Leif's DISCONTINUED GURPS Traveller Game -- IC01

[Leif]

Misc. Ship's Business

OOC: Doc knows that the cache of weaponry, armor, vacc suits, and tools is located in the ship's locker, (marked sl on the diagram/map of the Zax) which opens off the aft port hatch of the bridge. I'm still considering exactly what should be in there, but there are at least 5 laser pistols and 5 laser rifles or carbines, along with a supply of fully charged batteries and a charger for them. There are probably a few viroblades, too, and maybe some other fun goodies. It's pretty axiomatic that every ship should have at least one good, old-fashioned shotgun that lays down death in a very broad pattern of lead. (12 gauge, if not 10 or larger.) Requests will be entertained, so feel free to submit wish lists.


OOC: Incidentally, there is supposed to be a door into the galley, too. The door is between the Crew Lounge and the "Galley," which is basically a room with a freezer for reconstituted meals, a refrigerator for drinks, storage for dishes and utensils, and of course, a dishwasher (named Spider). You've also got some room to store some genuine food, too -- about enough to get you through one jump. You don't want to be out much more than one week without resupplying, though, or you'll be eating some pretty skanky stuff.

 

[Leif]

Opening Gambit - Approach to Centry

The Zax Hakjohn Quiq continues on its course, two Vargr ships converging towards her. If all three ships continue on present headings, they will all three meet at a point approximately 750 km ahead. Meanwhile, the Vargr vessel to aft is still coming this way, too. Spider, manning the ventrally-located turret of the Zax, hears a musical tone in his headset, and the icons of the two Vargr vessels to fore are now highlighted on his screen in green rather than red. A sultry, feminine, yet unmistakeably computer-like voice whispers in Spider's ear, "Targets now in range. Please select a target to acquire?" The screen indicates that the range to the Vargr ships is now 500 km, still a long shot for Spider to make, but at least it's within the capabilities of the equipment. (That surely works both ways, though...) (Glancing aft, Spider can barely make out the first Vargr vessel still coming, but still losing the race.)

[OOC Note: The Turret itself is a projection on the hull of the ship. However, Spider is not himself in that little projection. Rather, Spider is lazing about on a comfy acceleration couch just inside the hull from the turret, with his mug of cocoa and his toasty toe socks. He does not have to rely on his imperfect bodily eyes to fulfill the gunner's job, he just watches the panorama unfold on the HUD display of the helmet integrated into the acceleration couch.]

 

[Scotley]

Sweating despite the cool of the gunner's station, Spider activates the ship to ship comm. "Hostile vessels, you are interfering with a mission of mercy. We are bringing much needed anti-plague drugs and medical personnel. You are interfering with this mission. We are armed and currently targeting weapons systems on your vessels. I suggest you cease and desist."

 

[Shayuri]

(OOC - I'm gonna go with Zoe as her 'cover' name. Her Zhodani name is longer and considerably less prounouncable. Hee. Maybe her cover last name is 'Danni.' )

"All hands brace for evasive manuevers," Zoe's voice rings through the ship. "They outnumber us and probably outgun us, but the Zax might just outrun them."

 

[Insight]

[sblock=Sensors?]Does anyone know what the actual ranges are for detecting ships and what you can tell from the various distances? I'm totally just faking this. Does anyone mind? Guess I could maybe read a rulebook now and then, huh?[/sblock]

[sblock=OOC]Not sure, but you could make it a skill check. I believe there is an Electronic Operations - Sensors or something along those lines.[/sblock]

 

[Leif]

Opening Gambit - Approach to Centry

Sweating despite the cool of the gunner's station, Spider activates the ship to ship comm. "Hostile vessels, you are interfering with a mission of mercy. We are bringing much needed anti-plague drugs and medical personnel. You are interfering with this mission. We are armed and currently targeting weapons systems on your vessels. I suggest you cease and desist."

The 'hostiles' respond over the comm: "We certainly don't wish to hamper an 'errand of mercy.' You may pay the toll electronically if you wish. Transfer 1,000 creds to VG3450097 at once and you may pass freely."

[sblock=Shayuri]

(OOC - I'm gonna go with Zoe as her 'cover' name. Her Zhodani name is longer and considerably less prounouncable. Hee. Maybe her cover last name is 'Danni.' )

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!

Proceed to evade at your leisure.[/sblock]

[sblock=Insight]

[sblock=OOC]Not sure, but you could make it a skill check. I believe there is an Electronic Operations - Sensors or something along those lines.[/sblock]

Thanks! But that sounds like there might be work involved. Mind if I just keep 'winging' it?[/sblock]

 

[Insight]

[sblock=Insight]
Thanks! But that sounds like there might be work involved. Mind if I just keep 'winging' it?[/sblock]

[sblock=OOC]Hey, I'm just offering suggestions [/sblock]

 

[Leif]

Opening Gambit - Approach to Centry

[sblock=Spider and Zoe Danni]On a hunch, you both almost simultaneously decide to better investigate your opponents in this touchy situation. You each look carefully at the configuration of the Vargr ships before you and then consult your computer library. (There's a terminal in the turret, too, as well as the bridge, of course.) These ships that you're facing are Vargr Corsairs - they're 400T ships so they're twice the size of the Zax and they're better armed, too, with two triple-laser turrets and two turrets with missile launchers. However, they are only Tech Level 10 ships, while the Zax is TL12, and best of all, the Zax can triple their speed, plus a little bit![/sblock]

 

[Leif]

Another Opening Gambit

Doc Hannigan gets to thinking, and remembers all of the "plague medicine" that's in the cargo hold for the Trotherias of Centry. He didn't even have time to open any of the crates and look at the stuff! Doc remembers that when the big dumb oafs were loading the stuff back on Glisten, he overheard them saying something about, 'Why would anybody want so much Moon Grass?'

 

[Shayuri]

The 'Razzle Dazzle' Maneuver

"Spider," Zoe called down from the bridge, "Give me a sandcaster shell burst at twenty-five, sixteen, minus three. On my mark."

It took Spider all of half a second to see the flaw in his orders. "A burst there will just spread pretty sparkles into space, it's nowhere near..."

"Just do it!" There was a pause, and she added, "All hands, brace for full acceleration!"

--------

Vargr ships were, by the standards of Humaniti, smelly. An all-vargr crew appreciated the scents of things Humans would just as soon spray something lemony on. Dirt and blood and, most of all, fear.

The hoary old vargr with an eyepatch growled at the screen showing the Zhodani vessel. It had yet to respond, despite being outmassed four to one. Just then a warning buzz sounded, and the sensor opsman yelped, "Weapons fire!"

The captain roared, "What?!" Visions of some strange Zhodani superweapon floated in his head, but only for a second. One didn't become a captain on a vargr ship by being stupid.

"That's a sandcaster shell, idiot!"

The cur at sensors whimpered at the insult, and quickly barked, "Confirmed! Its completely off target though. It won't block our fire."

The patch-eyed captain growled again. Was that their way of signaling surrender?

"Heat spike in their dri..."

There was a flash of waste radiation from the plates at the rear of the Zhodani ship, and with startling speed it shot forward and started to weave erratically.

The captain sat forward in his seat and grinned, exposing rows of sharp teeth. He loved a good chase. "Open fire, lasers only. Try to hit their drive plates!"

One of the gunners emitted a coarse vargr curse. "They're moving too fast!"

"Helm, stay with them!"

In the near-vacuum of space, laser beams had nothing to reflect from, and were silent and invisible. Only the firing apertures of the vargr's turrets blazing with unholy light gave any sign they were attacking.

Their prey was eluding them by accelerating into a tight turn, faster and tighter than the lower-tech vargr ships could match. In doing so, it was keeping out of the fire arcs of their weapons. It was also a time-limited strategy in that one of the vargr ships could just stop trying to follow, and merely wait for its target to cross its field of fire. It couldn't stop, or the ship still chasing it would catch it.

This is what the vargr did. It worked perfectly. The pursuing ship managed to bring its lasers to bear, and the Zhodani's hull flared with reflected light. A roaring cheer went up from the bridge crew. The captain however snarled, "Wait..."

The sunburst of colors and light on the screen was not an explosion. It looked like a giant firework going off, or a nebula of coruscating lights. He knew what made that kind of display.

Laser fire hitting sandcaster discharge.

In a heartbeat the Opsman was reporting. "They flew through a sandcaster cloud, it's the same one they fired just before..."

"I know which one it is!" the captain raged. "Fire!"

"It's no good!" yelped a gunner. "They flew through the cloud, it's between us now"

"They're making a run for the planet," warned the opsman. "Once they get in the atmosphere we'll never catch them."

The Zhodani ship was a streamlined wedge, while the vargr ships were designed for a life in space, where being ungainly and unaerodynamic was not a hardship.

"Pursuit course! Arm missiles!"

The gunners exchanged looks. Lasers could disable civilian craft, but missiles...they were more likely to blow the ship up entirely, leaving no salvage and no take. Even so, neither was ready challenge over it.

---------

Zoe laughed with the wildness of intense stress-fueled hysteria as the sandcaster's cloud of prisms ignited behind them.

"See that?" she whooped. "Did you see that?!"

Then came the warning tone.

A moment later a much-subdued Zoe intercommed Spider in the turret controls.

"Hey, uh...they're locking missiles. Hope you're a good shot, because you're point defense."