SESSION 48: MORAL MATRIX MOVIE MAGIC
General Summary
Previous Session: SESSION 47: THE FIST OF ANDY
Next Session: SESSION 49: SON OF SCHLOCKETT
Players: Current Adventuring Party, Andy, Morag, Patch Radam
*August 28, 2317*
(Adventure Day 126)
Doctor Patch Radam had done a good day's work. The refugees at Willow Home needed a lot of help. Three broken bones reset, four boils lanced, six teen pulled and a friendly lecture about nutrition and hygiene later, and he was ready to leave. Patch packed up his doctor's bag and his supplies, said goodbye to his grateful patients and set back on the road. He headed to Paducah, where he learned that the party had moved on, so he set on down the highway back toward Kentucky Dam. Old Highway 24 was a beautiful stretch of hill country road, peppered with sycamores and aromatic aster in bloom.
Dr. Radam heard a gunshot ring out from the forest. It was said there was a guru in these parts. A wise man who aided broken people in rebuilding themselves. He split from the road to investigate. He found a cozy little cottage in the woods. And in front of it, there were Morag and Arminius standing with guns raised on three human women. These women were strangers, well-dressed and well-armed. Patch called for calm, but his pleas were interrupted by the sound of super mutant roaring.
Behind Salvatore's cabin, Linda lifted her super sledge, engaged the rocket assist and swung the great hammer through Salvatore's head. Andy the Schlockettbot watched dispassionately while bit of the former Enclave agent's skull flew off in several directions.
Back out front, there was heated discussion. The three women wanted everyone to put their weapons down and to submit to a search. Morag and Patch let them know that that wasn't going to happen. These agents offered no identification, nor sign of authority. And just as the tension was starting to drain, a stranger walked onto the scene. Nate Colby, the youngest of the Colby brothers had been hunting nearby. Hearing the shot, he had also come to investigate.
"Morag!? What the hell you doin' here?" Nate announced, almost oblivious to the armed stand-off. "Daddy said you can't never hunt in these parts; this is Colby territory."
And indeed, Nate's father, Gus Colby had declared that this area of West Kentucky was a no-competition zone for other hunters. With towns growing and the land healing from its radioactive taint, there were less game animals to go around. The Colby clan had put their foot down. Morag and Beau still saw the Colbys from time to time, and she even had an uneasy friendship with Hyatt Colby, the middle brother. But they mostly stayed to their respective turfs.
Morag explained: "I'm not hunting here, Nate. I'm just guiding these folks up to the dam."
Nate was hesitant and suspicious. The three women still commanded everyone to get on the ground. Andy starting asking Nate about the Son of Schlockett. There was a cacophony of voices until Patch and Morag had enough. They gathered Andy & Linda and walked back out to the road. The three agents were unhappy, as was Nate, but everyone parted peacefully. Salvatore's exact involvement with The Enclave and the identities of the three women were mysterious that probably couldn't be solved without bloodshed.
The team traveled eastward, headed directly toward Kentucky Dam. Worried that both the agents and the Colby's might be after them, Morag made an effort to lead them off the main roads and keep them undetected. They came to an old medical clinic, where they stopped to scavenge for supplies. There were a few chems and some ammunition, but nothing exciting. Andy and Beau had confused discussion about ethics. The Schlockettbot wanted to know when it was okay to kill people and why they had tried so hard not to kill Salvatore when they had only killed him anyway. Beau gave confusing answers and the conversation never really went anywhere. Patch patted Andy on the back to reassure him, when he realized the robot had something on his back. Andy was carrying a large anti-tank mine, the metal curves of the explosive blending with his chunky steel frame. Patch was disturbed, but they continued eastward.
Mitch's Drive-Inn was a pre-war motor cinema which still showed pre-war motion pictures. Surprisingly, most 21st century films had been stored on holotape in Americas great cities and were burned to cinders in the Great War. The older, celluloid film cannisters, being fragile and flammable had been kept in heavy metal cases and stored in climate-controlled underground chambers. So, Mitch's showed mostly films produced before the 1970s. An attendant at the box office that tonight they were showing a triple feature. The program began with "Raw Deal" from 1948, starring crowd-favourite Dennis O'Keefe. Next was "Smell of a Chink," an anti-Chinese propaganda film commissioned by the US Department of Defense in 2067. And to end the evening, was their adults-only blue feature, a relatively short reel of film entitled "Big Black Leather Splits" from 1977.
The group thought it would be nice to catch "Raw Deal," though Patch mentioned that we wished it was the one with Schwarzenegger. They waited for the sun to go down and then 79 minutes of crime drama later, the party were on their way again. Walking past the concession stand, Morag spotted a pair of familiar faces. It was Brett and Hyatt Colby, standing with a professional bounty hunter.
"Yup, that's her," Brett Colby told the bounty hunter. "Which means the skinny one must be who yer after."
Hyatt Colby added, "Sorry, Morag. It's just business. That boy you're with is wanted by his own people. It's time for him to go home. Nothin' personal."
Morag inquired further and Hyatt explained that the Colbys had been approached by this bounty hunter, who was looking for Arminius. Someone in Caesar's Legion had put up a huge sum for his capture, and the bounty hunter had given the Colbys 300 caps up front to track them. Morag continued to talk, hoping to come to a peaceful resolution, when Andy stepped forward. Recalling his ethical discussions with Beau, Andy decided that bounty hunters kidnapping friend was bad situation worthy of violence. He powered up his pneumatic fist and punched Hyatt Colby in the arm, shattering the limb. Brett Colby rushed to his brother's side.
But the situation was even worse than that. Four legionaries, hungry for the reward stepped out of the shadows. These men wore plain clothes and carried only swords, but approached as a seasoned unit. The battle already begun, Morag drew Beau and put a shot into one of the legionaries. The inveterate soldier was hit, but flowed with the shot in a way she had never seen before. It was the most comfortable she'd ever seen something hit by a bullet. Dr. Radam threw a grenade, which softened the enemies, but they just closed the distance. With the legionaries all pack up, Andy wobbled close, placed his landmine and told the others to run. With no allies nearby, Andy's landmine blew. The unarmoured legionaries, caught in a cloud of supersonic shrapnel meant to disable a tank, were reduced to red clouds. Andy himself was still in the blast zone, the explosion shattering the hull of one of legs, one his arms and his torso. The SchlockettBot was alive, but hovering at the edge of consciousness.
The bounty hunters and the Colbys were dumbfounded. Brett Colby pled for their lives, explaining that they had never meant any harm. The bounty hunter stood with his laser gun raised. Arminius was worth a lot of money, money he needed. Patch and Morag were tempted to talk through the situation. But Andy continued his defence of Arminius. He walked up to the bounty hunter and pummeled him to death. The group spared Brett and Hyatt Colby, who explained that they were grateful, but there might still be trouble later. Their father, Gus Colby, had already spent the money he was expecting to get from Arminius's bounty. The Colbys were ruined. The party searched the bodies for what they could loot. One of the legionaries carried a bounty notice. It seemed that Urus was now offering a huge bounty on Arminius, worth over 800 caps. More hunters would come. They stood just six miles from Kentucky Dam. But with the sun down and Andy injured, travel would be perilous. Morag found them a sheltered spot to camp for the night. While they rested, Andy repaired himself. It took him the entire night, but by morning he was mostly repaired. The group woke and ate, talking about where to go next. Morag had been hired to escort them to Kentucky Dam, and now they were so close. But Andy insisted that they travel to nearby Calvert City. It was said there was a Schlockett Industries factory there. If there was any sign of the Son of Schlockett, it must be there. Everyone was a bit frustrated with each other, but Andy had his mission. Patch thought there could be something of interest in Calvert City, gear, trade or information. So, with a spirit of adventure, they shifted north to detour into Calvert City.
The Schlockett factory wasn't hard to find. The old plant stood much as it did 230 years ago. But the people of the town had put up a sign which read: "Caution: Killer Robots Inside" Andy took this as an invitation and approached. The rest of the group stopped him, noting that they needed to get equipped, if there really were a pack of killer robots inside. The party went to the local market, where Patch was able to build 3 pulse grenades. Once they had their armaments, they approached the old factory.
Inside, they found a busy scene. There were dozens of SchlockettBots. Some were clearly still operating as designed. But many of them had gone insane. Andy knew the look, SchlockettBots who had lost control from painful separation from Arthur Schlockett. To get to the heart of this factory and discover its secrets would be a difficult fight, even with help...
Next Session: SESSION 49: SON OF SCHLOCKETT
Next Session: SESSION 49: SON OF SCHLOCKETT
Players: Current Adventuring Party, Andy, Morag, Patch Radam
*August 28, 2317*
(Adventure Day 126)
Doctor Patch Radam had done a good day's work. The refugees at Willow Home needed a lot of help. Three broken bones reset, four boils lanced, six teen pulled and a friendly lecture about nutrition and hygiene later, and he was ready to leave. Patch packed up his doctor's bag and his supplies, said goodbye to his grateful patients and set back on the road. He headed to Paducah, where he learned that the party had moved on, so he set on down the highway back toward Kentucky Dam. Old Highway 24 was a beautiful stretch of hill country road, peppered with sycamores and aromatic aster in bloom.
Dr. Radam heard a gunshot ring out from the forest. It was said there was a guru in these parts. A wise man who aided broken people in rebuilding themselves. He split from the road to investigate. He found a cozy little cottage in the woods. And in front of it, there were Morag and Arminius standing with guns raised on three human women. These women were strangers, well-dressed and well-armed. Patch called for calm, but his pleas were interrupted by the sound of super mutant roaring.
Behind Salvatore's cabin, Linda lifted her super sledge, engaged the rocket assist and swung the great hammer through Salvatore's head. Andy the Schlockettbot watched dispassionately while bit of the former Enclave agent's skull flew off in several directions.
Back out front, there was heated discussion. The three women wanted everyone to put their weapons down and to submit to a search. Morag and Patch let them know that that wasn't going to happen. These agents offered no identification, nor sign of authority. And just as the tension was starting to drain, a stranger walked onto the scene. Nate Colby, the youngest of the Colby brothers had been hunting nearby. Hearing the shot, he had also come to investigate.
"Morag!? What the hell you doin' here?" Nate announced, almost oblivious to the armed stand-off. "Daddy said you can't never hunt in these parts; this is Colby territory."
And indeed, Nate's father, Gus Colby had declared that this area of West Kentucky was a no-competition zone for other hunters. With towns growing and the land healing from its radioactive taint, there were less game animals to go around. The Colby clan had put their foot down. Morag and Beau still saw the Colbys from time to time, and she even had an uneasy friendship with Hyatt Colby, the middle brother. But they mostly stayed to their respective turfs.
Morag explained: "I'm not hunting here, Nate. I'm just guiding these folks up to the dam."
Nate was hesitant and suspicious. The three women still commanded everyone to get on the ground. Andy starting asking Nate about the Son of Schlockett. There was a cacophony of voices until Patch and Morag had enough. They gathered Andy & Linda and walked back out to the road. The three agents were unhappy, as was Nate, but everyone parted peacefully. Salvatore's exact involvement with The Enclave and the identities of the three women were mysterious that probably couldn't be solved without bloodshed.
The team traveled eastward, headed directly toward Kentucky Dam. Worried that both the agents and the Colby's might be after them, Morag made an effort to lead them off the main roads and keep them undetected. They came to an old medical clinic, where they stopped to scavenge for supplies. There were a few chems and some ammunition, but nothing exciting. Andy and Beau had confused discussion about ethics. The Schlockettbot wanted to know when it was okay to kill people and why they had tried so hard not to kill Salvatore when they had only killed him anyway. Beau gave confusing answers and the conversation never really went anywhere. Patch patted Andy on the back to reassure him, when he realized the robot had something on his back. Andy was carrying a large anti-tank mine, the metal curves of the explosive blending with his chunky steel frame. Patch was disturbed, but they continued eastward.
Mitch's Drive-Inn was a pre-war motor cinema which still showed pre-war motion pictures. Surprisingly, most 21st century films had been stored on holotape in Americas great cities and were burned to cinders in the Great War. The older, celluloid film cannisters, being fragile and flammable had been kept in heavy metal cases and stored in climate-controlled underground chambers. So, Mitch's showed mostly films produced before the 1970s. An attendant at the box office that tonight they were showing a triple feature. The program began with "Raw Deal" from 1948, starring crowd-favourite Dennis O'Keefe. Next was "Smell of a Chink," an anti-Chinese propaganda film commissioned by the US Department of Defense in 2067. And to end the evening, was their adults-only blue feature, a relatively short reel of film entitled "Big Black Leather Splits" from 1977.
The group thought it would be nice to catch "Raw Deal," though Patch mentioned that we wished it was the one with Schwarzenegger. They waited for the sun to go down and then 79 minutes of crime drama later, the party were on their way again. Walking past the concession stand, Morag spotted a pair of familiar faces. It was Brett and Hyatt Colby, standing with a professional bounty hunter.
"Yup, that's her," Brett Colby told the bounty hunter. "Which means the skinny one must be who yer after."
Hyatt Colby added, "Sorry, Morag. It's just business. That boy you're with is wanted by his own people. It's time for him to go home. Nothin' personal."
Morag inquired further and Hyatt explained that the Colbys had been approached by this bounty hunter, who was looking for Arminius. Someone in Caesar's Legion had put up a huge sum for his capture, and the bounty hunter had given the Colbys 300 caps up front to track them. Morag continued to talk, hoping to come to a peaceful resolution, when Andy stepped forward. Recalling his ethical discussions with Beau, Andy decided that bounty hunters kidnapping friend was bad situation worthy of violence. He powered up his pneumatic fist and punched Hyatt Colby in the arm, shattering the limb. Brett Colby rushed to his brother's side.
But the situation was even worse than that. Four legionaries, hungry for the reward stepped out of the shadows. These men wore plain clothes and carried only swords, but approached as a seasoned unit. The battle already begun, Morag drew Beau and put a shot into one of the legionaries. The inveterate soldier was hit, but flowed with the shot in a way she had never seen before. It was the most comfortable she'd ever seen something hit by a bullet. Dr. Radam threw a grenade, which softened the enemies, but they just closed the distance. With the legionaries all pack up, Andy wobbled close, placed his landmine and told the others to run. With no allies nearby, Andy's landmine blew. The unarmoured legionaries, caught in a cloud of supersonic shrapnel meant to disable a tank, were reduced to red clouds. Andy himself was still in the blast zone, the explosion shattering the hull of one of legs, one his arms and his torso. The SchlockettBot was alive, but hovering at the edge of consciousness.
The bounty hunters and the Colbys were dumbfounded. Brett Colby pled for their lives, explaining that they had never meant any harm. The bounty hunter stood with his laser gun raised. Arminius was worth a lot of money, money he needed. Patch and Morag were tempted to talk through the situation. But Andy continued his defence of Arminius. He walked up to the bounty hunter and pummeled him to death. The group spared Brett and Hyatt Colby, who explained that they were grateful, but there might still be trouble later. Their father, Gus Colby, had already spent the money he was expecting to get from Arminius's bounty. The Colbys were ruined. The party searched the bodies for what they could loot. One of the legionaries carried a bounty notice. It seemed that Urus was now offering a huge bounty on Arminius, worth over 800 caps. More hunters would come. They stood just six miles from Kentucky Dam. But with the sun down and Andy injured, travel would be perilous. Morag found them a sheltered spot to camp for the night. While they rested, Andy repaired himself. It took him the entire night, but by morning he was mostly repaired. The group woke and ate, talking about where to go next. Morag had been hired to escort them to Kentucky Dam, and now they were so close. But Andy insisted that they travel to nearby Calvert City. It was said there was a Schlockett Industries factory there. If there was any sign of the Son of Schlockett, it must be there. Everyone was a bit frustrated with each other, but Andy had his mission. Patch thought there could be something of interest in Calvert City, gear, trade or information. So, with a spirit of adventure, they shifted north to detour into Calvert City.
The Schlockett factory wasn't hard to find. The old plant stood much as it did 230 years ago. But the people of the town had put up a sign which read: "Caution: Killer Robots Inside" Andy took this as an invitation and approached. The rest of the group stopped him, noting that they needed to get equipped, if there really were a pack of killer robots inside. The party went to the local market, where Patch was able to build 3 pulse grenades. Once they had their armaments, they approached the old factory.
Inside, they found a busy scene. There were dozens of SchlockettBots. Some were clearly still operating as designed. But many of them had gone insane. Andy knew the look, SchlockettBots who had lost control from painful separation from Arthur Schlockett. To get to the heart of this factory and discover its secrets would be a difficult fight, even with help...
Next Session: SESSION 49: SON OF SCHLOCKETT
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Report Date
03 Sep 2022
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