Collan and Niil: Seekers

[GM Craig]

You examine the contact a little deeper using passive sensors. The crawler's sensors are serviceable, but not very sophisticated, and neither of you are particularly skilled at fine-tuning sensors, but Collan knows a little more, so Niil helps out.

The emissions you are seeing are consistent with a broad-spectrum multi-purpose sensor array, similar to various models of higher-end hand-held sensor packs and vehicle sensor units. It does not match any sort of navigational beacon you recognize, though it certainly would act as such in a pinch.

In addition, you do pick up signs of broadcast EM communications frequencies in use, but cannot make anything out. It could be encrypted - not necessarily nefarious in itself - many folks use encrypted channels for private communications.

That about all your skill and equipment can determine.

[Collan]

"Whoever that is, they spent some creds on that toy they're using. It's deinitely high end, so they're either really successful but stupid pirates, imperials, or some poor slob who doesn't get the danger out here or is looking for something in particular."

[Niil Spaar]

Niil smiled thinly and nodded his assent.  "And either of those three possibilities means people we'd probably be better off avoiding.  Maybe even bounty hunters, too.  Let's skirt them and keep out of their sensor range."

OOC:  We'll bypass this contact, but I'll also try and avoid any blatantly obvious alternate routes if I can.  For all we know this could be a shepherding setup.

[GM Craig]

You move on some distance, being careful to stay out of sensor range. About twenty minutes later, your passive sensors pick up another faint contact. This one is not actively broadcasting, but you pick up what seems to be communication emissions from somewhere off to the left. You only have a bearing, not a distance.

[Collan]

Collan began to attempt to rotate the best angle of receiving on the passive sensors hoping to narrow the direction the comm signal was coming from.

"Let me see if I can narrow the directionality of that signal."

[Niil Spaar]

Niil wasn't liking this one bit.  A contact in the Bladesea pinging away with active sensors would make most people opt for taking another route to avoid being detected, and careless prey would probably blunder right into a passive sensor net in the process.

He brought the vehicle to a dead stop, and made sure his armor-piercing blaster rifle was readily available.  In a low voice, he said, "Go to it.  See if you can pick up what they're saying at the same time.  I'll keep an eye out."

OOC:  Let Collan go to work, and I'll put the macrobinoculars to work.  If they have FLIR, I'll start scanning in that mode.

[GM Craig]

Niil stops the crawler and pops the hatch and steps out into the night to have a look. Wind rips through the cockpit and claws at his clothes and he steps outside. He starts scanning the horizon.

Inside the vehicle, moments later, the sensors start going crazy. Collan looks up from his work to see three active pings on the passive sensors, coming from the southwest, west, and northwest of your position.

Outside, Niil scans the horizon, and almost immediately spots a vehicle spark up it's lights and start heading directly towards you. He lowers the macros, and then can see two other blooms of light headed your way. They are about 500 yards away, and closing fast. Buy the look of it, they're faster than you are. On the open plains of the Bladesea, you won't be able to loose them.

[Actions?]

[Niil Spaar]

Niil swore softly as he brought up his armor-piercing baster rifle to bear.  "Crack out the blasters, Collan, and grab a firing position!  Let's hold off shooting until we see what their intentions are."

OOC:  Sorry, I didn't get a chance to finish this.  Holding fire until I can get a good idea if they're hostile or not. 

[Collan]

Collan popped open the weapons locker and took up a firing position, looking for soft targets.

[GM Craig]

In a few moments, you see them. Wide, squat light vehicles with open cockpits. You see no external weapons, but those riding in the vehicles appear to have that covered.

Their intentions become clear quickly as the vehicles swoop in towards you. No shots are fired, but each vehicle has three blaster-wielding occupants. They whoop and holler as they roll in, one heading for the front, one heading for the rear of your crawler.

[Actions?]

They'll effectively blockage your vehicle unless you decide to rap them. The vehicles are all open, so the occupants are wearing environmental suits to protect from the wind.

[GM Craig]

[No bonus for aiming, as you guys weren't actually aiming. Also, Collan is in the vehicle, but you're outside it. You'd have to remount to start driving. Your vehicle is closed cockpit, so you can't fire from inside, but you're also protected from blaster fire. Do you want to try and make a break for it, or fire on them? Once of you might be able to shoot by hanging out an open hatch while the other drives.]

[Niil Spaar]

OOC:  We might as well make a break for it.  One will drive, while the other fires.  If they're close enough to be in heavy blaster pistol range, I'll use that instead of the AP blaster rifle and go for the drivers.  I'll let Collan drive and delete my old post.


Niil swore.  Why did he have to be right about them?  He dove across the hood for the passenger side and yelled, "Collan, take the wheel; I'll shoot!!"

[Collan]

"Got it!" Collan yelled as he hopped into the driver's seat. This was going to be a bumpy ride.

[ooc: crap...just 3D Mechanical. Drive. Look for opportune terrain to give them a run for their money]

[Niil Spaar]

OOC:  Still better than my Mechanical skill . . . 

[GM Craig]

Collan shifts to the driver's seat and hits the accelerator while Niil leans out the open hatch. The sudden lurch of the vehicle makes Niil's first shot with the rifle go wide.

When your vehicle starts to move, you hear the beings on the other vehicles start hooting and cheering, apparently looking forward to a chase.

The vehicles quickly close to heavy blaster range.

[Actions?]

The pirates are faster and more manoeuvrable than you, though Niil is likely better with a blaster, so you might be able to wear them down by driving.