Campaign Event: Holmes gets AI implants, Mao to stay on Deon B if I don't pay a story point to keep him. I am ignoring these as the narrative works best as this battle directly following the last battle. All gear gained from the tasks this turn will also not be used, and I might even ignore it existing.
Character event: Mao has a hobby, gain a story point...to spend on him staying in the crew!
Phillips was stowing her pad into her pack when the ringing of molten metalsand out. She threw herself from the platform using her boosted arm. However, exposed on top of the scanning facility EARL was not so fast. Two holes seared through his outer coating. Familiar looking figures approached from the West. Was this whole thing a set up?! Luckily Mao, Holmes, and Carrick had remained in covering positions, just in case.
Carrick took fire from the rear, some laser blasts and a couple of shots from a hand flamer. All were wildly inaccurate though.
Carrick returned fire, getting close enough to the soldier with the hand flamer to pin him down. Meanwhile Mao, Holmes and Phillips opened fire on the other fire team, killing one of them.
Getting the drop on the enemy again, Carrick charged them down and tore one apart with his shotgun.
This left him exposed, however, and he fell to some accurate laser fire!
The rest of the crew advanced and opened fire on the two remaining figures. They both went down. This must have been some kind of ambush. A trap set again by whoever was behind the disappearance of the colonists.
EARL was moving, just unable to shoot any weapons. He would need repairs. Carrick picked himself up and admired the new holes in his coat. He was going to be just fine. Gathering themselves together, Carrick noticed the enemy hand flamer laying on the ground. This would do nicely!
Back at The Pelican Phillips connected her tab to the system. After a thorough search of the ship's databases it became clear that the ships blocking exit from Deon B belonged to the Nova Cartel, a ruthless organisation prone to slave trade and the trafficking of illicit substances. Was it really as simple as a group of settlers being grabbed to be sold as slaves?
Ulrich Nolan was not convinced. "Their leader was a former slave. I wonder if this was the reclamation of original property."
Jiang Min interjected "There is a facility to the north where Nova Cartel is known to operate. It is often overlooked because people come and go here so often. We should head over there."
