Episode 11: Attack of the Space Crickets

Campaign Date: Royal Orion Year 313, Day 326

Characters:
Sir Hollis Dupont, human, seasoned (Andrew Smith)
    Squad of three science interns ("Stick", "Test Tube", and "Newbie") (NPC)
Sir Bloodblade, Kong, veteran (Marlon Kirton)
    Squad of two apeman gunmen and a kong heavy weapon gunner (NPC)
Sir Ashon 'Ka 'Linor, human, seasoned (Mike Miller)
    Squad of six jackal-men laser gunners, 1 medic specialist (NPC)
Sir Buford Culpepper, human, veteran (Dave Nelson)
    Squad of six human troopers with shotguns (NPC)

GM: James Gallagher

Log:

Day 326

All communication with Darwin Station, owned by Vandergrift Mining Consortium, was lost nearly 24 hours before. The final transmission, though broken, obviously suggested that the station was under attack. The heroes are informed that Mavorian pirates have been active in the sector in recent months, prompting Sir Buford to suggest that they all turn the volume way down on their communicators. VMC, and Orion Intel hypothesize that perhaps the Mavorians have organized enough to seize control of the station, and it’s large supply of Finster-metal and refined starship fuel.

Thorpe then turns the briefing over to Jerimiah Winthrope, Chief of Security for Vandergrift Mining. He tells the heroes that they are to attempt to find out what happened on Darwin Station as quickly as possible, as a new crew is being rotated onto the station in just three days. He also requests that, if possible, the heroes are to secure the station, and the prototype Mosquito cargo transports. After answering the questions posed by the heroes, they assemble their troops, and Marvel off to Darwin Station.

Day 326 – Darwin Station

In the meantime, Sticks, and Sir Buford’s troopers have been standing guard near the destroyed airlock doors to the command center, when they hear lots of “something” heading toward the command center. With barely enough time to get behind cover, a swarm of “space crickets” swarm through the door, stopping to “watch” the heroes. In short order a fire fight ensues. Sir Bloodblade nearly takes a machinegun blast from his apemen, but luck proves it smiles on him as what would have been a crippling hit instead strikes one of the crickets, killing it. However, Test Tube does manage to shoot the Kong Knight, does minimal damage, and proves that he should stick to “intern duties”. The knights and their troopers manage to kill all the creatures during a short pitched battle. Sir Hollis orders his intern, Newbie, to gather samples, but before being able to do so, two more of the little monsters scurry through the airlock. Newbie runs for his life as the newcomers draw fire from the party. During a short firefight, two more crickets come through the floor, right in the middle of the skirmish line. They each spit a cloud of acidic spray onto the backs of two of Buford’s troopers and the apemen. It discolors the material in their armor, and begins to corrode the computer consoles around them, but other wise does little damage.

After another short battle, Sir Ashon manages to break the encryption on the security files, and the party hears the full audio of the last transmission from the station. They have been attacked by unknown aliens, the reactor is offline, and the security team has been wiped out in an ambush in the hangar. After a bit of debate, the heroes decide to press on towards the hangar to secure the Mosquitoes. While making their way through the dim corridors, the party is attacked by large warrior bugs. In a short battle, Sir Ashon and his troopers prove incredibly deadly as they dispatch four of the six beasts with combined las-rifle and plasma gun fire. After the fight, the party makes quick stops in the station’s infirmary (where the medic manages to find a med-kit), and the armory (where they find a case of sonic grenades).

The group finally arrives at the hangar, and locates the first Mosquito. As they enter the hangar, they are attacked by more of the warrior bugs. As they start to take up position, the floor of hangar erupts as two whale sized worms emerge and start to plow through the rock toward the party. During this Sir Hollis and Sir Buford both teleport into the cockpit of the Mosquito and begin start-up operations. The battle in the hangar is beginning to get tense, with combined fire starting to take its toll on the alien creatures. One worm’s head erupts as he takes a massive hit from a plasma gun wielded by a jackalman. During the intense fire fight, an unseen assassin bug makes its way into the flank of Sir Ashon’s troopers, attacking and eventually killing two of them. The plasma gunner rounds the corner to confront the assassin, but runs in fear when he sees its blood soaked, skin draped form. Sir Ashon then steps in and is forever shaken, developing an unnatural fear of bugs from the encounter. Gathering his resolve, he then dispatches the assassin handily. Sir Bloodblade’s fellow Kong draws a double barrel shotgun, unloading both barrels into a nearby warrior bug, but manages to hit Sir Bloodblade instead. Succumbing to the grievous wounds, Sir Bloodblade drops in a heap, mortally wounded. As the battle continues, Sir Buford and Sir Hollis discover that grav-locks are holding the ship in place, so Sir Hollis must exit the ship to try and release them. Meanwhile, one of Buford’s troopers succumbs to attacks from a warrior bug. The remaining troopers kill the offending bug, then the combined firepower of the party brings down the rest of the marauding insects. Sticks drag Bloodblade out of harms way, and Sir Ashon finds the power to heal the mighty Kong of all but one wound.

Sir Buford and Sir Hollis manage to take off in the Mosquito, and fly it around to the other side of the hangar to retrieve the second Mosquito. The rest of the party follows through to the second section of the hangar, only to be set upon by crickets, warriors, two assassins, a fire scorpion, and a giant fly-thing. The troopers set up a solid defensive line, bringing all guns to bear on the oncoming rush of giant bugs. Sir Ashon and his medic retainer teleport into the cockpit of the second Mosquito, and try to start the engines, being directed by Sirs Buford and Hollis. Sir Bloodblade takes a point position, readying his new plasma axe to meet bug bodies. The crickets swarm towards the party, as Sir Buford swerves the Mosquito into them, dragging the mag-clamps and kills one of them. He then swerves towards the other mosquito to get Sir Hollis into position to release the grav-locks. Sir Ashon’s plasma gunner takes aim and snipes the fly creature off the top of a fuel tank. The fire bug spouts a flamethrower attack into the assembled troopers, dropping both apemen and a jackalman. Sir Bloodblade, battered but still formidable, wades into combat with a warrior, an assassin and the fire bug. A massive sweep of his blade dispatches the two lesser creatures, and severely wounds the assassin.

With Sir Hollis hanging under the Mosquito, two of the warrior bugs turn their attacks on the second ship. Sir Buford sweeps one of the creatures off the fuselage with another lucky turn of the ship. Sir Hollis drops to the ground near the stunned warrior bug and begins releasing the grav-locks on the second ship. Seeing the situation near the second ship beginning to look dire Sir Buford ditches his ship, casts Quickness on himself and emerges from the cockpit, guns blazing and manages to stun one of the aliens. The second warrior manages to shear the fuel tank on the second Mosquito then begins to tear through the cockpit. Sir Buford, having had enough of the bug’s shenanigans dispatches both with some very fancy, Quickness induced shooting. Sir Bloodblade dispatches the assassin, and shortly after the small crickets (the only surviving creatures in the hangar), begin to mill aimlessly around, and are squashed under foot by the enraged Bloodblade.

The party then gathers their wounded, and heads off towards the main reactor. When they arrive, they find the fate of the crew of Darwin Station. They have served as food for the alien insects that had built a large nest around the reactor. The cocoons in turn caused the reactor to go offline. Technicians that went to service the reactor were killed and became food for the hive. Eventually, the hive swarmed out of the reactor, and within days overran the meager defenses for Darwin Station. Their mission completed, the knights and their surviving troopers returned to Orion where they were debriefed. Winthrope, on behalf of VMC, awards each of the knights 10,000 credits, and they all can call on Winthrope as a contact within VMC.