Five Parsecs From Home: The Voyage of the Power Cruiser - Battle 1

First, the crew's activities:

• Arel decides to try and decoy some of their many rivals.
• Endyne goes trading and acquires a Flak Screen for a bargain 3 credits.
• Dennio checks what job offers are available from their patrons.  He receives 2 offers.
• Larry trades some contraband tech devices, gaining an extra 4 credits for the crew.
• Gordi explores and finds a potential bargain but decides not to pay out anything more.
• Hany trains, gaining 1XP.

The pirates are in the area and almost track down Hany, but luckily Arel sends them off on the wrong trail!

 Patron job offers:

1. A private organisation, the Lissen Botanical Society, would like the crew to contact someone.  It turns out that Arel has an interest in gardening, and used to tend the gardens at the orphanage.  During his deployment to Lissen, Arel attended several meetings of the local botanical club.  When this job came up, and they needed someone tough and used to trouble, they immediately thought of Arel.  With the severe restrictions on weapons, the crew will clearly stand a better chance than a group of locals would - as long as they don't get caught!  LBS are offering an extra 3 Credits danger money, but the job needs to be completed this turn or next.
2.  The Sector Government were impressed with Eandyne's work during as previous operation and would like to hire the crew. They offer 2 credits danger money to undertake the mission, regardless of outcome, but this is a once-only opportunity and they will cut all ties with the crew after completion.  If the mission is completed successfully, they will also throw in a hand-cannon as a gesture of appreciation. There is no time pressure, the crew can take up the challenge as and when they are ready.

Job number 1 is the obvious choice, and additional information is exchanged as the crew prepare to head out.

X marks the spot (though a bit vague on a planetary scale)

This is a locate and contact mission.  The action takes place in a wilderness location centred around an overgrown marshy area some way inland, fortunately still low enough that the air is still breathable.

The enemy consist of 4 bounty hunters, approaching from the North.  The bounty hunters are veterans (-1 panic range) armed with handguns and include a lieutenant with a blade plus a specialist with a rattle gun.  [This would have been a stealth battle from the 5PH Compendium, but flicking between the 2 books I realised I had rolled the standard number of enemies (2D6, choose highest die) instead of using crew size +1 = 7.  It didn't help that the section on number of enemies in a stealth game appears at the end of the stealth missions section, rather than nearer the start or with the "enemy deployment" section.  I also suspected that boredom might set in of there was too much sneaking around and not enough shooting!]

Bounty Hunters, Lieutenant far left, Rattle-gunner far right.

The crew are closing from the East, in loose order.

The crew(L-R): Arel, Eandyne, Dannio, Larry, Gordi and Hany.

The crew have to locate a local security officer, Talia Summer, to pass on some information from the Botanical Society.  She will be waiting for them close to the marsh and the crew have noted 3 likely spots where she might be hiding.

Security officer

The field of battle includes a central marshy area surrounded by rocky outcrops.  Areas of forest and vegetation are scattered throughout the area and there is a hedge running North-South, just to the West fo the marsh.  Trees, vegetation and rocks will provide hard cover, the vegetation and marsh will also count as difficult terrain.  The marsh will not block LOS or provide cover.  The hazy conditions prevalent across Lissen will reduce visibility to 14".  This will cancel out the crew's range advantage of rifles against pistols.

The battlefield.  Red crates mark possible locations for Talia.

2 crew members get to move in the Fast phase, though it doesn't really matter at this early stage in the game.

First initiative roll.

 

The crew move up en masse, Gordi taking the lead with Larry close behind her.

Moving forwards.

 Gordi and Larry's faster moves put them in the lead.

Gordi takes the lead.

The bounty hunters move forwards, hugging the hedgeline.  The haze means that neither side can see the others yet.
 

Bounty hunters approach.

 

 The hazy conditions make it difficult for the bounty hunters to draw a bead on the crew, but they can make out figures moving in the distance.

 

I can see movement ahead!

 

Turn 2: The crew determine that the first marker is a bust, no contact here.  Gordi and Larry, being fastest, press on towards the next likely location.  The others prepare to engage the bounty hunters, dim shapes gradually coalescing through the haze.

The crew engage the enemy.

Gordi locates Talia Summer atop one of the rocky outcrops.  Larry covers her back while she moves to make contact.

Gordi locates the contact.

Close enough to see each other now, the two sides flick their safeties off and prepare to fire.  The bounty hunters mostly keep to cover, but the rattle-gunner hefts his weapon and takes his chances.

Bounty hunters open fire.

The burst of rattle-gun fire shreds nearby foliage and chews divots from the soggy turf, but all rounds fly well wide of Hany Flemer, who has been caught in the open.  Another bounty hunter steadies his arm against the rock face and his bullet nicks Hany's arm.  Hany staggers back in shock, but is only stunned.

Hany Flemer takes a hit but is only stunned.

 

Talia slides down the side of her rock perch in a shower of gravel and makes contact with Gordi.

Gordi makes it to the contact.

 

Hany decides that discretion is the better part of valour and retreats out of sight of the bounty hunters and into the cover of some bushes.  He isn't used to combat in the same way that Arel, Eandyne and Dennio are.  They are demonstrating their superior skill by making good use of cover and creeping forwards to better firing positions.

 

Hany pulls back to the bushes while the others edge forwards.

 

Dennio and Eandyne squeeze off a couple of shots, both of which stun the rattle-gunner.  Taking advantage of the distraction, Larry edges around the opposite side of the rock outcrop towards the bounty hunters.

 

Bounty hunter rattle-gunner takes a couple of hits and is stunned.

 

After some ineffectual firing from the bounty hunters, return fire from the crew eliminates the rattle-gunner and stuns another bounty hunter as she makes a dash towards the undergrowth nearby.  The superiority of infantry lasers and military rifles over handguns is becoming apparent.

 

Specialist out of the fight and another bounty hunter stunned.

 

A few more seconds and suddenly it's all over.  Larry sweeps around the edge of the outcrop, shotgun levelled.  The spray of pellets takes the bounty hunter lieutenant out of the fight.  Firing from the main body of the crew takes out the remaining two bounty hunters, but as the echoes of gunfire fade away and the smoke (but not the haze) clears, it is apparent that not everything has gone their way.  Dennio is lying on the ground, cut down as he was moving between cover.

 

Bounty hunters all eliminated.

 

 Larry's quick thinking rear attack certainly accelerated the bounty hunter's demise.

 

Larry Tere's rear attack helped!

Arel and Eandyne peer cautiously from the protection of the undergrowth.  It's hard to be certain in the haze, but it loosk like all the bounty hunters are down?  A few seconds later, Larry's shouted confirmation frees them to go and check on Dennio, crumpled at the bottom of the nearest rocky outcrop.

Dennio Arciark is the only casualty from the crew.

With the mission completed, onto the post-battle sequence.

 The bounty hunters do not become our rivals.  Maybe they're dead?  Maybe they survived but know they're outclassed.  Whatever the reason, they won't bother the crew again in the future.  The crew receive 5 credits payment (2 rolls, 4 + 5, pick highest), plus the 3 credits danger money already promised = 8 credits.  When they check the bodies of the bounty hunters, they find a useful starship part (worth 2 credits off next ship upgrade) and a set of combat armour.

Dennio is alive, but has a crippling wound, so the crew opt to use their 3 credits danger money to pay for emergency surgery.  Fortunately, Dennio will only spend a short while (1 battle) recuperating from the injury in the cottage hospital near their base of operations at the starport.

The crew manage to sell some cargo picked up on the last planet they visited, earning an extra 2 credits.

Hany makes a friend among the locals and gains a story point.

A successful first mission for our crew!  But who knows what lies in store for them next...