The Genetics of Profit (Hunter, Slash, Dynos, Ranger-1)

[Grognardsw]

FSP Calendar 7715.30
Starship Long View, transport vessel

[Grognardsw]

Hunter Thorne and Slash woke with a start in their shared quarters as the klaxon alarm blared. The human and mutant badger, trained mercenaries both, rolled out of their cots almost as one and grabbed their gear kits.

An announcement was coming over the ship intercom: "Red alert. Red alert. Multiple hull breaches. Imminent system failures. All crew and passengers abandon ship by escape pods. I repeat, abandon ship!"

Suddenly Hunter and Slash heard an omnious hiss from the ceiling. They looked up to see a half-inch hole open up in the metal and a silvery 3' thread snaked down from it! Man and mutant leapt to the side to avoid the thread (3d6 Dex. checks) as it drifted down. It touched the floor and seemingly disintegrated it, leaving a small hole and continuing to weave downward.

The hissing continued as Hunter and Slash realized their room was losing pressure and atmostphere from the holes, which must extend through the whole ship to outer space.

Actions!

[Rex]

Slash

Slash rolls out of his bunk, "Time to roll Hunter, any idea what is going on?" Once he confirms Hunter is with him he heads for the nearest escape pod.

Dex Check (13) [3d6]=6

[GreyWolfVT]

Hunter Thorne grabs everything of his that he can and tries to get to the nearest escape pod. "Slash get a move on, we got to get off this ship and fast." he helps Slash as best he can. "What the hell is that silvery thread like thing? Damned thing burned a hole through our ship!" he comments in his haste.

Dex 13 Checks [3d6]=11

[Rex]

Slash

"No clue what it is but if another comes this way I don't want to get hit by it."

[Grognardsw]

The door irised open as Hunter and Slash ran out of their quarters in search of an escape pod. They were immediately confronted by a screaming Debinian, the mid-shoulder between his two heads pierced by silver thread effortlessly burrowing down inside his chest, waist, out between his three legs, and into the floor. The alien collapsed, holes spurting purple blood that splattered on Hunter and Slash.

The space cowboy and badger scout went around the dead Debinian and sprinted down the corridor. People were running frantically about the ship in panic. They passed a fire near engineering. Heard the hiss of life support systems failing against innumerable small holes from the deadly thread.

A blinking line of red light in the wall guided Hunter and Slash to the nearest escape pod. It was taken; they ran to the next.



They strapped into the tiny ship and prepared for ejection. How would they do their mission now? This wasn’t suppose to happen. Hunter thought back on the briefing one week ago...

Flashback...

The femdroid Elona Musq, director of TeslaSpace, spoke before the gathered men. They were a hard-bitten crew of veteran spacers, mercenaries, animal trainers and several xenobiologists.

“Yes gentlemen, you heard me right: dragons,” said Musq, her artificial voice sibilant yet cold. “We have reliable information that this is the planet. You’re to capture two dragons, one male and one female. We prefer natural reproduction over cloning. You’ll have the resources and equipment to make it happen. The Long View is a good ship and will get you there in a week."

"Our corporate spies have learned that there is another firm doing the same. Blue Origin Is sending their own ship. I know you will beat them."

The mercenary snapped back into attention as a green-skinned man pounded on the window shield of the pod.

“Let me in! Let me in! There’ll all taken!” he yelled, fear in his four eyes. He drew a late model electro-phaser and pointed it at them. “Now!”

There were only two tight seats in the pod. Slash and Hunter looked at each other and at the gun.

[Rex]

Slash

Slash stared at the green skinned man without so much as blinking as he reached over and hit the launch button.

[GreyWolfVT]

Hunter reached for the launch button but Slash beat him to it. "Guess we do think a like." he comments watching the green skinned fellow with the gun.

[Rex]

Slash

"Perhaps, he wasn't to smart if he was thinking we were going to give up the escape pod."

[Grognardsw]

Hunter and Slash were pushed back in their seats as the escape pod blasted forward. Was that energy bolt sound the firing of the green-skinned man’s electro-phaser? Did it damage the pod?

The human and badger mutant were rattled inside the pod as it hurdled through the chute. Only seconds passed then they popped out the side of the Long View. The vessel was riddled with holes, smoking and lurching. It did not have long left. There were dozens of escape pods in the area, arcing toward a nearby planet that provided the only salvation.

Space here was polluted with strands of silvery death. They varied in length, from shorter 5’ threads to cables 20’ long. In the freefall of space they were weaving and undulating in every direction. Slash and Hunter saw pods hit left and right by the stuff, likely killing the passengers in such tight confines. Pods were exploding as thread bore through the engines. Others keeled about, their maneveurability disabled, floating coffins in the black expanse.

Suddenly two 8’ strands of silvery thread passed in front Slash and Hunter’s pod! Slash slammed the controls to avoid the thread (average your Int. and Dex., then roll 3d6 against that.)

Hunter heard a sparking noise behind him. That didn’t sound good. He arched his neck to see back, but the angles of the pod prevented a view.

[GreyWolfVT]

21 was the total so i guess average is 10.5 rounded to 10 Checks [3d6]=10

[Rex]

Slash

Int/Dex check (12) [3d6]=4

"Hold on tight Hunter!"

[GreyWolfVT]

Hunter holds on. "How do people live on this planet. This thread stuff is insane!"

[Rex]

Slash

"It seems our employers didn't do their research very well."

[GreyWolfVT]

Hunter in a gruff tone "Yeah that er someone didn't give us all the intel."

[Grognardsw]

Slash slammed the controls to the right and veered the escape pod away from the onrushing thread.

The tiny ship lurched and recovered a steady line as it raced away from the heaviest of the thread. Other pods were exploding and and still more floating helpless. Slash felt the pull of the planet's orbital gravity on the pod's controls. They were swept in and were hurtling toward the planet.

The escape pod's computer voice suddenly spoke.

“Three minutes until atmospheric entry,” it said in monotone.

The two mercaneries knew the escape pod’s data link-up to the Long View would only be live for as long as the Long View was intact. Mere minutes.

“Twelve minutes until planetfall. Planet data report: Long View ship files on MC-68: Surveyed on FSP Calendar 5710.45. First coded P.E.R.N.c - designation Parallel Earth, Resources Negligible, recommended for colonization. Found safe for human settlement, with resources to support residents but inadequate for commercial exploitation.”

“Colony established 5720.15. Distress beacon received 5760.65. Investigation of planet in 5762.20 found no signs of habitation save small village of two dozen on southern continent. Reported last of colonists left, after others perished in astro-biological and geological disaster code named Thread. Mycorrhizoid spore that voraciously consumes all planet-side organic material, including humans and their crops. Thread is a byproduct of planet RST-2659, in elliptical orbit to MC-68, which when in closest proximity every 50 years exposes MC-68 to spore fallout. Note: Thread in deep space is in its most dangerous form that disintegrates non-orgranic material.”

“Atmosphere entered. Nine minutes until landing. Brace for impact,” the voice calmly stated. Then continued reading the planet data file:

“Survivors rescued. Given circumstances, planet deemed uninhabitable due to Thread and placed under strict interdict. Due to threat of thread in deep space environment, the whole system is quarantined, all contact forbidden.”

“Further data suggests - <§!¥€£!?><~||£€@#>! “ - The computer voice screeched static and noise, indicating the Long View must have blown up.

Post #1 has the current date, should you feel like doing date math.

[Rex]

Slash

"Nothing like nearly 2,000 year old information. Anything could have happened since then."

[GreyWolfVT]

Hunter "Yeah. But there was intel on the thread. The fools could have said something. So many lost I wonder if anyone else made it or if it is just us."

[Rex]

Slash

"Hopefully, I am not so sure we have made it yet."

[GreyWolfVT]

Hunter "Yeah I know but hey a crash landing is still a landing so long as we survive it."