Galactic Adventures IC

[Darvin]

The industrial districts are unusually clear today, but the air still chokes you as you try to breath it. With the city under lockdown the refineries sit idle for the moment with only a skeletal staff, and the area is eerily calm and quiet. The preassigned meeting place is just one of many nondescript warehouses along Saccharine Street. A woman wearing a hoodie stands aloof in front of the gate, paying no heed as you approach. She preempts you before you can speak: “been expecting ya” and a moment later the huge iron gates of the warehouse shudder and open for you.

Your wait for Galvinchi isn’t long, and you are lead into a luxurious office that contrasts against the drab off-white hallways you passed through moments earlier. You are seated before an ornate desk along with a few people you don’t recognize, five of you in total. However, one figure demands attention above all others in the room. He sits before you in an ominous chair, legs splayed across the fine desk. Short, squat, fat, and bearing a menacingly toothy grin, boss Galvinchi reclines silently and waits for all of you to take a seat.

As the door shuts behind you, Galvinchi tilts his head and gestures his arms flamboyantly in the air. The goblin chuckles to himself, then speaks: “Ya, this lot looks good. I get the impression that you can get stuff done without me breathing down your neck. Or at least that’s what my boys and girls have to say. I’d ask what old Galvinchi can do for you, but I already know. The real question is what you can do for Galvinchi… but I guess I already know that too,”

“But see, I sympathize with having to work for some fat lout who has a bigger chair than you do. I got my own bosses that want stuff, and I gotta give it to ‘em. And when my boss’s boss gets involved… hoo boy, that’s what we in the business call a ‘priority’. So ya see there’s this package that got delivered to Governor Allesandre about a week back. Big armed escort, everyone in the know knew about it. Didn’t think much of it at the time, but then word came down that some really important people wanted that package really badly. Well, why didn’t they tell me before it arrived?”

“So, anyways, my top girl figured out where the stupid package is, and like the good trooper she is tried to snag it for me. Got caught red handed, now she’s locked up and the game’s wide open. Well, I’m a player, and if those Basur tools think they got me beat with their ‘security’ they don’t know what they’re in for,” the goblin wide grin turns into a maniacal laugh. He opens the drawer of his desk and pulls out a large manila envelope. With a callous flick of his wrist he spills the contents on the desk. Papers and badges with your photographs lie strewn in front of you. The goblin gives the envelope another shake and a stapled stack of papers falls out.

“Security clearances and freelance licenses. Totally real, too. As far as the Empire is concerned you’re legit mercenaries and bounty hunters now. You can kiss my ring in gratitude later, after I find a suitable ring. As you can see I’m not actually wearing one right now. Anyways, my ingenious four step plan is as follows: step one, you get into the Grand Towers using these clearances. Step two, I arrange for a distraction in the streets. And by distraction, I mean a full-scale riot. Step three, you guys snag the package. Step four, you go to the governor’s private hangar and use a signal flare to alert my boys to pick you up. They’ll lift you off planet, pay you, and drop you off at Porbo station in the Vayyun system,”

“So, whaddaya think? You guys up for the job?”

[digiman619]

PRE-01, or Perry as he prefers to be called. ponders that for a moment. "I'm in. While there are significant risks involved, staying here doing nothing seems riskier."

[DyerMaker]

Torq HP 17/17 AC 15/17T Fort 5 Ref 6 Will 0

Torq walks over to the table, looks at Galvinchi, then picks up a license and moves the papers about with one hand. Grrr. He looks back at Galvinchi. Nice. There is a pause. Schematics of these towers? ... Maintenance access, etc.? There is no emotion on Torq's face. He is neutral, stoic, and speaks directly and professionally.

[Darvin]

"Did I forget to mention that? Yeah, this isn't the first time we've been skulking around the towers and my boys and girls have been figuring out its secrets for me. I can't say we have accurate floorplans of the restricted areas, but we know a lot of stuff that tower security doesn't," after gleefully rubbing his hands together, Galvinchi demeanor turns sour for a moment, "Course, my girl Filsey knew even more than this, and she still got caught. All the planning and scheming in the world won't save you from dumb bad luck,"

[Triskavanski]

Along with the group was a gnoll. On his side was no blaster, but a flashlight hanging from his belt, the rest of his body wrapped in up black robes of a fairly light cloth. Most striking though was the mask on his face, that hissed slightly as he spoke. "If it is willed, it Shall be done."

[DyerMaker]

Galvinchi demeanor turns sour for a moment, "Course, my girl Filsey knew even more than this, and she still got caught. All the planning and scheming in the world won't save you from dumb bad luck,"

Urrr. Understood.

[digiman619]

"What is the package we're after?" Perry pauses a moment before amending his query; chances are he wouldn't get a straight answer and/or the contents of said package was highly illegal. "Or rather, how will we be able to identify the package and are there any precautions we must take while moving it?

[DyerMaker]

Torq HP 17/17 AC 15/17T Fort 5 Ref 6 Will 0

Torq gathers all of the elements provided by Galvinchi, then glances at Rez ... responding in his low-ranging bass voice; We'll take the job.

[Lt Gravemind]

Sarkus simply listened in silence from the moment everyone entered the room. Galvinchi hadn't really given him much of a reason to speak either. Fat and sleazy insert-race-here? Check. Very shaky mission parameters? Check. Good chance of going down south? Oh yes. He didn't doubt that the "riot" the crime boss was going to start could very well cause them as much trouble as help them in getting the package. The merc didn't really have any other immediately available options for getting off this rock though, so cutting his way out of any trouble would have to do. He made a mental note to trace back the steps that led him to this situation.

Oh well, Sarkus mused to himself as he leaned against a wall, his power armor revealing nothing. He already knew that he was going to take the job, and the others seemed to be already be doing a decent job of hashing out the details.

[Darvin]

"What is the package we're after?" Perry pauses a moment before amending his query; chances are he wouldn't get a straight answer and/or the contents of said package was highly illegal. "Or rather, how will we be able to identify the package and are there any precautions we must take while moving it?

"You'll find a photograph of the package inside your briefing material, not that you could miss it. It's a six foot tall reinforced box with the words 'top secret' written in red on all sides. Radiates psionic energy, too, if you can hone in on that sort of thing. The armed guards that delivered it didn't take any special precautions when unloading it, but the seals keeping it shut are supposedly pretty hardcore so I wouldn't advise getting too curious,"

With that, Galvinchi rolls up his sleeve and checks his watch, a small grimace of irritation finds its way to his mostly unflappable face, “well, as much as I’d love to continue discussing the upcoming acts of wanton mischief, I’m afraid I have another appointment to attend to. You people had better get moving to the Grand Towers. My provocateurs will be starting their performance soon, and if you don’t get in before security escalates this is going to get a lot… harder. I'd say I hope to see you again... but if all goes according to plan this is the last we'll see of each other,”

The doors swing open and you are ushered out the way you came. Galvinchi’s men keep their distance, but their eyes remain firmly planted on you until the warehouse doors close behind you. As you leave the grounds, the woman who originally admitted you to the building gestures for your attention, “Those security passes will get you past the grunts, but you will be transparent under the full scrutiny of an Imperial Telepath. Avoid eye contact, don’t speak to them unless spoken to, and don’t draw unnecessary attention to yourself in their presence. You’ll know them by the mark,” the woman steps forward and pulls back her hood and hair to reveal a concealed tattoo on her forehead. She allows you a moment to study it before pulling down her hood and concealing her face, “remember, you're just pawns to Galvinchi. He has no qualms throwing your lives away on a longshot. Act prudently and carefully. Good luck,”

Your attention turns towards the Grand Towers. The four monolithic high rises dominate the rest of the city, like giant pillars spearing into the low-lying cloud cover above. They cast a shadow - both literal and metaphorical - over the rest of the city, a constant reminder of the wealth and power of House Basur and its utter indifference to the impoverished sprawl over which they rule.

(Please come to an agreement among yourselves and declare where you will be going first within the towers complex; have fun with it, and feel free to "think outside the box")

[BarbieTheRPG]

Rez was silent during the whole exchange. She didn't like Inixa and its politics. Too much to get tangled up in. Getting back out into space was the best cure for the situations so she played along, even with a slimeball like Galvinchi. He reminded her of about two-hundred pounds of rat refuse. Regardless, Rez listened closely making mental notes of the 'job' and when the sit was over, walks out keeping Torq close. Taking a hard look at the security pass, Wybrin sighs and says, "He made it sound so easy. Question is, IS IT? There's no accurate schematics to plot a course and our best guide is locked-up. HIS words. How do we know this place can actually be cracked and how do we know 'Filsey' hasn't spilled her guts about this entire op? I've already had my ambush for the week. Another would just be rude. Torq, your thoughts? Anyone?"

Rez looked over Sarkus, Perry and the gnoll while waiting for responses.

[Triskavanski]

Gmork let out a hiss of air from his mask as he followed with the rest of the group. "One must trust in the Manes. They will guide us down the proper path but only if we dare to take it ourselves." he hums a bit. "Perhaps it would be best to know what we each can do. I am Gmork, practitioner of Manes."

[digiman619]

"My designation is PRE-01, but please call me Perry. I am a psionic relay; I can connect our minds and direct them more efficiently." He paused for a moment, thinking over what he had just said. "Wait, that makes it sound like I'm taking over your brains; all I really do is make a link between our minds and can essentially act as coach; pointing out ways to make us work more smoothly together."

[DyerMaker]

Torq HP 17/17 AC 15/17T

Torq leans in toward Rez with a hushed remark; This will NOT be easy.

Well met. I am Torq. Slayer. Pilot. Tracker. Ex-Imperialist.
My plan is this: Hijack a maintenance shuttle. Hover at floor 157. Cut through the glass or blast the substrate. Enter the War Room. Take the asset. Board the shuttle. Make way to floor 97 of tower 3, the hangar.

Plan B. Proceed pedestrian with stealth through Tower 4. Take out any and all telepaths along the way. Enter the War Room. Take the asset. Then, hijack a maintenance shuttle and make way to the hangar.

The less time afoot. The higher percentage of success.

[digiman619]

"Definitely A. I may be able to detect psionics, but I have no way of knowing where a given psion's talent lies, so unless we accost everyone with a bit of psychic ability we'd probably miss one."

[Triskavanski]

"Carrying Asset looks difficult. We might need a dolly." Gmork replies.

[Lt Gravemind]

Sarkus was glancing over his blades and checking the readings on his power armor as they walked. To be frank, for a job like this, things should have been prepared a significant amount of time ahead. The last minute nature of the whole operation left him on edge. The mysterious cargo - apparently radiating psionic energy - especially. Upon hearing the plans of action however, he spoke up.

"You want to get yourselves killed by flying directly to the floor with the package, or was that a joke? We should be knocking out the communications first. If the military is using Media tower, then they won't be able to coordinate to put down the riot and that'll buy us time. They also won't be able to call it in when we actually take the package."

"Then we go to the prison block where this Filsey character is being held. With no comms, they can't call for help and we figure out what the hell is actually going on. We use her to figure out how to get to get into the War Room. She clearly knew things that our mob boss friend didn't, and she probably wasn't as well armed as us."

"With comms disrupted and Filsey in tow, we use our new knowledge to work from there. If she was almost able to get there, she clearly knew how to get past the telepaths and we can certainly do better."

Sarkus let out a sigh. "And, if need be, I can be the pack-mule for the package. Between me and my armor, I should be strong enough."

[digiman619]

"So busting into a highly fortified prison is the more sensical of the two plans?" Perry shook his head. "And how will you take down an entire communications tower? No, the more I think about it, we've got to sneak in. I can conceal my thoughts and I think I can extend that to anyone else in my link, but I can't take all of you into the link; my max is three other people. Someone is going to have to go it alone and risk their thought being read."

[Lt Gravemind]

Sarkus snorted at the Android in annoyance. "Were you not listening to the briefing? It's a prison block with six guards, a warden and four prisoners. The guards are there to keep people in, not out. And it's not 'an entire communications tower' we have to deal with. It's one Media floor for newscasters that someone got lazy and decided to route military traffic through. That's the weakness that'll do them in."

[DyerMaker]

Torq HP 17/17 AC 15/17T

Grrr.
Torq cuts eyes at the mech warrior.
Not a joke.
Your plan is Tower 1, Media. Tower 3, Prison. Tower 4, Package. Tower 3, Rendezvous. Four steps vs. my two.
Listen mate. Rez and I want off this rock. There are only five of us and a short window to complete this job. Keep it simple.

Filsey is in prison for a reason. She failed. I don't want her in tow. A failed operative. There's no compromise there. I won't help spring her. Looking at the schematics; Service hatches. Emergency walkways. Transit lines. Walkways wide enough to fly a transport through.

If you must hit Tower 1. Do it. Rez and I will steal something that gets us one-hundred and fifty-seven floors up.

Any other ideas? To a vote?

[Lt Gravemind]

"Can you count to five? Because that's how many corpses will be falling from the sky when we get shot down after failing to cut off enemy comms, try to fly it directly to the War Room in broad daylight and try to bust it open with explosives and cutting tools we don't have. A person that actually knows the towers sounds like a better asset than what you're suggesting. We don't even need a vehicle to get up there. We have the security passes that would get us up there through the elevator, with the exception of the telepaths at the checkpoints presumably not on the elevators themselves. Keeping it simple is among the dumbest ideas for not taking action to avoid death I've ever heard. But yes, let's put it to a vote. If I die at least I won't have to hear you say 'Grrr' every five seconds."

[digiman619]

"I'm thinking we need to go half and half here; Let's take out communications before we sneak in and the two of them will get transport for when we have the cargo."

[Triskavanski]

Gmork silently watched through his face mask, occasionally letting out a hiss of air every time he took a deep breath. They both were right and both were wrong. "How many maintenance shuttles can we take over? We could crash them into the facility remotely."

[DyerMaker]

"Can you count to five? Because that's how many corpses will be falling from the sky when we get shot down...

Torq HP 17/17 AC 15/17T

Hmm. That mech is affecting your brain, mate. I suggest that you and perhaps... Wolfman, take on Media HQ. But, don't underestimate the Imperial Telepaths. Let one, just one in your skull and you're just as dead. Talk about communication; they're heavy hitters.

Rez, you're too quiet. What's going on in that scoundrel brain of yours?

[Darvin]

Fierce disagreement forms between the members of the group, each formulating their own plan of attack. The group seems evenly split between taking a direct course of action or approaching with greater subtlety. Even where there is agreement in principle, differences remain in the execution. Tensions mount, but it becomes clear that no one is interested in splitting up. Working together will be necessary for any plan to succeed, and even through the less-than-pleasant debate there is the palpable sense of excitement of what is about to unfold. As the debate continue and opinions shift you take vote, hoping to come across - if not a consensus - then at least an option the majority can agree upon.

Vote Time
Four suggestions have been made in terms of your first destination. Please indicate your preference order for these options:

A) War Room
B) Hijack a vehicle
C) Media Center
D) Prison Block

(Feel free to continue debating and change your vote up to the next GM post)

[Lt Gravemind]

Preference Order:
1. Media Center
2. Prison Block
3. War Room
4. Hijack Vehicle

[digiman619]

I'm going C, B, A, D as far as preference goes.

[Triskavanski]

Gmork was more of mind of B) b) B) B). If they could hijack a lot of shuttles, they would have the ability to have a lot of weapons.

[BarbieTheRPG]

Grinning almost, Rez rubbed her nose and looked around, "To establish a runner, 'I'm with Torq on this'. Just make it a 'smash-and-grab'. In and out. Perry gives us decent recon. We have plenty of munitions. But, we're doing the democracy thing so that's what, three for jacking a rig? Makes sense to me."

[DyerMaker]

Torq

Torq glances at Rez, then looks around at the three strangers that will very shortly become co-combatants on this mission.
I don't mind a compromise. As Perry laid it out, I'll agree. We'll take your Media HQ (C), then we'll hijack the proper maintenance shuttle (B), and take one of the service hatches into Tower 4 or go pedestrian (A). But, I'll not compromise on Filsey. That's the rookie move, mate. Like an unharmed ship abandoned in dead space; a tasty morsel trapped to the gills.

As always, Torq will stay close to Rez. She's got more tricks up her sleeve than most.