Contract #4: Formula 42

[Stephen]

Val beckons Tyros over to the observation window and gestures to the crystals.

"Any idea what these are, 'mano? I recall hearing somewhere that you're somewhat of a mysterious arcane crystal buff yourself."

[Elliott]

Hearing Val's words, the big troll has a gut feelig they are going to be one and the same. Tyros peeks into the centrifuge, trying to determine if the crystals are the same as those that fascinated him in the bug cave.

[John]

Max joins the team at the centrifuge array and comments,

"Have you guys ever heard of the healing power of crystals? If we carry one of these with us, I bet our hearts will be full of love and light."

[Drew Buddy]

Adams steps up next to Val, and studies the samples closely.

"Doesn't anyone label their drek in this lab?" He asks with irritation.

(( Roll chemistry to see if Doc can identify the sample. If that fails, then engineering to determine what the centrifuges might be used for. ))

[Conway]

Eyes narrowing suspiciously, Sinjin takes in the expanse of laboratory equipment and the magnitude of resources the facility would have required to complete.

"Whatever it is, they seem to be making a lot of it. Drugs, maybe? What could this stuff be used for that would make it valuable enough to pay for all of this?"

[GM Nick]

Tyros leans over the spinning centrifuge, examining the row of specimens as they ferry over to the loading chute. Though much smaller, and probably laser-cut, they look identical to the crystal that he attempted to mine (whilst in battle) in the bug cave.

[GM Nick]

Chemistry Test (Doc)

[Chemistry (3) + LOG (7) + PuShed (1) = 3]
5 4 3 1 5 1 6 3 3 2 3

Doc thumbs the manual stop on the loading tray and peers through the safety glass. The purple crystals are definitely a naturally occurring mineral, though they appear to have undergone some type of cutting or shaping. The centrifuges appear to be separating something within the mineral in order to purify it.

[John]

Max-- having little to add to the proceedings-- removes a smoke from his pocket and takes five in Flavor Country.

[Elliott]

"This is definitely the same crystal as in the big cave. Very astrally active stuff. I'm taking it with me this time."

Tyros thumbs the opening mechanism and removes a half dozen of the crystal specimens from the centrifuge. He them moves along the row looking at each machine for one the has finished the centrifugal process.

"I want to get a finished sample as well. Should give us a clue as to what they are trying to achieve here."

[John]

Max looks up from contemplating the ember at the end of his cigarette, and says,

"Do we really care what they're trying to achieve here? Why don't we just get what we came for, geek some terrorists, and save some civvies? We don't generally overburden ourselves with an abundance of concern for things like this."

Max is in kind of a pissy mood.

[GM Nick]

(( According to Val's schematics, the next stairwell as at the far end of this room. 2 floors to go to your objective. ))

[Elliott]

Tyros laughs at Max, "Oh no you don't. You kept me from getting samples of this stuff the last time we were in the Mojave and i'm not missing the opportunity again! This is obviously important stuff. The terrorists have killed how many to obtain this? It could have profound astral potency and applications. Or let me put this in your language, it could be worth a drekload of nuyen. Just give me a minute to collect the samples."

Tyros continues his search, grabbing some test tubes from a nearby rack, before securing the separated compound from one of the centrifuges.

[John]

"It's a pretty big leap to assume that this drek is why they're here."

[Elliott]

The troll shrugs, "It's either why the terrorists are here or the corp is spending a lot of nuyen on collecting these crystals and buying centrifuges for them. Either way, this drek is valuable."

[John]

Max take a long drag and exhales sharply, conceding,

"Fair enough-- I just want to get this drek over with, you know? I've already been shot at an awful lot today and we're still two floors from our objective."

[GM Nick]

Max's last thought is interrupted as the door to the stairwell comes flying inward, off its hinges. The inch-thick rectangle of plasteel slams into a specimen desk, filling the air with glittering debris and creating an amazing clatter.

[Stephen]

Many thanks to his wired reflexes, Val suddenly finds himself diving for cover behind a nearby centrifuge even before the analytical part of his brain can register the door being blasted from its hinges. A nanosecond later, he is gazing over the sight rail at the gaping hole in the wall. His mind distantly registers the slight mechanical click from his rifle and the newly illuminated red dot in his smartlink feed as he wirelessly disengages the safety.

[John]

The elf dives to his left as the door comes screaming toward the team, crashing through lab equipment and filing cabinets containing years (or decades) of research. Paper, shards of glass, and other indiscernible elements that make up the DNA of the debris the team is used to creating explode into the world and cloud the air as the hideous screech of metal comes to a crashing halt at the projectile door's terminus. Max skids to a stop on his left shoulder and comes to train his weapon on the opening, and without registering any conscious impulse to do as much fires into the passageway.

[GM Nick]

Something from a nightmare stands in the doorway.

The thing is shaped like a humanoid, but any similarity ends there. It's an effigy of a man, seemingly carved from mineral. Glittering crystalline formations, clumped with heavy sediment form broad limbs. The material tapers off at the hands and feet to form ragged claws. No face or orifice is present on what would be the head, but a crown of translucent stalagmites rises at least a meter high.

[John]

The moment hangs in suspended animation as the thing stands in the doorway and the team stares in awe. The room has gone utterly quiet, which Max breaks by speaking to Tyros in a low, flat affect,

"quick tyros-- try to chip off a piece of it."

[Stephen]

The reticle in Val's smartlink feed jitters slightly as his hand twitches involuntarily as he paints the thing in the doorway.

"Mother have mercy. Is there no end to this sci-fi drek?" he whispers to himself under his breath.

[Elliott]

((Did Tyros succeed in getting a sample of the refined crystal?))

Tyros, standing invisible some ways away from the crystal monstrosity, finds himself as surprised as the rest of the team by the appearance of something out of a comic book. (Rolls magical threats/theory/parazoology to identify what the thing is, and if its a spirit, what kind)

[GM Nick]

Tyros quietly sets the down the specimen tray, which appears to be floating in mid-air, and backs away. He zips up the pocket containing half a kilogram of the refined crystals. His brow furrows as he studies the thing in the doorway, completely unable to venture a guess as to what it is.

Biology Test (Doc)

[Biology (5) + LOG (7) + PuShed (1) = 5]
3 2 1 5 5 1 1 5 5 4 6 2 1

Doc opens a sub-vocal comm transmission.

<My god, I think there's a person inside of there!>

[Elliott]

<"Let me see...">

Tyros reaches out one ghostly hand (centering) and tries to latch onto the mind of whoever or whatever is the brains behind the mineral monster (mind probe, f4; trying to learn about the mineral exoskeleton and immediate history of the person in it).

[GM Nick]

Whilst Tyros feels his spell anchor to the mind inside, he is unable to form a bridge to his own. It's as if the crystal itself is scrambling astral energy.

The creature takes a few shambling steps forward.

[John]

Max keeps his shotgun trained on the monster and fires a shot at center mass to test the waters.

(( Let me get a +4 DV shot here-- I'm guessing its REA isn't too high. ))

[GM Nick]

[ Max = 50 ]
[ Val = 43 ]
[ Doc = 41 ]
[ Sinjin = 28 ]
[ Tyros = 24 ]
[ ??? = 24 ]

Ranged Combat (Max)

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

Max's peremptory discharge takes out a fire extinguisher, adjacent the beast.

The act of aggression seems to trigger some type of reaction, as the monster increases its pace--stalking right for the elf!

[John]

Panic takes over the elf as he takes a staggering step backward. With a quiver in his voice, he calls out to the team,

"Uh, boys! I think I pissed it off!"

Max uses his smartlink to switch instantaneously from semi-auto to burst fire, collects himself, and fires again.

(( +4DV, BF -- I only wrote it like a called shot to try to give narrative logic to getting a higher DV. ))

(( So this thing looks like it's gonna be pretty tough. Here's thinking a little outside the box, though-- what if we were all to rush in and engage it in melee? Val's actions obviously would be ineffective, but with five chummers in melee, we'd be getting +8d6 to our combat pools. I would be rolling 26d6, Tyros would roll 27d6 , and Sinjin would be rolling 20d6, I believe. Max isn't too likely to cause much damage, but Tyros and especially Sinjin could break through with some real nasty hits with dicepools like that. What is Sinjin's base damage, 10P? It's likely that his rolls would ratchet that up to about 16P, and this fucking thing isn't going to resist all that damage all the time. It's dangerous, but I think it's worth it to try. It's probably slow as hell, so it likely won't land any blows. At least I hope it wouldn't.

Alternate suggestion: BF +4DV. Val and Doc can't possibly roll worse than Max, and eventually we'll drop this fucker. ))

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat (Max)

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

Damage Resistance Test (???)

[BOD (22) = 11]
6 2 3 6 6 6 6 2 5 2 6 5 3 5 2 3 6 6 3 1 2 3

<< 3P DAMAGE >>

Max's second burst manages to penetrate the crystal, in an explosion of shards.

[Elliott]

((I'll go for the group melee approach. Otherwise, you guys best shoot the hell out of it right quick, because I'm not getting within range of that thing's claws alone!))

[Conway]

((Well I will obviously be in melee...if its really +8d6 ill be rolling 21!))

[Stephen]

Sheer panic rises up in Val as the crystalline beast stalks toward Max. A knee-jerk reaction takes over, and one that he himself would be hard pressed to explain. Val stands with an outstretched hand.

"WAIT! STOP!"

(( Free action, delay further actions. ))

[Drew Buddy]

With no response coming from the crystalline monstrosity, Adams sights in and prepares to fire.

If it's moving, it can't be completely solid.

< Find a soft spot! Aim for the joints! > He comms.

Aiming for the creature's kneecap, he fires a burst of AV rounds.

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat (Doc)

[Battle Rifles (8) + AGI (10) + RR (1) + Smartlink (2) + Moving Target (-2) + Called Shot (-3) = 3]
4 3 4 6 6 3 3 2 1 2 4 1 4 5 2 1
[REA (4) = 2]
6 5 3 1

Damage Resistance (???)

[BOD (22) = 11]
2 5 4 5 6 5 1 5 5 3 2 5 6 3 3 5 1 2 6 1 1 5

Doc's deafening rifle rounds manage to stumble the creature, but don't appear to do any real damage.

[John]

(( So far we've all rolled terribly and this fraggin' thing has rolled in a reliably amazing fashion. BOLLOCKS! ))