Contract #5: Marcus Bell: Enemy of the State!

[GM Nick]

Infiltration Test (Max)

[Infiltration (2) + AGI (10) + Camouflage (2) = 4]
4 1 5 4 2 4 6 1 2 5 2 6 1 4
[Perception (4) + INT (4) + Suspicious (2) = 2]
3 1 6 6 1 1 2 2 4 3

Max crawls to the top of the creek bed so that he has a clear view of the idling Roadmaster. Both of the escorts are crouched near the rear doors, scanning the horizon. He remains undetected for the time being.

[Drew Buddy]

Adams closes in from the other side of the road, his skillsoft muffling his footsteps as he positions himself for a clear field of fire.

[John]

Max sights the guard on the left, keeping Doc's advance in his periphery. His index finger moves from its resting place on the trigger guard.

[GM Nick]

Infiltration Test (Doc)

[Infiltration (3) + AGI (9) + Camouflage (2) = 2]
4 2 1 3 2 5 5 3 2 2 3 2 4 2
[Perception (4) + INT (4) + Suspicious (2) = 6]
6 2 5 5 4 5 2 4 5 5

One of the escorts spots Doc.

"Contact, left side!"

[ Max = 49 ]
[ Escort 2 = 48 ]
[ Tyros = 43 ]
[ Sinjin = 39 ]
[ Escort 1 = 38 ]
[ Doc = 37 ]
[ Val = 29 ]

[John]

And that's when it all went to drek. Without thinking, Max fires on Enforcer 2.

(( SA ))

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat (Max)

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

< 3S DAMAGE >

Resist Incap. (E2)

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

The mini-prong from the stick'n'shock lodges itself in the man's neck and delivers a violent shock, not quite enough to fell him.

[John]

A second round is already en route to the mercenary before he's done twitching from the jolt of the first.

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat (Max)

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

Damage Resistance (E2)

[BOD (6) + Armor (4) + Shocked (-2) + Bone Lacing (1) + WM (-1) = 1]
6 1 4 2 4 4 4 4

< 5S DAMAGE >

Resist Incap. (3)(E2)

[BOD (6) + WIL (5) + Shocked (-2) + WM (-1) = 2]
6 3 2 4 3 5 2 1

The second charge does the trick, and brings the man down to the ground, where he convulses.

(( Tyros is up. ))

[Elliott]

On Tyros' command, the driver leaps from his seat and closes the door from which the guards exited the vehicle and locks it. Stranding the remaining guard outside.

[GM Nick]

(( Unless Tyros has something planned for a simple action, Sinjin is up. ))

[Conway]

Clods of snow and ice erupt from around him as Sinjin materializes from hiding, up and running in the blink of an eye. Nearing the eyes-wide Escort, his blurred advance becomes a pirouette, trailing a balled fist poised to deliver a hammer blow along the side of the mans head.

((Stun damage, crit strike))

[Elliott]

((Nope, that's all. Tyros only shoots to kill ))

[GM Nick]

Melee Combat (Sinjin)

[Martial Arts (8) + AGI (5) = 7]
1 6 3 6 2 4 6 1 5 3 5 5 6
[Unarmed Combat (5) + AGI (6) = 5]
5 6 1 6 1 3 6 5 1 3 3

Damage Resistance (E1)

[BOD (6) + Armor (8) = 4]
5 2 5 4 6 1 2 3 3 4 1 4 1 5

< 8S DAMAGE >

Sinjin's blow connects solidly, spinning the man several times and forcing him to stagger backwards dazedly.

[GM Nick]

The supply truck guard swings the butt of his AK97 in an attempt to catch Sinjin off guard.

Melee Combat Test (E2)

[Unarmed Combat (5) + AGI (6) + WM (-2) = 2]
2 2 2 6 3 4 4 2 6
[Martial Arts (8) + AGI (5) = 6]
5 1 1 5 2 3 1 5 4 5 3 5 5

Sinjin leans back and the clumsy attack misses entirely.

[Drew Buddy]

Recovering from his embarrassingly botched attempt at stealth, adams sights in on the first enforcer with his SMG, and fires.

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat (Doc)

[Automatics (6) + AGI (9) + Smartlink (2) = 5]
3 4 2 6 5 3 2 4 4 1 6 5 1 4 4 1 6
[REA (7) + WM (-2) = 2]
6 5 2 3 4

Damage Resistance (E1)

[BOD (6) + Armor (4) + Bone Lacing (1) + WM (-2) = 5]
6 6 5 3 1 4 6 1 5

< 1S DAMAGE >

Resist Incap. (3) (E1)

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

The stick'n'shock rounds from Doc's SMG make a clean connection, but fail to fell the mercenary.

[Drew Buddy]

A slight annoyed frown crosses Adams' face as he fires again.

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat (Doc)

[Automatics (6) + AGI (9) + Smartlink (2) = 7]
4 5 3 4 5 6 5 2 2 1 2 2 6 4 6 4 5
[REA (7) + WM (-3) = 1]
2 6 1 1

Damage Resistance (E1)

[BOD (6) + Armor (4) + Shocked (-2) + Bone Lacing (1) + WM (-3) = 3]
5 6 3 4 3 6

< 3S DAMAGE >

The armed escort finally succumbs to the currents of electricity ripping through him and drops to the snow, unconscious.

(( Combat is effectively over. ))

[John]

Max scrambles forward in the snow and rolls the enforcer he'd shot hurriedly onto his stomach. Max plants his knee on the small of the man's back and rummages around through his pack until he finds his plasteel restraints. Fastening the around the merc's wrists, Max stands quickly and surveys the scene for any potential surprises.

[GM Nick]

The mercenary coughs, expelling a clump of snow from where his face is buried in the ground.

"You have no idea whose truck you're knocking over, pal. If I were you, I'd just walk away."

[John]

Max flips the man over and looks him in the eye, hastily replying,

"We know exactly whose truck this is. Play along and you'll live to freeze your balls off another day up here. What's the procedure for getting into the base? What's security like?"

[Elliott]

The driver unlocks the door to the Roadmaster, hot air from the warmed interior blowing out into the freezing cold in a hissing rush.

Tyros walks up,huge footprint appearing in the snow. He keeps one eye on the driver, ready for any resurgence of will that would challenge the troll's control. "Gentlemen, your chariot awaits."

[GM Nick]

The mercenary laughs.

"You're not just after the truck, you're going to storm the compound? You must have a death wish, chummer. No, I think I'll just stay here in the snow. If we're not on time, then those lunatics up at that compound have permission to fire on us. It's in their contract."

[John]

Max gives him a slap, and says,

"Well we wouldn't want you to be late, then!"

The elf stands and hefts the merc in his arms, throwing him into the back. He draws Marlowe off his shoulder, jams its barrel into his stomach, and says,

"No more bulldrek. Do they know any of you by face?"

[GM Nick]

Intimidation Test (Max)

[Intimidation (4) + CHA (7) + Pheromones (2) + First Impression (2) + Custom Look (1) = 11]
6 6 5 4 6 5 6 5 5 5 1 5 4 5 3 1
[Intimidation (3) + CHA (4) = 3]
2 4 3 6 5 4 6

Max loads up his move-by-wire with an intimidation skillsoft. Immediately, he can feel his muscles tense with aggression as his posture changes. A catalog of cruel things that he could do the mercenary flit through his brain like a snuff film highlight reel.

The mercenary tries to twist away from Marlowe's gleaming barrel.

"Okay, chummer, okay. Just put that fraggin' thing down. I'll tell you what you want to know. There's a sort of natural gate in Devil's Canyon, like an archway. There's always a couple of guys up there with shoulder-mounted launchers--M79B1s I think--and they track us inside. We drive into this cave and unload everything. Then we all get back in the truck drive away."

[John]

"Do they check ID?"

[GM Nick]

The merc shakes his head.

"We don't talk to them. We're not allowed to stop anywhere but inside that cave."

[GM Nick]

The driver comes around and shakes off Tyros' spell. He immediately makes a break for the empty creek bed.

[Elliott]

Tyros is on him with the speed of thought and a hooked finger (centering, control thoughts, f4).

[GM Nick]

(( I've already house-ruled that a person cannot be mind-controlled more than once. ))

[Drew Buddy]

Adams swears under his breath.

< Tyros, can you pick that driver up, and drag him back here? >

He sights in on the fleeing man's back with the SMG, and comms to the rest of the team,

< Do we even need him awake? It sounds like they don't know who to expect. >

[Elliott]

((Ok, don't remember that.))

"Take him down. We don't need him conscious. I'll get to moving the rocks."

Turning from the fleeing driver as if he is already captured, Tyros sets to levitating one or two of the boulders out of the way so that the Roadmaster can get through.

[Drew Buddy]

Frag!

Adams watches as the retreating man gets farther away.

< Max! Stay on the guards. > He comms.

His aim steady, he pulls back on the trigger, and fires a burst at the fleeing driver.

[GM Nick]

The man twists as a prod lands in his un-armored back. He does a lethargic pirouette and lands unceremoniously in the snow.

[Drew Buddy]

Adams keeps the gun trained on the driver as he approaches. He checks the man's vitals before looping his arms under his shoulders, and dragging the body back to the truck.