The Apogee of Memory (Ranger-1)

[Grognardsw]

"So do you guys like... combine into a giant meat robot or something, or are you all working individually?" asked Ranger of the four alien mercenaries. "So what are your MoS?"

Xkelton of the skull head gave a hard bony laughter. The galactic translator had a hard time converting his lanuage: "We do not grow into automadroid, our bones ourselves. You have metal exoskeleton like bug races, but with squishy head?"

Apkor, the monkey creature with the odd metal mesh over its oversized head, spoke telepathically in Galactic Common. "We are part of the Blue Origin group like yourselves. They must be recruiting only ugly aliens. I'm not sure what MoS stand for. My specialty is mental abilities. The others have more physical specialties."



With the announcement of space pirates, all the mercenaries grabbed their weapons. Half broke off to the rear doors, while Ranger, Harrison and Apkor moved ahead to the front doors.

The humans cowered in their section.

The humans cowered in their section.

Ranger and the others could hear a hissing noise from beyond the double sliding doors.

Apkor had his eyes closed in apparent concentration.

The monkey-head's eyes opened suddenly. "They are Kloros!"

Ranger had a vague feeling of uneasiness as tried to remember what that race was (make 4d6 Int. check)

[Bluehorse]

INT v11
[4d6]=13

[Grognardsw]

With weapons at the ready, the three mercenaries at the rear door opened it up and dashed through.

At the front doors, Ranger couldn’t remember who the Kloros were.

Energy bolts could be heard to the rear. They quickly ended.

Luckily Apkor knew the Kloros.

“They breath chlorine gas!” telepathed Apkor. “That hissing - they’re filling the ship with it. It’s deadly!”

Harrison glanced back to the rear. The door was still open and the dead bodies of Xkelton, Purpetar and Minezor could be seen beyond. The gas was entering the cabin. One of the humans was smart enough to run over and close the door. He was coughing violently and swayed on his feet as he staggered deeper into the room.

Standing in front of the closed front doors of the passenger cabin, Ranger, Harrison and Apkor looked at each other...

[Grognardsw]

"Whatta we do?" Harrison exclaimed nervously to Ranger-1.

[Bluehorse]

will try to reply tonight. Sorry for all the delays.

[Bluehorse]

R-1 will check his equipment for a breathing apparatus of some kind for him and the others as well as look for a way to filter the air for everyone. Maybe there is a control panel or something nearby.

Get weapons! Everyone else look for air supplies and take cover! This is about to get nasty!

[Grognardsw]

The cyborg Ranger’s artificial heart sank as he realized he had no oxygen supply. His old worm-riddled brain forgot about that upgrade. The shiny water proofing nano-coding looked good though.

Moved to action by Ranger’s words, the humans scrambled about for something to use weapons but there wasn’t anything.

“Oh my gods!” cried hysterically a double-chinned middle age woman with a big nose. “What will we do!”

“Here’a control panel!” exclaimed Harrison. “Damn, it’s locked!”

He and Ranger searched about and saw two bathrooms, observation port-windows along one side of the hull wall, a closet of four emergency space suits, and a T-chute.

Above each passenger seat was a button for a drop down face-mask with oxygen. The line was only 36 inches, intended to be worn by the seated passenger, and Ranger guessed the supply was likely limited.

Beyond the front set of closed doors, at which Ranger and the over-sized monkey-headed Apkor now stood, they could hear sounds of battle that quickly stopped. The hissing sound continued.

Then there was quiet. Several minutes went by then the ship intercom squawked with an artificial translator voice: “Passengers, you are now property of Captain Starn-Zoxidon of the Vendar Acquisition Alliance. Please remain satiated and kneeled and you will be safely.”

The translator was imperfect but the message was still clear.

The telepathic Apkor, his big head encased in a metal mesh, concentrated then said: “They have filled the ship with chlorine gas except this room, where we are to be prisoners.”

I don’t see oxygen on Ranger’s sheet. That could be your next upgrade

What does Hooter think of Rocinante?

[Bluehorse]

R-1

Looking around he sees a situation that, for the moment, looks manageable. Now hear this! he shouted to the passengers in his old captain's voice. Anyone of fighting age and ability, up front. Especially if you are armed.
Just in case something happens. Everyone sit down and stay there. When I give a signal, you will push the oxygen supply button overhead, but not before, got it?

Turning to the other mercenaries, We have suits to protect us from the gas, if everyone here uses the oxygen, they should be safe. We are going to have to be quick! This will be an old fashion dash and slash to the environmental controls to flush the chlorine out. Mind your suits!
Won't take much of that to do us in.

[Grognardsw]

The passengers milled about. Only three men came forward, none with weapons.

The oversized alien monkey brain of Apkor must have a lot of facts bouncing around in there, as it said:
"Wait! Chlorine gas at this level also burns out the eyes and kills by skin exposure!"

Harrison was looking at the space suits. "Ranger, we have a problem. These are for humans. You and I are too big, and Apkor's head is too big for the helmet."

You're on the right track, but...

Effects of chlorine gas:
Eyes: burning pain, watering, redness, blurred vision, blindness depending on parts per million (ppm). Chlorine dissolves on the surface of the eye to produce acidic eye injury.
Skin: burning pain, redness, and blisters on the skin if exposed to gas.

The oxygen mask will help against the following:
ENT: burning sensation in the nose, throat and eyes. Irritation of the larynx by very large concentrations can cause sudden laryngeal spasm or oedematous obstruction, which can be fatal.
Pulmonary: coughing with substernal aching, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and wheeze. These may appear immediately if high concentrations of chlorine gas are inhaled, or they may be delayed if low concentrations of chlorine gas are inhaled. Pulmonary oedema may occur early but is more commonly delayed for a few hours. Haemoptysis may occur (it is more usually a feature of vesicant gas poisoning). Early cyanosis carries a near-hopeless prognosis.
Gastroenterological: nausea and vomiting, oesophageal perforation at high levels.
Neurological: headache, disorientation.

[Bluehorse]

R-1 grimaces and tries to think quick. How many do you think we can fit in those bathrooms over there? If we can rig something for a helmet for my head and an oxygen tank to my intake, I should be able to wade out... bonus points if I can do it for a long time or swap out tanks...
If we can get that room secured, we could punch a hole in the porthole over there and put another helmet over it to seal it back up once we flush she chlorine... I'm spitwading here, but I am open to ideas. What about these poor dead bastards? he points to the other mercs that are down. Do they have anything we could use?

[Grognardsw]

Apkor and Harrison nodded in agreement at Ranger's plan.

"A tight fit, but we could stuff them all in there," Harrison said of the men and women bathrooms after looking in.

The three mercenaries help Ranger rig up oxygen to the helmet which just barely fits over the cyborg's head.
(Please make a 4d6 Int. check to rig that up.)

The other three mercenaries at the rear door went through and it closed. They were killed beyond it. So they're not in your room to get their stuff.

The help's rolls: Rig up oxygen for Ranger - Apkor [4d6]=15, Harrison [4d6]=13

[Bluehorse]

INT v11

[4d6]=16

[Grognardsw]

Ranger couldn't figure out how to rig up the oxygen tank with the helmet. The brainy Apkor fortunately did, playing around with valves and straps to secure it on his back and creating a helmet seal at his neck with hold for the oxygen hose.

"Try not to get hit in the head," he said, tapping the plasti-glass of the helmet, not needing to explain the consequences if it broke. "Beyond this door is a corridor. There are doors left and right, and one at the end going into ship's bridge. Good luck."

Harrison too had a helmet with oxygen, but the suit didn't fit. "I'll need to stay in here. The gas would burn my skin."

Apkor's head was too big for the helmet. He joined the humans in the bathroom.

Ranger stood ready before the locked door. With a blast of his Mark VII to the control panel, the door slid open. Green-tinged gas swirled about in the empty corridor ahead of him.

[Bluehorse]

R-1 he nods and gives thanks to his companions for their assistance. Set that supply to a low flow... I don't need much at a time. I'm just a head and I dont breath heavy or get tired. Benefits of being mostly mechanical... Good luck Everybody. I'll try to make quick work of this.

Once the door is open he waste no time. He learned a long time ago not to waste a good surprise so he ran forward into the green fog at full speed, intent on charging right through anything on the other side, slashing with his mounted sabres if he can to perserve ammo and reduce risk for the moment.

[Grognardsw]

The big cyborg charged down the corridor. While the air had a slight green tinge to it, vision was not limited. Ranger saw the 40' corridor was empty. He passed by the doors midway to the left and right and quickly came to the door leading into the ship's bridge. As he approached, it slid open revealing a 30'x30' room with control consoles in the middle and sides, and a large viewscreen at the front.

Four Kloros were in the room...

They were surprised as Ranger charged through the door. They were bigger and uglier than the cyborg remembered, then Ranger realized he's never seen one before.



They had delicate looking, oddly shaped guns of some sort in belt holsters.

Ranger has the surprise. Actions and rolls!

[Bluehorse]

Nice! Okay... so can I get a general layout of the room? Just a scribble would do. I want to make sure I know how things and people are arranged.

[Grognardsw]

At the moment I don't have access to paper and such, but to describe the room more...

It is a 30'x30' room that is a a half-circle in shape, with control consoles in the middle and sides, and a large viewscreen at the front.

At the moment of Lars is just past the door in the west wall.

There is a Kloros at the middle control panel (15' in front of you), one at the left (north) control panel (15' from you), one at the right (south) control panel (15'), and one standing in front of the large viewscreen (east wall, 30' from you.)

[Bluehorse]

R-1

Seeing the targets he lets out a warcry he remembers......... or........ something........ seems important.... SPOON!!! Yeah, that works. He then takes a few pop shots at each of the Kloros as he continues charging into the room, making sure to fire at each one once while moving for the one at the center control panel...

South: Mark VII Rifle [1d20]=11 DMG [8d6]=30
East: Mark VII Rifle [1d20]=2 DMG [8d6]=32
North: Mark VII Rifle [1d20]=19 DMG [8d6]=24

Once he is on top of the one in the center, he will slash at him with his arm sabers!

Arm Sabers [1d20]=15 [1d8]=2 + [1d6+1]=6+1=7
Arm Sabers [1d20]=15 [1d8]=3 + [1d6+1]=6+1=7

Lars?

[Grognardsw]

Ranger stormed onto the bridge, his Mark VII automatic rifle blasting three of the Kloros in quick succession! With high-pitched alien screams that hurt the cyborg’s ears, the first two Kloros’ popped like balloons in a spray of green ichor! The third was still alive, but greatly deflated.

The fourth Kloros at the middle control panel yelled something unintelligible to Ranger as it drew and fired its laser pistol at the rampaging cyborg. With battle-honed reflexes Ranger dived out of the way and the laser missed!

Ranger rolled back up and dived at the Kloros. The cyborg’s arm sabers snapped out and he sliced the alien left and right across the chest area of the conical green creature. It fell back wailing in pain at the onslaught.

- Sorry, got named confused there. Lars is in different story thread.
- On the surprise round, per Surprise rule on p. 27, you automatically hit with rifle.
- We modified your gun a bit, in spoiler of post #46, in offering 3 shots in automatic mode, but at 5d6 damage instead of 8d6. No need to reroll, but note for future.
- Initiative Lars vs Kloros rnd 1 [1d6]=4, [1d6]=5 Kloros win
- Kloros laser pistol [1d20]=3, [5d6]=17 Miss.

[Bluehorse]

Made a note! Thanks. So are there any living targets left in this room?