Avastan: Planetfall

[shaidar]

Frank

"Why do I always feel like we are just a Cat's Paw to some higher plan when the Aslan are around" he thinks to himself

Frank nods at the Aslan male who spoke "The Twilight is wise indeed, and we are honoured by your presence. I am Colonel Cross. There is no immediate enemy, we are currently completing reconnaissance."

He looks around the room at the troops.

"Stand down, ladies and gentlemen. The Iyhlua Clan are our allies"

[Tiglath]

Info for Frank

Frank

INT roll for recall:

INT: [2d6+3]=8+3=11

will post IC in a short while, once I've had a chance to think and recall myself

That's a successful roll (and some) so I'll add in some bits here to inform your response - no rush!

Frank recalls that Aslan military males are highly evolved and yet basic (maybe pure is better) killing machines. They may develop tactical finesse as they collect scars but the younger variety are very likely to work on the KISS principle (Kill It Savagely Straightaway).

This is especially true of a clan's more "spare" youngsters - those who are the most in need of a boost to their honour/rep via racking up military achievements and/or bodycount. The aslan that you have been issued as allies are very likely to be of this highly "enthusiastic" variety. Their MOS is "Specialist: Assault".

They should absolutely not be informed of the presence of an active enemy nearby unless you wish to precipitate an immediate engagement. [So, well done already as per your previous post!!! ].

It seems entirely likely that Yugure has deliberately had them woken up so you have no option but to use them.

From your time living among them on Collace you recall that Yugure's cadre of females spent their whole time "managing/handling" the off duty elite male warband who are effectively of the default mindset of hyper aggressive and overtrained jocks on 'roids.

You immediately realise that you have no such facility.

In terms of both inevitability and diplomacy they are the on board equivalent of something like a really fragrant and runny ripe Brie - which is actually nitroglycerine.

[Tiglath]

Freya

The unseemly and unprofessional charge for the bridge is amusing.

You two - check that wasn't something that kitty has spotted that you should have seen coming. I'll go see whether that was a warning or just their idea of a joke! You can shut the door behind me if you want.

Gathering her bravery, her drone and her rifle, Freya will head towards the sound source trying to appear far more nonchalant than she feels.

It is at this point that Freya really wishes that there was a Language (Trokh) translation package in her computer - and hopes that no one can see how much she feels she is the imposter, just pretending to be brave.

Wandering strangely empty corridors she eventually finds someone...Where did that noise come from?

Freya leaves Dylan mopping up soda and Florence looking really like she favours distant sensor ops for a reason.

Armed and ready she encounters Private King who appears to be on way to the fresher while maintaining an odd bow legged gait.

In response to her enquiry he immediately replies "I 'ad ruddy a shock that's wot!" He then garbles "Sorry Miss Freya... er... Ma'am" then peevishly volunteers "Someone woke up the ruddy cats didn't they?" He hastily reports "I 'ave 'ad a sudden bout of "jump trouser" brought on by compo rations on me delicate digestion... er... Ma'am". He then waddles off towards the head.

Freya knows from Scout Service 101 that language chips are great but always fall foul of accent/idiom and local dialect. However, she is nothing if not a deductively smart cookie and, although not an aslan expert, reasons on her basic knowledge that male aslan will very likely have been issued with such a specific chip unless their female minder is a dedicated translator.

[BackworldTraveller]

Freya

The unseemly and unprofessional charge for the bridge is amusing.

You two - check that wasn't something that kitty has spotted that you should have seen coming. I'll go see whether that was a warning or just their idea of a joke! You can shut the door behind me if you want.

Gathering her bravery, her drone and her rifle, Freya will head towards the sound source trying to appear far more nonchalant than she feels.

It is at this point that Freya really wishes that there was a Language (Trokh) translation package in her computer - and hopes that no one can see how much she feels she is the imposter, just pretending to be brave.

Wandering strangely empty corridors she eventually finds someone...Where did that noise come from?

Freya leaves Dylan mopping up soda and Florence looking really like she favours distant sensor ops for a reason.

Armed and ready she encounters Private King who appears to be on way to the fresher while maintaining an odd bow legged gait.

In response to her enquiry he immediately replies "I 'ad ruddy a shock that's wot!" He then garbles "Sorry Miss Freya... er... Ma'am" then peevishly volunteers "Someone woke up the ruddy cats didn't they?" He hastily reports "I 'ave 'ad a sudden bout of "jump trouser" brought on by compo rations on me delicate digestion... er... Ma'am". He then waddles off towards the head.

Freya knows from Scout Service 101 that language chips are great but always fall foul of accent/idiom and local dialect. However, she is nothing if not a deductively smart cookie and, although not an aslan expert, reasons on her basic knowledge that male aslan will very likely have been issued with such a specific chip unless their female minder is a dedicated translator.

No doubt our allies idea of fun!

She proceeds, but hears Frank dismissing the curious and takes that as her cue to pass by the dorm and check on the off-watch members of her team. Having explained the "Joke" to them, she returns to the sensor shack and does the same there by providing proof of her not having been used as lunch.

After that, she pings a note to Frank's computer
Not too impressed by unit's reaction to the Aslan's Roar. If our opponents were Aslan, one roar and any hostile strike team would find too many of our team cowering! Maybe get our allies to do some hand-to-hand training with our guys - that always involves lots of snarls and roars and might inoculate our lot!

[shaidar]

Frank

Assuming the troops stand down, Frank turns his attention back to the Aslan

"Sazanami and Polly Iyhlua are currently away with the reconnaissance team. If you wish, I shall find you some private quarters while we wait for their return? "

Later Frank replies to Freya's message. Thank you WO. If I read the situation correctly, these are young Aslan with very little self control. I'll pass the idea by Polly and Sazanami when they return

[Tiglath]

Freya

She proceeds, but hears Frank dismissing the curious and takes that as her cue to pass by the dorm and check on the off-watch members of her team. Having explained the "Joke" to them, she returns to the sensor shack and does the same there by providing proof of her not having been used as lunch.

Finds the "dorm" in a state of anxiety and grateful for her reassuring presence. Dylan is searching under his bunk for a dropped sidearm mag while Freddy sleeps peacefully while wearing his blindfold. The tech mutters "He didn't even wake up! His breathing changed then he just went back into deep sleep. How can they do that?" The last seems both rhetorical and incredulous.

Back at HQ (the trader's small lounge) Freya finds the door shut against her and her knock queried with a timid "Are you an Aslan?" from Dougal. Upon being given entry Freya discovers that a beetroot red Florence seems to have got over her terror only to be confronted by another horror "That man was in the nip!"

However, the Techs seem both reassured by Freya's demonstration of leadership and appreciative of their soldiery/grateful they are in a non-combat branch.

[Tiglath]

Frank

The Aslan seem entirely disappointed by the absence of available enemy and visibly “deflate”. The one with the translator bats it into activity again and speaks deferentially inclining his head to Frank “Colonel Cross, there is a joy in meeting you. As warriors we have space and quarters enough here”.

Frank notices that two Aslan have already casually lifted crates that should require a forklift and have positioned them to extend the front of their silk enclosed bay thereby giving themselves a “patio area/veranda” in what used to be a walkway. As they move other items about from their designated places and begin to root through their sealed boxes the female Aslan's tail begins to twitch.

The third male opens his personal crate and draws out what appears to be the bigger brother of the merc unit's "Ma Deuce". Now definitively "unbored" the mercs watch appreciatively while supplying their own commentary. Caxton opines “Oh, I'm callin' that baby as fifteen mike mike at least. See the oversize cocking handle for Aslan mitts? Shorter barrel than I've seen for a support weapon”. The Aslan then very attentively matches the colours blazed on the two separate parts as he slots on the shoulder stock and deadlifts the “rifle” up to check the aim. There are appreciative whistles and a chorus of drawn out incredulous expletives while Caxton appreciatively states “Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is some serious rock and roll right there!”

[shaidar]

Frank does the rounds to ensure calm is restored on the ship, and help soothe any frazzled nerves of the crew.

[Tiglath]

All at the Ball

Things happen...

They are not simultaneous and might well be unrelated but all do occur more or less at the same time...

Please check out the below which your PCs are aware of plus your individually posted perspectives...

At the bar one of the new arrivals confidently draws a pair of automatics from his waistband and brandishing them at the room then shouts “Alright sheep humpers - shall we start the carnival?” Alas, both his bravado and timing are sadly misplaced. Almost immediately a veritable fusillade of rounds hits both him and the wall either side and behind him as he is engaged by nearly everyone in the bar. Driven back by multiple bullet strikes he paints the wall behind him as he drops.

The band's vocals soar above the gunfire.

There is but a moment's pause as more gunfire erupts from what now sounds like at least one more “active shooter” in the room.

From a booth somewhere behind the “ex-bandit” someone shouts “OMG they killed Kenny! Bustards!” Immediately mid tech (visible) laspistol fire lances across the performance area and into an opposite booth while snub rounds streak back in reply.

[OOC: The last above looks to be Drachenfels engaging Saxon].

[Tiglath]

Jess

Is aware of the above but also...

Next to her the VP breaks the seal on his note. The folded parchment contains no message but instead a palm sized clot of congealing blood. In absolute terror he exhales “They're here!!!” He makes to get up but it seems that his legs won't move and he's now also having trouble with working his arms as he tries and fails at a grab for the weapons on the table.

Sat at the horseshoe bench around the table Jess sees one of the Abyss crew in her peripheral vision. Stumbling forwards from the back of the room he takes a couple of unsteady steps down towards the stage. He then staggers into the booth wall and collapses.

The messenger/waitress leans into jess and Sugar's conversation over the Master at Arms' shoulder and asks seductively “Mind if I cut in?” Something sighs through the air as she speaks and then she hauls back on the toggles holding the monofilament wire now about the pirate's neck. He suffers immediate, massive and catastrophic exsanguinary neck trauma.

[Tiglath]

Kit

Distracted by the almost immediate demise of the guy he had (quite rightly) pegged as suspect Kit looks back into the booth to see an Abyss crewman stagger sideways into the wall. He guesses the guy's motor neurone function being on the fritz might be caused by the two long steel pins driven into his temples...

Things then take a surreal turn as Kit realises that the guy in the white sweater moving towards him from the bar is not only armed with a drawn handgun but has exactly the same hairstyle as he does. Alas, just as the two register their “doppelgänger moment” the hapless sweater guy is knocked down and trampled by a stampeding herd of party girls from Saxon's nearby booth.

With that potential threat at least temporarily averted Kit remembers that Polly is alone at the bar. While what now appears to be a bar room brawl gathers momentum Kit sees her tussling with a pirate. Polly flails at him with her designer bag. He easily catches the loose chain strap and snags it about his wrist using it to pull her towards him.

It's at this stage Kit notices the confident gait of the handsome guy coming down the stairs from the entertainment area above Abyss' booth. He wears a figure hugging high tech vacc suit taut over his well muscled frame. The suit is blood red as are his spacer's mag boots. However, what really makes him distinctive is that he is carrying a matched pair of blood spattered meat cleavers.

[joertexas]

Prerna stands and moves toward Liv, motioning Xray to cover her as she does.

[gurusql]

Kit

Kit sees his doppelgänger and the meat cleaver guy in a overly expensive armor coming down the stairs as threats he needs to monitor. As tactics flash through his head he has to remember that he is not on a ship or even back home where those red boots could have been a weapon. Instead, he will walk behind the "pirate" that is attempting to tussle with Polly and attempt to put him in a headlock while saying "Release the the ladies handbag."

Brawling - 1
Tactics - 2

[_2d6]=(3+5)=8

Assuming that the pirate or Polly release the bag he will spin the pirate around to be his armor from the rest of the room.

[The Bindoner]

Jess’s automatic reaction to the eruption of gunfire is to order Cover to Sugar and reach for a “table gun” while ducking down herself.

As the Abyss crew start going down Jess decides it’s time to go.

Time ter dance Hun, move yer arse.

When the “waitress” leans in Jess tells her No trouble from us, we’re just leavin’.

Dodging the spray of gore she takes the most direct route out of the booth, keeping low with the rifle (if she snagged one) in one hand, down by her leg, out of sight.

Assessing the pirate crew as “over” she will engage any of them that obstruct her exit, but she gives the waitress and anyone else targetting the Abyss a friendly smile in the hope they’ll let Sugar and her go.

[Tiglath]

Prerna

Rounding the dividing wall between the adjacent booths Prena sees the Marshals - all with guns drawn.

She is momentarily distracted by being bumped by Anya who has fearfully pushed past X Ray and into her. Following the hostess' gaze Prerna sees that three occupants of the booth booked by the (Angelus) Sanguinis party have emerged. All wear form fitting high tech vacc suits coloured in blood red. They are all armed with brutal looking melee weapons. As one they leap the distance from their booth towards Abyss (opposite Prerna) in apparent defiance of gravity. At the apogee of their leap some hurl weapons. Prerna sees a harpoon trail its tether into Abyss' booth.

However, she has more pressing tactical matters to attend to at her front. She sees Mercy Whitfield stagger back with a hand clapped to the upper side of his face while Quiet Jones draws his sidearm while seemingly advancing on Liv as if through a gale. A recoiling Jebediah Slow recovers to scream “Damn it all! I was saving it for last but I'm gonna cut you right now you Zho bitch!” He draws a wicked blade and throws himself towards Liv who appears to be suffering from at least two gunshot wounds. Having at least managed to put the dining table between herself and her assailants she tries to bring her compact automatic up to the aim.

[Tiglath]

Kit

Kit quits his seat and vaults the still prone (and disarmed) “white jumper guy” to move into the bar area to aid Polly. The tug of war over her handbag takes a turn as her assailant now gets a handhold on the body of the bag leaving Polly grasping the baton like clasp along the top edge. She smiles as the clasp detaches itself from the bag and one end of its chain strap drops loose. Polly whirls the loose chain expertly and flicks its weighted end at the pirate's face as she hefts the “baton” still attached to it in her other hand. Her footwork is now sure and poised and the nature of the fight between her and the pirate shifts. He grabs up a bottle and smashes it into an improvised dagger as Kit arrives. The pirate then swings a wild blow at Kit with the broken bottle. However, Kit sees it coming and converts the pirate's lunge into an arm entanglement successfully grappling him. That's when Polly hits him in the side of head with her “baton”. The point of the scythe blade penetrates deep into his skull and the pirate immediately goes limp in Kit's grasp.

A nearby local gasps a drawn out “Blyaaaaat!” A nearby spacer wearing coveralls with heraldry identical to the guy that Kit still has an effective hold on drops his beer and scrabbles at his waistband for a holstered pistol.

(OOC: ... annnnd Welcome to Combat!
Two rds of (AHL) combat @ ~15secs (for reference only).
In round #1 Kit closes and Polly and the pirate appear to ineffectively grapple
In round #2
Kit: [_2d6]=(3+5)=8 Hit (Successful Grapple)
Location: Roll(1d8)+0: 2,+0 Total:2 Right Arm (NB a "called shot" on a hit location would net at least a -2 to hit)
NB d8 for Hit location: 1 Head, 2 R arm, 3 chest, 4 chest, 5 L arm, 6 abdomen, 7 R leg, 8 L leg

Pirate vs Kit: Roll(2d6)+1: 3,2,+1 Total:6 Miss with Improvised Dagger

Polly Iyhlua: Roll(2d6)+2: 4,2,+2 Total:8 Hit with Kusarigama
Location: Roll(1d8)+0: 1,+0 Total:1 Headshot (unarmoured location) Going to hurt...
Pen/Damage: Roll(2d6)+7 – 0 (no armour): 3,3,+7 Total:13 Clean up on aisle three...
NB Wound Table Results (2d6 +Pen -Armour value): 0-3 No effect, 4-7 Light Wound (can KO 1 in 6), 8-11 Serious Wound, 12+ (Mostly) Dead.

[Tiglath]

Jess

The “waitress” laughs (inappropriately hardly covers it) and replies “Run pretties, run!” She then draws a pair of bladed knuckle dusters from her corset and attacks the nearest Abyss crewman like some kind of... well, by now Jess has probably made a psychiatric field assessment - at least in layman's terms. Jess now sees the kinda buff saturnine guy on the stairs also engaging the Abyss crew. He is moving much faster than a human being has any right to and is causing literal carnage with his paired cleavers. He seems blissfully happy.

A blood-splattered and stunned Sugar incoherently manages “Fek... Shit...yeah!” and slides under the table like she's done it before and crawls to relative safety further from the melee. Jess manages to grab (dice clatter) the AK. It's been sitting in a pool of beer and gravy but she knows that's not going to worry any of its brutally basic systems one bit.

A pair of Abyssal pirates are to Jess' front as she ushers Sugar out of the booth. One staggers forwards as a hurled hatchet bounces of his posh vacc suit. “Lucky!” opines his mate. Just then a ruddy harpoon(!!!) hits the commentator in the head but miraculously leaves him only with a nasty gash (surely not how he saw his night ending). He and his mate allow each other a brief fist bump before drawing short barrelled snub pistols and blades in preparation for repelling the boarders in flight to their booth.

As Jess and Sugar enter the walkway to the bar they see to their right another gunman armed with two pistols firing into the crowd/booths and to their right a trampled guy in a white jumper. Beyond him is the swirling melee that is the bar room brawl.

The house band switches into (You're a bomshell/Бомба).

(OOC: More melee showsies (for gurusql)
Axe Thrower:
Roll(2d6)+2: 4,6,+2 Total:12 Hit
Roll(1d8)+0: 4,+0 Total:4 Chest (High Tech Vacc Suit AV 6 NB Axe (Thrown) Pen 3 so -3 on Wound Roll)
Roll(2d6)-3: 1,3,-3 Total:1 No effect

Harpoonist:
Roll(2d6)+2:5,3,+2 Total:10 Hit
Roll(1d8)+0: 1,+0 Total:1 Head (unarmoured)
Roll(2d6)+3: 2,1,+3 Total:6 Light Wound
Roll(1d6)+0: 3,+0 Total:3 Not KO).

[Tiglath]

Frank and Freya

With nothing yet heard on the comms the techs, as well as monitoring sensors, have apparently been distracting themselves by checking local social media for rumours about Avastan crime while consuming vast amounts of trauma salving yet deeply unhealthy snacks. In fact there's so much dispersed food colouring settling around the HQ that both are reminded of Inchin. Dylan munches yet another orange dusted article and muses “I hope none of our guys spill somebody's pint”.

Florence sitting in the corner, gravely comments to Frank “Sir, I wanna warn ya, it'll turn into a ballroom blitz!”
Dylan: “Ballroom blitz?"
Florence: “Ballroom blitz!”
Dubs: “Ballroom blitz”.

(OOC: )

[joertexas]

Prerna

Rounding the dividing wall between the adjacent booths Prena sees the Marshals - all with guns drawn.

She is momentarily distracted by being bumped by Anya who has fearfully pushed past X Ray and into her. Following the hostess' gaze Prerna sees that three occupants of the booth booked by the (Angelus) Sanguinis party have emerged. All wear form fitting high tech vacc suits coloured in blood red. They are all armed with brutal looking melee weapons. As one they leap the distance from their booth towards Abyss (opposite Prerna) in apparent defiance of gravity. At the apogee of their leap some hurl weapons. Prerna sees a harpoon trail its tether into Abyss' booth.

However, she has more pressing tactical matters to attend to at her front. She sees Mercy Whitfield stagger back with a hand clapped to the upper side of his face while Quiet Jones draws his sidearm while seemingly advancing on Liv as if through a gale. A recoiling Jebediah Slow recovers to scream “Damn it all! I was saving it for last but I'm gonna cut you right now you Zho bitch!” He draws a wicked blade and throws himself towards Liv who appears to be suffering from at least two gunshot wounds. Having at least managed to put the dining table between herself and her assailants she tries to bring her compact automatic up to the aim.

Prerna draws her pistol and fires at Slo. "Xray, target pistol front!"

[The Bindoner]

Jess isn't getting involved in anyone else's gunfight, so she just notes the nearby gunmen as she looks for any SEMC personnel. Triggering her comdot for local/unit transmit she asks Henker here. In the middle. Anyone need back-up? Switching to receive she addresses Sugar while scanning for trouble: Got a weapon? Told yer to carry. If not, there's a pistol in me bag an' yer on a charge. 'Less yer do well or die, that is. No firin' 'til I say so, right? Not our fight, let's keep it that way.

If she can't see Kit in trouble Jess heads for where she saw Prerna and Liv. She won't raise the AK unless she sees a direct threat to her or one of the unit.