Big Wreck - Session 4

After getting to Antiquity, our Travellers meet up with Jax at the L7 bar. There are drunken aliens and the bar is fairly loud. Jax takes them to a back room, but the group notices what appears to be someone both watching and having a comm line open to somewhere. In a private backroom, Jax verifies that they have the device, having it checked out in a small computer system. A small red light goes on over the door, and Jax curses, saying that they need to get to the garage out back. They exit the room to be confronted by a trio of armed men, demanding they stop. Ignoring that, Kelya and Rand lead Jax out while Santiago, gauss pistol in hand, decides the best defense is a really strong offense. His first shot takes out the lead, but the second assailant opens fire and manages to miss. The back door has been opened but there is a another trio of armed goons waiting our escaping characters. Rand shoots one with the AP round, which is not armor piercing per say, but rather acid point. He hits the gun that becomes non-operational at that point. The goons return fire, mortally wounding Rand, while back in the corridor, Santiago finishes off another one while an open bar fight starts up, occupying the remaining armed thug with someone else shooting at him. Outside, our dating duo manage to get the dying Jax into the back room, where, with a bloodied hand, gasps out something about an air/raft, then expires despite Rand's attempts at first aid.

Getting outside, Santiago clears off the last one with Kelya looking out the door to provide covering fire. Behind him, a tall, almost willowy brunette mail asks if all is well as he fires off another shot towards the general brawl in the bar. The others, finding the backroom's stash of weapons, load up and find the key fob for the civilian air/raft. Sadly, none of the characters have any actual grav vehicle skill. But autonomous piloting is a thing. Though it can get remotely disabled and cannot perform any fancy maneuvers, it can get you from point A to point B easily enough. Rand had managed to get Jax's ID and phone, and, dialing the last number, gets Planet Pizza. Indicating that they are calling on behalf a dead Jax, they are forwarded to a woman who queries what they are doing. Quickly realizing that these Travellers are the group described in the recently delivered dossier from the King Richard, she directs them to meet her at the TAS hotel at the port.

The enclosed air/raft takes off, the sound of sirens approaching. The grav vehicle gets as far as the port entrance where they are stopped - without authorization it cannot pass the gate. Had the players grav skill, they may have flown over the line directly to the hotel, but they probably would have been either fired on or been followed by the port police, the armed branch of the SPA. Making another call via Jax's phone, they have access to meet at the TAS hotel. Your standard TAS hotel. they are met with the only vaguely obsequious manager. Kelya, being a member, shows his ID and the manager is most helpful. Going to the concierge area, they find that there is but one J4 capable ship available, the Freekin Awesone, piloted by one Jarred Verril. Getting to the room on the 4th floor, they then meet up with the local bureau chief. They are given the opportunity, first at a cut-rate price, then at the previous price, of continuing this path. They are given a Cr150,000 credit voucher to pay Jarred - if they can bargain for less, they can keep the difference.

And this was the point we finished up. Several things:

1. the notebook was a big help - keeping the pages in order was a great boon to my general lack of organization
2. I am still not happy with combat. We decided on the Mongoose version, even though I had the actual boxed set. It just seemed a bit more jumbled than I would like. While I don't want to make it a wargame, not sure where a good balance is, especially takinginto account how the players may want to do combat.
3. we did get side-tracked by various non-game related discussions. It is not just children who have a hard time keeping to task. Though I have to wonder how much of that is me.
4. The L7 map worked out pretty well. I am happy I am finally getting to actually USE some of the things I've picked up over the years. 

We have 3 more sessions. I figure 1 session to the next system, 1 session there getting stuff for the jump to the Big Wreck, then the final session will be at the Big Wreck, complete with whatever I decide to stock that with. If we miss a session, we can make the next system / getting gear shorter. As the next system is a low tech (2!) system, it may be interesting to see if they can get the supplies they need at the class D port. And it has an odd atmosphere: D: Dense, High. I think that means only peaks are habitable - need to look into the rules. As it goes beyond the original books it must be a T5 thing.

So the next update should start on the final pieces of the adventure: Ahngrim, fleshing out Jarred and his ship a bit, and figuring out the next few possible steps for the players.