GM: If it's acceptable, we can simply say that Peter and Insecki hammer out some details about the truce, including some details about sharing of information. Obviously there will be no sharing of strategic information not related to the situation at hand.
PETER (OOC): I'm fine with that. And frankly, given what Insecki has revealed, this is a huge potential threat to the Imperium that they are likely to be completely unaware of. Getting out of the system to warn the Imperium appears to be our prime goal. If we have to work with the Zho to do that, I think that would be justified.
INSECKI: After the details of the truce have been hammered out, Baron Insecki says, "As I said before, we do have some strategic and tactical information regarding our new enemy. But first a little background information. Located deep in the Oort Cloud surrounding the Thengo system is what astronomers commonly refer to as an anomaly - a term they use for something they don't fully understand. And while scientists don't like to use the term wormhole, that's what I would call it. Such things have been known to exist for centuries though scientists have not made a lot of progress on understanding exactly what causes them and how to replicate or control them. Ships that attempt to transit a wormhole generally do not survive or, if they do, they are never heard from again."
INSECKI: "And again, I am taking gigabytes of scientific babblespeak and paraphrasing when I say that this particular wormhole was sealed such that ships couldn't even try to enter it."
PETER: "Sealed by whom? Or by what? Was this something Zhodani scientists did? Or is it something left over from a past age? Another mystery of the Ancients?"
INSECKI: "We don't know who sealed it. The seal predates the Zhodani Consulate's occupation of Thengo."
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INSECKI: "Several weeks ago, something happened that killed all channels of communication out of the Thengo system. This included not only mental communications but even antiquated communications systems such as radio and FTL communicators. Such communications systems still functioned within the system but no signals could penetrate beyond this solar system. We believe that whatever caused the outage was related to the anomaly as scientists detected minute differences in some of the parameters of the wormhole. I believe that what they were detecting was the removal of the seal and maybe even some gravitic disturbances related to mass passing through the wormhole. In other words something came through the wormhole. In retrospect, of course, it's certain that it was the Maginites coming through on ships that were able to transit the wormhole without being destroyed."
PETER: "So you're saying that the system is sealed? Even FTL communicators can't get out? What about jump drives? Do you have any indication as to whether jump drives are functional? I have to imagine that you tried to sent out a courrier or an Xboat - or whatever appropriate ship you had - to call for reinforcements in the early hours of the invasion. And I also have to imagine that in such circumstances it went right away, not bothering to head for the jump point. Do you have any information as to whether any such ships got out of the Thengo system? I understand that you wouldn't know if they misjumped or otherwise failed to complete the jump after they left. But you'd certainly be aware if their jump drives failed to work or failed catastrophically upon activation. I ask because it's clear that a high priority for both of us is to get out-system to warn our respective governments. And if jump drives don't work, that's going to be alot tougher. I wouldn't be concerned, but you said that FTL radio stopped working. That speaks poorly for the functionality of jump drives."
INSECKI: "That question came up during the briefing and we were assured that ships were sent out as soon as the extent of the communications breakdown was known. We have no way of knowing if any of the ships managed to reach Chronor or Gesentown."
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INSECKI: The baron pauses for a moment and then says, "there is no harm in telling you that we had all manner of remote sensors watching the anomaly but all of the close ones were destroyed at the same time that other communications systems failed. More distant sensors are what were used to learn what little we did."
INSECKI: "It took the Maginite fleet only three weeks to transit the distance from the Oort Cloud to Thengo Prime. I myself did not learn about the threat until the night of the attack when I and all of the other senior officers and nobles received a briefing about the pending attack. At the time, the military leadership believed that we were well-prepared for their attack but what they did not know about was the Psychic Bombs. These weapons proved devastating to the leadership of the military, killing most of the nobles while leaving those intendants and proles without mental powers completely unaffected. Being without mental powers myself, I was unaffected."
PETER: "I don't mean to pry, but what was the basis for your provisional baronetcy? I ask as much to try and figure out how effective the Maginites have been in eliminating the Zhodani nobility. Is it likely that there are other nobles, provisional or otherwise, without mental abilities who might still be alive?"
INSECKI: "It's possible that other Zhodani nobles survived the Psychic Bombs but I don't know this to be fact. The basis of nobility is my apparent immunity to all mental effects."
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INSECKI: "I won't go into all of the details about the night of the battle as you obviously are aware that we lost and the Maginites are now in control of Thengo Prime. Our biggest success that night was to capture a Maginite and interrogate him. In fact, several were captured but they blew themselves up, together with a number of my men, with their devastating suicide attack. One captive was unable to activate his suicide attack and he was removed from his armor intact."
PETER: "Do you know how they activate their suicide devices? It might be a help if we knew how so that we could try and prevent it in the future. Were you able to keep the armor and analyze it?"
INSECKI: "Time was pressing on us but we did learn that they can trigger the explosion whenever they wish with from within the suit. In the short time that we had to look at the suit, we learned that it had millimeter wave sensors as well as an 'idiot light' to detect the presence of a mental attack. The suits are armed with small Neutron Cannons. They also have a portable and reusable version of the Psychic Bomb effect that they presumably trigger whenever the mental detector idiot light goes off."
PETER: "So the psychic bombs are repeatable. That's important to know. Any indication as to whether they had psychic shields that activate when the mental detector goes off? And the sensor package is nice to know about. It may turn out to be useful to us."
PETER (OOC): Millimeter wave sensors sound suspiciously like a low wavelength radar. Is that correct?
GM: Yes, it would be a form of radar.
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INSECKI: "Interrogation was extremely difficult as the Maginites prefer to kill themselves rather than be captured. Nevertheless I extracted some bits of information:
1. The Maginites are predominantely male. Females are rare in their society and are thus treasured and protected and their company is reserved for the elite of their race. I can only begin to imagine the feelings and thought processes of the invading Maginites when they encountered the females of our race that were, as far as they were concerned, theirs for the taking.
2. The Maginites are a very warlike race shaped by the geopolitical realities of their homeworld. I believe this accounts for their brutality. To them, capture results in a fate worse than death so it is better to fight and die than to be captured.
3. The Maginites are what they call themselves. They appear mostly human but with genetic differences caused by the influence of their home world.
4. The homeworld of the Maginites is located in what the Imperium refers to as the Lesser Magellenic Cloud. (Note that Maginite translates directly such that if, for example, the Lesser Magellenic Cloud was called Ickle in Zhdant, then the name of the race would come across as the Icklites.)
5. The Maginites came specifically to Thengo Prime for a purpose. However it was at this point that the captured Maginite died and thus nothing more was learned.
PETER: As Baron Insecki speaks Peter does not fail to notice the pronoun used when speaking of the interrogation of the captured Maginite. Clearly there is more to the baron than meets the eye. But he says nothing and simply takes in what the baron says. After he finishes, Peter adds his own observations.
PETER: "As I expected, we have less information than you do about the Maginites. But this is what we have learned:
1. They have the starport locked down top and bottom. In particular, they employ burrowing devices to monitor the area beneath the starport.
2. They seem uncomfortable around Vargr. It's only a guess, but I wonder if they have non-human sophonts in the areas of space they've employed. Or it may be that they've had a bad experience with Vargr or other non-humans. Regardless, it's good to know.
3. Either they or their armor give them significant advanced sensory input. And not just IR vision or night vision. It's something advanced. Perhaps an analysis of a suit of their armor would reveal more.
Peter pauses for a moment before continuing.
4. They seem to have a strong resistance to mental attacks. Whether this is also due to their armor or natural to them is unknown.
5. Their psychic bombs are not unstoppable. Certain mental techniques can be used to resist them.
PETER (OOC): I'm not deliberately leaving anything out that we've learned of the Maginites. If there is a glaring omission or error, it's probably because I, as a player, forgot or misremembered.
PETER: "We also observed what had to be some very powerful nobles who kept up the fight against the Maginites after the initial attack. Clearly they were able to resist the psychic bombs, though I doubt they held out long against conventional attacks. Are you aware of any that didn't go down fighting? A powerful psychic, able to control the invaders' minds or aid in an interrogation, would be a great help."
INSECKI: "I don't know that any of the senior nobles survived the invasion."
ROCK: Rock listened carefully to the new information and seemed unsure what to make of it. "Sir, what should we do next? It seems getting a ship and flying off here would be a huge feat with Maginites so interested in Thengo Prime." Rock wondered what they could be after on the planet and if they should hinder them or just lay low.
PETER: "Well, first we need to learn more about the Maginites. Then we need to figure out just how hard it would be to get out of the Thengo system. If it's impossible or foolhardy, then we do need to figure out how best to lie low. But if it is possible to get away, it's our duty to get word of the Maginites to the Imperium. For all we know, this is a beachhead for a full-blown invasion.And with all communication sources cut, we may be the Imperiums only eyes and ears here. Even if the system is under total lockdown, it can't stay that way forever. And when it does open up, we'll need to pass on our reports to the Imperium as quickly as possible spo they can better respond to any threat the Maginites pose."
TECH: Just curious as to whether he sets off any "intelligence officer" alarms for Peter. Does he look, sound, or act in a way that makes Peter think he's an intel officer in the Zho military? PS: Intelligence Officer (13-) [rolled 11]
GM: You're not certain. He may be an intelligence officer or he may be a field officer and the interrogation that he conducted was a matter of situational necessity.
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INSECKI: "I am also in a quandry as to how to proceed. I would like to think that one or more of the ships that departed for Chronor and Gesentown successfully reached their destination and that even now the Consulate is preparing a counterattack. However, I got the distinct impression from the briefing that the senior nobles did not believe that any of the ships got through. They did not say this but I believe it to be true. I concur that the threat of the Maginites transcends the differences between the Imperium and the Consulate. It is quite possible that they have already recognized the threat and are currently engaged in putting aside differences to address this new threat. While Thengo is in the Consulate, it is no more than a few parsecs from Imperial space. In fact Thengo is a short jump from Rio which, while technically neutral, has a strong alliance with the Imperium."
PETER: "I share your hopes," Peter adds quietly. "But I also share your concerns. I'm particualrly worried that with the communications blackout, our respective governments are blaming each other for what's happened. You must admit that, absent proof of the Maginites, activity by the Imperium or the Consulate is a better explanation for what's happened than blaming things on invaders from another galaxy who've arrived through a wormhole - which modern science says can't be used in that way." He sighs and continues. "I don't know if your rules are different than our, but in your situation I'd want to assume the worst and act accordingly. If you're wrong, little harm done. But if you're right, then our efforts could be invaluable in opposing this extra-galactic invasion."
PETER: "I have every confidence that once either of our governments learns the truth about what's happening on Thengo, they'll want to contact the other to coordinate a response. That's one reason I agreed to cooperate - it doubles our chance of success. For my part I'm convinced that even if I and my men fail to get word to the Imperium, if you get word to the Consulate, they'll quickly inform the Imperium.
INSECKI: The baron pauses again as he again weighs the information that he is contemplating sharing with the imperial noble and lieutenant. After a short time he decides to wait for now, and instead asks, "is it your intention to remain in the vicinity of Perelane while you gather information? The area around Perelane and the other cities of Thengo is becoming more dangerous by the minute as the Maginites extend their patrols. The existence of the burrowing sentries is disturbing as we have no means of detecting them. It's uncomfortable to think that we could be attacked from below without warning. It is my intention to put much distance between ourselves and the Maginites."
GM: It seems clear to Peter that the baron has a specific destination in mind that he has not mentioned yet.
PETER: "To be honest," Peter says with a troubled look on his face, "the information you've just given us tosses most of our plans out the airlock. We'd intended to try and steal a ship to get off-planet and out-system, but based on your information it looks like that may not be a viable option - at least in the short term. We'd planned on staying near Perelane since that's where the spaceport is, but now I'm not so sure that's a good idea. If you have a better long-term base of operations in mind, we'd be glad of the chance to join you. We're few enough that keeping on constant alert would drain our energy pretty quickly. But I assure you," he adds, "we can pull our own weight. Among other things, we can detect the burrowers, and," he pauses for a moment. "And we have certain psychic assets that might prove useful to you. Under the terms of our agreement if you allow us to accompany you, we're willing to assist as best we can in defending against the Maginites. My men would remain under my command, but I assure you we'd be responsive to any requests for help. And under the terms of the truce, we won't abuse our position to gain military advantage against the Consulate."
MACK: Mack is carefully cleaning his weapon and watching out for trouble. He's not really listening to the conversation.
ERICT: Erict looks appropriately concerned as tales of the Majinites and where they come from are told, but doesn't comment because he has nothing to add to the conversation. He does get a strange look when talk turns to the suicide bombs built into the armor, alternating between shock and something else.
MACK: One more thing. As Mack is the only non-com who speaks both Imperial and Zhdant, he's trying to keep the civilians, soldiers and Shooter, et al. informed of what the zho need. So, if Peter needs to talk to the Capt., do it and don't worry.
GM: As an FYI, the conversation between Peter and Insecki is being conducted entirely in Imperial.
PETER (OOC): Well, at least the only one on our side, and the only one we know of. It's certainly possible that one of the Zho speaks Imperial and just hasn't let on yet. But you're right. For the time being Mack is the designated interpreter. for hte non-coms and civilians. (May God have mercy on our souls.). As for Peter and Insecki, I figured they were going between Zdant and Imperial to give everyone a general sense of what's going on. By the way, how good is Insecki's Imperial. I seem to recall it's fluent but accented (i.e., 3 points). Is that right? Peter speaks without an accent, but hasn't let on that he can imitate accents.
INSECKI: The baron nods to Peter and says, "Our plan is to head down to the southern continent. We have some information that an emergency command center was constructed there sometime during what you refer to as the Fourth Frontier War though we have no information about whether it is still there or whether it was kept supplied. I am fairly certain that it was built but that is about it. It may have been abandoned sometime after it was built and, when we get there, we may find nothing of consequence. On the other hand, we may find a fully stocked military base, complete with advanced sensors. Unfortunately our information on the location of this base is not specific enough to easily find it. However Cartographer of the Second, Caerlina does have specific information on the location of an emergency shelter that was built on the southern continent during the Third Frontier War approximately 120 years ago. We have reason to believe that this shelter is intact was kept supplied."
INSECKI: "Are you familiar with the history of Thengo and why the southern continent is uninhabited?" Peter indicates that he is not and so the baron continues, "Long before Thengo was settled by the Zhodani it was inhabited by another race of humans who lived mostly on the southern continent. This race prospered and grew but then suffered a devasting nuclear war which ultimately killed everyone on the planet. This undoubtedly happened thousands of years ago but even now there are still many hot spots on the southern continent that make it a very dangerous place to live or travel. Nuclear radiation is still a very real danger.
PETER: "That makes me wonder whether the previous inhabitants had anything to do with the wormhole or the reason the Maginites attacked. Do you have any significant information on the people who lived here?"
INSECKI: However, Caerlina has maps that should get us to the emergency shelter while bypassing areas of high radiation danger. In any event, we have detectors with us just in case. The shelter is approximately 2500 kilometers away across one of two land bridges that connect the northern and southern continents of Thengo. There is also a third way across a series of small islands that form a chain that stretches across the small ocean that spans the area between the two land bridges. Since we do not have boats, our plan is to travel there by one of the land bridges. Our hope, of course, is that the invaders are not aware of either the shelters or the command center. We've done some hard thinking on this and concluded that the odds are good that they are unaware. Nevertheless, the journey itself will prove a large challenge. We will need to forage and hunt for food on the way."
PETER: "There we can help you. Some of us have been hiding out in the wilds of Thengo for the past six months. So we have some skill in foraging and an awareness of what Thego has to offer in the way of native food. We also have a supply cache with some camping equipment, packaged food, and medical supplies. As for personnel assets, in our squad we have a medic and several good scouts. We can also dig underground, as you saw, making it much easier to make a secure camp. And while I don't know the geography of the south of Thengo, I'm trained in orienteering so I should be able to help Caerlina with the maps."
INSECKI: "If we make it to the shelter, then we can rest and contemplate our next move, which is to find the command center itself. If we can find the command center, and it is intact, then we should be able to passively monitor some of the activities of the invaders and perhaps eventually discover a way to thwart their plans and escape from Thengo to warn our respective governments."
PETER: "Well, since it looks like we have little chance of stealing a ship, and even less of a chance of getting that ship out-system, we need some place to hide out for a while. And from what we've seen in just the last few days, Perelane is going to get very hot, very quickly. A secure base where we can safely rest and make plans on our timetable, not theirs, would be a godsend. We'll be glad to travel with you"
PETER: Then, turning very businesslike he continues. We can have Rock here," he gestures at the large corporal, "set up an underground staging point for our departure. Then we can gather our supplies and perhaps some more, if that's possible under the watchful eye of the Maginites. Any advice as to where we might find useful equipment would be helpful. I don't know what your plans were, but we've found that the confusion of the invasion has been a great opportunity for gathering supplies. We've about tapped out our current resources, but if you're aware of the location of some supply dumps not generally know, we could hit those right away. We can approach them underground, grab what we need, and then retreat the same way. It's not risk-free, but with our recon assets and tunnelling ability, if the equipment is avaluable enough, the risk may be acceptable.
PETER: "It's a generally sound plan - that's how we got most of our current equipment. In fact, if you need it, we could probably get some more consumer-quality equimpment - tents, sleeping bags, flashlights, and the like, But if you know somewhere that has weapons, ammunition, Biocort, anti-rad drugs, field gear, military rations, or anything else we might need, this is our opportunity to get it. A grav sled to hold supplies would be ideal, though that may be asking for a lot. Before long I don't doubt that the Maginites will uncover most every base or supply cache you have in and around Perelane. But right now, with our ability to burrow up from below, we might just be able to safely top up our supplies."
PETER: "That having been said," Peter concludes, "you have better intelligence about the movements of the Maginites than we do. If you think Perelane is already too hot, then we can leave now. I'd like to pick up our supplies, but even that's not necessary if the risk is too great. There will be opportunities to get supplies in the civilized areas surrounding Perelane, though likely not the same selection."
ROCK: Rock feels pretty good about this new direction. He happily assists with any task he's given. Additionally, he begins to adjust his heavy assault rifle to make it more effective against the Maginites. He offers this service to anyone else who needs it. As he's the resident weaponsmith he has good knowledge of firearms and energy weapons.
ERICT: Erict welcomes Rock's advice as to how to tune his laser rifle to be more effective against the Maginites. It already has quite a few settings, we may just need to figure out which one works best.
ERICT: After the 3 routes to the southern continent are mentioned he speaks up briefly, "With Rock's tunneling ability we might actually be better off trying to cross using that island chain because the genocidal nature of these invaders would suggest that they would definitely be monitoring both land bridges pretty carefully to cut off the enemy's retreat. Strategically a natural bottleneck like that would be a priority, especially if trying to prevent people from simply escaping
he dragnet. A simple set of automated sentries at each land bridge to watch for walking refugees and give some advance warning, then a squad or two to ambush them somewhere in the middle of the land bridge where the mobility is most limited would cut the refugees to ribbons," he finishes with an almost grief-stricken tone.
ROCK: "Do we know how deep the ocean is where the island chain is? I've never tunneled much under deep water, especially oceans. My first concern would be that I'd accidentally cause a leak into the tunnel and flood us all."
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MACK: Mack wanders over to Erict and Rock from the Zhodani, who have calmed down by now. He's preoccupied with something as he interrupts, "Hey Erict, may need you ta do some diag-nostics a little later. Thank ya' can do that on animals? Got somethin' I wanna try. Experimental. But it can wait until Cap'n's done talkin' ta the zulu baron."
ERICT: Erict looks back a little confused, "Animals? I'm not a vet, but I guess if they're at least mammals I can understand the basic systems of their physiology. You may have me confused with a doctor, I haven't been to med school, only highly extensive paramedic and combat medic training. The only reason I might hope to help an injured animal is because of my mutant senses and power. What kind of diagnostics?" Erict looks a little dubious, if not outright suspicious...
MACK: Distractedly, Mack answers, "Hmm. Help? I'm hopin' we need ta find the cause a death. Mebee not. Only one way ta find out. I'll talk ta Shooter an see what we can work out." He walks away mumbling to himself about apogee and translation.
MACK: Mack strolls over to Shooter. He's deep in thought over something. "Hey, Shooter. Got a sec'? I may have a way ta get through them Mag's hard shell, but I'll need ta arrange a test ta see what it does. I was thinkin' a usin' a critter an' then have Erict take a look see at it ta figger out what, if anything, I'm doin'."
SHOOTER: Shooter, who is up in a tree keeping watch, nods and replies, "Just run your idea by the lieutenant before you do anything."
MACK: "Yeah, as soon as he's done with his palaver, I'll tug his ear. We'll need to find a test bed for a round I got an idea for. We'll see how it works."
PETER: After he has finished initial negotiations with Captain Insecki, Peter seeks out Mack. "Shooter tells me you had an idea to fight the Maginites. What do you have in mind?"
MACK: "Well. Ya know how I can bring a shell in on target. I gave it some thought. Right now, when it gets to a certain point, I let loose and it falls just like a real shell. Then it explodes. I was thinkin' that if I held the shell in, it would fall through the armor. Problem is, without doin' a test, all I got is a theory. Could be that when I do the release, it fizzles. Or it could be that passes right through the armor and hits the body direct like.
MACK: "Now, if you could talk Yed inta gettin us some large game, alive large game, that is, then I thank I could run a decent test." |