Iron Stars - verethragna

Verethragna awakens in her small home on Jagrati, the capital world of the New Moon cooperative. Maps and charts have finally come in about the sectors north and east of here and there is a flurry of excitement among cooperative space as the possibilities are endlessly debated. Although the NMC navy is very small they are finding themselves short of ship officers after the losing battles against the Fleshshapers, and again at the turning point of Benavides.

18:31

Letters of marquee to any who feel they are capable have gone out and Vere has been invited to the large palace to have an audience where her merit will be decided

Vere takes in the small home, The meager supplies she has left, and takes a deep breath. Well, A job is a job. On the appointed day, she heads over basically first thing in the morning to see what this about.

A small collection of other New Moon Cooperative want-to-be movers are there also waiting to see what the audience is for. The group is now five members including you, coming from all walks of life around the Cooperative, though it seems perhaps your social station is the highest of them. You are certainly the cleanest. A large fire and a table of food has been left out for you, and a waiter comes with a silver tray of wine. A small bell chimes, and the doors open as you begin making yourself comfortable. King Deeveers and two royal guards enter, and he motions for everyone to remain sitting. "Thank you all for coming, especially on short notice for some of you. I hope you all read the letter you were sent. The search for you was not easy. you're all here because I have a proposition for all of you, but even though it comes from me, I want this to be voluntary. Anyone who says no is welcome to enjoy the rest of the meal, rest here, and head home in the morning. So, before I cut to the chase, does anyone need me to explain the letter, or read it to them?" (edited)

Watching the wait staff and the king carefully, Vere adjusts her posture. Then gazes around at the others taking in each one to get a feel for the room. "Might be worth it, though I wonder if the folks who couldn't read it would even have shown up, Sir."

He laughs softly to himself, trying to hold it in, and failing before it becomes a loud guffaw "Well, I suppose you're right. The short end of what I had prepared to be a long story was we have a ship with enlisted men and crew, but no officers to lead her. We're getting reports of other polities sniffing around our southern border- and new lands to explore along our north and east. We cannot afford to let a single ship remain in dock if we're to achieve anything like the prosperity we had before. Verethragna, you were one of the candidates I had looked into for captaincy. This doesn't mean a license to use your ships weapons to bombard planets, or maraud the shipping lines of other treaty members, but the chance to find new worlds first, and commerce raid if necessary from those blacker regions, well, your skill set is perfect for it"

"What's the pay like? Is it flat-rate or are we allowed to... Negotiate some additional supplies that our "Friends" might've dropped in their haste to find less Interesting Space lanes to creep into?"

(are you trying to see if raiding allies is something hes back door allowing?)

(Friends is a blanket term, she's trying to figure whose property the supplies become once her ship scoops them up. If he has any measure of telepathy or really good ability to read people, she had considered something along the lines of hitting allies was viable, but hasn't fully committed to asking yet. The gears are turning but priorities are priorities.)

(okay i did not get that at all from what you were asking so I'm glad we clarified) "Ah, well the Cooperative is strapped for resources. We have five reclaimed worlds to rebuild, but 25% of your haul you can retain for your own personal needs. We would not be sending you out into the black to do this if our coffers were capable of supporting us through other means"

"Alright. That's fairly close to what I'd expected. 25% of the haul, and... Repairs and refuel in home-ports? Or just 25%, and a lot of dumb luck?"

"You're flying government paper, Repairs and refuels in home ports are to be expected"

"Excellent. That include any ships I commandeer along the way, or only the 75% that belongs to the government?"

"Prize vessels are to be returned to NMC territory to be fitted for service, and we will discuss a bonus depending on the circumstances of their capture"

23:41

"We can't let you run around with a private fleet, using a government ship, when we don't even have enough vessels to patrol our core systems"

"Eh, well, It was worth the ask. The crew you've assembled, They standard Navy grunt-types, or they more like me? And what about these fine folks in here?"

03:41

She gestures to the others.. (edited)

“These men and women are all former senior ship officers who would form the core of your command, to handle the critical roles aboard the ship

"Alright..." She closes her eyes for a second, then takes a deep breath and opens her eyes... looking to the King. "Twenty-Five Percent is ours to keep, We get Free Repairs and refueling... Bonuses to be discussed upon Objective Completion above and beyond expectations, Ship is Supplied and Crewed by the State... What happens when I get to the stage where I can pay off the Value of the ship, whether as a 'Bonus' or by pinching my pennies really well?"

“We would allow you to buy it after its replacement has been launched, if you can’t find a prize vessel to take your place in the line”

05:09

“The whole idea here is we have few ships for the territory we control as is. You taking another one doesn’t solve the problem , even if you can buy it out “

"Alright, Then I just have to fix the ship shortage problem. Sounds like a fun challenge. Y'know, I used to have an Aunt who'd say, 'don't ask the nobility for anything if you can help it', yet here I am burning your time away with a bucket of questions... So as a Two-Part finisher, Anything goes as long as I'm not Marauding the Shipping lines of Other Treaty Members, Or Using my Ship's Weapons to Bombard Planets; and to Finish up, is there a Mission or Objective you have your eyes on currently or is it going to be me kicking it around in the void?"

“If you’re able to make contact with any pockets of settlers or humanoid sentient life , and can do anything at all to get them to join the cooperative, we would consider that likewise helpful. We won’t have the means for widespread support or state building for some time, but even establishing a trade link or securing peace between us would go a long way”

"Alright, Sounds like it could be fun. Count me in."

"Very good. Your ship is waiting out at the docks, we're just finishing some refurbishing work on the solar sails, but by tonight you should be underway. From there, the choices are yours"

"In the meantime then, I suppose I should get to learn my crew."

(I don't know what your preferences are, if you want to RP with the NPC's we can, if you dont care, we can move it on to departing)

(Either works for me, I generally enjoy RP in it's entirety, but I understand that making a GM run like four million NPCs can be exhausting.)

(I'll do either)

( https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1B5iOmXWhNMIJEspsIgCU1YOvpDc9M2a57ipePfF3MqU/edit?usp=sharing ) (When you get time, download a copy, switch polity to NMC, and lets fit a heavy frigate out for you)

The Omni-Builder v1.16

Ship Builder Ship Name,Fix Lvl?,Tinker?,Polity?,HP:,25,Build Speed:,Min Crew 2,No,CBSS,AC:,14,50,000 per day,5 Max Mods:,Normal Cost,Year,Month,Armor:,5,Build Complete: 57 days,Max Crew Owner Name,4,Normal Pretech Cost,3,12,Speed:,4,Year: 4 | Month: 1,20 Options,Qty,Class,...

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Pinned a message.

15:18

Evening comes as the last of the fittings are added, and certified safe- and the crew climbs aboard. Taking her position at the captain's station on the rear deck, nothing is left to do but determine a heading

"We should conduct some basic Exploration missions first, get to know each other, get an idea for what we can handle and what this ship can do, then we'll begin the more... Interesting Situations... So I think Motivating the North to be NMC territory is our primary right now." Vere states, looking to the Navigation Crew. (edited)

“Alright. And what system Captain? We can’t jump through any worlds on the way, and can only travel as many hexes as our drive rating. Should be an easy first jump”

"I'm thinking we take a pit-stop in Viggis, followed by a quick-shot to Lianos... If you folks are up for it. Anything interesting sticks it's head up in Viggis, we handle it, outside of that, let's get some "Planetary Data" on some odd places."

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

Viggis

14:19

(1 day of spike travel, so we have a day of downtime. There is a roll20 handout near the top that says what you can train or do) Viggis has a strong New Moon Cooperative army presence, especially around the city of Far Lancaster where a rebel presence is being slowly twiddled away by house to house fighting. It is clear the NMC will win, in just a matter of time. The Geon found on this world have an above ground trading colony set up on the surface near their cave system and are eagerly awaiting the arrival of some humans rescued a few systems over- expected within days.

(The downtime thing I would like to work on would be the "Talk" Skill, which would involve Vere working with the Communications officer and receiving tips and general strategies, then field testing them on members of the Crew - The Net goal being to both train the skill up, and figure out what Hopes and Dreams her crewmembers still have, and what sort of things they felt they gave up when they signed up for the military, and what they gained from it that made it worth it. I will also try and check the pulse on whether they immediately want to jump into the next spot, or wait to see what this Rescued human group is about...) (edited)

The rescued human group are prisoners from Kamal, though they're prisoners who had minor sentences , and were unable to be rescued (or not considered a priority) in the wake of the fleshshaper advance. Some of the crew thinks they might have friends or relations among the rescued and repatriated group, and if you're willing to indulge them some shore time.

04:54

Most of them have also never seen a Geon before, and their natural curiosity is overwhelming them

(We're Privateers, and time is the thing we currently have a lot of. It's a Captain's Job to keep her crew's mind on what they fight for, so I will allow them Shore leave to meet with friends and family. I'll also join them if they want, See about their friends and Family.)

(this is all player driven, if you want to disembark with them we can RP, and you can meet marble one of the old PC's)

(Absolutely!) Verethragna will depart with the crew, picking a group to stick it out with at random, just to get herself better at socializing with new people.

The frigate is able to land on the water outside the Geon encampment, where a small town has begun building outside the cave entryway to where the rock-men used to live. A robust mining and gem cutting business as well as a foundry has begun developing here, and there are dozens of multi family homes sitting empty as more former prisoners from Kamal are expected to arrive within days. Some are here now, the sickest, most critically wounded, and those who were on Kamal the longest- now saved and repatriated home. human and geon seem to be working mostly hand in hand here to build the settlement and tame the surrounding land

Waiting a bit to let the more eager crew-members head out, Vere heads out of the ship towards the village... Taking in the empty homes and the sickly, wounded, and troubled repatriates... after a bit of just aimless wandering and making sure her crew wasn't causing havoc, she begins to look for anyone who looks like they are either in-charge or overseeing the situation.

A Geon in a New Moon Cooperative Admiral's hat, with a large rainbow feather in the brim seems to be in charge of the settlement here, forming a link between the tribal Geon elders who do not understand this strange world they've surfaced into, and the humans who did not realize another culture was hard at work living and creating just below their feet. @Regulus/Grupp (if you've got time)

"Martin, elder Agate will filet you like a bat if you don't get that order of firesticks placed! Russell, you're with me! We need to clear some more trees out on the western edge of town for a few more houses or the new people will be stuck sleeping on the dirt! Of course, if you didn't have such weak, flimsy skin sleeping on the dirt would be just fine!" The short Geon waddles around with a wide smile, seeming to enjoy the comingling of societies as much as he is enjoying bossing his friends around.

Vere waits patiently nearby, taking in the scene and grinning more deeply with each passing second. Once an opportunity provides itself, she will approach the Geon with the Admiral Hat. "Hey there, Captain, How goes the situation?"

The Geon jumps in surprise, almost falling over, his arms wheeling to catch his balance, "Ah! Who me? Russell what's my title, am I a captain? You humans sure love your silly titles! You should just call me Marble! That's my name, not a title! The situation is we have a small town that's about to get a whole bunch of new people really soon and we don't quite have room for them all yet! Hmm, I haven't seen you around here have I?"

"I'm afraid not, friend, and I apologize, I call anyone who appears to be in charge a Captain." She winks. "I was wondering if my crew could assist in any way?"

"Oh, well what's your crew good at? There's lots to do around town here! Building mostly, but there's also some rather rude beasties nearby who keep scaring our wood chopping people if you can fight. Or there's always some argument that needs settling between the NMC humans and the elders. Oh, one of my titles is ambassador! It's a really exhausting title though, who'd have thought two completely different peoples wouldn't work well together instantly? I'm sure Russell has more stuff for you to do if none of that sounds fun!"

"I'll be honest, I don't know much of their specialties... I can arrange for a Guard-Squad for your Wood-Cutters while we're here, though, Definitely. Aside from that... We're just here to remind ourselves what we're fighting for... And to keep my crew humble."

"Oh, so you're soldiers? I'm pretty strong myself! I was just out fighting and stuff too, but came back here to help out since we've got so many new people coming and I was kind of put in charge. Martin thinks we should call the place Marbletown," Marble shoots a friendly glare over to his human companion, "But that's just silly, the town is mostly made of granite and wood, not marble!"

She chuckles "Sounds like he thinks highly of you. But yeah, we're mostly going to be exploring and uhm... Acquiring things... I'll see about earmarking some of it for this place, maybe when that happens we can work out something more than just my guys showing up to menace the local wildlife."

18:16

(Sorry about the delay, I got distracted by my L5R campaign and then fell asleep...)

"Well, not sure there's much to acquire around here, though there should be soon as the trading picks up! Plenty to explore though if you want! Just watch out for giant rainbow bats or strange vine monsters and stuff!"

"Well, the acquisitions would be elsewhere, and we'd bring some of the stuff here. I wouldn't want to subject a village like this to what I have in mind. As for the flora and fauna, any suggestions you can give my folks and I to help deal with them?"

Marble seems totally clueless as to anything you might be insinuating about your acquisitions, "Well the bats are colorful," He points to his rainbow feather, "But hide up in trees and might try to ambush you if you're not careful! So just make sure they're looking up! Honestly my people haven't explored the surface much, so there are probably bunches of creatures to watch out for that we don't even know about!"

"I see, Well, how wide is the logging area that we'll be covering? and when shall we head out?" She nods, thinking about the wide array of horrible alien animals that may assail her and her crew.

"Not too big, we're only cutting down trees right where we want the buildings, then we use those trees in the construction! We're not about to clear giant parts of a perfectly good forest! You guys can head out that way now if you want, Martin and I were just about to round up the choppers!"

"Alright, lemme get my crew ready, then." Vere pauses for a second. "I'm Vere, by the by. It's a pleasure to meet you." She gives a nod, then returns to gathering members of the crew to guard the loggers with her.

(I'd say you and 2-3 NPCs is probably reasonable, without risking too much of the crew)

(Makes sense.)

The loggers and soldiers meet at the edge of town, totaling eight loggers and the three members of your ships marine contingent that you trust the most. Their weapons are pulled from dust jackets and the power cells are checked. Most are carrying extra as well as a handgun

Vere herself is armed with her trusty revolver and some amount of armor. Following along to assist in the guard duty that she hopes is going to be uneventful.

Heading out due south of town, towards a large lake, the loggers seem to take a special interest in the trees there. They are taller than the rest and relatively bereft of lower branches that might need to be cut off, but they form a dense canopy and the woodland underneath their umbrella like boughs is very dark, almost night.

"Well, hopefully it gets brighter the more we work..."

(Notice/wis)

[3.]

One of the loggers begins winding his axe back to strike the tree when a large shape, enfolded in rainbow wings drops from it and pins him down beneath its bulk

Vere turns, leveling her revolver and popping a shot off in a semi-panic. "FUCKING! Get that thing off of him!" [Nat 20 for a total of 22 to hit, and a damage of 2.]

(you can roll a second damage dice since you got a critical)

[3 more damage, so 5.]

There is a pop from the handgun you're carrying and the creature yelps. One of its rainbow feathered wings has runnels of dark blood pumping down it now, staining the immaculate color. It heaves raggedly, stumbling off your logger like a drunkard, before toppling over onto its side on the forest floor, still panting heavily as its heavy injuries begin to tell

Vere stares at the animal for a moment, and then looks at the loggers and her soldiers... (edited)

The logger who had been pinned isnt getting up, and isnt moving either. Some of the marines with you had leveled their weapons and were beginning to draw a bead, but you had shot already so their reactions became meaningless. Only about half the loggers noticed there was a problem before the gunshots, which were much louder than tools or the yelling back and forth to different groups that normally accompanies a project like this. Overall, the group situational awareness is incredibly lacking for being in an area known to be dangerous

Carefully watching the animal, She jogs over to the fallen logger, motioning for her men to keep their eyes open. Vere then checks on the man, to see if he's alright. "Eyes and ears out, there might be more..."

He is knocked out, and there are some large bruises beginning to spread on his chest- the skin already turning purple where you can see it under tears in his work clothing, or around the un-buttoned collar. (edited)

"This man needs Medical Attention!" She motions for the group and immediately straightens up... Searching the trees for more of the animals.

It seems that for now, the forest is empty of other creatures at the tree tops. the beast you downed looks like a pup or adolescent of somekind, and though there is no sign of the mother or father right now, that could change soon.

"Look lively, and if possible let's migrate a bit away from here. We might have a pair of bigger Rainbow...things... Coming. Be ready for them, and someone get this guy some medical attention!" Vere gestures at the man, then begins directing her men, and trying to get the loggers to move away from the dead/dying predator.

A medic begins working on the downed logger, and it’s clear after a few moments he will pull through with maybe a few new scars to impress suitors with. There is a snap of twigs as one of the trees begins falling, loggers wasting no time getting a few down before any further beast attacks come their way

Standing guard over the medic and the downed individual, at least until they're able to get clear, Vere quietly thanks the medic. Then continues to watch over the area.

"Hey boss! We need you!" one of the loggers at the furthest point fo the group into the woods calls back, the message passed down the line. There is excitement and some general buzz around where they are

Vere turns and jogs over to where they are. "What's happenin' Captain?"

A large sinkhole has opened when one of the large trees was felled into it, and a large section of caves has been uncovered below. These are facing the wrong direction from where the Geon have their caves, and heat rises from the ground where it is now open to the sky. The sunlight makes the soil at the bottom glitter, and it is about 10m of a drop down to the base

Crouching down and looking into it, She stares for a moment. "You folks'd be able to find your way back to this spot, right? If we were to head back to the village after getting the wood we need?"

They think they'll be able to come back given time, the area aroind the sinkhole has been cleared of trees and the gap should be easy to find

"Alright, then we'll get the Lumber back, and we'll get a team together to work through this and figure out if the heat gets any worse, and what that glittering is about."

(Was vere staying here to explore or going back? We don’t have to stick around if you’d rather be a space pirate )

(She's more than likely to just send a message to HQ/NMC gov't. That they found something near this village, and need an exploratory team for it, then head out when they arrive. Either with them or into space to handle that, depending on what the team needs.)

(Alright. Well the exact mechanism doesn’t matter then. We can just go back to space. I’m not going to drag you through exploring or anything 3xp, 5000 credits)

(Alrighty, shall I popcorn it to someone else who might be more interested in Cave-Diving alien planets? Like, just fire a message about it in the NMC comms thing?)

(We can do that, sure. There is a meeting channel, rather than tagging the role)

01:13

(would rather have everyone participate there)

(NMC public Assembly, right?)

( that’s the one )

(Alright, and i guess from there we can return to space then, I didn't really have anything else here and your crew made some of the connections on the ground with people they needed to)

(Very well) Vere and her crew bid adieu to the village and board the Bad Magistrate, setting course for Lianos, whike quickly sending messages out to make sure that NMC gets there hands on whatever's useful in that cave.

(I'll generate a report)

02:19

(Will likely be in the morning, about to hop into a session)

(3 Exp is enough to get to Level 2, Right? If So I'mma work on that in the meantime.)

(yes, you've leveled)

**Level Up**
Level: 2
Focus: Specialist (Perform) 1
Old HP: 8
HP Roll: 13
New HP: 13
New Skills: Notice 0 for 1 SP, Administer 0 for 1 SP, Lead 1 for 2 SP.
Current AB: 2

Breathable Atmosphere No Biosphere No Inhabitants TL0 Lianos now consists of three dead planets basking in the heat of a now greatly diminished green sun. The Fleshshapers cleansed all worlds of their life forms, leaving only bare rock and the attracted gaseous atmospheres behind. The remains of a small New Moon Cooperative naval picket destroyed in the fighting is spread out in a large tangle of destroyed ships and space debris around the second planet.

After arriving, The Captain turns to her crew... "We need to search for useful parts, or anyone else using this place as a Base of sorts. If we can recover enough we might be able to either establish a hidden base for us to retreat to, or sell the salvage to further our goals... or maybe even make the ship better."

(Program/int, and we can highlight some basic info about the wreckage)

(9)

You could lift some spare parts from the wreckage, and of course relatives in other NMC lands would be grateful that any loved ones aboard have been identified. Nothing here would move your ship beyond its current level of capability, but you might be able to fill up with some spare parts and enough supplies to give your expedition some legs, aisde from whatever fuel could by siphoned from the reactors here, avoding the need to spend 4 days refueling at the local star

(We don't really mess with the armor, or the ship stats too much since everything is pretty well balanced as is)

04:31

(so a lot of the stuff you find isnt going to directly turn into some kind of actual stat line crunch thing)

(That's fine, Everything I want is better attained through some ridiculous Quest line rather than salvaging it from a bunch of junked Ships, honestly. It's just the Character doesn't know that and would mention that it's possibility solely because she's technically not wrong.)

"Well, we can make an EVA over, and see what we can find. Even if its something mundane like recording names. What do you think Capn? The Order of Quiet Oblivion might even come pick up the bodies if we identify them. They usually like knowing when wrecks like this are found " (edited)

"It probably won't cost us anything, so let's do it. It'll go a little bit to getting folks to trust us more and he'll, some of us might have family out here."

"Looks like there is a cruiser close to the edge of the cluster, should we start there captain?"

She nods. "I prefer to lead from the front, so I'll join the away team for now."

(how many did you want going over with you?)

(Two teams of 5, one of them being 5 folks, the other being 4 and myself, if possible. That way we can clear the ship fairly swiftly, assuming no resistance. If There is Resistance it gives feet on the ground so to speak for Immediate reinforcements.)

(Alright, and boarding at like opposite sides of the ship?)

(Yes, probably meet in the middle and move as a collective unit to extraction).

(alright, and last question, fore or aft for Vere?)

21:40

(just so i know whats around you)

(Aft).

Vere gathers her equipment together, and meets with the boarding team she assigned herself to... "Our objectives are to basically see what is useful on this thing, locate any logs that might be available, and to, if we can, give identities to the dead... We don't really know what we're walking into just yet, so I want everyone to have a healthy dose of readiness."

The boarding shuttle heads over, depositing your team into the red aft section of the vessel, where the drives, engines, and general engineering space is kept. There is a whine as a small hole is cut, allowing you to enter. With no air inside, everyone;'s suits begin an eight hour countdown of air, though if all goes well you will not need most of it. A few bodies float here in the engine space, orbited by their scattered tools and ice crystals of blood, sweat, and other bodily fluids stemming from the blow that killed this vessel

"Well... Check for compads, things that can hold data, and whatnot... And some of check the engines, see if they can be salvaged as is or if they're just scrap metal."

Those with technical knowledge begin checking them over. A body floats nearby you yourself, and you can see it has several pouches on its suit where such gear might be hidden. thankfully the reflective visor of the vac suit is pulled down over their face, so you do not need to look into the eyes of the dead

Vere sighs, and begins checking over the dead, seeing if they have anything useful.

Aside from some tools, this body does have a compad, and a pair of type A cells on their person with a bit of charge in them still.

She takes the compad, and the type A cells. "Rest well, soldier. Others will be along shortly..." She moves on to check any other bodies in the area.

There is a groan of metal settling from further within the ship, and a dull thud as something in the service tunnel moving into the aft gunnery section settles. Everyone's search efforts are momentarily forgotten as they look around

"Two of you take point, Guns ready, everyone else, keep working. We're on a time-Limit. It's probably the other crew making contact with the Vessel."

08:07

Vere pulls her gun and continues searching, while occasionally checking around.

A half torn body gently floats into te engineering bay, though something had to push it, which still remains hidden behind the shadows of the next compartment over

She shivers slightly, and looks in the direction, then back at the other four men with her. "Alright, shifting focus... We need to secure this location as apparently there may be someone or something else onboard... If It's hostile it's about to have a very very bad day, if It's not Hostile, well.. It had better pop out and Say so."

If it's listening, and able to respond, it does not, though there is another few gentle bangs on the deck plates there.

"Great... Ready your weapons, Let's see what the hell is happening over in the next room." Vere proceeds to stand near the door without entering, waiting for her crew to take defensive positions, so that everything is covered.

Those with void carbines have them ready, the low grain rounds not in danger of punching any extra holes in the hull. A few beams of weapon mounted flashlights stand ready to illuminate the darkness on your orders

She motions for them to do so, waiting on held breath for what hell may await her.

The lights flick on, to see a shadowy form sprinting down the central access tunnel and vanishing into the gunnery deck. There is a large bang of metal on metal, and then silence .

"Fuuuuuuuck" She looks to her men. "...Alright. We approach with standard procedure. Check corners with caution, Let's clear this ship and meet with the other Landing crew to make sure that they're safe, then make a decision on whether to stay and continue the operation."

So far the other boarding team hasnt encountered anything, and are doing what they can to coax some life out of the bridge systems to drain any nav data, manifests, or crew registries to cover anything the searches might miss. They will keep a more vigilant eye out for anything.

Vere takes a moment to collect herself, then motions for the squad to move forward together, with her. Heading into the Access tunnel, and checking the corners.

Nothing jumps out from the corners in here, the object is at least alone, or in small enough numbers where it cannot lay an ambush for you. Arriving into the gunnery section you see more bodies floating here. Some have clearly been gnawed on. Loose chains, tools, and other accoutrements the gun crew would have needed to properly do their job float everywhere in the lack of gravity, making the air very dense and hard to navigate through.

Carefully, she begins to move into the Gunnery section, motioning.for her men to follow. She checks to see if any of the equipment that is free-floating is magnetized, so she can use it to gather up more of the loose debris.

Nothing is explicitly magnetized, but you might be able to rig something up (fix/int)

(10)

Taking some metal salvage and powering it up with a power cell has made something like a magnetic sweeper. Any loose debris capable of being attracted can easily be cleared out of your way, and the risk to suits being ripped is minimized

She nods to her squad. "Should be safer, now." (edited)

There is evidence of a shredded section of duct work at the fore end of the gunnery deck, where whatever had tossed the body in to your ingress point has made its escape through

She activates her comms and warns the other Squad that it's in the Ducts, and begins to move towards the entrance, pausing only to check if her squad is safe and coming along.

(the entrance to the ductway?)

(Yeah, basically carefully checking it to see what's going on. I don't imagine I can fit into an Air-vent.)

You can see scratch marks inside, some of them are fairly deep, but the vent dog legs to the right, allowing you only to see a few meters inside.

"It's likely not in here currently and has moved to somewhere else in the ship for now. Or some hidden nest in the vents... Keep a wary eye around you and let's finish our objectives."

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15:06

The front section is still on the bridge but their download is nearly completed. After the gunnery deck the central access hallway indicates its leading toward the bunks, galley, and more communal crew spaces that would have been shared by everyone aboard at some point or another.

"Let's advance... Check out the Bunks. If our Space-Faring friend is still around we'll deal with it... Thankfully it seems the scavenge-y sort rather than anything actually hostile." She steps back from the vent and begins heading deeper in the hallway. "Watch our backs and the vents just in-case, though..."

A few dogtags and other personal belongings are found and catalogued for return, along with a compad that is not charged but seems intact despite the damage to the ship and its human contents. "Looks like we have a lift down to the hold here too, secondary access ladder in case the power ever went out. "

16:42

"What do you tihnk cap'n? Risk it?"

"Hmm..." She looks over her squad, seeing how their nerves are holding up. Do they seem particularly skittish?

There haven't been any encounters yet with whatever is in the vents aside from a half glanced view. Everyone expected to find bodies and just generally unpleasant business aboard, and thus far everyone is holding up alright

"No guts, no glory, as they say. Let's push on, the lack of gravity will allow us to pretty much descend much easier." She states, adopting a confident demeanor.

(How many are you taking down with you? Assuming you're going to leave a few above as some kind of rear-guard)

(Probably Two and Two, with me going with the Advance group.)

Descending into the hold of the ship you see that most of the munitions stores were emptied. The ship was firing at a tremendous volume up until the moment it was destroyed. Some spare parts and food stores are available here, along with the emergency compliment of ship suits,all helpful things to have more of than you need. Boxes, crates and other piles of loose junk block your view of the entire hold, but the metal on metal bang once again sounds in the corner of the hold, obscured by some barrels strapped down to the deck

"Sounds like our friend is down here as well. Look alive folks, and cover each other, and me for that matter." Vere carefully picks through the area, checking the Emergency Suits and getting a mental map of how best to move to get back here, should she need to in a hurry.

The path through the cargo bay is mostly linear , only needing to weave around a few obstacles. One of your companions sticks a glow bug to the wall near the ladder so you have a pillar of light to return to in the dark Moving ahead you get a glimpse of a filthy , emaciated looking crewman who dives into the vent but not far enough.

Vere stares at the man for a half-second before calling out to him "Hey! We're here to help!" She rushes up to the vent. "We can get you food and a shower!"

He is trying to scramble away from the light. Something half intelligible comes from his lips, like a cross between a howl and a cry of fear (edited)

Vere looks him over again, and then calls to her group. "Two things, is there residual oxygen in here, abd two, I need assistance. We have... A survivor...maybe."

He is doing his best to scramble into the vent and you'll lose him in seconds if he gets his way based on the current situation

She lets him escape, for now... "And get me a map of the vents of this place."

The plan for a ship like this is found after a few minutes of searching. It can show you where the vents should be, but with the vessel damages as it is there is no telling what might be wrenched out of place inside

"...Watch the vents. We have a potential Survivor, and I want him alive. If he's not a survivor, I'm sure some folks back home will want to know what the fuck is going on with him." She awaits feedback on the atmosphere, adding a taser or tranq gun to her shopping list for equipment.

There is a very thin amount of atmosphere, enough here for a few people to live off it possibly for an extended time, but it will rapidly deplete if all of you begin taking off your helmets

"Alright, we've catalogued a lot of what's here, Let's shift Priorities. Both Squads, wrap up what you're doing here, and then we need to come up with a plan to capture our 'friend'. If we can, we might be able to help him. He probably has family out there who think he's dead, and I'm sure we can get him what he needs..."

The bridge team has the navigation data wrapped up, and has downloaded what remains of the crew register and combat data. It may answer some questions back home about the crews here and the battle site itself

"Alright, Find the entrances and exits to the vents... I don't want to leave a man, even a deranged man, to suffer in the cold vacuum of space."

02:31

Vere begins to leave the area, trying to ration out how she's going to corner and capture the man.

You've got enough soldiers aboard to have two men at each cover, leaving you to try to flush him out if you need to

"Alright, Two soldiers at each vent entrance, and I'll try and flush him out. We'll capture him and bring him home with us along with the stuff we got here today." Vere waits for her squads to get in place, before choosing an entrance to pursue the man through.

The second set of banging within the vents is hard to miss, and he begins scurrying away from you. The metal work is not that winding, like you would see on movies or television, as it would make for inefficient circulation- up ahead you can see his headband light bobbing and weaving, toward what looks to be the bridge section of the ship where you know you have two armed men waiting

She follows carefully, trusting her men. She follows carefully.

There is a bang as he opens the grate and a Yelp as he is smacked heartily with a stun baton, sending him crashing into the deck where both soldiers dive on him to keep him pinned. “Capn! Got rope in my kit! Tie ‘em up before he’s loose!”

Vere erupts forward, and rifles through the kit to get the Rope, hurrying to help tie the man up.

You rapidly manage to secure him, and the rest of the data from the bridge now that the two teams are reunited. He is knocked out in the struggle

22:43

(3xp, 5000 credits

Directing the squads to take turns looting the shit out of the ship for useful parts, scrap, and emergency supplies... The Privateer Captain decides to deliver the rescued individual, Scavenged goods, and intel back to NMC space at earliest possible convenience.

(Where are we jumping to?)

(Would Benavides have a dedicated Hub we can drop stuff off at, such as the information we just got?)

(Not an official port at Benavides yet, but Richard and his ship are there if you wanted to relay your message and transfer cargo ) (edited)

00:44

(Benavides itself had its orbital infrastructure destroyed during the battle trading shots with the fleshforge and shaper fleet ) (edited)

(In the Meantime, while I await stuff in NMC Public...)

**Level Up**
Level: 3
Focus: [N/A]
Old HP: 13
HP Roll: 19
New HP: 19
New Skills: Fix 0 for 1 SP, Sneak 2 for 3 SP.
Current AB: 2

(Everything looks good here)

(We can continue since the council meeting seems to be undecided and dormant)

Making a quick decision, Verethragna chooses to push through to Benavides anyways-- The worst that can happen is she discovers the captain there needs her help.

(We can ping Richard here if you have a message for him. Probably should coordinate )

(Probably, I admittedly don't want to interrupt him if he's got his own thing going on, though. I imagine it'll take Vere a Day or two to get over there as well.)

(He is near the end of what he set out to do, and maybe having a more combat oriented buddy might make him brave enough to explore the defense fort on the surface

(Alrighty)

(Up to you how you want to proceed, sounds like it might be a few irl days - and im more than find just handwaving the handoff in the background so you can continue)

(Eh, I'm fine with waiting on him. I haven't interacted too much with my own Faction and taking an Opportunity to change that sounds amusing.)

(Sounds good. Idk what he's up to IRL, we can hold for a bit though if you like)

(Sounds like he’s back so we are good to roll)

(Awesome, Shall I ping, or shall you?)

00:24

(Ah, nvm)

You hear a call come up on your communicator and soon see a video of a man walking through a unsettlingly fleshy corridor. "Ms. Verethragna, this is Dr. Richard Newman. We are just heading back from our expedition into the Shaper bioship and should be back in orbit shortly. How can I assist you today?"

"I've recovered some data from one of the wrecks that were involved in the fight above Lianos. We also found a survivor... We're here to drop off both so my crew and I can keep scrappin'. Also, do you need any assistance with your situation here?"

"Hmm, who is this survivor? A NMC citizen?"

"We're not certain... He had to be subdued to be retrieved and appears to be Partially insane. There's a non-Zero chance that he resorted to cannibalism to survive the failure of his life-support system... If he can be rehabilitated, though, I'm sure he can provide some insight into the battle."

"Hmm, then it seems like we will need to get him back to Jagrati when we can. For now, we can transfer him to the navy ship with me, the doctor here will hopefully be able to get a start on helping him."

00:48

"Now, what's this data that you found?" You can see an eager look on my face through the vid screen at the thought of some new or unknown data for me to peruse.

"It is records of the battle, and Crew lists. Things we can use to identify the lost lives of those who fell during the battle at Lianos." Vere states, maintaining a neutral tone. "The reports might help in dealings with further Shaper threats as well, or yield useful tactical information." Her face betrays no amusement.

"Ah, well, yes. I'm sure we will be able to pull some useful information out of it. Every bit will help prevent future losses." I shift in awkward silence for a moment before suddenly brightening. "You are offering assistance, yes? There's a fort on the surface containing the defense cannon that blasted down those Shaper bioships, you are welcome to come along. I'm sure Abel and Beevil will appreciate having someone else competent with a weapon down there with us. There's been reports of mutated creatures down there, who knows what kind of monstrosities the Shapers left behind!"

"...Is the fort hostile..? Like, who is currently manning it, if anyone? Don't get me wrong, I'll assist, just kinda want to know what I'm signing on for."

The fort has been silent during the time Richard was on the ground. If anything is in there, it is not human, and thankfully does not know how to use the defense gun

"There may be nothing hostile there at all, but I'll not refuse an additional gun at my side if things go sideways. The thing about exploring these kind of ruins, is that we never know what we're signing on for."

"Sounds like Hell, Count me in." The blank countenance that Verethragna had been holding onto swiftly melts into one of Nearly devilish confidence, replete with a wicked grin, and a glint in her eyes. "Where shall we meet up to exchange the goods and begin the mission?"

"Excellent! Why don't you bring your ship down planetside here and we can make the exchange to our ship. They can keep your guest and the data safe while we continue with the mission." I pause in thought for a moment then give you a smile as I continue, "Oh, and you will want to bring some atmo filters. The stench down here is truly horrendous." As I finish I send you the landing coordinates near the downed Shaper bioships.

"Very well, See yah Planetside." She closes the comms channel and sets about readying the crew for landing, and then executing the maneuver.

(we can keep the exploration mission in here) The Bad Magistrate lands, settling down on skids and extending its solar sail. It gently flaps in the low breeze, and the crew don air filters as they were warned to do. The stench is every bit as bad as Dr. Newman warned.

Vere begins exiting the ship, with an Atmo-filter... Stopping about four steps down the ramp, and pauses to regain her Composure... She then finishes the trek down the ramp and awaits Dr. Newman.

Abel and Beevil are waiting at the edge of the ramp , muskets covering the ruins around you. One of them waves a greeting to you , before putting the hand back on the trigger guard of his musket

Vere finger guns and winks at the one who waved, and nods to the other one as she passes, giving a glance at the ruins after noting their guardedness.

"Dr. Newman should be along in a minute, he's just getting the last of his kit together. Seen a couple shape on the battlements, not people, but not, not people...either" Beevil says, taking his binoculars out again to sweep

"Ah, I see. Do we have any Blueprints or maps of this place?"

"We didnt get close to the place. We just finished getting our fill of these creepy battleships when you showed up

"Ah, well, I apologize for cutting your Respite short, then... But better us to sort this out than some other nerds who're gonna claim credit and make us look bad, right?"

23:59

She grins widely at them.

(Just going to give Richard a chance to catch up)

You see Dr. Newman approach at a quick jog, a drone dog trotting at his side. "Ah, you're here! Sorry I'm late! Never a chance to rest when out on assignment, eh." Rubbing my hands to expel nervous energy, I look towards the battlements. "You've seen movement you say? Let's take a look then." A few moments later there's the soft buzz of my surveillance drone heading up into the sky to get a better look. As I do so I take out my dataslab with the drones feed up on display so the others can see as well.

"Oh wow, Drones eh?" She watches the drones for a while, until they're too far away to notice, and then watches the feed. "Can you strap guns on these things?"

I glance back and give you a grin. "Yes, yes you can. That ones just for reconnaissance, but this guy," I pat the dog drone beside me and indicate the laser gun strapped to its head, "he has some firepower to him." Brightening even more I continue, "You should see the new one I got a hold of! It's huge, I'm going to be able to fit some really big guns on that one!" There's a distant look on my face as I imagine what my new weapons platform will look like, before I then shake myself back to the present.

"Hmm... Interesting. I may have more questions about this after the mission, I think I'd have a lot of use for Drones... potentially." She turns to look at the Fortress... "Lemme know when you're done scouting the place so we can go and put our fallen comrades to rest."

Feom the outside the battlements are clear now but discarded trash and stains of dark organic matter on the top ramparts show that there is life here and it may not be human

22:40

The sensors aren’t powerful enough to map the inside

22:40

(But you’ll get one if we go in for ease of navigating )

"Well, whatever you saw out there Beevil is hidden now. I'll keep the drone up there and set it to ping us if it spots any more movement. Definitely signs of life though, we'll have to take this carefully."

"Sounds good... Ready to go whenever y'all are."

(i can number it up if that helps)

02:22

"Looks like the walls collapsed on the southeast corner, should be able to get in there." Pulling my rifle out and to the ready, I start walking towards the fort, directing the dog drone to advance a few paces ahead of me.

Vere stays basically adjacent as much as possible, pulling out a fairly standard revolver. "Let's hope the most dangerous part of this will be the smell."

The ruined towers are easily scrabbled over and it the damaged tower to the west the scout drone spots a blur of movement but no heat.

01:02

It is 50m away and you’re below the elevation needed to see directly into it

"Drone spotted movement in the tower west of us. Didn't see much more though." (Can we climb up the rubble onto the battlements from here?)

(You'd be able to yes, there are enough fallen bricks)

"I see... I'd say we should clear out key areas and then let Other forces finish the fort off, but with how strapped we are for logistics and whatnot, I think this is it. So Let's reclaim a Fort I guess."

"Heh, yeah we're it all the way out here. Plus, it means we're the first to find anything new out here." I grin as I say this. "I think I can get an eye on the tower if I climb up this battlement here. Cover me, Beevil?" I start climbing up over the rubble to the battlement, slowing as I near the top to peak over the ledge.

Vere watches for a brief moment before Following After.

The door where defenders would sally out to the ramparts is open, and rattling slowly as though something has just passed through it. YOu're not fired on, and there is little to see aside from obvious traces something has passed through

I wave the others up as I climb fully onto the battlements. "How do you want to do this Ms. Verethragna? It will probably be rather unhealthy to walk through that door there."

She watches for a moment, thinking... "Well, we either get what's in there to come out, or eliminate the advantages they have against us. Your guys have flashbangs? Smoke grenades? Or is that drone particularly Durable?"

There are no flashbangs or smoke grenades among the group (Mostly because they dont exist in the settings since they;re a mechanical nightmare)

(Ah, alrighty. I apologize then xP)

(All good) the drone is durable and meant for combat. At Dr Newman’s word ir can be sent ahead

"Hmm," looking down at the drone in thought, "it can take a couple hits, yes. I'll use it to try and lure out whatever is in that tower." A moment later you can here the dog drone scrabbling up the rubble before cresting to the top of the battlements and loping towards the tower.

There is a shriek from inside as the dog bounds into view, and a half human, half scythed armed shaper hybrid emerges. It stands the height of a man, with a featureless face save for two nose holes, and two lizard like eye slits. It has no discernable mouth. One arm remains human and clutches a pistol, while the other is now a long hooked talon, meant for snaring and dragging

I stare in shock for a moment at the monstrosity before us, never actually having seen a Shaper in person before - let alone a Shaper Human monstrosity."What.... gah, kill it!"

(initiative)

(Hah, 3)

(3 for me too, we'll see where Vere goes in all this. Dog will act on you)

(Sounds good)

(5. :D)

Vere, dr Newman and dog, and then the shaper hybrid )

16:29

(It is 20m away from you as we are all standing on a relatively open section of battlements )

(Gonna shoot the thing, 22 to hit, 6 to damage...) (edited)

Verethragna fires her weapon, the gun kicking in her hand before the shot strikes the creature. It screeches, but remains steadfast and ready for battle

(Dr newman and dog up and ready)

Dog crouches and braces itself before firing off a laser from her head towards the creatures. (Use my move action to command Dog to fire. 9 to hit, 7 damage. Can the inbuilt laser rifle on Dog use burst fire?)

18:38

After giving the command to Dog, I raise up my Rifle and fire a blast of laser towards the abomination. (Attack 17, Damage 10)

(It can burst )

19:21

The dog drones attack misses but Dr. Newman scores a solid hit, sending the thing toppling forward with a kill shot

19:21

Other hunting cries from within the citadel replace the death scream of the fallen one

"In for a penny, as they say..." Vere visibly shivers, and looks around.

“Get drilled in the backside for a pound “ Abel says looking out at the fort, hunting for signs of life

"That can't be good... Abel, Beevil, you better get up here. If those things rush us you're going to be in trouble down there." I start inching towards the tower and fallen Shaper, with many glances towards the cries from the citadel. "If this tower is clear it could work as a fallback point..."

"I hear ya doc. We might have to Alamo in here until we kill enough of em"

With a thought, I send Dog scampering into the tower, me following a couple steps behind. "Best check that it's clear before those things reach us."

"Sounds good." The 'Scrapper' follows close behind, revolver still out.

Original message was deleted or could not be loaded.

Pinned a message.

01:51

The tower-house is clear. Two windows overlook outside the wall, down onto the plains where you walked up. Two windows opposite those overlook the inner courtyard. A debris spill is the only way in from the outside. They'll have to climb the battlements inside.

"We should set up a killzone near the door, such that we don't risk hitting each other and can cut down as many of them as possible as they approach. The Drone's height places it at the front, so we have ample ability to fire over it, the rest of us should figure out our positions from there." She looks to the good Doctor, then each of the men in turn. A grin spreading across her face.

"Sounds good to me. Could use those windows to thin them out as they approach too." I position dog at the top of the debris spill then climb up to a window and look out over the inner courtyard, reloading my rifle as I go.

100m away , emerging from the main keep, three more of the shaper hybrids come to the edge of the battlements and roar

"Uhh, there's three of them out there people." I raise up my rifle to take close aim, trying to steady my slightly shaking hands in preparation to fire.

(Doc if you wanna shoot and shoot for the dog go ahead. I know your time is kinda limited )

(Dog: 23 attack / 12 damage. Richard: 23 attack / 13 damage. Excellent.)

One of the two hybrids falls, neatly shot through by Richard and his drone-dog (vere up)

Vere takes position, and looks at her Revolver, then at the other Hybrid.... "Note to self: Invest in a Rifle... I'll take any that get closer..." She then prepares to shoot any that get within 30m... (I will Hold my action until an enemy is within Revolverin' Range.)

(your long range is 100m, making them within range with a -2 to hit. They're likely not going to cover 70m in a single turn of movement, if that helps clear things up) (edited)

(Ah, fair. hmm. I could try to hit with the penalty, why not.)

05:02

(11 to hit, 7 damage).

Your shot scores a glancing hit on the hybrid, and the remaining one of this pack surges forward, closing the gap to 80m from your position, its grow-gun like weapon appendage firing in return, striking Beevil in the chest and knocking him onto his back. (20/5, he is heavily wounded)

05:06

Abel returns fire, but is distracted by the horrific wounding of his friend, and his shot misses

05:06

(Dr. Newman and Robo-Dog)

I glance back at Beevil's form laying on the ground, I grimace forming on my face. Taking a steadying breath, I fire at the wounded Shaper. Hang in there Beevil... (Dog: Attack 27, Damage 9. Richard: Attack 9, Damage 11)

THe robo-dog's targeting software has a bead now, and fires a single penetrating thermal shot, finishing off the last hybrid that you can see right now

14:06

Beevil groans, a pool of crimson spreading across his armored chest

"We need to get this man Medical Attention, and quite fast. You a Medical Doctor, Doc?"

I rush over to Beevil, crouching down next to him. "No, not that kind.... I'm a scientist Ms. Verethragna." Quieter and to myself I say, "Should of taken that first aid course.... never enough time...." "Either of you got some bandages or something? How are you holding up there Beevil?"

Vere keeps an eye out to make sure no further enemies are coming... "I have none, but I can... uhm... I can have a Dropship bring some amount of Trained medical assistance... Just it would be a very loud, Dramatic entrance."

(It’s a standard heal/int check right now, now bonus since we have no supplies)

(That's a 7)

Despite the lack of supplies there’s enough know how here and enough material for dressings and binding material around to at least stabilize him for now

"Not sure that loud and dramatic is something we can afford right now. We don't know how many Shapers there are around here, such noise could cause a swarm and overrun us before we can extract."

“We should call for that then if we are leaving. This place is going to get hot, real fast”

"...Alright. I'll send up the call for back up. I uh... Don't have the standard Shuttle or life-boat approach, it's pretty much Drop-Pod or nothing else. So be ready for it to be very loud. I'll let the guys know to pack heavy firepower if possible, too. But we need to hold our position until it's clear."

(that will work if the doc agrees its time to bug out)

"Hmm, we need to keep Beevil safe, but we also need to learn more about what's happening here. The council has also requested an investigation into these hybrids as well. With the dangers the Shapers represent we can't afford to leave and lose this chance."

(the drop pod can at least hold him aboard if you like. It's got enough weapons on it to cover the LZ)

19:18

(and beef you guys up a little. Normally I'm against using them as support outside of getting people landed, but with how small of an area that is, i think it makes sense)

(They'd mostly just be giving us weapons and personnel, and I don't see them being wholly tactically relevant aside from giving us an Escape route personnel and maybe a rifle for vere, if that makes sense.)

(Sounds good to me) "If they can get Beevil for safety and guard our LZ, that sounds like the best plan. It would allow us to continue investigating while having a fallback point should we need to bug out."

Vere calls up a request for for a Drop pod entry Near the location of the fort, With Both medical and combat personnel, as well as additional weapons and ammunition for the squad.

The drop pod will be down shortly , but for now another group of five emerge from the confines of the keep. One of them is armed with something like a stubby rocket tube that it is barley able to hold on to with its half formed claw like hands

(Are we still in an Initiative Order?)

(yes)

03:24

(it takes about 20 minutes for a launch or ship to come down from orbit)

(Alright, Should I take a shot or wait for Dr. Newman~? Either works for me ^_^;) (edited)

(Go ahead and shoot, you were technically first, i thought we were going to have more time the other night and he was here so i had him go for it, but then we werent all here)

(what's the penalty for trying to shoot the Tube thing?)

(you can't do aimed shots like that. You can disarm in hand to hand but thats it)

(Ah, alrighty. Then I'mma just shoot the guy with the Tube thing.)

04:14

(3 to hit, 8 to damage...) "Guys... GUYS... We gotta problem!" Vere states as she fires off a frantic shot at the Shaper-Hybrids.

(Doc and Dog up)

13:28

The shot strikes the pavers in front of the rocket armed hybrid

Looking up at Vere's shouting, I silently curse in shock at the incoming Shapers. Scrambling to get my rifle lined up on the one holding the rocket tube, Dog and I both unleash our weapons on it. (Dog: Attack 24, damage 4. Richard: Attack 12, damage 12)

The shaper hybrid is hit, but remains standng, taking a knee to fire off a shot in your direction

21:18

The shot strikes the root of the gatehouse, cracking bricks, and shattering supports. It begins cracking near the flagstones, and leaning forward a meter and a half,

21:19

the four more conventionally armed hybrids move forward closing to 150m from your position

21:19

(back to vere)

Vere scoops up Beevil's Rifle as quickly as possible (Would I still have enough time to fire off a shot at those things?)

(yes, hes got a laser lock, its a move action to reload like a bow, 2d6+1 for damage, and cannot burst)

21:32

(short range is 200, so you're not firing with a penalty anymore)

(Alrighty, awesome.)

21:35

She rapidly fires off a shot with the Laser-Lock, trying to bring the rocket-launching Shaper down. (8 to hit, 10 to damage)

unused to the lack of recoil, the shot goes wide, burning a hole in the ground near the shaper. The energy cell hums as it begins cycling another charge into the chamber

I again order Dog to fire as I quickly attempt to reload my rifle. (Dog: Attack 12, damage 5. Richard: Reload)

(Hopefully Abel can do something...)

(Yeeeah, this isn't a good start, lol)

(21/8) Abel looks cooly down his rifle sight, and pulls the trigger. The shot is clean, sending the shaper's head bounding across the flagstones. The tube falls from slack hands as the body collapses forward onto its backwards jointed knees, and then into the ground to lie on its bony chest

22:04

The hybrids move to 125m, trying to space themselves out

"Hmm..." Vere spends the move action to be ready to fire again, and then Fires a shot off at the remaining Shapers. (Assuming I can Move-Action, then main-action: Fire.)

22:16

(18 to hit, 9 to damage if I can fire.)

(Yes, sacrificing move to reload, and then main action to make a ranged attack)

03:08

Another of the hybrids falls leaving 3 more of this latest group. (Dog and Doc)

Continuing the barrage and starting to calm down a bit now that the numbers are being whittled down, Richard and Dog fire once again at the closest approaching Shaper. (Dog: Attack 17, Damage 7. Richard: Attack 23, Damage 10)

Richard and Dog are both far more dead-eyed now that the medical emergency has been handled, dropping one of the foes each,and allowing calm to spread over the courtyard. If there are more hybrids inside, they've seen the folly of continual rushes on your well defended position. The drop-ship lands a few moments later, weapons panning and trained on the buildings, as it sets down into the courtyard

18:59

The ship sawbones and two of his orderlies run out, medical bags and a stretcher ready

Looking up at them in relief, I call them over and gesture to Beevil. "Thanks for the assist, Beevil here got hit dead center by one of them."

"The question is, do we advance and vanquish, or call this a dead end for now and Vacate?" Vere watches the buildings carefully, menacing nothing in particular with her shiny new Laz-lock.

Although I glance at the buildings nervously, I sigh and say "We better do a sweep of the buildings. I can't really accept letting a chance like this to go to waste, we need to make sure this isn't going to be a spreading problem. We really can't afford too have the Shapers recover and start another war."

She looks to her own men, and nods to herself seeming to take some measure of confidence from the fact that they're here. "Alright. I propose we do a careful sweep. I don't want any more injuries on this mission if we can help it."

"I completely agree. Perhaps we can lure them out of the buildings in ones or twos.... we should also check each of the other towers before going into any buildings."

"Also, quick question... About how smart are these things?" She frowns, looking to the last group that emerged.

"I'd have to assume rather smart. The Shapers were able to figure out their own biological versions of spike drives, not to mention that that one there had a rocket tube..." (Do any of these hybrids resemble the leadership shapers I found in the bioship?)

(Not to a level where you could feel comfortable picking one out and being like Yep. That’s the leader )

Vere takes a deep breath and nods, thinking about the comment... "Alright, then we have to be ready, as they might have an ambush waiting for us somewhere around here."

"Agreed. We can use Dog to try and lure any of them out of the towers into our fire, that should minimize some of the risk."

"Alright. Sounds good." Vere takes a position and waits for dog to do it's work.

Dog begins bounding into the building, controlled by Dr Newman. Although dog can bark, there is also the option to project your own voices through him.

"Be ready, here we go." Looking briefly between Abel and Verethragna, I give Dog the order to start barking and to return to us at the first sign of Shapers.

The dog barks as it enters the feasting hall inside and four more hybrids are alerted to his presence there. They howl and begin to chase, annoyed at the sound though they cannot shape him

"Here they come, they'll be right behind Dog!" Rifle raised, I prepare to fire incoming Shapers when they appear.

She levels the Laslock and grins slightly. "I love it when the cards are in my hands."

(You guys would get a surprise round, as the last group of shapers emerges from the depths of the keep)

As soon as she sees them pop out she fires off a shot at whichever one seems to be the most likely to do harm to Dog (21 to hit, 14 to damage)

Following Verethragna's example, I fire at the next Shaper in the group. (Richard: Attack 16, Damage 13)

Two of the group fall, shot through handily by you both in your prepared position. Abel makes up for his earlier knick of time shot, by missing now, and dog continues running. The two shapers in the group, now exposed and in full sun, are atomized by raking fire from the dropship's weapons battery. Heavy machine guns pound the stonework, turning them into nothing more than a red mist.

"Huh, well I guess that works too." Glancing at the large heavy machine guns in admiration.

"Ahahaha! NOW That's what I like to see! Hell yeah!" She turns to the Drop-Ship and Radios in to them "Nice painting skills, Gents!" She turns to Dr. Newman, ceasing her broadcasting but keeping the comms open just in case. "Alright, so how many more might be down there?"

(Thats all of them)

My lips twitch up into a faint smile at Verethragna's enthusiasm. "That's it in this one, let's check the last tower then we can move on to those buildings." Once we are in position I send Dog once again barking into the next tower, ready to lead any Shapers back to us.

Dog begins his run, and it seems like the fort has been cleared of anything living that isnt vermin pest animals , or yourselves

00:40

the infestation was dealt with before they could multiply too rapidly

Vere keeps the grin up for the rest of the search... "Let's finish cleaning this place up, How much do you like filing paperwork?"

Shrugging, "Eh, it's not too bad. Part of the job description. I've filled out countless reports and research summaries for the University. But yes, let's finish this up and check out those buildings, perhaps there is something interesting to find."

She nods, and continues poking around things. "I'll leave the bureaucracy to you, then."

(3xp, 5000 credits)

19:40

(and the fort is secure)

"That was.. an experience. If you need help with any other similar projects, let me know. I'll be happy to do half of the shooting and none of the paperwork." She chuckles ruefully.

"Yes it was. Thankfully these things didn't multiply too much. Could of been much worse I imagine. Thank you Ms. Verethragna, same with you. I will gladly assist when you need it. What's your plans from here?"

"Well, I want to look into both our Mechanical Friends and also maybe see what's happening with the Extaurrens. It's that or I Continue to try and piece together a scrap situation over Leonis." She shrugs and stares at the sky for a moment. "What about you?"

"Not sure really. I've been wanting to figure out how those bots on Groa gained intelligence, so I've been considering returning there to further my research in the area. Otherwise at the moment I don't have any further leads. I'll also likely need to wait here until Dr. Barata and his team gets here and bring them to the bioship and Shaper brain. Should only be a couple days for that though."

"I see... Kinda want to see how they feel about it all. Seems real interesting, but then I ain't the scientist type."

(With the amount of time that’s passed they should be here by morning)

"You're very welcome to stay then Ms. Verethragna. I think I'd like to move one of the more intact of these Shaper hybrids to the bioship so the coming team can study them as well. Perhaps they will learn something more." I move over and start moving the most intact hybrid body. "Come, I will show you the bioship, the controlling brain is quite something to see!"

"Ah, and can you message your people and check on how Beevil is doing?"

"Alright. Also, as much as a girl like me enjoys shiny new things to shoot with..." She hands the laslock back over to Dr. Newman. "I like the thing, don't like the single shot aspect. Got anything that shoots faster? Maybe something that isn't so obvious?"

"Hmm, not on myself, no. But the ships armory should have almost anything. Not sure of your authorization on requisitioning such equipment, but at the very least you could purchase a weapon there."

"Fastest way to find out is to just try, I suppose." She calls in for a status update on Beevil...

Beevil is in stable condition but it will be some time before he is strong enough to return to duty. Importantly however, he will live, and will serve again if he gets enough bedrest

"He's stable, but it'll be a bit before he can start kicking ass again. Needs to rest up and all that."

I let out a sigh in relief. "That's good to hear. Very good. Why don't I show you to our armory then, and you can see if there's anything there for you." Opening up my comms, I let the ship know that we are ready for pickup.

The ship, still grounded, extends its ramp and welcomes you both aboard before extracting all of you from the area and back to the safety of space for the time being. The expedition team has entered the system, but the burn-in will be several hours- more than enough time for you to arm yourselves, and rest

"Oh yeah, hey Doc, how good are you with computers?"

"Quite good, got a bit of a natural knack with them in fact. Got something you need looked at?"

"I was wondering if you could help me with a small project... I was wondering if you could falsify data on people who don't exist, to help me in specific instances. Namely, say, Passing as an Extaurren officer of whatever rank, and things like that..."

Pausing the walk, I stare at you for a few moments before I continue walking. "That's.... I've never tried such a thing before, but it's a possibility I guess. Depends on what you are hoping to achieve with such a thing?" (Also, who are the Extaurren? Sounds vaguely familiar but can't remember anything)

"To put it bluntly, I'm going to take things from them and give them to us and our allies to assist in that situation."

(they're the Aztec like sunblades who are taking slaves in the galactic south)

14:28

(they inhabit Etxaurren, Brezino, and Maysoon that we know of right now)

(Ah okay thanks) Nodding my head slowly, "Hmm, in that case I am willing to try. I have no qualms about taking from people like that for the benefit of the Cooperative. As I said though I have no experience in such falsification, but I will do what I can. What information can you give me? The more details about this identity you want to take on the better chance of success in creating this."

"I have the name and the body. Namely my body. I can facilitate any personality you give them, honestly. I recommend keeping it simple though, base facts. Height, weight, social status. The key part of this is the social status of the individual. We need to figure out the best spot in their societal structure to insert this new data, something that is both innocuous and Has some level of freedom."

"Freedom of movement, so you need to be an officer. Not too high, those ones would be too recognizable... perhaps the Extaurren equivalent of a Warrant Officer?"

She nods after thinking about it. "This is of course, long-term. I doubt they speak the same language we do, so I'll have to learn theirs. But it's something to work on while we make friends out of those Metal-heads, haha."

"Of course, such things will need to be done carefully and precisely. Hmm, seems I will need to learn their language as well then if I'm to have any hope of believably fabricating such an identification." "Ah, here's the armory, should have most any weapon that you need." I say as I gesture to a door in front of us. "We should both pick up some Scrambler Grenades since we are heading to Groa, they'll do wonders messing up any hostile bots."

"I don't have any current intention of Fighting them, honestly. I think I can understand their desire to be left alone and be free and all that jazz." She frowns for all of a second before nodding and waiting for the doors to open.

The armory doors buzz harshly, and a pair of spinning lights signal the blast doors are opening. It finally hisses, and a modest armory with most forms of currently available weapon is laid out and clean before you. There is enough ammunition here for a moderate encounter

"Any recommendations, Doc?" Vere begins to pick up and examine various weapons and guns, getting a feel for their weight...

"Hmm, I'm partial to laser weapons. I'm not the best shot myself, and the straight trajectory makes them easier to aim. You mentioned you didn't like the single shot magazine size of the Las-Lock... I'd suggest either the Mag Rifle or standard Laser Rifle then. The first can manage ten shots before you need to change the power cell and packs quite a punch, while the latter can manage twenty shots and with it's burst fire gives you even more accuracy. Not quite as much power in each shot as the mag though." As each rifle is mentioned I pick them up and hand them over for you to inspect.

"hmm. I see." she looks over them for a time, checking the weight, and thinking on them.

(I'm caught up, jusdt dont want to interrupt)

Picking up a few Scrambler Grenades, I return to Verethragna. "Can't decide huh?"

"It's tough. I like things that pack a punch, but I also like things that are interesting. Laser rifles are nice, bit I feel I'd get too dependent on them. Mag rifles look fun, and hit hard. I heard they're the loudest fucking guns around though."

"Never actually fired one myself, so I couldn't say. Most of these actually. I know the technical specifications, but that's about it."

"I'm going with the Mag-Rifle, I think. At least till I find something more fun." She chuckles.

The mag rifle's holding clips hiss as pressure is released and your'e able to pull it out of the armory case. It's factory fresh, still with factory locks on it

Nodding, "Solid choice. Can't say no to the higher firepower eh. You have any interest in seeing the bioship while we wait for Dr. Baratta? Could also just relax here while we wait, there's more than enough room on board here."

"...Eh, I can come with you two when you go up. I'll follow along and nod like all the science stuff makes sense to me. It won't. But I'm good at pretending." She winks, and grins.

"Haha, a useful skill that. Keep others wondering just exactly how much you know. I'll call you when Dr. Baratta arrives then. For now, I could use a shower." (Do you have stuff you want to do, or should we just wait until he arrives now?)

(We should just wait. Also, it might be time to switch to your thread, solely because this is becoming more your situation than mine xP)

(yeah, what did you wanna do next vere?)

(For sure. Good working with ya)

(I'll tag along for now, I think. Follow Rich into his thread for once xP)

(sure thing!)

**Level Up**
Level: 4
Focus: [N/A]
Old HP: 19
HP Roll: 18.
New HP: 20
New Skills: Exert -1 to 0 for 1 Sp. Know -1 to 0 for 1 Sp. Pilot -1 to +0 for 1 Sp Stab -1 to 0 for 1 Sp. Total SP spent: 4.
Current AB: 3.

(edited)

(Going shoot 0->1 is 2 SP not 1 SP) (edited)

(Ah.)

20:58

(fixed.)

1

(For advancing skill levels, the cost in skill points is equal to the level you are trying to purchase +1. E.G. Purchasing Shoot-3 is 4 skill points. Pilot-2 is 3 skill points.)

Verethragna returns to the Bad Magistrate, heading directly to the showers to wash the horrid stench of rotting Shaper off of herself.

As you’re finishing your cleansing routine a report comes in, ordering the ship to deploy to Iragarte, not to land and handle the locals but instead to patrol for Blue Rain Freeguild survivors who may be fleeing the destruction of their base and desperate for the fueling equipment on the planet

"Ahaha! Finally!~" She cracks her knuckles, and rolls her shoulders... Quickly heading to the Bridge to get the ship on the path to Iragarte, shouting orders as she takes the Captain's Chair "Get all our Camouflage and whatnot up, we got a Fleet to harass and a ship or two to snag."

(3 days of downtime I believe. I’ll check tomorrow and if it’s more we will make sure you get the difference for training)

(Alrighty. All of that is going into getting that Talk skill to 0.) (edited)

(And a program/int check for seeking as we enter the system )

(I got a 1.)

(8) The Freeguild patrol boat entering the system detects you as you enter, and begins making preparations to start fleeing, unwilling to tangle with a ship and its larger displacement

Vere gives chase, seeing as that they're already trying to escape. Her primary goal is to Broadside them with the Charged Particle Caster.

(initiative)

21:01

(if you need a run down of space combat we can do it before we kick things off)

(I could use a rundown.)

Ship Combat will work as described in the Revised HandBook (pg 114-118) except as outlined below Speed factors into ship combat. The difference in speed between two ships is always applied as a negative modifier to a “to hit” roll when firing ship weapons. Both ships fire weapons using the difference in speed, no matter who is attacking. Ship Weapons with the “Ammo” special rule require a round of reloading once their magazine is empty. Any non ammo based ship weapons may fire as normal during this reloading turn- and the ship is free to take any other actions. Ships will have a set amount of CP to use that replenishes at the beginning of the ship’s turn as per the standard rules in the Stars Without Number Core Rulebook. Due to this change, the “Do Your Duty” action has been removed from Ship Combat in Iron Stars. If there are not enough PCs to man each department an NPC will be assigned to that position. NPC Skill checks will be made with a +2 bonus (+1 for relevant attribute modifier and +1 for relevant skill level). NPC Attacks will be made with a +3 bonus (+1 for dexterity modifier +1 for shoot skill +1 for attack bonus) and a +1 to damage (+1 for dexterity modifier). When taking the “Above and Beyond” action a Skill/Attribute combination can only be used once per combat. (e.g. Once you use Lead/Cha for “Above and Beyond” you must choose a different Skill/Attribute combination the next time you want to use “Above and Beyond”). In the event of a ship having multiple PCs on board, the "Above and Beyond" action may only be taken once a turn. Multiple PCs cannot use the "Above and Beyond" action during the same turn. Any one PC may take the "Above and Beyond" action. Outside of special situations outlined by the DM, NPCs cannot take any action listed in the “General Actions” Section. This includes opting to take a crisis in the case of ships crewed entirely by NPCs

Original message was deleted or could not be loaded.

Pinned a message.

(And Initiative is my standard Character Initiative?)

(right)

21:20

(You're the captain, issuing orders on your initiative)

21:20

(As this is a warship, you've have 5 command points to starT)

(Initiative: 7).

(Freeguild Patrol Boat has a 2)

(Are they in range of weapons?)

(yes)

(Order of Operations: Gunnery-> Comms -> Bridge. Gunnery will Shoot. Comms will Use Sensors to keep track of the Target. Bridge will maneuver the ship Aggressively to continue the attack.)

(okay, just need the relevant weapon rolls/ skill checks when you've got time to roll them)

21:56

(there's actual actions in the CRB)

(Ah. Gunnery is going to take the Fire 1 Weapon Action, Can I have it also Target Systems?)

(you have 5 points to spend however you want to spend them, as long as we dont go over that amount. Vere herself can only help with 1 of whatever actions you plan to do)

22:03

(so don't roll off your stats for everything. NPC skill checks are 2d6 +2. ) (edited)

22:04

(NPC gunners are d20+3 though as Vere i suspect with your skills thats where you'd be anyways o that will be rolled off you)

(Alrighty.)

22:06

(Just gonna Roll that Shot, if that's alright.)

(sure)

(22 to hit. AP 15, if that matters.)

The enemy patrol boat shudders, as the weapon impacts begin blooming against its armored hull. It's not armored enough to shrug off the fury of your assault. (whats the damage?(

(6)

22:12

(That's without accounting for the halved damage, admittedly for targetting a specific, so it's 3.)

(what system are you targeting?)

22:13

(and was this order fire all guns, or fire one gun)

(The Spike Drive, And Fire One Gun, as The Ship only has the One Gun)

(3 out of 5 command points have been used)

22:15

(Their spike drive is degraded one level, but not destroyed yet)

(Comms will take the Defeat ECM action. Using the last 2 Command Points.) (edited)

(10 for enemy ship vs whatever your comms officer rolls)

(9 lol.)

The enemy ECM officer is doggedly trying to defeat the programming attack as the damage rolls in, showing the targeted strike has damaged the spike drive. It is operable, for now. The Freeguild patrol boat banks, using evasive maneuvers to try to escape some of the incoming fire (8 v 9, fails) but the Bad Magistrate's master at arms has the gun crews working well. With escape not possible at least for the next few moments, their plasma beams fire. (One misses, the other is 20/12, at AP 10, so punching through the armor)

(Does it cost Command Points to use the Grav Eddy Displacer?) (edited)

(No, I'll roll a d6 and on a 1, the eddy negates the hit)

22:40

(3, hits still)

22:40

(you can also take a crisis to negate the hit)

(nah, not yet.)

Second Round: Comms-> Gunnery -> Bridge.

(Okay. Same thing. When you know what specifically , we can roll what needs to be)

(Defeat ECM action for Comms. Can I target their guns with my Gunnery action?)

(they've got 2, so you could try to disable 1 right now)

(Alrighty.)

(2x plasma beam, just for transparency sake)

(Gonna roll that defeat ECM first though).

22:50

(8 again. This guy is consistently average.)

(6, NPC's have a skill bonus of one, so your attack gets a +2 to hit, on top of whatever you add if Vere is the one shooting)

(happens to be identical to what NPCs normally get.)

(you get a +4)