Contract #3: I, Robot?

[GM Nick]

The bottom of the elevator comes into view. It would be easy to fit 3 or 4 rovers side by side on it. Despite the vibrations traveling down the elevator shaft, the platform itself slides quietly on twin hydraulic reels. As the edge lowers into view, the team makes out 3 sets of legs in the IR spectrum.

[ Max = 53 ]
[ Doc = 48 ]
[ Val = 48 ]
[ Security Guard 3 = 42 ]
[ Security Guard 1 = 35 ]
[ Tyros = 32 ]
[ Security Guard 2 = 30 ]
[ Sinjin = 25 ]

[John]

So it's come to this. He knew it. Doc knew it. Val knew it. The whole fraggin' team knew it. How many contracts did they really expect to fulfill without the drek hitting the fan?

Marlowe already raised, Max fires on the first security guard he sees.

(( BF, narrow burst, rounds should be armor piercing ))

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat

[Shotguns (8) + AGI (10) + Smartlink (2) = 7]
4 3 4 2 2 5 6 2 5 1 4 1 2 6 5 6 1 5 4 4
[REA (7) = 3]
5 1 1 6 2 5 1

Damage Resistance (Guard 1)

[BOD (6) + Armor (6) + AP (-4) = 2]
1 2 2 5 6 2 1 1

(( 12P DAMAGE! ))

Marlowe makes a sound like a cannon as the muzzles bounces, firing three slugs over the span of a second and a half. The first guard is pasted against the side of the elevator, his insides emptying out on to the plasteel platform floor.

[John]

Max swings his shotgun around to the second guard-- not accustomed to the increased recoil from its new burst fire modification. In the blink of an eye, Max is firing once more.

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat (Max)

[Shotguns (8) + AGI (10) + Smartlink (2) + RC (-1) = 6]
2 5 2 3 2 3 5 3 6 1 3 6 2 3 5 5 3 4 4
[REA (7) = 2]
4 3 5 2 1 5 3

Damage Resistance (Guard 3)

[BOD (6) + Armor (6) + AP (-4) = 4]
6 2 6 5 2 4 1 5

(( 10P DAMAGE! ))

The second burst clips the third guard, injuring but not killing him.

[Drew Buddy]

"So much for going in quiet!" Doc says over the jackhammer bursts of gunfire.

He lines up his sights on the second guard, and fires.

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat (Doc)

[Battle Rifles (8) + AGI (9) + Smartlink (2) = 4]
4 3 2 4 4 5 3 4 3 4 2 1 4 1 1 6 4 5 6
[Dodge (4) + REA (7) = 6]
5 6 6 3 1 3 6 5 2 3 6

Ranged Combat (Doc)

[Battle Rifles (8) + AGI (9) + Smartlink (2) = 5]
1 2 6 2 3 2 3 5 3 1 3 4 1 4 3 6 6 2 6
[Dodge (4) + REA (7) = 4]
5 5 1 1 1 5 4 4 1 2 6

Damage Resistance (Guard 2)

[BOD (6) + Armor (6) + AP (-4) = 1]
2 3 4 4 5 1 1 4

(( 11P DAMAGE! ))

Doc's first burst strafes the edge of the platform, but his second critically wounds the second guard.

[Drew Buddy]

(( Val's up! Guards 2 and 3 are still alive, but can pretty much be finished off with a stiff breeze ))

[John]

(( Guard 3 is imperative to kill immediately. Should you somehow miss either of them, Tyros can finish off guard 2. That way nobody has the opportunity to radio out for help and our presence remains undetected. ))

[Stephen]

Val levels his rifle around the corner and peppers Guard 3 with a three-round burst of lead. Once confirmed that Guard 3 has been dispatched, he performs the same service on Guard 1. Val is distantly ashamed at the catharsis he feels as his finger depresses the trigger and his rifle coughs quietly, but a part of him welcomes the chance to bleed off some steam.

(( If I miss Guard 3 with the first burst, direct the second at him as well. ))

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat (Val)

[Automatics (5) + AGI (5) + Smartlink (2) = 3]
1 1 3 3 4 3 5 2 5 2 1 6
[REA (7) + Wound Modifier (-3) = 2]
5 4 6 3

Damage Resistance (Guard 3)

[BOD (6) + Armor (6) + AP (-1) + Wound Modifier (-3) = 2]
5 4 5 3 3 2 2 2

(( 8P DAMAGE! ))

Val's first burst catches the guard in the head, killing him instantly.

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat (Val)

[Automatics (5) + AGI (5) + Smartlink (2) + RC (-1) = 2]
1 4 6 4 1 4 3 5 4 4 3
[REA (7) + Wound Modifier (-4) = 0]
4 1 2

Damage Resistance (Guard 1)

[BOD (6) + Armor (6) + AP (-1) + Wound Modifier (-4) = 3]
6 2 6 5 3 2 2

(( 8P DAMAGE! ))

The first security guard keels over, bleeding out on the elevator surface.

[GM Nick]

The sudden and inexplicable slaughter is over. As the small puffs of smoke disperse, the gore on the elevator is a testament to the team dispensing the threat before they could call for backup.

[John]

Max looks at Val with some irritation and says,

"Alright, but that kill was mine."

Max looks warily back down the corridor toward where the hopefully still oblivious guard would come rushing were he to have heard the party. As the elevator reaches an even plane with the floor, Max steps in around the bodies.

[Drew Buddy]

Doc walks backward into the elevator, rifle raised and aimed down the hallway, ready to fire if the guard in the office chooses to investigate.

[GM Nick]

The elevator rumbles and begins to ascend, flying past a seemingly infinite amount of twinkling alarm lights. Time enough for a deep breath, a weapons check, a quick scan of astral space.

[John]

Max reloads Marlowe and delivers an internal sitrep. So far, things are essentially going according to plan. It's feeling like locating Takahara isn't going to be as difficult as it initially seemed-- their subterranean point of entry funneling directly up to the research labs was a real stroke of luck-- but the elf does not afford himself any optimism. The retrieval could still go south at any moment, and the further into Mitsuhama's fortress they get, the further south it can go. Max finds himself contemplating this while standing in a pool of blood and hair and is suddenly repulsed. Stepping quickly out of the gore, the elf wipes the soles of his boots on an un-bloodied spot on the elevator floor.

[GM Nick]

Just gradually enough to be perceptible, the elevator begins to slow. Looking up, the team still can't make out an exit, meaning that they're nowhere near the top.

[John]

Max looks incredulously at the team and says,

"This is getting better by the minute."

Max scans the shaft above them for anything that looks like it would be useful in the climb to their destination. But the elf shakes it off. Instead, he asks,

"Tyros, can you think of any way that we could get up this open elevator shaft with the elevator not working?"

[GM Nick]

Something bright becomes visible at the extent of the team's vision, originating from what is probably the top of the elevator shaft.

[John]

Max squints as he stares intently upward. "No way is that good," the elf mumbles as he pulls the binoculars from his pack to get a better look.

[Drew Buddy]

Adams finishes reloading his rifle, and aims it up the shaft.

"Hey now, it could just be Santa coming down the chimney with a big bag of 'ware and guns for all the good little chummers."

[Elliott]

Tyros peers up at the light. "Yes, i can get us up the shaft, but that light looks like something is coming down to meet us." For the first time on the mission, Tyros reaches back slowly and unsheathes Baidh No Bas, the sword's weight giving him confidence in the face of whatever approaches.

[GM Nick]

Max's eyes bug out behind the binocular lenses. That's not Santa Claus--it's a fireball!

[John]

To call Max alarmed would be a grave understatement.

"OH FRAG! FIREBALL!!"

The elf's eyes scan frantically for something-- anything-- under which the team could take cover.

(( Assuming this thing isn't so much a fireball as it is something massive that is on fire and falling to us [after all, fire doesn't fall], could Tyros catch it with levitation? ))

[Elliott]

((Is there any way we can slip over the side of the elevator platform and shelter underneath?))

[GM Nick]

(( It's definitely a fireball. There is no gap bigger than a few centimeters between the platform and the walls. ))

The walls of the elevator shaft are slick plasteel panels, with no visible means of removal. There! About 5 meters above the team is an environmental duct, about 2 square meters in size. The grating looks to be securely fastened via a series of fist-sized bolts.

(( 3 combat turns remaining before the fireball hits. ))

[ Doc = 49 ]
[ Max = 45 ]
[ Sinjin = 34 ]
[ Val = 28 ]
[ Tyros = 28 ]

(( Feel free to act out of sequence here, using combat for timing only. ))

[John]

Max performs a quick smartlink action to switch his firing mode from burst fire to semi-auto, swings Marlowe to the grating and fires a series of slugs at the bolts.

[Elliott]

Five meters to safety. Thats a long way up on a sheer surface, even from an eight foot troll who just might, if hes lucky, be able to jump and catch the lip of the tunnel. Forget physics. Tyros makes a urgent upward motion (centering) and lifts the whole team off the ground (levitate, f5). Flying towards the environmental duct first, team in town, Tyros makes a few quick slashes at the grating with his sword to open up the holes Max punched through with his shotgun. Once the grating is cut away, Tyros half flies, half crawls inside bringing the rest of the team in after him.

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat (Max)

[Shotguns (8) + AGI (10) + Smartlink (2) + Called Shot (-3) = 5]
1 6 1 5 2 4 4 3 5 2 4 5 6 3 1 3 1

Ranged Combat (Max)

[Shotguns (8) + AGI (10) + Smartlink (2) + Called Shot (-3) = 4]
3 1 6 2 2 3 3 4 4 2 3 3 5 3 2 5 6

Max quickly dispatches two of the bolts with expertly trained shots.

[GM Nick]

Levitate (3) (f5)

[Spellcasting (6) + MAG (6) + Power Focus (2) = 6]
6 4 1 2 2 2 4 6 6 4 4 6 6 5

Resist Drain (4)

[WIL (4) + LOG (6) + Centering (4) + Focused Concentration (2) = 4]
5 1 4 1 5 1 3 3 1 6 4 5 3 1 3 3

Tyros raises his arms and the entire team lifts off the elevator platform.

[GM Nick]

(( 8 bolts remaining on the grating. The structure rating is 8, but it will fall off automatically when all bolts are removed. ))

[Drew Buddy]

Steadying himself in midair, Adams fires twice, aiming for two of the bolts.

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat (Doc)

[Battle Rifles (8) + AGI (9) + Reflex Recorder (1) + Smartlink (2) + Called Shot (-3) = 10]
4 6 5 1 5 6 2 6 2 3 2 6 6 5 3 5 6

Ranged Combat (Doc)

[Battle Rifles (8) + AGI (9) + Reflex Recorder (1) + Smartlink (2) + Called Shot (-3) = 10]
6 5 6 5 4 4 6 1 2 5 6 5 3 6 2 5 1

Doc's battle rifle thunders out a volley, destroying two more of the bolts.

(( 6 to go. ))

[Stephen]

Floating between the elevator floor and the approaching fireball, Val shakes off the vertigo from his sudden and unexpected launch into flight. He frequently had dreams of flying when he was a child but, now hovering a between the elevator floor and an approaching wall of flame, he somehow imagined it would be different. His pounding pulse mirrors that in his dreams, but the cause of the physiological response is quite different from what he always wanted.

Val shakes himself out of his reverie, presses the rifle butt to his shoulder, and fires on two more of the bolts which secure the barrier between the team and its salvation.