# Forum > Play-by-Post Games > Ongoing Games (In-Character) >  Worse Than the Disease 2 IC

## Shoot Da Moon

_Previous IC thread; https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...ease-IC/page50

OOC Thread; https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...he-Disease-OOC

Dice Rolls Thread; https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...ase-DICE-ROLLS_
===

The Waffle House settlement accepts the conditions and deals Sean lays out. It will take them a few days and a couple teams of men in cars to do the required trips and deliveries, but it will be done.

While that business is being taken care of, Tariq can rest and heal, and Richard can analyse the intelligence gathered from the cabin.

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## Shoot Da Moon

The exiles settle in and rest in the cabin for the night.

(OC: everyone eats their meals for the day.)

*DAY 58*

The exiles continue to stay in place as Tariq recovers.

Sean stays on the radio, keeping in touch with his allies.

Richard studies the captured intelligence and figures out some stuff.

The battle bus crew provides reinforcement for the more important and permanent gang hideout, typically the slaver camps or the gangs planning large assaults on settlements. The slaver camp here is mostly meant to protect Stone and his co-ordination of various gangs, or act as a secure corral for recently captured slaves who will eventually be sent to a northern factory and mine. Gunmetal is not yet going to be attacked, but the raiders are considering it and studying the city for weaknesses. For now, the gangs are mostly nibbling around the edges, raiding the lesser settlements within 10 miles of Gunmetal.

The other raider camps are scattered around, sometimes reporting into Stones hideout and delivering captured slaves, supplies, stolen bounty and soldier rotations. Once a month, men from the northern stronghold arrive to recieve the slaves and take them to the factory and mine.

Only one raider camp is near the power plant, and it is temporary, 10 men strong, and focused mostly on foraging or keeping watch on travellers.

The Shelters are numbers 38 and 51. 38 is abandoned, it was attacked by the raider army and cleansed of life. 51 is still sealed up, populated by the original survivors and their descendants, ignorant of the larger conflicts, and in contact with Overseer Mailer (who deceives them). Shelter 38 is located on the base of a mountain in the centre of Vermont. Shelter 51 is located 10 miles north of 38, entered through a mountain cave.

The triangulated location was not marked on any maps before now. It is probably the factory and mining operation the raider army maintains.

The papers name and detail various raider gangs answering to Stone; bad guys calling themselves Jackpots, Jacks, All-Blacks, 14 Words, Lucky Strikes, and Gamblers. They all have black tattoos on their necks, of course.

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## u-b

Listening to what Richard has discovered, Sean has more questions:
1. Can we discern "northern factory and mine" location from the intel gotten from Stone? If it is not marked anywhere on the maps, maybe some travel times and/or distances relative to verious points are given or some such?
2. We have been given the location of a "Work Camp" somewhere in the north-west of the state, about 70 miles from the radar base.
2.1 Does it seem to be it?
2.2 Does it match the triangulated location?
3. Can we deduce anything on how many people are there? Roughly approximate numbers would be good for now. Related numbers (slaves/day, food consumed et cetera) also qualify.
3.1 Number of slaves.
3.2 Number of slavers.
3.2 Number of guards.
4. Any combat vehicles mentioned anywhere? In particular, anything more of a combat vehicle than a battle bus?
5. Number of people in a similar rank and position as Stone (also, approx is good enough)...
5.1 Here in Vermont.
5.1.1 Their approximate areas of concern, names, anything.
5.2 In total in the whole organization.
6. Any info they have on the mutants?
7. Any info they have on The Gutter?
8. Any info they have on Shelter 43?
9. When was Shelter 38 attacked?
10. Name and title of the head of the whole lot?
11. What happened to/at Point T?
12. How many teams under Stone have radios?

What are the tattoos of everyone we got? This Sean can check himself. After this check, Sean will help Waffle House men inhume the bodies as he probably does not have much more to do.

*Spoiler*
Show




> OC: everyone eats their meals for the day.


Done.

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## Volthawk

While looking into Sean's further questions, Richard gets on the radio to relay his findings to their allied settlements. In particular, he wants to talk to Gunmetal City, as the last time he'd talked to them extensively about their position with the raiders, they had thought the raiders were giving them a wide berth, but with what he'd now learnt he wanted to be sure that they kept alert for anyone investigating their defences. He also wanted to stress the need to take this seriously, as after all they'd been skeptical about the ability of the raiders to capture Shelter 38 when Richard had reported their initial information about the place, but his new intel was very clear on what had happened to it - not only had they been able to claim a victory over the shelter-dwellers, but from how the raiders had described it they were able to kill (or enslave, he supposed - it dependended on how literally he took 'cleanse') every one of them.

He also asks around if anyone knew anything about Shelter 51 - naturally, as a sealed-up Shelter their contacts wouldn't have any direct contact with it, but nonetheless he was keen to hear anything of note about the surrounding area, raider activity in the area, that sort of thing. He still wasn't sure what, if anything, to do with 51, but he felt like it was worth asking about, just in case - given their status with Mailer, they could be a source of allies for the raiders if the exiles' campaign pushed them too hard, but at the same time they weren't so far in league with the raiders that they couldn't be brought on-side with the right approach. A dream for the future at the moment, but still one worth thinking about.

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## u-b

While Richard is on the radio, Sean mentions two things that he intended to bring up later, but can as well bring up now. First, that we should probably arrange a face-to-face meeting with Gunmetal leadership to discuss the situation further. Maybe a week+ from now, when we are done recovering and looking through the intel. Second, that we should check with Shelter 43's computer about "treason" / "not treason" status of shelters 38 and 51.

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## Shoot Da Moon

> While looking into Sean's further questions, Richard gets on the radio to relay his findings to their allied settlements. In particular, he wants to talk to Gunmetal City, as the last time he'd talked to them extensively about their position with the raiders, they had thought the raiders were giving them a wide berth, but with what he'd now learnt he wanted to be sure that they kept alert for anyone investigating their defences. He also wanted to stress the need to take this seriously, as after all they'd been skeptical about the ability of the raiders to capture Shelter 38 when Richard had reported their initial information about the place, but his new intel was very clear on what had happened to it - not only had they been able to claim a victory over the shelter-dwellers, but from how the raiders had described it they were able to kill (or enslave, he supposed - it dependended on how literally he took 'cleanse') every one of them.
> 
> He also asks around if anyone knew anything about Shelter 51 - naturally, as a sealed-up Shelter their contacts wouldn't have any direct contact with it, but nonetheless he was keen to hear anything of note about the surrounding area, raider activity in the area, that sort of thing. He still wasn't sure what, if anything, to do with 51, but he felt like it was worth asking about, just in case - given their status with Mailer, they could be a source of allies for the raiders if the exiles' campaign pushed them too hard, but at the same time they weren't so far in league with the raiders that they couldn't be brought on-side with the right approach. A dream for the future at the moment, but still one worth thinking about.


Gunmetal City is deeply alarmed by the new intelligence. They declare a new inquiry, sending over teams to the abandoned Shelter to pick over the bones and find out what exactly happened. They'll also shore up their fortifications, hire new guards.
Nobody knows anything of a Shelter 51. The location where the Shelter is supposed to be is infamous for heavy raider activity, so most people avoid it.




> Listening to what Richard has discovered, Sean has more questions:
> 1. Can we discern "northern factory and mine" location from the intel gotten from Stone? If it is not marked anywhere on the maps, maybe some travel times and/or distances relative to verious points are given or some such?
> 2. We have been given the location of a "Work Camp" somewhere in the north-west of the state, about 70 miles from the radar base.
> 2.1 Does it seem to be it?
> 2.2 Does it match the triangulated location?
> 3. Can we deduce anything on how many people are there? Roughly approximate numbers would be good for now. Related numbers (slaves/day, food consumed et cetera) also qualify.
> 3.1 Number of slaves.
> 3.2 Number of slavers.
> 3.2 Number of guards.
> ...


(OC: Richard will need to study the intel again for a day to answer those numbered questions. Richard, roll Intelligence Analysis again.)

Looking at the bodies of the prisoners and the dead, Sean finds more black neck tattoos. Some of them look familiar, some are new. Roulette wheels, four playing cards fanned out displaying aces and eights, the ace of spades, skulls, the suicide King, two dice showing ones, the number 77, the Old World dollar sign, poker chips, knaves...Stone himself has a fierce-looking snake coiled up and hissing open-mouthed.

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## Shoot Da Moon

The exiles welcome the new calm after their latest brushes with violence.

(OC: everyone eats more meals for the day...)

*DAY 59*

The next day, Richard manages to analyse his collected info and comes to some conclusions;

Richard figures out where the factory and mine would be, it is likely the "Work Camp" 70 miles from the Radar Base, or otherwise is close by it (the work camp may have a direct and regular route between the two points). It certainly matches the general vicinity of the triangulated location, to about 10 miles.

A mine and a factory in the same settlement or fortress would imply roughly 200 people. A quarter to one half of those would slaves, the rest are mostly security and jailers. Slaver crews would be the smallest portion, frequently coming and going, dropping off new slaves every month.

An Old World tank is briefly mentioned in the documents, but it is described as a very old model (something marked "WW1") with "only" machine guns and not cannons.

Judging by Stone's tone and comments in some correspondence, the factory and mine have four commanders equal to his rank posted there. And he hates them all.

With the exception of a few slaver gangs and his security forces, Stone's activity in Vermont mostly covers gangs that travel frequently across the state, to avoid getting tracked down and eliminated. Most of them seem to be heading south, near the lower border of Vermont, for the season. Only the slaver gangs did not get new orders to back off their attacks. It is apparently a loss prevention tactic. The total active raiders mentioned in the documents add up to about 80 now, a single gang consisting of anywhere between 8 and 15 troopers. Several gangs reported heavy casualties recently, three were wiped out. None of them are counted among the current active raiders.

The mutants are rarely mentioned in the reports, except for the "Sinful Nature". Stone thinks he can use them as a spoiler while the gangs are retreating, by encouraging them to attack settlements while raiders hide.

The Gutter is mostly off-limits to the men under Stone's command now, he claims the place is too dangerous and not their concerns as far as objectives go. Indeed, a lot of reports state raiders regularly suffer unacceptable casualties when they go into The Gutter.

Shelter 43 is a special objective, mostly handled by other commanders, who do not want anyone messing with it. Stone contemptuously dismisses it as a "secret project", and a waste of time.

Shelter 38 was not attacked recently. Not even within the last decade...

The army Hugh command as a whole considers itself "Shelter 77".

Richard figures what happened at Point T is that a fall back position was prepared sloppily and the retreating raiders were panicking, so they tried to desperately hide at an unvetted rally point - the Shelter - and got slaughtered there by the security robots.

5 teams under Stone have radios.

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## u-b

Sean has a lot less open questions after hearing Richard's findings, but there still are some:
1. Any use stated or implied that the tank is currently or normally put to? Like, guarding the factory and mine or something?
2. Judging by the size of Stone's area of responsibility and other factors, how many other _field_ commanders of his level can we expect to find in Vermont (i.e. not at the factory and mine, but spread throughout the state)?
3. How far back are the oldest Stone's papers dated? How things were back then? How long is he in the area?
4. What are reported to be the cause of those recent casualties? Any specific settlements and/or mititia groups? Who was attacking and who was defending? Are there detailed reports of the events? Sean is mainly interested in:
4.1 How our own actions are reported and attributed?
4.2 Who else is effective at waging this war and how they achieve it?
5. Is it in any way clear how Stone managed to "encourage" the mutants? What is the deal? What are means by which they keep in contact? Radio?
6. Is it in any way clear what the losses in The Gutter are _from_? Armed humans? Mutants? Automatic security? Something else?
7. Who is the current leader of Shelter 77? Sean would like this name ran through Shelter 43's computer (we have secure radio channel), along with shelter number itself and shelters numbers 38 and 51.

Also, we want to keep in touch with the team going to Shelter 38 and get a clearance to receive a copy of their report.

*Spoiler*
Show




> OC: everyone eats more meals for the day...


Done.

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## Shoot Da Moon

> Sean has a lot less open questions after hearing Richard's findings, but there still are some:
> 1. Any use stated or implied that the tank is currently or normally put to? Like, guarding the factory and mine or something?
> 2. Judging by the size of Stone's area of responsibility and other factors, how many other _field_ commanders of his level can we expect to find in Vermont (i.e. not at the factory and mine, but spread throughout the state)?
> 3. How far back are the oldest Stone's papers dated? How things were back then? How long is he in the area?
> 4. What are reported to be the cause of those recent casualties? Any specific settlements and/or mititia groups? Who was attacking and who was defending? Are there detailed reports of the events? Sean is mainly interested in:
> 4.1 How our own actions are reported and attributed?
> 4.2 Who else is effective at waging this war and how they achieve it?
> 5. Is it in any way clear how Stone managed to "encourage" the mutants? What is the deal? What are means by which they keep in contact? Radio?
> 6. Is it in any way clear what the losses in The Gutter are _from_? Armed humans? Mutants? Automatic security? Something else?
> ...


The tank is being used to guard the factory.
The oldest paper is dated a year ago. The raiders were far more sure back then, attempting to wipe out settlements in the eastern areas of Vermont. Stone has been a field commander for 3 years, promoted up from the boss of a slaver gang.

(OC: The other questions not answered requires another Intelligence Analysis roll and another day. Getting clearance and keeping in touch with the team requires a roll against Savoir-Faire (Military), or Soldier.)

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## Volthawk

As always, Richard relays his findings to their allies and starts to look for answers into Sean's new questions. He also tries to get in touch with Gunmetal again, asking about their more advanced weaponry - he remembered that they would need authorisation from the Elders to buy such things, and they'd previously denied the exiles, but hopefully the mention of the raiders having a tank (he mentions the details he doesn't understand, like the WWI designation - maybe given their focus, they might know what it means) and their more recent successes might convince them to part with the kind of equipment needed for a target like that. Sure, Tariq could probably put something together with enough punch to deal with it himself, but there was no harm trying to get hold of something purpose-built, if the Elders went for it.

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## u-b

This time Sean joins the radio chat to make a correction and two proposals. The correction is that the team does not currently _need_ the equipment to go after the tank as that is, as of yet, not anywhere near decided. Still, the decision to go after one target or the other _can_ be made, and the team has demonstrated some level of capability, so... The first proposal would be to get together and chat. Then  maybe come up with some plan and maybe discuss the equipment as would be appropriate. Stone's papers and the guy himself could be a part of the deal. The second proposal would be to keep in touch, which we, from our side, mostly do, but would not mind some reciproity w.r.t. outcomes of our leads.

*Spoiler*
Show




> Hm. Richard doesn't have either skill. Tariq has Soldier, but I suppose since this is the day he's healing up to 0hp he can't do it. I suppose that means either Richard or Sean will have to default Savoire-Faire (IQ-4) - we have the same IQ I believe, and Richard's doing intel work, so I guess Sean should roll?


Sean's Savoire-Faire is at extra -1, making it the same IQ-5 as Sean's Soldier default. Well, at least the chance was non-zero and Sean does not crit-fail.

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## Shoot Da Moon

> As always, Richard relays his findings to their allies and starts to look for answers into Sean's new questions. He also tries to get in touch with Gunmetal again, asking about their more advanced weaponry - he remembered that they would need authorisation from the Elders to buy such things, and they'd previously denied the exiles, but hopefully the mention of the raiders having a tank (he mentions the details he doesn't understand, like the WWI designation - maybe given their focus, they might know what it means) and their more recent successes might convince them to part with the kind of equipment needed for a target like that. Sure, Tariq could probably put something together with enough punch to deal with it himself, but there was no harm trying to get hold of something purpose-built, if the Elders went for it.


The Elders are happy to hear Richard out, but their decision will need to hold off for other issues and their final decision might still be not in his favor.

(OC: Richard, make a reaction roll to see how the Elders judge it, apply your usual modifiers and another -2.)




> This time Sean joins the radio chat to make a correction and two proposals. The correction is that the team does not currently _need_ the equipment to go after the tank as that is, as of yet, not anywhere near decided. Still, the decision to go after one target or the other _can_ be made, and the team has demonstrated some level of capability, so... The first proposal would be to get together and chat. Then  maybe come up with some plan and maybe discuss the equipment as would be appropriate. Stone's papers and the guy himself could be a part of the deal. The second proposal would be to keep in touch, which we, from our side, mostly do, but would not mind some reciproity w.r.t. outcomes of our leads.
> 
> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> 
> Sean's Savoire-Faire is at extra -1, making it the same IQ-5 as Sean's Soldier default. Well, at least the chance was non-zero and Sean does not crit-fail.


Sean fails to get approval from the soldiers. They say they can handle their own business, and it's not safe to get too open about what they're up to. They'll report back to Sean when they have the time.

*DAY 60*

(OC: Another day's worth of eating. Mark them off. Tariq, you get to recover some more.)
Richard finds out more from the intelligence.

There might be another 3 field commanders like Stone active in Vermont.
The raider causalities are due to militia pushback and defense of settlements, and the exiles' attacks on them. Not many detailed reports of that stuff at all.
The reports on the exiles are fairly regular, but relatively vague despite their accuracy. (They report the exiles have taken the radar base and repelled attacks, but not how, for instance.)
The Rangers are noted to be especially prolific in defeating raiders.
It seems Stone wanted to bait mutants into attacking settlements mostly by covertly leading wandering patrols of the Sinful Nature into travelers and settlers on the road or by getting people to stumble into mutant lairs, rather than direct methods.
The losses in The Gutter are mostly from automatic security and diseases.
The current leaders of Shelter 77 are a council of five "generals" or oligarchs. The leadership occasionally get bogged down in making high level decisions quickly, but often split up responsibilities and select operations amongst their own personal spheres of subordinates and influence efficiently. One general got "retired" and replaced (reason given; "judged logistically insolvent") four months ago.

The Shelter 43 computer is not taking calls right now. Or perhaps it is simply a bad connection?

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## u-b

Sean has no more open questions. He asks if Richard and Tariq can come up with some of their own. As for the plans, Sean proposes the following:
1. We let Tariq recover to full.
2. We do some crafting. E.g. Richard can make precision ammo when the supplies arrive, then Tariq can spend one day when he is at full health.
3. We hit the raider camp that is near the power plant.
4. We let Waffle House people take over guarding the armed powerplanters as they restore the power and secure the site.
5. By this time, maybe Chalmers will have some news.

*Spoiler*
Show




> OC: Another day's worth of eating. Mark them off.


Done.

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## GnomesofZurich2

> *DAY 60*
> 
> (OC: Another day's worth of eating. Mark them off. Tariq, you get to recover some more.)


Tariq fails his recovery roll, the physician roll succeeds, putting him at 1 hp.

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## Volthawk

Looking over his accumulated findings, Richard just has a few loose ends to try and find an answer to. For one thing, the mutants - if Stone wanted to make use of their patrols and lead people into their territory, he must have had some idea of where their settlements are (or at least which areas have above average numbers of them), so Richard tries to collate any information in the intel on the subject and makes a few calls to the settlements he knows that have had problems with mutants to compare their experiences, hoping to get a better idea of where they're more or less likely to find mutants. It felt useful to have a better idea of where to avoid when they didn't want trouble, and where to go if they needed to take action against a mutant group again. 

He also double-checks the reports on the Gutters, hoping to learn about any other ways in than the ones the exiles already knew about - in order for the raiders to lose people, they must have found entrances, and he hoped they might have said enough about it for him to figure out where. The mention on people dying of disease down there also concerns him, so he looks for any information on what - sure, the raiders probably weren't exactly doctors, but they might have said enough to figure out whether they're talking about the kind of regular diseases you find in the wasteland, infections and the like from wounds inflicted by the defences, or something unique to the Gutters themselves. The prospect of the last possibility has Richard a little worried, given what brought about the world they now live in.

He looks over Stone's comments on his peers and superiors again (the commanders at the mine and factory, the other field commanders, 77's generals, etc), hoping to glean any hints about the people themselves, how they like to operate compared to Stone. Sure, it'll be coloured by Stone's own opinions, but there might be something the exiles could use in the future there.

Outside of the intel, he calls around and gets talking to his usual contacts, asking if they any idea about when the troubles with the raiders actually started - between how long it had apparently been since the attack on Shelter 38, and the involvement of Mailer (who had been 44's Overseer for as long as he could remember, and who'd  been a part of this long enough to have sent out enough exiles to irritate the people she was working with), he was started to wonder just how far back this went. He had other questions about the beginning of all this, but they would have to wait until they could get their hands on one of the real leaders behind all this. He also checks in with the Funny Platoon, asking if their snooping on enemy radio channels had picked up on anything interesting yet.

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## Shoot Da Moon

A call from Gunmetal tells Richard that the Elders will probably approve his request, but he'll have to wait until tomorrow before he can actually order any goods.

In the meantime, he digs up more findings.

He narrows down the locations of three Sinful Nature bases much like the one the exiles destroyed in Springfield. One is in The Gutter, another is hidden beneath a mansion, the third is in the mountains.

According to reports, raiders enter The Gutter through tunnels in Springfield. The diseases caught in The Gutter sound like nastier cases of influenza and skin-eating rabies. But Richard is not a doctor...

Richard's investigation into the generals and the field commanders gives up some hints. They seem fanatically hateful towards non-Shelter dwellers, selfish, greedy and bitter. They often put their own self-interest ahead of the mission when fighting directly. Their loyalty to the army is mostly secured through personal gain and opportunities to express their unpleasantness.

Most of the non-slavers tend towards shooting on sight or capturing for torture. Most raiders have anger issues and an unreasoning desire to kill their enemies as fast as possible. The slavers tend to buck these bloody-minded trends, but in the worst ways possible.

According to those he speaks to, Vermont has ALWAYS had trouble with raiders and slavers, for decades at least. The Funny Platoon reports rumours on enemy channels that a raider boss has gone rogue, taking his entire gang with him, and is trying to defect. They think it has been confirmed, but they have no details on the traitor yet.

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## u-b

Sean mostly takes some time to relax and do nothing much, but he does think of something else that Richard might try to find out:
1. The yellow substance, its use, origin, composition etc.
2. Prevoius (groups of) Shelter 44 exiles. Number, timing, composition, fate, etc.
3. Location of Shelter 77 (approximate is fine).
4. Any life in The Gutter to carry those diseases (like rats, bats, insects or what not). We should also consult the doctor present here, show him the papers and ask to comment from his experience about curability of any of those diseases etc.

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## Shoot Da Moon

> Sean mostly takes some time to relax and do nothing much, but he does think of something else that Richard might try to find out:
> 1. The yellow substance, its use, origin, composition etc.
> 2. Prevoius (groups of) Shelter 44 exiles. Number, timing, composition, fate, etc.
> 3. Location of Shelter 77 (approximate is fine).
> 4. Any life in The Gutter to carry those diseases (like rats, bats, insects or what not). We should also consult the doctor present here, show him the papers and ask to comment from his experience about curability of any of those diseases etc.


The reports on the exiles explain that the yellow substance is some kind of beast attracting pheromone they used to herd mutated animals. They often spray it onto meat and then throw it around to get swarms of scavengers or predators to disrupt settlements.

The other Shelter 44 exiles are given only passing mention - they died or were murdered by raiders, that is all the enemy cares to record.

Shelter 77 is not given any location in any intelligence obtained so far. No doubt for OpSec reasons. You doubt even captains and some field commanders know where Shelter 77 is. Maybe the officers at the factory and mine do.

The doctor opines, after looking over the findings, that the diseases were mutated influenza and Ebola. The infection was probably carried through tainted water, a bio-weapon, a mutated animal bite or tainted air. Antibiotics would be ineffective against the "Mega Flu" and curing the Ebola would require Old World high-tech anti-viral medicine.

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## Shoot Da Moon

The exiles continue to enjoy the cabin in the middle of the stone field...

*DAY 61*

Tariq continues to recover from his wound.

At the end of breakfast, the Waffle House couriers arrive with the stuff ordered by Sean. They ask him where he wants it all offloaded.

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## u-b

Sean tells to deliver 10 rifles, 10 shotguns, 50 shots, 50 slugs, and also 100 rifle cartridges Sean is providing, to the powerplant people at the Waffle House. They would be welcome to allocate the guns and practice a little, but Sean is not providing more ammo, so that is on them. Sean will tell them when it is safe to relocate. Most of the rest of the stuff goes into the trunk. The only exception, and only if the cargo for the Radar Base is not already in transit, would be 50 slugs. In either case, Sean asks when the cargo to the Radar Base is expected to be delivered (food and armor in bulk; maybe these 50 slugs).

Tariq is notified that we now have 26 pounds of TNT. Richard is notified that we now have 200 empty rife cartridge casings and 10 pounds of other components (primers, powder and lead).

Sean asks Richard and/or Gunmetal about the details of the deal:
1. Do we get a permanently elevated status?
2. Or open-ended high-tech purchase limit of some amount?
3. Or one time high-tech purchase limit of some amount?
4. Or some pre-approved list?
5. Or we just name what we want and they see how it goes?

*Spoiler*
Show

This makes our accound balance with the power plant people 640 rifle cartridges, to be eventually repaid with power and/or guns back.

Also, should we relocate to Waffle House settlement? They probably have a doc there too, to tend all the wounded fighting the mutants, and we don't really have any business here in the cabin.

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## Shoot Da Moon

The Waffle House crew nods in agreement and gets to business. They inform Sean the radar base cargo is not yet in transit.

Richard receives a call back from The Gunmetal Elders. They inform him that they can approve buying Old World high-tech equipment sets (a primary gun, armor, working gear, gun accessories, a secondary firearm) for two people right now. Any more purchases, and they will need further favors or earning citizenship.

(OC: What kind of TL 8 things do you want to buy?)

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## Volthawk

With his intelligence work done for the time being, Richard turns his attention to the delivery of ammunition parts, grabbing the reloading press from the car and spending most of the day making new match-grade rounds for their rifles.

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## u-b

Having completed the shopping list, Sean checks with the others that it is correct and the expressed priorities are as intended. Then he has a chat with Waffle House people proposing to lend them the good radio and get the bad radio in return. They would be free to use the good radio until a reversing transaction completes and the proposal does not include payments of any kind. Sean explains that he would like to sell _a_ radio to procure some stuff, but does not want to sell the good one. Also, he expects to be able to find more older model radios, so the transaction should be reversible just fine. Whatever the answer, Sean puts two sniper rifles, _a_ radio and some other stuff into the trunk, and, having Bart with him, drives the sedan to Gunmetal and unloads the goods as arrange. He picks up everything that can be picked up right away, asks when other stuff is expected to be available, asks to be notified over the radio when it actually is, makes sure what is purchased is marked against what is authorized (and what is not purchased _not_ marked against what is authorized), tells he will be back to pick up the remaining ordered stuff (and other authorized stuf, funds permitting), then is on his way back.

After he unloads and distributes the gear, Sean intends to lead the way of two cars with the team and two most valuable prisoners to the Waffle House to spend the night there and begin the interrogations in the morning.

*Spoiler*
Show

Okay, the proposal is like this. Notably, we purchase quite a lot of armor, so are unable to cram in there most of the other stuff, but we don't plan to go after the tank right away, and likely not into enclosed spaces, so, if we hit one or two groups before the rest runs away, we should be good. We _are_ able to cram night vision goggles in there, which is a good thing. There are still a few things that can be opined about. For one, Sean's IR stuff is optional, but it will take time to produce, so I'd rather order it sooner, not later, and by omitting it we get nothing more urgent anyway. The best alternative I can think of is the lot of anti-armor bullets plus better trauma plates. We don't quite need the bullets right now and trauma plates would be extra $12800 for extra 2 DR, so Sean would rather get the laser. We can upgrade the trauma plates later on and pass these to the troops or wear them on the back, so nothing is quite wasted by going for cheaper ones first.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Tariq sleeps pleasantly as the doctor sees to him.

Richard almost flawlessly crafts some excellent rifle rounds, for future killings. It takes him a total of ten hours, but the effort is worth it.

After a brief exchange of wheeling and dealing, Sean hits the road and the road (thankfully) does not hit back. He complete the deals they made at Gunmetal and the Waffle House, with Bart riding shotgun (almost literally). The radio exchange is accepted as fair. He is informed that he can expect wanted inventory within a few days.

Bart watches over Sean as he goes to sleep in the Waffle House tents, surrounded by strangers and hearing the occasional animal noise off in the distance.

(OC: Mark off the meals eaten, fellas. Tariq, roll to see how much HP you recover...)

*DAY 62*

The morning is chilly, and the sky is a bit overcast.

----------


## u-b

In the morning, Sean proposes to choose one most promising-looking mutant, take it away from the others, and see if it can be reasoned with. He proposes we conduct negotiations, rather than interrogations, with this one guy, and our position would be roughly like so:
1. The mutants attacked the Waffle House. Twice.
2. They were hit back. Hard.
3. For reasons that follow, we see this as enough of a retaliation, so if the mutants won't do it again, we also won't do it again.
4. Our preliminary investigations show that the mutants were tricked into attacking the Waffle House by tattoed raiders. We hit the raiders. Hard.
5. We want to know how the situation looked like from the munants' perspective and to what extent it matches the description above. In particular, what they thought was their reason for attacking.
6. We want to know if the mutants would be willing to condict negitiations.

*Spoiler*
Show




> OC: Mark off the meals eaten


Done.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The mutant mostly stays silent, except for when it starts blurting out random threats and curses.

By the end of the talks, however, it reveals why it hates "normal" people so much;
The Sinful Nature were created in the image of some insane and evil genius just after the virus ravaged the Old World. They were created to kowtow to their creator and serve his twisted whims, helping him carry out his megalomaniacal affronts against nature, apparently with the full backing of the Old World and the blessing of the "normal" humans.

The mutants rebelled against this unnatural evil, and instead destroyed their creator. In the aftermath, they decided they must devote their lives to stopping the threat of humanity of subjugating the natural world to their unholy ambitions, and punish it for their sins. Humanity will once again endorse another savage "genius" like their creator unless they are crushed. Most, if not all, of humanity is probably just as cruel, power-hungry and murderous as their creator, anyhow.

That's what the Sinful Nature believe, anyhow.

----------


## u-b

Sean listens to the mutant, trying to understand the proposed worldview. He has some things to clarify:
1. What does it mean to be "created in the image" of an evil genius? In particular, does it mean having evil tendencies to begin with? How this relates to clearly unhuman physiology?
2. Sean informs that the Old World was apparently split, with some part of it committing high treason against the other, and that's only on this side on the pool. Can it be known who exactly gave and not gave their blessings?
3. What is the nature of the punishment and the plan for imposing it and how did it work over all those years? What those punished are supposed to do after receiving their punishment? Meaning, it's not a capital punishment, right?
4. What "natural world" are we talking about? Something as evolved before year 10000 BCE? Something no more technologically advanced than 10000 BCE? Other criteria? How the clearly recent and artifical mutations fit into the picture?
5. What is their method of ensuring _the mutants_ don't endorse another savage "genius" maybe like that they were imaged after?
6. Given all this seeming hate, how do they manage to coexist with the people of Springfield? Meaning, they share a city, but so far no side seems to have eradicated the other.
7. Can we contact those higher up to have a more coherent talk about our differences?

Sean displays patience, partial disagreement and genuine interest through his Easy to Read trait, if that's relevant.

----------


## GnomesofZurich2

> Tariq sleeps pleasantly as the doctor sees to him.
> 
> (OC: Mark off the meals eaten, fellas. Tariq, roll to see how much HP you recover...)
> 
> *DAY 62*


Tariq continues resting up. (OC: Both rolls succeed, Tariq is at 4 hp.)

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> Sean listens to the mutant, trying to understand the proposed worldview. He has some things to clarify:
> 1. What does it mean to be "created in the image" of an evil genius? In particular, does it mean having evil tendencies to begin with? How this relates to clearly unhuman physiology?
> 2. Sean informs that the Old World was apparently split, with some part of it committing high treason against the other, and that's only on this side on the pool. Can it be known who exactly gave and not gave their blessings?
> 3. What is the nature of the punishment and the plan for imposing it and how did it work over all those years? What those punished are supposed to do after receiving their punishment? Meaning, it's not a capital punishment, right?
> 4. What "natural world" are we talking about? Something as evolved before year 10000 BCE? Something no more technologically advanced than 10000 BCE? Other criteria? How the clearly recent and artifical mutations fit into the picture?
> 5. What is their method of ensuring _the mutants_ don't endorse another savage "genius" maybe like that they were imaged after?
> 6. Given all this seeming hate, how do they manage to coexist with the people of Springfield? Meaning, they share a city, but so far no side seems to have eradicated the other.
> 7. Can we contact those higher up to have a more coherent talk about our differences?
> 
> Sean displays patience, partial disagreement and genuine interest through his Easy to Read trait, if that's relevant.


The mutant answers;
1) The creator cloned himself. All of the Sinful Nature are clones of the creator, albeit with mutations and genetic drift, thankfully. The cloning labs all have his DNA template on file, and that is what they use to make new mutants.
2) The mutant admits he does not know for sure, but the creator HAD to have a lot of support. How else could he set such horridly brilliant feats of science?
3) Humanity did evil when they enabled the creator, so the Sinful Nature must punish them for it. The Sinful Nature have come to the conclusion that the punishment should be death, as the creator's crimes were too grave to be forgiven.
4) The natural world is the world without humanity's interference. The wilderness where no human lives must be protected, with force if necessary.
5) So far, no Sinful Nature clone has ever done so, the issue has never come up.
6) The Sinful Nature tried, but the humans of Springfield pushed them back every time. The attack on the Waffle House was a splinter faction trying to wipe out a settlement so the greater mutant population could gain a foothold in better territory.
7) No. Leadership is a fluid and scattered thing amongst the Sinful Nature. Aside from their shared goals, the mutants rule each other mostly by charismatic mob rulers who direct mere bunches of mutants at a time, who are easily replaced or unfollowed in accordance with the fortunes of war.

The mutant seems deflated and uncomfortable, not used to such intense social contact.

----------


## u-b

1. Sean inquires how the mutants reason about a modified clone of evil being a model for good. Would not it be better to find someone "provably" good and clone _them_ instead? Or being good is not necessary for one's fight against (other) evil?
2. Sean enquires about the mutant's awareness that the humanity is not a clone of one person, so, even leaving alone culture and education, not everyone is the same. So, even assuming humanity did evil by enabled the creator, not everyone would be neccessarily in favor of it, even if they would be aware of it and capable of doing something. And many things are done by the leaderships without consulting the masses. How do the mutants feel about replacing the leadership only? Maybe with themselves or "good" clones discussed above?
3. How long had the Sinful Nature this goal of imposing the death on the humans? Do they have positive progress so far? Are they noticiably closer to their goal? What must happen, to them and to the world in general, for them to reconsider either the desirability or attainability of this goal?
4. Why do the mutants need a territory? Sean has an impression they do not necessarily need to eat, so not require agriculture or hunting. What purpose would it serve to have control of some territory? In what respects this territory was seen to be "better"?
5. What is planned to happen after all the humans are killed? Do the mutants want to establish a civilization of theirs? Devolve their culture to live naturally as animals? Kill themselves to rid the planet of all possible future sources of evil?
6. What is their take on responsibility and blame? Sean explains that the Old World humans largely had individual responsibility in many matters*, so it was not customary to punish someone for something he had no real influence on committing. There were other concepts of blame, though. Group blame was to some extent used, where a group was often an oganization or a country (the first - mainly for economical matters, and the second - for political and military matters). There was an older practice of family/tribe blame, which involved all three of genetic, cultural and organizational similarity by those committing the acts and those held responsible for them at the time this practice applied. There is also a religious notion of the "original sin" that is supposedly passed down to every new generation and cannot be lifted from those that had no business committing it. The mutants seem to extend the blame to the whole genus, so Sean does like to know if this is a conscious decision and whether the much greater diversity of natural humans relative to clones was taken into account making this decision.
7. Can the order of the eradication be subject of negotiations? Like, coming to an agreement that some humans are more evil than others, then teaming up to eradicate them first, then fighting among ourselves for our lives if, by that time, we are unable to reach a consensus?
8. Is there an idea how the slaver/raider leadership could have influenced the decision of the splinter faction to attack this settlement? Meaning channels, contacts, arguments, etc.

*Spoiler*
Show

*I assume Sean's basic education covers that much. We _do_ know today of Ancient Greece, for example. I will edit it if Shelter education in this regerd is in some way limited.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The mutant asserts that their status as clones of the creator does not mark them as evil - they DESTROYED the creator, not take after him. If anything, the creator's visage constantly reminds them of the importance of opposing evil. As for cloning another, they know nothing of that particular technology.

The mutant seems ignorant of human culture and society, really. It also knows little of human leadership, come to think of it.

The Sinful Nature have been waging their war on humanity for "decades". The mutant is not sure how the war is going, just that it is not over yet. They'd like humans to leave Vermont or be killed to the last in Vermont, at least. Securing Vermont would keep the entire world from falling to the human evil, at least. The mutant is not sure what could happen to make him change his goal. Whatever made the creator evil, that would have to be removed from the enitre human race.

The Sinful Nature need territory so that the good in the world can be protected from evil by them. They do not need to eat or drink. Good can flourish under their care if evil was driven out of the region.

The Sinful Nature, once they secure the region from the evils of humans, will occupy the region and nurture whatever good they can find. Whatever good remains, it is in danger from humanity. The Sinful Nature will probably simply live as they have done, without the warfare, once humans are out of Vermont. Their culture is communal and harmless, free from evil.

The Sinful Nature believe that good is simply the default and evil takes deliberate effort to attack the world. When one does evil, there is no mistake. They must be punished for doing evil, simply for the sake of protecting good, as all evil threatens good willfully. The mutant knows nothing of this "education" and thinks Sean is lying somehow. It knows very little of countries, organizations, religions, genus and armies. He understands tribes and towns, but not "human diversity".

The mutant does not know if the order is subject to negotiation. Some mutants might negotiate, it guesses, but some is not all. Very little has changed regarding the shared goal of the Sinful Nature since the beginning.

The mutant knows nothing of "raiders" or "slavers". It has never talked to one, or even a human at all, before now.

----------


## u-b

Sean was at a loss how this could be salvaged. There just did not seem to be any solid point of contact. "Say, chap, just _how old_ are you? What did you _do_ in that isolated hole you've just emerged from? Would you think your faction leader values your faction lives enough to come here and talk?"

*Spoiler*
Show

If Richard has ideas, this might be a good time to try some.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard was a little stumped too. Ideology like that was a lot harder to deal with than self-interest, mutual betterment, and what Richard believed was most people being basically alright people, particularly when it this...blanket in its applications of good and evil. There was one point that confused him though. "If good is the default state of the universe, and evil is perpetrated willingly, why are those that you don't know to have committed any evil acts still judged guilty by your people? If it is a matter that a given human may at some point in the future do evil, why do you consider yourself exempt from this? Surely you don't think that mutants are incapable of comitting evil acts - attitudes like that, a total certainty in your own beliefs and your superiority over any others, is precisely what leads to people like your creator arising in human communities." He doubted that someone like this, a devoted follower of the cause, would be swayed by any of this, but he was curious about how much they actually thought about all this, and how much they just accepted as gospel. On that thought, a memory came to mind. "On another note, we first met people of the Sinful Nature..a month and a half ago or so. They were suspicious of us at first, seeing us as invading their home, but they were willing to talk and we came to an agreement. They called us non-sinners, and let us stay where we were. They wanted to make sure we were alright people, and given that they left us later that day without any more complaints or attacking us, it seemed like they'd judged us kindly. We didn't even know that humanity as a whole was your target until much more recently. Is the way they acted unusual or normally forbidden for your people, or is there room in your beliefs for humans to be judged good?"

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The mutant is confused by what Sean and Richard are saying.

It does not know how old it is. It spent most of its free time training for a fight, learning survival skills, engaging in group story telling, and playing with animals. It does not really understand what Sean is getting at when he brings up his leader. The leader does not negotiate - nobody he knows is in charge of negotiating. After all, anyone can talk, right?

Richard gets even more blank stares. As far as he understands, the mutant thinks Richard is arguing good will...eventually lead to the evils of the creator? Did humans not do evil? Has he ever met an evil mutant? Met a good human? He does not think so. Quite frankly, the mutant is not smart to grasp the point.

Richard's account of his brush with friendly mutants is shrugged off. So what if some other people judged them sinless? They're not his people.

----------


## u-b

Sean sighs. "Humans don't always do evil. I'll prove my point. Go think about it, and think about it again next time you are to murder a child. Come back with a white flag if you want more of yours released."

Sean leads the mutant outside, a bit away from the settlement, and lets him go. He is not sure if this will do any good, but just one extra mutant probably does not increase the world threat level by all that much, so he's willing to risk it. He warns Waffle House people about the mutant possibly returning with a white flag, even though he does not have much hopes. He's ready to hear all the things they would say about the idea, as long as nobody claims he's overstepped his authority.

*Spoiler*
Show

Let's spend some more time, shall we? Sean does nothing much. If Bart needs some funds to relax in the settlement, he just has to name the amount.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The other men accept the idea.
They actually have heard accounts of mutants being friendly with normal people.

The mutant, once freed, graciously flees into the wilderness as fast as he can. He seems unsure about what he should do, or how he should feel about Sean and his talk.

----------


## Volthawk

Happy that the talk with the mutant ended about as well as he could expect, and thinking over the conversation to figure out if there was anything useful there, Richard returns to work on the bullets - he's a little slower than usual, taking more breaks and enjoying being in a proper settlement, but he figures he has the time for once.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

6 hours of work later, Richard has made 60 match-grade bullets, which should make the killing to come easier.

----------


## u-b

Sean first decides he won't do anything useful today, but then he thinks why this would be the case and comes to a conclusion that he does not want to hunt near Shelter 44, Springfield, mutants and all. So he chooses a different approach. He takes Stone's radio, has Richard set it up so that Sean only has to push a button to place a secure call, takes Bart, the dogs, and drives to the Sky Resort, saying to expect him back some time tomorrow. At the Sky Resort he tries to get two men to help and chooses a place somewhere around the mountain where to release the dogs, hoping to shoot, kill and butcher something big enough to worth the trouble.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean makes the drive without trouble, gets two men to help him, lets the dogs lead the way, and finds a good pack of 8 wild dogs to hunt.

(OC: they each have Dodge 10. Your hunting companions have Guns (Rifle)-12 and they do 5d Pi per shot.)

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean shots three dogs dead as they get spooked by their own dog companion.

Each dead dog weighs 80 lbs.

(OC: Sean's fellow hunting men also get to take a shot each, as well. Roll for them.)

----------


## u-b

Bart and the two local men each take a shot. Sean then tries to get the remaining dogs before they get away. Whatever is the total catch, Sean allocates the local men one dog each and takes the rest for himself, placing them in the pickup truck. He drives everyone back to their base, which is close enough, and says he came here to hunt and share the news. The first part is done for today, so we can proceed about the second. Dining with the local militia, Sean tells about the recent operaton against the raiders' outpost (how it went and that one man got seriously wounded) and the mutants (their attacks on the Waffle House and the retaliation, also the mutants' tough physiology and their resistance to e.g. melee and buckshot attacks). Sean says nothing about Chalmers and his op, nor about the north-western base, nor about the team's further plans, but is otherwise ready to answer the questions. He says he expects the surrounding lands to be calmer, at least in short term, and if the locals can start looking for that vault that is pesumably nearby and if they need any help or have any expectations with regard to the task. Meanwhile, do the locals have any news of their own?

*Spoiler*
Show

That's it for today and Sean will go hunt the first thing tomorrow.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

All of the wild dogs die as the men continue to open fire and then coup-de-grace the dogs who were merely knocked out. 8 corpses of the dogs are left over, bullet holes in their torsos.

(OC: each dog corpse is 80 lbs., for about 40 meals and weighing 40 lbs., IIRC.)

Back at the ski resort, the men skin and cook the dogs, and dine on their meat that evening. The militia stationed at the resort share that it's been very quiet since the attack that the exiles helped out with. They've focused exclusively on rebuilding the base and repairing gear. They've had the occasional new recruit come in.

After dinner, Sean can take it easy and rest.
Richard hits the hay as the sun goes down.
Tariq goes to sleep feeling better...

*DAY 63*

(OC: mark off meals eaten.)
Everyone wakes up to a clear day.

Richard spends 6 hours making new bullets.

Sean goes hunting at the ski resort area when he gets up. He, Bart, the dogs and whoever he can to come with him all eventually track down a herd of bulls and cows grazing in a lonely field. A quick count puts the herd at 12.

----------


## u-b

Sean designates the targets (he gets the the side with the most compact group and everyone else gets the other side, in the ame order as they are themselves positioned), then tries to carefully approach the herd, but not too close as not to alert it prematurely. Then he shoots one long burst, trying to get as many targets as he possibly can.

----------


## Volthawk

The bullets handled, Richard turns his attention back to the prisoners, particularly Stone. He spends a few hours questioning the raider leader, focusing his questions on the northern raider holdings. Besides trying to use Stone's knowledge to get information on the layout of said bases and operations, Richard also tries to learn more about the people involved - Richard's investigation of Stone's notes  had already told him that the man hated his northern counterparts and given him a general overview of the kind of people they were, but perhaps Stone could be convinced to elaborate a little more about them.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Richard's pressure bounces off Stone even after more than a hour.

Sean gets a stoppage and only slaughters five cows, while Bart and the two other men fatally shoot one bovine each. The rest of the herd stampedes away, leaving eight dead huge piles of raw burger behind.

(OC: each cow weighs 1390 lbs.)

----------


## u-b

Sean takes his time to clear the stoppage without damagin the gun. It takes a minute for what looks like a simple task, but Sean really does not want to end up with a non-functional gun off the base. It turns out just a shot case failing to extract, which Sean extracts, and the rifle seems to remain in a perfect condition.

The cows seem a perfect match for pickup capacity, if transported one at a time, so Sean estimates getting them anywhere would take a while, as he does not want to risk and overload the pickup, having no ability to fix it. He asks the snowbunnies to guard the location and transports two cows to their base, one at a time. At the base he unloads them saying it is their share and says he will transport the rest to Gunmetal. Also, he asks if the locals would be interested in a similar deal the party has with the Waffle House, namely, to get stuff in exchange for some future repayment in services or such. If so, do they want to get something in particular? Then Sean drives the rest of the corpses all the way to Gunmetal, which is not quite far away, but it's still a number of trips, so might take all day. On the last trip he makes a quick detour to bring local people home and thanks them for their cooperation. In Gunmetal, Sean asks if they will take the whole lot of fresh dog meat and dead cows in their present condition in exchange for adding a trauma plate and some radio detonators to his previous order.

*Spoiler*
Show




> OC: mark off meals eaten.


Done.

UPD: And I think I'll need to account for the mileage:
1. Waffle House to Sky Resort
2. Sky Resort to Gunmetal and back (11 one-way trips)
3. Gunmetal to Waffle House (today or tomorrow, depending on how late is it now)

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean makes good time on his deliveries of meat.

The folks at Gunmetal are wary of making a deal of "store credit" or whatever, but they certainly accept the dead animals as payment - worth $2 per pound of edible meat as rations.

The people of Gunmetal mostly like the idea of salvage from The Gutter - particularly quality metal for their workshops and factories, and Old World electronics for study. That would be worth "credit".

They add the trauma plate and radio detonator to the order in exchange for the food.

(OC: do you need any help counting the miles?)

----------


## u-b

When it starts getting dark, Sean is back to base. He returns the Stone's radio to Waffle House men at the workshop and then parks the car in the party's garage. He shares the news with Richard and Tariq and asks if they have some of their own.

*Spoiler*
Show

Sean has to refuel twice, mid-way and in the end, for 4 bullets each time (8 total).

----------


## GnomesofZurich2

> When it starts getting dark, Sean is back to base. He returns the Stone's radio to Waffle House men at the workshop and then parks the car in the party's garage. He shares the news with Richard and Tariq and asks if they have some of their own.
> 
> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> Sean has to refuel twice, mid-way and in the end, for 4 bullets each time (8 total).


Tariq replies, "Still convalescing, looking forward to getting out of bed and back into the workshop!"

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Richard tries to crack Stone some more, but finds the scum defiant.

It takes another four hours of badgering him before Richard breaks for the day, having seen the sun go down.

(OC: everyone eats their meals for the day.)

Sean is back just in time to go to bed.

(OC: going to the next day?)

----------


## GnomesofZurich2

> (OC: going to the next day?)


Sounds good to me.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

*DAY 64*

The exiles all wake up at the remains of the slaver camp, the sun shines brightly in the sky and the winds are chilly.

(OC: if you guy are still waiting on a delivery of stuff you've bought, it arrives today.)

----------


## u-b

Sean wants to get the following info out from Stone, for a start:
1. An actual hand-drawn map(s) of the north-western facilities.
2. Some comments.

The map(s) and the comments answer the following questions:
2.1 The number of differents sites in the area.
2.2 The purpose of each site.
2.3 The number of people verious sort at each site (slavers, guards, technicians, etc.).
2.4 Which site is guarded by the tank.
2.5 Whether the tank standing in the open or in a garage or maybe dug in to some extent.
2.6 Whether the tank is camouflaged.
2.7 How many men guard the site along with the tant.
2.8 What equipment these men have and use (like, snipers, machine gunners).
2.9 What are the fortifications.
2.10 What buildings are at this particular site (number, purposes, sizes, etc.).
2.11 What would be the distance from the buildings to the outer perimeter of the guarded area.
2.12 What would be the distance from the outer perimeter to bush/forest type of vegatation (both the minimum such distance and the maximum such distance - Sean wants to know both how close he can sneak in and from how far away he can shoot, he's not yet sure what approach would be preferred).
2.13 What traps etc. are employed.

Also, there is a bunch of unrelated questions that either Stone or his papers could answer:
3. Can the groups Stone had under him communicate only with Stone's base and among themselves? Or can their radios reach any other entities, such as the HQ? If so, Sean would like the list of all those entities.
4. What would they most likely do now that Stone is out? Is there a contingency plan? Will they try to do business as usual? Try to move and hide? Something else?
5. How many cars of what types do they have?
6. What is the purpose of moving south for the summer? Are there any specific seasonal dangers to run from?
7. What is known about the situation outside of Vermont? A general picture would suffice. Any interstate war, commerce, or maybe other interaction? Radio contact?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Stone won't give up any information without some hardcore focused questioning, taking notable time.

(OC: Sean, roll Interrogation skill against Stone's Will 13. The base time for each roll is 1 hour.)

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

8 hours of sweaty confrontation later, Stone still does not crack. He is wavering, however.

(OC: Stone wins three of four contests, ties on the last. No information is gotten.)

----------


## u-b

Sean attends the interrogations, but otherwise does nothing much. He is not particularly surprised that this Stone is one tough cookie. Given Tariq's condition there seems to be no pressing need to hurry up, so Sean intends to spend another day or two doing the same and see how it goes.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

After a hard but fruitless day of interrogating Stone, the exiles go to bed as the sun sets.

*DAY 65*

The next day is clear and temperate.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

In the next eight hours of interrogation, Stone breaks a bit and reveals information.

Stone has been in contact with groups under him, and those group do not talk to anyone else. He does not trust other field commanders to do their job well enough. Anything those other commanders want with his subordinates, they have to go through him for it.

The men under Stone, now that he is captured, are likely to either drop their flags and run to hiding, or hook up with raider bosses if they can.

Most raiders have only motorcycles, sedans, horses, their own feet, and bicycles to use as transportation. Trucks may be used by certain raiders assigned to supply runs and slave transportation. There are exceptions, of course...

Fleeing south is meant to be a strategic withdrawal from a situation that's gotten too hot. They'll lick their wounds in the south, gather their numbers, build back up, and move back north to fight again when they have the chance.

Stone does not know much about regions outside Vermont, nor does he care. He knows the raiders have training camps and proving grounds down south, where new raiders are somehow recruited or raised, then prepared for their duties.

Stone resists talking about other things.

----------


## u-b

Sean is present during all of the interrogation and wants to clarify one thing: whether the withdrawals like this are a regular occurence or this time is somehow different. He is then inclined to let Stone be for the evening and try getting more info from him the next day.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Judging by how Stone phrases it, Sean thinks that the withdrawal is not a regular thing. It is probably a response to recent events.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Another slow day down, the exiles turn in and try to dream of better things.

(OC: everyone records the meals eaten, of course.)

*DAY 66*

The morning after their slumber is peaceful and clear.

----------


## Volthawk

Thinking over what Stone had told them, Richard gets in touch with his contacts across the settlements again, asking if any of them have contacts or ties to the south - people who might be in the path of the raiders' withdrawal and who might be willing to pass on information if they do see anything of them, or who might need the exiles' help if the raiders' resupplying and regrouping comes at the expense of the locals. While the confirmation that they're having an effect is nice, and fewer raiders operating here was always nice, Richard was still concerned about the longer term situation.

Once he's done talking, he gets back to interrogating Stone, this time staying focused on the matter of the northern base and anything Stone has on it - he was resistant on the topic previously, but Richard really needed to know what they might be heading into if they tried to take the base on.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Richard's contacts do know a few scattered settlements to the south, even across the Vermont state border. They pass in the message to be on guard against the raiders coming their way. They've already heard reports of highway banditry, so it seems the information is good.

His 8 hours of interrogation hits a breakthrough today.
Stone confesses to some juicy intel.
He draws a basic map of the mining operation and factory.





According to Stone, there is only a base for the raiders stationed there and their prisoners, other than the factory and mine. The base has living quarters, an amory, mess hall, and other standard areas. The factory is for manufacturing gear and supplies for the raiders region-wide, and the mines are for getting raw metal materials with slave labor. The mine and factory has about 40-90 slaves at any one time, a staff of 100 guards, 20 technicians, 10 officers, and a total 40 of miscellaneous base staff serving them all. The tank mostly guards the factory. The tank is kept in its own separate garage for most of the work day and is scrambled if there is an alarm or substantial corralling of slaves. The tank is not camouflaged. 10 men accompany the tank, the rest of the guards patrol the sites (factory, mine, base) on rotating shifts. The tank has a machine gun, the guards have automatic rifles or shotguns with slugs, a few snipers in high places, body armor, barricades on checkpoints, and searchlights. The sites have metal security doors, checkpoints for pat-downs, holding cells and a big pen for slaves, murder holes, watchtowers, barred windows, stone cover, barrels filled with sand or water, and barricades. The buildings are pretty big, much bigger than any found in the rest of Vermont. The base has four buildings worth of areas, where the raiders sleep and eat when not at work. The entire collection of sites is almost a city in of itself. The outer perimeter is 25 yards from the buildings, but a checkpoint has been set up at the entrance. Woodlands is 20 to 30 yards from the outer perimeter, but the terrain is also rocky and fairly mountainous. The sites have barbed wire fences, flare guns for signaling, alarms, some surveillance cameras, sweeping searchlights and locks.

----------


## u-b

Sean adds a few more question for tomorrow's interrogation:
2.14 Judging from the map and accompanying comment, the buildings are just 50 yards from the trees. Does it mean they pretend to be hidden or just are not afraid of anyone coming that close?
2.15 How do they secure the woods? Like, traps, secret snipers camouflaged on the trees, patrols, other stuff? If patrols, how far do they go and how often?
2.16 What is the composition of the perimeter? Solid concrete wall? Low wall of sandbags? Wire fence? Or some other design?
2.17 How many searchlights? Any backup strategy in case those are disabled? Like flare guns maybe or night vision gear?
2.18 How many stories high is the tallest building?
2.19 How Stone expects the base would react to something like artillery fire?
2.20 Where exactly is the tank's garage? What is the garage built of? Does it have anything like windows facing the perimeter?

*Spoiler*
Show

I thinks the pics elude us. I'll put them here as URLs:
1. https://ibb.co/gTkJMdh
2. https://ibb.co/3NG0HRX

Ready for tomorrow.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

With that progress made, the exiles turn in as the sun goes down.
(OC: note number of meals eaten.)

*DAY 67*

The next day is pleasantly temperate. Stone is still defiant, despite the cracks in his resistance.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean and Richard get more out of Stone.

Stone says most "rabbits" never close to the buildings or the trees - they have men watching the roads a mile away from the place, with strict checkpoints and orders to shoot to kill if they encounter anyone not a part of the army.

The woods are secured by regular patrols, who keep an eye on the local roads up to a mile away. They switch up teams on a weekly shift.

The perimeter is mostly a wire fence with barbed wire, and watched by guards in towers. They also have stone walls and metal gates on buildings and restricted areas.

Eight searchlights. All the guards have flashlights and one in five have flare-guns.

The highest building is three stories high.

Artillery fire is something they are not prepared for.

The tank's garage is half-way between the base and the factory. It's made of concrete, it is probably an Old World structure. It does not have windows.

----------


## u-b

Sean can think of no more questions to ask of Stone at the moment. He can think of some to ask of a random mutant guy. It seems the one we let go does not report back, so maybe we should prepare for the worse, if only because we have the time. So, Sean lays out the following proposal for tomorrow:

1. Ask radio guys (or, if they do not know, ask over the radio) if the mutant attacks seem to have stopped. If not, ask how they are localized.
2. Take one random mutant guy and ask him a few things:
2.1 What building(s) in Springfield are in use by the mutants and for what purposes? We do not necessarily disclose that one of those buildings is out, but, if more than one major building is mentioned, try to determine which one of those it was.
2.2 How many mutants are in Springfield and how they interact with other locals?
2.3 What they produce, what they trade for and whom they trade with?
2.4 Where the mutants were produced or born? How quickly did they grow up?
2.5 Are there different kinds of mutants? If so, are they different from the start or are the differences somehow acquired? What kinds of mutants can be named?
2.6 Anything known about mutants/clones attack at Killington Sky Resort?
2.7 Anything to be told about centaur type, other strange types and, especially, the one big guy?
2.8 Any way the mutants interact among themselves, especially long-distance (radio or what not)?
2.9 Anything known about the nanomachine injectors that cause mutations?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

With that planning completed, the exiles can wait out the night.

*DAY 68*

The next day, Sean and Richard get to work.

Asking their contacts on the radio, they learn mutant attacks right now seem to come, usually, from out of entrances to The Gutter, around Newport, and around a mountainside.

The captive mutant refuses to talk. He looks afraid of the exiles.

----------


## u-b

Sean would like to know more about the mutants' attacks:
1.1 Total number of attacks recorded. The timing (day / night / either). The composition of the attacking forces (numbers, gear used).
1.2 Their success (both absolute and relative). Number of settlements fallen, people killed, attacks repelled, etc.
1.3 What exactly seems targeted (major / minor settlements, travelers, etc.) and any insights about sanity of those attacks or an overall plan _(we might have to roll something for this)_.

*Spoiler*
Show




> ...and around a mountainside...


Is this Mount Mansfield we are talking about? How are Red Brick and Bread Basket positioned relative to this?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> Sean would like to know more about the mutants' attacks:
> 1.1 Total number of attacks recorded. The timing (day / night / either). The composition of the attacking forces (numbers, gear used).
> 1.2 Their success (both absolute and relative). Number of settlements fallen, people killed, attacks repelled, etc.
> 1.3 What exactly seems targeted (major / minor settlements, travelers, etc.) and any insights about sanity of those attacks or an overall plan _(we might have to roll something for this)_.
> 
> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> 
> Is this Mount Mansfield we are talking about? How are Red Brick and Bread Basket positioned relative to this?


The mutant attacks have numbered eight so far, mostly at night. Two settlements were destroyed, three were damaged severely enough that their long term survival is in serious doubt, the rest were repelled successfully with only a handful of causalities. A total of 33 people have been killed.

The mutants have mostly targeted settlements with a strong food trade or those dealing in drugs. Travelers have ben picked off opportunistically along the roads. The usual method of attack is simply rushing the front with a wave of enemies on foot backed up by a few enemies on horseback or on motorcycles.

*Spoiler*
Show


It is Mount Mansfield, yes. Red Brick and Bread Basket are both west (give or take some north-ish) of that place. About 20 miles and 40 miles respectively, but it's not a straight route.





> 2. Take one random mutant guy and ask him a few things:
> 2.1 What building(s) in Springfield are in use by the mutants and for what purposes? We do not necessarily disclose that one of those buildings is out, but, if more than one major building is mentioned, try to determine which one of those it was.
> 2.2 How many mutants are in Springfield and how they interact with other locals?
> 2.3 What they produce, what they trade for and whom they trade with?
> 2.4 Where the mutants were produced or born? How quickly did they grow up?
> 2.5 Are there different kinds of mutants? If so, are they different from the start or are the differences somehow acquired? What kinds of mutants can be named?
> 2.6 Anything known about mutants/clones attack at Killington Sky Resort?
> 2.7 Anything to be told about centaur type, other strange types and, especially, the one big guy?
> 2.8 Any way the mutants interact among themselves, especially long-distance (radio or what not)?
> 2.9 Anything known about the nanomachine injectors that cause mutations?


The mutant captive is easily broken, giving up what he knows.
The mutants in Springfield have a dozen different buildings they've taken as safe places, they often sleep there during the day.
The mutants mostly attack and kill normal humans in Springfield that loiter near the biggest buildings because they are mostly evil drug dealers and bandits. They otherwise stay away from humans, since they are often diseased.
The mutants sometime produce this or that advanced Old World medical drug, so they can secretly trade it to humans outside Springfield for lots of food, in disguise if possible. The buyers for the Old World stuff tells them as little as possible, in return for no questions about the mutants.
The mutants are usually created out of Old World laboratories they guard in secret, highly defended, underground areas. They usually come out of the cloning labs fully grown.
There are plenty of mutants in all sorts of...sorts. The mutant can only tell you that some mutants have multiple heads, multiple legs, wings, webbed feet, weird eyes, flippers, and any number of unusual traits. He understands nothing of the cloning process itself or mutations as a medical condition.
The attack on the ski resort was done by another tribe of mutants, ones trying to secure the southern border from humans.
The centaurs are war leaders of various tribes, directing foot soldiers in attacks. When not fighting, they defer to smarter and stranger mutants. Giant mutants are sometimes seen around the southern border, but the mutant itself has never seen one. Tribes often use the giants as secret weapons against humans with explosives.
The mutants communicate with each other by information couriers making trips around Vermont every 3 months or so.
The mutant assume you mean Old World technology...and he knows little of it. Maybe a mutant running a lab is making it?

----------


## u-b

To ask over the radio:
1.4 Would any of the heavily damaged agrarian settlements want to relocate? We can negotiate if they are, and can start negotiating now if they have the radios. What do they need for long term survival besides protection? This offer does not extend to known drug-dealing settlements.
1.5 Would Bread Basket want to chat about the situation, either in person or by radio (we have strong encryption available, so the later should be viable as well)? Maybe they might think they need assistance, desire to post bounties or just comment on the matter...
1.6 We warn Radar Base to watch it at nights, possibly burn fires near the perimeter and have shotguns loaded with slugs.

Assuming it did not take too much time to get the info out of the mutant and we have made lots of rolls, some more questions to ask him today:
2.10 Why do they target settlements with strong food trade? Why do they trade for food? It's not like they have to eat, or have they? Why don't they grow their own instead or hunt for it or something?
2.11 Does this one mutant know the whereabouts of any such secret laboratories? Like maybe the one which he's from? If not, how comes?
2.12 What does he know about that lab, if not the location? Like, how many people were in his batch, how long time per batch, does it seem to be running at full or seriously reduced capacity (and if later, reduced by what), how exactly it's guarded and so on and so forth...
2.13 How comes the mutants avoid diseased humans in Springfield, but not afraid to use The Gutter? Is The Gutter free of disease?
2.14 Do they operate motorcycles and horses through The Gutter?
2.15 Is he aware of any specific reasons to target mountainside and Newport in particular? Any specific reason to start now and not earlier or later? Can he contact the tribe claiming command of the ops in the area? Any relation to the attacks in the south?

Then Sean thinks of one more question:
2.16 How do mutant animals come to be? Are they being fed human corpses?

Aster all of that:
3. Provide Waffle House leadership with all this information and ask if they would like to comment or chat.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The other end of the radio says to Sean that the survivors of the attacked settlements would love to join up with the exiles, they can go to the radar base and restart their farms and operations there. Food, water, and shelter is what they want most.
Bread Basket can get in contact with the exiles, they have representatives that handle matters with outsiders, the rest of the settlement seems to prefer extensive isolation. Maybe they are shy? They do not need assistance, but they would like to trade their food for other kinds of supplies.
The radar base crew roger that, and double their security.

Attacks on settlements with lots of food discourages the normal humans from sticking around, they won't risk starvation. The mutants mostly steal food to bribe normal humans for various favors or supplies. The mutant himself once got a new gun from a human this way, buying it with a month's worth of rations. Getting food other ways either takes too much time, or exposes them to danger through hunting.
The mutant knows little of the other laboratories. That's by design, they can't risk this knowledge getting out to normal humans.
The lab was being maintained by the smartest mutants he knows, of course. It was protected by the best equipped and best trained warriors. The lab had a huge steel door isolating it from everywhere else. He thinks most batches are ten mutants at a time. Each batch took a month to produce. It might be running at reduced capacity, he does not know. He is not allowed to be near the lab for very long or a lot, the mutants who are tend to be the very best of the batches.
The Gutter is VERY diseased...but the mutant tribal leaders know where you can get anti-biotics for those specific diseases. The labs can make some, and they know a few traders who sell the stuff. And the diseased humans in Springfield tend to act weird and somehow get really good at finding and killing mutants.
The mutants do not bring horses or motorcycles into The Gutter, of course. What a ridiculous question! That's way too dangerous!
The mutant is unfamiliar with the mountainside and Newport. He does not know how to contact the other tribes, that is handled by special members of his tribe. He figures those attacks might be driven by the local humans annoying them.

The mutant shrugs when Sean brings up mutant animals. He thought they might be creations of a lab, or simply the result of animals eating mutants. He thinks most mutated animals like eating people. They certainly like eating mutants unless they are tamed. And no, he does not handle animal taming in his tribe, that's someone else.

The Waffle House leadership is intrigued by the information provided. They want to know more about mutants infiltrating settlements or disguising themselves as normal people. They would like to know the identities of anyone working with mutants, including merchants trading with them.

----------


## u-b

Radio communications:
1.7 The survivors would be welcome at the Radar Base. There is food, shelter, and should be enough water. There will be also protection. Sean gives the survivors directions and tells the base to expect arrivals.
1.8 Sean asks if Bread Basket has means to do delivery (after all, food is bulky), if they have any problems / limitations trading directly with Gunmetal and what supplies they would like to get?

Last few of questions to ask of the mutant today:
2.17 Can he name / locate / describe any traders who he know deal with the mutants?
2.18 Can he name / locate / describe any mutants operating in disguise?
2.19 Does he know if Bread Basket is in any way infiltrated? Can he tell about any other settlements? Like, maybe, this one?

----------


## Volthawk

As the mutant describes the lab, Richard asks whether the mutant remembered seeing any numbers labelling the lab - a secure location sealed with a thick door made him think Shelter, so it was worth seeing if the mutant knew anything to help inform him one way or another.

The news of survivors coming to the radar base raises Richard's spirits quite a bit, and he asks the guards there to keep in touch as the situation develops and people get settled, and to let them know if any of the newcomers find that something important is missing there. It felt good to be able to provide something to people other than their combat expertise.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> As the mutant describes the lab, Richard asks whether the mutant remembered seeing any numbers labelling the lab - a secure location sealed with a thick door made him think Shelter, so it was worth seeing if the mutant knew anything to help inform him one way or another.
> 
> The news of survivors coming to the radar base raises Richard's spirits quite a bit, and he asks the guards there to keep in touch as the situation develops and people get settled, and to let them know if any of the newcomers find that something important is missing there. It felt good to be able to provide something to people other than their combat expertise.


The mutant remembers lots of numbers, but he can't say which ones. It was usually a string of numbers and letters with the occasional dash breaking them up.




> Radio communications:
> 1.7 The survivors would be welcome at the Radar Base. There is food, shelter, and should be enough water. There will be also protection. Sean gives the survivors directions and tells the base to expect arrivals.
> 1.8 Sean asks if Bread Basket has means to do delivery (after all, food is bulky), if they have any problems / limitations trading directly with Gunmetal and what supplies they would like to get?
> 
> Last few of questions to ask of the mutant today:
> 2.17 Can he name / locate / describe any traders who he know deal with the mutants?
> 2.18 Can he name / locate / describe any mutants operating in disguise?
> 2.19 Does he know if Bread Basket is in any way infiltrated? Can he tell about any other settlements? Like, maybe, this one?


The messages go through over the radio.
The merchants of Bread Basket prefer to trade in person rather than risk a delivery. They can deliver, but they typically only do so for truckloads with armed escorts. Their trade with Gunmetal is mostly limited by The Elders' lack of trust and Bread Basket's policy of "shyness". Bread Basket would like medical supplies, guns, ammo, melee weapons, gadgets, fuel and tools.

The mutant can not talk about traders who deal with mutants, as that was not his job. It was special information, trusted to better mutants than him.
Likewise, the mutant was never authorized to get involved with espionage in any way.
The mutant is certain Bread Basket is safe from mutants, their security and isolation is too tight. As for other settlements, the mutants guesses there's infiltrators in Red Brick. But not this one.

----------


## u-b

Sean has no more questions for the mutant and is inclined to call it a day.

*Spoiler*
Show

Skipping until the next morning, I guess.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

(OC: mark off the meals for the day.)

The exiles leave their captive to his cell and rest for the rest of the day.

The night is peaceful, even with the wolves howling.

*DAY 69*

The exiles wake up and have their breakfast. A few hours later, as they do their morning chores and check the perimeter, a call comes over the radio. It is addressed to the exiles, and it is from a man identifying himself as a former captain of a raider gang. He wants to cut a deal.

The man says his name is Blackwire.

----------


## u-b

Sean is not against making a deal with Blackwire as long as it is understood the man will not be trusted anytime soon. He wants to hear what exactly is being proposed.

*Spoiler*
Show




> OC: mark off the meals for the day.


Done.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Blackwire wants the exiles to help him defect to their side, including safe housing at the radar base. Do that and theyll get his full co-operation, including his gang fighting for them.

Soon after Blackwire ends his communication, the exiles receive another message. This one is from The Rangers. They demand the exiles do not accept Blackwire's deal, but instead capture him and deliver the raider boss to them. Do this, and The Rangers will allow the exiles to join the militia as full soldiers, with all the privileges of rank that entails.

And still after that, the exiles get a message from Red Brick. It turns out the gang leaders of the city have an alternative offer to Blackwire's as well. The Commission of Red Brick want him tortured and executed instead. Do this, and the exiles will be recognized as a fully established members of any major gang in good standing of Red Brick they wish to join, any boss with a chair on The Commission will welcome them as made men.

----------


## u-b

Sean takes some time to discuss the proposals with the companions. Nobody else should be present and Bart is to make sure of that. He states that the options seem to be like following:
1. Accept Blackwire on his terms.
2. Accept Blackwire on different terms.
3. Hand him here.
4. Hand him there.
5. Do nothing.
6. ???

Sean does not like option 1 as proposed (he _said_ he is not going to trust the man; housing him at the base should be out of question, even if Waffle House people would choose not to object). Sean also does not want to share the man's reputation, for past and future actions of himself and his gang.

Sean is not sure if option 2 is possible, and if it is possible, what should be the terms. Off the top of his head, Sean can think of only two uses for Blackwire at the moment. One is to put him at the power plant (this will need agreement of power plant people, will not offer solid protection against those going after Blackwire's head _and_ is not guaranteed to be a good plan for all the other reasons, but this _is_ a plan). The other is to hire Blackwire to defend people against the mutant attacks while housing him _somewhere_ (this will offer the man even less protection and Sean is not sure how he could compensate for that, but seems otherwise as foolproof as it gets; might even get him reputation enough for a pardon or something).

Sean does not totally like option 3 as that would mean acquiring a reputation of a traitorous guy. Also this would discourage subsequent defections of other slaver gangs, which Sean sees as a minus. The opportunity to be "full soldier", while it might seem attractive, probably comes with orders and duties, so would severely limit our choices (we are now an independent force and might cease to be such).

Sean does not like option 4, for mostly the same reasons.

Option 5 would mean we pass on all the opportunities, moderately annoy at least two parties and let Blackwire harvest the supplies however he can, so even in that regard is far from ideal, but at least it _is_ an option.

Sean welcomes any thoughts or proposals related to the matter.

*Spoiler*
Show

Did the messages from Rangers and Red Brick come encrypted? The Rangers do totally have the ability, so might have as well used it. Not so sure about Red Brick - they could have done it too, if they really wanted to, but maybe they chose not to care.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard's...conflicted about the offer. On the one hand, it really appealed to some parts of his beliefs - the idea that this could end in some kind of peace, that the raiders on the ground could be open to negotiation, hell, just that at least one potential fight can be ended before it begins was a nice thought. However. Richard, being the one who'd spent the most time reading through the intel and talking to their prisoners, was also well aware of the nature of their enemy. They were the ones with proper intelligence networks, the ones with spies and scouts everywhere who'd managed to infiltrate many of the other factions of the region. He wouldn't put it past them to attempt a trick like this, presenting a false defector they could use a double agent and who'd betray the exiles at the worst time - could they really trust the gang to not change sides again at an unknown time in the future, or to use their access to the radar base to pave the way for a successful retaking of the facility, to attack the exiles' support structures like they'd been doing themselves? Richard just wasn't sure. He's also concerned about the gang's future behaviour - the raiders hadn't needed to follow any kind of moral structure or code of behaviour before now, and Richard wouldn't stand for them fighting in the exile's name and acting in the same way. Could they trust the gang to act properly, and not ruin part of what they're building here by bringing disrupute to the exiles' cause?

As far as the offers from their allies goes, Richard instantly dismisses the prospect of taking Red Brick's bargain - he was willing to deal with them to an extent, to ensure the exiles had access to what they needed and to work together against the raiders, but this was a step too far. He wasn't handing a man off to be tortured. No way. Ignoring both Blackwire and their allies didn't seem like much of an option either. The Rangers and their offer, however, gets more consideration from Richard. They were much more like the proper forces of law and order of the old world which he looked up to, and it seemed like they had some kind of sense of justice to them. Blackwire had definitely done enough wrong in his time among the raiders, given the rank he'd reached, that imprisonment would be justified, but he definitely saw what Sean was talking about when it came to their independence (although he reckoned that, given their record so far, it wouldn't be too hard to convince the raiders that they were best left to act as they were now), and the point about their reputation and the prospect of future defections definitely gets him thinking.

After some thought, a potential route comes to mind - a bit of a mixture of their options, albeit with some caveats and necessitating some negotiation. Was there some way of having Blackwire's gang nearby to the radar base, and able to benefit from it's protection and resources, but not fully brought into the fold - a camp within the fence, perhaps? A way to mitigate the potential damage the gang could do if they turned against them but still give them what they need. If they figured that out, then they could potentially negotiate a middle-ground option with the Rangers - Blackwire would stay with the exiles, but a condition of their agreement with the gang would be that they would have to also cooperate with the Rangers and answer any questions they might have. Not quite what anyone wanted in full, but a way that the most people got a little of what they wanted. It was a rough idea at this point, but Richard thought it had potential.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> Did the messages from Rangers and Red Brick come encrypted? The Rangers do totally have the ability, so might have as well used it. Not so sure about Red Brick - they could have done it too, if they really wanted to, but maybe they chose not to care.


(OC: Yes, both messages were encrypted.)

----------


## GnomesofZurich2

Tariq, after his long recovery from the sniper's bullet, weighs in. The thought of dealing with a defected, possibly treacherous Blackwire is not appealing, nor is Red Brick's offer. I think either we propose different terms to the Rangers (some reward other than becoming full militia members and compromising our independence), or just pass on the offers.

----------


## u-b

Having collected the input, Sean enters the following message for Vermont Rangers:
1. We will make a deal with Blackwire. We have people under attack by the mutants and want to have Blackwire at those mutants as the first task, a probation of sorts.
2. We provide them with another gang leader instead. Namely, with Rex Stone. And with what is left of his gang.
3. We invite them to send a team to have a chat with Blackwire and his men to extract information.
4. We ask them to defer imposing any punishment on Blackwire for as long as he works on our side. Whether he gets an amnesty or exile after the war would depend on his performance and contribution to ending it.
5. We have not yet made this proposal to Blackwire and the terms are not final. We ask The Rangers if the terms as proposed would be acceptable, maybe with some corrections. We don't insist on being joined in as full soldiers under these terms, we would be satisfied enough with maintaining friendly and productive relations.
6. We are ready to take an encrypted voice call to discuss it further.

If he has no objections form neither Richard nor Tariq, he sends this message to Vermont Rangers over an encrypted channel. If they chime in, Richard is to explain our reasoning.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

When they respond with an encrypted message, The Rangers do not seem very pleased with Sean's proposal. They do accept the idea of getting Stone delivered to their clutches, they hate the idea of Blackwire escaping their punishment. Blackwire was directly responsible for several battles that killed Rangers. They do not trust Blackwire to give good intel or make a deal in good faith. As far as they are concerned, killing Blackwire or capturing him for their jail NOW is worth two in the bush, or whatever. They reject the terms, they can still treat the exiles as friendlies, but not full members. They restate their previous terms as their best offer.

----------


## GnomesofZurich2

> They do trust Blackwire to give good intel or make a deal in good faith.


Is that supposed to be, "They do NOT trust Blackwire..."?

----------


## u-b

Well, that went as good as it might have been be expected, which is not very good. Sean is not rushing to make an offer to Blackwire, a honest one or otherwise. He asks Richard to get more info. From docs and from Stone himself on these topics:
1. How long ago has Blackwire defected? Assuming it was before we got Stone (this is important), but Sean would like the details.
2. What Blackwire and his gang did before and after the defection? Did he control a territory? If so, which one?
3. What seems to be the reason for defection? Too little pay? Too little hope? Too much work and/or risk? Personal issues maybe? Anything else?
4. What was done about it by his former bosses and why it does not seem to have worked?
5. What was the man's reputation with his superiors and peers? Competence? Reliability? Was he known to be lying?
6. How long ago and under what circumstances he was recruited? His track-record in general and compared to peers?
7. Other Blackwire-related topics that Richard might invent or come across.
8. And, while he is at it, we might try to get some tangentially related info on Blackwire's peers, his bosses, and _Mailer_. Anything that can be easily had. Like Mailer's/Shelter's part in this whole business, for one.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> Is that supposed to be, "They do NOT trust Blackwire..."?


(OC: Yes. Fixed.)




> Well, that went as good as it might have been be expected, which is not very good. Sean is not rushing to make an offer to Blackwire, a honest one or otherwise. He asks Richard to get more info. From docs and from Stone himself on these topics:
> 1. How long ago has Blackwire defected? Assuming it was before we got Stone (this is important), but Sean would like the details.
> 2. What Blackwire and his gang did before and after the defection? Did he control a territory? If so, which one?
> 3. What seems to be the reason for defection? Too little pay? Too little hope? Too much work and/or risk? Personal issues maybe? Anything else?
> 4. What was done about it by his former bosses and why it does not seem to have worked?
> 5. What was the man's reputation with his superiors and peers? Competence? Reliability? Was he known to be lying?
> 6. How long ago and under what circumstances he was recruited? His track-record in general and compared to peers?
> 7. Other Blackwire-related topics that Richard might invent or come across.
> 8. And, while he is at it, we might try to get some tangentially related info on Blackwire's peers, his bosses, and _Mailer_. Anything that can be easily had. Like Mailer's/Shelter's part in this whole business, for one.


Neither the documents nor Stone know anything of Blackwire dropping his flag. It must be a recent development. Stone has never interacted with Blackwire, he just knows OF him, as a gang boss in charge of assassinations and pitched battles against militia.

Stone has never heard of Mailer or the former Shelter of the exiles. He has never set foot in a Shelter, but he thinks the commanders above him are from Shelter 77.

----------


## u-b

> It must be a recent development. ... a gang boss in charge of assassinations ...


Well, those are important news, in Sean's opinion, and might suggest the intent. So, do we get this guy, and, if so, how?

----------


## Volthawk

The information about Blackwire's reputation and role has Richard concerned - if this was their enemy trying to infiltrate the exiles with one of their agents, someone with Blackwire's skillset would be their choice. But at the same time, if he was legitimate...an assassin might know a lot of useful information, things that someone with Stone's role might not be privy to. Decisions...

"Why don't we go to see Blackwire for ourselves? Perhaps it'll make it easier for us to make the proper judgement call if we can actually talk to him face to face, and see what he has to say for himself."

----------


## u-b

Sean responds to Blackwire as follows:
1. We won't _start_ the deal by providing the housing, but this can be done.
2. This radio channel is being monitored. Unless Blackwire has a high-rech radio capable of establishing a secure channel over an insecure channel like ours can, we should discuss the details in person.
3. [If no secure communication] The meeting will be near the hideout of Oscar Rex Stone. We will provide the details when Blackwire is there. He is to choose, and announce, the time.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Blackwire does not have good encrypted communications, so he sets up a face-to-face meeting.

Blackwire can get his gang over to the meeting place near Stone's hideout in three days of travel. He'll need to travel slow and careful to avoid getting caught by those who want him dead.

----------


## u-b

We do nothing much for the rest of today. Tomorrow morning Sean plans to operate some radio. The party Sean wants to contact in the morning is the Funny Platoon and the questions he is going to ask are as follows:
1. Have they intercepted the party's comm with Blackwire? If so, have they an approximate location of where he was at the time? Have they intercepted other noteworthy activity from the same general area, even if on different frequencies?
2. We would be very interested in any radio transmissions pertaining Blackwire. In particular, we would like to hear about anything with him on the radio as well as any ongoing effort to to help or hunt Blackwire from yesterday on, including in the future. We kindly ask to be promptly notified about any such stuff.
3. Have they intercepted anything from the subordinates of Oscar Rex Stone? Of particular interest is whether they seem to have moved anywhere since the moment we got their boss, but anything else might be of use. We kindly ask to be promptly notified about any transmission from or to these guys for, say, a week, assuming they are still in the area.

*Spoiler*
Show

UPD: Using secure encryption, of cource.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

(OC: everyone eats their meals for the day.)

The exiles turn in for the day, and get some sleep. Tariq is no longer aching, but he still has scars where the bullet hit him.

*DAY 70*

The exiles wake up the next morning to rough winds.

Sean gets on the radio and contacts the Funny Platoon.

He learns the Funny Platoon did not intercept communications, they simply learned of Blackwire's efforts through second-hand informants. They figure Blackwire was probably hiding out in the backcountry at the time, near the abandoned farmland along the biggest trails. Activity in general is thick around the area, but no large settlements are there and no reliable intelligence operations are embedded there. Not that Sean would be cleared to know about it if there was.

The Funny Platoon is reluctant to share what they know about Blackwire with the exiles. They simply note that Blackwire is a wanted man, for very good reasons. Lots of people want him dead.

The Funny Platoon share that many of Stone's former subordinates have panicked and scattered since their commander was defeated. Raider bands have dropped their flag or simply fled the region across the border to the south.

----------


## u-b

Sean proposal is that we check all the raiders' camps in the region marked as occupied in Stone's papers as of the day we got him. This will achieve two objectives:
1. Make sure the area is secure indeed.
2. Maybe they have left in a hurry and we can scavenge something.

Sean does not insist on taking Tariq with him if the man would prefer to spend the time with his grenade launcher. After all, if the group _does_ find an occupied campsite, we can turn back and come another day.

----------


## GnomesofZurich2

Well, Tariq is finally at full health, and you had asked him to make some multi-flechette shotgun rounds a month and a half ago IRL (it took that long to heal up, in part thanks to a streak of really bad rolling), so he was going to start with that. What do we have to use for parts? Is it lines 54 and 55 of the spreadsheet?

----------


## u-b

Having preliminary information that the gangs have vacated the business, Sean takes most of the party for a ride to visit the sites they have supposedly left. Hopefully, they have left in a hurry, after all they were monitoring Stone's frequency, weren't they? Sean takes some care in case some gangs feel themselves brave enough or have left some surprises.

*Spoiler*
Show




> OC: everyone eats their meals for the day.


Done.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

(OC: each such site is 2dx5 (roll individually for each camp) miles away from Stone's base camp and cabin, if we have not already established the distance. If we have not established the number of camps, let's call it 1d+2 camps on the map.)

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean and his comrades drive a decent amount (35 miles) through the wrecked backroads of Vermont to arrive at a raider camp near the power plant.

Being sensible and cautious, Sean has the car camouflaged and slowly sneaks up to the camp on foot. He finds the well-trod camp site is deserted, previously well used by a gang of six, and horse tracks leading into the wilderness. Trash and remains of people living rough litter the area.

A dead body, picked clean by scavengers, was left hanging on a tree. It is mostly naked.

Looks like this site's a dry hole.

----------


## u-b

Sean searches the deserted campsite for anything of significance, takes anything of value, then plans to leave for the next site, in some sensible order.

*Spoiler*
Show

Rolls in #947.

As for the buggy shells, I think if they are clearly identifiable, we just discard them to simplify accounting.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean tosses over a few logs of cut down trees and discovers a box of ammo left behind, no doubt due to severe hurrying.

The box contains 20 pistol bullets, 15 shotgun shells, and 20 rifle cartridges, all of it ready to fire and wrapped up in waterproof plastics.

There is nothing else of any use at this camp site.

(OC: the closest camp site closest to here is now 10 miles away.)

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

When Sean drives the car to the next X on the enemy map, he finds what appears to be a small settlement built out of old cars. The rusted out automobiles have been converted to secure people shelters, with raised platforms and barricades on the ground. A large fire pit, black with constant use, is at the center of the camp. In the tree-line, Sean spots four dead people left hanging from branches and well past rotting. The ground has lots of motorcycle tracks tearing up the soil, leading in and out of the camp site.

All is quiet here.

----------


## u-b

Having not spotted any guards, Sean leaves Ricahrd and Bart on position where they can observe the settlement, then takes a tour around it to make as sure as possible that it is all clear, there are no bikes and seem to be no people, and that the latest footprints in and out are not too recent. If that is the case, he sneaks in to take a closer look.

*Spoiler*
Show

Any signs of continued presence? An antenna or smoke would be those, but there might be others.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Walking through the site is disappointing. There is not sign of recent human activity here. No smoke, no electronic equipment set up (let alone turned on), no food waste, no unfurled sleeping bags...

More horse tracks into the wilderness can be found at the outskirts, near abandoned hitching posts and scraps of hay. All tracks he finds are too old. Blood stains are dried well past brown.

Another dry hole.

(OC: Next closest camp site is 10 miles away.)

----------


## u-b

Sean spends one hour searching through the site for anything usable, packs whatever he finds, then drives to next one and follows the standard procedure of camouflaging the car, approaching on foot, and taking a good look through the scope.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean's insistence pays off when he discovers a small case left behind, under a car ruin.
Inside the case, there's 4 HMG cartridges and 15 LMG bullets.

Pretty good for a gutted hideout.

Moving on, Sean drives 10 miles, and takes care to camouflage the car before sneaking around. The road to this camp site has been blocked by newly wrecked cars. Sean hears the growls and patting of a wild dog pack around the area as he makes his approach. When he finally gets a good angle on the site, he finds 5 feral canines chewing on corpses in a barren and ruined camp - the fire place still has a few scant embers. Sean counts six dead bodies of raiders still intact enough to be confirmed as freshly dead people. A tipped over and destroyed stagecoach (with no horses) is at the far end of the camp.

(OC: The next unexplored camp is 10 miles away.)

----------


## u-b

Having finished preliminary observations, Sean tries to sneak upon the dogs and kill them all, for meat and profit. When all the dogs are dead or away, he proceeds to examine the site, the corpses, their possessions, and also asks for Richard's expert opinion on what might have happened here.

*Spoiler*
Show

Who and when might have most recently left the site is of particular interest, but also generally what happened.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean successfully avoids attracting the attention of the dogs and fires a nasty barrage of lead their way, killing them all and wasting only 2 shots in the havoc.

The shots tear through the hounds and leaves them dead on the ground. With the threats taken off the board, Sean and Richard can have a good look at the grisly scene before them. The dog tracks are recent, of course. So are the dead raiders, who all have the black tattoos (the ace of spades, eight of spades, ace of clubs, eight of clubs) on their necks.

The dog were also certainly rabid, foam around their mouth suggesting hydrophobia. The raiders all died of bites to the throat and major veins. They were all carrying small knives, bloodied. They were wearing padded leather armor under cloaks. Tucked into the trousers of one dead raider is an emptied and cheaply made derringer, recently fired. Going through the pockets of the dead, they find a total of 24 pistol bullets, unloaded into guns.

The stagecoach looks like it was sideswiped by a car and then run over - there's nothing left inside it. The two horses galloped off in a panic. Bullets holes from less than 4 hours ago are embedded in the surrounding wood and rock. Spent brass is nowhere to be found.

----------


## u-b

The fact that the dogs turned out to be rabid was somewhat disappointing. Sean leaves them when the bullets caught them. He pockets the knives, the bullets and the casings from his own shots. Sean wonders how long ago have the horses ran away, but does not set to track them right away. Instead, he spends one hour to search the site for any valuables while Richard and Bart stand guard. If this ends up without any surprises, the group then sets after the horses - they are presumably herd animals, so probably are to be found together. The dogs are to be let loose by Bart, then followed by Sean while Richard is driving the pickup and Bart rides the pickup in the open to issue any dog-related commands.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

(OC: the -4 penalty to Scrounging skill means the roll fails. Sean finds nothing.)

The site is a gross carnival of offal, dirt, bodily waste and small bits of materials. Sean can not scavenge anything useful from the wreck.

Bart's dogs go forth and lead the way through the woods. Sean and his allies follow behind for 30 minutes, until they all arrive at a clearing. There, grazing on fresh grass, are two horses with damaged barding. They certainly have saddles, bits and braces, blinders, reins and all the usual gear you'd put on them for travel. Both horses seem healthy, their manes groomed and their coats a rich brown.

----------


## u-b

Sean takes an aim at the horses, but lets Bart try to handle them first, in case they are human-friendly enough (or at least human-tolerant enough) to tie them to the back of the pickup and lead them home.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Bart approaches the horses and gets them under control, taming them enough that they'll allow Bart to take their reigns.

The exiles can take the animals back to their cars.

(OC: Back to the Waffle House is 35 miles.)

Sean and his comrades make the journey without incident.

----------


## u-b

Back at the Waffle House, Sean gets someone competent to appraise the horses - some guys have cared enough to put barding on them, so maybe they are worth more than their meat value. Sean then gets their gear summarily appraised and checks for anything that might be in the saddlebags. With all of this done, he checks back with Tariq to share the news and rest for the evening and night.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The animal handler at the Waffle House looks the horses over and finds that they're minorly injured but otherwise pretty good draft animals, capable of pulling a coach or cart. Their gear is also up to snuff. The saddlebags contain supplies for the horses - hair brush, feed bags, spare horseshoes, blankets...

Sean checks back with Tariq no problem.

(OC: Richard and Tariq, anything to discuss or get done before the day is done?)

----------


## u-b

Sean gets on the radio and:
1. Contacts Gunmetal to check if they have, and will sell, a broken Desert Eagle instead of one of our pre-allocated fully operable sidearms. The motivation stated is that we are low on funds, but should be able to repair the thing. Sean would not be surprised if this "item" is out of stock.
2. Also with gunmetal, checks if they have a stock of cheap and/or broken WWII-grade rifles. Springfield M1 Garand would be ideal and we'd be willing to procure upwards of a dozen.
3. Contacts Chalmers to check if the man has news.

All of the communications should be securely encrypted.

UPD: In the evening, Sean has a chat with power plant people to:
1. Explain them the suituation (mostly "all clear").
2. Give them new ammo instead of conventional shots.
3. Ask if they want additional armed escort (if so, Sean will arrange with Waffle house to provide said escort funded out of our account and partially equipped by us).

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> Sean gets on the radio and:
> 1. Contacts Gunmetal to check if they have, and will sell, a broken Desert Eagle instead of one of our pre-allocated fully operable sidearms. The motivation stated is that we are low on funds, but should be able to repair the thing. Sean would not be surprised if this "item" is out of stock.
> 2. Also with gunmetal, checks if they have a stock of cheap and/or broken WWII-grade rifles. Springfield M1 Garand would be ideal and we'd be willing to procure upwards of a dozen.
> 3. Contacts Chalmers to check if the man has news.
> 
> All of the communications should be securely encrypted.
> 
> UPD: In the evening, Sean has a chat with power plant people to:
> 1. Explain them the suituation (mostly "all clear").
> ...


The Gunmetal merchants are a little reluctant to sell the exiles a Desert Eagle, as that is a very high tech and powerful pistol...They'll discuss the matter for a hour and then get back to Sean.
(OC: Sean, make a reaction roll at an extra -4.)

In the meantime, they discuss the old rifles in stock. They can sell the exiles 3 semi-junk items, but no more than that. The rifles won't work without getting fixed thanks to broken firing pins and wrecked internal springs, and they're well-worn to the point of needing new parts anyhow.

Chalmers confirms that mutant attacks have been increasing, while raider gangs have been pulling out and breaking off attacks. He claims that one of their patrols discovered multiple raid camps in Newport.

In the evening, Sean gets in touch with the power plant crew. They accept the new ammo shipment, and would prefer an armed escort just in case, thanks.

----------


## u-b

Sean defers the negotiations about the _broken_ (or _cheap_; I think we can stretch a bit to afford cheap) Desert Eagle to Richard, who would be the one to use it and who's better at talking. Richard is told to mention two horses worth of food if the negotiations don't go as expected, but no sooner than that.

Sean asks Chalmers about the deal with Shelter 43 and progress there, if any. He also asks about those "raid camps" - whose camps they are, are their locations known, will someone do something about that or we better do it ourselves... that sort of thing.

Sean then talks to Waffle House people and asks if they can allocate three men to accompany power plant people. They are free to allocate more, no problem with that, but three is the number we can equip _almost_ to our standard and the power plant men will have at least 20 guns among them, so we are talking more about bringing in some qualitative edge. We will be on-call nearby and check the site before everyone is there. The assignment is to last until no longer needed and to be funded from our account with the Waffle House.

*Spoiler*
Show

So three cheap broken Springfield M1 Garands for $204 apiece?

----------


## GnomesofZurich2

> (OC: Richard and Tariq, anything to discuss or get done before the day is done?)


No, Tariq is good for now.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> So three cheap broken Springfield M1 Garands for $204 apiece?


(OC: Yes, 3 cheap broken Springfield M1 Garands for $204 apiece.)

The Gunmetal merchants come around to accepting the deal, they need the food. They offer the exiles a broken Desert Eagle for the rations.

Chalmers simply says the Shelter 43 thing has come to peaceful terms, but the settlement within wants everyone to stay away from the Shelter for now, as part of the accord negotiated. He says the raid camps found had dead and dying mutants left behind by their previous inhabitants. He informs the exiles that the general region around Newport is where such camps were found.

The Waffle House settlement agrees to committing three more men to the power plant workers. They record the account changes.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The exiles welcome the cool night and go to sleep after a satisfying dinner.

*DAY 71*

The exiles wake up to a quiet and cold morning.

----------


## u-b

Sean leaves Tariq with his toys and takes the rest of the party to the rest of the raiders' campsites...

*Spoiler*
Show




> Mark off the meals eaten.


Done.

----------


## GnomesofZurich2

Tariq spends the day crafting, producing 22 HEDP TL8 rounds, 8 IR illumination flares, a Glock 17, and an upgraded Milkor with 12-shot cylinder in a bit over 6 hours.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Tariq makes excellent progress, surrounded on all side by spare metal and tools for hours on end. He loves the feel of mechanical weaponry in his fingers.

Sean drives 20 miles from the base to the marked area on the map. The road gets increasingly rough as the trip goes on.

When Sean and his companions get near the site, they leave the car, camouflage it, and start sneaking.

What they find further ahead is a fortified cabin in the middle of a clearing. No sign of an outside campfire, or hanging corpses...

Through the scope, Sean spies two cars - sedans, just his own - parked around the back of the cabin. Both of them look pretty weathered. 6 armed raiders are living in the cabin, casually eating breakfast and carrying guns (zip gun pistols, 2 H&R Model 8 shotguns, and one Winchester Model 92 rifle). There is an bell on a pole next to the cabin, an alarm to be rung by the raiders in case of...well, him.

They're not on alert, but they know enough about guarding that they may spot Sean and his comrades...
(OC: Stealth vs Observation contest tied.)
Indeed, one of the wandering raiders pauses a little, suddenly looking in Sean's direction!
(OC: think fast, Sean, either get your gun out quickly and shoot, or duck and hide NOW. You have not been fully busted yet, but you're in the danger zone.)

----------


## u-b

Being crouched, preferably behind some cover and with the rifle in hand, Sean tries to bear the rifle to do real business as fast as he can...

"Got contact. Release the bastards."*

*Spoiler*
Show

*Might be only Richard hears that, depending on the range between Sean and them (which depends on the amount of cover and concealment available).

Will use extra effort on any active defenses. _Not this round as it was an all-out attack._

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> *Might be only Richard hears that, depending on the range between Sean and them (which depends on the amount of cover and concealment available).
> 
> Will use extra effort on any active defenses.


(OC: Got a throat mike or comms headset equipped? Roll Electronics Operation skill. Alternatively, roll Gestures. -6 Range is correct, as that is the distance you chose for your position.)

Sean breaks the silence with rapid fire. He hits only once. The range, awkward posture and inadvertent cover that some raiders in the cabin have causing the scout to mostly miss.
The man Sean bulls-eyes drops dead without a prayer. The rest are shaken from their morning routine by the hostile action.

(OC: combat time starts. Richard acts next.)

----------


## Volthawk

Between the shooting and Sean over the comms, Richard has a pretty good idea what's going on, so he indicates to Bart to follow and let the dogs off the leash as he starts heading to Sean's position.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Bart the Hunter nods, and drops the leashes while making the command whistles for his dogs.
The dogs receive his crying havoc with gusto, and charges forth towards the enemies.

Speaking of the five raiders, they are surprised and freeze up, but the adrenaline kicks in for all but one. Soon, they will start fighting back.

*TURN 2*

Sean catches his breath as his rifle steadies from the kick of the last second's burst-fire...

----------


## u-b

Sean shoots another burst at the men then reloads in an instant.

*Spoiler*
Show

No active defense this turn, but with distance, cover and crouching, Sean expects they'll have to spend time to aim.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean nails two of his targets in his lead spraying, both in the belly rather than the heart. One falls down dead, the other is merely dealt an extreme wound...and falls down, out of the fight.

The dogs rush over to Sean's position, eager to help their friend.

(OC: Richard, you can't see the enemy yet?)

----------


## Volthawk

Richard keeps moving towards Sean, trying to get eyes on the enemy.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Bart the Hunter follows Richard's lead, moving with him, gun in hand.

The raiders get the hint and move out of Sean's line of sight, ducking down or running away, into cover. The lone raider still out in the open does not snap out of it. He is left to be picked off by his fellow scum...

*TURN 3*

On that note, Sean has only one target available...

----------


## u-b

Overtaken by the dogs on their way to the the raiders, Sean joins the movement, taking a bit to the side from Richard's and Bart's lines of fire, and makes a short burst on the go. He misses, but the bullets fly all around the stunned raider.

*Spoiler*
Show

Move a total of 7 yards, of those 5 are forward. The dogs should have overtaken Sean some time about now, but then Sean also moves. If attacked, will dodge with extra effort.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The dogs keep barking and charging as Sean lets loose. The lone exposed raider trembles some more as the bullets fly past him.

(OC: Richard, your turn. Players, do you have orders for Bart the Hunter or the dogs?)

----------


## Volthawk

Richard holds his fire as he keeps advancing, instead shouting out "Surrender! You know you can't win here!"

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

One bad guy breaks, throwing down his gun and raising his hands. He shouts pleas to not hurt him.
Another raider screams and spits, refusing to yield.
The stunned raider drops his gun, falls to his knees and starts crying.

Bart the Hunter takes aim as his dogs get closer to the enemy positions.

*TURN 4*

Sean sees the un-surrendering raider is in good cover 15 yards away.

----------


## u-b

"You two will live." says Sean as he shoots another burst at another guy, while still on the move.

*Spoiler*
Show

Sean moves up to 7 feet (forward and/or to otherwise have a better shot at the fighter) at the cost of another FP. Will use extra effort and drop if he is to dodge.

Bart will watch fot the crying guy to shoot if he does anything inconsistent with surrender. He has been aiming last turn, so that will be aimed shot, if it comes to that. He will call back the dogs if and when we are done with the actual fighting.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean's gunfire hits home and shreds the target. The last hostile crumples over, dead.

The dogs bark and growl at the surrendering enemies, keeping them under control.

(OC: combat over.)

The place looks secure now that the raiders are either subdued or given up.

----------


## u-b

Sean makes sure the surrendered guys are disarmed and searched, then leads them outside to be guarded by Bart and the dogs. He has a few questions to the prisoners:
1. If we got all the men stationed here or some are currently away.
2. Why haven't they left after their boss got taken out.
3. Did they hook up to a new commander or otherwise what was their plan for future operations.
4. Whether they have received any instructions at all, from anyone on the radio or in person.
5. If they can say anything about the states of any other teams.

While Richard does the interrogations, Sean searches the rest of the bodies and the site for any valuables, especially the weapons, the car keys, the radio and the supplies, but also for anything else. This will take at least four hours.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The raiders allow themselves to be corralled. But they may not respond well to Richard's interrogation...

The raiders are disarmed and searched, the exiles and Bart find a total of four small knives, 12 black powder paper cartridges, five zip guns, six sets of leather gloves, 2 H&R Model 8 shotguns, 7 shotgun shells, 13 trail rations, six sets of leather torso armor, 20 rifle bullets, one loaded flare gun, six sets of boots, the car keys, and one Winchester Model 92 rifle between all six of them.

There is a small and no-frills radio set up in the cabin, turned off. The cabin is a rather pathetic living space, mostly given over to cramped improvise beds with one private bathroom off to the side. Everything else is in the same space, a chaotic mix of domestic drudgery and planning for violence. The cars are all in bad shape, and packed with a few supplies for the road.

The cars and cabin (in all) have 2 road maps, 20 gallons of fuel in jerry cans, 48 trail rations, 3 whistles, 8 blankets, 2 first aid kits, a stack of firewood, a fishing rod, 4 buckets full of water, cooking instruments, an axe, group basics for camping, 20 full plastic bottles of water, 2 sets of binoculars, 20 black powder paper cartridges, 8 shotgun shells, 10 rifle bullets, and 12 human skulls stripped of flesh and put on display in the cabin's main room.

----------


## u-b

Unless Richard's interrogations uncover something _funny_, Sean proposes we get the cars, the loot and the prisoner back to base, then visit the last site, approaching it the usual way.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

For the first hour of interrogation, things go poorly. The newly captured raiders simply zone out with tears in their eyes or scream foul language at Richard.

Then Richard makes a breakthrough.

The raiders confess that there are no other men stationed here, just the people the exiles found here. They didn't leave because they were running on food and water, they needed to restock before they could make the journey. No new commander has contacted them yet, they assume chaos has overtaken the chain of command for now, so they decided to regroup at a fall back point across the southern border. No instructions from other raiders have been received since Stone got hit. They suspect the other gangs were killed or captured or simply deserted. They do not care, they were wastes anyway.

The prisoners - the ones who still live - are tied up and are easily escorted back to the exiles' base along with the rest of the spoils. The last X on the map is 25 miles away from the Waffle House.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

After settling the aftermath of the camp encounter, Sean and his comrades drive to the last camp they've heard of, and make excellent time.

Just like the last times, the exiles get out a decent distance away, camouflage their car, and send Sean ahead to scout.

Sean screws up, however. He bumbles into a small flock of birds resting on a nearby fallen log, disturbing them into flying away and squawking loudly. From a small distance away, Sean hears some men shout to each other that something is up here. They are walking towards his position.

In the tiny clearing ahead, Sean spies just under twenty alert raiders, trying to both corral 3 bunches of prisoners (9 people in total) and search caravans full of stuff. He can see 4 people with ready guns (revolvers) coming to investigate the noise he made.

----------


## u-b

Sean whispers "Contact. Incoming. Incoming are yours." then aims at the largest group of raiders _not_ coming after him and, eventually, shoots a long burst.

*Spoiler*
Show

Sean would be crouching, but not necessarily behind cover.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The sudden outburst of gunfire fills the air as Sean unleashes his wrath upon the raiders ahead.
He hits 8 of his targets, spending 13 bullets in a big spray.
The assault leaves 5 bad guys dead and 3 enemies knocked out by the severe wounds.
10 are still standing, ready to fight...

(OC: *Combat time starts.* Richard, it is your turn...)

----------


## Volthawk

When Sean alerts him to incoming raiders, Richard tells Bart the situation before gets moving towards Sean's position but off a little to one side, trying to get a line on the advancing group before they find Sean. 

*Spoiler*
Show

Moving up - I suppose the time Sean took to aim and this move, and the fact that they were also moving closer, means Richard might be be able to see the investigating group now? Not sure.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> Moving up - I suppose the time Sean took to aim and this move, and the fact that they were also moving closer, means Richard might be be able to see the investigating group now? Not sure.


*Spoiler*
Show

Yes, Richard can see the group moving towards him. There is four of them. They're all 15 yards away from Sean, -5 Range. The rest of the raiders are further away, -8 Range penalty.


Bart the Hunter keeps up with Richard, the dogs stay close.

The raiders react with vicious violence. The four that are closer open fire - all of them shooting at Sean. Fortunately, at that distance, none of them have the skill to land a shot on the scout. Instead, Sean feels a few bullets whizz by him.

The 6 remaining enemies at the camp site, by the caravans, get nasty. Three fire their guns at prisoners, but only one hits his helpless target, brutally wounding the captive in a potentially lethal manner. The captives scream in horror as their friend goes unconscious and bleeds like a lamb.
The other three reach for grenades in their pockets.

*TURN 2*

Sean is relatively exposed, but he has the range advantage...

----------


## u-b

Sean shoots another long burst at the far group of raiders and quickly reloads his rifle preparing for more action.

*Spoiler*
Show




> There is four of them. They're all 15 yards away from Sean, -5 Range.





> 4 bad guys shooting;
> skill 13 -8 Range +1 AoA
> (3d6)[8]
> (3d6)[7]
> (3d6)[7]
> (3d6)[10]


I notice some range discrepancy here, even above and beyond the difference between "-5" and "-8". Suppose the main group is some 50 yards away from Sean (in fact, 31+ yards away). Suppose they started towards Sean (1 move), Sean aims and warns Richard, who also takes 1 move, then Sean shoots, then Richard takes another 1 move, then the raiders shoot. This scenario does not bring them in 15 yards from Sean. Any scenario that _does_ bring them in 15 yards from Sean would have given Richard considerably more time (at least two more rounds or so). Anyway, _if_ they have been AoAing from 15 yards from Sean (and how many yards from Richard?), those sevens would hit even a crouching target and the question becomes whether they have been targeting the torso... Their guns do some solid pi+ damage, and Sean's armor is concealed, so they might as well try not to waste it on the limbs. I'm writing Sean's attacks with this assumption.

Extra effort to reload instantly. Sean will defend himself also using some extra effort (and also drop from what seems to be the _last_ attack from this group of four).

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> I notice some range discrepancy here, even above and beyond the difference between "-5" and "-8". Suppose the main group is some 50 yards away from Sean (in fact, 31+ yards away). Suppose they started towards Sean (1 move), Sean aims and warns Richard, who also takes 1 move, then Sean shoots, then Richard takes another 1 move, then the raiders shoot. This scenario does not bring them in 15 yards from Sean. Any scenario that _does_ bring them in 15 yards from Sean would have given Richard considerably more time (at least two more rounds or so). Anyway, _if_ they have been AoAing from 15 yards from Sean (and how many yards from Richard?), those sevens would hit even a crouching target and the question becomes whether they have been targeting the torso... Their guns do some solid pi+ damage, and Sean's armor is concealed, so they might as well try not to waste it on the limbs. I'm writing Sean's attacks with this assumption.
> 
> Extra effort to reload instantly. Sean will defend himself also using some extra effort (and also drop from what seems to be the _last_ attack from this group of four).


*Spoiler*
Show

Yeah, you're in the right here. I'm comfortable with still saying the shooters all miss. The reason the group of 4 are closer to Sean (Richard is probably less than 5 yards from Sean, correct? So the Range penalty is only one step worse, I guess.) is because they were patrolling the perimeter when you guys showed up. They were also full Move for multiple turns when alerted. The shooters would be shooting at your torso. I also note you basically chose the Range penalty and distance when Sean first made his attacks (your post specifically said "-8?" Range), I assumed that was you telling me how far from the bad guys Sean would be sneaking. Richard's Move would put him within 10 yards, I assume, when Sean is sneaking and scouting ahead. Although I guess we should work these specifics out when Sean declares he's scouting, in the future.


The raiders in the distance hit the dirt as Sean fires at them. Three of them manage to avoid the bullets coming their way, but two take it in the heart. One is knocked out and the second dies. All six of the raiders further away are now face down on the ground.

----------


## Volthawk

Needless to say, Richard is not happy at the sight of prisoners being executed, and a not small part of him wants to ignore Sean's plan and put more bullets towards the raiders at the camp, make sure they're dead and can't harm the innocents any more, but he keeps his cool and takes on the closer group, firing a burst at them as he keeps advancing,

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

(OC: the closer group is -5 Range. Richard potentially hit with all shots.)
The advancing raiders try to avoid the shots. Only one barely manages to do it. Three suffer a nasty body hit and fall over, down and out.

Bart the Hunter joins in, and fires off a blast at the one who was lucky. Bart clips him, and the pellets strike him in the groin. Ouch!

The dogs charge forth, eager to chew on some throats.

The lone investigating raider, clutching at his groin, throws himself to the ground.
The raiders at the center of the camp (those who AREN'T dead or brutally savaged) continue to lie on the ground, crawling away 1 yard.

*TURN 3*

Sean is pleased to see the enemies have wisely chosen to stop murdering captives...

----------


## u-b

"Admit you have lost, throw your hands up!" shouts Sean aiming at one of the remaining raiders, specifically at one he thinks could soon get out of sight.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

To his horror, Sean realizes the 3 men who pulled out grenades have pulled their pins and they're now on a fuse!

(OC: Sean has Aimed, Richard's turn now.)

----------


## Volthawk

Still walking towards the last of the investigating raiders, Richard calls out "How about you? Had enough? Surrender!"

----------


## u-b

The dogs close on the man that Bart has just shot while Bart himself aims at one of the grenadiers that is further away from the civilians.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Bart the Hunter aims his shotgun as two raiders (one grenadier and the closer survivor with a pellet in his private parts) take Richard's advice and surrender, throwing up their hands. The surrendering grenadier lets go of his explosives and lets it roll a bit on the ground, indifferent to the threat to his own life.

The other two, however, scream defiantly that the exiles will have to kill them both. One throws his grenade at the prisoners' pen, the other prepares to throw his grenade at the exiles. The toss goes wide, 3 yards to the right. The merchants, bound in their pen, freak out all the same.

*TURN 4*

Sean knows the fuses can't be anymore than 2 or 3 seconds now...

----------


## u-b

Sean lets the surrendering man be and shoots a long burst at the other two, mostly at the one still with the grenade.

*Spoiler*
Show

Let's say 9 bullets + 2 wasted + 1 bullet?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> Sean lets the surrendering man be and shoots a long burst at the other two, mostly at the one still with the grenade.
> 
> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> Let's say 9 bullets + 2 wasted + 1 bullet?


*Spoiler*
Show

No, waste no bullets, they're crawling side-by-side. Just spend 9 on the attack.


Sean's attack complies with the demands of the two defiant raiders - they both suffer a lethal injury courtesy of the automatic rifle.

(OC: *Combat over.* But think fast, the grenades are still live!)

As the blood sprays out from the raiders, the grenades continue to count down...The captives are too restrained to get away from the grenade near them, the surrendering raider does not move, and several raiders are not even conscious.

----------


## u-b

"Everyone duck away from the grenades!" Sean aims at the grenade closest to the captives and ignores the other two. He could do only so much, and he hoped what he does would have the desired effect.

Bart makes the dogs accept the nearest man's surrender and aims at another surrendered man just in case.

*Spoiler*
Show

Shoot if I have to, as per the dice thread.

----------


## Volthawk

Knowing that Sean's a better shot and trusting him to handle his part, Richard gets closer to the captives - they might not be able to escape before the grenades go off, but if they survive he wants to be able to get to them as quickly as possible.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean lets loose in a desperate attempt to wreck the grenade before it explodes.

For a moment, no-one is sure if he managed it...

Until the grenade at the feet of a surrendered raider  and the one in the dead raider's hand both blow up, and the one Sean fired at does not. As he recovers form the recoil, Sean sees the grenade he shot at was torn up by the bullets.

The dogs panic and run back to Bart as the explosions go off, the injured raiders and the one surrendering at the camp are caught in the double blasts, killing them all. Dirt and pebbles fly and rain down. Only the man who has hit in the groin remains alive. The three besides him are near death, bleeding heavily.

The merchants held in the slave pens are not harmed by the blasts. But one is also in critical condition.

*(OC: all Player Characters are rewarded with 2 bonus Character Points.)*

----------


## u-b

"Richard, you make that man hand over a first aid kit! Bart, you go to the car to fetch ours!"

Sean then takes the lockpicks and tries to free the captives. It takes some time, but eventually the lock is unlocked and a first aid kit is produced. Sean does no better job at bandaging than anyone else would, but at least the man will live. After that, while Richard collects the stories from the captives and the raider guy, and also wishes / requests from the captives only, Sean goes all over the area to search for useble stuff.

*Spoiler*
Show




> BTW, you should heal the injured merchant if you can, because I think at least one of you has the Guilt Complex disadvantage.
> Freeing the merchants from the prison goes without saying.


Yeah, Sean was planning to do exactly that, though for reasons of some inexcusable oversight, that is more problematic than it could have been...

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The injured merchant is still unconscious, and will need to spend a lot time recovering.
The prisoners are freed from the cages. They hurry to check on their caravans full of possessions and inventory stock.
The 4 captive raiders have concealable torso vests on under their shirts, and Colt .45 SAA revolvers in their hands. Pistol bullets gathered from their guns and pockets totals 37.

(OC: The concealable vests are DR 12/5* for the torso.)

The other raiders were blasted by the grenades, and their gear is thoroughly ruined - it seems their ammo cooked off. Nasty way to go. Lot of twisted metal and shredded fabrics. The food's wasted. Camping gear's wrecked. Bottles of booze started a small fire. Blood everywhere.

The raiders have no radio at their camp site. The merchants explain that the gang stumbled upon their own journey two days ago, and got forced into the restraints. The initial gunfight destroyed most of the raider's equipment when a stray shot hit explosives carried by an unlucky raider. They say two more gangs met up with and joined the raiders who grabbed them, in the time between now and then.

----------


## u-b

Sean lets the merchants check their possessions. He is in no hurry. Eventually, he sets to talk to some of their lot.

"Now, gentlemen,  I'm sorry about your wounded friend, but overall, I'd say you got out of this well enough, assuming your stuff is in order. Your caravan belongs to you, and you yourselves also belong to you. That said, we don't get paid by any form of taxes and would like to know if you would like to negotiate some entirely voluntary reward for our rescue services. If you do, my friend Richard will work with you on the details. If you don't I will be disappointed."

Sean does not say what, if anything, he would do if/when he will be disappointed, but he did say the reward should be "entirely voluntary", didn't he?

Sean lets Richard negotiate the details, and walks away to get the car on the site. While at it, he describes over the helmet-mounted radio the parameters of the deal he is expectimg to make. The loot from the raiders is ours. Not negotiable. The caravan and the wares is theirs. We want something in between the following endpoints: (A) ten percent of the total value of the caravan, including the wares and the transportation, (B) zero percent, but they procure some amount of sufficiently exotic and sufficiently expensive goods for us, paid by us at par. If they do not agree to something of that order, we walk away, but we will spread the word.

*Spoiler*
Show

Things of particular interest:
1. Shots and/or medicines against typical Gutter diseases and/or non-dexterity-limiting NBC suits. The later would be TL9, but so are the nanomachines, so we _might_ be in luck. If they have it all, we'll buy at _their_ price and express many thanks.
2. A TL8 video surveillance drone set, like this one.
3. A TL8 radio surveillance receiver set.
4. A TL8 notebook computer and software to use with #2 and #3.
5. Other stuff might be considered.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard...isn't entirely comfortable with Sean's plan (and he's bad enough at bluffing that the merchants can probably tell), so when he talks to the merchants he leans his arguments more towards the potential for a good-value trade deal - besides the fact that the exiles are always looking for newer and better equipment in the field (he emphasises the things Sean's specifically looking for, seeing if they have them or know where to get them) and have enough barter goods for anything of interest the merchants may have, he also talks about the radar base and the people settling there, suggesting that if a good deal could be struck between the exiles and the merchants a good word could be put in for them at the base, opening up a new potentially valuable revenue source for the merchants. The idea isn't just for the merchants' benefit, of course, as Richard sees quite a bit of value in the notion of getting smaller merchant groups to include the base in their routes, but naturally his pitch focuses on the value of the contact to the merchants.

He won't say no to a reward here and now if they are willing, and it'd be an excellent source of goodwill, but he doesn't reinforce Sean's implications there, presenting himself as genuinely appreciating any support for the campaign against the raiders and trying to appeal to their better natures and the idea that the exiles are working to stop what happened here from continuing (although he does take the point of the raider's things being the exiles' property now as a given). He also asks about the merchants' needs and if there was anything more the exiles could do for them - naturally, any material needs or further work for the exiles would need recompense, worked into any greater deal established, but Richard is confident that something can be worked out that is (while probably advantageous to the exiles) a good deal for everyone involved.

*Spoiler*
Show


GM, should this be a reaction roll, a Merchant roll, or both

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> Sean lets the merchants check their possessions. He is in no hurry. Eventually, he sets to talk to some of their lot.
> 
> "Now, gentlemen,  I'm sorry about your wounded friend, but overall, I'd say you got out of this well enough, assuming your stuff is in order. Your caravan belongs to you, and you yourselves also belong to you. That said, we don't get paid by any form of taxes and would like to know if you would like to negotiate some entirely voluntary reward for our rescue services. If you do, my friend Richard will work with you on the details. If you don't I will be disappointed."
> 
> Sean does not say what, if anything, he would do if/when he will be disappointed, but he did say the reward should be "entirely voluntary", didn't he?
> 
> Sean lets Richard negotiate the details, and walks away to get the car on the site. While at it, he describes over the helmet-mounted radio the parameters of the deal he is expectimg to make. The loot from the raiders is ours. Not negotiable. The caravan and the wares is theirs. We want something in between the following endpoints: (A) ten percent of the total value of the caravan, including the wares and the transportation, (B) zero percent, but they procure some amount of sufficiently exotic and sufficiently expensive goods for us, paid by us at par. If they do not agree to something of that order, we walk away, but we will spread the word.
> 
> *Spoiler*
> ...





> Richard...isn't entirely comfortable with Sean's plan (and he's bad enough at bluffing that the merchants can probably tell), so when he talks to the merchants he leans his arguments more towards the potential for a good-value trade deal - besides the fact that the exiles are always looking for newer and better equipment in the field (he emphasises the things Sean's specifically looking for, seeing if they have them or know where to get them) and have enough barter goods for anything of interest the merchants may have, he also talks about the radar base and the people settling there, suggesting that if a good deal could be struck between the exiles and the merchants a good word could be put in for them at the base, opening up a new potentially valuable revenue source for the merchants. The idea isn't just for the merchants' benefit, of course, as Richard sees quite a bit of value in the notion of getting smaller merchant groups to include the base in their routes, but naturally his pitch focuses on the value of the contact to the merchants.
> 
> He won't say no to a reward here and now if they are willing, and it'd be an excellent source of goodwill, but he doesn't reinforce Sean's implications there, presenting himself as genuinely appreciating any support for the campaign against the raiders and trying to appeal to their better natures and the idea that the exiles are working to stop what happened here from continuing (although he does take the point of the raider's things being the exiles' property now as a given). He also asks about the merchants' needs and if there was anything more the exiles could do for them - naturally, any material needs or further work for the exiles would need recompense, worked into any greater deal established, but Richard is confident that something can be worked out that is (while probably advantageous to the exiles) a good deal for everyone involved.
> 
> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> 
> GM, should this be a reaction roll, a Merchant roll, or both


The merchants talk amongst themselves before they turn back to Richard with smiles on their faces.
"Well, we have rifle bullets and magazines to hold them in. They have plenty of bottled water, clean and fresh. Would you like that stuff as your reward for helping us? We have antibiotics that can help with exploring The Gutter, it's been proven, you can have some for free. We don't have any advanced Old World technology on us now, but we do know other merchants squatting at our shared hideout in the mountains that can sell you the stuff. It'll take time, but we can arrange a deal with Mary that scores you the gear. She has a small computer, radios, video surveillance gear, a few other electronics gadgets..."

The merchants take 300 rifle bullets, 10 gun magazines, 60 bottles of water and 12 doses of antibiotics out of the caravans' stocks, and offer the lot of it to the exiles. They ask if the exiles would like different types of bullets instead of the rifle rounds?

----------


## u-b

When Sean is back with the car and learns the details of the deal, he seems quite satisfied. The immediate reward is good enough, and a proven medicine would be very good too, but the prospective deal with that Mary is what Sean is really after. He carefully examines the antibiotics, comparing them to what he purchased earlier and asking the merchants whether they know if those other brands also work, and how common would be the diseases that even this stuff is ineffective against (like some mega-flu or suchlike). As for the deal with Mary, Sean would like to procure  a full-blown quad-copter kit right away (a "takes time" sense of "right away" is acceptable) for the cost of about one car, plus or mius some stuff. We will buy the radios and the computer at some later time as a separate transaction. If this hideout is hidden, do they run the delivery? Sean would like the delivery to Waffle House and there would transfer the car. The car is right there at the moment and will be designated for this deal. Sean asks to be notified over the radio if there is any change of plans. Speaking of radios, do the merchants want to buy one? Sean has one spare. Also, if their base is active on the radio, Sean would like to be given the contacts for future communications. We can communicate encrypted, so this won't give away all too much.

After all the negotiations are complete, Sean drives the party and the POWs back to Waffle House and starts to prepare for tomorrow's trip to the power plant.

*Spoiler*
Show

Sean has some antibiotics from HT226 and some antibiotics from B289 and he checks if these are some of those or different.

Anything better than 60% and they can have a small TL7 thing right now. They probably don't need one _in general_ (as the hideout hosts some), but if they don't have one _with them_, might be worth striking a deal.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> When Sean is back with the car and learns the details of the deal, he seems quite satisfied. The immediate reward is good enough, and a proven medicine would be very good too, but the prospective deal with that Mary is what Sean is really after. He carefully examines the antibiotics, comparing them to what he purchased earlier and asking the merchants whether they know if those other brands also work, and how common would be the diseases that even this stuff is ineffective against (like some mega-flu or suchlike). As for the deal with Mary, Sean would like to procure  a full-blown quad-copter kit right away (a "takes time" sense of "right away" is acceptable) for the cost of about one car, plus or mius some stuff. We will buy the radios and the computer at some later time as a separate transaction. If this hideout is hidden, do they run the delivery? Sean would like the delivery to Waffle House and there would transfer the car. The car is right there at the moment and will be designated for this deal. Sean asks to be notified over the radio if there is any change of plans. Speaking of radios, do the merchants want to buy one? Sean has one spare. Also, if their base is active on the radio, Sean would like to be given the contacts for future communications. We can communicate encrypted, so this won't give away all too much.
> 
> After all the negotiations are complete, Sean drives the party and the POWs back to Waffle House and starts to prepare for tomorrow's trip to the power plant.
> 
> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> Sean has some antibiotics from HT226 and some antibiotics from B289 and he checks if these are some of those or different.
> 
> Anything better than 60% and they can have a small TL7 thing right now. They probably don't need one _in general_ (as the hideout hosts some), but if they don't have one _with them_, might be worth striking a deal.


The merchants change out 80 rifle bullets for APHC pistol rounds. They promise to contact Mary, who will contact the exiles via their radio frequency, she has a full dedicated staff for deliveries and money transactions. They can definitely handle journeying to the Waffle House and make the trade. Expect her radioing you in the near future.

*Spoiler*
Show

The antibiotics are as per HT226.


The merchants comment that they've heard of Old World nanotech medicine that can completely prevent infections from wounds AND all diseases with only a few side effects, but they've only seen such wonders a few times, sold by a big shot merchant who only deals in Red Brick. The same guy also sold another type of nanotech med, that dramatically speeds up the body's natural healing, at the cost of increased consumption for the patient.

The merchants are willing to buy a radio from Sean. They offer 70% of the item's full value, what say you?

The merchants swap contact numbers.

The car is somewhat cramped as the exiles drive back to Waffle House. They eat their meals for the day as they get back in touch with Tariq and their allies. The rest of the day goes by smoothly, even when it rains during the night.

(OC: everyone eat meals.)

*DAY 72*

The next day is still lightly rainy.

----------


## u-b

In the morning, Sean gets everything ready to leave for the power plant. The plan is to take two cars (the station wagon and the pickup), overtake the caravan, then park / camouflage the cars and approach on foot just as usual.

*Spoiler*
Show




> OC: everyone eat meals.


Done.

Yes, we trade the radio. We are willing to take in return any and all of the following (will pay or get paid for the difference in bullets or such):
1. Crash kit, at $3200
2. Dark 'military' sneakers, at $160
3. Simple camouflage clothing, at $480
4. Basic camouflage net (woodlands), x3 at $320 each

We will use any gear we buy. The bonuses are not included in the rolls as I'm not sure about what would be available. Also, upgrading Bart to wear a better vest.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> In the morning, Sean gets everything ready to leave for the power plant. The plan is to take two cars (the station wagon and the pickup), overtake the caravan, then park / camouflage the cars and approach on foot just as usual.
> 
> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> 
> Done.
> 
> Yes, we trade the radio. We are willing to take in return any and all of the following (will pay or get paid for the difference in bullets or such):
> ...


Sean and his allies can easily outride the caravan. It is still faintly raining when they arrive at their destination. Approaching the power plant, however, reveals the job is going to be rougher than expected - Sean spies eight winged humanoids flying around the power plant's outside, all of them packing heat. It seems they are patrolling the area.

(OC: How far from the power plant's front entrance do you wish to be (where most of the enemies are), Sean? 20 yards? 30 yards? Your comrades are further back than that, at least 5 yards.)

Despite the drizzle, there are three burning car wrecks around the front entrance of the power plant. Three large packs of mutated hounds (5 to a pack) are being roughly led by familiar armed guards. The goons are bizarrely twisted, with gross facial features and discolored skin. The Sinful Nature are staking out this place. Most of them are carrying pistols or axes, the fliers have shotguns. Sean counts five of them. One of them is stationed atop a rickety wooden platform, built out of stacked furniture and a ladder, keeping an elevated position. The last lone guard is standing right at the door to the power plant, alone, 3 yards from anyone else.

(OC: Range penalty could be -4 to -7, depending on how close Sean wants to get. The fliers have an extra -2 to their Range penalty, because they're in the air. The raised platform also gives the guard (4 yards away from the nearest pack) on it +2 for him and -2 to target him. The three packs of dogs are 3 yards apart each, with one guard each directing it - no bullets wasted if a burst targets JUST a single pack. You will waste bullets in a burst if you target more than one pack or the fliers, 3 rounds. The lone guards plus anyone else in a single burst means 1 wasted bullet.)

They're all on watch, but not alerted to the exiles' presence and none of them are in cover. Yet.

*Spoiler*
Show

You can buy the crash kit, the dark sneakers, the simple camouflage and the camouflage net. They're all available for purchase. You choice of shotgun shells, pistol bullets, rifle rounds and SMG bullets can make up the difference.

----------


## u-b

Crouching behind some appropriately-sized tree, Sean observes, and describes, the scenery. He is not sure what to make out of this. The mutants, who supposedly shun all technology, occupying a power plant? The level of due diligence of their, can we say, "employers"? The burning cars... any signs of a recent fight anywhere around? Tracks, corpses or such?

Sean whispers to Richard over the radio: "I am not sure we can survive failing the negotiations. So, shall we attack? If so, I take the fliers, yours are the right bunch, but please start with the lone guy near the entrance. Tariq should place two or three grenades centered at the central bunch, which would also hit the other bunches with fragmentation. Bart loads a slug in the chamber and targets the guy on the platform."

*Spoiler*
Show

Let's say Sean is 20 yards away for -6 range penalty and the rest of the group is 30 yards away for -7 range penalty.




> You can buy the crash kit, the dark sneakers, the simple camouflage and the camouflage net. They're all available for purchase. You choice of shotgun shells, pistol bullets, rifle rounds and SMG bullets can make up the difference.


Sean will buy *three* camouflage nets, if they have that many. The whole transaction then would be as follows:

+2800 Small radio
+2000 Rifle cartridge x200
-3200 Crash kit
-160 Dark 'military' sneakers
-480 Simple camouflage clothing
-960 Basic camouflage net (woodlands) x3

I will update and send you the sheet.

----------


## Volthawk

From his own cover, Richard looks over the scene in front of them and frowns, before responding to Sean. "Yeah. A big group like this will probably be more entrenched in their views than the small group we were able to negotiate with before. Particularly if they had to kill the previous occupants to get hold of the place. They're not going to make a deal with a group of "sinners" like us that we'll like. Shame. Haven't figured out the right way to deal with them yet." He sighs, getting his rifle ready for the fight and starting to aim at his target. "I'm ready to go on your mark."

----------


## u-b

Sean whispers again: "Relay the plan and tell when everyone is ready."

Sean is not quite sure about the mutants and the laser, especially in the rain, so he flips it on when evaryone is ready and just before he shoots a long burst at the flyers, getting most of the lot.

*Spoiler*
Show

Operating a familiar control of a familiar gun is a free action with the limit of one such free action per round, so even if they can see the laser, they won't have time to react.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> The burning cars... any signs of a recent fight anywhere around? Tracks, corpses or such?
> 
> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> Let's say Sean is 20 yards away for -6 range penalty and the rest of the group is 30 yards away for -7 range penalty.
> 
> Sean will buy *three* camouflage nets, if they have that many. The whole transaction then would be as follows:
> 
> ...


There are no corpses, blood trails, drag marks or other such signs of violence around. The burning cars look like they've been neatly arranged before they were set alit. Maybe they're simply sources of fire and light for the enemy?

*Spoiler*
Show

Range noted. Three camouflage nets are available. Purchases made, and noted. Use the new stuff well, this situation could be trouble.

----------


## Volthawk

When Sean opens fire, Richard joins in and fires a two-shot burst at the mutant by the door - they'd learned before that these guys could be tougher than they thought, so he wanted to be sure he put his target down.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean, Bart and Richard unleash a satisfying hail of gunfire upon the front security.

6 of the fliers drop out of the sky, most of them dead. One notices the shooting of his fellows and where the shots came from...but the other is completely clueless.
Bart the Hunter blasts the guard on the raised platform with a slug and absolutely punches a skylight into his chest. Sliced away with the reaper's scythe, the sentry's deceased form falls over, off and onto the ground.
Richard nails the guard at the door twice in the heart, leaving two very big ugly holes in the poor SOB's solar plexus. The mutant slumps over onto the wall behind him and slides down, blank eyed. 

(OC: Tariq, you can act with the rest of your allies, this is a surprise attack.)

----------


## GnomesofZurich2

Tariq carefully aims his shot and then fires three grenades at the centre of the opponents.

(OOC: It looks like one shot hits, and the other two are going to scatter. I'm one off the recoil score needed to have two hits and three off the recoil score needed to have three hits on target, so that probably indicates how far the second and third shots scatter.)

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

(OC: I think three attack rolls, in a Ranged Rapid Strike (with -6 penalty for two attacks, -12 for three attacks, Quick Shot Technique buys off the penalty), is more appropriate than a burst fire, but whatever. Did you mean to shoot all three grenades at the same hex?)

The explosive expert brutally KOs one guard with a grenade, killing the 5 dogs around him.
The second grenade rumbles another pack, breaking bones of the 5 dogs and severely wounding their handler.
The third grenade has similar results; the dogs are ripped up and the mutant directing them lies on the ground bleeding and sliced.

(OC: *combat starts proper.* 2 flying mutants are still active. Normal turn order takes hold, Sean goes first. The guards act after Tariq, if they can.)

----------


## u-b

Sean shoots a short burst at the remaining two flyers.

*Spoiler*
Show




> I think three attack rolls, in a Ranged Rapid Strike (with -6 penalty for two attacks, -12 for three attacks, Quick Shot Technique buys off the penalty), is more appropriate than a burst fire, but whatever. Did you mean to shoot all three grenades at the same hex?


Sean's idea (and I think that's how Tariq understood it) was to target the hex of the one central guy, getting enough concussion to take him out and enough fragmentation all around to get most or all dogs. The state of the other two handlers would then depend on their reaction to numerous [2d] fragments, about which Sean was unsure, so they might well be still up. No fancy targeting was intended, just RoF 3 Rcl 2 at the same hex, not a burst, but still one attack semi-auto.

I am not sure how many bullets would be wasted between the remaining two flyers. I default at shooting 5 rounds (as that is the lowest number to spray-fire at multiple targets and maybe has something to do with the previous round's waste of 3). If Sean can waste less than 3, he'll target one or both of the guys with more than one round (preferring the guy looking at him over the other guy). If he has to waste more, he has 4 spare and will use them as needed.

----------


## GnomesofZurich2

> (OC: I think three attack rolls, in a Ranged Rapid Strike (with -6 penalty for two attacks, -12 for three attacks, Quick Shot Technique buys off the penalty), is more appropriate than a burst fire, but whatever. Did you mean to shoot all three grenades at the same hex?)
> 
> The explosive expert brutally KOs one guard with a grenade, killing the 5 dogs around him.
> The second grenade rumbles another pack, breaking bones of the 5 dogs and severely wounding their handler.
> The third grenade has similar results; the dogs are ripped up and the mutant directing them lies on the ground bleeding and sliced.





> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> 
> Sean's idea (and I think that's how Tariq understood it) was to target the hex of the one central guy, getting enough concussion to take him out and enough fragmentation all around to get most or all dogs. The state of the other two handlers would then depend on their reaction to numerous [2d] fragments, about which Sean was unsure, so they might well be still up. No fancy targeting was intended, just RoF 3 Rcl 2 at the same hex, not a burst, but still one attack semi-auto.


*Spoiler*
Show

Yes, u-b has it right, this was intended as a RoF 3, Rcl 2 attack targeting the same hex, with the assumption that any shots that did not 'hit' would then scatter from that point.


Tariq learned from his last encounter that left him lying bleeding out from a sniper hit, so he is looking for cover before attacking further (OC: Move action to nearest cover).

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## Shoot Da Moon

Sean's gunfire claims another two lives, as one mutant tries some aerobatics to avoid the bullet, but fails.
The direct hits destroy their vital organs, and their limp bodies smack into the ground half a second later. Clear skies.

(OC: Richard, your turn.)

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## Volthawk

Satisfied that the state of the remaining mutants makes this relatively safe for the moment, Richard starts moving forwards towards the power plant.

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## Shoot Da Moon

As Tariq and Richard move towards their desired spots, the two guards who barely survived the onslaught look tom each other for a micro-second before they both shoot themselves in the head with their pistols, killing themselves simultaneously.

(OC: combat over.)

With that, there is no more enemy presence in the area. The mutated dogs who were caught in the edges of the exploding grenades twitch and bleed in an icky fashion, prone and dying.
The guards are all shot down like clay pigeons.

The power plant is a large abandoned building housing a decommissioned turbine and generator, hooked up to a off-line transmission interconnect. A penstock and tailrace lets a diverted river flow through the powerhouse from the hills, where an intake channels it through a forebay and a sediment exclusion bay almost a mile away.

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## u-b

Sean is not too quick to call this over. He tells Richard not to enter the building, then tells Bart to take the dogs and wander around looking for any signs of other groups or individuals. While Bart is thus occupied, Sean reloads with a full magazine and spends some time looking around and at the bilding, in case any more threats surface. In case no threats are found in, like, half an hour, Sean tries to sneak into the building and check it out.

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## GnomesofZurich2

Seeing the combat is done, Tariq will take the time to reload and then just keeps an eye out for any trouble.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Bart gets the dogs under control and directs them to sniff around the area.
Sean, meanwhile, scans the building with his binos.

Their caution pays off royally. They easily detect the telltale signs of nesting and swarming animals going in and out of the building. Bart thinks there's ratdogs afoot - packs of mutant animals numbering 14. Occasionally, a few dire bears wander through the place to predate on the smaller animals.

But that's not all. The building has a lot of its interior infested with mutant plants. Bart recognizes them as spore bombers and venus guy-traps - the first one releases air-borne toxins and the second mimics other plants then lashes out with biting mouths.

Oh, and the other entrances to the building are booby-trapped with tripwires hooked up to noisemakers and fragile bottles full of...water? The mutated humans mostly kept out of the building other than that. Indeed, their presence is relatively light around here. Perhaps the guards the exiles just defeated were simply a stay-behind? Or scouts? Bart certainly doe snot think the primitive camp site the guards had could be for anymore than 15 people.

Sean spies a way in up top, a window on the second floor where the most plants are. The front door is not booby-trapped, but the animals inside would certainly take that as an invasion of their territory. The side doors are not safe, secured by crude guerilla warfare.

----------


## u-b

Sean discusses the findings with the group. A direct advance seems not very wise. He _thinks_ we should be able to handle the bears, but too many ratdogs, and any spore bombers would be somewhat problematic. Sean lets the group think about it and fetches the cars. Then, while the rest of the team covers him, searches the bodies for loot and for any survivors. Those are brought to the cars. Then Sean proposes we radio our "employers", describe the situation at hand and have their opinions regarding the following:
1. Have they been aware of the situation and, if so, what would be their plan?
2. If not, in what condition do they want this building? We can easily hand it over infested, blasted and/or burned, but if there is any major equipment in there, it might not survive the later two options. Sean highly _suspects_ the building is wanted safe and intact, but he prefers to be sure.
3. When they are expecting to arrive on site?

As for the plan, Sean thinks we can try to get the animals out, with smoke, gas and flashbangs, but maybe we should have a larger team to aid with the shooting, if they can arrive soon enough. Sean is not so sure about the plants.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Two-thirds (10 counting) of the dogs are still technically alive, but they won't last long without immediate medical care.
Most of the mutants are also dead, except for 2 flying men who just barely survived getting shot and falling straight down. Their blood shines weirdly rainbow-ish in the light, like oil.

Going through the mutants' pockets and wraps turns up not much ammo. Aside from the shells and bullets already loaded into the guns, only 5 other shells are loose, for 13 shotgun shells and 28 pistol bullets in total. The five Colt SAA revolvers and the eight H&R Model 8 shotguns are all in okay condition. It seems the guards were running low.
Aside form that, the guards were all wearing mere cloth armor over their unnaturally hardened skin. Tucked into their bags and satchels, Sean finds a bunch of empty plastic bottles (7 of those), three torches (unlit, obviously), two cigarettes lighters with some fuel left, two glass bottles of strong liquor, four lengths of strong metal wire, a screwdriver, two pocketknives, two wrenches, a claw hammer, five bandages, 6 pairs of socks, eight tobacco cigarettes, three small batteries, a pill bottle with 8 pills inside, and a large towel.

Calling up on the radio, Sean discusses things and gives his sit-rep.
They reply that they did not know of any mutants in the area, but gingerly comment that they should have anticipated that the monsters may be around. Their only plan in the case of mutants is to simply avoid them if possible, unless they can be dealt with decisively.
The building must be cleared out AND kept in one piece, or else they will have to abort the whole operation. If they can find a way to get the animals and plants out or dead without damaging the machinery within, that would be ideal. Perhaps some kind of chemical warfare is in order?
They expect to arrive in 3 hours.

----------


## u-b

Sean kills the mutant dogs, packs the loot, the two live flyers (he spends two bandages to keep them that way and two pairs of handcuffs to keep them from causing trouble) and one dead flyer (the blood is quite interesting and he wants to take a more thorough look inside). Then he reloads the magazine he has used in combat and uses two camouflage nets to camouflage the cars. He uses the third net to set up an ambush site for Richard, Tariq and Bart, which would allow shooting at anyone approaching or leaving the building. Then he leaves the rest of the corpses near the burning cars, throws one flyer ontop of the fire, maybe makes some shots at the lock(s) (but not the traps) to make sure at least one exit facing the burning cars and the ambush is freely operable, takes a hiding spot in some location, separate, but not distant, from the rest of the group, and waits for either the caravan or some movement that can be fired upon.

*Spoiler*
Show

If burning meat does not attract anyone and no mutants appear from anywhere heading to the site, we just wait those three hours for the arrival of the main group.

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## Shoot Da Moon

Tariq scopes the building and figures the ground floor is mostly taken up by the internal workings of the hydro-electric generator and the turbine. There may be smaller rooms around the edges, but none of particular importance or sturdy interior doors. The upper floor, meanwhile, is where most of the windows are, and there is a larger room (an main office?) dominating the place with catwalks and stairways leading down to the ground floor and up to the roof.

Sean piles the meat up and prepares the camouflaged kill zone. The stanch of burnt death fills the air in less than ten minutes. 30 minutes later, four large mutated animals lumber out of the nearby wilderness to investigate the corpses. The animals are on all fours, furry, extremely muscular and large toothed. Sean recognizes them as black bears that have undergone the unnatural biological changes that so much of the region's wildlife and plants suffer from.

Eager to devour the free food, the bears do not care to look around the area, and simply snack on the dead bodies left out. None of the animals realize the exiles are there...

(OC: how many yards away from the bears have you set the camouflage spot, Sean?)

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## u-b

The animals come from not exactly the direction Sean would expect them to be, but they go after the meat, not after Sean, so that might be just as well. Sean waits for them to get busy together and, before they start dragging the corpses aside, announces his plan over the radio, heard only by Richard. "Mine are left to right, yours are the other way around. Tariq and Bart stand ready in case that won't be enough." If the plan is accepted, he says "Shooting at implied zero... five, four, three, two..." a silence for one and then one long burst.

*Spoiler*
Show




> how many yards away from the bears have you set the camouflage spot, Sean?


Let's say  both our spots are some 40 yards away from the building, if it can be clearly seen from that far, making them maybe some 25..30 yards away from the fire? The spots would be, say, 15 feet away from each other (one left and one right) and the cars are some further 30 yards away.

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## GnomesofZurich2

> The animals come from not exactly the direction Sean would expect them to be, but they go after the meat, not after Sean, so that might be just as well. Sean waits for them to get busy together and, before they start dragging the corpses aside, announces his plan over the radio, heard only by Richard. "Mine are left to right, yours are the other way around. Tariq and Bart stand ready in case that won't be enough." If the plan is accepted, he says "Shooting at implied zero... five, four, three, two..." a silence for one and then one long burst.
> 
> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> 
> Let's say  both our spots are some 40 yards away from the building, if it can be clearly seen from that far, making them maybe some 25..30 yards away from the fire? The spots would be, say, 15 feet away from each other (one left and one right) and the cars are some further 30 yards away.


Tariq will aim at the nearest bear, should his grenade launcher be needed.

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## Volthawk

After Richard relays the plan to the others, he take aim and fires along with Sean.

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## Shoot Da Moon

(OC: I forgot to mention, the bears are SM+1. Sean's burst only wastes 2 bullets, ditto Richard.)

The rifle fire is deafening. The four hungry bears are slaughtered by the shots tearing through their lungs and hearts.
When Sean and Richard lower their smoking guns from their shoulders, they see the ursine mutants are nothing but gruesome roadkill now.

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## u-b

Sean reloads with a full magazine, then goes for part two. He aims at the bottle hooked up to a tripwire across an entrance, makes his shot, and waits patiently.

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## Shoot Da Moon

The bottle explodes into shards and liquid splashing everywhere along the doorframe. Inside, there is some scattered and hurried movement by small creatures, spooked by the sudden destruction. Five minutes pass, but nothing happens. Four dog-like beasts with glowing eyes and rat snouts skitter out of the underbrush near the building, and start nibbling on the corpses of the dead. Circle of life.

(OC: the beasts are SM +0.)

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## Volthawk

Richard nods as he sees the ratdogs appear. "Thought so, same stuff that was used against the Snowbunnies to cause their animal problems. Interesting security system, although a little unreliable. I wonder if the mutants have a way of dealing with these things peacefully so they don't have to fight them off every time someone triggers it."

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## u-b

Sean thinks if he should spend more bullets, but then decides to let the explosives person have some fun. "Tell Tariq he can have a shot at the lot. I wonder why none appear out of the building and if those there are locked in some of the rooms. If so, would be less problematic to handle."

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## GnomesofZurich2

Tariq takes his time setting up the shot, and then fires a single grenade targeting the centre of the ratdogs.

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## Shoot Da Moon

Gore flies as the grenade lands and explodes!
All four ratdogs die as the blast and shrapnel rips them apart.
The pile of corpses is brutally disrupted by the blow up. Entrails and skin are left scattered around.

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## u-b

Sean is inclined to let the caravan appear and the scents disappear before checking the building. He says that and, if no objections, does that.

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## GnomesofZurich2

Sure, Tariq is in no hurry. He will reload his grenade launcher and otherwise just keep an eye on things.

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## Shoot Da Moon

An hour passes as the exiles rest in their hiding spot, keeping watch on the power plant.
Mostly nothing happens. The blood and meat mess made of the corpses attracts birds to peck and nibble on the offal.
The rain increases a little, it is now a bit more heavy but it does not affect sight lines or soak anyone too bad.
45 minutes after the exiles start resting, 10 more rat-dogs crawl out from the power plant building to both feed on the corpses AND attack the carrion birds. The strange ten monsters make a meal of slow birds and wrecked bodies.

In the distance, the exiles also hear a riverboat's engine rumbling and steam billowing further up the nearby river connected to the plant, coming closer to the power plant.

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## u-b

Sean warns Richard about the approaching boat, requests a grenade or two at the doggies and declares his intent to meet the boat as it lands while keeping in touch with the rest of the ambush, which probably should remain put. If/when the doggies are out, Sean plans to approach the river and observe the boat while it's still some way away. The boat's reaction to the explosions is of particular interest.

*Spoiler*
Show

Sean's speed is 7+1 for most of this movement, then he will slow down to use stealth.

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## GnomesofZurich2

Tariq obliges Sean's request and will put another carefully aimed grenade into the "doggies". 

*Spoiler: OOC*
Show

The damage looks pretty low, he's prepared to launch another one if needed.

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## Shoot Da Moon

Tariq's salvo hits the center of the animals, who are spread out more than previous clusters.
4 of the animals are caught in the innermost blast, injured badly enough to knock them out, flinging them through the air.
The other six animals are merely hurt by the rim of the explosion. They screech and scatter away, as fast as they can.
(OC: the rat-dogs can Move 6 yards every second.)

Sean can not quite see the riverboat approaching, it looks like the explosion does not affect it. Did the crew not hear the boom?

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## u-b

Seeing the flight of the surviving dogs as something unfortunate and not yet worrying too much about alerting the approaching vessel, Sean and Bart spend a few seconds practicing shooting...

*Spoiler*
Show

Three seconds worth of actions rolled. Will wait for Richard/Tariq/GM to act and resolve what happens. If most or all dogs are out, Sean will hurry to look at the boat ASAP, using stealth on approach to the shore only.

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## Shoot Da Moon

Sean manages to bulls-eye three of the mutated animals with deadly precision, and Bart the Hunter bags one of his own with a shotgun blast, putting it down and out. Then Bart takes aim at another rat-dog...

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## Volthawk

Given that the ratdogs are more concerned with escape than attack, Richard is content to leave it to Sean and Bart and instead looks in the rough direction of the riverboat. They might still be a fair distance away, and out of sight, but Richard still feels better keeping eyes in that direction at all times - after all, people may have left the boat and began a stealthier approach on foot, and if they're mutants who knows what abilities they may have at their disposal. He was probably worrying for no reason, but he still kept a lookout, just in case.

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## u-b

Sean and Bart target two remaining dogs, after which Sean tells everyone to stay put and quickly moves to some hiding spot near the water where he can see the vessel.

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## Shoot Da Moon

Bart shoots the animal he previously hit, knocking it out once and for all.
Sean kills another animal with a shot to the vitals.
Only one rat-dog thing left running away.

Neither Sean or Richard can see the riverboat too much. It is very much far away. The steam from its chimney rises high into the air. It is moving at a minimal pace, perhaps 1 or 2 yards a second. It's too hard to make out much more detail than that.

It is now about over ten minutes away (600 yards?) from the power plant.

(OC: if you want a Range penalty, consider it -15, extreme range. Note that the riverboat itself is SM +10.)

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## u-b

That was quite a large boat. Sean highly suspected we could still take it out, but was not yet sure if we wanted to. He decided to spend a minute or two on observations, telling everything of note on the radio. Of particular interest:
1. Any signs of whom this boat belongs to? People onboard, mutant air support, flags, whatever...
2. What is the type of the boat and relevant details about it? A TL7/8 cargo vessel? Passenger vessel? A steambot from a museum? Some sort of conversion?
3. Any warlike modifications to it? Armor plating? Gun mounts?
4. Where it seems to be heading? Assuming Sean got to the river wherever it was closest to his original position, the actual pier might be some distance away. Or the boat might head to the far side of the river or something, or be turning right now, for example...
5. What is the terrain at the pier? How much distance those disembarking will have between the boat and the cover? Can we navigate safely hidden somewhere about there, e.g. to plant some radio mines?
6. How wide is the river here? What is the condition of the dam? Is the water up to power plant operation levels or ways down or what? Can the dam be safely crossed out of view of the boat?
7. Not an observation, but just a note: how long it would take us to fold down the nets, start the cars and get lost?
8. Any effect from the rain on these long-distance observations? Expected effect from the rain on long-distance shooting?

*Spoiler*
Show

The boat should be ~500 yards away when Sean is done with the first pass of observations. I'm not sure how many rolls would be needed. Sean is in no hurry, so could repeat with more time on any topic(s) he's not immediately sure about. Skill is 15 with an extra +3 to offset range penalties, so the boat itself would be observed at an effective skill of 13 before extra time. Even better about the pier, river and such. People and guns might be problematic if they are not in plain view (an x8 scope means those in plain view should be observed just fine). All of the above is before rain modifiers, whatever they are.

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## Shoot Da Moon

> That was quite a large boat. Sean highly suspected we could still take it out, but was not yet sure if we wanted to. He decided to spend a minute or two on observations, telling everything of note on the radio. Of particular interest:
> 1. Any signs of whom this boat belongs to? People onboard, mutant air support, flags, whatever...
> 2. What is the type of the boat and relevant details about it? A TL7/8 cargo vessel? Passenger vessel? A steambot from a museum? Some sort of conversion?
> 3. Any warlike modifications to it? Armor plating? Gun mounts?
> 4. Where it seems to be heading? Assuming Sean got to the river wherever it was closest to his original position, the actual pier might be some distance away. Or the boat might head to the far side of the river or something, or be turning right now, for example...
> 5. What is the terrain at the pier? How much distance those disembarking will have between the boat and the cover? Can we navigate safely hidden somewhere about there, e.g. to plant some radio mines?
> 6. How wide is the river here? What is the condition of the dam? Is the water up to power plant operation levels or ways down or what? Can the dam be safely crossed out of view of the boat?
> 7. Not an observation, but just a note: how long it would take us to fold down the nets, start the cars and get lost?
> 8. Any effect from the rain on these long-distance observations? Expected effect from the rain on long-distance shooting?
> ...


From his viewpoint and through his scope, Sean sees only a few people patrolling the open decks of the riverboat, all of them clad in black that covers the entirety of their bodies. The riverboat has multiple barricades set up on the decks and metal panels on the sides, seemingly as armor.

The riverboat flies no flag. If it has guns mounted, Sean does not see them. If the people on board have guns, they do not have them ready.

The boat looks older than any nautical vehicle Sean has ever seen. It is Old World tech, of course, but not in the advanced whiz-bang connotation of that term as usual. Steam engines were outdated for the pre-virus civilization.

The riverboat is definitely heading towards the power plant. There is a wharf by the river, 20 yards next to the building. The wharf is minimal, merely four wooden boardwalks and hitching posts. From there to the building is open ground, no cover.

The river is very wide, 50 yards from one end to another. Sean can not see the dam, it is probably much further upriver, maybe two or three miles away. The water is high right now, lots of it and flowing rapidly.

Getting the nets down and starting the cars would take about 2 minutes, if done smoothly.

The rain is not yet heavy enough to obscure vision significantly. It certainly makes the vista more miserable, and the river look more menacing, but it's clear enough for shooting. Hopefully, it does not pick up today.

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## u-b

Having described what he sees, Sean then turns to actual options. It seemed the teem could do quite a lot of things, which Seans tries to summarize as follows. This is audible only to Richard, who is expected to consult with the rest of the team.

"So, first of all, we can just pack and leave. This would abort the whole mission and I don't see enough of a reason to do it, but we certainly can. Second, we can shoot at them from some distance and either sink them or make them turn. Might be the safest, short term, but not my preference. Third, we can get them here at the wharf. Will be much more risky, but will do them for good, one way of another. Might also get us the boat. We also can try to parley before that, if you, Richard, feel lucky. I would suggest Tariq to place the whole load of our TNT with an attached remote detonator into a small backpack we have in the trunk, then put that on the warf near some mooring gear, then get a safe distance away, where I will wait him. We will discuss the rest while he does that, but I will want the safe distance to be announced up front. Richard meanwhile could take a spot behind a corner of the building and Bart will take the camouflage net and bring it here where I set camp."

Sean hopes the lone backpack would not look too scary, thus not preventing the mooring, and will give Richard an option to parley with the sailors from a position of strength. If the general plan is agreed upon, we can discuss our position for negotiations while we carry it out. To summarize:
1. Tariq is to place 25 pounds of radio-controlled TNT on the wharf near the mooring gear / landing gear.
2. Tariq is to announce a safe distance. By my calculation, the explosion will deal 6d6x10 damage, averaging 210 cr ex damage at the spot, falling fast. 20 yards away, at the building, it will deal an average of 3.5, likely safe enough with armor and protected vision/hearing that Richard now has. Bart and Tariq (and, thus, Sean) should be a bit further away (and in a different direction). Let's say, 40 yards along the river, for an average of 1.75 (rounded down).
3. Sean will set up a hiding place woughly where told, trying to get both some cover and some concealment (trees/bushes), while sill able to see and target the ship and the way to the building.
4. Richard is to wave at the arrivals and start negotiations by shouting when the ship is at the wharf. The details TBD.
5. Just a note: shooting the bag with TNT will do nothing much. It is not dynamite.
6. 210 damage does not seem like that much for a ship-sized target, but if it gets to the boiler, the inhabitants might get all sorts of _additional_ damage.

Sean is open to other suggestions.

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## Volthawk

Richard relays Sean's summary to the others, before considering the situation himself. "Yeah, I want to talk to them. We don't have confirmation of who they are yet, and I'm not firing at a potentially neutral party, particularly since if they aren't mutants or raiders they might prove a useful ally - I haven't seen or heard of anyone else in these parts with a boat like that. So let's go with your wharf plan. Still, if it does come to blows lets see if we can handle the situation without using the explosives. An intact riverboat is worth taking some risks to get hold of, I think."

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## GnomesofZurich2

> Richard relays Sean's summary to the others, before considering the situation himself. "Yeah, I want to talk to them. We don't have confirmation of who they are yet, and I'm not firing at a potentially neutral party, particularly since if they aren't mutants or raiders they might prove a useful ally - I haven't seen or heard of anyone else in these parts with a boat like that. So let's go with your wharf plan. Still, if it does come to blows lets see if we can handle the situation without using the explosives. An intact riverboat is worth taking some risks to get hold of, I think."


Tariq considers the plan, "If you think the backpack might scare them off, I could rope it in UNDER the wharf, out of sight. And, if we decide the ship needs to get taken out, my HEDP grenades should help with that."

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## u-b

Sean looks at the warf to see if Tariq's change of the plan is compatible with its particular construction and comments on that, possibly giving Tariq a go on the whole affair.

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## Shoot Da Moon

> Sean looks at the warf to see if Tariq's change of the plan is compatible with its particular construction and comments on that, possibly giving Tariq a go on the whole affair.


(OC: Do you have the Architecture skill, Sean? Does anyone else? I'm certain Tariq does. Please note the riverboat travels approximately 90 yards towards your position every minute.)

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## Shoot Da Moon

Tariq loads the TNT into the backpack and takes it onto the wharf. Once it's set to blow on compound, he'll attach it to one of the posts supporting the wharf, near where the ship would presumably dock, using rope and duct tape, and try to conceal it. It takes 3 and half minutes.

He feels uncomfortable, as the rain chills him even as the work makes him sweaty and hot under the collar.

When the bomb is in place, Tariq backs off. Just in time, too, as the riverboat is only 25 yards away from the wharf by the time he bugs out. It as slowed down upon approach.

Nobody can be seen on the boat. The people who had patrolled the deck went inside 2 minutes ago.
The passenger riverboat is driven by a single big stern wheel and steam coming out of multiple tall smoke stacks from high-pressure boilers. The riverboat has three decks with staircases (plus a pilot house on top of the highest deck) connecting them. Lights, winches, whistles and ropes can be seen left out on the lowest deck.

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## GnomesofZurich2

> Tariq loads the TNT into the backpack and takes it onto the wharf. Once it's set to blow on compound, he'll attach it to one of the posts supporting the wharf, near where the ship would presumably dock, using rope and duct tape, and try to conceal it. It takes 3 and half minutes.
> 
> He feels uncomfortable, as the rain chills him even as the work makes him sweaty and hot under the collar.
> 
> When the bomb is in place, Tariq backs off. Just in time, too, as the riverboat is only 25 yards away from the wharf by the time he bugs out. It as slowed down upon approach.
> 
> Nobody can be seen on the boat. The people who had patrolled the deck went inside 2 minutes ago.
> The passenger riverboat is driven by a single big stern wheel and steam coming out of multiple tall smoke stacks from high-pressure boilers. The riverboat has three decks with staircases (plus a pilot house on top of the highest deck) connecting them. Lights, winches, whistles and ropes can be seen left out on the lowest deck.


With the riverboat so close, Tariq is going to quickly try to make up some distance, hugging what cover he can. (OOC: under the circumstances, the very slow movement that goes along with Stealth seems unwise, so he'll just do Move actions trying to keep what terrain he can between him and the ship).

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## Volthawk

As the others get into position and prepare, Richard steps out from the corner of the building, in sight of the boat and raising a hand in greeting to the boaters. He still has his rifle with him, but as a sign of goodwill he doesn't hold it ready to fire. Hopefully they were the type willing to at least try talking.

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## u-b

Sean mostly covers the boat and the bomb, making sure that nobody does anything fancy, like stealthily disembarking, including under the water, disabling the bomb, aiming at Tariq and Richard, etc. The net has been already set up, covering Bart, Sean and dogs, but Tariq took his time almost to the limit, so Sean does not expect the man here in the hiding. Maybe he will side with Richard or take some other spot.

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## Shoot Da Moon

The riverboat comes over to the wharf and starts to dock. The people in black scramble out of the cabins and the deck, getting ready to disembark.

One of the dockers spots Richard and alerts the rest of his crew. The sailors seem disturbed and wary. They particularly do not like the sights of a messy fight, what with the blackened ground from the bomb blasts and gruesome offal scattered around. They do not attack or flee at the sight of Richard, they talk amongst themselves and do not call out to him...

Richard then notices another mutated bear wandering closer, out of the wilderness behind him. It sniffs the air with deep curiosity and eyes him with heavy stoicism. Perhaps the dead bodies are giving off enough of a meaty stink to attract the beast?

(OC: the bear is 15 yards away from Richard.)

----------


## u-b

"Bart, you watch the men and the bomb. Richard, please disregard the bear, I have you covered." Sean aims at the bear's heart through the scope, but does not shoot right away.

*Spoiler*
Show

Waiting with an aimed shot. Will shoot before the bear is in melee range of Richard.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard murmurs back a quick "Got it." to Sean over the radio before getting back to his part of things - the boaters. They were wary but not hostile, which was a good start, and Richard was confident that if he got talking to them he could make something happen here. He starts walking towards the boat, arms outstretched to show that he's not about to start shooting, but doesn't call out - Sean may have the bear in his sights, but that doesn't mean Richard wants to get more of its attention on him than he can help.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean can see the bear starting to eat the gore of the dead mutants and animals.
Richard sees the sailors are caught between keeping an eye on him and doing their work. They call out for someone, probably a superior, to come over to them.
Bart tries to keep his dogs under control. The two canines seem to want to sniff around the trees.

(OC: Tariq, what are you doing?)

----------


## GnomesofZurich2

> (OC: Tariq, what are you doing?)


Tariq is likely still seeking to get into cover and out of the notice of those on the ship.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Both the riverboat crew and the bear seem to have their attention squarely held by Richard or food respectively. Neither notice Tariq as he slips away. Sean's camouflage suits him fine.

----------


## GnomesofZurich2

Tariq will continue moving away until he's reached what he judges to be a safe distance should there be need to use the explosives.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Richard picks up on the sailors' distrust of him, fearing him like some sort of rabid animal. They all keep their guns close to their hands.

And speaking of their guns, they're all carrying SAA revolvers, all of them loaded and in okay condition. Judging by some of the scratch marks, they were bought in bulk by a dedicated arms dealer, who smuggled them in a crate. They were not just picked up from dead people or cobbled together with junk - an actual craftsman with a complete workshop made those weapons.

In 2 minutes' time, another humanoid in black arrives at the dock, led by a sailor and coming from below deck. This one is obviously a lieutenant of some sort, as he seems to hold authority over the sailors. He certainly has a better quality garment covering his body. A lit cigar turns in his mouth, smooth smoke wafting from the burning end as he surveys Richard.

With an suspicious eye, the newcomer steps off the boat and approaches Richard. He makes no secret of expecting a trap...or a fight. The lieutenant takes out his cigar to coolly blow out a gray cloud as he walks toward the exile. He's ready.

----------


## Volthawk

The quality of the guns isn't too much of a surprise to Richard - they have a working boat of that size and sophistication, and them having one or both of pretty high-quality facilities or good trading connections follows naturally on from that. Although...fear? Sure, they might be distrustful, but why would they fear him like that? Unless...maybe. While waiting for the representative to show up, Richard whispers his theory into his helmet's mic. "I think they might be Sinful Nature."

He doesn't let his suspicions change his reaction to the lieutenant turning up, though. They'd been able to deal fairly with a group of mutants before, and he might not even be correct about his theory. Nodding in recognition of the man, Richard starts talking. "Hello! I'm Richard. Nice boat - I haven't seen anything like that before. Are you traders or something like that?"

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The lieutenant rolls his eyes at Richard's compliment.
"We are not traders. We are protectors of America, avenging the treason of the dark overlord Malice. The overlord you serve, the mutiny of the Shelters you carried out on the orders of that evil woman."

The stern stranger in black leans closer, talking deliberately, "Richard. Why have you chosen to serve the overlord? Do you not know of her evil? Why did you betray America?"

----------


## u-b

Since the bear seems pretty much occupied and the negotiations have started, Sean takes the liberty to have a look at the negitiators. He does not quite like the close approach, so... "Bart, watch the bomb and the bear, them both. I'll have to take care of this one guy..." Sean switches to watch this new target, ready to pull the trigger to shoot at the guy's heart whenever he does anything funny.

*Spoiler*
Show

Richard also hears that. Bart will not be able to shoot right away, but the bear seems occupied at the moment, so the instant reaction will hopefully be unnecessary.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard pauses for a moment in surprise when the man talks, blinking before laughing. "You think we work for Mailer? Hah, that's a good one. My friend - and if you're being honest about your aliegances, you are my friend - we personally pissed her off a few months back and ever since we've been on the top of the raiders' to-kill list and doing quite a lot to kill them back. I think we've been doing a pretty good job - after all, their recent withdrawal south is because we, and the settlements we've been helping, have been doing enough damage that they've needed to." He pauses again, thinking. Proof...he did have the intel they'd accumulated so far, that showed he was telling the truth about their enmity with the raiders and the withdrawal, along with an apparent enemy of the raiders information to use against them, but...it sounded like this group took the rogue Shelter angle very serously, and it might be the case that if they found out the exiles were originally from 44, Mailer's personal Shelter...it might not end well. Richard takes a breath. He had to risk it, and if it went badly he had the team backing him up. Okay. 

"I think, in the interest of showing that we're on the same side, I should tell you the exact situation. We're originally from Shelter 44, you see - the one that Mailer, the evil woman you talk about, is Overseer for. The people in there have no idea about the situation out here, the deals she's made or that the betrayal happened at all, but every so often when people in there do something that angers her enough - for instance, I supported a group trying to politically oppose her influence and change the way things were run in there - she exiles them. We didn't know it at the time, but she also then gets into contact with her raiders and gives them orders to kill the exiles. A little sadistic game of hers, I suppose. We managed to survive, though, and since then have been fighting the raiders, helping the settlements they've been targeting around here, both as a matter of survival and morality. We've accumulated a lot of intelligence over this time, through attacking their bases and interrogating their people, and part of it should prove my story - we have the dossiers they passed out on us, straight from our Shelter records, and the related orders, for instance. Perhaps, if you accept this, we can share information against a common foe?"

*Spoiler*
Show


Going to try a Diplomacy roll to get a better reaction from this guy, if allowed.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The man looks quite convinced by Richard.
"Alright, let's say I believe you. Is why you came here? To talk to us?"

The man looks back at his crew and the boat.
"We suspected something was seriously wrong with the Shelters. We figured the overlord had total control over the people within..." He says absent-mindedly to no-one in particular.

He looks again at what information Richard is offering. "I'll have to pass this all up the chain..."
He signals to a sailor who was watching him and Richard. The sailor goes to the riverboat and heads below deck.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard shakes his head. "Until now, I had no idea you existed. Hell, I didn't know anyone outside of their organisation knew Mailer was involved. No, we're just here because we've been generally helping out the settlements around here when not fighting the raiders, and a group wanted to restore this plant to functionality so we went out to make sure it was safe for them. Is this place yours, then?"

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The man in black shakes his head.
"No. We do not own this place, it belongs to America, we merely use this building as a landmark and shelter from the elements. Are your people aligned with America or the overlord Malice?"

The bear behind Richard moves over to another pile of corpse meat. It greedily gorges on the dead, making disturbingly juicy sounds as it chomps, chews and swallows.

----------


## GnomesofZurich2

If Tariq is, presumably, now at a safe distance, he'll ready his grenade launcher in case the people on the ship become hostile.

----------


## Volthawk

"We're not allied with her, no. Hell, the reason I'm out here is because I joined a group in the Shelter that was opposed to her. As for America..." Richard pauses, putting the thought into his next words he felt the topic deserved. "Before going into the shelter, my ancestors were among the lawmen of the old world. They upheld order in the old world in the name of America, and were a force for justice. My family has always held onto that principle, which is why many of us joined the security forces of the Shelter, unaware of what Mailer was really up to but wanting to honour that legacy." Richard reaches into an inside pocket and pulls something out - an old badge, the name of one of the organisations of the old world barely legible on it, and looks at it when he continues. "It's why I did the same and joined up, and why I tried to change things when I saw the unjust ways Mailer had led my fellow officers to act. It's why out here I've been doing whatever I can to restore order and help the people we come across to rebuild and live in safety." He looks back up at the man. "So yes, I suppose you could say I'm aligned to America, loyal to its values."

*Spoiler*
Show


Neat, a chance to play up some of Richard's quirks that haven't come up much (namely "Carries a family heirloom" and "Idealistic about the old world").

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The man in black looks at it and nods.
"You carry a heavy burden and a worthy heritage then. So do we. We are dedicated to fighting the overlord Malice and her betrayal of America."

Then the man in black looks over the area.
"That bear is dangerous. We should either kill it, or leave the area. What say you?"

----------


## Volthawk

Following the man's gaze over to the bear and readying his rifle, Richard nods and gets on the radio. "Sean, we're good here. They're on our side. Guess it's time to deal with the bear, can't leave it hanging around for the settlers to run into."

----------


## u-b

From his hiding, Sean aims at the bear and makes two shots. "You stay here, Bart." He says as he emerges from hiding. Assuming nobody is too startled, he then approaches the arriving delegate, with the right hand empty and the rifle in the left hand. Sean has heard only half of the discussion, so is not really up to speed, but Richard's final conclusion is clear enough. "Sean Pires. We have a lot to discuss."

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The gunshots scare the riverboat crew and the man in black, they all draw their guns and look around for the shooter. The mutated bear dies as Sean drills it in the heart twice.
The man in black eyes Sean with anger and aims his pistol at him, but he keeps it cool enough to stop shooting.
"First thing we should discuss, Sean, is that you need to tell me before you start shooting that big gun of yours."

The riverboat people come out with guns at the ready to greet Richard and Sean, demanding answers. When the two men explain, they calm down.
Eventually, another higher-up man in black arrives on the scene, walking out of the lower deck flanked by bodyguards. He is introduced as the sergeant of the sailors, not the highest ranking man on the riverboat, but definitely in charge of the boat's fireteams.

The riverboat people ask the exiles for a full debriefing.

----------


## u-b

Sean nods and starts talking. Accirding to him, the events have been as follows:
1. Two recent attacks of the mutants on the Waffle House, who seem to be friends with the people of the region. Repelled, taking some mutant prisoners.
2. The retaliation against the mutants in Springfield. Mutated animals feeding on human bodies.
3. Information from a hit slaver camp about them effectively inciting the mutants. Matching some earlier facts about the slavers inciting mutated animals.
4. The attempt to start some meaningful communication, releasing one of the mutant prisoners and quoting him #3 above. Intending release of the rest if peace is established. Lack of effect.
5. Desire of some people to restore the power plant's operations to provide the neighborhoods with electrical power.
6. Some mutants here, with some mutated animals. Too many to safely come out and talk, given #4 above. Hit them. Hit the mutated animals. Have not been inside, but planning to.
7. You came. We made sure we can safely talk. We are talking.

----------


## GnomesofZurich2

Tariq is a bit disappointed at the lack of opportunity to make things go 'boom', but seeing that his comrades have both approached the boat, he sling his grenade launcher and make his way over towards where Bart is stationed.

----------


## Volthawk

When it becomes Richard's time to talk, he takes a broader view of things, telling the general story of the exiles and their clashes with the raiders - from learning of their existence, to the battles at the radar base and the early information they learned there, to the battle at the ski lodge helping the Snowbunnies and the leads they learned there, to their campaign since of attacking raider camps and bases and using the intel and prisoners found at each to decide the next target. He talks about Stone, his papers and the information they learned from his interrogation - about their northern holdings, the factory and mine, and also about the southwards retreat and the training camps apparently down there for the retreating raiders to rebuild out of. He mentions the spies, too - he didn't know how much the riverboat people knew about the raiders' intelligence network, but much like with the settlements he felt it was important to make sure they knew now.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> Sean nods and starts talking. Accirding to him, the events have been as follows:
> 1. Two recent attacks of the mutants on the Waffle House, who seem to be friends with the people of the region. Repelled, taking some mutant prisoners.
> 2. The retaliation against the mutants in Springfield. Mutated animals feeding on human bodies.
> 3. Information from a hit slaver camp about them effectively inciting the mutants. Matching some earlier facts about the slavers inciting mutated animals.
> 4. The attempt to start some meaningful communication, releasing one of the mutant prisoners and quoting him #3 above. Intending release of the rest if peace is established. Lack of effect.
> 5. Desire of some people to restore the power plant's operations to provide the neighborhoods with electrical power.
> 6. Some mutants here, with some mutated animals. Too many to safely come out and talk, given #4 above. Hit them. Hit the mutated animals. Have not been inside, but planning to.
> 7. You came. We made sure we can safely talk. We are talking.


The "war chief" nods along and listens.
He comments that there are apparently several different bands of mutants active in the region - he has never heard of his people attacking Waffle House. His people have been sticking to the rivers, and trying to find the Shelters so they might eliminate the overlord.
He reveals that the men who were guarding the power plant - the flying shotgunners and the dog handlers - were their stay-behind rear guards meant to make sure the army of darkness does not get their hands on the power plant.




> When it becomes Richard's time to talk, he takes a broader view of things, telling the general story of the exiles and their clashes with the raiders - from learning of their existence, to the battles at the radar base and the early information they learned there, to the battle at the ski lodge helping the Snowbunnies and the leads they learned there, to their campaign since of attacking raider camps and bases and using the intel and prisoners found at each to decide the next target. He talks about Stone, his papers and the information they learned from his interrogation - about their northern holdings, the factory and mine, and also about the southwards retreat and the training camps apparently down there for the retreating raiders to rebuild out of. He mentions the spies, too - he didn't know how much the riverboat people knew about the raiders' intelligence network, but much like with the settlements he felt it was important to make sure they knew now.


The war chief takes it all in. The man confesses that most of it comes as a surprise to him, despite being an active member of the band (and created) for 8 whole months. He had no intel on the local regional militia, the raiders and their network of spies, the ski lodge, the training camps or the northern factory.

He asks the exiles what they would like to know about him and his people, or what he found out. He offers to tell them about their origins and their campaign against the overlord's dark army.

----------


## u-b

Well, what is done cannot be undone, but we can try to do the next best thing, including the following (debatable individually):
1. We can offer some reasonable compensation and will hand over two guys that are still alive.
2. We offer the mutants an option to continue to guard and/or monitor this power plant, provided they don't mind it being brought online. In particular, they would be allowed to get and verify information on what amount of power goes where and raise any related concerns.
3. We probably should establish some legal status for this group of mutants with the local settlements so that both parties know they won't be attacked on sight. We have unverified information that some 7shelters were not part of "treason" back in the day. We have verified information that some settlements based on some of those shelters oppose Mailer's allies today. Some are more wary of the mutants, some are less goodly-good, but hopefully some sort of understanding can be reached if we do not consider the world black and white only. In particular, some faction name, territorial claim, flag, chosen color of headband / armband, a public statement and other such things could be useful. We have the radio frequencies to start the process.
4. Feeding animals on humans, even on enemies, would be very bad public image and is therefore strongly discouraged. Using mutated animals wherever humans can see them is somewhat bad public image and therefore is somewhat discouraged. Sean is not quite sure about flying guys and the lot, but they should be probably ok, if introduced gradually.
5. Direct radio communication between the mutants and us should be established. Encrypted, if they have the gear. If they don't have it, but want to obtain it, it's debatable.
6. We have had reports about mutants attacking settlers in the north. We request all sorts of assistance solving this issue. We can provide and request from the sources additional details as available.
7. We'll want to consult with the mutants about The Gutter, but this one can wait.
8. We are ready to hear any information deemed relevant and/or valuable. Of particular interest would be the date the campaign was started, it's success (if any), any major events or changes of the approach to it, whether each group of the mutants has its own cloning facilities, or those are shared between some or all groups, if this group has any established relations with any human group or settlement (and, if so, whether it is secret or advertised). Of tangential interest would be the mutants desire in trade (anything specific they would buy or sell), their desire to participate in joint operations (we don't aim for Mailer at the moment, but her allies have been, and would be, heavily hit), their desire and ability to participate in preparing the building for normal operations (clearing out mutant plants and that sort of thing).

----------


## Volthawk

Richard is very interested in what the war chief has to say about their origins and what they've been doing. He's also curious about their relationship (if any) with the Sinful Nature - when they were able to talk to members of the latter group, they didn't say anything about the war this group is fighting. Hell, the raiders planned on using the Sinful Nature as a weapon, trying to direct them at settlements to cover their retreat (albeit indirectly, by misdirecting their patrols into people or leading people into mutant settlements). When it comes to the power plant, he emphasises the fact that the people planning on coming here to restart the plant were opposed to the raiders, the settlement they're from having suffered their attacks like anywhere else, and would be bringing their own security eventually (whether in addition to or instead of the chief's own men is up to him and anything that be can worked out there), ensuring it can hold up against any raider attention.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The riverboat mutants take those still alive back into their care. They state they would prefer any compensation in the form of guns, armor, bullets, tools, motorcycle fuel and survival gear. They do not want any rations or water.
The mutants are not against restoring the power plant, but they mention that the interior of the building has a whole host of dangerous mutated flora. Clearing that out without damaging the internal machinery would require a lot of herbicide. The mutants suggest seeking out some kind of chemical stockpile. They have not studied the interior of the building in any depth.
The mutants can modify their uniforms with some kind of insignia - one that is used by friendly human settlements. The mutants would like to know more about the Shelters, the hardest intel the exiles have. The riverboat men have not had contact with other gangs of  humanoid mutants. They suggest contacting the Waffle House and establishing an alliance with them as a first step.
The mutants do train and leash mutated animals when they have the chance, usually when they have to come ashore for long periods of time. They often feed the animals with plants or rations. They have multiple working motorcycles. There aren't many flying mutants among their number - the eight stationed here were the majority of every one.
The mutants do not have a radio or phone. They're not sure about getting one - they do not have that kind of mechanic on board.
The mutants have not been to the north in a while. They can patrol up there, the river reaches the north. They'd like to know more about the attackers - how can they identify them?
The riverboat men have not been to The Gutter.
The people in black were created by automated cloning laboratory, with mostly identical looks and some variation in mutations. The records and messages from their creators found there gave them their mission; defeat the Dark Lord Malice, who betrayed America and usurped the Shelters. For most of their first months alive, they simply scraped by and stuck to the same general area as the lab. They found a riverboat 2 months after they were "activated". By then, they had scavenged enough gear and supplies to hunt down local raiders. They took the riverboat as their "base" and main ride. They travelled up and down the river whenever they could, slowly improving their operation. They made secret deals with merchants, gaining better stuff in return for whatever valuables they could pick off the dead raiders or steal from settlements with stealth. It's been slow-going, fighting raiders that aren't too embedded or well-equipped. They've otherwise avoided contact with humans. The mutants mostly want to left alone for now. They would co-operate if there is a raid on a really big raider operation or a Shelter.
The riverboat people have only heard of the Sinful Nature in bits and pieces - they're some other group of mutants, right? What is their deal?
The raiders are fine with friendlies taking over the power plant and turning it on.

----------


## u-b

Okay, we give them weapons, armor and all other gear of their dead, namely:
1. Cloth Armor x13
2. H&R Model 8 Shotgun x8
3. Colt M1873 SAA, .45 Long Colt x5
4. Assorted stuff x22

Then we add to that some assorted compensation:
5. Colt M1873 SAA, .45 Long Colt x5
6. H&R Model 8 Shotgun x2
7. Winchester Model 92 Rifle x1
8. Leather Armor + Boots + Leather Gloves x6
9. Steel Corselet + Mail Coif + Face Mask + Studded Leather Skirt + Shin Guards x1
10. Small Knife x10
11. Binoculars x2
12. Group basics x1
13. Axe x1
14. Wire Cutters x1
15. Bucket x4
16. Blanket x12
17. Flashlight x1 (with batteries)
18. Small battery x10 (good for the flashlight)
19. Road map x1 (with slavers' marks, but whatever)
20. Shotgun Shot x150
21. Shoutgun Slug x50
22. Pistol Cartridge x200
23. Rifle Cartridge x50
24. Gasoline x40

After the goods are transferred, Sean says he would like to know whether this settles the matter or more stuff is required.

Sean says the hardest intel they can dissiminate is what is publicly known about Gunmetal, Bread Basket, and Red Brick, all of which came from their own respective shelters, which are marked as enemies of Overseer Mailer, so not all shelters are necessarily evil. Sean tells what he can tell about them. Sean admits he has other hard intel, but he cannot dissiminate it now for various reasons, and he has some flimsy intel, which he would not dissiminate until he gets a clearance from allied forces (that is, after this group of mutants has confirmed legal status).

Sean says the group that will soon arrive here to restart the power plant will have a radio, which can be used to contact Waffle House and other places as needed, but only from the power plant. And we can take/escort 1..3 delegates directly to the Waffle House (more if they have motorcycles onboard).

Sean requests that no more stealing from the setlements should be performed. He would be willing, and, hopefully, able, to finance subsequent operations against the slavers and in defense of this power plant. If it's not a secret, how many new mutants in this group are created per month?

Mutant attacks right now seem to come, usually, from out of entrances to The Gutter, around Newport, and around a mountainside of Mount Mansfield. The mutant attacks have numbered eight so far, mostly at night. Two settlements were destroyed, three were damaged severely enough that their long term survival is in serious doubt, the rest were repelled successfully with only a handful of causalities. A total of 33 people have been killed. The mutants have mostly targeted settlements with a strong food trade or those dealing in drugs. Travelers have ben picked off opportunistically along the roads. The usual method of attack is simply rushing the front with a wave of enemies on foot backed up by a few enemies on horseback or on motorcycles.

If the mutants have any good leads regarding groups of raiders they deemed too dangerous to attack, Sean would like to know about those.

Sean tells that Sinful Nature rather seems a group of groups, but lets Richard disclose what we know about the lot.

----------


## Volthawk

On to the topic of Shelters, Richard does bring up what little they know about 43 - that there's another Shelter out there aware of Mailer's wrongdoings (that's how they first learned of her involvement, after all), a group the exiles are on good terms with have made contact with them, and that they were staying out of any conflict as a part of some deal negotiated between them and the people the exiles went in there with (the details of which the exiles aren't privy to, presumably due to their origins in 44). Between that, the settlements originating from Shelters that are opposed to Mailer, and the fact that 44 itself is ignorant of what she's doing, the picture is much more complicated than simply all the Shelters being on her side. While he doesn't mention it, this line of thought does bring a question to mind - just how much _do_ the leaders of those settlements, the Elders of Gunmetal and their equivalents elsewhere, actually know?

As for the Sinful Nature, while Sean recounts what they've done, Richard focuses on what they know about their origins and ideology. It seems they were also created in a similar facility (or facilities) to the one the riverboat mutants come from, but much earlier - apparently they were around when the virus destroyed the world, and have been waging their war ever since. Instead of recieving orders like the riverboaters, they (or at least the first of their kind) knew their creator first hand, being created to serve the man using his own DNA - Richard doesn't know whether or not the riverboat mutants are of the same genetic origin or a different person was used. They saw the man's work as an affront to nature, and killed him for it, before deciding that the rest of humanity was evil by extension - particularly as, as far as they could see, their creator's work was backed by the government of the old world, but this isn't proven, just an assumption, one that Richard is doubtful about (a side effect of him having long-established belief in the goodness of the old world). They believe that, if unchecked, someone else as evil as their creator will arise among humanity, which combined with the belief that the creator's sins are reflected upon the rest of humanity and are unforgivable, has led to their hostile stance towards everyone else. 

The mutants taking part in the raids fully believe this, and as such are difficult to talk to - they'd captured one before and talked to him, and any arguments the exiles made to challenge that core belief was denied or not understood. Others seem more reasonable, though, as the first time the exiles encountered the Sinful Nature is was a small group that decided that they weren't sinners, and as such they were able to get by without violence. He agrees with Sean about them being decentralised groups - as the mutant they talked to put it, they didn't have strong leadership and were generally moved to act by certain charasmatic individuals within their ranks.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The mutants accept the goods offered by the exiles.
The mutants dutifully record the information the exiles share. They are reluctant to share more information about themselves. They are sensitive about the details of their lab, in particular.
They invite the exiles aboard the riverboat to rest and shelter from the rain, eating lunch, while they wait for the people to show up to fix the power plant. Just in time, too, as the rain is beginning to pick up.

(OC: fast-forward to the power plant fixers show up?)

----------


## u-b

Sean says he'll stay in the car to handle the arrival of the caravan as they haven't been fully introduced to the situation. The dogs should probably remain with him, because dogs. No objections to everybody else going.

*Spoiler*
Show

Sean does not normally eat lunch, so is not losing much, if anything. He'll park the car where he can see the approach from the direction of the Waffle House, the boat and the building. He'll make periodical observation checks and honk when he sees the powerplanters.




> OC: fast-forward to the power plant fixers show up?


Yep.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard happily accepts the offer to wait in the boat. Besides the shelter provided (and the meal doesn't hurt either), it felt important to respect their offer and accept their hospitality, for the sake of helping to strengthen any relationship between the two groups that may come out of this. He was in good spirits about it - while the circumstances behind their origins had several unanswered questions (such as who had access to the labs and the will to set them against Mailer), it was good to know that they have allies dedicated to the fight.

----------


## GnomesofZurich2

> The mutants accept the goods offered by the exiles.
> The mutants dutifully record the information the exiles share. They are reluctant to share more information about themselves. They are sensitive about the details of their lab, in particular.
> They invite the exiles aboard the riverboat to rest and shelter from the rain, eating lunch, while they wait for the people to show up to fix the power plant. Just in time, too, as the rain is beginning to pick up.
> 
> (OC: fast-forward to the power plant fixers show up?)


Seeing the group seems to be peaceful towards his allies, Tariq will come join them on board the boat and out of the rain.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The hours go by peacefully.
The mutants discuss the power plant - they point out that getting rid of the dangerous plants inside without damaging the equipment or the building can be done with chemicals. Maybe a merchant somewhere has something like that? Does anyone know enough chemistry to mix their own?
The people who hired the exiles to keep them safe while they fix the plant show up eventually. Sean sees them first and meets them as they arrive by the road. Their journey was uneventful.
The mutants diplomatically keep their distance from the fixing crew.
The fixers take a look around the building from the outside as the exiles brief them on the situation.

----------


## u-b

After introducing the fixers to the situation, and then to the mutants, Sean asks a few questions regarding future plans:
1. Do the fixers think they have capability to safely clean up the building?
2. Do they want some mutants stationed here as additional guards? Sean says three Waffle House guards will remain stationed here for some time, but the team will have to leave.

If the fixers need help with the building, Sean wants to contact some people over the radio, starting with Waffle House, Gunmetal and Bread Basket. The questions to ask them:
3. If they have chemicals that'll do as herbicide?
4. Do they have appropriate dispensers?
5. Do they have NBC suits and gas masks?

----------


## GnomesofZurich2

> The mutants discuss the power plant - they point out that getting rid of the dangerous plants inside without damaging the equipment or the building can be done with chemicals. Maybe a merchant somewhere has something like that? Does anyone know enough chemistry to mix their own?


*Spoiler: OCC*
Show

Tariq has One-Task Wonder (Chemistry defaults to full IQ when concocting incendiaries), I guess he could spend his unspent character point to upgrade it to full Chemistry, but that would only give skill 12.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The fixer do not think they have the capacity to safely clear the building. They risk injury or death fighting those mutated plants without special help.
They're fine with the mutants standing guard.

Waffle House has some industrial chemicals on hand, but they're not sure if they kill plants well. Gunmetal definitely does. Bread Basket does not, they mostly sell food.
Gunmetal has some top quality liquid projectors on sale. They can spray herbicide without a problem.
Gunmetal has NBC suits and gas masks available for purchase.

----------


## u-b

Sean proposes that:
1. The fixers and the mutants begin the appropriate evaluations and fixes around the building (power lines and what not), camping outside and/or onboard while...
2. We take the backpack from the wharf and make a full-fledged trip to Gunmetal to purchase all sorts of stuff.

*Spoiler*
Show

I guess today would be to late for a round-trip, given how we also want to transport a horse...

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Everyone of the mutants and fixers is okay with taking Sean's lead.
It's 15 miles to Gunmetal from the power plant.

(OC: Sean, make your Driving and Navigation rolls.)

----------


## u-b

Taking the team (sans the dogs) with him, Sean drives the car to Gunmetal and arranges a transaction there. This does not include a lot, as the lot of value, including the cars and the horses, is left at the Waffle House, but selling a flare pistol, a bit of assorted crap and adding in a few rounds yields a perfect-condition squirt carabine with an additional spare tank, a quart of high-quality concentrated herbicide, and a well-used well-duct-taped NBC suit, complete with an ancient gas mask. Sean then practices donning the NBC suit in the presence of both the team and the seller or seller's associated expert, making sure he does it right, and drives back to the powerplant.

At the power plant, Sean dons the NBC suit again, including the gas mask, letting observes make any corrections, prepares two full squirt tanks of working-concentration herbicide and gets ready to use it, telling Richard to cover him from some distance upwind.

*Spoiler*
Show

Spending a point on NBC Suit, leaving 0 spare. The herbicide should not be too bad, but spores could be an issue mitigated if the suit is donned right.

We have a total of 180 squirts, but some could be left for a second pass if the first is not enough. Do I have to roll?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> We have a total of 180 squirts, but some could be left for a second pass if the first is not enough. Do I have to roll?


*Spoiler*
Show

Roll? You have to play it out as an encounter...BTW, do you need prices for the gear or have you found it all in the book already? Either way, I need Sean to roll Observation and Naturalist skills.


Sean enters the power plant suited up and ready...
The first thing he encounters inside is a mess of animal spoor. The ratdogs have compiled multiple nests of soft and warm materials. Not to mention all the droppings...

On the upper floor, accessible by ladder and stairs, Sean can see a tangle of greenery that covers most of the few rooms above. There are large bulbous plants that resemble smooth-skinned artichokes stuck into the ground stem-down. There's shrubs and kudzu covering some 20-yard stretches of building.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> [...] his original plan before the rolls above would be to shoot through the windows (at either the concrete ceilings or the plants, but generally into the rooms given that the roots are likely to be all over the place and not localized near their particular stalks. Say, three rooms for a start, at three different densities of 20, 40 and 80 pints of herbicide per room. Then to come back to take a look in the morning.


Sean squares his shoulders for the task ahead.
Over the course of 30 minutes, he identifies which plants are dangerous (there's nine patches of man-eaters and nine bulbs of toxin spore spitters), and carefully positions himself away from them as he begins spraying the herbicide.

His instincts turn out to be right as the plants lash out with their natural defenses when the chemicals douse them. They writhe unwholesomely as the weed killer soaks in.

After he is done doing his best to kill the offending flora, Sean retires outside, to rest until the next day. The riverboat people and the power plant fixers bunk down with the exiles to set up camp. The humans eat meals and drink water from the river but the mutants do not. The car wrecks are still on fire even when the rain picks up. They may still be burning for another hour or so.

(OC: Mark off meals eaten. Anyone got any business before we fast-forward to tomorrow?)

----------


## GnomesofZurich2

> (OC: Mark off meals eaten. Anyone got any business before we fast-forward to tomorrow?)


(OC: Not for me)

----------


## Volthawk

(Good to go)

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

*DAY 73*

The exiles and their allies wake up the next morning to a very cold day.
Sean looks inside the power plant to see what his work yielded. To his satisfaction, he find most of the greenery wilted and brown, dead.
Without much more closer investigation, he concludes the dangerous flora died when he sprayed it with the chemicals.

----------


## u-b

Sean dons the NBC suit again, takes a shovel, a hatchet and a loaded squirt gun, then enters the building for a complete walk-through. He intends to finish everything that is there to finish and make an estimate if the place is worth looting for something _not_ related to power plant operation.

Whatever is the outcome of these actions, Sean then does the following:
1. Contact Waffle House, inform them of the events at the power plant and ask them to deliver a specific sedan, two horses with their gear and 500 rations from the party's stores to Gunmetal, the sooner the better.
2. Contact Gunmetal, inform them of the events at the power plant, securing which we are potentially claiming, and two earlier groups of slavers, eliminating which we are claiming, for a total of 2 or 3 additional allocated pieces of gear, which, in order of preference, would be:
2.1 Cheap Watervliet M1 with one light bomb (this is only TL6, but a major piece of gear, so I suppose it is not universally available and needs being aloocated; buying now)
2.2 Ballistic Helmet + Tinted Visor + Tiny Radio with Tactical Headset (we have two and want the exact same third; buying now)
2.3 Night Vision Goggles (buying now)
3. Inform them on our final picks for previously allocated two sets of gear:
3.1 Cheap Springfield M1 Garand x2 for the long arms (buying now; we are also buying three of cheap broken ones, as previously agreed)
3.2 Large Entry Shield (deferred)
3.3 Small Flat White/IR Tactical Light x2 (to be mounted on the entry shield, deferred)
3.4 Tritium Reflex Sight x2 (to be mounted on the sidearms, deferred)
3.5 APDSDU+P Rifle Cartridge x40 (deferred)
3.6 Buying one Cheap Desert Eagle sidearm for two horses and 500 rations (buying now)
4. Say we won't be modifying these allocations, but may take some time buying them all. Most of the payment for the current transaction would be delivered by the Waffle House guys and we'll come to pay the rest and pick up the gear ourselves.
5. Bill the powerplanters' account 86 additional rifle cartridges for the herbicide and the NBC suit / gas mask. Transfer the ownership of the NBC suit / gas mask. Neither bill for, nor transfer the ovnership of, the squirt gun.
6. Give one the waffle house guard who has an early concealable vest a modern vest instead. Two of them three are still equipped with plain steel plates, but we'll be working on it.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean finds no loot in the power plant - it looks like it was picked through completely since the Old World fell.

(OC: Reminder, in case you haven't checked the OOC thread yet, everyone earned *2 bonus Character Points*. You'll get more when the power plant is restored to functionality.)

He continues to "weed" the interior, clearing any greenery that survived yesterday's spraying. There is not much left alive, the task is mostly just cleaning up the brown dead compost out from the building. He finds human remains in various states of decay lying around the building, both upstairs and downstairs. Victims of the fauna and flora?

His call to the Waffle House goes through without a problem. They confirm the order and get a courier to deliver the requested goods, it will take just over a hour and ten minutes by their reckoning.
Gunmetal is also easy to contact. The merchants can not confirm or deny that they have a Watervliet M1 on hand, and they are not certain they would be okay with entrusting outsiders with one, mostly because they do not like the potential threat of someone "dangerous" (the exiles or the buyers) getting their hands on such extreme weapon...
They do have a Ballistic Helmet with the bells and whistles on the shelves, however, so the exiles can buy that. Ditto the NVGs.
The cheap rifles are ready to go, the shield and its lights won't be too much of a problem, the reflex sights are a question mark, the custom rifle ammo is okay, and the cheap DE is certainly available for immediate purchase.
The Gunmetal quartermaster confirms the purchases and the arrangements for payment and pickup. It should all go smoothly.
The power plant account records the numbers that Sean gives them.
The Waffle House guards switch up their gear, relieved to be upgraded.

(OC: What are Richard and Tariq doing while this is being sorted out?)

----------


## Volthawk

With Sean handling cleanup, Richard spends his time among the powerplant fixers, getting to know them and getting his face known in turn - besides just being friendly and hoping to ensure they have a good impression of the exiles beyond their usefulness, he's curious about their plans going forward beyond just getting this place up and running again, and if there's any ways the exiles might be of help now the place is secure (well, will be once Sean is done inside).

----------


## u-b

Evantually Sean is done here and the party heads to Gunmetal to make the transaction. It might be still some time before the Waffle House people arrive with the major part of our payment, so we can negotiate in person what exactly the locals would consider acceptable. Whatever the outcome of the negotiations, the plan is then to complete the deal and to sit on the radio, listing the settlements that were hit by the mutants, marking them on the map, trying to make some sense of it and choosing one recently attacked, but surviving, settlement, to be our first point of contact.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> With Sean handling cleanup, Richard spends his time among the powerplant fixers, getting to know them and getting his face known in turn - besides just being friendly and hoping to ensure they have a good impression of the exiles beyond their usefulness, he's curious about their plans going forward beyond just getting this place up and running again, and if there's any ways the exiles might be of help now the place is secure (well, will be once Sean is done inside).


The fixers marvel at the riverboat - they've never seen one in person before. They expect to be working on restoring the power plant for a solid month, assuming no interruptions. Once they get the power flowing, they should be able to support five to eight counties of the state. They expect Waffle House to become a major player in the region, a sort of new capital for southern Vermont. The restored power would get farming settlements improved substantially, probably enough to rival Bread Basket. Stopping raiders from sabotaging the power plant will be the main mission for the exiles - the plant is a prime target for those slavers and psychos.




> Evantually Sean is done here and the party heads to Gunmetal to make the transaction. It might be still some time before the Waffle House people arrive with the major part of our payment, so we can negotiate in person what exactly the locals would consider acceptable. Whatever the outcome of the negotiations, the plan is then to complete the deal and to sit on the radio, listing the settlements that were hit by the mutants, marking them on the map, trying to make some sense of it and choosing one recently attacked, but surviving, settlement, to be our first point of contact.


The couriers with the payment and the goods show up on time, on motorcycles.

Once the deal is complete, Sean gets on the radio and planning out the lay of the land. The attacks all took place around the most northern point of the state. Most of them are towards the eastern half of the north, some near the border. The attacked settlements number 11 in total. According to reports, the attacking force consisted of about 50 people, all of them clad in black cloth and noticeably mutated. They drove motorcycles, used flammable chemicals and poison gas as weapons, did not steal any supplies, started the attack during the darkest hour of the night, weren't hurt much by clubs or fists, swam through large pools of tainted water without a problem, and did not take prisoners.

----------


## u-b

Sean proposes we complete the transaction (if they won't sell us the mortar, we might be willing to take some tinted TL8 gas masks, or a second high-tech helmet instead), draw a line on the map through all the settlements attacked, in the order they were attacked, to estimate if the attacks are shifting, expanding, centered on a noticiable feature, or something. Then we ride to the last attacked settlement and try to do some tracking while announcing that we are on call in the region for any future attacks.

*Spoiler*
Show

The proposed deal is in the doc, with the caveat that if Richard cannot persuade them to sell us the mortar, we will take either gas masks, a second fancy helmet or some ammo instead, depending on availability.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The merchants can't offer the mortar, but they do have gas masks, a helmet and special ammo in stock. They would happily sell them to the exiles.

(OC: Richard, roll Intelligence Analysis skill please.)

----------


## u-b

After the group is done with the transaction, they drive the cars north to the last settlement to survive an attack. There, Richard is to question the local population while Sean, Bart and the dogs make sense of all the footprints and prepare to lead the way where the mutants have withdawn. Also, is that the same direction as whence they came from?

*Spoiler*
Show

This might be quite some distance, so the proposal is that Tariq and Richard drive both cars. Bart is loaded with all slugs this time.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The drive over to the site of the attacks is uneventful but depressing. The exiles find many grim sights at ground zero, from burnt corpses to wrecked living quarters. The few survivors are heavily scarred and frightened. Close to death, even.

(OC: Richard, what skills are you rolling?)

Bart gets to work directing the dogs to track the movements of the violence. The attackers have withdrawn along the roads towards a large Old World city, Newport. Bart says with confidence that the groups of killers have rode motorcycles with no stops along the way.

----------


## Volthawk

Given the state of the survivors, Richard takes a softer, reassuring tact with them. He tells them who the exiles are, and that they're here to help, and that if there's anything the survivors can remember about the attack, it might be of use to them when they go to deal with the people who did this.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The survivors explain to Richard that the attackers both hit-and-ran on motorcycles with conventional firearms and snuck up on people to spray them with water and throw small jam-tin grenades full of pollen, for some reason.

The guns they used were revolvers and single shotguns. A few on motorcycles had petrol bombs or improvised flamethrowers - they set the biggest buildings on fire.

----------


## u-b

Sean proposes we get on the radio to ask if affecting people with "water" and pollen happened in the past attacks and/or other occasions before that, and if those affected seem to suffer any effects, either immediately of after some time. Then Sean proposes we head along the trail as far as Newport and hide the cars somewhere in there to follow through the city on foot.

----------


## Volthawk

While he doesn't bring them up to the settlers themselves, Richard has two theories about the pollen bombs - they already knew that the raiders made mixtures that attracted mutated wildlife to an area, like they did to the Snowbunnies, so this could be a similar idea, or perhaps given that they know mutated plant life exists, the pollen plus water combination was intended to start something growing there in the settlement?

----------


## u-b

Sean is of the opinion that anything growing on the ground would be easy enough to deal with. It would be more problematic if it grows on people.

*Spoiler*
Show

What do we have to roll to follow the trail to Newport assuming the dogs lead?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The rumor mill that Sean contacts on the radio all come up empty. They have never heard of attacks with squirt guns or pollen. Newport is 5 miles away.

*Spoiler*
Show

You've already rolled, it's fine. You avoid any random encounters and hazards.


When the exiles arrive in Newport, they find it outwardly uninhabited, an Old World ruin with total area of more than 7 square miles. It's by a lake, and it looks like flooding has taken place. The water goes up to the waist in some areas. The climate is cool and dry with minimal snow. A highway from the Old World, now thoroughly cracked and broken by greenery, leads into the city. The city had a railroad junction and an airport operating Before The Fall. Green hills rise up in the distance outside the city limits and three major bridges have not yet crumbled under the strain of time. Where would the attackers be hiding in this place?

(OC: Any type of building would you like to seek out here? Got an idea for picking up the trail of the attackers?)

----------


## u-b

Sean would ideally look for some extensive old-world cottage with a garage for two cars, but he is not picky and will use any suitable accomodations to park the two vehicles not too far from each other and out of eyesight of potential passers-by. If and when the flood prevents the dogs from following the trail through the city, he climbs some tree, roof or the like to look through the scope in the direction the trail led so far, looking for any signs of activity or recent maintenance, mainly smoke, after-the-end modifications or people themselves.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean finds a good building to stash the cars easily enough, although securing the doors is harder without good locks. The dogs manage to follow the trail up to a largely flooded district where the motorcycles were apparently taken through the waters. Perhaps they had a barge for floating across?

Sean wisely gets to work climbing to higher ground, the roof of a nearby building via a fire escape with still intact ladders. From the three stories up, he gets a decent view of the terrain before him.

He immediately notices the district has been cleanly looted, to the point of copper wiring pulled out of the walls. Raised platforms and barricades have been constructed out of wood and metal, some structures even appear to be actually crafted rather than simply piled-on junk. Those structures have been erected around chokepoints and the roofs often have lookout campsites and sniper nests overlooking major streets with little cover. Smaller alleyways have been blocked completely by heavy metal obstacles, funneling the way forward into flooded and bare passageways.

Sean can not see any people around.

On the other side of the district, past the heaviest fortifications, is a parking lot where multiple motorcycles are parked and it looks like a tiny shanty town or rest stop shelter has been built around that bike lot for the riders. From there is a well-ridden road into the hills that the bikers must use regularly. Again, no actual people walking around.

----------


## u-b

Sean continues observing. He estimates the distance from his position to the parking lot with the motorcycles. He counts the motorcycles. He estimates the size (length x width) of the area supposedly held by whomever is holding it, considering the sections of the perimeter that, by their design, seem like they should have been manned. He chooses what seems to be the most prudent "direct" way from "here" to "there", where "there" is somewhere allowing the team to launch an attack on the shanty town near the parking lot. He estimates the depth of the flood on the way, judging by the flooded houses, vehicle carcasses, lamp posts and what not that is near the way. He estimates the team's chances of fighting that way back or forward on foot, if that seems possible. He looks for the barge or the place where it might have been, or should have been, parked. He estimates the road leading into the hills on the other side, the presence or absence of flood on that side, the presence or absece of cover to safely approach to whatever distance from the other side, and the length of the detour to safely get there well around the perimeter and also around the flood. He describes what he sees to Richard and Tariq, who can hear him on the radio, and asks their opinion on the whole affair.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean figures the distance to the parking lot is 200 to 375 yards. He counts six motorcycles in view. The size of the place is approximately one and a half buildings, so 500 square yards of area? Getting from here to there means either bypassing the blockades on the safer passages or somehow making it form one rooftop to the next. The floodwaters are waist-high at the deepest, that's about three feet. Still deep enough to slow travel, drown someone, and dive then swim. He sees no formal hitching post or a dock for a barge. There is no flooding once you get past the parking lot. Not much cover on the road to the hills. Detouring around the flood would require exiting city limits and traveling the highway for two miles (risky if any raiders are patrolling the roads) or climbing up onto the major bridges (hard to do, not much cover on the bridge, long walk).

----------


## u-b

Since in general the plan is agreed upon and the details can be worked out along the way, Sean leaves his friends on the roof and is on his long way around. He moves mainly from cover to cover, crouching when he has to cross somewhere open, and has the rifle in hand. He reports from time to time until he is either within 30 yards from the buildings around the parking lot (or whatever is the distance to some reasonable cover / concealment) OR notices something interesting.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean is frustrated.

He keeps finding this way and that blocked or flooded by enough that it would make too much noise and leave him a sitting duck if someone saw him wading through it.
He cannot spot anyone lurking around the ground or the rooftops, but he certainly knows people have been securing the streets against scouts such as him.
He only manages to navigate the city well enough to come 20 yards closer to his goal without taking any risks. If he wants to get any closer, he may to take a chance on the unsafe streets or climb up to the roofs or dismantle the barricades.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean tries to go around the flooding, hiking around the city limits for an alternative route. It takes him a hour of getting the lead out just to get lost a few neighborhoods over from where he started.

When Sean stops to rest, he hears the sound of a small group approaching his position and he quickly hides in an abandoned building.

The people coming over turn out to be eight mutated soldiers, each with guns at the ready. They are covering each other's backs and searching the area...

----------


## u-b

Crouched beside a second-floor window, Sean occasionally peeks at the approaching group. He waits for them to...
1. Move his way. They should be at least within an earshot for the plan to work.
2. Preferably group somewhere away from nearby cover.

While the mutants are moving along, Sean quietly describes the situation over the radio, saying he should have it under control and at most just Tariq should look in his direction while Richard keeps parking lot covered if it comes to shots. If and when the above conditions are met, Sean gets his rifle pointed at the mutants and shouts: "Freeze and talk or we'll kill you!"

*Spoiler*
Show

Preferably ~20..30 yards away, but Sean is not picky. Wait combat maneuver to get as many of them as possible if they don't do as they are told. This will allow them active defense, but at least it would be their choice to get dead.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The eight patrollers, at first, just make hand signals to each other as they scan the area for signs of intruders. They methodically check their surroundings as they walk along, apparently searching for someone.

When they get close (within 20 to 30 yards) to Sean's position, each spread out 4 yards between one another, Sean shouts his ultimatum.

None of them panic when they hear Sean. Instead, they tense up and try to locate him. They do not respond to his words yet.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Unwilling to risk much, the patrollers spread out and get behind cover. They do not attack Sean or even locate him.
One of their number, wearing a big badge displaying a red icon on his chest, shouts orders to Sean.
"COME OUT. IDENTIFY YOURSELF. HOLD YOUR FIRE."

----------


## u-b

Sean gets off the window aperture and shouts his response while "safely" behind the wall. "Not so fast, mister! You have been told to freese, ran for cover, and now you tell me to _what_? Consider it enough of a goodwill that I have not pulled the trigger! Radar base guys here, namely, Sean Pires! Investigating attacks on the nearby settlements! Know any of that?!" Then he whispers: "Eight. I let them dive for cover. Will see what comes out of it. Stay put for the moment."

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The patroller who speaks for the entire eight listens carefully before responding.
"Hello Sean Pires. We are the ones who attacked those people, yes. We attacked them in order to stop their plans for obtaining massively destructive weapons. It was for the defense of the planet that we killed them."

The patroller with the badge steps out from cover. "We have not heard of any radar base or of Sean Pires before now. We understand if you do not approve of our attacks, but we are on a mission handed down to us from the last remnants of the United States federal government. It would be treasonous insubordination to neglect our duty and let the WMDs slip into enemy hands."

----------


## u-b

Sean listens for the patroller, then listens for any other sounds, like his friends possibly creeping up, takes a quick look outside, then responds. "These are perfectly legitimate concerns and a justifiable course of action provided your intelligence is correct. We do not have sufficient intelligence about the goings on of these small settlements, but we highly suspect they lack sufficient capabilities to make anything nuclear, sufficient-scale chemical, and likely even biological. Did you mean some Old World stock of weapons? How solid is your intelligence?" Sean gives the mutant time to respond. "We request these attacks suspended until a combined team of yours and ours double-checks and confirms the allegations. We will have the survivors of your attacks at our base not far from here available for questioning. Our people there will be informed to await the arrival of your team. Maybe your targeting can be narrowed down a bit. Is this acceptable?"

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean hears no-one approaching his position. He chooses to interpret that as a good sign...

"The Old World weapons exist. I have seen them. We are their guardians. We have reports that people who betrayed the USA are attempting to grab for themselves." The man with the badge explains. "We do not have great intelligence gathering capacities, but we could not take the risk."

The patrollers stay in cover but they do not become hostile as Sean talks.
"We will consider your proposal. I will have to call in to my superiors and get a copy of the reports for you. You may study the intelligence on the threat yourself before you cross-examine the survivors yourself. Is there a way to get a token of your co-operation in this matter as a show of good faith? I will, of course, present my own. The traditional method is a mutual hostage situation - one of yours and one of mine will be disarmed and tied up together at an agreed-upon rally point where both sides have teams on guard."

The patrollers then discuss the matter amongst themselves in code.
"I do not think I can send a team to where you want, but I can set up a meeting with an officer to present our side of the story. Simply conduct your interview of the survivors and record their testimony for now. What do you think, Sean Pires?"

----------


## u-b

"Hmm. Let's say I know some people who betrayed the USA. They are, can you write that down..." Sean pulls the notebook to read the coordinates "...at XX°XX'N  XX°XX'W at some fairly large and well-defended factory. If you don't know about them, you should investigate, we can provide details and further assistance."

"Give me a minute, I have to contact some friends."

Sean quietly describes the mutants' side of the story as Richard and Tariq should have heard his own. He says he is unsure about this hostage proposition, but makes a guess it being described as a "traditional" method leaves things somewhat open for alternative methods. Then he responds to the mutant.

"We are not perfectly comfortable with allocating people hostage, especially in the method of yours, in part because we don't have enough free guards handy to perform round-the-clock duty at yet another location even two at a time. How about we take your info, leave some _gear_ hostage and don't take any of yours. No restrictions on how you guard and store the gear, but its location is to be disclosed on request when we are done with the deal. We can establish a radio channel if you have the equipment. As for the gear to be allocated... we have one pickup truck. Will this do?"

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The patrollers huddle and then return to Sean optimistic.

"That deal is acceptable." The man with the badge nods. "We'll get the papers for you."

The patrollers have to assign a runner to fetch the intel. The runner returns with the stack of papers after 30 minutes. They hand them over to Sean.

(OOC: Studying the papers requires an Intelligence Analysis roll. Other skills may also be helpful, what other skills do you have that you'd like to try?)

----------


## u-b

Sean has to get out of his cover to get those papers, so he does. He takes them and packs them without looking at them. "Follow me." He leads the mutants to the cars and hands them the keys of the pickup truck. "Now take this one and leave. We will soon leave too. We will be back to you, either here or on the radio, when we have something definite to say, which will, hopefully, be soon."

*Spoiler*
Show

If it all goes as intended and the mutants leave the immediate surroundings of the parked station wagon taking the pickup with them, Sean says the team that they can get back to the car (presumably requiring no roll to navigate the streets, or Sean would walk to fetch and guide them). When everybody is in, Sean, still on foot, leads the car out of the city, and then we head to the Radar Base (the dogs, presumably, will have to run outside of the crowded car).

Aaand Richard time!  :Small Amused: 

P.S. Do we establish a radio link with these WMD guardians? Any news from Blackwire?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> Sean has to get out of his cover to get those papers, so he does. He takes them and packs them without looking at them. "Follow me." He leads the mutants to the cars and hands them the keys of the pickup truck. "Now take this one and leave. We will soon leave too. We will be back to you, either here or on the radio, when we have something definite to say, which will, hopefully, be soon."
> 
> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> If it all goes as intended and the mutants leave the immediate surroundings of the parked station wagon taking the pickup with them, Sean says the team that they can get back to the car (presumably requiring no roll to navigate the streets, or Sean would walk to fetch and guide them). When everybody is in, Sean, still on foot, leads the car out of the city, and then we head to the Radar Base (the dogs, presumably, will have to run outside of the crowded car).
> 
> Aaand Richard time! 
> 
> P.S. Do we establish a radio link with these WMD guardians? Any news from Blackwire?


The mutants take the keys and follow Sean's lead. The man with the badge checks the equipment over as his squad relaxes. Sean goes back to his fellows without any further trouble. Sean can easily make it to the car he drove.

The trip back to the radar base is also uneventful.

(OOC: Do you need to know how many miles it is between Newport and the radar base?)

Sean establishes a radio link to the patrollers, who comment that they'll probably be passing his communications up the chain soon.
Checking in with the radio and the base staff, Sean learns that Blackwire has sent only a single message to him, encoded.
"We're in place, but we want to make sure the meeting place is safe. Come meet us after the sun goes down."
Then it lists a location.

----------


## Volthawk

Once the group is reunited, Richard's keen to hear the whole story of what happened from Sean (as opposed to what he could figure out from the radio) as he reads through the intel and tries to figure out what motivated the attack on the drive to their next destination. "So another group of mutants activated on old world orders, huh? Or at least believing they're old world orders, I suppose. I talked to the people they attacked, and unless they're much better liars than I gave them credit for I doubt they know anything about this - doesn't mean that these guys are entirely wrong either though, I suppose, since there's plenty about the old world most people probably don't know about at this point. Let's see..."

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Richard can't understand the reports he is given. A wall of jargon hits his eyes as he starts and sketchy diagrams do nothing to articulate the details. He needs more information on the situation.

----------


## u-b

Sean asks Richard to help him and diggs very carefully through the papers trying to make sense of their notation and, ultimately, their meaning. He plans to dedicate at least four hours to this task, more if needed. While they are at it, Tariq takes the recently acquired guns and spends some time in the workshop cleaning the rust, gluing the cracks in the wood, tightening the loose parts, cleaning, oiling, and generally bringing the guns back to their original shape. It turns out the guns were originally of a fine-quality stock and in four hours Tariq is able to fully restore three of them.

*Spoiler*
Show

Please check my math on gadgeteering.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

It takes a long time before Sean and Richard manage a breakthrough; the reports have been altered! The writing and photos have been carefully changed, and the fine details on some of them do not match up to reality! The reports are forgeries, slipped into the mutants' recon to mislead them on a potential threat! Most likely, this sabotage was the work of a raider spy. Sean remembers one past interrogation of a raider, wherein the prisoner admitted that the raiders have been trying to get the mutants to attack settlements for them.

As for the gunsmithing, Tariq manages to fix up the broken rifles.
(OOC: Your math is good.)

By the time everyone is finished with their work, it is dark.

----------


## Volthawk

Seeing the alterations pointed out to him, Richard isn't particularly surprised. It wasn't his first thought for an explanation, but it did make a lot of sense. Still, being able to meddle this directly in the mutant's business was more than he'd expected the raiders were capable of - Stone talked more about just leading them in the right direction, not this kind of subtle manipulation. Something of a concern going forward, but for now he just passes on their findings to the patrollers to be passed on up the chain along with a more general warning about the raiders - that they were large and organised, tied to individuals that had performed treasonous acts, and that they had a sophisticated intelligence network.

As for the Blackwire situation, that needs a little more thought. Richard's main thought is that if it is a trap, they don't all need to expose themselves at first - while Sean and the others can join him if all is clear, he'd rather have them able to react freely if it ends up being an ambush. He'd rather Sean be free to pick off the most dangerous of the gang than in the middle of the ambush with him, for instance, same with Tariq's explosives. As for what to do if the situation is legitimate...Richard shrugs a little. He still thought their earlier idea for what to do with his gang might work - having them at the radar base but not fully in the fold for now, letting their allies question the gang but little else, putting Blackwire to work against their enemies in exchange for the protection and short-term amnesty (Richard was still of the opinion that this would have to be reeaxamined once the raiders were dealt with), and learning all they could of use from them - but there was still a strong possibility that Blackwire would need to be convinced and negotiated with. He couldn't say for sure what might come out of that until it was over.

----------


## u-b

If Richard is willing to stake his life on Blackwire not going after him while the rest of us are _somewhere_ nearby, Sean comes up with the following plan:
1. We radio the power plant that we'll pick up the three waffle house guards for a single night mission and so they should be ready.
2. We put on the NVGs and drive two cars (including the sedan we have at the base) with lights off to the power plant (miles?).
3. We pick up the three waffle house guards. Tariq loads with a single illumination round and a the rest of 9 HE, 2 HEDP.
4. Still with lights off, we drive to within two miles of the meeting point. We park cars off the road and camouflage them.
5. We go parallel to the road, with Sean some distance ahead and the waffle house men lead by one NVG-equipped man each.
6. We stop some 500 yards off the meeting point, still some distance beside the road.
7. While everyone waits there, Sean makes a half-circle around the meeting point, still some 500 yards from it.
8. Sean then gets closer until he can observe the meeting point and observes it.
9. Richard then starts to move towards the meeting point. At 250 yards from it, he lights a hand flare and the rest of the team follows that flare to within 100 yards.
10. Richard is then to approach and conduct the negotiations alone.

Sean proposes our position in the negotiations would be as follows:
1. Too many of those who want Blackwire dead would rather kill him than negotiate a truce. We are unable talk them off that at the moment, but...
2. We have been told by the rangers that one Blackwire is worth two other slavers' commanders. So, if we can get two slavers' commanders with the help of Blackwire, things are bound to improve substantially.
3. Then we would be able to house Blackwire somewhere, employ him in our operations and reasonably _demand_ he is not attacked by forces allied to us and opposed to the slavers.
4. So our proposal would be that Blackwire either gets two such commanders himself _or_ hands us the information about _all_ such commanders so that we can choose and get two of them.
5. If he chooses the later, he'll have two options until we are done: either to continue to be on the run _or_ to to surrender and be held prisoner (we can reasonably demand him not attacked while we hold him prisoner).
6. Alternative proposals could be considered, but no guarantees.
7. If Blackwire needs food stock to lie low, or whatever other supplies, we can trade with him, for either material things or the info.

This assumes the night won't be pitch-black (stars and/or the moon would be enough). If it would be pitch-black, there would be corrections.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard's fine with the plan - he knows the risks, but reasons that if there's going to be an ambush, it's better that they don't get all caught in it. Sean's more useful as a shooter from outside the ambush than just taking a few extra bullets meant for Richard. The planned negotiating position makes sense to him too.

----------


## u-b

The team sets the plan in motion, taking three shotgunners from the radar base, giving them each a full load of five multi-flechette rounds out of Bart's 20. Sean drives strainght to the desired spot, which is _not_ the announced meeting spot, camouflages the cars and proceeds to lead the team _not_ quite along the road to where he'll leave them to circle, alone, around the announced meeting spot to eventually observe it.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The approach goes smoothly, there appears to be no danger.

The meeting place is camouflaged from a distance, but you can only hide an entire camp of people so well.
The man named Blackwire (matching the description given to the exiles) sits at the center of the camp, eating his dinner as his underlings tend to the chores around him. Sean counts two whole gangs' worth of raiders at the camp. 22 people with guns, two cars and 10 motorcycles. Approximately, half of them are injured, and five of those injured are too wounded to do anything but rest.

The bootstrapped shotgunners and Sean keep watch from afar as Richard approaches to talk to Blackwire. Despite the camp's paranoia, Richard is allowed to come over and discuss the situation.




> Sean proposes our position in the negotiations would be as follows:
> 1. Too many of those who want Blackwire dead would rather kill him than negotiate a truce. We are unable talk them off that at the moment, but...
> 2. We have been told by the rangers that one Blackwire is worth two other slavers' commanders. So, if we can get two slavers' commanders with the help of Blackwire, things are bound to improve substantially.
> 3. Then we would be able to house Blackwire somewhere, employ him in our operations and reasonably demand he is not attacked by forces allied to us and opposed to the slavers.
> 4. So our proposal would be that Blackwire either gets two such commanders himself or hands us the information about all such commanders so that we can choose and get two of them.
> 5. If he chooses the later, he'll have two options until we are done: either to continue to be on the run or to to surrender and be held prisoner (we can reasonably demand him not attacked while we hold him prisoner).
> 6. Alternative proposals could be considered, but no guarantees.
> 7. If Blackwire needs food stock to lie low, or whatever other supplies, we can trade with him, for either material things or the info.


Blackwire enjoys a bowl of hot soup as Richard outlines what's going on his end.
He admits that he may have to stay in hiding for a good long time, with the exiles' help.
Blackwire tentatively suggests that he knows where the exiles can find more slavers to take down.
Blackwire asks for more food and water to supply his people, he can pay it back with service and backup later.

Blackwire explains that three of his trusted underlings were captured by raiders and held for interrogation and execution when he defected. He would like the party to rescue the captured men from a slaver camp and return them safely, as they all know the location (and lock codes) of supply safes. On the plus side, he has at least one gang of former raiders ready to go right now. He can scrape together even more gangs of raiders if he just has time to call in the troopers - in the chaos of the raider army pulling back, some soldiers are deserting.

If the exiles rescue the three lieutenants, they can take at least half of the supply caches in the safes for themselves. At the very least, those three sub-commanders are tough and smart soldiers.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard's pleased to see that it isn't an ambush, particularly once he gets a good look at what's there - sure, plenty of wounded, but still enough to cause problems if things went south. As all seems well, he sits in the camp by Blackwire and listens to his response, broadcasting it on the radio for Sean to listen to. It sounded promising, although Richard was sure to stress to Blackwire that when it came to the response of the Rangers and the settlements to the gang there were no promises, but the exiles would try to make peace there with all good faith and he felt that the plan of capturing other commanders would work. When it comes to the need for basic supplies, Richard's confident that something can be worked out - he understands that the defecting raiders need to survive, and although he doesn't explicitly say as much, he wants to make sure they have no reason to try and take what they need. They may be opposed to the main raider army now, but Richard is still very much aware of what these people have done, and as a part of the general conversation makes it clear that the exiles' support is dependent on them not interfering with any non-raider holdings and settlements.

He's already inclined to help anyone captured by the raiders, and is keen to ensure that the idea of the exiles being accepting of defectors stands (for the time being at least, while the Blackwire deal seems promising), so he's already in agreement when the caches are mentioned. He waits for Sean's input (either over the radio or in person, depending on if he's decided to join them or stay on watch) before debating specific terms and strategies, though - he's personally inclined towards not waiting for more gangs (although more generally he's supportive of attempts to recruit said deserters, rather than let them keep raiding just as independents now), as there's no telling how long the lieutenants will be kept alive or at least healthy (he figured the main army wouldn't be particularly kind to attempted defectors) so he'd rather secure them quickly.

----------


## u-b

Sean remains in position and communicates through Richard. The mission to rescue three lieutenants seems good, so Richard should ask for any and all relevant details. Regarding food and water, we can provide two day's worth for everyone at the camp right away, and can provide more later. While Sean does not mind running a balance, he would prefer to be paid with some information, especially that can be acted upon. Of interest:
1. His former side.
2. Mailer.
3. Shelters.
4. Mutants.
5. WMDs.
6. Gutter.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Blackwire plays dumb. "Not quite sure what I know about all that, but maybe _my captured second-in-commands_ hung onto the intel better."

Nevertheless, he does give basic information, just to bait the hook.
His previous allegiance was run well enough, carefully developing methods for seasonal raiding - including a pattern of establishing safe houses and operating bases in preparation for raids. They made sure cells of raiders were separated enough to stem the loss if one gang got captured, wiped out or defected. But the separation was never too complete to prevent information leaks...
He thinks this "Mailer" character is some kind of urban legend that the generals encourage to raise morale and keep defection low.
He's never been to a Shelter. Only scuttlebutt tells of this or that gang raiding a Shelter, but nothing concrete.
He's definitely set up mutants to attack settlements in the past.
Blackwire never used, saw or wants any Old World WMDs. He does not think the generals or anyone else in his organization has access to such horrors, or they would have used them by now.
He occasionally oversaw gangs that went into The Gutter, yeah. Never ended well...

----------


## u-b

Sean does not know much about the place mentioned. He proposes the following plan:
1. We are not quite satisfied with the infos we are getting, but... We leave enough food and water for everyone for two days. We leave it on the road. It is to be picked up after we are away. The condition is no expropriation of anything from anyone while these supplies last.
2. We will be back after that time or such. We might or might not do something about those three men during that time, we'll see.
3. If Blackwire has modern equipment, we can set up a secure channel for future communications.

Assuming everyone agrees, Sean makes a half-circle back to the main group, leads them to the cars, with Tariq's help gets the cars on the road not far from the Blackwire's camp, gets the supplies out (132 water + 132 food). Then recalls Richard. Then drives straight to the vicinity of the town mentioned by Blackwire saying we might as well do that tonight and that anyone feeling sleepy can take some Modafinil. After hiding the cars somewhere, Sean leads the way. He might have problems noticing the details in the dark, but assuming these slavers don't have night vision equipment, rather expects them to burn fires or such...

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

It's getting dark out, Vermont nights are dangerous for their rough terrain in deep black.
(OC: Darkness penalty -7.)

Blackwire only has a basic radio at the moment, less advanced than what the exiles have.

The food and water is unloaded, and Blackwire's people seem very happy with the gift.
(OC: Way less Reaction penalties!)

The drive to the town takes only 40 minutes, thanks to Sean's excellent leadership. Sean gets the approach subtle and undetected. The cars are well-hid and the exiles stay out of sight.

The exiles make their way over to the Old World building which the slavers have claimed as their base. It looks strongly built, it was something called a "bank". The slavers have erected an improvised but solid wall around the parking lot and entrance of the building. There is only one opening in the wall, watched intently by guards. In the "courtyard" past the wall, slavers have built elevated platforms and bonfires for their vigil. No traps anywhere, except for the guard patrols. Sean counts 20 armed people in the courtyard, taking cover under tarps and eating dinner.

----------


## u-b

Sean looks for more things and relays his findings. He does not hurry anywhere.
1. What is the size of the courtyard?
2. Can we target inside of the courtyard one way or another? What is the darkness penalty to target there (wherever the people are around the bonfires)?
3. Any tall buildings anywhere nearby to have vantage view on the courtyard?
4. Any fortifications of the building itself (like sandbags, blinds, what not)? How large it is (how many windows wide and stories tall)?
5. Any vehicles anywhere?
6. What is the equipment of the people we see? Can we somehow confirm these are slavers and not some other group?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The courtyard is about 40 square yards of area.
Getting higher up could give you a sight line into the courtyard over the walls.
(OC: The darkness penalties is 0 around the bonfires, -3 for areas just far enough away from the bonfires.)
There are tall buildings around, but climbing up them could be dangerous and difficult.
The building itself has been fortified mostly around the entry doors (barricades and a checkpoint) but the inside could further fortified. It is two stories tall, all the windows are boarded up with metal. The building itself seems to be solidly built since the Old World days, thick walls and tough doors. Maybe valuable stuff used to be stored inside?
No vehicles are in sight.
The slaver guards are carrying rifles and SMGs, they are armored around their limbs, torso and extremities. You can tell they are slavers by the shackles and handcuffs some of them are carrying on their belts and lying on equipment tables. There's also an empty metal cage, big enough for a human to stand in, placed in the center of the courtyard, besides a few tents and a bonfire.

----------


## u-b

When everyone is ready and have aimed their guns, Sean sneaks in to take a long burst from the darkness. It does not go quite well...

*Spoiler*
Show

Crouched. Will use extra effort on all dodges. No drop. Landing, like, two hits and then ouch. Presumably, only 4 bullets expended.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

*TURN 1*

The aborted spray hits two guards sitting around a bonfire, in their hearts. The surprise attack claims their lives.

(OC: *Richard acts now*, then Bart, then Tariq. Then a new turn, then the bad guys act on the same Speed as Sean and Richard...)

Too bad Sean's sloppy handling fumbles his gun...

----------


## Volthawk

From his current position, Richard doesn't have a line in on the slavers in the courtyard but figures that now Sean's got their attention they'll be on the move now, so he stands ready to fire on anyone who crosses into his sights.

*Spoiler*
Show


Assuming from what's been said that Richard can't see anyone yet, so he's taking a Wait manuever for opportunity fire covering the visible 1-yard area (so he can still use his aim bonus) closest to where the slavers are sitting.

----------


## u-b

Bart makes one shot at the guard near the courtyard entrance. The needle-like flechettes cluster mostly to his lower left. Tariq places a flashbang into the lower part of the wall of the building itself, from where it potentially affects the whole courtyard and potentially some people inside, then follows with a gas grenade into the same exact spot for good measure.

*Spoiler*
Show

Okay, it seems I should post for both Bart and Tariq. I'll do it with an assumption that they have _some_ view through the courtyard entrance and maybe at the building entrance, but a least at one guy. This does not quite match Volthawk's understanding, so please confirm and clarify. Waffle House people will take Wait maneuver covering three most promising windows, one man each.

One unrelated question: can Sean use Fast Draw (Long Arm) in this situation to try readying the rifle without spending a round?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> Okay, it seems I should post for both Bart and Tariq. I'll do it with an assumption that they have _some_ view through the courtyard entrance and maybe at the building entrance, but a least at one guy. This does not quite match Volthawk's understanding, so please confirm and clarify. Waffle House people will take Wait maneuver covering three most promising windows, one man each.
> 
> One unrelated question: can Sean use Fast Draw (Long Arm) in this situation to try readying the rifle without spending a round?


*Spoiler*
Show

From outside, one can indeed see the building entrance. There are no people inside the building that you can see from the outside. Volthawk is a little wrong, but he is covering the opening in the courtyard wall which is valid.

You can roll Fast Draw to ready the rifle.


Bart's shotgun blast tears through his target, knocking him out as the pellets cripple his left leg and clip his groin and left arm.

Tariq's explosion catches everyone in the courtyard in a great flash, stunning them. The subsequent smoke cloud is less effective, but it does make them unable to see what is what.

*TURN 2*

The enemy is in disarray!

(OC: *Sean and then Richard*, take your turn now, then we roll for the bad guys...)

----------


## u-b

Sean manages to get the rifle ready quickly as he hurries forward and a bit to the left, to use a part of the courtyard wall as cover from half of the opposition and target the other half. His quickly-restored grip of the rifle turns out to be not solid enough, so this time, after four shots, he drops it altogether.

*Spoiler*
Show

Sean is standing up in the smoke not far from the entrance to the courtyard. Will use extra effort to dodge.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean hits one guard in the vitals, eliminating him.

Another is shot in the belly, and dies in pain.

(OC: Richard...)

----------


## Volthawk

Richard fires a burst into the courtyard, switching on his powerful flashlight to hopefully keep the disarray and confusion about the situation among the raiders going.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The spray of hot lead hits two targets and blows through their abdomens with terrifying vigor. They both fall down and pass out of the fight.
The rest of the burst suppresses the bad guys as the air is torn and the bullets ricochet.

The enemies in the courtyard do not recover from blindness or stunning. And they do not manage to fight back yet.

(OC:* Bart the Hunter, then Tariq, then the Waffle House backup NPCs*.)

----------


## u-b

Bart and the rest watch four most promising windows and plan to do that for the rest of the fight unless things really happen. Tariq keeps his MGL aimed at the same spot as the first time to add more stunning as needed (e.g. if requested by Sean).

*Spoiler*
Show




> Bad guys try to recover from stun (12)





> The enemies in the courtyard do not recover from blindness but 8 do recover from stunning


Note 7 on HT192 says "roll against HT-5 to recover each turn". Assuming HT stat of 12 and no protected senses, the target to beat would be, like, 7... (that is, if I get it right)

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

*TURN 3*

The enemy is still in disarray!

(OC: *Sean and then Richard*, take your turn now, then we roll for the bad guys...)

----------


## u-b

Sean stays in place and picks up the rifle.

----------


## Volthawk

Conscious of the amount of ammo he has remaining and Sean being down with you, Richard fires a more restrained burst this time at the slavers on the other side of the courtyard from Sean.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Richard manages to hit one of the targets, wounding him badly enough to knock him out and down.

Twelve hostiles remain not (quite) in the fight. Only three manage to shake off the effects of the flashbang...

(OC: Bart the Hunter, then Tariq, then Waffle House backup.)

----------


## u-b

Bart and the Waffle House people keep watching four most promising windows while Tariq keeps his aim. Sean, still taking some cover crouching behind the courtyard wall, shoots a butst into the courtyard then instantly reloads.

*Spoiler*
Show

Extra effort reload. Not checking the book, but probably blinded and/or stunned guys should not be able to dodge.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

*TURN 4*

Sean's gunfire walks through the crowd of the hostiles. None of them manage to see it coming in time, and kills a good handful with heavy caliber lead straight through their vitals. He's pretty sure he got the enemies who just recovered from the stun and they are all still blind.

----------


## Volthawk

Seeing his targets are more scattered, and conscious of the ammo he had left in the magazine, Richard fires off a burst at one of them before reloading.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Much to his frustration, Richard fails to hit his intended target. The shots go far too wild.

3 enemies manage to shake off the stun, the rest are still in a blind haze of confusion and horror.

(OC: Bart, then Tariq, then the Waffle House backup.)

----------


## u-b

Bart and the Waffle House people keep watching four most promising windows. They might be somewhat surprised that a fortified building with this many guards just outside seems to be uninhabited at all, but they keep watching it. Tariq keeps aiming at the same spot. Sean shoots a long burst at the remaining men, hitting most of them. He is _certainly_ surprised that no firefight is going on between our men and the inside of the building, but does not object it at all...

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

*TURN 5*

Sean eliminates another 4 enemies with heart shots in a 16 bullet spray, leaving only two blinded men left standing and screaming in fear.

The ground of the courtyard is now unwholesomely painted with fresh red. Bullet holes mark the back wall. Sean and Richard are sweating heavily thanks to the strain and adrenaline.

(OC: Richard, your turn again.)

----------


## Volthawk

Not wanting to waste too much more ammo now most of them are dead and the survivors still aren't able to fight back, Richard takes a moment to more carefully line up a shot at the survivor most distant from Sean.

*Spoiler*
Show

Aiming.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The few remaining enemies are stuck in the smoke, one regains his senses just in time to comprehend how many of his fellows are dead and dying.

(OC: Bart, then Tariq, then the Waffle House backup.)

----------


## u-b

The four shotguns remain aimed at four windows while Tariq is ready to pull the trigger to launch another flashbang into the courtyard at slightest provocation. Sean shoots another burst into the courtyard, then shouts "Hands up and you'll live!" and steps to the left to take full cover behind the wall of the courtyard.

*Spoiler*
Show

Tariq: wait maneuver, will shoot if the man does not surrender and tries to do something else instead.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

*TURN 6*

Sean eliminates the second last guard with a shot to the heart.
The last remaining enemy takes the hint, drops his weapons, and throws his hands up in surrender. He shouts cries of fear and begs for mercy. He stands alone in the midst of 6 dying and severely wounded comrades and 13 corpses.

(OC: *combat over.*)

The shotgunners whisper that they see no activity in the upper windows, but that could mean the bad guys are simply smart enough to stay away from the apertures.

Tariq twitches a little as he keeps the grenade launcher steady.

----------


## u-b

"Now, lucky bastard, on my voice. Come here." When he comes to Sean, he gets pointed and, in case he still cannot see clearly, pushed, towards where Richard is located. "Now that way. You'll be told when to stop." Then Sean takes cover behind the wall again and reloads. Then he starts to circle the wall around the building to be on the other side and see how things are over there. Meanwhile, he comments over the radio what he wants done with the captured guy. "I'll go around in case some people would like to reatreat. We do not enter the building. Take cover and interrogate the guy. I want to know how many friends of his are inside, who and what else are there, any reinforcements that might come today or tomorrow, and then let him explain about their general business here and future plans."

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The lone survivor follows Sean's instructions. He is incredibly shaken up by the sudden violence and the death around him right in the middle of when he was resting with his comrades.

Sean stays low, in the shadows, as he circles the building. He does not seek much, the windows on the other sides are firmly barricaded and closed. Only a few cracks in a few second story window reveals a light on upstairs, a single room being occupied. The rest of the windows are either completely boarded up or moderately dark inside.

There is no other entrance into the building either. At first glance, there's an old metal security door at the back, but a closer inspection reveals it is welded shut, the lock and doorknob has been replaced with sturdy metal plates. Guess someone does not care about the fire hazard?

----------


## Volthawk

Richard reloads once the situation seems calm and watches their new prisoner approach, directing them to get behind the cover he'd been using for the firefight before starting to ask questions, following Sean's suggestions.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The captured man does initially respond to questioning, he seems lost in his own horror.

Only when Richard take a harder tack after 20 minutes, does the man come back to reality and break his silence.

There's ten more guards inside the building, including the commander of this little love fest. They keep their high value prisoners and their supplies under guard in the bank vault. The upstairs bank manager's office has been taken by the commander as his own personal room. Ten slavers are out at the moment, either scavenging for more supplies, taking new slaves, or scouting - they're on motorcycles and one van. The slavers would normally stay in their hold and not take any chances, but orders from the top demand they keep maximum security watch over some VIP hostages who tried to desert or defect. That means they have to maintain their forty-man-strong hideout on their own rather than splitting up into smaller gangs and spreading out over the region or out of Vermont. That means they need food, water, ammo and slave labor to keep their base functioning in hostile territory.

----------


## u-b

"So, ten men..." says Sean having heard the results of the interrogation "...in a fortified building. I bet they won't be ready to surrender and must be rooted out close and personal, so..." Sean tries to think of a plan "...we can just come in front. It's not like they have a way to retreat here - the back door has been welded shut. Your choice of NVGs or the lights. A flashbang into each and every room we enter or I try to be sneaky until first contact? If you use light, we could don the gas masks, but gas grenades have to be adapted for close quarters and I have other plans for Tariq."

The plan for Tariq, and the Waffle House men, is to set up an ambush against possible return of the ten riders. For that, Tariq is to load with all frags. Bart is to come with us to cover our backs, but to leave the dogs with the ambush.

*Spoiler*
Show

How many rooms do we expect to be there in Sean's and/or Tariq's opinion?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> How many rooms do we expect to be there in Sean's and/or Tariq's opinion?


*Spoiler*
Show

A building of this size could have 5 big rooms (2 or 2.5 times that in smaller rooms) per floor. Probably bigger rooms on the lower floor than the upper floor.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard thinks it over for a moment. "They must know we're out here by now, and must be aware that we're not going to leave without taking the building. With most of the windows boarded up and the back door sealed, there's only so many ways in and we have to assume that they're watching each of them. You're sneaky and it's dark, but there's only so much you can do if they're on guard. With that in mind, I say we go with the light and the flashbangs - the latter can shake up any ambush they have planned, and anyone still watching the door after that will get the lights when we go in, bright enough that it might throw off their shots."

----------


## u-b

"Well, yes, they know we are here somewhere. And probably know where we'll have to enter. But they don't know exactly when we do that, so we might have some luck on our first contact. We don't have enough flashbangs for the whole building, so let's try the following. Richard and Bart  take positions on both sides of the entrance to the courtyard. Bart with NVGs and Richard without. Then I advance to the entrance of the building and take a quick look. I will advance and take quick looks until I see something. _Then_ we start flashbanging them, with Richard in front and with light. Bart will just cover our backs and maybe look after the rest of the bunch as I am not sure if I'm very comfortable with Tariq being the only one seeing things there. Good enough?"

If there are no strong objections, Sean proceeds with the plan.

*Spoiler*
Show

It is a free action for a familiar shooter to either disengage the safety _or_ turn the light on, so if Richard waits with the gun on full auto, turning the light on will not take him time.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The team stacks up on the building's front door. Opening the door, they finally get a good look into the place's interior.
It is mostly dark, but there has been a single floodlight turned on, behind a corner from the entrance and shining onto a wall besides the entryway. Walking into the open floor lobby further means walking in front of the light. The floodlight is out of immediate reach for anyone not walking into the lobby and around the corner.

The open floor lobby features a bunch of Old World machines lined up across the wall (3 yards away from the entrance), couches in the center (5-7 yards away from the entrance), and a door going further into the building past a line of teller counters with security glass windows (about 10-15 yards away from the entrance).

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean advances to the entrance into the building, listening for some time and taking a quick look inside only if nothing fancy is heard.

The scout hears nothing wrong...

Taking a quick look around, he quickly deduces that no-one is standing in the middle of the lobby. He peeks around the corner, and sees the floodlight is completely by itself, hooked up but not guarded. Nobody is around the corner...

----------


## u-b

Sean withdraws back towards the entrance and stands beside it next to the wall. "Well, there is a full-fledged lobby in there. Lots of space, mostly unlit and with some obstructions. Also there is a floodlight on a stand. I could blanket the place with one or two flashbags, but not sure. If they are even there, would take some time to search it all through and there is thick glass barrier that is not too easy to cross. Watch the entrance, I'll be back soon." Sean goes outside and to the main group. There he takes two grenades out of his backpack and also takes one dog with him. On the way back, he transfers the control of the dog to Bart and repeats to him what he've just told over the radio. "I want the dog to search the inside once the light is out. We won't yet come with our own lights on, but you and Richard should be reado on both sides of the entrance." Having said that, Sean readies a frag grenade, then approaches he corner and throws it in general direction of the floodlight without exposing much more than an arm. He then withdraws, noting "I don't suppose they keep their captives in the lobby..."

*Spoiler*
Show

All out defense, then attack and step back, then all out defanse all the way back. Will use extra effort if targeted. If the flood light is taken out, the dog is given a go.

I am pretty sure some of this should be in bold, but important thing is that *Sean now has an extra TL7 frag grenade on him* and has thrown a TL6 one.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

For just a micro-second, all is quiet.

Then the world descends into madness.

First, the explosion of the frag grenade destroys the floodlight, plunging the lobby into darkness.
Second, the flashbang brings it back into the light for a moment.
Third, someone somewhere else in the lobby reacts by blindly opening fire with SMGs. The spray of lead puts holes in the all along the wall opposite the floodlight - Sean feels deeply uncomfortable by the terrible noise and the fierce impacts.

(OC: Sean might be able to locate where the gunfire is coming from with a roll. *Combat time has started, TURN 1.*)

----------


## u-b

By the time of explosion, Sean is out of the building. He crouches behind the left doorpost, waiting for anyone or anything to appear, but mostly just for the men inside to stop shooting. He says, just loud enough for Bart to hear clearly, "The bastard goes in the moment they stop shooting."

*Spoiler*
Show




> Second, the flashbang brings it back into the light for a moment.


Not sure about this one. Sean and I have contemplated flashbangs, but decided to conserve them for other rooms, so used only one frag grenade. The stun effect is that of regular explosion as per Side Effects of Explosions section in HT181..182. There's a lot of effects listed in there, variously conditional, but the other important one is possible Hearing panalty that could be relevant after the dog is in.

The plan is now to do nothing much until they stop shooting, _then_ Bart sends the dog, _then_ Sean goes to peek around the corner. Sean would not quite object to something more aggressive by Richard, but thinks there is likely no need.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The next few seconds have someone in the building open fire with short bursts before stopping.

Bart has one of his dogs sent into the dark building, noticeably skeptical. The dog stays low, and sniffs around the lobby.

Sean goes in after the canine, peeking around the corner. He sees no-one, dead or alive, lurking there. The shots must have come from somewhere else...

Sean notices the dog has picked up a scent. The good boy makes a low growl and comes over to him, nudging him with his nose to alert him to something. Sean follows the dog's hint and realizes the dog has detected people behind the counters with glass dividers.

----------


## u-b

Sean pats the dog and turns on the IR flashlight mode of his combined illuminator, leaving the laser mode also on. Then he spends some time observing the scenery, pointing the flashlight everywhere he looks. The doggie thinks the opposition is behind the counters, so that is the first direction where Sean concentrates his attention. If he sees no one in there trying to peek at him, he'll also look around in general.

1. Anyone in the direction the dog has pointed, maybe hoping to remain unseen in the dark? I mean, the dog has detected them, but can Sean actually see anyone?
2. Any way to lob a grenade in there (either over the glass or through some sort of a window)? If so, will need applicable range and size penalties.
3. What would be the expected effect of such a grenade? Will it be localized to one counter or would it spread assuming we can get it to the "other" side of the bulletproof(?) glass? If localized, how many counters are there in total?
4. Also, to what extent was that glass damaged by the latest grenade? This might give hints as to how strong it is. While at it, what is the distance between where the grenade has exploded and the counters?
5. Where have the bullets hit relative to Sean's current position? Can the pattern be used to help localize which counter they were shot from?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean spots three people mostly hidden by the counter, behind the glass screen. Very little of their bodies are exposed. None of them seem to detect Sean, no surprise given the heavy darkness in the building. He sees no other heat signature in the lobby. They're certainly in the right position to open fire on the front entrance or the opening of the lobby, where the floodlight was pointing.

The openings in the glass screens are very narrow, as large as a human face at the biggest. Throwing a grenade in there would be very hard.

(OC: Shooting at the people through gaps in the glass is an extra -5 penalty (not counting Range or Darkness penalties) but only for certain hit locations not covered by the glass, everything but below the neck is covered by the counter for an extra -2. The skull, face, neck, and eyes can be targeted without the counter getting in the way (although the glass DR might still get in the way). The Range is about 10 yards, 15 yards from the front entrance, IIRC. Not sure how different Throwing would be compared to firearms attacks, probably can't claim the +4 bonus for targeting a hex.)

If a grenade were thrown in there, the space behind the glass would not provide much protection against the blast other than area to run away. The counters are close together, and only separated by thin wooden "walls" that one can easily step around. A decent explosion could ruin about three-fourths of the six counters.

The frag grenade did not damage the glass dividers. It seems the wall separating the counters from the rest of the lobby took the brunt of it. The corner where the grenade went off was too far (at least 8 yards) from the wall to reach the glass.

Checking the bullets, Sean sees the shots were mostly hitting where the floodlight was shining on. It probably had the shooters behind the counters poke their guns through the gaps in the glass while firing, aimed at where the floodlight was pointing and hitting chest height. Judging by the angle, they could still hit Sean standing further into the lobby if they knew where to shoot. If he went into the corner where the floodlight was standing, Sean would be in their blind spot, behind a wall to their side.

----------


## u-b

Standing upright 10 yards from glass-covered counters and preferably near some corner, Sean takes his aim and shoots a burst at the three men he can see. Then he quickly retreats to avoid return fire and shouts out loud: "Hey, you, the last one! Care to surrender?".

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The bullets rip through two of the sentries, bull's eye-ing them both through spaces in the glass dividers. The third is much more lucky - the two bullets go off course and simply spiderweb the glass. The shots went through, weakly, and the glass overall shakes and cracks around the hole.

(OC: the glass DR is semi-ablative. The bullets going through it just reduced it by 4.)

The last man standing is defiant. He answers Sean's offer to surrender by yelling a cuss word and firing his gun once through the space in the glass divider, hitting nothing. He is not backing down, even if he does not see Sean well enough to fight back effectively.

----------


## u-b

Having retreated back after shooting, Sean gives the man a couple of seconds to shoot around blindly or otherwise act, then returns back without making a noise to give the situation another shot...

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The enemy does not fire off any more shots as Sean slinks away.
Instead, the enemy turns on a flashlight and sweeps the lobby, trying to locate Sean.
He does not manage to see Sean in time, and dies when the scout shoots him in the skull.

The lobby is then quiet. Sean keeps his eyes open as he checks on the dead enemies. The door to the area behind the counter and further into the building is locked and sturdy metal.

----------


## u-b

Sean lets Bart and the dog make sure no one hides anywhere in the lobby while he watches the door leading further in. He informs Richard of the recent events. When Bart reports he's done with the lobby, Sean sends him to guard outside, asks Richard to watch and illuminate the door, then checks if the lock on the door can be picked or shot from the side Sean is on.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Bart has his dogs take a sniff around the lobby.
Bart reports back that the dogs definitely smelled constant human foot-traffic in the building. He's not sure if the hostages are in the building, since their scent could've faded away even if the dogs had it in advance. Bart comments that people within have definitely been injured or dead in the past, judging by the dogs' reactions.
The door is locked, but Sean goes to work and manages to click the tumblers into place without much fuss.
Nobody comes into the lobby from areas behind the door. Sean certainly hears no-one moving around - upstairs or otherwise.

----------


## u-b

Having the rifle in hand and himself out of the doorway, Sean opens the door just a bit to see if there is light behind it. If there is no light, he'll open the door enough to have a quick look.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The area past the doorway is not immediately lit. Sean can see bottles of water and rations piled up near where the sentries were lying in wait behind the glass, they were camping out in case anyone came in. But ignoring that, and going forward into the building, there is a corridor with working lights past another door.

The corridor has where a staircase going up past two closed doorways, another bigger doorway at an opposite end to the stairs, and light switches. The bigger doorway looks downright fortified, like it was a vault that reminds Sean of the Shelter. (That doorway is closed, too.)

The upstairs is also lit.

----------


## u-b

Sean relays his findings and proposes a plan that is to let the group more-or-less safely advance while conserving the flashbangs.

*Spoiler*
Show

I am not sure I am getting it right, but the plan should be like this, if reasonable:
1. We get Bart back inside, with NVGs off and face mask on.
2. We also have Richard with NVGs off, visor on, tactical light on.
3. They should occupy the most of the width of any corridor following a dog through any and all areas not including the vault.
4. Sean would cover them from some distance behind, maybe stopping near the corners, as-of-yet-unchecked doorways and intersections and that sort of thing.
5. If the dog notices any presence, we stop and Sean comes forward to 'bang them.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The exiles and their allies spring into action.

Bart makes his way back to the exiles' side, helping Sean, Tariq and Richard with their forward advance.
Keeping watch from the corridor, Bart has his dogs sniff around the building. Immediately, the dogs growl at the stairs, apparently smelling men on the steps going up.

According to Bart, the dogs also smell traces of a chemical near the vault.

The stairs up lead to a landing. Very close by is another door, the room beyond lit judging by the bottom crack. All the other rooms on the upper floor do not have lights on. The dogs are sure someone is in there.

----------


## u-b

Assuming there is no one in the corridor, Sean leaves Bart and the dog downstairs with an instruction to look the other way until a thing goes "boom" and maybe close the ears as much as they are able. Then Sean stands beside the door to the lit room and tries to determine the following:
1. If it is locked or something.
2. Which way it opens (into the corridor or into the room).

If we seem like we can get it open, the plan is to have one man (Richard) to handle the door and step aside and the other man (Sean) to throw the flashbang and step aside, all while remaining mostly out of the doorway. This would be easier if the door opens inside, but presumably even if not, something can be arranged.

*Spoiler*
Show

Corrections:
1. Only one dog is with us at the moment because (a) we do not want to risk both and (b) the other one sort of guards the rest of the people, which are...
2. Tariq and two waffle fouse men. They watch for the mobile guys whi might return to the bank while we are occupied.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

*Spoiler: corrected*
Show

Oops. I stand corrected.


Sean examines the door and sees it is not locked. It opens inward, into the room.

Sean and Richard can easily continue, stacking up on the sides of the door.

(OC: roll Throwing skill to get the grenade in there?)

----------


## u-b

"Might be a trap, but hopefully not an explosive one, and we have to start somewhere." Sean draws a flashbang, pulls the pin, then stands beside the door near the hinges. He makes a few practicing motions with the grenade, then nods. When Richard, stading on the other side, opens the door wide, Sean throws the flashbang in and steps away.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The exiles are starting to worry with how much they're getting used to explosions.

From inside the room, a man screams in terror and confusion as the flashbang lives up to its name.

When the exiles rush in, they find the room used to be some kind of office for a bigwig. It was probably much nicer back in the Old World. Now, it's occupied by one very tormented slaver stumbling around, dazed and unable to fight back. He's carrying an advanced crossbow in his hands, but can't bring himself to shoot the darn thing at the exiles.

He's easily cowed and captured, slammed to the ground and disarmed as he swears and screams. He was in the office alone.

----------


## u-b

Sean leaves the guy with Richard and peeks back into the corridor to see if there would be any reaction. If there is none, he calls Bart and the dog to help guard the captive and starts to think of topics that he might want Richard to inquire about.

Topics of interest:
1. Where's the rest of your lot?
2. Where is specifically the boss?
3. Anyone else is here?
4. What about the vault?
5. Any working emergency exits?
6. Anything you might tell us to get you _freed_?

----------


## Volthawk

Richard agrees with Sean's priorities (although he asks about the vault after any emergency exits, given the potentially time pressures on each, and spares pumping him for broader intel until they're more secure later and he can take more time and focus on it) and, confident he can handle anything their prisoner tries, directs Bart to search the room for any intel of note while he questions the slaver.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean sees and hears no activity downstairs. Apparently, this is no-one else upstairs or down stairs?
Bart searches the upper floor as Richard gets to work pumping the new captive for info.
The hunter unfortunately finds little of interest - mostly just stocks of rations and water bottles. He counts 50 meals and 90 pints of water.

For 15 minutes, Richard fails to get anything out of the man.
Then he manages to break through resistance and get some answers.
The rest of the slavers stationed here are either out on a raid or sheltering in the bank vault. Six to nine other privates and their base commander are in the vault. 10 privates out.
The man clams up after that.

Sean keeps watch as everyone else works on their own thing. He gets a raise over the radio, from Tariq. He's reporting in that he and the other men outside have spotted approaching vehicles. They'll be here in five minutes, at their current speed.

----------


## u-b

Well, that was about as good as it gets. The bunch that took refuge in the vault should be effectively trapped. Sean proposes Richard, Bart, dog and the captive be left to guard the (presumably, sole) vault's entrance while Sean would prepare to meet the arrivals. Some more topics of interest to ask of the captive:
1. Anything about that scent? We would not want to be gased or something, so there are options to guard the vault from afar and/or don the gas masks, but the topic is still interesting.
2. How the vault is to be opened? Are there the means to open it from the outside?
3. How it is ventilated and illuminated? How long can it remain shut?

Sean clarifies the direction whence the vehicles are incoming, then looks if the bank has handy slits or usable windows or something on the relevant side of the second floor. Anyway, he chooses and assumes _some_ position, preferably behind _some_ cover and with _some_ field of fire and sight. He makes sure Tariq knows his position and does not plan landing frags near it. Now that we have the things under control, Sean thinks we can as well go after the vehicles (as opposed to heaps of burnt metal), so does not mind if Tariq reloads the first six shots with alternating stun / gas / stun / gas / stun / light (or something). It presumably would take some time to shut off the headlights, so the light does not have to go first.

*Spoiler*
Show

I propose Volthawk takes over Tariq and his whole bunch while Richard is effectively removed from combat, but other arrangements can be considered.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

(OC: Richard will have to make more Interrogation rolls if you want answers to those questions.)

Sean moves into position and takes stock of the incoming hostiles...
The vehicles are coming from the main road, 6 bikes and one van.
The bank has fully boarded-up windows on the second floor. Removing them in time is impossible.
Sean finds a good place, a corner of the courtyard that is easy to set up a barricade, with a clear line of sight to the main road. Tariq and Richard can get a good spot, too.

The incoming slavers do not seem to notice anything untoward as they approach. 3 minutes before they arrive proper, just outside the courtyard.

(OC: Sean's Tactics roll gets him* one reroll* on an upcoming Observation, Stealth, the opening attack roll or an active defense in the encounter-to-come, if he or another character needs it. What's your encumbrance levels and ready weapons now?)

----------


## u-b

Sean opens with a long burst all over the windshield of the van that is aimed to first get the driver and then maybe whomever else is in the vehicle without damaging the systems. Sean does not mind if any biker gets in the way, assuming they ride straight enough.

----------


## JbeJ275

While one of the Wafflehouse men has their shot smash into the dirt around the bikes front wheel, the other sees flechettes directed straight toward the oncoming biker's heart. The then lean back into cover around the doorframes, and ready for another shot.

----------


## Volthawk

Tariq ends the first volley of fire by launching a flashbang at the remaining bikers, aiming to disorient as many of them as possible while they're still figuring out what's going on.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean blows the driver away, his skull annihilated. His comrade besides him soon joins him as Sean wastes him with two more shots. The rest of the burst penetrates the van and goes through, putting holes out the van's back door.

The Waffle House men are firing too light. The biker shot in the chest looks like they shrugged off the flechettes.

Tariq launches the flashbang right on target. It explodes into light and thunder, causing the bikers to curse and scream as they lose control of their motorcycles. Only one averts his eyes in time to avoid the flashbang, but he is now alone in the fight.

----------


## u-b

Sean aims at one side motorbiker.

*Spoiler*
Show

The one away from Tariq / Waffle House men.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

(OC: Alright, what are Richard, Tariq, Bart and the Waffle House men doing?)

----------


## JbeJ275

Both Wafflehouse men aim at the same targets as before, this time moving the focus of their aim to their enemies' arms.

----------


## Volthawk

Tariq takes aim at the biker still active, in case another flashbang is needed to leave him in the same state as his comrades.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Four of the bikers wipe out, crashing to the ground.
(OC: one's badly hurt, almost KO'd.)

The one biker who resisted the flashbang tries to drive off, seeing the writing on the wall.
(OC: All-Out Defense, increased Dodge, using Driving skill /2 +3 an active defense. Move 5, turning away.)

The biker who did not wipe out hangs on even as he growls in frustration and pain.
(OC: still stunned.)

----------


## u-b

Sean shoots at the man he has been aiming at.

*Spoiler*
Show

I am assuming Sean's target is out of the smoke, but a potential hit even if not.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

(OC: Are you aiming at the biker who was not stunned?)

Sean eliminates the biker, tearing through the bad guy's heart.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

(OC: The biker who was not stunned, did not get shot.)

The bikers who ate dirt are kicked while they're down, the Waffle House men open up on them.

One is hit brutally in the arm, where his armour is much weaker. He screams in agony as his arm is tore up and he quickly loses consciousness, gushing blood in the middle of the road.

(OC: *Tariq.*)

----------


## Volthawk

Seeing the conscious biker start to move away, Tariq fires a flashbang at him, hoping to stop him before he gets away.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

By some miracle of toughness, the sole un-affected biker manages to resist the new flashbang!

(OC: He made the HT-5 roll!)

Seeing the continued fire as a sign that he's not wanted here, the biker continues to drive his bike away another 10 yards, accelerating.

The bikers trying to shake off the first flash, most of them having crashed, fail to recover except for one still prone on the ground. The stunned goon on the bike crashes, smacking almost face-first onto the gravel road, his bike rolling as his body demonstrates kinetic force colliding with an large object so at rest that it's practically immovable.

(OC: all bikers but one no longer on bikes, on ground.)

----------


## u-b

Sean aims at the retreating guy hoping to get him before he hides behind some obstacle.

----------


## JbeJ275

The Waffle house men scan the bikers splayed out on the ground, screaming at the men to stay on the ground and drop there weapons, they both get ready to fire their weapons at anyone recovering and attempting to fight back.

----------


## Volthawk

Tariq aims at the biker again, in case Sean can't pick him off.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The prone men follow orders from the Waffle House and give up, hands in the air. They couldn't get their weapons out in time, so the shotgunners easily threaten them into surrender.

The lone biker manages another 10 yards away from the bank. Another second of gunning it, and he'll be out of sight of the exiles and their comrades.

(OC: Add 10 yards to the distance when shooting the biker.)

The van with the two dead slavers up front idles out front, all acceleration gone. It came to a stop, the driver apparently braking as he slumped over.

----------


## u-b

Sean shoots a short burst to chase the biker, then reloads with a full magazine and carefully advances to see if the van contains anyone willing to either surrender or fight.

*Spoiler*
Show

Forgot to account for the smoke for that burst, but numerous hits anyway. Will use extra effort and drop down if anyone tries to shoot.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean's shooting eliminates the fleeing biker, leaving the motorcycle to crash and roll as the fresh corpse falls off the moving bike.

Moving in carefully, Sean approaches the van and opens the back doors to find two dead men, gunshots grimly punched through their chests.

(OC: Combat over. Surrendered enemies restrained.)

----------


## u-b

Sean brings our cars in, one by one. Makes sure the captives are properly duct-taped and inside the building where Richard can handle them and continue the interrogation (any not-quite dead guys go there). Anyone dead is dragged onto one side of the courtyard, among with all their gear. Our vehicles are parked on the other side. The bikes and the van are checked to see if they have survived well enough. Ideally, the bikes are parked in the courtyard and the van just out of it. Then we can think if we do something about the vault, but some answers first.

*Spoiler*
Show

The questions are here and the rolls are here, so what do we learn? Also I rolled on Tariq's architecture of 13.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The bikes are merely banged up from the crash and low on fuel. The van is low on fuel and sustained damage beyond just the gunshots. The dead and beaten slavers all have minimal ammo in their guns - one magazine to one-half of a complete load for every gun. Their armor is mostly good around the torso, but much lighter on the limbs, hands and feet. The van has a few lockboxes, but they are mostly empty.

Richard gets some answers from the captives after 30 minutes of leaning hard.
The captives say the vault has poison gas supplies stored in it.
It usually only gets opened when the camp officer says it does. He alone has the key to the vault.
The vault is lit by electric lamps powered by a gas-powered generator. It is ventilated by a vents that go up to the roof. They could stay in there for days, if they ration power and have enough supplies and the air vents stay clear. Oh, and the captives admit they lied before. The slavers have no poison gas what so ever.

Tariq's inspection of the building comes to the conclusions;
The bank is hooked up to the city's power gird (currently offline), but it also has its own generator on-site if they're smart and prepared. Which they are.
The vents are vulnerable to infiltration and/or gas.
Getting the lights off in the vault means messing with the internal wiring or the generator...which is probably impossible from outside the vault.
Wrecking the vault doors open or going through the ceiling above the vault would require some real heavy explosives. But it could be done...

(OC: the vault door has DR 70 and HP 60, use 25 sticks of dynamite to open it up. The ceiling above the vault has DR 20 and HP 47, so that's 9 sticks of dynamite to blow a big hole in it.)

----------


## u-b

Sean proposes that we...
1. Get to the vents.
2. Plug all but one of them with some garbage.
3. Modify and throw a gas grenade down the only vent.
4. Then use the same vent to communicate, claiming to have gotten everyone else, with a count and names, to have explosives, the ability to plug the last vent, and the ability to add some tear gas every few hours. Proposing to let people live.

*Spoiler*
Show

What would be the best way to the vents from either inside or outside of the building? We can take a ladder or suchlike. Or, failing that, we can use some tools or explosives to blast the vents as they go through the building (presumably, much thinner walls than of the vault itself). What do we roll to execute the plan?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> What would be the best way to the vents from either inside or outside of the building? We can take a ladder or suchlike. Or, failing that, we can use some tools or explosives to blast the vents as they go through the building (presumably, much thinner walls than of the vault itself). What do we roll to execute the plan?


*Spoiler*
Show

Well, the vents are accessible from the roof, there's stairs to the roof on the second floor. Door's unlockable from inside. Finding the vents inside the building is a roll of Architecture and accessing them depends on the roll. There are access points to the vents, you just need to locate them, the tools needed are basic screwdrivers or Forced Entry. Once you access the vents, make an Intimidation roll against enemy Will 13 to negotiate a surrender - although making contact with the enemy will require getting them a comms device.

----------


## u-b

Tariq quite easily finds what he supposes is the nearest access port to a vent serving the vault. Then he provides the team with a 40mm gas grenade modified for a simple time fuse. It looks somewhat ugly, but is expected to work. Sean tests if the vent pipe serves as a good enough communications device by simply shouting in there: "Hey, you, in the vault! We got some of your people alive and the whole rest of them dead! We have explosives, gasoline, access to this vent and some creativity! We can make what remains of your lives extremely misedable if you do not surrender, like, now! Care to negotiate the terms under which this will happen?"

*Spoiler*
Show

If there is any response, the situation is hereby handed over to Richard, who can try to persuade the guys.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The people in the vault do indeed hear Sean's shouting...

They yell back.

(OC: Don't make a Hearing -1 roll. We'll just assume they make it through clear enough.)

"You make demands of me?! How dare you?! You know what? Kill the men you have captured, they're all useless to me anyway if they could not stop you! If you want something from me, you can either let me leave here in exchange or take it off my cold dead body!!"

----------


## u-b

Sean comments on this, mainly to Richard: "We can let this man go some time tomorrow if he transfers to us whatever he has in good shape - that is, papers, people, valuables... If he does that, we give one bike with a full tank, a loaded handgun, his own set of clothing... and I say that's about it. I don't mind if you can negotiate better terms."

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## Volthawk

Richard nods, thinking. "There are the other privates in there. While the commander might agree to leave by himself, they might not be so happy about those terms. And given these are slavers and raiders we're talking about, any disagreement in there might be...messy. Although...huh. Thoughts on the odds we can get the rest of them to give the boss up in exchange for them going free instead?"

----------


## u-b

Sean shrugs. "Normally, they'll be detained until the end of the war or until we reconsider. At least they will live. If they hand us the boss, we can let them all free instead. They'll get the van if they hand him alive."

----------


## Volthawk

Nodding, Richard thinks his words over a little longer before heading to the vent and shouting down. "Alright! We have two competing offers for you. Offer one is that your boss there opens up the vault and hands over any intel and valuables he has. The rest of you become our prisoners, and he walks out with a gun and a bike with a full tank. Offer two is that the rest of you hand over your boss and his possessions, open up and disarm yourselves - we'll give you back your van, and you're free to go wherever you want. There _is_ the third option, but I assure you that you won't want that - we can make life rather unpleasant in there if we want, and if you come out we're prepared and you will not win. Either way, your choice. Have a think about it and we'll be waiting to see the door open."

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The response is less than optimal.
"No deal! Get the **** off our turf! Do your worst!"

Followed by half a minute of deeply hurtful and vulgar name-calling.

----------


## u-b

Sean grabs some bedding and plugs most of the relevant vents that Tariq points him to. "We will now give you some time to reconsider!" He then throws down a modified gas grenade and plugs the last vent.

He lets Tariq prepare an explosion on the vault's ceiling by placing the TNT there covered by something to direct the blast downwards. Dead bodies will do, but Sean will first search them, which he starts to do right away. Bart and both Waffle House men will guard the vault and Richard should be nearby.

*Spoiler*
Show

Here goes some torture. I am not sure we have to roll again, but they probably do, with modifiers or what not. The gas probably has nowhere to escape.

Search the van, then search all the bodies with skill 15 and load all the loot in the van.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> Here goes some torture. I am not sure we have to roll again, but they probably do, with modifiers or what not. The gas probably has nowhere to escape.
> 
> Search the van, then search all the bodies with skill 15 and load all the loot in the van.


*Spoiler*
Show

You've already made a roll to modify it. It goes off. Just roll the effects for the explosion.


The vents are plugged and the gas grenade is dropped in.

In the meantime, Sean has the bodies and the van searched.
The haul in total form the bodies is 15 Bergmann MP18/I submachine guns, 200 SMG bullets, 35 pairs of gloves and boots, 35 pairs of sharp-protective limb armor, 35 concealable vests with anti-stab plates, 15 Winchester Model 92 rifles, 100 rifle bullets, 15 Colt .45 SAA revolvers, 70 pistol bullets and 35 large knives.

The van contains very little else than a few jerry cans of gasoline, a spare tire, 8 empty plastic bottles and 10 bottles of water.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The enemy hiding in the vault do not take the tear gas well. They do not surrender or open the vault door to escape/try to murder the exiles for their gassing.
Instead, they seem to keep their discipline and hold fast in the vault.

When the exiles' dynamite explodes a hole in the ceiling of the vault, they find the tear gas is still going strong and the people inside are screaming and crying in pain even as they clutch their guns and hide behind heavy metal cover.

The vault has been repurposed into a fortified base with supplies and gear for the commander to operate his slaving gang. The best bed in the building has been maintained next to a big stack of papers and a desk full of equipment.

They are all exposed to gunfire from the above ceiling hole, they were counting on the exiles coming from the vault door. Being blind and coughing does not help matters. Take out the commander of the slavers, and they will finally surrender. The commander is probably the man at the back, behind a solid stone pillar and holding a bound prisoner in front of him with a revolver to his head.

----------


## u-b

Sean steps back from taking a quick look down the hole. His eyes start to water a bit. He whispers to Richard, also pointing in one direction: "Your turn. Their boss is best taken alive and maimed. Likely one this that way. Also, take care not to target the prisoners. Tell me if and when you would want a flashbang."

Sean takes a flashbang, pulls the pin and puts it into a pocket. Holding the flashbang ready, he lets Richard go about handling the situation.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard nods as he puts on his gas mask (if he was going to be hanging around the hole a while, it was worth making sure the gas didn't affect him much), and looks around at the others in thought. "I need someone's pistol. If we're talking this out, it won't do to be standing there with my rifle raised, but if something kicks off I want to be able to quickly draw something and start shooting." Once he's supplied with that, he walks back over to the hole and crouches down, shouting down to the commander. "Alright, here we are. We did warn you that you couldn't hold out in there forever. I see your prisoner - who are they, why should we care and what do you want to come of this? You must have a plan and a goal in mind for a hostage scenario, so let's hear it."

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The commander pauses to consider Richard's words...then deflates.
"Okay, fine..." He spits out. "The prisoners are dumb jerks who tried to defect. We caught them and we were holding them when you came here and shot all my men. The captives apparently know the location of supply caches, and the location of their commander. We were given orders to torture them for the information they have and then execute them."

The men in the vault seem broken by this admission of defeat from their CO.
"How about this? We give you the hostages, all of them, and you leave us all alone? We can simply sends them out of the vault, and you let us live, safe in here. We don't care what happens to these traitors, and we need to get out of here anyway."

----------


## u-b

Sean nods to Richard. That was far from a perfect arrangement, but that's what we came here for, so will do. "Ask them if they have a radio. We'll let them live, but won't let them broadcast info on us and on this one arrangement."

----------


## Volthawk

That was faster than he expected, but alright. This worked just fine. After looking back at Sean, Richard returns his focus to the slaver boss and nods, calling down to him. "That exchange works for us, with one...well, two conditions. Firstly, you hand over any radios or similar means of communication you have. Secondly, we're taking those papers of yours as well as the prisoners."

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The commander growls and groans in frustration for a moment before relenting.
"FINE! We'll disable the radio, hand over the documents! Now can you all please stop bothering us?!"

----------


## u-b

"Deal. Observe them from here." says Sean to Richard as he carefully inserts the pin back into the flashbang. Then he moves downstairs to some place that would allow him to monitor the vault door without unduly exposing himself and observes the prisoners emerging with papers and radios (or whatever form this is going to take).

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

It takes the slavers in the vault a good ten minutes to organize themselves and get it together, then out come the hostages from the vault.

The hostages are four men and three women, all looking shabby and bruised. They are holding the radio equipment and the papers. They make it over to the exiles over any trouble.

The slavers cower in the vault the whole time, trying to stay out of the gas.

----------


## u-b

Sean directs the hostages to the lobby, oversees the closing vault door, then sends one Waffle House man to fetch Richard. "Richard, can you please interview these people? I want to know if we are done here and if they can ride the bikes." Then he puts the papers into a car and examines the radio(s) to see if they are any good.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> Then he puts the papers into a car and examines the radio(s) to see if they are any good.


The radios are functional, but they are all damaged and badly maintained - no doubt a result of the recent down-and-out circumstances and downward slide the enemy army is in right now. One rough jostle, and the radios could all be out-of-commission.

(OC: All the radios are Very Fragile (-2 HT, half DR, -0.5 CF) TL 6 medium models ($1250 x4 -50% = $2500, 30 lbs.) with a 5-mile-range and a battery runtime of 14 hours for 4 medium batteries. All of the batteries are mostly run down by now. Repairing all the damage is a major job, they're all down to 0 HP exactly, from 12 HP. They're not broken...yet.)

----------


## Volthawk

A full debriefing could wait, so for now Richard just goes from prisoner to prisoner and confirms their name, grabs a quick summary of who they are and what they're skilled at, and brings up Blackwire to see their reactions. If they have everyone they came for and his quick conversations don't bring up anything of concern, he'll pass that information onto Sean, but if someone's missing he'll try to follow up and ask what happened to them.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> A full debriefing could wait, so for now Richard just goes from prisoner to prisoner and confirms their name, grabs a quick summary of who they are and what they're skilled at, and brings up Blackwire to see their reactions. If they have everyone they came for and his quick conversations don't bring up anything of concern, he'll pass that information onto Sean, but if someone's missing he'll try to follow up and ask what happened to them.


The prisoners only give up their names and their rank. Otherwise, they refuse to talk further. Blackwire merely gets them silently glaring.

The exiles load up the vehicles with their loot and people. The freed hostages are grateful for the rescue, and three of them claim to be Blackwire's faithful comrades. They are eager to see him again.

----------


## u-b

If there are no other suggestions, Sean proceeds with the plan, leading the whole caravan through the night to the Radar Base. Assuming we are not ambushed, we are then to rest for the remainder of the night, _all_ newly-acquired people under guard, but separately so.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The exiles and their allies escort the caravan of people and supplies through the countryside without incident.

It is later that night, perhaps ticking over midnight, when they get back to the radar base, finding that the usual home base staff has been joined by various vagabonds, refugees, wandering merchants and wanna-be mercenaries in a small camp outside the base fences. Having heard of the exiles and their heroics, the motley have set up a friendly pseudo-settlement right nearby to both cater to them and to enjoy some degree of protection.

(OC: New player, this is where you introduce your new PC to the group, joining them properly. *All players earn 1 bonus Character Point as a reward for defeating the slavers and saving the hostages.*)

The exiles and the radar base staff discuss the situation, for both of them. They bring in the new load of people and things, setting up proper areas for handling them.

----------


## u-b

Sean wakes up early enough, despite the late arrival. He dumps the barely working radios with Simone, then checks with the staff if there are any news, rumors, or business to attend to.

----------


## JbeJ275

One of the new arrivals is a man in a long raggedy poncho. He's more eager than most to get inside the gates, looking around eagerly at the storerooms and barracks of th base. He wears a long flimsy coat with a backpack slung over his shoulder behind it, an odd position butnothing more. His face beaars patches of soft greyish hair contrasting with the salt and peper hair on his head, and odd colour on someone who still seems to be rather young. He carried a spear and a net in the caamps, like some sort of schizo-gladiator but has put botth away since arriving. He seems more interested in looking around than tlking to others, but when he hear of Sean's role he still seeks hom out to volunteer his services.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

*DAY 74*

The morning after the action-packed outing is chilly and overcast.

The radar base regulars report in that Blackwire has left a contact incognito with them, he's undercover as a miserable refugee in the outside shanty town right now. Tell him that you've secured the hostages and want to meet up with Blackwire again - he'll handle the prep.

They also report a mass of armed mutants moving from Newport to an unknown destination somewhere in the north, they look like they're on the warpath.

----------


## u-b

Sean tells the radio ops to arrange a meeting with the mutant contacts in Newport, some time this afternoon. Whether the meeting is arranged or not, sean then goes to Blackwire man to say that a mission is accomplished, but it might take an extra day or two to procure food and water, so we should arrange a meeting with that in mind. He then goes to check the rest of new arrivals to ask if they have needs, wants, skills, desire to join a militia and anything alse that has anything at all to do with Sean here. He says Richard will interview everyone willing to join militia and Sean will try to handle the rest.

When one man in a long raggedy poncho displays too much of a desire to join, Sean decides he can as well take him along for a hunt, because food is definitely on the list of issues and that will give an option to do something useful and chat while the rest of the party sleeps after the long arrival.

"Sean Pires. Sort of in charge here, but we are an anarchy. You willing to join, you come along. Good at hunting?"

Sean Pears is certainly known in the refugee camp in here, even though few, if any, have met him so far. He is well-equipped, and not just by local standards, he is well-equipped, period. A fine rifle with a scope and a strange flashlight under the barrel, light kevlar vest, a visored helmet the man has in hand while talking to people. The whole affair looks about at least as expensive as the whole refugee camp.

----------


## JbeJ275

I can hunt. Im better with a rifle if you got one lying about somewhere. Had to ditch my last one two nights ago. I can still make a pretty good go at it with a spear and net though.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard spends his time walking around the camp and the base, talking to everyone he comes across and getting a feel for the kind of people they have here and getting his face known (and hopefully, a good impression of the exiles as people beyond their reputation). If anyone has a problem or request he can deal with, he's happy to hear about it too.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The radar base staff confirm that they'll pass along the messages to the relevant parties.
The techs get busy working the radios. They comment that reports of mutant animals are becoming more common on the airwaves.
The people living outside the radar base are friendly to Richard, they find him easy to trust. They admit that they mostly came here to seek a better life, after their previous settlements failed due to food shortages and raids. They hope things will be better here, and they're all willing to work to make it better.

Sean's attempt to go hunting takes a hour of tracking animals in the wilderness, before he comes across a herd (about ten to twenty) of wild chickens in an abandoned farm. Ramsey comes along with him, keeping in his footsteps.

----------


## u-b

"Well, I think we should be able to get you a rifle, but now it's time for some other skills..." Sean smirks. "Let's give it a try..."

*Spoiler*
Show

Is there a henhouse or some such anywhere in the vicinity? Sean wants to locate the place these chickens call home for the nights and get them in there as "phase A" of the plan.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean does not see any henhouse, but he does spot plenty of signs of a chicken nest in the abandoned barn - lots of feathers, scratches typical of rooster feet, and collected straw gatherings. The chickens probably keep their eggs and resting nests there.

----------


## u-b

"I think it is too far from the base to use this chicken-barn on the spot, so how about we catch them and take them along? First, we get them inside, carefully, and then you can catch them as you see fit."

Assuming no objections, Sean proceeds to do just that. If that is accomplished, we try to close most or all of the holes and then Ramsey can catch the chickens while Sean either helps or watches any remaining holes.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

It takes a good while (OC: 5 minutes x32 = 160 minutes due to extra time taken), but eventually the birds are all herded into the barn and secured inside.

By the end of it, both men are very sick and tired of the sound of clucking and bawking.

----------


## u-b

"Okay, your turn now. Go ahead!"

----------


## JbeJ275

Ramsey advances with his nets, bagging one or two of the fowl at a time and steadily growing his collection until theyve got as many as they can hope to carry.

Lets head back. I can get back here to grab the rest of them later if need be.

----------


## Volthawk

Back at the radar base, Richard thinks over what he's been told in his first pass through the base and settlement. They're willing to work to improve this place, huh? Alright then, it was time to get something organised.

Heading back down to the camp, he now focuses on trying to find out what useful skills the people there have, sorting them in his mind into several categories. He doesn't make any assignments or talk about the categories yet, wanting to see what they have before putting anything into place.
 - Skilled workers, people who have the knowledge to help keep whatever they create here going. Medical knowledge is a big one - while quality-wise they'll have to make do with whoever they have, this budding community is going to need some source of medical help going forward (particularly as Richard still wasn't entirely sure that the raider wouldn't try another attack here at some point), and knowing who's capable of patching up minor injuries would just make life easier for them. Beyond that, he's also interested in any skills around making or maintaining things - clothes, tech, vehicles, guns, whatever - so that the community can make better use of what it has got and maybe even set up new things. 
 - A construction crew - people who can handle tough labour, people who know how to put some kind of structure together, people who know what to look for in the wider world to get the tools and materials they may need, and people who can fix any damage to their shelters through time and wear. They've already put something together themselves, of course, but if this is going to be a permanent settlement they'll need to keep working on it and make it better and larger, particularly since more will probably trickle in as time goes by. While he doesn't mention it at this point, he's also considering the potential for establishing better defences given the fact that they're outside the base here.
 - People with field skills, who can go out and do any jobs that need doing away from home, preferably quietly. Hunting is the big thing here - a place like this needs feeding, after all, and bringing in their own food will make life easier in that regard - but he'd also like having a team capable of patrolling a little further out from the radar base given the various threats out there these days - in particular, the rise in the number of mutant animals spurs on this point, as if they can be found and taken out before they get close to the radar base that reduces the risk of them picking off one of the settlers. He does keep an eye out for anyone who seems capable and trustworthy enough to join them in the field when needed, though.
 - Fighters, people who don't quite fit into the previous category but still have some combat experience. A settlement needs to be guarded, after all, and those that Richard deems suitable - ie not too unstable, and willing to play by someone else's rules - could be put to use as some kind of organised militia like Sean was suggesting, to protect the place in case trouble comes. He also notes who seems like they could be trusted keep some kind of order inside the camp as well as guard it from outside threats (if they seem receptive to his ideas on the topic, at least - after all, law and order and the role of those who enforce it are things he has a fair few views on, views that are probably a little different from typical wasteland justice).
 - Leaders and coordinators, people who can take the system Richard's trying to put into place and keep it functioning. He's planning trying to make the camp a proper community, after all, and that requires people working together and not being entirely self-centered. He'd need people that have some sway among the people here (or enough charisma to make that happen, he supposed) as well as people with the brains to keep things flowing, to ensure that it all doesn't fall apart - particularly given that Richard spends a lot of time away from the base and can't handle it all himself.
 - Merchants - they're here already, but Richard takes a little more time to see what exactly they all trade in, and asks around about if they have any established supply lines or sources or if they're just selling what they have. He figures they'll mostly want to operate by themselves, although he makes the suggestion that it'll be in everyone's interest if other settlers get a good deal on the things they need to get this place going, but he still checks in with them since it's important to have a flow of trade around the place. Considering their contacts in the larger settlements already, he also wants to see if anyone's capable of handling any long-term arrangements the exiles may make. He's also curious about their goods for the simple reason that there may be something among the accumulated goods here the exiles could use out there.
 - For everyone else, he's still interested in what they're capable of, what they know, and what they can contribute to this place thriving. Everyone's going to need to pitch in somehow if this is going to work - naturally people are going to be able to put in varying amounts, but so long as there's something they can do Richard will be happy. Besides just helping the place work, he also doesn't want anyone going forgotten and starving around here if he can help it. While he's also trying to get hunters sorted out, he also asks around for ideas about alternate food supplies that would work with the environment and climate, and the nature of their past food-related problems - he's noticed how many of them have had troubles problems like this in the past, and wants to avoid that happening here if he can help it.

Partway through the day, he heads to Tariq to pick up his refurbished pistol before swinging by the radar techs. He asks if there have been any updates on the movements of the Newport mutants and requests that they keep track of where mutant animals are being reported, particularly if they're anywhere near here - there's the possibility that the increased numbers have a source, and recording where the reports are coming in may help with tracking that down. He then heads back to the camp to continue his work.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Ramsey and Sean throw the net-sack of chickens over their shoulders and hump it back to the radar base.

In the meantime, Tariq gets to work fixing up gear for hours and Richard does a sweep through the crowd of people.

Richard finds three of the people know enough about first aid and drugs to serve as medics for the base's infirmary, four know about sewing and garment making, one knows about mechanics and fixing things, and almost everyone knows something about scavenging.

He can organize a construction crew from plenty of the refugees - they're all hardy and strong. A few were involved in proper building projects in the past, and remember how to put one brick on top of another.

There's five men and women who know how to hunt, but they'll need gear - and not just guns, either. Maps, proper footwear, camouflage and backpacks are just the start. Scouts can be recruited from the motley, one-eighth of them are experienced in matters of stealth and wilderness.

One quarter of the crowd are reliably combat-capable. They would like to be equipped with armour and firearms, if possible.

Only one or two of the refugees are really good with people and scheduling. They can serve as supervisors and managers.

Merchants are reluctant to "knuckle under" as "citizens" of the exiles' base. They like to roam free on a regular basis. Their sources of goods and supply lines are shaky, thanks to random misfortunes. They get most of their stock from favoured scavengers. The cities already have established merchants who often squeeze them out - but they do have contacts and regular customers spread out over the state. Most of them trade for bullets, food, water and durable gear for everyday tasks.

Tariq gives Richard his gun, the work finished with a remarkable quality. The radar techs report in to Richard that the Newport mutants have managed to travel further north and gotten out of sight of regional scouts for now. New reports of mutant animals are increasing, there's been three settlements that have had contact with them, almost hostile before they were driven off. They seem to be moving west-ward across the state.

----------


## u-b

Sean dumps a netload of chickens at the refugees, saying he does not care if they eat them or set up a chicken farm. He names the location of the barn, in case anyone would go there to fetch the eggs or what not (maybe even the building itself might be of some use, if for materials).

Sean checks if the Newport WMD-guard mutants are ready to meet us. If they are, he proposes we take a few new men with us to see them in action and go there to return the papers and chat with the mutants about what we have found in them.

The following gear would be provided for the mission to anyone coming with us, including Ramsey:
1. Springfield M1 Garand, .30-06, Fine, TL6
2. Concealable Vest + Anti-Stab Plate
3. Some ammo (at least 50 per person is available).
4. Boots, gloves and/or sharp-protectives if desired.
5. Other things on request and we _are_ specifically collecting the requests.

Sean will check with the merchants for...
1. Any gear requested, but out of our stock (we can pay for it in whatever).
2. Special ammo. Namely starting with APHC and all the way up to APDSDU+P to save us a trip to Gunmetal.

----------


## JbeJ275

Not wanting to give the elements time to damage their contained haul of chickens and chicken based resources Ramsey empties out his net, then walks out of line of sight camp and ditches his coat. Taking to the air to make a straight line to the barn and back much quicker than he would while walking.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The Newport mutants have left a message to the exiles; they have a small outpost outside the city, where some of their number always stays for patrols and road lookouts. If you want a meeting to talk, it is a slightly shorter trip (5 miles less) than the one from the base to Newport proper. The troops at the outpost will receive your reports and pass along the intelligence.

The merchants have no special ammo on sale, sadly. Gunmetal is where you get that, they're the ones with the best gunsmiths and armourers, after all.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard's quite happy with the skills he finds among the crowd. He introduces the people with medical skills to each other if they weren't aware of their respective skills and asks them collectively about the state of their supplies and what they'd need to keep the people here in a decent state. He similarly checks with the people with sewing skills and the mechanic for what they'd need to get started. As far as the construction crew goes, he encourages them to check out the barn Sean's talking about to see if they can use the building's materials here, and checks for any tools he can quickly acquire on their behalf before they head out. The hunters and militia are pretty clear on what they want, so he finishes off by updating the managers on the situation before checking on the merchants. Besides checking if they have anything to satisfy the immediate needs of the exiles and the settlement, negotiating the best deal he can, he focuses his attention on confirming their position here. He's fine with their request to be left free to roam and come and go as they like, with the assumption that they'd stop here regularly enough to keep the settlement supplied of course. Richard does have a request for them, though, to pass on anything of interest they hear (either themselves when they roam away from here, or from their scavengers, contacts and customers) to the radar base personnel when they stop by - it might not be helpful, but another source of intel is never a bad idea. If any of them have radios, he gives them the frequency of the base to more easily arrange their business here - and if they have one or more for sale, he considers the value of getting one for the settlement (or maybe more than one to keep in touch with any groups heading out to hunt or scavenge) to provide a more direct link for the merchants and the exiles.

----------


## u-b

Sean does his best to organize the people before we leave for Newport. He is, at the moment, reluctant to issue high-value gear to the people he has just met, so decides that getting proper militia up to speed will take some time. He can start with all the less-expensive stuff. He hands Richard a load of sharp-protective armor to sell and get the things needed. He also hands a proposed shopping list. The idea is to outfit all eight scouts/hunters and leave some funds at the base under control of the managers to handle the techs, the medics and all running expenses. This includes the techs being tasked with replacing the van's windshield and what not. The managers are to track all the expenses in the notebooks provided.

After all of this is done, Sean outfits three most promising men, including at least one who can drive, with rifles and early concealable vests and takes them with us to a designated place near Newport.

*Spoiler*
Show

Selling 10 arms and 10 legs of sharp-protective armor.

Map x2
Compass x2
Notebook x5
Ballpoint Pen x5
Hiking Boots x8
Camouflaged Coat x8
Large Backpack x8
FMJ Rifle Cartridge xNNN

Leaving in two cars. Sean, Richard, Bart, dogs and 3 new men. One of the men picked would be Ramsey.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The would-be medics kindly request a first aid kit for each of them, plus as much bandages and antibiotics as anyone can scrounge up.

The garment makers ask for fabrics, sewing kits and materials.

The mechanic just needs a tool kit, a garage and spare parts or the means to fabricate them.

The construction crew makes a note of the barn, and requests building tools (saws, hammers, nails, bricks, etc.) and wheelbarrows before they head out for the barn.

The merchants have only one radio, but it works. They can provide basic materials right now, but specialised tools will require a few days before they can bring it into the settlement here.

The merchants accept the limb armour, and exchange what they can from their inventories; the maps, the compasses, the notebooks, the pens, the hiking boots, the backpacks, rifle bullets...
The camouflaged coats will need a trip out to Gunmetal, to see a specialist contact and commission the gear.

The men join the exiles on their journey to the meeting place. The drive over to near Newport is smoothly made, but Sean cannot help but notice while he is crossing the state that the road-side scenes have gotten grimmer - in particular, he spots more and more freshly dead people, tore to shreds by animal attacks. At one point, he hears a distant battle, rapid gunshots filling the air.

(OOC: Sean, the time is just after midday...)

----------


## u-b

Seeing the recent fights as more humans-vs-animals sort, Sean does not fear the gunshots and wastes no time, turning in that direction and driving there without slowing down.

*Spoiler*
Show

Richard has rolled +5 on Merchant, but I also need to know how well the traders rolled to assess the exact amount of bullets that we got after the listed purchases.

If that's indeed humans-vs-animals fighting and humans seem not to be slavers or such, driving as close as 20 yards from the nearest animal.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Taking a turn, Sean drives towards the sounds of the fight, he arrives at a clearing with a shack in just under 30 seconds.

What he sees worries him greatly.

Already, he sees four people have been ripped apart by hungry animals, still holding emptied firearms with bullet casings scattered around. They have been swarmed by 16 wolf-like creatures biting the flesh off what they can as five other monsters attack the shack 20 yards away. Three of the larger animals look like horse-sized reptilian quadruped horrors.

A man hiding in the shack is firing out a window at a large beast that's clawing at the barred door. The beast looks like some kind of twisted brown bear. Another bear-thing is charging towards the shack, up an incline.

All around the edges of the clearing, various mutant animals are dead, dying or knocked out from gunshot wounds.

(OC: Sean, do you still have the Flashbacks Disadvantages?)

----------


## u-b

Sean stops his car facing the shack (and the monsters around). The scene of the massacre is very disturbing and requies a certain amount of confidence in the group's abilities to avoid thinking about the group being next. Sean has that much confidence. Leaving the car to hum on neutral, Sean engages the parking brake [1]. "Out." He then opens the door [2]. The door is now also facing the shack. He then grabs the rifle and gets out of the car [3]. "Mine at the shack." He then aims at the monsters around the shack, planning a burst to hit a number of them without placing any bullets into the shack itself [4+].

*Spoiler*
Show

So, that would be at least 4 rounds. Richard is probably doing something similar with his car, maybe taking 1..2 seconds more to end up at the same range. We'll see what happens in that time.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The man in the shack lets off another burst from his gun at the bear-thing...and now he is out of ammo.
The bear-thing by the door is hit by one of the bullets, wounding it severely but it fails to completely knock it out.

The other bear-thing makes it to the shack.

The reptilians all Move 7 yards towards the shack. AT this rate, they'll be right at him in another 1 or 2 seconds.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard's not particularly afraid of the animals, confident in their skills, so he's quickly out of the car and ready to go, rifle in hand as he runs up to Sean's side. As he does, he gives instructions to one of the men in his car to watch the wolves in case they decide they've had enough of their current meal and want more.

*Spoiler*
Show


So in the 4 seconds, assuming one turn's movement gets him to Sean's position, that's Richard next to Sean and ready to fight but with no aiming time yet.

----------


## JbeJ275

Ramsey grabs one of his sticks of dynamite and a match from his matchbox, the box itself held in the same hand, and the match struck. He then leaps through the car door, leaving his thin coat behind him.

----------


## u-b

Sean keeps aiming until all of the animals are close together, then shoots a long burst, walking it from beside the shack and at the rest of the approaching things.

*Spoiler*
Show

1..3 more rounds here, Wait action eventually converted to an attack.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The exiles and Ramsey see the horrid bear-like and reptilian animals converge on the shack as the man inside retreats from the window and scream for help. The larger monsters, if and when they get to the shack, smash and ram the walls and doors of the shack - none of them manage to get in but they all make a good show of ruining the outer décor. The wolf-creatures snacking on the corpses pay no-one any mind - they have delicious human meat to sample.

*TURN 5*

Then Sean brings his rifle to bear, and fires away.

(OC: Sean fires 12 bullets. The bear-things are SM+1 and the reptiles are SM+2.)

His results are satisfying - none of the monsters are aware of the attack and Sean's aim is true.
The wounded bear-horror is shredded by the two bullets Sean puts into its heart(?).
The other bear is also exterminated by Sean's shots.
A reptile catches two bullets and is immediately slain.
The second reptile is hit by two bullets, and dies without a prayer.
The third monster takes both hits coming its way and falls down dead.

In less than a second, the five large animals are all deceased.

(OC: Richard, it is your turn now. Then it's the wolves.)

----------


## Volthawk

Seeing Sean's handled the other animals, and that the wolves are still not focused on them, Richard takes his time to line up a shot at them.

*Spoiler*
Show


Aiming.

How far away are the wolves from our position?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> Seeing Sean's handled the other animals, and that the wolves are still not focused on them, Richard takes his time to line up a shot at them.
> 
> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> 
> Aiming.
> 
> How far away are the wolves from our position?


*Spoiler*
Show

10 yards at the nearest. The furthest is 14 yards.

Ramsey?

----------


## JbeJ275

With the crowd of animals diminished, Ramsey realises his dynamite might be.. over enthusiastic. Thus he drops them and the match unlit on top of hit coat and picks up his spear instead.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The mutated wolves stop their eating and start running away, apparently spooked by the gunfire.

(OC: combat over? Anyone shooting at their backs or anything?)

----------


## u-b

Sean is not inclined to let the animals flee so shoots a burst at them with the rest of the magazine. Bart get that as an example to follow and shoots at the wolf he was aiming at.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean blazes away (spending 12 bullets in the process) and scores hits on seven of the horrors. They all die, torn apart by the high-powered hot lead.

Bart, meanwhile, follows the scout's lead and opens up with his shotgun. The blast is brutally on-target, shredding the mutant animal's fur and muscle, splattering the ground with blood in a chaotic pattern.

8 of the fleeing animals are dead, the rest still manage to keep moving.

(OC: The 8 animals have Move 6. After 3 seconds of action, and the wolves will be out of sight, into the wilderness and only found via tracking.)

----------


## Volthawk

While Sean deals with the wolves, Richard makes his way straight to the shack - there may be people inside in trouble. "We've cleared them out - are you guys alright in there?"

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

(OOC: Richard will be Moving for a few seconds. In the meantime, what will Ramsey be doing?)

----------


## u-b

While Richard is walking and everyone else is aiming, Sean quickly reloads and shoots another long burst at the retreating wolves...

----------


## JbeJ275

Ramsey quickly ticks his coat back on, but ultimately stays near the vehicle keeping an eye out for other approaching threats.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean's burst fire nails all the remaining mutant wolves, killing them all in a brutal sweep of hot lead.

The scene goes quiet as the blood pools grow from the fresh corpses.

No signs of further life are visible, as the man inside the shack has retreated in completely and is presumably weeping in fear and horror.

----------


## u-b

Sean lets Richard handle the shack and first goes to check those eaten people. If there are signs of life, he is to provide first aid. If there are not, he'll just re-fill the magazines and collect the casings from the rounds spent.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean sees all the people being eaten by the wolves are stone dead, it seems their throats were torn out by hungry jaws. They all sport defensive wounds on their hands and arms - they tried to fight the animals off. He gathers his brass and reloads his magazines without further incident.

Richard, meanwhile, goes to the shack and knocks on the door. He looks into the window to find the man cowering in the corner, still clutching his emptied SMG. He looks pretty traumatized. Tears are streaming down his cheeks.

(OC: I do not think your Guilt Complex Disadvantage triggers here. But it's a grim scene none-the-less.)

----------


## Volthawk

Damn. This was...a mess. At least they were able to save one of them. Richard could take some reassurance from that, at least. Slinging his rifle back over his shoulder, he tries the door to slowly enter and approach the man, hands up. "Hey. It's over, wee've killed them and we're here to help with...what's left. Are you hurt?"

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The man in the shack barely manages to respond, "Yeah, yeah...I'm okay...They didn't touch me..."
He then bursts into another crying jag. Richard confirms he is unharmed (physically) with a quick glance-over, as the man allows Richard to get close to him and comfort him.

Richard notices the inside of the shack is in good condition, none of the monsters got past the doors and windows. But it is not secure now, the ways into the shack are damaged too bad to keep out any more bad guys or animals.

The man in the shack eventually slumps as the adrenaline and the shock wears off (and the trauma sinks in). He allows Richard to lead him out and follow him, slinging his gun.
"They chased us all the way here from the other end of the valley..." The man quietly explains. "They just came out of the woods, a huge swarm of the blasted things..."

----------


## u-b

Sean thinks of what can be done about the situation. "We are too busy at the moment and I am not sure we'll ge able to come back here to backtrack the things anytime soon. We'd like to, but we'll have to see how it goes. We also don't have the time to properly bury your comrades, unless you invent some way that's more quick. That said, I think despite we've killed all of the lot attacking you, it might still be unsafe to remain here alone. Will you pack your and your comrades' gear and come with us? We should be able to drop you somewhere safe in a matter of days."

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The man tearfully agrees.
"Okay. That's good. Take me away from this awful place."
He shivers and shakes as he gathers his things for 10 minutes and tries to avoid looking at the corpses.
The exiles and their allies get back on the road soon enough.

The drive over to the meeting place is quiet and sad. The roadside scenes get a little more hopeful for a half a mile, as the exiles spot a caravan of people slowly making their way south in wagons pulled by mules.

The exiles pass by without incident, and arrive at the meeting place, a clearing campsite with plenty of sight lines and cover. The sun is still high in the air. Mutated people in thick black all-covering gear stay away from plain sight of the road, they are busy tending to campsite chores. A few are eating lunch. They quickly recognize the exiles and welcome them into the camp. The camp commander is looking over a regional map and instructing his scout to take a pair of binoculars and keep a lookout on Newport until night falls.

He's ready to talk business with the exiles...

----------


## u-b

Sean shows the camp commander and anyone the camp commander invites for the meeting the fake report and the party's notes about any and all discrepancies found therein. He starts to explain the discrepancies in much more details than mentioned in the notes as the notes are basically a reminder of what is wrong where without any details of the thought process that went into this classification. Then he states the conclusion that this is a fake, based on some original, which might or might not be correct, but it is not possible to say what the original has contained only using the fake at hand. Sean suggests that the mutants try to contact the original report's author if they care about its contents and do their investigation of the transmission channel this one went through. Sean asks if this is or is not enough to get our collateral back (we can post a lesser collateral if that seems appropriate). Sean says he is sure not entitled to, but would like to, be kept informed about how this ultimately turns out, especially since the original report might have said something important and relevant to the lot of quite important stuff the party is currently busy with. Speaking of which...

The party has received, first- or n-th-hand, the following pieces of information we would like to hear some comments about**:
1. A lot of mutant animals appearing in large numbers indiscriminately attacking people in the area.
2. A mass of armed mutants moving from Newport to an unknown destination somewhere in the north.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> Sean shows the camp commander and anyone the camp commander invites for the meeting the fake report and the party's notes about any and all discrepancies found therein. He starts to explain the discrepancies in much more details than mentioned in the notes as the notes are basically a reminder of what is wrong where without any details of the thought process that went into this classification. Then he states the conclusion that this is a fake, based on some original, which might or might not be correct, but it is not possible to say what the original has contained only using the fake at hand. Sean suggests that the mutants try to contact the original report's author if they care about its contents and do their investigation of the transmission channel this one went through. Sean asks if this is or is not enough to get our collateral back (we can post a lesser collateral if that seems appropriate). Sean says he is sure not entitled to, but would like to, be kept informed about how this ultimately turns out, especially since the original report might have said something important and relevant to the lot of quite important stuff the party is currently busy with. Speaking of which...
> 
> The party has received, first- or n-th-hand, the following pieces of information we would like to hear some comments about**:
> 1. A lot of mutant animals appearing in large numbers indiscriminately attacking people in the area.
> 2. A mass of armed mutants moving from Newport to an unknown destination somewhere in the north.


The commander is convinced by Sean's presentation and gives them their collateral back without a scratch.

He comments that while he can put in a request to clean house and double-check their reports, there is no doubt that'll be a delay in processing it...

...because all of his mutant comrades have been called to war, gathering in a huge march (leaving a skeleton crew behind, which includes his own unit) and taking to the north to attack an army base.

He has not heard of the mutant animal swarms before now, however. He speculates the beasts are being controlled somehow, either by Old World technology or by a mutant's extra-normal abilities.

(OOC: *all players earn 1 bonus Character Point for alerting the mutants of the false reports.*)

----------


## u-b

Sean thanks the mutant commander for the information and tries to make sure he understands (1) which "army base" is this and (2) how it relates to the slavers' factory. If that is the same thing, he says he can provide some information about it. If that is not the same thing, he'd rather request some information.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> Sean thanks the mutant commander for the information and tries to make sure he understands (1) which "army base" is this and (2) how it relates to the slavers' factory. If that is the same thing, he says he can provide some information about it. If that is not the same thing, he'd rather request some information.


The mutant squad leader looks reluctant for a moment, and then shakes his head.
"I'm sorry. I can't share too much. Orders. But I can't tell you that the army base is dangerous and our assault on it could go wrong. For now, just tend to your own business and we'll handle it."

----------


## u-b

Sean nods. Secrecy he can understand. But he doesn't have it on _his_ side, as far as the enemy bases are concerned, so he shares that part of Stone's info, including the tank, both maps and that sort of thing. He tells the mutants to "have us in" if they ever are after _that_ base.

If no one has anything to add to the exchange, we then drive straight to Bread Basket.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> Sean nods. Secrecy he can understand. But he doesn't have it on _his_ side, as far as the enemy bases are concerned, so he shares that part of Stone's info, including the tank, both maps and that sort of thing. He tells the mutants to "have us in" if they ever are after _that_ base.
> 
> If no one has anything to add to the exchange, we then drive straight to Bread Basket.


The mutant nods his head as he takes in the information presented. He asks about the source of the information. He copies the juiciest bits into his own notepad, just in case, before taking the original copies from Sean. He raises an eyebrow at mention of a tank. He passes the stuff over to his subordinate on the radio.

He comments in a sideways manner that Sean's base is the same as the one the Newport mutants is marching on, but he can't authorize the exiles to help without an okay from the higher-ups. He highly doubts his bosses will allow the exiles any further access, due to paranoia on their part. He is resigned to that.

(OC: Bread Basket is 60 miles from here.)

The exiles leave with a warm farewell. Sean leads the way, driving across the state to the farming city. The journey will take about 5 hours and 30 minutes, assuming nothing goes wrong...

Along the way, Sean notices more and more grisly scenes of dead by the road as he makes his way south and west into Vermont. It seems the carnage is going in a specific direction?

He drives deeper into wilderness, towards a valley where Shelter 33 bloomed into the community of Bread Basket decades ago. As he comes up to a big fork in the road, he spies automobile wreckages. A car lies upside down, crushed flat under its own weight. Some meters away is another vehicle which tried to meld with a tree along the side of the road. No bodies appear to rest in either car, so the drivers must have made it from the accident. A couple of long-dead road flares speak to medics who have been here. A blackened husk of a car is on the other side of the road. The exposed ribs of a corpse is hanging out an open door, picked clean by time and carrion eaters. A light rain drums a funeral rhythm on the rusting roof. Old bullet holes let faint light through the left and right sides of the vehicle.

(OC: Will the exiles stop and check out the scene closely, or keep driving?)

----------


## u-b

*Mutant Commander*

Sean informs the mutant commander that the info is from the notes of a slaver commander that we have gotten some time in the past, along with the slaver commander himself. If the notes are in doubt, slaver commander can be also provided. He also informs the mutant commander that he is about to procure some anti-tank weapons, just in case, and if mutant superiors find it prudent, will provide some of those, with or without himself, on the condition that the slaves kept at the base be left unharmed to the extent practical. He will be on the radio and has secure encryption, handing a code right now.

*Bread Basket*

At the car wreck, Sean stops and gets out of the vehicle. That is too many "accidents" too closely packed to just drive through. So he takes any volunteers and first makes a wide circle around the scenery, looking for any potential observers, but also for other stuff, like fresh tracks. If nothing suspicious anywhere, he'll check the actual crashes too, and the road ahead, for possible causes, traps and what not.

*Spoiler*
Show




> Bread Basket is 60 miles from here.
> 
> The journey will take about 5 hours and 30 minutes...


Should not the road conditions have improved by now from the winter? These numbers average to about 11 mph. Plausible, but we _have_ been moving faster.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> At the car wreck, Sean stops and gets out of the vehicle. That is too many "accidents" too closely packed to just drive through. So he takes any volunteers and first makes a wide circle around the scenery, looking for any potential observers, but also for other stuff, like fresh tracks. If nothing suspicious anywhere, he'll check the actual crashes too, and the road ahead, for possible causes, traps and what not.
> 
> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> 
> Should not the road conditions have improved by now from the winter? These numbers average to about 11 mph. Plausible, but we _have_ been moving faster.


Sean notices that the scene used to be very disturbed, but has been cleaned up of whatever stuff was put down previously. He figures someone once set bear traps and tripwires out here, but they were taken down after that.

This spot was definitely used as an ambush zone in the past, probably a week ago. But it's all clear now. Any human tracks he finds is old enough to be long gone.

The crashed cars have been scavenged throughly. Metal has been stripped out of the engines and frames.

(OC: the roads are in a terrible state, so the conditions are not great in terms of speed, but you at least do not have to worry about cold temperatures or snow blindness.)

----------


## u-b

Sean shrugs and proposes we be on our way. There does not seem to be much else to do besides going paranoid.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

On the road again, the exiles quickly find a good route to the city of food. It's about dark when they arrive at their destination. Bread Basket is located in the middle of lush greenery, carefully cultivated for harvesting fruits, vegetables, fresh water and some animals. The metal tower of the city's main facility raises out to the sky, as if struggling to reach the clouds. It strikes an odd contrast to the urban sprawls the exiles have seen so far.

Driving into the visitors' center ready to meet newcomers, they quickly find that Bread Basket has a somewhat strange policy on citizenship; it seems only city natives, born and raised in the underground former Shelter, are allowed to enter the inner circles of the city.

The exiles are only allowed to enter and do business in the city's outward circles, running trade requests to the higher ups through the lower level bureaucrats. It reminds them a little of Gunmetal's policy. Those meeting the exiles ask the exiles to introduce themselves, record their business purposes, and submit to security measures.

The outward parts of Bread Basket are home to shanty towns built by outsiders and home/accommodations to non-citizens. There's multiple hotels, service stations, leisure establishments and specialty merchants available in the outer city.

(OC: expect an interview with city security, so list reaction modifiers and the ratings of relevant skills, don't roll anything just yet.)

----------


## u-b

Sean introduces his bunch as Radar Base Guys now busy mostly with a sort of war against the tattoed slavers (both as a personal as well as a general matter), but also with trying to help people hit with all sorts of recent attack, by slavers, mutants, mutated animals and whatever. Sean states we are here to trade in goods and maybe also in info and does not mind any reasonable security measures that might come with that.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The security guard writes down what Sean tells him, nodding all the while.
"That sounds...complicated. There's a big marketplace for visitors just down the road there, you can buy and sell stuff there. As for information...Well, Bread Basket folks don't get out much, really. You'll have to talk to other outsiders."

A van passes by, leaving the city outskirts. A security team stops it, asking the people inside to "sign out".

The security guard motions to his fellows as the van is processed.
"We'll need to check your cars for contraband. Anything to declare? Weapons, drugs, poisons?" He puts his notebook away and puts a cigarette in his mouth.

----------


## u-b

"Sure. Lots of stuff. I won't declare every weapon, unless you really insist, I mean, I've said we are at war, so we have quite a number. In fact planning to sell some of these if there is a demand. Not a contraband, mind you, all proper channels and whatever the procedures you use. Drugs and poisons... well, some medical nanomachine injectors, some morphine injectors and whatever else goes into them first aid kits, a heroin pill, trace amount of herbicide in a tank we haven't cleaned after use... I guess that's it. None of these are for sale."

Sean does not mind if the security guard has a look at the cargo.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard nods. "Most of what we've got is stuff we've taken from the raiders, although some of it is the equipment we use out there, or the tools we use to keep our gear maintained. Also, while we're here we'd like to speak to whoever it is here who handles security in general - or a representative, naturally. We have information taken from the raiders we'd like to share."

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The security guard sighs deeply as Sean and Richard explain themselves.
"Well, that's just great. Sounds like we're going to be out here for over half a hour..." He sulks as he begins the inspection.
His fellow guards help him take note of the stuff the exiles have. They grumble a bit as they gingerly look at the weaponry.

Meanwhile, in the background, the guards talking to the van driver start yelling at the driver to get out of the van. It seems the paperwork was out of order...

"Hey, you said you guys want to talk to the head of security? To report something?" The security guard asks as he writes down after his fellows announce the make and model of the firearms the exiles are carrying.

"What exactly did you want to report? Do they plan to attack here? We've heard rumours about raiders planning to raid here."

----------


## u-b

"Not sure about attacking the city itself, but there has been a lot of attacks in the countryside, by mutants and by mutant animals. The former were instigated by the raiders and are, presumably, dealt with. The later we are not sure about and are continuing. So, wanted to check if your outer sites or routes were affected - we've had the information they were going against the sources of food. Whatever they do at the moment, we have learned the raiders have you on the list of priority targets, so checking if you are aware of this and want something done about the matter. I think we would be interested in acting upon your info about an impending attack, one way or another."

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The security guard nods along.
"Okay. Sounds good. We'll get in touch with the scene commander, see if we can't move this up the chain, but for now you and your friends are going to have get comfortable. Do you have an idea of where you'll be staying the night? There are a few hotels--"

BANG BANG BANG

He is interrupted by gunfire coming from over where the van is. Someone has triple-fired a pistol.

(OC: everyone, make an Observation or Per roll, whichever is higher.)

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean sees it first.
The van driver drew a pistol and fired it straight into a security guard's chest.
The rest of the security forces spring into action, shouting orders to drop it and getting out their own weapons.
Then the passengers in the van start shooting too, clipping at least one security guard in the shoulder before they start exiting the van.
Sean thinks they're all blasting pistols.

The security guard Sean was shooting the breeze with has already got his gun raised and he's moving in. He waves the exiles away, shouting them to get out of here and find cover in the visitors' center.

(OC: Join the fight, or get to safety?)

----------


## u-b

"Shout at me if you need any help. Men, take cover!" Sean then starts to withdraw to take cover _behind the front of his car_ (which is _not_ as instructed, but Sean suspects should be fine). He has the rifle nearby, but doesn't take it in hand and ready for action, mostly to avoid causing any additional misunderstandings with the guards. He _does_ lower the visor.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard joins Sean behind the car - he's not exactly happy to just stay there and not help, particularly since shots are being fired, but in the circumstances he understands Sean's stance here.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The exiles' comrades join Sean and Richard behind cover.
The Bread Basket security forces quickly get embroiled in a full-blown firefight with the occupants of the van. It seems more people (5 to 9 combatants) on the side of the van pistoleers join in from the outside of city limits, firing upon the security forces with shotguns and hunting rifles.
In less than 20 seconds, the security guards have eliminated half the hostiles from the van (who number about 4 to 6) in a hail of hot lead. The driver was the first one to catch a lethal bullet in the neck and go down pouring out crimson life.

Eventually, the firefight hits a lull as everybody stops to reload behind whatever cover they can manage. A few bad guys are behind the van, at least 4 more are 6 to 10 yards away from the checkpoint and behind trees, the security guards are behind prepared barricades at the city limits.

----------


## u-b

Sean observes the whole process, noting each and every detail that is in fact visible. He does not come up with a good plan what to do after that, but an armed gang outside could not be just a coincidence, so Sean calls out loud: "Hey, you, security! Want us to resolve this one?"

*Spoiler*
Show

That is one failed tactics roll. As for the perception roll, can Sean come up with any idea about wealth and/or affiliation of the people fighting against the guards? Not necessarily neck tattoos or obvious mutations, but anything at all, including protective and other equipment. Also, if given a go, we'll need positioning of everyone and everything, including ourselves, our three vehicles, the van, the barricades and the fighting parties, complete with distances and directions.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The security forces do not notice Sean shouting his offer.

From what Sean can see, the men inside the van are attempting to escort something they have in out of the city.

Their backup from outside seems to be a plan B in case security caught onto them and a fight broke out.

The backup shooters were dressed in multiple styles of clothing, apparently in an attempt to disguise their shared affiliation.

Sean is pretty the enemies are equipped with concealable armour around their torsos.

One of the security guards is getting ready to sweep the scene with a SMG, the burst fire should take out at least three or four bad guys in a second.

The bad guys are 8 yards from the exiles at the nearest, the farthest enemies are 19 yards away.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard's seen enough at this point and raises his rifle, aiming at one of the further-away hunting rifle-equipped backup shooters.

----------


## u-b

Seeing these are not random cheapo guys _and_ Richard set to be joining in, Sean decides not to sit idly on the sidelines and prepares to pop out with a long burst at the outside bunch the next time shots are fired.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean joins in when the security forces fire a burst from a SMG. The racket is painfully loud as Sean rapidly blasts 12 shots. Sean counts eight men shot in the chest by his hand, the SMG man racking up another 4 or 5 dead or KO'd.

And with that, the fight is pretty much over. Only a few stragglers at the city limits remain of the hostiles, and they quickly retreat into the wilderness at full speed when they see most of their fellows have been killed by the twin burst fires.

The security forces take a moment to let the ringing in their ears stop and make sure no-one else is attempting to kill them, before moving in to secure the dead around the van.

----------


## u-b

Having fired the burst, Sean holds his right hand up while holding the rifle if his left hand, well away from the trigger. Observing no particular interest in his herson from anyone involved, he says: "You three, cover me.", apparently directed at the new militia. Then goes to check the men he has shot. Of interest:
1. Any remaining forces in the area.
2. The number of people that have just left.
3. Any survivors.
4. Any tattoos or mutations.
5. Any loot.

If all goes without incident, he leaves the militia load all unclaimed loot into the cars (anything claimed by the guards is not contested), then goes back to the van to look inside and chat with the guards.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean looks over the recent dead and the severely wounded.
He sees no more hostiles in the area, or sticking around.
He figures three or four people just scattered away from the edge of the city.
About one third of those wounded by the SMG or Sean are still alive, not yet dead. But they're all bleeding heavily and probably won't make it unless given first aid immediately.
The injured and slain all have black neck tattoos, all in the design of a striped big cat posing near a spread of playing cards.
The enemies were all carrying guns, ammo, light kevlar vests under their shirts, small knives, bottles of water and rations wrapped in cloth. The security guards has Sean pile them up on a laid-out blanket.

Looking inside the van the pistoleers came from reveals a vat of unknown chemicals was being kept hidden under a blanket, along with a decent cache of travelling supplies and spare cans of fuel. The security forces quickly move to take it out and away, demanding the exiles stay clear of the scene while they work.

----------


## u-b

Sean complies with the request to stay clear of the scene with the exception that he drags everyone still alive someplace away from the van and applies just enough bandaging to keep most of them that same way until a further decision is made. When the guards are next able to give him some attention, he inquires whether they want any or all of the lot one way or another, whether they want the fleeing lot, and whether they have any other requests for the group.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The guards scratch their heads and huddle for a bit, arguing procedure before they tell Sean that they want the lot so they can launch a proper investigation into just exactly happened now and why. The bad guys fleeing might not be safe to follow right now (it's getting dark, and they've probably got a pre-determined rally point), so letting them go is for the best. The security forces have no further need to delay the exiles and their allies, they're free to go.

The security forces finish up the paperwork. Welcome to Bread Basket city. The sun goes down just as other visitors filter into the streets, ready to enjoy a night on the town. Judging by the lit up signs on the buildings, the usual vices and entertainment can be had past the checkpoint. A few security guards go off duty to drink at a nearby watering hole, walking alongside Sean and his comrades.

----------


## u-b

Sean takes a moment to talk to Richard when he expects nobody would be able to overhear them. "It's getting dark and we have night vision. Probably less dangerous than they think. I might be inclined to run our own investigation and eventually hit wherever they were trying to deliver the stuff. What's your opinion?"

----------


## Volthawk

Richard thinks it over for a moment before nodding. "We shouldn't antagonise the guards by appearing to ignore them or by getting in their way, though. I suppose that means we check out the scene again, and try to find any tracks - they're not wrong that they'll have probably reached a rally point by the time we find them, but we've taken on more organised and ready groups than them before."

----------


## u-b

Sean proceeds to rent the rooms for the night and park the cars somewhere guarded. He reloads the half-emptied magazine while he parks the cars. He then takes everyone willing to go for a walk. Richard and bart are specifically invited. He leads the way to the retreating tracks he has found earlier and lets Bart release the dogs. The men are to go well behind the bastards and look for them finding something or some fires or what not. Sean does not expect the attackers to plan a night's wort of hiking, so most likely we either find some camp or some car tracks running away.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

(OC: The hostel charges every PC and NPC with $10's worth of barter equivalent (bullets preferred) for one night with meals and water included. Parking the cars in a safe lot is another $10's worth per vehicle per day. Opposing enemy skill is 13, any other PC and NPC can pitch in with complementary skills. Just to confirm who's in and who's out before I roll for the enemy.)

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The escaping hostiles tried to cover their tracks, but Bart trained his dogs well. They quickly sniff out the trail left behind by the gunmen.

The enemies hiked through the woods for 30 minutes, judging by the way they follow. When the dogs finally signal to Bart that they've located the position the quarry is currently resting at, Sean and his friends spy a campsite in a clearing, a fire burning in the centre next to a cabin-sized structure and an elevated open platform where a man is sitting on top. There are three or four men around the campsite, either walking around or sitting.

From this distance (20 yards), the details are hard to make out, but the dogs are reluctant to go closer. They seem positive that these campers are the enemies Sean hoped to track down.

----------


## u-b

Sean takes a look at the site through the scope, intending to uncover anything that might otherwise surprise him later on. Then he quietly says: "Well, probably no need for complex tactics. We want as many of them alive as humanly possible, because we don't know who of them knows the stuff we are here for. They might have traps, so please no quick advances. Hm. I'll try to get the ground-level guys, Richard gets upper-level guy, Bart remains ready to handle anything threatening and the rest remain ready in case they shoot a flare or such. Good enough?"

If that's good enough and nothing very interesting is spotted, Sean gets ready to attack the ground-level lot.

*Spoiler*
Show




> Sean and Richard have vision aides, though, so it is not a problem for now.


And Bart. He does not have a radio, but we got him some NVGs.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard nods. "Works for me. Man up top is probably their marksman, so taking him out and some automatic gunfire their way will hopefully convince the guys inside to hunker down so we can convince them to surrender." That said, he starts taking aim at his target.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean makes a critical error when he tries to spy upon the campsite.
He leans out too far from cover and a glint of light might have been caught off his scope.
The man on the elevated platform spots it and yells out. The other men are shocked and alerted by this warning, and the man himself raises his rifle...

(OC: *combat time starts.* If Sean and Richard still have Speed 6.00, everyone acts at the same time. Still going to shoot, Sean?)

----------


## Volthawk

While not quite fast enough to stop the man on the platform from calling out, Richard makes sure its the last thing he does with a burst of gunfire.

----------


## u-b

Sean shoots a long burst at the campsite, missing most of his targets. "Bart, yours is the one to the right!"

*Spoiler*
Show




> Still going to shoot, Sean?


Yeah, that same shot, just without the acc bonus. Bart will aim.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean and Richard let loose a hail of lead, prompting the the targets to dodge and drop.
Sean only manages to hit one man once, tearing his arm off at the elbow. He screams in agony and clutches the fresh stump.
Richard's target on the elevated platform gets hit by three bullets, he goes limp as the shots penetrate his heart. From this distance, it's hard to tell if he's dead or simply unconscious.

The dogs stay by Bart's side as he aims his gun.
The militiamen also aim their firearms, watchful for easy targets.

No-one can see if the prone targets still alive are doing anything but cowering...or writhing in pain.

----------


## u-b

Sean quickly reloads and shoots another long burst and the men, left to right, targeting the arms again, then makes a step to the left not to stay in the same plafe where the muzzle flashes have been. Between the darkness, the crouched posture and a slight change of position, Sean doubts he will be succesfully targeted, but is ready to dodge anyway.

*Spoiler*
Show

Using extra effort to reload with a full magazine. Now at 9 of 12 FP. Will dodge with extra effort if attacked.

Will need to know the following before deciding if Bart shoots:
1. How many men are there visible on the ground level? Sean targets three to the left. Is there another one to the right?
2. If not, has Bart seen whether the man he is targeting had just been hit?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean manages to shoot up two men in the arm, ripping them off with high powered bullets. They quickly break down into absolute terror, blood spraying.

*Spoiler*
Show

1. All the enemies are visible on the ground. No one is on the right.
2. Bart's target has been hit and he saw it.

----------


## Volthawk

Seeing the state of the enemy after that last burst, Richard starts approaching the camp, shouting out. "Anyone left alive, surrender now and we'll let you live!"

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

(OC: combat over.)

The last hostile to remain conscious eagerly accepts Richard's offer. He surrenders and begs for medical attention. He puts up no resistance as Richard and his friends approach to capture him. Everyone notices a strange chemical smell in the air as they walk through big bushels of weeds around the camp. Noisemaker traps were set up just before the rush of weeds, meant to catch anyone sneaking up on the camp.

When the exiles and their entourage finally get to the campfire, they make note of the encampments features - it is fairly barebones outside of the big wooden box-like semi-cabin which the elevated platform was built upon. An attempt at camouflage was made, but the men here were too inept to make good use of it.
A pair of big plastic barrels that look to have been recently dug up out of an adjacent hole - now kept next to the wooden pseudo-cabin.
Rows of stacked firewood have been stacked close to the firepit.
Behind the cabin, hidden from the exiles viewpoint up until now, is a big hitching post where seven horses with riding gear on have been tied to the post.
The cabins door is shut.

The enemies are easily tied up. Only the sniper on the raised platform atop the cabin is dead without a prayer. The rest are merely bleeding profusely and close to death.

----------


## u-b

Having confirmed that there's no one in the cabin, Sean disarms and tourniquets the survivors, then scotches them, then, provided they agree to talk, proceeds to give proper first aid. The later is bound to take some time, so Richard can as well start to ask questions. Of particular interest:
1. Who are these guys (rank, unit and the rest of the affiliations).
2. Who's their boss.
3. Where's their boss (we want both the coordinates and the whereabouts).
4. Where are everyone else of theirs.
5. What's the smell.
6. What were their friends trying to smuggle out of Bread Basket.
7. Where that substance was to be delivered.
8. How it was supposed to be used.
9. What do they know about earlier similar operations, whether successfull or not, and/or the other sources of the substance.
0. Anything else Richard can think of (or, actually, the guy can think of, if he would like a premium treatment).

UPD: Oh, and who are their men in the city.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The captured enemies agree to talk in exchange for first aid. They're completely shaken, however, and in great pain.
(OC: Make 3 First Aid rolls to treat them. The Interrogation rolls are unopposed, you just need to keep them focused and calm during questioning.)

The cabin is empty of people, yes. But it is where the raiders have stored their supplies...and the corpses of five dogs, preserved as best as they can. The dead dogs seemed to have died from violent animal attacks, throats or bellies ripped out. Stacked next to the door is two weeks' worth of animal feed for dogs and horses. The rest of the cabin is devoted to lockers, barrels and chests.

Sean finds in the containers; 40 loose pistol bullets, 10 loose rifle bullets, 5 loose shotgun shells, an empty (no magazine) Walther PPK pistol (HT99, HT101), three 10-dose tubes of antibiotic ointment (HT226, each tube worth $40), 40 morphine doses (HT226, each dose worth $2more to an addict), an antitoxin kit for snake venom (10 doses, HT226, $40 per dose), 6 doses of truth serum (HT227, $40 a dose), an antitoxin kit for treating curare poisoning (4 doses, HT226, $40 per dose), 4 doses of curare poison ($100 each), and 50 cans of food. The raiders also kept a thick stack of papers (one of which is a map of Vermont) on a desk. From a quick glance, the papers look like scouting reports.

In addition, there's 100 pints of clean water in a small plastic barrel, and a total of 75 gallons of alcohol kept in one large drum and a wooden keg (6.8 lbs. and $2.60 per gallon for the booze, another 50 and 55 pounds respectively for the weight of the keg and drum, HT53-54), all stored at the back of the cabin.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean helps the injured captives. He stops the bleeding from the severed arms.
When he checks the horses, he finds them without saddlebags but with horseshoes, saddles, bits and bridles. They all look worn and somewhat scarred by past injuries.
The dead sniper had a Rolling Block rifle, one rifle bullet chambered.
The pair of big plastic barrels are empty, and are in addition to the containers found in the cabin.

(OC: Anyone got Veterinary skill?)

Richard's questioning of the captives is slow going at first.
He finds out they're all raiders, part of the larger army that has been terrorizing the state and trying to murder the exiles. They have the usual black tattoos on their necks. These ones depict two dice, one showing a 3 and the other showing a 4.
Their unit patrols the roads around here and maintains this encampment of supplies for other units. They also provide back-up for other units, which is what they were doing at Bread Basket.
Their boss is dead, disease got him a few days ago, they've been following standing orders out of inertia since, until an unit in Bread Basket requested backup.
Their boss answered to a nasty raid captain, but they know little about him and they have not heard from him in weeks.
Other raiders come and go to this encampment, giving reports, mooching supplies, hiding out, delivering supplies, and so on. They're all jerks.
The smell is a highly flammable chemical the raiders have coated the bushes in, as part of their defenses. The idea is, at the first sign of trouble like the noisemakers going off, the raiders would toss lit firecrackers or flares into the brush, setting them ablaze. The fires would prevent enemies from hiding there, and frighten off animals.
The raiders from the city did not inform the camping hostiles what they were doing or why they needed backup. It could have been a drug dealing thing, or just simply an attack on security forces.

After one hour of Richard interviewing the captives and Sean securing the camp, everyone starts hearing a great mass of people slowly walking towards their position. Looking to the east, they can see at least 20 humans(?) approaching from 35 yards away in the darkness. None of them seem to be carrying much of anything, and they all sport ghastly injuries or are grossly sick from what is visible of their skin.

----------


## u-b

Looking at the approaching men(?), Sean thinks of no better plan than to kill them if they would seem to be dangerous. He points at the captives. "You three get inside. Bart, you are with them." He then addresses the militia. "You three on the roof." He then reloads the rifle and prepares a lit flare to throw at the soaked bushes to the east. "You do as you will, Richard."

----------


## Volthawk

Richard frowns as he sees the approaching group. Sick and injured. He feels obligated to do _something_ to help, but some of them look pretty badly ill and he can't afford to get sick. He looks back at Sean as he sets himself and the men up. "I'll try to talk to them - from a safe distance, of course. If they don't listen, turn violent or try to close the distance...we'll see." Richard really didn't want to see them shot. It's probably not a surprise to Sean, given their time together so far, that he doesn't even directly bring up the prospect of shooting the group.

That said - or not said, as it were - Richard walks forward a few steps and shouts out into the darkness. "You lot! Stop there! We can give you help and supplies, but you have to stop approaching! Some of you are sick!"

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

At first, Richard thinks the approaching people do not hear him...
They simply keep lurching over, as if in a trance.
Sean sees it first, through his vision aides. About half of the people coming closer suddenly start twitching violently as they approach...

Then their heads open up like gory blossoming flowers into strange insectoid stalks of wet flesh, and their necks twist and bend in unnatural ways as if something within is whipping it around. He notices that almost all of them appear to be days old corpses that somehow still amble. What on earth...?!

(OC: Sean, Richard, both of you roll a Fright Check at -2. Roll the same for your NPC companions.)

----------


## u-b

Sean is shocked by the sight he is seeing and takes some time to get his bearings together. Luckily, the approaching _things_ are not very fast...

*Spoiler*
Show

Sean is stunned and will remain so for a total of 4 seconds. The militia men react differently, but the details depend on their respective Wills. Not sure when they are able to see what is happening (they have no night vision aids) and thus when the effects start. If they take long enough to notice it, maybe we will be already in combat by that time, not sure if that gives a +5. Bart in the cabin will probably take some time to notice that the things are amiss, after which he will fail his fright check, unless +5 for being already "in combat", because by that time shooting will likely start.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard keeps his nerve a little better than Sean, and the fact that they're clearly not human any more quells any hesitation about shooting them. There's a lot of them, so Richard just keeps firing into the approaching horde, trying to thin their numbers while the rest of the team get it together.

----------


## u-b

The first thing Sean does when he can get his senses together is to throw the lit flare at the fuel-soaked bush.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

For the next five seconds, Richard let loose his fury as hard and as fast as he can. The awful monsters are less than 30 yards away...
He shoots down two horrors in the first second.
His next burst ends on a slight fumble as the gun turns in his hand. He still manages to nail 3 more monsters hard enough that they fall down.
He quickly corrects his slip.
Then goes back to the comforting roar of automatic gunfire. He easily tears through the horde but only one of the hellish things gives up the fight...
On second number five, as Sean throws the flare, Richard scores another horror downed in the blaze of bullets...

The mass of monsters still numbers over two dozen, and they are now only 10 yards away.

As he ends his shooting, Sean recovers from the fear and throws a flare into the soaked bushes and enjoys the sight of a blaze starting up right away. It immediately begins to spread...

The fire in the bushes catches the middle of the horde quite well...

----------


## u-b

Standing his ground for now, Sean shoots a long burst at the approaching lot, trying not to spread it evenly, but instead to concentrate it where Richard is _not_ targeting. He shouts: "Meh, shoot the back ranks!".

*Spoiler*
Show

The militia men on the roof now see the illuminated baddies and, to the extent able, probably aim.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

(OC: Does switching to your rifle require a Ready before you start shooting?)

Sean lets loose with his rifle. He easily gets some hits in on all his targets.
His first target seems to swallow the two bullets coming it's way, and ignores them both even as the holes leak black fluid.
The second target is hit twice for identical effect.
The third horror also takes the bullets like a champ.
The fourth one to be shot at gets knocked down by the bullets, out of the fight.
The fifth monster is hit once, to minimal effect, blasting away a chunk of flesh that it barely reacts to.
The sixth target also barely reacts to the two bullets that penetrates its chest area.

Sean realises, worryingly, that his gunfire seems far less effective against these targets, like throwing pebbles into tar...Everything he knows about human biology tells him that these monsters do not have vitals, somehow.

----------


## Volthawk

Seeing the subpar effectiveness of their rifles, and how clustered the...whatever these things are...were together, Richard pulls out a grenade. Fragmentation might not be up to much, like the bullets, but the raw explosive force might hopefully do something.

*Spoiler*
Show


Doesn't look like any of Richard's potentially-relevant things are relevant (Lightning Fingers does gun gadgets, he just has gun, sword and ammo Fast-Draw specs and grenades are probably separate), so that's a Ready to pull it out. One more after this to pull the pin, and then he can throw it in the third second overall with it detonating on the fourth second since Richard finished his bursts, for the ninth overall (grenades have between a 2 and 4 second fuse, given we're the people who modified grenade launchers to ignore the safety short-range mechanism I figure our fuses are on the shorter side).

He's going to take a step back for this action and the next Ready, just in case.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

(OC: okay, while Sean and Richard are acting, what will the NPCs on top of the cabin do in the meantime?)

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

When Sean first fired his gun, the men on top of the cabin froze in the face of the horror for varying moments of time.

They eventually aim and then open fire on the back ranks of the horde.

The hardiest militiaman recovers after a second and blasts two monsters right where it works, knocking them down.
The second militiaman shakes like a leaf for 2 seconds before getting his nerve back and shooting the monsters...to minimal effect.
The third militiaman also shivers for 2 seconds before he manages to make his shots. He hits twice, but none of his targets seem particularly beaten down.

(OC: the NPCs are now mostly acting alongside the PCs. I think we can safely *enter combat time officially*, after five seconds of action. Now the monsters are 10 yards from the PCs, one fifth of them are on fire, more will be on fire every second as the fire spreads. The NPCs all managed to Aim for 3, 2, and 2 turns after shooting as Turn 1 begins...)

*TURN 1*

Sean is on the ball. But can he make a difference?

----------


## u-b

Sean moves a few yards back and shoots another burst at he approaching lot, not quite satisfied with the effect he is having on that lot as a whole. "We retreat. Will cover the ladder and lure them through the fire again and again." That leaves a question of Bart and the captives, but Sean is not sure he can do anything about that now.

*Spoiler*
Show




> The mass of monsters still numbers over two dozen, and they are now only 10 yards away.





> Now the monsters are 10 yards from the PCs...


I mean, again?




> ...after five seconds of action...


Sean should have just thrown the flare allowing the men on the roof have a clear view of the targets. And Richard should have just finished shooting after which he is to spend two more seconds getting a live grenade in hand.

I think we should be now after 7 rounds of action and so the opposition should be a bit closer.

Bart probably looks at the scenery and tries to barricade inside.

Defenses: if they can reach Sean, he'll dodge and retreat.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> Sean moves a few yards back and shoots another burst at he approaching lot, not quite satisfied with the effect he is having on that lot as a whole. "We retreat. Will cover the ladder and lure them through the fire again and again." That leaves a question of Bart and the captives, but Sean is not sure he can do anything about that now.
> 
> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> 
> I mean, again?
> 
> Sean should have just thrown the flare allowing the men on the roof have a clear view of the targets. And Richard should have just finished shooting after which he is to spend two more seconds getting a live grenade in hand.
> ...


Sean sweats heavily as he fires a long burst from his rifle. His shots all hit, but only one of the horrors gets knocked down and out of the fight. He counts about 30 of the monsters still active!

(OC: Richard, your turn. I believe you have a Ready grenade on hand, which you had a chance to pull the pin before combat time proper began? You can throw it this turn, right? The NPCs act after you, they all had 2, 2, and 3 seconds of Aim by now.)

*Spoiler*
Show

Yeah, the 10 yards figure came up twice because the post was covering the same five seconds again. They were acting at the same time as Sean and Richard. It does not cover the seconds after that in detail. Sorry for the confusion.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard lobs the grenade a short distance ahead of the horde and starts following Sean backwards.

*Spoiler*
Show


The grenade goes off after they next move, but unless they speed up or down compared to before Richard should have it about right to catch as many of them as possible. It does 16 crushing damage point blank, 5 crushing a yard away, 2 damage at two yards (I figured we'd rather not do the "roll damage for everyone caught in the blast separately" approach given the number of enemies involved - let me know if you'd rather they all get a roll each GM).

The fragmentation suffers a -3 range penalty to hit Richard (he moved 2 yards back, factoring in encumbrance and the whole moving back is 1 yards per 2 normal movement thing), so he gets hit by 2 fragments, both hitting the torso and thus doing nothing against his steel plate. For the enemy, given size and posture mods are both -0 for them, that makes it so those within three yards get hit by 3 fragments, and those further out get hit by 2. That includes any of our people within 10 yards of the grenade, which may include Sean (oops). I'm also not sure if I should've rolled fragmentation damage separately against everyone - given I didn't, and I'm not sure how many will be left when it detonates, I'll again leave that call to you GM.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The militia backup steels themselves with more squinting down the barrel, bracing their guns.

The horde of awful things keep moving towards Sean and Richard, the grenade is not going off yet. They move another 4 yards towards the exiles - not too far from the cabin structure.

But the fire keeps burning, catching an extra handful of the horrors. The exiles count an even dozen of them set alight...

And every single one of the unnatural horrors succumbs to the fire, falling down in a seizure-like manner and letting out unnervingly not-quite-animal screams as they blacken into carbon under the red and orange illumination. They are out of the fight and into the cookout.

*TURN 2*

Sean finds himself just less than a handful of meters away from the frontline of the monsters.

----------


## u-b

Having observed that (1) we don't have the bullets to kill every monster and that (2) the fire works, Sean comes with a plan to just let them die in the fire. This could require some creative maneuvering, but he's quick enough on his feet to do as much. "Men, defend the cabin only! Don't just shoot at the crowd!" shouts Sean as he is moving around.

*Spoiler*
Show

The goals are...
1. Not get hit by fragmentation.
2. Not get caught by monsters.
3. Not get caught in the fire.
4. Keep luring the monsters...
4.1 Away from the cabin.
4.2 Where they will burn.

Sean is moving fast (move 7), but in no particular hurry to finish the task as long as the overall plan works.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean is fairly sure the fire is doing much more harm to the monsters than his bullets did, yes...and he spots something peculiar about the monsters at this close range; despite their heads appearing quite gruesomely inhuman at first glance, he sees a strange fleshly bulb the size of a brain at the center of the flesh stalks that is being encased in some translucent shell and engulfed by smaller stalks.

----------


## Volthawk

Seeing that Sean seems to have a plan, and that he only had the one fragmentation grenade, Richard keeps moving towards the cabin.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

(OC: Noted, both of you keep track of your distance from the monsters. NPCs' turn now. Do they open fire?)

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The men on top of the cabin follow orders and brace their guns on the platform's guard rails.

A monster catches fire from the spreading blaze, and instantly screeches in agony as it is engulfed by the burning brightness. It is out of the fight.

*TURN 3*

Sean feels sweat putting down his forehead and from his armpits. He has put himself through his paces in this fight and the last.

----------


## u-b

Sean keeps moving away, quickly reloading the rifle, then turns back at the monsters. The plan was well and good, but he had some new information to check. "Just testing a little hypothesis..." he says and shoots a long burst at the nearest lot.

*Spoiler*
Show

Round 1: 2 yards => 5 yards (3 steps back, end up facing the monsters) => monsters move 4
Round 2: 1 yards => 6 yards (turn 2, move 5, end up facing away) => monsters move 4
Round 3: 2 yards => 7 yards (move 5, turn 2, end up almost facing the monsters) => ...

Extra effort to reload and extra effort to move and attack, ending up with 5/12 FP.

If this has the desired effect and the men on the roof get it, they might want to aim at those brains-like things.

UPD: What about the grenade?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> *Spoiler*
> Show
> 
> UPD: What about the grenade?


*Spoiler*
Show

The grenade goes on Richard's turn, so now.


Sean is getting very tired. He fears he may not be able to keep fighting well enough...

He lets loose a barrage, and manages to pop the strange "brain bulbs" on approaching monsters. His shots completely destroy 5 targets, causing the horrors to fall down without any further struggle, eliminated with prejudice. He hits the torso on some, taking out another. He thinks he found a weakspot.

Richard's grenade explodes shortly afterward, tearing up another two monsters until they can not menace anyone.

(OC: Richard, your turn.)

----------


## Volthawk

While a quick glance back shows Sean having encouraging success with the monsters somehow, Richard keeps moving for now to join up with the militia at the house and...do something. Maybe Sean was onto something.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The militiamen hold their fire as they wait for the signal from Sean and Richard.

One more monster catches fire from the chemical-soaked bushes. The flames do petty damage as the nine horrors shamble towards the exiles.

*TURN 4*

Sean continues to run a bit more.

----------


## u-b

Sean shouts "Brains where the stalks originate! Fire at will!" and then continues to demonstrate his findings before running away with an empty mag, planning to lure whatever is left into the fire while not being burned himself*.

*Spoiler*
Show

Round 1: 2 yards => 5 yards (3 steps back, end up facing the monsters) => monsters move 4
Round 2: 1 yards => 6 yards (turn 2, move 5, end up facing away) => monsters move 4
Round 3: 2 yards => 7 yards (move 5, turn 2, end up almost facing the monsters) => monsters move 4
Round 4: 3 yards** => 9(?) yards* (turn 1, move 6, end up facing away) => ...

Extra effort to move and attack, ending up with 4/12 FP.
*Can turn a bit for free as he enters each and every hex. The intent is to eventually be on the other side of the fire relative to most of the remaining lot, so the total distance from the nearest might end up shorter than 9 yards, but then there would be a fire in between.
**This is the distance to the closest baddies, but the front row(s) should be by now rather sparse.

Militia men will likely aim at the "brains".

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean is fleet of foot and fancy-stepping as he puts distance between him and the horrors, before firing another burst of lead at the "skulls" of the monsters.

He scores 4 lethal hits, destroying their brain bulbs, the twisted bodies of the unnatural things falling flat on the ground like a sack of wet dirt.

Five left...

----------


## Volthawk

Hearing Sean call out the solution, Richard turns and fires a burst at the remaining monsters, trying to hit the bulbs.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Richard is not used to shooting heads (or things the size of human heads anyhow...) and only manages to bullseye a single monster, who collapses into complete stillness as the bulb is splattered by the shot.

(OC: Do the militiamen open fire now? It's their turn....before the monsters come after Sean and Richard.)

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The militiamen on top of the cabin open fire on the monsters, taking Sean's lead to fire at their "skulls" weakpoint.

(OC: Sean, the NPCs get +2 to their attack rolls because of their elevated position.)

Two of them score hits on the horrible things, taking them out with satisfying brutality.

Only three of the monster remain combat ready, lurching after Sean and Richard for 3 yards, not in danger of suffering from the fire. The one who was on fire died in the previous salvos of bullets.

*TURN 5*

Sean is feeling way less panicked, now the horde of monsters has been reduced to less than a mere squad.

----------


## u-b

From now on, Sean just keeps moving around until he is, say, 20 feet away from the monsters or they all are dead. One or the other should come first depending on whom they will chase.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean gets the lead out.
(OC: Full Move.)

Richard acts as his comrade books it...

----------


## Volthawk

Richard starts moving towards the cabin again - Sean was making some distance for himself elsewhere, and the militiamen knew what was up, so he could get some distance while any following him got closer to and easier to hit for the men up top.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The exiles' backup take aim again, hoping to get in more headshots before the monsters reach Sean and Richard.

Speaking of the monsters, they all keep moving towards Sean, apparently liking the way he smells...
(OC: 4 yards of Move.)

*TURN 6*

Sean has managed to keep the monsters on his tail, now he just has keep his distance...

----------


## u-b

Sean has to move it move it, so he surely keeps doing that. He choses a trajectory based on two properties: first, to keep the monsters in clear shot of the people above, and second, to eventually get some fire between them and himself.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

With the way the fire is spreading, Sean will need to lure the monsters in a diagonal angle quickly before the fire circles the campsite totally. Luckily, it is not hard to keep them in sight of the elevated platform.

----------


## Volthawk

With the monsters all following Sean now, Richard starts to aim at one now he has the time to accurately pick one off instead of wildly firing.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The exiles' comrades also take aim some more. They yell at Sean to watch out and not take stupid risks.

The 3 monsters continue to chase after Sean, moving another 4 yards. It would take another 2 seconds of chasing before they all get over to the spreading fire, at this rate.

*TURN 7*

Sean needs to put some distance between him and his inhuman pursuers.

----------


## u-b

Sean just keeps moving as per the plan.

*Spoiler*
Show

The militia men likely shoot.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard double-taps the one he'd taken aim at, more confident in his chances now he's taken a moment to steady himself and not seeing the need for a long burst at this point.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Richard manages to blast the unholy thing's brain bulb to pieces.

The militiamen open fire with him, also scoring headshots on the remaining horrors.

As the gunshots fade into silence and ringing ears, the exiles and their men see with relief that all the awful monsters have been sent back to the pit that spawned them - only wretched defiled bodies remain.

(OC: *combat over.* *All player characters earn 1 bonus Character Point for taking down the outpost and the horde!*)

----------


## u-b

After the last thing is done with, Sean quickly gets on the inside of the ring of fire. Then he drags two bodies, one killed by a brain shot and one killed _not_ by a brain shot, to some place beside the cabin. "I'll want to examine these later, but now I will have to rest. I'll give you guys an hour to pack things and ask questions. See if you can get all these barrels with us. Not sure how you load them onto the horses, but we have enough brains in the area..." the pun was apparently intended "...so you might come up with something good. The questions are to include these guys very appropriate defenses and generally their experience with these sorts of things. I'll be on the roof in case I'm needed."

*Spoiler*
Show

The plan is to rest for 1 hour after which the militia men should have packed as much as they could, preferably incluing the barrels, both empty and not.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

(OC: alright, what does Richard do while Sean is resting and the militiamen are packing up the stuff?)

----------


## Volthawk

Richard watches their captives while the men work and Sean rests - ostensibly, he's there to ask questions, but after the stress of what just happened he mainly just makes sure that they don't get any ideas and uses the time to think things over and catch his breath now things are calm.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean examines the dead monsters as he finally catches his breath. Most of the horrors that weren't shot in the head were burned by the fires. The very few that knocked down by torso hits stayed still on the ground...for ten or so minutes before they began squirming and shaking violently. Fortunately, the militiamen saw this and immediately acted.

They blasted the strangely moving flesh-things in the head and then threw them all onto the fire just in case.

The militiamen have trouble handling the big bulky barrels. The rest of the supplies are easier to move even if they are a lot of them.

(OC: No space in the car/s?)

----------


## u-b

"Well, seems we'll have to come here tomorrow. No problem with that." Says Sean observing the barrels that have to be left at the site. He then proceeds to lead the group of men and horses back to Bread Basket.

He plans to check with the guards there whether they want to have the captives right away or let the group hold onto them until the morning.

*Spoiler*
Show




> No space in the car/s?





> Sean proceeds to rent the rooms for the night and park the cars somewhere guarded. ... He then takes everyone willing to go for a walk.


So we have left the cars in a guarded parking lot the city.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

It takes way too long for the exiles, their friends and the captives to make it back to Bread Basket. The woods seem just a little too spooky now, too deep and dark. It gives everyone chills.

The Bread Basket security forces welcome them back with narrowed eyes. They take the captives off their hands and prepare to hold them for interrogation. The exiles are thanked, but warned that taking unnecessary risks like this should not become a habit. After helping security write a report of what the exiles saw and did, they are let go to do as they wish. They comment that plenty of people would like to buy the horses they have with them.

The cars and their stored belongings are right where they left them, protected by Bread Basket's walls and patrollers.

----------


## Volthawk

While they're talking to the guards, Richard makes special mention of the monsters they faced, curious as to whether they're a known entity to the people that live here and if they know anything about them or where they came from (or if they could point them in the direction of someone who did). The exiles had seen their fair share of mutants at this point, animal and humanoid, but nothing quite that...unnatural, he supposed was the word for it.

----------


## u-b

Sean wakes up early in the morning, but lets everyone else sleep to their full satisfaction. He chats with the traders to say the following:
1. The horses are available for sale at NO DISCOUNT, accepting payments in FOOD ONLY and with PAYMENT DELIVERY to a specific place that we name (the delivery might be paid for as reasonable). Their gear and feed is available at NEGOTIABLE PRICE.
2. There is a lot of guns that are for sale at NEGOTIABLE PRICE, accepting payments in FOOD MOSTLY and with PAYMENT DELIVERY as above.
3. Some assorted armor parts are for sale at NEGOTIABLE PRICE, accepting payments in FOOD MOSTLY and with PAYMENT DELIVERY as above. This includes all anti-stab plates and maybe some sharp-protectives. We also have kevlar vests, but these are reserved for bartering for something exclusive, that's not found on the open market.
4. We'd like to transact in bulk, some minor transactions are also possible.
5. If weapons or armor are sold at no discount, we'll make our best to make the transacting party the priority buyer of ALL LATER SHIPMENTS of the same.
6. We propose to arrange the transaction some time today afternoon / early evening. This time can be spent to examine the wares and arrange the funding. Our people will be informed to provide adequate access.

Eventually, Sean is ready for some interview with the officials.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> While they're talking to the guards, Richard makes special mention of the monsters they faced, curious as to whether they're a known entity to the people that live here and if they know anything about them or where they came from (or if they could point them in the direction of someone who did). The exiles had seen their fair share of mutants at this point, animal and humanoid, but nothing quite that...unnatural, he supposed was the word for it.


The guards look confused and scratch their heads in response to Richard's tale. They have no idea what he is talking about.




> Sean wakes up early in the morning, but lets everyone else sleep to their full satisfaction. He chats with the traders to say the following:
> 1. The horses are available for sale at NO DISCOUNT, accepting payments in FOOD ONLY and with PAYMENT DELIVERY to a specific place that we name (the delivery might be paid for as reasonable). Their gear and feed is available at NEGOTIABLE PRICE.
> 2. There is a lot of guns that are for sale at NEGOTIABLE PRICE, accepting payments in FOOD MOSTLY and with PAYMENT DELIVERY as above.
> 3. Some assorted armor parts are for sale at NEGOTIABLE PRICE, accepting payments in FOOD MOSTLY and with PAYMENT DELIVERY as above. This includes all anti-stab plates and maybe some sharp-protectives. We also have kevlar vests, but these are reserved for bartering for something exclusive, that's not found on the open market.
> 4. We'd like to transact in bulk, some minor transactions are also possible.
> 5. If weapons or armor are sold at no discount, we'll make our best to make the transacting party the priority buyer of ALL LATER SHIPMENTS of the same.
> 6. We propose to arrange the transaction some time today afternoon / early evening. This time can be spent to examine the wares and arrange the funding. Our people will be informed to provide adequate access.
> 
> Eventually, Sean is ready for some interview with the officials.


Sean and his friends bunks down for the night...

*DAY 75*

The next morning, Sean wakes to the comforting noise of civilisation.
The merchants in Bread Basket gladly accept the horses at the offered price - they need the animals for farming. The gear and feed fetches their full value.
The security forces have room in their budget to buy the guns, and the visiting merchants also express interest in weaponry. Sean can get the full value of the firearms. Ditto the armour pieces.
Payment in food and water is pretty standard around Bread Basket, so no problem there. They even prefer that over bullets, to an extent. The food is mostly canned for preserving, but there are bulk supplies of fresh meat and vegetables available thanks to nearby farming facilities. It doesn't take too long for interested parties to start getting out their accounting books and inventories.

The officials meet Sean sometime after that. They are friendly about discussing business. They let him start, if he has a particular topic he needs to know about...

----------


## u-b

Sean lets Richard do most of the talking, but makes sure the following topics are eventually covered:
1. Ski Resort raider boss papers listing the raiders' priority targets.
2. Shelter 43 Computer(?) information about history of "treason".
3. Stone's papers about inciting the mutants' attacks.
4. The fake used against the WMD guards.
5. All sort of mutant and otherwise abnormal creatures.
6. The recent "power smuggling" attempt.
7. The current situation in general and our both parties' view about what should be done about it, by either party or third parties, if we are to bring us "priority targets" into some sort of cooperation.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> Sean lets Richard do most of the talking, but makes sure the following topics are eventually covered:
> 1. Ski Resort raider boss papers listing the raiders' priority targets.
> 2. Shelter 43 Computer(?) information about history of "treason".
> 3. Stone's papers about inciting the mutants' attacks.
> 4. The fake used against the WMD guards.
> 5. All sort of mutant and otherwise abnormal creatures.
> 6. The recent "power smuggling" attempt.
> 7. The current situation in general and our both parties' view about what should be done about it, by either party or third parties, if we are to bring us "priority targets" into some sort of cooperation.


(OC: Richard, try rolling Carousing, Current Affairs or Diplomacy - or a Reaction Roll for requesting information. These guys are friendly enough, all such rolls are +2. Anything you want to discuss, too?)

----------


## Volthawk

Besides the things Sean reminds him to bring up, Richard brings attention to the problem of the raiders' information and espionage network. Some of Sean's points touched on this, but Richard mentions the intel they found referring to spies in all the major settlements in the area, offering to pass on any details pertinent to Bread Basket - he doesn't remember anything specific to this place, but if they were elsewhere it was safe to assume they'd done the same thing here, particularly in light of recent events - and mentions how the others they've worked with have already put the information to use finding spies in their own settlements. He's also not sure if the group the exiles just fought were the only ones lurking around in support of raiders within the city, or if the ones the security forces stopped were the only raiders operating within the city. He does note that they didn't find the local captain among their captives or the dead.

Also, when it comes to the topic of monsters and mutants, he makes special mention of the things they just fought - they hadn't seen them before, and they were close by to Bread Basket in significant numbers, and the group they killed may not be the only ones around. If nothing else, he passes on Sean's observation about their weak spot, just in case some threaten Bread Basket.

*Spoiler*
Show


I forgot the +2 for those rolls I just made, but that doesn't change anything - still a success on Diplomacy and a "Very Good" reaction.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The Bread Basket people gently talk with Sean and Richard about what they know.

The raider boss at the ski resort was apparently tasked with some big projects, with state-wide implications. The locals look it over and comment that they never had a real problem with raider attacks until recently.

The talk about Shelter 43 and the computer's talk of treason strikes them as very weird and probably not solid intel.

The Bread Basket locals claim there have been no attacks by mutants anytime around here. In fact, there are no mutants, period, anywhere near Bread Basket and there never have been.

Information about WMDs and faked intelligence worry them. They're not immediately alarmed, as the ruse seems to be distant from Bread Basket but they thank the exiles for helping anyway.

The people of Bread Basket deny ever encountering mutants - animal or sapient.

The "power smuggling" attempt seems to be an attempt at heisting a major rechargeable battery - it's capable of providing electricity to several households like a generator and can be recharged by solar panels and other converters. That's what they've heard anyway.

The information about the raiders' espionage network is very much appreciated. It had not occurred to them that there were spies in their midst. The security forces are already trying to find the trail of the raiders they fought at the checkpoint, to see what they were doing in Bread Basket in the first place.

The monsters are a new one for them. They seem unconvinced, but they note what the exiles report about fighting them anyway.

Bread Basket currently has a few problems that they can hire the exiles to help with.
They've unearthed (from a recovered old world military map) the location of an advanced old world scientific facility hidden in the mountains, and want explorers to journey there to get a copy of their scientific records.
There are two scavenger gangs (not raiders, they're just wanderers who pick through ruins and lost settlements) are feuding with each other over territory and loot 10 miles from Bread Basket's city limits, they threaten to spill over into other peoples home turf, Bread Basket wants hirelings to put a stop to the conflict.
A city VIP wants someone to track down a missing person and deliver them home.
The security forces are trying to crack down on the local illicit drug trade in the city.
Bread Basket would like to recruit a militia known as "The Black Parade" as extra security for the city. Could you make contact with them and convince them to sign an employment contract?
The city also needs more generators to power various utilities. Could you go scavenging in old world factories and hardware stores?

----------


## u-b

Sean listens carefully then brings up the following:
1. Shelter 43 told us that its information about the location of other Shelters was deliberately erased. Can the locals clarify whether they still have this sort of information? If yes, what it would take to be cleared to access it? If no, can they comment on the history of ending up in this state (like records of it being destroyed or they never ever had it or what).
2. Sean admits being confused by the locals' response regarding the "power smuggling" attempt. Sean has used the term to mean the ettempt was backed by a noticiable armed force. It _looked like_ the last attempt was about some sort of chemical, so...
2.1 Did Sean get it wrong?
2.2 Were there other attempts? Are they a regular occurence?
2.3 What was the chemical, if it is not a secret?
3. We certainly will take a look at the specified scientific facility. We'd like to have a copy of that whole map, if possible. Where exactly is the facility located, relative to here and other notable landmarks?
4. We'll talk to those scavengers, but beyond that, no guarantees.
5. Sean is not particularly sure about other topics. We might be able to do one or the other, but only if it does not take an undue amount of time, so drug dealing part likely gets indefinitely delayed.
6. We'll need all information about the missin person, if and only if, it they are not presumed to be still inside the city.
7. We'll need the location of "The Black Parade". We already have they radio contacts, which we should probably also confirm as we have so far not talked with them over the radio. We'll also need some business details, like the proposed pay / budget or what not.
8. Looting for generators can and will be done in spare time, if any. We are acception any leads about sites to explore. Do these people have a reliable supplier of required amounts of fuel? Would they explore the possibility of hooking up to some real power plant across the state? Sean is not sure the transmission lines are any good and they will sure be vulnerable to all forms of sabotage, but a power plant _might_ come online in a few monts' time.
9. Sean proposes we establish an encrypted radio channel for future communications.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The people of Bread Basket have no information about the Shelters, sad to say. They have no idea if they ever had it in the first place. They have had little contact with other Shelters in the past.

The locals simply shrug. They have not noticed any thefts of chemicals...
The reports state that raiders were after large batteries.
This was the first such raid they've suffered in living memory.
They have not heard of any chemicals being relevant.

The map to the mountain laboratory is good and thus mildly classified, they can share it with anyone taking the job.

The Bread Basket people share the locations of the scavengers' home bases, as well as the names of the relevant people in charge of the gangs. Please try to smooth out whatever causing this feud.

The Bread Basket people seem disappointed by Sean's reluctance to tackle the other jobs.

The contact details for the VIP is given to the exiles - he'll brief them in full when they do talk to him. It's apparently a sensitive matter.

The locals helpfully give Sean and his friends the full rundown on The Black Parade. The militia is based out of a "stone castle", they have maps to the base. They also give them a copy of the proposal for payment and the details of what the job would require. They wish them luck.

The locals show places on a regional map where they suspect industrial facilities can be found. They can trade for fuel, they can convert corn to ethanol, they can scramble scavengers for more fuel, they figure a few types of generators run on muscle or solar power, they are not that worried about it. They are reluctant to try hooking up to the power plant, the connection across the state would be vulnerable to attack by raiders.

They note that their local engineers could build a semi-portable steam engine generator cobbled together from junk scavenged from city ruins, if hired explorers do the scrounging for them and deliver the parts. That kind of generator consumes wood and water. It converts the steam directly into electricity.

Bread Basket does have radios, they can set up a channel for contacting the exiles. Encrypting it could also work.

----------


## u-b

If Richard does not mind, if locals do not insist on getting anything other than info from the scientific facility, and if the time frame for the mission is measured at least in "weeks", Sean is inclined to accept it.

It's up to Richard to accept or decline the missing person job as he's the one competent in these investigatibe matters.

The plan is then to finalize the deal with the merchants and maybe go visit the VIP.

Regarding the merchant part:
1. What is the expected schedule of the deliveries, both to Radar Base and to Gunmetal? We will transmit the general idea to "expect food truck(s)", but neither the schedules or the amounts. The food should go to storage at the base and be credited to our account at Gunmetal.
2. We tell people at Gunmetal that we have been selling arms to Bread Basket, but...
2.1 These were arms taken from the raiders, not bought from Gunmetal.
2.2 We do not plan to (and, on request, can promise not to) sell them arms bought in Gunmetal.
2.3 We request three truckloads of perimeter parts manufactured according to our specification (dual wire fence with steel posts + barbed wire ontop + tanglefoot wire in between). These are to be delivered to Radar Base when ready and when sufficient food comes in to pay for it.

*Spoiler*
Show

By my calculation based on the internets, a truckload will cost as little as $12000 and will contain as much as 200 yards of ready-to-assemble perimeter, but this assumes...
A. Current (TL8) prices from Chinese suppliers, which is _in bulk_ about $3.5 per yard per fence and way less than in piecewise retail in America (maybe $16 per yard per fance).
B. Using the multiplier of the invention (TL7), not of the production.
C. Specifically, this _ignores_ HT204's pricing of concretina wire, which, by itself, would cost over $100 per yard for two coils after TL modifier, which is way over today's US prices of, like, $1.5 per yard per coil in retail (times whatever TL modifier it would be).

So I'm giving an absolute minimum price. Corrections welcome. We'll cover any delivery fee.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard's enthusiastic to accept the missing person job - there's a chance this person may be in real trouble, so he can't exactly refuse the request to help. On a more practical level, one he doesn't bring up, getting on the good side of a Bread Basket VIP seems very useful. The talk of it being a sensitive, private matter is a little concerning, though, but not enough to reject it. He asks for more information.

When it comes to the offers Sean turned down, Richard is a little more receptive towards them - he doesn't overrule Sean, but he does ask for more details about the fueding scavengers. More information about the local groups is never a bad idea, and they might be able to do something about it at some point.

The scientific facility definitely grabs Richard's attention the most, though, and he readily goes along with Sean's intentions there. He does make sure to confirm that the exiles will be able to have a look through the records as well - there's a not-insignificant chance that the facility may have something to do with the mutants and monsters out in the world now, given what they already knew about the origins of the mutants, so Richard would appreciate the opportunity to add to their intelligence on the topic. He also asks the officials if they know anything about the place beyond its existence and the map, whether that be related to its current state or its original purpose.

He's also quite positively inclined towards the prospect of making arrangements with the Black Parade. Making places safer and more secure, and the people that lived there more interconnected and inclined towards working together, was something he was very interested in, after all, and bringing in more security for Bread Basket suited him just fine - particularly since a fair deal for the Black Parade would ensure that they stay on the straight and narrow themselves. With that in mind, he looks over the contract, curious as to the kind of terms they're supposed to be negotiating and how fair they are.

When it comes to the power situation, he's up for finding them the equipment and parts they need, sure. When it comes to the power plant, he understands their reluctance, although he does bring up that they've got the raiders on the back foot. Something to keep in mind for when the region is safer, he supposed. For now, he just noted down the suggested locations for scavenging for future reference.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> Regarding the merchant part:
> 1. What is the expected schedule of the deliveries, both to Radar Base and to Gunmetal? We will transmit the general idea to "expect food truck(s)", but neither the schedules or the amounts. The food should go to storage at the base and be credited to our account at Gunmetal.
> 2. We tell people at Gunmetal that we have been selling arms to Bread Basket, but...
> 2.1 These were arms taken from the raiders, not bought from Gunmetal.
> 2.2 We do not plan to (and, on request, can promise not to) sell them arms bought in Gunmetal.
> 2.3 We request three truckloads of perimeter parts manufactured according to our specification (dual wire fence with steel posts + barbed wire ontop + tanglefoot wire in between). These are to be delivered to Radar Base when ready and when sufficient food comes in to pay for it.
> 
> *Spoiler*
> Show
> ...


The delivery of the ordered goods will take about one or two days for both destinations.
The Gunmetal radio jockeys receive Sean's message about the sales.
The ordered parts can be traded for the food delivery, yes. They can load it up and get it to the radar base via van without trouble, it will take one and half days at a guess. The price of the stuff is covered by the food delivery. Hopefully, the raiders do not interfere with the deliveries, but that is less of a concern since the exiles have done a good job pushing them back and out of allied territory.

*Spoiler*
Show

Price is correct.





> Richard's enthusiastic to accept the missing person job - there's a chance this person may be in real trouble, so he can't exactly refuse the request to help. On a more practical level, one he doesn't bring up, getting on the good side of a Bread Basket VIP seems very useful. The talk of it being a sensitive, private matter is a little concerning, though, but not enough to reject it. He asks for more information.
> 
> When it comes to the offers Sean turned down, Richard is a little more receptive towards them - he doesn't overrule Sean, but he does ask for more details about the fueding scavengers. More information about the local groups is never a bad idea, and they might be able to do something about it at some point.
> 
> The scientific facility definitely grabs Richard's attention the most, though, and he readily goes along with Sean's intentions there. He does make sure to confirm that the exiles will be able to have a look through the records as well - there's a not-insignificant chance that the facility may have something to do with the mutants and monsters out in the world now, given what they already knew about the origins of the mutants, so Richard would appreciate the opportunity to add to their intelligence on the topic. He also asks the officials if they know anything about the place beyond its existence and the map, whether that be related to its current state or its original purpose.
> 
> He's also quite positively inclined towards the prospect of making arrangements with the Black Parade. Making places safer and more secure, and the people that lived there more interconnected and inclined towards working together, was something he was very interested in, after all, and bringing in more security for Bread Basket suited him just fine - particularly since a fair deal for the Black Parade would ensure that they stay on the straight and narrow themselves. With that in mind, he looks over the contract, curious as to the kind of terms they're supposed to be negotiating and how fair they are.
> 
> When it comes to the power situation, he's up for finding them the equipment and parts they need, sure. When it comes to the power plant, he understands their reluctance, although he does bring up that they've got the raiders on the back foot. Something to keep in mind for when the region is safer, he supposed. For now, he just noted down the suggested locations for scavenging for future reference.


Once they've officially accepted the jobs, the employers hand over the full (semi-secret) details about the objectives and what the Bread Basket people have confirmed. They mark the appropriate locations on the regional map for them. The job about the missing person will require a private meeting later in the day with the VIP to discuss the matter, the locals send the message to the man and give the exiles the address. The locals discourage the exiles about the VIP's want for privacy regarding the job (they seem to have a hunch about what exactly the problem is, but they do not want to discuss it with outsiders - it's a taboo that they may share).

The contract with The Black Parade looks pretty good to Richard. It occasionally seems concerned with protecting certain "trade secrets" regarding Bread Basket's inner circle and Shelter-centric homes. (It looks like the residential areas underground in the old Shelter space are strictly off-limits to outsiders of any stripe. Apparently, they are very protective of their children, who are born and raised until adulthood there.) As a former security expert for a Shelter, however, Richard can tell there's more to it than that. Bread Basket is keeping something hidden down there and is willing to go to extreme lengths to make sure the outside world stays ignorant of it. The Black Parade is apparently being recruited for the purpose of patrolling potential entryways into Bread Basket's inner sanctums.

The scavenger gangs are both about 15 people strong.
The first gang is an extended family of sorts, led by the oldest son of a mother of five. Children answer to parents, the parents work it out as the faces of the gang, the leader settles disputes among them and sets the general policies, grandparents are trusted advisors to the leader. The leader of the gang is named Ten-Thousand Paper Fans, he's a canny survivalist and experienced travelling merchant.
The second gang used to be a work-gang that hung around a slum until they caught a big break while working the streets. Their leader is Joey Lowman, a professional thief with connections to organized crime in Red Brick.
The feud seems to have started over a "claim-jumping" or the alcohol trade.

The job about the mountain lab gets the most tight-lipped deflections from the Bread Basket folks. They share the location of the objective, what they want the exiles to find for them, but they get vague about other details.

----------


## u-b

Sean proposes we immediately contact the VIP's men and arrange a meeting. Later today should be fine. Then we proceed depending on what time is it now and what else must be done around the city. Things Sean wants done today and tomorrow are...
1. Meeting the VIP. Probably done by Richard, Sean, and nobody else.
2. Meeting the scavengers. Probably done by Richard accompanied by whomever else. Our position would probably be to...
2.1 Get some basic understanding of the situation.
2.2 Then either resolve it naturally or hire one of the gang to scavenge the locations listed.
3. Visiting the raiders' cabin again to...
3.1 Dissect some remains. Done by Sean.
3.2 Grab the barrels. Done by more then one person.
3.3 Backtrack the things as reasonable. Done by at least Sean, Bart and the dogs.

This potentially requires splitting up, which might be problematic if we are ambushed, but probably not so problematic in all other cases. If Richard does not object splitting up, Sean asks him to set up and test using our car radio to relay between our helmet radios, thus getting us some reasonable range bust, allowing to operate more freely in hereabouts (up to 20 miles or so).

*Spoiler*
Show

Are the scavengers within about 20 miles from both the city and the raiders' cabin?

----------


## Volthawk

Taking everything they've been told together, Richard is very much aware of all the secrets at play here, and he can't help but be curious - what would an agricultural powerhouse keep so hidden? He could come up with theories with little founding (such as considering things like the examples of cloning technology, body-altering nanomahcines and other biotechnology they've seen and heard of), but that wasn't helpful here, and naturally he doesn't pry further. Perhaps the talk with the VIP may shed some light on things.

Sean's plan sounds good to him, and he has no problem with splitting up. He'd want some of their people backing him up when he meets the scavengers, just in case.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The exiles and their backup eat and drink as they discuss their options. Sean and Richard test their radio.
(OOC: One of you roll Electronics Operation (Comms), please? I believe High-Tech has detailed rules about pushing your radio range in the section on the gear?)
The militiamen backing the exiles up seem to prefer hanging out with Richard more, but Bart and his dogs seem to like Sean more...

The scavenger gangs are within 20 miles of the city, but the cabin is further away than that.

The VIP is easy to find, the men are hushed and rushed into the meeting. The VIP is an old weather-beaten man in thick brown clothing that covers most of his body. He is enjoying a hot drink of some kind out of a mug when the exiles meet with him. His guards are stone-faced, tall, buff, and toting automatic firearms in excellent condition.

The VIP lays out the job; the missing person is his grand-daughter, suspected to have either run away from home or to have been kidnapped. She suffers from a serious medical condition that runs in the family, so it's dangerous for her to be out on her own. Please find her and get her back home. The VIP shows the exiles on a city map the location of his grand-daughter's hovel, where she lives/lived alone. He instructs the exiles that they should start their search there, maybe some clue about where she went was left behind in her living quarters. Pick up her trail, follow it.

His grand-daughter goes by the name Daisy. He gives the exiles a photo of her. He figures that kidnappers would want ransom from him, but he can not rule out that Daisy went off by herself due to "severe interpersonal clashes" with him and her fellow citizens. The VIP seems uncomfortable with the subject.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard nods as he hears the VIP's story, thinking it over before putting his questions forward. He knows better than to directly ask about what the "medical condition" and "severe interpersonal clashes" actually are - the Bread Basket people have made it very clear that those are related to secrets that they're not telling (but perhaps Daisy would be more forthcoming...) - but he does bring up the matter of if there's any risk her condition may cause complications in the field, and if there's anything the exiles would need to do to make sure she gets home safe. Does she have special medication that they should bring along, just in case, for instance? Any particular substances or conditions they should avoid with her? 

It also seems obvious that the difference of opnions between Daisy and her family were also why she was living out where she was, alone and in a place that seems to be...rather below the standards the VIP himself lived in, as far as Richard could tell from the map and directions given. That meant that her entire life was likely separate from the family, beyond where it was necessary to interact with them, as far as he reckoned things. It was a little nostalgic, thinking about this stuff - there was never anything as dramatic as a kidnapping back in the Shelter, but a fair few times he'd seen family disagreements spill into matters that needed security's involvement, or at least to the point where some people involved thought it was his business to intervene. In any case, just to make sure, he asks if the man knows anything about the groups she ran in, if there were any people she was particularly close with, or if their differences meant that the exiles would have to find that out for themselves.

----------


## u-b

Sean has the following questions he wants clarified:
1. How old is this grand-daughter of his?
2. When it was discovered that she's missing? How it was discovered? How long she could have been missing before that?
3. Was the possibility ever discussed in any form by anyone?
4. Supposing that she ran away on her will, whether alone or not, what amount of force, if any, are we allowed to use against her and her companions?
5. Is anyone else tasked with this? If so, what should we know about this parallel activity?
6. Does she have any transportation? Was she ever/often away from the city? Is she known to have contacts outside?
7. What amount of funds she could have used to finance her disappearance?
8. Any known friends of her with whom we can chat? What about her parents, siblings or other family members?
9. Are we allowed to pay the ransom to get her? If so, what would be the cap?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The VIP tells Richard that Daisy's medical condition, among other things, makes her very vulnerable to cold tempatures, so she should be covered up at all times. She also has severe skin rashes, so make sure she stays away from sharp objects. A good leather coat that is just a bit oversized for her would be great.
Daisy was involved in trading. She sold luxury foods for bullets and guns. Her work friends were often gun-runners from outside the city. She had friends but no more-than-friends that the VIP is aware of. Daisy had been contacting the VIP less and less on a day to day basis in the lead up to her disappearance.

Daisy is 28 years old.
She was reported missing five days ago. Her home was discovered empty and no neighbors asked could remember seeing her for 3 days at the time. Before that, she was last seen leaving her home in the morning with two men that no-one recognised or took a picture of. Daisy was wearing a backpack on her back when she was leaving, but no-one saw where they all went.
No-one ever discussed that possibility, to the VIP's knowledge.
No violence is to be used against Daisy and her compatriots, unless absolutely necessary. If she is being held against her will or menaced by an animal, of course, that is extremely different.
The job offer to find Daisy was put out just two days ago, the exiles are the first to apply.
Daisy knows how to drive a car, ride a horse, ride a bicycle...She usually has transportation arranged by a co-worker who owns a truck. She sometimes leaves Bread Basket for work, for never more than a day at a time. She has contacts on the outside.
The VIP suspects Daisy has barter goods and bullets stashed away in secret for unusual expenses - he certainly has. She could have huge amounts of resources, for all he knows.
The VIP does not know any of Daisy's confidants personally. Maybe her neighbors know? Her family can not be reached at this time. They are currently interred at a citizen's hospital within Bread Basket's underground, and have been for a decade. Non-citizens are not allowed to see them, and they would not have had personal contact with Daisy for years.
Pay the ransom. The VIP will cover any amount. Daisy is too valuable to risk being cheap.

----------


## u-b

10. Was she seen leaving the city that same morning she was seen leaving her home? We could go ask the guards, but probably would need some authorisation, whether a paper given to us or the guards told to expect us.
11. In general, was her and her friends' departures and arrivals normally registered, either informally or in writing? Like, we were asked to declare our goods when we have first arrived, less so when we've arrived next time the same day, but that time we also had less to declare. At the time, Sean did not care much about the peperwork produced in the process, and the process for more regular visitors and for the citizens themselves, but this might be relevant.
12. What was she dressed in the last time she was seen and what color is her backpack?
13. Can she handle a gun? Does she normally carry one when she's out of town?

Other than that, Sean is unable to come up with any questions to ask the VIP, so listens up as he lets Richard continue to his full satisfaction.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Daisy WAS seen leaving the city the same morning.
The guards have already been consulted, but they did not record much more of Daisy's departure other than time, place and name. They did not ask why she left the city or where she was going. The papers on that day do not help much. They seemingly do not record any men accompanying her. Perhaps they parted ways before hitting the edge of the city? No cargo or special items were declared by Daisy when she left. The VIP suspects the security guards were not doing their job with proper diligence, perhaps bribed by someone.
Daisy was apparently dressed in her usual outfits - a big brown overcoat with a hood over her head, hiking boots, thick leather gloves...Her backpack was a light brown.
Daisy can, of course, handle a gun well. She usually carries one all the time - she has a prize autoloader pistol and a high powered semi-auto battle rifle, both in good condition.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard nods thoughtfully as the VIP keeps talking, giving Sean a pointed glance when he describes Daisy's condition - after all, Sean himself had problems with the cold these days, after using a certain injector. The suggestion of a coat isn't a problem - after all, if they were going to check out Daisy's place first, odds are she had more than one suitable coat. He does seek confirmation on whether or not what the VIP described is definitely what they can expect, or if circumstances - time away from Bread Basket (and maybe treatment?), rough conditions if she was taken, and so on - could lead to her being in an exacerbated state.

When it comes to the prospect of her having left by her own will, Richard seeks confirmation on what the thing to do there is if the exiles find out that's true. To be sure, they're just to confirm her location and that she's free, and then report back?

If the guards were bribed or otherwise convinced to not pay proper attention to Daisy, that raises the possibility of people within Bread Basket being involved, particularly as she met with people inside but left alone. Given the...Richard thinks for a moment, and settles on 'desire for privacy'...that most of Bread Basket seems to have when it comes to outsiders like the exiles, what are the rules the VIP wants them to play by if the trail leads to another citizen being involved?

----------


## u-b

Sean does not seem to be much concerned about that particular part of overall medical condition. It's warm enough, the group has cars and a heated suit... well, if the girl gets dead before we find her, _that_ would, of course, be problematic. A reson to hurry, but not much else is to be done. Then he nods at Richard's question about our course of action if she is all right enough according to whatever's her plan. "Good point. To what extent should we respect her wishes, if she is, or we make her, all right? Should we limit our report to whatever she consents to have reported? Help her do whatever she does?" Given that the girl has, apparently, left, Sean does not seem to be concerned with local peculiarities, at least if we can confirm the "left" part.

Then Sean thinks of something else. "Do you have a good enough radio? We can report near-real-time and encrypted, but as is, that'll come to this city's general purpose trunk. You can provide another freq and/or some code to use."

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The VIP acknowledges that Daisy may have simply chosen to leave Bread Basket of her own accord secretly for whatever reason. He does not care. Deliver Daisy back to Bread Basket and his home regardless. Do not kill her, but he will understand if Daisy sustains injury in the course of being corralled. He can supply medical treatment for Daisy and anyone else, any medical supplies the exiles use to treat Daisy will be compensated for by the VIP.

The VIP does indeed have a good radio, he will make sure the exiles can stay in touch with him during the search for Daisy. He gives them the radio frequency.

If another citizen is involved, do what is necessary to find Daisy. If that causes violence, so be it. The VIP does not care if the exiles are merciful as long as Daisy is retrieved alive and well. Results matter, dead kidnappers do not.

Try to be patient and graceful when dealing with Daisy. If she needs to compete some errand before she returns to Bread Basket, assist her.

The VIP hands over four batteries for the radio, if the exiles want to be sure.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard nods as the VIP tells them what exactly he wants - Richard might not be quite sure about all of it, but broadly it's acceptable. He couldn't but feel like this might reach a point where they're more kidnappers than rescuers, but he resolves to cross that bridge when they come to it and so doesn't raise his concerns. 

He's about out of questions for the time being, and so is happy to get going with preparations unless Sean has anything else come to mind.

----------


## u-b

Sean asks if they could have the map (and, for that matter, the key), but admits they could do without either. He then leads the way to the hovel specified. He takes a good look at the outside part of it, checks for traps and maybe spare keys under a rug or some such, then facilitates the entry. He then makes sure he does not miss any traps or anything lying in the open and proceeds to search the place all over, using Richard's professional directions to make sure he does not miss any place of interest.

*Spoiler*
Show

Richard: roll something complimentary and professional?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The VIP generously hands over the map and key. Richard confirms his radio works well enough before the exiles set out for the missing woman's place.

Getting to the hovel takes not much time. Sean and Richard simply hop on a public cart going that way through the streets and arrive at the residential area in ten minutes. The doors are well-fortified and windows are barred.

Daisy's home is on the ground floor of an apartment building, her flat has twice as many rooms as your usual working class living quarters but is unmistakably low class.

Tossing the place for clues is a rough process. Sean's caution pays off when he discovers the front door is booby-trapped by a gun on a tripwire tied to the doorknob. He disarms it before he and his comrades go further in. It is not the last booby-trap he'll find in the hovel - there is a bear trap placed in front of the back door.

Richard looks around the place's living room and discovers a metal suitcase, locked and full of heavy stuff.

Going into Daisy's bedroom and checking around the furniture reveals a hidden chest under the bed. The chest is locked, so Sean carefully picks the lock. The chest lid is tied to another trap inside, a blade is set to stab anyone opening the chest without proper care or manipulating an internal mechanism. Sean disarms it.

The chest contains a weighty package of opioids. Richard immediately pegs it as a stash with intent to distribute, produced in a professional lab. The drugs are illegal in Bread Basket. He does not even need to see the papers also in the chest, which details Daisy's involvement in the drug trade. She was hiding the product in her legitimate shipments. He can track down Daisy's fellow drug runners and her network with the found information. He also deduces that Daisy's partners were skimming off the top (both the drugs and the pay) - Daisy seemed to have discovered this herself when she double-checked her buyers' and sellers' recent exchanges.

----------


## u-b

We are still on our own internal settings at the moment, but Sean toggles the helmet-mounted radio off, and waits until Richard does the same. Sean very much doubts anyone is in the car listening, but this is too big to ignore a very easy precaution. "So, can you confirm she was smuggling them _in_? What would be the evaluation of yours? What side of the channel was taking an advantage of her - the supply side or the distribution side? What you propose we do with the stuff? I'm somewhat disinclined to both leaving it here and smuggling it out, and if we declare it, we will be asked questions. Should we flush it this local toilet or hand it to our employer guy? Radio the guy and ask for his suggestions? Can you fish a lead to the outside guys out of these records? Including places would be ideal."

Then Sean thinks what to do with the suitcase. After what he has seen so far, he pretty much expects it to be trapped, so takes it in some far-away room, places on a sill of an _un-barred_ window, and takes a good look. If he expects he could open it safely, he proceeds to do that, still on the windowsill, and with his visor down.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard shrugs as he leafs through the papers, having taken the same radio precaution as Sean. "Trade like this, everyone's taking advantage of each other. The ones she figured out were her people here in town, though. Looks like she realised she was getting less than she should for the amount she was smuggling in, realised that her people were using some of her supply and taking more of the proceeds for themselves, and then...well, things are looking more and more like she didn't leave willingly. Odds are those two men she was seen with on the day she left were former partners of hers, but they left separately from her to avoid suspicion - either they convinced her to go out for the normal work, her not realising that they knew she knew, or they had some way of convincing her to go along with them. Once they're out of Bread Basket, it'd be a lot easier for them to...deal with her. One way or another." He sighs as he looks down at the package of opiods. "Don't tamper with it too much, in case this ends up needing to be a matter for the local law. That does raise the important question here. Are we still going ahead with this as planned? Way I see it, we have two ways to go here."

"First plan, we stay the course, keep operating solo under the VIP's orders, focus on getting Daisy out of this mess and keeping things clean and not embarassing some important people around here. Probably the best choice for getting the leaders of this place on side, and the more lucrative choice, but that does mean that we're taking personal risks when it comes to the local law and stuff like this package. That, and...you know me. I'm not exactly comfortable with lying to the authorities, so if we go this way let's keep ourselves as subtle as possible, hey?

Second route is that we make ourselves known to the local law, given we just uncovered part of a drug smuggling operation into their city, and then...either we operate with their backing, or we're off the case. Either way, we couldn't avoid Daisy's name getting dragged into it, and by extension our VIP, and that means he won't be happy - remember all the talk about this being a 'sensitive matter' before we got brought in? I'm not sure if he knew about this, or his caution was just about whatever secrets his family has, but outing his granddaughter as a drug smuggler publicly isn't going to make him happy. It would make finding her, and taking down this operation, a lot easier though, even if we may not be the ones doing it."

He sighs again. "As much as I don't like it, I think we need to keep on plan. We just need to make sure of one thing - that, regardless of what happens with Daisy, we make sure this operation is shut down. That way, we're not making things worse for our own benefit, just taking care of it ourselves. I should be able to track down other members of the ring with this information, so we can look for a lead when we're done here."

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean's hunch proves correct; the metal suitcase is boobytrapped with an electrical shock mechanism that would harm anyone trying to open the case without activating certain controls. He bypasses the trap and opens the lock.

Inside the case is a high quality rifle disassembled into its component parts, two empty rifle magazines and 50 loose rifle bullets in a small card box.

----------


## u-b

"That's interesting..." says Sean trying to recognize the thing between all the mods and attachments "...she left without this thing. I wonder if she really left the city, but she sure did not wish to, it seems."

Sean bars the window again, then goes to check if the house has any not-yet-done laundry or something else we can prime the dogs at. If there are no objections, he eventually turns the radio back on. "I'll go fetch Bart and we'll see how it goes while you do the neighbors?"

*Spoiler*
Show

1. Can Sean name all of the things in the case? Like the rifle model and what's hanging off it? Or, if not exactly name, then maybe classify and describe: a 7.62 full-auto battle rifle, a .50 BMG sniper rifle with an x8 variable scope, or some thing along these lines.
2. Do people leaving the city normally do that on foot (e.g. walk through customs and to the vehicle on the other side) or they can as well do it without leaving the vehicle?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean finds uncleaned clothes in the flat without any trouble. Bart has his hounds sniff at the clothes to pick up the scent, but he reminds the exiles that the smell trail has probably faded by now.

The radio turns on without a problem.

The rifle in the case looks to be a semi-automatic battle rifle used by Old World militaries. No accessories.

(OC: the rifle has the stats of a H&K HK93A2, once it is properly assembled.
damage 5d-1 pi, Acc 5, Range 460/2900, Weight 9.1/1.2, RoF 3, Shots 25+1(3), ST 8 two-hands, Bulk -5, Rcl 2, $1300x8)

People leaving the city usually go on foot, ride a horse out, or catch a ride on a stagecoach, if they cannot drive away in their own automobile or motorcycle. Customs checkpoints do not mind if they submit to a check-in before or after they enter any kind of locomotion. Daisy could have entered a car after she went through the checkpoint.

----------


## u-b

Sean agrees that using the dogs in the city might not be the brightest idea, but it's not like we are of much use to Richard for his interviews, so we'll go ahead and try.

----------


## Volthawk

While Sean and Bart head off with the dogs, Richard stays in the apartment building, asking around to see if anyone noticed anything on the day of her disappearance.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Bart has the dogs sniff around according to Sean's instructions. After 30 minutes of putting the hounds to work, Bart comes to the conclusion that Daisy did not come back to her home after she left that day, and no-one else has entered this place except themselves.

When they get to the checkpoint, Bart tries to make sure the security forces do not find him and his faithful companions suspicious. He has the dogs sniff around for fresh scents of the missing person. He eventually concludes that any trail of Daisy is too old for her to have snuck back into Bread Basket. When she left on the day she went missing, she did not come back.

Bart and his dogs follow Sean's orders and try to study Daisy's trail. He quickly decides that Daisy was on foot, until she got on a motorcycle somewhere in the shanty town outside city limits, less than a mile away from the checkpoint. It was probably waiting for her, although he is not sure if she was the driver or a passenger (the motorcycle had a sidecar).

Richard asks around the apartment block in the meantime. The first neighbor he knocks on the door for slams the door in his face, not wanting to get involved.

The next person he talks receives him much better. The man in the flat above Daisy smiles warmly at Richard and invites him for a meal while they discuss the disappearance. He confesses that he knew Daisy was involved in drugs - she was selling to several underground establishments in the city despite the prison sentences being decades long at worst. He asks Richard to keep his not saying anything to the city police a secret in return for his help. He confesses that, on the day of her disappearance, Daisy was armed to the teeth and even carrying a shovel.

----------


## u-b

Sean is not particularly sure he can make anything else out of the situation, but gives it some thought. Since the motorcycles are used by quite a lot of people with some regularity, tracking one across the state would be impossible. Short-distance tracking might be possible, but what is the chance of that? Sean tries to estimate how dense is the wheeled traffic in hereabouts, and motorcycle traffic in particular. Then he tries to estimate if some locals are living or hanging around the place that might have had noticed something. If so, he does _not_ go around to ask these locals. He relays all his findings to Richard.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean figures out that the area around the city limits is heavy with all kinds of traffic - horses, cars, motorcycles, etc.

But he deduces that the shanty town around Bread Basket is dense and crowded enough that there just might be witnesses to Daisy's departure and travelling, for at least the immediate few minutes of driving through the makeshift slums.

He asks around, and manages to get in touch with mainstays in the shanty town who regularly watch the roads in and out. They confirm that they saw Daisy riding out on a motorcycle, but are savvy enough to ask Sean if he would kindly pay them for their report.

(OC: The "eyeballs" are asking for a baseline price of $50 in bullets or barter goods.)

----------


## u-b

Sean does not object to the fee and pays five rifle bullets up front, to minimize the possibility of "creative inventions" on the part of the speakers.

----------


## Volthawk

Richard nods, promising that nothing said here was going to the police - he doesn't explain why he's interested, naturally, but it wouldn't be hard for the man to see that Richard's trying to keep this low profile himself - and graciously accepts the offer of a meal while he thinks of more questions. He asks a little more about the people Daisy was selling to, curious if he knows anything Richard couldn't figure out from Daisy's papers, but his main focus is on the day she left. Richard had already heard that she'd been seen with two men within the city, although he didn't have a description of them, and asks if the man saw her meeting anyone that day, or if he otherwise had any idea who they might be.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> Sean does not object to the fee and pays five rifle bullets up front, to minimize the possibility of "creative inventions" on the part of the speakers.


The street-rats smile and nod as Sean pays up. They helpfully point out the road Daisy travelled down (they also comment that the road eventually pass by several "picnic spots" that all kinds of scum hang out and do business at), and inform him that Daisy was not driving the motorcycle herself. She was in the sidecar along with a shanty town regular, the driver was a man somewhat familiar to them. Both men were friends with Daisy.

They can tell Sean about the driver, the other passenger and help him find them...for another 5 rifle bullets or equivalent barter goods.




> Richard nods, promising that nothing said here was going to the police - he doesn't explain why he's interested, naturally, but it wouldn't be hard for the man to see that Richard's trying to keep this low profile himself - and graciously accepts the offer of a meal while he thinks of more questions. He asks a little more about the people Daisy was selling to, curious if he knows anything Richard couldn't figure out from Daisy's papers, but his main focus is on the day she left. Richard had already heard that she'd been seen with two men within the city, although he didn't have a description of them, and asks if the man saw her meeting anyone that day, or if he otherwise had any idea who they might be.


The neighbor is very helpful. The meal is a delicious ration of preserved meat with some sauce, plus a drink of fruit juice.

He lists a few "jugglers" (drug dealers) in the city that he knows of, who would all get supplied by Daisy's network. He shows Richard on the city map where he can find the hawkers. She did not sell directly to the "end-users" - she was always too classy for junkies.

The day she left, Daisy had killed four men the day before. The security forces did not bother question her about the incident, or investigate the deaths. He also noticed Daisy was trading for bullets the night before, but that could have been for any normal reason.

He did not see any more of Daisy after she left her home in the morning. No-one was waiting for her directly outside her door as far as he could see.

----------


## u-b

Sean pays an additional 10 rifle bullets: 5 to have things told to him and 5 more for any extra assistance. He apparently likes where this is heading.

----------


## Volthawk

She'd killed some people the day before? Richard was very interested in that, given how it hadn't been mentioned to the exiles before now. Did the man know who they were? Just some random jugglers, or something else? As for the men on the day, he supposed they must have been waiting for her later on (although as he thought it over, he was more and more thinking that things there didn't quite play out how they thought it did, and perhaps those two men were dead now...). In any case, for now he focuses on the killings mentioned, staying focused on things the man can answer.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

> Sean pays an additional 10 rifle bullets: 5 to have things told to him and 5 more for any extra assistance. He apparently likes where this is heading.


The men smile widely as they accept the payment.

The motorcycle driver was a smuggler working in the surrounding region and the city, a man nicknamed Blue Bird. He imports and exports plenty of contraband, but his usual work is illegal drugs. Blue Bird is a tall, strong pale guy in his thirties with brown hair and blue eyes. Hes got a bunch of scars all around his chest and the left side of his face has been burned a bit.

The passenger was a racketeer who worked Bread Basket, a man nicknamed Dusty. He sells most of the illegal drugs coming into Bread Basket, and he has killed lots of people to keep his profits. Mid-forties old, married, wanted dead for murder in Red Brick and Gunmetal. Hes got long red hair, one eye under a patch, tanned skin, some teeth missing, and hes shorter than average by about a head.

The informants helpfully give Sean directions to their regular hangout, a bar on the east side of the shanty town.




> She'd killed some people the day before? Richard was very interested in that, given how it hadn't been mentioned to the exiles before now. Did the man know who they were? Just some random jugglers, or something else? As for the men on the day, he supposed they must have been waiting for her later on (although as he thought it over, he was more and more thinking that things there didn't quite play out how they thought it did, and perhaps those two men were dead now...). In any case, for now he focuses on the killings mentioned, staying focused on things the man can answer.


The man thinks they were street dealers, if he recalls correctly. Probably people Daisy has dealt with before. He suspects the security forces of Bread Basket did not bother to investigate because they do not care if the lowly scum kill each other off. Daisy shot them all, with her favourite gun. Their bodies were dumped down a sewer grate, left to rot.

----------


## u-b

Sean nods acknowledging the information and thanks the men for assistance. There would be a few more things to know before he's on his way. No objections if the men know only some of these:
1. What everyone of the three was armed with on that particular occasion? What they are normally armed with?
2. How one can recognize the bike? Model, color, notable wears, tears and mods?
3. How does this Blue Bird normally dress like? Does he wear long or short hair? Facial hair?
4. At the place specified, do they generally hang out with a gang? If so, which gang and what can be said about the gang in general and its part hanging out at that bar at any one time in particular? Is that bar in any way exclusive to their particular gang (like, excluding other gangs, or excluding strangers in general)?
5. Is it known whether they transport the contraband through the customs or through some sideway trails? If through the customs, is anything known about their men at the customs? If trails, if anything known about those trails?

Sean is giving one extra bullet per each of first four points covered, and gives 1..5 for the fifth, depending on the coverage.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

All 3 people were armed. All of them had an auto-loader pistol and a long arm, plus whatever concealed weapons they had. None of that is out of the ordinary for them.

The motorcycle had a big sidecar attached, a black paint job, a common model, a few nasty dents on the front of the frame near the headlights.

Blue Bird wears heavy leathers and cowboy boots. His hair is long but he keeps it tied up. No facial hair, he shaves regularly.

Yeah, both guys have a gang of toughs they boss around. The gang calls themselves The Regulars, they carry sawed-off double-barrel shotguns as their usual firearms, their colours are navy blue jackets with yellow stripes, they sell drugs out of their hangout most days, there are other gangs hanging out at the bar but they stay out of each other's business for the most part. "Tourists" do go to the bar for "pleasure".

They think the drug traffic goes through either bribed security forces or a secret passageway into the city. They are not sure, and they don't feel like risking their lives finding out.

The informants accept the extra bullets given with pleasure. They assure Sean that now they'll never dream of snitching on him like they just did with the men and the gang.

----------


## u-b

Sean commends the men for their wisdom and is on his way. The intention is to meet with Richard at the hotel and discuss our respective findings.

*Spoiler*
Show

I'm basically done with solo part of this investigation, so waiting for Volthawk to resolve his part (which does _not_ mean Sean is waiting for Richard, as all that sniffing around was bound to take some time).

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Sean is certain he was not lied to by the informers.

(OOC: Richard, how are things on your side?)

----------


## Volthawk

Richard nods thoughtfully as the man explains. Street dealers...perhaps Daisy had already started cleaning up the people that had been stealing from her, before things reached a head, people started noticing and she had to disappear one way or another (whether or not that was by her own will, though...he wasn't sure either way yet - it could be a kidnapping, or just someone getting out of town and waiting for the heat to die down). At this point, he's happy enough with the information he's gotten, and the routes of investigation that he can see coming from this are things he should discuss with Sean first, and not involve a random citizen, no matter how helpful they are. With that in mind, he thanks the man for the meal and makes his leave at a moment where it wouldn't seem rude, making his way to meet up with Sean, not wanting to talk about his findings over the radio but telling him when they're together and in private.

----------


## u-b

In our room in the hotel, with only Sean and Richard present and with the radios off, Sean starts the discussion by just relaying what he's heard from the informers. Then he listens to what Richard found out, if anything. Then he raises the following topics that presumably worth being discussed:
1. It might be that Daisy has indeed killed some of her dealers, presumably for some of their wrongs.
2. That might have been her own idea or a request made by some other people. Either way, Sean is unsure what the actual plan for turning It the situation back into a profitable business is.
3. Four dealers being dead means we'll have less leads to the rest of the distribution network, but with Richard's new leads we might still have some. Also, she might have killed just _some_ of her distributors, so reading the paper might lead for some more. Sean is unsure if we want to pursue any of those leads at this stage.
4. It seems that Daisy left the city on her own preference. Preference to what exactly is still debatable.
5. Given the circumstances, Sean is absolutely unsure if Daisy is better off in or out of the city.
6. Sean would probably like to investigate the legal and practical aspects of getting Daisy back here without her being jailed, because her baing jailed is probably not what our employer intended.
7. Sean is unsure if we should contact our employer to discuss (some of) the findings and the aforementioned legal and practical aspects.
8. Sean would like to know Richard's take on local legal status of a person wanted dead for murder in Red Brick and Gunmetal. If that status is low, Sean would like Richard's opinion on whether we should officially take the drug trade quest we were offered before.
9. Sean would like to hear Richard's ideas about how to proceed.

----------


## Volthawk

As far as the first two points go, Richard's in agreement as to the narrative of things. His call on what she was planning to turn things around is simple - fear. Those in the network that were skimming off the top were doing so because they felt safe, judging that the potential profit outweighed the risk of getting caught and the consequences if that happened. By killing some of those involved, Daisy was sending a message, one that was intended to make those left reexamine that judgement, shifting the balance so that the risk wasn't worth the profit.

As far as where she's better off is concerned, Richard doesn't really care what's best for her. Way he sees it, she's ending up in one of three places - with the VIP (Richard figures once he gets her back, he'll probably keep her under watch and ensure she doesn't kill more people - he's fairly sure the VIP's priority is about reputation and the family), with the local law for her part in the drug trade, or in the grave. Naturally, he'd rather the first option, given their own goals, but he's not particularly inclined towards letting her go free once they find her. He suspects that the VIP already knew some of this - he's almost certain the man knew about her criminal activities in general, but he likely didn't know about these recent events. He can see the value in keeping the VIP informed on the details and their next moves, though - there may be preparations he'd want to make to ensure Daisy's safety when she's back here.

When it comes to the risk of her being jailed...Richard figures she's okay now - the impression he's gotten of things is that violence within the criminal class is broadly ignored by the authorities here, if it stays there, so at the moment she's off their radar. The exiles can bring her in, get her to the VIP, and then it's out of their hands - maybe she'll get named when the network as a whole is brought down, but at that point the VIP can protect her politically, or throw her to the wolves if he rathers. Either way, they'd have done their part.

He's not entirely sure of the situation when it comes to the reach of the law between cities. The three governments didn't seem to have particularly strong ties and contacts, just going off the exiles' own experiences, and it didn't seem like the local law had any plans to arrest Dusty and turn him over to another city for his actions there - maybe they'd cooperate with a team from Gunmetal or Red Brick, whether just letting them know what they know and standing back or directly helping, but there didn't seem to be a formal agreement on the subject, as far as he could tell.

When it comes to the network, and Sean wanting input on their next move, Richard is still quite confident that they could track some involved people down. Richard does want this done at some point, but it doesn't have to be an immediate priority, and likely shouldn't be. Given that Daisy probably left of her own will - he guesses either to let the heat die down (from the underworld, not the local law) or to the supply end of the operation to law down her law there. Either way, their priority should be on following the trail before it gets cold. Maybe they just find her bolthole and can get her out, but maybe they find out where all this stuff is coming from and can come back later to put a stop to it.

Richard's...cautious when it comes to officially getting hired to deal with the drug trade. He wants the operation stamped out, yes, and getting paid for it and raising their status in Bread Basket at the same time wouldn't hurt, but he does raise the point that getting officially involved like that raises the odds of a conflict of interest around Daisy significantly. Maybe if they get her to the VIP first and then start bringing people in officially and investigating...like he said, maybe that way the VIP can keep her out of it, and they won't get into trouble with the VIP, but...it'll be a rougher path to take.

----------


## u-b

"So, what would be our plan now? Do we report to the VIP that we go find those Blue Bird and Dusty and propose they sell us Daisy for what, two concealable vests and a car? And if they do not agree to the terms we do what, apprehend them on their way from the bar and torture them until we get all the infos?"

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## Volthawk

The word "torture" gets a frown from Richard. "Let's go talk to the VIP, yeah. Make sure we're right about him knowing, make sure we're covered if things go south, and then...let's just track those two down and we'll go from there."

----------


## u-b

We radio the VIP's to arrange a meeting. "Right now" would be good.

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## Shoot Da Moon

The radio works, and there is someone to pick up on the other end.

But the servant informs Sean and Richard that the VIP is very busy with serious personal troubles at the moment, so the meeting with him will have to wait until tomorrow afternoon.

----------


## u-b

Well, then we book tomorrow afternoon and we will see how it goes by tomorrow. Would Richard want to act or wait now? Sean's fine either way and he _does_ have other business.

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## Volthawk

If there's other business to attend to in the meantime, Richard's fine with erring on the side of caution and holding off for today.

----------


## u-b

Sean's proposal is that Richard spends some time digging through two stacks of paper we have: one we got from the raiders and one we got from Daisy's house. Meanwhile, Sean would take most of the men, two cars, and go back to the raiders' shack to finish the business in there. Richard would be advised to let the helmet on to remain in touch in case Sean needs something.

Assuming Richard agrees, he will be left with one militia man and one sedan to dig through the papers in whatever order he seems best. Sean would like, among the other things, to find the answers to the following questions:
1. The amount and value of illegal substances handled, per month or per year.
2. The names and personalities of the suppliers.
3. The details about the distribution network, including names and stuff.
4. The amount and value of the discrepancy found.
5. Daisy's _personal_ (i.e. not business) relationships with the supply-side guys. We, basically, want to know if they were good friends or Cosa-Nostra-style colleagues or tried to be as much unrelated as practical or hated each other or something else of note.

Sean will ride with two cars to the shack, check for anything present or happening since we left, then, if all clear, let the men load the barrels and drums while he dissects some of the remains (preferably uncooked, but cooked will do).

*Spoiler*
Show

What would be the time by this moment?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

It is the early afternoon by the time Sean arrives back at the Raiders' camp and cabin. He eats a quick lunch as he pulls in.

To his dismay, much of the dead bodies at site have rotted significantly and it looks like wild animals made a feast of them in the intervening period.

The material goods are intact, and get loaded into the cars without much fuss...

Looking around the tracks on the way over, there is still a lot of people travelling around these hills. Sean is sure that some people other than the ones he knows of were here sometime in the past 12 hours, but he has no idea who. The people were at least five in number, and they came from the north, and then left to the east. Other people tracks in the surrounding area did not come to the cabin, and were bigger numbers. None of them were heading towards Bread Basket.

----------


## u-b

Sean chooses the fresh tracks leading east. Mostly because the _things_ have come from the east and he was here hoping to backtrack them. Fresh human tracks were somewhat unexpected, but inteeresting enough to follow, especially if they _also_ try to backtrack those things. Sean leads the way some distance ahead of the cars and lets the dogs run around as they see fit, in case they also find something interesting.

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## Shoot Da Moon

Richard has trouble figuring out the papers that belonged to Daisy. He has better luck on the reports seized from the raiders. They are mostly just collected rumors, declared false. The rumors declared *plausible but not confirmed* are; valuable documents about a secret Old World military operation are hidden in a cache somewhere in a ruined city, a powerful army is amassing in New York state to invade Vermont, a great lost Old World treasure is somewhere in The Gutter, a hurricane is heading this way, a glowing meteor has crashed in the countryside, a gang of thieves has pulled off a major heist in Gunmetal, the city of Bread Basket is experiencing some kind of medical crisis.

In the meantime, Sean follows the trails heading east. In about 4 miles, he stumbles across a farm ablaze from a firefight. From the distance, Sean does not think he sees anyone inside the inferno, nor in the immediate vicinity. But he is sure that the people he was following came here within the last 4 hours.

(OC: Is Sean walking the 4 miles? That decides the travel time...)

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## u-b

Sean describes what he sees for Richard and Bart to listen on their respective radios (the helmet's and the car's) and makes a circle around the scenery, counting any tracks in or out, bodies of the attacking side, shot casings or maybe amything salvageable away from the fire. He's largely inclined to move on along the trail, unless interesting things are spotted.

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## Shoot Da Moon

Sean does not find anything interesting or helpful when he examines the tracks.

But he does spot distant signs of people in vehicles moving towards this place on the horizon. They will arrive here within 10 minutes.

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## u-b

Sean says that much and proceeds to arrange a reception. He tells to park our two cars some 50 yards from the fire in the direction where he expects the cars to come from. He tells the people to be there, armed, ready and waiting, greeting the approaching people, but demonstratively taking cover behind those cars. They are not to attack unless provoked. Sean chooses a hiding place some additional 30 yards in the same direction and a bit to the side. He uses the scope to observe the people as they move closer and maybe past him.

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## Shoot Da Moon

Sean watches from afar as the people come closer.
He can see that they are two motorcycles (two people riding on each) and a stagecoach being pulled by two horses (a pilot at the reign and a man riding shotgun besides him). He can definitely see their firearms (passengers have their guns ready but the drivers have them stowed, of course).

They are coming to check out the burning building, of course. They slow down as they spot the parked cars. It seems they considering turning around and leaving...

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## u-b

When they decelerate enough to start turning around, Sean shouts from the bush: "And now you stop, remain in place and send a delegate! I mean it!".

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## Shoot Da Moon

The new arrivals co-operate. A man steps forward, alone. They even make a good faith showing of leaving his weapons behind. The delegate is a scruffy young man, dressed in the expected road leathers and riding googles. He approaches with hands open by his side.

"What's going on here? What happened to the Lanes?" He points at the burning barn.

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## u-b

"Not sure. It seems there was a firefight here just a few hours ago and now the farm is burning. I guess they either have left or are dead. We're going to... hm, let me see the back of your neck for a second?"

Assuming the delegate does not object and there is no tattoo.

"We're going to track the group of people that have left here." Sean opens the visor so that the man can see him and his scar. "Sean Pires. Radar Base Guys. We have taken out a raider outpost last night, about four miles west, and when checking back on the location have found it was since visited. We have been tracking the visitors and they seem to have passed through here. Now, what can you tell me about yourselves and your business here, as planned and as changed to reflect the new circumstances?"

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## Shoot Da Moon

The delegate is dismayed by Sean's report.
He shows the exile his neck.
He has no tattoo.

"We're traders on our route. We routinely buy and sell stuff with the farmers in this valley. We know the Lanes well as regular customers. When we saw the fire, we came running to help out...Aw, heck, what am I going to tell Bill?"

The man looks heartbroken over their deaths.

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## u-b

"Did you ever interact with the raiders? We'd like to wipe them out, that is, if we can. If you knew these Lanes, I'll leave it to you to handle what's left of the farm. We will move on following the trail."

Whatever the answer, Sean thinks he should discuss one more thing.

"Last night, we have also encountered a large bunch of walking... infested zombies? Well, something of the sort. They also came from this general direction, but not exactly from here. Can reliably be killed by fire or by a shot in what stands for the brains - the blobs in place of the heads of former body owners. We plan to investigate these too. Anything you can tell or do to help us? You can also send a motorbike with us to have some first-hand knowledge."

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## Shoot Da Moon

The delegate shakes his head. "The raiders have stayed out of the valley for as long as I can remember."

When Sean brings up the monsters, the delegate looks at him like he's crazy. "I have no idea what you are talking about. What is a zombie?"

The delegate and his men start trying to put the fire out as best as they can.

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## u-b

"Stayed out, hm?" Sean looks past the man for a moment. "Richard, can I have your attention please? I'd like to know the oldest date on the raider's stack of papers, like, now." Then Sean looks back at the man. "A zombie? A piece of old world folklore, a person walking with their brain either dead or otherwise mostly non-functional. I don't believe they had zombies for real, but that concept does spring in mind upon seeing these things. That is, if you have been exposed to the culture. I guess, most people no longer are. The perticular kind we have encountered seemed to have some major parasite controlling the body instead of the brain."

Sean does not believe it to be possible to put down a major fire without a fire truck, and, for a mostly wooden building, even _with_ a fire truck, but if these people have some plan and some hope, Sean and his team will help them hovewer they can.

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## Shoot Da Moon

The newcomers still seems very skeptical of Sean's explanation of a zombie.

As expected, the attempt to put out the fire is not successful. At best, the team manages to retrieve the dead bodies of the family and valuables from inside the inferno before the barn is consumed.
The work takes 45 minutes and leaves everyone tired and demoralized at the end of it. The newcomers bitterly begin digging graves for the deceased after they get a chance to rest up.

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## u-b

Sean examines the bodies for any and all signs of wounds, if only to see what guns the attackers have had, has the traders confirm these are Lanes, and all of them too. He describes the sights and the events for Richard to have an idea about what's going on. Sean exchanges a few final words and dates, then a thought has visited him about how to address scepticism. Do the guys have an action camera in stock? Sean might be inclined to buy one and later arrange watching a movie together if something posing a danger to these guys' trading routes and clients is encountered. A specified location or a specified radio frequency should do as a means of contact.

*Spoiler*
Show

1. It seems we'll have a lot more to do outside, so how about Volthawk takes control of the troops?
2. How tired, exactly, everyone is?
3. Do they have an action camera? If so, what storage media are available and how much do they cost? I've made the entries on lines 224..226 of our doc to compare today's prices with HT prices (presumably, taken much earlier at TL8).

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## Shoot Da Moon

Sean wipes the sweat from his brow.

The bodies have gunshot wounds, but that's hard to figure out thanks to the fire. It looks like it was a rifle shot to the head in most cases.

*Spoiler*
Show

1) Sure, if he wants to.
2) Let's call it 1 FP plus your current level of encumbrance. You're at Medium (2)?
3) No cameras. The traders you've met are mostly dealing in food, water, medical supplies and bullets. You'll need to find a merchant specializing in electronics.

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## u-b

Sean leads the group on, following the same trail in the same arrangement as before.

*Spoiler*
Show




> 2) Let's call it 1 FP plus your current level of encumbrance. You're at Medium (2)?


Sean is at no encumbrance, so loses 1 FP. The others should have light encumbrance at combat load and medium with the backpacks. Nobody fights a fire with backpacks, so they have lost 2 FP each. Bart will not drive a car, so will recover to full in ~20 minutes.

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## Shoot Da Moon

Another thirty minutes of moving through the wilderness, and Sean eventually stumbles upon busy men in a clearing.

He can tell from a decent distance, they are a group of hunters carving up a large dead animal - possibly a moose or a horse. They are dressed in camouflage, wearing backpacks, carrying long arms and survival gear. As a hunter himself, Sean can see plain as day that they are well-trained and prepared.

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## u-b

Over the radio, Sean tells the cars to stop. He then takes a position behind some tree just over 50 yards from the scene. He counts the men. He then asks if any one of his men would volunteer to go chat with the hunters. The man moving forward would get a modern concealable vest from the trunk, Bart's trauma plate, a flashbang and a powerful frag grenade from Sean. And afterwards, he'll get his due reward with any reasonable terms acceptable, up to the vest itself if things go really hot.

*Spoiler*
Show

1. So, volunteers?
2. How many men there are?
3. Any darkness penalty or is it still bright enough?

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## Shoot Da Moon

One of the backup militiamen raises his hand, puts on the vest and grabs the stuff. He is not afraid.
There is six men working on the dead animal. They look very wary of their surroundings.
The time of day is still afternoon.

(OOC: Darkness penalty -0. Maybe -1 in the shade?)

When the volunteer approaches the men, the man who spots him raises his rifle and demands he stop.
It seems they are protective of their kill. The men with knives continue to skin and cut the corpse as the other four make a big show of readying their guns and scanning the area.

The men demand the volunteer explain who he is and why he is approaching them.

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## Volthawk

When the hunter raises his rifle, the volunteer immediately stops and raises his hands. You didn't survive out here long without having a pretty good idea of how to act when someone had a gun pointed your way. Now, how did the bosses do this stuff again? He gives it a go.

"Relax, I'm not here for your kill. I've eaten today. Just want to talk and suss out the situation. Y'see, about half an hour that way," He gestures back with one of his raised hands. "There's a burning farm and even further out some..." He pauses, thinking of the word Sean used. "Zombies? I think that's what they were called. Weird people that weren't people any more. Like the stories the old man back home used to tell sometimes. Just wanted to know if you gentlemen knew anything about any of that."

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## Shoot Da Moon

The hunter lowers his gun slightly.
"Alright. Stay where you are..."

The other hunters seem disturbed at the mention of a burning farm.
"What do you mean? Was there an attack on a farmstead around here?"

The talk about zombies is just as confusing to the hunters as the previous strangers found it.
"We have no ideas what you're talking. Zombies? We've never heard of it. Or the monsters you're describing."

The hunter motions to the volunteer to move along.
"If you've got no further business, we're in the middle of something here. Please leave, if you would..."

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## Volthawk

The volunteer nods and gestures in the same direction as earlier. "Yeah, back there. We tracked the things that attacked us that way, and there it was, burning up. Whole family dead. The...tch. Not sure what they had to do with our monsters, but hey." The guy with the gun pointing in his direction getting antsy is enough to get the volunteer to shrug and back off, though. He'd done the job, no point getting shot over it. "Alright, alright. Like I said, not after your kill. Enjoy."

Once he's taken a few steps backward and is pretty sure that the guy isn't about to put a bullet in him, the volunteer turns and runs back to Sean and the others, reporting back what was said, before shrugging and saying  "Could be liars, I guess boss. Didn't look like it though. Nobody knows what those things that found us were. Lucky us."

----------


## u-b

Sean frowns. The report was highly inconclusive. The men were suspicious, right, but nothing rock-solid. Sean thought for a moment, in case any additional information might illuminate the situation in any way at all. In particular:
1. What were the valuables recovered from the Lanes' farm? Any weapons at all? Did the farm and the people seem to have been looted to any extent?
2. Were there any other fresh tracks leaving the farm?
3. Do the hunters carry any "extra" long arms (that is, more than one per person)?

Sean relays the findings over the radio. Well, "findings" might be too bold of a word, given the situation, but we have what we have. Then he consults with Richard about the following:
4. Should we inform the city forces that Lanes are dead? Would they even care?
5. The city seems too reclusive to claim police powers over its surroundings, but if they do, maybe we can cooperate one way or another.
6. Failing the above, should we just let the men be? Track them tomorrow? Do anything else?

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## Shoot Da Moon

The valuables from the Lanes' farm included lots of bullets, several shotguns, several rifles, a dozen revolvers, electrical equipment and medicine. It seems the Lanes managed to fend off a home invasion only for their attackers to simply write them off as dead with the fire that got started.

There were fresh tracks from the farm. No more than 4 to 6 hours old when Sean and his comrades arrived?

The hunters only have one long arm per person - some have knives or pistols of varying models visible in their holsters.

----------


## Volthawk

Over the radio, Richard listens to the updates and thinks it over. He's still not entirely sure how the zombies and the fire connect to each other, and is starting to think that they didn't. He's tries to make a chain of events to figure out how things went went. He's pretty sure that the zombies didn't pass through the Lane farm, as none of the evidence Sean has described suggests that they fought against monsters rather than men - the causes of death and the fire don't line up with fighting those things, the combined firepower of all those people should have dropped one of those things (even if they didn't figure out the weak spot) and there weren't any other bodies there, and the zombies didn't seem like they'd ever retreat when the exiles fought them. He does raise the passing thought that most of the Lanes were killed by headshots, and whatever was going on with the zombies was focused around the head, that strange insectoid thing, but he's not sure if he has a point there. 

In any case, that (and the way things were when Sean arrived at the scene) suggests that the incident at the Lanes' farm happened after their own battle. Whether that means that the people who passed by the cabin did it, or just passed by without helping, it's hard to tell. It seems strange that the hunters would stop to hunt and butcher so close by to the scene of the crime, relatively speaking, if they did it but perhaps they just don't think that any consequences will come of what they've done. That would track with some of the people they've encountered. He asks for confirmation that the trail led directly to the hunters, or if they were just close by to it - the hunters denied knowing anything about the farm, as he understands it, so if the trail says otherwise then they're lying about that much (but again, that might just mean they ignored the fire and the corpses and don't want to get blamed by anyone connected to the Lanes, and doesn't prove that they actually did it, even if it is _highly_ suspicious). 

There's also the question of motive, which on second thoughts may explain what's happening here - perhaps the hunters weren't having much luck finding their next meal, tried their luck at the farm, things went south and they had to fight and leave empty-handed, and then finally found a meal here. Perhaps, but he's not particularly confident there - it's not like Sean has ever had too much trouble finding something to hunt out here, so maybe that actually gives them no motive to raid a farm. He leaves that call to Sean, since he's more experienced when it comes to survival matters and the kind of decisions a group of hunters may have to make out there.

----------


## u-b

Sean confirms there was just one fresh trail leading out of the farm and that lead him to these men. They did not deny visiting the farm, only claimed not to know about attacking it. This could mean a lot of things, the obvious them being liars. But there are other explanations, some more dubious than the others. Namely, some flying mutants, some people competent at hiding their tracks or what not. Not robbing the Lanes is also suspicious, especially since these people seem to have the time. Given the observables, Sean proposes we do the following:
1. We drive back to Lanes' farm to report and describe the men to the traders. Warn them sort of thing, but also question if these guys are known. The problem is we did not request any identification, but Sean is not sure about going in and asking more questions. We also ask where the traders are going to camp for the night and how we are to contact them, e.g. by radio.
2. We then drive back to the outpost. This also should not take long. Then Sean starts following the trail of the zombies back to origin or some other notable point.
3. When Richard is done with the papers, he is to go to the authorities to bring them in the loop. Sean will also participate over the radio. Sean could probably contact authorities himself, but that would mean fiddling with the radio, which he prefers not to.

Since the hunters will be occupied for some more time and may even camp on the spot, which, after butchering such a large animal, will be notable, returning to track them again in the morning should not be problematic.

If the plan is accepted, Sean fills a page or two with the people's descriptions and is on his way.

*Spoiler*
Show

The phase 1 of the plan is to drive back to the traders and chat.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The drive back to the Lanes farm (what's left of it) is uneventful. They discuss the situation with the traders, and get their radio contact (they do not have encryption). The traders are going to camp around the farm for the night. They want to mourn some more, and tidy up what they can. They appreciate the warnings Sean and his friends give them.

The drive back to the outpost is also uneventful. The place is just as depressing and battle-scarred as ever. Anyone who has not eaten lunch yet, does so at this point. Richard talks with Sean over the radio, coordinating their actions.

Then it's back on the road again, trying to figure out where those monsters came from...

(OC: Richard, you may need to make a Reaction Roll when you talk to the authorities. Sean, make your usual skill rolls. Be warned, this could be more dangerous than normal, it's getting late in the day...)

----------


## u-b

At the raider's shack, Sean makes sure the grenades are transferred back to him, trauma plate is transferred back to Bart, but lets both militia men wear a better vest and have a flare. Then he starts tracking.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

Much to Richard's relief, the authorities of Bread Basket do not laugh him off when he tells tales of strange monsters. His report gets noted down and given to people higher up the chain. They promise that they will look into it, but he has suspicions that the matter is not a priority.

Meanwhile, Sean is doing an excellent job on following the trail from the outpost. It takes him only 30 minutes to arrive at a building where the tracks originated. From the outside, it looks like an abandoned structure, what the Old World termed a "gas station". It was where people of the Old World re-fueled their automobiles. He can see the rows of fuel pumps near the entrance.

Observing the outside from at least 20 yards, Sean spies armed people moving around within the station. They appear to be taking care to stay out of sight most of the time, hiding. Taking care to take in the details, he notices the people inside have rifles and shotguns, wearing decent amour and they've all got black neck tattoos. He counts 10 within, but there definitely could be more.

The tracks of the strange beings came from inside the station.

----------


## u-b

Sean remains hidden and calls Richard again. He tells he expects Richard to arrive at the raider's outpost before it gets too dark and that he'll be greeted by a man with NVGs waiting there in a car to lead him the rest of the way. Sean designates "his" car for the mission, the one with the radio, and issues an order to retreat from anything dog-sized and up. The remaining car is to be camouflaged with a net and some bushes near where it is.

*Spoiler*
Show

The plan is to get Richard into action in some reasonable time. We will attack when darkness is about -6. Hopefully, they will turn on illumination and/or go to bed by that time. Also, everyone will be fully rested. Also, the hunters will return, if they are from here. Any transportation anywhere nearby or maybe a garage?

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

(OC: Richard, you can post now. I posted earlier in the OOC thread you will find relevant, BTW.)

----------


## Volthawk

(OOC: Wasn't sure if there was much to post about before it got to go-time)

Richard nods when he meets the militiaman waiting for him at the outpost, taking the ride to Sean and the next problem. Once there, he listens again to what Sean knows so far now he can see what's going on to go along with the report, and thinks it over. So the raiders...made those things? No, that didn't make sense. Drove them off, maybe - but that also didn't match what they'd seen. Captured and sent out...now that made sense. They'd already seen the raiders use chemicals capable of attracting mutated animals, so why not a substance that can either make those things not notice the raiders, or just drive them off into the wilderness to attack at random? They do have the scientific resources of at least one Shelter at their disposal, after all. Looking over the wider situation, he is a little concerned about the risk of them having something more armoured hidden away and asks Sean if they have brought anything with them that might do some work if that was the case. The fuel pumps out front also catch his eye - perhaps those could be used to do some serious damage, but that's definitely not the preferred strategy here, between the raw value of the fuel itself and more importantly the importance of getting some kind of intel from this, whether from prisoners or documents.

----------


## Shoot Da Moon

The exiles and their friends settle in for a stakeout, keeping watch on the gas station and its occupants for hours until it gets dark enough for Sean's plan.

(OC: all of you and your allies eat rations and drink water for lunch/dinner, record the consuming.)

As the hours go on, Sean and his fellows observe the raiders in the gas station from afar. They send out a group of six on foot, heading east, one hour after Sean came here. (They do not come back.) A hour and a half later, a different group of people arrive on foot from the north and enter the gas station, clearly more raiders joining this group.

The raider occasionally have three or four of their number go outside to patrol the immediate grounds and scan the horizon for ten or so minutes before going back inside. Sean is certain they did not spot him or his allies.

Eventually, darkness falls. Every raider is inside the station and is trying to stay hidden, turning the lights off. Sean has noticed that they have set up barricades on the entrances he can see just before the sun goes down.

(OC: Sean, spotting the raiders again will require a contested Observation roll. Spell out what you guys decide to do now.)

----------


## u-b

Observing the raiders, Sean takes a note of which entrances are used and where the guards are positioned for the night. Eventually, he comes to some cover within 20 yards from the barricade and starts to plan his opening burst. Over the radio, he whispers Richard to tell the two militia men to be ready in case some illumination is employed by the raiders, while Richard and Bart use NVGs from whatever distance they find comfortable, right after Sean. Currently, we don't have anything armor-piercing, but hopefully, we'll just have to deal with the men.

*Spoiler*
Show

1. For now, the dogs are to be left with militia.
2. Sean notes the exact routes taken by people coming and leaving and whether any extra traps are placed for the night.

----------

