"Hey Boss, how much longer are we going to wait?"
Arel glanced across at the mercenary who had spoken. Eandyne was adjusting the combat blade on his infantry laser, trying to project an image of calm and collected professionalism, but obviously keyed up for action.
Checking his chrono, Arel saw that a whole 12 seconds had elapsed since he last checked it. Still over 30 minutes since the time they'd all agreed to meet. They needed to move. They were loitering out of sight of the main entrance to the Hirst Base tunnel complex, but someone was bound to notice them sooner or later. Heavily armed, they were breaking several laws he knew of, and probably several more that he didn't, and they couldn't afford to get picked up by local security. They wanted to get into the tunnels, grab anything expensive-looking and easily portable, and get out again before they were discovered. The place was supposed to be almost empty because of the recent animal troubles, only a few brave or foolhardy souls still using the complex. Sooner or later, the animals would be exterminated and it would be crowded again, and time was ticking away.
"We're going in now." Arel stood up, spent a couple of seconds straightening the sling of his infantry laser, and looked expectantly at the rest of the crew. "Dennio knew where and when we were meeting and we can't hold off any longer. He can either catch up or meet us back at the ship."
Eandyne grunted his approval, finished with the combat blade and stood up. Behind him, Larry hefted his colony rifle, while Hany checked the safety on his military rifle. Eandyne could be trusted in a fight, but neither of the others had the same combat experience. Despite that, Arel had to admit that they were a good addition to the crew. Hany had contributed some much needed funds and Larry had a knack with technology that had already proven useful, and would no doubt do so again. Arel absently patted the new jump belt that he wore, freshly repaired by Larry. Larry spotted the movement.
"Yeah, maybe don't try it in the tunnels?" he suggested, "I like you captain, and I don't want to be scraping you off the ceiling."
Arel chuckled and gave an "OK" signal. He turned towards the tunnel entrance, and saw Gordi already poised to take the lead. The graceful precursor had suprised him, using her speed to spearhead their first two missions together to deadly effect. She was rapidly building in confidence and ability and had been training hard with her blast pistol and infantry laser.
An inquisitive bleeping noise made him turn to the last member of their little team. The dustbin-shaped blue and white robot was a hanger-on that had turned up when they were trading some scrap after the last job. There was a chance that it could come in useful, the Power Cruiser is old and battered, so having a robot to make external repairs in hard vacuum could come in useful. The little manipulator arms sprouting from the rotund torso didn't look strong enough to hold the shotgun Dennio had given it, let alone aim it. Well, time would tell.
Gordi leading the way, the group moved cautiously into the tunnel complex...
After the fun with the polystyrene caves, I was asked to pull my boxes of Hirst Arts dungeon from their cupboard so that the crew could have an adventure in these.
Our next adventure will take place in Hirst Base, an underground complex constructed by some of the first settlers of Lissen to provide shelter in emergencies. Unlike the caverns visited in the previous adventure, the complex is still in use today, providing storage, a couple of places to eat and a few traders. There have been some recent incidents with local fauna which has apparently decided that the complex will make a nice den. Perhaps this is an opportunity to help out the locals, get some goodwill and perhaps a small profit, too? As "somewhat honourable bandits", there might be the odd item that they can, ahem, "liberate" on their way through the complex.
Pre-game sequence
Because R2-D2 joined the crew after the last battle, they have 7 members and now need to pay 2 upkeep.
They pay off another 5 credits on their ship debt, gain another credit interest to leave them owing 8 credits. They have only 1 credit remaining, so they need to earn somthing soon.
The crew prepare for their tasks:
Larry gets to work repairing the broken jump belt they traded for the salvage. With his newly improved savvy of +2 and the +1 assistance of his repair bot, he easily gets the equipment fixed.
Arel goes trading and acquires a glare sword.
Eandyne also trades and brings goods aboard that will be worth 1D6 credits on another world (roll on delivery: on a roll of 1 they have expired).
Dennio goes exploring but gets lost!
Gordi trains more, as does Hany. Both gain 1 XP.
R2-D2 explores and overhears a RUMOUR. He gets a tip from a contact.
Looking over their rumours, a QUEST begins!
Although no decoy was attempted, luck is with the crew and none of their rivals manage to locate them.
Having decided not to seek any patron this turn, the crew decide on an opportunity battle. The Hirst Base undergound complex dates back to the early years of the Lissen colony. It has been having some trouble with the local wildlife, the crew will move through, attempting to eliminate the threat on the way, plus stealing anything nice that isn't nailed down. They've also heard about a peculiar item somewhere in the complex which should be worth a look.
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| The underground complex. |
The far end of the complex includes a bunk room.
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| Bunk room. |
Beyond the bunk room are cryocapsules, a refuge of last resort for the early colonists.
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| Cryo capsules. |
Many of the rooms are rarely used now, other than for occasional miscellaneous storage.
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| Storage area. |
The peculiar item is located in the depths of the complex.
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"Peculiar Item." |
The entrance is more regularly used, and includes some public access terminals, a few seats and tables and some storage.
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| Entrance. |
The old mess room is still sometimes used for meals.
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| Mess hall. |
The battle
The crew gather... all except Dennio, who doesn't show. They wait half
an hour, but need to get started, so press on into the complex without
him.
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| The crew prepare, just out of sight of the entrance. |
Hopefully Dennio will catch up with them in due course.
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| Dennio Arciark got lost and won't participate! |
Deep within the complex, glistening bodies emerge from the underground river that passes through. These are Krorg, with a speed of 5", +2 combat, +2 damage from their fearsome claws, toughness 6, a bonus of +1 to brawling if they initiate the attack, and a 5+ save for their tough hide. Their size makes them easy targets though, giving opponents +1 to hit them.
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| The opponents. |
They flow through the storage room and to the entrance of the recreation room. The occupants of the room freeze in horror as they see the beasts emerge.
The crew prepare to enter the complex, Gordi taking the lead as usual.
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| The crew prepare to move inside. |
They move into the entrance. Crowding robots and bystanders make it difficult to push their way through.
Gordi slips nimbly through the doorway, her blast pistol at the ready.
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| Gordi leads the way. |
Deep within Hirst Base, fearsome creatures pursue some of the civilans through the corridors.
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| The creatures push further into the complex. |
The beasts are gaining on some of the unluckier locals.
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| Civilians flee before the beasts, |
Two turn in horror as they hear the scratching of clawed feet behind them. Can our heroes arrive in time to save them?
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| Some are not fast enough. |
Nearer the entrance, some of the beasts are about to pounce on a diminutive alien trader.
Alas, our heroes are nowhere near enough to help the first two, so they get eaten.
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| The beasts enter the mess hall. |
Slightly behind her, the rest of the crew have reached the anteroom between the entrance and the mess room. Larry edges ahead and hunts for a target for his colony rifle.
Gordi's first shot has stuns the lead creature, offering the 2 fleeing civilians a chance to escape.
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| Gordi and the crew open fire. |
More fleeing civilians (and robots) jostle our heroes. They need to spread out and help Gordi.
Battle event: Seize the moment! Gordi gets to act in the Quick and Slow phases and manages to kill the first creature. She moves back to put some distance (and a table) between her the the beasts.
Arel and Eandyne cut across to a different doorway to try and catch the creatures in a crossfire. Even though Dennio is absent, his shotgun isn't. R2-D2 has been given the weapon, and makes good use of it now, stunning another of the creatures. Arel and Eandyne's fire is accurate and stuns it twice more, taking it out of the fight.
A third beast lopes out of the corridor and leaps at Arel. Seeing its approach, Arel lets his infantry laser fall loose on its sling and activates his new glare sword.
Despite the beast's lashing tail and sharp claws, Arel is able to deflect the attacks with the flickering energy blade and stuns the beast.
In the mess hall, another of the creatures springs towards R2-D2. The poor robot is totally outmatched and is knocked over backwards with a crash.
Seeing their new crew-mate fall, Larry and Gordi open fire, both hitting the creature and knocking it stunned back out of the mess room and into the corridor,
They keep firing, Hany joining them, and the beast is taken out of action before it is able to recover.
With a roar, two more creatures burst through the swirling gunsmoke and leap over the tables towards Hany and Gordi.
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| Look out! |
Back in the corridor, the stunned beast tries to shake off the hit and renews its attack on Arel and Eandyne.
Gordi and Hany are both attacked by the creatures, but their position on top of the table must have done them some good, because somehow, incredibly, they both fight off the enemy!
Gordi, Han and Larry catch the beasts in a crossfire, stunning one and killing the other.
Arel and the creature fight, and this time it's Arel who is pushed back and stunned.
In the mess hall, the action comes to a head as the 3 crew members combine their fire on the remaining beast they can see, which soon succumbs to the fusilade of shots.
Eandyne provides good backup for Arel to recover, his infantry laser stunning the beast for a second time.
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| Arel & Eandyne leap into melee combat. |
A draw! The creature is saved by its tough hide, but both crew members go down, victims to the slashing claws and viciously whipping tail.
Gordi and Hany realise that they need to press the attack to save their comrades. Vaulting over the tables, they dash round from the mess room, pursuing the beast as it flees past the water tank, towards Larry.
Larry keeps his calm and scores a hit on the approaching monster. Gordi dashes into the tank room and chances another shot from behind the beast.
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| Caught in the crossfire. |
Gordi gets close enough for a final shot and the creature is stunned into unconsciousness.
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| The last beast is taken down. |
The crew gather by the doorway of the tank room, eager to check on Arel and Eandyne and try to move the casualties through the complex and back to the ship.
As they emerged into the daylight on the far side of Hirst Base, Dennio stood up from the rock next to the entrance, where he was sitting. "Well, thanks for nothing," he began agrily, "I've been waiting here since... since.... uh." He stuttered to a stop when he saw Eanyne's limp form being lugged by the others. Annoyance turned to surprise, then shock, and finally guilt as he realised there were actually two entrances to Hirst Base. He muttered an apology and hastened to help with Eandyne.
Phew! That was a worrying game at times! The creatures were incredibly tough, only one was killed outright, the toughness of 6 (and a lot of bad die rolls) and the 5+ save meant that the rest were only eliminated by piling up enough stuns to render them unconscious. I did forget to give them their +1 attack bonus when they initiated melee combat, but I also forgot to give the crew +1 to hit the monsters, so it probably evened out. Most of the rolls were either obvious hits or terrible misses anyway, very few near misses on either side.
We didn't play the entire game to its conclusion, but with all 6 of the creatures eliminated (ignoring the extra ones elsewhere in the complex), the crew would be free to stroll through as required, stopping off at the peculiar item as they go, so victory criteria would be fulfilled.
Post-battle sequence
The crew pick up 5 credits from the bodies they find deeper into the tunnels. As they made their way through the complex, they also picked up debris worth 3 credits on the scrap market. They grab a couple of stimpacks they spot in a case of med supplies.
Casualties:
Arel is lucky, he only has a minor injury.
After Eandyne's miraculous escape in the previous battle, his luck has run out. He has a serious injury and will spend 4 turns out of action.
R2-D2 just has a few dents and is fine once he is tipped upright again.
Experience:
Arel gains 1XP for becoming a casualty, giving him 7XP. He uses 5 to increase his speed to 5", leaving him with 2XP saved.
Eandyne gains 1XP and now has a total of 2XP.
Dennio gets nothing because he missed the fight. He has only 2XP.
Larry earns 3XP for surviving the battle, plus another 2XP for finding the peculiar item (random roll to see which survivor found it), so now has 6XP. The extra knowledge that he gained allows him to improve his Savvy to +3. With his repair bot giving him an extra +1, he is an absolute technical whizz now. 1XP is saved.
Gordi earned 3XP, plus another 1XP for causing the first casualty, so now has 8XP. Her reactions are improved to 2, with 1XP left over to use another day.
Hany gains 3XP, giving him a total of 6XP. All this action is toughening him up. An increase to toughness 4 leaves him with no XP to carry over.
R2-D2 is a robot, so doesn't earn any XP.
Campaign event: As the crew wearily trudge back into the Power Cruiser, they notice a slightly odd smell. A check of the environmentals uncovers a fault in the life support system. They're OK here on the surface of Lissen, where they can cycle fresh air in from outside. If they want to make space, they'll have to repair life support, and further investigation reveals that the entire system is shot. They'll have to spend 6 credits getting it repaired. That's what comes from having an unreliable merchant cruiser!
Character event: Gordi makes a local friend in Uphrois, the small alien that she rescued from the beasts in the tunnels. Meeting up with it again in Hirst Base, Uphrois can't give anything other than thanks, but Gordi gains 1XP as a result.
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| Gordi and Uphrois talk. |
Faction Event: Armed to the Teeth. The Export Cartel are rumoured to have made a deal with smugglers to arm their enforcers with improved weaponry, increasing their power (Influence 4, Power 3). [I was late introducing the factions from the 5PH Compendium. I've updated the previous Power Cruiser entries for Lissen (Introduction, Battle 1 & Battle 2) with some background. There hasn't been any effect upon the campaign yet, but it will give some extra opportunities going forward.]
Unknown to Gordi, a shadowy figure watched her meeting with Uphrais from across the room. It giggled quietly and fingered the scrap pistol hidden inside its ragged jacket. "She's hereherehere, yes, yes, here, here. But get the others, they will want to know, heehee!" It turned and slipped away down the corridor, into the gloom...
