Ok, latest update on the boy's game.
So the twins locked up the captain and the doc in the bunkhouse and set about to finish the defenses. They got one of the robots fixed, rigged up working batteries to the lights and piled up the barricade and retreated inside. The slugcat artificer then proved I'd probably been too generous with their explosive generation ability, even if it was only a 3D explosive, being able to throw one every round so long as they had a stock of rocks to coat and throw meant they could break up the attack waves fairly easily. Everyone else contributed well with a collection of shotguns and pistols that burned through a magazine or two each. I did forget to halve the value of the shotguns against the creepers' armor. But I figured with the lights and explosives, the creepers gave up and left to find easier targets after a few waves.
After a short sleep to recover, they let the captain and doc out to help them get the vehicles working and add makeshift seating to them so all 8 survivors could get away. They got everything done and their supplies loaded on the robot and took off about an hour ahead of dusk and a likely renewed creeper attack. They pushed on into the darkness until they were at the base of a natural mountain pass that they needed to cross to get onto the side of the continent they needed to be on to get into communications range of the starport.
The boys were smart in their camp setup and setting watches and so they avoided complications with the smallhualer crew. They started through the rough terrain of the pass in the morning and by midday reached the summit and were faced with a landslide that left the way ahead too rough for the vehicles. But, rather than abandon the vehicles, they used the slugcat's explosives, who got an absolutely phenomenal roll to figure out the best placement for explosives and to execute the blasting, and the mining robot cleared a rough enough way to get through and push on, and then the drivers doing a good job of getting through and then having to push quickly to avoid more landslides. They had to settle for the night when coming out of the pass and encountering a crevasse blocking their advance.
After night with strange dreams, everyone woke early and they started off to find a way around the crevasse. The crevasse wound down to a small creek they could cross but they discovered a wrecked ATV turned on it's side, looking like it got hit by a flash flood from the crevasse and got left by survivors who wandered off into the jungle. They couldn't determine when it happened beyond somewhat recently. They spent the rest of the day recovering the ATV and getting it running.
Camping for the night before continuing on, they were again troubled by strange dreams and the slightly precognitive, untrained noble psion was lead to the resting place of a fallen alien who was just bones and some equipment half buried in a mound on the side of the creek. He was compelled to put on the torc he found with the bones and had a vision of a war and a need to finish the final trap to eliminate the enemy. This lead to an argument, which ended with the other survivors taking the ATV and the robot and leaving Anson, the NPC, Fred, the Noble, and the slugcat with 2 buggies, a couple of tents and sleeping bags, a week of food and water, a med kit, a stunner, 2 pistols each with a single magazine of ammo, 1 shotgun with 2 magazines and a stunner with two magazines, a cutlass, 2 machettes and 3 knives. They also have a geigercounter and a bioscanner. Everyone also has a vaccsuit and a set of coveralls. A strange orb found with the bones seems to be the key to finishing the quest so they have that as well.
While getting ready to get underway, they did notice a strange red flowered plant and vine that seemed to be aware of them. The noble scanned it with the bioscanner and learned it had spores that were an irritant and possibly fully poisonous. Rather than getting close and getting a sample to get better readings, they bombed the plant and made sure the fire finished it off. With that, they set off in the direction the torc was pulling the noble in.
So ended Flatlined and started Forerunner. We had fun and the boys were excited to start a new sidequest. They also avoided the coup attempt that was coming quite handedly by splitting the party and sending the bad guys off on their own.
I do need some help fleshing out Anson. She's a competent but quiet ex-belter that fills out some skills the group needs but so far is a background character. She's also replacing Karine Lukowia from Marooned on Marduk as the local that has some ability to communicate with the other locals for when we get to that part of the adventure after Forerunner finishes. If anyone wants to give suggestions, I'm open to anything at this point.
