Operation Terminus

I'm good for I think any weeknight Except Wed this week.

 

I have family visiting today and tomorrow. I'm suppose to drive 3 hours away to check on a condo wednesday. Realistically, I might be able to do this Tuesday evening.... or Friday when I get back.

5pm EST sound good for either day?

 

5 PM EST on Friday is pretty close to what I can achieve, 6 would be better, otherwise I'll be late.

 

Assume for now we will meet at both 6pm EST on Tuesday AND Friday. It is more likely Friday will be the better option of the two, but I am not ruling out doing something for both. It all depends on how much I get done between now and tomorrow.

EDIT: apologies to GMTeamers for these times. I'm working on a better long term solution that is more friendly to your timezone. I just need to get past this current story arc.

 

this is actually my third attempt to sit down long enough to write the following message:

parents haven't left yet. can't do anything tonight. getting called from across the house.


things will return to normal by Friday evening (around 6pm EST). see you guys then

 

I am going to be late for this, by about a half hour to 45 minutes.

 

My business in gville ran late. I won't be back home until roughly 3 hours after this post (9 EST-ish). We can still do it if people are up for it. Be ready to go when I get online

 

omw home, Borf initiated

 

Previous entry found here:
http://www.theskjaldborg.com/index.php?threads/operation-terminus.7591/#post-158592
Assault on Crow's Nest (Part 2)

May 10, 3049 (Standard Terran Calendar)
System: Star's End
Crow's Nest - Command Center
Commander's Log



We've finally managed to bring the crana infestation in check. Who knows for sure how long they've been here; those damn things can survive almost anywhere. Otack, Skwi, and MH suffered some injuries and our medics are dressing their wounds right now. The medics tell me they see no sign of infection... which is good; I have the feeling we will need every man we can get. The main power system has been restarted and we resealed the power station to prevent the remaining crana from spreading. With a little luck, they will stay isolated there until we can get off this cursed rock.

With full power restored, the story of what happened here has begun to be made clear. Station records reveal there was a mutiny. Some sort of rivalry that boiled over between the XO and chief engineer. It appears that the survivors of the losing side were left stranded on Crow's Nest. These survivors must have been holding out on this station for months before the crana first appeared. Without the numbers and equipment to deal with them effectively, the remaining survivors were slowly overwhelmed and slaughtered to a man. We have yet to search the whole station, but I am beginning to have my doubts we will find any survivors.

 

May 11, 3049 (Standard Terran Calendar)
System: Star's End
Crow's Nest - Habitation Module #1
Commander's Log


We've found the captain of the Mischief Maker. Unfortunately, Captain Buck "Starhound" Harrison is not much for talking these days. Apparently, when the mutineers failed to kill him by destroying his habitation module, they sealed him inside his office and cut off his air supply. Death by asphyxiation... bad way to go. I suppose he could have shot himself, but it looks like he wasn't the type to go quietly. Before breathing his last, he managed to leave a parting message on his computer. The message dates back to almost a year ago. A lot of useful info on what was going on here, but he had saved the best for last:

In the workshops... something more powerful than the Mischief Maker? What the hell has Morgana gotten us into?... What have I gotten us into?

 

May 11, 3049 (Standard Terran Calendar)
System: Star's End
Crow's Nest - Workshop Level 3
Commander's Log

The package has been located . It contains what appear to be plans for something called "Project Harbinger"; some kind of advanced dropship. I can't understand the details of its significance, though. Maybe one of our techs can make sense of it.

The majority of Crow's Nest has now been searched. The habitation, cargo, and workshop areas appear free of crana. All that remains is a search of the main hangar. The main door has been locked shut and we have no way of knowing what is in there. The keycard from Harrison's office can get us in, but I have an uneasy sense of what lies beyond those doors. The techs are still working on getting a camera feed on the interior, but we may have to go in blind. Best to expect the worst.

 

May 12, 3049 (Standard Terran Calendar)
System: Star's End
Crow's Nest - Main Hangar
Commander's Log



We finally found some survivors, but they aren't much to look at. I guess Giovanni is a man who doesn't like loose ends. After securing the Mischief Maker for himself, Giovanni abandoned the remaining personnel on Crow's Nest. Not only did he disable the main hangar door and shut off the main power, it was he who released the crana on board the station. My guess is the crana were intended to discourage any further investigation on what took place here. With no escape off the station, the few that survived the crana swarm gathered what they could and hunkered down in the main hangar. Looks like they had attempted to repair a mothballed Avenger dropship inside, but couldn't get it operational. Months of hunger and paranoia took its toll on the crew from there.

When we found them, they were emaciated and confused. Worse... we found signs of... cannibalism. In their compromised mental state they feared we had come to finish the job; rather than surrender, their madness drove them to attack us. We managed to capture three of them, but one is critically injured... not sure if he will pull through. No sign of the XO, Ben Kingsley. Will have to interrogate his remaining crew later when they have recovered. The female survivor is conscious and keeps muttering about the hangar being "cold and safe... cold and safe". It's distant location from the crana nest must have helped keep them alive. Her unsettling behavior has upset some of the crew and I've had to isolate her from everyone. Morale is low and people's nerves are on edge.

The station is a damn graveyard and this whole operation is turning into something more than I bargained for. From what I can tell, Giovanni is well established on Novo Cressidas. Pursuing this new lead further could be disastrous. Dead captains, mutiny, cannibalism, betrayal... this whole mission stinks of something bad just around the corner. I'm tempted to just strip this station of anything useful and abandon this search for the Mischief Maker. Maybe we could get something for this info on "Project Harbinger" back in FRR space.

 

May 17, 3049 (Standard Terran Calendar)
System: Star's End
Crow's Nest



Captain Lily Morgana waves her hand in a dismissive gesture and turns to float down the access tunnel.
"I won't argue about this anymore. I've made up my mind. We are out of options, Sam. I'm going to tell the Major."

Her long trusted partner, Sam Turlington, shouts down the tunnel after her.
"Morgana, this is a mistake! We don't know for sure how he'll respond! We still need him for our ride out of this mess!... And what makes you so sure he will still want to help us after you tell him?!"

Morgana shoots a glare back at him.
"Sam, keep your voice down! You know I value your expertise, but you've got to trust me on this. I've never led us wrong in the past. Don't you dare get cold feet on me now after everything we've been through. We are going to get what we came here for. We do the job; we get in and we get out... like we always do. Period"
As she reached a bend in the access tunnel she looked back at Sam.
"Trust me."

Sam looks at her and then grimly bows his head in passive acceptance.
As Morgana turns the corner, Sam mutters to himself, "...but how many bodies are we gonna have to go through this time?"

====

Major Magnus Sullivan was in a bad mood already and Morgana was probably the last person on the ship he wanted to see. As she enters the dropship command deck, he purposefully avoids eye contact.
"Captain, I had zero time for you 20 minutes ago. I've got a battalion of military hardware looking for something to do and no objective in sight. We are burning more fuel right now than either of our paychecks will cover. Congratulations to finding your pirate stash of bootlegged pornos and lovely crayon drawings that I guess count for ship blueprints out here. Now excuse me while I try to find a job that is profitable for my command."

"...Magnus, please... there is something you need to know... something... private. You need to hear it before we leave Star's End."

He finally turns his head to look at her. His jaw tightens.
"How 'private'? I swear to God, I will space you myself if you are trying to blackmail me."

Morgana is suddenly surprised by a feeling she hasn't felt in a long time. Could it be... embarassment?... worse... shame? She stammers slightly.
"N-no... and I'm sorry... I didn't know for sure until I had more time to look at the station's logs here."

"Don't waste my..."

Her confidence returns as quickly as it left. Frustrated, she interrupts Sullivan loudly enough to raise a few heads.
"I found him, Major!"
Then, lowering her voice to almost a whisper.
"I found... the Butcher. He's here."

A new fire... a terrible fire burns in the Major's eyes. Only Morgana notices.
"Treabhar, you have command! Morgana, in my office. NOW!"

TO BE CONTINUED...

 

"Uh, aye aye, sir."
Treabhar says with some confusion as Magnus storms out of the room.
"What was that all about, sir?" asks Dyre.

"Nevermind that for now; focus on getting those crates secured. We have a long trip back to Rasalhague space."
Treabhar walks to the captain's chair and takes his place.
"Status report."
As the crew chief gives his report Treabhar's mind can't help but linger on what he thought he heard. He frowns as he thinks to himself.
"The Butcher... a name like that can't be something good."

GM NOTE: sorry I had to edit your post a little, Trev. I certainly appreciate the addition, but I had to make it consistent with the story arc I have planned. Just check with me first next time.

 

May 17, 3049 (Standard Terran Calendar)
System: Star's End
Crow's Nest - Main Hangar

Otäck looks up, peering about over his cards. With a huff, he throws his cards down on the table and grumbles, "I hate all of you!". The rest of the Trump Cards have a jolly laugh at the misery of their leader and continue their gambling and drinking.

 

savefile updated!

• Morgana's contract (Operation Terminus) now shows up in briefing room tab
• interstellar map location updated to display Star's End
• campaign timeline updated to correct date
• personnel ranks corrected
• all pending injuries healed

new save: TRMNS-NovoCressidas01