now more closely maybe find something hidden or so

21:15

Roll notice?) (edited)

There doesn't seem to be anything beyond what you can immediately see in this front sitting room.

il check the bedrooms maybe theres something there

With your companion, you move down the long hallway, slithering over smooth flag stones- worn smooth by the passage of feet over time- not machined to be flat. Opening each of the doors, you're not ambushed, though you do find moth eaten mattresses made of rough foam and scraps of cloth binding. Desert clothing is hung on pegs, and on one of the pegs there is also an old corporate ID card. A product design manager at Fortune Sports, he had evidently done something to offend his corporate masters, and he was released into the desert with what was on his back- meant to wander- the desert doing the work of headsman for most of the people the corporations no longer had a use for.

check the clothes but I take the ID cart and put it in my pouch just in case

22:10

after that I leas the guard to the last door I saw as I push it open and take half cover quickly

This was a child's room. You saw two smaller skeletons at the table, and you can tell the human trooper tried not to look at them too much. They have their own sets of desert clothing, and a collection of small glass beads sat on the window, casting different colors of light across the room. They do not seem placed with significance, just a scattering of trinkets collected by the children that used to live here. On one of the wall pegs, a small golden yin-yang symbol- a pendant likely given as a gift, gently hangs. It has a thin coating of desert dust on it, and is scratched from the abrading sand that slowly seeps into the home with every gust of wind.

I would take the golden yin yang "sucks they died..." well nothing was much left time for the final room

This apartment is now empty, leaving just the third door.

push the door open and take half cover

(evasion save)

Ok)

00:03

(Saved it successfully 16 vs 13) (edited)

The falling ceiling from the other side of the door spills rocks into the hallway, and you’re able to jump back in time to prevent being buried. Some sort of explosion inside this apartment collapsed some of the ceiling and leveled most of what you can see beyond the rockslide. Blackened bones and shards of scrap furniture litter the ground. A skeletal hand is still half exposed from under the rubble, holding onto somethinf silver that shines in the sunlight

I would take it of course after everything calms down "huh what's this?"

The object is circular with a broken silver chain tied into the top of it. Once it made a compete necklace like loop but it has snapped. Bony fingers keep a firm grasp of the object

"Hmmm" try to open the palm maybe

06:00

"Come on bone boy let it go"

There is a crack of bone as the skeletal claw opens, releasing the locket Two pictures are inside. One of them is a fortune sports logo, the other is moving portrait of a human woman with tan equatorial skin and inky black hair. She didn’t know the picture was being taken.

13:23

More evidence of a corpsec purge in this settlements past is on the walls and floor, laser burns and shrapnel from grenades

I take the locket then check if theres anything else in here or other rooms (edited)

"Hey uhhh see anything too?" I look at my partner

You would have to dig through the rubble pile to get into the apartment. It is blocking most of what you would be able to see, and your partner is not able to see anything either

"eh was probally empty anyways lets check up on the other building?" she looks at her partner "i got your back don't worry" (edited)

14:43

"i mean we could dig thrue the rubble if you want still i think we have some tools back at the veichle?"

(the X's are buildings we cleared, the circle is the position of the ATV explorer)

we should go to the south building now and check it out its the one closes to the atv

The south building has no entry door. You can see inside to an open-air courtyard where a fountain and water pump once stood. The pipes look rusted and corroded now. They might be convinced to work with some repairs. A western and eastern apartment make up this building, they seem bigger and differently designed than the other two buildings you have been inside of.

"hmmm" lets enter the western one first and see how it is

The western door hangs on one hinge, and is jammed in place, it does not open with an easy push like the others

"Hmmm I have a felling someones here..."

17:05

(Could I shoot at the hinge a few times to break it?)

17:06

(Like a few taps)

17:06

before I do anything I knock on the door and take half cover "hey anyone in here? Hello?"

There is no reply. You think your weapon should sever the hinge

i tell my partner to take cover behind the wall as i do the same then shoot at the hinge twice

There is a sharp plink , and then a second, as your two shots send sparks from the hinges. The door falls forward, cut free, revealing the dark apartment beyond

look at my partner "hey got a flashlight or a flare maybe? light it up so we can both see inside more"

He does not, but the ATV may have a locker where you can find some glowbugs.

welp we both check it out and grab 5 of them if there are

(dont forget to add to sheet, since they do have an encumbrance value)

(got it)

21:03

@Nekosmash uhh wait how do i add new items.)

(don't tag me)

21:03

(click the pencil on the top right corner. Then go down to the item area. Select what you want from the dropdown and click add)

(ok thx)

21:07

(And done jup got 5)

Both of you make it back to the broken doorway, and prepare to throw one of the blowbug flares inside. Their color is a pale green, their light lacking depth but passable enough to point out anything you may have missed. As you throw one inside, you have a momentary glimpse of a human figure, wreathed in shadow. It is only there for a moment, when you look again to confirm what you just saw, it is gone

I tell my partner I saw a person move in there as I raise my gun

22:19

I would throw 1 more glowstick just around the corner then peak in

22:20

"hey anymore in there? were friendly...sorry about the door" I would just slightly raise my voice

There does not seem to be anyone there now but you're certain you saw something just a few seconds ago. Everything is dark and washed out by the green glowbug light inside. You can see a large meeting room inside this building, with broken furniture but nothing else

"I hope it wasnt ghosts...fucking hell this place empty too? let's dig around a bit more" search more?

The eastern door remains, if you decide not to enter the dark meeting chamber

yeah ima check the eastern door instead (edited)

23:37

"let's go to the other door" (edited)

(Everything not in character needs to be formatted like this)

14:29

(if i cant tell whats going on in a scene you're going to have a bad time or I'm going to make a mistake)

14:30

The door comes off easier here, and you see the figure inside, arms raised, before once again it vanishes into black mist.

"HEY WAIT! shit I saw the figure again?" cracks a glowstick and has it in puts in on my vest "hey come out man we wont harm you were" slowly slithers in

There doesn't seem to be anyone but you here now. The eastern room was a storage room. You can see several crates on wooden pallets to get them off the ground inside. Two have had their lids pried open, the straw inside disturbed. There are a few depressions in the straw, so something must be under it.

i would look at the straw inside the crate then if slowly remove the straw by throwing it on the floor

Food, Jerry cans of water, and some other small household supplies formerly stolen from Corpsec are packed into the bottom of this crate. It is clear they were taken from somewhere else and brought here- as corp sec would not have supplied people they dumped into the desert for failing them.

"hmm looks like this is someones stash..." looks at my partner "finders keepers i guess?"

17:10

i would then put this in my bag and after that check up if there are other rooms

17:10

"also keep a watch out for that black figure i dont know if its a real person or a fucking spirit...shits crazy here"

(there is way too much here for you to carry out in one trip on your back)

well by that point i would go back and forth and ask my colige to help me carry the stuff to the ATV

17:43

(hope thats ok yeah?)

There are five large supply crates inside, and it takes about an hour to move them into the cargo bay of the ATV. They'll have to be picked through later when things are safer. The explorers seem to have created a more detailed settlement map now that they have had some time to work with the scanners. This settlement is dead, but there are short wave signals 20km to the east, situated around the site of a formerly disused water collector. Survivors may have settled down there- and the group prepares to quit the settlement to travel east.

the dark figure didnt seem to appear again so i think we can go to the signal and check up how things are there

(D10 for the intervening hex we will travel through, and then we'll move the scene)

(sure)

20:45

(well now...)

(its just for terrain.) The land between this settlement and the water collector is filled with dunes. Most of them are taller than your large exploration vehicle, and a rooster tail of sand is kicked up behind you as the heavy treads bite deep to allow traction. The other two members of the security element are nervous traveling exposed like this, and one of them suggests opening the top hatch to get someone on the heavy machine gun, just in case

guess i will since im pretty prof. with shooting "don't worry il go an manage the gun"

There is a puff as the latch on the top cupola is released, and the desert sun fills the cab. A small crew ladder leads to the turret ring where a heavy machine gun mounted on a metal turret shield is perched.

i would stay there and just be ready if anything happens

(Notice/wis)

(on it)

21:31

(legally blind)

There is no warning until the dune 100m ahead of you begins glinting, and heavy machine gun fire begins punching into the dirt around the ATV Several shots punch into the troop compartment and one of the explorers screams as they're hit, the armor piercing bullets making short work of the vehicle's thin armor. Five bandits in dust rags the same colors as the dune emerge, still 100m ahead of you, spreading into an assault line. Two of them throw another belt in the heavy machine gun

i would start to shoot at the raiders trying to kill them while i scream at the driver to turn the veichle another way try getting away from the gun fire

(Initiative)

(6)

23:31

(wow I sure am rolling like shit)

(It’s out of 8, so not really)

23:32

(7 for them. I’ll take their turn shortly)

(welp now what? I'm pretty sure the best thing to do is try to drive away tbh)