VotO #000: Meeting the Crew

I recently picked up a copy of Five Parsecs From Home. In lieu of any in-person gaming (or doing productive work on any of my other projects), I'm going to start chronicling my crew's shenanigans here. Let's see how long this entertains me.

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VotO #000a: The Ship and The Campaign

The Obfuscator is a Bartuk Systems Constellation light freighter. She's an [unreliable merchant cruiser] requiring constant attention. Her major systems are in tune but the amount of work required to keep them in that condition means the little stuff tends to slide. Faulty seals on Beech's hydroponic systems keep the humidity a touch too high and make half the compartments smell like salad, the hull fittings creak and grind alarmingly under high thrust or when hitting atmo, there's a persistent echo in the 1MC... that sort of thing. It's always something new. Fortunately, Ice scored a two-for-one deal on espresso machines on the last planetfall, so at least there's a spare for the most critical life support equipment.

[the ship has Hull 30 and the crew is 24 credits in debt on her]

[ship's stores include one dose of booster pills and one med-patch]

[other startup stuff here: the crew starts with 7 story points, 20 credits, 1 quest rumor, and 3 patrons]

[I'm going to run my first campaign in easy mode, so I'm setting my victory condition to Play 20 campaign turns... if I stay interested that long, that's a good sign]

VotO #001: Campaign Turn 1

We begin with the crew on Hunnistea IV. Hun-IV has a thriving shipyard industry thanks to the population's [technical knowledge], but to deter industrial espionage, the shipwright syndicates have convinced the planetary government to put [travel restrictions] in place. Thankfully, this regulatory overreach doesn't extend to the job market, so our band of freelancers can seek employment.

The Obfuscator has been dirtside for a few weeks and the crew has pulled a couple of small jobs that have yielded some contacts. Legs took care of one of the aforementioned industrial espionage issues for McGowan Heavy Industries, yielding a [corporate patron]. The investigative fallout from this led Crane to help out the local cops, giving him a [local government patron] on the force. Meanwhile, Flash was out drinking and making friends, including another [local government patron] in the form of a records clerk.

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VotO #002: Battle 1

The reason for MHI's urgency and pay rate becomes clear once the briefing comes through. One of the company's building slips has an infestation of an unknown form of alien life. The critters are roughly human-sized, fast, aggressive, and tough. Corporate security is refusing to go in due to a clause in its union contract, so the company needs outside contractors - and fast, before the hive spreads to the neighboring drydocks.

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VotO #003: Post-Battle 1

The team rushes to Beech's side. After a quick examination, it's clear that the cuts look worse than they are. her equipment harness deflected the worst of the attack, and the homemade dazzle grenade is not looking very reliable.

Hearing a call for help from inside a nearby cargo container, the team advances carefully. Otter hotwires the lock and the doors swing open to reveal a shipyard worker who's been hiding here for four days, subsisting on things best not dwelt upon. Legs stands guard over him while the rest of the team checks the area. The search turns up a machine pistol, still clutched in its previous owner's severed hand, and the briefcase full of Cerian spice that Beech heard rumors of.

Feeling unreasonably fortunate, the crew escorts the laborer to safety and heads off to the meet with their patron. The MHI representative is stunned to hear what they faced - the evidence confirms fears of an imminent alien invasion! He hands over their payment without further questions, then turns and heads for his vehicle, pulling out his pocket communicator as he goes.

The crew looks at one another. "I think we need more shotguns," Legs observes.

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