The team moves out, heading southeast. Once they have put some distance between themselves and Perelane, they surface and continue overland for a time, changing direction to head due east. The team does not find a suitable location for a more permanent headquarters that day, so the simply find a place to spend the night. By this time, it is very late.
Peter's plan was to set up some caches on the outskirts of the city so the team selects suitable items for such a cache and heads back towards the city, staying mostly underground. They find a place about a kilometer from the city that meets the requirements suggested by Erict and Rock gets to work. A short time later, he is finished and the items are suitably hidden.
The team returns to the tunnels and heads east and south, keeping well clear of the spaceport. As they are making their way south, Mack spots a group of 13 zho refugees to the north about 100 meters away. They are keeping to the cover of the heavy brush and trees to avoid the patrolling aerospace fighters. Four are men, of which two are wearing the uniforms of zho enlisted men and carrying assault rifles. Five others are adult women and the remaining four are children, the youngest is a boy of about two years of age being carried by one of the men.
Just as Mack and Rock notice this, they also see a patrol of 10 invaders directly ahead of the refugees. The invaders were obviously aware of the refugees and had set up an ambush, which the refugess have just blindly blundered into. As Mack and Rock notice this, the invaders rise up out of the tall, thick grasses and open fire (or will on their DEX).
GM: The tunnel is about 4" below the surface. It is about 2 in the afternoon. Map to follow shortly. The terrain is completely covered by tall grasses at this point with very few trees. The refugees look like they were heading towards some thicker vegetation, but got caught here in the open. Let me know if you want to do anything.
ROCK: Rock will report on what he sees. Though very subtle, he seems uncomfortable with the situation. He waits to see what Peter and the others have to say.
MARKO: "Lt. Your call, but I think that any mil-standard document would allow for the prevention of wholesale extermination. I'm for helping, but we need a plan and quick."
PETER: "Right," he says, stiffening up, "I don't care who they are, they're not murdering women and children while we sit and watch. First things first, let's stop the ambush. Mack, I want artillery about 30 yards behind the invaders right now - on the opposite side of the refugees. Not close enough to hurt them yet, but to distract them and warn the refugees. I want them to feel the edge of the blast. That should disrupt the ambush."
PETER: For the rest, we need to get to the surface. Rock, get us up there now - preferably behind cover. I want a word with the invaders as soon as they get over the shock of the artillery. I'll use an illusory imperial officer to do the talking. We'll give them a chance to stand down, but if they won't we'll have to do this the hard way. If shooting starts, Erict, I want you to get as many of the zho out of the line of fire as you can. Mack, fire at will to injure or incapacitate the invaders. Cal, engage as you see fit, but make sure Mack knows where you'll be. Marko, Shooter, and I will try and give cover from a distance. Rock, if you can form an earthen shield to protect the refugees that would be best, if not, use your abilities to best effect to stop the invaders."
PHASE 12
MACK: Mack nods, looks up, and in a stage whisper, says, "Shot!"
TECH: This is for segment 12, when I Fire /BANG!/ with Special Effect of Electricity. In order to get the invaders at the edge of the attack, I have to drop it 20 yards (let's just call it 10") behind the invaders, on ground level. It has one segment of delayed effect. 10 END.
Activation, 14- [rolled 8] (if this fails, forget the rest)
To hit hex, OCV/DCV 5, [rolled 9]
If I miss, it drifts in this direction, 1d6 [rolled 6 - Total: 6, Body: 2]
Damage, 5d6 v ED explosion, -1 DC/2", Electricity [rolled 1 2 1 4 6 - Total: 14, Body: 4] Knockback 2d6, [rolled 7]
If the Activation roll fails, you'll get a "Dud!" call.
BODY: 13/13 STUN: 27/27 END: 16/26
GM: Since this is phase 12, that means that it will go off on phase 1.
MARKO: when the explosion hits, "Let's get to the surface and lay down some cover fire then."
PETER: "If we want to play this strictly according to the letter of the law," he says giving a glance at Mack, "we need to give the invaders a chance to surrender. I intend to do this by an illusion far away from where we emerge. When the invaders open fire on the illusion," there is no doubt in his voice, "that's your signal to attack. With luck the combination of artillery and illusion will divert their attention from where we are."
PETER: "Addendum to orders: If at any time they open fire on the civilians, you also have permission to fire."
MACK: "Sir, the Emper'r already gave those orders back in Basic." Mack is watching the invaders for their next move.
ROCK: Rock will tunnel up where Peter would like the group to emerge, behind some cover, if possible. Rock will also suggest he can tunnel to where the civilians are and pull them underground.
GM: You have 3" of tunneling with 4x NC so you moved a total of 6 meters this phase. You can double to 6" next phase and 12" the following phase. I will assume you angled up and are currently only 3" below the surface.
ROCK: Steve, I'd like to have Rock go 2" up and 2" to the side (towards tree) this turn. That way next action I can surface with another 2"climb (costing me 4") along with 2" towards the tree. After leaving a 1" opening he would then dive for 2" down (free with lateral movement) and 5" towards the Zho. This way Shooter can get up to the surface after Rock's next action and if any one else wanted to follow me back down they could do so. Rock could also repeat this maneuver next time creating another opening for someone to come out and engage, if they wished. The downside, of course, is that it offers more points of entry to defend.
PETER: "Excellent. Do what you think best to protect the civilians and the platoon. Also, when he breaks surface I'll need a couple of you to give me a boost up through the hole. I need to concentrate on the illusion I'll use against the invaders."
ROCK: "Aye, sir." Rock then starts climbing upward as he tunnels towards the battle.
PETER (OOC): My illusion takes a full phase to use. If I get boosted up I won't have to waste a whole phase moving.
SHOOTER: "Rock, I can hit them from here just as easily as from closer," Shooter says in his typical level-headed manner. "The sooner you can get me to the surface, the sooner I can engage them." (TECH: +8 vs. Range Modifier with Sniper Rifle)
MACK: That would be fine with Mack. He doesn't need to be in the open, so he can fire from the tunnel and direct refugees back into safety. If any bronze things try to come down, he'll open fire with his SMG. If you bottleneck all the tunnels at one point, that's where Mack can wait.
PETER: If it's going to take Rock a full phase to tunnel to where we need to get out then Peter will take a phase to create a personal illusion. If not, he'll go with the plan as stated.
MACK: Mack grins, "Yeah, an' I can't say I mind shootin' from right here. I'll join y'all if it becomes melee. Otherwise send the refugees and POW's down here and we'll hav'ta figger what we can do from there, s'pose."
ERICT: Erict moves up with the group, holding an action (or half an action if he can't hold an entire one), so that when the hole is opened he can run up and crawl out prone, under the cover of the tall grass. Since he cannot teleport unless the intervening space is clear, he can't teleport out into the open from inside the tunnel.
MARKO: "I'll need line of sight to the invaders, but once we get top-side I'll do what I can to disable them." In the mean-time he releases the safety on his Fichetti Security 500 and gets ready for battle. OOC: I'll need some help with the use of powers. I'm pretty sure that Mind Flash and Mind Blast are my offensive powers but I'm not sure how to use them.
Heads whip around, both zho and invader, as the stereotypical sound of incoming artillery sounds from behind the invaders. All of the civilians hit the ground. Three of the invaders hit the ground, while three others hold their actions. The remaining two invaders fire their neutron cannons at the civilians.
Invader 1: OCV 8/DCV 6, needs 14- [rolled 11], damage 12d6 [rolled 2 4 5 4 5 3 3 5 1 2 2 2 - Total: 38, Body: 11], knb [rolled 4]
Invader 2: OCV 8/DCV 6, needs 14- [rolled 10], damage 12d6 [rolled 1 4 4 6 1 3 3 4 3 2 5 1 - Total: 37, Body: 10], knb [rolled 4]
POST PHASE 12 RECOVERY |