Five Parsecs from Home: Mission 5 - The Monorail Ambush

    Capt. Alistair, Zorina, and Doc maneuver through the wintry woods to spot their ambushers

As the crew of the Inconceivable rode back from Dichelles' capital to the spaceport on the warm, comfortable monorail, they teased new member Seon Vogalia about his celebrity status. Many news services on the planet had picked up the story about the "Man Rescued from his 20-Year Sleep" in his escape pod. He had even been interviewed by one of the stations, reflecting back on what he remembered of the icy planet before departing on his fateful mission two decades ago. All this new-found publicity for his rescuers, the Inconceivable crew, made Gunny a little nervous, though.

"Relax, Gunny," Capt. Alistair said. "It will make scaring up clues about the lost treasure easier with Seon being famous. Now everyone who remembers anything will be talking about how that ship, too, departed Dichelles 20 years ago before disappearing. The captain seemed animated, now that the quest for the treasure was officially underway. 

    The surface of the icy planet of Dichelles -- where the Inconceivable crew's quest has taken them

"What if some people made those ships disappear?" Gunny asked. "And what if those same people are still around? And let's say they're still here on this iceball and don't want us searching for it." Gunny folded his arms. "All I am saying is it puts a big target on our backs, captain." The rest of the crew grew quiet, looking from one of the old friends to another. Finally, Alistair chuckled.

"You know, if B61 were here, he would say that the trail we are following has...ahem, grown cold here on Dichelles." Several of the other crewmen laughed, knowing the Security Bot's fervent efforts to understand and utilize human humor. They'd left SAS B61 back at the ship to watch over things while the rest of the crew explored the capital city of icy Dichelles. Gunny finally sighed and shook his head.

"Well, I understand a cold trail, but B61 also wouldn't want things to get too...hot, right?" He paused, letting his friends have a laugh. "That's why we brought along these duffel bags, isn't it?" Gunny patted his duffel that contained his rifle. Similar bags were carried by most of the other crew members, containing their weapons and ammunition. If the authorities questioned them, they figured they could always produce the official letter from the Varxian Foreign Service warning them that a terror group from their planet was tracking them and planning an attack. "Speaking of which, I am a tad worried we are the only passengers on this monorail. Shouldn't there be more people headed to the spaceport? People looking to get off this icy rock? Or workers headed to their jobs?"

All the crew fell silent at that, glancing around the interior of the monorail, then outside at the snow-covered trees and rocks rushing by. The dim orange sun was setting, and it would be dark in about an hour or so. The crew had taken this departure because they wanted to get back to their ship before nightfall. Riding a shuttle around the sprawling spaceport to the Inconceivable in the dark seemed like a bad idea after what had happened in their last mission. 

    The battlefield for the monorail ambush -- the smoke and flames marking the wreckage of the vehicle

"What the...?" Gunny barked, pointing at a trail of sparks arcing towards the monorail from a patch of woods. "Everybody down! Brace yourselves!" A muffled explosion sounded ahead, then the piercing screech of metal on metal. The monorail tilted to the left, paused, and then rolled over on its side with a loud bang that seemed to go on and on. The left side of the monorail was now the floor, and its thick plexiglass windows shattered. Intense cold, snow, and debris rushed into the compartment. The lights flickered and went out. The passengers were tossed around despite their best efforts to brace themselves or hold onto something. The slide seemed to go on for minutes, but eventually the monorail car ground to a halt.

Blue light filtered into the car from the right-hand windows, above. Snow and debris covered the inside as the passengers began to check themselves for injuries. And then another noise began. Metallic pinging along the monorail's undercarriage began slowly, then picked up in intensity. The pings coincided with loud popping noises from outside. "That's gunfire" Gunny shouted. "Everybody up and out! Grab your bags, we're under attack!"

    Cephvarx Hul and Seon Vogalia were trapped in the monorail wreckage for the first 2 turns

Four of the six staggered out onto the snow and ice, emerging from the wreck of the monorail. The saw a snow-covered area of forest and rocky outcrops. Bright sparks of automatic weapon fire flashed in the distance like sparks before their dazed vision. Alistair looked around and saw Doc and Zorina nearby and yelled to them. "Into the woods - take cover!" Further down, obscured in the smoke, Gunny waited for a gust to temporarily clear his view. He saw the captain and two other crew running for the woods on his right. Good, he thought. To his left, he saw a small, rocky outcrop. When the smoke began to obscure his view of the distant woods, he marked the spot in his memory.  "Now!" he thought to himself, and sprinted for the rocks. He emerged from the smoke and behind the outcrop too quickly for the distant attackers to get off a shot. 

    Alistair leads Zorina and Doc into the closest woods, and then begin to fan out towards the far edges

Gunny crouched behind the rocks and shouted back towards the monorail. "Cephvarx! Seon! You need help?" He heard both call back, saying they were okay. It was just taking them longer to clear the debris off of them and get out of the monorail's wreckage. Gunny nodded, and squatted down to remove his rifle and ammo from his bag. He inspected it to make sure it was undamaged, loaded, and good to go. Crawling up on the rocks, he sighted through his scope at the largest patch of distant woods. Three muzzle flashes, and the sound of more shooting blocked by a nearer woods to his left. Sounded like one more rifle. A whistle and trail of sparks arced from behind the woods and then slammed into the woods the captain and other crew had disappeared into. Five attackers total, it seemed. "Well," he whispered, "now, time for a little payback..."

   Former Galactic marine Gunny directs his crewmates to fight back against the surprise attack

He sighted through the scope, making out the glint of bronze-colored armor coming from where the muzzle flashes were originating. Breathing slowly in and out, he made out the shadowy form of one of the ambushers. Deep breath, exhale half of it, s-q-u-e-e-z-e the trigger. BANG! One attacker fell to the forest floor, unmoving. "One down," Gunny called out over the communicator to Alistair. He sighted again and fired a second time. He saw another attacker flinch and hit the dirt. "Damn! Close..." Meanwhile, he could hear from Alistair's communicator the sound of the captain dashing through the woods, snapping twigs. The captain informed him the group was fanning out through the woods to get to the edge, Alistair would be closest on the left, Zorina in center and point, and Doc on the right. "Good," Gunny called. "If you're in range, just hunker down and fire. We can outshoot these guys. If Zorina is out of range, there is cover just outside the woods she can make it to and be able to fire her beam pistol."

    Ambushers in two groups - 3 riflemen in the trees to the left and a rifleman & grenadier in the rocks

Gunny continued to curse as he aimed and missed again. Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, the attacker with the grenade launcher realized his predicament. "Blast," he called to his companion, "they have a sniper!" What's more, the three who had hightailed it to the woods were out of their sight, now. He and his companion had no targets from their position in the rocky outcrop. "Let's go -- to the trees straight ahead! Stay out of sight until we have an angle on the woods those guys are hiding in. Don't get in view of the sniper, yet -- we'll save him for last!" The two, wearing the bronze-colored armor of the Dichelles Colonial Defense forces, broke cover and darted for the trees. Snow flew as they crouched and ran forward, then angling to their left, once under the branches. Gunfire continued to echo. "Hurry," he shouted to his companion. "At least one of our guys is down!"

    Gunny's first shot takes down an attacker, who appear to be part of Dichelles colonial defense forces

Meanwhile, both Alistair and Doc had entered the gun battle with the two remaining attackers in the woods. Since Gunny's first kill, no one had scored a hit as everyone hugged the cover of the ground and sheltered behind tree trunks. Zorina's voice broke in on the communicator. "I'm at the edge and still out of range. I'm going to dash for the rocks to the front of me -- I will be in range, then. Cover me, please..." 

    The grenadier and rifleman in the rocks realize they have no shots and begin to move up

Gunny called out, "You got this, girl -- this is what you've been training for. Close down the range and show them what you got!" The Valkeeri darted forward, difficult to pinpoint with her shimmer cloak mimicking the snow and trees to observers. She heard her companions firing to keep the enemy's heads down and sprinted toward the rocks. She heard the snap of rounds missing her, then ducked down as she reached the rocks. She took a few quick breaths, hefted her beam pistol to her eyes and slowly raised up along the rocks. The first muzzle flash drew her attention. She could see the glint of bronze against the dark green of forest. She aimed, breathed as Gunny had taught her, and pressed the trigger. A brilliant red bolt leapt from the barrel of her gun, clearly illuminating the shocked attacker as it took him in the chest. He screamed in pain and pitched backward, unmoving. "YES!" Zorina crouched back down and pumped her fist as retaliatory shots ricocheted off the rocks all around her.

    'Shimmer suit' reflecting the terrain around her, Zorina prepares to dash to engage the enemy

"Good shot, girl!" Gunny called. The loud report of the former Galactic marine's rifle echoed through the trees. "Three down," he called. "All that's left is the two, I think, who were out of my sight. I haven't heard any firing from them, so they're probably moving to get a shot."

    Unaware they would soon be all that's left of their squad, the grenadier & riflemen move to get a shot

"Seon and I are here, now -- sorry it took us so long!" Cephvarx called over the intercom in his heavily accented voice. "We see you, Gunny. Where do you need us?" Gunny told them to double time to the large woods to his left and directly towards their front. There were probably two of their attackers making their way through those woods, now. He admonished them to be ready for close range fighting. "My pleasure," Cephvarx called. Gunny smiled. It was the right move to switch positions with the Varx warrior and make him the close-in assault element. He knew he wouldn't want to face an angry Varx in hand to hand!

    Finally free of the wreckage, Seon and Cephvarx Hul race to join the fight

Alistair's colony rifle rang out. "Make that just one left, Gunny." The captain watched the man rolling in the snow, clutching his side, then slowing and becoming still. The pilot shook his head. Had Gunny been right back in the monorail? Were these Dichelles soldiers attacking them to shut them up? Stop their questioning about events from 20 years ago? His musing was interrupted by a pop. He looked up and saw a trail of sparks headed his way. He threw himself flat just as the forest exploded around him. His ears rang and then went silent - he couldn't hear anything! All of his exposed flesh felt afire, like he'd been riddled with splinters from the wood...or worse? Shrapnel from the grenade? He lay in the snow, waiting for his hearing to return and the shock of the explosion to wear off. 

    The two ambushers open up on the crew of the Inconceivable from their new vantage point

"Alistair! That looked on target - you okay?" Gunny called. The captain heard nothing, though. Meanwhile, Cephvarx put on a burst of speed, ducking beneath larger branches and smashing through thinner ones. When the captain didn't reply to Gunny, the Varx pumped his legs even faster. Alistair also didn't hear the shout from Zorina as she broke from cover and dashed toward the grenadier. A red beam lashed out, bringing flames to woods, but missing the attacker. The grenadier reloaded and fired towards the Valkeeri woman, but fooled by the shimmer cloak, fired long, missing her. He reloaded and then looked up as he heard the crashing through the woods drawing nearer. Too late, he saw the Varx warrior barreling down on him.

    The grenadier's first shot fells Capt. Alistair, who falls to the ground stunned and deafened

Cephvarx bounded through the trees, boarding saber in hand. He swung. The grenadier blocked the first blow with his weapon, but the Varx was too quick for him. The second backhand slash caught him across the waist. He cried out and fell. Cephvarx stepped forward, placing a foot on the soldier's shoulder, pinning him to the forest floor. The boarding saber's point hovered inches from the man's nose. "You are now my prisoner, though honor suggests I should kill you for what you did to my comrade." The grenadier gasped in pain, eyes alternating between closing against the tears and staring cross-eyed at the sharpened point. He nodded. "Good. My friends are going to ask you some questions after we stop your bleeding. If you don't answer, we will rip off the bandages and watch you bleed to death. Understand?" The man nodded again, and sagged back against the ground, gasping at the pain. "Seon? Come here. I need you to bandage my prisoner."

    The fearsome Cephvarx Hul charging through the woods to engage the grenadier in melee

"Yeah -- just a second. I found something really interesting...be right there!" As the Varx warrior waited for their new crew member to jog up, he heard Gunny call out on the communicator that Alistair was alive -- just stunned and temporarily deafened by the close range blast. Varx smiled -- a horrific sight to the man beneath him. The alien decided to keep that information from the prisoner. Let him think he'd killed one of them...

    Even Galactic marine Gunny would think twice about fighting Cephvarx in hand to hand combat!

As I was starting to roll up this encounter, I was worried it would be another walk over. Then I got to the enemy's weapons. With their military rifles and "shell gun", aka grenade launcher, they would actually outrange us. I set up the terrain first, then rolled to see which side each of us would deploy on. I was trying my best to give the colonial militia the best chance possible. I deployed them in two groups, like it dictated, one group of three with rifles at the edge of the woods where they would be in range of us from the outset. My three characters with Colonial rifles would need to advance to get within range. I was tempted to put the Shell Gun with them, but figured Gunny would target him first. So, I placed him and another rifleman in a rocky outcrop so he would be in range (30"), but Gunny would likely be out (24"). Gunny's rocky outcrop and the grenadier's terrain were j-u-s-t out of line of sight of each other, which I did not notice until the first round of firing. I rationalized the grenadier would redeploy after he saw Gunny snipe the first of the soldiers in the trees. 

    Seon Vogalia finds a peculiar item on the forest floor - "What's this...?"

 

The grenadier KO'd Alistair with his first shot. I misunderstood the rules and thought either Doc or Gunny, who I listed carrying the crew's two stim-packs, would have to run over and administer them. The rules author clarified that the figure must use it on themselves immediately when they "become" a casualty. However, you don't have to guess who might get shot. Five Parsecs lets consumables like stim-packs, which change casualty status to "stunned," are considered in a Stash, accessible to all anytime they're needed. It reminds of a game I played long ago with a rule called, "Who's Got the Grenade?" The rules said you kept track of a squad's grenades rather than individual figures. It rationalized, in somewhat Hollywood tradition, that whoever needed it would just happen to be the one carrying it. So, after thinking Alistair might be dead, he ended up being saved. Good thing! The Inconceivable is his ship and they are his crew, after all!

Post-battle, I rolled that the next encounter is the final one for this quest. So, I'll have to do some quick finagling to explain what happened to the lost gold of Amazonas Galacticus...! Stay tuned to discover the answer to the mystery!

Miniature Painting & Purchasing Tally for 2024

• Miniatures acquired in 2024: 226
  
• Miniatures painted in 2024: 214 

Five Parsecs from Home: Campaign Turn 4

    A new planet and a new crew member for the Inconceivable - my Five Parsecs from Home force

Captain's Log

Ship's Log, Interstellar Yacht Inconceivable, Capt. Alistair Valentine recording. On some flights, the asteroids and space junk keep showing up in your path. Every space pilot knows how it is. I knew when I received the urgent call from the Varx Ambassador, it wasn't good news. Apparently, for his role in our probe of the Planetary Militia base, his diplomatic credentials had been revoked by Taxore. When Gunny walked in on the call, with his communicator in his hand and shaking his head, I had a feeling it was going to be one of those "flights." Apparently, the commander of the Galactic Marines on the planet said he would no longer use us for jobs. More space junk. Doc buzzed at the door, and I called for him to enter. He asked if we'd seen the local town's news broadcast. The Planetary Militia were calling for our arrest and trial for murder. All members of the militia were advised to apprehend or shoot us on sight. Another asteroid in our path!

"Gentlemen," I told them. "It's time for us to leave this planet. Gunny, call the capital's spaceport. Tell them we are returning there to protest our treatment. If they want to arrest us, they can do it when we touch down." Both Gunny and Doc remained standing. Gunny coughed, and asked if we were just giving up. "Doc - prepare the Inconceivable for interstellar flight.  We're leaving this town's spaceport all right, but we are NOT going to the capital. We're leaving the planet!" Gunny grinned and left, followed by Doc. The ambassador's voice came through, apologizing for not protecting us like he'd promised. "My friend," I replied, "I am so sorry for what happened to you and your posting here. We will meet again. Stay safe..."

Gunny's message to the Taxorean officials must have been convincing. They were caught flat-footed when, after lift-off and turning in the direction of the capital, we instead accelerated upwards, and out of the atmosphere. The planetary defenses had been given no directions and thought we were just another ship leaving the spaceport. Once out of range of their weapons, I throttled up. "Let's see what the Inconceivable can do!" I shouted to my crew. Of course, SAS B61 replied, "It will be hard to imagine or conceive of this vessel's capabilities..." Zorina chuckled, while Gunny buried his face in his palm. I called out to Doc. "You okay, leaving Taxore? I know how much you loved the people." Doc turned and replied that, apparently, the feelings were not mutual. He would remain with the crew where he knew his service was valued.

I set course for the Dichelles system. Doc noticed and said, "Have we begun the quest, then? For the lost treasure of Amazonas Galacticus?" All the crew turned to face me. I explained that of the many accounts I had read, the data stick purporting to show the treasure ship's route, and the tablet that Gunny had picked up in the market on Taxore, all agree on one thing. The treasure ship AirHart stopped in the Dichelles system sometime before disappearing. We'd begin there. Someone on the planet had to know something. Doc replied, "It's been 20 years since its disappearance, though..." I nodded and said it was the best place to start.

A few days later, Doc was at the Engineering Console when he swiveled his chair to face me. "Captain, I am detecting a strange object 33 degrees to our port. It's trajectory is unusual - it is not part of this system, not in any kind of orbit around the major masses." I called Gunny to the deck, and Cephvarx Hul, too. Doc continued, "It is on a straight course out of the system and appears to be metallic in nature. There are no transmissions, so it is not a probe. There is a faint energy signature, though."

 

Gunny was strapping himself in, "Could it be a projectile -- a weapon -- fired by a ship that missed its target?"

Doc examined the readouts he was receiving. "It could be, but it would be a very large one. More likely a piece of debris from a destroyed vessel with some latent energy or battery source."

"An escape pod?" Zorina asked. Doc nodded and said that was his best guess, too. Perhaps the transmission array had been damaged. The energy signature meant there could be life aboard. Gunny called over that it could be a trap. Doc said if it was a trap, the transmissions would be repeating to encourage us to investigate. Had he not been actively scanning the unfamiliar system and its objects, the Inconceivable would never have detected it. 

Doc proved to be right. It was an escape pod, damaged, but operating on minimal power. As I maneuvered the ship to capture the pod and dock with it, Gunny called to the security droid to accompany him "Low velocity pellets," he ordered. The droid replied that compared to beam weapons, weren't all pellets are low velocity? Gunny growled, "I guess that's what I get for reminding you about your job...!" A short time later, Gunny's voice called over the intercom. "One survivor - he is in some sort of escape pod-induced hibernation. According to the log, he's been out here a loooong time. 20 years.

Doc's head swiveled towards me. "Twenty? Well, I'll be damned," I chuckled. "Finally, something in our path that's not space junk!"

 

    The newest crew member of the Inconceivable from a Stargrave Mercenaries plastic kit

Security Officer's Log

Ship's log, supplemental entry, Security Officer Gunny McBride recording. Our rescued passenger's name is Seon Vogalia, and boy does he have a story to tell! He is an Engineering Crewman from the Starship Bellerophon...or was, I should say. According to his tale, he was awoken from sleep by the ship's alarms. By the time he was dressed and in the corridor, his captain's voice came over the intercom advising all crew to report to an escape pod immediately. When Mr. Vogalia arrived, he was the first to enter. He waited, but no one else came -- the corridors were empty. He claims the escape pod was remotely closed up and ejected just as the ship exploded. 

That part seems to check out. Our passenger did seem surprised when he got a good look at his escape pod in the cargo bay. "Tanj," he shouted, "How did...?" You survive? I finished for him. Yep, the pod was extensively damaged, and Vogalia did some impressive work to reroute power systems and get one hibernation capsule working. He added, "I didn't know if the ship was destroyed by something hostile, so I shut off all of the transmissions. I set the capsule to wake me in 6 months," he said. I laughed. His confusion seemed honest, so I took pity on the castaway.

"You set it for six hundred months, Mr. Vogalia." His red-skinned face registered shock and disbelief. I could see him making the calculations. "No, you have not been asleep for 50 years. It has been 20, though." The bewildered castaway ran his hands through his white hair. I gave him a few minutes to process the news. I had done by background research before the interview. The Bellerophon had indeed been destroyed 20 years ago.

"Tanj...Tanj..."he muttered. He was either a good actor, or his shock fit for someone who just realized he'd overslept by 20 years.

"You would still be sleeping if our engineer hadn't spotted the pod's trajectory and felt it was unusual for an object in this stellar system. He's examined your escape pod and said you did a good job reconfiguring its systems. It might have lasted those 50 years you programmed despite its damage and minimal power." His eyes locked on Gunny's, sensing whatever was said next would likely decide his fate. "We are on our way to the Dichelles system. The Bellerophon was there before your final voyage. Do you have friends or family there...?" His face sank and his shoulders slumped. He shook his head negative. "Our engineer and captain seem impressed with your skills. They want me to offer you a spot on the crew of our ship, Inconceivable." He sat up straighter in response, his face hopeful. "However....I'm the security officer and second in command. If I say 'No,' the captain will back me. We'll deposit you at the spaceport. So, tell me, what should I know about you? We've done all the computer searches on every star crew database. If you leave anything out, I'm going to lock you back in your pod and you can ride in there until we reach Dichelles." 

Seon was truthful, if a tad defensive about his history. He had been brought up on the isolationist star base Dizabos Alpha. That's where he learned his engineering and systems skills. He was a bit of a rebel, though. Constantly questioning the administrators of the starbase. Eventually, he was told to get lost and took passage on a resupply ship. He worked his way up on various planets, eventually qualifying as engineering crew on a starliner. He kept jumping planets because he had a knack for getting in trouble with local authorities. Believe me, I've known many a Galactic Marine with a similar story. So, I'll cut him some slack. I just hope he doesn't have any enemies on Dichelles. He actually did part of his training on there, and it was a coincidence, I suppose, that it was also on of his last stops on the Bellerophon before it was destroyed. That, incidentally, still remains a mystery. Alistair thinks its fate is somehow tied up with the treasure ship AirHart. He's champing at the bit to pick Seon's brain.

So, concluding this log entry security officer Gunny McBridge recommends that Seon Vogalia be herewith added to the Inconceivable's crew. McBride out... 

    I dug out my snow ground cloth to set up the terrain for my 4th mission in Five Parsecs from Home

The Game

"It's freezing out here," Gunny griped as he trudged through the snow, "maybe we should have stayed on Taxore!" The six regular crew of the Inconceivable made non-committal sounds through the layers of clothing they had wrapped around themselves to protect their skin from the bitter wind. Only Doc Mecrocius in his sealed environmental suit and SAS B61 seemed unaffected. The security droid chirped that Gunny was correct. The temperature inside the prison cells on Taxore would have been much more comfortable than the snow-blasted plains of Dichelles 4! 

    The enemy I rolled to face in my 4th mission - Criminal "Gangers" (using post-apocalyptic raiders)

The crew were out in the winter weather doing a favor for the exasperated spaceport administrator. After Alistair had complained about the three hours it had to wait for a shuttle to bring them from their ship to the spaceport's main buildings, the administrator admitted most of his drivers were on strike. Several shuttles had been ambushed and robbed in the last few months by local criminals. Finding a driver willing to risk crossing the spaceport's sprawling and isolated, snow-covered grounds was becoming more and more difficult.

    Capt. Alistair leads his fire team, Zorina and SAS B61, onto the snow-covered fields of Dichelles 4

"We can take care of that problem for you...for the proper compensation," Alistair suggested. The administrator let out a huge sigh, shuffling through mounds of paperwork on his desk. He muttered it violated union contracts, was highly irregular, would likely get him in trouble on his tri-annual inspection, but if they would investigate the shuttle route, how much would they charge him for it? After some haggling, a price was agreed upon. The administrator gave them a map of the shuttle route, ambush spots, and places were the security cameras had been disabled by the criminals. If the crew would install new cameras or fix the old ones, and patrol the entire route, he would see that they would be paid. And the docking charges for the Inconceivable maybe could be waived if they apprehended or otherwise got rid of the criminals responsible. The crew returned to their ship to gear up and find winter clothing for their patrol across the spaceport's grounds.

    Gunny McBride, right, leads Cephvarx Hul and Doc Mercrosus as his fire team in this mission

Later, after hours of trudging through the snow, Gunny barked, "Look sharp. We are approaching where most of the ambushes happened. Hopefully, us being on foot and not in a shuttle will catch them napping." The shuttle route looped around three patches of woods, where the enemy might be hiding if they were anywhere along the route. At each big curve, barricades protecting the small monitor towers that watched the route (and whose cameras they had been fixing or replacing). Piles of rock or boulders peeked out of the snow here and there. Gunny motioned Doc and Cephvarx Hul with him to the right of the road, while Alistair led Zorina and SAS B61 to the left. The plan was to probe through the woods. If they came in sight of the enemy, the crew would attempt to engage them at as long of range as possible. With Gunny's military rifle and Alistair and Doc's colony rifles, they could hopefully stay out of enemy range.

    Zorina & SAS B61 probe ahead into the wintry woods while Alistair follows up behind

When I rolled up this encounter, the enemy was Criminal Elements: Gangers. Even with their bonuses to numbers, I ended up facing only four against my crew's six. They were armed with scrap pistols and one specialist had a shotgun. They were supposed to be "Aggressive" A.I., but I knew that would lead to a slaughter. According to the rules, they would charge across the table and be gunned down at range by my crew. Plus, I'd rolled up "slippery" (thus, my snow game cloth), so they'd be slowed down 1" per move. Instead, I decided to give the poor criminals a chance and change the deployment. I would roll randomly to see where the enemy figures were located once I had a crew member within 12" of an entire a woods area. A "1" would in the woods closest to where we deployed, "2-3" in woods on our right, and "4-6" in far woods on the left. They ended up in the furthest woods.

    Gunny's team moves to the trees, searching for the criminals who have been ambushing shuttles

Once the crew came within 12" and "spotted" them, according to my modifications, the Gangers would move to within their 12" range if they needed to and begin firing from cover. I felt having them dashing out into the snow would be suicide, so I modified their A.I. to give them a fighting a chance. I used my post-apocalyptic raiders gang as the enemy figures ("Space Cannibals" from Battle Valor Games).

    The gangers are revealed as Alistair and his crew reach the edge of the woods and enters within 12"

Still, my crew did not "know" the new A.I. or their location, so hugged the cover as we advanced onto the board. Alistair's fire team on the left dashed through the snow to a rocky outcrop, then into the woods. Gunny's fire team split themselves between the barricades another rocky outcrop. When no enemy appeared, they dashed forward, careful of their footing in the snow, until they reached the beginning of the woods on the right.  Meanwhile, Alistair's crew was making their way through the woods. The captain called to Zorina to slow her pace, so that the security bot (with its armored metal hull) could take the lead. 

    SAS B61 & Zorina reach the edge of the treeline - the woods opposite erupts in gunfire -- all missing

As the bot reached the edge of the trees, gunfire erupted from the last woods opposite them. Bullets whizzed by, striking branches or tree trunks, but B61 was left untouched. He raised his pellet gun and sighted at the closest ambusher. As he fired off two blasts, B61 quipped, "Gunny would recommend high velocity pellets, I believe..." One of the enemy was pitched backwards by the force of the blast and slumped motionless against a tree. First blood to the Inconceivable crew!

    The security bot fires back at the enemy, booming two shots with his pellet gun

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the crew, the criminal gang's boss entered the board as a reinforcement on the board edge behind the tree line. Zorina moved to the last tree between her and the enemy, took cover, and fired a blast from her beam pistol. The bright scarlet line brought flames to some of the bare branches, but missed the enemy. Behind her, she heard the footsteps of the captain moving up, as well. 

    SAS B61 hits one of the criminals square in the chest and the man is pitched over backwards

Over on the right, Cephvarx Hul estimated the distance and sprinted for the final barricade, his boots slipping in the snow as he hurried towards the cover. He saw one of the ambushers move forward to outflank the cover of the barricade and fire at him with his pistol. Thankfully, the bullet whizzed by him and missed. Behind him, both Doc and Gunny were hurrying through the woods to get into the fight and cover him.

    Next turn, both Zorina and the bot get to fire first and two more of the criminals slump to the ground

I rolled decently the next turn on "Activations," and both Zorina and B61 got to fire before the enemy. Zorina practiced the breathing trick Gunny had taught her and took careful aim with her beam pistol. The flash of the bright red beam stabbed into woods. She heard one of the enemy cry out and crash to the ground. Got him! Beside her, the security bot blasted away twice with his pellet gun, lifting another of the enemy off of his feet and sprawling him motionless beneath the trees. Alistair arrived, kneeled between the two, and sighted with his rifle at the criminal who'd taken a shot at Cephvarx Hul. He squeezed the trigger and yet another gang member pitched backwards.

    Mid-turn 'Battlefield Events' roll sees the boss of the gang arrives to reinforce the ambushers

The only one left was the newly-arrived boss. He saw Cephvarx Hul's huge form crouched behind the barricade and fired at him, also missing. Cephvarx raised his large caliber pistol -- he and Gunny had decided to make the weapon trade permanent -- and BOOM! The sound echoed through the trees and the gang boss fell to the ground. Actually, I used the Gang Boss's one point of luck to make Cephvarx roll again, but he was successful both times in knocking the final enemy out of action.

    Cephvarx Hul dashes forward to the barricade in an attempt to get closer to the enemy

Soon, the crew could hear only the howl of the bitter wind across the snow-covered plain. They waited for a few moments for signs of any other enemy to appear. When they did not, they moved forward to search the bodies, which they dragged to the side of the road so they could be picked up by a shuttle. The searched the enemy's campsite and found some likely stolen loot. Alistair instructed them to pocket it. There would be no way to know which of the people that the gang had robbed that it belonged to, anyway. There was also some damaged equipment in sacks that might prove useful. Meanwhile, Doc repaired the last of the monitor cameras. Once they were done, Alistair called the Spaceport Administrator for him to send a shuttle to recover them and the criminal's bodies for identification.

    Only two of the enemy are left, both of whom take shots at the Varx crewman and miss

So, my fourth mission in my Five Parsecs from Home campaign was another walkover. Maybe I am just getting lucky? The enemy did miss every single shot. However, I am playing my best tactically against them, and not giving them any shots at my crew in the open. However, the criminal's +0 Combat Skill stats meant they hit my guys (or gal) only on a "6" on 1d6. Whereas, after this mission, I have all of my original crew at +1 combat skills (Gunny at +2 with the bipod). So, we should hit them at twice the rate. Then again, maybe I should take Han Solo's advice and not "get cocky, kid!"...ha, ha!

   Alistair guns down one more of the criminals and Cephvarx Hul takes out the last one - victory!

I did do my best to improve the enemy's chance by adapting what I had rolled. Maybe I should re-roll if I come up with another foe that appears too easy? Or add more figures to their force? We'll see. The crew is now onto their Quest missions. Maybe those will be more difficult? Stay tuned and find out!

Miniature Painting & Purchasing Tally for 2024 (Next year, I want to tally terrain and scatter, too. If anyone has any ideas how to do that, I'd love to hear!)

• Miniatures acquired in 2024: 170
• Miniatures painted in 2024: 171 (the figure for Seon Vogalia)
  

    Taking down these criminals was the crew's first mission on a new planet, icy Dichelles 4

Five Parsecs from Home - Campaign Turn 3

    In the hinterlands of Taxore, a Planetary Militia unit has gone 'rogue' - setting for our 3rd mission

 Captain's Log

Ship's Log, Interstellar Yacht Inconceivable, Capt. Alistair Valentine recording. I received an invitation from the Varxian ambassador on Taxore. He requested a meeting as soon as was convenient for us. He had matters that he needed to relay us concerning the well-being of the crew. I took along both Gunny McBride, my second in command, and Cephvarx Hul -- my Varxian crewman.

Capt. Alistair Valentine, Gunny McBride, and Cephvarx Hul sat comfortably around the oval-shaped table in the ambassador's office. The Varxian ambassador had invited Alistair to his office to discuss a possible mission the crew could undertake for him. Alistair was happy he'd brought his Cephvarx Hul along. He could tell his crewman was enjoying the company of his own race, chatting with the office staff excitedly before they were seen in to the ambassador's office. 

"This mission," the ambassador continued, "unfortunately could land your crew in trouble here on Taxore. Of course, my office will exert diplomatic pressure on your behalf, if things go badly. So, if you refuse, my old friend, I completely understand." It always amazed Alistair how talking with the alien ambassador, his passenger on many flights during his career with Amazonas Galacticus, seemed so normal. His language skills were paramount, and he had even mastered the art of human body language. He nodded, leaned forward, and even sighed as a native speaker. 

    Capt. Alistair & Doc Mercosius deploy in Taxoran woods with a good line of sight of the militia base

Gunny's voice interrupted Alistair's thoughts, "Exactly what kind of trouble, Honorable Ambassador? There are some on Taxore who are still simmering a bit from us shooting up the guards at the spaceport..."

The ambassador laid his huge palms on the table. "I want to be 100% upfront, Gunny. I know it is your personal mission to keep your captain -- your friend -- safe." Gunny leaned back and folded his arms. "Apparently, a Taxore planetary militia unit has recently gone rogue. Gunny's marine contacts can confirm this. They are not answering communications with their superiors at the capital. Satellite surveillance confirms they are alive and well, though, and still training at their barracks site."

    Gunny takes up the best position with a military rifle equipped with a bipod for long-range shooting

Gunny shook his head. "How does this concern the Varx? Sounds like a matter for the Taxorans to work about amongst themselves."

"We believe they have made contacts with a terrorist group that unfortunately originates from my planet -- the Pure Brotherhood of Varx." Upon hearing the name, Cephvarx Hul sat upright. He looked from the ambassador to his captain several times. "Yes, Cephvarx, I am worried they are concerned with your own activities. You see, my friends, the Brotherhood feels no Varx should go off-world and associate with alien races. Contact with other races pollutes us, they feel. Their goal is to kidnap or kill all Varx in the employ of non-Varxian organizations or working off-world. So, as you can imagine, we in the diplomatic corps are always trying to monitor their activities."

    Zorina & Cephvarx advance through the vegetation on one side of the road, SAS B61 on the other

Alistair placed his hand on Cephvarx Hul's chair, "So, by hiring Cephvarx I have endangered his life? My honorable crewmate and warrior, I know you welcome this fight as a true Varx would. If you feel the call to resign your post and devote yourself to this challenge, you are free at any time." The ambassador reached across the table and placed his lavender-colored hands on the captain and Cephvarx.

"Captain Alistair - you truly understand our race. However, Cephvarx would lose honor if he resigned. He doubtless forgives you for your concern, but likely welcomes this challenge to face dishonorable terrorists who would kill in their cowardly ways. The terrorists have contacted this territorial militia unit and offered them heavy weapons in return for being granted shelter, information and logistical help on Taxore. The Brotherhood plan to strike out from this militia unit's base at Varxian citizens on the planet, murdering and then returning to the safety there."

    Taxoran Planetary Militia deployed on the roof of the barracks, next to their heavy laser droid

Gunny cleared his throat, "These terrorists sound despicable, but is the crew of the Inconceivable to take on an entire militia unit, Honorable Ambassador?"

The ambassador reached into a desk drawer, pulled out a strange device that seemed more fitted to Varxian hands rather than human. He showed it to Cephvarx Hul. "You know how to use one of these, Crewman Cephvarx?" The Varxian reached across, took it from the ambassador's hand, and turned it around in his long-fingered hands several times. He spoke a few words in Varxian. "With this device, Cephvarx can verify the presence of any of our race nearby. If he can get close enough to this base, he will have proof of the Brotherhood's presence. From there, Gunny's old companions will take care of cleaning out these rebels and terrorists. All you have to do is get Cephvarx close enough, give him enough time, and then get him out. Do you accept?"

    Right hand side of the sentries on duty at the Taxoran Planetary Militia base that had gone 'rogue'

After the meeting, Alistair returned to the ship and briefed the crew on their mission. First, he smiled and welcomed back Zorina Valthea, who had just returned to full duty after being wounded in the last mission. The mission would also include a repositioning of the Inconceivable. Officially, in response to threats made against the crew by the spaceport guards' families and friends, the interstellar yacht was being relocated across the planet. No charges were made against the crew in light of their previous hero status for discovering and taking out the Converted infiltration team, though. Conveniently, the new spaceport where they would land after their first flight on their ship was close to the militia unit's base. Gunny took over the briefing, and pull up images of the militia unit's base and its surroundings. He began to explain his and the captain's plan.

    Another look at the base - the Inconceivable crew would come in on the left side of the board

The Game

I used my MDF prison that I'd made for my post-apocalyptic campaign as the militia unit's base. I surrounded it with 3-D printed sandbags and a few other bits of Sci-Fi scatter terrain. For the area covering where the Inconceivable crew would approach from, I used some colorful jungle scenery pieces I'd made long ago for Frostgrave Ghost Archipelago games. I was a bit worried as the militia unit, who would have six members, had military rifles, which are longer ranged weapons than all but one of our weapons. We needed to get one of our crew, Cephvarx Hul, within 2" of the center of the table. I placed a little mechanical droid to mark the center point of the table. Near him, behind the sandbags, was a civilian technician who would grant a "story point" if I could interact with him.

    Doc moves down from the woods to the cover of a massive mechanical drill to get within range

Gunny's plan would first make a tactical switch in the crew's usual deployment. Gunny traded his "hand cannon" pistol to Cephvarx and took up the military rifle with bipod. Gunny's Combat skill is +1 and the bipod would add another +1, meaning he'd hit targets in cover on a 4-6 on 1d6. Though Cephvarx had a similar combat skill, he also has melee bonuses that the crew was not taking advantage of with the alien acting as the crew's "sniper." Gunny taking on that role would be more efficient, it seemed to the ex-marine. Cephvarx, Zorina, and the security bot SAS B61 would advance up the treeline on either side of the track leading to the militia base. Gunny would deploy in the woods with the best line of sight on the base, while Alistair and Doc, with their slightly shorter-ranged colonists rifles, would deploy in the other corner's woods.

I rolled up "Cautious" for the militia's A.I., and deployed them as specified in two groups of three. The one carrying the short-ranged, hand flamer would be on the ground. The other five would begin behind the sandbags on the roof of the base's main building. Their plan would be to aim and fire and pick us off as we advanced. Unfortunately for them, they were of a poorer quality than the Inconceivable's veterans. They were +0 when shooting, meaning they hit only on 6's (they would Aim, though, which would allow them to re-roll 1's). Gunny's plan seemed solid. Let him snipe them, hitting on a 50%, while they hit only on a 1 in 6 chance.

    Gunny opens the game sniping one of the militia sentries, as another panics and loses heart

The crew did not roll well enough to "seize the initiative" and receive a free move or shot. In addition, of the seven dice rolled for "Reactions" (Alistair has a Communicator which gives a bonus die), I scored only a single "1" or "2" (which would allow the character assigned that die to act first, before the enemy). Gunny took the die, aimed, rolled a "1", then re-rolled that one for a hit. The militia were Toughness 3, also, which would make them easier to knock out of action when hit. Gunny rolled high enough and the closest militia man leaning against the sandbags pitched backwards with a cry. On their turn, two of the militia moved up to the sandbags to get line of shot on the crew. The flamer, held fast behind a small control building until the enemy came within range. Those armed with military rifles all fired, missing completely.

The rest of the crew began to execute Gunny's plan. B61, Zorina, and Cephvarx dashed forward as fast as they could through the thick underbrush. Alistair squeezed off a shot and stunned one of the militia on the wall, who ducked behind the sandbags. Doc Mecrosius realized the closest target was out of the range of his rifle and dashed forward behind one of the iron supports of a mechanical drill. I rolled to see if any of the militia panicked after losing one of their own, and lo and behold, rolled a "2." One of them called to the others that he would go and get help. They should stay and hold off the intruders as best they could.

    Meanwhile, Zorina, Cephvarx, and B61 all dash forward as fast as possible through the undergrowth

On Turn 2, I rolled two dice to act first. From his advanced position, Doc raised his rifle, aimed, and missed as the round slammed into the sandbags. Gunny switched targets, steadied the bipod, aimed, and rolled another "1." I re-rolled for Aiming and bang! Another militia man went down! The militia man with the flame thrower ducked around the corner and estimated the enemy were still out of range, so stayed put. Two others fired, one putting a stun marker on B61 as a slug ricocheted off the droids metallic head. Next, the rest of the Inconceivable crew acted. Alistair aimed and stunned the same militia man he had last turn, as the man cautiously peaked his helmet over the sandbags. 

    Hard luck Zorina Valthea, entangled by Taxoran Grasping Vines, is out of the game!

Zorina, B61, and Cephvarx continued to hurry through the alien vegetation. In fact, on Random Battlefield Events, I rolled "Lost! A random crew member loses their way and is removed from the battlefield." I numbered my crew and rolled and hard luck Zorina was the designated one. I reasoned she blundered into a patch of Taxoran Grasping Vines, and was pinned in place by the vegetation. Meanwhile, on the panic roll, another militia member lost heart and fled away from the sandbags. We'd "lost" Zorina, but they had two men down and two run off the battlefield already by the end of turn 2!

    Gunny's second shot drops another militia sentry showcasing the ex-marine's military skills

Turn 3 began with Alistair firing at the same militia man and stunning him again. The militia man carrying the flamethrower saw the intruders were almost within range, so dashed up to the sandbag wall protecting the base. Gunny saw him stop at the wall, shifted the bipod slightly, and squeezed off another shot. The militia man was hurled backwards by the force of the bullet and lay motionless. Gunny was in his element! Three shots, three enemy out of action! The remaining militia man fled the sandbags lining the rooftop (all three panic rolls had been failures -- fortune was favoring the crew this day, for sure).

    And once again, after seeing one of the number fall, another militia man panics and runs

The rest of the game was spent mopping up. Cephvarx moved out into the open (not far from the small tracked droid) and used the device the ambassador had given him. He scanned the complex thoroughly for two turns and then said he was ready to move out. He dashed back to help Zorina, who was still trapped by the vines. B61 continued forward to where the civilian technician lay crouched and cowering not far from the dead militia man. He leaned over the sandbags and assured the technician that he would not be harmed. The two had a conversation for a minute (story point!), when the droid thanked him, and instructed him to lay there till they were gone.

    As the crew gets closer to the base, the militia man with the flame thrower dashes up to the sandbags

When Cephvarx's called that Zorina had been freed from the Grasping Vines, the Inconceivable crew began to quickly back up. Alarms had been sounding inside the base for several minutes. It was time to get out of there before more militia came back for vengeance. As they regrouped a kilometer away from the base, Cephvarx held up the ambassador's device. "The ambassador's information was right. The Pure Brotherhood of Varx is inside the base." 

    That sentry becomes Gunny's third enemy knocked out of action -- truly, the ex-marine was on fire!

Gunny waved the way forward, "Let's go everyone! Double-time on the trails back to the ship. I'll call the marines when we get there."

    Wrapping up -- Cephvarx scans the militia base, while B61 goes to speak to the "person of interest"

I was surprised how easily this game seemed to go. However, I honestly feel it was due to some great die rolling on my part. Gunny was three for three in his 50% chance of getting hits on militia. His two misses were both 1's, permitting re-rolls, which then hit. All three damage rolls exceeded the enemy Toughness. And all three militia panic rolls failed. When shooting at us, the militia rolled only one hit, albeit that was probably not far off from average, with only a 1 in 6 chance. When Doc went over to check on the militia man carrying the flame thrower, he found he was dead. Scrounging through his pack, he found a Stim-Pack, along with a couple damaged pieces of equipment that he snagged and took back to the ship.

However, the post-battle roll resulted in the Taxoran Planetary Militia becoming a Rival. Things might get tougher, now, with both the terrorists and the planet's militia gunning for us! We earned only 4 credits on this mission (our least amount yet), barely paying our expenses on Taxore. If I can roll well enough in the in-between mission rolls for Alistair to finish his Pilot Training Course (which I rationalize is familiarization with the Inconceivable), we may take off and leave Taxore behind. We shall see!

Miniature Painting & Purchasing Tally for 2024

• Miniatures acquired in 2024: 170
• Miniatures painted in 2024: 164 (see next blog post)