Late September 1998 Official Responses

From:  John Groszkiewicz (Tork)

>Tork, who has just finished patching the gash in his spacesuit, notices
some
>glimmers of metal coming down the tunnel. "If I'm not mistaken, there's a
>welcoming party on its way right now. If we're going to come up with a
plan, I
>suppose we do it quickly!"

Okay, questions for Layne and a brief plan...

Two questions:  How many security bots are comming our way?  How much time
we have before they get to us.

As for a plan, Tork's plan is to do what Tork does best.    For those who
have not checked Tork's character sheet lately, with a Demolitions skill of
6, I'm planning to blow something up! 

[IC:] "Looks like its time to pull back boys and girls." Tork says to
everyone in general.  He then proceeds to pull some supplies out as he walks
towards the monorail.

[OOC:] Tork's "plan" at this point is to place a TD19 charge on the monorail
with a radio beam detonator.  If its possible he will use enough TD19 to cut
the monorail line so that Dakka can't send a car after us.

The team should then pull back towards Lost Point so that we are out of any
damage radius.  When the robots reach the charge Tork will set it off
hopefully destorying the robots *and* monorail line.

One thing Tork will want to bring up:

[IC:] "T'Klikk said 'We are under surveillance at all times.'  Was Dakka
using the armor suits to watch us or is there surveillance equipment in the
tunnel?"

TTFN
John

From:  Layne Saltern (GM)

>Two questions:  How many security bots are comming our way?

From what you can see, probably about 10.  (They're pretty far away, so it's
hard to be sure.)

>How much time we have before they get to us.

They are about a kilometer away.  The standard security robots in First
Landing are antropomorphic and travel at about 30 meters/turn.  Tork's
strategic mind runs the numbers through his head:  1000 meters / 300
meters/minute = 3.3 minutes.

>[IC:] "T'Klikk said 'We are under surveillance at all times.'  Was Dakka
>using the armor suits to watch us or is there surveillance equipment in the
>tunnel?"

T'Klkk's view of the battle was stationary during the entire
conflict--suggesting that it was in a wall or ceiling.


From:  John Whitfield (T'Klkk)


Well, it doesn't look like T'Klkk will be doing much.  :-(  

If there is any possible way for her to escape, she will attempt to do
so.  If there is any possible way for her to sabotage, she will attempt
to do so.  Otherwise, she'll just sit, plot, seethe, and hate Layne. 
:-)  

If her communicator was not taken, she'll try contacting the team to
let them know her situation. 

-JWW

From:  Clark Valentine (Taanik)

Taanik will essentially continue from last time. From the mining robot 
entrance (assuming that there is a robot shop and computer terminal 
there), id will attempt to disrupt the robot management program 
(destroying it if possible, causing as much permanent software damage 
as id can); id will see if there's a way id can use ids experience in 
reprogramming the holoscreens to remotely disrupt Shadow's information 
gathering (remember when Taanik reprogrammed Tork's holoscreen?); 
id will attempt to alter mission on 'bots when id gets a chance; id will 
only actively contact the rest of the group if ids capture is imminent; 
id will attempt to contact Star Law via subspace radio if possible; id will 
desperately wish for a good steam bath and shot of Scotch; id will try to 
interrupt the flow on material to First Landing from the mines (if possible 
sabotaging the mines themselves via altered-mission 'bots); id will try to 
use Streel as an information resource as much as possible.

Id will do as much as possible from within the 'bot but will exit (stealthily, 
staying out of sight of the holoscreens) if necessary.

From:  Ken Morefield (Zane)

Hi There!
         Zane will suggest everyone take a shot of stimulant.  Except
maybe for the Yazarians who probably don't need it.  He will also
suggest backtracking it back to Lost Point for a better defense.  "We
still have any explosives?  Now might be the time to use them!" 
"If this is it for us, I'm going out with style!". With that statement
Zane will rock Kare with one hell of a kiss.(He is a doctor and might
know many various futuristic new styles).  If he is still standing and
is still capable of standing afterwards, he will set his laser pistol to
8 and make sure he has more energy clips handy.  If he is short, he
will borrow someone elses.  He will make sure that NO ONE on his team
is in front of him when he shoots.  He feels bad about hitting his
team-mate with the tangler from his gyrojet pistol. "Sorry".  He wants a
bigger
gun though, he thinks to himself.  Again he will use his martial arts
skills to parry in any close combat. "May the Schwartz be with us?"
                               Ken(the driving action behind Zane)

From:  Andy Campbell (Urugg)

Well, we have ourselves a fine dilemma here.  Pinned in a tunnel, one member
trapped in a tin can and another hauled off by more tin cans.  In the
infinitely wise words of Mr. Horse:  "No, sir.  I don't like it."

Now - what to do, what to do.

When it is noticed that Streel security 'bots are approaching down the tunnel,
Urugg pensively looks down its length, back to Lost Point, then back at the
'bots.  He frowns, glancing at Tork as the latter prepares charges to blow the
tunnel.  

Over the jury-rigged radio, he agrees with Tork's plan to blast our pursuers.
He also suggests the best course of action would be to exit the tunnel via one
of the emergency airlocks seconds prior to the blast (IIRC they were spaced
every 100 meters).  Once on the surface we will have more freedom of movement,
and no worries about hovercycles (though I suppose some rocket cycles might be
floating around the colony somewhere).

Since we are only 1/2 an hour's walk from First landing, we can probe until we
find a safe way into the colony (maybe blast our way in one of the sites we
checked out earlier while investigating the thefts).  Once inside - well, I
guess we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it.  For the time being,
he'll keep his grenades handy, since his needler and sword probably aren't of
much use against armored 'bots.  In a pinch, he'll melee with his stunstick
using it on damage mode.

We should have a few minutes after the plan is settled.  Once the immediate
plan is in motion, Urugg will switch from radio to helmet mike and start
speaking in an intentionally elevated voice:

"You know one thing that's always bothered me about criminals - human
criminals in particular?  They're always so insecure about themselves.  Take
this Dakka Syte, for instance.  You've got a man of obvious genius-level
intelligence, and what does he do with it?  Invent a new stardrive?  Cure a
terrible disease?  No - after a shiftless life of petty crime, he gets off and
runs whimpering to the far frontiers of the UPF.  

After securing his hidey-hole away from the police, he's so pathetically
disturbed he hires the greenest bunch of spacers - us - that he can find, so
he can mess with our heads a bit.  If he had an ounce of backbone - or pride
for that matter, he'd at least have hired someone competent so it'd be a fair
contest - a true test of skill.  But Syte knows he couldn't win a *fair*
fight, so he hides in his ivory tower wringing his hands and cackling at his
omnipotence.

How sad.  he could have been anything - even a real master criminal, if he put
his mind to it.  If a crime boss like the Malthar knew of this id'd be
laughing so hard id'd split its outer membrane.  The funny thing is, Syte's
stuck on this godforsaken rock just like us.  Can't leave or somebody'd notice
him - an besides, he doesn't have the spleen to do it anyway.

Just like he doesn't have the guts to face a pack of screwups like us face to
face.  Ho - ho - ho.  If he were in the same room he'd probably wet himself
like a little kid.  Too bad his tin cans down the tunnel will rob him of any
possible sense of victory even over a lot like us.  No more satsifying than
watching reruns of that Inner Reach holo "Married with Spores."

Urugg will make this little speech in the most condascending, irritating toneo
fvoice possible without overdoing it.  His intent is to try to work on Syte's
obvious preference to avoid face-to-face conflict and work behind the scenes.
Don't know what pycho-soc skill might be applicable - probably Persuasion, or
perhaps a reverse of Psycho-Pathology? - here Layne, but apply any mods you
feel are appropriate based on Urugg's training.  I'm hoping to literally taunt
Syte into giving us an opening at some point;  if not now, then plant the
seeds for later.  In the meantime we can hoof it out of the tunnel and skulk
across the surface until finding a way into First Landing.

Exit stage left...

From:  Ruben Rivera (Kare)

Layne please post,


Kare see the wall of metal move towards her and her teammates.  She pops
her rifle mag and look down at the tiny 3inch rounds.  Against a
hardened structure such as a streel combat bot, bullets are pretty
useless.  

Kare does the math, 1+1+1 carry the 48 equals...approx. 30 horrets
(bullets) to take down a streel combat robo.  Later models, the entire
Sential and Cyclops series, even encassed the CPU in armor.  Kare
figures that shes going to miss on occassions, so she'll round it up to
40rds.  That 2 mags a robo.  "I wish I brought more bullets"

So a slug fest in not in order.

Kare will remind the team that we are low on resources and should not
waste them here.  What is the point?  Streel has a army of robots, and
we only have what we are carring.  No victory can be gained here.

Kare will STRONGLY suggest that the team move back to Lost Point and
repair our allies armor.  Kare believes that she can remove any hardware
that allows that CPU to communicate with outside sources.

Our force is small, if we let the invisodudes destroy their armor, we
are without valuable resources. 

Once back at Lost Point we will have to move quick, with the robos on
our tail.  If they are on hovercycles, we should take the wind out of
their sails (if some robos get destroyed...good, but lets not waste the
td 19).

We should gather whatever equip from LP and then leave for the space
dock to capture the Assault Scout and loot its armoury and inventory its
good.

Regroup.
Repair armor and prevent further hacking into it.
Gather suppies, food, guns and ammo.
Capture Assault Scout
Gather suppies from Scout
Note if power generation and distrubtion equipment is visible from  
assault scout window.  If yes program Scouts computer to destroy them  
at a later time.
Same as above except for communications equip.

we shouldn't get that far.

Ruben
Sorry it was late, my screen/monitar "flatlined",

From:  Albin Johnson (Syzygy)

Syzygy grasps his side where the blades from one of the inviso-suits nearly
gutted him.

"Ooooooh, I don't feel so hot" he moans as he rests for a minute.  The
sight of the distant robots approaching adds a sinking feeling to the
light-headedness he's experiencing from loss of blood.  Still, survival was
an imperative that superceded emotion.  At least this time he'd try and
think like a normal Vrusk.

Motioning to Zane, he weakly calls up a cheerful tone.  "Zane me boy, care
to patch up a leaky bug?  I'm in bad sorts here - I need something to get
me going or I'm no use to any of you."  If Zane is too busy Syzygy will ask
for some supplies and attempt medical services on himself, aiming to heal
as many Stamina points as possible without rendering himself unconscious.

Syzygy also notices Tork scurrying about with his demolitions kit.  The act
spurs him to offer assistance.  "Tork, I still have 4 kg. of TD-19 on me.
Add that to your ambush if you think it'd help.  I think you have enough,
though - I'd prefer to keep it for a rainy day.  You never know how many of
those things will survive to continue their pursuit of us."  If Tork agrees
to use any of the TD19 Syzygy will naturally let the higher-skilled
Yazirian do the wiring.  However, if left with the charge, Syzygy will
activate his dead-man switch.  If things look tough for the group, it may
just call for a kamikaze run.

"Things look grim, folks" he drones on to the group as if waiting for the
executioner.  "But we've made it through some tough scrapes.  My money says
we can take this guy Syte.  The spire is his Achille's heel and I'm just
the poison pill to help us take him down.  I've got ideas about that
network he's running.  There isn't a network in existence that is so robust
that it can't be shut down.  And if we can shut part of it down, what's
keeping us from turning some of his resources against him?  He may have
screwed himself by putting his faith in this automated city."

Before the Lost Point Guardians go back to destroy their suits, Syzygy will
ask them if he can inpsect the suits to see if he can permanently sever any
chances of Syte controllng them.  If so, they can be valuable tools.  If
not, he encourages them to come with them in the invasion of Metrosphere.
THey seem to know their way in and out of the place better than we do - we
could use their expertise.

"You fellas have an obligation to help us aid your kidnapped people.  Come
with us and help us take back what the Lord of the Shadows has stolen from
us.  Place the suits next to our booby trap if you wish - that will destroy
the suits.  But time is of the essence - returning to Lost Point now will
only doom you to the invasion of the robot army that approaches."

Syzygy will press the guardians for any knowledge they may have about
transportation left behind in Lost Point, tunnels, features of the planet's
surface the group can use to their benefit in travelling unnoticed to
Metrosphere, tips on how to get in, etc.  Syzygy thinks they aren't telling
us everything they know.

Syzygy will also turn to Kare as a fellow tech and go over a strategy.

"Good work with the robotic communication devices.  You're right - we can't
take out all 800,000 robots that way, but we can do something to disrupt
the source of the controlling commands.  You mentioned a white noise
generator - if you think you can get ahold of it then we can pursue that
plan.  But I"m a hacker..."  Syzygy's eyes scan down the tunnel leading
back to Metrosphere with a look of intent, ..." and I want to isolate and
eliminate whatever Robot Management program Syte's got running this show."

Syzygy will use his gyrojet pistol with tangler rounds on any robot small
enough to be affected by them.  If they are too big, he will opt for
standard rounds.  If caught close-quarters, his stun stick will do.