5 PARSECS FROM HOME CAMPAIGN TURN 5 : K'LADAN

CAMPAIGN TURN 5

Doing odd jobs for the locals isn’t really cutting it any longer. It’s time to start getting in with the power brokers of Fringe Space.

You see the grins on the crew's faces as you hand out their pay... and you know your admonishment to 'don't spend it all at once' as they leave the ship will be ignored by everyone. The term YOLO is older than the first starship but it's no less true today as it was in the days of Methuselah.

Callista proves her worth by coming back with a job. Ostensibly it's from a private organisation, but behind the front is... the sector government! 

Do you want the job, and the potential of coming to the attention of The Powers That Be... or should you keep on lying low?

In the end, the potential of getting better paying jobs proves irresistable and you take the job.

The crew goes about the myriad quotidian tasks that make up life on a small ship like the Straight Arrow. You get some precious medical supplies while Cassie brings back some even more precious frakk grenades.

Since Callista will be in the thick of battle in order to use her powers, you decide to let her have the battle armour that Korg repaired.

Korg returns and tells you he's sniffed out a potential job... but it involves some contraband. You decide it's probably not a good idea to have contraband in your back pocket while you're dealing with the sector government. You nix the idea.

Janus comes back... with nothing. He tells you he's met some contacts but nothing concrete has developed yet.

Cassie sidles up to you. She hasn't managed to offload the debris in the hold yet, but whispers that the rumours about the mercs are true. You don't bother to hide your groans. What mercs? 

What mercs?! The Blood Storm mercs that are not only in this very sector but are actually here, on K'ladan! What is more, they are confirmed to be after their previous employer, none other than Ventho & Samid, erstwhile traders and organ smugglers. It seems the merc's last job involved protecting a cargo of infant fetuses for Ventho & Samid! The Blood Storm are cold and heartless and only speak one language: money. But there are some things even that gang of otherwise hard bitten fighters will not touch. 

You are intrigued and the news that Ventho & Samid are actually involved in organ smuggling brings back some... painful memories. You decide to look into it, but AFTER you finish off the current job.

You gather the crew and head out.

Along the way, Callista updates you with the latest sitrep: a bunch of hulker gangers have been paid of the loot a secure government facility in the warehouse district. You don't know what the loot is and you don't care. Never poke into the affairs of your employers is your motto. You need to secure the building and prevent the gangers from entering. If they do, kick them out!

The hulkers will be vicious if they ever get close enough to fight toe to toe with you... but otherwise, they will not be thinking tactically, as the word "tactics" isn't even in their vocab. "Hulkers smash!" seems to be the only tactic they know.

As you near the government facility, you hear loud noises coming from... somewhere. It must be the hulker gang! They are so hyped up on juice and X that you are able to slip closer to them and even get Scrapper on to a secure high building with none the wiser.

BATTLE TURN 1

Janus and Cassie head off to the left flank. 'Doc' and the rest of the crew make for the facility, always keeping in cover when possible.

Scrapper remains up high in her sniper location.

The PEF's (Possible enemy Forces) move. PEF(3) moves cautiously, keeping in cover. No one has LOS to it.

PEF(1) doesn't activate.

PEF(2) moves out of cover and within LOS of Cassie. It turns out to be ... a case of nerves. There's nothing there.

BATTLE TURN 2

'Doc's group moves closer to PEF(3). 

PEF(3) also moves closer but remains out of LOS.

Over on the right, PEF(1) moves out of cover and into Cassie and Janus' LOS... and it's the real thing: 7 hulker gangers!

Both sides are surprised but Janus shoots first, downing one.

The hulkers are tough foes and don't scatter, but they do move into cover, trying to get a good shot at the crew. 

Scrapper moves over to get LOS of the gang but misses as moving and shooting her weapon gives her a penalty. 

Janus and Cassie dash back into cover.

BATTLE TURN 3

'Doc's group moves first, getting into cover of the facility. Korg splits off, attempting to flank the hulker gang. He just makes it into cover but can't shoot.

The hulkers remain in cover.

Scrapper shots at the hulker specialist and misses.

Still keeping to cover, Janus moves out, intending to shoot at the hulkers. But they react first, and the specialist takes a shot a Janus with a clingfire pistol. The shot hits but doesn't do damage. Despite his experience, Janus has to run back in mild panic as a reaction to the clingfire pistol. That's a nasty weapon!

After that exchange, Cassie moves out and shoots down the hulker specialist. 

BATTLE TURN 4

Korg peeks around the corner of a container and surprises 2 hulkers. He splits fire and shoots at the first. Hits the hulker but doesn't damage him. It does send the hulker ducking back for cover though... right into LOS of Cassie who reacts quickly and shoots down the fleeing hulker!

Korg's second salvo kills the other hulker. Definitely dead.

Cassie and Janus move into more advantageous positons, remaining in cover all this while.

Doc and Callista manage to make it to the corner of the facility building.

Scrapper holds her fire as there's no enemy in sight.

There are 3 hulkers left. The leader tries to take a shot at Cassie while still remaining in cover, but Cassie shoots first and kills the leader. Definitely dead!

Seeing that, the 2 remaining hulkers wake up at last from the fog of juice and X clouding their brains and withdraw from the field of battle.

The Straight Arrows hold the field!

AFTERMATH

The hulker gang is one of many on K'ladan so it's purely business for them. Nothing personal.

You scavenge the field of battle. Scrapper gets some additional debris. You groan. All that debris is taking up space in the ship. You growl that she'd better manage to sell them off... quickly!

All is not lost though as the crew come back with 3 frakk grenades and a water purifier. That's not too bad, once you add in the pay from your patron: 4c. The sector government says they will keep in touch with you.

You decide to splurge and pick up something useful: a jump belt. You decide to pass it to Korg, as his rattle gun's firepower will prove decisive if applied in the right place at the right time.

Cassie comes to you with two juicy rumours...

The swindler Markession and his gang of pirates are masquerading as customs officials out on the Belt surrounding K'ladan. 

Fravarti, a wealthy trader, is hawking the sublime miracle of resurrection on Holo-shows. The church of Fedafuce (a sector-wide religion) accepts payments via any method... online, actual credits, virtual... all the while praising the virtues of advance payments for the eventual day when you really need that 'raise the dead' miracle. 

You snort. Even with cryo-stasis and med-bots... even in the Unity core worlds... dead is dead. Especially with a blaster shot through your brains or heart. 

But still... these rumours, coming on top of the earlier ones, have you piqued. Do these two rumours have anything to do with Ventho & Samid? You decide you will definitely look into it. 

But where to start?

* * * Encrypted Burst Transmission * * *

* * * Identity Agent Double-One-Eight * * *

* * * UNITY SecFor POI Report, Circinus Sector * * *

Name : 'Doc'

Race: Human 

Planet of Origin : Research Station in Cosmos Redshift Sector?

The leader of the group under observation is 'Doc', so called because her motto is: "There's no problem an auto rifle can't 'cure'."

She was born on a research station somewhere in the Cosmos Redshift Sector.

She was framed for an unspecified crime when in reality, she was the victim. All this is according to hints dropped from the subject.

Request database search for more info.

Ref: DNA samples attached.

* * * END TRANSMISSION * * *