The Drus Badlands (S.E.T. 2)

[greyarea]

Vombis "Bob" the Dralasite

Vombis looks out to where Seela indicates. I don't know if that's gonna hit before we get rescued, but maybe we should delay our game until later. We should batten down the hatches until then.

Vombis starts doing just that: making sure air intakes are sealed, checking other seals at windows and hatches, and so on. I have a feeling that our pickup might be a bit delayed...

GM: You and Tycho work together, checking all the systems inside to make sure they are locked down. When you're finished, you step outside and inspect the shuttles exterior, to make sure there are no exposed ducts or intakes that need to be sealed off.

As you're doing this, you are treated to a first hand view of the damage that the craft sustained as you were entering the atmosphere. You are immediately stricken by something unusual; the damage is concentrated very specifically in two places- the junction of the sub-space relay and the maneuvering control flap assembly and the plasma flow coupler on one of the engine nacelles. You've seen the damage inflicted by power surges and lightning strikes, in the past. There are always scorch marks, accompanied by melted and fused components.

But the damage to the shuttle has none of those earmarks. Instead, the damage is tight and narrowly confined. Two very precise holes have ben blown in the hull at the indicated points. The damage is clearly expressed in such a way, that you feel certain they were internal explosions, that blasted outward. You finish up sealing the outside of the shuttle and climb back in, just as the storm hits the craft, with a rattling blast of wind.

You strap into your seat as the others brace themselves, a worm of suspicion gnawing at your thoughts...

[greyarea]

Vombis

Vombis calls the base camp and tells them about the storm. Can we get an ETA please?

[Argennian]

Marcus moves outside to get a look at the coming storm and keep an eye out as Vombis and Tycho check over the craft. If he had time to do so, he'll try and use his Vaporscanner to take an atmospheric reading...

You and Tycho work together, checking all the systems inside to make sure they are locked down. When you're finished, you step outside and inspect the shuttles exterior, to make sure there are no exposed ducts or intakes that need to be sealed off.

As you're doing this, you are treated to a first hand view of the damage that the craft sustained as you were entering the atmosphere. You are immediately stricken by something unusual; the damage is concentrated very specifically in two places- the junction of the sub-space relay and the maneuvering control flap assembly and the plasma flow coupler on one of the engine nacelles. You've seen the damage inflicted by power surges and lightning strikes, in the past. There are always scorch marks, accompanied by melted and fused components.

But the damage to the shuttle has none of those earmarks. Instead, the damage is tight and narrowly confined. Two very precise holes have ben blown in the hull at the indicated points. The damage is clearly expressed in such a way, that you feel certain they were internal explosions, that blasted outward. You finish up sealing the outside of the shuttle and climb back in, just as the storm hits the craft, with a rattling blast of wind.

You strap into your seat as the others brace themselves, a worm of suspicion gnawing at your thoughts...

Marcus stows his gear and straps himself in as the others do so as well, and opines what he's sure that some of the others are thinking. "That damage to the hull doesn't look like it was caused by an atmospheric condition. I might not be a military type but those look like weapon strikes to me..."



OOC: Sorry for the late response, guys. Work has been beyond brutal again this week!

[Recklessfireball]

Vombis calls the base camp and tells them about the storm. Can we get an ETA please?

Vombis sends out his message and receives nothing but garbled static. Clearly, the fury of the storm is disrupting even ground to ground communications.

Marcus moves outside to get a look at the coming storm and keep an eye out as Vombis and Tycho check over the craft. If he had time to do so, he'll try and use his Vaporscanner to take an atmospheric reading...

The vaporscan shows that the air is turbulent and highly charged with ozone. The wind begins picking up (scan says approaching 30kph and increasing) and you quickly rush back into the shuttle to take cover. When you look to the horizon, you see a titanic wall of dust roaring toward you. Purple lightning strikes the ground in great, arcing bolts. It's clear you're about to be struck by a violent desert storm.

OOC: Sorry for the late response, guys. Work has been beyond brutal again this week!

No sweat. I've got relatives coming to town, so I probably will be posting only sparsely, until monday.

[Blackrazor]

Nuk has been struggling to extricate himself from the tangle of webbing and cargo boxes. He sighs as pushes a crate away, his body sore from the landing.

Looking at his companions, Nuk's face is lined with concern as he wants answers.

[Recklessfireball]

With the hatches and intakes sealed and shut, everyone sits down and waits tensely for the storm to hit. You don't have to wait long. Not five minutes later, a howling blast of wind can be heard along with the rattling of dust and pebbles scouring the shuttles hull. The craft vibrates and groans with the impact.

Through the polarized, plas-steel bubble of the cockpit glass, the terrain is obscured by the thick, howling curtain of sand and dust that rips its way across the desert. Occasionally, blinding flashes of purple lightning strike the ground, sometimes even hitting the shuttle itself, and it isn't long before everyone’s nerves are worn to a frazzle and their heads pounding from the noise of the storm. But thankfully, the sturdy shuttle seems to weather the storm without any difficulty.

Minutes pass, and then hours. The storm finally begins to taper off a little, and visibility improves slightly. Tycho sits in the cockpit, anxiously eyeing the instruments on the console. Finally, she looks alert, as a light begins blinking on the panel. Working the sensors and focusing the external cameras, she looks up excitedly and says, "Hey guys- I'm picking something up on the external sensors. I think our transport is here!"

Sure enough, as you look out the cockpit, you can see the big, boxy silllouette of an Explorer rolling towards you through the storm. The high suspension and fat, knobby tires are unmistakable, though the dust is still thick enough to obscure the vehicles details. It rolls to a stop a few meters away from your ship, then crackling static can be heard, as the ships comm system activates. "S.E.T. Team 2, thi... is Re...cue One- do you copy. I repeat; this is Rescue One- over."

Tycho, looking excited, activates the comm and replies, "Read you loud and clear, Rescue One! Man, are we glad to see you! I just wish you'd gotten her a little sooner; now we're both gonna have to wait this storm out."

There's a brief pause, then the comm-link crackles to life, once more. "Negative, S.E.T. 2. There's a lull in the storm now, but HQ says we've got another front rolling in- and it makes this one look like a pleasant breeze on a warm, summer day. If we stick around, it'll rip us both to shreds. You're gonna have to grab your gear and board our Sand Cat for evac. We've only got about thirty minutes to get the frak outta here- so you better hustle!"

Tycho frowns, then toggles the comm and says, "Roger that, Rescue One. Stand by." Looking around at the rest of you, she sighs deeply, and says, "Well, I guess we'd better get moving."

[greyarea]

Vombis

Vombis grabs his gear and heads out with the others.

[Recklessfireball]

OOC: I'll give everyone until tomorrow afternoon to post, then I'll post for everyone who hasn't done so yet, in order to move things along.

[Blackrazor]

Mjolinr in hand, Nuk picks up his gear and quickly leaves the small confines of the shuttle. Glad to have room to move and stretch, even if briefly, Nuk smiles as he rolls his shoulders trying to work out the kinks.

Looking down at the dralasite Nuk rumbles, Well done. Nuk he looks around at the surviors all of us, owe you a debt. Hopefully, we will survive long enough for you to cash it in.

[Recklessfireball]

Following Bob, Nuk, and Tychos lead, the rest of you grab your gear and prepare to disembark.

Tycho hits the shuttles door release and extends the gang ramp, and the five of you step out into the howling desert winds. Thankfully, the storm has tapered off sufficiently that the sand is nothing more than an irritant. It stings your eyes and exposed flesh, and limits visibility, but inflicts no actual damage. The lightning has abated somewhat, as well, though you can still see occasional, purple flashes and hear the rumble of thunder over the wind, somewhere in the distance.

Tycho points ahead, where you can see the hulking form of the Explorer, with its running lights on, about ten meters away from you. She shoulders her pack and starts slogging forward, raising her arm to shield her eyes from the blowing particles. Once you get within six meters of the vehicle, it begins to resolve itself in more detail...

... the Explorers body is covered in rust and badly dented. In numerous places bullet holes and carbon scoring can be seen- and it looks like hastily welded armor plate has been retrofitted over one of the side panels. The windshield is tinted (as might well be expected with a vehicle designed to be used in a desert environment), preventing you from seeing inside the drivers compartment. A bit of graffitti can be discerned on the doors of the vehicle. Someone has used red and white spray paint to write a string of words on the side, in cartoony, stylized lettering. You can't quite make out what it says, from this distance. The low thrum of the Explorers engines can be heard over the moaning of the wind. To Vombis's well-trained ears, it sounds like they can use a tune-up.

Seela lowers her hand, the nictitating membranes of her eyes allowing her a bit of protection from the blowing sand, thanks to her saurian physiology. She looks the vehicle up and down, then glances around at the rest of you, incredulously. "We're riding in that?" she asks, in disbelief. "I'm surprised it didn't fall apart on the way here; storm or no storm. You would think PGC would provide better equipment for a mission of this importance."

Tycho meets her gaze and shrugs apologetically. "I agree, but it doesn't appear that we have much choice, unless you'd rather take your chances and wait out the storm in the shuttle. I think I'd rather take my chances with the Explorer, though." She turns to the rest of you and asks,"How about you guys?"

[greyarea]

Vombis "Bob"

That thing has wheels and that thing, Vombis says, pointing at the shuttle, ain't going anywhere. I say we take the transportation we have rather than hope for something better.

He will load up on the Explorer asap.

[Recklessfireball]

OCC: Sometime after 10:30 am Tuesday morning, I'm going to go ahead and move this thread forward. I'll do some behind the scenes rolls and post actions for your characters, assuming you haven't done so already. It may be beneficial for all of you to go back, reread the previous posts, and carefully ponder what actions you might wish to post on your own, before I do that.

[Blackrazor]

Nuk looks back at the confined space of the damaged shuttle, then sighs as he turns his gaze to the confined space of the explorer. With a shrug he follows Vombis, knowing full well that the ride will be uncomfortable at best.

[Argennian]

Marcus lets out another sigh of relief when he hears the communique from Rescue One and realizes it's time to depart. As the others collect their gear and begin making their way towards the Explorer, he grabs up his own gear and takes a quick look around the damaged shuttle to get an idea of what else they'll be leaving behind. He approaches their former pilot and queries her about it. "Tycho, is there anything on board the shuttle that shouldn't get left behind?"

[Recklessfireball]

OOC: GM makes a couple of judicious intuition checks on behalf of the party, with his iphones dice roller; everyone fails, except (luckily) Marcus and Seela

"Tycho, is there anything on board the shuttle that shouldn't get left behind?"

The pilot glances back at the shuttle, purses her lips thoughtfully, then shakes her head. "No, not really. Standard emergency supplies and some vac suits. We could take the supplies, but Base Camp is only a couple of hours to the north. I don't think it would be worth the trouble." She turns her attention back to the explorer. "Lets just board the damn thing and get the hell out of here."

Tychos answer is no less than he was expecting, but something is nagging at O'Riley; though he can't put his finger on it. As the others continue to slog through the storm towards the Explorer, Marcus pauses, uncertainly.

Seela, noticing his hesitation, stops as well and catches his gaze. She glances from Marcus, to the Explorer, and back again. "You sense it too, don't you?"

O'Riley nods. "Yeah, somethings off..." he agrees, swallowing nervously. Then, shouting over the moaning wind, he adds, "Hey, hold up a second, everybody; something doesn't smell right, here..."

The others pause, looking back at the two of them in confusion. Not three seconds after Marcus speaks, the door on the Explorer pops open to reveal two, rough-looking human males in desert combat fatigues, standing behind a makeshift, plasteel barricade. They level Gyro-Jet Pistols at you, grinning evilly. At the same moment, a skeezy looking Yazirian pops up through the top hatch of the vehicle, baring his fangs eagerly, as he sights down the barrel of his Auto-Rifle at you. "Surprise!"he shouts, cackling maniacally.

OOC: Somebody roll initiative for the good guys (doesn't matter who). The bad buys roll: Initiative [1d10] = 10 +6 = 16 total.

[greyarea]

Vombis "Bob"

[1d10] = 10 INITIATIVE

Vombis pulls his own gun and fires at the Yazarian! Needler Pistol [1d100+10] = 36+10 = 46 and damage [2d10] = 11

[Recklessfireball]

[1d10] = 10 INITIATIVE

Un-freakin' believable... with Bob and/or O'Riley's +7 IM, you guys win initiative. Never seen a group of PC's with so many stellar dice rolls. This has got to be some kind of record...

I'll give everyone until tomorrow afternoon to post/roll combat actions for their characters, then I'll post for Seela and the Bad Guys and move the action forward (as well as post for any players that haven't done so yet). By the book, whoever loses initiative has to declare their actions for the round. The Yazirian is going to burst you all with his Auto-Rifle. The human on the left will fire three shots; one each at Tycho, Seela, and Marcus. The human on the right will also fire three shots: one each at Tycho, Nuk, and Vombis

[greyarea]

[1d10] = 10 INITIATIVE

Un-freakin' believable... with Bob and/or O'Riley's +7 IM, you guys win initiative. Never seen a group of PC's with so many stellar dice rolls. This has got to be some kind of record...

I do what I can.

[Recklessfireball]

P.S. Almost forgot: Vombis doesn't add the +10 for his skill to the roll. The +10 is added to his skill level (It's a roll-under system). Which would make his Ranged Skill a 43% (so, yes, if we take the base roll of 36- you hit ). I'll tally all the combat results into my post, after everyone else has taken their turn.

[Blackrazor]

Nuk drops his gear, flicking on Mjolinor with his finger as he pops it off his shoulder, heading straight for the explorer, he winds up and delivers a blow to the vehicles side.


Hopes for this attack - A) Somehow the electro stun effect is conveyed by the metal of the vehicle, and or the B) Hammer knocks the explorer over or nearly so foiling or hampering the attacks of the bad guys.