With a rescue mission necessary to complete their cargo transfer of nine crates of blaster rifles to the Cobalt Laborer's Reformation Front, the team was quickly off to procure some extra gear. Aadlan's family was able to supply some extra climbing rope and harnesses. In addition the team picked up a number of sets of climbing gear and special filtration masks with built in lights. They buckled in for the bumpy and dangerous ride to find the trapped miners.
Reaching the coordinates from Zien requires weaving through gouts of flaming rock and threading in and out of black clouds of ash. But as the ship nears their target, the atmosphere grows denser. Xander does some scanning to try and help plot a path. There is some success bringing up a sensor scan over the map coordinates and projecting onto the heads up screen for Ymira.
The Mirialan smuggler was forced to dodge a few lava bursts and the black clouds of smoke were too dangerous to simply fly into. The atmosphere interfered with their electronics to a degree and Ymira had to make two passes to safely get to the area near the miners coordinates. The ship systems strained under the evasive maneuvers and heat from the near misses of the lava vents. But she hit on developing a timing with the lava eruptions and took advantage quickly zooming in to the targeted location.
Finally reaching the area, a place to land was needed. This too was difficult as sensors were helpful but not perfect and visual scans were near useless. Trying to set down on a safe spot the rear of the skip was scorched by a burst of super heated steam and rocks shooting out of the ground. Several warning signal went off on the control panels. Zavi would be needed to take some of the pressure off the ship's systems.
Xander, Ymira and Roona exited the ship into hot, sulfurous air, with ash and smoke blackening it. It was hot, humid and sapped the strength quickly. This would be a challenging rescue without the environmental factors. With them, it would border on miraculous. While Zavi stayed behind to work on the ship, Roona led the rest of the team in a search for an entrance to the underground tunnels. It was thought that making sure the ship was in good working order would be important in case they needed to make a quick exit from the area.
Roona located a hole in the ground not far from the coordinates of the trapped miners. It wasn't clear how deep they would need to go for the rescue and the commlink was irritatingly unresponsive due to interference. Roona made quick work of the descent. Climbing was one of her fortes and she carried special gear for the situation. The profession of scout and explorer often required scaling heights or descents into hidden crevices. Roona had been something of a "finder" often hired to locate and extract special items. In this case the extraction was five Sullustan miners.
Ymira followed quickly, but this was not Xander's normal type of operation. It took him some time to get down the descent. Time was starting to run thin and the heat was beginning to affect the team. The saucer-like antenna on Roona's head twitched as she searched ahead, trying to find vibrations or other clues. Her large pupil-less eyes scanned the infrared spectrum for possible hints on how to proceed. Meanwhile Xander ran a scan for lifeforms at her request. Putting all the data together, she proceeded off in a direction that she was sure would lead them to their trapped targets.
As the crew traveled underground, the planet shifts and groans around them. The distant, arrhythmic hiss of venting steam never entirely ceases. Even through the masks, the air smells terrible. Eventually, they come upon a narrow crack that they must squeeze through. Fortunately Ymira and Roona were quite thin and Xander was not a bulky, hulking figure either. Ymira led the way through the narrow crevasse. Suddenly a swarm of drutash scarabs began to swarm at them!
Ymira's blaster fired, dropping several of the venomous beetles. Roona joined in as well pumping shot after shot into the scarabs, as they began to swarm over the two leading adventurers. They began to bite Ymira but her heavy leather trench coat kept them at bay. Finally they were all dealt with. Roona took a couple bites but she managed to withstand their burning venom. Moments later the scarabs were all dead or scattered away. Xander and Ymira watched curiously as Roona began to cut into the dead scarabs. She caught their look as she stuffed chunks into a pack and ate other little bits. "Choba?" she said offering a handful of the greenish beetle guts. "Panwa!"
Ymira wrinkled her nose at the thought of eating beetle carcasses, no matter how good Roona made them seem. Apparently they were a bit of a delicacy here on Sullust. Roona could recover some of the supply costs selling the pieces in the commercial district.
The tunnel leads to a ledge, opening up into a small circular cavern. The main tunnel continues on the other side, angling back up to the
surface. Roona says that this is a place where a recent collapse has occurred. The team once more had to make a descent although this one was easer than the previous. The Rodian scout points out a small opening in the fallen rocks. The opening is no wider than an arm however. Ymira catches the glimpse of a light. Roona confirms and decides that this must be light from the miners' lamp lights.
The team opened up the comm channel again and this time at much closer proximity were able to make contact. The miners were suspicious and skeptical thinking that the adventurers were from SoroSuub and here to finish them. Ymira attempted to convince Aadlan and the other miners that they had in fact come to rescue them. Roona sending down a canteen of water to the trapped miners finally broke their suspicions. The miners report that most of them are especially weakened and cannot make the climb out themselves. They will have to be carried out. But first the cave-in would have to be opened further.
As there was enough room below for the miners to move far enough away, the decision was to blow open the hole with a grenade, thereby enlarging it. Xander once more made his way down to the lower area and placed the grenade. Roona was about to say she could shoot it, when the computer tech pressed the button. "Too late!" The three adventurers quickly rushed away and the explosion sent Xander staggering into a rock pile. Roona looked up. "Inkabunga!"
But the result was sufficient. The hole was now wide enough for two beings to pass through easily enough. Roona quickly secured her climbing gear and speedily rappelled into the hole. She handed off another canteen and helped the miners into the harnesses that Zein had provided. With the first ready to go, Roona pulled out her ascension pistol and was quickly reeled up and through the opening. While she dropped back down for a second rescue, Xander and Ymira worked on helping pull up one of the miners themselves. Roona was back up with the second rescue and the third was soon pulled up as well.
However, a loud rumbling was starting to get closer. The remaining miners were starting to panic. Despite the trepidations they originally had in the unstable rescue attempt, they became more confident in seeing how quickly and easily the Rodian could extricate them. Roona descended on her rope for a third time, hooking up the fourth miner and grabbing the last. She quickly ascended once more.
At that moment, breaking into the cavern is a giant beast—reddish, quadrupedal, with enormous curved talons the size of a human body, and a set of tusks to match. It shakes off the rubble it created with its own entrance and lifts its head, as if sniffing. Xander and Ymira manage to get the last miner off the ground just in time, but they struggle with lifting him up fast enough. The last of the miners is dangling only about a meter above the beast.
Roona has the fourth miner secured and quickly pulls out her blaster pistol. However her knowledge of Xenology helps to identify the large beast. "Not a danger," she says. She points past the rockrender. "That danger!" Behind the creature, in the passage it made, there is a dull orange
glow getting steadily brighter. The magma is rising.
Meanwhile, Zavi was attempting to work on the Archelon's systems and set to repair the hull from the scorching lava blast. He was unsuccessful in finding a way to repair the hull with their limited supplies, but all the computer systems were now once more fully operational and the system warnings were no longer flashing away.
(To Be Continued...)
Out of the Fire (Episode 10)
Moderator: GM Fang
Re: Out of the Fire (Session 10)
Xander and Ymira struggled to bring the last Sullustan miner up from the cave-in. Now in the cavern the magma pooled and rose quickly. It didn't seem like they would be able to pull him up faster than the lava flow. Roona made a heroic leap and rappelled down to where the miner dangled mere inches above the burning slag. She grabbed the desperate miner and fire her ascension pistol one more time. But as the Rodian scout prepared to quickly soar to safety a burble of super-heated steam escape the rising lava and burned her leg severely. Stifling a scream and struggling to not drop the squirming Sullustan, Roona managed to ascend to safety, if not a little worse for wear.
Roona pointed out that the path in went down and once the lava reached this point it could quickly catch them. They had seen another path out and it was agreed this would be safer. It was a bit more of a walk to the ship from that departure tunnel, but it was worth the safety factor. Back at the ship, Zavi makes it ready for take off while Xander helps the miners into the freighter. Roona takes a moment to rest and applies a stimpack. Ymira heads directly for the bridge and prepares to take off. Fortunately she was familiar with which direction to go but the path was more volatile than before. Another burst caught the hull of the ship bathing the green and white metal in orange and red flame. Ymira quickly got the group back to the commercial district of Pinyumb.
Aadlan will want medical personnel to meet them in Pinyumb, rather than have any private treatment from the crew. He wants them to call ahead to the comm operator there. "Make it public. They can’t assassinate me without plausible deniability. You’ve seen what they’ll do to silence the Cobalt Laborer’s Reformation Front." Xander complies and signals ahead.
Zien, Nuev, and the rest of the Myder family are waiting at Pinyumb to greet the rescued miners. Some media and reporters are on the scene as well. There is quite the commotion. The crew will not be able to deliver the cargo in this mayhem and attention. Not when it is 45 heavy blaster rifles.
Enough to outfit an entire platoon for combat. SoroSuub representatives led by a corporate executive, named Ub Nub, will also be present, acting relieved at how safe the workers are and trying to put a positive spin on things.
After the representative has made his first statement to the media and viewers, Ymira saunters up to Ub Nub. She casually points out the obvious lack of effort and delays that the company displayed in the rescue efforts and intimated that it would be a shame if that information were brought to public attention. Ub Nub knew a bad situation when he saw it. He offered 500 credits for the team to forget about that dirty little secret. The Mirialan scrunched her nose at the offer. "I think there's a camera crew right over there. Shall we get their attention?" 800 credits! Ub Nub quickly increased the offer grudgingly and Ymira accepted.
The next day the team delivered the crates to Aadlan's storage location. They were offered food and medical attention and Roona was given the opportunity to heal her leg in a bacta tank. Later she managed to sell the scarab meat for 500 credits. The Sullustans considered the drutash a delicacy. The CLLF offered to repair some of the hull damage to the Archelon and allowed Zavi to use their repair facilities free of charge. He had to replace a couple of outer panels and the ship was back to its original standing.
For the return trip to Tatooine, the crew purchased some basic supplies to sell back at Mos Espa. It wouldn't be a huge profit considering the mundane nature of the cargo, but they were going there anyway and any profit was likely worth the effort. Tebora met with them and thanked them for handling the unexpected difficulty which arose. He transferred their pay to their banked account and wished them well. Another mission would likely be available for them soon.
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All players earned 5 XP for this mission.
Group spoils (update)
12809 credits (with Session 10 expenditures and gains, plus a few days living expenses.)
Gear: quick sale value in ()
2x Blaster Rifle (450 ea)
1x Holdout Blaster (100 ea)
2x Laser Pistol (200 ea)
1x Stun grenades (45 ea)
Tool Kit (175)
Glow Rod (5)
Brass knuckles (10)
5x Breath Masks (25 ea)
Roona pointed out that the path in went down and once the lava reached this point it could quickly catch them. They had seen another path out and it was agreed this would be safer. It was a bit more of a walk to the ship from that departure tunnel, but it was worth the safety factor. Back at the ship, Zavi makes it ready for take off while Xander helps the miners into the freighter. Roona takes a moment to rest and applies a stimpack. Ymira heads directly for the bridge and prepares to take off. Fortunately she was familiar with which direction to go but the path was more volatile than before. Another burst caught the hull of the ship bathing the green and white metal in orange and red flame. Ymira quickly got the group back to the commercial district of Pinyumb.
Aadlan will want medical personnel to meet them in Pinyumb, rather than have any private treatment from the crew. He wants them to call ahead to the comm operator there. "Make it public. They can’t assassinate me without plausible deniability. You’ve seen what they’ll do to silence the Cobalt Laborer’s Reformation Front." Xander complies and signals ahead.
Zien, Nuev, and the rest of the Myder family are waiting at Pinyumb to greet the rescued miners. Some media and reporters are on the scene as well. There is quite the commotion. The crew will not be able to deliver the cargo in this mayhem and attention. Not when it is 45 heavy blaster rifles.
Enough to outfit an entire platoon for combat. SoroSuub representatives led by a corporate executive, named Ub Nub, will also be present, acting relieved at how safe the workers are and trying to put a positive spin on things.
After the representative has made his first statement to the media and viewers, Ymira saunters up to Ub Nub. She casually points out the obvious lack of effort and delays that the company displayed in the rescue efforts and intimated that it would be a shame if that information were brought to public attention. Ub Nub knew a bad situation when he saw it. He offered 500 credits for the team to forget about that dirty little secret. The Mirialan scrunched her nose at the offer. "I think there's a camera crew right over there. Shall we get their attention?" 800 credits! Ub Nub quickly increased the offer grudgingly and Ymira accepted.
The next day the team delivered the crates to Aadlan's storage location. They were offered food and medical attention and Roona was given the opportunity to heal her leg in a bacta tank. Later she managed to sell the scarab meat for 500 credits. The Sullustans considered the drutash a delicacy. The CLLF offered to repair some of the hull damage to the Archelon and allowed Zavi to use their repair facilities free of charge. He had to replace a couple of outer panels and the ship was back to its original standing.
For the return trip to Tatooine, the crew purchased some basic supplies to sell back at Mos Espa. It wouldn't be a huge profit considering the mundane nature of the cargo, but they were going there anyway and any profit was likely worth the effort. Tebora met with them and thanked them for handling the unexpected difficulty which arose. He transferred their pay to their banked account and wished them well. Another mission would likely be available for them soon.
-----------------------------------------------
All players earned 5 XP for this mission.
Group spoils (update)
12809 credits (with Session 10 expenditures and gains, plus a few days living expenses.)
Gear: quick sale value in ()
2x Blaster Rifle (450 ea)
1x Holdout Blaster (100 ea)
2x Laser Pistol (200 ea)
1x Stun grenades (45 ea)
Tool Kit (175)
Glow Rod (5)
Brass knuckles (10)
5x Breath Masks (25 ea)