Five Parsecs from Home: Turn 23 - Get off Deon B!

 EARL had contacted a local trawler captain who was offering to get the settlers offworld. She arrived in good time at the excuse for a landing port on this sector of Deon B. The plan was to fly off together and reach the Moon of Biitas 12, location of a pretty well established, almost official, transit hub. The hope was to aqcuire a freighter and fly off to the fringe in the hope of another chance at a new life. A dust storm was beginning to whip up, reducing visibility quite considerably.

Thanks and goodbyes were underway. It was emotional.

A shot rang out, a settler crumpled. Nova Cartel wasn't done yet! With visibility so low, they had to be almost on top of the escapees!

Baratski fired into the dust at some vague figures. Brenko charged off firing her shotgun. One cartel member was killed and another was sent scurrying under a hail of buckshot. 

Furious laser and plasma fire burnt the ground, put holes in Brenko's coat, and set the scrub ablaze. Brenko was desperately hugging the ground!

Mao had been keeping watch and shot off some accurate needle fire at the attackers, killing one and making the others think twice. One of them did not look like a cartel member! Who was this?

Using her arm implants Phillips lobbed a grenade. The explosion sent parts of one cartel member flying while the other had to duck and hide.

Augustus Holmes flanked around the building and finished the final member of this group off. 

Ulrich Nolan and Phillips started firing on the other squad, pinning one of them down.

Mao jumped out of cover and shot one of the cartel members down, then redirected his fire to the strange other figure.

A cartel member, even though pinned down, managed to fire off some accurate plasma blasts, knocking Ulrich down in a cloud of  burnt-flesh-smelling vapour. That was going to hurt!

Mao startedtaking fire so had to duck back behind the cargo. That cartel member used that opportunity, Mao having his head down, to scarper. He had had enough.

Phillips then started taking accurate machine pistol fire and had to duck. There was just one person left to fight.

In response Holmes snuck around the corner to open fire on the final remaining figure, pinning him.

Mao then charged out and opened fire, killing the remaining enemy. Upon further investigation this person was probably just a gun for hire, looking for a pay day. I guess it didn't pay that well then. Ulrich Nolan was carted back to the Pelican. He was going to have to spend a while in medbay, and even then he might not fully recover. It was going to be touch and go. Those plasma weapons are pretty rough on the human body. 

It was time to launch and get away from Nova Cartel. Life was too short to stay on this rock, and Tonia Wildner and co. would have had to spend the rest of their lives escaping capture. Time to settle elsewhere. Luckily nutripods can be grown in most climates, and there are many, many planets similar to Deon B out on the edge of known space. 

Some time later both the Pelican and the freighter, known as Old Bertha found a place to land on the Moon of Biitas 12. Luckily for the Pelican crew they had a stash of fuel so it didn't really cost them. Both ships clanked down to the ground, groaning and showing signs of their age. While landing one of the landing strut hydraulic systems malfunctioned. Baratski rushed to hold it together and took quite an injury, busting up her leg. She was going to have to spend time in medbay along with Nolan. 

Before looking for work, it was time to set the settlers up with a ship or a flight out of here. While looking for a ship Augustus Holmes decided it was time to upgrade the Pelican. He organised the installation of a merchant link - a device that would allow easier access to some of the more established and perhaps legitimate traders when planetside.  

Five Parsecs from Home: Turn 22 - Protect the convoy

After regrouping at the nearest large settlement it became clear that the now found colonists would need to get off world. At least until the Nova Cartel could be removed from the system, or dismantled entirely. In the aftermath of the destruction of the hidden facility, Nova Cartel operatives were on the hunt, causing all kinds of problems for all sorts of other organisations. Athena Interplanetary was one such organisation. In response to roving bands of Nova thugs they had started shooting first and asking questions later, especially in and around their facilities and corporate sponsored settlements. 

This is one such settlement. Business was returning back to normal after having to fight off a few Nova thugs. It was still dangerous out there. The Athena security team had placed themselves in a road blocking formation. They could cover all approaches and were doing a great job of deterring anyone else from causing trouble. 

Arriving at the top of the hill, Nolan, Holmes, Phillips and Baratski exited their van to survey the situation. They could see a few guards. Guards who had noticed them. 

The team who were blocking the road, moved into cover to await the oncoming thugs. Probably more Nova crims. Warning shots were fired out and a warning given. Calls to negotiate passage were ignored. The crew were going to have to fight their way past.

The four crew members spread out, with Holmes remaining at long range to provide covering fire. Baratski and Phillips advanced in the cover of the large load bearer. 

Holmes' covering fire opened up and tore through the defenders. The LT fell down in a shower of blood, his body armour doing exactly nothing.

Two security guards flanked around the load bearer to lay down some ineffective fire onto Baratski. 

She and Phillips reached the vehicle and opened up with deadly shotgun fire. One further guard fell down, motionless.

Baratski and Holmes kept up the fire, both taking down another Athena guard each. The remaining guards were holding their nerve though. Probably veterans from various campaigns out in the edge of nowhere.

Both hidden in good cover, Nolan and another guard traded pot shots at eachother. 

This lasted a little while with Nolan jumping out of cover to close the range a little. Hidden behind some crates he became pinned down, but seeing his opportunity he managed to get a decent hit onto one of the guards. 

Better late than never, Mao arrived and opened fire on the two remaining guards. Holmes also opened fire while Brenko and Phillips snuck around the building in an attempt to out flank them.

Phillips rounded the edge of the building and poured more fire onto the remaining guards, keeping one of them pinned down. So much fire was directed at him that he ended up throwing down his rifle and running off.

Mao and Carrick, finally catching up advanced as well, in order to provide covering fire.

Sticking to his guns, the last guard kept firing, until Phillips got near enough to put him down. The threat was now over. These poor guys could have negotiated a some kind of passage if they had listened.

With the way clear, the convoy approached. Full of the surivors from emprisonment by Nova Cartel, they were now one step closer to freedom again. They needed to get off this rock.

It was time to abandon the vehicles and ride the mag train back to the spaceport. 

Five Parsecs from Home: Turn 21 - Nova Cartel Underbelly

I wanted to use my magnetic, modular interior terrain. I feel a little like this quest will end on a whimper. I hope that this battle will result in some missing people being found, but I don't really know.

The entrance was unguarded. The door was easy to bypass. This would prove simple it would seem. 

Holmes led the way with Ulrich bringing up the rear. This underground facility was hopefully going to be a small one. There was, however, no useful map on the wall. 

Close range small arms fire sparked against the walls and floor. Two figures were crouching behind crates. Brenko took some fire and hit the ground while Carrick charged one of the men down, slicing him open. 

The rest of the team opened up, taking the two remaining figures down in a hail of fire.

Upon entering the next chamber two pathways opened up before the team. They decided to separate. More desperate fire came their way, but concentrated returned fire from our heroes killed and pinned down the new gunmen.

A grenade was launched, exploding close behind the crew, Ulrich and Mao dove for cover while the others felt shrapnel bounce off of their vests. 

Recovering, the crew began shooting again, taking out the two Nova Cartel men.

Taking the tab off of a corpse it became clear that there were multiple rooms where people were being kept in containers modified as cells. The team split up.

Carrick and Phillips paired up to cover one side of the complex. They would watch the backs of the others and only explore if they could. Carrick opened fire on another Nova Cartel thug, taking him down.

His fire attracted the attention of another squad who charged out of one cell area gunning Carrick down in a hail of bullets. He fell, behind cover and stayed there for the remainder.

Meanwhile Mao took point when entering another cell area. Poking his head around the corner drew fire from the guards so he ducked back into relative safety.

He and Brenko then laid down fire on the guards, killing one and sending another behind cover.

Phillips, unable to advance further, laid down some heavy defensive fire, knocking down another guard, but she still needed to remain in cover as the other guards were very much active.

Peeking round for another exchange of fire, Mao felt a very heavy hit and was knocked back, unconscious. 

Phillips was keeping her head down, while trying to delay the advance of the other thugs. It was looking dicey at times. Heavily pinned, she was going to get out flanked at some point. 

Desperate to find the missing colonists, Ulrich ran around the corner, pinning down one of the thugs.

He and Holmes then took one of the guards down and kept the other's head down. 

Brenko then stormed up to the other, cutting him in two with some close range fire. 

Breaking the containers open, a couple of bedraggled looking women stepped out. Ulrich shared a look at one and he looked back. They embraced. 

"Took your time, Ulrich" she said. 

"You have been hard to find, Tonia" Ulrich shot back with a grin. Turning to Holmes and Brenko he said "This is Tonia Wildner, we have found them.

Within a few minutes the facility had been cleared of Nova Cartel personnel and all of the missing colonists had been located. 

Mao and Carrick looked like their frag vests had saved them and would wake up with some sore ribs later, but could be carried back to The Pelican. It was time to go and reunite the colonists with Sara at Leyte Logistics, then perhaps get them off world.