Campaign Turn 19 – Marduk Station – A Trip To The MedCenter
The door opened, and Miranda O'keefe walked in. "It's about bloody time. I thought you would understand the importance of this."
"Ms. O'keefe, you did not provide us with enough information for us to understand. And I am here well within the window you gave."
"Well, things changed. Those miserable idiots at Reactive Operations smuggled in some enhanced Void Rippers. Their first attempt failed. Some smuggler they hired lost control of his delivery on Saeez. But Reactive hired the Warpjack Marauders to bring in some more."
"I've heard of them. Nasty reputation."
"If only they were the target, but we're too late to intercept the Void Rippers. The Marauders made the delivery, and Reactive has been working on the Rippers. Highly advanced and quite frankly illegal gene engineering. They are breeding living weapons of terror. Right here on Marduk Station."
"Is that why the Unity fleet is en route?"
"Doubtful. This is big, but it's not Unity Intervention big."
"Unless it is."
Miranda sighed. "Correct, Mr. Pearsall. Which is why I need a deniable asset to assault Reactive Operations' biolab and eliminate the rippers. From what our spies reported, these rippers are sterile, except for the queen. We want her dead. And honestly, I don't care whether the scientists live or die. They made their bed."
Jaxx looked at Miranda. She appeared young, probably in her mid fourties. But her eyes held an age to them well beyond that. Those eyes stared at him, as if compelling him to give his answer.
"We will take care of the Void Rippers for you. We won't kill the scientists unless they attack us. And we will be discrete."
Jaxx thought he saw a moment of relief cross Miranda's face, before her stoic mask reasserted itself. "Thank you, Captain Pearsall. And good luck."
Jaxx returned to the hotel rooms they were staying at while the Renegade Pigeon was being refitted. Selene and Kazi were training - With Vilem in medbay, Kazi was going to be going with them, and she was not a warrior. But if anyone could help keep her alive, it was Selene. Miak and Vonthos were out, laying a false trail for anyone who might be following them.
"Selene - Call Miak and Vonthos. We're suiting up and heading out."
"Sure think, Jaxx." Selene looked at Kazi. "You'll do fine. Stick close to Jaxx and I. This'll be a cakewalk."
"Are you sure, Selene?" Kazi replied. "Those void rippers sound terrifying."
Selene shared a glance with Jaxx. Neither thought this was going to be easy. Genetically engineered Void Rippers could easily tear through them.
"We'll go in, clear the place, and be back here in time for dinner. And I'm cooking."
Miak and Vonthos walked in the room. "You're cooking, Selene?" Miak said as he looked at Vonthos. "I think Vonthos and I have a thing to do. So dissapointed we'll be missing your meal, right Vonthos?"
Vonthos looked back at Miak. "Sorry, Miak. I have a date. You're on your own."
Selene looked hurt. "My cooking's not that bad, is it? I thought you all liked it."
"It's great, Selene!" Kazi said. "I'm looking forward to it."
Jaxx stood up. "Your cooking is fine, Selene. Miak prefers his food still moving. And Vonthos - bring Ulleda here for dinner. We haven't seen her in a while. Now let's get moving."
Kazi and Selene shared a glance. Selene mouthed 'head trauma' and tipped her head towards Jaxx. Kazi held back a laugh.
Jaxx knew they were wondering about his sudden spending. He had to set his financial goals aside for a while - the threats they were facing were getting worse, and he could tell it was taking a toll on the team. And as much as he wanted to retire and buy some land on a garden world, and maybe even learn how to fish, he had to take care of his crew. He still wasn't sure what 'fishing' was, but he knew people did it when they retired.
The crew suited up and made their way to the run down complex that Miranda had said was the medlab. No visible cameras, which meant that they were really good at hiding them. He wasn't sure whether their scramblers would be good enough. But, that would only be a problem if they survived.
Jaxx moved up and tried the door. Locked. He quickly pulled out his Metrex device, and was able to bypass the security on the door. They moved in. To a scene out of a horror show.
The floor of the lab was coated with a slippery, greasy liquid that smelled of decay and sickness.
They could see the body of a human, shredded and bloody. Far beyond the body, as well as on an upper half-level, Jaxx and team could see some of the Void Rippers. They were definitely larger than any he had heard of, and as the crew entered, they fluttered their membranes and turned towards them.
Selene uttered a single word. "Fuck". Vonthos' sand runner, that he called "Sandy", chirped in its alien way, clearly agitated by the smell and the mere presence of the Void Rippers.
"Jaxx...." Kazi said. "Stay focused, and fire!"
Their first shots all went wide, the Void Rippers flipping in an alien, undulating way as they turned towards the crew.
"Focus! They're just big bugs. Just focus!" Jaxx shouted as the team started to line up for their next shots.
Selene's Fury Rifle barked a second time, blowing a hole through one of the Void Rippers. Vonthos' Plasma Rifle also rid the station of one of the Void Rippers. Vilem's Rattle Gun rat-a-tatted, dropping two, while his pet sand runner skittered up towards the next closest bug.
The remaining rippers all flew towards them, their movement not slowed by the slippery mess on the floor. 
Jaxx and Kazi fired at the Rippers as they closed. Jaxx stunned one with his Blast Rifle, but Kazi's shot went wide. "Calm down, Kazi. Breathe. They had dropped four quickly, but more were fluttering in from the odd corners of the lab.
Selene shot and killed another, while Vonthos shot at the Queen twice, but his shots only stunned her. One of the rippers attacked the sand runner, dropping it easily. "Sandy!" Vonthos bellowed, and charged.
Another Ripper charged Vonthos and attacked. Vonthos quicly switched from his Plasma Rifle to his Laser Pistol, his shot striking the Ripper, stunning it.Ginny launched a grenade at a pair of Rippers, stunning one, while Jaxx fired his Blast Rifle, blowing another into the great abyss. Kazi fired again, missing yet again. "Take it easy, Kazi", Selene said. "They're moving quickly. Lead them."
"I don't know what that means!"
"Aim for their noses. You'll hit their butts."
Vonthos had switched back to his Plasma Rifle, now that there was a little room between him and the Ripper. Two shots struck the Ripper, dropping it from the fight. Miak's Rattle Gun barked again, killing the queen. "Selene - support Vonthos. He's getting swarmed."
"Gotcha", Selene said as double-timed it up the stairs to provide support. As she was moving up, two Void Rippers attaked Vonthos, but he was able to push them back.
Kazi had enough of the needler rifle she was using, and switched to her hand flamer. A burst of fire struck one of the rippers, causing it to scream a horrifying scream, and flail about quickly until its burning body was between Jax and Ginny.
Ginny fired her pistol at the burning bug, but her draw was poor due to the shell gun moving on its sling, and she missed.
Miak's rattle gun sang its song again, killing another Void Ripper, while Selene's Fury Rifle joined the chorus, killing yet another. 
Vonthos' shot hit, but could not kill the ripper he fired at. Two Void Rippers swarmed at Jaxx. One would have killed him, but he had just turned to fire his Beam Pistol at the other, causing the first to barely miss him. His shot struck true, but only stunned the ripper.
Kazi switched back to her needler rifle and fired at the nose of one of the void rippers. The shot blew through its spine, dropping it. "Ha! Good shot girl!" Selene yelled. Ginny's pisol shot struck a void ripper, but its thick hide stopped the round from doing serious damage.
Miak's rattle gun continued to the crescendo, killing two more rippers. Selene's Fury Rifle hit, but failed to kill a void ripper. However, the shot blew the ripper off of the ledge it was on, where Vonthos took two shots at it, ending it.
Silence reigned over the medlab. The last Void Ripper was dead. Mission accomplished, with only a lightly wounded Sand Runner to tend to. "See, Kazi", Selene said, "Easy peasy!"
Kazi looked at the carnage, and at the bodies of what were once security guards and scientists, torn apart by the Void Rippers. "Selene, I'm sorry. I don't think I'll be hungry for dinner."
Selene didn't respond to that. Instead, she quietly called out "Jaxx....."
Jaxx walked over. Lying on the floor in a pool of bright yellowish-green ichor, was one of those squid-headed aliens. Wearing a lab coat. 
"What in the name of Eddy Murphy is going on? They're working with Reactive Operations? They were working with the Black Dragon Mercs, and they were on the ghost ship. If the squid-heads were working with Reactive, that might explain why Marduk Station was denying their existence. But there had to be more.
"Jaxx, I pulled some documents from their systems. Looks like intel on the squiddies, but a lot of it is in code."
"We'll bring it to Miranda. She promised us everything she had on them as part of our payment."
The crew found a crate of starship parts. Strange, alien starship parts but with standard connectors, like they were adapting their technology to Unity's. They also found some broken weapons that the security guards tried to use to protect themselves.
They walked quietly back to their rooms, taking the time to clean up and case their weapons.
As they approached, they passed a row of vendors selling surplus and probably stolen goods. A Jump Belt caught Miak's eye. "Hey bossman. We need to be able to move faster. Whaddya say we spend a little of your money on this jump belt."
Jaxx responded "Head trauma" and kept walking.
Miak looked confused, and glanced around at the rest of the crew. Vonthos, carrying the injured Sandy, didn't respond, but Kazi and Selene giggled, and Kazi replied "That means yes, you may buy the jump belt."
Turn 5
Step 1
1. Flee Invasion - N/A
2. Decide whether to travel - No
3. Starship travel event - N/A
4. New world arrival steps - N/A
1. Check for Rivals - N/A
2. Dismiss Patrons - N/A
3 - License paid
4 - world characteristics - Alien Species Restricted (Precursors) - Precursors can not be hired here or go on crew missions, but they may partake in battles. No invasion
Step 2
1. Upkeep and ship repairs. 1Cr due to Living Quarters upgrade
Pay for Medical Care: n/a
2. Assign and resolve crew tasks
Jaxx - Repair Needler Rifle - repaired
Kazi - train
Selene - train
Villem - n/a
Miak - Decoy
Vonthos - Decoy
Ginerva - Trade - Contraband - turn down
3. Determine Job Offers
Patron job - Wealthy Individual (Wealthy Individual (Miranda O'keefe))
Danger Pay: +1 Cr (+2 Cr if at least one enemy is defeated)
Timeframe: This turn
Benefits: Connections - Gain a Rumor
Hazards: n/a
Conditions: n/a
Miranda knows that a group of mercenaries, the Warpjack Marauders, transported an illegal Void Ripper onto the station, and
delivered it to agents of Reactive Operations' science division.
This Void Ripper was transported from the Ahenksizlik sector. The original smuggler, Captain Sampson Tim Lisney, lost control of the Void Rippers on Saeez, so Reactive Operations contracted the Warpjack Marauders to capture the Queen and bring it to Marduk Station.
Miranda knows that Reactive Operations' is attempting to genetically engineer it to be able to be put in statis, and then breed at an increased speed. So they could deliver a small statis pod to a concealed location, and once it opens, the area will be quickly overrun with hostile, enhanced Void Rippers.
4. Assign Equipment -
5. Resolve Rumors: - n/a
6. Choose Battle - Patron Job
6.5 Check Rivals - No
Readying for Battle -
ELITE on 3+ - Yes, elite enemie
DIFFICULTY SETTINGS: Respawn 5; Strength 4 – Add 2 basic enemies, 1 specialist, 1 Lieutenant
World Settings -
1. Deployment Condition - Slippery Ground - all movement at ground level is -1 Speed
1. Notable Sight - Documentation - Gain a Quest Rumor
2. Objective - Eliminate (select one figure, eliminate them to WIN).
4. Opponent Type - Roving Threats - Elite Void Rippers
AI: Rampage - move as fast as possible towards the closest enemy , aalways try to enter brawl
Difficulty - Strength 4 - add 2 basic, 1 specialist and 1 lieutenant
Respawn 5
Number 6; 5 reg + 3 specialist + 2 lieut
Normal
Panic 1 ; Speed 5"; CS +1; Tough 5; AI: R ; Weapons Teeth
Teeth: Melee, Damage +0
Specialist x 3
Panic 1 ; Speed 5"; CS +1; Tough 5; AI: R ; Weapons Teeth
Teeth: Melee, Damage +0
Lieutenant x
Panic 0 ; Speed 5"; CS +2; Tough 5; AI: R ; Weapons Teeth
Teeth: Melee, Damage +0
5+ Save
UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL - No
Speed ; CS ; Tough ; AI ; Luck ;
4. Set up the battlefield -
---
Fight!
Seize The Initiative: Yes
Won
Held The Field
Sandy went down for 1 turn
First Blood - Selene
Post-Battle
1. Rivals - n/a
2. Patron - already patron
3. Quest Progress - n/a
4. Get Paid - 6Cr
5. Battlefield Finds - Starship Parts
6. Check for Invasion - n/a
7. Gather Loot - Damaged Weapons - Blade,
8. Injuries & Recovery: Note: Roll at -5 on injury table - Sandy out for 1 turn
Gained 2 Quest Clues for the turn
9. Experience:
Jaxx -3
Selene -4
Vilem - 0
Miak -3
Vonthos -3
Ginerva -3
Kazi - 3
10. Invest in Advanced Training: n/a
11. Purchase Items: Pay 3 Cr for roll on Gadgets - Jump Belt
Instead of Moving normally, the character may jump up to 9” directly forward and 3” upwards. The character may take a Combat Action normally after landing.
12. Campaign Event: In Hindsight it will make a great story. No one injured this turn. Gain +1 story point13. Character Event: Selene - Someone has sent you a gift. A Hot Shot pack. Worthless!
