"We gotta go back up and around the way we came, I don't want to cut the floor out from under the wrong side," Billy comes over the comms to Xander.

What do you mean the wrong side? Xander asks, confused. You mean we literally have friends upstairs? I thought you were getting all religious on me. No atheists in the foxhole and whatnot. Where are they at now? We can try to end up behind their lines.

"I have no idea, I hear a lot of boots and gunfire right over my head.  They're not shooting at you or me, and they're definitely not shooting at our team in the core, so I figure they're shooting at someone new."

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 881):

Team Space Trek

Persephone continues drifting in space while the passengers converse...and while Dynamis does some hard calculations.

We cannot reach any port except Venus with the supplies on hand, and we'll need to go to half rations immediately to manage even that.

Kayla sighs and drums her fingers on the console to bring the ship into alignment with the suggested course.

"More good news," she says, pointing at a reddish icon nearby. "We're still being jammed, even though that ship is nowhere to be seen."

She looks around.

"Anybody think we should be worried about either one of those things?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:30, Tue 25 July 2017.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 882):

*Raises hand tenatively*

I'm very concerned about both... She implements half rations, sets Dynamis to figure possible causes, she searches the outside of the ship for something small that the other ship planted on us to jam our signals, and spends her time trying to figure out how to unjam the ship.  Whenever she isn't work she sits next to Holt, pulsing in and out of phase as she meditates.  She wants to be by his side when he wakes up or if he needs anything.

For herself, she ratchets herself down to less than 1/4 rations as she spends much of her time phased out and not needing to eat.  If Holt is eating or requires sustainance she makes sure that he gets everything he needs before she does.  She allows him to eat her portion.

Fiernas does his best to help Kayla with piloting the ship and to shore up the patches in the busted hull.  Leo and Phillip are understandably upset following the incident, and Fiernas spends long stretches secluded away with them, trying to keep their spirits up.  He goes down to his half-rations without complaint. "Not the first time I've had to go hungry for a while."

Abraxas retreats one area further away from Sarge.

Cover me. I'm going to see if I can pick up any radio chatter.

Sophia, see if you can scan the near area for any non-IDA transmission frequencies and hail them if possible.

In reply to Xander (msg # 885):

Team Kamikaze

Xander moves one area deeper into the hallway of sliced up rooms that Billy has provided, either unaware of or uncaring of Sarge and his allies closing in.

Sophia quickly scans the various communication signals flying around, and does indeed pick up a band that matches no known broadcast frequencies. She is not, of course, able to discern what information it might be carrying, lacking familiarity with it.

On the plus side, she ALSO picks up an encoded frequency that seems oddly familiar.

One frequency seems alien in nature, she announces. A second band, however, matches those we encountered on Ceres. The compromised datapad used a similar encryption. Shall we hail them on it?

***

Guards G and H, standing on the outer edge of the CC-5, complete their task of calling in the fire in the Central Core. They then turn and go back they way they came...

***

~~ Disposition ~~

Central Core: Muse, Durst, Guard C, Guard D, Guard A, Timon
CC-1: (GAPING CHASM)
CC-2: (none)
CC-3: (none)
CC-4: (none)
CC-5: (none)
Belowdecks-1: (none)
Belowdecks-2: Sarge, Guard B, Guard E, Guard F
Belowdecks-3: (none)
Belowdecks-4: Billy, Xander

Please pay attention to the various areas for targeting purposes. "CC-4" means "Central Core (4 areas out)" for nomenclature purposes.

"This thing can fly, right?" Billy questions as he clambers up to an easily clung-to position on Abraxas.  From his perch he can finally see behind to how close the guards are coming, "Sarge? he calls out over the helmet's speakers as he looks at the approaching soldiers, "Hey Sarge, you're the most reasonable person I've spoken to since I got here so...sorry." He states as he fires on the group of opposing soldiers.  His angle is too low to hit them but his intent quickly becomes apparent.

((Can't disarm all those guns, so let's cut the floor out from under them.  Again. 83 shields))

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 887):

Team Kamikaze

"I'm not taking it personally," Sarge replies as the laser blast goes low into the floor. "Just return the favor when I...what...?"

The floor begins to fall away, and Sarge gestures wildly at the ragged edges of the circle.

"JUMP!"

Sarge makes a leap for the side nearest to Billy, while the other soldiers attempt to leap in random directions.

[Agility (Sarge, B, E, F): 40, 8, 50, 50]

Sarge manages to clear the gap, pulling himself to his feet and spinning around to see how the others fared.

Guards E and F, who dove left and right respectively, have also managed to not fall, and pull themselves up on either side on the chasm. They will, however, require another leap to cross over to the side Sarge, Billy, and Xander are on.

Guard B reacts too slowly, and vanishes into the floor beneath them along with a large chunk of hallway.

Sarge grunts, turns, and levels his gun at the mech.

"That's enough," he says. "You're clearly on your last legs, and if you keep carving this ship up, Goethe will be, too."

His other hand goes to his belt, where it rests on a set of binders.

"Stand. Down."

NOTE: I had written the following up before I realized I couldn't actually do it and they'd need agility rolls. Preserved for posterity below...

Guard B, lacking a weapon, closes the gap to engage Abraxas with his wrist-mounted blades.

[Charge: 8, whiff]

He misses completely, trips over the mech's large legs, and screeches to a graceless halt only after barreling through one of the bathroom's stall doors and slamming into the fixture behind it. His armor, fortunately, reduces the damage taken from bodily harm to merely his pride.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:18, Wed 26 July 2017.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 888):

Team Space Trek

It is a long and sober journey to Venus -- one that becomes increasingly contentious as the half-rations begin to take their toll on the crew's well-being and temperament.

At Kayla's insistence, Penny's corpse is moved into a freezer crate in the cargo area for the benefit of her next-of-kin.

Holt remains in an uneasy, coma-like state, but his breathing is steady and liquefied nutrition is made available for him.

Gestalt, Tyndall, and Darling try to amuse themselves in the lounge, but their stories are mostly told at this point.

It comes as no small relief, then, when a synthetic voice pings out around the ship.

"Entering Venusian airspace by the end of the day cycle. Prepare for possible disembarkation."

"If we stand down what are you gonna do about the firefight upstairs?" Billy calls back to Sarge.  Then over the comms, "Xander, I think this is the best chance we're getting, go through him."

"Disembark."  Fiernas barks a bitter laugh.  "All I want to do is disembark." He doesn't look up at the others from where he cleans his arsenal of guns on a table in the galley.

In reply to Fiernas Holm (msg # 891):

Don't you have history with sage? 

Nightmare asks fiernas.

As do I. I will remain in my Eva suit and stay as sequestered as possible. Shouldn't you and the dogs do the same?

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 892):

They are unlikely to allow us to dock without a manifest of cargo and crew. Nor use your funds without revealing your identity.

In reply to Dynamis (msg # 893):

Xander jerks the joysticks in the cockpit absently, swiveling Abraxas's form until it is standing with its shoulders squared in Sarge's direction.

"The gate is down," he murmurs, twitching his thumbs in unison to drive the joysticks forward as far as they'll go.

Abraxas lurches into action, pulsing forward with a burst of rapid acceleration!

[Charge (Sarge): yellow]

[Damage (Sarge): ~75ish]

"Next stop, up," he sends to Billy, though the mech itself remains hovering just before the chasm Sarge had hopped over.

In reply to Xander (msg # 894):

Team Kamikaze

Sarge raises his arms in a futile attempt to protect himself before being slammed into the hole behind him -- he goes limp on the way down, long before he hits the ground.

Sarge is defeated.

Guards E and F raise their guns and fire!

[Agility (Abraxas): 54, 11]

One blast flies wide, but the second helix burst finds its mark.

[Damage (Abraxas): 40]

The blast lances through the cockpit's battered viewshield, barely missing Xander as it  punches across rows of sensitive electronics and exits through the rear of the mech. The chassis is knocked backwards by the blast, such that its feet are once more above solid(ish) steel flooring.

Abraxas smokes and smolders, sparks fly, and electricity surges up and down its limbs until, with a terrible SQUAWK of metallic fury, the lights go out and mech sags into an unpowered, half-standing position.

Abraxas is defeated.

***



~~ Round 8! ~~

Billy (Shield: 40, Damage: 14)
Sarge
Guard B (Disarmed, Damage: 60)
Abraxas (Damage: 172, Defeated)
Xander (Damage: 0; MP Damage: 30)
Guard E
Guard F
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:25, Thu 27 July 2017.

"Wait why did we sto-sonofabitch!" Billy shouts when the Mech suddenly shudders and drops, "Through.  I said through him.  Not into.  Wait hold on maybe I can work with this," He scrambles upward until he is atop Abraxa's lifeless shoulder and begins again carving through the ship, this time the ceiling, and this time directly above the nearest soldier, "Watch your head!" he shouts as the chunk of ship comes loose.

((63 to do an inverted groundstrike, and hit Guard E (I guess?) with the ceiling.  I think that does material strength damage?
54 shield))

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 896):

The chunk of ceiling smashes down on Guard E, which doesn't do much damage but DOES cause him to lose his balance (Agility: white). He tumbles into the Way Belowdecks, following Sarge and Guard B into the depths.

***

Guard B, who disappeared down the hole and didn't have a weapon, does nothing that can be observed from where the PCs are located.

***

Sarge, who disappeared down the hole, does nothing that can be observed from where the PCs are located.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:30, Thu 27 July 2017.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 897):

Team Space Trek

"We don't have a choice," Kayla says, drawing Persephone to within hailing range of Venus. "Wanted or not, we need supplies and medical assistance."

She presses down on the comms, and a squawk of static reasserts itself.

"Dammit!" Kayla mutters, slamming a fist against the armrest of her chair in frustration. "I forgot about the jamming. How do we tell them we're here? If we enter airspace unannounced, it's an open invitation to get shot down."

In reply to Kayla Wallin (msg # 898):

Steam rises from the mech's hatch, and then the armored glass rises with it to reveal its battered pilot.

He is holding a SAGE Burst Pistol, and squeezes the trigger immediately. Three rounds lance through the air toward the remaining guard...

[Agility (vs remaining guard): 25, 9, 7]

...spattering harmlessly against the wall in an attractive triangle pattern around the guard's head.

"Billy, there's only one guard left, and he's only got one gun," Xander sends. "Think you can hit it?"

In reply to Xander (msg # 899):

Team Kamikaze

Guard F looks at Xander, then looks at Billy. He fires on the latter.

[Agility (vs Billy): 3, miss]

The double helix boils past Billy's shoulder harmlessly.

If Guard E does anything, it happens belowdecks.

***



~~ Round 9! ~~

Billy (Shield: 40, Damage: 14)
Sarge
Guard B (Disarmed, Damage: 60)
Abraxas (Damage: 172, Defeated) <- Abraxas may attempt to reboot
Xander (Damage: 0; MP Damage: 30)
Guard E (Damage: 10)
Guard F
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:14, Fri 28 July 2017.

Billy looks at the scorch marks where the helix blast impacted the ship, "I dunno, do I have to?  He seems harmless," Billy replies as he clambers to the opposite shoulder of the mech, "Hey!" he shouts at the guard before punching a red beam straight into his gun, "Go find your commanding officer or something, we're busy."

((55+20 karma to bullseye the gun, white shield))

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 901):

Neither Sarge nor Guard B takes any observable action. Guard F looks down the gaping chasm, where his weapon has just been blasted, and then over at the two men with guns looming nearby.

He leaps into the hole without a backward glance.

~~ END COMBAT ~~
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:57, Fri 28 July 2017.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 902):

Team Kamikaze

As the thrill of combat gives way to stark reality, the sounds of a none-too-distant firefight become all the more apparent above Billy and Xander's heads. Large groups of soldiers must be giving battle nearby...and it's difficult to tell which side might be winning.

Team Space Trek

Kayla takes some initiative as Persephone continues to make its approach toward Venus, and pulls the toggle that activates its adaptive armor.

"I'm putting us into orbit," she explains, reaching for her toolbelt. "And then I'm taking the communications panel apart until we find some answers."

She gazes at the expanse of space beyond the viewport and sighs. Somewhere out there, the chitinous vessel flies on.

~~ END CHAPTER 08 ~~

Global Karma Breakdown

These are the global things that will affect everyone equally. Individuals will gain bonuses and penalties beyond these. I will not make those public.

Baseline: +1000

Bonuses
- Linguistic Discoveries (Solese): +50
- Planet Discoveries (Quarantined Planet, Amg): +100
- Alien Discoveries (Roshak, Amgine, "Rock Men"): +150
- Defeated Sarge: +50
- Defeated Goethe: +50
- Audience with Roy: +50
- Learned Alliance of Sol's True Mission: +50
- Learned Viceroy's True Mission: +50
- Learn Faust's True Mission: +50
- Learned about the Children of Sol: +50
- Survival (Kayla, Gestalt, Holt, Tyndall, Darling, Viceroy): +300
- Remarkable Show of Mercy (Gestalt): +100
-- Total Bonuses: 1050

Penalties
- Abandoned search for survivors among fleet wreckage in Jovian space: -50
- Did not appoint Solese ambassador to Amg: -50
- Allowed Chitinous vessel to locate Sol sector: -50
- Did not contact, hinder, or follow Chitinous vessel: -50
- Reckless destruction of property: -100
- Conflict escalation in the face of diplomatic overtures: -250
- Party member defeated (Abraxas, Muse): -200
- Avoidable Deaths (Timon, Durst, Penny): -300
-- Total Penalties: 1050

Adjusted Baseline: +1000
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:30, Fri 28 July 2017.