Each of you gets 6 XP to apply as needed. (This should help Bartja get his weapon training!) Please apply as soon as you want. If you don't recall how to improve characters, see here: http://wiki.rpol.net/?id=6687/IMPROVING%20CHARACTERS

You either can raise scores by one (stamina, reaction speed, etc.) or raise skills based on the cost table (which is double if you don't have a PSA in that skill area). The skill table can be found here: http://wiki.rpol.net/?id=6687/SKILLS

The other problem with Bartja's idea to split up would also have been that only 4 people fit per raft, so it would split the team in half.

Desi begins training Bartja on the gyrojet, while S'krllk takes a look at the controller. S'krllk looks into the controller and is able to potentially hack in if he sees a Terry controlled robot in the future. (Skill check required.) If that happens, Bartja should probably control the robot because he has gained a lot of skill using the controller (10% per hour and he has used it for many hours).

You feel a huge burden lifted and  realize that the wide river is carrying you faster than the narrow river did. You feel even more relieved when you see yourselves coming out of the water gap area almost an hour later, and the cliffs give way. The large river is now saddled on either side by forest.

You are at the point marked A5 now.



And nearly an hour has gone by without any incident or encounter, and you consider yourself lucky to have some time to settle down, reload and get yourselves together.

To add to your sense of serenity, you see some beautiful flying creatures like butterflies heading toward your rafts from the trees nearby. You ponder their beauty for a few moments before realizing that they appear to be a swarm, and they appear to be targeting you, flying straight toward you.  You are unable to maneuver the rafts very well and cannot avoid them on the rafts.



They are flying quickly, and the swarm surrounds you in seconds. They begin landing on you, targeting your exposed skin.

"These are flutterbyes!" Appleburg suddenly exclaims in panic.

1d10 Flutterbyes land on each of you:

Bartja: 9 flutterbyes land on him
Desi: 5 flutterbyes land on her
Appleburg: 10 flutterbyes land on him
Hammer: Immune
Orvo: 1 flutterby lands on him
S'krllk: 7 flutterbyes land on him
Porter: 6 flutterbyes land on him

(More will land on you in the next round.)

They do not bite or sting, and you wonder for a moment why Appleburg panicked. Then you see that the flutterbyes are releasing larvae onto you.

Each turn, you can knock off and crush a number of larvae equal to your initiative modifier (assuming two hands used) or half that amount (if using one hand).

(If you are wearing a suit--not a screen--you are impervious to the larvae.)

Hammer's Mechanon body appears unaffected by the flutterbyes. He tries to see if he can assist anyone. "What are these?" He asks Appleburg.

  Protected by his skien suit, Porter uses both hands to wipe away the larvae from the flying insects.
  "Anyone got any bug spray?"  he asks the other occupants of his raft?

Appleburg yells in a panic, "They will bore into your skin. Jump!" He dives out of the raft and into the water.

Bartja busies himself brushing off larvae and flutterbyes, thankful once again for the skeinsuit that is protecting him.

"Although I think I'm protected by my skeinsuit, I'm not opposed to washing them off also!" he says as he shakes free of his pack and rolls over the side of the raft for a quick swim with Appleburg.

Desi and Orvo follow Bartja and Appleburg into the water. This does the trick, and the larvae detach and float away. After a minute or two, the swarm of flutterbyes moves on upstream and leaves you alone.

While in the water dunking their heads, Bartja and Desi spot something shiny on the bottom of the river. There's nothing much you can do about it now without losing valuable time, but you wonder what shiny, metallic thing could be at the bottom of this remote planet. And it appeared very large, at least as large as both your rafts, maybe more.

Then you get back in the rafts.

11:30 a.m. (1.5 hours remaining) (6.5 hours with no rest)
Rations remaining: 11 (each survival ration is for one person for one day)
Bivouac Units: 0 (0/30 SP (structural points); 10 kg each); second one is kept as scrap (10 kg). Rafts: 1 at 8/20 structural points; 1 at 10/20 structural points.

You are at A4 (going diagonally northeast from 4). Figure out what point you want to disembark at. I'm guessing A2 but it may be directly west of the Moraes. You are down to under 2 hours remaining. It will take just under a half hour to get to A2, and then about an hour to get through the forest to the Moraes. This is cutting it close...

OOC NOTES: You can save yourselves 15 minutes by leaving non-essentials in the rafts on the shore when you land. I'm guessing you don't need the bivouac units or rafts, for example, so you could lighten your loads and save time packing up.


This message was last edited by the GM at 00:57, Mon 06 July 2020.

(OOC)
Agreed, heading to A2, drag the rafts out of the river and boogie to the LZ

(IC)
  Concerned about the clock ticking down, Porter lays down the machine gun, grabs a paddle and starts guiding his raft further down the river, looking for an appropriate place to make land fall.

  When they finally reach their destination Porter leaps out of the raft and helps drag the vessel well away from the waters edge.
  "Just grab the basics folks, we can come back for anything else later."  He turns and surveys their most likely route, looking for any distinguishable land marks before proceeding.
  "I'll take point."  Porter changes his half used ammo belt for a full belt, hefted the weapon and moved off into the jungle in the direction of their ship.

Bartja carries the gyrojet rifle and screen gear but leaves behind all the non-essentials (food and camping gear).  He instructs Shemp to bring the toolkits and medkits and carries some of the remaining gear himself (pocket tool, extra clips, etc.).

"There's a good chance we'll need tools and meds before we can take back the ship.  I'm not as proficient with this rifle as I was with the survey robot, so I'd like to keep the hand controller with us in case S'Krllk can use it to gain access to the remaining bot Terry has.  Having one of those buggers inside the ship under our control would be invaluable when we make our assault."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:08, Wed 08 July 2020.

Hammer agrees with Porter's assessment. He only takes the basics out of the raft, but his weapon is ready with a full clip--just in case. "I have a feeling Terry will send at least one more surprise out to meet us. He will know through wireless transmission, I think, that we defeated his robot and are getting close. He has another survey robot at his disposal too."

Hammer will also comment on any other potential assets from Terry. Robots? The crew? Weapons?

Desiraye helps make to shore with the watercraft and makes sure they're secure on land before getting gear together.  She takes only what she needs, leaving all extra gear with the rafts.

She makes sure that she has a fresh jetclip (God, I hate using that term for a weapons magazine...) in her gyrojet rifle before turning to the group.  "You got it Sarge.  You heard the man, form up and let's not mess this up too badly.

Orvo, you've got rear guard with your wounds.  Should also let you see the field if one of us goes down."

The raft makes it down the rest of the river without incident. You disembark, grabbing only those things you need without being bogged down, and start hiking south-southeast toward the Moraes. Your quick unloading speed and desire to go without much encumbrance saves you some time. And there is not much time.

11:45 a.m. (1.25 hours remaining) (6.75 hours with no rest)
The following left at the rafts:
Rations remaining: 11 (each survival ration is for one person for one day)
Bivouac Units: 0 (0/30 SP (structural points); 10 kg each); second one is kept as scrap (10 kg). Rafts: 1 at 8/20 structural points; 1 at 10/20 structural points.

You can almost feel the electricity in the air. Over two days' of travel through hostile territory and multiple problems leaving you weak and weary, and now you are less than four kilometers from the ship. And you have lost your survey robot--both its gunpower and its eyes.

You travel without incident for another 45 minutes.  You begin to wonder, "What else could happen?" when that "something else" does. It happens when you are roughly two kilometers from the ship--about 30-45 minutes--which puts you right up to the wire.

12:30 a.m. (0.5 hours remaining) (7.5 hours with no rest)

You spot the problem as soon as you step into a clearing.  Straight in front of you (to the south and slightly east) you see an aircar from the Moraes. It is cruising at about 100 meters altitude and moving very fast. It is currently about 1000 meters away.  Not far behind it is the damages survey robot you hit while out at the river.

It appears to be flying straight toward you and will reach your position in two rounds.

Updated map (your last one!):


This message was last edited by the GM at 00:48, Thu 09 July 2020.

Logistical Information:

Here is a new map. I went ahead and added the Moraes since you are so close and have only about 30 minutes left.

Note following:
Your movement:
--5 turns per hex in forest running (i.e., 30 seconds to go 50 meters)
--2 turns per hex in clearing running (i.e., 12 seconds to go 50 meters)

Straight path to Moraes from current position: 35 hexes (4 clearing, 31 forest)
Time running straight to Moraes= About 19-20 minutes

Note that I also added coordinates so that you can mark your position. You are currently at D1. (Sorry it is hard to see numbers/letters. I tried to make them more clear.)

NOTES ON THIS ENCOUNTER:
You will automatically gain initiative each round. At the end of each round, I will announce probable actions of the robot/aircar for next round: "It looks like the aircar will..."

So currently, "It looks like the aircar and survey robot are flying straight toward you at 100 meters altitude and 18 hexes per turn speed."

I am going to add some possible actions not in the original module, plus any you think of along the way:

1) Attack
2) Hide in forest (1/2 RS)
3) Use bodycomp to take over robot. (Must be within 200 meters and successful skill check at -25%.)
4) Hack survey robot with controller. (1/3 controller ability + 1/3 skill check - 20% (rushed) or -10% (taking two rounds) or -0% (taking 3 rounds to concentrate)).
5) Decoy (Shemp or other large shiny object). (1/2 Logic check + 1/2 RS check)
6) Run, split up, evade, etc.
7) Anything else creative you come up with

  Porter looks for a nearby log, rock or tree he can use for cover, flicks on his albedo screen and starts firing his machine gun as soon as he identifies and enemy target, if possible he will spray both the aircar and the robot with two bursts of machine gun fire.  If the targets are too far apart to be hit with one burst, then he fires the first burst at the aircar and the second burst at the robot.
  "Open fire!"  Porter roars, almost certainly unnecessarily as the jungle around him explodes with the sound of his team mates unleashing hell on this latest wave of Terry's distractions.

(OOC)
New chances to hit included after increasing Projectile Weapons from Level 3 to Level 4

Machine gun [hit 95%, dmg 10d10, RoF 1 burst, Range --/70/200/500/1km, Ammo 100/100]
This message was last edited by the player at 06:11, Fri 10 July 2020.

Hammer goes northeast to C1, knowing his weapon is ineffective at this distance but preparing his laser pistol. "Split up and don't give them a cluster to fire at!" he says as he dives for cover to hide in the forest.

"Bartja!  With me!  Screen up," Desiraye yells out and unslings her full-auto gyro rifle running for the best available cover for them both.

"Open up on the air car first!  They're moving quick so, lead the target.  Mine fores fully automatic so do what you can do!"

Firing burst (+20%) at Air Car

PUNCHING DAMAGE: 7
CURRENT STA: 58/62

SKILLS:
Beam Weapons: 6 [DEX:30 + 60 = 90%]
Martial Arts: 3 [DEX:30 + 30 = 60%]
Melee Weapons: 2 [STR:32 + 20 = 52%]
Demolitions: 2
Gyrojet Weapons: 4  [DEX:30 + 40 = 70%]
Projectile Weapons: 3  [DEX:30 + 30 = 60%]
Thrown Weapons: 2  [DEX:30 + 20 = 50%]
Technician: 2

[1] Civilian Skeinsuit [26/50]
[1] Albedo Screen [90/100]

[1] Power Backpack  [50/50]
[1] Power Beltpack  [95/100]

[1] War-Tech GAR-10
- [11] 20 round GAR-10 mags  Current MAG: 20/20
- [1] Bandoleer Sling (holds x10 mags)
      Bandoleer: [1] MAG 2/20, [1] MAG 10/20
- [1] Muzzle Extender: Eliminates the Medium Range combat modifier and reduces the
   Long Range combat modifier from a -2 Column Shift to a -1 Column Shift
- [1] x3 Magnification scope w. Infrared optics
- [1] Rifle Holster
- [1] Power light  [1.5 kg]

WarTech GAR-10 Gyrojet Assault Rifle (#12 p.49)
Wgt: 5.5kg, Damage: 3d10/8d10,
Ammo: 20 rounds, Rate: 3(1), Defense: Inertia,
Range: -/5/75/150/300
This message was last edited by the player at 23:02, Thu 09 July 2020.

Bartja drops back behind Desi and flips on his Albedo Screen as he brings the gyrojet rifle around to bear on the aircar.  He fires three shots in rapid succession at the aircar per Desi's instructions, hoping the recent training will be of service to the team.

"I don't know who or what is in the aircar, but we could sure use it about now.  I do know that the survey robot is packing two heavy weapons.  I recommend taking it out as quickly as possible."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:02, Fri 10 July 2020.

Since no one posted the hex they are moving to except Hammer, I will assume they went forward to D2 (out of the clearing and into the forest) for their cover. If not, please make correction ASAP.

And what about Orvo? I assume he is following them and taking cover?

In reply to GM Heath (msg # 20):
Or I following correct.  Bumped his Beam Weapons skill to Level 2.

Worrying about future wounded.

ROUND ONE
The aircar continues directly toward you...

You see that it seems to be piloted by one of the utility robots, which must have been reprogrammed by Terry. There are no weapons on the aircar, so who knows what it might do...except crash straight into you kamikaze style.

Everyone jumps for cover:
Hammer: C1
S'krllk: (No post) Will assume he goes to C1 and tries to take over utility robot driving aircar when in range.
Appleburg: With Hammer
Everyone Else: D2

Porter waits until the aircar is within range and then fires his machine gun (ammo=3 bursts remaining) 14:25, Today: GM Heath rolled 73 using 1d100. Target aircar. 14:28, Today: GM Heath rolled 12 using 1d100. Target SR.
To Hit: 95% - 40% long range - 10 moving vehicle +5 size=50%

OOC: I assume Porter waits until it is long range to get a better percentage to hit.

A burst can be aimed up to 5 characters spanning up to 10 meters wide. I assumed that was the case here. I can't recall if you only roll once for bursts and rules are not clear. I rolled once for each this round, but correct me if I'm wrong.
Porter's burst misses the aircar but hits the survey robot. (31 dmg.) (Jetcopter effect: acceleration -30.) The survey robot slows down to a crawl as it nears.

Hammer gets ready to fire when it comes in range of his laser pistol (next round).

Desiraye fires a burst at the aircar from her gyro rifle on full auto when it gets within long range (medium range due to scope). (10 rounds/1 burst remaining before reload; 2 bursts per reload; 14 total bursts (140 rounds) remaining.) 14:49, Today: GM Heath rolled 57 using 1d100.
To hit: 70% + 20% burst - 20% range - 10% moving vehicle + 5% size = 65%
Desi hits the aircar. (50 dmg.) (Jetcopter and aircar effect = 18/ no effect.)

Orvo follows Desi to C1.

S'krllk follows Hammer and waits for them to come in range of his hacking skills.

Bartja fires three shots from his gyrojet rifle at the survey robot. (85 rounds remain, 17 loaded)
14:56, Today: GM Heath rolled 30 using 1d100.
14:56, Today: GM Heath rolled 11 using 1d100.
14:56, Today: GM Heath rolled 22 using 1d100.
To Hit: 50% -20% range (adjusted for scope) -10% moving vehicle +5 size: 25%
Surprisingly, two of the three shots from Bartja hit the survey robot. (34 total dmg) (Jet copter effects: No effect.)

Eddie Appleburg follows Hammer and S'krllk out of harm's way and into hiding. He is pulling out his pistol.

FOR NEXT ROUND:
The aircar hits the brakes hard and swoops down at D4. It is now under 100 meters high. It is only traveling 2 hexes per turn. It will also be considered soft cover because it is partially hidden by the trees.

It appears the aircar will try to slam into your group at D2. Scattering to try to avoid being hit will remove your cover and cause any attacks you make while running to be at -20 (running and shooting behind you).

The survey robot begins slowing down as it comes lower, looking as though it will hone in on and begin firing at the largest group of individuals. (Remember that it has a burst option.)

AIRCAR: 50 dmg (special)
SURVEY ROBOT: 266/500 STA


This message was last edited by the GM at 06:46, Mon 13 July 2020.

Frantically manipulating his bodycomp, S'Krllk mumbles as he stares at the aircar hurtling towards him.

attempting to subvert the utility robot driving the aircar, if successful will suggest that the air car occupy the same point in space as the survey robot

(OOC)
I was always underthe impression it was one roll to hit for a burst and it either hits all targets in range or none but its your game so your rules :)

 Porter did state earlier that he switched out his half used ammo belt for a full belt.

(IC)
Porter is done putting up with any more of Terry's crap, this time he is standing his ground.  From his position behind a fallen tree log Porter maitains a steady stream of fire, spraying the aircar and the robot equally with his machine gun as long as both targets are inside his firing arc.

  "Get the hell out of here!" He roars at his team mates.  "I've got their attention, you finish them off."

  "Yeah!  Yeah!  Get some!" He screams in between bursts doing all he can to keep them focused on him.

Bartja directs Shemp to rush ahead to D3 in hopes of drawing some fire off Porter.  He then drops back towards D1, but not before firing another three gyrojet rounds at the Survey Robot, hoping to bring it down before that murderous auto-rifle is within solid and useful range.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:56, Tue 14 July 2020.

In reply to Sgt. Porter Min (msg # 24):

Sorry, I missed that.
So he now has 4 bursts on one ammo belt and 9 on the other (currently loaded). (He has two total ammo belts according to inventory.)

Hammer does not really have a good long distance weapon. He makes sure his albedo screen is on and will fire his laser pistol (SEU 5) two times at the survey robot if it comes within range. But otherwise, he is hiding behind a rock or tree.

I think we're just waiting on Desi and Orvo.

Desiraye yells out, "Bartja, Orvo, displace!" Desilines up her sights and fires another burst at the aircar trying to dismantle it before somethng worse happens to them.

Firing burst (+20%) at Air Car

PUNCHING DAMAGE: 7
CURRENT STA: 58/62

SKILLS:
Beam Weapons: 6 [DEX:30 + 60 = 90%]
Martial Arts: 3 [DEX:30 + 30 = 60%]
Melee Weapons: 2 [STR:32 + 20 = 52%]
Demolitions: 2
Gyrojet Weapons: 4  [DEX:30 + 40 = 70%]
Projectile Weapons: 3  [DEX:30 + 30 = 60%]
Thrown Weapons: 2  [DEX:30 + 20 = 50%]
Technician: 2

[1] Civilian Skeinsuit [26/50]
[1] Albedo Screen [90/100]

[1] Power Backpack  [50/50]
[1] Power Beltpack  [95/100]

[1] War-Tech GAR-10
- [11] 20 round GAR-10 mags  Current MAG: 15/20
- [1] Bandoleer Sling (holds x10 mags)
      Bandoleer: [1] MAG 2/20, [1] MAG 10/20
- [1] Muzzle Extender: Eliminates the Medium Range combat modifier and reduces the
   Long Range combat modifier from a -2 Column Shift to a -1 Column Shift
- [1] x3 Magnification scope w. Infrared optics
- [1] Rifle Holster
- [1] Power light  [1.5 kg]

WarTech GAR-10 Gyrojet Assault Rifle (#12 p.49)
Wgt: 5.5kg, Damage: 3d10/8d10,
Ammo: 20 rounds, Rate: 3(1), Defense: Inertia,
Range: -/5/75/150/300

Orvo just thinking that he just got comfortable, gets up and runs away from Desi and Porter looking for another piece of cover that would benefit him/them.

OOC: I think Porter is right on the single roll. It doesn't make sense from the perspective of firing on different levels of cover and other variables, and I'm used to the trailing fire of GURPS, but I will go with the one roll per burst rule.

ROUND 2
The aircar dips below 100 meters altitude and slows significantly, apparently looking for your exact position.

S'krllk begins working on the bodycomp...

Porter fires out another burst, missing. 14:39, Today: GM Heath rolled 92 using 1d100.

Bartja sends Shemp forward and starts going back to D1. As he fades back, he fires three shots from the gyrojet rifle at the survey robot. 14:39, Today: GM Heath rolled 53 using 1d100. 14:39, Today: GM Heath rolled 91 using 1d100.  14:39, Today: GM Heath rolled 17 using 1d100. He hits it once. (19 dmg.) (No effect on the jetcopter table.)

Hammer fires twice and hits the survey robot once. 14:47, Today: GM Heath rolled 29 using 1d100. 14:47, Today: GM Heath rolled 42 using 1d100. (33 dmg.) (No effect on the jetcopter table.)

Desi fires a burst at the aircar and hits it. 4:49, Today: GM Heath rolled 53 using 1d100. (No effect on the jetcopter/aircar table.)

Orvo begins running away for new cover away from those firing.

The aircar seems to be homing in directly on the area where Desi and Porter are firing from, looking like it will kamikaze dive straight down into them. As it hits the tree level, it accelerates...

And then S'krllk finishes his bodycomp hacking attempt. 14:53, Today: GM Heath rolled 27 using 1d100. He takes over the robot in the aircar! It swerves and goes shakily up as it tries to turn. However, it cannot turn fast enough to crash into the survey robot, as it only turns 45 degrees per turn, so that would take two more turns at least, assuming S'krllk can control it.
Shemp appears to be a good distraction. You watch as the survey robot spies the glint of metal in the trees below and fires both guns on the poor little robot. 14:56, Today: GM Heath rolled 2 using 1d100. 14:56, Today: GM Heath rolled 53 using 1d100.

The heavy laser hits dead on (critical hit). The autorifle misses. The heavy laser does massive damage to the robot. (59 dmg.) Shemp's system is fried and will take some time to repair. The robot flops over onto its side.

(IC)
  With the aircar diverted from it's suicide run at Porter, the soldier breathes a sigh of relief and turns all his attention to the remaining robot.  Bringing his machine gun to bear, Porter opens fire with long, sustained bursts until the robot is destroyed or he runs out of ammo.

Hammer again fires at the survey robot twice. (5 SEU each)

S'Krllk directs the robot in the air car to ram the Eleanor Moraes.

Bartja continues firing his gyroject rifle at the Survey Robot, hoping that the combined damage will bring it down.

Hammer says, "Or, S'krllk, we could all ride in the aircar maybe? I mean, since the Moraes is our way out of here and there are innocent hostages on board."

S'Krllk gives Hammer a look and says, in sarcastic tones, "going soft on the humans, are we?"
Even so, he tries to have the aircar return and land nearby.

ROUND 3
The survey robot spies Hammer down below and opens fire on C1 (where Hammer, S'krllk and Appleburg are at.)

Porter fires at the survey robot. He makes a solid hit with his burst. (53 dmg.) (No effect on jetcopter effects.)

Desi also fires a burst at the survey robot, but misses.

Hammer fires twice. He hits once. (30 dmg.) (no effect on jetcopter effects.)

Orvo is moving back out of range and under cover to stay safe.

Appleburg fires at the survey robot. (18 dmg) (No effect on jetcopter effects role.)

S'krllk is concentrating on bringing the aircar around safely to land.

Bartja takes careful aim to fire his last shot. He hits. (15 dmg.) Then he quickly begins reloading.

The survey robot (116 STA remaining) fires down at Hammer with the heavy laser. It makes a direct hit. (16:07, Today: GM Heath rolled 28 using 1d100. 43 dmg.) The burst also makes a direct hit on the trio. 16:10, Today: GM Heath rolled 4 using 1d100. Each of them (S'krllk, Hammer, and Appleburg) take 19 STA damage.

Hammer falls over dead. (-15 STA.)

S'krllk watches the aircar land before he is also knocked out by the automatic rifle. (-15 STA.)

Appleburg is still on his feet but diving for cover.

ROUND 4
S'krllk almost lost control of the aircar when being hit, but it did land with a bit of a crash just before he himself hit the ground with a crash.

Hammer also is incapacitated.

Each must have staydose administered within one minute or they will die.

Porter continues to fire bursts. He hits. (60 dmg.) Something seems to be wrong with its steering, and it begins to turn left out of control. (-2 steering on jetcopter roll.) It is also smoking and badly damaged.

Desi fires another burst. She misses.

Bartja fires and hits once. (16 dmg.) (No effect on jetcopter roll.)

The survey robot fires again, this time aiming at the one doing him the most damage. His heavy laser hits true, knocking Porter back with the massive force and severely injuring him. (43 dmg.) The burst goes wide, missing.

Orvo begins moving over to help S'krllk and Hammer. S'krllk is closer to him.

ROUND 5
Porter, perhaps enraged by nearly being taken out by the survey robot, fires up a final burst. The survey robot (now at 40 STA), is hit directly, and it drops out of the sky like a brick. (50 dmg.)

Orvo reaches S'krllk...

You look around. There is a broken survey robot smashed up in the trees and a partly damaged aircar (which holds 4) nearby. An undamaged utility robot is in the aircar.

S'krllk and Hammer are on the ground at C1 dying, and Shemp is badly damaged and laying on the ground in the open air.

You also have 29 minutes until the Moraes takes off. In the distance to the east, you can see smoke as Terry is apparently testing its engines.


This message was last edited by the GM at 07:31, Wed 22 July 2020.

In reply to GM Heath (msg # 38):

(OOC)
Porter has an albedo screen that should have sucked up the damage from the laser blast.

How far away is the Eleanor Moraes?  Can we get there in the remaining time?

(IC)
  "Medic!"  Porter yells when he sees his team mates cut down by the enemy fire.
  Not having any medical skills to help his friends or technological skills to work on the vehicle or robots he comes to the conclusion he is more useful securing the target.
  "Do what you can help our people, I'm gonna deal with Terry once and for all!"  Hefting his machine gun once more he takes a final look around at the carnage Terry's robots have inflicted before heading into the trees.
  It was Porters' job to protect his team mates and he didn't feel like he had fulfilled that role adequately after this most recent attack.  The clock inside his head ticked down, driving him harder and faster, barrelling through vegetation.  Porter was so focused on revenge now that he was not aware of anyone following him to the objective.
  Strange, he had not been with this team very long but he had grown attached to this strange assortment of companions.  Desi in particular had managed to get under his skin, not that she had shown any interest in him, still Porter found his thoughts turned to her more and more often.  An image flashed into his mind of the team stranded on this forsaken planet.
  "Not gonna happen."  He mutters to himself as he picks up the pace.  He does a quick mental stock take of his ammo, one half used belt in the weapon and one more half used extra belt and plenty of magazines for the auto rifle, more than enough.  Determined not to let down his new friends Porter accelerated, running whenever he found a clear path, his anger building with every stride.
  "If it's the last thing I do, I am gonna stop that ship from taking off."

Bartja rushes to aid the fallen, grabbing a medkit from Shemp.  He drops next to S'Krllk and pulls out the Stimdose and Staydose as he glances over at Hammer.

"Didn't these guys bring Skeinsuits or anything?  Does anyone know if Staydose will work on a Mech?"


He then notices Porter stomping off into the jungle.  "Hey cowboy!  We've got a ride here if you'll wait two minutes!"

Once the fallen are stablized, Bartja takes a Robcomkit from Shemp and approaches the maintenance bot in the aircar.

"Orvo!  Get to them now!" Desiraye calls out to the Dralasite as she tries to get a more accurate sight picture to take another shot of burst fire.

"Wait Sarge!  We need to take care of this mess out here first before we try to board the Moraes!"
This message was last edited by the player at 11:38, Thu 23 July 2020.

HOUSEKEEPING MATTERS:

1) As for suits and screens, I only incorporate them in the post if the player put them in the post to remind me. Otherwise, the player needs to sort out the absorption after my post. NOTE: It helps if you tell me when you post during battle what might apply. I simply cannot easily manage all the various information. So in other words, if you had an albedo screen and didn't mention it in your original post, then just say something in your follow up post about the absorption and final stats. Desi usually does this to make it easy on me, and Bartja too.

FOR EXAMPLE: Here, if Hammer or S'krllk had a suit that protected them from death (i.e., above 0 STA), then they can post that they were knocked down but luckily were not as badly hurt as first thought, and then post the final stats and absorption of the screen.

2) I have been allowing staydose/biocort for the Mech, though I also thought it is strange. With staydose, an individual goes to 1 STA and then can receive up to three biocort per day (assuming he has not maxed out) to get to up to 31 STA.

3) The aircar holds up to 4. You will need to decide if you ride it who will go. The utility robot counts as 1, assuming Bartja hacks it successfully, but it can be removed and reprogrammed to walk to the ship or whatever.

4) You may want to leave Orvo and possibly Hammer behind, depending on their conditions.

5) You have 29 minutes until the Moraes takes off. Moraes is 1700 meters away. Going as fast as possible from D2 to the Moraes (running), you can go 100 meters per minute in the forest and 250 meters per minute in the clearing. If you do so, you will have exhaustion modifiers when you get to the Moraes.

For travel, please just indicate from where  to where you will go each minute, using the map. Currently, your group is at C1 and D2 areas. The aircar was landed at the B1 area.

NOTE that the aircar is damaged (thanks to your attacks), so there will be a chance it may break down on the way to the Moraes.


T-Minus 29 minutes


This message was last edited by the GM at 02:15, Thu 23 July 2020.

Hammer was wearing a skeinsuit, but he took the full brunt of the heavy laser. He is still at 0 STA exactly.

Hammer lies unconscious on the ground, hopefully backing up his internal memory while waiting for medical support.

(IC)
  Porter is so focused on getting to the Eleanor Moraes as quickly as possible he does not hear his team mates as he crashes through the undergrowth.  He tries to pace himself and keep his adrenaline level from spiking but the impending launch of their transport off this rock has him fired up.
  Thinking about the next battle, Porter looks down to check the power gauge on his beltpack.  His albedo screen had saved him from a direct hit against the robots and he did not want to get killed because he ran out of power.
  "36 SEU's.  Well it's still more than half charged, let's hope that's enough."

(OOC)
I should reach the ship in 17 minutes, I figure 5 minutes should be plenty of time to recover before going into action.  Also, 1 less person to try and squeeze in the aircar and Terry has to deal with an approach overland plus you guys airborne.  He can't be looking in 2 places at once.  We should split up and hit the ship from multiple vectors making it as hard as possible to defend.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:07, Thu 23 July 2020.

S'Krllk lays still, his skeinsuit almost completely obliterated by the multiple blows it has protected him from.

Even with a skeinsuit halving the damage, S'Krllk was barely mobile to begin with. He's currently at -5 or -6 STA (depending on how you round the halving). I also read back through, and figure the skeinsuit has no more than four or five points left, itself.

Porter is running through the woods straight toward the Moraes.

Orvo goes and immediately applies staydose, followed by three biocort for S'krllk (new STA 31) and 1 for Hammer (new STA 11). Neither of them can have any more staydose or biocort for the day.

Appleburg says he and Orvo can follow on foot if the others want to go in the aircar. Since they are both medics and wounded, they can help each other and just arrive a few minutes later (if you want).

Everyone is conscious now.

27 minutes until Moraes takes off.

Porter is at D4 running east.

Everyone else has gone to the aircar. Hammer and S'krllk are hurt but stable. Orvo is hurt from previously. Desi and Bartja are in relatively good health. There is a utility robot on the aircar, which holds 4 total.

It will take Bartja or S'krllk 5 minutes per "attempt" to reprogram the utility robot's functions, if desired.


What are your next actions? If taking the aircar, who is driving and who will be in it or left behind?

(OOC)
I think what I have posted already should cover me until the guys get the aircar up and running, they may even arrive at the Moraes before I do but with a capacity of only 4 passengers I think I made the right call.

(IC)
  Head down, legs pumping, Porter presses on through the forest.
  "Don't run straight out into the clearing," he mutters to himself remembering the clearing burnt into the vegetation by the Eleanor Moraes engines as it made planet fall.

Bartja orders the maintenance robot out of the aircar to make space for Desi, Orvo, S'Krllk and Appleburg.  He keeps the gyroject rifle trained with his "good" (ie. mechanical) eye on the robot, unsure of how long S'Krllk's hack-job will last.  He needs to get at the bot with some tools and a body-comp to ensure it's not going to double-cross them before trusting it with any direct missions.

He quickly looks the aircar over for damage, trying to determine if it will hold together long enough to be used.

"I suggest you high-tail it to the ship and setup an assault from several positions.  The aircar can get us to the ship in a couple of minutes, so let's use it.  One of you bring the aircar back here to pick up the rest of us.  Even in terrible condition, Hammer and S'Krllk are indespensible when we make our assault on the ship.  If I can stay here and reprogram this maintenance bot in a few minutes, we can use it for some advantage."

Hammer nods at Bartja's plan. "We'll wait in the clearing, and Appleburg, Orvo and I will ride with whoever is driving to go back." Hammer suggests dropping everyone off at what would be D39, two hexes west of the clearing at the Moraes. Someone might want to also pick up Porter on the way so he's not too exhausted.

(OOC)
I assume chronocoms don't work here?  If they do I can talk tot he rest of the team, otherwise I have to think of another way to communicate.  If I don't get to the Moraes before the the guys in the aircar, Heath could you please let me know what hex I am in when the aircar flies over/past me?  Again I am assuming they probably cannot see me through the canopy unless I am in a clearing hex.

Chronocoms can work within about a 1 km distance. You will be at about D8 when the aircar passes over.

In reply to GM Heath (msg # 52):

(OOC)
Is that all?  I thought by the time the healing and getting the vehicle sorted out I would have traveled further?  Not to worry.

(IC)
  Seeing a flash of movement through the canopy, Porter glances up to see the aircar flit by, enroute to the ship.  He activates his chronocom.
  "I am hoping Terry can't hack our comms or hasn't thought to yet.  You guys swing around to one flank or around behind so we can approach from multiple vectors.  If need be I can open up on the ship and keep him occupied while you guys move in, or vice versa.  Just let me know what you want boss!"

OOC: It didn't take long since Bartja does not appear to be reprogramming the utility robot, maybe 4 minutes total.

Bartja opens up his toolkit and activates his bodycomp as he examines the newly acquired maintenance bot.

"If we have a few minutes to spare, we can probably use this guy."

OOC: I will jump some hoops and make some assumptions here on how this is logistically handled.
You decide it is safest to stay under the tree line to avoid being spotted. (Otherwise, you are spotted at about 1 km out, just as you spotted it coming your way.) This makes traveling a little slower but safer.

Bartja stays initially with the utility robot and Appleburg while S'krllk drives Hammer, Orvo, and Desi to the drop off point. They pass Porter as they weave through the trees. It takes 5 minutes round trip to get to the drop off, unload everyone, and get back.

Bartja begins reprogramming the mission of the robot to "Follow the commands of Bartja." (He has 70% chance of success with a level 3 robot.) 07:54, Today: GM Heath rolled 70 using 1d100. (It takes 1d10 minutes to complete this task. 12:24, Today: GM Heath rolled 6 using 1d10. ) At 6 minutes, it takes a little longer than expected, and he is sweating as he sees potential failure, but the level 3 utility robot successfully has its mission reprogrammed.

T-Minus 21 minutes to take off

It is about this time that the aircar returns for Bartja, the utility robot, and Appelburg.

Next, Bartja begins reprogramming its functions to: 1) Self Defense = use the attachments provided (HL & AC as available) to defend against identified targets, and 2) Targets are those identified by Bartja as hostile through link with Implant Programmer Progit (Type B).

He has an 80% chance of success in this. After 3 minutes, Bartja mumbles, "Uh, oh," as he does something wrong failing in the attempt. 12:24, Today: GM Heath rolled 100 using 1d100. (Critical failure. Crit roll: 12:29, Today: GM Heath rolled 4 using 1d100. NOTE: I typically use the crit failures from this website: https://frontierexplorer.org/book/condition-critical )

T-minus 18 minutes to take off.

Bartja triggers an accidental reboot of the robot. It will be totally inactive and unable to do anything for 1d10 minutes. (12:38, Today: GM Heath rolled 3 using 1d10.) You have to wait 3 minutes or move on.

OOC: Wait and try reprogramming function again? (This will take 3 minutes waiting for reboot plus 1d10 minutes for reprogramming attempt at 80% success probability, plus 3 minutes to get to the drop off point.) Get in the air car and move on? It will take 3 minutes to weave through the trees to the drop off point. Your call.

Porter is now at D23 (about 5 minutes run from drop off point). The others are dropped off at D39, just out of sight of the clearing where the Moraes is at.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:54, Wed 29 July 2020.

Hammer will creep close enough to spy on the MOraes and see what kind of dangers might be lurking for them. He will inform the others of whatever he notices so that they don't haphazardly walk into a trap.

Still running...

Bartja looks to Appleburg and S'Krllk for their opinions on the delay as the utility robot shuts down and begins the reboot sequence.  He also opens comms with Porter and the rest of the team so everyone will understand what he's up to.

"I've got control of it, but its just a utility robot right now.  I had hoped to have it carry the autorifle and heavy laser I took from the destroyed survey robot over there.  We could use it as a distraction when we make our assault.  It's not going to be as good a shot as the survey robot was, but it could spray lead and take fire while we try to get into position or sneak into the ship.  Time is short though.  I'll need ten.... maybe fifteen minutes to get it back up and running and programmed to use these weapons.

What say?"

Bartja waits for the input and looks over the wreckage of the other robots (Shemp and the Survey Robot) as he anticipates the coming assault.

(IC)
  "Might as well do what you can , unless someone else has a better idea?"

Desiraye looks for the best form of cover she can find, gets behind it, and then uses her rifles scope to survey the Moraes and around it to get a better idea.

It's after the fact but, she would've reloaded her weapon once she had the chance in the aircar ride.  If not, she does it now.

"I confess, I still harbor a desire to ram the ship with something. Perhaps if I helped with the utility 'bot it could go faster."
S'Krllk lists his equipment for Barta, in the event something might prove useful.

S'Krllk's body comp stuff
• File Computer
• Duo-CAS (Electro/Mechanical)
• Robo-CAS
• Bodycomp belt
• Battle Bodycomp Belt
• Processor Pack Type D
• Kingpack
• Audio-Act
• Calc-All
• CAS-Interface
• Chrono-Calk
• Comp-Talk
• Map-Calc
• Master Comp
• Trans-Comp I
• Robo-Link

"We're running out of time and options.  We still have a shot if she can't take off!"

OOC: I'm not sure what the consensus is exactly, but this should bring it all together.

Bartja drags the utility robot to the aircar and S'krllk drives it back to the drop off site. This takes 3 minutes. At this point the reboot process is complete.

Bartja, meanwhile, in the aircar is discussing with S'krllk and the others as above. OOC: Remember that talking takes time.

You are now at the drop off, getting out of the aircar with the utility bot, and taking stock of the situation.

Porter is jogging through the woods, out of breath by now, but he will be with you all in just a minute or two.

18 minutes to take off

You are at the point marked G1. Hammer's reconnaissance and your knowledge of the ship turn up one fact: there are two heavy laser turrets on the ship. If you destroy the one closest to you, the other can't reach you. If you make a run for it, it can fire as a heavy laser at one target at a time. In the clearing area, you have no cover. In the brush area, you have soft cover. You have hard cover from the forest area. You also will be safe when you reach the lander module of the Moraes since the lasers cannot fire under its protection or hit the ship itself.

The infrared and other security devices can pick up your presence and track you when you come within 100 meters of the ship (essentially anywhere in the low brush).

You have one aircar. There is another in the aircar mooring tower. (The airship itself crashed--with you in it, as you will recall.)


This message was last edited by the GM at 05:52, Fri 31 July 2020.

(OOC)
Please correct me if I am wrong, I count around 100 meters from the edge of hard cover to the lander module.  Running at full speed I should cover that distance in 2 rounds.  My albedo screen should be able to soak up one hit from a heavy laser.  If necessary, I will volunteer to lead the charge.

Bartja grabs Porters shoulder as he sees the solder springing for the sprint.  "This is what we brought the maintenance bot for.  I've armed it with the survey robots weapons and can direct it to fire on the ship while its approaching.  If we send it first, the lasers will target it and then we can rush from flanking positions.  I doubt the laser will change targets once locked on, but if it does, we do have our albedo's and can probably take the second round of fire if we time this right."

Bartja flips on his own albedo screen and regrets not having a spare for the little maintenance bot.  However, robots are plentiful and all-forgiving.  Death is not.

S'Krllk considers the air car.
"Perhaps if we sent the air car hurtling in a straight line at the ship, it would provide an additional target. Besides, if it ran into the ship it might slow down their take off."

"Your call Sarge!  We're running out of options," Desiraye says as she gets ready to run with Porter towards the Moraes.

"Orvo, stay with the wounded and start a casuality collection point."

(IC)
  Still panting from his running, Porter contacts the rest of the team via chronocom.
  "I suggest we send the aircar at high speed directly at that laser canon, either draw fire or try and take it out best case scenario.  From a different vector we charge on foot with the maintenance robot in front to draw the first fire sent in our direction.  I will take second position with my albedo screen, if I get hit I should be able to absorb most of the damage."  He looks back at the ship.
  "If that gets us successfully to the ship, what is our next step?  Will one of our techs be able to get the hatch open or will we have to blast our way in?  Also now that we are on site, is there any way we can prevent the ship from taking off without causing permanent damage?"

"We hold the base of the ship until we get our techs up to us and then, breach?  If they're not already on, screens up!"

S'krllk flips on his albedo screen and tells Porter, "I'm coming with you. If I can open the door and get inside, I can find a way to stall the launch. Just let me get
our cover set."
Then S'Krllk starts working with the air car, trying to lock the controls so he can point it at the laser and get it to move in a straight line. "I'm still holding out hope that the thing can ram the ship. If we break it, just a little, I think we could fix it."

Hammer says, "Let's put the techs in the aircar and let them drive to the bottom. I don't think a hit from the laser will take it down that fast. Orvo and I are in bad shape so we need to stay safe, but it can't attack us if we all come in from different directions, right? Maybe Orvo, S'krllk, Bartja and I go in the aircar while Porter, Desi and the utility robot draw its fire and try to shoot the gun, all coming from different points."

(IC)
  "And now we are back where we started."  Porter just shakes his head.  "If you don't want my input, fine then don't ask me.  But if you are going to ask for my input and then pretty much completely ignore what I say, then what is the point?"

S'Krllk looks at Hammer, and waves his lower arms in the universal symbol of negation. "no, we can't trust the air car to remain airborne if it's hit, and the crash could do as much damage to anyone riding in it as the laser does. We'll need tech too much to risk them in that fashion. Whatever else you decide, I'm charging the ship on feet."

OOC: I think the main difference here is that some want to aim the aircar as a projectile (with techs running in after Porter, Desi and the utility bot distract the gun), and Hammer wants to put people in the aircar as protection and take them to the aircar until under the cover of the Moraes. I think Desi delegated to Porter, so he can make the final call. To ram or not to ram? Looks like S'krllk is running outside the aircar regardless.

(OOC)
The idea was for the aircar to be decoy number 1, whether it hits the Laser Canon or the Ship or nothing doesn't matter so long as the Laser fires at it first.  Those of us charging on foot will do so BEHIND the robot so that hopefully it takes the hit of the first shot fired in our direction.  If there are two shots I will try to take the heat and rely on the albedo screen and stunning good looks to get the rest of the team to the safety of the lander.

So we will attack/charge from two different vectors, the aircar obviously at the laser canon the rest of us from at the very least a 90 degree angle, more if possible, to ensure the canon targeting system locks on to the aircar first.
  Unless someone has another means of cover or distraction, 2 attack vectors should be enough.

So let it be written!  So let it be done...

With Bartja and Hammer in it, the aircar flies toward the Moraes from one vector, drawing the fire of the turret.

From another vector, first the utility robot, then Porter and Desi, then the rest of you make a break for the Moraes.

The first heavy laser shot comes within inches but misses the aircar.

The rest of you make it through the brush and begin running through the clearing toward the Moraes.

The second shot at the aircar goes wide.

The aircar pulls up under the Moraes and the turret can no longer see it. Instead, it focuses up on the approaching group.

Something about the group confuses its sensors. The shot goes far and wide, and then it stops firing. (Critical miss. 15:26, Today: GM Heath rolled 99 using 1d100..)

Everyone makes it to the safety under the Moraes without incident.

T-Minus 14 minutes to take off.

From under the lander module where you stand, you can hear the engines around you humming as the tests and diagnostics for take off are running.