Lets Play - Falcon 3: The Rack of Baal

Stories about games that you run and/or have played in.

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Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Cave.

Is the page ref the same here for "go see the Aztecs regardless" as for "go see the Aztecs only if it's your first time" earlier? 'Cause if so then no question we can only go to cave.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

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SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Go visit alien Cavemen,
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Post by Thaluikhain »

Same ref, yes.

A little later Falcon's Wing is journeying through null-space towards the planet Cave, thousands of years in the past. During the journey you may rest in your Autodoc and regain up to 12 points of lost Endurance. Rematerialising, you look at the camera screens. You are in a large underground cavern of dull grey rock. In places, the rock is lined with seams of some blue mineral. It is lit by a dim green glow, emanating from patches of a phosphorescent mossy fungus, growing around the cavern. At one end you can see a tunnel leading away, at the other you can see twenty or so humanoid figures, apparently excavating the rock. They are short and stocky, with two stumpy legs and four heavily muscled arms. Two of the arms end in massive claws that they use to tear at the rock. The other two arms end in four fingered hands, used to carry the rock away. They have huge eyes, and large ears like that of a bat's. A single nostril lies above a small, lipless mouth. Yellow fur with black stripes covers them from head to foot. They are tearing into the rock with incredible speed and single-mindedness, but seem to you to be un-intelligent. You ask CAIN for information. 'Cave in 3033 AD is outside of the Federation, but it is a highly advanced society. Cave is rich in seams of blue magnestite, a natural mineral that acts like magnesium, burning very brightly. It is used by the Federation in Starship drives. However, at this time, Cave is at a stage of development akin to Earth's neolithic age. The planet's barren surface is too hot to bear life and its atmosphere provides no protection from the sun's rays. However, beneath the surface it is a maze of tunnels. Each tunnel complex is ruled by a Mother. The Mother lays eggs in a batch, that hatch into specialised individual organisms, broadly divided into Workers, Warriors and Nobles. Those you can see now are Burrowers, their only function is to build new tunnels. The Nobles are intelligent humanoids, the rest are only intelligent enough to follow orders. There is a strict caste system, like an insect hive, and each batch of eggs usually differ in fur colouring and tend to form into what would be called in Earth terms, tribes or clans. However, each batch owes complete loyalty to the Mother. Different tunnel complexes often make war on each other. The Cavers use sound and smell as their primary senses. Although their eyes are extremely sensitive to light, there simply isn't enough of it to make full use of this sense. We have arrived in the Darkhome tunnel complex, where the Cave of 3033 AD has reported timeline changes. My databanks tell me we have arrived in the middle of a civil war, the only one ever recorded in Cave history. The atmosphere has oxygen in it, Falcon, but with high levels of nitrogen. I'm afraid you will have to use your environment suit, in any case, Cavers do not wear clothing, so the Molecular Convertor cannot help you. Try not to get spotted by any Nobles, Falcon, the response to any non-Darkhome intruder is to attack and destroy at this period in Caver history.'

You step out into the tavern, Rack detector in hand. Some Burrowers turn to you but then continue their excavation - too stupid to react to your presence. You set up the ancient tripod and it glows brightly, which disturbs the Burrowers. Your Psychic Awareness tells you it has located a section of the Rack. Quickly you replace the tripod in Falcon's Wing and hurry down the tunnel leading out of the cavern in search of the Rack Segment.

As you walk onward, in the soft glow of the phosphorescent fungus, the unmistakable sound of battle echoes down the tunnel. Cautiously edging along the side of the corridor you come to a T-junction. Poking your head out you look to the left. A group of yellow and black furred Burrowers are waiting placidly, a mass of mud and rock at their feet. Turning your head to the right, you are greeted by the cause of the sound. The tunnel is filled with two lines of what must be Warriors, some yellow and black, the others with dull red fur, engaged in a vicious death struggle. The Warriors are frightening to look at.

There is a picture here

They have two arms ending in what can only be described as serrated sword blades, presumably of bone or hardened cartilage. Viciously sharp horns protrude from their domed heads, their elbows and knees. Their feet resemble the claws of a bird, except that they are of sharp cartilage, all talons. Their heads are much the same as the Burrowers, except for the massive fangs. What is most frightening is their speed and ferocity and the feral savagery with which they are ripping each other into shreds. Incredibly swift and powerful, they are creatures bred for one thing only - killing. Behind each rank of Warriors there are two or three Nobles, giving orders. They are human in shape, except for their heads. These are much the same as the Burrowers, except for a membrane covering a circular cavity above the mouth. They communicate by vibrating this membrane to produce sound.

44

As you watch, the red-furred Nobles begin to fire at the yellow Warriors with small laser pistols, cutting them down in great numbers. This amazes you, as this technology should not be available at this time. One of the yellow-furred Nobles trills at the other and your Translator renders it as: The rebels are breaking through, we must fall back and use the Burrowers, our farms must be protected.' The Nobles run past you to the pack of the Burrowers, trilling orders. The Burrowers begin to work at a rapid pace, sealing off the corridor, whilst the Warriors battle on, mindlessly, until the last falls.

The red-furred Nobles confer amongst themselves. It seems they are going back to fetch Burrowers of their own to force the corridor. Then one of them says, 'We will send the Warriors to secure the outer cavern. May the Baal-Mother triumph.' Your eyes widen in surprise - could Baal be here? Then five Warriors begin to move towards you whilst the rest move back down the corridor. The outer cavern must be the one where Falcon's Wing lies. There is no way of avoiding these five Warriors, you will have to fight them. They turn the corner, jogging in unison. Will you:

Thinkstrike them in quick succession?
Use your Power of Will on two of them?
Use your blaster?
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Post by Thaluikhain »

Same ref, yes.

A little later Falcon's Wing is journeying through null-space towards the planet Cave, thousands of years in the past. During the journey you may rest in your Autodoc and regain up to 12 points of lost Endurance. Rematerialising, you look at the camera screens. You are in a large underground cavern of dull grey rock. In places, the rock is lined with seams of some blue mineral. It is lit by a dim green glow, emanating from patches of a phosphorescent mossy fungus, growing around the cavern. At one end you can see a tunnel leading away, at the other you can see twenty or so humanoid figures, apparently excavating the rock. They are short and stocky, with two stumpy legs and four heavily muscled arms. Two of the arms end in massive claws that they use to tear at the rock. The other two arms end in four fingered hands, used to carry the rock away. They have huge eyes, and large ears like that of a bat's. A single nostril lies above a small, lipless mouth. Yellow fur with black stripes covers them from head to foot. They are tearing into the rock with incredible speed and single-mindedness, but seem to you to be un-intelligent. You ask CAIN for information. 'Cave in 3033 AD is outside of the Federation, but it is a highly advanced society. Cave is rich in seams of blue magnestite, a natural mineral that acts like magnesium, burning very brightly. It is used by the Federation in Starship drives. However, at this time, Cave is at a stage of development akin to Earth's neolithic age. The planet's barren surface is too hot to bear life and its atmosphere provides no protection from the sun's rays. However, beneath the surface it is a maze of tunnels. Each tunnel complex is ruled by a Mother. The Mother lays eggs in a batch, that hatch into specialised individual organisms, broadly divided into Workers, Warriors and Nobles. Those you can see now are Burrowers, their only function is to build new tunnels. The Nobles are intelligent humanoids, the rest are only intelligent enough to follow orders. There is a strict caste system, like an insect hive, and each batch of eggs usually differ in fur colouring and tend to form into what would be called in Earth terms, tribes or clans. However, each batch owes complete loyalty to the Mother. Different tunnel complexes often make war on each other. The Cavers use sound and smell as their primary senses. Although their eyes are extremely sensitive to light, there simply isn't enough of it to make full use of this sense. We have arrived in the Darkhome tunnel complex, where the Cave of 3033 AD has reported timeline changes. My databanks tell me we have arrived in the middle of a civil war, the only one ever recorded in Cave history. The atmosphere has oxygen in it, Falcon, but with high levels of nitrogen. I'm afraid you will have to use your environment suit, in any case, Cavers do not wear clothing, so the Molecular Convertor cannot help you. Try not to get spotted by any Nobles, Falcon, the response to any non-Darkhome intruder is to attack and destroy at this period in Caver history.'

You step out into the tavern, Rack detector in hand. Some Burrowers turn to you but then continue their excavation - too stupid to react to your presence. You set up the ancient tripod and it glows brightly, which disturbs the Burrowers. Your Psychic Awareness tells you it has located a section of the Rack. Quickly you replace the tripod in Falcon's Wing and hurry down the tunnel leading out of the cavern in search of the Rack Segment.

As you walk onward, in the soft glow of the phosphorescent fungus, the unmistakable sound of battle echoes down the tunnel. Cautiously edging along the side of the corridor you come to a T-junction. Poking your head out you look to the left. A group of yellow and black furred Burrowers are waiting placidly, a mass of mud and rock at their feet. Turning your head to the right, you are greeted by the cause of the sound. The tunnel is filled with two lines of what must be Warriors, some yellow and black, the others with dull red fur, engaged in a vicious death struggle. The Warriors are frightening to look at.

There is a picture here

They have two arms ending in what can only be described as serrated sword blades, presumably of bone or hardened cartilage. Viciously sharp horns protrude from their domed heads, their elbows and knees. Their feet resemble the claws of a bird, except that they are of sharp cartilage, all talons. Their heads are much the same as the Burrowers, except for the massive fangs. What is most frightening is their speed and ferocity and the feral savagery with which they are ripping each other into shreds. Incredibly swift and powerful, they are creatures bred for one thing only - killing. Behind each rank of Warriors there are two or three Nobles, giving orders. They are human in shape, except for their heads. These are much the same as the Burrowers, except for a membrane covering a circular cavity above the mouth. They communicate by vibrating this membrane to produce sound.

44

As you watch, the red-furred Nobles begin to fire at the yellow Warriors with small laser pistols, cutting them down in great numbers. This amazes you, as this technology should not be available at this time. One of the yellow-furred Nobles trills at the other and your Translator renders it as: The rebels are breaking through, we must fall back and use the Burrowers, our farms must be protected.' The Nobles run past you to the pack of the Burrowers, trilling orders. The Burrowers begin to work at a rapid pace, sealing off the corridor, whilst the Warriors battle on, mindlessly, until the last falls.

The red-furred Nobles confer amongst themselves. It seems they are going back to fetch Burrowers of their own to force the corridor. Then one of them says, 'We will send the Warriors to secure the outer cavern. May the Baal-Mother triumph.' Your eyes widen in surprise - could Baal be here? Then five Warriors begin to move towards you whilst the rest move back down the corridor. The outer cavern must be the one where Falcon's Wing lies. There is no way of avoiding these five Warriors, you will have to fight them. They turn the corner, jogging in unison. Will you:

Thinkstrike them in quick succession?
Use your Power of Will on two of them?
Use your blaster?
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Post by SGamerz »

No non-standard options this time.....

I vote PoW, simply on the basis that it should be relatively easier to focus on 2 of them at a time rather than trying to Thrinkstrike/blast all 5.
Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

The Baal-Mother? Wow, this guy is gaudy.

PoW.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

You concentrate hard, but it is surprisingly easy to take control of their tiny minds, they are bred for a lifetime of obedience. You force them to attack their fellows and a vicious battle ensues. In a few bloody seconds four of them are dead. The survivor's leg has been virtually filleted, but it limps towards you. Grimly you blast it back out of the tunnel with a bolt from your blaster and press on.

You continue down the shadowed corridor. After a few minutes it opens out into a large chamber, and to a grisly brutal sight. Large shattered eggs lie everywhere, seeping the glutinous remains of many Cavers, heartlessly killed before hatching. It looks as if an entire batch has been destroyed. It is indeed a bitter internal struggle you think to yourself as you hurry on to a tunnel on the other side of the chamber. This leads to another cavern, obviously a Caver's 'farm'. Several red-furred Workers, ignoring you completely, tend large stone vats filled with decaying organic matter. These Workers are two-armed with large hands. Your stomach turns as you notice the semi-decayed remains of many types of Cavers in the vats. A vast expanse of mushroom-like fungus stretches into the darkness. Workers carrying some of the rotting sludge in stone jars are spreading it over the fungus. The Cavers recycle their dead by feeding them to the fungus, presumably their staple diet. Thankful that you are wearing your environment suit and cannot smell anything, you continue along the tunnel that leads out of the cavern.

107

Once again, the sound of battle comes to you from up ahead, but on a much larger scale this time. The tunnel opens out into another large chamber. Pausing in the shadows you survey the scene. To your right, two long lines of yellow- and red-furred Warriors are engaged in a devastating struggle to the death. You have appeared behind the red-furred 'rebels', this time commanded by three Nobles. It is apparent that the rebels will triumph again as the red-furred Nobles are equipped with laser pistols and are using them to deadly effect. A reserve of twenty Warriors are waiting behind the three Nobles. Beyond the royalist lines you can see yellow-furred Burrowers widening a tunnelthrough which more Warriors, these with yellow and red fur, are coming. The loyalists must have launched an attack through a secret tunnelled corridor, but the assault seems doomed to failure, the lasers are taking an awful toll; as fast as the Warriors take up position in the line they are cut down. Looking left away from the carnage, you notice a tunnel leading away, into rebel territory. Will you:

Try to help the loyalists?
Go down the tunnel to your left?
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Post by SGamerz »

The rebels are the Baal-worshippers, right?

If so, help the loyalists. The enemy of my enemy and whatnot.
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

Yeah, the Baal worshipers seem to be the red furred rebels. As opposed to the loyalists which have red or yellow fur.
Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Run down the tunnel to the left - we've been told the locals kill all outsiders on sight, and we're an outsider.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Change vote to run.
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Post by Thaluikhain »

128
You disappear unseen, down the tunnel leading away from the scene of bloody carnage. After a while, the tunnel forks. The right hand tunnel is dark and gloomy, as featureless as the rest of Darkhome. However, you can see a faint glimmer of white light down the left tunnel. Which tunnel will you go down:

The left hand tunnel?
The right hand tunnel?
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Approach the light because it's a data point.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Left is always right.
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Post by Thaluikhain »

You race on. It is growing warmer down this tunnel and the light ahead is growing brighter. Soon your suit coolant begins to circulate as the heat rises dramatically. Suddenly you burst out into a dim white light, which seems painfully bright after the gloomy green-tinged blackness of Darkhome. You have emerged into a large natural cavern, silent and undisturbed for centuries judging by the dust. Looking up you see the roof of the cavern, far above. It is cracked and open to the sky in places. Shafts of bright white light trickle down into the blackness below, where it loses its intensity. Particles of dust drift slowly in the light like planets in the vastness of space. Your suit registers high levels of harmful radiation and you move on towards another tunnel that leads out of the cavern.

290
As you continue on, the twisting corridors carry an echo of trilling Noble voices and a much deeper resonant booming trill. Eventually, you come to the end of the tunnel without encountering anything. Hanging back in the shadows of the corridor you are able to survey the scene unseen. It is a large cavern, obviously the centre of the rebel territory. Over a hundred Warriors are standing in a tight block in the centre of the chamber. Burrowers and other Worker types are busying themselves with various tasks, digging, feeding the Warriors and so on. Several Nobles are conferring with the strangest sight of all in the far corner of the cavern. It is a huge pale bulbous mass of blubbery flesh. A small head rests atop the mass. This must be what a Caver Queen looks like. One of the Nobles is speaking: The offensive is going well, Baal-Mother. These devices you have given us,' pointing to a laser pistol, 'will assure our victory. But we are worried, you have not yet laid a Batch, is there something wrong, Mother? We are in need of replacements.'

The huge mass speaks, with the deep resonant sound you heard earlier: 'All in good time, Batch 16-A4-13. All in good time. Just ensure my place as rightful Mother of Darkhome.' Your attention wanders from this conversation when you notice a stack of advanced machinery next to the bloated mass, something that should not be here at this time. You also notice, almost directly opposite you, a huge door, about eighteen feet in height. It is of a shiny metal, and surrounded by domed lights glowing dully. It is jarringly out of place in a culture that has not yet discovered the wheel. As you look at the door you begin to pick up some kind of psionic static from it. After a few minutes' concentration, you are able to tell that the piece of the Rack you are looking for lies behind the door! Do you have a piece of the Rack with small circles at each of its three corners with you?

(There is a picture here)

Yes (that's the Aztec one, though it's easy to overlook the circles bit), so:

Do you also have a section of the Rack with three small triangles at each corner?

Yes, so:

You must try to get through the door. You are edging around the edge of the cavern when your Psychic Awareness tells you that someone with mental powers has detected your mind. The Mother bellows loudly and the Nobles spin round, ordering twenty Warriors to kill you. The Warriors start moving towards you. Then a powerful mind attacks yours. You recognise the mental power of Baal. Suddenly the pieces of the Rack you are holding begin to grow hot and pulse brightly with white light and Baal's mind is driven back. Then the blubbery mass of the Mother begins to dissolve before your very eyes, seemingly metamorphosing. Seconds later, Baal stands in the Mother's place, bellowing in anger. With a flash of insight, you realise he has been posing as a Cave Mother using his hallucinatory mind-powers, but the two pieces of the Rack, acting together, prevent Baal from using his mental ability. At this, the Nobles order the Warriors to halt and begin trilling agitatedly amongst them-selves. They know they have been tricked into rebelling against their rightful Mother and they see Baal as an intruder now. Taking this opportunity, you sprint for the door. However, Baal, furious, screams: 'You have meddled in my plans too often, mortal. Your puny little organisation can never hope to defeat me, Baal, the Lord of Flies!' and the sound echoes around the chamber so that you can almost feel the floor reverberating. Then he points at you, and a yellow bolt of energy forks from his finger, crackling through the air toward you. You must try to dodge the attack. Make an Evasion Roll.

If you score 6-12...3 and 5, so:

The bolt narrowly misses you and strikes the floor of the cavern with a loud crash.

35

As you get to your feet, you can see that the Darkhome Noble rebels have made a decision, and a stream of Warriors are charging towards Baal. He towers above them, three times their height, destroying them in droves with blasts of yellow energy and great blows of his boulder-like fists. But the Warriors have no fear of death and they attack heedlessly. They seem to be unable to hurt him seriously, but you have time to act whilst he is distracted. You come to the steel door, but there does not seem to be any way of opening it. Will you;

Try to blow the door open with your blaster?
Try to burn a hole through the rock next to the door with your blaster?
Put some magnesite (if you have any) at the base of the door and blast it? Maybe the intense heat generated for a few seconds will burn a hole through the door?
Try your microbeam key (if you have one)?
Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Shoot the door; more likely to withstand the blast, but the rock's more likely to be load bearing.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Blast the door.
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Post by Thaluikhain »

You bathe the door in superheated plasma, but when you examine it afterwards it is not even scratched or warm. Glancing behind, you see Baal is still involved with the Cavers. Return to 35 and choose again.

Ok, so:

You step away from the door and then begin to pour a sustained stream of plasma into the rock. The cavern wall crashes and splinters under the assault, some of the rock actually melting under the heat. Soon you have burnt a hole through it and you can see into a small chamber beyond. But there is a triumphant howl behind you and, turning your head, you can see that Baal has completely destroyed the Warriors. He turns his attentions to you. Immediately you hurl yourself through the opening as a great river of burning energy rushes from Baal's outstretched hands, his face contorted with effort. Make an Evasion Roll.

If you score 6-12,...got 1 and 2, so:

You roll into the chamber beyond, but not before your back is singed badly by the blast of lethal energy that fills the opening. It burns through to your flesh and you lose 6 Endurance points. If you are still alive, your suit, still functioning well, begins to repair itself. As you come to your feet you can see a translucent white triangle on the floor, three small squares embedded in each corner, a section of the Rack. Quickly you grab it.

124

You must try to get out of the cavern. You sprint out of the chamber running as fast as you can for the tunnel opposite. Baal grabs the body of a dead Warrior as if it were a rag doll and prepares to hurl it at you. Desperately, you try to spoil his aim. Will you:

Thinkstrike Baal?
Use your Power of Will?
Fire your blaster at him?
Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Power of Will is not going to stick against a god. Thinkstrike because we haven't previously been given indication that it's any more useless than blaster (which is to say not completely useless at all).

Also I don't get why we can't shoot the dead Warrior with our blaster instead of shooting Baal with it, it's not like he could instantly switch all the momentum to aiming the ceiling at us.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
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Post by SGamerz »

Thinkstrike.
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Post by Thaluikhain »

152

You unleash a bolt of mental energy at Baal, but he hardly even pauses as he hurls the corpse of the Warrior at you with punishing force, brushing aside your mental assault almost as an afterthought. Caught off guard the body slams into you, sending you crashing to the ground. Luckily none of its sharp protuberances have cut you, but the impact has cracked one of your ribs. Lose 4 Endurance points. If you are still alive, you rise to your feet. If you have the severed hand-blade of a Caver Warrior in your possession, turn to 163, if not read on. Baal grabs another body as if it were a rag doll. You dash for the exit as he hurls it at you. Make an Evasion Roll.

If you score 6-12...6 and 3, so:

You swerve away and the spiked body sails past you. Baal howls angrily, scooping up another corpse. Just then a troop of red-furred Warriors charge into the room and straight at Baal, led by two of the rebel Nobles, still trying to defeat the intruder, Baal. They use their laser pistols on him as the Warriors launch themselves into the attack. You make it to the exit and sprint down it. Baal's bellows of rage fill the cavern. You know it will only be a matter of minutes before Baal has dealt with the Cavers and is hot on your trail.

You race on through the tunnels of Darkhome, retracing your steps. It is completely deserted, save for the bodies of many Warriors, mostly red-furred, and the oblivious workers still toiling away. You are just leaving the area where you saw the brutal battle between the loyalists and the rebels when you can hear a rushing of wind and the voice of Baal echoing through the tunnels behind you: 'I am coming for you, you little animal, and I shall tear you limb from limb and devour your soul!' Desperately you push yourself on, until you burst into the Cavern housing Falcon's Wing. The Burrowers are still digging. You are almost in your Time Machine when Baal flies into the cave, his bulk filling the tunnel completely, indeed if he could not have flown headfirst, he would not have been able to traverse the corridors of Darkhome at all. He holds a long steel girder in one hand which he hurls at you like a spear, at the instant he spots you. You try to dodge the attack, wishing fervently you had some means with which to combat the super-powerful being. Make an Evasion Roll.

If you score 6-12...3 and 2, so:

You twist away from the hurtling bludgeon but it catches you a glancing blow on your forearm. However, such is the force behind it, that it breaks your arm. Lose 5 Endurance points. If you are still alive, you grimace in agony as you are drawn up into Falcon's Wing, screaming at CAIN to engage the Variac Drive as you do so. Moments later you are safe in null-space. You never believed you would ever welcome the grey nothingness that fills the camera screens as you do now. You have learnt much about the art of avoiding damage in your near fatal brushes with Baal.
Add 1 to your Evasion Modifier.

You tell CAIN what happened on Cave. It reports that there have been substantial changes in the history of Cave, caused by Baal. 'In my opinion,' it goes on, 'Baal intended to rule over Darkhome and, using advanced technology, extend his control over the whole planet. From there he could breed a race of genetically engineered star-warriors and make war on the whole galaxy. But you have prevented that, Falcon, he will never win any more support on Cave now. In any case, I would compute that Baal is seriously worried about the possibility that the Rack may be re-assembled.' If you have three pieces of the Rack...

As you sit in your crash-couch, your Psychic Awareness begins to register some kind of psionic phenomena within Falcon's Wing. Turning around you can see that the three pieces of the Rack are glowing brightly, radiating a white light that you cannot look directly into. They begin to pulse faster and faster, emanating waves of psychic energy. Examining these, you are overjoyed to discover that they are transmitting the location of the fourth piece of the Rack. You are forced to break contact hurriedly, however. Being mentally linked to the incomplete Rack is very uncomfortable, its psychic power is rooted in some kind of machinery imbued with an unnatural half-life. The whole feel of the thing is horribly alien. You pause as a wave of nausea passes over you. Then, excitedly, you set co-ordinates for the timehole on planet Chill, in 2985 AD, where the fourth part of the Rack lies. You may lie in your Autodoc during the trip and regain up to 12 points of lost Endurance.

When you rematerialise, all the camera reveals is a dirty white expanse, tinged with pink, visibility is almost zero. You have arrived in a storm and sheets of hail are driving against your Time Machine, clattering against the hardened hull. You ask CAIN for information on Chill in 2985. 'Well, Falcon, the planet Chill is a ball of rock rich in minerals covered in a crust of ice. It is one of the coldest planets man has yet discovered. It is devoid of life and the atmosphere is ammonia based. However, at this time, only forty years ago from our time, there is a small mining station, mostly automated, run by a crew of five men. They are working a rich bed of titanium, used in many starship hulls. Incidentally Falcon, the Manager, Braxton Bragg, was a good friend of your grandfather's, your grandmother was Bragg's sister, so be careful. You will have to wear the battlesuit, your environment suit will not be enough to keep out the cold, Falcon. I will run up some stencils in the Molecular Convertor, you can paint on the insignia of the Federation Planetary Exploration Scouts. If you should run across the miners, you can pretend to a be a shipwrecked scout, crash-landed on Chill. Remember, Time Travel won't be discovered for another thirty years.'

Thank you CAIN,' you reply. When you are ready you step out into the freezing atmosphere of Chill. Looking around, you can see a rugged landscape of twisted ice ridges and valleys. Setting the Rack detector, you soon discover the location of the last piece of the Rack. With the other three pieces of the Rack in your battlesuit utility containers, you set off towards it. The buffeting cross winds caused by the storm are too strong for you to use your jets, but you take great leaping strides, your battlesuit servos whining. Hailstones as large as your fist are battering against your armour and your instrument readout tells you that the suit is working overtime to ward off the deadly cold.

An hour passes as you labour on, and the storm lessens a little. Then you come to the top of a gnarled ice ridge, looking down into a valley, where a large grey dome rests. Black smoke seeping out from an exhaust vent is whipped away in the wind. This must be the mining station, and using the tripod again, you are able to tell that the item you seek lies far below it. Then you notice a figure in an industrial powersuit coming around the back of the Dome, making towards the circular air-lock door at its base. The figure sees you and stops in its tracks. The body is in a posture of surprise. Your battlesuit picks up a radio signal from the figure. 'I mean, wow, man, like really ultra! Who are you? I mean, I thought this filthy ice-cube was uninhabited,'and he breaks into laughter. You send a message back, saying you are a Scout whose Explorer Class starship's drive failed.

'Am I glad to see you!' you say. 'I thought I'd never find the mining station.'

'What a story, man. Hey, that's really ultra! You'd better come down, I'll take you to the manager. Ultra warm in the Dome.' You'll have to enter the Dome anyway so you go down and join the man. Minutes later, you are through the Dome's air-lock. The man is stripping off his powersuit, so you do the same, stepping out in your environment suit and hanging your battlesuit next to a row of the powersuits. They are virtually the same as yours save without weaponry, armour, microbeam radar, jetpack and the like. He is a tall, thin man, unshaven and unwashed, characterised by quick nervous movements of his hands. As he leads you down a functional grey corridor, all steel, lined with pipes and illuminated by strip-lights, he says, 'I am Sil McReady, the Engineer, pleased to meet you.' You introduce yourself as Lieutenant Falcon of the Scouts. 'Here's the Rec Room, not what you'd call really ultra but it's better'n stinking ice!' and he opens a door in the right hand wall.

(There is a picture here)

The Rec Room is where the crew eat, rest and play. Several vid-
booths line one wall as does a large nutritional dispenser.
Various personal effects and pieces of machinery lie hap-hazardly about. A holo-viewer is on hold, the small projected figures frozen in place - it looks like some kind of horror-holo feature, possibly a holo-nasty. The machine is labelled 'Kepy Achov's - keep off!'. Absently, you note that the holo-cassette is called 'Night of the Star-Vampires'. Two people, one an oriental of slim build, with the insignia of a medtech on her overalls, the other a heavily built, neat looking man, with a carefully trimmed beard and thick black hair are seated at a long table. They look up in astonishment at the sight of you, they probably haven't seen another human face for weeks. You tell them your story and the bearded man says, 'I see. You're lucky to have survived. I'm Braxton Bragg, the manager, you can call me Brax. This is Tsu Tsang, our Medic and general boffin,' and he indicates the oriental woman next to him. 'It looks like you'll be stuck here until the Relief Ship arrives, I'm afraid. That will be about two weeks from now. It'll cost too much to send a starship just for you! Tsu Tsang will show you your cabin and then you can come back here. We haven't spoken to anyone else for two months - you'll be a welcome change,' and he smiles warmly at you. Tsu Tsang walks over to you, and you notice she is limping. She says tersely, 'Drill bit fell on my foot two weeks ago, broke it badly.' She shows you into a tiny cabin with a single bunk, a few doors on from the Rec Room. It is opposite a large room. 'Make yourself at home,' she says wryly and leaves. A minute later, there is a knock at the door and Sil McReady comes in.'Hi, Brax asked me to show you around if you'd like? Its a pretty ultra place, or it was at first! I'm getting ultra sick of it now.' You decide to agree as you'll need to find out if the Rack is near, despite having to listen to McReady's obsessive use of the word 'ultra'.

(There is another picture here)

You walk on up the corridor, further into the Dome, McReady commentating as you go. You pass several doors on the left and right, the crew's cabins. Then he shows you into a brightly lit room with many precision instruments and worktops. A primitive Autodoc lies in one corner. Tsu Tsang is working in there and she nods as you come in. 'This is the lab,' says McReady. 'A really ultra place. Old Tsu is testing a titanium sample no doubt. Bet you're sick of the stuff, eh, Tsu?' Tsu Tsang smiles weakly and works on. Leaving the lab, you are led on down the corridor. It opens out on the right into a large floorspace crammed with industrial machinery, and the corridor continues on beyond it. Then it branches off into three. 'Down there is where we store the titanium. Pretty non-ultra sight,' says McReady, pointing to the left-hand corridor. 'Down to the right are the generators, life support and that. Pretty ultra-less as well. But straight ahead is the Mine Control, ultra man!' and he leads you down it. It opens into a large room, lined with complex instrument banks, computers and so on, making your console in Falcon's Wing look like a toy. In one corner you can see a large personal lift, presumably leading down into the mine itself. Two men are seated at the console boards, running the automated mining operation. 'Our Minetechs,' says McReady. 'Hey guys, meet our newcomer.' They look around, eyes widening in surprise. One of them is a Siriun like Yelov, tall and lithe, with long brown hair and golden cat-like eyes. He carries himself as if he were thoroughly bored with mining. McReady introduces him as Kepy Achov. The other is built like a tank, about seven foot tall, bull-necked and bearded. His name is Caleb. McReady tells you he is from Proxima Centauri, a high gravity planet, which accounts for his size. They ask how you got here and you chat to them for a while, making your story sound convincing. Half an hour later, you are back in your cabin, pondering on how you can get hold of the last piece of the Rack without causing any disturbances in the timelines when you hear a commotion outside.

(There is yet another picture here)

Looking out, you can see Caleb and Achov running into the Rec Room and you follow them in. There is an air of excitement, as Achov speaks rapidly. 'Brax, the Autodrill has uncovered a large cavern, deep in the rock. I've never seen anything like it. We went down and had a look, we found these.' And he puts two objects onto the table. One is a strange leathery egg, about the size of a football. The other sends a rush of adrenalin through your blood - it is the final piece of the Rack. 'Not only that, there is a circular shaft leading from the cavern roof right up through a mile of rock, up to the ice. Can't be natural. Looks like it's some remains of the Ancient's culture, the Federation'll pay through the nose to examine it. We're as good as rich.'

Braxton Bragg looks at them thoughtfully. 'You could be right Achov, this egg could be a real find; bit weird though, isn't it?'

'Yeah, really ultra, man,' McReady chips in to be answered by several irritated glares.

'We'll get Tsu Tsang to examine it.' Braxton Bragg continues. 'Here, Achov, take it to her, and then get back to work, the Mining Company doesn't pay you to sit around!' He laughs. When they have gone, Braxton eyes you speculatively, Tunny a Fed Scout should turn up at the same time as we find this, eh?'

'Yes, an amazing coincidence, isn't it,' you reply and he smiles. You decide to return to your cabin and wait for night to fall and the crew to sleep. Then you can creep into the lab, take the Rack and leave, they'll think it's all some secret government operation. At any rate, it seems Baal is not here in person, as on Cave and Tenochtitlan.

You wait until the lights have dimmed and a blanket of silence has fallen over the Dome, save for the quiet thrum of the generators. You creep up the corridor. Light seeps out from around Achov's door. He is still up. As you pass his room you hear a faint sound, as if of a muffled shriek from far away and a soft squelching sound. Suppressing your curiosity, you come to the lab and, opening the door, you glide in silently. You turn on a lamp and search the lab in the dim light. To your consternation you cannot find the Rack segment anywhere, but you do find the egg. It has split open and a thick reddish mucus has spread from it, dripping onto the floor of the lab with a slow, rhythmic splatter. You stare at it, fascinated, for several long seconds. Suddenly there is a sound behind you and you spin to face it. At the doorway stands Tsu Tsang, looking at you sideways, head cocked oddly, the light green pinpricks in her eyes. Her posture is rather stiff and jerky and an eerie shiver goes up your spine. She seems unnatural in some way. She steps towards you. Make a Chance Roll.

If you score 1, 3, 4 or 6...6, so:

Suddenly there is a sickening, tearing sound and Tsu Tsang's chest rips apart loudly, blood and slime spraying everywhere. Several tentacles writhe and twist forward, hissing and bubbling horribly. Her body jerks convulsively, the jaws crack open and her tongue, impossibly long, slithers out obscenely, splitting like ripe fruit into two pulpy appendages that form into stings like a scorpion's tail in front of your very eyes. Organic juices spurt and flow in rivulets. Utterly horrified you stand transfixed with shock at what you are seeing, as slime ridden tentacles reach out for you.

(There is a 4th picture here)

Make a Power of Will Roll as you try to retain control of your senses.

If you score 6-12...2 and 6, so:

414

You shake yourself out of your shocked horror. You must defend yourself as the creature continues to change, the head crunching in on itself and forming a huge gaping maw where the shoulders and neck should be, snapping convulsively. Will you:

Thinkstrike the hideous apparition?
Go for your blaster?
Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Blaster. Thinkstrike has not had a good history when applied to alien things.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

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SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Blast.
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

You scream in fear and draw your blaster, probably your fastest draw ever and fire in one motion. Make an Attack Roll.

If you score 6-12, got 3 and 3, so:

A bolt of superheated plasma shoots into the writhing hole of what was Tsu Tsang's chest with a blinding flash, hurling the creature backward. It crashes to the floor and erupts into flames. Threshing wildly about, it roars in pain, bits of flaming flesh popping and spluttering. A leg, still human in form, rolls away twitching. You watch incredulously as six jointed insectoid legs sprout from either side of the leg, cracking outwards to the floor, and the foot mutates, lengthening and splitting open to reveal rows of teeth, forming some kind of malformed crocodile head. Just then the door slams open and the rest of the mining crew, headed by Bragg, come in. They stop horrified at what they see, babbling incoherently. McReady leans away and is violently sick. The crocodile insect scuttles toward you and leaps. You are about to blast it when Bragg fires a laser pistol neatly dissecting it. Both halves hit the floor and begin to inch together, a tentacle whips out joining the two sections. Bragg stands astonished, unable to act. Quickly you bathe it in plasma and it starts to burn. The lab begins to fill with acidic smoke.

'What in the galaxy was that thing?' says McReady. Caleb points to an insignia still visible on the clothing sticking to the burning mass. In an incredulous tone, he says, 'It was Tsu Tsang,' you say breathlessly, explaining what had happened to her. 'Whatever it was in the egg must have been still alive somehow.' They are stunned into silence for a moment.

Bragg says, 'It must be able to replicate the genetic pattern of whatever it absorbs, mimicking its victim precisely. It can change its form at will, obviously, and it can act in separate units, judging by the severed leg. Presumably its cells can reproduce themselves at an alarming rate.' He pauses for a moment. 'That means it or other parts of it could still be alive, somewhere. In fact it could even be one of us, it's had plenty of time to absorb and duplicate somebody since we've been asleep.'

'Oh wow, man,' whimpers McReady, his eyes darting from face to face, Achov's brow furrows, his yellow eyes narrowing.

Caleb grunts, 'Not Lieutenant Falcon anyway,' he says. 'It just tried to kill him.' The flames begin to peter out, leaving charred remains.

'At least we know it can be killed with fire,' says Bragg. 'Right, everyone into the Rec Room, let's get out of this stinking hole,' and he turns to McReady. 'Go to the radio room and contact the communication satellite, tell 'em to get some troopers down here and a relief ship, fast! Achov, go to stores and get the flamethrowers we use for clearing ice off the Dome. See you in the Rec Room in a few minutes.'

355
You follow Brax and Caleb to the Rec Room, wondering where the Rack piece is. You will have to wait until you can determine its location, it looks like it could be dangerous around here for a while anyway. In the Rec Room, Braxton says, 'We'll have to devise some means of testing that we're all human.' The door opens and Achov comes in, wheeling a trolley carrying five gas-tanks with tube-like extensions, the flamethrowers. One of them is painted red and blue.

Caleb rises to his feet and takes it. 'My thrower,' he says. A few minutes later, McReady enters the room, standing near the door.

'Well?' Braxton asks impatiently.

'It has been smashed, the deep space radio, everything gone. The creature got to it already,' he says, his voice deadpan and toneless as he stands, completely still, gazing placidly at Bragg. There is silence in the room. Braxton is deep in thought, Caleb polishes his flamethrower, Achov stares at the floor, his fingers drumming rhythmically on the table, and McReady stands unmoving at the door, his face a blank. Will you:

Use your Psychic Awareness to probe their minds to find out if one of them is the alien?
Fire your blaster if you think you know now tht one is the creature?
Omegonthesane
Prince
Posts: 3680
Joined: Sat Sep 26, 2009 3:55 pm

Post by Omegonthesane »

My genre savvy says it's McReady because his manner has totally changed, but the game makes it sound like poking everyone's brain will take no more time than committing the unprovoked murder of a comrade.

Which is to say, Psychic Awareness.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
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