Perelane is still very treacherous. There are pockets of resistance where zho soldiers, and perhaps some noble or intendent civilians who survived the "psychic bombs" are actively fighting the invaders. But any such resistance is brutally suppressed, sometimes with a VLO (Very Large Ordinance) that is obviously much bigger than the scope of the resistance. The term "measured response" is apparently not in the dictionary of the invaders. They have no problem destroying an entire city block, killing hundreds or maybe even thousands of civilians just to stop a couple of rifle shots fired at the aerospace fighters flying overhead. The seeming randomness of the bombs makes tunneling under Perelane a dangerous proposition. After a time, the team retreats to a location some distance east of the spaceport where they can keep watch.
PETER: That reminds me, I want to spend some time (I'm assuming we'll have a fair bit of "keeping our heads down" time) trying to figure out what it is about Marko's shields that are different. If there's something about them that I can learn to do (i.e., spend EXP on) it would be very helpful. There's always the danger that more of these psychic bombs will drop and I'd like to be prepared if possible.
GM: Once you have some time to work on this, then you can get together and figure out a way to make Peter's mental defenses stronger against the psychic bombs.
The following morning, the team begins another scouting mission into Perelane, keeping to Rock's tunnels. As they get closer to Perelane, Mack reports seeing some dead bodies on the surface that weren't there they day before. Closer examination reveals seven bodies, all male. One is a child of not more than 10 or 11 Imperial years. From the scattered equipment, it seems obvious that they were trying to flee the city and ran into an invader patrol.
MACK: Mack will scan the bodies for signs of life. In this case the heart would likely be the simplest thing to look for. This assumes they don't have Hardened Hearts. :-) He has a 13- PER with N-Ray Vision: [rolled 12] if there's anything to see.
GM: All of them are dead.
PETER: My thought was that even on the edges of the city there would be large areas that were already destroyed by VLO, and that having destroyed a city block the invaders would be unlilkely to try and destroy them again. I had also figured that going underground and using X-ray vision we'd be comparatively safe and would be able to access some underground storage areas that would be safe from the destruction but inaccessible under the rubble. It was a plan that I only thought was feasible using those powers. But really, all I wanted was to get us some piles of canned food that we could survive on for a few weeks, and maybe some sleeping bags, camp stoves, etc. I figure once the invaders get things settled down it'll be even harder to get in and out of the city. And eventually hunger will force our hand. Better now when it's only somewhat dangerous than later when it's extremely dangerous. But if it's suicidal now, we can wait.
MACK (OOC): I wasn't joking about the MRE's. Mack saved/scavenged about 32 days worth of them with XP. As we use them up, I'll take them off. We are a couple weeks away from starving, though we might get real tired of freeze-dried vitamin enriched protein tubes after a few days. Except Mack. He loves 'em. He's used to sleeping in pretty bad conditions with artillery blazing. Sleeping here shouldn't be that bad. And I'm miffed that nobody cares about why Mack wasn't affected by the psi-bombs. "Oh. He's just dumb ole artillery." :-)
GM: Over and above Mack's supply of MRE's, you did find some additional stores during your scouting mission at the spaceport the previous night. You also know that Cal and Shooter are very skilled at finding food in the wilderness and, in fact, this is how the team survived prior to Sarge's death.
GM: At this point I am assuming that you haven't surfaced and that Mack and Rock are observing the scene with their NRay vision. Let me know if there is anything more that you want to do here or if you want me to continue on.
PETER: That was my plan.
MARKO (to the Lt.): "What do you think of the two of us scanning the area for some minds to find out more about the invaders or even any zho that survived?"
PETER: "I think that idea has merit, though I fear I'm not particularly skilled at long range telepathic scans. [OOC, I have telepathy but no mind scan] But with a little instruction I'd be willing to try." [OOC, I bought mind scan as a latent power, though, and we've got EXP coming]
PETER: "In fact, I'd been thinking that with the loss of most of the zho nobles to those psychic bombs, we might be able to convince some of the locals that we're zho and get their cooperation that way. I know I could fake it, and I'll bet you could make a convincing off-world noble. The big danger with this plan is that the few zho nobles who have survived are likely to be pretty powerful. Still, they may not care too much about our status as enemy combatants if we're willing to help."
PETER: "Which is all a complicated way of saying that yes, I think we should try that plan. But let's try it from a remote location in case the invaders have psychic detection capabilities. And let's make certain that your shields are ready and Erict is nearby. I don't want us to be surprised by any more of those bombs."
MARKO: AFter this conversation with Peter about scaning for information I'm going to begin occasionally doing "Find Minds" and "Mental Radar." Also, if I find a willing/weak mind, I'll do some simple "Read Minds" on them.
MACK: Mack goes to attention. "Sir! Permission to speak freely, Sir!"
PETER: "Permission granted, corporal. We're in too tight a situation to stand too much on ceremony."
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PETER: "So yes, corporal, it is possible that you misunderstood my last command. I am not authorizing anyone to give aid to the enemy. But I am most certainly authorizing intelligence operations against a potential enemy that may involve the expenditure of valuable information or other Imperial assets. Welcome to military intelligence everyone."
ROCK: Rock listened to the conversation, nodding a few times. He seemed lost in thought, trying to sort out the changing landscape of their mission. The last several weeks had been very chaotic and lacked the daily rhythm he'd come to expect from his Gamma Company routine. Though he really didn't have any answers or even good suggestions, he felt comfortable knowing this makeshift team had those that did. If nothing else, he would fight valiantly to defend any of them, when it came to it.
MACK: Mack remains at attention, "Lieu-tenant, Sir! This soldier is glad to understan' that you did NOT order this soldier of the Imperium to aid enemies in time of war. If the Lieu-tenant wishes this soldier to aid non-combatants fleeing unlawful use of military force, he will be glad to do so. If the Lieu-tenant wishes to have this soldier attack assets of the Zhodani military, he will gladly do so. If the Lieu-tenant wishes to order this soldier to make contact with newly discovered enemies of the Zhodani, he will gladly do so. I am glad to know that the Lieu-tenant was NOT implyin' that we would be ordered to aid the enemy in violation of the Imperial Code of Military Justice. Sir!" |