It only dawned on T'Lara that running by herself for the rescue was awfully stupid when she noticed the two kill-bots standing by the door.  Even one of them was a challenge for the entire team, and she had no combat experience to speak of.  She raised her phaser and pointed at one of them, expecting to be evaporated before she ever makes a shot.  But when the killbots didn't move, or reacted to her presence, she charged into the room instead, her eyes darting from side to side in a frenzy, searching for the Ithik that murdered T'Lah.

When she did find him, she didn't hesitate

OOC: let me see if I got it right.  Aim, plus spending one momentum for an additional minor action (set phaser to 'vicious').  Then another momentum for the actual shot.
LCDR T'Lara rolled 19 using 1d20 with rolls of 19.  phaser shot - rerolling 15 (aim).
LCDR T'Lara rolled 24 using 3d20 with rolls of 15,2,7.  Phaser shot (+aim) + 1 momentum .

2 successes.  A hit?
If so, then it is seven damage (4 from the roll, +3 from vicious). Not too shabby for someone with a security score of '1'

Indeed true:  Please, I would like to Spend 1 Momentum to 'Avoid an Injury'


ch'Pertha spun with the shot from the 'bot.   The pain and the momentum of the blast catching him off guard somewhat.

If Tsolo is heading the same way as Naryss and T'Lara, he tries the effect of passing by the bots, jbeginning to crawl as he nears them.

OOC: could you tell me the set up of the hall/room where we've arrived?

I would've gotten there before both T'Lara and Tsolo, so I guess I should just already be already be in the room? Or I can write my arrival and we can just say I got there before them?

Initiative in ST:A doesn't quite work like that.  You alternate actions, starting with a PC (usually) and then an antagonist.  The order of one turn does not impact the order of the next.

So, for example, last turn, you posted you were moving to the scene.  T'Lara posted she was moving to the scene.  You both arrived on the scene this turn. This turn, T'Lara posted first.  There was no requirement for her to wait for you to post first; you essentially got there on your actions, which you can now take. If you want to assume you were a couple steps ahead of T'Lara, you can do so - without changing her action, of course.

As for the description... the control room is identical to the one you left, except the interface is blasted and smoking.  Both robots are in the doorway, but now shut down thanks to Decker.  One Ithik is down (punched by ch'Pertha) and the other is down (as I'll post shortly, shot by T'Lara).

However, what D'rala can note is that the fallen/stabbed Dr. T'Lah is moving somewhat feebly... she's still alive (for the moment!).

As for Tsolo, well.  He's got to make it past the robots outside HIS room first, which have now gone active and shot Mcreeg (after you had cleared past them).  Stay tuned for my next post!
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:57, Fri 19 Feb 2021.

OOC: Oh yeah, I didn't want anyone to wait for me to post, I just meant in the order of the scene because I left first. Wasn't sure how you wanted me to handle the "on screen" timeline.

Thanks for the recap!

Tsolo emerges from the first control room to see Mcreeg's fallen body, a blackened spot on the center of his space suit.  The two murderbots swivel his way as he gets down on all fours and tries to crawl past them.  They seemed... confused?  Perplexed?  It was hard to tell with a robot.

Meanwhile in the second control room, T'Lara's shot stuns the Ithik, and the murderbots are shut down.  D'rala notices T'Lah still lived, albeit barely...

(OOC: One murderbot left to act.)

One of the two sentinels that Tsolo crawled past ignored him and entered the room.  Ruthlessly, it fires its disruptor at Decker, who desperately manipulated the controls. But burly JavKer got in the way!

"Look OUUUUU..." he managed before the bolt came.

Today wasn't JavKer's day to die.  At least not yet.  The blast missed, striking the wall behind.

OOC: And now it's D'rala's turn. To answer Decker's earlier questions:

1. Decker has shut down the jump process and shut down a couple of specific deathbots. Granted, he got lucky (or is he just that good? ;) ), but in general what kind of access to the artifact's systems does he seem to have at this point?

Limited.  He's only accessing this one local junction.  The equivalent of one cell phone tower on, say, the planet Earth. However he can relay commands to the main node, just with increased difficulty (which he's already done at least once).

2. Oh, I guess the second question might be, is something (security or another agent) fighting against him, or is the difficulty merely due to totally unfamiliar architecture and a language he barely understands?

More the latter.  While he was being opposed actively by the Ithik, the task was 'Impossible', so no roll was possible.

 
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:20, Fri 19 Feb 2021.

D'rala dashes across the control room, dropping down beside T'Lah.

"Hold on, I've got you," she says.

D'rala looks to the wound in her superior's sternum and sets a hand atop of it, applying pressure in an attempt to stem the bleeding.

OOC: T'Lah is in bad shape, but Vulcans are tough.  D'rala can make a Reason or Daring + Medicine check, difficulty of 3.  Obviously if she uses Daring she's using more desperate measures! D'rala can buy an extra die for 1 Momentum, or 2 extra dice for 3.

Do I have an action?  Can I aid Vex to tend to T'Lah?

Without realising what was happening in the first control room (whence JavKer and Decker are), ch'Pertha calls through his communicator, "This threat cleared.    Get this place shut down, please".

D'rala pulls the fabric away from T'lah's wound and goes to work trying to stabilize her, heart pounding.


OOC: using daring/medicine!


00:47, Today: LCDR D'rala Vex rolled 8 using 1d20 with rolls of 8.

00:47, Today: LCDR D'rala Vex rolled 5 using 1d20 with rolls of 5.

00:47, Today: LCDR D'rala Vex rolled 10 using 1d20 with rolls of 10.


Target 13, three successes. :)

Tsolo continues on his way, heading toward the robot that fired.

OOC: Have we wrapped around to the next turn? In any case, at my next opportunity...

Decker flinches slightly as the disruptor blast goes wide, silently muttering a prayer of thanks for the Engineer's interference. It takes every bit of discipline not to dodge, run, or even turn to look at the security bot aiming at him. None of that will save him. Instead, he works quickly to duplicate the shutdown orders that just saved the other party to neutralize the bots at his station.

Buying a two dice with 3 momentum and picking up another via Testing a Theory

01:58, Today: LCDR Christopher Decker rolled 53 using 5d20 with rolls of 4,14,10,19,6.  Hacking the local Deathbots. Reason(12) + Science (5).

That'll be 5 successes if there are still 3 momentum in the pool for me. Otherwise, 4.

OOC: We're still on the turn where ch'Pertha decked the Ithik, so he won't get an action just yet. Likewise, Decker used his action this turn to shut down the bots threatening ch'Pertha, D'rala and T'Lara.

Desperately treating T'Lah, her hands slick with green blood, D'rala managed to stem the bleeding and somehow keep the Vulcan alive.  Her C.O. looked at her, glassy eyed, and mouthed words, green blood dripping from the corners of her mouth.  "Forgive me."  And uncharacteristic tears flowed from her eyes.  Emotional control was obviously beyond her now.

Back in the other Control Room, Tsolo bravely tried to grapple with the murderbot that pressed Decker and JavKer.  The half-starved COMMS officer nonetheless managed to get in its way, interfering... for a second.  Then he was shrugged aside as if he were nothing, bouncing off the wall and sliding to the floor, but uninjured.

OOC: And now we go to the next turn.  D'rala used 1 Momentum to save T'Lah, so there are 3 Momentum left... which means...

Decker's relentless efforts payed off, and there was a BEEYOOOooo of power shutting off in both bots.

OOC: Combat is over for now.  Anyone may post actions or dialogue!
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:52, Mon 22 Feb 2021.

uuuuhhhh. Tsolo tries to get to his feet. Drug-infused, he manages...for how long is not known.

Decker leaned heavily against the console for a moment, letting out a long sigh as the fear he'd been holding back washed through him, "I really don't know how they do that."

He then stood back up and activated his communicator to reply to ch'Pertha, "I managed to deactivate the security robots at your location and ours. I'm not sure Mcreeg made it, though. Your situation is stable? I want to make sure that the station's defenses are not still active against us at either location."

Using what he learned, he begins to probe the system very cautiously to determine whether or not that's the case.

"Excellent work, Ltn Commander",  ch'Pertha replied to Decker.
"Our situation is stable, yes; but Dr T'lah is in critical condition.  We are returning to your location.
As you advise, secure our safety, then try to work on shutting this artefact down, please".
He hoped that between Decker and JavKer, the two could find a solution, fast.

ch'Pertha had noted the comment about Mcreeg, however, and was now eager to return.
"Lt Commanders," he said, speaking to Vex and T'Lara, "we need to regroup.
What can I do to help you move Dr T'Lah?".

He had no idea what medical experience Vex had, but knew that T'Lara and himself had their own respectable levels of training.  Between the three of them, surely they could make this situation work.

D'rala ran a hand over T'lah's head in a gesture of comfort, surprised by the woman's outpouring of emotion. "I forgive you. We're going to get you out of here."

at ch'Pertha's question, she looked around the room for potential resources. "We should try and improvise a stretcher," she answered.

OOC: do I see anything suitable for that?

T'Lara kneeled next to the injured Vulcan and inspected her wounds.  Then it occurred to her that even if it was safe to move her, it wasn't obvious where they will move her to.

"Commander.  Is Mcreeg alright? He mentioned something about our shuttle.  The gravity-net failure?"

ch'Pertha nodded to T'Lara, "I know.
I'm not sure if Mcreeg is alright or not.  We won't know till we get back to where the others are.
As for the Grav-Net and the shuttles ... again, we won't know till we get everyone back to docking bay".

With that, he began to strip out of the environmental suit he was in.
"These things are sturdy.  We can lay T'Lah on the body of the suit, and use the arms and legs for carrying".
It was likely the best option they had for moving the wounded Vulcan doctor.  And would allow the three of them to move reasonably swiftly back to their allies.

Decker's quick scan of the artifact's defense system - such as he understood it - revealed no active defense protocols in either control node (We'll call them 'D' and 'C' for convenience, with 'D' being Decker's site and 'C' being ch'Pertha's).

D'rala looked about and saw enough beams that, coupled with her field jacket and T'Lah's robes, could be used to rig a travois. It would take some work... but ch'Pertha began doffing his environmental suit, which would be even quicker.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:38, Wed 03 Mar 2021.

D'rala's words seemed to lift a weight from T'Lah's shoulders.  She sighed and settled back down... weak, on death's door, but still living.  "Thank you."

As T'Lara knelt nearby, T'Lah shifted her gaze to look at her.

"Stay with me," she whispered, her dark eyes locking with the counselor's with a sudden desperate edge.

JavKer had poked out into the hallway outside of control room 'D'.  After a moment, his comm signal crackled through.

"...Grife.  The kid's dead," he said, his voice thick.

Decker sighed and rubbed the back of his neck...or tried until he remembered he was in a suit.

"Well, for what it's worth, his sacrifice helped save us and hopefully quite a few other sentient lives. And thank you for that distraction at the end, by the way, JavKer."

"Commander, everything here is secure, or as secure as it can be. Station security doesn't appear to be acting against us at the moment. We can join you there, or I can continue to monitor while you head this way. If we don't actually trigger something, though, I don't expect we'll be attacked again. Try to avoid shooting at any walls."

"Very good, Ltn Commander", ch'Pertha responded to Decker.
"Does this also mean that we have achieved enough deactivation of this monstrosity to save this planetary system?" he asked.


Have we completed the mission we were sent here to acheve?