Jan 29, 2020
One of the play groups in the Beam Saber discord did a mission with extremely interesting results! Hadrian was one of the players, and with the group's permission, wrote up what happened during the mission to be shared in the discord and here. Enjoy.
Savvyhawk Logistics is:
Toccata Leicht-Strejan, the Engineer
Park Tera Neta, the Ace
Neoprene Lark, the Hacker
Tuesday Special, Specialist Driver
Elisha Shade, Specialist Combat Pilot
Oberlain
Aclove, Specialist
Infiltrator
After an extended downtime since the last mission, the Regent’s
planted asset in Savvyhawk (Oberlain Aclove, Infiltrator) calls the
squad into a meeting.
“The Regent has decided that you have dallied long enough. Her patience is exhausted and she wants her nuke back.” (*Note: Several missions ago the Nuclear Device was stolen by Savvyhawk from the Exiled Academy and delivered to the Teachers’ Union. Since then the Landed Regent has had Savvyhawk under her thumb (Instead of being destroyed, as Toccata is her cousin))
The members of the squad immediately make pleas to have more time to prepare. Oberlain shuts the squad down by asking one question. “Have you seen Tuesday?”
Park loses their cool and threatens to kill Oberlain where he stands. “Then Tuesday will die, too.”
After a scuffle, Toccata breaks the group up and demands Oberlain lay out the details of the job.
Mission: The Regent's Request
Employer: Landed Regent
Target: Teachers’ Union
Objective(s):
- Steal back the nuke.
- Destroy or steal any relevant research data.
- Kill or incapacitate researchers who have worked on the project.
Rules of Engagement: Let them know who you work for, do damage to vital infrastructure. Tactic: Assault(Brassholes)
Detail:
Later that night, after Oberlain has skulked away, Park calls a secret meeting.
“We’re not doing this, right?” they ask Toccata and Neoprene.
<the group has an out of character discussion, including the GM, to discuss options to go forward. None of us are comfortable performing the mission as requested. The GM reminds us that the Teachers’ Union AND their main combat-focused subsidiary the Junkions both have strong positive relationships with Savvyhawk>
“We’ll have to get Buster Noble in on this if there’s any chance of it working.” Toccata brings up the leader of the Teachers’ Union research division, and the current steward of the Nuclear Device (and who currently loves Savvyhawk for providing it to her).
Neoprene is baffled. “We have a contract with the Empire, why would they resort to threatening us? If they would do this, do you think they are actually testing my algorithm?” (Neoprene is a math-obsessed programmer who has written a perfect logistics algorithm. She was kicked out of Exodus Inc after they determined her useless upon learning that her algorithm requires the dissolution of hierarchical society to achieve efficiency of resource distribution)
“Neoprene, there is no contract, they are extorting us, and they’ll do the same to you.” Toccata knows the Regent well.
“Yes, they are going to fuck you, Neoprene, they just kidnapped MY MOTHER!” screams Park.
After the meeting, Neoprene complies with the others’ request to find information on Tuesday Special’s whereabouts. In a frantic state she begins hacking into Oberlain Aclove’s personal data system via a backdoor she installed when sharing her algorithm with them earlier. Neoprene is concerned that the Jovangellian’s aren’t interested in her algorithm after all.
Neoprene; Gather Information; INTERFACE(!CRIT!)
- Oberlain secretly has a mech, the Vertical Greatcoat
- The Dragon Slayers were involved in taking Tuesday. They are guarding her at a hardened facility.
- The Empire has been running tests with Neoprene's algorithm and trying to alter it to Jovangellian means, they have dedicated massive resources and made significant progress toward bending it to their will.
- The Landed Regent has personally marked Neoprene as an asset to be acquired.
Upon learning that the Empire is dedicating enormous resources to her work, Neoprene decides on the spot to defect and work for them, the opportunity for an endless research budget is too alluring to ignore.
<Neoprene and Toccata’s players agree that Toccata will make a Survey roll to see if she notices Neoprene sneaking away. Both players agree that if she is caught, Neoprene will likely not survive the encounter.>
Toccata; SURVEY(5)
In the dark of night, Toccata is consulting with E.L.C., the AI-driven autodoc, about her abandonment issues and dealing with betrayal from family. She happens to look out the window and see Neoprene in her AWV, the Figurate Practical, slipping out over a back wall of the FOB.
Since Toccata keeps E.L.C. in her loft in the hangar, it is easy for her to hop into the Striker Gear Persephone and ask Neoprene over comms what she is doing.
<Neoprene’s player suggests that Neoprene does not respond, Toccata’s player suggests they make a Maneuver roll to see if they can get away cleanly from Toccata. Both players agree that a failed roll will mean she is caught immediately, 4-5 means it takes a while and 6 means she escapes clean.>
Neoprene; MANEUVER(5)
Neoprene does not respond and finally gets her vehicle over the wall and out into darkness. Toccata gives chase in the heavy AWV, bursting through the wall behind Neoprene as she hears the Hacker sending panicked transmissions to Oberlain, revealing that Savvyhawk plans to mount a rescue of Tuesday.
The Figurate Practical is wildly maneuverable but the five-limbed Norian mech can’t outrun the Striker Gear’s massive stride. In the wastes of The Junkyard, a part of the Stain where the machines yearn to be rebuilt, Neoprene’s vehicle bursts over a hill of ruined machines and is caught midair by one of the Persephone’s hands. The starfish mech’s tentacles whip and stab at the heavily armored dueling AWV to no avail.
Sending a direct transmission back to base, Toccata yells at Park and Elisha “If you want Tuesday to live, we have to go RIGHT NOW!”
With the Persephone’s high-torque manipulators and responsive neural link, Toccata easily pierces the Figurate Practical’s cockpit and rips out Neoprene’s comm system and then Neoprene herself. “Where is Tuesday?”
“If I tell you, you’ll let me live, right?”
“I’m not making a contract with you, Neoprene. Where is Tuesday?”
After weighing her options, Neoprene decides that she has nothing to lose at the moment and gives Toccata the information.
“Now let me go.”
The Striker Gear Persephone reaches into its payload bay and produces a warhead. A thumb arms the trigger. Toccata places the explosive on the ground and gently alights Neoprene with both feet on the trigger, her weight barely enough to hold it down. Leaving her there, she tells the Hacker “You’re a smart girl, you’ll figure this out.”
<At this point we take a break to decide what Neoprene’s player is going to do. After some deliberation, it is decided that they will be playing the leader of the Junkions, a tier 2 Squad in league with the Teachers’ Union. Zax Bliss, the Hero/Empath>
Zax has reached Savvyhawk after Park contacted the Teachers’ union earlier in the evening. The squad mobilizes with two aerial AWV’s (Park in the Thunderbolt MkV and Elisha Shade in her Dynastinae) and a low-speed cargo plane. As they pass the Junkyard Toccata deploys the Fulton Recovery balloons on the Perpehone and joins the squad as she is grabbed by the plane’s drag hook to take her place behind the plane next to Zax in his balloon-lofted heavy AWV, Old Man, the Eternal.
After being brought up to speed, Zax uses his empathic abilities to check on Tuesday.
Zax; Gather Info(FAR SIGHT); STUDY(5)
“They have Tuesday a back room. The Dragon Slayers are mobilizing forward defenses. They know we are coming.”
“Good,” crackles the voice of Park Tera Neta over the radio.
!!!NEW MISSION: REJECTING THE REGENT!!!
Employer: Our Damn Selves
Target: The Landed Regent
Objective: RESCUE TUESDAY SPECIAL
Rules of Engagement: Avoid damaging civilian infrastructure.
Tactic: Assault
Detail: Death From Above
Pilot Loadouts:
Zax: Heavy
Toccata: Heavy
Park: Heavy
ENGAGEMENT ROLL: (5) Risky Position
Striker Gear Persephone and Old Man, the Eternal are dragged over the enemy base on their Fulton balloons and Park shoots out the balloons, dropping the two heavy mechs directly onto the enemy. Park and Elisha approach from the air, low and fast.
CLOCK: TUESDAY SPECIAL (Tug-of-War)
Rescue ----X---- Kill
Zax; BATTLE(3);
As Zax falls, he draws back his giant hammer to bring it down on Oberlain in the Vertical Greatcoat, which we have spotted in the middle of the facility. He gets caught by a hail of fire from the Dragon Slayers.
Consequences: Lvl2 Damage (RIDDLED), Negated by declaring 4 load of armor.
Toccata; DESTROY(5);
On her way down, toccata lobs another warhead from her payload bay, this one a powerful chaff bomb, to blind the Jovangellian forces. The Dragon Slayers are sent into chaos but Oberlain catches her with the Vertical Greatcoat’s spear.
Consequences; Lvl 2 Damage (PIERCED) (lessened to Lvl 1(Bashed) by resisting with Vanguard Armor)
Rescue --X------ Kill
Toccata; DESTROY(ROADMASTER)(5);
Slipping away from Oberlain and using the Chaff as cover, Toccata utilizes the Fine Destruction tools of the Persephone to smash through small buildings and walls to make the area between the captors and the holding facility impassable by land vehicles.
Consequence; Lessened Effect, the Dragon Slayers cannot pass but Oberlain makes it through.
Rescue ----X---- Kill
Park; COMMAND(RED COMET)(5);
Framed by a magnificent and overwhelming flash of fireworks, Park Tera Neta screams over the loudspeakers of the Thunderbolt “I am Park tera NEta and you will give back what is mine!” the Dragon Slayers are further dazed and demoralized by the presence of Savvyhawk’s legendary pilot. One of them says “they weren’t supposed to be able to put up a fight.”.
Consequences: Oberlain jumps toward where Tuesday is held, Resisted by Zax tackling the Greatcoat and using Old Man, the Eternal’s Overwhelming Strength and Sturdy Frame quirks.
Rescue --X------ Kill
Toccata; BATTLE(5);
A giant hand rises from the smoke cloud and the Persephone’s Fine Beam Cutlass blazes to life. Toccata points it toward Oberlain and Elisha takes the signal to begin her assault. The darting flight of the Dynastinae catches Oberlain off guard and Toccata is able to get in a strong slash up the body of the Vertical Greatcoat.
Consequences: Elisha Takes 1 Damage and Oberlain attempts to launch himself toward Tuesday’s cell once again(Toccata resists with Striker Gear Persephone’s High-Torque Manipulators quirk)
Seeing Elisha take a hit from Oberlain and the Vertical Greatcoat barely being held back by the Persephone Park, for the first time ever, deploys their Fine Machine gun as a vulcan cannon folds out of the Thunderbolt’s forearm.
Park; BATTLE(5);
Toccata spends three stress to assist park’s attack by keeping Oberlain’s focus. The machine gun rips through the VErtical Greatcoat’s armor with little trouble, however Park is overly focused on Oberlain and takes fire fro the reorganizing Dragon Slayers.
Consequence: Lvl 1 Damage (Pincushioned)
“Don’t Worry, Park, I’ve got this!” hollers Zax over the comms as he draws back his hammer to smash the side of the building where Tuesday is held. Park, in a brief moment of clarity, throws their Beam Lance to Zax and spends 1 stress to assist. “Oh, I got it, go surgical!” exclaims the enthusiastic Zax.
Zax; DESTROY(3);
.Zax spends a bit too much time attempting to be surgical and takes heavy fire from the Dragon Slayers.
Consequences: LVL2 Damage (Riddled)
Toccata; Battle(2);
Toccata renews her efforts to take down Oberlain but the Greatcoat is too nimble to catch with her blade.
Consequence; Oberlain escapes toward Tuesday yet again, in a lunge that might destroy the building entirely. (Toccata resists with PErsephone’s Hard Charging quirk to tackle the Vertical greatcoat before it reaches the building.)
Zax; Prowl (!CRIT!);
Rescue X-------- Kill
Giving up on cracking the building, Zax jumps out of Old Man, the Eternal and dashes into the building. He knows exactly how to get to the holding cell. His esper senses alert him before he runs into waiting guards and trapped hallways. He quickly guides Tuesday Special, who has already freed herself from her bonds back to his vehicle, loads her up, and sprints both of them out of combat.
Park; BATTLE (5);
Park unloads a barrage from their Fine Machine Gun into the Dragon Slayers, killing some of them and finally breaking the resolve of the rest. They make a hasty retreat.
Consequence: Elisha Takes another hit from Oberlain, she is now Broken
Park; BATTLE(5);
Turning and seeing the woman that they are Obsessed with taking a near fatal blow from Oberlain, Park ignites their boosters at full burn, expending the Thunderbolt’s Powerful Custom Engine quirk. Toccata spends three stress to assist, grappling the Vertical Greatcoat into a full nelson. The fist of the Thunderbolt is buried in the cockpit of the Vertical Greatcoat. The spear of the Vertical Greatcoat is buried in the cockpit of the Thunderbolt. The camera cuts to an interior shot of Park Tera Neta breathing heavily, blood running down their cheek from the AWV’s blade, which missed their head by millimeters
Oberlain Aclove, the Regent’s Will, is dead..
Consequences: To Be Determined...