Horde - Conclusion
Where the adventurers continue to help a low tech world defend against an alien invasion.
This writeup is mostly based on Carl's notes, most of the unbolded text below is his.
This was played on Sunday the 3rd of Jun 2012 .
Location: Rachev, a planet in the Reidain Subsector
Imperial Date: 004-1101
In the last journal, we reported on getting a power plant on the coast of the Jourin Peninsula back online and left off as we (the Skylark crew) were flying back to Loka, the capital.
SITUATION FIVE: METASTASIS
In the long standing adage of 'No rest for the wicked', we got about 7 hours of sleep and were awakened with another request for assistance. When the Chamax first appeared we had advised the government and military to keep a close coastal watch lest any of the flyers (still unsure if they are breeders but they definitely kill things) get onto the main continent and dig in. It appeared that had happened, since the village of Layev had reported several animals, plants and even people disappearing and some reported being attacked by 'pale spidery things'. The government had called for militia to clear out the problem but wanted our help also.
Layev is a coastal village, primarily a fishing location (obligatory
comment about a small drinking town with a fishing problem inserted
here), a few kilometers down the coast from Loka, and we geared up with
the Med Scanners we had, radio transmitters to draw the bugs out,
explosives, weapons and as much common sense as we could muster.
Kipenzi flew us (Leon stayed behind to keep a base presence in Loka)
down and we scanned the area. Militia troops were to follow shortly
after us, or would be ferried in a second flight back and forth. Initially we detected 5 clusters of life signs, in an area of a
couple square blocks, but only the sharp eyes of Medicus got a look at
them. These Chamax were smaller, spindly, and considerably paler than
the ones we had encountered before. OK, we figured pale Chamax would
explode just as well if hit hard enough...
Sam and Fig
decamped and took up a monitoring position on a river bridge (the far
side, thanks) and tried to get local shooters and the fire department at
the ready, while Kipenzi and Medicus returned to Loka for
sharpshooter/SWAT personnel, and by 1300 or so they had returned with a
munitions expert (Guy Shurar). Medicus said later he had written "Tasty,
Eat Me" on the first radio/bomb combination to be used. The personal
touch just cannot be ignored in these bug hunts.
There were
more clusters of life readings than before, likely a group split up or
possibly some came in from further out or from a shielded basement, but
when the radio bomb was set down several of them headed toward it, as we
have come to expect in the past.
After the first bomb was
detonated there were 6 fewer Chamax around, and two detectable clusters
of life forms which had not reacted to the radio.
The second
bomb was lowered and placed between them, and on radio activation one of
the clusters split off and one or some Chamax moved away, but those who
stayed, stayed for the rest of their lives, and Medicus spotted one
going through a fence into a yard, noticing that these were bigger than
the description of spindly we had expected.
Kipenzi flew
around the village in a search for more life signs, but only found one
house that had any readings. Two of the life signs they had detected
previously, and a larger one, appeared to be inside, and the SWAT
personnel went down to surround the house
One came out, likely
in response to the presence of the people, and a sniper still in the
air raft put it down immediately, while the ground crew looked in
(carefully!) through basement windows, and tossed in grenades. The life
signs went to a small signal, and the personnel on the ground said it
smelled bad, and only the queen/breeder was left. A few shots put it
down too, and unlike the others the breeder did not explode.
Medicus and two of the militia team went in and Medicus was able to
gather several parts of the breeder, while Kipenzi made another survey
of the village for safety sake, finding no more. Fortunately, this one
was nipped in the bud, and we hoped it would be an alarm bell for anyone
who had not taken the possibility seriously.
In short order
video gear and medical gear were arranged and a full dissection of the
breeder was performed. Medicus told us later (no popcorn here but the
movie was good) that it was definitely an immature queen, that the
Chamax seem to be born pretty fully formed rather than hatched, and
there were a bunch of eggs still in the queen. We speculated that the
birthing may only be limited by food supply, but hoped we would never
get to put that to the test. The Chamax appear parthenogenic and are
definitely biological animals rather than some cyborg medley of parts
and pieces, and was pretty sure that they could not possibly have
fabricated (or even flown) a spaceship.
Clear up one mystery and two more take its place...
SITUATION SIX: PRISONERS
The very next morning, (day 005-1101) Our talk with the leaders centered around the rapidly approaching storm season, with winds generally from the south soon to be a major weather factor, and two factions had divergent opinions of what to do.
The nuclear bunch had long since commenced fabrication of an atomic device, but a less draconian group was hoping to find a different approach, and wanted us to capture some live Chamax for examination. While the queen did give them a good deal of information, they wanted at least 3, from different colony locations, to examine additionally.
Fortunately, our early comment that the Chamax seemed susceptible to cold had not fallen on deaf ears, and we were given a cold storage unit that would run on air raft power, and several CO2 fire extinguishers to 'pacify' the to-be-captured Chamax with. We requisitioned a large net and carrying poles to get the beasties into the cold storage box, and set off, with Leon holding down the fort in Loka
(I had to wonder if he had made some friends in the community, with several nicely zaftig staff in the hotel, restaurants and government of the city as possibles, but never have gotten more than a smile from him)
Kipenzi took us down the road past Trader's pass, and pretty soon we were in devastated areas with no visible Chamax to sight. This was soon cleared up, as we got many a life form reading from what appeared to be a petroleum (or bio-diesel) storage tank, with a Chamax-sized hole in it. There appeared to be a LARGE queen and many bugs inside.
Since in the past our radio transmissions had drawn Chamax out from inside the Sharrin Challenger, we made a few brief broadcasts and waited. Shortly there were several Chamax wandering around the outside, and while most of them went back inside to settle down, a couple did not. Exactly what we had hoped for, and while Kipenzi hovered the raft, Sam, Medicus and Fig took the extinguishers, the net and the poles and walked up to one that was isolated from three directions, spraying CO2 as we approached. This kept the Chamax in stasis/hibernation perfectly, and the net/pole combination was exactly right to get it back into the storage unit.
Being no fools - OK, that might not be 100% correct, but at least we were smart about this - we flew back to Loka for unloading, restocking the extinguishers and called it a day. NO REASON to be out at night. We were concerned enough about the possibility of flyers in the daytime, night would be... unwise.
The next day (006-1101) was a rinse and repeat, this Chamax coming from near the area from which the refugees were evacuated some time ago. There was, as before, indications of a nest, but here there were some in the remains of two vehicles, and the radio lured them out just as before, and one settled down far enough away from the rest for us to comfortably make the capture.
Back to Loka for restocking and preparation for the next day
Day 007 was planned as another rinse and repeat, this time from near the original landing site. We needed to check out what was going on there anyway, and the medical people wanted at least 3 from separate locations; this seemed a good idea, at the time.
We detected two groups of Chamax, one inside the ship and one appearing to be underground. A hole in the ground near the ship's ramp makes it more certain than before that these life forms prefer seclusion, much like ants or termites but without the mounds.
Radio use, extinguishers, net and pole went just as we wanted, but that day as we headed back we got a reminder why you should:
1. Keep up on the maintenance (not certain if that was a factor, but it is a good idea)
2. Have a backup set of manuals someplace
Well south of the pass area, somewhat inland from a coastal village named Newton (Fig took offense that our troubles would happen there...) the air/raft power cut out. Kipenzi made a spectacular landing in the open and after a thorough survey of the surrounding area for any nests or singles Kipenzi and Fig got to work on repairs. Sadly, we had not learned lesson 2, and with no power we had no access to the manuals. Fortunately a few hours of diagnostics and head scratching got us back in the air, and back to Loka just after dark. Less fortunately, but more wisely, we had unloaded the captured Chamax and after taking it a ways away from the raft, we shot it. Plenty more where it came from anyway.
Day 008 was dedicated to a full checkup of the air raft. We wanted (and still want) no repeats of that type of problem.... EVER.
While the checkup went on the raft, the checkups were going on with the Chamax also. Medicus worked with the local biologists and doctors, and confirmed that these are biological, and in fact identical in all ways they could test, and were not bio-engineered.
They appear to have the equivalent of combat armor, but once that is overcome an internal sac of some kind ruptures and the acid within boils/geysers out as we have many times seen, resulting in splattered Chamax.
Day 009 had us back on the capture trail, confident that the air raft was again our friend. We got a Chamax from the vicinity of the ship and came safely back to Loka, just in time to hear that a second ship had been detected entering the atmosphere.
SITUATION SEVEN: SECOND LANDING
Even as plans to counterattack the contained bugs are pushed ahead, a new disaster strikes Raschev. Starport Control picks up an incoming, unidentified craft entering the atmosphere and beginning a slow descent. The projected course for the unidentified ship carries it to a point not far from Loka, and the ship refuses to answer any signals from the ground.
A pilot, flying a two-seater plane toward the capital after a scouting mission, heard the radio traffic concerning the unknown vessel and flew to investigate. He reported that the ship was identical to the first invader; it was glistening with frost or ice of some kind as it descended. Then contact was lost, but ground radar recorded the pilot's suicidal crash into the alien ship in a desperate attempt to stop this new threat.
The alien craft lost control and crashed, causing great damage to one of the outlying suburbs of Loka. The hull was torn open in several places; witnesses on the ground confirmed the pilot's report about frost covering the ship, frost which soon melted. Shortly thereafter, a number of bugs were seen emerging, and those who had not already fled the coming of the ship now panicked and ran.
The adventurers, who are back in Loka, are approached once more by the council. Some militia reserves have been summoned from Traitor's Pass to try to fight this new danger, but they will not arrive for several hours. In the meantime, it is hoped that the crash has killed large numbers of the bugs on board; certainly those that came from the downed vessel were fewer in number than the occupants of the first ship. The authorities hope that an early attack could stop these bugs. Otherwise, quite simply, Loka is doomed. The adventurers are requested to scout out the crash site, kill as many bugs as possible, and try to assess the situation so that the militia, on their arrival, will be better prepared to handle the crisis.
Before ramming, the pilot had reported that the ship was frosted over considerably, NOT what you would expect from a craft descending into atmosphere; by the time the ship crashed it had all melted and when we got there some of the bugs had already come out, but few life forms were detectable in the ship. BIG gasp of relief there...
Firing from the air raft and waiting backup we shot as many as we could. As well as the laser rifles we had grenades with us this time and put a couple in groups and one or two inside the ship through a hole in the side. Sam and three of the militia went down onto the top of the ship to better watch for flyers and give more vantage points, and while only one flyer was sighted and downed, it was good to have multiple positions to spot from
It did not take long to clear out all of the walkers, as they seemed to be going out thin and coming back fat, perhaps akin to a chipmunk's mouth pouches but more body-wide. We figured they were bringing food to a queen, and let them come back to be welcomed with open-laser arms.
This wound up with three small life signs in the ship, who never came out, so the militia personnel took their gear (lights, fire extinguishers, guns - standard bug hunt) and finished the three off. They had been sitting (guard? court? ) near a dead queen while the walkers were bringing back food.
Unfortunately, most of the inside of the ship was ruined, between the crash itself and the resultant massive acid eruptions from many many dying Chamax, but technicians were able to speculate confidently that there had been a 'cold-field-generator' on the ship, and that if it could be replicated the Chamax could be dealt with in large areas rather than one or a few at a time.
This was good news for the anti-atomic side of the government/powers-that-be, and we were asked to help out with ' just one more thing '.
SITUATION EIGHT: LAST CHANCE
With the mystery of how the Chamax got on board still hovering, we took off in the air raft on 011-1101 with as much dry ice as we were able to carry, and flew down to the ship. The dry ice was deposited in the hole in the ground, hoping that it would displace enough oxygen to kill all the Chamax in the tunnel lair. Hey, it works with gophers...
We noted the life sign readings both underground and in the ship, with many many undergound and one large queed plus about 30 attendants inside the ship, and flew around the area. We spotted a nest about 2 miles away and an additional one about 5 miles out but there were no signs of active Chamax.
The next day (012-1101) when we flew back, there were no life signs in the nest under the ship, and we were able to deliver dry ice to the nest closest (2 miles or so out) to make it a little safer for the ship invasion.
013-1101
With all 4 helicopters in the air force along, the radio gambit worked as well as ever, ending with a queen and 4 attendants left inside for the final cleanup, and the electronics gear for the field generator was recovered easily. Score one for semi-happy endings, but it will be a while before the Jourin Peninsula is cleared and much longer before it is habitable again. hmmmm maybe a cargo load of seeds and saplings would be a good idea....
AFTERMATH
014-1101 and beyond
The cold field generators turned out to be easily manufactured, and we got a set of plans for our own. The problem with the Chamax was well on the way to resolution, and we could actually relax a little bit.
As well as the generator, the computer was recovered and analyzed, showing an entire civilization's history, customs, the whole enchilada.
The Computer Records:
After a few weeks of work with the extremely cooperative alien computer, Raschev's scientists are able to piece together the story below from the massive amount of information contained within the computer's memory banks.
The original homeworld of the bugs was the planet now known as Chamax. A race of sentient pseudocrustaceans distantly related to the bugs was the dominant race of the planet until about 650 years ago. They boasted a tech level of 9 and had developed interplanetary flight, but not jump drive.
The aliens had a low birth rate, and population pressure had little influence on their history; consequently, there was much wilderness even in the most civilized areas and large parts of the planet had not been settled until late in their development. One small continent on their world had been discovered by early seafarers, but never settled. Eventually, colonies were established there, and a life form native to that continent — a large, burrowing carnivore -proved to be an intolerable nuisance, tunneling through walls and collapsing whole levels of the sentients' cities. This problem was solved when the natives learned how to wipe out the carnivores with poisons that prevented their reproduction.
The realization came too late that the carnivores were the only check on another much more dangerous life form, known to Raschev as the bugs. Bug maternals, hidden in their underground nests, were the chief food source of the carnivores; the efficiency of the predators' attacks was the reason for the bugs' high birth rate.
With the ecological balance upset, bug reproduction got completely out of hand. The continent was overrun within a few weeks, with a few survivors being evacuated to the main landmass. At first it was thought that the problem had ended there, but then the plague of bugs broke out almost at once in several coastal areas; it was theorized, before the natives became too busy to discuss theories, that maternals had stowed away on cargo ships before the continent had been quarantined. There ensued a bitter war as the intelligent defenders fought a long retreat across the face of an increasingly devastated world. Countless times the defenders thought they had the problem under control, only to have another outbreak occur in a new area. The continent was just too large, the defenders too few, the bugs too many, for containment.
The planet was doomed; the damage to the ecology was fatal even if a means could be found to wipe out all the bugs. Therefore, the natives chose to ensure the survival of their race. The defense was charged with buying time while a massive fleet of spacecraft was prepared to evacuate as many beings as possible.
Jump drive was unknown; the natives had to settle for sublight craft. Luckily, their metabolism was such that they could enter hibernation as a result of exposure to cold. The molecular field suppression technique was used to cool their ships, which would then proceed, guided by sophisticated computers, toward nearby suns that might have planets. Each computer was programmed with as much as could be recorded of the race's science, history, and technology, as a means of preserving the race on their new worlds. Everything was automatic; when a ship detected a full complement of passengers on board, it sealed itself, the hibernation equipment came on, and it set out on its journey. The process was designed to be foolproof, so refugees could escape even if trained personnel were not available.
No one expected the final collapse to come so suddenly. The last enclave of greenery in a planet-wide desert was overrun in hours, and it was inevitable that flying juvenile maternals would find the starships standing ready, open and inviting. The ships became nest sites, and the foolproof system became too foolproof. The computers, unable to distinguish between species, detected the presence of a critical number of bodies and launched the ship, with a frozen but still deadly cargo on board.
Thus the bugs came to Raschev, taking 650 years to cross the distance of one parsec. It can be inferred that Raschev and all other planets lying within a parsec of the Alenzar system are in danger of visits from similar infested starships within the next few years. But an added concern must now be taken into account as well: some ships may contain intelligent, potentially friendly aliens who managed to flee their world ahead of the bugs, and a policy of destroying any incoming ship could be genocidal.
The computer records also contain a vast amount of technical information, history, literature, and coded sounds and images: in short, as much of the aliens' culture as could be crammed in. The educational program, which enabled Raschev scientists to decipher the records, seems to have two purposes. The first purpose is to provide a further degree of safety; if the ship were to land in an inhabited system and its revival equipment should fail, the computer would be able to teach friendly sentients how to revive the passengers. Second, and more important, the records are intended to communicate the race's heritage to sentients who find it; in this way, a portion of the race's memory would be preserved even if none of the passengers survived.
Any planet within one parsec of Alenzar ( at a minimum ) should be notified at the soonest possible time.
Always alert for possible trade options, Sam pointed out that the history of this civilization, as well as the plans for the cold-field-generator, could be very marketable, and we cleared out all the computer memory we could spare and loaded it up. Our hope is that at an A port we will be able to get it on external media or gear and put our normal ship information and programs back, but we made sure that we have TWO independent systems with all the diagnostics, schematics, etc about the Skylark, just in case.....
On 022-1101, the long-awaited transport ship in from Garoo finally arrived. The word about the ships coming (possibly) and both flavors of possible was passed on to the crew to tell everyone they can.
We handed over a goodly credit sum to Sam for a Mid passage, to get part(s) and get back as soon as he could. The ship left on 029-1101 and to our great pleasure Sam returned on a Scout ship on 047-1101. We had the part in place the next day, and as I close this I confidently write that in the near 4 weeks between Sam's departure and return, we got to see (play?) the *#$()*#% video game that got us onto this rathole of a planet...
We came, we saw, we conquered, we played.
The adventurers never get access to the video game. It has become an object of intense debate within the oligarchy that rules Rachev. One faction wants to play the game to see what insight it will lend to advancing their technology. Another faction wants to have it preserved unplayed in a museum. Some believe that InStarSpec may have tampered with it for their own purposes. No one has actually played it in over 150 years. Some are be worried that playing the game may contradict established government policies.
The debate goes on long after the adventurers leave Rachev and head back into space. - Terry
Continued in: Beyond the Horde.
See Also: Dramatis Personæ, Campaign Starts, The 2nd Adventure, The Chamax Plague, Horde.
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