Chapter 0: Charon Station

[Rusty Tincanne]

Enoch, will Dale get to the range before the shooting is done? If so, he is happy to offer +1D of help to anyone willing to share the prize pudding!

[Rusty Tincanne]

Or two of the parties could align and share the prize pudding!

[Antman9]

James R Wexler – PFC, Com Tech

Wexler steps up to the table in the last lane, loads his first clip, slides the first shell into place, raises the pulse rifle, lets out a slow breath, and fires once to get a feel for the thing, the target, the range, himself, the situation.

Ob1 Soldier Test: [1d6] = 6, [1d6] = 2, [1d6] = 2
Ob1 Soldier Test +1D: [1d6] = 5

[MonkeyWrench]

Garret shoulders the gun and hunkers down, lining up the sights down the firing lane. He pops off a shot after a calm breath.

Ob1 Soldier Test: [1d6] = 1, [1d6] = 3, [1d6] = 5
Ob1 Test +1D6: [1d6] = 2

[Marullus]

What were each of your +1D from? Did you add a trait?
Elizabeth Resen

Corporal Resen paces behind them, hands folded behind her back, watching their form and results. She nods at each, seeming pleased.

"Not bad. Not bad at all. But... I do hope your issued rats contain chocolate." She smiles, popping in her magazine and bringing her own rifle to her shoulder. She is focused and intense, seeming oblivious to the two of them for that moment.

Soldier 3D, +1D for her admin test.
Shootin' at the Range [1d6] = 6 [1d6] = 2 [1d6] = 4 [1d6] = 4

She nods once, then turns back to them. She sees Dale enter, recognizing him from the briefing packets, and waves him over to join them. She then hits the button to retract the three targets up to the head of the lane, setting them next to each other for comparison. "Every Marine a rifleman. They may say we're Delta. I say we wear it with pride and show them you're the best damn Marines on this base." She taps her target, the shots forming a grouping near the center. "We'll drill till each of you shoots like this, and people will beg to be on our squad before we're done."

She turns to Dale, giving him a nod in greeting, her feet shoulder-width apart and hands clasped behind her back in a parade-rest stance. "You settled in, PFC Dale? We have a full fire-team present... we can use the Simulator before we dismiss for the chow hall. Before that, we'll use the Ready Room for your introductions."

[MonkeyWrench]

Enoch said we get a +1 from our Fresh status

Garret slouches at his firing station, a sigh escaping as he says with as little enthusiasm as he can muster, "Yayy... Endless Rifle Training...." When Dale arrives he starts to perk up, "Lets get some simulations going, I wanna fire some big guns." He looks to Resen with a grin and a slight wink, "Well, fearless leader?"

[Marullus]

Enoch said we get a +1 from our Fresh status

Totally forgot that one!
totally fresh!! [1d6] = 4

(I will let Enoch move us.)

[Enoch]

Nicely done, Corporal! It's not surprising that everyone's groupings made relatively neat patterns on the targets--you're some of the best-trained soldiers humanity has ever trained, after all--but Resen's are exceptionally tight, every one a kill-shot; and most of the holes punched in the target have merged into one ragged mass.

You all eject your magazines, check the chamber, and collect your targets. You are returning your weapons to the now-contrite supply specialist when Dale saunters in, suspiciously red-eyed. Resen can detect no odor of pot on him, however, and decides that for now she'll let it slide. Instead she ushers the team into the simulator room. Partitions divide the room into cubicle-like subrooms. Each contains a VR setup, consisting of a waist-ring to determine posture pinioned above a round, treadmill-like platform to simulate locomotion:



Once you've all jacked in and donned your goggles, a ghostly blue-and-black login screen appears in midair in each participant's sight. Resen keys in the fireteam's authorization code into the VR interface and a menu pops up prompting her to choose a scenario:


SELECT SCENARIO:

1. Team-on-team skirmish
2. Insurgent ambush on APC
3. UDL Cheyenne Dropship assault [TEAM NOT AUTHORIZED]

[Marullus]

Resen considers it briefly. "Heavy guns, transport, and an ambush? Everyone gets their wish. Show me how you handle it when things go to shit, boys." She presses 2.

[Enoch]

The menu disappears from the top down. For a brief moment everything is black; then a wire-frame outline of an M577 armored personnel carrier appears around you, followed by the planar outlines of the vehicle, then equipment, then the details of the interior in a near-photo realistic view. Suddenly the sound kicks in, the rumble of the APV more muted than in reality but still shockingly loud. The waist rings begin to rumble and sway, mimicking the jostling of the vehicle.

The screen at the commander's station currently shows a simple topo map indicating the current position and the assigned patrol route.



What's everyone doing? Who's going to take what station (commander, gunner, driver, etc.)? (This won't limit what you can do in the Conflict. The OOC goal of this scenario is to quickly demonstrate how a Conflict works, so let's keep this moving quickly so we can get to the real game!)

[Marullus]

Resen wastes no time in barking orders, assigning crew position by the MOS from their files. "Wexler, man that TOC. I want radar, IR, every-R... We need early detection and early warning on this route. Good I&W increases options. Vale, in the turret. You want heavies, run the plasma cannon. Langsley on the stick. You are the operator. Hup hup!"

Can we incorporate a flashback bubble here, to the Ready Room before this exercise? I am all for speeding forward but this is the first they all met and I don't want to skip their chance to give an IC introduction.
Flashback

Elizabeth stands in front of the group, who all have been given leave to sit. Even relaxed, she looks at attention. "I am Corporal Elizabeth Resen. I am your NCO. I am NOT your mommy. I am NOT your girlfriend. I am NOT your b****. You just got flushed down the Delta toilet... Welcome to my sewer rats. Rats live in colonies, they are family. They are survivors, and so are you. I expect loyalty to each other, to the mission, and to me. You do that and we are square. In return, I commit to this... Every time we go out there, we will achieve our goal. We will leave no one behind. And, you will come back better, wiser, and smarter than you left. You are Marines. Together, we'll be more." It is a speech like you have heard a hundred times; she seems sincere, but also copied, stilted... Talking in front of a group just doesn't feel natural from her. But it is hard not to draw comparison... Every Marine has heard of General Resen, many have heard his oratory, which has men willing to join, fight, and die, the universe over. She definitely is not him.

"Now, sound off. Introductions. Starting on my right."

[MonkeyWrench]

I'm fine with an introduction flashback.

FLASHBACK

Garrett lounged about while Resen did her "im in charge" speech, paying only half attention. Once she initiated role call he spoke up, being on her closest right, He barely sits up and gives off a lazy salute to Resen before beginning, a smile on his face as he speaks, "PFC Garrett Vale, Or just Vale if you want. Rifleman Marine with a specialization towards Heavy Weapons Crews. You got something you want gunned down or blown up, I'll be happy to do it." With his introduction done he leans back and once again assumed a slouched position.

PRESENT

When given his assignment Garrett gives a little "Whoop" and skip-steps past Resen, giving her a wink and smile as he jumped ahead, "Knew you cared, Resen" he climbed up and into the turret seat and started fiddling with the controls, checking the gun and ammo, making sure the plasma cartridge was properly in place (even if this is just a simulation) and otherwise making sure everything is ready while everyone else hops into their designated spots.

[Marullus]

The OOC goal of this scenario is to quickly demonstrate how a Conflict works, so let's keep this moving quickly so we can get to the real game!

*poke* anyone else?

[Antman9]

James R Wexler – PFC, Com Tech

Flashback
“PFC Wexler. Com Tech, ma’am. Here to kill some shit, protect the federation, and don’t give two shits about the names. I’m your man Corporal Resen. You can count on me.”

Present
Wexler listens intently then hops to it. “Yes ma’am. I’m on it ma’am.” he jumps to the radar and communications console and familiarizes himself quickly with the setup and begins to monitor the external environment intently, focusing on his task and his task only. He’ll call out periodical updates to keep everyone in the loop and fresh. “Scope clear and green ma’am. All normal. All clear. Comm as quiet as a mouse ma'am.”

[Rusty Tincanne]

Flashback: Dale had always enjoyed the unity speeches he had heard. Resem's wasn't anything special, but it was comforting all the same. He liked being told he could count on people. He liked to have these uniformed crutches to keep him up as he limped through life. He gave an eager salute when she finished, adding the obligatory, "Sir, I'm PFC Langsley. I'll try to keep you all patched up as best as I can, but it should go without saying that getting shot, cut or flayed is generally bad for your health. So try and avoid it, okay?"

Present: Dale was feeling fuzzy all over and all he could think was, That was some excellent weed... And the simulator felt so real! He stood in a daze for what seemed like days, his body absorbing the rumble of the vehicle. He was so entranced he barely registered his name when it was said. By then the world snapped back like a rubber band and the medic was entirely ficused on the task at hand. "Yessir! Right on that!"

Dale squeezed through the vehicles confines, landing squarely in the driver's seat. He took a moment to familiarize himself with the layout of the 577. The only flaw in this simulation so far; he hadn't ever seen one in such good condition.

[Marullus]

I want to say you guys are all totally awesome.

[Enoch]

The APC does in fact seem cleaner and in better repair than any you have ever ridden in--it seems showroom-new, in fact; at least for now. About a klick in the distance, the sensors indicate a built-up area, likely a small village (right where the map overlay says there should be a village. Everything works just as expected in a sim!)

Your patrol route takes you out just past the village, circling around and returning to base.

What is everyone doing?

[MonkeyWrench]

Sitting with a big gun and a smile on his face, daring something to attack them.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Mesmerized by the experience - who the hell knew enlisting would be so cool! - Dale is trying his hardest to keep an even speed and not swerve too much. "This is the BEST!!!"

[Marullus]

Very efficient and effective (but with precious little fun), Corporal Resen focuses on the training objective. She calls for status reports, checks her monitors, and keeps her head in the game for the expected ambush, ensuring she is ready to defend or feint if needed based on early warning.