Saturday, March 23, 2019

Edge of Night Session #4 - On Scalpel's Edge

DRAMATIS PERSONNAE
Navy Lieutenant Raj Kundra - 4 terms - UPP 758C8C
Mechanical-1, Pilot-2, Medical-1, Jack-o-T-2, Computer-0

Other Durjan Hammill - 3 terms - UPP A69467
Gambling-3, Forgery-1, Brawling-1, Shotgun-1, Streetwise-0

Army Lieutenant Bill Fisker - 1 term - UPP D753C9
Rifle-1, SMG-2, Admin-0

Navy Lieutenant Alexi Kurigane- 2 terms - UPP AB8579
Vacc Suit-3, Ships Boat-1, Sword-1


Following up on Mr. Kurigane's idea to trace the route of the 'Wasp' post-jump, the party is introduced by the ex-scout Jerold to a wiz-bang navigator and computer geek by the name of Ulysses Brisbois. Visiting him in his little shop behind a dim-sun restaurant and strip club, the highly excitable fellow explains he can figure out where the 'Wasp' would be assuming she jumped into system from Tortuga using the filed flight plan. But needs a lot more computer power than he has on hand. In particular, he needs to get access to the space traffic control supercomputers at the star port, with their advanced modeling software and database of all the bits of space debris and lumps of rock in the Mouser system.  Ulysses used to work there (got let go for making unauthorized improvements to the system), so he knows exactly where to go and what to do. But he needs to physically get inside the building and use the computer; hacking in from outside won't do the trick. 

The party comes up with a plan to have Ulysses hack into a part of the space traffic control computer he can access remotely, and cause a massive computer meltdown. One big enough that they'll have to call in outside help to fix. And since Ulysses knows the company on contract  (Mighty Mouser Computer Analytics and Repair), he'll have that call rerouted to the party coms. Who then, using fake uniforms, ID's and service air/raft, will arrive to make the repairs. Just in case Ulysses is recognized, they'll smuggle him in hidden inside their service cart. And just in case something goes wrong, Plan B is to have Mr Fisker hang out around the Mighty Mouser Computer Analytics and Repair office, intercept and intimidate one of the computer geeks into helping them gain access to space traffic control. 

Decisions made and all the material gathered, they wait until the backshift to put their plan into action. But things go a little sideways right away; it seems Mr Hammill's forgery skills are slipping, as the guards at the gate are suspicious of their IDs and won't let them in. A series of phone calls between Desk Sergeant Miller (in charge of space traffic control security)  and Mighty Mouser Computer Analytics and Repair (ie. Baron Kundra's com) gets them access in the end, but only with a pair of guards watching over them at all times. So as the group is escorted to the main control computer, improvisation begins. Baron Kundra plants himself at the main console and fakes working, then declares the rest of the team has to go back to the server room and do some work to help him. He is able to convince the two guards to split up, one going with Mr Kurigane and Mr. Hammill to the servers and the other staying with Baron Kundra. Once in the server room, Mr Hammill distracts the guard, and Mr. Kurigane then wacks the unfortunate fellow in the head with the pommel of his sword cane. The guard is knocked out cold, but not before he discharges a few rounds from his SMG. This initiates another round of frantic calls from the Desk Sergeant, and it's only by luck (and the fact Officer Johnston is known to be a klutz) that they mange to convince the sergeant that it is just an accidental discharge, nothing to worry about. That done, Mr. Kurigane (who looks a lot like Officer Johnston) strips the unconscious man and dons his uniform. The officer is then bound and gagged and hidden under the false floor of the server room. Ulysses then emerges from hiding, and gets to work running his analysis on the backup console. Twenty minutes later he is done, and the party gets out of there post-haste. 

Dropping Ulysses and his pay back at the shop, the group then headed to find Malik Jupiter's representative, and get their hands on that pinnace he promised for their use. And in just a few hours, they clear traffic control and are in their way. Based on Ulysses' calculations, the Wasp would have intercepted the third gas giant in the system, Scalpel. There is a good chance the scout has been captured by the planet's gravity and is in orbit around the planet, maybe in the asteroid ring that encircles it. Or maybe it has plunged into the atmosphere and burned up. He can't say for sure. Assuming the first, Mr. Kurigane straps into the pilot's seat and set everyone on a course for Scalpel. 

Two and a half days later, Scalpel is just resolving into a disk a few degrees across when their ship sensors suddenly jump to life. There is a boat just outside the rim of the planet; a 40 ton cutter according to the readings. Mr. Kurigane maintains course straight ahead, while Baron Kundra settles into the gunners seat to prepare for possible combat. The cutter starts changing velocity to curve around in front of the planet, and then hails the pinnace, demanding to know what they are doing. Baron Kundra tries to frighten them, saying they were on a mission from the Crimson Wave. When that doesn't work, he tells the truth; they are looking for a lost scout/courier. At that, the voice on the coms barks back, to say they have located such a craft and are claiming it under admiralty salvage laws. To the two navy officers, that sounds suspicious, given they are the rightful claimants as representatives of the owner. The cutter might be able to claim a salvage fee, but not the full ship. When the Baron points out this fact, he is met with contempt, severed communication, and a sensor reading showing the cutter powering up weapons. 

As everyone jumps into vacc suits, Mr Kurigane depressurizes the cabin and starts accelerating straight toward the planet, trying to get it's bulk between them and the cutter. The cutter meanwhile continues to accelerate around Scalpel. And then both ships opened fire. And to the party's surprise, another laser opens up from somewhere in orbit around the planet; there was no drive signature so it must be an orbital installation of some kind. Baron Kundra scores a pair of hits on the cutters cabin, but the pinnace was outgunned and could not get into the planets' shadow fast enough. A series of hits takes out the pinnace's drive and laser, leaving them drifting along at 15G with no way to stop or maneuver. The cutter changes course and comes around to intercept, as Baron Kundra frantically repairs the laser. But in the end, the party decides capture was a better choice than drifting helpless in space. As the cutter matches course, the party singles surrender. But first, Mr Kurgane crawls out of the pinnace to cling to the hull, out of sight and detection of the cutter.  The cutter directs the three (as they are told) crew to come across to their airlock one by one, all the time covered by a fellow armed with a laser carbine watching them from the cutter's open cargo door. Baron Kundra and Mr Hammill go first and second, and are soon stripped and bound inside the cutter's cabin. At this point, as Mr Fisker is heading across the void, Mr Kurigane sets off a couple of grenades on the pinnace's hull, causing it to lurch towards the cutter and sending a spray of debris and ice fog into space. This causes enough distraction for him to also make his way across, unseen, to cling to the cutter's hull, just as Mr. Fisker cycles into the cutter's airlock ...

Sunday, March 10, 2019

Under Siege

An encounter from my Labyrinth Lord Far Isles campaign inspired by the Robert Duvall "I love the smell of napalm" scene from "Apocalypse Now". Setting is in the bayou backwoods where the forces of two coastal city states are hammering away at each other. Unknown to the fighting forces (but known to the PC's at the time), the war is actually over but word hasn't reached the back country yet. 

If you're interested in how this played out at our table, the session report can be read at:
http://dragonsbreakfast.blogspot.com/2016/07/far-isles-session-39-assault.html


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UNDER SIEGE
A small company of Xin musketeers are trapped on a sandbar.  They  laying siege to a force of Cha'nrk  raiders, holed up in an old fort on an attached island. Both have lost their boats and are stuck here. No one knows the war has ended.

Trenches and parapets with cover, burned bodies in no-mans land. Wet and smoky. 

Xin Musketeers
Captain Solond [Mk6, HP31, musket + longsword, pikemans armour AC6, 8x ever-dry gunpower]
Sergeant Lunt [Mk3, HP18, musket and half pike, pikemans armour AC6]
Musketeers (18) [Mk1, HP5, musket and short sword, pikemans armour AC6]
Pikemen (22) [F1, HP5, pike, short sword,  pikemans armour + shield AC5]

Captain Solond insists on pushing on with their fight, and will not believe the war is over without proof. Sergent Lunt can be convinced either way about the war, and is happy to abandon the fight.
Both will try to get the boat from the party, by hook or by crook; Captain Solond 'officially', Sergeant Lunt by underhanded means if necessary.  The men could go either way, or both ways.  

Pay-chest hidden in covered pit below cot in Captain Solond’s shelter: 250gp, 100sp

Cha'nrk Raiders
Commander Phraz [F5, HP30, pistol, longsword, plate mail +1 AC2 (red and black, flame on breastplate, easily recognized)] String of red jasper around neck, pay for troops (30x10gp) 
Insidiator Kolo [C5, HP22, 'firestick', war hammer, chainmail + red and black robes, AC5] Spells: 1/CLW, 1/Firelight, 1/Sanctuary, 2/Resist Fire, 2/ Hold Person, 3/Animate Dead; Potion of Plant Control
Cha'nrk Soldiers ( 20) [F1, HP5, spear, crossbow, chainmail AC5] 

Part of a raid on Xin, separated from the main force and escaped upriver. Trapped now. Would offer all sorts of rewards for help escaping, and would even keep their word. But if they have to play nasty to get the boat, look out. 


Notes
From a rules perspective I used Labyrinth Lord. "Mk" refers to the musketeer class I came up for the campaign. Details at: http://dragonsbreakfast.blogspot.com/2014/12/character-class-musketeer.html

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Edge of Night Sector Session #3 - One Ticket to Anywhere, Please!

Mouser [2126]

DRAMATIS PERSONNAE
Navy Lieutenant Raj Kundra - 4 terms - UPP 758C8C
Mechanical-1, Pilot-1, Medical-1, Jack-o-T-1, Computer-0

Other Durjan Hammill - 3 terms - UPP A69467
Gambling-3, Forgery-1, Brawling-1, Shotgun-1, Streetwise-0

Army Lieutenant Bill Fisker - 1 term - UPP C643C9
Rifle-1, SMG-2, Admin-0

Navy Lieutenant Alexi Kurigane- 2 terms - UPP AB8579
Vacc Suit-3, Ships Boat-1, Sword-1

Army Major Leif Vilchis - 2 terms - UPP 5A77A9
Admin-1, Rifle-2, Fwd Obs -1, Blade-1, Leader -1, SMG-1, Tactics-1


While recovering from his wounds in hospital, Mr. Kurigane was approached by a doctor (not his treating physician) by the name of Dr. Nixon. Having heard of the lieutenant's encounter with a panther locust, she had a job offer for him. He husband, a senior manager at a remote Consolidated Interstellar mining site, has gone missing. He never returned from hunting panther locusts with a few work colleagues.  His as his hunting companions claim he was killed and eaten by one of the beasts.  But she is convinced he is still alive and offers 30000Cr if the party will go and bring him back alive; 10000Cr if they bring back his body if he is dead. Mr. Kurigane discussed it with his companions, but they decided it best to finish the Kinunir job and then get off world ASAP.  

The party rented a pair of rooms at a starport hotel, then left a message for their mystery employer in the designated starport locker. And then waited. Finally had a reply after six days; the gentleman would come to meet them. Meeting in their hotel room, the exchange went without a hitch. Once assured the data was real and everything was on the up and up, their employer summoned his men to bring the cash; a briefcase containing 200000Cr plasticredits. Inquiring as to any other possible employment (or even a way off-world), the gentlemen suggested it best if they part ways for now. His sources have told him General Shipyards has discovered the data breach and sent word to Concordance Naval Intelligence on Anitgone [2236]. He expects an investigation team to be on-world in a few weeks, and suggests they all need to leave before the investigators arrive. 

Making no argument, the party checked out of their rooms and headed up the beanstalk to the orbital highport, looking for passage to anywhere but here. There were two ships leaving that day: a free trader bound for Buna Cava [2025] (a corporate waterworld run by Seaharvester Corporation) and a scout/courier headed to Mouser [2126] (a moon orbiting the inner gas giant of the systems star, once a massive naval complex, and now a maze of overpopulated subterranean warrens  run by various cartels.) They opted for the later, and soon were in jump aboard the "Space Ghost" under the command of the grizzled ex-scout Jerold Simonsen. The week in jump passed without incident, and once they landed in the cavernous docking  bay, the first order of business was to cover their tracks. The party all booked low passage on a fat trader bound for Rastafar [1827], having no intention of ever boarding the ship. They instead bribed the captain to ensure they 'died' in passage.  This way everyone shed their fake identities, except Baron Kundra who was forced to kill off his real self and assume his plebeian alter-ego. At least for now.


That done, they asked Jerold if he had any contacts on Mouser, as they were interested in finding work. The old coot made a few inquiries for them:
  1. "Spider" Davos is a 'fixer' looking for some help. It seems he had a line on some goods to be had for cheap. But for some reason the seller decided to do business with one of his rivals rather than take his offer. The Spider looking for hired hands to find the goods and 'recover' them for him. He'll pay them 5000Cr for doing to job.
  2. A ships' captain  in a bit of a bind and is looking for help.  The cartel that controls the landing bay in which his far trader "Highliner" is docked is refusing to let him leave without paying an exorbitant ‘docking release fee’. He is looking for help in getting his ship and crew released. He’s offering 10000Cr and free passage to his next destination to anyone who can help. 
  3. A scout/courier captain (Clinton Jager) representing a Tortuga merchant by the name of Malik Jupiter. Seems Malik has lost a scout/courier carrying a valuable cargo to the Crimison Wave cartel. The "Wasp" jumped from Tortuga with the cargo, but never arrived at Mouser. He wants the "Wasp" found and returned, and the cargo delivered to the Crimson Wave before they hunt him down and kill him. Pays 10000Cr each for successful completion of the job, plus high passage off-world should they need it.

The party takes on job #3. First thought is to bring Jerold in on the job, and have him take them off planet and to search. In the end his price is too high and they realized without more information, the search would be the proverbial needle in a haystack. When approached for help, Clinton did offer the use of a pinnace should they need to go search the space lanes. No jump capability, but well suited to searching among the planets and moons of the system. For now, information searching they went:
  • Baron Kundra searched the public arrivals and departures database for any ship matching the description of the "Wasp". One other scout/courier arrived at the same time "Wasp" was due; the "Achilles Heel" piloted by Inigo Summers. By all accounts Inigo is male, and the pilot of the "Wasp" was a woman. "Achilles Heel" also jumped out of system a week after arrival, and did not land at the docking bays typically used by Crimson Wave. 
  • Mr. Hammill hit the streets and bars for information on the pilot of the "Wasp", Nina Claire. No indication she is anything other than a reliable courier and a skilled pilot. No history of double dealing or other troubles. Also asked very discretely about Crimson Wave. Learned a little about where and how they operate. Also learned they are one of the bloodier and least 'civilized' of the cartels on Mouser. Best not to piss them off. 
  • Mr. Kurigane drew on his naval background to muse on figuring out where the "Wasp" came out of jump, and then follow that vector to see if it led to the ship. A bit beyond his education and skill, but might be able to learn something useful if the right person could be hired. 
  • Mr. Fisker and Mr. Vilchis went shopping for more guns and gear. Because they could here, and you never known when you might need it ...