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KDF and allies are investigating a theft of the task force operational data. Their first clue is one of the last survivors of the original Rhombus crew…
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Shift Time: Sunday, May 23, Alpha -1
Audience: KDF and allies
Event Type: Social RP
Starting Point: Nimbus III
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GM: @gulremal
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> As the team arrives in the orbit of Nimbus III, they notice that the starbase is as usually very busy, and many ships are coming and leaving. Egzo soon receives a message from Bara, calling for a
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:- meeting in one of the many seedy bars in Paradise City. Town itself is still a crowded slum, but those who visited the place before notice that it has grown in the last few years, especially with influx of romulan refugees, and lately other species that suffered during Iconian war.
Egzo@HF_Mud looks around and observes, “Huh. Looks like the boomtown’s boomin’ again. Still a dump, just a bigger one.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> Meeting place is a small bar just off the main street, practically empty save for couple of half-drunk locals and a certain armed orion female at the bar.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: waves at the group as they enter Come, come! Have a drink on me!
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“I do not think a place such as this becoming more populated is a good sign.”
T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris steps over towards Bara, “I was told you needed assistance tracking down a group of hackers?”
[Team]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:I keep thinking the omega armour is Fed only and always get surprised at Sadia having it
[Team]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:But Omega is cross faction and MACO/honour guard are the faction specific one.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: Well, Legs asked me to help her track that Spade guy you’re looking for.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: It’s been a pain in the ass at first, especially since I don’t have Syndicate contacts anymore, but looks like Spade has become a wanted commodity as of late.
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“For his skills, or has he attracted the wrong type of attention?”
[Local]Egzo@HF_Mud:“Could be both.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:*she takes a small circular object and puts it on the table, presses a button on its side and a holo-image appears, showing a face-male Orion with bald head wearing yellow tinted goggles.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:- The picture is framed by an bounty notice of 500 000 credits (and equivalents in other currencies)
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: Legs didn’t tell me much, aside that he was part of the Rhombus hacker group. They were supposed to be dead, but someone’s picked up their name and is using it for their own purposes, right?
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“Apparently so. There is one advantage to this bounty- we will have no trouble blending in while we search for him. Though we will likely have some competition.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: Bounty is barely a week old, but there are already at least half a dozen groups down here. looks at her wrist-comp You arrived at a very opportune time, actually. Seems that one of the merc teams has found his hidey hole. They’ve hired some more guns and are planning to storm the place. We better hurry, as these guys might not be interested in keeping Spade alive.
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“I assume they have not made the location of his hideout known to others so they can reach him first?”
Egzo@HF_Mud snorts. “Right.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:“No, I have couple of my men keeping tabs on each group. Other teams are still sniffing around the town, but it’s only a matter of time before they figure out what’s going on.”
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“Are they still hiring?”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:"They cleared a couple of bars that were on the way to Spade’s hideout of any volunteers. checks her wrist-comp My contact says they plan to just rush the place with sheer numbers
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: shrugs Dumb if you ask me, but if this Spade guy is your typical hacker, I don’t think they’ll need much firepower anyway.
[Local]Egzo@HF_Mud:“He’ll have traps, though, and sounds like they want somebodies else t’set 'em off.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: I hope so, there’s over two dozen of these guys, it will be trouble if we have to shoot down all of em.
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“Is there any chance we could join this group? That should lead us directly to his hideout, and we will have the element of surprise should we have to deal with them.”
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“And if Spade has any defenses or traps, the mercenaries will help us with them as well. Let them fight one another first, and then take both out when they are weakened to have Spade ourselves.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: I don’t think we have time, they are on the move, we’d better hurry and hope Spade’s defenses will slow them down.
[Team]Sadia@gulrema:too late for mass effect archangel mission trick, but good idea nonetheless
[Team]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:hehe
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: You folks ready to shoot some thugs?
[Local]Egzo@HF_Mud:“Always.”
T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris nods, “Let’s proceed.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: picks up her holo emitter Excellent, let’s go.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> A short hovercar drive later, you arrive at what was originally supposed to be a warehouse district. Bara parks in to the side of one of the dilapidated warehouse buildings. There is no one around, at least not in sight. Bara waves to a building next to this and you can see an orion spotter on the roof, most likely one of her men.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> Bara beckons you to follow her to a ramp that leads down to a basement level of the building, and you are greeted by a scene of carnage…
Egzo@HF_Mud quips, “Think this is the place.”
T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris checks the area with a tricorder
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> Massive basement doors are now a big hole, twisted metal sides spreading from the inside. In the front, four, no three dead bodies - an orion, a romulan and… undecided, litter the area
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: Idiots tried to brute force the doors with guns, and triggered some kind of booby trap
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“I hear weapons fire further inside the facility. It would seem some of them made it in.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: checks her wrist-comp Rest of the group just rushed in once smoke cleared. sighs
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: Well, we better follow, and watch for traps.
T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris keeps the tricorder in one hand and a pistol in the other as she checks the environment for traps while proceeding inside
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:looks to her left and sniffs Ewww
[Local]Egzo@HF_Mud:“Try not t’step in anyone.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> Right of the main entrance, you note two heavily burned bodies still clutching melted weaponry on the ground. There are closed doors just in front of them.
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“It is a good thing I took a scent-numbing agent before I came here. The smell is still quite overwheming in spite of it…”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> Smell of roasted meat is pervading.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: Heck, what cooked these unlucky bastards?
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“Some form of electrical trap. It has burned itself out after the Orions were caught inside. It is safe to proceed.”
[Local]Egzo@HF_Mud:“Sure. You first.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: Okay, this Spade definitely isn’t your usual hacker.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: Gee, thanks.
Egzo@HF_Mud was looking at the Vulcan.
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“It does not look like this door leads anywhere to begin with, however. This entire area must have been set up to lure invaders into the trap.”
[Local]Egzo@HF_Mud:“Figures.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: moves past the bodies and moves to the door controls, inspecting them suspiciously
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: There’s like a finger of dust on these controls
[Team]Egzo@HF_Mud:(Having Evil Genius flashbacks now. :> )
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: Ah well, let’s keep going.
T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris follows forwards.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> Three more bodies on the corridor, two orions and a nausicaan. The remains of a shot turret are sparking at the end of the corridor.
Egzo@HF_Mud keeps looking warily about, both for ambushers and any traps that haven’t already been set off.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: Where the fu*k did he get all this hardware?
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“They activated a tripwire that activated the turret. Do we know what this place once was? Perhaps this was equipment the Syndicate left behind.”
[Emotes]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:rolls 65 (1-100)
[Local]Egzo@HF_Mud:“Ya can get almost anything if ya know the right people and have enough latinum.”
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“But not every hacker, even skilled ones, may be able to engineer such a complex setup. A few mines and security alarms perhaps, but this is more elaborate than that.”
[Local]Egzo@HF_Mud:“These Rhombus cutters /were/ s’posed to be hot stuff, back inna day…”
T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris nods, “Their reputation is well-earned if Spade set all this up by himself.”
T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris checks her tricorder, “There is another active turret, but the mercenaries disabled the tripwire and it should not deploy. They are capable of disabling something without brute force, it seems.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: Well, someone must have enough brains to at least organize this…
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: So, the corridor is clear?
[Local]Egzo@HF_Mud:“Looks like…”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: Okay, cover me.
T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris nods, “Unless someone remotely activates the turret, but I do not think it is likely.”
T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris keeps an eye on the turret’s location as they move on.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> One corridor and a turn later, they are greeted by a closed heavy metal doors. Also, half of someone’s body (lower part), as if the doors cut them off.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: looks at the lower torso and a pool of blood around the doors Charming. Someone busted the console, it seems.
Egzo@HF_Mud shakes his head at the half-a-dumbass.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> Indeed, door console is sparking, but is not completely demolished
[Team]Sadia@gulrema:tech roll
T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris looks to Egzo, “Do you think you can access the door still?”
[Emotes]Aestae Vali@crystyl:rolls 82 (1-100)
Egzo@HF_Mud moves forward to give it a look and/or try.
[Emotes]Egzo@HF_Mud:rolls 98 (1-100)
[Local]Egzo@HF_Mud:“Yeah, this shouldn’t be too hard. Just pop the front, and…”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> Egzo expertly removes the front cover, does some quick rewiring and the door opens…revealing upper half of the unfortunate human, still holding his techie toolkit…
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> The sound of gunfire is now audible to everyone, and muted shouts of multiple people…
Egzo@HF_Mud tsks, stepping over the other half-a-dumbass.
Egzo@HF_Mud looks up and ahead. “Gettin’ closer.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> You follow the corridor, sidestepping couple more mercenary bodies, these peppered by multiple large metal nails. The openings for the nail launchers are now visible on the walls, their mechanisms destroyed by multiple disruptor shots.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> You arrive at the end of the corridor which leads to a balcony area overlooking a large warehouse.
T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris peers over to see what’s happening in the warehouse.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> As you close in, you notice two destroyed turrets in the ceiling.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> With a combination of peeking inside and tricorder, you notice that there 8 remaining attackers on the balcony, all focused between two remaining ceiling turrets on the far side of the room, and someone in body armor and helmet with a scoped disruptor rifle in a small fort made of the boxes in the center of the warehouse - the top of the fort is almost on the same level as the balcony.
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“I suspect the one in the centre is the hacker we are looking for.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> Attacker are spreading around the balcony area, trying to outflank the defender and destroy the remaining turrets.
Egzo@HF_Mud nods. “Or his bodyguard. Either way, gotta deal with 'im… /after/ we take out the ones on the balcony.”
Egzo@HF_Mud peeks again. “They’re on the move. We better too.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: After you.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> As she says that, another attacker falls from the balcony to the ground below, but so do the remains of one of the defense turrets.
[Team]Sadia@gulrema:you are free to emote when you plan to rush in. there’s 7 enemies now, 4 close to your on the balcony, 3 that are moving down the balcony to flank
Egzo@HF_Mud raises his pulsewave to the ready. “Grenades?”
[Team]Sadia@gulrema:the remaining defense turret is in the ceiling diagonally opposite to our position (at the far end of the room)
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: checks her gun Might collapse the balcony.
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“A good idea. I will see if I can get the ones moving to flank, or at least ruin their maneuver.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Bara: Time to bust some heads.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:-- SURPRISE ROUND –
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:-- Egzo’s action –
Egzo@HF_Mud pops out and fires his decksweeper disruptor shotfun, er, gun.
[Emotes]Egzo@HF_Mud:rolls 89 (1-100)
[Team]Egzo@HF_Mud:(that’s at the ones still lined up on the balcony, if that wasn’t clear)
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> Egzo’s shot blasts the nearest merc and part of the railing off the balcony into the pit below.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:-- Aestae’s action –
Aestae Vali@crystyl shoots to sucker punch those staggered by Egzo’s opener
[Emotes]Aestae Vali@crystyl:rolls 3 (1-100
[Team]Aestae Vali@crystyl:seems about right
[Team]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:Awww
[Team]Sadia@gulrema:re-roll?
[Team]Aestae Vali@crystyl:nah
[Team]Sadia@gulrema:why not?
[Team]Aestae Vali@crystyl:like i said, seems about right
[Team]Sadia@gulrema:awww
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> One of the attackers reflexively ducks to the side as his fellow falls down the balcony, enough that Aestae’s shot passes right by his head
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Attacker 2: We’ve got incoming!
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:-- T’Vek’s action –
T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris aims her pistol for the ones going to flank, seeking to take them down or at least distract them.
[Emotes]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:rolls 93 (1-100)
[Team]Egzo@HF_Mud:Nice.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> One of the flankers turns around towards new threat, just in time to eat a pistol shot in the head. They continue their spin and fall over the railing with a Wilhelm scream.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> Seeing the door area getting crowded, Bara rushes in firing a burst on the enemy that luckily dodged Aestae’s shot.
[Emotes]Sadia@gulrema:rolls 58 (1-100)
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> Burst of antiproton bolts proves too hard to evade, and enemy falls dead.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> One remaining flanker keeps shooting at the remaining turret, scoring some hits but turret is still operational. Second remaining flanker drops to the ground and turns to the newcomers.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> Two attackers that are still close to the team turn their attention, and guns, toward the rushing orion, but are to surprised to do much else.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:-- ROUND 1 –
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:-- Egzo’s action –
Egzo@HF_Mud fires again at one of those two, narrowing the aperture so as not to hit Baras.
[Emotes]Egzo@HF_Mud:rolls 21 (1-100)
[Team]Egzo@HF_Mud:nnnnope
[Team]Egzo@HF_Mud:and I’ll hold my reroll.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> The narrow blast hits one of the support beams close to one of the attackers, doing some structural damage, but that’s it.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:-- Aestae’s action –
Aestae Vali@crystyl again tries an advantage shot to capitalize on Egzo’s attack.
[Emotes]Aestae Vali@crystyl:rolls 92 (1-100)
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> As enemy merc tries to reposition after Egzo’s shot, Aestae’s pistol bolt hits him square in the forehead. Having no helmet, he falls backwards without a word.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:-- T’Vek’s action –
T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris aims to take down the flanker focusing on them before they start shooting at the team.
[Emotes]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:rolls 41 (1-100)
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> T’Vek’s bolt grazes the attacker’s body armor, but fails to do significant damage.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> Bara keeps rushing into a slide, spraying bolts into remaining attacker still close to the group.
[Emotes]Sadia@gulrema:rolls 78 (1-100)
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> Multiple antiproton bolts hit the merc and he joins his buddy on the balcony floor.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> One of the flankers keeps shooting at the remaining turret, but turret returns fire, and… they destroy each other.
[Team]Egzo@HF_Mud:woot, double kill :)
[Team]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:Always nice to have enemies take each other out
[Team]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:Even better when you get xp for it hehe
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> The last flanker (and generally last remaining attacker) snarls at the light wound he received from T’Vek, and aims his weapon to return the favor…but a bolt from the center of the room hits him square in the chest, blowing through the cheap armor, and he falls to the balcony floor very much dead.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> For a few moments, there’s just a silence interrupted by the sparks of the destroyed turrets…
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:-- TO BE CONTINUED –