Escape from Glennga | GlenngaCampaign

The shuttle

While digging "chest freezer", found 3 alien corpses with weird wrist bands.

Bands act as locators (of other bands) and comms devices when activated.

Can locate inactive bands.

Points to 4th band some 2 km away.

Some sort of object there, needs to be excavated.

Left the Lizard and the drunk to guard site with bands, and returned to camp.

Major conflab at prison camp - Murders, lockdown, everything gone to pot in a big way.

Arranged to sneak out through mines - "Tech" will guide us.

Grab some useful stuff while exiting the next morning. Started a nasty diversion, walked off with 2 mining lasers (go us).

Able to excavate ship from ice.

Bands act as key on the door.

Very biotech, but still growing, based on availabe evidence.

Dropship / shuttle, can get us off the planet, but not certain what will happen next.

Small party (Ben, Latte, Nickchub) go off hunting while waiting for the rest work on the shuttle.

Nickchub fails to dodge a herbivore charge, and is badly injured.

Hunting party sees dropships or supply crates being dropped from orbit as they return.

We established that the major issue with the shuttle is the antigrav unit, which is leaking and has lost it's coolant.

The plan: Liberate a hovercraft for parts and coolant, find medical supplies for Nick.

Met special forces unit on the way, with snow mobile. Arranged hasty ambush, which was semi-successful. The mining laser took out one solider, before return fire took out the mining laser, and a brief scuffle ended with a dead soldier and a very surprised Tsai holding the knife.

In the light of the special forces unit, and given that the snow-mobile had a medpack and coolant, we decided not to return to base, but beat a circuitous retreat to the shuttle.

Latte rigged the snow-mobile as a bomb back at the shuttle.

Hasty repairs and much tying off of pipes with herbivore hide. Muffled thump from outside as a result of the snow-mobile bomb as we finished the repairs changed the plan from "test things" to "take off now". Managed to take off, which was a relief. Shuttle is pilotable and doesn't have a great view screen. It does have a auto-pilot which managed to guide us to a very large ship.

The tree-ship

The ship is VERY large. Looks similar sort of organic tech as the shuttle. Ship has a thick middle section and then tapers down as one moves further away from the centre of the ship. Creates a definite sense of "up-down" as being along the longest axis of the ship. Shuttle also seems to align with this on approach.

Extensive region of damage "above" the central axis, which looks like weapons damage. Given the size of the ship, this would require a scarily large gun.

Series of holes visible "below" the mid-point. Shuttle docks via one of these, leading via a tunnel to a shuttle bay area.

Shuttle bay is a large, open hanger region. Has atmosphere (thankfully), which we experimentally verified to be breathable (very thankfully). Artificial gravity aligns with the orientation taken by the shuttle.

Shuttle bay also has one damaged shuttle near one of the exits, looks dead (no evidence of the growth found on our shuttle) and one overgrown shuttle, which we may be able to repair and turn into a second working shuttle. Left Nickchub in the shuttle, with supplies, and went exploring.

Much searching, found a up way up out of the bay - a hole in the ceiling. Shar sent up to explore, as being easiest to get into the hole, and less likely to get stuck than several of the other members of the party.

She reports finding a number of rooms full of alien bodies and many bracelets. Bracelets work weirdly on the ship - range of detector location seems to be limited to a level or two. Shar discovers alternate route leading back to the hanger.

Some exploration - found a number of blocked passages. The passageway leading down from the shuttle bay is blocked, so general consensus is to go up to see what can be found.

Alien bodies are identical. Some varying sizes, but otherwise identical. Cloning?

Huge ship, so purpose unclear. Generational ship? Colony ship. Vast number of bodies suggest this may be the case. Aliens seem to have laid down and died without a fuss. Slave class abandoned on the ship while superiors escape?

We noticed that Nickchub's bracelet had disappeared. Returned to shuttle to find a) cracks in the floor b) no Nickchub and c) no supplies. Stolen by the ship? Still no way down, so returned to trying to go up and find a control room or something.

Camped out a couple of levels above the shuttle bay. Pair on watch met by weird creature that seems to be a clone made from both Nickchub and the herbivore meat. Herbivore body with Nickchub's face.

Seems to be a representative of the ship. Dubbed it "The Ambassador". Awkward conversation while it acquires or language, which happened really fast. Establish that ship is basically telepathic, but that doesn't interface well with us (which it's learnt how?), so creation of "The Ambassador" required.

In response to queries, the Ambassador assures us that "The specimen has been preserved". We hope this means that Nickchub is still alive.

Establish that it needs to have the ship's engine repaired. Leads us there, although me needed to cut a path using the mining laser.

Engine room is a bit weird, several redundant copies of some things, while others only one of. Logic of this unclear.

Establish that the broken bits in the engine room are a) fuel tank and b) either the unzipper or the cutter.

The ship can repair fuel tank. and can refuel from ice in rings of the outer planets, but can't do anything about the broken zipper/cutter. We're not quite sure which one it is, as the design is alien, and the actual broken unit is an unrecognisable mess, so we can't look at the differences between the two. There are no redundant copies of either unzipper or cutter

Nickchub returns, after what sounds like a failed attempt at telepathy. He has acquired some useful info from the ship, though, which allows us to establish that the broken bit is a cutter.

There are no useful spares or tools available on the ship, so we have to scrounge them from elsewhere.

Opt to go to the original mining base and gate project, as hopefully usable equipment there. This will also give The Ambassador an opportunity to fix the tank and refuel.

During the trip (about 1 day), much clearing of corridors with the mining laser and general creating workable crew quarters. Establish route to the bridge, but will need better view-screens, as the current set is nigh useless for us.

Ship provides food pods for us in the crew quarter area we chose near the engine room. Ben gets better deal than the rest of us, as he gets specially customised pods, while we're stuck with things based off the herbivore meat. The drink is also based off the herbivore meat, and probably won't ferment into anything a drinkable beverage can be made from easily.

Ship creates workable organic EVA suits for us during this trip as well. Testing is a bit scary, but no-one gets killed, and suits seem to be working at the end.

Things we've learnt about the ship:

Ship has a very very large energy weapon, but no other armament. This needs the fuel issue fixed before being usable.
Ship is cloaked to some unclear degree, probably why it's remained undiscovered for so long.
7 shuttles sent out to look for cutter when the ship was attacked. None returned, until we did.
The Ambassador thinks the rest were destroyed.
Corpses are of the crew.
Strong indication that they're telepathic, but the comms bracelets suggest this has limited range.
Indications that the ship can create more crew if it's useful to do so.
Crew "are not peers", unlike us, so presumably less independent than other passengers.
Dissection of the crew corpses isn't very informative.

The Ambassador often seems evasive about information, although this may be due to non-telepathic communication not being it's strong point.

The mining station

Reach asteroids - head off in shuttle to search original base. The Ambassador has repaired the fuel tanks and heads off to refuel from the ice ring. Will take "a few hours" to refuel.

Land in the entrance to the base. There are statues in the airlock, which suggests base was not completely deserted. Ben, Latte and Tsai head in as the first exploration party.

Protohumans ("Monkeys" according to Bnarch) meet them (speaking trade lingo). They greet the party as "The Bosses", and we generally seem to be taken as figures of religious significant.

Discussion with protohumans establishes:

Left behind when Glennga family was captured.
Have been doing maintenance and some mining work, as instructed by "The Bosses".
Maintenance work done by rote, so things have gotten a little shoddy.
Run by 3 foremen (of varying gender). Foreman of Maintenance, Foreman of Personnel and Foreman of Mining.
Food replicator is on the blink, and they have little water, so won't survive that long here.
Other than maintenance and some mining, protohumans have mainly been creating statues of everything related to "The Bosses". All very cargo-cult, and a bit disturbing. The statues are really good, though.

Party all enters the base. Ben creates a Foreman of Exploration, and sets off to explore the base.

Much evidence of weapons damage around the base from when the Glennga family was captured. Control room is locked, but the protohumans open it for us. No weapons damage in the control room, which is odd. EMP was set off in the control room, so amount of usable data there is unclear.

Two workable shuttles (1 small and fast, 1 larger and slow), at base, and a number of carved shuttles. Complication that the shuttles are used to store the honoured dead, so space is a bit cramped. Also find various bits of mining equipment, including more mining lasers and 2 dead mining robots.

Utan arranges to be taken on a tour of the quarters. Finds probably recoverable datapads (one slightly damaged, one just battery dead), some weird dongles and a thermos bottle of what may be alcohol in various hiding places.

Discussions with the protohumans reveal that there is a secret room.

Dongles turn out to be keys, and one of them opens the secret room. Secret room contains a few hundred "torpedoes" (actually closer to somewhat smart rail gun ammo), and a closet.

Secret closet contains a case which goes bang, as discovered by Bnarch, who survives, but loses a pressure suit and a key in the process, and a parabolic mirror thing fashioned out of crystal with a ceramic base (which was probably not meant to survive the bang, but the explosives didn't age well).

Start ripping out the useful equipment from the control room. Nickchub discovers a small comms device, which we don't disable in time. When we ask later, the Ambassador confirms that 3 warships have started heading this way, and will be here "in a few hours".

Frantic base evacuation. After some discussion, we arrange to move the honoured dead to another statue. We also agree to take the protohumans with us, as being useful, and the right thing to do. The Ambassador provides a organic tunnel to link base to shuttles, and a new pressure suit for Ben. We strip the base of everything that looks useful that isn't too securely nailed down, and the protohumans strip the base of a lot of the small statues, and their tools.

The torpedoes have anti-grav harnesses (1 harness per 4 torpedoes), so they are towed up in a single long string. The anti-grav harnesses are also used to ferry a couple of other large items, such as the robots.

While last load or two with big shuttle is being done, an expedition (Ben, Nikchub and Tsai with 4 protohumans (Foreman of Exploration and minions)), sent to the gate to look for cutter in the small, fast shuttle. Latte booby-traps the base using a couple of the torpedoes.

The gate

They find a cutter, and start removing it from the gate (only partially fastened in place). They also find various other technical goodies (large viewscreens, etc.). Cutter is in a zero-gravity section, so protohumans not comfortable or well trained to deal with this.

Tsai & Nickchub start disconnecting the cutter, while Ben leads protohumans to remove other toys in sections with gravity. Just started on the view screens, when view screens flicker to life with a message from Space Captain Ren Shihov. "Identify yourself or be destroyed in 5 minutes". Message indicates that he's seen activity at the gate, but hasn't seen the Ambassador.

Much frantic activity on the gate to respond to the ultimatum - finds comms station and so forth. Ben responds, firstly bluffing via the "Foreman of Exploration", which fails, and then in person, claiming to be the only non-protohuman around. Agrees to be collected by Shirov.

Nickchub & Tsai hide near cutter. Plan is to continue removing the cutter while Ben tries to talk his way out of trouble. Have 2 protohumans to help. Various fiddling with airlock to make it hard for commandos to come in via the direct route.

Of the 3 warships, 1 is heading to the station and two are heading for the gate.

Initial hooking up of better view screen to the Ambassador (by Shar). Kinda works, but not brilliant.

The Ambassador reports that the barrel is overgrown. Utan takes the protohumans to clear the barrel. This takes some time.

Ben gets collected by military and taken off, with the fast shuttle and two protohumans (inc. Foreman of Exploration). What happens to him is then unclear, as he turns off his bracelet to prevent audio from the rest of us leaking in.

Military arrive in 2 shuttles, one leaves with Ben, one stays with troops to explore the gate.

The Ambassador moves closer to the gate, trying to keep well positioned to fire if needed, but staying out of easy detection range.

Latte takes the organic shuttle and a couple of torpedoes to cause mischief.

Commandos use alternate airlock to enter area with cutter - much hiding, and issues with frightened protohumans. One protohuman bolts and is shot. Latte torpedoes the military shuttle still parked at gate.

Second shuttle sent to the station. Cutter is cast free, with Nickchub, protohuman and Tsai on it (being steered by jury-rigged propulsion rockets made from oxygen tanks).

Latte torpedoes the second shuttle, then starts heading off to help Nickchub & Tsai.

Shar heads out with large shuttle to collect cutter and party.

At this point, Shirov destroys the gate. Very dramatic explosion, and much spinning of cutter ensues. Fortunately, cutter isn't hit with any huge debris, so not damaged (we think). Remaining protohuman finds this whole experience rather trying, and is practically catatonic as a result.

Barrel is cleared, so The Ambassador can fire if needed. The Ambassador is 95% certain that firing will not end badly.

Cutter is collected, and installed (we think correctly, but not 100% sure, due to alien wiring and all that). (This takes some time).

Nickchub sets up comms equipment from the station, so we can listen in on the ships.

Shirov destroyed gate because of terrorists. Some unhappiness about this from the captains of the other ships. Much discussion about whether the prisoners (Ben?) should be moved from Shirov's ship. Plan seems to be to take the prisoners back to the prison planet for more questioning.

Protohumans are also captives - referred to as Mugorokans.

The Ambassador reports that the bracelets Ben and co had have been interfered with, so they've been permanently disabled.

Much discussion about plans to rescue Ben or not. Merely abandoning Ben never really came up (he's useful). Don't have leverage to get him out, can't sneak onto the ship to get him, and, while we can fire the really big gun, this is likely to attract unwarranted attention.

We opt to try and rescue him from the planet surface. This gives us a) more time to consider options b) more options in general and c) a chance not to paint a "we've got a big, alien gun. Please chase us" sign all over the system.

The return to Glennga

The Current Plan: Follow ships back to the planet, and see what we can see about freeing Bnarch.

The Ambassador offers to make attack units for us. We decide they should look like lizards, and ask for 4 dozen (12 1/2 size, 12 Bnarch size, 12 1.5 Bnarch size and 12 twice Bnarch's size). Lizards all look a lot like Bnarch, and have the creepy hive mind thing going with the ship. Use cloned herbivore fur to create snow suits for lizards and camouflage the shuttles.

We get the overgrown shuttle cleared out and workable, although it's not the easiest thing to fly.

Successfully hook up the monitors to the sensors, able to see that there's lots of construction happening at the camp. Shar and Nickchub go down to scout out area.

Bnarch is being kept in the main tower with a Screethli. They conspire to move to the infirmary, and Shar and Nickchub see them being moved.

The current plan: Sent two small lizards in to get bracelet to Bnarch, so we can learn his status. Sent medium lizard along to act as decoy if need be. Two small lizards will go an cut a hole in the fence to the south so Bnarch can escape. Setup rest of the lizards to attack from the north as distraction if needed.

Bnarch is OK. Given hypno-tape disc and instructions to deliver by Screethli (Ustkratac-Fel). To be delivered to Quavladayti, Mugarok City, Mugarok.

The infirmary is guarded at either door, but otherwise unwatched.

Hypno disc is given to one of the small lizards, which heads off to deliver it to Shar and Nickchub with their shuttle. Bnarch is given a snow suit and a comms bracelet.

Our current deployments:

Small troop (12, 6 small, 6 medium) ready to attack shuttles to the north, with intent to try capture shuttles.

1 small lizard delivering disc to Shar & Nickchub.

Shar and Nickchub observing camp off to the north-east, have the laser rifles to snipe with if needed.

1 small lizard and decoy (medium lizard) next to the fence to the east of the base.

2 small lizards at the hole they've made in the south fence.

1 small lizard and Latte in the other shuttle, with 4 torpedoes, equipped with wings to have minimum functionality in the atmosphere (somewhat smart bombs).

Rest (1 small, 5 medium lizards, 12 large, 12 huge) deployed to the north west, ready to attack the construction. Have tracked up from the mines to the west, to mislead and provide a space to retreat to where they can cause further difficulties.

Utan on the tree-ship, providing information gleaned from ship sensors.

The current Plan: Bnarch will garotte the guard on the south door and sneak out through the hole made in the fence, followed by the Screethli. We'll leave silently and not cause a fuss.

The result: Bnarch sneaks up on the guard, but the garotting goes horribly, horribly wrong, and turns into a wrestling match. Alarm is raised.

We fell back onto the backup plan: "Sow Maximum confusion".

The decoy starts running from just outside the fence, trying to attract some attention while looking like an escaping prisoner.

Small lizards from the south go to help Bnarch.

Shar & Nickchub start picking off the guards in the camp guard towers.

Small lizard on the east fence takes over one of the guard towers, and uses machine gun mounted there to shoot at other towers.

Attack party on the shuttles goes off smoothly, one shuttle in the air quite quickly.

Large party attack on the construction does cause great deal of confusion. Panicked reactions from prisoners and for camp guards hampering the response of the commandos, so chaos idea going pretty well.

Guards start leaving the main building, to chase decoy and so on. Latte drops a torpedo on them, destroying part of the main building.

Bnarch & small lizards continue battling with guard for some time. Screethli leaves the infirmary, and starts attracting attention of some guards.

One shuttle flies off, Utan providing hints on disabling military tracking devices. Another shuttle takes off and suicides into some of the parked shuttles, damaging them.

Commandos starting to get organised in the response to large attack force, so lizards are taking some losses now, but prisoners are scattering in all directions.

Lizard in the tower takes out a guard that was approaching Bnarch. Decoy successful in luring some guards to chase it, starts heading for cover. Sniping ongoing, further bomb dropped on main building.

Small lizards manage to kill the guard, Bnarch takes off to the south, having grabbed guards weapon. Screethli blows himself up to eliminate a number of pursuing guards. Small lizards grab weapons and follow Bnarch. Lizard in the tower grabs weapon and heads off south as well. Lizards and Ben meet up with Shar & Nickchub in the one shuttle to the south.

Latte heads to the north west to collect a few retreating lizards from the main attack who have grabbed weapons. The protohumans (Foreman of Exploration and other one), were rescued by lizards, so collected as well. Rest of the main attack force retreats to the mines, with weapons, to cause problems.

One military shuttle is successfully stolen. Rest are shot from orbit when attempting to take off.

All shuttles rendezvous with the tree ship behind an asteroid some way away, and somewhat away from the space station. From overheard comms, we've created a great deal of fuss and noise, but they've no idea where we've gone.

Re-examination of the cutter reveals we have not adjusted the size of the hole it will make to the ship's zipper. Some careful tuning gets us to something we pretty sure will not leave great big holes in space-time.

Able to get reasonable star-charts from mil shuttle.

Mugorak is nearest large, semi-independent option. Opt to jump to system near'ish by, so we can do some needed repairs before heading there to deliver the hypno-tape.

Log