Horde
This was played on Sunday the 8th of April 2012 and is a continuation of the previous story.
This writeup is mostly based on Carl's notes, the unbolded text below is his.
Location: Alenzar, an asteroid in the Reidain Subsector
Imperial Date: 321-1100
After our return to Alenzar, Sevor Hallin hired us, at a reasonable rate to transport a diplomat and his baggage to the next system over, Raschev. His baggage would include the video game we brought from Villis. We learned that the game was and still is historically signigicant to the Raschev people, it having been instrumental in their attaining freedom from oppression a long time ago.
Sam got us a decent set of cargo for the run, and at 321-1100 00:00 we left Alenzar for the short jump (although truly all jumps are the same time length, this one just seemed shorter). It took four days to get out to where we could use the jump drive. The astrogation team of Fig and Sam must have learned some along the way, because it has been quite a while since we had less than really good success. At 331-1100 00:00 we entered the Raschev system, about 4 hours from the planet.
Along the way, we learned a little bit about our passenger. He is a career diplomat, widowed 4 years ago in a decompression accident. Unusual for someone who was born and raised in an asteroid environment, he really likes the idea of planets, and is excited to be going to one.
So far, so good.
WHAM. The first thing that really registered was a loud bang and a rapidly spinning Skylark. The bridge crew found themselves hanging over the control panel by their seat belts. Fig in the turret pressed sideways into his seat, Kipenzi in engineering pushed slightly against a bulkhead (I guess there is something to be said for being centered on the spin axis...)
While Medicus fought to get the spin under control, the others on the bridge and gunnery gaped at gas venting to space from front and back of the right wing tank. Kipenzi was looking at a broken fitting in the engine room spewing out burning hydrogen.
Medicus got the spin under control nicely, and Sam frantically scanned the system to see what the *$#)& hit us. Sam's initial scanning told us that we were hit by something like a meteorite swarm, but unlike true meteorites (at least as far as we know they typically never get over about 40 miles/second) whatever hit us was moving at low relativistic speed, and we were really really lucky if only one of the wing tanks got holed. Further scanning and analysis from Sam later on showed us that the swarm (of whatever) came from the direction of the Alenzar system, there was about 25 tons of debris in range. If it had moved at the current speed the whole time would have been about 22000 years in transit. 25 tons, only one hit.... waaaaay good saving throw there.
Within minutes, the broken fitting in engineering stopped flaming and had started to suck air out of the ship (good thing we always jump in suited up), but Kipenzi was able to quickly seal that off and got to work on the hydrogen vent problem. With no other useful work to do, Fig got out of the turret and went to see about the passenger, who was (reasonably enough) concerned but fully aware of compression and oxygen related issues, and had been strapped in too.
We were coasting in space, with battery power only and the jump drive showing all red lights on the console.
331-1100 00:10 or thereabouts.
- Power down except for batteries.
- Right wing tank holed front and aft, nothing but vacuum inside.
- Fusion magnetics assembly is crippled, at least one key component completely melted.
Coasting along, about 4 hours from Raschev, and over Sam's objections Leon called the station to report our problems and situation, and we got to work on surviving this 'event'.
It took about 6 or so hours, but by 07:00 Leon and the engineering team had gotten the power plant working and providing enough power to keep the batteries charged and providing basic life support. We started the trip in to Raschev, now 4 at days travel instead of 4 hours. During the trip in we patched the holes in the fuel tank as well as we could, and noted that the leading edge hole was shaped like a mushroom, or a bolt. Add that information to the speed of the travel, and we wondered/speculated that we were hit by debris from a spaceship that may have hit a real meteorite or something. About 30 minuites in, Raschev reported to us that there was a huge light show going on as the debris entered their atmosphere.
335-1100 09:00
We began our descent into the atmosphere and experienced a single power glitch but nothing serious. With no reason to be firing the weaponry, Fig was in engineering with Leon. Medicus set us down like a swan gliding into a calm lake.
Contrary to early reports, the runway at the Raschev spaceport was not grass... It was reinforced concrete... how quaint. - Terry
We delivered Ricardo and the video game to the powers that be, to a great welcome.
To our disappointment, there is no place to get the part we need for the power plant, and the next ship due in system is TWO MONTHS out. There is no reason to think the part will be on the ship, so we got set up in long term hotel housing. Sam was able to sell off most of our cargo over the next several days, with the exception of the 15 tons of laser rifles and the wolframite ore. At least we turned a profit.
The next big concern we anticipated facing was getting back to Imperial space soon enough to make our ship payment. We paid 5 months ahead before leaving, but this unexpected delay put a real crimp in our timing. (As you will see, that soon became NOT our highest concern.)
The locals use a lot of seaweed based biodiesel fuel, and combined with the sea breezes from the South there is a distinctive aroma in the area. Picture the Earth with only Australia and Hawaii, one in each hemisphere and a little over 12 million people, with about 3 million in the capital city area near the spaceport.
** from here on in this narrative, times are in our best guess at Imperial time.
Some of the confusion is due to the local 31 hour day which quickly got out of sync with the standard 24 hour ship time day. - Terry
Life in a spaceport city is slow when you are a visitor, but we had studying to do at least, and the relative novelty of not hurrying to take off someplace, but all good things...
342-1100 17:00 Situation One: Outbreak
Hin Levairi, a Raschev official, came to us for some help. An unknown spacecraft landed the day before, about 230 km south of here, and he asked us to accompany the militia team going to investigate. The team was led by General Kal Varnikov, and while we volunteered to take our raft, they declined for the time being and we wound up the next morning riding in trucks heading south. (Damnit Jim, I'm a space crew, not a grunt.) At least the Skylark was mostly repaired by then (except for the fried part we need to replace) and was fully refuelled.
343-1100 early morning
The general is about 50, one of a fairly small number of true military folks here (most are part time militia, more for disaster response than for fighting), but they seemed at ease with the situation as we motored south. It has been over 70 years since any fighting was necessary here. The weaponry is largely slug throwers.
Medicus stayed on board the Skylark with the air raft and on the comm, in case rescue was needed, and Medicus had the ship's database ready for an ID. We had comms and the video units with us to take pictures. - Kay
When we arrived at the spacecraft (a saucer shape, about 50m in diameter) the initial militia response had a perimeter of about 100 meters established.
The militia looked a little nervous. Kipenzi suggested they pull
back a ways, so if someone fired accidentally or from being startled, it
would be less likely to start a big event.
With a
background in the scouts, Fig recalled the Legend of the Sky Raiders.
About 5000 years ago there was a fleet of raiders who looted the wealth
of dozens of worlds in the Far Frontier Sector, to spinward of here. He
remembered that they had ships about like this one.
Kipenzi
said it reminded her of a opera she had seen years ago called War of the
Worlds, based on a true story of an event that happened thousands of
years ago in the Solomani Rim.
We relayed a description and picture back to Medicus, but the research he was able to do came up empty.
After a little while, we all heard an increasingly loud humming, and a cargo ramp came down.
OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH
SH*T
A horde (hence the scenario name, methinks) of Chamax came flowing down the ramp, and a firefight ensued.
From
Kipenzi's transmission to Medicus before she was drowned by static:
"...when the ramp came down, out came our little friends from Chamax!
All of them!!!!!!!"As happened on (the planet) Chamax all radio chatter was rapidly buried under static, but we hoped that Kipenzi had gotten the word out to Medicus, and that it would be passed on. Firing from range, watching them just keep coming, it is understandable that the militia defense soon crumbled and a general flight resulted. We were separated from the troops in the panic and found ourselves alone in the wilderness with a ton of acid belching bug monsters behind us...
We knew that we had to go basically north to get back to a road and hopefully find a vehicle of some kind.
We encountered two groups of Chamax on the way. The first was a small group in the woods and we were able to kill them off rapidly - one shot with the laser rifles seemed to always do the trick. The second was a group of about a dozen, fortunately at long range in an open grassy area - we tried to stay in the open rather than in trees - and with judicious retreat during our shooting, we got them all just before we would have had to try climbing a tree and firing from altitude. Recalling that they can jump 8-10 feet at least, not having to climb felt like a good thing.
After some time walking we came onto a
dirt road, and soon after that a militia truck came along. They picked
us up and we spread out across the truck for maximum observing and fire
if necessary. Then, when there should have been a trumpet blaring the
cavalry charge, Medicus and the air/raft appeared in the sky. He
escorted us back up the road, flying observer with a couple of air cover
snipers aboard. Down the road there was another truck was in the ditch
and we left that one behind.Late that afternoon (344-1100) we got back to the spaceport town, and started telling everyone all the (admittedly few, with some conjecture) information we have about the Chamax.
345-1100
Kipenzi, Leon and Fig (I guess we are the official away team at that) flew down for a reconnaissance in the morning, and just like on Chamax in the Alenzar system they have devastated the area - grass, trees, whatever is consumable.
We had hoped that the ship would be empty and possibly searchable, but the beasties were all over the place, and multiple life forms were also inside the ship, of more than one type. Worst of all, we saw some flying Chamax, and got the frack out of there immediately. Back to the spaceport area to contribute what we can.
350-1100 09:00
Martial law was declared shortly after the initial fighting, and while it has been a relatively uneventful week, Sam was able to sell the laser rifle cargo more easily, and we had done all we could to contribute to the fight/defense.
A single radio transmission has been received from General Varnikov:
FORCE V TO LOKACOM. UNIT TRAPPED BY INVADERS NEAR SWITCHBACK GORGE. WARNING: ENEMY ATTRACTED BY RADIO TRANSMISSION. MAINTAIN RADIO SILENCE. AM LEAVING TRANSMITTER AS DECOY AND BREAKING OUT TOWARD HIGH GROUND. MESSAGE ENDS.
The message, apparently taped, was repeated 18 times and then cut off. The party is asked to take their air/raft into the Jourin Peninsula, locate the general, and get him back to take charge of the defense.
Not really a cliff hanger, but as close as we got this time.
Continued in Horde - Part 2.
See Also: Dramatis Personæ, Campaign Starts, The 2nd Adventure, The Chamax Plague.
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