Mothership Mission Log - Planet Samsa VI Recovery Operation - Session 2
Roster:
- Duke Kilmeister - Marine (Jason)
Leafy Portman - Scientist(Jack) - KIA- Tucker Razorback - Teamster (Matt)
- *Vegas Hemmings - Marine (Jack)
- Smithfield - Merc Contractor
Events:
- After briefly mourning the loss of Leafy, and with her the dream of the Conway machine, the crew divvies up her useful equipment and presses on to the base’s command center. Here they discover the body of 2ndLt Kaplan, who died from a single shot from the revolver in his right hand. In his left hand he clutches a roster of the status of the members of the original expedition at the time of his death. His body too is covered with the strange small cuts. The computers and especially the communications equipment have been deliberately smashed and rendered inoperable.
- In the medbay the crew finds an observation lab looking into the main medbay and operating table. Through the window they can see the wrecked medbay, much of the equipment appearing to be fused with the same substance that destroyed the weapons in the armory. Searching the observation lab they find a logbook with notes left by Dr. Edem. The log documents the discovery of Carcinids and their unique Krebsleider or “crabsong” that they can use to replicate themselves. Dr. Edem also admits that much of the data collection leading to the discovery was done by the android, Hinton, but it was Edem that truly put it all together. Unable to get through the sealed door easily, Duke uses the base schematic to identify an alternate way to enter the medbay through air ducts. He drops in from the top and sees the dissected corpse of a giant crablike creature behind the overturned equipment. When disturbed it lashes out with a last reflexive strike. Also in the room are 4 large specimen jars containing smaller, apparently larval examples of the larger creature.
- Having cleared Greta base and finding only clues to the valuable research the crew elects to travel in the APC to the Heron Terraforming Station. After quickly cleaning out the APC, Tucker is able to get it running and the crew follows the road in the direction of the station. Almost immediately they notice large animals running parallel to the road just inside the woodline. A huge crab like creature slams into the side of the APC - attempting to knock it off the road. Duke rigs a grenade to the flask of hydrofluoric acid and tosses out the thick sliding window - but he misses the fuse timing and it explodes just behind the creature. The noise rattles through the valley, alerting survivors in the station. A relief team led by Sgt Valdez roars out the hangar in two machine gun armed ATVs. They are able to drive off the attacking Carcs and lead the crew into the shelter of the station’s main hangar/garage.
- In the hangar the crew learns there are several survivors rallying behind three different leaders. The first group is led by Sgt Valdez, who is concerned that the main reactor of the station is in danger of being flooded by the storm and shutting down leaving them all vulnerable to a carc attack. She has already sent a team, including Hinton, down to resolve the situation however they have not responded for many hours. The second group is led by Dr. Edem, and they want help recovering their research from the stations lab, believing it will have hints that will help them all survive against the carcs. Dr. Edem’s colleague Dr. Ziegler already attempted to retrieve the data, but has not returned.The final group is led by HM3 Brookman, who just want to get the hell off Samsa. He needs help penetrating the communications tower on the far side of the dam so they can get the Metamorphosis to send the drop ship.
- The crew decides to help Edem recover their research since this is the most directly applicable to their mission (and paycheck). The crew descends the elevator several levels to the lab. Unable to get into the cryovault containing the research (pass code had been changed) Duke and Smithfield drop in through the vents again, Dr. Edem finds the data stick with the information they need, but they also discover Zeigler in the clean room. Before their eyes he bursts into a terrible hybrid abomination and attacks. The crew flees back to the elevator, Vegas using Leafy’s old foam gun to good effect slowing, but not stopping the powerful creature enough to let them all slide into the elevator.
- The crew returns to the hangar and discover that Brookfield has gone to the tower on his own and now they must choose to either follow him or try to shore up the reactor ahead of the storm. All the while Hinton is somewhere up in the mountains. How did he get there from inside the reactor? What is he up to? Do they have enough time to find out before their window to evacuate ahead of the storm closes?