Mission 1: Search and Rescue

[estradling]

Leo would have been in the Astrogator station, however that also doubled as the co-pilot station so he had to deal with a basic computer station instead.

When the subject of recon an fly-bys come up he says, "The system on board the Dart is a 10 by 10 system. If we are 10 km out we have a 10 cm resolution, at 20 we have 20 and so on. In the dark we have to halve the distance to get the same resolution power."

[Will]

A fourth ship, HS 4, appears around the limb of the planet and appears to be completing an orbital insertion burn with it's atomic engines having just lifted off from the far side of the planet.

Mal switches the pod controls to their space settings and starts to actively track the HS4 ship coming up from the far side of the planet. He has a sneaking suspicion that it might be another Streel Corvette class.

"Give me a quarter roll left," he says to Maria. "I want a good view of the HS4 ship. Where's Leo? He should be taking a peek at this too."

If it is a corvette, he thinks, that could mean an extra 20 bad guys at the base plus a hold full of robots. ... Or it could be evacuating as well. Either way, getting some hull numbers might prove useful.

"Quarter roll left," Maria replies, doing a quarter roll to the left.

[Will]

Leo would have been in the Astrogator station, however that also doubled as the co-pilot station so he had to deal with a basic computer station instead.

When the subject of recon an fly-bys come up he says, "The system on board the Dart is a 10 by 10 system. If we are 10 km out we have a 10 cm resolution, at 20 we have 20 and so on. In the dark we have to halve the distance to get the same resolution power."

"10 K, then," Maria replies.

To the Minotaur, she says,"that's the plan."

[Terl Obar]

As you maneuver to get a better read on the HS 4 vessel your computer starts work on identifying it as well. After a few moments, it completes its orbit insertion burn and its engines cut off. With the interference from the engine exhaust gone, you get a good radar fix. Definitely not a standard Raven class corvette. A few seconds later, the computer identifies it as a modified early model Imp class yacht and spits out some statistics based on the class design:

MK I Imp Class Yacht
HS:4 HP: 20 DCR: 32
ADF: 4 MR: 3
Weapons: LB
Defenses: RH
The original Imp model was designed as a personal vessel for wealthy individuals or high level corporate executives. It carried a bit of armament for pirate deterrence. Later MK II designs added a single Assault Rocket launcher as an added deterrent.

A few more seconds of analysis and the computer isolates the vessels transponder. It is identifying itself as the NPSS Ishtar. More seconds roll by (got to love light travel time) as the computer queries the ship registry on New Pale station which turns up the following:

New Pale Star Ship (NPSS) Ishtar
Imp Class Yacht (MK I)
Built: 07/11/58, Pale SCC
Registered to: Brett Coffin, CEO New Pale AgTech
Modifications from standard design:
- 04/25/62 - retrofitted to include a small lifeboat in a streamlined pod along the main fuselage

Your current trajectory will take you within 120,000 km of the Ishtar if neither of you alter course. (That is well out of weapon range for both of you.) The Ishtar is currently in an orbit that will intersect with the station about 20 minutes after you pass it.

[BD Cerridwen]

"Looks like the HS4 is cool," says Malcom digesting the computer readout. "I'm going to check out the East Indianman next, then that HS3 ship and save the big boy for last, when we're nice and close."

[Terl Obar]

I made an error in my earlier post: you will be in weapons range of the Imp class yacht. Since all these ships are in orbit around the planet, you will be in weapons range of all of them as well as the station and many of the other ships in orbit around the planet. On with the game:

The East Indiaman freighter and its accompanying shuttle are in an orbit that would have passed over the base about four hours ago and will pass over Simeon's Rest, the capital of New Pale, in about two hours. The two ships are close together and there is activity between them but you can't tell exactly what is going on.

Once again after several seconds of delay the computer spits out the available information on the freighter and its companion:

HSS Ta'narr
East Indiaman Class Freghter
HS: 10 HP: 50 DCR: 50
ADF1: MR: 3
Weapons: LB
Defenses: RH
Built: 06/26/57, Araks SCC
Registered to: G.O.D. Co., OneHome, Hentz

NPS Shuttle 38
Low Orbit Cargo Shuttle
HS: 1 HP: 5 DCR: 23
ADF: 1 MR: 5
Built: 01/14/62, Pale SCC
Registered to: New Pale Red Box Haulers, Simeon's Rest, New Pale

[Will]

'"Okay." Maria muses,"normally I'd say the Godcorp ship's harmless, less the Ones went jihad and didn't inform anyone. But what's it doing talking to the Red Box shuttle?"

"Keep an eye on the Ishtar too, just in case Mr. Coffin's packing an assault rocket , and declined to inform the Law."

OOC: Plan was to drop the explorers first, short of the compound, then drop the bots in the middle of the compound, but with the Dart unable to hover any other way than tail down, we have to come up with a slightly different plan.

So....

NEW PLAN: Drop the explorer off first during the insertion pass, then drop the bots outside heavy weaps range of the compound. so as to hit them in two waves. This way, the bots can still act as our canaries.

All those in favor, say "Dralasites make good airbags."

[cliff]

"Sounds good to me."

[BD Cerridwen]

'"Okay." Maria muses,"normally I'd say the Godcorp ship's harmless, less the Ones went jihad and didn't inform anyone. But what's it doing talking to the Red Box shuttle?"

"Keep an eye on the Ishtar too, just in case Mr. Coffin's packing an assault rocket , and declined to inform the Law."

"Gotcha. I don't know much about the various ship lines, but it could be that Red Box is just a local transfer operation." Keeping one eye on the Ishtar and the other on the G.O.D. ship, Malcom wished he had more eyes. Still, he continued to direct his attention to the HS3 ship. "Give me a slow roll to the left and I can get a good look at the HS3 and then the HS16 tub."

[Will]

'"Okay." Maria muses,"normally I'd say the Godcorp ship's harmless, less the Ones went jihad and didn't inform anyone. But what's it doing talking to the Red Box shuttle?"

"Keep an eye on the Ishtar too, just in case Mr. Coffin's packing an assault rocket , and declined to inform the Law."

"Gotcha. I don't know much about the various ship lines, but it could be that Red Box is just a local transfer operation." Keeping one eye on the Ishtar and the other on the G.O.D. ship, Malcom wished he had more eyes. Still, he continued to direct his attention to the HS3 ship. "Give me a slow roll to the left and I can get a good look at the HS3 and then the HS16 tub."

"Rolling on the river," Maria quips, maneuvering to give Mal his sneak peek at the other bogeys.

"The comp has more eyes than you, Mal," she then suggests. "Have it keep an eye on some of the previous contacts."

[cliff]

"If we keep rolling left, I think I'll be sick." Gren muses.

[Bonehead]

All those in favor, say "Dralasites make good airbags."

"Sounds good to me."

"Oy! Airbags have ears, you know!"

[Terl Obar]

The HS 3 ship appears to be a custom job that doesn't match any standard design. It is squatter and fatter than say a UPF assault scout or even the UPFS Eleanor Moraes. It looks atmospheric capable and is sporting 2 Class A atomic engines:

NPSS Eyes of Chandra
Private yacht
HS: 3 HP: 15 DCR: 29
ADF: 4 MR: 4
Weapons: none
Defenses: RH
Built: 08/14/61, Prenglar SCC
Registered to: Apryl Lyons, Simeon's Rest, New Pale

The Eyes of Chandra passed over the base about two hours ago. As you are reading the spec on the ship you notice that her engines ignite, and the burn begins altering her orbit.


The HS 16 vessel turns out to be a mining vessel registered to an independent company based out of Prenglar. It is in a polar orbit that passed over the base about eight hours ago and will do so again in about 2 more hours. It is sporting Class C Ion drives

PSS Claws of Fortune
HS: 16 HP: 80 DCR: 68
ADF: 1 MR: 2
Weapons: LB x2
Defense: RH
Built: 06/27/61, Prenglar SCC
Registered to: T'ksarr T'nill Enterprises, Port Loren, Gran Quivera
Specialized Equipment: Orbit Processing Refinery

It is accompanied by two small HS 1 vessels, also from Red Box Haulers:

NPS Shuttle 22
Low Orbit Cargo Shuttle
HS: 1 HP: 5 DCR: 23
ADF: 1 MR: 5
Built: 06/12/58, Pale SCC
Registered to: New Pale Red Box Haulers, Simeon's Rest, New Pale

NPS Shuttle 20
Low Orbit Cargo Shuttle
HS: 1 HP: 5 DCR: 23
ADF: 1 MR: 5
Built: 05/39/58, Pale SCC
Registered to: New Pale Red Box Haulers, Simeon's Rest, New Pale

The three ships are approaching New Pale's southernmost continent and as you watch one of the shuttles begins a de-orbit burn that looks to take it down to a landing site somewhere on that land mass.

Glancing back at the report on the Eyes of Chandra, you see that it's new orbit has it docking with the station in about 30 minutes.

[BD Cerridwen]

"Well, shoot. Looks like no obvious threats out there," says Malcom with false disappointment. "Still, it can't hurt to pass this data on to the Morning Glory. Maybe they know something that we don't." Malcom watches his tactical display, skimming from ship to ship and keeping an eye on their trajectories, range and speed readouts. Unconsciously, he favors the two smaller star ships. His gut tells him that two private yachts in the same neighborhood means that some big wigs are up to something, and that something is often trouble.

[BD Cerridwen]

"I wonder if any of those Red Box shuttles have visited the camp?" thinks Malcom out loud. "Can somebody get more details on that mining ship? What type of ore does it process, stuff like that? What can we learn about the ports of call for those shuttles?"

[Shadow Shack]

Sebastian continues to brace himself on the bulkhead. Toggling the intercom, he calls back to the helm, "Any airbag works for me. Let's get this bird dirtside and deploy!"

[Terl Obar]

Your musings about the ships in orbit are cut short as Maria calls out, "Hold on to your hats, boys. Atmospheric interface in 20 seconds." Shortly thereafter you begin to feel slight buffetings of the ship as you back into the atmosphere killing most of your orbital velocity. At about 40 kilometers up and 200 kilometers from the base, the engines cut off and you find yourself suddenly weightless. Maria calls out, "Going to atmospheric mode" and you feel the ship flip around and what was the back wall (where the elevator is) is now down and the explorer is hanging on the wall.

You make your first pass at an altitude of 10km over the base. Your cameras reveal the following (see this map):

• Two Red Box Haulers shuttles sitting on the landing pad. Surrounding the shuttles and moving back and forth between the shuttles and the cargo hanger are several beings as well as several OEM-01 bots. Looks like they are loading up the shuttles.
• The two SW guard towers and one on the NE side have been knocked over (marked with red X's on the map).
• The fence between the two downed towers on the SW looks like it was knocked down as well but there are a couple of OEM-01 bots working on re-erecting it
• On top of the main building (sitting over the gym area, blue dot on the map) is a six legged, spider like looking robot manning what looks like a heavy laser. As you pass by, you also notice another one of these robots moving back and forth along the line of beings and bots moving cargo to the shuttles.
• Of the four mine entrances, three of them seem to be open and as you pass by, you see a mining robot headed toward the NE one and watch as another mining robot comes out of the NW one.
• The SW mine entrance (the one closest to the main base) seems to have collapsed.

During your overflight, you count two of the new six-legged robots, two mining robots, seven OEM-01 bots and six beings outdoors. There may be others inside but you won't know until you get on the ground. Also, you can't see into the guard towers still standing.

[Will]

"The two words which most readily come to mind," Maria remarks,"are not and good. Malcolm, you may fire at your discretion at any target of opportunity."

[Terl Obar]

Remember, your PLT acts as a Heavy Laser (you can control the setting) with double range (max = 4 km).

The targeting system on the Dart compensates for the ship's motion which cancels out the Attacker in Moving Vehicle penalty. Other than that it is a standard ranged weapon attack.

As far as you can tell, the 'bot with the heavy laser might have noticed your passing but if it did, it did not react in any way, None of the others seemed to even have noticed.

[BD Cerridwen]

OOC: Thanks for the PLT refresher!

BIC:
"Roger that! Take another pass at about 2500 meters, I'll toast that 'bot on the heavy laser," says Malcom. He adjusts the atmospheric power setting to MAXIMUM. "Try to get the registration numbers off those shuttles. We may have to chase them down later."