[OOC 1] THE WATER COOLER - A Place for General Discussion

[Leitz]

Joe knows an NPC with firearms and skill, and he's taking Jim there to chat with her. That should help answer "The more likely question, therefore, is: what happens if we’re there when another team comes along?"

Jim is all in for the adventure, but obviously has no funds to contribute. He does need food for Sophie, though, 'cause she'd look at him all sad like if he left her. Can't disappoint his girl.

[Thumper]

Jim is all in for the adventure, but obviously has no funds to contribute. He does need food for Sophie, though, 'cause she'd look at him all sad like if he left her. Can't disappoint his girl.

As a low cash PC due to recent life developments, Mick would understand and even sympathize with Jim. If Jim were to volunteer to come along as a gun, driver, and/or assistant at electronics (zero-weapon and trade skill levels are much better than none); I think he'd find a moral and partial financial supporter in his participation from Mick. Weapons would be the only real expense to his participation besides gear/kit. The plane charter and renting/buying an ATV is a group expense whether Jim is involved or not. So it's really not much of an ask...if he's willing to swallow his noble/sleeve striped pride and speak up with what he needs!!

Mick was planning on spending his cash (up to his possessed limit) on the rapid purchase of cold weather clothes and snow/ice gear for whoever speaks up by the time he gets to the store. He'd front that money as his contribution to the team....might have to settle on low tech clothing though. Any left over would go to the plane charter, ATV rental, or weapons...he's all in and looking to move out.

[Eris]

Well, I actually figured you'd make it absolutely impossible to get a ship or boat up to the pole, but it was worth a try. Whoever has the highest Admin score should do the roll, that would be Mick, I think.

Assuming that doesn't work, whatever gets us to the pole the fastest is the way to go...IMO.

Well, dang! No ship.
Admin: Small Ship Request: [2d6+3]=3+3=6

I vote we rent or buy a tracked ATV, load it on a chartered cargo plane, and blast on out of here...ASAP

Okay, no ship, so yeah, that STOL cargo plane and a tracked ATV are our best bet. And yeah, doing it today is the way to go if we're going.

Joe is in! It's 3 pm now, we should try to be on the way by 6 pm if we can do it.

He's got 40 kCr to put into the kitty. He supports everyone in gets equal shares regardless of money put in as this is likely to be deadly dangerous and lives are worth more than dough any day.

[Eris]

I guess the others have until Mick finishes the shopping (and DJ & Bart arrange transport, tools and comms) to decide if they are in or out.

Oh, and if Joe is in we need guns.

Yeah, Joe's gonna go talk to Olivia about weapons and try to get her to join as much more of an expert than he is.

[Eris]

Joe knows an NPC with firearms and skill, and he's taking Jim there to chat with her. That should help answer "The more likely question, therefore, is: what happens if we’re there when another team comes along?"

Jim is all in for the adventure, but obviously has no funds to contribute. He does need food for Sophie, though, 'cause she'd look at him all sad like if he left her. Can't disappoint his girl.

Right! Olivia, the retired Army Officer with a shit-load of firepower and the training to use it!

I'm hoping for a very good reaction roll from one of us Leitz! We will need Olivia's weapons and very likely her expertise in using them if we're going to pull this off.

[Leitz]

Joe knows an NPC with firearms and skill, and he's taking Jim there to chat with her. That should help answer "The more likely question, therefore, is: what happens if we’re there when another team comes along?"

Jim is all in for the adventure, but obviously has no funds to contribute. He does need food for Sophie, though, 'cause she'd look at him all sad like if he left her. Can't disappoint his girl.

Right! Olivia, the retired Army Officer with a shit-load of firepower and the training to use it!

I'm hoping for a very good reaction roll from one of us Leitz! We will need Olivia's weapons and very likely her expertise in using them if we're going to pull this off.

Do you remember the original character block for her? When atpollard rearranged Joe and Jim's threads together, it seems like her career was lost. He references "army-salad", but that's a generic term. Not sure if she's Army or Marines. Given that she and Jim were on the same front, she might know or know of him. Higher chance if she's a Marine, but that doesn't mean she'd like him.

[Thumper]

Didn't the preacher know how to field strip and reassemble an SMG blindfolded? What's up there?

[Eris]

Do you remember the original character block for her? When atpollard rearranged Joe and Jim's threads together, it seems like her career was lost. He references "army-salad", but that's a generic term. Not sure if she's Army or Marines. Given that she and Jim were on the same front, she might know or know of him. Higher chance if she's a Marine, but that doesn't mean she'd like him.

Sure do! She's ex-Army.

Joe learned her name was Olivia - she only went by one name and “Olivia” was actually her last name. The two of you grew more comfortable talking “shop” over your common MECHANICAL interest. Joe learned that Olivia had enlisted in the Army straight out of school and served as an Infantry Officer. She hated the Ursoids - giant, hairy warrior aliens from the ‘Shogunate’ worlds that she fought against - and was wounded in combat and given the boot by the Army. She picked up some skill fixing things in REHAB and doesn’t really feel comfortable in cities or crowds. She is just ‘squatting’ here while she figures things out … she has been here for three years.

and

As the crate was open, Joe observed no fewer than 5 handguns attached to the inside of the lid and multiple boxes of ammo inside the chest. The bottle was recovered from the back of the tall locker - which housed multiple rifles … one large enough in caliber that Joe was not sure it still qualified as a “rifle” [20mm Light Assault Gun (LAG)]. Joe also caught a glimpse of her old service uniform … Olivia was Lieutenant Olivia and had ribbons on her dress uniform. Unfortunately, the details of “Army Salad” were lost on an old Merchant Spacer like Joe, but he knew that each meant SOMETHING and none meant nothing.

Jim, who has been here a while still may know her. I think her tent is very near The Dame's and you couldn't miss the pen with all the animals in it, so I'd be surprised if you haven't bumped into her.

[Leitz]

It sounds like the Arctic venture is a "GO"; let's get fully engaged. What does everyone need to move forward?

1. Mick needs sizes for cold weather gear, to include for Sophie, if possible.
2. Joe and Jim are going to contact Olivia and see if she's interested in joining.
2.a. Either was firearms are necessary.
3. DJ has electroncis and comm tools needed.

What else?

[Thumper]

It sounds like the Arctic venture is a "GO"; let's get fully engaged. What does everyone need to move forward?

1. Mick needs sizes for cold weather gear, to include for Sophie, if possible.
2. Joe and Jim are going to contact Olivia and see if she's interested in joining.
2.a. Either was firearms are necessary.
3. DJ has electroncis and comm tools needed.

What else?

Besides what Mick is purchasing, he’d want a covert weapon and armor. When he’s pinged about weapons requests, he’ll inquire if he can purchase, rent, or borrow an auto-pistol with a suppressor (most important), laser designator, and extra mags from Olivio. If no pistol/suppressor match, he doesn’t need any other weapon. His armor request would be a flack jacket

[shaidar]

DJ would be interested in a similar pistol, but would be happy to rent it for the duration of the job.

[atpollard]

Well, I actually figured you'd make it absolutely impossible to get a ship or boat up to the pole, but it was worth a try.

The irony is that landing with a SYSTEM DEFENSE BOAT would actually make no difference to the adventure. I am both more subtle and diabolical than that.

Your ship will not fit inside a building, so it will be of limited application.
Y'ALL said the struggle was against people with superior firepower ... I never claimed any such thing.
I said you need to fix a Relay Station in the Arctic to earn a Million Credit reward ... and the last team disappeared.

I did say that there are dangerous animals in the Arctic (and there are), but what is broken is unknown and what happened to the first team is a mystery.
Repairing the UNKNOWN and solving the MYSTERY will not happen HERE.

To quote "UP" ... "Adventure is out there!"

[Bonus 'style' points if you rig your rented Modular House as the gondola of a Dirigible and float to the arctic while live-streaming the mission!]

[atpollard]

Are speeders available on Brulantfort’s grav port for charter?

I rolled and the "Bush Plane" (which IS on a TL 11 world) is a STOL Grav powered craft capable of 1200 kph top speed.

As a general rule of thumb, Grav Vehicles fall into four classes:

• Car-like: Fly Nap of Earth [NOE] at speeds below 100 kph and are ubiquitous in urban settings. (includes small "scooter-like" vehicles like a Grav "Vespa" or Grav "Paggio Ape")
• Helicopter-like: Flies both NOE at slow speeds and below 1000 m at hundreds of kph with VTOL capability. (generally bubble-shaped for streamlining and maneuverability)
• Airplane-like: Optimized for cruising at high speed (near Mach 1) above 1000 meters. (generally long and slender with wings to provide lift and control)
• Smallcraft: Optimized for hypersonic flight above the atmosphere with THERMAL PROTECTION as the dominant goal.

The first three types are available in Brulantfort. Smallcraft are available in Montsoliel (at the Downport). A "Speeder" would be a "Lamborghini Car-like" but still limited in speed below 1000 m due to Traffic Control and the need to avoid obstacles and craft. So it would perform like the "Bush Plane" except for landing (the speeder is VTOL).

[atpollard]

We can bring some firepower to the boonies and maybe even get a permit to do so.

If we use today's analogy we probably would have trouble renting an attack helicopter as civilians but if we were going into the bush to help fix a comm tower in an area known to have dangerous predators then packing some guns is not an unreasonable request.

As the Truck Driver hinted ... the issue is:

1. who do you buy it from?
"Firepower" is available, it is manufactured, but ownership of all firearms is prohibited in all CITIES and TOWNS (any place where Government LEO patrol). On the other hand, there is no LAW between the settlements, but there are "Tigers" and "Wolves" that grow as large as ELEPHANTS ... so between Cities and Towns, people own, need and use firearms.

2. who enforces the LAW?
Permits only apply where they are issued for the purpose for which they are issued. It is possible to get a permit for a weapon, but this is a slow-moving bureaucracy. The task is easier than getting permission to land an armed smallcraft outside a spaceport, but the PROCEDURE and time is the same. Few people attempt to permit firearms in URBAN settings, they just lock them out of sight before entering a TOWN or CITY and retrieve them when they leave the Urban setting.

Those native to Beau will know that smaller communities are more lax with the Law Level ... "wolves" can wander into town and residents need to deal with it. Just one LL lower (LL 6) would permit open carry of Shotguns. In general, populations over 1000 probably ban guns and populations under 1000 probably permit open carry for protection. That is why there exists a market for them. You happen to be just outside the protective dome of a CITY of 10,000 ... so the LL only gets a little worse than your present location (inside the Brulantfort domes and in Ville d'Espoir).

[atpollard]

Jim is all in for the adventure, but obviously has no funds to contribute. He does need food for Sophie, though, 'cause she'd look at him all sad like if he left her. Can't disappoint his girl.

Will "Sophie" be traveling to the Arctic?
Do they make "doggie snowshoes"?
How does she feel about sub-zero temperatures?

[atpollard]

Joe knows an NPC with firearms and skill, and he's taking Jim there to chat with her.

Yeah, Joe's gonna go talk to Olivia about weapons and try to get her to join as much more of an expert than he is.

I posted Jim and Joe at Olivia in the new "MILLION CREDIT COMM JOB" topic.

Olivia is in.
She has a LAG.
Standard Shotgum, Auto-pistol and Revolver are available for purchase (plus ammo).

[Mick found a source for Rifles & Carbines if anyone is interested.]

[atpollard]

Didn't the preacher know how to field strip and reassemble an SMG blindfolded? What's up there?

Nobody bothered to follow up ... get to know him and ask ... learn about him.

Everyone has a story, don't they.

[atpollard]

Jim, who has been here a while still may know her. I think her tent is very near The Dame's and you couldn't miss the pen with all the animals in it, so I'd be surprised if you haven't bumped into her.

Trusty Rule 68A ... Roll = [8] ... Yup, Jim knows her and is on friendly (casual speaking) terms with her.
Olivia is an ex-Army Lieutenant. Battlefield commission. Wounded in combat. Discarded for PTSD ... she doesn't do well in crowds.

[shaidar]

With their electronics-0 skills, Jim, Joe and Mick would make good assistants to DJ as he works. Although we probably don't need them all and some would be best employed elsewhere, such as Mick's gun and hunting skills.

[Thumper]

atpollard, can you tell me specs about Mick’s trophy hunting rifle? I wrote down the standard rifle specs. At his intro to the group, you described the rifle as a “large bore”. Do standard CT book specs apply to his weapon?