Mothership Mission Log - Planet Samsa VI Recovery Operation - Session 1
This is the first play report in our ongoing mothership "Ghost Crew" campaign which as of this posting just completed its sixth session. I will post more in the coming days. The first sessions outline the crews investigation of the planet Samsa VI from the module Another Bug Hunt published by Tuesday Knight Games.
Roster:
- Duke Kilmeister - Marine (Jason)
- Leafy Portman - Scientist (Jack)
- Tucker Razorback - Teamster (Matt)
- Hemmings - Merc Contractor
- Smithfield - Merc Contractor
Events:
- The crew is taken out of cryo and given a stimpak dose to negate the effects. C3 Maas gives them their mission briefing and update and assigns Blackshield mercs Hemmings and Smithfield to accompany them in the mission.
- The crew drops into the vicinity of Greta Base aboard the Dropship, piloted by Anders and Renfield. The reentry is rocky due to the approaching storm. Crew is dropped at the landing pad just south of Greta Base.
- Crew gains access to the base by Tucker picking in the outer airlock door. In the storage lockers they find a hazard suit, 2x pulse rifle mags, and a rosary. Many of the lockers appear to have been damaged by powerful claws.
- After fumbling with unfamiliar airlock controls the crew gains access to the central commissary/dining facility for the base. They discover what appears to be remains of a birthday party that ended in violence. A banner hangs loosely “Happy Birthday Olsson,” and water drips from bullet holes and the ceiling. They discover the head and decapitated body of a marine, LCpl Xavier. Her chest appears to have been blown out from inside.
- The crew moves east into the pantry and freezer pods. In the pantry they discover the body of 2ndLt Lange, who appears to have starved to death surrounded by piles of sorted MREs (Meals Ready to Eat/Rations) and body criss-crossed in tiny cuts. In the freezer (medical grade) they discover the frozen corpse of LCpl Resnick. He is wearing a tinfoil hat and holding a tumbler of hydrofluoric acid. Nearby is a case of 25L of chemotherapeutic agents. The crew takes the acid and a couple bottles of chemo.
- While crossing back through the commissary the crew hears a thumping or thudding noise coming from the direction of the garage. They investigate the armory and find the heavy vault-like door ripped off and discarded. The weapons have been piled in the middle of the room and bonded or melted together with an organic compound of unknown type.
- The crew moves through a small airlock into the garage. Inside they find a marine (later ID’d as Sgt Abara) digging a pit under the ripped up decking of the floor. They initially leave him be as he is unresponsive to questioning. Duke investigates the parked APC. Inside he finds the base’s mechanic, Demar, wearing a tinfoil hat and cripping a grenade - pin already pulled - rocking back and forth mumbling that he needs to return to the hive to contribute. He is thin and his body is covered with tiny cuts. When Duke attempts to reason with him he snaps out of his trance, shouts “Leave me!” and fumbles the grenade. Duke dives for the door but catches part of the blast. He is only slightly injured as his hazard suit takes most of the blast, but is destroyed in the process.
- The crew attempts to help Sgt Abara but when touched his head snaps back and a creature emerges - dragging his corpse behind it as it attacks. Leafy attempts to trap it with her foam gun but misses. She is injgured and her hasard suit ruined when she is raked by the powerful crablike claws. Duke closes in with his vibechete to buy his team time to retreat, severing a long clawed limb. The alien recoils and flees through the partially open door to the jungle outside. Tucker is able to start the backup generator and restore power to the base. The crew is startled when loud music blasts from the direction of the commissary, except Duke who recognizes his favorite song - Motorhead’s “Killed by Death.” The crew closes the exterior door before continuing.
- Rushing back through the airlock the crew regroups and moves south the crew quarters pod. The crew searches the various rooms, finding in 2ndLt Kaplan’s room a locator beacon showing the location of the original mission’s android science officer, Hinton. Hinton is at an uncharted location in the mountains to the north. The crew also finds a journal detailing a relationship between HM3 Brookman, and Cpl Ivanovic; a birthday card from Dr. Edem to Olsson - “thanks for always listening. Hopefully they’ll let me leave after this one.” Also on the wall they find graffiti “COMMS OFF.”
- The crew decides to rest here briefly and Leafy elects to try to heal herself with a stimpak. Unfortunately the second dose so soon after the first overwhelms her nervous system and she dies of the overdose. The crew is shocked and is briefly at a loss of what to do next.