Characters
- Mason (Janka)
- Dante (Pare)
- Chaplain (Sauli)
- Silva (Janne)
- Iona (NPC)
- Hammer (NPC)
- Zmijewski (NPC)
Intro
Kruger 60 Ariarcus, moon of gas giant Oblivion, is being evacuated on the dawn of a suspected UPP attack. Main fleet is heading out to Kurger 61 to meet the UPP forces head on.
Before fleet leaves orbit, Mason, Silva, Iona & Zmijewski get orders to report to Major Hatfield at Fort Nebraska ground station, no reason given. Dropship transport provided from orbit, space elevator is on lockdown. Already at FN, Hammer is released from brig and given same orders, Dante (just out of surgery) & Chaplain the same.
In briefing room at FN, Major Hatfield explains that a team of four marines have gone AWOL at 0200, taking highly classified information with them, suspect they will try to sell to UPP. Team, designated Charlie Team, is ordered to retrieve AWOLs and ensure stolen info does not leak to enemy hands. Use of deadly force very much allowed, mission has extreme priority. Captain Silva is team leader, Major Hatfeld will be contact point (via radio).
Team is given an M577 APC for their use, and told dropship air support (for assault or emergency extraction) can be requested.
Evacuation effort has been put on total lockdown without warning (both space elevator and spaceport). No official reason has been given. Remaining colonists very unhappy about this, tensions high. A large percentage of colonists suspected of harboring UPP sympathies or being actual anti-UA insurgents.
Events
Charlie Team heads out in APC, into the darkness and blizzard conditions. First point of investigation is the only open drinking hole left on the colony, the Eye of Oblivion bar (reputedly also favored by insurgents). Mason and Chaplain go in, rest of squad drive APC round back and monitor.
Bar is full, and no direct hostilities ensue. Dancer guy (Billy) says people matching description came in last night, had some sort of argument, then left except for one of them who proceeded to get (very) drunk. Some fight ensued, and drunk guy left just before marshals arrived. Bar manager, android named Fei2, confirms this and shows surveillance tapes. AWOLs were talking/arguing with a short, bald guy -- facial recognition analysis says it's probably one Ivan Stolls, a known suspected insurgent.
Mason spots a guy keeping an eye on them, and trying to sneak off. He panics and runs out into the snowstorm, rest of the team drive APC to catch him, and Chaplain (with enhanced android speed) runs him down and tackles him, before he can shoot with an EVA pistol. Tied up and taken into APC for questioning. Breaks down quite easily, says he's "Mika" and was promised drugs by one Imre Botos -- apparently an insurgent leader and boss guy round here. Has number he was supposed to call if marines came snooping round.
Meanwhile, Silva had called marshal station to ask if they had a marine in custody. Receptionist Olga says no, but they have a drunk "John Doe" sleeping it off in custody. Silva says they'll come over and pick him up, and team (in APC) heads towards the marshal station.
Enroute to station, they are stopped by group of people -- a woman (clearly leader) and a squad of highly armed soldiers dressed in some sort of commando gear. Dante thinks they look like corporate commandos, of the "spec ops" kind.
Silva talks to their leader, who introduces herself as Ms. Eckford and says she works for Wayland-Yutani. Claims she knows about the team's mission and wants to help, claiming that her interests are the same as theirs. Does not offer anything concrete, but says she wants to avoid a "friendly fire" situation and thus wanted to introduce herself. Claims she can get in touch with team, when needed (this makes Silva uneasy). Eckford lets slip something about "what the AWOLs are carrying", which slightly contradicts the official "stolen information" line. Eckford and team vanishes into the ever-increasing snowstorm. Silva contacts Major Hatfield and asks about Wayland-Yutani interference and possible nature of "stolen information", Hatfield claims that he does no know about any of it but requests for further details are met with a firm "that's classified, marine".
Team proceeds to marshal station. There, rest of team waits in APC while Silva & Chaplain go in and give Mika to Olga & Marshal Hyams for processing and detaining. Before this, Mason seems nervous, and argues that they "really want a biohazard specialist along with you!" but does not say why. Silva declines and Mason stays in the APC. Olga the receptionist is friendly, but complains about all the calls they are getting tonight: looting, fights, even some monster sightings...
Silva asks Hyams for custody of the drunk John Doe. Hyams says "sure", and leads them toward the holding area and cells. In a back cell, they see the sleeping form of a man, curled up on a bunk bed. The light level is low, this is a "drunk tank" for now. Silva asks for some handcuffs, Hyams heads back to fetch some, muttering about "what's this crap on the floor?".
Alerted by this, Silva & Chaplain look at cell more closely. The floor there does seem to be covered with something, and a quick examination makes this out to be blood. Silva gets a bad feeling about all of this, but goes to the body and turns it over -- and it's both obviously one of the AWOLs (Reese) and very obviously dead, with a big explosion wound in his chest. Back in the APC Mason (seeing this via APC commscreens) starts yelling "get the fuck out of there!" for some reason.
Chaplain, outside the cell, hears a weird noise behind him, and turns around to see some sort of huge cocoon attached to the dark ceiling corner over door burst open and drop something large and slimy on the floor, 5m from him. Something ebon-black and only vaguely humanoid, with long limbs, tail, and an elongated head without any visible eyes. Nothing like this should exist, but it does -- and it hisses and charges.
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