STARCRAFT: Chau Sara Chapter 1 cont.

>>1814464
B) continue observing the activated device

>>1793368
Old thread.

>>1814508
Roll d20 for a Will check against Draven's score of 16... and a roll another d20 for an Intelligence check against Draven's score of 12.

Rolled 8, 3 = 11 (2d20)

>>1814616

Draven returns his gaze to the metal crate and re-examines the workings of the device very closely. He detects a psionic draw emanating from his person, somehow feeding his energy into the device… and amplifying it. “This device is using my energies,” Draven says to himself. “…But why?”
“Say what now?” Vanishe snorts, raising the visor of his helmet. “Look, let’s just call in the drop and go home. They weren’t kidding when they said this was a milk run. I haven’t been this bored since basic.”
“From the looks of this thing and its odd activation protocol,” Draven pontificates to the two marines, “I’d say it has something to do with amplifying psionic energies—that’s brain magic for you barbarians.”
“Brain magic... what the hell?” Wiker asks. “Why would the Confederacy want to amplify some brain signal?”
“Who cares?” Vanishe says loudly. “That’s their business. Let’s just get the hell out of here.”
Wiker quickly snatches the communication relay from Draven’s hand. “Here, let me see that!” He taps the speaker and then speaks into it. “This is Private Wiker requested evac from northeast landing zone. Package delivered. Mission accomplished. Can we go home now?”
The communication relay remains silent. There is no radio static, no sign of function at all.
“Hello? This is northeast squad, over. ... Come in, over. ... Requesting immediate evac. Please respond. .... Anyone out there?”
Vanishe marches over to Wiker and looks at him hard. “Don’t you know how to work that damn thing?”
Wiker slowly looks up at Vanishe and then to Draven. “The line is dead.”

A) snatch the comm unit back from Wiker and put him in his place by saying: _____
B) conclude that the activated device is interfering with your comm unit; disable it or destroy it
C) start marching back to the landing zone
D) stay put and watch and see what happens
E) another action

>>1814759
B) conclude that the activated device is interfering with your comm unit; disable it.
Don't destroy it for now.

Draven looks hard at the device once more. “We may have some interference going on here,” he says. He slings his rifle and takes a knee next to the metal crate. Draven looks around the container and examines the multitude of wires and connectors running through both sides of the central components. “Let’s see if I can temporarily disable this damn thing,” he says as he grabs hold of handful of wires and gives them a good yank. With a micro burst of electrical current sizzling through the now dislodged wires, the miniature radar dish suddenly comes to a halt, ceasing its rotation. The sensor lights fade and Draven senses his psionic energies being contained within his cranium.
“Well, that’s one way of doing it,” Vanishe comments.
Wiker resumes pounding the buttons on the communications relay. “We still got nothing, boss. This thing is dead as hell.”
An incoming transmission comes over Draven’s internal comm unit within his helmet. “Specialist Draven, this is Command. We have the lost signal on your package. Report your status, over.”

A) explain to Command your theory of interference and subsequent disabling of the device: _____
B) ignore Command and attempt to hail the dropship
C) lie to Command and plead ignorance of the device's demise
D) express your concern over being left for dead on Chau Sara
E) other action

>>1814972
E) other action
Uhh Command, we are experiencing some technical difficulties. It appears the Device causes interference and feedback on communications and is sensitive to rough handling.....

Or something like that.

>>1814972

Seconding >>1815087

>We are experiencing some technical difficulties. It appears the Device is sensitive to rough handling and causes interference and feedback on communications.

There are cameras nearby?

>>1815594
maybe on the combat suits, but not the recording kind unless you shell out cash for them.

“We are experiencing some technical difficulties down here,” Draven returns. “It appears the device is sensitive to rough handling and causes interference and feedback on communications.”
Wiker raps on the side of his own helmet with his fist. “How come his comm works?” he says to Vanishe. “I got nothing on mine.”
“Yeah, me neither,” Vanishe replies. “How come his comm works and ours don’t?”
“And this thing is still dead too,” Wiker adds while poking at the hand-held transmitter.
“We still don’t have any signal from your package, Specialist Draven. Return to the delivery site and give us a full report on what you find.”

A) attempt to restart the device
B) leave the device as is and report back to Command a bullshit reason why it's broken: ____
C) attempt to hail the dropship to abandon the operation
D) attempt to contact another fire team nearby
E) other action

>>1816565
Pack up the device, drop it on a rock leaving a nice dent, then try and restart the device, reattach the wires. BUT, before powering it back on, call the dropship and then turn it on and hoof it back to pick up.

Draven looks to his marine detail. “Alright, here’s what we’re going to do,” he says. “I want you two to collect that crate. Lift it up and take it over there by those rocks.”
“What the hell for?” Vanishe asks. “Let’s just get out of here.”
“I can’t lift that damn thing by myself,” Draven explains. “You two have the hardskins and I’m giving you an order—so do it.”
The two men begrudgingly comply. They take up the handles of the metal crate once more and walk the device over to the rocks where Draven indicated. “Now what?” Wiker asks.
“Drop it. Right there. Just drop that damn thing right on top of those rocks.”
The marines exchanges glances and then simultaneously release their grips on the metal case. It immediately crashes down and into the rocky surface beneath their feet, denting the bottom portion.
“Okay, now step aside,” Draven says. He kneels down next to the device once more and attempts to reinsert the wires from the small ports that he removed them from.

GM Note: Draven has no repair skill or technical skill of any kind. But he can make a general roll against his regular intelligence. He also needs to be make a dexterity roll. So roll 1d20 twice, with the IN roll first and the DX roll second.

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>1817786
Can't I roll both of the mat the same time?

Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>1817786
2nd one

>>1818077
... whichever works, just so long as we can separate the two.

“Okay, now step aside,” Draven says. He kneels down next to the device once more and attempts to reinsert the wires from the small ports that he removed them from. After successfully identifying and matching up the wire connectors to their respective ports, Draven manages to supply electrical feed back into the device. He smiles to himself as a power indicator light re-illuminates.
Draven stands and takes the communications relay back from Wiker. He activates it and attempts to hail the dropship. “This is Draven and company, requesting immediate evac from northeast landing zone. Do you copy?” There is no response from the relay. No radio static is heard and the typical channel feedback is absent.
“This is some bullshit,” Wiker comments.
Draven gestures for the marine to remain calm. “This is Specialist Draven requesting immediate evac from the northeast landing zone,” he repeats. “Do you copy?”
Another few seconds of silence pass by before Draven receives an incoming transmission on his helmet comm while the hand-held relay remains silent. “This is Command. We are awaiting signal from the package. Do you require tech support, Specialist?”
“I think we’ve identified the problem,” Draven replies back into his helmet comm unit. Stand by.”
“What, now you’re going to turn that thing back on?” Wiker asks. “What the fuck did we smash it all up for?”
“Stand down, marine,” Draven replies. “We’ll be out of here shortly.”
Draven follows the previous protocol of placing the neural crown over his head and toggling on the device. It re-activates without fail and again pushes up the small receiver dish. The disk starts spinning and Draven’s helmet comm unit sounds off once more.
“We have a good signal up here, Specialist. Your package seems to be operating at full capacity. Evac is en route. Proceed to landing zone. Over.”
“Copy that.” Draven tosses the neural crown back inside the crate. “Let’s get the hell out of here, marines. We’ll head back to the LZ and hope somebody comes to pick us up. If not...” Draven’s voice trails off as he starts to quickly march back towards the landing zone through the trees.
“What do you mean, ‘if not’?” Vanishe asks loudly. “I aint staying here, man. No damn way!”
“Pipe down,” Wiker commands. “We just have a dead line. There’s no need to get your panties all in a bundle. They’ll come for us. It’s probably just a downed transmitter... or maybe that little gadget over there is cropping up interference again.”

Your move:
A) continue marching back to the landing zone area on the double
B) carefully navigate through the trees, staying on the lookout for hostiles
C) try to hail the dropship once more after making it a good distance away from the device
D) initiate radio silence, tell the marines to stop talking and stay put, and scout up ahead by yourself
E) alternate action

>>1818235
B) carefully navigate through the trees, staying on the lookout for hostiles

As the fire team travels back to the landing zone, Draven says to the two marines, “Keep your eyes and ears open, we could be hitting some shit soon.”
“What are you talking about?” Vanishe asks. “There’s no hostiles around here.”
“Let’s keep it that way,” Draven replies.
The team navigates another thousand meters or so through the trees and the sound of approaching engines can be heard overhead.
“There we go!” Vanishe says. “It’s about damn time.”
The men look up through the canopy and spot a Confederate dropship flying high. It circles and then rapidly descends well past the tree line, out of sight and out of earshot. “Let’s move,” Wiker says, picking up his stride toward the tree line.
“Stay cautious, marine,” Draven says, ordering the man to slow down. “If there’s anyone else out here, they’ve surely spotted our evac as well. Stay frosty and maintain pace.”
A few tense minutes pass by and the fire team emerges from the grove and into the designated landing zone, finding no dropship waiting for them. Draven looks around, confused.
“What the hell is going on?” Vanishe asks. “Are they lost? They must be lost.”
“This is the LZ,” Wiker says. “They aint lost.”
“Maybe they’re circling around the perimeter.”
“Or maybe that wasn’t our ship,” Wiker says. “There were other teams you know.”
“Those other teams were deployed many miles from here,” Draven points out. “We didn’t have any visual on them coming in so we shouldn’t have any visual on them coming out. Something isn’t right…”

A) continue waiting out in the open of the landing zone, hoping that the pilot sees you
B) return to the tree line and wait for movement or communication from the pilot
C) try to hail the pilot once more and inform him of your coordinates again
D) march past the landing zone and head toward the direction that the dropship was seen descending
E) other action

>>1821084
C) try to hail the pilot once more and inform him of your coordinates again

>>1821456
this

>>1821084
>>1821456
second

Draven activates the comm relay once more. “Command, this is Specialist Draven, northeast squad. We’re at the LZ awaiting evac, over.”
Radio silence.
“Command, this is northeast squad. Do you copy?”
“I guess we could always hoof it to town,” Wiker suggests. “Maybe our relay will work out there.”
“No way,” Vanishe interrupts. “This is the LZ right here. And this is where they’re gonna come to get us.” He looks up to the sky and pans around a bit. “They’ll be coming any minute now. Just sit tight.”
“This just doesn’t make any damn sense,” Wiker pontificates. “There are no hostiles noted here... and they tell us to be on the lookout. We’re supposed to do a milk run and our dropship is delayed. ... No feedback on the relay. Some strange box with a dish gizmo out in the trees... I just don’t get it. Wait a minute... what do we know about the civvies here, Vanishe?”
Vanishe keeps looking up at the sky, his face showing a bit of fear. “I don’t know,” he says off-handedly. “Some rim world... a few rebel uprisings here and there. That’s why we’re here—to keep them in check. Remember?”
“That’s just standard Confederate protocol to maintain order,” Wiker states proudly. “There’s nothing they can’t handle with their suits. But sometimes you need a little muscle to close the deal. There’s nothing wrong with that. The Confederacy has the wellbeing of the people in mind.”
“Yeah, like the same care you give to a hand-me-down T-shirt,” Vanishe snorts.

Your move:
A) continue waiting _____ minutes for the dropship to return to the LZ, and if not, then begin marching to town
B) forget the dropship and re-route to town now
C) return to device and location and destroy it for good
D) continue forward through the other side of the forest in the direction of where the dropship was last seen
E) other action

>>1822683
D) continue forward through the other side of the forest in the direction of where the dropship was last seen

>>1822683
>continue forward through the other side of the forest in the direction of where the dropship was last seen

>>1818235
B) carefully navigate through the trees, staying on the lookout for hostiles

“Let’s get out of the open and see if we can find that dropship,” Draven commands. He orders the men out of the LZ and into the surrounding woods on the other side of the clearing. Draven then leads the fire team another ten minutes or so through the dense trees into a rocky area near the base of a hill. No signs of the dropship are found.
“I don’t think we got left for dead, boss,” Wiker states. “They wouldn’t do that to us. That shit’s unheard of.”
“What if they really did, though?” Vanishe asks. “I mean, you think we can still get out of here right?”
The three men wait in silence, continually scanning the trees and the horizon. A slight breeze rustles the forest foliage causing Vanishe to startle. The minutes tick by and no sign of any Confederate air traffic is detected.
“I can’t believe this shit,” Vanishe blurts out.
“Relax,” Wiker responds. “We can get on the horn back in town and find out what’s going on.”

Your move:
A) continue waiting for the dropship at the present location
B) return to the landing zone and wait there
C) give up on the dropship and head toward town
D) get desperate and contact Command once more, this time with a false observation or claim to elicit a response: ________
E) other action

>>1823525
D) get desperate and contact Command once more, this time with a false observation or claim to elicit a response: ________
Do we have a call sign?
This is Draven to HQ if you can read me, we see 2 vehicles heading towards the last know location of the transmitter, 1 hover bike and another carrying strange equipment. do you copy over?

Repeat this a few times, and make sure we ignore any responses. Tell the marines not to respond, and make sure our signal starts dying out or starts to "sound" like we are being jammed. Then enter complete radio silence, and go back to the device and destroy it by shooting it a few times.

>>1823525
>>1823975
make sure the marines shut off their coms.

>>1823975
Supporting. Only destroy the device though if we can't get a response.

“Deactivate your comms,” Draven says to the marines.
“What—what for?” Vanishe asks.
“Stop questioning my orders, private. Turn off your comms.”
Without saying another word, both men deactivate the comm units inside their helmets. Draven holds the relay close to his face and begins mumbling into the receiver, purposely marbling his voice. “This is northeast squad, Command. Outer third. Do you copy, over? We have visual on two vehicles headed toward the transmitter, one vulture and another carrying strange equipment. Do you copy?” Before any response can be received, Draven repeats his communique several times, holding the receiver further from his mouth each time, mincing his words and skipping syllables. “North… out third… cop… two vehic…. vulture… strange equip… over.”
“…the fuck is he doing?” Wiker asks Vanishe.
“Got me by the left nut,” the other marine responds.
Draven deactivates the relay. “Okay,” he says. “Keep the comms off. We’re double-timing it back to the package. Radio silence. Let’s move.”
Both of the marines flip down their visors and follow after Draven as he jogs back through the forest. The fire team crosses thru the landing zone and enters the tree line on the other side of the clearing. They make their way back to the delivery location. Draven holds up his forearm, signaling for the men to stop running about 100 feet short of the device. He looks around the general area and then trains his rifle on the metal crate. “We’re going to waste this thing,” Draven says. “Get ready.”
Just as the marines raise their gauss rifles to the device, Draven hears the voice of Daniels inside his mind: ~Bad move, Specialist. You got 3 seconds to stand down before I put you down. Redirect your men—now.~

A) open fire on the metal crate
B) lower your weapon but allow the marines to act at will
C) lower your weapon and order the marines to hold fire/stand down as well
D) maintain your aim on the crate and engage in telepathic communication with Daniels, thinking: ______
E) other action

>>1825235
D) maintain your aim on the crate and engage in telepathic communication with Daniels, thinking: ______
What the fucks going on? And where is our evac?
Did they abandon you too or sent ya to finish loose ends huh?
How did you get to us so fast?

Do we have cloak ability?

>>1825514
Yes. Your hostile environment contains cloaking capability.

Personal Cloaking Device uses the Ghost’s psionic energies to hide them from enemy detection for 4 continuous rounds before 4 rounds of recharge are needed.

Draven maintains his aim on the metal crate. ~What the fucks going on?~ he thinks back to Daniels. ~And where is our evac? Did they abandon you too or sent ya to the finish loose ends, huh? How did you get to us so fast?~
A subsonic sniper round discharges from near the tree line, catching Vanishe in the faceplate. The marine’s helmet explodes in a splash of blood and brain chunks. His body falls forward in a lifeless heap.
Wiker immediately pulls back, panning the area with his rifle. “What the fuck was that?” He looks confused and scared, looking back and forth between his fallen comrade and the surrounding woods, devoid of any visible enemies.
~Stand down~ Daniels’ voice repeats inside Draven’s mind.

GM Note: make an action check to determine initiative with your next move, which is a 1d20.

Your move:
A) lower your weapon and instruct Wiker to do the same
B) immediately cloak and run for the tree line, leaving Wiker to his own devices
C) cloak and crouch near Vanishe's body, commanding Wiker to start spraying and praying
D) shoot at the metal crate
E) other action

>>1826861
E) other action
Cloak and use the other marine for bait, see where the shots came from.

>>1827095
... that's some cold shit right there. You still need an action check though. Roll d20

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>1826861
Cloak. Shoot the crate. If the enemy appears, or I can identify where he's shooting from, return fire on him next. If not - Leave. GL Wiker.

>>1828153
Oh my...

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>1826861

Draven clips off a charge from his Mark VII rifle toward the crate just as he activates his personal cloaking device. The red laser burst collides into the sensor array within the crate and detonates into a shower of sparks and small fragments.
Wiker begins shooting randomly into the tree line with his gauss rifle as he retreats back into the forest on the other side, spraying in one direction, pivoting, then spraying in another with his weapon. A moment later, Wiker falls backward and slams into the ground. Draven looks down and finds the marine’s head capsule turned to mulch, along with the majority of his helmet and faceplate.
Draven pans around, searching the tree line for the cloaked assailant.

GM Note: cloaked units leave a glassy signature (as represented in the PC game) which allows you the ability to get a general idea of where the unit is. However, this requires that you succeed with an ordinary WILL check (perception) and then roll an Amazing success To Hit. Likewise, enemies can detect your cloaked location in the same manner. Finally, keep in mind that cloaking only lasts for 4 rounds before needing recharge for 4 rounds. This is round 1.

Roll d20 to find the location of Daniels. If you wish to engage, roll another d20 to shoot his ass. Your action check is better than his so he will engage in some manner after you make your move.

Your move:
A) search the tree line for Daniels. If detected-- shoot him. If cannot be found-- flee.
B) try to re-negotiate with Daniels by saying: _______
C) lie prone on the ground near one of the marine corpses and wait for further action
D) Immediately run away in an evasive manner (dodge) toward the city.
E) other action

Rolled 18, 2 = 20 (2d20)

>>1829323
A)

Rolled 17, 14 = 31 (2d20)

Find Daniels, and incapacitate him.

GM Note: my apologies for the delay... got holiday weekend shit going on.

Given the rolls indicated, Draven failed to detect the location of Daniels. However, Daniels was able to detect Draven's location... but he was unable to roll an Amazing shot to hit him.

Also keep in mind that Draven has 3 rounds left for his cloak. It is believed the Daniels has identical equipment/restrictions.

Draven pans around, searching the tree line for the cloaked assailant. Unable to locate Daniel’s cloaked signature, Draven turns and runs back into the forest, seeking the cover of the underbrush. A canister round bursts next to him, missing his torso by inches, shredding a small sapling into splinters. ~That was not a wise decision.~ Daniels mentally transmits to Draven.

Your move:
A) continue running as far away from the delivery location as possible in a random direction
B) begin running directly toward the city, using forest as cover and dodging as you go
C) realizing that Daniels' cloak is going to expire before yours, because he was cloaked before you activated yours, hold position, wait for Daniels' cloak to run dry and take him down
D) hide and continue negotiating with Daniels by saying: ______ [make a d20 Charisma check against 12]
E) other action

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>1832572
Combination of D and C.

"You realize we're both being used. Do you even know what that device is? Stand down, and I'll let you live."

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>1833897
>>1832572
Supporting this.

Realizing that Daniels’ cloaking device will likely exhaust its energy reserve soon, Draven pulls himself behind a large tree trunk and waits. ~You realize we’re both being used?~ Draven mentally transmits. ~Do you even know what that device is? Stand down and I’ll let you live.~
~It’s too late for words~ Daniels thinks back. ~You’ve made your decision now deal with the consequences. I’ll be waiting.~
Draven senses the psionic presence of Daniels quickly fade until it is no longer there. He waits several minutes to be sure. The power supply of his own cloaking device drains and Draven again comes into view once his suit shuts down to recharge. He removes himself from the tree trunk and looks around the area through his rifle sights. No one is seen. Daniels has apparently left the vicinity.

Your move:
A) maintain radio silence and continue waiting for any sight or presence of Daniels
B) immediately contact Command to report of this incident
C) return to the corpses of Vanishe and Wiker and loot their bodies
D) circumvent the forest and head into the city
E) confirm that the metal crate is destroyed and then disassemble what you can for evidence of Confederate wrongdoing
F) another action....

>>1835631
>C) return to the corpses of Vanishe and Wiker and loot their bodies
E) confirm that the metal crate is destroyed and then disassemble what you can for evidence of Confederate wrongdoing

After taking one last survey of the clearing area, Draven returns to the corpses of the fallen marines. He searches the deceased men’s bodies and finds nothing other than their holographic dog tags and standard issue gauss rifles. Draven collects the tags and walks over to the metal crate. It finds the machinery within the crate to be largely destroyed from the laser burst that he had sent through it. I beats apart the remaining portions of internal equipment with the butt of his rifle and then gathers up a handful of the internal workings that look essential to the machine’s operation.
The seriousness of the situation then fully dons upon Draven. Whether or not he had been sent to Chau Sara to die is uncertain. But what is known for sure at this point is that he directly violated the very mission that he was sent to achieve and somehow later became the target of a previous colleague’s weapon. His marine detail was now dead and the dropship, although clearly able to reach him earlier, made no effort to extract him from the landing zone. Now all communications to Command were cut off, his transport was gone, and there was still a Ghost lurking nearby who wants him dead. He finds that his options are slim.

A) set off looking for Daniels.... you have questions and he has answers. Either way it goes, it's better to get him before he gets you
B) find alternative transport in the nearby city to get off the planet
C) make contact with a representative of the city to tell them what's going on
D) search for another fire team for assistance
E) build a campfire and sing some songs
F) other action

Let's get to the city. We can maybe trade the Gauss rifles for something useful. We can tell the locals what just went down, and search for passage off planet.

>>1840723
support

Draven begins to trek toward the colony, swathing a small patch through the dense undergrowth within the forest. Aided by his hostile environment suit, he traverses across the rough and uneven terrain with no difficulty. He quickly nears the colony’s outer perimeter and conceal himself in the tree line. A vulture hover cycle is seen patrolling the perimeter, pausing momentarily to set spider mines every few yards. Just inside the polyalloy fence, watchtowers and bunkers are seen bustling with silhouettes of figures inside, each armed. While further examining the buildings behind the metal wall, looking for any dropships or other suitable transport, Draven spots two starports and several adjacent landing pads, all completely devoid of air transport.

A) step out of the treeline and flag down the vulture rider
B) wait for the vulture to pass then head toward the city gates, in the open
C) continue skulking around the perimeter, searching for a means to bypass through the wall
D) open fire on the vulture rider and take his ride
E) other action

We're probably wanted at this point. Let's go for a more sneaky approach. Let's try and bypass the fortifications.

>>1842790
we can cloak ourselves most of the way

supportin

Draven nears the perimeter wall of the colony. He examines the fencing from afar and notices several flat pieces of material that have been welded together next to a support column from a previous repair job in the metal linkage. The pieces sway somewhat with the slight breeze. Draven believes that he may be able to pull the whole repaired section loose from the grid if he applies sufficient force, thus allowing him inside the hole.
With his cloaking field recharged, Draven resumes his cloak and crosses from the forest and into the open perimeter surrounding the wall. He runs to the metal fence and stops just short of the barrier, placing his back against the wall, further concealing his location in a shadow created by the early morning sun beaming across the tops of the buildings. After looking around for any signs of guards, Draven glances toward the ground and spots a severed arm lying just a few inches from where he is standing. The limb is encased in the remnants of a powered armor suit, the blood still pooling from the joint.

A) ignore the severed limb and get to work on dislodging the repaired wall panels
B) approach the severed arm and examine it further
C) examine the immediate area for any signs of who the arm belonged to or what might have caused the injury
D) abort mission and return to the tree line immediately
E) other action

>>1845230
C) examine the immediate area for any signs of who the arm belonged to or what might have caused the injury

Maybe cloak while checking out the area.

new thread tomorrow?

>>1846083
We can do so now... I'll start something up. Stand by....

>>1846083
Chapter 2 is posted now in new thread. How did you link to the previous thread in your earlier reply?

>>1846456
^
you post number from the new thread like from above and it auto links.

>>1846447