Star Frontiers PBEM - The Assault on Deck 1

It is not for us to question WHY, April 22, 1999

[VC] Star Frontiers PBEM

OOC
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Zhirrzh is startled when hears a scream echo through the night. Zhirrzh
rips his magnigoggles off and spins around in the direction of the scream.
In horror he watches as Lyrium slides down into the sand.

[DieRoll Zhirrzh]
    Check for Surprise (Intuition Check)
        Roll = 86    FAIL
            Zhirrzh is surprised and loses initiative this turn; cannot
fire.

Zhirrzh feels his stomach clench as he hears her scream in pain. His
thumb flicks the safety off as he brings his rifle up, aiming at the
creature in the sand. Pulling in a breath, he holds it to steady his hand
and begins to fire...

Brenon suddenly awakes and in a single fluid motion he grabs the rifle
he had by his bed side and rolls out the front of his tent, quickly scanning the terrain.
Eyes falling on a large hole. Ghastly screams could be heard coming from that
direction....sink hole!! something seemed odd in the way they screamed. Damn, this was Zhirrzh and
Lyriums' shift, were both Zhirrzh and Lyrium in that hole? Just then, Zhirrzh shouts from
atop the rocks "Sand Worm, get your gun" Brenon runs to the explorer, barking out orders
all the way, "Telgar, get behind the wheel of the explorer and get ready to back her up. Raleigh, Kah'less,
I need you to follow me."
The area illuminates as Zhirrzh begins to discharge his weapon. Shot after
shot.

[TURN #2]
Roll for Initiative
[DieRoll Funnel Worm]
Funnel Worm IM=3 + Roll (6) = 9

    [DieRoll Zhirrzh]
        IM=5 + Roll (3) = 9
    Zhirrzh wins iniative due to higher IM score..

Zhirrzh peers through the scope of the Needler Rifle and lets loose a
barrage of shots, hoping his aim is true, and recognizing the fact that
Lyrium and Rolgar were uncomfortably close to be shooting at the worm.
Knowing the giant beast would not fall to a single coated burst of needles,
he fired as quickly as he could, firing 3 shots in mere seconds.

    [DieRoll Zhirrzh]
        Column +2 base (Level 2 PGS weapons)
        Sight on rifle allows 40meter to be short range (0 CS shift)
        Funnel Worm soft cover ~buried in sand~ (-1CS)
        Adjusted Column = +1
            Roll = 17    BLUE   6 Damage + sleep
            Roll = 88    Miss
                    Check if shot hits Lyrium/Rolgar Column -X
                    Roll = 51    Miss
            Roll = 53    Miss
                    Check if shot hits Lyrium/Rolgar Column -X
                    Roll = 17     HIT     50% = Rolgar
                                                               Damage= 6 +
sleep
                                                    Rolgar's current Sta
= -11

    Zhirrzh grimaces for a split second. From his vantage point, Rolgar was
unmoving, and could already be dead. But that last shot, did he hit Rolgar?
Hard to tell. Hard to tell.
    Gnashing her teeth through the pain, feeling blood gush through her
clothing and down her legs, Lyrium fights to keep consciousness. Rolgar was
not moving and could be dead. She knows this is happening too fast, and is
doubtful help can arrive before they are both gone. She reaches to her hip,
grapping hold of her laser pistol holstered there. Even though she was
testing, she was still technically on watch, and thankfully had the weapon
with her.
    Not even waiting to pull the pistol from its holster, she lifted the
barrel from her leg and fired, knowing full well the worm would feel its
burst; she was already caught in its razor sharp maw, but she was sure going
to show this beast that she had a sting. She yanks on her trigger, just as
the worm takes another bite into the two of them...

   [DieRoll Lyrium]
    Automatic hit, firing into mouth.
       Damage Roll = 86
              Damage = 25
        Damage Roll = 45
              Damage = 25

    [DieRoll Funnel Worm]
    Automatic Hit, caught in mouth.
        Damage Roll = 77   {{{ Referee imposed Bonus - 60 }}} = 17
            Damage = 40
            Lyrium's current Sta = 10 (skeinsuit absorbed 20)
            Rolgar's current Sta = - 51

    Telgar awakens from his light slumber upon hearing the screams from
Lyrium and Rolgar and tightens his grip around the two laser pistols in his
shoulder holsters that he had been instinctively holding in his sleep. As
quickly as possible he darts out of his tent, grabbing the rifle he had on
his earlier excursion on his way out.
    Raleigh bolts from a silent slumber. At first he thought it had all
been his imagination but when the second scream, this one from Lyrium, broke
the silence Raleigh knew it was not his imagination.
    He flings the blanket to the side and leaps to his feet. Sparing only
enough time to grab his
assault rifle, he sprints from his tent towards the direction of the
screams.
    Once in the open, the coughing sound of Zhirrzh's needler catches his
attention above him. He sees Zhirrzh firing from atop the rock and Brennon
rushing wildly, issuing orders to the others...
    Brenon runs into the explorer and retrieves the rope Zhirrzh left from
the previous mission.
He ties one end to himself and tell Raleigh to tie the other end to the
explorer. He briefly
instructs Raleigh and Kah'less that they are to provide support should
Brenon go too deep into the hole and pull him up.
    Raleigh quickly complies, following Brennon to the Explorer. Hole?
What hole? Raleigh wondered to himself before realizing that he must have
been a bit more tired than he thought. A short 30 meters away was a large
sinkhole that had formed, no doubt, where Lyrium had been collecting
samples.
    He quickly ties the knot off on the Explorer and follows Brennon to the
pits edge, fearing the
worst already.
    Telgar rushes to the vehicle. 'Get to the Explorer', he said to himself.
He wasn't sure exactly what the situation was, but the information he had
gathered so far wasn't adding up to anything good. Telgar mentally blocks
out any left over stiffness from his previous injuries, and takes off at top
speed towards the Explorer, hoping that he had in fact healed finally.
    Upon reaching the Explorer, Telgar jumps in and starts it up, cursing at
the slowness of the starting mechanisms. He started wondering 'Where is
Kah'Liss? Was he ok, or had he already been killed? Guess I'll find out
soon if that cursed life line device ceases to receive Kah'Liss's vitals.'
Telgar looks around for the area where the Explorer needs to be back into
and finds it. As he backs the Explorer as fast as possible towards the
sinkhole, he sees Kah'Liss and lets out a short sigh of relief, 'Just don't
get yourself killed Kah'Liss' he says to himself. Telgar brings the
Explorer to a stop about four meters from the outer rim of the sinkhole.

{{{ 3 turns have passed while this preparation was taking place (only 18
seconds, I'm being nice)}}}
[Turn 1]
Roll for initiative
[DieRoll Funnel Worm]
Funnel Worm IM=3 + Roll (7) = 10

    [DieRoll Zhirrzh]
        IM=5 + Roll (3) = 8
    Funnel Worm wins initiative.

Feeling the searing burn of the laser rifle, the worm thinks only one
thing: Kill whatever caused it..

    [DieRoll Funnel Worm]
    Automatic Hit, caught in mouth.
        Damage Roll = 9
            Damage = 40
            Lyrium's current Sta = -20 (skeinsuit absorbed 10, now useless)
            Rolgar's current Sta = - 91

An intense pain rocks Lyrium's body for only a moment. As the pressure
of the worm's jaw crushes her hip, she lurches forward, vomiting blood. All
pain then vanishes. She feels nothing. For a moment longer, her fading
vision tells her of some struggle that is happening seemingly miles away, as
far even as the Volturnian sky far above her. The beautiful sky...
She stares into the evening sky of Lossend, sighs happily as she stands
in the open field. "I am going to the academy on Pale," she repeats
excitedly, her school friends around her, joining in her celebration.
Tomorrow she would be off on some Starliner, ready to start this exciting
new milestone of her life. As a friend shoves another full Enoty Sour into
her hand, replacing the one she just finished, she sighs happily. Certainly
she would miss her friends here on Lossend; they've been through so much
together. So many good times. But certainly, a much more exciting life
waited her out there among the stars. Yes, she promises herself to fully
remember this final night of celebration; it would probably be a long time
before they would all be able to meet back together. Too long, she muses...

Zhirrzh fires angrily as he sees the bodies of both Lyrium and Rolgar
toss around at the bottom of the pit like a pair of ragdolls. His stomach
twists as he recognizes that Rolgar's body has been completely bitten in
half, his upped torso slipping grotesquely out of the worm's mouth.

[Turn 2]
Roll for initiative
[DieRoll Funnel Worm]
Funnel Worm IM=3 + Roll (6) = 9

    [DieRoll Zhirrzh]
        IM=5 + Roll (7) = 12
    Zhirrzh wins initiative.

[DieRoll Funnel Worm]
Funnel Worm unconscious for XXX turns
(Results secret)

Zhirrzh pulls away from the scope when he hears the grunting pant of the
worm. It stops its struggle and the massive head collapses, unconscious,
into the sand. He knew the worm was out, not dead, and he didn't know how
long the creature would remain that way. The scene at the bottom of the pit
was terrible. Rolgar was obviously dead. He could see that Lyrium was also
unconscious, possibly dead as well. The pit was collecting a thick pool of
blood; both Lyrium and Rolgar seemed covered in it. His gut instinct was
telling him horrible news. He hoped he was wrong.
Zhirrzh sees the rest of the team arrive at the pit, the Explorer
resting a few meters from the surface. Brenon, rope tied around his waist,
reaches the rim of the funnel and places a foot into the pit, rifle up,
ready to transcend the slippery pit. Raleigh comes up behind him, making
sure the rope is secure.

Brenon stares at the scene below him in horror. In the orgy of blood and
gore below him, he immediately sees the disembowed Rolgar. Lyrium lay
lifeless, half inside the sleeping worm's mouth. Both are covered in blood.

================================================
Referee's Note

Well, there you have it. I must admit I almost had a tear in my eye
for poor Lyrium. Rolgar wasn't with us long, but Lyrium was there from the
beginning.
This was Referee imposed destiny, and a warning of sorts to anyone
who thinks they can quit the game without their character passing on in some
horrible way.

Even though this was predetermined, the Funnel Worm is a very REAL creature
on Volturnus. The only thing that aided it was my bonuses on the damage - he
caused maximum damage on several of his attacks. If this were not
pre-scripted by me, there's a good chance your could survive the attack, but
it's not something to play with.

Welcome, again, to Volturnus.

I'm out of town this weekend again for a re-enactment, but I'll be able to
post something Friday morning or afternoon before we leave (I've got Friday
off)

So long, and don't take it personal :)

Jeff