In reply to GM Heath (msg # 62):

"DAMNIT!  This is frakkin' awkward," Desiraye says as she tries to activate her comlink and try to reach her own solvaway.

"Sarge, Desi. We need you here now! We're at an awkward stand-off and need some solvaway or we're dead, fast!"

"Roger that, Desi. On my way." Porter immediately stops trying to free the mechanic, and sprints through the hologram doorway and down the hall, pulling solvaway bottles from his cargo pocket as he does.


OOC:

RS 70, hopefully I can get the bottles of solvaway out without dropping them or slowing myself down too much.

As Desi is talking and everyone is struggling in the tangler strands, you hear the voice from the other room say to someone else in there, "Hurry, before the bomb goes off!"

"You better surrender before the rest of the team shows up.  Your stuck like a fly in paper.  If I have to keep chasing you-it will not be pretty for you."  Orvo says in a calm monotone manner.

While he is talking he try's to create a new arm in the vicinity of his solvaway to get it open.

'This just keeps on getting better by the damn minute,' goes through Desi's head as she tries to expedite help.

"Sarge, Desi. Umm, need you to step it up! Copy?"

You hear the female commando say, "I got it. I got it!"  You are still waiting on Porter to arrive.

Then the female says, "Only 30 seconds left!  Sorry!"

"Wait!" the other commandos yell in unison.

The female who eluded you earlier runs into the room right past those stuck in the tangler grenade.

Although Orvo is having no luck getting out of the tangler, his new extra limb suddenly comes in helpful as he reaches out and trips the female.

At that exact moment, Porter steps into the room, only to have the female commando land on top of him, sending them both to the ground with her on top of him.  Her face shows fear.  She holds a part in one hand, and you can guess where that part goes:  in the shuttle.

"Come back!" her companions are yelling from the far room.

The female commando is trying to get up off Porter.  The part is held tightly in her hand.

Also, the door to the far room with the bomb is still wide open.  Porter has a decision to make...

15...14...13...

This 15 second countdown is turning into a two week thing...

Porter flips the commando off of his chest and leaps to his feet. He staggers a bit, but then hurtles toward the far door. As he moves, he yells in his comm, "S'Krllk, buddy, the piece you need is headed your way, in a commando's hands. If you've got a tangler or doze grenade, hit her and yourself with it to stop her! If I don't die in an explosion, I'll be coming behind her!"

He reaches the door and slams it shut (slides it shut? mashes a power butten? something anyway). Then he slips to the side of the doorway in case it comes flying outwards, and prays the door holds.

He does this, and the female commando goes running back down the hall.

A few seconds later, the bomb explodes and all is silent from beyond the door.  Porter begins using solvaway to free everyone else.  It takes a minute...

Meanwhile, no one ever seems to come out the exit where S'krllk is at.

Once his companions are free, Porter hustles back down the corridor. "S'Krllk, I'm coming out. Don't tangle me," he radios before stepping back through the holo-screen doorway.

"If she didn't come out this way, there may be another screened passage to the side. Let's take a look for it. Otherwise, she may have had a personal screen and is long gone now. Let's hope it's the former."

Hammer does not follow Porter.  Instead, he starts searching for any secret ways or closets or anyplace she might hide.

S'Krllk hears the call, thinks a bit, sees no one come through, and decides invisibility isn't out of the question. Opening the scanner application on his bodycomp, he starts scanning for a moving mass. Prepared to shoot such a mass with his needler if he sees one.

He does not see a body on his scanner.

However, Hammer finds that there is another holographic wall right where the tunnel curves before the decompression chamber.

Immediately, laser beams start firing out of the wall, but they miss as he ducks away.

Getting untangled and free again; "I'm beginning to get upset with all this deception.  I want to bring the hurt to these guys and then get out if this place."  Moving toward the holographic wall, Orvo stands to the side of it out of the way of any laser blasts, "How do we want to proceed?"

Desiraye wipes away the remnants of the solvaway and the tangler grenade as the laser beams start flying again.  "It's obvious they still have a little fight left in them.  Tired of trying to be nice.  Initiate 'Bitch Mode' now!  Return fire!"

Desiraye shoulders her laser rifle and begins to return fire at the female commando.

IM: +6
PUNCHING DAMAGE: 7
CURRENT STA: 62/62
Military Skein Suit: 50/50

Laser Rifle [Set on 10 SEU for 10d10 Damage]
SEU Back Pack: 100/100

SKILLS:
Beam Weapons: 6 [DEX:30 + 60 = 90%]
Martial Arts: 3 [DEX:30 + 30 = 60%]
Thrown Weapons: 1  [DEX:30 + 10 = 40%]
This message was last edited by the player at 16:42, Sun 11 Dec 2016.

After Desi's firing, you hear a grunt and a body hit the floor.  The firing from within stops suddenly.

Hammer checks inside past the holographic wall, but his gun is up and ready for a potential doublecross.

Desiraye transitions to her pistol, letting the rifle rest on its sling, as she signals to Hammer to cover her as she advances on the body.

You look in and find the inert body of the woman mechanic commando.  At her side is a standard issue laser pistol, and the part you need to fix the shuttle.

This hidden area is a small room with boxes of small parts.  One of the boxes catches your attention.  It apparently holds the tiny devices that were implanted in the Vrusk brains to control them and explode when necessary.

In the free hand of the woman commando, you see about five of these small devices.  The has apparently pushed a button, and they are now blinking...

...blinking faster...

...and faster...

Porter rushes forward. He bends over and grabs the blinking implants, spins around and runs out of the alcove and tosses them down the hallway where they will explode harmlessly...

Unless they explode in his hand first!

Porter grabs the five implants as they are blinking...

1/2 Reaction Speed check rolled...

success (barely)...

Porter successfully throws the implants down the hall, and they explode like five sticks of dynamite before they even hit the ground.  Luckily, no one is harmed.


OOC:  And here I thought you guys would just grab the needed part and run.

You don't see anything of real value in the room.  There are spare parts for various vehicles and the implants.

Let me know by Monday if you want to take any other actions.  Otherwise, I will assume you repair the shuttle with the part (which takes an hour), and begin take off toward the moon with Rezz (now healed and feeling much better) as pilot.

OOC: I think we should be collecting some evidence if we have the time and all of the guards are taken care of?

Porter is glad to still have both hands. He agrees with Desi that taking some of the implants as evidence is a good idea. Star Law would appreciate hard evidence like this, even if their authority is limited on this planet.

You gather the evidence at hand and move to the shuttle.  You realize you might not have too much time before more commandos arrive on scene.  You have now killed the ambushing party, stolen their vehicles, caused havoc within the sanitarium facility on every floor, and have now found their secret shuttle landing place.  This now makes clear what the locals were talking about with the secret shuttle missions despite air traffic being currently "grounded" by the authorities.

It takes S'krllk about an hour to completely refit the electronics system with the part from the maintenance room that you blew up.  The locker in the shuttle has two pairs of magnetic boots and two light blue uniforms with matching hoods and visors.  You imagine that is what must be worn at Artemis base.

There is also an autodoc of an exceptional quality (which fixed up your tortured pilot), and you can each take turns being healed on the 12 hour trip to the moon Setarz, and the Artemis Base which should hold the answers you seek.

As you take off, you relay the evidence and findings back to RIK Zzik'Ti.  He informs you that there are no spaceships and no vessels capable of interplanetary flight currently in the system.  After expulsion from the Commercial Council , Vist'Lat has closed the starport in an attempt to disrupt Kraatar's economy and secure their own economic dominance.
OOC: Reminder from Day 5:
Ssi'Aq'Krr (SAK) broadcasts this report throughout the day:

"Today the Commercial Council has expelled Vist'Lat from its ranks. The Council feels that much of the recent unrest can be attributed to VL's policies. Its latest move to sack its Human workers and evict them from their homes is untenable. The Council cannot condone or accept this behaviour."

Unfortunately the Council has no power to do anything more about it.


The only way you can get to Setarz is by using the KLC's own shuttle.  Luckily, you have it up and working and a pilot who can get you there.

You remember that in Dever's office, you found some very critical information:

OOC: Reminder from Dever's Office:

Two monitor screens sit on a desk next to a subspace radio. As the PCs enter, the radio is receiving a coded message from Legrange. This is stored in the radio and a computer specialist can decode it with a display information roll. The message reads:

"Artemis Base to High Peaks. Excelsior proceeding on schedule. Launch imminent! Soon Kraatar will be ours and the Vrusk no more. Prepare Operation Groundswell."
On the desk is Dever's half-finished investigation regarding the likely effects of the missile on Kraatar's ecology. Reams of scientific data describe the nature of the missile's payload, its development at the mining base and the plan to release it into Kraatar's atmosphere. It then goes onto consider the effects of the virus on Kraatar's ecosystem, but this section is inconclusive. An environmentalist studying this for 2 hours and making a successful analyze ecosystems roll realises the enormity of the devastation that the missile will wreak on Kraatar's ecology.


These facts showed you two things:  1) You have very little time until a missile is launched from Artemis Base that will effectively devastate Kraatar's ecology and kill countless innocents, and 2) Legrange appears to be alive, even though a hand grenade killed him right in front of you as you exited quarantine.  RIK Zzik'Ti urges you to take the shuttle and stop the missile launch.  It may be the only hope for the planet.  You must succeed!

OOC: Because you will not be on the planet if the missile strike succeeds, you will be awarded or docked experience points if you succeed or fail.  In other words, there is no GM intervention in the coming chain of events.

The trip to Artemis is 12 hours.  You all return to full health and stamina using the autodoc.  The trip is in zero gravity.  You realize you must have complete radio silence until you land or risk alerting the base.


YOU EACH RECEIVE 6 EXPERIENCE POINTS TO ALLOCATE ACCORDINGLY