[LP] LKG: Combat Command – The Omega Rebellion

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

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Which?

Bio of a Space Tyrant
1
17%
Starship Troopers
1
17%
Star Colony
2
33%
The Legion of Space
1
17%
The Chronicles of Amber
1
17%
 
Total votes: 6

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angelfromanotherpin
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

"I'm sorry," Gasper says. "This is a test. I don't think I should help you."
"Did anybody tell you not to help me?" the man says desperately. "They only said I had to make it, they didn't say I had to do it on my own."

"I'm sorry," Gasper says. He walks quickly away, reaching the far side of the field with eight minutes to spare. There is no cop here to greet him. He sits down to wait.

A few minutes later, the man with the injured ankle walks up to Gasper. "I tried to give you a chance to come back for me," he says. "But I guess you were determined not to help."

"You mean you're part of the test?" Gasper exclaims.

"Yes," the man nods. "I admire your honesty," he says, "but unfortunately, cooperation is going to be more important to Omega than passing tests. Follow me."

The man leads Gasper to a nearby bus.
This bus seems like a good sign.
Gasper climbs onto the bus. "Did I make it?" he asks.

"Afraid not," the cop says. "But don't fret; this bus isn't so bad, either. At least you had the guts to try."

Other cops bring men and women to the bus in groups of one to four over the next hour. When it is loaded, one of the cops hops in the driver's seat and says, "You folks are probably luckier than them colonists anyway. They're going to a strange new world with who-knows-what in it. His Lordship is going to give all of you jobs."

The cop drives the would-be colonists four hours through the desert. Just after dusk, he pulls into a well-lit compound set at the base of a mountain. "More folks for the workcamp," he says to the guard at the gate. The guard smiles wickedly. "That's what you folks get for trying to be something you aren't. Now we've got you, and everybody thinks you're on Omega."

The would-be colonists are assigned bunks in a common barracks. The next day, they are taken to their new jobs. Gasper is assigned the task of putting the firing pin into a model AR-25 assault rifle. He works at this job for the next ten years. He finally dies with two hundred others in a massive riot/escape attempt.
That's pretty extended for a game over. And it's not even over...
Eventually, Gasper's death is noticed and, somewhere deep within the Heckman Administrative Complex, clear down on Two Level, a magnetic computer relay shuffles a few electrons. It is duly noted that Gasper's family, which occupies the three-room flat designated Gradapt 47-2023, now has only three working members. Up on Twenty-One Level, a laser-printer automatically prints an eviction order, and the clerk sends a copy to Green Sector Security Headquarters.

A few hours later, four cops bust into Gradapt 47-2023 and inform the occupants that since the Newlin family has failed to meet its work quota, the family must move into the Municipal dormitories. Although Gasper's mother asks for a few hours to gather their things, the cops say they cannot comply. They have a heavy schedule today; they must evict another ten families before the shift ends.
Salt in the wound...

I'm pretty disappointed - both of the tests are kind of pointless binary game over/continues; I guess it reinforces the arbitrary/harsh nature of the world. I think a better plan would have been to have failing either test come with a Morale penalty when your later troops hear that you can't follow simple instructions/are a selfish a-hole. Not that morale has ever come up so far.

So, let's proceed as if we'd passed the test.
Gasper takes the man's arm and wraps it around his shoulder. The two of them hobble to the edge of the field in just under seven minutes, allowing them both plenty of time. When they reach the far side, Gasper is amazed to see no security cop.

The man with the injured ankle stands upright. "Good job," he says. "On Omega, you'll need to help each other with even the simplest tasks in order to survive." The man points to a river about a half-mile distant. "There's your next test. Take your time walking down there. From here on out, the tests are simply endurance tests, so you'll need to be rested when you start. Good luck."

Gasper walks down to the river slowly. When he arrives, two cops there stick him in a cage and dunk him in the river repeatedly. After twenty minutes of this, they let him out. "Well, you're still alive," one says. "I guess that means you pass."

"Thanks," Gasper chokes, spitting out some of the water he swallowed. He doesn't understand the purpose of this test—and the cops certainly don't explain—but he assumes there must be some reason behind it. The guards point toward a building in the distance. "The last test is in that building, and then you'll go directly to medical processing."

By the time Gasper walks the mile to the building, he has forced the water out of his stomach and lungs. When he enters the building, a pair of technicians strap him into a large cylinder and spin it rapidly for ten minutes. When it stops and the technicians unstrap him, Gasper is so dizzy that he collapses.

"Come on," a technician says, "get up."

Gasper tries, but is unable to keep his legs beneath his body. The technician reaches down and gives him a guiding hand.

"Mary!" her co-worker says, "you know we're not supposed to help them."

"This is a stupid test anyway," she says. "Even on Omega they'll never be stuck in a soup can and spun like a top. And this guy's just too cute to send to the work camp."

"Thanks," Gasper mumbles as he finally regains his feet. "Well, I guess he would have gotten up on his own, anyway," Mary's co-worker admits. "Go into the room labeled Medical Processing," she says. "They'll prepare you for the journey."

"Then I've passed the tests?" Gasper asks.

"Thanks to your sweetheart," the technician says.

"Thanks," Gasper mumbles to Mary.

"Think nothing of it," Mary says. "Just plant an acre of flowers on the new world for me."

"I will," Gasper says. He turns and enters the room marked Medical Processing. A nurse immediately instructs him to remove his shirt. Gasper does so, and she uses an air-hypo on his right arm. Gasper winces. "Inoculations," she says, as if excusing the injury. She points to the first of a long line of hydro-gurneys. "Take off your pants and lie down," she orders.

Gasper does as instructed. A different nurse uses another air-hypo on his left arm. His thinking grows difficult and fuzzy almost immediately. "What's happening?" he screams. The nurse leans over him. Her teeth are bared in a grotesque smile and her face seems elongated and unnatural. "C-o-l-d-s-l-e-e-e-e-e-e-p," she says. Gasper closes his eyes and feels as if he is falling from a very great height.
In his dream, the ground gives way like a feather bed when Gasper strikes it. He has fallen over a hundred miles, expecting to die when he hits the ground. Instead, the earth swallows him, burying him in deep folds of warmth.

The folds begin to squeeze and Gasper chokes. Suddenly, the sun shines hot and bright directly into his eyes.

"This one's coming around," a gruff voice says.

Gasper coughs violently and feels something shoot from his mouth. His lungs burn with the raw sensation of breathing normally again. He blinks several times, then stares up into a penlight.

"How do you feel?" someone asks.

"Terrible," Gasper says. "What happened?"

"You're on Omega," the man answers.

"Omega?" Gasper asks.

"The planet you came to colonize," the man says matter-of-factly.

Gasper's memory returns in a flood. "But that was supposed to take five years!" he exclaims.

"It's been five years and four months," the man says as he unstraps Gasper. "Be careful when you get up—you'll be a little weak at first."

Gasper sits up. He sees that he is in a room perhaps an acre in size. Hundreds—maybe thousands—of gurneys fill the room. He focuses on the nearest gurney. Although the occupant's color has returned to normal, he remains motionless, his eyes vacantly staring at the ceiling.

"What happened to him?" Gasper asks. The man—Gasper thinks of him as Doc—pulls the motionless man's sheet back. Four puncture wounds run in a row down the left side of his chest. "Rebels," Doc says. "They had a terrible battle in here. Spraying assault rifles everywhere. Almost got you too," Doc adds, pointing at a line of bullet holes in Gasper's gurney.

Gasper stands up, feels dizzy, and collapses. He tries to stand again, but his legs feel like spaghetti. Doc helps him back onto the gurney. "Didn't you have the centrifuge test?" he asks.

"Yes," Gasper answers. "I failed, but they covered for me."

Doc reaches into his black bag and withdraws a syringe.

"Well, you're here now, and we've got work to do. I'll give you a shot—it'll help you keep your feet for the next few hours. Get a good night's sleep, and you'll be okay in the morning."

"Thanks," Gasper says.

"It's a good thing we didn't crash-land worse than we did," Doc says. "If I wasn't around to give you a shot, you'd be no better than a jellyfish trying to walk upright. That's why they have the centrifuge test."

"We crash-landed?" Gasper asks, alarmed.

"Yep. Rebels screwed up the braking system. This planet's got two main land masses: North Continent and East Continent. We're somewhere on the east side of East. Heck of a fix."

Gasper tries to stand and finds that his legs will support him. "What should I do?" he asks Doc.

Doc nods toward the hatch leading outside. "Go out there and see what needs doing."

Gasper leaves the ship and joins thousands of others standing outside on Omega in flimsy coveralls. The ship rests on a vast plain of tundra, cut here and there by steep-sided, deep ravines. Several miles distant, a single copse of trees rises from the barren landscape. The temperature is just below freezing, he estimates.

"Why don't we go get some cold-weather clothes?" he asks the group.

A burly man nods toward a member of the ship's security team. "They won't let us at the ship's stores," he says. "It seems a contingent from the planet was supposed to meet us at our landing site with supplies ..."

"But we didn't land at the right place," adds another man. His voice carries a bitter edge.

"We'll freeze out here!" Gasper says.

"That isn't the captain's problem," replies the bitter man. "He got us here; that's all he had to do."

A woman interrupts from the back of the crowd. "I say we take what we need!" She pushes her way through the crowd. She has waist-length black hair and wears an eye patch over her right eye.

"Tita!" Gasper whispers. If she recognizes him, she gives no sign.

"Don't be a fool," the burly man interrupts. "They'd gun us down like rats. What can we fight with? I say we talk to the captain and get enough provisions to send out a search party."

• Gasper tells the others that Tita is a rebel, thus exposing the fact that she is at least partially responsible for their predicament.

• What Tita says makes sense, whether or not she's a rebel.
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Post by SGamerz »

Loot the stores.
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Post by Starmaker »

If we could've asked nicely without ratting out Tita, that'd have been my pick. I guess we loot the stores.
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

"She's right," Gasper says. "The captain is just going to abandon us here, space-only-knows how far from civilization. We'll all be dead within a year."

A few murmurs of agreement sound from the crowd.

"But we can't defeat the ship's crew in a one-on-one confrontation," he continues. "And it would-be suicide to attempt it. We've got to come up with a plan."

"How about sending a contingent into the ship to talk with the captain?" says the bitter man. "Once they're inside, they can open few hatches and we'll rush it en masse."

"The crew is armed only with pistols," Tita says. "I know where we can find some assault rifles. I think we should sneak into the ship and get the assault rifles, then attack!"

• They rush the ship.
• They try to sneak aboard and find Tita's assault rifles.
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Post by Starmaker »

Get the rifles.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Look for the guns.
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Post by SGamerz »

Get the weapons.
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

"I like Tita's thinking," Gasper says. "We're going to need some kind of advantage to even the odds with a group of trained soldiers. I say let's sneak aboard and get those assault rifles.''

"I'm with you," says the burly man. "My name's Greg, by the way."

"And of course I'll have to go," says Tita. "I'm the only one who knows where the guns are."

"Okay," Gasper responds. "But stay out of combat. You're the only one who knows the ship."

"If you insist," Tita agrees.

Gasper, Tita, and Greg spend the rest of the day selecting eight other volunteers. When darkness falls, the group works its way toward the perimeter of the light spilling from the ship's open hatch. Two guards stand at the entrance.
Gasper is now in charge of a group of mutineers. Use the
following statistics for these mutineers:

Manpower: 10, Ordnance: 0, Stealth: 8, Morale: 8, Melee: 3
Make a Stealth check for Gasper's mutineers. Roll two six-sided dice. If the total rolled is the same or lower than the mutineers' Morale value, Gasper's mutineers surprise the guards and Melee using Chart B. If the result of the roll is higher than their Morale value, somebody trips and falls on his face, alerting the guards. Gasper's group then attacks
using Chart D, but the guards fire once before they close.

The guards have a Manpower value of 2 and Melee and Ordnance values of 5. They attack using Chart C.
The reference to using Morale for a Stealth check appears to be a typo, although the two values are exactly the same, so it doesn't really matter. The roll is 11, failure!

Guard AS: 10, roll 5, hits 0. 10 mutineers remain.
Mutineer AS: 30, roll 7, hits 1. 1 guard remains.
Guard AS: 5, roll 10, hits 2. 8 mutineers remain.
Mutineer AS: 24, roll 9, hits 1. No guards remain.
• Gasper and his mutineers prevail. v
• Gasper and his mutineers perish.
Gasper and his mutineers make short work of the two guards, quickly pummeling them into unconsciousness. Gasper takes their pistols and gives one to Tita, saying, "Protect yourself."

Tita nods her head in affirmation, then says, "But we'd better not use these things unless we have to. The noise would set off a ship-wide security alert."

Tita leads the way into the ship and down a wide corridor to the right. She steps in front of a cargo lift, which is only used to move supplies to and from the planet surface. "This goes directly into Cargo Hold 1. I don't know what we'll see when the door opens, so be prepared for anything."

Tita leads the way into the lift, then closes the door behind the mutineers and presses the "Up" button. A moment later, the lift doors open into a room with an area of more than an acre. Two guards stand outside the lift. They lazily turn toward the lift as the door opens.

Gasper and his men attack using Chart B.
The guards have a Manpower value of 2 and an Ordnance value of 5. They attack using Chart D.
Mutineer AS: 24, roll 7, hits 2. No guards remain.

• Gasper and the mutineers perish, turn to section 89.
• Gasper and the mutineers defeat the guards during the first round of combat. v
• The guards survive the first round of combat.
Gasper and his mutineers pummel the guards into unconsciousness before the unfortunate fellows know what hit them. The guards have barely hit the floor before Tita trots to the middle of the room.

"The weapons are under here," she calls, reaching down and opening a hatch. She climbs down through the opening. Gasper and the others follow.

Inside the room, hundreds of crates are stacked. Tita reaches into an open crate and withdraws an assault rifle, then reaches into a nearby crate and produces a clip of ammunition for it.

"What's all this for?" asks Gasper.

"Supplies for His Lordship's slavemasters," Tita says. "The Saretta didn't have room for colonist supplies because it was carrying a secret cargo of weapons for Banshire's Omegan goons."

Gasper shakes his head. "I don't understand; there's enough equipment here to start a war."

"Or to enslave the population of a world," Tita replies.

"Banshire and his ancestors have known about Omega for more than a century. They've been bleeding it dry to solidify their position on Terra. But a few rebels found out about the planet and threatened to blow the whistle unless Banshire opened it to colonization. Banshire agreed, of course, but he is not a fellow to give up easily. He secretly loaded the Saretta with arms for his goons here on Omega. He hopes to take over the government of Omega and retain his headlock on the planet. Luckily, rebels back on Terra discovered his plan and sent me to foil it."

Gasper grabs an assault rifle. "How do I use this thing?" he asks, his voice heavy with determination and anger.

Tita gives everybody a short course in firing an assault rifle, then asks, "Are we ready?"

The colonists nod grimly, and she leads the way to a man-lift. As they enter the lift, she begins issuing instructions. "We'll probably meet a couple of guards at the top of the lift. We've got to take them out quietly before they sound the alarm, or the captain will seal himself inside the bridge and we'll be stuck."

A moment later, the lift opens. Two guards turn lazily toward the doors to inspect the occupants.

Gasper's mutineers now have an Ordnance value of 7 when they fire the weapons, and their Melee value is raised to 4. They attack using Chart B. They can Melee or fire.

The guards have a Manpower value of 2, an Ordnance value of 5, and a Melee value of 5. They attack using Chart D.

• Gasper and the mutineers perish.
• Gasper and the mutineers Melee and knock the guards unconscious during the first round.
• The guards survive the first round of combat, or if Gasper's men use their Ordnance value to win the battle.

The actual choice here is do the mutineers fight ranged or melee?
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Post by Sirocco »

Melee, try not to raise the alarm.
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Post by Starmaker »

Yeah, the results give away that shooting is a trap option.
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Post by SGamerz »

Starmaker wrote:Yeah, the results give away that shooting is a trap option.
This
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Melee.
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Mutineer AS: 32, roll 6, hits 2. No guards remain.
As the lift opens, Gasper and his men rush out and attack the guards with the butts of their assault rifles. The men fall unconscious before they can fire a shot in defense.

"This way to the bridge," Tita says. She leads the way to a corridor labeled "Bridge Access." At the far end of the corridor, two guards stand at attention. As Gasper and his group enter the corridor, the guards' mouths drop open in surprise. They draw their weapons.

"Give up!" Gasper calls, leveling his assault rifle in their direction.

The guards run into the bridge. A moment later, a pair of steel doors slowly starts to close. Gasper runs down the corridor, calling "Follow me!" When he reaches the bridge, there is still a four-foot gap between the steel doors. He dives through and finds himself facing fifteen confused officers and two nervous security guards. The room is utterly quiet, and the captain stares at him as if he is making a very bad joke.

The officers reach for their sidearms. Gasper looks to his left. He sees no colonists. He looks to his right. No colonists there, either. His stomach begins to ache in despair.

"Yes?" the captain asks, staring down the barrel of Gasper's weapon as if it were nothing more than a toy. ' 'Surrender the ship!" Gasper orders in desperation.

The captain cracks a patronizing smile. "Really," he comments.

Gasper raises his gun menacingly. The guards start to train their pistols on him but are distracted by a clamor at the doors behind him and they hesitate. The captain's smile sours into a sick grimace.

"Better wait for us next time," says Tita as Gasper hears the doors clang shut. "You almost got locked in here alone."

"Kill them!" the captain bellows, firing his pistol at Tita. The slug strikes her in the shoulder, knocking her to the floor. Gasper points his gun in the captain's direction and squeezes the trigger. The room breaks into a volley of thunder. The captain dives for cover, his face pale with terror and despair. Computer screens and equipment consoles erupt into dozens of tiny explosions as stray bullets strike unintended targets. Gasper hears bullets whiz past his head as the captain and his men return fire. Gasper sees his enemies scream in anger and fear, but the roar of the battle drowns their voices. He wonders where his own men are positioned, but is too frightened to look. He involuntarily opens his mouth and screams. He cannot hear even his own voice.

Gasper and his group attack using Chart B.

The captain's group has a Manpower value of 17 and an Ordnance value of 5. They attack using Chart E.
Mutineer AS: 56, roll 7, hits 3. 14 guards remain.
Guard AS: 70, roll 3, hits 0. 8 mutineers remain.
Mutineer AS: 56, roll 8, hits 3. 11 guards remain.
Guard AS: 55, roll 8, hits 1. 7 mutineers remain.
Mutineer AS: 49, roll 7, hits 3. 8 guards remain.
Guard AS: 40, roll 8, hits 1. 6 mutineers remain.
Mutineer AS: 42, roll 8, hits 3. 5 guards remain.
Guard AS: 25, roll 11, hits 1. 5 mutineers remain.
Mutineer AS: 35, roll 8, hits 3, 2 guards remain.
Guard AS: 10, roll 3, hits 0. 5 mutineers remain.
Mutineer AS: 35, roll 9, hits 3. No guards remain.
• Gasper and the mutineers perish.
• Gasper and the mutineers prevail. √
I'm not sure the enemy's position is actually bad enough to warrant Chart E, but I'm not complaining. Two-to-one odds are not a joke.
When the cordite settles and the thunder of gunfire falls silent, Gasper looks up and sees that they have captured the bridge. "It's ours!" he exclaims.

His only answer is the moans of the wounded, and then he remembers Tita. He saw her take a hit!

Several agonizing moments later, he finds her sitting behind a desk. She smiles at him weakly. "We did it, huh?"

Gasper nods. "Thanks to you," he says.

"It was nothing," Tita says. "As long as we're free," she adds quietly.

Gasper nods. He notices another bullet hole in her abdomen. "I've got to get help for you!" he says as he starts for the door.

"No!" Tita calls. "I've got something to tell you—then you can call for help." She coughs and blood spills from the corner of her mouth. "Come here," she says. Gasper leans down and Tita holds him close. "Banshire is trying to destroy Omega," she whispers. "This ship—the colonists are just a cover. The weapons hidden in the cargo holds are for his marines—that's why we landed off-target. They'll be coming for them. Stop them!"

Gasper nods his head. "We'll stop them now. We've got the advantage."

"Good," Tita whispers. She kisses him on the cheek and passes out. Gasper leans her gently against the desk, then rushes to the captain's chair. After a few minutes of experimenting, he figures out how to work the exterior communications speakers and relays the news of the successful mutiny. The roar from the colonists is so loud that it is a full minute before his call for a doctor is heard.

When he returns to Tita, she is still unconscious. He holds her until the doctor arrives. After a quick examination, the doctor picks her up and starts off the bridge. Gasper follows, but the doctor stops him. "I'll take care of her. You've got a colony to get started.''

"Will she live?" Gasper asks.

The doctor nods. "If you'll let me get her to sick bay."

Gasper sighs in relief, then turns back to the captain's chair. He begins issuing orders for the defense of the ship against Banshire's marines.

Two days later, Gasper is visiting Tita in the sick bay when the alarm sounds announcing the arrival of Banshire's goons. Gasper rushes to the bridge.

"There's just forty of them, sir," says the duty officer. "They think the crew is still running the ship."

"Good," Gasper says. "Send out a messenger. Let them know who runs the ship, and tell them we've already unloaded the weapons. Then invite them to camp here tonight."

The duty officer grins. "Yes, sir."

A few minutes later, the duty officer returns. "I carried the message myself. They said they'd rather not stay, if it's all the same to us, sir. They mentioned something about having to get back to their homesteads up on North and denied being Banshire's boys."

"Do you believe them?" Gasper asks.

"I do now, sir," he replies. "I think we can get down to the business of being colonists."

A month later, a scouting party from the Saretta finally contacts the prime Omegan colony on North Continent. Taliaferro Tey gives them an enthusiastic welcome and sends a rescue party across East Continent. Within six months, all five thousand colonists who arrived aboard the Saretta are safely and relatively comfortably trying to scratch a living from Omega's barren soil.

The weapons Lord Banshire sent are very much appreciated during the stormy years of Omega's Unification, especially fighting off certain groups of off-world cutthroats that wish to plunder this new world.
THE END

Alas, no intestalien. Not sure where we went wrong.

• Get on intestalien path, which possibly involves teleporting hovertanks.
• Having done 'rebel' and 'colonist,' try 'crew' path, possibly execute Tita.
• See missed highlights and wrap-up, move on to another book.
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Post by Starmaker »

I'll just quote yourself:
angelfromanotherpin wrote:Honestly, in a book about robots and dinosaurs, encountering the robot dinosaur shouldn't be optional.
We look for the intestalien and the teleporting hovertanks.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

I'm with Starmaker on this.
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Okay, after some backtracking, it seems like the fatal flaw was not narcing on Tita after the crash. So, let's do that.
"This woman is one of the reasons we crashed," Gasper says. "Back on Terra, I saw some of His Lordship's men try to capture her as a rebel."

"So that was you!" Tita hisses, her eyes narrowed into furious slits.

"She was probably one of the rebels who attempted to take over the ship and got us marooned here," Gasper continues.

"Let's turn her over to Captain Weingar in return for adequate supplies," the bitter man cackles.

"I think not," the burly man says. "Terra is a long way from here. Let's leave Terran business on Terra."

"I can agree with that," Gasper says, "but let's remember that Tita may be more interested in destroying His Lordship's property than in saving our lives."

A murmur of consent runs through the crowd. "What would you recommend?" asks the burly man.

"I say we send out a scouting party," Gasper says. "Wherever we are, we're going to be left to our own resources until we find the main colony. We might find colony outposts over the next ridge, or we might be ten thousand miles from the nearest human being. Either way, we need to define our situation."

A chorus of agreement goes up around the crowd, and Gasper finds himself spontaneously designated leader of the scouting party. He leads a small contingent of people to speak with Captain Weingar. Weingar is so relieved that the colonists have stopped proposing raiding his ship's stores that he immediately agrees to outfit a group of ten scouts with survival gear. He also says that he will provide two air-cars without heavy weaponry. Gasper readily agrees.

Weingar also says he will provide the colonists with the meager supplies sent for their use and volunteers most of his men to help with shelter construction.

Remembering Doc's advice, Gasper waits until the next morning to leave. He chooses the burly man, whose name turns out to be Greg Fremont, as his second in command. Greg suggests that they take Tita on the scouting expedition to keep her from causing trouble at the camp while they are gone. Gasper agrees.

Outfitted in navy-issue survival fatigues and carrying enough food to last a week, Gasper and his two carloads of men start out toward the northwest. They have only been gone for eight hours when they see another air-car approach. Gasper reports the contact to the ship on his communicator, then orders his two air-cars to stop. He steps out to greet the newcomer.

The other air-car approaches to within twenty yards and stops. Although Gasper is no expert on such equipment, he judges it to be more than a hundred years old. A wizened little fellow of indiscernible ethnic origin with a face resembling burnished leather, climbs awkwardly from the car and scuttles forward. He wears a faded uniform of dark green. "Arrow me to introduce myself," he says. "I am Kemer-Genaru von Shimo, accredited representative of the Councir of One of New Ohio and awr New Terra. On behalf of our great nation, I greet you."

"Thank goodness you found us," Gasper says. "We've got five thousand colonists marooned eight hours to the southeast of here. We need clothing, food, shelter and, if possible, transport to a city."

Von Shimo regards him somewhat disdainfully. "So sorry to hear of indisposition," he says slowly. "Of course, my government wirr be most preased to provide assistance. We have right and heavy manufacturing to a varue of a hundred thousand struggs a week, a furry managed agriculture program rimiting surpruses to ten-year suppry, practicarry infinite minerar resources due to recovery programs in excess of demand, and wirr be most happy to aid coronists so that they may reave New Terra."

"I'm sorry," Gasper says patiently. "Perhaps you don't understand. We're the colonists your government requested."

"My government did not request any coronists!" von Shimo exclaims. "Perhaps you had better accompany me to councir chamber to resorve this matter."

Greg walks up to Gasper and whispers, "I don't trust this character. Let's just get rid of him."
Gasper is now in command of a group of colonists. Use the
following statistics for the colonists:

Manpower: 10, Ordnance: 4, Stealth: 7, Morale: 8, Melee: 3
• Gasper and his group accompany von Shimo to the council chamber.
• Gasper simply asks directions to the nearest town and leaves von Shimo.
Just... wow. Speech patterns straight out of WW2 Anti-Japanese propaganda. Stay classy, Mr. Denning. I don't know if that's part of the original source material, but even if it was, just leave it out. The Piers Anthony adaptation managed not to include any rape.
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Sirocco
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Post by Sirocco »

That's right up there with UK Steve's "subhuman" criminal in Mampang fortress...

ETA: And half a vote to give him the benefit of the doubt and follow him.
Last edited by Sirocco on Mon Apr 20, 2015 6:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Follow him into the trap.
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angelfromanotherpin
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Huh, I would have thought the offensiveness would have encouraged y'all to ditch this guy ASAP, but I guess we can't let our own prejudices against other people's prejudices influence our command decisions.
"Lead the way to the council chamber," Gasper says to von Shimo.

Von Shimo bows and says, "Prease to forrow at safe distance." The old man climbs into his air-car and drives off toward the north. Two hours later, von Shimo suddenly turns his car ninety degrees to the left and drives for twenty minutes.

Soon, it becomes apparent that he is steering toward a tiny, run-down building. When they are within twenty yards of the building, von Shimo slams on his brakes and climbs from his car.

"Prease to wait while I check in at fierd office," von Shimo says. He disappears inside the building. Twenty minutes later, he re-emerges. "Headquarters demands more details of your esteemed personages," he demands.

"I told you," Gasper says, "we're colonists from Terra. We crash-landed on the wrong continent."

"Do not expect me to berieve such nonsense," von Shimo says indignantly. "I did not berieve Captain Tey or Fierd Marsharr Grarr when they uttered such nonsense, and I wirr not berieve you."

"Did you say Tey and Grail?" Greg demands quickly.

"Yes," von Shimo replies slowly. "They were two schmucks who try to foor Kerner-Genaru von Shimo in same manner and rive to regret mistake."

Greg jumps from the air-car. "What did you do with them?" he demands, grabbing von Shimo by the collar.

Gasper quickly pries his grip loose: "Who are Tey and Grail?" he asks.

"They were rebels. They hijacked the Princeton and forced Banshire to open up Omega to colonization. I'd like to find them."

Greg asks von Shimo,' 'Can you take us to Tey and Grail?''

Von Shimo studies the man for a moment, then says, "Yes. I take you to them. Prease to forrow at safe distance."

As Gasper climbs back into his air-car, he whispers, "What happened to the council chamber? Maybe this fellow's leading us on a wild goose chase—this doesn't look like any type of field office to me."

• Gasper continues to follow von Shimo.
• Gasper asks von Shimo to point out the nearest town and abandons him.
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maglag
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Post by maglag »

Abandon the crazy man.

In particular because we're looking for intealien.
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Sirocco
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Post by Sirocco »

No, follow him. Maybe he's taking us to the intestalien.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

I think the "take us to them" is a trap, since the untermensch is basically this guy. Plus, the intestalien could just as easily be not in this guy's base as it could be in this guy's base.
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angelfromanotherpin
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

"This guy's crazy," Gasper mutters. He addresses von Shimo. "Excuse me, Colonel-General," he says. "My friends and I no longer wish to follow you. Could you please direct us toward the nearest population center."

Von Shimo seems very indignant. "You have no choice," he puffs. "You do not wish to engage the entire armed force of New Ohio, do you?"

Gasper pretends to search the vicinity for signs of an armed force. "No, certainly not," he says. "But the only force I see is mine," he bluffs. He motions to his companions to step out of their air-cars, and they do so in a delightfully threatening manner.

"I see your point," von Shimo concedes.

"Now," Gasper continues, "which way to the nearest population center?"

Von Shimo studies the horizon as if looking for landmarks.

His eyes come to rest on a column of smoke, then he quickly turns and points in the opposite direction. "That way to very big city named after my own humble ancestors, Shimo-city."

Gasper looks in the direction von Shimo points. He sees nothing to indicate that there is any type of dwelling in that direction. He points toward the column of smoke and says, "Let's go that way, folks."

"Oh, no!" von Shimo exclaims. "You must not! Enemies a that direction. Enemies awr around!"

Gasper smiles. "We'll have to take our chances," he says.

He jumps in the car and they leave von Shimo standing in the dust.

Fifteen minutes later, Gasper's two air-cars pull to the top of a small rise. A hundred yards down the other side of the rise, a half-dozen women and children struggle to put out a fire in a crop field while a dozen men fight each other nearby.

Eight of the battling men hold torches and wear loose-fitting white clothes. The other four appear to be attempting to prevent the eight torchbearers from reaching the field.

"It looks like somebody could use a little help," Gasper says.

"I'm not so sure it's smart to get mixed up in somebody else's fight on a strange world," Greg says.

• Gasper and his group help defend the burning field.
• They wait until the battle ends.


Image
Last edited by angelfromanotherpin on Tue Apr 21, 2015 3:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Sirocco
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Post by Sirocco »

Well, I'd say that anyone who wants to burn a field with women and children in it, can't be that good of a person. Help defend the field.
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Post by maglag »

Shoot the raiders in the back.
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